Haridwar, July 15
As the Kanwar season nears, stalls at Har-ki-Pauri, Vishnu Ghat, Birla Ghat, Alaknanda Ghat and other adjacent areas have started appearing.

In a week’s time, Kanwariyas will go through the holy city to Gangotri-Gaumukh to fetch Ganga water. Even on the route, vendors have started putting up stalls to lure these saffron-clad pilgrims. Some Kanwariyas have already made their way into the city.

Sacred threads, orange coloured T-shirts bearing Lord Shiva’s name and pictures, ‘chillums’ are available at these shops. Among the ‘chillums’ that come in different shapes, the most preferred are the pocket-sized ones.

“We are waiting for the Kanwar season to begin as at that time, our sales touch an all-time high. We have put up items keeping in mind the Kanwariyas’ demands,” informed Raju, a vendor at Birla Ghat.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate R Meenakshi Sundaram has ordered subordinate officers and related governmental departments to prepare for the Kanwar season properly. Any laxity in preparations would be strictly dealt with, he warned.

District police chief SSP Sanjay Gunjiyal has informed all district police officers that this time, a record number of Kanwars are expected to visit the city.

Last year as per police administration records, a whopping 70 lakh odd Kanwariyas came to Haridwar to fetch Ganga water. This year, the number is expected to touch 80 lakh mark.

Additional police forces from other districts will be arriving soon to assist the district police. This additional police force will be working on the lines of the Kumbh Police which was deployed during the Maha Kumbh held recently in the city.

Mussoorie, July 15
Daily wage labourer Rajesh (name changed) was in low spirits when he got the news of the conversion of the Town Hall into a large auditorium-cum-community centre here.

He had planned marriage for his school-going daughter at cheaper rates at the site, but to his dismay the Town Hall is being converted into a five-star hotel and multipurpose hall by the Palika Mussoorie.

He fears that after the construction of a five-star hotel and a resort it will be immensely difficult to enter it as is the case with other Palika properties doled out under the public private partnership (PPP) mode by the previous Palika president, like the famous Company Garden, Jawahar Aquarium and Clock Tower, where one cannot enter without paying the entry fee.

The hopes of the common man like Rajesh of marrying off his daughter at a nominal sum in the Town Hall have been shattered.

Nagar Palika President OP Uniyal has called a meeting on July 17 to discuss the proposal, passed earlier, to give away the prime land, in this case the Town Hall, to the suitable bidder.

The gradual sell out of the Town Hall began with the Palika publishing an advertisement in national papers inviting global players to participate in building hotel and multipurpose hall under the PPP and Build Operate Transfer (BOT) mode two months back.

The proposal invited players to build an area of land measuring 1.089 acres, approximately. It further stated that the land would be sub-leased by the Nagar Palika Parishad on long term or leave-licence basis and the selected private partner would be invited to build, operate and maintain the property.

The main project components under its clause were that a multipurpose hall for organising parties, exhibitions, functions, auditorium for holding conferences, seminars, hotel lobby and lounge providing accommodation facilities to tourists, spa and gym, bar and restaurant providing food and beverages services, swimming pool, parking and helipad.

The Palika would provide the land on long-term lease basis to the private partner for the concession period that could be extended for 20 years based on achievement of service levels.

The Tribune has learnt through sources that a local businessman, after learning about the project, contacted Uniyal to build the Town Hall under the PPP mode. Uniyal asked him to formulate a design of the project that was submitted in January to the Palika.

The businessmen would earn back his investment amount of Rs 30 crore in 30 years through the earning from the hotel. The Palika president gave his consent to the proposal and the businessman was informed that the whole process of the EOI would be finalised by March, but nothing happened till April. The EOI were called in May and four companies, Emami from Kolkata, Mars Caterer from Mumbai, hotelier from Delhi and construction company from Chandigarh were received and it was decided that tenders would be allotted to only four companies which would include financial and technical bid.

But one of the four participants has expressed the fear that the Palika was planning to recall the whole process because one company from Delhi was late in submitting its EOI and to adjust it the rules and guidelines were being bent accordingly.

Uniyal refuting the allegation said the delay was from the side of the state government that had terminated the tender procedure and directed to recall the whole process as it was costing time and additional money. He demanded that the Palika had the money and party to construct the Town Hall, hence it should be given the right to directly expedite the process at the Palika level instead of under the PPP Mode.

Haridwar, July 15
To publicise the works of Shantikunj Gayatri family founder Pandit Shri Ram Sharma Acharya, the Language Translation Department of Dev Sanskriti University, is translating the works of the Acharya in about 16 languages so that the message and knowledge of these books spread across the whole world. Pandit Sharma had penned more than 3,000 books in about 40 different subjects.

Till date, 40 odd penned works of the Acharya have been translated in all Indian languages, while the translation work is being done in English, Russian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Turkish, Chinese, Arabic and French.

The translation work has been completed in English, Russian and Nepalese languages, while the work will get completed in other languages within this year.

Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had termed Acharya Sharma as a proponent of knowledge revolution due to his literature work, which comprises several short books based on practical life focused on common man’s life phases and struggles.

“From daily chore of works, marriage, profession, education to character building, the Acharya wrote on every small aspect of human life and that’s why we thought it is better to translate his works in foreign languages so that it benefits maximum people,” said Ganga Dhar Chaudhari, in charge of the Translation Department.

A team of 90 translators is working in this project and due to social work done by Acharya all these translators are doing this job free of cost as a tribute to him.

These books are being published from Shantikunj and Mathura printing press centres and most of the books are priced at Rs 10 which makes these books within the reach of the common man and poorer section of society.

Subjects chosen for translation are jointly selected by Dr Pranav Pandya and Shail Jiji and when 40 subjects get fully translated, the next phase of selection will be done.

Terming the works of Acharya Sharma as imperative in the present times, Dr Pranav Pandya said, “Today, people are embroiled in various problems and stress is becoming a part of their life. But their easy solution lies in the works of the Acharya and those who have read these books definitely get benefit when they imply it in their life,” said Dr Pandya.

Dehradun, July 15
The water quality in most of the areas has not been up to the mark in the findings of the tests of samples filled from various areas of Dehradun by the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) yesterday morning, according to Dr Brij Mohan Sharma, secretary of the organisation.

The organisation has been involved in the checking of water supplied to various parts of the city. Samples were tested by Dr Sharma, Hemender Gupta and Bhupender Negi.

Dehradun, July 15
Members of Kaash, a voluntary organisation, went to Nishni village in Pauri Garhwal to plant saplings with the help of villagers. More than 500 saplings were planted in the area.

Volunteers also tried to educate the villagers about the need to plant and conserve trees that are important for the survival of the environment and ultimately the humans.

The saplings of awala, black berry and bamboo were planted in nine other villages also.

Shrey Sharma, president of the organisation, stated they were running the organisation on their own and were not provided any help from the Forest Department.

He said they had to buy the plants from their pockets for plantation.

The organisation is also running a service where anyone willing to plant a sapling can contact them. A volunteer with saplings would contact them and help them plant one.

Dehradun, July 15
Orthopaedic facilities in India are almost at par with Australia, Canada and the United States of America so much so that athletes and cricketers in need of surgical interventions or orthopaedic advice can be better served in their own country as the costs are quite realistic, said Dr Manuj Wadhwa, Senior Consultant (Orthopaedics), Fortis Hospital, Mohali, while interacting with mediapersons today.

In the last 10 years, India has bridged the gap in technical knowhow. Now, medical procedures make an appearance within weeks of their launch abroad.

“What can work in favour of India is the cost factor which is quite less. Yuvraj Singh and other cricketers have taken local advice. It is the privacy factor that may have promoted some of them to go to foreign shores for treatment.”

He said that more and more cases of acute arthritis among young people were being reported and for these patients, tissue preventing total knee replacement surgery (TKR) is a viable option.

“Young patients who have remained bedridden for several years come to me for treatment. I have replaced their knee joints and they have been able to resume normal life.

“During knee replacement, only a portion of the cartilage is shaved off and in its place, depending on the suitability, pieces of ceramic, chrome, cobalt and titanium are used as replacements.

“These procedures could cost around Rs 2.5-3 lakh (both knees) depending on the patient’s condition,” said Dr Manuj.

While rheumatoid arthritis afflicts younger persons, cases of osteo-arthritis are generally observed among older persons.

In fact, high flexion knee replacement allows a high degree of flexibility, even allowing persons to sit cross-legged. But the doctor said that the Indian habit of sitting cross legged and using Indian toilets should be avoided as these postures put undue pressure on joints.

Dr Manuj said that the TKR situation could be avoided if people take remedial steps and are alert to the onset of the disease. “These include seeking advice from consultants, regular exercise and dietary control,” said Dr Wadhwa.

Dehradun, July 15
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Uttarakhand has criticised the Central government for pushing the Clinical Establishment Registration and Regulation Bill without holding wide-ranging consultations with the medical fraternity, as it will be detrimental to both patients and doctors.

They also objected to the dissolution of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the creation of Bachelor of Rural Health Care Course (BRHCC) programme.

Coming out openly against the Central government policies, the members held a protest at all 23 branches of the IMA in the state today.

Dr Bhim S Pandhi, patron of the state coordinator, said in India the private health care was up to 80 per cent and the Clinical Establishment Bill would add to the burden of the health care which would be further away from the reach of the common man.

“The Bill passed in the Lok Sabha without any discussion and deliberation would prove potentially harmful to the private health sector in the country which provides 80 per cent health services. The Bill in its present form has been introduced without taking the private sector into confidence,” he said.

Condemning the Bill, the IMA members said the Bill made a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the district in charge to inspect any time, impose fine up to Rs 5 lakh or cancel registration of clinics, nursing homes and hospitals without facility for appeal in the court against the decision.

“The criterion for the registration involves impossible conditions of infrastructure and staff which is on a par with western countries and cannot be afforded by people in a developing country like ours.”

They criticised the creation of the BRHC programme, by which the government intends to create half-baked doctors in a short duration to cater to rural masses.

The government’s decision to introduce four-year courses in Bachelor in Rural Medicine and Surgery will only produce “qualified quacks,” the IMA authority said.

In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, Uttarakhand IMA general secretary Dr DD Chaudhury said such ill-trained doctors could mismanage patients causing complications and even deaths.

“The need of the hour is to train paramedical or multi-purpose health workers and equip them with the knowledge to identify infectious diseases, insect and animal bites and other illnesses in the earlier stages and refer them to qualified doctors, this would in turn provide jobs to unemployed youth,” said Dr Chaudhury.

While Uttarakhand IMA president-elect Major Dr Nand Kishore said the Bill would encourage “Inspector Raj” discouraging the concept of a family physician or a solo practitioner, making medical care unduly costly. The members criticised the dissolution of the MCI.

Dehradun, July 15
A two-day training programme for block pramukh and Block Education Officers (BEOs) of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts under the Saakshar Bharat programme concluded at State Resource Centre, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), here today.

RK Kunwar, project coordinator, interacted with BEOs and discussed various administrative functionalities in detail. He laid stress on the role of BEOs vis-a-vis the Saakshar Bharat and asked them to fulfil the targets.

The participants were briefed about the conduct of examination under basic literacy programme by the National Institute of Open Schooling in collaboration with the National Literacy Mission to take place on August 20. This is the first time in India that such a examination will be organised.

Haridwar, July 15
Ganga city Haridwar due to its religious significance, in addition to the beautiful locales, has been a major draw for film producers, documentary makers, religious album and tele-serial makers for shooting purposes.

So now it seems private television channels’ favourite location seems to be Haridwar as gauged by the number of tele-programmes being filmed in the city. Currently these days the shooting of Zee TV’s tele-serial, “Sanjog Se Bani Sangini”, is being done at various locales of the city.

Noted yesteryear actress Aruna Irani and Iqbal Khan of “Chandra Kanta” fame are in lead character roles with new faces being given pivotal roles in the serial.

Seeing the television crew unit, apart from the lead actors, people comprising locals as well as tourists are thronging the filming venue to get a glimpse of the stars.

For many it’s a new experience as they can be seen enquiring about the heavy tech equipments, while mostly young people are seen vying for photographs and autographs from young artistes like Binni Sharma, who clad in traditional Indian salwar-kameez was the cynosure of all eyes.

“People of Haridwar are very cordial, supportive and understand our hectic schedule. It’s only when our scenes are over that they press for autographs or for clicking photos,” remarked Binni.

For those who want to see their favourite small-screen stars, can just have a ride through Har-ki-Pauri, Birla Ghat, VIP Ghat, Sati Kund Kankhal and other religious-scenic locales and they may find artistes who one sees on TV as tele-shooting will continue for the next few days.

Pitthoragarh, July 15
A 20-day theatre training camp organised by a local theatre group, Gatha, and sponsored by leading stage artistes from the Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts Repertory, New Delhi, culminated today in the town. The children who were trained during the camp presented a play named “Nahi Kubul”. “During the 20 days we trained the kids in various dimensions of theatre and acting, including voice, speech, expression and movements and dialogue delivery,” said Bhupesh Joshi, a drama graduate and senior artiste at the New Delhi-based arts centre.

“The play we stated here was based on the effects of privatisation of education, how it invites exotic values in our value system and makes our entire system parasite on foreign values,” said Joshi, adding that the play reflected the rare meaning of freedom for the poor and Harijans of the country.

The local theatre group started five years ago by artistes of the New Delhi-based arts centre to explore the theatre-related possibilities in the Kumaon region and groom talent among kids. “Since our inception we are providing theatre training to children of the region every year and train them up to the level that they could be able to present their own plays,” said Deep Pant, a leading theatre artiste of the town and secretary of Gatha.

“Our theatre group not only trained the youth in committed theatre themes but also trains them in creative writing and writing of poetry and small stories,” said Pant.

“Senior artistes of Gatha will also state a play named “Suraj” written by famous Hindi writer Himanshu Joshi on August 15 this year. The theme of the play presents the life of the common people of Uttarakhand, his struggle and frustration after the nation got freedom and the basic condition of various classes of pahari society did not change,” said Bhupesh Joshi, artiste from the New Delhi-based arts centre.

The Gatha artistes will also stage a play based on a short story written by the same writer in New Delhi next month. “The story named ‘Kagar ki Aaj’, written by Joshi, reflects that how a poor Harijan women from a remote pahari village struggles against the odds of her own society,” said Joshi.

Dehradun, July 15
Vijay Cantt posted a 5-2 win over Garhwal Sporting here today during the District Football League at the Police Lines.

A match in the Dehradun Football League being played at the Police Lines ground in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Nitin (9th minute), Tusar (24th, 58th and 62nd) and Bhuwan (37th) struck for Vijay Cantt. Garhwal Sporting scored through Madan (46th) and Harsh (65th).

In another match, Eleven Star pulled off a 3-2 over Gypsy. Gopal (23rd and 64th) scored a brace to lead his team to a win. Amit (27th) too contributed a goal to the winners’ cause.

Gypsy put up good show giving a tough competition to their opponents. Ankit (58th and 68th) scored both goals for his side.

Sports Hostel to play against Willis Youth and Uttarakhand Police will take on Cantt Blue tomorrow. 

Dehradun, July 15
An early goal by Ranu took Doon United to a 1-0 victory over Bajrang Boys here today at the Lala Nemi Dass District Football League being played at the Pavilion Ground.

A match in the Nemi Dass Memorial Football League being played at Pavillion Grounds in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Ranu struck as early as in the fifth minute. Their rivals could not score in either of the halves.

In another encounter, BC Milan got the better of Adhoiwala 2-1.

Abhinav (40th) and Arya (50th) scored a goal each in the win. Mani (60th) was the lone scorer for the losing side.

Roshini will meet Sarvodaya in tomorrow’s first league match whereas Doon Star and Uttarakhand Boys will lock horns in another encounter.