Dehradun, December 22
Scientists at the Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL) are in the process of developing a “concealed weapon detection” devise, which could make it possible to detect any object on the other side of the wall.

DEAL director RC Aggarwal said once the device is prepared, it would not only be used by the armed forces but would prove extremely useful for fighting against terror attacks.

Elaborating, Aggarwal said: “We have developed a prototype 94 GHz passive millimeter wave imaging system, which can be considered for use under adverse visibility conditions of fog and battlefield smoke. Components at 140 GHz have also been produced at DEAL and these techniques are being further developed beyond 140 GHz for concealed weapon detection. The wall detection system would make it possible to detect any object on the other side.” He further said the device could prove handy in terror combat operations as well.

Aggarwal said DEAL plans to establish Geo-Spatial Image Intelligence capabilities that will provide pictures and details of the enemy territory. He said MM wave has found a new application in the battlefield called ‘Combat Identification of Friend or Foe (CIFF) system’. “In the fog of war, it becomes difficult to differentiate between friend or foe and this is resolved using narrow beam millimeter wave systems for identification,” he said, adding that CIFF system has passed the feasibility test and now only the realisation is left, after which a prototype would be ready.

Aggarwal said DEAL is in the final stage of development of UHF Airborne, VHF Man Pack and hand-held radios using current technologies. “Recently, DEAL has taken up development of upgraded versions of VLF Modulator and Receiver and state-of-the-art Software Defined radios (SDR’s).

SDR would provide communication functions of many radios in single radio,” he added.

Aggarwal further said the ultimate goal of DEAL is to develop Cognitive Radio (CR) having capabilities for sensing RF environment, learning and finally adapting dynamic changing conditions of modern battlefield. “Till now no country has made a CR. The work of developing it is in its early stages and it is expected that CR would be a reality by 2030,” he said. 

Dehradun, December 22
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen BC Khanduri has directed that allotment of land to any industry will be made on the basis of the decision taken by the authorised committees under the established policy. Availability of land and requirement of that particular industry would also be taken into consideration.

The Chief Minister issued the directions at a review meeting linked to industrial land allotments held in Dehradun today. He categorically held that the allotment of land should be undertaken in a manner that maximum industries get accommodated in process so that the goal of employment generation is fulfilled. He also held that the newly set up industries while availing tax concession must also ensure that they adhere to the rules.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the matter linked to land allotments for industries set up under A, B and C categories. Discussions concerning land allotments at Haridwar, Pantnagar, Kotdwar, Selaqui and Information Technology Park Dehradun were also held.

Chief Secretary, Indu Kumar Pandey, Principal Secretary, Subhash Kumar, Principal Secretary Industries, PC Sharma and other top officials of state industries department were present on the occasion.

Dehradun, December 22
As part of the golden jubilee celebrations of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL) and Instrument Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), which are part of electronic cluster of the DRDO, will jointly hold a symposium on “Defence Technologies for Imaging and Communication” on December 23 at JC Bose Auditorium here.

Chief controller of DRDO Dr W Selvamurthy will inaugurate the symposium and the chief controller of electronics and computer science Dr R Sreehari Rao will preside over the symposium. At a press conference here today, DEAL director RC Aggarwal said, “Imaging and communication form two very important technologies and their synergy can make a major impact on the battlefield. Both are very important for peacetime as well as wartime preparedness of our forces. Hence, these two areas have been chosen as the theme for the symposium.”

He further said that symposium aims to consolidate the imaging and communication technologies to help enhance system effectiveness of the armed forces.

Stating that DEAL has developed expertise in the area of satellite communication over the years, which started with “Narad” Transportable Satellite Communication terminals for providing secure voice and data communication, Aggarwal informed that these satellite terminals were extensively used by Indian Peace Keeping Forces in Sri Lanka.

“Subsequently, DEAL has developed lightweight, man transportable “Briefcase Satellite Terminal” and “Network Management System”. These terminals can be deployed in different terrains and on ship for communication and has extensive usage for defence and civil applications such as disaster management etc,” he said, while adding that the Indian Army is already using these terminals and Indian Navy has also placed an order for 70 such terminals.

Aggarwal also said that for high-speed connectivity applications, DEAL has developed “Ka Band Satcom ground segment” to be used with Geo stationery satellite GSAT-4, expected to be launched in the first quarter of next year. Speaking to mediapersons, IRDE director SS Sundram said that IRDE is engaged in development of technologies for defence applications. “From a humble beginning with opto-mechanical devices like binoculars, goggles and telescopes, IRDE has grown to occupy a prominent position in the areas of electro-optical surveillance and fire control systems for day and night operations by armed forces and paramilitary forces,” he said.

Sundram also said that during the last decade, IRDE developed thermal imagers, EO fire control system for ships, gap measuring device using laser range finder, holographic sight for small arms etc.

Dehradun, December 22
For the coming Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has taken a lead by declaring three candidates for the total five Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

The party, having a sizeable presence in the state assembly, has been planning vigorously to open its account in the Lok Sabha from the state.

Already, party supremo Mayawati had announced two of its legislators as party candidates. Narayan Pal and Shahzad, both party legislators from Sitarganj in Udham Singh Nagar district and Bahadarabad in Haridwar district, respectively, will be the candidates from Nainital and Haridwar Lok Sabha constituencies.

Parmod Uniyal, a teacher from Tehri campus of the HNB Garhwal University, has been chosen as party candidate from Tehri Garhwal parliamentary constituency. The party announced his candidature today.

The party has been seriously thinking of putting up strong candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The BSP has a strong presence in Haridwar and has six legislators out of the total nine in the district.

Shahzad, leader of the BSP legislature party being a Muslim, can consolidate the Harijan-Muslim votes in the district. Haridwar is represented by the Samajwadi Party presently.

Similarly, Narayan Pal, a popular legislator from Sitarganj, has been made the candidate from Nainital Lok Sabha seat. Udham Singh Nagar district, which is part of the Nainital Lok Sabha seat, has two BSP legislators in the assembly.

The third candidate Parmod Uniyal is an old party worker from Tehri. This time BSP chief Mayawati is in no mood to put up non-serious candidates in Uttarakhand.

In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the candidates from Tehri and Almora ditched the party in the middle of the election campaign to side with the Congress.

By putting up party legislators and trusted party workers, Mayawati wants to expand her party base in the state. In the first assembly elections held in February 2002, the BSP did well by capturing seven seats in the assembly from Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar district.

In the 2007 assembly poll, the party improved its tally by one seat by winning six out of total nine in Haridwar and two in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Now, Mayawati hopes to win the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat and give a tough fight to her rivals in the rest of the four seats in the state. 

Dehradun, December 22
In its efforts to reach out to customers, General Motors India today inaugurated its first dealership in Dehradun.

Speaking on the occasion, vice-president, marketing, sales and aftersales, of the company Ankush Arora said, “This is our first dealership in Dehradun and it is a positive sign of our rapidly expanding base of customers in the city and the state. We have now 146 sales point and 148 service outlets across the country.”

He said the GM India is in the process of appointing more dealers and authorised service outlets in urban and semi-urban cities to widen its network. “M/s DPM Auto Sales, the new outlet in Dehradun, is a 3S (sales, service and spares) facility and is equipped to provide impeccable service and ambience to the customers. A wide range of exclusive accessories will also be on display for customers’ benefit. Additionally, a team of GM trained engineers will always be available at the ultra-modern workshop, with the latest garage tools and tackles, diagnostic equipment, state-of-the-art body repair shop and computerised facilities for attending to every need of customers in the region,” said Arora.

Roorkee, December 22
Come January 1, Roorkee will be a “polythene- free” town. A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting, which was attended by Ashish Joshi, sub-divisional magistrate, Pradeep Batra, chairman of municipal council and various other public representatives, here today.

Batra said a complete ban would be imposed on the use of polythene from January 1, 2009. “No polythene less than 20 micron would be allowed to use for any purpose here,” said Batra adding that the authorities have apprised all the shopkeepers, distributors and manufacturers about the decision.

“The decision aims at making the town cleaner and free of polythene hazard. If anyone is found violating it, strict action would be taken against him or her,” said Joshi. The SDM also appealed to the residents of the town to help the authorities in making the city cleaner. To educate people, an awareness rally would also be held before implementing the decision. “During the rally, we will tell the people about the hazards being caused by the polythene. Apart from this, we would paste posters with a message about the drive throughout the city,” said Batra. 

Haridwar, December 22
Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Gunjiyal has asked residents to verify the antecedents of their tenants, here today. He said action would be initiated against all landlords who don’t comply with the orders. Gunjiyal added that police-public coordination is essential and people should come forward to help the police.

The SSP said steps like tenant verification comes handy during criminal and terrorism- related investigation. He also listened to problems faced by policemen and said it is imperative to provide residential facility to police personnel, as it will facilitate provision of better security while reducing stress among policemen. The SSP also directed all the Station House Officers to take BSNL broadband connections so that information from police stations could be sent to the headquarters instantly, which will help in reducing reaction time.

Gunjiyal directed the traffic personnel to wear helmets themselves before starting a campaign for the general public. He warned that if they any policeman is found driving without a helmet, necessary action will be taken against him.

Meanwhile, a workshop on “Cyber Crime and Computer Forensics” was held in Dehradun today.

Uttarakhand DGP Subhash Joshi in his address said the use of mobile phones and computers by criminals was on the rise. “Hence, the police should also be well-versed in the use of the computers and mobiles,” he said. Adequate knowledge about gadgets was a must, he added.

Dehradun, December 22
Bindaas XI registered an easy four-wicket victory over MC Club at the 57th District Cricket League here today.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, MC Club put up a modest total of 143. Vicky and Nazim had a good partnership to help their team come out of the initial setback that came in the form of loss to two wickets.

Vicky scored quick 33 runs of just 31 balls. He hit five fours in his innings. Nazim too made a vital contribution of 25 runs. MC Club at one time was 29 runs for the loss of two wickets. In the lower order, Galib Husain made an important contribution by scoring 21 runs to see his team make 143 runs.

In reply, Bindaas XI had a flying start. For the opening wicket, Vikrant and Rahul contributed 63 runs. Rahul was the top scorer for the team. He made 34 runs.

Sohail also chipped in with important 33 runs to see his team reach the target in just 23 overs. At the end, it was a comfortable victory for Bindaas who won the match by four wickets. 

Dehradun, December 22
Haridwar dominated the first day of the sixth Uttarakhand State Police Athletic Competition that began at Police Lines here today. Haridwar won four events on the inaugural day.

Results: Pole vault (men): 1. Pradeep Sharma (Haridwar) 2. Govind Singh (Rudrapur) 3. Tanuj (Rudrapur).

1500m (men): 1. Ravindra Rautela (Haridwar) 2. Manoj Karki (Udham Singh Nagar) 3. Virendra Kumar (Almora).

Discus throw (men): 1. Naim Ahmed (Tehri) 2. Shiv Kumar (Haridwar) 3. Sudhir Kumar (Dehradun).

Pole vault (women): 1. Sunita Negi (Rudrapur) 2. Chandani Rawat (Rudrapur) 3. Indu (Haridwar).

Discus throw (women): 1. Shashi Rawat (Haridwar) 2. Rajwati (Champawat) 3. Devaki (Nainital).

200m (women): 1. Zeenat Ahmed (Haridwar) 2. Sangeeta Vora (Dehradun) 3. Laxmi Tiwari (Rudrapur).

1500m (women): 1. Saroj Joshi (Rudrapur) 2. Rekha Joshi (Haridwar) 3. Bhawana Joshi (Dehradun).