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Confusion about new school timings
Panic after 2 men spotted moving suspiciously
Attack numbs rescued civilians
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Army rescues nine Punjab pilgrims
Car driver slaps SHO for removing tinted film
Hospital draws flak for poor facilities
Cops organise medical camp
Hectic lobbying for posts of boards’ chairperson
SC-ST front constituted
Forum starts awareness campaign
Plan to raise educational loans
Refugees to burn Working Group report
Flag meeting held
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Confusion about new school timings
Jammu, January 6 As a result, government and private schools witnessed about 50 per cent attendance. A majority of schools reopened at 8 am, whereas the government had ordered yesterday that the schools should start at 10 am. Though the school authorities said they would follow the new timings from tomorrow, the Central Schools refused to do so. The Chief Education Officer, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, said it was difficult to say at this juncture about the timings as the Central Schools had different timings in different states. Sources said Central Schools usually followed the orders of either the Centre or the divisional commissioners, who were the chairmen of the institutions in their respective divisions. Chief Education Officer NR Dingra has taken a tough stand on the issue. He said all government, private and Central Schools had to function as per the new timings. “The Central Schools, too, have to follow the new timings and if they are found violating the directions, action can be taken against them,” Dingra said. Director, School Education, Zahida Khan said the school timings were changed keeping in view the weather. “During the morning hours, there is fog everywhere which leads to accidents. To avoid these, we have changed the timings,” she added. Meanwhile, on the first day, a majority of schools had attendance. Government Higher Secondary School, Paloura, had less than 40 per cent attendance in all classes. Luthra Academy and Panjtirthi had about 45 per cent attendance. At the same time, there are demands for extending the vacation due to prolonged cold conditions. “The whole system of winter vacation is wrong. It starts during the last week of December and ends in January, which is considered the coldest month,” said Sanjeev Luthra, Principal of Luthra School. He added: “We have suggested to the Director, Schools, and the CEO to announce the vacation in January and make the system permanent as cold increases during this month.” The Director, School Education, said the winter vacation would be announced according to the season from the next year.
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Panic after 2 men spotted moving suspiciously
Jammu, January 6 Adding to the panic, two television news channels without confirming the reports aired the news, forcing the Special Operations Group (SOG) to plug all entry points to the city besides putting up random check posts. Official sources told The Tribune that panic gripped the city around 1.45 pm today after two suspicious men were spotted in a temple in the Roop Nagar area of Chinore. “The two men had gone to meet a sadhu in a temple and the duo had some dispute over stones (to wear) given to them by the Sadhu,” said sources. SP (Operations) JS Sambyal, who heads the SOG, said after being informed by the police control room, SOG, as a precautionary measure, moved out in the city setting up check posts. As of now, the reports appear to be a rumour but the SOG personnel are still on the job, he said. “Around 2 pm, we were informed that two armed militants on a mobike were sighted in Roop Nagar and within 10 minutes SOG teams had moved out,” he said. Sources in the Chinore police post said sadhu had claimed that he had sighted two men with weapons near a temple in the Roop Nagar area but later he changed his statement saying that the two men, probably migrant labourers, carried spades in their hands. Police post in-charge Sajjad Haider refused to divulge the identity of the Sadhu. Jammu SSP Basant Kumar Rath said nothing of that sort had happened. I am shocked how these news channels aired the news without confirming it, he said, adding that nobody had spoken to him regarding the reports. There are rumours that the two “armed ultras” belonged to the group of militants which had recently given a slip to the Delhi police.
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Attack numbs rescued civilians
Srinagar, January 6 Shopkeepers in the immediate vicinity closed their shops, but life did not appear much disturbed in nearby areas. Most of the shops on the Residency Road, barely 250 metres from the encounter site, were open and many downed the shutter only in the late afternoon when the police had to use force to disperse some protesters. A generation of people grown up watching conflicts and encounters, there was more curiosity than fear among the locals. The police had encircled the area up to some safe distance from the encounter spot with barbed wire, but it often had to chase away onlookers. However, those civilians rescued from Punjab Hotel, where the militants were hiding, and nearby hotels and restaurants, had a tale of near-death and relief after rescue to tell. “I am thankful to Allah. I and others were hiding in a corner and were deafened by the raging gunfire. It is my second life,” Ghulam Mohammad Beigh, an elderly man, said after being rescued after 90 minutes. Rescued women were crying and many others had their hands up and were escorted by the police to safety. Security reviewed
Jammu: A core group meeting was held here on Wednesday at the headquarters of White Knight Corps at Nagrota by the General Officer Commanding, 16 Corps, and Security Adviser Lt-Gen Rameshwar Roy. The meeting was attended by senior civil, paramilitary forces, police and Army officers which included the DGP, the Special DG, CRPF, the ADGP CID, the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, the Commissioner SB, IG Police, Jammu, IG, BSF and others. General Officers Commanding of various formations were also present. The meeting reviewed the security situation in the Jammu region in view of the forthcoming Republic Day. The Security Adviser complimented the security forces, intelligence agencies the and civil administration for achieving synergy, enviable harmony and immense coordination amongst themselves towards a common and national cause. |
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Army rescues nine Punjab pilgrims
Udhampur, January 6 An Army spokesperson said here today that the incident occurred near the Nadini tunnel on January 3 at about 11.45 am on the Nagrota bypass. A black Scorpio bearing the registration number, PB-15D-7676, was going from Vaishno Devi to Jammu. It had nine occupants, including four women. An Army convoy of the 267 Engineer Regiment, the integral Engineer Regiment of the 19 Infantry Division , led by Lt-Col JS Sodhi was on its way to Srinagar. The Scorpio was overspeeding and when it came in front of the vehicle of Colonel Sodhi from the opposite direction, the Scorpio driver lost control and broke the cemented blocks on the edge of the road and was about to plunge into a deep ravine below. Colonel Sodhi stopped his vehicle and rushed to the scene to rescue the occupants of the Scorpio. He was assisted by Capt Mahesh Varma ,Naik DM Pathare and Spr Ramdev who rescued the civilians from the precariously dangling vehicle with the help of a Unit Recovery Vehicle. The pilgrims were identified as Naveen Narula ( 20), Usha Narula ( 42), Rahul Narula ( 23), Amit Batra (20), Ritu Batra ( 21), Sudesh Batra ( 45), Neeru Gawdi (26), Rajesh Gawdi (29) and the driver of the vehicle Krishan( 25). None of them sustained serious injuries though the miraculous escape left them shell-shocked. |
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Car driver slaps SHO for removing tinted film
Jammu, January 6 A number of eyewitnesses told this correspondent that the SHO along with other policemen came in his official vehicle outside Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 in Gandhi Nagar and stopped a white Maruti 800 car. The car had almost 80-90 per cent black filming on its widowpanes, thus violating law. The police party started removing the black film after warning the car driver. According to the eyewitnesses, the car driver in his mid-thirties abused the SHO for removing the film and had heated arguments with the latter on the roadside. “The SHO told the car driver to keep quiet and don’t talk unnecessary. But the latter was not ready to stop and he again abused the SHO. Then the SHO pushed him aside, but the man slapped the SHO in full public view,” said Amit Sharma, an eyewitness. After that the policemen accompanying the SHO thrashed the offender with sticks, bundled him into the police vehicle and took him to the police station, he added. The incident took place around 2 pm and lasted for about 15 minutes. This correspondent was also present on the spot and was having tea at a stall there. The SHO is said to be a strict police officer and commands respect in the area. Senior bureaucrats and politicians reside in the Gandhi Nagar area, which comes under the SHO’s jurisdiction and he has good relations with most of them. Meanwhile, the SHO said, “This is all part and parcel of our job. We let the person go later. No FIR has been registered against him. I don’t even know his name.” |
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Swine fluHospital draws flak for poor facilities Kumar Rakesh Tribune News Service
Srinagar, January 6 Three SKIMS doctors have also contracted the influenza, courtesy lack of protective gear and the absence of a separate ward for swine flu patients. Dr Nissar-ul-Hassan, in charge of Kashmir’s swine flu centre, minces no words in blaming the SKIMS for “mismanagement.” He accuses it of “community transmission” of the influenza by not preparing well to deal with the contagious disease. Dr Hassan rubbished the “isolation ward” created for swine flu patients in the hospital, as it shared entrance with hundreds of patients, attendants and the medical staff and was adjacent to doctors’ change room and another ward. SKIMS sources say Muskan, who was the first swine flu victim in the valley, was admitted to the general medicine ward of the hospital along with many other patients. “Two doctors attending to the ward suffered from the flu,” a doctor says.Junior doctors concerned, who are the ones with the maximum patient care load, have taken up the issue with the authorities, he says. SKIMS Director Abdul Hamid Zargar says there is more scare than facts behind these allegations. He adds that his institute should not be blamed for everything. “We can’t create an isolation ward overnight and medical facilities and infrastructure are issues in all hospitals,” he says. He blames a huge rush of patients and attendants for the spread of influenza and says a new ward is being created. Zargar says Kashmir sees a big spurt in upper-respiratory infections in winter every year and those criticising his hospital should see things in this context. However, Dr Hassan says Dr Zargar has not shown any attempt to accept fault on the part of the SKIMS. “If he had done so, there would be attempts to rectify them as well. Instead, he is accusing us of trying to tarnish the reputation of the SKIMS,” he says. As 200 samples have been sent to New Delhi from the valley and 41 have tasted positive with a resurgence in the last few weeks, Dr Hassan says the SKIMS should put its house in order.
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Cops organise medical camp
Srinagar, January 6 The traffic safety week began on January 1 and is scheduled to conclude tomorrow. Today’s free medical camp was held under the supervision of the Medical Superintendent of Police Hospital, Srinagar, at Traffic Police Lines here and at Panthachowk. People attended the camp in large numbers. They were checked for ophthalmic care and chest-related problems in proximity to vehicular pollution. Free medicines were also given during the camp. The SSP,Traffic, City, and the SP, Traffic, Rural Kashmir, were present at the camp.
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Hectic lobbying for posts of boards’ chairperson
Jammu, January 6 Although a number of Congress leaders have been trying for the chairmanship of some boards, senior party activists, who lost the last Assembly elections, have been working overtime to get themselves properly “rehabilitated” in these boards. The posts of chairperson of 14 boards have been lying vacant and the coalition partners -- Congress and NC -- have decided to share seven posts each. Congress insiders disclosed that the party had decided to nominate three chairpersons in the first instalment and the process would be completed within a week. The Congress had decided to nominate heads of the Scheduled Caste Development Board, Gujjar Bakerwal Advisory Board and the Backward Classes Development Board first. The chairpersons of these boards are given the status of ministers, and as such many senior leaders are doing hectic lobbying for these posts. Sources said two former ministers, namely Swaran Lata and Mula Ram, were eyeing the post of chairperson of the Scheduled Caste Development Board. Mula Ram was a Cabinet minister in the previous government and had lost the last Assembly elections from the Raipur Domana segment. Both leaders belong to the Soz faction of the party. Another former minister Suman Bhagat is also lobbying for the same post. She belongs to the Ghulam Nabi Azad lobby. The sources said Choudhary Shah Mohammad and Bashir Ahmed Naz were in the race for the post of chairman of the Gujjar Bakerwal Advisory Board, which was earlier headed by veteran leader Haji Buland Khan. Shah Mohammad is one of the prominent Gujjar leaders of the region. Naj, who had joined the Congress just before the 2009 Assembly elections, was earlier a member of the Legislative Council from the NC. He had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from the Poonch-Haveli segment. Naz belongs to the Azad faction, while Shah Mohammad is associated with the Soz lobby. Similarly, hectic lobbying is going on for the post of chairman of the Backward Classes Development Board, which was created recently following repeated demands of different communities.
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SC-ST front constituted
Jammu, January 6 Former Regional Manager of State Bank of India Daya Ram Bhagat was elected convener of the front. Leaders of different parties who participated in the first meeting of the front vowed to work for the cause of the communities. While on the one hand, National Conference MLC Javid Rana supported the move to form a united front, two BJP MLAs, namely, Garu Ram and Bharat Bhushan also endorsed the viewpoint of Rana. The decision to launch the front was taken at a high level meeting in which several legislators, former legislators, corporators, prominient leaders and several activists belonging to the SC-ST communities participated. Speakers warned the state government against any move to ban inter-district recruitment and threated they would not hestitate to take extreme steps if any attempt was made to debar the weaker sections from their constitutional rights. The meeting decided to hold a wider interaction with members of the communities and chalked out a detailed programme of action for creating greater awareness among these communities about their constitutional rights, guarantees, the reservation policy and rules as well as methodology to be adopted for protection thereof. It was decided that after holding a public rally in the third week of this month, group discussions, seminars, public meetings, dharnas and peaceful demonstrations would be organised in furtherance of the objectives of the front. Among others who attended the meeting included Bali Bhagat, former MLA, Mohd Aslam Kohli, Anam Hafiz Choudhry, N.D Rajwal, Mohammed Maqbool, Jeet Angral, Surinder Bhagat, Sanjay Bhagat, Mohd Azam Meelu, Moti Lal and Adarsh Bhagat.
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Forum starts awareness campaign
Jammu, January 6 According to a statement issued here, NSF president Vikas Sharma distributed pamphlets among students, scholars, teachers and all other staff. The pamphlet highlighted the alleged cases of tampering with marksheets and mass copying that were dealt inappropriately by the university authorities and the culprits of the same were not punished. Under the first phase of the agitation, the NSF disseminated information in all departments of the university about the same allegations. Sharma said under the second phase of the campaign, people across the province would be made aware about the alleged bungling in the university affairs. Condemning the authorities, he said students and scholars had been protesting on the campus for a long time but the Vice-Chancellor hadn’t taken any notice of it. Anganwari workers protest
The Jammu and Kashmir Anganwari Workers and Helpers Union (JKAWHU) today held a protest rally called ‘Jammu Chalo’ against the indifferent attitude of the state government towards their demands. According to a statement issued here, around 1,500 anganwari workers and helpers from all districts and blocks of the province gathered outside the office of the Divisional Commissioner and raised slogans against the government. Addressing the gathering, Mohammad Gafoor Dar, president of the union, warned the government that they would intensify their agitation if it failed to accept their demands before the Assembly
session. He demanded that the government should enhance their wages and bring them on a par with Central employees. The president further demanded declaration of promotion list of supervisors which is pending for the last two years, implementation of contributory pension schemes, amendment in the recruitment rules, release of rent arrears and timely disbursement of wages to the employees. |
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Plan to raise educational loans
Jammu, January 6 The minister said it was proposed to provide an yearly loan assistance of Rs 60, 000 to students pursuing the MBBS and BDS outside the state, whereas students pursuing the same courses within the state would get Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. The students pursuing other professional courses in and outside the state would also get enhanced loan facilities, she added. Itoo said the functioning of Board of Professional Entrance Examination is being further improved, adding that from the current year the students appearing in any professional examination would be provided duplicate answer books for their satisfaction. She said government would also approach to the professional colleges of other states to seek reservation of seats for wards of militancy-hit families. The minister asked for introducing more professional courses in polytechnics and other professional colleges. The minister underscored the need for streamlining the working of ARI and taking new initiatives. Itoo asked the authorities concerned to ensure the secretariat training course to all the ministerial staff so that they could perform more efficiently while dealing with public interest matters. The minister was told that the department was going to organise a short-term course of 10 to 15 days for secretariat employees very soon. The meeting was informed that ARI had received 78 proposals of recruitment rules from various departments for vetting, out of which the service rules of 56 departments had been cleared, 15 such cases returned to departments concerned for want of relevant information while seven were under the scrutiny.
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Refugees to burn Working Group report
Jammu, January 6 Addressing a press conference here, Prof Narinder Singh, convener of the morcha, said the report was dangerous as it recommended more autonomy to the state and outrightly rejected the pending demands and issues of the PoK refugees. The report had also exposed both concepts of autonomy and self-rule as two sides of the same coin meant to dilute India’s sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir. “We were having much expectation from both Central and state governments, but it was unfortunate that the governments had ignored the cause of PoK refugees even in the state-Centre relation working group’s report,” Narinder Singh said. |
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Flag meeting held
Jammu, January 6 From the Pakistan side, the meeting was attended by the Wing Commander- II, Chenab, Zulfikar Ali and from the Indian
side the Commandants of the 110 Battalion The BSF officers asked their Pakistani counterparts to refrain from ceasefire violations, check infiltration bids and clear the “sarkanda” growth on their side of the border. |
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As schools reopened after the winter vacation here today, confusion prevailed about the new school timings.
As a result, government and private schools witnessed about 50 per cent attendance. A majority of schools reopened at 8 am, whereas the government had ordered yesterday that the schools should start at 10 am.
Jammu, January 6
