|
|
Cong dissidents plan strategy
BJP delegation meets Vohra
No Tricolour hoisting at Lal Chowk
Omar for resumption of talks with Pak
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rs 1 cr for project on renewable energy
PDD daily wage staff call off stir
Manhas apprised of PoK refugees’ problems
Shiv Sena (H) for due honour to Major Akash Singh
Students protest against decision on police post
Medical Emergencies
Sadbhavna tour held
|
|
Cong dissidents plan strategy
Jammu, January 28 Though today’s meeting was projected as a workers’ convention, activists and leaders of only a particular group comprising dissidents were present. They decided to intensify their activities to strengthen their lobby in the party. “It was purely a workers’ convention regarding the ongoing membership drive,” dissident leader Abdul Gani Vakil said and disclosed that Varinder Singh Choudhary, party observer deputed by the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) to conduct organisational elections, had promised to remove injustice meted out to a particular faction. “On the promise of the AICC observer, we convened a meeting of our workers to activate them regarding the membership drive,” he said. He hoped that adequate membership forms would be given to their group also. The dissidents alleged that PCC office-bearers denied membership forms to them as the deadline to get the same had already expired. Though the dissidents today avoided direct attack on PCC chief Saifuddin Soz, they called their supporters to enroll maximum number of membership during the drive. Vakil cautioned the party workers against the vicious campaign launched by the BJP against the recommendations of the Working Group report. He said the report submitted by the Working Group was recommendatory and it was not mandatory for the government to accept these suggestions. “The Congress is open to accommodating all shades of public opinion for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. Internal confidence-building measures initiated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have helped in restoring confidence among commoners across the state,” he observed. The dissidents availed this opportunity to highlight the achievements of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. “Equitable development of all regions of the state received focused attention during the regime of Ghulam Nabi Azad,” he said. “The process of reform and development initiated by Azad would be taken to its logical conclusion by present Chief Minister Omar Abdullah,” he added. |
|
BJP delegation meets Vohra
Jammu, January 28 The demands projected in the memorandum included, inter alia, balanced and equitable development of all three regions of the state, delimitation of the Assembly constituencies as per population, area, topography and other parameters, holding of panchayat and urban local body elections at the earliest and strengthening of the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state by adopting the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments. Other demands presented by them included the timely release and utilisation of development funds. The delegation also highlighted its views in regard to the Working Group’s report on the Centre-State relations. The Governor gave a patient hearing to the delegation. Members of the delegation included MLAs Jugal Kishore, Ashok Kumar Khajuria, Prof Gharu Ram, Sham Lal Choudhary, Sukhnandan Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Lal Chand and Durga Dass, besides national executive member of the party Nirmal Singh. According to a press note of the party, the BJP leaders expressed resentment against the Sagir Ahmed report and demanded that it should be rejected outrightly, failing which public
outrage against it may spread all across the state and the country. The BJP urged upon the Governor to convey the same to the Centre. “The report is biased and unbalanced as much as it has completely ignored the viewpoint of all those forces, people, institutions, political parties and social activists who are votaries of complete and full integration of the state with the rest of the country,” the BJP leaders stated. |
|
No Tricolour hoisting at Lal Chowk
Jammu, January 28 In a statement issued here today, Bhim Singh said no hoisting of the Tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar showed that the Chief Minister had succumbed to the dictates of terrorists. He said the state government had lost moral and constitutional rights to govern the state after this ‘shameful’ incident. Bhim Singh said the Omar government had failed on all fronts. “The Shopian incident is a living example how the state government failed to trace the culprits,” he said and urged AICC president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to rethink about continuing in the coalition with the NC. According to Bhim Singh, the NC was responsible for the advent and rise of militancy in the state. He further said on the one hand the NC fuelled militancy in the state, on the other this party encouraged corruption and nepotism. Bhim Singh alleged that state government decided not to hoist the Tricolour at Lal Chowk after secret understanding with militants. “The government decided not to unfurl the national flag at Lal Chowk after militants assured it they would not disrupt the Republic Day function at the Bakshi Stadium,” he alleged. |
|
Omar for resumption of talks with Pak
Jammu, January 28 New Delhi had stalled the peace talks asking Islamabad to first bring to the book the perpetrators of the 26/11 terror attacks in
Mumbai, he added. When talks were on there was no violence on the borders, Omar told mediapersons here today after attending a seminar organised by the Vigilance
Organisation. “There are certain forces in Pakistan who are against friendship with India,” Omar said, adding that people in Pakistan wanted good ties with India. He said: “We should resume dialogue with Pakistan so as to find out solution to our problems,” Omar said. On dialogue with separatists, he again described talks as an indispensable tool to resolve the differences. There was no other way than talks to resolve issues because guns could never solve any problem, he said. “We have fought three wars, fought against militancy for past 20 years. Every problem can be solved through talks, that's why I am in favour of talks,” he added. Earlier at the Ninth State-level District Vigilance Officers’ Conference, Omar said the tag of being the second most corrupt state of the country was required to be erased. “We are also proposing to convert the Vigilance Organisation into a full-fledged commission so as to give it more teeth,” he said. The Chief Minister said he had also taken up the issue of relieving of Wajahat Habibullah with the Centre so that he could take over as the Chief Information Commissioner. On the occasion he also awarded Chief Minister’s Vigilance Awards 2009 to Anantnag Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad and senior manager of J&K Bank Muzaffar Ahmad
Maqdoomi. |
|
|
Rs 1 cr for project on renewable energy
Jammu, January 28 The project envisages installing of solar energy panels for lighting and water heating. The salient features of the project include installation of 2x20 KW solar power plant, 2 volt batteries along with CFL/LED-based lamps and civil and electrical works. The project also covers five years’ comprehensive annual maintenance and agency charges of Rs 5 lakh. In addition, this project includes supply and installation of the 2x2000 litre per day solar water heating system besides two solar-charged battery- operated vehicles for transporting visitors and guests. The Union Ministry has released Rs 25 lakh as the first instalment of this project. Earlier this month, the Union Ministry had sanctioned a similar project costing Rs 85 lakh for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at Katra. This included installation of a solar power plant of 5 Kwp at Bhawan, 120 ton per month Biogas plant based on mule dung, solar water heating system with a capacity of heating 5000 litres of water per day as well as solar emergency lighting and mobile battery charging facility. Of the total cost of this project, Rs 50 lakh would be provided by the Union Ministry, while the balance cost will be met by the Shrine Board. The Union Ministry has released Rs 12.50 lakh as first instalment for this project. Both these projects will be completed within a period of one year. |
|
PDD daily wage staff call off stir
Jammu, January 28 Following his assurance, “we decided to call off the strike”, said Gupta. |
|
Manhas apprised of PoK refugees’ problems
Jammu, January 28 The leader of the delegation, Amrik Singh, pointed out that for the past 61 years, no steps had been taken for the rehabilitation of refugees from occupied Kashmir (PoK). “No claims have been registered for the movable and immovable properties which they left in PoK”, he pointed out and regretted that the members of such families had been living in unhygienic conditions in slums and colonies for the past 61 years. Manhas, while expressing solidarity with the refugees, said the BJP had been repeatedly raising the demands of refugees from PoK, West Pakistan, those of 1965 and 1971. He criticised the successive governments in the state for giving stepmotherly treatment to the refugees. |
|
|
Shiv Sena (H) for due honour to Major Akash Singh
Jammu, January 28 Holding placards that read “Don’t demoralise armed forces” and “Give respect to Major Akash Singh”, the Shiv Sainiks demanded due honour to the martyr. Party president Dimpy Kohli said the government should have given due respect to the martyr. By awarding Shaurya Chakra posthumously to the brave officer, the government had demoralised others of his ilk in the armed forces, he said. Referring to Rukhsana
Kousar, who had been awarded Kirti Chakra for killing one militant in Thannamandi last year, Kohli said they were not against
Rukhsana, but the government should have given a matching honour to Major Akash Singh. “We warn the government to stop playing politics over the supreme sacrifice by soldiers,” he said. We hope the Centre would realise the blunder and come out with a reconciliatory action, he added. It may be stated here that the family of Major Akash Singh were disappointed over the awarding of Shaurya Chakra to the martyr. |
|
|
Students protest against decision on police post
Jammu, January 28
The protesting students urged the Vice-Chancellor and other nominated members of the university council to take back the decision over the police post. As a first step, they demanded for withdrawal of the police force from the campus and appealed to the Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor to intervene in the issue. Addressing the gathering, the president of the Progressive Students Association said: “It would be the death of the democracy in the educational institution if the rights of students were crushed by the police in the name of threat of terrorist attack.” “Kashmir University located at the centre of the Kashmir could be the easy target of terrorists, but attacks were never aimed at students. Jammu is relatively peaceful and, therefore, there is no threat of terrorist attack here,” he maintained. “The financial burden of setting up of the police post and recruitment of police personnel would come on the shoulders of the students. It holds no justification on any ground,” he said. Bindusar Abrol, member of the Scholar Student Joint Action Committee, strongly condemned the deployment of the police force in the educational institution. |
|
|
Need for proper referral system, says report
Afsana Rashid
Srinagar, January 28 “Emergency services have gained tremendous importance because of an increase in road accidents, conflicts and industrialisation. Infrastructure to cope with emergencies needs to be built on a priority basis,” said the report, which has been compiled by Reyaz A Rangrez (Shah), Vaqar A Hakeem, SA Tabish, NA Pandit and Ajaz Mustafa of Hospital Administration, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). The report shows that 33,762 patients visited the SKIMS in 2000, whereas the number recorded during the same year in the valley’s largest hospital, SMHS, was 1,44,200. Around 1,733 emergency surgeries were done in 2000 in the SKIMS and 3,061 in the SMHS. According to another report, referral of patients from satellite health care centres to secondary or tertiary care institutions is poor in Kashmir. The study, ‘Establishing a Referral System in Kashmir’, observed 64 per cent of patients visited the Out Patient Department (OPD) at the SKIMS without any referral letter followed by 31.3 per cent referred from primary health centres or dispensary. Referral letters were available with 3 per cent of patients from other hospitals of the valley and 1.8 per cent patients were referred from private clinics. The study was carried out on 400 patients in the OPD. “The study reflects poorly on the referral system between rural and urban-based healthcare systems,” said the researchers, adding the system should be sound in order to provide efficient health care to community. “Proper referrals will save scarce resources and minimise overcrowding in teaching hospitals,” they added. Recommending urgent attention at the level of policy planning, the researchers emphasised on making the health professionals, particularly in rural settings, aware of their responsibilities towards the importance of the referral system. The system, they observed, should encourage coordinated efforts for better results. “Higher levels of care should provide feedback to the referring institution or doctor. Proper filtering, as per need and protocols, is to be maintained so that one who needs special care may be directly referred to the treating hospital,” they added. The researchers also recommended regular review meetings to be conducted by top officials like the Commissioner, Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Director, SKIMS, Principal, Government Medical College, and Director, Health Services, to monitor the progress and efficacy of referrals with a view to improving system.
|
|
|
Sadbhavna tour held
Jammu, January 28 She was briefed on the purpose of the tour by the tour in-charge Lt-Col Pushpendra. NCC cadets presented a cultural programme. |
|
| 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 | |
Jammu, January 28
