Abide by model code of conduct, Mussoorie SDM tells parties
Mussoorie, December 27
With the announcement of the election dates, returning officer and SDM, Mussoorie, Jharna Kamthan, at a meeting held today directed officials and political parties alike to adhere to the model code of conduct set by the Election Commission.

Mussoorie, December 27
The delimitation of constituencies resulting in the addition of 8 more wards from Dehradun town has changed the electoral demography of the constituency that could radically affect the poll prospects of several candidates for the Mussoorie Assembly segment.

Apart from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has taken a lead over other parties by declaring Manoj Sharma as its candidate from Mussoorie, no other party has come out with the names of the candidates so far.

According to sources in the Congress, the three names that have made it to the final list of the probable candidates so far include two-time sitting MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, zila panchayat member from Bhagwantpur Nyaya Panchayat Godambari Thapli and Youth Congress leader Brijesh Navani. The name of former Mussoorie Municipal Council president ManMohan Singh Mall was also making rounds. He is also vying for the adjoining Dhanolty constituency and has opted out from Mussoorie. Jot Singh Gunsola and Godambari Thapli are the two strong candidates left in the fray for the Congress so far, according to party sources.

The political situation in the BJP has become more volatile with the new entry of Tika Rani Shah belonging to the royal Family from Tehri Garhwal, who is emerging as a strong contender for the ticket from Mussoorie. For Tika Rani Shah, the strong presence of the Gorkhali community and her being woman could tilt the balance in her favour from the Mussoorie constituency. The entry of Tika Rani Shah has changed the permutations and combinations of other candidates who have been nurturing the constituency for the past few years. The sitting MLA from Rajpur Ganesh Joshi and former Rajya Andolankari Samman Parishad president Ravinder Jugran are also in contention from Mussoorie and are leaving no stone unturned to convince the party for the ticket.

Regional party Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), panwar faction, is also witnessing a keen contest for the MLA ticket. The prominent names for the Mussoorie Assembly seat that have been received by the party are Pramila Rawat and Jaiprakash Kashyap.

The Left parties have not yet declared their candidates as yet and according to the sources, the last-minute discussion on forming a third front are still on and the clear picture will emerge only after December 29. The long list of the probables is making it difficult for the party leadership, which is still pondering on the names for the Mussoorie constituency, leaving the supporters guessing.

Dehradun, December 27
With no end in sight to the strike by the field employees of the GVK EMRI 108 emergency ambulance service, the management will now begun recruiting new emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and pilots to run the ambulances that are now stranded at different centres.

Its absence is being acutely felt in the hilly districts of the state, where there is the medical manpower shortage.

Since its inception, it has become a lifeline in the hilly districts of the state. “We have given an assurance to the striking employees that their demands will be met but we will need an additional budget of Rs 8 crore to fulfil them,” said Manish Tinku, state head of the emergency services.

The service has already managed to bring in 100 new EMTs and 80 new pilots.

The authorities said some of the demands of the field employees like their demand for reduction in service hours from 12 hours and 8 hours could not be worked out immediately. — TNS

Haridwar, December 27
A brawl between two teams occurred at the All-India Swami Shraddhanand National Hockey Tournament today. A verbal duel followed by a number of fouls, later turned into a a brawl midway the match between Uttarakhand Police and the hosts Gurukul Kangri University. The hockey sticks were used in the brawl while the Uttarakhand Police players threatened even the referees and match officials with dire consequences.

The match was halted midway and it was only after medical aid was given to some injured players and both the teams were pacified that the match resumed again.

Gurukul Kangri University Vice-Chancellor Swatntra Kumar condemned the violence between the two teams and urged the players to follow sporting ethics and live up to Swami Shraddhanand’s teachings.

Later, the managements of both the teams tendered their apologies to the organisers and promised them better behaviour by the players both on and off the field.

Meanwhile, this match was won by Gurukul Kangri University in a penalty shoot out as both the teams had failed to score a goal in the stipulated time.

In other matches, Core of Signal (Jalandhar) scored the highest number of goals in a single match in this whole tournament as they whipped DHA (Bareilly) 7-0.

Punjab National Bank also sailed into the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over DHA (Itawa). Yesterday, Northern Railway had beaten Shahabad Markandey 4-0 to enter the semifinals.

Officiating match officials and coordinators for today’s quarterfinals were Dr Raj Kumar Rawat, RKS Dagar, Kartar Singh, Shiv Kumar Chauhan, Nitin Chauhan, Amit Kumar Yogesh Shastri and Satya Prasad Bhatt.

Mussoorie, December 27
With the announcement of the election dates, returning officer and SDM, Mussoorie, Jharna Kamthan, at a meeting held today directed officials and political parties alike to adhere to the model code of conduct set by the Election Commission.

The returning officer also directed the officials to remove all hoardings and posters from the town without any delay. She also informed that the administration would take strict action in case of violation of any guidelines falling under the purview. Kamthan also said that pamphlets would not be allowed to be pasted on public property. Special permission will have to be taken from the returning officer before placing these on private properties, too.

If any political party was found violating the code of conduct, punitive action amounting to fine and imprisonment would be imposed against the erring candidate.

The printing press owners have also been directed to inform the returning officers at the district about the expenditure incurred and the number of posters and banners ordered by the candidates. Jharna Kamthan also directed the police personnel to keep a strict vigil on any violations and to act immediately.

Speaking on the usage of the public address system, she said that the candidates were permitted from 6 am till 10 pm, and not beyond that.

The SDM also took stock of the preparations for the New Year’s celebrations in Mussoorie and directed the officials from the Electricity, Water and Police Departments to be on guard till January .

The SDM directed the police personnel to deploy more force in the town at vantage points to stop hooliganism during the New Year’s celebration on the 31st.

She directed the officials to avoid any traffic congestion so that tourists did not have to face any convenience.

She sought help from the Hotel Association and traders for maintaining peace and decorum during the New Year’s celebrations. CO, Mussoorie, MS Pharaswan, Nayab Tehsildar Matadin, Adm. Officer Suryamani, Hotel Association members Ram Kumar and Madan Mohan Sharma, Mussoorie BJP president Roop Singh Kathait and others were present on the occasion.

Haridwar, December 27
The coveted Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited BHEL Inter-Unit Football Championship commenced here today at the main BHEL stadium. A total of 10 units of the public sector are participating in this championship, which is held annually in all the units of the company, cyclewise.

In the inaugural match of the day, Hyderabad and Jhansi locked horns with both teams resorting to mid-field possession with a pro-defensive strategy.

This was reflected in the first half as both the teams could make out just a couple of shots on goal, though the defenders and mid-fielders were busy all the time.

In the second half, a semi-aggressive approach paid for the Jhansi team as they scored two goals, while lone goal came from the Hyderabad team quite late, making Jhansi win by 2-1 margin.

The second day of the match was played between hosts Ranipur and Delhi, which turned out to be a one-sided match. Ranipur players not only had a 70 pc ball possession but also played majorly in the half of the Delhi team, eventually scoring five goals.

Delhi team players looked out of touch and experience as they lost the match 5-0 when the referee blew the final whistle after 90 minutes of play.

Tiruchi team against Jagdishpur achieved almost a similar 4-0 result, whereas Madras team netted two goals to secure a win against Bangalore.

Earlier, BHEL Managing Director Virendra Pandhi inaugurated the sporting event, emphasising the need of having gamesmanship and physical fitness among employees.

Event organising committee members, BHEL Sports Club chief NK Gupta, Arun Kumar, KS Bhandari, KS Rana, Subash Chand, DC Nautiyal and social activists Inder Mohan Barthwal welcomed the team players.

Dehradun, December 27
Global March Against Child Labour has congratulated the Uttarakhand Government for setting up a children’s rights protection commission in the state. It hoped that it would not only ensure strict action against child labour, child trafficking and other forms of exploitation in Uttarakhand, but would also facilitate proper implementation of the Right to Education Act.

Expressing delight over this development, Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour, said that the appointment of Ajay Setia, a noted journalist and child rights activist as chairman of the Commission for Children’s Rights Protection Commission, was a reflection of the state government’s commitment towards child rights. Satyarthi further stated that Ajay Setia had been advocating for the rights of the children for over 10 years and had been actively associated with institutions like Bal Ashram towards ensuring education and rehabilitation of bonded/child labourers. “Ajay Setia’s vast experience on child rights will be beneficial in shaping up the future of tens of thousands of marginalised children in the state,” hoped Satyarthi.

Global March has written to Ajay Setia, apprising him about the existence of bonded/child labour at stone quarries, mines, brick kilns, tea stalls and roadside eateries. Child trafficking from hilly areas was a matter of grave concern. Global March Against Child Labour hoped that the Children’s Rights Protection Commission would effectively address these issues in the times to come.

Dehradun, December 27
The entire ground of MKP Post Graduate College reverberated with melodious sounds of Indian folk songs to which students gave scintillating performances. The college is celebrating Mahadevi Youth Festival these days which will continue till December 30.

Folk dance of Uttarakhand seemed the first choice of the students as many of them showcased their dancing prowess on state folk songs. Others also chose joyful Rajasthani, festive Gujarati, valorous Marathi dances and so on. The students of home science department also experimented on flower arrangement and salad preparation and exhibited their creativity to the fullest.

Students from a number of states have come to participate in the semi-classical and folk dance competition, Universal Rang Mahotsav, held in the college today. The students from Assam presented Bihu folk dance, those from Orissa presented Odissi dance and the participants from Karnataka gave group performances on Bhartnatyam. A few modern dance presentations were also made by the participants. These dance competitions will be held till December 31. Students of other states of Chhattisgarh, Punjab, West Bengal, Nagaland, Jharkhand and Gujarat will also participate in the competitions in the coming days.

Vidender Ghosh, dance critic, has come from Calcutta, Harish Chand Shakya from UP, and Ritesh Sharma from Chhattisgarh are judging these competitions.

Dehradun, December 27
The Delhi head office and the Delhi regional office won their respective matches in the North Zone Provident Fund Employees’ Cricket Tournament being played on the Rangers College ground here today. The Delhi head office defeated Haryana while the Delhi regional office beat Uttarakhand. In the first match, the Delhi head office team defeated Haryana by 66 runs.

It scored 172 runs for five wickets in 20 overs. Rakesh Singh was the top scorer who scored unbeaten 54 runs while opener Anil Rajput also scored 43 runs. Harish Yadav took two wickets for 24 runs for the Haryana team. In reply, Haryana was all out for 106 runs thus losing the match by 66 runs. Vishal Satyam was the highest scorer for Haryana with 31 runs. Narender Rawat took three wickets for 24 runs and Manoj Dutt took three wickets for 24 runs.

In the second match, the Delhi regional office beat the Uttarakhand team by seven wickets.

The Uttarakhand team scored 93 runs all out in 20 overs. Sachin was the top scorer with 18 runs. Neeraj Tigga, Ashok Kumar and Anil Kumar took two wickets each.

In reply, the Delhi regional office team scored 95 runs in 8.5 overs at the loss of three wickets to win the match.

Opener Tarun Garg scored 29 runs while Anil Kumar was unbeaten on 23 runs. Alok Saxena took two wickets for 46 runs.