Jammu, February 10
Exorbitant fee structure in private schools is breaking the backbone of the middle class families who wish to provide quality education to their children. Parents have become money-minting machines for such schools.

Besides exorbitant admission fee, most of the private schools charge a huge monthly tuition fee ranging between Rs 1,500-2,000 per month. Parents are being forced to pay prospectus fee of Rs 250, registration fee of Rs 1,000, boarding charges above Rs 3,000, security fee of Rs 5,000 and transport fee of Rs 500.

These schools have made it mandatory for every student to purchase the textbooks, notebooks and other stationary items form the schools at high prices. Such schools are fleecing parents by adopting various innovative means to extract money from them.

Different schools have different patterns of charging fees. The annual expenditure per student, including the tuition fee, bus fare, books and the school uniform, costs too much to the parents. Not only the parents but also the teachers are worried due to the privatisation of education.

Pleading anonymity, a private school teacher said, "Private schools are charging exorbitant fee from the children. They are also exploiting teachers by putting a lot of workload and paying meagre salary to them."

The rising cost of quality education has made the school education out of bonds for lower income families. Some schools take donations in the name of the development fund, which adds to parents' woes.

"There are many parents who cannot afford exorbitant fee. If there are adequate facilities in government schools parents won't send their children to the private schools," said Rita Bashkar, a resident of Janipur.

"Despite paying a hefty amount on school fees, we have to pay a large amount of money charged for different things, be it school building fund, renovation funds or annual day celebration fund," said Bharat Bushan Kotwal, father of a private school student.

"Private schools are charging fee as per their wish. The officials should initiate measures to ensure a uniform fee structure for private institutions," said Anil Gupta, a resident of Durga Nagar.

There have been allegations that some schools have failed to maintain high education standards and their managements are only fleecing the students by charging exorbitant fee.

Meanwhile, the Director School Education, Zahida Parveen Khan said the government has fixed a proper fee structure for all the private schools in the state and they could not charge beyond that limit.

She said, "If we receive any complaint against any private school, only then we could take necessary action against the concerned schools."

However, Zahida Khan said that parents are equally responsible for it as they are ready to pay so much money to the private schools.

Adding she said if they cannot afford the education of their children in the private schools then they should trust the government schools that are also “providing quality education and have well qualified teaching staff".

Jammu, February 10
Even as the authorities turn a blind eye to encroachment by hawkers on roads and footpaths, the latter have now started encroaching upon the embankment of big drains at busy road crossings in the city.

Despite the risk of suffering a fall, they prefer to sell their products on the banks of nullahs.

"We decided to put our rehris here as we found no other place where we could get some business. Though it is a risky job we have no other way to earn our livelihood," says Ram Lal, a fruit seller at Jewel Chowk.

Raj Nath Tickoo, a resident of Talab Tillo, says, "I don't know why the authorities are mute over this crucial issue. They should take strong action against these rehriwalas who are selling their products by encroaching roads, footpaths and even the banks of big drains”.

Besides creating problems for pedestrians, these encroachers are a hurdle in the frequent flow of transport, thus causes long traffic jams, particularly at Jewel Chowk.

However, Municipal authorities seem to have given up on this issue as they fail to restrain hawkers from encroaching public places. They say the police officers of the areas, where encroachment takes place, are responsible for such illegal acts.

Expressing helplessness, joint commissioner of the municipal corporation JS Tandon says, “Once municipal authorities lift the rehris, it becomes the responsibility of police officers of the area to ensure that no vendor should encroach upon roads."

He says, "We have taken all measures to stop them from encroaching public places. We cannot put them in jail. The high court has directed officers of all police posts that they should ensure that no vendor sells products by encroaching public places”.

Jammu, February 10
Cinema halls in Jammu city are passing through an important juncture. Standing on the threshold of transformation, many of the old species are either under renovation or about to renovate.

One or two has already taken a lead, while few are still enjoying the siesta and waiting for all others to make the first move. The old Indira cinema hall now stands tall amongst all in its new avatar, renamed as KC Central. Renovated a year ago, it looks magnificent with its modern architecture, multi-hues, fast food joint, and a shopping area.

People, too, do not mind shelling out almost three times the price for a ticket than in other cinema halls of the city for comfort and luxury this place offers. Ashwani Kumar, an employee, says, “We run six films a day which gives customer a wide choice. They also get value for their money and precious time as they get to eat and shop, all under one roof with their family”.

The city is yet to do a lot, as many theatres are still living in olden times. They have become jaded with their bad seats, dirty toilets, ill equipped canteens and poor screen and sound system.

Apsara, which qualifies under this slot, has ruefully no plans for change, as says Ashok Kumar, manager, “As per the need of the hour, we also understand that we will have to give our customers better facilities to remain in the competition but there is no plan as of now for renovation”.

Thankfully, many others are not willing to wait lest their business should deteriorate. Informs Ashok, manager of Hari cinema, “We have taken approval for the opening an eating joint and a shopping complex on the ground floor whereas the cinema hall would be on the first floor. The work will also start soon”.

Shakuntala cinema hall already possesses a bar-cum-restaurant, but they have sensed the need to have much more to remain attuned with the times. Says Tarsem Sharma, manager, “The next month, we are getting ahead with our mega project for better seats, AC hall and shopping complex on the lines of PVR cinema chain. The project hopefully will be completed by the yearend.” He nods in agreement that time has come to give customer the best.

“People have good spending power, and they are ready to spend extra to have quality time with their family. The cinema halls in the city will have to wake up to the reality otherwise they will lose business. It also suits cinema owners that in lieu of better facilities, they would get equal good money in bargain”.

Jammu, February 10
Over the years, the “Sunday market” at the famous Raghunath Bazaar of the old city has emerged as a favourite place for shoppers at the weekend.

While regular shops in the other markets are closed on every Sunday, this market that is soon going to be developed as a heritage market by the state government remains abuzz with activity.

A stroll through the overcrowded market on Sunday offers a perfect alternative to free time. Shoppers, especially from the middle and lower middle classes, could be seen enjoying browsing the knickknacks and stuff on sale at stalls put up by the hawkers on both sides of the market.

"Bargain is your password in this market," said Rohit, a college student. "The price can come down to ridiculously low levels but it depends on how well you have mastered the art of bargaining," he averred.

The merchandise at the makeshift stalls primarily includes used garments besides other petty things of daily use.

"The key is not to display your eagerness to purchase. The more aloof and indifferent you are, the better price you will get," said Payal, another shopper.

The market has been providing potential employment to several people who work as the support staff on the working day while rest of the days they are busy with collecting their merchandise.

These shopkeepers rue the entry of vehicles in the market that has been a great nuisance to the customers and commuters and is also a hindrance to their business. "The entry of vehicles must be banned in this market," they say.

Jammu, February 10
The Ranbir canal and its tributaries, which are the main source of irrigation in different rural areas of the city, have turned into an open sewer.

The people who reside nearby are using the tributaries, which pass through different localities like Satwari, Digiana, Nai Basti, Bohri and Talab Tillo, for dumping garbage. These always remain choked with thousands of polythene bags, waste material, earthenwares and other material. Women wash clothes on their banks while shopkeepers also throw waste into these.

A resident of Bohri, Sham Rani said, "Every year lakhs of rupees are being spent for the clearance of silt from these for the free flow of water for irrigation purposes. Silt cleared from the canal and the tributaries is thrown on their banks and during the rainy season, this silt again flows back into these."

"The officers and engineers of the Irrigation Department are equally responsible for the unhygienic conditions as they have not cleaned the silt and garbage accumulated on the bed of the canal for the past several months," said Mohan Krishan, a resident of Gangyal.

Expressing helplessness, the Chief Engineer, Irrigation Department, Daleep Bakshi said, "People throw garbage into these canals and the accumulated silt creates obstacles in the free flow of water."

"We usually hold the desilting exercise from January to March, but this time these canals are still wet and till these becomes dry completely, we could not lift garbage from these." He said even labourers refused to lift garbage from the canal as the water of the septic tanks has also started going into the canal and the tributaries. However, he assured that these canals would be made garbage-free within a month.

Municipal Commissioner Parshotam Kumar Sharma expressed ignorance about it and said these canals would be cleared soon by safai karamcharis of the corporation.

Jammu, February 10
The misuse of “press” stickers is so widespread in Jammu that almost every third vehicle has “press” written on its windscreen or number plate.

Majority of the law violators use such stickers so as to evade the police and traffic authorities. The law-enforcing agencies here have turned mute spectators to the misuse of this privilege as these stickers can be found not only on personal vehicles but also on various passenger vehicles. The police says whenever they find a vehicle with a “press” sticker, they are hesitant to stop the vehicle for questioning as they are not aware that the owner of the vehicle is a genuine journalist or not.

"We know that the majority of people who have pasted the sticker on their vehicle are not genuine journalists. Even many of them are not associated with any of the media house, but in order to evade the law they take advantage of the privilege," a senior police officer says. He adds, “Many times we have found that people misuse these stickers to carry out some illegal activities. Such people also use tinted films on the windowpanes of their vehicle”.

Journalists in Jammu are also concerned about the gross misuse of the “press” stickers on vehicles by people not associated with the media.

“People associated with the media are reluctant to use ‘press’ stickers on their vehicles as everybody in the town uses it," says a senior journalist here. He adds, "We took up the issue a couple of times with the law-enforcing agencies, but to no avail”.

He rues that even the load carriers in the city resort to the misuse of these stickers and many private vehicles have pasted stickers to show that the vehicle belongs to a media house. To check the menace, the information department of the state earlier issued special “press” labels to accredited journalists. Many working journalists in the region blame small newspapers of the state for all the mess.

"Owners of some small newspapers that don't even exist resort to selling their identity cards to non-professionals, who misuse these stickers,” says a police officer.

He says, “This has become a nuisance and the information department should come forward to help us eradicate the menace”.

The misuse can also be a security threat as a few years ago militants with vehicle having “press” sticker had attacked the Doordarshan Kendra in Srinagar.

Udhampur, February 10
Decision of the Centre to open 18 new polytechnics and 11 new degree colleges in the state has opened a pandora box, as each and every politician has been vociferously raising demand for setting up these in their respective areas.

Instead of taking into account the requirement of educationally backward, politicians have been working overtime to take political mileage of the educational sector.

Although, it is all due to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry that has given approval for opening up of these institutions, this decision has put the new dispensation in a fix. It is really a difficult task for the authorities to select places for opening up of these under so much political pressure. Even as they are yet to take final decision on the places, politicians have started giving threats to the government against ignoring their respective areas.

In the state, education has been totally politicised during the last few years. In the previous government’s regime also, the development of education sector was to reap the political benefit in the elections. While as majority of the schools were upgraded in the home constituencies of the ministers, the degree colleges were also opened under political consideration. This time also politicians of the new ruling coalition have been trying to get political mileage of the decision of the Union Government.

As soon as the Centre approved the new degree and polytechnic colleges, politicians stepped up aggressive campaigns. While as the Congress leaders of Doda have been loudly demanding opening them at Thathri, party leaders from Udhampur have also been strongly demanding them at Majalata and Chenani.

For the last one week, the Congress leaders have been repeatedly raising demands for opening up of the degree college at Thathri, which is the centre place between Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar.

Interestingly, like previous regime, the new government has not constituted any committee of experts to identify places for opening them yet. It is widely believed that the new educational institutes would be opened at the behest of the politicians and needed areas would be neglected again.

The Centre has approved 18 new polytechnic colleges for the state with a central assistance of Rs 12 crore each. Furthermore, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry has also given its approval for setting up of the 11 new colleges in the educationally backward areas of the state as well as expediting establishment of a central university.

Jammu, February 10
With an objective to educate, aware and motivate farmers towards cash crops, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in the state is going to celebrate March 2 as vegetable day.

On the occasion free literature regarding cultivation, preservation and better production of cash crops would be distributed among farmers free of cost. Horticulture Technological Mission, ICAR, New Delhi are sponsoring the event.

“The event would be marked by farmer-scientist interactions to address the queries of farming community,” said head of the Vegetable Sciences and Floriculture Department, SKUAST, Jag Paul Sharma.

Free small kits of quality seeds and test samples of the vegetable seedlings would be given to progressive farmers, who get registered with the SKUAST on or before February 25, he said.

Sharma said it is a part of initiatives undertaken by the SKUAST to develop the area as commercial enterprise of the several crops that could establish brand of their own in the market by winning over the faith of the consumers.

Progressive farmers would be taught about integrated nutrient management techniques for balanced use of organic and chemical fertilisers, he said and added, “We have been motivating farmers to form self-help groups so that special zones could be carved out for different crops.”

On the eve of the vegetable day, farmers would be given saplings of cucumber, bottleguard, chili and okra, while in flowers, saplings of gladious and marigold would be given, he said. The growers would also be educated about seed preparation of the same.

He informed that the SKUAST has also plan up its sleeves to promote kitchen gardening in the urban pockets. “People from urban areas would be distributed literature and saplings on the nominal costs,” he said. Sharma said, “Such programmes would be organised in future also to strengthen farmer-scientist linkage for creating employment avenues in the olericulture and floriculture, keeping in view the climatic conditions and soil quality of the area.