Dehradun, October 16
It is just a year that more than 50,000 voters have left the state capital. Until last year there were 9,94,415 voters in 10 constituencies, which have now declined to 9,35,459. This means that 58,956 people have left the city and moved to other places. This has been revealed in the list of the State Election Commission (EC) that was released recently.

However, officials claim that not many people can leave the state in one year and there can be an error in the list. Which again means that due to the negligence of officials the list that has been finalised is still incomplete and needs to be reworked upon.

Talking to The Tribune, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harbans Kapoor said, “Many people visit us saying that their name is missing from the voter list and we tell them that it can be added later on. This is not the final list. People in rural areas might be migrating to the plains, but people love to stay in the Doon valley. Thus, I can say it is a blunder done by the officials,” he affirmed.

According to the list, the number of electors, as per the roll on the basis of which the last Lok Sabha election was held in 2009, the number of the voters was 9,94,415, out of which 5,29,132 were men and 4,65,283 women voters. The new list says that there are a total of 9,35,459 voters this year that includes 5,00,168 men and 4,35,291 women.

However, in the revised list, new voters, who have just entered their 18, have also been added, which means the number of voters should be increased instead of going down.

Sources maintained that most of the people were leaving the hill station and moving to the plains in search of better jobs as well as lifestyle. But officials were not ready to accept it. The status of Dehradun is going down since it became the capital city.

There are 10 constituencies in the district that include Chakrata, Vikas Nagar, Sahaspur, Dharampur, Raipur, Rajpur Road, Dehradun Cantonment, Mussoorie, Doiwala and Rishikesh.

The list states that the Rajpur Road (SC) constituency tops the chart as 7,724 people have migrated from there; the second is Raipur with 7,467, followed by Dharampur with 7,421, Rishikesh 7,385, Dehradun Cantonment 7,087, Mussoorie 5,773, Sahaspur 5,102, Vikas Nagar 4,708, Doiwala 4,433, and Chakrata Vidhan Sabha area 1,841 people.

Dehradun, October 16
Along with raising salaries of contractual super specialists, the Health Department is also contemplating hiring new super specialists for the Doon Hospital and it remains to be seen if the present crop of doctors will benefit from the hike.

The government is expected to re-advertise the posts by February with new terms and conditions to ensure greater accountability of the doctors.

Dearth of super specialists in the state had forced the Health Department to scout for private doctors with higher pay scales, a contract for one year and reduced working hours (four hours) as compared to the government doctors.

In the past, when the government had advertised for these posts, only these super specialists had responded. So it remains to be seen how different the response will be to the advertisement of these posts. Along with different terms and conditions, salaries too are paid through a special fund. These doctors are heads of OPDs of plastic surgery, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology and nephrology.

In fact, bowing to the demands of the super-specialist doctors, a meeting was held to discuss the pay hike, but it remained inconclusive, as of now, along with less working hours, the doctors receive Rs 50,000 salary per month.

“Right now the discussions are in the preliminary stage. The decision has to be taken by the government,” said Dr Sudhanshu Bahuguna, Director, Health and Medical Services.

However, members of the Provincial Medical Services (PMS), Uttarakhand, have asked the government to find a permanent solution to the perennial shortage of super specialist doctors by sponsoring doctors who can train out of the state. “Earlier, the government had tied up Escorts and an NGO to train cardiologists at Almora, but the plan did not take off,” said Dr DP Joshi, general secretary, PMS.

Besides, he said, taking lessons from the past, when most of the doctors were missing from duty, the government should increase their working hours and also make it mandatory for them to take calls of patients even during off-duty hours.

In addition to providing services at the Doon Hospital, all super-specialist doctors also have thriving private practices.

But the benefits for patients are manifold, as super-specialist services are provided at nominal rates to patients and for BPL card holders.

“The presence of super specialists also adds to the reputation of the hospital that attracts patients from neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” said Dr BC Pathak, Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS), Doon Hospital.

Mussoorie, October 16
Former Indian hockey player and coach Mir Ranjan Negi interacted with students of Mussoorie Public School on his brief visit here today. Negi, accompanied by his wife, was welcomed by school Principal Mukesh Lal and students on the occasion.

Negi lit the ceremonial lamp at the school auditorium after which students presented several welcome songs.

The Principal, along with the Mussoorie Sports Association, honoured Negi with memento, Himachali cap, a shawl and citation. Later, Negi could not stop himself from dancing to the song “Chak De India” presented by MPS students, much to the joy of the audience.

Negi said sportsmanship had helped him in overcoming the ups and downs in his career. While revealing the real story that was not told in the film “Chak De India” made on his life, he said the loss at the hands of Pakistan 7-1 in 1982 Asiad was the turning point in his life as he was accused of match fixing and being a traitor. At one point he even considered suicide as an option, but decided otherwise and married his old-time friend. He was cut off from the world and even the colleagues of the Custom Department kept away from him.

He said God gave punishment to good people so that they become better and not bitter, and the same happened with him. After 16 years, he was finally returned as a goalkeeping coach for the 1998 Asian Games in which the Indian national field hockey team won the gold medal. Four years later, Negi was hired to be the goalkeeping coach of the Indian women's national field hockey team. The team won gold at 2002 Commonwealth Games. He was also the assistant coach for the women's team when it won the gold in the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup.

Negi said another disaster struck him in 2005 when his 22-year-old eldest son Abhiranjan Negi died in a road accident. Negi informed that in 2007 he became part of the development of the Bollywood film, “Chak De India”. The screenplay for the film was written by Bollywood screenwriter Jaideep Sahani. Sahani had read a small article about the winning of the gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games by the India women's national field hockey team and thought that the premise would make an interesting film.

The series “Jhalak Dhikla Ja” in Sony TV also provided much needed limelight to him.

Negi said he was now running a hockey foundation in the memory of his son in Mumbai. Australian hockey team had donated their complete kit to the foundation, where more than 126 girls were taking training. He advised students that they should not leave playing and never lose hope and faith in life. Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, eminent singer from Uttarakhand Meena Rana, Sanjay Kumola, Nitin Mohan, MSA convener Anuj Tayal and others were present on the occasion.

Mussoorie, October 16
Former Indian hockey goalkeeper and coach and of “Chak De India” and “Harshu Mama”-fame Mir Ranjan Negi was in Mussoorie to bless the daughter of Garhwali jagar samrat Preetam on her marriage yesterday.

Negi pleased with the success of athletes in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games was of the view that the sporting fraternity should take advantage of this upsurge and formulate a long-term sporting policy.

Negi, speaking exclusively to The Tribune, said this was his third visit to the city. His first visit was during his honeymoon and he visited the city a second time on the way to a village in Jaunsaar when he was shooting for a Garhwali music album of Narendar Singh Negi called “Mayaku Mundaru”. He was approached by Narendar after he gained popularity in “Jhalak Dhikla Ja”, a dance series on Sony TV.

He could not refuse the offer and danced to the number “Harshu Mama” that became immensely popular among the Uttarakhandi diaspora worldwide.

He said being a sportsperson helped him a lot as the power of the field was the main motivating factor which helped him in regaining his ground.

Speaking on the drastic loss to Australia in the Commonwealth Games final, he said if India would not have defeated Pakistan and England on home soil, then it would have received flak similar to what happened in 1982.

Speaking on the role of the federation, he said most of the persons usurp the federation chair for long years and interfere in day-to-day matters on the field that was a major concern. He said administration people continuously harassed the coaches and forced them to include one or other player which led to poor performance of the team.

Gagan Jeet was the prime example of such act of the federation. Sometimes the federations had gone on to remove 6-8 players from a winning combination due to their inflated egos.

Negi said, “If we want to improve and popularise hockey once gain, we should start from the grass-root levels and promote hockey at junior levels vigorously by providing them necessary infrastructure and facility in which states can contribute immensely”. A state like Uttarakhand can become a front runner in hockey if a few astro-turfs are laid in places like Nainital, Mussoorie and Dehradun.

Negi speaking on foreign coaches said A-grade coach like Rick Charles Worth had to face tough opposition and a B-grade coach, Jose Brassa, services were taken.

Negi said India should take advantage of the Commonwealth Games and plan for the Asian Games and other big tournaments from the scratch and the work should start with involving young sportspersons in the administration work of the federations instead of electing 80-year-old woman like Vidya Stokes, who failed to remember the names of the coaches, leave alone the players. Negi said if the Uttarakhand government in near future planned to promote hockey in a big way, his foundation was ready to provide expertise and suggestions free of cost, after all, he was also son of the soil.

Pitthoragarh, October 16
The two-day visual art workshop and exhibition concluded here today with the participation of eminent and upcoming visual artists from Delhi, UP and Uttarakhand. “A score of artists from Hapur, Delhi, Meerut, Haridwar, Haldwani, Kashipur, Rudrapur and Champawat participated in the workshop and created fine pieces at the workshop,” said Lalit Mohan Kapri, organiser of the workshop.

“The condition of the traditional visual arts, including the drama and dances of Garhwal and Kumaon, is bad as the Lalit Kala Academy in the state has not been set up so far,” said Dr Jagdish Verma, a veteran visual artist and specialist on washing techniques.

“Now Governor Margaret Alva has taken interest in this direction and allocated a piece of land near Deharadun to construct a building for the Lalit Kala Academy. There are a number of artists from Lucknow Art College and other leading art colleges of the country who do not find any platform to express themselves,” said Dr JagdishVerma.

Dr Verma, who recently got the veteran artist award from the All-India Art and Craft Society, said the visual arts prevalent in the state had the influence of the Shekhawati style of paintings which entered Uttarakhand via Himachal Pardesh and western UP. “Some of the artists, who were protected by Garhwal kings, created fine pieces which helped in the creation of the Garhwal style of visual arts,” said Dr Verma. The old havelis of Kankhal and Haridwar are examples of a mixture of the Shekhawati style with the one originated in the Garhwal Durbar.

There is no work on fine art traced in Kumaon and Garhwal till date, whereas wooden art is in abundance in the state.

Dehradun, October 16
In the 20 constituencies of Uttarakhand, candidates wishing to make it to the state legislative Assembly will have to concentrate more on women voters, who far exceed in number their men counterparts.

These constituencies are spread across 13 districts.

As per the electoral rolls released by the State Election Commission, the number of women voters is more in the districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, parts of Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Pitthoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora and Champawat in comparison to men.

In the last Assembly elections held in 2007, there were 29,46,311 women voters of the total 59,85,302.

In comparison, there were less number of women voters in the last elections. The percentage of women voting was 59.45 per cent as compared to 58.95 per cent of men.

In the constituency of Chamoli, out of a total of 2,31,294 voters, 1,16,439 are women; in Pauri Garhwal out of 4,40,612 voters, 2,26,816 are women; in Pitthoragarh, out of 2,78,601 voters, 1,44,110 are women; in Bageshwar, out of 1,66,245 voters, 85,181 are women; and in Almora, out of 4,40,217 voters, 2,23,166 are women.

The Tharali (SC) constituency has 40,906 women voters and 39,425 men voters, and Karanprayag has 37,736 women voters and 36,596 men voters.

Similarly, in Rudraprayag district, out of 1,47,516 voters, 75,230 are women. In the Kedarnath constituency there are 35,256 women and 33,757 men voters. In Ghansali in Tehri Garhwal, the number of women voters is 38,542 and of men 37,326; and in Deoprayag there are 33,455 women voters and 31,935 men.

In the Pauri (SC) constituency the number of women voters is 40,229 and men 35,616; in Shrinagar there are 41,733 women voters and 38,590 men; in Chaubatakhal 39,431 women voters and 33,941 men; in Lansdowne 33,985 women voters and 32,477 men; in Dharchula 32,716 women and 30,899 men; in Didihat 34,044 women voters and 29,255 men; in Pitthoragarh 37,956 women voters and 35,194 men.

In the Gangolihat (SC) constituency it’s 39,394 women voters and 39,143 men; in Kapkot 39,867 women voters and 37,555 men; in Bageshwar 45,314 women voters and 43,509 men; in Dwarahat 40,645 women voters and 34,713 men; in Salt 42,747 women voters and 39,835 men; and in Someshwar (SC) 34,883 womem voters and 33,599 men.