Jammu, December 15
An alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and IPS officer of the 2000 batch, SSP Basant Kumar Rath is a poet, an environmentalist and activist to the core. After all, which officer along with his team of few cops has dug up a drain to bring water to villagers.

The 37-year-old officer could have easily become a bureaucrat but he chose IPS with a one-point agenda to ensure justice to common man and make life a living hell for the criminals.

Belonging to a poor family of a farmer, Rath with the dint of his hard work cracked the civil services exams in 2000 and thereafter never looked back.

He staunchly believed that working in the state was in his destiny and if left to him he would never like to go on deputation.

In an exclusive conversation with The Tribune, the IPS officer, who comes from Uttarsahi village in Pipli (Orissa), shares some aspects of his personal life.

Q. What is the occupation of your father?

A. My father, Hrushikesh, was a village priest and farmer.

Q. Tells us about your educational background.

A. I did my initial schooling from Oriya Medium School at my native village and then did master’s degree in sociology from Bhubaneswar before shifting to JNU at New Delhi in 1994 to pursue PhD in sociology. However, I left my PhD mid-way to join the police force in 2000.

Q. What are your hobbies?

A. I like reading and writing poetry. I also love playing outdoor games like cricket, volleyball and lawn tennis. I don’t watch television but listen to Pakistani music. Nusrat Fateh Ali, Showkat Ali, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanam, Tina Sani and Munni Begum are some of my favourite singers.

Q. Who is your role model in police force?

A. Commissioner of State Vigilance Organisation PL Gupta is my role model. During my probation at Poonch, he was my first IG in Jammu zone.

Q. Who is your favourite sportsperson?

A. Kapil Dev.

Q. Why did you chose IPS?

A. Because it gives a lot of scope of interacting with people, who look up to the police with a hope, and these things make me responsible, focused and accountable.

Q. What is your take on crimes and criminals?

A. I believe in broken window hypothesis of George Kelling and William Bratton. If we pay attention to minor offenses we can reduce fear, strengthen communities and prevent serious crimes. However, if a crime takes place one thing is sure; I am going to give a tough time to the criminals.

Q. What is your motto in life and what keeps you going?

A. ‘Do good to the people’ is my religion and by doing so I feel good about myself.

Q. Which is your favourite quotation?

A. “When I was a child I went to a school and that didn’t affect my education” by Mark Twain.

Q. Which is your favourite novel?

A. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Everyone should read it.

Q. And who is your favourite poet?

A. Emily Dickinson.

The tech-savvy cop is easily accessible and responds swiftly to the mails and messages sent to him at basant.rath@gmail.com and 9419033213.

Jammu, December 15
Musical programmes in Jammu seem to be jinxed. Every time, when such an event is organised, there is violence and the featuring singers announce they will never perform again in the city. This time, after violence during a recent musical evening, even the police has decided not to allow any such event in future.

In most of the previous events and the recently held Jazzy B night where about 20 persons were injured, the shows had to be stopped midway.

Upset over the bitter experience, SSP Basant Rath said, “In future, no such event will be allowed to take place in the city.”

The event was already controversial with the sports fraternity upset over the “misuse” of MA stadium for the purpose.

Whenever any singer comes to the city to perform in a mega event, the show becomes a victim of violence, either by militants or audience-turned protesters. Besides, a number of times the weather has also played a spoilsport.

The jinxed past of these events started with the show of luminary singer Daler Mahendi in 1998. When he was performing at the MA Stadium, a bomb exploded at the bus stand in which 20-25 people lost their lives and the show was stopped.

In another event, pop singer Baba Sehgal came to the city at Amar Singh Palace. High velocity winds and rain killed the joy and the singer had to return to the hotel. This time also, the show was cancelled.

In another such event, Punjabi singer Jasbir “Jassi” came to the Parade Ground. A minor dispute between some youngsters turned out into a bloody brawl. Hooligans threw stones and chairs everywhere among the audience, leaving scores injured. Later, the police controlled the situation.

This time also, when Jazzy B was performing in MA stadium, some youngsters dancing near to the stage threw bottles and chairs on him. Anyhow, the singer saved himself by running behind the stage and left the show in the middle. As the show halted, a minor clash turned into a free for all and children and women suffered injuries.

The angry audience also tried to torch some vehicles and broke windscreens of three buses.

All these events have proved that notorious elements in the city have always shown their presence by indulging in violence in all major events.

Meanwhile, the current incident exposes the police department’s preparedness in dealing with such events, giving its experience in previous programmes.

Srinagar, December 15
The stage for the grand finale of the Valley's famed reality show "JK Bank Milay Sur", a talent hunt initiative, is all set with the musical event expected to be telecast live on DD Kashir from the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) next week.

According to officials of Doordarshan Kendra (DDK), Srinagar, the event, during which renowned singers and musicians of the state and bollywood would be present, would mark the end of the talent hunt series with top five budding singers slugging it out for the title of the year.

"Our search for the new music sensation will end this month. The grand finale of the musical series will be held in the third week of this month at the SKICC. The event will be telecast live on DD Kashir," said Kousar Parveen, producer and director of the programme.

She said search for the new music sensation of the Valley saw more than 332 participants from all districts of Kashmir qualifying auditions and competing for the coveted title in a series of rounds and vocal performances.

Sponsored by Jammu and Kashmir Bank, auditions for the second session of the show started last year during which public broadcaster Doordarshan Srinagar received more than 700 participants.

Appreciating the endeavour of the bank in sponsoring such talent hunt initiatives, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, director, DDK, Srinagar, said: "There is a need for other corporate houses to join hands in such competitions that provide a platform to the youths to showcase their skills and talent on a global canvass".

Quoting officials of the bank, Kousar said: "The first three prizewinners will receive Rs 2 lakh, Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 1 lakh, respectively".

Jammu, December 15
A six-day long festival of folk music and dance started at Abhinav Theatre here today. With an objective to introducing younger generation to the traditional art forms, the event is being organised by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in collaboration with the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala.

On the first day of the event, Ghulam Mohammad and party presented Dogri folk songs followed by performances of Ramalo Ram and party, and Tej Ram and party. In the end a group of artists from Punjab presented folk songs.

The festival that concludes on December 21, will also see performances of artistes from Uttarakhand and Punjab whereas local artistes of repute, including Gulam Mohamad, Dhiyan Singh, Mohan Lal, TR Sharma, Bishan Das, Ravinder Magotra, Khajoor Singh and Rash Pal will also perform. The programmes have been scheduled to start at 5 pm everyday.

Also, folk dances such as Geetru, Haran, Chhajja and Thali will be performed by groups led by Romalo Ram, Vishwa Nath,Tej Ram, Mohan Mistry, Dhani Ram, Om Prakash and CS Katal will enthrall the audience with their performances in the days to come.

Jammu, December 15
Unhindered encroachments on the main road by some shopkeepers at the Apsara Road have exposed ineffectiveness of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).

Encroachments done by shopkeepers in the market have been causing inconvenience to commuters as well as pedestrians. Some shopkeepers have placed their goods outside the shops on the main road.

The main road is about 70 feet wide, out of it about 10-15 feet of the road has been encroached by shopkeepers from both the sides. Some portion of the road remains blocked due to haphazardly parked vehicles. Thus, road users have less space over which they could ply their vehicles. Pedestrians have no other option but to pass on through the jam-packed road.

The problem gets further intensified during evening hours when rehriwalas place their rehris on both sides of the road.

While accepting encroachments done by some shopkeepers, Ashwani Khullar, president of the Apsara Road Shopkeepers Association, said: “I will send circulars to the encroachers and request them to remove their goods from the road”.

Pointing towards the vehicles parked on the road, Khullar said: “Though encroachments might be adding to the chaos, the main reason is the lack of parking space”.

He alleged that people park their vehicles haphazardly on the road that causes hindrance in the free flow of traffic. Hence, he demanded the construction of parking place in the area.

Mayor Kavinder Bhushan Gupta said the corporation had already warned the shopkeepers against encroaching main road or footpaths.

“Now, we will take action against the encroachers and they cannot violate the laws of the corporation,” said the mayor.

Jammu, December 15
Sports is the basic requirement of students to stay fit and healthy. But the situation here is totally different in the University of Jammu (JU) and sports activities are becoming a victim of the lack of facilities.

It is pertinent to mention here that for the first time the university has qualified for the All India Hockey (Men) Championship to be held later in this month and the authorities have a reason to smile. But, basketball players are crying for the immediate attention of the authorities concerned.

The basketball court on the campus is without baskets thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of the Sports Department.

Though the university has got big playgrounds and courts, when the matter comes to maintain them, nobody seems to pay heed towards the plight of the players.

"The basketball court, situated at the entrance of the university, presents a poor picture of the sports infrastructure. We have requested a number of times to the officials of the Sports Department to fix new baskets, but they are in no mood to listen our request," said Hemant Sharma, a basketball player.

A student said: "The university gets huge funds for sports activities every year, still sports infrastructure cry for proper maintenance. One should make a visit to the Sports Department and feel the difference between the infrastructure of the office and courts or playgrounds".

"The authorities expect medals from players in the absence of basic requirements. They have not even provided us a fully equipped basketball court and how can we show our talent in any tournament," lamented another basketball player Geetika Manhotra.

"It was a long time ago when players were seen playing here. Nobody comes here now as the court has been declared unfit by players. They usually go to some other college to play basketball," said a security personnel deployed near the grounds.

However, Dhian Singh Bhau, director, Sports Department, JU, said: "I am out of station and not aware about the matter, but will surely look into it."

Kathua, December 15
School infrastructure in the remote and hilly district of Kathua is in a shambles. This is evident from the fact that over 100 government school buildings have been identified as unsafe, but in the absence of any alternative, students continue to study under these structures while risking their lives.

Most of such schools with extremely poor building conditions fall in four zones of Billawar, Basholi, Marheen and Bhaddu. District education officers have many a time brought the matter to the notice of the higher authorities, including the district administration, but no concrete steps have been taken so far to address the problem.

Informed sources said, Manohar Lal, deputy chief education officer, Kathua, who was deputed to identify the miserable condition of such buildings, submitted a report in October. Despite the lapse of over two months, no steps have been taken to come to the rescue of the student community, the sources said.

In a report to the chief education officer, a copy of which had also been sent to the local MP, it has been mentioned that out of 100 unsafe buildings, 25 schools were beyond repairs and needed to be reconstructed at the earliest.

Most of such buildings house high and middle schools for both boys and girls.

While 10 out of 12 rooms of Government High School, Galak, have already collapsed, students of Government High School, Sialana, have no rooftop and have been herded together into a makeshift tent pegged within the school compound.

The school building had lost the roof in a hailstorm that lashed the village in July.

Confirming about having submitted a report about the poor condition of the buildings, Manohar said during his recent visit to the Bhaddu, Billawar and Billawar zones, he also found high schools located at Mandla, Nathi, Machedi, Sukhrala, Sithu, Uchapind Panyakg, and Bhandar in poor condition.

“Similarly, middle and primary schools located in villages like Thara Kalwal, Thenthu, Korithial, Bool, Rajwalta, Niali, Dhamlar, Mongre, Bakatpur, Upper Billawar, Bajohi, Chak Chhabe, Machchedi, Karanwara and Mahanpur are also in a shambles,” he said.

He said the condition of remaining 1,500 schools falling in eight other zones was further being examined.

Kuldeep Gupta, chief education officer, hoped that most of the unsafe school buildings would be constructed or repaired soon.

Gupta pointed out that he was not in a position to order for the repairing of all school buildings since funds at the district level were too meagre to take up such a big assignment.

“We expect the release of funds under the state plan to rebuild the educational infrastructure in the district,” he added.

It is common for city residents to blame minibuses for traffic jams as the drivers stop the buses anywhere they like. But it seems the persons boarding the buses are to be blamed more. It is common practice here that people wait for buses at any given place and don't walk even a few metres to catch the bus. Recently, a minibus was stuck in a jam. It wriggled out after great trouble only to apply brakes a few metres down the road for a passenger who was waiting for nearly 15 minutes for the bus just a few steps away.