choke hold

The manufacture, trade and use of polythene bags has been declared illegal, with the government issuing guidelines to ensure that the ban remains in force. But its use is rampant across the state, more so in the rural areas, where the respective civic bodies have failed to initiate any corrective steps

Srinagar, October 5
At least 3,580 vacancies of various cadres in the Health Department have been referred to the recruitment agencies in the state.

Minister for Medical and Technical Education RS Chib yesterday said the vacancies had been referred to the recruitment agencies, which had been asked to fill these at the earliest.

Replying to a supplementary question by Bashir Ahmed Veeri, the minister said significant improvement had been registered in the health sector across the state over the past three years.

But there was a shortage of manpower at some places for which appropriate steps were being taken.

To an earlier question, the minister enumerated 13 projects undertaken under the NRHM to supplement the health sector requirement in the state.

“Efforts have been made to fill all vacant posts. In the meantime, 835 doctors and 3762 paramedics have been engaged under the NRHM to improve the availability of manpower in the health institutions,” Chib said.

35 posts of doctor for Bhaderwah hospital

The state government today said it had sanctioned 35 posts of doctor for the Sub-District Hospital, Bhaderwah, in Doda district.

“Six specialists and five medical officers have been posted in the hospital against the sanctioned strength of 17 and 18, respectively. The remaining posts have been referred to the recruitment agencies for selection,” said Javed Ahmad Dar, Minister of State for Health and Medical Education, while replying to a call-attention motion moved by Naresh Kumar Gupta in Legislative Council.

Dar said the vacant posts would be filled as soon as a selection panel was received from recruitment agencies.

The minister said adequate diagnostic, blood bank, operating theatre, kitchen and laundry facilities had been made available in newly constructed 100-bedded hospital at Badherwah.

“Residential quarters for doctors and paramedics staff are being constructed to ensure round-the-clock availability of medicare facilities to patients at one place,” he said.

Srinagar, October 5
The J&K Government today said it had fined 6,282 smokers and compounded over Rs 6 lakh in fine from defaulters for smoking at public places.

The state government has imposed a ban on smoking at public places and fined those found violating the ban.

In a reply to a question in the Legislative Assembly regarding the enforcement of ban on smoking at public places, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said more than 47,000 places had been inspected by designated officers enforcing the ban.

“The public places are being regularly inspected and action is initiated against those found violating the provisions of the law,” the minister said.

He said 6,282 persons had been penalised and Rs 4,12,264 recovered from them up to August.

The minister said the designate officers were “time and again” sensitised about their role and duties through various modes like seminars, workshops and meetings.

“By and large, the ban is being strictly enforced throughout the state,” he said. “The government has taken all necessary measures to enforce the laws banning cigarette smoking at public places,” the minister said.

Srinagar, October 5
As the autumn sun retreated behind the silhouette of mountains on Kashmir’s western edge, couplets of Urdu poetry set a rare scene of romance and mysticism in the idyllic and mesmerising Dal lake.

On board a majestic houseboat propelled by a small motorboat — which slowly surfed around the lake through the evening lit by a full moon — eight poets rhymed their poems to pay tributes to Syed Akbar Jaipuri — the man credited with popularising Urdu in the Valley. The past two decades of conflict in the Valley had forced many literary workshops and events indoors, where very few listened, praised and criticised the works. Last evening added a fresh chapter to Valley’s history, where life for many years used to shut before the fall of dusk.

The poetic evening began from the Zabarwan Park — named after the majestic hill range that overlooks the lake — from where poets and guests, including state Finance Minister, who was the chief guest of the evening, boarded the boat.

The evening was commemorated to mark the works of Jaipuri — who took this pen-name from the city of Jaipur where he spent his early years of life. In 1944, when the country was brewing with heightened communal rage, Jaipuri’s father was killed in Rajasthan, forcing the family to return to Kashmir, the poet’s son Syed Shabir told The Tribune.

The Kashmir of 1940s, when Jaipuri reached Kashmir, was literally underdeveloped and Urdu was not a common language and a very few people could read its script.

“My father joined the education department and started working to popularise the Urdu language,” Shabir said.

During a career spanning over decades, Jaipuri published several books on Urdu poetry and prose, including ‘Saajish Shikastah’, ‘Chamanzaar’ and ‘Fikr-o-Khayal’. “Many say he was a romantic poet, but his poetry included every genre,” he said. The “mushaira” revolved around Jaipuri couplet “Pather mere aangan mei gira karte hai… mere humsaye mujhe yaad karte hai…”

The event was organised by the Commercial Broadcasting Service and the Akbar Jaipuri Memorial Committee, said Rukhsaana Jabeen, Director, Radio Kashmir.

“He was an ustaad (master)… He had a control over the Urdu language and knew how to use it. He guided people to learn the language and his educational efforts to popularise Urdu in the state are immense,” Jabeen said.

Jaipuri who died in March 1998 left behind a legacy of literature and poetry.

Jaipuri’s son, while recapping his father’s life, said he had worked as a journalist for a long time and worked alongside Maulana Iftikhar in “Sadaqat”, Maulana Farooq in “Hurriyat” and with Prem Nath Bazaz.

Handwara, October 5
Two boys were killed in a road accident at Langate yesterday afternoon. The victims have been identified as Ghulam Mohammad Najar and Mohammad Saleem of Kargama, Langate. Reports said a speeding tipper hit a Maruti van at Kargama village in Langate. The two died on the spot.

Angry residents took to the streets in protest against reckless driving on Handwara roads.

The police seized the vehicle and arrested the driver.

Langate MLA Engineer Rasheed has expressed grief at the loss of life in the accident. — OC

Srinagar, October 5
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone today pulled up Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo for the delay in appointing members to the Backward Classes Commission.

“When will you appoint…. give a time frame,” said Lone while reacting to Itoo’s remarks during the question hour that the members would be appointed soon.

The minister was replying to a question asked by opposition Peoples Democratic Party legislator Mehbooba Mufti regarding the inclusion of areas in the Rural Backward Area (RBA) category.

National Panthers Party (NPP) MLA Harsh Dev Singh pointed out that the Social Welfare Ministry had come up with the “same reply” in the last session of the Legislative Assembly.

He later directed the government to appoint new members to the commission so that it was made functional at the earliest.

Mehbooba said the office of the commission was not functional for sometime.

Itoo said 166 villages/habitations had been notified as backward during the past four years.

Kupwara, October 5
Erratic power supply has affected normal in north Kashmir, as over 45,000 employees of the maintenance division of the Power Development Department (PDD) have been on strike since October 1.

The strike has badly hit power supply in many areas of north Kashmir. A senior PDD official said over 10,000 employees of the maintenance division had suspended work, affecting the supply of power in many areas.

The employees, including workshop mechanics and linemen, are demanding the continuation of remuneration for three Sundays every month and halt to the process of privatisation of the maintenance division. The government is mulling dropping the payment of remuneration for three Sundays to the employees.

While unscheduled power cuts have become a routine affair in north Kashmir, many areas in Kupwara and Handwara are groping in darkness due to faulty transformers.

The consumers said the faulty transformers had not been rectified for over a month in several villages.

At least six villages, including Ganie Mohalla Sogam, Kalaroose, Marhama Gujjar Pati and Andurgbugh, falling within 25 km from Kupwara town, have been without power for the past one month.

Consumers complained that the faulty transformers in these villages had not been repaired.

“The transformers that broke down over a month ago had not been lifted for repairs. We are using candles to illuminate our houses. In spite of repeated pleas, the PDD had failed to remove the transformers for repairs,” said a villager.

Residents of Ticker, 2 km from Kupwara town, said the transformer in their village had developed a snag on Tuesday and had not been fixed so far.

“We made a representation to the local PDD office requesting them to remove the faulty transformer for repairs but to no avail,” said Abdul Majid, a local resident.

Reports said Trehgam, Handwara, Kupwara and Baramulla towns continued to reel under a power crisis.

A senior PDD official of the maintenance division said they would not call off their strike unless their demands were met.

Srinagar, October 5
The state government has said the Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) has been monitoring the implementation of development works in respective districts.

Replying to a question by Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, Minister of State for Planning Dr Manohar Lal told the Legislative Council that at the district level, the institution of ADDC had been created to carry out the concurrent monitoring of development schemes being implemented in the state plan, district plan and Centrally sponsored schemes.

“The ADDC invariably conducts physical verification of the works executed and recommends corrective action wherever required,” the minister said.

He said 2,181 works had been inspected by the ADDC in the recent past.

He added that at the Secretariat level, the Chief Minister’s Monitoring Cell had been created to strengthen the monitoring mechanism. “As many as 80 mega projects have been inspected by cell,” he said.

Replying to another question by Narboo Gialchan, the minister said a state share of Rs 1.66 crore was required for the irrigation sector in Leh.

Srinagar, October 5
Around 200 students of Kashmir University today staged a protest against the visit of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and top-notch corporate leaders to the university.

Emphasising that Kashmir issue cannot be given up for jobs and economic packages, students said the university authorities were merely “puppets” of New Delhi and the state government with “no concern” for them.

“They cannot muzzle our voices. For us, Kashmir issue comes first. No amount of economic packages and jobs will replace the number of lives we have lost in these 20 years. India has failed to address the political issue of Kashmir and thinks that they can lure us into the job trap,” a protesting student said.

Students resisted the action of heavy contingent of the CRPF and the JK Police deployed on the campus to prevent any untoward incidence.

Holding placards, students marched from the Law Department to the Convention Complex raising slogans against the “campus politics being played under the garb of these visits”.

Sources said police officials from the CID maintained a vigil on the campus with the protesting students having been photographed by the police.

However, the university authorities had selected groups of students, who would participate in an interactive session. They were briefed by the KU Vice-Chancellor to avoid any controversial questions during the session.

The Disbanded Kashmir University Students Union (KUSU) and Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani had called for campus protests throughout the day.

Geelani alleged that the Kashmir university ground was being turned into a field for political battle between mainstream political parties with some top brass university officials playing into the hands of the Central government.

Charged atmosphere

Kashmir University atmosphere remained all charged up today with jobs and economic packages being discussed on one hand and the protests against the campus politics going on on the other.

During a two-hour interactive session of 700 students with Rahul, Dr Imtiyaz Ahmad, associate professor, Department of Economics, was told to shut up when he kept on asking the panelists as to why they deemed Kashmir unfit for investments.

Sources said since the professor kept on repeating that the natural resources of the state were being plundered by the Indian government and private companies, he was ultimately told to give back the microphone and walk away.

Sniffer dogs unleashed

Rahul’s NSG commandos created quite a few scenes inside the campus, first by bringing the podium all the way from Delhi for the interaction and later apprehending security concerns in the controller examination office.

Reportedly, the NSG commandos released sniffer dogs in the authorities office due to which chaos was created in the examination block. Officials, led by the controller examinations, KU, later expressed anguish over the unnecessary harassment by the commandos and their dogs and locked their offices.

Protesters sing Pak national anthem

A fresh anthem row broke out at the University of Kashmir here today when more than hundred students sang the national anthem of Pakistan outside the university's convocation centre, where Rahul Gandhi, Birla Group’s Kumar Mangalam Birla, TATA Group’s Ratan Tata and Bajaj Auto’s Rajeev Bajaj were holding a session. The singing of Pakistan’s national anthem by students, who were protesting against Rahul’s visit to the campus, happened less than a fortnight after the university authorities had ordered students and faculty to stand up for the Indian National Anthem during President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the university. The protesting students said singing of the Pakistan’s national anthem was a reaction to the “forceful politicisation of the campus” by the university authorities.

Srinagar, October 5
Silver Star Baseball Club lifted the 7th J&K State-Level Baseball Men Championship, which was played at Islamia College Ground, Srinagar.

As many as 16 teams from various districts of the Valley participated in the championship which started on October 1. In the finals, which was played today, Silver Star defeated Islamia College of Science and Commerce by 11-6 homes. The prize distribution ceremony will be held on October 10 at Women’s College, MA Road, for both boys and girls category.

The tournament for girls will be held from October 6 to 10, in which 14 teams from all over the state are expected to participate.