Haridwar, November 26
Denizens of Haridwar from all sections of society joined hands today and paid tributes to martyrs and victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Several functions were held across the city. Residents of the holy city saluted the efforts of police and army personnel who fought the terrorists.

At Har-ki-Pauri, the police administration paid tributes by organising a ‘deepdan’ in the Ganga. Later, they formed a human chain which stretched several miles to show solidarity.

DIG Alok Sharma said that the fight against terror has assumed global dimensions and without the citizens’ help and support, the menace cannot be curbed.

Police personnel took out a rally on motorcycles and held placards to make the public aware about the significance of the day.

Political parties and social organisations joined in and paid their tributes. The Congress and BJP held functions, performed rituals at Har-ki-Pauri and prayed for world peace.

Dehradun, November 26
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal’s visit to martyr NSG Commando Gajender Singh Bisht’s village, Ganeshpur, was cancelled today as the martyr’s mother Shiv Devi and wife Vinita were not at their residence.

Yesterday, while addressing a press conference, Nishank had announced that he would pay a visit to the martyr’s home to announce schemes and other programmes for the development of the village on the anniversary of the Mumbai attack last year.

Yesterday, when the whole nation paid homage to martyrs of 26/11, the Bisht family was silent. No one arrived to honour Gajender’s martyrdom.

Tears rolled down Gajender’s elder brother and his children’s eyes while they recounted last year’s incident.

“Give me a gun and I’ll shoot Kasab in the head. Kasab’s body should be chopped into pieces and thrown in front of dogs,” said Rajat, 10-year-old nephew of the martyr. “I want to serve the nation like my uncle and fight against terrorism,” he added.

Janta Inter-College at Malhan, where Gajender took his primary education, organised a function to pay tributes to the hero. Students, teachers and Principal observed silence for two minutes followed by prayer meeting.

The family and village will pay homage to Gajender at his house on November 28. Gajender’s body was brought to Ganeshpur on November 28 last year.

Dehradun, November 26
Frequent attacks by simians have pushed people 
in the hills of Uttarakhand to take up small firearms as they find little 
respite coming from forest authorities.

So far, the simian menace has been limited to the plain areas of Uttarakhand, but the menace has even extended to the hill terrains in recent times with both rhesus monkeys and apes proving to be a major irritant for vegetable farmers.

As vegetables are a constant target of marauding monkeys and langurs, they also often come into confrontation with villagers.

With no respite coming from forest and district authorities, the locals are now left with no other option than to take to community guns. This is being done by raising funds among villagers.

"These simians have become a constant source of trouble as they resort to rampant destruction of vegetables. This has affected the livelihood of the people in the villages and we are contemplating purchasing a firearm to protect ourself from this new form of wildlife terror," said Vasant Shah from Adi Badri.

A major firearm dealer in Dehradun confirmed an upswing in the purchase of firearms. Air guns, in particular, are being purchased by persons from Uttarakashi and Chamoli hill districts and Mussoorie. The average sale per month is about 10 weapons.

Forest authorities do find the monkey menace as a formidable challenge before them. They admitted that were no immediate solutions. “The monkey menace has increased phenomenally across Uttarakhand hills just like in the plains,” said Surendra Mehra, a senior forest official posted at Rudraprayag. But then, forest authorities do compensate in such cases.

Uttarakhand wildlife authorities have been, for quite some time, finding themselves in a fix as no solution is in sight to this ever-aggravating problem.

With religious sensitivity linked to this mammal, killing of these animals has been completely ruled out as done in cases of other animals like boars.

Paying compensation to the affected is the sole means to placate aggrieved farmers, but that too is long-drawn process and fails to please them.

Villagers, under such circumstances, are left with no option than to 
go for small firearms. To get cheaper firearms, people have also been 
visiting Khatuli.

While apes keep to their natural habitat in the hills, the growing number of rhesus monkeys have made matter worse. There have been instances when packs of these simians have attacked villagers in big numbers.

The meeting of the state wildlife board last December had even approved of a comprehensive rehabilitation policy for simians in order to prevent these animals from coming into direct confrontation with humans.

The rehabilitation exercise, to be conducted in the vicinity of temples and other chartable institutions, was aimed at confining monkeys within limits near temples.

These religious places would ensure food for the simians and also add to the earning of these institutions. But this ambitious plan is still to see the light of the day.

As of now, the practice of the Uttarakhand authorities is to send its team of monkey trappers on getting complaints of monkey menace from a particularly locality.

But then, the problem that comes up is of dealing with these captured simians. Often, it was found that these monkeys, even if left at far-off places, return back to the places from where they were trapped.

The situation is no better in the plains. Several schools and residential localities in Dehradun had been facing a similar problem.

The Dehradun Municipal Corporation had even conducted a campaign to trap erring monkeys. An undersecretary-level officer, under the condition of anonymity, admitted purchasing a small firearm to ward off the frequent monkey incursions to his house.

Dehradun, November 26
Not miffed about CAG (Comptroller Auditor General) report being disposed of by respective Central and state governments lightly, Vinod Rai, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAGI), who came to the city to lay the foundational stone of the office-cum-residential complex for the Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IAAD) at Kaulagarh, said: “After the CAG report is prepared, then it is the job of the Public Accounts Committee in Secretariat and Parliament to discuss and implement it. Many state governments do follow the CAG report sincerely.”

Showing contempt for working in a superficial manner, he said: “We look at delivering the CAG report holistically at Central, state and village levels, and remain observant till it is sent to the entities responsible.”

For Panchayti Raj Institutions, the CAGI said they were yet to learn to manage their funds. Therefore, they update them on various issues by attaching their recommendations along with the CAG report.

Rai said it was the audit for Common Wealth and SAF Winter Games, which is keeping his office engaged these days. Not only this, it is the inclusion of local bodies, public-private partnership and non governmental bodies under the domain of CAG, which, he feels, has posed a big challenge to the office.

Praising professional competence among employees of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IAAD) at Dehradun, he asked them to be courteous, disciplined and punctual without compromising on their responsibilities to maximise the productivity.

Revealing the lighter side of his persona, this official, who is fond of travelling, trekking, mountaineering, meditation and yoga, said he had a long association with the town. “I belong to this town. I spent a long time from 1964 to 1977, living on Subhash Road, cycling on long stretches on the road. Now, it has come up very well, as a developed town.”

Glad over having found a picturesque location for the IAAD office, he said he would prefer to settle down in a place like this after retirement. He also expressed his desire to travel to tourist destination Chakrota in the state.

As an avid nature lover, he expressed his concern over building a road to glaciers in beautiful town, Munisyari, of Uttarakhand, which he felt might pull more crowd and thus prove detrimental to their existence. Similarly, it was during tree plantation, he passed instruction to staff to take care of the plants, as he wanted to see them growing when he would come here after two years on the completion of the project. People were really impressed with the friendliness and humility of Rai.

Dehradun, November 26
Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAGI) Vinod Rai laid the foundation stone of the office-cum-residential complex of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IAAD) at Kaulagarh here today.

Extending warm welcome to the official, NS Napalchyal, Uttarakhand acting Chief Secretary, said: “We thank Rai for his unflinching support to the state government. We expect the same cooperation in future because the state is quite new. It has got few officers from Uttar Pardesh who are not fully trained in their work. The state needs more employees who can contribute significantly in the development of the state”.

Rai thanked the ONGC for granting 20 acres for the project, which will house a five-storyed building with two basements. An amount of 70.22 crore has been sanctioned for the project.

Rai said he was hopeful that Additional Director-General of the Central Public Works Department, OP Bhatia will stick to his commitment of completing the construction of the building in a period of 24 months. This way the employees should be able to move in the new complex by by Diwali in 2011. He applauded the selection of venue for the premises saying: “This is the most beautiful location for an office-cum-housing project”.

Rai also said the information about the GPF (Gratuity & Provident Fund) of all employees of the state government had been put online from October 2009. This would benefit 98,000 beneficiaries straightway. Similarly, an online link had been created between 29 treasuries of the state government and the AG office.

Bhatia assured the gathering that the building will be a unique architectural marvel and the hallmark of the state. He said: “With the help of Tehri, the IAAD will be built as a green building as it will make optimum use of natural resources, such as solar heat, use of renewable energy resources, minimal use of ozone depleting substances and compliance with Energy conservation Building Code”.

The building would have remarkable features such as elevators equipped with safety system and generator backup facility and disabled friendly structure. 

Dehradun, November 26
India needs to be careful before subscribing to the narrative on terror presented by the US and instead follow an inclusive approach, keeping its global, regional and domestic interests in mind. This was stated by Prof Girijesh Pant, Vice-Chancellor of Doon University and expert on international affairs.

He was speaking at a panel discussion on “Understanding Terrorism” held at the university under the aegis of Security Management Programme to mark the first anniversary of Mumbai terrorist attacks today.

The Foreign Policy that marked a shift after the 9/11 Trade Center bombing created facts out of 
fiction and to this day US perspective on terrorism depends on which vantage point it is viewed from. “Terrorism can never be eliminated by carrying out militarising of a country as is being done in Afghanistan. A policy of engagement has to be followed,” emphasised Professor Pant.

He said India should be careful while following America’s “war on terror”. “It is the fallout of US policies that terrorism first took shape in Afghanistan. The reference point of American policy on terrorism is West Asia and with that mindset it sent its army to Iraq and then was forced to go to Afghanistan,” he said.

Calling for a more calibrated response that keeps in mind the geopolitical situation of the country, Prof Pant’s voice was one of sanity as he stressed that Indian geopolitical interests were on a different tangent. “A domestic policy has to first ensure that the socio-economic interests of the deprived and the vulnerable sections were addressed. At the same time, our regional policy, too, has different shades that are never factored in by the Americans and globally if we look towards West Asia, our relations have always been normal,” he said.

On the other hand, adding a military aspect to understanding terrorism were Major-Gen Raj Shivrain (retd) and Lieut-Gen KK Khanna (retd).

General Shivrain said one year after the Mumbai attack, intelligence and information gathering continued to be poor. He said 26/11 should be a day of resolve but, “we have failed to learn lessons and once the US withdraws from Afghanistan there is a real danger that jehadi elements inside Afghanistan turn the focus on India.”

He said India should chart its course and not expect too much from Pakistan on controlling terrorism that emanates from its own borders.

General Khanna said to avoid a Mumbai-like situation, “the police needs to be strengthened and surveillance should be stepped up at the mohalla level”. Besides, he called for integrating operation and intelligence for a better coordination.

Prominent citizens like Rajen Brajnath and CM Bhandari also called for more holistic social science approach in dealing with terrorism and cautioned against demonising any community.

Roorkee, November 26
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, has joined hands with as many as 12 institutes of the northern region for the creation of e-contents.

“Under our pilot project Mobile e-Learning Terminals (MeLT), 12 institutes of four states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and union territory Chandigarh have been involved to find out the extent of awareness on e-learning in these states along with the availability of the Internet connectivity there,” said Dr HK Verma, Deputy Director, IIT-R, and project leader of MeLT, which is a programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Over 300 schools and colleges have already been surveyed in this regard by these institutes, added Dr Verma.

He said the survey indicated that there was neither much awareness about e-learning in the entire region, nor is there any data connectivity, except a few colleges in the area.

To determine the next steps in this direction, Dr Verma is going to hold a second regional workshop on MeLT at Panjab University, Chandigarh, on December 2 in which a total of 30 experts of the institutes would participate.

Dehradun, November 26
Guru Nanak Academy (GNA) won the Council School Volleyball Tournament for the eighth consecutive time here today. In the final, they defeated the IPS team.

GNA defeated IPS in straight sets. GNA won the first set by a small margin 25-22. In the second set, GNA won 25-20. IPS team could not do much as they lacked the much-needed finishing touch. The final set was not different as GNA won 25-18.

Chief guest David Hilton gave away the championship trophy to Guru Nanak Academy. Patricia Hilton gave away the runners-up trophy to IPS.

Dehradun, November 26
Aryan School will clash with Hilton School in the final of the Council School Junior Basketball Tournament here tomorrow.

In the first semifinal, Aryan School defeated TICS 28-13. Salmal was the star performer for Aryan School with 17 points.

Outstanding play by Salmal did the trick for Aryan School and helped them win the match with a comfortable margin of 15 points. In the first quarter, Salmal opened the account for Aryans with a two-pointer.

The Aryan School scored nine points in the first quarter while TICS could manage only three points.

In the second quarter, TICS gave no scoring opportunity to the Aryan School. The TICS team took their score to eight points while the Aryan School remained at nine points.

The Aryan School found back its rhythm in the third quarter through Salmal who proved unstoppable and kept on scoring baskets at will. Salmal helped his school further the score by seven baskets.

In the final quarter, Aryan cagers went all out and to score another 12 points against TICS who could only manage five points. Salmal scored 17 points for the Aryan School while TICS’s Saksham scored six points.

Meanwhile, in the second semifinal, Hilton School defeated Summer Valley 35-20 to make it to the final.

Dehradun, November 26
Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) team of Dehradun created history at the 40th Kendriya Vidyalaya National Meet held in Delhi by lifting the basketball trophy after a gap of 10 years. The victory has come as an encouragement for all Kendriya Vidyalayas of the city.

It was not an easy journey for the Dehradun team to the final, as it had to face a lot of ups and down before being crowed as the champions. They almost lost it in the semifinal against a tougher opponent Bangalore team, who had kept Dehradun KV on the back foot throughout the match till things took a turn around in the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, the Dehradun team turned the match around, to surprise their opponent and register a convincing win in the match.

Coach DM Lakhera narrates: “It was one of the most tense and toughest match, which our team has played at the tournament. The Bangalore team had left no stone unturned to win the match. The team had a good counter rebound and had created trouble for our team whenever they tried to break it in their defence cordon”.

“Once the baseline passes were checked by the Dehradun team in the last quarter, the Bangalore team found itself in a tight situation. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, the Dehradun team not only equalised the score but also took a nine-point leads and went on to win the match by a convincing margin,” added Lakhera.

After the semifinal win, the confidence of the KV Dehradun team was high and they played more confidently in the final. “The win in the semifinal had created a ripple in the basketball circle and the Chennai team was little conscious about us. This gave us a psychology advantage over Chennai that proved crucial in our win,” disclosed Lakhera. The Dehradun team won the match by 52-37.

Lakhera gave all credit to rigorous practice sessions undertaken by the team at the training camp. The players were made to practice for three hours in the morning and in the evening, which paid rich dividends.

Dehradun, November 26
A superb all-round performance by Sunny helped Garhwal Sports register a 44-run win over Sharda College, Haridwar, here today. Sunny scored 23 runs and picked up five wickets.

Batting first, Garhwal Sports scored 165 runs in their allotted 20 overs. It was a shaky start for the team as they lost their first wicket at the score of five runs.

Their second wicket went down at 33 runs. First-down batsman Joshi played a knock of 36 runs off 29 balls before being run out in the 11th over.

Arvind supported him well on the other end to score 32 runs, hitting three fours and one six.

After that, it was Ravi and Sunny who held the innings together. Ravi contributed 24 runs while Sunny made 23 runs. For Sharda College, Shoaib and Dilshed took two wickets each.

Chasing 166 runs for victory, Sharda College never looked comfortable and kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.

They lost their first three wickets in the first three overs. It was middle-order batsman Nishant who showed some resistance and went on to score 20 runs. But he failed to convert his start into a big score.

Lower-order batsman Anurag played a fiery knock of 42 runs raising some hope for Sharda College. But once Anurag got out, no other batsman could occupy the crease for long and the whole team was out for 121 runs in 16th over.

For Garhwal Sporting, Sunny was the star performer with five wickets in his four-over spell. Harsh took two wickets.

Nainital, November 26
Boxers from Haryana and Punjab dominated the ring on the first day of the NC Sharma Memorial Senior Women Federation Cup Boxing Championship that started here today.

The four-day event will see top eight boxing teams from all over the country competing for top honours. The participants include top boxers of the country who have made a mark for themselves at the international level.

The day began with the quarterfinals. The event began with a light flyweight bout between Manorama of Assam and Aarti from Delhi in which the latter emerged victorious after a unanimous decision from the jury 5-0.

In the 48-kg bouts, Mamta from Haryana defeated Richa Sharma of Uttarakhand 5-0, K Mandakini Chanu of All-India Police defeated Ailya Khan of Assam 5-0 and Raturanga of Punjab beat Nermalokohly of Madhya Pradesh 5-0.

The best bouts of the day were witnessed in the 54-kg category. In the first bout, Preeti Mehra of Punjab overcame a spirited challenge from Geeta of Delhi 11-8. This was the closest contest of the day. If Preeti excelled in her left-right attacking combination of punches, Geeta had an excellent counterattack.

In the second bout in the category, Sunita from Haryana beat Y Uma Rani of Assam 18-8.

In the 60-kg category, Sangeeta Kumari emerged the first winner from Uttarakhand when she defeated Jhakar Chadar from Madhya Pradesh 6-1.

Her victory was followed by her team mate Pooja Yadav in the 64-kg category when she defeated Seema of Delhi 16-8. In another tussle in this category, Pooja Rani of Haryana beat Pratibha from Assam 11-2.

In the 69-kg category, Aneeta Rani of Punjab beat Rachana Yadav of All-India Police 8-2 and Kavita from Assam beat Jagarti of Delhi 6-2. In the fight between Pinky of Haryana and Binita Bisht of Uttarakhand, the referee stopped the contest as the former proved to be too strong for her opponent.

The bouts were contested at the ring set-up in the Flats Grounds. A large number of persons turned up to witness the keenly contested bouts.