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Police aspirants made to sit on floor to take exam
Rishikesh to host 10th World Bhojpuri Meet
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Girl hurt in attack by leopard
DEHRADUN DIARY
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Police aspirants made to sit on floor to take exam
Haridwar, January 23 Apart from making them sit on the floor, they were also not provided with carpet and they were seen sneezing and felt cold. Though the higher police officials were present at the venue to examine the examination proceedings, yet no one paid heed to this aspect with most terming it as normal, citing it as a department affair. After the examination, the aspirants told The Tribune that the facilities at the examination venue were as shoddy, but they could not complain as their department officials were monitoring the whole proceedings. “I am suffering from cold for the past few days, but now I am feeling feverish as we were made to sit on the floor for two hours. This has also affected our performance, as we could not concentrate fully on the question paper,” said a candidate on condition of anonymity.
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Rishikesh to host 10th World Bhojpuri Meet
Dehradun, January 23 Bhojpuri community members from Uttarakhand met in Dehradun to finalise the preparations for the mega summit. People of Bhojpuri origin residing in Mauritius, Malaysia, Canada, England, Australia and Surinam will also ensure their presence at the conference. Among Indian Bhojpuri personalities Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Bihar Chief Minster Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janta Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Kalraj Mishra, Congress leader Jagdambika Pal and Delhi Congress leader Mahabal Mishra are among political fraternity expected to attend the event. Uttarakhand convener for the Bhojpuri conference DP Pandey disclosed that apart from politicians, Bhojpuri artistes like Manoj Tiwari and Malini Awasti will be performing at the meet which will also have the presence of large number of folk artistes. He said the meet would also deliberate on efforts needed to conserve and promote Bhopuri both in the country and aboard. Pandey said Bhojpuri as a means of communication was certainly lost in the new generation of the Bhojpuri community and called for efforts towards promoting the Bhojpuri language and culture. “The last World Bhojpuri Meet was held in Maharashtra and we are trying to make the Rishikesh meet a resounding success this time,” Uma Naresh Tiwari, co-convener of the meet, observed. Bhojpuri is spoken in parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand in the country.
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Attacks by Wild Animals
Dehradun, January 23 The Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, which held a mahapanchayat in the Sundarkhal area today, unanimously decided to close the key Dhangari gate of the park. The samiti members have again asked the authorities to gun down the woman-eater tigress immediately. They also threatened that they would close other gates of the Corbett if the park administration did not address their concerns. Gram Pradhan of Sundarkhal Chandar Ram said the people in the region had been living under the fear of the woman-eater tigress for the past two months and asserted that the Corbett authorities had so far done a little to gun down the tigress. He pointed out that if the wildlife corridor in the Corbett was getting obstructed it was due to a number of resorts coming up in the corridor and not the villages. Chandar also held that as many as 14 villages were suffering due to attacks by wild animals in the region. Another speaker at the mahapanchayat Munish Kumar questioned the logic of the Corbett authorities in rehabilitating the affected villagers. He said it was not easy to rehabilitate as many as 14 affected villages as experiences had revealed that rehabilitation was a long-drawn and tardy process. Meanwhile, as part of the strategy, the samiti members also decided to camp at the Dhangari gate on the night of February 5 in order to ensure that no visitor entered the park early in the morning.
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Girl hurt in attack by leopard
Pitthoragarh, January 23 According to reports, when Ankita was working in a field with her grandmother, a leopard suddenly pounced on her and she started screaming for help and tried to ward off the attack. After hearing her screams, her grandmother with two other children came to the spot and started throwing stones at the leopard. “After some time, the leopard left Ankita and fled into the forest,” said Mahender Singh, father of the injured girl. This is the second such incident in Mahendra’s family as his 12-year-old daughter had been killed by a leopard 10 years ago. “My family lives near a forest and has been living in fear since our first daughter was killed by a leopard. We need a safe place to live as our family members are frightened after this incident,” said Mahendra.
— OC
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I live, eat and breathe food, says Master Chef runner-up Radhicka
Dehradun, January 23 “I was really upset with my parents as they did not let me do the diploma course in hotel management. They wanted me to complete my regular studies and get married as they thought that there was no future for girls in this line. I did my BSc home science. But today I am very happy that I was not able to do it or else would not have been in front of you as the show required amateur participants,” said Radhicka. “I even got admission in the Culinary Institute of America, but my parents refused to send me. Thereafter, I worked as a dietician, but left the job, as it was getting difficult for me to tell people not to eat. Thus, I started working in an event management company. I left the job after I got married,” she said. “It was just after a few months of my marriage that my husband saw the advertisement on television, where Askhay Kumar was seen asking people to participate in the show and he asked me to go for the competition. I thought that the people who will be participating in the show will be very skilled and I do not think I will be able to compete with them. But my mother-in-law is very supportive, as it was she who further asked me to give it a try,” Radhicka told The Tribune in an exclusive interview while on her visit here. “It was around 7 in the morning, when we reached the venue and found that more then 500 persons were already waiting for their turn. I had taken my signature dish apple pie with me. I was getting jitters in my stomach when my turn came. The judges asked me various questions about the dish and I cleared my first round,” she reminisced and added, “It was my luck that I kept on excelling in all the rounds and was called for auditions in Mumbai, where 40 participants were to be selected out of 100”. The Doonite is very happy to receive compliments from the judges of the show, as they liked her dishes a lot. “Meeting film actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor was fun, as they were very nice to us. Rishi ji called me the golden girl, as he liked my dish so much,” she said. On being asked about the future plans, she said, “I have received many offers to write a book and will definitely take the task, but it will take some time. I have recently launched my website and am concentrating on it. I also want to do shows on television and waiting for the right time to come”. Radhicka’s mother said, “Radhicka started cooking at the age of 10. We tried to keep her away from the kitchen as she had burnt her hand, but she was so fond of cooking that she used to try one or the other dish while we were away from the home”.
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Ghost of Clock Tower construction resurfaces
Mussoorie, January 23 The media, after a tip-off that a clandestine meeting was on at the Clock Tower Café in Landour Bazar between Mumbai businessman Sanjay Narang and Municipal Council president OP Uniyal, rushed to the spot and found there Uniyal, along with nominated ward member Dinesh Badoni, Sushil Kumar, Virendar Rawat and certain members of the Traders Association after concluding a meeting over the tower issue (as informed later by Uniyal). Executive Officer Rohtash Sharma also entered the café, but immediately walked out of the meeting. The meeting ended abruptly and Uniyal, coming out of the meeting and finding mediapersons at the gate, disclosed the reason behind the talks. Meanwhile, Sanjay Narang scurried away quietly without facing the media. The Mussoorie MC president, retracting his earlier statement given to the media on October 9, 2010, had a different story to tell. He said it was an informal meeting called by a few traders of the area and asserted that Narang was ready to provide an international standard architect for the construction of the tower without charging a single penny. Therefore, the MC should consider this offer in the larger interest of the residents of Landour Bazar who had waited too long for the reconstruction of the tower since it was demolished last year. Uniyal also informed the media that since the MC did not have its own architect and could save some money, the proposition would be considered. Clarifying the ambiguity over the agency building the Clock Tower, he reiterated the fact that the MC itself would be constructing the tower and the tender had already been floated. But after finding them 40 per cent above the prescribed cost, had sent these for justification to the PWD and were waiting for their findings that could arrive any day. Uniyal also said there was no role of Narang in the construction process and all that would be handled by
the MC. Some residents, under anonymity, had questioned the whole process once again and were of the view that if the tender had been floated earlier and had been sent for revaluation, why was an architect being sought now. This meant that the whole tender process had been a sham and the estimate had been created without the approval of design, and hence the advice of Narang’s architect should not arise. The Clock Tower re-construction has been marred in controversy since the idea was floated by the MC last year. Earlier, the estimated cost of the project was around Rs 42 lakh, to be shared between the MC and a private builder Sanjay Narang from Mumbai. It was also decided that the MC would dole out Rs 19 lakh on the renovation of infrastructure that was in a dilapidated condition (according to the MC) and the rest would be spent on the beautification of the area to be done by Narang’s company, similar to the pattern of Big Ben Tower of London. But as the dissent increased and after the complaint filed by some residents, an SDM inquiry was set up in the whole matter. The inquiry conducted by SDM Manoj Kumar found gross violations of the standard procedures and raised questions over the whole exercise of demolition, thereby indicating that it was done to benefit a few individuals. The inquiry was clear that the procurement rules-2008 were not followed during the demolition and in awarding the construction work to a private businessman. SDM Manoj Kumar’s report clearly concluded that severe irregularities had surfaced in the whole process and it was a clear case of financial embezzlement in which the MC was solely responsible. After which, disturbed with media reports at that time, Narang pulled out of the Clock Tower construction work after demolishing the old tower. The MC served notice to Narang in July, but he refused to budge an inch. No work was intiated since then and the town is bereft of its only Clock Tower. Today’s development and the bonhomie with Narang has once again crated an air of doubts in the mind of the residents and they are of the view that the MC has become a laughing stock over the issue of the tower construction in Mussoorie. With this move of the MC, controversy has arisen once again and it seems that the Clock Tower construction will remain a far-fetched dream.
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Oil, Gas Conservation Fortnight gets
under way
Dehradun, January 23 “Industrial growth is directly related to energy demand. India’s energy needs are growing with rising income levels and growing population. The indigenous energy resources may not be sufficient in the long run to sustain the process of economic development of 9-10 per cent of the GDP. The country’s energy supply system continues to be dependent on the fossil fuels, which are finite,” he said. Director of the IIP MO Garg said the need to conserve oil products was obvious if one considered the prevailing 1:4 ratio of the oil production and consumption in the country. As oil and its products had a wide range, there were many opportunities available for saving them. In the current scenario, energy and environment had taken an important role and with the environment becoming increasingly unbalanced. “The need of the hour is to increase the efficiency of energy utilisation and to minimise the energy utilisation,” he said. State-level coordinator, oil industry, Ashwani Dua focused on the activities planned during the fortnight describing it as extremely dedicated to spread the noble cause of energy and petroleum conservation among the masses through a massive communication. He said the campaign was to be carried out in the form of a series of workshops, quiz, essay and painting competitions in various schools and colleges to apprise the younger generation of the vital concept in the entire state. He spoke that energy was consumed in the four sectors in our society like industry, transport, agriculture and household (domestic). He said the entire oil industry was committed to hold awareness workshops in all districts of the state. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, PCRA and IIP would hold many workshops in all the four sectors during the fortnight. The programme ended with a human chain formation by the students and the dignitaries. The oil and gas conservation fortnight is organised by Oil Industry namely IOC, HPCL, BPCL, joined with Petroleum Conservation Research Association and IIP Dehradun, every year in the 2nd fortnight of January.
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DEHRADUN DIARY
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started preparing for the forthcoming Assembly elections scheduled to be held in February, 2012, in the right earnest. The three-day training camp of the party, which began at Chilla, near Rishikesh, from January 23, is seen as an exercise to rejuvenate the party senior leaders for the coming electoral battle with the active support from the Sangh
Parivar.
Moreover, it was also an effort to show a united face of the party in the state that has been plagued by intense factional rivalries. The ruling BJP in Uttarakhand has a strong organisational network and commands the support of the various other Sangh Parivar affiliates. All the senior party leaders, including ministers, legislators and those holding government positions, have been asked to attend the camp compulsorily. Rajnath Singh, former party president, attended the first day of the session and enlightened the delegates about the national and international issues. Senior BJP and Sangh leaders will be tutoring the delegates during the three-day camp. Sources in the BJP point out similar training exercises will also be carried out at the lower level of the party cadre. Interestingly, the ruling BJP, which faces anti-incumbency factor, wants to wrest the initiative from the Opposition Congress. Fully aware that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre has been on the back foot on the issue of spiraling food prices and corruption in allocation of the 2G circles, the state BJP has prepared itself to launch an offensive. Rajnath Singh told the delegates that the UPA Government had failed on all the fronts. There has also been talk of an early Assembly polls in the state as the state BJP Government wants to cash in on the public ire against the Central Government on the issues of price rise and corruption. In the 2007 Assembly polls that were won by the BJP, price rise was an important election issue. Uttarakhand BJP chief Bishan Singh Chufal has announced in Pithoragarh a few days ago that the Assembly polls could be held in the month of October or November this year instead of February of 2012. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has already gone into election mode by travelling to every part of the state and making announcements of developmental plans. However, the biggest headache of the Central BJP leadership would be how to resolve the bitterness between the senior leaders of the state. Two former Chief Ministers namely Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Rajya Sabha MP, and the national vice-president of the party, Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd) were present at the training camp but in reality they do not share a good rapport with Nishank. Both senior leaders hailing from Kumaon and Garhwal and belonging to majority Rajput and Brahmin communities, respectively, were the biggest vote catchers for the BJP in the past decade. Both of them are unhappy at the turn of events in the state. Once bitter rivals, both of them seem to have joined hands against Chief Minister Nishank. The party high command would have a tough time in cajoling these two senior leaders to campaign for the party in the Assembly polls earnestly. Before the 2007 Assembly polls, both these leaders were brought together to campaign for the party in their respective areas of influence. But, they again fell apart as General Khanduri was chosen by the Central party leadership to become the Chief Minister after the election victory. An infuriated Koshiyari launched a campaign against General Khanduri, which ultimately led to the downfall of General Khanduri in June, 2009, and the emergence of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank as the new power centre in the state BJP politics. This development has again brought these two senior leaders together. Their moves would be interesting to watch in the coming days and months as the Assembly elections near.
Winter Games prove to be a farce
The first South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games organised by the Winter Games Federation of India in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Government proved to be a farce. However, the weather God was favourable as the skiing resort of Auli in Chamoli district was full of snow. Even during the games it was snowing, much to the delight of the tourists. However, the arrangements were far from satisfactory from the word go. The earlier events of skating held at the newly created international skating rink were also lacklustre as many participating teams did not take part in the events. Although the teams from Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangaldesh, the Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan were present, it was only Indian skaters who took the competition seriously. Most of the other teams it seemed either were not interested in the game or were brought in just to fulfil the requirement of an international event. The Pakistani players refused to participate in the skating events and preferred Auli for the skiing competition. At Auli also, mismanagement was evident and most of the players and administrators were dissatisfied. Media persons who had gone to cover the skiing events were the worst sufferers in the sub-zero temperatures as the lift between Joshimath and Auli slopes was stuck with nearly a dozen journalists stranded in the snow. Some of the players and coaches were rescued by the jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) while many went without food and transport. There were allegations of corruption also in the award of contracts for various services, including events management. The only silver lining was the construction of the world-class skating rink in Dehradun for the games. But, the skating rink has also added to the worries of the state government. It would not be economically feasible to operate the skating rink, as its running and maintenance would cost more than Rs 1.5 lakh per day. It would be interesting to watch what would be the next move of the state government on the skating rink.
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Kanpur XI, Little Masters to clash in under-15 final
Dehradun, January 23 The final of the tournament will be played at the Rangers’ College Ground on January 24, 2011. While Kanpur XI defeated Punjab XI by six wickets, Little Masters Cricket Club, Dehradun beat Amritsar XI by 21 runs to enter the final. In the first match, Punjab XI won the toss against Kanpur XI and elected to bat. They scored 108 all out in 19 overs. Opener Akashdeep with 20 runs and Gurpreet with 18 runs were the top scorers. Wasif and Arun took three wickets each for the Kanpur team. In reply, the Kanpur boys made 109 runs for four wickets in 19 overs winning the match by six wickets. Shivam Sharma with 30 runs and Dev with 26 runs were the top scorers. Lovepreet took three wickets. In the second semi-final match, Little Masters Cricket Club, Dehradun, defeated Amritsar XI by 21 runs to enter the finals. The Dehradun team won the toss and elected to bat first. The team scored 117 runs for eight wickets in 20 overs. Saurav Dhaka was the top scorer with crisp 37 runs in 39 balls. Ravinder and Varun took three wickets for the Amritsar team. Chasing the score, Amritsar team was all out for 97 runs in 19 overs losing the game by 21 runs. It was Lakshya, who scored 23 runs, the highest in the innings, while Vikrant scored 18 runs for Amritsar team. Dikshant took three wickets, while Saurav Dhaka, Talib and Amit Farasi took two wickets each. The final will be played between Kanpur XI and Little Masters Cricket Club, Dehradun.
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Kurve flags off cycle rally
Dehradun, January 23 Addressing people before the rally, the DM said environment could be made clean only with the help of people. Along with various school students, Chief Warden Chandergupt Vikram and nodal officer of the rally Yogesh Aggarwal were also present.
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