Anti-polythene bag drive fizzles out
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
The anti-polythene drive launched by the district administration a couple of months ago appears to have died a slow death.

The administration has failed to check the use of polythene bags by shopkeepers and customers. Led by the then District Magistrate, BVRC Purushottam, the drive was initiated in 60 wards of the city.

Awareness rallies were also organised across the city by NGO and NSS volunteers and officials of the DMC to sensitise the people about the ill-effects of polythene bags. Purushottam had set February 20 as the deadline for the eradication of polythene bags from the city. Officials also conducted raids and seized several kilograms of polythene bags from shopkeepers, particularly from Jhanda Bazaar, Darshani Gate, Moti Bazaar, Dhamawala, Ramleela Bazaar and Sabzi Mandi.

However, with no official to keep a regular check on the use of polythene bags, the menace is back in the city. A senior administration official said as most of the staff had been on the Lok Sabha and panchayat elections duties since March, there had been laxity in checking the use of polythene bags. “Due to election duties, it is difficult to keep a tab on other things or the ongoing drives,” he added.

Prakash Chand, a wholesaler dealer of polythene bags, said, “The major problem is the awareness regarding the use of correct polythene bag. The ban is on the use of polythene bags of less than 40 micron thickness and not others. Initially, the district administration had decided to provide shopkeepers and people with jute bags to carry merchandise, but nothing has been done so far.”

Expressing concern over the deteriorating sanitary conditions in the city, Kamal Kishore, a resident of Defence Colony, said, “It is the usual practice of the local administration to launch a drive and then completely forget it after a few days. Had the orders been implemented strictly, the sanitary condition in the city would have been much better. People are not aware. Although NGOs are working towards creating awareness, till the government plays an active role, nothing much is going to change,” he added.

Harleen Kaur, a schoolteacher, said the only measure to stop the use of polythene bags would be the availability of paper bags or cloth bags at minimal rates. “Usually, shopkeepers charge Rs 7 to Rs 10 for a cloth bag. Rather than spending the money, a customer prefers to have a polythene bag that would cost him nothing. The government and the local administration should order shopkeepers not to charge anything for cloth bags,” she added.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Chandresh Yadav refused to comment on the issue.

Efforts go waste

• Awareness rallies were organised across the city by NGO and NSS volunteers and officials of the DMC to sensitise the people about the ill-effects of polythene bags
• Former District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam had set February 20 as the deadline for the eradication of polythene bags from the city
• As most of the staff had been on the Lok Sabha and panchayat elections duties since March, there had been laxity in checking the use of polythene bags

Byelections to three assembly seats
BD Joshi joins BJP, likely to fight against Harish Rawat
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 27
BD Joshi, a former block pramukh and Congress leader from Dharchula, joined the BJP yesterday.

The BJP is contemplating fielding Joshi against Chief Minister Harish Rawat from the Dharchula Assembly seat in the forthcoming byelections.

However, party general secretary Prakash Pant said Dhan Singh Rawat and Kundan Singh Tolia were also on the list of the probable candidates from Dharchula. The party is likely to announce its candidates for three Assembly seats on June 30.

According to sources, Joshi is the frontrunner for the seat as he is close to former Uttarakhand BJP president and Didihat MLA Bishen Singh Chufal.

Pant said the candidature of Trivendra Singh Rawat was almost final from the Doiwala seat while Mohan Ram Arya, Sanjay Tamta and Rakesh Arya had been shortlisted for the Someshwar seat. “The process of selection of candidates is still underway. The final list will be released on June 30,” added Pant.

CM’s representative may file his papers from Dharchula

A representative of Chief Minister Harish Rawat will be filing his nomination papers from the Dharchula assembly seat for the byelection as the latter is unwell and recuperating at AIIMS, New Delhi.

HC Semwal, District Election Officer, Pithoragarh, said under the election rules the proposer of a candidate could deposit the nomination papers. “Under the existing election rules, if a candidate is not able to come to file his nomination papers due to some unavoidable circumstances, the proposer of his name can deposit the same,” said Semwal. The process of filing nomination papers for the byelections for three Assembly seats in the state began today and would continue till July 3.

According to sources, another hurdle for Harish Rawat is that in his absence who will read the affidavit, which is read by the candidate himself in front of the returning 
officer.

“The state Election Commission will have to find an alternative rule to overcome the problem,” said Prakash Pant, former Speaker of the state Assembly and BJP general secretary.

Meanwhile, the district election machinery said a magistrate could visit the Chief Minister in hospital and read the affidavit before him.

Book traces history of Mussoorie, Landour 
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Stephanie Spaid Miedema signs a copy of the book, which she has co-authored with her father, at Cambridge Book Store in Mussoorie on Friday; and (right) a rare picture of Mussoorie. Tribune photos

Mussoorie, June 27
The much-awaited book titled “Mussoorie and Landour: Footprints of the Past” written by the father-daughter duo Virgil Miedema and Stephanie Spaid Miedema and published by Rupa and company will be released at St. Georges College in Mussoorie tomorrow. The book aims at immortalising the history of Mussoorie dating back to the arrival of the British in 1820s.

Stephanie Miedema, the co-author of the book, who is in the town for the occasion, said the book was for the enthusiast of the British-Indian history and for many people in India and abroad who had grown to love the twin stations of Mussoorie and Landour.

The book discloses the captivating history of Mussoorie and Landour towns from the early part of the 19th century through an extensively researched and detailed narrative, enhanced with evocative images, many of which were never published earlier, said Stephanie.

The book also sheds light on the life in Mussoorie and Landour during the 19th and early 20th century that is vividly portrayed through descriptions of local places and people from the military class and the missionaries in Landour. It also gives a detailed description of schools and places of worship that still dominate the local landscape to hotels, old breweries and often tried but ever-failing newspapers to the British royalty, which occasionally visited the town.

The Afghan royal captives, who were restricted to their Mussoorie aeries in the wake of two wars, and the Indian royalty, which made such a marked impact on this hill station that never became “official”, have also found a place in the book.

Stephanie, while speaking to The Tribune, said they had tried to draw readers into the world of the famous 19th century scientists, linguists, adventurers etc., who all for a time called the station their home.

Besides images by numerous Indian and British private sources, and never before published images captioned by Rudyard Kipling in his own hand writing figure in the book prominently. “We also searched the British Library, the National Army Museum (London), the Alkazi Collection of Photography (New Delhi), the Society of Genealogists (London), and the Library of Congress to provide the readers a new material,” added Stephanie.

“Virgil has already penned a book on another hill station situated in Pakistan titled ‘Murree-a Glimpse Through the Forest’ published in 2002 by the AmurMaple Books and with the latest book the literary journey from Muree to Mussoorie comes to its final culmination,” said Stephanie.

Co-author denied visa to visit India

Stephanie Spaid Miedema is saddened by the fact that her father Virgil Miedema was refused visa to attend the book launch function.

Stephanie during a brief visit to the Cambridge Book Store here today said her father Virgil wanted to be here but had been refused visa. Virgil has spent more than 17 years in India.

Stephanie, however, said her father was happy that the book on Mussoorie was finally being released in the town he loved the most.

Seven Haridwar students get President Award
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 27
The coveted President Award has been conferred upon seven students from Haridwar. The students were given the award for their outstanding performance as Scout and Guides at a function held at President’s House in New Delhi recently.

Significantly, all seven students are studying at Gayatri Vidya Peeth, the flagship school wing of Akhil Bharatiya Gayatri Parivar, Shantikunj.

Shikhar Sahu, Divyansh Singh, Madhur Sharma, Gaurav Singh, Gaurav Sahu, Abhinav Gaud and Akash Soni were given a grand welcome after their arrival at the school.

Scouts and Guides training commissioner Genda Lal Chaurasia said Gayatri Vidyapeeth in just four years of its inception had become a prime educational institution. He added all these students had participated in the national-level Scouts and Guides examination, which included written and field workouts. All awardees met Shantikunj spiritual ideologues Dr Pranav Pandya and Shail Jiji at Shantikunj met. Both of them acknowledged the achievements of the students and blessed them for their bright future. Pandya said they had not only brought laurels to Gayatri Vidyapeeth but also to Haridwar and Uttarakhand.

Shail Jiji urged all students to given their best in studies, life and be rooted to ground. Narendra Thakur, secretary, Yug Nirman Scouts and Guides, Shantikunj, said the moral-based modern education aided with right guidance had resulted in the students winning the award.

Meanwhile, a voluntary group of 20 Shantikunj students, which was serving ill pilgrims and local people on the Char Dham route for the past one month, returned today. The students were stationed at Augustmuni in Garhwal and were serving pilgrims and local people with marma, panch karma, acupressure, yoga and providing ayurvedic and allopathic medicines.

The students, led by Haridwar District Hospital doctors Dr CP Tripathi and Dr Ajit Tiwari, were on a voluntary mission and gave medicines free of cost to the needy.

NGO distributes bags made from used clothes 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Volunteers of the U-turn Foundation, an NGO, today organised “Preserve Green Doon” campaign today at Araghar vegetable market in Dehradun.

During the campaign, members of the U-Turn Foundation educated people on the ill-effects of polythene bags. They distributed bags made from used clothes. They urged the people to use their own bags while shopping and thus, contribute towards eradicating the menace of polythene bags from Dehradun.

People appreciated the efforts of young volunteers and supported the campaign by singing the petition to the state government for creating an act like done in Himachal Pradesh to ban the usage of polythene below 70 microns in Uttarakhand.

Jaya L Kumar, vice-president, U-turn Foundation, said the foundation had been demanding a ban on the production and use of polythene bags in Uttarakhand.

“It is evident that polythene bags is causing extreme health hazards such as soil degradation, loss of agricultural land fertility, blocking up of cities’ drainage and sewerage systems, water-logging and spread of harmful microbes and bacteria which may give rise to epidemics in the coming monsoons,” pointed out Jaya.

He said a number of citizens of Dehradun and youngsters were coming forward to support our call of polythene ban. He said they had started a campaign against polythene from Rajpur area of Dehradun in 2010 and since then, they had been actively working and spreading door-to-door awareness message for non usage of polythene bags in Dehradun.

Present among others included Anchal Bisht, Deepanjli Sharma, Sanidhya Dogra and Anjali Negi.

Cultural event gets underway
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
A two-day competition on folk song and dance began at the Town Hall here today. The event has been organised by the Parvatiya Sanskritik Sanstha. Identified as “Sur Tal Sangram”, a total of 1,200 youths from across the state are participating in the event.

 Kalpana Chauhan, a folk singer, said the competition aimed at providing a platform to the budding artists from the state. Earlier, inaugurating the competition, Uttarakhand Minister for Culture Dinesh Dhanai said such programmes were important to preserving folk culture of the state.

He assured all assistance to Parvatiya Sanskritik Sanstha for holding such programmes in the future.

Job fair for differently abled at NIVH today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
The Sarthak Educational Trust, a Delhi-based NGO working for providing employment to persons with disabilities, will organise a job fair on the campus of the National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) on Rajpur Road tomorrow. The fair is for people with disabilities between 18 and 30 years of age.

The fair will be preceded by a sensitisation workshop for the employer to make them understand the capability of a person with disability as well as the challenges of hiring such workforce and the ways to deal with it.

Through the fair the NGO aims at providing employment opportunities and allowing physically challenged people to lead a life of self-reliance and dignity. The NGO trains and prepares such people for jobs and at the same time explores job opportunities for them in a particular sector or organisation. Till date, Sarthak has conducted 55 fairs across India and this is the first in Dehradun.

Jitendra Aggarwal, CEO, Sarthak Educational Trust, said, “We believe that a person with disability can easily lead a life of dignity and financial independence. With some training and good working environment, we can ensure a meaningful life for them. These job fairs help us to instill confidence in the young minds enabling them to face the world with a purposive and pragmatic approach towards employment. Equally crucial is the need to sensitise corporates and employer firms about the rich human resource hidden in these differently-abled persons.”

He added, “The kind of job fair that Sarthak organises across the nation is one of the most effective means for ensuring placement of differently-abled people. It brings both employer and job seekers on a platform, providing them an opportunity for an open conversation. In such fairs, the participation response has been encouraging and we are hopeful of garnering a good number employments for such people in our event as well.” 

TET certificate holders hold protest outside Hridayesh’s house
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
BEd and Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) certificate holders staged a demonstration in front of Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh’s house here today.

“We are demanding the completion of the ongoing teacher recruitment process at the earliest, but the state government seems least bothered,” said Baldev Singh Bhandari, president of the TET Qualified Teachers’ Association.

He warned the government that they would intensify their stir if their demand was not met immediately.

Amit Kashyap, Gyan Prakash, Rajenrda Negi, Gajendra Joshi and Sumit Chauhan were prominent among the protesters.

Shiksha Acharyas’ protest

DEHRADUN: The ongoing agitation by Shiksha Mitras continued at Parade Ground here today. They are demanding amalgamation of their services in the state Education Department.

The striking Shiksha Mitras threatened to intensify their agitation if the department did not take effective steps to fulfil their year-long pending demand. 

J&K students meet Hridayesh
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
As part of the ongoing Sadbhavana Mission of the Army, a group of 24 students from Baramullah district in Jammu and Kashmir visited the state capital and interacted with Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh at the Secretariat here today.

Addressing a gathering, the minister said both the states were similar as far as the tourism industry was concerned. “Both the states share a similar kind of geographical terrain and hardships. Tourism is their backbone,” she added.

The students were informed about the Char Dham Yatra, tourist spots, culture and life of the state.

Later, they sang a special song for the minister in their local language.

Leading the contingent, Maj Garima Joshi said the group had toured Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh and Dehradun as part of the project.

Counting on at 89 blocks for panchayat elections 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
The counting of votes for the panchayat elections began in all 89 blocks of 12 districts of the state amid tight security at 8 am today.

The state Election Commission said the counting was complete for eight blocks of Pithoragarh while the process in nine blocks in Pauri Garhwal district was expected to be complete by 8 pm. The counting would continue till tomorrow.

Till 7 pm, of the total 6,624 posts of pradhan of gram panchayats, the results were declared for 3,631 posts, while of 2,884 posts of member of Block Development Committees the results were declared for 1,127 posts. Of the 389 posts of zila panchayat member, the results were declared for 38 posts till 7 pm.

In Dehradun district, the counting was held at the ITI, Doiwala; Maharana Pratap Sports College, Raipur, Cant Board School, Chakrata, Rajkiya Inter College, Kalsi, Guru Ram Public School, Sahaspur, and Asha Ram Vedic School, Vikas Nagar. The results of 105 posts of pradhan, 23 posts of gram panchayat member in Dehradun district have been declared. 

Slow pace of counting at Thatyur irks candidates
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, June 27
Candidates aired their resentment at the slow pace of counting for the panchayat elections that began at Thatyur in Tehri district early this morning.

Only five of the 11 rounds of counting were completed till the filing of this report late evening. The candidates in the fray said at this slow pace the counting could continue past midnight and asked the election officials to speed up the process.

The counting for the Thatyur block in the Dhanaulti Assembly segment in Tehri district began at Government Inter College, Thatyur, around 8 am and continued the whole day at a sluggish pace.

Eleven tables were placed for the counting.

The returning office said the candidates for 52 of the 146 posts of gram pradhan in the Jaunpur development were elected unopposed while the elections were conducted for 94 posts. Two of the 40 candidates in the fray for the posts of member of kshetra panchayats were declared elected unopposed.

The counting for six posts of zila panchayat member was still on.

The supporters of the candidates, who were declared elected, distributed sweets amid the beating of drums while where the counting was still on the candidates and their supporters were seen huddled together.

Elderly US citizen found dead

Mussoorie, June 27
An elderly US citizen was found dead at Woolfeburne Estate, near Char Dukan, at Landour Cantonment here today. He had been living there for the past three months. Danny Ramond Buck (68) was under treatment at the local Community Hospital.

The police said after finding no response from the deceased’s house, his neighbours reported the matter to them. He was taken to the Community Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Investigating officer Santosh Tiwari saidt the information about his death had also been sent to the American Embassy, added Tiwari. — TNS

Rally against drug abuse in Nainital
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Cadets of Sainik School, Ghorakhal, in Nainital district observed International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking here yesterday.

The cadets took out a rally to spread awareness in society against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. They distributed pamphlets and other printed material to the public.

In yet another achievement, NCC Senior Under Officer Mohit Bhatt of Sainik School, Ghorakhal, has been selected to visit Russia from August 18 to September 1 as a part of the NCC youth exchange programme (YEP).

Out of the 25 cadets, who were selected from all over the country, Mohit Bhatt is the only cadet representing the state. 

Maund fishing festival begins tomorrow
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, June 27
Naresh Kavi, who runs a hotel at Chandigarh, is all set to participate in the annual fishing festival “Maund” scheduled to begin from June 29. He will stay at his Khairad village situated in Nainbagh tehsil of Tehri district.

“Maund” is organised alongside the Aglar rivulet near Mussoorie on June 29 every year by more than 25 villages in the region with fervour and enthusiasm.

The fishing festival was not organised last year due to the natural disaster. The rising water level in the rivulet also led to abandoning of festivities last year.

Villagers take turn in preparing powder called “Maund” made of crushed “timru” (zanthoxylum armatum, a plant found abundantly in the Himalayas) barks to be thrown in the rivulet so that fish become intoxicated and is easy to catch.

This year, villagers from Athjula Patti have prepared around 10 tonnes of timru powder. The hosts will throw the powder at Maunkot and later the villagers will rush to catch the unconscious fish.

The festival also has a historical significance. SS Kharkai, a resident of Kharak village, said during the pre-Independence era, the king of Tehri inaugurated the festival and collected Maund tax imposed on fishing. The event was also a place to settle old scores between villages where scuffles and brawls were part of the festival every year, forcing the king to stop the festival.

The festival was restarted only after the villagers gave their consent in writing that they would not enter into a brawl again. The Tehri king inaugurated the fishing festival for the last time in 1946-47. The festival carried on after Independence too, but without the presence of the king.

However, the use of timru powder by villagers has left environmentalists fuming as it has ill-effects on the marine biodiversity. Environmentalists believe that Maund, which has a chemical composition of methyl-n-nonyl ketone, linalool, linalyal acetate, forms a muddy layer over the water surface. It reduces oxygen and suffocates fish and all other aquatic creatures, thereby, affecting the thermodynamic and metabolic activities of the fish.

Besides, the festival coincides with the breeding cycle of fish as shoals of them leave big rivers and move upstream to spawn in the Aglar. The Aglar has dissolved oxygen and a large stocks of food and death of such fish means killing several thousand yet-to-be-born creatures.

The environmentalists says villagers should resort to fishing using traditional nets so that the future generation of aquatic creatures was not affected.

Local festivities

• Maund is organised alongside the Aglar rivulet near Mussoorie on June 29 every year by more than 25 villages in the region with fervour and enthusiasm
• The fishing festival was not organised last year due to the natural disaster. The rising water level in the rivulet also led to abandoning of festivities last year.

Shankaracharya takes dip in Ganga on amavasya 
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 27
Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati, who is in news currently for his remarks against Shridi Sai Baba, took a dip in the Ganga in Haridwar on the pious occasion of amavasya today. He also performed rituals at the VIP ghat.

Notably, the Shankaracharya had called Sai Baba devotees and asked them to take a dip in the Ganga and worship deities of Sanatan Dharma on the pious occasion of amavasya.

Meanwhile, office-bearers of the Shri Sai Baba Darshan Mandir Charitable Trust and Sai Baba devotees have decided to take a dip in the Ganga at Har-ki-Pauri on June 29. Samiti president Poonam Kapil and secretary Nitin Jay Singh will manage the event.

Swami Kalyanand Saraswati from Shri Manav Kalyan Ashram said it was good to be a Sai Baba devotee but to worship him as God was not in conformation with the Sanatan Dharma tenets.

Ex-ONGC worker commits suicide
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
A man committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree at the verandah of his house here today.

According to information, KS Bisht, a retired ONGC employee, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree. No suicide note was found from his possession. The reason why Bisht took the extreme step is yet to be ascertained as his relatives are in a state of shock. The city police have sent the body for an autopsy.

11 houses destroyed in fire

Six houses were reportedly destroyed completely in a major fire that broke out at Jakhol village in the Mori block in Uttarkashi distirct around 2 am today. Five other houses were burnt partially.

Disaster management officer, Purola, D Patwal, told mediapersons that 20 families of the village had been affected while around 13 heads of cattle had perished in the fire.

RK Pandey, SDM, Purola, along with the disaster management team rushed to the village to assess the damage caused due to the fire. Patwal said the reasons for the fire were not yet known. Meanwhile, the SDM was not available for comments.

Rajendra Academy lift U-19 cricket title

Dehradun, June 27
Rajendra Pal Cricket Academy (RPCA) won the U-19 All-India Continental Cup here today. In the final match, RPCA defeated Tanush Cricket Academy (TCA) by one wicket.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, TCA scored 133 runs losing all wickets in the process. Gaurav scored 25 runs for TCA. RPCA managed to chase the target losing nine wickets. Himanshu contributed 60 runs for RPCA. Kewal was adjudged the man of series. Gaurav won the best batsman award while Rishab was adjudged best bowler. — TNS

Smaller parties undecided on bypolls
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Smaller parties in the state, the BSP, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and various factions of the UKD, are still undecided on contesting the byelections to three Assembly seats in the state.

On the other hand, the Congress has declared its candidates for the Doiwala, Dharchula and Someshwar seats and the BJP has almost decided on its candidates for the three seats. According to sources, the BJP’s clean sweep in the recent Lok Sabha elections has affected the morale of smaller parties. It won all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand and that too with huge margins.

The third formidable force in the state, the BSP, is awaiting party supremo Mayawati’s decision on whether to contest the byelections. State BSP president Nathu Singh said they had finalised some names for the three Assembly seats, but the final decision would be taken by Mayawati.

On the other hand, the UKD (Airy) has declared its candidate for the Doiwala Assembly seat only. It is still undecided on candidates for the Dharchula and Someshwar seats. UKD (Airy) president Kashi Singh Airy said meetings were being held to finalise the candidatures for the other two seats.

The Samajwadi Party is also reluctant to contest the Assembly byelections. State Samajwadi Party president Satyanarayan Sachan said the Congress government in the state was very weak and hence the mid-term Assembly elections in Uttarakhand could not be ruled out.

He said the byelections to the three Assembly seats kept a little relevance for them and thus their party had decided to focus on strengthening their organisation in the state. 

UPCL staff protest ‘no work, no pay’ orders
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Annoyed over the callous approach of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) for not addressing their year-long pending demands, affected employees burnt an effigy of the “No work, no pay” orders issued by the corporation here today. They threatened to intensify their agitation if the corporation did not accede to their year-long pending demands. Corporation officials had imposed “No work, no pay” on the agitating employees.

The employees under the banner of the Uttarakhand Electricity Officers and Workers Joint Association continued their protest here today. They lamented that they had given several memorandums highlighting their demands to the UPCL officials, but to no avail.

The protesting employees are demanding merger of the UPCL, Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited, and Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited, approval of service rules for data entry operators, GPF scheme for employees who joined the service till September 30, 2005, and fulfilment of pending demands.

Following the high court order, the employees held the protest 200 metres away from the UPCL headquarters. They said they had given a one-month notice to the management but the latter did not call them to resolve the matter.  

Party to finalise candidates on June 30
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
The BJP will finalise the list of candidates for the Assembly byelections for three seats scheduled for July 21 during a meeting of the party office bearers at Rishikesh on June 30.

The list of probable candidates for the Someshwar (reserved), Dharchula and Doiwala Assembly seats will be discussed and finalised. Among the names of candidates doing the round include Khushal Tipalyal, Shamsher Singh Sartyal, BS Chuphal, BD Joshi for Dharchula; Sanjay Tamta, Mohan Rai, and Govind Lal from for Someshwar; and senior leader Trivender Singh Rawat, Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli, Jitender Negi and Madhu Bhatt for Doiwala.

1,398 children examined at camp
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 27
A health check up for children and pregnant women was conducted at Rayasi village here today.

As many as 1,398 children falling in the age bracket of 1-8 years were examined by a team of doctors.

A total of 86 ailing children were referred to the higher centre at the Jolly Grant Hospital and NRC District Hospital for further treatment.

Nine children were referred for plastic surgery which will be financially assisted by the district administration.

Pension to differently-abled was also sanctioned to 18 beneficiaries.

Haridwar District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan addressed problems of villagers on the occasion. He said the Health Department and Social Welfare Department should ensure that a medical mobile team visits Anganbadi centres on a regular basis to conduct health check up of children and health check up of pregnant women be done in the rural areas.

“We need to provide benefits of health schemes and projects run by the Centre and state governments to the rural people, particularly children and pregnant women,” said Senthyl.

PMHS suggests govt to shift Dist Hospital
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Members of the Provincial Medical and Health Services (PMHS) have suggested to the state government that the Doon District Hospital be shifted to a new location. As the existing Doon Hospital will be part of Doon Medical College, the district will require a new hospital.

The PMHS members have suggested to the government that the Doon District Hospital be shifted to a new location. “As the government is planning to relocate the Vidhan Sabha building to Raipur, the District Hospital could be shifted to that place. The area is approachable and will not disrupt the functioning of the hospital,” said Dr BS Jangpangi, president, PMHS (state unit).

Doctors say in case the state government is not keen on shifting the District Hospital from the present place, they should adopt the Safdarjang Hospital model.

“The present Doon Hospital can continue to function as the District Hospital while doctors and consultants working here can become a part of the teaching faculty of the proposed medical college,” said Jangpangi.

550 posts for UPCL sanctioned

Dehradun, June 27
The state government has sanctioned 500 posts at different levels for Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). The orders in this regard are expected to be issued soon. The UPCL had demanded these posts in order to expedite its pending works.

The corporation is planning to sanction incentives, including paternity leave and 30 litre of petrol, to those employees who perform exceptionally well. The Power Department has constituted a committee to look into all details of employees and will soon submit its report to the board of directors of the corporation. — TNS