Qureshi warns China, Pakistan against disturbing peace in India
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 9
Governor Aziz Qureshi has warned neighbouring countries Pakistan and China against disrupting the peaceful environment of the country by funding terrorists and extremists and fuelling communal tension. He was speaking at the annual function of Shravan Nath Math Jawaharlal Nehru College here yesterday.

He said the people of India were united to protect the motherland irrespective of their diversified castes, creed, colour and culture.

The Governor said due to technological, industrial, scientific, and economic advancements India was emerging as a super power in the World. “Some neighboring countries envy us. We are a peaceful nation but as our past suggests whenever any foreign country tries to invade India, every citizen is ready to sacrifice his life for the motherland,” he added.

He tried to instill the feelings of patriotism and nationalism among the young students. He cited the examples of philosopher Socrates, Lord Jesus Christ, Mohammed Hussain, Lord Rama and Mahatma Gandhi who always worked for the betterment of human beings and society. They had to face difficulties too in the pursuit of their cherished goal.

“As their cause and acts were true and noble, the truth prevailed finally. Hence, one should carefully decide the path one wants to tread like what Lord Krishna taught warrior Arjuna during the course of the Mahabharata at Kurukshetra,” he added.

College management committee members Mahant Ramanand Puri Maharaj, and Mahant Lalitanand Maharaj welcomed Qureshi. They said it was a matter of pride that Qureshi was the Governor of Uttarakhand, who was a Gandhian and a statesman.

The Governor was also handed over a portrait of the Ganga and the sanctum sanctorum of Brahma Kund, Har-ki-Pauri. He appreciated a dance by two Muslim girls Huma and Bushra based on the Radha-Krishan love depicting communal harmony.

SMJN College principal Dr Avneeet Kumar Ghildiyal spoke about the achievements of the college during the past one year.

Swami Sharad Puri Maharaj, Dr Ram Moorti Veer, Dr SK Batra, function coordinator SK Maheshwari, AK Jagta, Dr Saraswati Pathak, Dr Nalini Jain, Dr Nisha Sharma, Poonam Bhagat, Furkan Ali, former college union presidents Prerna Kainthola, and Varsha Dhanik were present on the occasion.

Harish Rawat’s daughter likely to get Cong ticket from Haridwar
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar March 9
Anupama Rawat, daughter of Chief Minister Harish Rawat and general secretary of the Uttarakhand Congress Women Wing, is almost certain to contest the Lok Sabha election on the Congress ticket from Haridwar. Harish Rawat is the sitting MP from Haridwar.

President of the Uttarakhand Congress Women Wing Sarojini Kaintura has forwarded Anupama's candidature to the party high command for the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat. As no other major candidate is vying for the ticket from Haridwar, Anupama seems to be a unanimous choice.

Anupama has been politically active in the Haridwar constituency during the five-year tenure of her father as the local MP. She knows everyone from the grass-roots workers to top leaders. She has staged marches in the constituency, addressed party workers, and thanked them for their support and love to her father.

Anupuma has also not failed to mention that more development works are in the offing as the local MP (Harish Rawat) is now the Chief Minister of the state. She has been assuring people that in case they have any problem and the Chief Minster is not available, they could contact her directly.

She says she has always been happy to follow in her father’s footsteps, lend him support and work for the people in the constituency.

She, however, refuses to comment on her candidature. She adds that the people of Haridwar have given his family so much that even if she does not contest the elections from Haridwar she will always be concerned about their welfare.

“My father had lost four elections in a row from Almora. My mother (Renuka) too lost the Lok Sabha election from the same seat in 2004. But in 2009 my father won from Haridwar with a record margin of 1.25 lakh votes and became a Union minister. He became the eighth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand last month. All this happened after we came to Haridwar. Hence we owe a lot to this place,” says Anupama.

Former chairperson of the Uttarakhand Women Commission Dr Santosh Chauhan says, “Anupama is the best candidate to take her father’s political legacy forward. She is well aware of the local area, issues, and knows all party workers. She works behind the scene and is not publicity hungry.

She is almost a unanimous choice of party workers in Haridwar. Her victory from Haridwar means that we will get more blessings from Harish Rawat in form of more development,” says Chauhan.

Meanwhile, BJP legislator Madan Kaushik, who is also in the race for the BJP ticket from Haridwar, has criticised the Congress for taking to dynasty rule. “The Gandhi-Nehru family has always ruled at the Centre. Earler Vijay Bahuguna brought his son into politics and now Harish Rawat seems keen on fielding his daughter from Haridwar. This will only expose the Congress and ensure a bigger victory for the BJP,” he says.

Harish Rawat secretly meets wildlife warden, Mussoorie agog with rumours
Accompanied by former MLA Kishore Upadhyaya, he visits Bijendar Singh for a cup of tea
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, March 9
A sudden visit by Chief Minister Harish Rawat along with honourary wildlife warden of Uttarakhand Bijendar Singh for a cup of tea at the latter’s house in Mussoorie today created a flutter in the political circles. Bijendar Singh is said to be close to the Gandhi family.

Harish Rawat arrived here around 3.30 pm and headed straight to Bijendar's house, near Kapurthala Place, where they briefly discussed various issues concerning forests and wildlife promotion in the state.

The meeting was so discreet that the local Congress leaders were kept out of loop and were not allowed to take part.

Rumours are rife that the two discussed the present political scene and the prospects of the Congress in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The presence of Kishore Upadhyaya, former MLA from the Tehri constituency and close aide of Harish Rawat, at the meeting also gave rise to speculation that the probable candidate from the Tehri parliamentary seat from where former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's son Saket Bahuguna had contested the byelection and lost to Mala Raj Lakshmi Shah of the BJP was also discussed.

However, the Chief Minister told mediapersons said issues concerning environment, and wildlife were discussed at the meeting.

Speaking on the issue of infighting among senior Congress leaders over the distribution of the ticket for the Lok Sabha elections from Haridwar and Tehri, the Chief Minister said there was no clamouring for the ticket among the party leaders.

He said the ticket would be given in consultation with the party leaders and the final decision rested with the high command.

Harish Rawat said the Congress would repeat its performance of 2009 in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking on the disaster mitigation exercise being planned by the government, the Chief Minister said his government was contemplating to soon introduce around five disaster relief and rehabilitation projects.

Speaking on the repair of the Char Dham yatra route, he said the BRO had been directed to begin the work on a war footing and the National Highway Authority of India had been told that in case of delay in funds from the Centre it should complete the task of patchwork using state funds.

Rawat said there was no dissent in the government over the distribution of portfolios and all ministers had begun working in the respective ministries.

Former MLA Kishore Upadhyaya, who was accompanying the Chief Minister, refuted the speculation that he was in race for the post of state Congress president or a Lok Sabha ticket from the Tehri constituency.

Elephant intrusions back to haunt Haridwar residents
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 9
Rising incidents of elephant intrusion into human habitats have created panic in Haridwar district.

With the winter almost over and the temperature witnessing a rise, elephants have started coming out of their forest zones in search of water. Jumbos have also destroyed the standing sugarcane and wheat crops in the district.

At least one incident of elephant intrusion into fields along National Highway 74 (Bijnore-Haridwar) comes to light everyday. The areas in the vicinity of the Rajaji National Park and the Shivalik forest terrain are the worst affected.

Although forest and Rajaji park officials are making all efforts to check the man-elephant conflict, the elephant being a protected animal, they have to make a balanced approach by taking steps to avoid direct conflict.

Precautionary measures are also being taken by the officials to check elephant attacks in the worst-affected areas, particularly on the Dehradun-Rishikesh highway and the Kotdwar-Haridwar corridor. Forest officials are discharging their duties round the clock in vulnerable villages like Pathri Jagjeetpur, Missirpur, Katarpur, Ajeetpur, and Panjanhedi.

Villagers have been directed to report any movement or sighting of jumbos in their areas to the nearby forest department post.

The footprints of the jumbos are also being monitored to understand their movement. Ranger (Chila), Rajaji National Park, Pauri Garhwal, DP Uniyal said the park administration was prepared to meet the challenge.

Uniyal said such incidents were common in summer months as jumbos move out of their forest terrain towards the Ganga to quench thirst.

Residents of Jagjeetpur said jumbo movement in the area had increased in the past few days. They said as four schools were situated on the stretch, a large number of students take the route everyday. Although forest officials had intensified patrolling in the area, parents were afraid of sending their wards to schools.

Rani Majra resident Sushil Saini said elephants had destroyed their sugarcane and wheat crops. However, the Forest Department had failed to take concrete steps to check the menace.

Meanwhile, Dr Ritesh Joshi, a wildlife scientist, has suggested that the earth should be dug up in the affected areas to create a gap between fields and forests.

Amrita Rawat, Hridayesh unhappy with their portfolios
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
Chief Minister Harish Rawat is facing the ire of two women Cabinet ministers, who are unhappy with him over the allocation of portfolios. Senior-most Cabinet minister Indira Hridayesh, who has been given the charge of Finance and Parliamentary Affairs, and Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat are upset and have conveyed their unhappiness to senior Congress leaders, including AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

The Chief Minister after 34 days finally allocated portfolios to his Cabinet colleagues on March 5. However, the exercise left some of the ministers annoyed for being denied their “due”.

Indira Hridayesh is miffed at not being given important portfolios. Hridayesh was the number two in the ND Tiwari government from 2002 to 2007 and handled the important Public Works Department.

After the formation of the Congress-led government following a slender win in the state Assembly poll in 2012, she was denied the Public Works Department by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. She was looking after the Parliamentary Affairs Department and efficiently performed the work of the treasury benches singlehandedly in the Assembly. During the Vijay Bahuguna government she cribbed for being sidelined.

Hridayesh was also one of the contenders for the post of Chief Minister when the party high command decided to give the reins of the state to Harish Rawat last month. She was expecting that during the new dispensation she would get her choicest department of PWD, but could not get it.

She skipped the last Cabinet meeting held after allocation of portfolios and headed for New Delhi.

Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat, who is wife of Congress Lok Sabha member from Pauri Garhwal Satpal Maharaj, is unhappy at being denied the horticulture portfolio which she was holding in the Vijay Bahuguna ministry.

There were allegations while holding the charge she got subsidies in poly houses for her husband and other close relatives.

Satpal Maharaj, Amrita's husband, said Harish Rawat should talk to all those who were unhappy and sort out the issue.

AAP may find it tough to select candidate for Tehri
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will find it challenging to select a candidate for the Tehri Lok Sabha constituency.

The AAP candidate is expected to make the electoral battle in the Tehri seat interesting.

The constituency draws most of its voters from Dehradun, one of most literate districts of the state, where people had actively participated in the Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption agitation and the party would certainly like to test its strength in the seat.

The AAP has been viewing Uttarakhand seriously and is likely to announce candidates for four of the five Lok Sabha seats in the state. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal will announce the candidates in Delhi.

The AAP has already declared Harish Arya as its candidate from the reserved Almora-Pithoragarh Lok Sabha seat.

Sources say it will be tough for the AAP to finalise its candidate for the Tehri parliamentary constituency as there are too may ticket aspirants there. Former Chief Executive Officer of the 108-ambulance services Anup Nautiyal, state agitator Kamla Pant, former Uttarakhand DGP Kanchan Chowdhary Bhattcharya and animal rights activist and social worker Puja Bahukhundi are stated to be among the top contenders for the party ticket from Tehri.

AAP activists in Dehradun Sanjay Bhatt and Altaf Rana are also in the race for the party ticket. However, Anup Nautiyal is said to have applied for the ticket in January.

The AAP in Uttarakhand is primarily banking on the support of state agitators and anti-corruption crusaders to reap electoral fortunes. AAP leader Prof Anand Kumar during his recent visit to Dehradun had said the party was keen on fielding a fresh and clean person from Tehri.

Interestingly, the Congress and the BJP have finalised their candidates for the Tehri Lok Sabha seat. While the BJP is all set to field its sitting MP Mala Raj Lakshmi Shah from Tehri, the Congress too looks inclined to give the ticket to Saket Bahuguna once again. Thus political analysts are looking forward to the AAP candidate from Tehri with keen interest.

The battle lines for Tehri will become clearer once the AAP announces its candidate.

BJP, Congress work overtime to garner women votes
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, March 9
Political parties are vigorously trying to influence women voters who form a sizable part of the voters in the five parliamentary seats in the state.

The BJP seems to have taken an edge over the Congress with regard to the number of decisions taken to empower women in the state. The party claims that it has more women votes in its kitty.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee acknowledged the power of ‘Matrashakti’ and started empowering women at various levels,” said Ajay Bhatt, the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.

Bhatt said the Congress in the name of reservation of women in political bodies had adopted BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’s vision for reservation in seats for women in the state assemblies. “The BJP during its regime in the state gave 50 per cent reservation to women in the panchayat bodies,” said Bhatt. He added former Chief Minister BC Khanduri had initiated a project named ‘Swayansiddha Yojana’, for young women to empower them by the way of creating avenues of self-employment by creating clusters of small scale industries.

“One of the projects under Khanduri’s regime 'Mahila Vikas Pariyojana' led to strengthening of several cottage industries owned by women in the state,” said Bhatt.

The Congress on the other hand was not as well equipped as the BJP in the matters of women empowerment programmes in the state. Though the Congress had assured the women of 50 per cent reservation in the panchayat bodies, the BJP stole the show by taking credit for implementing such schemes in Uttarakhand.

Cabinet minister Indira Hridayesh said, “Our leader Rahul Gandhi has stated that the party will allot 50 per cent of the seats to women in the Lok Sabha elections.”

She added the Congress-led government in state had also taken actions for women welfare in accordance to the central policies and empowered women under the ASHA and Aganwari projects. However, there was a need to do more.

Hridayesh said, “We lag behind in empowering women from the hill areas. If we really want to garner women votes in the coming elections, the party has to undertake special projects for women in the state to provide much-needed relief to the women living in remote villages.”

CM praised for speeding up development works
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 9
Mahendra Singh Mahara, a Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand, said today that the Congress under the leadership of Chief Minister Harish Rawat would win all five Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Mahra while talking to mediapersons here said since Harish Rawat had taken over the charge of Uttarakhand, development works had picked up the pace.

He said Chief Minister Harish Rawat had changed the political atmosphere in the state. “In a short period, he has issued over 3,000 governmentorders related to development projects,” claimed Mahra.

He said the GOs related to the construction of new roads in the remote areas, the creation of new administration units, decision to upgrade some of the urban bodies and schools besides repairing of drinking water projects would benefit the common man.

"Chief Minister Harish Rawat has also managed to get approval for several Central schemes before the imposition of the model code of conduct," Mahara said.

On the poor condition of the Tanakpur-Tawaghat highway, Mahara he said he would take up the issue in the Rajya Sabha.

Despite the allocation of sufficient funds, the Border Roads Organisationhad failed to take up the repair work, he added.

SP leaders seek ticket for Tiwari from Nainital
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 9
Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders have urged the party high command to issue ticket to ND Tiwari from the Nainital parliamentary seat.

Veteran leader Tiwari has also expressed his desire to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

During a meeting held at the district party headquarters today, the leaders also passed a resolution in this regard.

Lalit Mohan Bhatt, district president of the SP, said," We have sent a proposal to party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and requested him to field ND Tiwari from the Nainital parliamentary seat."

Bhatt said the people of the state were fed up with both the Congress and the BJP.

He said if ND Tiwari was given the party ticket, the SP could emerge the third strong alternative in the state.

“We hope the party supremo will agree to our demand and allow Tiwari to contest from the Nainital seat.” said Bhatt.

Char Dham yatra unlikely to resume on time: BJP leader
Tribune News Service

BJP national secretary Trivendra Singh Rawat addresses a press conference at the party office in Dehradun on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, March 9
National secretary of the BJP Trivender Singh Rawat has said the Char Dham yatra is unlikely to resume on time this year as the 5-km road between Sonprayag and Gauri Kund has not been repaired even 10 months after the natural disaster.

“The road between Sonprayag and Gauri Kund has not been repaired. Only 10 per cent of the main roads have been made serviceable while no repair work has been started on roads linking villages. I have serious doubts that the Char Dham yatra will begin on schedule,” said Rawat while addressing a press conference here yesterday.

He said the change of guard in the state had failed to make any impact as the people were still battling with the same problems post-natural disaster.

“Chief Minister Harish Rawat has been making announcements which are far removed from the ground realities. The people of the state will give a befitting reply to the Congress in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” said Rawat.

He alleged that bodies were still lying buried in the debris near the Kedarnath shrine. He urged the government to seek the help of the Indian Army or paramilitary forces for carrying out reconstruction works in the state. “It is not easy to work in the hills in sub-zero temperature. Hence people with expertise in this field should be hired to work in the disaster affected areas,” Rawat said.

The BJP leader said surveys had predicted a big win for the party in the Lok Sabha elections. “We will get about 230 to 240 seats on our own, courtesy Narendra Modi and the failure of the UPA government to rein in inflation and corruption,” he added.

Dalanwala police launch tenant verification drive
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
In a move to check crime in the city areas, the Dalanwala police launched a tenant verification drive here today. The area was divided into four police chowkis.

The police teams went to different localities of Dalanwala and completed the verification of 427 persons, including tenants, boarders of private hostels and lodges. All details were collected in a specific format and were documented on a special form. The police appealed to the landlords to furnish all important details about their tenants.

As part of the verification drive, the landlords were expected to provide the names of their tenants, their fathers' names, permanent addresses, residential certificates and photographs. According to the police, the drive would help the police to maintain a database and keep a track of tenants.

There are several hostels in the Dalanwala area which offer accommodation to students, including girls, hailing from different parts of the state, who come to Dehradun for higher education or jobs. Meanwhile, the Doon police are planning to extend the drive to all 18 police station areas in the district.

LS poll: SPG, IB officials discuss security of VIPs
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
With the VVIP and VIP movement scheduled to increase in the state in the wake of the forthcoming general elections, team of the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) met with the senior state police officials, including the police heads of 13 districts, at the police headquarters here yesterday.

The four-member team briefed the senior police officials about the security measures that need to be taken before any VVIP or VIP visits the state to canvass for the elections. A presentation was also given to the police officials on how to safeguard the routes and fleets of important leaders during the campaigning.

Past instances of security breach of VVIPs across the country were also discussed in detail and police officers were told to follow the Home Ministry's guidelines regarding the VIP security in letter a nd in spirit.

Additional security for helipads in the state was also deliberated at the meeting.

Governor hosts students from RLEK schools

Dehradun, March 9
Governor Aziz Qureshi invited children of Van Gujjars and bonded labourers living in backward areas and studying in schools run by the Rural Litigation Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) to Raj Bhavan here today.

Qureshi welcomed the children to Raj Bhawan and asked them about their dreams and aspirations.

The Governor said he was confident that these children, if given an opportunity, would make the country proud. The schools from where these 117 students came included Van Gujjar Primary School, Dhaula Tappar; Primary School, Jaunpur Khasausi block (Tehri); and primary schools from Jhangeri, Mayani, Hardia, Dhauraand and Bhatwadi areas.

RLEK Chairperson Padam Shri Avadhash Kaushal informed the Governor that while they did not seek special support the state government had completely neglected the children of the schools. He said the RLEK was providing uniforms, books, bags and midday meals to these children. — TNS

Garhwali film premiered at MKP PG College
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
A Garhwali film ‘Bhondu’, produced by Doon based production house, Himalayan Arts, was premiered at MKP PG College here today. BJP leader Ravindra Jugran was the chief guest on the occasion and he also launched the CD of the regional movie in presence of other dignitaries.

The film is based on the simplicity of a 40-year-old unmarried person, belonging to hills and how is being fooled by others but still he maintains his rooted nature. Actor Om Gairola is in the main lead, supported by other renowned Garhwali actors like Preeti Sundriyal, Bharti Dhyani and other prominent regional actors as well.

5 seriously injured in road mishap
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
Five persons were seriously injured when a truck collided head on with a small utility vehicle near the Dat Kali temple on Mohand Road this morning.

The accident reportedly happened when the other vehicle coming from Saharanpur with five passengers on board collided with the truck head on, injuring all of them.

The police were informed and the injured were taken to the Doon Hospital in an ambulance. According to the police, Jitendra, Rajkumar, Neeraj, Dhoom Singh and Ravindra, all residents of Saharanpur, were injured in the accident.

Intense lobbying on for state Cong chief post
Party high command may opt for a Brahmin from Garhwal region
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
Intense lobbying is going on for the post of state Congress president after Harish Rawat took over as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand last month.

Yashpal Arya, the present incumbent, had resigned from the post a few months ago on the principle of “one man, one post” as he was also Revenue Minister in the Vijay Bahuguna government. The party high command is yet to take a decision on the issue.

Harish Rawat after assuming the charge of Chief Minister has been arguing for Yashpal Arya’s continuation as the state Congress president. He did so with an aim to unite all warring factions of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Yashpal Arya is a Dalit leader from the Kumaon region and a close aide of former Chief Minister ND Tewari. He is totally opposed to Harish Rawat.

However, despite Harish Rawat’s insistence on Yashpal Arya’s continuation as the state Congress chief, Chief Minister’s supporters have requested the party high command to appoint a new party president before the Lok Sabha elections.

Yogendra Khanduri, a senior party leader from Pauri Garhwal, in a letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi has demanded that a new president of the state Congress should be appointed before the Lok Sabha elections.

“The present regional and caste equations in the state should be kept in mind and a person with a clean image and wide organisational experience should be appointed the party president as soon as possible,” he wrote. He said any further delay in the matter would be detrimental to the party in the state.

Many senior party leaders are in the fray and are lobbying hard to gain the post. Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj is a strong contender but he has to fight the Lok Sabha elections. Keeping in view the regional and caste balance, two senior party leaders, who are Brahmins from the Garhwal region, namely former Tehri MLA Kishore Upadhaya and Vikas Nagar Congress legislator Navprabhat, are also in the reckoning. Since Chief Minister Harish Rawat is a Thakur hailing from the Kumaon region, it is believed that the party will prefer a Brahmin leader from the Garhwal region for the post.

It will be seen whether Harish Rawat will have his say in the choice of the state party president or his opponents will have their way.

Tough Task

• Harish Rawat after assuming the charge of Chief Minister has been arguing for Yashpal Arya’s continuation as the state Congress president
• He did so with an aim to unite all warring factions of the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections
• Yashpal Arya is a Dalit leader from the Kumaon region and a close aide of former Chief Minister ND Tewari

Students meet Guv on varsity's name issue
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
A delegation of Doon University students met Governor Aziz Qureshi at Governor House here today on the issue of the government’s decision to change the university’s name to Maharishi Valmiki University.

Seeking his intervention, delegation members asked the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, to direct the government to revoke its decision. However, the Governor said it was the decision of the Cabinet and that he could not do anything.

Meanwhile, students have now decided to meet the university Vice-Chancellor (VC) on Monday to discuss the issue. “Our future course of action will depend on the VC's respond to our demand," said a delegation member.

Anwals resent inclusion of others in OBC list
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 9
The Anwal community, which was recently included in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) list by the state government, has opposed the decision to include 'every community living in the area' in the list. The decision will affect the community as other communities from the area included in the OBC list are well off educationally while the Anwal community is still backward in terms of education, social and employment factors.

"While only 49 castes living in the Dharchula and Munsiyari areas were termed as Anwal in 1980, the present government has included people of all castes living in the area, whether Brahmins or Thakurs or other higher castes," said Pawar Singh Bisht, leader of the Anwal community who had been struggling since 1980 to get this status for the community.

Bisht said, "The genuine Anwals are those who traditionally rear sheep but are not tribal Shaukas or Bhotias. Despite being in the same profession and having incurred losses after the border trade with Tibet was stopped in 1962, the government gave reservation to only the tribal community in government jobs and left the Anwals," he said.

The Anwal leader said while the tribal community had almost left rearing of sheep after their financial condition improved due to government jobs, the Anwals were still rearing sheep for livelihood. "Even this time the high publicised package of reservation benefits is bound to give advantage to the castes other than Anwal," Bisth said.

Bisht has submitted a memorandum to the SDM, Dharchula, demanding that only genuine Anwals be included in the OBC list and non-Anwal communities be excluded from the list. "If the government is serious about the welfare of this oppressed community, it will have to revise the list and give reservation to genuine people," he said.

Ex-servicemen seek lodging arrangements in Doon

Dehradun, March 9
The Dehradun Ex-Services League has asked the state government to make stay arrangements for ex-servicemen and their attendants in the city who come here for medical treatment.

League’s president Brig KG Behl (retd) said a large number of ex-servicemen, who come to the city for medical treatment, were facing the problem.

"There is no place where the attendants of the patients could stay or have food and avail of transport facility at nominal rates," he said. "There is no arrangement for food or transport at the guest house constructed on Kalidas Road recently. There is a need to construct such vishram grahs where boarding, lodging and transport facilities are easily available round the clock on payment," he added.

"The league has also demanded slashing of 20 per cent excise duty levied on the CSD liquor by the state government," said Brig Behl. — TNS

‘Shortage of doctors, teachers worrisome’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
Former Chief Minister BC Khanduri has expressed concern over an acute shortage of teachers and doctors in the hill districts of the state.

In a statement issued here today, Khanduri said he agree with Governor Aziz Qureshi's statement at an International Women's Day programme held at Raj Bhavan yesterday that the state government had allegedly failed to meet the shortage of teachers and doctors in the hill districts.

Khanduri said the previous transfer policy was meant to ensure the presence of teachers and doctors in the hilly districts. “However, the present state government has done away with that policy, leading to a shortage of teachers and doctors,” he said.

Anupam Kher in Mussoorie
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, March 9
Actor Anupam Kher is in Mussoorie to attend a life coaching programme for three days. The actor reached the town yesterday.

Kher told mediapersons that he had come to Mussoorie for the first time and was enjoying every bit of it. The view of mountains here reminded him the old memories of his childhood spent in Shimla, he added.

Speaking on the prospects of promoting the film industry in Uttarakhand, he said the possibility were immense but it required the government’s effort to promote the state as the best film shooting destination.

Kher said if promoted well the film Industry could generate a large number of jobs in various departments of film making for the people of Uttarakhand.

He expressed grief over the loss of lives and property in the mid-June natural disaster last year.

MAD team meets CM, suggests ways to improve sanitation
Tribune News Service

A delegation of NGO Making A Difference submits a memorandum to Chief Minister Harish Rawat in Dehradun on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, March 9
Making A Difference (MAD), an NGO formed by the city youth, met Chief Minister Harish Rawat here today and submitted a report to him on how to improve the deteriorating sanitary conditions in the state.

The NGO also submitted a 50-page report on the implementation of the Right to Education Act.

Giving details of the meeting, Abhijay Negi, chairperson of the NGO, said they had submitted the same report to previous Chief Ministers as well, but none of them took any action on it.

“The condition of 16 places where the survey on garbage management was carried out has deteriorated.

The condition of Dehradun city calls for some serious measures,” he said.

The group also submitted a 50-page report on the implementation of the Right to Education Act with a specific reference to the Raipur basti. It sought the intervention of the state government in aiding the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) at Roorkee in reviving the drying streams of Dehradun.

SS Sandhu, Dr Ajay Kumar Pradyot and MH Khan were also present at the meeting.

RLEK gives training to elected women
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
A two-day leadership training for elected women representatives concluded on International Women’s Day at the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) auditorium here yesterday. Forty elected women representatives from the Jaunpur block of Tehri district were imparted the training.

The programme was conducted by the RLEK master trainers to empower women not only to fight elections but also participate in governance. The purpose of the training was to make the women aware of the panchayati raj system, its samitis, schemes for villagers, their rights and duties etc.

Village children made aware of importance of education
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
Aaina, a Dehradun-based society, and Manthan, a play school at Rudrapur, organised “Shiksha Ka Uphaar” and “Know Your Child” programmes to make village children aware about the importance of education for eight days at Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar. The programmes started on March 2 and concluded today.

As part of the ‘Shiksha ka Uphaar’ programme, the Manthan team visited remote village Lambakhera in Khanpur with an aim to develop interest in education among the children. About 100 children of the village participated in the programme. Most of them did not attend school.

The Manthan team told the children about the importance of education and motivated them to go to school. The children learnt an English rhyme and sang it together. Sweets, pencils and erasers were distributed among them to boast their enthusiasm for studies.

The ‘Know Your Child’ programme was also organised on the premises of Manthan. The parents of the students were explained the concept of psychology in education. Gurleen Bindra, a special educator, psychologist and member of Aaina, spoke about different aspects of development and education of children.

Over 300 students donate blood at DIT varsity
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 9
Over 300 students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses donated blood during a two-day blood donation camp that concluded at DIT University here on Saturday.

Students as well as faculty members participated in the camp organised in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association blood Bank and Mahant Indresh Hospital.

Spreading awareness on the subject, Dr Rajnish Kumar said a healthy adult could donate blood three to four times a year without any problem. More than 300 units of blood were collected in the camp.