Champion Bhardwaj recalls moments of love on skates
Mussoorie, February 14
Former roller skater of international repute Gopal Bhardwaj put on his skates and rolled down memory lane from Jhoola Ghar till Library Bazaar on his favourite fiber wheels to mark the Valentine’s Day celebrations along with the completion of 37 years of the historic Mussoorie to Dehradun roller skating rally today.

Dehradun, February 14
Not only did the Uttarakhand government fail to access Rs 40 crore as Central assistance for implementation of 25 per cent quota in private schools under the provisions of Right To Education Act (RTE), it has also failed to reimburse the private schools for admitting the children belonging to the economically and socially backward sections of society for the ongoing academic session.

Earlier, the centre had refused to release the amount as the Uttarakhand government had not approved the rules and regulations for the full implementation of the Act. The rules and regulations were approved only at the fag-end of the academic session.

The money by the Centre was to be utilised towards uniforms, escort facility or making transport facility available in case there were no neighbourhood schools in the vicinity of 1 km. In the ongoing financial year, a total of 17,000 beneficiaries have been admitted to class I in private schools.

Under Section 12-C of the Right To Education Act, the Centre has ensured a reservation of 25 per cent seats for the children belonging to the weaker sections of society in all the unaided government schools. The state governments are required to repay this school expenditure incurred on children’s education from class I to class VIII.

The Uttarakhand government now has submitted a proposal for revalidation of the amount in the new academic year. While the state government is awaiting the adjustment of Rs 40 crore in the next academic session, the matter regarding reimbursement of private schools, too, continues to remain unresolved.

“An amount of Rs 11 crore has been set aside for reimbursing the private schools, after settling the reimbursement issue at Rs 16,000 per child. But the private schools are yet to notify the fee structure,” said Dr Nidhi Pandey, State Project Director, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan.

Besides, the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan also faced hurdles in the appointment of teachers in the elementary schools. At total of Rs 150 crore was earmarked for the disbursing salaries to teachers. But the state could not spend Rs 6 crore that would be revalidated in the new financial year.

Against the sanctioned posts of 10,000 teachers, only 6000 are working in the elementary schools. Sources claim after the state government made teacher eligibility test compulsory for all elementary teachers, the problem has compounded. 

Dehradun, February 14
The Dehradun Bar Association (DBA) called a general house today to discuss the cost of new chambers in a multi-story building to be paid by advocates. They will be allotted the chambers through a lottery system.

The advocates registered a protest against the proposed cost of Rs 1.40 lakh per advocate and demanded to reduce it. The DBA decided to constitute a committee of members who would assess the cost of construction without taking into consideration a donation of Rs 25 lakh, given by the state government from the total cost, to be divided equally among 112 allottees accordingly. The new building has 56 chambers where each chamber will be shared by two advocates.

Advocate Bakul Khadelwal said the construction amount of Rs 90 lakh was overly projected. The chambers were ordinary with no tiles or fancy addition and were too small to be shared by two advocates. The sum, quoted by the DBA of Rs 1.40 lakh as a lease amount, was too high, she said.

“The DBA is a profitable organisation which earns from various sources. Besides giving Rs 50,000 on the death of an advocate, it does not spend anything else on us. So it must contribute from the fund and does not charge from us the hefty amount,” she said.

It was today the DBA increased the assistance from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 to family members of an advocate after his death.

Former president of the Dehradun Bar Council Razia Begh was also not happy with the projected cost of the building and the amount to be taken from the allottees. She also demanded to give more time to advocates to apply for the chambers.

The entire process of allotment may now take longer time with the committee coming into picture.

Meanwhile, the election to the DBA is also scheduled for February 27 for which the nomination process will start from tomorrow. LB Gurang, advocate, said the new building would not solve the problem of providing chamber for all advocates in the District Court as there were around 1,000 advocates who did not have their own chambers and were sitting in the open. 

Mussoorie, February 14
Former roller skater of international repute Gopal Bhardwaj put on his skates and rolled down memory lane from Jhoola Ghar till Library Bazaar on his favourite fiber wheels to mark the Valentine’s Day celebrations along with the completion of 37 years of the historic Mussoorie to Dehradun roller skating rally today.

It was also on this day that he fell in love with his to-be wife Beena Singh (now Bhardwaj), who was one of the officials for the rally present on the eventful day.

Gopal Bhardwaj aged 61, reliving those glorious moments, stated that it was 37 years ago today in 1975, he along with four other young men from the town, Anand B. Mishra, Sanghara Singh, Gurudarshan S. Jaiswal and Gurucharan S. Hora, dared to embark on a journey of 292 km to Delhi on roller skates, making it the first feat to be accomplished in the history of the country.

Bhardwaj, recollecting the moments that occurred on the day, further said that the team was flagged off on the Valentine’s Day morning by the rally organiser Ashok Pal Singh and the Roller Skating Federation of India (RSFI) referee Beena Singh. It was at this moment that his eyes met Beena Singh and cupid, without wasting any time, struck with lightning jolt, and both fell in love with each other. Beena Singh (now Bhardwaj) was roller skater of international repute herself back then. The love affair between Gopal Bhardwaj and Beena that began on the Valentine’s Day reached new heights after they returned back from the triumphant but ardous journey on the skates that culminated at Delhi in 1975.

Gopal Bhardwaj, with tears in his eyes, said that for him returning home from the rally had an added meaning as the fatigue that they felt on the way to Delhi vanished with the thought of his new found love. The team skated about 10 km in rain and hail with umbrellas and reached Dehradun where the Rotary club received them.

The team using battery torches and the headlights of the escort car on the highway at nights, passed through the towns such as Roorkee (Feb 15), Muzaffarnagar (Feb 16) and Modinagar (Feb 17).

On February 18, 1975, the team reached Delhi border at 3.45 pm and the entire traffic on the Yamuna bridge was suspended till the team passed through the bridge. Finally, the proud young mavericks from Mussoorie reached their final destination - Connaught Place - where the YMCA general secretary Cornelius, members of social service groups, All-India Radio and Doordarshan extended a warm welcome to the team amidst a huge crowd.

For Gopal Bhardwaj the joy of completing the rally in record time was double as he had achieved the rare feat of reaching Delhi on wheels and the second that he would be able to meet his new found beloved Beena, whom he later married, and now lives with the same affection and love in Mussoorie till today.

Gopal Bhardwaj, elaborating further, said that the main objective of the symbolic gesture of treading on roller skates was to pass on the message to the youngsters that love was pious and it should not be demeaned to indecent levels. “The youth, instead of indulging into frivolous activities on the day, can channelise their energy by joining some physical sports activities and simultaneously express their true feeling towards the fairer sex,” added Gopal Bhardwaj.

Haridwar, February 14
The much-awaited Valentine Day faded away peacefully today without much fanfare among the youth here.

Contrary to the yesterday evening, when the city markets, parks and ghats were thronged by young couples, the same places bore a deserted look today. Youngsters, particularly girls, avoided moving out of their houses till the afternoon, while many were seen in groups at safer places like restaurants.

In view of threat from anti-social elements, who may indulge in eve teasing or harassing couples, police personnel were deployed at major colleges, bazaars, parks and ghats.

At Shravan Nath Math Jawaharlal Nehru College, where maximum number of girls study, police personnel, including women cops, were posted at every gate and inner premise too.

Similarly at Kanya Gurukul, Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Chinmaya Degree College and Ranipur market, police personnel monitored the whole proceedings, though no untoward incident of violence was reported from the city.

In a unique way, students of the International Academy of Fashion Technology organised a painting-cum-fashion show, expressing the purpose of Valentine and message of love via their creations.

Shaili Arora was adjudged the Valentine designer while Niyati Khanna, Kumari Bano and Kamini’s creations were also felicitated. Veteran literati PS Chauhan organised a meet of senior journalists at a city restaurant to celebrate Valentine Day.

Dehradun, February 14
Amid stringent vigilance of Shiv Sena volunteers and khaki0clad policemen, the lovebirds in Doon Valley celebrated the most awaited Valentine Day with great enthusiasm and fervour here today.

People from all walks of life in the state capital were seen thronging gift shops and florist shops to purchase their souvenir of love for their beloveds. “The cops today were more vigilant and looked at every young couple with suspicion. After waiting for long, I finally met my girlfriend and we found a place to sit at Rajpur where there were no policemen spying on us,” said Saurabh, a student.

Red roses, V-Day cards, teddies, heart-shaped chocolate packs and printed love quotes are some of the items that shopkeepers sold like hot cakes. “I just got married last month and this Valentine is very special to me. My husband gifted me a gold ring and I gave him a watch,” said Aparna Kalra.

The day was also special for Sinha couples who planned a candle-light dinner to rekindle their 14-year-old love. However, the followers of saint Asaram Bapu here celebrated the day by performing ‘Matri-pitr pujan’ after he made an announcement at all his ashrams to celebrate February 14 as the ‘Matri pitri pujan diwas’. He termed the day an alien festival to the Indian culture and also a bad influence of western culture on Indian minds.

Meanwhile, the workers of the Shiv Sena cadre burnt Valentine cards and gifts in protest against the celebration of the day at Clock Tower. They opined that the day had no significance in the Indian culture but it was a commercial way of propagating love. The members of Youth Congress, Dehradun wing, celebrated the day by planting trees at Gandhi Park. 

Dehradun, February 14
Expressing resentment over the delay in the construction of a mini stadium and a park in the area, residents of Ajabpur Kalan met Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli today.

They said the construction of the mini stadium had been hanging fire for the past six years and that of the park for four years. Both sites had become a breeding ground for anti-social elements and encroachments had also come up. However, the Dehradun Municipal Corporation had taken no step so far.

Earlier, the residents threatened to go on a fast, but Chamoli pacified them by arranging their meeting with administrative officials tomorrow to solve their problems.

However, the residents, led by the Vikas Samiti, Ajabpur Kala, and area councillor Manmohan Dhanai, were in no mood to relent today.

Satyender Singh Negi, secretary of the samiti, said the Urban Development Department had sought queries regarding the construction of the stadium from the DMC on December 27, but it did not reply.

According to information, the state government had also released Rs 80 lakh for the construction of the stadium. However, the construction project reached a deadlock when the late Uday Chandel, former area councillor, opposed the construction of the stadium and demanded that a park be developed at the site.

The matter was later referred to the Urban Development Department but due to the lack of the DMC’s cooperation the project had been hanging fire.

The land earmarked for the proposed stadium has become a dumping ground for cattle dung and others waste material. This has also led to the breeding of mosquitoes and insects.

Councillor Manmohan Dhanai alleged that the land meant for the development of the proposed Badoni park had been given to a tent owner as a ‘patta’ by former village pradhan Umesh Sharma Kao.

The patta land cannot be used for commercial purposes. However, the tent owner has managed to get stay over his eviction from the land for the past four years.

Negi said legally, the stay could not stretched for long, but it had happened as the DMC did not contest against it. The land was also being used for the parking of trucks, the owners of which also allegedly pay fee which was being taken as a donation in the name of a committee by a “influential” resident of the area. And all this was going on under the nose of the DMC, he alleged.

Dehradun, February 14
Along with Doon Hospital, Coronation Hospital, too, is without the services of two super-specialists, leaving the patients in the lurch.

The hospital has been without the services of Dr Mohit Goyal (Plastic surgeon) and Dr Rajeev Tyagi (Endocrinologist) since December as their contract was not renewed.

“The patients suffering from burn injuries require the services of a plastic surgeon who can suggest surgeries after the healing process sets in, but in the absence of the super-specialist, the services at the burn ward have been affected,” said Dr A.S Aswal, CMS, Coronation Hospital.

Both these super-specialists have been hired on contractual basis by the Health Department and their contract has to be renewed annually.

Dearth of super-specialists in the state had forced the Health Department to scout for private doctors with higher pay scales, a contract for one year and reduced working hours (four hours) as compared to the government doctors.

This is not the first time that the super-specialists had abstained from their duties after their contract was not renewed. The Government had gone ahead and advertised for the posts of super-specialists. Due to dearth of doctors, the same set of doctors had responded.

Along with different terms and conditions in comparison with the government doctors, salaries, too, are paid through a special fund. These doctors are heads of OPDs of plastic surgery, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology and nephrology at Doon and Coronation Hospitals. 

Dehradun, February 14
A three-day long biology exhibition commenced in the school laboratory of St Joseph’s Academy here today.

The exhibition saw participation of class XI biology students under the supervision and guidance of their teacher Dr Suhani Sabherwal.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Principal of the school Brother A J George and would remain open for outsiders on February 15 and 16.

In the exhibition, a multitude of specimens, ranging from human foetus to octopus and sharks were showcased. Three-dimensional models of various body organs and systems were also put up in the exhibition.

A unique display of human bones organised into a skeleton and microscopic slides presenting starch grain, spinal cord and angiosperms became the centre of attraction.

Power point presentations on unique medical-recovery stories like that of Lance Armstrong, renowned cyclist, and Yuvraj Singh, cricker, were also made by the students.

A plethora of scientific experiments were also demonstrated in the exhibition. 

Dehradun, February 14
Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) inter-section cricket competition commenced today with great enthusiasm. Two matches were played today.

The first match was played between Ranjit and Shivaji Juniors, in which Ranjit scored 71 runs. Cadet Bhaskar Gogoi scored 20 runs and was the highest scorer from Ranjit team. Cadet Devesh took 4 wickets from Shivaji side and was the top wicket taker.

Shivaji Juniors toiled hard to score 72 runs and were finally able to score such a massive total with one wicket remaining. Cadet Lulu scored the highest, 24 runs, whereas Cadet Anshul Kumar took 4 wickets on behalf of Ranjit team.

The second match was played between Chandragupta and Pratap Seniors in which Pratap scored 76 runs at the loss of 10 wickets in 15 overs.

Cadet Pratyush Mohanty was the top scorer with 20 runs.

From Chandragupta seniors’ side Cadet Harsh Arora showed the magic of his bowling and took 4 wickets.

In reply Chandragupta started on a very promising note but the downfall of the middle-order batsmen lead to their loss with 8 runs.

Highest scorer from Chandragupta was Cadet Vishal with 12 runs. Cadet Nelson from Chandragupta took 4 wickets.

Cadet Hemant Poonia was declared as the most economical bowler for giving only 5 runs and taking 2 wickets in just 3 overs, out of which 1 was maiden.