Dehradun, June 24
With the attachment of surgeons, work has taken a big hit at Doon District Hospital. To tide over the shortage of medical officials in the hills, the state government has started sending medical officials to the hills from the main hospitals creating a vacuum.

Two surgeons - Dr SD Saklani and Dr RCS Rawat - have been attached to primary health centres at Rudraprayag and Tehri, respectively. As a result, the hospital has been left with only two surgeons - Dr RK Tamta and Dr Anshika Arora, who is on contract. According to sources, patients in need of immediate surgical intervention are being forced to look for alternatives elsewhere. “Patients requiring immediate surgeries should go to some other place due to lack of adequate number of surgeons,” said Rajen Singh, a patient.

Meanwhile, the rotation policy is also not helping the primary health centres in the hills. They lack proper equipments and also there is lack of staff. Many in the Health Directorate are questioning the policy. Most of the doctors view the one-month attachment as a punishment posting. “As of now, five medical officials have been attached to different PHCs and CHCs and we are following the policy,” said Dr BC Pathak, Chief Medical Superintendent, Doon Hospital.

Dehradun, June 24
Monsoon has hit Uttarakhand. Although weak, the monsoon today advanced into most parts of the state.

Announcing the arrival of monsoon in the state, Dr Anand Sharma, executive director, Meteorological Centre, Dehradun, said although as a weak current, the monsoon had finally hit the state. He said the rains would continue in few places in the next 24 hours and the same are likely to pick up from Sunday onwards.

“South Easterlies will prevail for the time being and with western end of the trough moving towards the north, there could be more of rains in the state,” Dr Sharma said, adding rain water harvesting must be practicised by the residents to take full advantage of the rains.

Amidst reports that it could be somewhat deficit monsoon, weathers experts believe that it is not just the quantity, but the distribution of rains that also matters.

Dehradun June 24
With HNB Garhwal University deciding not to release the results of 2,500 students of DAV (PG) College, Dehradun, whose forms of degree examination were rejected earlier this year, the students’ fate hangs in balance.

The affected students today protested against the Vice-Chancellor and locked down the Sub-Registrar’s office.

Anshul Chawla, president of the students’ council, DAV College, said: “We decline to accept the decision of the investigating committee set up by Vice-Chancellor Prof SK Singh. The reports of the committee are untrue as the committee members neither visited the college nor scrutinised the process of submitting the examination forms that were refused by the varsity on being late.”

He has also criticised the attitude of the university for showing step-motherly treatment to the college after receiving the status of centralised university and playing with the future of the students. “The students are worried about their careers and feel that the year will be wasted due to the disruption between the college administration and the varsity,” he added.

According to university officials, the Vice-Chancellor had constituted a committee to review the examination forms submitted by the students of DAV (PG) College after the due date had lapsed. On the basis of the committee’s report the university decided not to evaluate the scripts of these students.

“Besides, the university will take strict action against those responsible for accepting the examination forms past due date,” he added.

Meanwhile, principal of DAV PG College BL Nautiyal was not available for comments. However, the students union of DAV (PG) College has decided to intensify their protest against the varsity till they seek justice.

It is pertinent to mention here that the annual examinations of the university have already begun from March 24. The students have alleged that the university authorities had directed the college administration to allot handwritten roll number cards for the examinations and scrutinise the answersheets.

They further stated that they should be given a “chance to present our views before the committee”.

Anil Tomar, former general secretary of DAV (PG) College students’ union, said: “We have decided to protest against the decision of the V-C and lock the university office in Dehradun on Friday.”

Dehradun, June 24
A 19-year-old BCom (I) student allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her room in the residential complex of the ITBP, where her elder sister works as a havildar, last night. The deceased has been identified as Upasana.

The police said the victim donated blood at a blood donation camp yesterday, which enraged her mother, as the former was not keeping good health. After being chided over the matter, the girl went to her room and took the extreme step.

According to Rakesh Gusain, Inspector of the Basant Vihar police station, Upasana donated blood yesterday morning. After reaching her house, she showed the card to her mother to tell her that she donated blood. Her mother rebuked her for donating blood, following which she committed suicide.

Upasana was instantly shifted to a hospital in the ITBP, where she was declared brought dead.

The police said her father, who was also in the ITBP, got martyred in Punjab during the militancy period.

Dehradun, June 24
The police has failed to nab the men who threw a woman out of a moving car in semi nude and inebriated condition yesterday near Lacchiwala picnic spot.

According to sources, the police got information that some persons had thrown a woman out of a moving car near Lachhiwala picnic spot. On reaching the spot the police found the woman on the roadside inebriated and semi-nude condition.

The police, led by SP (City) Ajay Joshi and Circle Officer Navneet Singh Bhullar, took her to Doon women hospital.

The victim, a native of Bareilly, told reporters that she was brought here by a Shahjahanpur resident on the pretext of buying cows. They left from Bareilly on Thursday in car for some place in Haridwar. However, the man allegedly offered her juice laced with some sedatives on the way. When the victim regained consciousness, she found two more men with the accused. She alleged that they tried to outrage her modesty and when she resisted, she was thrown out of the moving car. The police has started investigation into the matter.

The woman, a divorcée and mother of two, said she had an old dispute with the accused but later became friends.

The police , however, is of the view that the accused was known to the victim and she had gone with him on her own.

Dehradun, June 24
Though the court has given its nod to the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) to remove all illegal hoardings and banners, it seems that political interference is not allowing the DMC and the district authorities to take action against the same.

Sources in the corporation stated that whenever the team visited to any of the spot for removing illegal hoardings, they got call from one or the other politician to stop the work. The situation is same regarding the demolishing of encroachments.

Occasional drives undertaken by the district administration and municipal authorities have failed to leave any concrete effect in curtailing encroachments and installations of illegal hoardings.

Also, most of the time when an DMC team reaches a site, those occupying the illegal constructions attack the officials and their political connections ensure that no legal action is taken against the accused. Furthermore, the DMC is not supported by adequate police force during such demolition drives. As a result most of the government land in various parts of the city is being overrun by encroachments.

Talking to The Tribune Mayor Vinod Chamoli said drive to demolish illegal hoardings had started in the city. “In the first phase all illegal hoardings and banners would be removed. We have invited tenders for the same and only selected people would be able to put up the hoardings and banners. In the second phase we would be removing the roof top hoardings.”

Mussoorie, June 24
Mobile phone, landline and Internet services of state-owned telecom operator BSNL remained disrupted for 16 hours in Mussoorie and surrounding areas yesterday.

The services were disrupted after an underground optical fiber cable line near Padmini Niwas got damaged due to incessant rain.

Besides, telephone exchanges on the Mussoorie-Chamba-Tehri route remained shut due to the disruption.

“The problem arose when the optical fiber cable got pushed above the ground due to rain. It got entangled in the passing truck and snapped completely, damaging the important media line, causing great inconvenience to the local and tourist subscribers, who could not receive or make calls the whole night.

“I had to make an urgent STD call at 8 pm yesterday, but no network was available,” said Ranvir Singh, a BSNL subscriber in Mussoorie.

BSNL sub-divisional officer Ganesh Kothari attributed the delay in restoration of services to the extensive damage to cables near Padmini Niwas. The services were restored around 11 am today.

He also said cables near the Picture palace were also damaged due to the falling debris.

However, subscribers opined that the snapping of services had become a regular feature now due to the faulty ways adopted by the BSNL in laying the cable on the route from Mussoorie to Tehri.

They lamented that the cable that should remain underground was floating on the road and even rolled on tree branches, leading to frequent damage.

The yesterday’s disruption also revealed the false claims made by the department of providing ring service under which alternate arrangements are made by diverting the connections to working lying lines so that the services run smoothly.

BSNL Chief General Manager VK Gupta was unaware of the problem faced by the subscribers last night. Gutpa said the work of laying the cables underground could not be carried out due to the widening of the road.

Dehradun, June 24
In order to pressurise the government to fulfil their demands, the Uttarakhand Fourth Class State Employees Federation (UFCSEU) staged a rally under the leadership of Bhim Singh Verma here today.

The employees demanded implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission.

Addressing the protesters, Verma said they were protesting for fulfilment of the pending demands, including implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission and rectification of the government order, for the past 19 days, but the state government had not fulfilled their demands so far.

He alleged, “Whenever the association starts an agitation for fulfilment of its demands, the government calls up a meeting with the association, but later they extend the meeting dates. We will intensify our agitation if our demands are not met soon.”

Despite the fact that the protests are banned in Gandhi Park, the federation members have been sitting there.

Dehradun, June 24
Employees of the Regional Transport Office boycotted work here today in protest against the thrashing of a road inspector here yesterday allegedly by a customer. They also submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding action against the accused and safety arrangements at the transport office.

President of the union Navani said it was unfortunate that such incidents of manhandling with officers and other employees were increasing on the office premises. The injured road inspector, Ram Prakash, has been admitted to Doon Hospital.

Expressing concern over the incident, Regional Transport Officer Sunita Singh found fault with customer Ratan Lal Sonkar for putting pressure on the road inspector to provide him with the clearance certificate for his vehicle, which did not fulfil the required parameters. She also took note of Sonkar’s accusation that the department deliberately delayed his work, whereas it relaxed all its regulations to let illegal agents work from back door and get the work done more quickly for the customers who paid them commission.

However, she said such a system had been in place for decades and could not be whisked away. Rather, some departments like Income Tax had legalised the role of agents. “Many customers exert pressure on us to forgo rules and when we get stringent, they become violent. Therefore, we need cooperation from customers and safe environs to work in office. Besides, we also require technical support and additional resources for smooth functioning,” she added.

Dehradun, June 24
To press the authorities concerned to accept its demands, the Northern Railway Men’s Union staged a dharna at the entrance of Dehradun railway station today. The protesters handed over a memorandum to the authorities regarding their demands, which included the regularisation of the services of employees, issuance of promotion orders, setting up of a structure to fill vacant posts after the retirement of employees, hike in salaries, increase of 25 per cent in allowances, framing of a new pension scheme and upgrading of Group B employees.

The Ugrasen branch head of the union said union members would continue the protest till their demands were met.

Dehradun, June 24
Dhruv Pal (Uttarakhand) and Aarja Chakraborty (Uttar Pradesh) claimed the title in the boys and girls’ singles under 14 years finals, respectively, in the All-India Talent Series Tennis Tournament that concluded here today at Shanti Tennis Academy.

Dhruv Pal (UK) thrashed Mayuk Rawat (UK) 6-2, 6-0 and Aarja Chakraborty (UP) defeated Rhea Verma (UP) 4-1, 4-1 to win the events.

In the girls’ singles under 14 years final, Sachi Belwal (UK) blanked Aarushi Kakkar (CHD) 4-0, 4-0 to win the title.

Rhea Verma (UP) paired Aarja Chakraborty (UP) to beat Sachi Belwal (UK) and Annanya Bhargav (DLI) to win the girls’ doubles under 14 years title 4-0, 4-0.

In final of the boys’ singles under 12 years, Mritunjay Badola (UK) registered 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 over Utkarsh Bhardwaj (UK). Also, Utkarsh Bhardwaj (UK) joined Mayuk Rawat (UK) to beat Atishay Jain (UK) and Mritunjay Badola (UK) 0-4, 4-0, 10-3 in the boys’ doubles under 14

years.

Chief guest SD Mohan, industrialist, with guest of honour KL Dhawan and BS Negi gave away the trophies and prizes to the winners and the runners-up of the tournament.

Dehradun, June 24
Aldrin struck as many as four goals in the Gorkha Boys’ 6-0 win against Yankies Club during the 60th Lala Nemi Dass Memorial District Football League held at the Pavilion ground here today. Aldrin opened his team’s account as early as in the third minute. Later he netted three goals in quick succession. He scored in the 34th, 40th and 47th minutes of the play.

Mohit (45th) and Aman (60th), also of the winning team, netted a goal each. In the second match, too, Akratna scored a one-sided win of 4-0 against Shivalik Club. Suryapal (45th and 15th), Rakesh (48th) and Praveen (52nd) scored the goals in the win. Tomorrow, Thakurpur will face Doon Valley and Garhwal Boys will play against Balaji.