Dam oustees awaiting basic amenities: Jansangathan
Dehradun, February 9
Anti-big dam crusader organisation Matu Jansangathan has alleged that Tehri Dam oustees were still waiting for even basic amenities, while the state government was making handsome earnings from the project.

Birds from Europe, Tibet find Mussoorie weather favourable 
Mussoorie, February 9
Mussoorie is fast emerging as the most favoured stopover destination for avian tourists, travelling from as far as Europe and Tibet.

Golden Oriole, a beautiful winter visitor to Mussoorie and Doon, that arrives from Tibet, Sinkiang and Kazakastan. Courtesy Nikhil Devasar

Pink-Browed Rosefinch in Mussoorie. Photos by Nikhil Devisar

Rao Cricket Club-A beat Doon Panthers 
Dehradun, February 9
Rao Cricket Club-A defeated Doon Panthers by 55 runs in a match in the 61st Dehradun District Cricket League played at Survey Stadium here today.





A batsman in action during a match in the 61st Dehradun District Cricket League Tournament in Dehradun on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Haridwar, February 9
The local Municipal Corporation (MC) has planned to penalize people who litter polythene bags in Hardiwar. Heaps of polythene bags can be seen in the city and these are causing environment pollution and polluting the Ganga as well.

Executive Officer, Municipal Corporation, Harshwardhan Mishra told The Tribune about the decision after chalking out a comprehensive anti-polythene plan.

Mishra said initially for a fortnight a mass awareness drive would be held. He urged the people, traders, pilgrims and tourists to shun the use of polythene bags and related material.

In the second phase of the plan, a penalty would be levied on the offenders and the whole stock of polythene bags would be seized during surprise checking by the teams of MC and the administration.

Traders would also be made part of the drive to ensure that they also shun the use of the ecologically harmful material. “If traders shun the use of polythene bags, half of our work will be done. A mass awareness drive and strict penalties on offenders will be imposed later. The Municipal Corporation is quite serious about this, as polythene bags are disturbing ecology to a great extent,” said Mishra.

District chief of the Vyapar Mandal Kailash Keshwani along with other office-bearers has welcomed the MC initiative. Keshwani while pledging support to the drive, assured Mishra that they would pass a resolution at their union’s meeting to shun the use of polythene bags. He, however, sought some more time so that the traders could either use or destroy the existing stock of polythene bags.

Representative of Chandracharya Chowk-Bhagat Singh Chowk traders Uday Ram Semwal urged the MC to give them some more time as they had bought polythene bags in advance in view of Holi next month.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutes and social organisations would also be roped in to make the anti-polythene drive a success, Mishra said.

The National Service Scheme, the Ganga Sabha, religious organisations, spiritual gurus and social activists would also be made part of the drive to make Haridwar cleaner and greener.

City Magistrate Jeevan Singh Nangiyal said this time they would get the desired results as littered polythene bags were a blot on this world famous holy city of Haridwar.

Haridwar, February 9
People of Haridwar have welcomed the hanging of Afzal Guru, one of main conspirators of the terror attack on Parliament in 2001.

People belonging to the Muslim community distributed sweets in Jwalapur.

Cleric Maulana Aarif said terrorism should not be tolerated at any cost and such heinous crimes deserved punishment. He said in Islam there was no space for violence and Muslim terrorists mislead people and harmed the image of billions of Muslims worldwide. He said no religion preached hatred and violence.

Maulana Iqbal said terror was not related to any specific religion or community but it was in the minds and acts of those people who tread wrong path. He welcomed stringent steps to curb terrorism.

Minority cell members of the BJP distributed sweets in the city, demanding similar punishment for terrorists who had carried out violent acts in India.

Munnawar Qureshi, divisional chief of the BJP minority wing, said such decisions needed to be taken in the nation’s interest or terrorists would be plotting more such attacks.

Farman Ansari, a social activist, said though the decision took 12 years, it was a matter of satisfaction for the people of the country that such a hardcore terrorist had been executed.

Mussoorie, February 9
Mussoorie is fast emerging as the most favoured stopover destination for avian tourists, travelling from as far as Europe and Tibet. They finding the weather to their liking before embarking on a journey to warmer pastures, much to the delight of bird watchers this winter.

The recent cold wave in Mussoorie, including snowstorms and icy rain, inevitably has resulted in the mix of bird species. Many local birds residing at Benog Mountain Quail Sanctuary and part of the forest area at Landour Cantt Board and Parri Tibba have been seen heading towards the Doon valley due to the plummeting mercury in the month of December, January and the first week of February. The birds that are normally at higher altitudes, such as Nag Tibba or on the sub-alpine slopes of the Himalayas, have been seen in Mussoorie. Other birds vanished for a week, and then reappeared.

On the other hand, many winter species that are normally well-camouflaged were easily visible against a white snowy background, such as various Grosbeaks, Accentors and Rosefinches, much to the delight of bird watchers here.

When contacted one of the top bird experts of the Doon-Mussoorie area, Suniti Bhushan Datta, who co-authored the acclaimed guide book titled “Birding in the Doon Valley,” said that he himself rushed to Benog sanctuary for bird watching as soon as snowflakes began falling in mid-December, the first snow of the season.

“I myself enjoy Benog because it is accessible yet secluded, since it has only jeepable roads. Many streams tumble from Benog towards Kempty, adding to the biodiversity. One of my favourite birds, the fabulously colourful long-tailed Broadbill, has been breeding in Benog for the past 2 years, underscoring the quality of this habitat. It is vital that the authorities protect and preserve all the forests in Mussoorie from encroachers and developers," added Dutta.

According to Shantanu Sarkar, a trustee of Winterline Nature Trust, an NGO active in Doon and Mussoorie, normally the birds like the Whistling Thrush, grey-winged Blackbird, Himalayan Bluetail, Eurasian Jay and Blue Magpie are seen 52 weeks a year in Landour, but after the snowstorm on January 19, these birds disappeared. Instead, three majestic Lammergeiers, the greatest vulture of both Asia and Europe, with their huge 10-foot-wingspans were seen circling over Lal Tibba for 20 minutes. They then flew east towards Dhanaulti, offering a rare treat for bird lovers. Lammergeiers may have come from Tibet, but many are in the higher altitudes of Uttarakhand. They are powerful fliers and can easily fly from Tibet to Mussoorie in just 2 hours, non-stop, said Sarkar.

In addition to this several Alpine Accentors, Red-billed Choughs and Collared Grosbeaks, which are usually found at Dhanaulti, which is about 600 feet higher, were seen at Landour cantt. He further said that like humans the avian tourists also respond to changes in weather and temperatures, and arrive in Mussoorie like a clock works, dictated by the seasons. The bird migrations are not only driven by instinct but also by temperature-induced enzyme reactions within their bodies, added sarkar.

“These birds are all short-term spontaneous visitors like the tourists who head towards Mussoorie and Landour whenever they see snow reports in the media,”said Sarkar.

However, he lamented the fact that despite the eco-riches of Mussoorie, eco-tourism is underdeveloped in the 'Queen of Hills.' Hardly any locals are trained as birdwatching guides so that they are also involved in preserving the habitat. Apart from this, a few local tourism operators and upmarket boutique hotels offer birding walks in the local area, mainly due to their owners’ own personal passion for nature.

The medical experts also believe that bird watching is fast emerging as one of the popular past time, especially among the children and elderly persons, as this activity can help in staying mentally alert, apart from nourishing the eyes due to the greenery available in abundance.

The other summer visitors include various Thrushes, Magpies, Laughing Thrushes, Flycatchers and Bulbuls. The scavengers such as vultures (which are critically endangered in India) can be seen soaring on thermal air currents above Mussoorie, especially the Himalayan Griffon and Eurasian Griffon.

When contacted, the DFO, Mussoorie, Dheeraj Pandey, who is also the Director of Benog Mountain Quail Sanctuary, said the department is embarking on the project to sensitise school children’s towards bird watching by opening several bird centres. Along with this, several bird watching trails have been identified and with the help of the local villagers. The department is also planning to begin bird count in the reserved forest and the Benog sanctuary in Mussoorie. He also said that the department was considering providing natural nests for sparrows as their count had diminished over the years in the town due to concrete construction.

With so many birds flocking the hill town of Mussoorie, the tourists are in for a treat while visiting this popular destination.

Dehradun, February 9
Rao Cricket Club-A defeated Doon Panthers by 55 runs in a match in the 61st Dehradun District Cricket League played at Survey Stadium here today.

Rao Cricket Club-A, after winning the toss, decided to bat first and scored 180 runs for six wickets in their allotted 30 overs. Sumit remained unbeaten on 47. Dipankar and Asish Pal scored 34 and 32 runs, respectively.

Haroon took three wickets for 47 runs.

In reply, Doon Panthers were all out for 125 runs in 25.4 overs. Abhisek remained unbeaten on 24 runs while Jony also scored 24 runs. Sachin and Dipankar took three wickets each.