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Simian nuisance spreads to Doon
Mussoorie, October 26 However, scientists are unhappy with the present practice of capturing and releasing monkeys from the cities into the wild and believe that such initiatives have major shortcomings. Dr. N.P.S. Chauhan, a scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and an expert on human-wildlife damage problems, believes that relocation is definitely an option but the captured monkeys must be first taken to animal shelters where they should be tested and treated for diseases and only then be released in the wild. “The captured monkeys should be relocated only after proper testing, treatment, and sterilisation,” says Dr. Chauhan. According to him, unscientific relocation of monkeys is hazardous for healthy wild populations. “Monkeys relocated from urban areas might also carry infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis, which can effect wild populations,” he added. Notably, there are 15 species of non-human primates in the country out of which the Rhesus macaque (M. mullatta) is the most aggressive and is widely found in the cities and towns of north India. Wildlife scientists attribute largescale migration of monkeys from forests to urban centres to decrease in forest cover; decline in the food and water availability in the forests and a drastic increase in the monkey population. Another aspect of relocation is about the place of release of monkeys. According to experts this should be inside dense forest areas rather than on the roadside. There is fear that since most of these monkeys are habitual to live in residential areas, they would come back to Dehradun and Doiwala towns soon. Another scientist from WII, who did not wish to be named, said unless monkeys are released inside deep forests they will become a menace for the localities near which they are subsequently released. “It is just like putting my garbage outside my neighbour’s house,” he said. As of now, since Mussoorie municipal authorities have dumped their simian guests near Doiwala and Mohund, it is perhaps now the turn of Doonites to bear the brunt of this ‘monkey business’.
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Rallyist out on a mission
Dehradun, October 26 Sunil’s craze for motor sports started in 2003. His brother, Major Yatinder Nandan, had participated in the ‘Raid De Himalayas’ in 2003 and represented the Indian Army. “I was inspired after my brother narrated his experiences,” he said. Born in Panipat, Haryana, Sunil made Dehradun his home when his family shifted here in 1984. He is employed at the ONGC. All was not rosy in the beginning and Sunil had to overcome many a hurdle. He found it difficult to communicate fluently to his companion during his first ‘Raid De Himalayas’ rally. But his will to excel in the sport helped him gain enough knowledge and experience of the treacherous terrains of the Himalayas. His communication with his partner, Suresh Rana, whom he considers his guide, just got better and better with each passing year. However, Sunil admits that motor rally is an expensive sport: “It is not a game which is meant for the masses. The expenses per rally could vary between one and two-and-a- half lakh rupees. The vehicle undergoes a lot of wear and tear in this event; one has to pay the crew who repair the damage caused on the way. All this is a costly affair,” he said adding that this year he received a sponsorship from Thunderbolt and J K Tyres. Narrating his last year’s experience, Sunil said the gear-shifter of his vehicle broke in the middle of ‘Kaza Grumpoo’ stretch. To overcome the problem they split open the gearbox, fixed a screwdriver instead of a gear- shifter and completed the remaining 18 km stretch! And as of now, Sunil has his eyes set on the ‘Desert Storm’ rally that will begin from February next year and last till March. It will begin from Delhi and after negotiating a difficult terrain in Rajasthan, end at Mumbai. Although Sunil and his teammate had participated in the rally last year, they could not secure a win and finished second. At the international level, they have plans to take part in the famous ‘Australian Desert Rally’, after which they will participate in the ‘Dakar Rally’ in Africa. The ‘Dakar’ Rally has its route through the Sahara Desert and is considered one of the toughest in the world. Sunil, however, is hungry for a win
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Celebrate ‘Eco Divali’ this time
Dehradun, October 26 Members of ‘Mission True Biologist’, a voluntary organisation working for conservation of environment, today took a rally to highlight the importance of a pollution-free Divali. Leading the rallyists, environmentalist Kalyan Singh Rawat of ‘Maiti’ fame emphasised on collective efforts towards celebrations of an ‘Eco Diwali’. The rallyists, comprising eminent citizens of Dehradun and school children, criss-crossed the arterial Rajpur road before gathering at the Gandhi Park, from where they had started. As many as 10 lakh signatures collected from different schools of Dehradun were put up at display at Gandhi Park as mark of the awareness drive. “Pollution-free Divali can only be at the initiative of the people,” said Kalyan Singh Maiti who has been at forefront of various grassroots level environment conservation movements in Uttarakhand. Significantly, the rising levels of both air and sound pollution levels in Dehradun has been a cause of concern among the residents. And firecrackers on Divali would add to the problems. “While there is tendency among people to compete in terms of usage of fireworks, this effort is to sensitise them to avoid the same and help check pollution,” said M.S. Mehta from “Mission True Biologist”. Santosh Rawat, Ravindra, Manoj Pant and Manmohan Rautela were among the prominent participants in the rally.
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Security beefed up for festive season
Dehradun, October 26 While confirming this, SSP Amit Kumar Sinha told The Tribune that a comprehensive strategy has been chalked out to ensure foolproof security. He said SP City Pushpak Jyoti and SP Rural Karan Singh Nagnayal have been given directions to personally monitor the security
arrangements in their respective areas of jurisdiction. The SSP said although reviewing security arrangements ahead of the festive season is a routine exercise; this time the deployment of the police force is more as compared to previous years. “The bomb squad and dog squad have been asked to remain alert,” he said, adding that police personnel have
already been deployed at religious and crowded places. Notably, due to the presence of vital institutions, Dehradun had always been susceptible to terror threats. Recently, the state intelligence department had received concrete information about increasing activities of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members in certain parts of Uttarakhand, including Dehradun. In wake of this and the fact that considerable number of Bangladeshis reside in Dehradun, some of whom are also involved in criminal activities, the police officials claimed that extra precaution is being taken. Meanwhile, Uttrakhand DGP Subhash Joshi has convened a meeting of top police officials of the state to review the security arrangements. IG Intelligence/Security Anil Raturi has also issued instructions to the police officials to remain vigilant.
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Shoppers’ day out on Dhanteras
Dehradun, October 26 With just two days to go for Diwali, the city markets are abuzz with people and a variety of items are
on offer. A seven-and-a-half feet candle is the special attraction for this season. “In order to offer something different to our customers, we have displayed this huge candle. Its price has been fixed at Rs 32,000,” said Vipin Mittal, owner of Sai Electricals. Although a majority of the shopkeepers agreed that the sale is less as compared to previous years, they were happy that it was picking up.
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Fire brigade geared
Dehradun, October 26 Chakarvarty said a total of seven fire tenders have been kept ready in Dehradun. “Although all the fire tenders are fully functional, still we have called mechanics to once again check the vehicles. We hope the city residents enjoy the festival and there is no untoward
incident.”
No cops at night
Notwithstanding the tall claims of the SSP, a round of the city during night hours revealed that hardly any cops were on duty. The presence of police personnel at markets, religious places and other important institutions, even after their closure, is extremely important. But as of now this fact is being ignored.
SAFETY TIPS
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Letters
After reading regular stories on food adulteration, me and my family has decided not to buy Diwali sweets from the local sweet shops. We hare shocked to know that most of the shopkeepers are involved in the practice and that they are mixing chromium dye to coffee and malachite in chili sauce. This is very unfortunate.
Don’t they feel scared of playing with our lives? We also came to know through your newspaper that the sweet shop owners are using adulterated khoya, sugar and even ghee. The colour that they use in sweets is also very unhealthy for consumption. This Diwali we would prefer to buy chocolates, nuts and other fancy sweets. I request the government, administration and the local bodies to find out the culprits and take strict action against them. — Meenakshi,
Dehradun
Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words at dehradunplus@tribunemail.com or write in at: Letters, Dehradun Plus, Sector 29, Chandigarh – 160 030
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