Jammu, July 9
Callousness of residents has made draining out rainwater from the city a gigantic challenge for the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).

With plastic bags choking the drainage system, the civic body is struggling to drain out rainwater.

Polythene bags mostly packaging material thrown with impunity have choked these drains across the city after heavy rain over past few days.

Despite a ban on the use of polythene bags, the amount of plastic being fished out of these drains is surprising.

Not only the residential colonies, but commercial establishments indulge in indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste at public places or drains, which leads to flooding of several localities and polythene packaging material is a major cause of the blockage of drains.

The nullahs are also filled with polythene bags and solid waste, which block the flow of water and choke gutters, say JMC officials. “The municipal corporation cleans the drains before the monsoon but the situation remains the same even after cleaning them,” said Tony Gill, a Safai Karamchari union leader.

Environmentalists also blame the state government for soft-pedalling on the issue of using plastics and polythene. “It is unfortunate that we are unable to take care of our water bodies and traditional ponds, which have become dumping yards,” said Nadeem Qadri, an environmentalist.

On the other hand, the rainfall also exposed the poor planning of the Jammu Municipal Corporation’s (JMC) as in many localities drains are overflowing as the garbage has blocked them.

The digging work started by the corporation and other agencies at Panjthirthi, Kanak Mandi, Janipur has reated more problems for the commuters.

Rajan Gupta, a shopkeeper at Canal Road, said, “The main nullah passing through the area is choked by the garbage and water is overflowing. Silt, polythene and garbage is littered all around,” he said.

Poonch, July 9
The annual plan for 2013-14 for the district has been pegged at Rs 101.91 crore. Decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of the District Development Board presided over by Minister Higher Education, Mohammad Akbar Lone, today who is also chairman of the board.

The plan includes Rs 40 crore as revenue component and Rs 61.91 crore as capital component. Several important decisions were taken in the meeting which includes construction of the Loran-Tangmarg road via Sultan Pathri which provided another shortest road link between Kashmir valley and Poonch district, road up-gradation of Surankote town upto Buffliaz by macadamisation, development of tourist places around Mughal Road etc. He said the habitations of 250 residents would be provided upgraded road facility. He directed raising necessary infrastructure along Mughal Road for local residents as well as foreign tourists. The meeting was told that work on the Tourist Dak Banglow at Poonch stands completed whereas work on Dak Banglow Surankote & Mendhar is nearing completion.

Lone announced that government was considering to upgrade health and educational institutions during current year for which local legislators would be consulted for feasibility of location.

Earlier, District Development Commissioner, poonch, Sajad Ahmed Khan gave a resume of achievements registered during last fiscal. He said Rs 94.03 crore had been incurred on execution of various development works during 2012-13. He said 11 km road was black-topped, 28 km shingled, 25 km metalled, 28 km made fair weather, 68 bridges/culverts and 890 metre protection walls were also completed during the period. He said 41,300 pahari and 39,186 G&B students were provided scholarship, whereas 74,819 students of 1,473 educational institutions were covered under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. 209 transformers of different capacities were repaired and replaced, he added.

Jammu, July 9
Call it faulty planning or blissful ignorance, the new crossing, which had been created to connect the Satwari-Bikram Chowk highway with newly inaugurated fourth bridge over Tawi, is an open invitation to accidents. Threat to life has increased after a median gap was created at the point, that too, on the highway.

"The new crossing near Hotel Asia is a perfect example of poor and faulty road engineering and the authorities should either depute some traffic policemen to regulate the speeding traffic or plug the median gap," Sanjay Kumar, a two-wheeler rider said.

Kumar said the possibility of fatal road accidents during night hours increases as it becomes difficult for the motorists to judge the speed of vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

"I had a narrow escape on the crossing yesterday when I could not judge the movement of speeding car coming Satwari side. The authorities should immediately either depute some traffic policemen to streamline the traffic or plug the median gap to avoid fatal mishaps in future," he said.

The fourth four-lane bridge downstream the existing bridge over Tawi was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on May 26. The bridge was completed with an estimated cost of Rs 89.05 crore.

It had also been prominently highlighted in the pages Jammu Tribune on June 2 that the new road connecting bridge was not only narrow but also lacked roadside parapets. Besides, a broken cemented pillar in the middle of the road posed a great threat to the lives of the motorists, especially during night.

"The new crossing as well as road connecting fourth bridge over river Tawi is full of death traps. It is surprising that the Traffic and the Public Works Department created a median gap in the middle of main highway and made it a crossing point for vehicles coming from fourth bridge. At times, there is complete chaos with motorists weaving their way around speeding vehicles from Satwari and opposite directions," Kamal Sharma, a resident of Green Belt, Gandhi Nagar said.

Thaseen Mustafa, Chief Engineer, R&B, Jammu, said the median gap had been created temporarily and it would be plugged after the demarcation of pillar sites of upcoming flyover between Bikram Chowk and the Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar.

Jammu, July 9
Acting on the information provided by the Army the police shifted 625 kg explosive material, meant for Ratle hydroelectric project, to a safer place at Drabshala in Kishtwar. The explosives were dumped at Drabshala by the authorities of GVK Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project Private Limited to dig tunnels for the 850-MW project.

On June 25, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation of the hydroelectric project at Kishtwar.

Sources said the 8 RR unit of the Army, located at Jangalwar area of Thathri tehsil of district Doda, informed the police about presence of huge explosives in Dranshala without any security. "The 625 kg explosive was stored in various houses in Drabshala. The houses were taken on rent by the construction company. The explosive was without any security," sources said.

Rajouri, July 9
Attack on porter, civilian population living near the Line of Control (LoC) from across the border is a cowardly act and frustration on the part of militants as number of infiltration attempts have been foiled by vigilant Army; this was stated by General Officer of Commanding (GOC) 25 Infantry Division Maj Gen VP Singh today at Div Headquarter, Rajouri.

Infiltration attempts have increased many times, but vigilance troops at borders have foiled all their attempts.

“During the month of June and July attempts of infiltrations increased , but this time we had not allowed them to infiltrate and attack on civilians and porters weree the share frustration,” he added.—OC

Jammu, July 9
Maximum temperature dropped by two degrees today following continuous rain over past few days.

The state Metrological Department has recorded the maximum temperature of Jammu region up to 30.7 degree Celsius; however, the minimum temperature was 26.5 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature here on Monday was 32.6 degree Celsius.

Officials of the Meteorological department, Srinagar circle, said, “Moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers may occur in Jammu. Maximum and the minimum temperatures will be around 31 and 24°C.”

Jammu, July 9
Minister for Public Health Engineering (PHE), Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma yesterday said an effective monitoring mechanism had been put in place to enforce accountability and transparency in implementation of development works in the state.

Addressing a monthly review meeting at Akhnoor, Sham exhorted upon the officers to ensure enhanced basic amenities to the people across the state with focus on rural and far-off areas.

He asked the concerned authorities to ensure timely and quality completion of development works within stipulated time.

The minister asked the executing agencies to put their sincere efforts in developing the historical places to further boost the tourist influx and said all historical monuments of the area would be preserved for the next generations.

Sham said the Prime Minister, UPA Chairperson as well as Chief Minister of the state had always evinced keen interest in making Jammu and Kashmir a model state for which this state was being liberally funded for various projects.

He said several projects under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) and ADB funded schemes were going apace in the state and schemes for tackling unemployment like SKEWPY had also been launched. Besides, thousands of rural people have been benefitted with the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He said a special recruitment drive for the unemployed youths of the area would be conducted soon.

The minister said sports council of India had agreed to construct a stadium in Akhnoor and the work on this prestigious project would be started soon.

A two-minute silence was also observed to pay homage to the people who lost their lives in Uttarakhand floods. 

Jammu, July 9
Singh Challengers Club (SCC), Akhnoor, has set up the final clash with the J&K Police in the ongoing 5th Pawan Singh Memorial Twenty20 Cricket Tournament, being played at Government Higher Secondary School ground, Akhnoor.

In the semifinal played today, SCC edged out Singh Cricket Club, Akhnoor, by three wickets. Batting first, Singh Cricket Club set a target of 153 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Chandan Sharma and Shanty were the top scorers with 33 and 22 runs, respectively, for Singh Cricket Club while Sunny Kumar contributed 19 runs. From SCC, Pankaj Kumar was the chief destroyer with five wickets while Vinod, Rajinder Sharma, Jimmy Mani and Ricky snared one wicket each.

Later, SCC overhauled the target in 18.5 overs with three wickets intact. Jimmy Mani and Manik Sharma remained unbeaten on 46 and 43 runs respectively. Firdous, though made a hat trick, could not help his team script a victory. Sham Singh Langeh and Asif took two and one wicket respectively.

Manik Sharma was declared the man of the match for his all round performance. 

Jammu, July 9
People of the Leh and Kargil areas of Ladakh region have taken a joint platform to condemn the serial blasts in Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar.

Cutting across religious lines, people of Ladakh choose the platform of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) to condemn the attack on Buddhist temple and termed it a cowardice step. The LAHDC demanded action against those behind the attack.

The Leh district of Ladakh region is dominated by Buddhists and people there have expressed strong anger against the serial blasts. Kargil on the other hand is dominated by Shia-Muslims, and at this point of time, people from both communities condemned the attack.

The meeting was held at Kargil under the joint leadership of chief executive councilors of LAHDC Kargil and Leh, Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan and Rigzin Spalbar, respectively.

The meeting approved the agenda, which included the bifurcation of the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Deputy Commissioner, taking the consent of concerned LAHDC for transfer of deputy commissioner and superintending engineers, power of transfer in all cadres within the district except the HOD of concerned department and other issues.

Jammu, July 9
Angel Club-A overcame the challenge of Angel Club-B by 1 wicket in the Tri-Series match, being played at Government College for Women (GCW), Parade.

Batting first after winning the toss, Angel Club-B was skittled out for 43 runs in 11.4 overs. Nadia played a fine knock of 33 runs studded with five hits to the fence. Shallu and Aina shared three wickets apiece for Angel Club-A while Sapna and Heena took two and one wicket, respectively.

In reply, Angel Club-A reached the target for the loss of nine wickets. Sunita was the top scorer with 13 runs while Priya and Bhavika chipped in with unbeaten 10 and 8 runs, respectively. For Angel Club-B Nadia was the chief destroyer with three wickets while Isha and Meenu bagged two wickets.

Joint Director, Youth Services and Sports, Madan Lal was the chief guest at the valedictory function and distributed prizes among the winners and runners-up teams.

Shamboo Nath Sharma, vice-chairman, JKCA, Jammu wing, was the guest of honour.

The match was organised by Angel Cricket Club under the supervision of Anju Gupta, Sadiq Hussain Malik, Sanjay Pardhan and Anuradha Sharma.

Meanwhile, 19 cricketers were awarded for their achievements by the chief guest. They included Neeru Manhas, Sapna Jamwal, Jyotsna Jamwal, Shallu Kaila, Pooja Sharma, Aina Sohal, Simmi, Meenu, Samdeep, Jaspreet Kaur, Isha, Sunita, Asha, Abha, Nadia, Bhavika, Priya, Nurjahan and Neha.

Jammu, July 9
The National Conference (NC) today lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for pushing its sinister and communal agenda to vitiate the atmosphere ahead of elections scheduled for next year.

Addressing a youth rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, the provincial president Devender Singh Rana urged people to foil all such divisive machinations by maintaining unity and tranquility.

“Whenever Bharatiya Janata Party finds itself in a political whirlpool, it resorts to inciting passions by raking up frivolous issues,” he said while referring to the campaign on scrapping the Article 370 of the Constitution, granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Rana said, “Normally, the hilarious demand being raised by the saffron brigade deserves no serious attention.”

The National Conference provincial president described the special provision of the Constitution as a guarantee to the legitimate rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and warned that any attempt to weaken the unique status of the state will be opposed tooth and nail by the National Conference.

He also cautioned the Bharatiya Janata Party and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), not to undermine the political understanding of the people, saying they can see through their designs of fragmenting the state to achieve their nefarious agenda.

Jammu, July 9
Though a ban was imposed on the pre-paid Short Message Service (SMS) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2010, the social networking sites have become an alternative for people to remain in touch.

The ban on pre-paid SMS was ordered by State Home Department after large-scale violence in Kashmir, to prevent rumours, which were adding fuel to fire. Since then, the government has not taken any decision to revoke the ban. The service is, however, operational on post-paid mobile connections.

Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Nimbus and a host of other social networking sites have totally replaced the old SMS service. Further, they are more user-friendly, giving people an opportunity to keep in touch 24X7.

From 2010, various improvements have been made in the field of telecommunications. A new range of messaging options have poured in, giving respite to the people who were not able to use pre-paid SMS services due to the ban.

Even if people living in urban areas of the city have found ways to connect with their friends and relatives despite the ban, the rural population, who not even know about the other options, are facing problems and waiting eagerly for the ban to lift.

Shreya Sharma, a pre-paid subscriber, said “If you have to cut a tree, you have to cut it from the root and not the stems. Banning SMS is not a solution to the problem. The major cause of this conflict should be cured. Why is it that every time the common masses suffer because of anti-social elements? Youth are the ones who get the most affected by such orders.”

“People have found ways to replace the SMS ban by using other chatting options, so the ban on SMS is just of no use anyway,” she further added.

Recently, Omar Abdullah had hinted that during the internal security conference chaired by Prime Minister on June 5, he would raise the issue and ask for a resolution but nothing has been done yet.

Talking to The Tribune, SK Sabarwal, Public Relations Officer (PRO), BSNL, said “The ban has been imposed on SMS pre-paid service in J&K due to some security issues but lifting the ban has not been considered yet. It can be possible in the near future but nothing can be said about it right now.”

Jammu, July 9
Christ Church, Akhnoor, got the better of St Mary’s Church, Gandhi Nagar, to seal a berth in the semi-final in the ongoing Inter-Church Cricket Tournament. Batting first, Christ Church accumulated 151 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 12 overs.

Madan was the main scorer with 37 runs, studded with five sixes. Prince and Dannis were the other main contributors with 36 and 22 runs, respectively. For St Mary’s Church, Rohit and Tilak shared two wickets each while Karan and Anil took one wicket apiece.

Chasing the target, St Mary’s Church lost all its wickets for a meagre 65 runs. Tilak played a fighting knock of 37 runs but in vain. For Christ Church, Sunny fetched a five-wicket haul while Madan and Prince chipped in with four and one wicket, respectively. The man of the match title was awarded to Madan of Christ Church, Akhnoor.

In another match, Evengical Church overwhelmed St Jones Church, Bakhi Nagar, by five wickets. Batting first, St Jones Church posted 141 runs for the loss of four wickets in the stipulated 12 overs. Abhi and Rishu were the main scorers with 39 and 35, respectively. For Evengical Church, Rippon and Tony took two wickets each.

In reply, Evengical Church chased the target in 10.3 overs, losing five wickets in the process. Ranchan and Sonu were the main scorers with 42 and 24 runs, respectively. Ranchan was adjudged the man of the match. The match was officiated by Sunny, Nitu and Amit as umpires while Rakul was the scorer. —TNS