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Missing driving licences record
State universities brace for exodus to central varsity
Political parties in a state of flux
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Over 1,000 died on killer roads in J-K
Class X Exams
NC encouraging corruption by opposing Lokpal: BJP
Kud dance enthrals audience
‘Phir-tur’ a reflection on values in the age of materialism
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine
JU VC selection panel meets in Delhi
HC winter break from Jan 2
Governor greets people on Gurpurb
Gurdwara Committee to celebrate Prakash Utsav today
Employees’ union holds protest
Pak troops violate ceasefire in Samba sector
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Missing driving licences record
Udhampur, December 30 The Assembly panel, which was constituted to look into causes of frequent road accidents on Batote-Kishtwar National Highway and to suggest remedial measures, met at Jammu yesterday under the chairmanship of MLA,
Kulgam, MY Tarigami, to discuss the issue. Sources said the panel sought to know the status of the inquiry into alleged fraudulent issuance of around 50,000 driving licences by the
ARTO, Doda-Udhampur after it came to know that the relevant record was found missing during the inquiry. The panel has observed that untrained drivers were the major cause of frequent road accidents in the mountainous terrain. The Legislative Assembly Speaker had asked the Chief Secretary to inquire into the matter after it was raised by Tarigami during the Budget Session 2011-12. The inquiry was subsequently entrusted to the
SVO. “We have asked the government as well as the SVO to tell the House Committee about the status of inquiry in the next meeting scheduled for January 12,” Tarigami told The Tribune, declining to comment further. Sources said the SVO officials were expected to be asked by the Assembly panel about the absence of the missing record in the coming meeting. Representatives of the police, traffic and transport departments have also been asked to appear before the panel to submit their suggestions and recommendations to curb frequent accidents which have caused loss of several human lives over the year. Members of the panel have examined the suggestions received from different quarters about the causes of accidents and preventive measures, during the
meeting. MLAs Mohammad Sharief Niaz, GM Saroori, Abdul Majid Wani, Ashok Kumar and MLC Naresh Kumar Gupta were present. Havoc played with lives?
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State universities brace for exodus to central varsity
Srinagar, December 30 “We will have to increase the retirement age from 60 to 65 years to check possible exodus on this count,” said Talat Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir. At the same time he feels it would be a difficult decision to take for the State government, which will then be faced with similar demands from other sections of employees. But the state government, suggests Professor Ahmad, could think of moving gradually and initially increase the retirement age from 60 to 62 years. Dismissing speculation of an immediate threat to the older university, Professor Ahmad pointed out that the Central University was still functioning with a limited number of departments. “In future when the Central University increases the strength, that will certainly pose a challengeto us then,” he added. The University of Kashmir occupies an iconic position in the state and hence would continue to be a premier institution of higher learning for the scholars, he added. The Central University of Kashmir has been functioning from temporary offices over the past two years. Land has, however, been allotted to them in Ganderbal district. It started with three Departments of English, Compute Sciences and Business Management in the first year, while four more departments of Law, Economics, Mathematics and Journalism were added last year. Three more departments are being added during the session beginning next summer. But even with the limited number of departments, the Central University has managed to lure four teachers from the University of Kashmir. Two of them were senior teachers and due to retire soon. They, however, can now continue teaching for five more years. The other two teachers, who chose to join the central university, are relatively young. “Some more teachers have come in from the colleges,” confirmed Abdul Wahid Qureshi, Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir. He told the Tribune that it had advertised 44 posts out of which interviews were conducted for 29 positions while only 21 appointment letters were issued and asked to to join by mid February next year. In the non-teaching Departments, the Central University has advertised 19 positions for which appointments are being made following a test among over 13500 applicants. CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR
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Political parties in a state of flux
Jammu, December 30 The Congress-NC coalition came close to collapsing on several occasions during the last three years. But the differences between the allies acquired a sharper edge this year. First, over the issue of granting clemency to Afzal Guru. Reacting to the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopting a resolution seeking clemency for those on the death row for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the CM in a tweet wondered what would happen if a similar resolution was adopted by the J & K Assembly in the case of Guru, who is also on the death row for the attack on Parliament by terrorists. He also went public on the “likely” removal of AFSPA without taking the Congress into confidence, complained Congressmen. The much-awaited cabinet reshuffle has not taken place, causing tension within the coalition. The Congress wants two more cabinet berths, but NC appears reluctant. Congress also wants the state portfolio of the Minister of Home Affairs, held presently by NC MLA Nasir Ahmed Wani. Under an unwritten understanding, if NC has a Cabinet minister, Congress claims to be entitled to have a Minister of State and vice versa. The allies had a public spat over ‘rotational’ chief ministership, with local Congressmen giving the impression that Omar would give way to a Congress leader as CM. Central leaders of the Congress had to step in to scotch the speculation and rule out any rotational arrangement. The National Conference suffered reverses over revocation of AFSPA and the death of Syed Mohammad Yousuf, a NC worker who was allegedly assaulted by the police in the CM’s official residence. The successful conduct of panchayat elections, however, spurred the NC to hit the road, hold public meetings and rallies, particularly in constituencies held by the BJP. The party is evidently trying to be inclusive and fight the perception that it is a party confined to the Valley and has support only among the Muslims. The Congress is as usual plagued by infighting. The MLAs are divided into Saifuddin Soz and Ghulam Nabi Azad camps. For the BJP, the year started on a high note when Lal Krishna Advani’s rath yatra was stopped from entering the state at Ravi bridge. But since then it has been a downhill slide for the party. Seven of its MLAs, accused of taking cash for voting in the MLC elections, face an uncertain political future as and the party appears to be hoping for a miracle to spring back to life. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has predictably been opposing every move of the government. But while it has been aggressive in its opposition, it has also been busy making dents into the vote bank of the Congress and the BJP. |
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Over 1,000 died on killer roads in J-K
Jammu, December 30 According to official figures, over 1,000 people lost their lives in about 6,000 road mishaps across the state. The year 2010 had devoured 1042 precious human lives in 6,136 road mishaps. The number of road accidents in 2009 stood at 6006 wherein 1126 people had lost their lives. In Jammu district alone, 1344 road mishaps, including 132 fatal and 1212 non-fatal ones, had taken place till October 2011 this year. At least 157 persons had lost their lives and 1609 were injured - some of them even
lost their limbs. Up to October, the Traffic Police Department had penalised 2, 88,453 vehicles, realising a fine of Rs 6.47 crore. In 2010, a total of 3,79,000 vehicles were challaned and an amount of Rs 6.44 crore was realised as fine from violators. The traffic police department was hopeful that it would realise Rs 7.5 crore as fine from violators till December 31, 2011. Though the number of challans and amount realised from violators had increased significantly this year, the year continued to witness unabated deaths on roads. The number of registered vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir also went up by 17 per cent in 2011, posing a serious challenge before the traffic police, which has been facing shortage of manpower. In 2009, the number of registered vehicles stood at 7.37
lakh, which went up to 8.10 lakh in 2010. This figure was expected to cross the 10 lakh mark this year. In addition, 10-12 lakh vehicles, including buses of Vaishno Devi pilgrims, tourists and Amarnath pilgrims entered Jammu and Kashmir from other parts of the country during the year. The traffic police department, however, claimed that “accident prevention strategy” was better this year as the number of road accidents came down despite manifold increase in vehicular population.
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Class X Exams
Srinagar, December 30 The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister here last night, as 21 government schools in Kashmir are reported to have registered zero per cent result. Omar also passed orders to the Education Department to issue showcase notices to private schools that registered zero per cent result. “The Education Department has also been advised to issue showcase notices to all private schools, which registered zero per cent result so that appropriate action was taken against such schools as well,” an official said. The Class X result was declared on Wednesday and recorded a pass percentage of 66 per cent. While five students of private schools secured the top position by scoring 100 per cent marks this year, the performance of government schools over the past many years continues to be dismal. According to the result declared by Board of School Education (BOSE), of the 21 schools that registered zero per cent result, nine schools were from Srinagar city. These schools include Government Boys High School, Gojwara, Government Boys High School, Harwan, Government Boys High School, Lal Bazar, Government High School, Shalteng, Government Boys Secondary School, Chattabal, Government Boys Secondary School ,Gasi Mohalla, Government Girls High Secondary School, Zaindar Mohalla, Government Girls High School, Shalteng and Government Girls Secondary School, Baghwanpora. Commenting on the poor performance of the students in these government schools, a teacher, who did not wish to be named, said: “The main reason for poor performance in the government schools is that the students are promoted to the next class, even if he or she has completely failed in his or her exams. And when they appear for the Class X exams, they do not fare well.” In 2010, 14 government schools had registered zero per cent result in Class X exams while in 2009, 22 schools had shown zero per cent result. |
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NC encouraging corruption by opposing Lokpal: BJP
Jammu, December 30 Contesting the NC MP Mohammed Shafi Uri’s contention that by virtue of Article 370, the Lok Pal law was not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said under Article 253, the Centre had the power to make such a law on corruption applicable to states also, in the wake of the UN convention against corruption. He quoted the intervention made by the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, to state “Notwithstanding anything contained in the constitution......so notwithstanding Article 370, it (Lok Pal Bill) will apply to Jammu and Kashmir also.” Taking a dig at the NC leadership, Singh said the party, which demanded autonomy to appease its Kashmir-centric constituency, now seems to be seeking autonomy to indulge in rampant corruption. Singh reiterated the BJP’s consistent demand for the abrogation of Article 370, granting a special status to Jammu and Kashmir and said despite opposition from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Jawahar Lal Nehru had insisted on having Article 370 as a temporary provision, but the same was now sought to be used against rising corruption in the state. He accused the NC-Congress coalition government of blatantly partronising corruption and corrupt ministers and officials. The State Accountability Commission (SAC) has been defunct under the present government, he said, adding that for the first three years the commission was headless with no chairman and now after the appointment of the chairman, there was no office staff. Similarly, the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) has a number of unsolved cases of corruption before it. |
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Kud dance enthrals audience
Katra, December 30 The rare traditional artistic forms were organised by Natrang, Jammu, under the direction of Balwant Thakur. The programmes aimed at showcasing the cultural heritage of the hills of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi for the pilgrims. The number of pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi has touched the one crore mark this year. Kud is one of the most popular dance forms of the Trikuta hills. Primarily performed by men, this ritualistic dance is performed to please local deities. People hold a belief that during village celebrations and rituals, which are organised in honour of local deities all the men should perform Kud and missing the same may annoy the local deity. For centuries the wonderful tradition had survived in the same fashion and later people started performing it in marriages, child birth, crop cutting etc. There are three different styles of Kud presentations in Trikuta Hills. One comes from Panjar, another from Sujjandhar and one more from Bakkal. Today’s style of Kud came from Bakkal village of Reasi District, which was performed by the artistes of the Hari Saran Cultural Centre, Bakkal. With traditional instruments like flute and drums, the artistes of Kud gave remarkable performances. The artistes included Baldev Raj Sharma, Shaftan Singh, Balwant Singh, Dhani Ram, Balwan Singh and Balwant Raj. The SMVDSB organises four shows daily for the pilgrims and the local audiences and these programmes will continue till January 5. |
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‘Phir-tur’ a reflection on values in the age of materialism
Jammu, December 30 Scripted by Gayasuddin Sheikh and directed by Reshi Rashid, the play depicted the perennial belief of all societies that there would always be a tug of war between poverty and progress. The playwright suggested that growth should not be attained at the cost of virtues. The play shows how in the name of progress priorities are turned around, thus distorting the value-based cultural ethos of Kashmir. The play also showcased the analysis of contemporary society with the social structure of Kashmir for the last 200 years. The cast of the play included Tariq Ahmad Mir as Asli Kashur, Ghulam Nabi Malla as hotel woul, Showket and Mohammad Ashraf as constables, Shahida Razak as wife of Shaeyir and others. Mir had designed the sets while Rashid was the wardrobe designer and Gayasuddin Sheikh was the stage manager. Talking to The Tribune, director Rashid said, “Change is no doubt the essence of human evolution, but there are certain issues where change is not admired. Change will not go in the favour of any society when moral values are deteriorated in the name of modernisation. We are not against any positive transition, we just wish to unveil the collapse of the value-based system.” Bhawani Bashir Yasir, Chairman of the EKTA, and organiser of the festival said physical growth in the absence of mental and spiritual development becomes a curse for society and theatre represented the soul of any society.” “We have dedicated the festival to the sovereign king of Kashmir, Sultan Zain-ul-Abideen Aka Budshah, during whose regime the art and culture touched its zenith in the Valley,” he revealed. |
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Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine
Jammu, December 30 In a statement issued here today, the Manch expressed gratitude to devotees of the Mata Vaishno Devi, locals and those coming from various states of the country and from abroad. Dr Rakesh Vishavakarma from Rajasthan was facilitated yesterday by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) when he became the 10 millionth pilgrim to visit the shrine. Convener of the Manch, Dineshwar Singh Jamwal, has attributed the remarkable feat to the Governor, who is also the Chairman of the SMVDSB for his concerted efforts to upgrade the existing facilities at the world famous pilgrimage. The SMVDSB had been constituted by the then Governor, Jagmohan, in 1986. The Manch has also congratulated all the officials of the SMVDSB for putting in their best, in raising the infrastructure for the huge rush of pilgrims in the last 25 years. It has also urged the Shrine Board authorities to speed up the process of raising further infrastructure in the wake of a railway track, which would come up at Katra. The track, which is part of the Kashmir rail link project will connect Katra with the rest of the country and also increase the number of pilgrims. |
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JU VC selection panel meets in Delhi
Jammu, December 30 Two out of the three members of the committee attended the meeting. They went through various important documents, concerning the university statues. President of South Asian University, Professor GK Chadha and Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Rajasthan Prof MM Salunkhe held the meeting while Vice-Chancellor of Central University Jammu Dr SS Bloeria was not present in the meeting. — TNS
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HC winter break from Jan 2
Jammu, December 30 A notification in this regard was issued by the Registrar General of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today. Meanwhile, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla, also nominated vacation judges for both the wings of the High Court. For the Jammu wing, Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar will hold the court from January 9 to 13 while Justice Hasnain Massodi will hold the court from January 16 to 21. Justice JP Singh will hold the court from January 23 to 27. For the Srinagar wing, Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir will hold the court from January 9 to 13, Justice Mansoor Ahmed Mir from January 16 to 21 while Justice Hasnain Massodi will also hold the court from January 23 to 27.
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Governor greets people on Gurpurb
Jammu, December 30 He expressed the hope that the auspicious occasion would be a harbinger of sustained peace, progress and prosperity in the state and further strengthen the bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood and secular traditions for which Jammu and Kashmir was known for centuries past. In his message, the Governor observed that Guru Gobind Singh Ji was an apostle of peace, compassion and love. He added the values underlying the teachings of the great Guru would continue to inspire the future generations to strive for establishing a healthy society and a just social order. The Governor prayed for the well-being of the people of the state on the occasion. |
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Gurdwara Committee to celebrate Prakash Utsav today
Jammu, December 30 The celebrations, likely to be attended by prominent citizens, including politicians and ministers, will begin at 10 am. — TNS
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Employees’ union holds protest
Jammu, December 30 Dev Raj Bali, president of the union, criticised the SRTC management and the state government for not clearing the dues of the employees, who had taken voluntary retirement from the department. — TNS
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Pak troops violate ceasefire in Samba sector
Jammu, December 30 Giving details, a BSF officer said around 5.20 pm, Pakistani troops tried to snipe a horse mounted patrol between BoP Chliyari and BoP Khora in Samba sector. “A bullet hit the left leg of the BSF rider while another one hit the horse, killing the animal instantly,” said the officer. “Consequently, our jawans also retaliated and the two sides are trading intermittent small arms firing,” he added. “Effective retaliation is on,” said the officer, who described Pakistan’s act of unprovoked firing as a clear case of ceasefire violation. The injured BSF jawan has been shifted to a hospital in Samba district. His identity has not been ascertained as yet.
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Jammu, December 30
Jammu, December 30
The year had witnessed the first tragic road mishap when three persons had lost their lives and 22 others had received critical injuries after a mini bus rolled into Chenab in Ramban district on January 2.