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Shahi Snan II
Minister takes part in Peshwayi of Nirmal Akhada
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Nigam gears up for tourist season
Row surfaces over parking between MDDA, Palika
An ambulance stuck in a jam due to vehicles parked at Landour Bazar in Mussoorie.
RIMC Re-Union extravaganza ends
Kumaon leaders prefer rail line to Pancheswar Dam
Kumbh blessing in disguise for students
Tibetan women protest in Mussoorie on Saturday. A Tribune photograph
Central nod for Jamrani Dam construction
Jitendra Anand Memorial Cricket Tournament
Green Rock win tourney
Children’s Academy holds prayer meeting
Guv is lifetime member of Red Cross Society
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All roads lead to Haridwar
Tribune News Service
Haridwar, March 14 From Har-ki-Pauri, Bhoopatwala, Shiv Moorti, Mayapur, Devpura, Ranipur to Jwalapur every area and colony in Haridwar seem to be bursting at seams with visitors pouring in from all sides. The number of people for tomorrow’s bath is expected to touch a record-breaking figure as all hotels, dharamsalas, guest houses and lodges are already booked and there is no easy availability of even deluxe rooms. At Hotel Riviera, the city’s only three star hotel, an employee said the hotel had already been booked for months and it was quite tedious and uneasy to reply customers in negative. “We have got bookings as early as the commencement of the Kumbh in bulk and the situation is such that for a single room people are ready to pay the rent equivalent to that of a semi-deluxe room,” said a hotelier at Bhoopatwala. Meanwhile, the whole Haridwar city has been cordoned off by security personnel and the mela police is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a smooth passage of the royal bath. Personnel of Rapid Action Force, the ITBP and the state police have been deployed at every nook and corner and people entering from all points to the city are being checked. According to DIG Alok Sharma, the mela police is well prepared to thwart any terror attack or untoward incident. He also urged all and sundry to cooperate with the mela administration and the police to ensure a smooth completion of the Maha Kumbh.
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Minister takes part in Peshwayi of Nirmal Akhada
Accompanied by 12-odd musical bands and prominent saints of the akhada riding chariots, the Peshwayi presented a mythological look. Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Harish Rawat, who is also Member of Parliament from Haridwar, attended the Peshwayi and seek blessings of saints. On the entire Peshwayi route, thousands of pilgrims kept standing on either side of the road to witness the religious procession, which they had heard of or seen on television only.
Route diversions had been implemented late last evening and entry of only heavy vehicles has been prohibited in the mela area and the restricting will continue till the completion of the Shahi Snan. Notably, the mela police had announced that entry and movement of vehicles in Haridwar would be totally prohibited and even those who had got vehicles passes would not be entertained on the second royal bath of the Maha Kumbh tomorrow.
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Phuldei - a festival of blossom season and happiness
Pitthoragarh, March 14 The festival of Phuldei is a proof that the traditional society of Uttarakhand was based on a solar calendar. The community celebrates Phuldei or Spring on March 14 every year when the sun enters into the Pisces zodiac sign. Phuldei is the festival to celebrate the oncoming blossom season and happiness. According to late Dr Yamuna Dutta Vaishnav ‘Ashok’, a cultural historian of Uttarakhand, this festival has roots in the ancient Roman culture and its influence on northern Indian society is visible in the Kumaon region. “In ancient Rome, the festival of the beginning of the Spring was devoted to Goddess Flora and used to be celebrated at the beginning of summer,” writes Dr Vaishnav, adding that the solar calendar has been adopted by the hill society from the Romans. Chaitra is considered the first month of New Year and Phuldei is the first day of the solar year. On this day unmarried girls from every household of the village rise early and after taking a bath and fully purifying themselves collect white and yellow flowers of wild plants from the vicinity and worship their homes with these flowers and then go to each and every household of the village offering fresh flowers at every doorstep wishing them a happy and prosperous New Year. By offering flowers at the doorstep, the girls wish that the doorstep of their brothers be ever prosperous so that they could always return there happily even after their marriage. In exchange to these good wishes expressed through fresh flowers of wild plants, the villagers give them rice, jaggery and some money. “But, the folk singers who used to sing month-long lores of welfare and prosperity are now missing,” says Dr Madan Chandra Bhatt, prominent historian of the Himalayan region. After the ceremony concludes, village youngsters return and wet the rice stock and prepare special prasad after grinding the stock. This prasad is also offered to every household of the village. The beginning of Spring has a special significance for the ancient Kumaoni society. During this season, the snow melts on high Himalayas, as temperature rises and the evergreen rhododendron comes into full blossom. Not only the rhododendron, but so many other plants also come into full blossom and forests of these Himalayan foothills are fully smeared with the beauty of spring. The oak in higher reaches in mid-Himalaya and sal (soriarobusta), bouhinia (kachnar) in the valleys come into full blossom, besides thousands of mini, medium and big plants as well as creepers and herbs witness new leaves and flowers making the entire region fully involved in the colours of the coming Spring season. In the valleys of western Himalaya, especially in the Pauri region, this festival is celebrated throughout the month and young girls of the village offer flowers daily at the doorstep of their neighbours. The community of folk singers of Kumaon celebrate this festival and the coming of New Year month of Chaitra going to each house hold of their locality and offering them good wishes through dancing and singing by playing their traditional musical instrument and expect new year gifts from the people. The month of Chaitra beginning on this day also has a special significance for newly wed girls of the village. These married village girls expect New Year gifts from their parent and brother, many of Kumaoni folk songs are based on the pain out of this wait which these girls do dally till their gifts reach them from their parents and brothers. The season of Spring not only witnesses blossoming of wild plants but also garden plants and fruit trees. The cherry flowers have been described by English poets with the beautiful face of the young village girls. The cherry and bleach flowers dominate the Kumaoni villages in the season. In some parts of Kumaon, the villagers sprouts Harela out of five grains on the first day of month and keep these sprouted plants on their heads on the 10th day, as they are confirming the beginning of new life of the nature. This festival of Phuldei is also the welcome of pleasant summer after the end of a biting cold.
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Nigam gears up for tourist season
Dehraudn, March 14 Anil Nautiyal, Chairperson, GMVN, said they were in the process of finalising all packages. Along with this, he said he had earmarked eight tourist rest houses in the state, which were on the verge of closure due to neglect and lack of publicity and maintenance. “These guest houses have been built in secluded places near ancient temples. In a meeting held with MLAs and panchayat members to discuss the upgrade, we finalised the rest houses at Jasoli in Rudraprayag, Nauti in Chamoli and Pauri. Only local people will be deployed for the maintenance of these rest houses. The rest will be finalised in the coming board meeting”. To spruce up the marketing, he had called a meeting of PROs of 12 different states in December last year and taken them to 80 destinations. The rest houses in Rishikesh, Kodiyal, Joshimath and Uttarkashi had been earmarked for upgrade in that meeting. Drone in Dehradun was also on the list, but since it was stuck in a legal wrangle, Nautiyal said he would try to settle it fast. He also informed that the nigam had got Rs 5 crore to develop its five Prayags, including Vishnu Prayag and Karn Prayag. To meet the demands of tourist vehicles, it had purchased six new buses and four Innova cars. Nautiyal said since the GMVN also handled gas agencies, it was going to start eight new gas agencies at five places, namely at Dehradun, Uttrakhashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Pauri. It was also going to launch petrol pumps each at Muni-Ki-Reti and Uttrakashi. Talking about its other venture at Rishikesh, he said soon they were going to establish a plush showroom to showcase the exquisite furniture made in their outlet in Rishikesh, most of which was bought by BHEL. Answering the query regarding mishandling of parking project in Mussorie, he said, “I am enquiring what led the GMVN to opt for a wrong piece of land for parking space and wasting Rs 5 crore in Mussorie. The Sharma Commission is also looking into the matter.” Nautiyal also announced his ambitious plans to augment mining in the state, which also comes under the GMVN. He said, “We have marked Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Pauri and Chamoli for mining. This will give employment to the youngsters.” Talking about the adventure tourism, which took nosedive in Auli due to failure to get snow deposition, Nautiyal said, “There is no problem of snow in Auli. We recently held a training camp, where players came from seven districts for one week. I then directed to extend one-week training period for the winners of the competition.” Nautiyal said while reckoning a sum total of its ups and downs, the GMVN was giving profit. “Last year, the turnover of the GMVN was Rs 124.45 crore and the profit was Rs 10.34 crore. This year the turnover is Rs 103 crore and profit stood at Rs 6.51 crore by February.” Nautiyal also talked about the much-awaited 238 km Nanda Devi Rajyatra, which will start in 2012 after a gap of 12 years. “The state government has started planning for this yatra which is equal to the Kumbh mela in significance. We will create tent accommodation for tourists on the way.”
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Row surfaces over parking between MDDA, Palika
Mussoorie, March 14 Nagar Palika president OP Uniyal claims that since the land on which parking has been made belongs to Nagar
Palika, hence it should have been consulted by the MDDA before calling tenders for operating the parking. Certain Palika ward members also said the demand for parking in the area was being made by local residents for a long time, but the MDDA was bent upon using it for commercial gains. Trader from Landour Radhey Shyam Tayal and Rakesh Aggarwal were of the view that the basic objective of the parking in the area was to decongest the Landour Bazar by creating an alternative in parking, but it was condemnable that the
MDDA, forgetting public interest, was auctioning the parking for monetary
gains. MDDA AE Shyam Mohan Sharma refuting the claims of the Palika president said the MDDA had constructed an elevated parking over a road and not on the land of the
Palika. He also informed that the parking had been constructed with amount of Rs 52 lakh of which Rs 41 lakh had been already spent. Moreover, the amount they were seeking through tenders was for its operation so that some revenue was generated in due course of time. He also said both Palika and MDDA were working towards the same goal of keeping public interest in mind and the dispute was uncalled for. However, some traders of Landour are critical of Palika president Uniyal and said the parking was constructed so that tourists could park their vehicles here and generate some income for the old and tattered bazar of the area which had been neglected so far, but by offering it to the locals free of cost, the whole idea of increasing tourist inflow was belied. Traders said if Palika was concerned about people, it should give its own parking for free.
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RIMC Re-Union extravaganza ends
Dehradun, March 14 The wreaths were laid by Gen VN Sharma (retd), PVSM, AVSM, former Chief of the Army Staff, Major-Gen Manvendra Singh (retd), PVSM, AVSM, Vice-Admiral PK Chatterjee (retd) and Col H Dharmarajan, SM, Commandant, RIMC. The day was marked by multiple activities, starting with the horse show, wherein the cadets displayed their skills at the handkerchief picking, tent pegging, team tent pegging, show jumping and synchronised show jumping. Late Rimcollian Akshay Chibbar Gold Medal for the best rider was presented to Cadet Praveen Kumar Singh of Shivaji Section and the Best Rider Trophy was given to Cadet Piyush Deshmukh. The cup was bagged by Shivaji Section followed by Pratap and Ranjit. A PT display was also held and later the karate team also showcased its talent. The cricket match between the cadets and the Rimcollians held at the Patiala Pavilion was won by the Rimcollians. The Air Devils also demonstrated para-jumping by the Indian Air Force. Later in the evening, the following awards were presented by chief guest Major-Gen Manvendra Singh (retd). President’s Gold Medal, January term, won by Cdt Avaneendra M Thakur. July term, went to Cdt S Shyam. Col Haughton’s Silver Medal, January term, bagged by Cdt Rohit Reddy. July term went to Cdt UN Jha Memorial Gold Medal, January term, wet to Cdt Tushar Chauhan while July term went to Cdt Praveen Mishra. Maj Greesh Verma Silver Medal, January term, bagged by Cdt Abindu Dhar while July term went to Lt Cdr RK Sen Memorial Silver Medal, January term, went to Cdt Ashish Kapoor. July term went to Cdt Varun Deewan while AVM Jaswant Singh Trophy bagged by Cdt Guninder Sidhu. Admiral Madhvendra Singh CNS Trophy went to Cdt Ashish Tiwari. Major-Gen K Bhagwati Singh Trophy won by Cdt Ayush Salaria. Lt Gen MM Lakhera Silver Medal won by Cdt Vismay Dani while Sappers’ Medal wet to Cdt S Shyam. Late Captain Tanmoy Kashyap Trophy won by Cdt Astitva Tyagi. Education Cup was won by Shivaji Section, Co-Curriculars’ Cup by Pratap Section, Sports Cup by Shivaji Section, NDA Entry Cup by Chandragupta Section, Discipline Cup by Chandragupta Section, Interior Economy Cup by Ranjit Section and Gen VN Sharma’s Overall Champions Trophy by Shivaji Section. The chief guest addressed the gathering and also released the college magazine, Regalia 2010. He emphasised on the importance of ethics, morals and values. He also said the defence forces were not merely a profession, but an inner calling. Col H Dharmarajan, SM, Commandant, RIMC, welcomed the esteemed guests and highlighted the achievements of the cadets in different fields. A cultural programme was held for the Rimcollians. The highlights of the programme were the musical orchestra and songs resented by cadets Rahul Dev, Tuhin, Himanshu and Krishna Kant.
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Kumaon leaders prefer rail line to Pancheswar Dam
Pitthoragarh, March 14 Union Minister of State for Labour Harish Rawat, a prominent Congress leader from the region, said both projects - Pancheswar Dam and railway line - were significant for the region. According to him, the Pancheswar project will not only yield extra power for the nation, but also get Rs 600 crore to Uttarakhand out of which 1 per cent each will be available to Champawat and Pitthoragarh districts. “The railway line can be laid above the dam height, thus making both projects possible simultaneously,” said Rawat on telephone from New Delhi. But Congress MP from Almora Pradeep Tamta, in whose constituency the Pancheswar project falls, is totally against the hydroelectric project. He argued that the railway line was the need of the hour for the all-round development of the region as well as for the security of the nation. “The Pancheswar Dam is nowhere in sight and the railway line to Bageshwar and Jauljibi has been given priority even by the government of India. The line will sustain people, whereas the proposed dam will uproot them,” said Tamta. Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Bhagat Singh Koshiyari has long been associated with the efforts to bring trains up to Bageshwar and Jauljibi. He was of the opinion that while China had made it to our border by developing fast transportation infrastructure, we were still 75 km away from the roadhead and 300 km away from the rail head. “Bringing the railway line to Bageshwar and Jauljibi will not only strengthen our security infrastructure, but also will bring economic revolution to the region,” said Koshiyari. Senior UKD leader Kashi Singh Airy termed the Pancheswar Dam as a future catastrophe and linked it with the complete destruction of the area. “The rail line will help inhabit border villages, while the Pancheswar Dam will uproot them. The rail line will not only promote tourism, horticulture and traditional craft, but also add an extra dimension to the nation’s security,” said Airy.
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Kumbh blessing in disguise for students
Haridwar, March 14 But, this indirect benefit is not only confined to Haridwar district students, as the extra days’ gap is good for all students of the state. Notably, the next examination of high school students falls on March 18 while the previous one was held on March 13, which means students have got a full five days’ extra time for exam preparation. The extra time the students get is all the more important as the next examination is of mathematics. District Education Officer Kamlendra Rauhtan says it was imperative to keep in mind the Kumbh holy festive baths’ dates as there is an enormous crowd in the city on these occasions and due to traffic plans, which change accordingly as the crowd influx increases, there would have been tremendous pressure and problem for board examinees as also to members of their families. “This is a blessing in disguise as mathematics is a tough subject and now we have ample time to crack it. Besides, we have now no tension of traffic congestion for reaching our examination centre venues,” said Ritika Mayal, a class X student of GGIC, Jwalapur.
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‘Chinese goods tainted with blood of Tibetan women’
Mussoorie, March 14 This was stated by Kalsang Dolma, president, Tibetan Women Association, Mussoorie, on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan Women Uprising Day on Friday. She said Tibetan women had been struggling against the oppressive Chinese rule with courage, determination and perseverance for their freedom. Recollecting the history of the struggle, she said on March 12, 1959, the first major political action was organised by Tibetan women in Lhasa to oppose the forced occupation of Tibet by the Chinese. Since then the event has been known as Tibetan Women Uprising Day. Then it was decided that two representatives from each area of Lhasa would visit all able-bodied women in the district and invite them to gather at Drebu Lingka, the ground below the Potala Palace on March 12 at 10 am. Thousands of women of all backgrounds attended the meeting. It was here that the women demanded that the Chinese should leave Tibet. Letters were delivered at the Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese consulates in Deki Langka with the request for their support to the cause. As the movement gained momentum, the Chinese ordered more troops into the area and on March 19, imprisonment of Tibetans began on a mass scale. They were subjected to merciless interrogation in an attempt to make them confess to their ‘crimes’. Those found guilty were sentenced to long jail terms or sent to labour camps. Klsand said it was at these labour camps the Chinese decided to become an economic power using the sweat and blood of innocent Tibetan women. Since then Tibetan women had been arrested at will and sent to these camps to work under harsh conditions and produce Chinese goods without being paid or provided wholesome food. Not only this, when the women were tired after working for long hours, they were subjected to rape and torture by the oppressive regime. It was these goods tainted with the blood of Tibetan women and, especially girl children, that were entering Indian markets, hence priced so cheap. Dolma said they had been raising their voice against this act for the past several years and time had come for the international community to boycott these goods and support the Tibetan freedom struggle cause. These cheap items were not only affecting Indian manufacturing units but also causing a major employment issue in India. Therefore, Indians and the international community should act in unison and avoid using these goods.
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Central nod for Jamrani Dam construction
Dehradun, March 14 Dr Nishank said the state government had been repeatedly taking up the issue with the Centre and today went ahead for the construction of the dam. He said the state officials had met Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal and pleaded the Jamrani Dam case before him. The Chief Minister said with coming up the Jamrani Dam Project, the potable water problem of the Haldwani region would be solved to a big extent. He also held that with the permission of the minister, the Centre must now also promptly allot finances for its construction. The project that was conceptualised by the Planning Commission during 1975 was also given a go-ahead by the Central Water Commission way back in 1989. But due to unavoidable reasons, the project could not see the light of the day. Governments at Uttarakhand had repeatedly been taking up the cause of Jamrani Dam with the Centre. The Chief Minister said the dam would also cater to the irrigation needs of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts, apart from ensuring 30 MW of power generation. Dr Nishank also reiterated that his government was committed to all-round development of the state.
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Jitendra Anand Memorial Cricket Tournament Tribune News Service
Dehradun, March 14 Batting first, the RPCA piled 206 runs off 30 overs. Garendra scored 54 runs off 61 balls to set the pace for his team. Dikshant came up with 26 runs off 22 balls and Rohit scored 20 runs. For the MPSC team Zubare and Kartic came up with three wickets each, whereas Sandeep claimed two wickets. In reply, the MPSC team was all out for 103 runs. Prakash scored 16 runs, Sagar made 13 runs, whereas Nishant scored 14 runs. For the RPCA team Ankush claimed three wickets, whereas Babu and Nominath took two wickets each for the team. Congress leader Jot Ghansola, was the chief guest on the occasion, who gave away the prizes.
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Rawat wins golf tourney
Dehradun, March 14 Rawat won the first position with a total score of 43 points, whereas KS Mann was placed at the second spot. Meanwhile, in the below 55-year category, Gurpreet Singh was placed first with 42 points, whereas Rahul Bali second at the tournament with 40 points. In the final, Gurpeet Singh, VK Dandona, Rajeev Sethi and Sumit were the winners, while Arun, Suresh, Col Chauhan and Dr D Datta were second. In the ladies, Vasundra occupied the first place at the tournament, whereas Jyotika was declared
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Green Rock win tourney
Dehradun, March 14 Batting first, Gurpreet scored 27 runs off 30 balls, whereas Vishal made 28 runs off 20 balls. For the Kali Club, Rahul, Ravi, Lovely and Bhagat took two wickets each. In reply, the Kali Club was all out for 86 runs. Bhagat was the only batsman who scored runs at will for his side and went on to make 45 runs off 15 balls. For the Green Rock team, Rohit and Chhintu picked up three wickets each, whereas Ankit took two wickets.
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Children’s Academy holds prayer meeting
Dehradun, March 14 Akash Kashyap, Director of Pestle Weed College, Rashi Kashyap and Neeru Kashyap paid tributes to the veteran during the prayer meeting. The prayer meeting was also conducted to pay homage to the soul who had built a living monument in the form of Children’s Academy. Verses from the Gita, Bible, Quran and Guru Granth Sahib were chanted. Madhuri Joshi, educationist from Pestle Weed College, was the guest speaker at the ceremony while students’ choir of the school recited hymns to culminate the observance.
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Guv is lifetime member of Red Cross Society
Dehradun, March 14 The membership certificate was issued by Chairman of the Managing Committee Ranjeet Verma. It may be mentioned that she is life-long member of the Red Cross Society. Governor Alva directed the Red Cross to strengthen the hospitals being run in tribal and backward areas of four districts. Principal Secretary, Health, Keshav Desi Raju said in four districts viz Udhamsingh Nagar, Kalsi-Dehradun, Bluvwakot-Pithoragarh, Chamba-Tehri, the Red Cross hospitals would be strengthened under the tribal sub-plan.
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Wonder Years School celebrates annual function
Dehradun, March 14 The function commenced with the inauguration by Director of the school Monika Virmani. The cultural programme held during the ceremony included dances, songs and skits. The funfilled events captivated the audience with their performances.
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The row over newly-constructed parking near the Clock Tower, Landour, between the MDDA and the Nagar Palika has surfaced creating unpleasant situation for both. The dispute is on the operation of the parking area for 70-80
vehicles. Nagar Palika president OP Uniyal claims that since the land on which parking has been made belongs to Nagar
Palika, hence it should have been consulted by the MDDA before calling tenders for operating the parking.
Haridwar, March 14
Elaborate security arrangements were in place. With extra forces already reaching the city for the second Shahi Snan, the mela zone seemed to be a police fortress.
