Jammu, March 31
Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir today inaugurated a Tourist Facilitation Centre and other tourist-related facilities at Suchetgarh, about 13 kilometres from here, to promote border tourism in the area.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the project completed at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 crore, the minister said tourism was the backbone of the state economy and its expansion was the first priority of the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Mir also inaugurated a day-long Border Tourism Mela, organised by the Tourism Department, to showcase border tourism potential of the area.

Addressing the gathering, the minister said the initiative would help develop border areas which possessed immense tourism potential.

Mir also paid obeisance at religious places and shrines at the Octroi Border Outpost and was joined by Member of Parliament (MP) Madan Lal Sharma and former minister RS Chib.

The minister said the government would encourage private stakeholders to invest in tourism sector with a view to creating infrastructure facilities. He said J&K had tremendous border tourism potential which would be explored fully in a phased manner so that tourists not only enjoyed the lush green beauty of the border areas but it would also help boosting their economy.

“Instructions were given to the high-ups in Tourism Department to identify potential border spots for development. They were also directed to prepare project reports to get Central funds this year to create amenities at all tourism spots,” Mir said.

The Minister for Tourism said Rs 6.39 crore was sanctioned by the Centre for the development of tourism infrastructure at Suchetgarh border post in Jammu district and Chambyal in Samba of which Rs 5.1 crore had already been released.

He said facilities like Tourist Facilitation Centre, rooms, restaurants, flower stalls, construction of pathways, toilet blocks, view decks besides conservation and development of the Radha-Krishan temple and Peer Baba Ziarat at Suchetgarh have been completed for convenience of tourists.

Artists also presented colourful cultural programmes to depict the rich cultural ethos of the state. Installation of local food and handicraft stalls were other features of the fair.

Instructions were given to the high-ups in Tourism Department to identify potential border spots for development. They were also directed to prepare project reports to get Central funds this year to create amenities at all tourism spots
— Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for Tourism

Jammu, March 31
After having failed to identify a landfill to dump more than 400 tonnes of solid waste which is generated in Jammu city every day, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) is dumping waste in deep trenches in forested areas around the Temple City, thus leading to environmental pollution.

This was even acknowledged by Minister for Urban Development Nawang Rigzin Jora in the Legislative Assembly few days back.

Officials said solid waste was dumped in Achan area in in Srinagar but no such space was identified in Jammu so far. The city is inhabited by more than 13 lakh people.

At present, the JMC collects garbage from 453 collection points within its limits through men and machinery and disposes it into deep trenches on the city outskirts.

Few years back, the Municipal Corporation had identified land at Kot Bhalwal to be used as dumping ground but the local residents objected to the project after which the administration decided to abandon the site to establish dumping ground in Samba.

“The villagers opposed the move saying the entire area will turn into garbage dump and foul smell will become a health hazard for the local people. Their point was also valid but decisions are being taken in haste at official level,” said a Municipal Committee official.

Local residents of Kot Bhalwal allege that the area is known for cleanliness and agriculture is the sole income source for people there. Moreover, a majority of residents are milk sellers and depend on their livestock for survival.

The JMC’s inaction to lift garbage from various parts of the city is creating major health hazard for the residents. Further, in absence of containers to lift garbage from several localities is adding to residents’ woes.

Recently a Legislative House Committee on environment had slammed the Jammu Municipal Corporation and the Pollution Control Board (PCB) for allowing burning of solid waste in the city.

The committee had directed the officials from both agencies to submit their response on the issue and asked as to why waste is being burnt despite ban by the government.

Jammu, March 31
State president of Bhartiya Gujjar Maha Sabha Ishfaq Ur-Rehman Poswal today said the J&K government and elected representatives from across political spectrum had neglected the issues of the Gujjar community.

The Bhartiya Gujjar Maha Sabha president claimed that the coalition government had failed to solve the issues of tribal community and he concluded this after conducting a tour of hilly districts of Kashmir province such as Baramulla, Kupwara and Anantnag besides holding discussions with various representatives of the community.

The Gujjar leader said the security of panches and sarpanchs was at stake in the Valley and the present government had failed to provide them proper safety measures.

The state legislative assembly, council members give no priority to issues of the Gujjar community both in Kashmir and Jammu region, the Bhartiya Gujjar Maha Sabha president said, adding that the sitting Assembly and Legislative Council members showed no seriousness over this.

Jammu, March 31
The Transport Department has got a rap in its knuckles from a state Legislative Council panel for issuing licences to people, especially minors, on the basis of driving certificates issued by unregulated driving training institutes in the state.

The state witnessed over 5,500 deaths in road mishaps in the past five years.

The panel suggested the ruling NC-Congress government for setting up driving institutes at all district headquarters and a certificate from such an institution should be made mandatory for issuance of a driving licence.

“Most of the road accidents have taken place due to overloading and rash driving by the drivers of buses and Matador vehicles. Another major cause of road accidents is issuing driving licences to minors and untrained people. The unregulated driving training institutes have put driving certificates on sale,” a report prepared by the Department-Related Standing Committee (DRSC) constituted by the Legislative Council for the year 2011-12 pointed out. The report was tabled in the Legislative Council last week.

The six-member DRSC comprised Syed Asgar Ali as chairman, Vijay Bakaya, Yashpal Khajuria (who died in December 2011), Syed Jehangir Hussain Mir, Aga Syed Ahmad Rizvi and Narboo Gialchan as members.

Though the state government claimed there were 83 driving institutes authorised by the Transport Department in Jammu division and 44 in Kashmir division for imparting training skills prior to issuing driving licences, a sizeable number of driving training institutes were still operating without valid permission from the department.

“We express our concern over the mushrooming growth of unregulated driving training institutes. Regional Transport Officers issue driving licences on the basis of certificates issued by these unregulated institutes. In order to check the growth of unregulated such institutes, the Transport Department should establish driving institutes at each district headquarters,” the committee said.

Similarly, to check issuance of driving licences to minors, the DRSC suggested that the Regional Transport Officers should make the production of age and health certificates mandatory before issuance of such licences.

Official sources said the Transport Department issued a total of 54,056 driving licences in 2009-2010, while the number of driving licences issued in 2010-11 was 73,849. “During 2011-12, as many as 2,8645 driving licences were issued by the department up to July 2011,” sources added.

Official statistics reveal that a total of 1,165 people lost their lives and 9,755 received injuries in 6,709 road mishaps last year. In 2011, a total of 1,120 people were killed and 10,108 had received injuries in 6,644 road mishaps. As many as 1,042 lives were lost in 6,136 road mishaps in 2010. The number of road accidents took place in 2009 stood at 6,006 in which 1,126 people lost their lives.

In its Action Taken Report, the Transport Department claimed that the respective Divisional Commissioners in the Jammu and Kashmir regions were requested to identify land in both capital cities for establishing high-tech model driving institutes on the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Road and Highways.

“The Jammu Deputy Commissioner (DC) has identified 100 kanals of state land at Gang village to establish a high-tech driving institute in the Jammu region,” the department said. 

Jammu, March 31
The 22nd Police-Public Mela was held at the Police Sports Stadium, Gulshan Ground, today morning. Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad inaugurated the day-long mela.

After lighting the traditional lamp, Prasad described the event as a bridge between the police and the public, saying that such events provide an opportunity to people and the police to assemble and interact. He appreciated the efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir Police Parivar for organising such melas in a befitting manner since years, which had helped to strengthen the police-public relations at grassroot levels.

He said the event also provided an opportunity to remember the sacrifices of jawans and officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

During the years of turmoil, the JKP families had suffered a lot as a number of jawans and officers of the force laid down their lives for the integrity of the state, he added.

Prasad stressed that the sacrifices offered could not be forgotten and it was the prime duty of the police parivar to take care of their families.

He said it was due to the sacrifices of our martyrs that peace had prevailed and the people of the state felt safe.

During the mela, 40 stalls were put up by different police units and products of different regions of the state were put on sale for the public. People from all shades of life showed their keen interest in purchasing the items and the children enjoyed the amusement items during the mela.

A painting competition was also conducted for the children in the Mela and prizes were distributed among the winners. Cultural groups presented different items which were enjoyed by the people. Tambola was also the main attraction for the people in the Mela.

After inaugurating the mela, the DGP said the receipts from the raffle draw tickets were utilised for the fabulous prizes which included cars and other electronic items of different makes. He said the receipts were also utilised for the welfare of families of police martyrs. — TNS

Jammu, March 31
Continuing with the party’s Gram Chalo, Ghar Chalo Abhiyaan, the state unit of BJP today held several public meetings to “create awareness among the masses about the anti-Jammu policies” of the present NC- Congress coalition in J&K.

State BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma, leader of legislature party Ashok Khajuria, state vice-president Uttam Singh, state general secretary Kavinder Gupta, district president Rajesh Gupta addressed public meetings in Digiana and Talab Tillo.

Speaking on the occasion, Jugal Kishore Sharma said the party had launched public awareness programmes across the state to reach the masses and educate them about the anti-national, pro-separatist and anti-people policies being pursued by the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government in the state.

Sharma said the current session of the Assembly had been turned into an exercise to prove loyalty towards militants like Afzal Guru and Liaqat Ali, while the important issues of development and public welfare had no place in the proceedings.

He said the party was organising public darbars to expose the “unholy alliance of NC and Congress” to mobilise public opinion against this coalition.

Ashok Khajuria said the people needed to be more alert now in view of a friendly approach adopted by the state government towards anti-national elements and its attempts to silence the voice of nationalists.

Batote, March 31
The services of BSNL Telecommunications were restored after 72 hours today afternoon. Due to recurrence of theft of the BSNL's optical fiber cable along a national highway culvert near Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Batote, on March 29 night, about 150 landline telephones had gone defunct in the town. As a result of this, broadband internet service of BSNL and internet services of the some other private operators were also affected.

The broadband internet service got disrupted in Udhampur, Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda districts since March 28 for unknown reasons.

In view of the urgency to file financial and other reports before March 30, the last working day of the financial year, the disruption in internet services had affected the departmental working and caused anxiety among the employees of government and private offices, including banks and the media houses. 

Jammu, March 31
Minister for Forests and Environment Mian Altaf has said biodiversity conservation can be ensured when forests are protected, adding that the initiatives taken by the government in this direction were showing encouraging results. He said attention needed to be focused on forest protection besides checking forest land encroachment.

Altaf was speaking at a seminar on “Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development” organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration(IIPA) and the World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWFI) jointly, here yesterday evening.

He said the government had recently established a Biodiversity Conservation Board while the Biodiversity Act 2002 was already adopted in the state. He said the important task of the Forest Department was to protect the forests, which could pledge biodiversity conservation in the state. He said forests housed wild animals, birds, insects and reptiles, adding that to initiate and work for protection of forest was the public’s collective responsibility.

Altaf said timber smugglers were active in certain critical areas like Shopian and Pirpanchal but with the support of the people and joint efforts of the officials, the department had succeeded in containing the illegal practice of smuggling to a large extent.

He said the forest land encroachment in Jammu was a challenge to the government and the department not only succeeded in retrieving the land from encroachers but also ensured protection of forests by fencing, where ever felt necessary.

He said lifting of ban on timber import had reduced pressure on the forests. The department had set up several nurseries aimed to save the traditional forests and saplings produced there were being put on open sale for the common man, Altaf added. He said it had received a good response and people preferred to plant traditional forest trees in their fields now.

Jammu, March 31
Minister for Housing and Culture Raman Bhalla today inaugurated a 200-car parking slot near Shamshan Ghat at Shastri Nagar, coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 3.17 crore.

Addressing a large gathering on the occasion, Bhalla said with the dedication of the parking slot to the people, the traffic congestion on Shastri Nagar-Sanjay Nagar road would be reduced. Besides, the difficulties of people who came at the cremation ground at Shastri Nagar had been solved to a large extent. He said the car parking slot had been developed by Economic Reconstruction Agency and Public Works Department jointly, involving about 2,500 sq feet area. He said on its completion, the long-pending demand of the people of the area has been redressed.

He said the vision of the present government was to provide all basic amenities to the people like safe drinking water, road connectivity, power, healthcare, education besides better lanes and drains.

He said the government was committed to ensure time-bound completion of all newly launched development projects being executed under ERA, R&B and JMC sectors so that all sections of the society could enjoy their lives with improved basic amenities.

Bhalla said the central and the state government had provided liberal funding for developing J&K as a model state of the country.

Jammu, March 31
Natrang’s Sunday Theatre Series festival concluded today with the staging of ‘Beemaar’, a comedy play in Urdu, written by Saadat Hasan Manto and adapted and directed by Sumeet Sharma.

The use of wit, humour and satire in the play was brilliantly re-lived by the actors and was enhanced by proper timings and requisite energy.

The play suggests, in a very humorous manner, that we should not be carried away by anybody’s suggestions, relevant or irrelevant.

The incidents in the play make us laugh on our own follies and thus create a will for discreet thinking.

Uplaksh Singh Kotwal as Kumar acted his role very well and was equally supported by Ashwani Bali as Rashid, Sumeet Sharma as Bedi, Mohd Yaseen as Madhoo, Shekhar Sharma as Naresh and Sajra Qadir as Mini. Lights were designed and operated by Suraj Ganjoo and sound was looked after by Ankush Lakhnotra. The presentations were done by Aarti Rajput.

Udhampur, March 31
A medical camp, organised by the Army at Udhampur, concluded here today. Thousands of patients were provided medical aid by doctors from eye, ENT, obstetrics & gynaecology, medical, surgical and dental streams during the camp at Majalata village, district Udhampur, by Command Hospital (Northern Command), as a part of Operation Sadbhavana.

Lt Gen HJS Sachdev, Chief Of Staff, Northern Command, was the chief guest at the function.

The camp screened ladies for cervical and breast cancer. In addition, screening was also carried out for common diseases like anaemia, hypertension and diabetes. About 1,500 persons attended various OPDs, out of which approximately 100 cases were selected for Eye, ENT & Re-constructive Surgery.

A total of 70 patients, suffering from various stages of cataract and an impaired vision, were examined at the camp.

They were operated upon using state-of-the-art surgical techniques of phaco-emulsification by Col Neeraj Bhargava and Maj Priya Taank and implantations of intra-ocular lenses were performed free of cost. They have also been provided with free spectacles.

Maj Neetu Singh, from the ENT Department, operated upon 17 cases of hearing loss, due to various causes, on patients of various age groups.

The valedictory function was a culmination of all such social activities carried out by the doctors and other paramedical staff of the Command Hospital (NC) in conjunction with various other units.

Jammu, March 31
Recounting the pivotal role of the J&K State Financial Corporation (SFC) in the development of the first generation entrepreneurship through term loan financing of projects in the fields of small scale industry, tourism and transport, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs Abdul Rahim Rather expressed optimism about its re-emergence as a vibrant financial entity.

Speaking at the 51st Annual General Meeting of the shareholders of the J&KSFC, Rather on Sunday said the corporation used to be a premier financing institution of the state and vowed to restore it’s old glory to enable it to resume the role of funding the expanding needs of transport, tourism and MSME.

Rather, who is also the chairman of the corporation, said upto 2009, when the present government took over, the corporation was at the brink of extinction as it had not only lost its entire capital base but had also acquired a heavily negative worth. Strenuous efforts were made by the government in last the 4 years to implement a pragmatic revival plan for the corporation, which had paid rich dividends, he added. 

Jammu, March 31
Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Raman Bhalla today flagged off the 14th annual chhari yatra to Sukrala Mata.

The yatra comprised about 700 pilgrims and started from Lucky Baba Mandir, Bhagwati Nagar, with enthusiasm and religious fervour.

On the occasion, a colourful procession was also taken out in the area by chanting hymns of Sukrala Mata, followed by a large numbers of devotees and locals.

Complimenting the people on the auspicious occasion, Bhalla prayed for communal harmony, peace and prosperity in the state. He said Sukrala Mata Shrine was bestowed with serenity and one could experience the spiritual manifestation at the sanctum sanctorum itself.

He hoped that the yatra would touch new heights in future and the destination would emerge as one of the famous pilgrim destinations in the tourist map of India.

For the holistic development of Sukrela Mata Shrine and the area, he said the government had constituted its board so that improved basic facilities, including accommodation to pilgrims, could be provided.

Bhalla said special efforts were being made to divert the pilgrimage rush from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi to Sukrela Mata and other pilgrimage destinations in the state.

Jammu, March 31
VK Singh took over as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Security) here today. He was received by senior police officers on his arrival at the security headquarters.

Singh has served in different capacities in the state, including SSP Srinagar, Budgam, Director SSG, IGP CIV/Training at Police Headquarters, besides central agencies. After assuming the charge, the ADGP interacted with the officials. Earlier, the officers of the security wing and other officers from other wings of the organisation gave a warm send off to Dr Ram Lubhaya.

Doda, March 31
The staff of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Doda district, under the banner of the NRHM Paramedical Association,demanded a hike in their salary, on par with their counterparts in the State Health Department.

The demand was raised in a meeting held at Doda yesterday, in which all the staff under the NRHM participated. The various problems being faced by the NRHM staff were highlighted at the meeting.

They said the government was enhancing the salaries and incentives of doctors working under the NRHM by ignoring the paramedical staff, which was working in their respective health institutions with dedication and satisfaction and giving best of their services to the department. One of the speaker said if the Central and the state governments were increasing the salary and incentives of doctors, then why they were ignoring the paramedical staff which was the back-bone of the Health Department.

The association urged the Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, State Health Minister, Shabir Ahmed Khan and Mission Director, NRHM, Dr Yash Paul Sharma, to look into their genuine demand and enhance the salary of staff working under the NRHM in the state. 

Jammu, March 31
Mayank Cricket Club (MCC) registered a thumping 30-run win over Kashyap Cricket Club (KCC) in the third quarterfinal of the ongoing T20 cricket tournament, being played at Sarore village playfield here, today.

Batting first after winning the toss, MCC accumulated a competitive total of 159 runs in the allotted overs for the loss of nine wickets. Arvind and Sonu were the top scorers with 34 runs each.

Arvind pierced three hits to the fence and a six whereas Sonu struck four boundaries. Apart from these two, other batsmen failed to contribute much. For KCC, Jugal, Manohar and Kapil shared two wickets apiece while Amit took one.

Chasing 160 runs to win, KCC got off to a disastrous start by losing first three wickets in five overs. Anurag was the only batsman who showed some resilience in his brief knock of 46 runs containing six boundaries. KCC was skittled out for 129 runs in 18.3 overs. For MCC, Nitesh was the wrecker-in-chief with a five-wicket haul while Vivek snared three wickets.

Jammu, March 31
Mandeep Kaur got the better of Sakshi Dogra to clinch the gold medal in senior women’s category today in the District Jammu Boxing Championship, which concluded at Boxing Ring, MA Stadium here. In 51-54 kg, Sulekha clinched the gold medal while Stanzin had to settle for the silver medal.

In 54-57 kg weight category, Asha Devi toppled Romina Akhter to claim the gold medal. In 33-35 kg, Sakshi won against Jaspreet while Damini outwitted Amisha in 30-32 kg weight category.

In senior men’s category (46-49 kg), Anshuman Khajuria and Vijay Kumar claimed the gold and the silver medal respectively, while in 56-60 kg, Shubam Sharma beat Hardev Singh to fetch the gold medal.

In 60-64 kg, Aman Sharma toppled Honey Gupta whereas Amit Sharma overcame the challenge of Lalit Kumar to bag the top honours in 64-69 kg weight category. In 69-75 kg, Manjeet Singh defeated Ankush Kumar whereas Kartik Kapoor trounced Vibeshik in 80-90 kg.

The bouts were officiated by Anil Wadhera, Sandeep Jamwal, Rohit Kumar, Satpal, Raj Kumar, Avinash and Rajinder Singh. Rangeel Singh, President, the J&K Olympic Association was the chief gueston the occasion.

Other Results:

Sub-Junior boys (28-30 kg): Parveen Kumar (gold) and Arshit Kumar (silver).

30-32 kg: Parbjwal Jamwal (gold) and Aryan Manhas (silver).

32-36 kg: Saksham Jasrotia (gold) and Sumit Manhas (silver).

40-43 kg: Paras Dogra (gold) and Ankush Sharma (silver).

45-48 kg: Arun Sharma (gold) and Aman Sharma (silver).

54-57 kg: Sunny Kumar (gold) and Bumbesh Kumar (silver).

60-64 kg: Vishal Singh (gold) and Rinkey (silver).