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Don’t politicise custodial
death case: Govt to PDP
State turns to Centre to check power losses
This paddy season, farm workers want higher wages
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Govt told to redress problems of Gujjars
Campaign to detect leprosy cases launched
Govt apathy towards Doda migrants flayed
Army comes to aid of Makwal villagers
Army remembers 1971 Indo-Pak war martyr
Army organises volleyball competition
Domestic help commits suicide
Govt to formulate policy on disaster management
ABVP to launch anti-corruption stir
‘Anganwadi workers, helpers entitled to decent living’
‘Game of Chess’ captivates audience
State seeks Rs 1,739 cr from Centre to check power losses
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Don’t politicise custodial
death case: Govt to PDP
Srinagar, October 2 “No, I won’t be commenting or tweeting about a matter that has been referred to a judicial inquiry regardless of the sensationalism,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter. Sayeed Mohammad Yousuf, an NC worker from south Kashmir's Anantnag district, died allegedly in police custody after two fellow party workers had accused him of taking Rs 1.18 crore from them for getting them berths in the Legislative Council. Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather told reporters there was no need for Omar to resign as a judicial inquiry had been ordered to probe the circumstances leading to Yousuf's death. “One cannot ask for resignation after every allegation,” he said. Rather was responding to the demand of PDP calling for resignation of Omar, Minster of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah over the incident. Rather said action under law would be taken if anyone was responsible for the death of Yousuf. “I want to assure the people that if anyone is responsible for the death, action will be taken under law whoever he might be,” he added. The minister appealed to the Opposition not to politicise the matter as the state government had already requested services of a sitting high court judge for conducting a judicial inquiry and finding the truth. Reacting to PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beg’s remarks, the Finance Minister lamented that a political colour had been given to the death of Yousuf. Rather appealed to the PDP leader on “humanitarian grounds” not to politicise the issue. “The intention of the government to find the truth was evident from the fact that we did not waste any time in requesting the services of a sitting High Court judge.” Rather said the Chief Minister should be appreciated for prompt action in the case as his name was being dragged into a corruption case.
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State turns to Centre to check power losses
Srinagar, October 2 "A proposal has been submitted to the government to India for extending the APRDP to 288 areas with a population of 4,000 and above at a tentative cost of Rs 1,739 crore," officials in the Power Development Department said today. The officials said a detailed project report is being prepared in this regard following the success of a similar programme implemented in 30 towns of the state with a population of over 10,000. "The implementation of this programme will facilitate online monitoring of the power system in the state for sustained reduction of transmission and distribution (T&D) losses," they said. The state government has undertaken a slew of measures for improving the power scenario in the state, including cutting down on the T&D losses and increasing revenue collection. The officials said during the current financial year, nearly 60,000 illegal electricity connections had been brought under the tariff regime. Work on installation of electricity metres has been revived and 1.70 lakh metres have been procured for the purpose. "Over 50,000 metres have already been installed at consumer premises during the current fiscal," the officials added. The officials said multi-tier inspection squads had been constituted to check pilferage of electricity. "During 22,71 inspections, a fine of Rs 2.65 crore has been recovered, while 50 MW of electricity load has been regularised," they said. These measures translated into additional revenue collections of Rs 116 crore up to the end of August this financial year, compared to the corresponding period last year, the officials said. They added that this amounts to an increase of nearly 49 per cent in collections. "These steps have also resulted in a reduction of 2 per cent in the T&D losses," the officials said. Transmission and distribution losses in Jammu and Kashmir are among the highest in the country, at nearly 70 per cent of total supply. —PTI |
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This paddy season, farm workers want higher wages
Suchetgarh (Indo-Pak Border), October 2 The labourers, including those from Nepal and Bihar who have now almost settled here, are charging Rs 2,900 - 3,000 per acre for harvesting paddy. Last year, they had charged Rs 2,200 for the same work. A visit to 10 villages in the RS Pura belt here, which is also known as the rice bowl of the state, revealed that the farming community was facing the pinch in their pocket this paddy season. “The government has fixed Rs 1,080 per quintal for procurement, which is almost the same as last year’s price. But, the labourers are demanding 35 per cent more money. Our profit has slashed,” said Gurjeet Singh, a farmer at Suchetgarh village. Another paddy grower, Daljeet Singh of Gulabgarh village, said: “The labourers working here have gone to neighbouring states like Punjab this season, so there is an acute shortage of manpower for harvesting. Taking an advantage of this shortage, those who have remained here have begun to demand more wages.” However, labourers have their own story to tell. Shubh Narain Rai, a farm labourer from Nepal, said: “We come here in every sowing and harvesting season. The travel fare and prices of all essential commodities have increased. So, we are demanding more wages. Is it not our right to demand more wages when faced with such high inflation?” Another farm labourer, Ashok Mandal of Bihar, maintained that even Rs 3,000 for an acre was not enough to meet their basic needs: “We are four persons working in the fields from morning to evening and that too without a break. Against the work of four persons, we charge only Rs 3,000 for harvesting the standing crop in one acre.” He further said some people offer them rice in place of money. “Our job is not only to reap the standing paddy crop, but we have to ensure that the grain reaches the house of paddy growers,” added Mandal. |
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Govt told to redress problems of Gujjars
Jammu, October 2 In order to discuss the problems being faced by the Gujjar and Bakerwal, the forum today organised a day-long brainstorming session which was attended by intellectuals of the communities. The main issues of the Gujjar community deliberated in the session were the non-implementation of ST reservations in promotion and recruitment, discrimination in development of the areas inhabited by Gujjars and no representation of Gujjar community in the quorum of main recruitment agencies like Public Service Commission and Service Selection Recruitment Board. Roshan Din Choudhary, President, TUF, said the law had been framed to safeguard the interests of tribal and other downtrodden sections, but unfortunately it was only on papers due to the lethargic approach of the concerned authorities. Resultantly, the successive governments in the state had failed to mitigate the problems of nomads. Dr Zabeer Ahmed Bajjar, general secretary of the forum, said: “The Gujjar and Bakerwal communities are burdened under multi-faceted problems, like there is no check on issuance of fake ST certificates and there is a lapse of huge backlog accrued due to contractual, ad hoc and temporary mode employments. Tribal officials face disparities in promotion and placement.” Exhorting the government to evolve a clear mechanism to ameliorate their sufferings, Bajjar said the formulation of redressal mechanism policy for Gujjar and Bakerwal would surely streamline the functioning and implementation of hitherto promises of the government made to the communities. Shah Mohammed, another speaker in the session, alleged that there is no Gujjar member in recruitment board like Service Selection Recruitment Board and Public Service Commission. “We have negligible representation in civil secretariat and district level civil and police administration,” stated Mohammed. Grievances discussed
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Campaign to detect leprosy cases launched
Udhampur, October 2 The campaign included a survey aimed at detection of hidden leprosy cases in the remote areas of the district. Zargar formally flagged off the rath. He, along with District Health Officer (DHO), Doda, Dr LA Magray, briefed the participants about the present scenario of incidence of leprosy in the district and stressed the staff to work with dedication and devotion in conducting the survey. Besides, doctors and students undergoing training at the school were also present on the occasion. PMA, Doda, Surinder Singh Bijyal and District immunisation officer Dr MA Tariq addressed the gathering.
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Govt apathy towards Doda migrants flayed
Jammu, October 2 Addressing mediapersons here recently, SDP president Darakhshan Andrabi said: “It is a shame that we have failed to rehabilitate the internally displaced people within our own state even after two decades.” She maintained that those who were supposed to raise such crucial and basic issues on the floor of the Assembly were merely indulging in sentimental exploitation. She added that it was time for the public representatives from Jammu division to prove their representative character and move Bills seeking a comprehensive rehabilitation policy for the militancy-hit migrants who had lost their homes. “I want our Assembly to take a unanimous decision to devise a time-bound and feasible rehabilitation policy for all migrants, including those from Doda and Kishtwar,” said Darakhshan, adding that there couldn’t be two different parameters for the same set of people. “This is a human tragedy of immense magnitude and our biased approaches cannot in any way reduce or hide this tragedy,” she said. She also disclosed that out of the 132 registered migrant families from Doda with the Relief Commissioner (Migrants), only 86 were getting a monthly stipend of Rs 4,000 per month while the rest were getting only Rs 1,600 a month. The government, however, has been claiming that it has been paying Rs 5,000 every month to each household in addition to the allotted ration, she said. Later, party activists staged a protest demonstration outside the Press Club to support the Doda migrants. The Supreme Court in a judgment had directed that Doda migrants should be treated on a par with Kashmiri Pandits on the grounds that there could not be two different parameters for the same set of people. |
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Army comes to aid of Makwal villagers
Jammu, October 2 The conception of the BADP Project emerged when it was noticed that during monsoon season, the locals belonging to the remote area of Makwal in Jammu region were facing difficulty in crossing shallow water bodies due to the composition of soft soil and low ground level. To alleviate the hardships of the people and ensure overall development of the remote border area, the project was undertaken by the Army. The inaugural ceremony was held last week in the presence of a large number of villagers of Makwal. The initiative taken by the Army has been appreciated by one and all.
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Army remembers 1971 Indo-Pak war martyr
Udhampur, October 2 Major General KS Venugopal, a senior officer of the JAT Regiment and an alumnus of Sainik School Kazhakootam attended the function. The school alumni from Army, Air Force and men from the JAT Regiment were also present. As per the army spokesperson, the young Lieutenant had fought gallantly and fell defending his post on the banks of the Manawar Tawi in Chhamb Sector of the state, in one of the fiercest battles. Sainik School, Kazhakootam, in its golden jubilee year, has drawn up a meaningful programme for honouring its martyrs. The Old Boys' Association of the School has taken the lead in coordinating such functions, with the assistance of the armed forces. In the function at Akhnoor, rich tributes were paid to Lieutenant Naresh, the first alumnus of the school, to sacrifice his life in the war. Successive generations of cadets from the school have followed his footsteps to join the armed forces and gallantly acquit themselves in action. Significantly, 40 years after the war, the Old Boys association of the School arranged for the younger siblings of the Lieutenant, from Kerala, to attend the function. The brothers Dr Gopi Mohan Naresh and Praveen Naresh, a scientist, laid wreath at the Akhnoor war memorial, which has their brothers name etched on it and visited the battle area where the Lieutenant laid down his life. The story of the fierce defensive battle, which took place on the Raipur Crossing on the Manawar Tawi, forms part of folklore of 9 JAT Regiment, to which the young Lieutenant belonged. The brothers confided that the visit to their brother’s eternal resting place, has brought immense comfort and peace to the entire family and specially to Subhadra Amma, the aged mother of the Lieutenant. The young officer never returned home after passing out from the Indian Military Academy as an officer. He instead responded to the call of duty and was directly inducted to the battle front. |
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Army organises volleyball competition
Udhampur, October 2 As per the press release issued here today, the team from Rewara village won the final match against Sarunda. A total of four teams participated in the event. The teams were from Sarunda, Trawn and Rewara villages. The fourth team was from the Army. The first match was played between the Army and the team from Rewara while another match was played between the teams of Sarunda and Trawn. The enthusiasm showed by the participating teams was applauded by spectators, thronging the venue from surrounding villages. Elders and the youth of these villages requested the Army to organise the event on a bigger scale in future. The prominent citizens of the area included the sarpanch of Trawn village, Riaz Ahmed Zargar, and panchayat members from Sarunda village, Gulam Hussain Sheikh and Riaz Ahmed. Prizes were given to winners and runners-up teams at the end of the event. Speaking at the prize distribution function, prominent citizens of the area appreciated the Army for organising the sports competition.
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Domestic help commits suicide
Jammu, October 2 The police said the boy was found hanging in a bathroom, by the youngest son of Singh, who broke open the door. The boy had hung himself with a dupatta from an iron rod in the bathroom. The family claimed that Subash had his breakfast in the morning and was normal. According to them, Subash was also studying in the fourth standard at a nearby government school. SP, South, Rajeshwar Singh said: “There was no injury mark on the body. It seems to be a case of suicide. We have been investigating the reasons, which led him to end his life.” Meanwhile, the body has been sent for a postmortem to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, and the police has informed the family of the deceased.
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Govt to formulate policy on disaster management
Srinagar, October 2 The government has also decided to amend the existing building bylaws to ensure that only earthquake-resistant structures would be constructed in future. Replying to the calling attention notice moved by Ajay Kumar Sadhotra in the Legislative Council recently, Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani said being in the dangerous seismic zone, Jammu and Kashmir had a long history of natural disasters. The state had witnessed many natural disasters, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. “Owing to its peculiar topography, rugged terrain, extreme weather conditions and underdeveloped economy, the state has suffered a lot on account of natural disaster,” he said and added that enhanced vulnerabilities of the environment made the state highly prone to natural disasters. “The state government has identified a strong need to have a state policy on disaster risk reduction and management. The state policy recognises that hazards are inevitable, but these need not convert into disaster,” he said and added that the state disaster management policy envisaged a pro-active, holistic, comprehensive and multi-hazard approach towards disaster risk reduction and management. “The policy is based on the principal of minimum human suffering during the disaster and reduction of financial losses through integration of disaster risk reduction activities into development planning,” the minister told the House. He said the Disaster Management Committees had been constituted at district, divisional and state levels, which were represented by engineers, civil defence and home guards personnel and volunteers, who always remained in a state of readiness to deal with any natural calamity. Nasir gave a detailed account of steps taken by the government regarding disaster management, adding that at the state level, the Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) had been constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He added that the state disaster management store at Bemina in Srinagar had been established and equipped with necessary infrastructure, required at the times of disaster. Replying to a question of Sayed Bashir Ahmed Veeri, the minister said there was no comprehensive plan in place to ascertain the capacity of buildings constructed 40 or 50 years back to tolerate the natural calamity, especially earthquakes. |
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ABVP to launch anti-corruption stir
Jammu, September 30 Addressing mediapersons here recently, Ambekar said the YAC would stage protest demonstrations in all districts across the country on October 18. “Since corruption has spread its tentacles in the country, we have decided to wage a decisive war against the scourge,” he said. Ambekar attributed the deteriorating economy of the country, rising inflation and dismal security scenario to black money. He regretted the Centre’s alleged high-handedness in suppressing Baba Ramdev’s movement against corruption. Ambekar said on November 4 the Delhi University Students Union and the YAC would jointly organise a “national student leader conclave”.
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‘Anganwadi workers, helpers entitled to decent living’
Jammu, October 2 During a day-long joint convention of anganwadi workers, helpers and ASHA workers here today, K Hemlata, general secretary of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, said they should be entitled to a decent living. Their immediate demand includes the payment of gratuity of Rs 1 lakh for workers and 50,000 for helpers, who are being thrown out of the service on attaining the age of 58 years. Hemlata added that time had come to formulate a pension scheme to ensure that these women workers did not languish in old age. She also underlined the need for immediate enhancement of their meager remuneration to the consumer price index, payment of minimum wages and rolling back attempts to privatise the ICDS. She said a standing mechanism may be put in place by the Ministry of Women and Child Development for revision in the rates of honorarium to anganwadi workers and helpers. She also expressed concern over the apathetic and insensitive attitude of the state and Centre governments towards ASHA workers. Hemlata demanded that the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) should be made a permanent programme and ASHA workers should be paid minimum wages till they are regularised as health workers. |
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‘Game of Chess’ captivates audience
Jammu, October 2 The play provided a wholesome theatrical experience to the audience. It showed how power hungry people go an extra mile to achieve their objectives. The play revolved around Syed Jahagir Khan who represents rich and politically powerful class. Another, Yusuf Khan- a representative of the suppressed class has taken to revolution. He has pledged to eliminate the exploiting class. Targeting Jahagir, he plans to kill him and goes to him with latest armory. Jahagir, who lives in a high-security protected house allows him to enter his place without any security check up. Yusuf feels elevated after entering into his mansion with a loaded pistol. But clever Jahagir after facing Yusuf tells him a cooked-up story and claims him as his brother who got lost in childhood. He goes even further and convinces him that both of them are the extremists of their respective fields. One is exploiting the poor and the other is killing the exploiters. Their living on this earth will be very fatal for the masses. Both deserve to be eliminated as they are not good for the society. He offers to share a bottle of poison so both can easily end their life. Yusuf dies after drinking poison but the same does not affect Jahagir, who proclaims that his class cannot be eliminated easily by such revolutions and revolutionaries. Vikram Sharma played the lead role of Syed Jahagir Khan with full professional ease. He was equally supported by the powerful acting of Rahul Singh as Yusuf Khan. Others included Vipin Gupta as Qadir and Susheel Raina as the servant. Music was operated by Syed Fardeen and Syed Dildar. Neeraj Kant executed the lights. The show was coordinated by Sumeet Sharma and Balwinder Singh did the presentations. |
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State seeks Rs 1,739 cr from Centre to check power losses
Srinagar, October 2 The officials said a detailed project report is being prepared in this regard following the success of a similar programme implemented in 30 towns of the state with a population of over 10,000. "The implementation of this programme will facilitate online monitoring of the power system in the state for sustained reduction of transmission and distribution (T&D) losses," they said. The state government has undertaken a slew of measures for improving the power scenario in the state, including cutting down on the T&D losses and increasing revenue collection. The officials said during the current financial year, nearly 60,000 illegal electricity connections had been brought under the tariff regime. Work on installation of electricity metres has been revived and 1.70 lakh metres have been procured for the purpose. "Over 50,000 metres have already been installed at consumer premises during the current fiscal," the officials added. The officials said multi-tier inspection squads had been constituted to check pilferage of electricity. "During 22,71 inspections, a fine of Rs 2.65 crore has been recovered, while 50 MW of electricity load has been regularised," they said. These measures translated into additional revenue collections of Rs 116 crore up to the end of August this financial year, compared to the corresponding period last year, the officials said. They added that this amounts to an increase of nearly 49 per cent in collections. —
PTI
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Suchetgarh (Indo-Pak Border), October 2
In a unique commemorative function held at Akhnoor in Jammu district today, alumni of Sainik School, Kazhakootam
(Trivandrum), accompanied by officers and men of the JAT Regiment, paid tributes to Second Lieutenant Radha Mohan
Naresh, one of the brave comrades who attained martyrdom during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Jammu, October 2
