Jammu, January 19
Employees of Power Development Department (PDD) on Saturday asked the state government to press Union Government to return the power projects under its control in Jammu and Kashmir. Employees have alleged that the state is being denied use of its own resources. Jammu and Kashmir Central Non-Gazetted Electrical Employees Union (JKCNGEEU), while marking its 27th anniversary, also launched its website.

Addressing a press conference, state president of the union, Rafiq Ahmed Khanyari, said with the motive to raise the standard of living of employees and make the masses aware of power-saving methods, the union has launched its website www.jkcngeeu.org

He also said their long-pending demands including re-organisation of power development, and those relating to powerhouses under the control of central government and pending arrears, should be met. He said the local masses would be able to register their complaints online against the department and also make suggestions for better service.

State general secretary of JKCNGEEU Proushatam Sharma appealed to the Chief Minister and Power Minister to call a meeting of all trade union leaders of the department to asses the problems being faced by non-gazetted staff during checking of electricity pilferage.He appealed to local masses as well as industrialists to pay their pending electricity bills before March 31. — TNS

Katra, January 19
The district administration has set up 351 booths in the district for the first phase of pulse polio drive in 2013, which is targeting administration of polio drops to some 52,000 children. Reasi’s Chief Medical Officer said a total of the 351 booths has been set up in the district.

The hilly terrain of Mahore has the maximum of 146, followed by Pouni, 84, Katra, 61 and Reasi, 60. Fourteen mobile teams and 24 transit teams have been formed for a door-to-door campaign. Mahore is said to have the highest number of kids below the age of five years, 25,200. It is followed by Pouni, with 10,095 kids. Katra has 9,800 and Reasi has 7,237, he added.

He said specials booths and mobile teams had also been set up to cater to the yatris at Vaishno Devi and Shiv Khori shrine during the campaign. The district administration has appointed 71 supervisors and 1,404 vaccinators have been appointed.

The health department is targeting two towns in urban areas and 255 villages in rural areas. It is estimated that 123 vehicles are required for the drive.

This time, students at nursing schools have been deputed for the drive, the official stated.

Pulse polio awareness rally in Rajouri

Rajouri: To spread awareness among locals against pulse polio, a rally was organised by children of different schools in Rajouri today.

The rally started from the office of Chief Medical Officer, Rajouri at Jawahar Nagar to move towards the office of DC Rajouri.

Students made an effort to spread awareness among people to come forward and get pulse polio drops administered to their children.

School children, holding various sign banners in their hands, crossed through various streets and reached the District Development Commissioner’s Office. Later, the rally culminated at CMO’s office at Jawahar Nagar.

Meanwhile, the pulse polio campaign is slated to start in district Rajouri from tomorrow.

Jammu, January 19
Left to wait for the National Highway to open, passengers stranded at the general bus stand today tried to move towards the Divisional Commissioner’s office to lodge their protest against the administration’s apathetic attitude. Yesterday, Minister of State for Home Sajad Ahmad Kichloo, along with provincial president, National Conference, Jammu, Davinder Singh Rana, had assured the stranded passengers that the administration would ensure free boarding and lodging for the passengers till the Srinagar-Jammu road opens for traffic.

“We have been waiting here for the last 24 hours for help, but nobody has come to ensure that we get food. Many hotel and restaurant owners have doubled the prices,” said Gul Muhammad, a Kulgam resident. There are nearly 200 Valley-bound passengers at the bus stand while more than 50 belong to Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar. Due to the snowfall which has lashed the region for the last two days, most of the roads, including the Jammu-Srinagar and Jammu-Poonch-Bhaderwah-Doda roads, are closed. 

Jammu, January 19
To have first-hand experience of working in government schools, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who is minister for school education, today conducted a series of surprise inspections at different schools in urban and semi-urban areas of Jammu city.

During the inspection, various schools which were visited included Government High School, Nawabad, Government High School Sangrampur and Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Canal Road.

Expressing concern over poor attendance in schools, the Deputy Chief Minister said the government is making efforts to ensure that the best education infrastructure is available and adequate staff is posted in the schools. He appealed to the parents to ensure that their children attend schools regularly and they are progressing well in their studies, adding that constant motivation and monitoring at home is very important in children’s education.

“The present era is one of competition. Teachers have a multi-faceted role to play. On one hand, they have to impart quality education and on the other, parents are to be approached and motivated for making sure that students are sent to school on a regular basis,” he added.

He said sarpanches and panches can be roped in to ensure that people of their respective areas understand the importance of education and encourage youngsters as well as parents to become part of the education revolution launched by the government.

Dev Lata, Director School Education, Jammu, accompanied the minister at the inspection.

Jammu, January 19
After the return of J&K’s under-20 women’s hockey team from Hyderabad, both the J&K Hockey Association (JKHA) and family members have intensified efforts to contact the police authorities in Hyderabad to know the present status of molestation charges against coach Angad Singh, who is still in police custody.

According to sources, the family members and the association were hoping that Angad Singh, who is also former general secretary of JKHA, will return along with the team, but that did not happen. Sources added that Angad Singh’s brother was likely to go to Hyderabad soon.

The Tribune has reported that JKHA has already suspended Angad Singh from the post of general secretary after he was held by Andhra Pradesh Police for allegedly molesting and harassing girls of Punjab team in a Delhi-bound Andhra Pradesh Express.

Balwinder Singh, JKHA president, told The Tribune, “The association is trying its level best to contact the authorities in Hyderabad because the family members of Angad Singh are disturbed by the incident and JKHA too is shocked.”

In reply to a question, Balwinder Singh said, “We have come to know from somebody that Angad Singh’s brother is planning to approach the authorities in Hyderabad, which is quite understandable in these circumstances.”

“We have tried to contact the DGP of Andhra Pradesh to get concrete details about the incident, but unfortunately, the association has not been able to establish any contact with the authorities till now. JKHA is also very keen to get a clear picture because this incident has damaged the image of the association,” the JKHA president said.

“JKHA is functioning in a transparent manner to ensure uplifting of the standard of the game in the state but this unfortunate incident, which is yet to be confirmed by the association, has definitely created some hurdles,” Balwinder added.

Angad Singh had accompanied the J&K girls hockey team as coach in Hyderabad to participate in the under-20 National Women’s Hockey Tournament.

The team was knocked out of the tournament in the preliminary round.

Jammu, January 19
The Panun Kashmir today observed “black day” to register protest against the alleged forced exodus of the Pandit community from Kashmir in 1990. A large number of protesters wearing black badges and headgears assembled at the Jagti refugee camp in Nagrota.

Panun Kashmir chairman Dr Ajay Chrungoo said, “More than two decades of forced exile from our ancestral homeland in independent and secular India, which is our motherland, establish beyond doubt that the secular and democratic model of the Indian nation has remained isolated from the state and that is why the Kashmiri Pandits were denied their rights in Kashmir.”

He said the return and rehabilitation of the community in the Kashmir valley was impossible unless the causes of the killings of the community members were addressed.

He said, “The Panun Kashmir is well aware of the problems being faced by the camp inmates at Jagti and other refugee camps and that is why in the national convention in Jammu on December 28, 2012, a resolution was adopted to address the problems being faced by the community in camps and rented accommodations.

Kuldeep Raina, general secretary, Panun Kashmir, said, “January 19 will remain as a black spot in the history of the independent India till the Pandits are allowed to settle in Kashmir on their own terms and with rights as entrusted to the citizens of India.”

Veteran freedom fighter and member advisory, Panun Kashmir, Pt Omkar Nath Trisal said, “We are in a state of continuous struggle and the intimidation and torture imposed on the inmates of the Jagti camp will not deter us from calling a spade a spade.” 

Jammu, January 19
The Centre’s decision to raise the cap on subsidised Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders from six to nine from April has brought some cheer among the masses but for now, most of the consumers have to shell out Rs 900 to Rs 1,200 to buy their refills.

Consumers are entitled to a quota of five subsidised cylinders from September 2012 to March 2013 and from April 1, 2013, they will get to nine subsidised cylinders per year. In Jammu and Kashmir, consumers will get three subsidised refills till March. The cap will be raised from the next fiscal year beginning April 2013.

Residents allege that despite completion of their verification process, most of them are still not getting the home delivery of cylinders. Though the government has asked the oil companies to speed up the verification process to avoid inconvenience to public, consumers are still facing a lot of problems in the city.

“Housewives are facing the pinch of the gas scarcity and there are a lot of problems in getting LPG cylinders from distributors,” said Amita Sharma, a housewife.

The government had sought permission from the Election Commission to increase the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders. The Election Commission reportedly said the raise in the cap did not violate the model code of conduct, which is in place in three poll-bound northeastern states.

In most parts of the city, LPG consumers are asked to either collect cylinders themselves or wait for many days. It is more inconvenient for senior citizens whose children are living outside the city.

Of the 15 lakh LPG users in the state, seven lakh are registered in the Jammu region.

Jammu, January 19
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has supported the strike of the Jammu National Highway Workers’ Union and has asked the AFCONS company at Panjgrian in Nagrota to reinstate 70 disengaged workers.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions also condemned the treatment meted out to the workers by the administration of the AFCONS.

At a meeting held under the chairmanship of Sham Prasad Kesar, a senior leader of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, threadbare discussions were held over the issue. Kesar said the callous attitude of the company had compelled the workers to intensify their agitation.

He said on January 4, with the intervention of the Jammu Divisional Commissioner, an agreement was arrived at between the AFCONS’ management, administration and representatives of the Jammu National Highway Workers Union.

“It was agreed upon that all the disengaged workers will be reinstated within three days. Despite a lapse of more than 15 days, the AFCONS has turned a deaf ear towards genuine demands and concerns of the workers,” he said.

He urged the government to initiate immediate negotiations with the protesting workers for the redressal of their genuine demands.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions general secretary Om Prakash and senior leaders Jagdish Chander and Romesh Chand demanded that locals be engaged in the project on priority.

Jammu, January 19
Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone said private colleges in the state would be closed if all they did was mint money. The minister was speaking at a national seminar on ‘Environmental Sustainability in J&K: Indicators and Trends’ organised by Gandhi Memorial College of Education in collaboration with the Indian Society of Geomatics and the Kashmir University at Raipur Bantalab here today.

The minister called upon experts, intellectuals and members of civil society to contribute in maintaining the quality of life for all people and preserving the beauty of the state.

Lone urged them to prepare a project in this regard to be submitted to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for its implementation. Recalling his association with Kashmiri Pandits, Lone said the community had great teachers who were contributing significantly towards the education sector of the state. 

Jammu, January 19
Principal Sessions Judge, Kathua, MK Hanjura today acquitted two accused, namely Chain Lal and Kali Dass, from whom charas was seized.

On January 20, 2008, a police patrol party of police station, Billawar, apprehended both the accused, who were found to be in possession of two bags. On inquiry, they divulged that these contained charas. A case under NDPS Act was registered and after completion of investigation, a challan was presented.

Principal Sessions Judge, Kathua, while acquitting the accused, observed, “The prosecution has not succeeded in bring the guilt of the accused home. The prosecution has not proved its case by cogent reliable evidence. The recovery of charas shades into suspicion. The weight of the sample taken and sent for chemical analysis does not correspond with the weight of samples received by the chemical analyst. There is disparity in the statements of the witnesses on the weight of the charas recovered from the accused. The FIR antedates the occurrence itself. This knocks the bottom out of the prosecution case and holds to be untrue and a manipulated one. Viewed in that context, the prosecution case straightaway merits the acquittal of the accused. Accordingly, the accused, who have so far been in custody for the last five years, are acquitted of the charges levelled against them.”

Jammu, January 19
Suraj Koul, a class X student of SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, has bagged the second position in the Kashmiri language category in the recently concluded national level essay writing competition organised by the  Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA). The participants wrote on the topic ‘Oil and Gas Conservation and its relevance in daily life’.

Suraj was awarded a cash prize of Rs 25,000. RK Dhar, principal of the school, congratulated the school fraternity and Suraj’s parents for his achievement.

Rajouri, January 19
Two mud houses collapsed owing to heavy rain in the past few days in village Potha Dhangar in Kalakote area today in district Rajouri.

Early morning, a mud house belonging to Roshan Lal and Jugdish Raj collapsed due to heavy rains in the region over the past few days in Kalakote. Fortunately, no loss of human life was reported. At Develian area, another mud house, that belonging to Fayaz Mohammed, collapsed.