Kidnapped child rescued, 2 held
Haridwar, August 25
The police today rescued a one-year-old boy who was allegedly kidnapped on August 17 from Lakshar and arrested two persons in this regard.

Dehradun, August 25
A meeting of a committee constituted for the selection of projects worth Rs 800 crore approved in the Annual Plan, 2012-13, under the special plan assistance (SPA) was chaired by Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain here today.

During the meeting, a consensus was reached on the proposed projects in various departments, including Tourism, Hydropower, Corporation, Food, Irrigation, Drinking Water, PWD, Urban Development, Education, Medical Education, IT, Sports and Animal Husbandry.

A decision was taken to sanction Rs 35 crore to the Jal Vidyut Nigam for the construction of a four-metre-high safety wall at Maneri Bhali II, Rs 10 crore to the Irrigation Department for Koshi Barrage in Almora and Rs 30 crore for various flood-control projects, Rs 30 crore to the Peyjal Department for completing 14 pumping projects in rural areas and Rs 15 crore will be given for improvement in drinking water facility.

An amount of Rs 70 crore each will be sanctioned for the construction of flyovers at the ISBT, Balliwala, and for the construction of a railway overbridge at Bhandaribagh to the PWD. A sum of Rs 50 crore will be provided for widening various roads and constructing crash barriers, Rs 1 crore for Garud Chatti Bridge and Rs 4 crore for Chauras Bridge.

Besides, the PWD will be given Rs 12 crore for Kashipur-Thakurdwara Road, Rs 4 crore for Nagla-Kichha Road, Rs 10 crore for Jolly Grant Road and Rs 5 crore for the construction of an IT building and data centre.

The Sports Department will be sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the modernisation of a sports complex while the Animal Husbandry Department will get Rs 4 crore for a polyclinic.

The committee also decided to sanction Rs 15 crore to the Tourism Department for the construction of a multi-storey parking lot in Mussoorie. To ensure transparency in the public distribution system, the committee agreed to sanction Rs 26 crore for the computerisation of the entire system.

Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain directed the officials concerned to include in the SPA only such projects which would help develop the infrastructure and improve the state’s economy.

He laid emphasis on selecting new projects which have not been financially aided by any other resources.

Principal Secretaries DK Kotia and S Raju, Secretaries SS Sandhu, Umakant Panwar, Manisha Panwar, Radha Raturi, AK Dhaundiyal and Subardhan attended the meeting.

Haridwar, August 25
After coming out of health-related problems and the scar of losing the Deoprayag Assembly seat, veteran Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (D) leader Diwakar Bhatt today urged regional parties to join hands to provide the voters with a political alternative.

Bhatt said that the 12 years of rule of BJP and Congress in Uttarakhand had not been satisfactory, with people of the hill state still suppressed with the same problems that were existing in erstwhile Uttar Pradesh.

Dismissing allegations of UKD (P) central chief Trivendra Singh Pawar that it was Bhatt who was responsible for the bifurcation of the original UKD, the former Revenue Minister said that he always wanted to have a united UKD.

"I remained in the BJP government not for personal interests but to work for people and strengthen the party. Contesting on BJP party symbol was a 'coalition decision,' and it is unfair to term that decision as fooling the voters," said Diwakar, who lost Deoprayag seat eventually to current Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani.

Lashing out at Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's Congress government, Diwakar termed it as a makeshift arrangement, with every day various ministers making 'self-centred demands.'

"Be it Pranav Kunwar Champion sitting on agitation at New Delhi, parliamentarian Harish Rawat playing a pro-active role as Opposition, Harak Singh Rawat appointing an education officer head of a corporation and Independents vying for lucrative demands. It seems this government is least concerned about people, "said Bhatt, who once played a pivotal role in the Uttarakhand statehood movement in the 80s and 90s.

On the controversial land-related issue involving his son, Diwakar Bhatt defended that no illegal or unlawful act had been committed by his son. He added that exchanging land in exceptional cases was a norm particularly in case of disaster.

He claimed that he was open to any investigation in this regard and had also held talks with Haridwar District Magistrate Sachin Kurwe, apprising him of his stance, saying exchange of land in lieu of land carried out under supervision of the Revenue Department was no fraud. " I am open to investigation if villagers carry forth their allegations."

On speculations that he may contest the upcoming Tehri Garhwal parliamentary election, Diwakar stated that owing to heath reasons he was not considering it, otherwise he could have represented Tehri in Parliament.

Dehradun, August 25
In a bizarre incident, an enraged husband killed his wife and son before killing himself in the Premnagar area of Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun. An auto rickshaw driver, Rajesh Gulati, resident of Premnagar, strangulated his 3-year-old son Vicky and his wife Monica Gulati to death during morning hours today. Subsequently, he set himself ablaze. Neighbours, who saw the flames, rushed towards his house. With the help of the police, the neighbours rushed Rajesh Gulati to Coronation Hospital, where he succumbed to injuries.

Police sources revealed that a family dispute was stated to be the reason which forced Rajesh to take the extreme step. Even earlier this year, the police helpline had decided to mediate but the truce proved to be momentary.

Haridwar, August 25
The police today rescued a one-year-old boy who was allegedly kidnapped on August 17 from Lakshar and arrested two persons in this regard.

Chottu (1) was allegedly kidnapped by Sanjeev, a resident of Bagpat, and Sachin Sharma, a resident of Saharanpur. On a tip-off, a police team arrested the duo at Lakshar railway station when they were allegedly trying to sell off Chottu to child trafficker Rajeev, alias Sanjeev, a resident of Saharanpur. Before the deal could take place, the police arrested the kidnappers. However, Rajeev managed to flee from the scene.

Meanwhile, two minors who had been missing from Sapt Rishi, Hari-Pur-Kalan, for the past few days returned to their home along with their relatives. Sunny and Sachin had gone to Bihar to one of their relative's home without informing anyone.

During interrogation, the boys said they took this step after getting influenced by a reality show, in which they saw schoolchildren running from their homes with money and enjoying life free from studies.

Dehradun, August 25
The eco tourism wing of the Forest Department organised a workshop, “Promotion of bird watching in Uttarakhand”, here today.

It was conducted by programme director, WWF, Sejal Worah. Representatives from the Forest Department, the WWF, Titli Trust, Nature Science Initiative and the Wildlife Institute of India participated in it.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RBS Rawat referred to the initiatives undertaken by the department to promote bird watching in the state.

Chief Conservator of Forests (eco tourism) Rajiv Bhartari said six bird-watching camps had been organised by the wing at Asan, Chhoti Haldwani, Marchula, Chilla, Maheshkhan and Sankari areas of the state so far. All camps saw a large participation.

Dhananjai Mohan from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, gave a presentation on bird diversity in the state.

The schedule of seven camps to be organised in the next six months was also distributed to the participants. Opportunities and challenges for bird watching were also tabulated.

The workshop ended with an action plan that included the development of a dedicated website for the dissemination of information on bird watching, the development of a charter for an informal Uttarakhand Birder’s Network and the adoption of 10 destinations for the development of bird watching by various organisations.

Dehradun, August 25
Blenders Pride Dehradun Fashion Week and Lifestyle Show commenced with a bang here today.

The three-day fashion week witnessed participation of Pooja Mishra and RJ Vandana Vadhera, who were the showstoppers for Amit Talwar’s designs. Amit Talwar’s ‘Trikaayas’ showcased collection in two segments. The first one was closely based on exotic flowers. It presented the wild and carefree side of a woman. The second segment drove through the Mughal era, reminding the purity and solace of white, closely revolving around the intricate patterns, embroideries and rich delicate chiffons. It presented the soft and humble look of a woman.

The show headed forward with the lavish and wild animal-print collection presented by Kawaljit Singh. He introduced the Indian attire ‘salwar kameez’ and traditional wear in animal prints. He has designed clothes for many famous celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Sangeeta Bijlani and many more. The collection was presented by Kawaljit Singh and his sister Dolly Oberoi.

Vandana Vadhera said, “This show is more about colours and style and so I can relate to it. I have been associated with Amit Talwar for several years now and have done shows with him in Delhi and Mumbai. I completely love his designs. I suggest Doonites not to follow fashion blindly but learn style and consult designers.” Bobby Sood and Puneet Kochar from Studio One and Fashion Libas from Saharanpur also presented their designs.

Dehradun, August 25
Acclaimed film and television actor Himani Shivpuri today said due to the apathy of the state government the Uttarakhand theatre had failed to carve out a separate identity for itself in the country.

“Though theatre is alive in Uttarakhand through amateur efforts, it is yet to carve out a distinct identity in terms of quality. Though the tradition of folk theatre in Uttarakhand is quite old, it is not visible outside the state as the government efforts in this direction have been missing,” said Himani while speaking to mediapersons here today.

She said after the state was created the successive governments had done little to promote culture and art. “There are no auditoriums, no theatre schools and even the Uttarakhand Sanskriti, Sahitya Evam Kala Parishad that was set up during the reign of former Chief Minister ND Tiwari is now defunct,” added Himani.

In fact, the neglect of theatre by the government had brought Himani, a National School Drama (NSD) graduate, to Dehradun to conduct a one-month theatre workshop in association with the NSD and the Garhwal Sabha.

Himani, a resident of Dehradun who has made a career for herself in Mumbai, said, “I will always be indebted to Dehradun from where I started my career. And it is this feeling to pay back in some manner that is instrumental in the theatre workshop which we have planned.”

At the end of the workshop a play based on short stories in the memory of eminent writer Shailesh Bhatt, who died last year, would be staged.

Later Roshan Dhasmana, general secretary of the Garhwal Sabha, said they would be meeting Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna along with Himani to request him to draft a film and culture policy for the state.

Dehradun, August 25
The president of the Volleyball Federation of India, Padma Shri B Sivanthi Adityan today announced initiatives planned by the federation towards promoting volleyball in the north eastern part of the country.

Addressing a press conference here today, Adityan said the federation would provide balls, nets and other infrastructure in the North East to promote volleyball activities in the region. He said the promotion of the sport there was being done under ‘Pro Volley’ project of the International Volleyball Federation, which aimed to popularise volleyball across the globe.

Adityan said two volleyball academies were being set up in the country, one at Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu and the other at Vishakhapatnam. Adityan also held that they had received a proposal for an academy in Chandigarh, which is still in consideration of the Volleyball Federation of India.

Responding to a query, he said a lack of sponsorship was the main reason behind very few volleyball academies in the country.

An annual calendar for volleyball activities in the country was also released on the occasion.

President of the state Volleyball Federation Avadhesh Chowdhary was also present on the occasion.

Dehradun, August 25
It has been a roller-coaster ride so far for Madhu Chauhan, the first woman zila panchayat chairperson of Dehradun, since her election in 2008. Without the backing of any party, Chauhan won the election, though the BJP had swept the panchayats all across the state. But this proved her undoing. Powers were seized from her in 2010 on contentious grounds by the government, and in 2011 her services were finally terminated.

Not to be undone, Chauhan approached the High Court and was reinstated in April 2011. “Since the day I decided to stand for the zila panchayat elections, I knew things would be tough for me. At that point of time, my husband was in the BJP and pressure was exerted through him to dissuade me from standing in the election, but I was determined. After my victory I was naturally the target of the government and the party,” said Madhu.

Before plunging into politics, Chauhan was a lecturer at a local government college in the city and was quite content teaching English. But circumstances and a push from her husband led her to join politics, but she resents giving too much credit to her husband, a well-known political figure in Uttarakhand. “I must confess this political legacy did help me connect with the people of Chakrata but that’s all. I am my own person. Though my husband has been with different political parties. I continue to remain Independent,” she asserted.

Despite her several run-ins with the BJP, Chauhan does not discount the future possibility of her joining the BJP along with her husband Munna Chauhan, and pragmatically states: “In politics, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies; if the situation demands, I will become part of some political outfit. I would do so in good time. But I think at the grass-root level, it helps if you are not part of any political affiliation,” she added.

In fact, Madhu believes it would do a great service to the Panchayat Raj institutions if the panchayat elections were not held on political lines.

It would do a world of good to the Panchayat Raj institutions if the political parties were kept out but as things stand today, it would be too much too expect. There have always been efforts to undermine the Panchayat Raj institutions.

Mussoorie, August 25
Heavy rain followed by a landslide damaged the kitchen of GCO Mess of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police near the Circular road here yesterday.

Heavy boulders fell onto the kitchen roof, damaging it completely. Eleven subordinate officials of the ITBP who were sleeping in the adjacent room had a narrow escape.

Students and staff of Manav Bharti and Gurnanak Fifth Century School had to face a tough time as huge boulders accompanied by the mud debris blocked the road completely.

An officials of the Municipal Council said the hard rock blocking the road was difficult to break and it would take some time to clear the road. He said PWD officials had been informed about the incident.

The road was still closed when the report was last filed. —OC

Dehradun August 25
The entire city police has swung into action to nab the culprits behind the recent theft at Sai Temple in the city. Inspector General, Law and Order, Ram Singh Meena, held a meeting with Senior Superintendent of Police, Neeru Garg, and Deputy Inspector General, Dehradun Range, Sanjay Gunjiyal, over the matter.

The police has already taken three main suspects, the guard who was on duty in the temple, another guard of SBI in the vicinity and a flower seller who sat close to the temple, on the day of the incident for interrogation.

The police has been picking up suspects for interrogation. Around 20 persons have been grilled on the matter. The thieves who have been committing various crimes in the city and are in police custody have also been interrogated for their possible links.

Besides that, beggars and labourers from Bihar and UP who keep sitting outside the temple have been questioned.

Two teams engaged in the interrogation have been sent to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The police is also working on another theory that a big gang may possibly be behind the theft and it's members are now taking refuge in another state.

Dehradun, August 25
The Inter-Section Soccer competition at RIMC has been going on since August 23. The opening matches were played between the Pratap section and the Ranjit section in the juniors’ and middles’ category and Shivaji and Chandragupta in the same categories.

It was a one-sided affair in the middles’ category as both Shivaji and Pratap won 4-0 against their opponents.

In the juniors’ category, Pratap and Ranjit drew 0-0 while Chandragupta avenged their humiliating defeat by winning 2-1 against Shivaji. Cadet Maikel scored thrice Shivaji against Chandragupta while cadet Mrigank Shekhar was the best player for Pratap, scoring twice against Ranjit. Cadet L Zote, cadet Amul Rawal and cadet Akshat Raj also chipped in with a goal each for their respective sections. In the juniors’ category, cadet Tomthin was the most prominent player, scoring twice for the Chandragupta section.

On the second day of the competition, Shivaji faced a stiff opposition from Pratap while Ranjit and Chandragupta faced each other in what was expected to be a thrilling encounter in the middles’ category. In the first match, Shivaji managed a narrow 2-1 win over Pratap with cadet Maikel scoring twice for the Shivaji section and cadet Akshat Raj scoring the lone goal for Pratap. Cadet Pratyush Nayak saved some brilliant attempts from Pratap.