|
|
|
|
Musical event at stadium draws ire
Family ‘preserves’ dowry victim’s body for justice
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Efforts on to make SRTC profitable
MoU with Volvo a failed initiative
NREGA more popular among women in Reasi
Farm technocrats emulate TRS chief for regularisation
Traffic chaos outside school
HP, J-K join hands in horticulture sector
Plea to introduce human rights as a subject
Srinagar Diary
|
|
Musical event at stadium draws ire
Jammu, December 11 Pop singer Jazzy B would perform during the event, arrangements for which are going on, causing extensive damage to sports infrastructure. Stadiums are meant for the promotion of sports activities, but it seems that in the state, their very purpose is getting diluted. VRV Mega Events in association with Shri Amarnath Educational Trust is organising the event for Jammuites. They have been selling tickets ranging between Rs 300 and Rs 1,500. A visit to the stadium reveals that the ground has been dug up for fixing pipes in the middle of the stadium to prepare a makeshift stage. “The government is already doing little for sports as compared to the neighbouring states and the authorities are not paying any heed towards it. To make the matters worst, they have allowed commercial events to be held at stadiums,” said Ashok Gupta, a cricket player, adding that if the sports department could not provide them better facilities, at least they should keep the existing infrastructure intact. A national cricket coach said, “Nobody is concerned about the promotion of sports activities, everyone is busy with his personal matters and making money. If the situation remains the same, the day is not far when sportspersons from the state will not be able to perform at any national tournament”. A number of players complained they were not allowed to get enter into the stadium for practice due to this event. “We were surprised to get the reply that the stadium had been given to the event organisers for three days and we could not play here till the conclusion of the event,” said Robin Sharma, a local resident. However, Rajan Sharma, manager, MA stadium, said, “The organisers have taken the permission of the sports secretary after paying Rs 45,000 to the department for three days”. He further added that due to the security reasons, no other person without permission was allowed to get enter into the stadium. On the other hand, HR Verma, member, organising committee of the event, said, “We are following the rules strictly and have not caused any problem to sportspersons”.
|
|
Family ‘preserves’ dowry victim’s body for justice
Jammu, December 11 “For us, our sister is sleeping in the garden and we will not disturb her in the sleep,” says Sanjay Kumar, brother of the deceased whose body they have kept in a box and “preserved” the same in the kitchen garden. Although Gita’s husband, Suresh Singh Charak, an Army man, has been arrested, parents of the deceased have taken a pledge not to cremate the body unless all accused involved in her “murder” are nabbed by the police. “Husband of deceased is not the only culprit, there are four more from his family who killed our sister,” Sanjay said while narrating how Gita was first tortured and then strangled to death at her in-laws’ house at Goribh Nolha village. Interestingly, the police is not aware of the fact that the family has “preserved” the body. “I am not aware of any such incident. It is impossible to preserve a dead body,” TR Katoch, Bhaderwah SP, reacted when asked about the incident. Katoch, however, said in case of the death of Gita, husband of the deceased had been already arrested under Section 302 RPC. “How can we arrest all members of the family without any reason?” he added. The SP, however, said he had directed his subordinate to inquire whether any family had “preserved” the body. Gita’s brother alleged that the police was not properly investigating the case. “The postmortem of our sister was conducted by a local doctor and we fear that the doctor has prepared the report in favour of the accused,” Sanjay alleged and informed that they have already written a letter to the Chief Minister and Jammu IGP for seeking justice. Citing reasons for “preserving” the body, Sanjay said her “presence” in the house would encourage the family members to continue the battle for justice. “We will not cremate the body unless all culprits are brought to book,” he asserted.
|
|
Efforts on to make SRTC profitable
Jammu, December 11 While the government accepted the main demand of the employees to run the corporation on a similar pattern as in Himachal Pradesh, the employees too have agreed to work hard to make the corporation a profitable venture. The corporation has a fleet of 672 buses and 425 trucks but most of the vehicles are more than two decade old. “Around 400 vehicles alone are roadworthy while the rest are lying in the yard. Some vehicles have to be auctioned to raise funds to purchase new vehicles,” said Parmjeet Singh, general secretary of the SRTC Workers Union. The union has asked the government and the management to introduce 400 trucks and 200 buses of which 150 should ply on interstate routes. “We have submitted our demands and the government has to act on the same to make the SRTC a profitable venture,” Parmjeet Singh said. The union has also identified some of the loss-making routes which should be discontinued. It has also asked the government to direct the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Corporation (JKTDC) to stop hiring private buses and instead hire vehicles from the SRTC. The SRTC, one of the major loss-making corporations of the state, has a monthly income of Rs 6 crore of which Rs 3.5 crore is paid as salary to 4,316 employees. During their agitation, the employees demanded implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report, but later reached an agreement with the government under which this demand would be considered after the corporation starts earning profits.
|
|
MoU with Volvo a failed initiative
Jammu, December 11 As part of the MoU, two Volvo buses were attached with the SRTC on an experimental basis to see if the new venture could generate some profits. However, the new venture turned out to be a wasteful exercise. “The venture turned out to be a flop show as we had to pay more to Volvo then earnings from it,” said Paramjeet Singh general secretary of the SRTC workers union. He said commission being paid to the company was more as compared to the revenue generated by the two buses. “We had to ply the buses as per the government rules and regulations. So the two buses turned out to be a white elephant for us”. He said after running Volvo buses for almost one-and-a-half years, the corporation finally decided to hand over the buses back to the company. Paramjeet Singh said to generate more revenue the corporation had to purchase only 47-seater buses. An official of the corporation said, “Unlike private transporters, we had to operate as per government regulations, so it was natural to make losses. The aim of SRTC is to provide service to the common masses and not to cheat them, the way private transporters do”.
|
|
NREGA more popular among women in Reasi
Reasi, December 11 The Pouni block of Reasi district is an example of the active participation of women in the NREGA scheme where females have equal share as far as job cards and employment opportunities are concerned. As employment opportunities for females are less in this backward belt, the NREGA scheme has provided them adequate opportunities not only to get jobs, but also to enhance their economic conditions. Interestingly, the scheme was launched in Reasi only this year and despite being a new scheme, the participation of women was encouraging. Savitri Devi, a resident of Pouni village, who belongs to a family of landless farmer, has so far got employment of 25 days in the beginning of the scheme. She was hopeful of getting whole 100-day job in the days to come. Surinder Kumar, gram sevak of the area, said: “Women have been coming in large number to avail the benefit of the scheme”. “Response during the launch of the scheme is encouraging and participation of women will be increased manifold in the days to come,” he said and informed that the department concerned had effectively educated the masses about the benefit of the scheme. Surinder listed the names of a number of women who have got employment in the beginning of the scheme and would definitely get 100-day job before the completion of the financial year. By and large this scheme has so far
failed to attract women of other parts of the state. Even in the neighbouring Udhampur district where the scheme was launched previous year, the participation of females was not more than 5 per cent. The authorities are themselves surprised over the response they received in Pouni which is a backward and neglected area as far as education and development is concerned. Sangar, Talwara Lower, Talwara Upper, Dehote, Dubkhalsa, Gajore, Jerri Kahna, Allya, Bhambla, Bharakh, Dadowa, Kheral, Kheralaid, Kolsar, Kothian, KundKhanyari, Laiter, Porakotla, Pouni and Saloon are the panchayats of this block. “In Allya and Bhamala, maximum number of women have received job cards and a good number of them are coming forward to participate in the scheme,” Surinder informed. Although there are a number of reasons for encouraging the participation of women in this ambitious scheme, enhancement in the wages has attracted females to come forward to avail the benefit of this opportunity to augment their family incomes. Earlier, Rs 70 was paid as wages per day to those who were engaged under the NREGA, but after repeated representation by the panchayats, the government has fixed Rs 110 per day. |
|
Farm technocrats emulate TRS chief for regularisation
Jammu, December 11 Tariq Ahmed Sheikh of Badgam, Sanjeev Verma of Kathua and Ashiq Hussain of Pulwama have been shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital after they developed complications in view of their fast. “It’s a hopeless system. We can lose our lives but can not compromise on dignity,” said Tariq Ahmed Sheikh, who has been fasting since December 7 “Can we meet the demands of our families with a monthly income of just Rs 15,00 when the prices of essential commodities are hitting the roof?” he asked. “I have decided to take on the government to fulfil our demand even if it costs me my life,” he added. Agricultural technocrats were appointed in April, 2007, for educating farmers about various schemes. Out of 3,227 appointed as farm technocrats, more than 1000 have taken to other jobs whereas the rest have been demanding regularisation of their services with effect from the dates of appointment. The protesting technocrats claim to be well educated holding the degrees of BSc agriculture, MSc agriculture and even Phd degree. Ashiq Hussain, who has been observing fast since December 7, is an M Phill in agronomy. Similarly, Sanjeev Verma, who has been fasting for the past three days, holds a degree in MSc agriculture. Another farm technocrat, Rajiv Singh, said his family did not have any agricultural land whereas his wife, two-year-old son and widowed mother are dependent on him. Surinder Radhotra, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Technocrats Association (JKATA), Jammu, said that 50 per cent of the farm technocrats were 37 plus whereas the rest of them are on the brink of getting overage for government service. “We are no other option to get our demand fulfilled. This is a do-or-die situation for us,” he said and sought permanent absorption of the Rehbar-i-Ziraat technocrats in agriculture and allied departments like rural development, mushroom cultivation and dairy in the grade of junior agriculture assistant at the panchayat level. |
|
Traffic chaos outside school
Jammu, December 11 The closure of the school at 2:45 pm leads to traffic jam and turns the highway into a parking place near the school. A number of vehicles, including those of VIPs, can be seen parked on the road. Sister Roza, principal of the school, said: “It is not the duty of the school administration to provide parking facility to the students. Our job is to provide education to them and we are doing that. It is the duty of the Traffic Department to regulate the traffic on the highway”. “However, the school administration follows the ‘pool system’ in order to avoid traffic jam on the road. All classes are not closed at one time. KG, primary and secondary classes are closed in a phased manner,” said the principal. She said: “Though announcements have been made in the assembly session that guardians should not park their vehicles outside the school, they are not following the directions”. “In order to avoid the traffic jam, parents should park their vehicles on the other side of the road,” she suggests. Expressing resentment, Urmil Sharma, one of the commuters who was trapped in the jam, said: “People park their vehicles on the highway unmindful of the inconvenience they cause to commuters”. Farooq Ahmmad Nayaik, another commuter, said the government should ban the parking of vehicles in such a way on the highway. Raju Sharma, another road user, said: “Neither the traffic police dares to take action against the defaulters nor the school administration bothers to pass suitable instructions to the guardians prohibiting them to use the highway as a parking slot of the school in the afternoon to avoid traffic jam on the road”. When asked about the chaos the haphazardly parked vehicles create outside the school, Pankaj Saxena, DIG (Traffic), refused to comment. Instead, he said the SSP (Traffic) would be the better person to answer the query.
|
|
HP, J-K join hands in horticulture sector
Jammu, December 11 "A joint working group (JWG) of hill states, particularly J&K and HP, would be set up and strengthened to address and give boost to the horticulture sector in Himalayan states," Minister for Health, Horticulture and Floriculture Sham Lal Sharma told reporters. "The JWG will also address problems of hill states and seek redressal of horticulture issues," he said, adding that it was felt necessary to develop a joint strategy and appeal to the Centre for redressal of problems. Sharma, who had a high-level meeting with HP Minister for Horticulture and Technical Education Narinder Bragta, said frequent interactions and exchange of technologies between the states would be a regular feature. The ministers stressed on creation of appropriate water harvesting and water management sources in orchard areas. "The benefits of the HP Water Management Board could be availed by J&K," they said. Efforts for protecting the fruit crops from hailstorms by installing latest equipment like anti-hail storm guns shall be introduced on a pilot basis. A crop insurance programme will be launched and post-harvest handling and cold chain management and processing would be the focus of both states, they said. — PTI
|
|
Jasrota Fort falls on bad days
Jammu, December 11 The ancient fort of Jasrota in Kathua district, 70 km from here, is one such so-called ``protected monument''which is ironically losing its magnificent walls and well-designed pillars to official neglect and apathy. The fort, spread on about 700 kanals and housing different palaces, ponds and ancient temples, was incorporated into the list of `` protected'' monuments way back in 1986. Over two decades have since passed but no major work has been undertaken to restore the pristine glory of this 11th century fort, built in 1019 AD by Raja Jasdev of Jammu. During a recent visit to the fort, located on a hillock near Rajbagh town on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway, this correspondent found walls of the palaces and entrance gates decaying, with no efforts having been made to stop the decay. Trees and wild grass, not trimmed for years together, had already damaged the walls of the fort. The penetration of wild tree roots deep into the fort walls was testimony to the fact that this one-time magnificent capital of Jasrota kings, was in a shambles. Since 1986, except for constructing a portion of the pathway leading to the fort and preserving the ancient Shiva temple within the fort complex, no other headway has been made to protect this ancient monument, located along the bank of Ujh river. The temple pujari, however, said it was only due to the efforts of Khursheed Ahmad Qadri, Director, Archaeology, that the shrine was preserved and protected. Qadri admitted that much had not been done to protect the monument, owing to different reasons. `` To protect the monuments and the heritage sites, every department and agency has to work in tandem '', Qadri said. He pointed out that the land around the fort comes under the State Forest Department and no tree can be felled without its consent,. `` Similarly, a portion of the ancient fort falls under the protected boundary wall of the Jasrota wildlife sanctuary'', Qadri said. He maintained that during his tenure as the director, he had also initiated steps to rebuild the main entrance to the fort. Qadri said preservation work required huge money, more so on the sites like Jasrota Fort which has remained all these years. Nawaz Rigzin Jora, Minister for Tourism and Culture, said at Jammu University during the recently concluded heritage week, that over Rs 150 crore would be spent for restoration and conservation of over 30 heritage sites, including Jasrota Fort. Jora said the government had submitted a comprehensive project report to the Union Ministry of Culture for conservation of monuments and hoped that scientific methods would be adopted for preserving the ancient sites.
|
|
Plea to introduce human rights as a subject
Srinagar, December 11 Various issues related to human rights came up during a day-long seminar organised by the National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, at Ghandi Bhawan to mark the day. Several members from the teaching community of the university expressed their views on the occasion. Earlier, a session was dedicated to student speakers where Sheikh Rizwan of the Law Department, bagged the first position in the debate on human rights Speaking on the occasion Justice B. A. Kirmani advocated the introduction of human rights as a subject in schools, colleges and the university level, saying that this would go a long way in preventing or lessening human rights abuses. He said human rights had to be adopted as a way of life rather than a slogan. Asserting that human rights are fundamental to human existence, he appealed to the student community to be realistic and prepare themselves to contribute their bit to society in a positive way. Syed Fayaz Ahmad, Registrar of the University of Kashmir, said the university had the responsibility to make people aware about human rights issues by adopting a balanced and judicious approach. The Department of Law at the university, which has already introduced a postgraduate diploma in human rights was taking several initiatives to make the student community aware about its rights and duties, the Registrar said. Human Rights activist A M Siraj termed the dignity and respect of human beings as something fundamental to human existence and said no one could and should be allowed to deny it. He said when the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, with 48 states in favour and eight abstentions, it was proclaimed as a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations” towards which individuals and societies should “strive by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance”. Gul Mohammad Wani of the Political Science Department said that the human rights movement in India stood undermined by the fascist Hindu rightwing ideology. |
|
Srinagar Diary
Winter fashion
There is a new fashion in the city. Colouful topis of various varieties have always been in vogue in Kashmir during the harsh winter. However, they have been raplaced this year by a headphone-type winter protection which covers only your ears. Though these ear-protectors are visible in cities like Delhi, many in Kashmir are surprised by their demand among the young crowd. A cartoon termed these as the strongest evidence yet of global warming reaching the valley! Doctors are being quoted to stress that covering of the head and not just ears is required for protecting your body in the winter. However, these ear-coverings come cheap and add to the style staement of youngsters. They are popular irrespective of their efficacy. Pre-paid mobiles
The recent ban on prepaid mobile connections has put youngsters, labourers and tourists in particular at the receiving end. They feel that they are hit the worst. For them pre-paid connections were affordable and cheap. Tourists believe that pre-paid connections were available to them on demand and they stayed in constant touch with their families (See picture). College-going students found the pre-paid mobile charges easy for them. They could easily save their pocket money and stayed in touch with their friends. Labourers found it easy to stay connected with their families. There is a section of society who believes that the ban would help curb certain social evils. Technology has to be for the benefit of people and its importance is significant in the competitive world where everything can be had at the click of a button. A section of society cannot be deprived of such benefits. Even in the face of security reasons other alternatives have to be offered. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili, Kumar Rakesh |
|
||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Sports aficionados and players are a worried lot as the lone sports stadium in the Jammu region is going to be used for commercial purposes. The authorities have allowed to hold a musical evening here, which is scheduled for tomorrow.
As the stalemate between the agitating employees of the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation
(SRTC) and the government ended for the time being after 100 days with the latter agreeing to accept demands of the employees union, both sides are now working hard to make the corporation a profitable venture.
Jammu, December 11
Even as a complete ban on use of polythene bags was imposed on May 11 this year, with a massive drive to prevent its use, the continued entry of polythene remains to be checked. The authorities fail to prevent the flow of polythene into the valley through the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only surface link where it could easily be stopped. Though the use of polythene has been reduced to a great extent with good results, the flow has to be stopped to ensure a complete ban on its use. The non-biodegradable polythene carrybags are creating hurdles not only in the drainage and sewer system but also affect agricultural fields, environment and ecology. The consumers in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Kashmir valley have realised the ill-effects of polythene, but those concerned need to ensure effective preventive measures. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) in its fresh drive on Wednesday seized seven quintals of polythene and realised Rs 30,000 as a fine from the erring traders. The drive needs to be further stepped up.