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Valley's youth invoke Mahatma Gandhi for peace
Inmates of old-age home yearn to meet family members
Poor road
connectivity hindering growth
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Resentment against varsity for ‘denying’ jobs to locals
Rajnath to take part in celebrations
Students back Rajasthan
Major killed in JK
Gandhism ‘important’ for militancy-hit J&K
Rs 89 crore for roads, bridges
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Valley's youth invoke Mahatma Gandhi for peace
Srinagar, October 2 Students flocked to the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) today and some of the selected youths made such speeches on Gandhi that the audience burst into long, spontaneous applause. Gandhi's practices are relevant for those who collided aircrafts against twin-towers on 9/11 and also for those who attacked Afghanistan and Iraq only to spawn more violence, said Amir Qayum, a class XI student from Srinagar, who also won award for his speech. And then he added the first to forget teachings of Gandhi were our leaders. Over 51,000 students took part in contests across the schools and colleges of the state and 18 of them received a chance to speak on Gandhi's birth anniversary today. As many sceptics in the valley claimed Gandhi's ideas were not relevant in a place torn by violence of close to two decades, one of the young speakers reminded the audience of a separatist, who first took up the gun, now wants to call himself a Gandhian. He was apparently making a reference to JKLF leader Yasin Malik, among the first to announce violent insurgence in Kashmir but now a committed peacenik. As student after student invoked Gandhi's struggle and how great social and political leaders like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela won their battles against much stronger establishments following his philosophy, audience were in applause. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said his life took a turn during his participation in a similar debate on Gandhi in 1969, and his political career never looked back after that. "I hope it to make similar effects on many of you," he said. Udhampur: Students, teachers and government officials participated in the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations and vowed to work for brotherhood and peace. People participated in peace rallies in Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Bhaderwah, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramnagar and other towns and spread the message of peace and harmony. In the militancy-plagued Doda district, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was marked by peace rallies in which students participated. Symposium on peace and communal harmony was also held where students spoke on importance of peace. Students held a peace rally at Kishtwar town. Shouting slogans of communal harmony and brotherhood, many youths attended the rallies and vowed to strengthen peace in the district. Some cultural items spreading the message of communal harmony were also presented by students. Similar functions were held at Bhaderwah which witnessed some encounters recently. Despite calls of the some fundamentalists to boycott the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, there was enthusiasm among students who attended the functions. Slogans of communal harmony and peace rent the air while students took out a rally. At Udhampur, various organisations and educational institutes celebrated this day as peace and communal harmony day. |
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Inmates of old-age home yearn to meet family members
Jammu, October 2 Mathra was abandoned by her only son, who is a branch manager of the State Bank of India, to live in an old-age home here and since then neither he nor any of his children have ever come to meet her. With tear-filled eyes she can explain her agony only with actions and gestures. While people celebrated World Elders Day yesterday, 50 per cent of the elders living in old-age home here had not met their family members since they were left to live here by their children. They do have a hope that one day or the other they will meet their family, but nobody cares. “There are many elders here who want to meet their family members at least once before they close their eyes,” said Pritam Chand who looks after the inmates of the home in Ambphalla Jammu. Babu Ram (75) has two sons and a daughter. Eight years ago he was left by his children to live in this old-age home and since then nobody has come to meet him. “Nobody cares about the elders; they forget that one day they too will be old. My life is comfortable here. We get food, medical care and affection, but in the heart of hearts we miss our family,” said Babu Ram. “When you are capable of earning and can feed your children, they love you, but when their turn of looking after you comes they abandon their parents to live in such old -age homes” said Bodh Raj (73), another inmate of the home, whose four sons left him here seven years back. An 80-year-elder, who did not want to be named, said, “I am living here for the past 10 years and now all inmates here are my family and for me all my children are no worth then dead.” The home for the aged and infirm in Jammu was set up by late Ramnath Prabhakar.
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Poor road
connectivity hindering growth
Jammu, October 2 Successive governments in the state have failed to attend to this aspect and add to road length. The total length of surfaced roads is about 20,895 km in the geographical area of 1,01,388 sq km of the state. Many of the roads in the interior areas are motorable only during fair weather. Road length of 15,312 km is
unsurfaced. Lack of roads in interior areas has hindered the economic development of people. Apple-growing areas in the Doda, Udhampur, Kishtwar,
Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch districts have no marketing facilities due to the absence of roads. Although these districts are rich in mineral and other resources, people in these areas have remained economically weak due to lack of roads. The state government is giving top priority to the politically important Moughal Road that will connect Poonch district with the Kashmir valley. Other roads are virtually being given step-motherly treatment. The most discriminated against is the undivided Doda district. According to official figures, only 7.20 per cent of the area is connected with roads and the district has only 280 km of black topped roads. Doda was recently split into three districts by creating Kishtwar and Ramban as separate districts. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad represents the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency of Doda. Apple growers of
Bhaderwah, which is known as mini-Kashmir, are unable to compete with those of the Kashmir valley because of poor road network. The Buddhal area of Rajouri and parts of Reasi district too have climatic conditions like those of the Kashmir valley, but neither the Horticulture Department nor the PWD has come out to assist them by laying sound infrastructure. Azad has been crying about the poor road infrastructure in the state, but the PWD has failed to respond to his guidelines. Most of the Congress legislators have been gunning for their own party’s PWD minister Gulchain Singh Charak on the issue of poor roads. Leh has a total surfaced road length of 745 km (only 404 km black topped) that comes to 3.07 per cent. Compared to this, the tribal areas of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur with a similar topography and climate in the neighbouring Himachal are ushering in economy boom because of a sound road network. On the other hand, the road connectivity in the Kashmir valley is far better than that of Jammu division. The districts of
Budgam, Pulwama and Srinagar enjoy high road connectivity of 85.92, 77.18 and 67.28 per cent, respectively. |
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Resentment against varsity for ‘denying’ jobs to locals
Udhampur, October 2 Residents of these areas have given an ultimatum to the government and the management of the SMVDU to fulfill the promise of recruiting locals in the university and reserve some seats for them in different faculties. Locals have been planning an agitation and political parties support their demand of reservation for the locals in the university admission as well as recruitment. Balwant Singh Mankotia, MLA,, Udhampur, who has raised this issue in the Assembly, lambasted the university administration for not recruiting locals. “As far as locals are concerned this highest institute of learning is of no use”, Mankotia observed, adding, “more than 6,000 kanals of farm land was acquired from the locals with promise to provide jobs to them”. He pointed out not even Class IV jobs had been reserved for locals in the university. Echoing demands of the locals, he said children of Baridaras-erstwhile priests of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine should also be given due representation in this institute. He cited the example of trust of the Tirupati Balaji temple, where some posts had been reserved for priests of the temple. Besides demanding recruitment for locals in the university, residents have also raised demand for reserving some seats for local students in all departments. SMVDU has started many job-oriented courses, but not even a single student had been enrolled in these courses, said Raghunandan, a resident of Panthal. The local unit of the BJP is also flexing its muscles on this issue. Pawan Gupta, state secretary of party, said the locals were given neither jobs nor seats reserved for them.
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Rajnath to take part in celebrations
Tribune News Service
Jammu, October 2 The then ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, had 60 years ago on October 26, 1947, signed the instrument of accession of the state with India. The accession was accepted by Lord Mountbatten, governor general of India, the next day on October 27, 1947. State BJP chief Ashok Khajuria told this correspondent that Rajnath Singh would come to the state on a two-day tour to coincide with the accession anniversary. The BJP would utilise the opportunity to also woo Muslims as Rajnath Singh would address the concluding session of the working committee of the party’s minority cell at Srinagar on October 25. The national level cell was holding its three-day meet at Srinagar from October 22. Thereafter, the BJP president will come here on October 26 to address a rally of its grass-root activists. Khajuria said about 20,000 party activists from various parts of the state were expected to participate in the accession day celebrations. It is worth mentioning that the BJP has been demanding the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country by abolishing Article 370 that provides a special status to the state.
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Students back Rajasthan Gujjars
Jammu, October 2 Gujjars were demanding the Scheduled Tribe status for Gujjars in Rajasthan as promised by the BJP before elections. Gujjar students offered garlands to a statue of Rajasthan Chief Minister, and raised slogans for her speedy recovery. “We will be soon sending thousands of get-well-soon postcards to Rajasthan CM, as she is mentally ill,” said a Gujjar leader.
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Major killed in JK
Srinagar, October 2 A Defence spokesman here said one Major was killed while two others, including an officer and a jawan, were injured in the encounter which took place in the forest area of Ringi Walla Khall near Tangmarg. The encounter between hiding militants and 34 RR started after the troops launched a search in the area this morning. Top Al-Badr militant Bilal Afghani was killed in the encounter, while two militants were engaged in the encounter with security forces, reports here said. The operation was in progress.
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Gandhism ‘important’ for militancy-hit J&K
Kalakote (Rajouri), October 2 Sharma who is also chairman of the foundation for peace and social justice (FPSJ) said Mahatma Gandhi stood for amity, secular temperament, brotherhood and tolerance. Javed Khan, additional deputy Commissioner, Sanjeev Mangu general secretary, PYC, M.Y. Mughal attended the function.
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Rs 89 crore for roads, bridges
Jammu, October 2 According to an official, Rs 12.46 crore has been approved for the construction of 311-m-span steel plate girder bridge over the Bagh nullah at Mukandpur in Kathua district, Rs 18.44 crore for the 414.70-m-span steel plate girder bridge over the Manowa Tawi at Kathar village of Akhnoor tehsil, Rs 3.98 crore for upgrading the Verinag feeder road (4 km) in Anantnag district, Rs 7.43 crore for the Thanna Mandi - Shahdra Sharief road (6.4 km) in Rajouri district, Rs 5.70 crore for the Trevs - Pindi Kathar road (13.5 km) and Rs 4.32 crore for the Gurah - Utter road (8.50 km), including vented causeway over the Devak nullah in Jammu.
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