Dehradun, September 13
College elections are back and so are the violations of Lyngdoh Committee’s recommendations by students. The Student Council elections are being held here this week.

Various contesting parties belonging to political parties as well as the independents have blown the recommendations to smithereens.

The city became a victim of hooliganism by students on yesterday as the college authorities remained inactive in taking any action against the culprits. It was only the police that did try to restore some order.

As per the committee recommendations, there are a number of guidelines that a student organisation strictly need to follow.

Bursting of crackers, pasting of posters, campaigning on motorbikes on the city roads, thumping of dhols, blowing of trumpet and indulging in violence are some of the major prohibitions according to the committee’s recommendations.

However, all these have been violated by student organisations with impunity. Party members are neither afraid of the police nor of the college authorities. Even the college authorities till now haven’t made any arrangements to stop the parties from indulging in such activities.

Yesterday, on the last day of filling of the nominations papers, parties went one step ahead. They burst crackers in front of the gate before making entry into the campus in front of the police and college staff. Hardly any party missed the chance to bust crackers there.

They also made elaborate arrangements for wooing students, including ferrying party members to the college on private buses, filling their bikes with petrol and getting other beverage and food items for them. This expenditure is despite the fact that no party is allowed to spend more than Rs 5,000 in the election campaign.

Parties’ members, contrary to the recommendations, campaigned on flashy bikes and also on foot on the roads as well as on the campus.

It was an open invitation for the brawl at that time as all the parties were campaigning with hundreds of supports together. The expected had happened at about 1 in the afternoon, which left more than dozen injured, including cops.

The party candidates, who have earlier been booked under some section of the law or have contested the elections twice, cannot contest the elections. But, this guideline also seems to have taken a back seat with some of the candidates already booked under different sections of the law.

When The Tribune spoke to candidates of various students’ organisations, this was the common reply: “We strictly believe in following the Lyngdoh Committee’s recommendations and this is the other party that flouts the rules not ours. We don’t believe in violence and want to make an ideal party.”

The parties have held the city to ransom. Besides making it tough for the commuters on the roads as they are indulging in eve-teasing and molestation of girls and women while campaigning on the roads in groups.

Police’s peace march, interaction with the party candidates and directions to the students not to rally on the roads on bikes have proved futile.

The students, after yesterday’s clash, turned hooligans. Brandishing sticks and belts, they roamed around the city in the day. Around 12 drunkard youths were also seen walking on the DAV-Karanpur road with sticks in their hands at about 9:40 pm.

They were tearing the posters of their rival party. Everybody who passed on that road at that time was sacred of being roughed up by the youths.

Besides residents, shopkeepers are also complaining of increasing hooliganism by these youths. The shopkeepers are forced to shut their shops when the hooligans pass them. “What is happening? Are they college students or hooligans? They are not afraid of anyone, we all feel insecure here due to the violence caused by them,” said a shopkeeper while shutting his shop.

Even though the city witnessed such a drama the whole day long, the negligible presence of the police on the DAV road at late in the evening was surprising. Even yesterday, the number of the police officers present on the campus were not enough to tackle the agitating students.

However, the police authorities are now claiming that no such processions would be allowed in the city in future. Also the college authorities said no campaigning would be allowed on the college campus and the entry of the outsiders in the college is banned.

The election officer of the DAV College said: “We have given them strict instructions. We are unable to identify the persons involved in this ruckus as both of the parties have lodged complaints with the police.”

Last year’s college elections were marred due to the confusion over the recommendations.

Rahul Rawat was elected president of the DAV PG College students union for 2008-09. However, another college student Prashant Khanduri, who unsuccessfully contested the election for the post of president, filed a writ petition in the Nainital High Court.

“As per the Supreme Court guidelines and the rules framed thereof, any student, who had already contested the elections twice before, would be disqualified for contesting the elections,” the plaintiff pleaded before the court. The Nainital High Court had issued orders directing that Rahul Rawat would not function on the post of president till further orders of the court.

Pitthoragarh, September 13
The origin of the adventure sport of trekking in the Himalayan region has been attributed to the religious pilgrimages like “Char Dham” in Garhwal and the Kailash Mansarovar yatra in the Kumaon region.

After the Adi Shankaracharya established Badrinath Dham in the 7th century, lakhs of Hindu pilgrims from across the country started to visit that place through difficult Himalayan terrains.

The month-long trek to Kailash Mansarovar had already started much earlier some 2,000 years ago. These religious places, which are situated in the high Himalayan region, were the first to inspire not only religious but adventure lovers towards the Himalayas.

“Today, we have 113 trekking routes in this part of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. Of these around 25 routes in Garhwal and 15 in the Kumaon region are developed by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) and the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), both nodal agencies responsible for developing tourism in both Garhwal and Kumaon regions, respectively,” said Ashok Joshi, General Manager, (Tourism), KMVN.

He further said some more thrilling trekking routes were also being developed in the state.

“In Garhwal, besides the seven-day trekking route to the Valley of Flowers, tourists come to Panchkedar (15 days), Kedarnath, Vasukital (six days), Dodita-Yamunotri, Gangotri Tapoban, Kalindikhal, Khatling-Sahartra-Dhara, Roopkund (10 days), Har-ki-Doon, the Binsar and Devi Darshan treks for six days are attracting a large number of trekkers from across the country during the months of summer and autumn,” said Prashant Negi, Manager, Adventure Tourism, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam. Negi added minor trekking routes are also being developed for economy adventure enthusiasts.

A number of private tour operators are also engaged in this business. But, they are facing difficulties and legal hurdles on the routes as most of them fall on Indo-China border.

“The Uttarakhand government has demarcated inner line for domestic tourist at Chiyalekh in Vyas Valley and Malla Johar in Johar Vally, but foreigners are not allowed beyond these points discouraging private operators,” said Ashok Bhandari, secretary, Adventure Lovers Association based in Pitthoragarh.

Bhandari said the cost of setting tents on forest land is very high and one third of the total money involved in a package trekking tour is being taken away by forest department as fee. “Despite the problems, the trekkers are thronging to these routes,” said Bhandari.

The Kumoan region, which has world’s oldest trek route on the Kailash Mansarovar route, has also seen flow of trekkers coming to the Pindari, Milam, Ralam, Namik and Adi-Kailash trek routes after the KMVN started developing these after 1981.

“We are arranging trekking programmes on these routes in the period of May-June and September-October. Of these routes, the treks towards Pindari and Milam glaciers are attracting adventure tourists,” said DK Sharma, Regional Manager, Tourism, KMVN.

In Kumaon, besides the Pindari and Milam routes, some new trekking routes have also been developed in the recent years.

The 48-km trek to Panchachuli from Darma Valley and another to Adi-Kailash (70 km) from Vyas Valley are most thrilling ones and adventure lovers from Gujarat and Maharashtra are coming every year in big numbers.

Besides these major trekking routes, some routes have also come up in the recent years. These include Chipla-Kedar, Sinla-Pass, Kafni and the trek to Namik (32 km), which are also being developed by the KMVN.

“In the recent years, the attraction towards the trekking tourism is increasing. In view of an increasing number of tourists, the KMVN is developing facilities on these routes,” said DK Sharma. The KMVN is also earning from the trekking-based tourism despite the involvement of private operators, who are also having their say in this business.

“The local communities and the youth in villages on these routes are also benefitting out of this activity. We collect vegetables and some times ration from villages en route and also give them 50 per cent of the profit earned by the KMVN. Besides, the local youth get jobs as porters and guides,” said Ashok Joshi, General Manager, Tourism, KMVN, Nainital.

“We have been organising tours to the Pindari, Milam, Sunderd Hunga and Kafni glaciers for the past 15 years and giving employment to 15 or 20 youths from villages every year,” said Mag Ram, a local resident.

Dehradun, September 13
An atomic tracer will be put to use to zero-in on to the recharge areas of underground water sources in Dehradun.

Replenishing of its groundwater sources stands as big challenge for Dehradun city, which in recent times, has witnessed a fall in its main water table.

A proposal to this effect has been submitted to the National Institute of Hydrology by the Dehradun-based Central Ground Water Board that has been entrusted with this daunting recharge task.

Identifying the recharge spots for groundwater bodies in Dehradun have been quite challenging as the place of recharge for a particular underground water body could lie kilometres away from where the water is tapped and that place could lie deep in the forests, rugged terrain or any other physical feature.

AK Bhatia, Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board, said, “For these deep water bodies, the recharge places mostly lie in the hills. Thus rain in Dehradun will not help much.

“Rain at the place of recharge of these water bodies will certainly be of help,” Bhatia said.

Referring to the atomic-tracer technique that will be put to use by the National Institute of Hydrology for identifying water recharge places, he said, “While an atomic tracer will be injected at a particular place and subsequently mixed with underground water following which the flow of water will be ascertained through the tracer movement,” Bhatia said.

The identifying exercise will go a long way in helping recharge of groundwater sources in Dehradun. The exercise also assumes significance keeping in view 80 per cent of potable water supply in the city is done through tubewells.

The Central Ground Water Board officials have held that the falling level of main aquifers was a matter of concern due to its rampant exploitation.

In order to check rampant boring activity in the region, the Board has been contemplating regular monitoring of groundwater and has even kept the option open for notifying the Dehradun area under water regulation and conservation norms.

The Uttarakhand government had recently constituted a six-member core group meeting headed by Secretary, Drinking Water, which has Regional Director, CGWB, Uttarakhand, Chief Conservator of Forests and CGM, Jal Sansthan, as its prominent members. The core group is to take up the groundwater scenario in the state in a larger perspective.

Dehradun, September 13
On the instructions of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, district-level committees will be constituted to implement the concept of greening Uttarakhand. Under this, a tree plantation campaign will be undertaken in urban areas.

Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pande said the District Magistrates concerned would be chairpersons of the proposed committees. A high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on the issue also decided to conduct a survey to identify prospective areas of tree plantation.

He added that the Departments of Forest, Urban Development and PWD as well as the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board would be involved in the campaign. These departments had been assigned responsibility to ensure the quality of saplings, manuring, use of pesticides, deployment of tree guards, irrigation and general upkeep of plants.

Instructions were given to the PWD to ensure 1-sq-m space around saplings to be planted on roadsides. The step had been taken to provide adequate space for the growth of trees. PWD officials were asked to handover this space to the Forest Department.