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No check on illegal private buses
Uniform code only for girls in Jammu colleges
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April rains to bring cheers to valley farmers
Campaign against polythene gains momentum
Mendhar residents rue poor roads, drainage system
Building authority clears 71 cases
State to have another golf course
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No check on illegal private buses
Jammu, April 10 The main bus stand of the city has been reduced to a mockery as the Banihal Cart (BC) road where private buses operate illegally, has been turned into a parallel bus stand. These private buses which pick passengers for Poonch, Banihal, Chamb, Doda, Katra Srinagar, and also outside the state for Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Rajasthan, are not permitted to pick individual passengers, but they are doing it openly and indiscriminately. Not only this, their operation is expanding beyond the BC road, as they now operate from KC Chowk, Jeeval Chowk, Gujjar Naggar and Indira Chowk. Regional transport officer Ramesh Chander Sharma puts the onus on the traffic police saying, “We have two-three inspectors whereas the traffic police has hundreds of men to check these irregularities”. He refuted the common knowledge that the private buses operate without permits. For the expansion of mafia of private bus operators, he assured of putting a check on them. The brazenness of these operators can be gauzed from the fact that they send their agents inside the General Bus Stand to lure the passengers waiting for the buses. The private buses leave with the passengers as soon as they get full occupancy. Not only this, they also offer lesser fare than the one fixed by SRTC. Since these private operators do not have permits, they escape paying tax and manage to make huge profit even after charging lesser fare from the commuters. The passengers who are the real beneficiaries also get the facility of travelling in private buses, which are in better form. But in the entire bargain, the SRTC is bearing huge losses, running into several corers with approximately losing Rs 1.5 lakh everyday. Jagdish Verma, traffic manager, SRTC, said, “Several times, bus operators of the SRTC had serious fights with private agents. But the problem still persists. The passengers from faraway villages, who sleep at the bus stand to board buses early morning, are shooed away by the traffic police and then agents hook these people. This shows how the traffic police and private bus operators are hand in glove with each other.” Amrik Singh, president of the SRTC Employees Association, said, “The JDA earns huge revenue from the General Bus Stand, but private bus operators pay nothing. If the work of the private operators is streamlined by levying proper parking fee and taxes, the state exchequer can earn crores. The SRTC, which has not paid salaries and PF to its 45,000 employees due to losses, will also be able to run efficiently”. Traffic snarls are also a common sight on this stretch of the national highway where the road gets blocked with private buses, operators and passengers. As a result, buses from other states drop passengers on the road rather than at the bus stand.Outsiders do not know about the actual location of the bus stand and board private buses. |
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Uniform code only for girls in Jammu colleges
Jammu, April 10 In Jammu colleges, uniform is prescribed for girls only and boys are left out of this purview. The thing which makes the concept more interesting and unique is that in one college, students wear uniform of two colours. The uniform codes prescribed for unmarried, engaged and married girls are different in women’s colleges in Jammu. Unmarried girls are directed to wear white dress, engaged girls to wear white suit and pink dupatta, while married girls wear full pink colour dress. Sunita Kaur, a girl in pink dress, was quite uncomfortable with her uniform. She said, “Prescription of the uniform code in colleges is a good step taken by the authorities but engaged and married girls should be left out of this purview.” The majority of the girl students hold the view that they are clothed in white because of gender prejudice. Male domination of the society is held responsible for not allowing girl students to be as free in choosing the type of clothes they want to wear even at the college level, while male students are given the liberty to do so. Lovely Bhau, another student, said rules and regulations were always made for girls because girls always obey the orders whereas boys do not care so much for it. Summer Pandita, student of boy’s college, said the uniform code should be made compulsory for boys as well. Asking a question from the authorities, Karuna Kaul, college student, said, “Uniform is prescribed for both boys and girls by all schools up to the secondary level only. Why uniform is continued beyond the secondary level of education in our state for girls alone?” However, in the rest of India uniform is not prescribed for college-going students. Society is divided on the prescription of uniform for girls only in Jammu colleges. Some describe this discriminatory prescription as gender prejudice of the male-dominated society, while others approve of it as according to them it eliminates demonstration of status divisions among the girl students in colleges. They feel that if the uniform is not prescribed for the girl students, wearing costly dresses by some students would have a negative impact on the personality of other students coming from
economically weaker sections of the society. Savitri Sharma, principal, Women’s College, Parade, said recommendation of uniform code for girls was a good decision taken by the authorities but there should be uniform code prescribed for boys, too. She further said uniform was necessary for students as it makes their identification and differentiate college students from the rest of society. It also helps to maintain equality among students and prevent the chances of class distinctions among them, said Sharma. While, Prof. Tabasoom Ara of the same college said uniform should be made mandatory for boys also. She said, “Uniform depicts the culture of the state and we have rich culture, so we should preserve our culture instead of obtaining the trend of other colleges of the rest of India.” Adding, she said, “We should make trend of the uniform code for collegegoing students so strong that outsiders should adopt our culture.” When contacted, director, colleges, ND Wani, could not give a satisfactory reply for prescribing uniform only for girls and not boys. However, he said a decision would be taken in this regard soon. |
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Computer education for nomad children
Jammu, April 10 The aim of these mobile schools is to provide basic education to the children of this backward community. Now, some of these mobile schools have been provided with laptops and computer teachers under an experiment by Jammu University to provide computer education to the nomad children. “These children got excited on seeing a laptop, as majority of them have never been to a city and saw such a gadget for the first time,” said Mohammad Abas. “The students who never used to attend their classes now come regularly as they love to work on laptops. Here, they not only learn basic computers, but also show interest in their subjects,” Abas said, adding, “They love painting, enjoy slideshows and do typing. The children enjoy every part of it”. “I write my name, do painting and even learn how to play games on this computer (laptop),” said eight-year-old Ashiq Hussain, a student of one such mobile school. The mobile schools have been running in the remotest areas of Jammu where these nomad tribes camp for some time, but with the introduction of computer education in their syllabus these students are enjoying studying like never before. The parents are also elated. “This is a good initiative taken by the government. We encourage our children to go and attend such schools. This type of education was not there during our time and we remained illiterate, but now our children have the opportunity we must not miss it.” said Kaleem Ullah, a nomad Gujjar. |
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April rains to bring cheers to valley farmers
Srinagar, April 10 Abdul Majid, joint director, agriculture, said not only apple orchards, the backbone of Kashmir’s horticulture, but also the standing crops of mustard and wheat, which is confined to a few pockets here, would benefit from rains. “It’s a good news for farmers everywhere in the valley,” he said. The main reason for the opposite effect of the rains on the wheat crop here, which grows in areas like Charar-e-Sharif, Handwara and Teetwal, compared to places like Punjab, is their late harvesting. Farmers would start harvesting wheat here in June. Mustard, which is grown on a bigger scale in the valley, would also benefit but Majid warned the farmers that they should not allow waterlogging in their farms. The one fruit that could have adverse impact is almond. He said almond trees were in the stage of blossoming and the rains for the past 10 days might have hit them. Local farmers echoed similar views. Ghulam Rasool, an apple grower in Sopore (also known as apple town for its huge production of apples), said rains had come at the right time for them. The trees were sprouting after autumn and the rains would help the process, he said. “We do not have had so much rain during this time for several seasons. We are expecting a boost in the quality as well as the quantity of apples,” he said. Another benefit of the intermittent rains, which started in March end, is the likely increase in the water table, which has been consistently going down due to the fall in precipitation over the years. Meanwhile, rains continue to lash the summer capital for the past couple of days. TK Jotshi, a top official in the met department, said rainy weather would remain but clouds would clear up from Thursday. “We are under the effect of western disturbances but things would improve from Thursday,” he said. Due to the rainfall, April has been largely colder than the previous month and many people could be seen moving around with traditional kangris to keep themselves warm. |
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Residents divided over plan on sanctuary
Lachipora-Uri, April 10 Opinion is divided among residents of Lachipora A and Lachipora B with the former supporting the plan and the latter opposing it. The wildlife sanctuary is located near the Line of Control (LoC). The proposed national park would include areas from Naganari and would comprise the Limber Wildlife Sanctuary. In June 2007, the sanctuary was handed over by the Forest Department to the Wildlife Department. Apart from gorai, cheer pheasant, koklas, musk deer, black bear, brown bear, snow cock, leopard cat and leopard, the wildlife sanctuary is rich in markhor (a goat- type wild animal) population. “Lachipora is rich in markhors. As per the census, there are 270 markhors, but as per our counting there are 370,” said two guards at the wildlife sanctuary, Abdul Qayoom and Ghulam Mohammad Lone. “Compared to male markhor, the female has short horns. The male markhor has three or four curves in its horns and each curve is 50-70 inches. The weight of the male markhor ranges between 100-150 kg while the female markhor weighs between 40-50 kg,” said Qayoom. Regarding musk deer, the wildlife guards said they did not leave their space easily. “Their droppings would not be found everywhere but they do it selectively and not within their living place”. The sanctuary is rich in flora and fauna. “I have heard from my forefathers that sungal (a herb) is used for treating cancer. Many herbs and wild vegetation grow in abundance here,” said Lone. Being close to the LoC, the wildlife officials do not visit the entire sanctuary. “We don’t move ahead of the areas falling below the Nilsar post. This is the second time we are visiting this place,” the guards said. Even entry to this sanctuary is subject to cumbersome procedures adopted by the Maratha Regiment. Natives of the place carry border cards issued by the Regiment. Outsiders have to get registered at the camp before venturing inside. Lachipora comprises Loolosa (Reshwari), Bijhama, Gawaspati, Gyarnallah, Braripora, Mukampera, Khatel Hillpatri and Daznapati villages. The kuccha road leads to certain villages and most of the areas are non-motorable. “Unemployment is a glaring issue here. People mostly work as labourers and cultivate maize and walnut,” said Mohammad Riyaz, a local. He said it was generally the old generation that opposed the coming up of the proposed national park, as they believed that the wild animals would move about freely.As a result, they would not be allowed to move to the forests. “Since they have to take livestock to the forests for grazing, they believe it would be stopped once it is declared as part of the national park,” said Riyaz. Regarding the development aspects, a group of youth at Lachipora said: “Education among girls is becoming popular now. We have a dispensary in the area, but no doctor is available. |
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Campaign against polythene gains momentum
Srinagar, April 10 These views were expressed at a rally attended by hundreds of citizens, students of Kashmir University, colleges and other educational institutions at Nigeen Lake here, recently. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation
(NLCO) had jointly organised the rally to keep the Dal and the Nigeen polythene-free zone. The programme to clean the
Nigeen, linked to the Dal, was organised as part of the drive by various government agencies and NGOs against the use of polythene. These agencies include the State Pollution Control Board, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), and the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority
(LAWDA) in the forefront, apart from some NGOs like the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation
(NLCO). During the first seven days of the drive against polythene menace, at least 1,000 tonnes of polythene was taken out from the lake and its periphery with the joint efforts of the SMC and the
NLCO, the meeting was told. Scientists and experts revealed that some of the springs that had choked due to polythene layers had been cleared as a result of the drive. Speaking on the occasion, principal secretary to Chief Minister Khurshid Ahmad Ganai appreciated the endeavours of the government and the NGOs and held that the drive against polythene could be possible only with the help of people’s participation and their willingness to adopt alternate methods by replacing polythene that needs to be introduced swiftly. Lauding the efforts taken by the SMC, the Tourism Administration,
LAWDA, PCB and other NGOs, the principal secretary said every possible help would be extended by the government to make the state polythene free. He hoped that small wings would make a big victory against polythene adding that the time has come when the menace should be put to an end. He said the Dal was the lifeline of the valley and every effort needed to be taken to restore its originality and grandeur. In the context, he said LAWDA was making sincere efforts to make the main water bodies free of pollution and encroachments. Commissioner, SMC, stressed the need to ensure that polythene did not come to
Srinagar. He said presidents of all NGOs would be a part of the Citizens Council to ensure that anti-polythene drive was launched in a big way. Referring to the failure of the previous ban on polythene, which had been put in place by the SMC, he said it was because there were no alternatives available. Polythene could not be banned successfully until and unless there were alternatives available. Prof. Syed
Fayaz, registrar of Kashmir University, who was representing the university at the function, said the Dal and the Nigeen “are our neighbours and we will extend all support to help save them”. |
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Mendhar residents rue poor roads, drainage system
Mendhar (Poonch), April 10 “We don’t remember last time when these roads were repaired. You see for yourself the condition of the roads. These roads are even worse than the village roads in rest of the country. It’s quite a nightmarish experience to travel in the town in a vehicle due to the dilapidated condition of the roads,” locals complained. “Due to the poor drainage system, water enters into the houses and shops of the people during the rainy season, resulting in huge losses”, said Sanjeev Bali, who runs a shop in the main town. “On several occasions, we brought the matter to the notice of the tehsil administration and the Roads and the Buildings Department but they simply start blaming each other,” he added. Locals further said the areas where water enters the houses and shops include the Muhalla Sarafa, Muhalla Bali and the main market area. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Mendhar, TK Bhat said, “The tehsil administration has nothing to do with the upkeep of the roads in the town. It is the Roads and Buildings Department that looks after the maintenance and construction
of the roads”. |
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Building authority clears 71 cases
Jammu, April 10 The meetings are conducted to clear the building permission cases promptly and avoid any backlog for the facilitation of the general public. Talking to The Tribune, municipal commissioner Mubarak Singh said: “The meetings are also conducted with a view to putting an end to illegal constructions in the city.” He said that in the previous meeting of the corporation, around 95 cases of BOCA were discussed in which 71 cases were approved for the construction of buildings. All the cases are discussed in the presence of members of the corporation, the public health engineering department, the power development department, the sewerage and drainage and town planning organisation. The corporation charged Rs 3 per square feet for residential construction and Rs 25 per square feet for commercial construction as building fee. Singh said all cases entertained by the corporation under the BOCA were of different nature. Expressing disappointment over the coming up of various illegal colonies and constructions in the city, Singh said the corporation could not remove all illegal constructions overnight, but was still removing these rapidly. The commissioner appealed to people to seek permission for construction of buildings as per the norms to avoid action. |
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State to have another golf course
Come June and Jammu will get its first civil golf course. The winter capital of the state would be able to enjoy the sports facility more than a century after its summer counterpart, Srinagar. And that would effectively give it a pride of place as a state with round- the- year golfing.
The Jammu Golf Course set among the Shivalik foothills in the Tawi basin was taken in hand two years ago. Expected to cost about Rs 22 crore, the course, according to Tanveer Jehan, secretary, Tourism, would have its first 9-hole phase ready by the end of June. Golf came to Kashmir way back in the nineteenth century when British officers set their summer camps in Gulmarg. It was only the second golf course in their Indian empire after the Calcutta Golf Club. Srinagar Golf club was established later in 1903 in the then Residency area next to the city’s fabled Polo Ground. Though polo is dead now in this part of the world, except in Ladakh, the Polo Ground survives in parts, as a football field, a park, a PSC office complex and a mosque. The state tourism department is currently upgrading the golf courses at Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Tanveer Jehan expects these facilities to be reopened for golfers by September this year. The courses, according to her, will now be modernised facilities of global standards that could attract golfers from around the country. “In fact, Pahalgam is being developed as a golf resort in accordance with global trends and the Centre has already approved a scheme for the purpose”, she adds. J&K will, with the completion of new and upgraded facilities, have six small and large courses. The Jammu province recently got a highland 9-hole course at Sanasar, a meadow near the well-known hill resort of Patni Top. But the flagship remains the Royal Spring Golf Course(RSGC) in Srinagar. Rated as the best in the country, the course on the banks of the Dal Lake and set in a wild life reserve has become an icon of excellence. Golf, as the state tourism department plans, could become a vehicle for promotion of tourism. This time of the year could, however, be the best that money could buy in Kashmir for golfers, as the new landmark, Tulip Garden with a million flowers is in full bloom. And, it is next door to the RSGC. According to director, tourism, Farooq Shah who is also the secretary of the RSGC, his department now offers upmarket lodging facility on the course itself. There is a chance you could even spot a black bear from the balcony of a spruced up heritage house on the course should one choose to stay there. |
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Rain makes life difficult
I would like to highlight the plight of residents of Bemina in Srinagar where water-logged roads and erratic power supply after heavy rain make life difficult. The potholed roads get inundated and many parts of the city have to go without power for several hours. Of what good the huge government infrastructure is if it cannot solve problems like these during heavy rain. If this is the state of affairs in Srinagar, the state’s summer capital, then one can imagine the situation in the hinterland. The new state government which has promised to raise the standard of infrastructure should take immediate steps to solve the problems. Mukhtar Wani Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words, at jk@tribunemail.com or write in at: Letters, J&K Plus, The Tribune,
Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030. |
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