|
|
|
|
|
Enchanted with Kanwar yatra, foreigners throng twin sacred cities
No registration process for Kanwariyas
|
|
|
GB Pant scientists forecast high prices of tomato
Roads to be repaired by Sept: Minister
Jawans, students plant over 300 saplings
Jawans of the Eco-Task Force and students plant saplings in Talogi village near Mussoorie on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph
Uproar over mutation of property case
Survey of manual scavengers to start on July 30
Manya wins gold in shooting
Oak Grove trounce Summer Valley
The host, Oak Grove School, won the inaugural match of the 9th Alok Ranjan Memorial Football Tournament that began at the school grounds here today.
|
|
Enchanted with Kanwar yatra, foreigners throng twin sacred cities
Haridwar, July 24 The age-old Kanwar pilgrimage of fetching holy Ganga jal from Ganga river and then offering it to Shivalingams at temples of Lord Shiva attracts billions during the Shravan month of the Hindu calendar in Uttarakhand. But in recent times foreigners, too, are seen observing the holy ritual of Kanwar and also donning saffron clothes to look like Lord Shiva devotees. The sight of foreign Kanwariyas along the Ganga ghats is a surprising as well as an indication of the charm of Indian spirituality and customs that draw people from Western world in large numbers to this part of the country. Twin pilgrim cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh ,though throughout the year witness foreigners for yoga practise, spiritualism, to know Hindu religion better, panchkarma therapy and adventure sports, but now Kanwar fair is also drawing them in hordes. This is quite opposite to the normal perception that during Kanwar fair foreign tourists and visitors avoid these twin pilgrim cities, owing to millions of Kanwariyas thronging these cities for Kanwar rituals. Some errant Kanwariyas created this perception but now this is also slowly changing as foreigners can be seen visiting these twin cities during Kanwar fair tenure. Benjamin, resident of Switzerland ,is so enchanted with the spiritual-religious aura of these twin Ganga cities that he wants to visit again and also bring in his friends . He says that there is a certain mysticism about these twin pilgrim cities and Kanwar fair when thousands clad in saffron colour attire walk bare foot hundreds of miles to fetch holy Ganga water. Nuri from Spain remarked that she had heard about Maha Kumbh fair when a billion-odd people reached Haridwar to take the holy bath in a single day in 2010, known as the ''Shahi bath,'' but this is also quite fascinating that 20 million people will be coming to Haridwar-Rishikesh again to fetch the holy Ganga water. Accompanying Nuri is Naini, her friend from Spain, who are both attired in Kanwariya clothes and are keen to fetch holy Ganga water. They said that they got satisfaction while donning Kanwariya attire and performing rituals. Benjamin pointed out that normally foreigners clicked the pictures of Kanwariyas but this time they are being photographed in large numbers as local people are getting surprised seeing them in the dress of Kanwariyas and fetching holy Ganga jal in small plastic bottles. Swami Chidanand Muni, spiritual head of Parmarth Niketan, Swargashra, Pauri Garhwal distirct, says that Indian spritiualism and rituals are time tested and foreigners come to seek solace here. If they are observing Kanwar ritual, then it is an acceptance of Indian customs, which no other country in the world possesses. Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti, a religious outfit in Haridwar, has denied any reservations being made from their side. Sanjay Chopra,chief of the Samiti, said that if foreign nationals observe Kanwar rituals and dress as Kanwariyas, they have no objection as long as they do it with sincerity and as per norms.
|
|
No registration process for Kanwariyas
Haridwar, July 24 There has been no full-fledged registration process for Kanwariyas coming from states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh from where thousands of Kanwariyas come. This can spell trouble in the coming days.
Last year a whopping 2 crore Kanwariyas had come to Uttarakhand to fetch holy Ganga jal , which they offer at Lord Shiva temples, Shivalingams. In the coming days Kanwariyas from nearby neighbouring states will throng the twin cities in millions. The mela administration officials will have a tough time to register each and every Kanwariya. More so it will get affected when vehicular Dak Kanwar begins in the last three-four days of this year’s Shravan Kanwar. As huge traffic jams are the norm on National Highways 58 and 72, registration process will hamper the speed of clearing Kanwariyas on these highways. Registration process at Rishikesh for the revered shrine of Neel Kanth Maha Dev may be quite effective as there are only two paths to reach Neel Kanth shrine in Pauri Garhwal. Already Pauri Garhwal district administration has made more than six registration points for on-foot Kanwar pilgrims and vehicular Kanwar rush. But in Haridwar and in other states, as Kanwariyas come from all parts and corners of the northern region, their registration may not be so easy. Today, as per mela control room, the figures stood at 78,700 Kanwariyas getting registered. Yet as per local observers, the number of Kanwariyas that came to the district today were quite more than the registered figures. While in an inter-state high-level officials' meeting regarding Kanwar fair management it was declared that Kanwariyas will have to bring identity proof and passport size photos along with them during Kanwar piligrmage, not many Kanwariyas know about this. As per Superitendent of City Police, Haridwar,Jagdeesh Singh Bhandari, the mela administration is making sure the Kanwariyas get registered. Mela administration is also deciding to increase the number of registration points in Haridwar district, which till date are five, in coming days when the Kanwar fair peaks. Haridwar District Magistrate Nidhi Pandey stated that first-time registration procedure for Kanwar devotees has been initiated. It may take time but she gave strict directions to police and mela officials to make sure registration process of Kanwariyas is successful. Notably ,in the initial stage of Kanwar fair, Kanwariyas from states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh come to fetch holy Ganga jal as they have to tread more distance. In the second half or week of the two-week long Kanwar fair, Kanwariyas from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh come and as in the past few years the trend of Dak Kanwar, which completes the pilgrimage duration to and from in a stipulated period of time, has gained popularity. They try to speed up their vehicles in order to reach in time. “We are facing difficulty in registering the Kanwariyas. Many Kanwariyas are unwilling to get registered their names and identities. Cases of some Kanwariyas revealing fake identities are also coming to light. DM inspects kanwar patri
With kanwariyas pouring in to fetch holy Ganga jal from Brahm Kund, Har-Ki-Pauri, District Magistrate of Haridwar Nidhi Pandey inspected the kanwar patri to gauge the facilities being provided to the kanwariyas. On finding unattended garbage at Rodi Belwala, Jwalapur and Pull Jatwada portions of the stretch, Nidhi directed health department and municipal corporation officials to remove it. She also warned the officials that for the two-week tenure of the kanwar fair, the stretch should be properly and regularly cleaned, otherwise they would be held accountable. The DM expressed satisfaction on the power supply, drinking water arrangements and health camps made available temporarily at the kanwar stretch. Notably, for the kanwar fair, the whole mela zone has been bifurcated into three super zones, 22 zones and 89 sectors for management of the fair. Nidhi Pandey, along with Senior Superintendent of Haridwar Police Rajeev Swaroop, is also holding meetings with various organisations and institutions to ensure the cooperation and smooth conduct of the kanwar fair. In one such meeting with representatives of hotels dharamshalas, ashrams, lodges and Auto Taxi Union, both the district officials urged the representatives to keep an information register of all the kanwariyas and visitors. The SSP said that during the kanwar fair, DJ will be prohibited as will be usage of alcohol in hotels A kanwar mela control room has been set up with information available at 01334-223999.
|
||
|
GB Pant scientists forecast high prices of tomato
Dehradun, July 24 One of the objectives of this project is to make price forecast well in advance of the sowing of the selected agricultural commodities and during harvest. A research team under the supervision of Dr Anil Kumar, principle investigator, conducted the market survey of the Haldwani regulated market, a major market for tomato in Uttarakhand, and analysed the wholesale prices data which prevailed for the past 23 years in this market. The scientists expect that the prices of tomato will remain high this year compared to the last year due to adverse weather conditions. Rains have damaged the crop and therefore the prices will be very high due to short supply, especially up to August 15. Prices are expected to decline after the arrival of tomato from Nasik and Bangalore to the Haldwani regulated market. After taking into account the results of the econometric analysis, traders’ view and other factors, the scientists expect that the prices of tomato will be in the range of Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 per quintal at the farm level during August and Rs 1,500 to Rs 1800 per quintal during September, while these will range between Rs 1,400 and 1,600 per quintal in October. The scientists have advised farmers to take harvesting decision as per the price forecast. India ranks third among tomato-producing countries contributing 8 per cent of the world’s production. This crop is grown over 6 lakh hectares in India ranking second among the countries having the maximum area under tomato cultivation. The yield per hectare in India is quite low that stands at 18 tonnes per hectare as compared to the USA, Italy and Spain, where it ranges between 50 and 60 tonnes per hectare. Major tomato-growing states in India are Andhra Pradesh, Odisha , Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, which together account for 82.20 per cent of India’s production. Tomato is a major vegetable widely produced throughout Uttarakhand, where it is grown both in hills and plains. Nainital, Dehradun, US Nagar and Haridwar are the four major districts producing tomato and constitute about 63 per cent of the total production in the state.
|
|
Roads to be repaired by Sept: Minister
Dehradun, July 24 The restoration of roads is on, but there are stretches where the entire road has been washed away which has to be rebuilt. While in certain places, the repaired work has been washed away due to incessant rains. Due to this, certain works may stretch over to October or the first quarter of 2014,” said Fernandes while speaking with mediapersons today. He said the ministry was also looking at the long-term plan of widening of roads so that the roads remained accessible during the pilgrimage rush. “We are looking at the construction of tunnels that would remain open throughout the year and cause less damage to environment. The cost of construction of roads could be recovered in 10 years. Another tunnel near Daat Kali Mandir on the Dehradun-Delhi Highway could be constructed for reducing congestion on the highway,” he said. The minister announced that in the 200 landslide-prone areas in Uttarakhand, the ministry was willing to include the treatment cost in the detailed project reports (DPRs) for the construction of roads. He denied reports about the paucity of funds being faced by the Border Road Organization (BRO). “There is no shortage of funds for the organisation and we have already sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the current projects,” he said.
|
|
Jawans, students plant over 300 saplings
Mussoorie, July 24 A puppet organised by the force at the Government Inter-College grounds to spread awareness was appreciated by students. More than 500 students also pledged to save the Himalayas from environment degradation by planting more saplings in the near future. Commanding Officer, Eco-Task Force, Col KS Jaggi, who was the chief guest on the occasion, inaugurated the event by planting a sapling each in Talogi village and on the school premises here. Colonel Jaggi appreciated the efforts of the school for extending support for such a noble cause. He also hailed the efforts of jawans of the force for taking up an arduous task of greening the rain-shadow region of Kempty under the project being run here. He said if other organisations also made an effort in preserving the environment, the cases of natural disaster occurring frequently in the Himalayan region would decrease rapidly. Lt-Col PK Bhatt said the force had set a target of planting 4 lakh saplings in a year and assist in greening the Aglar-Yamuna valley. He said the force has planted different types of species, of which many were of fruit-bearing variety so that the villagers could reap benefit out of it in the future. Colonel Jaggi also presented a memento to college Principal Narveer Singh Rauthan for motivating the students towards greening the area. The 127 Battalion of the Eco-Task Force, Dehradun, was set up on December 1, 1982, with an aim of controlling the process of ecological degradation of the Shivalik Hills and the area around Mussoorie, where continuous mining over the years had wreaked a havoc on the flora and fauna.The force would be organising several programmes to sensitise the people towards preserving the environment. It has also been assigned a project of greening the area near Nainbagh which will begin later this year.
|
|
Uproar over mutation of property case
Dehradun, July 24 Heated exchanges were witnessed at the meeting and councillors were seen siding with both parties. Councillor Ajay Singhal proposed that the help of the district counsel be taken to review the matter. He said, “The help of the district counsel must be taken to review this complicated matter which has been pending with the working committee for the past 12 years. The DMC counsel has given his legal opinion on the matter but that can be biased as two former councillors are also involved in it. Hence, it will be advisable to get it reviewed by the district counsel to get a fair opinion.” Singhal pointed towards some councillors and said they helped in hastening the decision in favour of Tejwinder Singh due to personal interests. Councillor Kamli Bhatt resented that the councillors were taking sides in the matter and advised them to support the truth in order to ensure justice. Some councillors said the referring of the matter to the board might set a wrong precedent. Mayor Vinod Chamoli said, “If a matter becomes disputed and remains unresolved in the working committee, it can be referred to the DMC board to take a final call. However, this method will be adopted only in some exceptional cases.” Meanwhile, The working committee took up 51 cases relating to commercial properties for imposition of commercial tax on Tuesday. Of these 38 cases were solved. While decision on two cases was deferred till the next meeting of the working committee, one was sent for review and two others for further investigation. The DMC, which earned Rs 1.30 lakh as tax from commercial properties last year, increased the tax on some properties. This way, it would now earn Rs 4.3 lakh as commercial tax. The Mayor said, according to the guidelines, the DMC could impose a tax up to 25 per cent of the asset value of the commercial entity but this bar had been kept at minimum in order to make it easy for the businessmen to pay it. In cases where an exorbitant tax had been imposed, the parties moved court and the issues remained unresolved, he added.
|
|
|
Survey of manual scavengers to start on July 30
Dehradun, July 24 Principal Secretary, Social Welfare, S Raju said the Urban Development Department had been made the nodal centre for the task. He said committees had been formed at the state, district and town levels. The state-level committee would conduct the survey. While the Principal Secretary, Social Welfare, would be its president, the Director, Social Welfare, the Secretary, Urban Development, the Director, Economics and Statistics, the Regional Director, Census, and one representative from the Railways and two each from NGOs and the sanitation workers’ community would be its members. Similarly, a committee headed by the District Magistrate would be formed at the district level and another under the Senior District Magistrate at the town level. MH Khan, Principal Secretary, Urban Development, and Amit Negi, Additional Secretary, PWD, were also present at the meeting.
|
|
|
Manya wins gold in shooting
Dehradun, July 24 The championship was organised by the National Rifle Association of India. — TNS
|
|
|
Oak Grove trounce Summer Valley
Mussoorie, July 24 Oak Grove School defeated Summer Valley School 3-0 in the first fixture. The second match was played between Mussoorie Public School and Pestle Weed College, Dehradun. Mussoorie Public School defeated Pestle Weed College 2-1. The third match was played between Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School and Summer Valley School, Dehradun. Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School won the match 3-0. The tournament is being organised in the memory of the late Master Alok Ranjan, who died in 2004. — OC
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
The 127 Battalion of the Eco-Task Force celebrated Van Mahotsav by planting more than 300 saplings in association with Government Inter-College,
Kempty, at slopes of Talogi village, 13 km from Mussoorie, today. A puppet organised by the force at the Government Inter-College grounds to spread awareness was appreciated by students.
