Unclaimed bag creates panic at ISBT

Dehradun: An unidentified bag was found at ISBT premises here today which caused panic at the ISBT. The Police was informed immediately as soon as the bag was located. The Bomb Disposal Squad was summoned by the Police, which opened the bag. However, fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm as the bag contained vegetables and clothes, probably forgotten by some passenger.
A young man had informed the Police Control Room in respect of the presence of an unclaimed bag lying at ISBT around 5.15 p.m. The bag was lying in front of the Counter Number 11 of the Station.
The Clement Town and Patel Nagar Police Station In-charge reached the spot with force soon. The bomb disposal squad too followed soon. The bag was opened by the squad and it contained vegetables and some clothes. Everyone including the Police officials heaved a sign of relief.

GOPIO award to Nishank brings glory to U’khand: Subhash Barthwal

DEHRADUN: Newly appointed Deputy Chairman of State Youth Welfare Council, Subhash Barthwal today claimed that Chief Minister Nishank had made not only India but even Uttarakhand famous all over the world.
Barthwal further claimed that it was a matter of pride for Uttarakhand that Nishank was bestowed with “Mauritius Samman” and “GOPIO International award” by the Mauritius Government for his outstanding work in the fields of art, literature, environmental conservation, politics and international arena.
The Mauritius had also decided to induct some of Nishank’s writings in its school books, which was also a moment of great pride for the people of India and of Uttarakhand.
He added that BJP state government under the able leadership of Nishank has always worked for wellbeing of employees in Uttarakhand. He also praised Nishank Government for immediately implementing the recommendations of 6th Pay Commission across all types of employees ranging from doctors, nurses, teachers to workers of PWD, Nagar Nigam and Jal Nigam, etc. He added that Uttarakhand was the only state in India where maximum benefits of had been given to employees under 6th pay commission.

Face to face interaction held at Green Field School

Dehradun: A Face to Face workshop was organised on ‘Examination Phobia, Stress Management, Evaluation Process’ in the premises of Green Field School, today. The interaction was conducted with the idea to beat the pressure on students due to impending examinations.
These days the pressure is high for both, the parents and the students in view of the coming annual examinations. The school emphasised on ways to prepare for better performance/ results. The other features of the talk included managing time table, diet, rest/ bed time and play time.
It would be recalled that some steps had been initiated by the Union Ministry of HRD towards reducing burden on young students and ensuring stress free education. The school has been organising orientation workshop since past 4 years for parents to minimise exam phobia and manage their child’s time. Various tips for exam time were also given.
A team of resource persons from various fields was present to answer examination related queries at the workshop.
Various other issues like low attendance and English as an education medium were also discussed. Over demanding and ambitious parents were also discussed and the tendency among the parents to pressurise students to meet their personal desires was also vehemently criticised.
Director Anil Jaggi and Principal Reena Jaggi spoke about dealing with stress management and ways of filling the gap between students and parents.
The school faculty emphasised on the importance of co curricular activities and the need of being pro active in today’s world.

DIT wins National Debate at SBS

DEHRADUN: DIT lifted Gurucharan Singh Memorial National Debate Competition title organised by Sardar Bhagwan Singh Post Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Research, Balawala on Wednesday and Thursday. The speakers spoke in favour and against of subject “Are Multinational Companies playing important role in economical growth of the country”. DIT’s Abhimanyu Barthwal won the first prize in the individual category. SBS Institute’s Anchal Bhadwar and Rahul Dubey of Zakir Husain College, New Delhi, were placed second and third respectively. Jyoti Chhabra of MKP (PG) College was given the consolation prize. The panel of judges included Journalist Yogesh Bhatt, Saroj Uniyal, Jyoti Dhawan and Professor Varsha Parcha. Chief Guest of the occasion, Durg Singh Chauhan, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Technical University and Dr. Gauravdeep Singh, Managing Secretary of SBS Institute, gave away the cash prize and mementoes to the winners.
The programme was coordinated by Dr Ajay Arora.

Seminar held on Skills & Technology for Emerging India

Dehradun: Technology Services (IETS) the social infrastructure arm of IL&FS, in collaboration with Intel, launched the “Skills and Technologies for Emerging India” in Dehradun today. The seminar was launched by the Chief Guest, Khazan Das (Minister of State for Social Welfare), at a select gathering of the city’s college students, at DAV Inter College Karanpur, wherein a one-day seminar on “Skills and Technologies for Emerging India” was held. The seminar on ‘Skills and Technologies for Emerging India’ covers how India is changing; creates awareness in new job opportunities and growing industries; essential skills required to prepare youth for a better career and, appropriate technologies a student needs to acquire to have a successful career. These seminars are being conducted across 50 cities and will be extended to more towns/ cities in future.
Speaking on the occasion Sandeep Aurora, Director, Sales and Marketing, Intel South Asia said, “It is important that our youth understand what benefits ICT could bring to their career development. With shrinking geographies, it is imperative that the youth today are equipped with relevant skills in ICT to harness the advantages of real time communication. Through these seminars, we hope to reach out and educate India’s youth on how IT skills will help them meet global challenges. ”

Red Alert sounded in U’khand after Pune blasts

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Government has issued a red alert in the entire state in the wake of the blasts in Pune that had killed several persons and injured large number of persons there.
The Red Alert Notice was issued by the State Home Department. The DMs and SPs/SSPs have been asked to maintain heightened vigil in their district and particularly in crowded places like markets, theatres etc.
Special Red Alert has been directed in Haridwar district in the wake of Mahakumbh that is underway there. The district and the Mela Administrations have been directed to ensure foolproof checking and frisking of the visitors, pilgrims and all concerned at the Kumbh so as to ensure that there was no breach of security or any untoward incident.
The public too has been urged to inform the Police about any suspicious character or object that comes to notice.

100th birth anniversary of journalist Gopeshwar Kothiyal celebrated

Dehradun: Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said today called upon the masses to come together and work for making Uttarakhand a model state. He also stressed on active participation and collaboration to preserve and promote the culture and traditions of the state. Addressing the gathering on the occasion of 100 th Birth Anniversary of journalist Gopeshwar Kothiyal, he noted tha Kothiyal, the founder of Yugvani weekly. Kothiyal was regarded by many as the man who set the foundation of magazine journalism in India.
Nishank said that Kothiyal had struggled against the British rule and written against the English policies and thereby established standards for good journalism that were relevant even today. He also commended Sanjay Kothiyal, son of the Acharya Gopeshwar Kothiyal for carrying forward the magazine. Talking about Yugvani weekly, Nishank said that the magazine was special because it not only raised issues but also discussed relevant solutions to the problem.
He urged people to talk about societal issues and create an environment for development and progress. Towards this end, CM Nishank asserted that the state government was introducing policies and also implementing these rigorously under a strict time-frame.
Special Guest and Former CM BC Khanduri described Acharya Gopeshwar Kothiyal as a brilliant journalist and shared that he had been an avid reader of the weekly publication since many years. Another speaker during the programme was senior journalist Shekhar Pathak who discussed the history of journalism in Uttarakhand. Pathak also threw light on various other publications and the journey of journalism in the region.

Thousands of Naga Sadhus take holy dip on first Shahi Snan in Haridwar

HARIDWAR: The much awaited First Shahi Snan of Maha Kumbh commenced peacefully as several thousand Naga Sadhus smeared in ashes, belonging to different Akharas took the Holy dip in Ganga on the auspicious day of “Maha Shivratri” today amidst beating of drums. Naga Sadhus riding the horses were the main attraction of the procession which began from various Akharas passing through the main Bazaar towards the Brahm Kund.
The devotees sought blessings and showered flower petals on Naga Sadhus as the excited Sadhus chanted Bam Bam Bhole and “Har Har Mahadev” all the way. The Naga Sadhus also brandished their glittering swords, flashed their silver maces and displayed various skills adorned by warriers. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati on Mahashivratri.
The Shahi Snan or the Royal bath begins with this day. Shahi Snan - also referred to as the royal entourage of the gods - appeared nothing less than a massive festival when a sea of mendicants (Akhadas) arrived along the banks of the holy river with their musical bands. They showered the Ganga with rose petals and marigolds and sang hymns and bhajans as they were about to enter the water.
Shanti, a devotee from Delhi was ecstatic after witnessing such procession and said that it was like Gods had converged at one place to bless the mortal souls. As the Naga Sadhus reached Brahm Kund, one could see the joy and excitement on their faces.The ghats became vibrant and resounded with ecstatic shouts of ‘Har Hare Gange’, ‘Har Har Mahadev’, as Naga Sadhus stepped into the water.
The Naga Sadhus plunged into Ganga like a long lost children returning in the arms of mother. It also denoted the symbolic dedication of the Sadhus towards the much revered river. Juna Akhara was the first to participate in the Shahi Snan and to undertake the royal bath, followed by Agni Akhara and Aahvan Akharas respectively which started around 11.00 am. Traditionally too, Juna Akhara is the first to enter Ganga on Shahi Snan, informed the officials from Ganga Sabha. Of the 13 Akharas, according to Mela officials, seven participated in today’s Shahi Snan. Large number of devotees from countires like Netherlands, England and Holland etc also were part of the procession and danced all along the way to the ghats. Nimrod from Israel speaking to GP said that the whole experience was humbling and to see the sea of Humanity congregating for one cause was mind boggling.

Power cuts get longer in Nainital, residents warn of agitation

Nainital: The duration of load shedding by electricity department in Nainital has been extended from two hours to the entire day. The traders and the students are the worst sufferers. The residents are highly irritated by the longer duration of power cut.
For the last one month the timings of load shedding was from 1.00 p.m. 3.00 p.m. which has now been extended to the entire day thus creating a lot of problems for the residents, specially the students preparing for board examinations to be held soon. The chill in the weather has also added to the woes of the city. The traders were much annoyed as they told that the light would not be available from the opening hour till the closure of the shops in the late evening. They also stated that it was for the first that the load shedding was taking such long periods, never before it happened in Nainital, they reminded.
The residents of the city have threatened to lay siege in the electricity office if the old schedule of load shedding (2 Hours) was not restored. If needed the traffic would be block, they warned.

Judge’s daughter commits suicide

DEHRADUN: Daughter of a judge committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan, here today.
According to the Police, Priyanka (23), daughter of Lokayukta Secretary NS Dhanik was found hanging by the fan in the house. She had left a suicide note in which she has expressed her desire to donate her eyes. According to her parents, she was very much under pressure due to her studies. The body has been sent for autopsy, police said.

BJP Govt not serious towards permission for mining in rivers: Harish Rawat

Ramnagar, 12 Feb: Union Minister of State for Labour, Harish Rawat today alleged that BJP led Uttarakhand Government was not serious towards ensuring permission for mining in the rivers of state from the Centre. Addressing a Press Conference here today, he sought to lay blame on the State government for the denial of the mining permission by the Centre in case of rivers in the state.
The Union government had permitted excavation from Gaula River as a special case. Union government could permit for other rivers, but the state government did not submit essential documents in this respect, he claimed. If state government sent proper documents for excavation permission, union government would consider the request, certainly.
Rawat said that Union government permitted excavation from Gaula Riiver as a special case. The Government could also permit mining in other rivers too, if the state government fulfilled necessary formalities, he claimed. It was the responsibility of state government. He said that Union Government was not responsible for it. It was not a political issue, he said. It was question of employment and livelihood to thousands of persons who were engaged in the excavation from rivers. State government was misguiding the people on this matter, he added.
Rawat also said that his Ministry was very serious towards job oriented education. Ministry was upgrading 2000 ITIs in which 23 would be upgraded in Uttrakhand. 1500 new ITIs, 5000 skill development centers and 10,000 vocational training providers would be opened in the country very soon.

Kandari visits exhibition by Khadi Gramudyog Commission at Parade Ground

Dehradun; Feb 13: Khadi and Cottage Industries Minister Matbar Singh Kandari today visited the 15-day exhibition organised by Khadi Gramodyog Commission at Parade Ground here. In his address on the occasion, Kandari appreciated the vast range of products displayed from different states. Congratulating the organisers, he said that the vision of incepting Uttarakhand was to provide employment to the youth in the hill areas of the region by developing and promoting rural crafts and local products.
He said that the price for cotton thread and Khadi weaving was low and directed the Khadi Gramodyog Commission to look into the matter and take immediate action. Sharing the strategy and plan of action for the coming time, Kandari said that people involved in Animal Husbandry would be encouraged by way of allowing them to rear and get high quality wool from Australian sheep. He also spoke about preparing a concrete work-plan for the promotion of the locally-found bicchu grass, Rambans and clothes prepared through the threads of bhang. Kandari also shared that trainers would be called from outside the state to help KASHTKAR in increasing their products’ quality and quantity. Prior to his address, Kandari provided information to the masses about the industries and trades being managed by Khadi Gramodyog. He also distributed widow and disabled pensions. Kandari also gave necessary instructions to officers of the drinking water and irrigation departments for solving problems that came forth. He directed the CMO to issue disabled certificates during the public welfare camp that is being organized in Dharmawala by Kandari on the 20th of this month.

Mahashivratri celebrated with fervour in Nainital

Nainital: The Mahashivratri was celebrated with great religious fervour and devotion.All the temples of the city were thronged with the crowd of devotees of Lord Shiva today on the occasion of Maha Shivratri.Long queues of devotees were seen in the temples awaiting their turn to perform worship.
The Naina Devi, Pashan Devi, Hanuman Garh, Gufa Mahadev and Shani temples were decorated with the flowers and were crowded since the wee hours and the devotees had to stand in the queues for long time.The devotees performed Jalabhishek of the Lingam, using water,curd,honey and milk amid chanting of Bam Bhole and Om Namah Shivay. A 30 member team of Kanwars also reached Nainital with Ganga Jal to offer it to the Lord Shiva.The Bael leaves were also offered to the Lord. Majority of the children, young, old, married, unmarried observed fast to propitiate Lord Shiva.
The Shani Temple at the Thandi Sarak celebrated its anniversay by performing various rituals and holding Akhand Ramayan Path, which would conclude on 13th and Yagna and Bhandara would be organised thereafter.The temple manager Hem Joshi has invited the people to part take the Prasad.

Torch Rally against use of Polythene taken out in Doon

Dehradun: Devbhoomi Vikas Sansthan today held a torch rally against the use of polythene. The rally was flagged by Agriculture Minister and chief patron of the Sansthan, Trivendra Singh Rawat. The rally which started at Deendayal Upadhyaya Park passed through Paltan Bazar before terminating at Ranger’s College Ground.
Trivendra Singh Rawat noted that it was sad that polythene had become an essential part of everyone’s life during past few decades. This was despite the fact that the dangerous consequences had become well known. The consequences were so horrendous that polythene had resulted into death of thousands of cattle and all the rivers including the divine Ganga were being polluted as a result of indiscriminate use of polythene.
Rawat called upon the Doon residents to make it a habit of using cloth and jute bags so that these industries could be revived and lakhs of workers could get re-employed apart from the environmental benefits that would accrue as a result.

BJP assures father of murdered youth of justice

Nainital: Liladhar Pant, a resident of Thapla village today met the BJP State General secretary Suresh Joshi and demanded to bring to books the culprits of his son’s murder.
Joshi was told that his son Bhuwan Chandra Pant,a student of Amarpali Institute, Haldwani, had gone missing since 21st January and later his dead body was recovered but there seemed to be no progress in apprehending the assailants by Kaladhungi Police. Pant further told Joshi that he had taken loan from Allahabad Bank to finance the studies of his son. He threatened to immolate himself if the assailants were not nabbed. Joshi assured him to get the matter investigated by CBCID if needed. He had already held talks with the SSP in this regard and the inquiry would now be handed over to other police officers, said Joshi. He also told that the administration would also conduct separate enquiry into the matter.

Higher Alert declared in the wake of Poona Blast at Haridwar

Haridwar: In the wake of Pune German Bakery blast today, in which the Home ministry officials are pointing fingers towards LET, Kumbh Mela administration has beefed up the security arrangements to extreme levels. According to the Kumbh Mela Officer Anand Vardhan, The security arrangements are already at higher level but after the Pune blast, they have been raised to the highest levels and all precautions are being taken so that no untoward incident occurs.

State Govt not pursuing construction of Rly Overbridge in Doon”

Dehradun: Northern Railway Users Consultative Committee has blamed the State Government for the delay in the construction of Railway Overbridge proposed to be constructed between Rest Camp and Ritha Mandi.
Addressing a Press Conference here today, member of the Muradabad Circle, Anil Kumar Gupta also blamed the state government for the delay in flyovers in Nageena and Najibabad. He claimed that he raised the issues related to the extension of Railway line between Dehradun and Kalsi, Rishikesh-Doiwala, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag and Rishikesh-Dobra Lake at the meeting of the committee’s meeting.
It was decided that the survey reports in respect of Dehradun-Kalsi and Rishikesh-Karnaprayag routes would be studied soon and the followup would be pursued. A proposal for the extension of railway line on Rishikesh-Doiwala route had been forwarded to the Railway Department.
A proposal for the extension of railway line on the Rishikesh-Dobra Lake would be forwarded to the Centre for consideration. He informed that the proposal for opening of a Computerised Reservation Terminal at Doiwala was under consideration of the Railway Department and hopefully, it would soon be cleared.
Proposals for upgradation of Dehradun, Harrawala and Raiwala Stations were considered positively and had been forwarded to the Department for further action. He also claimed that the works related to Doubling of tracks between Dehradun-Haridwar, and Haridwar –Delhi would soon be completed. Electrification of Railway line between Laksar and Dehradun would also soon be completed.
Gupta added that a proposal had been made for a Superfast train between Dehradun and Bandra (in Mumbai) and was being forwarded to the Centre for approval.

BJP demands more Railway projects in U’khand

Nainital: With the day of Union Railway Budget approaching soon, State BJP has started applying pressure is for inclusion of sanctioning laying of Railway track on Rishikesh-Karnapryag, Dehradun-Kalsi and Tanakpur –Bageshwar routes. Addressing a Press Conference here today, BJP General Secretary Suresh Chandra Joshi said that his party was also seeking modernisation of Lalkuan, Kashipur, Kathgodam and Haridwar Railway stations. Joshi lashed out at the Union Government for its discriminatory attitude towards Uttarakhand and other BJP ruled states. .He expressed satisfaction over publicising the achievements of the State government among the masses by the BJP workers.
The newly appointed Deputy Chairman of KMVN, Madhwanand Joshi said that more youth would benefit under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Scheme. To tap the immense possibilities of tourism that Uttarakhand possessed, new tourists spots would be explored to attract tourists and the existing Tourists Rest Houses of KMVN would be added with ultra modern facilities, asserted Madhwanand Joshi.

SJA wins School Sub Junior Inter school cricket tournament

Dehradun: This year St Jude’s School organized the Sub Junior Inter School Cricket Tournament on behalf of the Dehradun Council Schools’ Association from the 5th of Feb 2010 to 13th Feb 2010. St Joseph’s Academy emerged winner of the tournament that was played by 14 teams from various schools from Dehradun.
Fourteen Schools that participated in this tournament were Guru Nanak Academy, St. Joseph’s Academy, The Aryan School, Carman School-Dalanwala, Raja Rammohan Roy Academy, Summer Valley School, The Doon Dhruv Public School, Shivalik International School, The Heritage School, Hilton’s School, The Indian Public School, St Thomas’ College, Ann Mary School and St. Jude’s School.
These teams were divided into Pool A and Pool B. All Pool A matches were played at St Jude’s School’s ground and the Pool B matches were played at Raja Rammohan Roy Academy’s ground. Guru Nanak Academy from Pool A and St. Joseph’s Academy from Pool B reached the finals. The Final Match was played today at St. Jude’s School.
A short entertaining programme was also performed by the students of St Jude’s School in between the innings. The toss was won by St. Joseph’s Academy and they elected to bat. They reached a total score of 107 runs with Madhav being the top scorer with an individual score of 46 runs. Abhishek, Gaurav and Yogesh claimed two wickets each for GNA. GNA could not match the batting performance of SJA and was all out for a paltry score of 72 runs. Only Nazil with an individual score of 26 runs could offer some resistance and stay on the wicket. Garvit was the highest wicket taker for SJA, claiming 3 wickets.
The Sub Junior Inter School Cricket Trophy was won by: St. Joseph’s Academy

Several schoolgirls fall unconscious at GIC Patkot

Ramnagar: More than two dozen schoolgirls suffered sudden unconsciousness at the Government Inter College, Patkot over a period of last four days. These girls are going to unconscious condition in mysterious condition. So far, neither teachers nor guardians have been able to understand the problem.
There were more than two dozens school girls fell unconscious under mysterious circumstances during the school time at GIC Patkot about 25 kilometer away from Ramnagar.
According to the eye-witnesses, these girls shouted and then suddenly fell unconscious, while attending classes at the school. But after some time, these students recovered without any treatment. This kind or strange incidents have continued for last 4 days. School children and their parents were very afraid due to this strange spree of incidents.
People assumed that it could be a case of ‘Bhoot Badha’ at the school. So, villagers held ‘Jagar’ in school, today, to identify and remove any ‘Bhoot Badha’.
School teachers were also confused and witless on this matter. They said that the cause of this incident was not clear, but it had continued from last four days. Such type of incident also occurred in last 5-6 years. A villager VC Pandey claimed that it was some super natural power, which was disturbing the school girls. They were organising ‘Jagar’ to identify and remove this super natural power.

Drivers will be penalized for driving in slippers during Yatra season: Nautiyal

Haridwar: The drivers would be penalised if found driving in slippers during forthcoming Char Dham Yatra season this year. This was stated by Deputy Chairman of Char Dham Vikas Parishad, Surat Ram Nautiyal during his visit to the media centre in Haridwar. Outlining the preparations for Chardham, Nautiyal said that the Gates of the Gangotri and Yamnotri temple would reopen on 16 May, Kedarnath on 18 May and Badrinath on 19th May.
He added that the Government’s preparation for the Yatra had begun in earnest. He also commended the efforts of Mela Administration in successfully conducting the first Shahi Snan. He noted that it could happen due to the efforts of efficient officials and on the account of the personal interest taken in this regard and the direction given by Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
He also said that Government was working on the theme of ‘Athiti Devo Bhava’ and was providing training to the youth From Nehru Institute of Mountaineering ( NIM) so that their attitude towards the tourists was amicable and friendly which would go in tune with the beautiful natural surroundings of Uttarakhand.
He also said that BRO AND NHA had been directed by the government to complete the construction of roads till March and first week of April so that more tourists could avail the Darshan at the temples and generate employment and revenue in the state. Nautiyal further all essential services like electricity, water and roads were the main focus of the government. He also said that High-Tech toilets would also be constructed all along the Yatra route for the devotees during Yatra season. He also asserted that Police had been directed to penalise the drivers who drove after consuming liquor and wearing chappals. Playing Tapes would also be not allowed during Yatra season. He also said that that main focus of the Govt would be to conduct accident free, safe and secure Yatra for the devotees from around the world.

Man kills neighbour

DEHRADUN: A man was killed by his neighbour at DL Road here today. Police has arrested the accused.
According to the sources, Dharmveer, resident of DL Road, had some altercation with his sister-in-law. His neighbour Navprabhat, meanwhile, came to settle the matter. His effort culminated into quarrel with Dharmveer. He suddenly hit Dharmveer with an iron rod on his head immediately killing him on the spot. Police reached the spot and arrested Navprabhat.

Mussoorie receives first snow of season

MUSSOORIE: Nature bestowed the best gift possible on the hill town as it was engulfed with white snow, changing the landscape to the delight of the tourists and residents alike. The long wait for snowfall this season came to an end as the temperature dipped last night. The residents and tourists woke up to the delightful scene of snowflakes falling from the clouded sky. The snow began falling at around 8 a.m. and continued for a few hours.
Snowfall had eluded the residents of Mussoorie till now, but they were duly obliged just before the festival of Makar Sankranti. As the news of the snowfall spread like wildfire, tourists from as far away as Delhi flocked to the hill station to witness this marvel of nature. According to police officials, early in the day, one thousand tourists on motor cycles had registered their presence in the town, along with a large number of those who drove in on 4 wheels. Every nook and cranny of the town was covered with white snow. The police had a harrowing time controlling the sudden rush, as traffic jams were the order of the day. The Uttarakhand Police Patrol vehicles were also called in to assist the traffic police.
Delighted tourists, mesmerised by the sight of the white mountains, enjoyed themselves by throwing snowballs at each other. Ranjeet Singh, a tourist from Ludhiana, said that this was the first occasion for him to witness the snow falling from the sky. “It seemed like cotton flakes were falling from heaven,” added Shanti Sharma from Dehradun.
The students of premier institutions were also seen enjoying the snow on the Mall Road. Although the snow began melting after a few hours, the tourists were still arriving in Mussoorie in large numbers.

Bus overturns on Mussoorie- Dehradun Road

MUSSOORIE: 14 tourists from Delhi had a miraculously escape as the Private Bus overturned when they were heading towards Mussoorie near Gajji Bend. According to the conductor of the Bus No DL-IP C- 7700, Ram Prasad The accident happened when the driver was trying to avoid a cow which came right in front of the Bus and in the process of saving the cow the bus toppled at the mountain side leading to minor injuries. Police and 108 EMRI service rush to the spot. The injured were let off after the first Aid service.

Immense prospect of inter-state tourism between Kerala, Uttarakhand: Varghese

MUSSOORIE: The holiday planner from Kerala, Varghese K Joy feels that there is immense potential of inter-state tourism between Kerala and Uttarakhand. On a two day visit to Mussoorie, in search of tourism prospects between Kerala and Uttarakhand, he noted that there was ample scope of developing the inter-state tourism between the two states as emphasis of both the govt was on tourism.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, Varghese informed that he was visiting various sites to develope a package from Kerala to Uttarakhand and vise versa. If the two states collaborated, they could emerge as major players in tourism. He was fascinated by the snow in the mountains and the snow clad peak in Himalayas. Speaking
Exclusively to GP he said that Kerala did have varied landscape to cater to all needs including mountains, but snow in Uttarakhand could be a major attraction to the tourists from his state, where it was not visible to the tourists. He also said that similarly, Back waters of Kerala would enchant the Tourists from North and the government was also promoting it in a big way. Varghese also said that Uttarakhand Govt ought to plan a road show in Kerala and the Kerala Government in Uttarakhand. It would also increase the awareness which could lead to increase in tourism for both the states. He also said that Kerala was also promoting the religious tourism in big way and if both the governments could sit down and work on plan then religious destination in both the states could be converted into a separate package. He was also pleased that a direct train from Dehradun to Kerala had started running which would also lead to increase in tourist traffic thus benefiting both the states.

Kapoor pays tribute to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya

DEHRADUN: Speaker Harbans Kapoor paid tribute to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya on his death anniversary here today. Addressing the gathering after offering floral tribute at the bust of Upadhyaya, Kapoor said that Upadhyaya was a true patriot and worked a lot towards the wellbeing of people. Kapoor added that Upadhyaya had dreamt of providing work to every single person and water to every agricultural field and it was for today’s lawmakers to work hard to make his dreams a reality.
Kapoor emphasised that all had to work together and hard hard to make Uttarakhand an ideal state.
The award was jointly sponsored by NRI intsitute and GOPIO.This award was conferred on the CM besides the highest award of GOPIO International. Praising Nishank, the PM told the gathering that he was indeed proud to bestow such an honour to the visiting guest for his extraordinary achievements. It may be noted that this is the highest honour given to any leader by Global Organisational of People of Indian Origin. The PM also launched the French version “Experences Et Verites” of the Nishank’s book entitled ‘Khade Huye Prashna’. The PM told the audience that he personally read the book and found it very interesting. It is a true reflection of the hardship faced by Hill Folks in the Himalayas, he added.
Before this function, the Chief Minister visited Le Morne Brabant where he was accompanied by the Minister of Education, Culture and Human Resources of Mauritius,. V. Bunwaree. The CM paid his respects at Apraavasi Ghat where he was joined by leading digniataries including the High Commissioner of India in Mauritius and High Commissioner of Mauritius in India. The Chief Minister thanked GOPIO International for awarding him such an honour and hoped that Uttarrankhand would contribute a lot towards strengthening Indo-Mauritian ties. The PM of Mauritius thanked Nishank for his short but a very successful trip. The PM congratulated the CM that his book would be taught in the Universities all over the world. The CM also met local writers of Mauritius and discussed with them different ways that his state and Mauritius can get involved to promote art and culture.

Nishank conferred with Mauritius SAMMAN by Raamgoolam

Dehradun: Prime Minister of Mauritius, Naveen Raamgoolam conferred Mauritius SAMMAN on Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for his literary, social, political, and international contribution in a function held here today.

Airtel launches India's first Mobile Application Store

Dehradun: One of the leading integrated telecom service provider, Bharti Airtel has launched India's first mobile applications store, Airtel App Central. Now, Airtel mobile customers can transform their basic phone into a Smart Phone by accessing over 1250 Apps across 25 categories for their business, games, books, social networking and other needs. Offering an easy single click purchase with no credit card required, the cost is automatically added to the customer's mobile bill or deducted from the available talk-time. Starting as low as Rs. 5, Airtel App Central will offer local and regional Apps for customers across the length and breadth of the country.
Announcing the launch, Atul Bindal, President - Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, said, "As the undisputed leader in the Indian telecom industry, we are committed to constantly delighting our customers and offering innovations to enrich their experience. With the Airtel App Central - India's first mobile app store- we are offering a one-stop shop open 24x7 to meet all our customer's personal device needs. We are empowering our mobile customers to transform their phones into smart devices - with the click of a single button."
The Airtel App Central has over 1250 apps available for download across 550+ devices categorized under 25 customer categories - both free and paid applications. Customers can choose from India Specific Apps - religion and devotional Apps such as Ayyappa the God to Bhakti ki Shakti where our customers can express their devotion to Maa Durga to Qibla which allows our customers to calculate the direction from anywhere on the globe to the holy city of Mecca. To experience the Airtel App Central, Airtel mobile customers can visit Airtel Live on their mobile phone and browse into App Central or SMS app to 54321 (toll free) to receive the URL.

11 students of GEU get placed in ICICI Securities

DEHRADUN: A campus placement programme was organised at Graphic Era Deemed University (GEU) by the MBA Faculty of the Varsity in which 11 students were selected by ICICI Securities, one of India’s leading brokering firms. The 11 students were selected only after going through a tough selection process. The selected students would be appointed in various offices of ICICI Securities across various northern cities including Dehradun.
The selected students would get a pay-package of Rs 2 lakh annually along with incentives and other facilities provided by ICICI Securities. Corporate Sector companies have once again started recruitment drives in various educational institutions after getting over from global meltdown. Other multi-national companies too have visited Graphic Era for recruitment of MBA students and include companies like Ranbaxy, ITC Ltd and Modi Tyre.

‘Senior National Alpine Skiing Championship’ organised

DEHRADUN: ‘Senior National Alpine Skiing Championship’ was organised at Manali today in which a 10-member team of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) took part. GMVN general manager Yugal Kishore Pant informed that Preeti Dimri won the first gold medal for her team in the “Giant Slalom” category.
It has been known that Preeti Dimri has already taken part in many national and international championships. Team Manager Pradeep Rawat said that there are strong chances of the GMVN team of winning more medals in the Slalom category.

Anusoochit Jati Mahasangh expresses support to Ministerial employees

Nainital:The State President of Akhil Bhartiya Anushuchit Jati and Janjati Mahasangh K.L.Arya today warned of the Mahasangh joining hand with the striking Ministerial employees if their demands were not met soon.
Meanwhile, the ministerial employees continued their strike for over a month now. They held a meeting at the Darshan Ghar and raised anti government slogans.
The Mahasangh State president K.L.Arya dispatched a memorandum to the Governor, the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary mentioning that Mahasangh wished that the two point charter of demands of the striking ministerial employees be accepted at the earliest or else, the Mahasangh would join the fellow striking workers. The Mahasangh also warned that in case of any administrative or penal action against the employees,the Mahasangh would launch an agitation.
In the meeting of striking ministerial employees,the District President of Drivers’Mahasangh Ramesh Lal also threatened to jump in the strike if the demands put forth by the ministerial employees were not assented within three days.The speakers said that by furnishing false datas,the government was attempting to mislead public.Over a month had passed since the strike began but it appears that insensitivity and ineffectiveness of the government was at its peak,said the speakers.The attitude was also indifferent,added the speakers amid loud resounding of anti government slogans.