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Mild summer in state this year
Cloudburst in Tehri, no casualty
Margaret Alva’s iron fist in a velvet glove
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Mixed reaction to sanitation situation in Bakralwala
Circus past its heyday, finds few takers
Sufi songs, qawwalis enthral
Five killed in mishap
Minister supports 74th Amendment Act
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Mild summer in state this year
Dehradun, May 29 According to Dr Anand Sharma, Executive Director, Dehradun Meteorological Centre, the rain is very likely to continue in the hilly areas of the state in the next 24 hours while there could be isolated rain in the plain areas. Referring to the rain during the months of summer, Dr Sharma said on-and-off rain being experienced in Uttarakhand, that started from April, had been caused by the westerly disturbances. He said the moisture-filled south-eastern winds too were aiding the recent rainfall. He admitted that Uttarakhand could be witness to mild summer due to these spells of rain that were not allowing rise in temperatures, generally seen during the summer season. On the other hand, Doonites rejoiced another rainy day with temperature levels coming down drastically. It also gave them respite from the scorching heat. Dust caused by widespread digging of the roads also got settled in the rain.
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Cloudburst in Tehri, no casualty
Dehradun, May 29 The incident took place at around 2.30 pm today after the region experienced incessant rainfall. The cloudbust has washed away a number of livestock, while two footbridges have been damanged in the rain. The district administration officials have gone to the affected site to assess the damage. It is noteworthy that the Budakedar region of Tehri witnessed a cloudburst even on an earlier occasion. Way back in 2002, a cloudburt in the area resulted in the deaths of 11 persons. Meanwhile, a bus got stuck on the Gangotri highway in Uttarakashi district when mud flowed on to the road. Similarly a landslide was reported from the Yamunotri region.
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Nainital Diary UTTARAKHAND Governor Margaret Alva is not only a keen observer but also an eloquent orator. It has been observed that the lady conveys even strong messages in a subtle manner that have to be read between the lines. This skill of hers has earned her a lot of appreciation among the intelligentsia and political observers in the region. During her address at a conclave of Indian mountain states, organised by the Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) at Nainital, she pointed out that the Indian Government needed to revise its rules pertaining to protocols. Propagating the need to cut down on pollution levels, she said, “As a Governor, I am provided with a fleet of 13 vehicles. I have told them to reduce the fleet to a maximum of four vehicles, but the authorities say that they have to abide by the rules. There is no requirement for me to have these many vehicles.” She said besides helping in an austerity drive, the amendments to the laws pertaining to protocols would go a long way in contributing towards the drive against noise and air pollution. Her suggestion is contrary to the beliefs of the politicians in the state who love to flaunt the number of vehicles in their convoy. Her statement at the same event that ‘green bonus’ funds need to be monitored was again interpreted as a strong message for the state government. The Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank-led government in the state has been raising the demand at almost every available forum for a ‘green bonus’ while a large number of people and organisations are skeptical about their optimum and ideal usage. Alva’s statement is being seen as a veiled message to the state government that the utility of these funds will be managed as and when it gets it. The Governor once again utilised the opportunity to send across a message during the inauguration of the New Golf Club building and van Chetna Kendra at Raj Bhawan on Wednesday. This time she pointed out the functioning of the Public Works Department (PWD), stating that it was known for giving a scare to everyone as the officials had a tendency to complete the tasks entrusted to them at the very last moment. Referring to the completion of the building near the deadline, she made a remark, “I was thinking that there will be another instance like the CWG (Commonwealth Games) and I will be sent to the jail.” She qualified her statement by congratulating the officials for having executed the work on time and added that some of them had lost weight in the process! Pulling no punches
Senior politician from the state Munna Singh Chauhan is known for his strong political statements. A leader, who is said to be among the most well versed in the legislative procedures, has been in the news for speaking frankly on issues. He had a couple of tongue-in-cheek remarks to make against both the Congress and the BJP in the state during his recent visit to Nainital. He reacted strongly to the allegations made by Harish Rawat, following the loss of zila panchayat chairperson’s poll by the Congress in Haridwar which happens to be Rawat’s present parliamentary constituency. Rawat had charged that
the BJP and the BSP had entered into an “unholy alliance” to defeat the Congress in the poll. Chauhan said, “Before making this statement, Rawat should have realised that it was his faction that had colluded with the BJP to ensure that Madhu Chauhan (his wife) got defeated in the Dehradun zila panchayat chairperson’s poll. I must point out that Harish Rawat has reaped in Hardwar what he had sown in Dehradun.” On a statement made by former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member Bhagat Singh Koshiyari about the present Chief Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank -- a section of the Press had reported that Koshiyari had stated that there was no other Chief Minister like Nishank in the whole of India -- Chauhan said, “I agree with him that there really is no other Chief Minister like Nishank in the country. There was one but he is no longer in office.”
Better late than never seems to be the message learnt by political leaders in Uttarakhand. The political leadership from various parties has finally jumped onto the cyber bandwagon and is now becoming visible on social networking sites. Most of the prominent faces fromthe ruling party as well as the opposition are available on Facebook. Among those who are pretty active on this networking site are Congress president Yash Pal Arya, senior party leader Suryakant Dhasmana, Lok Sabha member from Tehri Vijay Bahuguna, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) members Pushpesh Tripathi and Kashi Singh Airy, Cabinet minister Prakash Pant and Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank himself. Ironically, the networking site has also emerged as a platform for sycophancy which has become an integral part of the state politics. People can be seen pasting messages on the walls of these leaders that are nothing short of sycophancy and eulogise them to the extent that it appears that these leaders have really made the state a heavenly place which is quite contradictory to the public perception. Another irony is that the state’s Information Technology Minister Balwant Singh Bhauryal is nowhere to be seen on the Net. Neither has he been seen talking about plans to develop the the IT sector in Uttarakhand till now.
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Ambedkar remembered on birth anniversary
Mussoorie, May 29 Sohan Pal Sumankshar, remembering the architect of the Constitution, said Dr BR Ambedkar contributed immensely towards the Dalit movement. He said Dr Ambedkar was a born rebel and builder of modern India. He was a scholar, revolutionary and statesman who fought for the socio-political rights of millions of untouchables. He played a crucial role in shaping the destiny of free India and left indelible imprints on our national life. Ambedkar brought about profound changes in the contemporary Indian society with a new sense of identity among the Dalits. Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola said Dr Ambedkar fought tooth and nail against the exploitation of Dalits and strived for a society based on liberty, equality and fraternity, all his life. He further said that the Dalit movement should take a cue from his philosophy and work towards the goal as emphasised by the leader. Municipal Council president Uniyal, remembering Dr Ambedkar, said efforts should be made to create a structural space for Dalit participation in decision-making, promoting a revolutionary culture among them, establishing values of struggle against any act of injustice, and nurturing the vision at achieving liberation of mankind in the present context. Former MC president Manmohan Singh Mall, Mussoorie Dalit Sahitya Academy President Narendar Kumar, laying stress on education, said that education was the key to the emancipation of the Dalits. Santosh Arya, Arvind Sonkar, Sandeep Agarwal, Amir Ahmed, Mohammad Kamil and others were also present on the occasion.
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Doon Civic Blues Ward No. 12
Dehradun, May 29 The councillor of the ward and physician, Dr Brijendra Pal Singh, who runs his clinic in the area, says his area doesn’t face any major problem. He visits the entire area of his ward early in the morning and ensures that the safai karamcharis are doing their work properly, he adds. He has got constructed roads and small drains in the ward at a cost of about Rs 2 crore. “Most of the roads here are in good shape while work is in progress to lay new ones in many parts of the ward,” Dr Singh says. The councillor, who is from the Congress, is happy as most of the area of his ward has sewerage. “It is only the Krishan Society that has not been provided with the sewerage facility. The society delayed the submission of the NOC for the same. Now, that the NOC has been submitted to the authorities, a proposal to lay sewerage in the society has been sent to the Jal Nigam.” While talking to the residents of the area, The Tribune received a mixed response. Some are happy but others feel that there is no one to listen to their grievances. Sunita Patani, resident of Rajpur, says she faces no trouble in her area as roads are smooth and the safai karamcharis do their work regularly. “If we face any problem we tell our councillor who immediately try to solve it. He even visits the affected places whenever required,” she affirmed. Amar Singh, who owns a tailor shop in Green Valley, said he faced a lot of trouble during rainy days as water entered his shop. “My shop is situated on a slope, due to which whenever there is rain water enters the shop. I have complained about the same to the authorities a number of time, but no one pays heed to it,” he claimed. Abhinandan Sharma, resident of Neishvilla Road, was angry about the unhygienic conditions in his locality. “The safai karamchari do not clean the area regularly. On the top of it they demand money from residents in order to get the area clean,” he alleged. “Though the councillor sees to it that cleaning is done regularly, he can’t be available at all the places all the time,” he added.
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Circus past its heyday, finds few takers
Dehradun, May 29 The Apollo Circus, which started its shows recently in the city, will be here for a month to entertainment the people. “Once favourite among children and their families, the circus is today finding it hard to survive amid many challenges like financing, equipment, lighting, maintenance etc. We are at a loss due to a ban on the participation of animals in shows. A majority of artistes are migrant workers, who want their salaries on time,” said YA Siddiqui, Manager (Apollo Circus). Siddiqui said the main attraction of Apollo Circus was trapeze stunts by our artistes from Nepal, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to officials of the circus, the first day witnessed nearly 2,000 spectators, but the sustainability of the crowd cannot be presumed. “We hope to do good business in Dehradun as the troupe has come to a hilly area with people having an inclination towards art and entertainment. We need huge funds to balance our expenditures as revenue generated is very less and out of this, most of it is spent on looking after animals, artistes and maintenance,” said Shyam Singh Thapa, co-manager of the circus. “Despite all odds, Apollo Circus is running three shows daily, but until the government steps in with supportive measures, the circus will not be able to sustain its identity in the entertainment industry,” added Siddiqui.
Artiste talks of his days in films
Dehradun, May 29 Kechar, who is in the city, shared his experience in the entertainment industry. “I was very young when my parents had passed away. With no educational qualifications to support my career, one of my friends introduced me to the world of the circus and this is how my career started,” said Madan. He started his career from Raymond Circus and later shifted to Amar Circus, Rhynee Circus, Venus Circus and many others. He did many daring stunts in movies and in circus performances. Born and brought up in Kerala, he is now leading the life of a wanderer with the circus company. His wife also works along with him and looks after the safety and other requirements of girl artistes in the circus. “The experience of working with Shahrukh Khan and other senior TV artistes taught me a lot,” he added. “Amitabh Bachchan is my favourite hero and working with him gave me a great delight,” said elated Kechar. “I was offered work in Bollywood as an action assistant by one of the great stunt men, Veeru Devgan, father of actor Ajay Devgan. But my passion for the circus didn’t allow me to chose that profession. I love the stage of the circus and the applause of the audience after every show gives me an immense delight,” he added.
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Sufi songs, qawwalis enthral
Dehradun, May 29 Samia was brilliant not only in compêring the evening’s programme but she also sang a few songs, including ‘Duma Dum Mast Qalandar’ in honour of the great Sindhi Sufi mystic Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. Other singers who rendered soul-stirring songs and qawwallis were Kapil Sharma, Jubin Nautiyal and last but not the least little girl Zara. However, the soul of the evening programme was Vandana Shrivastava. She teaches vocal music at Welham Boys’ School, and has also been instrumental in imparting lessons in music during her vacations to all other participants in the soiree. Interestingly, it was the first time that all singers had joined hands to participate jointly in the programme. There were some Sufi songs from popular Hindi films. These included ‘Allah he Rahem’ from “My Name is Khan”, ‘Aaya tere dar pe deewana’ from “Veer-Zara” and ‘Arziya’ from “Delhi-6”. The presence of the mother-daughter duo of Devi Wahi and Madhu was much evident in organising for the first time a Sufi music evening. Both Devi and Madhu explained the significance of Sufi music and said that Sri Aurobindo, too, had recognised Sufism as one of a number of ‘Mahomedan Yogas’ since it bore similarity to his yoga in as much as it sought to transform everyday life into religion, so that every action carried some spiritual fruit.
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Five killed in mishap
Dehradun, May 29 The injured have been referred to Base Hospital at Srinagar. The deceased include one woman. It is also feared that two of the passengers, who reportedly fell into the river, have been washed away. The police is trying to ascertain the total number of passengers travelling in the ill-fated jeep. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has mourned the deaths of five passengers. He has directed the Pauri Garhwal district administration to take care of the injured and the families of the deceased.
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Minister supports 74th Amendment Act
Dehradun, May 29 Speaking on the occasion, state Minister for Urban Development Madan Kaushik said he would try that the councillors from Uttarakhand get some allowance. Earlier, Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli had apprised him that no grant was being given to him as well as the councillors of the city and that they were being forced to spend for everything from their pockets. The minister further said that he would try to get the 74th Amendment Act implemented in the state. Baljit Singh Bir Behman, vice-chairman of the AIMC and Bathinda Mayor, said he was getting Rs 15,000, along with other facilities, while the councillors of his area were only getting Rs 8, 000 and despite that, they put in their best efforts for the development of the area. A team of 12 mayors (both present and former), along with former Mayor of Kota Suman Shiring, a special member from Rajasthan, had gathered here to participate at the 101st meeting of the executive committee of the AIMC.
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Dehradun, May 29
Dehradun, May 29
