Govt slashes honorarium of board, corp chairmen
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The Uttarakhand Government has drastically slashed the honorarium of all heads of boards, corporations and statutory bodies without any Cabinet rank.

The curtailment of honorarium coming soon after Divali has jolted the leaders appointed by the erstwhile BJP government. These include the Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission and the Chairman of the State Child Rights Commission.

“The honorarium has been slashed from Rs 10,000 to Rs 5,000. The allowance fixed at Rs 25,000 towards camp office-cum-residence has been slashed from Rs 25,000 to Rs 10,000,” said SS Rawat, Secretary to the Chief Minister.

The government has also done away with the air-travel allowance both inside and outside the state. However, nine MLAs appointed by the Congress government as heads of different government bodies and accorded the Cabinet ranks would continue to draw the honorarium and other allowances fixed by the BJP government.

Recently, Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission Sushila Baluni had complained about receiving less emoluments in comparison with the head of another commission. In this wave of austerity measures by the government, the head of the child rights panel is expected to be the hardest hit, as he was believed to be drawing a much higher salary.

The term of the Chairman of the women’s panel is expected to end in February next year. However, there is still time left for the term of the Chairman of the child rights panel who was appointed only last year.

Although the government is tight-lipped on how long the austerity measures would continue, the move has not affected Congress aspirants who are awaiting for similar posts.

“More than anything else, I am eyeing the red beacon as it will definitely help me stand out,” said a senior Congress party leader, an aspirant for a non-ministerial-level post.

Meeting of CMs, FIs in Delhi
Provide banking services to villages on basis of population: CM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The Uttarakhand government has urged the Centre to make population-based standard for extension of banking services in rural areas more practical.

As per the Budget speech by the Union Finance Minister for 2012-13, the villages having a population of more than 1000 need to be given banking services. However, in Uttarakhand about 80 per cent revenue villages have less than 500 population, and 50 per cent of the villages have less than 200 population.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna raised the issue in the meeting of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Chief Ministers of northern states, heads of public sector banks and financial institutions today. Bahuguna underlined that the existing standard of population would debar large sections of rural areas of Uttarakhand from banking facility. He pointed out that most of the villages of Uttarakhand were located at difficult geographical locations and the population of villages in those areas was very less. He revealed that there were only 1668 bank branches for the existing 15,761 inhabitants in the state, including 837 in rural areas.

Chief Minister Bahuguna said that the existing standard was also posing difficulty in establishing broadband network facility. He said recently Uttarakhand had signed an MoU with Union Telecommunication and Information Technology Ministry for broadband connectivity.

However, under this agreement, too, only those villages with a population of more than 500 could be connected with the broadband. He said that most of the remote villages had comparatively less population, but in the areas strategically sensitive, it was necessary to have Internet connectivity there. He urged the Union Minister to render support in this direction.

Bahuguna raised the issue pertaining to difficulties being faced while obtaining education loan from the Central Corporation set up for SCs, STs, minorities and sanitation workers through the state’s organisations.

He said as there were difficulties in the process, help could be sought from banks and the process for loan be made simpler and practical. He said that a cooperative loan structure was more viable for rural economy. Bahuguna said that June 30, 2011, was the date set for the cooperative credit structure to be implemented, but all necessary action could not be taken. He urged the Finance Minister to extend the date of revival to June 30, 2013. He said that with the help of NABARD, steps had been already initiated in this direction.

The Chief Minister suggested adopting a cluster approach in providing banking services to remote hill areas. He said that mapping undertaken through District Magistrates had identified 1583 clusters in the state. These clusters could be rendered banking services through branches, mini branches and banking correspondents. He observed that the state could make use of 8000 fair price shops.

Stating that only five banks were participants of e-payment initiated by the State Commercial Tax Department, Bahuguna urged all the banks to connect themselves with e-payment system. He also urged the RBI to provide RBI gateway to Uttarakhand akin to Karnataka. He said that this would facilitate early credit of amount in the state’s account.

The meeting was inaugurated by Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and was attended by Chief Minister Delhi Sheila Dikshit, J&K Chief Minister Umar Abdullah, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda and Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, amongst others.

New Patel Nagar residents oppose medical college 
DM convenes meeting of officials today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
Councillor of ward 43, New Patel Nagar, Santosh Dhiman met along with residents of the area District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam and complained about the Nirman Nigam Department using the road behind the slaughterhouse in New Patel Nagar to build a medical college on 60 bighas.

He said contractors of the department had also damaged their crops near the road. He also alleged that the road had been dug up for sewerage lines under the project sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and expressed concern that the project would fall through if the road and land were used for the medical college.

He complained that the ADB too did not move despite their complaints to the officials on this issue. Purushottam has called a meeting of the officials of the departments concerned tomorrow to look into the issue.

The villagers complained that the contractors damaged their crops and did not compensate them for it. Purushottam directed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sadar, to ensure adequate compensation to the farmers under the prescribed guidelines in this regard.

Villager Krishan Mohan said, "The ADB was laying sewer lines where sewage of the entire the Bhandari Bagh area will flow through these pipes. Similarly, residents of New Patel Nagar will also benefit from it as they will also avail sewerage system. People of these areas are banking upon their own makeshift sewerage system and keenly awaiting the completion of the project. But the way a boundary wall has been erected around the road and the half dug-up road has been left mid way, it shows that the public convenience had been pushed at the back burner.”He said they had no issue with building of medical college but the road must be kept out of it.

Purushottam assured the gathering of finding a solution to this problem after hearing out the version of the officials of the department.

Polybags to be banned in state
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The use of polythene bags will be completely banned in Uttarakhand and even tourists visiting the hill state will not be allowed to use them.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain at the Secretariat here today. He asked officials to issue a revised notification in this regard.

Besides this, the Garbage Disposal Act will also be amended. Earlier, the use of polythene bags of less than 40 micron was banned. However, according to the amended notification, which is yet to be issued, the use, sale and storage of all sorts of polythene bags will be prohibited.

The Chief Secretary has directed the officials to prepare an action plan and release an amended notification in this regard. He said considering the health of the public, it was necessary to ban the use of plastic bags.

He said Uttarakhand was a tourist place and tourists visit it for its clean environment. The use of plastic also had a bearing on the health of the people.

The Chief Secretary directed the officials to inspect all viable aspects of the notification before implementation. He said public awareness was also important.

Secretary, Environment Conservation and Pollution Control Board, Jayraj, Additional Secretary, Forest and Environment, RC Lohni, staff officer to the Chief Secretary MC Joshi, District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam, City Magistrate Harak Singh Rawat and other senior officials were present on the occasion.

Leopard found dead; another kills boy

Dehradun, November 16
A leopard was found dead while another mauled a five-year-old child to death in two separate incidents in the state, Forest Department officials said here today.

The carcass of a leopard was found on the Laxmanjhula-Nilkanth road near Dobra village in the Lansdown forest division yesterday. The injury marks on the three-year-old leopard's carcass suggested that it was killed in a fight with another leopard, they said.

"The teeth marks on the leopard's neck and deep bruises on its stomach indicate that it was killed in a fight with another leopard," said an official, adding that the exact cause of its death would be known only after the post-mortem report came.

In another incident, a five-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard at Gauchar in Chamoli district, spreading panic in the area, the officials said today.

The boy was attacked by the leopard in his own courtyard late on Wednesday night and was dragged into the nearby forest by it, they said.

The half-eaten body of the victim was recovered by forest officials yesterday, they said. Vigilance has been stepped up in the area in the wake of the incident. — PTI

MDDA, DMC, dist administration to make joint efforts for easing traffic
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) and the district administration will make joint efforts to better the traffic situation of the city.

Secretary, Urban Development, MH Khan, said this after reviewing the situation on Chakrata Road, Sahkari Bazar, Tehsil Parisar and Adat Bazaar Road.

He said the effects of change would be discernible in the next six months. Khan was accompanied by District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam and MDDA Vice-Chairman RM Sundaram and officials of DMC.

Khan asked the officials to prepare a concrete action plan to solve the parking problem in the city. He said the basement area of the under-construction shopping complexes must be used for parking purpose.

He directed that the officials must review the work done by working agencies and take action against those who were not performing up to the mark.

He passed instructions for completion of projects under Asian Development Bank and Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission. Khan directed the officials not to let further roads be dug up in any other parts of the city to lay water/sewerage lines unless the work related to those roads which were already undergoing process was completed.

Sundaram said the Chakrata widening project had been completed and a consensus had been evolved among traders for the redevelopment and beautification of the road on public-private-partnership mode. He said the project regarding this would soon be sent to the state government. 

Autopsies being carried out sans expert in forensic sciences
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
For the last nine years the government doctors' panel carrying out autopsies in cases having medico-legal ramifications has been functioning without the services of an expert in forensic sciences.

Despite the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directing that a panel conducting autopsies should comprise an expert holding MD degree in forensic sciences, successive Director Generals of the Department of Health and Family Welfare have failed to appoint a forensic expert whose advise and expertise could be sought.

Even in high profile cases, the autopsies continue to be carried in the absence of an expert in forensic science. On two occasions, Doon Hospital felt the absence of an expert while handling two high profile cases.

In 2009, in the Ranbir Singh fake encounter case, doctors of Doon Hospital performed an autopsy withstanding extreme pressure. In 2011 again, Doon Hospital doctors performed autopsies twice in the alleged Nigmanand poisoning case and missed the services of a forensic expert.

With stress on quality medico-legal work that would be valuable in the dispensation of justice, the Indian medical bodies, too, have been stressing on hiring medical experts with degrees in forensic sciences. In murder, accident, rape and other cases, a quality medico-legal work is required.

"Most of the doctors performing the autopsies may be qualified but knowledge of forensic medicine and complex medico-legal practices is vital. Any lapse on the part of the doctors can mar the case," said a senior doctor.

In the early years, the state could boast of a lone MD in forensic sciences but his services were never utilised, as he remained posted at Thatyud Primary Health Centre. Later, he was transferred to Srinagar Medical College and thereafter no effort has been made to hire the services of experts in forensic sciences.

In all district hospitals, Combined Medical Hospital, the postmortem is carried by doctors possessing MBBS or MD degrees with five years' work experience, but in most instances the doctors start young and cannot be expected to give quality medico-legal work.

"While there is an urgent need to have autopsy surgeons, as it would no doubt ease the workload from MBBS doctors who are now forced to perform autopsies, in Uttarakhand very few doctors are ready to be confined with the tag of 'Dead body doctor,'" said RP Bhatt, Chief Medical Officer. 

LIC penalised for not honouring contractual terms
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The District Consumer Redressal Forum, Dehradun, has directed the Life Insurance Corporation of India, Chandigarh, to pay a compensation of Rs 20,000 besides legal expenses of Rs 5,000 and Rs 4,200 as a refund to MK Goel of Dehradun for not honouring its contractual obligation under group medical schemes by refusing to settle Goel's wife medical claim.

Goel’s wife Raj had recently underwent an MRI test in Chandigarh for which an expense of Rs 4,200 was incurred. The necessary claim papers were sent to the LIC for reimbursement, which in turn sent the claim papers to the New India Assurance Company, Chandigarh, for processing the claim.

However, the New India Assurance Company from which the LIC had obtained a medical cover for its employees rejected the claim on the ground that the expenses of MRI tests were not payable.

Goel contested the New India Assurance Company’s plea and said the MRI test was only a diagnostic test and not the treatment as had been made out by the assurance company. However, the LIC did not respond to the representation of Goel, who was forced to file a claim before the District Consumer Forum, Dehradun.

After hearing both the parties, the District Consumer Redressal Forum, Dehradun, found the LIC, Chandigarh, guilty of deficiency in service and directed for the aforesaid payments.

The LIC’s contention that the matter did not fall in the jurisdiction of the District Consumer Redressal Forum, Dehradun, was also rejected.

185 jawans inducted into ITBP
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 16
A total of 185 recruits of the ITBP were inducted into the force at the Jajar Deval training centre after an attractive passing-out parade and the oath taking ceremony here today.

Inspector General of the ITBP (Northern Frontier) S Negi took the salute at the passing-out parade and witnessed the oath taking ceremony.

“During the 44-week training, jawans were given training in drill, use of weapons, shooting, field craft, conventional warfare, map reading, rock climbing, judo, karate counter insurgency and field engineering,” said the IG.

Addressing the newly recruited jawans, the IG talked about the glorious tradition of the force.“I hope our highly trained new jawans will keep up with the tradition of the force,” said Negi.

This is the second batch of the ITBP contingent that passed out of training centres in this district. The first batch of 195 jawans was passed out of a training centre at Mirthi on November 14. 

MBA degree for school principals instituted
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The Selaqui Institute of Management in collaboration Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) will offer India’s first MBA (Educational Management and Leadership) programme leading to a postgraduate degree for school principals.

The course was launched by Union Minister of State for Human Resources Shashi Tharoor at a national conference of school principals 2012 in New Delhi last week. More than 500 educationists, principals, vice-principals, school managements, school and state-level administrators from across the country along with government representatives and policy-makers participated.

Organised by the Teacher SITY in collaboration with the Educomp Foundation, the National Conference of School Principals 2012 is India’s first ever conference for school principals at the national level. It will explore critical issues confronting schools and principals at the practice and policy level and seek ways to address and deal with them.

The event is supported by Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) and Selaqui Education.

Besides the MBA degree, the UTU will also offer diploma and certificate variants of the programme in a convenient mode to suit working teachers and principals. The programme is designed to prepare principals for the 21st century schools. It is designed to address the four major areas of school management and leadership such as personal effectiveness, instructional leadership, institutional management and strategic leadership. The candidates successfully completing the programme can look forward to advancing their careers. The Union HRD Minister also launched Principals FORUM at www.principals.in. 

Magnetic waves of telecom towers hit honey production
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, November 16
Honey production in the Lower Johar region of the district has been badly hit as, according to experts, the variety of honey bees, which is adaptable to the 4,000 feet hill region, has been affected by the proliferation of mobile phone towers in the area.

“Due to a magnetic field prevalent around mobile phone towers the bees are not able to find their way back to hives, resulting in loss of honey production in the area,” said Dr Rameshwar Singh, apiculturist based at Jyolikot in Nainital district.

“The communication system among these honey bees get disturbed due to electric magnetic waves present around telecommunication tower,” said Rameshwar.

He said the variety of honey bees found at south western tracks of the Johar valley was gradually disappearing due to the electric magnetic effect of mobile phone towers in the area. “In the last eight years the number of beehives has decreased in the Johar valley, rendering unemployed the people who used to gather honey from these hives during the winter,” said Govind Singh Mehta, a resident of Rasia Bagar village.

“The honey bees of this variety have the capacity to return to their hives from 200 km during the honey gathering period. They gather honey only for 27 days but due to the magnetic effect of the telecommunication towers, now, these are not even able to gather honey,” he said.

Rameshwar said, “Of the 500 varieties of honey bees, the variety found in these hills is the smallest in size. As this specie has no capacity to increase temperature of its hives during the winter, it is bound to perish during harsh winter. One hive of the bees of this variety yields 50 grams of honey, which is collected during the winter,” he added. 

Seminar on mountain meteorology
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The India Meteorological Society and the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre will hold a national seminar from November 20 to 22 to encourage research and promote interest in mountain meteorology.

The seminar will be relevant to anyone concerned with research or operational weather forecasting for mountain regions as scientists will discuss issues and challenges of weather forecasting, climate science, tools and technologies, innovations and the challenges of weather forecasting and come out with recommendations to improve weather forecast in the Himalayan region. The better weather forecast has the potential to save life and property.

The highlight of the seminar will be the participation of eminent international scientists in meteorology like Dr Krishnamurthy and Dr Jagdish Shukla from the USA, Dr Kamal Puri (Australia) and Dale Barker (UK Met Office).

Sixteen eminent international and national scientists will be delivering the key note address. The Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences will be participating in the discussions along with over 300 scientists who will be presenting their scientific papers. Award certificates and cash prizes will be given for the best oral and poster presentations.

Scientists from various universities will be participating in the seminar. A panel discussion consisting of researchers, operational forecasters and academicians will deliberate on issues related to challenges and research priorities. The Chief Secretary, along with the Secretary (Science and Technology), and other government officials are likely to participate.

A special session will be held on November 20 in the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) auditorium, where Dr Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and President of the Indian Meteorological Society will interact with students of various schools.

HESCO founder to undertake cycle yatra from Nov 20
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
Padma Shri Anil Joshi, founder of the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), will undertake a cycle yatra from Jalpaiguri to Dehradun.

It is being carried out to highlight the plight of “jan, jungle and zameen” and lopsided developmental standards, particularly in the Himalayan region, which has affected the environment and the lives and livelihoods of the people.

The yatra will start from Jalpaiguri on November 20 and after passing through 50 districts and seven states would culminate in Dehradun in the last week of December.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Joshi expressed deep concern over the deteriorating conditions of land, agriculture, forests and water resources in the country.

He said although the country had made a rapid economic progress, it seemed confused on what should be the standards of development. He further said self reliance in economic field could not be the sole criterion of development as these were dependent on natural resources which were being constantly threatened. “This will in long run lead to a catastrophe and the deteriorating condition of water, soil and air and changing climatic conditions are a cause for concern,” he added.

Blaming the growing consumerism for this conditions, he said the western model of adopting GDP as a economic indicator was faulty as it did not count the immense role of villages in the shape of soil, water and air. “In the race of economic development, the importance of air water and soil cannot be overlooked for long,” he said.

He demanded that there should be gross environmental product (GEP) to judge the contribution of a particular area in the development criterion.

Joshi also expressed deep concern over the faster migration of people from rural to urban centres across the country, particularly in the Himalayan region. “Even farmers are abandoning agriculture to other trades which is a dangerous trend in the long run for the country,” he said.

Joshi said this yatra would awaken the people in the rural as well as urban centres to these problems and appeal to them to guard their own resources fiercely.

He demanded a status report on the soil, water and air quality of the country and a national movement to conserve the Himalayan region.

Officials told to visit villages to redress water complaints
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
Water Resource Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani said that officials should visit villagers so that on-the-spot complaints related to water and sewerage could be disposed of. During the review meeting, the minister said that in 2010 and 2012 several water supply projects were damaged during the natural disasters, and officials should visit these places to dispose of the complaints of the villagers.

He told officials of Jal Nigam and Jal Sansthan to launch repair work on 1226 damaged water projects. The Jal Sansthan officials have identified around 875 damaged water projects for which estimate costs on repair had been pegged at Rs 37 crore, while the Peyjal Nigam has identified around 349 water projects for which Rs 13 crore was expected to be spent on the repair work. All these projects were damaged this year. As of now most of the water projects are running temporarily.

The minister said for making the Ganga pollution free in next eight years, sewerage treatment plants and river front works had to be initiated.

Annual function of Bhagwan institute

Dehradun, November 16
The two-day annual day celebrations of Sardar Bhagwan Institute of Bio-Medical Sciences started today.

Harinder Pal Kaur, wife of the late founder director Sardar Gurcharan Singh, inaugurated the function. The first event of the day was Saptrang exhibition in which rangoli, card making, flower decoration, collage and innovation through waste material was organised by members of the Rachnatmak Kaushal Club.

Students of the institute participated in Chhaya Chitra, an exhibition of photographs which was organised by the Photography Club of the institute.

The main attraction of the annual day celebrations was Bazm-e-Adab/Kavi Sammelan was inaugurated by Dinesh Agarwal, Uttarakhand Minister for Planning, Information & Technology, Sports and Youth Culture by lighting a lamp and felicitation of poets along with Naseeb Pathan, member of Legislative Council, Uttar Pradesh, who was the guest of honour.

Poets Hari Om Panwar, Dr Suman Dubey, Parveen Shukla, Arun Gemini, Nadeem Shad Deobandi, Khursheed Haider, Afzal Manglori and Farookh Bijnori recited poems. Anchoring was done by Praveen Shukla. — TNS

Peyjal Nigam staff declare indefinite lockout
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
Around 3,000 employees of Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam today started an indefinite lockout at the Peyjal Nigam headquarters in support of their demands.

Under the aegis of Uttarakhand Adhikari, Karamchari Sanghthan, the employees gathered today at the headquarters of the Peyjal Nigam and sat on a dharna.

“Our demands are not new but the government has been consistently ignoring them. Successive governments have promised to bring Peyjal Nigam under the ambit of the state government but have failed to deliver,” said a spokesman. The employees are demanding that establishment charges be borne by the government so that they could receive regular salaries and issuance of government order so that the agreement reached between the government and the sanghthan on August 28 could become a reality.

5 of family drowned in Ganga
Tribune News service

Dehradun, November 16
Five members of a family were drowned in the Ganga on Friday while trying to cross the river near Ajitpur Jiyapota village of the district.

All the five drowned as they did not have an idea of the depth of the river and tried to wade through it to reach the trees on the other side laden with plum fruits, the police said.

Shyam Singh (35), his 14-year-old son Rohan, nephew Ajay (13) and two more relatives, Gaurav and Chotu, were drowned near Ajit Ghat of the river, the police said.

One of the persons was saved. The police has taken out all the five bodies from the river. A postmortem examination will be conducted shortly. 

Jal Sansthan promotes engineers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 16
The Uttarakhand Government has cleared the promotions of several senior engineers serving in the Jal Sansthan.

PC Kimothi, HS Pant, PK Shah and SK Gupta have been promoted as general managers and Neelima Garg, Subodh Kumar, AS Ansari, Anil Kumar Sharma, Rakesh Kumar Uniyal and Lalit Kumar Adhlakha have been promoted as Superintending Engineers.