Tourism Dept to upgrade facilities at Gun Hill
Mussoorie, August 7
The Tourist Department is preparing to upgrade an important tourist destination in the town called Gun Hill by relocating the shops situated over the drinking water tank constructed here during British Raj.

Karuna school management fires caretakers
Mussoorie, August, 7
The row between the caretakers and the management committee of Karuna Rajeshwari School at Khyasi, near Kempty Falls in the district of Tehri Garhwal, has taken an ugly turn with the termination of the the services of the present caretaker and the principal by the school management committee, thus putting the future of 200 poor children enrolled here in jeopardy.

Dehradun, August 7
Undeterred by the havoc caused by the Uttarkashi cloudburst, it was business as usual for three Cabinet ministers in the Bahuguna government, who, at the first opportunity, today flew to London to be part of the Olympic extravaganza.

Though none of the ministers are in contention for Olympic medals, the haste shown by one minister, who was not part of the previous list, even in the face of the calamity has baffled everyone.

While Finance Minister Indira Hriyadesh and Rural Development Minister Pritam Singh had already got approval in advance, Uttarakhand Health Minister Surinder Singh Negi’s inclusion was the last-minute decision. The ministers will be in London for seven days.

Though the Health Minister managed to activate the emergency response cell in Dehradun on Sunday, under the command of the DG, Health, the timing of the ministers' flight to London has attracted criticism from the BJP.

“The minister should have been with the people in their time of distress and a reason enough for him to cancel his tour, but he seemed to be in a hurry to be part of the jamboree,” said Matbar Singh Kandari, former Education Minister and BJP leader.

According to government sources, Negi’s files had to be carried to New Delhi yesterday for approval from Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna who had left for Delhi.

Barring the aerial survey undertaken by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and Union Minister Harish Rawat, none of the Congress ministers have so far been to the areas for on-the-spot assessment.

Even the feeble attempts by Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Yashpal Arya to reach the spot may not save him from the charges levelled by the opposition busy for ignoring his ministry busy as he was with the Sitarganj by elections.

“Instead of efforts, we have before us a disjointed government whose ministers seem least affected by the tragedy. Instead of monitoring the situation from Dehradun, even the Chief Minister preferred to seek solace in New Delhi,” said former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Along with Arya, Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar who also hails from the Yamnotri assembly seat has also made on-the-spot assessment of the area.

Health Minister S S Negi should have been with the people in their time of distress and a reason enough for him to cancel his tour, but he seemed to be in a hurry to be part of the jamboree

— Matbar Kandari, BJP leader

Haridwar, August 7
Renowned exponent of kathak dance form and Padma Shree recipient Shobhna Narayan was here today in Haridwar to stage kathak presentations among school children.

In association with Spic Macay Foundation, she tried to convey cultural, religious, spiritual, ethical, moral values to the younger generation by depicting various inspirational incidents.

Her mesmerising performance cast a spell on the children, with regular applause, setting alive the auditorium of Shiv Dale School.

Later, speaking to TNS, Shobhna Narayan, who has compiled a dozen-odd books on kathak, classical dance and folk dance, termed dance as a form of devotion and meditation to feel the presence of soul and the Almighty.

Citing examples of Lord Shiva (Damroo), deity Saraswati (Veena), Lord Ganesha (Mridanga) and Lord Krishna (Flute), Narayan said that the very form of music and dance was associated with these deities, which relate the deep connection of music-dance with human beings and God.

“Art reforms people. Re-invention is essential for an artiste to survive. Even ‘Manu Smriti and ‘Naty Shashtra’ specify that rules are made to be broken. New ones are made in the true spirit of human being,”opined Narayan, a Miranda House, Delhi University physics postgraduate.

On the sea of dance reality shows being aired these days, the veteran dancer said that she doesn’t see much of them but still she is amazed to see the depth of talent in the younger generation.

She has a piece of advice for parents, organisers and trainers that materialistic-based approach kills the very soul of art; so it is imperative that children be guided on the right path.

“Devotion, hard work, passion is the essence for learning art but if we train children to cry after losing in a competition to gain votes, then it is just unfortunate,” said Shobhna, who got acclaim for her books on Indian classical dance, including Performing Arts of India," "Folk Dance Tradition of India" and "Krishna in Performing Arts" among others.

Swami Sharadpuri, head of Shiv Dale School, while felicitating the dancer, said that the younger generation needed to be given moral, historical and cultural knowledge.

Kisha Aneja, a city-based classical dance teacher, said that she learnt a lot from seeing the kathak great performing live, and the sheer devotion, simplicity and interaction with students in a charming way had also given her a lesson that she will inculcate when she performs or trains students.

Mussoorie, August 7
The Tourist Department is preparing to upgrade an important tourist destination in the town called Gun Hill by relocating the shops situated over the drinking water tank constructed here during British Raj.

The British built the water tank at Gun Hill in around 1920 to satiate the drinking water desires of the townsfolk back then.

Over the years, Gun Hill water tank has been transformed into an important tourist site from where they can enjoy a panoramic view of the Himalayas on the one hand and Doon valley on the other.

A cable car introduced in 1960 also assisted in the increased number of tourists, which further led to a large number of shops mushrooming on the platform of the water tank here.

However, lately following continuous pressure exerted on the tank due to the shops constructed over the years, it has begun disintegrating, posing a risk to the town in case it caves in.

According to the regional tourism officer, Yogendar Gangwar, the department was planning to relocate the shops from Gun Hill to the adjacent land so that the tank remains free for only tourist movement. He also said that talks with the Municipal Council were on to transfer the land to the Tourism Department so that shops were constructed in safe areas as soon as possible.

The Tourism Department is also planning to beautify the area in such a way that the tank area is kept free of any further construction.

When contacted the Municipal Council president, OP Uniyal, said that they were ready to cooperate with the Tourism Department on such important matters and were ready to provide whatever land was required for the construction of the shops here.

Mussoorie, August, 7
The row between the caretakers and the management committee of Karuna Rajeshwari School at Khyasi, near Kempty Falls in the district of Tehri Garhwal, has taken an ugly turn with the termination of the the services of the present caretaker and the principal by the school management committee, thus putting the future of 200 poor children enrolled here in jeopardy.

The letter of terminating the services of the caretaker, Kunwar Singh Chauhan, his Canadian wife Lori McFadyen, from the post of principal taken by the school management on July 20, 2012, accuses them of involvement in dereliction of duty and conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Hans Culture Centre, formally known as Snigdha Cultural Sentre (SCC).

The parents of the school children, in a hurriedly called meeting on July 23, 2012, objected to the termination of the services of the two and demanded reinstatement Kunwar Singh and Lori McFadyen.

However, the school management, citing that Kunwar Singh Chauhan was misleading the parents about the whole matter, responded on July 24 by allegedly abandoning the school and shutting it down until further notice.

According to Kunwar Singh Chauhan and his wife Lori McFayden, certain members of the SCC were unable to digest his appointment to the post of caretaker and principal in the new school. The authorities of Hans Foundation - Mata Mangla jee and Bhole Maharaj - conspired against them and ousted them on baseless grounds. Lori was kept away from all the financial transactions despite her being one of the joint signatories. She was harassed in more than many ways on different occasions by a few members of the SCC, he alleged.

Lori McFayden, speaking to The Tribune, said that earlier to this she along with her husband were running Garhwal English Medium School (GEMS). Hans Foundation members approached her in 2010 and offered to adopt their school and convert it into a well-equipped school that would be all inclusive and all encompassing. The duo, delighted with the offer, met Hans Foundation members at their Delhi office in August 2010, where it was decided to purchase the land in the area for the construction of the new school.

The members of the Hans Foundation instructed them to seek permission from the government to purchase a large piece of land for making a school, for which they worked diligently. She said the whole process of seeking permission for school land was done in the name of Garhwal English Medium School. It was later that the name of the school was changed into Rajeshwari Karuna School by the SCC members due to "mysterious reasons," added Kunwar Singh Chauhan.

When contacted the SCC member, Dinesh Kandari, informed The Tribune that they had terminated the services of the caretaker Kunwar Singh Chauhan and Principal Lori McFayden as they were unable to run the school according to the guidelines laid down by the education committee. He also said that the SCC was giving the two handsome perks that were around Rs 40,000 and Rs 20,000 per month, but both had failed to show results and work towards improvement in the standard of the school. Therefore, it was decided to make alternative arrangements so that the school did not suffer.

He also said that they were kept in the dark about several issues despite being the funding agency and the rightful owner of the school. Kandari affirmed that they would run the school as soon as the appointment for the new principal and the caretaker is finalised.

Meanwhile, Kunwar Singh Chauhan met the DM regarding the whole matter and demanded justice and detailed investigation into the whole matter.

Dehradun, August 7
The Youth Against Corruption in association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad today staged protests at DAV(PG) College, DBS College and Shri Guru Ram Rai College in Dehradun.

Uttarakhand convener of the Youth Against Corruption Anil Bisht said the people of the country were fed up with corruption which, he said, was the biggest challenge before the country.

He questioned the UPA government’s commitment towards dealing with corruption in the country. “The Central government is befooling the people in the name of Lokpal”, he said.

Bisht said the Youth Against Corruption would continue with its protests over the issue.

He said the Indian money deposited in banks abroad must be brought back to the country and declared it the national asset and there should be stern laws in the country against corruption.

He even supported transparency in the money spent by political parties in election campaigns. He also suggested for bringing a change in the education system prevalent in the country.

“Children must be taught more of moral education so that the evil of corruption is weeded out from the country”, Bisht observed.

Haridwar, August 7
A wave of shock has gripped Haridwar when it came to light that three persons, who lost their life in firing at Wisconsin gurdwara in America, hailed from this district.

The deceased Ranjeet Singh alias Raja, Seeta Ram alias Zoravar Singh were the natives of Tikkampur village in the Sultanpur region of Haridwar district. Both were brothers who had moved to the United States of America 15 years back.

Prakash Singh of Tikkampur, Sultanpur, also lost his life. He performed ‘shabad kirtan’ as raagi at the gurdwara. Prakash's younger brother Muneesh said he was in contact with the US Embassy and the Indian Embassy to bring back the bodies of all three deceased to India.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs State Harish Rawat has also expressed grief over the firing incident. He assured family members of the deceased hailing from Haridwar cooperation and help.

An injured Santosh is also related to Uttarakhand as her father-in-law hails from Shyampur, Rishikesh.

Sikh organisations and local people paid tributes to the deceased and prayed for the peace of the soul.

The Gol Gurdwara Committe, Jwalapur, condemned the firing, urging the government to take necessary steps in bringing back the bodies of the deceased.

The deceased Ranjeet Singh alias Raja, Seeta Ram alias Zoravar Singh were the natives of Tikkampur village in the Sultanpur region of Haridwar district. Both were brothers who had moved to the USA 15 years back. Prakash Singh of Tikkampur also lost his life. He performed shabad kirtan as raagi in the gurdwara

Dehradun, August 7
National general secretary, Sarav Pardesh Gurdwara Management Committee, Inderjit Singh Chugh has written to the President of America and the US High Commission expressing his condolence over the Sikh killing at a gurdwara at Oak Creek in Wisconsin.

Bringing the attention to the principles of the Sikhism which convey the message of peace, tolerance and welfare of the humanity, he urged the US government to take the help of Sikh organisations working in the country to spread the awareness about this community and remove the ambiguity where US nationals were mistaking Sikhs for Taliban terrorists. He extended help from his organisation as well.

He said post 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre, some Americans had become apprehensive of Sikhs and were too suspicious about their tenets like beard, turban, kirpan etc. The suspicion had not only resulted in unnecessary bias and hatred towards the Sikhs, but also in the occurrence of several violent incidents in which innocent Sikhs were attacked by ignorant Americans.

The Oak Creek incident was another such incident where the scale of the attack and causalties became unprecedented this time, he said.

Dehradun, August 7
Students of St Joseph's Academy (SJA) achieved another glorious feat in 'Milestone 2012', a cultural extravaganza, organised annually at St George's College, Mussoorie, today.

They emerged as the champion for the third consecutive year and were awarded the much coveted shield and the overall trophy.

The event saw participation of more than 20 prestigious schools situated across Dehradun. The schools included All Saint's College, Nainital, CJM Waverly, CJM Dehradun, Welham Boys, Welham Girls and DPS, Dehradun. Competitions were held in a number of categories like singing, dancing, painting etc.

In the Hindi duet, Vibhor Takkar and Devika Dhoundiyal won the first prize. The western song group comprising Rohan Oberoi, Shubhangi Singh, Rohit Rastogi and Prerna Gaur, who were supported by lead guitarist Anhad Singha, bass guitarist Sushant Gakkar, Ajeya Saxena and keyboard player Paritosh Anand, enthralled the audience with its mellifluous singing and won the first prize.

In 'just a minute', another entertaining competition, Naman Bhatt bagged the second position whereas Akshita Choudhary, Shrishti Chauhan and Falguni Aggarwal won the second prize in the T-shirt painting competition.

The school dancing choreography and quiz teams also earned immense applause and managed to secure the third and fourth positions, respectively.

Dr. Suhani Sabarwal, a senior teacher, was awarded a token of appreciation by the host school. 

Dehradun, August 7
A special team of officials from the Commercial Tax Department (Garhwal zone) today conducted raids on showrooms of Skoda (Kuanwala), Volkswagen (Mhobewalla) Hyundai (Dharampur ) and its head office at Roorkee for the alleged evasion of Rs 100 crore VAT.

The team comprising 40 officials began the raid at 11 am in different places and seized their sale invoices for further scrutiny. “The raid was conducted on the basis of the intelligence report gathered by the Special Investigation Branch of the Commercial Tax Department for more than a month. It was found that car showroom owners had failed to show the purchase and sale of cars in their books realised through the customers, thereby failing to pass 13.5 per cent VAT to the government,” said Pradeep Srivastav, Additional Commissioner, Commercial Tax (Garhwal Zone).

The officials who were part of the team includes Deputy Commissioners Shahab Ali, Pramod Joshi, Roshan Ali and Anil Singh and Assistant Commissioner Suresh Kumar. 

Haridwar, August 7
On a tip-off, the police today arrested a man from suburban Jwalapur and seized fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination from his possession.

Manoj, alias Babloo, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was trying to circulate the fake currency in the Brahampuri market when he was arrested.

On seeing a police team, Manoj tried to flee but was arrested near the Brahampuri railway bridge as he slipped on a muddy road. The police seized 27 notes of Rs 500 denomination in fake currency from his possession.

During investigation, Manoj told the police that he had bought the notes from an unknown person at half rate. A case under Section 489 of the IPC has been registered against him.

Dehradun, August 7
In the 2nd Carbery Inter-School Sub-Junior Football Tournament being organised by Carman School, Dehradun, a total of eight matches were played at different venues today.

Wynberg Allen School beat Kasiga 3-0 with Tushar scoring all three goals. In other matches, Moravian School beat Col Brown 2-0. Thaunpa of Moravian scored both goals. Oak Grove Mussoorie beat St Joseph Academy 4-0.

Further, Scholars Home beat Aryan School 1-0, St Thomas College beat Summer Valley 5-0, Tibetan Home beat Welham Boys 4-0 and The Heritage School beat St Georges 1-0. The match between Guru Nanak Academy and Hilton School ended in a draw with both sides scoring 1 goal each.