Make Satpal Maharaj union minister: Bahuguna supporters
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 4
As a first sign of anti-Harish Rawat faction move, demand of filling the vacant post created by him in the Union Government in the capacity of Union Minister for Water Resources has surfaced from pro ex-Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna supporters.

Both Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Satpal Maharaj, Pauri Garhwal parliamentarian, met today in New Delhi, extending compliments. This was their first meeting after the new CM took over.Congress spokesperson Dhirendra Pratap has demanded appointment of the Garhwal parliamentarian as union minister.

Talking to TNS Dhirendra Pratap said that as both Rawats father-like figures in Uttarakhand Congress and dedicated party workers, being in national parliamentary politics since 80s, it will be befitting if Satpal Maharaj is given the vacant Cabinet berth in the government, left due to Harish Rawat's appointment as Uttarakhand CM.

"Satpal Maharaj has been contesting Pauri Garhwal parliamentary election since 1989 and has also defeated BJP 's ex Cabinet minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri.He has both followers,religious and party activists, in large numbers. So it will be motivating for party workers' morale as well party's chances in the upcoming parliamentary elections,"said Pratap.

Support has also come in from Pradesh Congress Committee office bearers, with Braham Swarup Brahamchari, treasurer of PCC and bete noire of Harish Rawat.

Brahamchari ,who lost the race for party ticket to Harish Rawat in 2009,said that if Uttarakhand gets a Cabinet berth again ,then it will boost party's prospects in the state.

Former Uttarakhand Women's Congress chairperson Santosh Chauhan said that the party high command decision should be binding on all party workers and if Sonia Gandhi appoints Satpal Maharaj, a three-time Pauri parliamentarian, then the duo will only strengthen the party's chances of replicating 5-0 victory in Lok Sabha election in the state.

Dhirendra Pratap,who was ranked minister in Narayan Dutt Tewari-led Congress state government from 2002-2007, also criticised the decision of CM Harish Rawat to immediately replace Superintendent of Dehradun Police Kewal Khurana, just hours after he took the oath.

"It doesn't behove the Chief Minister to single out a single police officer and transfer him to police headquarters,while he has been doing a commendable job for past 14 months,'' he said.

''Scroll the crime graph in Dehradun prior to SSP Khurana's appointment and tally it with past year or so.Also the headache problem of traffic congestion was lessened drastically by Khurana's special traffic plan.

This does not go down well with the bureaucracy's morale and also among the public,"commented Pratap.

Bumpy road ahead for Uma Bharti in state
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Shunted out of Madhya Pradesh, shifted to Uttar Pradesh during the last Assembly elections and now made Lok Sabha election in charge of Uttarakhand, the political comeback that Uma Bharti was aiming at may still remain elusive.

In fact those who know BJP politics say Uma Bharti’s foray into the Uttarakhand politics may eventually lead to a slow death of her political career that started with a bang during the Babri Masjid movement.

“It seems that she is not in the race for contesting the elections from Haridwar and her appointment is a kind of a consolation prize for someone who has lived her utility in Uttar Pradesh after the rehabilitation of Kalyan Singh, an OBC leader. Both Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh belong to the same caste,” said Matbar Singh Kandari, a former BJP leader.

The Uttarakhand BJP’s belief that the party would benefit from Uma Bharti’s association with the Dhari Devi temple and the Sparsh Ganga movement in the LS elections may have a limited appeal after her flip-flops on the issue of dams, more so after Modi’s Hunkar Rally in December last year.

Further, the BJP already has tacit support of Ramdev who also hails from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and has been aggressively campaigning on the issues of keeping the Ganga clean and swadeshi.

Uma Bharti could have risen in political stature had she gone to Bihar with a similar responsibility.

Additional Secy awaits work
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Strange is the functioning of the Uttarakhand government that long after an Additional Secretary (Land transfer) was appointed for quick disposal of matters pertaining to land transfer so that reconstruction and road repairing activity in the flood-affected state could be speeded up, the officer continues to remain clueless about the land transfers that have taken place so far.

Though PK Patro was appointed in October 2013 and was assigned a separate room in the Secretariat, so far no files have come his way. The Additional Secretary was appointed to act as a link between the Uttarakhand government and the Government of India to ensure that the Ministry of Forests and Environment takes up the matter promptly.

But the part that was assigned to him continues to be handled by the nodal officer in the Forest Department (Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest), who refuses to hand over the work to the additional secretary. Interestingly, no one has found anything amiss as the nodal officer continues to report to the Principal Secretary, Forests, and the files invariably reach the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

''In pursuance of procedures, the files that have to be put up before the Chief Minister have to go through the Additional Secretary who has been appointed in the Secretariat but the matter continues to be outside the purview of the Secretariat,'' said a senior official.

The proposal for land clearances passes through two stages. The proposal is first brought up by the user agency before the Forest Department and after which the matter is brought before the Government of India where the role of Additional Secretary comes in.

However, the nodal officer has negated the role of the Additional Secretary.

Joy in Mussoorie as Sachin given Bharat Ratna in Delhi
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, February 4
A sense of joy prevailed among the residents of Mussoorie, glued to their TV sets as soon as the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was conferred the prestigious Bharat Ratna at a formal ceremony in New Delhi today. The joy among the faces of the residents on Sachin Tendulkar receiving the Bharat Ratna was quite visible as he has developed a close affinity with the people of the town, which he considers his favourite tourist destination.

The residents congratulated each other and distributed sweets to mark the occasion and also prayed for long life of Sahin Tendulkar. The diehard fans visited temples in the town to thank the Lord for being honoured Bharat Ratna by the Government of India. Sachin, a frequent visitor to Mussoorie, has been spending quality time along with his family for the past five years. Shop owner Vipin Kansal at Char Dukan, elated at Sachin receiving Bharat Ratna award, said that it is indeed a great day not only for him but his fans, too. He further said that Sachin is not only the legendary sportsperson but a great human being, too, and that is evident from his frequent visits to his shop where he savours pancakes and coffee with delight just like any other ordinary customer.

The eminent author from Mussoorie Ganesh Saili congratulating Sachin being conferred with the Bharat Ratna said that he is the first sports person to receive the highest civilian honour of the country, and people of Mussoorie also can take pride in it due to his close connection with the town.

The president of Mussoorie Sports Association BS Negi and former sports person Samuel Chandra, elated at Sachin being conferred with the award, said that every sportsperson in the country is delighted at Sachin getting this honour and it will pave way for more sportspersons receiving the coveted award in near future. Ramnaresh, another resident of Mussoorie, said that he had heard that Sachin wants to settle down permanently in Mussoorie, and the Government of Uttarakhand can help in fulfilling his dream by offering land to build his house in Mussoorie.

It is to be noted that the rumours of Sachin buying a cottage near Sisters Bazaar were rife in the past. However, some hockey fans are also happy that Sachin recived the award but also belive that the Wizard of Hockey, the iconic Late Major Dhyanchand, should also have been considered while announcing the awards as it was Dhyanchand who brought laurels to the country without any personal interst attached to it.

In response the fans of Sachin feel that the debate whether he deserves the award or not is unwarranted and believe that the legendary cricketer who started playing cricket at the age of 16, giving valuable time of his life for the sport, has earned it justifiably. Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from all forms of cricket last November, has proved that he is one of the most accomplished cricketers in the world.

He scored 15,921 runs from a record 200 Test matches at an average of 53.58 and 51 centuries. Tendulkar finished his ODI career last December just minutes before the team for Pakistan was announced and headed for Mussoorie, his favourite tourist destination, where he played badminton and attended gym sessions with his close friends and enjoyed his stay without any hindrance.

AAP protests at Lansdowne Chowk
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Aam Aadmi Party members today staged a dharna at Lansdowne Chowk, Dehradun, demanding action against police officials allegedly responsible for the death of Dalit student Ankit.

Led by their district convener Sanjay Bhatt, ther Aam Aadmi workets sought immediate suspension of police officials who did not take timely action to prevent murder of Ankit.

They alleged that the law and order situation has gone from bad to worse in recent months in the state.

They also threatened to start a massive agitation if the administration did not take prompt action within a week.

AAP secretary Rajesh Bahuguna, Suresh Negi, Aryan Kothiyal and Manoj Kamboj were prominent among those who protested.

Festivities, Saraswati prayers mark Basant Panchami
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 4
Basant Panchami, the festival of spring, was celebrated with gaiety and fervour here today.

Devotees in large numbers thronged Ganga ghats, particularly Brahamkund, Har-ki-Pauri, to take a holy dip in the Ganga and perform rituals. Serpentine queues of devotees could be seen at temples across the city. People also performed "janeu" and "mundan" ceremonies on the occasion.

A large number of people from the Kumaon region visited the ancient Kushawrat ghat. Rituals were offered to Goddess Saraswati Saraswati at Shri Udasin Sanskrit Maha Vidyalya, Kankhal, and Shri Bhagwan Das Adarsh Sanskrit Maha Vidyalya, Shankar Ashram.

Young and old were seen flying kites to mark the occasion. Shri Panchayati Akhada Bada Udasin Kothari Mahant Mohan Das performed rituals in the presence of Sanskrit scholars and students. Kothari Mahant Mohan Das said Sanskrit is the voice of God and to propagate this ancient language, Shri Panchayati Bada Akhada Udasin had established Sanskrit- based institutions in various parts of the country.

Mahant Sukh Dev Muni and Maha Mandaleshwar Swami Kapil Muni said Goddess Saraswati is a symbol of purity and sanctity. Meanwhile, tight security arrangements were in place across the city to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival.

Circle officer (city) Jodh Ram Joshi and SHO, Har-ki-Pauri police station, Mohan Singh personally monitored the festival proceedings at Har-ki-Pauri.

People throng temples for prayers in Mussoorie

Mussoorie: Basant Panchami that signifies beginning of the spring season was celebrated with fervour and devotion in Mussoorie on Tuesday. People visited temples and offered prayers seeking prosperity and peace for their family members. Villagers in and around Mussoorie celebrated the festival by visiting and ploughing their fields as a symbolic mark of prosperity.

The festivities began with the people worshipping Goddess Saraswati on the auspicious day as Basant Panchami is also famous as Saraswati Puja that falls on the fifth day of the Magha (in early February) month of the Hindu calendar. It marks the start of the spring (Basant) and Holi seasons.

The people from Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal set up small pandals in their colonies where students, especially those appearing in the board exams, sought blessings from Goddess Saraswati to attain good marks. Delicacies like ‘kesar halwa’ made from flour, sugar, nuts, and cardamom powder was prepared and distributed among the people. Children and women wore yellow clothes representing the bloom of mustard flowers.

Basant Panchami being a public holiday, government offices, schools and colleges remained closed. Municipal Council president Manmohan Singh Mall extended festival greetings to all and prayed for the peace and prosperity of the town.

Cultural extravaganza

Pithoragarh: The festival of Basant Panchami was celebrated with enthusiasm in the Kumaon region on Tuesday.

“The festival gave a glimpse into Kumaon’s culture with artists performing ballets based on epics and folk traditions such as decoration of houses besides performing various folk dances,” said Girish Mathpal, organiser of the festival.

Basant Panchami is also celebrated as the birthday of Goddess Saraswati, in Haldwani town. “We celebrate this day as the creation day of literature, art, dance and other classics, related to Goddess Saraswati, according to Hindu beliefs,” said Trilochan Shastri, a Hindu priest in Haldwani, who solemnised the Janeu Sanskar of several youths.

In Pithoragarh, several educational institutes commenced the new session from today and began admitting students for the new session. "We began the Vidhyarambh Sanskars for our new students from today and also started admitting new students as the birthday of Goddess Saraswati is a good beginning for any education in life,” said KV Pal, Principal of Asian Academ.

250 take part in cancer awareness marathon walk
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Concerned with the rising cases of cancer in Uttarakhand and to mark World Cancer Awareness Day, Max Super Speciality Hospital (MSSH), Dehradun, organised a cancer awareness marathon walk today.

A total of 250 people took part in the walk that was flagged off by the cancer survivors from Hotel President here this morning. It ended at the starting point after covering a distance of 2 km through city via Clock Tower. The objective of the walkathon was to create awareness about how regular screening could detect cancerous symptoms at an early stage when cancer treatment was better with higher survival rates. The cancer survivors who participated in walkathon have motivated many patients to remain determined throughout their cancer journey and to not to lose hope at any time.

Addressing the mediapersons today, Dr Akash N Gaind, Consultant- Surgical Oncology and Dr Rudranath Talukdar, Consultant - Medical Oncology at MSSH, Dehradun, highlighted the prevalence of cancer in the region and how it could be reduced.

Dr Gaind said that in Uttarakhand the number of cancer cases have been rising in the state. “In the past 6 months, since the inception of the Department of Oncology at Max Hospital, we have reviewed more than 1000 cancer patients. Most of these patients approach doctors at a very critical stage,” said Dr Gaind

He emphasised that it was essential to spread awareness about early detection of cancer which greatly increases the chances for successful treatment. In early stages like Stage I and II, prognosis and survival was about 80-100 per cent as against stage III and IV, when prognosis was only 30-50 per cent.

On the other hand Dr Talukdar said that oral, prostate, gall bladder and blood cancers were common in males. Women in Uttarakhand were also equally afflicted with cancer. This was evident from the fact that the hospital daily received women patients suffering from mostly breast, cervical, ovarian, uterine, gall bladder or blood cancers.

Police pulled up for traffic chaos in Dehradun
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Pulling up the Dehradun police for its failure to control the traffic chaos due to protests in the city on Monday, Cabinet Minister Dinesh Aggarwal has demand a report from the police department in this regard.

At a meeting here today, Aggarwal asked SHOs and senior police officials to prepare the report on the action taken by them to avert the unpleasant situation that brought the entire city to a standstill. Hinting at a strong action against the erring officials, Aggarwal has given two days for the submission of the report.

" Senior police officers along with SHO and circle officers should ensure that the general public is not harassed by protests in the city or the state in future. We are answerable to the public and it is our responsibility to protect them," he said.

Those present at the meeting included DIG Amit Sinha, District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam, SP (City) Navneet Singh, SP (Traffic) Pradeep Kumar Rai and JP Juyal.

CM visits slums at Dalanwala
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat visited the slum area at Dalanwala to get the first hand account information of slum dwellers' problems. He instructing the officials of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) and the district administration to provide basic amenities to the slum dwellers.

The Chief Minister was accorded a warm welcome by the slum dwellers who said it was for the first time that a Chief Minister came to their area. Rawat listened to their grievances who complained of scarcity of drinking water, lack of road connectivity and the drainage problem in the the area.

Directing District Magistrate BVRC Purshottam to make provision for clean drinking water, the CM said a tiled path be made at the earliest and overflowing drains be cleaned.

Asking the officials to visit the area frequently, Rawat said, "There is a need to do a lot of work here. Officials should visit the area frequently and solve the residents' problems. An emphasis should be laid on the quality of life."

Those who were part of the CM entourage included Umesh Sharma Kau, Ranjeet Rawat, Anand Tyagi, BVRC Purushottam, Sundram, Bansidhar Tiwari, ADM HS Rawat, Rajeev Jain.

Workshop on DNA fingerprinting concludes

Dehradun, February 4
A two-day workshop on ‘Molecular marker and DNA fingerprinting’ organised jointly by the Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences, Dehradun, and Escherichia Genomics, New Delhi, on the institute’s premises ended here today.

Chairman of the Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences Arvind Gupta was the chief guest at the workshop. He stressed on the importance of holding workshops as they go hand in hand with scientific researches. Gupta said while on the one hand the participants get an opportunity to know about the latest technologies, on the other they inspired them to carry out research.

Dr Sovan Bagchi, organising secretary and head of the Department of Biotechnology, said the DNA fingerprinting was a technique employed by researchers to assist in the identification of different species by their respective DNA profiles. — TNS

Dharna by unemployed enters day 144
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
The dharna undertaken by BP.Ed and MP.Ed trained unemployed in Dehradun entered the 144th day today.

The protesters today asserted that they would convert their dharna back into hunger strike if the promise made by Cabinet Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani some days back to ensure appointment of physical education officers in senior secondary schools is not fulfilled shortly. The protesters held that they have given February 5 deadline to the state government to act on their concern or else they will be left with no choice other than to intensify their agitation.

Maya Joshi, Bhawana Chand, Umesh Rawat and Namrata Vohra were prominent among those who protested.

On collision course They are demanding appointment of physical education officers in senior secondary schools Threaten to intensify stir if their demand not met before February 5

Badrinath temple chief priest suspended
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
The chief priest of the Badrinath shrine, Keshavan Namboodiri, has been suspended by the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee following his arrest for allegedly molesting a woman in a hotel room in New Delhi. The woman is pregnant.

A four-member committee has been formed to conduct an inquiry into the incident. It will be headed by Chandra Kishore Maithani, a member of the temple committee.

Addressing a press conference, president of the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee Ganesh Godiyal said Namboodiri had been suspended with immediate effect. If found guilty, he would be permanently removed from the coveted seat.

“The inquiry committee will prepare its final report based on the information by the Delhi Police. The temple committee will take the final decision on the basis of this report,” he said.

Godiyal, however, refused to comment on the issue and said, “Let the police and court decide the matter.” According to information, the incident took place on Monday night when the victim was allegedly called by Namboodiri at his hotel room.

A tradition that is believed to have been started by Adi Shankaracharya, the head priest at the Badrinath shrine is always a Namboodri Brahmin from Kerala. Deputed for six months from April to November, when the temple remains open, he is brought to the temple on a special request from the state government.

Badrinath shrine to open on May 5
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
The portals of the Badrinath shrine will open for the devotees from May 5, five months after they were closed for the winter. The doors of the shrine, located in Chamoli district of the state, will be opened at 4.05 am.

Chief Executive Officer of the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee Ganesh Godiyal said the auspicious day and time to open the portals was announced on the occasion Basant Panchami by Pandit Acharya Krishna Prasad Uniyal.

The announcement was made amid the presence of teerth purohits (pilgrimage priests) and raj purohits (royal priests) and members of the Tehri royal family at the palace located at Narendranagar.Situated along the banks of the Alaknanda at a height of over 10,000 feet, the portals of the shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu were closed on November 18 last year.

Real Host, Doon Strikers win
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 4
Real Host, Doon Strikers and Alfathy Club won their respective matches in the Dehradun Premier Cricket Youth Twenty20 Cricket Tournament in progress here in Dehradun.

In the first match, Real Host won by 2 wickets against Uttarakhand Lions. Batting first, Uttarakhand Lions scored 175 runs losing 4 wickets in process. Real Host easily achieved the target, batting next, thus managing a 2-wicket win.

In the second match, Doon Strikers won by 23 runs against Uttarakhand Institute of Technology. Batting first, Doon Strikers scored 135 runs in the allotted overs. Chasing the target, Uttarakhand Institute of Technology got all out at a score of 112 runs, thereby ensuring 23-run win for Doon strikers.

Sunrise academy win by 5 wickets

The Sunrise Cricket Academy defeated Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) by five wickets in a match in the the 62nd Dehradun District Cricket League played at OFD Grounds here on Tuesday. Batting first after winning the toss, UJVNL were all out for 134 in 33.3 overs. Akhtar remained the top scorer with 53 runs. Omkar Singh Rawat took four wickets for 32 runs while Farsi took three wickets for 10 runs.

The Sunrise Cricket Academy achieved the target of 136 in 16 overs. Opener Omkar Singh Rawat scored 54 runs while Rahul scored 42 runs. Umesh took two wickets for 22 runs.