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Misuse of domestic LPG cylinders rampant in city
women’s day
Pay Commission urged to finalise recommendations
Prasar Bharati officials visit SKUAST campus
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NC-Cong never sincere to pass temples’ Bill: RIK
UGC refresher course concludes at JU
‘Geetiyan’, first action Dogri movie, continues to draw crowds
Musical night marks Power Grid silver jubilee celebrations
Give us a chance, BJP tells Kashmir
PDP to establish equality in J&K: Mufti
BSP woos OBCs, STs to retrieve lost ground in J&K
Cong kickstarts poll campaign in Bishnah
NC starts campaign for Anantnag Lok Sabha seat
on the frontline
Government questions CAG over land scam under Roshni Act
1,500 people added to voter list in Reasi
Govt has failed to save Dogra heritage: Cong
Minister wants youth to play proactive role in state politics
Kathua victim of neglect, cross-border mischief: BJP
Centuries-old Krimachi Pandava temples are managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. A Tribune photograph
Rana cautions party cadres against ‘divisive politics’ of PDP, BJP
Transfer orders issued on or before
Gujjar-Bakerwal women facing deprivation: Survey
Residents air grievances at police-public meet
Challenged students provided hearing aid
Srinagar witnesses chaos on Day 1 of traffic diversion
MC crackdown on unhygienic bakery shops in Srinagar
Met issues weather advisory, forecasts moderate to heavy snow
PDP: Youth have suffered exploitation for 60 years
UN-backed study on Dal conservation takes off
Kashmir chapter of Urdu trust launched to promote language
DRS Kids celebrates 7th annual day
Annual sports meet begins at Dogra College
100 bottles of Corex syrup seized in Rajouri
1 held for theft in hotel
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Misuse of domestic LPG cylinders rampant in city
Jammu, March 9 Many commercial units, including contractors constructing the Bikram Chowk-Gandhi Nagar flyover, have been utilising domestic gas cylinders for other purposes such as fuelling cutting machines near the construction site. This has affected the supply of cooking gas cylinders to the people. The Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) has outsourced the construction of the flyover to a Mumbai-based company, which has been violating norms by using domestic gas cylinders for fuelling machines. However, none of the officials from the ERA was available for the comment. “If a government agency can violate the rules, one can understand where LPG refills have been going. Consumers of domestic LPG cylinders were forced to wait for a long time to get the refills. The Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department should take notice of this and other violations,” said Renu Vaid, a housewife living at Rehsam Ghar Colony. Many restaurants, hotels and dhabas in the city are using domestic LPG cylinders in violation of rules set by the CAPD Department. Unauthorised LPG kits of cheap quality are fitted in school vans, thereby putting lives of small children in danger. Recently, the administration has constituted five flying squads to expose the menace of selling LPG cylinders on the black market, but it failed to address the problems of the people. The city was divided into five zones, with each zone under a special squad comprising officials of the Legal Metrology and the CAPD Department, the police and oil companies. “The administration has turned a blind eye to the problems of the common man. They are not doing their duty properly,” said Govind Sharma, a retired government employee. |
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women’s day
Jammu, March 9 Mamta Patange, president AFWWA, Jammu, and Shakuntala Joshi were the chief guests on the occasion. “Sanginis” presented cultural programmes, including a fashion show in traditional dresses. Later, the chief guest distributed prizes among the winners of various competitions. She encouraged the “sanginis” to participate in such events regularly to improve their overall development.
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Pay Commission urged to finalise recommendations
Jammu, March 9 Addressing a rally of NMC activists here, Shastri said a calendar of meetings with representatives of employees and pensioners’ organisations, state governments and other concerned should be drawn up so that the 7th Pay Commission recommendations were simultaneously implemented in favour of Centre and state government employees and pensioners. He suggested that the 7th Pay Commission should recommend the Centre to arrange resources for the states which are facing financial constraints to implement its recommendations in one go. He said the commission should recommend a merger of 50 per cent DA and payment of 20 per cent interim relief in favour of the salaried class to the Centre till it submits its final report. He also demanded the release of 10 per cent DA due from January last in favour of government employees and pensioners of the state. Shastri urged for the speedy regularisation of daily wagers and demanded that the wages of the daily workers be raised to Rs 10,000 per month. He also demanded issuance of the regularisation order of 180 daily-rated workers of the Rural Development Department. Among other who also spoke on the occasion were Rajan Babu Khajuria, Sunil Kochar, Bhupinder Singh Subash Sharma, Surinder Kumar, and Sukhdev Singh. What NMC demands *
Release of 10 per cent DA due from January last in favour of government employees and pensioners of the state *
Speedy regularisation of daily wagers * Issuance of the regularisation order of 180
daily-rated workers of the Rural Development Department |
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Prasar Bharati officials visit SKUAST campus
Jammu, March 9 Prof Dileep Kachroo, chief scientist and head, Farming System Research Centre, explained them the role of the integrated farming system (IFS) research model in enhancing profitability for small and marginal farmers of the Jammu region. The model contains various farm enterprises and can solve the global warming issues through boundary plantation and re-cycling of bio-degradable farm waste. It helps in reducing emission of green house gases. The visitors were apprised of other benefits of the model, which can generate employment for five persons in a year. Prof Kachroo appreciated the role of senior scientist (soil) NP Thakur, junior scientist Vijay Khajuria, junior scientist Rohit Sharma and other field staff for making the model viable and successful. Sukhjinder Kaur of the Prasar Bharati appreciated the efforts of scientific team to build the model which could be easily adopted by farmers for earning their livelihood in a profitable mode and resolving sustainable issues. About IFS research model The integrated farming system (IFS) research model contains various farm enterprises and can solve the global warming issues through boundary plantation and re-cycling of bio-degradable farm waste |
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NC-Cong never sincere to pass temples’ Bill: RIK
Jammu, March 9 Addressing an executive body meeting of the Roots in Kashmir, its chairman MK Koul alleged that the Omar Abdullah-led
government had failed to fulfil its commitment made to the displaced Hindus, whose shrines have been encroached
and vandalised in the absence of any management body. To safeguard personnel interests of a few individuals, the government let down the Kashmiri Pandit community, he said. “BJP leaders and MLAs Ashok Khajuria and Jugal Kishore should answer why they opposed the Bill and what was the reason behind such a move,” Koul said. Roots in Kashmir convenor Vir Saraf said it seemed that BJP members were safeguarding the interests of the National Conference and the Congress. |
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UGC refresher course concludes at JU
Jammu, March 9 Twenty-three assistant librarians and librarians of various colleges and universities of the state attended the course. As many as 30 resource persons delivered the lectures. Prof IA Hamal, Vice Chancellor, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSB), Rajouri, was the chief guest at the valedictory function. He discussed the importance of books, online knowledge resources in the modern Information, communication and technology (ICT) era. He stressed the importance of reading habits and cited hardships of literature search during earlier days. He urged library professionals to play a pro-active role in promoting reading habits, utilising freely available online information or knowledge resources available on the internet by organising awareness and orientation programmes for students, faculty in particular and society at large. Prof Rajender Gupta, Director, Academic Staff College, highlighted
the significance of refresher courses for teachers and library professionals. He apprised the participants that continuous learning and upgrading skills was an essential component of present knowledge society.
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‘Geetiyan’, first action Dogri movie, continues to draw crowds
Jammu, March 9 The composed depiction of Dogra culture prevailing in late 1980s is the main attraction of the film. “Being the first action movie in the regional language, it has succeeded in bringing the youth to the theatres,” said Rahul Sharma, Director of the movie. He said he spent four to five years on the project and highlighting the local touch was the idea
behind the theme.
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Musical night marks Power Grid silver jubilee celebrations
Jammu, March 9 National Award winner and playback singer Sadhna Sargam, Chetan Rana and their troupe enthraled the audience. Comedian Rajeev Malhotra anchored the programme which was attended by Power Grid employees posted at Jammu, Jyotipuram and
Narwal and their family members. IR Kidwai, executive director (HR), Power Grid, was the chief guest. Senior officials, various luminaries and prominent citizens from the state attended the event. Earlier, all superannuated employees of Power Grid from Jammu, Narwal and Jyotipuram were felicitated for their efforts in the growth of the organisation by the chief guest and other dignitaries. The Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd was setup as a Central Transmission utility in 1989.
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Give us a chance, BJP tells Kashmir
Srinagar, March 9 Even as the party has been holding conventions and meetings at city-based hotels in the past, BJP leaders and supporters today gathered in the open at the Sher-e-Kashmir Park, close to city centre Lal Chowk. Though only around 300 people turned up at the function amid a light drizzle and chilly weather conditions, the BJP by holding a gathering in the heart of the summer capital is aiming to gain a foothold in Kashmir, where the party has so far failed to win a seat. Addressing the gathering, MP and in charge the J&K affairs for BJP Avinash Rai Khanna appealed to the people to give them “a chance” by voting for its candidates. Hitting out at other mainstream parties, especially the ruling National Conference, he said the successive governments in the state had given “nothing” to the people. Earlier, while talking to reporters, Khanna said he was confident that people in the Valley would help the BJP achieve the target of 272 seats to give the party a simple majority in the coming elections. On the prospects of the party in the parliamentary elections in the state, he said the BJP would come up with “unimaginable results”. The party has already announced the names of its candidates for two parliamentary seats of Kashmir while the name for the remaining Srinagar constituency will be announced by the party high command on March 13. Reiterating the party stand that Kashmir was an integral part of India, he said the people of the state were in need of leadership, which alongside development maintained peace and integrity of the country. Calling J&K an internationally important state, he said the people remembered the BJP as former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s party. He was referring to Vajpayee’s famous statement during his visit here in 2000 when he had made a promise that the Centre would resolve the Kashmir issue within the ambit of humanity (insaniyat ke dayire main). When asked how the party was expecting good results in elections when no big BJP leader had come to the Valley so far, Khanna said: “The campaign has just started and big leaders, including Narendra Modi, may also come if things mature.” He claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would have ‘no effect’ on elections in J&K. On reports of differences in the party over Modi’s candidature from Varanasi, he said no final decision had been taken in this regard. |
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PDP to establish equality in J&K: Mufti
Jammu, March 9 Mufti said the PDP had fielded best candidates for the Lok Sabha elections so that people's issues would be effectively and firmly raised in Parliament. Addressing a meeting of prominent citizens, organised by former minister Sardar Rangil Singh here this evening, Mufti told the people to compare the credentials and merits of PDP’s candidates with nominees of other political parties. “We want to give credible and tested representatives to the people so the party has fielded best candidates for the Lok Sabha elections,” the PDP patron said. He said with the support and cooperation of the people, his party was committed to addressing the aspirations and wishes of all sections of society. Mufti said change was the order of the day and the need of the hour was to channelise the energy of the people to bring a positive change in J&K. “The coming Lok Sabha elections would be a trailer of the campaign launched by his party to change the present system of corruption and misgovernance,” he said and added that the people of the state were looking towards the PDP to rid them of the present corrupt, inept and anti-people dispensation. “Unlike other parts of the country, bad governance has dangerous ramifications in J&K because the failure to provide good governance to the people usually fuels alienation among the common masses in general and the youth in particular,” he said and added that increasing alienation among the youth was a result of bad governance in the state.
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BSP woos OBCs, STs to retrieve lost ground in J&K
Jammu, March 9 Since 1996, the BSP vote bank has been shrinking in J&K. The party, which was a force to reckon with in the early 1990s, is now virtually non-existent in the state.4 To register its presence in the Lok Sabha elections, the BSP is now desperately trying to mobilise support of the STs and OBCs to expand its base. In 2009, Lok Sabha BSP candidates, Choudhary Hussain Ali from Jammu-Poonch and Rakesh Wazir from Udhampur-Doda segments, got 49,988 and 21,446 votes respectively, and lost their deposits. During the last decade, the BSP’s base has eroded in the Jammu region. In the 2008 Assembly elections, the BSP had failed to even open its account. In the 2002 Assembly elections, the party won one seat while in the 1996 Assembly elections four party candidates had emerged victorious. “We are the only party which has been vociferously taking up the issues of STs and OBCs in J&K,” claimed BSP state president Tulsi Dass Langeh. He said the BSP was in the forefront demanding political reservation for STs and implementation of the Mandal Commission in J&K to grant 27 per cent reservation to the OBCs in the state like in the other parts of the country. The BSP’s attempt to woo OBCs and STs was very much visible at today’s rally at Phalan-Mandal on the outskirts of Jammu. The party formally launched the election campaign, highlighting the problems of the two communities. The BSP today announced Ashok Bhagat as party candidate for the Jammu-Poonch parliamentary seat. National general secretary of the party Narinder Kashyap came from UP to announce the party candidate.
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Cong kickstarts poll campaign in Bishnah
Jammu, March 9 Seeking votes for the Congress candidate, Puri said only the Congress could protect the interests of all sections of society. Puri said, “The Congress-led UPA government has provided liberal funds to the state and these funds were spent to accelerate the developmental activities in the state with thrust on rural areas. Various long pending demands of the people regarding water, power supply, road connectivity, upgrade of educational institutions and health care were met.”€¯ He expressed concern over the dilapidated
conditions of roads in these villages.
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NC starts campaign for Anantnag Lok Sabha seat
Pulwama, March 9 Senior National Conference leader and Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar exuded confidence that like in the past the party would represent people of the south Kashmir constituency at the Centre and urged the electorate to support Mehboob Beigh, the NC nominee and sitting MP from Anantnag. Beigh is facing a tough battle for the Anantnag seat, with the PDP nominating Mehbooba Mufti for the constituency. Sagar, meanwhile, said Mehboob Beigh was the “ideal choice” for the candidature and people believe in his leadership qualities. Taking a dig at the PDP, Sagar said for once even the BJP and the Congress came together over the creation of Telangana, but the PDP remained “hell-bent” upon disrupting the Assembly. “The PDP did not allow the Assembly to function,” Sagar said. Beigh, meanwhile, assured people that he would continue work for their betterment and will try to fulfil all their just expectations. The senior leader said he was the one who raised his voice in the Parliament over the execution of Afzal Guru and the Pathribal fake encounter case. “Mehbooba Mufti talks about peace and heeling touch policy, but she never spoke in the Parliament,” he said. Mehbooba was a member of the 14th Lok Saba from Anantnag. National Conference Member of Legislative Council Showkat Ahmad Ganai said: “Despite Wachi being her constituency, Mehbooba never put forward the demand for establishing new administrative units in the area.” “It was the NC government headed by Omar Abdullah that established four Tehsil headquarters in the area,” Ganai said. |
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on the frontline
Overreaction begets overreaction. This is precisely what happened when Kashmiri students, studying in a Meerut university in Uttar Pradesh were slapped sedition charges for cheering the Pakistani team in a cricket match against India.
Kashmiri leaders reacted in angry tones and the separatists, as usual, sought to spark street protests over the issue. The sedition charges were uncalled for and so was the overreaction. It shouldn’t have been made Kashmir versus the rest of India issue. Since this episode has been portrayed in this frame, the suspicion between the two sides has grown further, instead of narrowing down. The eviction of six students from a Noida (UP) college is a proof of that. And, it should not be forgotten that these students were there because of the Prime Minister’s scholarship scheme. Not that it should have restricted them from cheering the Pakistani team, but there is a need to understand the limits to cheer because the match in question was taken to the unacceptable level of “everything is fair in love and war”. As long as this kind of psyche prevails, such incidents cannot be ruled out in the future. Since the charges have been withdrawn, the need of the hour is to close this rancorous chapter and the leaders should start working towards reconciliation. Seen in the overall context, this demonstrates how much trust deficit exists between the Kashmiris and the rest of the country. The students cannot be faulted for cheering for the Pakistani team on March 2 when the men in green won a closely contested cricket match against India in Arise Asia Cup in Bangladesh. The celebration reflected a mindset which has grown over decades in the Valley that anything against India should be celebrated. It is an extension of the boycott of the national festivals such as Republic Day and Independence Day and observance of “black day” on Accession Day. Leaders who are promoting this kind of mindset should ponder where they are taking this generation. Are they preparing cheerleaders for Pakistan, a country mired in endless troubles, where the army is finding it hard to curb militancy? Or, they are being pushed to join the race to become more anti-India. Who will gain out of this? The simple and clear answer is “none”. Having said this, it should have been clear to the university authorities and the Uttar Pradesh Government that such “harsh punishment” — as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described it — would evoke a reaction in Kashmir. That the Kashmiri students were the ones who had been selected for scholarship under the PM’s package and needed to be handled with kid gloves. That should have been the case, unfortunately it was not. Whatever was sought to be done to involve these youths into the nation’s mainstream has been undone for the time being. The Uttar Pradesh Government should have sought help from the state government in the matter before taking such strident measures. The fact is that there are Kashmiri sensitivities; a single incident can trigger large-scale protests and deepen the sense of alienation of the people. At the same time, the rest of the country, too, has its sensitivities and the students should have been sensitised about this. The respect has to be mutual. It cannot be a one-sided affair. When liberty becomes licence, it is dangerous. Instead of Omar Abdullah speaking to his UP counterpart Akhilesh Yadav, things should have been the other way round. The J&K Government should have been asked how to deal with the students whose conduct the Chief Minister has described as “wrong”. This is the time to reorganise the discourse. The maturity was missing on the part of the university and the Uttar Pradesh Government. The leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, too, should have been cautious. There are elements which would like to exploit the sentiments on the issue. The match is over. Asia Cup has been won by Sri Lanka --- better team won. March 2 was Pakistani team’s day, March 8 was Sri Lanka’s day. This fact should be recognised and it is time to honour the sportsmanship mantra, “play to win but never forget it is a game”. That should also be true of those who cheer the teams. |
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Government questions CAG over land scam under Roshni Act
Jammu, March 9 It also pointed fingers at Principal Accountant General (PAG) Subhash Chander Pandey for addressing a press conference on the issue when the Model Code of Conduct was in effect. "The findings of the CAG on the Roshni Act are based on presumptions and speculations," Minister of State for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Aijaz Ahmad Khan told reporters here. "Holding a press conference and speaking on the findings which are based on presumptions and speculations, that too, when the Model Code of Conduct is in place raises eye brows," the Minister added. The Principal Accountant General during a press conference here yesterday had said there were irregularities to the tune of Rs 25,448 crore under the Act. However, Khan said: "There is no wrong in the Roshni Act. The scheme was made to generate revenue." The Minister added that he doesn't rule out that some people might have got undue benefit from the Roshni Act. But said, around 60,000 people, including poor farmers got benefited from the scheme. "When the Principal Accountant General could go through the cases in urban areas like the Residency Road in Srinagar and Jammu, he should have also visited to rural and far-flung areas where poor farmers have been benefited by the scheme," Khan said. "The Principal Accountant General shouldn't have gone public after submitting the report in the House as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has to first deliberate on the report," he added. On the allegations that the government didn't provide the CAG the vital information regarding the Act, the Minister said whatever detail the Principal Accountant General had asked for, the government provided it but there was no mention of any reply in the CAG report. Pandey had yesterday said the government didn't provide the organisation vital information and the loss could be much more. When asked why he held a press conference on the issue when the Model Code of Conduct was in place, Pandey said: "The Model Code of Conduct is for political parties and the government. It has no binding on the Constitutional authorities."
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1,500 people added to voter list in Reasi
Katra, March 9 In a first of its kind initiative, camera equipped observers were deputed to all the 301 polling stations of the district to document the progress of each Booth-level Officer. Wide publicity through panchayats, print and electronic media, besides radio announcements were made in regional languages to ensure greater participation in these camps. The District Election Officer inspected a number of polling stations in rural areas. As many as 30 sector officers and 45 zonal officers were deployed to the camps for ensuring proper arrangements at each polling booth. The Booth-level Officers have already started door-to-door campaign to verify and add new voters. The programme was launched on February 25 and would continue till March 20. The district administration under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation has already registered more than 12,000 voters to the list in last six months. Meanwhile, at all the polling stations the Booth-level Officers read out the voter lists which were displayed for verification. The drive continued from 10am to 4pm and a large number of representatives from political parties also participated in the
programme. The election cell constituted in the DC office monitored the entire drive. Tehsildar, Block Development Officers, Naib Tehsildar and other officials remained stationed in their respective areas and encouraged voters to check their names in the voter list. In the remote areas of Gulabgarh, Bagodass, Mallikote, Angrala, Chassana, Tuksan, Shikari and Tulli Banna, people braved winter chill to check their names in voter list. Sub-divisional Magistrate Ashwani Khajuria monitored arrangements in the Mahore area. Election cell in the DC office also made random calls to more than 1000 voters to check their names at polling booths and spread a message about the entire exercise in rural areas of the district. |
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Govt has failed to save Dogra heritage: Cong
Jammu, March 9 Charak said this during the 109th Annual Meeting of the General Council of the DSS. He alleged that symbols of the Dogra heritage were not being conserved. “The pace of work on the palace restoration, sanctioned by the Centre, is slow. The state government has failed to post a full-fledged team of officials to restore the building as per the heritage conservation norms,” Charak alleged. The DSS has also expressed resentment against the Tourism Department for not taking proper measures for restoring and maintaining the Bahu Fort complex, Purmandal and Utterbehni heritage places. “Historical buildings of Duggar Pradesh need to be conserved and preserved for the future generations and the pilgrims visiting the state. The authorities should not change the names of historical monuments and places. Being sensitive issues, this can create public disorder,” Charak alleged. The Sabha said the cultural heritage of the region needed to be preserved by starting a full-fledged Duggar Channel as the Central Government had agreed to consider the demand at the earliest. It also demanded revival of the Jammu festival. The members also expressed their concern about land-grabbing around Jammu by some elements which they said was a threat to the secular fabric and needed to be curbed and checked by the authorities. |
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Minister wants youth to play proactive role in state politics
Jammu, March 9 The minister said the youth was the real power of the nation who could fulfil the dream of making India a superpower. Addressing a gathering of the youth wing of the Congress at Bamberwan village here today, the minister said the role of the youth was unparallel in every field and the need of the hour was to nurture them to ensure their larger participation in the political arena of the state. He said “the time has come when we have to prepare the second line of leadership so that a large number of youth can take part in political activities”. “The Congress has been providing equal opportunities to youth to become partner in the political scenario. The fact can be gauged from the UPA Cabinet which comprises a sizeable number of youth leaders.” He told the youth to spread the programmes and policies of the Congress at the grassroots. — TNS
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Kathua victim of neglect, cross-border mischief: BJP
Jammu, March 9 “On one hand Kathua is facing the neglect of the state government and on the other hand it has to stand the cross-border mischief of Pakistan,” Singh said while addressing series of public rallies in Kathua yesterday. “Problems of development and refugees have remained perpetually unattended in this area,” he added. Pledging to liberate the Indian democracy from the clutches of corruption, misgovernance and dynasty rule, Singh said: “Unlike other political parties, the BJP is the only political party which is going to the polls with an appeal for ‘vote for India’. The BJP is a cadre based party which follows the principle of ‘nation first, party second and self last’,” he added. Emphasising the huge number of youth population in the country, Singh said: “With the youth comprising more than 60 per cent of country’s population, only BJP government headed by Narendra Modi will be capable of providing equal opportunities and justice to all.” “If the BJP is given a chance to represent the constituency in the Lok Sabha it will raise the voice for the region at the highest parliamentary forum of the country,” the BJP leader added. BJP Rajya Sabha MP and in charge J&K affairs Avinash Rai Khanna, on the occasion, urged the people to vote for the party in the coming elections saying the BJP was the only party which has development plans for all the people of the country. He appealed people to vote for Dr Jitendra Singh so that J&K has appropriate representation in the Parliament. Several BJP leaders, including state president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Ravinder Raina, were present on the occasion. BJP candidate from Kathua-Doda seat tours Bani Jammu: Continuing with his whirlwind tour of Kathua-Doda parliamentary constituency, BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from the seat Jitendra Singh today reached Bani area and addressed a public rally in the town. Reiterating the demand for a separate hill district comprising Bani-Basohli-Billawar, Jitendra Singh said, “The BJP has already recognised it as a separate district, but the government has not.” He referred to the rich cultural and art heritage of the area and said the Kashmir-centric government had been deliberately ignoring the prospects of developing the tourist potential of this area and promoting its art. “It is a strange contradiction that though this area is only a few kilometres away from the Pathankot-Kathua railway line, the sitting MP of the constituency, even though being from the ruling party, could not get a rail link for this area," he said. Singh appealed to the public to vote for the BJP so that the long pending demands of the area could be fulfilled. Bani MLA Lal Chand recounted the contribution of the BJP to the development of this area and appealed to the electorates to vote for Jitendra Singh to give the BJP a representation in Parliament from this area.
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Ancient Krimachi Pandava temples face neglect
Udhampur, March 9 The temples that withstood the vagaries of time are presently in a dilapidated state and cry for attention. Standing tall amid an eerie silence, a group of seven ancient temples that are a wonderful piece of craftsmanship give unforgettable experience to people visiting the temples. The historically significant temples that are one of the most appropriate sites as far as heritage tourism is concerned have been deprived of the basic infrastructures like road connectivity and other facilities. Despite being preserved as monuments of national importance and being managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the past over 50 years, the temples are awaiting proper development. The group of ancient temples surrounded by the picturesque locations is located at Krimachi, a small hamlet at the Udhampur-Pancheri Road just 10 km from the district headquarters. Dating perhaps to the eighth century AD, the complex comprises five large and two small shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva situated on the banks of two rivulets - Birunala and Krimachi. “It is astonishing and painful to note that the state government and the district administration did not do any thing to provide road connectivity and other basic facilities to these temples,” said Parvesh Parihar, vice-president of the Social Reform and Charitable Organisation (SRCO), an NGO. He said the ASI, which is the managing agency of the complex, was trying to preserve the pristine glory of the ancient monuments but the apathy of the district administration and the government failed to provide 2-km road link to these monuments. Ranjit Singh of the Indian Democratic Human Rights Organisation, an NGO, said due to the apathy of the administration and the state government, the famous and rich heritage sites in Udhampur were still out of sight of visitors as no work had been done to explore the historical hidden treasure. Raghav Sharma, who came here along with his family, said the development of the heritage site could not be achieved and tourists could not be attracted towards it until proper road connectivity and other basic facilities were provided. An official of the ASI, J&K, said their duty was to maintain and preserve the ancient monuments and the temple. Providing road connectivity and other facilities at the site was the responsibility of the state government. He said: “We have taken up the matter with the district administration and the government a number of times, but the reason for the delay is best known to them.” Temples await proper development The historically significant temples that are one of the most appropriate sites as far as heritage tourism is concerned have been deprived of the basic infrastructures like road
connectivity and other facilities. Despite being preserved as monuments of national importance and being managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the past over 50 years, the temples are still awaiting proper development.
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Rana cautions party cadres against ‘divisive politics’ of PDP, BJP
Jammu, March 9 Interacting with senior party functionaries from Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Poonch and Rajouri districts at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan here yesterday, Rana said: “The issue is not just to win the election. But it is essentially defeating a thought that is malignant for the harmonious growth of society and pluralistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir.” “The role of National Conference is to thwart negative advances of communal BJP and opportunistic PDP, which have joined hands to demolish the secular fabric of the state,” Rana said. “The challenge is enormous as several agencies have pooled their resources to weaken secular edifice by generating animosity and creating wedge between different segments of the populace,” he said. Rana, however, hoped that with the cooperation of the people, the party would be able to defeat the negative forces.
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Transfer orders issued on or before
Jammu, March 9 According to the circular issued here by the School Education Department, all the Drawing and Disbursing Officers concerned are directed to implement the order in letter and spirit and any violation in this regard will be viewed seriously and stern action will be taken against the erring officer.
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Gujjar-Bakerwal women facing deprivation: Survey
Jammu, March 9 The TRCF survey says their presence in all major institutions of the state, since 1947, is almost negligible. Javaid Rahi, secretary of the foundation, while releasing the survey a day before International Women’s Day today said illiteracy and poverty among nomadic Gujjars caused a shadow over the future of Gujjar women, who constituted more than 14 per cent of the total population of the state, and reside in backward, hilly and border areas. The survey said although the state government has provided 10 per cent reservation since 1991 to Gujjars under the Scheduled Tribe category, it was surprising that the presence of the women of this tribe in political and government affairs was almost zero. The survey which covers the overall development of Gujjar women revealed that since 1947 no women had either been elected or nominated as a member of the state Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council or Parliament. The survey reveals that during the last 67 years only four women have qualified the Kashmir Administrative Services exam. No women from the Gujjar tribe has qualified the IAS/IFS exam since 1947. No Gujjar women has served at the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police for the last 62 year, the survey revealed. It says in the state judiciary there are more than 85 Munsifs, 56 Sub-Judges, 67 District and Sessions Judges and 14 High Court Judges while there is one woman from the Gujjar community who has been serving as the Sessions Judge. The survey also focused on J&K Bank and said no Gujjar women had served as a probationary officer or above in the bank since its establishment. Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation survey *
The survey which covers the overall development of Gujjar women revealed that since 1947 no women had either been elected or nominated as a member of the state
Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council or Parliament * It reveals that during the last 67 years only four women have qualified the Kashmir Administrative Services exam. No women from the Gujjar tribe has qualified the IAS/IFS exam since 1947 *
No Gujjar women has served at the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police for the past 62 years, the survey revealed
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Residents air grievances at police-public meet
Srinagar, March 9 “The participants
highlighted the problems being faced by the public in the area, especially drug addiction among the youth,” the police spokesman said. The SDPO sought the cooperation of the public in this regard and assured the participants that the police would to keep a check on drug addiction in the area. “The participants also demanded career counselling sessions for students of the area,” the spokesman said. The police assured
them that their demand would be taken up with higher-ups and a career counselling session would be soon organised for the students. “The SDPO of Charar-e-Sharif assured the public that their genuine problems will be looked into on priority without any delay and the rest pertaining to other government departments will be brought to the notice of the departments concerned for immediate action,” the spokesman said. The meeting was also attended by Charar-e-Sharif SHO Manzoor Ahmad and Pakherpora divisional officer Waseem Ahmad.
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Challenged students provided hearing aid
Udhampur, March 9 “50 hearing impaired students from 11 different educational zones of Udhampur district were selected and hearing aid was provided to them under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA),” Chief Education Officer (CEO) Balbir Singh Jamwal said here yesterday. The programme has been launched to help the hearing impaired students of various zones of Udhampur district to overcome the gravity of their disability, he said. “With the help of these hearing devices, the students will be able to learn many more things easily,” the CEO said.
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Srinagar witnesses chaos on Day 1 of traffic diversion
Srinagar, March 9 The Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) has formed a diversion plan for all public and private vehicles. According to the plan, vehicles driving down from the City Centre to Ram Bagh will have to take a left near the Bakshi Stadium and then proceed towards Jawahar Nagar to reach Ram Bagh. However, people said the Wazir Bagh road connecting Jawahar Nagar was almost half the width of the Parraypora Airport Road, which could not hold the huge rush of traffic. They said the bund between Jawahar Nagar and Ram Bagh was narrower than the roads from where traffic used to ply. Also, the road near the Jawahar Nagar bund from Solina and Gogji Bagh is narrow. “It seems that the diversion plan has been formed without any scientific planning. The number of vehicles is huge, but the roads are narrow and cannot accommodate so much of traffic,” said Aqib Ahmad, a resident of Rajbagh, Srinagar. On the first day of the diversion today, a huge traffic mess, chaos and confusion was witnessed till late evening hours at Jawahar Nagar and Gogji Bagh. Vehicles were seen passing from lanes and bylanes to avoid traffic jam that continued for long. “There is no proper management. We are just stuck on the road for last half an hour. Today is my exam and I am already late by 20 minutes,” said a student. Also Jawahar Nagar, which was earlier mostly a residential area, has lately been turned into a commercial hub with coming up of number of new shopping malls and supermarkets that witnesses a huge rush of people and private vehicles even before the diversion. The residents of the area complained of chaos due to excess traffic. They expressed disappointments over the “improper” management by the government. “It has been long since the construction of the flyover started. The government from then should have taken care of all these things so that we did not have to witness chaos now. They could have maintained and widened the alternative routes to save commuters from this trouble,” said a resident of Jawahar Nagar. While admitting the pressure of huge traffic from the alternative routes, traffic officials in the city said they would bring some more modification in the already implemented plan to get out of the mess. “Of course there will be pressure on these roads, mostly Jawahar Nagar, but we have no other option. Though it is the first day, we will try to bring some more modification to manage the traffic properly,” said Haseeb-Ur-Rehman, Superintendent of city traffic police. He said, “We have to work with available resources. The agencies concerned could have taken some steps earlier before the implementation of the plan. We hope that it will improve in the coming days”.
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MC crackdown on unhygienic bakery shops in Srinagar
Srinagar, March 9 “A drive has been started to check all the bakery shops in the Srinagar and they have been warned that their establishments shall be sealed in case they do not maintain satisfactory hygiene on their premises. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation has assured that safe and quality food stuff shall be ensured for the general public and no one shall be allowed to play with the health of the citizens,” said SMC health officer Shafqat Khan. He said they had also intensified their overall drive against adulterated food available in city markets. He said an SMC team had inspected several food establishments yesterday around Rajbagh, Jawaharnagar and Gogji Bagh localities, besides the canteen of Lal Ded Hospital, Srinagar. Khan said the canteen of the hospital was found in ‘gross unhygienic conditions’ and a challan was framed against the owner of the canteen along with the Medical Superintendent and Deputy Medical Superintendent of the hospital as both were held responsible by the Municipal Magistrate for ‘such unsanitary conditions’ in the hospital canteen.
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Met issues weather advisory, forecasts moderate to heavy snow
Srinagar, March 9 The fresh western disturbance over the state and its adjoining areas was likely to affect the weather today and on the next three days, the department said in its advisory. It said the “main activity” would take place on Monday and Tuesday. “Under the influence of this weather system, moderate to rather heavy rain and snow will occur at many places in Kashmir and Jammu divisions,” the advisory read. “Snowfall is also likely to occur at a few places in Ladakh region, particularly in Zojila, Drass and Kargil hilly areas,” the Meteorological Department said. Ladakh remains cut-off from the rest of the state for nearly six months due to heavy snowfall blocking the highway at Zojila mountainous Pass to the remote region. Kashmir region has already received several spells of moderate and heavy snowfall during this year’s winter. In its Sunday morning forecast bulletin, the Weather Department said rain and snow would occur at many places over the state during the next 24 hours while there would be an increase in precipitation during the subsequent two days on Monday and Tuesday. “Heavy rain and snow will occur at isolated places during the next 72 hours,” the forecast bulletin said, adding the deadline ending on Wednesday morning. In Srinagar, the department’s forecast for Monday said moderate to heavy rain would lash the city while the maximum temperature would drop to around 9.0°C. Light rainfall was recorded in the city on Sunday afternoon, which continued intermittently through the evening.
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PDP: Youth have suffered exploitation for 60 years
Srinagar, March 9 Speaking on the occasion, Peoples Democratic Party youth wing in charge Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra said: “The youth here have suffered a systematic exploitation over the last 60 years at the hands of those who have represented it the most. That is why the city is facing huge development crisis, growth stagnation and economic backwardness. The present election is now or never opportunity for the youth to get rid of this”. Blaming the ruling National Conference (NC) party for taking city dwellers for granted for its political benefits, Parra said if developed and projected properly, the summer capital could compete with the best developed cities in the world. “People in Srinagar are facing tremendous problems on multiple fronts and its youth are not getting due share in government and other public sector jobs. Srinagar youth has been facing bullets, killings, torture and state repression,” he added. He said by calling Srinagar their bastion, the ruling party politicians were simply adding “insult” to the injury of the youth. District vice-president of the wing Abdul Rouf said Srinagar needed a planned development keeping in view its rich history, culture and ambiance. He claimed that it was the vision of the Peoples Democratic Party to take development to the next level and not to confine it just to lanes and drains only as was done by the National Conference.
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UN-backed study on Dal conservation takes off
Srinagar, March 9 In order to deliberate upon various aspects of this inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary study, a one-day inception workshop was held on March 8 in the committee room of the Administrative Block of the KU. The objective of the workshop was to bring various stakeholders, researchers, government officials, student community, civil society representatives, policy makers, and enforcement agencies on a common platform to deliberate on the key issues and agree on a course of action for the conservation and management of the Dal Lake. Shailendra Kumar, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said any project to be successful had to take into account multiple issues through a multi-disciplinary approach as was being attempted by the study. He emphasised some key strategies for effective management of the Dal Lake. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, KU, in his valedictory remarks said there was a need to check the inflow of solid waste and other eroding material from the catchment into the lake. He added that so far there had been always piecemeal and disciplinary approaches for understanding the ecosystem of the lake and this was for the first time that a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary approach taking into account all major aspects had been envisaged by the ATREE in collaboration with the University of Kashmir through the UNDP support. AM Shah, Dean, Academic Affairs, appreciated the all-inclusive effort of the study team and hoped for a concrete action plan to emerge out of this study. While acknowledging the past efforts, Ruchi Pant from the UNDP said the UNDP as a development as well as knowledge partner had commissioned this study on the request of the state government. She hoped for the successful conclusion of the study so that it becomes a baseline for developing effective strategies in the long-term not only for the Dal Lake but also for other water bodies. MA Peerzada, Director, Agriculture, called for the use of organic farming in floating gardens. G Balachander, Director, ATREE, underscored the need for filtration of existing data and information to create a reliable information base for guiding the anticipated action plan for the management of the lake. Manzoor A Shah, coordinator of the project, together with his team, including Aijaz A Qureshi and Majid Maqbool, solicited concrete suggestions from all stakeholders within and outside the government that would be taken into consideration for the developing the final strategy and action plan for the Dal Lake.
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Kashmir chapter of Urdu trust launched to promote language
Srinagar, March 9 While launching the J&K chapter, chairman, AUT, Abdul Rehman said the Urdu readership was declining with the increase in the prices of printed material such as books and magazines in Urdu. He said there was a need to bring down the prices of books in Urdu and added the Trust had initiated various measures during the last 10 years. For this purpose, the AUT chairman also announced a five-member Executive Committee led by renowned poet
and writer of Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Khayal as its chairman. Other executive members include Noor Shah, Ayaz Rasool Nazki, Bashir Arif and Javed Azar. “A lot of work needs to be done for Urdu (promotion) in Jammu and Kashmir where it is popular next to Kashmiri,” Abdul Rehman said. The AUT chairman said they had printed over 100 titles in Urdu till mid-February this year and there was immense response from readers. On the pattern of Hind pocket books, the Trust also plans to bring out 60 titles of good books at
Rs 20.There was also good response from readers during world book fairs and other occasions, he said.
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DRS Kids celebrates 7th annual day
Jammu, March 9 With “world beyond me” as its theme, the function began with Ganesh Vandana followed by a presentation of cultural items. Students urged the audience to come forward and work on issues such as global warming, pollution and save planet. Later, school chairperson Harmeet Syal distributed prizes among the winners of various competitions.
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Annual sports meet begins at Dogra College
Jammu, March 9 He congratulated the management, staff and students of the college for organising such activities and hoped that these activities would be conducted in future as well. During the inaugural ceremony, some exhibition matches were played in the disciplines of kho-kho, three-leg race, sack race, matka race, one-leg race, 100 m race and tug of war. Among those who attend the function included Prof BD Damral, director-cum-principal of Dogra College of Education; SL Kotwal, principal, Dogra Institute of Elementary Teachers |
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100 bottles of Corex syrup seized in Rajouri
Rajouri, March 9 The police have started investigation and are questioning the accused to know the source of the drugs and the persons involved in the network. Sources said under the supervision of Mubassir Latifi, Rajouri Superintendent of Police, a police party intercepted a bus coming from Jammu at a bridge near Muradpur on the Jammu-Poonch highway. During frisking, the police recovered 100 Corex bottles from a bag belonging to the accused. For the last many months, prominent citizen of Rajouri city and social activists have been showing concern over the drug menace in the city which is affecting the younger generation.
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Srinagar, March 9 A tourist, who was staying in a hotel in the Raj Bagh area of the city, had lodged a complaint in the Raj Bagh police station that his watch worth Rs 3.5 lakh, a mobile phone worth Rs 50,000 and a credit card were stolen from his hotel room, a police spokesman said. In the course of investigation, the police arrested a suspect, Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh of Kahipora village, Baramulla district. — TNS
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The misuse of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes is rampant in Jammu despite a ban on using cooking gas cylinders for other purpose than domestic use by distributors and the government.
Many commercial units, including contractors constructing the Bikram
Chowk-Gandhi Nagar flyover, have been utilising domestic gas cylinders for other purposes such as fuelling cutting machines near the construction site.
The BJP today asked the people of the Kashmir valley to give it ‘a chance’ at its first rally here ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Even as the party has been holding conventions and meetings at city-based hotels in the past, BJP leaders and supporters today gathered in the open at the
Sher-e-Kashmir Park, close to city centre Lal Chowk.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
today sought to reaffirm his party’s commitment to establishing a new system of justice and equality in the state.
Mufti said the PDP had fielded best candidates for the Lok Sabha elections so that people's issues would be effectively and firmly raised in Parliament.
The National Conference today kick-started its campaign for the Anantnag parliamentary seat by organising a public rally in Wachi, which is being represented by Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti in the Legislative Assembly.
Jammu, March 9
Ahead of a flyover construction from Jahangir Chowk, Srinagar, to Natipora, the diversion of traffic from alternate routes led to chaos and confusion among commuters.
The Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) has formed a diversion plan for all public and private vehicles. According to the plan, vehicles driving down from the City Centre to Ram Bagh will have to take a left near the Bakshi Stadium and then proceed towards Jawahar Nagar to reach Ram
Bagh.
DRS Kids, Talab Tillo, today celebrated its seventh annual day with fervour and gaiety.
Minister for Youth Services and Sports Raman Bhalla was the chief guest and Heritage School chairperson Sunita Gupta was the guest of
honour.
