Dehradun, May 1
No more estimation. It’s official now that 1.64 crore pilgrims took a dip in the Ganga on the Main Royal Bath (Pramukh Shahi Snan) at Haridwar during the Maha Kumbh 2010.

A satellite-based census of Kumbh pilgrims on April 14, the day of the Main Royal Bath, has been released by the Uttarakhand Science Application Centre (USAC). The number has come up through an analysis of data gathered from satellite images.

Close to accuracy, this is first attempt to count the number of pilgrims at Maha Kumbh on a particular day of importance.

To do away with the rough estimation done by several agencies, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank finally entrusted the USAC with the task of estimation of the real strength of pilgrims for the Baisakhi snan.

The USAC constituted a 15-member team comprising senior scientists and other subordinate staff. They urged ISRO, Hyderabad, to ensure satellite imagery for the period April 12-13-14.

On the ground, some USAC team members camped at Haridwar on these dates and conducted an assessment exercise on the rush of pilgrims at the holy city.

Satellite imagery data from IRS P-6 LISS-IV (MX), IRS P-5 Cartosat-2 and IRS P-5 Cartosat-1 were used for the analysis.

Some of the conclusions that were obtained through analysis of satellite data included the presence of 1.64 crore (plus/minus 2 lakh) in Haridwar on April 14.

Further, cars on the outer roads of the Kumbh area were lined up to 10 to 12 km. A total of 25,000-30,000 vehicles were present at the parking spots. The newly constructed bridges and ghats had also been identified using higher-resolution satellite data.

The satellites started passing above India on the three days and aimed their high-resolution sensors at the sprawling Maha Kumbh area. They recorded the images of the congregation on the ground within minutes.

Satellite images were obtained for the whole Kumbh area extending from Rishikesh to Jwalapur at a resolution of 2.5m through the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite sensor Cartosat-1 and at a resolution of 5m through LISS-IV sensor.

Images of the core area from Jwalapur to Har-ki-Pauri were obtained at a resolution of 1m through Cartosat-2. In addition, a resolution merge had also been carried out using Cartosat-1 and LISS-IV satellite data to obtain a high-spectral resolution image of the area for enhanced interpretation.

The satellite data thus obtained was re-analysed by the scientists at USAC’s remote sensing and GIS laboratories in order to integrate the ground data with the satellite image-based analysis.

High resolution satellite data obtained before Maha Kumbh was stored in the satellite data repository so that the data could be available for comparison of pre and post- Kumbh scenarios and enabling the analysis of temporary and permanent constructions and estimation of pilgrims gathered at Haridwar on April 14.

“This is first time in the history of the Maha Kumbh that a high-resolution satellite image had been used to analyse the infrastructure before and during the fair. This data will certainly form an integral part of our rich historical heritage,” said Dr MM Kimothi, Director, USAC.

Analysis of the satellite images was carried out using specialised remote sensing and GIS software employing the techniques of digital and visual image interpretation and processing.

The temporary residential areas constructed specially for the Kumbh are clearly visible on the satellite image. The parking area and cars parked along the road sides can also be clearly seen.

The interpretation of the differences in tone and texture of the satellite images facilitate the identification of the crowds of devotees at certain places.

On April 14, crowds of devotees on ghats and roads can be clearly seen through changes in the tone and texture of satellite images.

These crowded areas appear to have a slight greenish tone on the satellite images. This is an indicator of the high-density crowd.

The density of the crowd can be classified according to the tone and texture of satellite images. On this basis, high-population density areas could be identified.

Haridwar, May 1
In a unique protest against the Uttarakhand Cabinet meeting that was held at the Malviya Deep Ghat in Haridwar yesterday and which generated nationwide coverage, activists of a local social organisation cleaned the same ghats today.

Activists of the Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti clean the VIP and Malviya Deep ghats in Haridwar on Saturday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

The Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti, a social organisation dedicated to saving pilgrimage sites of the state, particularly in Haridwar district, cleaned the VIP ghat where the 13-member Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank-led Cabinet took their holy dip.

They then washed the Malviya ghat where the Cabinet sat and took historic decisions regarding the Ganga.

Yesterday, the ministers sitting on the ghat drew mass attention. Today, these activists, who were cleaning the ghats with Ganga water and cow urine, claimed that they were purifying these ghats.

Activists of the samiti were quite angry over the state government and mela administration, citing mass corruption and inferior quality of works being carried out in the city with Kumbh funds being almost Rs 600 crore.

Speaking to The Tribune, samiti chief Sanjay Chopra said the CM should have ordered a CBI inquiry into the alleged corruption in mela works, but he was praising the mela officers which was equivalent to inviting more corruption.

“Hundreds of persons have still not been found after the April 14 Shahi Snan tragedy. Bodies are being found in large numbers from the river. This is ample proof that the government hiding the real numbers.

“By this, they have hurt the souls of the dead and sentiments of their near ones. That’s why they have made the Ganga ghats impure,” stated samiti chief on their purification drive.

“We are in no mood to let go off the government and mela administration even though the Kumbh has got over. Our fight will move to the streets and we will reach out to the people over the Kumbh issue,” said Bhoopendra Rajput, convener of the samiti.

Bid to communalise Kumbh: Cong
Tribune News Service

Bhimtal, May 1
The Uttarakhand Centre on Climate Change was launched here today. Inaugurating the centre during a launching workshop held at the Biotechnology Centre of the Kumaon University, its Vice-Chancellor Dr VPS Arora said the centre would function in a virtual mode and it would utilise the expertise of people from all walks of life.

The workshop had been organised in collaboration with the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST).

Dr Arora told The Tribune, “I am looking forward to a proactive collaboration from various institutions and experts. The centre will have a nodal centre in Almora campus of the university and there will be sub-centres in both Nainital and Bhimtal campuses”.

He said help would also be taken from institutions like the Indian Meteorological Department in making the centre a success.

Chairman of UCOST Dr Rajendra Dobhal said, “This is the first centre of its kind in India which is being run by a university. The purpose is to collect reliable data concerning the climate which can be used to mitigate the problems arising in various spheres.”

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the Uttarakhand Open University Dr VK Pathak said research need not be confined to paper work and government departments. It must be taken to the masses and should be people-oriented.

He said, “It has been pointed out that the data released by the Institute of Remote Sensing is not being utilised in Uttarakhand. I hope this centre will make use of the data”.

He underlined that the database to be built by the centre must be user friendly and the language should be such that maximum people can make use of it. “It should be inbuilt in the common man’s knowledge as to how he is responsible for climate change.”

The Vice-Chancellor of the Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology at Pantnagar, Dr BS Bisht, shed light at the visible pointers of climate change like increase in temperatures, change in snowfall and rainfall patterns, drying up of small rivers and streams along with the decrease in water flow.

He said by 2020, the population of India would be 140 crore. So along with it, the food, milk and water intake would also shoot up.

Dr Bisht said the data collected at the centre could be used in devising mitigation strategies, agriculture production strategies, adaptation strategies and land use planning.

He said, “Farmers will have to be involved in the entire process and efforts will have to be made in improving the forest cover which may not be pine, but broad-leaved forests”.

PS Sanjeev Reddy, retired bureaucrat who has been involved in various Central projects on administration and planning, cautioned that the centre must aim at specific spatial and temporal approach. He said, “Research should not only be light shedding, but also fruit bearing”.

He pointed out that the centre could go a long way in providing solutions to issues pertaining to agriculture, environment, water, health etc.

Dehradun, May 1
At the first workshop on continuing medical education programme organised today at the Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences College of Paramedical Sciences by the Indian Association of Radiological Technologist, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, radiographers learnt about the technological advancements occurring in their field.

The workshop was presided over by Dr PC Kapri, senior radiologist and Additional Project Director, Aids Control Society, who emphasised on the need to upgrade the skills of all radiographers from time to time.

The participants attended lectures delivered by prominent speakers on use of technology, principles of mammography and about other important technological breakthroughs.

Laboratory technicians and radiographers from the neighbouring towns of Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Chandigarh attended the workshop. Dr Armeen Ahmed, radiologist, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, delivered a lecture on mammography.

Dehradun, May 1
St Joseph’s Academy celebrated the International Labour Day, St Joseph’s Day and investiture ceremony with great fervour and enthusiasm here today. The ceremony was conducted at the school auditorium amidst an elite gathering of eminent people. Dr Gaurav Luthra, eminent eye surgeon, Director of the Drishti Eye Care and alumnus of the school, was the chief guest on the occasion, while Kanwaljeet Singh, advocate, was the guest of honour.

The event initiated with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guests. The cultural programme comprised prayer dance, folk dance, English skit and a Hindi song performed by students.

The working helpers of the school were honoured and given gifts for their work and dedication. Also, Brother George, Principal of the school, gave the new office-bearers the badges.

The meritorious students were awarded with cash prizes and certificates for their excellent performances in academics, sports and extra curricular activities. Karan Vohra was declared “Josephite of the year 2009-2010”, while Parv Verma was awarded as the “sportsperson of the year”.

Dehradun, May 1
Welham Girls School (WGS) registered an easy 4-1 win over Guru Nanak Academy (GNA) to claim the title of the Inter-Council School Junior Girls Hockey Tournament held on Welham Girls School ground here today.

The GNA that had registered a thumping 7-0 entry into the final after beating Moravian School surrendered in front of WGS in final.

The WGS dominated the match from the very beginning of the game. Alisha of WGS scored the first goal in the 10th minute. Tirina netted the second goal in the 16th minute.

With WGS leading 2-0, the GNA started to pull up its socks. Priya netted a goal in the 27th minute to open the GNA’s account.

But just then the GNA could have hoped of starting dominating and getting a boost from this lone goal, Radhika of WGS gave them two back-to-back jolts.

She scored in the 37th and 38th minutes of the game. Her first goal could have been stopped by the GNA goalkeeper, but the fast hit by Radhika just touched her to go into the goalpost.

During the match, the winning side got six penalty corners while GNA got five but no goal came in these penalties.

Meanwhile, during the closing ceremony of the tournament the players were given away prizes.

Lakshmi of the GNA was adjudged most promising player of the tournament.

Shreya Gupta of Welham Girls School was declared the most valuable player.

Dehradun, May 1
With an aim to promote football in the region, the Grassroots Sport Foundation is for the first time organising summer camps at 10 places in the state capital.

“We have been organising summer football camps to promote football for the past five to six years at one place, but this for the first time that we are holding camps at 10 different places,” said Budhimaan Thapa, president of the foundation.

The camps will be held at Chanderbani village, Shyampur-Thakurpur, Bhandari Bagh SGGR College, Chaandmari, Pavilion Ground, Gaziwala, Gujrada Tibetan Colony, Rajpur, Survey of India and Martial School.

Thapa said that the first camp would begin at Martial School tomorrow. These are 21-day-long camps and boys, girls in the age group of 8 to 20 years can attend these. All 10 camp will be divided into 10 zones.

The Grassroots Sport Foundation wants to take the football camp to the next level and in order to make it successful, it will also organise a football tournament.

“Once these camps are over, three teams - two of boys and one of girls - from each zone will be selected and a football championship will be organised at the Pavilion Ground,” Thapa said.

Coaches of international repute including CB Thapa, Ajay Sood, Amar Bahadur Gurung will be among those who will be coaching the children free of cost.

“I am grateful to receive good support from all coaches. They aren’t charging anything for their work and were at once ready for the cause when they got know of it,” Thapa said.

He added that after football, they would make efforts to promote other sports in the region.

Dehradun, May 1
Host Welham Boys School B team was blanked by Oak Grove School (OGS) 5-0 on the first day of the 6th S Kandhari Memorial Hockey Tournament commenced here today.

Azhar of OGS struck the first two goals in the seventh and 15th minutes of the game. Imran scored the third goal in the 19th minute. The first half ended on 3-0 in OGS’s favour as its rival failed to score even a single goal.

Things didn’t change for the host team even in the second half. OGS’s Sunny netted a goal in the 40th minute and Dharamveer scored in the 56th minute.

While in another match played today, Wynberg Allen School (WAS) and Maharana Partap Sports College played 2-2 draw.

Prabhkit and Brijit scored a goal each for WAS in the first half while Taranpreet and Navnit Singh netted a goal each for the Sports College.

Dehradun, May 1
A lone effort of Tarun Kumar guided the Eleven Star to a 1-0 victory over the CT Young to make an entry into the quarterfinals of the 4th RB Singh Memorial Football Tournament held on the Pavilion Ground, here today.

It was a neck-to-neck competition between both the sides but the Eleven Star managed to take the cake.

Early effort of Tarun made the difference for him and his team. He struck a field goal in the 2nd minute of the match to become cynosure of his team’s eyes.

After this crucial goal the players of both the teams put in their best but the success was not there for either of them. Mohit of the winning team was shown red card and wouldn’t be playing the next match for his side.

Tomorrow’s fixture: Gypsy Young vs Garhwal Sporting at 4:30 pm.

Dehradun, May 1
The National Cricket Council of India selected two national women cricketers Neelam Bisht and Sneh Rana to play in the friendly cricket tournament between India and Bangladesh.

Kiran Shah, secretary of the Little Master Cricket Club, Dehradun, declared the names of the selected players while addressing the media here today.

Narender Shah has been selected as coach for the women’s cricket team. For the men’s team Arjun Kathayat, Jai Veer Negi, Manoj Bhandari, Pushkar Rautela, Pradip and Virender Singh have been selected to play, while Prem Hindwal will be umpiring the matches.

“The teams will leave for the tournament tomorrow. I wish all the team members and the Indian cricket good luck for their performance against Bangladesh,” said Kiran.

Dehradun, May 1
The Som Academy drubbed Haryana by seven wickets in T20 match at the ongoing IVth All-India Super Cricket Tournament, here today.

Haryana batted first and set a target of 137 runs before getting all out in 15 overs. Raju (38) was the top scorer for the side while rest of the batsmen failed to contribute a respectable number to their team’s innings. Ashwani captured three wickets for Som.

In replying, Som scored 137 in 12 overs only to win the match losing three wickets. Parveen Chauhan (25) and Ravinder (38) mainly scored for his team.

Sports assn to hold cricket tourney

MUSSOORIE: In an annual meeting of the Mussoorie Schools Sports Association (MSSA) held at Oak Grove School a decision was taken to organise a cricket tournament for junior and senior divisions along with a throw-ball competition for girls in all divisions.

Member, MSSA, Mukesh Mishra informed that more than dozen schools would be participating in the tournament and it would be held at two venues- Oak Grove and Manav Bharti School.

Secretary of the association Mukesh Lal said the tournament was organised annually to inculcate sense of adventure spirit and competition among the school going children. MSSA president Anurag Tripathi asserted that the games should be played in true sportsman spirit. Lalit Verma, Mukesh, Pradeep Raunchela and others were present on the occasion.