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boost for tourism sector
Cabinet meeting today
Plan to utilise residential plots as parking lots |
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Ceasefire violation
Power woes
Season’s coldest night in Srinagar, Leh
Develop tourist spots to boost state’s economy: Hoteliers
Cop’s body found from canal
Road Safety Week begins in Jammu
PDP exploiting sentiments of people, says minister
Jammu varsity dept celebrates New Year
J-K health indicators ‘better than’ national averages
Drunken driving in Leh causes concern
20-20 cricket tourney starts in Reasi
‘Laltein’ stresses importance of universal amity
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boost for tourism sector
Srinagar, January 1 A large number of tourists celebrated the New Year by dancing to popular Bollywood numbers amidst a firecracker show that lit the skies in Gulmarg last night. Most hotels located at an altitude of 8,000 ft had received advance bookings ahead of the New Year and some people were even forced to return to the city on account of a heavy rush. “We are witnessing an unprecedented rush of tourists at Gulmarg. All hotels, huts and cottages are full with visitors. There were no rooms available on the New Year’s eve, particularly for those who did not have advance bookings. After celebrating the New Year, many had to return to Srinagar today,” said Mehmood Ahmed, CEO, Gulmarg Development Authority. The tourists, who were in a festive mood, were enthralled by the atmosphere at the hill resort. “We have never had so much fun on New Year before. I had earlier celebrated the New Year in England and at other places, but I will not forget the last night celebrations at this picturesque and snow-clad place,” said Anita Sood, a tourist from New Delhi. Another tourist, Raj Thakur, said, “The firecracker show and the dance programme added to the beautiful atmosphere here. We will surely try to celebrate even the next New Year at Gulmarg”. The festive mood at Gulmarg even attracted a tweet from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “Happy to see Gulmarg buzzing with activity. The baby slopes have enough snow to operate lifts and the skiers are making the most of these,” he said on Twitter. A hotel owner at Gulmarg hoped that the skiing resort would continue to draw tourists in the future also as the tourism industry in Kashmir had been hit hard during the previous three years. “Our business had taken a beating in 2008 due to Amarnath land row agitation and in 2009 due to the Shopian incident. Even 2010 saw violent street protests and killings, but 2011 was much better and we received many tourists. And now that 2011 ended on a positive note, we hope Gulmarg and the Valley continue to receive more and more tourists this year,” he said. |
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Cabinet meeting today
Jammu, January 1 Highly placed sources said keeping in view the escalating prices of essential commodities, the Finance Ministry has approved the proposal of raising 7 per cent DA for government employees, but the final approval would be given by the state Cabinet. “The government has decided to give 7 per cent DA hike to its employees from July 2011, but the same will be deposited in the GP fund of the employees,” the sources said, adding that the hiked salaries would be given from January 2012 onwards. The sources further said the government was also thinking to enhance the retirement age of its employees from 58 years to 60 years. A high-level committee had already been constituted in this regard. The committee had asked the Finance Department to submit details regarding the total number of employees to be benefitted if proposal was approved. The sources said the proposal would be placed before the Cabinet on Monday. During negotiations with the agitating employees in September last year, the government had promised to constitute a high-level committee to look into various aspects on the proposal of enhancing the retirement age of the employees. They said the government had decided to take these pro-employee decisions to win over the more than 4 lakh employees before the civic body elections. The government employees had been demanding that the retirement age should be raised from 58 years to 60 years. They had also been demanding arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission in cash in two installments. Besides some administrative reshuffle, the Cabinet is also likely to give approval for the construction of buildings of 13 new degree colleges in different parts of the state. Already sanctioned by the government, some of these degree colleges have been functioning in buildings of higher secondary schools of the respective areas. In the Monday’s Cabinet meeting, the Higher Education Department would get approval from the government to start construction of these colleges. New Year bonanza?
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Plan to utilise residential plots as parking lots
Jammu, January 1 In perhaps the first-of-its-kind initiative, the traffic police and the municipal corporations may allow residents, both in Jammu as well as in Srinagar, to convert their unused residential plots into paid parking lots to tackle the problem of haphazard and illegal parking of vehicles. The proposal has been mooted in the wake of worsening traffic scenario and growing congestion on roads due to haphazard and wrong parking of vehicles along the roads in both the capital cities. Official sources said that the number of registered vehicles has touched the 10-lakh mark in the state, with 70,000 new vehicles hitting the roads annually. “The government’s much-talked about project of constructing multilevel parking complexes in twin capital cities has remained a non-starter. Traffic chaos on roads has assumed alarming proportions in both the cities as illegal and wrong parking of vehicles has virtually reduced the city roads to half,” sources said. They added that the traffic police had a daunting task in streamlining traffic and removing illegally parked vehicles from city roads because it had been facing the shortage of manpower. “On an average, one policeman controls around 1,900 vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir,” they said. Talking to The Tribune, Hemant Kumar Lohia, Inspector General of Police (Traffic), J&K, said: “We have proposed to ask city residents whose residential plots are laying unused and if they are willing to utilise the space for commercial purpose, they can get a licence from the state traffic police and use the space as paid parking slots. It will not only help us check the menace of illegal parking but also generate income for the residents”. The IGP said, “We will take up the matter with the municipal corporations. The traffic police will act as facilitator to ensure effective and better implementation of the project”. Lohia, however, said the Police Department would notify the parking rates to be followed by plot holders. “We will closely monitor the effective implementation of the project and will ensure that motorists are not fleeced,” he added. The department had already deployed three cranes to tow away illegally parked vehicles from public places and busy roads in Jammu, he said, adding, “These cranes tow away more than 30 vehicles from the winter capital city on a daily basis”. |
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Ceasefire violation
Jammu, January 1 In the fourth ceasefire violation this month, Pakistan troops opened fire along Samba district on December 30, injuring
a BSF jawan. “We have lodged a protest with Pakistan Rangers over firing and ceasefire violation at a flag meeting on the International Border (IB) in Samba sector yesterday,” a senior BSF
officer said. “Pakistan Rangers denied their involvement in firing during the meeting when the BSF raised the issue with them,” he said. He added, “This is their usual reply that they do not know about the incident.” A team of the BSF officers led by Commandant of the 82 Battalion SC Yadav had held a flag meeting with Pakistan Rangers led by Commander Lt Col Raja Shahid at Khowara
Post along the IB in Samba district. On December 22, Pakistan troops had targeted Indian posts with over 700 rounds of small arms fire to give a cover to a group of infiltrating militants along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Nangi Tikri-Krishna Gati area of Poonch district. On December 14, troops foiled an infiltration bid by a group of four to five militants along the LoC in the Tarkundi forest belt of Bhimbergali sector in Poonch district. Pakistan troops indulged in small arms fire and rocket attacks on the Indian Posts in Krishnagati sub-sector along the LoC in Poonch district on December 5. They had also fired at the Indian posts in
Kupwara district on December 4. — PTI |
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dateline kashmir
On the New Year Day in 2011, an estimated 75,000 devotees paid their obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. The shrine does seem to offer people the magic of hope as the number appears to be increasing every year. It is considered auspicious to start the new year with prayers at the shrine, explained Devinder Sharma from Delhi. The entire Sharma family apparently turns up at the shrine every year to greet the new year. The rush this time is even greater and officials of the Shrine Board have had to work overtime to make arrangements.
There is constant communication with the base camps so as to regulate the movement of devotees. Security is always a concern and the Board tries to ensure a steady supply of blankets to keep the devotees warm. Medical facilities for those, who are unable to cope with the biting cold, are again an imperative. In short, while the rest of the people were having a binge to herald the new year, a group of dedicated employees of the Shrine Board were burning midnight oil to keep the show going. With the number of pilgrims at the shrine crossing the one-crore ( 10 millions) mark last week, the anticipation is that the number on the first of January would also exceed the previous highest figure of 75 thousand. Inaugural fever Government departments have come to believe that every project completed with public money needs to be formally inaugurated by either politicians or bureaucrats with the first preference given to politicians, specially the Chief Minister. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to see the new Tourist Reception Centre at Talwara(Reasi), completed several months ago, waiting for a politician to descend first. The grapevine holds that for obvious reasons, the officials would like Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to formally cut the red tape (oops, ribbon actually) and throw open the facility for the people. Director (Tourism), Robin Singh, confirmed that the CM had been requested to do the honours and once a suitable date is communicated, arrangements would be made for the function to dedicate the facility to the people. The new building has witnessed both time and cost over-runs and more cost is bound to be incurred to put it back in shape for the inauguration. Winter Secretariat With the Durbar having moved to Jammu for the winter, the winter secretariat has started functioning in Srinagar. The Agriculture Minister, Ghulam Hassan Mir, it has been notified, will be available from Monday, January 2 for redressal of people's grievances. The practice is in line with the summer secretariat that functions in Jammu when the Durbar moves to Srinagar for six months. But Srinagar does miss out on ministerial presence and interventions during the budget session of the Assembly, which is held in Jammu and which the ministers naturally cannot afford to miss. Discordant notes While the state government is busy patting itself on the back, or voicing their relief, at a relatively peaceful year in the troubled state, the separatist leaders have, expectedly, sharply different views. Although Ali Shah Geelani has shifted to New Delhi for health reasons and to avoid the harsh winter conditions in the Valley, through a spokesperson he has communicated his anguish at another 'tragic year' in the state. The government had no reason to celebrate, said a terse and acerbic statement issued on his behalf, since the 'arrest of young men' continued unabated and several instances of human rights violations were reported during this period. The more moderate, APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chose to criticise the state government for its failure to provide basic amenities to the people so that they could cope with the winter. The Mirwaiz( the chief priest) was addressing the Friday congregation at the main mosque, the Jamia masjid, in Srinagar. His slain father, Mohammad Farooq, also delivered sermons on Fridays and the young Mirwaiz has followed the tradition, often touching on sensitive political issues as well as civic issues. Powerful & powerless The state government was again pressurised to backtrack on plans to introduce power-cuts in areas with no electric meters. The Power Development Department (PDD) had proposed power cuts extending to 70 hours a week in these areas, and much less for areas with the electric meters. But not only did the people hit the streets to protest the new notification, the move was slammed by the main opposition party, the PDP, the business community, the civil society and even by the separatists. Under pressure from all quarters, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was forced to ask the PDD to review the decision. |
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Power woes
“Due to a steep reduction in the discharge of rivers during winter, there is a drastic reduction in power generation at all hydro stations while on the other hand, there is a steep increase in the demand for power,” the PDD said in a notice issued here. The notice was issued after the PDD had drawn flak over its recent power curtailment schedule, according to which the non-metered areas would face 70 hours of weekly power cuts. After concerns were expressed by almost all quarters, including the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), moderate Hurriyat faction-led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the public, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had asked the PDD to review the power cut schedule. Besides, the PDD said, “Hooking and meter tampering in the metered areas are also responsible for the added curtailments”. Incidentally, the Chief Minister had recently urged the religious heads to advise people during the Friday sermons to refrain from resorting to power theft. The PDD has also said against the total availability of 580 MW, the department was supplying 1600 MW during the evening hours. “The balance 1020 MW is being imported from the Northern Grid,” it added. The department has now urged the public to save power by replacing incandescent lamps with energy savers, use of LPG instead of electric heaters, use of geysers instead of boilers and cooperation in ensuring total metering. |
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Season’s coldest night in Srinagar, Leh
Srinagar, January 1 According to a MeT official, Leh recorded a minus of 18.8 °C last night while Srinagar city recorded a minimum of minus 4.9 °C, which for the second time is the season’s lowest temperature here. Kargil town recorded a minimum temperature of minus 16 degree Celsius. There has been no let up in the freezing cold in the Valley this winter season so far, especially after the start of chillai kalan on December 21, the harshest 40-day winter period. The drop in night temperatures has also led to partial freezing of the peripheries of the Dal Lake while the locals here have been complaining of frozen water
supply lines. However, the city has been witnessing sunny days over the last 10 days, as the maximum temperature recorded today was 10.2 degree Celsius. While the Valley received light to moderate snow and rainfall about two weeks ago, the people are eagerly awaiting a heavy snowfall that would not only improve the temperatures, but also replenish the water bodies. Once the water levels decrease, the Valley faces an acute shortage of electricity. Meanwhile, the skiing resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla district recorded a minimum temperature of minus 8 °C. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in Anantnag district recorded a minimum of minus 7 °C. Qazigund in South Kashmir recorded a night temperature of minus 5 °C while the border town of Kupwara recorded a minimum of minus 4.7 °C. The MeT office has forecast dry weather in the Valley for the next 24 hours. |
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Develop tourist spots to boost state’s economy: Hoteliers
Jammu, January 1 “The arrivals for the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage that concluded yesterday crossed the one crore mark. But we regret that full benefits of such a large number of pilgrims visiting the state are not being achieved,” president of the All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association Indrejeet Khajuria said. “The result is that while there is an unmanageable rush during the peak yatra period at Katra, the hotels and lodges in Jammu remain almost empty,” he said. The association demanded taking up of concrete steps to promote border tourism at Suchetgarh, Chamlial and in the entire border belt in Jammu by creating necessary infrastructure. It has also demanded speedy development of Ambaran Buddhist site and Jio-Pota heritage spot on the banks of the Chenab near Akhnoor to attract tourists. If these steps are taken, the pilgrims will be attracted to these spots and people at other places would also benefit, Khajuria said.
— PTI |
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Cop’s body found from canal
Jammu, January 1 The deceased, Sunil Kumar Dhar, was a resident of Purkhoo Camp. The police said some local resident had spotted the body floating in the canal and had informed the police. The body was shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, for an autopsy. — TNS
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Road Safety Week begins in Jammu
Jammu, January 1 This was stated by Minister for Transport Qamar Ali Akhoon while addressing the inaugural function of the 23rd Road Safety Week-2012 here today. This year’s theme is “Accidents Bring Tears; Safety Brings Cheer”. Emphasising on obeying traffic rules, Akhoon said the negligence of drivers and commuters resulted in loss of precious human lives and damage to the property. He said, “This could be checked if traffic rules are strictly followed both by drivers and commuters.” The minister said though there were sufficient laws to deal with traffic violators, yet the laws had been made more stringent. Earlier, Commissioner Secretary, Transport, Pradip Gupta gave a detailed account of the initiatives taken by the department to further improve the transport and traffic management system in the state. He said the department had earned Rs 112 crore during the last financial year while Rs 45 lakh had been disbursed among 362 victims. |
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PDP exploiting sentiments of people, says minister
Jammu, January 1 While addressing a gathering at Smailpur, Salathia highlighted the achievements of the coalition government during the past three years. Salathia also lambasted the PDP for playing a double standard role and exploiting the sentiments of innocent and peace loving people of the state for their petty political gains. The minister said the coalition government had registered great achievement on all the fronts with the introduction of numerous reformative measures in the state during its tenure. He said a number of developmental works had been taken up in hand, besides ensuring completion of several projects under execution. He said the state had been witnessing significant transformation on economic, social and political fronts, which was quite visible from the achievements registered in every development sector. Addressing the gathering, the minister cautioned the people against the nefarious designs of some elements, who wanted to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the state. He appealed to the people to remain united and frustrate the designs of vested elements, besides maintain the age-old traditions of mutual brotherhood and communal harmony. He also urged them to strengthen the present Omar-led government, which had the capacity to change the economic profile of the people in a phased manner. |
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Jammu varsity dept celebrates New Year
Jammu, January 1 Director of the DDE, Dr Meenakshi Kilam, was the chief guest on the occasion. She congratulated the students for showing good performance in M.Ed examinations. Dr Jaspal Singh Warwal, co-ordinator of M.Ed Programme, conducted the proceedings. — TNS
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J-K health indicators ‘better than’ national averages
Jammu, January 1 “Health indicators in Jammu and Kashmir have improved in 2010-11. They are better than national averages now,” Dr Yashpaul Sharma, director, National Rural Health Mission, said. The state figures have recorded estimated birth rate of 18.3, death rate 5.7 and infant mortality rate 43 (per 1,000) against the corresponding figures of 22.1, 7.2 and 47 at the national level. Also, the sex ratio in the state was 941 against the national average of 933 while the total fertility rate was 2.2 against 2.6 at the national level, he said. Health services in the state were being provided free or at low charges and more than 90 per cent in-patient door (IPD) patients are treated in government institutions, he said. The NRHM had been making efforts to make the functioning of health institutions 24x7, Sharma said, adding that in the first instance, 157 PHCs had been strengthened as 24x7 PHCs. Claiming that the state health ministry had met the target as per the plan, Dr Sharma said against the availability of Rs 666.23 crore, including state share of Rs 73.62 crore, J&K Health Department had incurred Rs 499.70 crore (75 per cent) by November 2011. Rs 267 crore had been provided under the NRHM for construction and upgradation of district hospitals, community health centres, PHCs and subcentres till date against which Rs 210 crore had been spent, he said.
— PTI |
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Drunken driving in Leh causes concern
Leh, January 1 Khadim Hussain, Assistant Regional Transport Officer, confirmed that the number of vehicles at Leh alone had gone up from just 2,500 in 2005 to over 7,000 in 2000. Cars stolen from elsewhere in the country are also being re-sold in Ladakh. As many as 12 stolen cars were recovered in 2011 from Leh and two of them were returned to their rightful owners, one in Delhi and another in Punjab. During this week, the police with the help of volunteers will carry out a check of valid documents that car owners are expected to keep with them while on the road. No action, however, will be taken during the week against those found without the documents. Instead, the emphasis will be to explain to them the importance of keeping the documents. Demonstration of traffic rules, the right way of using dippers and precautions to be taken while driving will be part of the exercise, which will include symposium and painting competitions etc for school children. Thirty volunteers from transport unions of the district and 30 students will be involved every day in the awareness building exercises on road safety. A Japan based NGO,Jullay Ladakh, working in Leh district is also supporting the District Police. Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Tsering Angchuk, acknowledged the issues raised and said while some parking slots have already been developed, the search for land is going on for more parking lots. Good and responsible drivers, he emphasised, were absolutely necessary for promoting tourism in the region. He urged the transport unions to help the administration maintain the rules of the road. |
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20-20 cricket tourney starts in Reasi
Katra, January 1 A total of 32 teams from all over the country would participate in the tournament. Prominent among them are Maharashtra Cricket Club, Chhattisgarh Cricket Club and Chandigarh Cricket Club etc. Some players, who have played in the IPL series and Ranji Trophy matches, are also expected to take part in the tournament. The tournament was inaugurated by MS Chouhan, Additional Superintendent of Police, Reasi, in the presence of prominent citizens and a large number of people, who had come from far-flung areas of Reasi district. The tournament will not only promote the local talent, but also boost the police-public relation. The inaugural match was played between Rajouri Cricket Club and Pogal Cricket Club of Ramban, which was won by Rajouri Cricket Club. Chouhan said the aim of organising the tournament was to keep the young generation mentally and physically fit and to ensure that they remained away from drug addiction and other vices. “Participation in sports activities is a healthy sign and helps students to develop their personalities and mental abilities,” he added. |
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‘Laltein’ stresses importance of universal amity
Jammu, January 1 The play was written by Vijay Suman and directed by Mohan Mistry. The play underscored the significance of universal amity, particularly in a multicultural and secular society like India. It optimistically enlightened that righteousness bore fruit at some point of time. The story revolved around an orphan, Reshma, a Muslim girl, who was being raised by a Hindu priest after her mother’s death. In the first half of the play, Reshma was shown as the daughter of Begum, who was a gentle and religious lady, but her husband was shown a notorious criminal. Not compromising with her virtues, Begum handed her husband over to the police. She died later, leaving behind her only daughter Reshma. A village priest adopts Reshma and appoints a moulvi to raise her in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Tanu Sudan portrayed the character of Begum and Ankush Sharma did justice to the character of a pujari (Hindu priest). The key attraction of the play was Mistry, who performed the role of a Sutradhar. He helped the audience in understanding the connected scenes. Other actors included, Ajay Sadotra, Anil Kotwal, Yash Paul, Shamim Malik, Anil, Ajay Sharma, Sumit Sharma, Anita Adarsh, Rahul and Meenakshi Duggal. Mistry told The Tribune, “I think such a play has great significance in a militancy-infested state like Jammu and Kashmir. The play is an attempt to draw the attention of society towards communal harmony, human values, social belongingness and selflessness.” |
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With the state government failing to create multilevel parking facilities in the twin capital cities of the state, the Traffic Police Department has come up with a novel idea.
dateline kashmir
Srinagar, January 1
