Devotees flock to mosques
Dehradun, August 17
Thousands of Muslims thronged mosques across Dehradun to offer prayers on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan today. The devotees attired in their best clothes started visiting the mosques in the afternoon to participate in the congregational prayer known as ‘Juma-tul Vida’.

Illegal colonies in Doon likely to be regularised
Dehradun, August 17
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today announced that a proposal for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Dehradun would be put before the state Cabinet.

Docs at leaders' doors for revocation of transfer
Dehradun, August 17
Five doctors, who have been transferred from Doon Hospital, have started approaching political leaders and are even contemplating resignation. A total of nine doctors face transfers from Doon Hospital.

Muslim devotees perform namaaz on the last jumma of Mah-e-Ramzaan at Jama Masjid in Haridwar on Friday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Trilingual dictionary awaits approval
Dehradun, August 17
Awaiting approval, the trilingual dictionary prepared by the Garhwal Sabha continues to languish at the HNB Garhwal University for the past one year. The delay has disappointed language lovers who have been eagerly waiting for its release.

GMVN managers resent transfers
Dehradun, August 17
Discontent has begun brewing among some of the managers of tourist rest houses of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) after they were transferred a month ago. Managing Director (MD) of the GMVN, Dr Pankaj Pandey had transferred 45 managers of various rest houses.

Patriotic songs contest
Dehradun, August 17
On the occasion of the 66th Independence Day, The Aryan School organised an inter-house patriotic songs competition for Atharva, Rig, Sama and Yajur houses. Col Amrit Khanna (retd) and Pomila Khanna were the chief guests.

I-Day celebrations at GNA
Dehradun, August 17
Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour at the Guru Nanak Academy (GNA).

108 ambulance, reporters' body teams joint winners
Dehradun, August 17
In a cricket match between the 108 Emergency Ambulance Services and the Uttarakhand News Cameramen and Reporters Association, both teams have been declared joint winners.

Plantation drive in Pauri Garhwal
Dehradun, August 17
The Uttarakhand Yuva Manch organised a plantation drive at Rikhera-Panchuri at Udaipur Patti in Pauri Garhwal.

Dehradun, August 17
The police finally arrested the accused, Dr Avinath Gahlot, who had killed Vaibhav Saini, a resident of Raksha Vihar, Raipur. His body was found on a road near Nanurkheda on July 5.

Gahlot had killed Vaibhav by injecting into him a poisonous substance. He said Saini, who allegedly had illicit relations with his wife when he stayed as tenants in Saini’s house at Raksha Vihar one-and-a-half-year ago, was blackmailing his wife with her nude photos. He had a fight with him and left his house.

However, Saini continued to blackmail his wife. He said he had paid Saini Rs 70,000 in three instalments. Finally, he planned to kill him.

For this, he began calling Saini and named himself as Dr Rakesh on the phone. Fully realising that Saini’s weakness for money and women, he began to lure him into donating sperm in his clinic for money and paid him Rs 3000 each time.

He also sent call girls to Saini at his own expenses. This was his tactic to win his confidence. But the doctor never appeared before him. He played this game for nearly six months. It was on July 4 when he called Saini to his clinic to inject in him a dose to enhance sexual prowess.

Disguised as a Sikh man, he took him in his car to Nanoor Khera. There he first injected in him a dose due to which the victim’s blood pressure went down drastically and pulse also slowed down. Thereafter, he injected poisonous substance which led to Saini’s death.

Vaibhav Saini had recently completed BTech from Saharanpur engineering college.

He was the only son of his parents. His father Bijender Saini is a lecturer in a city college. Dr Gahlot completed his MBBS from a medical college in Kanpur. He ran two 
clinics in the city.

Mussoorie, August 17
The Bhadraj Temple Tourism Fair, which is held in praise of Lord Bhadraj, elder brother of Lord Krishna, was organised near Doodhli village, 7 km from Mussoorie, with religious fervour today.

The devotees in a large number began converging on the temple situated about 7,000 feet above the sea level on the way to the Clouds End resort and sought blessings by offering unprocessed milk at the idol of the deity.

The festival falls immediately after Independence Day each year. According to Mandir Samiti officials, the festival dates back to 150 years in 1817 AD and the temple was revered by the villagers of the surrounding area. Local folk dances were performed and a common kitchen was organised for the devotees.

Secretary of the Mandir Samiti Balbir Chauhan welcomed the devotees and said the Bhadraj temple fair had gained popularity around the region and the government should incorporate it in the religious tourism calendar of the state. He added melas like Bhadraj were important for preserving the cultural ethos of the region. 

Dehradun, August 17
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today announced that a proposal for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Dehradun would be put before the state Cabinet.

Reviewing a meeting of the Urban Development Department at his residence today, Bahuguna said all unauthorised colonies would be regularised so that the residents get ownership right.

He said garbage dumping zones would be made outside the city area for which the Forest Department would provide land. He laid emphasis on improving financial condition of local units for which taxes would be imposed on city buses entering the city area and the responsibility of operating buses would be given to local units.

He asked officials to ensure that no unauthorised hoardings were displayed in the city. Bahuguna said the government was preparing policies for housing and township. He also advocated constructing a multi-parking complex to redress parking problems.

The Chief Minister said better coordination be maintained among various undertaking agencies involved in construction works. Traffic signals would be installed in all squares and multi-story parking would be constructed in the city. Measures would be taken to make city lush and green.

The meeting was attended by Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar, Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister DK Kotia, Principal Secretary, PWD, S Raju, Secretary, Finance, Radha Raturi and other senior officials.

Dehradun, August 17
Five doctors, who have been transferred from Doon Hospital, have started approaching political leaders and are even contemplating resignation. A total of nine doctors face transfers from Doon Hospital. As soon as the transfers were announced, three doctors went on leave and since then have been trying hard to stall their transfers.

Out of nine doctors who have been transferred, four have already joined duties. The another five, Dr Alok Jain (ENT), Dr NS Tomar, Dr SD Saklani, Dr YS Tomar and Dr KP Joshi, are yet to join duties at new destinations.

“All these doctors are trying to get their transfer orders revoked. This will not go down well with doctors who have already joined duties in new places. After August, their salaries will not be drawn from Doon Hospital,” said Dr BC Pathak, Principal Superintendent, Doon Hospital.

Both Dr Tomar and Dr Jain had taken sick leave as soon as the transfers were announced. Now it is alleged that they have already started making rounds of Heath Minister Surinder Singh Negi, who has returned from London.

“Unfortunately, now Principal Secretary, Health, Dr Ranvir Singh, has left for China on a personal visit and will be back after a week,” said a senior doctor.

Pampered and protected by their political masters, these doctors are hoping for a revocation of transfer orders, especially those who are also practising privately in Dehradun.

Take the case of Dr KP Joshi, physician, Doon Hospital now transferred to Srinagar. He has a poor attendance record and even been reprimanded by the Principal Superintendent for failing to attend OPD.

“It is an open secret that his transfer to Srinagar will automatically cut short his thriving private practice in Dehradun. He has thwarted all efforts to move him out mainly due to his political bureaucratic connections. Now he is at it again, trying hard to get his transfer orders revoked and has even threatened to resign,” said a senior doctor.

Out of the total nine doctors transferred, Dr Parag Singhal, Dr GS Rana, Dr SD Kuriyal and Dr NS Napalchayal have already joined duties.

Dehradun, August 17
Discontent has begun brewing among some of the managers of tourist rest houses of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) after they were transferred a month ago. Managing Director (MD) of the GMVN, Dr Pankaj Pandey had transferred 45 managers of various rest houses.

The move was aimed at shifting those managers who had not been performing well or those who were not transferred for years. However, the managers performing well were sent to profitable rest houses as reward while others were given the challenging task of turning loss-making rest houses into profitable ones.The decision, however, did not go down well with some managers. These managers are now trying to gather support of employees’ unions in the department to pressurise the management in this regard.

S Bahukhandi, GMVN manager, Rishikesh, said, “I improved infrastructure and added a lot of amenities during my tenure in the past two years at the Ganga Resort, Rishikesh, which is rated the best rest house of the GMVN. Still I was shifted to other rest house. Instead of rewarding me, the management has punished me.”

BD Petwal, rest house manager from Uttarkashi who had been made the manager of the Ganga Resort, is also the president of manager association, GMVN, and considered quite influential. This issue has also created chasm between both Petwal and Bahukhandi, general secretary of the association.

The managers are also indicating at manager, Pipal Koti, Madan Panwar, who had always been accorded the privilege to lead rest houses either at Pipal Koti or Birahi, his hometown, in Chamoli. He is brother-in-law of DS Panwar, Additional General, Manager, GMVN.

He was not transferred this time as well.

In this rigmarole of transfers, the rest house of Dakpathar has no one to supervise it. Former manager, Dakpather, SS Rawat has been transferred as manager, GMVN canteen at the Secretariat. Manager, Dhanolti, RS Pundir who wS Bahukhandi, GMVN manager, Rishikeshas to take charge as the Manager, Dakpathar, had been asked to hold on at Dhanolti till October. Reason was that the manager, Bhojwasa near Gangotri, where rest house close down in first week of October for the winter season, will take charge in Dhanolti in October only. In all these equations, management has made no temporary arrangement for Vikasnagar.

There are others who are citing family reasons in order to return to their former rest houses.

Pandey, however, paid no heed to their grievances and asked them to undertake their new responsibility sincerely.

These managers, who are also not hopeful of getting much support from the Managers’ Association, are looking toward two other employees’ associations in the GMVN for support. They are also mooting the possibility to sit on a protest on the issue.

Dehradun, August 17
On the occasion of the 66th Independence Day, The Aryan School organised an inter-house patriotic songs competition for Atharva, Rig, Sama and Yajur houses. Col Amrit Khanna (retd) and Pomila Khanna were the chief guests.

Col Khanna (retd) hoisted the flag. Anu Mathur delivered the welcome speech while Akhil Tripathi and Puru Pandit delivered speeches in Hindi and English, respectively. The Sama house won the competition while the Atharva and Rig houses stood second and third, respectively.

A wall magazine competition was organised at the end and certificates and gifts along with sweets were distributed to children who finished their summer vacation homework well.

Principal of the school Cherry Jain and vice-chairman Sunny Gupta were present on the occasion. 

Dehradun, August 17
The Uttarakhand Yuva Manch organised a plantation drive at Rikhera-Panchuri at Udaipur Patti in Pauri Garhwal.

Block president Prashant Badoni was the chief guest on the occasion. “Every year the organisation holds a plantation drive in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on its foundation day. However, this year we decided to get back to our roots and hold the drive in Pauri Garhwal,” said manch president Bhagwati Prasad Kukshal.

The Chandigarh-based organisation planted around 200 saplings in the area and exhorted the local youth to work for conservation of the environment.

Dehradun, August 17
Police Modern School won the annual Inter-School Swimming Championship Competition, Aquafest 2012, organised at The Espee Global School in Puhana near Roorkee yesterday. Montfort School stood second while Delhi Public School, Roorkee, finished third.

It was fun and frolic for many students who displayed tremendous sporting prowess at the competition, which was organised by the Rai Bahadur Mathura Dass Education Foundation.

Students were thrilled to participate in the activity being organised at an inter-school level for the very first time ever in the town. The event generated unbelievable excitement and unbridled enthusiasm. “Participation is important, not winning,” said Subodh Kumar Gupta, chairman of the RBMD foundation. “It has been quite an achievement to see students participate actively and showcase excellent sportsmanship,” added Gupta.

Students from seven to 14 years of age participated in the competition that was conducted in several categories. Seeing an overwhelming response from the students, the foundation allowed even students above 14 years to participate. “Such an event strengthens sportsman spirit and leads to youth development. It also improves health, lifestyle and well-being,” said Col RK Uniyal, chief guest on the occasion.

“The foundation focuses on promoting academic and sporting activities to put Roorkee and its surrounding region on the world map prominently. It is aspiring to identify and promote talent and aptitude of children and transform them into global citizens of tomorrow,” said Kanika Gupta, Director, The Espee Global School.

Ninety students from various schools participated in the event. Spectators cheered the participants while they were in the pool, encouraging them to bring laurels to their school. “My school also gave me time off to prepare for the competition and provided extra classes to make up for the time devoted to swimming,” said Jashanjot, winner of the tournament from The Espee Global School.The participating schools from Roorkee were Army Public School 1 and 2, Montfort Senior Secondary, Delhi Public School, Saint Anne’s, Adarsh Vidya Mandir, The Espee Global School, Police Modern School, Saint Mary Senior Secondary School, and Delhi Public School, Haridwar.

The winners were Police Modern School while Montfort School stood second. Delhi Public School, Roorkee, was third. The event concluded with a prize distribution ceremony.