Lake formed after melting of glaciers poses new threat
Dehradun, July 11
A lake formed after melting of glaciers at Satopanth in Chamoli district posed a fresh danger to the rain-ravaged areas of Badrinath, Joshimath and Karnaprayag, prompting the administration to issue an alert.

Pithoragarh, July 11
Over 10,000 residents of 36 villages in Dharchula and Munsiyari subdivisions in Pithoragarh district have demanded that they be shifted from their villages on mountain slopes to the Terai region as they have lost all avenues of livelihood in the rain fury that hit the state last month.

“We were already witnessing low business following a ban on economic activities due to laws governing the Askot musk deer zone. Heavy rains totally destroyed the already shaken economy. Therefore, we demand that we be shifted to the Terai region of Champawat or Udham Singh Nagar districts,” said Aan Singh Rokaya, a zila parishad member from the Darma valley.

“Heavy rains not only shattered our wool business but also affected the cultivation of cash crops and animal husbandry. Besides, the service industry in the region has also been hit as most of the shopkeepers, tourist guides and ponywallas and local transporters have lost their sources of livelihood,” said Rokaya.

He added the villagers in the disaster affected areas mostly depended on farming of cash crops like potato and rajma, mules, woollen crafts and small shops on the Kailash Mansarowar pilgrimage and other track routes. All these were destroyed in the calamity triggered by heavy rains.

The villagers said animal husbandry suffered the most as more than 200 mules and 500 sheep perished in the natural calamity. “The Gori river washed away my three mules, which were sufficient to earn a living for my family of five, on June 17. We were rendered dependent on relief ration but how long this could sustain my family,” said Rukum Singh, a mule owner of Tawaghat town.

Other villagers, who used to rear mules for trackers going to Narayan Ashram or further to Panchchuli peaks for tracking, said a compensation of a few thousands of rupees would not make good their losses. If the government really wanted to resettle them it should compensate them fully for the losses suffered.

The killing of sheep would not only affect local craftsmen but also traders who go to Tibet as part of the border trade. “In the absence of local wool supply due to the natural disaster, the traders will have to bring extra wool from China, further tilting the balance of border trade in its favour,” said Rokaya.

He said even if routes were reopened, the Public Distribution System ration could not be supplied to villages situated at higher places in the valley as almost all mules had perished. “The government should get mules for these traders. This is the only way to resettle them,” said Rokaya.

The farmers in the Darma valley did not suffer much loss as the rains only blocked local routes but did not damage cash crops like potato and local beans. “The marketing problem has arisen. As all routes to Darma villages have been damaged clients could not come to purchase their cash crops this year,” said KS Phirmal a resident of the Darma valley who had cultivated potato on his half an acre this year. “Due to lack of market, our produces will perish in the fields itself, making us poorer this year,” said Phirmal.

Small shopkeepers, who had their shops near the road by the side of the Kali, the Gori and the Dhauli rivers in the valley, also lost their shops and businesses in the calamity. “About 28 small shops situated by the roadside in the Madkot area and an equal number of these in Baluakot and Tawaghat perished in the natural disaster on June 17, rending these families jobless,” said Bahadur Singh Parihar, a resident of Madkot village of Munsiyari subdivision.

Rokkaya said transporters also lost their livelihood. Some of the transporters lost their vehicles while others suffered due to the closure of transportation routes following damage to roads. “I was comfortably supporting my family of seven by running a jeep but after a portion of the road was washed away it had been standing idle,” said Khim Ram of Baram.

“If the government seriously wants to rehabilitate us it should first open horse tracks, followed by roads. It should compensate every victim with assets he had lost,” said Rokaya. He added that the villagers, whose land had been washed away, required total resettlement instead of monetary compensation.

Haridwar, July 11
With the monsoon season on, residents of New Haridwar are regularly facing waterlogging problem at one of the city's most busy intersections, Bhagat Singh Chowk in Ranipur.

With both Municipal Corporation and public sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, accusing each other for not clearing nullahs on their respective side, it is the residents who have to face the ire. As Bhagat Singh Chowk is the last intersection falling in

Municipal Corporation periphery and gateway to BHEL residential and industrial estate,there is a boundary dispute between the two since BHEL was created in the mid 60s.

During light rainfall also the intersection gets submerged in water flow , making it tough for traffic and commuters to pass via this stretch. Ill planned drainage system adds to the woes of the local people who face long jams as the alternate route passes through the railway track.

With Bhagat Singh intersection being just 100 metres away from the city's busiest commercial hub, Ranipur Mod (Chandracharya Chowk), thousands of vehicles use this stretch on a daily basis but get stranded on rainy days.

Most of the people retreat back or take a longer Singh Dwar-Jwalapur route to reach BHEL and SIDCUL.

Bhagat Singh Chowk was almost submerged last week for almost five days with vehicles getting stranded in the rain water.

Such was the situation that at Bhagat Singh Chowk more than half a dozen police personnel were deployed, while traffic police was deployed on the route to Ranipur Mod to make sure no individual dared to cross the submerged terrain, risking his life.

Route diversion was done at Ranipur Mod via Tibdi , BHEL and Shankar Ashram-Jwalapur road, where massive traffic jams were reported owing to heavy rush of vehicles and also waterlogging at these places.

It was only hours after the rain stopped that the water level plummeted at the stretch and traffic was resumed on the stretch. Fire brigade staff used water pump sets to pump accumulated water, but it was only pressed when the rain stopped.

When contacted Municipal Corporation Mayor Manoj Garg said that due to the rainy season work on the drains had got affected on both sides of Bhagat Singh Chowk.

He further added that a long-term plan needs to be made to ensure water did not get choke the stretch.

BHEL media spokesperson RS Maniktala said that BHEL had been constructing water reservoirs and clearing nullahs on regular basis to make sure no water logging took place at Bhagat Singh intersection.

Local business men and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal leader Uday Ram Semwal blamed the unattended construction material lying on the roadsides for weeks of the government agencies. Semwal said that this added to blocking the drains and posed a danger to commuters, as many vehicles skidded due to the spilled material lying on the ground.

Dehradun, July 11
A lake formed after melting of glaciers at Satopanth in Chamoli district posed a fresh danger to the rain-ravaged areas of Badrinath, Joshimath and Karnaprayag, prompting the administration to issue an alert.

Rain fury, meanwhile, continued in Uttarakhand as six persons were killed in a landslide in Nainital district today.

The lake, which has formed about 30 km from Badrinath, can pose danger to the adjoining areas, including the shrine, Joshimath and Karnaprayag, District Magistrate, Chamoli, SA Murugesan said.

“We have issued an alert following instructions to this effect from the state Disaster Management and Mitigation department,” Murugesan told PTI.

A joint Army and ITBP team later did an aerial survey of the glacial lake and found there was no reason for immediate alarm, he said.

Five persons were killed in a landslide triggered by heavy overnight rains in Lohardhunga village near Bhimtal in Nainital district around 3.30 am, the district information officer said. But the weather was largely clear in Chamoli, Uttarakashi and Rudraprayag districts and air relief operations continued unobstructed in the affected areas.

With some blocked roads reopened in the affected areas, the relief operations hampered over the past few days due to the bad weather picked up momentum.

Most of the power supply lines snapped in the villages since the tragedy occurred had also been restored through alternative arrangements, officials said. They added total restoration of power in the countryside would not be possible before September 30. — PTI

Haridwar, July 11
Jal Police personnel of the Uttarakhand police today saved a youth from drowning in the Ganga in Haridwar. Shyam Kumar, a resident of Bathinda in Punjab, was on a visit to the pilgrim city. He got carried into the river water at the Neeldhara stretch.

Some passersby who saw Shyam shouting for help, called the Jal Police personnel and City Kotwali control room. Luckily, the youth got stuck at an embankment in Neel Dhara. As it was surrounded by water, the Jal police personnel had to carry out the rescue operation for almost two hours.

In charge of the city kotwali Mahesh Chandra Joshi, who led the rescue operation, said that due to monsoons, the water level in the Ganga is quite high and it was tough to rescue the youth.

Shyam Kumar thanked the police personnel fors aving him. He said that he battled for life for two hours and due to the Almighty's blessings and the brave act of the personnel, he was saved.

Dehradun, July 11
Three incidents of suicide have taken place in Dehradun. According to police sources, Neha, 22, daughter of Amar Singh, resident of Vikasnagar, was undergoing B. Ed from Dakhpathar Degree College. Neha worked late night yesterday and family members were aghast to find her hanging from the ceiling fan this morning.

The deceased was one of the four daughters of Amar Singh. According to the police, no suicide note was found near the body, and the reason which forced Neha to take such extreme step is not clear.

In another incident, Vinod Thapa, resident of Mohini road, consumed excess of intoxicating pills, following which his condition deteriorated, and he was rushed to Doon Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. According to family members of Vinod, he had been taking such intoxicating pills for quite some time, leading to frequent arguments with them.

Further, 20-year-old Kiran, daughter of Karan Singh, resident of Survey of India Colony, Dehradun, consumed poison. She was rushed to Doon Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. The police is yet to ascertain the reason behind her committing suicide. The police has sent the body for postmortem.

Haridwar, July 11
A three-day science laboratory workshop organised to inculcate scientific aptitude among students at an early age concluded at Chandrashekhar Public School here today.

Participating children showed their scientific temper and knowledge by making various science models, captivating everyone, including judges, at the workshop.

From electric to solar and cellular phone handsets to water harvesting machines, students showed their skills.

School principal Anjali Sharma said such workshops provided a platform to the children to showcase their hidden talent and also gave hope that “the future of our country is in right hands”.

The students were also given brief lectures about renowned scientists like Issac Newton, James Watt, Abdul Kalam Azad, Chandrasekhar, CV Raman, among others.

Vice principal Anita Bhardwaj said the best models would be displayed at the school science hall. Similar workshops would be conducted on a regular basis, she added.

Projects made by Neha Dhiman, Priya, Aditya, Mansi, Pragati, Shifa and Pranjal were selected in various categories.

Dehradun, July 11
Four JCB machines were pressed into service during a marathon exercise to remove a huge mount of garbage dumped on the road leading to a trenching ground at Sahastardhara here the other day.

Mayor Vinod Chamoli too reached there in the morning with the staff of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) and engaged them in the activity. It will take a few more days to clear the road where 200 tonnes of garbage collected from the city was dumped by an agency, DVWM, every day for the last one month.

Director of the DVWM Siddharth Jain said the JCBs would work till late at night but the effort could prove futile if the kutcha road was not repaired side by side. For this an estimate of road building material for a 700-metre road had been sent to Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) Ashok Kumar.

It was found that the entire plot of the trenching ground was vacant on the rear while sanitary workers of the DVWM had been dumping garbage outside the trenching ground. This had made it difficult for garbage carrying vehicles to go in the trenching ground for unloading.

Jain said he had informed the MNA about the situation 15 days ago and asked him for two more JCBs for clearing the garbage from the road, but was not provided help.

The Mayor said the problem arose when some drunk sanitary workers dumped garbage on the road late in the evening. Those who came with their trolleys thereafter also dumped garbage there and the situation worsened.

Chamoli trashed the logic of employing expensive Poclain machines saying the garbage could easily be removed with the JCBs. Jain had refused to take Poclain on rent for 15 days on the insistence of the MNA. This had led to a conflict between the two to the extent that the MNA decided to take back garbage collection work in 30 wards from Jain. Chamoli defused the crisis by providing three JCBs and the work to clear garbage started yesterday.

Pauri Garhwal, July 11
Spiritual preacher and Hindu social activist Sadhvi Ritambara has come forward to help the disaster-hit people in Garhwal. Sadhvi Ritambara with support of Param Shaktipeeth will be establishing base relief-cum-aid camp in Rudraprayag.

Sub-camps will be established at Kalimath, Ukhimath and Agastyamuni in the Rudraprayag district. This was stated by Ritambara yesterday during her inspection of the flash floodS- affected areas in Rudraprayag.

Extending her support to affected families Sadhvi Ritambara said as it was a nature's calamity. human beings could not do much but ''we need to have patience in this hour of crisis.'' "Whatever has happened in the Himalayan belt is unfortunate but we as human beings are insignificant when it comes to nature. But this is the time to ponder, have patience and move on with a vision to restore normalcy in the region," she said.

She urged the district administration and the social organisations to shun differences and work together. Ritambara is also meeting village heads of disaster-hit villages in Rudraprayag so that actual loss and need of aid can be assessed.

Under Param Shakti Peeth Foundation, Ritambara will try to provide basic amenities, aid and other facilities to these villages."Char Dham pilgrimage has been the lifeline of the state, which needs to be restored at the earliest. But this is a fact and the truth that we need to dwell on the reasons behind this fury, taking into consideration all the aspects,'' said Ritambhra.

Dehradun, July 11
The state government has agreed to provide land to the Army to set up polyclinics in the remote areas of the state and a UAV centre.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna during his meeting with newly appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Command, Lt- Gen Rajan Bakshi here today.

Bahuguna complimented General Bakshi for the excellent work done by the Army, Air Force and other paramilitary forces in the rescue and relief operations in the state.

Bahuguna asked Chief Secretary Subhash Kumarm, who also also present at the meeting, to immediately find out land for the Army.

This was the first visit of General Bakshi to Dehradun after taking over as Army Commander of the Central Command. Later, he also called upon Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhavan.

The Governor also appreciated the role of the armed forces in the rescue and relief operations during the natural disaster.

Dehradun, July 11
Ranjana Verma, Subdivisional Magistrate, City, has been nominated as nodal officer for disaster-affecterd Pithoragarh and Bagheshwar districts. Secretary, Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority, Banshidhar Tiwari, has been nominated for Rudraprayag and secretary,

SADA, Dharamsattu, for Chamoli district. These officials will coordinate with the officials of the disaster-hit districts and gather information about the requirements and availability of relief material, condition of roads, problems arising in the distribution of relief supply, people who lost houses to be sent tents for the time being and other related information.

District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam today made this announcement while discussing the issue pertaining to relief material with SDMs and tehsildars of the disaster- affected district where the relief material is being sent from Dehradun district. The interaction was facilitated through video-conferencing.

The DM said they could handle the distribution work of relief material very well through proper management.

He directed the SDMs to ensure that the relief material must reach the affected people only. He asked them to send requisition regarding relief supply and its quantity on every day basis so that the supply could be sent to them accordingly. — TNS