The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Meanwhile, 8,400 call for help
Dehradun, March 12
The EMRI-108 emergency services received a record number of calls on Holi. The Emergency Response Centre received as many as 8,400 calls from different parts of the state, out of which 870 were emergency.

Politicians SMS Holi messages for votes
Dehradun, March 12
With Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, it was a different kind of Holi for the politicians of the state. The doors of the political bigwigs were thrown open for the commoners to celebrate Holi.

Anuradha on unique mission
Dehradun, March 12
An out-and-out fighter Anuradha Mohit’s biggest achievement has been the enfranchisement of the visually impaired voters, who had turned up in large numbers to vote for the first time at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) auxiliary polling booths in 2007 Assembly elections. This was followed by the voters list in Braille.

Tibetan women demand homeland
Dehradun, March 12
To commemorate 50 years of their struggle against the Chinese government, the Tibetan women held a rally near the Gandhi Park, here today.
Tibetan women hold a protest march to commemorate the 50 years of their struggle in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

ONGC official elated at Desert Storm win
Dehradun, March 12
Dehradun-based Surender Kumar Nandal, an official of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and Suresh Rana from Manali have again proved their mettle in motor rallying in India.

Elections delay work on snow gun
Dehradun, March 12
Despite the fact that the SAF Winter Games were scheduled for March, the snow gun has not been installed in Auli. Uttarakhand had been making preparations for the Games for the past two years.

Old Boys down RIMC in exhibition match
Dehradun, March 12
At an exhibition hockey match played between Old Boys and RIMC to celebrate the 87th foundation day of the Rashtriya Indian Military College here, the Old Boys beat RIMC 2-1.
The match between Old Boys and RIMC in progress on the occasion of 87th foundation day of RIMC at Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Device to check poaching at night
Dehradun, March 12
For the first time, night vision equipment will be used in Uttarakhand to strengthen anti-poaching measures. Poaching has been a formidable challenge for the wildlife authorities here.

Three loot petrol station, arrested
Mussoorie, March 12
Three miscreants robbed a petrol station here last night but were nabbed by the police at Dehradun. The three broke into the office of Mussoorie Filling Station past midnight and walked away with oil cans and other items in the office.

Elephant calf injured
Dehradun, March 12
An injured elephant calf was found in Dhikala range of Jim Corbett National Park. It had been attacked by a tiger.

	Cops make merry; traffic turns messy Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 12 With Dehradun cops busy playing Holi today, it was complete chaos on city roads. All the busy traffic intersections, roundabouts and traffic light points were unmanned, which led to hour-long jams at many places. What was shocking was the fact that the cops, who are supposed to check traffic violations, were themselves least bothered about complying with traffic norms. Interestingly, it’s a tradition that Dehradun cops play Holi one day after the festival day. From morning onwards, cops at all the police stations and pickets were seen enjoying Holi with great fervour. But as a result, commuters had to face a horrifying time. “There was no cop to regulate traffic at any of the signals. It is really strange how they left the entire city on God’s mercy,” said a commuter Sanjay Gupta. Similar chaos was witnessed at various other places, including Rajpur Road, Prince Chowk, Clock Tower, Saharanpur Chowk, Chakrata Road, Darshanlal Chowk, Tehsil Chowk, Parade Ground Chowk etc. Some of the commuters even alleged that traffic cops created a lot of nuisance with the hooters of their vehicles. “It is ridiculous that on one hand traffic cops preach that people should follow rules while on the other they themselves were violating the rules today,” said Amit Bhandari, a shopkeeper.
	Meanwhile, 8,400 call for help Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 12 The EMRI-108 emergency services received a record number of calls on Holi. The Emergency Response Centre received as many as 8,400 calls from different parts of the state, out of which 870 were emergency. The emergency ambulances also took 450 patients to the hospital and there were 16 police complaints that were registered. The EMRI ambulances carried 112 pregnant women to the hospital for deliveries; helped 94 vehicular trauma cases; 65 non-vehicular trauma cases and six cases of poisoning and drug overdose. The most surprising aspect of this was that the two ambulances stationed in Dehradun's Coronation Hospital dealt with 25 cases each. These ambulances were responsible for serving at least 50 people in Dehradun. One of these had to do over 20 cases in a span of 12 hours, which in itself was a highly commendable job. "It was a very busy day for us and the pressure was immense. However, we managed to perform our duties well," said Vijay Uniyal, who is part of the emergency technicians team of EMRI. "We will make sure that the confidence of the masses in 108 is never shattered. We will keep up this level of honesty," said COO of EMRI Anoop Nautiyal.
	Politicians SMS Holi messages for votes SMA Kazmi Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 12 With Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, it was a different kind of Holi for the politicians of the state. The doors of the political bigwigs were thrown open for the commoners to celebrate Holi. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd) invited party workers and mediapersons to celebrate the festival of colours. He danced with the guests as colours were splattered all over. Not to be left behind, his bete noire, former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, another ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also hosted a Holi bash at his residence, not far from the residence of Chief Minister. Party leaders, legislators and workers loyal to him thronged his place to apply colour and celebrate. In the Congress camp, Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat, who is a contender for the party ticket from Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat, also welcomed guests at his residence to celebrate the festival. On the occasion of this Holi, politicians also used technology to reach out to the voters. Most of the BJP candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats in the state sent SMS messages to a large number of their voters to convey their congratulatory messages. Similarly, senior Congress leaders also tried to convey their feelings to their voters through SMS services. Holi Milan programmes were held by different political parties and even senior leaders and their wives were seen celebrating with food, dance and songs. Suryakant Dhasmana, Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson, held a Holi Milan where Congress leaders were seen singing and dancing.
	Anuradha on unique mission Neena Sharma Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 12 An out-and-out fighter Anuradha Mohit’s biggest achievement has been the enfranchisement of the visually impaired voters, who had turned up in large numbers to vote for the first time at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) auxiliary polling booths in 2007 Assembly elections. This was followed by the voters list in Braille. She brought this transformation after becoming the first blind woman director of the NIVH located here. “I am an out-and-out fighter. Nothing, except nature, can stop me from achieving something that I set my sights on,” declared Anuradha. Her involvement with the issues of the visually impaired saw her actively engaging the government and social organisations on the Disability Act 1995. “Everyone has dreams about life and even the less endowed too dream of a better future and aspire to rise in life. The more we give them opportunities, the more independent they will become. Their integration with the mainstream will be smooth and purposeful,” said Anuradha. Her world came crashing down when she lost her eyesight in a car accident at the age of ten. Life would have lost meaning but for the support of her parents. “I have been singularly lucky and blessed with parents who were not only highly educated but also quite modern in their outlook. Our home was a hub of literary activity. I gleaned lots of information from these interactions in my childhood. It compensated for my lack of regular school education.” “These social interactions involved lots of discussions on the state of art and culture in the country. Though in hindsight, I can say that because of my eyesight, I had to struggle a little extra than my siblings back home, however, it was worth the effort,” Anuradha said. Her persistence paid off. Training later in special education and administration and having taught at the Trinity College, UK, she favours inclusive education and community rehabilitation of the visually impaired. Over the past 20 years, things have vastly improved for the blind in urban areas. They are no longer viewed with pity. However in the rural centres, stereotypical images of the blind continue to persist. “Our focus should now be in these areas,” she said. Quite happy with the way things are shaping for the handicapped, she said, “One should not give up and be prepared for a hard life. I am glad that certain seats were set aside for the visually impaired in the 2007-08 IAS examinations. “I tell aspirants from my institution that we can only give you counselling and study material. The rest is your effort,” said Anuradha.
	Tibetan women demand homeland Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 12 To commemorate 50 years of their struggle against the Chinese government, the Tibetan women held a rally near the Gandhi Park, here today. Scores of women under the aegis of Regional Tibet Women’s Association participated in the rally. Addressing the gathering, Tashi Dolma, president of Tibetan Women’s Association (Central Executive), who was the chief guest on the occasion, said the association would observe 2009 as the ‘International Year of Tibetan Women’. She said 6,000 Tibetans were already imprisoned and another 4,000 were missing as of now. “We will not be cowed down by the brutal Chinese regime and will continue the peaceful struggle until our demand for free a Tibet is not met. Over the last fifty years, Tibetan women have displayed courage in the face of the Chinese Government’s illegal occupation of our land and the atrocities perpetrated upon the Tibetan people,” she said. She informed that to shed light on the role of Tibetan women in the struggle, a photo exhibition would soon be held in Dharamsala. A documentary would also be screened on the occasion. Meanwhile, the Tibetan women also distributed flags that would be hoisted from today. “The Tibetan National flag will be hoisted between March 14 and 17 in support of our cause,” said Tenzing, president of the Tibetan Women’s Association, Dehradun.
	ONGC official elated at Desert Storm win Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 12 Dehradun-based Surender Kumar Nandal, an official of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and Suresh Rana from Manali have again proved their mettle in motor rallying in India. They have proved their supremacy in the ‘overall’ and ‘The Extreme’ category by winning the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2009. This is a follow-up to their win in the ‘Raid-de-Himalaya’ in October 2008. Both Rana and Nandal were delighted to win their first desert title and said it was their will power that worked in their favour in the six-day event. “We have been winning the Raid-de-Himalaya continuously for five years. It was a challenge for us to win the Desert Storm this time. We had very good coordination throughout the rally. It feels great. We were very confident from the very first day,” said Suresh Rana and Surender Nandal. Their back-to-back wins in the extreme conditions of the Himalayas and the Thar desert have made them a formidable combination and highly rated in the motor-rallying circles in the country. Soon after they finished their last stage at Udaipur, they were awarded glittering winner trophies at a grand prize distribution function on February 22. The pair of Nandal and Rana have ruled the roads from the zero-ft sea level at Bhuj along the Gujarat coastline in the Desert Storm Rally 2009 to one of the highest motorable roads of Tanglangla perched up at a height of 18,582 ft in the Raid-de-Himalaya 2008. The seventh edition of Desert Storm was flagged off on February 17 from New Delhi and the six-day rally, which has many firsts to its credit, traversed 2,600 km through the interiors of Rajasthan and along the Gujarat coastline before culminating at Udaipur. The rally is one of the toughest motor-sports events in India. The rally was a mix of adventure, thrill and excitement for the participants as they treaded through uncharted territory and experienced the formidable Thar desert, the rocky and uncertain Aravalli, and the slippery and white sands of the Rann of Kutch. A total of 170 rallyists took part through competitive and transport sections. The competitive section included tough, off-road terrain that had gravel, sand and rocks while the transport section was run on inter-city state highways and connecting roads. This year’s rally had many firsts. One, this was the first time when an Indian rally was conducted at night and second, this was the maiden occasion when rallyists crossed semi-dry river beds on the Aravalli. The rally thereafter halted at Bikaner before proceeding towards the sand dunes of Jaisalmer. As the desert sand of the mighty Thar greeted the rallyists in the backdrop of the medieval fort, the four-wheel drive came into play. After the desert, the next halt was at Adesar, which connected the Small Rann to the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. Here, the participants revved-up their vehicles and sprinted across the wet and dry sand along the Gujarat coastline. This was the first time for any motor sports event in India to traverse the Gujarat coastline. The rallyists spent two nights at Adesar in tent camps. Adesar is very close to the Indo-Pakistan border and has the reputation of being fairly inhospitable.

Elections delay work on snow gun
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 12
Despite the fact that the SAF Winter Games were scheduled for March, the snow gun has not been installed in Auli. Uttarakhand had been making preparations for the Games for the past two years.

The snow gun, a massive machine used to prepare artificial snow for skiing, has not yet been set up. Auli in Chamoli district in Garhwal Himalayas did not receive any snow this winter. The Winter Games scheduled for March have been postponed.

Recently, a group of enthusiasts from Nepal and Bhutan interested in skiing visited the state to undergo a ten-day training programme at Auli. Non-availability of snow there made them go to Gairsain in Chamoli district, which is at a higher altitude than Auli, for their training.

The apathetic attitude of the government and the poor pace of work has left the Winter Games venues at Auli as well as Dehradun totally under-prepared for any winter sports.

President of the Winter Games Federation of India, SS Pangti, was, however, optimistic and said, “We are almost through. The majority of the work has been completed both at Auli and Dehradun.”

About the installation of the snow gun at Auli, he said that the work is at the finishing stage. “We have laid down a 10-km pipe that will carry water to the artificial lake which will be handy in preparing snow. The capacity of the lake is 25 lakh cusecs.”

“The repair work of the pipeline that was leaking at two places has been successfully completed. The construction of the pump hall remains to be completed,” said Pangti.

For organising a skiing competition, at least six inches of snow is required. In case, there is a deficit, the snow gun machine comes in handy. The snow made by the gun in winter months lasts about a month whereas it only lasts a week when the weather get a little warmer.

In case of Uttarakhand, the gun will only be functional from November to March or at the most, till April. For the rest of the year, the temperature will be too high.

Pangti accepted the fact that the state government was a little engrossed with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections because of which the preparation for the SAF Winter Games had received a setback. “After the Lok Sabha elections, preparations will start again.”

Old Boys down RIMC in exhibition match
Vishal Thakur
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 12
At an exhibition hockey match played between Old Boys and RIMC to celebrate the 87th foundation day of the Rashtriya Indian Military College here, the Old Boys beat RIMC 2-1.

It was an exciting match played between the two with the Old Boys dominating the proceedings right from the start. The Old Boys were the first to open the account. It was through the stick of S Bhonsle that Old Boys took the lead in the initial minute of the game.

Their second goal too came in the first half. This time, it was B Mahajan for Old Boys who skillfully dodged two defenders before taking a shot at the goal to score.

The RIMC team made repeated attempts to penetrate the defence of the Old Boys but failed. At half time, the score was 2-0 in Old Boys’ favour.

In the second half, RIMC team was on the offensive and penetrated the Old Boys’ defence a number of times. Mohit reduce the lead making it 2-1. But they failed to find the equaliser.

Device to check poaching at night
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 12
For the first time, night vision equipment will be used in Uttarakhand to strengthen anti-poaching measures.

Poaching has been a formidable challenge for the wildlife authorities here.

The new device will help track any human activity inside the forest area during the night.

The forest authorities had acquired metal detectors some months back, particularly for “Protected Areas” of Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park.

The forest authorities have carried our training programmes for forest rangers from time to time.

Divisional Forest Officer of Terai, Parag Madhukar Dhakate, said the night vision equipment had been acquired on the initiative of the forest department of the state and would certainly prove to be of immense assistance to the authorities in countering poachers in the region.

He said they were also hiring motor boats for patrolling.