Dehradun, February 1
In a major victory of pro-environment activists here, the Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital today issued an ad-interim stay preventing the state government and other respondents from altering the boundaries of the Parade Ground and the Gandhi Park in Dehradun and felling of trees therein.

The High Court interim stay comes in response to a PIL filed by the Citizens For Green Doon (CFGD) seeking stay order for any possible felling of tress at the Parade Ground. According to the petition, the state government had issued instructions for felling of all the trees on the Parade Ground. The petition inter alia stated the Parade Ground had been an open space even during the British rule and had long been used for public events and recreational purposes. It was further stated that the Parade Ground was a perfect venue for all sorts of exhibitions, melas and even the sacred festival of Dasehra. Over the past few years, the government had gradually been reducing the size of the Parade Ground by allotting in bits and pieces the land to political parties, offices, schools, libraries, etc.

It may be recalled that the representatives of the CFGD had had numerous meetings with officials of the Forest and PWD Department. The group also had had three meetings with the Mayor of Dehradun, two with the previous District Magistrate and one with the current District Magistrate in this regard. The CFGD and its sister organisation, the Friends of Doon, had also made many representations to the government departments but these did not bring any positive action except vague promises.

The writ had also urged that allotment of all pieces of the Parade Ground be annulled and the allottees be directed to vacate the premises.

Haridwar, February 1
Citing the immense importance in today’s corporate world of spirituality’s integration with leadership, a one-of-its-kind seminar is being organised in century-old Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar in which participants from several countries are participating in large numbers.

This international-level conference will dwell in the next four days on various aspects of integrating spirituality with organisational leadership. Participants from countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Cyprus, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Europe are dwelling on the topic with subcontinent counterparts.

Inaugurating the seminar at the management faculty, Vice-Chancellor, Gurukul Kangri University, Prof Swatantra Kumar welcomed the delegates terming it as a rare occasion, and added, “What better venue than the Gurukul which spearheads in moral-spiritual education with modern subjects too”.

Prof Swatantra Kumar said the research papers, discussions and the conclusion that the seminar will arrive at will pave the way for better, coordinated spiritually inclined organisational leadership.

Juna Akhada Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdeshanand ji Maharaj lauded the objective of the conference, that was to coordinate spiritual and leadership traits which would pave the way for a disciplined, morally sound organisational and societal setups.

Integrating Spirituality and Organisation Leadership (ICOL) chief Dr JL Raina and its Director Prof Sunita Singh Sengupta focused on the need of combining the two subjects, while MBA department head Dr SP Singh informed that the recommendations, discussions and conclusion of the conference would be forwarded to the Central government.

Haridwar, February 1
The Jain community in the pilgrim city celebrated the salvation function of the first Jain religion’s Teerthankar, Lord Adinath, by holding various religious programmes in the district.

At the city-based Jain temple, since early morning prayers with arti were conducted after which a symbolic traditional ladoo was offered to the deity. Religious flag hoisting was performed paving way for the “elephant royal procession” that passed through city lanes.

Accompanied with musical bands, devotees in the religious procession were bare foot. The rath yatra culminated at Shri Mandir wherein Lord Adinath was offered 1008 silver kalash.

Addressing the devotees, Anil Kumar Jain said faith and devotion are the two religious wheels which take human beings to the path of salvation, and with these twin traits alone one can see the Almighty in statues.

Present at the occasion were JC Jain, Prakash Jain, Anil Jain,Vinay Jain, Vijay, Rakesh, SL Jain, Naresh Chand, Vijay Kumar, Amit, Ravi, Vimal, Balesh Chandra, PC Jain, Piyush, Dhanendra, PK Jain, Ashok, Nirmal, Gajendra, Satish, Keshaw, Mangelal, Dheeraj, Pavinandan, Pramod, Hans Kumar, Sanjay, Adesh, Rajat and Pt Pankaj Shastri.

Dehradun, February 1
Academicians, musicians, scholars and saints will come together to discuss the finer points of Guru Nanak Dev’s religious teachings and listen to the soulful rendition of Indian classical Gurbani music on February 3 and 4 in Doon.

The event will be organised by the Punjabi University Dr Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra “Guru Granth Sahib Ka Raag Parva” that will comprise recitals by renowned artistes and scholarly discourses by academicians.

Stating this at a press conference here today, Harbajan Singh, Project Director of the kendra, said Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University Dr Jaspal Singh and MP Tarlochan Singh would be present at the function. “The seminar on Gurbani is being organised by the Shri Udasin Panchayati Akhara and Mahamandeleshwar Swami Surinder Muni, Avdoot Jagatram Udasin Ashram, Kankhal, Haridwar and Sant Jodh Singh, Nirmal Ashram Rishikesh,” he said.

The scholars are expected to present papers on the contributions of Nirmal and Udasin Sampradaya. “The foundation of the Udasin sect was laid by Sri Chand, Guru Nanak Dev’s son who left home to spread the message of the Udasin sect,” he said.

He said the Sahitya Kendra was set up by Dr Balbir Singh, a renowned Punjabi scholar, and later the project was handed over to Punjabi University, Patiala.

Haridwar, February 1
Emphasising the natural bond that people of neighbouring countries India and Nepal share, people from Nepal, who have settled in India, have termed the friendship between both the countries as a time-tested one.

To foster better ties as well as common understanding, respect, cultural exchange and a platform for interaction, the All-India Nepali Independent Student Union organised a mass food, “Van Bhoj”, here today. A cultural programme was also organised wherein the folk, culture, history and rituals of both the countries were showcased beautifully.

Lauding the efforts of the students in giving a message of brotherhood through the “Van Bhoj”, Backward Commission Vice-Chairman PS Garud urged the student fraternity of both the countries to remain united as India and Nepal are natural friends having similar social, cultural and religious traits, which are not found anywhere in the Asian Continent.

Inaugurating the programme, Shaligram Shastri, a representative of the India-Nepali Brahman Sabha, lit the ceremonial lamp. He said on international platforms, the friendship between India and Nepal was regarded highly. He urged the people present at the venue to strengthen the existing bond by organizing more interaction programmes.

Meanwhile, the Nepalese students put up a breathtaking display of martial art of tae kwon do. Himanshu Sharma, Shailja Sharma, Gagan Singh Bhandari, Dhara Sharma, Ankit Verma, Varsha Mehra, Preeti Bharadwaj and Pragya, all members of the tae kwon do team, were felicitated.

A special skit, which shed light on the cultural diversity of India and Nepal, was impressive in script, narration and act.

Prominent personalities present at VIP Ghat, the venue for the programme, were Dr Omprakash Bhatt, Mahant Anil Giri, Sanjay Chopra, Punya Prasaad, Bharat Bhushan, Mekhraj Upadhyay, Padam Prasad Dwivedi and reality show Dance India Dance participant Dolly Bisht.

Dehradun, February 1
The raids by the Income Tax Department at the offices of the organisers of the South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games, which is surrounded by allegations of financial irregularities, are being seen as an effort by the Union government to check the money spent by it on the Games held from January 10 to 16 in Uttarakhand.

The SAF Winter Games, which were postponed thrice in as many years, were embroiled in controversy since the very beginning.

The Centre had given Rs 110 crore for the Games and the state had to spend 10 per cent of the amount from its own pocket on the event.

The income tax sleuths yesterday swooped on the offices of the SAF Games organisers at Maharana Pratap Sports College, Raipur, and IHM, Garhi Cantt, the office of Rakesh Sharma, Uttarakhand Sports Secretary who was the member secretary of the organising committee of the Winter Games.

Officials of the IT Department said that it was a routine TDS (tax deducted at source) verification. “It was not a raid,” said AS Anand, PRO of the income tax office.

But officials and political sources maintained that the raids were an effort by the Union government to nail the state government, which even after serious allegations of mismanagement, were portraying the Games as a success in the election year.

However, PC Thapliyal, spokesperson of the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI), told The Tribune, “Income tax officials at the Kanpur-based head office have been tipped off by the Centre as there were several financial irregularities in organising the Games.

“The Central government, which spent Rs 110 crore, wants to check how the money had been used.”

He slammed the president of the organising committee and Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for the alleged financial irregularities and the mismanagement during the Games.

“The CM as the president of the committee did not attend even a single meeting. The Centre spent Rs 110 crore. Where are the details of the 10 per cent money that the state government was to spend?” Thapliyal said.

He also raised objections on the last-minute decisions of the organising committee. “The event management company did nothing and walked away with Rs 1.5 crore. It was hired at the eleventh hour by the government and it failed to do the needful. Why was the accommodation of the players changed from Doon University campus to Madhuban Hotel? Who footed the bill of the hotel?”

The SAF Winter Games were held in two phases. Ice-skating events were held from January 10 to 12 in Dehradun and skiing events were held at Auli from January 14 to 16.

Seven South Asian countries - hosts India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh took part.

Peeved over the treatment meted out to the players by the state government, SS Pangti, adviser of the WGFI, had also disassociated himself from the post. Pangti has the credit of pioneering winter games in the state and was a former President of the WGFI.

Pithoragarh, February 1
From this rabi season, the Uttarakhand Government has introduced a weather-based crop insurance scheme, which was originally planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative, Government of India.

“Initially, the scheme has been started for the five horticulture crops of apple, mango, litchi, potato and tomato and the specific areas for these crops to be covered under the scheme have been identified,” said Dr IA Khan, Joint Director, Uttarakhand Horticulture Department, Dehradun.

According to Dr Khan, the apple crop in the hilly areas of Dehradun, Nainital, Chamoli, Pauri and Pithoragarh will be insured, while for the insurance of the mango crop Udham Singh Nagar district, Nainital district, Tehri and Pauri districts and Haridwar district have been identified. For the litchi crop, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Haridwar districts have been chosen while for tomato and potato the district of Dehradun, Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar have been selected.

“It is only weather-based insurance scheme and if any crops in these areas get destroyed due to fluctuation in temperatures, untimely rains or relative humidity and winds, then the crops, which have been identified under the scheme, can be taken care of,” he said.

He, however, said the crops destroyed by hail and diseases would not be covered under the scheme, as there was no measurement to record the crop loss by either hail or diseases.

Under the scheme, the farmer will bear 6 per cent of the premium, while the state and Central governments will bear 3 per cent each.

“For the potato crop, an amount of Rs 50,000 per hectare has determined as insurance under the scheme while for apple it is based on per tree,” said Dr Khan. He said an apple tree between five and 15 years of age might get Rs 500 insurance, while the tree beyond 16 and 40 years of age will have an insurance of Rs 1,000 per tree.

“It is for the first time in the state that weather-based crop insurance scheme has been implemented, ” said Dr Khan.

Haridwar, February 1
The cricketing fraternity of Haridwar paid tributes to veteran cricketer AK Nigam here today. A special condolence meeting was organised by the Cricket Association of Haridwar to pay tributes to one of the most senior cricketers in the district, who apart from his cricketing skills also touched the hearts of people with his behaviour.

Association chief Neeraj Kumar spoke of the contribution of Nigam to the cricketing fraternity of the city. He said even in the erstwhile Uttar Pradesh time, Nigam was known for his tremendous bowling skills which fetched him fame not only in Haridwar, but surrounding regions too.

“Nigam was an out and out professional honing his skills during his playing time and later giving coaching and tips to younger bowlers who benefited immensely from his expertise in bowling department. Apart from this, he will be remembered both for his on and off field contributions as a gentleman cricketer,” said Neeraj.

General secretary of the association Inder Mohan Barthwal said Nigam was always positive in his approach, adding, “He was always an encouraging, positive and motivating factor for those who got his nearness”.

Association members prayed for peace to his soul and courage to his family members.

The final rites will take place tomorrow at Kankhal Ghat.

Among others who paid tributes were KS Bhandari, MP Sharma, Vikas Goyal, Pawinder, Kaushal Sharma, Pradeep Sharma, Chandra Mohan, Kamal Bahukhandi and Kuldeep Singh.

Dehradun, February 1
Agriculture got the better of Health Directorate by 30 runs during the 60th District Cricket League at the Survey of India stadium, Hathibarkala, here today.

Health Directorate won the toss and invited their opponents to bat first. Agriculture set a fighting total of 127 runs all out in 21.4 overs. Mohan (28) and Deepak (27) were the main scorers.

Sumit and Ankur got four and two wickets, respectively, for the Health Directorate team. Nitin Negi, Santosh and Pankaj took a wicket each.

In reply, the Health Directorate side could only score 97 runs in 23.1 overs. Tailender Nitin scored the highest 18 unbeaten runs for the batting side.

Deepak, Devender and Mohan of the Agriculture team took three wickets each. Arvind took care of the rest.

Dehradun, February 1
To encourage the academic learning and research among students, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology here today.

In the presence of Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof SK Singh, the Director of the Wadia Institute, Dr Anil, and the proctor of the university, Dr US Rawat signed the MoU. The memorandum was signed with a plan to do research on geographic conditions and astro physics collectively, while benefiting students with prospective scope in their career. The university will facilitate students with their registration in research work, while the institute will provide a laboratory and other required equipments for the sample analysis of the project.

Interestingly, the MoU also intends to provide concession in the fee structure of the researchers.

Dehradun, February 1
The 153 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) Dogra undertook a cycle expedition today. The flagging-off ceremony was held at the Indian Military Academy (IMA). Brig Pravin Joshi flagged off the expedition which had one junior commissioned officer and 18 personnel at other ranks as members.

The expedition will cover a distance of approximately 1,000 km in 23 days covering 17 districts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The route will be Dehradun, Saharanpur, Meerut, Bijnor, Moradabad, Bareilly, Sitapur, Sidhauli and Lucknow.

The aim is to publicise the concept of the Territorial Army and encourage the youth to join it. The team will distribute brochures/leaflets in this regard. The TA was raised on October 9, 1949, by C Rajagopalachari, the first Governor-General of free India.