 |
|
Civil secretariat opens today
PoK refugees seek rightful place
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rural business hubs in offing
Fire fury continues
Fire tenders cater to 30 calls a day
MoS: Preserve traditional system of medicines
Kashmir Square new rage among shoppers
Farmers head for Punjab, Haryana
Rainfall cools down city
Dailywagers without salary for years: CPM
4 die in road mishaps
2-day seminar on Pakistan
ABVP: Stop politicising education
Jawan injured in mine blast
Rain brings respite
Three-year-old burnt to death
|
|
Civil secretariat opens today
Srinagar, May 4 The police and paramilitary forces have been asked to strictly enforce prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC and foil any attempt aimed at stalling the reopening of the secretariat here tomorrow after a gap of six months, official said today. Under the bi-annual 'durbar' move, the secretariat and other offices function for six months each in Jammu and Srinagar. Government employees have given the strike call demanding enhancement of the retirement age to 60, decrease in qualifying age to 21 years, a five-day week for all state employees and confirmation of the adhoc ones. Security forces were put on high alert following intelligence inputs that militant were planning to create disturbances on the eve of reopening of the offices of the J&K Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and other darbar move departments here tomorrow. A UNI correspondent who visited different parts of the city saw security personnel guarding the streets including civil secretariat — the area where offices of Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad and his ministers are located. A large number of security force personnel have been deployed in and outside the secretariat. They kept a close watch on pedestrains and vehicles. “Do not stop, please move as we have orders not to allow any vehicle or civilian to stop on the road adjacent to secretariat'', a security jawan told photo journalists. Security forces were also deployed on the fly-over where militants detonated a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in March resulting in the death of a civilian and injuries to 16 others. In 1990s, militants made about a dozen rocket and grenade attacks on secretariat causing injuries to employees. All darbar move offices, seat of the government, were closed in winter capital, Jammu, on April 25 afternoon. Official sources said a high level meeting convened by Chief Secretary B R Kundal here yesterday finalised the arrangement for the darbar move. They said all the officials coming with the darbar move, except those who have their own house, will be given fully protected accommodation at identified places in the city. There are 75 hostels containing 2,100 rooms for move officials in safe zones being protected by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police personnel round the clock. Sources said 62 fully protected buses would be made available for ferrying these employees from their residence and office in the morning and afternoon. — Agencies
|
|
PoK refugees seek rightful place
Jammu, May 4 “We only received Rs 500 per family on our arrival here to take care of our immediate requirements and were left to fend for ourselves,” recalls Ujjal Singh, a retired schoolteacher, while talking to The Tribune at Bhour Camp, where a section of PoK refugees are putting up. Pointing towards his small house, he says, “We have built this house on our own, but the land on which it has been raised hasn’t been allotted to us till date.” Ujjal reveals that the government had allotted him an agricultural land measuring two kanals but again it wasn’t mutated in his name. “I have come across many cases where the agricultural land allotted to a PoK refugee was in somebody else’s possession and instead of benefiting from it the refugees lost money fighting legal battles over it,” he adds. Disillusioned with the state of affairs, the septuagenarian rues that while the state government has created a separate department to guard the properties of those who had gone to Pakistan in 1947 it has done little to fully rehabilitate them. Ask him the reason behind this disenchantment and he replies: “Some of our own people went on to become ministers in the state government and when they didn’t bother to do anything for us how could we expect others to redress our woes.” Sham Lal, another elderly staying at the camp for long, laments that those living in camps post-Partition days were given priority in allotment of agricultural land. He also expresses his resentment over the package announced in 2000 to compensate the refugees on account of land deficiency in which the rate was fixed at Rs 5,000 per kanal with a ceiling of Rs 25,000. He says, “The government should come out with a comprehensive permanent settlement policy for us. There should be reservation for our youth in higher education and jobs, as they are going astray.” He rues that his physically challenged son and daughter-in-law were not getting disabled pension regularly, while they could not get his grandson’s heart surgery done due to financial constraints. Mohan Lal Sharma, an ex-serviceman, echoes similar sentiments. “We have laid down our lives fighting for the cause of our motherland and see this is what we have got,” he said. He says over 50 per cent of the PoK refugees still find it difficult to earn two square meals a day and the government must carry out a below poverty line (BPL) survey among them to extend financial aid to the needy.
|
|
Rural business hubs in offing
Jammu, May 4 The RBH, an initiative of the ministry of panchayati raj and the CII, is aimed to establish direct linkages between the rural and industrial economy. The key objective of the scheme would be to involve industry to improve and to refine locally available resources and produce goods of quality and standard, which are nationally and internationally acceptable. “The main aim of the RBH would be to abolish the intermediates and to facilitate the producer to directly sell their products to the consumer, thus getting maximum benefits out of it,” a source in the CII said. Adding he said, “In the first phase we would be targeting the handicraft industry, especially the carpet weaving units. Though Kashmiri carpets are world renowned and are sold with a higher price tag, still the carpet weavers don’t get much profit because of the middlemen involved in the sale.” The CII has roped in a deal with a Rajasthan-based handloom marketing agency that would not only help carpet weavers to sell their products directly to the consumers, but would also train weavers about the usage of new technology and better designs. “We would also provide the technical know-how to weavers so that they could use the latest technology and designs in their carpets,” the source added. The CII along with the ministry of panchayati raj had constituted a national RBH council that is being co-chaired by Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar, minister for panchayti raj and Sunil Kant Munjan, past president and chairman of the CII mission. The process of establishing RBH starts with identification of potential RBHs, which are identified, based on the interests expressed either by the panchayat or the industry. “Establishment of RBH in the valley would prove be boon for local weavers in the state. The RBH would provide various steps to straighten the garmented supply chain, provide technology and the know-how and better inputs, train and encourage skill development, encourage standardised and quality produce, provide market linkage and promote development and conservation through community involvement,” the source added.
|
|
50 cattle, 6 houses perish in Kishtwar
Udhampur, May 4 “Teams have been rushed to the affected village to start the rescue operation and to assess the total loss,” a senior officer told The Tribune and claimed that adequate material would be dispatched for the fire victims. Last month three villages were completed gutted in Kishtwar district. Six months back a hamlet comprising 166 houses and 80 sheds was reduced to ashes in Warwan area of this district. It is said most of the villages of Kishtwar district are vulnerable to fire as people use wood for constructing their homes and cattle sheds. Apart from this as most of the villages in Kishtwar are still un-electrified, majority of the population use lamps or candles, which become the main cause of frequent fire incidents in this belt. Moreover, the authorities find it too difficult to reach these far-off places. “Due to the topography of Kishtwar district we are helpless to control the fire in hilly areas,” director Fire and Emergency Services, R S Sodhi told The Tribune. He said crew of the Fire Services Department could reach only up to the motorable areas. “Even in some places rescue teams took a whole day to reach the spot. It is difficult rather impossible for our crew to reach the spot on time,” Sodhi admitted. He said two fire stations have been functional in Kishtwar district but their area of operation was confined only with the areas connected with roads.
|
|
|
1,000-quintal wheat goes up in flames
Kathua, May 4 Bodh Raj of Meen Chadka, who lost 16 quintals of fodder said, “Though looping wires passing over fields pose a major threat, the carelessness among people, too, aggravates the problem.” Feigning reasons responsible for fire in his fields, he said, farmers also created hassles for themselves when they threw cigarettes in the fields. Tarsem Lal of Chakra village, also echoing similar views, said time and again the power development department had been informed about dangerous ramifications of looping and outdated electricity wires and inadequate poles. “When the mercury crosses the 42°C mark and when the crop is sans moisture, a little spark helped by strong winds can easily turn an entire field into ashes,” he said. Sources in the revenue department revealed that standing wheat crop on nearly 500 kanal had been damaged in fire incidents. “A survey had already been started by patwaris and naib tehsildars and in certain cases, files have already been compiled,” said a revenue official. “However, the government has yet to provide relief to the aggrieved farmers,” he added. R.S. Sodhi, director, fire and emergency services department said in the backdrop of an increase in such incidents, the leave applications of fire fighters had been put on hold.
|
|
|
Fire tenders cater to 30 calls a day
Jammu, May 4 With the increase in the day temperature, the department remains on alert so as to reach the spot and extinguish the fire. V.K. Sadhu, deputy director, fire and emergency service department said, “With the onset of summers, we get to attend 25 to 30 emergency calls a day. A majority of these calls come from areas which have open fields.” Sadhu added, “In a majority of the cases, the standing crop which is dry catches fire due to one reason or the other. On a daily basis, we attend more than 28 cases where the standing dry crop catches fire.” In the past few days, standing crop on hundreds of acres in the R.S. Pura sector and other areas of Jammu region have turned into ashes due to the fire caused by short circuits.In many cases, the stacks made out of the harvested crops, too, catch fire and the services of fire tenders are sought to extinguish the flames. “Wind plays the role of petrol. It helps the fire to spread rapidly and in no time the entire standing crop turns into ashes.” he said. He said incidents of forest fires had also increased in the region where the dry grass catches fire and the entire area is engulfed. “The incidents of forest fires have increased in the region. I have just returned from an operation where 1.5 sq km of jungle on the outskirts of Jammu city was on fire. It took us more than 5 hours to bring the fire under control,” Sadhu said. He said his department was fully equipped to tackle any sort of contingency with state of the art infrastructure to bring the fire under control. “In Jammu region we have 14 fire stations which cater to Jammu and Kathua districts. We have recently introduced ART (Advance rescue tenders) besides, we have emergency fire tenders and electronic ladders.”
Sadhu added. “To further provide reinforcement to 7,000 litres capacity of our regular fire tenders, we have introduced a water boozer with a capacity of 30,000 litres,” Sadhu said. |
|
|
MoS: Preserve traditional system of medicines
Srinagar, May 4 “There is a growing interest in these systems and we must do everything to preserve and consolidate our ancient systems of medicine,” she said addressing doctors at Gandhu Bhavan of the University of Kashmir today. The minister said Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed special status in developmental matters with the Government of India and her department has also put in special efforts to provide inputs for the multi- pronged development of the state. She said we have a full-fledged department and a national healthcare policy for supporting the growth and development of Ayush System of Medicine too. “I would suggest that the University of Kashmir may send schemes under extra mural research programme for assistance by the central government and we will be too happy to consider them,” the minister said. She said the Centre has been providing constant support to the development of Unani System as a holistic and scientific system of medicine. The national common minimum programme of the government highlights the targets set in the area of healthcare aimed at better and affordable healthcare delivery to the population, particularly to the poor and women, she said. |
|
PM’s package a sinister move: BJP
Jammu, May 4 “His announcements have actually pitted the interests of displaced Kashmiri Hindus against those of the border migrants of 1965 and 1971, Hindu and Sikh refugees from PoK, West Pakistan and internally-displaced Hindus from the Muslim-majority areas,” he said. The BJP disapproves of this kind of disruptive politics as it believes in uniting people and not pitting one section against the other, he added. He said the BJP viewed the economic package for displaced Kashmiri Hindus as a “sinister move” aimed at misleading them, whose leaders had vociferously opposed the autonomy and self-rule proposals advocating free flow of the Indian Constitution in the state. Hari Om added that the so-called exclusive package for displaced Hindus targeted this segment of the population less. “On the contrary, it appears that the whole exercise has been camouflaged in order to help the families of slain terrorists,” he added. |
|
Kashmir Square new rage among shoppers
Jammu, May 4 Various national and international brands have opened their showrooms inside the mall. Former finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather inaugurated the first ever shopping mall in Jammu “Kashmir Square” on Thursday. “The promoters of the mall have done a brilliant job for initiating the venture and through it, have brought Jammu on the map of the cities with international shopping standards,” Rather said. People who had come on the function organised to mark the inauguration of the mall said they felt happy as they could buy different brands under one roof. “The opening of this mall in Jammu has proven the fact that Jammu, too, has emerged as a major market for national and international brands,” Anita Manhotra, a postgraduate student of Jammu University said. Anita added, “Now youngsters can buy trendy clothes. Now everything would be available under one roof.” Chairman, Kashmir Square Subash Gupta said, “The Kashmir Square is built around the concept of bringing top brands. Shoppers can buy garments for men and women, including formal, casuals, western and ethnic Indian wears, household and home accessories at the mall.” Subash added, “Apart from a great shopping experience, shoppers can enjoy various national and international foods and beverages like never before in Jammu.” Meanwhile, people in large numbers thronged the mall to have a glimpse of what was available at the mall.
|
|
|
Farmers head for Punjab, Haryana
Srinagar, May 4 Interacting with the farmers, Zargar said the state government has accorded overriding priority to agriculture sector in order to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. This, he said, would strengthen and stabilise socio-economic profile of farmers of the state. He hoped this team during interaction with agriculture experts during they would be educated about the latest technical know-how, which could be used in field after their return for enhancing productivity. In another function, addressing a public rally in Bandipore, Zargar said the people of the state are the stakeholders in the process of peace and harmony, which has returned to the valley. He said the coalition government has adhered to its commitment of restoration of peace with and ensuring involvement of the people in the development process. He said an amount of Rs 8.5 crore has been sanctioned under command area development project in Bandipora district, which will benefit more than 36 villages and cover an area of over 2,700 hectares. He said work on this project would be started soon. He said 11 canals and khuls would be covered under this project. He said Rs 30 lakh have been released for micro watershed projects at Erin Bandipora. |
|
|
Rainfall cools down city
Srinagar, May 4 The sky turned overcast which was, followed by rainfall in the afternoon, forced people to stay indoors. Met officials said the maximum temperature had been hovering around 30°C this month. The rain has brought relief for tourists from the plains, who are on a visit to the valley, where temperatures have shot above 40°C. “It's a pleasant surprise to be in a jacket in May,” Arun Sharma, a tourist from Jammu said. However, rainfall would also be a dampener for those who are here to relish the beauties of gardens like Nishat, Shalimar and Tulip garden, the latest flowery sensation in the summer capital. Met officials said rainy conditions would not last beyond 48 hours. Unlike the plains, the month of May often sees rainfall in the valley as the temperature zooms upward. July is usually the warmest month here when the recorded temperature had been 39°C in the past. Tourism officials said they had been receiving a steady flow of tourists this year from as early as March end, though traditionally the tourist season started from May. “The place got good publicity with the inauguration of the Tulip garden and is at its best in April. People have also started travelling more and escape the heat in the plains at the first chance,” a tourism department official said. The minimum temperature in tourist places like Pahalgam and Gulmarg continues to hover around 7°C and conditions are likely to turn colder due to the rainfall, they said.
|
|
|
Dailywagers without salary for years: CPM
Srinagar, May 4 It was unfortunate that the state government was making hoax announcement to provide jobs to 70,000 youths in the state, he said, adding it was just an election promise, which would never be
fulfilled. Targami said those announcements were being made with an eye on the Assembly election later this year. He said thousands of daily-wage, ad-hoc and other workers have been facing starvation because they were not being paid their salaries for
years. Targami, who is also legislature party leader of the CPM in the Assembly, said he was informed by the gardeners working in the Gardening and Parks Department that they were not paid their salaries for the past 18 months. Similarly, drivers working in different hospitals were also not paid their wages, he said. He expressed surprise that on the one hand the government was making announcement about 70,000 vacancies while on the other, thousands of those who have helped rebuilding infrastructure were being denied wages for years.
— UNI |
|
|
4 die in road mishaps
Jammu, May 4 A person died on the spot when a speedy vehicle hit him at the Lakhanpur toll on the Jammu-Punjab border. “The deceased has been identified as Laxman Rai, a resident of Patoli in Uttar Pradesh,” the police said. In another incident, a middle-aged person was crushed by a train at Bari-Brahmana. His identity is yet to be ascertained. However, another unidentified youth of about 23 years of age, died on the spot and one Raj Kumar, a resident of Bari-Brahmna, was injured when their motorcycle was hit by a tipper at Kaluchak on the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, an old woman (65) was knocked to death when a vehicle hit her near Manwal in Udhampur district. Her identity is yet to be ascertained, the police said.
— UNI |
|
|
2-day seminar on Pakistan
Jammu, May 4 The participants would also discuss future prospects of Pakistan and its role in South Asia. Among others, GoC XVI Corps, Lt. Gen R.K Karwal and JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo would attend the inaugural day
proceedings. On May 6, experts would put up their papers on Pakistan’s foreign policy, civil society and public sphere and future of Pakistan. The concluding day session would
also be attended by G. Parthasarthy. |
|
|
ABVP: Stop politicising education
Udhampur, May 4 A meeting of the executive committee of the ABVP was today held at Udhampur in which office-bearers from all over the state and some national leaders were also present. In the meeting, the ABVP passed a resolution where it expressed its concern over the recent pro-secessionist statements of the Congress, National Conference and PDP leaders. The meeting state that on the one hand, the executive committee had decided to create awareness among students against the pro-militant policies being propagated by the Congress, PDP and NC, on the other hand, the ABVP had decided to save education from the hands of corrupt politicians who misused the sector to reap political benefits. |
|
|
Jawan injured in mine blast
Rajouri, May 4 Army sources said Lance Naik D. Sham Lamkang of 3 Assam, posted at the Darani check post suffered injuries in his right foot after he accidentally landed on an abandoned mine. “He was on duty at the check post and was moving along the fence when his right foot landed on an abandoned mine. The mine blasted off damaging the foot of the Lance Naik”, Army sources said. Meanwhile, sources further said Lance Naik Lamkang was shifted to a nearby MI room for first aid. Later, he was airlifted to the Command Hospital, Udhampur, for specialised treatment, they added.
|
|
|
Rain brings respite
Jammu, May 4 The mercury had been hovering four to five notches above normal, affecting normal life across Jammu and Kandi areas. However, the rainfall plummeted the temperature considerably, bringing relief to the people. At some places, young enthusiasts were seen enjoying the showers. The Met officials have forecast partially cloudy to fair weather conditions with thundershowers at some places in the Jammu region. |
|
Three-year-old burnt to death
Srinagar, May 4 The cause of the fire could not be known immediately. Meanwhile, a fire broke out in the forests of Kandi in Kupwara, but was extinguished by forest officials.
— PTI
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
