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Students demand warden’s ouster
Brick prices soar as kilns face clay shortage
State remembers Capt Saurabh’s sacrifice
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PM’s visit a success: Soz
Rain brings down mercury in valley
Work resumes for world’s tallest rail bridge
PM’s visit was focused on valley: Vision Kashmir
Boy killed, 15 hurt in mishaps
Higher grades demanded for promoted teachers
Industry opposes Jammu bandh call
IT exhibition train to reach Udhampur on June 26
Jammu boy among top 10 dancers in reality show
New post office schemes launched
Only one post of Dogri lecturer
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Students demand warden’s ouster
Jammu, June 10 They were agitated over the administrative inaction by Prof Kulawant Kaur against the resident warden of Chander Bhaga Hostel, Dr Sushma Gupta, and sought that the warden be replaced soon. They maintained that they had repeatedly brought the issue to the notice of provost but she kept delaying action against the “misbehaving” warden. After long parleys with students, Dean Student’s Welfare Prof JS Tara asked the warden to abstain from the routine affairs of hostel till any decision was taken in the coming days. Hostel students alleged that the warden used abusive languages against the boarders. “She never hesitates in passing derogatory remarks on the girls. She is short-tempered and never treats us fairly,” the protesting students alleged. “She has been holding the position of hostel warden for the past 10 years. Isn’t there any other person capable for the post of warden other than her? But she is not the lone case, there are professors who have been at the posts of warden in the hostels for the past 15 years,” they said, quoting norms which grant only three years’ tenure to the warden of a varsity hostel. “Applications are duly invited for admission in the varsity and hostel but when we talk of our rights we are told to vacate the varsity and hostel,” irked students said and added, “The varsity administration ought to respect its professional duties.” “In a room meant for two boarders, five students have been putting up. If we resent, we are asked to vacate the hostel while they have charged fee from all the five candidates,” they said. Prof JS Tara said: “We did not get any complaint from the students earlier. We have heard the grievances of the students and have asked the warden for her version. Any quick decision at this moment would be unilateral.” |
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Brick prices soar as kilns face clay shortage
Jammu, June 10 Earlier, in the beginning of the year a truckload of bricks having 3,000 bricks would cost Rs 8,700, but these days the same is costing between Rs 9,700 and Rs 10,000. Despite the sudden spurt in prices, brick kiln owners don’t seem buoyed over it as they feel that their business is still not so profitable. Owners of brick kilns at RS Pura, Marh, Muthi, Domana and other places are planning to either shut their kilns or switch over to some other business. “To procure clay is the biggest challenge now. People have smaller landholding these days. Whatever land is left, it’s being used for agricultural purposes,” said a brick kiln owner in RS Pura, Rajinder Singh, who is into the business for the past 30 years. “We have to procure clay from far-flung areas on higher prices and water too is becoming a scarce commodity,” he added. Another brick kiln owner in the same area, Jagjit Singh, said, “Besides clay and water, it’s very difficult to arrange labour. While there is negligible local labour, we are dependent on labour from outside the state. There is always a probability that they may not come or we may not get them in time.” Another brick kiln owner said, “We are being continuously harassed by the Revenue Department and the Pollution Control Board. So we are planning to start some other businesses as profits never compensate our efforts.” Farmers too are not ready to part with the clay. Those around the brick kilns have already sold off the uppers layers of the land. “I have sold off two layers of my field to brick kilns but now I cannot afford to sell any more as the level of fields will go down drastically. And then there will be the fear of crops perishing due to water-logging in the rainy season,” said a farmer, Tara Singh. “After the top soil cover is removed, it takes some time and hard efforts to prepare the same piece of land for agriculture again,” he added.
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State remembers Capt Saurabh’s sacrifice
Jammu, June 10 The memorial is the biggest in the state and one of its kinds in the country where names of all soldiers who died in the state while fighting Pakistani and Chinese armies or in operations against militants since the Independence of the country. But while a befitting memorial and supreme honour awaits Captain Saurabh, the people of the state have not forgotten his sacrifice. His name finds mention in the list of the martyrs. The Army officer, who does not wish to be identified, had participated in the Kargil War. It was on June 9 that Saurabh’s mutilated body was handed over to his parents. The Army officer echoes the anguish of Saurabh’s parents that he wasn’t given a befitting honour and the Indian government did not pursue his torture as a case of war crime. “His was an exemplary feat. If he had revealed anything, there was no need to torture him and four other soldiers, time and again,” the officer said. Saurabh was only awarded a Sena Medal for his sacrifice. “Though, no one has any authentic information on what he revealed or not to the enemy, his prolonged torture tells the brave boy did not surrender to the enemy. His sacrifice should be acknowledged,” said the Army Officer. Meanwhile, though Saurabh’s name is mentioned in the list of martyrs, his name ismisspelt as Saurav. It seems not much care was taken to enter the name correctly in the list.
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PM’s visit a success: Soz
Srinagar, June 10 “The Prime Minister was clear in his mind that dialogue was the only way to sort out issues and his invitation to all shades of opinion to join the process was unambiguous”, Soz said while addressing a public meeting at Tral in Pulwama district of South Kashmir today. Soz said the Prime Minister’s message to militants was also clear that they must shun the path of violence and only then they would be welcome to the dialogue process. Referring to the functioning of the National Conference-Congress coalition government, Soz said it had a road map of development and was determined to complete its programme. “It is also true that the coalition government has to do much more to respond to the aspirations of people and it will do so”, Soz assured the gathering. Soz, who is also head of the coordination committee of coalition partners, sanctioned Rs 10 lakh out of the MPLAD Fund to the Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, for providing an ambulance to the hospital and upgrading science and computer laboratories in Tral. Others who addressed the public meeting included Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla and JKPCC vice-presidents Mohammad Muzaffar Parray, Ghulam Nabi Monga , Bashir Ahmad Magray and Abdul Majid Padder, and general secretaries Mohammad Anwar Bhat, Amreen Bader and G.N Mir
Lasjan.
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Rain brings down mercury in valley
Srinagar, June 10 Gulmarg, 60 km from here, which received a rainfall of 9.4 mm of rain yesterday, recorded a lowest minimum temperature of 3.5 °C today, the Met office said. Srinagar, summer capital of the state, recorded a low of 9.9°C — four degrees below normal, following rain overnight. Qazigund, which is situated on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, recorded the highest rainfall of 23.2 mm followed by Kokernag (8.2 mm), Pahalgam (6.6 mm), Srinagar (5.2 mm) and Kupwara (2.5 mm). However, there was no respite from the sweltering heat for people of Jammu as the minimum temperature showed an upward trend. The city recorded a low of 25.6°C today against 24.6°C yesterday. Bhaderwah, Banihal and Batote in Jammu received some rainfall. The lowest minimum temperature in the Jammu region was recorded in Bhaderwah, which reported 12.2 mm of rainfall at 3°C this morning. Leh in frontier region of Ladakh received 0.2 mm of rainfall and recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6°C. Weathermen have forecast more rain for the next few days. “Rain and thunderstorms are expected in a few places in the Kashmir valley and in some isolated areas of Jammu,” a met spokesman said. Jammu: Due to inclement weather, a chopper carrying Governor NN Vohra could not reach Jammu from Srinagar and he had to return midway. Sources said the Governor was scheduled to preside over a function of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Jammu today. The Governor, who is also the Chairman of Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board, was also supposed to hold a meeting of government functionaries here at Yatri Niwas to supervise the arrangements in view of the Amarnath
yatra.
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Work resumes for world’s tallest rail bridge
Udhampur, June 10 Taller by 35 metres than Eiffel Tower in Paris, this bridge is a crucial 125 km rail link between Katra and Banihal. The work resumed after a team of IIT-Delhi found its alignment safe. “Initially, a number of people of this area did not know exactly what led to the suspension of work on the bridge. For them it was a loss of labour though contractual. People are happy because the work has finally resumed,” said Davender Thakur, a local journalist. As per construction officials stationed at Jyotipuram near Reasi, safety tests were carried out by a team of IIT-Delhi led by Prof KS Rao on the proposed 359-metre high bridge, the construction of which was halted in July 2008 due to safety concerns. The Railways had constituted a seven-member expert committee consisting of professors of IIT-Mumbai, Panjab University and a foreign consultant to examine the issue. Even as the committee found the proposed alignment of the 1,315 m Chenab bridge fully safe, it had suggested more conformity tests by an independent agency keeping in view the topography of the area. The bridge is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 550 crore and is expected to be completed by 2016.
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PM’s visit was focused on valley: Vision Kashmir Jammu, June 10 Expressing anguish over the PM’s offer for talks to separatists, Fotedar said, “It is under the pressure of the international community that the Central government has offered to hold talks with these anti-national forces.” Resenting the Prime Minister’s remark over human rights violations, Sanjay Chowgami, secretary of the organisation, said the historical human rights violations of Kashmiri Pandits and their being rendered homeless remained unattended by the Central and state governments. —
TNS |
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Boy killed, 15 hurt in mishaps
Srinagar, June 10 Two persons travelling in a Maruti car were injured when the car collided with a bus of Dehli Public School at the Nowgam-Srinagar bypass. In another accident, five persons were injured when the Tata Sumo vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident at Kanipora in Srinagar. Another Tata Sumo vehicle hit two boys and injured them near Tibia College, Saida Kadal, Srinagar. A motorcycle skidded off the national highway at Bonigam in Kulgam causing injuries to the rider and the one riding pillion.
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Higher grades demanded for promoted teachers
Jammu, June 10 “We demand higher grades for all those who were promoted by the Education Department in 1998 and afterwards with immediate effect. We further demand they be given monetary benefit with retrospective effect,” said Sharma. “There are thousands of teachers who were promoted during their service time but their grades remained the same. Even though they had retired, they did not get any monetary benefit,” he added. |
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Industry opposes Jammu bandh call
Jammu, June 10 According to a handout, an emergency meeting of the CCI was held here today under the chairmanship of its general secretary, Satish Gupta, and a discussion was held on the bandh call given by some organisations. Those present at the meeting observed that there was no logic for the bandh when the state government had already issued SRO 242, dated June 8, 2010, to relax tax on vehicles for Amarnath and Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims. Meanwhile, the Ram Sena has also suspended its bandh call for June 12 after a meeting with the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. According to a handout, the Divisional Commissioner assured to solve the issue of imposing tax on buses. The sena submitted a memorandum for the exemption of toll tax on vehicles carrying foodgrains from outside Jammu and Kashmir for free langar in the state during the Amarnath yatra. |
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IT exhibition train to reach Udhampur on June 26
Udhampur, June 10 A meeting in this regard was held under the chairmanship of District Development Commissioner Baseer Ahmed Khan here yesterday. Officers of various departments were asked to coordinate the arrangements and prepare a detailed schedule of events for the smooth conduct of the exhibition. The exhibition will showcase the country’s achievements in the fields of e-governance, infrastructure and technology relevant to rural people as well as language-interfacing technology. SSP Surinder Gupta, Additional District Development Commissioner RR Sharma, Principal, Government College for Women, Sadhna Gupta, Principal, Government Degree College, Ramnagar, Dr Asha Gupta, Chief Planning Officer, Chief Education Officer, District Informatic Officer, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Station Superintendent of Railway Station Udhampur and Block Development Officers attended the meeting. The Assistant Commissioner Development, the District Informatic Officer and the Project Officer, IREP, were asked to act as a nodal agency for coordinating the various arrangements, including earmarking of space, seating, decoration, sanitation, transportation, cultural activities and publicity, with the railway authority in Udhampur. It was also decided that the Principal Women College and the Chief Education Officer would arrange a cultural show by students.
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Jammu boy among top 10 dancers in reality show
Jammu, June 10 “Our students are representing the state at bigger stages like ‘Chak Dhoom Dhoom’ ‘Little Champs’ and ‘Dance India Dance’. They are giving tough competition to their competitors,” added Dubey. Choreographers of the institute have appealed to people of Jammu that they should vote for Piyush whenever he falls in the danger zone during the realty show. Meanwhile, the institute has decided to start 15 days’ workshop in the city from July 1. The enrolment for the workshop would begin from June 25. “Our state has a lot of talent. The only need is to provide a proper platform to them, so we are putting our efforts to promote the talent at the higher level,” said Dubey. The institute has invited Vijay Rawat, a choreographer from Delhi, for conducting the workshop. Besides imparting training in western dance, Salsa and Jackson dancing style, Rawat would train the participants in contemporary dance forms like ‘Mayur Bhanj Chhau (an art form of Orrisa) to the interested. The dance institute is situated at the Gandhi Nagar area. Around five trainers/ choreographers of the institute train around 130 dance aspirants. The dance lovers not only come from the city but also from the distant areas like Mishriwala, Nagrota, Akhnoor and Samba to learn the art of dancing in this institute.
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New post office schemes launched
Jammu, June 10 Talking to the media, Chief Post Master General YPS Mohan said, “Through the NPS a person of age between 18 and 55 years can deposit money. It has a two-tier provision. In the first tier, one can deposit a minimum of Rs 6,000 in a year in at least four instalments or Rs 500 per month. The minimum deposit in the tier II account is Rs 1,000 as initial instalment and Rs 250 as the subsequent instalment subject to a minimum of Rs 6,000 per annum,” he said “The amount deposited by the account holders will be invested in different unit-linked pension funds. At the end of 60 years 60 per cent of the corpus accumulated will be paid to the subscribers and 40 per cent to the pension providing companies selected from the list by the subscribers,” Mohan said. “While no withdrawal can be made from the tier I account till the maturity of the scheme, such withdrawals are admissible in the tier II account,” he added. The nomination facility, Mohan said, was also available under the NPS and the general public could avail of the service through all nine head post offices in the J&K Circle ie., Jammu, Gandhi Nagar, Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri, Srinagar GPO, Baramulla, Anantnag and Leh. “In collaboration with Euro Giro, India Post has launched a new scheme of money transfer from abroad and vice-versa, MO Videsh, for the purposes like studying abroad, medical treatment, family maintenance and travel abroad,” he added. Mohan said the expected date of payment would be four working days from the date of booking of MO
Videsh. |
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Only one post of Dogri lecturer
Jammu, June 10 The single post was advertised in March last year. Postgraduate students and scholars of Dogri usually grudge lack of job opportunities. “Calling candidates to Srinagar for interview for one post is unjustifiable. Dogri is read in the Jammu region only and, therefore, the candidates who have applied for the post belong to Jammu only. There is no logic in calling candidates to Srinagar for the interview when the PSC has its office in Jammu also,” said a candidate. “The interviews should be held in Jammu only, as the government is not paying any board and lodging allowance to the candidates,” said Prof Veena Gupta, a senior professor in the Department of Dogri at Jammu University. “We have been demanding the introduction of Dogri at the elementary level in schools in Dogri-speaking areas. The state Board of School Education has already prepared the syllabus but the government does not have any education policy,” he said. He added, “The Dogri Sanstha and other organisations promoting Dogri have many a time raised the issue of discrimination against Dogri but the government remains unmoved.” Despite Dogri’s place in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, Dogri scholars and postgraduate students said, “We don’t have any job opportunities. Those who claim to be the custodians of Dogri are doing nothing but paying lip service.” “We don’t understand how the government is promoting Dogri when it has not appointed Dogri teachers and lecturers in educational institutions,” said Capt (retd) Romesh Lal of Sunder Bani. He added that several unemployed postgraduate students of Dogri were taking to other subjects due to the non-availability of Dogri teachers in schools. The president of the Nami Dogri Sanstha, Dogra Harish Kaila, said: “We need more lecturers and teachers in colleges and schools. The required number of posts in Dogri-speaking areas should be created and subsequently advertised without delay.”
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Protesting against the alleged misbehaviour of the warden, boarders of the girls hostel at University of Jammu today gheraoed the provost and head of the political science department and kept her indoor for several hours.
While common man is already struggling due to the high prices of essential items with his back to the wall, the dream of constructing a home is becoming more difficult as the prices of bricks are soaring.
“The very fact that Saurabh Kalia was tortured for so many days proved he did not divulge anything to the enemy about the Army’s positions and strength,” observes a senior Army officer, standing next to the long list of martyrs that includes Saurabh’s name also, at the Balidan Stambh near Bahu Rakh, Jammu.
