Srinagar, April 25
Although the public awareness drive by the Traffic Police Department entered fourth day today, residents of the city have their share of complaints, especially with respect to working of traffic lights.

The traffic lights at a few places in the uptown and downtown Srinagar areas of Sanat Nagar Chowk, Ram Bagh, Jehangir Chowk, Karan Nagar, Khanyar and Gojwara did not work properly that created confusion among drivers and long traffic jams too.

Furthermore, traffic policemen were hardly available at these points when the traffic lights stopped working.

The non-functional traffic lights added more chaos during the peak rush hours in the morning and evening in the city which the residents said had not been taken into consideration by the administration.

“We welcome the awareness drives launched by the traffic police, but non-functional traffic signals caused inconvenience to the residents. People will jump the signal when they don’t understand which way to go. The absence of traffic policemen at these points adds to the chaos,” said Ghulam Muhammad, a bus driver.

Pertinently, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Commissioner GN Qasba had earlier stated that sometimes the signals were put in “blinker mode” to permit VIP movement, but that didn't mean signals were not working.

The repair of traffic signals also takes long time which renders these signals useless.

“The Karan Nagar Chowk is the busiest road in the city, yet the traffic lights suffer from one fault or the other. Most of the times, the traffic light is turned off due to repair work, which makes it useless,” said Nazir Khan, local shopkeeper.

Many residents have urged the authorities to install the traffic lights at many other crucial junctures of the city where the traffic policemen are unable to man the traffic.

“Nearly 500 metres from Natipora Chowk to Rambagh takes an hour to cover in the absence of traffic lights at the Natipora Chowk. People from uptown areas of Chadoora, Chanapora, Baghi-Mehtab, Nowgam, Natipora face tremendous problems during early morning and late evening office hours while comuting through these routes due to recurrent traffic jams. A couple of policemen stationed there are unable to regulate such a huge flow of traffic. The authorities have not yet woken up to installing traffic light at this important point through which half of the uptown Srinagar population commutes,” said a resident.

Srinagar, April 25
Even as the traffic police has launched an aggressive campaign to enforce rules on the roads, violations by drivers, particularly of public transport services, continue, leading to a lot of inconveniences to the commuters.

“There are hardly any drivers of the buses wearing uniforms or halting at identified places,” said Bashir Ahmad, a commuter from Hyderpora on the city outskirts. He pointed out that the passenger buses continued slow movement creating a lot of inconvenience to the office-goers who get usually delayed in reaching their offices. “No fixed stops are there on any route,” said Zubair Ahmad, another commuter from Soura at the north-eastern end of the city outskirts.

“It takes at least an hour from Lal Chowk to Soura, a distance of only 12 km,” he pointed out adding that lot of people have to undergo this rigorous exercise of “unnecessary stopping” taking at least one hour to cover the distance. The SKIMS hospital is located at Soura, which has a lot of rush of patients and their attendants. “There is no control over the overloading at any time of the day, leave aside at the peak hours,” he asserted. It was becoming difficult for the women folk to board the city buses where no proper seat arrangements have been made, though the traffic police has reserved first eight seats for the women.

People in general have hailed the initiatives taken by the police and the civil administration to clear the roads of encroachments, strict adherence to the rules by the drivers and other tips for safe driving on the roads in Srinagar and other parts of the valley. “I have been trying to leave my work place earlier in the evenings only to board the bus,” said Mohammad Lateef from Hazratbal area as he has no other option than to pay more to reach home. There were no bus services available after the dusk on most of the city routes, leaving no other option for the common man to spend more on transport. Many commoners made similar complaints pinning hopes on the new initiatives taken by the administration to streamline the transport services in the Valley. 

Srinagar, April 25
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has promised to clear all encroachments in the city during its ongoing “Pro-Pedestrian Week”.

As the week started yesterday, SMC media relations officer said: “During the week, all the encroachments on roadsides and footpaths shall be cleared up.”

SMC Commissioner GN Qasba said during the week, the enforcement wing of the corporation would put in place all the efforts to make people feel comfortable while walking.

He also said the major focus of the meeting would be discussing and reviewing sanitation and encroachments at length.

Meanwhile, Qasba also passed instructions to the SMC Chief Enforcement Officer to keep a tight vigil and ensure that no illegal construction comes up anywhere in the city.

As per the SMC media relations officer, the corporation had demolished 268 unauthorised constructions in the summer capital during the last financial year. 

Srinagar, April 25
Casual workers of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, who were demanding regularisation of their services, staged a protest in a different way here today. Dressed in black clothes and some wearing black cloth on their faces, they protested while lying down at the Press Enclave near Lal Chowk.

PHE Joint Employees’ Association (PHEJEA) president Sajad Ahmad Parrey said their issues had remained unresolved despite staging frequent protests and today they had chosen to protest in a different manner to highlight their demands.

Parrey said several casual employees had been working in the PHE Department for more than 10 years and were still waiting for regularisation of their services. Parrey said their demands included regularisation of services and release of pending salaries. He also demanded that the salaries of the casual employees be released on monthly basis. He said they would continue to hold protests till their demands were accepted.

While previous PHE workers’ protests had turned violent, today’s demonstration passed off peacefully. During the protests on April 10 and 18 this month, the casual workers had attempted to take out protest march. However, the bid was foiled by the police, who resorted to cane charge on both the occasions. 

Srinagar, April 25
The Department of Horticulture Planning and Marketing (HPM) has been rendered nearly defunct due to acute shortage of staff. The department lacks the services of about 16 Area Marketing Officers (AMOs) in the country, including five in the state for the past one year.

In the state, posts of AMOs for Pulwama, Srinagar, Bandipora, Doda and Udhumpur districts are lying vacant.

In addition, the department also lacks services of a few assistant directors in and outside the state, making the matters worse.

Sources said due to it, the horticultural marketing activities had received a serious setback and an AMO was forced to hold the additional charge of three AMOs in and outside the state.

Fruit growers association also expressed serious concerns over shortage of AMOs and stated that it had badly affected their business.

They demanded that the vacant posts should be filled at the earliest to address their problems.

“An AMO of a fruit market holds key to its progress and subsequently the business of growers. In the absence of AMOs or due to incompetent AMOs, the business of fruit growers is bound to take a hit. We made several requests to the authorities to resolve the issues of growers, including the AMOs, but to no avail,” said Fayaz Ahmad Malik, president, fruit growers association.

For instance, Qazi Aijaz Rashid, Deputy Director, Kashmir, is holding the charge of AMO, Srinagar, assistant grading and marketing officer, Kargil. Similarly, Showkat Ahmad Khan, Assistant Director (Grading & Packing), is holding the additional charge of AMO, Pulwama and Anantanag and information officer.

Commissioner Secretary, Horticulture Planning and Marketing, Asgar Samoon said the shortage of staff could not be addressed overnight. “I have taken over as Commissioner Secretary of the department only recently. This problem can not be addressed overnight. I will look into the matter,” said Samoon.

HPM is tasked to providing marketing facilities to promote trade by establishing fruit and vegetable markets at the doorstep of fruit growers in the state and outside. The departmental promotions to the post of AMOs had not been effected for the past several years leading to the shortage of such officers, sources said.

There were about 13 Assistant Grading and Marketing Officers awaiting promotion to the post of AMO but the department continued to ignore it, they said.

Srinagar, April 25
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the killing of Wamiq Farooq, has submitted its report to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar.

After taking the investigation report and other material submitted by the SIT on record, the CJM court put the matter for further consideration on May 11.

Wamiq, a Class VII student, was allegedly killed by a teargas shell allegedly fired by the police on January 31, 2010, in Srinagar.

Earlier on January 22, the SIT had told the court that the investigation into the matter was “almost complete” and it intended to submit the final investigation report very soon. Subsequently, on March 21, the CJM court had granted the SIT more than a month to file its final report in the case.

“The SIT today submitted its final report of investigation along with other material, including the recorded statements of the witnesses, empty cartridge shells and other material to the CJM, which was taken on record by the court,” said a lawyer associated with the case.

However, before recording any finding on the final report, the CJM today observed that since part of the complaint filed by the deceased’s family was also pending before the Supreme Court, the court would consider the matter for further consideration in its next hearing fixed on May 11, said Ajaz A Dar, counsel representing the family.

Earlier on December 17, the CJM while directing the SIT to submit status report on the next hearing, had also authorised the SIT to procure the attendance of civilian witnesses if they failed to appear before it.

The SIT had submitted that despite repeated summons the civilian witnesses in the case were not appearing before the SIT for recording their statements.

The family of the deceased has maintained that Wamiq was killed after the police fired a teargas shell that hit his head while he was playing carrom on a street near Gani Memorial Stadium, Srinagar. It has been demanding registration of a murder case against the accused police officers. On the other hand, the police has named Wamiq as a ‘miscreant’ in its FIR.

Kupwara, April 25
For the past nearly two weeks, power woes have worsened in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, leaving consumers high and dry. Consumers of metered areas in Kupwara and Handwara towns said power was “playing hide and seek with them”. They said power went off for hours, even during the peak hours.

“Even the metered areas are not spared and are subjected to frequent power outages. In the wake of erratic power supply to these areas, the power development department should do away with metering system or improve the power supply,” said Abdul Ahad, a Kupwara resident.

The situation is even worse in the non-metered areas. Delegations from villages, including Ticker, Ganie Mohalla Sogam, Darpora, Kalaroose and Andurgbugh, falling in the radius of 25 km of Kupwara town, said the villages were reeling under severe power crisis.

Students said they were the worst sufferers. “Our studies are badly affected due to the grim power scenario. During the nights, power goes off for hours and we are forced to study under candle lights,” said a Class XII student, Shabir Ahmad.

The consumers in Handwara also complained of erratic power supply. They said the power outages had become order of the day.

“For the past two weeks, power is playing hide and seek in the evening and night hours. We never know when will the electric lamp glow and get diminished. We visited the power division, Handwara, with a plea to improve the power supply but to no avail,” said Mohd Sultan, a trader.

Consumers of some Lolab villages complained of low voltage. They said voltage was so low that it failed to illuminate even a corner of a room. “If we see power at all during the evening hours, the voltage is so low that we are forced to light candles and chimneys to illuminate a room. Inspite of paying the power tariff in time, the power department continues to test our patience,” said Zahoor Ahmad of 
Darpora Lolab.

A senior power official said, “We cannot do much about improving the supply as some amount of power supplied to us is extended to the consumers. We do not make any additional curtailment in power.”

Srinagar, April 25
In recognition of its fundamentals and dynamic growth model, J&K Bank today won the ‘FE India’s Best Banks Award-2012-13’.

The bank has been ranked No 1 in the ‘best old private sector bank’ category in the survey conducted across the banking industry. In terms of profitability, the bank stands third in the industry while it is first in the category of old private sector banks.

Chairman and CEO Mushtaq Ahmad expressed satisfaction over the ranking in the that honours banks delivering exemplary performance on various parameters, including growth, profitability, strength and soundness.

He said, “Such a recognition is a sound appreciation of our strategy, committed customer practices and also an inspiration for future, particularly at a time when the bank is about to achieve a milestone business turnover in its platinum jubilee year.” 

Srinagar, April 25
The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), describing Chief Minister (CM) Omar Abdullah’s assertions over India-China face-off in Ladakh as a war cry, said it was yet another attempt by the CM “to provide a rhetorical cover to his stark failures”.

In a statement, senior PDP leader and former Deputy CM Baig, said while PDP believed that the Government of India had the desired competence and concern to resolve the situation along the LAC, ensuring that another war was not foisted on the state, the CM’s “brave talk” on the issue did not match his diminishing stature as the CM.

Baig alleged that Omar behaved as a ‘meek subordinate’ when the issue of Afzal Guru’s hanging faced the state as a psychological and political crisis.

“Why did the Chief Minister not raise his voice when it was relevant and needed,” Baig pointed out. Such antics, he said, could not be a substitute for good governance and dignified political conduct by a Chief Minister, especially of a sensitive state like Jammu & Kashmir.

Srinagar, April 25
Impressed with the talent of youth of Jammu and Kashmir, a Delhi-based technology service provider company, I-Yogi said it would hire 5,000 youth from the state in the next five years.

The delegates from I-Yogi visited the University of Kashmir (KU) for a recruitment drive on Tuesday, in which 150 students registered for the jobs available with the company.

I-Yogi is a provider of tech support services to consumers and small businesses across a wide range of computing and communications devices and software.

The Centre for Career Planning and Counselling (CCPC), KU, had organised the recruitment drive.

While welcoming the I-Yogi team, Prof Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, KU, said there was no dearth of talent in the state and the graduates entering the job market must possess the required skill sets to be employed.

Prof Shabir A Bhat, Director, CCPC, KU, said employment of educated youth had emerged as a major challenge and the government alone could not solve it.

He said “The youth should look for avenues beyond government jobs. The corporate world provides lucrative opportunities and the recruitment drives by leading companies like Religare, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Rooman Technologies, Canara Bank, INFOSYS, Bajaj Allianz and Learning Links are lined up in the month of April & May.”

Anantnag, April 25
Terming the recent arrest of a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander, from Sopore as a major success, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir range, Abdul Gani Mir on Wednesday said better police-public relations were the need of the hour.

The IGP was interacting with mediapersons on the side-lines of a public meet, here in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

“The arrest of the LeT commander has led to many other important feats in the anti-militancy drive,” the IGP said.

When asked about the recent statement by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Victor Force, that LeT had been wiped out of the south Kashmir, he said militancy was not yet over in Kashmir.

“We are far from calling Kashmir a militancy-free zone,” he said.

“Many militants are still active in different parts of the Valley,” Mir added.

Emphasising on the need of a better police-public relationship, he said the police was a part of the society.

“Police and the public have to understand each other better,” he added.

Mir said better police-public relation was the backbone of professional policing that was requisite for delivering better services to the public.

Stressing on the constructive role of the youth in different spheres of the society, he said the youth should actively participate in making Kashmir better.

“The police has been working in tandem with the youth. We have come up with different schemes to support the youth of Kashmir, like preparing them for different professional courses,” he said.

Mir added that the responsibility now fell upon the youth to get benefited from the schemes and excel in whatever field they were in.

He also emphasised upon the senior officers of the district that crime prevention, detection and prosecution should be on equal priorities, like law and order and anti- militancy work, so that peace and security can be provided to the society on the whole.

Srinagar, April 25
Expressing surprise over the government’s move to raze the concrete park at Lal Chowk, senior PDP leader and former Finance Minister Tariq Hameed Karra today said the Srinagar city was being mutilated and battered by politico-contractor mafia patronised by National Conference (NC) government.

“If the government today says that the decision to go for concrete landscaping of busy Lal Chowk area was wrong as it has choked the city centre, should not the politicians responsible for facilitating creation of this mess be taken to task,” Karra said.

He said it should be taken up for investigation by the newly created State Vigilance Commission (SVC) to mark its beginning and see who in the government had allocated Rs 2 crore for the project and who was on the forefront of creating hype around its execution as “revival of the city’s lost glory.”

Karra said despite the stiff opposition by stakeholders, including media and business community in the area, the government went ahead with the concrete landscaping of the historic Lal Chowk, only to be demolished now. 

Srinagar, April 25
The National Conference (NC) today reiterated its stand that autonomy was the only constitution approved document and the party would continue to fight for the restoration of sovereign character of the state.

In a workers’ convention at Baramulla, which was attended by Party Additional General secretary Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Party Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani and district President, Baramulla, Javed Dar, the leaders emphasised that the only way to ensure a peaceful solution was to restore autonomy entirely.

“We have to end the hostility between the two neighbouring countries and it is only NC and its demand for the restoration of autonomy that can and will be the beginning of a tomorrow where both the countries will be wedded into a common market,” Nasir Aslam Wani said in his address to the workers.

“If autonomy is restored then Jammu and Kashmir can provide an antidote against the animosity, bitterness and mistrust that the last six decades have created between India, Pakistan and Kashmir” he said.

Lashing out at the opposition, Wani said “The same people who are trying to hoodwink the masses with green flags and selling false dreams are the ones who are responsible for creating a situation that we are facing right now.”

In his address, Dr Kamal stressed upon the party leaders to work for the strengthening the party at the grassroot level.

“Once the party is strong at grassroot level, its leadership would be able to work on pro-people agenda and far overall development,” he said.

Srinagar, April 25
One house, a shop and an electric transformer were damaged in different fire incidents across the Kashmir valley.

Fire broke out at a house at Ajas in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. The house was partially damaged. In another incident, fire damaged a shop, Himalaya Arts Emporium, Airport Market, in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

Due to short circuit, fire broke out in an electric transformer at Sheikh Mazar, Hazratbal, resulting in partial damage to the electric wooden pool and cables. Meanwhile, a Scorpio (JK01K/0344) was damaged in a fire incident at Zainakote here. No loss of life or injury was reported in any incident.