D E H R A D U N    E D I T I O N

CM, dissidents told to make peace
The CM was expected to announce certain posts for dissident legislators as Diwali gift, but that was not to be
Dehradun, October 27
A confident Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri today said his government was never in a crisis. Talking to media- persons on the occasion of ‘Diwali Milan’ here, he said he has been working sincerely and was least affected by reported disaffection among some legislators.

Greetings from Guv, CM
Dehradun, October 27
Uttarakhand Governor B.L. Joshi has greeted the people on the occasion of Divali. In his message, Joshi said that may this Diwali bring prosperity to all. He also appealed that all sections of society to celebrate Diwali in a harmonious manner.

‘Not in the rat race’
Dehradun, October 27
In the hustle and bustle of cinema and TV, one face that catches one’s attention again and again is that of Shruti Ulfat. Theatre being her first love, she wants to create a tangible reality around it and gift her hometown a creative space for performers called “Centre for Life” wherein the young can be themselves and experiment with various art forms.

Ganga flows again, unhindered
Haridwar, October 27
The flow of the Ganga, closed since Dusehra, has been re-started after 18 days and Har-Ki-Pauri is once again abuzz with pilgrims and tourists. The closure was meant for cleaning the ghats and the river.Irrigation department officials were seen giving the final touches to pending work before the opening of the closure, but a lot of work has been left incomplete. 

A view of Neeldhara in Haridwar. A Tribune photograph

Fortnight gone, bank robbery case not cracked
Haridwar, October 27
The inability of the Haridwar police to control crime in the city has been laid bare. The Syndicate Bank branch at Avdhoot Mandal near Shankar Ashram was looted by four men on October 13, but till date nothing substantial has been found.

Officer trainees raise money for charity
Mussoorie, October 27
Officer trainees at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) were seen in a new avatar yesterday. As many as 239 trainees were serving food and selling various products at a fete organised on the LBSNAA campus in a bid to raise money for charity.

Recharge well to tackle saline water
Roorkee, October 27
In the wake of vulnerability of coastal aquifers to contamination from saline water in coastline areas across the country, the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) here has worked out a recharge technique to combat saltwater encroachment.

Rejuvenating springs
Roorkee, October 27
Concerned over disquieting reports that the flow of springs in the Himalayas and north-eastern region has decreased nearly 50 per cent during the last three decades, the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) here has adopted a model for assessment of the flow to help rejuvenate the springs.

At ICFRE, e-champions show the way
Dehradun, October 27
Eyeing its e-governance goals, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, has taken the lead in realising the concept of e-champions. It has already identified 24 e-champions for its nine institutes in the country

Samiti holds candle march
Dehradun, October 27
Seeking permanent capital status for Gairsen, Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sangarsh Samiti members today took out a candle march here.

Dev Lahiri, principal of Welham Boy’s School

I’m not evading law: Lahiri
Dehradun, October 27
Dev Lahiri, principal of Welham Boy’s School, has clarified that he was not able to appear before a court in Ooty in connection with two pending cases (Wild Life Act and Arms Act) against him because his lawyer in Ooty has been trying to arrange a date for hearing of both cases together.

Infantry Day observed
Dehradun, October 27
Indian Military Academy (IMA) Commandant Lt Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana paid homage to martyrs on Infantry Day. He laid wreaths at Lal Gate War Memorial, Garhi Cantt, here today. All ranks from the infantry attended the ceremony and paid their homage. 

IMA Commandant Lt Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana lays a wreath at Lal Gate War Memorial in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Cracker sale in prohibited areas on
Dehradun, October 27
A day ahead of Diwali, the sale of crackers here in city markets has picked up. According to the majority of those selling crackers on Rajpur Road, the sale has witnessed considerable increase since Sunday evening.

260 examined at heart camp
Dehradun, October 27
As many as 260 persons were examined on the first day of the heart checkup camp that started at the MC office here yesterday.

Late results on account of thorough checking: VC
Dehradun, October 27
Vice Chancellor of Uttarakhand Technical University VK Tiwari today said it had been his endeavour to ensure that standards of education in the institution were maintained at all costs. He was interacting with mediapersons.

8 held after brawl over plot
Dehradun, October 27
Several persons sustained minor injuries after two groups clashed over some property dispute at Saharanpur Chowk here. The incident occurred in the morning, when supporters of one Narinder Mittal and Sanjay Madan indulged in a brawl over a piece of land.

ATMs run out of cash
Dehradun, October 27
Most ATMs in Dehradun ran out of currency due to the sudden rush of customers on Diwali eve. From early morning, long queues could be seen at ATMs on prominent roads. By afternoon, many ATMs were left with no choice but to down their shutters.

CM, dissidents told to make peace
The CM was expected to announce certain posts for dissident legislators as Diwali gift, but that was not to be
S.M.A.Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
A confident Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri today said his government was never in a crisis. Talking to media- persons on the occasion of ‘Diwali Milan’ here, he said he has been working sincerely and was least affected by reported disaffection among some legislators.

On the giving offices to legislators who felt dissatisfied without any position, the Chief Minister said 23 positions had been removed from the purview of the office of profit and these would be suitably used.

According to party sources, the BJP high command yesterday brokered a deal with the dissident legislators led by former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

It is learnt that Koshiyari was told there was no possibility of change at this point of time when the party’s sole focus was on assembly elections in four states and then the Lok Sabha polls.

The Chief Minister was also told to mend fences with the dissidents. It was expected that the CM would announce certain positions for legislators today as Diwali gift but that was not to be.

Khanduri said he had never deliberately annoyed anyone. Asked about allegations by Kashipur legislator Harbhajan Singh Cheema on not sanctioning a road, he said he had sanctioned Rs10 crore for the same.

Greetings from Guv, CM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Uttarakhand Governor B.L. Joshi has greeted the people on the occasion of Divali. In his message, Joshi said that may this Diwali bring prosperity to all. He also appealed that all sections of society to celebrate Diwali in a harmonious manner.

Chief Minister Maj Gen B.C. Khanduri (retd) too has greeted the people of state on the eve of Divali.

In his greetings, the Chief Minister has said that the festival conveys the message of victory of good over evil.

He also called for collective efforts towards taking the state into new highs in development.

“Divali must bring prosperity to every section of society,” the Chief Minister added.

‘Not in the rat race’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
In the hustle and bustle of cinema and TV, one face that catches one’s attention again and again is that of Shruti Ulfat.

Theatre being her first love, she wants to create a tangible reality around it and gift her hometown a creative space for performers called “Centre for Life” wherein the young can be themselves and experiment with various art forms.

“Hailing from a small town, it was not easy carving a niche in Mumbai. Even after establishing myself in tinsel town, I continue to lend support back home, staging theatre workshops in schools,” says Shruti.

Not happy with the kind of soaps being produced these days, Shruti would rather be selective about roles and work at her own pace. “I love to play real characters, the daily soaps being aired on TV have little to show except tales of conniving women trying to outsmart one another. You are made to repeat lines and smirk in a manner that may not be done in the normal course of our interactions with family and friends.”

In the mad rush to keep the interest of viewers alive, digressions that are brought about in the storyline of soap operas may be taxing. So how does she cope up 
with the pressure?

“The system that exists today has transformed actors into machines, creativity receives a setback and there is no avenue for exploring the nuances of acting. I like to work on my own terms, so I have kept myself away from the rat race.

On films, Shruti feels actors have to work hard to create space for themselves, as the film industry still functions in a manner that may be discouraging to a newcomer. “Publicity and networking play an important part in one’s career: projections and perception are a key, directors are not willing to give space to serious actors.

“ Scripts are created for reigning superstars.” So what excites her about a film project in the first place?

She says the choice invariably rests on a good script with scope for displaying acting prowess. “ At times the actor in you is forced to reconcile with the poor script, or one just waits to get lucky,” informs Shruti.

The last film that she acted was “Gafla” produced by Sameer in 2006 which did not make any money but received good reviews from critics and was also shown at the London Film Festival.

The present interregnum in her career is self-imposed as she devotes her time to looking after her son who is eighteen months.

Then there is the golden jubilee celebrations of MKP College in early November, for which intensive preparations are on for staging a play. “It is my way of giving back to my alma mater”, says Shruti.

Ganga flows again, unhindered
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 27
The flow of the Ganga, closed since Dusehra, has been re-started after 18 days and Har-Ki-Pauri is once again abuzz with pilgrims and tourists. The closure was meant for cleaning the ghats and the river.

Irrigation department officials were seen giving the final touches to pending work before the opening of the closure, but a lot of work has been left incomplete. New ghats were constructed considering the Kumbh Mela in 2010 and bridges repaired.

The Ganga closure during the festive season had invited criticism from religious bodies. Today, rituals were performed at the Ganga statue installed recently. Religious leaders, Ganga Sabha members and local people attended the ceremony.

Members of the Ganga Sabha and VH (VHP) had earlier opposed the installation of the statue.

Fortnight gone, bank robbery case not cracked
Sandip Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 27
The inability of the Haridwar police to control crime in the city has been laid bare. The Syndicate Bank branch at Avdhoot Mandal near Shankar Ashram was looted by four men on October 13, but till date nothing substantial has been found.

The robbers faced no resistance and within 20 minutes they made good with Rs 13.56 lakh. The SSP said five teams had been formed to carry out investigations.

Nevertheless, it seems the police has succeeded in releasing the sketches of the robbers alone. There has been nothing beyond.

The police is under pressure following the announcement by IGP Ashok Kumar at a a press meeting that the case would be solved within 15 days. But the deadline is gone with no significant breakthrough in the case. A special police team is in Bihar carrying out search operations. Despite sending teams to various cities and villages, the outcome remaqins nill.

Ironically, the robbery took place on the day when the IGP was holding a joint meeting with top police officials from the neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to review the crime situation and plan joint combat plans.

Meanwhile, the bank has geared up its security arrangements and employees told to report to the police if they noticed suspicious people in the premises.

Bank manager PP Bhatt said the working of the bank was normal. 

Officer trainees raise money for charity
Anmol Jain
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 27
Officer trainees at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) were seen in a new avatar yesterday. As many as 239 trainees were serving food and selling various products at a fete organised on the LBSNAA campus in a bid to raise money for charity.

The fete was organised by the Society for Social Services, an NGO run by officer trainees which supports various social projects, particularly children's education and waste management.

According to Bijendra Pandiyan, an officer trainee and the secretary of the society, "Collections through the fete will be used to support various projects taken up by the officer trainees through the society."

Rudhra Gangadharan, director of LBSNAA, inaugurated the fete. There were altogether 35 stalls with mouthwatering cuisine, interesting books and exciting games on offer.

Joint director Padamveer Singh, deputy director Alok Kumar and Purushottam Kumar from LBSNAA, and A.P. Singh and Sanjeev from NIAR were present on the occasion.

Recharge well to tackle saline water
Vikas Vasudeva
Tribune News Service

Roorkee, October 27
In the wake of vulnerability of coastal aquifers to contamination from saline water in coastline areas across the country, the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) here has worked out a recharge technique to combat saltwater encroachment.

Scientists say as more and more costal areas are developed and groundwater withdrawals increase, the heavier saltwater intrudes further into a fresh water aquifer, rendering saline water unfit for consumption.

"Once the freshwater aquifer turns saline, it becomes extremely difficult to reclaim fresh water. In India, a majority of states adjacent to coasts face this threatening scenario," maintains an NIH report.

In a bid to test the effectiveness of artificial recharge through recharge wells, a complex of five recharge well structures were constructed at Ayodhya in Andhra Pradesh.These wells were located in three outfall drains which discharge significant quantities of water into the river when the canals are operational.

"Analysis of ground water samples from observation wells in the area revealed a decrease in groundwater salinity in the surrounding area within a radius of 500 metre, as a result of artificial recharge," says the report.

Scientists at the NIH believe that this technique will go a long way in managing groundwater resources in coastal areas and therefore its use will positively aid the local population, especially farmers, besides government agencies.

Rejuvenating springs
Vikas Vasudeva
Tribune News Service

Roorkee, October 27
Concerned over disquieting reports that the flow of springs in the Himalayas and north-eastern region has decreased nearly 50 per cent during the last three decades, the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) here has adopted a model for assessment of the flow to help rejuvenate the springs.

At the institute, the Bear model has been adopted to simulate spring flow for the time-variant recharge. The adopted model can also be used to compute the time variant recharge to the spring flow domain and depletion time from an available spring flow series.

"The study of spring flow under the model is done on the basis of hydrological principles that provide means to develop natural resources such as forests, water, soil, besides rejuvenation of dying spring," says an expert.

Notably, India runs one of the largest rural water supply programmes in terms of physical and financial dimensions and 80 per cent of water needs of rural area are met from groundwater and springs, which are natural outlets for concentrated groundwater discharge.

"Strategies based on hydrologic principles to rejuvenate and nurture spring flows will go a long way in augmenting water supply, especially in the hilly terrain where it may not be always possible to have adequate storage facility due to logistic reasons," explains an NIH scientist.

At ICFRE, e-champions show the way
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Eyeing its e-governance goals, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, has taken the lead in realising the concept of e-champions. It has already identified 24 e-champions for its nine institutes in the country

The union environment and forest ministry mooted the concept that entails identification of a few non-IT people among the employees who, after through training on e-governance, act as change agents towards furthering the cause of e-governance in their organisations.

The unique aspect of these e-champions is that they are in no way linked to information technology and their sole selection criteria is the their potential to take lead and an inclination towards office productivity tools like MS Word, email and the Internet.

The ICFRE has come up with 24 e-champions and has already given them a three-phased training. The last phase of training was held at Shimla last month. These e-champions are fully equipped to further the spread of e-governance among their colleagues.

The IT management cell of ICFRE, under the initiative of its director general Dr Jagdish Kishwan, has already taken giant strides towards attaining its “complete e-governance” goal set for 2015.

Referring to the concept of e-champions, Dr Harish Kumar project director (e-governance), ICFRE, said e-champions were change agents who could help adopt smooth adoption of Indian Forestry Research Information System.

"These champions are a must for capacity-building and for facilitating e-governance development and will not only lead, study and understand lead governance development, but replicate learning across all levels", explained Dr Harish Kumar.

The ICFRE e-governance roadmap calls for putting all its services online by 2015. On way from 2007, it plans to put its core application and Intranet portal in place by 2008-end.

By 2009, a data centre has to be completed and digital signature infrastructure generated. In 2010, a paperless ICFRE would be go online with additional introduction of digital democracy. One of its key e-governance initiative-research information system- is the first of its kind initiative to plagiarism linked to research in the forestry sector.

The project aims to check any possible attempt at plagiarism and also does away with the problem of overlapping in research. 

Samiti holds candle march

Dehradun, October 27
Seeking permanent capital status for Gairsen, Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sangarsh Samiti members today took out a candle march here.

Led by Jitendra Chauhan, the samiti members accused the ruling BJP of keeping mum over the issue of Gairsen. “The hill parts of the state can only witness progress if Gairsen is made the permanent capital of Uttarakhand,” Chauhan observed. He also said that a deputation of Congressmen from the state will be shortly meeting Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and inform him of the popular sentiment of the people in favour of Gairsen. — TNS

I’m not evading law: Lahiri
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Dev Lahiri, principal of Welham Boy’s School, has clarified that he was not able to appear before a court in Ooty in connection with two pending cases (Wild Life Act and Arms Act) against him because his lawyer in Ooty has been trying to arrange a date for hearing of both cases together.

On account of his non-appearance in court, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Lahiri. Policemen from Tamil Nadu had even come to Dehradun to execute the warrant.

Addressing a press conference today, Lahiri said that he was in New Delhi for his medical examination and when he returned to Dehradun, he was distressed to learn what had happened in his absence.

“My lawyer is making efforts to arrange a date for hearing of both cases together in wake of my bad health and also to reduce travel expenditure,” Lahiri claimed while adding that he has no intentions of avoiding the legal process. He said he would appearing before the Ooty court in a couple of days.

Both cases were registered against Lahiri when he was headmaster of Lawrence School, Lovedale, from 1991 to 2000.

Meanwhile, after M.R. Sivaraman, chairman of Board of Governors of Lawrence School, Lovedale, sent an e-mail to Lahiri in 2005 that allegedly had defamatory content, Lahiri had filed a defamation case against him which is pending in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate-I, Dehradun.

Infantry Day observed
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Indian Military Academy (IMA) Commandant Lt Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana paid homage to martyrs on Infantry Day. He laid wreaths at Lal Gate War Memorial, Garhi Cantt, here today.

All ranks from the infantry attended the ceremony and paid their homage. Wreaths were also laid by senior and retired officers including Lt Gen H.B.Kala (retd). It was on October 27, 1947, when the first Infantryman air-landed in Kashmir valley and routed Pakistani invaders from the vicinity of the Srinagar airfield.

Cracker sale in prohibited areas on
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
A day ahead of Diwali, the sale of crackers here in city markets has picked up. According to the majority of those selling crackers on Rajpur Road, the sale has witnessed considerable increase since Sunday evening.

“Though business is not as good as last year but it is picking up and we hope to do good business,” stated Kamal Kumar, who has put up a kiosk on Rajpur Road.

The local markets are flooded with crackers but some new varieties are attracting customers. “Many fancy crackers had been introduced this time. Crackers like “jolly jingle” that throws out 240 multi-coloured stars, platter 64 and titanic 72 are attracting customers,” disclosed Neelu, another shopkeeper. He added that a multi-shot rocket, which throws 1000 stars and is priced at Rs 9000, is a major centre of attraction in the market.

Meanwhile, a round of city markets revealed that notwithstanding the directions of the district administration, the sale of crackers continues unabated in some prohibited areas. Openly flouting the orders of additional district magistrate (administration) U.C. Kabadwal, crackers are being openly sold by some 
shopkeepers in Paltan Bazaar, Dhamawala Bazaar, Dispensary Road and Moti Bazaar.

260 examined at heart camp
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
As many as 260 persons were examined on the first day of the heart checkup camp that started at the MC office here yesterday.

It is being held as a joint initiative of the Himalayan Institute for Environment Ecology and Development (HIFEED) and Escorts. Senior cardiologist, Dr Piyush Jain, is one of the doctors at the camp.

Uttarakhand health minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, while inaugurating the camp, said such camps were of much benefit to the poor.

Dr Nishank asked Escorts to assist the state in upgrading its health infrastructure. Dehradun mayor Vinod Chamoli said the corporation, apart from its civic duties, was also undertaking general welfare activities.

Kamal Bahuguna, director, HIFEED, said the organisation planned to hold more such camps in other parts of Garhwal. He also spoke on the livelihood options by HIFEED.

Councillor Ashok Verma, chief executive officer Sushil Kumar and CMO GC Bonthiyal attended the inauguration. 

Late results on account of thorough checking: VC
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Vice Chancellor of Uttarakhand Technical University VK Tiwari today said it had been his endeavour to ensure that standards of education in the institution were maintained at all costs. He was interacting with mediapersons.

Referring to the delay in the results, he said the university had been working to ensure transparency and scrutiny of the answer copies were being done in most impartial and fair way. This at time lead to late declaration of results.

The VC said the university had enough infrastructure to accommodate new colleges. As many as 48 technical colleges in the state are affiliated to Uttarakhand Technical University. 

8 held after brawl over plot
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Several persons sustained minor injuries after two groups clashed over some property dispute at Saharanpur Chowk here. The incident occurred in the morning, when supporters of one Narinder Mittal and Sanjay Madan indulged in a brawl over a piece of land.

Lakhibagh police picket officials reached the spot and arrested Narinder, Sanjay and six others. A case under Section 151 of CrPc has been registered against them.

ATMs run out of cash
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 27
Most ATMs in Dehradun ran out of currency due to the sudden rush of customers on Diwali eve. From early morning, long queues could be seen at ATMs on prominent roads. By afternoon, many ATMs were left with no choice but to down their shutters.

Meanwhile, SBI authorities have said that they is nothing to panic and 
they were putting cash in their ATMs.