Dehradun, July 26
Infighting in the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) again came to the fore when supporters of former Forest Minister Banshi Dhar Bhagat and Education Minister Govind Singh Bisht clashed in the presence of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at Katgodham near Haldwani today.

Chief Minister Nishank has gone to Haldwani town in Kumaon region to inaugurate a wing of the base hospital and the new circuit house at Katgodham.

During a meeting of BJP workers attended by the Chief Minister, supporters of Bhagat and Bisht indulged in a scuffle.

Supporters of Banshi Dhar Bhagat, who is a legislator, were annoyed at his removal from the ministry and the induction of his arch rival Govind Singh Bisht, BJP legislator from Dhari in Nainital district, as the new Education Minister by Chief Minister Nishank in his ministry.

Supporters of Bhagat shouted slogans demanding his inclusion in the state ministry.

This was resented by supporters of Govind Singh Bisht who raised counter slogans.

This led to fistfights among supporters of both leaders. It grew worse when they started throwing chairs, shoes and ‘chappals’ at each other.

A confused Chief Minister, along with Education Minister Govind Singh Bisht, rushed to a nearby room where a press conference of the Chief Minister was arranged.

The infuriated supporters of Banshi Dhar Bhagat even banged the door where Chief Minister Nishank had gone to address a press conference.

Asked about the gross indiscipline indulged in by the BJP supporters in his presence, Chief Minister sheepishly replied that it was a matter of the ‘BJP family’ and would be resolved amicably.

However, the incident dented the image of unity within the ruling BJP following elevation of Nishank as Chief Minister after the ouster of Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd) last month.

The violent reaction by supporters of Banshi Dhar Bhagat against the Chief Minister in the presence of senior police and civil officials again brought to the fore the internal dissensions within the state BJP within less than a month of Nishank taking over the charge. 

Dehradun, July 26
The Uttarakhand Congress has blamed the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of shielding criminal elements. Congress leaders also blamed the BJP government led by Chief Minister Nishank of incompetence during the recently concluded Budget session.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Uttarakhand Congress president Yashpal Arya and Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the Uttarkhand assembly Harak Singh Rawat alleged that the state government has completely failed to take action against a ruling BJP leader who had openly threatened Congress legislator Tilak Raj Behad.

The issue of threat to Tilak Raj Behad, Congress legislator from Rudrapur, had earlier rocked the Uttarakhand assembly as Congress members had demanded action against the culprit. The state government had assured that action would be taken against the guilty and transferred the case to the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department (CBCID). An undertaking was also given that Anu Shukla, a BJP leader from Rudrapur who allegedly threatened Behad, would be arrested within three days.

While the state government gave the assurance that action would be taken, Shukla surfaced in Dehradun and addressed a press conference in a city hotel. This further infuriated the Congress legislators.

Yashpal Arya and Harak Singh Rawat alleged that the government was hand in glove with the accused. “Is it possible that even after giving an assurance on the floor of the House to arrest the accused, the state government has failed to act? The accused addressed a press conference in Dehradun and despite court orders for his arrest, there was no action,” Yashpal Arya said.

“The state government has allocated only 12 per cent of the Budget for development schemes while 88 per cent of the state’s budget will go for establishment expenses,” said Harak Singh Rawat. The Congress leaders said that in such a situation, there was no scope for development in the state. They also charged that neither the Chief Minister nor ministers and officials were prepared for the Budget session.

“The Chief Minister was absent on many occasions while ministers were ill-prepared for giving answers. The bureaucrats took it lightly and were seldom seen in the assembly,” said Harak Singh Rawat.

Congress leaders said that the party would soon launch an agitation against the state BJP government after a meeting of the state working committee. 

Dehradun, July 26
There has been a phenomenal rise in the number of vehicles in the small and big category in Uttarakhand. As per Uttarakhand Transport Department records, as many as 9.21 lakh vehicles of all types (two, three and four wheelers) are presently registered with the regional transport offices across the state. As the state’s population is 86 lakh, the people to vehicle ratio comes out to 9:1.

In the financial year ending 2008-09, as many as 93,451 new vehicles got registered at various regional transport offices across the state. In 2007-08, 96,905 new vehicles were registered.

This is apart from vehicles from other states that tread on Uttarakhand roads in big numbers as the region is a place of tourism and pilgrimage. These vehicles number as much 
as 2 lakh.

A total of 177 road mishaps took place in the state involving public conveyance leading to deaths in large numbers. State authorities provided as much as Rs 23 crore last financial year as compensation to the kin of the deceased and those injured.

The scenario is the most alarming in the state capital. There has been a steady rise in the registration of cars in Dehradun in the past one decade.

As many 2,221 cars were registered with Dehradun Regional Transport Office in 2000-01. This increased to 2,199 cars from period 2001-02, 2,541 cars during 2002-03, 3,581 cars during 2003-04, 4,272 cars in 2004-05, 5,007 in 2005-06, 4,346 cars in 2006-07 and 7,600 cars were registered during 2007-08.

The number of two wheelers too has risen sharply. As many as 10,433 such vehicles were registered with the RTO in 2000-01.

As many as 12,140 scooters and motorcycles were registered during 2001-02, 14,084 during 2002-03, 15,263 during 2003-04, 17,452 vehicles in 2004-05, 19,276 in 2005-06, 22,286 in 2006-07 and 20,913 scooters and motorcycles were registered with during 2007-08.

These segments of vehicles comprise most of the city’s traffic and need ample parking space. In Dehradun, 2,000 vehicles are added every year.

Over 24,000 vehicles were penalised in the past two years for traffic violations leading to earnings of Rs 51 crore for the department which included road tax and the fine amount.

Last year, the department earned revenue to the tune of Rs 164 crore at various heads while the department has a target of Rs 203 crore for the current financial year.

Dehradun, July 26
Each year, Martyrs’ Day is observed by the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) on July 27 in memory of ONGCians who laid down their lives for the country while 
on duty.

As a tribute to the martyrs, the ONGC had mooted the idea of organising blood donation camps at all its centres across the country with the theme - “You laid down your lives — We will save many lives”.

In this series, ONGC Medical Services, Dehradun, in association with ONGC Museum, has organised a two-day blood donation camp at ONGC Hospital that began today. There was an overwhelming response on the very first day as ONGCians turned up in large numbers and as many as 118 persons donated blood.

The donors included employees from Tel Bhavan, KDMIPE, GEOPIC, ONGC Academy, IDT, Anveshan Bhavan, Graduate Trainees, Unnati Prayas students, ONGC Security and CISF.

Dr KCS Rawat, GGM, Chief Medical Services, along with other doctors and paramedical staff also donated blood. He also presided over the inaugural function.

Sundar Lal, Group General Manager, Head Corporate Administration, ONGC, inaugurated the camp while paying tributes to martyrs.

Others present on the occasion were MR Rao, Chief Knowledge Officer, ONGC, SK Jain, GGM, Head RTIs, and S Dutta, GGM, Head of Institute IDT.

Meanwhile, all donors were presented with mementoes. They would later be given Donor Certificates in the form of plastic cards.

The units collected are being sent to the blood bank at the Doon Hospital and would be a boon for many patients.

Dehradun, July 26
At a function jointly organised by the Provincial Medical Services Association, Fitness Systems and Indian Medical Association here today, medical practitioners from government and non-government sectors and representatives from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) were honoured by Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Addressing the gathering, Nishank called upon doctors and social workers to render selfless service to society. “The state requires dedicated workers who can serve humanity,” he said.

Meanwhile, he presented awards to neuro-surgeon Dr Mahesh Kuriyal, urologist Dr Tejaswi Kamra, Dr Manoj Gupta, Dr SD Joshi, heart specialist Dr Kuldeep Datta, Dr Anil Rathi, gynaecologist Dr Jyoti Sharma, eye specialist Dr Amit Singh, plastic surgeon Dr Mohit Goyal, tuberculosis expert Dr AP Mamgai, anaesthetist Dr Jagdish Chachra and Dr DC Dyani.

Social workers Mamta Gupta, Madhu Makhuri, Lawrence Singh, Anoop Nautiyal and SS Sahni were also honoured.

Among those who attended the function were DG health Dr PL Joshi, president of Provincial Medical Services Association Dr SD Joshi, chairman of Fitness System Himanshu Sahni, among others.

Dehradun, July 26
A report prepared under the aegis of government of India has termed the standards of education to be poor in several schools in Garhwal region where the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is underway.

The Status of School Grading report said that dismal standards of education prevail in 2,386 primary schools in the Garhwal region, where Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan is on.

The report has also pointed out that these 2,386 schools in the Garhwal region have good infrastructure. These schools have been given AB grades, confirming the standards of teaching in schools at Pauri, Dehradun, Nainital, Uttarkashi and Tehri of Garhwal region.

As per the report only 127 schools are imparting quality education but again they have poor infrastructure. These schools have been given AA grade.

As a severe indictment to the SSA programme underway, the report also said that over all 98 per cent of the schools are lacking in some aspect or the other.

Much depends on the success of the SSA programme that is underway in 12,118 schools and it’s term would end in 2010 after which Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan would be launched in the primary schools.

The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan was launched to minimise school dropout rate in the state, 100 per cent enrollment and retention. The programme was launched for children in the age group of 6-14 years.

Dehradun, July 26
We all love monsoon but this season brings along the risk of many waterborne diseases for human beings as well as for pets. Elevated levels of humidity seem to be treacherous for these furry creatures.

Pets need 100 per cent attention, love, care and regular medical check ups throughout the year.

But pet parents need to be little more cautious during monsoons as the risk is more due to easy accessibility to muddy water, poisonous grass making the pooches vulnerable to catch number of skin and other diseases.

“My dog loves to play in water, and so during monsoon I have to take extra precautions so that he doesn’t come in contact with waterborne diseases.

“Also during walks one has to very careful because now a days insects and poisonous mushrooms, grass etc are found everywhere, which if consumed can lead to diarrhea and even poisoning,” said Shweta, a dog owner.

Meanwhile, biggest problem which owners face during this season is of ticks and fleas causing irritation to dogs.

“Definitely rainy season increases the chance of pets falling ill. Number of problems related to skin, coat, stomach etc are common during this season,” said Dr SR Matta, a veterinarian.

Along with proper medication, the foremost thing is to keep the surroundings clean, dry and avoiding the chances of birth of infections.

“Worms in the stomach, fever, itching and abundance of ticks only comes when the owners don’t keep the premises clean and allow their pets to roam freely in open during rains,” added Dr Matta.

He further suggested that during this season it’s inevitable to avoid rain, but once the dog gets dirty and wet in rain he should be immediately brushed and cleaned with a towel.

Also healthy diet, clean bed and no contact with stray dogs is must to keep it in a healthy and happy throughout the year.

With a large numbers of pet lovers in the 
city, numerous pet shops chemists have latest kinds of medicines, shampoos and accessories for customers to avail and keep pets healthy.

Dehradun, July 26
Dehradun district judge Indira Ashish has called upon students to refrain from driving vehicles before attaining the age of 18 years. She was speaking at a function organised by the District Legal Aid Cell at Aryan school, here today.

Indira cautioned parents as well as students that underage driving could be dangerous and lead to fatal accidents.

She emphasised on the need to spread awareness about traffic rules, environmental protection, ragging laws and consumer protection laws.

Indira further said enough provisions have been provided in the Consumer Protection Act to safeguard the interest of the consumers.

Nilesh Bharne, SP Traffic, in his address called upon the students to adhere to traffic rules and refrain from driving two-wheelers before attaining the legal age to do so.

Rajesh Bahuguna of Law College, Dehradun, dwelt upon the ill-effects of ragging and the laws being implemented to curb this social evil in educational institutions. Additional Session Judge SK Tyagi briefed the gathering about the environmental laws and need to safeguard environment.

Cherry Jain, principal of Aryan School, called upon students to strictly follow these rules.

Dehradun, July 26
The effort made by a Dehradun-based journalist to help Uttarakhand get affiliation from the BCCI does not seem to be bearing fruit. The journalist is in a fix over the proceedings of the hearing under the RTI that took place in June.

In order to find out what happened during the hearing, he was forced to file an RTI against the earlier RTI filed by him.

Raju Gusain, a journalist, had filed an application under the RTI on March 30 seeking information from the BCCI over granting affiliation to Uttarakhand.

Even after the passage of a month, the state did not provide information. This prompted Gusain to forward an application to Dr Suresh Vinayakrao Joshi, State Information Commissioner, Mumbai after which Maharashtra Suchana Ayog summoned BCCI officials for a hearing on June 1.

Gusain’s representative, RS Negi who is a charted accountant, was to attend the hearing.

But the Maharashtra Suchana Ayog had assured Negi that the proceedings of the hearing would be sent to Raju Gusain by post.

Now, it is more than a month that the hearing took place in Maharashtra, but Gusain still has not received any details about the hearing. Agitated, he decided to file an RTI against an RTI to find out what happened.

Gusain said, “For the past month, I had been waiting to receive the details. I had written e-mails to the officials more than once. But I have not received any reply.

“So I decided to file another RTI. Now, they will have to reply in 30 days. This is a matter which I will pursue till justice is done.” 

Dehradun, July 26
Finally, the British era Gola Tappar Forest Guest House in Barkot range of Dehradun forest division has got the much-needed facelift after having been abandoned for almost two decades.

The guest house had been in the thick of action during days of Punjab militancy.

The 120-year-old guest house, a British legacy has, been an important rest house for forest officials and visitors.

The guesthouse suffered damage in the mid-eighties when some Punjab militants taking shelter there engaged in skirmishes with the security forces.

Dehradun division forest officer BK Gangte said the guest house had been finally brought back into shape.

A year back, the forest authorities conducted a detailed surveyand then sought funds from the Centre to repair and renovate the guest house.

It received Rs 20 lakh for the same.

Gola Tappar Forest Guest House was constructed by L Mercer, second DFO of Dehradun division, in 1890.

Dehradun, July 26
After eight years of state formation Dehradun District Football Association has got an invitation to participate in a prestigious 31st All-India Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup Football Tournament.

The tourney is scheduled to be held in Gangtok from September 7 to 20.

Divender Bisht said that he had a telephonic communication with Sikkim Football Association gen secretary, Menla Ethenpa, who had invited a team from Dehradun to participate in a big national tournament. Bisht said that the detail of the tournament would be made available shortly.

Dehradun District Football Association has started the process of selecting players from the tournament.

Bisht said, "We have started eyeing players from the league who are giving outstanding performances. Players from other tournaments will also be selected to form a strong team."

Bisht also said that website in the name of DehradunFootball.com has proved to be a great help in receiving this invitation, as the site has constantly flashed football on the internet.

Dehradun, July 26
Khukri Club registered a 3-0 victory over Jr Cantt and Eleven Star defeated Doon Valley in a tough contest by a solitary goal at the District Football League at Pavilion Ground here today.

It proved to be a one-sided match between Khukri and Jr Cantt. Khukri was on the attack right from the beginning.

The Khukri team managed to create some good moves and penetrated the Jr Cantt defence at regular intervals.

They scored their first goal in the 23rd minute through Dipesh whose powerful shot at the Jr. Cantt goal beat the goalkeeper all quarters.

Jr Cantt team constantly made attempts to find the equaliser but failed.

In the second half, Khukri team increased their goal tally. Anish scored the second goal in the 39th minute.

Khukri team had ball possession most of the time and major part of the game was played in the Jr Cantt half.

Dipesh scored the third goal for Khukri team in the 63rd minute to complete the tally.

The second matchof the league was between Doon Valley and Eleven Star. It was a closely contested match.

Both teams are among the strongest teams in the league. Doon Valley with experienced players was the favourite against the relatively less experienced Eleven Star team.

Doon Valley created some sharp moves in the initial minutes but missed on scoring due to the good defence put up by the Eleven Star defenders.

In the 30th minute, Eleven Star came close to scoring but failed to net the ball.

In the second half, Eleven Star managed to score a goal in the dying minutes of the match through Daram Singh Negi to win the match by solitary goal.