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Maha Kumbh
Nishank unveils projects worth Rs 27 crore
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Leopard cub, jumbo calf killed in mishaps
Pvt colleges fail to meet Education Dept norms
School honours 3 bravehearts
Vijender’s medal has boosted game’s popularity, say boxers
Women Boxing Championship
Salmal, a bundle of talent
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Maha Kumbh
Dehradun, November 27 The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTB) along with its partner agencies is transforming the once-neglected ghats into places of meditative serenity. For the first time, work of this scale, undertaken by a government agency,
has achieved stipulated targets with 60 per cent realisation of funds. Setting itself modest targets of readying a combination of infrastructure comprising ghats, parking lots, tourist-convenience complexes for the Maha Kumbh mela, the UTB started work on the development of Haridwar-Rishikesh-Muni-ki-Reti-Swargashram mega circuit with an outlay of Rs 44.5 crore granted by the central government. The work is being executed through Rajkiya Nigam, Dehradun, Irrigation Department, Narender Nagar. For the renovation and construction of ghats on the left side of the Ganga in Rishikesh, below the Ram Jhoola towards Parmarth Niketan and further down to Ved Niketan, by the Garhwal Irrigation Division, the total sanctioned amount by the Centre is Rs 336.76 lakh. The amount released by central government is Rs 168.38 lakh and, so far, 50 per cent of the work is complete. New ghats have been developed with a special pathway, aptly called Astha Path
(at Muni-ki-Reti, Swarag Ashram, Rishikesh), created for the convenience of pilgrims to allow them to walk about unhindered. Earlier, it made walking difficult due to the narrow path that had a profusion of pebbles. “The site is at once inviting for the pilgrim who can meditate in peaceful surroundings. Earlier, the adjoining area had a bus stand which was frequented by boisterous crowds. These have all but gone. The focus is on Haridwar and Rishikesh - the main towns that attract the largest number of tourists in the state both foreign and domestic,” said Rajeev
Bhartari, Additional Chief Executive Officer, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB). For inspiration, he did not have to look further than at Har-ki Pauri in Haridwar where the Alaknanda ghat was developed under the Great Green Vista in 2003-2004. “We were inspired by that design. None of us hired any architect and the already existing example was replicated. Only the number of ghats was increased by five or more,” explained Rajeev. The beauty of the ghats lies in according equal status to all as is the common practice. No separate ghats for VIPs have been created. From a poor villager to jet-set sadhus, all will be seeking salvation here. Work is also under way on another ghat in front of Brahm Niwas Ashram in Haridwar, on the right bank of the Ganga. The central government had sanctioned an amount of Rs 48.62 lakh and released Rs 24.31 lakh. Then, 95 per
cent of the work on Pantdeep Ghat at Haridwar, undertaken by the Irrigation Department, is complete. Work is also nearing completion at the new ghats at Sadhu Samaj (Swarag Ashram), being carried out by
the Garhwal Irrigation Division, Lansdowne. “All these ghats will have toilet facilities. Above all, we are building a parking lot at dhobi ghat in Haridwar, capable of accommodating 800 vehicles, the only one of its kind in the state. “It will also include a tourist convenience complex and 80 per cent of the work is complete,” stated Bhartari.
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Nishank unveils projects worth Rs 27 crore
Haridwar, November 27 On his visit last month, Nishank had inaugurated 25 completed works related to the Kumbh. Since his assuming charge of the premier post of the state, there has been a considerable alacrity in the Kumbh-related works with Nishank taking personal interest in the preparations. Speaking at the function, Nishank once again reiterated that this was the first time when a majority of Kumbh works being carried out were of permanent nature while earlier, the trend had been of carrying out works of temporary nature. Terming the Maha Kumbh as an occasion which draws worldwide attention, he assured that the state government was fully committed to successfully hosting the fair and nothing will be left, be it finance, manpower or other resources, in making the first Maha Kumbh of Uttarakhand a grand success. Among the 27 works, the hill bypass assumes a greater importance as with the completion of this road not only during Maha Kumbh but also during annual fairs, traffic pressure will be lessened. As this bypass leads towards Har-ki-Pauri and passes through the famous temple of Mata Mansa Devi, there will be considerable relief from routine jams usually witnessed at Har-ki-Pauri and around the temple region. Also six natural sources of water have been connected with the Kumbh fair pipelines so that the pilgrims get water 24 hours during the mega fair. The stone-laying ceremony of a life-saving training centre was also laid by the Chief Minister at 40th PAC Battalion campus. This centre is being built at a cost of Rs 3 crore. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik and he too stressed on the seriousness of the state government towards the Kumbh. He also pointed out the central government’s non-cooperative attitude towards the state government, especially in Kumbh-related matters. A few days back, Madan Kaushik, along with Diwakar Bhatt, sat on a hunger strike protesting against the central government’s stance of not providing food and other essential commodities at concessionary rates for the Maha Kumbh.
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Chilla’s tourism quotient takes jumbo leap
Chilla (Haridwar),
As days pass by, the health of the calf is getting normal and seeing her playing and cuddling Radha, the cow elephant, indicated
that the chances for her survival have increased. The unique tale of an elephant calf getting separated from its family and now being sheltered at Chilla forest range is attracting people and tourists in large numbers. The Rajaji National Park was opened to tourists last week and this incident has raised the park’s tourism quotient. Visitors are flocking to the elephant shelter near Chilla Ranger's office and are even trying to touch the calf. But now, park authorities have put up a bamboo shield so as to avoid any possibility of infection to the baby elephant as it is just two-weeks old and devoid of natural mother's milk. In some sections of the media, there were reports that park and forest officials had brought the baby elephant to Chilla in haste and should have put her at the Papdi Padao area where it was found, but persons involved in
the calf’s survival refute these allegations. They pointed out that as the calf was barely 10-days old, it was not feasible to leave her at that place. She wouldn’t have got milk, water and care for her survival and this was only possible at Chilla. Chilla Ranger MS Negi said the behaviour of the calf now compared to when she was brought here last week was considerably different. The baby elephant seemed to be at ease now. Though he warned, “It is not that easy and we are on our toes, as in this decade, three separated calves had died despite all care. We are following every prescription that the Wildlife Institute and veterinary doctors have suggested.” Meanwhile, the calf was given oil massage and was being fed powder milk with electorol solution and gripe water. “The calf is so cute, but I was surprised to see her height and weight at just 17 days of age. Hope the calf survives and the efforts of people involved in the process bear fruits,” said Shruti Arora, a fashion student from Navi Mumbai who had cut short her vacation in Mussoorie to visit Chilla after reading the news article on the calf and Radha in The Tribune’s Tuesday edition.
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Leopard cub, jumbo calf killed in mishaps
Dehradun, November 27 A three-month-old cub was found dead in the Kalsi forest division on the outskirts of Dehradun. The cub after being hit by a speeding vehicle on the Herbertpur-Saharanpur road in Timli village in Kalsi forest division on early Wednesday morning had strayed into nearby forest before succumbing to its injuries. The cub laid dead while his mother and other siblings stood besides him. It was due to the loud wailing on part of the two that forest patrol party came to know of the incident. SDO of the Kalsi forest division Gulveer Singh said the cub had died after being hit by a speeding vehicle on the Herbertpur-Saharanpur road, which catered to a big volume of traffic. An elephant calf died after falling from a hilltop in Pauri district. The seven-year-old calf was found injured with her hip bone broken by forest guards during a routine patrolling at Lansedowne forest division, about 150 km from here, Lansedowne DFO Narendra Singh said. The female pachyderm later succumbed to her injuries at night, he said. This is not the first time that a pachyderm had a fall in the Lansdowne forest area. This forest area has undulated terrain and fall
of a sure footed elephant here is not a rare occurrence.
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Making paying guests feel at home
Dehradun, November 27 Due to the coming up of a large number of colleges and students opting
for professional courses, the paying-guest business seems to be on the upswing. These paying guest houses (PGs) not only allow students to work or study without hassles, but also provide business opportunities to those who are blessed with ample space and time. The Graphic Era College and Dehradun Institute of Technology (DIT) were established almost 10 years ago. In the past five years, numerous colleges have come up at Selaqui, Shimla Bypass, Prem Nagar and Jogiwaala on the outskirts of the city. These institutes are providing an array of professional courses in communication, engineering, medical, business administration (MBA), hotel management, animation and law attracting students from various cities to come and avail education in the serene surroundings of the city. “I was the first one in my area to start a girls’ PG with a single tenant, but today I have almost 11 girls who are pursuing higher studies or a career. In the past five years, many colleges and companies have come up opening numerous avenues for young people. They can avail these opportunities and at the same time, stay happily as a paying guest. With the passage of time, PGs become a second home to them,” said Jaspal Kaur, a paying-guest house owner. As the PG business requires a knack of handling students, but is a
simple way to earn a decent and fixed amount of cash, most people having vacant rooms converting
these into paying guests accommodations. Be it Jakhan, Subhash Nagar, East Canal Road, Karanpur, Kanwali Road, Baliwaala, Indira Nagar and Vasant Vihar, numerous advertisements are not only solving problems of students, but also providing basic to luxurious facilities. “I take extra care of girls as they are away from their family. Depending on the size, there are two to three girls per room. With lodging and food, I charge Rs 3,000 and, in case, if someone wants to eat from outside, then prices are reduced,” added Jaspal Kaur. “I come from Lucknow and am a student at ICFAI University. I share a paying guest accommodation with a few girls. I feel that PGs are a safe options for boarders,” said Payal, a student. “I opened a PG for boys so that persons who come to the city for a job or higher education can get a homely atmosphere and I can earn a decent living. In addition, I run a tiffin business too,” said Manoj Mamgai, PG owner.
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College observes Law Day
Dehradun, November 27 The programme began with Chairman of the college Jitendra Joshi launching Dehradun Law Review, a wall journal discussing various aspects of law through a series of articles by students, teachers and law luminaries. The judges for the event were Dr Partyush Vatsala from DBS PG College,
senior journalist Sadhna Sharma and AK Srivastava, Principal of DAV PG College. Addressing the gathering, Principal of the college Rajesh Bahuguna said: “Dehradun Law Review holds a special meaning in the life of students, teachers and those who aspire to be in the field of law. “Articles written by faculty and luminaries will enlighten people and discuss law as wide and interesting subject. “The copies will be available in the library and on the website of the college so that a large number of people get to know about the journal”. Enthusiastic participants began the debate with justifications and arguments on the topic for the day “Indian culture is acting as an hindrance in the development of the youth”. Where some said deep-rooted Indian culture was world famous and was the source of inspiration to the present generation, some criticised the culture and asserted that the Indian culture had merely turned a formality not even encouraging today’s generation to follow it. However, giving a tough competition to the participants, the first position was bagged by Samrat Dutta and Nikita
Bhel, second position by Swapnil Kaushik and Akanksha Sonkar. Swapnil Kaushik also bagged the best
speaker price for the overall performance. The programme concluded with Joshi and Managing Director of the
college JP Sharma appreciating the efforts of the students as well faculty for launching such an informative journal.
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Shiv Dale kids unleash creativity
Haridwar, November 27 For class I to III, the theme of the competition was ‘Nature’ while for students from Class IV to V, the topic was ‘Future’. The drawings which these students made were quite refreshing and showcased the way these children view the world. From landscapes, man’s landing on the moon to time machines, satellites to global warming, students exhibited their creativity on sheets of paper. “These extra-curricular activities go a long way in developing and enhancing personality of students. I am overwhelmed at the vision and art exhibited by the participants,” said Kiran Sharma, principal of the school. The winners of the competition will be felicitated at the school annual function later this year.
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Pvt colleges fail to meet Education Dept norms
Roorkee, November 27 The fact came to the fore during the checking of the colleges of
the area by a team of the department, led by the joint director Yatish Vashisht. On the direction of the state Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the team has been making rounds of several private colleges of the area to check the required facilities according to the set standards to run such institutes. Though the report is yet to be submitted by the team, it has indicated that most of the colleges
here lack even the basic facilities in their campus. During the checking, many colleges were found without the required facilities like laboratories and inadequate staff etc. Flouting the rules with impunity, some of the institutes were reportedly found being run in rented buildings whereas the institute must have its own building according to the rules. Apart from the colleges in Roorkee, the team also visited the colleges in periphery which included VMKPG College, Manglore, Sanskriti Institute of Advance Studies, Gurukul Narsan and Susana Methodist BEd Girls College, Roorkee. Without revealing the details, the team officials maintained that the report would be submitted to the authorities soon.
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Conference on energy conservation begins
Dehradun November 27 The convention aims at the development of a country’s socio-economic infrastructure. The prime issue of the seminar is the contribution of exhaustible reserves of fossil fuel and volatility of their prices in the market for energy insecurity of the nation. Jens Bergtorf-GTZ, New Delhi, was the Chief Guest. He inaugurated the ceremony by lighting the lamp, which was concluded with the national anthem. The speakers for the first day were Prof PK Champathy Ray, Senior Scientist, IIRS and Dr G Philip, senior scientist, WIHG whereas the speakers for the second day will be Jens Bergtorf, GTZ, New Delhi, Dr Vidhu Gairola, Energy Engineer, Dehradun and Dr Sas Biswas, head, Botany department, FRI, Dehradun. Other eminent guests present at the event were President-Graphic Era University, Prof Kamal Ghanshala, Vice-Chancellor, Graphic Era University, Prof SR Khanduja, the convener of the conference Prof Dr MP Singh and other delegates.
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School honours 3 bravehearts
Haridwar, November 27 Besides paying tributes to Mumbai martyrs, the school honoured the three policemen who had last week risked their lives to save a man who had fallen in a bore well. A special assembly was organised in the Ranipur-situated school to felicitate constable Rajendra Nath of Civil Police, Vipin Singh and Kripa Ram Sharma, both firemen from the Haridwar fire department. The chief guest of the special function SSP Sanjay Gunjyal, along with Class X student Aradhya Srivastava, felicitated the three brave policemen while certificates were given by school principal KC Pandey. These real-life heroes got a big round of applause while they narrated their exploits during the bore well rescue. Fireman Kripa Ram Sharma tried to motivate students to fight against all odds and never lose hope. “Use your wings like birds and keep your mind open always,” said Kripa Ram. SSP Gunjiyal conveyed his happiness to the school management for honouring the good deeds of policemen, which at most times, goes unnoticed and unrewarded. “It will help keep the morale of policemen high and set a good example before youngsters,” he said. A discussion was also held on the theme “Communal Harmony”. Orators from distinguished fields as well as students put forth their views. Later, chief guest Sanjay Gunjyal distributed the prizes.
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All-India Police Football Championship
Haridwar, November 27 In the first match of the championship at BHEL main stadium Railway Police Force displayed a good football and romped home with a 2-0 margin over
Madhya Pradesh. S Mandi scored in the fourth minute of the first half while A Hussain in the dying stages of the second half increased the score line with another goal. At sector-1 BHEL playground Assam Rifles, in a one-sided match, easily defeated Tripura Police by huge margin of half a dozen goals while Tripura couldn’t score a single goal. The third match was played between West Bengal and Mizoram. At the end of the keenly contested match, Bengal players scored two goals with Mizoram failing to score even one. The fourth match was played at Roshanabad district sports stadium. Here Orissa and Kerala Police teams locked horns and with the help of goals from Adison and M Anand Kerala won
by 2-0. The fifth match saw host Uttarakhand playing its first league game. The venue was jam-packed for this match but the local support couldn’t see the local team emerge as winners. Uttarakhand lost by 2-1 margin with its striker Deepak Bhandari scoring the lone goal while S Dhawan and Seisel netted for the winning Sikkim team. Assam police could not follow in the footsteps of Assam Rifles as it was out classed by Maharashtra police in the sixth match of the day played at another venue the 40th PAC Battallion grounds. Maharashtra won 2-1 with Prakash Tharote scoring both the goals for the team. While the only goal for Assam police was
scored by Manoj. While in the final day of the match which was seventh in the same PAC grounds CRPF against Rajasthan in the second half scored the lone goal of the match with Maninder Singh scoring in the 61st minute to garner four points for the
CRPF.
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Rao Cricket Academy, NIIT triumph
Dehradun, November 27 Batting first, Doon Champs scored 82 runs in 17 overs. Opening pair of Anshuman and Rehan could only add eight runs to the score, when Anshuman was sent back to the pavilion. Rehan too could not do much and got out for a score of 16 runs. Other batsmen failed to reach the double figure mark and the whole team could only managed to score 82 runs. For Rao Cricket Academy Deepankar was the lead wicket taker. He claimed four wickets, whereas Mahak, Sanjay and Ashish took two wickets each. Chasing a victory target of 83 runs, Rao Cricket Academy reached the target with six wickets in hand. It was Kiran for Rao Cricket Acadmey who smashed 46 runs in 29 balls hitting eight fours in his innings. Sharad was the second highest scorer for the team with 11 runs. Rao Cricket Academy reached the target with eleven over to spare. Meanwhile, in the second match NIIT team registered a five-runs win over IEL team. Batting first NIIT team piled a score of 98 runs in their 16 overs. For the opening wicket partnership, Deepak and Guddu scored 29 runs, whereas middle order batsman Uday added 16 runs to the score. For NIIT team Navankur took three wickets, whereas Hrish and Pawan took two wickets each. Chasing the victory target of 99 runs, IEL team was all out for 93 runs. The team batsmen failed to do much and fell like a pack of cards before disciplined bowling line display by the NIIT team. For NIIT team Nitin took three wickets, whereas Bhagat and Sunny took two wickets each.
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Vijender’s medal has boosted game’s popularity, say boxers
The recent spate of excellent performances by Indian boxers that was capped by an Olympic bronze by Vijender Singh at Beijing has proved to be great morale booster for boxers. While feeling that the game is far behind cricket in terms of popularity and with the amount of money that is being pumped in, the boxing fraternity feels that the game is ready to win medals and tournaments at the international level. According to the Asian gold medallist of 2006, A Mol, ”Things are good. Even the government is providing facilities and incentives. We are now aiming at an excellent performance at the next Olympics.” Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the Senior Women Federation Cup Boxing Championships being held here, Sagar Dhayal, who has coached Vijender in the past and is now the coach of the Indian Railways, said, “It is an individual game where the players have been performing really well. “In the recent Indoor Asian Championships, we had five participants and all of them came back with medals. The game has a lot of potential. India would have started bringing medals several years earlier if the media and others had highlighted the game.” Talking about Vijender’s achievement, he said, “He has given a lot to Indian boxing as compared to what boxing gave to him. His performance at Beijing has made a lot of difference. There are several more Vijenders in the waiting now.” A young player from Hisar, Kavita Goyat, from whom a lot is expected in the days to come, said, “I see lots of benefits for boxers in the future. The game has picked up in terms of popularity.” Kavita had won a gold at the recently concluded Indoor Asian Boxing Championships and is contesting in the Federation Cup for Assam. She said, “We are now targeting the Olympics. We have lots of time at hand and we are giving our best while participating in various events at the national and international level as a run-up to the Olympics.”
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Women Boxing Championship
Nainital, November 27 The second day at the four-day event saw closely contested semifinal bouts in various categories. The day began with a bout between Hemanti Mehta of Uttarakhand and Gurharkirt Kaur of Punjab in 46-kg category, in which the former outclassed her opponent on points basis 27-2. in the second bout in this category, Pinky from Haryana overcame a stiff challenge from her opponent Aarti of Delhi. The bout was marked by both sides throwing a flurry of punches at each other. In the end, Pinky prevailed 10-4. In the first bout in the 51-kg category, Suman of Haryana went on to beat Shashikiran of Madhya Pradesh. In the second bout, the referee had to stop the contest as Anita Sharma of the All-India Police proved to be too strong for her opponent Ankita Nanda of Punjab. The first bout in the 57-kg category saw a very keen contest between Veenita Mahar of Uttarakhand and Kavita of Haryana. Both the sides displayed an aggressive technique marked by good left-right combination of punches and an excellent counter attacking strategy. The girl from Uttarakhand eventually prevailed 4-3. The second bout in this category saw Prati Burman of Madhya Pradesh being outclassed by Shalaja Raddey of the Railways 20-0. Rajni Sharma of Punjab was no match for Rajni Priya of the Railways and was declared retired hurt in the opening bout of 64-kg category. The second bout was totally dominated by Pooja Rani of Uttarakhand, who went on to beat her opponent Pooja Yadav of Uttarakhand 9-1. In the first contest in the 75 kg category Sonam of Haryana outclassed Sandeep of Punjab. The former displayed an excellent eye-hand co-ordination, along with a good footwork, to make her punches connect well. She went on to win 13-0. In the second bout, Pratima of Uttarakhand was no match for Aswathy Mol of the Railways, who showered a flurry of punches from all sides forcing the referee to call of the fight in the very first round. In the 82 kg category, the first bout was cancelled with Renu Bala of Punjab being given a walk over. In the second bout, N Swarna Priya of the Railways proved to be too strong for Reena Kuwari of the All-India Police. The referee stopped the contest in the third round.
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Hilton clinch basketball trophy
Dehradun, November 27 Mohit of Indian Cambridge School was declared the most promising player, Salmal of Aryan School was given the best player award. It was a closely contested match between the two teams. Despite leading the match in the three quarters, Aryan School spikers lost it completely in the final quarter. In the first quarter, Aryan School managed to take one point lead and maintained it in the second quarter as well. While in the third quarter both on the team went on all out attack leaving no stone unturned to take
a lead. Aryan School scored 13 points, while Hilton School scored 10 points in the quarter. But in the final quarter the things turned in Hilton School favour as Aryan School found it tough to tackle the man to man marking of Hilton School. The spikers of the Hilton School scored crucial 10 points, to take a six points lead in the set and win the match. For Hilton School Vishal was the top scorer with 12 points, whereas for Aryan School Salmal scored
13 points.
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Salmal, a bundle of talent
Salmal who hails from Mizoram took away the best player award at the recently concluded junior basketball tournament. He proved to be a consistent scorer for his team scoring 17 points in the semifinal and 13 points in the final match. Seeing the talent of Salmal, his coach Akash says, “Salmal has a good energy and focus level. The way he moves around in the court he is certainly a delight to watch. All he lacks is height. He is still young and will grow up in the near future that would be an added advantage to the kind of skill he posses. The most important thing is that he covers the court well and has quick reflexes, which are important for basketball players”. Salmal was inspired by his elder brother Zorensama to take up the games, who has been a great sources of help to Salmal. While speaking to The Tribune, Salmal said, “My brother is my ideal, I had seen him play basketball when I was very young and decided to take to the games after him. He is great source of help to me and keep giving me important tips that help me perform in the match.” This young bundle of talent took to basketball two years back and thereafter has been working on his skill. Basketball is not the only game he plays. He is also good at football and plays as center forward for his team. But he is more inclined to basketball. “Basketball is my passion and wish to play for the state thereafter for my country”. RS Rawat, a former basketball player said, “Salmal is a talented boys and if given he get proper guidance he could well be developed into one of the very talented players, with chance of playing for the national team.”
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Nainital, November 27
Dehradun, November 27