Jammu, April 28
By end of this year, Indian Railways will complete electrification of the Jammu-Pathankot railway track, allowing trains to run on electricity to ferry passengers on this important route.

Talking to mediapersons, General Manager, Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE), Jagdev Kalia said under the project, by 2014, they are also going to complete electrification of the Jammu-Udhampur-Katra route, which has been approved recently.

Kalia, who was here on a day-long visit, inspected the pace of work on the Jammu-Pathankot line and reviewed the survey work on the Jammu-Katra route, said, “By the end of December this year, we will be able to complete electrification of the track so that trains could chug using electricity. The work is in full swing on the Pathankot route.”

He said Indian Railways had recently sanctioned work on the 25-km Katra-Reasi Dharam railway line and work had started on the project. “It is itself a major challenge for the Railways, but we have accepted it and the work will be completed on time. It is a tough topography to work with and specially designed boulders are being installed for constructing bridges in this hilly terrain,” Kalia said.

The General Manager said the Railways had to seek permission from the electricity boards for laying transmission lines for availability of uninterrupted electricity supply to run the trains and the process for the same had been initiated.

Meanwhile, during his visit, Kalia got detailed information about the electrification work and its progress, which has been listed as a priority project by the Government of India. He instructed the Railway officials concerned to speed up the work so that the process is completed in the stipulated time. Kalia said keeping in view the strategic value, he will again visit the state next month to monitor the project. He said the Union Railway Ministry had allotted adequate funds for the projects across the country and finances will thus not be allowed to become a hurdle in the work.

Construction of the Jammu-Udhampur-Katra-Quazigund-Srinagar-Baramulla new rail link is the biggest project undertaken by the Indian Railways in the mountainous terrain since independence.

Rajouri, April 28
BSNL has taken the initiative to utilise solar power for mobile towers which will be most suitable in the rural areas where electricity has not reached.

Keeping in view the demands of the residents of unelectrified villages, the authorities have decided to utilise solar power for the mobile towers.

People of the region had requested the Telecommunications Department to provide cellular service on the way to Mughal road as no service provider has so far built any tower on the road from Bafliaz to Shopian.

BSNL has now identified four spots in the region to install solar towers where electricity and diesel are not easily available.

RD Parmar, district engineer, Telecom, Rajouri/Poonch, said to provide mobile service facility to its customers on the forest belt of the area and on the way to Mughal road, BSNL would build four towers in Rajan, Parata, Baba Gulam Shah Badshah University and Mugal road.

He said keeping in view power shortage and unavailability of diesel in the area, the tower to be built would be solar charging, which was a new initiative in the border belt.

“The experiment of solar energy for mobile tower was very successful in Leh and similarly, we have planned a proposal for the twin districts,” Parmar said.

Jammu, April 28
As many as 14 State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses carrying Civil Secretariat employees left for Kashmir Valley today as part of the biannual Darbar move.

Officials said about 50 trucks carrying documents would leave for the Valley on Sunday, where the Civil Secretariat would open on May 7. The loading of the trucks is being supervised by RK Chalotra, SSP Security, Jammu, who will issue clearance certificates before the movement of convoy.

According to an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), government offices working for five days in a week closed on April 27, whereas the offices with six working days closed on April 28.

Last week, most of the departments sent their advance parties comprising one gazetted officer and five non-gazetted officers to receive the records in Srinagar. SRTC is also providing one crane, two buses and two trucks.

Meanwhile, the Health Department is stated to have opened medical aid facilities at Jajarkotli, Udhampur, Kud, Patnitop, Ramban, Ramsu, Banihal, Qazigund and Bejbihara.

Jammu, April 28
Deputy Registrar Dr Dharminder Magotra stamped its authority by winning both singles and doubles title in table tennis in the ongoing sports meet for teachers and officers of the University of Jammu at Gymnasium Hall here today.

In the singles final, Dr Magotra eased past Dr Rakesh Vaid in straight sets 11-02, 11-05, whereas in doubles, the duo of Akash Bhola (AEE)/Dr Dharminder overwhelmed the pair of Dr Brij Biloria/Dr Rakesh Vaid 2-0 (11-09, 11-02).

Earlier, in singles semifinals, Dr Dharminder Magotra got the better of Prof PVSK Baba, while Dr Rakesh Vaid toppled Dr Brij Biloria.

In badminton, Dr Dharminder Magotra and Raj Kumar of Physical Education qualified for the final. Earlier in the semifinals, Dr Dharminder trounced Dr Sanjay Sharma 21-10, 21-15 and Raj Kumar got a walkover Mahim Jatinder. In carom event, Dr Brij Biloria will take on Prof PVKS Baba in the summit showdown scheduled for April 30.

Meanwhile, competition in women section also commenced. In badminton, Dr Nisha of Biotechnology made it to the final by defeating Braj Jamwal of Physical Education, whereas Dr Madulika Bhagat of Biotechnology subdued her compatriot Dr Ritu, while Dr Nisha of Biotechnology drubbed Dr Sanjana Koul of the same department. 

Jammu, April 28
MPS Ishar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu, said today that the private sector and environment protection laws should be brought under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to bring more transparency and accountability in the system.

The Vice-Chancellor was addressing a gathering of legal luminaries, university faculty members and students at a seminar on “Right to Information (RTI) Act” at Brigadier Rajinder Singh Auditorium of the varsity.

The seminar was organised by the University of Jammu in collaboration with the State Information Commission to disseminate knowledge about the RTI Act among the university fraternity. The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), J&K, GR Sufi, was the chief guest, while Information Commissioner SK Sharma was the guest of honour . “The ambit of the RTI needs to be expanded to the private sector and environment protection laws, providing access to environmental information. It will ensure greater transparency and accountability in the system,” the VC said.

He congratulated the State Information Commission for associating with the university in organising a seminar on such an important Act.

In his address, Sufi dwelt in detail on various provisions in the Jammu and Kashmir RTI Act-2009 and described it as a “path breaking” law that empowers the ordinary citizens to obtain the information to keep a check on the government and the public authorities.

Deliberating on the RTI Act, SK Sharma asked the public authorities to appoint Public Information Officers (PIOs) for making it an effective tool to ensure transparency in the system.

Students from the University of Jammu and its affiliated colleges also shared their views on the Act and made some suggestion for making people aware about it.

Jammu, April 28
Annual general meeting of the Central Government Pensioners’ Welfare Association (CGPWA) held today at Police Officers’ Mess.

Kuldeep Khoda, Director General of Police, was the chief guest on the occasion and nearly 80 members of the association attended the meeting.

Earlier, Ved Prakash Sharma, former director, Geological Survey of India, gave a power point presentation on The Himalayan Mountain Chain and its impact on water and food security.

JK Vaid, general secretary, CGPWA, conducted the proceedings and also presented the annual report of the year 2011-12.

He said the association had been accorded nomination to the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies by the Central government and its annual grant had also been enhanced from Rs 60,000 to Rs 75,000.

“The CGPWA has been notified as nodal association for Central pensioners of the state and is one among the 28 pensioners’ associations in the country to get such recognition,” he added.

The chief guest also honoured three senior members of the association - RN Sharma, DN Kotwal and Tara Mani Sharma.

Jammu, April 28
Activists of Panthers Party led by Balwant Singh Mankotia, MLA, Udhampur and state president of the party, on Friday staged a dharna outside Governor House in protest against the government’s apathy in addressing the issues relating to the biannual Durbar Move. The Panthers Party leaders raised slogans against the government and held a protest demonstration in support of their demand to review and limit the exercise of Durbar Move.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Mankotia called upon the government to seriously deliberate on the subject of the biannual Durbar Move in view of the huge superfluous expenditure involved in the process besides great inconvenience caused to people of both the regions. He said at the outset, the government could follow the High Court model whereby both the wings of the High Court functioned simultaneously, with the Chief Justice involved with the Durbar Move.

Mankotia said transfer of files pertaining to one region to the other was wholly unjustified and the said files needed to be disposed of in the original region itself. He said the expenditure incurred on providing accommodation, free boarding and lodging to all the employees thus making a move defied logic. He called for a brainstorming session involving all political wings to wriggle out of the situation and to evolve a broad consensus on the subject in the interest of the general public and masses of the state.

Jammu, April 28
After days of hectic canvassing by various contesting candidates, the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), the premier institution of traders and industrialists, went to polls today.

Out of the 1,964 voters, a total of 1,872 voters exercised their right to franchise. Amidst adequate security arrangements, voting began at 11 AM, which came to an end at 4 PM.

“The voting to elect new team of the JCCI was held in a peaceful atmosphere and no untoward incident took place,” said a police officer.

Prabhat Singh, SSP, Jammu, and other police officers also visited the Chamber House to take stock of the arrangements.

Jammu, April 28
The results of translation awards, launched by the Academy in 2010, were announced here recently.

“Rubaiyat-e-Iqbal” in Pahari by Azeem Khan, “Ranga Rajtrangini” in Hindi by Gauri Shankar Raina, “Do Gaz Zameen” in Dogri by Dr Jitendra Udhampuri, “Country of the Soul” in English by AN Dhar, and “Zou As Peth Akh Raat” in Kashmiri by Darakshan Andrabi, are the translated works that have received recognition for excellence in the field of literary translation.

The academy could not confer awards in Ladhaki, Urdu, Punjabi and Gojri as it did not receive any books in these languages.

The winners will get a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a shawl and citation.

Jammu, April 28
The J&K chapter of the Sikh United Front (SUF) has urged the UPA government to nominate the Union Minister Farooq Abdullah for the candidature of the President of India.

Speaking on the occasion, SUF president SS Wazir said Farooq had been in the forefront in projecting the viewpoint of India on Kashmir on various national and international platforms.

He urged upon the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to nominate Farooq as their candidate as his healthy terms with the non-UPA leaders would also help to bring additional votes.

Kapoor Singh Dutta, Gajan Singh, Ramnik Singh, Kulwant Singh, Devinder Singh and Sandeep Singh were also present on the occasion. 

Jammu, April 28
Principal District Judge, Jammu, Jang Bhadur Singh Jamwal today while convicting accused/convict Ashok Kumar Koul under Section 20 (b) (c) of Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, slapped rigorous imprisonment of 20 years and also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh and in default of payment of fine, ordered further rigorous imprisonment for a period of three years.

“The emergence of the abuse of crack charas has been associated with a rise in crime and violence in many cities throughout the world. The abuse of some other narcotics has been similarly associated with crime and violence. In some instances, violence is committed by the narcotic abuser in order to generate income to purchase narcotics and is also often associated with illicit traffic in narcotics. Violence, crime and narcotics have a disproportionate impact on certain individuals and segments of society and curtail the freedom of movement of women, the elderly and children in dysfunctional communities where crime is rampant and fear of crime is widespread. Women and children who abuse narcotics are at increased risk of becoming victims of violence,” the Judge held.

On October 11, 2007, the accused was coming out of a street carrying a bag on his shoulder near Geeta Mandir, Bakshi Nagar, Jammu, when he attempted to dodge a police party which was on patrol, under the supervision of SHO Bakshi Nagar. He was captured and on search of his bag, 36 pieces of a particular shape of charas wrapped in leaves of maize, were recovered. Two more such pieces of charas were also recovered from the accused’s trousers.

The recovery led to registration of an FIR at the Police Station, Bakshi Nagar, Jammu, which finally culminated in presentation of a chargesheet and made the accused stand trial.

Principal Sessions Judge, Jammu, while convicting the accused, noted the conduct of the accused/convict in carrying 3 kg charas, which is more than commercial quantity of narcotics. “The evil is spreading its venom and the middle-aged are largely affected. The worst affected are the younger lot who do not understand the repercussions when they consume narcotics that are abundantly available in the market. A strong message must go out to smugglers of narcotics,” it was stated.

Jammu, April 28
MNDP School, RS Pura, won 12 medals on the concluding day of the 12th Jammu District Sport Climbing Championship, on the school premises here today. Nisha Thakur of Oriental Academy clinched a gold medal in the junior girls’ category. 

Ghar Singh of Misra Shiksha Niketan, Arnia fetched a silver medal in the junior boys’ category. In sub-junior girls’, Pawandeep Kour, Riya Choudhary and Sheetal Choudhary secured first, second and third positions, respectively. In sub-junior boys’, Shubam Choudhary bagged the top honours, while, Simran Jeet Singh and Varun Sharma finished second and third, respectively. In boys’ category, Sumit, Ghar Singh and Atul Choudhary stood first, second and third, respectively. In girls’ category, Nisha Thakur emerged as the winner and Deepika Isher and Ria Sharma got second and third positions, respectively. — TNS

Jammu, April 28
Shiva Cricket Club (SCC), RS Pura and Diamond Cricket Club (DCC), have registered convincing wins over their respective opponents to advance into the next round of the ongoing Baisakhi Premier League Cricket Tournament organised by YWA at the Boys’ High School, Simbal. 

In the first match, SCC got the better of Samar Cricket Club by 37 runs. Batting first, after winning the toss, SCC was bundled out for 122 runs in 17.3 overs. Tajinder Singh was the top scorer with 21 runs. For Samar Club, Nipun was the pick of the bowlers with a three-wicket haul, whereas, Tinku and Vishal chipped in with two wickets apiece. Deepak also took one wicket. In reply, Samar Club failed to cope up with the fiery spell of SCC bowlers and the whole team was perished for 85 runs in 15.4 overs.

Ravi Pandit played a gutsy knock of 32 runs, while, Nipun and Raman Singh contributed 16 and 12 runs respectively. For SCC, Atish grabbed four wickets and managed to get 3 wickets.

In the second match, DCC notched up a comprehensive 6-wicket victory over Kings XI.Kings XI, Jammu, set a target of 115 runs by loosing their wickets in 19.4 overs. Ripple contributed 27 runs, while, Rathee chipped in with 18 runs. For DCC, Narinder took four wickets and Gurdev scalped two wickets. Mahadeep and Parmeet claimed one wicket each. Chasing 116 runs to win, DCC overhauled the target in just 14.5 overs with a loss of four wickets. Shanku was the highest scorer. For Kings XI, Bunty scalped 2 wickets, whereas, Gagan and Panther claimed one wicket apiece.