New Delhi, September 17
Pulling up the Uttarakhand government and the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) for blaming each other, the Supreme Court today directed them to get their acts together for ensuring the safety of the project-hit people and carrying out relief and rehabilitation measures.

“At least now, we hope that the state government and the THDC will get together” and start rehabilitation work “without trying to find fault with each other,” a Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and HL Gokhale said in an order.

The state government should first spend the money and claim the funds from the THDC later, rather than waiting for the compensation from the corporation to carry out rehabilitation work, the Bench said.

The status reports filed by the government and the THDC showed that they had not done the rehabilitation work at a satisfactory pace despite the fact that the issue was pending “for long” and the apex court had passed “several orders”, the Bench noted.

The Bench said three villages, Raulkota, Nakot and Sanyasu, in the Bhagirathi valley were getting submerged after the Tehri Dam was allowed to store water beyond 820 metres. This required urgent relief and rehabilitation measures. In addition to an earlier assessment, about 118-158 new families would be affected in 45 villages. For this, the state government had sought funds, but the THDC had released only a negligible amount.

The apex court also recorded in the order that as many as 1,000-1,500 grievances were yet to be decided, while 500 other grievances were decided but orders were awaited. All this affected the rehabilitation work.

Potable water schemes for the affected villages had not been taken up on a “war footing” and this had resulted in the paradoxical situation of the villages getting submerged or marooned but the residents had no potable water, the Bench noted.

On account of the rise in the water level, 26 villages had become unstable, and are experiencing or facing landslides. Immediate steps were needed to ensure the safety of the people and their property. Further, dispensaries, hospitals, schools and other public buildings had not been provided to the oustees, the court noted.

The court directed the state government and the corporation to take some immediate steps and file a status report within four weeks.

Dehradun, September 17
Twentyfive per cent share of the annual power generation from the Tehri Dam should go to Uttarakhand. The Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) should compensate the loss occurred due to increase in the water level of the dam and it should have perfect coordination with the district administration before increasing the water level in the future.

The THDC should send a proposal for an economic package to the Central government after conducting a survey as per the norms of RL 835, were some of the directions that were given by Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at a meeting in Secretariat on Friday with the senior officers of the THDC in connection with the rising level of the Tehri Dam lake and the problems faced by the people in the affected areas.

The Chief Minister expressed displeasure over the fact that the water level of the dam was raised without bringing it to the notice of Rehabilitation Director, which resulted in flooding of many villages in Tehri and Uttarkashi districts.

Nishank also said 25 per cent share of the annual power generation and profit should be given to Uttarakhand. He said under clause 47(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Re-organisation Act, 2000, the investment made by Uttar Pradesh in any company prior to the formation of Uttarakhand would be transferred to that state where the headquarters of the company was situated. Since the dam is situated in Uttarakhand, the 12.5 per cent investment made by the government of Uttar Pradesh is prior to the formation of the state and so the separate state Uttarakhand has inherited debt from its parent state Uttar Pradesh.

He also directed Rehabilitation Director Radhika Jha to prepare a detailed account of the possible landslide and the year-wise account of the landslide that took place in the past in the villages adjoining Tehri. He also directed to get the scientists and the THDC officers involved in the process.

He directed the officers concerned to get a re-survey of the affected families in 2008 conducted by the Grievance Redressal Cell and revise the review of the 2005 survey report. He added that the difficult geographical situation of the state should also be taken into account while conducting the survey. Taking the raised water level of the Tehri Dam to RL 822 seriously, the Chief Minister directed the officials to keep it to previous RL 820. He wanted a work plan for an alternative route for the 50 affected villages of the Dichli Gamri region. He directed the officers of the THDC to prepare and send proposal for economic package for these affected people at their own level to the Central government.

The CMD of THDC RST Sai said the THDC would extend every possible help and assistance to the affected villagers in their rehabilitation. He also assured to conduct a survey of the affected areas and to give compensation to the affected people. Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar, Principal Secretary to CM DK Kotia, Rehabilitation Director Radhika Jha were present at the meeting.

Dehradun, September 17
Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released the book Nanda Rajjat written by Shankar Singh Bhatia in the Media Centre Hall of Secretariat here today. He announced Rs 5 crore to the Nanda Rajjat Yatra Samiti for making arrangements for the Rajjat to be held in 2012.

He also asked to produce a film on the Nanda Rajjat Yatra, so that the yatra might be propagated and recognised at the national and international level. He also announced that the government would resent award to the creative journalists writing on cultural issues every year.

He declared that a committee would be constituted for the yatra at the government level. He also declared to consider possibilities of construction of a helipad on the yatra route at Bedini Bugyal.

Minister of State for Tourism Madan Kaushik said the whole world would be made to know about this tradition of the Himalayas and a detailed work plan would be chalked out for it. He said the yatra would also be organised on the lines of the Kumbh Mela. Bhatia gave a brief account of the book on the occasion.

Chairman of the Media Advisory Committee Dr Devendra Bhasin, Principal Secretary of Tourism Rakesh Sharma, Prof DR Purohit, along with many other dignitaries, were also present on the occasion. 

Dehradun, September 17
Despite playing the lead role in Hindi movie “Aladdin”, Jacqueline Fernandez’ name does not immediately ring a bell. The Sri Lankan beauty was in the city to launch the flagship store of Tommy Hilfiger along with Shailesh Chaturvedi, CEO and Executive Director of the company, today.

Wearing an off-white ruffled knit top with faded blue jeans, she was looking pretty and people passing by started gathering outside the showroom to have a glance.

Jacqueline, who won the Miss Sri Lanka Universe title in 2006, represented her country at the Miss Universe contest. Though she failed to win the crown, she was able to get entry into Bollywood.

During her hour-long stay in the showroom, she was heard saying that she was feeling very hot in the dress she was wearing.

“I was not able to stand for a photo shoot as I was sweating badly in this top,” Jacqueline told the CEO of the company.

She entered the film industry in 2009 with the movie “Aladdin”, directed by Sujoy Ghosh, opposite Riteish Deshmukh, along with Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt.

“I would not have got a better opportunity than this as the character suited my personality. It was the role of a girl who had come from America to study in India. This made it easier for me as I hardly needed to speak Hindi.

“Moreover, I got the chance to work with Amitabh Bachchan whom I like very much,” Jacqueline said and added, “As I am here to stay, I am working hard on improving my Hindi.”

“I always wanted to be an actor and got training at the John School of Acting, but still, I would say that movies just happened to me. I went for an audition and got selected. It is due to my hard work that today I am here,” she stated.

Though her first film was rated average, but still it let her bag the IIFA as well as Stardust awards of best female debut. Jacqueline does not only know the Sinhala language of Sri Lanka, but is also equally fluent in other languages. “I have a passion for cultures and language. I joined the Berlitz School of Language where I learnt to speak Spanish and improved my French and Arabic,” she said.

The 25-year-old beauty was born in Colombo and completed her studies in Bahrain. She is also a trained horse rider. “I enjoy riding horses,” Jacqueline said.

Not many know that before joining the film industry, she worked as an anchor in Lanka Business Report. She also used to write a weekly column for The Daily Mirror while she was modelling in India.

Back home, Jacqueline is also focusing on empowering the underprivileged. “I am taking care of three children, who were victims of the tsunami,” she said.

Jacqueline was last seen in a romantic comedy “Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai” with Ritesh Deshmukh. Besides, she did a cameo appearance in “Housefull” directed by Sajid Khan and starring Akshay Kumar.

Regarding her visit to the state capital, Jacqueline said, “It is my first visit to the city and I am enjoying it as people here are very warm.”

Talking to The Tribune exclusively, she said, “Besides Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is my favourite actor. She inspired me to enter the industry.”

“I enjoyed working with Akshay Kumar as he is a wonderful actor,” said the actor who wants to play a character like the one Rani Mukherjee played in “Black”.

“My parents are very supportive and they always encourage in whatever I do,” she said.

On being asked whether there is a tough competition in the industry as lots of new faces are entering Bollywood, she said, “To survive one needs to work really hard and I am doing my best.”

On why she did not act in Sri Lankan films, Jacqueline said, “When I came to India, the Lankan film industry was not developed, but now, it is in a better condition. I will definitely work if I get a good script.”

Jacqueline also wants to try her hand at theatre. “I would definitely like to experiment with theatre as it helps one grow as an actor. Most good actors have a theatre background.”

She is currently working on three projects. “I have signed a film titled “Milap Zeveri”, produced by Nikhil Adwani and two others, but it is too early to speak about them,” Jacqueline signed off.

Dehradun, September 17
A mock drill was carried out at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) here early morning yesterday. The very purpose was to practise the drills to ascertain the reaction of its own troops and to set a better coordination among the Dehradun police and the soldiers deployed for the security of the IMA premises.

It was a successful attempt to be prepared for any eventuality. All possible support was provided by the Dehradun police, said IMA officials.

The closed gates of the Indian Military Academy during a mock security drill in Dehradun on Thursday.

Dehradun, September 17
A group of cadets of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), who joined the institution on June 14, went on a day trek to Santhala Devi. They were accompanied by Sanjay Kumar, an experienced mountaineer and craft master.

The cadets started from the college early in the morning on their bicycles. They reached Santhala Devi at sunrise.

To the disappointment of the cadets, they found polythene bags and plastics all over the track to the famous temple. They decided to clean the area and worked hard for around two hours to clean the track. They gathered the plastic items lying on the track and carried them down the hill.

An art competition was also organised by Sanjay and the topic for the on-the-spot drawing was ‘The scenic beauty of nature’.

It was the first trip outside for the freshers two months after they took admission at the RIMC.

Dehradun, September 17
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the university’s Bidholi campus here yesterday.

The MoU was signed between Rajiv Berry, Chairman, CII Uttarakhand State Council, and Dr Parag Diwan, Vice-Chancellor, UPES.

While addressing the gathering, Berry said the MoU was an important milestone in the CII’s work on building linkages between industry and university in the state.

“The engagement will help the university align its programmes to the needs of the industry in the state. It will bring UPES’ core expertise in areas like energy, logistics, transportation etc to the industry and thereby help in enhancing its competitiveness,” he added.

Dwelling on the importance of the university industry interface, Berry informed that it was a priority area for the CII in the state as it was engaging with some of the leading educational institutions in the state and had 12 universities and institutions as its members.

UPES, Doon University, GB Pant University, HNB Garhwal University and College of Engineering Roorkee, are among those institutions that are already engaged with the CII.

The areas of cooperation include research and services to industry in fields such as energy efficiency, logistics, supply chain, etc.

On this occasion, UPES Vice-Chancellor Dr Parag Diwan expressed that UPES and CII recognised the societal importance of mutual collaboration between the institutions of higher education and industry. Detailing the scope of cooperation through the MoU, he narrated that both CII and UPES would endeavour to jointly undertake programme and activities that might include initiatives such as seminars, conferences, lectures, workshops and sponsored research in the fields that were of interest to both signatories.

Dehradun, September 17
Newly elected office-bearers of the student council of DAV PG College took the oath at the college auditorium here today. The oath-taking ceremony took place in the presence of the college authorities and other dignitaries.

The ceremony initiated with the lighting of a lamp by the chief guest Prakash Pant, Drinking Water Minister, Uttarakhand. Accompanying him was Ganesh Joshi, MLA, Rajpur, as the guest of honour.

While addressing the new office-bearers, Pant blessed them and encouraged them to serve with dedication and perseverance throughout their service tenure. He said: “The student brigade has the greatest strength and can deal with any sort of challenges. I wish all students with bright future and good career”.

Also present at the ceremony were BL Nautiyal, Principal, Rakesh Verma, chief election officer of the college, Umed Singh, state president of the ABVP, Shiv Prasad Debliyal, vice-president, zila panchayat, SP Joshi, proctor.

Anshul Chawla, president of the DAV College students council, being administered oath of office at a ceremony in Dehradun on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Mussoorie, September 17
The information officer along with appellate officer at the Education Department in Tehri district is shying away from providing information under the Right to information Act to the appellant who had sought information on several points from the Education Department, New Tehri, but it failed to respond.

He then appealed to appellate authority who also failed to reply on his queries. Nagendar Prasad son of Late Devi Prasad, resident of village Khas Khudao in Dhanaulti sub-division, the appellant had sought information submitting Rs 10 stamp paper along with his BPL card to information officer at the district Education Department on May 1, 2010, in which he had asked the number of scholarship given to the dependents of freedom fighters, the number of posts created under for the freedom fighters quota, the details of the filling of the posts in these quotas, the number of Class IV employees post and complete record of the latest appointments in the department and complete details of fees collected section wise from Class I-XII.

Nagendar also got the copy of the application received from the information officer in the department but he did not receive any reply even after the stipulated time period. Following that he appealed to the appellate officer in on June 18, 2010, in the same department who also failed to respond on his queries.

Nagendar has now appealed to the Chief Information Officer about this anomaly and is waiting for the response eagerly.

Dehradun, September 17
The residents of Dehradun today celebrated Vishwakarma Day by organising puja at their work places. Vishwakarma is known as the God of architecture and engineering and people pray him to get more quality in their work.

During the day, people were seen worshipping their tools and instruments, which are generally used in their profession. It was a holiday at the industries and the employees of the Technical And Engineering Departments gathered to perform puja. At many places hawan was also organised. Roadways workshop employees and other people of various industries were seen worshipping the tools. Sweets were also distributed after the puja.

Mussoorie: The working community in Mussoorie gathered at the Vishwakarma temple located in the Lakshman Puri near Landour Bazaar to celebrate the Vishwakarma Day with fervour. The working community consisting of artisans, craftsmen, mechanics, smiths, welders, mason, carpenters, etc. brought their tools as a mark of reverence to be worshipped at the temple.

They prayed for a better future, safe working conditions and above all success in their respective fields. The priest offered prayers by sprinkling holy water and tying fresh religious bands around the tools. The women offered flowers, prasad and offered prayers for prosperity. The temple committee later organised a bhandara to the devotees.

The day is celebrated to worship Vishwakarma, an Indian God who is considered the divine architect, and one of the 14 precious things born of the Samudra Manthan. He constructed the holy city of Dwarka, where Lord Krishna ruled, the Maya Sabha of the Pandavas and was the creator of many fabulous weapons for the gods. He is also called the Divine Carpenter and is mentioned in the Rig Veda and is credited with Sthapatya Veda, the science of mechanics and architecture.

Dehradun, September 17
Agitated over not receiving help from the government, members of the Akhil Bhartiya Panchayat Parishad, Uttarakhand, held a protest at the Gandhi Park on Wednesday. They demanded the immediately distribution of the amount to victims of natural disaster caused by floods and land slides.

PK Aggarwal, state president of parishad, said thousands of people had been affected by the incessant rain this year, but the government had failed to provide support to them.

“Many people have become homeless because of floods and others are dying due to lack of food, but the BJP government has done nothing to help them,” he alleged.

The delegation demanded the government to give Rs 40,000 to people whose houses had been fully damaged and Rs 20,000 to those with severe damage. They also asked the government to distribute Rs 10,000 to the victims of natural calamities.

“If the government fails to pay the money to the sufferers within a week, we will hold protest all over the district,” Aggarwal affirmed.

Laxmi Aggarwal, general secretary, said, “Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank should give resignation as instead of solving the problem of the victims in his own area he is traveling to other places to gain popularity”.

District president Harbaan Das alleged that Disaster Management Minister Khajan Das was not paying attention in the Sahaspur area as most of the Muslim people reside there.

The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the District Magistrate stating that the present government is just providing just Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000, respectively, to those who had lost everything to the natural disaster.

Dehradun, September 17
With no letup in the 4-hour boycott of duties by pharmacists owing allegiance to the Diploma Pharmacists Association is getting unmanageable by the day and the hospital administration has failed to come up with any alternative arrangement.

Since morning, patients began queuing up at the medicine counter and waited in vain for injections at the OPDs, but the pharmacists were missing.

Late in the evening, a meeting of office-bearers of the association with Secretary of Health Dr Uma Kant Panwar yielded little result.

“We were told to postpone the boycott call and other programme, but unless we are given a written assurance the boycott programme will continue,” said SS Chauhan, member of the association.

However, acceding a little ground to the government, the association members will hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss future plan of action.

“The government has suggested that we reduce the boycott duration, which is for six hours from September 20 to 25, to three hours. This will be decided after the meeting of our office-bearers,” said CL Bhatt, district secretary of the association.

Meanwhile, the pharmacists are blaming the Finance Department that has not responded positively to their demands. 

Haridwar, September 17
Incessant rain in the region has led to landslides in mountainous terrain of Mata Mansa Devi temple area and the hill bypass. Last night’s heavy rain caused major slides on the mountainous terrain damaging a major portion of the hill bypass route. Incidents of stone falling and mudslides are being reportedly in these areas.

The administration has sounded an alert in this sensitive area with more than 175-odd houses issued notices to shift from the danger zone. Areas of Brahampuri, Bhimgoda, Khadkhadi, upper road and other areas situated on the mountainous base face the landslide threat.

Garhwal Commissioner Ajay Singh Nabiyal inspected the vulnerable hilly bypass area yesterday while he was in the city to attend a meeting of the Haridwar Development Authority (HDA) Board of which he is the president. Giving necessary directions to the department concerned, Nabiyal said the report of scientists about the construction of safety walls would be implemented.

It is to be noted that just a couple of days ago a team of geologists had surveyed the mountainous terrain and the hill bypass route and taken samples of mud and stones. They had temporarily recommended the construction of a safety concrete wall near the base of the mountain and adjacent residential establishments. 

Dehradun, September 17
Finally, the long-standing demand of a culture centre in Dehradun will turn into a reality with the Culture Department selecting 8 acres of land near Garhi Cantt for housing the centre.

The government has already constituted a committee to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the multi-functional centre to be built at a cost of Rs 25 crore, already sanctioned by the 13th Finance Commission that will be allocated in installment for the period of four years. The centre will comprise an auditorium, parking lot, Doon Library and cafeteria.

The foundation stone of the centre will be laid on November 9, the day when Uttarakhand was created.

At a high-level meeting, chaired by Governor Margaret Alva, discussions were held on implementing the plan that would give shape to a Culture Centre dedicated to promote diverse culture of the state, comprising art, craft and literature.

“There is a need to showcase the rich and diverse culture of Uttarakhand to the world and a culture centre that is totally apolitical, representing plural ethos spearheading by members from civil society would in my opinion serve the purpose,” emphasised Alva at the meeting.

She also emphasised on the need to preserve heritage buildings in the state.

Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who was also present at the meeting, said his government was committed to preserving and promoting the diverse culture of Uttarakhand. “We will shortly be coming up with a Himalayan Museum that will not only showcase the art and culture of Uttarakhand, but also the entire country and a university dedicated to culture is also being planned,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Governor and the Chief Minister have invited suggestions from experts. The Governor has also constituted a five-member task force headed by Chief Information Commissioner Dr RS Tolia, with Shanti Verma, Dr VK Joshi, Principal Secretary Rakesh Sharma, Threesh Kapoor and representative from ONGC as members.

Dehradun, September 17
Welham Girls School and St Thomas’ College have set up final clash in the sixth Gardner Silver Jubilee Inter-School Basketball Tournament.

Both the teams won their respective semifinals today to register the final berth for the Saturday’s match at 4 pm. Strong contenders of the tournament, Welham Girls School posted a huge win of 50-10 over Convent of Jesus & Mary in the second semifinal.

Ridihma top scored with 15 points for the winning team. Vanshika (four points) scored for Convent.

St Thomas’ College also entered the final beating The Aryan School 43-30. St Thomas’ won first three sets 17-8, 11-3,10-4 while lost the last set 5-15. 

Dehradun, September 17
Carman School, Premnagar, entered semifinals of the Council School Football Tournament defeating Moravian Institute 2-1 in quarterfinals today.

Abhishek Gairola (13th minute) and Rayan (40th) scored in the win of Carman, while Asif Ali (55th) netted the lone goal for Moravian.

Guru Nanak Academy pulled off a mighty challenge of Carman School, Dalanwala, 1-0 in the second quarterfinals. Shubham Thapliyal (40th) scored the hard fought goal.

In another match, GRD, Niranjanpur, beat St Jude’s School 2-1 to save the semifinal seat. Durgesh (21st) and Nikhil Gupta (40th) netted a goal each for the winning side.

St Thomas’ College routed Col Brown School 4-1 to register the semifinal berth.