Dehradun, June 26
Congress MLA Kishore Upadhayaya, an occupant of the accommodation meant for ministers, was today forcibly evicted from a government bungalow at Yamuna Colony, after a police crackdown. However, some of the Congress leaders led by the leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat tried to create commotion, but ultimately bowed to the police pressure as they were taken into custody and released later.

Kishore Upadhayaya was allotted a minister’s residence at Yamuna Colony during the ND Tiwari government in Uttarakhand in 2002. He was dropped as minister, but continued to stay in the ministerial bungalow. Even after the change of the government in 2007 in the state, Kishore Upadhayaya continued to stay in the accommodation. This despite the repeated pleas to him to vacate the accommodation and shift to the MLAs’ Hostel. But, Upadhayaya did not relent, which resulted in today’s action.

A police contingent reached Yamuna Colony early this morning and started removing the belongings of Kishore Upadhayaya. On knowing of police action, Harak Singh Rawat rushed to the spot and staged a dharna on the gate with other Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, justifying police action, Uttarakhand State Media Advisory Committee chairman Devendra Bhasin elaborated upon reasons which forced the administration to take such actions.

“Kishore Upadhyaya was served with eviction notices four times. March 13, 2007, February 5, 2008, December 19, 2008, and February 3, 2009. But he did not vacate the house”, Bhasin said.

The administration has filed a case against his eviction in the court of city magistrate on January 18, 2010, and his eviction was ordered on March 30, 2011.

Bhasin said a protocol officer himself had met Kishore Upadhayaya asking him to vacate the premises. But the latter refused, following which the Dehradun city magistrate was urged by the protocol officer to take necessary action.

He also held that there was no justification on part of the leader of the opposition and other Congress leaders to oppose the eviction. Bhasin said they were to be arrested as they had tried to create obstacle in the conduct of the government work. He also held that MLA Upadhayaya’s belongings had been shifted to MLAs’ hostel.

He said now the vacated house would be allotted to minister Khazan Das, who has been living in a rented accommodation for long.

Interestingly, apart from Harak Singh Rawat, only one MLA Dinesh Agarwal took part in the dharna at Yamuna Colony. They were joined by Dehradun city leaders Devendra Sethi, Harish Virmani, Lalchand Sharma and Kamlesh Raman. The protesters who sat at the gate of Yamuma Colony house were forcibly removed by the police officials.

Dehradun, June 26
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has tightened its noose around Patanjali Yogpeeth general secretary Balkrishan on the alleged fake passport issue.

Acting on the directions of their counterparts in Lucknow, CBI sleuths in Dehradun late late night registered a case against Balkrishan. The case has been registered under the Passport Act as Balkrishan is accused of holding a fake passport, an allegation repeatedly denied by the Pantanjali Yogpeeth.

Sources reveal that after registering of the case, the investigating agency has even started doing the ground work for the probe. There are allegations that Balkrishan is a citizen of Nepal and holds a fake Indian passport. But Balakrishna denies these allegations. He claims that he was born to Nepali parents in India and has legally obtained the passport. The CBI is expected to take into its possession all documents concerned within a day or two. 

Dehradun, June 26
Members of the Uttarakhand State Congress held a one-day fast to draw attention on issues related to cleanliness of the Ganges, illegal mining and environment and concluded it by paying homage to Swami Nigmanand today.

State vice-president and former minister Heera Singh Bisht said they expressed sadness on the sudden demise of the Swami Nigmanand who had been associated with the State Congress Ganges Campaign. Bisht also added that the death of Nigmanand was a slap on the face of the BJP which tried to garner cheap publicity by starting the Ganga Sparsh Abhiyan. He asked for a CBI inquiry in this matter.

State vice-president Nav Prabhat criticised the neglect of the state government in providing proper treatment to Nigmanand, saying that on the one hand, the government showed unprecedented preparedness in the Ganga campaign and, on the other hand, it overlooked the deteriorating health of Nigmanand, who was connected to the core of the Ganges at the ground level.

Subodh Uniyal, state vice-president, said the public of the state would never forget the sacrifice of Swami Nigmanand, nor the carelessness of the BJP government in this regard.

State spokesperson Rajiv Mahrishi attacked the state government for spending crores of rupees through the Ganga Sparsh programme and making BJP actress Hema Malini as its brand ambassador. He said, “The BJP continued to make rounds of the hospital to take political mileage by tending to ailing Baba Ramdev, but had no time to see Sant Nigmanand who was also observing a continuous fast”.

District president Deen Mohd said the death of Nigmanand would prove a last nail in the coffin of the BJP.

Spokesperson Surender Arya, Mahender Singh, Sanjay Sharma, Vivekanand Khanduri, Gulab Singh also aired their views.

Nainital, June 26
The “Sarkar Janata ke Dwar-Atal Chaupal” programme is turning out to be nothing more than a programme dominated by the political propaganda of the ruling BJP government in the state.

Under the programme, the government, led by Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, has deputed chairpersons of various boards and corporations along with others holding various political posts in different semi-government and government bodies to go to villages designated as Atal Adarsh Grams and resolve the matters brought to their notice on the spot. Instead, the chaupals are becoming nothing better than an opportunities for these political appointees to make long speeches that are purely political in nature. This correspondent went to attend one such chaupal held at Khurpatal on Saturday where Vice-Chairman of the Minor Irrigation Committee Raghunath Singh Chauhan and Chairman of the Haj Committee Shamim Alam were present.

For almost two hours, these two leaders went ahead with attacking the Congress regime at the Centre and singing praises of Ramesh Pokhariyal. Every contemporary political issue targeting the Centre was taken up by them be it the 2G Spectrum scandal, the irregularities in organising Commonwealth Games and inflation. This diatribe was followed by the description of various schemes launched by the state government and singing its praises.

The people only got to speak after that. The dais had local BJP leaders sitting along with certain officials and the two political appointees holding the chaupal. To make matters worse, several representatives of different government departments had not turned up and those who had come were themselves not aware of the government programmes.

On a couple of occasions, those holding the chaupal were left red faced when the people related that they were yet to receive benefits of a couple of schemes. For example, when the issue of mobile hospitals came up, the people pointed that the hospital visited Bhimtal once a month which was a distance of almost 28 km from Khurpatal. They said on the way to Bhimtal they had the option of visiting two hospitals located in Nainital itself.Similarly, when Chauhan was praising the government for giving free books and two uniforms to students till Class VIII, the people pointed out that the uniforms for students enrolled in Class VI had not been given till now. They also raised the issues pertaining to the Right to Education (RTE), stating that they were not getting forms for getting their wards enrolled in public schools. ASHA workers, who are agitating for a better remuneration, also put the two leaders to embarrassment. 

Dehradun, June 26
Waking up from deep slumber, the office of Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, has issued necessary directives to all forest department offices for better upkeep of tranquiliser guns and the training of the staff in handling these guns.

The directives came at a time when most of the tranquiliser guns with the forest department were either not in working condition or without trained staff.

In a strong-worded letter to all Forest Conservators and Directors of the protected areas, SK Chandola, Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, said in the face of incidents of man-animal conflict, the department required tranquiliser guns, which were often found misfit or unavailable at the place of requirement, thus proving detrimental to the wildlife rescue operations.

The tranquiliser gun status report released by the PCCF, Wildlife, also reveals that many of the tranquiliser guns, mostly of Tele Inject make, are not in the working position. There are a total of 27 tranquiliser guns with the forest department that include 12 guns in forest division while 15 are with the protected areas.

It was pointed out that two tranquiliser guns in the Corbett National Park and one in Rajaji National Park offices was not in working condition and need to be repaired at the earliest. Similarly, there was no employee trained to operate tranquiliser gun in the Yamuna forest circle.

The PCCF, Wildlife, has suggested training some forest officials at the Wildlife Institute of India.

The expiry of tranquiliser drug also needs to be ascertained so that outdated drug is not put to usage as it could put the life of animal in danger. Further, it must be safeguarded adequately. 

Dehradun, June 26
Aiming at increasing the income of farmers in the state, the Uttarakhand government is promoting the cultivation of anwala (gooseberry) in view of its high medicinal value.

State Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said a campaign had been launched in rural areas of the hill state under which the villagers were being told to grow and exploit the crop of 'anwala' in a planned manner so that it could help increase their income.

Rawat said if Anwala trees were grown on an area of 1,200 sq feet, they could generate at least Rs 5,000 per annum. Under the campaign, anwala trees would be grown on 10 hectares of land in 13 districts of the state, he added.

Trifala powder, Aarogyavardhani vati, Raktashodhak vati, Guggul, Chitraharitiki Avleh, Chyawanprash, shampoo, oil and hair dyes were some of the ayurvedic products in which anwala was used, the minister said.

The farmers in Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Rudraprayag, Dehradun, Chamoli, Nainital, Champawat, Pauri, Tehri and Almora were involved in the production of anwala, he added. — PTI

Dehradun, June 26
The wholesale price of brinjal will be the maximum ranging between Rs 950 and 1,200 per quintal in September, according to an econometric analysis conducted by scientists of the Pantnagar-based GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology.

According to the survey conducted under the project, “Establishing and networking of agricultural market intelligence centres in India”, brinjal is expected to fetch price in the range of Rs 550-750 per qunital in October and Rs 550 to 650 per quintal in November.

Keeping in view the approaching sowing season of brinjal, a research team of the university varsity conducted a market survey at Haldwani regulated market, a major market for brinjal in Uttarakhand, and analysed it on the basis of the price data prevailing for the past 21 years in this market.

The scientists have also advised farmers to decide the area under the brinjal crop after considering the forecast price of brinjal as well as other climatic conditions suitable for the crop.

Since during this period consumers prefer round-shaped brinjal, this point may also be taken into consideration while planning brinjal cultivation for the coming season, the scientists said, adding that, October and November were the major arrival months of brinjal.

India ranks second in the world with respect to the area and production of brinjal, which contributes around 27 per cent of the world’s production. This crop is grown over 6 lakh hectares in India.

Major brinjal growing states in the country are West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which together account for about 94 per cent of India’s production.

In Uttarakhand, brinjal is mainly grown in the plains. It is grown on an area of 1,685 hectares in the state. Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital are the four major brinjal-producing districts and constituted about 60 per cent of the total production in the state during 2009-10.

The peak period of round-shaped brinjal arrival to market is October to November though it starts arriving to the market in August and lasts up to January. — PTI 

Dehradun , June 26
Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva has said that imbibing the values of truth, non-violence, harmony and love can help combat the dark forces of violence and negativism, and establish a long-lasting peace in society and the world.

Speaking at the platinum jubilee celebrations of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University at Prabhu Uphar in Subhash Nagar here yesterday, the Governor said the present situation demanded that they understood the importance of spiritual re-awakening and moral values.

“India’s age-old tradition and core values should govern our present lifestyles and conduct, especially in politics, which should not be propelled by narrow considerations of caste, community and religion,” she said.

The Governor said there was a need to provide a new direction to world peace and development.

“The efforts of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University in the direction of world peace are reflected in its teachings on the value of respect for ourselves, our parents, neighbours, elders and the environment. World peace can be possible only through the re-establishment of moral values,” she said.

The Governor said remarkably high and dignified status of women in Brahma Kumaris’ World Spiritual University was a recognised fact and as the original members were primarily women, their sensibilities have contributed in very important ways to the ideology of the movement.

Complimenting the global women-led spiritual organisation having 9n000 centres in 137 countries for 'fostering a dynamic new campaign to create personal peace in an ever-increasing global climate of chaos and change', the Governor said that the Brahma Kumaris were also rendering exemplary service to society in the fields of education, disaster response and health outreach.

On the occasion, the Governor also paid homage to Prajapita Brahma, the founder of the Brahma Kumaris movement, and complimented the Brahma Kumaris for their meditation and Yoga display. Earlier, the Governor inaugurated the proceedings by lighting the ceremonial lamp.

Dehradun, June 26
The proposed self-financed courses at MKP PG College, Dehradun, have failed to take off. The reason: the government had announced to give Rs 30 lakh to the college in this regard, but the authorities have not received the funds so far.

Following this, the proposed self-financed courses, including MSc (microbiology) and MSc (bio-chemistry), are yet to see the light of the day.

“We are yet to get the funds from the government,” said Jitender Negi, secretary of the MKP Managing Committee, adding that, “We had planned to start these courses from the 2011-12 session, but it is impossible till the funds are received.”

Meanwhile, the college will introduce the semester system for all postgraduate courses to reduce long-term yearly examinations process. “We will have to follow the directives of HNB Garhwal University in this regard. The faculty is busy designing the syllabi of different semesters in collaboration with university professors,” said Indu Singh, Principal, MKP PG College. 

Dehradun, June 26
Gorkha Rangers, Vijay Cantt and the Akranta Football Club won their respective matches in the Lala Nemi Dass Memorial District Football League played at the Pavilion ground here today.

In the first match, Gorkha Rangers defeated Uttarakhand Tigers 2-1. It was Uttarakhand Tigers who took the initiative by scoring the first goal through Parni in the 3rd minute of the game. But Gorkha Rangers equalised through an excellent goal by Shiva in the 25th minute.

It was Shiva again who scored his second goal of the match in the 50th minute to win the game for his team.

In the second match, Vijay Cantt team defeated Doon Challengers by 4-0. It was Arjun who scored the first goal in the 21st minute followed by another goal by Nitin in the 40th minute. It was Ankur who scored two more goals in the 60th and the 68th minute to make the score 4-0 in favour of Vijay Cantt team.

In the last match of the day, Akranta Club defeated Rising Star Club 3-0. Since the start of the match, Akranta Club dominated the game. It was Ravinder who scored for Akranta in the 2nd minute of the game. Saurab Pal scored the second goal for his team in the 9th minute and again scored his second goal of the match in the 58th minute to make it 3-0. 

Pithoragarh, June 26
A summer theatre workshop for children that began on June 19 by “Gatha”, a leading theatre group of the district, concluded today with teaching of mime and movements by the experts.

Bhupesh Joshi, a senior theatre artist from Sri Ram Centre of Performing Arts, New Delhi, conducted the workshop. “Besides mime and movements, the children were also taught voices and speeches, besides improvisation exercises for expression of their theatrical qualities and their enhancement,” Joshi said.

According to “Gatha” officials, their troupe has been conducting workshops in the town from the last five years and has been helpful in providing many theatrical qualities to children.

“We also train children in drawing, painting, creative arts, mask making and scriptwriting in our workshops by experts and renowned personalities of Indian theatre,” said Bhupesh Joshi, a graduate from Bharatendu Natya Academy, Lucknow.

According to Joshi, in the last one year the “Gatha” has also started performing in Lucknow and Delhi. “We staged “Kagar ki Aag” in New Delhi on January 20 this year. The play depicted how a Pahari Dalit woman is exploited by her own family and society,” Joshi said.

“Another presentation by our group was in March at Lucknow where we staged a Sanskrit play ‘Charudattam’. The drama depicts how a philanthropic donor king sacrifices everything for his love for a prostitute,” Joshi said. 

Dehradun, June 26
Ashok Pandhi was elected president of the Dehra Dun Club in a very keen contest against his friend and rival Devender Singh Mann, owner of the Doon International School in the elections held last evening.

The results were declared after midnight on Sunday by returning officer Chitranjan Trivedi. A total of 869 members exercised their franchise with Pandhi getting 454 votes while Mann’s tally was 415 votes — a difference of only 39.

It was for the second time that Ashok Pandhi was elected the president of the club. Earlier, he had served as president in 2003-04.

For the election of five members to the executive committee, there were only seven candidates in the fray. Deepak Oberoi, a first timer, topped the list of the successful candidates with 710 votes.

Dr Shobhit Durga (667), Dheeraj Agarwal (644), Romi Sawhney (637) and Amarjeet Singh Kochhar (Dodu) (578) were the other successful candidates.

Congratulating Ashok Pandhi on his victory, DS Mann said he accepted the verdict of the members and added that Pandhi was a very dear friend and that he would extend his whole-hearted support to him in making the club a better place.

As the results were announced, Pandhi was heartily congratulated by scores of members who had stayed on in the club to await the outcome of the keen contest or were on election duty.