Jammu, May 10
Even as the state government has been repeatedly claiming that unemployment is the biggest problem in the state, the authorities have miserably failed to fill more than 50,000 posts lying vacant in various departments for the past more than five years.

Though some of the posts have been referred to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and State Services Recruitment Board (SSRB), the recruitment process is very slow.

Further, both these recruitment agencies have been facing allegations of bungling and mismanagement. Opposition parties, especially the BJP, have even demanded reconstitution of the PSC.

According to official documents procured by The Tribune, 54,596 posts, comprising 7,702 gazetted, 35,130 non-gazetted and 11,764 Class IV, have been lying vacant in various departments. The maximum numbers of 9,443 posts are lying vacant in the School Education Department. These posts comprise 2,459 gazetted, 5,439 non-gazetted and 1,545 class IV posts. The School Education Department is followed by the Health and Medical Education Department where 8,870 posts have been lying vacant.

During the past eight years, a number of schools were upgraded, but adequate staff is not available in these upgraded or newly opened schools due to which their functioning has been badly affected.

Similarly, the functioning of the Health Department is also affected due to the non-availability of adequate staff. Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma recently admitted in the Legislative Assembly that health centres were being opened without appointing the required staff. He admitted that due to the non-availability of staff, the Health Department had been facing a lot of problems.

Interestingly, law and order is one of the biggest problems in the state, but a large number of posts have been lying vacant in the Home Department. As many as 5,789 posts, comprising 362 gazetted, 5,323 non-gazetted and 104 Class IV, are lying vacant.

According to official record, a total of 18,666 posts of various categories have been referred to the recruiting agencies, namely the PSC and SSRB and it is believed that these posts would be filled by the end of this year.

The gazetted posts have been referred to the PSC while non-gazetted are referred to the SSRB. For filling Class IV vacancies, district and divisional-level committees have been constituted to select suitable candidates on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, some organisations have questioned the credibility of the PSC for its alleged misconduct. The BJP and the Jammu State Morcha (JSM) have demanded winding up of the PSC. “Keeping in view the irregularities committed by the PSC in the selection of veterinary surgeons, it is essential that it should be scrapped and new members, including chairman, controller etc should be appointed,” demands the JSM. It has also been demanded that appointments made in the past two years should be probed by the CBI or the State Vigilance Commission or a commission headed by a judge of the Supreme Court or High Court from outside the state. 

Srinagar, May 10
To ease frequent traffic snarls on the city roads due to the lack of parking spaces and congested roads, the traffic authorities are encouraging car pooling in this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

“People should go for car pooling and use of public transport, especially on Mondays, to ease traffic congestion in the city,” SP (Traffic) Maqsood Zaman said. He also asked the city residents to follow traffic rules while driving.

“We are trying to educate people about the traffic rules so that there is some order in the movement of vehicles in the city. At the moment, it is quite haphazard,” Zaman said.

The SP traffic rued that there was not enough manpower in the department to regulate the estimated three lakh vehicles that ply through the city everyday.

“We have nearly two lakh vehicles registered in the city and nearly one lakh come in everyday from other parts of the state and the country. The total staff strength available at the moment is around 300 against the requirement of 1,100,” he said.

Meanwhile, vigorous drive against the violation of traffic rules launched by the department over the past four months has been an unlikely source of revenue for the state exchequer.

“We have collected Rs 47 lakh as fines for various traffic violations - mostly wrong parking - from the offending drivers during the past four months,” Zaman said. Wrongly parked vehicles in the city can cost the driver Rs 1,100 as fine and towing charges.

The drive against wrong parking has also yielded bumper working season for ‘bumper boys’, those who repair vehicles which get damaged during the towing process by the traffic police.

“We charge around Rs 150 for repairing dents that a car usually suffers during the towing process,” said Bilal Ahmad, one of the many youth who have set up mobile workshops outside the Traffic Department's city office.

Earlier, these mechanics used to get three to four vehicles per day, but now they have a large number of vehicles to take care of. While there has been general appreciation for the traffic cops’ drive, the city residents have also criticised the authorities for not creating enough parking lots in the city.

“A city with two lakh cars should have parking lots that can hold at least 50,000 cars. At best, there is parking for 3,000 vehicles in the city,” Sajad Ahmad, a businessman, said.

He said even road-widening projects in the city started three years ago have not been completed. “How will these officials complete new road construction projects when they are not able to widen the roads by two metres in three years?” he asked. — PTI 

Srinagar, May 10
The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), a frontal organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, have alleged that some revenue officials of the Ladoo area were helping the land mafia to grab the land of the temple in the area. However, the Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, denied that the land of any temple had been encroached upon.

“Residents of Ladoo, who manage the Asthapan and Ashram of Jewan Sahib at Ladoo are being harassed by some revenue officials to facilitate the ill-designs of some people to sell the land belonging to the old Asthapan,” Sanjay K Tickoo, president of the KPSS, said.

He said a Kashmiri Pandit was also helping the land mafia to grab the temple land for personal benefits. “A team of revenue and police officials visited the spot on April 29 and it was ascertained that at present, Asthapan possessed eight kanals and eight marlas, which needed to be protected and preserved. Even the poles used to fence the land had been removed,” Tickoo said.

He added that some revenue officials, who enjoyed the patronage of some anti-national elements, had refused to act on the orders of their superiors.

Tickoo said the KPSS requested the SP, Awantipora, to give protection to the residents of Ladoo, as they feared the revenue officials may misuse their position to harm them to sell the land. “There is another case of the encroachment of temple land at Aarihal in Pulwama by a Class IV employee in the Pulwama Deputy Commissioner’s office. Despite Deputy Commissioner’s directions to vacate it, he has not done so,” he added. Tickoo appealed to the state government to act immediately.

Speaking to The Tribune, Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, Shafaat Noor, said, “Both issues have come to my notice and I have sent a team there. There is no encroachment upon the temple land at Aarihal, while at Ladoo a Kashmiri Pandit, who is at present living in Jammu, wants to fence his own land. As per the revenue records the land belongs to him and the land of the temple is safe”.

Kunzar, May 10
Since early morning, voters in long queues could be seen standing for their turn to cast votes at various polling stations in the Kunzar block of Baramulla district and the Narbal block of Budgam district.

The five months of unrest in the Valley last year had ruined the lives of the residents of this block, as the entire business here collapsed due to the unrest. Now, the people here say that if voting will bring back peace, they are ready to defy any boycott call. “Peace is the driving force that brought me here to vote in the panchayat elections. If voting will bring back peace and stability, we are ready to vote,” said Iftiqar Ahmed, a businessman.

A large section of voters came to cast votes in the hope of bringing back normalcy in the Valley. However, issues concerning development of the area and employment of the youth remained high on their agendas.

“This is our reply to the people who have their own family members well-settled and who themselves live in palatial houses, but ruin the life of the common people. We want to send them a message that we want peace at any cost,” said Ali Mohammed, a voter in the Kunzar block.

“The roads in our area are in a shambles, we don’t have electricity and our women folk have to walk several miles to fetch potable water. The government machinery has totally failed to address our problems, so we want to elect a representative, whom we can approach in the time of need,” said Khalid Waseem, a student and a first-time voter.

A large number of women could be seen outside the polling stations waiting anxiously for their turn.

“There are a large number of women who are victim of domestic violence, but do not want to approach the police. But they want their cases to be resolved by the village panchayat. Therefore, such women have come in a large number to vote. We want to vote for a woman candidate, who can understand our concerns,” said Khalida, a voter in the Narbal block.

Jammu, May 10
The picturesque Surinsar, 42 km from here, which is identified as one of the few tourist destinations in the Jammu region by the Tourism Department, presents a pitiable picture.

With the onset of summer, tourists have started thronging the place, but they are in for a shock due to poor upkeep and maintenance of the site. In the absence of a watchman and other staff, the lake, nestled amidst dense forests, has turned into a hot spot for buffaloes to cool off in the seething summer.

Besides, public facilities are lacking. The road leading to the lake is full of potholes as it has not been repaired for many years.

Another attraction in the area is Surinsar Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary, which is spread over 100 sq km and is house to goral, wild boar, barking deer, leopard and many species of birds.

Despite tremendous potential, surrounding villages like Purkhral, Chilla, Jaithali, Panjwa, Sakma, Drahal, Padal, Rajour, Chillan, Sangarh, Badga, Ballard, Tariyadi and Darbar have not been provided with basic amenities.

People here believe that the origin of Surinsar and Mansar lakes is related to the Mahabharata era. It is said that Arjuna shot an arrow in Mansar which after piercing the earth came out through a place at Surinsar. Locals blame the plight of the area on state government’s discrimination with Jammu vis-à-vis Kashmir.

“Both water bodies have religious significance for Hindus, but still they have been a victim of government apathy,” alleged a group of visitors from Jammu. “This year only Rs 90 lakh were released for their conservation whereas Rs 120 crore was sanctioned for Wullar lake in the Kashmir valley,” they added.

On the brighter side, the government set up the Surinsar Mansar Development Authority (SMDA) in 2006 to tap the tourism potential of the area. Mohinder Singh, CEO, SMDA, said: “We have created many facilities at Mansar, Surinsar, Purmandal and Uttarvaini. We have constructed new buildings and sidewalks. The work is going on. At the same time, new tracts of land have been acquired for development purpose”.

The CEO cited lack of funds as a major hurdle in the way of development. “We get funds from the state plan only and the amount remains meagre as the sites are in the development stage and it required more funds,” he said, adding that the SMDA got Rs 2.5 core last year.

“We have sent a proposal to the government regarding the construction of tourist reception centres, compound walls, public conveniences and parks,” he said.

On the problem of stray cattle, he said: “We have been identifying alternative water sources for cattle. In case, it is not there, an alternative path would be created for them.” 

Normally parks, grounds and stadiums are considered as the face of a city. But what to think about the condition of a city where almost all parks, grounds and stadiums are in dilapidated condition and crying for the immediate attention of the departments concerned.

Jammu, May 10
A journalist and graphic designer by profession, Khalid Karrar, is emerging as one of the potent voices of Urdu poetry in the state. His recent book "Woroud", based on Urdu poetry, is testimony to the fact that verses are characterised by a unique dictum, idiom and sensibility that he has hauled from the smithy of his personal experiences.

Moved by the ills of insurgency that has gripped the state for the past two decades, Khalid's writings are full of hope and determination. They give a sense of belonging and help in reposing faith in nature.

"After going through his poetry, one is really baffled by how he uses words in such a way that they become unconventional without breaking from the convention. This lends a uniqueness to his creative impulse," says Urdu scholar Abid Ahmad, who has also translated Khalid's selected poems into English. Born in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district, Khalid began his early career in Urdu journalism and graphic designing. He later switched over to writing short stories and published his first collection "Akhri Din Se Pehle" in 1999. Later, he came out with two collections of Urdu verses, "Aanghan Aanghan Pat Jarh" and "Sawa Neze Pe Sooraj".

He has so far 10 books and publications to his credit, which have been received well in the literary circles.

Mohd Yusuf Teng, former director-general of Culture, and presently MLC, says the unique feature of Khalid's poetry is that he mediates between the tradition and the modernity. "In 'Woroud', Khalid has added new life to every word and simile while compiling this book," Teng said.

Khalid says he will continue to write in future as well. "That will be the biggest contribution in promoting Urdu in the state where it enjoys the status of an official language but at the same time continues to be neglected," the writer added.

Jammu, May 10
Acting on the directions of the transport commissioner, the traffic police has sent notices to private schools in the city for using domestic cylinders in their vehicles being used to ferry children.

In a recently held meeting among the deputy transport commissioner, SSP (traffic) and regional transport officer (RTO), it was decided to launch a massive drive against vehicles running on domestic gas cylinders.

It has been found that most of school vehicles violate traffic norms. “Blatant violations by private schools were noticed and it was decided to serve them notices to follow the norms or to face action,” said a senior traffic police officer.

He added, “Parents are also advised not to send their children in any vehicle fitted with gas kits using domestic LPG cylinders”.

The official said the department had also decided to launch a campaign in this regard during which, advertisements would also be published in newspapers and hoardings would be installed at major points in the city.

The Traffic Department has also appealed to the public to file complaints if they found any vehicle violating the traffic rules.

He added that the complaints could be lodged at the RTO office or with the deputy transport commissioner’s office.

In the notice issued to the schools, it has been written that those found guilty would be penalised and the vehicle would be impounded.

The officer added that repeated violations in any such incident could also result in cancellation of permit of school vehicles.

Srinagar, May 10
The state government has received nearly 700 applications from misguided youths living across the Line of Control (LoC) for their return under the rehabilitation policy after they crossed over to the PoK for arms training during the past two decades.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told mediapersons here today that there was a good response to the rehabilitation policy announced by the government last year. So far the government had received 600 to 700 applications and of which 125 applications had been cleared, he said.

He added that the families of these misguide youths, who had gone across the border for arms training, would be informed about the ways to ensure their return. Most of the Kashmir youths, who could not return to their homes in the Valley, had expressed willingness to return and live a normal life. — TNS