Dehradun, August 20
Muslims all across the state celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr with mosques overflowing with the devout who offered special prayers, handed out alms, took part in feasts and exchanged gifts and greetings with friends and relatives.

In the city, Muslims wearing traditional outfits headed for various mosques to offer prayers and exchange greetings.

The largest congregation was held at Jama Masjid in Paltan Bazaar and Idgah where mass prayers were held. The qazi of Jama Masjid Qari Ahmed Qasmi led the prayer and asked the Muslims to live in harmony and peace.

Later, the Muslims hit the street with their family members. Days before the Eid, there was frenzied buying with women buying clothes for themselves and their families. “With sky rocketing prices, the people were bit restrained but it did not dampen their enthusiasm. The shopping would continue for another week,” said a shopkeeper of Paltan Bazar.

The aroma of Eid dishes wafted at the Inamaullah building with its numerous eating points bustling with activity. Several stalls of clothes and caps and dry fruits had been set up.

The Muslims shared creamy sheer with dash of saffron and dry fruits along with tongue tickling kabbas and curries with family members and friends. “Eid has a special significance as it comes after a month-long fasting when your soul and body is cleansed. New clothes and jewellery are worn only after the family has paid zakat by offering Eid prayers,” said Samia Akbar of Rajpur.

She said, "By doing this charity during the holy month, we get 70 times more of the sabab or the returns on this good deed. The celebrations only begin after the act of charity is performed,” she added.

What would Eid be without gifts given to women and children on this day. The tradition is to give cash and gifts also to young members of the family who have kept rozas for the first time or who complete all rozas successfully.

Dehradun, August 20
A special operations group (SOG) team of the police today arrested 10 persons for allegedly making attempts to dupe two persons by selling them a fake coin, projecting it to be possessing magical powers, for Rs 80 lakh. They have been identified as Vivek Sharma, Mani Rajan, Jay Prakash Tiwari, Ramesh, Dinesh Kumar, Dileep Sagar, Vaibhav Pundir, Alok Saini, Manish Kumar and Navin Kumar. Their another accomplice, Siraj Maisi, managed to flee.

SSP Neeru Garg said the accused were allegedly trying to fool the victims saying that the coin, made in 1616, was known as magical ‘rice puller coin’.

They claimed that the coin had power to pull rice grains towards it. It could also control power-run equipment. The victims, Guru Sharan Singh Chauhan and Parvej Hussain, hailing from Mumbai, told the police that one of the accused Siraj Maisi, who is absconding, informed them first about the coin through an e-mail and over the phone. Later, they collected information on such coins on the Internet, from where they came to know that such coins were manufactured in 1616 and were said to possess magical powers. The duo said they came to enquire more about the coins from Maisi.

The accused also told them since they did not have any contact in London, where such coins were in demand, they were ready to sell the coin on cheap price of Rs 80 lakh. The accused then put Rs 2 lakh before them saying they would testify the coin’s magical power of attracting rice grains before them. In case if they could not do so, the victims were then free to keep Rs 2 lakh with them. Hussain said the moment the accused were about to take out coin, the police reached there and nabbed them.

The police took coin and 2 lakh in their possession. It was found that it was a simple bronze coin.

The SOG team members later said that thugs apply a paste of turmeric mixed with lemon juice on bronze coins. That’s how they display the process of coin attracting the rice grains. Grains take brown colour after coming in contact with coins. The thugs project that grains turn brown because of the magical power possessed by the coin.

The police is gathering more information if more such gangs exist in the state. Five among those arrested today were from the state, said the police.

Dehradun, August 20
Dehradun has taken a giant lead from Haridwar in issuing challans to car owners who had not removed black films from the windowpanes of their cars.

The number of such cases reported from Dehradun has been quoted as 754 while those from Haridwar has been merely 14 in last four days. The figures are quoted from the office of Deputy Inspector General, Dehradun Range.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Traffic, Ajay Joshi said the campaign with regard to removal of black film was started four days ago, where each offender was being fined Rs 500. He said the information was disseminated to public regarding this campaign through public notice and local newspapers, before the campaign was kickstarted in the city. He said the campaign would continue till such cases came down significantly.

Dehradun August 20
Members of the Indira Nagar Residents Association has written to Secretary, Urban Development, Dr Uma Kant Panwar, for the removal of sewerage treatment plant (STP) being constructed in the area.

General secretary of the association LP Juyal said the STP was being constructed in the midst of a human settlement which was in violation of laws. He said the land was sold to the ITBP for the construction of Central School by the UP Avas Evam Vikas Parishad, Luknow, some 40 years ago.

He argued that this land was also found to be in the green belt and no new construction should come on it.

He said the state government had also admitted that a smell would emit from the plant and watery residual would also emanate and merge into the nullah flowing across it. In totality, the cumulative effects would not only make the lives of those living in the area hellish, but also affect the health of hundreds of students studying in schools situated around the site. He urged Panwar to shift the STP elsewhere. 

Dehradun, August 20
Health Minister SS Negi has appreciated the sincerity and dedication of Rotarians towards polio eradication and promised his full support to the campaign.

He was speaking as the chief guest at regional seminar on polio eradication ‘The end game', hosted by the Dehradun Rotary Club on the behalf of the Rotary National District 3080 yesterday.

Negi observed that polio eradication and Rotary had become synonymous, with Rotarians around the world raising more than a billion dollars towards polio eradication since 1985.

He said it was a matter of great pride that in India, no polio case has been reported for the last one year. But the country needed three years of being polio free to be declared a polio-free country by the World Health Organisation, said Negi.

Rotarians, including Rotary International officers and presidents from different regions of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh, came in large numbers despite the inclement weather and pledged to give polio ‘the last push’.

Negi also appealed to the Rotarians that after the eradication of polio, they must take up the issue of anaemia among women of all ages in the country.

District governor of the the Rotary National District 3080 Manmohan Singh assured the minister that his advice would be followed. He informed the minister that Rotarians regularly held blood donations camps and assured him of collection of 21,000 units of blood through blood donation camps. The minister was also informed that Dehradun Rotary Club was already working towards female health issues, especially among girls, and held regular health camps at schools to apprise them of nutrition and hygiene. Now such camps will be planned at the National Institute for Visually Handicapped as well.

Present on the occasion were eminent Rotarians, including Rakesh Aggarwal, David Hilton, Anuj Singh, Dr Mahesh Luthra, Dr Arun Kumar, Joginder Singh, Col Patnaik, Ajay Makin, SS Sirohi, president Jyoti Dhawan and secretary Sandeep Aggarwal.

Dehradun, August 20
Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Padma Bhushan Leeladhar Jagudi released a poetry book, 'Vedna', written by homemaker Anandi Sundriyain here yesterday. This is the first literary work of the writer.

In the book, Sundriyal has depicted pangs of social, religious and political issues.

It comprises 60 poems. Sundriyal has written extensively on prejudice with regard to gender, caste, culture, religions etc.

Dehradun, August 20
Shri Guru Ram Rai School and Moravian emerged winners in their respective matches in the 11th Om Prakash Memorial Football Tournament here today.

In the first match, Shri Guru Ram Rai School, Vasant Vihar, beat Hilton School 4-2, which was decided with a tie-breaker.

In another match, Moravian beat Mussoorie Public School 3-0. Thaina Rongmei, Jigmet Norboo and Rinpeisheng scored for Moravian.

Tomorrow’, Selaqui International School will take on Doon Global School and North Point Children Academy will clash with New Life Centre School.

The power struggle between rival factions within the ruling Congress has been on the rise with Union Minister of Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat asserting himself. Harish Rawat, who was denied the post of Chief Minister by the party high command despite having the support of the largest number of party legislators, is playing his cards well. After registering his protest against the decision of the party high command, the party has tried to placate him by taking many decisions in his favour. He got his confidant Mahendra Singh Mahra a Rajya Sabha nomination while another close aide Govind Singh Kunjwal was elected Speaker of the state Assembly.

He also managed to get many of his confidants in the state Cabinet and got important positions for other party legislators loyal to him. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has been trying to keep Harish Rawat in good humour but this has not happened.

Being one of the shrewdest politicians of the state, Harish Rawat, who commands the support of nearly 12 party legislators, are making things difficult for the Bahuguna camp.

It was evident at the first-ever meeting of the party coordination committee held this week in Dehradun. In the presence of Congress general secretary in charge Birender Singh, Harish Rawat launched a scathing attack on the activities of the party organisation. After the state Assembly elections and the elevation of Congress state president Yashpal Arya as a minister in the Bahuguna Cabinet, Harish Rawat has trageted him. Both Yashpal Arya and Harish Rawat are arch rivals. Yashpal Arya was a protégé of former Chief Minister ND Tewari who was totally opposed to Harish Rawat.

In the coordination committee meeting, Harish Rawat argued that the Congress organisation has become totally defunct after the state Assembly elections with Yashpal Arya becoming a minister having 11 departments.

He said ideally the one-man one-post principle should be adhered to and a new state party president be appointed to prepare the party for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Harish Rawat for the past four months had been pleading for making Pradeep Tamta, Almora Lok Sabha member as state party chief.

Like Yashpal Arya, Pradeep Tamta is also a Dalit leader but owing allegiance to Harish Rawat. The demand by Harish Rawat has put his rivals, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and Satpal Maharaj, in an awkward situation, as they are closely aligned with Yashpal Arya and will not like to lose the party organisation to the Harish Rawat camp.