Dehradun, February 25
Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel today said that the issue of increasing number of flights from Dehradun to Delhi and other parts of the country depended largely on the volume of domestic air traffic.

Talking to mediapersons after the inauguration of the terminal building of Jolly Grant airport near here, Patel said this industry was market-driven.

He said the state has great potential for increasing domestic flights as it is home to famous pilgrim centres and hill stations.

He assured the support of the Centre to the state government in this regard. He added the terminal building was designed in a way so that it could be expanded in future.

The runway at the airport was extended to 7,500 feet from about 4,500 feet to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft. Currently, Kingfisher operates two flights between Dehradun and Delhi daily.

Chief Minister BC Khanduri apprised the union minister that Rs 137 crore have been sanctioned for the four-laning of the road from Dehradun 
to Rishikesh.

Khanduri said that a 11 kv sub-station would also be constructed near the airport. The government has already distributed Rs 41 crore for the land acquisition for expansion of the airport.

Khanduri assured all help required by the Airports Authority of India so that the airport could get night-landing facility.

Dehradun, February 25
Visiting and contractual lecturers today started an indefinite hunger strike inside the district jail where they have been lodged after yesterday’s protest at the Vidhan Sabha.

In a memorandum addressed to the district magistrate through the district jailor, the agitating lecturers said they would continue with their fast inside the jail. They held the administration entirely responsible for the consequences.

Dr V Bahuguna, Dr SC Joshi, Dr Bharat Chand Negi, Dr Darshan Singh Negi, Dr SK Kuriyal and Dr MC Tamta were the signatories to the memorandum.

The protesting lecturers are seeking regular jobs. They asserted that they always believed in the democratic system of protest and alleged that the police had been resorting to excesses against them.

There are as many as 200 lecturers in the capacity of contractual lecturers and visiting faculty in 75 degree colleges.

They said that there was no basis as to why they could not be given regular jobs as they met the University Grants Commission criterion.

Meanwhile, 48 unemployed B.Ed teachers today were arrested after they tried to enter the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. They staged a protest outside the Assembly.

The teachers are demanding jobs. In the afternoon, when the session was in progress, the protesters managed to reach the last barricade outside the assembly from where they were arrested.

Dehradun, February 25
The Communist Party of India has announced Lalita Prashad Bhatt as its candidate for the Pauri Garhwal seat in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the media here today, state secretary of CPI, Samar Bhandari, said they would fight the Lok Sabha election on basic issues which have being overlooked by the BJP and Congress.

Expressing his anger over the way the state government have worked, Bhandari said, “The Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party have implemented anti-people policies that are not in consonance with the geographical requirement of the people of Uttarakhand.

“They have also failed to address the common issues of the people.”

The CPI has decided to take up issues like Dikshit Commission report regarding Gairsain, unemployment and industrialisation in the upcoming elections.

He said the CPI had undertaken ‘Jansangarsh Yatra’ from Joshi Math to Jakhali on the February 5 to 20 which covered various villages. 

Dehradun, February 25
In a protest against the Chinese occupation and alleged atrocities in Tibet, Tibetans sat on a one-day fast at the Gandhi Park, here today.

As a mark of protest, Tibetans boycotted Losar festivities, falling today. Taking a lead women and youth owing allegiance to Regional Tibetan Women’s Association and Regional Tibet Youth Congress respectively gathered at the park accompanied by several monks who lead the prayer meeting. Wearing black masks with the messages ‘Free Tibet’, written on them, women and children sat in silent shunning celebrations.

“We are protesting against the Chinese high-handedness in occupied Tibet, where peaceful protestors were brutally treated in March 2008. We demand for freedom but the Chinese authorities aim repress Tibetians in Tibet,” said Tsering Yangzon, president, Tibet Women’s Association.

The Tibetans have lined up several programmes for the coming days. Terming the Chinese occupation as illegal, Tenzing Chokyi, president of Tibet Women’s Association, Raipur said Chinese have been exposed time and again and Tibetans all along have led a peaceful protest against the Chinese occupation. She said that as 2008 saw an unprecedented atrocities against Tibetans in Tibet, the exiled Tibetan women will observe 2009 as a black year.

Mussoorie: The Tibetans are not celebrating Losar festival this year as a mark of protest against the killings of innocent Tibetans and violations of human rights by China in Chinese occupied Tibet. Representatives from the community said Losar, the Tibetans’ New Year, would not be celebrated with usual fervour this year.

Dehradun, February 25
Dehradun girl Tuhina Pandey, who desperately needed funds for her trip abroad for participation in a prestigious international event, has been offered help by a Canada-based NRI.

Sudarshan Kumar of Toronto in a fax message to The Tribune office here today expresed his eagerness to help Tuhina after reading a report about her predicament. He has asked her father to get in touch for a detailed discussion on Tuhina’s financial requirement.

A student of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Tuhina has been selected to represent her college at World Model United Nations:2009 to be held at the Hague this March. Her father, Devki Nandan Pandey, is a writer and her mother a teacher in a private school here. Both were finding it difficult to arrange money for their daughter’s weeklong trip abroad.

Model UN is a simulation of the United Nations. Students from select institutions from all over the world act as diplomats of their respective countries. They deliberate on international issues and pass resolutions.

The family had requested the CM’s office in January for help. But the request was not acknowledged. Tuhina’s parents had almost given up hope of their daughter making it to the prestigious event.

Tuhina is a national topper in the ISCE commerce stream and a brilliant speaker. She has done Doon proud by participating in the Inter-Varsity Debate Competition in Cambridge, UK, last November.

The ONGC had then sponsored her trip on the recommendation of the then District Magistrate Dr Rakesh Kumar.

Dehradun, February 25
Uttarakhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister Parkash Pant presented the Vote on Account of Rs 5,209 crore for government expenditure for first quarter of the financial year 2009-10 in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly here today.

Tabling the Vote on Account during the post-lunch session of the second day of the Budget Session of the Assembly, Pant informed the House that the expected budget for the 2009-10 will be more than Rs 14,000 crore. The discussion on the Vote on Account will be held on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, BSP legislators staged a walkout from the Assembly alleging that the state government is not complying with a High Court order related to a zila panchayat officer.

Opposition members demanded an explanation from the government as to why it is not complying with the orders of the Nainital High Court regarding restoration of financial rights of Haridwar zila panchayat chairperson Ramesho Devi Kashyap.

BSP MLAs led by Mohammed Shehzad alleged that the government seized the financial rights of Devi on the grounds of misappropriation of public funds. The High Court, however, restored Devi's rights but the government had not complied with the same.

Speaker Harbans Kapoor tried to pacify the members and said that the government would look into the matter but unrelenting BSP legislators shouted slogans against the government and staged a walkout.

Meanwhile, Congress legislator from Tehri assembly constituency Kishore Upadhaya brought a privilege motion agai+nst the Chief Minister. Tabling the motion under Rule 65, Upadhaya said that in violation of the directions of the House, the Chief Minister was inaugurating projects coming under the jurisdiction of his assembly constituency without informing or inviting him.

When Upadhaya brought the privilege motion, the CM was not present in the House. Reacting to Upadhaya’s allegations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Parkash Pant said that they would get the motion examined.

Prior to this, the Congress legislators grilled Forest Minister Banshidhar Bhagat during the question hour.

Congress MLA Pritam Singh asked the minister to give the details about the number of trees planted in the state during 2007-08 and 2008-09 and also their survival rate.

Bhagat initially failed to respond but in wake of the huge uproar created by the Opposition, he said that 2.08 crore and 2.5 crore trees had been planted in 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively and the survival rate is around 80 per cent.

The minister, however, failed to give any convincing reply as to why eucalyptus trees were being planted despite the fact that these trees consume a lot of underground water. A few minutes later, the Congress legislators staged a walkout in protest. 

Dehradun, February 25
Doon Valley registered a thumping 5-0 victory over Pacchawa Doon team at the 17th Narayan Gurung Memorial Football Tournament underway at Mahendra Ground, here today.

Rajeev opened the account for Doon Valley in the 10th minute of the game to give his team a 1-0 lead. The first half ended with the score line reading 1-0.

The second half saw Doon Valley strike four more goals. Tarun scored a brace in the 40th minute and 45th minute of the second half. Krishna increase the goal tally further by scoring in the 55th minute of the game to make the score 4-0.

In the closing minutes, Prashant gave another jolt to the Pacchawa team scoring in the 65th minute of the game to make the final score 5-0.

Meanwhile in another match, City Young beat Gipsy Club 3-0. For the City Young team Tenzing scored a brace to help his team win it match. Tenzing scored the first goal of the match in the 20th minute of the game.

The second goal was scored by Kuncharak in the 40th minute making the score 2-0. Tenzing scored his second goal in the 46th minute making the final score 3-0.