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Norms for setting up phone towers sought
Even Minister’s directive fails to move RTO
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No toilet facility in school with 1,000 girls
DGP Khoda’s brush with
traffic chaos ATMs spell All-Time Misery Bhaderwah faces dearth of docs A foreign coach who drew Kashmiris to football Flower sellers make hay as marriage
season peaks
‘Make Pahari language part of school, university curriculum’
Convocation complex eases pressure on SKICC
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Norms for setting up phone towers sought Jammu, October 23 "A large number of mobile phone operators have been seeking permission for the installation of towers along with diesel generator sets. But we don't have any valid laws for permitting the same, so we are bringing it into the notice of member secretary of the SPCB," said BM Sharma, the regional director of the board. "Only private mobile phone operators like Airtel, Aircel, Reliance and Vodafone have sought permission for their infrastructure whereas BSNL does not comply with the pollution norms in regard with most of its towers and diesel generator sets," he said. As the complaints against setting up of mobile towers and diesel generator set used for running the same have increased, the SPCB has sought approval for its set of proposed guidelines. According to official sources, the SPCB has demanded that all sorts of communication network be brought under its ambit as industry requires mandatory consent to operate. It further proposed that ground-based towers be encouraged over roof-top towers. "For roof top towers, the unit holder must get mandatory consent after he submits a building stability certificate," the board demands. It further demanded for banning installation of towers within the premises of schools, hospitals, nursing homes, old age homes due to susceptibility of inmates to electromagnetic fields. "In case of multiple transmitter sites at a specific location, the sharing of common tower infrastructure should be explored as far as possible. It can be coordinated through a nodal agency," the board suggested and demanded that clearly visible and identifiable sign boards or warning signs be planted at the site by the unit holder so that longer stay in the zone be discouraged by citing the danger of electromagnetic radiations. Seeking an official order in this regard, the board further demanded that ground-based antenna be five metres away from the nearest building while it should not directly face the building. Also, the lower end of antenna should be at least 2 metre above ground or roof, the board has proposed. "Prior to the valid permission from the competent authority, the company concerned be made obligatory to sign an affidavit that it would pay for any sort of damage caused by its tower to the people in vicinity," the SPCB sought. |
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Even Minister’s directive fails to move RTO Jammu, October 23 Days after Minister for Transport Qamar Ali Akhoon chaired a high-level meeting, wherein he instructed the officers of the transport department to make things transparent and easy for the people so that they don't have to suffer, nothing seems to have changed on ground. "First of all, the attitude of the staff is so non-cooperative that for a new person it takes almost an entire day to understand what actually is going on. There is no enquiry from where he could ask somebody for help," said Alok Gupta, who had come to the RTO to get a learner's licence made for his son. Even though the crime branch of the police had a few months ago raided the office of the RTO and seized some documents in connection with issuance of licenses through agents, the touts still run the show at the office. One can easily find an agent who promises to get the work done if some additional money is paid to him. "Who says there is transparency, transparency must be on papers, but on ground everything is different, for the past one week I have been coming here to get my driving licence made, but I have to run from pillar to post," said Arjun
Mangotra, a resident of Trikuta Nagar locality. He said an illegal agent approached him and asked if he could pay him money to get the licence made within a week's time. "The agent wanted me to pay him Rs 2,500 to get my driving licence made. He promised it would take him only less than a week to get the work done, but I insisted to lower the price so finally the deal was settled at Rs 2,000," said
Arjun, adding, "In the first installment I was to pay him Rs 1,000 and rest after I got my driving
licence, but later I realised I was doing a wrong thing by encouraging the touts so I refused to entertain him." People have to face a lot of hardships while getting their work done from the
RTO. The attitude of the officers in the department is non-cooperative, they don't treat the people well and even don't have the courtesy to provide information to the needy. To meet the Regional Transport Officer, Jammu, people have to wait outside his room in long queues for several hours and finally when they meet the officer he does not have enough time to listen to the grievances of the people. Minister for Transport Qamar Ali Akhoon said, "Our government's aim is to provide better facilities to people and I have instructed the officers concerned to see that the common people don't face any problem."
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No toilet facility in school with 1,000 girls Sunderbani, October 23 Despite tall claims of the government to enhance infrastructure in educational institutions, 125 high schools and 101 higher secondary schools lacked potable water and toilet facility in the state during 2007-08. Government Girl's Higher Secondary School, Sunderbani, is one such institution which lacks in drinking water and toilet facility. The school has 1,000 students and 32 staff members, out of which 16 are women teachers. The school has just five classrooms with only 50 benches. Being the only government school in the area, students come from areas as far as 20 km. This school was upgraded from a high school to higher secondary in 2005, with no improvement in infrastructure. Its upgraded status has in fact added to the problems of the students and the teaching staff. Principal KL Sharma described the lack of toilet facility as a big problem. Though they are facing the problem of potable water as well, the same is being managed by arranging a water tanker from the Municipal Committee. In the absence of a toilet facility, male staff somehow manages to respond to the nature's call while girl students and women teachers generally to go to the nearby houses. "The residents living adjacent to the school are very helpful but sometimes we feel shy of using their toilets frequently. It is possible for us to sit on the ground in the absence of classrooms but it is very difficult for us to attend a school which has no toilet and potable water facility," said, Sunita Kumari, a student of class IX. In the absence of adequate classrooms, most of the classes are being held in the open. There is also no staff room, store room and playground. "At times, classes are called off when it rains and also under scorching heat, which affects the studies," said BR Sharma, English lecturer. "Earlier, we used to conduct classes in two shifts, but in 2009, three new classrooms, including one computer room, were constructed by the Army under its
'Sadhbhawna Yojana' which helped us to conduct all classes in one shift now", said the principal. There is neither any facility of laboratory nor library to provide textbooks to the needy students. For many new subjects introduced from 2005 onwards, there is no teacher available in the school. There is no teacher even for teaching Urdu, the official language of the state. Around 12 students who have taken Urdu as a subject are not being taught this subject in the school. Around 70 students of vedic studies, 150 of environmental studies and 100 students of computer science are also not being taught their respective subjects. The boundary wall of the school which was dismantled for widening the main road adjacent to the school with a promise to reconstruct the same, but it has also not been constructed so far. "We have approached the authorities several times for the redressal of our problems, but all we got is fake assurances as nothing has been done," said Kasturi
Lal, physical education teacher. |
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DGP Khoda’s brush with
traffic chaos
It is no news when the common man is faced with the hazards of traffic jams in the city. But it becomes news when a senior officer of the police, civil administration or a minister gets a taste of it. The cavalcade of DGP Kuldeep Khoda had to halt for a couple of minutes on Wednesday afternoon near the exhibition crossing, the most congested point, before the way could be cleared by chasing away local mini-buses. Traffic blockade during peak hours has become a common feature in Srinagar. Though the situation has improved with the shifting of the Assembly to the new complex, traffic bottlenecks continue to be there and need to be removed. The inimitable Farooq
Farooq Abdullah and his candid but often politically incorrect remarks have long made juicy copies for newsmen. But with his son Omar Abdullah at the helm of affairs, Farooq’s fiery remarks often put the government in a spot. And the voracious media has only been too obliging in playing it up. In a recent conference, his son was reconciliatory towards separatist groups and Pakistan, making a bid for peace talks. During his turn, Farooq was all fire and bluster and laid the blame for Kashmir problem at the doors of vested interests in Kashmir, New Delhi, media and God knows what not! He said he had little hope for the quick resumption of Indo-Pak talks, New Delhi’s official line, but not something welcomed in the valley. Omar had to send a chit to his father, who smartly changed tack. But those who know senior Abdullah says he gives a damn, using his very words, to what “people say or what you write”. Low-quality apple
With the season of plucking of apples almost over in the countryside and other areas of Kashmir, people selling low quality apples are having a good time. They are selling the produce at rates which are quite exorbitant more so when the quality is inferior. These traders can be seen sitting in a load carrier, luring customers to purchase the produce. They demand a good amount for the apples and do not allow anyone to touch them. Such apples can be used for fruit juice, but you need to market the same. The government should look into this so that fruit juice is exported from this place to various parts of country and abroad.
(Contributed by Ehsan Fazili,
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ATMs spell All-Time Misery Jammu, October 23 These ATMs are becoming a source of inconvenience to those who live with an illusion of banking upon them during odd hours. The ATM installed by the State Bank of India (SBI) at its Janipur branch, here, rarely functions even during the day. The machine was not functional last week, thereby dampening the festive spirit of people who needed cash for Diwali shopping. “The SBI’s ATM at Janipur remained out of order even prior to Diwali many a time,” regretted Ramesh Kumar, a local shopkeeper. Ramesh said there was an acute shortage of such machines in the area as customers living in Kot Bhalwal, Barnai, Bantalab, CRPF camp, Roopnagar, Naseeb Nagar and Ploura areas all take out money from here. Further, a heavy rush of customers was witnessed every time the machine was functioning, he said. A CRPF constable said in the absence of ATM facilities within the group centre, the biggest in north India, his colleagues have to come all the way from Bantalab to Janipur to take out cash. “We feel disgusted as machine is out of order most of time’’, rued the cop. Sunita, another customer of the SBI said even other ATM machines installed in the heart of city at Amphalla or Rehari also did not have cash when people needed money. “It is a tragedy that we did not get our own money when we require it’’, she exclaimed. Sunita said many a time either debit cards get jammed or money is deducted from the account holders without it actually being released by the machines. The fault is not only with the SBI ATMs. Even the Punjab National Bank (PNB) machines wear the same look. With open doors and fused lamps, the customers fear operating such machines during late hours. “They at times turn out to be the places of nuisance as beggars enter the cabins to enjoy the cool air during summers’’, observed Vivek, an IT engineer. Continued on page 2Roshan Lal of Durga Nagar said the PNB’s ATM at Roopnagar remained non-functional last week for some unknown reasons. The bank officials simply pasted a notice and downed the shutters, he asserted. Roshan claimed that there was no security arrangement at ATM cabins of the nationalised banks. “If the J&K Bank can post guards at every ATM centre, why can’t SBI or PNB’’, Ashok Kumar, the SBI’s Channel Manager, whose mobile number (9419101553) has been displayed at the Janipur branch for the `` convenience’’ of the customers, when contacted said it was impossible for him to attend to the complaints, since he was posted at Srinagar, 300 km Kumar said he would, however, talk to the Janipur branch manager to find out as to why the fault persisted with the ATM machine.
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Bhaderwah faces dearth of docs Udhampur, October 23 In Gandoh sub-district hospital only two doctors have been managing the affairs whereas the Bhaderwah sub-district hospital catering to more than one lakh population has no gynaecologist. The only gynecologist appointed in this hospital was transferred five months back. The non-availability of a gynaecologist forces the patients to go either to Doda or Batote for treatment", rued Rajan Singh, a resident of Bhaderwah. He pointed out that the conditions of the road from Bhaderwah to Doda further compounded the woes of patients, especially pregnant women. While officers of the Health Department were hesitant to speak about the shortage of doctors, local MLA and former minister Mohammad Sharief Niaz has taken up this issue with the department concerned. "I have brought this matter to the notice of the Health Minister and urged him to deploy doctors in the Bhaderwah area", Niaz told the Tribune. The Health Minister, Niaz claimed, had directed the Director, Health Services, to take urgent steps to solve the problem. The situation is worst in the remote areas where only Unani doctors have been providing treatment. Keeping in view the topography of this belt, the government has announced special incentives for doctors for serving in this area. The government has decided to appoint doctors under the National Rural Health Mission Scheme to in this belt. |
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A foreign coach who drew Kashmiris to football Srinagar, October 23 In over two and half years of his stay in the valley, Kashmiri players coached by him have found place in foreign clubs and, more importantly, he is credited by many for revitalising soccer in a place where cricket is the premier sport. Senior players of his academy, International Sports Academy Trust, qualified this year for the super league in Jammu and Kashmir, the top competitive league in the state. “I am proud. And it makes me happy that not only my players but others as well have praised my work,” he said. Marcos has been coaching in India since 2002 and shifted to Kashmir in 2007 while looking for better opportunities. So why did he choose a place marred with violence over apparently more promising places like Bengal or Goa, where soccer is a much bigger thing? “These places were crowded and life was very hectic. I realised it when I landed in the valley. I got so much support from players and I found peace,” he says. His contentment is apparent from the beaming smile on his face as he acknowledges the respectful salutations of his players and many others in Polo Ground. “They have treated me with lots of respect and love,” he says. Marcos says Kashmiri players are as talented as anybody else in India but needed exposure to evolving techniques and matches with top teams to grow as better players. “I think all the conflict in past many years has troubled everybody and affected them. There is a feeling of discrimination among them. But they will slowly come into their own as normalcy returns an it will be very good for soccer,” he says. All of a sudden, though, Kashmir is waking up to all the good work he has done over the past two and a half years. And the reason is that he might have to leave the country by month-end as the Union Government has refused to extend his visa though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has promised him help. “I hope he does something. I am keen to stay and coach these young players who are full of dreams,” Marcos says.
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Flower sellers make hay as marriage
season peaks Jammu, October 23 A fairly good number of marriages take place during this season as the period is considered auspicious. The demand for various varieties of flowers and flower garlands has increased manifold so have their prices. All those associated with this business are seeing a spurt in their income. Be they retailers, wholesalers or growers, all are getting good returns. The demand has risen to such an extent that the domestic production has fallen short and the florists are bringing flowers from Delhi on a daily basis. “We bring various kinds of flowers, mainly gladiolus, at wholesale rates from Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Everyday, we get 40 kg of marigold at Rs 1,000, 40 kg
Flower sellers make hay... Readymade “rajnigandha” garlands are also being brought from Delhi at Rs 1,200 per garland, which is being sold at Rs 2,500 in the market. Sham Kumar, another flower seller, said, “Usually, I earn around Rs 2,000 daily by selling flowers. Devotees who come to pay their obeisance at the temple purchase flowers, but during this season I am earning more than Rs 4,000 daily”. Narinder Gupta, a flower shop owner, said, “During the marriage season, we earn double profit by selling bouquets and by decorating marriage halls”. Tejinder Singh, president of the Flowers Growers Association, said, “Farmers are happy as the demand for flowers is high this season. The supply of gladiolus is falling short while we are comfortably matching the supply marigold with its demand”. However, the flower dealers are seeing a threat to their business in future from artificial Chinese flowers which have already intruded the business this year. “Though nothing can replace natural flowers and their importance in celebration of marriages, cheap and attractive artificial Chinese garlands may affect our business to some extent,” said Tejinder Singh. |
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‘Make Pahari language part of school, university curriculum’ Srinagar, October 23 The demand was part of a common resolution adopted at the two-day state-level Pahari literary and cultural conference organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in Karnah recently. Starting a Pahari programme from All-India Radio [AIR] and Doordarshan, Srinagar, and Jammu, opening sub-office centres of Pahari section of the academy in Karnah and the recognition of Pahari language in school curriculum up to 12th standard were among the other demands. Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, secretary of the academy, termed the event “as one of the historic events in the border belt that saw the participation of about 300 writers and poets of Pahari language from all parts of the state”. The secretary said the objective of the programme was to promote the culture and heritage of unprivileged area. “Pahari is an important and ancient language,” he said. He added that the academy was committed towards the development of all languages spoken in the state. Dr Nissar Rahi, a Pahari writer, who presided at the valedictory function, said the language deserved more attention from the government. Appreciating the academy, he said, “The conference would be considered as a milestone in promoting and propagating Pahari language and culture”. Dr Rahi said, “Some new horizons have been identified during the discussions and deliberations at the conference that would lead to new future”. Kafeel-ul-Rehman, Karnah MLA, while addressing the concluding ceremony, said the Pahari movement had entered into an important phase. “Social reformers and writers should sit together and chalk out a time-bond strategy to give a positive direction to this movement,” said the MLA. Syed Iqbal Malangami, chief editor, Pahari section in the academy, said NGOs and the writer community of the border area should come forward and help out the academy in its endeavour in promoting underdeveloped languages like
Pahari. |
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Convocation complex eases pressure on SKICC Srinagar, October 23 The ceremonial function of the 17th annual convocation, first of its kind after 25 years at the campus, concluded with the promise to hold another award ceremony to distribute awards and certificates among research scholars, post-graduates and graduates in various disciplines. The special award ceremony was held on October 19 wherein awards and certificates were distributed by Governor N N Vohra, Chancellor, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Pro-Chancellor. Earlier, the 16th convocation was held at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) with the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as the chief guest. The convocation complex has eased the burden on the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) where all major events, including the oath ceremonies of the Chief Ministers, were being held over the years. The new convocation complex having a seating capacity of 2500, the largest in the summer capital, was thrown open about two years ago after 27 years under construction. The first major event in the complex was held with President Pratibha Patil inaugurating the prestigious Institute of Kashmir Studies of the university on May 26 last year. After the first convocation on June 20, various other events have also taken place at the complex this year. These included a three-day "Convention on Knowledge Resources in India with special reference to Jammu and Kashmir" and a three-day "International Workshop on Energy Challenges
in J&K: A case for Energy research Institute". Governor Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah gave away awards and medals, among others, to RR Sahai, Dr Mohammad Yasin Ghazipuri, Dr Zakir Hussain, Prof AA Wani, Prof Rais Ahmad, Prof Jagan Nath Azad |
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Jammu, October 23
Jammu, October 23
Srinagar, October 23
Jammu, October 23
