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BJP expels Gupta from party for six years
Cancer on the rise in state due to tobacco consumption
Kashmir’s shrinking farmlands, victim of development?
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Niyas to start Amarnath yatra from June 14
Panun Kashmir flays move to change ancient names of places
Now, flying squads to check attendance in ETT colleges
Compensation scheme for cocoon rearers soon: Mir
State got Rs 627 cr for rural electrification in 2010
Notify varsity student council poll: NSF
Army holds painting competition
Court wants Army officer extradited from USA
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BJP expels Gupta from party for six years
Jammu, May 31 “After discussing all aspects of yesterday’s development, the Parliamentary Board of the party has expelled Chaman Lal Gupta from the primary membership of the party for six years for indulging in anti-party activities,” confirmed JP Nadha, national general secretary of the BJP, while talking
to The Tribune over the phone. He said the BJP high command had taken a serious note of Gupta’s anti-party activities. Exercising his powers as the BJP Legislature Party leader, Gupta had suspended four ‘clean’ party legislators, namely Jugal Kishore Sharma, Ashok Khajuria, Choudhary Sham Lal and Choudhary Sukhnandan, yesterday for “forming” a dissident group in the Legislative Assembly. Keeping in view the legal complications of the cross-voting issue, the BJP high command expelled Gupta on the charge of anti-party activities. Meanwhile, meetings of various Sangh Parivar organisations were held throughout the day in which the four BJP leaders were also present. After threadbare discussions on every aspect of the issue, the local leadership has thrown the ball in the high command’s court. Sources said following discussions with the Sangh Parivar organisations, the local BJP leadership recommended the party high command to immediately expel Gupta and six other MLAs from the party as they have been indulging in anti-party activities. However, the party high command expelled Gupta only. As their expulsion from the party seemed certain, the seven MLAs, including Gupta, who had been suspended by the party on April 20, were seriously thinking of floating a new political party. “According to the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the seven suspended MLAs are not going to lose their membership in case they were expelled from the party,” a senior leader close to the seven suspended MLAs told The Tribune. He said a proposal for forming a separate party had almost been finalised. Meanwhile, legal experts termed Gupta’s action to suspend the four “clean” MLAs as legally correct. “According to the 8th Schedule of the Anti-Defection Law of the state, Gupta, being the Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, has all the right to take action against party MLAs for forming a group of dissidents,” Baldev Singh Slathia, president of the Jammu Bar Association, told The Tribune. Slathia added that as long as Gupta enjoyed the majority of the party MLAs, he would remain the leader of the Legislature Party. |
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Cancer on the rise in state due to tobacco consumption
Jammu, May 31 The Director, National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), Dr Yashpal Sharma, told The Tribune that tobacco consumption led to an increase in the number of cancer patients in the state. “Although cancer due to tobacco consumption is a problem at the national level, its incidence in Jammu and Kashmir is higher and has reached an alarming proportion,” he warned. He did not rule out the possibility of cancer further spreading in the state. “We have taken some steps, but much more is needed to be done to check tobacco consumption, as it leads to diseases like cancer, tuberculosis, heart attack, strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary. The NHRM has started a pilot project in some areas of the state to conduct a survey to ascertain the trends and life styles. Jammu, Srinagar, Leh and Kathua districts have been selected for this project to conduct a comprehensive study of the non-communicable diseases due to tobacco consumption,” Sharma said. Besides creating awareness among people about dangers of tobacco consumption, the authorities have also decided to intensify the campaign to strictly implement laws. “This year, we have punished 1,465 persons for smoking at public places and recovered Rs 98,200 as fine,” Satish Gupta, Controller, Drug Control, told The Tribune. He said the number of passive smokers was the highest in Jammu and Kashmir and they comprised 68 per cent of the total smokers, while the national index of passive smokers was 30 per cent. “Passive smoking is the main cause of the spread of tobacco-related diseases in this part,” Sharma said. He added that the only reason for such a large number of passive smokers was smoking at public places. “We have already punished a large number of people but without public awakening it is not possible
to control the menace,” he said. According to a report published by the Health Department, tobacco-related diseases kill nearly 60 lakh people each year. After high blood pressure, tobacco consumption is the biggest cause of non-communicable diseases such as heart attack, strokes, cancer and emphysema, which accounts for 63 per cent
of deaths. |
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Kashmir’s shrinking farmlands, victim of development?
Srinagar, May 31 According to the records in the registration offices, acres of agricultural land are being sold by farmers across the Valley everyday. These are being used for non-agriculture purposes.“Unfortunately, the outskirts of Srinagar and other towns in the Valley, which used to present a visual feast for the eyes, are today being deprived of their historic countryside ambiance,” said Bashir Ahmad, a retired veterinarian. “Cities and towns are fast expanding laterally, gobbling up all agriculture lands around,” Ahmad lamented. According to him, agriculture continues to be a largely non-profit-making activity in Kashmir and that is why farmers sell their ancestral lands to those who come up with handsome offers. “After all, a litre of water costs more than a litre of milk here. If we calculate the exact cost and the labour that goes into agriculture, it is not a lucrative occupation at all,” Ahmad said. “I should know better, as I belong to a family of middle class farmers,” he said. Land in the countryside is shrinking as developmental activities gather pace. Roads are being widened, railway tracks are being laid and the construction of hydroelectric projects are in full swing. New office complexes and shopping malls are coming up. The net result is that the cost of land has increased phenomenally in the Valley. “A kanal would sell for around Rs 20,000 in my village a few years ago. Today, it is priced at Rs 8 lakh,” said Abdul Majid, a resident of Haripora village in Ganderbal district. “This is quite tempting for a poor farmer, who wants to sell the land and set up some business for his unemployed educated son,” Majid pointed out. Large chunks of agricultural land alongside the Srinagar-Leh National Highway in Ganderbal, Haripora, Wussan, Manigam, Preng and Mamar villages have been sold to buyers from Srinagar and other places, who are setting up business enterprises. “Land is definitely needed for developmental purposes. However, land exclusively classified for agricultural purposes needs to be protected from being used for other purposes,” he added. Bhalla said, “We are in the process of legally banning such conversion of land use. The government has taken it as a priority issue”. The minister said because of a highly volatile law and order situation in the Valley during the last 20 years, the government’s focus had been diverted. “We already have stringent laws to protect agriculture land and it is the topmost priority of the government to make agriculture and allied activities profitable,” he said. — IANS
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Niyas to start Amarnath yatra from June 14
Addressing mediapersons here today, niyas president Surinder Mohan Aggarwal said the niyas had started the registration process for the pilgrims from May 1 and also via online registration through its official website www.amarnathyatriniyas.org from May 8. He said after a yajna, the first batch of pilgrims would leave Jammu for Baltal on June 14 and would proceed towards the cave shrine on June 15. “We have written a letter to Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, seeking a meeting with him so as to make necessary arrangements for the pilgrimage,” he added. Asked if this move of the niyas would add to confusion among the pilgrims, Aggarwal said for the past six years the yatra was being conducted for a period of two months from June 15. “The number of yatris has been increasing every year for the past six years, which in turn gave an impetus to trade and tourism in the state. So, we hope that the SASB takes a positive decision by June 7 to announce the start of the pilgrimage by June 15,” he said. He added that the Niyas had decided to set up its base camp at Geeta Bhawan here. |
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BJP protests against price rise, water scarcity
Jammu, May 31 Addressing the party workers here today, Sethi regretted that the officials of the Public Health Engineering and the Power Development Department were not responding to the problems faced by the people. He warned that the BJP would take extreme steps if the problems being faced by the people were not resolved. The protest was led by Suresh Jamwal, state vice-president of the party. While addressing the party activists, Jamwal said the party had launched a statewide campaign against the scarcity of drinking water, irregular electricity supply and the price rise. She said the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the NC-Congress coalition in the state had miserably failed to ensure regular and adequate supply of essential commodities, besides checking the sky-rocketing price rise. She added that in these days, when the temperature had already crossed 42°C, long power cuts and an inadequate supply of drinking water had caused resentment among the people. Those who took part in the protest included Vikram Randhawa, Vinay Gupta, Sat Pal Choudhary, Anil Masoom Arun Khosla, Jeevanand Sharma, Sunny Sehgal, Ravinder Khajuria, Vijay Singh Bhau, Ashok Gupta, Ajay Gupta, Suraj Parkash, Parveen Kumar, Raman Gupta, Rinku, Joginder Gupta and Sudesh
Charak. |
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Panun Kashmir flays move to change ancient names of places
Jammu, May 31 Addressing a press conference here today, Agnishekhar, convener of the Panun Kashmir, expressed surprise over the attempts to name Srinagar as Shaher-i-Khas. At a religious meeting held recently in Srinagar under the aegis of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Samoon, the state Director of Information, Farooq Renzu Shah, was felicitated and given trophies for assaulting the historical chastity of Srinagar by changing its name, he said. Anantnag, Shankeracharya Hill, Hari Parbhat and hundreds of places had already been rechristened with Islamic names in Kashmir, he added. “Such moves speak volumes about the agenda of making Kashmir a fundamentalist Islamic state, where non-Muslims have no place to fit in and this motivated agenda increasingly gets buttressed by the policies pursued by the Centre in Kashmir,”
he said. “The appeasement policy of the Centre has not gone down well with the people with respect to the overall interests of the country and we shall resist and fight such pro-separatists policies of the government,” Agnishekhar added. |
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Now, flying squads to check attendance in ETT colleges
Jammu, May 31 After facing the flak from all corners, the BoSE authorities have now constituted 30 special flying squads comprising board officials, principals and teachers of various schools, colleges and institutes to keep a check on absenteeism in the ETT colleges/institutes. Nearly 40,000 students from neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana take admission to colleges and institutes here as there is virtually no need to attend classes. Shockingly, the board officials are also aware of this practice but no action had been taken in this regard. “We are very much aware about mismanagement and corrupt practices going on in the ETT institutes and colleges in our state. So, we have decided to make surprise visits to such institutes during normal days and wherever the flying squads find less attendance of students, they will have the power to de-affiliate such institutes immediately,” said Prof Javed Iqbal Khatib, Joint Secretary (Secrecy), BoSE. He said the surprise visits would be conducted on a routine basis and the college owners, principals and other staff members had been directed to strictly follow the norms fixed by the BoSE or face action. Khatib added that, “The agent system is also giving a bad name to the board, which we are also trying to control from this year. |
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Compensation scheme for cocoon rearers soon: Mir
Jammu, May 31 Mir, who is at present on a two-day tour to the border district of Rajouri, was interacting with cocoon rearers during a visit to the newly-established cocoon auction market at Sunderbani. He said the government was keen on promoting cocoon cultivation in the potential areas of the state by providing every possible facility to the rearers. “Considering the threat of bad climate on the production of cocoon, the government, besides providing the latest technical know how to the farmers to reduce the chances of losses in such conditions, has also decided to extend financial help to them in unavoidable circumstances,” Mir said. The minister also expressed satisfaction over the prevailing auction rates of Rs 462 per kg of dry cocoons in the market. Ravinder Sharma, MLC, also accompanied the minister and apprised him about the losses in the silkworm production in the area due to bad weather conditions. |
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Six villages to get NH-1A connectivity
Panjgrain, May 31 Once completed, the highway will bypass Nagrota and connect Jagti, Jadi, Tanda, Karli, Tammi and Pangrain with the national highway. Hence, Nagrota will purely become an Army cantonment and will no more be part of the 300-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Talking to The Tribune, Sham Lal Khajuria, a resident of Panjgrain, said, “The development of these six villages has been a dream. Though a single-lane road existed in the past as well, diverting the NH-1A via these six villages and bypassing Nagrota will certainly bring development and prosperity to the area”. The project is being executed by AFCON, an agency hired by the NHAI, he said. This project is part of the Lakhanpur-Bari Brahmana-Kunjwani-Sidhra Highway, said After Sidhra, the road will bypass Nagrota and will connect the six villages with Nandini, Saketar, Jhajjar Kotli and Udhampur, he added. The NHAI, which has been executing the project at a rapid pace, has started work at Panjgrain. Residential quarters, crusher’s site, office and other allied wings have been set up at here. The real estate has already boomed, he added. Khajuria said one could also see restaurants and bars coming up in the area. If Khajuria is to be believed, the price of the land, particularly in Panjgrain, has shot up alarmingly. “The land here fetches anything between Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 2 lakh per marla by the side of the existing road. The road will soon turn into a highway after the work completes,” he said. Rakesh Singh, a resident of Jagti, said the satellite township, which had come up at Jagti for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits would also be benefited by the project. “We had never thought that our villages will be connected to the highway,” said Rakesh. |
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State got Rs 627 cr for rural electrification in 2010
Jammu, May 31 Under the scheme, electricity was provided to 25,156 households falling under the below poverty line (BPL) category in the state. The electrification of un-electrified BPL households is being financed with 100 per cent capital subsidy at the rate of Rs 2, 200 per connection in all rural habitations. Others have to pay for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy is given. The goal of rural electrification is to provide electricity to over one lakh un-electrified villages, as per the Census 2001, through the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana in
the country. For the creation of the village electrification infrastructure, the first priority is given to un-electrified villages. However, preferences are also given to Dalit colonies, tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections. Under the scheme, 9,819 villages were covered and electricity connections were provided to 16,815 BPL households belonging during 2005-2006. On a cumulative basis, 82,215 villages have been electrified till July 31, 2010, in the country and 12,018,917 electricity connections have been provided to rural BPL households. |
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Notify varsity student council poll: NSF
Jammu, May 31 A number of NSF members led by Vikas Sharma, state president of the NSF, gathered outside the office of the Dean Students’
Welfare, and raised slogans demanding the notification of the elections immediately. The university authorities had announced to conduct the students’ council poll from this year, but why were they delaying the process now?, said Sharma. He criticised the university authorities for neglecting issues like beautification and problems being faced by the students. |
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Army holds painting competition
Jammu, May 31 Three students each of Class V to X from six schools were selected and 78 boys and girls participated in the competition held at Government Higher Secondary School, Mahore. The various themes of the competition included natural landscapes, sports competitions, religious festivals in India, Green India, India on road to progress and Army-people together.
— TNS |
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Militants’ hideout busted
Jammu, May 31 They said during the search the troops came across a natural cave type of hideout of militants and seized two partially prepared IEDs, one wireless set, one SLR magazine, 15 rounds of SLR ammunition, two tarpaulins, one blanket and an iron box from there.
— TNS |
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Court wants Army officer extradited from USA
Srinagar, May 31 “It is impressed upon the authorities concerned to expedite the matter and make every endeavour to extradite the accused at the earliest so that the majesty of rule in not dented,” Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, Yashpual Bourney, said in his order after yesterday’s hearing. A copy of the order has also been sent to the Ministry of External Affairs. — PTI
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Jammu, May 31