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Transport strike hits commuters
BJP demands abrogation of Article 370 |
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Education Dept shouldn’t be exploited for political
gains, says Omar
Shrine board turns to waste for energy
'Further action in Peerzada case after probe report'
Allegations against Mohiuddin
Crime File
MLC’s brother booked for assault
Syed Yousuf’s Death
Case
Man dies in land dispute
3-day Shiv Khori Mela from Feb 20
A view of the Shiv Khori Cave Shrine near Katra. A Tribune photograph
Nod to 29 irrigation schemes in Kathua
Army offers guidance to school students
Special Police Officers deputed to provide security cover to the hospitals in Jammu. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh
200 ASIs promoted
Cong demands degree college at Majalata
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Transport strike hits commuters
Jammu, February 1 Consequently, the entire fleet of JKSRTC comprising 850 buses and trucks today came to a grinding halt on day one of the three-day strike. The employees had observed a one-day strike across the state on October 20 last year as well. As a result, the commuters, including inter-state and intra-state passengers, faced hardships as they had to cough up more while relying upon private buses and other light motor vehicles. “Our buses and trucks in all the depots of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh region didn’t operate today,” said Ashok Mehra, Jammu province president of the JKSRTC Workers’ Union. Operation of all the passenger buses and trucks of the state-run public transport came to a halt due to the strike in entire Jammu and Kashmir, said chairman of JKSRTC Workers’ Union Shakeel Ahmed Kuchay. The transport vehicles on the inter-state routes will remain suspended for the next two days because of the strike, he said. The striking workers have been demanding that J&K SRTC be run on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh SRTC, implementation of the RTC Act 1950, implementation of 6th pay panel recommendations, converting Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) into DA, holding BOD meeting after every three months, releasing pending COLA arrears, implementation of SRO 157, restoration of J&K SRTC assents illegally occupied by private agencies and other governments, ban on plying of JKTDC buses, release of retirement benefits etc. Led by Kuchay and Jammu province president Ashok Mehra, over 400 employees assembled at the SRTC headquarters at Bikram Chowk here and took out a protest rally against the government. They raised anti-government slogans and held demonstrations. They later sat on a dharna in front of the SRTC headquarters here. “The government vide an order on December 3, 2009, had agreed to run the JKSRTC on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh SRTC but till date nothing has happened,” rued Mehra. “If the government and SRTC management do not come forward to implement the agreement then we will be compelled to intensify our agitation,” he said. Srinagar: The employees of the JKSRTC staged a protest here demanding the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The protesters gathered at the Press Enclave area here under the banner of the SRTC Workers Union and raised slogans against the government. They claimed that the government had failed to fulfil the promises made to them. As a result of the strike, all JKSRTC passenger buses and trucks remained off the roads. The JKSRTC employees’ demands include implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, release of Common Living Allowance, announcement of pending promotions in the department and release of pending arrears. |
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BJP demands abrogation of Article 370
Jammu, February 1 Singh said the tabling of the report had already been delayed and added that the UPA government had the responsibility to share the interlocutors’ observations with the people of India so that any further initiative with respect to the state of Jammu and Kashmir was taken without compromising full and final integration of the state with the rest of India. He said the BJP was the only political party in the country which had the most consistent policy on Kashmir and unlike the Congress or certain Kashmir-centric regional political parties, the BJP did not alter its stand depending on political expediency. He reiterated the BJP’s demand for the abrogation of Article 370 and said the Chief Minister’s grouse that no industrial house was willing to invest in Jammu and Kashmir also owes its genesis to the impediments created by Article 370. He hoped that interlocutors’ reports would take cognisance of the aspirations of all the regions of the state, including Jammu and Ladakh, and would also address growing disillusionment of people across the state with rampant corruption, scams and governance deficit witnessed during three years of National Conference-Congress coalition regime. He also demanded due priority to long-pending grievances of refugees of west Pakistan and PoK as well as displaced Kashmiri Pandits instead of succumbing to diktats of Kashmir separatists. |
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Education Dept shouldn’t be exploited for political gains, says Omar
Jammu, February 1 Speaking at a state-level education conference organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Education Employees Coordination Committee, he said politicians could not be blamed solely for the increased political interference in the department. “Teachers also use political influence to get favoured postings. The onus is on you (teachers), only you can help reduce this political interference,” he added. He said the government was trying its best to reduce political interference in health and education departments. “Unfortunately we have not yet succeeded in keeping these departments free from political pressures but I am trying hard to cleanse the institutions. The Education Department should not be exploited for political benefits. Even now politicians prefer to open
degree colleges for gaining political mileage, to please voters.” The Chief Minister said he had put in place a transfer policy in the departments of Power and R&B, which were directly under his charge and it was being followed thoroughly in these departments. “I would like similar transfer policies in other departments as well,” he added. Expressing his displeasure on the poor performances of government schools in academics, he said the lacklustre approach of teachers would not be tolerated. “I have come across the facts that most of the schools have displayed very poor results, with some of the schools even giving zero per cent pass results. We have been magnanimous in resolving all your issues but breach of duty is not acceptable,” he warned. He said the state was receiving Rs 100 crore for upgrading the education standard and the amount should be utilised for the overall development of the students. “This is not the government’s money or any individual’s asset, the money belongs to the common man and we have to play the role of a caretaker. We have regularised the services over 8,000 headmasters and 10+2 lecturers but they also need to prove their loyalty to the profession,” he stressed. Omar said to ensure transparency time-bound completion of projects he had recently approved independent third party monitoring for flagship programmes in the Education Department. |
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Shrine board turns to waste for energy
Katra, February 1 The board has come up with the first-ever mule dung-based biogas plant near the town. The plant is currently on trial run and ready to be commissioned. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), engaged by the board to suggest ways to utitlise the huge quantity of waste generated every day, had given several proposals to address the problem. Subsequently, the Union Ministry sanctioned a project costing Rs 50 lakh. It involved the setting up of a biogas plant besides solar water heaters and solar power plants of 5 kW each, said Additional Chief Executive Officer of the board Dr MK Bhandari. Though the solar water heaters and solar power plants have already come up, the mule dung-based biogas plant has recently been set up near Chetak Bhawan by a Pune-based firm. The generation of dung by around 8,000 mules and other waste by the business establishments and catering houses at the 5,300-ft-high shrine had reached critical proportions, posing a huge challenge for the shrine board authorities. Over 10 million pilgrims visit the shrine every year and their number is around 40,000 per day during the peak season. The plant has a capacity to generate biogas from 4 tonne dung every day and the board has already entered into a contract with a Katra-based agency, which will purchase biogas and put it to own use, said Bhandari. “Initially, the mule dung would be lifted from problem areas like first 4 km of the track and both sides of Banganga.” In another major initiative for utilising the renewable energy, the board has already commissioned three solar power plants at the shrine with a solar powered water heating plant at Katra. Four more solar powered water heating plants are currently on trial run and will be commissioned shortly. |
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'Further action in Peerzada case after probe report'
Jammu, February 1 “The case has already been handed over to the crime branch to complete the inquiry within seven days”, Omar Abdullah told reporters on the sideline of a function at Jammu University today. “It is the job of the crime branch to conduct a thorough investigation in the case”, he said and added that next step would be taken only after the report of the inquiry would be submitted. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz has also maintained a “guarded silence” on the issue. “I can only say that it is an allegation as of now. The law should take its own course”, replied Soz when his attention was drawn towards allegations of unfair means used by Congress leader Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed to favour his son. No other Congress leader was ready to speak on the issue. Spokesman of the JKPCC Ravinder Sharma refused to give any statement on the controversy. Meanwhile, Peerzada has alleged that the entire controversy is a plot to malign his image. “I am ready for any inquiry into the case. I am of the opinion that the issue was raked up as a part of a conspiracy against me,” he told reporters and pointed out that some members of the State Board of School Education were fuelling rumours to create confusion. “I fail to understand from where the answersheet of my son was procured by some people after three years of his taking the examination”, he said. “Usually answersheets are disposed of after six months of the examinations but it is still a mystery that how the answersheet of my son was procured even after three years of the examination”. He demanded a thorough probe into the case. This issue has snowballed into a big political controversy in the state. While opposition parties are planning to take up the issue in the coming Assembly session, some leaders in the faction-ridden Congress are also working overtime to collect evidence against the minister. Villagers protest against Rasheed Srinagar: A day after Langate MLA Engineer Rasheed demanded the resignation of Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, a group of villagers of Kupwara district staged a protest here against the MLA. The villagers led by sarpanch Wayoosa Mohammad Amin Bhat protested at the Press enclave area here today and claimed that the MLA was creating “unnecessary hurdles” in the functioning of the panchayats of his constituency. “Engineer Rasheed is creating unnecessary hurdles in the working of the panchayats of the area through his agents,” the protesters alleged. They also sought the intervention of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Parliamentary Affairs and Panchayati Raj minister Ali Mohammad Sagar in this regard. |
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Allegations against Mohiuddin
Srinagar, February 1 Vakil reiterated that he would expose all bunglings in the PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Departments, headed by Taj Mohiuddin, the Congress representative from Uri. “I will leave no stone unturned till all the scams are exposed,” Vakil said while addressing his supporters the other day. He claimed that he was following the mission of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi on corruption. “They have instructed that every Congress man should raise voice against the corruption even if the person involved is from our party. I am following their orders and want to make the Congress strong,” he added. Vakil rejected the allegations levelled by Taj against him and said the minister had levelled baseless allegations. “I am not on speaking terms with him (Taj) for the past four years so there is no question to seek any favour from him”, Vakil remarked. He alleged that Taj was involved in corruption since he was Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) in the previous government and a corruption case was also pending against him (Taj) in Accountability Commission.
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Crime File
Jammu, February 1 An official spokesman said a complaint was lodged with the IGP office by an elderly person, a driver by profession, that he was roughed up and misbehaved by PSI Sanjay Raina at Manthal where the police had laid a naka for checking vehicles. The IGP ordered an inquiry that indicted the PSI. Drug peddler held The Samba police today arrested a drug peddler and recovered 2,000 intoxicant capsules from his possession. The police said it had intercepted a vehicle for checking at Budhwani naka and recovered 2,000 capsules of Pyremol-Spasm from it. The accused, identified as Santosh Kumar of Digiana Pulli, Jewan Nagar, was booked under the NDPSA. Manager held for taking bribe The State Vigilance Organisation today registered a corruption case against the district Manager of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation, Pulwama. The manager is identified as Gul Mohammad Hajam, son of Mohammad Anwar, resident of Namblabal Tral. Official spokesman said a complaint was lodged by Bashir Ahmad Gujar of Gulshanpora Tral in
Vigilance Organisation, Kashmir, that in the year 2009 he applied for a grant of Rs 1 lakh as loan in the office of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation Pulwama for running a grocery shop. An amount of Rs 95,000 was sanctioned as loan in his favour and when he went to collect the cheque, the district manager demanded Rs 3,000 for releasing the cheque. During the course of investigation, a trap was laid and the accused was arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from the complainant. |
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MLC’s brother booked for assault
Jammu, February 1 Two persons, identified as Ashish Kumar and Ravinder Singh, both residents of Mendhar, were injured in the attack. Ashish alleged that five miscreants led by Javed Khan, an advocate and brother of Murtaza, barged into his residence in a drunken condition late last night and tried to outrage the modesty of the women present there. He further alleged that the accused thrashed him severely and even beat up Ravinder Singh, who is a government employee, after he made an attempt to intervene. Hundreds of people today staged protests at several places in the town and chanted anti-police and anti-administration slogans, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. “The protesters, including students of Government Higher Secondary School and Government Degree College, Mendhar, assembled at Old Bus Stand and raised slogans against the police department. They alleged that the police had failed to arrest the miscreants who had unleashed a reign of terror in the town,” sources said. The Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, Ajit Kumar Sahu, visited the town and held a meeting with the protesters. Seeking two days’ time, he assured that the police would initiate necessary action against the accused. “The situation in the town is under control and peaceful. We have registered a case and the police is investigating the matter,” Sahu told The Tribune over phone. Asked whether the brother of an MLC was involved in the alleged attack, the Deputy Commissioner said there were allegations against him and a case was also registered against him. |
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Syed Yousuf’s Death
Case
Jammu, February 1 In a statement issued here, spokesman of the PDP Sardar Rangil Singh said following pressure of the opposition the state government had appointed a one member inquiry commission to investigate the case. “Except announcing an inquiry commission nothing has been done so far,” Rangil said. He added that an impartial inquiry was not possible without handing over the case to an independent investigating agency. He said the credibility of the state government was at the lowest ebb after the mysterious death of Yousuf and the government should hand over the case to an independent investigating agency to ensure fair probe. He said evidences were already fudged in the case so there was a need to thoroughly investigate the case to restore peoples’ faith in the system. Taking a dig at the NC-led coalition regime for its failure to keep a check on corruption, the PDP spokesman also demanded that the State Accountability Commission (SAC), which was constituted during the regime of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed be equipped with an independent investigating agency to ensure impartial investigation in all corruption cases. He alleged that the coalition regime was not ready to make the SAC functional because during the last three years corruption had been legalised in the state. “Without equipping the SAC with an investigating agency, it is not possible to conduct an impartial inquiry into corruption complaints lodged with the Commission,” he said.
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Man dies in land dispute
Jammu, February 1 The police has registered a case under Section 304/34 RPC and 3/25 Arms Act against three persons, identified as Sohan Singh, son of Pritam Singh, resident of Deonia, RS Pura, Om Prakash, son of Shanker Dass, resident of Finder in Bishnah, and a driver of a local patwari. In her complaint, Sujata Kumari, wife of the deceased, alleged that three persons made an attempt to grab their land last evening. “We had obtained a stay from the court following some dispute about six years ago,” she said. Giyatri Devi, daughter of the victim, said: “They came in the morning and threatened our family with dire consequences. In the evening, the trio again came to their village and started measuring the land. My father stopped them from measuring the land and that led to a scuffle.” She alleged that Sohan Singh, alias Shonna, pointed revolver at her father, who collapsed due to shock and died on the spot. The police said one of the accused had been arrested while the others were still at large.
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3-day Shiv Khori Mela from Feb 20
Katra, February 1 The district administration,
Reasi, has made all necessary arrangements like security, power supply,
medicare, sanitation, transport facilities, fire services, blankets etc right from the base camp to the Shiv Khori Shrine
Cave. Lakhs of devotees visit this ancient cave shrine every year. Last year, over 14.25 lakh devotees paid obeisance at the cave shrine. This ancient cave shrine is now emerging as the second largest pilgrimage destination after Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district. A number of social organisations will also arrange langars during the
mela. |
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Nod to 29 irrigation schemes in Kathua
Jammu, February 1 Addressing a public meeting at Blassan-de-Khoo, the Minister said 29 new schemes had been approved under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) for irrigating 4,667 hectares in Kathua district. He said during the current financial year, Rs 90.9 crore had been released for the purpose. The minister said in Hiranagar tehsil, 10 schemes under the AIBP had been approved for an amount of Rs 3.29 crore for irrigating 667 hectares.
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Army offers guidance to school students
Jammu, February 1 The aim was to give students guidance regarding opportunities available in today’s competitive world. With the establishment of the node, students of this remote area will be able to download forms of various institutes as well as apply for jobs for which they are qualified. They are also being
provided guidance and counselling. This is a major contribution by the Army towards bridging the gap between the students of Pallanwala and the outside world. The students as well as the staff have expressed their gratitude to the Army for providing this facility to the students.
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153 SPOs to guard Jammu hospitals
Jammu, February 1 All the hospitals of Jammu, including the Government Medical College (GMC) where 5,000 to 7,000 patients and their attendants visit every day, were working without any security cover for the past five months. The GMC will get 101
SPOs, out of which 56 joined their duty today. Out of 34 SPOs deputed for the
SMGS, 27 joined their duty today. Earlier, the hospitals were having a private security but the agency which provided the security withdrew it around five months ago. Sources said the security agency was having some conflict with the hospital managements on the issue of payments that led them to withdraw the security. |
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200 ASIs promoted
Jammu, February 1 The committee also cleared the promotion cases of over 100 sub-inspectors and inspectors for grade promotions in the
organisation. A meeting of the committee was held under the chairmanship of Director-General of Police Kuldeep Khoda at the Police Headquarters here on Monday. The committee scrutinised over 300 cases of ASIs for promotion as sub-inspectors in the Executive Police. Of these, 202 cases of ASIs were found eligible and cleared for promotion.
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Cong demands degree college at Majalata
Jammu, February 1 Addressing a meeting of party workers at Battal area, senior Youth Congress leader RS Pathania charged the administration with meting out step-motherly treatment with Majalata area. He said the people of Majalata had been disappointed on seeing the list of proposed degree colleges in the state where the name of Majalata was absent.
— TNS
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Jammu,
February 1
Katra, February 1
