Haridwar, August 17
Students of Shravannath Math Jawaharlal Nehru College (SMJN) today started an agitation, demanding elections for students’ union in this session.

Despite huge rush for the submission of admission forms at the college counter, students resorted to agitation at the Principal’s office, demanding students’ union elections this session.

Representatives of the National Student Union of India, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Students’ Federation of India today met the Principal, Dr Navneet Ghildiyal, in this regard and demanded open elections this session.

For the past two academic sessions, the election for the students’ welfare council is being conducted via nomination process and the college management nominates the members.

Prerna Kainthola and Varsha Dhanik were elected student council chief for being college toppers in a graduate course.

The agitating students said without students’ union council, the problems of the students would remain unsolved. They said problems of the students were not being raised effectively by the nominated student representatives.

They said having an elected students’ council would provide help students take up their demands with the college management in a better way.

The agitating students also warned that they would not withdraw their agitation till the college management announces the date for students union election.

Many students today staged a protest in support of the demand, raising slogans against the college management. The Principal urged the students to withdraw their agitation, citing violation of the Lyngdoh Committee’s norms three years back, as a result of which the college management had decided to hold election by the nomination process.

Ghildiyal said he would hold talks with the college management trustees, as holding election was a prerogative of the Trust.

Meanwhile, Garhwal coordinator of the ABVP Naveen Pant said a communication had been made with the Hemwati Nandan Garhwal University Vice-Chancellor, who had assured them of appropriate action in this regard.

Pant expressed hope that at the university level, the demand of the agitating students would be met.

Student leaders Satvinder Singh and Vijay Upadhyay addressed the students on the college premise.

Why elections? Students say Without a union council in the college, the problems of the students will remain unsolved Problems of the students not being raised effectively by the nominated student representatives An elected council will help students take up their demands with the college management in a better way

Dehradun, August 17
The weather cleared up at most places across Uttarakhand today but the swollen rivers following heavy rains over the past week continued to claim lives leaving three persons dead in separate incidents.

The swirling waters of the rivers and canals swept away a girl and a student in Tehri and Chamoli districts, respectively, whereas a youth was killed at Joshimath after being hit by a rock rolling down from a nearby hill yesterday, officials said today.

Seventeen houses were razed to the ground in Tehri district following landslips. However, there were no casualties as the occupants had already moved to safer places.

Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath highways are still blocked by debris falling from the hills, they said.

A 13-year-old girl at Chamiala village of Tehri's Ghansali subdivision was swept away by the surging waters of Balganga river where she had gone along with her father to wash clothes.

The girl slipped and fell into the river and was washed away by its strong currents. The villagers kept scouring the river till late in the evening in search of the girl but to no avail, they said.

A man in his thirties was killed at Joshimath in Chamoli district when a huge rock falling from the hills near Garhi temple hit him, killing him on the spot.

Two brothers were flown down a seasonal stream while returning from their college in the district. As they raised the alarm, villagers saved one of the them while the other drowned.

Landslides also razed to the ground 11 houses in Indarola village and six in Nava Gaon.In Uprari and Saragaon villages in Uttarkashi district a large chunk of agricultural land was destroyed.

However, State Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre authorities here said the weather was clear at most places across Uttarakhand today. — PTI

Dehradun, August 17
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader ND Tewari has come out against the state Congress government and announced to come back to Uttarakhand to lead his supporters in the reconstruction and rebuilding of the state after the June disaster. Tewari has announced to hold a meeting of his supporters in Lucknow, where he has been camping for the past six months, to chalk out his next strategy.

In a letter released through his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) here today, Tewari said that the relief and rehabilitation work being undertaken by the state Congress government had failed to rise up to the expectations of the disaster-affected people.

Tewari suggested that the state government should deposit 50 per cent of the relief amount in fixed deposits and the rest 50 per cent should be given as cash to them.

He said that the disaster could lead to migration from border areas of the state and the increased Chinese presence could result in disastrous consequences.

Tewari, having a dig at the state Congress government and Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, alleged that the fuel being provided to his two vehicles as former Chief Minister of the state had been withdrawn. He wrote that none in Uttarakhand government had been able to give an explanation on the issue.

He further wrote that his OSD Bhawni Bhatt had sought information on the issue through Right to Information Act. He charged that the officers had told his staff that the decision to withdraw fuel quota for his vehicles had been given verbally by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. '' I am shocked and amazed by the decision,'' he wrote.

Tewari said that his demand to appoint a judicial commission to look into the alleged conspiracy hatched against him had also been ignored by the state government. ''It was a fact that I was given sleeping pills from 2006-07 onwards, leading to deterioration of my health,'' he wrote.

Tewari, who was disgraced following his involvement in a sex scandal as Governor of Andhra Pradesh in 2010, said that he was suffering from ill- health and depression but had recovered and was feeling better now. He announced that despite his 88 years of age, he would contribute to the welfare of the people of the state. For the past six months, Tewari had been camping in Lucknow.

Dehradun, August 17
The Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra’s (RLEK) 15-day teachers training programme concluded here today.

Addressing the valedictory function of the programme at the RLEK auditorium, chief guest state Additional Secretary and Director, Primary Education, PS Jangpangi, said, “It is a rare thing to see such a commitment and dedication in the teachers from Ireland to come to India and train the teachers of the RLEK schools year after year.” He appreciated the teachers of the RLEK school for showing an indomitable spirit towards their profession. He also said it was wonderful that these teachers were getting international exposure and asserted that the trained teachers should now share their experiences with the new teachers, so that the level of education in the state was enhanced.

For the past 10 years, under a unique capacity development programme, a team of voluntary English teachers from Ireland, who are considered the best teachers world over, have been conducting a two-week training programme for the teachers of the RLEK-run schools to hone their skills in Maths and Science apart from English by a way that is uniquely designed to blend with the cultural fabric of the state.

The most unusual feature of the training was Rutger Kortenhorst, a teacher from Ireland, who is very fond of Sanskrit. The teachers of the RLEK schools, apart from honing their teaching skill, also learn new and innovative abilities of connecting with students to encourage them and make education enjoyable.

This year, the English teacher training programme was held from August 3 to 17. The guest of honour on the occasion was Joint Director, Primary Education, Uttarakhand, Asha Painuly. The team of visiting teachers comprised of senior teachers and head masters, led by Rutger Kortenhorst, Stephen Dunn, Adein Doherty, Adine Doherty, Breden Alister, Mary Kennedy, Marie McCarthy, Mary Tracey, Dolores Fulham and Francis McDonald. The training programme included reading schemes, games, role plays, poems and songs. The main thrust was given on the accent of the spoken English, voice training and pronunciation.

A colourful and entertaining cultural show was presented on the closing day by the trainee teachers, depicting tales from ancient scriptures. For their outstanding performance, 10 teachers were given certificates and ‘angvastram’. The honoured RLEK teachers include Ramesh, Prem Lal, Ravinder, Indira Sharma and Sharmila, Dhani Ram, Mamraj, Raju Kaintura, Neeraj Sharma, Dhaulatappar and Naushad.

“The schools of the RLEK have students from marginalised communities. These teachers play a very important role in imparting quality education to them,” said Padamshri Avdhash Kaushal, chairperson, RLEK.

Dehradun, August 17
To check soil erosion along banks of seasonal rivers Bindal and Rispana in Dehradun, the district administration today carried out a tree plantation drive. A large number of schoolchildren took part in the drive.

Inaugurating the plantation drive at Rajpur, Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli underlined the need of a massive plantation drive along the Bindal and Rispana.

He said tree plantation would help check erosion of soil and curb encroachments along the two rivers.

He said both Rispana and Bindal rivers had turned into drains due to increasing encroachments along their banks. He said it was the responsibility of each and every citizen of Doon to check these encroachments.

Rajpur MLA Rajkumar said it was important to make Dehradun green. He said each resident of Dehradun must plant at least five trees in the ongoing monsoon.

Dehradun Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma appealed to the masses to assist generously towards the aid of rain disaster victims in the state.

National Service Scheme Dehradun head Anand Singh Uniyal handed over a cheque for Rs 12,000 to Vinod Chamoli towards relief for disaster victims.

Dehradun Divisional Forest Officer Sushant Patnaik, SP Cith Jagdish Chandra, other senior district officials and a large number of schoolchildren were present on the occasion.

Haridwar, August 17
Students of Gurukul Kangri University today boycotted classes in support of their demands while former president of the Students’ Welfare Council Charchit Baliyan sat on an indefinite fast at the administrative office of Vice-Chancellor.

Student leaders demanded decrease in fee for improvement examination, equipping all departments with wi-fi service, allocation of funds for educational tours, issue six books instead of four on a library card, hike in budget for the annual fest and full fee waiver for students hailing from the areas affected by the natural disaster.

Student leaders Bhopendra Kumar and Manish Kumar warned the university authorities of intensifying their agitation if they failed to accept their demands.

Registrar Prof AK Chopra termed the students’ protest as unfair as studies were getting affected due to the boycott of classes by students.

However, Chopra assured the students of taking up their demands with the Vice-Chancellor, the Chancellor and other officials of the university.

Meanwhile, university officials had called the police fearing violence by students. Protesting students had created a ruckus and damaged university property recently. They had also locked university officials in their rooms.

Dehradun, August 17
The Students Federation of India (SFI) has announced the names of its candidates for the upcoming students’ union elections in Dehradun. It has fielded Pushpendra for the post of Vice-President at DAV PG College.

The SFI has decided to contest the University Representative (UR) posts only in other three postgraduate colleges.

Atul Kant, Paramvir Singh and Seema Sani will be its candidates for the UR posts in Sri Guru Ram Rai (SGRR) College, DBS PG College and MKP PG College, respectively.

Asked why the SFI has not fielded candidates for the posts of president, district president of the federation Abhishek Bhandari told The Tribune that, “We are not contesting for the post of president because we lack enough support to win it. We are doing groundwork this year and will contest for all posts during the next election.”

The NSUI had announced its candidates on Tuesday while the ABVP was yet to declare its candidates.

Haridwar, August 17
A new sewerage plan has been passed under the Clean Ganga Vision-2020. The plan has been drafted, keeping in mind the requirements of the city.

Mayor Manoj Garg said the plan has been envisaged by the Ganga Construction and Maintenance Unit. The total estimated cost of the plan is Rs 524 crore.

The fund will be released by the Union Ministry for Forests and Environment under the directives of the National Ganga River Basin Authority.

"The working body of the Municipal Corporation has stamped the project, which in the coming years will change the sewerage system of the city," added Garg.

The working committee has also passed Rs 99.62 crore plan for the Storm water drainage system, which is a project of the Payjal Nigam.

The citizens and the various social organisations said such a project was the need of the hour. It would also uplift the current faulty sewerage system of the city.

Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti chief Sanjay Chopra said the city required this system as every year millions throng the pilgrim city.

Former Principal of Shravan Nath Math Jahwaharlal Nehru College PS Chauhan said the civic body needs to keep a tab on the working of the project and to make sure that prior to the Ardh Kumbh fair in 2016, the sewerage plan gets finished.

Ward Councillor Rajesh Sharma thanked former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for his decision of forming five new Municipal Corporation in the state.

Dehradun, August 17
Members of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme Employees Association yesterday held a protest march in Dehradun in support of their demand for contractual employment.

The march started from the Old Raipur bus stand, passed through Darshan Lal Chowk, Clock Tower and Rajpur Road before culminating at the site of the bus stand. The protesters also blocked traffic.

Ramesh Gadiya, Dwarika Prasad, Manoj Pal, Krishna Kumar Bahuguna, Sundermani Semwal and Rakesh Bisht participated in the protest.

Dehradun, August 17
The Doon School Model United Nations Conference kicked off yesterday at the Doon School with the former Central Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah delivering a keynote address.

Six schools from Pakistan, Singapore, UAE, Oman, Bangladesh and India are participating in the event.

On August 19, The Doon School will organise an initiative named 'Koshish' between Aitchison College, Lahore, Sunbeams, Dhaka and The Doon School, Dehradun. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh through discourse and discussion.

A total of 408 delegates, and 42 delegations are expected to arrive at the Doon School. 

Mussoorie, August 17
Manorites Football club emerged winner in the 42nd Jackie Memorial Invitational Football Tournament held at St George’s grounds, today.

Manorites Sports Club defeated Yuva Sport Club in keen contest by 1-0. Both the teams were goalless in the first half, but in the second half the Manorites stepped up the pace and showing some aggression managed to score the winning goal in the last few minutes of the match leading to their victory in the tournament. Thumpa from Manorites club was declared the best player of the tournament. Arun Malhotra an eminent footballer and former student of the school presented the trophies to the winners.

The principal of the school Brother Christopher, in a sporting gesture also donated football shoe kit to the budding footballers from Kendriya Vidyalaya School, IMA who participated despite facing financial problem in the tournament.

The member of the winning Manorite team donated the cash prize received here for the Uttarakhand disaster relief fund, which was appreciated by the gathered audience.

Brother Dominic, referee Virendar Rawat, Narendar, R Thapa, Anand Thapa, Naushad,Victor, Ramesh Chamoli, Digvijay, Rohan Chamoli, Lalit Verma, Samuel and others were present on the occasion.

Dehradun, August 17
Four Additional Superintendents of Police officers (ASPs) have got commendation for their extraordinary services in the post-disaster rehabilitation work in the state.

Pradeep Kumar Rai, Shweta Choubey, Devendra Pincha and Navneet Singh have been chosen for the commendation sign for their services provided in the ongoing post-disaster rehabilitation work in the state. — TNS

Dehradun, August 17
A police constable was allegedly shot dead by armed assailants in Haridwar district when he stopped them from fleeing after committing a robbery, the police said today.

The police constable, Sunit Negi (33), was killed last night near Roorkee, the police said.

According to the police, a group of five-six armed men forcibly entered a house in the area and robbed the family.

However, a 12-year-old girl in the house locked herself in a bathroom and telephoned her teacher and narrated the entire incident to her, they said.

The teacher immediately reported the incident at the Ganganhar police station and two constables were sent to the area, they said.

The robbers tried to flee when the police arrived, but one of the assailants was caught by the police, who shot at Negi. The constable died on the spot, they said.

A search has been launched for the robbers, they said, adding that no arrests have been made so far in this connection. — PTI