Anti-liquor crusaders of Tehri Garhwal a worried lot
Mussoorie, December 26
The villagers from Tehri Garhwal district, who have achieved a major success in fighting against the scourge of alcohol consumption since the past several years, are a worried lot with the announcement of the election date in the state.

Liquor vendors flout norms Mussoorie, December 26 Liquor vendors of the town are selling liquor even after the prescribed hours and that too only a few yards away from the Kulri police outpost here. The vendors were seen selling liquor at the stores specifically near Green Chowk and Picture Palace for the past two days without any fear of the police. Liquor sale on at a vend even after stipulated time near Green Chowk in Mussoorie.

Rajasthan Calling Festival from Dec 30
Dehradun, December 26
To attract domestic tourists from the hill state of Uttarakhand, the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, is organising a three-day Rajasthan Calling Festival from December 30 to January 1, 2012, for the first time in Dehradun.

Dumping of waste into Bhagirathi harming river, environs
Our correspondent

Mussoorie, December 26
The continuous dumping of waste material from the pumping storage project into the Bhagirathi is not only endangering the life of the river and damaging banks but also polluting the environment. This has agitated ecologists and activists alike in New Tehri.

The collected debris from the storage project site under construction is being dumped into the Bhagirathi near the Koteshwar dam owned by the THDC. The authorities have indicated the dumping spaces on papers but no step has yet been taken to check this. The constant flow of traffic and heavy vehicles has also raised the level of noise and become a nuisance for villagers, who are having difficulty in sleeping at night.

According to leader of Matu Jansanghtan Vimal Bhai, who has been fighting for the right of the dam-affected people, the Ministry of Environment and Forests had directed the Bhagirathi Management Authority in July 1980 to manage the entire valley and look after the environmental concerns. But the authority has failed completely in the task assigned to it, thus leading to environmental damage in the area.

Vimal Bhai has blamed the state pollution control board and the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the sorry state of affairs concerning the Bhagirathi river. The ministry has failed to keep vigilance and preserve the fragile environment, thus putting the very existence of the river at stake.

THDC General Manager A. Govil, speaking to the media, denied that the waste material was being disposed of in the Bagirathi river and maintained that the authorities were dumping it at the designated site only. However, the picture of the site has a different story to tell.

Widening of Chakrata Road
37 more buildings razed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
As many as 37 buildings housing shops and residences were demolished today as part of the second phase of the demolition drive on the Chakrata road. The drive went off peacefully.

As the drive will continue for the next two days to demolish 20 more shops, including houses, the road will remain closed to traffic. Today, traffic was diverted to Garhi Cantt, Prince Chowk, Saharnpur and the Kanwali road.

There was heavy deployment of police personnel. Traffic personnel had also been deputed to control traffic on the road. A large number of people and mediapersons were also present on the occasion. The drive began with the demolition of Singh Brother.

By the evening, 37 shops had been demolished. Later in the evening, work related to the removal of the debris began. An area of 100 m was cleared on Monday.

Anti-liquor crusaders of Tehri Garhwal a worried lot
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, December 26
The villagers from Tehri Garhwal district, who have achieved a major success in fighting against the scourge of alcohol consumption since the past several years, are a worried lot with the announcement of the election date in the state.

The announcement has instilled fear among the villagers that it could lead to increase in liquor consumption due to open offers from various political parties in the state.

The villagers, especially women folk, believe that with the announcement of the election date, the campaign period this time will be of a shorter duration, and being winter month, the political parties will try to make full use of the opportunity by enticing the voters through a free flow of alcohol.

The youth who have made an effort of staying away from liquor would be attracted to such freebies, bringing the movement started by mangal dals (self-help groups) to eradicate alcohol from their village back to square one.

The villagers from Chamba,Thauldhar, Pratap Nagar and Kempty in the hill district of the Tehri Garhwal region, who were excited till now at their success in reducing the liquor consumption level by invoking a ban on serving liquor during any festival or marriage ceremony through gram panchayat diktats, are now a worried lot.

They have demanded that the Election Commission should direct the district administration to check on such practice and initiate strict action against the “perpetrators of the crime against democracy.”

Liquor vendors flout norms
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, December 26
Liquor vendors of the town are selling liquor even after the prescribed hours and that too only a few yards away from the Kulri police outpost here. The vendors were seen selling liquor at the stores specifically near Green Chowk and Picture Palace for the past two days without any fear of the police.

The residents of the area believe that it is happening in connivance with the police department as the liquor mafias have filled the pockets the police personnel on duty at the Kulri police outpost.

When the reporter tried to enquire about the reason behind opening the shop beyond the prescribed hours, the vendors said the fresh stock was being unloaded so they had to keep the store open beyond the stipulated time.

Excise Department officials said the unloading was not allowed during the prescribed hours and it should have been done when the shops remain close for sale. The officials also assured that they would look into the matter and initiate action against those found guilty.

Rajasthan Calling Festival from Dec 30
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
To attract domestic tourists from the hill state of Uttarakhand, the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, is organising a three-day Rajasthan Calling Festival from December 30 to January 1, 2012, for the first time in Dehradun.

The festival, which will be held on the premises of Shagun Hall, Nala Pani Chowk, Sahastradhara Road, is part of the Rajasthan Tourism Department’s domestic tourism promotion campaign “Rajasthan Calling” to be held in 22 major cities, including Gurgaon, Kotchi, Madurai, Coimbatore, Rajkot, Mumbai, Vadodra, Surat , Kolkatta, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana and Chandigarh.

“The major reason for organising the festival in Dehradun is to give a feel of Rajasthan and facilitate a better understanding about the state and provide complete information and showcase the Rajasthan traditional culture and the exquisite range of Rajasthani handicraft products and Rajasthani delicacies. The major highlight of the festival will be live Rajasthani folk performance and the traditional Rajasthani food court,” said Usha Sharma, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Tourism, Government of Rajasthan.

The food court will have stalls serving famous dal baati choorma, famous Rajasthan kachori’s, mirchi bada and traditional sweets. Folk music and dances presented on the occasion include langas, kalbelia dance, treatoli and many more.

“With 13.78 lakh foreign and 255 lakh domestic tourist arrivals in 2010, Rajasthan is easily one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in India.

The state’s popularity is primarily owing to its incredible tourism products, rich heritage, forts, palaces, lakes, colourful and lively fairs and festivals, golden sand dunes and rich wildlife,” said Sharma.