First batch of pilgrims offer prayers at Himalayan shrines
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
On the 111day after the mid-June natural disaster, the areas leading up to the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines today witnessed pilgrim movement as the first batch of pilgrims paid obeisance at the Himalayan shrines, signalling resumption of the Char Dham Yatra bringing smiles on the faces of local priests and residents.

Around 150-odd pilgrims led by Union Minister for water resources Harish Rawat and locals paid obeisance at the Kedarnath temple as soon as the Bal Bogh ceremony was over in the morning.

''Around 20-30 pilgrims hailing from different parts of the country who had undertaken registration would be able to visit Kedarnath tomorrow. Today pilgrims from Nainital and Haridwar also managed to pay obeisance at the Kedarnath temple,'' said Ganesh Godiyal, Chairman of Badrinath- Kedarnath Temple committee.

Significantly, the route prepared by the PWD after the mid-June deluge that has considerably lengthened the trekking route to Kedarnath was put to test as the Union Water Resource Minister along with his entourage were the among the few who took the route.

''The route has been laid after the devastation and those who are used to the 14-km trek would now have to cover 20 km. The path is not fully settled. As such people with good stamina and in sound health are being allowed to trek,'' said Godiyal.

There were also conflicting reports about the absence of doctors at some of the camps who were expected to be positioned to undertake medical examination at Bhimbali. ''Our doctors are already stationed at Guptkashi and additional doctors from Maharashtra have been deployed,'' said Godiyal.

Meanwhile, the pilgrimage to Badrinath also resumed after a three-month long gap as scores of pilgrims paid obeisance at the altar of Lord Vishnu.

''The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has made arrangements for free kitchens at several places with the help of Gayatri parivar,'' said Madhu Bhatt, member of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee. She said that around 43 pilgrims had registered today for the Kedarnath yatra.

With the resumption of the yatra to Badrinath-Kedarnath today, the entire circuit of the Char Dham Yatra comprising Yamnotri- Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath is now complete. 

Wynberg Allen School gears up to celebrate 125th anniversary
Series of events prepared by students, faculty in the offing
Tribune News Service

The portraits of founders of the Wynberg Allen school, Mussoorie. File Photos

Mussoorie, October 5
One of the prestigious institutions of the country, Wynberg Allen School, is gearing up to celebrate its 125th anniversary with a series of events prepared by students, faculty, staff and alumni beginning from October 9 to 12.

The last-minute preparations are on at Wynberg Allen School to make the celebrations memorable. The festivities will begin from October 9 with hoisting of the flag and it would be followed by a special assembly to mark the occasion. A book titled “Excelsior - The Story of Wynberg-Allen School” written by Dr Rakhshanda Jalil will be released by the invited chief guest. Later in the evening, five-a-side football and basketball championships will be held for the students, which will be followed by a musical presentation titled “We are Monsters” by junior school students at Sir Kirby Laing Auditorium. The new school museum, Archives section, and the art and craft displays in the junior and senior schools will be open for all to visit on October 9 and 10.

A laser show prepared and funded by the former students (ICSE batch of 94) will be organised on October 10 along with a cross-country race for the alumni (boys and girls), inter-house tug of war, shadow play at Sir Kirby Laing Auditorium, treasure hunt and the first show of the musical titled “The Lion King” enacted by the school students.

On October 11, 125th Founder's Day Service will be organised at Sir Kirby Laing Auditorium, that will be followed by unveiling of a plaque at the Academic Block at Allen in memory of Late T W Phillips, former Principal and Chairman of the board of management, Wynberg-Allen School. Another show of musical “The Lion King” will be performed by the students for the invited guests. The festivities will conclude with the fancy fair on October 12.

When contacted Wynberg Allen Principal Leslie Tindale said: “Reaching 125 years is a tremendous milestone for any institution and we look forward to not only honouring the storied history of our school but to also recognising the achievements of our students today as a building block to the next 125 years.” He further said that around 5000 alumni from around the globe would be visiting the school at their own cost, and that speaks volumes about their feeling towards the school where they spent their formative years.

“Normally the 125th Founders' Day is the moment when you would think of the success but it is also the time for introspection and giving credit to the founders, the staff and the students over the years who have laid the solid foundation on which the school can grow on,” said Tindale.

He further said that the school has always focused on character building, all round development and discipline which has resulted in success as many former students have brought laurels to their families and the school by excelling in the field of entertainment and sports apart from academics. Tindale also informed that the school had grown tremendously over the years and a state of art facilities for all activities had been developed so that the students can learn with joy in the school.

Tindale, outlining plans for the celebrations to welcome the former students during the festivities, said that the plan was to make them feel special as they have played an important part in the success of the school.

“We appreciate their contribution and want them to feel good while they enjoy the 125 years' festivities in the school,” said Tindale.

The seeds of the school were sown in 1887 at Kanpur when a group of friends Alfred, Powell,Mr and Mrs Arthur Foy, JH Brig Condon met and decided to set up the school in Mussoorie. The founders first established the school at Jabarkhet along the Tehri road IN 1888. In 1894 the school was shifted to the present Wynberg estate where the school relay began taking its roots and blossoming into an institution. In 1916, the society was formed with an objective to govern the school which provides holistic education to the students based on protestant Christian principles. In 1926 the senior boys school was shifted to Henry Allen Memorial School that was built on an adjacent hill known AS Bala Hissar Hills. It was at the fort in this hill that the Aghan ruler Dost Mohammad Khan was kept in exile by the British who called it Bala Hissar after the fort with similar name in Afghanistan. The school since has grown tremendously in stature.

UKD members protest against ''corruption'' at ration shops
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
Members of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Aeri) protested at the District Supply Office yesterday with regard to irregularities in issuing ration cards and operation of ration shops yesterday.

City president Virender Singh Bisht said: “Ration cards have not been issued for all the city residents for a long time. Most of the people are making rounds of the office to get the ration cards, while some privileged people were getting it done in a day or two by paying bribes. The connivance of ration dealers and employees is quite apparent.”

Women leader Pushpa Mamgai enumerated several other shortcomings in the ration distribution. She said: “The government ration sellers were not justifying their duties properly. Neither did they open ration shops in time nor provided rations. Such shops must be raided.” She said a list of BPL card holders must be put up outside the shops.

Kailash Bhatt, said the ration must be available in the shops by the 15th of every month. He demanded check on reduced supply of ration than the prescribed limit at these shops. UKD leader Ajit Sharma said the forms related to National Food Security Scheme had not yet been distributed.

District Supply Officer Shyam Arya assured them of action on their demands. 

Dependency on agriculture decreasing: Farm expert
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 5
Only 32 per cent people depend on the occupation of agriculture today. The dependency on agriculture, which was at 70 per cent some years back is decreasing rapidly in the country due to some reasons which need to be addressed, said Dr Arvind Kumar, Deputy Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, in his address at the 94th kisan mela, organised by Pantnagar University.

Addressing a large gathering of farmers, scientists and students, Dr Kumar said the contribution of agriculture in national gross domestic products (GDP), which was at 35 per cent some years ago had remained at mere 14.7 per cent at present. Though, the productivity of agriculture has increased over the years, but due to increasing cost of inputs, damaging of produces due to negligence and increasing number of middlemen in the sector, the occupation has not remained profit making, said Dr Kumar.

Dr Kumar said to make the occupation profitable we would have to adopt new methodology of less input cost and appropriate use of technology besides advising farmers to manage their agriculture works from production to marketing level. To manage all these, the farmers will have to form self management groups of their own, said the Agriculture Deputy DG.

Dr Kumar also went further to cite increasing role of women in the field of agriculture work and said in all 68 agricultural universities of the country, 3 to 4 per cent girl students were increasing every year. The average number of girl students studying in these universities is 41 per cent at present whereas the number of girl students in agricultural universities in Himachal has increased up to 60 per cent, Dr Kumar added further. 

Ex-servicemen submit memorandum to President
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Ardh Sainik Sanyukta Sangathan, an organisaiton of ex-servicemen in the state, has submitted a memorandum addressed to the President through the Chief Secretary, expressing concern over treatment being meted out to ex-Army chief, General VK Singh, who had raised voice against corrupt practices prevailing in tendering process for procurement of defence equipment.

The memorandum held that there were forces in the country that wanted to malign the ex-General. It said that such efforts to tarnish the image of the valiant armed forces of the country by falsely fabricating an honest General must be stopped as it could affect the morale of the forces.

Among the prominent signatories to the memorandum include were Maj Gen SR Bahuguna (retd), former bureaucrat and ex-Army officer SS Pangtey, ex-Comandant BSF, KPS Baghel, ex-Commandant, SSB, DS Panwar, and PC Thapliyal.

Employees lock gates of health directorate
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
Contractual employees of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, who had launched a sit-in at the Director General, Medical Health and Family, in support of their demands since more than 15 days, shut the doors of the directorate as a mark of protest yesterday .

The members told the DG that their demand for absorption in the government cadre had not been met and as a mark of protest, they had resorted to locking the gate of the directorate.

Villagers not happy with NGO's audit report
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 5
Charging an NGO which has done social audit of works performed under MNREGA and backward area grants fund (BRGF) in some villages of Champawat district with demanding money for giving clearance, dozens of the villagers of Ramak area of the district today demonstrated at the Champawat district headquarters and demanded that the report given by the NGO be cancelled and, instead, the District Magistrate should himself visit sites of the works in these villages.

The assigned NGO had last week given report to the DM citing uncompleted works under these protects of Pati block of the district.

''The report of social audit done by this NGO is full of errors as the NGO had not informed the villagers prior to the visit,'' said Neelam Garkoti, leader of the demonstrating villagers.

The villagers said that some of the works under backward area grants fund could not be completed in the villages as only 57 per cent funds had been received by them under these schemes. ''For MNREGA works we have invited the DM to visit the area himself,'' said Neelam Garkoti.

The NGO, which was given work of taking social audit into socially beneficial works done by gram panchayats in these villages, last week said in its report that these villages had not completed the works for which the funds had been allocated to these villages. ''At least in some 25 heads of developmental schemes sanctioned by the government, these villages have not given real shape to the scheme and neglected the socially deprived classes of the villages, who would have taken benefits of these works,'' said the representatives from the NGO.

The demonstrating villagers said that while some of the MNREGA works were overseen by the auditing NGO, works done under other heads suffered due to shortage of funds, which was also overlooked by the NGO. ''In some villages, solar lights were not available despite the payments having been made for these, while some other schemes could not be completed due to other practical reasons which the DM can find out, said one villager.

Neurology OPD opened at Madhuban Ashram
Tribune News Service

Rishikesh, October 5
Max Super Specialty Hospital opened the Neurology OPD at Madhuban Ashram in Muni-Ki-Reti here today.

The OPD will provide specialised medical care and treatment to patients.

The Director of Max Institute Neurosciences, Dr AK Singh, and Head, Neurology, Deepak Goel will conduct the OPD at the ashram on Saturdays.

In case of emergency, the patients will be brought to Max Super Specialty Hospital, Dehradun. Ambulances have been provided at the ashram for this purpose.

Dr AK Singh said the purpose of this OPD is to give residents of Rishikesh and neighbouring areas latest treatment and expert guidance in neurology.

Garhwal hill residents would also benefit from this facility. Soon, other medical facilities would be launched here, so that more people could avail themselves of the health facilities in the state, he added.

Social science exhibition
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
A regional-level social science exhibition was organised at Kendriya Vidyalaya Ordinance Factory here yesterday. Almost 450 students of 14 Kendriya Vidyalayas of the Dehradun region are participating in the exhibition.

CS Vishwakarma, general manager, Ordinance Factory, was the chief guest on the occasion and inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp.

The inauguration ceremony was followed by a cultural programme in which the students showcased their talent in folk songs and dance. A debate competition was also organised on the sidelines of exhibition.