Dehradun, August 26
To provide relief to 27 families of Matak Majri in Vikas Nagar near here, whose houses were destroyed on Wednesday evening due to heavy downpour and landslides, triggered by a cloudburst, the Dehradun District Administration today distributed food grains among them. Not only this, people were provided with potable water and shelter in schools located in surrounding areas.

Talking to The Tribune, Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) Sachin Kurve said the administration had made all arrangements for the people affected by floods.

He said they had provided food packets to residents of the village yesterday and today they had supplied them with flour. Water tankers were sent to the village.

“Slush and deluge entered many houses within a short time, giving no opportunity to villagers to save their belongings. All houses that had been destroyed were kutcha houses,” Kurve said, adding “people who had lost their houses due to floods have been provided shelter in schools and those who could bot be accommodated in the schools have been given tents”.

“Roads in the area were swept away and a bus fell into a gorge near the village. However, no casualties have been reported,” the DM stated.

A team of 25 persons under the direction of ADM Vinod Kumar Suman also visited the spot early in the morning and the DM met the victims in the evening. 

Nainital, August 26
More than 50 persons have perished in the Kumaon region in mishaps related with the heavy rains that have been lashing the region for the past 10 days. The victims include 18 children who were buried in the Shishu Mandir at Sumgadh in the Kapkot area of Bageshwar district last week.

Apart from this there has been a heavy loss of head of cattle and poultry across the region. Till August 20, 364 head of cattle had died in rain-related incidents across the districts of Nainital, Almora, Udham Singh Nagar, Pitthoragarh, Champawat and Bageshwar that comprise the region. In addition to this close to 1,050 buildings have been damaged.

The worst affected district has been Udham Singh Nagar where a large-scale damage has been reported to the paddy fields that have been inundated over the past several days. Other crops too have been destroyed across the region.

There has been a very extensive damage to water schemes and road network across the Kumaon region. The region got a slight respite on account of the showers stopping on Thursday but it will still take days for the water level to totally recede in areas of the Terai that have been experiencing floods and massive water logging.

Reports of huge damage and losses continue to pour in from parts of Udham Singh Nagar district. Till Wednesday evening, there was no respite in the worst-affected parts of Shakti Farm and the adjoining villages of Mahendra Nagar, Jayant Nagar, Surendra Nagar, Nirmal Nagar and Ranjit Nagar. The buildings continue to collapse and more areas have been affected by floods with places like Tagore Nagar too getting inundated. Around 500 people from the area were moved to safer locations by the district administration. The Kailash, Sukhi and Baigul rivers continue to be in spate washing away large tracts of land and also causing sinking of land at several places.

Extensive damage has also been recorded at Khatima where several villages were flooded on Wednesday on account of incessant rains lashing the area for over four days. The maximum damage has been caused by the Jagbuda and Parbani rivers and villages like Janghat, Babusa, Purnapur, Nausar, Candeli, Sarasariya and Jadopur were inundated. Damage has also been caused by Sharda Sagar and Nanakmatta Sagar.

In Nainital district, the road going from Bhawali to Almora has been closed for vehicular movement as a bridge on the Shipra river near Bhawali became extremely endangered. The entire vehicular movement on the road has now been diverted through Ramgarh and Mauna and the commuters are now having to travel additional 11 km to reach Almora.

In the Kuantal area near Bhimtal, water entered several houses on Wednesday on account of an overflowing nullah.

In Bageshwar district, several houses have been damaged. At Aare village, a large number of people have taken shelter in a temple following a massive landslide in the area.

In Almora district, heavy damage has been recorded to the road network and six roads are closed for vehicular movement.

Pitthoragarh, August 26
The psychologically broken parents of the 18 children, who died in the school building collapse in Sumgarh recently following a landslide caused by a cloudburst, need sympathy and continuous nourishment from the state, said Kashi Singh Airy, senior Uttarakhand Kranti Dal leader who reached here after visiting Sumgarh.

“If persons from other regions do not remain in constant touch with these parents, they will develop psychological disorders,” said Airy.

The UKD leader said the caution that the Uttarakhand government was taking after this incident should have been sounded earlier. “Hundreds of government and private schools in the state are still situated in sensitive places prone to landslides and need to be shifted from there,” said Airy.

The state government has ordered District Magistrates to shut schools if continuous rains occur in the area.

“The government order is an indication that the government accepts that many schools lie in sensitive areas in the state,” said Airy demanding that measures for proper safety of the schoolchildren should be kept in mind before forming any long-term disaster mitigation policy.

Dehradun, August 26
The Congress has expressed condolences over rain-related deaths in the state even as a team of party leaders today visited cloudburst-affected area of Matak Majari village in Dehradun.

Expressing his condolences over the death of many people who have lost their lives due to landslides and floods in the state, state Congress president Yashpal Arya said the Uttarakhand government had completely failed in the disaster management efforts. He also accused the state government of completely failing in sending timely relief to the victims of landslides and other rain-linked disasters.

Uttarakhand Tehri Congress MP Vijay Bahuguna expressed his concern over cloudburst in Matak Majari village on the outskirts of Dehradun. The MP has asked the Uttarakhand government to immediately provide relief and rescue affected families. He also asked the Chief Minister to provide assistance to the rain-hit from his discretionary fund.

Uttarakhand Congress spokesman Surendra Arya said the farmers had suffered the most due to the cloudburst as their entire agriculture fields had been destroyed. Shankar Chand Ramola, member of the team, that visited the cloudburst-affected areas in Matak Majari, said as many as 200 families had been affected in the cloudburst and the assistance so far from the state government had been very negligible.

Dehradun District Women’s Congress Committee members too have expressed concern over aggravating rain situation in Dehradun district. At a meeting of the committee held at Prem Nagar, Congress leaders led by Gita Bisht accused the state government of completely failing to deal with natural disasters.

Dehradun, August 26
Recognised for carrying forward the tradition of legendary Kumar Gandharva School, daughter Kalapini Komkali never had it easy. Persistence and deep-rooted belief in herself first saw her master the various nuances of classical music from her father and then go on to create her own distinct style, a blend of tradition and novelty.

As the notes flowed during the concert recital held at the Bhatkandey Sangeet Maha Vidyalya organised by the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) here today the stamp of quality was all too visible.

Speaking to The Tribune, Kalapini said so many students must have come to learn singing at the feet of Kumar Gandharva, “but only a few managed to endure the rigorous training and practice. It is an art that demands dedication. I think I was lucky. Nothing was thrust on me and it was also never easy. One has to prepare oneself thoroughly before stepping into the hallowed tradition of classical singing. I am still learning from my mother Vidhushi Vasundhra Komkali, who too is a classical singer in her own right,” said Kalapini.

Never one to get daunted by hours of practice, Kalapini said an artiste has to put in long hours of practice. “When one enjoys what one is doing, the sweat and the toil just fade away. It is the sheer bliss that I experience again and again that makes me pick up the tanpura or practice a raga anywhere and everywhere,” emphasised Komkali.

Komkali said her association with SPIC MACAY too in a way was carrying the torch lit by her father forward. “He was among those few classical singers who saw virtue in promoting Indian culture and tradition among the youth. In fact, I must tell you that I usually get good response from the younger generation. No wonder I love to perform in universities, schools and colleges,” averred the singer.

The singer has also recorded for the sound tracks of the films “Paheli” and “Devi Ahilya”.

Committed to the promotion of art, Kalapini organises music festivals at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh to bring together artistes and academicians. “It is a virtual feast for music lovers who get to savour classical performances performed by legendary and upcoming classical singers,” added Komkali.

Dehradun, August 26
A PPSA Inter-School Debate Competition was held at Children’s Academy here today. The chief guest for the occasion was Col AM Raturi, founder president of the PPSA, accompanied by Prem Kashyap, Director of Pestleweed College, as the special guest of the event. The judges of the competition were Omar Alam and Monika Aggarwal.

Total nine schools, KC Public School, Sant Kabir, Kaisga School, Grace Academy, Gautam International, Pestleweed College, Summer Valley, Doon Cambridge and Children's Academy, have participated in the competitons.

The debate competition began with the lighting of the lamp. The chosen topic for the debate was “Is economic development of the developing countries more important than protecting the environment?” for which students from each schools have participated as well as spoken for and against the motion.

“There’s always confusion regarding this arguable topic, and as we think young minds can give an opinion backed by justified reasons we organised this debate. Today, not only will they gain confidence for future competitions, but will also get more enlightened in the company of learned guests who are here to guide them,” said Kiran Kashyap.

She said a balanced approach in such activities that was very essential to encourage them in enhancing their oratory skills and spontaneity.

However, the first prize was won by Akhilesh Nautiyal from Children's Academy. Yash Kulshreshtha from Children's Academy stood second, while Angad Singh of Summer Valley was declared third. The consolation prizes went to Divyank Mallik of Fasiga School and Zuha Ansari of Pestleweed College.

Founder president of the PPSA Prem Kashyap appreciated the efforts of the students and encouraged them to enhance their oratory skills in public. He also congratulated the participants while awarding the prizes and certificates to them.

Dehradun, August 26
ICFAI University held a freshers’ party 'Roobaroo' on the campus here today. Since morning, the entire campus was abuzz, fully decorated by students and the faculty for the event. Students from different departments participated in the event enthusiastically with great fervour and gusto.

Students performed on foot-tapping music between flash-freezing lights with excitement and high spirits. The young crowd made the party unbridled and exuberant. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves as the DJ churned out songs and beats, that pepped up revelry.

The theme of the party was, "Guys and Gals, Get up and Get Going". The faculty of science and technology, ICFAI University, Dehradun, welcomed the freshers into the family. The evening saw freshers competing for various titles. Justin Mathew and Ria Saha were crowned the Mr and Ms Fresher, respectively. Archit was awarded the best performer award, while Satwik Shukla was awarded Ms Congenial title.

While welcoming the new batch, Prof GP Srivastava, Vice-Chancellor, said they would no more be called freshers after this. They should come forward to show their talent. He wished for their fruitful and eventful stay at ICFAI University.

Haridwar, August 26
With the green cover fast receding in the pilgrim city, various organisations have started plantation drives to make sure that the city retains its past green glory.

National Cadet Corps 31 UK Batallion cadets carried out on a mass-scale plantation drive at Bhalla Intermediate College near Rishikul under Col Rakesh Pandey, in charge of the unit.

Emphasising on the need of making the environment clean, Colonel Pandey urged students to contribute towards this aspect as global warming was becoming a major problem for the whole world and planting of more trees will lessen the global warming impact to a large extent.

Principal SS Beniwal lauded the efforts of the cadets for showing the enthusiasm and dedication towards the drive. He said not only the NCC student,s but also the non-NCC ones would be roped in to make sure that as many saplings were planted.

“Incessant cutting of trees is adding to the rise in the earth’s temperature and if the cutting spree continues, in the coming times the younger generation will be just imagining lush green tree forests. Everyone needs to contribute a bit to this, and so we thought what better than our students and the school premises,” stated Beniwal.

In Dev Sanskriti University too a plantation drive was carried out with more than 100 odd tree saplings planted, while thousands of other saplings were to be planted by Akhil Bhartiya Gayatri Parivar members. At Dr Hari Ram Inter College, Mayapur, too a plantation drive was carried out yesterday by NCC cadets.

Nainital, August 26
The Lal Kuan police has arrested a person accused of duping people on the pretext of getting them recruited in the Indian Army. According to the information available, somebody told two youths from Pithoragarh about a Sainik Career Seva Institute being run in Lucknow by Virendra Pratap Singh who ensured recruitment in the Army.

They approached him and after a brief interview handed over their certificates to him for getting recruited in an enrolment drive scheduled to be held in Almora. When they failed to get recruited, they called him up demanding back their certificates.

The accused allegedly told them to pay him Rs 80,000 and ensured their enrolment in the next recruitment rally.

The two youngsters approached the police and as per a plan called the accused to Lal Kuan to pay him the said amount.

As he was lodged in a local hotel, the police personnel swooped on him and nabbed him. 

Dehradun, August 26
The survey launched by the Social Welfare Department to ascertain the number of disabled persons in the state a year back is expected to present a complete picture on the kinds of disabilities, aiding the government in preparing a need specific road map for persons with different kinds of disabilities.

A challenge for the department, the survey is expected to be complete by October. The efforts will have a multiplier effect, we will be able to know the kinds of disabilities in the state and if they are learning disabilities they need to be tackled differently.

“The survey will give us a realistic picture as of now we have been banking on the survey undertaken by the enumerators of the Census Department. They are not trained in the medical nuances and different types of disability as laid down in the Disability Act. The initial data that we have started to get from the survey seems good and by the end of it, we hope to have concise information about persons afflicted by various disabilities,” said Snehlata Agarwal, Additional Secretary, Social Welfare and Commissioner Disability.

The survey first of its kind will not only help in identifying the number of disabled, but also galvanise the grassroot workers, making them aware. “Time and time again it had come to our notice that persons with disabilities living in hilly districts remained uncovered and doubts were even expressed about the level of awareness about learning disabilities and degree of blindness that can be cured through social and medical interventions,” elaborated Agarwal.

Around 10,000 ASHA workers and 20,000 anganwadi workers are currently involved in the survey, covering types of disabilities and segregating them according to age and after specifying the geographical area for statistical purpose only. They will be paid honrarium for these duties as well.

As of now, the population of disabled persons varies between the official figure of one lakh and an alternative estimate of two lakh by independent NGOs.

The number of visually disabled in the state is around 84,668. “The 2001 census had put the number of disabled at 1,94769, but the number can be less or even more,” emphasised Agarwal.

Dehradun, August 26
Saurab of Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV), Indian Military Academy (IMA) scored a brilliant hattric to take his team ahead of Col Brown School at the district-level u-18 Football Inter-School Tournament organised by the District Sports Office here today.

It was Saurab all the way who scored three goals in the 10th, 41st and 45th minutes to steer his team to victory against Col Brown School. Anant of Col Brown School scored in the 51st minute to make the final score 3-1.

In another match, North Point Children Academy defeated Children Modern Academy 2-1. It was Rahul of the Children Modern Academy who scored the first goal of the match in the 8th minute.

North Point Children Academy boys mounted several attacks for an equaliser but could succeed only in the 40th minute when Akhil scored the goal. Rahul of North Point Academy followed it up by scoring another goal in the 42nd minute. The final score was 2-1 in favour of North Point Children Academy.

Dehradun, August 26
The Inter-Section Soccer RIMC saw the third day, and four matches were played on this day. The first match was played between Pratap and Ranjit (Jr) where Pratap section emerged winner by a score of 3-0. Two goals were scored by cadet Akshat Raj and one by cadet Tarun Dhanik. The referee for the match was Sub Maj Magdum.

The second match of the evening was played between Chandragupta and Shivaji (Jr) where Shivaji routed Chandragupta section by 5-0. Two goals were scored by cadet Lulu Lorembam, one by cadet Param Bhoominathan, one by cadet Maikel Singh and one by cadet Samarth Singh. The referee of the match was Hav Patil.

The third match was played between Pratap and Chandragupta (Middles) where the score came out to 3-1 in favour of Chandragupta section. The goal scorer from Pratap was cadet Ligang Kobing and the goals from the opposition were scored by cadet Shivam Kumar, cadet Roshan Kumar and cadet Lalrem Dika. The referee of the match was Vijay.

The fourth and the final match were played between Ranjit and Shivaji (Seniors) where the score was 1-0.

The only goal scored in the match was by cadet Guninder Deep Singh Sidhu from Shivaji Section. The referee for the match was Nk Ajay.

Dehradun, August 26
The District Basketball Association, Dehradun, hosted the first FIBA Basketball Rule Clinic on New Rule Changes and its Interpretation here today.

Basketball coaches and physical education teachers from 15 schools from the district, along with their players, participated in the FIBA Basketball Rule Clinic on new rule changes and its interpretation.

The FIBA Basketball Clinic was conducted by Vinod Vachani. In the clinic, important new basketball rules were discussed and practically demonstrated to the coaches and players present and a question and answer session was conducted at the end of the clinic.

The District Basketball Association, Dehradun distributed folders with all the literature on the new rules, FIBA 3 on 3 Basketball Game, forms and a FIBA Basketball Coaching Manual to all the coaches and teachers attending the clinic.

Cherry Jain, Principal, The Aryan School, thanked all the players, coaches and teachers for coming to her school to attend the clinic and conveyed her good wishes to all present.

Dehradun, August 26
Carman School, Dalanwala, moved into the semifinal of the Ninth Om Parkash Memorial Football Tournament by defeating Cambrian Hall by a solitary goal 
here today.

In the first quarterfinal match of the tournament, both the teams were goalless in the first half. In the second half, both the teams mounted attacks but it was in the 27th minute of the second half that Manish of Carman, Dalanwala scored a goal for his side. Cambrian Hall boys did try for an equaliser but failed to score till the
final whistle.

In the second quarterfinal match of the day, Carman School defeated Kasiga School by 3-1. Parvez of Kasiga surprised his opponents by scoring a brilliant goal in the first minute of the match. Equaliser for Carman School came in the 35th minute when Panyawat of Carman scored a field goal. The score were equal on 1-1 in the first half.

In the second half, Carman School scored its second goal through Nai in the 13th minute while Tushar Regmi scored the third goal for the team in the 18th minute.