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School roof waiting to cave in
Rain refuses to relent
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Landslide Threat
‘Sumgarh village victim of interference with nature’
Day II: Encroachments continue to fall
The main gate of an ashram being demolished at Devpura in Haridwar on Friday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur
Drive biased, say small traders
TCV Selaqui win overall Mathematics Relay trophy
The prize distribution ceremony in progress the Math Relay in Mussoorie on Friday.
Students of Maharishi Vidya Mandir pose in Garhwali costumes in Haridwar on Friday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur
Ghummakkad Narain brings students closer to literature
Oak Grove inter-school soccer champs
Players of Oak Grove School with the Inter-School Soccer trophy in Mussoorie on Friday.
Bareilly Cantt trounce Punjab Lines
Modern School shuttlers shine
Players of Modern School, New Delhi, with the All-India Inter-school IPSC Badminton trophy in Dehradun on Friday. A Tribune photograph
U’khand all set to host national forestry games
Kasiga blank Jim Pioneer
Media Mahotsav celebrated
Tributes paid to Sumgarh victims
Doonites light candles in memory of schoolchildren who died in Sumgarh in Dehradun on Friday. A Tribune photograph
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School roof waiting to cave in
Mussoorie, August 20 A similar disaster is waiting to happen at the Government Girls Junior High School at Kuri near Nand Residency Hotel due to the substandard material used by Palika contractors in the newly constructed building of the school. The school, even after renovation and construction work done six months earlier, is in a dilapidated condition. Students are forced to study under the roof that is on verge of collapsing due to incessant rain. Not only this, water is dripping in every room and the teachers are forced to teach using umbrellas. Parents of students have refused to send students to the school fearing a disaster on the lines of Kapkot. The construction work was done using the MLA, Nagar Palika and Sarv Shikhsha Fund, but contractors in connivance with engineers allegedly used substandard material resulting in weak retaining walls and a leaking ceiling. The cement sheet used for the ceiling has begun caving in and could fall on the students any time if the rain persists. Computers donated by samaritans have been damaged by the water dripping from the roof. Sarita, a student of class VI, was admitted to hospital due to the wet conditions in the classrooms. The bhojan mata has been forced to prepare mid day meal in a class which is leaking at various places. She has kept utensils at various points to collect the dripping water. Nagar Palika President and MLA Mussoorie had given Rs 6 lakh for the building as the school was shifted from St Mary’s Hospital to the present site due to the extension of the hospital. Surprisingly, all this is happening right under the nose of the City Education Officer Tausif Ahmed whose own office is being used to shelter computers from leaking roofs. According to Harbhajan Thakral and Shailendar Bisht, members of the Parents Association, the school was shifted to an unfinished building and despite several reminders, neither the palika nor Education Department showed seriousness on the issue. Headmistress Nimesh Dangwal said that students and teachers were unable to concentrate on studies due to the fear of the ceiling caving in any moment. Many reminders in written have been sent to the palika and the Education Department, but no action has been taken so far. Dangwal added that if something is not done immediately, a tragedy may strike the 40 students and two teachers in the school.
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Rain refuses to relent
Nainital, August 20 Five persons were reportedly killed in separate accidents across the region yesterday. These victims were either buried in the debris of buildings that had collapsed or were washed away in seasonal and perennial rivers that are in full spate. It is learnt that Nainital district has received close to 300 mm of rainfall over the past three days. In Nainital, the road between Kaladhungi to Nainital is proving to be the main lifeline for the district headquarters ensuring the supply of essentials like milk and other items. The road between Haldwani and Nainital was blocked again today on account of a massive landslide reported near Naina village. The road had been temporarily opened for vehicular traffic on Thursday evening. The road between Nainital and Bhawali continues to be closed. With the water level in the Naini Lake rising, water is being released constantly into the Ballia Nullah. Police force has been deployed in the Ballia Nullah area to dissuade people from catching fish flowing from the lake as there is potential hazard to the lives of the people indulging in the catching of fish. Reports of large-scale destruction in Udham Singh Nagar are being received. Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, who returned from Kapkot to Haldwani on Friday, is learnt to be heading towards the flood-affected parts of Udham Singh Nagar district to take stock of the situation there. According to reports, areas like Shakti Farm were the worst affected. The rising levels of Baigul river have led to large-scale devastation in areas like Ranjit Nagar. The waters of the river have washed away the embankment for about 200 metres. Most rivers flowing along towns and villages in the district have washed away large tracts of land and are posing a grave danger to human lives. In Mahendranagar village near Shakti Farm, 48 houses are learnt to have crumbled and most of the 78 families residing in the village have lost their possessions. About 700 residents of Ranjit Nagar, Jay Nagar and Surendra Nagar villages, located along the Baigul river, have been lodged in government schools for their safety. The town of Haldwani is facing severe water crisis as the water treatment plant in Sheeshmahal area has been functioning erratically on account of the heavy silt being brought by the Gaula river. Water logging has also been reported from Ramnagar, Tanakpur, Khatima, Bazpur and Kashipur causing immense damage to structures at these places. Water has entered residential colonies in these areas forcing residents to take refuge either on roof tops or to move to other safer zones. At several places, the administration is providing assistance through boats.
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Paramilitary forces on standby
Our Correspondent
Pitthoragarh, August 20 Pitthoragarh district is highly sensitive to the natural disasters and most of the incidents of cloudburst have occurred in the district during last 30 years killing more than 400 people. “We have ordered all the schools in the district to remain close for next two days and asked the school administration to keep vigil during rains,” said the DM. “All the trained revenue officers and youths from Yuvak Mangal Dal and from disaster mitigation team in the district have been asked to remain alert in case any natural disaster occurs in the district,” said Manju Pandey in charge of disaster mitigation cell in the district. “Nearly 50 villages, including the valley of Baram, Jhekla region of Munsiyari, Tawaghat and 36 km-long Kailash Mansarowar route from Dharchula to Mangti, Didihat town, Jaurasi area and some parts of the district adjoining Nepal border which fall in Kanalichina and Munakot blocks are being watched during these rains,” said Negi.
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‘Sumgarh village victim of interference with nature’
Pitthoragarh, August 20 “This is certainly a response of nature to human interference with it and over exploitation of natural resources in and around the Kapkot area,” said Dhapola, adding that tunnels being constructed in the Kapkot area and unscientific limestone quarrying in the region has weakened hill slopes,” said Dhapola. Dhapola praised the roll of villagers for their prompt relief work after the catastrophe occurred on August 18. “Otherwise it was at least six hours distance from road head to reach for the relief and rescue parties from district headquarter,” said Dhapola.
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Day II: Encroachments continue to fall
Haridwar, August 20 Continuing with the demolition spree unabatedly for the second consecutive day today the encroachment cell showed why residents of Haridwar are looking forward to this drive as the one which will turn the way city presently looks. While opposition from political parties, religious organisations and traders have been pouring in, several religious establishments came under the scanner paving way for cleaning act within the city that has been encroached in the name of business and religion in past few decades in view of commercial profits and leverage in the name of religion. Devpura situated Bharat Rishi Ashram’ s main gate and outer wall were removed. Even the statues of the saints were not spared as City Magistrate Archana Grehawar, SDM Harish Chandra Kandpal and CO City Pankaj Bhatt the drive went on relentlessly sparing none that was illegal in its way. Church situated at the Devpura intersection on the main road also got razed under the drive. Besides dozens of illegal shops and slabs put over the nullahs, sewer lines were also removed. Unlike yesterday there was no altercation between the police and locals. Though in view of the violence additional force was deployed. The second phase of anti-encroachment drive was also carried out in other areas and will be continue in coming days as per the administrative indications till it covers the inner markets leading to Har-ki-Pauri, Kankhal and suburban Jwalapur region. The police resorted to a lathicharge on protesters at the Ranipur Mod in the evening.
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Drive biased, say small traders
Haridwar, August 20 The Small-Scale Traders Association took out to streets to oppose the drive calling for coming of all traders under one banner so
The association members pointed out that while on one hand the state government was failing to imply the National Vendor Policy, on the other it was carrying out demolition drive on the small-medium traders who didn’t have any other livelihood than those which were being razed down in the name of encroachment.
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TCV Selaqui win overall Mathematics Relay trophy
Mussoorie, August 20 Later in the afternoon the closing ceremony was marked with an extempore team competition titled “Mathematics” among the participating schools. Tibetan Children’s Village, Selaqui won the overall Mathematics Relay followed by Tibetan Homes School, Rajpur and Central School for Tibetans, Paonta Sahib. Among the individual category in the Grade V group the winner was Namgyal Kunda of Tibetan Homes School, Mussoorie. Pema Sherab of Tibetan Homes School of Grade IX was declared winner after a tiebreak with Tenzin Rangdol, CST, Paonta Sahib and Rinchen Tsering of TCV, Selaqui. A final farewell dinner was hosted in the auditorium with Kalon, Education Officer, dignitaries and the participating schools. Speaking at the occasion after awarding the prizes to the winners, Karma Yuthok Gelek highly appreciated the initiative of the Tibetan Homes Foundation for organising such an event. He also appreciated the standard of the competition and was impressed to see the performance of the school children in this field. At the end he thanked THF and all those (participating schools) who had made this event a success. Among the other dignitaries present were Kungoe Gyaltsen (Tibetan Welfare Officer, Dickeyling Tibetan settlement, Kungoe Norbu Tsering (Rector, CST Mussoorie), Kungoe Tsering Norbu Norpa (Judge, local justice commission office) and Presidents of the local Tibetan associations. The schools participating in the Mathematic Relay were Upper TCV - Dharamshala, TCV Model school- Selaqui, Lower TCV- Dharamshala, CST- Shimla, CST Dolanji, CST- Dalhousie, CST- Herbertpur, CST Poanta, CST Bhuntar, CST Chauntra, CST - Mussoorie, THS - Rajpur and THS - Mussoorie.
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Students give social message
Haridwar, August 20 At the cultural fest organised by the Mahrishi Vidya Mandir the students pointed out on various social ills that society was afflicted with. From corruption to illiteracy students raised these issues as well as made the audience think to eradicate these ills for a prosperous society. An added attraction was the local Kumaoni-Garhwali folk songs and dances which the little kids performed with elan, along with various other regional dance forms of the country.
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Ghummakkad Narain brings students closer to literature
Dehradun, August 20 Priyanka Bhattacharya and Advaita Kala will now be a part of the festival. A book reading and film screening of “Finding Nemo” supported by Parragon Books and Disney will be conducted by Priyanka Bhattacharya. The session will be for age group 4 to 10 year olds. A teacher with Doon School, Priyanka is an alumnus of the Lady Brabourne College, Kolkatta, where she studied English Literature, and of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where she pursued her MA and MPhil in linguistics. She has been involved in research, copy writing and editing for design projects of The National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She taught Mass Communication and Broadcasting at St Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, before she switched to school teaching in 2004. She taught for a year at Welham Boys' School, Dehradun, and joined The Doon School in 2005, where she works currently. This session will be followed by a session on ‘Writing for Films’ with Advaita Kala supported by Harper Collins. Advaita has studied liberal arts in the USA and is a multifaceted personality who enjoys music, sailing and reading. Advaita enjoys music, sailing, reading and is devoted to her St Bernard. The Travelling Children’s Literature Festival is a NIVESH and Himalayan Hub for Art, Culture and Heritage (HHACH) initiative, organised under the aegis of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
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Oak Grove inter-school soccer champs
Mussoorie, August 20 In the junior division the final was played between Oak Grove School and Mussoorie Modern School in which Oak Grove defeated MMS by a margin of two goals. In the second final, Oak Grove once again were declared winners after they defeated Manav Bharti International in penalty shootout 4-2. The chief guest on the occasion was school Principal Anurag Tripathi, Headmistress N Siddiqui presented the winning trophies. Tripathi said the future of the sports was in the hands of players like them and they should strive for medals in international games. He said if the players from the junior level dreamt of a World Cup title it was not out of the reach. Encouraging the players, he said they should take sports as career as there were more avenues available for them now. Pramod Kumar, Lalit Verma, Mohan Negi, Akash Grover, Pradeep Raunchela and Vipin were present.
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Bareilly Cantt trounce Punjab Lines
Dehradun, August 20 Punjab Lines batting first set a target of 55 runs before getting all out in 12 overs. The batsmen went on cheap score to the pavillion. Gaurav (17) and Abhishek (14) were the only two players for the team to have scored double figure numbers. For rival team, Pankaj was the chief bowler picking three wickets. While Ravi got two wickets and Harsh and Ankit got a batsmen out each. Replying to the target, JLA achieved the required score in 10.1 overs losing three wickets. Ravi (19) and Rishabh (15*) were the main scorers for the winning team. Nitin and Saurabh were the only successful bowlers for Punjab Lines. Both players notched up a wicket each. In another match, KV-1 HBK Dehradun registered six wicket win over KV ITBP, Merthi. The latter set a target of 56 runs in 12 overs at the loss of eight wickets. While HBK achieved the target in 11.1 over for four wickets.
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Modern School shuttlers shine
Dehradun, August 20 Arun Chopra of Modern School, Delhi, got the better of Jit Makadia of Vallabh Ashram in the u-14 boys final. While in u-17 boys final, Abhishek of Doon School beat Dhruv of the same school. Harsh Sondhi of Modern School, Delhi, lost against Hridyanshu of the same school in the u-19 boys. While in the girls u-14 final, Mihika Jhallani of Modern School, Delhi, beat Ridhi Kapoor of Modern School, Delhi. Shreya Aggarwal, also of Modern School, Delhi, won the title of u-19 girls beating Noor Chatwal of the same school. In the u-17 girls final encounter also, Modern School players fought in which Ananya Nagar broke the challenge of Gauri Asija.
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U’khand all set to host national forestry games
Dehradun, August 20 The state government had recently given a go ahead signal to the state forest authorities for hosting the games that will incur an estimated expenditure to the tune of over Rs 4 crore, major chunk of which will be contributed by the state government, while a part of it will be funded by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Money through sponsorships and entry fees will also be generated as an additional source. As many as eight committees for accommodation, transportation, event and coordination like activities have already been constituted to render speed to the arrangements. This apart from finalising infrastructure needed for the purpose. The state sports infrastructure apart from the Forest Research Institute and the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy is to be put to use for the mega event that is expected to be attended by as many as 25 teams from different Forest Departments of the country and the other national forestry linked bodies. Chief Conservator of Forests Rakesh Shah, who is also the Nodal Officer for the staging for the meet in Uttarakhand, hoped that the Forestry Sports Meet would be a major success. “The preparations were already in progress and we are also holding consultations with the state sports bodies and even the Olympic Association, Uttarakhand, members to ensure a full-proof arrangements for the meet,” Rakesh Shah told The Tribune. He held that the sports meet would also be used as a platform to showcase state’s rich cultural biodiversity. Referring to the Uttarakhand Forest Department’s performance at the earlier forest sports meet, Shah said the department’s performance at these meets had been on the he rise. He said the recently concluded recruitment of forest guards, which also included a sports quota, had come as a big boost of promotion of sports in the department. Shah said the department’s sportspersons had also been put to rigorous training under guidance of experts to get better results this time. The department is expected to come up with a biggest even contingent that is likely to touch a figure of hundred. The Uttarakhand Forest Department stood at 14th position in overall medal tally and could manage 14 medals, including two golds in the All-India Forest Sports Meet, 2010, held at Bhopal. Apart from the Uttarakhand Forest Department, Dehradun-based central institutions like the Directorate of Forestry Education, Indira Gandhi National Forestry Academy, Forest Survey of India and Wildlife Institute of India will be participating in the ambitious meet.
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Kasiga blank Jim Pioneer
Dehradun, August 20 The first half saw some competition between the two sides while in the second half Jim Pioneer couldn’t understand the attacks of the rival team. Amrej of Kasiga drew the first blood in the 26th minute of the first half. No goal came in this round and the first half ended 1-0. Kasiga players stormed the second half scoring four goals. Parvez (23rd), Amrej (27th), Tanat (28th) and Tenzin (32nd) netted a goal each in the second half to help its side register 5-0 thumping win over Jim Pioneer. Meanwhile, in the second match, Asian School got walkover as the team of St George’s, Mussoorie, didn’t reach the venue. Tomorrow, Mussoorie Public School will face Selaqui International School and GRD Rajpur will meet Shishya School in the second match.
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Media Mahotsav celebrated
Dehradun, August 20 The show began with the Saraswati vandana presented by Dinesh Rai and his party. A media workshop was also organised for journalists. The seminar, which was scheduled for 2 pm, was not been able to start till 3.30 pm due to rain. In the evening, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank felicitated Editor of Amar Ujala Nishit Joshi, ETV Uttarakhand unit Govind Kaptiyal, Sutradhar EMS Sanjay Srivastava, Associate Professor, DAV PG College, Dr Anjubali Panday, businessman-cum-social worker SP Kochar, lok artist Dinesh Rai and Kalyan Singh Rawat by Gaurav award. Many senior journalists as well as officials on the top post in various departments also shared their views regarding the problems that are being faced in the media.
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Tributes paid to Sumgarh victims
Dehradun, August 20 President of the parishad Baljeet Soni, general secretary Gurpreet Singh, vice-president Inderjeet Sing and other members paid the tributes.
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Mussoorie Nagar Palika and Education Department have not learnt lessons from the disaster that occurred in Kapkot where 18 children were killed when a school building collapsed due to a landslide on Wednesday.
Lending credibility to the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in Haridwar which is being considered as the biggest drive since Kumbh 1998 when the Hydel Colony at Rodi Belwala was demolished completely.
At the ongoing Math Relay being held at Tibetan Homes School at Happy Valley in Mussoorie the morning session began with a mathematics exhibition that was inaugurated today.
Oak Grove School were proud winners in the final of the Inter-School Soccer tournament held at the school at Jharipani here today. The tournament was held under the aegis of the Mussoorie Schools Sports Association
(MSSA). More than seven schools participated in the four-day tournament that began on August 17 and was played in league format.
Dehradun, August 20
The members of the Uttarakhand Sikh Vikas Parishad paid tributes to the schoolchildren of Sumgarh village, who died due to the landslide on August 18, by lighting candles at Ghanta Ghar here today. The delegation that gathered to pay homage to 18 students also kept a minute silence to mark their death.
