|
|
|
|
U’khand hits a gold mine
Van panchayats all set for demarcation
|
|
|
Jakhdar Bissu mela celebrated with fervour
Academy condoles Shruti’s death
Mayo Girls win debate
Students’ Clash
Sunil fashions Gypsy Young Home’s victory
Doing more than his bit for basketball
Dehradun beat Udham Singh Nagar
Dehradun boxers shine in state-level championship
Win Mumby b’ball tourney begins
Thapa guides NHO to victory
|
|
U’khand hits a gold mine
Dehradun, April 21 The company had been given a prospecting license by the state government for the project site for the exploration and testing of mines. Already the company has been given land for exploration. In 2006, the company had demanded 386 hectares on lease basis, comprising 275 hectares of government land and 110 hectares of agricultural land. Canada’s Pebble Creek mining company has announced from its headquarters in Vancouver that it was all set to commence drilling operations at its Askot project. Situated in Pitthoragarh district, Askot may contain deposits of gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead. The Vancouver-based company said it would undertake drilling operations up to the depth of 7,000m to ascertain the quantity of the minerals in the Askot belt. Company officials said drilling would start after its equipment from its base in Rajasthan got shifted to Uttarakhand this week. Pebble Creek vice-president William A Sheppard will be in India to oversee the drilling operations at the Uttarakhand site. The Canadian company, which has been operating in India for the past 15 years, said the Askot project was “the most advanced of the non-ferrous exploration and development projects in India operated by foreign junior exploration companies”. Pebble Creek is one of the 10 major mining companies from Canada that have been active in India for many years. On the other hand, environmental groups have raised their concern at the mining and processing of gold ore in the highly fragile and ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. There was opposition by environmental groups at the public hearing held in November 2006 by the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board. “Askot deposit” is located at Askot village in the Himalayan foothills and was assessed by Paul Bosewell of Resource Engineering and Development Ltd, Wales, UK. According to preliminary metallurgical survey, he estimated 1.707 million tonnes of ore containing 2.43 per cent copper, 3.68 per cent lead and 5.65 per cent zinc, with an assumption of 150 gram per tonne of silver and 0.5 grams per tonne of gold in the deposit - a world-class high-grade deposit. Lawyers Initiative for Forests and Environment (LIFE), a Delhi-based environment group, has raised objections on the project. Ritwick Dutta, a Supreme Court lawyer said the project would prove disastrous for the ecology of the area. The group alleged that the ore would be processed with cyanide and other chemicals and the remains would again be deposited in the hills. “This highly chemical ore will find its way through rainwater in the rivers and water bodies creating havoc. The blasting of the mountains will lead to air, noise and water pollution threatening Askot village that is situated above the mining area,” Dutta said.
|
|
Van panchayats all set for demarcation
Dehradun, April 21 The concept of van panchayats in the Uttarakhand hills dates back to the early 1930s and reveals an inseparable bond of the hill people with the forests. These van panchayats are spread along civil, soyam and reserve forest areas. Its area extends from 0.2 hectares to van panchayats as large as 2,000 hectares. A total of 20,018 van panchayats were recorded by the Forest Department out of which over 6,000 are viable and sustaining themselves. These 6,000 van panchayats manage 4,05,426 hectares of forests, which account for 13.63 per cent of the total forest area in the state. Even the concept of Joint Forest Management Committees mooted by the Central Environment and Forests Ministry some decades back owes its origin to van panchayats. These van panchayats are governed by the Forest Council Act and aims to protect forest areas and ensure that forest products are being distributed among the right holders in an equitable manner. The Kumaon Panchayat Forest Rules enacted under Section 28 (2) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, provides broad guidelines for the supervision and management of forests under the control of van panchayats. But with changing times, these autonomous local institutions have eroded due to various reasons extending from overlapping of van panchayat territories and the ever-growing problem of encroachments. There were many van panchayats that had failed to sustain themselves and stood only on papers. The Uttarakhand Forest authorities have been contemplating for quite some time to empower these van panchayats and has made provision for funds in its CAMPA provisions. “Demarcations for van panchayats were being felt for quite some time and are now in the offing,” said Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr RBS Rawat. “While encroachments stand as a major challenge vis-à-vis van panchayats, demarcations will greatly help the authorities in zeroing in on specific encroachments,” he added. There have also been cases where there are disputes between van panchayats on territories. The demarcation will also help in deciding such cases. And foremost, it will help van panchayats ensure better planning towards implementing a micro plan in their respective lands. Describing van panchayats as a concept given to the world by Uttarakhand hill villages, Prof NP Todaria from the Forestry Department of HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, Garhwal, said these institutions that had been there for over seven decades needed focused attention from the forest authorities. He said van panchayats were a vital link between forests and humans and these needed to be empowered to ensure their sustainability on the ground. Welcoming demarcations of van panchayats, Todaria said the demarcation exercise would also help forest authorities define a clear line on encroachments within van panchayats areas. It would also lead to more focused efforts on the part of both the local administration and the forest authorities towards the betterment of van panchayats. Nevertheless, Todaria said the role of van panchayats in protecting and enriching Uttarakhand forests certainly stood unparallelled.
|
|
Jakhdar Bissu mela celebrated with fervour
Mussoorie, April 21 Women folk dressed in the traditional attire participated in the folk dance and song on the occasion. Children enjoyed the wheel and delicacies like jalebis, pethas and chowmein. Villagers from Birod, Tikri, Miani and Jakhdar were prominent among those who attended the festival. The villagers danced on the beats of tandi, ghumsu, moila and jhenta on the occasion. State Congress secretray Manmohan Singh Mall also sought the blessings from the local diety and greeted people on the occasion. Ram Prasad Kavi, Bittoo and others were present on the occasion. The villagers, however, lamented the fact that lack of drinking water dampened the spirit of the festival this year. The whole region is reeling under severe water crisis.
|
|
Academy condoles Shruti’s death
Dehradun, April 21 On the solemn occasion, the Principal, teachers and students of the senior as well as the junior section paid floral tributes to Shruti. Rituals were performed, prayers offered and hymns chanted on the occasion.
|
|
Mayo Girls win debate
Dehradun, April 21 The debates were divided into four phases - knock-out rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Dhirendra Sharma, founding editor of Philosophy and Social Action, author of India’s Nuclear Estate and Indian Atom, and former president of the Indian Science Writers’ Association, presented the prizes. Best debaters in the quarterfinals were cadet Vivek Yadav of RIMC, Utsav of Bishop Cotton School, Kritika Kumari of Mayo Girls’ College, while in the semifinals Jas Kunwar Singh of Welham Boys, cadet Astitva Tyagi of RIMC and Damini Roy of Mayo Girls’. The coordinators of the event were Rakhi Chamola and Rachna Malhotra.
|
|
Students’ Clash
Dehradun, April 21 The university authorities had to call the police after the students vandalised property of the university. The police had to resort to lathi charge, which left several students injured. The students have been protesting for the past 15 days. The management has decided to hold a meeting with them in this regard.
|
|
Sunil fashions Gypsy Young Home’s victory
Dehradun, April 21 The first goal of the match was scored by Manmohan in the 15th minute of the match. However, in retaliation, Sunil Raj of Gypsy Young scored a goal in the 23rd minute of the match to open his team’s account. Just before the completion of the first half, Gaurav of the winning side netted one goal in the 45th minute to lead his team with 2-1. While in the second half, Sunil Raj once again scored for his side in the 60th minute. Down by two goals, DC Milan got back to the match scoring one in the 62th minute through Ankur. With score reading 3-2 the excitement was high in the Gypsy Young’s team. However, Sunil Raj didn’t give time to his rival team to dominate and struck his third and team’s fourth goal in the 68th minute to finish the match. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Tiger will face Little Star tomorrow at 4.30 pm.
|
|
Doing more than his bit for basketball
Dehradun, April 21 He is a basketball coach with a difference. Dushiyant coaches underprivileged kids and distributes T-shirts and basketball shoes which cost about Rs 5,000 to 7,000 a pair to deserving players. Twentyseven-year-old Dushiyant coaches for free and with the noble aim to transform addiction for drugs to basketball among youth and make at least one Indian play in the NBA. Dushiyant did his schooling from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and later moved to Dubai from where he did his graduation. He has played for six different basketball clubs in Dubai. “I was the only Indian in the Arab team, thanks to my coach Abdullah,” he recalled. But the sudden demise of his sister made him come back to India in 2004 and later, he preferred to settle here to learn about his own culture and religion. The journey of Dushiyant, who coaches in different schools of Shimla and several underprivileged kids for free, started from the Army headquarters in Shimla. “It all started at Art Track in the Army headquarters where I used to practise. Kids after watching me playing started practising with me and one day, their parents approached me to coach them. Later, I also coached an Army battalion there for free,” he said. Dushiyant is currently coaching at his alma mater Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. “I enjoy every bit of the game. My aim is that I make at least one Indian play in the NBA, the world’s best basketball league. Ninety per cent of the kids coached by me in Shimla are playing in the nationals,” he said. To make the game popular and keep children away from drugs, he believes that half courts and the three-on-three game should be introduced in every street. “You see cricket is played in every street and on roads. At least a half court should be put up in every street so that children start playing three-on-three,” opined the stylish coach. He also suggested that players should be shown live basketball matches so that they can learn from it. “The NBA is not being shown in India. I had to opt for broadband services to watch it, but the cost is too high - Rs 5,000 a month - and no parent will to spend this amount just to watch basketball,” Dushiyant said. One thing that makes him sad is that real talent doesn’t progress due to the favouritism and corruption in India. When asked about the difference between the sports in India and Dubai, he said, “There is professionalism and no corruption in Dubai while this is opposite in India. There is immense talent among youths in India, it just needs to be brought into the open”. Dushiyant spoke to The Tribune when he was in the city during the Afzal Khan Memorial Basketball Tournament held at Doon School last week.
|
|
Dehradun beat Udham Singh Nagar
Dehradun, April 21 In the second match played today, the Uttarakhand Police outplayed Shri Guru Ram Ray Mission 17-4. Amit Parihar was the top scorer with five goals and Amit Devrani scored three goals. BEG, Roorkee, beat Dehradun with a big margin of 23-2 in another match. BEG’s Choturam, Sunil Kumar and Shivender scored five goals each to post an easy win over their rivals. Sachin Nautiyal was the only scorer for Dehradun with two goals.
|
|
Dehradun boxers shine in state-level championship
Dehradun, April 21 The team won nine gold, three silver and four bronze medals in this competition. Sonia Singh, Sandhya Thapa, Shivani, Amita, Manvi, Neha Singh, Nividita, Shalini Verma and Richa, all claimed gold medals in the championship. Rekha Pundir, Tara Rana and Sangeeta Soliyal got silver medals. Sonia Arora, Preeti, Priyanka Singh and Ruksan managed to get bronze medals. Players from all districts participated in this championship, but the players from Dehradun shone bright. “We were all confident of winning the tournament and all of us have got medals,” said players. Elated coach Durga Thapa Chettri said this was their third win in the boxing championship. She said the credit went to the hard work put in by the girls during practice.
|
|
Win Mumby b’ball tourney begins
Mussoorie, April 21 Chief guest on the occasion was eminent film actor and alumni of the school Tom Alter who inaugurated the tournament. Speaking on the occasion Alter reminisced his days at the playing field and recalled the competition being tough back then. More than 18 schools from the country are participating in this prestigious tournament. Welham Boys, Sherwood, Doon School, Yadvinder School, Bishop Cotton School, St Georges and other schools will compete for the trophy. The final will be held on April 24.
|
|
Thapa guides NHO to victory
Dehradun, April 21 Batting first, AG scored 160 runs in the allotted 25 overs for the loss of six wickets. Sawant (54) was the mainstay of the batting while Swami contributed 32 runs. For NHO, Chetri took two wickets while Gopi, Vinod and Thapa got a wicket each. Batting second, NHO achieved the target in 21.2 overs. Thapa (51) remained unbeaten to ensure his team’s win. Rajeev (27) was the other principal scorer. For AG, Rajeev Negi captured three wickets. Sawant J got two, Swami and Dharam Singh pocketed one wicket each.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
mines.An Indian subsidiary of a Canadian-based company Peeble Creek Resources Ltd will soon start drilling in the highly fragile and ecologically sensitive Askot village of Pitthoragarh district of the Kumaon region for minerals including gold.
The Jakhdar Bissu mela was celebrated with fervour at Miani-Jakhdar in Jaunpur Block today.Villagers gathered at the temple and sought blessings from the doli of Nag Devta that arrived in morning.Women folk dressed in the traditional attire participated in the folk dance and song on the occasion. Children enjoyed the wheel and delicacies like
jalebis, pethas and chowmein.
To pay condolences to the departed soul of Shruti Lodhi who died when a burnt portion of a tree fell on her during Sunday’s marathon ‘Run to Live’, a “shanti paath” was conducted at the Children’s Academy here today.On the solemn occasion, the Principal, teachers and students of the senior as well as the junior section paid floral tributes to
Shruti.
Dehradun, April 21
Dehradun defeated Udham Singh Nagar 11-8 on the inaugural day of the Uttarakhand State Handball Championship being organised by Guru Ram Ray Inter College on its campus here today.Amit Chander Ramola scored four goals and Gopal Tomar netted three goals in the victory of
Dehradun.While for the losing side, Vijay Rawat and Sachin Nautiyal scored two goals each.
For the third time in a row, the junior and sub-junior boxing team of Dehradun has bagged the overall state-level boxing championship held at Pitthoragarh from April 16 to 19.The team won nine gold, three silver and four bronze medals in this competition. Sonia Singh, Sandhya
Thapa, Shivani, Amita, Manvi, Neha Singh, Nividita, Shalini Verma and Richa, all claimed gold medals in the championship.
The 10th Annual Win Mumby All-India Basketball Tournament began on Woodstock School premises in which more than dozen schools across the country are participating.Chief guest on the occasion was eminent film actor and alumni of the school Tom Alter who inaugurated the tournament. Speaking on the occasion Alter reminisced his days at the playing field and recalled the competition being tough back then.
