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municipal polls
Frequent blackouts, but city streetlights remain on in day
A streetlight glows during the day in Jammu on Friday. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma |
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Jammu-Poonch highway blocked for over five hours
Villagers protest against tehsildar Kulbushan Khajuria in Rajouri on Friday. Photo by writer
Neglected, Samote Sar lake dying a slow death
A view of the Samote Sar Lake in Rajouri. Photo by writer
Monkeys turn away tourists at Bagh-e-Bahu
Rajouri creates a record in infants’ birth
Amarnath body flays govt for creating row
JU’s science department showcases achievements
Protest against irregularities
in road construction
Ex-servicemen rally held
Army officials and ex-servicemen at a stall in Talwara on Friday. A Tribune Photograph
PDD daily wagers welcome regularisation move
Members of the daily wage workers of the Power Development Department at a press conference in Jammu on Friday. Tribune Photo: Inderjeet Singh
Students protest against SHO
National honour conferred
Plantation drive organised
Managing committee of TRKMPC constituted
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Few takers for CM’s announcement
Omar on Thursday announced elections to the urban local bodies in December Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 31 The ULB elections were due in March 2010 but the state government couldn’t hold elections despite setting several deadlines over the years. The last ULB polls were held in 2005 after a gap of 26 years. This time, the government has also proposed to include at least 35 more areas within the JMC limits. “The state government has no intention, whatsoever, to conduct municipal elections in the state. The ruling National Conference didn’t allow democratic institutions to flourish and a glaring example is the JMC and Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls which were due in 2010. After 1978, the NC didn’t conduct municipal elections and it was the PDP government that conducted the last elections,” former JMC Mayor Kavinder Gupta remarked. He alleged the government had been making such deadlines since 2010 but it didn’t honour such announcements. “Who is going to believe this government that has lost the credibility?” he said. Senior Congress leader and former mayor Narinder Singh said there was every likelihood that the government would again miss the deadline. “For simple reasons, it is not possible to hold elections by December this year. They have yet to prepare electoral rolls and issue voting cards to new electorates within the municipal limits. Besides, the government was contemplating to bring more areas under the jurisdiction of municipal limits. Another question arises about the fate of elected sarpanches and panches whose villages are being brought under the municipal limits. The entire exercise is a lengthy and cumbersome process,” he said. He also blamed the government for taking democratic institutions for granted, saying the “carrot and stick” policy won’t work for it. “It is not known whether the government will conduct these elections in December this year or December 2013,” he mocked. Yesterday, the Chief Minister while chairing a Cabinet meeting had directed the Housing & Urban Development Department to issue an order to the Election Department for holding polls to the ULBs by December this year. Former councillor Zaffar Javed Ahmed too expressed doubt over the government’s “sincerity and intentions”. He said the government functionaries were a “confused lot” and they had failed to understand the ground situation. “It is the people who have been suffering for the past two and half years but the government didn’t bother to hold elections. It doesn’t want to decentralise powers as they lack political will. We don’t believe in such hollow announcements which are being made to befool the public,” he alleged. Senior National Conference leader and former deputy mayor of the JMC said many a times the government had compulsions which didn’t allow it to hold elections. “The Chief Minister is very keen to conduct these elections. We are sure the government will finally hold the ULB polls this time,” he said.
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Frequent blackouts, but city streetlights remain on in day
Jammu, August 31 This is despite the fact that the authorities are struggling to normalise the present situation, as many residential areas have to face unscheduled power cuts daily, despite paying their electricity bills regularly. The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has installed most of the lights in the past five years. However, no proper mechanism has been devised to look after them. While blaming the administration for the present state of affairs, residents stated that streetlights are never switched off during the day hours. “At times streetlights in the Gandhi Nagar remain on for the entire day though we do not have power supply at our house,” said Sunil Sharma, a local resident. Earlier, the authorities had announced that they would introduce an ‘auto-cut system’ for the streetlights to save power. But that is only on paper
as of now. In several localities, including Paloura, Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Channi, Parade, Kachi Chawni, Janipur, Roop Nagar and Bari-Brahman, the condition of streetlights is very bad as many of them are non-functional for want of repairs. “At a time when power cuts are affecting normal life and residents are facing tough times to beat the situation, seeing these lights glowing make us sad at the functioning of the administration”, said Sukesh Khajuria, a resident of Canal Road. The average power consumption in the region has increased by 15 lakh units per day this year as compared to the same period previous year and occasionally the consumption exceeds up to 30 lakh
units per day. |
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Jammu-Poonch highway blocked for over five hours
Rajouri, August 31 “The local residents of Bathoni area protested against tehsildar Kulbushan Khajuria for indulging in corruption in a case of transfer of land to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir refugee, who is now living in Meerut for the past few decades,” said sarpanch of Bathoni panchayat, Balbir Sharma. “Tehsildar Kulbushan Khajuria had transferred land owned by Jagdish Raj and Ved Praksah under khasra number 705, 699 to Pardeep Sundan of Meerut by taking a bribe,”
said Sharma. “Pradeep Sudan has maintained his documents fraudulently by hatching a conspiracy with Kulbushan to transfer land measuring nearly 16 kanals, 13
marlas in Bathoni owned by two local residents,” said Sharma. Khajuria said, “This land belongs to Aukaf. It was allotted to Devi Dass, son of Gokul Chand who was a PoK refugee in 1954,
which Hundreds of villagers held protest and raised slogans against the tehsildar and blocked the road for five hours, which resulted in a huge jam. The protesters vacated the national highway only after assurance by Assistant Commissioner Revenue Sachin Singh to take suitable action into the matter. |
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Neglected, Samote Sar lake dying a slow death
Rajouri, August 31 The blue water lake is located at the highest peak of the Peer Panajal range having 2-km-long width and 1 km length. Maharajkar Singh Ishar, general secretary, Everest Mountaineer Club, Rajouri, said, “We had climbed this peak in 1985, it’s a wonderful tourist destination, especially for trekking lovers. It has a natural lake, which gets frozen during the month of July.” “We had taken the issue with senior officials of the Tourism Department to develop the place but the development work of the areas was hindered due to militancy,” said a local resident. He said, “Despite hollow promises by the governments, nothing concrete has been done on the ground. The district tourism department, Rajouri, has failed miserably.” Molvi Fareed, a social worker of Budhal, said: “I personally met several ministers and senior officials regarding the development work of the area. Nothing was done in this regard except false promises. The government is only focusing on Kashmir and neglecting other parts of the state.” Director Tourism Jammu RS Mehta said this particular lake is not neglected, but since it is located in the militancy prone area, the steps needed to develop tourism in the Rajouri-Poonch belt becomes difficult. In the past 17 years, this Peer Panjal Range was one of the most sensitive areas of Jammu and Kashmir. Not only this lake, but seven other lakes in this area which are full of scenic beauty have become the victims of militancy during insurgency. Mehta said from the past two years normalcy has been restored in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and now we are also developing our infrastructure with the help of tourism authorities of Rajouri and Poonch.
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Monkeys turn away tourists at Bagh-e-Bahu
Jammu, August 31 Talking to The Tribune, people responsible for the maintenance of the garden said though teams had been called to get rid of the monkey menace, they had visited only once and had not reported on duty for the past 15 days. They pointed out that despite repeated orders refraining the use of polybags in the garden premises, people bringing in junk food packets, which lure the monkeys to the garden. “Last weekend when we were in the garden, the monkeys were charging at food, mobile phones and even tried to snatch a handbag from a woman. Though monkeys reside near a temple here, for some reasons their presence here has increased over a period of time", said Sukesh Sharma, a frequent visitor to the garden. Despite efforts being put into effect in order to curb the menace, the problem according to Floriculture Department Director KK Sharma, also lies with hawkers selling eatables in the garden. “Despite repeatedly warning local hawkers against selling packet goods at exaggerated prices in the garden area, they continue to do so unabated. At times, our caretakers were also threatened when the hawkers were stopped from selling goods in the garden area.” At a time when Jammu is trying to garner maximum tourist attention, especially since the rush to the Valley has been on a steady rise for the past few years, such issues impact the credibility of tourist places. Apart from the Bagh-e-bahu complex, sanctions for other recreational areas or gardens are still on hold by the state government. “Though we had proposed to make a botanical garden in the city, due to procrastination on behalf of certain people, we have been unable to get the requisite sanction. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we all subsume our differences and work towards making the best use of resources available instead of corrupting those as well,” stated KK Sharma on the issue of keeping Bagh-e-Bahu clean and appealing. |
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Rajouri creates a record in infants’ birth
Rajouri, August 31 Statistics show 690 babies were born in Jammu district, 505 in Poonch, 384 in Samba, 219 in Reasi, 319 in Ramban, 505 in Udhampur, 407 in Kathua and 353 in Doda in July. Talking to The Tribune, Rajouri Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Zahoor Shawl said, “We are on course to achieve a target of 14,000 deliveries in a year.” He claimed that not a single infant death took place in the district hospital in July.He said now people were getting improved facilities and medicines in the district as well sub-district hospitals in Rajouri district with the help of Asha workers. He said as many as 140 sub-centres and 22 primary health centres, including three family welfare centres, were running in the district. The main reason behind the high birth rate in the district is backwardness of the area, illiteracy and early marriages. Increase in awareness is the only way to solve this problem, a local resident said. Preference for a male child is still strong in this region and even the educated people keep on having children as long as they don’t have a male child. A gynaecologist at the district hospital, Rajouri, said “The highest birth rate is due to Rajouri being a Muslim-dominated area and not due to backwardness or illiteracy.”
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Amarnath body flays govt for creating row
Jammu, August 31 Talking to mediapersons here, Pawan Kohli, convener, SAYSS, also minced no words to take on Jammu-based ministers for maintaining a “silence” on the statement of Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather after the Supreme Court’s directions to the state government to improve facilities en route the cave shrine. The minister had said there was no plan to construct a road to the holy Amarnath cave. “The people fully understand the mindset of the Kashmir-based rulers who are influenced by the dictates of the separatists. The government’s approach at the level of the state government is unacceptable to the nationalist people of the state in particular and people of the country at large,” Kohli said. He also castigated the government for its failure to fulfil the entire terms of agreement reached between the Samiti and the government even after the lapse of four years. “The government is yet to pay compensation to all the martyrs’ families. It has also not withdrawn criminal cases against the people who participated in the agitation. On the contrary, the persons concerned are being harassed by the police unnecessarily,” the SAYSS said. He demanded the government should also fulfil its commitment to provide Rs 1 crore as corpus fund at the disposal of Chamber of Commerce, Jammu region, for the creation of employment opportunity for one member of each family who lost their members in the agitation. The SAYSS leader disclosed that the Samiti would organise a function to commemorate the 4th year of “martyrdom day” of those who were killed during Amarnath agitation in 2008. “On the fourth year of the agitation, a function is being organised on September 2 at Geeta Bhawan to pay tributes to the martyrs. Laxmi Chawla, a social activist from Punjab, will be the chief guest,” he said. |
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JU’s science department showcases achievements
Jammu August 31 In a presentation which highlighted the detailed account of the objectives of the department, the head of the department spoke about the new courses which have been introduced in the department taking into consideration the increasing demand for professional orientation in courses. “We kept the syllabus of the NET exams in mind while revising our syllabi as the students needs a professional edge in their courses. With the increasing number of developmental projects taking shape in the state our students and research scholars along with the experienced staff members are being called in for various environmental impact assessment and environmental management planning. This helps the project handlers in understanding the consequences of the developmental projects on the environment,” said Dr Rampal, while highlighting the relevance of the new courses in the department. Apart from getting associated with development projects students are also making comfortable entry in other fields. The students clearing NET/GATE/ SET exams has also gone up to 76 per cent in the recent past. Apart from a flourishing library, the faculty has also increased to 160 members and the department is planning to host a national conference on the topic ‘Environmental Issues and Challenges- the Himalayan perspective’ at the Bhadarwah campus wherein scholars will discuss the various environmental changes and other similar issues related to the region. Taking cognizance of the various achievements of the department the Vice-chancellor said there is a need for further attention in order to make the course one of the most competitive in its field. — TNS
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Few takers for silk cocoons in state
Jammu, August 31 Sources in the sericulture department said that because of the lack of proper infrastructure the government is bound to export around 70 per cent of the cocoons that are produced in the state. Despite a vast potential for the manufacturing of silk only 30 per cent of the total cocoons produced in the state are converted into threads, rest are being exported to the states like West Bengal. And then theses threads are converted into sarees and suits are sold back to the people here. “The state is not new to the silk production as it is more than 100-year-old business for the people of the state. We have only one silk factory in Rajbagh, Srinagar. We get buyers for the cocoons from other states”, said Dhanbir Singh, director, sericulture, Jammu. He said “Most of the
buyers we get for the cocoons are from west Bengal where some part of it is converted into fabric and some into handloom. 30 per cent of the cocoons produced in the state are used by the weavers here only.” To utilise the cocoons produced here, the
government organises an auction in which the buyers from outside the state participate. History * A century ago the state had a dynamic silk trade. In 1940s, the precious silk yarn was even exported to the entire British empire. *
Silk industry was the main revenue earner for the state during the Maharaja rule. Kashmir had its indigenous races of silkworm and produced best quality cocoons in the world. *
Statistics shows that cocoon production had reached above 15 lakh kg in 80’s. *
The time changed for the Kashmir industry. The cocoon production dipped to just 60,000 kg in late 90’s. |
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Protest against irregularities
in road construction
Jammu, August 31 The party members expressed their anguish towards the road and building department while demanding that action should be taken against concerned officers for non-commencement of the construction work sanctioned under Stage 1 and 2. Panther leaders also charged the state government with inconsistent response towards implementation of RB schemes and demanded that action should be taken immediately. — TNS |
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Ex-servicemen rally held
Katra, August 31 The ex-serviceman rally commenced with an address by the commanding officer of the unit. A medical camp with doctors from civil administration was also organised. The representatives from District Soldier Welfare Board, Records JAK LI Regimental Centre and ECHS (Ex-Servicemen Health Contributory Scheme) were present on the occasion to attend grievances of the veterans regarding documentation and pension. “The rally was a grand success as it not only brought veterans into the warm and cajoling folds of their organisation but also provided an opportunity to bring together the veterans of various villages in the district,” said an official from the Rashtriya Rifles. |
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PDD daily wagers welcome regularisation move
Jammu, August 31 All Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department (PDD) employees hailed the decision and said that it will also benefit hundreds of daily rate workers. Kulbir Singh, president of PDD daily wagers union, said that government should now speed up the process so that they don’t have to wait further. Singh said, “We welcome the decision as it was la ong pending demand of the daily rate wagers, who are working in some critical departments which include PHE, PDD and RDD.” He thanked Davinder Rana, political advisor to Chief Minister; Shabir Ahmed Khan, Minister for power; Sadanshu Pandey, principal secretary and Muzaffar Ahmed Matoo, chief engineer, for their efforts in this regard. Singh said that regularisation process of nearly 4,000 daily rate workers and causal labourers in Jammu and Kashmir was getting delayed as their respective departments had failed to submit details to the sub-committee constituted by the government for the purpose. State Cabinet had approved the mechanism for regularisation of daily wagers in of 2009, with directions passed to various departments to furnish details about the workers, so that financial and legal issues could be sorted out. Prominent persons present during the meeting included vice-president Deepak Sharma, Raju Saini, Sanjay Kumar, and Vikramjeet
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Students protest against SHO
Jammu, August 31 The students protested against the brutality with which the boy was treated. They demanded action against the SHO and threatened to hold a massive protest against the police officials. — TNS |
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National honour conferred
Jammu, August 31 Udhampuri received this award at a glittering function held on August 25 at Bhuvenashwar, Orissa. Other prestigious that he bagged earlier includes Padma Shri Award- 2010, Sahitya Akademi
Award-1981, senior fellowship award by the union ministry of culture |
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Jammu, August 31 Programme Officer along with volunteers participated in the drive. The drive was inaugurated by the principal Dr SD Gupta by giving importance of plants and planted plants in the college. NSS students and staff planted the plants in the village. — TNS
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Managing committee of TRKMPC constituted
Jammu, August 31 Vijay Shankar Lahori has been appointed as the president, Soom Nath Saraf as vice-president, Kul Bushan Kaw as general secretary, Preduman Krishen Koul as cashier and Ashok Ji Sathu as secretary. The elections were conducted as per the orders of the Court Of Special Mobile And Magistrate Under Passengers, Tax Shops and Establishment Act, Jammu, passed on August 3, 2011.
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Jammu, August 31
Traffic on the Jammu-Poonch National Highway remained suspended for over five hours today in the Bathoni area of Rajouri district. Local residents blocked the road and burnt effigy of tehsildar Kulbushan Khajuria, against whom charges of corruption have been alleged in a land transfer case.
Rajouri, August 31 
A stroll across Bagh-e-Bahu garden reveals that caretakers of the garden are mostly busy chasing away monkeys rather than using their energy towards tending to flowers and garden maintenance.
Talking to The Tribune, people responsible for the maintenance of the garden said though teams had been called to get rid of the monkey
menace
The Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti (SAYSS) today lashed out at the ruling coalition for creating a new controversy over the widening of routes to Amarnath cave shrine from Phalagam and Baltal base camps and asked the government functionaries to desist from making “controversial utterances”.
In an effort to reach out to the veterans of Reasi district, the 54 Rashtriya Rifles on behalf of Uniform Force today organised an ex-serviceman rally at
Talwara. The ex-serviceman rally commenced with an address by the commanding officer of the unit. A medical camp with doctors from civil administration was also
organised.
Daily wage workers of the Power Development Department (PDD) have welcomed the announcement of regularisation of 3,000 daily wage workers working in different departments in the state.
All Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department (PDD) employees hailed the decision and said that it will also benefit hundreds of daily rate workers.
