Uttarakhand gets new CIC

Former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary N.S. Napalchyal has taken oath as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of the state. Napalchayal was administered oath of office by Guv. Margaret Alva at a function held at Rajbhavan in Dhradun. Napalchyal has succeeded Dr. R.S. Tolia, the first CIC of state whose five-year-tenure ended on October 17. During the brief function, attended by Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, his cabinet colleagues, Alva also administered oath of office tot Prabhat Dabral and Supreme Court Advocate Anil Sharma as the Information

Commissioners.

At A Glance: October 10, 2010

Woman pradhan files an FIR against husband

A woman pradhan of gram panchayat has filed an FIR against her husband accusing him of forgery in the district, police said on Thursday. Mamta, the pradhan of Sindhor in Block Kalsi approached the police and filed an FIR against her husband Mahavir Singh, alleging him of illegally procuring a duplicate rubber stamp of Pradhan and forging her signature.

Mamta has also written a letter to the District Magistrate (DM), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dehradun informing them about the same. Appreciating the move, Avadhash Kaushal Chairperson of RLEK, a Dehradun-based NGO working in the Panchayati Raj system said, "This exhibits Mamta's exemplary act of leadership and courage in valiantly exposing her husband's illegal interference in the discharge of her constitutional duties."

Snow and Glaciers Authority soon

With an aim to conserve Himalayan glaciers which are receding at a fast rate, the Uttarakhand government has decided to set up a Snow and Glaciers Authority, a first of its kind in the world. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank. Later, chief secretary Subhash Kumar told reporters that the authority would be set up under the Science and Technology department. "Science and Technology Minister and the Chief Secretary will be the ex-officio chairman and vice-chairman of the authority, which will have 21 members from various fields including four from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)," Kumar said.

He said the representatives of central government would also be members of the authority. "The modalities of the authority are being worked out. It will study the impact of climate change on 10 big and nearly 1400 small glaciers in the hill state," a senior official said.

State At A Glance: October 3, 2010

State At A Glance:

Search for trekkers abandoned

Uttarakhand government has abandoned the search operation for missing trekkers from West Bengal as various teams engaged in the operation failed to trace them on Gangotri-Kalindikhal area. This was stated by Bhatwari Sub Divisional Magistrate S.N. Semwal. The eight-member team led by N. Prasadrao has been missing for the past 12 days from Gangotri-Kalindikhal trek following turbulent weather in upper Himalayan reaches. After getting information on September 21, Uttarkashi district administration launched a search operation. Two Cheetah helicopters of the army as well as ITBP personnel were also pressed into service but they failed to trace the trekkers as the area had received heavy snowfall in the past several days. West Bengal ministers Kanti Ganguly and Srikumar Mukherjee, along with a rescue team, had also made an unsuccessful attempt to search them with the help of helicopters.

HC reserves order on CS appointment

The Uttarakhand High Court has reserved its order on a petition challenging the appointment of Subhash Kumar as chief secretary of the state. A division bench comprising Justices Tarun Agrawal and V.K. Bist reserved its order after completing hearings on a PIL challenging appointment of Kumar on the post of chief secretary, petitioner's counsel A.K. Tiwari said.

The petitioner claimed that Kumar's appointment has been made ignoring the seniority norms of IAS cadre rules. A pay scale of Rs 80,000 has been fixed for Kumar, while three other officers are also in the same scale. This is against the rules as the state government did not take necessary approval from the Centre,’ Tiwari claimed.

Corporates I-T returns deadline

The income tax department has extended the last date of filing returns by corporates for the assessment year 2010-11 to October 15, on account of disturbance due to floods in many parts of the country. "The Central Board of Direct Taxes has extended the due date of filing income tax returns for the assessment year 2010-11 from 30th September 2010 up to 15th October 2010. The due date has been extended in view of disturbance to general life caused by floods," an official statement said. Accordingly, the deadline for obtaining tax audit report also stands extended to October 15, 2010. It further said that the due date for Jammu and Kashmir, however, remain at November 30. Floods have affected various parts of the country including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Efforts to boost tourism

The Uttarakhand government said it wanted the hill state to be on the international tourism map in next five years. Speaking at a function on the World Tourism Day, chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal 'Nishank' said, "Uttarakhand has a vast potential of tourism and the government has fixed a target of establishing it on international tourism map as a model state in the next five years." Governor Margaret Alva, who inaugurated a tourism exhibition on the occasion, said the state with abundance of natural beauty has a potential to attract tourists in large numbers.

Kasana villagers force minister to go back Villagers of landslide hit Kasana village of Pauri Garhwal district forced state minister Vijaya Barthwal to go back when she visited the area which falls under assembly constituency Yamkeshwar. Kasana is affected by landslides every year and heavy rains this monsoon season aggravated their problems. However, when Barthwal reached the village on hearing the plight of the people and to hand over cheques of relief amount, she was asked to go back when she tried to convince the villagers to leave their unsafe houses and take shelter in school buildings and tents. The villagers, who even refused to accept the cheques of relief amount, said they should be rehabilitated elsewhere and given agriculture land. Barthwal told the villagers that she would talk to the chief minister in this regard.

Uttarakand news update on Sept. 24, 2010

Kingfisher to add Pant Nagar to flight network

Private air carrier Kingfisher Airlines plans to launch flights to Pant Nagar in Uttarakhand and Mysore in Karnataka by October, a source said. The launch of these proposed services is a part of the airline's plan to add over 10 per cent capacity during the winter, the source said. The airlines' winter schedule in India commences from October 29 and lasts up to March 28 every year. "We plan to launch a flight between Bangalore and Mysore, starting from next month," a source close to the development said. The proposed flights will be operated daily with a 66-seater ATR 72-500 aircraft, the source said. The airline is also mulling a flight service between Delhi and Pant Nagar in winter, the source said, adding, "We are awaiting regulatory approval. In addition, we also plan to add one more domestic station in our network, but it is yet to be finalised," the source said. Kingfisher Airlines Executive Vice-President (Commercial) Manoj Chacko recently said the airline has plans to add over 10 per cent capacity in its winter schedule to meet market demand. The airline plans to enhance the frequency of its service in the winter schedule and was also looking at adding a few more destinations, Chacko had said.

4 ministers elevated to cabinet rank

In an apparent move to strengthen his position within the ruling BJP, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank last week elevated all the four ministers of state as full-fledged cabinet ministers. Vijaya Barthwal, Khajan Das, Balwant Singh Bhoryal and Govind Singh Bist were administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor Margaret Alva at a function at Raj Bhavan in Dehradun. All the four were ministers of state in the Nishank government. With this, there will be no junior minister in the state council of ministers. Nishank took over reigns of the state on June 27 last year after his predecessor B.C. Khanduri was forced to relinquish the post of Chief Minister in the wake of the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. The move to elevate the four ministers to the cabinet rank is being seen as the Chief Minister's attempt to strengthen his position within the ruling BJP ahead of the 2012 assembly elections. State BJP President Bishan Singh Chufal welcomed the step saying BJP would further consolidate its hold in the state. However, there was no announcement regarding the new portfolios. Official sources said an announcement to this effect is expected to be made shortly.

25 pc power from Tehri sought

Demanding 25 per cent of power generated from 2400 MM Tehri Hydel project, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank asked THDC officials to compensate the damages done due to increasing the water level of its reservoir that posed threat to human habitation. During a meeting, Nishank also asked the THDC officials to carry out a survey of the area, to be submerged when the reservoir level reaches 835 meter, and send a proposal to the Centre for compensation and rehabilitation of the affected population, an official release said. He asked the corporation officials to work in tandem with Tehri district administration while taking a decision to raise the water level of the reservoir.

SE Investments to foray into Uttarakhand

Micro finance sector lender S.E. Investments will be venturing into Uttarakhand and Rajasthan this fiscal and plans to add one lakh new customers. The non-banking financial company is also aiming to almost double its loan book to Rs 1,000 crore by March 2011, from Rs 540 crore in the last year. "We have been able to secure a customer base of 3.15 lakh customers since the start of micro finance operations in Uttar Pradesh in 2002. We have asked authorities for permission to start business in Uttarakhand and Rajasthan to tap the opportunities in these two states," S E Investments Ltd MD Sunil Agarwal said. He said permission had also been sought from the nodal agency, National Housing Bank, to expand into financing of low-cost housing of up to Rs 2.5 lakh. "Our target is to add one lakh new customers this fiscal and start of operations in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, will give a boost to this," Agarwal said. S E Investments has a number of projects under individual and group schemes. It provides loans to low-income households with a loan size of up to Rs 50,000 with an average interest rate of 24-27 per cent. Agarwal said the firm is aiming to take its loan book to Rs 1,000 crore this fiscal. "We ended last fiscal with a loan book of Rs 540 crore and we intend to reach the Rs 1,000-crore mark by March 2011," he added.

Uproar over alleged mining scandal in Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand Assembly was adjourned today amid uproarious scenes with the opposition members alleging that a private company has been given licence for mining at the eco-sensitive Bageshwar district nestling in the Himalayas. The members belonging to the main opposition Congress alleged that the licence for 14.5 sq km area in Kukroli in the district was given in gross violation of licensing as well as mining norms, which is banned in the Himalayan region. Led by State Congress President Yashpal Arya, the opposition members further alleged that such proposals by Haldwani-based Messrs Great Himalayan Minerals and Chemicals earlier had been rejected by previous governments.

In this regard, they raised slogans against the BJP government and demanded a CBI probe. "We demand a CBI probe into this scandal which is the biggest in the state," Congress MLA Tilak Raj Behad told reporters. The members also demanded a detailed discussion on the alleged scandal and began shouting in the house following which Speaker Harbans Kapoor adjourned the house for 15 minutes. Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said it was not a big issue of immediate importance and asserted that the opposition was wasting the Assembly's time.

Declare Uttarakhand calamity-hit

The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed a resolution calling on the Centre to declare the state as calamity-affected in the wake of havoc wrought by incessant rains.

The state also sought a package of Rs 21,000 crore from the Centre for relief and rehabilitation measures. During an 8-hour discussion, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhiryal Nishank said heavy rains had wreaked havoc in the state killing 170 people. As he was making a statement in the House on the devastation caused by rains, Congress and BSP members trooped into the well saying the government had completely failed to deal with the situation. Rejecting the charge, Nishank said the government machinery was working on a war-footing finishing repair work on 496 damaged roads. He said an amount of Rs 21 crore had already been provided to each of the 13 districts for relief work. The House observed a two-minute silence in memory of those killed in torrential rains.

Landslides, flash floods damage roads in Uttarakhand

Widespread landslides and flash floods triggered by last week's torrential rains in Uttarakhand have cut off large parts of the Himalayan state and left hundreds of tourists and pilgrims stranded, including on the Mansarovar route. The landslides and flash floods have claimed at least 68 lives since Sunday. As many as 170 major and minor roads have been severely damaged, leading to complete disruption of traffic in the mountainous districts of Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Bageshwar, Nainital, Almora, Tehri Garhwal and Pithoragarh districts. Even the main road connecting the plains to the popular hill station Nainital is closed to traffic, while the Delhi-Dehradun and Mussoorie route is also badly damaged. Hundreds of tourists and pilgrims are stranded in different places including the Mansarovar route. "Several Mansarovar tourists were halted in Pithoragarh and advised not to proceed further. A bus carrying foreign pilgrims on the 'char dham' yatra (four pilgrimages) was stranded in Uttarkashi for the past three days," an official said.

However, there was some respite for a large number of villages downstream of Tehri dam on account of absence of any heavy downpour upstream since Monday. Earlier, the rising waters of the gigantic reservoir of Tehri dam had already submerged or inundated a large number of low-lying villages in Uttar Kashi district. According to an official spokesman, "despite no rain for the past four days, the level of the Tehri dam had not gone below the danger mark of 830 metres." While both power and drinking water supply was adversely affected in large parts of the hilly districts, extensive damage to crop was reported in the rich vast plains across Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts.

The state which draws lakhs of tourists every year from different corners of the country and abroad to the popular pilgrimage centres - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - was now being avoided by them. "Not a single tourist has been able to come to any of these places over the past one week since rains have caused deep cracks and washed away parts of key roads in the region," a senior official of the state tourism department told.

According to a spokesman of the state disaster management department, "only three major roads functional at the moment are Dehradun-New Tehri, Pratap Nagar-Peepal Pani and Rishikesh-New Tehri." The scene in the interior and far-flung areas was much worse as disruption of movement on the roads had seriously affected the supply of essential commodities, including fuel, vegetables, and even bread. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has urged the central government to provide a special assistance package of Rs.21,000 crore to enable the flood-ravaged state to spring back to its feet. As many as 172 people have been reported dead and 68 missing since the outbreak of the current monsoon in June.

Pokhriyal favours smaller states

Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has favoured further division of Uttar Pradesh saying that smaller states achieve better growth rate. "For better development, Uttar Pradesh should be further divided," he said in Varanasi on Monday. Pokhriyal said that small states can achieve better growth.

Giving the example of his own state, the CM said that the growth rate of Uttarakhand was at 2.9 per cent at the time of its inception, but now it is growing at 9.31 per cent and the state stands at third place in country in terms of growth. The per capita income of the state has risen from 14,000 per person to 42,000 per person which is higher than the national average, he added.

After Uttarakhand was craved out of Uttar Pradesh, demands for making Poorvanchal and a Harit Pradesh grew stronger. Pokhriyal also paid a visit to Kashi Vishwanath temple and attended the aarti at the Dashaswamegh ghat. He also appealed to the people to make the river Ganga pollution free.

Uttarakhand September 2010 news update

Kumar new CS

Subhash Kumar, an IAS officer of 1977 batch, on Monday took over as new chief secretary of the hill state of Uttarakhand. Fiftysix-year-old Kumar succeeded N.S. Napalchyal who took voluntary retirement one-and-a-half-month before expiry of his extended tenure on October 31 this year. Kumar, till recently additional chief secretary, is the 8th chief secretary of the state.

Chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank last night took the decision to appoint Kumar as chief secretary, officials said. After taking over as chief secretary, Kumar said his top priority was to achieve targets fixed by his predecessors. He said he would strive hard to strengthen the disaster management network in view of widespread rains across the state this season. Napalchyal has been nominated as principal advisor to the state -planning commission. He is also being tipped as next Uttarakhand chief information commissioner.

Sikhs' procession from Delhi to Haridwar

Members of the Sikh community will take out a procession from Delhi to Haridwar later this month seeking re-allocation of land on the banks of the Ganga where a Sikh shrine was allegedly destroyed. Various Sikh organisations under the banner of All India Sikh Conference (Babbar) are demanding that land opposite Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar where the Gyan Godari Sahib Gurudwara existed should be re-allocated to them, president of the conference Gurcharan Singh Babbar said.

Babbar claimed that proof of the existence of the Sikh shrine 400 years ago is available in the revenue records of the then government. "There is ample evidence that the Gurudwara was there adjacent to holy Ganga, but was later destroyed in the 80s and shops were constructed in the area," he said.

Rejecting the Uttarakhand government's offer to allot alternative land to establish a Gurudwara in Haridwar, Babbar said, "If the government is keen to allot alternative land for establishing the Gurudwara which once existed, then there should be the same criteria as in case of Ram temple and Babri Masjid."

The procession will commence from Gurudwara Rakab Ganj in the national capital on September 22 and will converge at Haridwar. Activists of several organisations, including radicals Damdami Taksal and Sant Samaj, will also be part of the procession, he said.

Northern Ganga canal reopens

Northern Ganga canal, whose closure last week had affected power generation in various states, was reopened on Wednesday. Besides power generation, the canal also caters to irrigation needs of agricultural lands in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The canal was closed after farmers refused to take water from it following heavy rains as this led to crop damage, executive engineer (Ganga Canal) K.P. Singh said. Power generation in various projects at Haridwar, Roorkee, Muzaffarnagar, Muradnagar, Aligarh and Allahabad was disrupted due to its closure.

Alaknanda project work suspended

Uttarakhand government has temporarily suspended the work on the 330-MW Alaknanda hydropower project under pressure from local activists, who have opposed it as its reservoir will submerge the famous Dhari Devi temple.

The state government has also constituted a high-power committee headed by Garhwal commissioner to look into the demands of the people and directed it to submit a report within a fortnight's time, officials sources said. The work on hydel project, being built on Alaknanda river near Srinagar town of Pauri district by GVK Infrastructure Company, has been suspended for nearly two weeks, they said.

The activists from ABVP, VHP, Mahila Vikas Samiti and Sanyukta Utthan Samiti led by senior BJP leader Mohan Singh Gaonwasi have been agitating in the area for the past three months to press for their demands, including not to increase the height of dam beyond 63 metres to prevent the submergence of the Siddhapeeth Dhari Devi temple and provide employment to affected families.

Dehradun breaks its rain record

The monsoon rainfall this year has broken a 37-year-old record in Dehradun and is headed to break the 39-year-old record as well, officials said. The city has so far received 2678 mm of rainfall since June 1 and is just short of 85 mm from the 1971's record when 2763 mm of rainfall was received by the Doon valley from June 1 to September 30.

"Still a fortnight of September is left and monsoon is active, the possibility of breaking the 39-year-old record seems very high," said Anand Sharma, Director of Met department here. Significantly Dehradun is among the top cities of India which receive maximum rainfall during the monsoon season. Nine of the total 13 districts of Uttarakhand have so far received excess rainfall this monsoon season. Chamoli district received the maximum 92 per cent more rainfall than the average followed by Champawat (56 per cent), Bageshwar (49 per cent), Dehradun, Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarkashi and Nainital (37 per cent), Almora 21 per cent and Tehri 20 per cent, Met office said. Heavy rains this season have already claimed more than 110 lives and rendered thousands homeless in the state.

23 pilgrims killed as truck falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

Twenty—three people, mostly from two Haryana villages, were today killed when a truck ferrying ’Kanwarias’ (Shiva devotees) fell into a gorge in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The truck, which was on its on way to Gangotri, fell into the 150—metre deep gorge killing 23 people, including the driver and the cleaner, at Dabrani on Rishikesh—Gangotri national highway about 70 kms from here, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Saurabh Jain told. 21 bodies of youths have been fished out by the police and ITBP personnel and they have been sent for a post mortem, he said, adding efforts are on to extricate two more bodies from the accident site. A pall of gloom descended on villages of Baghanki and Kherki in Haryana’s Gurgaon district, from where nearly all the youths killed belonged. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has also ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. The Haryana Government announced an exgratia of Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed deep shock and grief over the deaths and said that his government was in touch with the administration of Uttarkashi to bring back the bodies. Gurgaon district administration has sent of a team of officers led by Tehsildar Manesar KS Dhaka to assist the family members and villagers who have rushed to Uttarkashi, according to the Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria. A group of 29 youths from the two villages had gone on the pilgrimage, district officials said, adding efforts were on to identify those missing.

Heavy rains and floods over the last two days have left six others dead and thrown life out of gear in Uttarakhand. Several important roads were washed away in the heavy floods due to which a large number of villages were cut off. A vital stretch of Raipur-Chamba road was also washed away due to heavy floods in the river Song in Dehra Dun, where large areas have been inundated leading to loss of property after last night’s torrential rains that broke a 44—year record. Meanwhile, two ‘Kanwarias’ from Uttar Pradesh were today killed while another was injured when a motorcycle on which they were riding collided with a bus at Jwalapur area of Haridwar district, 47 km from here. The incident took place when the motorcycle collided head on with the bus killing Raju (20), a resident of Ghaziabad and Bablu (22), a resident of Meerut on the spot, police said. Another person identified as Deepak was also injured in the accident and he has been admitted to a nearby hospital, they said.

Tourists assaulted

At least six tourists were assaulted by policemen, who were allegedly in an inebriated condition, in Mussoorie, sparking protests in the hill resort following which four personnel were today transferred. The four policemen allegedly entered into scuffle a with a group of tourists at Mall Road in Mussoorie, 32 kms from here, last night. Later, they beat up the tourists with batons. The policemen also hurled abuses at local people, who today held protests here demanding action against them. All the injured tourists were taken to local hospital and were discharged after treatment. Police did not disclose the identity of the tourists.

CM asks bankers to raise CD ratio

Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has told government officials and bankers to make sincere efforts for raising the credit deposit (CD) ratio to the national average of 60 percent. Chairing a meeting of the State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), Nishank said that there is huge growth potential in various sectors related to horticulture, medicinal herbs and tourism. He said that officials must expedite the implementation of welfare schemes launched by the government and coordinate with bankers, so that residents of the state can get loans easily -- making the CD ratio of the state meet with the national average. The state currently has a CD ratio of 49.78 per cent, against the national average of 60 percent. The chief minister also asked bankers to open more branches across the state.

Mild quake in state

An earthquake of moderate intensity hit Uttarakhand early Wednesday morning, the meteorological office in Pune said. The quake, measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale and recorded at 4.47 am, had its epicentre in Pithoragarh district of the hill state, it said.

Power crisis as hydropower project shuts

Power supply to states of north India including Delhi was affected as the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri hydel power project in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district was temporarily shut down by the authorities on Thursday after the level of silt rose in the Sutlej river. "The silt content in the river suddenly rose more than the permissible limit of 7,500 ppm (parts per million). We have no other option but to suspend power generation," Vijay Verma, deputy general manager of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL), told.

He said the sudden inflow of the silt was due to heavy rainfall in the catchment of the river on which the project is based. "We are constantly monitoring the silt level. The project is likely to resume generation after midnight (Friday)," he said. This was the first time the plant had to be shut down this season. SJVNL, a joint venture between the central government and the Himachal government, daily generates about 38 million units, which are supplied to Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Lawyers call off strike

Lawyers of Uttarakhand have called off their strike and returned on Thursday to courts after the arrest one more policeman allegedly involved in misbehaviour with advocates in Nainital district on Monday night. "Bar Council of Uttarakhand as well as Uttarakhand High Court Bar Association have called off their strike following the arrest of all the accused in the case," said Razia Beg, Chairperson of Bar council of Uttarakhand. One more constable allegedly involved in the case was arrested last evening, said Mohan Singh Bangyal, Senior Superintendent of Police, Nainital. With this arrest, the number of police personnel taken into custody in connection with the incident at Jyotikote area has gone up to six. Four advocates-- Ravi Babulkar, Sushil Vashishtha, Yogesh Pachoulia and Anil Bist-- were returning after attending a wedding when they were stopped by police at Jyolikot. The men in uniform allegedly misbehaved with the advocates and beat them up when they resisted. Agitated over the incident, the advocates across the state had held protest demonstration, following which police arrested four constables and one Sub-Inspector, the incharge of Jyolikot police post, on Tuesday. However, the action failed to pacify the advocates who yesterday went on strike to press for the arrest of all the accused.