The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Misappropriation of funds Govt not taking CAG report seriously: PDP Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Jammu, April 11 Taking a cue from the recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the PDP today said there was large-scale embezzlement and misappropriation of funds in different departments, but the government was not taking the report seriously. The PDP alleged that the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre had also turned a blind eye towards rampant corruption in Jammu and Kashmir because the UPA needed the support of four Lok Sabha members of the National Conference. Addressing a press conference here, former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh today said the budgetary provisions were blatantly violated by the state government. Quoting the CAG report, Beigh said in 2010-11 the coalition regime had diverted funds from development activities towards unproductive sectors. “The CAG report shows a decline in developmental activities and a sharp rise in non-developmental expenditure. The reason for the shortage in development expenditure was not explained by the state,” he stated and added that there had been complete financial mess in the state during the last three years. “Given the bungling committed by the state government, there is no need to present the budget in the Assembly and pass grants of different departments,” Beigh said. He added that the government was aware that the CAG had pinpointed frauds, embezzlements and misappropriation of funds in different departments and that was the reason it had tabled the CAG report on the last day of the budget session. “On the last day of the budget session of the Assembly a number of Bills were introduced, besides tabling of different reports,” he said.
	Faction-ridden BJP gets new organisation secy Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, April 11 Unsatisfied with the performance of the present team of the state BJP headed by Shamsher Singh Manhas, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has deputed its “committed parcharak” Ashok Koul to take charge as organisation secretary of the party. Although Koul, a full timer with the RSS, was already given additional charge of coordinating between the BJP and other organisations of the Sangh Parivar two years ago, he was not interested in taking the full-fledged charge as the BJP’s organisation secretary due to the prevailing mess and factionalism in the party. Sources said the high command had convinced Koul to take the full-fledged charge of the state BJP because the base of the party had been shrinking in the Jammu region due to factionalism and infighting. “The present leadership has failed to even keep its flock together because a splinter group of the party has managed to lure a number of dedicated party workers into its fold,” the sources said and added that the Sangh Parivar was concerned about the decision of some veteran leaders to resign from the party to join the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Front (JKDF), which was headed by rebels. Annoyed over the functioning of the present BJP leadership, a large number of party workers have joined the JKDF formed by Anil Gupta, son of expelled BJP leader and former Union Minister Chaman Lal Gupta. “Due to infighting and lack of ideological commitment, the present leadership has failed to keep a check on the activities of the rebel group so the RSS has decided to depute its committed man to revitalise the sagging morale of the party cadre,” the sources said. Last year’s cross-voting episode had demoralised the party cadre. Many committed party workers have not been participating in any activity of the BJP for the last one year as they felt betrayed by their MLAs, the sources added. Although the party high command expelled seven MLAs from the BJP after the cross-voting episode, this action has failed to revitalise the demoralised cadre. Earlier Ajay Jamwal, an RSS parcharak, was organisation secretary of state BJP but he was shifted to Punjab two years ago. Since then there wasn’t any full-time organisation secretary of the party.
	ADB team reviews preparedness for major development projects Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 11 A two-member team of Asian Development Bank (ADB) concluded its two-day visit to the Kashmir valley to review the preparedness of tranche-II projects of the Jammu and Kashmir Urban Sector Development Investment Programme (JKUSDIP) being executed by the Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) in the state. The team comprised Senior Urban Development Specialist Atsushi Kaneko and Urban Development Specialist Ron Slangen, an official spokesman said here today. The meeting was chaired by Chief Executive Officer, ERA, Saurabh Bhagat. The two-member team was briefed about the preparedness for major projects, which are proposed to be taken up by the ERA under the tranche-II projects of the ADB funded by the JKUSDIP. These include construction of the Jehangir Chowk-Natipora expressway corridor in Srinagar and construction of the Vikram Chowk expressway corridor in Jammu, besides construction of a multi-level parking facility in Srinagar and water supply and drainage projects in Jammu and Srinagar. It was informed that the preparation of all preliminary project planning documents regarding these projects, which are estimated to cost around Rs 800 crore, has been completed by the ERA and submitted to the ADB. As part of the rehabilitation measure, displaced shopkeepers of Kabbadi and cheap market have been paid a compensation of Rs 12 lakh in lieu of income loss and shifting grant. The displaced shopkeepers have also been rehabilitated to the shopping complex constructed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation in the vicinity. Further the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation, which has been allotted the construction of rehabilitation complexes near Jehangir Chowk and Rambagh, has been asked to ensure the completion of these as per the stipulated time frame for timely attainment of rehabilitation milestones.
	Rain brings chill back to Kashmir valley Kargil Courier cancelled, IAF to airlift stranded passengers M Aamir Khan/TNS Srinagar, April 11 The Kashmir valley received incessant rainfall for the second consecutive day today causing a dip in temperatures. Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, received 16.6 mm rainfall from last night till 5.30 pm today, an official of the meteorological department said. The night temperature recorded in the city was 7.6°Celsius. The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded 13.2 mm rainfall till morning. The minimum temperature in Gulmarg fell to 0.5°C. Similarly, the tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district received 54 mm rainfall from last night till 5.30 pm today with the minimum temperature dipping to 4.2 °C. Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded 31.3 mm of rainfall with the minimum temperature dipping to 7.6°C. Due to the dip in temperatures, the people were once again seen wearing thick winter clothing in the morning hours. “Just two days ago, I was roaming around in a T-shirt and today I am feeling cold despite wearing a sweater and a jacket,” a local youth said. However, the sun came out in the late afternoon bringing some respite from the cold conditions. The maximum temperatures recorded in Srinagar, Qazigund and Pahalgam were 14.2, 12.7 and 8.8°C, respectively. While the MeT office has forecast improvement in the weather conditions from tomorrow, light rainfall is expected at isolated places during the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, inclement weather conditions led to the cancellation of the Kargil Courier, which airlifts passengers to and fro from Jammu and Srinagar to the Ladakh region. However, the government has now made special arrangements for the stranded passengers by making operational an Indian Air Force plane. The IAF plane will airlift stranded passengers at Jammu tomorrow while the stranded passengers at Srinagar will be airlifted on Friday, an official said here.
	87-yr-old bridge over Chenab cries for new lease of life Raju William/TNS Udhampur, April 11 The suspension bridge constructed during the reign of Maharaja Hari Singh in 1925 to facilitate movement of people living on both sides of Ramban divided by the Chenab river needs to be reconstructed on priority. All efforts to get this 87-year-old bridge, which has been declared unsafe for heavy vehicles several years ago by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), reconstructed have proved futile. The district administration too finds itself helpless to put the lifeline between the Ramban city and the Maitra area consisting of two of the total sseven wards of Ramban city in order. General Secretary, Ramban Development Council, Kuldeep Chander Nagar said at present people have to take a 13-km detour to commute between Ramban city and Maitra by crossing the Karol bridge. “Now only two-wheelers and cars are allowed on the bridge. But not everybody in our area owns a car, so they have to depend on public transport like buses and Matadors. So it is a big drain on the time and pocket of common people. If this bridge is reconstructed, the distance across the Chenab will be reduced to half a kilometre,” said Nagar. Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Shabir Ahmed Bhat told The Tribune over phone that a new bridge was urgently required not only for the residents of the Maitra area but also for the convenience of thousands of people coming to the district headquarters from the highland area of Gool tehsil. The new district office complex had now shifted to the area, so people faced great difficulty. “We took up the matter with the BRO which maintains it but were told that the reconstruction was not possible due to lack of funds. A proposal is under consideration of the state government. The district administration is unable to take up reconstruction at its own level because the required funds are beyond our resources,” added Bhat. The Assistant Executive Engineer, BRO was not available for comments despite several attempts to contact him over phone. Sources said the matter was taken up in a meeting of the District Development Board which was chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. A proposal of Rs 11 crore has been prepared which was sent to the Secretary, PWD, Jammu and Kashmir, after recommendation by the Chief Engineer, PWD, Ramban, for release of funds under the Central Road Fund (CRF). But the sanction is still awaited.
	Two-day Baisakhi festival in Jammu from April 13 Tribune News Service Jammu, April 11 To give a boost to tourist destinations of the Jammu region, the Tourism Department is organising a two-day Baisakhi festival from April 13 and holding functions and cultural programmes at different tourist destinations. Robin Singh Mehta, Director, Tourism, Jammu, said, “The two-day festival will be held at different places that include the twin lakes of Mansar and Surinsar. A programme will also be held at Akhnoor, as heritage sites there need promotion.” “This time we are focusing on border tourism so we will organise a programme at the Suchetgarh border. We are trying to improve the infrastructure of an old heritage temple in Suchetgarh so that people can visit it,” he added. The Director, Tourism, added that Mansar, which is a known tourist destination and attracts lakhs of tourists every year, will be given more publicity this time. Mohan lal Shama, naib sarpanch, Surinsar, while talking to The Tribune said, “The Surinsar Lake was being neglected by the government, but now they have started taking initiatives. There will be a wrestling competition, in which local wrestlers will participate. Locals will have an equal participation in these programmes.” Jammu received more that 1 crore tourists in 2011, but less than 10 per cent of tourists were diverted to other destinations due to lack of publicity and infrastructure. So the Tourism Department has taken the initiative of giving publicity to these tourist destinations.
	Mela starts at Dera Baba Katra, April 11 A three-day annual mela on the eve of Baisakhi at Dera Baba Bandha Bahadur got underway here today. Over 20,000 devotees paid obeisance at the historic Gurdwara of Dera Baba Bandha Bahadur Bairagi in Dera village of Reasi district during the first day of the Baisakhi festival. A large number of devotees and disciples of Baba Bandha Bahadur from within and outside the state thronged the shrine to seek the blessings of the Baba. The 313-year-old Dera Baba Bandha Bahadur has a historic gurdwara, having the samadhi of Bandha Bahadur. Besides the ashes of Bandha Bahadur, it has an arrow given to him by Guru Gobind Singh and other weapons, including a huge sword. The mela is displaying all the belongings of the Baba. The Gurdwara Management Committee of Dera Baba had made arrangements for the stay of devotees, besides serving free community langer. The District Administration also had made arrangements of drinking water, power supply and sanitation at the mela site. The Reasi police has made security arrangements to maintain law and order. — OC
	Rajouri Day celebrations Army holds essay, painting competition for students Our Correspondent Rajouri, 11 April Ahead of the Rajouri Day celebrations, the Army organised an essay and painting competition for schoolchildren at Rajouri today. Hundreds of students from government and private schools took part in the competition. The aim of the competition was to spread the feeling of national integration, unity and importance of a clean and green city among students of Rajouri. Nearly 250 students from 13 prominent schools, including the government schools, participated in the event, which was organised by 25 Division of the Army at Valley View School today. The students were grouped into two categories in each event. The topics for the essay writing competition was, “India of My Dreams” for students from Class V to VIII and “India- A Model of Unity in Diversity” for students from Class IX to XII. To promote the importance of cleanliness among children, the theme for the painting competition was ‘My Beautiful Rajouri’ and ‘Clean Rajouri, Green Rajouri’. Speaking on the occasion, TK Chawla, Station Commander, 25 Division, said, “The event provided a platform to the students to display their talent and express their ideas and feelings.” “We have plans to organise many such events to groom the talent of the students for a broader platform,” the Station Commander, 25 Division, added. Teachers appreciated the Army for organising such events. Prizes to winners of the events will be given away to them during the Rajouri Day celebration on April 14. Rajouri was liberated from intruders, who had infiltrated from Pakistan on April 13, 1948. Rajouri Day is celebrated every year to pay homage to those brave martyrs, who had laid down their lives for the liberation of the region.
	Govt approves appointment of 1,200 college teachers Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 11 To ensure adequate teaching staff in newly-opened degree colleges, the government has approved the appointment of 1,200 assistant professors. This was stated by Minister for Higher Education Abdul Gani Malik while addressing a conference at Government College for Women, MA Road, yesterday. The conference was organised by the Department of English in collaboration with the University Grants Commission on “Politics and Pedagogy, Theory and Practice of Teaching English in India”. The Minister said the appointment of assistant professors had been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission for further selection process. He added that providing quality education to youth had been accorded high priority by the government. Malik said across the country 100 community colleges had been set up for skill development in youth and to tackle the problem of unemployment. He exhorted the youth to explore the employability potential of various sectors like horticulture and tourism etc so that they could set up their income generating units. He said the state had immense employment potential in tourism, power and geology sectors etc. for which various steps had been taken.
	Punjab Guv visits Vaishno Devi Our Correspondent Katra, April 11 Governor of Punjab Shivraj Singh Patil paid a visit to the Vaishno Devi shrine today. He arrived at the Shanji chhat by a special helicopter around 12 noon and from there moved on foot to reach the shrine. He offered prayers at the shrine and later left for Chandigarh at 3 pm.
	Police-public meet held Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 11 A police-public meet presided over by Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Armed Police, Kashmir Range, T Namgyal was organised under the civic action programme at a local school in Zewan near here yesterday. Speaking on the occasion, the DIG, Armed Police, said the main aim and objective of organising such functions was to maintain and promote better relations between the police and people, besides provide a helping hand to the needy and reach out to those who do not have access to the higher authorities and above all develop a mutual understanding for ensuring a better relationship between the police and the public. Local residents, school staff and children present on the occasion insisted that such programmes by the police should be organised in future as well.