The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has come down heavily on the Uttarakhand government for failing several deadlines and yet not doing enough to organise the South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games.

This international event was initially scheduled for February 2008.

More than Rs 72 crore has already been spent on building infrastructure and yet the two venues – Dehradun and Auli – are far from ready, the CAG report says.

Worse, foreign consultants engaged for event-related projects have been given full payments even before they fulfilled their commitments.

The CAG’s latest appraisal is a scathing indictment of the organising committee of the Games for a trail of irregularities and lack of accountability.

The SAF Winter Games were rescheduled for February 2009, then December 2009, January 2010 and now for December 2010.

Teams from eight nations – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan were to participate. The events include Alpine skiing, free-style skating, ice hockey and curling.

The Centre had released a grant of Rs 110 crore and the state government contributed Rs 5 crore for the Games. The organising committee was set up with the then chief minister, B.C. Khanduri, as chairperson.

The committee hired two foreign consultants, Dianege SA and Louis Berger Consulting Pvt. Ltd, for advice on technical and managerial aspects. Dianege SA was responsible for project management consultancy at Auli in Chamoli district.

Louis Berger was to provide consultancy for a skating rink and other facilities in Dehradun.

But the CAG found “flaws at various stages of planning, execution and monitoring” and “extraordinary delays at the planning stage and in fixing responsibilities”. This had derailed the whole schedule.

At Auli, the venue for three skiing events – Alpine, free- style and cross- country – the CAG found the work had been completed.

But it was “of substandard quality and was yet to be tested and commissioned”. A chair-lift at Auli, an elevated ropeway to transport players, critical for skiing, had still not been installed. A lift installed here in 1992 was operational till December 2008 but failed to meet safety requirements during a technical audit.

Another example of negligence was the manner in which a water storage facility was built for artificial snowmaking. Here too, full payment was made to a company called Spaceage.

The CAG verification found flaws. No barriers had been put up to address safety concerns.

Nothing was done to prevent dust from entering the water.

The slopes were shoddily paved with loose stone rubble instead of a cement mortar finish.

Faulty planning and indifference to quality and deadlines were evident at Dehradun as well.

The CAG auditors found that by June 2009, more than Rs 9 crore had been paid for the iceskating rink, yet only 40 per cent was complete.

The report said while Rs 2.35 crore had been released to the public works department for a road stretch to link the games venues, progress had lagged behind deadlines.

The manner in which the committee had paid the high fees to the consultants attracted special critical attention of the CAG team. A payout of Rs 59.62 lakh was made to Dianege and Rs 186.81 lakh to Louis Berger in June 2009. Their contracted commitments are still pending.

“The services rendered by them were found deficient in terms of submission of periodic review reports and technical evaluation of the work at site,” the CAG report noted.

Pictures clicked by the CAG team in November 2009 show only skeletons of buildings.

Uttarakhand Sports Secretary U.K. Singh has stated that since the Games were postponed because of certain other reasons, the work is being carried on at a slower pace.

“The Indian Olympic Association conveyed to us that the SAF winter games coincided with the SAF Games being held in Dhaka. It was decided to postpone the Games in Uttarakhand till December,” he said.

Asked why the consultants were paid in full while work was still on, Singh said there were performance guarantee clauses in the contract which could be invoked in the event of dissatisfaction.

“The CAG audit raised the point of an electric chair for skiing events, but it is possible to hold the event even without the chair. We have shown our facilities to international experts and they have approved,” he added.

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank could not be contacted. Khanduri, under whom the preparations began, said he was not aware of the contents of the report.

News Source: India Today

Dehradun, 22 Jan 2010

Commuters in the plains of Uttarakhand will have to shell out 10 per cent more for travelling in the state-run buses from today, officials said here.

However, the new fares would only be charged from the passengers travelling in the plain areas. The fares of buses plying on hilly routes are unchanged, Uttarakhand Roadways officials said here.

The passengers travelling in ordinary buses of Uttarakhand roadways would now have to pay 59 paise per km, 0.05 paise more than the existing fares.

Similarly, those travelling in Hightech or AC buses would have to dole out Rs 1.03, which is 0.12 paise more than the previous fares.

The fares have increased by Rs 2 to 7 in buses plying on the Dehrdun-New Delhi route and by Rs 35 in those on Dehradun-Haldwani route.

News Source: PTI

22 Jan 2010

Uttarakhand will showcase the historic Kumbh Mela in its tableau at the Republic Day parade this year.

‘The tableau from Uttarakhand shows a scene from the ‘Samudramanthan’ or churning of the ocean and the scene from Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar,’ said Dhanajay Mohanty, a defence ministry official coordinating the parade preparations.

The tableau depicts various facets of the festival, etching its mythological significance in myriad colours and carvings.

The Kumbh Mela is one of the world’s oldest religious gatherings. Every 12 years, millions gather at Haridwar – the gateway to the abode of Lord Shiva in the Himalayas – for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

In Hindu mythology, the Kumbh Mela traces its origin to the Samudramanthan described in the holy texts of Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. When kumbh (pot) of amrit (the nectar of immortality) came out, the gods had to safeguard it from demons. Lord Vishnu’s carrier Garuda flew away with the elixir. Four drops from the pot fell at four places – Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain and Nashik – where the Kumbh Mela is held till this day.

‘The Kumbh Mela is a part of Uttarakhand’s history and tradition. The Haridwar Kumbh coincides with astrological alignment of Venus and Jupiter with the Sun and the Moon,’ an official said.

News Source: Indo Asian News Service

18 Jan 2010

Following an year-long dissection of performance of 130 existing deemed-to-be universities in the country, the government panel constituted for the purpose has recommended withdrawal of the deemed status from 44 institutions, found committing academic lapses, including allowing families to run institutions.

The government has accepted the committee recommendations, but would have to wait for the Supreme Court to take a view on the issue, as it is hearing a civil writ petition on the matter. The court had in November last directed the government to come back to it on the issue.

In its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court today, the government submitted the review committee report, which lists 44 erring institutions for de-recognition as deemed. Of these, the highest-16- are in Tamil Nadu, followed by 6 in Karnataka, 4 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 each in Haryana and Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, and one each in Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and New Delhi.

The institutions listed to lose their deemed status in Haryana are Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Ambala; Lingayas’ University, Nachauli, Faridabad; and Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad. In Uttarakhand, HIHT University, Swami Rama Nagar, Dehradun; Gurukul Kangri Vishvavidyalaya, Haridwar; and Graphic Era University on Clement Road, Dehradun, could face de-recognition, subject to the SC decision. Blacklisted institutions in Rajasthan include Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapith, Pratapnagar, Udaipur; Institute of Advanced Studies in Education, Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sadarsheher; and Mody Institute of Technology and Science, Lakshmangarh, Sikar.

Of the deficient institutions, 41 are privately managed, and three are government funded, including Nava Nalanda Mahavihara in Nalanda, Bihar; Rajiv Gandhi National Youth Development Institute, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu; and National Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi. The de-recognition move, if it comes through following the SC intervention, would affect the futures of over 2 lakh students, with 2,03,322 currently pursuing courses with the erring institutions. Accordingly, the task force constituted to implement the committee recommendations has said the erring universities could seek affiliation to the state university of jurisdiction to enable students to complete courses. “Existing colleges not found suitable to continue should revert to their status as affiliated college of the state university of jurisdiction to enable the students to finish courses and obtain degrees,” the task force said.

It has further advised the government to make every effort to facilitate migration or re-enrolment of the students to equivalent courses in other institutions in case their own institution, after losing its deemed tag, is unable to attain affiliation of the state university concerned.

As for the review committee, it found only 38 institutions justifying their deemed position while another 44, it said, would be allowed three years time to come up to the academic standards desired of them.

News Source: The Tribune

13 Jan 2010

Maha Kumbh Haridwar 2010 will being tomorrow, 14 Jan 2009 amid huge religious fanfare and tight security.

“Our endeavour is that no devotee visiting Haridwar during the Kumbh should face any difficulty.” – Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’

Those who visited Haridwar one year back will now be wondering to see the new face of the holy city. Wide, clean and pothole free roads, shining bathing ghats, new bridges and general cleanness. This change is visible even before we enter the city from Roorkee or Dehradun. “Haridwar witnessed the biggest ever developmental activities in the last three decades for this Kumbh beginning from January 14. It almost changed the face of the entire city,” said Gulshan Kumar, a travel agent in Haridwar.

“Our endeavour is that no devotee visiting Haridwar during the Kumbh should face any difficulty. Only Rs 50 to 60 crore used to be spent for Kumbh preparations so far. But this time we have spent over Rs 550 crore. The permanent construction work is over and the work at temporary projects too is at the final stage,” said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

According to the government estimates, more than six crore pilgrims are expected to have a dip in this Kumbh. The government has made adequate arrangements for them. Central Cabinet Secretary Shri Chandrasekhar recently visited Haridwar and expressed full satisfaction over the preparedness for Mela by the State government.

Apart from permanent construction, the government has also made some temporary arrangements. Temporary camps have been set-up for about 12 lakh saints, 40,000 officers and other staff members. During the 2004 Kumbh, more than 10 million devotees including saints, priests and yogis from all corners of India as well as the world, had participated.

The total Kumbh area is 130 square kilometres sprawling in Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri and Pauri revenue districts. Entire Kumbh Mela area has been divided into 12 zones and 32 sectors. These sectors include Bahadrabad, Jwalapur, Ranipur, Kankhal, Daksheshwar Dweep, Sati Dweep, Bairagi Camp, Mayapur, Belwala, Gaurishankar, Chandi Devi, Neeldhara, Chila, Laljiwala, Rodi, Haridwar, Mansa Devi, Har Ki Pauri, Kangra Dweep, Pant Dweep, Bhim Gaura, Moti Chur, Bhopatwala, Sapt Sarowar, Raiwala, Shyampur, Rishikesh, Chandrabhaga, Muni ki Reti, Swargashram, Laxman Jhula and Neelkanth.

Talking to Organiser Mela Officer Shri Anand Vardhan said 31 police stations and 41 police chowkies have been established in the Mela area for maintenance of law and order. Thirty six fire stations have also been established to control any incident of fire. A Central Control Room (CCR) with all modern communication systems has been established for monitoring of devotees inflow to avoid any crowd pressure in the core area round the clock.

Medical preparedness
According to Shri Anand Vardhan the medical preparedness has been taken-up on priority basis. A total of 4,700 beds have been notified in various hospitals including 1,360 in government hospitals within the Mela area, 400 in private hospitals, 677 in government hospitals out of Mela area and 2,303 in private hospitals out of the Mela area. Deployment of health staff includes 12 class one and senior medical officers, 264 general medical officers, 606 paramedical staff, 192 non-medical staff, 50 ambulances and 14 EMRI ambulances.

Precautions for Swine Flue
A training programme for medical and paramedical personnel to update their knowledge on Swine Flu has already been conducted as per the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry. Identification of Influenza Like Illness (ILI), suspects of swine flue for referral, investigations and management will be done as per the guidelines. SPS hospital, Rishikesh and Civil Hospital of Roorkie have been identified with ICU facilities.

Bathing Ghats
The main and common reason for one to attend the Kumbh is to take dip in the Ganga. It is believed that a dip in the sacred river during the Kumbh takes one out of the circle of life and death. Pilgrims and sadhus in large number visit Haridwar to liberate themselves. There are four main bathing ghats in Haridwar including Har Ki Pauri, Asthi Parwah Ghat, Subhash Ghat and Gau Ghat. Rather it is difficult to count the number of bathing ghats at the Ganga from Rishikesh to Haridwar, as some people have made their own private ghats. The actual number of bathing ghats during this Kumbh will be more than 300. They include 117 ghats in Haridwar and around 200 in Rishikesh. About 80 lakh devotees will be able to have a dip in the Ganga on these ghats. The Mela administration has decided to grant at least 10 minutes to each devotee for the snan. Over 60,000 devotees will be able to have a bath only at the Har Ki Pauri at a time. Total length of the bathing ghats available in the Kumbh is 25 km. It is expected that about one crore devotees will have a bath in the Ganga on the Shahi Snan day i.e., April 14. Hence, the capacity of ghats has been increased accordingly.

Significance of the Kumbh
When the planet Jupiter transits Aquarius and the Sun is in the sign of Aries the Maha Kumbh is held at Haridwar. It is believed that at the time of Kumbh, the water of Ganga is charged with positive healing effects enhanced by electromagnetic radiations of the Sun, the Moon and the Jupiter, the flux of which also varies in accordance to positions and the phases of the Moon, and also by the + and – signs of the Sun spots.

The event is visited by the most amazing saints from all over India. The Naga Sadhus are one such, who never wear any cloth and are smeared in ash. They have long matted hairs and are not at all affected by the extremes of heat and cold. Then there are the Urdhwavahurs, who believe in putting the body through severe austerities. There are the Parivajakas, who have taken a vow of silence and go about tinkling little bells to get people out of their way. The Shirshasins stand all 24 hours and meditate for hours standing on their heads. Spending the entire month of Kumbh on the banks of Ganga, meditating, performing rituals and bathing thrice a day, are the Kalpvasis.

The origin of the Kumbh is very old and dates back to the time when amrit kalash (pot of nectar of immortality) was recovered from Samudramanthan (during the churning of the primordial sea), for which a tense war between devatas (Gods) and asuras (demons) ensued. To prevent the amrit kalash being forcibly taken into possession by asuras, its safety was entrusted to Brahaspati, Surya, Chandra and Shani. The four devatas ran away with the kalash to hide it from the asuras. Learning it, the asuras turned ferocious and chased the four Gods. The chase lasted 12 days and nights, during which the devatas and asuras went round the earth and during this chase devatas put amrit kalash at Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik. There are a number of Pauranic legends regarding this.

Major activities
Akhara processions during the Kumbh have great public attraction. Saints of different Akharas gather at one point and proceed to their camps on vehicles, horses, elephants and chariots, carrying 30ft long dharma dhvaja. They are accompanied by bands and jhankies. These processions are called Peshwai and about 10 such processions are organised during the Kumbh. The time and order of Shahi Snan is predetermined. When the Akharas take their holy dip at Brahmkund, public is not allowed there.

Most Holy Dates
January 14, 2010 – Makar Sankranti
January 15, 2010 – Mauni Amawasya- Surya Grahan Snan
January 20, – Basant Panchami
January 30 – Magh Purnima
February 12, 2010 – Shri Mahashivratri-Shahi Snan
March 15, 2010 - Somwati Amavasya-Shahi SnanMarch, 16, 2010 Navsamvatarambh Snan
March 24, 2010 - Shri Ramnavmi
March 30, 2010 - Chaitra Purnima/Padva Snan/Vashnav Akhara Snan
April 14, 2010 - Mesh Sankranti Shahi Snan (Main Snan Parva)
April 28, 2010 – Vaishakh Adhimas/Purnima Snaan

News Source: http://www.organiser.org

Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world, will begin in Haridwar Jan 14 and go on till April 28. Here are the important bathing dates of the Kumbh Mela:

Jan 14: Makar Sankranti

Jan 15: Mauni Amavasya-Suryagrahan Snan (Solar Eclipse and New Moon bathing)

Jan 20: Basant Panchami (Saraswati Puja)

Jan 30: Maagh Purnima

Feb 12: Shree Mahashivratri-Shahi Snan

March 15: Somawati Aamavasya-Shahi Snan

March 16: Shree Ramnavami Snan

March 30: Chaitra Purnima-Vaishnav Akahara Snan

April 14: Mesha Sankranti-Shahi Snan

April 28: Visakh AadhiMaas Purnima Snan

Amid air surveillance and heightened security, Uttarakhand is all set for the Kumbh Mela, which will begin on January 14 in Haridwar.

There will be no compromise with the security of the people. As a part of the security measures, helicopters will be pressed into service during the three-month-long fair, termed as the largest gathering of people for a religious purpose in the world, chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told reporters here.

Besides, security has been beefed up in and around the holy town of Haridwar, he said.

About 50 lakh people are expected on the first day itself of the grand congregation, celebrated once in every 12 years, the chief minister said, adding that arrangements have been made in such a way that 20-25 lakh devotees can take the holy dip simultaneously.

Meanwhile, deputy DGP Alok Sharma said adequate security arrangements have been put into place in coordination with the Centre to prevent any untoward incident during the fair.

Personnels of CRPF, RAF, CISF, SSB, ITBP have been deployed at the festival area that spread over an area of 130sq km, he said.

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