Dehradun, March 10
The Uttarakhand Jan Manch has registered its protest against the increasing rate of electricity charges costing the pocket of the consumers in the state.

Women leaders Suman and Saroj Upreti pulled up the Uttarakhand Electricity Regularity Commissionn (UERC) for preparing to increase electricity charges once again and the Uttarakahnd Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) for not being accountable in explaining the details for incurring massive losses of Rs 2,200 crore.

The leaders of the organisation said they would stage their protest at the UERC office on Friday.

Former panchayat member Pushpa Dobhal poined towards the evaluation report that she had caught hold of through an RTI application. She said, “As per the report, the scam of Rs 450 crore was exposed on account of the peak hours penalty, spot building and fake cheques”.

BJP leader BP Dhyani said line loss that should not exceed 3 per cent was 41 per cent in official records and in reality touched 60 per cent. To reinforce his argument, he asked for enquiring into commercial diary and energy audit of every block.

Another leader Bishambar Dutt Pokhriyal demanded separate tariffs for plains and hills as per the Power Amendment Act of 2003 and demanded green energy bonus for the districts in the hilly region.

Dehradun, March 10
A bureaucratic blunder and improper translation of provisions laid down in the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Medical and Health Service (PMHS) Rules adopted by Uttarakhand has stalled the promotion of 678 doctors in Uttarakhand for the past 10 years, giving rise to rampant dissatisfaction and stagnation in their ranks.

The Uttar Pradesh PMHS Rules 2004 stipulates that promotion from Senior Medical Officer to the post of Additional Director should be based either on the number of years in that particular cadre or the total length of service, and beyond that the consideration for promotions will be merit or seniority.

Under the Dynamic Assured Career Progression Scheme of Uttar Pradesh, the General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) get their first promotion from the post of Medical Officer to Senior Medical Officer on the completion of four years of regular service.

They get their next promotion from Senior Medical Officer to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on the completion of five years of regular service as Senior Medical Officer, and after completing four years in the CMO’s grade, they are promoted as Chief Medical Officers.

All these promotions 
are linked to vacancies. The posts concerned are of GDMOs up to the level of CMO.

As the Uttarakhand Government adopted the Uttar Pradesh rules, the service rules being circulated say that besides completing a number of years on the stipulated post, the doctors also have to fulfil the length of service criterion.

“The word ‘or’ in the rule book has been wrongly translated as ‘and’. To be eligible, doctors not only have to complete a stipulated period in one particular cadre, but also fulfil the total length of service. This means another four to five years in the post. This stretches the period to 12 or 13 years.

“This lacuna has put permanent brakes on the career of doctors,” said Dr SD Joshi, President of the Provincial Medical and Health Services, Uttarakhand.

In Uttarakhand, against the sanctioned 1,251 posts of doctor right from the post of Medical Officer to Director-General, the total number of posts filled are 573 and around 678 are lying vacant.

The doctors, on several occasions, have resorted to strikes and repeatedly asked the government to make amendments, but to no avail.

“I have already written a letter to the government calling for amendments to the Uttarakhand Medical Health and Service Rules 2009. We are waiting for the response,” said Dr Asha Mathur, Director-General, Health and Family Welfare.

It remains to be seen when the sloth-ridden bureaucracy finally takes note of the blunder and make amends.

Dehradun, March 10
Two brothers killed a person by setting him afire in a remote village in the Laksar region, 20 km from Roorkee, last night.

According to the police, Shiv Charan Banjara (45) of Tanda-Mazda village, under the Laksar police station, was reportedly invited by Ashok and Mahipal into a house when Shiv was on his way to his home at about 7 pm yesterday.

Shiv was offered liquor and when he lost consciousness as a result of overconsumption, he was beaten up and wrapped in a blanket. The duo poured kerosene on him and set him aflame, said RL Sharma, SP (Rural), Roorkee.

The fire caught the attention of the villagers who encircled the house. Meanwhile, the police also reached the spot.

Ashok managed to escape by jumping over the wall, but Mahipal was caught. Pintu, the victim’s son, has registered a case of murder against the suspects.

The reason behind the murder was personal enmity. The duo was involved in a police case under Section 307 of the IPC in which Shiv’s brother Charan Singh had been reportedly assaulted. Shiv was a witness in that case.

“For a long time, the accused had been mounting pressure on Shiv to withdraw from the case, but in vain. So, they decided to eliminate him,” said the police.

Dehradun, March 10
Slogans calling for an end to the Chinese occupation in Tibet filled the air today as scores of Tibetans living in exile in Dehradun, Haridwar and Saharanpur took out a rally to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising.

Expressing solidarity with the Tibetans, politicians and social activists gathered at the Gandhi Park here. Adviser to the Chief Minister Prem Barakoti said, “The Tibetans have always led a peaceful struggle for their homeland and it is time that the international community takes note of the plight of Tibetans reeling under the Chinese high-handedness”.

“The continued repression of Tibetans by the Chinese authorities is a matter of concern, so also efforts to obliterate the Tibetan cultural influences,” said Barakoti.

Condemning the Chinese brutalities, vice-chairman of the Local Tibetan Assembly Karma said, “Since March 2008, the Chinese Government has launched a propaganda against the exiled Tibetan leader and Nobel Laureate the Dalai Lama. “But we have continued with our peaceful struggle, even though acts of torture and incidents have risen in the past few years. The Chinese regime has launched a massive cover-up operation,” he said.

He said the March 10 anniversary had become symbolic for the Tibetans as the occasion was utilised to inform the Tibetans about developments, policies, course of action and future plan regarding the Tibet issue. The occasion is marked as the Tibetan People’s National Uprising Day. On this day scores of Tibetans had fled Lhasa under the leadership of the Dalai Lama.

Several students from Tibetan schools, members of Tibetan Women’s Association, Dekyiling, Clement Town, members of Tibetan Freedom Movement and Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and Tibetans from Saharanpur, Dehradun and Haridwar participated in the rally that passed through the Clock Tower, Hardiwar road and other important parts of the city.

A memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister to draw his attention towards the plight of Tibetans in occupied Tibet was also submitted to the District Magistrate.

Dehradun, March 10
Yogender Prasad, former President of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), and Sukhmal Jain, Director of a private company, could not be traced even on the second day of the raids jointly launched by the Vigilance Department and the local police today.

The duo is facing criminal cases of misappropriation of crores of rupees in the Maneri Bhali Phase-II Hydel Project. The vigilance team started its raids to nab the two following the issue of an arrest warrant by the court yesterday.

Late in the night on Wednesday, the team had swooped on the houses and offices of Yogender and Sukhmal. Police teams have also been sent to Delhi, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and some other parts of Haryana to look for them.

Brijendra Juyal, SP (in charge), Vigilance, Dehradun, said, “We will start attaching their property tomorrow if they are not caught by this evening”.

Juyal added that the duo had looted the government of crores of rupees in the Maneri Bhali Phase-II Hydel Project. The work of the project was to be completed in 2007.

Mussoorie, March 10
The Tibetan community gathered to observe the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising demanding freedom from the autocratic Chinese rule here today.

The community members, along with students from Tibetan Homes, Central Schools for Tibetans and other regional youth outfits, raised slogans against the Chinese regime and took out a procession that began from the Happy Valley and ended at Library Bazar.

The Tibetans students carried placards that read “China Stop Cultural Genocide in Tibet” and “Long Live Dalai Lama”. The Tibetans sang the National Anthem of Tibet at the Gandhi Chowk, where leaders read out the message of the Dalai Lama on the occasion.

The leaders, paying homage to all the martyrs who had sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tibet, also alleged that there were many who were still suffering at the hands of the Chinese in Tibet. The leaders also expressed their solidarity with the Tibetan intellectuals, writers, poets, musicians and environmentalists, who have been arrested and incarcerated in the recent years.

Tibetan women Congress member Dolma said for more than half a century, Tibet had been subjected to a series of repressive campaigns under various forms to annihilate the Tibetan people and its culture, thus pushing Tibet on the brink of extinction. Despite all this, the strength of the Tibetan people had remained undiminished. Staff of the Tibetan Homes Foundation and elders of the community were also present on the occasion. 

Mussoorie, March 10
The then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru announced on April 3 in Parliament that the Government of India had granted asylum to the Dalai Lama. On April 18, 1959, the Dalai Lama, his mother, sister, brother, three ministers and around 80 other Tibetans crossed safely into India at Tezpur, Assam, to be greeted by Indian officials.

The Dalai Lama arrived in Mussoorie on April 20, 1959, and resided for over a year at Birla House (owned by the Birla family) in the Happy Valley. Nehru visited Mussoorie on April 24 and held a long meeting with the Tibetan leader. It was in Mussoorie that Nehru assured him and his 1,00,000 followers a safe asylum. The Dalai Lama established the Tibetan government-in-exile at Mussoorie that was later relocated in Dharamsala in HP. Mussoorie remained the home of the Dalai Lama for almost a year and during his stay in Mussoorie, he took several important steps to improve the condition of the Tibetan refugees.

Dalai Lama laying emphasis on education established the first school for Tibetan refugees in town under the name of Central School for Tibetans (CST) on March 3, 1960. Dalai Lama while his stay in Mussoorie found time to watch a film in The Cinema Hall called Rialto at Kulri Bazaar in Mussoorie.

Pithoragarh, March 10
Opposing the imposition of an eligibility test for the trained unemployed BEd degree holders to become teachers in the state, unemployed youth today burnt the effigies of five MPs from the state.

“The unemployed youth had been fighting for the past four years to get the Vishist BTC training started by the government. When the government finally agreed to start the training, it imposed the condition of qualifying the TET examination for becoming a teacher. It is like giving something with one hand and snatching it with the other,” said Lalit Mohan Bhatt, regional president of the Trained Unemployed Youth Association.

The unemployed youth, who gathered at the Gandhi Chowk in Pithoragarh, and at the place with the same name at the town of Lohaghat in Champawat district, warned the government that if it failed to fulfil their demands, then they would intensify their stir by involving the bodies of the unemployed youth in the agitation. “The Congress MPs had assured these unemployed youth that they would oppose the new eligibility condition being imposed in the name of the NCET, but they have done nothing in this connection,” said Bhatt.

The unemployed trained teachers staged a dharna in front of the Kanalichina MLA’s residence in Pithoragarh, while in Champawat, the youngsters courted arrest. They were demanding the immediate withdrawal of the test for the appointment of primary teachers in Uttarakhand. “Until a new notification regarding the implementation of the old pattern for the recruitment of teachers is not issued, the agitation will continue,” said Tribhuwan Murari, Champawat district president of the association.

“At Didihat, the BTC aspirants, who are undergoing training at DIET, continued boycott of classes for the 10th day today. They submitted a memorandum to the visiting BJP chief and local MLA Bishen Singh Chufal and demanded the withdrawal of the new condition for the recruitment of teachers. “After the government has issued this new order, all the students undergoing training here in the institute are confused whether even after completing the training they will be able to get jobs,” said Dhiraj Kharayat, spokesman for the agitators.

Haridwar, March 10
Students in the age group of 4-6 years of Swami Hariharanand Pre-primary School in Kankhal, Haridwar, have a brush with Vedic culture every morning.

The day begins with ‘vidya sanskar’ in which Omkar is inscribed on every child’s tongue with a mango leaf dipped in honey with pandits in the backdrop chanting ‘Om’. A yagna is also performed to purify the atmosphere. Parents can also take part in the event.

These rituals make the school educational environment unique and are aimed at the overall development of the students and teachers.

UD Purohit, Executive Officer of the school, said the rituals were for the overall development of students and keeping in mind the religious culture of Haridwar.

“The school wants to not only impart education, but also ‘sanskars’ to its students which will go a long way in sculpting a stronger and morally cultured India”.

Mona Verma, a city-based English novelist, terms the ‘vidya sanskar’ as a unique procedure. She exhorted other schools to follow such rituals as the ill effects of modern culture were there for all to see.

“If we want to see our children doing well in academics, ethics and character, then the school management and parents should promote such initiatives which will render the academic life of students more round,” asserted Mona.

While many parents were sceptical of the procedure in the beginning, but now they are all praise for the vidya sanskar as their children seem more interested in Indian rituals and even their academic performance has improved.

Shalini Singh, a parent, sums up, “In an era when children are being served violence, sex and unethical practices by multimedia tools, it is heartening to see that Swami Hariharanand Pre-primary School is imparting moral and culture education. I have seen a positive change in my child. Now, other educational institutions should also follow suit”.

Dehradun, March 10
A lecture series, ‘Biologic-2011’, was organised by the Beehive Group of Colleges on the ONGC complex here today. The lecture series on biotechnology was held to create awareness among people and students about the basic concepts and recent advances in modern biology.

Amit Kapoor, Chairman of Beehive College, and Poornima Kapoor, former Managing Director of Beehive College, initiated the programme. The lecture series was funded by the Uttarakhand State Council for Sciences and Technology and the State Biotechnology Programme.

The chief guest on the occasion was Prakash Pant, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who inaugurated the workshop. Accompanying him was CS Mehta, Registrar of Uttarakhand Technical University, and Dr Ashok from Windlass Biotech as the guests of honour.

Lectures were given by Dr MS Chauhan, Principal Scientist, Animal Biotechnology Centre, Indri, Haryana, who is an expert in animal cloning.

Dr MK Tripathi, Senior Scientist, department of biotechnology, Central Institute of Agriculture Engineering (CIAE), Nabi Bagh, Bhopal, delivered a lecture on the topic, “Soyabean and Human Health”. Also, Prof AK Pant, Head of the department of agriculture chemistry, GB Pant University, Pant Nagar, and Dr Suamant Bahukhandi, Managing Director, GMP Pharma Institute, enlightened the students with their research and views while Dr R Prasad, Associate Professor, biotechnology division, IIT-Roorkee, talked on proteomics.

During the lecture series, a poster-making competition was also organised in which around 400 students from the well-known institutes of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh participated.

Also present on the occasion were Atul Kapoor, Executive Director, Beehive College, Dr Aftab Ahmad, Director of Beehive College, Khalid Hasan, Dean (Academics), Dr Vinod Kumar Dhatwalia and Dr Vishal Rajput, who were convener and co-convener, respectively, of the event, and Archana Sharma.

Dehradun, March 10
An all-round performance by Shekhar (80 runs and three wickets) sailed Himalayans to a four-wicket victory over Vikasnagar (A) in the ongoing District Cricket League underway at the Survey stadium, here today.

The Himalayan team won the toss and elected to field first, while Vikasnagar team batted in the first innings and made 202 runs. Rahul (71) made highest score in the first innings, along with Priyankal, who scored 55 runs.

In the second inning of the match, Himalayan Cricket Academy made 204 runs. Shekhar (80) and Nitin (37) managed to score well and made the team score respectable points.

While in the second match between ACA and C-Block, ACA team won by 214 runs. Tomorrow, Himalayan Team will face Doon Combined and Tanush will lock horns with Vikas Nagar.

Dehradun, March 10
Institute of Technology and Management (ITM) eked out a narrow 12-run win over Rajender Pal Cricket Academy (RPCA) during the Uttarakhand Twenty20 Big Bash here today on the Rangers’ College cricket ground.

ITM won the toss and opted to bat first. Riding high on the performance of Amit (61), the team set a target of 122 runs losing seven wickets in 20 overs. Shashank (19) and Harvinder (15) also got off to good starts, but couldn’t capitalise on these.

Nominath and Titu scalped two wickets each for RPCA. Arsh and Gary got a wicket each.

In reply, RPCA put up a good fight, but fell short by 12 runs. The team was bundled out in 18 overs.

Anshul (41) and Titu (18) were the main contributors for RPCA. Harvinder and Shahzad of ITM bagged a rich haul of three wickets each.