Dehradun, August 8
Union Minister for Corporate and Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed today appealed for collective efforts for the successful conduct of the Commonwealth Games in the country even while assuring that any irregularity was being taken to task by the Sports Ministry.

Interacting with The Tribune on the sidelines of convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Khursheed called for collective efforts towards successful staging of mega sporting event of the Commonwealth Games stature in the country.

“Let the Games happen. The successful conduct of the Games should be our priority as of now,” he said, while adding that any act of corruption linked to the Games would certainly be probed and Union Sports Minister MS Gill was looking into the matter.

Distancing himself from recent Darul Uloom Deoband’s edict against shunning Muslim women from becoming judges, he said it was for women to decide whether to became judges or not. “Women who don’t want to become judges are free to do so,” the minister quipped in his response.

On Kashmir, Khursheed while admitting that Jammu and Kashmir was on the boil, said the Prime Minister was trying hard to restore normalcy in the state.

“Somewhere something is creating problem as what appeared to be a period of normalcy in Kashmir some time back, today has proved otherwise,” the minister pointed out. He said Jammu and Kashmir had a young Chief Minister heading a popularly elected government and was capable enough to deal with such a situation.

On minority affairs, Khursheed, who holds the minority affairs portfolio, said the ministry was seeking a package for the minorities that would cater to the development of the minorities in basic issues of education, housing and employment. He said a Rs 3,000-crore package had been sought from the Union Planning Commission for the purpose. He said the Union government was committed to recommendations of the Sachchar Committee meant for the betterment of the minorities. 

Pitthoragarh, August 8
Exactly after one year, Bahadur Singh of Panliya village in the Jhekala area of Munsiyari, gazing into infinity, remembers the 12 members of his family who were swept away to death on the night of August 7 last year.

The cloudburst that occurred at La-Jhekla village of Munsiyari subdivision in this district had killed 43 persons, including 12 from the combined family of Bahadur Singh.

“I lost three sons, three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren in that catastrophe which emptied our entire village,” recalls Bahadur Singh. A function was held to pay tributes to the dead today.

“Even today, nearly 30 persons from La and Panalia villages are living with their relatives and do not want to be at their native villages due to the constant fear of a cloudburst during this monsoon,” said Manohar Singh Toliya, local leader and zila panchayat member from the area.

Pitthoragarh District Magistrate NS Negi says the government has fulfilled all duties towards the survivors of the La-Jhekla cloudburst last year and they have been shifted to safer places. “We have distributed the compensation money and repaired or reconstructed roads, water schemes and electric poles in the area. Some of the works could not be done as a large chunk of debris still hangs above the area, which needs clearing,” said Negi.

But, people from the area have a different story to tell. According to them, Panaliya and La villages, where all 43 persons had been swept away in the cloudburst last year, are actually cow-huts of the villagers who started living there in view of the availability of water and fodder at the place.

“The people have now shifted to their original villages near that area. The district administration did nothing to shift them. Even two persons died at Berumahar village where these families were shifted last year as that village was also prone to cloudbursts,” said Toliya.

According to the District Disaster Mitigation Cell, nearly 200 persons from 60 cloudburst-sensitive areas are living at safer places during the monsoon in the district and the cell is keeping a constant watch on them. “These areas include the Baram valley, Tawaghat area, Jauljivi area, Jhekala area and Malapa camp on the Kailash Mansarovar route where more than 700 persons have died in 12 cloudburst incidents in the past 30 years,” said Manju Pandey, in charge of the cell.

Now, local leaders of the Jhekala area have decided to include the valley of La and Panaliya into the litchi belt and cover the debris under which 20 bodies are still buried with the litchi and other plants to commemorate their deaths. “We also want a memorial erected there in the memory of those who were killed in that cloudburst,” said Parwati Bachhmi, Block Pramukh of Munsyari.

Dehradun August 8
A candle march was led by former Congress city president Lal Chand Sharma today to commemorate the ‘Bharat Chhodo Andolan’ and the sacrifice of 10,000 martyrs who laid down their lives during this movement. August 8 known as Kranti Diwas has a special significance this year when 125th anniversary of the Congress establishment is also being observed.

City spokesperson Surender Arya said, “It was today, the Congress passed the Leave India resolution to get India free from the British rule. The British, who retaliated by thrashing Congressmen, in Mumbai arrested Aruna Asaf Ali for furling the Indian flag on the spot. Mahatma Gandhi, Mahadev Desai and Meera Ban were arrested the next day. Mahatma Gandhi cooled down the public who got agitated on getting news of his arrest and urged them to adopt the policy of ‘do or die’ to achieve freedom for the country”.

Nainital, August 8
A property dealer was shot dead after a heated exchange of words at a name-giving party he was attending on late Friday night. Two persons have been taking into custody by the police, while two are absconding.

According to information, 36-year-old Sunil Kabadwal was attending the party that was thrown by his friend Heera Ballabh Rekhri of Bhagwanpur Jaisingh village on the occasion of naming his son. Most of the people attending the party were said to be drunk.

When the Disc Jockey stopped playing at the venue on account of a power failure, most of the people began to leave for their houses. It was at this point that Sunil entered into an altercation with his friend Bhuvan Devradi of the Oonchapul locality.

Both of them had a heated exchange of words and reached the road where a scuffle took place. In the heat of the moment Bhuvan allegedly shot Sunil at his temple with his licensed pistol. The body was then thrown into a paddy field some distance away.

It is learnt that Bhuvan called up his wife and narrated the incident before fleeing. Sunil’s body was discovered lying in the paddy field by the locals on Saturday morning.

The matter was brought to the notice of the police and a case was registered against Bhuvan, Tikam

Dehradun, August 8
To give a befitting reply to the FIR lodged by BVRC Purushottam, Managing Director (MD), Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, against 10 of those who were among 81 employees fighting against the General Manager (GM) for ousting them from jobs on June 31, these employees went to the Dalanwala police station to file a case against the GM with BJP leaders this morning.

Sub-Inspector (SI), who is already investigating the matter, withheld the decision to lodge an FIR and assured them of taking cognisance of their version also.

Raghunath Singh Negi, vice-president of GMVN, who is openly supporting the employees, said the aggrieved employees had all the rights to seek the truth as the GM filed a false case against them. Since it was a fight of the common man against a mighty and corrupt bureaucracy, the BJP leaders, too, backed them in their fight, he added.

Santosh Gosai, an employee, said they got a mixed response from the police. “It was queer on the police’s part on not filing our report, but then the SI’s assurance to remain fair in the investigation was conforting also. He has assured us of arriving at a solution in two to three days”.

While clearing his position, SI Nathi Lal Uniyal said it would not have been a correct decision to file the FIR since investigation was already going on as per the report lodged by the MD, and in the investigation itself, this angle of the employees, too, would be probed side by side in a more sympathetic manner.

Dehradun, August 8
Carrying forward the Chief Minister’s mandate of Green Doon, a plantation drive under the Mukhyamantri Harit Vikas Yojana was started at Vasant Vihar by members of the Doon Valley Residents Association with the cooperation of the Forest Department.

Around 300 plants and shrubs of medicinal importance will be planted under the drive in a period of three days. Chief guest of the occasion, Speaker Harbans Kapoor started the plantation by planting a few tree species.

Kapoor said plantation of good varieties of plants is an important activity to sustain the environment in the wake of global warming and climate change.

Citing the example of the depleting cover of guava and litchi orchards beyond the Bindal river in the city, he said such trees and plants should be planted which could help in water conservation and soil conservation. The movement to plant trees should be of the intensity of the historic Chipko Movement, which made an impact globally and still bears relevance, he added.

Talking about the importance of planting trees of medicinal value, chairman of the association DP Nawani said plantation of medicinal species like ashoka, arjun, kanak champa, neem, anwla, savani, dhaudi and jakhrera had been taken up to implement the concept of Harit Doon. It had been a tradition since ages to nurture plants like tulsi and peepal in the gardens and households, which needed to be taken forward, he asserted.

Present on the occasion were Col SK Kala, vice-president of the association SS Kothiyal, president of the All-India Ex-Paramilitary Personnel Association, Uttarakhand, senior bureaucrat Pratap Singh and president of the Bhartiya Vikas Parishad Savita Kapur.

Dehradun, August 8
Twentyseven Indian Forest Service (IFS) probationer officers, including nine lady officers and two officers from Bhutan, passed out at the 39th convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy here today. Uttarakhand too got an IFS officer from this batch.

In his convocational address, Union Minister for Corporate and Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed exhorted the IFS officers to be prepared to meet the challenges that came their way as they took their first postings. He said the forestry had witnessed a sea change in the past 30 years and asserted that forest officers now had to find ways to set an equilibrium between development and conservation. Director-General of Forests Dr PJ Dilip Kumar referring to Naxal infestation in forests said it was only a forest guard that was the face of the government in remote Naxal-affected areas of the country. While calling the Naxal red corridor concept a big threat to the country, Dr Kumar said foresters were putting their resources at the government’s disposal to build bridges of communication vis-à-vis Naxal activities in the country.

Earlier, Dr RD Jakhati, Director, IGNFA, presented the Director’s report in which he informed about the activities of the academy. Ravi Kumar, Exam Controller, referred to the details of the passing-out batch. Prof C Bhaskar proposed the vote of thanks.

Renjiha MH from Haryana bagged the All-Round Outstanding Performance Award by scoring the highest aggregate marks (80.7 per cent) of the course. She also won an award for being a topper in core forestry subjects. Apart from it, Renjiha was presented the P Srinivas Memorial Prize, DC Agarwal Prize and BN Ganguli Award.

Vasantha Reddy VK from Karnataka cadre got the Best All-Rounder Forester Award. He also bagged the KM Tiwari Memorial Prize.

West Bengal cadre officer, Tripti Sah got Sanjay Singh Memorial Prize, RN Mathur Prize and KP Sagrieya Prize for Shreshta Vaniki Puraskar. Uttarakhand too got an IFS officer in Sanket Badola who passed out from this course. Significantly, it was for the first time in this passing-out course that seven IFS officers were selected for specialisation in Wildlife Conservation as per a recent decision of the Union Environment and Forest Ministry. These officers will now undergo a 10-month Post Graduate Diploma Course on Wildlife Management at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.