Doon areas getting water unfit for consumption: SPECS
High chlorine content found in water supplied to DM’s house
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
A survey conducted by the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) has revealed that drinking water being supplied to a majority of areas in the city lacks chlorine and is not fit for consumption. In some areas water was found to be contaminated with coliform and fecal coliform and having undesirably high level of chlorine.

The one-month long survey conducted from June 27 to July 27 this year revealed that of the 95 samples collected only 36 had traces of chlorine.

Dr Brij Mohan Sharma, Secretary, SPECS, said of the random areas sampled in the survey the water supply to Kaula Garh, Police Lines and Lohiapuram was found to be fit for consumption and having requisite amount of chlorine while the water supply to the residences of District Magistrate Chandresh Yadav, MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and MLA Ganesh Joshi had higher chlorine content. “Chlorine is a highly toxic gas, which should not exceed more than 0.2 mg/litre at the consumer end. If it exceeds this level it will lead to super chlorination that severely harms human and animal life. Nearly 60 per cent of the areas covered was having no chlorine content in drinking water,” he added.

“Besides lack of chlorine or higher amount of it, the water was also found to be contaminated with coliform and fecal coliform, which are main causes of stomach ailments. During the survey it was observed that due to old and faulty pipelines the water is getting contaminated at several places,” said Sharma.

The areas which reported high content of chlorine in water are Chukhuwala, Rajpur Road, New Cantt Road, Kalidas Road, Neshvilla Road, Kaulagarh Road, Canal Road, District Magistrate’s residence, SP’s residence, Man Singh Wala, Vikas Lok, Anurag Chowk, Nai Basti, Govind Garh, Gandhi Gram, Park Road, Niranjan Pur, Paltan Bazaar, Machi Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Lohiya Puram Police Line, Chander Nagar Police Line, Chander Nagar, Shiv Colony, Kurbura, Shalawala, Hathi Badkala, Kanwali Road, Ansari Road, Doon Hospital, Rajesh Colony, Curzon Road, Mohit Nagar, Shastri Nagar and MLA Hostel.

High traces of fecal coliform were found in water in the areas like Kath Bangla, Aketa Colony, Gujrada, Ritha Mandi, Pathribagh, Jakhan, Kanta, Inder Road, Old Nehru Colony, Akhada Mohalla, Omkar Road, Badrinath Colony, Bindal Wala, Sanjay Colony, Omkar Road-II, New Road, Nanak Vihar, Bodyguard Colony, Nehru Colony, Darshani Gate, Sayad Mohalla, Vijay Park, Kargi, Rajpur Road, Kandoli, Dobhal Wala, Turner Road, Kaulagarh Road, Haridwar Road, Akashdeep Colony, DBS Chowk, Rajender Nagar, Dhak Patti, Kath Bangla-II, Saraswati Vihar, Dhoran, Krishali, Nimbuwala, Vijay Colony-I, Dhama Wala, Sayad Mohalla, Deep Nagar, Balbeer Road, Green Park, Tyagi Road, Braham Puri, Chandralok Colony, ONGC Colony, Gorakhpur, MKP Colony and Mayor’s residence.

However, no chlorine content was found in water in the areas like Omkar Road, Bindal Wala, Dobhal Wala, Dhak Patti, Jakhan Kanta, Kandoli, Badrinath Colony, Kaulagarh Road, Nimbuwala, ONGC Colony, Rajender Nagar, Vijay Park, Rajpur Road, Chandralok Colony, DBS Chowk, Nanak Vihar, Braham Puri, Green Park, Railway Station, Tyagi Road, Yamuna Colony, Kanwali Road, Jhanda Mohalla, Vijay Colony-I, Sayad Mohalla, Akashdeep colony, Sayad Mohalla-I, Darshani Gate, Akhada Mohalla, Dhama Wala, New Road, Inder Road, Sanjay Colony, Old Nehru Colony, Mayor’s residence, Aketa Colony, Nehru Colony, Bodyguard Colony, Dhoran, Gujrada, Krishali, Kath Bangla, Kath Bangla-II, Deep Nagar, Gorakhpur, Pathribagh, Kargi, Saraswati Vihar, Ritha Mandi, Turner Road, Balbeer Road, MKP Colony and Haridwar Road. 

CM yet to deliver on ground 
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
The first six months’ tenure of Chief Minister Harish Rawat has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, he has consolidated himself politically, on the other despite efforts he has not been able to do much to improve the working of the state administration, which remains thoroughly corrupt and inefficient.

Harish Rawat, who was a Cabinet minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was handpicked by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and made the Chief Minister on February 1, replacing Vijay Bahuguna.

Politically, it was a victory of sorts for Harish Rawat. The politics of pressure that he played over the years with the sole objective of emerging as the tallest leader of the Uttarakhand Congress finally paid off.

After taking over as Chief Minister, he started on a positive note. He tried to accelerate the pace of development in the state which suffered immensely due to the natural disaster in June last year. Knowing fully well the handicaps he was facing in the run-up to the Lok Sabha poll, he acted in a hurry and issued more than 3,000 government orders, which was a record of sorts. He showed intentions to work hard, but it was another matter whether those government orders were implemented on the ground or not. As predicted, the Congress was completely routed in the Lok Sabha poll and it lost all five seats, including Haridwar which was represented by Harish Rawat as MP.

After the Lok Sabha poll debacle, Harish Rawat, known as a grass-roots leader, was prepared for the next battle. He tried to exploit the sentiments of the people of the hills. He held the first session of the Uttarakhand Assembly at Gairsain in Chamoli district, which was selected by the statehood agitators as the proposed capital of the new hill state, in June this year. He followed it up by holding a Cabinet meeting at Almora. Despite holding such a meeting which he termed as taking the state government to the people’s doorsteps, nothing much has changed on the ground.

The waning popularity of Narendra Modi, growing rivalry among state BJP leaders and smart politics by Harish Rawat helped the Congress win all three Assembly byelections. Harish Rawat himself won the Dharchula seat in Pithoragarh district by a huge margin. The win has raised his stature in the state Congress, where he has already decimated the Satpal Maharaj group and completely marginalised the Vijay Bahuguna camp. He has emerged as the tallest leader of the state Congress after the Assembly byelections.

However, the ground situation in the state remains grim. Health services are in a shambles in the hill areas as doctors and other paramedical staff are unwilling to serve there; schools are deserted and people are preferring private schools even in hills; roads are in a bad shape after the natural disaster and the pace of migration from hills has increased substantially. Even the flagship food security scheme to provide cheap ration to poor people has not been implemented.

Harish Rawat has failed to change the ways of the state’s bureaucracy, which is known to be corrupt and inefficient. It is a bane of Uttarakhand that it inherited a corrupt bureaucracy and a system from the mother state of Uttar Pradesh. None of the Chief Ministers in the past 13 years was able to keep a check on the bureaucracy and babudom.

Rather, most of the politicians, including Chief Ministers, remained hand-in-glove with them and tried to placate them. Rawat has a tough task ahead till the Assembly elections in 2017. It remains to be seen whether he would like to be remembered as a leader who turned the tide of despondency in Uttarakhand by taking tough decisions.

Tough task for Rawat

• Health services are in a shambles in the hill areas as doctors and other paramedical staff are unwilling to serve there; schools are deserted and people are preferring private schools even in hills.
• The flagship food security scheme to provide cheap ration to poor people has not been implemented
• Roads are in a bad shape after the natural disaster and the pace of migration from hills has increased substantially

Harsh Vardhan promises all help to better health services
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has assured the state government of relaxation in norms for setting up health sub centres in Uttarakhand taking into account its tough geographical conditions.

The assurance came during a meeting between Harsh Vardhan and Chief Minister Harish Rawat in Dehradun today. Harsh Vardhan assured Harish Rawat of all assistance in bettering health services and relaxation in norms for setting up health sub centres in Uttarakhand.

The Union minister also promised all assistance to medical colleges in Uttarakhand and said he would also urge the Medical Council of India (MCI) to give concessions to the state. He added the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Rishikesh would be made a world class institution and requested the state government to provide 100 acres for its expansion.

Harsh Vardhan said Uttarakhand has immense potential in the sphere of ayush and ayurveda. The Union Health Ministry would seriously consider any proposal received from the state towards promoting ayush and ayurveda. He also laid emphasis on setting up a blood bank in every district of the state.

The Chief Minister took up with the Union minister long pending health concerns of the state. He said the state required special assistance for three medical colleges proposed to come up at Almora, Rudrapur and Dehradun. He urged Harsh Vardhan to increase the number of postgraduate medical seats in the state.

The Chief Minister sought a special package from the Centre for the revival of Indian Drug and Pharmaceutical Plant (IDPL) in Rishikesh. He said IDPL drug manufacturing must be linked with AIIMS. He also demanded an increase in budget provided by the Centre for holding health camps in the state.

He sought heli-ambulances for Uttarakhand taking into account its vulnerability to natural disasters.

The Chief Minister also apprised the Union Health Minister about various schemes and programmes started by the government towards improving health services in the state.

What transpired

• Harsh Vardhan assured of relaxation in norms for setting up health sub centres in Uttarakhand taking into account its tough geographical conditions
• Promised all assistance to medical colleges in Uttarakhand. He will urge the Medical Council of India to give concessions to the state
• The Chief Minister demanded special assistance for three medical colleges proposed to come up at Almora, Rudrapur and Dehradun He urged Harsh Vardhan to increase the number of postgraduate medical seats in the state, heli-ambulances and increase in budget for holding health camps

...says providing jobs Centre’s top priority
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 3
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today said providing health care and employment to people was the top priority of the Central government. Harsh Vardhan while addressing a health camp at Rohalki Inter College, Bahadrabad, said special efforts were needed to ensure good health for children and women in rural areas.

He advised officials of the Health, Social Welfare, Child and Women Development departments to organise similar health camps in far-flung areas on a regular basis. He urged the private sector to cooperate with the Union Government in this regard.

“Children, who are suffering from malnutrition, need nutritious food and proper health care. I have sanctioned two health centres at Lakshar and Roorkee in Haridwar district. Children suffering from serious ailments will be provided free higher medical care at Doon Max Hospital, Jolly Grant Hospital and Fortis Hospital,” he said.

The Union Health Minister lauded the National Child Health Project being implemented in Haridwar district. He said a similar project would be launched in other districts of Uttarakhand.

District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan informed Harsh Vardhan that under the National Child Health Project, 3,979 children were medically examined and 217 referred to higher medical centres.

He said 892 children were examined at the health camp at Rohalki today.

Haridwar parliamentarian Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Central Health Secretary Love Sharma, Chief Development Officer Vishnu Singh Dhanik and Chief Medical Officer Dr Sushma Gupta were present on the occasion. 

Postal services hit due to curfew in Saharanpur 
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 3
Residents of Nainbagh in Tehri district are finding it difficult to send rakhis due to disruption in postal services provided to the Garwahl region from Sahranpur where curfew has been imposed following recent communal riots.

Saharanpur is the main junction for the Department of Posts from where posts, documents etc., are sent on office vehicles to various destination in the Garhwal region, including Nainbagh. However, due to the recent riots in Saharanpur the postal services have come to a grinding halt as the vehicles of the Department of Posts are unable to ply due to the curfew in Saharanpur town.

Postmaster, Nainbagh, Rajendar Bhandari, said the postal services to the area are provided from Saharanpur but due to the curfew in the town vehicles carrying posts are not plying to Nainbagh. He added that with a few days left for the rakhi festival the department was losing business, as the customers were unable to send or receive rakhis.

Bhandari said even government posts were not reaching Nainbagh due to the curfew in Saharanpur. 

At receiving end

* Saharanpur is the main junction for the Department of Posts from where posts, documents etc., are sent on office vehicles to various destination in the Garhwal region, including Nainbagh. However, due to the recent riots in Saharanpur the postal services have come to a grinding halt as the vehicles of the Department of Posts are unable to ply due to the curfew imposed in Saharanpur town.

Woman killed in flash floods
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, August 3
A 58-year-old woman died while her 66-year-old husband was seriously injured when flash floods caused by a sudden cloudburst drowned the couple in a nearby rivulet in Kasari village of Berinag subdivision in the district last evening.

The woman was killed instantly while her husband was injured.

He was rescued by a disaster rescue team sent by the local administration.

According to information received from the District Disaster Management unit in Pithoragarh district, a local rivulet was in spate due to continuous rain for an hour last night and it damaged houses and fields of the villagers.

“Besides Bhagirathi Devi, wife of injured Anand Ballabh Pathak of Kasari village, 12 goats, four cows and one buffalo belonging to the couple perished in the flash floods and landslides thereafter,” said SC Semwal, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.

“A score of cultivable fields, trek routes, bridleways, bridge on the local rivulet and a school building, besides electricity poles were damaged by sudden flash floods caused due to a cloudburst in the area,” said the District Magistrate. 

Nailchami rivulet changes its course 
Ajay Ramola/TNS

Mussoorie, August 3
The accumulation of mud and debris in the Ruisi stream, near Jakhnyali (Nautar) village, following a cloudburst in Tehri on July 31 has led to the Nailchami rivulet changing its course, endangering the lives of people living in the Ghansali block of Tehri district.

Residents have demanded immediate removal of the debris to prevent loss of human lives and property.

Shanti Prasad and Ravi Prasad, both residents of Shreyal village, said the geographic character of the region had changed after the cloudburst. The rivernow flowing towards their village.

The residents feared that their village can meet the same fate like Jakhnyali (Nautar) village if precautionary measures are not taken immediately.

Meanwhile, residents of Jakhnyali (Nautar) village are living in the dark and without water since the cloudburst.

Brijesh Tiwari, SDM, Ghansali, said the administration had sent water tankers to the village. Senior officials had been apprised of the situation obtaining due to the change in the course of the rivulet, added Tiwari.

Three students drown in Ganga
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
Three Devsanskriti University students were swept away by the gushing waters of the Ganga in Haridwar today. According to police sources, Suraj Prakash, Jagdish and Kaushal Bhardwaj, all students of Devsanskriti University, Haridwar, went to the Ganga at Saptrishighat, near Shantikunj, to take a bath during evening hours today but were washed away by the swollen river.

SSP, Haridwar, Sadanand Datey said the bodies of the three students were yet to be recovered and the Jal Police was on the job.

Suraj Prakash belonged to Mathura and was doing the animation course. Jagdish, a resident of Kota, was also doing the animation course while Kaushal Bhardwaj, also from Kota, was a student of Bachelor of Physical Education.

UJVNL produces surplus power in July 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
At a time when the state is reeling under acute shortage of electricity, Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) claims to have generated surplus electricity against its monthly target in July.

Officials concerned claimed the state-run hydropower projects on the Yamuna have generated 226.282 million units of electricity against the monthly target of 218 
million units.

The latest data compiled by UJVNL clearly highlighted that 783.765 million units of electricity was generated by hydropower projects being run on the Yamuna from April 1 to July 30.

The 240 MW Chibbro hydropower project has generated 109.11 million units against the monthly target of 108 million units while the 120 MW Khodri hydropower project has generated 49.531 million units against the target of 48 million units in July.

The Dharkani hydropower project generated 19.263 million units against the target of 18 million units of electricity. Similarly, the Dhalipur and Kulhal hydropower projects generated 29.364 million units and 18.213 million units of electricity, respectively.

Saplings planted at Dussehra ground

Dehradun, August 3
The Dussehra Ground Jankalyan Samiti organised a plantation drive at the Dussehra ground here today. The samiti was provided over 100 saplings along with tree guards by ‘Citizen for Green Doon’ and the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority. The drive was aimed at increasing the green cover in Dehradun. 

Sumit Khanna, a member of the samiti, said, “We have planted sapling of green and fruit trees. We should plant more trees in the city, especially while rampant felling of trees is going on across the city in the name of development.”

The volunteers pledged to undertake similar drives in the entire Cantonment Assembly constituency. Students of Doon School also took part in the plantation drive. — TNS

AIIMS to have ayurvedic dept: Harsh Vardhan
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 3
All hospitals of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences will now have an ayurvedic department. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan announced this here today in presence of yoga guru Ramdev.

Harsh Vardhan said the department would deal in the ancient health remedies of ayurveda for holistic treatment of patients.

He laid the foundation stone of the Patanjali Jadi Buti Udhyan and Aushadhaliya at Patanjali Yogpeeth, 16 km from Haridwar city.

Ramdev said at Patanjali Jadi Buti Udhyan and Aushadhaliya, rare and medicinal rare herbs from the Himalayas would be collected.

The yoga guru added that he would try to get the Patanjali Jadi Buti Anusandhan and Aushadhaliya inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had evinced interest in Ayurveda and herbs during his previous visit to Patanjali Yogpeeth.

The minister also inspected a pathology laboratory, Patanjali Ayurvedic Hospital and university departments along with Haridwar parliamentarian Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Nishank lauded the efforts of yoga guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishan in promoting yoga and Ayurveda not only in India but also across the entire world.

The herb storage and laboratory facility would one of its kind, said Ramdev.

Statehood agitators demand speedy re-identification
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 3
Statehood agitators staged a protest at the District Magistrate camp office here today demanding speedy conduct of re-identification process and related formalities.

JP Pandey, a statehood agitator, alleged successive state governments had failed to live up to the expectations of the participants in the statehood movement.

Notably, the participants in the movement who are yet to be included in the list of statehood agitators have been staging an agitation in support of their demand for the past few months.

Pandey said a large number of people from Haridwar, Roorkee and Lal Dhang had actively participated in the movement to ensure the inclusion of Haridwar in Uttarakhand. “The government should give them their due. There are several people who did not even attend the movement but their names have been included in the list due to their close connection with political leaders,” alleged Pandey.

Meera Raturi, secretary, Uttarakhand Rajya Andolankari Manch, alleged the district administration did not carry out a proper field survey, following which the names of several women activists who played a pivotal role during the movement had been not been included in the list.

“Despite our active participation in the separate statehood movement, we are feeling neglected. Neither the district administration nor any government representative has tried to address our concerns,” alleged Raturi.

Dhirendra Pratap, who is chairperson of the Uttarakhand Rajya Nirman Andolankari Samman Parishad, said they had sought the submission of documents related to the separate statehood movement a few months ago. They had set August 31 as the deadline for the same. After this, no document would be entertained.

He said if those who had submitted their documents were found to be active in the separate statehood movement during the verification process, their names would be included in the list. They could also avail all facilities, including reservation in governments jobs, pension, allowances and other benefits.

Leopard kills labourer
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, August 3
Panic gripped villagers in Thal town after a leopard killed a 45-year-old labourer in the Madgaun area, near Chaubati, last evening. This is the 12 such incident in the area in the past 30 months.

Officials in the Forest Department said Ummed Singh Deopa (45) was killed while he was returning to his village from Chaubati.

“When he did not reach home till late evening, his family launched a search for him. However, they found his half-eaten body in bushes near their home,” said KS Khati, range officer.

“We approached the authorities concerned several times with regard to the prowling leopard. However, on our every visit, we were told that the man-eating leopard has been identified and caged,” said Ravindra Singh, a social worker.

On the other hand, a section of forest officials said they could not kill the animal till they received written orders from the higher authorities in this regard.

“However, we have reported the incident to senior officials,” added Khati.

Fasting polytechnic teachers flay govt
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
Members of the Uttarakhand Polytechnic Contractual teachers continued their indefinite fast for the sixth day here today in support of their five demands, including regularisation of their services.

The protesters criticised the government for its apathetic attitude towards their demands and threatened to intensify their stir it did not meet their demands.

Sarvesh Chaudhary, president of the Uttarakhand Polytechnic Contractual Teachers Association, blamed the government for making false promises to them with regard to their demands. He said Chief Minister Harish Rawat made their delegation wait for more than eight hours on Friday.

The association is holding a protest at Parade Ground for the past 15 days and some of their members are on indefinite fast for the past six days.

Sarvesh Chaudhary, Nagendra Awasthi, Ashish Khanengra Awasthi, Pankaj Dagar, Naresh Pathak, Sandeep, Poonam Rawat, Sweta, Anjali and many others were present at the protest.

Landslide disrupts traffic

Mussoorie, August 3
Traffic was disrupted on Mackinnon-Cart Road that remained blocked near Gajji Bend for several hours today due to a landslide triggered by overnight rains. Mud debris fell on an area of around 500 metres, blocking the road and disrupting traffic for several hours.

However, the debris was cleared after five hours with the help of residents of Kyarkuli village as no one from the administration reached the site on time despite several communications, said Lal Singh Rawat, a resident of Kyarkuli village.

Long queues of vehicles were witnessed during the period the road remained blocked. Most of the roads suffered damage with gaping potholes surfacing in several areas of the town. Tourists and local residents found it difficult to commute on the damaged roads. Residents expressed resentment at the shoddy work done by the Public Works Department on the road from Library to Modern School, which was constructed a few months back and is crying for attention following rain. — TNS

Inter-section cross country at RIMC
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
An inter-section cross-country competition of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) was organised here today. Col HS Bainsla, Commandant, RIMC, was the chief guest. The competition was held in three categories, namely novices, juniors and seniors.

The novice section were exclusively for cadets, who had joined the college recently. In the category, cadet Jacob and cadet Rahul Singh, both of the Pratap section, bagged the gold and silver medals, respectively, while Vaibhav Chhetri of the Shivaji section bagged the bronze medal.

In the junior category, cadet Vaibhav Chauhan of the Shivaji section led the way while cadet Akash Rathaur of the Pratap section and cadet Ravi Kumar of the Chandragupta section bagged the second and third places, respectively.

The overall winner in the juniors’ category was the Chandragupta section, followed by the Pratap, Shivaji and Ranjit sections.

In the seniors’ category, cadet Sahil Yadav of the Chandragupta section clinched the gold medal while cadet Pratik Dubey of the Ranjit section won silver, followed by cadet Divyam Dwivedi who won the bronze medal. The overall winner in the seniors’ category was the Shivaji section, followed by the Chandragupta, Pratap and Ranjit sections.

The Shivaji section was the overall winner in the RIMC inter-section cross country competition, followed by the Chandragupta, Pratap and Ranjit sections.

Inter-school TT tournament begins 
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 3
The 10th Manorite Inter-School Table Tennis Tournament began at St George’s College here today. More than 15 schools from Mussoorie and Dehradun are participating in the tourney.

In the opening fixture (U-14 girls’ section), Adhya Talan of Wynberg Allen School (WAS) defeated Rhea Premi from Aryan School (AS); Jaspee Uppal of Aryan School beat Sara Arora of Waverly Convent School; Kajal of Mussoorie Girls Inter-College drub Priya Nandan of Wynberg Allen School; Mansi of Mussoorie Girls Inter-College defeated Tanisha Agarwal of Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School and Lakshita of Welham Girls School beat Mitali of Wynberg Allen Achool.

In the U-17 boys’ category, Arnav Vaish of Doon School defeated Yuvraj Singh of Wynberg Allen School; Mayank Keshan of Aryan School beat Kawain of St George’s College and Aseem Agarwal of Wynberg Allen School defeated Ankit Kumar of Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School.

Doon Valley, Woodstock School emerge winners

Doon Valley Public School, Woodstock School, JD Club, Leo Club and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Dehradun, won their fixtures in the 43rd Jackie Memorial Invitational Football Tournament underway at St George’s College here today.

The match between Shiva Club and the Khetwala (A) team ended in a 3-3 draw.

In the first match, Leo Club defeated Mussoorie Boys 1-0 while Doon Valley Public School beat the Manav Bharti (B) team 5-0 in the second match.

In the third match, Woodstock School defeated Ghananand Government Inter College (GGIC) 3-1. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Dehradun, defeated Manav Bharti School (A) 4-0 in the fourth match.

Army School victorious

Dehradun: Army School, Clement Town, thrashed Seven Oaks School 4-0 in a match during the Uttarakhand Sub-Area Inter-School Football Tournament here today.

Aman scored two goals for Army School while Ashish and Amrit Gurung scored one goal each. The second match between Gorkha Military School and Cambrian Hall School was abandoned eight minutes before end of play. Gorkha Military was leading 2-1. The remaining eight minutes would be played on Monday.

Scholars Home win 3-1

Hosts Scholars Home School registered a 3-1 victory over DAV Public School, Defence Colony, during a senior category match in the CBSE Sahodaya School Complex Inter-School Football Tournament today.

For the winning team, Tejas Badri scored two goals in the 50th and 56th minutes while Abhishek Lama scored the third goal in the 30th minute. Bobby Semwal scored the lone goal for the DAV team in the 18th minute of the match.

In junior category, Doon Global thrashed Lucent International 3-0 with Ajay Alam scoring two goals in the 5th and 39th minutes with Shivam netting one goal in the 38th minute.

In the second match, Army School Birpur beat NBS Rishikesh 2-1. For the winning team, Sumit and Manish scored goals in the 40th and 57th minutes, respectively. Sumit Payal scored the lone goal for the NBS team in the 27th minute.

Govt committed to medical services in hill areas: Negi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
Surendra Singh Negi, Health Minister, said the state government was committed to providing medical services in higher areas of Uttarakhand. He said plans were in the pipeline for providing best and round-the-clock medical services, especially in disaster-hit areas of the state.

Negi flagged off a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) at a function organised by the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSSI) on its campus here today. He said Chief Medical Officers had been instructed to provide immediate medical care to victims who faced the brunt of natural calamities.

Earlier, Swami Hiteshananda spoke on spirituality and said human being should always contribute to betterment of society. He urged the gathering to come forward to eradicate social evils from society.

While anchoring the programme, Dr Rajesh Tiwari said the YSSI had provided the MUV to facilitate logistics and medical needs of all villagers living in higher areas of the state. He said the MUV was equipped with medical equipment.

The YSSI had been participating in promoting social causes and also had helped during the natural disaster in the Kedar valley last year, he added. 

St George’s College wins debate 
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 3
St George’s College won the coveted 25th Brother CJ Bergin Gold Memorial Debate Competition in the senior division here yesterday. In the junior category, St Joesph Academy, Dehradun, and St George’s College were declared joint winners in the 25th Bro JG Masterson Silver Medal Debate held at St George’s College.

Teams from St George’s College, St Joseph Academy, Convent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun, Unison School, Dehradun, St Mary’s, Dehradun, and Wynberg Allen School participated in the final round in the senior division.

Speakers deliberated on the topics, “Good health is a thing of past in the modern world”, “Education system in India suffers due to lack of quality educators” and “Music and art should be compulsory subjects for school-leaving examination”.

A group discussion on various topics prior to the debate session was the highlight of the show.

In the junior division, participants presented their case on “Is Euthanasia Justified”. In the senior division, Ayushman Chaudhary from St George’s College was declared the best speaker while Ujwala Parashar from St Mary’s Academy stood second. Ujjwala Parashar from St Mary’s Academy and Kanishka Kakar from St Joseph Academy won the award for the best rebuttal on the occasion.

In the junior division, Yashvardhan Tomar from St Mary’s Academy and Arnav Bhanaut Sharma from St George’s College were declared the best speakers while Sashwat Badauni from St Joseph Academy won the award for the best rebuttal.

St George’s School was declared the overall champion in the senior division. Aruna from Convent of Jesus and Mary Waverly, Mussoorie, and Stormy Hazarika were the chairpersons for the two debates. The judges for the event were PK Dash, Dr Amit Joshi, Ashok Nanda and Dr Bidyut Bose.

Renovated Tulsidas Square opened to public
Tribune News Service

District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan inaugurates Tulsidas Square in Haridwar on Sunday. A Tribune Photograph.

Haridwar, August 3
Shri Goswami Tulsidas Square was opened to public here today. District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan inaugurated it in presence of Niranjani Akhada saints and local people.

The Tulsidas Square is one of the main and biggest intersections of the city. It connects Municipal Corporation and District Magistrate camp office to the Shiv Moorti square, railway station and bus stand stretch at Mayapur.

The Ganga canal is adjacent to the square, while the state guest house and two bridges at Damkoti are also directly connected to it. Nodal agency Public Works Department has been carrying out renovation and broadening of the square for the past four years.

During Mahakumbh in 2010, renovation and expansion of 12 intersections, including the Goswami Tulsidas Square falling in the city’s periphery, was undertaken at a cost of Rs 1.76 crore. But due to delay in work and the lackadaisical attitude of the PWD, the work on the Tulsidas Square has been completed after four years.

While the Tulsidas Square, Devpura Square, Rishikul Square, Shankar Ashram Square, Desh Rakshak and Shiv Moorti Square have been renovated, no work has been done in the past four years at Chandracharya Square, which is one of the busiest intersections, as due to encroachment by some influential businessmen, the PWD has failed to carry out expansion work.

A new round rotary has been constructed at Tulsi Chowk, in which the existing statue has been replaced by a new one of Tulsidas.

The Niranjani Akhada had proposed a new statue of saint Tulsidas, which was made available to the PWD for installation at a new rotary recently. The design and the railing of the new rotary is in sync with the traditional architecture of Haridwar akhadas and buildings.

Already, murals based on Lord Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha have added to the beauty of the Tulsi Chowk adjacent to the Damkoti barrage and two bridges on the Ganga Canal.

Pilgrims, tourists and local residents can be seen strolling on this open intersection, particularly in the morning and the evening.

District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan said all squares should be renovated as traffic has increased in the past few years. He added that it’s in Haridwar that a majority of the squares are named after renowned saints and statues are installed in the middle of these squares or intersections, giving the pilgrim city a new look.

Goswami Tulsidas is a renowned saint, poet, philosopher and reformer of the 16th century who compiled the Shri Ram Charit Manas, a retelling of the Ramayana, originally written in Sanskrit.

Multan Joth Mahotsava celebrations conclude
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 3
The week-long 104th Multan Joth Mahotsava concluded in Haridwar today with the offering of milk to the Ganga at Brahma Kund, Har-ki-Pauri. Devotees played with colours as they passed through the city’s inner roads and chanted hymns.

Thousands of people hailing from the Multan region, now in Pakistan, and from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, participated in the festival. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, along with many politicians, prominent personalities, television celebrities and locals, took part in the festivities.

President of the Akhil Bharatiya Multan Youth Organisation Dr Mahendra Nagpal said the Multan Mahotsava began in 1911 when Roop Chand came from Multan in Pakistan on foot to Haridwar to offer ‘Joth’ to the Ganga.

Since then onwards, it became a tradition to offer Joths and milk to the Ganga.

The organisers took out a procession in the city, getting the city into the festive mood right from the inner road till Har-ki-Pauri.

Har-ki-Pauri police post in charge Mohan Singh said elaborate security arrangements had been put in place for the festival, with round-the-clock CCTV monitoring from CCR and the police post control room.

“The Multan Joth Mahotsava is a unique festival as two countries, which have fought three major wars, are united on the spiritual-religious level. Earlier, we were one. We can ensure that in 2014, residents of India and Pakistan feel the same comfort level via this unique festival,” remarked Satpal Arora, office-bearer of the organising committee.

Shantikunj sends team to cloudburst-hit village
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 3
A team from Shantikunj is providing aid to the affected people of Nouthad village at Jhakhnyali in Ghanshali in Tehri district where a cloudburst occurred early this week. The Shantikunj management sent a six-member team led by Dr BN Joshi to the affected village within six hours of the cloudburst.

The team is providing aid, essential grocery and food items to the victims.

Volunteers are well trained in disaster management and relief and rescue operations.

Dr BN Joshi said Nouthad village had suffered a major loss as many houses had washed away in flash floods.

“We have provided aid to 15 affected families in our first consignment. Reaching Nouthad village is not easy and hence we made a base camp at Tehri town. The villagers need more aid and support as continuous rain is aggravating their woes,” said Joshi.

Dr Pranav Pandya, head of Shantikunj, said the institution had provided aid to affected people of Pune where a whole village got submerged in a landslide recently.

CM’s 6-month rule not satisfactory, says Bhatt

Dehradun, August 3
Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Ajay Bhatt has termed the six-month rule of Chief Minister Harish Rawat as disappointing and marred by scams. In a statement issued here yesterday, Bhatt charged the Harish Rawat government with ignoring the problems of the people of the state.

“The Chief Minister and his government in the last six months were engaged in giving protection to the liquor and land mafia. The government tried to bring changes in the liquor policy at a time when the model code of conduct was in place in the state,” he added.

Bhatt said the government had failed to take steps against illegal sand mining, which was also taking place under the protection of the law enforcement agencies. — TNS

CITU members stage dharna

Dehradun, August 3
Members of the Centre for Indian Trade Union (CITU) staged a dharna against rising inflation in the country here today. Addressing the members, state general secretary of CITU Virendra Bhandari said the NDA Government at the Centre had failed to check rising inflation in the country. He alleged that the Centre was trying to introduce flexibility in labour laws for the benefit of industrialists.

Bhandari also resented the introduction of the foreign direct investment in the defence and insurance sectors. He criticised slashing of honorarium for aganwadi workers. — TNS

Training programme

Dehradun, August 3
The six-day course on ‘Urban Operation’ for state police officials concluded at the police lines here today. Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sidhu was the chief guest at the closing ceremony.

Addressing participants and other police officials, the DGP said, “The objective of the training programme was to apprise the police officials of the rising number of crimes in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udhamsingh Nagar and Nainital districts.” — TNS

Christians apprise CM of problems
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 3
A delegation of the Christian community led by Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana met Chief Minister Harish Rawat yesterday and apprised him of problems being faced by them.

The delegation members congratulated the CM on his victory in the recent Assembly byelections in Dharchula. They said they were hopeful that the government would resolve their issues.

JP Singh, a member of the State Minority Commission, told the CM that some anti-social elements associated with communal organisations harass them from time to time, besides causing hindrances in religious programmes.

Rawat said though the Chriistians were in minority, they had made an important contribution to the field of education.

Book released

Dehradun, August 3
A handbook on the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, “Prakriti Path Nanda Paksh” was released by Dev Suman University VC Uday Singh Rawat, Garhwali folk singer Narendra Singh Negi and Prof SC Bagdi here today.

Sarvesh Uniyal and Harish Bhatt said the book contained useful information about the yatra to begin from August 6.— TNS