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Omar for scientific environment policy
Former MLC’s son shot at by friend
Fake driving licence racket busted, 2 held
Batote farmers seek relief
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Overloaded trucks allowed to ply, two govt officials held
Mock fire-fighting drill
Give list of Dal Lake encroachers: Speaker
Implement schemes funded by Centre: MP
Ad hoc staff to be regularised
Bapu Asaram holds discourse
Students flay police action
Bhat is PSC chairman
Legislative council byelection on Sept 15
Raise people’s issues: PDP
Four held, contraband seized
Youth held
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Omar for scientific environment policy
Srinagar, August 29 Inaugurating a three-day seminar on global warming in Leh today, the Chief Minister said the bigger involvement of people was required to address environment-related problems. “We have to look for safeguarding the green wealth of the state by all means,” he said. He added the water bodies, glaciers, forests, fauna and flora were under a threat due to man’s interference with nature. The Chief Minister said nature had bestowed its choicest blessings upon the state in the form of snow-capped mountains, flower meadows, lush green pastures, dense forests and numerous sources of fresh water. “We have to protect this wealth at all costs and encourage large scale afforestation,” he said and added that greenery was must for granary. The seminar organised by the Himalayan Club is being attended by a score of scientists, environmentalists, ecologists and experts on the subject to work out a strategy to save the heritage of the Himalayas and address the effects of global warming. Omar said, besides government departments, NGOs in the field of environment and ecology had a great role to play in creating mass awareness about the climate change. “We have to sensitise people at all levels and make them understand the ill effects of global warming, greatly caused by air pollution, depletion of ozone level, forest degradation and the receding of glaciers and water sources,” he said. Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora said the water level depletion in various areas was due to the receding of glaciers and less snow fall during winters. “Besides, air pollution and indiscriminate cutting of trees are the basic causes of global warming,” he said. Jora added people’s active participation in the protection and conservation of ecology and environment was imperative to arrest the problem. The seminar was also addressed by the Chairman, LAHDC, Leh and others. Nasir Aslam Wani, Minister of State for Tourism, and Devinder Singh Rana, political adviser to Chief Minister, also attended. The Chief Minister later inaugurated the Ladakh confluence at the banks of the Indus in Leh. |
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Former MLC’s son shot at by friend
Jammu, August 29 The police said Amandeep Singh, whose mother Deepinder Kaur is a former Member of Legislative Council (MLC), was shot at near the gate of his house by his friend Jatinder Singh, alias Raja, this evening. The bullet hit him in the abdomen. He was being operated upon in the Government Medical College here at the time of the filing of this report. The police said though the motive behind the crime was not clear, it seemed the accused had planned it. Both had a long chat in Amandeep’s drawing room before he was shot at when he came out to see off Raja at the gate. Amandeep along with two others had allegedly fired in the administrative block of Jammu University some five months ago. He was shot at in the abdomen after they had a talk and Amandeep had come out to see him off at the gate. Family sources of the victim said both were friends and Jatinder used to frequent their home. They denied any knowledge about the reason behind the incident. Amandeep had fired two rounds from his revolver on March 20 this year, injuring a student, Virinder Singh Chib, and security guard Sahil Kumaron. While fleeing, Amandeep and his associates had attacked law student Jeetu while sweeper Khursheed had also sustained a fracture in his leg in the stampede that had followed the shooting. |
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Fake driving licence racket busted, 2 held
Udhampur, August 29 Sleuth of the Crime Branch conducted simultaneous raids in different areas of the state, including Udhampur, and arrested some persons. Two youths, who worked as agents in the office of the RTO office Udhampur, were arrested by the Crime Branch sleuths from their residence. According to reports, a special team from Srinagar today conducted raids in Shakti Nagar and the Cherri Swail area of Udhmapur and apprehended two local youths for allegedly cheating a number of civilians by issuing fake driving licences, registration certificates and permits. The two accused have been identified as Neeraj Jamwal, a resident of Shakti Nagar, and Naresh Kumar, a resident of Cherri Swail. Both were booked under sections 468,471,120 of the RPC at Kud police station for cheating, forgery and conspiracy. Reports added based on complaints received from several persons, including drivers, the Crime Branch registered a case against the duo and nabbed them from Udhampur today. |
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Batote farmers seek relief
Batote (Ramban), August 29 Being a hilly area, maize is the only crop that grows in this belt. Over 5,000 kanals of agriculture land in this area solely depend upon natural resources for irrigation facilities. “On the one hand, rains this year have been negligible, on the other water in the natural resources is also depleting due to unprecedented heat this time,” observed Mohammad Amin, a resident of Batote, while pointing towards his fields. He said not only maize crop but also the growth of vegetables had been affected due to the non-availability of water. “Our crops solely depend upon rain and water from natural resources like springs for irrigation,” said Vikram Singh, a vegetable farmer. Vikram said, “If present situation continues for a month or longer there would be a severe crisis for drinking water.” The maize of Batote is famous all over the state for its sweetness and this crop is the only source of income for a large number of families. Though Batote is usually considered as a business centre due to its geographical location, a majority of its population is dependant upon agriculture. |
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Overloaded trucks allowed to ply, two govt officials held
Srinagar, August 29 These officials allowed the overloaded trucks to pass the Sonmarg check post to move to the Ladakh region, causing losses to the tune of crores of rupees to the state exchequer. The state was reportedly suffering a loss of Rs 1 crore per month. Official sources said they received information that a large number of trucks overloaded with essential commodities and other goods were being allowed to cross the Sonmarg check post to move towards Kargil and Leh by the MVD officials in league with other agencies concerned for bribes. “Officials were taking bribes to allow overloaded trucks to pass and causing a huge loss to the state exchequer,” a statement said. A team from the Crime Branch, Kashmir, was posted near the Sonmarg check post on August 24 and it intercepted 46 trucks that had crossed the check post after a routine check conducted by the MVD officials and other agencies concerned. Out of the 46 trucks, 34 trucks were found overloaded to the extent of 90 quintals each. It may be appropriate to mention here that the permissible load for a truck heading for Kargil and Leh had been fixed at the rate of eight tonnes. The trucks were checked by the Crime Branch officials. By allowing the overloaded trucks to ply towards Kargil and Leh, the MVD officials had caused a loss of Rs 3.2 lakh to the state exchequer by not imposing a fine on the drivers of 34 overloaded trucks. |
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Striking SRTC staff threaten to rope in families
Jammu, August 29 The employees have not been paid salary for four months. They are demanding salaries as per the Sixth Pay Commission, CP/GP fund pending for the past 10 years, and promotion for lower grade employees, which again are pending for a decade. Ashok Mehra, president of the SRTC Employees Union, Jammu province, said if the government did not agree to pay them their dues by Monday, they would be forced to come on the roads with their families. He also demanded the payment of all pending dues and promotions. Anup Kannaw, MD, SRTC, accused the employees of making the situation worse for the heavy loss-making SRTC by going on long strikes after every short interval. The employees had also gone on strike on August 6 for four days. Kannaw stressed that “I had asked them not to go on strike till the Assembly session was over and the Budget comes into application. I had also offered them one month salary before the Budget and of two months after that, but they rejected the offer.” He said the SRTC incurred a loss of Rs 25 lakh during the each day of strike. The total loss was Rs 20 crore last year when the employees did not work for 105 days due to the strike. “The state government has allocated Rs 13 crore to the SRTC. Out of which Rs 5.5 crore have already been taken in advance for paying salaries. With the remaining Rs 8.5 crore, one more instalment of salary amounting to Rs 3.5 crore can be paid, and this amount as per the Sixth Pay Commission will be Rs 5.5 crore. So even the budgetary allocation will be not of much help if the employees do not earn revenue,” said Kannaw. His plan to reduce the number of surplus employees through VRS/GHS has also hit roadblocks. Kannaw said he was trying to augment revenue by bringing in a fleet of 150 buses, but until the employees help him all efforts would be in vain. His last option would be to declare the SRTC bankrupt. |
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Mock fire-fighting drill
Srinagar, August 29 The mock exercise was conducted to train people about the situation arising out of accidental fire. The exercise was based on different scenarios wherein the employees and volunteers from the Fire and Emergency Services, Kashmir, and the Civil Defence, respectively, doused the flames and rescued people trapped inside. Certain loopholes and drawbacks of the exercise were discussed at a later stage. The drill was conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Management and Public Administration (IMPA), Civil Defence and the Fire and Emergency Services, Kashmir, under the Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Project of the UNDP. Abdul Gaffar and Aiyaz Khan, instructors from the Civil Defence, offered tips to participants about how to use different fire extinguishers. “We can train people about rescue operations, handling fire extinguishers and applying first aid if they approach us,” says Gaffar and Khan, while interacting with a group of people. “Our purpose is to make people aware and we want to improve on our shortcomings,” says Aamir Ali, in charge of Disaster Management Kashmir and OSD in the office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. He added that “today’s programme is exclusively for employees here.” Ali said, “Even those who are at the helm of affairs aren’t aware about the use of fire extinguishers and other available remedies. The mere installation of fire extinguishers does not solve the problem. People should know how to operate them.” Prof GM Dar, Head Disaster Management, IMPA, said small things matter. “Precautions and preparedness are vital. We don’t want to create fear psychosis among masses, but we want to educate them over such vital issues.” He asked people to follow certain guidelines so as to minimise the effect of any disaster. |
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Give list of Dal Lake encroachers: Speaker
Srinagar, August 29 Taking up the issue during question hour, NC member Mir Saifullah sought to know the details on the encroachments and particulars of the encroachers as also steps taken to evict them and targets achieved so far. He sought the details of measures taken by the government to shift the resident population from the lake area. In all eight members from the NC and the PDP aired their concern over the issue. Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone, sharing the concern of the members, directed the government to furnish a list of the encroachers on the Dal Lake to all the members of the House. He said the preservation of Dal was a common concern and government should take every effort in this regard. In his written reply, the Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, who holds the charge of Housing and Urban Development Department stated that the Dal was Kashmir’s identity. He assured the House that government would take all necessary measures to restore its pristine glory. He said the total area of the Dal including Nigeen Lake was 39,908 kanals and 8 marlas which included water body 31,766 kanals and 2 marlas and land mass 8,142 kanals and 6 marlas as per old unrevised data. The total area encroached included 2,201 kanals on account of Radhs/Reeds, out of which encroachment on 2,201 kanals on Radhs and 40 kanals due to change of soil had been removed. |
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Implement schemes funded by Centre: MP
Udhampur, August 29 Speaking at an officers-public meet to address the grievances of the people of Udhampur district here yesterday, Lal Singh said officers of various departments should put in their sincere efforts in educating the public, especially the rural masses, about different centrally sponsored schemes of their respective departments so that they could reap the optimum benefits out of these schemes. He asked the farming community to adopt diversified agricultural practices for their economic uplift. For the purpose, the Centre has already kept provisions under agriculture and horticulture sectors, Lal Singh called upon farmers to come forward to substantiate their income by growing vegetables and fruits in potential areas of the district. The problems and demands put forth by the representatives of public included fresh survey of BPL beneficiaries, drinking water and power supply in left out morhas, filling of vacant posts of doctors, teachers in health and educational institutions, creation of employment avenues, early completion of the Roun Domail-Ramnagar road, rotation-wise transfers of teachers and development of Devika site from Udhampur to Nainsoo. |
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Ad hoc staff to be regularised
Srinagar, August 29 This decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, an official spokesman said. He said the Cabinet also approved the implementation of the New Pension Scheme for government employees and the revision of wages in favour of daily wage employees. The revision of pay scales of faculty members of the SKIMS and formulation of pay rules was also approved by the Cabinet besides approving revision of pay scales of teaching faculty of government degree colleges. The creation of posts in different departments in the newly created districts was also approved by the Cabinet in addition to the approval given for the introduction of three Bills in the Legislative Assembly. |
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Bapu Asaram holds discourse
Jammu, August 29 Bapu Asaram while giving the discourse said: “Despite having undergone so many births and deaths, we are still there. So we are constant, conscious, personified, eternal and deathless. Due to ignorance, we have come to accept the present body, its actions and behaviour as real. God’s will is that we should realise him and get liberated.” He said “Nothing can be equated to Lord Shri Hari in this mundane world; no religion has an equation with divine love. But at the same time, there is no well wisher so great as “Guru” and no holy book as sacred and venerable as “Geeta”. |
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Students flay police action
Udhampur, August 29 Addressing a joint press conference here today, Jyoti Sharma, Simranjeet Kour, Monica Sharma and Arushi Sharma alleged that cops deployed outside their college had been harassing the students and threatening them against participating in the agitation. “The agitation is a battle against discrimination and injustice and we will fight it with determination,” she said and cautioned the authorities against adopting oppressive measures to stifle genuine voice of the students. Student leaders said their college had been turned into police colony and the cops deployed outside the main entrance were ‘harassing’ women students. |
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Bhat is PSC chairman
Srinagar, August 29 The State Cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah approved the appointment, an official spokesman said. Divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Masood Samoon and secretary of the CAPD KB Jandialhave would be members of the commission. |
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Legislative council byelection on Sept 15
Srinagar, August 29 The election will be held on September 15. The forms of nomination paper may be obtained at the offices of the secretary state Legislative Assembly or deputy secretary of the Assembly from August 29 to September 4. Nomination papers may be submitted to the offices of the secretary or deputy secretary of the Assembly before September 4. |
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Raise people’s issues: PDP
Jammu, August 29 Addressing a meeting of the senior workers of the party, the party leaders called upon the cadre to take the message of the party to every part of the region. |
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Four held, contraband seized
Jammu, August 29 The women belonged to Punjab and were allegedly smuggling contraband from Kashmir Valley to Punjab. The police headed by SHO Naveen Angral had set up a special naka at Jhajjar Kotli and nabbed the women who were travelling in a taxi. The arrested women were later identified as Sonu, Dillo, Indira and Paramjeet — all residents of Jasowal village in district Nawashehar of Punjab. |
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Youth held
Jammu, August 29 Hardeep Singh of Digiana Camp, Gangyal is a first-year student in Government MAM College. DIG Farooq Khan today said a scooter, mobike and some ATM cards have been seized from him. “Hardeep sold gold chains to Gagandeep Singh of Krishnanagar Basti, Miran Sahib. We have also arrested Gagan and recovered the chains from him,” the DIG said. Hardeep recently snatched a purse from a woman from Trikuta Nagar and used her ATM card to withdraw Rs 12,000 from the PNB at Digiana.
— TNS |
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