Leopardess rescued from IMA golf course
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
The state wildlife authorities rescued a leopardess that got entangled in a fencing wire at the golf course at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun during the morning hours today. The leopardess, after treatment, was subsequently released in the Badkot forests.

The entangled leopardess was noticed by morning walkers around 6 am. They brought the matter to notice of the IMA authorities, which informed the state forest authorities about it. The Dehradun forest authorities, along with a team of the Wildlife Institute of India, tranquilised the leopardess before rescuing it.

Dehradun Sub Divisional Forest Officer Gulveer Singh said the forest authorities, on being informed about the leopardess, reached the spot. After conducting a four-hour-long operation, they rescued the wild cat. He said the rescued leopardess was around four years of age. “She was tranquilised and first aid was given to it. She was subsequently released in the Badkot range forests,” said Gulveer.

This is not the first time that a leopard has strayed into IMA. In 2011, during January a leopard was caught and handed over to the wildlife authorities to be released in forests. This incident was followed by spotting of two more leopards. The IMA authorities had then asked the state Forest Department and the wildlife authorities to take measures to relocate the leopards active in the Indian Military Academy campus at the earliest.

Leopard move quite frequently on the outskirts of Dehradun city due to its forest surroundings. Tracts of tea gardens, which are no more in use for tea cultivation, have a large number of lantana bushes. Leopards often hide in these bushes and undertake attacks. The frequency of the attacks apparently increases during the winter as the leopards turn desperate for prey.

Uttarakhand faces a glaring challenge in the form of man-animal conflict. With the wild habitat being encroached upon and deforestation on a high, leopards commonly stray into human habitations in the state. In the last one decade, Uttarakhand has lost 722 leopards, 81 tigers and 241 elephants and many among them have died due to unnatural reasons.

Around 338 human lives have also been lost during the same period in attacks by wild animals. The rising human-wildlife conflicts have led to a constant decline in local support for conservation efforts.

Cong activists sell veggies to expose BJP’s good days’ plank
Tribune News Service

Hariwdar, August 10
As a mark of protest, Haridwar Congress committee activists are selling vegetables at rates lower than those prevalent in the market. They are selling vegetables to expose the BJP’s Lok Sabha election campaign where the party promised good days to common people by controlling the price rise.

Temporary shops set up for selling vegetables at lower rates are getting a huge response from the public as just in an hour a majority of them ran out of stock.

District Congress general secretary Himanshu Bahuguna at the Shiv Moorti square said the people were perturbed at the high prices of vegetables, especially tomatoes and onions touching Rs 60 to Rs 100 per kg.

“The BJP has failed to control the prices of essential commodities and vegetables. They spent hundreds of crores on the election campaign and now are paying back the industrialists by ignoring the price rise and hoarding of essential commodities,” said Himanshu, while selling tomatoes.

Sunder Manral, a member of the Kisan District Committee, said even farmers were not being given the fair price for their crops and vegetables, while stockists, retailers were making money by selling the products at exorbitant rates.

Poonam Bhagat, women cell state president of the Kisan Congress, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s media-created magic was on the wane. This was clear from the the BJP’s defeat in the recent Assembly byelections in Uttarakhand.

“The BJP won 282 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. But now within two months, it suffered a humiliating defeat in all three Assembly segments, where byelections were held, and also in the zila panchayat elections in the state. During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had made inflation its main issue but now it has failed to control it,” said Bhagat.

Meanwhile, BJP district committee president Kuldeep Gupta termed the selling of veggies by Congress workers as a mere drama to gain media coverage. CPI district secretary RP Jakhmola lashed out at both Congress and BJP for playing into the hands of industrialists and corporates.

Women tie rakhis on CM’s wrist
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
Women representatives of various social and religious organisations tied rakhis on the wrists of Chief Minister Harish Rawat here today.

Members of the Prajapita Brahmakumari Ishwariya Vishwavidhyalaya, led by VK Prem, tied rakhis and handed over sweets to the Chief Minister. Women members from the Tibetan community also reached the Chief Minister’s residence and tied rakhis to him.

Women Empowerment Officer Ramindri Mandarwal led a delegation of women and tied rakhi to the Chief Minister. Women from Uttarkashi, who were hit by the natural disaster last year, met Harish Rawat and tied a rakhi on his wrist.

The Chief Minister thanked all visitors and distributed sweets to them. He gave a patient hearing to the concerns raised by the women delegations and assured them of a timely redress.

Purohits perform special ritual on Raksha Bandhan
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 10
Teerth purohits celebrated Raksha Bandhan in a unique traditional way in Haridwar today. They performed ritual known as “Shravani Upakram” and the Ganga aarti on the banks of the Ganga.

Teerth purohits celebrate Raksha Bandhan by performing special rituals. Later, they take a dip in the Ganga at Brahma Kund at Har-ki-Pauri for about two hours.

The dip in the Ganga also has a special significance on this day as the holy thread “janeyu”, which Brahmins wear on their body, is offered to the holy river. Thereafter, a new janeyu is worn followed by a yajna. The Teerth purohits then eat five things called panch tatvas, namely cow dung, cow urine, curd, ghee and milk.

Ujjwal Pundit, head of the Yuva Teerth Purhoit Maha Sabha Haridwar, said the special ritual was performed while the teerth purohits celebrated the festival.

Teerth purohit Anshul Shri Kunj said, “Every festival has a specific ritual associated with it which is performed only on the Ganga ghats in Haridwar.”

At Shantikunj-based Dev Sanskriti University, thousands of devotees tied rakhis on the pious occasion of Shravani Parv. Shantikunj founder Pandit Shri Ram Sharma Acharya was remembered while spiritual ideologue Shail Jiji shed light on Shravani Parv.

Shail Jiji said, “Taking 10 dips in the Ganga washes away the wrong doings and through yajna one gets awakening. Through Hemadri Sankalp, one is ready to take on good things,” he said.

Tradition bound

• Teerth purohits performed ritual called “Shravani Upakram” and the Ganga aarti on the ghats of the river
• Later, they took a dip in the Ganga at Brahma Kund at Har-ki-Pauri for about two hours
• On this day the holy thread, “janeyu”, which Brahmins wear on their body, is offered to the Ganga. Thereafter, a new janeyu is worn and a yajna is performed

NSUI takes up admission on merit issue with Harish Rawat
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
Members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Harish Rawat protesting the decision of the colleges in the state to admit students only on the merit basis.

They apprised the Chief Minister about the ongoing protests by various student unions at various places in the state over the issue. According to NSUI members, the decision would deprive thousands of students from pursuing higher studies if colleges admit students only on the merit basis.

State president of the NSUI Summitar Singh Bhullar told the Chief Minister that there should be an immediate review of the number of seats in the colleges in the wake of rising number of students, as the exercise was last done 15 years ago.

The NSUI members also raised the issue of delay in setting up new colleges in the state, which is adding up to the problem. They requested the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter as the colleges were denying admission to a large number of students citing the Nanital High Court orders.

Students in Kumaon protest admission on merit basis
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, August 10
Students owing allegiance to the ABVP and the NSUI today held protests at various places in the region and forced colleges to close for the day. The Nainital High Court had ordered recently that all government colleges should give admissions on the merit basis and according to the UGC norms.

The ABVP activists locked college buildings in Pithoragarh, Haldwani, Ramnagar and Almora, while the NSUI activists demonstrated in front of Government PG College, Pithoragarh, and locked its main gate in protest against limited admissions.

Meanwhile, the government said today that to ensure that all students get admission in colleges it was mulling to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court orders. “We will ensure that every student gets admission to college and for the purpose we are ready to open new colleges and appoint teachers in the existing colleges,” said Indira Hridayesh, Minister for Higher Education.

Hridayesh said at Haldwani that the government had appealed to the high court to give it one year to implement the UGC norms in the colleges. It was ready to move the Supreme Court against the high court orders. “If the problem is not solved, we are ready to recruit teachers, open new colleges, start coeducation in women colleges and even run evening classes in the existing colleges so that all students could pursue higher education,” said Hridayesh.

The agitating ABVP activists demanded that admission be given to all students in the first year in colleges and the high court orders be followed from the second year onwards. “Poor students from rural areas will not get admission to colleges this year due to the high court orders. They are not in a position to get high marks in the absence of teachers in government colleges in rural areas of the state,” said Chandan Singh Bisht, an ABVP leader in Ramnagar.

Meanwhile, Government PG College in Pithoragarh has said it has decided to admit students in the arts and commerce streams who have secured more than 60 per cent marks in the Class XII examinations and in the science stream those who have secured more than 65 per cent marks. “We have appealed to students to take admission to other colleges of the district,” said Dr DS Pangti, principal of Government PG College, Pithoragarh.

MPG College students stage protest

Mussoorie: Students of Municipal Post Graduate (MPG) College gathered outside the college and raised slogans against the government for its alleged failure to properly pursue the case of admission on merit in the Nainital High Court.

The High Court had directed the state government to admit students on merit. The state government had sought a year to introduce the admission on merit system but the court turned down the request.

The protesters said it was difficult for students from far-flung villages to find a place in the merit list due to lack of basic educational facilities and poor teaching in the schools in their areas.

The students demanded that the government should actively pursue the matter in the court so that the future of the students from remote villages was not jeopardized.

Last year, around 700 students were admitted to MPG College but this year the number could go down.

Meanwhile, the state government is contemplating to go through the open school route to give admission to the remaining students. — TNS

‘Saharanpur riot planned conspiracy’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
A delegation of the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Dehradun, which has investigated the Saharanpur communal riots, has concluded that it was a planned conspiracy hatched in connivance with the state government machinery. It has demanded adequate compensation for the victims of the riots.

Gurdeep Singh Sahota, a member of the delegation, told mediapersons here yesterday that they demanded that the cases registered against the office-bearers of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Saharanpur, should be immediately withdrawn, assessment of losses suffered by the Sikh and Punjabi community, adequate compensation from the state government, action against those who instigated riots, and restart of the construction work at the gurdwara in Saharanpur.

SJA overall Milestone 2014 champs
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 10
Students of St Joseph’s Academy (SJA) emerged the overall champions and were awarded the much-coveted shield and the overall trophy in the “Milestone 2014”, a cultural extravaganza, organised annually at St George’s College, Mussoorie yesterday.

A team puts up a musical performance during Milestone in Mussoorie on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

The event witnessed participation of more than 20 schools across Uttarakhand. The schools included All Saint’s College, Nainital, CJM Waverly, CJM Dehradun, Welham Boys, Welham Girls, Shigally Hills, Summer Valley, St Joseph, Waverly Convent, Mussoorie, Hopetown Girls School, Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie International School, Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School, Raja Ram Mohan Roy School, Hilton School and Selaqui International School.

Competitions were held in singing, dancing, photography, tattoo making, Medley music, etc. In just a minute competition, Shanky Singh from Indian Public School was declared first while Rishav Badola from Summer Valley School was declared second. Ayushman Chaudhry from St George’s College stood third.

In Medley music, Summer Valley School, Dehradun, was declared winner while All Saints College, Nainital, stood second and Doon International School, third.

In picture perfect competition, the first position went to St Joseph’s Academy while Hopetown Girl’s School stood second and Doon International and Indian Public School were declared joint third.

In quiz competition, St Joseph Academy was declared first while Hilton School and Summer Valley School were declared second and third, respectively.

In tattoo-making competition, St Jude’s School emerged winners while Shigally Hills were declared second and Rashtriya Indian Military College Academy third.

Chief guest actor Bannerjee distributed prizes and citation awards to the winners. Principal Bro Tommy Varghese, Bro Naveen, Vincent, Naveen John, John David Nanda and senior students from class XII were in the organising committee of the event. 

NGO sensitises people on child rights
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 10
To sensitise society on the evils of child labour, volunteers of “Society of Children Happiness” today organised an awareness march in Dehradun.

Flagging of the march, former minister Vijaya Barathwal lauded the efforts of “Society of Children Happiness” in sensitising society on child labour.

She appreciated the initiative taken by the youth in creating awareness on child labour and child abuse. She said children were the future of society and should not be abused in any way.

Volunteers interacted with shopkeepers at Indira market and Paltan Bazar. A large number of children work at various shops in these two markets.

Rishab Chopra, president of the society, said this was the first programme of the organisation and they plan to hold more awareness rallies in the future. “We will be having more pro-active awareness programmes on such issues,” he said.

NGO distributes recycled cloth bags
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
As part of an awareness campaign against the use of polythene bags, Green Force, a youth wing of the U-Turn Foundation, distributed recycled cloth bags in main markets of the city today.

A member of the U-Turn Foundation ties a rakhi on the wrist of a police official in Dehradun on Sunday. A tribune photograph

Green Force organised an anti-polythene drive at Paltan Bazaar here today. Members of the NGO took away polythene bags from shoppers and gave hem cloth bags in return.

On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, female members of the NGO tied rakhis on the wrists of shoppers and in return took a pledge from them that they would help in making Dehradun pollution free.

The U-Turn Foundation has been involved in other programmes such as arranging public support for the Uttarakhand Non Biodegradable Garbage Control Act, collaborating with the Municipal Corporation to enforce polythene ban in Dehradun, seizing polythene bags found in possession of shopkeepers and holding anti-polythene rallies.

Hemant Nav Kumar, president of the foundation said, “The lackadaisical approach of the state government is a matter of concern. Polythene bags must be banned to ensure clean and better living conditions. To tackle the issue, effective community contribution is essential, besides efforts of the authorities concerned. We are thankful to the youth of Dehradun for working tirelessly to preserve the city.”

Deepanjli Sharma, Anchal Bisht, Arpan Singh, Manender Kakkar, Nidhi Aswal and Yashpal Bisht coordinate the campaign.

Rs 1,400 crore budget for Ardh Kumbh likely
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Literature festival to travel to Shillong
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
Dehradun’s very own Travelling Literature Festival, Ghumakkad Narain, will travel for the first time to the north-eastern part of the country this year. The festival is an annual feature in Dehradun and will be in the city in September this year. The festival was started in the memory of Thakur Vishva Narain Singh under the aegis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The festival, which was started in Dehradun in 2010 to support the Government of India’s Right To Education programme which mandates reading and libraries for all schools, will introduce students from east Khasi hills in Meghalaya to books and reading.

In August, the festival will reach Shillong and is being supported by the state Education Department. It will be in Dehradun in September, Shimla in October and Delhi in November and December.

Festival organiser Rachna Bisht, president, NGO Nivesh that hosts the festival, said the idea behind the festival is to reach out to children and areas where they did not have access to books and reading.

The festival works with private as well as state government schools, including those in Dehradun and Delhi. Books are also donated to schools to start libraries where there are none.

“This is for the first time that the festival is travelling to Shillong where it will be organised in partnership with the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and the National Book Trust,” she said.

The festival has so far been addressed by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Margaret Alva, Sunil Shastri, Nandia Das, Sushma Seth, Emily Gravett, Joanne Blake, Tuup, Joseph Baele and Xanthe Gresham, among others.

Women tie rakhis on policemen’s wrists
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 10
A group of women activists today thronged police stations, Government Railway Police office, Railway Protection Force office and major city junctions and tied rakhis to the wrists of police personnel deployed there.

Sanjana Sharma, a social activist, said, “Police personnel are on duty on every festival, and hence we thought it was better to tie rakhi on their wrists so that they do not miss the presence of their sisters.”

Another activist Reena Tomar said they drew attention of the police personnel towards rise in crime against women and urged them to provide an environment where women could feel comfortable to come to police stations and lodge complaints.

GRP station in charge Naveen Chandra Juryal appreciating the move of the women activists said for first time, someone from local public tied Rakhi threads at the police station. “This has motivated us to work efficiently as most of the police personnel are from other districts of the state,” he added.

103 villages in Chamoli without power for 24 yrs

Dehradun, August 10
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of a complaint that about 20,000 residents of 103 villages in Chamoli district are living without electricity for the past 24 years.

The villages have been without power as the required 300-m power transmission line has not been laid since 1990.

The commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand, calling for a report within four weeks.

The complainant has alleged that it is due to the lackadaisical approach of the State Power Corporation and the authorities concerned that the residents of these villages are forced to live in darkness. They have organised several protests demanding power supply , but no action has been taken so far. — TNS

Centre’s clean Ganga campaign praised

Dehradun, August 10
Viresh Shandilya, president of the Anti-Terrorist Front, today welcomed the Narendra Modi government’s intiative to clean the Ganga. He said members of his organisation were willing to volunteer for the Ganga cleanliness campaign. The front would enrol 3,000 members in Uttarakhand by October end, he added.

Shandilya sought an amicable solution to the ongoing tussle between the Haryana Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. He said delay in resolving the issue was not in the interest of the country.

Healso demanded the setting up of a committee comprising three members each from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh to solve the issue. — TNS

Bhajan contest held at Aryan School
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
An inter-house bhajan competition was held at Aryan School here today.

Four soulful bhajans, “Allah tere naam”, “Saason ki mala”, “Maili chaddar” and “Suraj ki garmi”, enthralled the audience. An impressive Rajasthani folk dance depicting the culture and heritage of Rajasthan marked the end of the programme.

The judges of the competition also performed on the stage to the amusement of the audience.

Principal of the Aryan School B Dasgupta congratulated all four houses—Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva for putting up a stupendous show.

Dasgupta said children must take part in competitions to showcase their talent and versatility in music.

Chairman Dr VP Gupta, vice-chairman Sunny Gupta, Simmi Gupta, HR head Mridula, parents of children and staff members were present.

Samra House got the first position, Yajur House stood second, Rig House third and Atharva House got the fourth spot in the competition.

Himanshu Darmora, a music teacher of RIMC, Nisha Markande from the Markandey Sangeet Academy and Agni Verma, a music teacher from Mussoorie International School, were the judges of the competition.

Sleep lab at Max Hospital

Dehradun, August 10
Max Super Speciality Hospital, Dehradun, yesterday launched a Sleep Lab for diagnosing and treating various sleep disorders. The laboratory will provide comprehensive services for various sleep disorders like insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

Dr Puneet Tyagi, senior consultant, Pulmonology, at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Dehradun, said the sleep lab would evaluate the sleeping patterns of patients accurately and diagnose them at an early stage so that the right kind of treatment could be provided to those suffering from sleep disorders. It would comprise a complete diagnostic system and would be equipped with some of the most advanced technologies in the field of sleep medicine like ALICE-5 and Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT). — TNS

Cong still a divided house in state
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
After its victory in all three Assembly byelections in the state, the Uttarakhand Congress has again performed well by winning the seats of chairperson of zila panchayat in 10 of the 12 districts. However, there is no end to factionalism in the state Congress in sight.

Though the faction led by Chief Minister Harish Rawat has a complete sway over the party organisation and the state government, other factions, which have been completely sidelined of late, are trying to assert themselves.

The faction led by Chief Minister Harish Rawat had dominated the state politics after the departure of former Chief Minister ND Tewari from active politics following the Congress defeat in the 2007 Assembly elections.

However, the ND Tewari faction comprising Vijay Bahuguna, Satpal Maharaj and former state Congress Chief Yashpal Arya managed to keep Harish Rawat at bay after the party got a narrow victory in the Assembly elections in 2012. It managed to persuade the party high command to nominate Vijay Bahuguna as the Chief Minister.

The natural disaster in June st year and its inept handling by the state government led to Vijay Bahuguna’s ouster. Harish Rawat managed to convince party national vice-president Rahul Gandhi that he would turn around the party’s fortunes in the Lok Sabha elections. He was given the charge of the state on February 1, 2014, but the party suffered a humiliating defeat in all five Lok Sabha seats.

But after two months, the waning popularity of the Narendra Modi government and factionalism in the state BJP unit again helped the Congress win all three Assembly byelections in the state. This helped Harish Rawat to emerge as the strongest Congress leader in the state. He also managed to get his own protégé Kishore Upadhaya on the post of the state Congress chief, indicating his a complete control over the party organisation.

While on the one hand, Kishore Upadhaya is taking credit for the party’s victory in the three Assembly byelections and the zila panchayat poll, the rival factions have started targeting him. The faction led by Vijay Bahuguna and remnants of the Satpal Maharaj group have approached the party high command over the party’s defeat in the zila panchayat poll in Tehri and Chamoli districts. They say the claims of the party’s victory in the Garhwal region are far-fetched and far removed from the ground reality. They allege that the party-supported candidate lost in Tehri, the home district of Kishore Upadhaya, and Chamoli.

Party insiders believe that the next battle between these factions will be fought on the issue of getting representation in the new Pradesh Congress Committee. Kishore Upadhaya will form his own team in the coming days. It is being speculated that he will purge the PCC of Bahuguna and Satpal Maharaj’s men while the rival factions will try to exert pressure on Harish Rawat and Kishore Upadhaya through the party high command.

No end to factionalism

• Though the faction led by Chief Minister Harish Rawat has a complete sway over the party organisation and the state government, other factions, which have been completely sidelined of late, are trying to assert themselves.
• The ND Tewari faction comprising Vijay Bahuguna, Satpal Maharaj and former state Congress Chief Yashpal Arya managed to keep Harish Rawat at bay after the party got a narrow victory in the Assembly elections in 2012. It managed to persuade the party high command to nominate Vijay Bahuguna as the Chief Minister.

Raksha Bandhan celebrated at Lucent School
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
Lucent International School organised various programmes to celebrate Raksha Bandhan here today.

The day started with a rakhi making contest, followed by an essay writing competition. Children made a large number of rakhis, which were later distributed among poor children in slum areas.

Bhupesh Kumar, an engineer who was the chief guest, lauded the schoolchildren for celebrating the festival by presenting rakhis to poor children. He said Raksha Bandhan infused a sense of brotherhood among children irrespective of their caste and religion. These handmade rakhis also gave a message of environment conservation, he added.

The schoolchildren had brought ribbons, flowers and other decorative items from their homes to make rakhis. They were also given prizes for their performance in the rakhi making contest and the essay writing competition. Salim Khan, Avneet Kaur, Deepali Thapa, Sangeeta Barthwal and teachers were present on the occasion.

Ruskin Bond to appear in Ek Tha Rusty-Season III
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 10
Ruskin Bond, a resident of Mussoorie and a well-known writer of fiction, will be back on the small screen with 26 episodes being filmed for the Ek Tha Rusty, Season III, tele-series being aired on DD National.

The episodes are based on novel “Maharani” and a touching story of Rusty and his inner turmoil when he befriends an Anglo Indian in hiding because of leprosy, penned in “Over the Wall”.

The 40-member unit shot for over a week at Vishranti, a forest resort on the outskirts of Dehradun, which was made into Mastipur, the kingdom of Maharani, and then to the cooler climes of Mussoorie’s breath-taking locales.

Actor Vipul Gupta is making a comeback in these episodes as the lead playing a 35-year-old Rusty. “Vipul is at his best and is adding a dose of humour to the otherwise mundane life of the hill-station,” said Shubdharshini Singh, director-producer of the film.

She said Anuya Bhagwat, a trained actor from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), is portraying the role of vivacious Maharani in these episodes. Anuya is a talented salsa dancer who has worked in Tamil films as well as umpteen DD telefilms and serials.

Shubhadarshini said, “Everyone needs a Rusty in life, someone who is witty, helpful, great company and easy-going and has no ulterior motives in befriending people.” Over the years, her association with Bond has made her realise how Rusty had flair to get along with people from all occupations with an utmost ease.

The series has come a long way since 1994 when it first went on air with Rusty being enacted by a 10-year-old Zarul, surrounded by grand old lady friends like Zohra Sehgal, Nadira; Pearl Padmse, Begum Para; Raj Gil to now a handsome, 35-year-old being played by Vipul Gupta making friends with a rather flamboyant and vivacious Maharani.

Staying true to the era, the unit has beautifully recreated the 60’s in its costumes, music and sets. With the completion of the shoot in September, the unit will have successfully finished 78 episodes based on Ruskin Bond’s works to woo audience on DD National nationwide.

SDM’s assistant found dead in hotel room
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
The body of 45-year-old judicial assistant of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Vikasnagar, was found in a hotel room under mysterious circumstances here today.

The deceased was identified as Mohammad Alam Siddiqui, who was working as the judicial assistant of the SDM, Vikasnagar, and was a resident of Turner Road in Dehradun.

SS Bisht, in charge of Kotwali police station, said Siddiqui was staying in the hotel at Prince Chowk since August 6. We were trying to find out from the hotel records that how many people came to meet him in the last five days.

Bisht said there was no injury mark on Siddiqui’s body and the exact cause of the death would be known after the post-mortem. “We are also trying to find out why he was staying in the hotel when he has a house on Turner Road in the city,” he added.

Notably, Siddiqui, who originally hails from Pauri, had booked the hotel room on his personal ID.

50 cases of illicit country liquor found
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 10
The Mussoorie police found around 50 cases (500 bottles) of illicit country-made liquor of Gulabi brand lying abandoned at a dumping site near Civil Hospital in the town today.

According to Sub-Inspector Mussoorie Police Santosh Tiwari, on receiving information, they reached the site near Civil Hospital and found around 50 cases of illicit liquor lying abandoned.

They seized the illicit liquor and destroyed most of the bottles. According to reports, there is a possibility that some liquor bottles may have made their way to nearby households. This could pose a serious health hazard as the liquor is illicit and is believed to have been manufactured in 2007.

The recovery of the bottles in a large number has given rise to suspicion that the bottles may have been brought allegedly for distribution to voters and have remained unused since then. Policemen destroyed the liquor bottles. A case was registered against an unidentified person.

The Gulabi brand is not available in these parts of the region, said some consumers. The business of illicit liquor appears to have assumed an alarming proportion and has become a threat to the lives of people in and around Mussoorie.

It also appears that in absence of adequate control over the business by the authorities concerned, moonshiners are having a field day, thus making a quick buck in the process.

sports
Army Public School win football tourney
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 10
Army Public School, Clement Town, won the Uttarakhand Sub Area Inter-School Football Tournament after defeating Doon Valley Public School (DVPS) in the final match being played at Mahindra Ground here today.

The match went into a tiebreaker after both teams played a 1-1 draw during the normal time. Roshan of DVPS scored the first goal in the 12th minute of the match while Naveen scored an equaliser in the 82nd minute for Army Public School.

However, in the tiebreaker, Army Public School defeated DVPS by 6-5. For Army Public School, Amrit Gurung, Lokesh, Yogesh, Aman and Amrit scored the goals while Rohsan, Kapel, Harish and Ashok netted a goal each for DVPS.

During the closing ceremony, Ashok from DVPS adjudged best player of the match while Ritesh from Army Public School won the best goalkeeper award. Aman Thapa from Army Public School got the golden boot award for his overall performance in the tournament.

Lt Gen HB Kala (retd) was the chief guest on the occasion. Army officials from Dehradun sub-area were also present.