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UP defers closure of Ganga canal to October 22
104 medical consultation service to come up in state
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Smuggling from Nepal rises as water level in rivers fall
Srikunjapuri tourism fair begins in Tehri
Production, sale of gutka banned in state for one year
Development has stopped in state, says Suresh Joshi
MDDA chief tells officials to give shop registries to traders
Telu Rauteli awards for seven women
Villagers start indefinite fast for 35-km road
Scientists forecast
Rs 3,000 per quintal for mustard/toria yield
Mala performs rituals in Ganga
Sitarganj to have freight corridor
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UP defers closure of Ganga canal to October 22
Haridwar, October 16 According to a directive of the Uttar Pradesh government, the Ganga canal would now be closed during the ongoing festival season in Haridwar from October 22 to November 10. Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Ajay Bhatt took up the Ganga canal issue with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and as a result it was not closed yesterday. The canal starting from Haridwar is operated by the UP Irrigation Department as the two neighbouring states are yet to resolve the issue of disputed properties. It is closed for a fortnight during this time every year for cleaning and maintenance. This year the permission for the closure of the canal was sought from October 15 but was allowed between October 22 and November 10 during which festivals like Navratras and Dashera fall. As lakhs of devotees, pilgrims and tourists visit Haridwar during this festival season, voices of protest against the move to close the canal are being heard. The Ganga Sabha, which manages Braham Kund at Har-ki-Pauri, teerth purohits, saints, traders, social and religious organisations and local people are opposing the canal closure during the festival season. Secretary of the Maha Nirmani Akhada Mahant Ravindra Puri Maharaj said the closure of the canal during this time was against the ethos of Hindus as Ganga water would not be available for performing rituals at Har-ki-Pauri during the festival season. District chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Virendra Kirti Pal said they opposed the canal closure from October 22 as they had been demanding that it should be closed only after Diwali. Working general secretary of the Ganga Sabha Srikant Vasisht said any move to stop the Ganga flow at Har-ki-Pauri would not be tolerated and Ganga activists would start an agitation against the move. Chief of the Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti Sanjay Chopra said from Bhagirathi Bindu to the Mayapur Check Dam at least five feet water should be released during the canal closure so that enough water was available at Brahm Kund at Har-ki-Pauri and adjacent ghats. A former Uttarakhand minister Sarika Pradhan said unless the property disputes with Uttar Pradesh were resolved the canal issue would arise every year. She demanded that the operation of the canal should be handed over to the Uttarakhand government. |
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104 medical consultation service to come up in state
Dehradun, October 16 As the 108 Emergency Ambulance Service has a good backing of a call centre, the 104 service too will have the backing of a call centre minus the ambulances. "It will be a non-emergency, toll-free medical consultation service powered by trained paramedics who will provide consultation to the patients for minor non-emergency ailments," said Dr Ranvir Singh, Principal Secretary, Health. With the start of the 108 ambulance service funded by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the Uttarakhand Health Department tried to deal with the problem of absence of connectivity in the rural areas. "The emergency ambulances helped us reach out to patients in serious conditions and immediately provide them with medical care. The role of the 104 will be slightly different but the service too will provide medical consultations to patients who may be suffering from psychological disorders, skin ailments and pain. These cases will be taken up by the trained paramedics and in case the patient requires expert advice, his case may be referred to specialists," said Dr Singh. A similar medical consultation is already functioning in Rajasthan and with the launch of the 104 medical consultation service, the Uttarakhand government hopes to cover patients living in the remote areas of the state. The service will also help the Health Department prepare health registry of patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders that are often ignored in the villages. "The medical consultation service on the telephone will prove to be a boon to patients who will be able to get medical consultations while sitting at home. This will
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Smuggling from Nepal rises as water level in rivers fall
Pithoragarh, October 16 On his tour to the interior parts of the Nepal border posts, Pithoragarh DIG Gokarn Singh Martolia said that during this session of low water level in the river Kali, the incidents of smuggling from across Nepal gets increased. “We have asked SSB officials to keep a strict vigil on the 240-km border with Nepal in Pithoragarh and Champawat districts, as smugglers, especially trafficking charas, became active during these months when the water level on the river gets low,” said the DIG, after returning from a visit of Nepal bordering areas of Champawat district. “We have taken stock of some illegal routes taken by the smugglers from across Nepal to smuggle charas and take animal organs from their counterparts in India. These routes have been traced in parts of Pithoragarh, Champawat and Tanakpur areas,” said the DIG. According to the police officer, in recent times, the smuggling of rare Himalayan herbs from the Nepal side, besides charas and other drugs, has increased. “This smuggling includes mainly of those herbs which are grown legally inside Nepal but banned in India,” said the DIG. In Bageswar district, the local unit of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties has handed over a memorandum to the District Magistrate complaining of illegal mining on rivers Saryu and Gomati due to lower levels of water. “These illegal miners are not only stealing government revenue but also posing a threat to the villages situated around the river bed,” said NB Bhatt, state vice president of PUCL. While the divisional forest authorities have claimed of forming a special cell to arrest the illegal mining, the volunteers of Katyur Ghati Sangharsh Manch have threatened to launch a long movement to save the Himalayan rivers from the hands of illegal miners. “The illegal mining activity is being ignored by the administration as it is not taking any action despite the fact that the illegal activity is being carried out in a surveillance area,” said Hem Pant, convener of the
manch. |
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Srikunjapuri tourism fair begins in Tehri
Dehradun, October 16 Speaking on the occasion, Bahuguna said such fairs were the heritage of Uttarakhand and their preservation was everybody’s responsibility. He added these fairs were also connected to the faith of people. Bahuguna appreciated the tableaus taken out by various educational institutions and said these depicted the culture of Uttarakhand. He called upon the people to contribute to the development of the state as “his government is chalking The Chief Minister said frequent natural calamities in the state had hampered development process. He expressed gratitude to the Central government for providing a financial assistance of Rs 150 crore for disaster relief and another Rs 1,500 crore for the development of the state. Residents of disaster-hit Dour and Kandari villages would be rehabilitated at the earliest, he added. Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj requested the Chief Minister to establish a High Court Bench at Narendranagar. Narendranagar MLA Subodh Uniyal demanded the construction of roads, upgrade of secondary schools, the construction of an auditorium at Narendranagar, a degree college at Gaja, a government polytechnic at Kwili Patti, 33 KV power stations at Laser and Gullar and ITIs at Khadi and Pav Ki Devi Dogi. The Chief Minister assured him that most of his demands would be met. Earlier, Bahuguna paid obeisance at the Kunjapuri temple and later visited the fair and inspected stalls set up by various government departments there. |
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Production, sale of gutka banned in state for one year
Dehradun, October 16 Commissioner, Food Safety, Ranvir Singh said the decision had being taken in view of the harmful effect of these products on a person’s health. With as many as 13 states in the country having effected the gutka ban, there was pressure on Uttarakhand to follow the suit. Ranvir Singh said the ban had become effective from today and any person found violating the order would be liable for action under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006. He said nearly 30 lakh persons in the state consumed gutka and were suffering from serious diseases like oral cancer. “We have taken preventive measures in the interest of the state, as the habit of consuming gutka is increasing. Close to 30.7 per cent of the population in Uttarakhand is consuming gutka or products containing harmful nicotine and tobacco. Youths are getting habituated to chewing gutka and we have to take remedial measures,” he said. Several Indian and international NGOs had been clamouring for a ban on the sale of gutka and a study had recently reported about the presence of harmful heavy metals in it. |
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Development has stopped in state, says Suresh Joshi
Dehradun, October 15 He said several water schemes had been damaged due to cloudbursts in Uttarkashi but the government had not released money for their repair. Joshi said in remote areas, schools and hospitals were without teachers and doctors. “The government has failed on all fronts,” said Joshi. |
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MDDA chief tells officials to give shop registries to traders
Dehradun, October 16 It was a big sigh of relief for the traders who had been demanding registries of the new shops for a long time to be able to either rent or sell them. Sundaram had called the traders for a discussion on the re-development plan of Chakrata Road with the Delhi-based consultant, Innovest Advisory Services Private Limited. He explained the layout of the plan and invited suggestions from the traders. During the day, the same plan was also discussed with the councillors and Mayor Vinod Chamoli. The consultants had been given a time period of six months to come up with a foolproof plan. They have already utilised two months. In the next three weeks, they are going to conduct a survey of Chakrata Road. The re-development plan will encompass a new multi-storey shopping complex as well as houses on the top floor of this building on both sides of Chakrata Road, stretching from Ambedkar statue on Clock Tower road to Prabhat Cinema on the one side, and from Digvijay Cinema to Krishna Palace on the other side. Facilities such as a proper corridor outside the shops, footpath, parking space and lawns would be provided. He said traders should avail this benefit from this plan, otherwise in future, their shops might be demolished again for space, which was getting narrower in the city with the burgeoning population. He said the re-development plan was first introduced 7 years ago but it had to be shelved due to political reasons. He also tried to satiate traders, saying that those who had freehold land would not have to pay anything to get shops under this new scheme, and those who had nazul land would be able to get their land converted into freehold by paying on the current prevailing rates. The traders were, however, insistent that MDDA should first fulfil all the conditions laid out in the government order released with regard to Chakrata widening policy, before moving ahead with its re-development plan. The VC assured them that all their issues would be redressed. The traders vehemently demanded to remove the divider on the road. PWD's Executive Engineer CM Pandey’s assurance that the divider would be removed after a retaining wall was erected at the place ignited their anger. |
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Telu Rauteli awards for seven women
Dehradun, October 16 “The anganwari workers have been demanding 15 annual holidays. The state government is supporting their demand but only the Central Government can decide on this issue,” said Rawat at a function to give state-level Telu Rauteli awards and anganwari workers awards-2011. The minister urged the women to generate awareness about the declining girl child ratio (in the age group 0-6 years). Chairman of the Women’s Commission Sushila Baluni urged the women to shape their own destiny. On the occasion, the minister also inaugurated the department site that had been designed by Arti Balodi, programme officer of the Uttarakhand Integrated Women’s Society (under the Department of Women and Child Development). Later the minister gave away the Telu Rauteli and Anganwari worker awards to deserving women. The Department of Women and Child Development have constituted the state-level award. Last year, the department was unable to present these awards, so the awards were given this year. The Telu Rauteli Award is given to women, including young girls, who have managed to make a difference while working in the field of social, education and health etc. Seven women won the state-level Telu Rauteli awards and were handed over cheques for Rs 10,000 each. The winners include Garima Bisht from Almora, Meena Rawat from Chamoli, Namrata Bohra from Pithoragarh, Sarita Negi from Pauri, Geeta Chauhan from Udham Singh Nagar, Kiran Purohit from Chamoli and Snehlata Rawat from Dehradun. Among them, Namrata Bohra was especially selected for her efforts to generate awareness against animal sacrifice in Pithoragarh. A total of 22 anganwari workers received the Anganawari Worker Award-2011. These include Madhvi Bisht and Lila Petshala from Almora, Janaki Ethani from Bageshwar, Tulsi from Chamoli, Kiran Bhatt and Seeta from
Champawat.
Make a difference
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Villagers start indefinite fast for 35-km road
Pithoragarh, October16 A volunteer from Lachima village, Devi Dutt Pathak, sat on the fast today. “The villagers are angry that the district administration and local legislators have ignored their genuine demand for the construction of a road linking their villages to various places,” said Bharav Dutt Pathak, president of the Sangharsh Samiti formed for the purpose. The residents of six villages said the construction of the 35-km road from their area to Nachni town in Munsiyari subdivision would make their life easy. “We will continue with our agitation till the time the administration and the local representatives solve our problem,” said Pathak. The villagers from the Digtoli area gave a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding the construction of an 11-km road from Digtoli to Chandika Ghat of Gorangdesh Patti of the district. The road, which was proposed in 2001 and was to cover Diruary, Naini and Byalkatia villages, could not be constructed, said Virendra Singh Bohra, vice-president of the Pithoragarh zila panchayat. The villagers, who are demanding linking of a religious place of Chandika Ghat with a road, said if the administration did not address their problem they would start an agitation in front of the office of the District Magistrate. “Though thousands of devotees visit Chandika Ghat every year to worship the deity, the administration has never given priority to connect it with a road,” said Bohra. |
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Scientists forecast
Rs 3,000 per quintal for mustard/toria yield
Dehradun, October 16 This forecast has been made under the National Agriculture Innovation Project (NAIP) for establishing market intelligence centres in India in the department. One of the objectives of this project is to make price forecasts in advance of sowing of selected agricultural commodities and during harvesting. Principal Investigator of the project, Dr Anil Kumar, along with other scientists of the project Dr Kanchann Kandpal and Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, conducted a market survey of Rudrapur regulated market, a major market for mustard/toria in Uttarakhand, and analyzed the market prices data which had prevailed for the past 14 years (1998-2012) in this market. The results of econometric analysis showed that the wholesale prices of mustard/toria in the Rudrapur market would be in the range of Rs 2,700 to Rs 3,000 per quintal during January to March 2013. The scientists have, therefore, advised the farmers, who wish to take to mustard cultivation in the coming season on their farms, to decide the area under crop considering the predicted prices of mustard/toria as well as other conditions suitable for the crop. Sowing of mustard/toria starts in September and continues till the end of December. Rajasthan is the largest producer of mustard/toria in India contributing 54 per cent to the country’s total mustard/toria production followed by Punjab and Haryana together contributing 14 per cent. Other major producers of mustard/toria seeds are Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat. The main mustard and toria producing regions in Uttarakhand are Bajpur, Kiccha, Gadarpur and Rudrapur. The sowing of these crops in Udham Singh Nagar starts from September and ends in November. Mustard/toria is a 120-day crop and its harvesting starts from December-end. |
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Mala performs rituals in Ganga
Haridwar, October 16 She was on her maiden visit to Haridwar today. Mala Raj Lakshmi also performed rituals in the Ganga, participated in Maha Yajna and sought blessings from the saint community. She met former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Swami Chinmayanand at his Parmarth Ashram.The newly elected MP said: “In the next parliamentary elections, the BJP will be back to power and the Congress-led UPA government will be shown the door as it has been done in the Tehri bypoll.” She said with the blessings of the Almighty and saints, she had got an opportunity to serve the people of Tehri Garhwal. Mala Raj Lakshmi is the third generation of the Lok Sabha MP from her royal family dynasty with her father-in-law the late Maharaja Manvendra Shah representing the Tehri Garhwal constituency a record eight times. Swami Chinmayanad said from Uttarakhand, the BJP’s victory drive had begun.
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Sitarganj to have freight corridor
Dehradun, October 16 Jain said an agreement on the proposal had been reached with the Railways in this direction. The corridor would be connected to other parts of the country also. He said a fresh survey to lay 53 km-long Kichha-Khatima railway line would be conducted. On the first phase, the Lalkuna-Sitarganj railway line would be constructed. He directed the officers concerned to identify the land where fertile areas of farmers did not come under it. Jain said the state government would provide a grant of Rs 50 crore for this and the Railways would be urged to keep the state out of contribution compulsion as Uttarakhand fell under the special state category. He said Khatima being a border area the construction of railway line was necessary.
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Dehradun, October 16
Accepting the long-pending demand of the anganwaris, the Uttarakhand Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Development on Tuesday said the state Department of Women Empowerment and Child Development was awaiting the approval from the Central Government for granting annual holidays to the anganwari workers.
