Pitthoragarh, July 10
Initial monsoon rains have played havoc in the Munsiyari, Dharchula and Kapkot areas of the Kumoan region where flash floods and clouds bursts not only killed two persons, but also damaged over a dozen houses.

In Dharchula and Munsiyari subdivisions of Pitthoragarh, and Kapkot subdivision of Bageswar district, the flash floods caused by cloud bursts resulted in havoc. “In Munsiyari subdivision of Pitthoragarh, the rains on July 8-9 submerged the Nai Basti area of the town,” said GS Rathor, SDM, Munsiyari.

People living in the interior areas of the district are now living under the fear of being submerged. “Nearly 60 highly sensitive villages have been put on alert following earthquakes that struck the area at least thrice since July 2,” said BS Parihar, a resident of the landslide-sensitive Baram valley in Dharchula subdivision.

“Tibet-bound Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims of the seventh batch have been stranded for nearly four hours at Tintola near Dharchula,” said Navneet Pandey, SDM, Dharchula subdivision of Pitthoragarh.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the Pitthoragarh-Tanakpur highway, has alerted the camps on the highway, as rain-triggered landslides have affected the Ghat, Belkhet and Chalthi areas on the road. “We are fully prepared and have deputed JCB machines at sensitive points so that we can immediately clear the debris, if anything occurs during the rains,” said an official from BRO 65 RCC based in Pitthoragarh.

In Pitthoragarh district, during the past 24 hours, a woman died and over a dozen houses were damaged due to the rains. “A woman died at Talla Dogra village near Munsiyari, when she got buried under the debris,” said Rathor.

In Champawat district, where the first monsoon rain of the season had been a boon for farmers, some houses and motor roads became victim of this rainfall. “In the Barakot, Pati and Champawat area of the district, local motor links have been damaged at many places, and water points have become fields giving dusty water to people who draw drinking water from these sources,” said Dinesh Pandey a social worker in Lohaghat town.

“School buildings in the Bhainskot area of Nachni and Ganai area of Gangolihat in Pitthoragarh district have collapsed due to this rain,” said NS Negi, District Magistrate, Pitthoragarh.

“The district administration has started preparing itself for the coming monsoon and alerted all tehsil headquarters, local body heads and Gram Panchayat besides revenue official to get prepare for any natural calamity,” said Negi.

Pitthoragarh, July 10
Litchi grown in the Nachini area of Pitthoragarh district has now found a market in Mumbai where it is directly being sent by farmers and traders. “It is because these farmers are growing off-season litchi, the variety they are growing is somewhat sour in taste and different from that of the litchi from the plains, especially Ramnagar and Dehradun,” said Narendra Kumar, District Horticulture Officer, Pitthoragarh.

The Nachini area of Pitthoragarh district started developing a litchi garden some 10 years ago when a government-owned litchi garden was developed in 150 hectares of land. “Today, there are nearly 200 farmers having 300 hectares of land under the litchi garden in the area,” said DHO.

According to a progressive litchi farmer of the area, JS Danu, the farmers are selling litchi at Rs 50 a kg at their gardens. “But as this litchi has been chosen by the metropolis like Mumbai, we want government should bargain comparable prices for these litchi growers,” said Danu.

According to the District Horticulture Officer the turn over of the litchi farmers in the Nachini area has gone up more then Rs 20 lakh annually. “It has been possible some times because the government of Uttarakhand is giving 75 per cent subsidy to new garden being planted by the farmers in the district under horticulture technology mission,” said the DHO.

According to the Horticulture Technology Mission in charge in a district, every year more than 50 hectares of land in this valley is being brought under litchi cultivation. “The litchi plant gives fruit for nearly 12 years. We want this valley to remain in ever-fruiting area of litchi,” said the Horticulture Technology Mission officer.

“Our litchi comes to the market after May, when the litchi from plains area finishes, and remains up to the entire month of July. That is why the Mumbai market has turned towards us and traders at Haldwani are directly receiving orders of Nachini litchi from Mumbai,” said Danu.

Mussoorie, July 10
The cable car or ropeway plying from Jhoola Ghar to Gun Hill remains popular among tourists in Mussoorie. Every day tourists from different parts of the country visit Gun Hill on the cable car.

Lots of things have been changed here with the changing of the time. The only thing that has not changed is its cable operator, Tej kumar, who still operates the ropeway with the same finesse as when it was established in 1970. He has provided a successful ride to tourists and various dignitaries from the country and abroad since 1970. Kumar, a Nagar Palika employee and resident of Dwargad village in Jaunpur district, Tehri Gahrwal, is still operating the ropeway at Gun Hill.

Surrounded by all kind of machines, he has facilitated lakhs of tourists who come to the Gun Hill to savour the panoramic view of the Himalayas and the Doon valley from here. He has witnessed the visits of dignitaries like former President VV Giri and former Prime Minister IK Gujral by the cable car.

Kumar got the job by default in 1969 when it was decided that the Palika would establish the ropeway at the Gun Hill. Then Palika president persuaded him to join in as cable operator to which he gladly agreed. He learnt the trait during six-month training provided by Dass Hitachi, a ropeway company, and from then on he has not looked back and sits at his operating desk controlling the lives of many tourists.

“The cable car takes five minutes to reach the Gun Hill and vice-versa,” say Kumar. After the doors of the cable car are shut and doors are locked, he pushes the button and the adventurous journey begins. For the tourists its like climbing the mountain without any trouble, adds Kumar. With the advent of the cable car, the site of the Gun Hill changed for the better and it became a must-visit destination in the calendar of tourists, thus providing employment to many youth.

Kumar says the whole idea works on the pulley system hanging on strong iron metal ropes. The cable car can carry 15 quintal of weight in one trip. There are two cable cars going in opposite directions and reaching at the same time. He further said it was powered by 50 hp motors and in case of electricity failure, generators were used, which were missing several years back.

He says cable cars were firmly built and could withstand most of the elements, including the weather. Earlier, used cars were changed after 34 years in 2004 and replaced with the present model after the maintenance work was given to Bharat Ropeways. The old ones were better, says Kumar.

Kumar says that the continuous maintenance is done every six months and the ropes are changed according to the need and depreciation so that the tourists can enjoy the risk-free ride. For tourists, it is a fun way of reaching somewhere. Ranjan, tourist from Patna, says its a lifetime experience for his family.

Monika, another tourist from Delhi, said it must be a Herculean task in transporting huge machines used for the ropeway at the Gun Hill. Tourists go back happily without being aware of the fact that smooth sailing of the ropeway is due to a man sitting behind the operating desk since 1970 and has controlled their lives through a small-limit switches in his hands. The ropeway is also considered an environmental friendly mode of transportation and seeing the success of the Gun Hill ropeway, the state government has planned to introduce it in other towns of the state also.

The tenders for one such project at the Dehradun-Purkul-Mussoorie ropeway have already been floated. The new ropeway route will shorten travel immensely for tourists compared to the 1-2 hour journey by road, between Purukal and Mussoorie.

For Tej Kumar, his small operating desk is his world and he is happy at the Gun hill ropeway.

Haridwar, July 10
With the formation of the student outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on July 9, 1949, the district unit is celebrating the foundation week to commemorate the occasion.

Demonstrating their social awareness, the outfit members carried out a cleanliness drive in various colleges of the city.

According to Shiv Chaudhari, city secretary, the city unit has decided to carry out constructive programmes throughout the week. Members of the organisation gathered at Rishikul Vidyapeeth Sanskrit College and earmarked the areas where the drive was needed.

They cleared garbage and filth, and also chopped overgrown grass that had engulfed a major portion of the college boundary.

Apart from the cleanliness drive in the Vidyapeeth, the ABVP has also demanded that the state government should take over the college under its anvil as despite the district administration’s supervision of the Vidyapeeth, several problems are being faced by students, teachers and the college management.

“The state government should take over this college as this will be beneficial for the college itself with state aid providing the best of the facilities to the college,” said departmental coordinator Sanjeev.

The Sanskrit Vidyapeeth has about 1,000 students, but no proper hostel as well as library facility is available for them.

In a meeting at the college, student leaders opined that it would be a landmark if the state government took this decision.

On the occasion Indresh Gaud, Harshit Gupta, Gaurav Giri, Utkarsh Walia, Deepak Pawar, Akshay Rathi, Deepak Raturi, Pradeep Rawat, Anubhav Baliyan, Varun Baliyan, Satwinder, Sunil, Vineet Walia, Ujjwal Walia and Kheemanand Joshi, aided by Sanskrit Vidyapeeth students, were present.

Dehradun, July 10
Shri Guru Nanak Public Boys Inter College (Chukkuwala) today started its academic session, after it got affiliation for holding classes I to V.

Chief guest Uttarakhand Education Minister Govind Singh Bisht lauded the college for its activities in the sphere of education. He reiterated CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank’s commitment for ensuring better education to children in the state. “We aim to bring education to each and every remote village of the state,” he observed. Bisht also assured all assistance to the college.

Manager, Shri Guru Nanak Public Boys Inter College, RS Khandri said the school was providing English-medium education to poor students. He said the state government was doing good works in education. Principal Jasvir Singh Virk, Jasvir Marwah, Gurmej Singh, Harbhajan Singh Anand, Fhula Singh and several of teachers and other school employees were present on the occasion.

Mussoorie, July 10
Students from various schools in Mussoorie, excelling in various classes, were felicitated at a simple ceremony held here today. The Pratibha Samman Samaroh was held under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Aggarwal Mahasabha, Mussoorie.

The programme was inaugurated by lighting the ceremonial lamp by MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, along with Palika President OP Uniyal and other dignitaries. The chief guest on the occasion distributed citation and awards to the meritorious students.

Manish Prasad (Nirmala Inter College),Rubina Ansari (Sanatan Dharam Inter College), Sonika Panwar (Mussoorie Girls Inter College), Aasha Rawat (RN Bhargav Inter College) and Sushmita Sajwan (St Lawrence), Rupnin Kaur and Ananya Sharma (Waverly Convent), Abhay Kumar and Hina Rafi (Oak Grove School) were felicitated for excelling in class IX and X board exams. Students excelling in Class XI and XI exams were also felicitated on the occasion.

Chief guest Gunsola wished them for their prosperous and bright future. President, Agarwal Mahasabha, Dhan Prakash, Gen Secretary RC Garg, President, Mahila Aggarwal Mahasabha, Renu Agarwal, Shashi Goel, Punita Agarwal, President, Senior Citizen Forum, RS Mishra and others were present on the occasion. The programme was coordinated by Anuj Tayal.

Dehradun, July 10
Far from becoming a destination of choice for IT companies, the Information Technology Park spread over 67 acres at Sahastdhara (Doon) is attracting attention more for the stalled Doon Cyber Tower project that was to become a showpiece of Uttarakhand state’s Information Technology policy.

Equipment from the stalled project continues to hang in mid air, visible from far-off, amply conveying the direction that the IT Park is taking since 2007 when the land was allotted.

The Doon Tower was to be jointly built by the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (SIDCUL), a state government entity and Delhi-based IEDB Company, the stone of which was laid by the then Chief Minister ND Tiwari in 2006.

But come 2010, SIDCUL has nothing to show, except perhaps nine private companies that have started functioning bit by bit only under pressure and compulsion. As of now, only three companies are fully functional.

As per SIDCUL officials, the agency entrusted with the task of developing and facilitating information technology infrastructure in the state, a total of 19 companies involved in different IT works have been allocated land at Sahastdhara with a proposed investment of Rs 171.67 crore and an area of 53,407 sq m.

It is expected to give employment to 6,615 persons. Most of these companies were allocated land between 2006-2009, but the work progressed at a snail’s pace with only two companies setting shop in 2009 and others becoming operationalised in 2010.

The companies were to start work within two years of the land allotment. Some of the companies were given extension after they expressed inability to start work, but the extension was far too long until the IT park authorities applied pressure. The companies that have started work are in the area of BPO, offshore training and IT enabled companies.

“Between 2006-2009, the companies were coming and going, mainly due to international phenomenon of recession, though the Indian economy survived, the IT and other sectors too felt the tremors. A time came when no one wanted to touch IT, expansions were kept on hold,” said S Ramaswamy, Managing Director SIDCUL (IAS), who was recently given the charge.

However, after Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal shows personal interest in the park, sources say that moves are afoot to revamp and repackage the IT park concept and the decision is likely to be taken during the board meeting of SIDCUL on July 19.

Even the suggestions and proposal of Software Technology Park of India (STPI) would also be discussed.

While on the issue of the ill-starred Doon Tower project that even received height clearance to extend it to 30 metres, though in Doon the height of buildings cannot exceed more than 30 metres, it appears the project may be revaluated once again.

“These are sensitive and complex decisions that the board will take a look at during the meeting,” added Ramaswamy.

In fact, the authorities were unable to replicate the Software Park of India model that continues to function in the vicinity with an incubator centre and private IT service related companies.

And things do not seem to be rosy for the private BPO and offshore training companies that worry about frequent power cuts and limited Internet facility, “We have to look for alternative power supply due to frequent power cuts, even the broadband facility is not up to the mark.

“It puts additional costs on the private players,” said a representative from Koening Solutions Private Ltd.

Nainital, July 10
Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil has stated that culture plays a very important role in bridging various communities and maximum stress should be laid in sharing and promoting the culture of different corners of the country.

Talking to mediapersons after the completion of a meeting of the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) held here yesterday, Patil said the culture in India had evolved over thousands of years and hence it was very rich.

He highlighted the special efforts made by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in promoting the culture of the country.

Referring to the festivals of India held in France and the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), he said, “Things were done on a very large scale during his tenure. The Indian culture was promoted abroad, while cultural artistes from other countries came here to show a glimpse of their life”.

Patil said possessiveness over small things led to a fragmented thought process, but the culture played a major role in unifying the entire nation.

Talking about Uttarakhand, he said the state had immense natural beauty and a very rich diverse culture. He said the Centre was doing a lot to promote the culture of all states.

Referring to the NZCC meeting, he said the purpose was to take stock of the activities of the NZCC and discuss the future road map. Representatives of the six states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir participated in the meeting.

Dehradun, July 10
In a keenly-contested encounter, the Uttarakhand Police scored a 2-1 win over Gypsy during the District Football League at the Police Lines here today.

Anup of the Uttarakhand Police scored the first goal in the 4th minute of the play. No other goal came in the first half later on and the half ended on 1-0 in police team’s favour. In the second half Gypsy’s Sandeep (45th) equalised with a fine effort.

With the match on 1-1 each, both sides put in their all to score a goal. The match turned in favour of the Uttarakhand Police when Narender (69th) netted a goal a minute before the second half had to finish.

The second match was one-sided affair with Eleven Star drubbing Yankies 3-0. DS Negi (eighth), Gopmo (10th) and Sachin (57th) scored a goal each in the triumph of Eleven Star.

Tomorrow’s fixture: First match: Garhwal Sporting vs Sports Hostel

Second match: Vijay Cantt vs Willis Youth Club.

Dehradun, July 10
Mighty Gorkha Heroes trounced Uttarakhand Boys 3-0 here today during the Lala Nemi Dass District Football League being played on the Pavilion Ground.

Balvinder scored a brace in the victory of the Gorkha team. He scored in the 29th and 31st minute to haunt the rival team. Vishal Punj scored the last goal in the 46th minute to increase the score tally of the winning team.

The Uttarakhand Boys, which comprises younger lot failed to score throughout the match. The players lacked coordination and didn’t seem any match for the opponent team.

The Uttarakhand Tiger and Roshni Club played a goalless draw in another match today. While tomorrow City Young will face Adhoiwala Boys and Doon Star will meet BC Milan.

Dehradun, July 10
As many as 155 skaters took part in the 15th Dehradun District Inter-Summer Camp Roller Skating Championship being organised by Roller Skating Association at a city hotel.

Paritosh, Dhruv, Vikhyat, Sanya and Madhumita won first place in five different categories. The skaters later participated in the fancy dress competition.

International skaters Akshat Johari and Yati Gupta also took par in the championship. Players from Olympus Sports and Activity Zone, St Joseph Academy and The Rink, Hotel Surbhi had participated.