The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

School buses plying illegally in Jammu
Rajesh Bhat

Jammu, November 29
Scores of school buses, mostly ferrying students and tiny tots of private institutions, are plying in the state illegally. This has prompted the authorities concerned to initiate action against the defaulters.

Such buses are either owned by the school management or run by some private transporters after entering into contract with the school authorities. Even some owners have converted their private vehicles into school buses after altering the seating arrangement to accommodate a maximum number of students.

Such a practice had been putting the lives of schoolchildren at risk as instances have come to light in the past where vehicles carrying students to the maximum capacity had overturned and in the absence of any emergency exit in such vehicles, the situation had further aggravated.

Sources said violating provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, such buses were clandestinely plying without valid documents in many towns on different routes for which they had not been permitted. In some cases, buses, mini-buses, wagons, vans and autorickshaws were also engaged in ferrying students at the cost of their lives.

Taking cognisance, Transport Commissioner Dr Syed Mohammad Fazlullah has instructed all regional transport officers (RTOs) and Chief Inspectors, Board of Inspection, Jammu and Kashmir divisions, besides other enforcement agencies, to launch a special drive within their jurisdictions to curb the menace and deal sternly with violators who ferry students illegally.

The sources said: “Fazlullah, who is also the chairman of the State Transport Authority, has asked all the RTOs and the ARTOs to frame the list of such vehicles and display them in public”.

“Law-enforcing agencies have been asked to specifically look for such private vehicles whose owners had altered the seating arrangements to accommodate the maximum number of students,” the sources added.

Doda MLA distributes 640 solar lights, cheques
Raju William
Tribune News Service

Udhampur, November 29
Doda MLA Abdul Majid Wani distributed solar lights and cheques under the Indra Awas Yojna (IAY) among the beneficiaries in the Doda Assembly Constituency at a function organised by the Rural Development, Science & Technology and Horticulture Departments.

A large number of people from the Ghat and Gundna block, panchs, sarpanches, chief horticulture officer, Doda, District Officer Science & Technology, BDO, along with other government officials, were present on the occasion.

Information about various government schemes was disseminated among the people by the officials concerned.

Wani distributed 640 solar lights among the residents of the Ghat and Gundna block along with 27 cheques of Rs 5.50 lakh among the beneficiaries of the IAY scheme in both the blocks.

Approximately Rs 3 lakh was distributed among the beneficiaries under various schemes of the Horticulture Department as well.

Addressing the function, Wani said a number of Centrally sponsored schemes being undertaken by the state government were aimed at overall development of the area, adding that the effective implementation of the schemes were important.

“It is the duty of all government officials to ensure that the benefits of these schemes should reach the maximum people. People should also be vigilant and keep an eye over all government schemes being undertaken in their area and bring any instance of violation, dereliction or misuse of government funds by any government official to my notice,” he said.

Regarding development of the wholesale fruit & vegetable mandi at Doda, Wani said a big area was being acquired by the Horticulture Planning & Marketing Department, which would provide relief to the marketing-related problems of the growers and would also provide a common platform to the growers, traders and consumers of the district as well as the other parts of the state.

Rural Development Department officials were asked to ensure foolproof completion of MNREGA works and any type of carelessness or misuse of funds would be taken seriously.

Wani also met a number of deputations at Ghat and redressed their grievances.

Citizens Forum supports FDI in retail
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 29
The Citizens Forum here has flayed the objections raised by certain traders in the country against the decision of the Union Government to allow 51 per cent FDI (foreign direct investment) in the retail sector.

Describing the protests by certain quarters as unjustified, RK Chadha, president of the Citizens Forum, alleged that the retail traders in the state were responsible for the high prices of the essential commodities.

He said while quality apples in Delhi markets were available at Rs 60 per kg, in Jammu the same were available at Rs 80 per kg.

“This has been due to the practice of hoarding and profit-making habits of the wholesale dealers in the state. Similarly, vegetables like cauliflower, peas, tomatoes and carrot, which are available in Punjab and Haryana at much cheaper rates, are being sold here at three times higher prices,” he said.

“Therefore, the Central Government’s decision to allow 50 per cent FDI holds significance for the consumers,” Chadha added.

Bus stand shopkeepers refuse to shift

Jammu, November 29
The Shopkeepers Association of General Bus Stand, Jammu, has flayed a misinformation campaign launched by some persons that some shopkeepers have agreed to shift from the bus stand to alternative sites in the city.

At a meeting of the association held under the chairmanship of Rakesh Abrol here today, the shopkeepers said none of them would vacate their shops at the bus stand. “We will not move out of the bus stand under any circumstances, as we have been running our shops here since 1971 when the bus stand was established,” said Abrol.

He added they could only agree to shift to an alternative site at the new shopping complex to be constructed at the bus stand. The bus stand is proposed to be converted into a multi-storied building, with one storey exclusively for shops. — TNS

Incidents of grenade, rocket attacks decline: Police

Jammu, November 29
Incidents of rocket and grenade attacks in Jammu and Kashmir have dipped by around 50 per cent this year as compared to the same period in 2010, a senior police official has said.

There is around 50 per cent decrease in grenade attacks, explosions and rocket attacks this year up to November 15 as compared to the corresponding figure last year, the official said.

According to the data complied by the state Home Ministry, as compared to 77 grenade blasts, explosions and rocket attacks in 2010, there were only 39 such incidents in 2011 up to November 15, he said.

While incidents involving the hurling of grenades have fell from 31 in 2010 to 21 in 2011, IED explosions have shown a dip from 25 to 15 and rocket attacks fell down to three from 21.

In 2009, there were 56 grenade incidents and 25 IED explosions, besides 29 rocket attacks, shows the data, he said.

There were 11,961 grenade attacks and explosions in the past 20-year period, 6,242 hurling of grenade incidents and 5,719 IED explosions reported since January 1990, the official said.

The highest number of 821 grenade attacks was reported in 1994 and the highest number of 1,280 explosions took place in 1990, according to the data. — PTI

Freezing cold in Kashmir

Srinagar, November 29
Days are biting cold and nights freezing in Jammu and Kashmir these days. In Kashmir Valley, Met officials said there would be no respite from the biting cold for at least next seven days as night temperatures would continue to dip further.

“The present cold weather conditions would continue for at least another seven days and the night temperatures, which have dipped below freezing point in the Valley and the Ladakh region, are likely to fall further,” said Sonam Lotus, director of the local weather office here.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar fell to minus 2.0 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. It was minus 4.6 degrees in the north Kashmir’s Gulmarg ski resort, while the south Kashmir Pahalgam hill station recorded a minimum of minus 5.0 degrees today.

“The minimum temperature was minus 11.4 degrees in Leh town of Ladakh region, while Kargil town of the same region recorded a minimum of minus 6.2 degrees today,” the weather office said. “Winter normally starts in the Valley by the middle of November, but in comparison to 2008, 2009 and 2010, this year the winter has set in a little earlier here,” he confirmed.

He said there was nothing abnormal about the ground frost noticed in the mornings in the Valley these days. “This is a normal phenomenon connected with the cold winter weather,” he added. — IANS

Villagers take lessons in saving Kashmir’s rare deer

Srinagar, November 29
Alarmed by the dwindling numbers of the red deer sub-species known locally as “Hangul” found in the world only in Kashmir, the local agricultural university recently organised a two-day workshop to educate villagers.

A recent survey confirmed there were just 210 of these animals whose natural habitat was the Dachigam National Park, located 14 km from the city centre, Lal Chowk, in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar.

Different aspects of the survival of this rare species, including its history, biology, ecology, monitoring, management, socio-economics, diseases, conservation and breeding, were highlighted during the workshop.

Tej Pratap Singh, vice-chancellor of the local agricultural university, laid emphasis on the increasing wildlife-human conflict in the Valley, need for habitat improvement and economic growth.

“Hangul, along with other wild species, has become a victim due to an increase in human population leading to scarcity of land, water and other natural resources,” he said.

“The impact of human activities on physical environment has laid tremendous pressure on the natural resources. During the past several years, there has been a domination of technology and demography which has resulted in hindrances for the welfare of the ecology,” he said.

For the first time, the recently elected village headmen were invited to the workshop to educate them about the delicate ecology in the mountains. — IANS

Army opens windows to world for Doda students
Raju William/TNS

Students interact with Col Vikram Singh Guleria, Commanding Officer, 10 Rashtriya Rifles (RAJPUT), in Udhampur. Tribune photo

Udhampur, November 29
Manzoor Ahmed, a college student from once terrorist- infested Marmat block of Doda district stepped outside his area for the first time ever in his life as part of an educational tour organised by the Army. It opened a new world before him.

He was among 28 school and college students from Marmat, Bhagwah blocks and Doda town, who were taken on the tour to Shimla, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Dharamshala by the 10 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion (RAJPUT) from November 16 to 26. Most of these students visited any place outside the state for the first time. And the rest of them were fortunate to have ventured out, courtesy the NCC camps.

The case of Manzoor Ahmed underlined the importance of Army’s civic action programme as it enabled these students coming from poor families of backward and remote areas to broaden their horizons and help change their attitude. “The tour made me realise how far behind we are in comparison with rest of the country. What impressed me most was the infrastructure development in all the places we visited, especially Chandigarh. I wish I could help contribute in improving infrastructure facilities in my area,” said Manzoor.

For Anmol Singh, a student of Government Degree College, Doda, the visit provided a lifetime opportunity of seeing improved life conditions outside his town. “I am grateful to the Army for this. Besides seeing new places, our interaction with people there was educative. The highlight of the tour was our meeting with Governor of Himachal Pradesh Urmila Singh at the Raj Bhawan in Shimla. Such tours can help inculcate spirit of mutual goodwill, peace and tolerance,” he said.

The students shared their experiences at a function after the tour was flagged in Col Vikram Singh Guleria, Commanding Officer, 10 Rashtriya Rifles (RAJPUT), in the presence of YR Thusoo, Chief Education Officer, Doda.

As part of the education tour, the youth visited Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Shimla and Dharamshala. They visited a number of places of cultural, historical and tourist importance, including the Devi Talab Mandir, Wonder Land and Pushpa Gujral Science City in Jalandhar; Mohali cricket stadium, Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Sector-17 & 19, Sukhna Lake and Wild life sanctuary in Chandigarh; Himachal State Museum & Library, Viceregal Lodge and Botanical Gardens, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Ridge, Mall Road and Kufri Ski Resort in Shimla; and Dharamshala stadium, McLeodganj, Kangra Fort, Chamundajee temple and Jwalajee temple in Dharamshala.

Rajouri district badminton tournament concludes
Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 29
The 10th Rajouri District Badminton Tournament concluded recently at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) in Rajouri in which both men and women teams participated in three categories - sub-junior, junior and senior.

Prof Irshad Ahmad Himal, Vice-Chancellor of BGSBU, was the chief guest, while Mohammad Rashid Choudhry, registrar, was the guest of honour.

A large number of sports aficionados came there to see the matches played among professional and veteran players of the district.

Prof Irshad Ahmad Himal distributed trophies among the winners and runners-up players.

The players who won medals in the women’s and men’s categories are:

Women section:

Sub-junior category: Shaviya Manhas beats Saba Bhat (in singles)

Shiviya Manhas and Saba Bhat thrash Anju Bharti and Reenu Dutta (in doubles)

Junior category: Sonali Sharma defeats Osheen Kundial (in singles)

Sonali and Osheen beat Sonalika and Sonika (in doubles)

Senior category: Bilkees Khanam beats Sahira Bano (in singles)

Blikees and Virsha thrash Rabia Naz Mirza and Pratibha Sharma (in doubles)

Men section:

Sub-junior category:

Vishal Choudhary defeats Bilal Choudhary (in singles)

Vishal Choudhary and Bilal Choudhary beat Jeelani and Rubani (in doubles)

Junior category: Tariq Aziz defeats Mudassir Dar (in singles)

Ankush Sharma and Tariq Aziz thrash Sharoz Bukhari and Ankit Sharma (in doubles)

Senior category: Anand Swoorap defeats Amitabh Sharma (in singles)

Mushtaq Ahmad Azad and Bilal Choudhary thrash Mohammad Latief Choudhary and Ashwani Kumar (in doubles)

Jammu DIARY
Cops flout traffic norms

Many a times the policemen who are duty-bound to ensure that laws are being adhered to in letter and in spirit, are seen violating the laws with impunity.

At a recently held Jammu marathon, many policemen were seen riding motorcycles without using helmets (see pic).

While their job was to ensure discipline among the marathon runners, the policemen were themselves flouting the traffic norms.

Non-adherence to the traffic rules, especially the safety measures, is the oft-repeated offence committed by the “men in khaki” while they ride two-wheelers. But the higher police authorities seem unconcerned about setting their house in order first. The police must obey the law while enforcing the law.

(Contributed by Ashutosh Sharma)