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Amarnath Yatra
Gloomy picture
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BJP alleges discrimination against SCs over jobs
DGP reviews construction works
Health dept clips wings of officials nearing retirement
In the eyes of J-K law, organ donation is illegal
Seminar on Public Services Guarantee Act
Snow festival gets underway at Patnitop
State of Jagti township worries Kashmiri Pandits
Land dispute
Non-bailable warrants against IGP, 3 others
Snag hits Dy CM’s flight
60 rescued from snowbound villages in Ladakh
Police-public mela today
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Amarnath Yatra
Jammu, March 3 In order to avoid misunderstandings over scheduling the 39-day yatra, the board adopted the novel way of reaching out to the public by posting the entire deliberations with all stakeholders in the past six months on the website. The details include meetings with the stakeholders, including the government, security forces, langar committees, religious experts and Hindu orgnisations, especially the Baba Amarnath and Baba Buda Amarnath Yatri Niyas. The Yatri Niyas had insisted on a 60-day yatra and warned of holding protests if the yatra did no begin on June 4 (Jyestha Purnima). A sub-committee headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was constituted to advise the board regarding the duration and schedule of the yatra. Others members included Swami Avdeheshanand Maharaj of Haridwar; Swami Gyaanandji of Vrindavan; Dr Chander Mouli Raina, Assistant Professor, Rashtriya Sankrit Sansthan, Jammu; Prem Gupta, former IG; RL Bharti, former member of the JK Public Service Commission, Jammu; YV Sharma, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu; and RK Goyal, Principal Secretary to Governor and CEO of the board. The minutes of the meetings state that the finalisation of the dates has not been influenced by any security threat, politics
or pressure from Kashmir separatists or Hindu organisations. On July 22, 2011 the board formed the sub-committee, while its meetings took place on September 13 and 14. The committee chairman, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, said the past records suggested that around 90-95 per cent devotees paid their obeisance at the shrine in first four to five weeks only. However, Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, representing the state government, said no risk could be taken vis-à-vis devotees’ lives and that the pilgrimage could begin only when the entire apparatus, including the deployment of security and clearance of tracks, was in place. In his presentation, Lt Gen SA Hasnain, GoC, 15 Corps, said the number of deaths en route had increased as the number of pilgrims had gone up six or seven times. Over 6 lakh pilgrims visited the
shrine last year. While Army personnel deployed at an altitude of 9,000 ft required four days of rest and acclimatisation, followed by another six days of rest at 12,000 ft, most of the pilgrims, despite being from plains, headed straight towards the shine and fell sick. Things got worse when snow was around, he observed. He noted that the maximum duration of the yatra could be achieved only in those years when Raksha Bandhan (the last day of the yatra) fell in the last week of August. Maj Gen Gurdeep Singh, GoC, Victor Force, in his PowerPoint presentation underlined the fact that the Army needed a 15-day window ahead of the commence of the yatra to secure the entire route. “The troops are required to arrive in the Valley 45 days prior to the date of commencement of the yatra, undergo pre-induction training for 12 days, followed by 15 days of acclimatisation at various levels,” he said. He showed pictures of the track covered in six feet of snow in May to validate
his point. J&K DGP Kuldeep Khoda recalled his stint as Anantnag SP in 1981, when devotees used to pay their obeisance at the shrine on Raksha Bandhan and the “chhari” (holy mace) used to proceed to the shrine around 10 days ahead of the festival. Swami Gyaanand said a longer duration of yatra would help avoid heavy rush of pilgrims. He suggested temperature control at the shrine and upgrade of other facilities. YV Sharma said there were genuine concerns over weather constraints and logistical support, but a controversy could be avoided with regular discussions to prevent mistrust. Explaining the practice, various office-bearers of the Shri Amarnath Barfani Langar Organisation said as per the Hindu traditions/mythology, the pilgrimage was limited to Shravna month only and that the yatra should commence on Vyas/Guru Purnima and conclude on Shravan Purnima/Raksha Bandhan, making it a one-month pilgrimage. The board took viewpoints of different stakeholders while announcing June 25 as the date of commencement of the yatra. However, an internal assessment could be made in the first week of June to advance the yatra to June 17, on the occasion of Shivratri. The registration begins from May 1. Stakeholders’ Viewpoint
Assessment in June
The board took viewpoints of different stakeholders while announcing June 25 as the date of commencement of the yatra. However, an internal assessment could be made in the first week of June to advance the yatra to June 17, on the occasion of Shivratri |
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Gloomy picture
Jammu, March 3 As per the Economic Survey, 2011-12, 3,202 primary schools, 773 middle schools, 51 high schools and four higher secondary schools are without government-owned buildings. Similarly, the newly-upgraded institutions, including 450 high schools and 243 higher secondary schools have deficient accommodation. “As many as 948 primary school buildings are in a dilapidated condition and have not been renovated yet. Some schools are being run in buildings having poor structure and may collapse any time. A total of 7,903 primary schools, 1,140 middle schools, 231 high schools and 84 higher secondary schools lack toilet and water facility for students, especially girls,” the survey says. The Supreme Court had extended its deadline from December 31, 2011, to March 31, 2012, to states and Union Territories to provide for separate permanent toilets for boys and girls in all schools across India, saying it was an essential part of right to education of children. The survey further says that 51 high schools and four government higher secondary schools are still functioning in rented buildings. Also, the shortage of teachers in schools turns out to be the main bottleneck for achieving quality education in schools. “The placement of teaching staff in schools, as per the set norms, has not kept pace with opening and upgradation of schools. Nearly 67 per cent of schools in Jammu and Kashmir were deficient in staff. In Leh district, the staff in schools, however, was in excess of norms, involving cases of undesirable attachments. This made other schools to suffer, where from these attachments were done,” the survey maintains. It suggests that the establishment of schools and their upgradation would in no way pave the way for universalising primary and elementary education, unless it is supported by placement of sufficient teaching staff. At present, 23,454 government schools (14,453 primary schools, 6,976 middle schools, 1,418 high schools and 607 higher secondary schools) are functioning in the state, besides two state institutes of education (SIE), 22 district institutes of education and training (DIET), 1,600 cluster resource centres and 4,728 private schools. Moreover, there are two Sainik Schools, 36 Kendriya Vidyalayas and 14 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in the state sector. As far the staff strength in the School Education Department is concerned, two provincial directorates, 22 chief education officers, 22 DIET principals, 201 zonal educational officers, about 70,000 teaching staff and 37,633 Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers working under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and 3,000 3rd teachers are manning the system. |
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BJP alleges discrimination against SCs over jobs
Jammu, March 3 Talking to mediapersons here, state chief spokesperson of the BJP Jitendra Singh while substantiating his claims came out with some documents and figures to establish the continuing injustice and discrimination against SCs in the state. Jitendra referred to a government order of August 4, 2010, according to which the filling of regular vacancies of teachers in far-flung areas were made on the pattern of the Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) by deliberately bypassing the conventional constitutional procedure of making these appointments through the State Service Recruitment Board (SSRB). “As a consequence of this, SC candidates had been by deprived of the 8 per cent reservation available to them,” he said, adding that this was not only a case of injustice, but also violation of established constitutional norms. The BJP leader added that over 30,000 ReT teachers had been appointed and of them a substantial number were regularised without applying the criteria of reservation for the Scheduled Castes, which was expected to be followed in all regular permanent appointments. He said the coalition government must devise an appropriate methodology to correct this anomaly. Similarly, while carrying out the periodic regularisation of adhoc, contractual, consolidated, daily wagers, casual and need-based employees, due parameters need to be put in place so that constitutional provisions of the reservation for the Scheduled Castes are not ignored by default or design. Jitendra took serious exception to SRO-294 of 2005, issued in follow-up to SRO-126 of 1994, which failed to mention that the Scheduled Castes belonged to the Hindu and Sikh communities, as had been mentioned in the earlier SRO. “This leaves ample room for manipulation and tacitly adjusting candidates from other communities against posts reserved for the Scheduled Castes,” he alleged. |
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Back from educational tour, students meet Governor
Jammu, March 3 The students were accompanied by a teacher and Army officers who were part of the tour. The 13-day tour was organised by the Army’s 14 RR under its Sadbhavana Programme. The tour was flagged-off from Bandipore on February 21 and will conclude on March 4. Interacting with the students, the Governor enquired about the places they had visited and the experiences they had gathered during the tour. The students, all from classes IX to XII, said the tour provided them with an opportunity to visit various places of historical and cultural interests in Delhi, Karnataka and Goa. In Delhi, they visited India Gate, Qutub Minar, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and shopping malls, while during their halt at Belgaum in Karnataka, they visited the CDO and Military School, besides visiting other places of educational importance. In Goa, they visited a famous beach at Panaji, a wildlife sanctuary at Bondla and other places of cultural interest. At Jammu, they visited Bagh-i-Bahu, Amar Mahal Museum and other places of historical importance. The Governor observed that students should be given the opportunity to visit naval or Coast Guard ships and see different aircraft at one of the IAF bases during future tours. He asked Maj Manish Negi, who had accompanied the students during the tour, to organise an essay writing competition, based on the experiences gathered during the visit, and honour the winners. He suggested that the Army should bring out a publication about the Sadbhavana tour. The Governor presented gifts to the students and wished them a bright future ahead. The children also presented a memento to the Governor on behalf of 14 RR. Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor, was also present. |
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DGP reviews construction works
Srinagar, March 3 Inspecting police constructions at Srinagar, Ganderbal and Sumbal yesterday, Khoda said the security scenario during the past two decades had thrown up new challenges for the state police. To meet the challenges, the government had been providing the organisation with funds for modernisation. The department was utilising these funds to upgrade its components, including the housing sector, he said. Khoda said the organisation, during the past five years, had raised a large building infrastructure under its modernisation programme in all districts of the state and handed these over to the units concerned to accommodate their men and officers. The infrastructure included barracks, alternative accommodations, District Police Lines, police offices, police stations and police posts. During the inspection, the DGP reviewed the pace of work of construction going on at Sumbal, Ganderbal and Srinagar. These works are being executed by the Police Housing Corporation and the Police Construction Division. Currently, a four-storey barrack at Manasbal, a four-storey building at the police control room and a barrack with dining hall facilities at Security Lines, Srinagar, are being constructed. He also commissioned two four-storey barracks and a two-storey mess at the District Police Lines, Ganderbal. He said with the completion of these new constructions, living facilities for jawans and officers in these areas would improve. Khoda also discussed building plans with senior police officers and executing agencies. The DGP was accompanied by ADGP K Rejandra Kumar, IGP SM Sahai, DIGs T Namgyal and Vijay Kumar, and SSPs Rafiq-ul-Hassan and AH
Bukhari. |
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Health dept clips wings of officials nearing retirement
Jammu, March 3 The Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, GA Peer, issued a circular, which is in possession of The Tribune, in this regard on February 28. “It has come to the notice of the administrative department that some subordinate officers, particularly medical superintendents, chief medical officers and block medical officers, nearing their retirement on superannuation, have been effecting various purchases, transfers of employees and illegal or irregular appointments instead of attending to the routine government business. Such actions are unbecoming of a government servant under Rule 3 of the Jammu and Kashmir Employees Conduct Rules, 1971,” reads the circular. The head of departments have also been asked to bring such irregularities by erring officials to the notice of the administrative department. The circular further reads: “It is impressed upon all head of departments and controlling officers under the administrative control of the health and medical education department not to allow officers nearing superannuation to effect purchase, appointments or transfers at the fag end of their services.” “Any lapses on their behalf shall be brought to the notice of the administrative department so that requisite disciplinary action is initiated against the erring officers under Rule 30 of the J&K Classification, Control and Appeal Rules, 1956,” the circular added. Sources said irregularities in purchase and transfers had surfaced in the recent past and some officials nearing retirement were found allegedly involved in the malpractices. “A list of some erring officials has also been prepared and the administrative department will initiate a high-level inquiry in this connection,” a source said. |
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In the eyes of J-K law, organ donation is illegal
“I am pained to know that even if there are people who want to donate their eyes to us, the absence of a proper legislation doesn’t allow them to do so. I feel the government is more blind than the so-called blind people,” said Mahesh, adding that there were many people like him who were waiting for the legislation that allows organ transplant and organ donation in the state. At the other end of the spectrum is Neetu Gupta, a teacher, who along with her husband Sanjeev Gupta, a businessman, had recently approached an NGO to register themselves for
eye donation. But they were disappointed as they could not initiate the process as the Act is not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir. “I wanted to register for eye donation. To my surprise I came to know that the Act is not yet applicable in our state”,
said Neetu. The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, was enacted by Parliament in 1994 and came into force on February 4, 1995. It was adopted by all
states except Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. Dr Sanjay Kai, an eye specialist working with Government Medical College, Jammu, said the hospital referred patients of corneal blindness to the PGI, Chandigarh, or AIIMS, New Delhi. Though the operation there is conducted free of cost, the high boarding and lodging expenses and the inconvenience of going to a far-off place deters patients from going there. “It is a normal surgery and the results are also immediate. A person can see within a few hours of the surgery. But, unfortunately, the surgery cannot be carried out in our state. It is illegal to do surgeries in the absence of the Act here”, he added. Unaware of the legalities, there are people who keep approaching the medical fraternity and NGOs with regard to their wish to donate organs. There are people who need organ transplantation and there are people who want to donate their organs. But, the system and the legal issues involved come in their way. |
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Seminar on Public Services Guarantee Act
Jammu, March 3 He said concerns of society could only be addressed by a robust institutional mechanism backed by a sound legal framework. Rana said the Public Services Guarantee Act touched the daily lives of the people and ensured accountability and timely delivery of day-to-day services to them. The Political Adviser to Chief Minister said, “Any government functionary, who shows any laxity
or delay in timely delivery of services to the people is liable to a fine and punishment.” The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference also highlighted various initiatives taken by the government to empower the people at the grass-roots level. Rakesh Chib, president of the NCSU, said the Public Services Guarantee Act awareness programme should also be taken to colleges and remote areas of the state. |
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Snow festival gets underway at Patnitop
Jammu, March 3 During the three-day long festival, winter games and other culture programmes would be organised for the entertainment of tourists. Speaking on the occasion, the Tourism Minister said Jammu and Kashmir is blessed with abundant natural splendour, which the government is tapping in the right prospective by developing new destinations, besides creating latest tourism infrastructural facilities for domestic and foreign tourists. “The adventure pilgrims and sports tourism are also the focus area of the government, as these sectors have tremendous scope in the state,” Jora added. The Minister said Patnitop is one of the famous hill resorts of the country and there is a need to attract more tourists to this place during all seasons so that they enjoy the nature’s beauty. “Holding of the winter festival at the picturesque Patnitop is a sincere effort of the government to showcase the tourist potential of the state,” Jora said, adding that the variety of events would be included in such festivals for sportsmen and tourists to help grow tourism in the state. |
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State of Jagti township worries Kashmiri Pandits
Jammu, March 3 In a statement issued here, the Kashmiri Pandit organisation alleged that the state government had indulged in diversion to scuttle the crucial issues, which had come to the fore in this regard. The statement said the state government had promised it would fulfil the inadequacies in the management of the migrant camp affairs and also complete the unfinished construction work at the township, but nothing has been done so far. “Large scale seepage and electric short circuits are regular in the township buildings. The report of a recent collapse of a ceiling of a kitchen in building no. 86 is a matter of serious concern and substantiates the earlier reports. The material used in the construction work has been inadequate and of a substandard quality,” alleged Kuldeep Raina, an activist of the Panun Kashmir. “The callous attitude of the government is unacceptable and it is bound to provide basic amenities required for living and for that the Panun Kashmir will strive hard. We will not allow our brethren to live such a life,” he added. |
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Land dispute
Jammu, March 3 Vijay, who is presently posted at Ramnagar in Udhampur district, had allegedly fired at Nitin from his service revolver with an intention to kill him in a land dispute. While rejecting the bail application of Vijay, the Forest Magistrate, Jammu, observed that, “The offences mentioned in the FIR are non-bailable and the accused cannot claim bail. The accused person has neither been arrested nor has he surrendered before the court. As such the court has no jurisdiction to grant bail in pre-arrest or when he is neither in judicial custody nor in police custody.” “The investigation in this case is still going on and if granted bail at this stage, there is possibility that the accused can tamper with the prosecution witnesses, so this application is dismissed,” held the court. |
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Non-bailable warrants against IGP, 3 others
Jammu, March 3 The orders have been sent to the Director General of Police, J&K, for execution. The other three police officers include Mohammad Jameel, Ghulam Mohammad Beigh and Abdul Rashid Malik. The warrants of arrest were issued to make the Director General of Police aware of the manner in which the police officers, who were material witnesses, had been failing to turn up for deposition. “The DGP, J&K, shall ensure the appearance of all these four police witnesses in this court. Any failure in this regard shall be viewed seriously,” the court held. |
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Snag hits Dy CM’s flight
Srinagar, March 3 The SpiceJet flight had to return to Srinagar Airport soon after it took off this afternoon, as it developed a ‘technical snag’, an official of the Airport Authority said. Among passengers on board the flight were the Deputy Chief Minister, Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam and senior state government officials, who later boarded another flight to Jammu, the official said.
— PTI |
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60 rescued from snowbound villages in Ladakh
Srinagar, March 3 The spokesperson said two police teams were sent to rescue the stranded persons. A helicopter also airdropped packed food items for those stranded. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Zanskar, was present during the operation. The rescue operation was still on when the reports last came in. The Zanskar area in Kargil district remains cut off from the district headquarters during the winter months due to heavy accumulation of snow on the road link connecting this remote area with the rest of the world. — TNS |
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Police-public mela today
Jammu, March 3 The Traffic Police has identified various parking slots for the public. Parking for four wheelers would be available at MAM College, University of Jammu , Zorawar Singh Auditorium and Auxiliary Police II Bn (Ground) and parking for two wheelers will be available at Hakku Stadium.
— TNS |
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Jammu, March 3
Jammu, March 3