30 Aug 2005, By Atul Chauhan

As the first phase of a controversial dam in Uttaranchal nears completion, displaced villagers have accused the state authorities of not giving them enough compensation.

The Tehri Dam project, which has entered its 28th year, has displaced about 100,000 people, many of whom say they are still homeless, despite the government’s claims of providing them with adequate rehabilitation and compensation.

Residents of most of the areas, which have been partially or completely submerged, have been protesting against a new township, saying it does not have adequate facilities like schools and markets.

A new power grid, which is expected to be operational by the end of this year, would submerge many other villages in Old Tehri, pockets of which are still habitated.

The opposition BJP has taken up the cudgel of the dispossessed, and accused the ruling Congress party of red tape.

In 2002 we had almost cleared the area but then the Congress government came to power and since then the process has stopped due to the lack of interest of the government and red tape.The Congress government has been working only to rehabilitate Congressmen. It is working to provide them with facilities, the chief of the BJP Uttaranchal unit, B.S Koshyari, said.

But the ruling Congress party said the state has decided not to make the project operational till the villagers were compensated.

We discussed this issue with the chief minister, who has decided to stall the closure of tunnel till the time the villagers are not provided with proper solutions, said Harish Rawat president of the state Congress unit.

However, the displaced people said the rehabilitation package was getting delayed because of bureaucratic apathy.

The rehabilitation process is stuck as there is an unequal distribution of money. People who have come from outside are getting full compensation, but people who should actually receive the money are not getting the money. It is all because of bribes. We are waiting for developments from the governments end, said Vikram, a villager.

Authorities claim that over Rs.10 billion ($2.3million) have already been spent on rehabilitation of the displaced villagers so far.

The multi-purpose dam is being built by the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation and is the world fourth biggest dam. The project was started way back in 1976 as a joint venture between the federal government and the then Uttar Pradesh state government.

Estimated to be built at five billion rupees initially, the cost of the dam has since escalated by more than 10 times.

Almost 42 billion rupees have been spent on the project, which when completed, will generate 2,500 megawatt electricity. It will also control floods in the downstream plains and provide water to irrigate 270,000 hectares of land.

Environmentalists and scientists have been opposing the construction of the 260-metre high dam, as they say it is coming up in an earthquake-prone area.

News Source: http://www.newkerala.com

Dehradun, 30 Aug 2005

The Uttaranchal government is trying to rope in the Army, Air Force, and Navy in setting up holiday homes in major hill resorts in order to promote the services tourism.

Taking a cue from the growing popularity of holiday homes in Europe and other countries, Uttaranchal Tourism Minister T P S Rawat, a retired lieutenant general, held a detailed meeting with Chief of the Army Staff J J Singh in New Delhi last week and tried to impress upon him the importance of running holiday homes to promote tourism.

“I have very meaningful and cordial talks with the Army chief regarding holiday homes,” Rawat said, adding he got positive assurance in this regard.

According to an assessment made by the state tourism department, nearly 12-14 new holiday homes can be built in the state. In this regard, the Uttaranchal tourism department believes it can attract thousands of officers of the three services to the hill state.

Already, all the three services are either having their big offices or cantonments in Uttaranchal. There are 10 -12 army cantonments including those of Lansdowne, Ranikhet, and Dehra Dun, Rawat said.

Moreover, the Army’s holiday homes in Mussoorie and Nainital are attracting officers from all the three services from every nook and corner of the country.

Rawat said he had held meetings with the chiefs of Air Force as well as of the Navy. All the three chiefs had agreed to set up holiday homes, which would give additional employment opportunities to the ex-servicemen.

He said the ex-servicemen, which are available in the state in large number, can manage these holiday homes.

Nevertheless, Rawat said these holiday homes would not be used by civilians but hoped that the government would attract a big chunk of tourists belonging to all the three services.

Uniformed Tourism

* The move to set up holiday homes in major hill resorts is to promote the services tourism

* State govt has taken a cue from the growing popularity of holiday homes in Europe

* State tourism department says nearly 12-14 new holiday homes can be built in the state

* Army’s holiday homes in Mussoorie and Nainital attract officers from all the three services from across the country

News Source: http://www.business-standard.com

Dayara (Uttarkashi), August 26, 2005

People of Dayara, living at a height of 3,048 metres near Uttarkashi, celebrate Andudi festival, which is quite similar to the festival of colours – Holi, but has a distinctive style of its own. Butter and milk are thrown on each other in place of colours.During the festival, episodes from Lord Krishna’s life are enacted and villagers commemorate the occasion using curd, milk and butter with abandon and enthusiasm.

Celebrated between Rakshabandhan ( the festival of siblings) and Janmashtmi (the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna) in the month of August, the central attraction of Andudi festival is a couple dressed up as Lord Krishna and Radha who go around the village playing Holi with the villagers.”This festival is being celebrated for past many years to mark the well-being of our cattle that are the only source of livelihood for us,” says Chandan Singh Rana, the former village chief, Bhatwadi village. The festival is now a major tourist attraction.

Rajender Singh Panwar, the President of the Uttarkashi Hotel Association, believes that such local festivals will benefit the region’s tourism industry, helping people to earn more.

“When I visited this area three years back, I saw the distinctive way Holi is celebrated here and thought that we (Hotel Association members) can promote it. Thus, we introduced package tours during the month of August. We brought tourists to enjoy this distinct festival. Local people were asked to make arrangements for accommodation and food. Our basic aim for involving the locals was to provide them with an alternative source of income and improve their economic condition,” says Rajender Singh Panwar.

In the absence of basic facilities and promotion by the Government, this beautiful place remains unexplored by the tourists.

According to the residents of Uttarkashi, if the Government helps villagers of Dayara, the place can be developed into an major tourist spot.

“If Government provides loans to the villagers at low interest rates, they can improve their huts and set up tents for the tourists. By doing this the place can be developed as tourist spot,” says Major S.M.Jamnal, a local resident of Uttarkashi.

Tourism is the mainstay of the economy and has contributed much to the five per cent annual growth of the gross domestic product of the State since its creation in 2000. (ANI)
News Source: http://news.webindia123.com/news/

New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI)

The first rural business hub in the country, involving panchayati raj institutions to promote horticulture, fruit farming and other activities, would be set up in the Nainital district of Uttaranchal, Lok Sabha was informed today.

Rural business hubs are being set up under a joint initiative of Panchayati Raj Ministry and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in several states, including Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said during Question Hour.

The initiative would give a fillip to village enterprises that add value to economic activities in rural areas.

Aiyar said that on the basis of activity mapping, panchayats at various levels would be devolved functions, funds and functionaries to enable them emerge as institutions of self-government.

At a recent meeting of Panchayati Raj officials in Kochi, it was unanimously agreed to fix milestones in activity mapping and expedite the issue of necessary orders to operationalise devolution of funds and functions for different tiers of Panchayati Raj systems, he said.

News Source: http://www.outlookindia.com

August 23, 2005

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help Uttaranchal draw up a set of plans to enhance its road network that will help the state achieve its development targets. The Philippines-based regional development agency will provide Uttaranchal Government a technical grant of US$398,000.

The TA aims to assist the Public Works Department (PWD) of Uttaranchal in reviewing and finalizing a 10-year road master plan; complete financing plans for short, medium, and long-term projects; and prepare a plan to boost PWD’s capacity. It will also prepare a project to strengthen rural-urban connections and link poor rural producers in markets in towns, cities, and ports, says the ADB.

Uttaranchal’s PWD will serve as the executing agency for the TA, which is due to be carried out in two concurrent components over about five months. The local Government will provide US$95,000 equivalent toward the estimated total cost of US$463,000 to finance office space, data collection and counterpart staff.

“The ensuring project will be a sector loan designed not only to increase the quality and quantity of the state’s roads but the PWD’s capacity to better manage them,” says Prianka Seneviratne, an ADB Senior Project Specialist.

The State Government’s master plan will cover around 3,000 kilometers of state and district roads as well as 13,000 km of village and lower class roads. Under the plan, every village, town, and city will be connected to local economic centers, social services, and major cities in the state through a network of all-weather roads and pedestrian links.

About 90% of Uttaranchal is over hilly terrain, while almost two thirds of the state is covered by forest. More than 60% of the state 8.5mn population lives in rural areas and is mostly employed or engaged in agriculture related industries.

However, tourism is the mainstay of the economy and has contributed much to the 5% annual growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state since its creation in 2000. Almost 13mn tourists were attracted to the state last year.

The state government has already started several initiatives aimed at increasing the annual growth of tourism arrivals to 12% and achieving its development targets. However, inadequate and inefficient inter- and intra-state freight and passenger transportation is limiting the effectiveness of those initiatives.

Only 7% of the state’s roads are built to two-lane standard, and half are paved. About one third of the higher-class paved roads are in poor condition, and more than 70% of the roads for light vehicles need to be repaired or rehabilitated.

PWD’s capacity to carry out improvements is constrained by external administrative and financial rules and internally by archaic operating procedures, says the ADB. Also, PWD staff are insufficiently trained in resource allocation and contract administration, it adds.

News Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com