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Quake-affected people lose hope of govt aid
On the
frontline
1,788 panchayats in state
without accommodation
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Engg student-turned-singer set to strike it big in
Bollywood
NC, PDP, Congess all out to capture Poonch
Mughal motor rally to begin
from Srinagar on June 27
Governor for reviving golf in state
Chief Secretary Iqbal Khandey presents a memento to Governor NN
Vohra, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik and Kashmir Tourism Director Talat Parvez. A Tribune photograph
Arms and ammunition recovered in Kupwara
PM’s visit to Kashmir postponed
Two killed in road accident in Doda
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Quake-affected people lose hope of govt aid
Doda, June 9 More than 80,000 structures were damaged in the May 1 quake in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts. Most of the damage occurred in Doda district. As many as 48,755 structures were damaged in Doda, out of which more than 10,000 structures were severely damaged and above 1,000 structures were completely damaged. Many teams, including those of political parties, have assessed the damage. The latest was the team of the Congress in charge of Punjab, Bihar and Chandigarh, Gulchain Singh Charak. However, no one was able to bring a relief package for the affected people. “Where should I go when I have no place to reside after my house collapsed? Instead of waiting for the government’s assistance, I thought it was better to get some repair work done so that at least one room can be put up to live in,” said Akhter Hussain, a resident of Doda. His house was among 1,000 houses which were completely damaged in the earthquake. Despite getting Rs 334 crore from the Central government in the state disaster relief fund, the state government has not given a single penny to affected people as relief. The state authorities are hoping that the Union government will announce a separate package for the area and they would have to do nothing. So far, many people, from a Union minister to the Chief Minister and leaders of various political parties, have visited the area to score political points but none has been able to deliver for the affected people. The fight over the relief package between the state government and a Union minister has given a wrong impression at New Delhi, which led to delay in the release of a relief package. A few affected families are still living in tents in the area amid soaring temperatures. State withholds relief fund Despite getting Rs 334 crore from the Central government for the state disaster relief fund, the state government has not given a single penny to the affected people as relief. The state authorities are hoping that the Union government will announce a separate package for the area.
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On the
frontline
A question that has failed to beget an answer is — how National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is responsible for the power woes in Jammu and Kashmir. This Government of India undertaking is under fire from the leaders of Kashmir for having “stolen” power of the Kashmir valley. On top of it, the irony is that the NHPC is being criticised among others by those who had invited and signed agreements with the Corporation to execute power projects in the state. This is a blame game that should stop immediately otherwise the political sloganeering would do more harm than good to the state.
And when they cannot honour the agreements on the power projects, how can this kind of leadership be trusted for something more and sensitive matters. They also owe an answer
to the question as to why the Baglihar project, constructed under the state
sector, was handed over to the NHPC for making it functional. Some of the ministers, particularly Taj Mohiuddin, who has the unique art of staying on the right side of the powers that be, is now threatening to move court against the NHPC for handing over the power projects. He is the one who had described the NHPC as “East India Company” and the greater tragedy is that none of his colleagues, not even Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, reprimanded him for using the pre-1947 lexicon vis-a-vis the Government of India undertaking. Someone should have reminded him that he was a minister and he had a responsibility toward the sovereignty of the country. What Taj said also made another minister speak against the NHPC. Minister of State Nazir Gurezi has now charged the NHPC with environmental degradation in the Bandipore area in north Kashmir, and he has sought action against the Corporation working on the Kishenganga hydroelectric project.
If that was the case, he should have woken up to the issue much earlier. It appears that NHPC-bashing has become a fashion in the Kashmir politics. The state government should have constructed the power projects on its own, and the one it has constructed (Baglihar project) is plagued by a series
of problems. It is beyond comprehension whose purpose these ministers, and the main opposition People’s Democratic Party is serving. It certainly is not that of the power-starved people of the state. Yes, there is an argument that the Chief Minister has been articulating in a robust manner that the Centre should return the Dul Hasti project to the state, as recommended by a working group and economic adviser to the Prime Minister C Rangarajan in his reports. Well, that is something that should be given a serious thought and action should be taken in the spirit of give and take. There should be talks on the issue, and not high-pitched rhetoric. The Chief Minister should tame his ministers, and the People’s Democratic Party leadership should restrain its rhetoric on the issue, and talk reason. The NHPC did not come marching and started constructing projects, generating power and then taking 88 per cent of it and giving the rest
of the 12 per cent share of it to the state. If the terms were not acceptable then the Jammu and Kashmir Government could have easily said no. Another thing that the state and those pressing for the return of the NHPC projects have not realised is that its big ambitions
of constructing mega power projects in public-private partnership mode would suffer. The private parties would not like to invest in a state where the state government is criticising and harassing a Government of India-run undertaking. They would ask for guarantees in
this regard. Hypothetically, even if the private investors come and invest their money in power projects, the costs of which run into billions of rupees, what is the guarantee for them that they would not be harassed in a similar manner by the Kashmir leadership, which obviously is blissfully ignorant of the geography of the state. The state’s leaders should have a vision and that alone will help in lighting up homes in Jammu and Kashmir and will bring private investors rushing to
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1,788 panchayats in state
without accommodation
Jammu, June 9 Owing to the non-availability of proper seating arrangement, the elected sarpanches and panches sometimes defer “important meetings” of panchayats. With this, the government’s claims that the Panchayati Raj institutions have been strengthened and provided with the necessary infrastructure in the state stand deflated. “As many as 1,788 of the 4,128 panchayats in the state are still functioning without buildings, while 1,058 panchayat ghars are in a dilapidated condition. Only 2,123 panchayats have the requisite infrastructure in place,” an official source told The Tribune. The state government, under the first phase, has started the construction of 1,120 panchayat ghars. Out of them, around 800 are in the final stage of completion, a source said, adding that as many as 668 more panchayat ghars are slated for construction in the second phase and the initial process has already started. “Leave aside the panchayats working without panchayat ghars in the Kashmir division where the temperature hovers around 15-30°Celsius, there are 864 panchayats working under trees or in a single-room rented accommodation in the Jammu division, that too, amid temperature that goes beyond 40°C,” the source said. A senior official of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, who refused to be named, said the government was providing Rs 600 per panchayat per month as rent to 864 panchayats which were without panchayat buildings in the Jammu division. “A sum of Rs 15.87 crore is being provided for repair and renovation of 1,058 panchayat ghars at the rate of Rs 2 lakh per panchayat ghar,” the official said. Vijay Shawney, a sarpanch of Kheri in Bishnah tehsil, said: “We don’t have a panchayat ghar in our area and we hold our routine meetings in the nearby dispensary or government school building. On working days, we either defer our meetings or hold it under a banyan tree. The non-availability of proper seating space for elected members definitely affects the functioning of the Panchayati Raj institutions.” Anil Sharma, general secretary, All J&K Panchayat Conference, said the government had made a mockery of the Panchayati Raj system in the state. “What to talk of empowerment of panchayats, the government has failed to provide basic infrastructure to elected sarpanches and panches. In the existing panchayat ghars, the panchayat members themselves clean the buildings,” he said. Farooq Peer, Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, when contacted, said the government had been facing a major problem of land acquisition for construction of panchayat ghars. “For around 400 panchayats, the department couldn’t acquire land for construction of panchayat ghars. The government has allocated Rs 20 lakh each for construction of a new panchayat ghar. In the upper reaches of the Jammu region, the carriage cost of construction material is quite high. The government is contemplating increasing the cost of construction in these areas,” he said, adding that the officials concerned had been asked to complete the construction of panchayat ghars by September this year. ‘Panchayat ghars to be ready by Sept’ Farooq Peer, Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department has said the government has been facing a major problem of land acquisition for the construction of panchayat ghars. The officials concerned have been asked to complete the construction of panchayat ghars by September, he added.
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Engg student-turned-singer set to strike it big in
Bollywood
Jammu, June 9 “The entire efforts are mine as I don’t possess any inheritance in music and singing,” said Siddharth while talking to The
Tribune. Siddharth’s recent offer to lend his voice to a UK-based international album has come from Pakistan producers Tariq Yousaf and
Khalid, who have roped him along with Mustafa Zahid of ‘Aashiqui 2’ fame and ‘Sur
Kshetra’ winner Nabeel Ali and Momina to sing in the album which is likely to hit the market in August. “I am very excited with the offer and have signed the contract wherein I am slated to perform in 10 shows worldwide,” said
Siddharth. An electronics and communication engineering student in 2009, Siddharth left studies to pursue his passion in singing much against the wishes of his parents who wanted him to be an engineer. The only son of his parents and earlier living under constant annoyance of them for deviating from his studies to take up music and singing, today he is cynosure of all, including his parents, friends and
relatives. Siddharth hogged the limelight nationally by putting up his songs on the YouTube sung from films ‘bettering’ the original soundtracks and that caught the attention of many producers, directors and musicians from Mumbai. “This, however, brought an adverse effect too as many of the original singers blocked my attempts on the
YouTube, but it gave me good footage among the new genre of musicians who welcomed my singing in good taste,” said
Siddharth. Presently boasting of 33,000 fans on the Facebook with lakhs of comments listed on his singing, Siddharth has earned a good name among the contemporary singers and is set to make big in Bollywood also. “I am roped in by Saregama for remixing of old songs as the company owns copyright of 90% songs and has offered me 10 songs, including Amitabh Bachhan’s blockbuster ‘Inteha ho
gayi’ and others,” said Siddharth. He said the M-Tunes channel has also approached him for their ‘M-Street’ shows in Mumbai where he would be one among his new team of performers singing on the Mumbai streets with hidden cameras covering him online capturing the public feel. A devout of Pandit Bholenath
Mishra, a disciple of Padma Bhushan awardee Rajan and Sajan Mishra of Banaras
Gharana, Siddharth owes gratitude to his ‘guru’ for chiseling his talent to perfection. At present, Siddharth is pursuing graduation from the Institute of Music and Fine Arts
(IMFA), Jammu, in music and is chasing his passion which he wants to turn into profession.
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NC, PDP, Congess all out to capture Poonch
Jammu, June 9 Political parties are working overtime to strengthen their base in this segment because the political wave generated from this border town would have an impact on the other two Assembly segments, Surankote and Mendhar, of Poonch district. The NC, PDP and the Congress have reasons to concentrate on the district because in the last Assembly elections, which were held in 2008, these parties had won one seat each and now there is competition among them to increase their tally. The main political parties have realised that Jammu holds the key to the formation of the next government so they are concentrating on specific areas of the region. The seriousness of the three parties to “capture” Poonch can be gauged from the fact that they have given much importance to the leaders of the town. Despite having an elected MLA, Aijaz Jan, from the Poonch segment, the NC had nominated Shehnaz Ganai from Poonch as member of the Upper House. Similarly, the Congress has its leader Jhangir Mir as MLC from Poonch. With the aim of winning over the Hindus and Sikhs of Poonch, the PDP had nominated veteran leader Yash Pal Sharma from Poonch as member of the Upper House. The party is confident about getting a major chunk from minority votes because Sharma has a strong influence in Poonch district in general and the Poonch segment in particular. The NC, on the other hand, wants to snatch the Surankote seat from the Congress and Mendhar from the PDP to increase its tally in the next Assembly elections. The recent tour of provincial president of the NC Devinder Singh Rana in Poonch district is a clear indication that the party has devised a well-knit strategy to keep a check on its arch-rival PDP to expand its activities in the district. During his visit, Rana made it a point to take the PDP head on to infuse confidence among the party cadre.
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Mughal motor rally to begin
from Srinagar on June 27
Rajouri, June 9 The much-hyped rally got into a controversy after driver Jatinder Shukla and his navigator Ashish Mahajan lost their lives during the 3rd Mughal Road Motor Sports Rally in
the state. Himalayan Motor Sports Association general secretary Atul Honda said, “This year, we have put in a lot of effort to provide safer routes to motorists.” “We have avoided routes which are unsafe for speedy motorists, including circuits passing through the Sinthan pass and Kishtwar located at a height of about 12,000 ft above sea level, where the mishap took place last year,” Honda added. “Two fully equipped ambulances of Fortis with doctors and paramedical staff will remain stationed on the route.” he said. The event will start from Srinagar on June 28 and would run as two separate rallies - the Xtreme and the Enduro. The Xtreme is a fast-paced event with professional drivers and the Enduro is a slower event which will promote tourism through motoring in the state. The motorists will pass through circuits on Mughal Road, Peer Ki Gali and Bafliyaz through Rajouri to Jammu. On June 29, they will pass through routes in Mahore, Reasi and Ramban to stop at Srinagar. “We are expecting participation of 35 to 40 motorists with the same number of bikers in the Xtreme segment. Similar number of participants are expected in the Enduro segment. The entries are still open,” Honda said, adding, “The winner will be awarded Rs 10 lakh.” At a recent meeting, Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir asked the authorities concerned to ensure fool-proof arrangements for the rally and stressed on close coordination between the civil and police administration for providing necessary logistic support to the
rallyists. A senior officer of the Border Road Organization (BRO), Satya
Narayan, “We have deployed additional men and machinery on circuit routes which need repairs, especially in Reasi, Mahore and other routes of the Mughal Road.”
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Governor for reviving golf in state
Srinagar, June 9 The Governor’s Team won the tournament by defeating the Army Commander’s Team 16-8. The Governor, who is a patron of the Kashmir Golf Club, said the time had come to revive some of the state’s old traditions and sports such as golf for which Kashmir has been known for over a century. The Governor after teeing-off the tournament also played the first half of the course. He congratulated Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, who is also the chairman of the Kashmir Golf Club, and the club’s office-bearers for reviving the tournament. First Lady Usha Vohra gave away prizes to the winner and the runners-up of the Ladies Putting Competition. Northern Army Commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik expressed hope that the tournament would be an annual affair. Kashmir Tourism Director Talat Parvez said the tournament would be made an annual feature. The Chief Secretary presented mementos to Governor Vohra, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, Lt Gen Om Prakash, Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh, Lt Gen HJS Sachdev and golfers of both the teams. The Chief Secretary also presented a memento to the First Lady as a memorabilia of the tournament.
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Arms and ammunition recovered in Kupwara
Srinagar, June 9 A defence spokesman said the recovery was made after they got a tip-off. “Based on the tip-off provided by a reliable source about a cache of war-like stores approximately 200-300 metres towards our side of the Line of Control, an army column of Rashtriya Rifles launched a search operation in Lashdat Nar in the Machil sector on June 8. During the search, a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was found hidden in a hollow tree trunk,” the spokesman said. “The troops recovered an AK-56 rifle with three magazines and 90 rounds, two pistols (Pakistani and Chinese make), two rocket-propelled grenades and explosives in two cylindrical cases,” he said. The spokesman said the recovery of the cache was a major success achieved by the Army in the Machil sector. The Army had foiled an infiltration bid in this sector on May 18. An Army patrol of 56 RR had noticed movement of militants close to the LoC in Machil and when the group was challenged, the militants opened fire on the troops resulting in the death of a JCO and injuries to a soldier. The militants managed to return to Pakistan. They, however, left behind two assault rifles and some war-like stores before going back to Pakistan.
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PM’s visit to Kashmir postponed
Jammu, June 9 President of the Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Saifuddin Soz said the PM’s visit had been postponed for a couple of days. “The new date for his visit is yet to be finalised,” said Soz. The Prime Minister was scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Kashmir on June 25 to dedicate Mughal Road and the Banihal-Qazigund rail line to the people. Earlier, the visit of All-India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi to the state was postponed following the Chhattisgarh maoist attack. Rahul was supposed to announce Rs 900 crore sanctioned by the Union Cabinet for the Umeed project in the state. He was also scheduled to visit the earthquake-hit Doda region on May 28. |
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Even as the entire region reels under sizzling and humid conditions, around 900 panchayats across Jammu are forced to hold their day-to-day meetings either under trees or in a single-room rented accommodation.
Siddharth
Slathia, 21, is set to join the chorus with Pakistan biggies in musical performance worldwide as the small town wizkid from Gurha Slathia in Samba district whose passion with singing has earned him laurels at a young age.
“The entire efforts are mine as I don’t possess any inheritance in music and singing,” said Siddharth while talking to The
Tribune. Siddharth’s recent offer to lend his voice to a UK-based international album has come from Pakistan producers Tariq Yousaf and
Khalid, who have roped him along with Mustafa Zahid of ‘Aashiqui 2’ fame and ‘Sur
Kshetra’ winner Nabeel Ali and Momina to sing in the album which is likely to hit the market in August.
Governor NN Vohra today underscored the need of reviving and promoting golf and other sports activities in the state in a big way.
He was speaking at the prize distribution function of the Governor’s Cup Golf Tournament 2013 organised by the Kashmir Golf Club at Royal Springs Golf Course here.
