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Police fail to check stunt biking on Doon roads
Bhojvaid: Need to promote agroforestry
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Concert to remember June disaster victims on Dec 3
CM pays tributes to Indira Gandhi
More disasters waiting to happen in state: IAF officer
Construction of schools hits roadblock as Forest Dept fails to transfer land
DGP rules out Maoists’ presence in U’khand
Two-day exhibition-cum-cultural programme of Tibetans begins
Employees demand CBI inquiry into land purchase
Deceased woman’s identity yet to be established
ABVP holds workshop on voter registration
Protest march by Sanskrit teachers
Staff seek amended orders
Welham girls and boys win basketball championship
GNA sails into final of cricket tourney
Thieves rob family of cash, jewellery
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Police fail to check stunt biking on Doon roads
Dehradun, November 18 Of late, the situation has become scary, especially in the night, as the young bikers come on roads from nowhere and start performing stunts and even the presence of other commuters on roads does not seem to bother them. The menace at times is even seen during the day amid busy traffic with bikers performing stunts on their bikes. “I have encountered a gang of stunt bikers above Mussoorie diversion a number of times while I am going back to my home from office and they were performing such dangerous stunts that it brought shivers to my body,” Sujeet Yadav, told The Tribune. It is to be noted that many a time, these stunt bikers also fall and sustain injuries while performing stunts but that is hardly any deterrent to their heroics. “Small boys of schools have started imitating bike stunts on their cycles and they can be seen performing stunts on their cycles near their schools,” said Bhupender Singh, resident of cantt road. The traffic police does not seem to have much control over these bikers and such errant stunt drivers also seem to have no fear of the police. It is pertinent to mention here that the police has carried out special drives against stunt biking but all their efforts have fallen flat. “We have mostly received complaints about their notorious activities from Canal Road, Sahasthradhara Road, Vasant Vihar, Shimla Bypass Road and Race Course and by the time our team reaches, they flee from there,” Virendra Rawat, Traffic Inspector, told The Tribune. “Mostly, teenagers with a craze for bikes indulge in such illegal activities and parents must also ensure that their children do not use their two-wheelers for such dangerous stunts,” he further added. Policemen claim that the danger involved in trying to chase down the stunt drivers, unlike pursuing gangsters, is unique, since giving chase to or forcibly stopping the stunt drivers can lead
to casualties. Meanwhile, trained stunt bikers are allowed to put up their show at the Doon Club.
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Bhojvaid: Need to promote agroforestry
Dehradun, November 18 Inaugurating a five-day training programme for Bihar farmers, Bhojvaid said there was a lot of scope of agroforestry in Bihar, as the state is rich in basic resources required for agroforestry practises. He said if wood-based industry like plywood factories were established in the state, there would be opportunities of employment generation and farmers would get proper price of their produce. He said agroforestry would be more beneficial if products be made from its produce locally and market be developed in those areas. Earlier in his welcome address, head of the extension division (FRI) Sandeep Kujur besides this, three more training sessions would be conducted for Bihar farmers. During the training programme, technical knowledge on different aspects of agroforestry and land management would be given by subject experts from the FRI. A live demo on the proliferation of bamboo would also be given. The trainees will get the knowledge of silviculture and planting practises of agroforestry species and their potential. A field visit of the poplar rich agroforestry area at Gurukulnarson, Haridwar, would also be arranged. |
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Concert to remember June disaster victims on Dec 3
Dehradun, November 18 “Viraam --- The Gurukul has been organising baithaks hosting top musicians. It gives a platform to young emerging artistes for understanding the grammar of classical music. Now at the end of the year, we feel we should come out on a bigger platform to reach out to a wider audience, so this concert has been planned. The proceeds from the concert will go towards helping the victims of the disaster”, said Rajnish Mishra, an artiste and force behind Viram baithaks. Viraam- The Gurukul has been set up in Dehradun by Padma Bhushan Pt Rajan Sajan Mishra. Rajnish Mishra said on December 3, five well-known artistes, namely Suchit Narang, Harikrishna Shah, Dr Manoj Mishra, Narendra Singh Negi and Chandrashekhar Tiwari, would be honoured with Sangeet Saadhak Sammaan for their contribution towards Indian classical music. Rajnish said after the concert, baithaks would continue, “We will continue to nurture talent and bring in artistes from around the country so that the Gurukul becomes an inspiration for young talented individuals to take up the classical music,” said
Mishra. |
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Samiti for construction of Dobrachati bridge
Dehradun, November 18 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, samiti chief Rajeshwar Painuily said once completed, the bridge would connect Pratapnagar to the rest of the Tehri areas, thus benefiting over two lakh inhabitants of Pratapnagar. Painuily said the bridge was to be constructed by 2008. He said the residents of Pratapnagar were facing inconvenience due to the delay in the construction, as they had to travel an additional 80 km to get connected to the rest of Tehri. Painuily asked the government to issue a white paper on
the issue. He said despite repeated efforts, they were yet to get time from the Chief Minister for a meeting. Samajwadi Party national secretary Vinod Barthwal, Garhwal Sabha head TS Aswal and former bureaucrat SS Pangti were present on the occasion. |
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CM pays tributes to Indira Gandhi
Dehradun, November 18 He described her as a popular leader, an efficient administrator and a remarkable person. He exhorted everybody to follow her principles by working for the development and well-being of the people. “This will be the best form of tribute to her,”
he said. The Chief Minister said the former Prime Minister dedicated her entire life to the service of the nation. She made unforgettable contribution to strengthening the unity and integrity of the nation and even sacrificed her life for this cause.
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More disasters waiting to happen in state: IAF officer
New Delhi, November 18 The mid-June disaster was primarily caused by the melting of a massive glacial lake above Kedarnath and rise in water levels due to heavy and incessant rain. The lake exploded like a dam burst, bringing down boulders, slush and gushing water that created havoc all across, destroying everything on the way. On June 16-17 when the disaster struck, several hundreds were killed and thousands went missing, while over a lakh tourists and local residents remained trapped for days. This narrative was given by Air Vice Marshal SRK Nair who was the overall IAF coordinator of "Op Rahat" in Uttarakhand. "Several more such glacial lakes exist in the entire region and there are real chances of recurrence of such disasters," he warned, stressing the need for storing relief material, including fuel for relief helicopters, at vantage points so that we are ready to meet any exigency at any time. Speaking at the inaugural session of an international seminar "Helipower India" here, Nair stressed the need for permanent measures to meet such exigencies especially in areas like Uttarakhand. The National Institute of Disaster Management, in one of its first reports on the Uttarakhand floods, has also blamed "climatic conditions combined with haphazard human intervention" in the hills for the disaster, specifically referring to massive denuding and deforestation in the area. The seminar, which has aviators, military persons and technical experts as speakers, focused on the growing demands of both armed and paramilitary forces for more choppers. The event came as the forces proposed the induction of next-generation attack helicopters -- the light combat helicopters, weaponised version of Dhruv-Rudra, medium-heavy choppers and light observation helicopters. Air Vice Marshal K M Sridharan, president of the Rotary Wing Society of India, which is organising the event, said with these inductions, "we must develop sound doctrines with organisations capable of performing required missions" to capitalise on such quality equipment. — PTI |
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Char Dham Yatra closes for winter
Dehradun, November 18 The closure of the shrine marks an end of the famous Char Dham Yatra during the winter season. The yatra was re-opened on October 5 after the mid-June flash floods. The disaster had taken a toll on the pilgrimage with several lives being lost, leaving the yatra suspended for three months. The officials of the Badrinath-Kedarnath committee said doors of all the four shrines of the Char Dham circuit -- Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath would be closed every year ahead of the onset of winters. As per the rituals, the portals of Gangotri shrine were closed the next day of Diwali and the Kedarnath and Yamunotri shrine were closed a day after Diwali. This year, the numbers of pilgrims were the lowest. The number reduced to almost half as compared to the last year. The Kedarnath shrine saw only 3.12 lakh people. The Badrinath shrine saw less than five lakh pilgrims as compared to 9.84 lakh last year. The shrines at Yamunotri and Gangotri saw 2.32 lakh and 2.08 lakh devotees, respectively. |
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Construction of schools hits roadblock as Forest Dept fails to transfer land
Dehradun, November 18 The move was initiated by the Education Department for providing classroom education facilities to the children of nomadic tribes as mandated under the Right to Education Act (RTE). The department has managed to construct four schools in the forest area falling under Vikasnagar. However, it is facing problems in Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar, where the land has not been transferred. The proposal for the construction of school buildings for 27 primary and eight upper schools is
still pending. The Forest Department is taking refuge in a High Court order which had termed residence of nomadic tribesmen in a forest as encroachment
to stall the transfer of land to the Education Department. Last year, evoking the provisions of the Forest Dwellers Act, Principal Secretary Forest S Ramaswamy had passed orders for starting the process for the transfer of land inside forest areas to the Department of Education for the construction of school buildings. While, land was transferred smoothly for construction of school buildings in Vikas Nagar, the Department of Forests was proving to be a spoiler in case of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar. “The transfer of land will not come cheap for the Department of Education, as we will be depositing funds for the compensatory forestation fund (CAF). It has already been done for the construction of four schools in Vikas Nagar. We have already deposited funds at the rate of Rs 1.10 lakh per school with the Ministry of Environment and Forests,” said S Raju, Principal Secretary School Education. However, the costs for the construction of the school buildings would be borne by the Central government, he added. Before the implementation of the Right to Education Act, in order to provide education to children of nomadic tribesmen, temporary habitations with no roofs were transformed into classrooms under the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS). Around 1,303 children were enrolled in these classes since the inception of the scheme in 1997. With the RTE Act in place, it was mandatory to construct school buildings for imparting education even in forest areas. |
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DGP rules out Maoists’ presence in U’khand
Pithoragarh, November 18 However, he said since the state had its border with Nepal, they were required to be alert every time to prevent any Maoist attack. The DGP, who was in Rudrapur today to review security arrangements on the border with Nepal, said the state should have a special plan to combat Maoist infiltration from Nepal. “Being a neighbouring country, political activities in Nepal directly affect the border state of Uttarakhand, as a 240-km stretch of the state border is joined with Nepal," said the DGP. The DGP said he did not give much importance to opening new police posts in the name of checking crimes. Instead, he wanted to modernise police functioning. “I have written to the Central Government with regard to the modernisation of the state police,” he said. |
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Patrolling intensified in border areas
Pithoragarh, November 18 According to the security sources, the voting for the constituent assembly in Nepal is scheduled on Tuesday from 7 am to 5 pm. “ Out of 21 constituent assembly seats in 9 districts for western region of Nepal, 7 seats fall on the border with India as Kanchanpur, Baitari and Dharchula districts touch the borders of our country,” said an SSB source at Banbasa in Champawat district. The markets of Bramdev Mandi and Mahindra Nagar in Nepal and Jhoolaghat, Dharchula of India remained dull today due to closure of borders as no clients from either country entered into these markets. “Even the markets of Banbasa and Pithoragarh remained affected as regular Nepali clients could not come for purchasing in these markets,” said the SSB source. SSB and police jawans patrolled border villages along Indo-Nepal border in Jhoolaghat area of Pithoragarh district and inquired about the presence of any suspected elements in the villages of Githgara, Kharktari, Amtari, Sinpani, Dobans , Kanari and Simu on the border with Nepal in Pithoragarh district, and Thapaliakhera and Banbasa villages of Champawat district. “We have closed the suspension bridges at Dharchula and Jhoolaghat for the next 48 hours and deputed civil police jawans besides the SSB pickets,” said an SSB official at Jhoolaghat border with Nepal. According to SSB sources, this action has been taken after the orders of Union Home Ministry on sealing the border before the elections. ''The bridges have been closed from Saturday evening, and no transportation is being allowed from either side,” said Parmod Kumar, SDM, Dharchula, who added that the border will remain sealed till the constituent assembly elections in Nepal conclude
on November 19. In Champawat district, where the border with Nepal is a 90-km-long strip, the officers from both the countries last month had taken a decision to seal the border with each other 48 hours before the elections of the constituent assembly in that country, but the border had been closed on Saturday for 72 hours on the instructions of Union
Home Ministry. Heavy police security arrangements are also being maintained by Nepal police from that end of the border as Nepal civil and armed police pickets have been deputed at the border with India from the Nepal side. |
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Police ignoring complaints on sound pollution: Shivanand
Haridwar, November 18 Here today at a media brief at Jagjeetpur-based Matra Sadan Ashram, Swami Shivanand stated that despite ban on musical systems, loudspeakers and DJs at wedding ceremonies and private functions, the music carries on till late midnight, affecting the sanctity and
privacy of the Matra Sadan Ashram and nearby residents. Matra Sadan Ashram inmates also suspected that illeqal quarrying and stone-crushing operators may be behind this, as they deliberately try to put hindrance in the sadan's day-to-day life works. Swami Shivanand has demanded that SSP Rajeev Swarup should take cognisance regarding this matter as anti-social elements and party goers in inebriated condition create nuisance, and local villagers, particulary women, saints, elders and patients, face a huge problem owing to this. Notably, Matra Sadan Ashram has also in the past expressed threat from illegal quarrying mafia, stone-crushing operators and land mafia. Ashram saints have staged
many agitations and movements to save the Ganga river bed from ''such illegal activities.'' In view of this Swami Shivanand has been provided police protection by Uttarakhand government but today with the saint expressing fear from a police officer only, Matra Sadan saints and activists have urged the state government to take immediate action to ensure safety of life of the revered saint. |
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Conserve environment of Nainital: senior citizens
Pithoragarh, November 18 Nainital, a lake town, had a religious significance till the day an Englishman Barren reached there on November 18, 1841. Thereafter it started growing as the British made Nanital their summer residence. Kamal Jagati, a local resident and journalist, said, “There was a temple of a local deity near the lake, which was under the ownership of a local landlord Nar Singh Thokdar. Barren was mesmerised by the beauty of the lake. He forced Nar Singh to transfer the ownership of the temple in the name of the British company.” Main functions of the celebration were organised at the basket ball ground, where local residents gathered and cut a cake. A meeting was also held in which priests of all religions prayed for the security of the town from natural disasters. Activists of the Nainital Bachao Sangharsh Samiti appealed to residents to prevent the town from becoming a concrete jungle, save its environment and lake, which was centre point of the existence of the town. |
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Song and dance at MPG College freshers' party
Mussoorie, November 18 Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi was the chief guest on the occasion. He inaugurated the function by lighting the ceremonial lamp. The students also presented a set of demands in the form of memorandum to Ganesh Joshi and demanded to work towards upliftment of the college. While addressing the students, Joshi said MPG College was the only institution which catered to the poor students not only from Mussoorie but also from the villages of Jaunpur development region in Tehri Garhwal district. He said it was the duty of all the public representatives to work towards uplifting the standards of the college on priority basis. He said it was due to this reason he had worked towards bringing in funds of around Rs 80 lakh for the college from the University Grants Commission (UGC), six months back. He lamented the fact that despite his efforts, the funds were utilised due to the apathy of the
managing committee. He said the students demanded to introduce B.Ed, tourism diploma, hotel management, life sciences and geography courses. They also demanded to provide hostel facilities. Joshi said he would work towards fulfilling the demands on priority basis. He also said a delegation would meet the education minister and demand to fill the vacant posts of teacher without any delay. The college management also assured the MLA that the funds received from the UGC would be utilised soon for the betterment of
the college. Roop Singh Kathait, BJP president, Mussoorie, General Secretary Kushal Singh Rana and vice-president Mohan Petwal were also present on the occasion. Meanwhile, the Municipal Council ward members marred the fresher’s welcome ceremony as
party politics. The ward members, namely Ramesh Bharti, Vinod Semwal, Jasvir Kaur and Seema Panwar were livid after not finding the photo of the MC president, Manmohan Singh Mall, on the banner being used as the stage backdrop during
the function. The ward members alleged that the BJP supported the student union body. |
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Two-day exhibition-cum-cultural programme of Tibetans begins
Mussoorie, November 18 The function was inaugurated by A S Rawat, Education Officer, Thinley Jigme, settlement officer, and Gendun Rinchen, general secretary, Tibetan Homes Foundation School, by releasing the quarterly newsletter edited by the students and teacher Anand Kandari from the Central School of Tibetans on the occasion. Later, a dance and song competition was also held in which CST, Darjeeling, from East Zone, emerged winners while the CST Kollegal and CST, Darjeeling, stood second and third, respectively. In junior division CST, Dholanji, CST, Kollegal and CST, Darjeeling, were declared first, second and third. respectively. CST, Kollegal School, won the senior and junior Tibetan duet song and group song event here. The senior and junior Hindi group song event was won by CST, Darjeeling. The chief guest on the occasion was Education Officer AS Rawat. He said we were living in an era of ideas and creativity and the focus should be on developing and thinking process. |
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Employees demand CBI inquiry into land purchase
Dehradun, November 18 Addressing a press conference here today, Mussoorie Sub Divisional Officer DP Baluni said it was wrong to frame innocent people in the DGP land purchase case. He said the forest contractor and labourers had gone to axe the trees on the land after a proper approval. The police
were now trying to harass these innocent people, he added. “We have also decided to approach the Chief Minister and if needed will even agitate if our demand for the CBI inquiry is not met,” said Baluni. A 3.86 acre plot of land on the Old Mussoorie
road, which was purchased by the DGP, is being stated as a reserve forest land. Some trees were felled on this land by the
Forest Department contractor following which a case was registered against him by the police. The contractor was arrested in process, which
was being opposed by the Forest Department employees. Meanwhile, DGP BS Sidhu has welcomed any
initiative to conduct a CBI enquiry. |
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Deceased woman’s identity yet to be established
Dehradun, November 18 The police have failed to establish the identity of the deceased. A police team, which went to Kaithal (Haryana), has returned empty handed. The newly set up homicide investigating cell, special operation group and the cantonment police are involved in the case investigations. Meanwhile, the postmortem report has established that the girl was eight-month pregnant. According to the police, she might have been killed by her boyfriend or somebody close to her. SSP Kewal Khuranna said, “All possible angles are being investigated and our first priority is to establish the identity
of the girl.” Police teams also visited private hospitals in the city for getting any clue about the identity of
the girl. The police has also contacted neighbouring states and enquired about the complaints of missing
persons. |
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Seminar on micro paleontology, stratigraphy begins at Wadia institute
Dehradun, November 18 Inaugurating the colloquium, Prof SK Shah, a former head of the department of geology, Jammu University, highlighted the past, present and future status of paleontology in India. He discussed the social importance of micro paleontology, especially in the field of oil and natural and gas, past climate and evolution trend. He said an individualistic approach and the lack of communication was causing a big hurdle in the research area and emphasised that paleontologists should work with biologists. Prof SCD Sah, former Director, WIHG, Prof SB Bhatia, former head, department of geology, Punjab University, and Prof MP Singh, former head, dept of geology, Lucknow University, also spoke on the occasion. Nearly 180 delegates from more than 50 research organisations, including IITs, universities and colleges, from across the country are presenting their work. |
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ABVP holds workshop on voter registration
Dehradun, November 18 Sunil Bansal, National Secretary of the ABVP, addressed the workshop and told the workers to pull up their socks and start creating awareness among the first-time voters about their voting rights. He said the workers should chalk out a plan to register new voters in the voter list. He asked the workers to assist the people in making their voter ID card. “Workers should start preparing a database of first-time voters who don’t have Voter ID Card and start contacting them. Various teams should be formed, which will cover different places”, Bansal said. Other office-bearers of the ABVP were also present during the workshop.
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Protest march by Sanskrit teachers
Dehradun, November 18 After being stopped by the police for marching ahead, the protesting teachers started raising slogans against the government and reached the Education Directorate and demanded action into their demands. — TNS
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Staff seek amended orders
Dehradun, November 18 Arun Pandey, spokesperson for the council, said confusion persists regarding the orders issued by the Finance Department, especially regarding the demand of ACP, vehicle allowance and disbursement of salaries for the period during which the employees were on stir.
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Ranjan Negi to organise hockey training camp
Dehradun, November 18 Negi was here on Sunday at Maharana Pratap Sports College here to take part in a two-hour hockey session organised for the young hockey talent of the state. He interacted with 33 budding hockey players of the college and gave them important tips about the game. “I will organise a training camp here at the sports college once the Astroturf is laid on the hockey ground,” said Negi. In a bid to give exposure to the state hockey players, he also announced of taking selected talented players on an exposure tour to Mumbai. He said he would make the players to play matches with other professional teams. “We have talented players in Uttarakhand, but they lack professional coaching. They can do wonders if they get good guidance and direction,” he added. While sharing his experience with the young players, he said sportsmanship had helped him overcoming the ups and downs in his career. The blockbuster film ‘Chak De India’ depicted the story of Mir Ranjan Negi, who was accused of taking money from the Pakistani players to concede goals in the 1982 Asian Games final. “In the film, Kabir Khan, coach of the Indian women hockey team, takes six years to bounce back. But, in real life, it took me a long span of 16 years to fight against the allegations and redeem my honour by helping India win the men’s Asian Games gold in 1998 in Bangkok and the women’s team to win gold at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002,” Negi told the young players. He also gave insights into the art of goalkeeping and instructed how to make a penalty stroke and how to read the actions of the striker at the time of penalty corner. Mir Ranjan Negi was born in Almora district and is presently associated with the ABHI Foundation, which was started by him in the memory of his son, who died in an accident. The foundation is working on building better lives and communities, through the medium of sports. |
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Welham girls and boys win basketball championship
Dehradun, November 18 In the girls’ finals, Welham Girls School defeated St. Joseph Academy by 53-12 with Palak scoring maximum 12 points from Welham Girls School. In the boys’ finals, Welham Boys School trounced Doon International School by 48-18 score. Suyash of Welham Boys School put 16 baskets and remained the highest scorer in the match. In all, 20 teams participated in the championship.
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GNA sails into final of cricket tourney
Dehradun, November 18 Batting first, GNA scored 133 runs in 20 overs with Pratyush scoring 26 runs. For St Jude School, Nadeem took 3 wickets. In reply, St Jude's School could not match the bowling firepower of GNA. The team got bowled out scoring 120 runs.
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Thieves rob family of cash, jewellery
Dehradun, November 18 The family got to know about the theft when one of the family members reached house for some work. He later informed everybody. According to Wakeel Ahmed, due to the marriage, there was lots of cash and jewellery in the house at that time. |
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