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BJP at sea over hydel projects on Ganga
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Govt set to take over Sushila Tiwari Hospital
Water crisis: Only 36 tankers for Tehri
Safety of Schoolchildren
Art camp begins tomorrow
Delite Club trounce Doon United
Kiran XI drub Doon Royals by 10 wkts
Arts exhibition concludes
ABVP to enrol 1 lakh members
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BJP at sea over hydel projects on Ganga
Dehradun, April 7 While Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was vociferous in his criticism of the recommendations of the group of ministers of the Union government to stop work on the Pala Maneri and Bhairon Ghati hydroelectric projects on the Bhagirathi, the decision of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and opinion of senior party leader LK Advani has put the state government in an awkward situation. Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was critical of the Union government for unilaterally taking a decision on the state’s two major hydropower projects without consulting the state government and even got a resolution passed in the state BJP council meeting criticising the Central government on the issue. Interestingly, former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP leader LK Advani, who attended the meeting kept mum on the issue there. Earlier, he had welcomed the move. Advani, who was in the twin holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh for the past three days, welcomed the decision to ban construction of any hydroelectric projects on the Ganga. On the other hand, to make matters worse for the state government that has been striving hard to enhance its power generation capacity, the Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) at its meeting today at Haridwar ratified its resolution of demanding a ban on hydroelectric projects on the national river and its tributaries. Senior VHP leaders Ashok Singhal and Parveen Togadia were present at the two-day meet at Haridwar. Although the VHP did not take
any agitational step on the issue and decided to start a public awareness campaign on the issues of
uninterrupted flow of the Ganga, construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and protection to cow in the entire country. Meanwhile, at the state executive meeting of the Uttarakhand BJP here, state President Bishan Singh Chufal was at a loss of words on the issue. “We are for both - construction of hydroelectric projects as well as uninterrupted flow of the Ganga,” he said. On the other hand, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank maintained silence on the sensitive issue.
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Staff crunch hits medical services in Mussoorie
Mussoorie, April 7 According to Dr Sandeep Tandon, physician, Civil Hospital, out of eight
permanent posts, only two doctors are serving there. Out of one permanent post of surgeon, radiologist, pathologist, gynaecologist, dental surgeon, E&T SMO surgeon, no one is
available at the Civil Hospital and patients have been left at the mercy of a physician and a contractual
dental surgeon. Similar is the case at the OPD in St Mary’s Hospital, Kulri Bazar. Only
two MBBS doctors are catering to the ever-increasing number of patients in the town. Rama Devi (52) from Bicchu village in Jaunpur block said that she was suffering from severe stomach pain and the lack of medical facilities in her village had forced her to come to Mussoorie Civil Hospital. She lamented that “after standing for two hours in the sun, she was still waiting for her turn.” Many more patients were of the same view. Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola accepted that the condition of the health services in the town has taken a beating and was of the view that government hospitals in the hill town, which has regular flow of tourists, is running short of specialised staff. Doctors of the town have been sent to Haridwar for Kumbh duty. With summer right at the doorstep, tourist inflow is bound to increase manifold and hence the need for many specialist doctors. Dr Sunil Sanon, a resident of Mussoorie
who began his medical career at the St Mary’s Hospital in 1978, said that it was vital not just to look at population figures of Mussoorie residents while framing policies. An important town like Mussoorie has a two lakh floating population that includes tourists along with the student population in various schools. Not only that, it also has a 15,000-strong Tibetan population which is always left uncounted. He added that the town was also an important location for health reasons due to the large influx of patients from Tehri district. These floating populations also add to the
pressure on medical services in town.
Lack of staff quarters
A problem that prevents doctors from settling in Mussoorie is the lack of staff quarters at these government hospitals. Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola said that Rs 4.8 crore were sanctioned for the construction of medical staff quarters at St Mary’s Hospital in 2006 of which Rs 90 lakh has been spent on construction and the rest was for demolition and reconstruction of the building which has not been done yet. At the Civil Hospital, Rs 2.1 crore were released for the construction of the staff quarters and Rs 3.5 crore for upgrading and modernisation with complete amenities, but the government has not moved an inch in this direction. Jot Singh added that he had also raised the question in the Vidhan Sabha, but the reply of the government was not satisfactory.
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Govt set to take over Sushila Tiwari Hospital
Nainital, April 7 The state government had made the promise of the disbanding of the trust and subsequent taking over of the hospital in the recent past. Sources in the trust said the biggest beneficiaries of the decision taken on Tuesday would be the employees. It is learnt that about 280 permanent employees are now set to get the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission Recommendations. In addition to these, even the contractual employees would now get payments based on the said recommendations. The patients coming to the hospital would also get benefits from the decision as they would now be able to get free medicines on the lines of the facilities being provided at other government hospitals. Sources said students studying in the Sushila Tewari Forest Hospital Trust Medical College would also become major beneficiaries as they would now be paying the fees which is being taken from the students of the recently established Medical College in Srinagar which is the lowest in the country. These students would now be paying a sum of Rs 15,000 per annum. The only formality left for the taking over of the college is a formal government order. There was a line of thought in the government that since the money meant for running the hospital and the medical college was being provided by the government, yet it did not have a direct control over its functioning. Sources pointed out that although the step taken by the government was being welcomed by various sections, what remains to be seen was whether the government managed to run these institutions in a proper manner in the days to come. “The best option would have been to make it an autonomous institution like the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS). It is being hoped that the things would turn out to be better in the days to come and the institutions would not meet the fate of several medical colleges and hospitals in Uttar
Pradesh,” said an official. The biggest challenge before the government would be to retain the existing strength of specialists who have been resigning at regular intervals and to attract fresh talent to the institutions so that the region does not feel a dearth of doctors and specialists.
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Water crisis: Only 36 tankers for Tehri
Dehradun, April 7 In Dehradun district, Dehradun city has been facing water scarcity as the Jal Sansthan has been unable to maintain water supply due to power cut. In Kumaon region, Pithoragarh and Almora are encountering acute water shortage. In Garhwal 239 wards/ mohallas are being supplied water through 83 tankers. While in Kumaon 322 wards/mohallas/ villages are being supplied by 108 tankers. “The contingency plan was operational since May and we are getting funds under disaster relief. The natural resources in Tehri, Almora and Pithoragarh have dried up,” said DD Dimri Chief General Manager, Jal Sansthan. Further a total of 16 tube wells, 11 mini
tube wells, 438 hand pumps have been installed, as part of summer contingency plan, last year and few more were added this year. Also 49 infiltration well-type hand pumps, 25 rain water harvesting schemes are being operationalised to tide over the problem. “We have 17,741 hand pumps in working condition but a total of 3,430 hand pumps are also non operational and 451 hand pumps are not getting clean water supply. The low voltage problem is being sorted out in order to spruce up supplies,” said Dimri. In some areas of Uttarakhand where tankers cannot be
reached mules are being used to ferry water, the arrangement is being looked after the District Magistrates of the areas.
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Bank to hold photography workshop from April 23
Dehradun, April 7 While addressing a press conference, Kapoor said: “Photography in itself is an art and it comes with a prospect of pursuing it as a career. Therefore we are conducting such a detailed workshop on digital
photography for the very first time in the city to provide expert guidance to enhance the skills on adobe photoshop, portraiture
and still life/product styles of photography.” Moreover, he said the experts would teach minute technicalities of light room software, photo editing and creativity during the workshop. An expert on Adobe photoshop software, Rajendra Prasad, would teach the finesse of processing an ordinary photograph into an extraordinary masterpiece. Gurudas Dua, advertising photo artist, and
Teerath Dasgupta, famous photo artist and director of the School of Photo Technique, Delhi, will also teach the detailed work
on photography. The workshop will be held from April 23 to 25 at Doon University. The fee for the workshop would be Rs 2,500 and it is open to all age groups.
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Safety of Schoolchildren
Nainital, April 7 The decision of the District Magistrate Shailesh Bagauli comes in the light of a recent tragedy in which two Class VII students of Sherwood College were killed when a tractor-trailer carrying 36 students overturned in Sitabani forests. The incident had taken place on Saturday. Bagauli has already ordered a magisterial probe under the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) at Ramnagar AK Nautiyal into the death of Ibrahim Ansari of Kanpur and Anmol Bhatt of Haldwani. The children had gone to the area for a trek and had been staying at a resort in Amgadh. On Wednesday, Bagauli ordered that the schools would have to inform the local administration and the police about the area to be visited by their students. He has asked the Police Department and the District Education Officer to ensure that these directions are complied with.
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Art camp begins tomorrow
Mussoorie, April 7 Twelve artists with diverse styles will be participating at the workshop. The artists Sanjoy Bose, Timir Brahma, Kustav Nag, Santanu Mitra, Debashish Barul, Piyali Sadhukhan, Sekhar Baran Karmakar, Apu Dasgupta, Suranjana Sen Lahiri, Arunima Sanyal, Nabanita Saha, Kayas Saha from Shantiniketan and Kolkotta will be painting the canvas according to their expertise and interest. According to an art critic and historian Nanak Ganguly accompanying the artists, the main objective of the camp is to explore how human mind reacts to the unthinkable-images of destruction and creation. The participating artists will arrive at a different type of resolution, escape and compromise. The common link is that each of them shall pursue his or her own vision with singular felicity. The camp will offer a platform for dialogue, interaction and exchange for these young artists to learn more about each other’s contexts and to work together during these four days which includes lectures, workshops and cultural visits amidst the serene surroundings of the Queen of Hills.
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CT Young in last four
Dehradun, April 7 The losing side kicked off after winning the toss. In this well-contented match, both sides displayed good football. However, it was winning team’s Goswami who struck the first goal in the 14th minute. Garhwal Rifle didn’t buckle under pressure after the early jolt given by its rival and opened its account in the 26th minute through Tashi. The teams fought hard thereafter but the score remained one each at the close of the first half. While in the second half, the players in full confidence put in their utmost but the success came to CT Young in the 62nd minute. Shashank with this goal changed the face of the game and became the star. Tashi and Bappa of the losing side and Gaurav of CT Young were issued yellow cards while later Bappa received the red card too. Meanwhile, the first semifinal of the tournament will be played tomorrow at 3pm and the second would be held a day after tomorrow. The winning teams would go for the final encounter on April 11.
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CDA score 47-run win over Income Tax
Dehradun, April 7 Opting to bat first, after winning the toss, the CDA set a target of 169 runs in 25 overs at the loss of five wickets. Purohit (39*) and Sonam (31*) were the main scorers for CDA. Balbir and Rajeev Verma of IT took two wickets each while Avnish got one batsman out. In reply, opening batsmen of IT Avnish and SS Gautam started the innings but the latter could just face eight balls before going back to pavilion on one run. He got caught out on an Anuj Rai delivery. However, his partner stitched on a good partnership with next batsman Balbir Singh. Though Avnish (23) and Balbir (29) couldn’t score much but this was a big relief to their side as its none other batsmen could contribute much, later. The team was packed off for 121 runs in 21.3 overs. Lalit and BS Bhandari were
the most successful bowlers for CDA, both took three wickets each. Ajay Kumar, Anuj Rai, VK Purohit and HS Rawat too chipped in with one wicket.
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Delite Club trounce Doon United
Dehradun, April 7 Doon United won the toss and invited Delite Club to bat first. The latter scored 202 runs in 23.4 overs before getting all-out. Haider (53) was the top scorer for his side. Ajay (31), Sachin (23) and Ayush (23) too chipped in. Achitya took the most wickets. He got four batsmen out. Vikrant also took three
wickets. Jagdeep and Abhey pocketed two and one wickets, respectively. Batting second, Doon United could just score 124 runs and got all-out. Abhey was the top scorer with 28 runs. Haider, Deepak, Ayush, Anuj and Ajay took a wicket each while Sachin captured two
wickets.
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Kiran XI drub Doon Royals by 10 wkts
Dehradun, April 7 Doon Royals batted first and was packed off for paltry 53 runs. Rohit (12) was the main scorer for the batting side. For Kiran XI, Gajju took four wickets and Kiran took three wickets. The target was too less for Kiran XI as its opening batsmen Shankey (31) and Kiran (33) sailed the team home. In the second match, Kings XI, Miyawala, registered four-wicket win over Majri Tigers.
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Arts exhibition concludes
Dehradun, April 7 Another artist in demand was Sudipta Tiwari. All of her six works on display were eye-catching. She has a knack of oscillating between the foreground and the background, trying to find the right texture and colour. Ashok Roy’s charcoal on paper also drew much appreciation and so did Girish’s acrylic on canvas. Dipendranath Pal’s water colour works were appreciated well. The youngest artists among them was Bhavika Marwah who delighted in calling herself a “budding artist”. Her father owns well-known MEC Art Gallery in Khan Market, New Delhi. The credit for organising the first-ever exhibition of contemporary art by well-known and not-so-well-known artists goes to Ridhima Kochhar. Thanks to her initiative and active help extended to her by MEC Art Gallery, connoisseurs and collectors of fine art paintings could have had the opportunity not only of viewing these works of art but also of buying them.
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ABVP to enrol 1 lakh members
Mussoorie, April 7 He said the organisation was celebrating its 60 years of inception and members were fully geared up to
this task and were carrying out a door-to-door campaign earnestly. He also said the ABVP would broaden its base among the intellectuals, students and new classes and brought them under fold of the organisation. Srivastava reiterated the fact that the ABVP was committed towards promoting nationalism and value-based beliefs and due to these creative ideas the ABVP was spread all around the country. Elaborating further, he also informed that a mass awareness campaign would begin from April 10 in the state. Srivastava firmly stated that the ABVP always kept students interest top in its agenda. Mohan Petwal, former president Dharam Pal Panwar, Manoj Kumar, Dinesh Panwar, Ashutosh Kothari, Trilok Rana, city president Virendar Rawat, secretary Shubash Nautiyal, Atul Kandari and others were present on the occasion.
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