Jammu, May 16
Around 11.30 am, as temperature soars over 36 °C, over 20 students share an old straw mat to sit on a pathway under the shade of a bamboo tree, as two female teachers, seated on chairs, impart them “quality” education.

This has been the norm at Government Primary School, Lower Dhouthly, where five classes are being run on a pathway since 2004.

The school fails to meet scores of other norms of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The RTE Act is still not applicable in the state owing to its special status under Article 370.

The school is located barely a kilometre from the Civil Secretariat, the seat of governance in the winter capital of the state.

The infrastructure of the school comprises a shanty (jhuggi), two chairs and two tables. The school currently has a strength of 27, which is expected to go up to 45 when fresh admissions take place in August-September.

An open drain clogged with garbage runs below the pathway. At times, teachers are forced to shift their classes from one part of the pathway to another due to the stink.

“The school was opened in February, 2004 and is being run on a pathway ever since. Only labourers’ children, mostly outsiders, are enrolled and their number varies at the start of the academic session every year,” Raman Mengi, a teacher, told The Tribune.

While senior officials of the education department have visited the school many a time, they have failed to find any viable solution to the problem, she added.

The other teacher, Anjana Gupta, said it used to be quite difficult to teach children out in the open initially, as people of the locality used to play cards and resort to hooliganism.

“Things have improved over the years, but the place still doesn’t provide conducive environment to impart quality education,” she added.

“Students have to sit out in the open and have nowhere to go when it rains. We shift them from part of the pathway to another during the summer to prevent them from suffering heat strokes. The single-room shanty is used to prepare mid-day meal for children,” the teacher added.

Natha Ram Dhingra, Chief Education Officer (CEO), Jammu, cited the non-availability of land as the major reason for the problem.

“We have taken up the matter with the Jammu Development Authority and the local MLA several times, but have failed to get the requisite piece of land to set up a school building,” he said.

“The school was opened on the demand of the local residents. We tried to merge it with some other school but the move was resisted by the local residents,” he added.

He said the department had decided to procure some superior quality tents to facilitate teaching at the school during the summer.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report had recently pointed that “education to all was still a distant dream” in Jammu and Kashmir. It had nailed the state government for its failure to provide “basic minimum amenities” to students at primary as well as high school level.

Jammu, May 16
The University of Jammu effected a reshuffle in the administration and transferred six senior officials, here this evening.

Official sources said Neeraj Sharma, special secretary to Vice-Chancellor, was transferred and appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Finance, while Jai Kumar, Joint Registrar (Finance), was appointed the OSD to Vice-Chancellor.

The sources added that Jatinder Khajuria, Joint Registrar, College Development Council, was transferred and appointed as Additional Controller Examination, while Sanjeev Mahajan was appointed as new Joint Registrar, CDC.

Vivek Salathia, Deputy Registrar (Budget & Finance), was appointed as new Deputy Registrar Academics, while PP Sharma, Assistant Registrar, was shifted to Budget and Finance.

Sources believed that some of these officials were allegedly given undue benefit by one of the previous Vice-Chancellors and that they were indicted by a probe panel headed by Chief Secretary Madhav Lal.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had constituted a committee to look into the financial irregularities, administrative impropriety and favouritism.

“Though the higher-ups described it as routine shifting of the officials, the Vice-Chancellor has shifted some of those officials who were given undue benefit during the tenure of one of the previous vice-chancellors. More such transfers are expected to take place in the days to come,” a sources said.

On April 23, the Governor, who chaired the 72nd meeting of the University Council at Raj Bhawan, had handed over the report to the Vice-Chancellor with the directions to take all remedial measures and action on the recommendations of the probe panel. He had also directed the Vice-Chancellor to ensure that all recommendations of the probe panel be discussed with the bodies concerned and implemented in letter and spirit. Earlier, the university had removed the Director, Directorate of Distance Education, Meenakshi Kilam and shifted her to her previous place i.e. Director, Department of Internal Quality Assurance on April 25.

Ramban, May 16
Piles of garbage along the national highway, educational institutions and offices in the town not only present a nauseating picture but also pose a serious threat of epidemic outbreak.

The garbage of the entire town, including carcasses, is dumped either along the national highway or on the banks of the Chenab within the periphery of the town.

“It becomes quite difficult for people to walk on the streets, especially during the rainy season when garbage chokes drains and causes flooding of streets,” said Mohan Lal, a registered medical practitioner.

“The littered garbage has become a breeding ground for flies, mosquitoes, etc. especially in the summer,” he added.

Suraj Singh, a lawyer, alleged that after the shifting of several offices of the district administration from the town to the new administrative complex at Maitra, 4 km away, sanitation had taken a hit.

Barring occasions like Independence Day or Republic Day or during VIP visits, the streets are seldom swept or cleaned.

“Our pleas to the municipal councillors and administrative officials have fallen on deaf ears so far,” he said.

“As per records, the population of Ramban town was around 3,000 earlier. However, due to migration of people from surrounding villages and areas like Banihal, Ramsoo and Gool, especially during militancy, the population shot up, collapsing the essential services,” said Arun Singh Raju, president, District Youth Congress.

The Ramban municipal committee has been without a head for the past few days, as its Executive Officer RP Kotwal has gone on sick leave.

The committee is facing an acute paucity of staff and funds. Also, there is a shortage of garbage collection vehicles. Besides, several posts of sweeper are lying vacant. Even the MC employees have not received their salaries for the past three months. “After the Executive Officer resumes work, we will chalk out a strategy and select a place for the dumping of garbage,” said Inderjeet Singh, Additional District Development Commissioner, and Administrator, MC, Ramban.

Jammu, May 16
As mercury inches its way up in the city, residents are turning to the Ranbir canal to beat the heat by taking a dip in the icy-cold water of the Chenab. The canal is being swarmed by scores of youngsters and locals residents daily to enjoy its cool environs.

It is a major attraction for people during the summer, as its water remains cool throughout the year and its banks offer a refreshing ambiance.

A small garden along the canal, which runs through the city outskirts, provides a picnic spot during sweltering heat that engulfs the city from April to September. It has remained an important part of the city life since the canal came into being around 80 years ago.

The canal branches off from the Chenab at Akhnoor, 32 km away, and is an important source of irrigation for farmers in the region during the dry season.

One can often see children and youngsters take a plunge into the canal during hot weather.

Raman, a college student and a frequent visitor, said: “There is no better way to beat the heat than to come to the canal and take a dip.”

During the evening hours, the half-a-kilometre stretch of the canal front stays abuzz with activity, with vendors setting up stalls to serve the visitors.

Some, however, express concern over the affect of dirty water on the health of children, some as young as 10, who come to swim in the canal. “The canal water used to be free of pollutants earlier. As the canal passes through residential areas now, garbage and sewage are dumped into it,” said Nadeem Qadri, an environment activist. Many local residents feel it can be projected as a major tourist attraction in the city, provided the government initiates steps to prevent the disposal of waste into the canal water.

Jammu, May 16
A youth was found dead under mysterious circumstance in Maggar Khud area of Kathua district today.

The victim was identified as Joginder Singh, a resident of Tara Nagar, Hatli Morh. Sources close to family said the youth had been missing from the residence since early morning.

“His father, who is an ex-serviceman and is presently serving in General Railway Police, along with local residents, launched a search operation and found the body lying under the railway bridge,” a source said.

Also, a 60-year-old unidentified man was found dead on the overhead bridge at the Jammu railway station. The police shifted the body to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, for identification and autopsy.

Jammu, May 16
The Joint Consultative Committee, representing 4.5 lakh government employees in the state, has accused the government of pushing them to the path of agitation by delaying the implementation of the agreement signed in September for the regularisation of daily wagers, ending pay anomalies within the clerical cadre.

In protest against the indifferent attitude of the Omar-led government, the committee has called for a three-day pen-down strike from May 24 to 26 and holding of a series of protests across the state.

Addressing mediapersons here, senior JCC leader Ram Kumar Sharma said under the agreement signed between the representatives of employees and sub-committee headed by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, the government had assured them of starting the process of regularisation from February this year.

“But it has failed to honour the agreement and done little in this regard. The issue of enhancing the retirement age is secondary. The government should first resolve the issues of daily wagers and pay anomaly within the clerical cadre on humanitarian grounds,” said Sharma.

Criticising the government attitude, Sharma added that the administration had so far failed to formulate a policy to regularise casual, seasonal and daily rated workers who had served seven years in different departments.

“The government committee had signed an agreement to pave the way for the implementation of the Pay Commission, regularisation of daily wagers, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years and bringing PSU employees under the purview of the 6th Pay Commission, but most of the points have been ignored,” said Ganesh Khajuria, another JCC leader.

The government has admitted in the Legislative Assembly that the process to regularise thousands of daily rated workers and causal labourers is getting delayed as the respective departments have failed to submit details to the sub-committee constituted by the government.

Jammu, May 16
A 60-member group, including teachers and coaches, was flagged off by Prof Dhain S Bhau, Director, Directorate of Sports and Physical Education, Jammu University, here today.

During their stay at Patnitop, the members will attend outdoor training classes for a week. The training will include hiking, trekking, rock climbing, yoga, pitching of tents, rescue operations and other creative activities covering art and craft, painting, sketching, etc.

The department has been organising outdoor training camps for BPEd and MPEd students since its inception as part of the syllabi of the course. Earlier, while flagging off the contingent, Prof Bhau briefed the members about the importance of camping activities.

Jammu, May 16
The newly elected office-bearers of the Jammu University Non-Teaching Employees Union (JUNTEU) today called on Vice-Chancellor Mohan Paul Singh and sought his personal intervention in resolution of their issues.

Led by president Sunil Sahi, the office-bearers vowed to work in coordination with the university management to achieve the desired goals.

They also highlighted various problems being faced by the non-teaching employees and demanded that the university administration should make efforts to resolve their issues.

The Vice-Chancellor congratulated the new office-bearers and assured that their demands would be fulfilled. The Registrar, Jammu University, Naresh Padha was also present in the meeting.

The JUNTEU office-bearers, comprising Deputy Registrar Ramesh Gupta, Vice-President Ravi Gupta, general secretary Manoj Chauhan, Joint Secretary Ashwani Bakshi, Organising Secretary Parvesh Ratta, Treasurer Abhinav Sharma and others attended the meeting.

Jammu, May 16
The President of Pradesh Mahila Congress Indu Pawar today called upon the party workers to follow the directions of All-India Congress Committee (AICC) chief Sonia Gandhi and strengthen the Congress at the grass-roots level to face the challenges.

Addressing a meeting of party activists, Pawar said Sonia Gandhi had called upon the party leaders and workers to shun their differences and work unitedly to face the challenges. She further said it was the duty of every Congress worker to follow the directions and it was the need of the hour to take her message to the grass-roots level.

She said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre had taken many revolutionary steps for the improvement of the weaker sections. She added that UPA regime had formulated a number of schemes for improving the socio-economic conditions of the poor. She said schemes like MGNREGA had changed the lives of a large number of poor people.

Jammu, May 16
J&K team paid a heavy price for their poor defence against the formidable Maharashra, who notched up a resounding 5-2 win to bring curtains down on the state team’s brief campaign in the Santosh Trophy National Football Championship 2012 at Cuttack (Odisha).

With this loss, the J&K team crashed out of the prestigious sporting event.

From the very beginning, J&K faced lack of coordination between the forwards and defenders. The experienced Maharashtra took full advantage of this mismanagement. The team drew first blood in the fifth minute to take an early lead.

With J&K struggling to find its rhythm after conceding an early goal, Maharashtra drove another goal in the 20th minute to stretch its lead further. J&K had their chances in the first half to minimise the lead but they failed to capitalise on the chances. Maharashtra team, on the other hand, played as a well-knit unit in a bid to thwart any attempts to score by their opponents. At half time, Maharashtra were comfortably placed at 2-0.

There were no major surprises in the second half as Maharashtra continued to dictate the terms. In the 50th minute, Maharashtra pumped in another goal to make things even more difficult for J&K to stage a comeback.

In fact, J&K could not recover from the goals scored by Maharashtra and finally managed to pull one back through Sandeep Singh in the 70th minute.

But Maharashtra responded strongly with a goal in the 75th minute. In the 80th minute, J&K were awarded a penalty kick, which it successfully converted through Aman Thappa. But by then, the writing was on the wall.

Maharashtra scored its fifth and final goal in the 85th minute to complete the humiliation.

Jammu, May 16
Foji Cricket Club (FCC) registered a two-wicket win over Royal Challenger Doda (RCD) to advance into the next round today in the ongoing All-India 8th Gufran Memorial T-20 Cricket Championship 2012, being organised by Young Star Cricket Club, Doda, at Sports Stadium here.

Batting first, RCD skittled out for a paltry 93 runs with Wasif top scoring with 22 runs. Shahid also made a useful contribution of 14 runs. From FCC, Ashraf took three wickets, while Ifroz fetched one wicket. In reply, FCC did the needful in 16 overs losing eight wickets in the process.

Farooq and Shariq contributed 22 runs and 12 runs, respectively. For RCD, Ikhlaq and Johar took three and two wickets, respectively. Ashraf was declared the man of the match, which was was officiated by Ifroz Rather and Sanjay Singh as umpires. Dheerendra Singh was the scorer. — TNS

Jammu, May 16
The Moravian Mission School, Leh, got the better of Mahabodhi Residential School, Choglamsar, 4-2 in the final to clinch the handball title in the Inter-School Tournament of Leh district at the Government Higher Secondary School, Chuchor Shamma, here today.

Executive Councillor for Youth Services and Sports Ghulam Abbass Abidi was the chief guest. He spoke about the importance of sports at the school level. He also urged students to take part in sports.

The Executive Councillor directed District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Leh, Abdul Rashid to prepare a plan under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyaan, a scheme sponsored by the Central government, to provide the students of the Government Higher Secondary School, Chuchor Shamma, with better playgrounds.

Earlier, the DYSSO, Leh, appraised the gathering in detail of the five-day tournament wherein over 450 boys and girls from 18 high schools of Leh block, including some private schools, participated.

Later, the chief guest distributed trophies and medals to the winners and runners-up.

Jammu, May 16
Little Flower School, Akhnoor, got the better of Singh Cricket Club (SCC) by five runs in the final to lift the U-16 boys’ cricket tournament played at the Higher Secondary School Ground, Akhnoor, here yesterday.

Needing to score 135 runs to win the tournament in the stipulated 20 overs, SCC managed to score 129 all out in 19.4 overs. Little Flower bowlers kept their cool in the high-voltage contest that witnessed fortunes fluctuating from one team to the other. Shubham and Sahil Gupta scored 25 runs apiece, while Deepak Kumar contributed 21 runs to the total, which were not enough.

For Little Flower School, Abhitesh Sharma was the wrecker-in-chief with a two-wicket haul, while Vinod Kumar, Arun and Bali claimed one wicket apiece.

Deciding to bat first after winning the toss, Little Flower School set a total of 134 runs in the stipulated 20 overs and lost nine wickets in the process. Anil Sharma top-scored with 31 runs, while Arun Sharma contributed 29 runs. Vinod Kumar chipped in with 20 runs.

For SCC, Sanjay Manhas scalped two wickets, while Sahil Pawar and Rajesh Sharma got a wicket each. Anil Sharma was adjudged the man of the match, while Sahil Pawar and Sanjay Manhas bagged the man of the series and the best bowler of the tournament awards, respectively.