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Transporters Call off Strike Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Transporters Welfare Association protest against fuel price hike coinciding with a protest by private transport operators, which, however, has ended with increase in bus fares. — Tribune photo by Mohd Amin War
Transporters’ strike ends as
govt concedes demands
Misappropriation of Token Tax |
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Amarnath Yatra
Vohra’s appointment hailed
Mehbooba invited for programme in Berlin
3-day Ladakh Sindhu Festival begins
Vaishno Devi board scraps paid darshan system
Sinha inaugurates hostel for Gujjar kids
Outgoing Governor Lt-Gen S.K.Sinha (retd) being felicitated by Gujjars during the inauguration of Pir Panchal hostel in Reasi. — A Tribune photograph
DEMU train completes trial run in valley
Govt ayurvedic dispensary in mess
A pathetic condition of the Government Ayurvedic Dispensary at Kheri in Samba district. —Tribune photo by Anand Sharma
Student’s Murder
Plastic banned at Jammu varsity
Militant nabbed
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Transporters Call off Strike
Srinagar, June 12 Addressing a press conference after deliberations with the representatives of transporters from both Kashmir and Jammu divisions at the civil secretariat here this evening, the minister said the suspension of transport services had been called off. He said a government notification regarding the hike in fares would be issued tomorrow. The minister said the hike in passenger fares had been pending over the past about three years, adding that the issue had been resolved in view of the public pressure in general and inconvenience caused to the Vaishno Devi and Amarnath pilgrims. Under the new agreement hike in bus fare per passenger would be increased by six paisa per kilometer, Yasin said. The new fares worked out would be displayed at all the bus stands, including inter district and local stands, the minister said and urged both the transporters and passengers to comply by the rules and regulations set by the government. It was also given out that no overloading would be allowed in the transport buses, a menace which has been haunting the commuter in this capital city and most of the routes in the valley. Commenting on the decision to call off the four-days-long strike, T.S. Wazir, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Transport Welfare Association said it had agreed upon the 14 per cent increase, though there was a demand of increase in fares by 50 per cent. Since the issue had been pending for the past more than three years and keeping in view the public pressure, the transporters had agreed on the minimum 14 per cent with some other concessions. It was also decided that there would be regularly annual revision of passenger fares in April to avoid the inconvenience caused to the public, Wazir said. He said that all the passenger buses would be on the roads by this evening. Bashir Ahmad Matth, president of the Kashmir unit of the Transport Welfare Association was also present. The transporters had suspended passenger services for four days since Monday last to press for their demands of hike in fares in view of the hike in fuel prices. The government has also called a meeting of various representatives of traders, hotel owners, houseboat owners and other related services with minister for consumer affairs and public distribution Taj Mohiuddin here tomorrow. This would be deciding on the issue of price rise of fuel and other commodities.
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Transporters’ strike ends as
govt concedes demands
Jammu, June 12 As the contentious discussion between the government and the transport operators yielded no results, the state incurred a loss of more than Rs 75
crore, due to the strike. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had formed a high-level committee to discuss various issues with the transporters to end the impasse. The committee which included the commissioner secretary, Finance; commissioner secretary, General Administration Department and the transport commissioner, after holding talks with the transporters came to a conclusion and the strike was
ended. T.S. Wazir, president, All J&K Motor Transporters Association said, “Keeping in view the problems being faced by the common people in the state, a decision to withdraw the strike has been taken by the transporters.” He added, “The government has agreed to hike the passenger and transport fare by 14 per cent.” The transporters had been demanding an increase in the passenger fare by 30 per cent, but the government had agreed for 14 per
cent. Wazir added, “The government has agreed to revise the fare every year. The government has also agreed to revise the passenger and transportation fare every year.” He said the government had agreed upon to withdraw the ‘welfare tax’ that was being levied on the transporters. “During the last Cabinet meeting, the government had decided to levy Rs 100 on buses, Rs 50 on mini busses and Rs 20 on three-wheelers per month as welfare tax. The transporters were already paying insurances so the need of welfare tax was irrelevant. In today’s meeting, the government has decided to withdraw the welfare tax,” Wazir said. The government had also agreed to discuss the issue of 8.4 per cent of service tax being levied on the passenger fare within one week, Wazir said. |
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Misappropriation of Token Tax
Srinagar, June 12 The accused persons were the then ARTO Anantnag Qazi Sarwar, the then ARTO Pulwama Abdul Majid Bhat, accountant ARTO office Anantnag Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, cashier in ARTO office Pulwama Bilal Ahmad Sofi and other officials, a spokesman of the Vigilance Organisation said here today. He said the officials of ARTO office Anantnag had misappropriated the government money received on account of token tax from the vehicle owners by resorting to manipulation of records between the period January 2007 to May 2008. Accountant Mushtaq Ahmad Khan received token tax of Rs 10.25 lakh from owners of vehicles and in furtherance of the conspiracy deposited only Rs 61,230 in the government treasury resulting in misappropriation of Rs 9.64 lakh. It was found that as a part of criminal conspiracy, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and other officials made fake and false documents viz counterfoil of government receipts (GR) in which they reflected less amount than the actual amount received by them as token tax from vehicle owners and thereby misappropriated difference of two amounts which were shown on the receipt given to the vehicle owners and on counterfoil of GR. A case of misappropriation was also registered when it was revealed that officials of ARTO office Pulwama namely Abdul Majid Bhat, cashier Bilal Ahmad Sofi and other officials have also, in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy resorted to misappropriation of the government money by manipulating the records. Bilal Ahmad Sofi in his capacity as cashier-cum-registration clerk, ARTO office, Pulwama during 2007-08 received token tax of Rs 3.22 lakh from owners of 60 vehicles and deposited only Rs 3,390 in the government treasury resulting in misappropriation of Rs 3.18 lakh.
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Vohra’s appointment hailed
Srnagar, June 12 PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the Central government had made a “good choice” in view of the overall situation prevailing in the state. “We needed to have a civilian and a secular person” at this position, which had been duly provided by the Centre, Mehbooba commented. Vohra’s experience as interlocutor on Kashmir would be of great help as various measures had been taken during the past many years, she added. CPM state secretary M.Y. Tarigami said though late it was a good step. He hoped that under Vohra’s leadership the possibility of the reconciliation would get its place.
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Mehbooba invited for programme in Berlin
Srinagar, June 12 A select group of eight high-ranking decision-makers from India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan will attend the programme which will give visitors an opportunity to discuss the issues of cross-border cooperation in the region with the German experts. While two representatives each from Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan had been invited to the program, Mehbooba Mufti was the only invitee from India, a PDP spokesperson said. Besides deepening the already existing positive approaches on composite dialogue, Jirga process, Tripartite Commission and G8 initiative, the other issues to be deliberated upon during the programme include security, development, cross-border economic cooperation and build up of civil society networks in the region. During their stay in Germany, the participants would also interact with the members of the German Parliament, External Affairs Committee, Defence Committee, Federal Chancellery, Federal Foreign Office, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, German think tanks and political foundations. |
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3-day Ladakh Sindhu Festival begins
Jammu/Srinagar, June 12 The members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Art, Culture and Tourism, currently on a study tour of Ladakh, also witnessed the event that included cultural items performed by Ladakhi artistes. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said rivers like the Indus have offered their laps for civilizations to take birth and thrive. He said the Indus was culturally very significant for the people and the civilization that has taken birth along its banks and flourished with the passage of time. He said, “People of Ladakh are peace loving and the river is the carrier of this message to the other side of the border.” The Ladakh Sindhu Festival was an expression of the love and affinity the people feel with the river, he said. “Besides, promoting cultural values, the festival has helped in boosting tourism in Ladakh. Tourists love to come and see the culture of the region which is aptly depicted during the festival,” Azad said. Azad stressed on the need for development of facilities for the comfortable stay of tourists in Ladakh. Regarding the power scenario in the region, he said, “The situation would change with the commissioning of the 45MW Nimu-Bazgo power project, work on which is going on round the clock. The work also continued under sub-zero temperature during the winters.” He said, “Along with the Chhutak power project in Kargil, the project would be completed ahead of the deadline.” He said Rs 450 crore was being spent on the upgrade of the Leh-Srinagar highway, which was declared a National Highway by the Prime Minister. The opening ceremony was also attended by minister for industries and commerce Nawang Rigzin Jora, chief executive councillor, LAHDC, Leh, Chhering Dorje, executive councillors and councillors of the LAHDC, senior officers of the civil, the Army and the paramilitary forces.
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Vaishno Devi board scraps paid darshan system
Udhampur, June 12 This was announced by Governor Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd), who is also chairman of the shrine board. Sinha said the system had been introduced on an experimental basis. However, respecting the popular demand, it had been decided to dispense with all sorts of priorities, including the paid ones, Sinha said the board would soon devise a mechanism to provide facilitation for the staff of the shrine board, including members of security forces and some special categories. However, this would be minimal, he maintained and said no blank slips would be issued as was being done previously, which had led to black marketing and corruption. Modalities for this were being worked After discussing the problems faced by devotees in the wake of the strike by transporters, Sinha asked the chief executive officer, Dr Arun Kumar and additional CEO, Manoj Dwedi, to ensure free langar for stranded pilgrims at Katra. He also asked the CEO to work out some permanent arrangement for such contingencies so that poor pilgrims did not suffer. The board had set up a 3-member panel to look into the whole gamut of priority system for the shrine recently. The paid darshan system was for a paltry segment of pilgrims numbering not more than 1,000 compared to daily arrival of over 30,000 pilgrims to the shrine, with the remaining about 29,000 having free darshan. Later, Sinha went round the Institute of Medical Excellence at Kakriyal and took stock of the pace of work on the Rs 200 crore project, which was likely to be completed by September this year. Director of the institute Lt-General L.P. Sadhotra (retd) and engineers briefed Sinha about the progress on various disciplines of the hostel.
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Sinha inaugurates hostel for Gujjar kids
Talwara (Reasi), June 12 The hostel was constructed by the White Knight Corps under Operation Sadhbhavana by Uniform Force of the Army. The hostel is spread over 9 kanal of land offered by the civil administration of Reasi. The Pir Panchal Hostel will house 50 children of Gujjars and Bakerwals hailing from the remote areas of Reasi, Rajouri and Ramban districts. The two-storeyed hostel will have six fully furnished dormitories with all equipments and facilities. Lt Gen P.C. Bhardwaj, General Officer Commanding in Chief (GoC-in-C) Northen Command; Lt Gen R.K. Kanwal, GoC 16 Corps and Major-Gen P.C. Panjikar, GoC Uniform Force, and other senior and Army officers were present on the occasion. The children of nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals are lagging behind other children as far as education standard is concerned. The Army has taken the initiative to provide better education to these children. The selected children who had just moved into the hostel as their first occupants were bubbling with energy and enthusiasm. Gujjars and Bakerwals came from far-flung areas of this belt to attend the inauguration function. They appreciated the Army’s efforts for providing better educational opportunities to their children. Meanwhile, Sinha said the situation had considerably improved in Jammu and Kashmir, but still some forces were exploiting the religious sentiments of the people, to further their political interests. He defended all his recent decisions which generated much heat in the Kashmir valley and hoped that initiatives taken by him would be taken to a logical conclusion. In an informal chat with mediapersons after attending his last official function as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha cautioned people against divisive forces which, according to him, wanted to disrupt the social fabric and brotherhood for petty political gains. “Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a crucial phase and it is high time to frustrate the designs of these forces”, he advised the people without naming these forces. Sinha staunchly defended his decision of purchasing land from the Jammu and Kashmir Government for construction of pre-fabricated structures for the pilgrims of the Amarnath shrine. Without naming any political group, he regretted that some forces had launched a malicious campaign against this decision. “I was really surprised to read that our decision to construct pre-fabricated structures on Amarnath yatra has been projected as an attempt to change the demography of Kashmir”, he regretted, adding, “The malicious campaign launched against this decision reflects how vicious are the mindset of these forces”.
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DEMU train completes trial run in valley
Srinagar, June 12 The first official trial run was conducted in presence of R.K. Kardam, commissioner Railway Safety, Northern Circle, on the nearly 50-km stretch from the city station at Nowgam to Anantnag. “We are satisfied with the trial run. The track is good and ready to go. Now it is up to the Railways,” Kardam told reporters. The trial run between Srinagar and Anantnag over a distance of 49 km was completed in 27 minutes with the speed of the train ranging between 100 and 110 km per hour. The first train carrying passengers will ply between Anantnag and Budgam stations, a distance of 55 km, later this month and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to flag it off. A senior railway official said the train should
start plying between these two stations by the end of this month. Once the train chugs through the valley, it will reduce the travelling time between Anantnag and Srinagar districts by half and will also ease the pressure of traffic on the national highway. However, the crucial link between Katra to Banihal has been further delayed as the laying of track is proving difficult in view of the difficult terrain and young mountains. “The deadline for connecting Kashmir with rest of country is 2012 but we cannot say anything (with certainty) as the young mountains between Katra and Banihal are posing problems,” a railway
official said. — PTI |
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Govt ayurvedic dispensary in mess
Khairi (Jammu), June 12 A government ayurvedic dispensary-cum-health sub-centre in this non-descript village of Jammu stands testimony to the fact. Surrounded by heaps of cow dung and housed in a dilapidated building, the dispensary caters to the population of Khairi and its five nearby villages. The dispensary doesn’t have basic equipment to examine the patients. “I can’t put stitches in case an accident victim approaches me in the dispensary, as I don’t have the tools required for the purpose,” said Dr Narender Kumar Sharma posted at the dispensary. A villager revealed that once a foreign substance got stuck in a boy’s throat and the doctor rushed him to the Government Medical College, Jammu, as he didn't have a torch and other equipment needed to extract it at the dispensary. The dispensary that caters to the healthcare needs of Khairi, Karwal, Jhakharo and two more villages receives medicine supply once in every 13 months. However, it doesn’t seem enough to meet its requirements, as on an average 25-30 patients visit the dispensary daily. “While supplying medicines the doctors posted in rural dispensaries are never consulted about their needs. Also the Health Department should carry out a survey as to which diseases are prevalent in a particular area before supplying medicines to it,” said Naresh Kumar Gupta, a resident of Khairi. He lamented that the nearest hospital where they could avail proper treatment is at Bishnah, six km from the village. “However, a majority of medicines available at Bishnah are spurious. I get the medicines from Jammu if somebody falls sick in my family,” he added. Gupta said the village dispensary is being supplied locally manufactured medicines when the ones made by renowned firms are available at the same price. The doctor here has kept a box of medicines, which he has purchased on his own, to deal with any emergency. As the dispensary was located on the village’s outskirts, some villagers still answer the nature’s call in its premises, rued Dr Sharma. “At times it becomes difficult to attend to patients in stench emanating from the surroundings,” he said. |
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Student’s Murder
Jammu, June 12 The parents of the victim said the “murderers” of their son finally got the sentence they “deserved”. However, they wanted death sentence for the duo. “They (Aditi and Pravin) should have been hanged,” said Udit’s mother Kiran Bharti. “They deserved to be punished so that no one should ever again deceive somebody in love,”
she added. She said Aditi and Pravin not only killed Udit but also rendered a mother without her son. According to family members, Udit fell victim to a love triangle in which his lover, who had promised to marry him, had fallen in love with another guy. Aditi Sharma (25), a resident of Jammu was in love with Udit Bharti (25) while both of them were pursuing engineering in Jammu and they had decided to marry after getting consent from their parents. However, they decided to marry only after completing their MBAs for which they moved to Pune. In Pune, Aditi stayed in a girls hostel and Udit shared a flat with some of his friends, but during the course of their studies Aditi fell in love with Pravin, a resident of Jaipur. Both Aditi and Pravin wanted to get rid of Udit and issued several threats to him. Udit reported the entire story to his parents. But both Aditi and Pravin continued to harass Udit. According to Udit’s family members, on April 23 last year, Aditi had called Udit to a local restaurant in Pune. Pravin was allegedly Aditi offering Udit ‘prasad’ laced with poison. After consuming the ‘prasad’, he started vomiting. He was rushed to a local hospital where he died Udit’s father after receiving the forensic report which put the cause of the death as arsenic poisoning lodged a complaint under Section 302 on which the police swung into action and arrested Aditi and Pravin from Jammu. |
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Plastic banned at Jammu varsity
Jammu, June 12 Vice-chancellor of the university Professor Amitabh Mattoo while launching a rejuvenated Drive Green for the campus beautification declared the campus as polythene-free zone. He urged upon the faculty, staff, students and visitors to avoid bringing polythene bags to the university campus. Mattoo said climate change had become a defining issue of the era. This is time when communities will have to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and the ways to reduce them," he said and added that it was important to give human face to environmental issues and empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development.
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Militant nabbed
Srinagar, June 12 The police said it received specific information about the presence of militants in orchids of Tarathpora locality. It launched an operation with 125 battalion of the CRPF and cordoned the area. "After following a security drill, the operation party succeeded in arresting a recycled militant, Nabi Sheikh, with arms and ammunition which included one Chinese pistol, one pistol magazine and four pistol rounds," cops said. The militant was earlier working with outlawed Al-Fatah and was nowadays working with HM. He was also assisting other militant outfits in the Ramhal area by guiding them and providing logistics. —
TNS |
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Srinagar, June 12
Talwara (Reasi), June 12
Khairi (Jammu), June 12
