Gayatri Parivar Centenary Celebrations
Spectacular kalash yatra taken out
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News service

Haridwar, November 6
A massive kalash yatra today heralded the commencement of the centenary celebrations of Shantikunj-Akhil Bharatiya Gayatri Parivar.

Presenting a unique example of brotherhood, a large number of Muslim devotees too participated in the 7-km procession. Women from Europe taking part in the yatra gave it a global touch.

Women from several states, including host Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, participated in the yatra, which, according to the local people, was the biggest such procession in recent times in Haridwar.

A whopping 24,000 saffron-clad women led the procession which saw a turnout of more than a lakh participants. A helicopter showered flower petals on the women carrying traditional clay pots on their heads. It was an occasion reminiscent of the royal processions of different akhadas carried out during the Maha Kumbh.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat and Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik also took part in the procession which started from a yagyashala situated at Laljiwala.

Two other similar processions were also taken out from Shantikunj-Bhooptawala and the BHEL areas. These later merged with the main kalash procession at Braham Kund, Har-ki-Pauri. Later at the yagyashala, religious rituals were performed with the water fetched from the holy Ganga.

The procession included 17 tableaus depicting the life, struggle and philosophy of social reformer Pt Acharya Shri Ram Sharma.

Accompanying the procession were 11,000 artists, 108 musical bands, 1,551 priests, 1,008 brahamcharis, 108 conch blowers, 2,001 dhapli players, 501 motorcyclists, 501 bicyclists and 108 vehicles carrying portraits and signages on Acharya Shri Ram Sharma’s life.

Presenting diversified culture of different states of the country, 51 cultural troupes enthralled the bystanders with folk items. Lending melody to the occasion were shehnai, mridang and flute artistes.

Addressing the devotees at the yagyashala, chief of the Vishwa Gayatri family, Dr Pranav Pandya, termed the mass participation in the procession as an indication of people’s interest in the philosophy of the Gayatri family which augurs well for society.

“The yellow colour on the kalash personifies sanctity and good thoughts which disseminate in society as the Sun’s rays reflect from them. We hope this is the dawn of a new era of simplicity, ethics, morality, truth, peace and mutual harmony,” said Dr Pandya.

For next three days a variety of programmes will be taking place at the venue of the celebrations at Laljiwala-Rodibelwala, that falls in the Kumbh mela zone.

A “kala manch” has been erected where artistes from across the country will be making their presentations while at the “vichar manch” dignitaries and orators will be addressing the people.

A book and khadi exhibition is on at the venue. A huge 1,551 hawankund yagyashala has been set up while the whole mela area falling in the mountainous terrain between the Mata Mansa Devi and Mata Chandi Devi shrines adjacent to the Ganga has been beautifully decorated and 
illuminated.

An ideal example of communal harmony
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 6
Though Haridwar is known worldwide as a Hindu pilgrimage centre, the city has a substantial population of Muslims too and both the communities have been living peacefully here for centuries.

This strong mutual bond was further strengthened today with a large number of Muslim brothers enthusiastically participating in the kalash procession organised as part of the 100th birth anniversary of the Gayatri family founder Pt Shri Ram Sharma.

Clad in their traditional attire, the Muslims participated in the procession which passed through the inner lanes of the city, along the Har-ki-Pauri Kumbh Mela zone.

The local Muslims and the members of the World Organisation of Religion and Knowledge termed their participation as an event that would spread out the message of communal harmony and peace throughout the world.

Later, an interactive session was organised at Shantikunj where the Muslim and Hindu orators highlighted the works of the Gayatri family and the mutual aspects that both the religion teach.

Chairperson of the organisation Sayyed Abdullah Tarik said an era was heralding where humanity, peace and development would reign making people realise that for trifle issues dividing people and sects had done only harm to society.

The religious guru also termed the principles of the Gayatri family almost similar to those as taught by Islam and also related three Islamic ayaets of “Sureha Fateha” almost same as the meaning of Gayatri Mantra in Hinduism.

Recently, the Gayatri family started its publication “Yug Sahitya”, carrying the teachings of Acharya Shri Ram Sharma, in Urdu too. Tomorrow, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha, the Muslim brothers will be attending the various programmes of the celebrations after performing the Eid rituals.

Gauri Shankar Sharma, coordinator of the convention, termed the mass participation of the Muslims as historical and said it was the impact of Acharya Shri Ram Sharma’s teaching. He urged all the communities to work for communal harmony.

DM refuses to chair banks’ meeting
Says they have not complied with his orders on making kisan credit cards
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 6
Irked over non-compliance of his orders on making kisan credit cards by the local banks, Pithoragarh District Magistrate R Rajesh Kumar refused to chair the quarterly district-level review meeting of the local banks scheduled for Saturday.

Chief Development Officer Ashok Kumar also followed the DM and did not join the meeting as he was also irked over non-compliance of his orders by the banks to finance the various government schemes in the district to create employment.

According to the officials, the District Magistrate told the lead bank officer, who had gone to invite him to chair the meet, that until the banks in the district completed the work of making 4,800 kisan credit cards the target set by the administration for the first phase of the programme, he will not chair the meeting of the banks.

“We informed the District Magistrate that the nodal officer nominated by the district administration to make the kisan credit cards didn’t fill in the forms of the beneficiaries properly due to which the work could not be completed in time,” said Upendra Chand, lead bank officer of the district.

“Not only have the banks neglected the making of kisan credit cards but also take no interest in financing various government schemes, resulting in non-achievement of the assigned targets of these schemes,” said the District Magistrate when contacted by this correspondent.

The District Magistrate warned the banks that until they complied with the orders of the district administration on completing the development projects assigned under various plans, he would not chair the committee meeting. “Despite repeated appeals, the local banks have only made 250 kisan credit cards so far against the target of making 4,800 cards in the district,” said Ashok Kumar, Chief Development Officer of the district.

The kisan credit cards are the instrument in the hands of the farmers to obtain cheap loans and to get free crop-insurance facility.

Mussoorie chowk gets facelift
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, November 6
Indramani Badoni Chowk, near the Rialto cinema house in Kulri Bazar, has got a new look with ornamental lights and a fountain having been set up there. The credit goes to the members of “Mall Beautiful” and Nirankari Mission.

Badoni Chowk with fancy lights stands out proudlybasking in its newfound glory. The newly added flower pots, ornamental lights and gushing water from the fountain has enhanced the beauty of the area and has become an attraction for tourists.

The traders of the area, after witnessing its disintegration due to the negligence of the Municipal Council, took the onus on them and formed an association called Mall Beautiful. That’s how the chowk got a facelift.

Following that, they approached MC president OP Uniyal and offered their services to maintain and beautify the whole area. The offer was gleefully accepted by the MC president. He also decided that it would pay monthly electricity bills incurred on running of the fountains.

The members of the Mall Beautiful, energised after the green signal, approached spiritual head of Nirankari mission Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj early this year for the financial assistance which was readily approved as Baba who himself is an ardent advocate of clean and green Mussoorie.

Harnam Singh, member of the Mall beautiful, said the work of beautification was still on and they were planning to upgrade more such sites in the area with the help of the mission.

Sunil Arora, another member of the Mall Beautiful, said, “We should not always remain dependent on the Municipal Council for everything and the citizens of the town should contribute in making our town more beautiful.”

Govt defers formation of new districts

Dehradun, November 6
The Uttarakhand Government has deferred the formation of four new districts in the poll-bound hill state and appointed a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to study the matter further.

“The report on the formation of four new districts will be submitted to the government shortly,” Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar told mediapersons after a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister BC Khanduri here yesterday.

Former CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, in his Independence Day speech, had announced the formation of the four new districts of Ranikhet, Didihaat, Kotdwar and Yamunotri.

In another development, the government has decided to regularise the services of 24,000 contractual employees provided they have completed 10 years of service in their respective departments. — PTI

Cong spokesperson blames BJP for weak Lokayukta
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 6
Surender Aggarwal, spokesperson for the Uttarakhand Congress, has blamed the state government for coming up with a “weak” Lokayukta Bill to hoodwink the people of the state.

In a statement issued here yesterday, Aggarwal alleged that the provision of the Bill to have unanimity among all five members of the Lokayukta to take action against any politician or bureaucrat was a clever ploy to save corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in the state.

Surender Aggarwal further said the state government, led by Chief Minister BC Khanduri, was in a tearing hurry to come up with a Lokayukta Bill but the provisions of the Bill clearly pointed out that it would be difficult to bring unanimity on taking action against the culprits.

He said there should be a majority vote in taking action against any corrupt politician or bureaucrat. He said the suggestions given by Congress legislators were ignored by the state government, which only wanted to hog the limelight by proclaiming itself as the cleanest government.

However, he alleged that the state BJP government in the past four and half years had proved to be the most corrupt government involved in various scandals, whether it was the Maha Kumbh scandal, Citurgia land scandal or irregularities in the allotment of hydroelectric projects.

Aggarwal alleged that the BJP state government had been trying to create technical hurdles in the proposed Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line.

He said the state government, by delaying land transfer for the project, could put hurdles in the project that had far reaching effects on the development of the entire region.

Giving selfless service docs’ duty, says Khanduri
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 6
“The medical care or treatment is perhaps one service which is always in demand and selfless service to the mankind is the sole responsibility of a doctor,” said Chief Minister B C Khanduri during the inaugural function of the annual convention at Uttaranchal Dental and Medical Research Institute, here today.

Khanduri, who was the chief guest on the occasion, appealed to the passing out students to never take their profession as a stand for money making. He said a competent doctor should selflessly dedicate himself to alleviate human ailments and diseases. He also said the doctors should spread awareness about mouth cancer and other dental ailments caused due to the use of tobacco.

Principal of the institute Dr Ashwani Dobhal also talked about the challenges the students would face in future and gave tips to tackle with them.

Save us from monkeys, say Almora residents
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 6
Residents of Almora town and villages on its periphery are facing a crisis of sorts with regard to the menace caused by monkeys.

They are learnt to have written to Chief Minister BC Khanduri seeking his intervention in the matter.

A large number of residents marched to the District Collectorate this evening, where they handed over a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister to a representative of the local administration.

The residents said the monkeys had become a major threat to the security of schoolchildren and women. They even resort to snatching articles from people and even resort to biting them. The people are literally living in fear of the apes.

The agitated people also pointed out that the monkeys were wreaking havoc on agricultural produce. The simians were also involved in damaging a major portion of the crops.

The people have stated that the horticultural produce in the area has been destroyed by the monkeys on a very large scale. They have asked the Chief Minister to give directions to the officials to take immediate steps to address their problem.

Proposed Didihat dist to be rich in hydro power
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 6
The proposed district of Didihat will be one of the richest districts in the country from the point of view of hydro-power potential and will be able to generate 18,175 MW if the hydro-power potential of the district is properly explored, according to S Kalgaunkar, General Manager, Dhauliganga Hydro Power Project, Dharchula, which will become part of Didihat district after the new district is notified.

“The proposed district has 16 hydroelectric projects within a 100-km radius,” said S Kalgaonkar.

According to sources, if the proposed hydroelectric projects of 3358 MW of capacity are constructed in the near future, the proposed district will be the highest power-generating district in the country. “Out of these 16 hydroelectric projects, five generating 1255 MW are with the NHPC. These could only be started after the road being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) up to India-China border is constructed,” said Kalgaonkar.

At present, the proposed district is generating only 280 MW of hydroelectricity from the lone project of the NHPC at Dhauliganga in Dharchula subdivision of Pithoragarh district. The notification for the new district is expected to be issued on November 9.

Build proper abattoirs in urban areas: Admn
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 6
The Udham Singh Nagar administration has ordered that proper slaughter houses be built in all urban areas on a priority basis.

District Magistrate PS Jangpangi has asked the Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr MS Nayal, to carry out a survey of all Pashu Seva Sadans in the district and get them properly registered. The list of these sadans is to be submitted to the police and the municipal bodies across the district.

Nayal has also been entrusted with the task of carrying out an awareness drive regarding the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and it has been underlined that special camps be organised for the purpose.

At a meeting of the district-level committee addressing the issue of cruelty to animals held recently at Rudrapur, Jangpangi said the slaughter of animals at meat shops itself was the biggest form of cruelty against them. He said apart from the act being inhuman, it was also unhygienic for the people living in the vicinity of such shops.

He has asked executive officers of the municipal bodies in different parts of the district to identify land for the construction of slaughter houses and proceed with the construction project on a priority basis. He said separate slaughter houses be built for small and big animals.

Jangpangi said once the slaughter houses were commissioned, it must be ensured that even chicken was not slaughtered in meat shops and stringent action be taken against those violating the slaughter norms.

Nayal and other officials have been asked to put into place a proper system of slaughter and the sale of meat in the rural areas of the district.

At the same time, it has been ordered that executive officers must ensure that shops selling meat were kept neat. They have also been asked to undertake an exercise for the registration of animals after a proper survey. The registration is to be done by organising camps after the survey is over.

Police officials have been asked to take strict action against those involved in meting out cruel treatment to the animals.

Schoolchildren yet to get free textbooks
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 6
Despite tall claims by the government of having brought about a qualitative change in the pathetic state of education in the state, the existing conditions are far from these claims.

A latest example that highlights the prevailing scenario is the fact that at various places, children studying in government schools are appearing for half-yearly examinations when they have not even received free books that the government was supposed to have made available to them.

According to information, children studying in government schools were supposed to have got free textbooks in April when the session began. These books were initially not available on technical grounds like the delay in printing and transportation. After a delay of four months, the distribution of books started but there are still several schools where children are yet to receive books of the core subjects. Several such reports have been coming from the Bhimtal block of Nainital district alone.

This has led to a major resentment among parents, who say that they are helpless on account of their residence being in the remote areas. They have no option but to get their wards admitted to government schools, where conditions are simply pathetic.

According to reports, the issue was taken up at a meeting of the Bhimtal Panchayat Committee recently and officials had promised to put things on track within a month. However, nothing has been done so far.

On the eve of Diwali, when Education Minister Matbar Singh Kandari had been confronted with the issue of textbooks not reaching children who are now appearing for half-yearly exams, he had dismissed the charge. When he was told that there are several such schools in the Bhimtal area alone where such a scenario is prevalent, he had promised to look into the matter. But as usual, nothing seems to have been done by him.

The angry parents are now seeking action against those officials who are responsible for the present situation.

Earlier, there had been complaints of schoolchildren getting ill-fitting free uniforms as no one had bothered to take the measurement of children for whom the dresses had been meant.

Youth’s naked body found
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 6
Panic gripped residents of Garjia village on the outskirts of Ramnagar after the body of a youth was found in the area. On Saturday, passersby saw the naked body lying close to the road near a bridge.

It is suspected that the youth might have been murdered and dumped at an isolated spot by miscreants. Though the body bore no injury marks, there is evidence of blood having oozed out from his nose.

The youth is said to be in the late 20s. Sanju is tattooed on his right arm.

Besides this, there are four other tattoos on his body, including that of a scorpion and a snake on one of his shoulders.