Srinagar, April 20
With the construction of a tunnel at Z Morh and Zoji La, the 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway, which was thrown open to vehicular traffic between Kashmir and Ladakh regions recently, would remain open throughout the year.

The average snow accumulation over the 3630-m high Zojila pass, 107 km from Srinagar, usually remains in the range of 15 to 30 m during winter months between November and May.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), after undertaking the feasibility study, has started the construction of the tunnel. The road would remain open throughout the winter with snow clearance being undertaken during winters on both north and south portals of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, the highway was thrown open to light vehicular traffic on April 17, heavy vehicles, mostly truckloads of essential commodities to the frontier cold desert region of Ladaklh would be allowed from April 22, said Abdul Rahim Rather, Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs.

On the occasion of reopening of the highway, Chief Engineer, Beacon project of the BRO, Ashok Butani said efforts were on to keep the road open throughout the year.

The Srinagar-Sonamarg-Zojila-Kargil-Leh road was declared as national highway on March 30, 2006. It serves as a gateway to Ladakh region and strategically vital, besides serving for socio economic development of Ladakh region. The road to Leh was taken over by BRO in 1860 and was being maintained by Project Beacon till April 1, 1991, when the road was handed over to Project Himmank.

The BRO undertakes snow clearance in March every year by deploying snow equipments and dozers in adverse climatic conditions in the area at Z Morh.

Despite early snowfall in first week of November 2009, the Zozila pass was kept open till November 26, 2009 to ease the hardships of Ladakh region. This year, due to heavy snowfall and subsequent snow accumulation of about 40-60 ft at Zojila, the road opening was the biggest challenge. With extensive deployment of resources and manpower, the BRO moved ahead with snow clearance operation and the same was completed on March 28. However, due to avalanches and snowfall, the pass was again closed during the first week of April.

Jammu, April 20
At a time when groundwater table in the state had receded considerably in the past two years, the Army has come to the rescue of villagers in Dhandal village of Ramnagar tehsil in Udhampur district.

The 47 Air Defence Regiment, under the aegis of the 611 (Independent) Air Defence Brigade, resuscitated five ailing natural springs, constructed two water collection chambers and created a concrete water channel network in the village.

Though the irrigation scheme cost Rs 10 lakh to the Army, the endeavour has drawn wide appreciation from the villagers. On April 18, we handed over the project to the villagers, said Col DK Kachari, Defence Ministry’s Northern Command PRO.

The ambitious project has made a qualitative difference in the lives of the villagers and has led to effective utilisation of water, most of which was earlier going waste.

Similarly, the Army, which had earlier constructed classrooms, boundary wall, toilets and a community hall at Government High School in the village, overcame the problem of erratic and poor power supply.

A 17KVA three-phase servo transformer has now been installed at the school which provides stabilised power supply, especially to computer lab, said Col Kachari.

On April 18, the Army handed over two projects at a function attended by over 200 villagers and schoolchildren that marked the inauguration of the two vital projects.

Honorary Captain Ajit Singh, sarpanch of Dhandal village, expressed deep gratitude and satisfaction on the modern infrastructure having been provided to the village under the Operation Sadbhavana.

He prayed for continued support and assistance of the Army in the future too. Brigadier Davis PP, Commander 611 (Independent) Air Defence Brigade, while dedicating the projects to the villagers, underlined the importance of civil-military relations and stressed that the village must maintain these projects to derive their benefits for a long time to come.

Jammu, April 20
Schoolbags are no longer a burden for students of Kendriya Vidyalyas whereas students of government as well as private schools are still reeling under the heavy load of books.

By limiting the weight of schoolbags, Kendriya Vidyalyas have taken some load off the back of their students, which has provided much relief to the latter, particularly during the hot summer days.

The weight of schoolbags has been reduced in accordance with the classes. Principals had informed the parents that the weight of schoolbags of their wards should not exceed to the prescribed limit.

According to the limit, schoolbags for classes I and II should not exceed the weight limit of 2 kg. For students of classes III and IV, the limit is 3 kg whereas the bag of students of classes V to VII should not weigh more than 4 kg.

For students studying in higher classes, the weight limit is little higher than the primary classes. The students of classes VIII to XII have been directed to carry bags having weight of not more than 6 kg.

While praising the student friendly steps taken by the Kendriya Vidyalyas, parents have expressed desire of having same norms for their children studying in other schools.

“Other schools, both government and private, should come up with the same rule,” said Avtar Krishan, a parent.

Veena Sharma, another parent, said her children who were studying in a private school had to bear the burden of books on their back disproportionate to their age groups.

“Instead of minimising the weight of schoolbags, private schools were adding to it by asking students to buy refresher books in addition to text books,” she added.

Jammu, April 20
With mercury soaring to new highs, the Fire and Emergency Services Department is bracing up its men and machinery to tame forest fires, which are generally on rise during summer months.

About 1,000 incidents of forest fires had been reported from the state during the period from April to September last year.

However, there has been a decline of 3 per cent in the total incidents of fire as reported last year, Kanwal Krishan, spokesman for the State’s Fire and Emergency Department, said in connection with the Fire Services Week which concluded recently.

He said advanced rescue tenders and fire-fighting tools, including location towers and floodlights, which were procured recently by the department, had considerably helped in taming wild fires without allowing them to cause much destruction.

He said a recent survey conduced by the department revealed that most of the fire incidents in forests take place around summer season due to the rise in temperature. “In summers, bushes and dry leaves easily catch fire which is supported by high velocity winds. Some other factors, including human negligence and short circuit of high-tension wires passing through the forest areas, also contribute in destroying standing trees and medicinal plants,” Kanwal said.

He said the department was optimistic that the incidents of domestic and forest fires could further be reduced had there been adequate water resources and hydrant points to extinguish flames in time. “With ponds and other water resources drying up, we at times feel helpless in controlling fires, particularly in Kandi areas,” he said.

Kanwal admitted that there were inadequate hydrant points in Jammu city to control the incidents of fire, particularly in interiors and congested areas. “With new fire posts coming up at places like Mubarik Mandi and Bishnah, we require at least 100 more hydrant points to meet any eventuality,” he added.

Jammu, April 20
Band of Brothers, a group of amateur young music buffs, is on its way to carving out a niche in the world of music. The band consisting of city boys will perform at Nishat, Dal Lake and Gulmarg in Srinagar shortly.

The band aims at churning out soulful and meaningful music. "We want to revive Sufi tradition. We will dole out our first album in November," says steward of the band, Amir, a student of 10 th standard.

The band was elated when one of its members, Chahat Hussain, got an opportunity to sing in TV show Indian Idol but he won't be able to do it due to "unavoidable" circumstances.

"On July 18, I am supposed to be in Mumbai for theatre round (final round) of audition but due to domestic problems I have dropped the idea," Chahat regretted.

Steward of the band, Amir, could not make it to the audition of reality show. "I was appearing in the exams when the process of audition started," he said.

Amir is not only a singer but also an outstanding composer and lyrics writer. "For the first album, I and Chahat are writing lyrics and composing the songs, " he said.

For Amir- music is lifeline. "I sit for eight hours a day for composing new tunes and writing words for them," he said, adding that "others also join me for four or five hours a day."

Chahat works as an EDP executive in a car showroom whereas another member of the band, Vishal, is an MBA doing tuitions for the time being.

Chahat is an ardent fan of Pakistani ace singer, Atif Aslam. It was when he listened to his idol masterly rendition of 'Juda ho ke bhi' from the movie Kalyug, Chahat decided to become a singer.

Twentyone-year-old Chahat cherishes a "larger than life dream". "I want to share stage with Atif and sing a few of his songs with him," he avers.

Remarkably, all of them are self-taught and have won several awards at the state and national levels. Besides singing, all of them are apt at playing keyboard, drum, flute, tabla and guitar, besides composing meaningful rhymes.

"The Sufi singing has its deep impact on all of us. During riyaaz we recite the songs of music maestros like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Alsi Khan, Ghulam Ali and other veteran singers," said Amir.

"We will perform at Gulmarg on May 21, at Dal Lake on June 30 and at Nishat on July 20," they said. 

He further said besides the CID, the police had also initiated such drives so that nothing illegal takes place in the city.

Meanwhile, a large number of cops have been deployed at the Civil Secretariat to beef up the security arrangements. The visitors are now told to enter their name along with addresses and contact numbers before entering the secretariat premises.

Also, policemen in civil dresses have been deployed near the house of Shabnam and Shafaqat, not only for their security but also to keep an eye on them. 

Pattan, April 20
It seems that the government has turned a blind eye towards the development of the Pattan area as the roads in this tehsil has not been repaired for the past many years.

The Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway that passes through this town is in a shambles and has not been repaired for the past many years thus forcing the residents and commuters to face hardships.

"If this is the condition of the national highway, you can well imagine the condition of interior roads," said Ghulam Qadir, a shopkeeper in the town.

The road that passes from the main market of this town is dotted with potholes and during raining season the market turns into a cesspool.

"It is not only a national highway, but also an international route as the bus connecting Srinagar with Muzaffrabad ply on this road, what expression would visitors get while travelling on this route," said Tariq Ahmed, a resident of Pattan.

"Whenever there is a rainfall the entire highway gets submerged in the water, the market becomes inaccessible and people, especially pedestrians, have to face a lot of problems, he added".

People blame the condition of the road responsible for frequent road mishaps in the area, which have resulted in many deaths.

"Hardly a day passes here without a road accident, many people have lost their lives, but the government seems to be least bothered about the issue," said Gulzar Ahmed another resident of the town.

The locals have staged demonstrations and blocked the highway a number of times in the past, but they allege that despite the repeated assurances of the authorities concerned, the condition of the road remains same.

Irony of the fact is that while the state government is spending a huge amount for the infrastructural development in Gulmarg to attract more tourist, the Pattan road, which is one of the main ways to the tourist resort, continues to be neglected.

"It is high time that the government should fulfil its promise of equitable development in the state, while a huge amount is shown spent on papers for the development of the area. Not a single penny has been spend to repair this road, which has become a cause of concern for not only the people of the town but for everyone who travels on this road," said Mustaq Ahmed, a villager.

Jammu, April 20
The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has collected double revenue this year as compared to the revenue of the previous year.

As per the records, the total revenue collected for 2009-10 is Rs 1,226.15 lakh and Rs 44.38 lakh through cheques, thus making the total revenue of Rs 1,270.53 lakh, while as the last year, the revenue collected by the corporation was Rs 636.19 lakh.

Mubarak Singh, commissioner, JMC, expressed satisfaction over this achievement of the corporation. After reviewing developmental activities undertaken by the corporation under various schemes for the financial year 2009-10, Singh has directed the officers to chalk out plan for the next year.

While reviewing the pace of works taken up under the Capital City Development Project (CCDP) for 2009-10, the commissioner stressed upon the joint commissioner (works) and executive engineers of the corporation to complete the work within the shortest possible time.

According to the records, works amounting to Rs 845 lakh were taken up under the CCDP and municipal receipts and works amounting to Rs 321.77 lakh were taken up from own resources.

During 2009-10, Rs 305 lakh were spent on the installation of HPSV luminaries and high-mast lights.

Meanwhile, the corporation has decided to construct ward offices in each ward (71), which would serve as focal points for the redressal of public grievances at the ward level. Executive engineers were directed to pace up the work of construction in some of the wards where the work has been already undertaken, so that the ward offices are made operational at the earliest.

Ladhoo-Pampore, April 20
The shrine of famous saint Bramh Reshi Jeewan Sahib, about 22 km from the city centre, here, is in a shambles and needs an urgent attention. Apart from renovation, encroachments around its premises need to be immediately looked into to protect and preserve this cultural heritage.

Located in Wasturwan Mountains, this two-storeyed shrine comprises of a hall and a room meant for ‘langar’ in the ground floor and saints’ ‘dhune’ (sacred fire), where he used to meditate, and a store in the first floor.

Almost half portion of the shrine has been razed to ground. Its walls have developed deep cracks, window openings are damaged, mud and wooden pillars have almost tilted and stairs are out of order.

‘Dhune’ is on a raised portion about 18 feet high in the upper storey. A couple of idols are also here, though they are not properly managed.

“The renowned saint lived from 1780-1858 and has been highly revered by people irrespective of caste and creed since decades,” said Ravi Ji Bhat, a social activist, adding the sacred fire used to be here round the clock and ashes were highly revered by devotees.

The shrine is visited by the people belonging to various religions, race and culture. The area is known for saints and saffron. Close by, there are shrines of other Sufi saints, including Abdul Wahab, Neewaam sahib, Sheikh-ul-Alam and Jawala Jee Temple.

Bhat, who is also the general secretary of the Hindu Welfare Association, Ladhoo, said: “The temple spread over hundreds of kanals in the past is left with a few kanals. The rest has been encroached. We want the present status to be maintained so that it isn’t further encroached”.

The social activist said: “Since the shrine is in a deteriorating condition, it should not only be protected, but also be renovated at the earliest so that the rich heritage symbol of the state is preserved”.

He, however, added that the role of locals in protecting the shrine could not be underestimated. “Till he passed away last year, Mohammad Razak Lone, a local, used to look after it.”

A group of residents argued that the shrine had a huge area, but the same has been encroached. “Being a symbol of rich cultural heritage, it should be preserved. Unfortunately, its major portion of land has been sold off,” they said.

Bhat added that encroachments have been going on since years together. “We are trying to stop further encroachments, but we need the support of the government”. He added that they have constructed a ‘samadhi’ of the saint in 2007 on their own, but they have their limitations in terms of available funds and human resources.

He said some vested interests want to sell the land of the shrine for their own motives. He added that few years ago the government used to pay for ‘langar’ and ‘dhune’, which was discontinued later.

“We stress for the renovation of the shrine,” says Raja Begum, a senior citizen and resident of Mandpora, adding, “I have been visiting the shrine for the past 40 years”. Keys of the shrine are with her son Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh.

The scorching sun of April is proving a blessing in disguise for many. The rise in mercury has altered daily activities in the city. With the sale of cold delicacies and drinks suddenly increasing, the sellers are pocketing handsome profits. Traffic cops could also be seen resting in the shade as traffic load has dramatically decreased on the roads during the day.

Night life has been revived to a large extent. People could be seen in parks and markets gossiping and roaming about late in the evening.

Srinagar, April 20
“Kala zeera is still semi-domesticated although people have started moving towards it,” says Prof Anwar Alam, vice-chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir (SKUAST-K), adding that kala zeera research station will be soon established at Gurez.

He said the university had been trying for cut flowers and essential oils (rose and lavender).

“Research is an important mandate of the university. We have a well-developed network of 20 research units,” says the vice-chancellor, adding, “We are trying to bring self-sufficiency in food and nutrition”.

Prof Alam informed, “As of now, we are short by 30-40 per cent in food grains. We want to remove this situation. So far, we’ve released 60 improved varieties, including hybrids, 30 of them in the past five years. Five varieties have been released in rice, eight in maize, five in wheat and two in barley. We’ve developed more than 100 agro-techniques that increase production and productivity and reduce unit cost of production”.

Established in 1982, mandated functions of the varsity include developing human resource in agriculture and allied fields, undertaking research to increase agriculture production and productivity and livelihood base of rural people.

In September 1999, SKUAST-J was established for Jammu division and the parent university was renamed as SKUAST-K with its jurisdiction restricted to the Kashmir valley and Ladakh. SKUAST-K got accredited in 2009. Prof Alam took over in 2003.

He says, “Rice-wheat rotation has been successfully executed throughout the valley. Being a mono-crop area, crop rotation will go a long way towards ensuring food and feed security.”

The vice-chancellor states that released varieties have better disease resistance. “Seeds and planting material developed by the university are multiplied under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-funded mega seed project. The university seeds are sold under brand name, ‘Shalimar Beej’”.

He informed that the varsity was working on hybrid rice. “Ours is a temperate region. There is no hybrid available, whatsoever for temperate region. The varsity has been vigorously working over it for the past eight years.” He added that rice blast was a major disease and the varsity was working over it.