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Markets grapple with haphazard parking
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Staff crunch ails Rajouri’s District Hospital
Jats seek OBC status
Programme for special children launched
Community’s role in education highlighted
Pool matches get going in Poonch Premier League
Kabaddi player selected as SPO
T20 meet gets under way
Sports mela held
Student for exchange programme in UK
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Markets grapple with haphazard parking
Jammu, April 19 The “inaction” and “nonchalant” attitude on part of the administration towards the traffic offenders has further aggravated the situation. “The High Court has banned the parking of vehicles in Raghunath Bazaar but the directive is being flouted with impunity. Haphazard parking of vehicles has reduced the road to half, subjecting pedestrians and motorists to great hardship. It is high time that the administration clamped down on the menace of illegal parking,” said Rajesh Kumar, a shopper. In spite of the claims of the government over constructing multi-tier parking complexes in the city, nothing had been done on the ground, he said. “It is a trouble walking along city roads in the evening, as people park their vehicles along the narrow roads and bylanes, causing confusion,” he remarked. In other parts of the city too, motorists senselessly park their vehicles along roads, causing congestion. “The authorities seem to have turned a blind to the growing congestion on the city roads. People park vehicles wherever they find space but the administration is least bothered about checking the violations,” said Shilpa Sharma, a shopper in Purani Mandi. KL Khajuria, MC Commissioner, tried to pass the buck saying the development of parking lots in the city was the responsibility of the Jammu Development Authority. “We have little role to play as far as development of parking lots is concerned. It is the responsibility of the Jammu Development Authority to construct new parking lots in the city,” Khajuria said. The district administration had proposed to construct five multi-tier parking complexes to decongest the city roads. It had also proposed to shift the general bus station from the city to its outskirts and create a multi-storey parking lot there. All these proposals have, however, remained on paper with no major headway having been made in this regard. While admitting that haphazard parking was compounding traffic problems in the city, Manmohan Singh, SSP (Traffic), Jammu, said they had inducted three new hydraulic towing cranes into their fleet and that they would not spare those indulging in illegal parking. On the parking of vehicles in Raghunath Bazaar, he said the market association had agreed to allow customers to park their vehicles in front of their shops after paying some amount and the shopkeepers had to park their vehicles elsewhere. The Traffic Police Department had recently come up with a novel idea of reducing congestion by allowing people to use their residential plots for commercial purpose. It was proposed that the traffic police and the municipal corporation would allow the residents to convert their “unused residential plots” into “paid parking slots” to tackle the problem of haphazard and illegal parking on roads. The authorities, however, failed to give shape to the proposal.
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Labour shortage crops up for farmers as harvest season peaks
Jammu, April 19 “The situation has become worrisome for us as we have failed to get enough labour this season. They prefer working in states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and
Uttar Pradesh.” Sharma says the lack of labour, which is causing a delay in harvesting, is now threatening the quality of their crop. “We are really worried as the undue delay may affect the quality of the crop. Needless exposure to the changing weather conditions can ruin our crop,” he says. Ravinder Singh, a farmer from RS Pura, says it is almost impractical for them to finish the
harvesting without the requisite labour. “A worker can barely harvest two kanals of land a day. With the shortage of labour, it is unimaginable to accomplish the job within the requisite period. We need the authorities concerned to look into
the issues and encourage mechanised harvesting,” he says. “We also urge the authorities concerned to share the policies and plans concerning the mechanisation of wheat harvesting methods. The government schemes should be made more accesarmer passing through wheat crops in outskirts of Jammu on Thursday. Tribune Photo: Inderjeet Singsible to
the farmers.” Dr SS Jamwal, Joint Director, Agriculture Extension, Jammu, says there is a dire need for the introduction of machinery, including combines, and efforts are on to help the farmers under various subsidy schemes. “The department has set up agri-business centres to help farmers in procuring machinery for agricultural purposes. The problem of labour has been cropping up and we have been consistently trying to overcome the difficulties of the farmers by providing them with alternatives,” he says. |
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Rickety Hamilton Bridge bears heavy traffic
Rajouri, April 19 Marajkar Singh, a historian, said Hamilton Bridge was constructed by a pioneer company of the Military Engineering Services during 1947, when Rajouri was librated from the Pakistani infiltrators. It was constructed for the smooth connectivity of the Army and area residents. “The authorities seem to be least concerned about the safety of the motorists, as there is no check on the plying of heavy vehicles on the bridge. Trucks and tractor-trailers cross the bridge regularly and the heavy traffic seems to grow with each passing day,” said a commuter. He said due to the crossing of heavy vehicles, traffic jams on both sides of the bridge were commonplace. “Sometimes we have to wait for several minutes for heavy vehicles to cross over to the other side,” said a local resident. The surface of the bridge has borne the brunt of the regular plying of heavy vehicles. While the bridge requires immediate repairs, the administration has turned a blind eye to the problem. Rajouri Sadiq Wani, Assistant Executive Engineer, PWD, admitted that it was an old bridge and needed a makeover. “The proposal for the repair of Hamilton Bridge was submitted to the government three years ago. We are still waiting the green single.” Even after several reminders from the department, the government is yet to take any decision, he said. “The issue of upgrading the bridge was also raised in the district development meeting,” he added. Rajouri District Commissioner Shogat Bishwas, who assumed office recently, was not aware of the dilapidated state of the bridge, but said he would look into the matter. 60-year-old bridge
Hamilton Bridge was constructed by the Military Engineering Services in 1947, when Rajouri was librated from the Pakistani infiltrators, to facilitate the movement of the Army and local residents |
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Staff crunch ails Rajouri’s District Hospital
Rajouri, April 19 In spite of the fact that the hilly district witnesses frequent road accidents, the district hospital here faces acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in stark contrast to the claims of the government of equipping the district hospitals and sub-district hospitals with requisite staff and infrastructure. Vibodh Gupta, state secretary, BJP, said the District Hospital faced 60 per cent shortage of doctors and paramedical staff. Only eight assistant surgeons are working in the hospital against the sanctioned posts of 22. Besides, all important equipment like X-ray, CT scan, ophthalmic and ultrasound machines are lying defunct. People have to go to Jammu to get these tests done, as there is no radiologist in the District Hospital, said Gupta. The posts of eye specialist and radiologist have been lying vacant for years, he said. “A year ago, the government had shifted the hospital from its old building to a new one with the hope of providing better facilities to the patients. But the government has failed to keep its word, as new hospital lacks even basic facilities,” said a patient. Mushtaq Bhat, leader of the Awami National Conference, said his party had raised the issue several times before the district administration but to no avail. Zahoor Shal, Chief Medical Officer, Rajouri, acknowledged the existing deficiencies in the hospital but maintained that the hospital had seven surgeons. The process of recruitment is on to tide over the problem, he added. Sham Lal, Health Minister, said the state faced a shortage of 8,000 doctors. “We have created 1,600 posts in the state recently to overcome the problem.” He said a post of eye specialist would be created for the Rajouri hospital. He would initiate steps in this regard within the next two weeks, he added. |
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Jats seek OBC status
Jammu, April 19 The delegation comprised of Jats from Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri, Vijaypur, Suchetgarh, RS Pura, Raipur Domana, Marh, Aknoor, Khour, Nowshera, Rajouri, Kalakote, Gandhi Nagar and Jammu West Assembly segments. It drew the attention of Azad towards the miseries being faced by the community and also demanded the need to take some effective steps for the socio-economic growth of this community. It said the majority of members of their community were living in the border areas and their economic conditions were not so good. It demanded that Jats should be included in the list of OBCs so that this deprived community could also take the benefit of reservation. It further told Azad that the population of Jats in the Jammu region was not less than 5 lakh and they were a deciding factor in a number of Assembly segments. It demanded adequate representation for the community in government and ministry. It said a Jat leader belonging to the Congress party should be made member of the Legislative Council and subsequently, be given representation to the community in the ministry, because in the present government there was not even a single Jat member. |
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Governor releases magazine, two books
Jammu, April 19 The Governor congratulated the Sabha for bringing out the publication and emphasised the high value of the journal containing essays on relevant subjects and issues, written in simple language, so that they are easily understood by the readers. He suggested that the focus of the write-ups in the book could be topics relating to the revival and promotion of ethical and moral values among the youth. He said, “Writings on relevant subjects can make a significant contribution in promoting balanced personality development of the coming generation.” The publication is in three languages, Sanskrit, Hindi and English. It throws light on the activities undertaken by the Sabha for the promotion of ethical values, eradication of social evils and dissemination of the glorious socio-cultural heritage of the country
for establishing a more healthy society. In a separate function, the Governor called for the proliferation of literature through literary works in one language, being translated into various languages for the benefit of the readers across the country. While releasing “Duggar Sanskriti”, a book in Dogri language written by Dr Jitendra Udhampuri, the Governor said with the availability of increased resources with the educational institutions and speedy advancement in technology, there had been improvement in the preservation of classical works in various languages and subjects. He said the National Book Trust had also made an important contribution in this regard and observed that our libraries should be well stocked with books on every subject to cater to the requirements of readers with different interests. Dr Udhampuri, recipient of the Padma Shri, the Sahitya Akademi and several other awards and honours, has so far authored 25 books. “Duggar Sanskriti” focuses on the preservation of Dogri language, literature, folk art, traditions and customs for the benefit of the coming generations. Meanwhile, the Governor, released a book in Urdu language, titled “Insha Allah Azad Hind Ta-abad Rehay”, written by Avtar Krishan Ganjoo Bharti Sehar Ganderbali. This volume is based on a critical evaluation of the letters written by the late Union Education Minister, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, and various other writers. The Governor
complimented Ganjoo for bringing out this well-researched book and hoped that
the author would continue to contribute towards the enrichment of Urdu literature. |
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Programme for special children launched
Jammu, April 19 As many as 21 special children from the state have been adopted by the hospital for providing quality education and empowering them to lead a fruitful life. The programme has been conceived to provide composite care for special children in the state. These children will be trained in adaptive skills through the medium of play, music, physical fitness, sports and yoga. The centres of the hospital spread over the entire state would provide infrastructure for professional and technical education with special instructors at institutes like SOS
Children Village, Rotary Inner wheel’s Home for Mentally Retarded Children Village, Ladakh Volunteers Group and
other schools. Minister for Medical and Technical education RS Chib, who was the
chief guest on the occasion, appreciated the initiative and said it would boost the hidden talent of the state. Dr Manish Manocha, group head, J&K
Amandeep Hospitals, said education should produce effective individuals and the programme would enable such children to undertake early education as well
as professional training to overcome their shortcomings. |
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Community’s role in education highlighted
Jammu, April 19 The symposium was organised under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Satwari Zone, at Government High School, Jammu Cantonment. It was part of the enrollment drive of the state government to increase the number of children attending school at all stages. Ganesh Khajuria, state general secretary, J&K Teachers Federation, said: “The community must come forward to support the future of the country. The community plays an active role in shaping the mindset of the youngsters, who were the future leaders of the country.” Satish Dutta, provincial president, JKTF, said community members could contribute towards the infrastructure for education along with rendering their services for the welfare of the students. |
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Pool matches get going in Poonch Premier League
Jammu, April 19 The first league match of the day was played between Rajouri Miracles and Jammu Royals where the latter emerged triumphant by 7 wickets. Batting first, after winning the toss, Rajouri Miracles accumulated 83 runs in 19.3
overs. Anksuh Gupta was the top scorer with 15 runs. For Jammu Royals side, Sudarshan Singh was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets conceding 18 runs. In reply, Jammu Royals overhauled the target losing just 3 wickets in the process. Manjit Singh was the highest scorer with 30 runs off just 24 balls and was declared the man of the match. In the second league match, Poonch Thunderbolts got the better of Rajouri Rajas by 6 wickets. Opting to bat first, Rajouri Rajas garnered 83 runs by losing all their wickets with Vikash Sharma being the top scorer (22). Poonch Thunderbolts did the needful in 13 overs for the loss of just 4 wickets. Wasim Raja of Rajouri Rajas was adjudged the man of the match. Jammu Janbaaz and Jammu Super Kings also scripted wins over opponents in their respective Pool A matches in the Akhnoor Premier League (APL) organised by the Army under Operation Sadbhavana at Army School grounds,
Akhnoor. In the first match, Jammu Janbaaz pipped Kathua knights by 7 wickets. Batting first, Kathua Knights posted 157 runs for the loss of 9 wickets, which in reply, Jammu Janbaaz overhauled it for the loss of just 3 wickets. Ashu Kumar was the highest scorer with 54 runs and was adjudged the man of the match. In another match, Jammu Super Kings subdued Samba Soormas by 5 wickets. Batting first, Samba Soormas set a challenging target of 162 runs. In reply, Jammu Super Kings cruised to victory for the loss of just 5 wickets. Chanderkiran of Jammu Super Kings played a match winning knock of 71 runs. For Samba
Soormas, Shiv Verma and Jaktar Singh scored 41 and 24 runs apiece while Sunil Sharma and Naushad Ali scalped 2 and 1 wickets, respectively. |
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Kabaddi player selected as SPO
Jammu, April 19 Aman is a trainee of NIS kabaddi coaches Ankush Gupta and Ajay Gupta. Anil Gupta, president of the association, congratulated Aman for his selection in armed police. |
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T20 meet gets under way
Jammu, April 19 The Deputy Commissioner appreciated the efforts of the Army in providing a platform to the youth to excel in the field of sports. The Commanding Officer, 5 Rashtriya Rifles, said 68 local teams drawn from Ganderbal district are competing in the tournament, which would be played over 25 days at Gadura and Qamaria stadia. In the inaugural match, Yangoora XI emerged victorious against Kachan XI.
— TNS |
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Sports mela held
Jammu, April 19 Government Girls Middle School, Dargal, registered win in kabbadi, whereas Government High School, Sungal, claimed the boys’ title. In kho-kho, Government High School, Mera Mandrian, emerged victorious. The sports mela was organised by the Zonal Education Officer, Akhnoor, in collaboration with the Zonal Physical Education Officer,
Akhnoor. — TNS
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Student for exchange programme in UK
A gifted cricketer,
Surya has represented his school at various district, state and national levels of cricketing tournaments. He will be residing in the boarding school for the entire summer term beginning April 23 and ending in the first week of July this year. |
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Jammu, April 19