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At Haridwar, LJP to back Ambrish
...Meanwhile, Harish Rawat harps on development
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Fight for Haridwar getting tougher
Ex-servicemen to go with Congress
Char Dham Yatra begins
No progress without power: Dhawan
Bring home aquarium to bust stress
Back to roots after 60 years
Dhulia to bring plight of sportsman on celluloid
Welham’s School lift u-14 basketball title
Governor’s advice to young journalists
Medicare in bad state, alleges Dhasmana
Ishant wins poster competition
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At Haridwar, LJP to back Ambrish
Haridwar, April 27 State president of LJP Baij Nath Rajbhar has termed the alliance, which also has Lalu Prasad Yadav as the third partner, as the best option against communal forces.
“To keep communal forces at bay we have decided to support Samajwadi Party in Haridwar as this is the need of the hour. Otherwise, non-secular forces will utilise the division, which will be of dire consequences to the nation,” said BaijNath. Lashing out at Bahujan Samaj Party, BaijNath termed it as a one-person party with no concern for Dalits. “Whether it is Uttarakhand or any part of India, wherever the BSP has a foothold the condition of Dalits and minorities is worst. They are used as just vote banks,” he said. He also took a dig at current legislator from Bahadrabad seat, Haridwar district, Mohammed Shahzad for keeping silent on the domicile issue and caste certificates in the Assembly. “Shahzad took two years to understand the issue and now he wants to be a MP to say something on this issue. He became a legislator only due to the votes of Dalits and later remained mute on issues concerning them,” quipped the leader. Meanwhile, thanking the LJP cadres for their support SP state general secretary Murli Manohar said now Ambrish Kumar will give a tough fight to the opponents. Among others present at the meeting were senior SP leader Somdev Tyagi and Chandrasekhar Yadav.
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...Meanwhile, Harish Rawat harps on development
Dehradun, April 27
Addressing mediapersons here today, Rawat said Tata Motors already has a plant that manufactures ACE trucks at Pantnagar in Udham Singh Nagar district of the state and only wanted some more land for the Nano project. “But Chief Minister BC Khanduri was helpless before Advani’s pressure and turned down the request of Tata Motors for more land to roll out the Nano from Uttarakhand,” he said. He said despite the industrial package given to Uttarakhand, Khanduri government has failed to encourage industrialisation. “The single-window system started by the previous government for provision of speedy clearance to industrial units was discontinued by the Khanduri government, which has hampered industrialisation,” he said. “If voted to power, Congress will make sure that the industrial package, which is scheduled to end in 2010, is extended by five years,” he added. He also announced that the Congress would revive the dying pharmaceutical sector in the state. Talking about the contest at Haridwar, Rawat said it would be a very tough battle for the Congress. While asserting that the main competition is between Congress and BJP, Rawat said: “In Haridwar, all the three main parties - BJP, BSP and SP - are attacking the Congress, which itself implies that our party has a very strong foundation in Haridwar.” Rawat said progress is on top of his agenda and rather than issuing statements criticising his opponents, he has adopted a development-oriented approach in the campaign. Claiming that the Congress is united and all set to win the five seats, Rawat said for him contesting the election from Haridwar is a challenge and at the same time an opportunity to win the confidence of people. “Although due to some personal reasons, initially, I was not interested in contesting but being a loyal party soldier, I abided by the decision of our leadership. Now, my sole aim is to win the hearts of the people in Haridwar”, he claimed. Replying to a question regarding the SP candidate Ambrish Kumar’s comments wherein he had said that since Rawat had opposed the recent delimitation - stating that it would decrease the seats in the hilly areas and would benefit the plains - he has no moral right to ask the people of Haridwar to vote for him, the Congress candidate said: “I had said delimitation in urban areas may be done on the basis of population and in the process seats may be increased, but the seats in rural areas should not be decreased.”
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Fight for Haridwar getting tougher
Dehradun, April 27 Interestingly, SP that won the seat in 2004 on the plank of exclusion of Haridwar district from Uttarakhand seems to be lagging behind in the campaign. Harish Rawat, the high-profile Congress leader, is the front-runner in the campaign as of now. Plagued by confusion over the change of its candidate, the ruling BJP is yet to organise its campaign in an effective manner. Madan Kaushik, state education minister, who was declared the BJP candidate from Haridwar, was replaced by Swami Yatendranand Giri following protest from sadhus and saints led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal. While VHP and Sadhus rooted for Swami Chinmayanand, a former Union minister in the NDA government, the ticket was given to Giri. Since Madan Kaushik belongs to Haridwar, his supporters were not happy with the turn of events. On the ground, the strongest among all the candidates seems to be Mohammed Shahzad of BSP. Out of the 12 assembly segments that form part of the Haridwar seat, BSP has six legislators. The Haridwar district has nine assembly segments while three of Dehradun district, namely Rishikesh, Doiwala and Dharampur, are also clubbed with Haridwar seat under the new delimitation. The campaign by Harish Rawat, being a senior Congress leader and a contender for the post of Chief Minister in the next assembly elections scheduled in 2012, has also made an impact on the voters. Interestingly, the constituency has nearly 25 per cent Dalits and 26 per cent Muslim voters, which are the solid vote bank of Bahujan Samaj Party, but Rawat has been able to sway a sizeable section of the Muslim voters. "Muslims are getting attracted to Congress but will vote for the one who can defeat the BJP," said Fasi-ur-Rehman, a progressive farmer from Mangalore. BJP also plans to launch a campaign blitzkrieg in the next fortnight in favour of Swami Yatendranand Giri with the active involvement of saints, sadhus and RSS. "We will be doing a thorough job in the days to come," said Trivendra Singh Rawat, state Agriculture Minister and a legislator from Doiwala assembly segment. The flip-flop by BJP has made the task of Harish Rawat easy, but BJP leaders vow to change the scenario in the coming days. BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati will also be addressing a large public meeting at Haridwar on May 11 in a bid to wrest the seat for the first time.
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Ex-servicemen to go with Congress
Dehradun, April 27 Addressing a press conference, central president of the Sangathan Lt Col Ganga Singh Rawat (retd), said they have decided to support Congress in all five parliamentary seats here. Terming the Congress as a party of the common, Rawat said the party has always addressed the concerns of the poor and has worked for the welfare of the both serving and retired army personals. “It was Congress party’s efforts that even after recession India could maintain a healthy GDP of 7.5%, which is praise worthy in itself,” Rawat said. He further said it was Congress government that had implemented the RTI Act, which has given greater strength to the common masses. Apart from these, schemes like National Employment Guaranty Scheme were He also reminded that it was former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who started the pension scheme for the deceased soldier’s families. Through Sixth Pay Commission, Congress government has also hiked the salary and allowances for all the defence personnels. “The Congress government at the center had also provided CSD facilities to the paramilitary forces and had also kept CSD free from Value Added Tax, (VAT)”, he said. Thus, the sangathan has decided to support Congress in the elections, Rawat said. |
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Char Dham Yatra begins
Dehradun, April 27 There is much enthusiasm among the pilgrims. While the Kapats of Gangotri and Yamunotri were opened today, the Kapats of Kedarnath and Badrinath will be opened on April 30 and May 1, respectively The doli of
Ganga, which left from its winter abode at Mukhwa on Sunday, has reached Yamnotri today morning. The Yatra will be officially inaugurated on coming Tuesday. According to the executive officer of Badrinath-Kedarnath temple Committee Anil Sharma, following the Vedic rituals, Doli of Lord Kedarnath started off from Omkareshwara temple, located at Ukhimath on Sunday. The Doli will reach Kedarnath on April 29 and would be reinstalled at 6.15 am with the opening of the portals
(Kapats). The chairman of the Mandir Committee, Anusuiya Prasad Bhatt, said all preparations had been completed at Badrinath temple. He said that there had been no snowfall this year and the way to Dham is clear. Sanjay Shastri of Vehicle Rotation Management Committee, Rishikesh said very few buses took off on the first day of the
yatra. Chief executive officer of Tehri Garhwal Motor Owners Union, Jitendra Singh
Negi, said the managing transportation would be a tough task in the initial days, keeping in view the Lok Sabha elections. As many as 700 buses have been kept for election duty. |
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No progress without power: Dhawan
Dehradun, April 27 Addressing election rallies in Kotdwar, Rudrpur and Rudrprayag, Dhawan alleged that the Khanduri government failed to utilise the funds given by the Central government. He accused the BJP of adopting a negative approach towards industrialisation in the state. Dhawan said entire industry was suffering due to the wrong policies of the Khanduri government. "The state is facing a power crisis and the government claims that Uttarakhand is progressing fast," he said, while adding that mandate of the electorate will be in the favour of the Congress this time. He claimed that the performance of the previous Congress regime in the state was far better. Prominent among others, accompanying Dhawan included Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Yashpal Arya and Congress leader in Uttarakhand Legislative assembly Dr Harak Singh Rawat. Meanwhile, refuting the allegations of Congress leaders that state government was deliberately not allowing their choppers to land in the hill areas, state spokesman of the BJP Vishwas Dawar said: "Baffled with the negative wave prevailing in the state against Congress, their party leaders are issuing such statements. In reality, witnessing a handful of people in the election rallies, the Congress leaders themselves left the venue. Now, they are accusing us." Convener of the state-unit of the BJP Ex-Servicemen Cell Col. CM Nautiyal (retd) said the Khanduri government has taken several steps for the welfare of ex-servicemen.
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Bring home aquarium to bust stress
Dehradun, April 27 In the times of busy lifestyle and constant stress, people prefer keeping a nice aquarium in their house, which is known to be a stress buster from years. The world of aquarium is wide and one can pick these as per the budget and choice. “I started my business 13 years ago. There are around 302 varieties of fish available with us. Lot of people now keep aquarium in their homes or at work- place because as per vaastu and feng-shui it is considered auspicious and is believed to increases prosperity. Eight gold fishes with one black fish is considered auspicious. And it is said to be beneficial for health, wealth and of the success of the family if placed in the north or north-east direction of the room,” said Ranjan Dhingra, owner of an aquarium shop. The number of fishes and cost of the aquarium depends on the size of its size. “Our clients from hotels demand bigger aquariums which costs around Rs 50,000 and above. Generally people order aquariums between 1 to 4 feet for theior houses and offices which are reasonably priced between from Rs 1000 to Rs 7000,” added Dhingra. “I love gold fishes, and presently I have a collection of 12 fishes,” said Aarti, a housewife. Interestingly, fishes like to live with same kind of fishes and therefore, it is essential to keep same breed of fish together rather than any random ones. There are unique varieties of fishes both imported and Indian and depending on the availability the price of the fishes are determined. “From Rs 20 a pair, the price goes up to Rs. 32,000 a pair. Whenever we sell fish we guide people about their maintenance, diet and even their nature,” said Vivek Aggarwal, owner Seaworld Aquariums. An aquarium with proper pump, filter and driftwood, which maintains the PH balance of water are must to keep fish healthy. Healthy environment and proper knowledge about their eating habits and their cleaning are also to be taken care of. “So many times, fishes die due to sheer negligence in cleaning or over eating. For a healthy life of a fish it is mandatory to feed them twice a day only with partial change of water on a monthly basis. Moreover, if the size of the aquarium is small then cleaning should be done more frequently then a huge aquarium which can be cleaned once in 3 months also,” said Dhingra. Meanwhile, where variety of fishes are attracting people and aquarium business is on a rise, Chinese accessories and artificial plants with small size aquariums are the latest craze for people who want to add style quotient to their aquariums. “Matka size aquariums are for people who face space constraints. We have recently launched Chinese aquariums which are stylish and in line with trend followed in metros and abroad,” he said.
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Back to roots after 60 years
Dehradun, April 27 When people at his age generally head for quite places, Henry has prepared a punishing itinerary of a voyage around India going around cantonment towns of what was then British India. Born in Doon in 1932, his visit to the Doon Hospital in search of old records about his birth details yielded little results. “My mother was a private nurse in Doon and I was born at the local hospital but they don’t seem to have any record about my birth. I met the CMS of District Women’s Hospital who told me that all records may have been burnt,” said a rather disappointed Henry. Accompanied by his wife, Henry went around the town looking for spots to refresh old memories. He took up studies at Saint Fidelis High School, Mussoorie, run by Irish Christian brothers. “We will meet the secretary of the school tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to elicit some information and meet old schoolmates. “The memories of my school are clearly etched on my mind, including the time I spent around dormitories. The school was then run by Irish brothers and my principal was Brother Masterson,” recalled Henry. Though the school no longer exists, the old dormitory is now part of St George’s College. He studied here till Class VII and then went on to take the Cambridge school entrance for which he did not qualify. “Doon then was a virtual paradise for British officers who they lived in the green tree-lined areas,” said Henry. His mother Alice Sullivan was a private nurse and was married at one of the churches in Doon. The family left for England in 1949 but continued to have fond memories of the country which was their home for some years. At ease in Doon and far from the hurly burly of Delhi that left them a bit rattled, the couple were happy to visit the old church and the hospital. Henry’s first job was in Lucknow as a cleaner at the railway station. He cdid sundry jobs in India till he migrated to England where he joined the Royal Army. “I would not have been so adventurous had my Indian experience not trained me to take everything in my stride. I have driven in adverse conditions from the Eastern Bloc right up to Iran in my car; nothing fazes me.” But the memories of Partition haunt his mind. “Hundreds of people were slaughtered and there were trains full of bodies; the trajectory of the divide continues to be played again and again in some part of the world or the other,” observed a rather philosophical Henry.
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Dhulia to bring plight of sportsman on celluloid
Dehradun, April 27 Dhulia, a Doonite, is in the city to shoot Irfan Khan starrer “Pan Singh
Tomar”, a film based on the life of a sportsman who turned into a dacoit. “ I had conceptualised the idea during the making of Bandit Queen where I worked as an assistant to Shekhar
Kapoor. During the study of bandits, I came across the character of Pan Singh
Tomar, who had turned into a dacoit from a sportsman after facing apathy from the state government,” he
said. Dhulia further said that he decided to come up with a film on him then and there at latest opportunity. He said there were countless sportspersons that suffered a lot after bidding goodbye to the game and were struggling for basic survival. After conducting the shoots at Roorkie and
Nainital, the film has some few days of shooting left in Dehradun before finally concluding this ambitious project. Grandson of eminent literary figure of the state, Bhairav Dutt
Dhulia, Tigmanshu sees a big film opportunity here. After Kerala and Bengal, Uttarakhand has been bestowed with immense beauty and this certainly could be en-cashed for promotion of film industry in the state. “Uttarakhand is culturally rich and cinematically friendly and thus extending financial support can lead to rich dividends for the state in the film sector,” Dhulia said. He also suggested for constituting a Film Development Board in the state. While admitting that recession was hitting the film industry hard, he said while overseas and satellite based film industry suffered significant losses. It was only the Indian box office that has somehow maintained itself against the onslaught of recession. “No film maker want to take risk presently as the strike at multiplexes has further compounded the problem,” said Dhulia who is anxiously awaiting the release of Nana Patekar starer
Shahgird. Tigmanshu Dhulia has to his credit films like Hasil and Charas, which not only proved to be a successful at the box office but also were also highly appreciated by the audience. |
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Welham’s School lift u-14 basketball title
Dehradun, April 27 In the boys’ section, Welham’s Boys School defeated Summer Valley 32-16, whereas in girls, Welham Girls crushed their opponent Convent of Jesus and Mary (CJM) by a score of 21-10. In the boys final, Welham’s Boys did not start on a good note. The team lagged behind Summer Valley during initial minutes, which opened the account with the two points. Welham Boys’ spikers had to put in an extra effort to end the first quarter 4-4 all. In the second quarter, Welham’s Boys came with a different approach and took control of the proceedings. They scored 12 points in the quarter, whereas Summer Valley failed to increase their score. Third quarter saw both teams scoring some quick baskets. Welham Boys scored eight points in the quarter and Summer valley team scored nine. Welhams Boys took the lead by another eight points to make the final score 32-16. Rohan was the top scorer for the team with 8 points. In the girls final, it was a tough contest between Welham Girls School and Convent of Jesus and Mary that was won by Welham Girls in the end. In first three quarters, it was a neck-to-neck fight between the two teams. In the first quarter, Welham Girls scored five points against CJM team, who could only manage to score two points. In the second quarter, Welham further took the lead by six points and CJM managed to scorer 4 points. The third quarter saw both the team playing a defensive game as they scored one point each. In the fourth quarter Welham Girls scored 10 points against CJM’s three points. Thus, Welham Girls School won the match by 21-10. Simran was the top scorer for the team with 13 points.
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Governor’s advice to young journalists
Dehradun, April 27 The glamour associated withers away the true characteristic of journalist. So, balance should be maintained between glamour and responsibility to avoid any sort of yellow journalism. The students from Bhopal were here on a study tour and called upon the Governor. However, discussing the importance of journalist he said, “Media acts as a catalyst in expressing problems of a common man to government and vice-versa. “But then there lies a very big responsibility on a budding journalist to follow the footsteps of honest journalists who time and again have fought for the sake of people and for the country.” The meeting concluded with Governor’s discussion on plethora of opportunities in the field of journalism.
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Medicare in bad state, alleges Dhasmana
Dehradun, April 27 Dhasmana alleged that development of the state has come to a standstill under the present regime. "The BJP government has failed to do anything for the betterment of industries, education and health sectors," he said. He alleged that the situation in the rural areas was worse. "People are facing extremely difficult conditions in the villages due to lack of medical facilities," he claimed. "BJP government is a utter failure and is not paying any heed towards the problems being faced by the downtrodden," alleged Dhasmana. The Congress leader added that sitting MP and Congress candidate Vijay Bahuguna had worked a lot for the development of Tehri constituency. "The awarding of Central status to HNB Garhwal University is one of the biggest achievements of Bahuguna," he said. |
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Ishant wins poster competition
Dehradun, April 27 In the collage section, Padini, Ishant Bansal, Patanjali, Kaveri Verma, Isha Verma stood first. From Class VIIth Shrishti Sharma, Mridyul Sharan bagged the first prize. In Class VIIIth Riya Sharma, Ayushi Pandey came first in the competition. The schools founder Swami Sharad Puri said it would be of immense help if the awareness about environment conservation is inculcated in children at this young age.
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On the directions of Ram Vilas Paswan, the Lok
Janshakti Party state unit has decided to support the Samajwadi Party candidate from Haridwar, which may affect permutations and combinations of other parties.
The Congress candidate from Haridwar constituency Harish Rawat has squarely blamed BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate LK Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for Tata Motors’ Nano project “not coming to the hill state of Uttarakhand”.
If voted to power, Congress will make sure that the industrial package, which is scheduled to end in 2010, is extended by five years.
