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SRTC stir costs govt Rs 7.5 cr
Urbanisation gobbling up farmland in Kashmir valley
Tents on roadside a nuisance for residents
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Honesty is a virtue for this cop
NREGA fails to benefit villagers
Amandeep murder case
Trade fair a big draw
Bear panic in Poonch
Minister focuses on horticulture
Staff crunch hits Centre for Ambedkar Studies
srinagar diary
Panic in Sainik Colony over spate of thefts
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SRTC stir costs govt Rs 7.5 cr
Jammu, October 2 While the employees are not backtracking from their "genuine" demands, asking for implementation of the agreement reached on March 24, 2008, the government too does not seem to show a conciliatory attitude to end the impasse. There are 4316 employees in all working with the SRTC, who have been on strike for the past over five weeks due to the non-payment of their salaries for the past five months. "The then transport minister had accepted our demands, including regular salaries, regularisation of the consolidated employees, crediting our GP and CP fund being deducted from our salaries for the past 10 years and the constitution of a departmental promotional committee," Ashok Mehra, president of the SRTC Employees Union, said. Meanwhile, Farooq Kanna said the government did not have enough funds to fulfil these "On Eid the government offered them four-month salary but they rejected the offer. The issue has been taken up with the government, but we don't have enough money to pay them in one instalment." The employees are ready to accept two months' salary as per the previous slab but want the remaining three months' wages in accordance with the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. As per the previous salary slab, the government has to spend Rs 3.5 crore on the salaries of employees of a loss-making corporation but after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the burden will increase to Rs 5.5 crore. |
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Urbanisation gobbling up farmland in Kashmir valley
Srinagar, October 2 "Despite poor rains this year, we have a good crop and thanks to Allah, my family has enough to suffice till the next paddy crop is sown," said Abdul Salam Rather, a farmer in north Kashmir's Ganderbal district. Some farmers in many north Kashmir areas like Handwara, Kupwara and some south Kashmir villages have not been so fortunate as hailstorms have destroyed most of their crops and fruit produce. "Windstorms and hailstorms have destroyed our paddy crop and also damaged fruit produce in the area. The government is now preparing estimates of loss for compensation so that we don't face starvation," Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a farmer living in north Kashmir's Handwara area, told IANS. But the majority of farmers and fruit growers in the valley are not stricken with the vagaries of nature. The farmers are busy reaping, thrashing and collecting grain for the family and fodder for the cattle. "It is said that a farmer stakes all his fortune when he sows the crop. The result is always in the hands of Allah. Everything has to go well before the crop is harvested and that is why we always spare a part of our produce for thanksgiving to the Almighty," said Habibullah Mir, another farmer living in the Mirgund area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Despite the vast countryside with agricultural land holdings, the cultivable land in the valley is shrinking as horizontal expansion of cities and towns is taking a serious toll on the cultivable land because of constructions. "There is a blanket ban on constructions on agricultural land and the government is contemplating stringent measures to ensure that agricultural land is not used for houses etc," a senior officer of the Revenue Department told IANS. Despite the official ban, there has been a mushrooming of houses and commercial complexes on agricultural land around Srinagar and almost all other major cities and towns in the Kashmir Valley. "The ban on construction on agricultural land is only observed in its breach. The Buchpora area in Srinagar city was totally agricultural until a few years back. There used to be lushgreen paddy fields and not a single shop or house in this area," said Muzaffar Ahmad, a resident of the area. "Within 10 years, all agricultural land in the Buchpora area has vanished and shops, residential houses and commercial complexes have come up in the entire area. "How can the government now demolish all these structures and restore agricultural status of the land now?" he asked. While most cities in the rest of the country have grown vertically because of multi-storeyed residential complexes, the urban expansion in the valley has been totally horizontal, claiming hundreds of acres of agricultural land here. Unless the authorities step in and implement the ban on construction on agricultural land in the valley, most of the paddy fields and orchards here would be replaced by shopping complexes and residential houses. "That would be Kashmir's biggest tragedy," said a local ecologist. — IANS
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Tents on roadside a nuisance for residents
Jammu, October 2 But, for those who either cannot afford to book a marriage hall due to its high rates or do not have a public park in their localities to hold marriage function, they make use of roads for organising the function. Though marriage is a happy occasion for people to celebrate, closure of crossways with tents causes great inconvenience to vehicle drivers. Occupying main roads for holding marriage ceremonies has become a general phenomenon in various posh localities in the city, which not only hampers the smooth flow of traffic, but also causes problem to pedestrians. During this season, one finds many major crossways in residential localities blocked with tents raised for wedding or other functions. Exorbitant rates of banquet halls are one of the most important reasons which force people to organise such functions on the road or in any nearby park of their localities. In any marriage hall, a family has to spend around Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 for one day, whereas they can organise the same on the road by spending a meagre amount for a tent. Avtar Sharma, a tent house owner in the Gandhi Nagar area, said: “More than 50 per cent people demand tents for organising marriage functions. At Rs 500, a customer gets a tent without any facility, but at Rs 1,000 he gets the same with other facilities like decoration lights, utensils and floorings”. According to sources, for celebrating a function on the road or at any public place, the organising party has to take permission from the Municipal Corporation. The party has to pay around Rs 1,000 as rent to the corporation. “Instead of taking action against the guilty, the authorities have turned a blind eye towards them, thereby encouraging others to follow the same,” said Mohit Sharma, a resident of Gandhi Nagar. He added: “I have never seen any official objecting to raising tents on roads in our locality”.
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Honesty is a virtue for this cop
Jammu, October 2 Sub-inspector Manjeet Singh, posted at Jammu airport, found a wristwatch with a gold bracelet at the entrance gate of the airport. Instead of keeping it, he handed it over to his superiors at the airport. "We are really proud of the officer, who found this golden watch. He has set a precedent for others in the department to follow," said M.L. Mehra, SP, Jammu airport, told The Tribune. He said the SI's name had been recommended for an honour for his honesty. The SP said a goldsmith estimated that the market value of the watch was about Rs 50,000. "Such acts help improve image of the police," added Mehra. Though the police made announcements on the public address system at the airport a number of times but nobody had turned up yet to claim it Manjeet Singh has 22 years of service in the Police Department
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NREGA fails to benefit villagers
Danna-Loran (Poonch), October 2 Danaa-Loran is one of the most backward areas of the state. The villagers rue that the government got work from them under the scheme but failed to pay for
the work. Shamas Din worked for about a month on the construction of bunds along the road in his native village here, hoping that the work would benefit the village as well as bring in the money for workers like him under the NREGA scheme. However, even as Din died of a disease about a month ago, his family members are yet to get the money for the work he did. “My father worked on the road for about a month last year. The Rural Development Department (RDD) owes more than Rs 2000 to him for the work done under the NREGA scheme”. “We are yet to get the money. The Central government may take pride in starting the NREGA, but the scheme has failed to benefit poor people like us,” said an angered Noor Muhammad, son of Shamas Din. Another villager Muhammad Hanief has the same
sordid tale to narrate. “I, along with five to six other villagers, worked for 27 days under the NREGA scheme, but we got nothing for the work we did. Initially, we took up the matter with the Secretary as well as the Block Development Officer’s office, but they did nothing in this regard. Now we have given up claim for the money,” complains Hanief. “Corrupt officials are eating away the money meant for the poor people. The Central government must check this,” he added. Deepak Dubey, Block Development Officer (BDO), Mandi, under whose area of responsibility Danna is, failed to give concrete answer on the matter. “Maybe the villagers worked on a job which was not under the plan”, BDO averred. |
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Amandeep murder case
Jammu, October 2 Witnessing several upheavals since August 29, the day when Amandeep Singh, son of former MLC Deepinder Kour, was shot at outside his Shastri Nagar residence, it has become difficult for the common man to keep a track of developments unfolding every day. The Tribune has tried to answer some of the queries. Q: What was the relation of Amandeep Singh Wazir with Jatinder Singh, aka Raja? A: Both of them were childhood friends. Amandeep’s family claimed that Jatinder was one of his acquaintances, who visited their residence twice or thrice. They never went to the same school or college. In fact, Jatinder was a school dropout after he failed in his matriculation exams. Q: What is the family background of the main accused Jatinder Singh? A: The only son of Choudhary Nagar Singh, Jatinder has a sister married to son of a retired justice. Jatinder, too, is married and has a three-year-old son. Q: Did Jatinder kill Amandeep? A: Circumstantial evidences and eyewitnesses’ account say that Jatinder allegedly fired one bullet from a country-made pistol from point blank range that pierced Amandeep’s left kidney. Mother Deepinder and elder brother Sandeep Singh Wazir claim to be the eyewitnesses to the incident that happened on August 29 around 5.30 pm just in front of their entrance gate. Q: Did co-accused Royal Singh of Dalpatian Mohalla fire a bullet at Amandeep? A: Though he too had a revolver in his hands, it was Jatinder who allegedly fired the bullet before the duo fled the spot in a Maruti Swift car. Q: What was the reason behind the attack on Amandeep? A: Amandeep’s family attribute the reason to his cable network business in Sainik Colony, which he had been running for the past 12 years. Jatinder, allegedly a drug addict, had also developed some interest in the cable network business. Q: Why Jatinder decided to kill Amandeep when he could have done the job through someone else? A: Differences between the two had reached to such a level that Jatinder, who had allegedly been into the habit of taking drugs, did it himself. Not only this, Jatinder after firing at Amandeep called up his cousin Jasvinder Singh at around 7.30 pm allegedly threatening to eliminate him as well. Q: Whether Jatinder surrendered before the police or he was arrested? A: Though the police claimed it arrested him from Sainik Colony, reliable sources maintain that he had surrendered at the Gandhi Nagar police station along with the weapon around 10 pm the same day. Q: Did former MLC Deepinder Kour’s house in Shastri Nagar have security? A: No, it was removed in 2007, for which the former MLC had also filed a writ in the high court. Q: What Amandeep had been doing besides his cable network business? A: He was pursuing MBA from Punjab Technical University through its centre in Gandhi Nagar. Q: How far is the house of Jatinder from Amandeep’s house? A: Jatinder’s house in Gandhi Nagar is over 1 km away from Amandeep’s house in Shastri Nagar. Q: When did Amandeep die? A: After being shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi on the night of August 29 from GMC Jammu, he died on August 30 around 8 pm. Q: How did Amandeep’s mother know that the weapon has been changed? A: Being a former MLC of the National Conference, a source in the police department told her that the weapon has been changed. Subsequently, she approached PDP president Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and then things started to fall in place. Q: Who is Royal Singh? A: He is son of a PDP leader against whom cases of stabbing have been registered in the past. Q: When did axe fell on the police, particularly the SIT investigating the case under SSP Manohar Singh? A: After DIG Jammu-Kathua range Farooq Khan in his preliminary inquiry found that the investigations were not conducted in a fair manner, the state home department on September 18 suspended six officers - SSP Manohar Singh, SP south Mumtaz Ahmed, SDPO Gandhi Nagar JS Katoch, SHO Gandhi Nagar Sultan Mirza, SI Satnam Singh and munshi Talib Hussain. Q: who are the members of new SIT? A: The new SIT is constituted under DIG Farooq Khan. Headed by SP, Ramban, Mubassir Latiffi, other members included deputy director prosecution Onkar Singh, DSP Abdul Rouf Lone and DSP (CID) HS Gill. Q: How many officers from the police and the FSL have been arrested so far? A: Five. These are SSP Manohar Singh, SHO Sultan Mirza, IO Satnam Singh, FSL expert Sarwar Hussain Bukhari and constable Raj Singh. Q: Whether the original weapon of offence recovered? A: No, it still remains a mystery as to where the weapon- a country-made pistol - has been kept. Some sources say it might have been destroyed completely by officials under arrest.
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Trade fair a big draw
Jammu, October 2 People have appreciated the move of the business community to bring in various items from across the country under one roof. "It is nice to see so many items under one roof," said Anita Choudhary, a resident of Gandhi Nagar here. Another visitor to the trade fair said people of Jammu were able to see so many brands from across the country coming under one roof. "We are sure that more such business houses would come to Jammu with their products," said Alok Puri, a businessman. Sachin Sharma, organiser of the trade fair, says though the response is not as per expectations, they would extend the fair. |
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Bear panic in Poonch
Loran-Mandi (Poonch), October 2 Almost all parents at the local school have to follow the same practice due to the fear of the bear. Locals said the wild bear had unleashed a reign of terror in the area and the Wildlife Department was acting as a mute spectator to the whole scenario. They added that such was the fear of the bear among the locals that they had to accompany their wards to school or anywhere they go during daytime and even during night hours when they go out to attend the call of nature. “My son goes to school, which is situated 500m away from home, and every morning I have to accompany him to school as the wild bear can attack him. There are more than 100 students in the local government school here and either mother, father or some elder from home has to accompany their wards since the bear moves freely in the area and we have no means to check it,” says Nazir Ahmed, a resident of Danna. “Since the department does nothing to check the attacks by the bear, we fear for our lives. On paper, the department makes tall claims of giving us crackers to scare the wild animal as also visiting our area periodically, but it is not taking any measures on ground,” Nazir added. Muhammad Jameel, another resident, whose cow was killed by the bear a fortnight ago, says: “The bear keeps on moving freely in our area for the past few years. Last year, it attacked and injured two persons - Zaffar Ahmed and Riyaz Ahmed - of our area. About a month ago, the wild animal attacked a local resident Muhammad Ashraf. The attacks by the bear are a common feature here. Whenever we approach officials to keep a check on the bear, they tell us that even as the wild animal injures humans, it shall be protected at any cost and the injured persons will be compensated. The bear also causes damage to maize crop”. “The department gives us some crackers to burst when the bear comes in the area but these crackers are not affective,” he said. He added that even as the department claims that its personnel visit the area periodically, they are hardly seen in the field. Sources in the department said they could not “totally” control the wild animal. They further said it was the human being which had encroached on the forestland resulting in increase in incidents of man-animal conflicts. They added that department was also lacking staff, which would have enabled it to partially manage the bear. |
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Minister focuses on horticulture
Srinagar, October 2 Rather, accompanied by Minister for Health, Horticulture and Floriculture Sham Lal Sharma, said the horticulture sector would be promoted on modern lines and adequate funds would be provided to give a major boost to the state economy. The minister said: “The sector has tremendous scope and has helped to keep economy of the state alive even during odd times”. He said another 20 kanals would be arranged for the mandi to make it one of the biggest mandis of the state. Banking facilities for growers and dealers would also be provided at the site. Referring to storage facilities, the minister announced that controlled atmosphere store (CAS) would be provided to all mandis so that fruit was preserved for longer times”. Sharma also upheld the dire need for setting up of cold storage facility centres in the state. He insisted for introducing multi-crop system in the state so that the farmers get benefited thereby giving fillip to their economy. He said: “The state has suffered a lot during the past 20 years of militancy and the time has come to restore original shape of the sector and give it a new impetus.” Rather said: “The government is open to the private sector, which can provide the latest expertise. Youth coming forward to set up units for the purpose will also be encouraged”. “The mandi will provide better facility to the fruit growers to supply fruits within and outside the state,” the minister said.
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Staff crunch hits Centre for Ambedkar Studies
Jammu, October 2 Juggling between two places is not easy for the four faculty members, comprising one director, one assistant director and two research scholars, Director, CAS, Dr Ashish Saxena said if the UGC intended to prolong the centre, it should appoint faculty members to take care of the projects under it. The CAS was created to propagate the studies of Dr Ambedkar by facilitating workshops, seminars, lectures, panel discussion etc on his lifetime and teachings. Books have been provided for reference and study on Dr Ambedkar. The centre is required to regularly hold these activities as per the UGC norms. “During such activities, we have to spend more time at the centre than our classes in the sociology department. At times, we have to keep awake till late at night for preparations.” It is because of the staff shortage that the centre is being ignored. If the UGC provides the faculty, the CAS can serve its purpose in an appropriate manner as a new building has already been constructed for the centre. Similar is the situation with Nehru and Gandhian studies centres which, too, do not have its own faculty.
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Summer capital abuzz with sports events
Over the past one week, the capital city has witnessed a number of sports events in which many youth and the high-profile elders have participated. Former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev, Bollywood star Suresh Oberoi, Union Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad participated in the Air India - J&K Tourism Golf Trophy, 2009, at the Royal Springs Golf Course. Whereas, in the 55th National School Games over 500 players participated. The 11th J&K Police Martyrs Memorial Football Tournament, which began on September 26 is underway, and is concluding on October 8. These events have rejuvenated the spirit of sports lovers. (See picture) Pleasant autumn
Is anybody
watching?
Autorickshaws and vans are commonly used for ferrying students to and fro from their respective homes to educational institutions. What’s concerning is that these vehicles are carrying students beyond their capacity, leaving insufficient space for them to sit. This wrong practice has put the life of students at risk. Parents and the school authorities have shown little concern about the existing problems. Despite directions from the Traffic Police, the school authorities seem to be unmoved in providing transport to the children. However, it has been observed that the police officials shut their eyes to violations in this respect. Even the High Court had intervened, but still there is no accountability as far as school authorities are concerned. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili and Afsana Rashid)
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Panic in Sainik Colony over spate of thefts
Jammu, October 2 However, Jammu district police chief Basant Kumar Rath claims that the police has not lowered its guard and has been doing everything possible to maintain law and order. The SSP has even suggested the residents to keep pet dogs in their houses so as to keep thieves and burglars at bay. But the suggestion has come under sharp criticism of aggrieved residents, who feel that by coining the idea the police is shirking its responsibility. “I am not trying to run away from my responsibility by asking the residents to keep pet dogs. It has been proved in the metro cities that dogs act as an effective deterrent to keep mischievous elements away,” says Rath. Around 170 houses in the locality remain locked from 9 am to 5 pm because both husband and wife go out for their jobs and it is difficult for the police to guard all houses, he adds. The SSP also denies that strengthening police check posts in and around the capital city has any connection with the sudden spurt in thefts in the colony. Soon after assuming charge on September 21, the SSP had assured a better law and order scenario in Jammu district. However, in the past 45 days, thieves struck 47 houses in Sainik Colony alone. The most recent incident happened on September 30, when thieves entered a house in sector ‘C’ of the locality and decamped with cash and jewellery worth lakhs. However, Rath’s predecessor Manohar Singh, presently under arrest in Amandeep murder case, had claimed that the police had identified the gang involved in committing thefts in Sainik Colony and soon the culprits would be nabbed. Meanwhile, SDPO East, DSP Sandeep Mehta says being a developing colony, not many houses have come up here and houses locked from outside always invite the attention of mischievous elements. It’s not practical for the police to guard all houses constructed haphazardly in the locality, so residents should hire the services of watchmen, besides informing us before going out of their houses, adds Mehta. However, Namrata Sharma, municipal councillor, who represents the colony, puts the entire blame on the police. “Though the police has deployed 20 more cops, some in civil uniform and the incidents of thefts have also come down, the accused are still at large,” says Namrata. To cope up with the situation, the residents have engaged watchmen in densely populated pockets, but where houses are scattered, it’s not practical to engage them because Rs 50 or Rs 100 a month from a few houses would fetch a meagre amount to the watchman, she says. The colony has around 3,000 houses with a population of about 10,000 and it’s not practical for the residents to inform the police every time they go out of their houses for work, Namrata adds.
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Jammu, October 2
The autumn season is here again. The beginning of the season, peculiar to Kashmir, has brought a sweet change in the overall atmosphere of the valley. The paddy fields and trees have started turning yellow. Paddy is being harvested. The people, who were perturbed by the scorching hot summer, have started feeling comfortable now. Aftereffects of global warming could be experienced here also during the summer. Many old timers recall that there was a time when no electric fans were required to cool their rooms. The global warming has not spared the Kashmir valley, which is rich in forest cover and water bodies. Air conditioners, once not visible anywhere, have become a common sight in offices; even fans in offices and homes during greater part of the summers have become ubiquitous. The winter is also not far away, for which the preparations are already began. Right now, the days are pleasant, which may continue through this month.