Cabinet Meeting At Gairsain Tomorrow
Aircraft, choppers to ferry ministers, bureaucrats
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 1
Aircraft, helicopters and vehicles will be pressed into service for transporting state bureaucrats and political leaders to Gairsain, the venue for the state Cabinet meeting to be held on November 3.

For the Cabinet meeting, the Uttarakhand government has made temporary accommodation at Karnprayag, Rudraprayag and Gauchar for the officials who will be going a day in advance.

The Chief Minister along with Cabinet ministers is expected to leave for Gairsain for the same day. The state aircraft will be pressed into service for ferrying ministers from Dehradun to Gauchar from where the state helicopter will fly them to Gairsain.

While the one-day Cabinet meeting will be held to bring the focus on Gairsain, questions are also being raised about the futility of the whole efforts when the state is fund-starved.

As of now the government is maintaining that the different departments would be making allocation for the budget. "More than anything, it is a commitment of the state government that is aware of the significance of Gairsain and is fulfilling its aspirations. The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh ND Tiwari too had held meetings at different venues," said SS Rawat, Secretary to the Chief Minister.

Sources claim that in order to capitalise on the move, the government has made several announcements that will be aimed at the hilly areas of the state.

"The government is expected to take a formal decision on giving three more LPG cylinders taking the total to 16 for the residents of the state. But the announcement may be restricted for BPL card holders. The other possible decision will be pertaining to holding one assembly session at Gairsain," said a senior official.

The other decisions that are likely to be discussed at the Cabinet meeting include tenancy rights for the people residing in the slum areas (according to the slum policy), bicycles for girl students of the state, land use change for rural areas that do not fall under the ambit of two government development agencies and decisions related to giving a spurt to horticulture and food processing activities and making mining and industrial activities attractive in the hilly areas.

 Proposed Cabinet meeting at Gairsain historic: Dhasmana
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 1
State Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana has termed the proposed Cabinet meeting of the state government at Gairsain in Chamoli district on November 3 as historic.

Suryakant Dhasmana, vice-president of the Uttarakhand Congress, addresses a press conference in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

He further said the Cabinet meeting would pave the way for holding a session of the state assembly at Gairsain in the near future.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Dhasmana said the state Congress government led by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had taken cognisance of the sentiments of the statehood agitators regarding Gairsain and decided to hold a Cabinet there.

“No other government in the past took any initiative in this direction and the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleague deserved praise for it,” he said.

He said Gairsain had not only been an important milestone in the struggle for the separate state but had also acted as a binding force for the Garhwal and Kumaon regions.

Reacting on the criticism of the Opposition BJP on Cabinet meeting at Gairsain, Dhasmana said the Virender Dixit commission for suggesting a place for the permanent capital of the state was formed during the BJP intereim government and it’s report also came during the previous BJP government. He demanded that instead of criticising the Congress government, the BJP should clarify its stand on the issue.

Dhasmana also called upon Chief Minister Bahuguna to take a decision on giving ownership rights to the slum dwellers in the state in the Cabinet meeting at Gairsain. He said the decision would bring happiness to slum dwellers across the state who had been demanding ownership rights for the past several decades.

 Governor opens festival of Kumaoni films
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 1
Uttarakhand Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi has said that art is a strong bond which helps people rise above the differences of caste, class and religion. "Various art forms bring people closer and create a positive atmosphere," said the Governor while inaugurating Sharadotsav 2012 at Nainital last evening.

He said when he found that the Sharadotsav had been discontinued, he had given directions for its revival. He appreciated the efforts made by the government, administration and various other people to hold the festival again.

The Governor also inaugurated the festival of Kumaoni films organised by the Anamika Film Development Society.

He said Uttarakhand's picturesque locations could prove to be an ideal destination for film makers and a film city should be set up in the state.

He said the Sharadotsav would provide a good platform for local artistes.

He also released a Nainital Album, "Sharad Nanda".

A tableau of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, the mounted police and schoolchildren were also part of the festival. Uttarakhand ministers Indira Hridyesh and HC Durgapal, MLA Sarita Arya and several other eminent persons were present on the occasion.

 Three quintal sweets seized in Haridwar
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 1
Three quintals of sweets being ferried illegally to Karanprayag in Chamoli district from Agra in Uttar Pradesh were seized here today. The seized sweets included two quintals of petha and one quintal of reware that were being taken to Karanprayag for sale during Diwali.

Accused Pawan Kumar, a resident of Karanaprayag, was bringing the sweets from Agra in a bus of the Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation. He was loading the sweets on a Karanprayag-bound bus of Garhwal Mandal Owners Union Limited here when a team of the Health Department nabbed him on suspicion and found that he was carrying these illegally.

A Sales Department team also reached the spot immediately and seized the sweets. Food Security Officer Yogendra Pandey took samples which were sent to a Rudrapur-based laboratory.

In view of today’s seizure the Food Security Department has intensified vigil on adulterated food material while the Sales Department is conducting checking of public and private transport vehicles coming to Uttarakhand.

 Sacha Sauda volunteers clean Haridwar
Tribune News Service

A foreign devotee sweeps a Ganga ghat and Sant Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh starts the drive. Tribune photos: Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, November 1
Over two lakh volunteers of Dera Sacha Saudha, Sirsa, an organisation, today cleaned Haridwar and Rishikesh, citing insanitation in the twin cities. It took them nine hours to clean the cities.

After cleaning, the cities wore a completely new and clean look, much to the surprise of the tourists and residents.

The cleanliness drive kicked off from Braham Kund, Har-ki-Pauri, with rituals performed by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

At Rishikesh, the Triveni ghat and Mui-ki-Reti were the starting points of the cleanliness drive.

 45 depts spent Rs 185 crore less last fiscal
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 1
Uttarakhand MPs and MLAs are known to spend less than the funds allocated under the local area development fund. Now, 45 state government departments seem to have emulated them as they are sitting on Rs 184.93 crore that had remained unutilised in the previous financial year.

While the purpose of the budgetary allocation is to enable departments to spend the funds under different heads, but in Uttarakhand a trend of spending money as little as possible has been observed in the last few years with the elected representatives taking the lead.

Things have come to such a pass that in seven months of the current financial year the departments have spent very little of the budgetary allocations. At the same time, they have a sizeable amount of unspent funds brought forward from the previous year.

A cash balance of Rs 58.74 crore under the MLA Local Area Development Fund and Rs 14.87 crore under the MP Local Area Development Fund is being carried forward.

Other departments that have unspent funds from the previous year include the Peyjal Nigam (Rs 36.94 crore), Primary Education and Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (Rs 8.32 crore), Panchayati Raj (Rs 4.59 crore), Border Area Development Fund Rs 10.85 crore, Department of Urban Development (Rs 9.52 crore), Road Construction and PMGSY Rs (1.14 crore), Indira Awas Yojana (Rs 3.92 crore) and Cooperative (Rs 1.88 crore). A total of 45 departments have carried forward Rs 184.93 crore of unspent funds from the previous year.

Among the districts, Tehri has carried forward Rs 25.82 crore, Almora Rs 17.97 crore, Chamoli Rs 17.80 crore and Nainital Rs 12.49 crore.

“This exercise is repeated year after year because we do not adequately focus on planning in advance. By October-November, we should have begun preparing proposals for 2013 so that the annual plan money is released by the Central government on time. This helps in the overall budgetary allocation and management,” said a senior official of the Department of Planning. 

 11 private schools issued notice
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, November 1
Eleven private schools in the city have been given notices by the chief development officer, Pithoragarh, as these were running without recognition from the Education Department and had not registered under the Right to Education Act, which has come to effect in the state from October 31 last year.

“Out of 63 private schools operating in Pithoragarh block alone, only 41 have applied to obtain recognition under the Right to Education Act. But we have found 22 schools of the 41 were not registered with the Education Department,” said the CDO.

He said some of these schools had been given notices as these had been violating the RTE provisions since last year.

“Under the RTE provisions, if a private school violates these provisions, a punishment of Rs 1 lakh can be imposed on the school,” said the CDO.

The district administration has launched a campaign to see the implementation of the RTE Act in private schools for which the CDO has raided many private schools in Pithoragarh block.

“The campaign will be run in all private schools of the district to see if the RTE Act is being enforced properly or not,” he said.

 Lack of Basic Facilities
Munsiyari villagers suffer due to official apathy 
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, November 1
Residents of remote villages in the district are suffering in the absence of basic facilities due to indifference of officials concerned and ignorance of villagers though a plenty of funds are available under various government schemes to address these problems, Chief Development Officer (CDO), Pithoragarh, Dr Raghav Langhar said here today.

Langhar said the villagers in the remote Munsiyari subdivision were suffering due to lack of roads, drinking water and proper infrastructure in educational institutions.

Langhar found many lapses in the ongoing development activities during a visit to remote areas of Munsiyari. He had ordered an inquiry into the matter.

According to a press note issued by the CDO, works worth Rs 11 lakh under the Border Area Development Fund at Intermediate College at Muwani Dawani were found to be of poor quality. “I have decided to send a report on the lapses to the District Magistrate for further investigation. The contractor was found using substandard material in the college building, besides the job was not completed in time frame,” said Langhar.

The residents of Madkot, Mawani Dawani, Aalam Darma, Dunapani, Sirtola and Golpha villages had requested Langhar during his visit to repair damaged roads under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and complete the roads being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) since 2009.

“The non-implementation of the national schemes like the MNREGA and the PMGSY in this remote area is a cause for concern. I have apprised the District Magistrate of my findings during the visit to these remote villages of the district,” he said.

The CDO added the villagers of Mawani Dwani had requested the administration to change the source of the drinking scheme that fed the village, as the present source falls in a zone prone to landslides. “The villagers of the area are facing problems which can be easily addressed if the officials concerned take interest in the issues of people living in remote villages,” he said. 

  DPC meeting held

Dehradun, November 1
The Departmental Promotion Committee meeting was chaired by Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain to fill four vacant posts of director in the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare.

Senior medical officers, who are all in additional the director grade, Dr RK Pant, additional director (NRHM), Dr RC Shah, Dr Yogesh Sharma, Dr PC Kapri, Dr Ajab Singh Rawat and Dr B.C Pathak, also took part. 

 Ways to promote poplar, willow discussed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 1
On the third day of 24th session of the International Poplar Commission (IPC) 2012, a meeting of the National Poplar Commission (NPC) of India was held on the FRI campus here today.

During the day, technical sessions under three themes listed by the IPC at different venues, election of new executive committee, meetings of different working parties and poster sessions on different themes of the IPC by different partner countries were held.

Dr VK Bahuguna, Director General of the ICFRE and Chairman, of the National Poplar Commission (NPC) of India, chaired the meeting.

The NPC prepares country report on detailed progress in knowledge, technology and techniques in poplar and willow culture, production and utilisation.

The NPC meeting was attended by Dr RBS Rawat, Principal Chief Conservator, Forest, Uttarakhand, Basheer Khan, PCCF, Bihar, Additional PCCF, Punjab and Haryana, Directors of ICFRE Institutes, officials of FRI and ICFRE, NGO representatives, representatives from industries, farmers and others.

The meeting was held to work out the strategy for propagating poplar and willow in different states of the country. The NPC recommended renaming it as ‘National Commission on Poplar Willow and other Short Rotation Crops’ with its headquarters at FRI Dehradun. It was proposed that Dr PP Bhojvaid, Director, FRI, will look after the functioning of the body.

The Executive Committee is the driving force of the IPC. It has 12 members elected in a personal capacity for a four-year term and a maximum of five members co-opted for the same duration. The elections to the new committee were held later during the day.

Different business meeting of working parties were also held on the campus.

Scientific and technical problems related to poplar and willows are investigated by five working parties of the IPC dealing with: (1) genetics, conservation and improvement (2) production systems (3) environmental applications (4) insect pests (5) diseases (6) harvesting and utilisation of wood. Papers were presented on the topics by participants from different countries. Scientists from different countries deliberated and discussed the advances made so far in poplars and willows. In total, 13 papers were presented during the day at different venues.

Dr RBS Rawat, PCCF, Uttarakhand, chaired the session on poplar and willow genetics, conservation and improvement wood. It was co-chaired by Dr William Schroeder from the USA.

To disseminate the knowledge to the visiting students, delegates and scientists on research done under various themes was presented by the researchers from different countries in the poster session. A total of 49 posters were presented. Later during the day, voting for the next executive committee of the IPC was held in the IPC-FAO Secretariat, established at FRI. At the end of the day, dances, including Indian classical, folk and modern dance forms from different states of the country, were presented by the students of FRI Deemed University in Hari Singh Auditorium on the FRI campus.

 Taxi driver thrashed near Tehri bus stand
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, November 1
A 25-year-old taxi driver was beaten and left on the roadside in what is being termed as an old grudge brawl that occurred near the Tehri bus stand here last night.

The injured taxi driver, Sanjay, at a hospital in Mussoorie.

According to local ward member Ramesh Bhandari, he received information that a taxi driver from his ward, identified as Sanjay, was lying on the roadside near his taxi. He was bleeding. Bhandari rushed to the spot and immediately admitted the injured to the nearest community hospital. Doctors said the injured was brought to the hospital in serious condition with several marks of injury on his head and had a fractured leg. After initial treatment, he has been referred for a Dehradun hospital.

The police had apprehended the three persons involved in the brawl on the complaint filed by the family of the injured driver. Meanwhile, the other side has filed a cross case. Ajay, member of the other party and residing in Jhabar Khet, alleged that his brother was being threatened by Sanjay for the past one month. Yesterday he entered his house with hockey sticks and rods in order to physically assault Ajay’s family. The taxi drivers and his three unidentified aids, after creating ruckus at Ajay's house, fled the scene. Later, members from both sides confronted each other near the Tehri bus stand. A fight broke out and they exchanged blows. Sanjay, who received serious injuries on head and leg, was left near his taxi to fend for himself. The police has registered a case against both sides and is investigating the matter.

Bhandari alleged that the situation turned violent due to the inability of the local police in handling the whole matter effectively.

The Police, which is facing flak due to the increase in criminal activities in the state, has now gagged its officials from giving any version to the media, thus trying to hide its failure in controlling the law and order situation.