Uttarakhand plans IIM at Kashipur

The Uttarakhand government is planning to set up an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Kumaon region of the hill state.

For this purpose, the government has identified two sites — Escort Farms in the industrial town of Kashipur and Pant Nagar agriculture university. In both the places, vast land is available for a possible IIM, which requires 200 acres.

A central team from the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) has already surveyed the two places and would take a final decision shortly.

Before the concept of an IIM at Escort Farms, spread over 530 acres of land came into picture, the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (Sidcul) had plans to develop a new industrial estate there.

Even if the 200 acres of land is given for the IIM purpose, a top official here said an industrial estate still could be developed on the rest of the land side by side. According to an estimate prepared by Sidcul, the land cost at the proposed Kashipur estate is likely to be 40 to 50 per cent cheaper than the other industrial areas in Uttarakhand.

The land cost at Kashipur after the development would be around Rs 1,800-2,000 per sq meter, which is far cheaper than other industrial estates like Sigaddi in Kotdwar, where the land cost is Rs 3,500 per sq meter. Moreover, the revenue through plots sale can also generate an income of Rs 200 crore for the cash-starved state.

These estimates are based on the DPR being prepared by the Sidcul, which wants to develop an industrial estate for SME units. These estimates are based on the fact that the Sidcul got the Kashipur land from the government free of cost.

On the other hand, the official said Pantnagar agriculture university was also having sufficient land for the proposed IIM. However, the university authorities are opposing the idea of IIM in the premises.

Source: www.business-standard.com

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Uttarakhand government to clear Ganga of corpses

Ganga won't have to bear the burden of unidentified corpses and carcasses anymore, at least in Rishikesh.

Garhwal commissioner Umakant Panwar has submitted an interim report to the Uttarakhand government, about the state irrigation department's illegal practice of dumping unidentified corpses and carcasses on the banks of the Ganga, a few kilometres downstream from Rishikesh.
Panwar has asked the police to maintain a record of the dead bodies, conduct post-mortem and perform their last rites.The inquiry began on March 3 and it was recently submitted to chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

It all started when Nishank took serious note of a MAIL TODAY report, (Illegal & undignified dumping of the dead' edition dated February 26) and ordered a commissioner- level inquiry.
Once the probe was announced, the police decided to become more active.From March 3, they began maintaining a register at the Laxman Jhula police station in Rishikesh.

Panwar said: " We have recommended proper disposal of the dead bodies. We want the state government to give additional funds to the police for cremating the unidentified bodies at Bir Bhadra Barrage. We cannot take action against the irrigation department staff for lack of evidence."

With this, an illegal practice that is more than three decades old, has ended. Till now, the irrigation department officials have been allegedly dumping the bodies in the river while cleaning the barrage.

The department has placed an iron fence at the barrage, three km from Rishikesh in Uttaranchal, to ' net' the bodies floating in the river. This is to ensure that waste- free water flows into the Chilla powerhouse, located 14 km away.

According to reports, two boatmen used to daily look for corpses at the barrage. They would tie a nylon rope on the bodies and fasten its other end to the boat.

The bodies would then be taken to Malwala Sroath, a cremation ground on the riverbank. But instead of cremating the bodies, the men would tie them to a tree on the riverbank - so that they can't float back to the barrage - and leave them to decay in the water.

The villagers living in and around the controversial dumping site are happy about the government's action.

Chander Mohan Singh Negi, a resident of the nearby Kunao village, said: "Malwala Sroath is being used as a cremation ground by the villagers here. Very often, we had to look for other cremation sites since bodies would be rotting in the river here. Government action has been long overdue."

Source: Indiatoday.com