|
|
|
|
|
285 shops to be razed for new flyover
Project on model villages marred by no upkeep plan
Vaishno Devi Board to hire pvt security
Rs 117 crore special assistance for Leh
|
|
|
Demand for granting minority status to Hindus gains momentum
Shias of Kargil pin hopes on BJP
Three from state crack civil services examination
Srinagar MC to sterilise 30-40 dogs daily
Ultras decamp withtwo police
rifles
Acting CJ opts against availing ‘no work week’
|
|
285 shops to be razed for new flyover
Srinagar, May 4 The Jahanagir Chowk-Natipora flyover shoots off from the first-ever flyover at Jahangir Chowk which was constructed in a record period of one year and thrown open on July 13, 2004. The 2.5-km-long flyover will decongest traffic on the road junctions from Jahangir Chowk to Rambagh, provide quick access to airport from city area and also improve long-term traffic management in the city. Officials say 285 business establishments would be demolished and the shopkeepers would be rehabilitated at three shopping complexes that are being constructed by the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC). “A complex for rehabilitation of the shopkeepers is just near the Jahangir Chowk and two other complexes are also coming up in the vicinity. Once the shopkeepers shift, civil works on the elevated Expressway Corridor (flyover) from Jahangir Chowk to Rambagh and Natipora in Srinagar City will start,” said a senior officer. “The project will be executed by Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (J&KERA) and will be financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under Jammu Kashmir Urban Sector Development Programme.” Muhammad Azhar, Public Relations Officer, JKERA, said the technical design of the four-laned flyover from Jahangir Chowk to Rambagh bridge was approved by the IIT Roorkee and RITES Limited, which is an engineering consultancy company. “The flyover will improve connectivity to different areas,” Azhar said. The government had recently claimed that the work on the flyover and rehabilitation of shopkeepers had been taken on a priority. J&K Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar said the work on the Jahangir Chowk-Natipora flyover had been started on special instructions from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “I hope the project will be completed in time,” he said. |
||
|
Project on model villages marred by no upkeep plan
Jammu, May 4 The model villages project was taken up in each block of the state at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore per village in 2004-05 to improve the basic village infrastructure. The works included sanitation, construction of lanes and drains, solar technology for street lighting and recreation parks. While conducting a field survey of villages at random, the SLEC found that the RDD had failed to provide post-installation maintenance mechanism for the infrastructure installed. Under the project, the RDD had to create a maintenance mechanism for the model villages but no funds were earmarked for the same and in some cases the funds were diverted for other purposes. The SLEC has found that no focus has been given for maintenance works and funds have been utilised in a casual manner. The SLEC reported that one of the approved works under the project of installing solar lights in all 115 villages had proved to be a failure as nearly 28 per cent of the installed lights were non-functional in the absence of maintenance. Out of the 122 villages identified, the government has covered 115 such villages under the project. “Though nearly 1,668 lights have been installed in model villages, no post-installation maintenance mechanism has been set in place, resulting in unproductive investment,” observed the evaluation committee. The committee has further said the project was implemented by the RDD without involving various line departments (like Public Health Engineering and Public Works Department). Minister for Rural Development Ali Muhammad Sagar said he would look into the points raised by the SLEC. “I have passed directions to officials to ensure that an effective post-installation mechanism gets established. Everything will be done to improve the field functioning,” Sagar said. Sagar said he was monitoring the execution of works in the remaining villages and a regular feedback was being taken from the officials.
Centrally-sponsored Project l The Centre in 2004 had announced Rs 24,000 crore funds for Jammu and Kashmir under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Project (PMRP). Out of this amount, Rs 16,000 crore had to be spent by the Centre itself on power and other projects in the state. The rest of the amount was kept at the disposal of the state. l The aim of model villages project under the PMRP was to improve the basic village infrastructure. The works included sanitation, construction of lanes and drains, solar technology for street lighting and recreation parks. l Out of 42 projects across J-K, work on only 24 projects has been completed during the last seven years. Recently, the Central government had admitted in Parliament that works under the PMRP in J-K were running behind schedule. Evaluation panel’s Findings l
As many as 1,668 lights have been installed in model villages, but no post-installation maintenance mechanism has been put in place, resulting in unproductive investment l
In sample villages, huge investment has been made on construction of shopping complexes for generating self-employment for rural youth, but they have not been allotted in a transparent manner.
|
||
|
Vaishno Devi Board to hire pvt security
Katra, May 4 The private firms will provide security cover to establishments of the shrine board in Jammu, Katra and en route to Bhawan areas, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Rishpal Singh said
here today. The board has already invited tenders from registered security services companies for the purpose. There are over 44 minor and major establishments of the shrine board
located in these areas for which tenders have been invited. There is a multi-tier security of the shrine by the CRPF, police and Army in Trikuta hills. Over 1 crore pilgrims visit the holy shrine
annually.
|
||
|
Rs 117 crore special assistance for Leh
Leh, May 4 This was stated by Rigzin Spalbar, chief executive councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh. Over 600 hectares of agricultural land in 52 villages and a number of bridges, irrigational khuls and drinking water schemes were damaged in the disaster. The special financial assistance will be spent in four years. Leh had received Rs 19.76 crore in 2010 from the Union government for temporary restoration of emergency nature of works under
SDRF.
|
||
|
Demand for granting minority status to Hindus gains momentum
Jammu, May 4
While some groups have been devising strategies on how to take up this demand before the government, other factions are mulling over moving court to restore the “constitutional rights” of the “real” minorities of the state. “We have been having discussions with various organisations on holding an agitation on the issue. We will appeal to the state government to treat Hindus as a minority in Jammu and Kashmir,” said Jagdish Raj Dogra, president of the Santan Dharam Sabha, Jammu. “It is known to everyone that Hindus are in a minority but have been denied benefits of various Centrally-sponsored schemes for the uplift of minority communities in the country,” he said and argued that unlike in other parts of the country, the majority-minority composition was different in the state. BJP leader Ashok Khajuria, who had earlier raised this question in the Legislative Assembly, demanded that the state government should made some amendments so as to list Hindus as a minority community in the state. “I fail to understand why constitutional rights are being denied to a minority community in the state,” he said, adding that there was no reason to treat Hindus as the majority in Jammu and Kashmir. The state government today issued a notification in which applications were invited for post-matric scholarships from students of the minority communities. It has been mentioned in the notification that objective of this scheme is to award scholarships to meritorious students belonging to the economically-weaker sections of the minority community to enable them to pursue higher education from Class XI to Ph.D and technical/vocational courses for enhancing their employability. Although no senior official was ready to openly speak on the issue, some officials on condition of anonymity said this scheme had been launched by the Union Government so that minorities at the national level could benefit from this scheme. The 2001 census says the total population of Hindus in the state is 29.63 per cent. The religion-wise data of 2011 census is yet to be prepared. |
||
|
Killings in Gilgit-Baltistan
Jammu, May 4 Some influential Shia leaders of Kargil are in touch with the BJP high command so as to highlight plight of the Gilgit-Baltistan people at national level to influence in the Union Government to intervene. Meanwhile, anger is brewing among Shias of Kargil against the unabated killings of innocent people in Gilgit-Baltistan because residents of Kargil have ethnic, cultural and religious similarities with the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan. “Gilgit-Baltistan was part of Greater Ladakh so there are a number of divided families in Kargil who have their relations across the Line of Control (LoC)”, said Sayed Mohammad Kazim Sabri, a local leader of Kargil. Although Shia leaders of Kargil were tightlipped over their future course of action to highlight plight of the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan, sources said a meeting of some Shia leaders were held with top BJP leaders at Delhi on April 19 in which the strategy was devised how to effectively take up this issue at the national level. “The BJP leaders have assured that the party would take up this issue in Parliament to aware the nation about atrocities being committed on the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan”, sources said. A senior BJP leader on the condition of anonymity said the party high command had assured to take up the issue in Parliament next week. Resentment is brewing among residents of Kargil as both mainstream and separatist groups have maintained silence over the killings of innocent in Gilgit-Baltistan. Aga Sayed Rizmi, a religious and spiritual leader of the Anjuman Sahid-a-Zaman Kargil told The Tribune over the phone that they have lost all hopes because there was no one in the country to speak about “subjugated” people of Gilgit-Baltistan. “As we have cultural, ethnic and religious bonds with the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, we are pained over the atrocities being committed on them”, he said and regretted that on the one hand India has been repeatedly claiming Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK) as integral part of the country while on the other the government has maintained a silence over genocide there. |
||
|
Three from state crack civil services examination
Jammu, May 4 In 2011, 25-year-old Ovessa Iqbal hailing from remote Chachoot village in the Ladakh region was among the seven successful candidates from the state who had cracked the UPSC examination. She was the first Muslim woman from the state to qualify for the prestigious examination. Syed Sehrish, who is the daughter of Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Syed Asghar Ali, had also topped the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) examination last year. She has got 118th rank in the list of 910 candidates. Talking to the reporters here, Syed Sehrish gave credit of her success to her father, saying he was the “real motivation” for this achievement. She said it was hard work that paid her dividends. Sehrish said her priority is to bring gender parity in the society. “Our society is still facing the problem of gender parity and women don’t get the chance to excel in various sector of life. I will work in this direction.” Another achiever, Raj Kamal Arya, a resident of Jammu, has got 882nd rank. Raj is an alumnus of Army School Domana. Raj said it was his father’s dream that he should qualify the civil services examination. “My father motivated me to work hard and his dream came true today,” he said. Mohammad Aijaz, a tribal, hailing from remote Dharna village of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district, has got 168th rank in the list. He is the first member of Gujjar community in Poonch district to clear the examination. |
||
|
Srinagar MC to sterilise 30-40 dogs daily
Srinagar, May 4 “This is a professional programme that has to be sustained on a long-term basis. It will drastically reduce the population of stray dogs in a couple of years. It is the most humane method to curb the growing dog menace in the city,” he added. The dog sterilisation programme was started yesterday at the state-of-the-art dog pound at Shuhama on the outskirts of the city. The programme was started after uproar by the civil society and a cross-section of other groups, including the High Court Bar Association (HCBA), over the government’s failure to deal with the stray dog menace. Dr Sunil Chawla and Dr Amit Chaudry from Jaipur are currently training a joint team of Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir and the SMC in the sterilisation programme. Municipal Veterinary Officer Dr Sajad Mugal said the stray dogs were also being subjected to anti-rabies vaccination for immunisation, the effect of which would last for at least three years. Ear notching was also performed on the sterilised stray dogs, which would identify them once they are released in their respective territorial zones. |
||
|
Ultras decamp withtwo police
rifles
Srinagar, May 4 A case has been registered and a search operation is going on to trace the militants. The police said two armed men entered the police post Pargochi at around 1.30 pm and decamped with two SLR rifles. — TNS
|
||
|
Acting CJ opts against availing ‘no work week’
Jammu, May 4 While the main wing of the high court and Chief Justice’s secretariat here has closed for the annual darbar move to Srinagar, Justice Singh has opted not to avail the transit “no work week” in the interest of litigants. In what may be seen as an unprecedented move, the judge is holding the court for the full transit “no work week” in the city for which the regular case list has been published. Delay in disposal of cases and colossal backlog of undecided cases in the high court have been attributed to the paucity of judges as well as ever-increasing litigatio. Official data reveals that of the 2,77,914 cases pending in different courts across the state, 81,027 are pending for disposal in both wings of the high court alone. Currently, only six judges, against the sanctioned strength of 14, are available in the high court.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board will hire private security services for its various establishments in Jammu and
Katra.
Srinagar, May 4
