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Mussoorie breathes TOXIC AIR
‘Jhoomo re’ with Kailash at Kumbh
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Uttarakhand works out its wetland wealth
Nainital Diary
Day-Night Softball Cricket Tournament
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Mussoorie breathes TOXIC AIR
Mussoorie, April 11 This is not only jeopardising the health of residents and tourists, but also of elite bureaucrats attending the training programme at Indira Bhawan overlooking the burning garbage dump. They are, by definition, being poisoned by these carcinogenic fumes leading to the possible shortening of their bright administrative future. The plastic waste has been burning unchecked and unsupervised for the past 48 hours leading to severely degraded air quality in the area. The toxic fumes are affecting the tourists’ health without their knowledge in a place where it is least expected. Given the parched local environment, due to lack of rains, the fire can easily turn into huge forest fire. According to environmentalist and head of Winter Line Trust, Shantanu Sarkar, the short-term consequence of this open-air burning is an immediate and sharp rise in the suspended particulate matter (SPM) count in the atmosphere. This will lead to immediate rise in various ailments like asthma, coughs and other respiratory difficulties. However, the long-term consequences are much more dangerous. He further said it is well known that prolonged exposure to toxic fumes released by burning plastic can lead to lung cancer, blood poisoning and other serious diseases. This fact has been corroborated by Nagar Palika employees working at these dumping grounds, who are already complaining of acute symptoms of these very diseases. Ram Kumar and Manish working here for the past several years said they had persistent breathing difficulties and incurable coughs due to intake of these gases. Ram Kumar also said an old employee died a few years back vomiting blood, perhaps due to blood poisoning. The employees also said the basic tools being provided by Palika were inadequate and substandard. Manish also added that only one air purifying face mask has been provided to more than 10 employees. The gumboots and the plastic gloves have also fallen apart due to which they often get cuts from the disposed medical waste such as infected injection needles. However, they are not aware that they might have contracted far more severe diseases leading to likely shortening of life. The flora and fauna is also being affected due to this smoke as many birds of prey feeding on the dump yard have been found dead in the vicinity. MLA Jot Singh Gunsola also lamented the fact that the Palika was completely neglecting the health of the tourists and residents alike. Gunsola sarcastically said, “It seems that OP Uniyal was not being affected due to the newly constructed glass house and aquarium at his residence and is ignorant of the fact mysteriously, hence no action has been initiated by him so far.” The fire fighting officials were of the view that the fire could be extinguished only on temporary basis because the dump, several metres high, was getting heated due to decomposition and it would require a month long treatment to keep fire away from
the yard. Gunsola also lamented the fact that tourists even after paying eco-tax were being forced by Palika Mussoorie to breathe the toxic air. He further said the problem was arising due to non-segregation of the organic and inorganic waste at the source. He also informed that if the fire continued in a such manner for long, the residents and tourists of the town would have to resort to mass-scale agitation and he would support it
wholeheartedly. Palika officials when contacted said all efforts were on to control the fire at the dumping ground.
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‘Jhoomo re’ with Kailash at Kumbh
Haridwar, April 11 Coming into limelight from an almost forgotten Hindi movie “Vaisa Bhi Hota Hai” (Part 2), but a famous track called “Allah Ke Bande…” Kailash Kher’s voice and name became a household name. Admitting the pivotal role of this song in his music life, which changed almost everything, except his humility, in his life, Kailash said. “One needs a breakthrough in film and music and ‘Allah ke bande…’ provided me this platform. But it was only due to the songwriter, musicians, director and even actor who made the song more memorable and melodious”. The singer gave a classical performance in the Kumbh city which is brimming with devotees and tourists as biggest bathe of the Maha Kumbh is just a couple of days away. Kher first churned out Sufi-based songs which added to the religious atmosphere of the Kumbh city. From his albums “Kailasa”, ‘Jhoomo Re...’ to ‘Ya Rabba...’ Kher dished out a series of songs that made people dip in the sea of Sufism and musical solace. The range of Kailash was exhibited when he switched gears instantly and sang “Teri deewani…”. He turned atmosphere romantic while with the next one he made it patriotic with “Mangal-mangal…” and religious with “Bagad bam bam...”. He recently not only sang, but penned and gave music in Bollywood movies such as “Chandni Chowk to China”, “Das Vidaniya” and “Traffic Signal” while has been judging shows such as Indian Idol and IPL Rock Star to name a few. Terming his performance in the midst of Maha Kumbh, Kailash said it was an honour and blessing that he was able to perform in such a religious atmosphere when it seems a mini world had descended in Haridwar itself.
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Uttarakhand works out its wetland wealth
With the backing of satellite images, 31 lakes, 10 reservoirs, 15 oxbow lakes and as many as 730 smaller water bodies such as tanks and ponds have been identified in the atlas. Being the most productive eco systems besides being a rich repository of biodiversity, wetlands continue to play a significant role in carbon sequestration. But wetlands have often been neglected. Lack of proper identification coupled with confusion in the boundary of wetlands have stood as major irritants for wetland studies. The introduction of remote sensing technology has made its easier to identify wetlands and their boundaries. In Uttarakhand, the need for creation of a wetland database for monitoring, conservation and planning of wetlands was being felt for quite some time. “The Uttarakhand Wetland Atlas will go a long way in furthering the cause of the state’s wetland inventory and its conservation,” said Dr MM Kimothi, Director, Uttarakhand Science Application Centre. He said any wetland promotion initiative could only succeed on the ground if a proper database linked to it was at the disposal of the working agencies. “A comprehensive database for Uttarakhand wetlands will serve the purpose,” Dr Kimothi added. The centre’s Uttarakhand Wetland Atlas comprises maps with wetland details to a very minute extent. The state is blessed with bountiful water bodies with two of its wetlands - Assan and Jhilmil Jheel - having conservation reserve status. The state has a mix of plain and hill topography and wetlands are situated at the lower as well as higher altitudes and fall in natural and man-made categories. There are as many as 14 wetlands which have been declared as important bird areas in the state. These, apart from Assan that is situated on the outskirts of Dehradun, include Bhemgoda reservoir in Haridwar, Haripura and Bor Dam in Kalagarh, Nanakmata, Sohaswan and Tumaria Dam in Udham Singh Nagar district. These are besides the natural wetlands at lower elevations, including Mothronwla swamp, Gularghati swamp, the famous Jhilmil Jheel and Banganga natural wetlands. Some wetlands that are located above the tree line in the alpine areas include Saptarshi Kund above Yamunotri, Ruinsara Tal (Govind Wildlife Sanctuary), Dodi Tal in Uttarakashi, Keda Tal near Gangotri, Arwa Tal near Gaumukh, Sahastra Tal on Uttarakhand-Tehri boundary, Masar Tal above Khatling glacier, Vasuki Tal ahead of Kedarnath and Satopanth Lake above Mana in Badrinath. These wetlands are important sources of water and attract migratory birds in
large numbers. Dr Kimothi and his team of scientists will shortly be submitting the new atlas to the Uttarakhand
state authorities.
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Nainital Diary
With the onset of summer, residents of Nainital are hoping and gearing up for a heavy tourist season. Tourism-related activities being the prime vocation, people are out to extract the maximum from the tourist season that spans the summer months when people from the plains rush to the cool climes of hills to get some relief from scorching heat.
During the past three winter months, a whole lot of hotels and restaurants in the town went in for renovation and cosmetic uplift. The process continues with an equally large number of hotels getting refurbished to attract the customers. Things have come to a pass that it is difficult for a person wanting to get repairs done at his house to catch hold of a carpenter, plumber or mason. Everyone is overworked. Even the boat men are repairing their boats to ferry tourists around in the Naini Lake. If the individual entrepreneurs and hoteliers are out to make the best of the forthcoming tourist season, the administration, too, has been pulling up its socks to ensure that visitors return a happy lot.
Parking blues
However, there are major concerns for the administration when it comes to coping up with the deluge of people who head for the town in summers. Primary among them is parking space. Since everyone wants to come to Nainital in his individual vehicle, it is difficult to provide the vehicles appropriate parking space. The administration has already started making appeals to people to park their vehicles at facilities like Sukhatal and proceed to the town by the shuttle service. With the shuttle service to the zoo from the Mall Road becoming an instant success, a similar service has already been started from Gol Ghar at Mallital. The charges for ferrying the tourists to the Nainital Zoo from these two destinations are very reasonable as they have been put at Rs 20 and Rs 30 per person, respectively.
Tariff card
However, a big challenge for the administration comes in the form of getting the hoteliers to display a proper tariff card. While a large number of hotels do have a tariff card, there are some that are out to fleece tourists taking advantage of the limited availability at the peak time and thus causing a lot of inconvenience to visitors. Another big challenge is to maintain the over all cleanliness and check the over flowing of sewers for which instructions have come from the topmost level to prepare a proper blue print and the execution of the work during the season.
Eyesore resorts
Unchecked sprouting of resorts at destinations meant to be calm, quiet and serene are becoming an eyesore. The kind of facilities being offered in some of them are something which are not required and should not be allowed in such serene places as they will lead to the loss of charm of these places. Take for example Kausani. This beautiful tourist destination in Bageshwar district is known for its natural beauty in the form of forest covered slopes with a breathtaking view of snow covered peaks. But today one finds resorts that even promise discotheques which will just cause chaos and confusion with blaring music thus disturbing the mystical quietness of the place. Another example is the resorts that have come up very close to the Jim Corbett National Park. With marriage functions taking place and fireworks being displayed, how would one expect the wildlife in the close vicinity to react. It’s time policy makers do something on this front.
Schools under fire
If the onset of summer marks the beginning of the tourist season, it also marks the beginning of the academic session in schools. This time again parents are a harried lot complaining of tools used by schools to pinch their pockets. They have been complaining that a large number of private schools have been resorting to a change in syllabus and textbooks every year so that parents have to purchase a new set of books every year and there is no way that any student can make use of old books used by a sibling or a friend. The exercise does not end here as there are a large number of schools that want the students to wear three or four different sets of uniform in a week. There can be one uniform for three days, a track suit and house colour to be worn on two days and a white uniform to be worn on Saturdays. With the prices of essential commodities skyrocketing on one side, providing education to wards is turning out to be a Herculean task for the parents. Their concern has erupted in the form of certain demonstrations and protests through groups in various parts of the region.
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Swajan Shiksha school gets Rs 1.5 lakh
Mussoorie, April 11 Kapoor also announced an award of Rs 1,000 each to the students excelling from four schools in the region. State minister Khajan Das also announced Rs 1.5 lakh for the school Swajan Shakti, along with Rs 30,000 by Khel Parishad president Narayan Singh Rana. Kapoor, addressing the students, said providing better education was the responsibility of the students and he commended the parents for running the school themselves. Shubash Ramola, Anant from Azim Premzi Foundation, Zila Panchayat vice-president Mira Saklani and others were also present on the occasion.
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Carman School celebrates golden jubilee
Dehradun, April 11 Students presented captivating performances followed by a short presentation the history of Carman School. The Carmanians also narrated about how the foundation of the school was laid in 1962. Close family friends of Carman and other guests attended the celebration programme. The guests were presented with souvenirs as a token of memoirs. They also appreciated the students as well as their mentors, who guided and trained them to give the best performance at the celebration programme.
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Paras wins drawing competition
Dehradun, April 11 At the awards distribution ceremony held here today, former Chief Minister Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd) presented the prizes. The contestants, who stood first, second and third, respectively, were given prizes of Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000, along with mementos. Secretary of the association Poonam Kimothi said the competition was also held at Pauri, Almora, Bageshwar, Rudraprayag, Gopeshwar, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar, among other districts, to create awareness about tuberculosis.
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Tanush Cricket Academy beat Dinesh Rawat Academy
Dehradun, April 11 In this Twenty-20 match, the TCA mounted a total of 133 runs in 20 overs at the loss of two wickets. Tanush (36) and Lalit (33) were the main scorers for the team. For DRCA, Ashish and Agrim got a wicket each. In reply, DRCA couldn’t bear the disciplined bowling attack of its rival and was bowled all out for just 85 runs. Parjit was the top scorer for the team with 21 runs, while rest all the batsmen fail to contribute even a respectable number. Himanshu and Dabral of TCA captured two wickets each while other bowlers pocketed a wicket each.
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Inter-Section Basketball Competition
Dehradun, April 11 In the same category, between Pratap and Ranjit, it was a draw with cadet Vishrut scoring the highest number of baskets. Between Shivaji and Pratap, Shivaji won with a core of 23-17, with cadet Pratik scoring the highest points. Between Chandragupta and Ranjit, Chandragupta defeated Ranjit with a score of 19-6. In the middles, between Pratap and Ranjit, Ranjit won 19-14 with cadet Ankit scoring the highest points. Between Chandragupta and Shivaji, Chandragupta won 27-12 and Cadet Bhupendra was the highest scorer. In Pratap and Shivaji, Pratap won with cadet Mayank scoring the highest number of points. Between Chandragupta and Pratap, Chandragupta won the match with a score of 19-15 and cadet Aditya scored the highest. Between Ranjit and Shivaji, Ranjit won with a score of 38-12 with cadet Ankit scoring the maximum number of baskets. In the seniors’ category, between Ranjit and Shivaji, Shivaji won with a score of 19-10 and cadet Sunandit scored the highest number of baskets. Between Pratap and Chandragupta, Chandragupta won with a score of 35-13 and cadet Ayush scored the highest number of points. Between Pratap and Shivaji, Shivaji won with a score of 27-25 and cadet Lalit scored the highest number of baskets. Between Ranjit and Chandragupta, Chandragupta defeated Ranjit with a score of 39-23 and cadet Suhas was the highest scorer. The referees for the games were Hav SK Patil, Sub Major Magdum and Nk Sub Pratap. Col H Dharmarajan, SM, Commandant, RIMC expressed his pleasure at the high standards of the game exhibited by the cadets and also motivated the cadets to continue the great tradition of RIMC. The coordinators of the event were
Dr Jairam Choudhary and Birjesh Chauhan.
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Day-Night Softball Cricket Tournament
Dehradun, April 11 Batting first, the Kings XI scored 101 runs before getting all out. Yusuf Ali with unbeaten 42 runs was the mainstay of the innings. Mohsin also chipped in with 14 runs. For Khalanga XI Amit, Deepak Rana, Shabad, and Sharik captured two wickets each. Rohit Sood also pocketed one wicket each. Batting second, Khalanga XI’s batsman didn’t face much problem in achieving the target. The team scored 103 runs in 8.3 overs. Sawan (40*) and Sharik (25) were the main contributors for the side. Sharik of the winning side was adjudged Man of the Match for his all-round performance. He scored 25 runs and took two wickets. In another match, the Doon Tigers defeated XI Wonders by 52 runs. Kashish of the winning team was declared man of the match for his 21 runs knock and four wickets.
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Scouts, guides celebrate 100 years of guiding
Dehradun, April 11 About 800 scouts and guides from 30 states, who have come to participate in the ceremony, celebrated hundred years of guiding in India. The programme was started with the distribution of symbolic scarves of scouts and guides to Alva, Education Minister Govind Singh Bisht, Education Director Puspa Manas and patrons of the wing. Directors of the Scouts and Guides wing have also come from the Delhi headquarters to attend the occasion. The participants a cultural programme showcasing the diversified culture and traditions of India. They danced on the tunes of patriotic. Children from 30 states have tried to put forth the glimpse of one nation that wants peace and harmony through their performances. Alva addressed the scouts and guides as the most committed wing that provides assistance wherever required. She said: “It’s a voluntary organisation that provides social as well as collective services. I overwhelmingly appreciate the enthusiasm and encouragement that children have shown in presenting such a vivid performance on the theme of national integrity. Children have set an example for every Indian to live in peace and prosperity”. “I hope such events would be organised to celebrate patriotism, cultural heritage and nationalism throughout India again and again. I wish these children good luck in life,” she added. All guests enjoyed the presentation of the children and also congratulated them in making camp, celebration and the day and event so successful.
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Dehradun, April 11