Gujarat designers to help artisans refine products
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 30
To ensure that handicraft and handloom from Uttarakhand carve a niche in the global market, designers from the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Designing (NID) have begun helping artisans and craftsmen refine their designs according to international taste.

The traditional copper smithery of Bageshwar and Almora is set to change with the exposure that the dying Tamta artisan community has had over the past two years and the copper vessels that played a functional role in kitchens are set to make their presence felt in the drawing rooms and elsewhere.

The artisans have already got a preliminary exposure during workshops under way at selected places under the souvenir development programme launched by the Uttarakhand Handloom and Directorate of Handicraft Council (UHHDC) in 2010.

“The three-year programme with the NID is expected to provide the necessary expertise to the craftsmen and artisans to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the products. The copper craftsmen have also been provided new tools to help them develop new products such as lamp holders, bird and other hill motifs crafted in copper that could be displayed in the sitting rooms,” said SC Nautiyal, Additional Director, Industries.

Besides, the UHHDC is also keen to revive this dying art that is now restricted to a few families in Bageshwar and Almora. “There is an intense competition from the machine-made products swarming the Indian markets from China. We have to strengthen our craftsmen so that they continue with their craft,” said Shelly Dabral, Assistant Director (Industries).

Though the traditional Aipan or rangoli of Kumaon has already undergone innovation, these rich folk motifs have found their way on cards, wall hanging and even books.

For years, the humble weed or ringal (local bamboo) has been used by the hill folk in making baskets and ropes. Now the local craftsmen are being trained to make other utility items that could be picked up as souvenirs by the tourists.

“All along, our artisans have been bound by tradition. They have only catered to the local demand and never made products on demand. Now, we have to address this issue so that they think globally. The designers from the NID have worked on refining the folk motifs that will be increasingly used in our wooden handicrafts. The wooden souvenirs of Badrinath and Kedarnanth temples are already popular,” said GC Pandey, Deputy Director, Industries.

At the end of the programme with the NID, the UHHDC hopes to have master craftsmen in each craft and even send them to the NID for intense programme.

Laloor water pumping project hangs fire
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, June 30
The ambitious project of providing drinking water to around 35 villages of the Laloor region in the Jaunpur block of Tehri Garhwal district worth Rs 14.81 crore has run into troubled waters due to the nonchalant attitude of the Peyjal Nigam. Besides, a firm, Zeppelin Mobile Systems India Ltd, which was allotted the project, has refused to work on the project further, leaving the government and the prospective beneficiaries high and dry.

The project, better known as the Laloor Pumping Scheme, was approved in 2010 by the previous BJP government with an objective to provide water to around 5,000 residents of 38 villages in the Jaunpur block by drawing and pumping water from the Yamuna in a phased manner. About Rs 14.80 crore was sanctioned for the project under the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP) to be completed by 2013, but due to the apathy of the executing agency in this case, the tenders were invited three times in a row and each time it had to be cancelled as no other company apart from Noida-based Zeppelin Mobile Systems India Ltd (ZMI) showed interest towards the project.

Following this, the project was allotted to above Zeppelin Mobile Systems India Ltd, which, after working for nine to 10 months on the project at snail's pace, refused to work any further without intimating the executing agency and leaving the hapless villagers of the region. The villagers had been demanding such project since 1990 in lurch.

Holding the Peyjal Nigam responsible for the debacle, local resident and social activist Bittoo Kavi, said due to the abandoning of the project by the firm and the inaction on the part of the nigam, the people of the region had been left with no water. Had the company started the project in phase-wise manner, many villages would have benefited from it till now. He further said even after such fiasco, the department was still not concerned about the plight of the people and has not taken any action so far.

Former state Cabinet Minister Khajan Das said the project was approved by the previous BJP government and to leave the project incomplete was unfortunate. He further said a delegation under him had met Chief Minster Vijay Bahuguna recently and apprised him of the whole situation. The Chief Minster took the matter seriously and gave an assurance that he would take punitive action against the company involved in the project. Khajan Das also demanded complete investigation against the said company which has left the project site without any intimation.

Executive Engineer of the nigam Sanjay Singh said while awarding the contract to the company, it was given a direction that the work be divided in several phases for speedy construction, but there was no response from the company and it carried on the work for eight to ten months. When the department proposed penalty on the company, it fled without completing the task. The department, on the direction of the secretary, was also contemplating confiscating its bank guarantee and blacklisted it so that it is unable to work any further.

The project will be restarted when the tenders will be awarded to different contractors in a phased manner.

Vendors demand fair space distribution
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 30
Vendors who were displaced during anti-encroachment drives today asked the Municipal Corporation for a fair space distribution. In view of this, traders associated with the Small Scale Traders Association met municipal corporation officials and demanded allocation of space for all affected vendors and hawkers in 15 upcoming authorised vending zones in Haridwar.

Though vendors expressed satisfaction over the implication of the National Vendor Policy Manual 2009, they pointed out that during registration and allocation of vending lots, traders having political influence were being given preference while those who had been operating their vends for the past 30 years were being neglected. Leading the association members, state chief of the SSTA Sanjay Chopra demanded employment opportunities for the displaced vendors so that they could earn their livelihood even if they don’t get vending lots.

He said at no-vending zones, a specific time period for vending should be prescribed so that at vendors could earn some profit. He thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for directing Chief Ministers to apply National Vendor Policy in their respective states. He also thanked Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on implicating vendor policy in the state.

Bhoopendra Rajput, treasurer of the association, said poor and lower-middle class people depended upon small-scale traders. Municipal Corporation additional town officer PS Rawat gave assurance to the protesting vendors of unbiased approach and allocation of vending lots on priority basis with preference being given to those who have been vending for more than 10 years.

Transport Minister unhappy at poor sanitation at bus stand
Tribune News Service

Transport Minister Surendra Rakesh inspects the bus station in Haridwar on Saturday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, June 30
State Transport Minister Surendra Rakesh conducted a surprise inspection of the city bus station here and found various irregularities on its premises. The minister got irked at the poor sanitation conditions and lack of cleanliness and gave strict directions to the depot officials and employees.

He directed them to ensure round-the-clock lifting of garbage, filth and leftovers from the station. He also inspected the duty register when he found some employees not in their seats. He, however, let off the employees after seeking explanations from them and giving a warning that those found absent from duty would not be spared.

When encroachments in and outside the station, particularly by the Tata Sumo Four-wheelers Association, was brought to his notice, the minister made it clear that all encroachments would be removed. The Tata Sumo Four-wheelers Association was reportedly given space by former Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik.

Rakesh said he would personally see to it that an anti-encroachment drive was launched in the coming days so that all encroachments were removed and the local bus station was made to compliment the world wide reputation of the pilgrim city.

The minister also inquired from the passengers about the bus services, behaviour of the employees and cleanliness. He said a proposal was being made to renovate the bus station according to international standards as the city witnessed arrival of pilgrims and tourists throughout the year.

Besides regular fairs, the annual Kanwar mela, Ardh Kumbh and Mahakumbh are also held in which people in crores throng Haridwar. Hence there was need to create world class facilities at the bus stand to cater to the sheer number of people, said Rakesh.

Apple crop damaged due to lack of moisture
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 30
Nearly 50 per cent of the apple crop has damaged in the state in the absence of moisture and no rain since April. The loss of yield is mainly due to decreased size of apple and the falling of raw fruits from the plant in the absence of moisture.

Director, Horticulture, IA Khan said: "This has caused huge losses to the farmers of Nainital and Uttarkashi, the apple belts of the state."

He said besides the apple crop, the crops of pear, peach, plum, apricot, leechi and mango had also affected due to the prolonged summer.

“Due to unfavourable weather conditions in the state, all fruits produced in the state have suffered same conditions. In most of the cases, fruits fall from the plant in the absence of moisture,” said Khan.

He further said the three cash crops of potato, tomato and ginger and three fruits namely apple, mango and leechi have been notified as insurance crops and private companies cover them under crop insurance policies. However, the rest of the crops or fruits had not been notified under the insurance coverage by the government so far.

Khan said due to adverse weather conditions, vegetable farmers had also suffered huge losses.

Congress accuses BJP of fomenting communal tension
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 30
The Uttarakhand Congress Committee has accused the BJP of fomenting communal tension ahead of the Sitarganj byelections and lodged a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here today, Vice-President of the Congress Committee Suryakant Dhasmana alleged that the BJP and RSS workers were trying to foment communal tension by distributing a CD containing inflammatory things and literature to influence the bypoll. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna is fighting the byelections from Sitarganj.

Dhasmana alleged that the workers were trying to repeat the Rudrapur incident to gain political mileage.

He said the Congress had sent a complaint in this regard to the Election Commission and sought its intervention.

The state government and district officials had also been informed about the matter.

Dhasmana demanded that the police and civil administration of Udham Singh Nagar district should take cognizance of such attempts and take action against people trying to foment communal trouble.

He further said Bahuguna had come to know of such attempts and asked the party to take up the issue with the EC.

Awareness drive against contagious diseases
Tribune News Service

Dr Ram Sharma apprises people of monsoonal diseases in Haridwar on Saturday. Tribune photo:Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, June 30
With the monsoon round the corner, an awareness drive was carried out by medical experts here today.

They are of the view that preventive measures, precautions and alertness could prevent one from getting afflicted with contagious diseases that spread in the season.

City-based Dr Ram Sharma said the last phase of the summer and the initial phase of the monsoon season was a sensitive period when people suffer from diseases like diarrhoea, jaundice etc.

He said food being sold in the open should be avoided and water be used after boiling it. “We need lot of liquid, lemon water, glucose and ORS to meet the body's water requirement. But if vomiting, fever, loose motion and the drying of skin continue, one should immediately consult doctor.”

During the drive, people were urged to keep their surroundings clean.

Grant of land rights to be monitored
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 30
Chairman of the State Revenue Board Subhash Kumar has said that the progress on the process for granting landownership right to lease holders under the Government Grant Act, 1895, would be regularly monitored.

He directed all District Magistrates to submit reports on the progress of the process to the State Revenue Board on a monthly basis.

The DMs have been provided with the formats in which the details have to be filled by them. In the given format, they have to indicate the total number of applications received, how many had been granted ownership and how many applications were being examined.

Kumar directed the officials concerned to ensure that the government order was followed. He also directed the Commissioners of Garhwal and Kumaon to monitor the progress along with the District Magistrates.

2 killed in mishap
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 30
Two persons were killed and two others injured when a private bus collided with a car at Jhajra on the Dehradun-Vikasnagar road here today. Four persons were travelling in the ill-fated car. Two of the occupants were killed while the two injured 
were taken to the Permnagar hospital.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, in a message, mourned the deaths in the accident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Tripura Governor leaves Nainital
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 30
Tripura Governor DY Patil, after staying at Raj Bhavan, Nainital, as a guest of Governor Aziz Qureshi, left for the Haidakhand temple today.

He will later leave for New Delhi by train from the Kathgodam railway station.