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Ministers squabble for portfolios
Staff shortage may delay session
Meanwhile, space crunch in private girls hostels
Securing corridors a jumbo task: Experts
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Ranbir was shot from close range, says autopsy report
SSP grounded, ‘encounter’ team sent to Police Lines
Biz school launches clinical research programme
Rajiv Nagar Blues lift seniors trophy
100 get medicines at health camp
Prez ends tour with Badrinath visit
Uttarkashi Bus Mishap
14-yr-old mauled by beast
Jeep falls into ravine, driver dead
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Ministers squabble for portfolios
Dehradun, July 5 According to party sources, most of the senior ministers in the previous Khanduri ministry, who also made it to Nishank’s cabinet, are squabbling over portfolios leading to a delay in the allocation. Nishank was holding the Health and Family Welfare portfolio under Khanduri and he would like to keep some of the important portfolios such as Finance, Home, Information, and, his favourite, Health portfolio with him. Already, the CM in his first cabinet meeting has decided to set up an Ayurvedic University in the state without waiting to appoint a Health Minister. This points towards the fact that he himself would be looking after the Health department, including Ayush. On the other hand, senior Cabinet colleague Madan Kauhsik, who was earlier Education Minister, wants an important department like PWD while Matbar Singh Kandari who was holding the portfolio of Water Resources and Minor Irrigation wants his portfolio back along with the entire irrigation department. None of them is particularly interested in holding the Education Department, which is considered to be the toughest to handle in a hill state where every other teacher wants a posting to the plains! Another prominent dissident of Khanduri, Trivendra Singh Rawat, who was Agriculture Minister, wants his department back together with Horticulture, which was earlier held by another senior minister Bishan Singh Chaufal who now wants the cooperative department. Meanwhile, Nishank has been meeting senior party leaders and ministers to discuss the issue. “The three-day visit of President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to Uttarakhand also led to the delay in allotment of portfolios,” said Dr. Devender Bhasin, former Chairman of the State Media Advisory Committee. Notably, Nishank has been treading carefully and has also made all other senior party leaders submit their resignations from the positions of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various corporation, boards and committees of the state government. BJP leaders who resigned from their positions are actively lobbying with senior leaders and even RSS functionaries to get back their positions and perks. |
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Staff shortage may delay session
Dehradun, July 5 Billed to tide over the shortage of medical staff, the Rs 242 crore college was recently found 13 per cent deficient in the composition of senior faculty by a team of the MCI. The authorities have been able to remove 11 per cent deficiencies with 2 per cent still remaining. “The shortage of senior staff members could not be addressed fully as there are very few qualified professionals in the state. When the MCI pointed out the deficiencies, we immediately took action. “As the report is confidential, the recommendations will be conveyed to the state Health Department by the Government of India,” said Dr KK Tamta, Medical Superintendent of the Srinagar Medical College. The next session of the college, which is expected to start on August 1, may now get delayed. It may only start after the MCI gives a letter of permission to the college. Under the Medical Council Act 1956, new medical colleges have to fulfil year-wise targets in regard to construction of buildings, position of beds and staff strength on year-to-year basis. The stipulated targets have to be fulfilled for a period of five years. The college, however, could fulfil the deficiency pertaining to senior residents at 7 per cent as stipulated by the MCI. In all, the teaching faculty comprises 97 members that is 11 less than the stipulated number. “The college has advertised for the posts and we are offering handsome salaries to prospective candidates but there is countrywide shortage,” said Dr KK Tamta. The college is offering Rs 22,000 as salary to assistant professors, Rs 99,700 to associate professors and Rs 1.7 lakh to professors. In addition, they will be entitled to free accommodation at the campus. Besides the shortage of faculty members, the team also found the college library lacking in old medical journals and had no seminar room. “It was pointed out that the Rural Health Training Centre, a department of medical college, did not have a seminar or demonstration room. The issue has been addressed,” said Dr Tamta. The college was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister BC Khanduri aims to provide medical education to deserving students on scholarships, provided they agreed to serve in rural areas of the state on completion of their education for a certain period. The hospital has been constructed on 25 acres. Another 12 hectares will be acquired for establishing other departments. |
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Meanwhile, space crunch in private girls hostels
Dehradun, July 5 Shruti Sachdeva of Ambala who is to appear for counselling for admission to a hotel management course is equally worried about admission as well as accommodation. “Wiser from the experience of my two friends who have been studying at a paramedical institute, I have already started looking for accommodation at different hostels. But the space is already occupied in all of them,” she said. Similar is the problem of another students Seema Ghildiyal of Uttarakashi district. “Almost every house I went looking for accommodation told me that I will have to share it with others. Given the rush, I think I should settle for this,” she said. Due to the scarcity of accommodation, the freshers start looking for it even before commencement of the session. Since there is limited number of private hostels, the situation has offered good opportunity for the private house owners who offer paying guest (PG) facility in different localities to make money. “Number of girls have come to us for accommodation. But we have no option but to refuse them because our rooms are already occupied,” said Nimmi Sexena, who runs a hostel on DL Road. The problem has been there since several new institutes came up after the state came into existence. Over the years, a number of private hostels have come up but they are found to be inadequate for the growing number of girl students. As per rough estimates, there are more than 30 hostels in the city. Though the professional institutes too offer the facility but it is very limited. “We have right from the beginning avoided this facility because managing a girls hostel is a difficult preposition.We do not want additional responsibility,” said the owner of private B.Ed institute. |
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Securing corridors a jumbo task: Experts
Dehradun, July 5 This was the majority opinion of top wildlife experts at a two-day Wildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) workshop in Dehradun.The speakers discussed ways and means towards securing elephant corridors. Dr AK Singh, Uttarakhand coordinator for the WTI, recalled his organisation’s efforts in minimising human-elephant conflict at Rajaji National Park. He dwelt at length on the trust’s efforts towards maintenance of solar fencing through local support in Bulandawala and Resham Majri area in park’s vicinity. He said only a negligible part of electric fencing was functional along the 105-km-long fence at Rajaji to keep off elephants from entering villages. Leading environment lawyer Ritwick Dutta put forward wildlife laws and environment impact assessments in respect to wildlife corridors. He said much more needed to be done to ensure that the enemies of flora and fauna did not take to legal loopholes to further anti-wildlife activities. Former IFS officer Vinod Rishi focused his address on lantana eradication. He favoured gradual replacement of lantana as opposed to its complete uproot within forests. He said it had come to light that lantana supported food, shelter and breeding needs of wildlife inside forests. Uttarakhand divisional forest officer (Terai Central) Parag Madhukar Dhakate elaborated on human-elephant conflict mitigation measures. Director, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dr RD Jakati, said conservation works were becoming all the more challenging in the present scenario. He said the elephants faced tough times ahead due to their shrinking habitat. Ashok Kumar, vice-chairman, Wildlife Trust of India, referred to the movement of elephants in newer areas. He spoke of the Chila Motichoor corridor laying emphasis on its importance for elephant mo0vement. He praised union forest minister of state for Forest and Environment Jairam Ramesh for his commitment to conservation. Gangeshwar Pandey, warden, Rajaji National Park, said all elephant corridors in Uttarakhand had human imprints in the form of human settlements, encroachments, infrastructure such as roads and rail tracks, and biotic pressures such as cattle grazing and firewood
extraction. This, he said, affected the movement of elephants considerably. “This threatens to create genetically isolated populations and aggravate human-elephant conflict situations, negatively impacting elephants as well as humans,” Pandey said. WTI officials honoured forest officials for their contribution towards conservation efforts. The two-day workshop was held on the initiative of the Wildlife Life Trust of India and was organised in association with the Uttarakhand Forest Department and Project Elephant. |
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Ranbir was shot from close range, says autopsy report
Dehradun, July 5 The report mentions 28 injuries on the body, suggesting that Ranbir may have been tortured before being shot. The report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, says that Ranbir’s body bore deep wounds and 12 bullet marks. The cause of the death is stated as shock and haemorrhage due to injuries to vital organs like the liver, kidneys and lungs. It is learnt that the report has been
handed over to the CB-CID which is investigating the matter. Ranbir's father Ravinder Pal Singh today reiterated his demand for a CBI probe. “My son was tortured by the police. There are 28 injury marks on his body which
indicate that he was beaten up before being killed,” he said. However, Dehradun SSP Amit Kumar Sinha said the post- mortem report was being misinterpreted by a section of the media and Ranbir had not been shot from close range. Ranbir was cremated in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh today. |
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SSP grounded, ‘encounter’ team sent to Police Lines
Dehradun, July 5 Speaking to mediapersons late this evening, the Chief Minister said whosoever found guilty would be taken to task. “SSP Amit Kumar Sinha has been attached to the police headquarters and Dalanwala SHO Santosh Jaiswal, Nehru Colony SHO Rajesh Bisht, Araghar police picket in charge GD Bhatt, SIs (Dalanwala) Chandramohan, Neeraj Yadav and Nitin Chauhan of the SOG have been sent to the Police Lines,” the CM said. Meanwhile, the controversy over the death of Ranbir Singh refuses to die down with the post-mortem report showing that he was shot from close range.
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Mere Rs 500 for little braveheart
Dehradun, July 5 At a felicitation function held at state Congress headquarters, former Mahanagar Congress president Lalchand Sharma gave Rs 500 to Priyanshu. While lauding his act of bravery, Lalchand Sharma said Priyanshu is an inspiration for other children. He also asked the state BJP government to recommend the boy’s name for the bravery award while also seeking free education for Priyanshu and his sister Priyanka. Congress leader Lalchand Sharma also expressed concern over the increasing leopard attacks in Dehradun. He said that the Premnagar leopard attack indicates the rise in man-animal conflict in the region. Geeta Bisht, Krishna Chettri, Naveen Bisht were also present on the occasion. |
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Garbage mounds at Har-ki-Pauri
Haridwar, July 5 Heaps of garbage has accumulated at various points in the city. Even after establishment of SIDCUL Industrial Area, cleanliness levels remain abysmally low. The condition of ghats, especially Har-Ki-Pauri, where thousands throng each day is very pathetic. The situation is similar at the congested Upper Road, which leads to the Har-Ki-Pauri area. What makes the task of authorities much more difficult is that pilgrims in huge numbers litter the place with polythene, plastic, mineral and carbonated drink bottles. Municipal committee chairman Kamal Johra said albeit they were working hard, more work needs to be done to ensure cleanliness. DIG Kumbh Mela Alok Sharma has also pointed out that surroundings of the Har-Ki-Pauri need to be cleaned. He even compared Golden Temple at Amritsar with Har-Ki-Pauri. “If there can be cleanliness at the Golden temple, why not at Har-Ki-Pauri?” he questioned. The Ganga Sabha too has objected to the filth getting accumulated at the place and has urged tourists not to litter the place. Several cleanliness campaigns by various organisations such as the 40th PAC battalion, Haridwar and Rotary Club have been carried out at the Har-Ki-Pauri and adjoining areas, but such is the rush that
maintenance of sanitation becomes a big problem for authorities. |
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Biz school launches clinical research programme
Dehradun, July 5 Addressing a press conference Mohit Agarwal, chairman of DBS International said that the course is first of it’s kind in the state and would prove to be useful for students from life sciences, pharma, medical and para-medical fields. “There is a shortage of 50,000 trained professionals in the area of clinical research and clinical research industry is growing at 25 per cent every year and is expected to grow into a Rs 5,000 crore industry by the next year,” he said. He said that Kriger DBS International is offering recognised and globally accepted training programmes in Dehradun. The programme offers six-month internship for students in India or USA. Later, a seminar was organised to build awareness about clinical research. Meanwhile, with an aim to make science a popular subject, Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST) has launched a scholarships scheme for students and aspirants of higher studies in science. The scholarship comes at the initiative of Prime Minister who had made an announcement for the same in December 13 last year. The UCOST director Dr Rajendra Dobhal said that the scholarships called INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research), will be provided in different categories. While the first Scheme for Early Attraction of Talents for Science (SEATS) is for the school going students from the age groups 10 to 15 years and includes a scholarship to the tune of Rs 5,000 per annum. Further, scholarships for higher education is meant for those between age groups 17 to 22 years and for those pursuing bachelor and master levels. The third scholarship, Assured Opportunity for Research Careers, (AORC) is for 22 to 32 age groups. Apart from these, incentives for those who clear examinations like NET and GATE are also part of the scholarship programme. |
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Gorkha Rifle, Doon Star win
Dehradun, July 5 Gorkha Rifle was on the offensive right from the beginning. Being high on fitness, the Gorkhas was more agile than their opponents. The 1/5 Gorkha Rifle team came close to scoring their first goal in the fifth minute of the match but the ambitious kick from 25 yards sailed over the bar. In the seventh minute, Gorkha Rifle was on the attack again. But a wrong pass by their forward ended the good move midway. In the meanwhile, Doon Challengers launched a counter attack but due to lack of coordination among the forward line, the Challengers failed to take advantage of the move. Gorkha Rifle scored their first goal in the 30th minute of the match. It was a skillful dodge by Rajandra who penetrated the Doon Challengers defence from the right to place the ball in the net. Barely five minutes later, Gorkha Rifle struck again. This time, it was Sagar in the 35th minute who scored to make it 2-0. In the second half, Doon Challengers made repeated attempts to score a goal. But the rock-solid defence of the Gorkha Rifle denied them any opportunity to score. The 1/5 Gorkha Rifle team registered an easy 2-0 win. In the second match, Doon Star defeated Pachvadun 3-1. Doon Star took the lead in the 16th minute. It was Balvendra who neatly placed the ball in Pachvadun goal. In the second half, Pachvadun found the equaliser in the 45th minute through Prashant. But Doon Star struck in the 55th and 57th minute to complete the tally. |
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Rajiv Nagar Blues lift seniors trophy
Dehradun, July 5 In the first final, Rajeev Nagar Blues team defeated Rajeev Nagar Green team by 52 runs. Batting first Blues team piled a total of 155 runs in allotted 15 overs. Blues team lost its first wicket at the score of 9 runs. Vijay too could not do much and was out for 18 runs. It was Vinod struck brilliant 52 runs off 42 balls. Chintu on the other end made quick fiery 31 runs off 14. For Rajeev Nagar Green team Ankush took two wickets whereas Atul and Rahul took one wicket each. Rajeev Nagar Green team was all out for 103 runs in 12.1 overs. Atul made 38 runs off 39 balls. None other batsmen could occupy the crease for long. For Blues team Vijay Gupta was the lead wicket taker with three wickets. Chintu took two wickets. In the second final it was narrow three-wickets victory for Ghoor Gaon over Baliwala Silvers. Batting first Baliwala Silver team pile a total of 112 in 15 overs. Rohan played a knock of 14 runs while Sanjay got out on 9 runs. Akhilesh scored 19 runs and Sunil made 20 runs. Skekher also chipped in 16 runs. Sushil was the lead wicket taker with three wickets and Vivek picked up two wickets each for Ghoor Gaon team. In reply, Ghoor Gaon openers gave their team a firm start. Pankaj smashed 20 runs whereas Niki hit 12 runs. Thereafter, Vivek played a useful knock of 19 runs. Amit was the highest scorer for the team with 21 runs, whereas Ujjwal scored 16. For Baliwala Silver, Sanjay and Shubham were the lead wicket taker with two wickets each. |
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100 get medicines at health camp
Dehradun, July 5 Inaugurating the camp, Dr S Farooq, vice-president, Rotary Club, Dehradun, emphasised on the need to conduct more such camps for the benefit of the poor and unprivileged. Eye surgeon Dr MC Luthra advised patients to be extra cautious if they suffered from blood pressure or diabetes. He asked them to avoid swimming during monsoon. Dr Maya Ram Uniyal, a renowned Ayurveda expert, examined as many as 80 patients. Dr Maya Ram advised patients to eat fresh food. Dr Anees Ahmad provided homoeopathic treatment to patients. Gynaecologist Dr Savita Luthra also examined a large number of women. |
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Prez ends tour with Badrinath visit
Dehradun, July 5 Along with her family members, she reached the Badrinath shrine at around 8.30 am and remained there till 11.30 am. The priests held special prayers for the President. The President later flew back to Jolly Grant airport from Badrinath and then left for the national capital. The Governor, Chief Minister RP Nishank, and senior civil and military officers were present at the airport to bid her farewell. |
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Uttarkashi Bus Mishap
Dehradun, July 5 Despite frenetic efforts, the bodies could not be traced. "While bodies of four passengers were fished out from the river on Friday, two more bodies were taken out yesterday," informed Uttarkashi District Magistrate BRB Purshotam. On Friday, as many as 36 persons drowned after a bus (HP 68 0446,) going from Uttarkashi to Gangotri shrine, fell into Bhagirathi. Although the administration initiated rescue operations immediately, on account of turbulence in the river divers have been able to fish out only six bodies. "We are still trying our best to trace the bodies of 28 missing persons," said Purshotam. Meanwhile, expressing concern over such mishaps, Chief Minister RP Nishank has asked the transport, revenue and police department officials to take all necessary steps to ensure that such accidents do not occur in future. He also instructed officials to ensure that there is no overloading of vehicles. Besides, the CM also directed officials to check fitness certificate of vehicles and licenses of drivers, and initiate action against any violators. Notably, every year during the Char Dham yatra season, as many as 500 people die in road accidents alone. |
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14-yr-old mauled by beast
Dehradun, July 5 The boy, Manjit, was returning to his house when a wild animal confronted him. The boy sustained serious injuries on the neck and head. It was only after the villagers rushed hearing the boy’s cries, the wild animal escaped from the scene. But the boy failed to identify whether the wild animal was a leopard or a wild boar. Mussoorie Division Forest authorities are working to ascertain the identity of the animal. “We are trying to identify the animal and are working to locate its pug marks following which we will seek suitable action from the office of Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden,” AK Bannerji, Divisional Officer, Mussoorie Forest Division, said. Forest officials are not ready to take any chances, particularly after the Premnagar Dehradun incident where a leopard had attacked numerous persons. “We have stepped up the vigil and have mobilised our teams,” he said. Meanwhile, the woman injured in the leopard attack at Bhilagana block in Chaura in Ghansali succumbed to her injuries. |
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Jeep falls into ravine, driver dead
Kotdwar, July 5 The injured have been admitted to government hospital at Kotdwar while the deceased has been taken for a postmortem examination. According to passengers, the driver of the jeep was drunk. According to police circle officer TD Bella, the Jeep (UP 06/0142) was coming from Mahabgarh village to Kotdwar town yesterday evening. The driver of the jeep, Dabal Singh, lost control of the vehicle that fell into a khud near Pokhal village, 40 km away from
Kotdwar, on the Dugadda-Haridwar Road. Locals rushed to accident site to rescue the victims and informed revenue authorities who look after police duties in rural areas of
Uttarakhand. They too reached to spot with police officials. The driver Dabal Singh (52) died on the spot.
— TNS |
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