The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Panchayats seek more say in their affairs Ashutosh Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 Elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) today urged that duties and responsibilities of panchayats should be defined without further delay. They also demanded that funds allocated under several centrally sponsored development schemes should also be spent through panchayats. As the PRIs are coming back to life after a gap of more than a decade, PRI representatives also stressed on change in the attitude and outlook of government functionaries for better cooperation and coordination among the people’s representatives at the ground level and government agencies. They were speaking at a five-day-long workshop on “Training Needs Assessment” which was inaugurated at the Directorate of Rural Development, Gramin Vikas Bhawan, Jammu, yesterday. Farooq Ahmad Peer, Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development, was the chief guest on the occasion. The workshop organised in collaboration with the State Institute of Rural Development, Jammu and Kashmir, was also attended by representatives from various states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab. Besides them, district panchayat officers, assistant commissioners (development), sarpanches, Principals, rural extension training centres, RS Pura (Jammu) and Budgam (Kashmir) are attending the workshop. The workshop has been organised to assess the various training needs emerging in the present scenario. The speakers asked the participants to take maximum benefit of the workshop. The workshop schedule includes interactions and brainstorming sessions, group discussions and field visits to various panchayats. A curriculum of training for PRIs of Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be prepared by this workshop for the state to follow in the future. “Panchayats should have the powers to develop assets and infrastructure on their own besides having a say in the planning and execution of all the development projects carried out by different government departments in their respective areas,” said Balbir Singh, a sarpanch. Another sarpanch Rajini Bala said, “Panchayat representatives should be trained in handling issues like domestic violence, conflict resolution at the village-level, besides keeping the youth away from drugs and other intoxicants.” Other key speakers also raised issues like health, education, transport, clean drinking water, women’s empowerment, dwindling sex ratio and demanded that they should have a role in ensuring basic needs to the people in their respective villages. “Panchayats can play a key role in ensuring economically and socially rich societies at the village level,” they opined. The speakers also stressed on the fact that PRI representatives should keep themselves away from political parties so that they could work effectively in close co-ordination with each other at different levels.
	Two ropeway projects in limbo, govt announces more two Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 The state government has recently announced to construct two more ropeways - one at the holy shrine of Shiv Khori in the Jammu region and another at Youssemarg in the Kashmir valley but the fates of the already sanctioned two ropeway projects are still hanging in the balance. Four years ago, the foundation stone of the ropeway project at the picturesque valley of Patnitop on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was laid with much publicity and it was promised during the foundation stone laying ceremony that the “dream” project would be completed within two years at “all costs”. Four years have been passed and there is no progress in the project except a foundation stone which speaks about the “efficiency” of the authorities. However, the Patnitop ropeway project was approved at a board meeting of the Patnitop Development Authority in January 2004 when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Chief Minister of the state and its foundation stone was laid in of May 2007 when Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Chief Minister. “As many as 24 terms of reference issued by the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Government of India have been cleared in the recently held meeting and now the project has been submitted to the Ministry for Environment and Forests for environmental clearances,” Robin Singh Mehta, director, Tourism, said. However, the foundation stone of the project was laid without getting mandatory clearances from the Wildlife, Forests and the Environment Departments. “Actually, the Patnitop ropeway project was of B category, which does not required environment clearances from the Centre. Therefore, the foundation stone of the project was laid after getting clearances from the departments concerned of the state government,” Mehta said. He added that after the latest ruling of the Supreme Court on some projects, it had become mandatory for the authorities to get clearances from the Union Forest and Wildlife Departments also. Since Patnitop is located within 10 kilometres area of the nearest wildlife reserve, Dudu Forest range, it has become compulsory for the authorities to take mandatory clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment. When the foundation stone of the project was laid in 2007, its estimated cost was 40 crore but now the cost has also escalated manifold due to the inordinate delay in starting the construction of the project. Similar is the fate of the ropeway project to connect Mubark Mandi with Mahamaya temple. Although the authorities claimed that the tender for the project would be floated very soon, mandatory environment clearances for the project were yet to be taken. Minister of Tourism Gnawing Regain Jota had recently announced that the work on the rest 45-crore ropeway projects would be started June next. Jota had chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress made in completing the paper work for initiating the project. The meeting discussed issues like forest, wildlife and environmental clearance, besides compensation to land owners and transfer of JDA land to Cable Car Corporation. It decided to go for tendering the project in January 2012.
	Farm produces record number of fingerlings Rajesh Bhat Jammu, November 22 Setting a platform for a lucrative business in the region, the National Fish Seed Farm (NFSF), Kathua, has produced a record number of 30 lakh fingerlings during the just-concluded breeding season. The farm is eyeing to achieve the target of 40 lakh fingerlings during the next breeding season, beginning from April 2012. The fingerlings, which were produced at the fish farm, are being supplied to farmers and entrepreneurs of the entire Jammu region on subsidised rates for the development of pond fisheries. The State Department of Fisheries also makes use of these fingerlings to allow them to grow into a big catch in streams, brooks, rivers, dam reservoirs and wetland areas during the months of April to November. An official of the NFSF, Kathua, said: “The farm is providing jobs to hundreds of unemployed educated youth of the nearby towns and villages who, over the years, have begun to derive dividends out of this lucrative business”. To enhance the productivity of quality fish seed and to meet the growing public demand, NFSF officials here had also approached the deputy commissioner, Kathua, for the acquisition of 54 kanals so that work on the third phase of the farm could be taken up. The department intended to produce more cultured fish seed for the local farmers who use them in privately setup ponds. However, due to certain administrative bottlenecks, the land had not yet been fully acquired, the official said. Presently, the farm, the biggest in North India, is spread over 360 kanals, having 26 nurseries, rearing and stocking ponds. It also supplies fish seed to farmers of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh who share border area with Kathua district. The official claimed that the farm was the nucleus for the production of carp seeds in the northern region as varieties of fish, including Rohu, Catla, Mrigal, Silver Carp, Grass Carp and Common Carp, are reared at the farm. “Farmers of Hiranagar, Bani, Billawar and Samba are the best beneficiaries of the centre,” the official added, while impressing upon farmers to take benefit of their expertise.
	Govt to raise funds from market to buy back 2 NHPC projects Anantnag, November 22 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the state would raise funds from the market for buying Salal and Uri power projects from the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). “It is an ongoing process...we will raise funds from the market for paying NHPC the depreciated price of these projects,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. The state government had expressed its intention of taking back the two power projects - Salal (690 MW) and Uri (390 MW) - from the NHPC which is seeking nearly Rs 2,600 crore as compensation for handing over these projects. Abdullah sought to dispel the notion that the state government has entered into a confrontation with the NHPC over water usage levied on power generators in the state. “There is no confrontation with the NHPC... 50 per cent of the profit of the NHPC comes from the power generated in the state. So, the state is also entitled to its share of resources. We are even levying the state-run Power Development Corporation and other private power producers and not just the NHPC,” he added. Abdullah also said his government had launched various mega, medium and small projects in the power sector with the aim of generating 4,000-5,000 MW of additional power within the next seven years and help the growth and development of all sectors in the state. He said huge losses incurred by the state on account of power purchases, which had reached Rs 2,000 crore, were affecting the development and welfare schemes of the state. “If I have to spend one-third of the annual plan size for funding the power losses, where will the money for development and welfare schemes come from? It is our collective duty to stop power theft and pay for the electricity we use,” he said. He said while the Centre had been liberal in funding the state, it could not go on forever. “Every year, I have to cut a sorry figure for such huge losses. I am not saying we can overcome this problem overnight but let us reduce the losses this year to just Rs 1,000 crore and to Rs 500 crore by next year. The additional funds available will be spent on development then,” he added. Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Rs 71.33-crore grid station at Nipora near Mir Bazar here. The project, a third-of-its-kind in the Valley, would help augment and streamline power transmission, besides ensuring improvement in the voltage. The project would also complete the ring of 220KV lines from Alastaing to Mir Bazaar and Wagura to Mir Bazaar in the Valley. It would also strengthen the existing grid stations at Pampore and Zainakote. The Mir Bazaar 220/132KV grid station of 320MVA capacity is likely to augment power supply in South Kashmir benefiting a population of 15 lakh in Anantnag and Kulgam districts. — PTI
	No intention to ban Facebook in Kashmir: CM Srinagar, November 22 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has confirmed the government has no intention to block Facebook in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of protests over alleged blasphemous comments on the social networking site. Abdullah posted on Twitter late Sunday, “Stop rumour mongering. Govt (government) has no intention of banning Facebook. Only a request to block certain blasphemous pages has been made”. Abdullah has through his post, however, confirmed that a request has been made to Facebook to block some blasphemous pages which could result in communal disharmony in the politically volatile Kashmir. Following some highly objectionable picture posts on Facebook during the past week, Law Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar had said the government was mulling banning the site to check the spread of blasphemous posts regarding Islam and its holiest place of pilgrimage, the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia. Many student organisations held peaceful protests in the state’s summer capital Srinagar last week, demanding the ban on Facebook. — IANS
	Omar inspects development projects in Ganderbal Tells agencies to speed up work Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 22 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inspected various development projects in Ganderbal district yesterday and directed the executing agencies to speed up the pace of work ensuring quality and judicial spending of funds. While inspecting the progress of work on Rs 54-crore district hospital complex, Ganderbal, the Chief Minister laid stress on accelerating the pace of work and ensuring the completion of the hospital by December next year. “You should redouble your working schedules and put up added efforts in helping the completion of the project before the targeted date of August 2013,” he told the executing agency, adding that the availability of up to the mark health care facility to the people was a priority concern of his government. Talking to the officers of the JKPCC and the R&B at the construction site of Shadipora bridge, the Chief Minister underlined its importance, adding that the two districts of Bandipora and Ganderbal would be connected by the completion of this vital bridge. He said it would provide an easy access to the people of the twin districts to travel large distances in the shortest span of time. The Chief Minister asked the executing agencies to complete the bridge by December this year. The bridge is likely to cost over Rs 14.84 crore. During his visit to the project site of Physical Education College at Gadoora, the Chief Minister was apprised of various aspects of the progress of work on physical education college complex coming up at a cost of over Rs 30 crore. The Chief Minister said the complex would help in nurturing sports talent and providing opportunities to youth for attaining excellence in different fields of physical education. Later, the Chief Minister interacted with the workers of his party at a party worker’s meet and discussed matters relating to the party affairs and its strengthening at the grassroots. Omar asked the workers to serve as a bridge between the government and the people and make general public aware of the measures coalition government is taking for the welfare and development of people in the state. He advised them to keep close rapport with government functionaries and political leaders for getting the public grievances addressed properly and ensure benefits of the schemes to them. The Chief Minister also advised them for strengthening the ties of coalition between coalition partners and working jointly to achieve the goal of speedy progress and restoration of permanent peace in the state for which the coalition government stands. The office-bearers of the party at the district level apprised the Chief Minister of various matters pertaining to the functioning of the party in the district. They assured the Chief Minister of their full cooperation in translating his government’s development vision for peaceful and progressive Jammu and Kashmir into reality.
	Jammu Diary Overloaded MC trucks drop trash on roads The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), which is responsible for keeping the city clean and green, seems to have forgotten its prime duty. The trucks being used to collect the garbage from the city are overloaded to the extent that wherever these vehicles go, they drop the garbage on roads (see photo). A number of times people have been seen arguing with the drivers of these vehicles, but hardly any action has been taken in this regard. Infighting in PDP ranks Despite efforts of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, infighting among the leaders of the Jammu unit of the PDP has been going on. Sometimes such infightings take an ugly turn within the premises of the office of the party. While a few seasoned leaders avoid regular visits to the office due to such scenes, some others enjoy such scenes as mute spectators and sometimes add fuel to the fire by passing some statically remarks to further intensify the war of words. As the party office has virtually turned into a “battle ground”, some leaders of PDP have dubbed their office as “Afganistan” where there is no end of fighting. (Contributed by Archit Watts and Dinesh Manhotra)
	Minister takes stock of Muharram arrangements Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 22 In order to oversee the Muharram arrangements, Minister for Rural Development, Law, Justice, Panchayati Raj and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar undertook an extensive tour of various Shia-dominated areas, besides visiting imambaras there. The areas visited include Hasnabad, Rainawari, Alamgaribazar and Zadibal. The minister was accompanied by District Development Commissioner, Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo, and other senior officers of different departments and district administration. While interacting with different deputations of the people in these areas, the minister told them that necessary instructions had already been passed to the officers for ensuring smooth conduct of Muharram days. He said the PDD had been asked to provide uninterrupted supply of electricity in these areas so that the devotees did not face any inconvenience during the holydays. The minister, while directing the District Development Commissioner, asked him to ensure that the additional quota of sugar and food grains should be provided to the outlet coming in these areas. Responding to the demands of the locals at Zadibal, the minister said necessary instructions would be passed on to the concerned for speeding up the pace of work on the ongoing newly constructed imambara and Mir Shamusdin Iraqis memorial at Zadibal. He added that: “We will ensure that these are constructed well within the stipulated time”. At imambara Hasnabad, the minister directed the officers of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation to provide and renovate the public utilities constructed for the convenience of devotees coming there.
	One held for seeking job on fake papers Jammu, November 22 The Rajouri police today has arrested a person for seeking employment in the Education Department on the basis of fake documents. The police now suspect that there could be a racket producing fake government orders and other documents of official importance operating in the area. The accused has been identified as Sahil Sharma, resident of Seri in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district. A statement issued by Director School Education, Jammu (DSEJ), stated that a forged appointment order was detected by his office in which it was found that the accused produced an appointment order in the office of the Chief Education Officer (CEO), Rajouri, with the purpose of seeking an appointment as Class-IV employee. “The concerned CEO, after scrutinising the appointment order, pointed out that signatures of the director had been forged. He forwarded the order to the directorate to confirm the authenticity/genuineness of the appointment order,” the statement said. It added, “After further scrutiny at the directorate level, it has been confirmed that the appointment order is fake and was issued with forged signatures and a fake dispatch number. It is totally fraudulent, forged and fake order as no such order has been issued by this office,” the Personnel Officer wrote. “The matter has been brought to the notice of SSP Rajouri and he has been requested to direct the SHO concerned to register an FIR and arrest the persons involved in making the fake appointment order,” it added. “We have arrested the suspect and his interrogation is on,” said additional SP Rajouri, Shabir Ahmed, adding, “There is every likelihood that more persons are into such practices.” — TNS