Pitthoragarh, January 22
“Himalayan glaciers are receding, but not as fast as predicted by the UN-sponsored Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that predicted a total meltdown of Himalayan glaciers by 2035,” said Dr MM Kimothi, Director of Uttarakhand Space Application Centre.

He said that according to their studies, which have been done incorporating ISRO satellite data, the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand has receded 1.5 km in the past 30 years. This comes out to 50m per year. This study was done on the tendency shown by Himalayan glaciers after 1976.

The Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, which was established in the state in 2005, works in various fields, including the study of Himalayan glaciers.

“As all main rivers of the state originate from these glaciers, our study has focused on these. Receding glaciers also affect the flow of rivers,” said Dr Kimothi.

“Not only are the glaciers in the Himalayan region melting slowly, but the change is also visible in the timber line. It was at 3,840m in the Himalayan region in 1976 and has shifted upwards to 4,230m in 2006,” said Dr Kimothi.

“Our centre not only studies the situation in the Himalayan region as shown by the ISRO satellite, but we also analyse the records of forests to study the change,” he said.

He said that at the time when Atkinson wrote his gazetteer of Uttarakhand, some 150 years ago, the area at the height of 800m near Srinagar in Garhwal was fully covered by oak forests. This has now been replaced by a pine forest.

The study which was done in 1976, 1990, 1999, 2006 also shows that the snow which used to fall at the height of 3,800 ft is not visible now,” said the director.

“The climate pattern related to snow in the Himalayan region has now turned unpredictable and has created a 30-day gap in the cropping pattern. This calls for a change in the Himalayan agriculture system,” he added.

Dehradun, January 22
The state government showed no mercy on the deteriorating health of “Veeru” aka Puran Singh Rana who climbed the Doordarshan relay tower on January 17 and has been perched there to press for the demands of ad hoc teachers as the meeting between ad hoc teachers and the Principal Secretary failed.

The stirred-up ad hoc teachers of the Shiksha Acharya/Anudeshak/Swayum Sewak Sangathan, Uttarakhand, burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister outside the Vidhan Sabha here today.

They also took out a rally from the Vidhan Sabha to the Doordarshan site in support of their protagonist of the dramatic episode “Veeru”.

After the prolonged strike and intrusion by Rana, the members of the teachers organisations had a meeting with the Principal Secretary, Shatrughan Sinha, to seek a solution on Thursday.

The association opposed the decision taken by the administration to give permanent jobs only to 717 contractual teachers.

Puran Singh Rana, president of the Shiksha Acharya/Anudeshak Swayum Sewak Sangathan, Uttarakhand, is just as determined as he was when he climbed the 60-ft Doordarshan tower at the Haridwar bypass 114 hours ago. He is adamant in sticking to his present location till a government order in their favour is passed.

He had taken a tarpaulin sheet along to the tower post. He has been collecting the dew drops that fall on the sheet every night in a bottle to quench his thirst. He has gone without food for this period.

Rana is demanding the conversion of all ad hoc teachers under the Shiksha Acharya scheme into the Shiksha Mitra scheme.

Shiksha Mitra is a scheme of the Uttarakhand government under which consolidated wages of Rs 6,000 are given to teachers every month, but now, the government wants to absorb them under permanent pay scales.

About 1,750 Shiksha Acharyas (ad hoc teachers) are working in various primary schools of the state. They are paid monthly wages of Rs 2,500.

This is not the first time that Rana is up on the tower. In November 2009, he climbed the tower and was booked under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. He was on bail when he staged the protest in front of the Vidhan Sabha to put forth the association’s demands. Rana had earlier staged a protest for 718 days in front of the Vidhan Sabha.

Khajan Singh, a protester, said, “Yesterday, Puran Singh passed on a letter from the tower post informing of chest pain and failing health. He warned the state government to take act within a week or else, he would end his life on the tower.”

District Education Officer Geeta Nautiyal and SDM Jharna Kamran also visited the spot to convince him but could not succeed.

The administration called up Rana’s father Chattar Singh and wife Pyari Devi in Uttarkashi to convince him to withdraw his protest.

But the administration had made no arrangements to receive his father and wife when they arrived late this evening or for their stay in the city.

Dehradun, January 22
If you know a student suffering from sleeplessness, loss of appetite, lack of interest in the social activities and is keeping himself aloof, then the situation may require immediate intervention.

The recent suicides of two students - one from the Dehradun Institute of Technology (DIT) and another from the Uttaranchal Institute of Technology - have hit the authorities at educational institutes.

Peer pressure, expectations from the institution or parents, loneliness and family problems may give rise to stress, anxiety and depression. As a result, suicidal tendencies take root.

In today’s cut-throat competition, there is no room for interaction, social support and relationships that often give rise to a sense of insecurity and uncertainty.

Apparently, these students found no easier option than suicide to get rid of their tension. As much as 25 per cent suicides are committed by students.

Even while more psychologists and counsellors are being recruited by schools and colleges, there is little difference in the behavioural traits of pupils. It appears that children do not approach the counsellors because of either hesitation or guilt.

Dr (Maj) Nand Kishore, psychiatrist, shed light on the problem. “Higher standards of living and growing materialism are the catalysts of this evil.

“Parents spend little quality time with their children. Lonely and pampered children develop a self-centred attitude.

“A conference was recently held to discuss suicidal tendencies in students. Participants at the conference suggested improving mental health through family culture,” said Dr Kishore referring to the annual conference of Indian Psychiatrists Society at Jaipur.

He said, “These days, nobody has time to listen to the problems of others. If both parents are working, then the child gets very little time with his parents.

“The manifestation and reasons of depression and suicidal tendencies for a school-going kid and a college goer are different, but the solution is the same.

“College goers have more freedom and want to try out different things in life. This pushes them away from their families. They acquire new interests without realising that their adolescence is in turmoil.

“In case of schoolchildren, they don’t score well in examinations or find difficulty in completing their homework despite being intelligent.

“The role of schoolteachers and counsellors is very important. They must conduct regular interactive sessions with each and every child.

“A student suffering from mental distress should be treated with a combination of medicine, counselling and social interaction sessions. This problem needs to be tackled quickly or else it will become the third commonest illness to cause disability by 2020 as per the recent report of the WHO,” he said.

Dehradun, January 22
Agitated students of the BBA Department of ICFAI University protested outside the collectorate office here today. Their protest has been going on since January 15 against the expulsion of two students of BBA III, Nishant Tripathi and Ranjan Kumar.

Starting from college premises, students in a large number, along with NSUI members, gathered around the collectorate office in demand for justice and re-admission of these two students. Shedding light on this issue, former national president of NSUI Pankaj Chetri said “Nishant Tripathi and Ranjan Kumar on the grounds of indiscipline have been sacked out, but now as examinations are going on we want the college authorities to let them take the examinations or else there future would get doomed.”

Amid slogans, they also specified that though after many days of protest verbal declaration for re-admission has been done, until unless written permission wont be issued they were going to maintain the same pace.

“The Vice-Chancellor spoke to the students and gave them a permission to take examinations, but we want written permission or else will protest at a massive level as this issue for no reason has been blown out of proportion by the administration,” added Chetri. However, the students also gave a memorandum of demand to the District Magistrate.

Dehradun, January 22
The Working Dog Federation Of India (WDFI), in collaboration with Guardwell Securities and the Uttarakhand Police, hosted an informative seminar on dogs for security. The seminar was conducted by a renowned dog trainer, Dr Andre Vandergeten. Dev Lahiri, Principal of Welham Boys’ School, also played a pivotal role in managing the entire affair successfully.

The seminar was organised at the Police Stadium. In a one-hour lecture with the support of a power-point presentation, audio visual clippings, Dr Vandergeten discussed core issues such as selection process, foundation, scent work, assault, stress, agility and special task of security dogs as since time memorial it has played a crucial role in tracking down any sort of theft or explosives.

However, the prime motive of the show was to spread awareness as well inform security forces about the latest techniques and scope in the field of dog training. Dr Vandergeten, a native of Belgium, from the age of seven discovered his love for dogs and is not only expert at training, but is consultant to a large number of security forces. For the past two years, his team is training dogs in India and they specialise in Belgium Malinois, one of the finest security dogs. Discussing his passion for dogs and what more has to be in the arena of dog training he said, “It’s not in India, but all over the world that people fail to realise the capability of dogs, who are powerful enough to evade any kind of danger. Knowledge, seminars, emphasis on specialised training and most importantly self-study can lead to changes in the present scenario where one has dogs, but is unable to use it in the best possible manner.”

Whether it’s widely used Indian security dogs such as the German Shepard, Labrador or the Doberman, Dr Vandergeten emphasised on the role of good dog handler, training period of at least 15 months and a relationship based on trust and love. The highlight of the function, which captivated the attention of all was a demo act by a pack of trained dogs. Fearless canines with catchy names followed the instructions of their trainers and exhibited eye-catching skills. “I am passionate for dogs and we organised this seminar to make people aware of aptitude of security dogs, which if used in a judicious manner can be proved beneficial in the field of security, medical research and many other numerous fields,” said principal of Welham Boys School.

Chief guest on the occasion was DGP Subhash Joshi, IG (Garhwal) MA Ganpathy and other prominent members from the forces.

Dehradun, January 22
The Industries Association of Uttarakhand today expressed their gratitude towards Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for selecting Anil Goyal the association’s vice-president.

Association president Pankaj Gupta said, “We are grateful to the Chief Minister for supporting us as we believe that Goyal due to his experience is well suited for the better future of the industries at district as well as state level.”

However, the members also believed that Goyal’s exposure and deftness would timely lead to solutions, which are very important from the point of view of industrial development.

Roorkee, January 22
A sparkling knock of 81 runs off 50 balls by Neeraj enabled Ajabpur Young, Dehradun, to defeat Saharanpur Stadium by 73 runs. Ajabpur team entered the semifinals of the 8th All-India Cricket Tournament for United Cup being played at Navyuvak Cricket Academy, here today.

After winning the toss, the Ajabpur Young decided to bat first.

The scintillating innings played by Neeraj gave the team a solid start capitalising on which the batsmen posted an impressive total of 249 runs in their allotted 30 overs by losing eight wickets.

Neeraj was supported well by Udit Mohan who chipped in 59 runs to the team’s total, which came off just 49 balls.

Gaurav was another batsman for the Ajabpur Young who hit many fours and sixes in his innings of 39 runs to the team’s total before returning to the pavilion.

Saurav ran through the batting line up of the Ajabpur team claiming four wickets for 32 runs. Javed proved a little expensive of the Saharanpur team as he could crack only two wickets conceding 67 runs.

Chasing the total, the Saharanpur team could not face the young bowlers who ripped apart their batting line-up.

They all were scuttled out for 176 runs in just 26.3 overs. Oscar was their best batsman with 63 runs in 45 balls. But the good work done by him could not consolidate the Saharanpur team as the rest of the batsmen lost the

wickets without adding much to the team’s total.

Sachin was the only other batsmen who braved the Ajabpur attack for quite some time before he lost his wicket to a dicey delivery. He scored 22 runs.

Arvind claimed four batsmen while giving only for 26 runs.

Dehradun, January 22
Even at the age of 64, his enthusiasm and craze for badminton is like it was in his days of youth. Rama Kant Sharma gave an eye-catching performance at the world championship in the veteran category, reaching its quarterfinals.

He is at present ranked ninth in the world.

Ramakant, who retired as assistant engineer, PWD, in 2004, has been playing badminton since his teens. “Yes I am a lover of the game. In my childhood, due to a lack of facilities and proper coaching I could not progress in the game. But, my love for the game kept me associated with it. I still follow a rigorous practice routine with my friends at the Parade Ground every morning,” added Sharma.

He has been a department champion in the game during his employment with the PWD and also played in national-level tournaments. After retirement, he thought of taking up a coaching job at an institute, but failed to get good salaries. He abandoned the thought of coaching and just focused on the game.

He feels in the state and throughout the country various sports academies need to improve upon coaching facilities and methods. They should try and provide the youth with the latest facilities and technology as given in the foreign countries to bring them on a par with foreign players. This would help them bring a sea change in their playing style.

He was optimist that in the coming years the state would have a good number of talented sub-junior and junior players in badminton.

Dehradun, January 22
Old Garhwal Sporting won by six wickets over the Diamond Cricket Academy at the 58th District Cricket League here today.

Batting Diamond Cricket Academy scored 114 runs in 30 overs. Opener Rahul scored 30 runs off 61 balls, whereas middle order batsman Ekalvya scored 24 runs off 43 balls.

For Old Garhwal Sporting team Amit took three wickets, whereas Arun, Ravi and Narender claimed one wicket each.

Chasing the victory target of 115 runs, Old Garhwal Sporting team reached the target in 13.1 overs. Ravi was the highest scorer for the team with 27 runs, whereas Anuj made a useful contribution of 28 runs.

Narender made 20 runs. For Diamond Cricket Academy, Karan took two wickets, whereas Mandeep and Ayaz took one wicket each.

Meanwhile in the second match, Dinesh Rawat Cricket Academy (DRCA) won by 17 runs over Vikasnagar team.

Batting first Sanjeev scored 101 runs for his team, whereas Zeeshan scored 79 runs to help his team score 260 runs in 40 overs. For Vikasnagar team, Anand, Parmesh and Shiva took two wickets each.

In reply, Vikasnagar team was all out for 243 runs. Ravinder made 92 runs off 96 balls, whereas Sameer scored 64 runs. Rest none other batsmen scored much runs and the whole team was out for 243 run, following short by 17 runs.

For DRCA team, Sachin took four wickets, whereas Manish took three wickets.

Dehradun, January 22
KJS Kalsi has become the first person from the state to clear International Association of Athletic Federation level one coaching examination that was held at Commonwealth office, New Delhi. He secured the fourth position in the examination. He is presently employed at OLF.

Kalsi secured 89 per cent marks in the examination to come out with flying colours at the meet. He is now eligible to officiate at any international athletics competition. Delighted over his success he said, “It was a tough examination that consisted of 90 marks of written examination and 10 marks viva and to score such marks gives me a sense of achievement. My area of specialising is throws.”

Secretary of the State Athletics Association Sandeep Sharma said, “It is a great achievement for the state. We are planning to create a body of officials who will pass the FSTO examination, thus making them eligible for officiating at state-level athletes meet.” He said having body of qualified referees in the state would be a great help in the near future in organising good athletes competitions.

Kalsi would get a good opportunity before the Commonwealth in officiating in three international-level meets, thus giving him a good opportunity to get an experience of officiating at the meet. He has been working as a officiating at athletics competitions for the past 10 years.