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Changes in RTI rules opposed
In the midst of controversies, JU yet to see perceptible change
Panun Kashmir comes to rescue of Jagti dwellers
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Govt acknowledges failure to curb polythene influx
Follow ‘one person, one post’ norm, university urged
‘Masked men’ create terror in Surankote tehsil
Rural areas to be developed
Traders pledge support to Dinesh Gupta’s panel
200 intoxicant capsules seized, two held
For a lesson in mushroom farming
Exclusion of Valley would not be tolerated: JSM
Trikuta Nagar residents vow for a greener environment
Seminar held on Dogri poet Bal Krishan Bhouran
100 saplings planted at Lok Nirman Bhawan
Petty politics affects harmony: Slathia
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Changes in RTI rules opposed
Jammu, September 9 The protesting groups raised slogans against the state government and demanded the immediate revocation of new Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO) 279. Led by Sangarsh RTI Movement, an organisation of RTI activists, representatives of various social groups, including the Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI), Vichar Kranti Manch International, Duggar Pardesh Yuva Sangathan, Nature Human Centric People’s Movement, Universal Foundation, Green Alternatives, Arohi Sangeet vidaylya, All-India Youth Hot Blood Association, Save My Tawi Campaign, Khitij Foundation, some citizens and students joined the protest and lodged their protest against the government’s “unilateral decision”. The protesters alleged that the new RTI Rules had eroded all the powers of the SIC and that too through a “unilateral decision” despite the fact that members of the Commission were mutually appointed by the government and the Leader of the Opposition. The protesters also raised slogans against the state bureaucracy and blamed that “corrupt bureaucrats misguided” the ministers that led to the dilution of powers of the Commission. They also urged the Chief Minister to identity the corrupt bureaucrats who were misguiding the ministers on RTI Rules and asked him to root out such elements from the bureaucracy. The demonstrators rubbished the arguments of the state government that the new RTI Rules were made on a par with the Central law and the amendments were made after the recommendation from the State Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). They also sought the cooperation from the Opposition parties against the government’s attempt to weaken the institutions of transparency and accountability. It was also informed that under Section 26 of the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2009, the state government is under legal obligation to present a copy of Rules before the House for a period of one month and legislatures can reject the arbitrary amendments of the government. Prominent among those who addressed the protesters were RTI activists Balvinder Singh, Roop Chand, SK Jain and Raman Sharma. On August 30, the General Administration Department (GAD) had issued an SRO 279 repealing the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Rules, 2010, and introduced J&K RTI Rules, 2012, “without consulting stakeholders”.
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In the midst of controversies, JU yet to see perceptible change
So far, the university has remained in news for all the wrong reasons this year. From a scam in fixing of tiles in the Business School, giving multiple administrative posts to a handful of officers to delay in declarations of results, the university remained in the centre of controversies. For many, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, who took the charge almost nine months ago, is still in a honeymoon phase. “The Vice-Chancellor could be positive in his approach but the inertia within the system is turning out to be a major impediment in the academic and infrastructural development of the campus. The delay in financial clearances has marred various activities on the campus,” a senior faculty member told The Tribune on the condition of anonymity. He said, “Some professors have virtually hijacked the thoughts of the Vice-Chancellor. He has failed to take “out of box” chances keeping in view the inquiry ordered against his predecessor. Uncertainty on the part of Vice-Chancellor’s secretariat is also delaying various development as well as academic activities on the campus.” Another senior faculty member, who also wished not to be named, said follow-up action on various decisions had not been good so far. “The university administration should seriously look into various lapses on the part of administration and fix the responsibility for delay in follow-up action on important decisions,” he said. Sources said for the first time, infighting within university departments came out in the open when two women professors, in separate incidents, made complaints of “harassment” against senior professors. “Had the varsity administration taken some proactive measures, such incidents could have been prevented. These incidents have sent a wrong message outside as well as within the campus,” the sources observed. The sources also pointed out the recent controversy over the holding of more than one post by a “handful of professors”, saying “inaction on the part of the administration raises a serious question mark vis-à-vis transparency and accountability. “The varsity has also been facing severe criticism from various quarters for the delay in declaration of results of various postgraduate courses. To improve the examination system, the launch of online submission of Registration Returns (RR) and the introduction of single-leaf examination forms for all postgraduate courses was a good step but the authorities should seriously look into the problem of delay in results and fix the accountability,” the sources said.
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Panun Kashmir comes to rescue of Jagti dwellers
Jammu, September 9 Addressing a number of corner meetings,
Kaul alleged that the desperate condition of Pandits at the Jagti camp revealed that the
establishment had resorted to the policy of attrition and intimidation by curtailing water and electricity supply to force the Pandits to toe the line of the government. He alleged that the administration was continuing the policy of discrimination which was unleashed by the fundamentalist elements in the Valley in 1990, forcing the community to leave their homeland. “The Panun Kashmir is watching the situation with open eyes and at this hour of crisis when the reign of terror and intimidation has been let loose by the adminsitration, the organisation stands like a rock behind our brethren”, he said. Appealing the masses and all nationalist forces to join hands for the cause of Jagti camp dwellers, the Panun Kashmir has called upon Pandits to raise voice against the discrimination. “We appeal the masses to join a protest rally at the Press Club, Jammu, on September 14 to express solidarity with the people living in the township”. Reiterating the demand of homeland for Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley,
the Panun Kashmir has said open threats issued to the community youth who
were appointed under the employment package by Syed Ali Shah Geelani vindicates the "Margdarshan" resolution adopted by the organisation
in 1991, seeking carving out a separate homeland in the Valley. |
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Govt acknowledges failure to curb polythene influx
Jammu, September 9 Sources said a new task force would enforce the ban on the use of polythene bags and check the influx of these from outside the state. Officials said some traders, under the garb of bringing bio-degradable material, were dumping tonnes of polythene in the state, which is a clear violation of the norms set by the government. “Despite the ban on polythene bags, most of the traders can be found using them. Some of the prominent showrooms are openly using such bags but no action has been taken against them,” said an official. Recently, a Legislative House Committee had taken note of the non-implementation of the ban and had recommended the government to take concrete measures to ensure that the rules are followed. Last year, the PCB had decided that only ISO-certified bio-plastic bags would be allowed in the state to ensure that the inflow of fake bio-bags by some private companies could be checked. “No check was maintained and the traders easily dodged the enforcement agencies,” said a source. PCB chairman Lal Chand said a detailed review of the steps taken against the flow of polethene bags in the state would be conducted. “Our fight against polythene usage will continue and whatever change in the strategy is needed will be done. We have taken up the issue with other concerned agencies,” he said. The civic authorities had launched the drive against the use of polythene bags
in the state following the ban imposed by the state government as per the SRO-182 (ban on carrying polythene bags) under the Non-Biodegradable Material (Management, Handling, and Disposal) Act in 2009 and had later empowered various civic bodies to punish the offenders. The PCB and the Municipal Corporations have seized 450 MT of polythene since 2009. However, the concerned officials are still unable to decide what to do with the seized polythene, which has been kept
in stores. |
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Follow ‘one person, one post’ norm, university urged
Jammu, September 9 The Jammu Students Morcha (JSM) has served a seven-day ultimatum to the authorities for initiating “corrective measures” to end the “favouritism and nepotism” on the
campus. The Morcha leaders have urged Governor NN Vohra, who is also the Chancellor of Jammu University, for issuing directions to the authorities for adhering to “one person, one
post” norm. “Senior professors are calling the shots as they have been holding more than one prized position since long. This is
affecting the normal functioning of university,” Jammu Students Morcha University president Sunil Kumar told reporters here. He alleged that it was “highly condemnable” that some professors had been given prized positions at the cost of normal functioning of the
university. “The need of the hour is to decentralise powers. We appeal the Chancellor of the University to take cognisance of it and initiate measures to streamline the functioning,” the JSM leader said. “We appeal the
Vice-Chancellor to take cognizance of it and initiate measures to streamline the functioning. We give an ultimatum of seven days to the University in this regard. We will intensify our agitation if the varsity didn’t take corrective steps,” the JSM
leader said. Various student organisations, including the National Secular Forum (NSF), National Panthers Students Union (NPSU) and Jammu University Law Students’ Association. These organisations had also been protesting against the multiple posts occupied by a single officer on the campus. |
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‘Masked men’ create terror in Surankote tehsil
Poonch, September 9 “Every night we see some boys wearing pathani suits, holding gun-like articles under their shawls, wandering in villages in a bid to create terror in the area,” said a villager. Talib Hussain of Fagla village said, “Last night when some villagers saw a group of boys in suspicious dresses, they alarmed others on mobile phones. We came out of our houses and started looking for them but they managed to flee, taking advantage of maize fields and the darkness.” As per the locals, these “suspicious” persons have been noticed in Sanai, Fagla, Lassana, and Dhundak villages. Mohd Shakeel, who resides in Upper Lassana, said the earlier night, the masked men tried to break into a house but fled when they realised that the owners had heard the noise of breaking of a windowpane. The house owner alarmed his neighbours but to no avail. Some children later said some unidentified persons had been inquiring about the house from them. “Regular inputs from different villages regarding the presence of a group of masked men reminds us of the days of militancy when militants wandered freely in villages and people locked themselves in their homes after 6 pm,” a villager said. Poonch SP Shamsher Hussain said they were looking into the matter and had increased night patrolling in the villages. However, he opined, “The stories about the masked men may be a rumour.”
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Rural areas to be developed
Jammu, September 9 He said mega projects have been launched across the state to develop rural pockets on modern lines and to take the development revolution to every nook and corner of the state. Continuing with a drive to reach out to people and bring the administration at the door-step, Tara Chand today toured different areas of Khour and addressed a series of public rallies at Baddan, Man Chak, Indri, Bakore, Ghari, Gair, Troti and Dhoun Chak. Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Akhnoor, NS Jamwal, Assistant Commissioner Development KK Sidha, Superintendent of Police and other senior officers and engineers of different departments accompanied the minister on his tour. The Deputy Chief Minister said the government was committed to make the administration more accountable and the Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) was a landmark initiative for the purpose. He said time-bound delivery of public services would go a long way in ensuring that the administration is made people-friendly and an accountable delivery mechanism is put in place. He said various schemes in different sectors have been launched to tackle the problem of unemployment and to ensure that welfare requirements of all sectors of society are addressed. He said an ambitious project for channelising the Chenab waters has been under consideration and a detailed project report (DPR) for the multi-crore project was being prepared. Once the project gets under way, major demands of the people of the area would be addressed, he added. Calling upon the Rural Development Department functionaries to ensure that benefits of various rural schemes reach to the beneficiaries in a time-bound manner, Tara Chand said payments under the MNREGA should be disbursed in a proper way, as the flagship scheme has dual purpose of generating employment and creating assets for the society. |
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Traders pledge support to Dinesh Gupta’s panel
Jammu, September 9 The other candidates in the panel are Deepak Gupta, Kailash Langar, Karunvesh Gupta, Kaoushal Kumar Gupta, Parshottam Singh Pawar, Parveen Sharma, Rakesh Sharma and Virinder Singh. Among those who have given assurance to these candidates are Kanak Mandi Traders’ Association president Vijay Kumar; the General Secretary, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu, Arun Gupta; Federation of Retailers Association president Yash Pal Gupta and Panthers Pharmaceutical Club president Mahesh Gupta. The panel candidates were received warmly by these traders during their visit in the area for campaigning. The elections are scheduled to be held on September 17.
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200 intoxicant capsules seized, two held
Jammu, September 9 The arrested persons have been identified as Kuldeep Kumar of Hiranagar and Roshan Lal of Arjun Chak, Kathua. Reports said the police laid a naka at Jandi Hiranagar and apprehended two persons during a search operation. Around 200 Par-van-Spas capsules were recovered from their possession. A case FIR number 142/2012 under Section 8/21/22 of the NDPS Act has been registered.
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For a lesson in mushroom farming
Jammu, September 9 The tour, which has been organised by the Jammu Directorate of Agriculture under the Centrally sponsored Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms (ATMA) Scheme, was flagged off by Agriculture Director Ajay Khajuria at the Krishi Bhawan. The growers would participate in the exhibition on improved production and post-harvest management of mushrooms and other related aspects. A ‘Kisan Goshthi’ programme will also be held in the fair in which mushroom growers, marketing personnel and extension workers can interact with scientists and experts and seek information on problems which they face in mushroom cultivation. The Agriculture Director advised the participants to gain maximum knowledge about mushroom growing through this expedition as the Directorate of Mushroom Research, Solan, which is actively involved in the programme, was a pioneer institution of the country in the field. — TNS
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Exclusion of Valley would not be tolerated: JSM
Jammu, September 9 In a statement issued here today, the JSM said it was well known that more than 70 per cent of revenue against electricity consumption comes from the Jammu region where as the Kashmir valley consumes far more electricity as compared to the Jammu province. Moreover, residents of the Jammu province were cooperating with the Power Development Department (PDD) and filling up prescribed forms about the actual electricity load they are using. “It is an irony that people of the Jammu region who are honest, law-abiding and generate maximum electricity revenue are always penalised,” the JSM stated and asked the government that the new policy of electricity privatisation should be uniformly enforced in both the provinces of the state with no exception. “People of the Jammu region should not be isolated by enforcing the new policy only in Jammu province at the first instance,” the statement said and warned that any discrimination with the Jammu province in the matter would not be tolerated and resented with full force.
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Trikuta Nagar residents vow for a greener environment
Jammu, September 9 Youth Congress leader Nitish Mahajan said, “In the present-day scenario, it is important for everyone to become more sensitive towards the use of natural resources and efforts should be made to reduce their wastage.” The locals appreciated the drive which sensitised them about adopting eco-friendly ways. They pledged to keep up the exercise of planting saplings regularly and to help in spreading the message across the city. The drive comes in the wake of increasing awareness about various environmental issues such as melting glaciers due to global warming and increase in carbon pollutants in air, water and soil.
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Seminar held on Dogri poet Bal Krishan Bhouran
Udhampur, September 9 The programme was jointly organised by Rachnakar Kala Sahitya, Department of Information and Jagriti Old Age Home, Udhampur. On the occasion, the participants, including Darshan Darshi, Prof Shiv Nirmohi, Parkash Premi and Surjeet Hosh, presented papers on the literary contribution of Bal Krishan Bhouran. Others who spoke on the occasion included president Dogri Sanstha Jammu, Prof Lalit Maogtra, Dr Veena Gupta, Mohan Singh, Desh Bandu Dogra Nutan, Dr RC Nagar, Prof Tara Nath and Jia Lal Jia. The speakers described Bhouran as an icon of Dogri poetry. They said his poetry carried a powerful element of romanticism, nature and satire on present socio-political setup. Most of the speakers read out his different poems to pay him tributes. Later, the District Information Centre, Udhampur, screened a short documentary on the literary contributions of Bhouran, “A tribute to Bal Krishan Bhouran”, which was highly appreciated by the audience present. Among others, Dr Jatinder Udhampuri, District Information Officer, Udhampur, Dr Jagdish Mehra, Pradhuman Singh, Balraj Bakshi, and literary personalities of the Jammu province were also present on the occasion.
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100 saplings planted at Lok Nirman Bhawan
Jammu, September 9 Over a hundred saplings of different kinds of plants were planted in the drive, which was the initiative of general secretary of the association Balwinder Singh. PWD commissioner secretary Tanveer Jehan said, “Officials in every public office should follow this step to make their surroundings green. Each one of us should do his bit to address the environmental issues that the planet is facing.” Balwinder Singh thanked the PWD officials for providing adequate facilities and tools to turn his vision into reality.
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Petty politics affects harmony: Slathia
Samba, September 9 The Minister was addressing a public meeting at village Jhang in Vijaypur constituency after inaugurating the newly-constructed lanes and drains. “Because of such petty politics, the commercial fabric and regional harmony is also disturbed, which in turn affects the well being of the state,” he said. He said a lot of developmental activities had been launched across the state and the results would be visible very soon. — TNS
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groups and RTI activists for bringing sweeping changes in the Right to Information (RTI) Rules and described the move as an “attempt to dilute the powers of the State Information Commission (SIC) to make it a toothless tiger.”
Jammu, September 9
Prominent traders of the Kanak Mandi area have pledged their support to a panel of candidates led by Dinesh Gupta, a former chairman of the Citizens’ Cooperative Bank Limited, who will be contesting in the elections to the board of directors of the bank.
Jammu, September 9