Dehradun, March 28
After facing monkey menace for long, the state government has finally given permission for gunning down monkeys.

Responding to a query posed by Congress MLA Joth Singh Gunsola in the Assembly here today, Uttarakhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant, on behalf of the Chief Minister, disclosed that after wild boars, a government notification for neutralising monkeys had also been issued. These animals were being held responsible for the destruction of crops, particularly in the hills.

Pant said a centre to deal with the monkeys would also be created on the lines of the centre set up at Shimla and asserted that assistance from the Wildlife Institute of India had also been sought for the purpose.

He said two wild animal rescue centres had already been opened at Chidiyapur in Haridwar and Almora, and four others were also proposed in other parts of the state.

Corbett to have new gate Responding to a query, Pant said apart from Ramnagar, gates of Corbett would also be opened from Kotdwar from November 15. He said facilities for tourists would be available in Kotdwar on the similar lines as provided at Ramanagar. He said over Rs 1.4 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose.

Dehradun, March 28
The tiger census 2011 report has brought cheer to the state of Uttarakhand. The famous Jim Corbett Tiger Landscape has recorded an increase in the tiger population from 164 in the last census of 2008 to 227 in the 2011 report, which was released today. After Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, with 300 and 257 tigers, respectively, Uttarakhand has recorded the third highest number of tigers in the country.

An elated Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden Srikant Chandola said the “Status of Tigers in India - 2011” had reflected the Uttarakhand wildlife authorities’ commitment towards the conservation of tigers. Apart from a substantial increase in the tiger population in the Jim Corbett Tiger Landscape, the tiger population in the Shivalik-Gangetic plain, which includes part of he Jim Corbett National Park, has increased from 297 to staggering 353.

Attributing the success to the teamwork, Chandola said it had been due to collective conservation efforts of the Uttarakhand Forest Department officials that the tiger population had seen an upsurge in the state. He said right policies, including the strengthening of corridors, complete shifting of habitations inside the tiger reserve and wildlife management, will further help in increasing the tiger population in the state.

Ranjan Mishra, Director, Corbett National Park, said it was certainly an encouraging sign that despite several challenges, the Corbett tiger population had witnessed an upward trend. He said maintaining the tiger population was certainly the next target. He asserted that the Jim Corbett Tiger Landscape also had a large number of tiger cubs, which had not been covered in the census and the increasing trend could get a boost in the coming days.

Dehradun, March 28
Purposeless meetings that have become a source of passing one’s time these days, was the theme of the play “Bahut Bada Sawal”, which was staged at the Town Hall here today. Kailash Kandwal of the Dhad Natya directed the play.

“It is a realistic play that has tried to address the issue of meetings that keep on taking place and are so common in the city and other places. Sharma ji is very regular with the meetings. All the people come for the meeting, but something happens midway and they lose interest,” said Kandwal.

Audience appreciated the roles of Sharma ji played by Kailash and Chadda ji played by Sudip Jagran.

Dehradun, March 28
Unhappy with the way no-confidence motions were passed against women chairpersons of three different panchayats in the state, Chairperson of the National Women’s Commission Girija Vyas today said the state government should act above the party lines and not jeopardise the efforts of the women who had just started to reap the benefits of 50 per cent reservations in the panchayats.

“If we have to give voice to women at the grassroots level, nobody should demoralise their efforts. One should give them their due. It is not easy to fight elections and get elected,” said Girija, while speaking to mediapersons.

She said she would request Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Governor Margaret Alva to look into the matter with greater sensitivity.

The Chairperson also said conviction rate in rape cases continued to be poor. Girija also said since the UPA Government came to power, at least 33 legislations/laws pertaining to the welfare of women had been introduced in Parliament, amended and made Acts. “Our endeavour has been to empower women by bringing laws and legislations that give them security,” said Girija.

The Chairperson also said after the recent incidents of stalking in which a young woman lost her life, the commission together with the social activists and academicians were working out ways to ensure such incidents were not repeated.

On the issue of Uttarakhand, she said the State Women Commission had already started an awareness drive in the villages so that women became aware of their rights.

Nainital, March 28
More than 200 women from various parts of Nainital district converged at the Rink Hall here to discuss various aspects of domestic violence being faced by them.

The meet saw the participants giving a call to women to come together to fight against the social evil, which they described to be a social disease prevalent in society. The meet was organised by a social organisation, Vimarsh, in which 12 women related their personal agonies that they have been suffering in the form of domestic violence.

Neelam Thukral, a resident of Haldwani, related the ordeal that she had been subjected to domestic violence for the past 20 years at the hands of her husband and in-laws. She related that not only did her in-laws pressurise her into giving up her government job, her sole source of economic security, but they also subjected her to physical and emotional violence. She is presently contesting her case in a court. “I have taken up my case at various forums, but of no use. Everyone tries to wash off hands by saying that it is an internal family dispute,” she said.

Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the meet, Meeta Upadhyaya, who is working on the gender-related issues at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), came out with an interesting revelation that in the state, particularly in the hill districts, the rate of domestic violation has gone up in direct proportion to the increase in consumption of alcohol.

She further disclosed that constant viewing of television serials in rural areas that were regressive in content often portray women in poor light, as both the exploiters and the exploited are having a detrimental effect in the social milieu and preventing the evolution of a progressive thought process.

Replying to a query, Upadhyaya said the major problem in tackling domestic violence was the under-reporting of the cases and the lack of awareness amongst women on the issue, who were not even aware of what constitutes domestic violence.

“The Panchayati Raj Institutions, local administration and the NGOs have to come together to document and monitor the cases of domestic violence right at the mohalla and ward level,” she said, while adding that the protection officers deputed for handling such cases need to be properly trained.

She also suggested that the protection officers should not be over burdened with other tasks and instead have the sole work of dealing with issues pertaining to domestic violence, as was done in the states like Bihar.

Dehradun, March 28
Eleven Star defeated Khalanga 2-0 in a knockout match of the Bir Singh Thakur Memorial Tournament played on the OFD Grounds here today.

The first half of the match went goalless as some good goal-bearing attempts went futile. However, in the next half Eleven Star struck twice to knock Khalanga out of the tournament.

Mohit (39th minute) and Anidihya (50th) scored a goal each. On the other hand, Khalanga failed to retaliate even in the second half and lost the important match.

In the second encounter, Bajrang XI edged past Nehru Gram 1-0. The deciding goal was scored by Saurabh in the 55th minute through a penalty. No other goal came throughout the match.

Meanwhile, OLF is to face Sunderwala and Adhoiwala is scheduled to play against Raipur Khadar tomorrow. matches.