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Uttarakhand’s first Private Nature Reserve goes up in flames

By
Tania Saili
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0

“Dear friends of JNR. It is with great sadness that we have to inform you about a major forest fire that has affected almost 80% of the Reserve. The team fought valiantly to control it but it was just too severe to manage.”

Jaberkhet Private Nature Reserve Facebook Page latest post, the Crown on the Queen of Hills, Mussoorie had grabbed attention from home and abroad. Students from Indian Universities and abroad used to get a first hand experience of a well-kept park. A ragging inferno has within hours reduced Uttarakhand’s one and only private nature reserve, known as the Jabarkhet Nature Reserve to ashes.

Spread over 110 acres Jabarkhet Nature Reserve, is the first of its kind in the hill-state. The park boasted of over half a dozen 3 kms well-marked hiking trails, guided nature walks. Bird watching along trails; water holes; pocket field nature guides of the flora and fauna were just a of its attractions. It welcomed the adventurous, becoming an instant hit with those who came to this treasure trove of nature, the only one left in the otherwise concrete forest that Mussoorie has now become.

“We will assess the damage and work hard towards the recovery of the forest and wildlife that we love… And pray for rain!! The post signed off. Instantly, hands of friendship have been offered from local communities and well-wishers.

Almost 15 weeks down the road and almost 4202.036 hectares of Uttarakhand’s green cover has been turned into ashes. The real enemy of Uttarakhand’s flora and fauna for now is not poachers or shikaris looking for an easy kill, but it’s the all-engulfing flames. Only the Rain God has the power to quench this thirst. Man’s efforts seem puny when the hungry tongues of fire lick up every single twig along their path. And in this instance, the Jaberkhet Nature Reserve.

Priyanka Meher Mashup 2018: A musical extravaganza

By
Tania Saili
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0

What happens when a group of talented singers, from different backgrounds come together onto a common platform? They create magic!

Priyanka Meher’s twenty four day old, 3 minute 26 second ‘Mashup 2018′ has already crossed nine lakh hits on Facebook and Youtube Channel with everyone hooked to the foot-tapping song. An interesting symphony of three young men and the lady with a soulful voice Priyanka, got together with a Mashup that has successfully caught the fancy of everyone age group, gender and community in Uttarakhand and beyond.

Priyanka and her team of young talented singers, Mayank Rawat, Mahender Singh Khattri and beat boxer Ankit Chamoli are no new-kids-on-the-block, each one has independently carved a niche for themselves when it comes to music and their coming together for Mashup2018 has become a recipe for instant hit with their fans.

Taking about the choice of songs, Priyanka tells Newspost, “Actually the songs that I have chosen are all hits in their respective languages, be it Kumaoni, Nepali or Garhwali.. they are also my personal favourites that I enjoy singing as well. I had a feeling that this Mashup would be well-received and we all are very happy with the end result.”

Not only the song but the 3 minute video too, shot within two hours on a Samsung 8 Phone has become viral overnight.

“The song brilliantly interconnects three regional languages of the hill-state such as Garhwali, Nepali, Kumaoni and English in this foot-tapping mashup. The video too has a natural feel to it as it was shot within two hours on a Samsung 8 phone in the outskirts of Khalanga forests, in Tapovan area of Dehradun,” adds Akshay Purohit, the artist manager.

At the moment, Priyanka and team is busy working on their own original song in Garhwali as well as doing their bit to take Garhwali music to Bollywood, and the way they are working on it, don’t be surprised if you get to hear a bollywood Garhwali block-buster song ruling the airways soon.

CS reviews preparations for International Yoga Day event

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newspost
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Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Utpal kumar Singh reviewed the preparations for holding the national function of the ‘International Yoga Day’, here today. He said that for creating awareness about yoga, “ Run for Yoga” will be organized in the month of June.

Chairing the meeting held at Secretariat he formed various organizing committees for the event. An apex committee under Chief Secretary, law and order committee under ADG  Law and Order, Coordination Committee headed by Secretary, Ayush, Yoga committee under Vice-Chancellor of Ayurveda University, Organising Site committee under District Magistrate, Dehradun, Transport committee under Secretary, Transport,Media committee under Information, Secretary, Cleanliness committee under City Commissioner were formed. Besides all the concerned departments will nominate a nodal officer each. The online registration and passes will be looked after by ITDA. He instructed that trainees should be trained by able Yoga gurus. A control room has been establish to monitor the day to day progress of the preparations.

It has to be mentioned that in the presence of Prime Minister Modi a collective demonstration of Yoga will be done in Dehradun. The campus of Forest Research Institute (FRI) has been proposed to hold the event.  The government has chosen to hold national function of International yoga Day ( June 21) at Dehradun. A total of 60,000 participants will hold collective yoga show on June 21. Before the final show to be held between 7 am to 7.45 am, rehearsal will be done on  June 18 and a full rehearsal will be on June 19.

Members of Uttarakhand police, Army, para-military forces, NCC, NSS, Scouts and Guides, Yoga institutes, school, colleges, women and senior citizens organisations, youth clubs and Nehri Yuva Kendra, ASHA, ANM workers and other people will participate in the show. Yoga institutes will give training to the participants. Apart from national event in Uttarakhand, similar collective yoga display events will be organized in all the state capitals, districts, blocks and gram pachayats in the country.

Delhi High court asks Delhi Government, UGC to file reply on NGO PIL

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newspost
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0

The Delhi High court has issued notice to Delhi government, Guru Govind Singh Indra Prashta University (GGSIPU) and University Grant Commission (UGC) on a public interest Litigations challenging the powers of GGIPU to grant affiliations to colleges outside Delhi. All the parties have to file their replies by the next hearing date which is 1st October, 2018.

Public Interest Litigation Writ Petition (C) 5588 of 2018 was listed before the Division Bench of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, presided over by the Hon’ble Acting Chief Justice and the Court after hearing the counsels appearing for the parties was of the view that the matters requires deeper consideration and has been pleased to issue Notice to the GNCTD, GGSIPU and UGC for 1st October, 2018, directing them to file their replies in the meantime.

The PIL filed by NISHTAA NGO associated with social causes seeks declaration of Section 4(1) of the Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya Act, 1998 as void to the extent that the same permits Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University to exercise its powers beyond the territorial jurisdiction of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD). The PIL states that the same is is in violation of the constitutional mandate of Article 239-AA(3) and repugnant to Article 245(1) of the Constitution of India and/ or challenging the vires of Section 4 (1) of Act of 1998, to the extent that permits I.P. University to exercise its powers beyond the territorial jurisdiction of NCTD.

GGSIP University has been granting affiliations to private institutes/colleges that are outside the territorial jurisdiction of NCT of Delhi on the strength of Section 4(1) of Act of 1998. Affiliations have been granted to various institutes, like SGIT School of Management, Amity Law School, JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus etc., which are situated outside the territorial limits of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The PIL points that

  • Legislative Assembly of Delhi, while enacting S.4(1) of the Act of 1998 enlarged the scope of the Act and ventured into the territorial jurisdiction of other states, namely, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and hence travelled far beyond its legislative competence, which it derives from Article 239-AA(3)(a) of the Constitution of India.
  • Article 239-AA(3)(a) is unambiguous in the scope and powers it confers upon the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, that is, to make laws for the whole or any part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
  • Therefore, by virtue of Article 239-AA(3)(a), the Legislative Assembly of Delhi has the power and mandate to make laws for the territory of Delhi only and Article 239-AA(3)(c) of the Constitution of India provides that if the law made by the Legislative Assembly of NCTD is repugnant to any provision of a law made by Parliament or of an earlier law, then the law made by the Legislative Assembly to the extent of repugnancy be void.
  • To support their claim the PIL refers to Supreme Court in Prof. Yash Pal & Anr. v. State of Chhattisgarh & Ors., 2005 (5) SCC 420, held the provision, which enabled a University to have off-campus Centres outside the territorial jurisdiction of the said State, to be ultra vires as it was violative of Article 245(1) of the Constitution.

Education has always been a profitable business in the country. For the last decade numerous private universities have flourished in the country and lakhs of students have enrolled in them with the hope of a better future. Thus, the onus lies on the government to keep a strict vigil on Colleges and Universities to follow set rules and regulation.

SheCab brings comfort and safety on wheels to Doon

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun. If by chance you were to see a car being driven by a lady dressed in pink with a female client onboard on the streets of Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar or Mussoorie, then perhaps, you are witnessing history in the making.

Under the abled hands of Saheli Trust, a duly registered non profit organization who has been  working with the aim of empowering women and providing a safe childhood to children in the State Capital has come up with a brilliant  “SheCab” idea and as the name suggests, it is for the women, by women and of women.

For now, three qualified lady drivers Ajrun Nisha, Madhu and Mamta trained by the NGO, are ready to take on the roads and traffic presently covering Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Haridwar, taking women clients comfortably to their destination in their cabs giving them a  sense of security.

Secretary of Saheli Trust, Shruti Kaushik says ‘‘as the name suggests SheCab service is for women, by women and of women. SheCab has been started with the motive of empowering women where they can easily earn 8000/- rupees per month which will go upto 10,000/-” She adds, “for the past five years we have been working in the field of women empowerment and this too is a step in that direction, though this is still on a trail basis but in the coming days we are sure we will have a proper launch of the SheCab team,” Shruti tells us.

One of the Trust’s first female driver 28 year old Mamta has been busy ferrying clients to Mussoorie, Jollygrant and Dehradun in her two day trial period. Taking a quick break from work, she tells us, “I want to lead by example, I want women to change the way they think about themselves. I want them to feel empowered and for my clients, to feel safe and secure when I drive them around.’

Next time, if you are a woman and you plan to go places and want to be driven around by these daring ladies in pink, then dont think twice, just call ‘SheCab‘ on the number given below or just log on to their website for details and price-list.

Phone: 7300700401& 2736652 

Website: www.shecab.co.in

Chips, Gutkha, Tetra packs, top plastic waste in Mussoorie: Gati Audit

By
newspost
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0

A day-long clean-up drive by the State Forest Department, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board and Dehradun based think-tank Gati Foundation, collected over 50% plastic trash along an attractive tourist destination in the hill-town of Mussoorie.

Present with his dedicated team, Anoop Nautiyal, Founder Gati Foundation said, “The focus of the cleanup was on the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility, which places the onus on manufacturers to take responsibility of the plastic generated during the entire lifecycle of the product, an important element of the Plastic Waste Management Rule 2016.”

The audit by Gati Foundation found brands such as Nestlé’s Maggi, Frooti and Appy Tetrapacks, ParleAgro’s, PepsiCo’s Lay’s as the top three majority of plastic waste. Other brands that were collected in the plastic brand-audit included Vadilal and Amul ice-cream wrappers, Britannia biscuit wraps, and Haldiram along with packets of chewing tobacco such as Dilbaag as well as half-used blister packs of pills, syrups, santiary pads, diapers and medicines.

The cleanup and audit at Company Garden was the beginning of The Himalayan Cleanup, a drive being simultaneously organized across 10 mountain States of India on one single day, as a run up to World Environment Day i.e. 5th June, with the theme for this year being #BeatPlasticPollution.

SDO Mussoorie, Neeraj Sharma who could be seen actively participating in the drive reiterated,  “Awareness is the first move to changing things. The clean up drive is a step in that direction.”

The aim of the drive was to bring to the forefront the issue of plastic waste, and also to understand what is in our waste through a waste and brand audit.

Uttarakhand SI Gagandeep leads by Example

By
Tania Saili
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0

This story could be  anywhere in India when the Middle Ages meet the Millenium and sparks fly. Four young people, three boys and a girl on a picnic near a temple in Girijia, some 15 kms from Ramnagar in District Nainital, Uttarakhand. Things turn ugly as some locals take umbrage at the youngsters turning the temple into a picnic spot. One boy  and  a girl  are singled out and asked uncomfortable questions.

The mob turns ugly, starting to rough up the boy. But this is where there’s a twist to this sad tale. Here in one of Uttarakhand’s wayside temple town, a young police officer, 27 year old Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh intervenes. He shields the hapless boy from the crazed mob, and in the process takes a few  blows from the crowd.

A short video clip of the incident which happened in broad daylight on the 24th of May has gone viral. Regaling the young Sikh Sub-Inspector Gagandeep Singh, turning into a knight to the rescue, in the face of a primitive  lynched  mob, he simply says:  “I was just doing my duty, I have been trained to protect and save anyone who comes to us for help and I did just that, ” says a media shy Gagandeep.

Happy with the way things panned out,  SSP Nainital Janmajai Khanduri has announced a cash reward for the brave policeman : “This young officer has stood as a perfect example of the police force which is hard to come by in given the circumstances, this reward is but a token for his good deed.”

“A case is being registered against those lynching the young lad, we are taking details of the people present through the video which was circulated on social media,” Vikram Rathore SHO Ramnagar tells us who too was present when the unfortunate incident took place, further stating that the mob comprised of members of Bajrang Dal. Now that doesn’t seem to be much of  a surprise anymore!

See the Video here:

Mussoorie Police on Tenant Verification Drive

By
Tania Saili
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0

6:00 a.m. today morning residents of Ambedkar Chowk, Duggal Villa, Shipan Court in Library Mussoorie woke up to the knock of policemen at the door who had come in early for tenant verification drive in the area. The verification drive that lasted close to 4 hours was done in lieu of making sure that there were no unidentified tenants staying on rent in the colonies in the area.

Come summer, and a lot of people come to Mussoorie to make a living, some by unfair means. The Mussoorie Police under the abled leadership of SI Bhavna Kainthola made sure that this was not to be the case. Taking to Newspost, Bhavna said, “ We do these random verification drives from time to time to rule out any anti-social element living amongst us and to make sure that there is proper tenancy verification, within four hours 13 landlords were fined for 10,000/-each for flouting tenancy rules. “

Verification drives like these are deterrent to those who take up a place on rent with evil intention in mind and is a constant reminder to landlords who give their place on rent for minor financial gains jeopardising safety and security of those who live around them.

Femina Miss Uttarakhand video: A visual treat

By
Tania Saili
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0

These days a short video clip of 1 minute 29 second for fbb Femina Miss India 2018 featuring the gorgeous Miss India Uttarakhand Sumita Bhandari is doing the rounds.  Tastefully done, the clip has managed to bring to the forefront not just the beauty and elegance of the contestant but also subtly highlighted elements which make the hill-state of Uttarakhand truly ‘Devbhoomi.’

Taking up the challenge of shooting a montage within a short span of time rajabajafilms.com did not fail to deliver.  Not new to the art of making creative videos, the shoot from pre to post editing was finished within a stipulated time frame of 7 days.  The week old shoot has artistically captured the nuances of the natural beauty of the State as well as the tall, petite and elegant contestant Sumita Bhandari.

Speaking to Newspost, Navendu Raturi, Media production manager for rajabajafilms say, “Within a very tight schedule we focused towards portraying the natural scenic beauty around us. Sumita is very confident, bold and smart, qualities that come out in the video shoot as well. Overall is was a good experience collaborating to gain a common output within a short span of time.”

The shoot was shot in interesting locales in the vicinity of Dehradun and Mussoorie such as Maldevta, George Everest House in Mussoorie, along the Old Mussoorie Road, Tapovan and in and around village Kimadi.

Taking time out from her busy schedule, Sumita Bhandari, Miss India Uttarakhand spoke about the shoot stating, “The video will make you want to travel to  places. The whole shoot was fun, I remember this one particular incident where it was  raining heavily that we had to stop the shoot, and we ate the best momos that money could buy, in a perfect setting, it was a memorable shoot.“

While weather did try to play spoil sport during the shoot, the end result leaves you wanting for more.

Have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DJD2Ozjl7A

DMs to take effective steps to prevent forest fires:CM

By
newspost
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0

Chief Minister Rawat has instructed all the District Magistrates to take effective steps to prevent the forest fire incidents. To review the incidents of forest fire, Chief Minister took a meeting of the Forest Department officials, in which all the District Magistrates were connected through video conferencing.

Taking to task the officials of the Forest Department, the Chief Minister asked them that what preparations they have made to prevent forest fires. He said that if the preparations were complete, why it failed to yield desired results? Snubbing the Nodal Officer, Forest Department V.P,Gupta and DFO Pauri, CM asked them to bring improvement in their functioning. He directed all the DMs that for the forest fires in their respective districts, accountability would be theirs. CM issued orders that performance, efforts to prevent the forest fires and their results would be registered in the Performance Appraisal Report of the Divisional Forest Officers. He said that DMs and Forest Department should connect with the local communities and with the assistance of the local populace, security of the forests can be ensured in an effective manner.

Chief Minister expressed dismay over the release of mere 50 per cent budget from the total sanctioned budget of Rs 12.37 crores for the preventing of incidents of forest fire. “Fire incidents are occurring now. For when are you saving money”, asked the Chief Minister, while directing that the remaining amount be provided to all the districts immediately. He told all the DMs that they should adequately utilize the money available in the Disaster Management System and Disaster Management Account.

Chief Minister said that under the Disaster Management Account, all the districts have been disbursed Rs 5 crore each and from 10 per cent of this amount, equipments can be purchased. He said that forest fire is not just the problem of the Forest Department. The problem should be tackled with the inter-department coordination and with full potential. He said that Forest Department should not wait for the monsoons and accelerate its efforts with from now only. He said that districts from where there is no report of active fire should also remain alert. Regarding the incidents of forest fire, the concerned nodal officer informed that till now 776 fire incidents have been registered, which has affected area measuring 1271 hectare. He said that 40 master control rooms have been set up.

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