The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

‘Gaddi Chhoro’ drive from August 9
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
After wiping out the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, the Uttarakhand Congress is all set to launch a massive “Gaddi Chhoro” campaign against the BJP-led state government from August 9.

According to senior Congress functionaries, the date of launch of campaign has purposely been decided as August 9 because the anniversary of the Quit India Movement falls on that day.

Accompanied by Leader of Opposition in State Legislative Assembly Dr Harak Singh Rawat, party legislators and the entire rank and file of the Congress, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Yashpal Arya will initiate the campaign at the Congress headquarters in the state capital.

Party functionaries have said that the campaign will continue till the party dislodges the BJP from power.

Arya said, “The victory of the Congress in the five parliamentary constituencies of the state is a vindication of the fact that the mandate of the masses is no longer with the BJP.

“In wake of the anti-people policies of the state government that is completely ignoring the development of the state, we have decided to launch an aggressive campaign against the ruling BJP.”

Arya said that the state government has completely set aside central government schemes aimed at the welfare of all communities.

“The funds sanctioned under NREGA and Special Component Plan (SCP) have lapsed. Likewise, schemes like JNNURM are not being pursued properly.

“The government has failed to discharge its duties and has lost the right to govern,” said Arya

He added that the Congress campaign will expose the failures of the government before the masses.

Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana said that the ongoing power struggle in the BJP is adversely affecting the functioning of the government.

“The entire government is busy in crisis management to end the internal strife within the BJP and, as a result, the state is suffering,” he alleged.

He added that the government’s failure in dealing with the problem of water scarcity, power cuts and proper management of the ‘Char Dham’ yatra was sufficient enough to gauge the poor performance of the BJP government.

Congress leaders have said that apart from Dehradun, demonstrations will be held in all districts of the state on August 9.

Congress leaders and activists will burn effigies of the state government and will make the masses aware about the failures of the state government.

KV students get training in disaster management
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya 1, Hathibarkala were imparted training about the line of treatment to be taken in case of an emergency or disaster.

The programme was held under the aegis of Disaster Mitigation and Management center and United Nations Disaster and Risk Management programme.

Dr Navdeep Atwal, Safety Circle Dehradun apprised the students about steps to be taken if they face such situation. The students were provided information about emergency care in case of an accident, snakebite, burn injuries and other ailments.

A live demonstration was held in order to make students understand primary treatment to be given in case a patient or any member of their family experiences heart attack. “The important thing is not to panic and respond to a emergency treatment in a systemic manner,” said Dr Navdeep Atwal.

Pupils participate in Inter-School Quiz Competition in Dehradun on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, July 29
The CBSE Sahodya Inter-School Quiz Competition was held at Scholars’ Home here today.Olympus High School, DAV Public School, Sri Bharat Mandir School (Rishikesh), Beverly Hills, Jaswant Modern School, Sapience school, NDS School (Rishikesh) and Scholars’ Home Sr Sec School participated in the competition.

However, out of the eight teams six teams after qualifying the selection round had to face number of grilling questions based on science, literature, sports, audio-visual round to qualify for the finals.The round was based on literary characters like Hamlet, Don Quixote, King Lear, Capt Nemo, Dracula and Gulliver the traveller.

Audience present at the auditorium enjoyed the quiz and gained lot of knowledge by getting to know answers of many tricky questions.Later, they were also given a chance to participate in the audience round.

The first three positions in the competition were bagged by Scholars’ Home, Jaswant Modern School and Sapience School. TNS

How Mussoorie gets its greens
Residents of Jaunpur and Jaunsaar pick fresh fruits and vegetables from their terraced fields early morning and set out for the market at Mussoorie
Sanjay Tamta

Mussoorie, July 29
The lush vegetation of Mussoorie and the suburbs produced one of the best beers in the world. This also happens to be the first-ever business venture in Mussoorie.

The apple orchards and bunches of plum, apricot, pear, peach, chestnut and walnut fill the air with an intoxicating sweet smell.

The region is also famous for its fresh and nutritious vegetables which can be seen in abundance these days on the street vends and on the backpacks of villagers who have been carrying fruits and vegetables to Mussoorie since decades.

The residents of Jaunpur-Jaunsaar, the area that surrounds Mussoorie, cultivate crops, fruits and vegetables using traditional methods and pure organic manure which makes all the difference.

These villagers bring the crop uphill on their humble ponies or on their own feet through the dense jungle and numerous streams.

It all began when Landour and Mussoorie became small towns which the British inhabited. Villagers would wake up early morning and move towards Mussoorie after picking fresh fruits and vegetables from their terraced fields.

The fresh and pure organic pick includes pumpkins, cucumber, gourd, bitter gourd, beans, cabbage, radish, green chilies, ginger, garlic and leafy greens. Also on sale is fresh milk, mouth-watering ghee and thick curd.

The villagers stuff the goods in a netted backpack called ‘kurna’ which is handmade using the bark ‘selu’ of the Bhimal tree.

The organic lot from nearby villages also includes nutritious cereals like rajma, urad, lobiya, culath, jakhya (a taste enhancer), walnut, dry apricots and aromatic spices.

The moment these villagers enter the town, they are thronged by local men and women. In order to avoid such a hustle, some of them sell their goods to local grocers.

They make good money by the end of the day and do their necessary shopping, enjoy ‘chai-samosa’ or ‘doodh-jalebi’ and get some packed for children back home.

Jaggery, solid salt and sweet tobacco for ‘hukka’ is a must-buy. The pony also gets a mouthful of ‘gur-chana’.

With the tinkling of the bell in the pony's neck and whistling of Jaunpuri folk songs, they tread through the jungle to reach home by dusk.

$ 20.6 m ADB aid for sewerage
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
In Dehradun, the Asian Development would be extending aid for sewerage development work for which $ 20.6 million has been sanctioned for carrying out sewerage enhancement work.

And $ 13.3 million for taking up water supply schemes in the city.

“The planning is being undertaken by the Project Management unit of the Asian Development Bank and the Peyjal Nigam is the implementing agency,” said SK Agarwal, deputy programme director, Project Management unit.

Similarly, for Nainital, the Asian Development Bank would be providing assistance of $ 7.5 million and in Haridwar $ 1 million would go towards the installation of water meters and tube wells.

In addition Asian Development has chosen 31 towns and cities keeping in mind the projected potential they have in giving impetus to the industrial and tourism growth plan in the state.

The programme envisages providing modern sewerage systems in areas where none existed.

About 60 per cent of wastewater from towns and cities will be properly collected and treated through solid waste management.

Sarvodya Club win by solitary goal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
Sarvodya Club defeated Pacchwa Doon by solitary goal at the ongoing Dehradun Football League at Pavillion Ground, here today.

It was an evenly fought match where both the teams raided each other repeatedly but without any success.

It was in the 60th minute of the game that Rakesh of Sarvodya Club scored the winning goal on an excellent pass given by Manoj Chamoli.

Pacchwa Doon players did try to get an equaliser but Sarvodya Club defenders foiled its last ditch attempts till the long whistle was blown.

The second match of the league was played between CT Young and Maharana Partap Sports College, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

CT Young scored its first goal in the 26th minutes of the first half.

It was Vikrant of CT Young who scored the goal on a solo run.

Maharana Partap Sports College boys tried hard to find an opportunity to break the defense of the CT Young players but could not succeed.

It was in the 10th minute of the second half that Maharana Partap boys earned a penalty stroke.

Sandeep of Sports College converted the penalty kick into goal to get the equaliser for his team.

On Thursday, Eleven Star Club will meet Junior Vijay Cantt while 1/5 Gorkha Rifles will clash with Bajrang Club.

Belal in national team

The All-India Police Sports Control Board, New Delhi, has selected Uttarakhand police head constable Jagat Singh Belal for 13th World Police and Fire Games at British Columbia, Canada.

Belal has been selected as member of the All-India Police Team and will participate in boxing.

Traffic Park inaugurated
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
With a view to inculcate traffic norms in the students from early age, Traffic Park, first of its kind, was today inaugurated in the city by the principal of Jaswant Modern School.

With an initiative of Dehradun Traffic Police Wing, the park is situated near the District Police Headquarters.

The traffic management of the city has been displayed in the form of a tableau here. The park has models, paintings, photo gallery etc depicting the traffic rules in various forms.

Besides, there is a provision for the movie and a slide show on traffic rules. SP (Traffic) NA Bharne disclosed that for the school kids, the park is a perfect venue for a picnic.

“While having fun at the park, the students will also get to know about the traffic rules and also the importance of following these rules,” he said.

Bharne further added that main feature of the park is that things related to traffic have been presented in a very simple manner, so that one can grasp them very fast.

Bharne further said that they are hopeful that traffic park will prove instrumental in making the students aware about the importance of traffic rules. Students of the Heritage School and Saint Thomas School visited the park today.

School committee formed

Management committee has been constituted unanimously for the local Adarsh Bal Niketan school at IIT, here.

Indra Prabha Saxena would be the president while Prof Satish C Sharma would take charge as vice president. Dr Parveen Kumar would continue his duties as manager of the school.

Doctors hand in glove with chemists?
Medicos at Doon Hospital reportedly prescribe drugs that are not available at the hospital medical store
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
Getting medicines at Doon Hospital is proving to be a costly affair for most patients who come in the hope of getting them free of cost.

With more and more doctors reportedly prescribing costly medicines that have to be procured from chemist shops outside, the hospital’s tall claims of providing free health care stand exposed.

Patients flocking the Doon Hospital usually hail from low and middle income groups. They come in the hope of procuring medicines free of cost from the hospital medical store.

At most times, they get a rude shock when doctors reportedly prescribe medicines that are available only at private medical stores.

Several private chemist stores located outside the hospital are doing good business and most patients turn to them to procure medicines.

As per sources, doctors in the hospital are allegedly hand in glove with the chemist shops located near the hospital.

The medicos ‘deliberately’ prescribe medicines with a singular aim to benefit the chemists in return for a hefty commission.

Several chemist shops have come up outside the hospital in the past couple of years.

“I was satisfied with the free consultation that I received at the hospital for my heart ailment. But for the medicines, I was told to buy these from outside as these were unavailable at the hospital medical store.

“I was in for a rude shock when the bill emptied my pocket,” said Sakina, a patient from Saharanpur.

However, denying these allegations, the CMS of Doon Hospital Dr RK Pant said, “Doctors prescribe medicines that are best for the patient and are available at the hospital medical store.

“If, at times, medicines need to be bought from outside, it is all in the interest of the patient.”

UPCC to enrol members: Dhasmana
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
With a view to strengthen the party, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) will launch a special membership drive to enrol new members in the state from August 1.

The drive will continue till the end of the month with the target to enrol three lakh members.

Giving this information, senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana said that UPCC president Yashpal Arya has appointed observers for every district to monitor the drive.

“All the observers will convene meetings at the district and block level and will also monitor and supervise the membership drive,” said Dhasmana.

The list of the observers include former minister Narinder Singh Bhandari (Dehradun), former minister Mantri Prasad Nathani (Pauri Garhwal), senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana (Uttarkashi), Congress general secretary Shankar Chand Ramola (Tehri Garhwal), former MLA Subodh Uniyal (Haridwar), retired IAS and senior Congress leader Sunder Lal Muyal (Chamoli) and party leader Surinder Singh Negi (Rudraprayag).

The Congress in the state is trying to strengthen its cadres, emboldened by its stupendous success in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress won all five parliamentary seats, much to the embarassment of the then Khanduri government.

5 women killed in landslide in Pitthoragarh village
BD Kasniyal

Pitthoragarh, July 29
Five women were killed after they were buried under a landslide in Gunji village, 190 km from the district headquarters, on the Indo-China border today.

The incident happened when these women were digging to get sand from a hill when debris fell over them at 2.45 pm today, the police said.

“All five bodies have been retrieved from the debris by the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),” said Puran Singh Rawat, Superintendent of Police, Pitthoragarh.

The victims have been identified as Sarswati Davi (45), Paru Devi (28) Basanti Davi (30), Anita Davi (28) and Sunita (18).

Gunji is the last village on the Indo-China border on the Kailash Mansarovar route, which is 91 km from the tehsil headquarters of Dharchula and 190 km from Pitthoragarh.

Justice Hussain meets CM

Dehradun, July 29
The president of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum Justice I Hussain today met Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at Bijapur guest house and apprised the CM about the pending cases.

He informed Nishank that as many as 800 cases are pending at the state level, whereas 2,200 cases are pending in Dehradun district. The CM issued orders to strengthen the district-level units of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum for the speedy disposal of the cases. He also directed Additional Secretary to CM Ajay to meet the Registrar of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum and ensure that necessary steps are taken for the clearance of the pending cases. — TNS

Police transfers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 29
Several IPS officers have been transferred. Nainital SSP Deepam Seth has been replaced by SP Tehri Mohan Singh Bangyal.

Kewal Khurana will now be new SP Tehri while SP Pauri Ajay Rautela has been shifted as SSP Kumbh Mela and Commandant 40 Battalion Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).

Dehradun SP City Pushpak Jyoti has been transferred as SP Pauri. ASP Udham Singh Nagar Yogendra Singh Rawat has been transferred as ASP Kumbh Mela and Deputy Commandant 40 Battalion PAC. ASP Police Headquarter Dehradun Ashok Kumar Bhatt has been shifted as ASP Udham Singh Nagar.