Mussoorie, February 17
The latest terror attack in Pune has once again raised the fear and concern over the security of premier installations situated in Mussoorie and around forcing the administration to step up vigil once again.

According to police station in charge MC Joshi, the security of the Woodstock and Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy is already foolproof and police personnel are keeping guard there round the clock. The police force was deployed at sensitive spots after the state received intelligence inputs from the FBI about possible terror strikes at these installations following the arrest of two suspects in the US in November, 2009. Woodstock School caters to a large number of foreign students and they are back after a long winter vacation. School officials were not available for a comment. However, many felt that the whole security issue had been blown out of the proportion, affecting the strength of the school adversely.

Sources pleading anonymity have revealed that the school has also stepped up its own security along with the deployment of state police around the school. It has been learnt that the school is in constant touch with the US Embassy and no input of terror threat has been shared with them till now.

On the other hand, traders and heads of other institutions in Mussoorie are also feeling the negative affect of this security threat. Mussoorie Traders Association’s president Rajat Aggarwal opined that recent terrorist attack in Pune had raised the security issue once again which was a cause of concern. “Tourism has already suffered after last year’s threat to a great extent as parents fearful of terror attack have withdrawn their wards from respective schools, leading to decrease in the number of boarding students,” added Aggarwal. The recent Pune blast has caused fresh fears among the guardians who are reconsidering new admissions which begin from March in various schools of the town.

However, Mussoorie Public School Principal Mukesh Lal said the schools catering to high-profile students had been affected the most after these threats not the institute like his. On the contrary his school had seen a rise in the number of boarders this year. He further said Mussoorie was considered safe haven for students but if these kind of threats are blown out of proportion it could have serious implications on the inflow of students, especially in boardings.

Palika president OP Uniyal said the security threat issue should be handled with care as this was a tourist town and any negative publicity would have an adverse affect on tourism.

Mussoorie, February 17
The state government’s plan to construct a grand Circuit House have gone astray as the owner of the Radha Bhawan estate, near Library Bazar, has refused to give the land for the purpose. He had agreed to it previously.

The government had identified around 8.5 acres for the construction of the Circuit House at Radha Bhawan and the talks with land owner Anirudh Chammaria were in the final stages. According to Chammaria, the total property measures around 104 acres and the government needs 8.5 acres. After giving this land to the government, the market value of the whole property will decrease drastically.

He said if the government was ready to buy the whole property, he would have no problems. He has also got stay from the High Court to stop the deal till further notice.

Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola opined that discussion with the property owner in this regard had been held previously and the administration had also appealed in the court for vacating the stay.

He further said no one could stop the construction of the Circuit House now.

Meanwhile, the Radha Bhawan estate’s caretaker has alleged forceful eviction of his family from the estate and a theft of worth Rs 50,000 and jewellery worth Rs 2 lakh. In a report filed with the Mussoorie police station, caretaker Vipin Chaturvedi has alleged that the owner of the estate broke the locks and forcefully evicted his family from the Radha Bhawan estate. He said he had been looking after the property for several years and the owner of the estate was bent upon taking the law in his own hands. The police has started the investigation.

Dehradun, February 17
In support of the welfare of the minorities, members of the Pradesh Congress Committee, Uttarakhand, staged a dharna at the Gandhi Park here today. The perturbed members shouted slogans and levelled allegations at the BJP government that had sidelined the minority community in the state.

Moreover, state president Haji Rao Sher Mohammad condemned that the state government for not making any welfare programmes for the Muslim community. Despite the proposal sent by the Centre, the state government seemed to be in no mood to prepare plans for the minority community.

The committee also alleged that the BJP government had promised to establish a Haj house at Piran Kaliyar, Roorkee, in 2007, but had failed to do so despite spending Rs 2 crore.

Haji Noor Hasan, District President, presided over the meeting.

Dehradun, February 17
Members of the Uttaranchal Bijli Karamchari Sangh held a dharna at the Gandhi Park here today demanding regularisation of contractual employees.

Senior general secretary KR Kashyap of the sangh said there was no equal pay for equal work for corporation labours. “They are not provided with the dearness allowance and for the past four to five years their wages haven’t been increased. While the same work is being done by regular employees, they are provided with all facilities,” told Kashyap.

He further added that according to the Act it was illegal to get this work done by contractual labouerers. Thus, they should be made regular at the earliest.

He further said both Power Transmission Corporation and Hydroelectric did not have licences to have contractual labouerers and were doing illegal job.

The Sangh members also alleged that there was no employee for complaints in the Power Corporation and private employees were being sent to address complaints.

They demanded that regular employees for complaints should be there.

Nainital, February 17
A meeting to evaluate the progress under the District and State plans and the 20-Point Programme was held here today where officials were told to make concrete plans aimed at revitalising the rural economy in the state.

Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission Manohar Kant Dhyani said it was pertinent to give employment to every hand in rural areas to check the emigration from villages of the state. He said public welfare schemes needed to be taken to the villages so that more and more people were inclined towards taking up self-employment ventures. The departmental heads were told to evaluate the plans being implemented by their departments. They were told to prepare a list of government, residential and other properties that had come up and were yet to be transferred to various departments.

Dhyani also laid stress on strengthening the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) so that people got maximum economic benefits. He directed that good work being done by SHGs must be shown to others so that they could also follow the example set by the former.

The officials were told that implementation of controversial projects should begin only after the controversies related to them were sorted out. The officials were told that there was immense scope for work to be done in sectors related to dairy, industry, fisheries, horticulture and floriculture and the officials must visit the villages to identify the potential areas for implementing various schemes.

The officials of the Social Welfare Department were directed to organise awareness camps about various social welfare initiatives of the government and such avenues should also be utilised for distribution of seeds to the farmers and horticulturists.

The Industries Department was asked to encourage people in Ramgarh belt for establishing cold storage units. The officials were also told to utilise funds allocated to them before the completion of the current financial year.

Nainital, February 17
The OPD services at the Sushila Tewari Memorial Hospital Trust’s medical centre resumed today amid tight security. The services had remained disrupted for the past two days following acts of arson at the hospital on Monday by activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over the death of a patient due to alleged medical negligence.

In the morning, the security personnel were deputed at the hospital for the employees to resume their functioning. The employees had kept away from duties on Tuesday alleging a security threat. A spokesperson for the trust said the police personnel remained present till noon after ensuring that the functioning returned to normalcy. The hospital administration had sought help from the district administration for restoring the services to the people. The hospital is the biggest one in the region with at least 1,000 people turning up for OPD consultations there daily.

The ABVP activists, who had threatened to lock up the office of trust’s secretary Monish Malik, did not turn up at the hospital. A case has already been registered against them for arson and sabotaging the functioning of the hospital. Malik, meanwhile has gone on a pre-availed leave.

The trouble had started on Monday afternoon following the death of a patient from Garud, in Bageshwar, Baby Joshi. She had been operated upon for a gynaecology complication last week and her condition had deteriorated continuously.

Members of her family and relatives have alleged that this was a case of medical negligence which led to the ABVP activists storming the office of the PA of the trust’s secretary and resorting to arson. They had gone to the extent of damaging the computer and throwing the files at the office. They were learnt to have manhandled two hospital employees.

This was followed by a demonstration outside the hospital, a blockade of the busy Rampur road and raising of slogans against Malik with a demand for his removal and registration of a case of murder against the doctor concerned.

A probe into the charges of medical negligence is being conducted by Additional Director (Health) SC Tamta. 

Dehradun, February 17
Nuclear energy is the best possible option available with India to meet its growing energy needs. This was stated by RK Bhargava, former chairman of the Heavy Water Board, Department of Atomic Energy.

Speaking at a talk organised by Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) and the Shivalik College of Engineering jointly at Urja Park here, Bhargava said the country’s energy requirement would grow manifold by 2032 and the nuclear energy was the best possible option to make up for this demand.

He said India was merely using 8.4 per cent of nuclear energy while countries in the West were using the nuclear power to a bigger extent. “France’s 75 per cent energy needs are met through nuclear power,” he added.

Bhargava said while the nation had thorium in plenty, it only needed nuclear reactors to convert this thorium into uranium to generate nuclear energy.

Prof DS Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor, Uttarakhand Technical University, also spoke. The talk was convened by Dr Dharambudhi and Dr VK Chhibbar.

Dehradun, February 17
To motivate students and develop a creative bent of mind, St Joseph Academy School organised a painting exhibition here today. Students of classes VII, IX and XII showcased a panorama of beautiful paintings.

Natasha Lamba, art teacher, informed, “The idea behind organising this exhibition is to encourage our students as well provide them a platform by means of which they can exhibit best of their paintings”.

Starting from scenic beauty captured on the canvas with oil colours, there were unique batik cloth, clay, modern, Egyptian, Chinese, screen and water colour paintings. However, grabbing the attention was a glass painting with detailed and intricate designs. Greens, yellows, blues and other captivating colours in perfect concoction spoke volumes about the student’s creativity and promising interest in the stream of fine arts.

“It took me more than two weeks to complete my scenic oil painting,” said elated Dhruv, a class XI student.

Furthermore, to attract art lovers across the city, out of the lot, only selected paintings were displayed. “We have displayed the best of the paintings. Each painting has been created in the classroom and not at home,” added Lamba. 

Dehradun, February 17
Residents of Ramnagar town under the banner of the Sanuykat Sangharsh Samiti gheraoed the Secretariat demanding a CBI probe into the rape of seven-year-old girl Mahima and the killing of a photographer in November in Ramnagar.

The residents alleged that girl was raped after being abducted on November 17 from Ramnagar and later found dead in a pothole. But even after a month the police had failed to do anything. The District Magistrate had claimed that he had forwarded a letter to the Chief Minister for a CBI inquiry on December 22, but till today there was no inquiry, Munish Kumar, spokesperson of the samiti, said.

He added that in another case, 24-year-old Sonu Verma was killed by strangulating his neck. However, the police did not register a case saying it was a case of suicide. Three days after the murder, under the pressure from residents, the police agreed to register a case. The police later arrested one Deepu Gola without any evidence after beating him up. All people of the town knew that he was an innocent child and demanded his release.

The residents today marched from the Gandhi Park to the Secretariat to submit their memorandum to the Chief Minister, but their memorandum was not taken and they were asked to submit it to the SDM. The samiti did not agree as it had already given the letter to the SDM thrice and nothing had happened.

However, when their memorandum was not taken, they removed the barricade put up outside the Secretariat and pasted it on the gate. The samiti has threatened to intensify their agitation.