Jammu, January 11
The government has decided to set up trauma hospitals at various places on the Jammu-Srinagar and Jammu-Poonch national highways to provide immediate relief to accident victims. As the number of accident cases has been increasing with every passing year. particularly on these two highways, the authorities have taken this decision to provide timely medical aid to accident victims.

Presently, accident victims are referred to Government Medical Hospital, Jammu, in case of serious mishaps. Most of the times, critically injured patients succumb to injuries on their way to GMCH due to the time wasted in transportation.

Minister of Health Sham Lal Sharma, during a visit to Rajouri, announced that a proposal in this regard has been formulated and after getting approval, the process would be started. On the issue of providing emergency relief to accident victims on the Jammu-Poonch national highway, the minister said the Health Department had submitted a proposal of `78 crore to the Central Government for the construction of a trauma hospital at Sunderbani in Rajouri district. The site for the hospital has already been identified adjoining the Sub-District Hospital where the offices of animal husbandry and poultry farms of the department are located. These departments have been proposed to be shifted to some other locations. The government has already sanctioned posts for the trauma hospital, said Sharma.

Furthermore, in order to curtail rush in government medical colleges and provide better healthcare to the people at their doorsteps, the government will adequately equip all district and sub-district hospitals across the state. All district hospitals will be provided with the facilities of CT scan and critical care ambulance service to cater to the emergencies at the district level.

The minister reiterated the endeavour of the coalition government to upgrade the health services in every nook and corner of the state and during the past two years, a massive development has taken place. The change is visible in every health institution and people have acknowledged the improvement. He said the thrust had been laid to upgrade the existing infrastructure in the rural and far-flung areas to keep a check on the referral system and ease pressure at the Government Medical College, both at Jammu and Srinagar.

Sharma appraised the gathering that during the current financial year, 13 district hospitals would be provided with the facilities of CT Scan and the rest of the districts would be covered in the next year. The cost of each machine was around `1.34 crore. Similarly, the proposal for the procurement of fully-equipped critical care ambulances for each district was also under the active consideration and hopefully the service would be available during the next fiscal, he added.

Jammu, January 11
The state government recently said it would not tolerate encroachment on forestland and constituted a committee to check the menace.

“The department will take stern action against those involved in encroachments. We shall focus on the removal of encroachments from forestland for maintaining the ecological balance,” Minister for Forests and Environment Mian Altaf Ahmad said while reviewing the functioning of the Forest Department of the Jammu division here.

He asked officers to judiciously utilise funds provided under the Compensatory Afforestation Planning Authority (CAMPA) and directed them to complete the projects in time.

After discussions on the effective monitoring of forests, Ahmad decided to constitute a committee comprising forest officials, eminent persons and locals to ensure better afforestation drives and checking of encroachment.

Regarding targets achieved during the current financial year, the minister was informed that 2,93,986 cubic ft of timber was distributed during 2009-10, while 1,86,318 cubic ft supplied during the current year up to November 2010 through various timber sale depots in the division. — PTI

He also divulged that infiltration attempts increased in 2010 and the number of people killed along the border was also higher last year as compared to 2009. Replying to a query about the launching pads active on the other side of border, he said, “So far, we have not received any input in this regard, but the intelligence agencies are working round the clock to ensure peaceful R-Day celebrations”.

Meanwhile, MAM Stadium, the venue for the Republic Day function, has been sealed due to security concerns. To provide foolproof security arrangements and ensure hassle-free celebrations, the state police has also been put on high alert.

Jammu, January 11
After conceiving “Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme for the Youth” to tackle unemployment, the NC-Congress government, which completed two years in office this month, started this programme for providing career guidance and awareness to the youth on December 9, 2009, when the state officially had about five lakh unemployed youth.

Omar Abdullah has asked his ministers to take the programme to the doorstep of unemployed youth by holding as many employment fairs as possible.

Industries and Commerce Minister Surjeet Singh Salathia and Labour and Employment Minister Abdul Gani Malik have been specifically asked to do whatever possible to train the unemployed youth and improve their job skills, a senior bureaucrat told The Tribune.

The Chief Minister wants to deal seriously with the problem of unemployment because unemployed youths in the past had gone astray taking up arms in the name of freedom struggle, he added.

Moreover, it also becomes very easy for the overground workers (sympathisers of militants) to lure unemployed youths into militancy, he said, adding that the government had worked on the lacunas and now a healthy policy has been put into place.

From this year the government had decided to hold employment fairs inviting the corporate sector, said the bureaucrat, adding that no government could provide government jobs to all.

“The youth have to explore job opportunities in the private sector. Jobs in the government sector, be it the USA, have almost dried up and at the same time the corporate sector in India, which offers handsome salaries, needs skilled and unskilled manpower,” he said.

In an order to provide guidance and awareness to the unemployed youth about various state and centrally sponsored schemes, the government started a three-day employment fair at Samba on January 10.

About 30 stalls have been put up by various departments for guiding unemployed youth in particular and people in general.

Surjeet Singh Salathia said such employment fairs were being organised at various places of the district to inform unemployed youth about the benefits of such schemes for starting their own income-generating ventures in their respective areas.

He asked the unemployed youth to register their names in the District Employment Counselling Centre, Samba, and avail the benefits of such facilities at their doorstep.

He said the government was committed to providing all financial assistance to the unemployed youth to start their ventures.

Labour and Employment Minister Abdul Gani Malik said the unemployed youth should register their names for sanction of loans to start own ventures. He said nearly 13 lakh persons were employed in the private sector as compared to 4 lakh in the government sector.

About 1500 educated youth were registered under voluntarily service allowance schemes in the first-ever employment fair at Ghagwal and Rs 16.33lakh had so far been disbursed as the voluntarily service allowance in Samba district.

Srinagar, January 11
Close-circuit TV cameras in Srinagar city are being used to check the movement of militants and stone pelters, but now the same would be used to rein in traffic violators.

To tackle the growing incidents of violation of traffic rules in the summer capital of the state, the traffic police would soon install a remote surveillance grid which would take the help of CCTV cameras to track traffic violators.

“There has been an increase in the incidents of traffic violations in Srinagar since violators usually get off easily, but now the department has decided to install a remote surveillance grid where new CCTV cameras would be installed at busy junctions and intersections as part of the entire grid,” Maqsood-ul-Zaman, SP, Traffic, Srinagar.

The CCTV cameras would record the traffic movement and relay the feed to a nearby control room from where the officer on duty would track the vehicle that violates the law and take a photo printout and issue a challan.

“Till the system is installed, we have introduced ‘runaway’ challans where our personnel note down the registration number of the vehicles of violators and send challans to them at their residence through court,” said the SP.

He said the new system would serve as a major tool to control the menace of traffic law violations in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, the Department of Traffic of the state police organised a traffic awareness week in Srinagar with the theme of “Traffic safety is a mission, not intermission”.

The week aimed at spreading awareness among people and to stop traffic violations by penalising those who broke the laws with impunity.

“Most Matador and Tata Sumo operators indulge in large-scale traffic violations in the city. Our aim is to educate them to follow the traffic rules that are meant for the safety of the people. If they (drivers) follow the rules, the common man won't suffer,” said Maqsood-ul-Zaman.

He asserted that the aim of the week was not to harass the drivers but to educate them so that there was no traffic mess in the city.

“We fined some of the Matador operators for stopping their vehicles at will and not at the designated places, inconveniencing others,” the SP said.

The traffic police had been holding cycle rallies, distributing pamphlets and other literature among drivers, asking them to follow the traffic rules.

“We have told the drivers that we would be harsh on law-breakers and penalise them. We have challaned around 400 law violators in the past six days,” Zaman said.

He said they would be regularly holding such drives during which surprise checks would be held and the law violators would be harshly dealt with.

“Our mission is to provide a better traffic system to the people. I myself have been standing on the road and checking the papers and other things of the vehicles and those found guilty are penalised on the spot,” Zaman said.

The people in the summer capital city of Srinagar have also welcomed drive launched by the traffic police.

“This is for our betterment and we should cooperate with the police. People who violate traffic laws not only put their own lives at risk but also of others,” said Meraj Din, a local resident.

A senior journalist said the traffic police should also take cognisance of the unauthorised use of “press” logo in Srinagar city as every second vehicle had been carrying this logo.

“Non-media people using the ‘press’ logo should be proceeded against. Secondly, the parking space inside the Press Colony, which is earmarked for the vehicles of journalists, is being misused by shopkeepers and outsiders and this should be curbed,” said another senior journalist.

Srinagar, January 11
Sometimes, the simple story of a man can tell the complex story of all. And that is perhaps so with shoeshine man Shafi Sheikh who has watched events unfold over the decades from his perch at the famed Lal Chowk in here. His friends describe him as the archetypal Kashmiri - political, innately courteous and unfailingly honest.

Shafi, 50, has been shining shoes at Srinagar's Lal Chowk since the age of 15. Governments have come and gone, but the fate of this Kashmiri, who thinks nothing of spending an entire day scrounging for empty polish tins to help a stranger with her lab experiments, has remained unchanged.

When opposition leader and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti carried out a lantern procession in Srinagar against the appalling electricity situation here the other day, Shafi simply laughed the incident away.

"Had she been in power, it would have been (Chief Minister) Omar Abdullah carrying out the lantern procession. Governments have come and gone since I started shining shoes as a boy.

"Today, I am nearing old age. After a few years, I might not even be able to work as a shoeshine man. If that happens, neither Mehbooba nor Omar would come to my home carrying food for me and my family," he said.

He is a simple man with simple needs. Thanks to the fine job he does shining shoes of office-goers and college students, Shafi says he earns around Rs 100 a day, just enough to keep his family going.

"When the weather is okay, I carry my box of shoe polish, creams and brushes early in the morning to my workplace outside the bus stand. In these chilling winter days, I usually start my work around 10.30 a.m since the polish needs a little warm weather to spread out and shine properly."

"In rain and snow, I remain at home as nobody needs a shoeshine in bad weather," he adds with a smile creasing his wrinkled face.

Interestingly, Shafi has used his right to vote in each election in the Valley and the diktats of separatists to boycott elections have had little effect on this hardy soul.

"My father was a cobbler in the Army. Our family has always voted in the elections. That is a family tradition I continue to stick to," he said.

Shafi said he and his family have traditionally voted for the regional NC despite the fact that various governments that came to power here did little to improve his living conditions.

"My father always voted for the NC founder, Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah. I have voted for Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar Abdullah. We are loyal NC supporters and after generations it would not look nice to betray the family loyalty," he stated.

The political philosophy of a man who has never had a formal education is hard to understand, but his loyalty is unflinching -- to politics and to any cause close to his heart.

When retired engineer Nisar Ahmad approached him for some empty shoe polish tins, Shafi initially simply ignored the request.

But, when the 60-year old engineer told Shafi he needed those empty tins to carry soil samples to the lab where his daughter is pursuing her doctorate, Shafi could not withhold the gentleman within.

"Sir, I have around 24 of them at my home as I do not throw them away because of their sharp rims which can hurt a pedestrian or even puncture a car tyre. If you come to my home, I shall definitely be able to help," he said.

Shafi entrusted his shoeshine box to a friend who sits besides him on the pavement doing the same job and left with the needy father to help him.

The innate goodness and courtesy of the simple hearted Kashmiri impressed many a passerby.

"How many of us can leave our business at its peak and go to help a fellow human being who might never ever be able to return his courtesy," said Abdul Qayoom, Nisar's friend who had accompanied the engineer for the whole day looking for empty polish tins in a city that has remained plagued for over 20 years by violence and politics.

"This is perhaps the reason god keeps us going. As long as we have Kashmiris like Shafi, nothing would ever be fully lost whatever the upheavals and catastrophes we might undergo.

"The life of this ordinary Kashmiri has lessons for all of us even though he never went to a school here," he said. — IANS

Jammu, January 11
Passengers of an AC coach travelling in a Jammu-bound Malwa Express last week had a life-time horrible experience. Two suspected Kashmir-based HuJI militants, arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police from Bhopal on January 1, were also travelling with them in the same coach after being transported back by a team of the state police.

Although the coach number A1 was highly guarded by a four-member squad of the state police, the presence of two militants had, however, generated a high degree of fear psychosis among the passengers who were sitting too close to the seats and berths occupied by the militants right from Bhopal to Jammu.

On January 1, the MP police had claimed the arrest of these two militants from the Tailaya police station area of Bhopal.

Wanted in Kashmir and identified as Shaukat Ahmad Hakim and Mehrajuddin Shergujari, both of them were allegedly involved in certain militant activities back home in Bandipora district.

However, their transportation from Bhopal to Jammu gave two sleepless nights to the passengers who spotted them by their seats.

This writer, who incidentally was also travelling in the same coach from Ambala Cantt on the evening of January 7, found four-member state police team exhausted and on their tenterhooks. As the train was running late by 10 hours due to the foggy weather conditions, this had further added to their woes. They, however, had a sigh of relief as the train reached Jammu Railway Station in the wee hours of January 8 under a thick blanket of fog.

A lady passenger who had boarded the train from Indore, said up to Bhopal, every passenger in the coach was enjoying the trip. “The moment two militants, along with four members of the J&K police team, entered the coach at Bhopal Railway Station, all of us lost our wits. Panic was written large on everybody’s face,” she said.

An MBA student, who had boarded the train from Indore and alighted at Jalandhar, said militants throughout the journey appeared calm and composed. “However, everybody had apprehensions regarding the militants turning violent or attempting to flee by snatching weapons from the policemen,” he said.

Most of the passengers wondered whether militants could be transported in public buses and trains as was done in this case.

An officer of the state police, however, said there was no other way but to transport militants by trains from the far-off places.

Srinagar, January 11
Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir has directed the chief engineer of the Power Development Department to adhere strictly to the already published curtailment schedule in the Valley so that people get power supply during the harsh winter months. He also directed the department to repair damaged transformers within seven days as per the instructions already issued by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Mir was chairing a meeting of divisional-level officers here recently to take stock of the supply position in valley and progress of ongoing developmental works in Kashmir in winter secretariat, an official spokesman said.

The minister was informed that the PDD was providing 840 MW to residents during peak hours and added that there was one evening cut in the metered areas and three evening cut in the non-metered areas. He further informed that department was trying hard to meet the demand, particularly during the peak hours.

Giving directions to Asgar Samoon, divisional commissioner, Kashmir, to remain in touch with the PDD, the minister said the government was bound to provide essential services to the people at all costs. He said the government had already purchased power from the Northern Grid as per their transmission capacity. He said to cope up with the rising demand a gas turbine had also been commissioned.

He was informed that due to the non-completion of two main grid stations at Mir Bazar in south Kashmir and Delina in north Kashmir in view of unrest in the Valley during summer months, the department was not in a position to import more power from the Northern Grid.

The minister also appealed the people to cooperate with the PDD and make judicious use of power.

Regarding the stock and supply position of essential commodities in the Valley, the minister was informed that adequate stock of rice, wheat flour, sugar, kerosene oil and LPG was available in every district and the stock for inaccessible areas had already been dumped before winter, which was sufficient till June.

The minister directed the divisional commissioner to ensure that the lifting of ration for the respective sales depot should be completed by fifth of every month and distribution up to 20th of every month as per a circular issued by the CA&PD. He also directed the deputy commissioners to monitor the supply position on a daily basis so that the people did not face any inconvenience. He further directed to the CA&PD to ensure that the allocated sugar reach the people and any indulgence in this regard be dealt with severely.

He directed the DCs to rationalise the CA&PD staff, wherever necessary, to streamline the distribution system in respective districts.

Regarding water supply position, the minister was informed that the department was taking all efforts to provide uninterrupted potable water supply to the people across the Valley. He was informed that Srinagar was receiving almost 70 million gallons of drinking water per day to meet the demand, besides 99 tankers had been pressed into service and 15 tankers had been kept standby, which would take care of the supply to the areas facing shortage or where piped water supply had not be extended.

Regarding the contingency plan for snow clearance, the minister was informed that 77 snow-clearing machines were ready in all districts and it was told that for the first time, a snow-cutter machine was sent to Gurez to clear the interior roads well in time.

Srinagar, January 11
The state government has expressed serious concern over the re-emergence of polythene use in the summer capital and directed the authorities concerned to launch a vigorous campaign against the menace.

"The re-emergence of polythene in Srinagar city is a cause for serious concern. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation should gear up to curb this menace," Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand said.

Chand, who reviewed the developmental work of municipalities, Dal lake and local bodies here, said there was need for making Srinagar a no-polythene zone to safeguard the environment.

He impressed upon officers the need for making judicious use of funds allotted for various works, saying that the government would not tolerate any laxity in completion of developmental works within the stipulated time.

"The government has made it clear that quality with regard to developmental works should never be compromised," he said. The Deputy Chief Minister said comprehensive development of both Srinagar and Jammu cities was essential to realise the vision of transforming them into great cities. "All towns and urban areas are also required to be given full attention for overall development," the Deputy Chief Minister said.

While reviewing the developmental works, Chand was informed that an amount of Rs 120 crore was being spent in the roads and buildings sector of which Rs 80 crore had been spent so far on various works in the Valley. — PTI

Jammu, January 11
Though the number of people killed every year in the road mishaps is more than those killed in militancy in J&K, DGP Kuldeep Khoda is unaware about the exact number of traffic rules’ violations across the state.

In a recent press conference at the Police Headquarters here, Hemant Kumar Lohia, IGP, Traffic, said more than 10 lakh traffic violations took place daily in Jammu and Kashmir, which shocked everyone present there.

Even the DGP, who was there to launch the official website and Facebook account of the traffic police, shockingly asked the IGP Traffic: “Do these violations take place globally in a day?”

But the IGP Traffic, who was much sure about the data collected by traffic cops replied: “No Sir, these violations take place in our state and that too in a single day.”

Lohia added: “Nearly 10 lakh vehicles ply on the roads and every vehicle has one or more violations. So, it means 10 lakh violations in a day.”

On the one hand, the police claims success in minimising the number of road mishaps or making the roads safer, the top cop is not fully aware of the ground situation.

As per the official figures, over 5,000 were killed in road accidents in the state in the past five years. In 2009, 1,109 people lost their lives in accidents, where as the death toll decreased in 2010, as 950 people were killed in such mishaps. However, in the militancy-related incidents, 116 persons lost their lives in 2010.

Meanwhile, the traffic police has installed CCTV cameras in the city to monitor traffic violations and regulate the movement of vehicles. The installation of electronic traffic signals is also on the cards and it would be installed within a few months.

In the winter capital, also known as a city of temples, they speak on the top of their voice, gesticulate wildly and, at times, either skip words or use wrong words just to grab media attention, particularly of local TV channels.

They certainly generate enough heat in the biting cold wave sweeping the region these days. They are the "leaders" of the masses.

Be it price rise, corruption, unemployment, erratic water and electricity supply or any damn issue they promptly organise protest demonstrations but at "selective places", or should I call safe havens.