SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
U T T A R A K H A N D

Students force closure of colleges, oppose merit-based admissions
Dehradun, August 25
The DAV PG College students under the banner of students’ struggles committee closed down the major government and private colleges here today in protest against the introduction of merit- based admission system in the colleges affiliated with HNB Garhwal University.
Students take out a scooter rally during a strike in Dehradun on Monday Students take out a scooter rally during a strike in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Protest against closure of college
Dehradun, August 25
Students of SelaQui Academy of Higher Education held a protest near SIDCUL Pharma City against the sudden closure of the institute, leaving over 300 students in the lurch.

MPG College students demand evening classes
Dehradun/Mussoorie, August 25
Municipal Post Graduate (MPG) College students are demanding evening classes for left out students in the merit list released by the college administration in Mussoorie today.


EARLIER EDITIONS



29th eye donation awareness fortnight kicks off
Dehradun, August 25
Targeting schoolchildren, the 29th an eye donation awareness fortnight kicked off all across the state today under the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) programme.

Woman kills man-eating leopard
Dehradun, August 25
In a rare daring heist, a 54-year-old woman from Rudraprayag district not only defended herself against a leopard attack but also killed the brutal beast, escaping with several serious injuries on Sunday morning.
Kamla Devi, who fought and killed a man-eating leopard, being treated at Srinagar hospital in Rudraprayag district on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
Kamla Devi, who fought and killed a man-eating leopard, being treated at Srinagar hospital in Rudraprayag district on Sunday

Major relief to slum dwellers
Dehradun, August 25
In a major relief to the slum dwellers living along side Rispana and Bindaal rivers, the District Magistrate Chandresh Yadav said that the state government has given a go-ahead for the regularisation of the slums and giving property rights to the slum dwellers.
Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana with residents of Brahmawala Khala in Dehradun on Sunday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana with residents of Brahmawala Khala in Dehradun on Sunday

GMVN retired employees protest
Dehradun, August 25
The retired employees of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) staged a protest in support of their pending demands here today. The agitators lamented that the nigam officials had not implemented pact, despite so many years.

Mayors seek powers ‘for smooth functioning of civic bodies’
Dehradun, August 25
On the first day of the 46th annual meeting of All India Council of Mayors, the members came together to demand a freehand in the financial and administrative powers for the smooth operations of their respective local bodies.
Mayors of various cities participate in the All-India Mayors’ Confenrence in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir
Mayors of various cities participate in the All-India Mayors’ Confenrence in Dehradun on Monday

CM for effective waste management
Dehradun, August 25
Calling upon mayors of municipal corporations to work towards resolving the issue of solid waste management, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said cleaner cities were the need of the hour.
CM Harish Rawat inaugurates the All-India Mayors’ Conference Artistes present the scene of the Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra in Dehradun on Monday
CM Harish Rawat inaugurates the All-India Mayors’ Conference; and (right) artistes present the scene of the Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photos: Vinod Pundir

Double moon tomorrow a hoax, say scientists
Mussoorie, August 25
The rumours about double moon on August 27 on social media, WhatsApp, and other internet mediums have created an unfounded buzz among schoolchildren in and around Mussoorie.

Farmers seek amendment in Land Consolidation Act in hill areas
Dehradun, August 25
Purushottam Sharma, national secretary, All-India Kisan Mahasabha, said that the state government’s decision to implement land reforms would not be of much benefit until the government machinery efficiently worked to give property rights to those farmers who are living in higher areas of the state.

Accountant held for taking bribe
Dehradun, August 25
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) caught an accountant of the Cantonment Board red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a retired sanitation worker of the board for releasing his pension funds here today.

BJP to take on govt for ‘’failing’’ in rehab work
Pithoragarh, August 25
The state unit of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has framed a strategy to strengthen the party for electoral battles. The party has decided to go to every booth and strengthen its base.

Government flayed for ‘poor handling’ of relief work
Dehradun, August 25
The CPI (ML) today organised a day-long meeting in which the government was criticised for poorly handling the relief and rehabilitation works in the aftermath of last year’s rain disaster.

Thieves decamp with cash, jewellery
Dehradun, August 25
Thieves broke into a house at Kargi Chowk in Patel Nagar and decamped with cash and jewellery worth lakhs on Saturday morning. The owner of the house, Mohammad Inaam, was in Haridwar, along with his family, to attend the engagement ceremony of his brother-in-law.

Uttarakhand gets another chance to develop e-governance
Dehradun, August 25
After failing to wrest the initiative of becoming a fully IT enabled state under the Central Government’s National e-Governance Programme launched in 2006, the state government has got another chance to develop e-governance in the state.

Rains continue to play havoc in higher reaches
Dehradun, August 25
The rains continued to play havoc in higher reaches of the state. The vehicular flow of traffic has been sabotaged in the higher areas of the state due to frequent landslides and mudslides along the Char Dham Yatra route.

The water level in the Ganga crosses the danger mark (292 m) owing to heavy rainfall in the upper reaches of Garhwal. Tribune photo:Rameshwar Gaur
The water level in the Ganga crosses the danger mark (292 m) owing to heavy rainfall in the upper reaches of Garhwal

Power generation plummets following rain in higher reaches
Dehradun, August 25
The gap between the demand and supply of electricity widened due to a fall in power generation in the state-run hydro and thermal power plants. Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has imposed power cuts of nearly three to four hours in many cities of state to meet the demand of electricity.

Workshop on agriculture input survey in Mussoorie
Mussoorie, August 25
The second regional workshop on agriculture input survey 2011-2012 began today with an objective to discuss agricultural census, a part of statistical operations for the collection of quantitative information about agriculture in the country.
Officials address a gathering during the workshop on agricultural input survey in Mussoorie on Monday. A Tribune photograph
Officials address a gathering during the workshop on agricultural input survey in Mussoorie on Monday

Man held for killing wife
Pithoragarh, August 25
The police today arrested a police cook in connection with the murder of his wife on Sunday. The cook allegedly shot dead his wife after she opposed his ‘relation’ with another woman.

Wynberg Allen School clinch Keogh football trophy
Dehradun, August 25
Wynberg Allen School won the Keogh Memorial Football Tournament after defeating St. Joseph’s Academy ‘A’ 2-0 in the final match played at St. Joseph’s Academy here today.

Members of Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie, with their trophy at St Joseph’s Academy in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: vinod Pundir 
Members of Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie, with their trophy at St Joseph’s Academy in Dehradun on Monday

Akash Gupta wins junior TT title
Dehradun, August 25
Akash Gupta of SVS TT Academy won the junior crown in the S.Wasu Memorial District Table Tennis Championship here today. He defeated Suraj Rana, also from SVS T.T. Academy, 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-8).

Winners of the District Table Tennis Championship in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Winners of the District Table Tennis Championship in Dehradun on Monday

Rajasthani Sufi music concert begins today
Dehradun, August 25
SPIC MACAY will be holding a circuit of Rajasthani Sufi music from August 26 to 30 in Dehradun. The Rajasthani folk music will be presented by Din Muhammad and a group from the Thar Lok Kala Sansthan.

Residents forced to drink contaminated water
Mussoorie, August 25
Villagers from Saklana Patti are forced to drink contaminated water post the natural calamity that wreaked havoc due to heavy rain on August 15. Local residents namely Govind Rana, Kripal Singh, Jaspal Singh, Surendar Singh, Buddhi Singh and Bharat Kothari said drinking water pipelines damaged during the natural calamity had not been repaired till date.

Driver, conductor held with leopard skin
Pithoragarh, August 25
The driver and conductor of a roadways bus were arrested after the police recovered the skin of a leopard from them. “On a tip-off, we checked the bus at Tilon near Champawat and found the skin and bones of a leopard on the roof of the bus,” said Inspector RS Tolia.

Plants board launches awareness drive
Dehradun, August 25
An awareness drive was launched by the state Medicinal Plants Board in order to inculcate habit of planting saplings among schoolchildren here today. State Cabinet Minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat inaugurated the awareness drive at CNI Girls College.

Sub-inspectors reshuffled in Haridwar
Haridwar, August 25
A major reshuffle of sub-inspectors was done by Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Sadanand Date today. SI Pradeep Bisht (Lakshar) has been transferred to the Pathri police station as the Station House Officer.

Series of seminars to celebrate golden jubilee of Hindu parishad
Dehradun, August 25
Mahaveer, a senior office bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), said a series of seminars would be held to celebrate the golden jubilee of the parishad. He said around one lakh units of blood would be donated at voluntary blood donation camps, which would be organised across the country on November 2.
Mahaveer, a senior VHP leader, addresses a press conference in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir
Mahaveer, a senior VHP leader, addresses a press conference in Dehradun on Monday

Nanda Devi yatra reaches Chempudia
Dehradun, August 25
The Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra reached Chempudiya, considered to be the in-laws house of goddess Nanda, here today. A large number of devotees welcomed their daughter-in-law amidst chants of devotional songs.

Saluting martyrs: Policemen pay respects to the mortal remains of the martyrs of the 1857 mutiny in Haridwar on Sunday
Saluting martyrs: Policemen pay respects to the mortal remains of the martyrs of the 1857 mutiny in Haridwar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur
Volunteers of Blood Bank Society participate in a rally in Dehradun on Monday
Volunteers of Blood Bank Society participate in a rally in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir





Top








 

Students force closure of colleges, oppose merit-based admissions
Tribune News Service

Students lock the gate of DAV College in Dehradun
Students lock the gate of DAV College in Dehradun. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Students argue with policemen in Dehradun on Monday
Students argue with policemen in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Dehradun, August 25
The DAV PG College students under the banner of students’ struggles committee closed down the major government and private colleges here today in protest against the introduction of merit- based admission system in the colleges affiliated with HNB Garhwal University.

On Monday morning, students in large numbers gathered at DAV PG College and then travelled across the city to close down colleges such as DBS PG College, Blue Mountain College, Siddharth Law College, Uttaranchal College of Science and Technology and many other colleges.

The protesters claimed that the college decision to introduce merit-based admissions from the next academic session will deprive lakhs of students from pursuing their higher studies. They also criticised the chief minister’s suggestion of holding evening classes in the colleges to accommodate more students, saying that the move would only benefit few hundred students, still leaving thousands in limbo.

Leader of students’ struggle committee Anshul Chawla said: “The government must ensure that every student in the state is able to pursue his higher education and immediate steps must be taken in that direction or students will intensity their stir.”

During the protest, Siddharth Rana, Anshul Chawla, Rakesh Negi, Devendra Bist, Paras Goyal, Jogendra, Jaggi Jaswal, Vipin Joshi, Jitendra Kumar, Rahul Negi and many others were present.

Top

 

Protest against closure of college
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Students of SelaQui Academy of Higher Education held a protest near SIDCUL Pharma City against the sudden closure of the institute, leaving over 300 students in the lurch.

The protesters gathered in large numbers and raised slogans against the institute, blaming the college administration of duping them and destroying their future by shutting down the college without any intimation.

Meanwhile, there was nobody at the college to speak on the issue. “The sudden decision of the college management to shut down the college has left all of us in a limbo as we do not know what to do now. We have been trying to contact our college chairman but he is he avoiding us,” a student said.

The protesting students are now demanding lateral entry to other colleges, refund of fee and a written apology from the college management for betraying the trust of the students.

The students alleged that the college was not giving them no objection certificate (NOC), which is needed for lateral entry into a college.

Top

 

MPG College students demand evening classes
Tribune News Service

Dehradun/Mussoorie, August 25
Municipal Post Graduate (MPG) College students are demanding evening classes for left out students in the merit list released by the college administration in Mussoorie today.

The National Students Union of India (NSUI) members met MC president Manmohan Singh Mall, the college management committee and presented a memorandum demanding evening classes here. Student leaders said a few students had been enrolled since the introduction of the merit list criteria in the college, thus jeopardising the future of the students aspiring for higher education.

Shanti (name changed), a newly enrolled student, said the college was already grappling with the problem of adequate teaching staff and if the evening classes were started the regular students would be the sufferers.

MC president Manmohan Singh Mall assured the NSUI students that he would consult with the college administration and try to resolve their problem. Ritesh Rawat, Mohan Melwan, Sachin Thapli, Saurabh and Raghuvir Singh were also present.

Top

 

29th eye donation awareness fortnight kicks off
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Targeting schoolchildren, the 29th an eye donation awareness fortnight kicked off all across the state today under the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) programme.

“The focus is to spread awareness about eye donation and increase the number of donors. The target of increasing eye donations in the state can only be achieved with the help of NGOs and eye banks,” said Dr Meenu Rawat, in charge of National Programme for Control of Blindness.

In Dehradun, the fortnight was marked by people filling pledge forms for eye donations.

“The eye donation campaign’s focus is on children because they are young and can be motivated to make donations. There is a gap between the demand of eyes and availability of donors in the district,” said Dr BC Ramola, eye specialist.

Despite focus on awareness campaigns the eyeball collection continues to be low in the state.

Free health camp at Dolphin institute

Dolphin Postgraduate Institute organised a free health camp for the people of nearby villages in the campus here today. In the health camp, which was organised with the support of the Sai Vihar Civil Development Committee, over 100 patients took advantage of the free health camp. The administrative officer of Dolphin institute, Sudhir Bharti, said that maximum patients got treated themselves for muscle pain, back pain, blood pressure and malnutrition. — TNS

Health camp for senior citizens

A free health camp is being organised by Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital for senior citizens. The camp will begin on August 25 and will continue till August 30.

Senior citizens will avail benefits of free registration through the camp. A discount of 50 per cent will be provided to patients. This was informed by Dr Vinay Rai, Medical Superintendent of the hospital.

He said specialists of medicine, surgery, eye, ENT, psychiatry, TB & chest and skin and sex diseases departments will provide free consultation. Dr Rai said from time to time, the hospital organises such free camps in order to serve the needy and serve the noble cause of humanity. — TNS

Top

 

Woman kills man-eating leopard
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
In a rare daring heist, a 54-year-old woman from Rudraprayag district not only defended herself against a leopard attack but also killed the brutal beast, escaping with several serious injuries on Sunday morning.

Kamla Devi has become a role model for several other villagers, especially women, after she defended and prevailed over the leopard who attacked her in an agricultural field in Jakholi area when she was bringing water from the nearby pond to irrigate her agricultural land. She used her sickle for self-defense and managed to kill the leopard with the sharp weapon.

Reportedly, the struggle lasted an hour, leaving Kamla Devi with several fractures in her body and deep bruises. Even after sustaining serious injuries, she kept her cool and managed to reach her village by walking before she found some help. She was later rushed to hospital in Srinagar in the Tehri district where she is being treated at present.

According to the doctors who are treating Kamla Devi, her condition is stable and her bruises have been stitched, which were more than 100, and deep injuries in her head and legs are also being treated.

Notably, widowed a few years ago, Kamla manages both household work and farming by herself as her only son is working in Delhi. Notwithstanding the pain she was undergoing, Kamla Devi remembers every minute of the deadly encounter.

According to Subdivisional Officer of Rudraprayag forest division Ajay Kumar Sharma, “the carcass of the leopard has been brought by the forest department team to Agastyamuni. We will be conducting the postmortem on Monday and investigating the cause of its death.”

Leopard killed

A man-eater leopard was shot dead by forest officials here on Saturday.

In a latest incident, Subodhni Devi (23) of Aali village in Ganshali area of Tehri Garhwal district had gone to forest to collect fodder where she was attacked by a prowling leopard, resulting in her death.

Earlier, a few days back, a four-year-old girl from Silos village and an elder man of Kot village were killed by the same leopard. Later, the forest department hired a shooter who shot dead the leopard. — TNS

Top

 

Major relief to slum dwellers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
In a major relief to the slum dwellers living along side Rispana and Bindaal rivers, the District Magistrate Chandresh Yadav said that the state government has given a go-ahead for the regularisation of the slums and giving property rights to the slum dwellers.

“We would be writing to the Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Harak Singh Rawat instructing him not to take any step towards removing the slum dwellers. There are clear instructions on this from the state government and everybody has to follow the same,” said the DM.

Elaborating further the DM said that a flood relief project has been designed by the state government to safeguard the slum dwellers against floods. The work on the project would start from September.

The DM was speaking to a delegation of Uttarakhand Malin Basti Vikas Parishad, led by Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana here today.

A large number of residents from Brahmawala Khala, Azadnagar, Balmiki Basti, Govindgarh, Satto Wali Ghat, Gandhigram, Shastrinagar Khala and Paschim Patelnagar slums gathered outside the office of the DM and raised slogans.

The residents were protesting against the MNA’s order to remove them from their slums. Addressing the protesters, Dhasmana said that despite the state government’s order of regularising the slums, the MNA is trying to remove the residents of Brahamawala Khala which has been their home for the past 15 years.

Those who were part of the demonstration included Dinesh Kaushal, Dharampal, Laxmi Balmiki, Shakeel, Suresh Kumar, Kishore Uniyal, Mobin, Prabha Naithani, Maya Bisht and Bablu Kumar along with several others.

Top

 

GMVN retired employees protest
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
The retired employees of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) staged a protest in support of their pending demands here today. The agitators lamented that the nigam officials had not implemented pact, despite so many years.

They gathered in front of the GMVN campus and shouted anti-nigam slogans.

The employees have been demanding from the nigam to take effective steps to reduce pay anomaly cases.

They said a memorandum, highlighting their demands, was given to the officials many times. But, their year-long demands were still pending.

The agitators have threatened to intensify their agitation if the nigam does not take effective steps to fulfill their demands.

What they say

  • The agitators lamented that the nigam officials did not implement pact, despite so many years
  • The employees have been demanding from the nigam to take effective steps to reduce pay anomaly cases
  • They said a memorandum, highlighting their demands, was given to the officials many times. But their year-long demands were still pending.

Top

 

Mayors seek powers ‘for smooth functioning of civic bodies’
Parwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
On the first day of the 46th annual meeting of All India Council of Mayors, the members came together to demand a freehand in the financial and administrative powers for the smooth operations of their respective local bodies.

Speaking to The Tribune, Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, Mayor, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, said that in the absence of any financial powers, they are unable to bring out any new project for the development of the city. “We are just able to maintain the existing structure. Even though people expect us to provide better facilities, we are just helpless. Until and unless we are given the powers, it is impossible to live up to the expectations of the general public who have voted us to power. A state-level body of mayors should be formed out of which one representative should be present in the State Planning Commission,” he added.

Stressing on the involvement of the third party, Samiksha Gupta, Mayor, Gwalior Municipal Corporation, said that they sought help from Asian Development Bank for resolving the water supply crisis in their city. “The funding from the bank has helped resolve the crisis and almost 95 per cent of the city has access to clean drinking water. The local bodies are unable to sustain on their own and want to bring changes,’’she added.

Indore Municipal Corporation Mayor K.M. Moghe said that the biggest problem being faced by all the corporations is the absence of a proper organisation structure. “There is a severe manpower crunch in the local bodies as a result of which it is very difficult to manage the city. The state government had given a structure to our department and now we have fresh vacancies for every department. There is also a need to give financial powers to the local bodies so that new development projects could be implemented,” he added.

Vinod Chamoli new chief of council of mayors

  • Vinod ChamoliDehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli was elected as the chairman of the All-India Council of Mayors during an election held in the general body meeting today. He replaced outgoing chairman Anil Sholay.
  • The newly elected chairman said members for the new working committee would be selected within a week. It was also decided that a delegation of the council members would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act across the country.

Top

 

CM for effective waste management
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Calling upon mayors of municipal corporations to work towards resolving the issue of solid waste management, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said cleaner cities were the need of the hour.

Addressing a gathering at the 46th edition of the All- India Council of Mayors (AICM), Rawat said the municipal corporations were the backbone of the cities.

“Tackling of garbage effectively is the biggest challenge for any corporation. Efforts should be made towards drawing up a full-proof solid waste management plan that does not fail in adverse conditions. The state government will help in the project. Apart from managing the waste, the MCs should also combat the waterlogging in their cities. The waterlogging not only destroys the surface, but also pollutes the ground water to a great extent,” he added.

Assuring various municipal corporations of the state that the government would extend financial help for development projects, Rawat said to bridge the gap between the state government and the municipal corporations, a committee headed by the Urban Development Minister would be formed soon.

“The Civic bodies should keep an eye of the land belonging to them. The land mafia is eyeing vacant plots in the cities. The land should be properly secured and a boundary wall should be constructed around them,” he said.

“We urge the 13th Finance Commission to make a provision for the municipal corporations,” he said.

Speaking about the organisational structure of themunicipal corporations in the state, Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar said the policy was ready and the same would be implemented soon for an effective working of the local bodies.

“Out of the 18 points raised by the representative of local bodies, 13 have been incorporated in the new structure. Meanwhile, other five remaining points are being discussed,” said Panwar.

Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli said in the absence of financial and administrative powers the local bodies were like toothless tiger.

“The state government should understand that the local bodies are capable of running the city smoothly. The process of urbanisation has led a growth in the population of cities. With a handful of resources it is becoming very difficult to manage cities,” he added.

Top

 

Double moon tomorrow a hoax, say scientists
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 25
The rumours about double moon on August 27 on social media, WhatsApp, and other internet mediums have created an unfounded buzz among schoolchildren in and around Mussoorie.

Several students interested in astronomy have started enquiring about the posts on the social networking sites, stating that the planet Mars will appear as large as a full moon on August 27, thus fuelling the revival of the hoax message that first appeared in 2003.

In some cases, messages on social networking sites were accompanied by a picture of two moons.

The scientists have termed these pictures as mere imagination and advised not to believe on any such message being circulated widely through social media.

When contacted scientists from Birla Planetarium, Hyderabad, said such emails and photographs perpetuating a hoax rear its crazy head every year. “Eleven years running! That’s a long time for a hoax to run in our world of information,” said scientists.

The scientists are of a view that Mars can never appear as large as a full moon as seen from the Earth.

The moon will not be full on August 27, 2014 (you might spot it briefly as a thin crescent in the west after sunset, though).

In addition, Mars will not be at its brightest or closest in August 2014.

The scientists said the diameter of Mars is about 1/140th of the diameter of the full moon.

Mars, one-step outward from the earth’s orbit, is slightly smaller than the earth, but slightly larger than the earth’s moon.

They said the rumour started on August 27, 2003, when the earth and Mars came closer than they had been in nearly 60,000 years but Mars was not as big and bright as the moon.

Hoax messages

  • Several students interested in astronomy have started enquiring about the posts on the social networking sites, stating that the planet Mars will appear as large as a full moon on August 27, thus fuelling the revival of the hoax message that first appeared in 2003.
  • In some cases, messages were accompanied by a picture of two moons.
  • The scientists have termed these pictures as mere imagination and advised not to believe on any such message being circulated widely through social media.

Top

 

Farmers seek amendment in Land Consolidation Act in hill areas
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Purushottam Sharma, national secretary, All-India Kisan Mahasabha, said that the state government’s decision to implement land reforms would not be of much benefit until the government machinery efficiently worked to give property rights to those farmers who are living in higher areas of the state.

He said that state government should take effective steps to disseminate abandoned and barren lands to those villagers, who are living in the higher areas of the state.

Sharma stressed that the state government should take effective steps to amend Land Consolidation Act and Chakbandi in the mountainous areas of the state.

Sharma expressed concern that it is a matter of concern that land mafias have snatched lands of villagers in the higher areas of the state.

He demanded from Congress-led state government to strictly authorise panchayat members to look after barren or abandoned lands.

Purushottam Sharma said that the state government should take appropriate steps to give property rights to those poor farmers, who are living in the higher areas of the state.

Top

 

Accountant held for taking bribe
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) caught an accountant of the Cantonment Board red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a retired sanitation worker of the board for releasing his pension funds here today.

Ramesh Shanker, a retired sanitation worker from the board, in his complaint to the CBI, said board accountant Mainpal Singh had been demanding Rs 20,000 from him for getting his pension funds released.

After verifying his complaint, officials of the CBI laid a trap and caught him while taking the bribe from Sachin Shanker, son of Ramesh. Later, the CBI questioned Mainpal inside his office and arrested him under the anti-corruption law.

Top

 

BJP to take on govt for ‘’failing’’ in rehab work
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, August 25
The state unit of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has framed a strategy to strengthen the party for electoral battles. The party has decided to go to every booth and strengthen its base.

This was decided in the three-day executive meet of the BJP which began here yesterday.

The party’s general secretary Prakash Pant said the BJP would take on the state government for its alleged failure to carry rehabilitation work effectively.

“Factionalism and infighting in the BJP unit is another issue to be discussed during the executive meet,” said the general secretary.

According to sources, besides the general secretary, other officials of the state BJP were present at the meeting.

As many as 344 members, including Member Parliaments and organisers of various party cells, will be a part of the state executive meet.

Prakash Pant said a political agenda was being prepared by the state office-bearers and will be presented before the state executives.

Top

 

Government flayed for ‘poor handling’ of relief work
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
The CPI (ML) today organised a day-long meeting in which the government was criticised for poorly handling the relief and rehabilitation works in the aftermath of last year’s rain disaster.

The speakers at the meeting alleged that a number of roads affected by last year’s disaster were still to be repaired. They said the state government had hurriedly resumed the Char Dham Yatra and done little preparations for the same. They also appealed to all Left parties in the state to come together against mis-governance going on in Uttarakhand.

The meeting said the party would organise a campaign to strengthen party in the state. CPI (ML) state secretary Rajendra Pratholi, central committee member Raja Bahuguna, Purshottam Sharma and Kailash Pandey were among those who attended the meeting.

Taking on govt

n The Left leaders said the state government had hurriedly resumed the Char Dham Yatra and done little preparations for the same. They also appealed to all Left parties in the state to come together against mis-governance going on in Uttarakhand.

Top

 

Thieves decamp with cash, jewellery

Dehradun, August 25
Thieves broke into a house at Kargi Chowk in Patel Nagar and decamped with cash and jewellery worth lakhs on Saturday morning. The owner of the house, Mohammad Inaam, was in Haridwar, along with his family, to attend the engagement ceremony of his brother-in-law.

The incident came into light when the neighbours found the lock of the main door broken. They immediately informed Mohammad Inaam and the police. — TNS

Top

 

Uttarakhand gets another chance to develop e-governance
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
After failing to wrest the initiative of becoming a fully IT enabled state under the Central Government’s National e-Governance Programme launched in 2006, the state government has got another chance to develop e-governance in the state.

The new BJP government at the Centre has asked the Uttarakhand Government to submit proposals under the new e-governance initiative of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY) called the, “good governance and best practices”.

The progress of the state in area of IT initiatives has been tardy and the Department of Food and Civil Supplies was unable to computerise data on ration cards forcing the government to suspend the National Food Security Scheme.

Even setting up of a State Data Centre and bringing of 25 services under the e-district programme was incomplete. These projects were a part of the national initiative with no dearth of funds.

“The Central Government had set August 11 as the deadline for accepting the proposals, but we had not received a single proposal so far. For this reason, we would soon be organising a meeting of different departments to be presided over by the Chief Secretary,” said Manisha Panwar, Principal Secretary, IT Department.

Further, the DEITY is in the process of finalising a funding scheme to promote e-governance in the country and newer applications so that these could be replicated throughout the country as successful e-governance practices. “Though a number of e-governance applications have been developed and are delivering government services to citizens in their localities, these applications are not replicated across the state and union territories. The new initiative is aiming to replicate the best practices of e-governance in the country,” said a senior official.

Significantly resistance against adopting e-initiatives has come from departments and politicians. The digitisation of the PDS system would help the government to weed out bogus card holders, but there was fierce resistance to change and the NFSA scheme had to be suspended,” said the official.

Top

 

Rains continue to play havoc in higher reaches
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
The rains continued to play havoc in higher reaches of the state. The vehicular flow of traffic has been sabotaged in the higher areas of the state due to frequent landslides and mudslides along the Char Dham Yatra route.

The State Meteorological Department has predicted mainly clear or cloudy sky in Uttarakhand. However, light rain or thundershowers may occur at isolated places, especially in Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts of the state.

In a move to ensure disruption-free flow of vehicular, district administration, PWD and BRO personnel are working round the clock for removing debris from the road.

Officials said that blocked routes would be reopened for vehicular traffic soon but incessant rains are continuously hampering department efforts.

The data compiled by State Emergency Operations Centre of Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC), highlighted vehicular flow of traffic as normal on Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway (NH-108), while small four wheelers were permitted up to Jankichatti due to landslides on Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway (NH-94).

The rains have triggered mudslides and landslides at different stretches on Rishikesh-Kedarnath National Highway (NH-109), and small four wheelers are permitted till Sonprayag. The small four-wheelers are permitted till Badrinath on Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH-58).

Top

 

Power generation plummets following rain in higher reaches
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
The gap between the demand and supply of electricity widened due to a fall in power generation in the state-run hydro and thermal power plants. Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has imposed power cuts of nearly three to four hours in many cities of state to meet the demand of electricity.

According to UPCL officials, power generation in hydro power plants was hit due to silt in the Himalayan rivers and its tributaries after the rain lashed the higher reaches in the state.

The power generation in the state-run hydro power projects stood at 16.08 million units per day against the demand of 36.70 million units. The power generation in the 198 MW Kalagarh, and 90 MW Maneri Bhalli-I projects remained nil.

The electricity generation in Koteshwar and Tehri hydro power projects stood at 22.97 million units and 60.52 million units, respectively.

According to UPCL officials, the state received 19.62 MW electricity from Kalah-II Thermal Power Plant while the Sasan thermal power plant supplied 46.13 MW electricity.

Madhusudan, an official spokesman of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited, said they had been purchasing electricity to bridge the gap between demand and supply.

He said the power generation in hydro power plants was hit due to excessive flow of silt in the Himalayan rivers and their tributaries.

Madhusudan said three to four hours of power cuts were imposed in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts of the state. Among the worst affected cities were Rudrapur, Roorkee, Kashipur and Haldwani.

Different areas of the capital such as Salawala, Sapera Basti, Dharampur, Old Dalanwala, Rajpur Road and Patel Nagar faced power outages of smaller duration due to the testing of distribution lines.

Top

 

Workshop on agriculture input survey in Mussoorie
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 25
The second regional workshop on agriculture input survey 2011-2012 began today with an objective to discuss agricultural census, a part of statistical operations for the collection of quantitative information about agriculture in the country.

Additional Secretary agriculture, Vijay Dhaundiyal, said scientists would be finalising data collected under agricultural census to be implemented in three distinct phases in the country.

In phase-I, a list of holdings with their area and social characteristics and gender of holders was prepared. In phase-II, detailed data on agricultural characteristics of holdings was collected from selected villages.

Dhaundiyal said due to rapid urbanisation, farmers around the world were being alienated from agriculture and the need was to find ways where agriculture co-exists with urbanisation in healthy combination without neglecting other sectors.

He said agricultural policies should be formulated in such a way that they remain inclined towards the sector and do not move away in the search of employment. The vital information assimilated through these workshops will be used for planning production, imports and distribution of fertilisers.

The inputs, covered in the survey, include chemical fertilisers, HYV seeds, pesticides, farmyard manures/compost, bio-fertilisers, agricultural implements, machinery, livestock, and agricultural credit.

Besides, data on input use, including use of certified/notified seeds, high yielding variety seeds, pest control measurements adopted by cultivators, educational qualification, age and size of households of operational holders said the scientists attending the workshop here.

Scientists Beena Menon, P Mukherjee, GSaha, Director (eco and stats), Addl Director Agricultural Census Gaurang Mishra, Dr Ajay Kumar Sharma joint director agricultural census, Bala Kumari statistical inspector and others were present on the occasion.

Top

 

Man held for killing wife

Pithoragarh, August 25
The police today arrested a police cook in connection with the murder of his wife on Sunday. The cook allegedly shot dead his wife after she opposed his ‘relation’ with another woman.

“We have arrested Kharak Singh Mehta (47), working as a cook with Police Lines mess in connection with the murder of his wife, ” said HC Sati, Circle Officer, Pithoragarh police.

The arrest was made after women from the deceased’s village demonstrated in front of the police station and demanded arrest of her husband. “We also demand to arrest the woman who became cause of the murder,” said Sarswati Devi, a woman from Darimkhola village from where the slain woman hailed.

The women said the police negligence be also investigated as despite being informed to the police about her husband’s illegal relationship, it did nothing. — OC

Top

 

Wynberg Allen School clinch Keogh football trophy
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Wynberg Allen School won the Keogh Memorial Football Tournament after defeating St. Joseph’s Academy ‘A’ 2-0 in the final match played at St. Joseph’s Academy here today.

Earlier, two semifinal matches were played in the day with Wynberg Allen trouncing Nirmala Inter-College, Mussoorie, 2-0 in the first semifinal match. In the second semifinal encounter, St. Joseph’s Academy defeated Summer Valley School in a penalty shootout.

Notably, the winning team was awarded a cash award of Rs 5000 and the runnerup team was awarded Rs 3000 cash award. During the closing ceremony, Dr. Biala was the chief guest.

Indian Public School triumph over Seven Oaks in football

The 16th Colonel Shashi Memorial Inter-School Soccer Tournament kicked off at Gorkha Military Inter-College here today with 17 schools participating in the prestigious football tournament.

In the opening match, Indian Public School defeated Seven Oaks School 2-0 with Deepak scoring both the goals for his team at the 11th and 36th minutes of the match.

In the second match of the day, Doon Valley Public School managed to defeat Moravian Institute School 3-2. For Doon Valley Public School, Rupesh scored the first goal at the 2nd minute while Harish and Akash scored one goal each in the match at the 23rd and 25th minutes, respectively. On the other hand, for Moravian Institute, Akash and Renpeishang scored a goal each at the 27th and the 41st minutes, respectively.

Top

 

Akash Gupta wins junior TT title
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Akash Gupta of SVS TT Academy won the junior crown in the S.Wasu Memorial District Table Tennis Championship here today. He defeated Suraj Rana, also from SVS T.T. Academy, 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-8).

The prizes were distributed by the chief guest Colonel (retired) Dr. Jasvinder Singh, principal, Summer Valley School. He was accompanied by the director of the school, Ashok Wasu. On this occasion, S.K. Saraswat, District Sports officer, Dehradun, Dinesh Aswal, Basketball coach, and Prince Vipon, national T.T. coach, were also present.

Top

 

Rajasthani Sufi music concert begins today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
SPIC MACAY will be holding a circuit of Rajasthani Sufi music from August 26 to 30 in Dehradun. The Rajasthani folk music will be presented by Din Muhammad and a group from the Thar Lok Kala Sansthan.

Bade Gajee Khan Manganiar, a legend singer, had been awarded the National Sangeet Natak Academy award by the President of India, the Marwar Ratna Samman and many more.

He has performed with his group in the USA, England, Germany, Brazil, Japan, China, Norway, Spain, Canada, France and in Middle-East.

His fame rose with his famous Rajasthani song ‘Nimbuda’. With 250 folk compositions in his repertoire, he is the doyen of Manganiyar singers of Rajasthan.

The Manganiars are group of hereditary professional musicians, whose music had been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations.

The group will perform in Dehradun at the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing. The event will begin at 6.30 pm on August 26.

They will also hold a programme at Carman School, Premnagar, on August 27 11 am and DIT at 2 pm. They will also perform at Doon Business School, Selaqui, on August 28 at 12 pm and Ecole Globale School.

Top

 

Residents forced to drink contaminated water
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 25
Villagers from Saklana Patti are forced to drink contaminated water post the natural calamity that wreaked havoc due to heavy rain on August 15. Local residents namely Govind Rana, Kripal Singh, Jaspal Singh, Surendar Singh, Buddhi Singh and Bharat Kothari said drinking water pipelines damaged during the natural calamity had not been repaired till date.

Villagers were forced to drink water from nearby streams which were contaminated due to mud and debris following the recent rain, said Govind Rana.

Another resident Kripal Singh said villagers, including children, were falling ill to ailments in form of viral fever, diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases, but the administration had failed to arrange adequate medical facilities for the affected persons.

Budhi Singh, another villager, said in absence of any medical service, they had to tread 50 to 60 km on foot to the nearest Primary Health Centre at Maal Devta and Raipur after crossing the Danghidhaar Forest Area endangering their lives in the process.

The affected villagers have sought a medical team so that the elderly and patients can get medical treatment.

When contacted Dhanaulti Nayab Tehsildar Manjit Singh Gill said a letter in this regard has been written to senior officials and a medical team will be visiting the affected area within a day or two.

Top

 

Driver, conductor held with leopard skin
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, August 25
The driver and conductor of a roadways bus were arrested after the police recovered the skin of a leopard from them. “On a tip-off, we checked the bus at Tilon near Champawat and found the skin and bones of a leopard on the roof of the bus,” said Inspector RS Tolia.

According to police, the cost of the skin and bones is estimated to be over Rs 25 lakh in the international market.

“We have arrested the duo under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,’” said the police inspector.

The police said it was fourth such incident in the past 10 years when the skin of a leopard was seized by the police. “The last three incidents took place in 2005, 2006 and 2009 at Sukhidhank and Jhalakuri in champawat and Pithoragarh,” said the inspector.

Top

 

Plants board launches awareness drive
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
An awareness drive was launched by the state Medicinal Plants Board in order to inculcate habit of planting saplings among schoolchildren here today. State Cabinet Minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat inaugurated the awareness drive at CNI Girls College.

He urged students to come forward for plantation drive. He said the department had been planting various medicinal and herbal plants on barren lands of government schools and colleges.

MLA Raj Kumar said awareness drive had been organising in various government schools and colleges in order to create awareness among students about importance of planting saplings.

He said the state Horticulture Department had been providing free medicinal and herbal plants to government agencies.

Principal Secretary (Horticulture) Dr Ranveer Singh said the department had been working to develop herbal garden in the state.

CS Gwal, director, Education Directorate, RC Sharma, Devendra Pal and Dr Pankaj Shukla were also present on the occasion.

Top

 

Sub-inspectors reshuffled in Haridwar
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 25
A major reshuffle of sub-inspectors was done by Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Sadanand Date today. SI Pradeep Bisht (Lakshar) has been transferred to the Pathri police station as the Station House Officer.

SI Rakesh Bhatt from the Bhikampur police post has been shifted to the CCTNS police station while SI Umesh Singh has been transferred to the Bhikampur police station.

SI Mahesh Lakheda has been made the Jwalapur Bazaar police post in-charge. SI Sukhpal Singh was transferred to the gas plant police post while Ranipur police in-charge SI Surendra Singh Bisht has been transferred to the Jwalapur police station.

SI Pradeep Mishra was shifted to the Ranipur Kotwali police station while SI Gajendra Singh Rawat and Shiv Prasad has been transferred to the Jwalapur and Kotwali Lakshar poilce stations.

SSP Sadanand Date also announced Rs 5,000 bounty on four wanted criminals.Vedpal Rana, a resident of Badedi Badgaon village, Saharanpur, Sachin, alias Monu, Halalpur, Chaprauli,Bagpath,UP, Ajit Makhiyali, Nai Mandi, Muzzafarnagar, and Sushil Guzzar, Deoband, Saharanpur, are wanted in a number of criminal cases. Meanwhile, the SSP inspected the venue where the selection of constables is being carried out. The recruitment drive is being held at Roshanabad Police Lines. A total of 12,000 applicants had applied for the recruitment drive. Till now, of the 1,477 candidates who had undergone physical tests, 1,003 have cleared the test.

Taking cognisance of the people acting as middlemen and agents, SSP Date directed circle officer Chandra Mohan Negi to deploy police personnel in civil uniform near the venue to nab them.

  • SI Rakesh Bhatt from the Bhikampur police post has been shifted to the CCTNS police station while SI Umesh Singh has been transferred to the Bhikampur police station.
  • SI Mahesh Lakheda has been made the Jwalapur Bazaar police post in-charge. SI Sukhpal Singh was transferred to the gas plant police post while Ranipur police in-charge SI Surendra Singh Bisht has been transferred to the Jwalapur police station.
  • SI Pradeep Mishra was shifted to the Ranipur Kotwali police station while SI Gajendra Singh Rawat and Shiv Prasad has been transferred to the Jwalapur and Kotwali Lakshar poilce stations.

Top

 

Series of seminars to celebrate golden jubilee of Hindu parishad
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 25
Mahaveer, a senior office bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), said a series of seminars would be held to celebrate the golden jubilee of the parishad. He said around one lakh units of blood would be donated at voluntary blood donation camps, which would be organised across the country on November 2.

While addressing mediapersons here today, he said the members had been asked to sensitise residents about benefits of joining the VHP.

He said the members would visit one lakh villages in the country in the coming days.

“The members will launch an afforestation drive in order to prevent forest,” he added.

He said a series of Hindu conclaves would be held between November and February.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahendra Singh Negi, minister, VHP, said the VHP was constituted in 1964 on the occasion of Janmasthami.

Ashok Bidlash, Ram Avtaar Bharadwaj, Subhash Joshi, Chandragupt Vikram, Reeta Goyal, Shiv Narayan Sethi, Dinesh Lekhwar, Sanjay Pal and Shiv Prasad Purohit were also present.

Top

 

Nanda Devi yatra reaches Chempudia

Dehradun, August 25
The Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra reached Chempudiya, considered to be the in-laws house of goddess Nanda, here today. A large number of devotees welcomed their daughter-in-law amidst chants of devotional songs.

Earlier, the yatra had reached Kulsari village where the yatris from Kumaon region joined the main yatra to proceed further. Special prayers were held to please the goddess. — TNS

Top

 





HOME PAGE | Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Opinions |
| Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi |
| Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Classified |
E-mail |