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Hebei Oil Spill
Dhawan wants CM to resign
Stay away from Gaumukh or pay Rs 25,000 fine |
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Parched U’khand seeks central aid
No land to set up power sub-stations
Labour convention discusses meltdown
Truck on highway catches fire
Nurses go on indefinite stir Striking nurses raise slogans in Doon Hospital on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
NCC cadets get glimpse of life in Army
Young animator Aman receives award
IMA holds camp on World Donor’s Day
Nipul fashions Drona Academy win
Eleven Star win soccer title
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Hebei Oil Spill
Dehradun, June 14 After an 18-month ordeal, as Captain Chawla stepped out of car with his Gurpreet Kaur at his house on Guru Road, Dehradun, today afternoon, the entire Chawla family, including
Captain Chawla's father Manjit Singh, mother Bhupinder Kaur and sister Imjot Kaur, gave him a rousing
welcome. "I have no words to express my joy. Finally, justice has prevailed. It is great to be back home after such a long trauma," said Captain Chawla. He added that it was extremely "unfortunate" and "bad" episode for him and his family. "Despite being innocent, I had to spend so much time in jail. Though physically I was not subjected to any sort of torture, mentally it was a nightmare for me and I would like to forget this episode as soon as possible," said Captain Chawla. He said although initially the Indian government did not take much pain for his release, later, under pressure from various quarters including his family and media, they pursued the matter aggressively. Captain Chawla and Chief Officer Shyam Chetan, the two Indian marine officers, had been sentenced in the Hebei Spirit oil spill case. Notably, the lower court in South Korea had acquitted Chawla and Shyam Chetan but the High Court reversed it and convicted them for negligence. Subsequently both of them had moved the South Korean Supreme Court challenging their conviction. Finally, after an 18-month ordeal, Chawla and Shyam Chetan returned India on June 13, following their acquittal. "Captain Chawla was certainly not at fault but the Korean authorities framed him in a false case. For our entire family, the past one-and-a-half year has been very difficult," said Gurpreet Kaur, Captain Chawla's wife. Gurpreet, who herself had been shuttling between South Korea and India, added: "Since the kids were studying in India, it was really difficult to take care of them and at the same time fight the case in South Korea. It's a moment of great relief that finally my husband is back," she said, while expressing her gratitude to the shipping companies across the globe for standing by them. |
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Dhawan wants CM to resign
Haridwar, June 14 Dhawan was on a personal visit to the city today and performed 'puja' at the Har-Ki-Pauri. He was accompanied by family members, including Annu Kapur, Shekhar Kapur and Preeti. Dhawan, who was also personal secretary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, said the condition of BJP at national level is the same as in the state. "Internal factionalism and inability to govern has blocked developmental works in the state. That's why the people voted for the Congress," said Dhawan. Lashing out at BJP government's stance of putting the onus on the previous UPA government of not helping the state financially, Dhawan said the allegation was baseless. "Central government is never biased against states," said Dhawan. On the forthcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, scheduled for 2010, preparations, Dhawan said even as national and international tourists were expected during the mela, the infrastructure was not up to the mark. He alleged that this was the condition despite the state government being financially assisted by the Centre. Dhawan lauded Harish Rawat's role in reviving Congress not only in Haridwar but also in Uttarakhand. "The high command has rewarded Harish Rawat by nominating him as Union minister of state for labour and employment," said Dhawan. |
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Stay away from Gaumukh or pay Rs 25,000 fine
Dehradun, June 14 The park authorities had some time back directed for regulating the number of tourists to Gaumukh glacier region while ensuring a blanket ban on any human interference at a distance of 500 metres from Gaumukh taking into account the fast receding glacier that was fallout of hectic human activity in the region. Uttarakhand government last year had restricted the number of tourists visiting to the Gaumukh, the origin of Ganga, limited to 150 per day while sages were excluded from this count. But despite frantic efforts, there had been cases of rise in human activity in Gaumukh region. According to deputy director Gangotri National Park RP Singh the park would be imposing a fine of Rs 25,000 on the people, who would be reaching in close proximity to the glacier. He disclosed that the park administration had last year collected fine to the tune of Rs 11,000 from some of the tourists who had fixed their tents on the very mouth of Gaumukh. Meanwhile, taking into account the fast receding glacier, the park authorities have sought services of National Institute of Hydrology to come up with a work plan to safeguard the glacier. As per the new arrangements, tourists to the Gangotri region has to obtain permits which is either available at the office of chief wild life warden Dehradun or at Gangotri National Park office at Uttarkashi.
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Parched U’khand seeks central aid
Dehradun, June 14 The rainfall has been far below normal, thereby severely affecting the winter crops in the hill areas. The dry spell during the winters affected the wheat crop in Tehri, Almora and Pitthoragarh districts. A hailstorm in May further compounded the problem. State agriculture minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said poor rainfall had not only affected crops but also dried up natural water sources. “As many as 11 districts are seeing drought-like conditions. Almost 50 per cent of the crops have been damaged in 3,216 villages in five districts” said Rawat. Earlier, a central team headed by the joint secretary, agriculture, RK Tiwari, toured the state and found that 11 of the 13 districts faced water shortage. The team advised the state government to undertake measures like water harvesting and agriculture insurance for the farmers. |
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No land to set up power sub-stations
Roorkee, June 14 It is irony that time and again, villagers suffering from power cuts descend on divisional headquarters of the electricity board here but when it comes to selling land for the purpose, they proved least helpful. “The project of setting up two power substations of 5 MVA in Solani and Pohana area was cleared around one year ago. But due to the unavailability of land, these projects are yet to see the light of the day,” said Madhu Sudan Chandola, deputy general manager of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited. With the setting up of the proposed sub-stations, the overloading on many other substations, including Dhanauri, Brahmpur, No. 6, Bhagwanpur and Raipur, would decrease drastically. The officer told that the department has been trying hard to get land in these areas since the clearance of the project last year but till date all the efforts went in vain. The main reason is the reluctance of the villagers in providing or selling the land to the department. “Despite our several attempts, we failed to procure the required land for the projects. Actually no one, including the gram panchayats, want to give land for setting up powerhouse on their lands,” said Chandola.“In such situation, how can we set up our sub-stations, which is needed to fight with the overloading problem in the area,” he added. In the area, which is being marred with the long and unscheduled power cuts daily, hundreds of transformers get burnt every year due to overloading, which also led to the agitation, protests and scuffle between the villagers and the department employees every now and then. On the issue, Rakesh Bhateja, a resident of Pohana village said, “Providing land to the department is not our responsibility. Why should we give our agricultural land to set up a powerhouse, which proves a big hazard to the land owners, having lands nearby.” |
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Labour convention discusses meltdown
Haridwar, June 14 The convention, held once in three years, saw leaders from various fields speaking on labour and economic issues at length.Chief guest, Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Harbans Kapoor, while lauding the efforts of the Sangh said more needs to be done to address various issues related to workers. “For improvement in Indian economy and status of labourers, we need changes in financial and industrial policies,” said Kapoor. Expressing hope that such conventions will go a long way in giving direction to industries in the state and subsequently to the factory workers, state cabinet minister Madan Kaushik assured his cooperation to sugarcane farmers. “Workers’ problems in sugarcane mills and other related issues will be looked at by the government,” said Kaushik. Chief of Labour Advisory Board and state minister Rammoorti Vir elaborated on the need of change in labour laws in context with changing times and rapid industrialisation. BMS national executive member Ram Das Pandey said the government should fund the sick industrial units and increase employment opportunities in time of global economic recession. |
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Truck on highway catches fire
Haridwar, June 14 The truck (HR-38 N 9842) was going from Haridwar to Dehradun. At the police check post at Rodi Belwala in Khadkadi area, police personnel noticed smoke emanating from the engine. Even before they could inform the truck driver, the smoke turned into flames and soon, the truck caught fire and gutted goods worth thousands of rupees in minutes. Truck driver Hanumant Singh and his assistant managed to get away safely from the vehicle. The policemen immediately informed the fire service. Two fire brigades were pressed into service. The fire engines managed to douse the fire but not until two-thirds of the vehicle was burnt. No trace of the goods could be found. The truck was carrying raisin oil in plastic containers. Fire Officer SK Sharma said, “As the truck contained raisin oil, it was difficult to contain the fire. As the fire took place on the highway, it was imperative that the fire be put off quickly and the road be opened to traffic.” With the tourist season at its peak and it being a Sunday, the rush was quite heavy on the Dehradun-Haridwar highway. The traffic police had quite a tough time to clear off the jams which extended up till Shanti Kunj and Har-ki-Pauri. A crane was employed to pull away the burning truck from the road. |
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Nurses go on indefinite stir
Dehradun, June 14 Several patients who had dates fixed for operations had to return back home, while others were forced to take the private route. In order to deal with the crisis, the hospital authorities have begun discharging patients early and the general ward is left with no patients. On the other hand the health department is also deploying auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) in government hospitals to fill in place of nurses. “This is being done to ensure that villagers continue to receive medical care despite the inconvenience,” said Dr PL Joshi, DG Health. Earlier the nurses congregated at the Doon Hospital and raised slogans against the government. “Our demands are justified and it is high time that the state authorities begun upgrading our pay scales and allowances. There is a stark difference between our allowances and those that are entitled to the central government nurses. “While the central government nurses are receiving Rs 3,200 per month as nursing allowance we are only entitled for Rs 115 per month,” said Anjana Bhowmik, secretary, Uttarakhand Nurses Service Association. As per sources, to meet the demand of up gradation of pay scales and allowances, the government would have to make provision for an additional sum of Rs 6 crore annually. Much of the state’s revenue is already going towards salaries of employees, no doubt a costly affair for the government that is studying all the pros and cons. Aware that they have a brewing crisis at hand, the health authorities are expected to start another round of negotiations with the nurses association office bearers. While the sub-committee constituted to resolve issues pertaining to revised Sixth Pay Commission recommendations will meeting on June 18 to discuss the allowances of 30,000 employees. Meanwhile, the Rajya Karamchari Sanyukt Parishad has also come out in support of the striking nurses. Prahlad Singh president of the Sangh said that their demands should be met.
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NCC cadets get glimpse of life in Army
Dehradun, June 14 Senior under officer, Ankush Kochhar from Punjab directorate who is leading the cadets said, “It was a great feeling to be a part of this camp. The camp is proving to be a new learning experience as it is enhancing my experience. The best part of the camp so far was to be witness passing-out parade that has motivated me to join army after my graduation. IMA museum in particular fascinated me the most.” Senior under officer Krishna from Kerala Directorate was too motivated on seeing activities like para jumping, horse riding and aero modeling at IMA. He said that the main aim of the camps is to motivate cadets to join the Army and to inculcate discipline. Senior under officer Sumesh Raina from Jammu Directorate was also excited about the camp. “At the camp it is just like a army training. We get up early in the morning and start with our drills like weapon training that includes assembling, handling and firing and other activities. The great part of this camp is to bring about the feeling of togetherness and oneness in us.” Another Combine Annual NCC Training Camp for girls is underway at Anarwala, Dehradun. The camp is being participated by 350 girls from Haridwar, Dehradun and Mussoorie regions. The camp for girls began on June 10 and will conclude on the June 19. The aim of the camp here was to train cadets for certificate examinations, selection of cadets for NCC Thal Sainik and NCC Republic Day camp. The girls at the camp were divided into four groups like Alfa, Bravo, Charlie and Delta.
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Young animator Aman receives award
Dehradun, June 14 Aman showed his competence by presenting all the animated movies he had been working on, ‘Bandar ka Hirdai’, ‘Bhoot Project’, and ‘Deforestation Project’, in which he manifested his thoughts on the causes of deforestation in India. Dr Farooq and RK Sharma envisaged a bright future for Aman. Aman Rehman had been showing his interest in the field of animation since the age of three and was nominated for Gunnies Book of World Records as the youngest lecturer. He has got letters of appreciation from President of India. He got National Child Award for exceptional achievement 2008 by the congress President Sonia Gandhi.
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IMA holds camp on World Donor’s Day
Dehraudun, June 14 The annual event highlights the role of blood donors in saving lives and improving the health of millions and creating awareness about the availability, safety and appropriate uses of blood. In order to validate the contribution made by the donors, five times and above donors were felicitated. “Sixty per cent of blood donation is done through voluntary donations and we value our donors who have given momentum to the IMA Blood Bank,” said Dr Aseem K Tiwari, secretary IMA Blood Bank. There were 37 donors who have donated blood for the fifth time, 17 for the sixth time, two for the seventh time, one for the eighth time, five for the tenth time, one for the eleventh time and one for the twelfth time. Among the donors, Parampreet Singh, Narender Pratap Negi, Parekh Bhavesh, Mayank Rawat, and Piyush Kumar Mauyra have donated 10 times, Sandeep Kumar Goyal , 11 times and Raj Kumar 12 times.
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Nipul fashions Drona Academy win
Dehradun, June 14
Uttar Pradesh scored 179 runs in 22.2 overs. Openers gave a solid start to the team contributing with 44 runs in just 5.5 overs. Opener Nipul played a scintillating innings of 60 runs of 42 balls. In his inning he smashed nine fours and two sixes. Nadeem hit 17 runs. Jishan played a useful knock of 32 runs of 17 balls accelerating the team run rate. The fielding side gave away 25 runs in extra. For Guru Drona team, Abhishek and Deepak shared seven wickets among themselves to rip through UP batting line up. Abhishek took four wickets, whereas Deepak took three wickets. Guru Drona Cricket Academy team reached the target in just 22.5 over with four wickets in hand. Deepak played a fiery knock of 81 runs of 51 balls, hitting 12 fours and one sixes. Atul, who made 28 runs, supported him on the other end. For Uttar Pradesh team Ahobhit took three wickets, whereas Nadeem took two wickets.
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Eleven Star win soccer title
Dehradun, June 14 Siddharth was adjudged best player of the tournament while Arjun won the best goalkeeper award. Z Bhutiya of 6/8 GR was awarded best forward and Ankit bagged best defender title.
Elevan Star team was on the offensive right from the beginning and put pressure on the 6/8 GR defence. They launched an attack in the 15th minute and took a blinder at the 6/8 GR goal from 15 yards. The ball sailed over the post. In the 25th minute, Eleven Star attacked again from the right side but the weak header by its forward went into the hands of 6/8 GR goalkeeper. Eleven Star forwards attacked again in the 35th minute to take curving shot from the right at the GR goalpost. But the ball hit the top bar of the goalpost. At halftime, the score was 0-0. In the second half, 6/8 GR came back strongly and took the opponents by surprise in the second minute of the half. It was a good save by Eleven Star goalkeeper Surender, who denied 6/8 GR the opportunity to score. Eleven Star regained their momentum and in the 75th minute, scored a goal to take a lead. It was skillful solo run by Nitin Gurung who penetrated the 6/8 GR defence to score the winner.
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Dehradun, June 14
Dehradun, June 14
Tasmia All-India Educational and Social Welfare Society yesterday honoured the whiz- kid Aman
Rehman. He is one of the world’s youngest animator and lecturer. Trimila, from a voluntary organisation of Taiwan, honoured the little champ by presenting him a trophy and books.
It was a closely contested final between the two teams as both teams played attacking football.