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State ‘powerless’ to battle winter chill
Banning private practice by govt doctors not easy, says minister Cloudburst tragedy |
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Ahead of ‘Chillai
Kalan’, Valley people move to Jammu
State artist awarded in
Italy
Supply of vegetables, fruits and milk
Jammu DIARY
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State ‘powerless’ to battle winter chill
Jammu, December 20 The spectre of powerless winter is staring residents in the face as the demand for power is likely to go even higher, if mercury plunges further. Ironically, the Power Development Department (PDD) has resorted to its old and traditional strategy of enforcing cuts to deal with the crisis. "Unable to meet the power demand of the state, the PDD will enforce 8-12 hours of daily power cuts. And if the mercury plunges further, the duration of power cuts may be increased, especially in the rural areas," official sources say. They add that the present electricity demand in the state is 2,300 MW which is much higher than the power being supplied to the people. "The PDD is able to supply only 1,500 MW through all its sources, leaving a gap of about 800 MW," they say. "Even the metered areas are not being spared from unscheduled cuts, especially in the Kashmir valley and mountainous parts of the Jammu region which are reeling under freezing cold conditions. "There is no alternative for the PDD but to enforce power cuts to deal with the crisis. The metered areas will either face four to six hours of power cuts while unmetered areas will virtually face dark winter as they may face 8-14 hours of power cuts," the sources maintain. A senior PDD official, on the condition of anonymity, said the main reason for the current crisis was low hydroelectric power generation because of receding water discharge in the rivers due to scanty rainfall in the recent months. He said the state government had purchased Rs 2500 crore worth of power last year while the revenue collections stood at Rs 900 crore. "This year, the purchase cost may cross Rs 2500 crore. The PDD authorities are also unlikely to meet their target revenue collection of Rs 1500 crore," he added. The official made a startling disclosure that there were only 12 lakh registered power consumers across the state while the number of consumers using power through illegal means was almost equal the number of registered consumers. "The transmission and distribution (T&D) losses have also increased to the all-time high of 60 per cent," he added. Minister for Power (in-charge) Shabir Ahmad Khan, however, tried to downplay the problem, saying, "The situation is not worrisome as far as the supply of electricity is concerned". "During a meeting of task force on hydropower project development, we had requested Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for additional allocation of 500 MW power to the state to meet the increased demand during the winter season. So far, we are drawing additional allocation of 200 MW and the situation is not that worrisome," the minister said. He added the state government had asked for a grant or subsidy of Rs 1,000 crore for Bhagliar Hydel Electric Project-II on the pattern of BHP-I to bring down power tariff to a reasonable level. Grim scenario n At present, the demand for electricity is 2,300 MW which is much higher than the available 1500 MW n
Unable to meet the demand, the Power Development Department will enforce 8-12 hours of daily power cuts. And if the mercury plunges further, the duration of power cuts may be increased n
The main reason for the current crisis is low hydropower generation because of receding water level in the rivers due to scanty rainfall in the recent months
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Banning private practice by govt doctors not easy, says minister
Jammu, December 20 While talking to The Tribune, he said, “It is not easy to ban the private practice by the government doctors. If we do so, it will create chaos in the state as the hospitals are not capable of coping up with the present rush. We have to look at all the aspects of banning the private practice by the doctors. If our infrastructure is not sufficient then where will the patients go for treatment,” he added. The minister, however, claimed that they would again approach the court to add some conditions so that the private practice could be continued without affecting the work of the government hospitals. A senior doctor working with the government medical college said, “There are many basic facilities that are not available in the hospital, like the basic kits for the test of hepatitis B and C and mammography are not available. The patients have to wait for days together to get themselves checked because of the heavy rush in the hospitals. So in this case, if the patients want to avail private facilities, there is nothing wrong in that,” he added. The government has, however, already banned the private practice by the doctors who are in the administration like Chief Medical Officers, Medical Superintendent, Deputy Medical Superintendent and others. This rule does not apply to the head of the departments of different organisations. It is pertinent to mention here that a Division Bench of the J&K High Court, Jammu Wing, comprising Chief Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla and Justice Virender Singh had ordered ban on private practice of government doctors and also set aside the part of the instructions contained in circular dated August 11, 2005, granting general permission to the officials of the education to engage themselves by way of self-employment or accepting part-time employment in private coaching centres. The judgment was given on November 25, 2011, in a Public Interest Litigation by Vichar Kranti International seeking complete ban on private practice of doctors and teachers.
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Cloudburst tragedy
Leh, December 20 Earlier just after the disaster in 2010, the state government had granted Rs 3.5 crore financial assistance only for the reclamation of agricultural fields of the district. Spalbar was addressing the two-day general council meeting of the LAHDC which began on Friday to review the annual district plan and implementation of the state and centrally sponsored schemes in the district. He said 480 hectares of agricultural land had been reclaimed while all damaged irrigational canals were restored before the sowing season, which starts in April-May. For that the LAHDC has liability of Rs 30 crore with the command area development department, Tipper and Heavy Earthmover association. The last year’s cloudburst had damaged 660 hectares of agricultural land of which 320 irrigational canals were washed away. Spalbar said 42 per cent of the expenditure of the annual district plan had been incurred. He exhorted the officials to work hard to achieve hundred per cent results.
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Ahead of ‘Chillai
Kalan’, Valley people move to Jammu
Jammu, December 20 People wearing “pherans” (Kashmir’s traditional dress to counter winters), carrying “kangris” and blankets can be seen frequently on bus stands when vehicles coming from the Valley reach there. Rameshwar Singh, a taxi driver, said, “About 60 to 70 persons have been reaching daily from Srinagar and other parts of the Valley to Jammu. Our taxis go unoccupied from Jammu to the Valley but while coming back to Jammu we have to overload the vehicles most of the times”. “Chillai Kalan” will start from December 21, which will be followed by a 20-day-long “Chillai Khurd” and a 10-day-long “Chillai Bacha”. Manzoor Ahmmad, a resident of Baramullah, said his family used to spend this period in Jammu. He said, “Since childhood we have been coming to Jammu during Chillai Kalan period. Even the weather conditions there also help my grandparents as they are aged and have developed certain ailments”. The summer capital, Srinagar, witnessed the coldest night of the season on Tuesday when the minimum dipped to minus 5.6 degrees Celsius. Earlier, lowest was minus 5.2 degrees on December 11. Arshad Bhat, who recently appeared in Class XII exams said, “The chill is unbearable in the Valley. I have come to Jammu to attend coaching classes for medical entrance exams”. Dr Arun Sharma, medical superintendent, Government Hospital, Sarwal, said, “It is good to spend the time in Jammu, particularly for those suffering from body aches. We are observing an increase in patients who are from Kashmir”. Few lines of the poem Chillai Kalan by Kashmiri poet Subhash Kak: “The pheran, the blanket, and the kangri barely warmed the bones during the 40 days of Chillai Kalan. The icy air poured in from the drafty windows. Each bed was like a tent. We slept completely covered”. n 40-day harshest winter period begins today
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State artist awarded in
Italy
Jammu, December 20 Gupta, who returned after attending the prestigious Florence Biennale in Italy, said, “The award is given to the winner artists of the Biennale in every two years. The international jury has, for many years, played a very important role in the life of the Biennial. Its role is to assess the artists that take part in the exhibition and provide them with the international award for the promotion of art and culture. The award is also bestowed upon important culture and art personalities, authorities and institutions playing important role in the international cultural life. The award carries a certificate and a medal and is named after the gentleman of Florence and patron of Renaissance Arts, Lorenzo de' Medici, also known as the Magnificent. The artist said he was awarded for his work ‘In Trance, acrylic on canvas’. “The painting depicts a recluse sleeping near the river bank with the butterflies all around and a sheep is wandering nearby. It shows the perfect harmony and co-existence between the man and nature,” he said and added, “It received very strong reviews both from the viewers and critics who showed an interest in the subjective and technical part of the work.” Gupta’s work was awarded among 1,800 artworks displayed in the Biennale in which about 600 artists from 70 countries participated.
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Supply of vegetables, fruits and milk
Srinagar, December 20 The Chief of Staff, Maj-Gen AK Siwach, was present in the meeting and executive councillor, CAPD, Ghulam Abbas Abidi, Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Tsering Angchok, Brigadier Jodha, councillor Panamik Tsering Wangchok, councillor, Basgo Tsering Norbu, councillor Igoo, Tashi Norboo, top-ranking Army officers, representatives from various cooperative marketing societies, Transport Union and Taxi Operators’ Union attended the meeting. The meeting was informed that there was an annual transportation deal worth Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore by engaging all type of civil vehicles by the Army in Ladakh. Besides, vegetables and fruits valuing around Rs 6 crore were also procured by the Army from the local farmers. In view of having much more potential to enhance the annual contract value, detail discussions on various issues and measures were held and the need was felt to produce and supply more variety and more quantity of demanded vegetables and fruits to the Army by the local Cooperative Marketing Societies. One major issue related to cease the allotment of Road Opening Contracts (ROC) in favour of non-local suppliers also came to light and the local Cooperative Marketing Societies have expressed their ability to take over the task of ROC, assuring prompt supply of required variety as well as quantity of the demanded items to the Army. Milk supply and the possibility of enhancing the contract volume by establishing pasteurisation plants by the civil was also discussed. Rigzin Spalbar urged the Army authority to take maximum supply of vegetables, fruits and milk from the locals so that economic benefit could be availed by the farmers. Spalbar, while welcoming the eagerness of the local Cooperative Marketing Societies to take the contracts of ROC, urged them to ensure smooth supply of demanded items both in variety and quantity. He also urged upon the Taxi Operators Union to fulfil the taxi requirement of the Army saying that it was a permanent business and the union must encourage for such more vehicles which were in high demand from the Army. The Chief of Staff, 14 Corp, Maj-Gen Siwach, assured that the Army would do every possible effort to boost the local economy by taking maximum supply of vegetable, fruits and engaging all type of vehicles from Ladakh. He said the quality of the local vegetable was good but the Army was in need of more varieties which local suppliers required to focus on. Maj-Gen Siwach felt the need to maintain close communication and coordination between the civil administration and the Army so that all type of mix-up or gaps could be amicably resolved. The requirement of good number of tankers for transporting the Army fuel in Ladakh and increasing demand of 15-seater buses for the Army also came into discussion, an official spokesperson said.
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40-day harshest winter period begins today
Srinagar, December 20 The entire population of the Valley is dependent on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only surface link, which connects the Valley with the rest of the country. During bad weather conditions and heavy snowfall, the national highway gets blocked and there is a shortage of essential commodities in Kashmir. The highway is the only life line through which heavy truckloads of fresh vegetables, foodgrains, mutton, poultry, cooking gas, fuel and other household goods are brought to the Kashmir valley to meet the demands of the
people here. The Ladakh region, which is connected to the state by a 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh Highway, remains closed to traffic during the winter months. The border area of Gurez in Bandipore district also remains cut off from the rest of the state for the winter months. The other far-flung areas like Keran and Karnah in Kupwara district also remain intermittently cut off from the rest of the Valley due to the accumulation of heavy snow along the roads to these areas. The winter brings with it hardships for the people, as there is shortage of electricity. The decline in power supplies is due to less electricity generation in its hydel power projects, as the water level decreases in winter. However, a heavy snowfall during the winter months in the upper reaches ensures an optimum water level throughout the next summer, more power generation and sufficient water for irrigation. The insufficient supplies of LPG also brings hardships for the people, as the demand for cooking gas is more during the winter, as it is also used for warming houses and offices. “The LPG supplies are not increased in view of the high demand in winter, which leads to a crisis,” said an LPG dealer.
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Jammu DIARY The Kot Bhlawal area is known for cleanliness and agriculture is the sole income source for the people there. Moreover, a majority of the residents are milk sellers and depend on their livestock for the survival. Dumping of the huge municipal waste in several metric tonne has posed a health threat to the cattle. Experts are of opinion that the cattle would be among the most affected due to the surplus dumping of the municipal waste on the land. Most intriguingly,
the milk has been supplied to majority of city portion through this area only. The government should take some farsighted steps in place of temporary and time killing measures. Reservation for women in buses All buses and minibuses here have reserved seats for women. The first six seats are reserved for them with a notice of reservation written on these. However, no one seems to follow the rules. Unlike metro cities, no woman here asks for the reserved seats. The rule has turned out to be useless. The government also never gave a try to bring these rules into practice so that women feel comfortable while travelling. (Contributed by Varun Suthra & Sonika Raina)
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Jammu, December 20
Jammu, December 20
Jammu, December 20
The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has utterly failed to find any suitable spot to dump the city's municipal waste after the Minister for Irrigation forbade to throw the same into the Tawi river. The JMC finally dumped it on the outskirts of the city at Kot Bhalwal (see pic). But the JMC, who is supposed to prohibit such acts, has itself created chaos at the spot.