Jammu, May 26
Failure of the Power Development Corporation (PDD) to cover transformers to make them safe for humans or animals coming in contact with them has become a major hazard here.

In most of the localities in the city particularly near Simbal camp 
and rural areas, transformers have been installed close to the ground which is added danger during summer months, when fire incidents become common thus damaging transformers.

“The transformers have been installed very close to the ground with low-lying wires posing grave threat to the lives of people particularly children,” rued Gurdev Singh of Gobind Pura. At times children could be seen playing close to these transformers.

Local residents complain that it seems the PDD is waiting for a major accidents before taking effective measures by fencing these transformers and raising them above the ground level.

“There have been a number of cases of people getting electrocuted after coming in contact with the wires and transformers installed without following the norms,” said Avinash Choudhary, a university student who lives in Gajansoo.

As many as 7,395 transformers were damaged in the Jammu region during 2012-13. Overloading is the main reason behind the transformers getting damaged. The PDD has also admitted that the rate of damage of the transformers in the state is highest in the country.

Despite huge amount allocated to cut down transmission and distribution losses in Jammu, a survey conducted by the Power Development Department (PDD) shows that in some areas it has reached up to 80 per cent, mainly because of the unregistered load.

Residents also decry the so called help cell created by the PDD for sorting out any problem faced by the consumers. “Few weeks back there was some problem in our transformer, for two days, no one gave any information whom to contact to replace it. There should be some dedicated complaint cell”, said Suresh Krishan Sharma, a resident of Paloura.

The basic problem faced by the consumers in the state is mainly related to electricity supply, fault in respective supply lines and billing complaints. The problem is more complicated in the rural and far-flung areas of the state.

Batote, May 26
As many as 10 persons had a narrow escape when a Srinagar-bound taxi and a Jammu-bound mini-truck were buried under a landslide at Seri in Ramban this evening due to rain.

The landslide was triggered due to the downpour which blocked theJammu-Srinagar NH44 at several places at Seri in Ramban.

However, the Beacon officials led by OC Desraj and the police party led by RS Parihar, Traffic Police team led by DSP Faisal Qureshi and volunteers of the Red Cross Society rescued the passengers and took them to safer place. They also took out the vehicles.

The highway was closed for vehicular traffic on both sides till last reports came. The Beacon officials were still trying to clear the road till the filing of the report.

Jammu, May 26
Minister for Housing, Raman Bhalla, today said the slum colonies in Jammu, Kathua, Srinagar, Anantnag, Udhampur and Baramulla would be equipped with modern facilities under the Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY). In this connection, the Housing Department has submitted a detailed project report to the Centre for funding after conducting an extensive survey in these districts.

The Minister said this while interacting with the slum dwellers during his visit to Sail Salan and Sangoor slum basties of Udhampur today.

MLA, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Managing Director Housing Board, Kiran Wattal, Director Horticulture, Anil Kumar Sharma, Director Horticulture (P&M), AR Natnoo, besides other senior officers accompanied the minister.

Bhalla said the government has identified 300 households with a population of 5,770 living in slum basties of Sail Salan and Sangoor villages of the district to extend the benefits to them under the scheme.

He assured the residents that the basties would be developed with all basic amenities under RAY at par with the urban pockets like road connectivity, safe drinking water, electricity, education, health besides better lanes and drains.

He said the government was keen to redress the problems of slum dwellers in a definitive manner under the RAY scheme. He said the Centre and state governments were committed to improve the living condition of homeless in the state.

Rajouri, May 26
The police has booked seven persons, including three policemen and two women, for allegedly thrashing a woman in a land dispute case at Chambi Trar village here.

The police was forced to take action after a massive protest by villagers who blocked the main link road at Kandi yesterday. They staged a dharna in front of the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rajouri, yesterday and demanded action against the accused cops.

A woman identified as Noorjahan stopped a JCB machine during the construction of a link road in Chambi Trar village by lying down before it.

The victim alleged that head constable Mohd Bashir and his brother Anwar Hussain were forcibly constructing the road through her fields and when she asked them to stop the work they thrashed her. To defend the land she had inherited, she said she lay down before the JCB machine to stop work on the link road. The victim was taken to the District Hospital here and is stable.

SHO, Kotranka, Haji Bashir said, “We have lodged an FIR number 59 under Section 147, 323, 504 and 506 against seven persons, including three policemen and two women.”

Those booked are Abdul Rashid, Mohammed Shabir, Anwar Hussain, Mohammed Bashir and two women are yet to be arrested, he added.

Jammu, May 26
The maximum temperature dipped by two degrees below normal after heavy showers coupled with winds hit the region this evening.

A man walks through a dust storm on Tawi Bridge and (below) a motorcyclist is caught unawares during showers in Jammu on Sunday. PTI/Tribune photos: Anand Sharma

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Jammu, recorded 6.4 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm and there is possibility of light to moderate rains till tomorrow evening.

“The maximum temperature stood at 40.3 degree Celsius, registering a decline of three degrees over the past 24 hours. The minimum temperature was 30.4 degree Celsius," an IMD official said. The day temperature plummeted to two notches below normal, he added.

He said heavy showers and hailstorm at certain places provided much-needed relief from the heat wave condition as the maximum temperature in the region hovered seven to eight notches above normal.

"The winter capital of the state will witness rains and thunderstorms till tomorrow and the sky will remain cloudy. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 38 degree Celsius and 28 degree Celsius, respectively," the official said.

“Light showers, which continued till late evening, were a welcome relief for the residents, as the sizzling conditions and a series of power outages had badly affected normal life across the region. The winds and light drizzle made weather pleasant bringing cheers on the faces of the people," Samriti Khajuria, a resident of Mubarak Mandi said.

Heavy showers along with hailstorm lashed various districts while light drizzle continued till late evening. However, high velocity winds disrupted the power supply in various areas of the region for several hours.

Jammu, May 26
Thieves struck at a government school in Udhampur on Saturday night. The thieves decamped with a ceiling fan, 50 kg rice and water pipes.

According to the police, the incident occurred at the Government Middle School, Maildy Dandyal in Udhampur last night.

School headmaster Mohan Lal Choudhary said this was the third incident in recent past and the police had failed to check thefts.

Patnitop, May 26
The hoteliers and officials of the J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC)-run tourist complexes are facing a dull business this year as tourists from most other states are making a beeline at the Kashmir Valley.

The hoteliers say the situation of these accommodations is bad as except attracting the tourists through discounts and a couple of annual cultural programmes, they can not attract them by paying commissions to tour operators, taxi or bus drivers and touts.

“The tourist circuit, comprising of Patnitop, Sanasar, Mantalai, Sudh Mahadev and Gauri Kund, is intentionally not being developed by certain political lobbyists, lest the tourist flow to the Valley should decrease,” said Kaushal Magotra, president, Patnitop Hoteliers’ Union.

“It is a common refrain of the tourists staying here that except cool shadow of deodars and pine trees, there is nothing to indulge in for recreation, especially for the children,” said Shammi Badyal of Hotel Green Top.

“Besides improving sanitation and basic facilities like water, power supply and surface communication, there is an urgent need to create tourism-related activities like Gandola car projects, water and adventure sports in Baghlihar reservoir and the Chenab, para-gliding at Nathatop, creating a zoo or sanctuary, construction of a few shopping complexes or malls, clubs, developing natural springs, gardens and amusement parks,” said Kaushal.

“Apart from wide publicity for the information of the Valley and Katra-bound tourists and funding the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) and the JKTDC, the government should lift water from the Baghlihar reservoir to overcome the acute drinking water shortage here, construct Yatri Niwas like complexes, spacious parking places, reading rooms, arrange for regular cultural programmes and eradicating the menace of touts and pre-paid taxi facility,” said Som Dutt Sharma, manager, JKTDC, Patnitop.

“We are eagerly waiting for the start of vacations in educational institutes in India, especially in Jammu province,” he added.

When contacted, the CEO,PDA, Dr RK Kesar assured that innovative and development projects were in the pipeline for the area this year.

Jammu, May 26
Even as some activists of Sangh Parivar are trying to bring back all “annoyed leaders” into the BJP, former Union Minister Chaman Lal Gupta reversed all such efforts by attending the first state executive- working committee meeting of the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Front (JKDF) which was held yesterday. The JKDF is a splinter faction of BJP and Gupta is heading a group of seven MLAs, who were expelled from the party on charges of cross voting.

Although all the seven MLAs have been claiming themselves as loyalists, Gupta, by attending the meeting, gave a clear signal that there were no chances of him coming back. The JKDF has already lured in a number of staunch BJP supporters and has set up an agenda against the BJP in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections, especially in the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections.

Meanwhile, according to the handout issued by the JKDF, its first state executive or working committee meeting, after the party was formed in the year 2012, was held in presence of party activists from all over the state.

Jammu, May 26
The Rajinder Bazar Traders Welfare Association (RBTWA), Jammu, today conducted elections to select its new office-bearers.

Krishan Lal Gupta was unanimously elected as the chairman of the association while Banarsi Dass Angral and Sham Lal Gupta were elected as patrons. Atul Rajpal was elected as president while Mahesh Kohli and Mansa Ram as senior vice-presidents. Varinder Mahajan was elected as the vice-president. Raj Kumar Gupta and Dalip Vaid were elected as general secretary and secretary respectively. Krishan Gopal Bhatia was elected as publicity secretary while Balraj Gupta as the treasurer.

Earlier, CA Arun Kumar Gupta was nominated as the Election Commissioner by the executive committee of the RBTWA, along with Pritam Rohemtra and Krishan Gopal Bhatia to act as scrutinising committee.

Jammu, May 26
Jammu Central Cooperative Bank Limited (JCCBL), Jammu, chairman Mohinder Singh called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar and apprised him about the working of the bank.

During the meeting, Singh apprised the CM that the bank was providing credit facilities to the farming community through Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies as well as directly through Kisan Credit Cards. It had issued 31,704 Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) of Rs 45.52 crore till now, which was the highest number of KCCs issued by any banking institution in the state.

He also said the deposits of the bank had touched Rs 1,254.40 crore and advances of the bank were Rs 395.43 crore.

The JCCBL chairman said he took over the reigns of the bank as chairman in November 2008 and the management put concrete efforts during all these years to streamline the working of the bank. As a result, the bank had been able to reduce its NPAs to a considerable extent and earn a working profit of Rs 10.00 crore approximately, during financial year 2012-13.

The CM was apprised that the bank was contemplating to provide online service to the clients during the current financial year by introducing Core Banking Solution (CBS), steps for which had already been taken as per the guidelines of Reserve Bank of India and NABARD.

The CM gave a patient hearing and appreciated the management and working of the bank.

Rajouri, May 26
A two-day medical camp for detection of uterus cancer and gynaecology related problems concluded at District Hospital, Rajouri, today.

The camp was organised by District Rotary Club, with the support of district administration and District Hospital. Dr Adarsh Kalra, gynaecologist and Dr Monika, along with their teams, conducted the camp and over 350 women got themselves examined by specialist doctors.

A calcoscope was brought in by the Rotary Club for detecting uterus cancer cases. Lokesh Bakshi, president, Rotary Club, Rajouri, said a huge rush of patients was witnessed at camp and all were given satisfactory and free check-up by the specialists. Some females who were found having major problems were further advised to visit super specialists. Similar free camps would also be organised in the future to meet the needs of patients of the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, added Bakshi.

Those who supervised the camp included Dr Chaman Bhasin, medical superintendent, District Hospital, Rajouri, KC Kalra, previous District Governor, KK Langar, Tanveer Chowdhary, Saboor Malik, Rakesh Gupta, Amardeep Singh, besides doctors and para medical staff of District Hospital, Rajouri.

Jammu, May 26
Rajouri and Udhampur district clinched the under-14 and under-17 volleyball titles, respectively, in the Division-Level Inter-District Volleyball Championship which concluded at Government Girls High School, Ghagwal, yesterday.

In under-14 volleyball final, Rajouri got the better of Ramban 3-1 to bag the top honour while in the under-17 final, Udhampur had the last laugh against Rajouri 3-2.

Earlier, in the under-17 boys’ semifinal, Rajouri beat Samba 3-2 while Udhampur edged out Jammu 3-1. In under-14 boys’ semifinal, Ramban drubbed Samba 2-0 whereas Rajouri pipped Jammu 2-0. In other matches played, Udhampur beat Reasi, Jammu beat Doda, Ramban beat Kathua and Rajouri beat Poonch. In under-17 boys’ league matches, Samba beat Jammu, Rajouri beat Kathua and Udhampur beat Reasi.

Chandra Prevha, headmaster, Government Girls High School, Ghagwal, presided over the valedictory function and awarded trophies to the winners and runners-up teams.

Earlier, in the inaugural ceremony, Deputy Director, Youth Services and Sports, Ved Parkash was the chief guest who declared the tournament open in the presence of Jarpal Singh, District Youth Services and Sports Officer (DYSSO), Samba and Dr Swaran Singh Chib, DYSSO, Reasi.

Over 200 players from almost all the districts of Jammu division participated in the tournament.

Jammu, May 26
Natrang presented ‘Reed Ki Haddi’ today at Natrang Studio Theatre, Kachi Chawni, in its weekly Theatre Series.

A scene from the play ‘Reed Ki Haddi’, presented in Natrang’s Sunday Theatre series. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma

A new Hindi play, written by Jagdish Mathur and directed by Neeraj Kant, it carried a symbolic message that one should have the courage to take the decisions on his own and for that the metaphor of ‘Reed Ki Haddi’ (back bone) is used.

The play opens at the home of one Ram Swaroop where some people are coming over to see his daughter Uma and select her for marriage.

As his daughter is a postgraduate, it has been much difficult for Ram to get a compatible and ready match. Frustrated, he is ready to get Uma married to a less qualified boy now and to make sure that the ego of the boy is not hurt, he projects her daughter as a docile matriculate.

Being a staunch male chauvinist, he believes that it is the duty of a woman to take care of her husband, no matter how he treats her.

Jammu, May 26
Pardeep Jamwal got the better of Balraj Singh 2-0 in the final to clinch the singles title in badminton, as the Sector Jammu staff tournament of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Katra, in the disciplines of badminton and table tennis concluded at MA Stadium here today.

In doubles event, the duo of KK Kaul/Balraj Singh pipped Parvinder/Sampooran 2-1 to bag the top honours. In table tennis singles final, Balraj Singh had the last laugh against Pardeep Jamwal 2-0 while the doubles title went to Balraj/Pardeep who toppled Pardeep/Shakti 2-0.

Earlier, Ashok Kumar, Director Sports, SMVDSB, formally declared the tournament open. The motive for organising the event was to provide a platform to the employees of SMVDSB to exhibit their skills and participate in the competitions with sportsman spirit.

The tournament was organised under the chairmanship of Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Additional Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB.

The winners of the tournament will be eligible to compete the inter-sectoral tournament, slated to held at Katra. The matches in both the disciplines were officiated by Vikrant Singh, Raju Sharma, Dhanraj Salathia and Dalbir Singh.

Jammu, May 26
The 18-member state team today left to participate in the forthcoming 3rd Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship, slated to be held in Pune, Maharashtra, from May 27 to June 10.

Surinder Pal Singh and Ravinder are accompanying the team as coach and manager, which is being led by skipper Inderpal Singh.

In the qualifying round, the J&K team will take on Railways on May 28, followed by the matches against Namdharis Sirsa, SSB and Bhopal.

The team members are Abhishek, Amanpreet Singh, Amarjeet Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Inderpal Singh, Sunil Kalsotra, Gurmeet Singh, Gurveer Singh, Surinder Singh, Manjeet Singh, Amarinder Singh, Sikander Pal Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Rajinder Singh, Kamaldeep Singh, Ankush and Rohit.

Srinagar, May 26
As a part of the Kashmir Tourism Festival, Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmed Mir teed-off a golf tournament at the Golf Club here today.

“A total of 80 golfers of Rose and Tulip teams participated in the tournament. The tournament was won by Rose team by 20 points,” an official said.

Interacting with the golfers and tourists present on the occasion, Mir said “Kashmir offers the golfers a unique opportunity to play in the refreshing surroundings. There are numerous golf courses in the state. The Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar was awarded the most picturesque golf course in Asia. Other courses can be found in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sidra in Jammu. The highest golf course in the world will be completed in Leh soon.”

Mir said the government intended to promote high-end golfing in a big way this year. He said the Tourism Department was also actively reviving ancient sports like polo and archery in the state.