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December 7, 2018

Dehradun, In response to the grievances expressed by most of the hoteliers regarding high commissions and deep discounting, some forty hotel owners of Dehradun held a meeting today.

All present were of the view of how indiscriminate discounts were being offered by two online travel portals (goibibo / makemytrip). Moreover these companies were charging commissions up to the tune of 35% from hoteliers on the sell rates. This was making it difficult for hoteliers to sustain their businesses and are earn revenue. “The hoteliers claimed that OTA’s business practices were exploitative, unethical and divisive and led to predatory pricing and other market distortions that had the potential to harm both hoteliers and consumers in the long term.”

Recently regional hotel associations like the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Gujarat expressed concerns regarding GI-MMT. They decided that hotels in Ahmedabad would not accept discounts from December 1 and that commissions would be below 18%.

Budget and mid-market hotels across the city also expressed their anger against OYO, as their businesses was adversely affected due to deep discounting, high commissions and arbitrary contract changes being sought by the platform.

Dehradun hoteliers came on a common platform and considered action against OYO, the room aggregators associating with hotels on SMART SELL MODEL, as well. Those present unanimously felt that OYO was disrupting the smooth operation of the hospitality market by also picking up rooms at private homes and renting them out.

Some of the important decisions taken at the meeting were:

1. TAC for OTA’s to be renegotiated and to be fixed for all hotels @ 15% Flat across the city
2. Performance Link Bonus to be denied across GI-MMT .
3. Hotels do not want any discount coupons to be applied by OTA’s ( Go-MMT) and rooms be sold at set rack rates of the hotels.
4. Deny 2.5 % Platform fee charged by OYO.
5. To deny OYO commission on GST as well as flat commissions on walk-in guests .
6. To discuss out-standing payments by OYO to hotel partners.

Dehradun hoteliers decided to be part of HRAU (Hotel and restaurant Association of Uttarakhand), and would soon hold a Meeting with local representatives of OYO , GO-MMT to update and discuss the pointers that took place at the meeting.

PEN India Foundation felicitates volunteers.

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December 5, 2018

Dehradun, Each year, 5th of December is celebrated as International Volunteer Day. On this occasion PEN-India Foundation felicitated its volunteers.

Dr. Prakash Keshaviah, the Patron of the Foundation spoke on the occasion stating, “On 17th December 1985, UN General Assembly passed a mandate to observe 5th of December as International Volunteer Day every year. In 2001, UN celebrates International Volunteer Day, a day to celebrate the contributions of the volunteers at the local, national as well as at international level.“

Mr. Anoop Rawat, the Chairperson of the Foundation informed that, “Ms. Poonam Naugain has been awarded/felicitated with the Achievers Award, for selflessly providing free education to the underprivileged children in the PEN India School.” Ms Poonam, is a B.Sc Home Science student at G.B Pant University.

Mr. Santosh Budakoti, the Director of the Foundation said, “various NGOs are coming forward (extending their help) for the smooth running of the PEN India School. Just like Ms Poonam, various students and youngsters are getting involved with PEN India Foundation as volunteers.”

Awardees of PEN India Foundation:
Aarti Pundir, Simran Sadana, Swapnil Gahlot, Mansi Negi, Poonam Naugain, Anukriti, Neha Jawa, Yamuni Bhandari, Himanshu, Piyush Kandwal, Pankaj Budakoti, Susheel Nautiyal, Prakash Pandey, Sandeep Rawat, Ritu Sharma, Deepalika Negi,

Bugwaal: Diwali in the hills of Jaunpur and Jaunsar

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December 5, 2018

Kolti, Exactly a month after Deepawali is celebrated in the plains of India, the people of Jaunpur & Jaunsaar of Uttarakhand ring in Bugwaal, a traditional Diwali being kept alive in a little over hundred villages in the region.

This traditional Diwali/bugwaal holds a special place in the hearts of the hill folks. Folklore has it that Bugwaal is the celebration of the home-coming of legendary warrior of Maletha, Srinagar-Garhwal Madho Singh Bhandari and his retinue after sealing the borders of Garhwal.

Today the people and these hills continue to celebrate with equal fervour as they turn out in their fineries as young and old, men and women sing, dance and light the bhayloo made from the bark of pine trees.

For most of the women who assemble in the village courtyard of Kolti to enjoy the three day fest, this is an annual pilgrimage to their Maith or maternal home, as Sarita Panwar speaks for all, “Our Diwali is exactly one month after the Diwali in the plains. Married girls return to their mother’s home to celebrate this festival…we get-together, shop, sing, cook and make memories that see us through to the next year.”

Megh Singh Kandhari, a social activist from the Jaunpur region adds, “these three day festivities is something we all look forward to. We celebrate Bhandh the first day, followed by Baraj and then Holday/bhyaalo (pine bark) are lit. Traditional food items such as kavalle Pakoray (fritters) and askey are distributed amongst families.”

While this tradition has been forgotten by the youth, an elder of the village, Tikaram Baderi laments, “times are changing, most of our youth are off to the Great Indian Plains in search of a job. While many cant make it home to celebrate Bugwaal, those left behind lack the fervour, it is only a matter of time when the next generation will forget the ways of the ancients.”

As the winter sun, sets behind the hills, men and women come out of their homes to gather in the courtyard swaying and singing lost to the rhythm of the dhool and damau, with just music and the sacred bhayloo for company.

Mussoorie born Aayushi crowned Miss India Ocean

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December 3, 2018

Its raining beauty crown, literally! After Nikita Rana from Chamba, Mussoorie’s own Aayushi Yashwardhann bagged the coveted title of Miss India Ocean 2018 at Global Mr. & Miss India Asia held on the 24th November, in New Delhi

For tall and beautiful 23-year-old Aayushi, this was a dream come true. Home, on a short visit to spend time with her close-knit joint-family, she shares her happiness with us, “being a famous model has always been my dream, winning this crown has made me move closer to that goal of mine.”

Aayushi completed her schooling from Nirmala High School, Mussoorie and then went onto to do her Post Graduation in English from MPG College Mussoorie. Looking back, she tells us, “my mother Rani was always supportive of my career choice. My father, a government employee Sudesh Chand, was skeptical, but winning this crown has made him believe in me.”

Standing tall at 5.9 inches was an added advantage for Aayushi. She started doing photo shoots and bridal shoots as a Cover Girl for local magazines. In the meantime, she auditioned for a few modeling assignments along with pursuing theatre. Aayushi went on to walk the ramp at district level Fashion shows and made her presence felt.

When GIP Production came to Dehradun in September for their all India audition, Aayushi was selected. She spent a few days in Delhi where she went through rigorous grooming sessions.

A week back, Aayushi walked away with the title of Miss India Ocean 2018 after qualifying for the top twenty from hundred and seventy-two participants. The judging panel consisted of tall n dusky actress Bipasha Basu, Dr. Varun Katiyar, Rita Gangwani, Ankit Nagpal and Mrs. India Worldwide 2018, Kirti Mishra Narang.

What next? “I would like to see myself walking down the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week and make to make it big in the world of modelling and give acting a shot too,” she signs off on that positive note.

MAD Eco-Friendly inputs for Dehradun Marathon, a success

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December 2, 2018

Dehradun’s own student activist group, Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD) volunteered to creatively assist Uttarakhand Police at its third edition of the Dehradun Marathon, today morning.

The Dehradun Marathon 2018, drew close to 20,000 participants who took part in the Uttarakhand police awareness run against Drug Abuse. MAD, comprising of educated, conscious youngsters of the city, the police reached out to the team and requested support. In several meetings that were convened by ADG Law and Order Ashok Kumar, MAD members stressed on using steel glasses or eco friendly paper cups against plastic bottles handed out to participants at the marathon.

Leading by example, MAD members showcased their own MADATHON- MAD’s own mini- marathon, which had been running on completely eco-friendly lines for the past seven years. In the 2018 edition, MADATHON became the first mini-marathon of the city to be a complete zero waste event as they used steel glasses procured from various Gurudwaras and Garhwal Sabha at different water filling points for their 8000 runners.

ADG Law and Order, Ashok Kumar was very impressed with the eco-friendly input and substantially implement the same for the Dehradun Marathon as well. MAD assisted the effort with over 35 volunteers at water filling stations in an attempt to minimise use of plastic.

MAD made a fervent pitch that all promotional material should be non-plastic and for this they made a cloth banner of dimensions 20 ft. by 5 ft. themselves.

The police put on record its appreciation for MAD’s creative engagement which was put together by MAD’s President Karan Kapoor, Shreya Singh Rohilla, Archie, Gayatri, Inder, Sanat, Hridayesh, Utkarsh among others.

Dehradun Marathon, The cleanest this city has ever seen!

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December 2, 2018

Dehradun, 2nd December 2018, Uttarakhand Police hosted the 3rd edition of the Dehradun Marathon today morning to spread awareness against the use of drugs. Around 20,000 participants ran for the cause. Waste Warriors Society, a Dehradun-based NGO, along with a team of close to a hundred volunteers, came forward to help people understand the importance of waste segregation and to prevent littering.

The marathon was flagged off from Police Line and covered 11 kms of the town which then culminated back at the Police Line Ground’s. Enroute all water stations were manned by Waste Warriors volunteers who informed and assisted runners to throw their cups and peels into separate labelled waste-bins placed along the route.

Dr. Geetika, a participant said “by far, the cleanest marathon I have ever run. The main event began and ended at the Police Line Ground, where a similar setup had been put in place. Waste bins were properly labelled and volunteers ensured that people used the correct one.

A section within the ground was dedicated for waste segregation and Waste Warriors volunteers segregated waste into recyclables and food waste on the spot. With a gathering running into thousands, and a course of 11 kms, it was great to see how all the waste was managed with such enthusiasm by trained volunteers.

Over 130 waste bins were set up along the route. “Waste Warriors intended to set an example for such events in Dehradun and around country as well as to spread the concept of a waste-free race,‘ said Avinash Singh, the COO of Waste Warriors. Saba and Astha, regular volunteers of Waste Warriors, shared how, “all the waste generated at the event was primarily segregated into eight different categories. Further segregation will then be carried out by trained Green Workers at Waste Warriors’ waste segregation facility.”

So here it to more litter-free runs in the country!

For Osla folks: A case of better late, than never

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December 2, 2018

On 28^th November, at 4:30 pm. Young dynamic Ashish Chauhan, Uttarkashi’s District Magistrate sets out for village Osla.

The DM is accompanied by twenty odd officials from various department who four hours later, after an uphill trek arrive at their destination. The team spends the night with hundred and fifty odd families who call Osla home and were last visited by a senior officer thirteen years back.

Nestled between two hillocks, Osla, in Mori Block of Sankri Tehsil, is one amongst the many remote villages in the District. On asking why the DM chose this village, he informs us, “The area makes it into the headline for all the wrong reasons. A fire incident in February this winter, razed forty houses in Saawni village close to Osla. I saw the condition first hand then and analyse for myself how we could provide for the families here.” Giving a patient hearing to the village elders, a list of priorities was set. Topping the list was to provide basic training for fire fighting and equipping villagers with fire fighting equipment. Followed by, rigorous medical scrutiny of the inhabitants.

Two women from the settlement, one eighteen year old girl with acute protein deficiency and another thirty year old with an eye ailment were referred to the District Hospital on the spot, by immediate orders of the DM.

The trek to Osla was an eye-opener for the district administration as the District Magistrate puts it, “as I have seen the situation up-close and personal, I have a better understanding of the ground reality. Living conditions in these villages is really miserable and they really need special attention from the administration. Now I will be in a better position to divert funds from Disaster Management and MNREGA for the upliftment of the people there.”

This is not all. From the 2^nd to the 6^thof December a team of officers from departments such as Rural Development, Medical Department, Social Welfare Department and others will be stationed at Taluka. The team will ensure that all the requirements of the villagers such as ration cards; aadhar cards and medical needs are addressed with utmost priority.

That done! The District Magistrate of Uttarkashi has already set his goals on another village. His next mission entails a 17 kilometers trek to Jadau, the remotest village of the District in Bhagirathi Valley.

Rest assured, this is just the beginning of a promising future for the hill-folks of Jadau.

Waste Warriors to ensure Dehradun Marathon 2018 is waste free

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December 1, 2018

Dehradun, Uttarakhand Police has joined hands with Waste Warriors to keep Dehradun Marathon 2018 waste free. The 3rd edition of Dehradun Marathon will be held tomorrow morning i.e. 2nd Dec .

This year’s theme of “Say no to drugs” will ring loud and clear. Uttarakhand police is organising this marathon where close to 20,000+ runners from all over the State and the country are expected to participate in.

Waste Warriors, a Dehradun based NGO, who has been working in the field of waste management to close to a decade now, along with the help of an army of volunteers are all set to educate people about how one can adapt a waste-free sustainable running style.

Through their campaign “Bring Your Own Bottle” hash tagged as #BYOB , they are appealing runners to carry water bottles so that waste generated by plastic bottles and paper cups can be minimised.

Over the year, Waste Warriors have made their presence felt at various events held in the valley and its vicinity like Mussoorie, Rajpur and have been actively participating in furthering their cause of waste management. Recently at the three day Rajpur Nature Fest organised by Rajpur Community, Waste Warriors with the help of volunteers ensured that people coming at the fest use the correct dustbin distributed around the food stalls.

The Uttarakhand Police Department has partnered with Waste Warriors to manage the waste of Dehradun Marathon. In accordance with the Swacch Bharat Mission, this will be a wonderful opportunity and a welcome step to educate people about importance of waste reduction and segregation at its very source.

Sit down, relax and let the Magic begin: Mussoorie’s Winterline

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December 1, 2018