Jammu, December 22
To add to the woes of the residents suffering due to the shortage of LPG, there are only 58 refill outlets to cater to 15 lakh consumers in Jammu. Residents thus have to wait up to three weeks to get refills of LPG cylinders.

The Valley also has only 43 outlets, which has created an artificial shortage in the capital cities and at the district-level.

Officials said the prevailing LPG crisis in the state particularly in Jammu is due to the less number of cooking gas dealers unable to cater to the large number of LPG consumers.

The low ratio between the dealers and consumers has become biggest bottleneck preventing smooth distribution of cooking gas. "While in the rest of the country get cooking gas refills delivered at home throughout the year, but here even getting a refill cylinder is a task," said a resident.

Sources said though the state government had been asking oil companies to grant permission to establish more outlets, but they have been delaying their distribution in the state for reasons not yet known.

New outlets were to be opened in 65 blocks of the Jammu region. Oil companies Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Limited, and Indian Oil Corporation distribute refills in the state.

"Every family is disturbed by a cap on the subsidised refills by the Centre. Adding to this is the long wait to get a cylinder. The long wait and lines of consumers outside the distributors' shops reminds them of the crisis in 1990," said Avtar Krishan, a retired government employee.

The worst affected are the elderly living away from their children.

With a cap on LPG refills, consumers with new connection face a lot of problems, as they have to buy refill at the rate of Rs 900 to 1,200.

Few days back, the state government had asked the companies to complete process to grant permission to new LPG outlets at the block-level by the end of January next year, to deal with LPG scarcity. The deadline is not likely to be met.

Jammu, December 22
A recent survey conducted by the Union Health Ministry has revealed that 8.9 per cent of state’s population suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, a figure much higher than many other states of the country. High salt intake, stress and lack of physical activity are the reasons.

The ministry has rolled out a diabetes screening programme in 21 states with the aim to examine 1.5 crore people in 100 districts for diabetes and hypertension.

The hill states of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand have recorded the highest rate of diabetes or high blood pressure.

Studies conducted in the state has found that most of the patients are affected by Diabetes Mellitus Type-2, which is slowly spreading in small towns and rural areas and possibly linked with the changing dietary pattern among a major chunk of the population over the past two decades. The disease is mainly linked to a metabolic disorder characterised by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance, which not only increases the cost of medicine but is also out of the reach of the poor.

Director Health, Jammu, Dr Madhu Khullar, said, “We have been a part of the study project and studies are still going on in various districts of the state. Further data is being collected and the main focus in the first phase of the study was on Udhampur and Doda district for the study conducted by the Centre.”

He emphasised upon lifestyle modification, an active physical life and freedom from stress to prevent diabetes. Dr Khullar said over the next decade, diabetes is the major challenge facing the nation especially among the young and adolescents and pregnant women.

Experts say the increasing incidence of diabetes in the Indian subcontinent is too serious a matter to be left to a diabetologist alone as it requires effort involving various government and non-government health agencies to educate people.

Jammu, December 22
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Traffic, Shakeel Beig, has asked the traffic personnel to ensure that mini-bus drivers pick passengers from authorised bus stops and ‘rowdy’ drivers and violators be punished.

The DIG said this while interacting with a delegation of local residents of New Plot and Janipur areas. In a meeting with him, the delegation urged the Traffic Police to streamline traffic in the city.

Jammu West Assembly Movement (JWAM) president Sunil Dimple led the delegation. Dimple registered strong protest and expressed serious concern over the worsening traffic situation in the city. He alleged that traffic signal system installed in the city particularly at Janipur, Mian Dido chowk, BC Road, Jewal Chowk, Vikram Chowk and Panama Chowk has failed to curb traffic chaos.

Delegation demanded proper Zebra crossings, mini-bus stops in the city, construction of multi-storey parking at Panjterthi, Super Bazaar and Shalimar Chowk.

Shakeel Beigh also appealed the people to fallow traffic rules and avoid wrong parking. He appealed to the Matadors Union to pick the passengers from the proper stops and also appealed to the people to stand on the designated mini-bus stands to solve traffic problems. He also issued directions to his staff to implement traffic rules strictly. He also directed his officers to adopt response behaviour to words the problems of the commuters.

Reasi, December 22
Once known as hub of militancy, Mahore, a remote area of Reasi district, has now come to be known for increasing number of accidents. Army personnel who are the first ones to reach in case of accidents.

Over the past 30 days, over 25 persons were killed in four accidents.

As per official data over the past 10 years, the number of persons killed in accidents is even more than that in the days of militancy. After every accident, the Army authorities reach first because of the presence of their troops in the area.

Keeping this in mind, the Army has decided that its 61 RR unit in Mahore will train local youth in driving. Youth belonging to the remote mountainous areas in Rajouri and Reasi districts will be trained under 'Operation Sadbhavna'. The reason behind most accidents is poor driving skills.

Commanding Officer, 61 RR, JS Kohli, said “A driving training exercise has been organised for the local youths under the Operation Sadbhavna in view of the road mishaps in last couple of days. It will enable them to get jobs or start self-employment ventures and turn them into good professional drivers,” he said.

He said a group will comprise 20 youths. They will be given hands-on practical training with a good student-teacher ratio. “On the successful completion of the training, driving licences will be issued to the participants through respective Regional Transport Offices,” he said.

He said such training would help the unemployed youth of the region “to find gainful employment and become bread-winners for their families” and also help to control road accidents.

Jammu, December 22
Members of JP Chowk Bazaar Association today held a demonstration and blocked traffic on the Gumat-Jewel Chowk road for an hour in protest against the severe traffic congestion in the market.

Raising slogans against the traffic police, the protestors, led by the association president Gurdarshan Singh, demanded a ban on the entry of mini-buses from the bus stand towards Jewel Chowk and that the mini-bus operators should be directed to ply on old route.

“Movement of mini buses was diverted towards our market as sewerage pipes were being laid between Vivekanand Chowk and Dogra Chowk. Despite the fact the road has been repaired, the mini-buses are still plying through the market, causing severe congestion of traffic," Gurdarshan Singh, a shopkeeper said.

Later, the SSP (Traffic) Jammu and other senior officials tried to pacify the protestors. The SSP assured them that mini-buses would be plied on the old route from Monday. On the assurance of the SSP, the shopkeepers lifted the dharna.

Jammu, December 22
Instilling confidence in the party cadre is the priority for new state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma who was elected to the post today.

Sharma said he wants to revive the confidence of the cadre to face future challenges.

He said, “In this state there is no chance of the BJP coming to power and our job is only to protect the interests of nationalist forces in Jammu and Kashmir."

Infusing confidence among party cadre was a must to face such challenges.

He said cross-voting episode had not only shattered the confidence of the party cadre but also badly damage the image of the BJP among the people. "After the cross-voting episode it has become difficult for the present leadership to earn the confidence and trust of the masses,” he said. The party would launch a mass-contact programme soon, he said.

Batote, December 22
A fortnight after the conclusion of the recently held MLC elections and the lifting of the model code of conduct on December 6 Ramban MLA Ashok Kumar went on an inauguration spree today in the Ramban city today. He presided over six inauguration functions in one day.

First he inaugurated a hand pump at the Degree College. The hand pump is now the only source of drinking water for students of the college in the absence of facility of tap water. A PHE tanker catered to the college till now.

He then inaugurated a tempo traveler ambulance costing Rs 8 lakh, funded from his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by handing over its keys to its driver at the District Hospital, Ramban. With this the hospital now has six ambulances.

He also took stock of the activities under the National Rural Health Mission. He assured that a critical-care ambulance would also be provided to the hospital soon. Besides this the services of Additional Surgeon Specialist, Orthopaedician, Anaesthetist, and other staff the hospital lacks would be recruited, he said. He assured that staff quarters would also be constructed at the hospital.

He inaugurated a 400-KV transformer costing Rs 3.5 lakh funded from his CDF in Ramban city.

He inaugurated a mast light worth Rs 1.5 lakh funded from his CDF in Ward No 1. He then went on to inaugurate a newly-laid Ramban-Sincha High Tension Power Line. The power line was shifted from a congested route and was funded through the BRGF. This would remove sporadic power supply disruptions in the area. The sixth inauguration was the construction project of the 15-km long Seri-Sincha link road under Rs 10.5 crore PMGSY project.

He said after its completion in two years it would cater to the 8,000 population of Seri, Balihote gram panchayats.

Jammu, December 22
The winter capital of the state continued to seethe for the fourth consecutive day today against the torture and gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus in Delhi. Voice demanding capital punishment for the six accused grew louder as hundreds of students from Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar boycotted their classes and took out a procession and marched towards Bikram Chowk. The students demanded that strict laws be enforced to stop such heinous crimes against women and justice for the victim.

The protesting students raised slogans against the Delhi Police and the centre for their alleged "failure" to protect women in the Union Capital, which they alleged, has become the rape capital of the country.

They also blocked the bridge over Tawi River for some time which led to a huge traffic jam.

Similarly, the students of Bhargava College also protested in Samba and condemned the ghastly incident. They demanded capital punishment for the accused involved in the case.

The students of Government Degree College, RS Pura, under the banner of the National Secular Forum also boycotted classes and held demonstration.

Carrying placards, students of Jodhamal Public School also took out a protest march and demanded action to stop the growing incidents of rape in the country.

In the evening, various social and student organisations took out a candlelight march in the city and Samba town. The participants prayed for early recovery of the victim.

In a statement, Jammu Province People's Forum (JPPF)-an amalgam of various social, student and religious organisations-- condemned the use of "brutal force" by the Delhi Police on students protesting peacefully. The Forum held a meeting under the chairmanship of Pavitar Singh and expressed concern over the police action on the students.

Jammu, December 22
Members of the Dogra Front and the state unit of Shiv Sena today accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of being ‘selective’ while initiating an action against the principal of the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu. They blamed that the principal was responsible for the negligent death of a one-and-half-a-year girl at SMGS hospital, Jammu.

Scores of activists of both organisations led by Ashok Gupta took a protest march in the city and raised slogans against the state government for ‘double standards’ being adopted in two similar incidents each in the Kashmir valley and Jammu.

“When two children died in Baramulla hospital, the Chief Minister had announced a magisterial inquiry as well as suspension of two officials of the health department. On the contrary, GMC principal who was responsible for the death of a girl has still not been suspended, which is a clear reflection of selective and biased approach on the part of the Chief Minister,” Gupta alleged.

The leader demanded that the principal should be suspended forthwith to ensure a fair and transparent inquiry into the case.

Jammu, December 22
Highlighting the importance of skill development in the hospitality sector, Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora today said the government has focused attention on promotion of the tourism sector in the state.

Jora was addressing at a function, organised by the Food Craft Institute, Jammu, after distributing certificates among pass out batches.

The minister said the government is focusing on imparting training to the local youth in the hospitality sector which would provide employment to them and ensure good services to tourists.

Jora said the central government has already sanctioned Rs 4.5 crore for the construction of Food Craft Institute (FCI) campus at Nagrota. The construction work of the complex would be started after completing necessary formalities.

Jammu director tourism RS Mehta, FCI principal Joti Bati, joint director tourism SK Gupta, former director tourism S M Sahani, other representatives of the hotel and tourism industry and students of FCI, Jammu, attended the function.

Jora said the state has been declared as number one in the successful conduct of training in the hospitality sector under the Hunar-Se-Rozgar (HSR) programme.

He said at present the state has three institutions one each at Srinagar, Jammu and Leh offering courses in the hospitality sector. He said about 50% youth trained in hospitality courses under the HSR programme have got employment within and outside the state. The Jammu Food Craft Institute would soon have its own campus where degree and diploma courses in the hospitality trade would be introduced.

Jammu, December 22
Kashmiri Pandits have termed the statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in which he has said “Words are not enough to bring the Kashmiri Pandits back, now action will speak and the time has come when the community should consider its return to the Valley” as self-contradictory.

In an interaction with the mediapersons in New Delhi yesterday, Omar said, “The Kashmiri Pandits did not leave because of something they heard, they left because of something they faced. Their sense of security was snatched away from them. Unless that sense of security is restored in them, words are meaningless.”

He asked the community to explore possibility of returning to the state. “I do not feel that there has ever been a time as conducive as now for the Kashmiri Pandits to begin to explore the possibility of coming back,” he said.

“His statement is self contradictory as he admits that the Kashmiri Pandits left because of something they faced so how can he say that it is the time for them to come back to the Valley when there are so many sectoral clashes reported in the Valley in the recent times,” said Mahesh Koul, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit.

“He admitted that there was genocide of the Kashmiri Pandits. Also there has been a demographic change in the Valley in the past 22 years because of the armed violence, then how can one expect that our community will be safe in such an environment,” he stated.

The Kashmiri Pandit organisations, however, said the reversal of the genocide should be addressed to look into the issue of the exiled community.

Panun Kashmir chairman Ajay Chrangoo said, “The Chief Minister has rightly said these were not words because of which the community had left the Valley, they had actually left because of something they faced but at the same time saying that this is the best time for the community to reconsider their return is not right.”

“The government should first bring accountability among those responsible for the genocide of the exiled community and they should address the reversal of the genocide,” he said.

Jammu, December 22
To ensure maximum participation of the people from all walks of life in the forthcoming event of the arrival of the Red Ribbon Express, a meeting of the State Level Organising Committee (SLOC) was held under the chairmanship of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, commissioner secretary, Health and Medical Education at Civil Secretariat here yesterday.

Earlier, the officers concerned briefed him about the arrangements made in this connection at the Bari Brahmana railway station for January 2 and 3, Udhampur January 4 and 5, Samba for January 6 and 7 and Kathua for January 8 and 9.

Dwivedi impressed upon all the officers to ensure participation of schoolteachers, students, police and Army personnel, high risk groups, including labourers and truck drivers etc. He also laid stress on the involvement of a larger audience from rural areas.

“The officers concerned must ensure that maximum number of people would be trained during the train’s halt as master trainers so that they could aware and educate the masses on the issues later. The optimum involvement of schoolteachers in these training groups would make the programme a success,” he stated.

Sanjib Chakravarty, IEC Consultant, National AIDS Control Organisation also put forward his suggestions on the occasion, which were endorsed by the commissioner secretary.

To ensure the participation of labourers and other target audience, Dwivedi conveyed the officers concerned to contact the industrial associations and brick kiln associations for encouraging and allowing the workers to participate in the programme.

He also discussed a micro-level plan prepared by the J&K AIDS Control Society (JKSACS) in this regard and asked the officers to hold a meeting with the Divisional Traffic Manager, Railways, to seek their support.

He said, “The requisite work should be done by all the stakeholders to deal with any contingency. We must ensure that the event turns into a big success in totality.”

Dr Rakesh Khajuria, Project Director, JKSACS apprised the meeting about the plan layout of the Red Ribbon Express.

Dr AD Singh, Deputy Director, JKSACS presented the line of action and arrangements of the event at four railway stations.

Jammu, December 22
The Centre for IT, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Jammu, today organised an induction session for participants of the certificate programme in computer networking and management.

The two-month training programme being organised for students of BE, B Tech, MCA (computer sciences) and other related disciplines.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Vibhakar Mansotra, a course director, gave a detailed outlook of the course. He emphasised that during the course, the students would be given theoretical as well practical exposure on the networking techonologies. —TNS