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JU Syndicate okays job-oriented courses
Govt mulls Metro for Jammu, Srinagar
Dismal traffic scenario brings MLCs together
Katra girl wins all-India devotional song contest
Fate of 400 Kendriya Vidyalaya students hangs fire
Students stage a protest outside Kendriya Vidyalaya, Lale Da Bagh, in Jammu. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma
Ex-revenue officer among
two booked for cheating
Youth stabbed, dies
Office shifted Teachers’ strike enters day 3
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‘Save Tawi’ rocks Upper House
Members of the Legislative Council question the state government over the pathetic state of the sacred river Varun Suthra/TNS
Debate became impromptu when members expressed dissatisfaction over the reply to Ajay Sadotra’s question on beautification of the Tawi by the Minister of State for Public Health and Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control Nasir Aslam Wani. The members asked the government about the reasons for undue delay in the execution of waste-management plants, immediate measures taken for the beautification of the Tawi and the status of government’s comprehensive plan to preserve the river, as was resolved during the last session of the Council.
Murtaza Ahmad Khan, PDP MLC, said the beautification and preservation of the river were two different issues. “The government cannot talk of beautification until the plans to preserve it are executed first. The minister’s reply is quite strange and lacks the requisite information. The reply does not specify the division of zones in the city in accordance with the sewerage system.” He added, “The Tawi receives maximum pollution during its course from Panjtirthi to Bhagwti Nagar. Even if we do not talk of religious sanctity, otherwise also it feels people near the riverbed are living in a hell. The government should make clear how many divisions have been created and what is the amount of funds allotted for the development of sewerage in the each division. Practically, the river has been turned into a huge gutter.” Nurboo Gialchan, Congress MLC from Leh district, said the situation was worsening and some immediate measures were required to check the increasing pollution in the river. “Newspaper reports have been underlining for the past few days that the city nullahs are pouring filth directly into the river, which is causing a widespread pollution in the holy river. But there is no proposal to resolve the issue at present with immediate effect,” he added. Naresh Kumar Gupta, Congress MLC, said the fate of the three sewage-treatment plants (STPs), under construction in Bhagwati Nagar, was still hanging in the balance. “The work has been underway for the past many years at Bhagwati Nagar, but none of the plants has been commissioned so far. We want to know what the government is doing to expedite the process as the whole city is suffering due to this delay,” he said. Ajay Sadotra, MLC from the ruling National Conference, said the government had done almost nothing on ground and failed to reply satisfactorily. “The Tawi is revered among the people of Jammu and we call it “Suryaputri”. The government has not made it clear how much area has been taken under the Tawi beautification project and what is the amount of funds allotted to each department, as many departments have been shown involved in the project,” he said. He added, “A resolution was passed in the council during the last Budget session wherein it was resolved that the government should prepare a comprehensive plan to preserve the Tawi and make it pollution-free keeping in view its sacredness and historical importance.” Javed Ahmad Rana, another NC MLC, asked about the status of the comprehensive plan. “The government has claimed to have roped in many agencies for the preservation and beautification of the Tawi, but it has not specified any stipulated time for the work,” he said. Replying to the supplementary by Ajay Sadotra, Nasir Aslam Wani said the government was executing the plan step by step. “What the honourable member is demanding will mean putting the cart before the horse. Flood protection is the foremost job to do and we can’t take other works first,” he said. Sadotra retorted, “The minister doesn’t have suitable replies as the government has not executed anything so far.” Reacting to the government’s reply, PDP MLC Mutraza Khan said most of the plans were just in concepts and nothings had been executed on the ground to preserve the Tawi. “The government’s reply is quite strange as most of the things have been only conceptualised so far and plans to be carried out by the Tourism Department have been kept in the cold storage,” he said. “Things are first conceptualised and only then executed,” Wani replied.
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JU Syndicate okays job-oriented courses
Jammu, March 28 Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu Prof Mohan Paul Singh said necessary steps had already been taken to initiate computerisation and automation of all processes at the varsity. Various academic and administrative matters were also taken up and deliberated upon at the meeting. This included approval of appointments of 28 assistant professors, confirmation of 12 professors and five officers of the university; nominations of members to various statutory bodies of the Syndicate committees; reforms in examinations like the introduction of admission-cum-registration form etc. The Vice-Chancellor spoke about achievements of the university during the past one year. Prof Ishar said increasing number of departments were receiving grants under the Special Assistance Programme of the UGC etc. He said the university was already doing pioneering work in areas like large Ion Collider Experiments, establishing National Apple Germplasm Repository on the Bhaderwah Campus etc. To promote research, the university has also signed MoUs with various regional and national institutions. Prof Anima Langer, Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof Desh Bandhu Gupta, Dean Faculty of Business Studies, Dr Bupinder Singh, Dean Engineering, Prof SB Razdan, Dean, Faculty of Oriental Learning, University of Kashmir, Prof RD Sharma, Dean Academic Affairs, Prof Jigar Mohammed, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Geeta Sumbli, Head Department of Botany, Prof Naresh Padha, Registrar, University of Jammu, were also present at the meeting.
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Govt mulls Metro for Jammu, Srinagar
Jammu, March 28 Dismal traffic scenario, depleted roads vis-à-vis ever-swelling vehicles continue to take a heavy toll on the human lives in the hilly state. If figures tabled by the government in the Legislative Assembly here are to be believed, the district-wise number of vehicles registered from 2001-02 to 2010-11 shows a quantum jump in the past 10 years. In 2001-02, Jammu district had 2,21,764 vehicles, which increased to 3,73,121 in 2008-09 and further went up to 4,05,796 in 2010-11 thereby registering an increase of 74 per cent compared to 68.25 per cent in 2008-09. However, the government in its written reply said responding to the problem of increasing traffic in Jammu city, the government had engaged RITES Limited for preparing a comprehensive mobility plan. It further submitted that the government had taken into account all aspects of mobility, including pedestrians, covering long-term and short-term measures and introduction of Metro rail in the two capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar. As part of streamlining the traffic system, the Jammu Municipal Corporation has started installing traffic lights at 30 locations in the city. Similarly, the traffic police has been using service cranes and hydraulic wreckers for lifting wrongly parked vehicles in the city. The government also said 110 kanals of land at Khanpur in Nagrota and 72 kanals at Narwal had been notified as stands for stage carriers to de-congest the city. Figures tabled in the House also revealed that Kathua district had 9,383 vehicles in 2001-02, which increased to 22,592 in 2008-09 registering an increase of 140.77 per cent. The number again went up in 2010-11 to 29,953 recording a further increase of 32.58 per cent. Udhampur district had 2,080 vehicles in 2001-02, which increased to 14,504 in 2008-09 recording an increase of 597.30 per cent and the number went up to 18,946 in 2010-11 recording a further increase of 30.62 per cent. However, mountainous district of Doda topped the charts. A district, which just had 202 registered vehicles in 2001-02, witnessed an increase of 818.81 per cent in 2008-09 when figures reached 1,856. The number further increased to 2,746 in 2010-11. Rajouri district, too, witnessed a rapid increase in vehicular population. In 2001-02, the district had 1,409 vehicles, which increased to 4,797 in 2008-09, thereby recording an increase of 240.45 per cent. The number further rose to 8,691 recording an increase of 81.17 per cent. Border district of Poonch, too, didn’t lag behind. In 2001-02, the district had 597 vehicles, which rose to 2,549 in 2008-09 and further went up to 4,190 in 2010-11 recording an increase of 64.37 per cent. Similarly, Srinagar district, which had 1,00,284 vehicles in 2001-02, witnessed an increase in 2008-09 when the figures reached 1,56,991 recording an increase of 56.54 per cent.
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Dismal traffic scenario brings MLCs together
Jammu, March 28 They felt that time has come for the government to act fast without pressing panic buttons and come up with flyovers, alternate roads and bridges, besides equipping the understaffed Traffic Police Department with adequate manpower to deal with the problem, which has assumed an alarming proportion. Sensing the gravity of the situation and conceding the request of the members, Legislative Council chairman Amrit Malhotra fixed a debate over the issue in the ongoing Budget itself. There are 9, 08,083 vehicles registered with the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) in the state till February this year. Of these 5,60,690 vehicles stand registered in the Jammu division and 3,47,393 in the Kashmir division. Apart from 9 lakh registered vehicles, the state witnesses movement of convoys of security forces, vehicles of pilgrims and tourists, which enormously increase the volume of traffic on roads, which by and large remain the same as they were in 1980s. It all started during the Question Hour today when NC MLC Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy derided the government for slow pace of traffic infrastructure building in the state. Referring to the construction of four lane pre-stressed bridge over the Tawi, construction of a flyover from Bikram Chowk to Gandhi Nagar Women College, four-laning of Satwari-Kunjwani road and few other projects in the winter capital, Suharwardy said he had been listening about these projects for the past three years but till date, they were nowhere in sight. PDP MLC Ashraf Mir drew the attention of the Chair towards the chaotic scenario in the Chanpora and Dalgate areas of Srinagar while NC MLC Ajay Sadhotra expressed regrets over long traffic jams in the twin capital cities. Another member Amin Bhat said traffic jams had virtually become a reason of mental agony for the people of the state. Subsequently, other members Bashir Ahmed Magray, Bashir Ahmed Veeri, Jahangir Mir, Aga Syed Rizvi, Javed Ahmed Rana, Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, Rafiq Shah and Jugal Kishore Sharma also expressed concern over the issue. After most of the members insisted upon a discussion, the chairman agreed upon it in the ongoing session. Earlier, responding to queries of the members, Law Minister Ali Mohammed Sagar admitted that the traffic scenario in the state had become chaotic. “But the government is not sleeping over the matter. We have initiated some projects. However, the fact cannot be denied that people are facing problems. I agree for a one-hour discussion on the entire issue so as to get suggestions from the members,” said Sagar.
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Katra girl wins all-India devotional song contest
Katra, March 28 Sapna won the first prize in the mega final event, while Aman and Shikhu Sharma claimed the second and third positions, respectively. The winners were awarded cash prizes and trophies. The contest was organised by the Nanhe Sitare Devotional Song Competition Committee, Katra, on the eve of Navratras. Jugal Kishor Sharma, newly elected MLC, was chief guest on the occasion. A total of 23 singers from across the country participated in the competition.
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Fate of 400 Kendriya Vidyalaya students hangs fire
Jammu, March 28 Citing unsafe building as the reason, the school authorities have issued a notice to parents to send their wards to KV, Bantalab, from April 1 for the next academic session. Most of the students in the school come from the border villages which are far from Jammu city and there is no direct link of the area with KV, Bantalab, where these students have been shifted. Due to this, the students have to travel almost 25 km to reach the school. As per a letter written by PK Koul, Deputy Commissioner, KV Sangathan, Jammu, to the chairman of the school, it has been mentioned that as per an MoU signed in 1987 between the Army and the school authorities, the temporary accommodation once provided shall under no circumstances be withdrawn unless the sangathan is satisfied with the alternative arrangement being made in this regard by the sponsoring authority. The commitment made by the Army authorities for providing adequate and safe temporary accommodation needs to be complied with. “They give the reason of unsafe building for the shifting of the school. But the building is in a good condition. The Army is adamant on its decision. Also the shifts they have decided for the students of KV, Lale da Bagh, are from 12:30 pm to 6 pm. It will put an end to the extra-curricular activities of the students,” said Vikas Kumar, a parent. Jawahar Lal Raina, another parent, said though the parents had approached all the higher authorities, there was no positive response from them. “They are disturbing our students as well as the students of KV, Bantalab, as their shifts will start at 6 am which means that even a student of class I have to get up at 4:30 am and reach the school by 5:30 am. I do not understand why they are spoiling the fate of the students just because of some internal dispute,” he said. “We tried to meet the GOC of the 26 Infantry Division, Maj-Gen Surinder Singh, but he refused to meet us,” he added. RD Singh, officiating principal of the school, expressed helplessness over the issue and said, “We have received applications of around 15 students who want to withdraw their names from the school. The problem is serious but we also have to follow the orders”.
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Ex-revenue officer among
two booked for cheating
Jammu, March 28 The accused were identified as Chuni Lal of Main Chowk Mishriwala, Jammu (now expired), and Jagtar Singh of Jeevan Nagar, presently residing at Channi. Jagat Singh was the then assistant collector, Land Acquisition, PWD. The official spokesperson said it received a complaint from Gian Chand of Nowabad and others wherein he had stated that over 7 kanals situated at Nowabad and Gole villages was under the process of acquisition for the construction of a road link from Bhagwati Nagar to Talab Tillo in Jammu city. The then assistant collector, Land Acquisition, PWD, had passed an award of Rs 18.32 lakh payable to the owners of land mentioned in the award on August 31, 1995. The complainant claimed that the land belonged to the complainant and some other inhabitants of the locality. “Chuni Lal prepared 14 false and forged power of attorneys for the purpose of receiving compensation on behalf of the claimants and after hatching criminal conspiracy with Jagtar Singh succeeded to withdraw the compensation amount,” the complainant alleged. “Both the accused in a well-planned manner prepared false and forged power of attorneys and by using the same, received the compensation on behalf of the claimants,” he said. |
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Jammu, March 28 The police said two drunk youth had a quarrel with Mannu during a religious programme organised on the occasion of Navratra festival in the Nai Basti area. They later stabbed him with a ‘kirch’ (a sharp-edged weapon). Injured Mannu was rushed to the GMCH where he succumbed to his injuries this morning. After conducting several raids, the police was able to arrest one of the youth involved in the crime. He was identified as Sukhvinder Choudhary. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old youth allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Dalpathian Mohalla of Old City on Wednesday. He was later identified as Navjot Singh. A case has been registered. — TNS
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Jammu, March 28
Katra, March 28
The fate of around 400 students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Lale Da Bagh, is at stake as the school authorities have decided to close down the building of the school and shift the students to Kendriya
Vidyalaya, Banatlab, where they will attend evening shifts from 12.30 pm to 6 pm.
Jammu, March 28
Referring to a Jammu Tribune report, National Panthers Party MLC Rafiq Shah, who hails from Kupwara, said, “The Tribune has exposed many facts regarding increasing pollution level in the river (Tawi), which is the lifeline of Jammu. The river has a historic importance. I just want to know from the government what immediate measures are being taken to save the river, apart from their long term plans and proposals.” Shah also waved an edition of Jammu Tribune in the House.