Badrinath-Kedarnath Yatras resume today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 4
Amid inclement weather and poor road conditions, around 90 pilgrims hailing from Uttarakhand and other states reached Kedarnath dham for paying obeisance at the Himalayan shrine that was closed to the public for over three months after the mid-June natural calamity. Both Badrinath and Kedarnath yatras will resume tomorrow.

After the Uttarakhand government announced its decision to resume the yatra from October 5 by sending around 200 pilgrims in the first week, the registration of pilgrims was undertaken at Sonprayag and Guptkashi today.

“Among the 90 pilgrims who have already reached here, around 20 pilgrims hail from New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other states. The registration of around 43 pilgrims was undertaken at Guptkashi today. All the pilgrims will be spending the night, one km off Kedar dham, where 11 fabricated huts and 25 tents have been set up,” said Ganesh Godiyal, Chairman of the Badrinath- Kedarnath Temple Committee.

The district authorities said the first batch of pilgrims, comprising mostly local people, officials, priests and Union Cabinet Minister Harish Rawat and Congress leaders would pay obeisance at the temple early in the morning.

The government had also made arrangements for ferrying pilgrims from Dehradun and Guptkashi.

“Today, the helicopter from Guptkashi was not able to undertake flights after the weather packed up at 12 pm. But some pilgrims were dropped at Nailchauri,” said Godiyal.

For the first time, a team of doctors carried health check up at Sonprayag and Guptkashi. “Between Kedarnath and Gaurikund, at a distance of 17 km, two halts-Bhimbali and Limchauli, have been earmarked for providing food and medical facilities to the pilgrims,” said Dilip Jawalkar, District Magistrate, Rudraprayag.

Secretary, Disaster Management, Bhaskaranand Joshi said Rishikesh-Kedarnath National Highway was open till Sonprayag.

Further, in Chamoli district, 21 routes were not open, the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH-58) was open till Badrinath for small vehicles, he added.

Nitin Bhadoriya, Relief Commissioner, said all the pilgrims had so far cooperated with the district administration for medical check up carried at Sonprayag and Guptkashi.

Madhu Bhatt, member of the BKTC, said people with small vehicles had also begun reaching Badrinath for the yatra tomorrow.

“The route at Lambagar has been repaired and the pilgrims would be able to go up to Badrinath in their small vehicles,” she said.

Keep Mussoorie clean, Lucky Ali tells people, govt
Mesmerises audience at St George’s College with his melodious performance
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 4
Lucky Ali, an eminent singer, composer and actor of the country who was here on a visit to his former school, Hampton Court, and St George's College at Barlowganj believes that ''Mussoorie is a queen, and queens do not sell themselves but invite others to their kingdom.''

Ali was speaking to mediapersons in the context of the kind of roadmap required for the hill town that has suffered immensely due to the recent disaster, resulting in decreased inflow of tourists.

He further opined that the sublime beauty Mussoorie in itself is an attraction for the people from all walks of life, especially the creative ones, and it is evident from the fact that the famous author Ruskin Bond, the famous actor Tom Alter, eminent director Vishal Bhardwaj, Victor Bannerjee, etc have made it their home.

The town has everything just like a queen of any kingdom and Mussoorie need not sell itself, stooping low to attract tourists, especially following the disaster which resulted in devastation in other parts of Uttarakhand, said Ali.

''The need was to strive for excellence and present the town as a unique place where people want to come year after year and for that the people and the government should make an effort to keep the town clean and ban plastic at every cost,'' said Lucky Ali.

He also said that fines should be imposed strictly on the vehicular movement on Mall Road and spitting in public place.

Lucky Ali opined that Mussoorie is not a hill station but a culture and way of life. The weather and the people of the ''Queen of hills'' are different from any other tourist destination in the country.

The people of the town should promote its salient aspects in a big way and should make an effort to instil faith among the tourists and publicise that Mussoorie is safe for tourists. To do that they should organise art and music festivals in spring, autumn, winter and summer seasons as part of promotional activity.

Ali suggested that instead of using rickshaws on Mall Road, a bicycle club should be formed that can be rented for a day for treading on Mall Road, thus preserving the environment in the process.

Ali reiterated his commitment that if any music show is organised, he will be available to perform any time of the year as for him the town was a second home where he received education during his formative years. Speaking about his new venture in the tinsel town, he said that movies like ''Dil Patang'' were in pipeline.

Later in the evening he mesmerised the audience at St. George's College where he studied for one year, with his melodious performance much to the appreciation of the audience.

Lucky Ali is the second of the eight children of the popular Bollywood comedian Mehmood. His mother Mahelaka was part Bengali and part Punjabi, the sister of a popular Indian actress of the 1960s, Meena Kumari. The Bollywood actress and dancer, Minoo Mumtaz, is his paternal aunt. He attended Manekji Cooper (Kindergarten), Bombay Scottish School, Hampton Court in Mussoorie, St. George's College, Mussoorie, Rajkumar College in Raipur and the Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Bangalore.

Lucky's wanderlust has led him to many places and to try different professions. He has bred horses, been an oil rigger off the coast of Pondicherry in South India, has tried to sell carpets, and is a farmer with a strong opinion on organic methods in farming. He is best known for his music, singing and acting.

CJM Hampton Court Alumni Association formed

The CJM Hampton Court Alumni Association was formed officially in a meeting held on the Hampton Court School premises yesterday.

Ramesh Mittal was elected the president while Pawan Raj was elected the general secretary and Mahesh Sharda was elected the vice-president. The principal of the school will oversee the activities of the association as the permanent Alumni Coordinator.

The newly-elected president Ramesh Mittal thanked the alumni fraternity for reposing faith in him. He said the main objective of the alumni association would be to reconnect former students to the school and frame development programmes in accordance with the school policy.

Principal of the school Sister Lucy said the association would act as a bridge between the students and the school. Rekha Singh, Anna Dilawar and others were also present on the occasion.

A tug-of-war was also held between the present and the old students, which was won by the former students 3-2.

Later, the alumni association felicitated the former principal of the school Sister Beatrice for her exemplary service in the field of education. She thanked the students and said while in the school, her only motive was to train the students in such a way that they not only excelled in their careers but also became responsible citizens of the country. Former students, namely LM Singh, Mahesh Sharda, Rajiv Beniwal and Dr Neera, Aashish Goel thanked the school staff for providing them quality and value-based education at Hampton Court.

A get together function was also organised later in the day, which was attended by the alumni of the school such as former police official from Punjab Rajdeep Gill and eminent singer Lucky Ali. They were presented with citation and a memento by the members of the alumni association.

Lucky Ali, while sharing his experiences, said it was due to values given by the school that he had succeeded in his life and career. He also rendered few numbers on the demand of the alumni.

Prepare to meet natural disaster challenges: RSS chief tells residents

Dehradun, October 4
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat today said people should prepare themselves to counter natural disaster challenges rather than just depending on government for relief.

Bhagwat, who is on a two-day visit to the disaster-hit Uttarakashi district of Uttarakhand was addressing RSS volunteers at Keshav Sewashram in Maneri today. Bhagwat said the tendency to seek government assistance must be discontinued and the people must prepare themselves to meet natural disaster challenges.

He said the RSS volunteers had always played a significant role in relief and rescue operations whenever nation has faced a natural disaster. “It was the philosophy of the RSS that inculcates strength among its volunteers to stand with the country at the times of crisis like natural disasters”, he said.

He also appreciated the residents of Uttarakhand for helping pilgrims of the Char Dham yatra during the rain disaster. “People of Uttarakhand put to use their personal rations to feed the pilgrims in distress during the disaster,” he further added. He also praised the works being done by Keshav Sewashram in the Yamuna Valley region of Uttarakhand. — TNS

Congress women's wing meets DM over food security scheme
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 4
A delegation led by city president of women’s wing of Congress Kamlesh Raman met District Magistrate (DM) BVRC Purushottam with regard to the National Food Security Scheme today.

Raman said the application forms regarding the scheme were being distributed to BJP workers rather than Congress. The DM refuted the charges and said the BJP leaders had also made the same accusation. He said the forms were widely available and there was no question of discrimination in their distribution.

On the issue of people belonging to higher income group applying to avail the benefit under the BPL category, the DM said such people would firmly be dealt with at a later stage, after the matter pertaining to the distribution of forms was settled.

Panel demands economic package for flood-hit children
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 4
The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has written to Governor Aziz Qureshi urging him to intervene on behalf of flood-affected children who have been left high and dry by the government.

In the letter, SCPCR chairperson Ajay Setia said despite distributing Rs 5 crore as relief, the government had failed to make provisions for the 554 affected children who had lost either their father or mother in the floods.

"There is an imminent need to make provisions for these children in the form of an economic package, so that their future is secure," said Setia.

He said many times, the father or the mother opt for re-marriage which at times proved counterproductive for the child. "The need of such children should be taken care of so that they do not fall prey to unscrupulous elements," said Setia.

Setia said he had suggested to the government to provide a time grant of Rs 50,000 to those children who had disability between 40 per cent and 80 per cent and Rs 1 lakh to those with 80 per cent disability. However, the government did not take these suggestions.

According to the SCPCR, from Rudraprayag alone, 184 children are missing. As many as 289 children belonging to other states have also gone missing.

HC questions security, housing to former CMs
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 4
The double bench of Chief Justice Barin Ghosh and Justice Umesh Chandra Dhyani of the Nainital High Court, while admitting a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), has issued notice to the state of Uttrakhand to explain under which Act and what law were seven former Chief Ministers being provided free housing, electricity, water, maintenance, servants, security and two red beacon vehicles with pilots, within four weeks’ time.

The PIL was filed by Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, a voluntary group based in Dehradun.The court has also asked whether the bill of fuel of the vehicles was also paid from the state treasury. RLEK filed a case in the court that all the facilities were being provided without any Act or law for the entire life of the chief ministers. The cost was being borne by the public exchequer.

The petitioner had argued that while on one hand the state was reeling under severe shortage of housing and finances, on the other hand large amount of money was being spent on the former chief ministers who had practically no contribution in the welfare of the state. To top it all, they were also being provided office staff.

Hill town residents feel neglected
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 4
The residents of the town vented their ire against the officials for neglecting the development works going on in the town, in a meeting held under the aegis of Friend of Uttarakhand Organisation in Mussoorie today.

The meeting was attended by Mussoorie SDM Sonika, CO Jaya Baloni and several officials from other departments.

The residents raised the issue of slow pace of development works in the town. A member of Friends of Uttarakhand, Ram Kumar, raised the issue of several drainages left incomplete and without any cover, which were resulting in injuries to children and problems to the people during heavy rains. But the PWD, instead of rectifying the problem, had turned a blind eye to it, he alleged. Sonika directed the officials to rectify the problem within 15 days.

The Company Garden landslide issue also cropped up in the meeting as the residents said the departments were passing the buck to each other rather than treating the site.

Manmohan Singh Mall, MC president, raised the issue of non-cooperation from the police for traffic management on the Mall road. Jaya Baloni assured that the police would be assisting the MC officials from today itself and try to stop vehicles from entering the Mall road after the prohibited period.

Vinod Thapliyal, president of Friends of Uttarakhand, also raised the issue of the problems being faced by the residents while applying for a no-objection certificate at the forest office for construction.

Sonika directed the forest officials to sit at the SDM office two days a week and hear the grievances of the people on regular basis. The issue of identification of statehood agitators also came up and the officials assured of expediting the process. The convener of the organisation, Prem Thadani, members Sandeep Sahni, Rajat Agarwal, Satish Dhaundiyal and others were also present on the occasion.

Students showcase talent at science model exhibition

Haridwar, October 4
More than 140 students hailing from 12 different schools from the Bahadrabad block participated in a one-day science model exhibition held at Panna Lal Bhalla Municipal Intermediate College today.

Students showcased their scientific knowledge with innovative and day-to-day life usage model creations.

Coordinator of the exhibition SP Singh said the students were given topics of health, power, irrigation, agricutlure, environment and science for the block-level competition.

Singh said the winners will be adjudged a day later after a high-level science teachers' team will inspects them.

''The winners will be able to take part in the inter-block level science exhibition that will take place at RNI IntermediateCollege,Bhagwanpur,''said Singh, while reviewing the displayed models.

District Education Officer RK Uniyal said that all the blocks that come under Haridwar district have completed this science exhibition phase at their individual block level and now the inter-district block competition at Bhagwanpur will adjudge the winner, which will be eligible for inter-district level competition.

Uniyal lauded the efforts and creativity of the participating students, saying that it augurs well for the state and country, as there seems to be no dearth of scientific talent in the students.— TNS

KMVN launches river rafting in Saryu
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 4
The adventure sports wing of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) has begun attracting tourists for the river rafting activities in the rivers of the district which are flowing at a slow pace these days. After completing training of youths in Bageshwar district, the nigam has launched its first batch of tourists for rafting in the Saryu river today. “We have been contacted by four tourists from Mumbai who wanted to enjoy rafting in the Saryu under the able guidance of the KMVN guides. We provided them the opportunity and managed their rafting spree in five km long part of the river today,” said Dinesh Gururani, in-charge of adventure tourism in the KMVN.

The four-member batch from Mumbai said they had dared to visit this area despite it was hit by disasters last month. They wanted to take some special experience from this trip. “We have contacted the KMVN adventure wing in-charge who agreed to make us enjoying rafting in the river,” said Sachin P Maru, head of the tourists batch.

The adventure wing in-charge of the KMVN said his wing had so far managed river rafting adventure for over 500 tourists since 2007. “By attracting tourists for river rafting activity, we have earned nearly Rs15 lakh for the Nigam” said Gururani.

He said besides availing river rafting for tourist, the Nigam had also started a programme to train youth from various blocks of the district as future guides of river rafting. “At present, we have got an assignment from the district administration to train 64 youth from blocks of Monakot, Dharchula, and Kanalichina for 6 days training session for each, but if the incentives will be provided to us, we plan to extend this activity in the major rivers of the district till June next year.” Gururani further added.