The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Every second day, a life is lost on Jammu roads Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, December 27 Startling it may sound, but it’s true. One person gets killed and 10 others receive injuries, some of them fatal, on every alternate day in various road accidents in Jammu. As many as 1,344 road mishaps, including132 fatal and 1,212 non-fatal, took place in Jammu district till October this year. On an average, Jammu roads witness five road mishaps everyday. “Till October this year, at least 157 persons were killed, 1,609 were injured and some of them even lost their limbs in 1,344 road accidents across Jammu district. A total of 132 fatal and 1,212 non-fatal accidents took place during this period,” official sources told The Tribune. The highest number of 168 road accidents, including 14 fatal and 154 non-fatal, took place in May while 31 persons lost their lives in 150 accidents which occurred in October. “Even as the Traffic Police Department has intensified its drive against road violators, the number of accidents has not come down in Jammu district. On an average, 10, 773 violators are being slapped with heavy fines for violations of traffic norms. A total of 1,07,330 vehicles were challaned till October this year while the department has generated revenue worth Rs 1,76,27,646,” the sources said. In 2009, 1,63,390 vehicles were challaned for various kinds of road violations and Rs 1,70,3756 was realised. The number of vehicles challaned in 2010 went up to 1,67,615, while the department collected a revenue of Rs 2,14,21,716 from the violators. “Poor condition of roads, overloading, rash driving and shortage of manpower were the major reasons for frequent road mishaps that took place in the district. The problem can only be checked if people follow road safety norms religiously,” said a senior police officer. Manmohan Singh, SSP (Traffic), Jammu, who took over the charge recently, said, “The department has decided to initiate some stringent measures to stop frequent road violations. A majority of road accidents take place due to negligent driving or complete violation of road safety norms”. “We have already intensified our drive against two-wheelers while the department will go all out against the drivers indulging in overloading and rash driving,” the SSP added.
	Farm machinery melas in Valley Tribune News Service Srinagar, December 27 In order to make machinery and other equipments available at the doorsteps to the farmers in the Valley, the Agriculture Department is organising Machinery Melas throughout the Valley. As a part of this programme, a Machinery Mela was inaugurated by MS Katoo, Joint Director, Agriculture (Extension), Kashmir, in presence of representative of MLA Dooru and tehsildar at Dooru Anantnag recently. A large number of farmers of the area participated in this mela. The participants appreciated the efforts of the department to reach out to the farmers in far-flung areas of the state. Joint Director Agriculture Extension said for strengthening the agriculture system, farm mechanisation was pivotal among various inputs. He said the Agriculture Department was committed for the upliftment of the farming community and the Machinery Mela would provide them an opportunity to interact with the experts of various fields, besides availing the benefits of various schemes. On this occasion, Chief Agriculture Officer, Anantnag, said the main aim of the mela was that farmers could purchase agriculture implements of their choice from registered companies. He advised the farmers to cooperate with field functionaries of the department and to take the benefits of the schemes launched by the department so as to achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture production. In the mela, several authorised dealers displayed different kind of agricultural machineries. The farmers purchased 116 irrigation pump sets, 60 foot sprayers, two tillers and one tractor, on which a subsidy of Rs 3 lakh were provided by the Agriculture Department.
	Hospital gets seven infant radiant warmers Our Correspondent Srinagar, December 27 Help Poor Voluntary Trust (HPVT), a local NGO, has donated seven infant radiant warmers with phototherapy facility to GB Pant Hospital located at Sonawar here. The equipments costing Rs 4 lakh were donated by the Trust on the Christmas Eve during a function attended by several prominent doctors of Kashmir Valley. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rafiq Ahmad Pampori, acting principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, said the equipments would help the hospital in providing much needed succor to the ailing infants and children. He called for more extensive efforts for setting up more children hospitals in the Valley. Moulana Sanaullah, patron, HPVT, underscored the need for contributing to society not only through monetary donations but also through performing duties in daily life with dedication.
	Nagbani school celebrates annual day Varun Suthra Tribune News Service Jammu, December 27 Maharaja Hari Singh Agricultural Collegiate School, Nagbani, celebrated its annual day recently where stress was laid on highlighting the glorious past of the institution besides displaying cultural programmes. Governor NN Vohra was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Recalling his own associations with DAV-run educational institutions, the Governor said even in the 1950s when there were not enough resources for providing playgrounds and sports activities, the DAV institutions produced excellent results in extracurricular activities along with the best performances in the academic arena. Usha Vohra, First Lady, gave away prizes to the meritorious students who had excelled in academics and sports. She interacted with them and wished them a bright future ahead. Regional Director of the DAV College Managing Committee, PP Sharma, who was present on the occasion, highlighted the contributions and achievements of the committee in the field of education. Speaking on the occasion, she divulged that Maharaja Hari Singh Agricultural Collegiate School, Nagbani, was controlled and managed by the DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, which has been running more than 700 high quality schools, colleges, technical and medical and para medical institutions all over the country and abroad. “Education given in the DAV institutions combines the wisdom of the Vedas with modern technological advancements in education. Focus is on character building and the inculcation of right moral values in the students,” said Sharma.
	Sale of heating appliances on the rise Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, December 27 As the cold wave tightens its grip on the winter capital of the state, the sales of heating appliances have gone up by 30 per cent with Jammuites queuing up to buy electronic devices like room heaters, blowers and geysers to brave the chill. Keeping in view the growing demand for heating appliances, the stores in Jammu city and its suburbs are flooded with different varieties of room heaters, including indigenous devices and China-made products. “We are hopeful for brisk business during winters because the sales of heating appliances have started picking up. There are different varieties of room heaters, including quartz heaters, halogen heaters and steam heaters, available in the market but we have introduced the latest product, Oil Filled Radiators, which are being considered as the safest among all varieties,” said Mahesh Kumar, a shopkeeper in Moti Bazaar. The shopkeeper said halogen heaters were being preferred over the blowers by customers. “Blowers are reasonably priced from Rs 400 to Rs 700 but the customers are preferring halogen heaters that cost anything between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. There is also a growing demand for oil-filled radiators because they are being considered as safest among all these products,” he added. Gourav Gupta, a shopkeeper at the Canal road said, “Continuous decline in mercury has led to spurt in the sales of the heating appliances. The sales have gone up by nearly 30 per cent in less than a fortnight. We have brought different kind of room heaters keeping in the view the budget of customers.” Gupta said China-made products, which are cheaper as compared to indigenous products, have become popular these days. “The cost of Chinese products is around Rs 300 to Rs 500 and these are cheapest among all heating appliances. Though there is no guarantee on durability of these products, yet these are being preferred over indigenous products,” he added. He said the sales of geyser and solar water heaters have also started picking up as the temperature plummeted considerably for last few days. Meena Sharma, a housewife, said, “I believe that we should not compromise on the quality of products. I have decided to buy a room heater and a geyser which consume less energy and are safer to use for my family. As the cold wave intensified in the Jammu region, the demand of these products will definitely go up in days to come.” Official sources said the night temperature in Jammu district had plummeted to 0.5 degree Celsius, about 6 degrees below the normal temperature and cold wave would intensify further as the chances of rainfall are bleak.
	Gandola cable car to link Yusmarg with Nilnag Our Correspondent Srinagar, December 27 The state government has announced that it is planning to construct a mega Gandola Cable Car Project that will link the famous tourist resort of Yusmarg with Nilnag Lake and the nearby scenic meadow, Bargah. Situated at a distance of 47 km from the Srinagar city, Yusmarg is a small meadow in Budgam district of the Kashmir valley. Nilnag is a blue-water lake situated four kilometre downhill from Yusmarg. The announcement to construct the project was made by Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs Abdul Rahim Rather at a village in Budgam here recently. The minister said these initiatives would give a boost to the tourism activities in the area and bring socio-economic prosperity. He said the project would revive the pristine glory of Nilnag. Referring to the development initiatives being undertaken in the area, Rather said the Nagam-Nilnag-Goggi Patheri road was being widened and macadamised at a cost of Rs 16 crore. He also laid the foundation stone of a Primary Health Centre (PHC) building at Nilnag that is being constructed by the J&K Housing Board at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore.
	Jagti migrants reel under cold wave Rajesh Bhat Jagti (Jammu), December 27 Hundreds of Kashmiri migrants putting up in the Jagti township continue to face the harsh realities of life. In the absence of basic amenities and with drop in mercury level during the ongoing cold and chilly winter, their spirits appear to be at an all-time low. Ever since they shifted to this township in the beginning of the year, the migrants are being provided power supply for only six hours and that too in installments. While this summer, they were forced to sweat every day for 18 hours, during the ongoing winter days, the Jagti migrants now shiver in the absence of electricity. The migrants were asked to move to a new dwelling place after the state government had bulldozed their makeshift dwellings at Mishriwalla, Muthi, Nagrota and Purkhoo camps, where they were living since 1990. This was agreed upon only after the assurances by the state government that flats constructed under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation package at Jagti contained all basic amenities. It is not an issue of electricity only. The dwellers here do not get proper drinking water facility. There are no medical shops or a dispensary within the camp vicinity. Ashok Kumar, a migrant, said, “Despite lodging a number of protests and dharnas outside the Relief Commissioner’s Office in Jammu during the past six months, no measures have been taken to redress our grievances.” Some of the migrants complained that the structures raised here leak whenever it rains. Some cracks in the building walls and roof tops were testimony to the fact that construction work was not carried out properly. Rakesh Kumar, who originally hails from Handwara, recalled that during monsoon reason, belongings of some migrant families were destroyed. “It speaks volumes of the ‘state-of-the-art’ structures which have been constructed for our living,” he said. The township also lacks provision for security to migrants. Since most of the migrants were now living at one place, there is a general sense of insecurity among them that they could become a target of some anti-social elements. An official of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department admitted that migrants living here were facing hardships. “We intend to hold elections here to talk to the representatives of the migrants so that their problems could be mitigated,” he said.
	jammu DIARY Unused traffic posts While Jammuites are grappling with traffic chaos in their day-to-day life, the Traffic Monitoring Posts (TMPs) installed on the city roads to streamline vehicular movement are still looking for their ‘owners’, the traffic policemen who are conspicuous by their absence (see photo). These TMPs have become redundant as neither the civil police nor the traffic police used these posts for streamlining traffic and checking violations. Interestingly, the traffic police has devised a new but obsolete way to control vehicular movement by fixing ropes on both sides of the roads, but they are least bothered to use the TMPs. It has become a routine affair for Jammuites to struggle through serpentine queues of vehicles stranded on roads, with commuters looking for clearance of jams. Drive at your own risk Driving on the city roads has become a Herculean task these days due to people’s lack of driving sense and non-existence of stern traffic laws. No matter how sensibly you drive, there is still a massive chance that your vehicle will be hit. Most of the drivers do not care to use indicators. Their extraordinary ‘courage’ can be assessed with the fact that they dare to cross over the dividers and storm into the one-way routes. But there is no check on undisciplined driving and the traffic police and flying squads can be frequently seen standing as mute spectators. Faded signboards Signboards at important road junctions are supposed to guide the commuters, on the contrary, most of them, especially in the peripheral areas, have been creating a lot of confusion. The signboards put up by the Roads and Buildings Department and the Tourism Department hardly make any sense to the travellers. After a few years, most of the information written on the signboards fades away. It seems that the authorities concerned forget to repaint the signboards. Such faded traffic regulatory signboards need to be spruced up without any further delay so that commuters and tourists do not face hardships and road safety is ensured. (Contributed by Arteev Sharma, Varun Suthra and Ashutosh Sharma)
	Chief Secy visits garbage dumping site Tribune News Service Srinagar, December 27 Chief Secretary Madhav Lal visited Achin-Sanitary Engineered Landfill site constructed for the dumping of solid waste coming up at a cost of Rs 17 crore, out of which Rs 9.50 crore have been spent on the project so far. During his visit to the site recently, the Chief Secretary was accompanied by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Samoon, Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad, and other senior officers of the SMC and others, an official spokesperson said. The Chief Secretary was informed that the acquisition of the additional land for the project in Srinagar city will serve the purpose of solid waste disposal problem. He was further told that it is the only dumping site available with the SMC as on date for disposal of city garbage. It has been also told that the site is free from any seismic risk and underground mines. It was also told that the separate approach road and bridge has been constructed at the site at an estimated cost of Rs 3.70 crore, including land compensation. The site has been fenced with compound walling all along with restricted entry. A plantation buffer in the form of green belt is being developed on the periphery of landfill site. Later, the Chief Secretary visited the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and inspected various important units and asked for delivering quick response to the common people. On the occasion, Madhav Lal said the SMC had a great responsibility for providing clean water supply better sanitation, medicare, streetlights and other civic amenities. The Chief Secretary directed the officers of the corporation to provide basic amenities to the citizens of the city on a priority basis and stressed for quick disposal of the fillers, especially during winter season, so that the common people may not face any difficulty and usher them to redress their grievances also. On the occasion, Commissioner, the SMC through power point informed the Chief Secretary about the programmes of various mega projects completed and under completion and other targets achieved during this financial year, including citizen facilitation centre, Chota Bazaar, shopping complex Zainshah Stadium, Rainawari, etc. The Chief Secretary was informed that presently 17 community centres are under construction coming up at the cost of Rs 50 lakh each on which Rs 122.67 lakh have been spent on it. Besides Rs 1.11 crore out of earmarked, Rs 1.91 crore have been spent for sanitation solid waste management mechanical vehicle. He was further told that Rs. 122.30 lakh were earmarked for e-governance, out of which Rs 98 lakh have been incurred so far. He was told that Rs 7.59 lakh have been spent on the construction of slaughter houses on modern lines. The Chief Secretary was also told that the SMC has constructed central citizen facilitation centre for delivering services electronically and three windows have been made operational for providing birth/death certificates and building permissions. Madhav Lal also inspected the construction work of Zain-ul-Abideen Corporate Hall, coming up at a cost of Rs 3.48 crore, out of which Rs 16 lakh have been spent on it so far. He was told that the new hall will be fully equipped with the latest facilities.
	Awareness programme for farmers Tribune News Service Jammu, December 27 An awareness programme for the farmers of Gamhir Muglan, Buli Gamir, Hatta, Hatni, Kotli, Kalban and Gauluthi villages in and around Manjakote in Rajouri district was held by the local administration in association with the Rashtriya Rifles under the aegis of the Headquarters Counter Insurgency Force Romeo. The two-day programme started on December 26 and concluded today. As many as 3,000 farmers got benefited from the Kisan Mela. Various government departments like Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry, Fisheries, Cooperatives, Horticulture, Floriculture, Handicraft and Handloom put on display farming equipments and product in the programme. The participating farmers were made aware of various government schemes. On the occasion, the Agriculture Department distributed water pump sets and rotary tillers at 50 per cent and 15 per cent discount rates. J&K Bank and the State Bank of India also participated in the programme. Loans were given to 200 villagers. A cultural programme comprising folk dances and songs was presented by the locals.