Will the huge WB, ADB relief amount be utilised honestly?
State record poor, with no action against the corrupt
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
Uttarakhand is expected to get huge amounts from the Central Government as well as other funding agencies like World Bank and Asian Development Bank ( ADB) for the rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the state following unprecedented disaster in the month of June. However, the state has a poor record of proper utilisation of such funds and even a poorer record of taking punitive action against the guilty officials involved in proven brazen cases of embezzlement of such funds.

The people of the country have to pay a Rs 1250 crore World Bank loan given to Uttarakhand government under the Decentralised Watershed Development Project, divided into two parts of Rs 500 crore and Rs 750 crore. The first instalment of Rs 500 crore was given to the state in 2005, while the second instalment has been approved and is likely to be disbursed soon.

Despite several irregularities, proven cases of embezzlement of funds found during an investigation by Himalayan Chipko Foundation , a voluntary group, and complaints made to the appropriate authorities, there has been an attempt to shield the alleged culprits.

Tired over official apathy, Himalayan Chipko Foundation went to knock at the doors of Lokayukta with two complaints regarding the embezzlement of Rs 3 crore and Rs 2.5 crore by the watershed development officials.

The Lokayukta got only a single complaint investigated by its own investigating officer Man Singh Rawat, who in his report given on Januray 16, 2012, established a criminal conspiracy hatched by VK Pangti and his associates and recommended criminal action under Section 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. Interestingly, no action was taken and the petitioner had to resort to Right to Information Act (RTI) to get information from the office of the Lokayukta after the intervention of the Chief Information Commissioner.

The investigating officer of the Lokayukta found several cases of embezzlement of funds.

The fraudulent payments of Rs 90,000 and Rs.17,31,700, respectively, were made to a firm for printing expenses. It was found that the firm had no printing press. A total of 14 cases of fraudulent transport bills shown by the officials were found fake. There were cases where a pen drive of one GB specification was purchased for Rs. 9000 and fake bills for the purchase of electricity goods were shown worth Rs 2.5 lakh, whereas goods worth only Rs 3970 were purchased. “ It was just the tip of the iceberg which we investigated,” caimed JP Dabral, president of Himalayan Chipko Foundation

It was not only the voluntary efforts of a conscientious voluntary group which found the officials on the wrong foot but it was the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) who also made many adverse remarks about the project implementation. The CAG report pointed out towards unrealistic Budget and annual work plan because only 48 per cent expenditure incurred during 2005-06 and 34 per cent was incurred against the spirit of the Budget in March. The report also points towards the purchase of vehicles within the financial year on short-term quotation notice of 15 days, which was against World Bank guidelines and financial rules. The CAG report found that there was a huge shortage of quality staff, which was a hindrance in the success of the project. Out of the total 503 sanctioned posts, under five categories, 94 posts remained vacant.

The Himalayan Chipko Foundation which pursued the matter relentlessly approached each and every official in Uttarakhand right from Chief Secretary to down below but no action was taken against anyone. The foundation even approached the Uttarakhand police to lodge a case against the culprits but to no avail.

JP Dabral, president of the foundation, said that it was more painful that Lokayukta, too, adopted double standards in this case. “ In a similar case, the Lokayukta gave his recommendation based on the investigation by his own investigating officer but in this case he preferred to refer the cases to two government committees. We complained to the President of India, state Governor and Chief Justice of India in the case,” he added.

He further said that World Bank officials, who were approached with all the evidence of corruption of their funds, also tried to be evasive and passed the buck on to the state government.

When contacted Vinod Fonia, Secretary, Information, Uttarakhand, replied that the Lokayukta vide its orders dated 31/12/2012 and 11/2/2013 had directed the state government to constitute 3-member committees to enquire into the complaints and report to it. As per the directives of the Lokayukta, the state government had constituted these two committees and conveyed their terms of reference. Their reports are awaited.

Sona Thakur, a spokesperson of the World Bank in New Delhi, when contacted said that since the matter was under investigation, they would not like to comment on the issue.

“With huge funds being made available to the state government, we demand that a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would expose the well entrenched nexus in Uttarakhand,” demanded Dabral.

Uttarakhand the challenge ahead
The Tribune series on what needs to be done to rebuild the state
Good early disaster warning system a must: SK Singh
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
Prof SK Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, a Central University, believes advanced and scientific planning can prepare the disaster-vulnerable hill state of Uttarakhand to meet challenges.

Talking to The Tribune here, Prof SK Singh, a physicist, said the state needs to chalk out effective science-based disaster mitigation and management plans for future. “We will have to do at least 20 to 30 years of planning in advance. None expected a Kedarnath-like catastrophe and it took everyone by shock and surprise,” he said. He said advance preparation was a must to meet the challenges in this environmentally fragile part of the country.

Citing the example of American legendary physicist Oppenheimer, who individually led earth science studies in that country, Prof SK Singh said an Oppenheimer was needed here who could lead a group of 50 people of science to achieve the goals of today’s requirement against disaster. “Scientists know that tragedy has to come. What about the plans? One leader like Oppenheimer is required here to lead the earth science,” he said. It was high time that the team was constituted and it worked under a time-bound programme, he said.

“We must have a team or a committee of experts from all relevant scientific institutions of the country. Even if we have to accord a statutory status to that committee, we must do it to ensure that it works efficiently,” Prof Singh said.

He said the committee must do a comprehensive survey of the Himalayas with all aspects of scientific studies. The committee could comprise geologists, environmentalists, mathematicians and others, who must look into the causes and recommend precautions and a foolproof disaster management strategy for the state.

Prof Singh supported the creation of pedestrian zones at least 14 to 15 km ahead of the shrines in the hills. “This is important as taking vehicles close to the shrines will only add to overcrowding and make things difficult,” he said.

He said regulating masses and crowd flow was important, particularly in the hill shrines. He said dealing with the surging crowds, specially in the Char Dham route of Uttarakhand in the recent years was certainly challenging and needed to be regulated.

Referring to the significance of the creation of an effective early warning system in hills to alert people ahead of a disaster, Prof SK Singh said it was needed so that the authorities and people could be forewarned about incidents of cloudburst and other natural disasters. He said it should also be ensured that the early warning system reached the people.

Prof Singh reminded that during such disasters, lack of connectivity with the remotely residing villagers was always an issue. He suggested that speedy measures be undertaken by the authorities to ensure connectivity to cut-off villages. He also resented rampant blasting in road construction works and said it was the prime reason for the large number of landslides. An eminent academician, Professor Singh has served at the Department of Physics in the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University.

WHAT TO DO

• Disaster management planning should be at least 20 to 30 years in advance
• Form a committee of all scientific institutions for a comprehensive survey of the Himalayan region
• Create early warning systems that also must reach the people
• Pedestrian zones must be in the vicinity of religious shrines to control crowds

Tourism in Uttarakhand hit up to 85% post-disaster
1.8 lakh people lose livelihood for six months
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
The tourism sector, the largest employment provider in Uttrakahand, has been hit to the extent of 85 per cent post-flash floods that devastated the state last month. This has been revealed in a quick random survey undertaken by the Assocham Social Development Foundation (ASDF).

The flash floods have not only destroyed the tourism infrastructure like hotels, breakfast inns and restaurants but also hit tourism badly in the entire state for at least next five years. Some hotels in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts have been completely destroyed, the survey report says.

It adds about 1.8 lakh people will lose employment directly for six months in the current year. The assumption is based on the 2011 Census, according which there are 179,218 households in the three districts. Given the extent of their association with the tourism and hospitality sector, it will be reasonable to expect at least one person from a household to be directly employed in tourism. The sector will lose Rs 4,170 crore per year.

“Flash floods and landslides have devastated the Uttarakhand tourism industry. While the Char Dhams may take years to recover, even places like Mussoorie and Nainital, which were not largely affected by the disaster, are seeing a steep decline of up to 75 per cent in tourist footfall. Tourists have cancelled their trips fearing they may get trapped,” says DS Rawat, secretary-general, Assocham.

There is a steep fall of up to 85 per cent in tourism business in Uttarakhand. While Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts mainly bore the brunt of the natural disaster, the rest of the state suffered destruction of an unprecedented magnitude, adds the report.

It points out that people who make a living out of tourism have been badly affected. They earn enough money in six months to sustain their lives throughout the year. Some of them are migrating to other states to start over again.

Hotels in Mussoorie and Nainital generally see 100 per cent occupancy during this time of the year. But it has dropped to less than 20 per cent due to the fear of nature. The Jim Corbett National Park is no different. It is also witnessing a similar crisis, it adds.

The report asserts that houses, crops, livestock, tourism, transport and communication systems, public and rural extension services have suffered extensive damage, says Rawat. The report has been prepared on the basis of feedback provided by the Assocham team about the affected areas in the three districts, he adds.

The study says agriculture land of small and marginal farmers in 156 villages across Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Tehri and Bageshwar districts have been destroyed. Rudraprayag has suffered the maximum damage.

The hill state has seen migration of marginal farmers in the last couple of months amid dwindling returns, but the circumstances this year might trigger an exodus. Every year, 23 to 24 lakh pilgrims arrive in the state on the Char Dham Yatra. The disaster has hit tourism badly.

The study reveals that tourists are opting for “safer places” like Rajasthan, Goa, Kashmir and even Kerala to spend their holidays. Destinations like Jaipur, Agra, Udaipur and Mount Abu have benefited the most.

BJP’s SC units to hold Dalit uthan yatras across states
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
The SC units of the BJP across the states will hold Dalit uthan yatras and strengthen the SC and ST cells of the party at the grassroots level ahead of the general election.

“The Centre's appeasement policy towards the minorities has harmed the interest of the members of the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe. It has withdrawn reservation for SC members in all minority institutions. While ignoring the interest of the SC and ST students, the government has gone ahead and announced the setting up of eight new universities,” said Suresh Rathore, national general secretary of the BJP's SC unit (national).

Talking to mediapersons, Suresh Rathore said according to party estimates, the BJP was expected to increase its vote share by 10 per cent in the country.

“Out of this, 4 per cent of the vote share belongs to the SC community. The party is keen on garnering vote share of the SC community for which it will strengthen the party structure in Uttarakhand and similar steps will be taken in other states,” said Rathore.

He said in August, Dalit uthan yatras would be held throughout the country to awaken the consciousness of the SC and ST communities.

“The first yatra will start from Ropar (Punjab) and travel through Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and culminates at Chandwa Aara ( Bhojpur) in Bihar, the birth place of veteran Congress leader and freedom fighter Jagjivan Ram,” said Rathore.

Similar yatras would be held from the birth place of Dalit icon Rani Jhalkari Bai and Guru Ghasidas’s birth place in Raipur Chhattisgarh.

Suresh Rathore said in October, a rally would be held at Ramlila Maidans in New Delhi, which would be attended by nearly 1 lakh people.

Governor flags off truckloads of relief material to Chamoli, Uttarkashi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
Governor Aziz Qureshi today flagged off four trucks carrying relief material sent by the Red Cross Society, Uttarakhand, for the disaster-affected areas of Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts. The vehicles carried solar lanterns, woollen blankets, milk powder, dry eatables, raincoats, mosquito nets, clothes, kitchen utensils and necessary medicines.

The Governor told mediapersons present on the occasion that a massive rescue operation carried out by the Army and paramilitary forces after the natural calamity was the biggest ever rescue campaign launched in the world. He said 28,000 people had been saved due to the rescue efforts.

The Governor said the allegation that the state government had shown laxity in the first few days after the disaster was baseless. He added the government, the local administration, the police and other government organisations became active as soon as the disaster struck.

The Governor said despite several hurdles the government was carrying out relief work day and night.

He appealed to the people, the media and representatives of various political parties to support and encourage the people, government departments and NGOs which were helping in bringing normalcy in the disaster-affected areas.

He said this was not the time to point out faults or compete with each other. “This is the time to come forward and generously help the people who are facing the aftermath of the disaster.”

The Governor appreciated the role played by the Red Cross Society and said since June 16 its volunteers had been dedicatedly working to help the disaster-affected people. Till now, the Red Cross Society had sent 40 truckloads of relief material to the four districts.

CM cancels visit to Chamoli again due to bad weather
Tribune News service

Dehradun, July 30
The weather again played truant forcing Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to cancel his proposed visit to disaster-affected villages of Chamoli district for the third time. He was supposed to fly to Chamoli district to meet the victims of the disaster at many places, but for the third consecutive day his programme was cancelled due to bad weather conditions.

The Chief Minister said the state government’s priority as of now was to transport heavy stone-cutting equipment to the Kedarnath shrine at the earliest to kickstart the debris removal exercise there. The heavy machinery could not be transported to Kedarnath due to inclement weather conditions.

Bahuguna said the prayer at the temple would start soon with the cleaning up of the temple complex while the debris clearance from the entire Kedarnath area would take some more time. He further said with heavy machinery the debris removal work would pick and all the damaged buildings would be cleared. However, he said experts of Geological Survey of India (GSI) would be consulted for the work.

Amid reports that the Gangotri to Uttarkashi highway had been closed due to fresh landslides, there was relief as the Gangori bridge in the district, which was damaged, reopened after several weeks.

Relief operations in the state also picked up today as the weather improved in the afternoon with relief supplies being sent to the affected villages of Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts.

VHP activists protest illegal constructions in Ramnagar
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today demonstrated in front of the office of the District Magistrate in protest against illegal constructions carried out by members of a particular community in Ramnagar.

State general secretary of the VHP Mahender Singh Negi said, “Despite restrictions imposed by the district administration, members of a particular community have done illegal constructions on a patta land and are now carrying out dubious activities from there. Local residents have protested against the activities of these people several times.”

Gram pradhan Kapil Bora said, “We will not tolerate intrusion by anti-social and communal elements on our land. The administration should constitute a committee that along with all elected members of the gram panchayat and the people could pass a resolution to stop these illegal constructions.”

In the absence of the District Magistrate, the protesters handed over the memorandum to Additional District Magistrate Pratap Shah. Pratap assured them of appropriate action in the matter.

Funds shortage hampers repair of damaged water projects: Naithani
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
Water Resources Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani today said the inadequate financial resources are coming in the way of repairing the drinking water schemes that got damaged during the mid-June deluge in the state.

While holding meeting with the officials of Jal Sansthan and Peyjal Nigam, the minister said, “The funds provided by the District Magistrates for repairing the damaged water schemes have been too less. In the rural area of Garhwal we will require around Rs 1505.98 lakh for repairing the 29 damaged water schemes and for the 11 drinking water schemes that got damaged in the rural area of Kumaon a sum of Rs 70.85 will be required,” he said.

The Minister urged the District Magistrates to release funds for repairing the damaged water schemes. “There is no shortage of funds and the sooner these funds are released the better it will be for initiating the works.” he said

The department sources said so far the Jal Sansthan had prepared an estimate of Rs 90 crore that would be required for restoring the damaged water schemes in the state.

PNB donates Rs 35 lakh more
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
Punjab National Bank has further donated Rs 35.17 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in addition to Rs 7 crore contributed earlier. Ashok Aneja, Circle Head, PNB, Dehradun, said the PNB had already contributed Rs 7 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in this month. Now, the residual amount of Rs 35.17 lakh had been further contributed to the fund for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the natural calamity affected people.

This is in continuation of the mission undertaken by the bank under corporate social responsibility.

Ashok Aneja said the PNB would help in the rehabilitation of the businesses and vocational activities of people affected by the calamity by restructuring their existing loans and providing fresh loans.

Ashok Aneja, Circle Head, PNB, Dehradun, added that special instructions had been imparted to the incumbents of rural branches to provide agricultural loans to the eligible farmers on a priority.

Tourism unit registration Act on the anvil
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
The Uttarakhand government is contemplating bringing a tourism unit registration Act, making registration compulsory for those engaged in the hospitality and tourism industry.

All those persons engaged in hospitality and tourism industry will have to provide information about their mode of operation.

The complete data base would help the Tourism Department determine the fares being charged by hoteliers and tour operators.

Besides, under the new Food Safety and Standards Act the food licence for restaurants and dhabas has to be procured from the state Food Safety and Standard Authority. “The Act is still being prepared and it will be first brought before the Cabinet and then tabled in the legislative Assembly,” said a senior official.

Panwar’s men demand probe into lathi charge
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 30
A delegation of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Panwar), led by senior leader Latafat Hussain, met DIG RS Meena in support of its demand for an inquiry into the lathi charge on party men on July 25 and action against the accused.

Hussain said party president Trivender Singh Panwar, along with other party men, had gone to the party office after being reelected party president in the biannual convention on July 25. However, leaders of the Kashi Singh Aeri’s faction allegedly beat them up mercilessly and the police also allegedly took a one-sided action. He said many of their activists got injured in the incident and demanded an action against the accused.