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Srinagar admn turns heat on coaching centres
Govt employees gear up for decisive battle in 2011
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The
Year That Was
New Year gift for traffic cops
Sagar asks BJP not to undo Vajpayee’s peace initiatives
Sports activities begin after six months
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Srinagar admn turns heat on coaching centres
Srinagar, December 31 Meraj Ahmad Kakroo, deputy commissioner, Srinagar, said there was no ban on tuitions and coaching centres. He said the administration was committed to ensure quality education to the students so that they could compete at all levels. Kakroo said during his visit to one of the coaching centres, he found that about 250 students were given lecture in a small room in the Karan Nagar area and each class lasted for just 30-40 minutes. During his interaction with the students, he learnt that each student paid a fee of Rs 4,500. Kakroo said the administration had only directed the coaching centres not to work during school or college timings. Mostly students of classes IX to XII join coaching centres since their examinations are conducted by the J&K State Board of School Education and the Central Board of School Education (CBSE). While examinations of the state board are held during October-November, those of the CBSE are conducted in March every year. The students accordingly join coaching centres during winter months. In many cases, the coaching centres work throughout the year for different courses and competitive examinations. Over the years there has been a mushrooming growth of such centres in Srinagar and these remained active even during the turmoil period last summer. Meanwhile, Minister for Education Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, at a meeting held in Jammu recently, directed the school education department to effectively implement the government order making it mandatory for all private coaching centres to get registered. He said a provision had been made under the law to make it necessary for these centres to notify the subject-wise fee and depute well-educated staff for imparting coaching. The order also binds centres to equip their premises with adequate heating and cooling facilities as per weather and keep proper education-oriented infrastructure and also display the registration certificate indicating all facilities available for general information. The minister has also made it clear that the coaching centres would not be allowed to operate during the day when schools remain functional. He also said so far a good number of centres had approached the department for registration for which a committee of experts had been constituted who would register the centres after verification so that unauthorised centres were weeded out and exploitation of students was ended. Meanwhile, the Coaching Centres Association of Srinagar, have resolved that they would strive hard not only to make up for the loss of study during unrest period but also prepare the students for competitive exams at the state and national levels. “The association has also resolved to launch a campaign for redeeming the image of the centres as it was felt by the members that certain vested elements have been trying to tarnish their image and credibility,” a spokesman for the association stated. |
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Govt employees gear up for decisive battle in 2011
Jammu, December 31 These organisations of employees were not ready to accept the government’s suggestions that the arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission would be given in a phased manner. The government has also assured that the arrears would be given after getting some funds from the Centre. Furthermore, the employees are also demanding that all daily wagers who have completed several years of services should be regularised. The government has announced to regularise contractual employees, but has not given any assurance about daily wagers. Besides the release of arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission, employees are also demanding the conversion of cost of living allowance (COLA) to daily allowance (DA) in favour of the employees of PSUs. Their other demands are regularisation of all daily, contractual, ad hoc and consolidated employees, removal of pay anomalies of all cadres and enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years. Rather, while addressing a convention of the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Union Front, has stated that the government, in the overall interest of public welfare, wants cordial relations with its employees. He said better understanding between the two was primarily important for holistic socio-economic transformation of the state. The Minister said employees who were the pillars of the government should work in unison with the government to serve the people as per their urges and expectations. Rather said the government was keen to meet the genuine demands of the people, adding that there was no room for any confrontation in this regard. He said employees, being a well-educated class of society, should
also keep into consideration the state’s overall financial scenario while projecting their demands, adding that they must also strike balance between their rights and duties. Rather also asked various employee unions to play their role in eradicating the menace of corruption and red-tapism. He said: “I am of the view to encourage trade unionism as it keeps checks and balances on the working of the government and helps to effect transparency in administration and judicious use of funds”. Giving a resume of some landmark decisions taken by the government to meet the demands of the employees, Rather said Jammu and Kashmir was among a few states of the country which has implemented the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation for its employees and has even decided to pay 50 per cent of the arrears out of its own resources in a phased manner. He added that the expenditure on the remaining 50 per cent arrears would be met out of the Central assistance sought for this purpose. He said in yet another landmark decision, the government has decided to regularise the services of all contractual, ad hoc employees. Rather said 10 per cent DA would be given from due date shortly. |
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The
Year That Was
Srinagar, December 31 The developments in the Assembly in the summer months ranged from discourses on stone pelting to the resolution of Kashmir issue and culminating in the debate over the nature of J&K’s accession to India. The previous two years had also been tumultuous in the Kashmir Valley for different reasons. While the case of alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian rocked the state in 2009, in 2008, it was the Amaranth land row, which even led to the premature end to the Congress-PDP coalition government, led by Ghulam Nabi Azad who had to step down about four months before the stipulated term, paving the way for fresh elections. The Omar Abdullah government, under tremendous pressure due to law and order problem in the Valley, withstood the challenges with the intervention of the Central government, which took various political and administrative measures. At one time, it was all chaos due to series of killings of civilians which began on June 11 with the death of Tufail Ahmad Mattoo due to a teargas shell that hit his head in Ghani Memorial Stadium during clashes in downtown Srinagar. The developments that followed attracted the attention of both state and Central governments and various measures were taken to check the crisis at different levels. These measures were initiated when there was a virtual war between the government and separatists spearheading the agitation in protest against the continued spree of killings of civilians. However, the basic reason behind the protests prompted by deaths one after the other remained unnoticed later. The protests had begun against the killing of three youths from Baramulla district of North Kashmir in a fake encounter in the Macchil sector along the LoC in Kupwara district. Omar had yet another challenge of maintaining relations with its coalition partner, the Congress, which had earlier been in coalition with the opposition PDP. In order to overcome the crisis, the Chief Minister called various meetings of legislators and all-party meetings. The PDP, however, stayed away from the all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister here. This was followed by an all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi that was attended by all state political parties and the Central government representatives. While the situation showing least pointers towards normalcy, the Central government deputed a 40- member all-party parliamentary delegation led by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, which had talks with cross-section of people in the state during its two-day visit in September. Later, the Central government announced an eight-point package for the state to provide a soothing effect to the Valley in turmoil for about five months. Subsequently, a three-member team of interlocutors led by noted journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and comprising two others, MM Ansari and Prof Radha Kumar, has been put on the job of getting a feedback from the ground level across the state, that would be submitting its final report within one year. The team is in the process of visiting the state monthly and submitting initial reports to the Centre. Another team of the members from civil society, including some political parties and academicians, is also in the process of holding ground-level feel of the situation in the Valley in an attempt to reach out to the basic cause of unrest. While the situation attracted the attention of national-level parties, Kashmiri separatists remained averse to the political initiatives. While some of the members of the all-party delegation met moderate APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik, hardline APHC chairman Syed Ali Geelani declined to meet though some of the members had an informal meeting with him. The political debate thus generated since June culminated in yet another debate on the nature of J&K’s accession to India, following Omar’s speech in the state Assembly on October 6. The remarks attracted sharp reaction from the opposition parties, including the BJP and the Panthers Party. The law and order situation and political debates on the issue having subsided for the time being, the scene has shifted to the Jammu region with the annual Durbar move for winter months after a tumultuous summer season in Kashmir. Continued general strikes and curfew restrictions had their adverse impact on the economic activity while academic activities also suffered a great deal during the five months of turmoil in the Valley. |
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New Year gift for traffic cops
Jammu, December 31 The traffic police personnel deployed at all main rotaries and intersections are exposed to various health problems due to ever increasing air pollution. Taking cognisance of the fact, Hemant Kumar Lohia, IGP Traffic, has ordered for the purchase of masks for all traffic cops. “The police personnel deployed to man the traffic have been facing some health problems as they were not having masks which were in short supply. Now, the department has given the order for the purchase of 3,000 special masks. One mask could be used for at least a week or more,” the IGP stated, adding that these special masks would be distributed shortly. Speaking further, Lohia said special health camps would also be organised for ensuring better health of police personnel. “Presently, the department conducts medical tests of its personnel once in a year. Now, we have decided to conduct medical camps at regular intervals and mainly on Sundays,” stated Lohia, adding that all traffic cops would be examined thoroughly. A constable in the traffic police said earlier, the department had provided them masks but due to security reasons, they had not been given the masks for the past six months. When the constable came to know about the move, the elated cop said, “Air pollution has increased manifold and we are unable to stand on the roads the whole day, but once we get masks our problem would be solved to some extent”. |
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Four-laning of Jammu-Lakhanpur NH nears completion
Jammu, December 31 About 12 new concrete flyovers and bridges have also been constructed over rivers like the Ujh and other seasonal nullahas at places like Baribrahamana, Vijaypur, Samba, Hiranagar, Rajbagh and Kalibari to make it an all-weather road. Earlier, during the rainy season, suspension of the traffic on the highway was a routine affair. An official of the NHP said the step was also necessitated since the existing bridges had outlived their utility and were now prone to accidents. “The work is presently in progress on a bridge over the Ujh near Rajbagh, while two vital bridges at Kalibari near Kathua town have been made operational last week,” he said. The official hoped that by the end of this year, work on all bridges and culverts would be fully completed. With the near completion of the work on the project, commuters shuttling between Lakhanpur and Jammu are now an elated lot. “Apart from strategic point of view, converting the road into four lanes has reduced common man’s plight,” said Sunil, a state government employee working at Lakhanpur. Same views were expressed by Majid, who shuttles between Jammu and Kathua everyday. “It now takes me less than 80 minutes to cover the distance. Earlier, the same distance was tiring and equally time consuming,” he asserted. Even then, certain bottlenecks on this highway are still hazardous which often lead to traffic jams and congestion. Although a new concrete bridge over a nullah at Kaluchak has since been completed, the same is not being allowed for traffic purpose for some unknown reasons. “During the peak hours, this stretch of road, up to Satwari, always witnesses heavy traffic jams. The authorities need to look into this grave problem affecting the common masses,” said Nitish Arora of Gandhinagar. Further, there should also be a check on speed, since the highway passes through a number of big and small towns, he added. |
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Sagar asks BJP not to undo Vajpayee’s peace initiatives
Srinagar, December 31 The Minister was addressing a huge gathering after inaugurating a model village near Handwara in Kupwara district of North Kashmir the other day. Sagar said the party by resorting to rhetoric was actually trying to divert the attention of people from the real issues and hiding its failures. He said it was recorded history that serious efforts were taken during the regime of Vajpayee and process was also initiated when different school of thought were incorporated in peace talks for finding a lasting solution to the vexed issue. “We are hopeful that in near future a lasting solution will be worked out which would usher in an era of peace, prosperity and development and appealed to all parties concerned to shun their prejudices and come forward for working out the same,” he said. The Minister maintained that the government had already submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Centre and many other packages would also be welcome. Referring to the role played by the MGNREGA in poverty alleviation and developing the rural landscape, the Minister asked the people to avail the maximum benefits from the scheme as an amount of Rs 38 crore had been earmarked for the district. Those present on the occasion included MLA, Handawara, Chowdary Mohammad Ramzan, Director, Rural Development, Kashmir, Jahangir Mir, District Development Commissioner, Kupwara, Mohammad Shafi Rather, and other senior officers of the department and district administration, an official spokesman said. The model village of Waddipora constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1.20 crore has all state-of-the-art facilities like community information centre, community hall and other related facilities. MLA, Handwara, Ch. Muhammad Ramzan, also spoke on the occasion and said the present government was committed to working for equitable development of all three regions of the state and in this regard various welfare schemes have been undertaken. |
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srinagar diary
With the onset of winter, the Valley has witnessed a gradual decline in political and other activities due to chilly weather and the shifting of the seat of government to Jammu, the state’s winter capital. For major part of summer, the Valley was in turmoil and it witnessed tremendous political activities by the mainstream parties, state administration and separatist organisations. Soon after the Durbar moved to Jammu early in November, these activities began to decline in Kashmir.
First, there was a gradual end to the weekly protest calendars issued by separatists, who had spearheaded the agitation since June. Normal life was restored in the Valley by October and educational institutions started gearing up to overcome the loss during summer months. The separatist parties have lowered their approach of confrontation with the government and mainstream political parties. Now, the issues confronting the government are the maintenance and restoration of road links, power and water supplies and for the common man (See picture) it is a tough fight against the winter chill. Valley awaits rail link
Not many years ago, the Valley had only two links connecting it with the rest of the country. These comprise the only road link i.e. the 296-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, and the air links. But over the past few years, there is yet another link and that is railway line, which, however, is operational only on a stretch of 119 km within the Valley. Due to heavy snowfall during the past few days, both links were snapped and the Valley was cut off from the rest of the country. There were also reports about the disruption of railway services within the Valley. After the railway line gets connected through the longest tunnel between Qazigund in south Kashmir and Banihal in Jammu region, and the completion of the remaining link to Udhampur, the Valley will have all three links with the rest of the country. It would make it much easier for tourists to have a look at the Kashmir’s beauty throughout the year, although it would still take over five
years. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili) |
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Need to ‘preserve’ Dogri folk music
Jammu, December 31 The voice that rendered first and ever-green melodious composition of Dogri song in classical Meg Malhar, Chalay Puray Aali Waa and Mast Loorian Sunaa is silent these days. A few years ago, an accident affected his hearing ability taking sheen away from his mellifluous voice. “My voice is out of sync with music now. Every sound seems to be a cacophony. There is no harmony around,” the artist shared his anguish, adding, “Still I am an optimist and do believe that I will regain my voice and hearing ability soon”. “One good thing I never gave up doing in my life is daily “reyaaz”. I notice slight improvement every morning,” he said after singing some of his popular songs. He said, “I know, this performance could not justify my name. This is the reason why I have stopped going to radio stations and public functions in the capacity of a singer”. Born in 1937, he inherited the legacy of music from his mother Vishnu Devi. He recalled: “Every morning, I would wake up to the bhajans being sung by my mother on harmonium”. He still has the prize-possession of musical instrument that has not stopped inspiring him even today. He was trained in vocal music by Master Kanthu Ram at Durga Sangeet Vidyalaya at Bhawarian Bazaar. “Kanthu Ram and famous singer of the state KL Sehgal were the disciple of Pandit Durga Dutt,” he said. By the time he was in college, Prakash had established himself as a singer. “In 1954, his songs were recorded by the Radio Kashmir Jammu for college magazine programme with basic fee of Rs 5,” said Prakash, who retired as an engineer from the Public Works Department. He is the architect of some buildings in the city that are considered to be benchmark. “Whatever I am, it’s just because of the blessings of Yash Sharma whom I consider the doyen of Dogri poetry. He discovered artistic genius in me and encouraged for professional singing. The first song which I recorded at the radio station was his composition,” he said. Many honours and awards came to him during his life. During the zenith of his musical career, he performed in many national and international-level events. “I performed in the closing ceremony of Asiad. The J&K contingent of artists that participated in Apna Utsav, Bombay, in 1989, was led by me. Among others, many reputed artists like Asha Bhonsle, Padamshri, Tijan Bai, Amol Palekar, Gurdas Man and Anoop Jalota participated in the event,” he said. “I was the first singer who performed at the inaugural ceremony of Abhinav Theatre before Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah,” he said. Expressing his concerns, Prakash said: “The music industry of Jammu is still in infancy. Budding singers are always faced with the challenge of recording their songs in cassettes and then marketing of cassettes is another challenge. The media is also to be blamed for this. Local channels hardly telecast Dogri songs”. “Artists like Ghulam Mohammad and Praduman Singh have been contributing to the folk but there is a need for more singers,” he said and added, “Seema Anil Sehgal became a singer of national repute only after she shifted to Mumbai. There is always a crisis of resources and opportunities in Jammu”. Prakash strongly feels that folk singing is under fire and stressed that, “It needs to be preserved at any cost otherwise there will be an identity crisis for Dogri music”. |
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Sports activities begin after six months
Srinagar, December 31 During the unrest, sports and many outdoor activities had almost come to a standstill due to frequent shutdowns and prolonged imposition of curfew. Iqbal Ahmad, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Rugby Association, said they had again given a chance to youngsters by organising the first Kashmir-level Rugby Championship-2010 and 20 teams from all over the Valley will be participating in the tourney. “Sports activities almost stopped for six months because of the prolonged curfews in the Valley. Children were not allowed to come out of their houses. So, there was no question of sports activities taking place,” said Ahmad. “And now in such extreme cold conditions, children have got a chance to participate in a tournament. But now they have left back every hurdle and have pledged to give their full participation in the competition,” he added. Rugby players said due to the six months break, their fitness had taken a backseat. Nonetheless, they are confident of regaining the stamina and the spirit to play well in the ensuing rugby tournament. “Of course, we can take part in international competitions if we do continuous practice, which we were not able to do from the past six months. But now, we have again started with the practice session,” said Aqsa Mushtaq, a woman rugby player.
— ANI |
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