The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Close shave for BJP chief Chufal Boulders fall close to his vehicle in Rangaon area Tribune Reporters Pithoragarh, July 8 Chief of the state unit of the BJP Bishen Singh Chufal had a narrow escape when boulders fell close to his vehicle on the Pithoragarh-Didihat road in the Rangaon area today. “As soon as we reached Rangaon, heavy boulders started felling. Showing alertness, my driver reversed the vehicle and we had a narrow escape," said Chufal over the phone from Didihat. The road, which has become frail due to the ongoing widening work, remained closed for 12 hours due to this. In another incident, one person washed away in the swollen Lohawati rivulet at Lohaghat on Saturday. The body of Chandar Singh (45) is yet to be recovered. In yet another incident, Dharchula MLA Harish Dhami sustained injuries when he slipped over on a road at Bugdiyar in the Johar valley. The road is very slippery due to rain. The MLA was on his way to inspect border villages of his constituency when the incident took place. He has been admitted to a Munsiyari hospital. The pre-monsoon rain also wreaked havoc in the Someswar valley of Almora district, where a house collapsed and paddy crop destroyed due to a landslide. Many areas in the Banbasa area of Champawat district are also waterlogged and there is deposition of mud at various places. Meanwhile, panic gripped villagers of Jungalia Gaon in the Bhimtal area of Nainital on Saturday night, when the uphill part of the village started sliding. Rain claims two lives in state Dehradun: Owing to incessant rains in Uttarakhand for the past few days, two persons were killed when they were hit by boulders at two different incidents in the state today. A pilgrim died, while another was injured when they were hit by a boulder at Sauri Barrier near the Gaurikund region of Rudraprayag district. The incident took place at around 6.30 am today. In another incident, a person died, while another was injured when a boulder fell at a Tata Sumo on the Kairna Almora road in Naintial district today. There were eight persons inside the car. All others are reported safe. On the other hand, after working on a war footing, Border Roads Organisation officials assisted by the district administration managed to open all Char Dham Yatra routes. Debris were removed from Birahi and Kodiyala to ensure the resumption of traffic on the Rishikesh Badrinath highway. Similarly, debris were removed from Fata on the Rishikesh Kedarnath highway. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya has directed the district magistrates to be alert during the monsoon taking into account ther increasing possibility of rain-linked disaster incidents. He said no complacency would be allowed in disaster management-related works. Arya also said Rs 1 crore was being provided immediately to every district to ensure timely conduct of disaster relief works. He added that man and equipment were further being dispatched for disaster-sensitive areas in the hills.
	BJP activist killed in firing Tribune News Service Haridwar, July 8 In a sensational incident of broad-day light firing, a BJP activist was shot dead by a contractor in the posh Shivalik Colony here today. The incident occurred around 11 am when the accused, Anuj Chauhan, a labour supplier and a contractor and a resident of Sabzi Mandi, Jwalapur, was involved in a fight with Shishir, a fellow trader, yesterday evening. To sort out the matter between the two, Shishir’s friend Sanjay, a resident of Bharapur Bhauri, Roorkee, who is also a BJP activist and supplies building materials, reached Shivalik Nagar, S-Cluster-based shop of Anuj Chauhan. But instead of sorting out the affairs of the duo, Sanjay got involved in the dispute with Anuj getting enraged and suddenly fired on him with his licenced pistol. The bullet hit Sanjay’s head, who fell on the ground immediately. After hearing the sound of the firing, the nearby traders reached the spot where Anuj was trying to carry the injured in his vehicle. Seeing this, the traders and the locals nabbed Anuj and called the mobile police squad who arrested him with the pistol. Injured Sanjay was at once taken to Jolly Grant Hospital in Rishikesh where in late afternoon he was declared dead. At Ranipur police station, Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Mohan Joshi said the interrogation was going on. He said prima facie, it looked a monetary matter. Relatives of the deceased and the villagers also arrived at Ranipur police station demanding a probe into the incident. SP City Kiran Lal Shaw calmed down the protesters saying that the police had arrested the accused from the spot and assured them of police action against him as per law. Meanwhile in Shivallik Nagar, residents have demanded the installation of CCTV cameras and more police posts citing an increase in the number of criminal incidents in the colony. Kuldeep, a local resident, said due to the establishment of SIDCUL, thousands of labourers are working without any verification in Roshanabad where hundreds of industrial units were situated. “A majority of the criminal cases in the recent past have taken place with the involvement of outsiders who in the past or during the conduct of crime were working in SIDCUL, Roshanabad. Keeping this in mind, the police should make the verification of labourers and tenants compulsory in Roshanabad-Shivalik Nagar,” said Chaya, a social activist.
	Rajaji National Park a paradise for wildlife lovers Jotirmay Thapliyal Tribune News Service Dehradun, July 8 It is one of the most vulnerable protected areas of Uttarakhand. Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand is spread over an area of 744 sq km and has come up with amalgamation with three the then sanctuaries - Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla - way back in 1983 in the memory of famous freedom fighter late C. Rajgopalachari, popularly known as “Rajaji”. Rajaji National Park is certainly a paradise for wildlife lovers and nature enthusiasts due to the presence of elephants, deer, gorals and other wildlife and of course some tigers. But this park has its own set of challenges and certainly stands as the most vulnerable protected area due to the growing man-animal conflict in the region and decade-long unresolved issue of Van Gujjar rehabilitation. Illegal felling of trees has also been quite rampant due to thickly populated villages sharing their borders with the park. The importance of Rajaji National Park can be gauged from the fact that it is considered as the North Western Limit of Asian elephant. Being nestled in the Shivalik ranges and also the Indo-Gangetic plains, the park has varied vegetation, including forest types like sal forests, riverine forests, broadleaved mixed forests and also grassy areas, which make it a delight of tourists. The latest tiger census report of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, has revealed the presence of 11 tigers inside the park, which has added to its tourist attraction. On other hand, Gujjars rehabilitation has been a major challenge with Rajaji National Park. It is yet to completely rehabilitate Van Gujjars out of the park and the process, despite making a beginning several years ago, is yet to come to conclusion. Interestingly, an official central notification of Rajaji National Park can only be done after Gujjar rehabilitation gets completed. Swaran Kumar, deputy director of Rajaji National Park, said the park authorities had taken Van Gujjar rehabilitation with all seriousness from the beginning. “We have already set up a separate Van Gujjar rehabilitation cell and are strictly working on Supreme Court guidelines for their rehabilitation,” he said, adding that the process of rehabilitation was still in progress. He admitted that the rehabilitation process looked tardy and long. Interestingly, Rajaji National Park has also been the first protected area that has successfully checked the death of wildlife in train-hit cases. The railway track that crisscrosses Rajaji National Park had earlier been a cause of several pachyderms’ deaths in train-hit incidents. But the Train Hits Mitigation Project of the Wildlife Trust of India since 2001 has succeeded in reducing the deaths to zero in the park through a coordinated approach with the Uttarakhand Forest Department and the Northern Railways. This project is even being emulated in other parts of the country.
	Protest in Srinagar for power project Tribune News Service Dehradun, July 8 A day after a BJP delegation led by their central leaders met the Prime Minister in New Delhi for safeguarding Dhari Devi temple in Srinagar Garhwal, to be affected by a proposed hydropower project, a public meeting in support of the project was held in Srinagar which was attended by a large number of locals. President of the temple Vishveshwarya Pandey said, “We strongly protest against the politics over religion. Dhari Devi can never let its children live in hunger and darkness. We want the project to start with the temple of ours to be renovated. We have given in writing to construction company that we are ready to even temporarily shift the Devi to another location for the better look of the temple. We want our temple, electricity and the "aviral dhara" of the Ganga to flow.” Padma Shri Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), said “We stand by the people of Srinagar who over the centuries have not only established and worshipped the goddess at the Dhari Devi temple but have been its caretaker too. Today if they wish to uplift the temple without damaging it so that the stalled Srinagar Chauras Hydro-electric Project starts and they finally can get electricity what is wrong in it? Don’t we all need electricity or is it becoming the right of the privileged?”. Today in Srinagar, hundreds of locals and the people from Peepalkoti, Joshimath from Chamoli, Hardwar and Dehradun along with the Jan Manch, the Chauras Khirsu Vikas Mahapanchayat, the Uttarakhand Sangharsh Manch and the RLEK protested against the closure of the hydro-electric projects in Uttarakhand. “Our MPs should resign for using us like puppets. When more than 80 per cent project is complete, then a conspiracy has been hatched to keep the hill people away from development,” said Kamla Devi from Srinagar “The state is not able to meet even 50 per cent of its household requirements, leave alone its industrial requirements. Other states like Chhattisgarh, Orissa have refused to give electricity to Uttarakhand so what is the solution? The Prime Minister is being suggested by a anti-hydro-electric project lobby to give 2000MW to the state as an incentive to close the projects. "I want to ask the PM does he have 2000 MW to spare for the people of Uttarakhand when the entire nation is running short. Instead it is the Centre also which will benefit out of centrally owned hydro-electric projects,” said Leela Dhar Jagudi, a Padma Shri and known personality of Uttarakhand. Among projects scappred include the Srinagar Chauras Hydro-electric Project, the Pala Maneri Hydroelectric Project, the Bhairon Ghati Hydro-electric Project (fully state-owned), the Vishnugad Peepal Koti Hydro-electric Project, the Him Jyoti Hydro-electric Project (owned by the Centre).
	Parkash Utsav of sixth Guru celebrated with fervour Tribune News Service Dehradun, July 8 Parkash Utsav of Guru Hargobind was celebrated in the city with devotion and fervour. Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat and State Minister for Planning and Sports Dinesh Aggarwal also visited the gurdwara at Adat Bazaar to take blessings on the occasion. Rawat said: “The country will benefit by learning from the spirit of sacrifice made by Guru Hargobind for the welfare of humanity.” While praising the Sikh community for its immense contribution in the unity, security and prosperity of the country, he said the Sikh community deserved appreciation for following the teachings of Guru Hargobind and living with each other with love and brotherhood. Dinesh said Guru Hargobind was the pioneer in creating Akal Takht and directing the entire Sikh community in following the path as shown by Guru Granth Sahib, which is revered by the entire Sikh community. He said his teachings were still relevant for the development and prosperity of the country. The renditions of shabad kirtan continued from 5 AM to 2.30 PM. Among others, MLA Lalit Farswan, president of the Doon Club DS Maan, Raju Bindra from Hemkund Sahib, patron of Gurdwara Rajender Singh Rajan and general secretary Seva Singh were also present on the occasion.
	Sangh for recruitment of safai karamcharis Tribune News Service Dehradun, July 8 A delegation of the Uttaranchal Swachhkar Karamchari Sangh, Nagar Palika Parishad, Nainital, met Governor Aziz Qureshi today. It submitted a memorandum demanding the recruitment of safai karamcharis and allotment of houses to them. The three-member delegation was led by general secretary of the sangh Kamal Silemane Sangh. Meanwhile, Maulana Zahid Raza Rizwi, former chairman of the Uttarakhand Haj Committee, along with a six-member delegation met the Governor today. Meanwhile, the Governor, after having resided in Raj Bhavan, Nainital, for the summer, will leave for Dehradun tomorrow evening by train. The Governor had arrived at Nainital on May 31 for the summer. During his stay at Nainital, he participated in many programmes and interacted with eminent people of the city. He also held a meeting with officials and citizens of the city regarding the deteriorating condition of Naini Lake and other problems faced by the locals.
	Front to clean banks of Ganga, tributaries Sandeep Rawat Tribune News service Rishikesh, July 8 On the lines of the Central Government’s Ganga Action Plan (GAP) in Rishikesh, a Ganga Action Parivar (GAP) has been formed by Parmarth Niketan Ashram in association with social activists, environmentalists and devotees. The Ganga Action Parivar has been formed with a mission to clean and green the banks of the Ganga and related tributaries like Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Mandakini, Pindar, Ban Ganga and Ram Ganga. As part of this clean and green initiative, a massive tree plantation drive was carried out today in Rishikesh at Barat Ghar and Tehri Vistapith colony by the activists of the parivar. Under the guidance of Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, founder of the Ganga Action Parivar, who is also the head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, activists toiled hard to make the maiden green plantation initiative a major success. Swami Chidanand said the parivar would plan more such projects along the banks of the river in the coming days with a target of more than 2,400 plant saplings. Prem Chandra Aggarwal, a legislator from Rishikesh, termed the drive as an example where society could contribute in their own way towards cleaning the river. Those who supported the drive included renowned Ayurvedic healer Brahmacharya Vishwapal Jayantji of Karund Ashram (Kotdwar), eminent tree expert Dr SN Mishra, Prabhod Raj Chandol of Tree Panchayat, Jagat Singh Choudhary (Jungali) of Rudraprayag, Vijay Pal Bhagel, Rana Ranbeer Sigh from Himalaya Vahini, Mohan Panwar of Garhwal University, Srinagar, Manoj Verma, president of Rishikesh Rotary Club, volunteers of the Sandesh Society Bhaniyawala and spiritual guru Swami Balayogi Premavaraniji (Rishikesh). The plantation started at Baratgar followed by plantation at a park named after the river, Ganga Park. “The parivar plans to expand its plantation drive in the next year by developing a nursery which will be run and supported by the locals. In addition, mixed variety of trees, medicinal herbs, shrubs and grasses will be made available to the locals along with the basic training of plantation,” said Ram Mahesh Mishra, director of Parmarth Niketan.