Ban on tourism in tiger reserves worries Rajaji park officials
Haridwar, October 7
Rajaji National Park officials and tourist guides are fearing that the repercussions of the Supreme Court's order banning tourism activities in the core tiger reserves of the country will be visible in the park too.

75-yr woman ends life
Dehradun, October 7
Kunwari Devi, 75, resident of Baliyawala, committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree near her house today. She lived with her son Gajender Singh and his wife, both work for anganwari.

Dehradun, October 7
The quarrying season has begun but the Uttaranchal Forest Development Corporation (UFDC) has not been able to seek permission for quarrying in the Gola, Kosi, Dabka and Sharda riverbeds till now.

The process of deliberation with the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has slackened due to the busy schedule of the Chief Minister and higher bureaucracy in the Secretariat in the wake of the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection these days.

The UFDC, which earned Rs 128 crore from quarrying in the last season, stands on the crossroad with this stalemate over the main rivers. Chairman, UFDC, Kunwar Pranav Singh, who is vigorously pursuing the matter, said, “The slow response of the Chief Secretary in correspondence with the Forest Expert Committee (FAC) of the MoEF has certainly affected the progress of the matter. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who also wrote to the MoEF, is busy with the Tehri election these days. I have fixed a meeting with him on October 15 to discuss the issue.”

Managing Director, UFDC, Srikant Chandola, pointed out that Gola was a very important river for quarrying and livelihood of 20,000 men who worked during the quarrying season depended on it.

The department has also not been able to make much of a progress on the condition laid down by the MOEF, which is to notify the Pawalgarh and Nandhour forest area as the wildlife sanctuaries under the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, before seeking the renewal of the permission to do quarrying on the Gola, Kosi, Dabka and Sharda riverbeds for 10 years. The condition was laid down to ensure long term survival of the wildlife in the important habitats located on the northern side of Ramnagar. The MOEF did give provisional permission for one year last year on the assurance of the department to make substantial headway in this direction which unfortunately did not happen. Chandola reasoned, “It is not easy to develop any area into a wildlife sanctuary in one year.

It is a long process which requires consent and relocation of thousands of people living in the villages within and outside the designated area. In this case, people were fiercely opposing the project and they can not be forced.” Pranav Singh further said,

“The provision of the National Forest Policy, 1988, mandates bringing four per cent of the total forest area under protected area network whereas our state has 15 per cent of the total forest area under the protected area.”

Haridwar, October 7
A special function was organised in memory of more than 10 lakh persons who died during the Partition in 1947 owing to communal violence and tributes were paid to them here today.

The function was started on a Ganga ghat in which "Shraddh tarpan" was done for the peace of the souls of those killed during the Partition. Around 10 lakh Hindus living in Pakistan were massacred in 1947.

Under the aegis of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Hansvedacharya Maharaj, a large number of relatives of those who were killed from Punjab, saints and local people took part in the rituals at Malviya Ghat, Har-ki-Pauri.

Jagadguru Swami Hansvedacharya Maharaj said it's a noble act to remember the people who had to vacate their birth places owing to the divisive policy of the Britishers.

But it's also to be mentioned that they became martyr as they didn't left their religion, but accepted to leave their ancestral homes and property to be part of India, said the jagadguru.

Head of the Akhil Bharatiya Panch Nad Smarak Samiti Aswini Chopra said from the Mughal era till India's Partition, many cruelties were done on Hindus but the Partition was a blot on humanity.

He added that by offering Shraddh tarpan annually at the Ganga ghat, people prayed for the souls. They also wanted to convey a message that even if they din't know who they were, there religion tought them to offer tarpan to the unknown too. World Sanatan Religion Council national chief Kali Peethadheeshwar Mahant Surendra Nath Avdhoot said during the month of Shraddh one should do tarpan, organise hawan yajna and offer food to Brahmins.

Founder of Parmarth Niketan Rishikesh Swami Chidanand Muni urged people to make sure they cleaned the Ganga and avoid doing things that created pollution in the river.

Verses of 18 chapters of the Bhagwad Gita were recited on the Ganga ghat with offerings of lighted jots in the holy river. People from different walks of life were present on the occasion.

Haridwar, October 7
Rajaji National Park officials and tourist guides are fearing that the repercussions of the Supreme Court's order banning tourism activities in the core tiger reserves of the country will be visible in the park too. Tigers are found in four ranges of Rajaji National Park. Safari drivers of the park are also apprehensive about the consequences of the decision.

In the 2005 census, tiger population in the park was found to be 24. The number has fallen to half in the past few years. It is estimated that there are more than 100 tigers in the state. Almost 22 tiger deaths were reported in 2011 and 14 tigers have been reported dead this year. But now with the apex court giving directives of closing tourism-related activities in the tiger reserves, it seems that four ranges of Rajaji National Park, namely Chilla, Motichur, Gohari and Kanshro, will have to be closed in the days to come.

Park officials maintain that arriving at any conclusion in this regard will be too hasty as the matter is still pending in court.

A park official, on the condition of anonymity, revealed that a letter in this regard has been received from the Forest Ministry which stated prohibitive activities in and around the parks ranges where the tigers are found.

He made it clear that no specific instructions had been given regarding the closure of the park.

From November 15, Rajaji National Park will get its gates open for tourists, wildlife lovers, environmentalists and foreigners.

Dr Ritesh Joshi, wildlife scientist, remarked that animals should be conserved regardless of what the species of the animals is. It was more important in the case of tigers when it was on the verge of extinction, he said.

Local trader AS Negi said the court should also take into consideration the loss of revenue to the park administration and to a large number of traders like him who depend on tourism to earn their living in the peripheries of the park.

Officials also pointed out that an international poaching group was active in the state and tiger skin and its teeth were being smuggled out of the country through Nepal. For this, vigil had been intensified in the region, they added.

Mussoorie, October 7
The 43rd founder’s day celebrations of the Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School, Shangrila, ended here today with the resolve to promote and adhere to value-based education.

State Sports and IT Minister Dinesh Aggarwal was the chief guest on the occasion. He inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp. Dr Manmohan Singh Atwal, the Vice-Chancellor of Eternal University, Himachal Pradesh, was the other invited guest on the occasion.

The second-day celebrations were a potpourri of tradition and modernity. The programme began with the ‘shabad’ recitation by schoolgirls.

Headmistress ND Sahni read out the annual report and elaborated on the achievements of the school.

Following that, tiny tots of the school performed an English skit based on story ‘Alibaba and Forty Thieves’ from The Arabian Knights.

The senior girls from the school and boys from Vincent Hill campus also presented a skit in English and Hindi.

Students enthralled the audience with gidda, bhangra and Rajasthani folk dance.

Later, an exhibition showing the art and craft work of students was also held on the premises.

In the boys’ section Gurbani singing, Harjeev Singh was declared first while Anubhav Jaiswal stood second. In the group singing contest, Ranjeet House was declared first and Nalwa House was declared second. In the girls’ section solo singing competition, Harlin from Nalwa House was declared first while Harjas Kaur from Atari House was declared second. In the group singing, Atari House was declared first and Ajit House was declared second.

While addressing the gathering, Aggarwal stressed the need of both financial and moral support to be given to such educational institutions as GNFC School, which had been working in a constructive mode to impart education.

Chairman of the school Jaspal Singh thanked the chief guest and said the school was growing and keeping itself attuned to the demands of modern life. He also demanded assistance for upgrading the Bal Vidya Mandir School established for the wards of class IV employees of the school.

The Cock House trophy was won by Nalwa House in the boys’ category and by Attari House in the girls’ category. The Gurbani trophy was won by Ranjit House in the boys’ group and by Ajit House in the girls’ group. The March Past trophy was won by Nalwa House in the boys’ category and by Ajit House in the girls’ category. The Academic trophy was won by Ranjit House in the boys’ category and by Attari House for the girls’ category.

Dehradun, October 7
In the District Dehradun Football League matches here, Doon Eagle and Uttarakhand Police won their respective matches.

In the first match, Doon Eagle defeated Eleven Star 1-0. Shakir was the sole scorer for Doon Eagle. In the second match, Uttarakhand Police defeated Kasiga 5-0. Vir Singh scored the first and second goals in the 15th and 38 minutes. Saurab, Amit and Mohit scored third, fourth and fifth goals for Uttarakhand Police.

The third match between Vijay Cantt and Exodus ended in a draw with both sides failing to score a goal. —TNS

Dehradun, October 7
Welham boys and girls won the District Basketball Sub-Junior (14 years) Championship for Boys and Girls in the final matches played here today.

In the girls' section, Welham Girls School defeated Doon Girls School 45-08 in a one-sided match. Ritunjaya was the top scorer with 15 points.

In the boys' section, Welham Boys School trounced DAV Public School 38-14. Vijay scored 16 points for the winners. Sudhanshu, a former student of Welham Boys School, who was the chief guest on the occasion, gave away the prizes to the winners and the runners-up teams.

Dehradun, October 7
In the 5th Rohitash Singh Memorial Inter-School Boys Super 8 Cricket Tournament being played at The Heritage School, Dehradun, Summer Valley School and Guru Ram Das Academy, Niranjanpur, won their matches today.

The first match was played between The Heritage School and Summer Valley School. The Heritage school scored 28 runs at a loss of 3 wickets in the first innings. In reply Summer Valley School scored 29 runs at a loss of 3 wickets.

In the second innings, The Heritage School made 26 runs at a loss of 6 wickets whereas Summer Valley School scored 26 runs at a loss of 3 wickets. Thus Summer Valley School won the match.

The second match was played between Guru Ram Das (GRD) Academy, Niranjanpur, and Carman School. In the first innings, Carman scored 23 runs at a loss of 1 wicket and GRD scored 38 runs at a loss of 7 wickets. In the second innings, Carman scored 32 runs at a loss of 5 wickets while GRD scored 26 runs at a loss of 3 wickets. Thus GRD Niranjanpur won by the match.

Dehradun, October 7
In the Lala Nemi Dass Football League being played at Survey Ground here, Akrant Club and Shivalik Club emerged victorious.

In the first match, Akranta Club defeated Nehru Gram 2-0. Beckam scored both the goals. The first goal came in the 20th minute while the second goal was scored in the 29th minute of the match.

In the second match, Shivalik Club defeated Thakurpur Boys 2-1. Sushil Rawat Tony scored the first goal in the 5th minute for Shivalik Club. Rahul of Thakurpur brought the equaliser in the 20th minute. Vikas scored the second goal for Shivalik Club in the 61st minute, thereby ensuring victory for his team.

Doon Star will take on Gorkha Ranger while Adhoiwala will clash with Doon United??ends tomorrow.