Haridwar, June 22
After a brief lull at Patanjali Yogpeeth, which had become the centre of national attention since June 4 when yoga guru Ramdev started an agitation against corruption on the lines of the one launched by Gandhian Anna Hazare, today, amid contradictions on the constitution of Jan Lokpal Bill intensifying between the Union Government and the civil society members, Acharya Balakrishan, MD of Patanjali Yogpeeth, extended his support to the civil society members.

As Ramdev is on “maun vrata”, Acharya Balakrishan spoke for the first time in a week, lending his support to Anna Hazare’s agitation starting from August 16 against the non-seriousness of the Union Government in drafting a transparent and effective Lokpal Bill.

Acharya Balakrishan didn’t specify if the yoga guru would also accompany Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantra or would pay a visit to the venue, saying that as Ramdev is on “maun vrata”, the future course of action can’t be decided by him (Acharya Balakrishan).

Meanwhile, Ramdev is keeping a low profile, away from the media limelight. He meets only a few select persons. On doctors’ advice he had not performed yoga for the past few days, but has now started doing some asanas. He is now staying at Yog Gram situated in Aurangabad village, near Roshanabad, 16 km from Haridwar. The yog guru as usual is not taking food grains but he is just relying on juice and fruits.

Now, all eyes are on the yoga camp scheduled to be held from July 1 at Patanjali Yogpeeth. The camp is usually attended by the 
yoga guru.

Pithoragarh, June 22
Heavy pre-monsoon rain in the hilly areas of Champawat district has led to disruption in the pilgrimage to the Purnagiri temple and has also wrought havoc on Ghimri and Sobla villages in Dharchula sub-division of Pithoragarh district.

Most of the rivulets flooded by rain have led to the blockade of the road to the Purnagiri temple. Heavy mud has deposited on the road compelling the pilgrims to go back to Tanakpur town. On the other hand, the villagers of Sobla village in Dharchula subdivision spent the night of Monday in panic.

“Owing to the heavy rain in hilly terrains, the way to the Purnagiri temple at the Batlagar point has been blocked with landslide debris and we had to discontinue the pilgrimage and sent the pilgrims back to Tanakpur town,” said VN Shukla, Tehsildar of Tanakpur.

According to the administration, thousands of pilgrims on the way to the temple had to cross the 1.5-km way between Boom and Batlagar on foot amid sliding mud and shooting stones.

“A large number of pilgrims, including women and children, had to be sent back from this risky road,” said the Tehsildar.

Shiv Charan Dwivedi, SDM, Tanakpur, said the administration had deployed personnel with a JCB machine and other road-clearing machinery at the affected spots to remove the debris from the road on a war footing.

“Despite our best efforts, the clearing of the way is not possible in the immediate future. We have chalked out a plan to carve out an alternative way to the temple,” said the SDM. The rain is continuing in the border tehsils of Dharchula and Munsiyari in Pithoragarh district.

“The villages of Ghimari and Sobla, which have been declared calamity-prone by the administration, have witnessed landslides on Monday and a similar situation developed at Maridhami village of Munsiyari subdivision where two check dams were swept away in the flood waters,” said Pan Singh, resident of Maridhami village.

“The link roads to Malla Bhanskot Sainrathi, Samkot and Hokra have been closed for the past some days, causing difficulties to the villagers,” said the villagers.

Dehradun, June 22
Union minister Harish Rawat has urged the Prime Minister to order a special audit of Central funds provided to the Uttarakhand Government for the Mahakumbh Mela, the SAF Winter Games and natural calamity relief.

“The funds given for the purposes were wasted, no infrastructure or assets were created and works were not carried out properly, be it the Mahakumbh Mela, the Games or the management of natural calamities. I have urged the Prime Minister to order a special audit by the Planning Commission or some other agency like the CAG in this regard,” Rawat told mediapersons here.

The minister said he had written to the Prime Minister making a request in this regard.

Rawat said the Centre gave Rs 672 crore for conducting the mela in Haridwar last year, Rs 150 crore for the SAF Winter Games held in Dehradun and Rs 600 crore for the management of natural calamities last year besides Rs 1,000 crore as a special incentive to the state two years ago.

He said the CAG report on the Mahakumbh Mela has stated that the money was squandered for the gain of contractors and other vested interests and virtually no infrastructure was created.

On the SAF Winter Games, the minister alleged that despite having no significant participation from SAF countries, the funds were swindled out. Similarly, the money given for the management of natural calamities that hit the state last year neither reached the victims nor it was used for building or repairing the damaged roads, bridges or projects. — PTI

Dehradun, June 22
By the third week of June, when the peak season of the Char Dham Yatra is considered to be over by officials, it is unfortunate that the state government has woken up to shortcomings on the yatra route. Officials of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam also admit to serious lapses in the infrastructure on the route and at destinations.

Assistant general manager (tourism) DS Panwar said Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had also complained about various problems on the Char Dham route during his recent yatra, for which he had even taken the officials concerned to task.

“The CM had made a right assessment. Roads still continue to be in a bad shape. All claims of having repaired the roads are false. The availability of drinking water is also poor. I wonder what the district administrations in these areas are doing despite a whooping budget given to them to improve the existing infrastructure and facilities,” he said.

Assistant general manager (yatra) PC Juyal complained about traffic jams being witnessed in the stretch from Phata to Gaurikund and Sonprayag. Juyal said: “People often miss their transport and luggage and get separated from each other at these stretches. A chaos always prevails there. The district administration has failed to take any step to control the situation. There are no proper arrangements on the route. No traffic personnel has been deputed to streamline the traffic. Facilities to provide relief to pilgrims to help them finding their missing kin are also missing.” Another official complained of a shortage of doctors, ambulances and first aid facilities on the route.

Dehradun, June 22
The Uttarakhand State Council of Confederation of Indian Industry is keenly pursuing the linking of the state to the proposed Eastern Freight Corridor to boost industrial development. Addressing a press conference here today, Vijay K Thandani, Chairman, Confederation of India Industries (CII), northern region, said they were looking into the possibilities of linking the state to the proposed corridor.

He said the setting up of container depots at Iqbalpur and Roorkie in Haridwar would help the state getting itself linked to the corridor, which would help in the smooth transportation of goods and raw materials in and out of the state.

Rakesh C Aggarwal, Vice-Chairman (CII), said the corridor corridor that connected Punjab to West Bengal via Delhi was vital for the industrial growth of the country.

In response to a query, Aggarwal said despite the industrial package coming to an end, the industry was still hopeful.

Dr S Farooq, Chairman (CII), said the state industry strongly believed in the concept of the “green industry” and was committed to conserving the environment. 

Dehradun, June 22
After completing the soil-to-silk section at the Silk Park, the Directorate of Sericulture is now planning to tie up with the Central Silk Board (Karnataka) for setting up a demonstration-cum-training centre.

Located at the Directorate of Sericulture, the Silk Park was set up a couple of years ago to boost silk production and provide a platform to farmers and entrepreneurs to upgrade their skills.

“ The first phase of the soil-to-silk section is complete. Different varieties of silk that are locally produced are now available under one roof. Work on the second phase, silk to fabric stage, will be started shortly. For this phase, we hope to demonstrate silk production activity right from the thread to the yarn manufacturing process in collaboration with the Central Silk Board. Visitors will be given a demonstration of the making of silk yarn from cocoons to silk cloth,” said SM Sharma, Director, Directorate of Sericulture (Uttarakhand).

Besides, the Directorate is in touch with the Governments of Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir for setting up separate kiosks showcasing silk crafts of both states. “Kashmir silk and ‘Jhar silk’ are already popular. It will also provide an opportunity to visitors to choose silk products from these states,” added Sharma.

To provide a historical perspective to the entire process of silk making, a museum tracing the history of silk will also be set up.

A cooperative bank has also been opened at the park but the directorate is not keen on setting up a transaction cell on the premises. “Silk exchange can only work in places where production is in bulk. Here sericulture activity is subsidiary and seasonal. The focus of the park is on training and sampling,” emphasized BC Joshi, Scientist ‘C’, Demonstration-cum-Training Centre.

The authorities at the park believe that it has the 
potential of becoming a tourist attraction in the coming days. 

Dehradun, June 22
The Akhil Bhartiya Janvadi Mahila Samiti held a discussion on, “The critical state of women as per the plunging sex ratio”, here today.

Dr Anita said women had to fight exploitation against them in a unified manner.“The girls not only have to bear the brunt of bias throughout their life, but violence in the womb also,” she said.

Dr Usha Mishrat said women were being forced to kill a girl child in womb. A seven-point resolution was also passed by members of the samiti.

They also demanded to activate PCPNDT committees to check female foeticide, appointment of a safety officer to enforce the Domestic Violence Act, building working women hostels in districts, the strengthening of the State Women Commission, imposing a banning on flesh trade and providing property rights to children.

Geeta Himwal, Kavita, Chanda Mamgai, Nuraisa Ansari, Shakumbhari Rawat and others spoke on the issue.

Nainital, June 22
The All-India Trades Cup Hockey Championship, which once enjoyed a distinguished status, has lost the interest of the public and the authorities. Perhaps, it all symbolises the downfall of hockey at the national level.

Started in 1922 and at present in its 89th year, the Trades Cup came to include the Northern Division of India in 1945, eventually acquiring an all-India status in 1950 on an active intervention of the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Gobind Ballabh Pant.

Secretary of the District Sports Association (DSA) Ganga Prasad Sah said: “This was the sole tournament that the authorities did not put a stop to during World War II. Indian Olympians who have displayed their skills as participants in this event in the past include Pargat Singh, Mohammad Shahid, Dhanraj Pillai, KD Singh, RS Rawat, Syed Ali and M.P. Singh. However, the legendary, Dhyan Chand, could not play here but his brother Rup Chand did.”

This diminished interest of the public and the authorities is reflective of the consistently deteriorating status of hockey.

Sah fondly remembers the time three decades ago when the popularity of the tournament was such that it was often impossible to get a place to sit. The picture is altogether different now.

A minimal crowd one gets to see today tells a different story. Sah says: “There is no government policy for hockey at the state or Central levels. Another reason is more emphasis on education, which leaves a little space to nurture the sports culture in India.”

Satnam Singh, manager of the FCI, feels that the absence of jobs for hockey players is a major deterrent to the aspiring players.

“The assurance of permanent job to players, as opposed to the current practice of contracts and stipends, will make this a more lucrative career option,” he says.

Dehradun, June 22
Raju Chauhan shone in the 1-0 win of Doon Star over Akranta during the 60th Lala Nemi Dass Memorial District Football League held at the Pavilion ground here today.Chauhan struck the goal of the day in the 20th minute to lead his team to victory. After this goal the first half ended on 1-0 in Doon Star’s favour. The second half despite some good efforts failed to record any goal.

The second match between Doon Challengers and Balaji ended on 0-0. The two sides put up a good show but no success could be attained by either team.

In tomorrow’s fixtures, Vijay Cantt is scheduled to play Uttarakhand Tigers and Khukri will lock horns with Doon Challengers.

Mussoorie, 22 June
The first Inter-Frontier Karate Championship began at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Grounds here today.More than five teams from the force consisting of nearly 120 participants are competing for the brown and black belts.

The chief guest, DIG (Administration) Devendar Singh declared the championship open. He said that from this year the ITBP had introduced the inter-frontier competition along with the inter-sector championship that was held annually.

The championship is being conducted according to All- India Karate-Do Federation guidelines. A central team will also be selected after the championship which will represent the force in national and international championships.

Dehradun, June 22
“It has come as a nightmare for all security agencies that after the death of Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaida could procure fissile material and pose a threat to security,” said West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan at the 41st All-India Police Science Congress here today.

Talking to mediapersons, he said: “Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism is a possible threat to the country, but not an immediate threat.” He said they were trying to strengthen the police force. He said the police should do verifications of all shops and its nearby places. When asked about the success of the science congress, he said the impact of knowledge could not be counted. Narayanan also categorically denied the use of the Army in the Naxal-infested areas. 

Dehradun, June 22
Wipro, an IT company, visited the Sri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences here yesterday. As many as 35 students were selected at a placement camp.

Nearly 140 students from Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Haldwani, Kashipur, Roorkee and Dehradun participated in the camp. The selection process was headed by Ovasis Chisti, a representative of Wipro. Students having good communication skills and aptitude were selected.