A delegation of teachers meets Chief Minister BC Khanduri at his residence in Dehradun on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Face of the weeK
Photography is his passion
Dehradun, September 17
“Since teenage, I had an inclination towards photography and other artistic skills that made me leave the priesthood in 2007. During school vacations, I used to take pictures of the nature and cultural activities happening around at Gopeshwar,” says Harish Bhatt.


Harish Bhatt

Dehradun, September 17
Even after three months, the food and supply office is unable to provide new ration cards to residents of the state capital.

There has been an increase in the number of requests for new ration card in the last seven months due to the launch of Atal Khadayan Yojana. Under the scheme, a cardholder can get ration at a cheap price.

Since the number of applications for the new ration cards increased, the department was running short of cards.

Though officials claim that the cards were being printed, everyone knows that printing could happen in just two days.

Sources maintained that the department has started renewing the ration cards two years back but not many people were interested in getting it made then.

They further said that the department used to hold camps in rural as well as urban areas so that people should opt for it.

They even hold the counters on its premises but failed to attract the people. But since the day the Atal Khadayan Scheme was launched in February this year, everyone wanted to get the ration at lesser price.

In order to get the separate ration card made so that they could get the more ration at cheaper amount, the members in the family also showed that they were not interconnected with other members. They are even trying to prove that they live in separate accommodation.

According to the old records, there are 33,416 BPL and 14,575 Antyodya cards, respectively, that have been renewed while 3,27,750 APL cards were made during the last financial year.

The department receives more than 1000 applications every month now.

Sources maintained that the work for collecting the data had been given to the Gram Panchayat Development Officer in gram panchayats as the people in the rural area visit him while in the urban area they visit the office of district food and supply.

M.S.Visan, Food and Supplies Officer, said, “This is the matter of administration now as the cards are to get printed by them. We too are waiting for it to reach us though we are taking the applications for new cards.”

Uttarakhand Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Diwakar Bhatt said that he had no information regarding the shortage of ration cards in the capital city. “There is a demand of about 1.50 lakh of the new ration card all over the state since the Atal Khadyan Scheme was launched. We have got the cards printed and sent to the places from where we got the demand. I have no idea about the shortage of cards in Dehradun and would check it with the officials,” the minister mentioned.

Dehradun, September 17
Inordinate delay in the construction of 11 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) has not only forced the Education Department to seek rented accommodation but also fork out Rs 8.14 lakh annually as rent amount for the premises.

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said that these KGBVs have been pending construction since 2004.

“For 11 KGBVs, a sum of Rs 8.14 lakh paid towards rent could have been avoided, if buildings were constructed on time,” said the report.

The arrangement made by the Education Department is also proving cumbersome for girls who have to make do with poorly furnished living quarters.

The KGBVs with residential facilities aim to provide education to girls (Classes 6 to 8) hailing from the SC/ST and minority communities and are in remote areas of the district.

In Almora there are 2 KGBVs, Haridwar 7, Bageshwar 1, Nainital 1, Chamoli 1, Pauri Garhwal 1, Champawat 1, Pithoragarh 1, Dehradun 2, Tehri 5 , Udham Singh Nagar 2 and in Uttarkashi 4.

Construction work on KGBVs at Kalsi, Chakrata, Narsan, Roorkee and Laksar is in progress.

“We are encountering problems in acquiring land for carrying out construction at Kalsi and Chakrata while in some places the construction has been delayed as these are located in remote areas,” said Matbar Singh Kandari, Education Minister.

Dehradun, September 17
Hope Town will clash with Carman School whereas Welham Girls will take on St Thomas School in the semifinals of the Gardner Silver Jubilee Inter-School Basketball Tournament for Girls being played here.

In the first quarter final, host St Thomas School beat DAV Public School 12-9. Vijayshree scored the highest 8 points for St Thomas School.

In second quarterfinal, Hope Town Girls beat Raja Ram Mohan Roy 30-22. Devyanshi scored the highest 9 points. In the third quarterfinal, Carman School beat Doon International School 18-12. Priyanka scored the highest 8 points for Carman School. Mahak scored 4 points for Doon International School.

In the fourth quarterfinal match Welham Girls got a walkover on Grace Academy.

Dehradun, September 17
District Doon Hospital (female) will soon opt for the central oxygen supply system.

In the absence of this facility, the hospital is dependent on the manual oxygen supply that is provided to the OT and other wards. “We have invited tenders and the selected company will be asked to set up the plant at the hospital. While the central oxygen system was installed at Doon Hospital (male) some years ago, we were left behind. It is essential for acquiring a hospital accreditation certification for the same,” said Dr Deepa Sharma, Chief Medical Superintendent, District Doon Hospital (female).

The oxygen supply system at Doon District Hospital provides services to various important wards, including medicine and ICU. The Dehradun-Based Universal Gas Company supplies gas for the system.

However, after opting for the central oxygen supply system, the Doon female hospital will have to keep emergency cylinders in case the central supply system develops a snag. A senior doctor of the medicine department said that if its propeller stopped functioning, patients faced serious health risks. So an efficient system that was monitored 24 hours was essential. Besides, proper checks at supply points were must to ensure that patients continued to get adequate supply of oxygen.

Last week, the flow meter of the central oxygen supply system at the trauma ward of Doon Hospital had developed a sang that was later repaired. “The main features of such systems are the sources of the gases and the means of their delivery. It is necessary for an anaesthesiologist to understand both these elements to prevent and detect medical gas depletion,” said Dr BC Pathak, Chief Medical Superintendent, Doon Hospital.

Dehradun, September 17
“Since teenage, I had an inclination towards photography and other artistic skills that made me leave the priesthood in 2007. During school vacations, I used to take pictures of the nature and cultural activities happening around at Gopeshwar,” says Harish Bhatt.

“My father always wanted me to continue with the priesthood that is our family work. He always discouraged me to choose photography as career as there are no opportunities for this profession in Chamoli district,” he added.

Bhatt, who hails from Gopeshwar, Chamoli, also boasts of having major projects to his credit that include “Leopards in Lurch” for Discovery Channel, “Short Film on Musk Deer” for Japan Broadcasting, “Nanda Devi Raat Jat Yatra” for writer Shanker Singh Bhatia and former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

“Despite many major projects to my credit, I have failed to get recognition due to a scarcity of exposure at my native place. Neither there is any school to learn photography at Gopeshwar nor any workshop is ever conducted to train budding photographers,” he added.

“The government should encourage the talent of art that is available in abundance in Uttarakhand. State artistes had urged the state government to open institutions, but nothing has been done so far,” he said.

Harish believes that: “One should have satisfaction in whatever profession he is into. Had I remained a priest, I could not have realised the vision of my life to explore the world as a photographer. I want to motivate and enlighten people with my artistic skills,” says Bhatt, who has two documentaries on Durga Pooja and female foeticide in the pipeline.