CM steps up PR drive to have better control over party
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
Following the onslaught by Congress legislators belonging to Harish Rawat faction, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, in a bid to have better control over the party organisation and project the achievements of his government, has started an exercise to meet senior party leaders. After holding a meeting of party leaders from the districts from all over the state last week, the Chief Minister today invited party leaders who were party candidates in the last Assembly polls but lost the elections.

Talking to mediapersons after such an exercise, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said that the credit of the developmental works being done by the Congress state government in the Assembly segments having Opposition legislators was not being highlighted. He said that the reason for meeting all such leaders where there are Opposition legislators was to assess and listen to their problems. He further said that the Congress leaders highlighted the problems of roads, health and drinking water in their respective areas.

Bahuguna said that there was no discrimination being done in the developmental works in the Assembly segments represented by Opposition legislators. “ The statistics would show that more money has been allocated for developmental works throughout the state during Congress regime than the previous BJP government,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that he was seized of the problems of decontrolling of sugar by the Union Government and the problems faced by the state government in providing sugar at cheap rates to ration card holders. He said that sugar mills of the state had agreed top provide sugar at the rate of Rs 32 to the state government. “ We will discuss the issue in the next Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on June 17,” he added.

He admitted that the Publis Distribution System (PDS) had not been working properly and there were so many complaints. “ I would review the working of the PDS with an aim to improving the situation,” he said.

On the outburst against his government by the Congress legislators belonging to Harish Rawat faction, the Chief Minister said that all the legislators were concerned about developmental works in their respective areas and the state government had been responsive. “ There are several constraints, including availability of money for the developmental works and environmental clearances. Out of a total budget of Rs 25,000 crore, the state has non-Plan expenditure of Rs.16,000 crore, which is high as compared to other states,” he said.

Bahuguna highlighted the problem of revenue generation following closure of hydroelectric projects and lack of development of tourism sector, the two keys areas of development in the state. “ We would be going for the construction of 36 small hydroprojects in a transparent manner soon to generate power after getting the environment assessment reports of these projects,” he announced.

The Chief Minister refused to say anything on the comments made by Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and Union Minister Harish Rawat against the working of the state government. On the letter written by Independent legislator Dinesh Dhani demanding a ministerial berth, Bahuguna said that the party high command would look into his demand.

 State-level job fair begins from June 22 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
The SelaQui Education and Technical Board for Education, Uttarakhand, is organising a state-level job fair on June 22 and 23 on its campus.

The fair will be jointly hosted by the SelaQui Education and Technical Board for Education. Om Pathak, Chairman, SelaQui education, said the fair would start at 9:30 am on the SelaQui campus and should see participation from 3,000 students from 80 polytechnic colleges in Uttarakhand and western UP.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna is likely to inaugurate the event. More than 20 well-known companies will be coming to the fair.

Villagers fight over land to extract drug Yarsa Gumba
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 10
A dispute among villagers over the land from where Yarsa Gumba, (cordyceps sinensis), a caterpillar fungus drug, is extracted at the high Himalayan meadow of Chiplakot, does not seem to subside as residents of five villages of the Tawaghat area have driven away other villagers who had also reached there to extract the drug.

According to researchers, Yarsa Gumba, an entomophilies fungus, is found primarily in the sub alpine region at 3,200 to 4000 metres heights. It has the capacity to improve liver functioning, reduce cholesterol, adjust protein metabolism, inhibit lung carcinoma and treat aging disorders. The drug is extensively used in the Chinese medical system for these purposes.

“Residents of Khela, Garguwa, Jamku, Khet and Syakuri villages have uprooted tents erected by other villagers. They contend that the land at the high mountain belongs to their villages and thus they will not let other villagers to extract the drug,” said Govind Singh Daanu, a villager who had reached the place to collect Yarsa Gumba.

According to sources, the Chiplakot area alone contributes nearly 50 kg of Yarsa Gumba every year which fetches Rs 40 crore in the international market. “As the Chiplakot land alone contributes more than half of Rs 70 crore business of Yarsa Gumba every year, the dispute among the villagers over its monopoly is obvious,” said an administrative officer in Dharchula.

The sources said at present more than 4,000 persons had reached the more than 11,000 feet high Chiplakot meadow to collect the drug; most of them are from local villages of the Dhauliganga valley of Dharchula subdivision. “People from these five villagers have brought in goons from the Terai region to scare away other villagers from the place where most of the drug haul is available,” said Daanu.

The villagers, who had been driven away, held a meeting at Jauljibi today and requested the administration to give them security at higher meadows so that they could also extract Yarsa Gumba to earn a livelihood. “Residents of Jauljibi, Baluakot, Kalika Khumti, Chana Galati, Phultari and Naya Basti contend that since the land at the high meadow belongs to the Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, the residents of these five villages cannot alone extract the drug from there,” they said. They today decided to give a memorandum of demands to the SDM, Dharchula, in this regard. 

 BJYM protests delay in allotment of ration shops 
Tribune News service

Dehradun, June 10
Members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha today staged a protest in front of the office of the district supply officer against delay in allotment of ration shops in the city and other alleged irregularities in the Public Districbution System in Dehradun city.

Led by Sachin Gupta, a former BJP city councillor, BJYM protestors raised slogans against the failure of the state government in streamlining the Public Distribution System meant for the poorer sections of society.

He charged that several protests had taken place for the allotment of 12 ration shops pending in the city but nothing had been done. He threatened that BJP would intensify the agitation if these rations shops were not allocated soon. Neha Gupta, BJP councillor, said that poor people were suffering as they had to queue up for hours in front of ration shops but still did not get rations. She demanded that unless the poor start getting ration as per Atal Khadyan Yojna Scheme, the BJP workers would be constrained to intensify their agitation. 

 Workshop on perspectives in Himalayan geosciences begins today 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) is organising a two-day workshop on the “Modern Perspectives in Himalayan Geosciences” on June 11 and 12 on its premises in Dehradun.

The workshop is being organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Geophysical Union.

The Indian Geophysical Union (IGU) is an association of the Indian scientific community that advances through unselfish cooperation in research and understanding of earth and space for the benefit of humanity. It is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in geosciences.

The IGU was formally inaugurated by Prof Humayun Kabir, the then Minister for Cultural Affairs and Scientific Research in the year 1963, and was registered on March 11, 1964. The aims and objectives of the Union include: i) to bring together all geoscientists active in various disciplines such as seismology, magnetism, meteorology, geodesy, volcanology, oceanography, hydrology and tectonics, and to provide them with opportunities for meeting and discussing current problems of geosciences of solid earth and the oceans, ii) to encourage the study of and research in geoscience problems and to provide media for publication of the results, iii) to organise and arrange for the interaction and discussion meetings and conferences of the Union and encourage the publication and dissemination of knowledge of geophysics-geosciences, iv) to cooperate with similar learned societies in organising and taking part in research projects, interaction meetings etc, and to represent geoscience both in the national and international sphere.

The workshop aims to provide a platform to the Himalayan geoscientists to deliberate on new developments in geoscience of this orogenic belt. The focus of the workshop will be on recent geophysical and geological researches is understanding Himalayan evolution.

Key issues like (i) understanding through geophysical parameters the lithospheric structure and tectonic fabric of Himalayas, (ii) lithotectonic evolution of its various belts, (iii) the landform development, shallow sub-surface processes and neotectonic actively, (iv) palaeoclimatic variations in Himalaya and (v) geoscience for the society, have received global attention, whereby significant new data has poured in of late. The two-day workshop will include about 85 technical presentations including poster and oral presentations by eminent senior scientists and young researchers. The contributors and the young researchers will present their research findings on the identified themes of geosciences of the Himalayas.

In this workshop, emphasis would be laid on encouraging young researchers and students to present their research on various aspects of Himalayan Geoscience. Prof Krishan Lal, president, Indian National Science Academy, will deliver Prince Mukarram Jah Endowment Lecture on June 11. There are awards for the selected best presentations by research students.

Prof Anil K Gupta, Director, WIHG, is the chairman of the local organising committee and senior scientist of the Institute Dr Rajesh Sharma is convener of the workshop.

The workshop will be inaugurated at 10 am on June 11 in the Anjaneya Auditorium of the Wadia Institute.

Padam Shri Prof Harsh Kumar Gupta, member, National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India, will be the Chief Guest and deliver the Inaugural address.

Other invited dignitaries include Padam Shri Prof VP Dimri, president, Indian Geophysical Union, Prof Mrinal Sen, Director, National Geophysical Research Institute, Prof Krishan Lal, president, INSA, Prof Ram S Sharma, Prof AK Jain, Prof DC Srivastava and over 75 delegates from various institutions like NGRI, IITs, Delhi University, Kumaon University, Kurukshetra University, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism and Banaras Hindu University. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, a government of India institute, is supposed to be playing a role in understanding evolution of the Himalayas, their climate change, natural resources, glaciers, seismicity, earthquake studies and changing monsoon pattern.

 Countdown begins for Mansarowar yatra 
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 10
With the orders of the nodal agency KMVN to depute camp in- charges at track route camps for this year’s Kailash Mansarowar pilgrimage, the administration and ITBP has begun preparation for the yatra, which is to start from New Delhi on June 12.

The ITBP sources based at Didihat said the countdown for this year’s Kailash pilgrimage had already begun from New Delhi, where Ministry of External Affairs had called all selected pilgrims of the first batch to present their passports for checking before the ministry.

“After checking the passports of the pilgrims, the ministry will take a briefing with the group, besides taking their first medical examination at the capital. Only after the examination will the exact number of the pilgrims for the first batch be known,” said Kedar Singh Rawat, an ITBP officer at 7th battalion of ITBP, which has been assigned to arrange for the Kailash Mansarowar pilgrims beyond Gunji camp.

He said the 22-day pilgrimage across Indian borders would begin on June 12 from New Delhi. The first batch would reach Almora the same day and the base camp in Dharchula on June 13. The track route pilgrimage would begin from Sirkha camp on June 14 and continue for the next four days till the pilgrims cross over to China on June 20. “The pilgrims will be medically examined at Gunji camp on June 18 for the second time by ITBP doctors,” he added.

Meanwhile, Yatish Pant, yatra officer of KMVN, flagged off the trackers for Mount Jolingkong near Kuti village in higher Himalayas, also called Chota Kailash, situated in the Indian territory, from base camp Dharchula today. “The 11-member first batch to minor Kailash diverts its route towards west from Gunji camp to reach Kuti village, where the Dham is situated,” he said. 

 Nishank makes his presence felt at BJP’s Goa conclave
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
While two top leaders of the Uttarakhand BJP, former Chief Ministers Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Major Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri (retd), failed to attend the BJP national executive meeting in Goa yesterday, another former Chief Minister of the state Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank made his presence felt at the conclave.

Not only was Nishank visible at the national executive meeting but also he did not let go a photo opportunity with Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi.

State BJP leaders said that Khanduri did not attend the national executive meeting citing health reasons. “Despite his ill health he had taken an extensive tour of Garhwal and was not keeping well,” said a senior leader. Koshiyari was away on a tour of northeastern states.

  Khanduri welcomes Modi’s appointment as chairman of BJP campaign committee
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
Former Chief Minister BC Khanduri said today that by appointing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as chairman of the BJP National Election Campaign Committee for the Lok Sabha elections, the party has put forward a capable administrator and an honest leader who had proved himself in Gujarat.

However, he also maintained that senior BJP leader LK Advani would remain indispensable to the party. “The contributions of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani are immense and those of us who have worked under them have gained immensely from their guidance. But what took place in Goa was done with the focus on the Assembly elections in the state and then the Lok Sabha elections. Modi as a capable leader would be able to articulate the viewpoints of the BJP as the people of the country are fed up with the incompetent and corrupt rule of the Congress,” Khanduri told mediapersons here today.

The former Chief Minister said though Advani was not able to make it to Goa, he was kept in the loop about the decision of appointing Modi as chairman of the election committee. “It is a good decision and would work for the party,” said Khanduri.

When Khanduri was asked if he agreed with the perception in the RSS that senior leaders who were in their 70s and 80s should make way for the younger lot, Khanduri said: “I think leaders in this age group should try not to fight elections but contribute to the country by becoming members of the Rajya Sabha. But in our country, reverse is happening and the youth among political leaders were becoming members of the Rajya Sabha.”

He said due to health reasons, he was unable to attend the national executive meeting of the BJP. Khanduri, who recently returned after touring the villages in Pauri, said the present Congress government had failed miserably in fulfilling the expectations of the people.

 Kashi Airy blames Panwar for factionalism in UKD
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
Kashi Singh Airy, senior Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) leader, has termed factionalism in the party as unfortunate and blamed the outgoing president, Trivendra Singh Panwar, for the mess in the party.

Airy told mediapersons here today that he would expand the working committee of the party to make it vibrant and strong. He also welcomed the initiative for unity among various regional forces as suggested by Uttarakhand Jan Kranti Dal chief Diwakar Bhatt.

He said Panwar’s unfortunate decision to expel Diwakar Bhatt and suspend the present Cabinet minister, Preetam Singh Panwar, had led to disintegration of the party cadres.

Airy said he would try to unite the members of the party and solve the dispute to maintain unity.

Asked about Panwar’s status, Airy said he would welcome him. He added there was a need to unite regional forces to give an alternative to the BJP and the Congress to the people of the state.

Welcomes Diwakar Bhatt’s proposal for unity among regional forces
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
President of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Aeri) Kashi Singh Aeri has welcomed the proposal of Diwakar Bhatt, leader of Uttarakhand Jan Kranti Dal (UJKD), to call upon regional groups to unite as a force against BJP and Congress. Aeri said his party had already passed a resolution to this effect in the party convention held on May 19 and 20.

He said it was important for all the regional groups to join hands together to present a strong alternative against the anti-state policies of BJP and Congress. His party was taking the initiative for the unification of regional forces, the positive results of which had begun appearing. All these forces would have to win public trust by staying together despite their differences, he added. 

 Disgruntled Cong MLAs reject CM’s invitation for talks
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 10
Four disgruntled Congress legislators belonging to the Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat camp today refused the invitation of talks by Bahuguna.

They had raised a banner of revolt against Bahuguna and his style of functioning alleging that there has been discrimination in development works in their respective Assembly segments.

Bahuguna had invited these disgruntled Congress MLAs, Harish Dhami, Manoj Tiwari, Mayukh Mehar and Hemesh Kharkwal, and others for a discussion on development in their respective constituencies today. However, these legislators refused to meet him and instead went to the residence of Planning Minister Dinesh Aggarwal, who is also in charge of Pithoragarh district.

The MLAs informed him about their grievances. Aggarwal had earlier also acted as a mediator between Bahuguna and them. The MLAs, after their meeting, said Aggarwal was their in charge minister for Pithoragarh district and he would represent their case before the Chief Minister.