first anniversary of june 15 natural disaster
Heroic deeds that went unnoticed
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Badrinath, June 15
Many people and organisations, besides the Army have played an important role in the rescue and restoration works after the natural disaster last year, but their efforts have gone unnoticed so far.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is one such institution that helped the armed and paramilitary forces in building temporary bridges for rescuing stranded pilgrims during the initial phase of Operation Surya Hope. It helped in linking Badrinath with other areas.

Major Rahul Srivastava, Commanding Officer, BRO, also assisted the Army in the rescue operation by creating trek routes. The BRO also met the deadline for establishing a road link till Badrinath by September 30, 2013.

Major Rahul, speaking on the extent of the damage the National Highway-58 suffered in the natural disaster, said it was on June 18 that the extent of loss was known to them. The number of landslides greater than 10 metres was around 26, while the total length of the road breach was around 7.2 km.

He said the largest stretch of 5.1 km that was washed away in the flash floods was at Lambgarh. Besides, the 45-metre steel truss bridge at Lambgarh was also washed away, leaving more than 10,000 pilgrims stranded at Badrinath and around 8,000 pilgrims at Govind Ghat and Ghangria.

The BRO was also entrusted with the task of constructing footbridges that were done in a phased manner. However, the task was not completed as Balram Kumar of 75 RCC died while trying to warn a drilling team working under a hard rock portion, which eventually collapsed on September 14 last year.

“The BRO recognised the sacrifice of CPL Balram Kumar and named the bridge as ‘Balram Memorial Bridge’ as a testimony to his courage and adherence to the motto ‘Sharmen Sarvam Sadhyam’ of the BRO,” added Major Rahul.

Another such tale of courage is of Mamata Rawat (24) from Bankoli village in Uttarkashi district who lost her house in the floods and was rendered homeless. Mamta, a trained mountaineer from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, despite losing her home rescued several unconscious and hapless pilgrims by carrying them on her back 3 km downhill to be evacuated by a helicopter for further medical treatment in Uttarkashi district.

A school dropout and not averse to following government procedures, Mamata did not receive any compensation from the government to rebuild her house.

However, not all was lost as Summiting4Hope, a social initiative started by a few mountaineers, came to know about Mamata and decided to rebuild her house and give her and her family a permanent shelter.

“The first project was an expedition in September 2013 where we raised funds to help the adventure community people, who were directly or indirectly affected by the flash floods and had lost their business for the entire year. Now, our second project is to build local girl Mamata Rawat’s house. She is a brave heart who saved over 500 persons during the rescue operations soon after the disaster. She relentlessly worked to save pilgrims while her own house at Bankoli village in Uttarkashi was completely damaged,” said Anusha, a member of Summiting4Hope.

The organisation has also taken up the task of rebuilding a permanent shelter for Mamata. The estimated cost of rebuilding her house is Rs 8 lakh, said Anusha. “We are being supported on ground by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and its principal Col Kothiyal. A local architect, Krishan Kuriyal, has also worked out a plan and is overlooking the construction of the house. I am happy to say that the construction of the house is well in progress and once completed we will be the first to have built a permanent shelter for a needy persons,” added Anusha.

At present the funds were being collected through the Leap Foundation in Dehradun, she said. 

first anniversary of kedarnath disaster
Harish Rawat pays tribute to victims, praises own govt
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The Uttarakhand government is taking every step to resurrect the state economy that suffered massive losses due to the natural disaster last year. Chief Minister Harish Rawat stated this here today while paying tributes to the victims of the catastrophe.

“The state government has taken every possible step to bring normalcy in the areas that were affected by the disaster. The rescue mission launched by the government has saved thousands of lives. With support from the Central government, the rehabilitation work has been carried out at a full scale. The funds received from the Central government have been used for implementing various projects during the rehabilitation process,” he added.

The Chief Minister said it was due to the efforts and competence of the state government that the Char Dham Yatra could be resumed this year. He added that the yatra was the major source of revenue for the government and the main source of livelihood for the locals. “Till now around three lakh pilgrims have taken part in the yatra. Unnecessary controversies or efforts to take a political mileage out of the sensitive issue of the natural disaster should be avoided. In case the Opposition or the NGOs have some suggestions with regard to the relief work, they should come forth with the same,” he said.

Condolence meeting

The Badri Kedar Vikas Samiti held a condolence meeting at Gandhi Park here in memory of those who lost their lives in the Kedarnath tragedy in June last year.

Newly elected president of the samiti, Bachan Singh Rawat, expressed shock over recovery of skeletons from a forest near Kedarnath shrine a year after the tragedy. He demanded their immediate identification and cremation.

“Victims of the tragedy are still living in miserable conditions in the hills. They need government help to get over the disaster. Government and non-government organisations must come forward to help them,” said Rajendra Khali.

Concerns were raised over conversion of religious places into tourist spots. Dr Yogeshwar Singh said, “Uttarakhand is known for religious shrines. The government must ensure that places of religious significance are not converted into tourist spots to stop such disasters from occurring again.”

Mussoorie jampacked, tourists stopped at Kothal Gate  
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, June 15
Mussoorie for the first time this year saw a huge rush of tourists yesterday, forcing the police to stop their vehicles from entering the town. Traffic jams were the order of the day and all rooms in hotels were booked.

The town was brimming with holidaymakers, who rushed to cooler climes in order to get a respite from the sweltering heat in the plains. “Hotels are fully booked for now and there is no vacancy anywhere in the town for the next few days,” said a beaming Sandeep Sahni, president of the Uttarakhand Hotel Association.

He said this was the first time this season that such a heavy rush of tourists was seen in Mussoorie, which was a good sign for the economy of the state and the town. Mussoorie was also affected by the natural disaster that struck the state on June 15 last year, driving away tourists. “The outlook is also good for the next week with hotel bookings going up significantly,” said Sahni.

The traders were glad at the unprecedented rush of tourists and they did a brisk business. The police found it difficult to manage the traffic flow and stopped the tourists at Kothal Gate from entering the town.

Station in charge of Mussoorie police Jaimal Negi said they decided to stop the tourists at Kothal Gate as Mussoorie was jam-packed with long traffic jams and no room was available in any hotel.

The tourists, who managed to reach Mussoorie, found it difficult to get rooms in the town. The sudden rush also led to the rates of rooms to skyrocket. Many tourists headed towards Kempty, Dhanaulti, and other places outside Mussoorie in search of rooms.

AAP seeks white paper on Kedarnath tragedy 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The Aam Aadmi Party in Uttarakhand has sought a white paper from the state government on relief and rehabilitation works in the Kedarnath disaster.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun today, a day ahead of the first anniversary of the Kedarnath disaster, AAP leader Anoop Nautiyal said the state government needs to come out with a white paper on the disaster. “The white paper should reveal all aspects of the disaster. It should cover relief, the reason behind the disaster, lesson learnt and usage of funds,” said Nautiyal.

Nautiyal questioned the intentions of the state government as far as provision of succour to the disaster victims is concerned. “We are of the firm view that any rehabilitation and relief package must be formalised after taking consent of those affected,” he asserted.

He said the state government’s focus so far has been limited to ensuring prompt resumption of the Char Dham Yatra. The state government should focus on those affected, he maintained.

AAP leader Anoop Nautiyal, who also contested the Lok Sabha election from the Tehri constituency, said a positive work culture was yet to develop in Uttarakhand. He blamed both the BJP and Congress for this. “We have not learnt any lesson from the Kedarnath disaster. Our politicians in Uttarakhand, both from the Congress and BJP, look the least interested in learning any lesson,” he said.

12 selected for Aaja Nachle-2

Dehradun, June 15
A mega audition for ‘Aaja Nachle –2’, a dance competition, was organised here today. A total of 12 candidates were selected for the grand finale. The event is being organised by Ultimate Stepperz.

The candidates were selected in three categories—junior, sub-junior and senior. Giving the details, director of the institute, Manoj Kumar, said they were helping those people who despite having talent did not find the right platform.

Those present on the occasion included, choreographer Chirag, Wilson, Ajit, Radhika, Nikhil, Bhawana and Anju. — TNS

NGO provide scholarships to disaster affected students 

Dehradun, June 15
Dhaad, an NGO working in Uttarakhand, has selected 100 students from the disaster-affected areas of the state for a scholarship of Rs 10,000 annually for the next three years.

Tanmay Mamgai, secretary of the NGO, said the students, who have been selected were brilliant in studies, but were forced to leave the studies due to financial crunch following the disaster.

“Majority of the children are from the families, where the only earning member of the family was killed during the flash floods last year. However, if the selected students show excellent results, we will extend the time period of scholarships. At present we have decided to deposit Rs 800 per month in the bank accounts of the selected students. The children who have been selected are from class I till graduation,” he added.

The students belong to Lamgaundi, Rudrapur, Tulanga, Devli, Bhanigram, Lwara, Lwani, Khumera, Sari, Ukhimath, Agstyamuni, Jakholi, Gartara, Khunjethia and Punnar.

“The state government has done a lot of work, a lot still needs to be done. The government should relocate the entire population effected due to the disaster, so that the mental and financial losses suffered by them could be fulfilled,” he added. — TNS

Sword of honour result of hard work: Cadet Vishnu
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The proud recipient of most coveted “Sword of Honour” award, Academy Cadet Adjutant Vishnu Peetambaran said winning the award was like a dream come true. He said he had worked very hard to excel in pre-commissioning training at the IMA.

He said he wanted to become an Army officer as he was inspired by the discipline, and respect the olive green commands. Another awardee BUO Vishal Dahiya said his school principal, who was a retired naval officer, motivated him to join the defence forces. He burnt the midnight oil to achieve success.

Dahiya said he would continue to work hard during his service.

Upadhaya’s appointment as Cong chief angers Bahuguna faction
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, june 15
The appointment of Kishore Upadhaya, a former Congress legislator from Tehri, as the new Uttarakhand Congress president has created friction among state party leaders. The party high command has appointed Upadhaya as the state Congress chief in place of Yashpal Arya, who had resigned from his post in November last on the principle of “one man, one post.”

Yashpal Arya, who had been the state Congress president since 2008, resigned in November 2013 as he was the Revenue Minister also. However, he was asked to continue till the Lok Sabha elections.

After the shock defeat of the Congress on all five seats in the Lok Sabha elections, there was speculation that a change in the leadership was in the offing. Upadhaya’s appointment has shown that Chief Minister Harish Rawat still enjoys the confidence of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as he was able to get a leader of his own choice as the state party chief.

This has caused resentment among the leaders belonging to the faction led by former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. The Bahuguna faction has been trying to get its own leader as state Congress chief. Some of the Congress legislators, including Subodh Uniyal and Nav Prabhat, both Brahmins from the Garhwal region, were in the race. However, Chief Minister Harish Rawat was able to get Upadhaya, his old associate, appointed on the post.

The legislators belonging to the Bahuguna camp have been camping in New Delhi to register their protest with the party leadership against Upadhaya’s appointment. They allege that since the state Assembly elections in 2012, the Harish Rawat faction has been able to get all positions while all other factions were ignored.

They argue that after Vijay Bahuguna’s appointment as Chief Minister, Harish Rawat pressured the party high command to get a Cabinet berth for himself and ministerial berths for his supporters in the Bahuguna ministry in the state.

His relative and close associate Govind Singh Kunjwal was made the Speaker of the state Assembly. He got a Rajya Sabha berth for his another relative and senior state Congress leader Mahendra Singh Mahra. And finally, he was able to displace Vijay Bahuguna from the post of Chief Minister.

These developments frustrated senior leader and Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj who quit the party and joined the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections.

Congress insiders believe that nothing was possible since the party has already announced the new state Congress president.

They are of the opinion that it is possible that the protest by the Bahuguna camp could be a pressure tactic by Vijay Bahuguna to bargain for a vacant Rajya Sabha seat for himself. Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BJP Rajya Sabha MP, was elected from the Nainital Lok Sabha seat and has to quit.

Vijay Bahuguna, who is a legislator from the Sitarganj Assembly segment, has been eyeing the Rajya Sabha seat in a bid to move to national politics but Chief Minister Harish Rawat want that one of his associates, including Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, be sent to the Rajya sabha. The factional fight in the state Congress would be interesting to watch in the coming weeks. 

Punjabi Mahasabha to organise candle march in memory of disaster victims
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The Uttarakhand Punjabi Mahasabha will organise a candle march here on the first anniversary of the Kedarnath tragedy on Monday. It will pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the deluge and those who could not be traced.

The mahasabha raised questions over recovery of skeletons in the Kedar valley after one year of the tragedy. The Punjabi Mahasabha blamed the government for failure to trace the bodies of people who died in Kedar valley, and that too in the 21st century, when advanced technology is supposed to be at one’s disposal.

Demanding reconstruction of the places devastated during the natural disaster last year, members of the mahasabha said the government must take immediate steps to make the yatra more safe and secure. 

BJP leader brutally murdered
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 15
Six persons including a BJP leader died in various incidents at different places in Kumaon region in the last 24 hours.

According to police sources, from various districts, two of the deaths were due to murder, one by suicide and two by sinking in water bodies.

“BJP leader Rakesh Rastogi was brutally murdered by unidentified killers. Another youth, Bablu, was killed in Kiccha town after a brawl with his partner. Bablu succumbed to injuries on way to Bareilly hospital. The body of BJP leader Rakesh Rastogi was found in his Santro car near a school at Baheri town of Bareilly district,” said Ramswaroop Singh, SP (rural) in Udham Singh Nagar district.

A utensils businessman Harnamdas, 75, was found dead in his hotel room in Haldwani. Two bodies were recovered from Nini lake and Kosi river at Garjia respectively today, according to police. The body found in Kosi river was identified as that of Sharif, resident of Moradabad, while the body found in Naini lake has not yet been identified.

In a conflict between a man and his wife in Sirtoli village of Lohaghat sub-division of Champawat district, the man died of burns after he set himself afire after dousing himself and his wife with kerosene oil last evening. “While the woman is recovering at Sushila Tiwari Hospital, Haldwani, her husband died of burns last night,” said Govind Adhikari, a police officer in Haldwani.

Three booked for abetting girl to commit suicide
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
A case was registered in Patel Nagar police station yesterday against three persons for abetting a girl to commit suicide. The girl’s father had filed a complaint against the trio.

According to the police, Sudama, a resident of Mehuwala Maafi, had filed a complaint against Mohit, Rohit and Vinod for allegedly abetting his daughter to commit suicide. The three accused live in the complainant’s neighbourhood. Sudama also accused the three of beating him and his daughter four days ago.

Meanwhile, the accused are evading arrest while the police are claiming that efforts are being made to nab them.

29,058 panchayat members elected unopposed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
State Election Commissioner Suberdhan yesterday said under the three-tier panchayat elections to be held in three phases, candidates for 29,058 posts of member of gram panchayat, 1,006 posts of gram pradhan, 171 posts of member of Kshetra panchayat and three posts of member of Zila Panchayat have been elected unopposed.

He said in Almora district, around 212 gram pradhans have been elected unopposed. The number is the highest in the state. A total of eight gram pradhans have been elected unopposed from Udham Singh Nagar district. The number is the lowest.

Further, a total of 21 candidates from Champawat, 50 from Nainital, 43 from Bageshwar, 82 from Pithoragarh, 99 from Uttarkashi, 58 from Chamoli, 33 from Rudraprayag, 101 from Pauri, 183 from Tehri and 116 from Dehradun have been elected unopposed.

He said that in the upcoming Panchayat elections to be held in 12 districts on June 18, June 21 and June 24, a total of 11,426 candidates for the post of member gram panchayat, 22,091 candidates for the post of gram pradhans, 11, 874 candidates for the post of member Kshetra panchayat and 386 candidates for the post of member of Zila Panchayat are now left in the fray.

Tamta promises rail link to Bageshwar
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 15
Ajay Tamta, newly elected Almora MP, today said it would be his priority to link Bageshwar town with a rail line from Tanakpur. The project had been accorded priority by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Tamta was addressing a gathering of people from the town and its adjoining villages.

Tamta said it was his top priority to ensure that Bageshwar gets a rail link in the next five years.

“The President in his recent address to a joint session of Parliament has also stressed on the construction of rail links to hill regions as a priority area. The Central government will give equal priority to all hill regions as far as railways projects are concerned,” said Tamta.

Meanwhile, members of the Bageshwar Tanakpur Rail Nirman Sangharsh Samiti met Tamta today and handed over to him a memorandum demanding the construction of a rail line to Bageshwar.

“We have been demanding a rail line for the last 20 years, but we have been ditched every time. Despite assurances, politicians have been deceiving us,” said Gusain Singh Dafauti, president of the samiti.

Bageshwar residents also demanded from the MP an FM tower and some new development blocks in the district.

They also put forward the demand for construction of a new building of Central School in the district headquarters.

2 criminals nabbed at railway station
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 15
The Government Railway Police (GRP), Haridwar, nabbed two criminals from the platform number 2 of the railway station here today.

Accused Shahdul and Alam Mandan, both residents of West Bengal, during interrogation confessed to their involvement in several thefts on trains running between Howrah and Haridwar.

Circle Officer Chandra Mohan Singh Negi said both accused used to lace tea, coffee or cold drinks with sedatives and offer these to targeted passengers. They used to travel frequently in the Howrah-Doon Express.

Station House Officer, GRP, Naveen Chandra Juryal, said on June 10 the duo looted Nand Lal and Mool Chand on the platform number 2 and decamped with thousands of rupees, bags and accessories that Nand Lal was carrying for his sister’s marriage.

The Government Railway Police is also in touch with its counterpart in West Bengal and other police stations that fall between Howrah and Dehradun to know about their involvement in similar cases elsewhere.

The Government Railway Police has initiated a crackdown on criminal and anti-social elements at the railway station.

Led by Chandra Mohan Singh Negi and Naveen Chandra Juryal, a round the clock monitoring and checking was being done at the railway station.

Live footages are also being monitored via two closed circuit cameras, which have proved of immense help.

Posters depicting the sketches of suspected criminals, particularly the ‘Jehar Khurani gang’ members, have also been pasted at the railway station to caution the passengers.

The local police have so far nabbed 16 criminals from the railway station, who used to get friendly with passengers and decamp with money and commodities after serving them food items laced with sedatives.

‘Blood donation a noble deed’
Tribune News Service

Acharya Balakrishan donates blood at a blood donation camp in Haridwar on Saturday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, June 15
On Blood Donation Day yesterday, Vice-Chancellor of Patanjali University Acharya Balakrishan urged people to donate blood to save precious human lives.

Balakrishan stated this while donating blood at a camp organised by the Haridwar Industries Development Association in collaboration with the IMA, Dehradun, and the Blood Bank, Haridwar, at Divya Pharmacy, Indira Estate, here. More than 150 units of blood were collected.

He said blood donation was a high noble work which all people irrespective of their literacy level, religion, sect, caste, creed or region could do. Swami Muktanand and Ram Bharat, brother of Swami Ramdev, also attended the camp. MM Khan, in charge of the blood bank, Haridwar, said donating blood did not have any impact on the donor’s health as the body regains the donated quantity in 24 hours. He added that a healthy person could donate blood after every three to four months. Their blood bank organised such camps throughout the year.

People’s help in cleaning Ganga sought
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 15
Santosh Gangwar, Union Minister of State for Ganga Rejuvenation, River Development, Water Resources, Textiles and Parliamentary Affairs, called on people to cooperate with the Union government in its efforts for Ganga rejuvenation and cleaning of rivers.

On a private visit to Haridwar yesterday, Gangwar said under guidance of Union Minister for Ganga Rejuvenation and Water Resources Uma Bharati the government was quite concerned and serious about the issue.

He underlined the need of cleaning all rivers in the country so as to make them pollution free and provide people with clean and potable drinking water. Gangwar, a seven-time MP from Uttar Pradesh, was given a warm welcome at the Haridwar railway station on his arrival from New Delhi. Mayor Manoj Garg along with BJP activists received the Union minister at the station. 

65 units of blood donated

Dehradun, June 15
A blood donation camp was organised at Max Super Specialty Hospital here on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day yesterday. As many as 65 units of blood were collected at the camp.

Blood transfusion medicine expert Dr Rajendra Kumar Tandon inaugurated the camp and emphasised on the need for patronising such camps in the country. “Despite being a country with a population of above 1.2 billion, India faces severe blood shortage. According to official statistics, our nation requires four crore units of blood while only 40 lakh units are available,” he said.

Gaurav Rekhi, General Manager Operations, said their hospital has been organising blood donation camps from time to time. He said despite an increase in the number of donors, blood remains in short supply during emergencies. — TNS 

Upadhyay accorded warm welcome

Dehradun, June 15
The newly appointed state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay was accorded a warm welcome by state Congress spokesperson Shilpi Arora and party workers here today. Giving the details of the meeting, Arora said discussions were held on 
various issues pertaining to the organisation.

“Following Upadhyay’s appointment as the new Congress president in the state, there is a positive energy among the workers as everyone is happy about the new development,” she added.

“Earlier under the guidance of Harish Rawat and Yashpal Arya, the Congress had achieved a lot of success,” she added. — TNS

Matu Jansanghatan organises fast 
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, June 15
On the second anniversary ( August-September 2012) and the first anniversary of June 2013 natural disaster in Srinagar, a fast was organised under the aegis of Matu Jansanghatan today.

The 24 hour fast began with performing of a havan and offering of prayers, Vimal Bhai, head of the Matu Jansanghatan, along with Puran Singh Rana, Alok Panwar, Chandrabanu Tivari, Indu Upreti and several others joined the fast.

Raza Abbas, SDM, Srinagar, also participated in the fast. Members of the Matu Jansanghatan requested the SDM to speed up the work of removing muck accumulated from Alaknanda River in Srinagar during the natural disaster last year.

Vimal Bhai said he had demanded that the work to find out the dead bodies from the Kedarnath area should be completed at the earliest.

He said exploitatation of the natural resources should be curbed at once. He alleged that the dam authorities in Srinagar were still dumping the muck in the river which could prove disastrous in the monsoon season.

Members of Vishnuprayag Bandh Aapda Sangh, Sirnigar Bandh Aapda Prabhavit Samiti were also present.

Trekkers told to register
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 15
The Bageshwar administration has made it mandatory for trekkers to get themselves registered before going to the Pindari, Sundardhunga and Kafni glaciers situated in the district so that a record of people visiting disaster-prone interior areas could be maintained.

“Keeping last year’s disaster in mind, we have made it mandatory for every trekking group to register itself with us and give us all information concerning the group,” said BS Manral, District Magistrate, Bageshwar.

Signature campaign for the elderly
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
A signature campaign was launched in different parts of the capital city on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) by HelpAge India here yesterday. Around 500 residents pledged to support elderly persons. The campaigners decided to create awareness among youngsters to motivate them to support the elderly.

The chief guest in the signature campaign was member of Human Rights Commission, Uttarakhand, Dr Hemlata Dhaundiyal. She released a survey report - “Elder Abuse in India 2014” prepared by HelpAge India.

It was stated that there are 100 million elderly in India. The number is likely to increase to 324 million, constituting 20 per cent of the total population, by 2050. This exponential rate of increase is leading to changes in the family structure and societal attitudes.Programme officer Krishan Avtar, Hemant Kumar, Dr Sujeet Thakur, Gaurav Bhatt, Pankaj Devradi and Satyaveer Negi were also present.

 Solan firm gives garbage bags
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
A Solan-based private company has contributed 3,000 printed garbage storage bags to Waste Warriors, a local NGO.

Jodie Underhill, founder of Waste Warriors, said Solan-based Tesna Tech Private Limited had donated around 3,000 printed garbage bags for the collection and storage of waste.

“The bags have been sent to our offices in Dehradun, Dharamsala and the Corbett Tiger Reserve. As per the guidelines governing waste management, Waste Warriors collects waste and segregates it into two categories, non-recyclable and recyclable waste. Tesna Tech has provided different colour bags so that volunteers and staff could segregate the waste easily. The NGO will like to see the municipality use these bags to collect waste,” she added.

Awadh academy win cricket tourney
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The Awadh Sky Sports Academy, Lucknow, won the Salauddin Butt Memorial Open Cricket Tournament defeating the Global Sports Academy by 44 runs in the final match played at The Doon Global School here yesterday.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Awadh Sky Sports Academy made i193 runs in 20 overs. Manoj scored the highest 72 runs followed by Sunil, who made 39 runs. Ankur also played a small cameo of 34 runs. For the Global Sports Academy, Gaurav, Anuj and Rajat took 2 wickets each.

In reply, the Global Sports Academy got off to a bad start with both openers getting out without scoring much runs. Saurav’s innings of 56 runs also went in vain, as no other batsman could score runs and the whole team was bowled for 146 runs.

Loko, Doon Challengers win
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The Loko Football Club defeated the Pachuadoon Football Club 1-0 in a match in the ongoing Nemidas Memorial District Football League played at the Pavilion Ground here today. Gaurav scored the winning goal for the Loko Football Club in the 46th minute of the match.

Continuing with its winning form, Doon Challenger defeated Doon Eagle 2-0 in another match. Saurabh scored the first goal in the 7th minute while Azhar scored the second goal in the 30th minute of the match for Doon Challenger. Two matches would be played on Wednesday after a break of two days. The first match would be between Nagar Nigam and Garhwal Star while the second match would be played between Khukri Eleven and the Doon Tiger Football Club.

UKD wants Airy as joint opposition candidate against Harish Rawat
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
The Uttarakand Kranti Dal (Airy) has appealed to all opposition parties in the state to field UKD (Airy) president Kashi Singh Airy as the joint candidate against Chief Minister Harish Rawat if he contests from the Dharchula Assembly seat.

Addressing a press conference at the party office in Dehradun yesterday, UKD (Airy) patron PD Raturi said people were fed up with the incumbent state government that was only befooling them and resorting to wrong policies. He said the time had come for all opposition parties to come together in Uttarakhand and pit a joint candidate against Harish Rawat, who has to get elected to the Assembly by June end.

Raturi said his party had always favoured unity among opposition parties. The UKD had opposed both Congress and BJP but had this time extended an olive branch to the BJP in order to ensure the Chief Minsiter’s defeat from the Dharchula Assembly seat. He added division of votes among the opposition parties would only favour the Congress. He propsed Kashi Singh Airy as the joint candidate.

Raturi said their party had supported the BJP government in 2007 and would now like the saffron party to reciprocate the gesture. Officiating president of the UKD (Airy) Harish Pathak was also present on the occasion.

Rajaji National Park closes for tourists
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 15
All gates of the world famous Rajaji National Park were closed for tourists in wake of the coming monsoon season.

DP Uniyal, Chilla Ranger, told The Tribune that now the park would reopen on November 15 after the monsoon and maintenance work.

A rush of domestic and foreign tourists was witnessed at the park today. During rains, movement in the park area gets severely affected due to water-logging on roads and muddy terrain.

Notably, the world famous park that came into existence in 1984 is home to as many as 23 species of mammals, 315 of birds, 40 odd species of reptiles and fish, besides 400 Asian elephants.

Spread in the Pauri Garhwal, Dehradun and Haridwar districts in an area of 820 sq km on the foothills of the Shivalik range, the park is named after the last Governor General of India, Bharat Ratna awardee C Raj Gopalacharia.

The authorities will start patrolling the park area to maintain security and vigilance as poachers, wood smugglers and anti-social elements may try to take advantage of the off season.

Tourists spotted Asian elephants, besides citing of leopards, sloth bear and black storkes among other species, according to the statements recorded by the tourists in the register at the park.

Govt failed to provide proper relief: Khanduri 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
Expressing concern over the slow pace of work in the disaster affected areas, former Chief Minister and Pauri Garhwal parliamentarian BC Khanduri has said the state government has failed to provide adequate relief to the affected families.

In a press note issued here today, Khanduri said with the monsoon season nearing those living in the disaster affected areas would again be suffering as little work had been done. He added the state government did not have the complete data about the affected people. Also, the rehabilitation schemes announced by the government were nowhere to be seen. The debris around the Kedarnath shrine had not been cleared.

Khanduri said the government had failed to provide a security cover to people and shop owners living near riverbanks.

“A survey should have been conducted and embankments should have been constructed in the areas where the water level in the rivers had risen last year. Roads leading to the Char Dhams are in ruins. Despite spending crores of rupees, the government has failed to rehabilitate the affected population,” he added.

Open session favours video recording of court proceedings
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
An open session was organised at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Park in support of making video recording mandatory during the court proceedings and in the police stations.

Social activists and intellectuals who participated in the session rooted for introduction of mandatory video recording of court proceedings. They also called for installation of CCTV cameras in police stations.

“To ensure fair trial in the courts and fair investigations in the police stations, cameras should be installed in courts and police stations. This would bring in more transparency,” said Pradhuman Bist, coordinator of the session.

He said there is a need to introduce Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in courts to strengthen the justice delivery system in the country. “Under ICT initiative, e-courts were successfully introduced in Delhi and Gujarat in the year 2010,” said Bist.

Similar programmes are planned in other places. Former vice-president of Uttarakhand OBC Commission, PS Gurung, social activist Hemlata Ben and former public prosecutor Ram Sharan were present. They shared their views in support of the initiative.

The organisers submitted a memorandum to the Uttarakhand Governor for his support in introduction of mandatory video recording in courts and police stations in Uttarakhand.

Experts said mandatory video recording of court proceedings has been in place in courts across 14 states of the US since 2011. Courts in Australia and New Zealand also have mandatory video recording of court proceedings.

Officials on panchayat poll duty given training
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 15
A training session was conducted at the Nagar Nigam hall here today for the officials on duty for the three-phase panchayat elections. As many as 336 officials participated in the session.

Chief Education Officer SP Khali said those who turned 18 years on January 1, 2014, had been included in the voters’ list. “The officials should thoroughly understand the voting procedure so that there is no confusion once they proceed towards their respective destinations,” he added.

“Keeping in view the fact that the marking of indelible ink used for the Lok Sabha elections may still be visible on the fingers of many voters, it has been decided that the ink mark for the panchayat elections will be put on the middle finger of the right hand,” said Khali.