He signs authographs for his fans in Dehradun on Thursday. Tribune photos

Dehradun, October 3
One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Brian Lara, also known as the Prince of Port-of-Spain, has proved once again that he has not lost his Midas touch. He scored a quick 68 runs in a 20-20 charity cricket match played at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy ground here today.

It was organised by the Indian Medical Association for the victims of the Kedarnath disaster which happened in June this year.

The match was played between the teams of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and The Doon School. The champion left-handed batsman opened the batting for The Doon School and reminded the spectators, gathered in thousands, of the Brian Lara in his prime, through his shots.

He started the inning with his signature style flamboyant cover drive, which went for a boundary. Once he was set on the crease, he started hitting every opposition bowler around the park. It was a treat for the spectators when he had hit one bowler for consecutive two sixes in the fifth over of the inning.

The lush-green stadium was echoing with the chant of “Go Lara’ and he immediately responded to the voice of his fans by hitting a straight six into the pavilion over the head of the bowler.

The fielders, his batting partner and the umpires were excited to be around one of the greatest of the game. Sabir Sethi of The Doon School, who opened batting along with Brian Lara, told The Tribune, “It was an amazing experience batting along with Brian Lara who is considered one of the best batsmen of all time. He gave me some important tips about batting and it was a treat to watch him score boundaries and sixes from the other side of the pitch.”

He was also seen enjoying Bollywood tunes while standing on the bowlers end and greeted the crowd by raising his bat towards the stands. Youngsters and school students gathered in large numbers to see their favourite batsman in action and the master batsman also did not disappoint his fans.

After scoring a magnificent 68 runs on 30-odd balls, Lara was caught at mid-wicket.

Speaking to the media, the former West Indian captain paid tributes to the victims who lost their lives in the Kedarnath tragedy and asked everyone to come forward and support the families of the victims.

On the question of Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th test match, Lara said, “I wish him best of luck for his 200th test match and it is more special, as he is going to play his 200th match against the West Indies team.”

On the issue of match-fixing in the game of cricket, Lara said, “It is very saddening that such issues comes up in cricket as they create a bad name for the game.”

He also appreciated the role of the IPL in promoting the game. He said young talent had come forth in all cricket-playing nations after showcasing their talent in the IPL. He mooted the idea of bringing more West Indian players in Dehradun to play a cricket match in future.

Earlier, Brian Lara appreciated the beauty of Dehradun and applauded the facilities at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy. 

Mussoorie, October 3
Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders took out a protest march and courted arrest at the police station in Mussoorie demanding amendment in the Food Bill and measures to curb inflation.

The CPI workers, adhering to the call given by the party at the national level, led a protest march from Picture Palace till the police station and raised slogans against the UPA-led government.

They also presented a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister demanding amendment in the Food Bill as it was faulty and not of any use for the poor. They also demanded to stop any forcible acquisition of the farmers land in the name of development by the government.

Badoni said workers should be provided facilities of health and hygiene in Mussoorie by the government. CPI district secretary Mahipal Singh, CPI members Hoshiyar Singh Rawat, Bharat Singh and others were present on the occasion.

Dehradun, October 3
A two-day workshop on anti-human trafficking began at police line here today. Officers of sub-inspector rank from all police stations in the district participated in the workshop. Police officers discussed the strategy to curb such crimes.

DR Prathiba Sharma of Doon Hospital and representatives from NGOs were present during the workshop. Information regarding guidelines of the Women and Child Development Ministry on anti-human trafficking was shared with the policemen. —TNS

Dehradun, October 3
Work remained paralysed in the government offices today due to boycott call given by field employees owing allegiance to the State Employees Joint Council (Uttarakhand) in support of their demands.

The employees gathered in the morning at the parade ground to participate in the meeting, chaired by Prahlad Singh, president of the council.

Speaking on the occasion Singh said the boycott call by the employees is a warning to the insensitive officers who were hell-bent upon scuttling the peaceful agitation of the employees.

If the government fails to pay heed to our demands, the employees will be forced to call a state-level strike, said Singh.

On the other hand Arun Pandey, spokesperson of the council said seven days have passed, since they submitted a memorandum of demands to the government but there has been no action.

Today field employees from the departments of Health, Horticulture, Irrigation, Income Tax, DRDA, Cooperative, Revenue and Panchayat and other departments participated in the meeting. 

Dehradun, October 3
The newly-appointed Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttarakhand, BS Sidhu, was given guard of honour by the Army contingent in the presence of senior police officials at the police headquarters here today.

The DGP inspected various offices at the police headquarters and took information about the work going on in the offices on routine basis. He asked the employees to carry their duties with honesty and dedication. Later, he held a meeting of senior police officials to take a stock of law and order situation in the state. He also met SSP Dehradun and DIG Garhwal.

Haridwar, October 3
Veteran social activist and former Parliamentarian Subhasini Sehgal stressed the need for creating awareness among people who are being misused by communal forces, like in the case of the recent Muzaffarnagar riots that took place for personal, political and nefarious purposes.

Speaking as a chief orator at the Communal Harmony Convention organised by former MLA Ambrish Kumar in Haridwar today, national president of the Akhil Bharatiya Janvadi Mahila Sabha Subhasini Sehgal drew instances from her visit to the riot-hit Uttar Pradesh district and also from the 2000 Gujarat riots.

She pointed out that in name of eve-teasing, the communal forces drew Jats in thousands, saying ‘Save their girl and daughter-in-law’. But in fact, the girl told her that along with other schoolgirls, they face eve-teasing on regular basis even from their own Jat community.

“Female foeticide is highest in Muzaffarnagar, crime rate is high, but some people of the community mobilise the masses in name of saving their daughters. When it comes to killing of females in womb, they don’t even think of saving daughters. Same is the malnutrition and drop-out rate among girls in Muzaffarnagar. But to mobilise the crowd to carry out riots, the anti-social elements called upon the mahapanchayat,” Sehgal said.

Lashing at the Samajwadi -led state government, Subhasini said the administration has failed to tackle the situation with flames of it spreading in other areas too. The riots were pre-planned, but the government failed to stop it even by a week, rendering thousands homeless.

“Just vote bank politics will not make our life safer. We have to elect good, secular representatives. We also have to be patient and alert during such incidents as one mistake can lead to such barbaric riots in few hours,” Subhasini, who had won the Kanpur Lok Sabha seat in 1989 from the CPM, said.

Rashtriya Krantikari Manch founder Ambrish Kumar referred to the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi-who cared for all sections and communities.

He pointed out that when India and Pakistan were celebrating their independence, Mahatma Gandhi, who provided them freedom, was just meditating, as he was not happy with the division and the communal riots that occurred on both sides.

Ambrish said a similar communal harmony convention would be held to spread the message of communal harmony and peace in Muzaffarnagar.

Communist Part of India-Marxist Vijay Rawat pointed out Haridwar, Uttarakhand as an ideal example for rest of the country, where every section of society live with harmony and brotherhood.

The convention was attended by delegates from various religions, sects and sections of society.

Dehradun, October 3
Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar and DGP BS Sidhu will receive the President, Dr Pranab Mukherjee, at the Jollygrant airport during his visit to Mussoorie on October 18.

A meeting of senior civil and police officials chaired by Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar was held to finalise the preparations for Presidents' visit to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, on October 18.

The Chief Secretary informed the officials concerned that Commissioner Garhwal and DIG Garhwal would receive the President at the Polo ground, Mussoorie. He said foolproof alternate arrangements had been made in case the weather becomes bad on October 18.

He asked to ensure proper security and health arrangements during his visit. Uttarakhand DGP BS Sidhu, Principal Secretary, Health, Ramaswamy, Protocol Secretary MH Khan and other senior police and civil officials were present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam convened a meeting to discuss the security and other arrangements ahead of President Pranav Mukherjee’s visit here.

The President will visit Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy on October 18.

He directed the officials concerned to carry out their responsibilities without any carelessness. He directed Mussoorie SDM Sonika to provide him with the detailed information about the programmes. He instructed her to prepare a report after conducting an inspection and photography of the Pologround at Mussoorie.

Purushottam informed about the President’s schedule during his visit. He said the President would arrive at the Jolly Grant airport on October 18 then would reach the Polo helipad by afternoon and to the academy by road. After attending all programs, he will leave for Delhi in the afternoon.

Chief Development Officer Jyoti Neeraj Kherwal, Joint Magistrate Ranjana Verma, ADM Jharna Kamthan and Harak Singh Rawat were also present at the meeting.

Dehradun, October 3
A flicker of hope appeared today about the resolution of the conflict between employees of Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) and BJP councillors when Urban Development Minister Pritam Panwar called them for talks today. However, the matter was referred to Additional District Magistrate Harak Singh Rawat. The talks could not proceed due to the absence of Mukhya Nagar Adkhikari (MNA).

Following the fissures which erupted between the factions of employees over the issue of continuing with boycott, the determination of those who wanted to go along with boycott loosened. The minister also interrupted. However, when president of the union Nam Bahadur went to meet him, he told them about ADM Harak Singh Rawat taking up the responsibility of resolving their issue. In the absence of MNA Ashok Kumar, who is not coming to office for the last couple of days, the talks could not be held. He is expected to come tomorrow and the stalemate too seems to get resolved. The speculations remained rife about the employees returning to their workplace.

The leader of the Opposition and Congress councillor Neenu Sehgal also reached today for resolving the mess. He said public was unnecessarily facing a lot of problems due to all the work coming to halt in the DMC. The MNA was not coming to the office. The employees had boycotted work for almost a week. It had become very important that employees should resume work. He said he would also talk to the MNA tomorrow to convince employees to return to their work. 

Dehradun, October 3
Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), a voluntary group has criticised the move by the Uttarakhand government to appoint government administrators in panchayats after the expiry of the term of the panchayats in the tate. The panchayat elections are scheduled in November this year while the term of the panchayats ended on September 30. Due to natural calamity the elections were delayed.

Awdhash Kaushal, Chairperson of the RLEK, said the Chief Minister had been a judge of the High Court but it appeared that either he was under much pressure from the corrupt state bureaucracy or he had stopped following the Constitution of India deliberately. He said the 73rd amendment of the Constitution clearly stated that panchayat elections must take place before the five year term ended. This provision was kept only to avoid having the administrators by the state governments.

The RLEK went to the court against the governments of UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Orissa and Tamil Nadu for not holding elections on time and flouting the provisions of the Act. In its petition No. 719 of 1995, on which the order passed by Justice AN Ray and Justice GB Patnaik of Supreme Court of India said, “The concerned state cannot be permitted to withhold election of panchayats except in cases of genuine difficulties to hold such election e.g unforeseen natural calamities in the state like floods, earthquake etc.”

In this order also the SC had not allowed to have administrators but allowed to extend the term of the elected panchayat functionaries for more than five years. It has become a norm that the state governments do not get the panchayat election hold on time and have administrators appointed. The budget is also usurped, this is highly unconstitutional practice and against the national interest.

“The RLEK agrees that if there is any case of fraud or embezzlement against the elected panchayat raj functionary, only against those posts administrators can be appointed, that too preferably vice-president zila parishad, deputy block pramukh or upradhan,” says Padamshri Avadhash Kaushal, chairperson, RLEK. — TNS

Dehradun, October 3
Only one match was played between KVS Sporting and Shiwalik Football Club in the ongoing 70th Drona College Nemidas Memorial District Football League here today. The match ended in a goalless draw.

The match was played at Pavilion Ground, which reopened after renovation today. Sports Minister Dinesh Agarwal inaugurated the league.

Two matches were played in the Drona College 70th Nemidas Memorial District Football League here yesterday. In the first match, Balaji Boys defeated Garhwal Boys by 1-0, with Mayur Thapa scoring the only goal of the match for Balaji Boys at the 50th minute.

The second match between Garhwal Sporting and Doon Star ended in a 1-1 draw.

Gaurav from Garhwal Sporting opened the tally by scoring a goal at the 26th minute.

Within a few minutes of the first goal, Rajendra of Doon Star equalised the score after scoring a goal at the 34th minute. 

Dehradun, October 3
The 5th Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) Inter-Colligate Football Tournament organised by SelaQui Academy kicked off here today. Dr VK Jain, Vice-Chancellor, Uttarakhand Technical University was the chief guest on the occasion.

In the inaugural match, Shivalik College of Engineering and Technology, Dehradun, defeated Hermes College of Engineering, Roorkee by 4-1. Vikesh from Shivalik scored twice while Sorabh and Dinesh netted one goal each. In the second match, Maya Institute of Technology, Dehradun, showcased brilliant game against Drona's Institute, Dehradun, and won the match 3-0. Jaydeep, Ramdeen and Naved scored one goal each. As many as 20 teams are participating in the tournament. SelaQui Academy of Higher Education is hosting the tournament for the second time. 

Mussoorie, October 3
The Border Road Organisation (BRO) will open the roads affected by the recent disaster in the state. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Defence and Sports Kunwar Jitendar Bhanwar Singh during his visit to Mussoorie today.

Speaking to mediapersons, he said he, along with the DG, BRO, would conduct an aerial inspection of the damage caused to the roads. He also said there was no dearth of funds for reopening the damaged roads in the state and the government was committed to providing relief in the affected areas.

Dehradun, October 3
Continuing its winning form, Seven Oaks School defeated Sunrise Academy by 6 wickets in the ongoing 6th Shri Rohitash Singh Memorial Inter School Boys Super-8 Cricket tournament played at The Heritage School here yesterday.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sunrise Academy scored 32 runs in its first inning. In reply, Seven Oaks managed to score 26 runs at the loss of 5 wickets. In the second inning, Sunrise Academy scored 25 runs taking their final total to 57 runs, which was easily chased down by Seven Oaks at the loss of 6 wickets in its second innings.

In the second match of the day, Delhi Public School trounced North Point Children Academy by 7 wickets. Batting first, North Point scored 15 runs at the loss of 5 wickets. Taking a lead of 16 runs, DPS scored 31 runs in its first innings.

In the second inning North Point scored 16 runs after losing all the wickets.

Doon Presidency School defeated GRD Academy by 10 runs. After winning the toss Doon Presidency elected to bat first and made 19 runs at the loss of 4 wickets. In reply GRD gave a dismal performance and scored mere 10 runs after losing all 10 wickets.

In the second innings, Doon Presidency scored 34 runs at the loss of 4 wickets taking their total to 53.

GRD team remained 10 runs short of the total and could only score 33 runs at the loss of 5 wickets in its second inning.

In another match, Carmen School outperformed Bala Hissar School and won the match by 10 runs. After being put into bat first, Carmen School made 21 runs and in reply, Bala Hissar scored 16 runs in its first inning.

In the second inning, Carmen School scored 31 runs at the loss of 1 wicket, whereas Bala Hissar team managed to score only 26 runs in the end, and remaining 10 runs short of the target.

In the last match of the day, Aryan School defeated Raja Ram Mohan Academy (RRMA) by 6 wickets. In the first inning, RRMA scored 26 runs whereas Aryan School made 27 runs in its first inning. In the second inning, RRMA scored 27 runs at the loss of 5 wickets taking the final total to 53runs.

The Aryan School scored 27 runs at the loss of 1 wicket and chased down the target successfully.