Jammu, February 17
Even as government employees today struck work for the second consecutive day seeking the implementation of the Sixth Pay Panel report, the 30-member committee of the Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) and the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held a meeting to decide their future course of action.

However, amid speculation of an indefinite strike, the employee leaders said they would make an announcement regarding it in tomorrow’s rally on the Exhibition Ground here.

Talking to the Tribune, employee leader Gafoor Ahmed Dar said, “We will announce our future strategy in tomorrow’s public rally.”

Meanwhile, the employees continued with their agitation today and took out protest rallies and raised slogans in support of their demands.

Health care services remained paralysed for the second consecutive day, as OPDs at the Government Medical College and Hospital and other government hospitals did not function.

On the other hand, the state government has warned the employees of action if they continued with their strike.

It may be mentioned here that the government employees have gone on strike for the third time in the past 20 days.

They had observed a one-day strike in the last week of January and again for two days just a few days ago. This time the employee bodies had given a call for three-day strike.

Meanwhile, in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, poor students of government schools are suffering the most due to the strike, as there has been no teaching in their schools despite the fact that their annual exams are due in March-April.

Students of government schools, mostly belonging to poor families, complained that for the last two days there had been no teaching in their schools due to the strike.

They added that their teachers too were observing a pen down strike and their studies were being affected when the annual examinations were nearing.

Students further said as syllabus had not been completed by the teachers, they would suffer badly if the strike prolonged.

A teacher of a government school said, “I acknowledge studies of poor students are being disturbed, but we cannot do anything. It is for the government to come up with a solution and implement the Sixth Pay Commission report to resolve the matter.”

Director (education), Jammu, Zahida Khan told the Tribune “though we are through with most of the syllabus, students are bound to suffer some loss of studies”.

Jammu, February 17
Expectation is running high among around 10,000 migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who filled in consent forms to return to their homeland in the Kashmir valley in April last year under the Prime Minister’s package for their return and rehabilitation, amid fear whether conditions are conducive.

The three families, which returned to the valley and tried to live in their homes there, had to return humiliated by people and authorities.

Yogesh Kandhari, who took voluntary retirement from Deccan Aviation to settle down in his home in the Habba Kadal area of Srinagar a year ago, returned to Jammu unhappy and dejected within a year.

His dreams got shattered when he found a part of his house and a shop encroached.

Kandhari says, “Last year, I went back to Habba Kadal with my family in a hope to spend the remaining part of my life at my birth place. But I was shocked to see a large part of my house encroached upon by my neighbour. Somebody also broke open one of my three shops and occupied it. It took me one year running from one office to another to retrieve the rights of my properties. I was able to get my house vacated, but my shop was handed over to the intruder. Aghast over the sickening attitude of people there, I returned to Jammu to find peace of mind.”

Pushkar Razdan, a retired teacher at Pulwama, has not been even that lucky. He saw his house taken over by the state police and farms invaded by local people.

He lamented, “Expensive walnut trees in my orchards were felled and stolen by some people. A 32 feet road was drawn across my fields without my permission. My house was taken over by the state police, which created a police post there after the infamous Vandhama mass killing case. The police even refused to pay me rent. Now, the matter has got stuck with the Home Ministry. Ultimately, I had to leave my home in the valley.”

Equally distraught is Triloki Nath Bhatt, a resident of Monghama, who is physically challenged with a twisted arm by birth, to see that his own people have become estranged to him.

“When I went back this year to reconstruct my ruined home in Monghama to make it worth living, I was restrained by people and the local administration. I was aghast to know that I can’t carry out construction at my place. This shows people who keep an eye on profitable properties never want us to return.” He too returned empty-handed and disheartened.

Jammu, February 17
State BJP general secretary Shamsher Singh Manhas today criticised NC-Congress government for following the “anti-Jammu policy of the previous PDP-Congress government that missed no opportunity to discriminate against Jammu people”.

Addressing a press conference here, Manhas said the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department was not implementing the government decision regarding the distribution of ration according to the official quota.

“The official quota during the previous government was 13 kg (8 kg atta and 5 kg rice) of ration per member of a family in the state. The department follows this quota in Kashmir, but in Jammu it releases only 40 per cent of atta (3 kg, 200 grams) and 33 per cent of rice (1.5 kg) only per member per family,” he said.

He said consumers were expecting some relief from the Omar government.

In its first Cabinet meeting, the government decided to distribute full quota of ration through the CAPD Department (i.e 13 kg without any cut), but the first distribution of ration after the Cabinet meeting shocked the people.

The CAPD Department affected a 33 per cent cut in atta and 18 per cent in quota of rice in case of Jammu people.

“The department did not affect a cut in case of consumers of Kashmir.” Manhas expressed surprise as to how a person could survive on 4.7 kg (3.2 kg atta + 1.5 kg rice) of ration for 30 days in a month. “Such a policy has also added to the woes of the poor, as they can’t afford to purchase atta and rice in the open market,” said Manhas.

Udhampur, February 17
Amidst allegations that ‘politically connected well-off families’ have been taking benefits of various schemes launched by the government especially for neglected lot, demand for a fresh survey to formulate genuine list of Below Poverty Line (BPL) category in remotest areas of Udhampur district has been gaining momentum.

Attending the governing body meeting of the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) to finalise a plan for the Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGYS), Congress MLA of Chenani Krishan Chand Bhagat took the issue of including well-off persons in the BPL list and said there was no use of formulating programmes for poor people unless genuine people were included in the list.

He said the programmes formulated for the uplift of poor were not reaching to deserving families as some affluent persons had been taking benefit of such schemes.

Many participants in the meeting supported views expressed by the MLA and demanded that a fresh survey of the BPL list should be conducted to include the genuine families.

In the meeting, the authorities have approved Rs 108 lakh under the SGSY for the current financial year.

As participants have raised the issue of neglecting genuine families, the District Development Commissioner (DDC) directed the departments concerned to organise an awareness campaign so that maximum number of deserving families should taken benefits of such schemes at grass-root level.

In the remotest areas of Udhampur district, it is widely alleged that families deserving to be incorporated in the BPL lists have been ignored while as some affluent political activists became beneficiaries of such schemes.

The poverty alleviation programmes have been politicised in many areas and influential people have been taking benefits of all schemes.

In some areas, families of government employees and sarpanches have been included in the BPL lists due to political pressures.

Most of the poverty alleviation schemes implemented by both state and Centre governments could not achieve expected results.

Udhampur, February 17
A team of the Sainik Welfare Department visited Reasi in connection with welfare activities being run for of ex-servicemen/widows.

Lt Col Man Singh Jamwal, Zila Sainik Welfare Officer. Udhampur, dwelt on various concessions and welfare schemes extended by the Central and state governments for ex-servicemen and widows.

He informed exservicemen and widows about the importance of joint notification for family pension and publication of Part II orders.

He also briefed them about PM’s scholarship schemes for wards of ex servicemen and widows, daughter's marriage grant, demise grant, ADLR scheme, relief to ex-J&K military personnel discharged at their own request on medical grounds and to non-pensioners.

He also highlighted the ECHS under which complete medical cover is provided to the pensioners as well as dependents.

Some routine works like issue of identity cards, medical cards, completion of DD-40 forms and relief to ex-J&K defence personnel were also done on the spot.

Col Jamwal distributed Rs 19000.00 as relief and scholarships amongst exservicemen and widows and wards of exservicemen.

Srinagar, February 17
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today visited various parts of Srinagar city and the adjoining areas to review ongoing developmental projects.

Abdullah started with the Jhelum beautification project and later inspected the upcoming buildings of a new museum complex, additional 200-bed block of Lal Ded maternity hospital, additional blocks of dental college, residential block of Haj House at Bemina, Kralpora water filtration plant, Rangil water supply scheme, Rawalpora-Tengpora and fruit mandi-bypass drains, besides other projects and issued instructions for their early completion, an official spokesperson said.

Officials said his visit was different in a way that no traffic was disrupted and there was free access to people willing to meet him.

"The Chief Minister had issued specific instructions to the divisional administration not to stop traffic while he crisscrossed the city and adjoining parts," the spokesperson said.

Abdullah visited Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam districts and took stock of various ongoing projects.

He set deadlines for completion of these projects and issued instructions to the agencies concerned to strictly adhere to the set timeframes.

Many residents were delighted as he inquired about their problems in a way that was a first for them.

"It's good to see him mingling with us as most of politicians hardly bother about us. I hope he translates his intentions into good work," Md Shamim, a resident, said.

He was accompanied by Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, Health, Horticulture and Floriculture minister Sham Lal Sharma, besides divisional commissioner Masaud Samoon and senior officers.

Abdullah also visited the near-complete new museum building at Lal Mandi which is coming up at a cost of Rs 30.74 crore.

He issued instructions to the agencies concerned to speed up work.

He also asked the department concerned to take immediate measures for protection of rare artefacts.

The prosecution, however, claimed that his presence in society would endanger peace and tranquillity but its plea was dismissed.

Jammu, February 17
The security forces today averted a major tragedy by recovering two live mortar shells from a field in Samba district.

According to police sources, two mortar shells were found by labourers during digging of a field in Samba district. The labourers informed the police in this connection.

The security forces reached the spot and recovered two RCL mortar shells that were later defused.

The police is investigating as to how the mortar shells reached the farm.

Srinagar: The security forces arrested a militant along with 2 kg of RDX, three hand grenades and three detonators in Baramulla district, official sources said on Tuesday.

The militant identified as Arshad Ahmad Malla was arrested from his house at Nihalpora village of Pattan in North Kashmir, Baramulla on Monday.

Jammu, February 17
The local Jammu Municipal Corporation here has intensified its anti-adulteration drive in the city.

Health officer KD Singh Sambyal said today that inspectors of the Health Wing of the corporation had lifted 26 samples of eatables from different areas of the city this year.

They have seized 26 samples of sweets, tea, turmeric powder, chilli powder, desi ghee, vanaspati ghee, edible oil, gur, cereals, rice, atta, iodised salt, fruit juice, sugar and cold drinks.

The officer said: “We have sent the samples to a public analyst for final report. Out of these samples we have received final result of 12 samples, in which ghee and ‘rewari’ were found highly adulterated. The final result of the remaining 14 samples are still to come.”

Challan had been lodged against defaulters by the Municipal Court of Law, he added.

Meanwhile, during these 48 days, under the Preservation of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), the corporation has lodged 120 challans against those who were found indulging in sale of adulterated food items in the market.

Jammu, February 17
The police arrested four shopkeepers and seized 36 combat dresses during raids conducted in Akhnoor, the police said today.

Four shops were raided yesterday and combat dresses and 13 pouches, being sold illegally, were seized from them in Akhnoor town, they said.

Shopowners Amit Sharma, Kewal Krishan, Ashwani Gupta and Govind Ram were arrested under section 188, RPC.

The sale of combat dresses had been banned by the Jammu DM. — PTI

Jammu, February 17
Even as the government claims to have invested thousands of crores of rupees on infrastructure, lack of basic amenities in Sangrampura village in the Marh Assembly constituency depicts a pathetic state of affairs.

The non-availability of potable water, erratic power supply, absence of urinal facility and sanitation has left villagers a harried lot.

Also the road that connects six villages, including this village, with the main road is in a bad shape.

Due to the pathetic condition of the road, villagers, particularly schoolchildren, employees and the elderly, are facing a lot of inconvenience, as they have to walk around 5 km to catch public transport.

The upper cover of this road has washed away and it is covered with wet mud. It has also developed potholes, which make commuting difficult.

Bharat Bhushan, a village resident, said, “During rainy season, the situation worsens as it becomes impossible to walk on the road. The road remains submerged for the better part of the season. We have approached the authorities several times, but they are paying no heed.”

Villagers rue that they are also facing transport problem. They say minibuses ply from Panjtirthi to the Bohri area only and do not come to this village.

“Our children fail to make it to the school in time due to lack of transport,” laments Bharat Bhushan.

The villagers also complain that they receive potable water once a week.

They allege that though pipes have been laid by the Public Health Engineering Department, they are leaking from the very first day.

“The PHE Department has provided tap connections in the village, but water is released irregularly and that too for hardly 10 minutes, forcing the villagers to dig up pumps for meeting their individual needs,” alleges Ravi Dutt Sharma, another villager.

Irregular power supply is also causing problem to the villagers.

“We receive electricity for two hours only. Our studies are affected due to it. But there is no one to listen to our woes,” says Netu Kumari, a student of Class X.

Kamni Devi, another villager, complains that in the absence of urinals they have to face a lot of embarrassment.

The irrigation canal that passes through the village has turned into a garbage dumping ground, as the villagers dump their domestic waste into it.

Meanwhile, Block Development Officer (BDO) of the area Gurmeet Kaur attributed the state of affairs to paucity of funds.

Jammu, February 17
After Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently invited India Inc to Jammu and Kashmir, it was the turn of Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora to woo Bollywood in a hope to see cameras rolling in the state abundant in scenic beauty.

Jora urged Bollywood to revive its old bonds with the state saying that the new state government will play a perfect host and extend all pssible help to facilitate shooting of their films.

A press note issued by the State Information Department said the minister was addressing FICCI Frames, 2009, one of the biggest entertainment events of Asia, in Mumbai today.

The occasion was graced by all big names of Bollywood that include Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, Ramesh Sippy, Bobby Bedi, Deepika Padukone, Poonam Dhillon and others.

Encouraged by the latest film shoot ‘Lamha’ starring Sanjay Dutt in the valley, Jora said the state government was taking all measures to make Bollywood feel at home while shooting their films in the state.

“The state is fully equipped and a perfect replacement for expensive foreign locations,” he said.