Jammu, October 25
The state government has decreased the city expense budget of Jammu this year, following which the Roads and Building (R&B) Department has managed to repair the city roads with patch work only.

Residents of the winter capital, who eagerly wait for the Durbar Move, so that the city gets a better shape, are disappointed with the R&B Department this time. The main roads are also being repaired with the patch work.

It is pertinent to mention here that the department repairs all roads of the winter capital every year before the Durbar Move, but due to shortage of funds, the department has managed to repair the roads with patch work this time.

Subash Chander Gupta, a shopkeeper at Trikuta Nagar said, “This is for the first time that the department is doing the patch work in Jammu ahead of the Durbar Move. After monsoons, roads in the city are in a dilapidated condition and it requires a complete black top.” “If the monsoons have de-shaped the roads which were completely blacktopped last year, what will happen to these patchworks till the next monsoons,” he added.

Sushil Mehta, a commuter said, “The patch work is as good as the potholes, it makes the drive more bumpy.” “At least once in a year, the road should be blacktopped completely,” he added.

Superintending Engineer, PWD (R&B) said, “The city expense has been cut by more than 60 per cent this year. We are instructed to do patch work only. We usually get 35 crore for the city expense, but this year, less than 15 crore have been sanctioned for the city expense.”

“We always do a complete blacktop, but the NBCC and ERA works de-shape all roads every year. Now we have decided to do only patch work till the sewage work gets completed,” he added.

As per official sources, it requires about 45 crore to blacktop all the roads of the city, but the department is doing the patchwork with approximately 13 crore. The department is also painting the footpaths and zebra crossings on the roads.

The Civil Secretariat has been closed in the summer capital today and it will reopen in Jammu on October 4.

This is for the first time that the department is doing the patch work in Jammu ahead of the Durbar Move. After monsoons, roads in the city are in a dilapidated condition and it requires a complete black top —Subash Chander Gupta,  a shopkeeper

Jammu, October 25
The closure of the vital bridge over the Tawi connecting the ever-busy Bikram Chowk with a flyover for the vehicular movement has become a major source of traffic chaos as long and frequent traffic snarls have been subjecting commuters to great hardships here.

According to officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), the bridge has been closed following wider cracks on the surface due to heavy rains and it would take at least four days to complete the repair work.

“It may take four to five days to complete the repair work as major cracks have developed in the wearing coat under the bitumen layer of bridge due to heavy rains during the monsoons,” officials said.

They said heavy cutters were being used to remove the damaged wearing coat and the repair work would be completed in the next four days.

However, the closure of the bridge has put extra pressure of traffic on other bridge connecting Bikram Chowk and the road in front of Maulana Azad stadium, resulting into frequent traffic jams.

“The area has been witnessing long and frequent traffic jams due to closure of this vital bridge. During peak hours in the morning and evening, situation turns from bad to worse as the traffic virtually crawls on the only bridge which connects Birkam Chowk with the road in front of MA stadium,” Ravi Sharma, a motorcyclist said.

Sharma said people had to face same hardships last year when the bridge was repaired ahead of the Durbar Move to Jammu. “The authorities’ concerned start the repair works only when the Durbar Move offices shift to Jammu from Srinagar. This repair work should have been completed in summers when the Durbar Move offices shifted to Srinagar in view of low movement of traffic,” he said.

The PWD officials said the portion linking Bikram Chowk and the road in front of MA Stadium will be repaired after the completion of the existing repair work.

It also indicates that the people will have to suffer for some more days in view of the repair work on the stretch linking Bikram Chowk and the road in front of MA Stadium. 

Jammu, October 25
The district administration has marked about 13 places for the sale of firecrackers ahead of the festival of lights, Diwali, and has strictly banned illegal makeshift selling points in the city.

Keeping in view the safety concerns, including the heightened threat from terrorists, the Police Department will make special deployment of its personnel around these sites. The Municipal Corporation will allot space for the traders in these identified places before October 30.

According to officials, the sites which have been notified for the sale of fire crackers are Parade Ground, Bantalab, in front of the CRPF headquarters, Opposite BSF School, Akhnoor Road, School Ground, Sainik Colony, Main Road Janipur, Main Market Trikuta Nagar, Muthi in front of the Director School Education (DSE) Department, Channi Himmat, Main Road Digiana, Main National Highway, Narwal, Gangyal, Kunjwani junction Narwal and Bag-e Bahu.

To get permission, traders can approach the Jammu Municipal Corporation from October 25 to October 30 and after due process, people can put the material. The firecracker market is worth crore of rupees and its demand is mainly during the festival of lights, Diwali.

District Development Commissioner (DDC) Ajeet Sahu has already reviewed arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival with directions to keep a strict vigil on the sale and storage of fire crackers, besides ensuring that shopkeepers are adhering to the guidelines laid down in this regard.

Instructions have also been passed to the traffic authorities to prepare a comprehensive plan for a smooth flow of vehicles. The police authorities were asked to make foolproof security arrangements, besides verifying the applications submitted to them, both by wholesalers and retailers.

Meanwhile, continuing its drive against adulteration, especially in milk ahead of the festival, a joint team of Food Safety officers under the supervision of the Municipal Commissioner, Kiran Wattal, inspected milk shops at Canal road, Talab Tillo, Channi Himat, Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar and Sanjay Nagar.

Jammu, October 25
The lackadaisical approach of the state government has led to the destruction of a road leading to the Jogi Gate cremation ground near Maharaja Hari Singh Park in Jammu.

The road stretch is in a dilapidated condition with scores of potholes. Water logging has become a routine affair as one lane of the road has almost got damaged. This lane is not trafficable and commercial vehicles have illegally occupied the space for parking.

The other lane is shrinking with every passing day as car washing service stations have occupied the land. Vehicles remain on roads throughout the day and no government official stops them from this practice.

Sources in the Jammu Municipal Corporation said these service stations belong to few people who have political patronage and are associated with the ruling National Conference as well as the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

“The government authorities hesitate in taking action against them and thus, they are making money at the cost of the road,” sources added.

The road stretch was re-laid in March 2012 when Maharaja Hari Singh Park was to be inaugurated by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Since then, no work has been done and monsoon rains for two consecutive years have turned things from bad to worse.

“We used to drive on this road with ease after it was re-laid last year. This is an important destination for the people of Jammu to enjoy in cool breeze of the Tawi during evening in summers, but the condition of road is really bad. We hardly come to this side now,” said Atul Sharma, a college student.

The JMC is putting the onus of the bad condition of road on the Public Works Department (PWD). “It is the PWD who looks after the road and the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) looks after the park,” said Kiran Wattal, commissioner, JMC.

But he failed to answer as why the JMC was not taking any action against the service station owners. “The whole area is on the government land and even service stations are illegal,” Wattal informed. The PWD executive engineer was not available for comments.

The road stretch was re-laid in March 2012 when Maharaja Hari Singh Park was to be inaugurated by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. Since then, no work has been done and monsoon rains for two consecutive years have turned things from bad to worse.

“We used to drive on this road with ease after it was re-laid last year. This is an important destination for the people of Jammu to enjoy in cool breeze of the Tawi during evening in summers, but the condition of road is really bad. We hardly come to this side now,” said Atul Sharma, a college student.

The JMC is putting the onus of the bad condition of road on the Public Works Department (PWD). “It is the PWD who looks after the road and the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) looks after the park,” said Kiran Wattal, commissioner, JMC. But he failed to answer as why the JMC was not taking any action against the service station owners. “The whole area is on the government land and even service stations are illegal,” Wattal informed. The PWD executive engineer was not available for comments.

Jammu, October 25
Minister for Housing Raman Bhalla said the state government had taken up various restoration works to revive the pristine glory of the Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex, adding that the conservation of this magnificent and historic palace would further add to the tourism industry in Jammu region.

This was stated by the Minister while addressing a large gathering at the three-day Duggar festival organised by the Duggar Vikas Manch, at Diwan-e-Aam, Mubarak Mandi, here today. Director Tourism, Soujanya Sharma, besides residents in large numbers, were present on the occasion.

The minister also visited the complex and took stock of the condition of the building and the conservation works. The minister said J&K has a rich cultural heritage and the conservation and restoration of historical monuments in the state was receiving focused attention of the government. Bhalla said the conservation works on the Hari Parbat Fort at Srinagar, Chingus Fort at Rajouri, besides other historical buildings, temples, monasteries, shrines had been completed. The work on the damaged Bahu Fort wall was being executed on war-footing by the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), he added. He said due attention was also being paid to preserve ancient manuscripts, paintings and artifacts.

The minister said the promotion of heritage tourism in the state was a prime concern of the state government and measures were afoot to restore the pristine glory of left-out historical sites.

He said the state government had identified 29 historical sites in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions for their preservation and conservation. 

Poonch, October 25
Students of the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Islamabad, are forced to sit in the open as they do not have enough rooms. The school authorities have to declare a holiday or club classes in the rainy season, which badly affects the teaching-learning process.

This all has happened after the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department failed to complete the construction work of the building well in time. The school, with over 550 students, is the only higher secondary school from Poonch to Chandak.

Sources said the Education Department had approved the upgrade of High School, Jhullas, but the local leaders, with the connivance of Haveli MLA, had managed to upgrade High School, Islamabad, in 2007. The required funds for the construction of a building were also sanctioned but the contractor left the building abandoned and in accordance with the officials of R&B department, managed to withdraw the funds.

“We are lacking a school building here. We were happy when the construction work on the new building was started but the work was stopped midway,” said Mohd Shoukat, a local resident.

Water logging on the roof of the school building due to the incessant rains had also weakened the ceiling of the ground floor, he added.

“We have over 500 students and only six classrooms to accommodate 12 classes (from class I to XII). We need at least eight more rooms. On the request of parents and students, the R&B Department had assured us of completing the under-construction building last year. But nothing has been done so far,” said Manjeet Singh Bali, principal of the school.

Students said due to the acute shortage of rooms in the school, they had to attend classes in jam-packed rooms and even in the open at times.

Several government schools of the district are ailing due to the shortage of classrooms. Consequently, students of some schools are being forced to attend classes either in the open or in laboratories and libraries.

A teacher of the school, on the condition of anonymity, said "As our school has become the centre for compartment examinations, so we are conducting eight classes in the open or in corridors. The winter season has started, but we are left with no other option."

The students alleged that the school had no drinking water facility.

Mohammed Abdhullah, Executive Engineer, R&B, said, “Rs 7.70 lakh have been sanctioned for the building but due to the non-availability of funds we are unable to complete the building.”

Jammu, October 25
The Civil Rights Forum will organise a programme to mark the accession day. On October 26, 1947, the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, had signed an accession document with the Indian Union, after an attack by the Pakistan army and tribal hordes to annex the state.

The forum has reiterated that the accession with India was final, irrevocable and thus, a unchallengeable question, as it has been endorsed by the J&K Constituent Assembly. The civil society has decided to celebrate the day at Kachi Chawni, Arora Bans Sabha.

The former vice-president of the Bar Association, Ramesh Arora, has been appointed as the convener for the programme. The forum has also passed unanimous resolution and condemned repeated statements made by some politicians and separatist elements questioning the accession of the state with the Indian Union.

Members of the forum include Chander Mohan Sharma, Rajesh Thapa, Bar Association former secretary Harashwardan, Vijay Grover, president, Sale Tax Bar, KK Proach (retd) Session Judge, and Shiv Sena president Hindustan Rajesh Kesari.

Reasi, October 25
A five-day coaching-cum-guidance programme on National Defence Academy (NDA) examinations conducted by the UPSC was organised by the District Employment and Counselling Centre, for the students of Government Higher Secondary School, Reasi (boys).

In the programme, the students were provided information about the NDA examination and different subjects to be prepared for.

Major Sidharth Sharma from the Army presented a detailed power point presentation to aware the students about the different career options in the Indian Army. Surjeet Kumar, counsellor-cum-management executive, DECC Reasi and Jagdeep Raj Sharma, mathematics lecturer, briefed the students on the paper of general ability and mathematics, respectively.

A mock test was also organised during the programme on NDA pattern and the top three students, namely Ajay Singh, Karun Kumar Sharma and Surjeet Singh, were felicitated by Sulakshna Thakur, Assistant Director Employment, Reasi and M M Khajuria, Principal, Govt Higher secondary School (boys), Reasi.

Jammu, October 25
Condemning the arrests of a religious head and his brother in the Gool firing incident, on the investigations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today alleged that the SIT was harassing locals, especially the victims of the firing incident.

Addressing a press conference, party zonal president, Gool-Arnas, Imtayz Shan said they had demanded a judicial probe into the Gool incident but the authorities had assured the victims that the SIT would probe the incident.

Terming the probe an eyewash, Shan said “The SIT has arrested a religious head and his brother but they are themselves victims of the incident and have no involvement in any type of violence”.

He further said the Divisional Commissioner, the inquiry officer of the case, had recorded the statements of 39 eyewitnesses. He demanded a fresh judicial probe into the incident, in which four persons were killed and 41 were injured when security forces opened fire on the protesters who had allegedly attacked their camp. 

Jammu, October 25
All-India Backward Classes Union held a meeting, under the presidentship of Abdul Majid Malik, today and expressed concern over the denial of their rights by the government.

Malik said even the recent meeting of Coordination Committee of the National Conference and Congress did not take any steps to provide reservation to the OBC communities in government jobs. He said the government had again skipped the issue of 27 per cent reservation to the OBC community in government jobs.

People belonging to weaker section had been denied their rights by the successive governments in the state, despite giving assurances in their political manifestoes, he added. 

Kathua, October 25
Minister of State for Fisheries Dr Manohar Lal Sharma inaugurated a medical camp today, organised by NGO Paryas, at Baddu, Billawar.

A team of doctors, comprising eye specialists and ENT doctors, gynaecologists and physicians provided their services to the ailing people. Besides, doctors from ISM also provided their services in the camp. Thousands of people from Bhaddu and adjoining villages were examined and given free medicines.

Earlier, Sharma laid the foundation stones for the development of a park and upgrade of a pond and a public convenience near ITI at Bhaddu.

Work on these projects will be completed by the Department of Tourism, under the aegis of Lakhanpur–Sarthal Development Authority, with an estimated cost of Rs 38 lakh.

Jammu, October 25
As per an order issued here today by the Director School Education, Tushar Kanti Sharma, all educational institutions, including recognised private schools up to the higher secondary school level of Jammu division, shall observe ‘Puja’ holidays with effect from October 1 to October 5.

Any default on the part of the private schools in observance of the holidays shall attract action under rules.

Jammu, October 25
A strong protest demonstration was held outside the Jammu press club against the firing by Pakistan on international border, targeting Border Security Forces (BSF) personnel and civilian areas.

The protest was organised by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state general secretary Sudarshan Choudhary, along with other party leaders and activists.

The protesters burnt the effigy of Pakistan and raised slogans against it.

Due to heavy firing by Pakistani Rangers in 
various sectors on the international border in Jammu frontier, a BSF personnel was killed and several others received splinter injuries. The firing had also targeted civilian areas which had panicked the people living near the border.

Some people had even started migrating to safer places so that they were not targeted by the Pakistani Rangers.

Condemning the firing, Choudhary demanded compensation to the people whose houses had been damaged in the firing or had suffered losses.

He demanded introduction of border scouts in which ex-servicemen, retired paramilitary officers and youth of border areas were recruited, who were familiar with the topography of the area. “This will help in safeguarding the lives of people and could serve as a second line of defence,” Choudhary added.