Dehradun, July 5
Finally, the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) has started a flood control room on its premises in order to cope with monsoon woes. But sources maintained that no facility other than a table, chair and telephone had been provided to officials.

The DMC, in association with the PWD and Irrigation Department, has set up the control room recently in its conference hall where two employees, one beldar and one mate, would be working round the clock. The team has also been provided with the sanitation inspector along with six persons from the nala gang, two drivers and two vehicles so that they can reach the spot immediately.

Dinesh Sharma, Nagar Abhiyanta, DMC, has been appointed as the nodal officer. Talking to The Tribune, he said people could call at 2652571 in case water entered their houses during torrent rains.

The corporation does not want to take risk this year as during the last monsoon season, residents of various areas faced flood-like situation and now they need to be extra cautious due to the ongoing works like digging up of the roads for putting up water pipes.

Not many officials knew the telephone number of the control room. Mayor Vinod Chamoli said the number could be had from his office but his personal assistant was also not aware of the number and said he would get it from the control room. But when he tried to call on the given number, nobody picked up the phone.

Talking to The Tribune, Councillor Raj Kumar mentioned that most of the time officials on duty did not pick up the phone, especially late in the night. “I had called at the control room at 10:30 pm last week when the rain started and continued for two consecutive days but no one picked up the phone and when I went there, I saw that all were sleeping and none was bothered about the happenings in its surroundings,” he retorted.

While councillor Ashok Verma, also leader of the opposition, DMC, affirmed that the corporation had completed its formality for the control room as it was of no use due to the lack of various instruments that was required by the staff sitting over there. “The nigam has not provided them with items like gum boots, torch, rope, ladder and devices that are required to remove water from houses. None of the persons sitting there is actually working,” he stated.

Mussoorie, July 5
A leopard succumbed to its injuries in the jungle near Jaad village in the Saklana forest range, 35 km from here, yesterday. The body of the leopard was burnt after a post-mortem examination was conducted on it today.

The two-year-old female leopard with serious injuries was spotted by villagers last night. They informed the Forest Department about it immediately.

According to range officer Saklana AK Tyagi, a team of the department rushed to the spot to save the animal. The team found that the leopard had suffered serious injuries.

Tyagi called in for medical help but before the wildcat could be provided medical care, it succumbed to its injuries.

The preliminary examination suggested that it might have suffered spinal chord injuries while chasing a prey.

Mussoorie, July 5
Residents of Indira Colony protested and blocked traffic on Mussoorie-Kempty Road near the Sanjha Darbar premises for hours against the shortage and poor supply of LPG cylinders due to the mismanagement by gas agencies today.

According to the residents, they were told by the agency that domestic gas would be distributed around 11 am so they assembled on the road near Sanjha Darbar with their empty cylinders, but the agency vehicle coming from Nainbagh town proceeded ahead without stopping at the assigned area.

The angry residents had blocked the traffic for hours demanding the return of the vehicle leaving the tourists heading towards Kempty Fall stranded.

The agitated residents said they would open the blockade only after their demand for proper supply of gas cylinders was met.

SDM Mussoorie Manoj Kumar had to rush to the spot to pacify the angry mob consisting mainly of housewives after the efforts of the police to lift the blockade failed completely.

The residents alleged that the gas agency was harassing people by not providing gas cylinders on time and instead was supplying cylinders in black to commercial institutions.

SDM, Manoj Kumar, taking cognizance of the matter contacted the agency and directed it to rush a fresh supply of domestic gas immediately.

Speaking on the allegations of shortage and black marketing, he said no complaint had been received so far, but he would investigate the matter and rectify the problem on priority. He further said he would not move from the spot until all residents had received gas cylinders.

The residents lifted the blockade much to the relief of the stranded tourists, only after they were assured by the SDM, Mussoorie.

Dehradun, July 5
The first six months of this year have seen a dip in the crime graph in the state. A total of 3,969 cases were registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) till June 15 last year while during the corresponding period this year the number has come down to 3,565.

Cases of loot, murder and riots have seen a significant decline. Against 76 cases of loot registered last year, only 49 have been registered so far this year. The number of murder cases has come down to 63 this year against 74 last year.

The number of riots cases, which was 201 and 207, respectively in the previous two years, is only 150 in 2011 so far. Also, the cases of burglary have come down from 133 last year to 123 this year.

The number of cases of rape and dacoity remained almost the same. Fourtyfive cases of rape have been reported so far this year while the number was 44 during the corresponding period in 2009. The number of dacoity cases was five and six, respectively, during 2009 and 2010.

The number of the cases of crime against women registered with the state police has also plummeted to 516 this year as against 620 last year. Like always, the maximum number of cases have been registered in the districts of Dehradun and Haridwar.

Police officials said policing was being revamped in all the districts. According to Dehradun SSP Ganesh Singh Martolia, 80 per cent of theft and chain snatching have been solved in Dehradun. About 30 to 35 per cent cases of vehicle theft, which has increase to massive proportions, have been solved. As regards matrimonial cases, 50 per cent of the couples have been persuaded to reunite while the remaining 50 per cent have refused to be reunited at any cost.

Dehradun, July 5
Tuesday was the day for three thieves to get instant punishment for their crime on the spot. In three separate incidents, three thieves were caught red-handed and were given thrashing by the public today. They were later handed over to the police.

In the first incident on the Kanwali Road, a thief was caught while he was stealing seven LPG cylinders. He was spotted by shopkeepers who caught hold of him and gave him a sound thrashing. Others present there also joined them and they all beat up the thief. Meanwhile, the police reached the spot and took him in custody. The police had a tough time taking him away from the crowd.

In a rural area at Raipur, a man, who was caught with 17 stolen cows, was badly beaten up by local residents. He was later handed over to the police. The police is questioning him for his involvement in more cases of cow theft.

In yet another incident of theft, a smalltime thief had to face the ire of the public in the Basant Vihar area when he was caught stealing something from a grocery shop.

He was nabbed by the shop owner, who, along with other shopkeepers, thrashed him. The police took him to the Basant Vihar police station. Till the filing of the report, the identity of the three thieves had not ben confirmed.

Dehradun, July 5
Acclaimed Hindi film producer, screenwriter and director, Chetan Anand, who put Indian cinema on the world map, has a strong link with Uttarakhand.

It was during his teaching days at The Doon School that he got influenced to work in the film industry, tells Manoj Panjani, a city-based researcher and documentary maker, on the 14th death anniversary of Chetan Anand.

He spent some time as a student at Gurukul Kangri in Haridwar and had taught in The Doon School, Dehradun, as an English and history teacher.

“While at The Doon School he was very friendly with Sudhir Khastgir who used to teach painting. They would discuss art for hours together and share several fond memories,” Panjani told The Tribune.

“He was also visited by a German friend who gave him two books titled “The Film Form” and “The Film Scene”, which influenced him towards script writing. He wrote a film script based on the life of Emperor Ashoka during his teaching days at The Doon School,” added Panjani.

Subsequently, he did his masters from Government College, Lahore, where BR Chopra and Khushwant Singh were his class fellows.

Chetan and his younger siblings, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand, who also became legends of the Hindi cinema, spent their holidays at The Doon School. “Dev Anand, in his autobiography, has gone on record to say that his trademark mannerisms, which made him the star, were picked up from the students of The Doon School,” Panjani said.

“In 1944, he quit his job at The Doon School and went to Bombay (now Mumbai). Interestingly, Phani Majumdar gave him a role in a film, “Rajkumar”. In 1946, he made “Neecha Nagar”, starring Kamini Kaushal and famous radio artist Rafi Peer. The film won him accolades and bagged the Palme d'Or (Best Film) award at the Cannes Film Festival,” he said.

Later in 1949, he, along with his brother Dev Anand, started Navketan Production. He made “Andhiyan” under this banner. Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan composed music for the film, which was based on domestic violence. It made an entry to the Venice Film Festival.

Panjani maintains: “It is also said that the youngest among the Anand brothers, Vijay, was considerably influenced by Chetan to step into the film industry during their vacations at The Doon School.”

However, Vijay wrote the story of “Taxi Driver”, which was directed by his eldest brother on a shoestring. The film became a huge success. “Funtoosh” was the last film Chetan directed for the Navketan Production banner, after which he set up his own banner by the name, Himalaya Films.

Chetan breathed his last on July 6, 1997.

He had won the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film for “Haqeeqat” in 1965 and the Filmfare Best Story Award for “Kudrat” 1982.

Dehradun, July 5
The women employees of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) are feeling demoralised for the woman manager deputed at the Sahastradhara Tourist Rest House of the nigam, who has complained against the Company Secretary, has not been heard properly. Though General Manager UC Kabadwal has said he would look into the matter.

Rani Rawat, the Manager of the Sahastradhara Tourist Rest House has complained that Company Secretary Krishanand Sharma came drunk at the Sahastradhara guest house on the night of June 22 and began hurling abuses on the staff and making the guests, who were sleeping at that time, open the doors of their rooms. She said: “I don’t stay at night and leave for my home at Doiwala. It was the next day, my staff and the nearby shopkeepers, including village panch Bharat Singh Rawat, narrated me the whole incident. If the Company Secretary of the GMVN will denigrate the image of the nigam before tourists and others, then nobody can save it from getting ruined.”

Bharat Singh Rawat has also submitted a complaint to the Principal Secretary, Tourism, against the Company Secretary regarding the same issue.

Krishanand Sharma, on the other hand, passed the entire blame on the manager, saying that he had gone to “cross-check” a complaint, which somebody had made through an anonymous call to him regarding the stay of some women of dubious character at the rest house. Though he found none, he felt that the manager, in order to evade the payment of a due amount of Rs 20,000 and save her skin regarding the content of the call, turned tabled on him, he added.

Rani Rawat felt disheartened for not getting an audience with the General Manager. She said: “When I went to explain to the GM, I wasn’t called in, and had to return feeling insulted.”

The women employees of the nigam office in Dehradun express their discontent in muted manner. An employee said they were feeling demoralised for not getting treated on equal terms. They wanted action against the Company Secretary for misusing his position and that the woman manager be heard properly.

Kabadwal has said he was looking into the matter from both the angles. He said: “I have been getting a few complaints about the Sahastradhara Tourist Rest House in the past as well. But in this matter, I find the Company Secretary too at fault to some extent. He should not have gone to the rest house without taking prior permission from the higher-ups or taking other officials into confidence. As far as his being in a drunken state at that time is concerned, it can not be established without corroborative evidence.”

Meanwhile, Rani also castigated the management for caring little about the pathetic state of the building of the rest house and facilities provided to tourists. She said: “The building is in very bad shape and can collapse any time. The facilities are negligible. The area is not safe either given the incidents of violence taking place in the nearby village quite frequently. The management has been turning a deaf ear to my complaints and is not transferring me for the past two years.”

Dehradun, July 5
The Dehradun District Women’s Congress Committee has decided to highlight the wrongdoings of the Uttarakhand BJP government before the people.

At a meeting held at Congress Bhawan today, Dehradun District Women’s Congress Committee president Madhu Semwal exhorted party workers to highlight the misdeeds of the Uttarakhand BJP government before the people. She said it was important that this scam-tainted Uttarakhand BJP government got exposed.

The meeting accused the BJP of targeting Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat. “As Rawat is a popular leader in the Congress, the Uttarakhand BJP is levelling false accusations against him”, Semwal said. She asserted that the women’s Congress firmly stood behind the Leader of the Opposition.

Madhu Semwal also held the Uttarakhand BJP government responsible for Swami Nigmanand’s death. She said the BJP government totally ignored the concerns raised by Swami Nigmanand and neglected him completely which led to his death.

A large number of Dehradun Women’s Congress workers attended the meetings.

Dehradun, July 5
In support of their four-point charter of demands, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers today marched up to the Secretariat from the Parade Ground.

In the morning, the ASHA workers owing allegiance to the Uttarakhand Asha Swasthya Karyakarti Union gathered at the Parade Ground and then marched towards the Secretariat.

They also staged a demonstration near the Secretariat.

Later, Shiva Dubey, president of the Uttarakhand Asha Swasthya Karyakarti Union, submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister and the Secretary (Health).

The ASHA workers are demanding the revocation of a government order that slashed their honorariums. “According to the previous government’s order, the ASHA workers were entitled for an honorarium of Rs 600 in the rural areas and Rs 200 in the urban areas . But the government later slashed it to Rs 350 in the rural areas and Rs 100 in the urban areas. We want the government to revoke the order,” said Dubey.

Mussoorie, July 5
Jasvinder Gogi of the Youth Congress has lambasted the Nishank Government.

At a press conference held here today, Gogi said the BJP Government had failed to provide employment to the youth of the state contrary to the announcement made by Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank promising to give unemployment allowance to the youth, thus misleading the youth of the state.

He said three years ago the government had inserted advertisements for 1,923 posts of Gramin Vikas Adhikari for which more than 1.5 lakh youth had applied through Rs 100-application form each. A big amount of Rs 1.5 crore was collected as form fee but no posts have been filled so far.

Gogi further said Nishank should tender an apology to the youth for failing to deliver on his promise.

Gogi also blamed the government for rising inflation in the state and demanded that the government should remove the 25 per cent VAT on LPG gas and 21 per cent VAT on petro products so that the citizens of the state are provided relief from the rising prices. He warned that if the government did not heed to its demands, the Youth Congress would begin an agitation from August 20.

A member of the Youth Congress, Gaurav Agarwal, said the BJP Government had miserably failed on all the fronts and people were ready to oust it in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The Youth Congress vice-president Jyoti Rautela, Amit Kaintura and others were also present. — OC

Dehradun, July 5
The Women Study Centre of Shri Guru Ram Rai College, Dehradun, here today released a newsletter, Shaktiroopa, in the presence of dignitaries and the faculty. Dedicated to women and their empowerment, Shaktiroopa narrates the story of women’s struggle in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand.

The ceremony was conducted under the supervision of Professor V A Bourai, principal of the college, while Vinita Shah, senior project manager, Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board, released the newsletter.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said, “The women of Uttarakhand are very hardworking. They not only go out and work to earn the livelihood, but also perform the household work efficiently. I would like to congratulate all involved in bringing this newsletter into existence and for gathering such relevant information about women in our state.”

“I salute our ladies that brought laurels to Uttarakhand,” she added.

Dehradun, July 5
XI Star got the better of Indira Club 4-1 in the 60th Lala Nemi Dass Memorial District Football League held at the Pavilion ground here today.

Indira Club scored the first goal of the match through Kamal in the seventh minute. However, the team could not score any goal throughout the match later. Lalit (22th), Gompo (24th), Shera (34th) and

Akash (58th) scored for the winning team.

Another match, Thakurpur and BC Milan, ended in a draw, one each.

Guru Shankar (47th) scored for Thakurpur and Abhinav Negi (51st) for 
BC Milan.

Tomorrow, Rising Star will take on Gypsy Club and Uttarakhand Tigers will meet Yankies. The two matches are considered one of the tough encounters of the league this year.