Saras mela a big draw
Dehradun, November 5
The Uttarakhand Saras Mela-2013 under way since October 29 is drawing a huge crowd. It has been organised by the state government in collaboration with the Centre.

A police contingent holds a rehearsal for the statehood day function at the Police Lines in Dehradun on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Police conducts mock drill
Dehradun, November 5
Uttarakhand police today conducted a mock drill ahead of the visit of Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall, Camila Parker, in Uttarakhand. The police has also made elaborate security arrangements.

DMC sanitary workers create fuss over additional work 
Dehradun, November 5
The initiative of Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) to gain control over garbage disposal work at 17 locations in the city, seems to have fallen apart as the sanitary workers of the corporation are not cooperating in the endeavour.

Dehradun, November 5
Although Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, during his recent visit to Dehradun, managed to lay the foundation stone of Doon Medical College at Dehra Khas, the expansion of the existing Doon Hospital, which will be upgraded so as to serve as a hospital for the college, is still pending.

As the existing Doon Hospital (district) has to be upgraded, the Department of Medical Education is awaiting the clearance of the collectorate area, which is adjacent to the hospital for building the required infrastructure.

Earlier, intervention at the highest level had resulted in the Department of Law agreeing to transfer 10.22 acres to the Department of Medical Education located on Haridwar road, which fell vacant after the jail premises was shifted. Out of the 10.22 acres, 6.5 acres was in possession of the Department of Law and Judiciary.

At that point of time, the Department of Medical Education had planned to construct a portion of the medical college over there, but the area fell short and soon enough, the plan was changed and it was decided to construct the medical college at Dehra Khas.

"The department found it suitable in view of future expansion as we may even set up a medical university," said Harak Singh Rawat, Minister for Medical Education. Out of the total 10.22 acres existing on the jail premises, 6.5 acres is with the judiciary where offices are to be shifted. A complex has already been inaugurated and the Department of Medical Education is now awaiting for the shifting of the complete court complex on the jail premises.

As Doon Hospital would be upgraded to a 750-bed hospital, the department plans to go vertical and the OPD is likely to be shifted on the land vacated by the Department of PWD. It would be linked to the existing Doon Hospital through an underpass.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd has been entrusted with the task of building Doon Medical College at Dehra Khas . It will be built in an area of 4.686 hectares and at a cost of Rs 227.52 crore. It will comprise an administrative block (basement, ground floor and five floors), an auditorium with a capacity of 750 persons, a boys' hostel, a girls' hostel, a hostel for interns and types I, II, III, IV and V houses.

Doon Medical College would be unique as under special concessions given to the hilly states by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the medical hospital and college need not be housed in one complex.

Dehradun, November 5
The Forest Research Institute (FRI) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), two gifts of Britishers to the city of Dehradun, are all set to welcome Prince Charles on November 7.

While the Prince of Wales will be spending around 30 minutes at the FRI, he will spend more than an hour at the IMA.

The FRI authorities are trying to keep the royal visit under wraps, but sources say FRI University will be bestowing an honorary degree in forestry on Prince Charles.

Prince Charles will also be interacting with FRI students. He is also expected to plant a sapling.

He will spend some minutes in the majestic FRI building, which includes a visit to the Timber museum.

Belonging to the Colonial era, the FRI was set up in 1906 as the Imperial Forest Research Institute. A Greeko Roman Architecture, the FRI building is housed in a campus of over 450 hectares.

The institute is engaged in the works of forestry research. It has state-of-the-art laboratories and some of the finest museums linked to forestry.

Before coming to the FRI, the British royal will also be visiting the IMA on the same day. He will be visiting various blocks of the academy and informed about the history of Indian and British armies at the academy.

He will also visit fabled Chetwode hall and the drill square.

The Duchess of Cornwall, Camila Parker Bowles, who will also be accompanying Prince Charles to Dehradun, is expected to visit Navdanya, an NGO, in Dehradun on the same day. Navdanya is actively involved in the conservation of indigenous knowledge and culture.

The NGO has created awareness among farmers and civilised society on the hazards of genetic engineering and has defended people's knowledge from bio-piracy and food rights in the face of globalisation and climate change.

A month ago, British High Commissioner in India James Bevan had visited Uttarakhand and met Governor Aziz Qureshi. He had informed the state about the visit of Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall, Camila Parker Bowles, to Dehradun.

Dehradun, November 5
The Uttarakhand Saras Mela-2013 under way since October 29 is drawing a huge crowd. It has been organised by the state government in collaboration with the Centre.

The mala is showcasing products by various cooperative societies, craftsmen and handloom workers from the remote areas of Uttarakhand as well as other states of the country.It is serving as a platform for artisans, handloom workers and craftsmen by eliminating middlemen to sell their products directly to the customers at reasonable prices. Brass utensils from Bageshwar and sandal wood products from Mysore are drawing the attention of the people. Food items, including handmade pickles and vegetables and pulses from Garhwal, are also in great demand.

Dehradun, November 5
Uttarakhand police today conducted a mock drill ahead of the visit of Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall, Camila Parker, in Uttarakhand. The police has also made elaborate security arrangements. The royal family will be reaching Jollygrant in the evening on Wednesday before proceeding to Rishikesh.

Thus, the traffic from Dehradun to Rishikesh will be diverted to Bhaniyawala from Nepali Farm.

The traffic from Rishikesh to Dehradun will be diverted toward Dudhli road from Rishikesh side on November 7.

Similarly, the traffic coming toward Dehradun city from Premnagar will also be diverted later in the day.

The police conducted a mock drill from Jollygrant at 10.30 am. The police teams subsequently reached Indian Military Academy (IMA), Forest Research Institute (FRI) and Navdanya at Shimla bypass.

Dehradun, November 5
The initiative of Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) to gain control over garbage disposal work at 17 locations in the city, seems to have fallen apart as the sanitary workers of the corporation are not cooperating in the endeavour.

The councillors had been bringing forth such matters before the administration and the Mayor.

The DMC administration had taken over the garbage from the SPML company which had been collecting door-to-door garbage from the residential colonies and bazaars.

Mayor Vinod Chamoli had managed to persuade the administration to partake the arrangement but the solution did not work. Councillor Sushil Gupta said: “The sanitation workers of the DMC who have been entrusted the task to clear the garbage from Lakhi Bagh area are not coming regularly. It was a few days ago that they dumped the entire garbage collected from the area on the road and threatened not to do additional work. Neither the company nor the sanitary workers of the DMC are ready to clear garbage from the city”.

“The arbitrariness of the sanitary workers will not be tolerated at all. Such issues where sanitary workers are throwing tantrums over garbage clearance in the designated areas are coming to my notice. I warned the sanitary supervisors earlier to take serious cognisance of such issues in their wards and straighten up the fussy sanitary workers. But if required, I will issue preliminary notice to the sanitary workers and deduct their salary for the days they are not working. In extreme cases, the workers might be expelled from their job,” said Ashok Kumar, Mukhya Nagar Adhikari, DMC.

Mayor Vinod Chamoli said he called up the sanitary workers and told them to do their work sincerely.

“I called some of the sanitary workers, against whom I am getting complaints and told them that their behaviour will not be accepted. After the company took over the business, the workers are deliberately creating a scene in order to get rid of additional responsibility,” he added.