Our Sarpanch of Devprayag town Panchayat- Mrs Krishna Kant Kotyal

Mr Kotyal has been a social worker since long, has been District Panchayat level senior member. In the last election, his wife Mrs Kotyal replaced Mr. JP Pandit who did not contest due his bad health, now dead. She defeated Mrs. Rajesh Agarwal, wife of ex-Sarpanch and a prominent shopkeeper of the town. Kotyal with his son Mr. Rahul also manage Pious Ganga hotel, near petrol station, just as you enter Devprayag town. Very humble and helping, you can always see him surrounded by locals in the morning at his hotel office. Pious Ganga is a nice clean hotel with its own restaurant. From the hotel

rooms, you can watch river Ganga flowing and the road across which goes to Pauri town. (in the picture, Mr Kotyal is at the left in red cap, the place is his hotel courtyard)

High Court bans immersion of idols in Ganga and Yamuna rivers: Protect Ganga ji

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court has banned with immediate effect the immersion of idols in the Ganga and Yamuna at Allahabad. While the order is applicable to Vijaya Dashmi on October 14 this year, the court has directed the state government to ensure its implementation across UP from next year.

The court directed the Allahabad district administration to identify and develop other places for immersions. It also asked the state to direct district administrations of areas through which the Ganga and Yamuna passed through to ensure that alternative immersion sites come up next year.

The directives on Monday came on a PIL seeking on pollution of the two rivers. A division bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Arun Tandon said it had recorded in its order on November 6, 2012 the stand of district administrations that alternative site would be found after Durga Puja. Therefore, the court had directed the state to find out suitable alternative place for immersion of idols before the next Durga Puja festival so that immersion of idols is avoided in the river Ganga and Yamuna.

However, the court said, after examining the affidavit of the Allahabad district magistrate it found that hardly any effective steps had been in the past one year to arrange for suitable alternative places for immersion. The date of immersion is fixed well in advance but the administration failed to make any alternative arrangement, it said

"We are of the view that the administration must find out alternative appropriate places with sufficient water and provide necessary facilities including the route, road lights etc for immersion of the idols," the court directed (from Times of India, Oct 8, 2013)

I wish I can file a PIL with Supreme Court against water rafting Camping organizations polluting Ganga with dumping human waste on its banks

                                                              

  Arguments:

1. The river Ganga, worshipped by billion Indians and Hindus as Ganga Maa, ‘mother’ since time immemorial, revered and believed by millions as the forgiving, purifying and sin-washing for the bathers should be treated with dignity. Ganga and its flowing water touching historic towns of the northern States have to be saved from destruction, pollution and garbage dumps.
2. How shameful, criminal and horrendous it is to make a believer drink its black dirty water while believing in heart as if it is the pious heavenly water.
3. Ganga originates from Deoprayag, a 65 kms distance from Rishikesh, and 90 kms from Haridwar. All the hill towns on the periphery and its Panchayat officials do not hesitate dumping its garbage of human, animal wastes, house sewerage, plastics, and all the rotten scraps into the serene waters.

4. Uttarakhand Government and its tourist Dept has started and permitted about 100 companies to set up camping grounds on the very bank of the Ganga river, between Village Kaudiyala near Deoprayag town and Rishikesh, for the tourists to enjoy a big money maker water rafting, and frolic in the nature with drink parties, dinners, music nights, and fires dances at the river banks.

5. Guests sleep in tents, use a boxed holes placed inside sidelined tiny-tents as toilets. These temporary and moving toilets have holes in the sand, dug about 4 fts in the ground, which are used by guests for relieving themselves, using toilet papers. Sanitary napkins and condoms also find their way there with soap, detergents added at the time of bath and washing. Every reliever puts a small shovel of sand on his waste to stop bad odor and hide the awful sight. When the hole is filled up, camp worker, shift the ‘hut’ to another site few feet away. This goes on and on forever. And for years.

6. According to a rough guess, every year, if 100,000 visitors of these camps, and every visitor makes about a kg of waste during his stay, the Ganga banks are sitting at about 10,000 quintals of human waste a year. For the past 6/7 years, the figures will be mind blowing.

7. This stored and planted mounds of shit goes into water body and is also washed to other towns like Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanpur. It is being religiously drunk by millions old, young, men, women every year.

8. Chemists and well known water scientists have proved that any dump of waste in the land filled area seeps into water body and pollutes the water and makes hazardous and very unhealthy for humans. Thousands Ganga lovers suffer from serious diarrhea, stomach ailments, and jaundice.

9. Foreigner visitors, anti-pollution advocates worldwide have been shocked by our State tourism practice of allowing people to live at the banks of the great river. Nowhere in the world any country allows tourists to camp at the banks of the river.

10. Court should order Uttarakhand State to cancel all the permits of the Camping ground owners and remove them from the banks. This has to be stopped immediately. The Government may help them shift their business inside forests or on the highlands nearby to keep the business and tourism going.

Our all India NGO –Live For Others Foundation, Reg no. S/59909/2007 is deeply involved in river Ganga cleaning project and turning Deoprayag town in Uttarakhand a garbage and plastic free town with the full support of the local Panchayat and the town seniors. (www.liveforothersfoundation.org Ph 852 794 4603)

A must see: rare manuscripts/ book Library in Devprayag

Before your Bus screeches to halt at  Devprayag Bus stand from Rishikesh, 200 meters before on the left, you will climb a hill for about 10/15 minutes to arrive (depends on how young you are) at the Library gates and a charming house overlooking 3 sides of mountains. This is family house of Dr. Prabhakar Joshi, a journalist for few publications like Dehradun Amar Ujala, and Hindustan Hindi who will be waiting for you with a hot cup of tea. A very respected town resident. A mild man, thorough gentle.

This is the house which Acharya Pundit Chakradhar Joshi (a scholar in Astronomy and Astrology) built, who established Nakshatra Vedshala (an observatory) in the year 1946. The observatory is equipped with two telescopes and hundreds of books to support research in astronomy. It also contains about 3000 manuscripts from 1677 AD onwards collected from various parts of country. Apart from the latest equipment, it also has the ancient equipments like Surya Ghati, Jal Ghati and Dhruv Ghati which showcase the pride of ancient Indian progress in the field of astronomy. Dr. Prabhakar Joshi and Acharya Shri Bhaskar Joshi (known as Guruji) are currently in charge and caretakers of the place. Here you can see one original manuscript of Ramayana, hand-written request letters to provide medicine from former Prime Minister Morarjee Desai and film actress Asha Parekh.

Dr Prabhakar Joshi, the current chief caretaker, (ph. 9411144392, 01378 266040) can be seen here in the photograph (on left) iside his Library; which needs strong support of individuals, corporations, institutions and the Government. I wish some benovelent soul can gift them few modern storage and glass-cupboards for books to keep and protect from insects and climate. Any advice or assistance will be most welcome. Research scholars are welcome to study the treasure lying there. It would be a great opportunity for a TV station to make a 30 minutes eye-opening documentary for national viewing. Visitors even after huffing and puffing to climb for 15 minutes will not regret, the coming down is easy only 5 minutes. Beware of a village house in midway with their dog.

At Devprayag, you are at the cross roads to Char Dhams

Adi Sankaracharya, a Kerala seer, in 8th century initiated four abodes of God, sacred and revered by Hindus, a 'must' to visit them as a pilgrimage in one's lifetime. Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, and Rameshwaram. Two Vaishnavite, one Shavite, and other mixed. Later on, around mid 20 th century, Chhota Char Dham was recognised, all in Garhwal in Uttarakhand- Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Kedarnath is home to Lord Shiva, Badrinath home to Lord Vishnu; Gangotri is home to Goddess of Shakti Ganga, and, Yamunotri to Goddess of Shakti Yamuna.

Two maps given here show the route. Best time is when there is not deep winter or heavy rains. Most travel can be done by vehicles, but, for all these four destinations, one has to walk or take a mule ride for about final 10/11 kms of distance to reach temples. Roadside dhabas provide good vegetarian food.

GMVN, state government tourism dept also provides bus and car services for these destinations. Pl speak with the one who has already been there to finalize your journey.

Deoprayag town has many known Purohits and Sadhus who can take you there in all the comfort. One gentleman is Mukesh Bhat, Adyaksh Badri Panda Panchayat at 9411 548063, and, Vinod Dhayani, Badrinath purohit at 9410 106125. Best luck

Want a direct taxi to Delhi from Devprayag-door to door pick-up?

Gabbar Singh runs a taxi service from Devprayag to Delhi on daily basis. He will pick up in Delhi anywhere and will bring you to Devprayag and vice versa. Just call him at his cell no. to know the availability -9568 362323 and 9917 772471. He charges R 600 one way per person, he told me when I met him in Deoprayag in the month of March, 2011. He will pick you up in Delhi from your house at about 11.30P and land you in Devprayag early morning at 6A. I have not tried him and have no experience at all of travelling with him. Hope travel with him may be pleasant.

Great scope to set up one business in Devprayag

Internet Cafe is one business which one can start and make a good living as there is none at the moment. With many foreighners visitors and the local Indian youths, a two/three monitor shop can be a good earner.

Besides, a clean restaurant and a cafe at the bus stand serving tea/coffee and city-snacks which may have a fly-screens on the doors/windows, with clean waiters can also provide good income for an entrepreneur. Lady manager/owner can be an asset.