http://andolan.prayaga.org Dedicated to documenting and supporting the ongoing social movements and popular struggles of Uttarakhand, India. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:42:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en SMA Kazmi, Tribune News Service Dehradun, June 24 The magnitude of death and destruction caused by massive landslides in the mid-Himalayan region of Uttarakhand during the past decade points to the alarming rise in human interference in a fragile mountain eco-system that happens to fall in a seismically active zone. The release of ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/06/25/landslips-up-courtesy-development/ By Raja Murthy, Asia Times June 23, 2009 RANIKHET - From this Himalayan town about 380 kilometers from Delhi, my first view of mystical Nandi Devi was one of those velvet-cloaked, sledge-hammer moments in life that softly stuns the senses and leaves one wordless. Golden early morning sunlight lit the snow-capped 7,800-meter peak, ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/06/23/clouds-over-indias-goddess-mountain/ Umesh Dewan Tribune News Service, Dehradun, May 30 After spending two years in jail on the charges of being a Naxalite, Binayak Sen is a happy man today, as the Apex Court had issued orders granting him bail. But, in Uttarakhand, Parshant Rahi, a former journalist, is still languishing in jail on similar ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/05/31/parshant-rahi-fights-battle-similar-to-binayak/ Almost 20 per cent of litchi trees in the city have vanished with the spurt in construction activities ever since the city was awarded interim capital status. Hundreds of litchi trees have been felled by private colonisers in alleged connivance with politicians and the police, despite protests Jotirmay Thapliyal Tribune News Service, ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/05/29/doon%e2%80%99s-litchi-orchards-vanishing/ Sandeep Rawat Tribune News Service Haridwar, May 18 The election results in Haridwar constituency have revealed that voters have totally rejected the “hill versus plain” issue, forcing the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party to rethink upon the issue that paid them rich dividends during 2004 polls. [more] http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/05/21/voters-discarded-hill-vs-plain-propaganda/ BD Kasniyal, Tribune Pitthoragarh, May 19 Villagers of Kumaon, disappointed with their elected representatives for failure to provide them water, roads and electricity, boycotted the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections. The EVMs installed in their polling booths did not register a single vote. The villagers of Sumgarh in Bageshwar district were disappointed with the ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/05/21/kumaon-villages-lose-faith-in-the-ballot/ In Garhwal and Kumaon, numerous large and small patches of forests are protected and preserved as “sacred groves” by communities. Villagers, through ‘divine sanction’, are stopped from harming any vegetation in these groves. It is utterly wrong to blame the recent forest fires in the state on villagers who are ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/05/15/%e2%80%98sacred-groves%e2%80%99-falsify-govt-contention/ Shishir Prashant / Business Standard / Dehra Dun May 04, 2009 Although both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two main parties in Uttarakhand, are targeting each other for not improving the economic health of the hill state, politics on the real developmental issues is yet to pick ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/05/11/election-sans-development-in-uttarakhand/ Tribune, Dehradun, March 16 This summer, water may become a scarce commodity for the people of Uttarakhand. Due to poor management of water resources, haphazard growth and erratic rain several areas are already reeling under acute water shortage. The problem may be aggravated in months to come. As many as 92 ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/03/18/water-crisis-this-summer-in-dehradun/ Neena Sharma Tribune News Service, March 7, 2009 Behind the ever-smiling face of Garhwali women lies steely resolve and hard work. From discharging her duties at home to participating in social movements, the women are the main cogs in the wheel driving the state of Uttarakhand. However, the route to empowerment of women ... http://andolan.prayaga.org/2009/03/08/troubled-road-to-empowerment/