Hoardings to warn residents against buying illegal property
Dehradun, February 16
The Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) has decided to install signboards and hoardings in the city to warn residents against buying illegal property in the state. The decision has been taken in the wake of illegal construction under way at various places in the city.

BJP chief's tour cancelled
Dehradun, February 16
Uttarakhand BJP chief Teerath Singh Rawat was forced to cancel his tour programme beginning today due to inclement weather.

Dehradun, February 16
Members of the Left parties and other progressive organisations, who were holding a demonstration against the treatment of Kashmiri students by Right-wing Hindu organisations and Uttarakhand police at Gandhi Park, today were arrested by the police. They were taken to the police lines and later released by the police in the afternoon.

A group of Kashmiri students who were staging a demonstration against the situation in Kashmir valley following the hanging of Afzal Guru were arrested by the police, while two innocent Kashmiris were beaten up by Right wing activists.

The members of the Communist Party of India, Marxist, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India ( Marxist-Leninist), Peoples' Union of Democratic Rights (PUDR), Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Krantkari Lok Adhikar Sanghathan, Progressive Journalists Association, All India Students' Association (AISA) and Chetna Andolan participated in the protest.

Vijay Rawat, state secretary , CPM, Samar Bhandari, state secretary, CPI, Indresh Maikhuri, state council member of CPI(ML), Indu Naudiyal of Janwadi Mahila Samiti and Gautam Navlakha of PUDR were prominent leaders who addressed the gathering.

These leaders condemned the attack on innocent Kashmiris by right Wing Hindu organisations and the arrest of Kashmiri students by the police. They said that everyone in the country had the right to democratically protest but the attitude of the Uttarakhand police was highly deplorable. The leaders demanded that police action be taken against the Right wing activists who attacked two innocent Kashmiris and a Jaunsari youth in Indira Market.

While speeches were being made, a strong police force descended on the scene and bundled the leaders in police vehicles and taken to police lines. After their release in the afternoon, a meeting of the Left parties was held in which the police action was condemned. Indresh Maikhuri of CPI(ML) informed that while those who attacked innocent people are roaming free, threatening minorities, the leaders of the Left parties who were peacefully protesting were arrested.

The meeting also condemned the attack on a Kashmiri student by some students of DAV College here today. The Left leaders alleged that law and order situation in the state had worsened while Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was taking a dip in the Allahabad Mahakumbh or camping in New Delhi.

Dehradun, February 16
The Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) has decided to install signboards and hoardings in the city to warn residents against buying illegal property in the state. The decision has been taken in the wake of illegal construction under way at various places in the city.

MDDA Vice-Chairman RM Sundaram said: "Land mafia are cutting plots and carrying out illegal constructions across the city. They neither get the map approved nor complete other modalities to build houses. Those who purchase property from them later find them illegal. They also face problems in getting electricity and water connections and other facilities from the Dehradun Municipal Corporation."

He said people did not thoroughly check property papers before striking a deal. He said on the hoardings, they would mention some points needed to keep in mind while buying any property.

Sundaram said he was coming across many such cases where the MDDA had no option but to demolish such property.

He has already served notices on seven owners of such property.

He said all other measures taken in this regard had failed. The boards installed by the MDDA on vacant plots to clarify that the land belonged to the MDDA had been removed by mafia men.

Sundaram said: "We can't deploy security guards to safeguard boards. So no more such boards will be installed now," he said.

He further said he had also constituted a team of executive engineers, who would inform him about encroachment or constructions taking place on MDDA land. 

Dehradun, February 16
The weather in Uttarakhand will experience overall improvement from tomorrow afternoon.

According to Dehradun Meteorological Centre’s Executive Director Anand Sharma, the weather will experience an overall improvement by tomorrow afternoon.

“There can be isolated rain in some parts of the state tomorrow morning, but overall the weather will start improving," Sharma pointed out.

The state today witnessed moderate to rather heavy snowfall and rainfall. While all districts experienced rainfall, Uttarkashi experienced snowfall in past 24 hours. Similarly, apart from other high reaches of the state, Mukteshwar experienced severest of snowfalls.

Referring to weather conditions in the days to come, Sharma disclosed that while the maximum temperature is expected to rise, the minimum temperature will fall by 3 to 4 degrees.

The capital city of Dehradun experienced rain, bringing back cold wave conditions.

The city roads gave a desolate look as most of the people remained indoors. However, the tea kiosks did brisk business. 

Dehradun, February 16
It is for the first time that the Tourism Department is expecting arrival of at least one thousand international tourists in the week-long International Yoga Festival, which will begin on March 1 in Rishikesh.

The Parmarth Niketan Swargashram has been organising the festival for the past 15 years and usually receives 400 international yoga lovers at the maximum. This year, the festival will have five ashrams from Haridwar and 11 from Rishikesh as key players. These ashrams and some hotels will also hold yoga sessions for the tourists. The international tourists will have to spend Rs 35,000 for the complete package, including accommodation and food to stay in the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), which has already got registration of 200 international tourists. The GMVN has also been made the nodal agency of the festival. The other key players have their own individual packages.

While holding a press conference in the city yesterday, Principle Secretary, Tourism, Uma Kant Panwar, said, “The players in the festival will hold yoga classes, discourses by experts, cultural programmes, sight-seeing and food as per the yoga principles. The GMVN will organise an exhibition on yoga, including stall on yoga medicines and yoga equipment.”

He said the department had laid out some quality-related parameters for all key players in terms of amenities, food and

programmes. The players, however, have been given the liberty to chalk out their own programmes as per their expertise. Panwar said the players had been short listed on the basis of their reputation in the field. He said the state government was not earning any profit but was spending Rs 50 lakh on the festival to promote it for future and make it a brand in theme festivals.

Additional Secretary Amit Negi said the festival would be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, followed by a competition among the players. Thereafter, they would proceed to their respective ashrams and hotels. Bus service would be provided free of cost. The registration fee for local residents will be Rs 500 and $50 for foreigners. Renowned spiritual gurus such Swami Avadeshanand, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Amrit Suryanand and Swami Ramdev would give lectures to the participants. —TNS

Dehradun, February 16
Governor Aziz Qureshi will inaugurate the first inter-university youth festival (yuva mahotsav) at Doon University on February 24.

The Governor is the inspiration behind the gala event in which a large number of universities of Uttarakhand will participate. The festival will culminate on February 28 with a cultural evening and a prize distribution ceremony where the Governor will be the chief guest.

Among the universities that will participate in the festival are Doon University, Uttarakhand Technical University, Uttarakhand Open University, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kumaon University, HNB Garhwal University, GB Pant University, ICFAI University, Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Graphic Era University, Graphic Era Hill University, Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry , HIHT, FRI University, Patanjali Vishwavidyalaya and Himgiri Zee University.

Qureshi said such festival should be held to integrate the youth of the state and promote the cultural heritage and legacy of Uttarakhand.

He also said cultural events with special emphasis on the dialects, dance forms, folk tales and literature of Uttarakhand should be held.

Sports events that will be held during the fest will include athletics, chess, kho-kho, kabbadi, table tennis, basketball, cricket, football, volleyball and badminton.

A lot of cultural events have been designed to showcase Uttarakhand's cultural legacy. These include regional dances, group songs, folk orchestra, poetry recitation in state's vernacular languages, an act play based on themes related to Uttarakhand such as folk tales or social problems specific to this region. On the spot painting, cartooning , poster making, rangoli, world dances like Tango, Salsa and Ballet, western orchestra and mimicry will also be part of the festival.

All cultural events and sports events would take place on the Doon University campus here. Four sports events (cricket, football, volleyball and badminton) will take place in Sports College, Raipur.

Haridwar, February 16
Hundreds of devotees from the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions today performed religious rituals at Har-ki-Pauri and the Kushawrat ghat.

They also generated awareness about religious ethics and local culture.

These devotees also brought along replica idols of their regional deities and offered them a dip in the Ganga.

Clad in yellow attire, devotees performed rituals alongside the Ganga.

At the Sarvanand ghat, Bhoopatwala, under the aegis of the Parvatiya Sanskriti Raksha Samiti, a yajna was held for disseminating the Hindu culture.

Speaking on the occasion, Ishwar Suyal, chief of the Dev Vaani Paropkar Mission, said their culture was their identity and for its conservation, steps were needed to be taken.

Pt Prakash Chand Bhatt, secretary of the mission, emphasised the need to bring younger generation closer to the Indian values, culture, ethics and history.

Veteran religious scholar Leela Dhar Joshi lauded the efforts of these regional organisations in spreading traditional hill and religious culture.

Pundit Mohan Chand Balodi, Shiv Charan Naudiyal, Virendra Giri, Kalish Chand Bhatt, Raj Pal, Harish Vridula, Ajay Brahamchari of the Parvatiya Sanskriti Raksha Samiti and Jan Jagran Manavadhikar Samiti performed the religious rituals at the Ganga ghats.

Haridwar, February 16
The district-level kho-kho and kabaddi championships concluded at the sports stadium at Roshanabad here today. Eight teams from Bhagwanpur, Roorkee, Maharshi Vidya Mandir, Narsain, Shantikunj Gayatyri Vidyapeeth, Vidya Mandir, Sector 5, Lakshar and Bahadrabad participated in the championships organised by the Haridwar Sports Department. All blocks of the district took part.

Bhagwanpur clinched the kabaddi title by defeating the team of Maharshi Vidya Mandir, Jagjeetpur, by 27-14 points.

While the Vidya Mandir, Sector 5, team comprehensively won the kho-kho title against Shantikunj Gayatri Vidyapeeth by 12-5 points.

General secretary of the Uttarakhand Kabaddi Union Mahesh Joshi lauded the efforts of the participants saying kabaddi promises a great sports career for players as India is a five-time Asian Games gold medalist in this sport.

District Welfare Officer Jitendra Singh Arya presided was the chief guest of the prize presentation ceremony.