Jammu, July 2
Spiraling prices of vegetables have put a soar taste in the mouths of residents here. They are forced to cut down on the variety of dishes on their menu.

The decrease in the production of vegetable crops following the recent monsoon showers and the failure of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) department to effectively monitor the rates of vegetables and fruits are seen as the main reasons for high cost of vegetables.

According to the vendors at various vegetable markets, the rates of vegetables have gone up sharply over the past week and some vegetable items are even being sold at double rates.

"Vegetables like potato, tomato and onion are inching away from common man's budget. Many families have even cut down on the variety of dishes in view of the high prices of the vegetables," Ram Kumar, a vegetable vendor at Parade vegetable and fruit mandi said. The rise in the prices of vegetables had also affected their business, he said.

Kumar said, "Due to high prices of vegetables, the residents belonging to the middle class cook pulses and other such dishes leading which leads to loss in their business due to a drop in the sale of vegetable items."

The wholesale vegetable traders, however, blame the retailers for the increase in vegetable prices and allege that there was no control of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) department on retailers who had been charging at their will. “The prices of vegetables have witnessed slight variation in the wholesale market but the retailers are driving the rise in vegetable prices due to complete failure in monitoring system of the department concerned," Naresh Sharma, a wholesale vegetable trader at Narwal Mandi said.

Sharma alleged the vegetable prices vary from shop to shop as the CAPD department had failed to bring uniformity in retail prices of vegetables and fruits. “We have been selling tomatoes at Rs 15 to 20 per kg, but it is being sold at anything between Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kg in the retail market. Onion, which costs Rs 8-9 per kg in wholesale market, is being sold at Rs 18 to Rs 20 per kg in retail," he said.

Shankuntla Devi, a housewife said, "Every vegetable item has become expensive by Rs 10 to Rs 20 per kg. Tomatoes, which were being sold at Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg till last week, are now being sold at Rs 40 to Rs 50."

Tejinder Singh Wazir, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Kissan Council, said there was no appropriate planning for the processing and storage of local produce which caused huge loss to the farmers.

“The demand for vegetables and fruits is very high but there is no proper planning for the processing and cold storage of locally produced vegetables, due to which not only farmers suffer huge loss but the consumers also remain at the receiving end,” he said.

The Department of Agriculture was yet to spend Rs 6 crore, which was sanctioned to ensure proper processing and cold storage facility of vegetables being produced at local level.

Dr M K Khushu, Chief Scientist Agrometeorology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, said the crops which were in later stages of growth, including flowering and fruiting have had an impact on sudden variations in climatic changes. “The pre-monsoon showers were beneficial for crops and the production in vegetable crops, sown in the areas having no irrigation facility, were affected by sudden climatic variations," he said. Director CAPD department, Jammu, G S Chib was not available for comments.

Batote, July 2
The national flag in front of the head office of the Leighton Wellspun Contractors Private Limited (LWCPL), an Australian firm building the Chenani-Nashri road tunnel (CNRT), was dishonoured by two of its foreign employees at Dhalwas in Ramban yesterday. The police is yet to register a case in this regard.

According to eyewitnesses, during the lunch interval at 2 pm, a foreign engineer, Shen, pulled down the national flag by bending the flag-pipe and hung a shoe on it in place of the Tricolour.

The shoe belonged to one of his colleagues Bresless alias Billy of Greece, in charge, Noth Portal, CNRT, who had left his shoes to dry. Enraged over this, one of the security men and a foreman tried to stop the accused. The workers protested against the foreign employees.

The accused officials apologised before the workers and security men of the LWCPL in the presence of a team of the police led by SHO, Chanderkot, Rakesh Kumar. No case has been registered.

DC, Ramban, SV Meena and DIG, Ashkoor Ahmed Wani expressed their ignorance about the issue while SP, Ramban, Javed Matoo denied the incident saying there was no Tricolour but an ordinary cloth. Instead he termed it as mischief by one of the rival factions of the workers.

Jammu, July 2
Undeterred by the ban imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir Flood Control Department on entering Tawi bed, residents of low-lying areas near the river as well as ponywalas continue to enter the river where they often get stuck due flash floods. The department has to use boats to rescue them or call for Indian Air force choppers to evacuate them.

During rains in summers, the department increases its activity and makes announcements cautions residents against entering the riverbed. The department has even established a control room and check points but still residents enter riverbed without any purpose.

Last week, the department had rescued some people from Nikki Tawi area during flash floods in the river but the problem continues. “We have established checkpoints and control rooms to meet any eventuality but still people enter the riverbed. It is not possible to keep a vigil on every person but still we are trying our best,” said Chief Engineer, Flood Control Department, Jammu, Varinder Badyal. He said the department remains in regular contact with the Meteorological Department and an advisory is issued regularly. 

Jammu, July 2
The Department of Urban Forestry has failed to trim the branches of trees near Panama Chowk here. The bent down lush green trees have become a problem for commuters here.

“On Monday evening, a load carrier tipper got damaged after it hit the branches of a tree near Panama Chowk,” said Waqar Ahmad, a student.

“My helmet saved me from getting hit,” he added.

Passing the buck, the Urban Forestry Department, which has not trimmed these trees for months, holds Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) for the maintenance of these trees within the city limits. “These trees are the property of the Urban Forestry Department. I will check the status of these trees and trimming will be done in coupe of days,” said K L Khajuria, commissioner, JMC.

Rajouri, July 2
Since the past five months, the Rajouri Municipal Committee (MC) has not released the pending salaries of their safai karamcharis and other departmental employees owing to lack of funds.

The MC is reeling under the pressure of an impending strike by the employees since the past few days, which was earlier postponed after assurances given by senior officials. The employees are threatening to launch the agitation again, leaving the department in lurch, if their salaries are not released in given time.

Safai Karamchari Union’s district president Rafiq Hussain said if the employees were not given their salaries before July 6, they would launch a stir.

Highly placed sources said the committee is still not in a position to pay the employees their salaries.

Parveez Mirza, Executive Officer (EO), Rajouri Municipal Committee, said they were trying to streamline the system and to pay all dues of the employees.

He said, “Tomorrow, I am leaving to meet the director and will discuss this issue and hopefully settle it”.

Poonch, July 2
Rehber-e-Taleem teachers disrupted traffic for an hour on the Jammu- Poonch Highway. They were protesting as against the state government had not released the salaries for past seven months.

They staged a dharna under the banner of Rehber-e-Taleem Teachers Forum at Nakhonwali Chowk on the Jammu-Poonch Highway.

Najam Jaffri, state seceratary of the Forum led the protest. The teachers had gathered at Parade Park, Poonch, before marching towards Nakhonwali Chowk where they protested for over an hour. They raised slogans against the state government.

State general secretary, Najam Jaffri, said, “The government is forcing us to take to the streets as it has failed to release salaries of SSA teachers for past seven months. SHO Sanjeev Singh rushed to the spot and pacified the protestors after which the normal traffic was resumed.

The Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers Forum has been demanding inclusion of five-year service for promotion and seniority benefits, release of pending salary of SSA teachers, transfer policy for regularised ReT teachers etc.

Jammu, July 2
Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) and Transport Department Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, today reviewed functioning of Legal Metrology department of Jammu province besides taking stock of availability of LPG and price control.

Transport Commissioner Sanjeev Verma, Director CAPD, GS Chib, Joint Controller Legal Metrology, Amar Singh, Deputy Controller Consumer Protection, Manoj Prabhakar, state-level Coordinator of oil companies, Girish Ranjan, other officers of Legal Metrology department and oil companies were also present in the meeting. —TNS

Jammu, July 2
The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of employees of various government departments of the state has announced that there will be complete strike in all the government offices, including Secretariat, on July 8.

The state government employees, including secretariat employees, under the banner of JCC, have decided to hold a protest at all the district headquarters of the state and observe one-day pen down strike.

Gafoor Dar, leader of JCC, said “We have announced a complete strike on July 8 to press the government for the immediate implementation of agreed demands.”

“On July 8, employees of the Jammu district will march towards Divisional Commissioner’s office and hold a protest there and Srinagar Employees will march towards the secretariat and protests,” he added.

Dar also appealed all the district employees to hold protest demonstration in their respective districts.

The JCC leaders said despite of many rounds of discussions with the authorities in the government, the implementation of the agreement was still awaited and the united platform of the JCC was compelled to intensify the agitation programme of one day.

The employees are demanding the regularisation of daily wagers and contractual employees of PSUs, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years and anomaly of different cadres of employee.

The 4.5 lakh employees and workers in both Jammu and Kashmir regions will observe a complete shutdown under the banner of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on July 8, demanding that their demands be addressed as soon as possible.

Jammu, July 2
A convention of youth Congress was held at Choki Chora, Akhnoor tehsil, today in which more than 600 youth delegates of block Choki Chora participated.

The convention was chaired by youth Congress president, Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency, Satish Sharma and attended by vice-president Pranav Mangotra and Choki Chora block president Aman Gupta.

Speaking on the occasion, Satish Sharma asked the youth to take benefit from centrally-sponsored schemes like UDAAN and HIMAYAT. “The Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi is doing sincere efforts to provide youth of Jammu and Kashmir a chance to excel in every field and we must take the benefit,” Sharma said.

He lauded the efforts of Rahul Gandhi for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and said the youth must take benefit of the central schemes and compete with youth from other parts of the country.

“The Congress party, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, has been excelling and in 2014, the party will get majority and more schemes for the welfare of youth will be announced,” Sharma added.

He thanked the youth for making the convention successful and assured full them of support from the youth Congress.

Jammu, July 2
Maj Gen PS Rathore, Judge Advocate General (JAG), Army, is on a two-day visit to the Northern Command in Udhampur, 65 km from here.

During his visit, he will be discussing important pending disciplinary cases with Deputy JAG Command and other officers. The JAG will also be meeting Lt Gen HJS Sachdev, Chief of Staff, Northern Command and discuss important legal issues with him.

On his arrival, Maj Gen Rathore was received by Brig PK Sharma, Dy JAG, who briefed him about the pending disciplinary and court cases. The general officer met all the officers of JAG department, Northern Command and stressed upon the need to strive for excellence.

He praised the hard work being put in by the officers and civilian staff of the department and exhorted them to continue giving their best in early dispensation of justice. — TNS

Jammu, July 2
Poorly maintained transformers, tilted electricity poles and transmission lines looping dangerously pose threat to the lives of Ward number 18 residents.

“Three years back the Power Development Department (PDD) had replaced the wires of a transformer. Now the insulation of the wires has got burnt and the exposed wires now pose a danger of electrocution,” said PL Tickoo, a resident.

Another resident Rajnish Sharma said the danger of electrocution increases during the monsoon.

Iron channel (cage) that has been raised around the transformer could be seen dangerously close to the exposed wires.

The residents rue that the lineman had put wooden pieces between the cage and the exposed wires to avoid contact between the two instead of repairing the transformer. It can be disastrous if these wooden pieces get displaced from their place. Wires above the transformer also pose threat to the residents, they said.

“An electric pole with a beehive of LT wires has started tilting on my house and it keeps on giving me anxious moments,” said a resident. He also regretted the Jammu Municipal Corporation’s unwise move to put up a halogen lamp on a pole in a by-lane which had only one house instead of a link road that passes through the densely populated area.

“This lamp in a by-lane serves little purpose. It should have been put at the link road which has so many houses and where the volume of traffic is much more,” he said. These dangling wires and tilting poles have become death traps and they can lead to accidents anytime, he added.

Superintending Engineer, Maintenance Wing, PDD, Gurbachan Singh claimed the department carries out replacement and repairs of its infrastructure in the city regularly. Minister of State for Power, Viqar Rasool Wani said that he would ask the PDD Chief Engineer Shehnaz Goni to look into the matter.

Poonch, July 2
Though the annual pilgrimage to the Buddha Amarnath shrine in Poonch district will commence from August 1, hundreds of pilgrims have been performing ‘darshan’ at the shrine daily, but the poor response of the administration has irked the social organisations who have been involved in the annual yatra.

This ancient Shiva Temple with a white ‘chakmak Shivalingam’ is in Rajpure Mandi, 22-km north-east of Poonch town.

Pilgrims usually have darshan throughout the year here, but during the annual pilgrimage, which starts some 12 to 20 days before ‘Shrawan Purnima’ every year, thousands of pilgrims from across the country visit the shrine and have darshan.

“This year the number of pilgrims has broken last year’s record of 10,000 and over 12,000 pilgrims have had darshan during the last one-and-half month,” said Gulshan Dutta, General Secretary of the Buddha Amarnath committee.

Keeping the huge rush into consideration district administration had taken all required steps to conduct the Yatra smoothly and trouble-free, but this year the district administration had not conducted districts officers meeting with the Budha Amarnath Temple Committee in connection with the annual yatra. This has irked the local organisers and social organisations.

“This year the annual pilgrimage is commencing from August 1. The first batch will leave from Jammu and have darshan on the morning of August 2. A meeting in this connection was organised with the

committee of the Shri Buddha Amarnath Trust and Dashnami Akhara, Poonch, and various social and religious organisations,” said Nishu Gupta, district president VHP Poonch.

“It is very unfortunate that the yatra is going to start from August but district administration has not shown any interest even to conduct meetings with the organising committees” Gupta rues.

The Local Dashnami Akhara Committee has conducted its meeting and started preparations at its own.

“We have started the preparation for the annual yatra but we have not received any information from DDC office regarding annual yatra. We have decided that ‘Chhari Mubarak’ the holy mace of the Lord Shiva, will be taken from the Dashnami Akhara Mandir, Poonch, on August 19 towards the Shri Buddha Amarnath shrine under the headship of Swami Vishvatmanand, mahant of Dashnami Akhara, Poonch, after the formal ‘Chhari Poojan’, said, Basant Ram Sharma, president, Dashnami Akhara.

Jammu, July 2
The spread of diabetes is on the rise in the state affecting 15 to 16 per cent of people. More alarming is the fact that more and more youngsters are falling prey to the disease in the state.

Renowned diabetologist Dr Jitendra Singh said this during a diabetes awareness programme at a detection camp organised by the Indian Red Cross Society in collaboration with the Diabetes Care Foundation (DSF), an NGO.

Over 200 patients were examined by Dr Jitendra Singh and 25 new cases of diabetes were detected. Free of cost medicine was also distributed.

Dr Singh said changing lifestyle and fast food culture had taken its toll and despite new modalities of treatment available, the disease has assumed epidemic proportions. He said during the next couple of years, the main focus will be on diabetes among young and expectant mothers. 

Jammu, July 2
Kashmir Images, Surya Club and Honda Cricket Club (HCC) registered resounding wins over their respective opponents to advance into the next round of the ongoing Friendship Cup Cosco Ball Cricket Tournament, being played at DBN School Ground.

Earlier, a brilliant all-round performance by Karan helped HCC beat Varun Cricket Club by a whopping margin of 69 runs.

Batting first, Honda Club piled up a mammoth total of 113 runs in the stipulated 12 overs. Karan top scored with a 50-run knock while Rahil contributed 42 runs to the total.

Beam was the most successful bowler for Varun Club, who took two wickets.

In reply, Varun Club was skittled bundled out for paltry 44 runs. Karan was the pick of the bowlers with a four-wicket haul. He was later adjudged the man of the match.

In another match, Kashmir Images got the better of Sain Cricket Club by 47 runs in a one -sided affair. Batting first, Kashmir Images accumulated 56 runs with Ramesh being the top scorer with 22 runs. Honey took three wickets for Sain Club.

In reply, Sain Club was bundled out for just 9 runs. Gurjit was the wrecker-in-chief for Kashmir Images who scalped four wickets and was also declared the man of the match.

In the last match of the day, Surya Club toppled Bengal Tigers by 25 runs. Surya Club garnered a decent total of 93 runs. Surya was the top scorer with 30 runs while Aditya contributed 23 runs to the total. Santosh took two wickets for Bengal Tigers.

In reply, Bengal Tigers scored 68 runs and lost the match by 25 runs. Suresh made 29 runs. For Surya Club, Aditya claimed three wickets while Surya chipped in with one wicket. Aditya was declared the man of the match.

Jammu, July 2
Dutta Cricket Club, Talab Tillo, clinched the first 12-over Cosco Tennis Cricket Championship-2013 trophy by defeating Knight Riders Cricket Club, Simbal Camp, by one wicket in a contest played at Boys’ Higher Secondary School Ground, Simbal Camp.

The man of the match award was bagged by Ankush. The umpires in the tournament were Talwinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh and Rohit Sharma while the score book was maintained by Gagandeep Singh Mangu. Harinderpal Singh Bawa of Dutta Cricket Club, who took 10 wickets and scored 100 runs, was declared the man of the tournament while Parmeet Singh Meeta was adjudged the best bowler. He was awarded a cash prize of Rs 500 and a bat.

Dr Karan Bhagat was the chief guest on the occasion who stressed upon the need to develop skills of youths in sports which could prevent the younger generation from falling into the trap of drug addiction.

The winning team was given a cash prize of Rs 5,000 while the runner-up team pocketed Rs 3,000.

Prominent among others present were Charanjeet Singh Situ, Hockey Coach, Hardev Singh Sasan, Janak Singh, Kuldeep Singh Bhatti, Gurdeep Singh, Sarpanch Ravinder Singh, Naib Sarpanch HS Kuku, Surinder Singh Sodhi and Kamaljeet Singh.

The tournament was organised in the memory of Divenderpal Singh Crown and was held under the supervision of Barjinder Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Manpreet Singh and GS Michael. — TNS