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No let-up in traders, commuters’ miseries
Kashmiri Pandits’ strike enters 53rd day
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National Conference takes a dig at Mufti
Preservation of rich heritage last on state’s priority list
Protest against anti-farmers’ policies
Police hands over lost items
ANC expresses concern over power cuts
School holds investiture ceremony
Inter-zonal kabbadi tourney begins in Samba
World Telecommunication Day celebrated
Housing Board staff observe strike
Miran Sahib zone bag volleyball title
State team shine at National Speedball C’ship
DCC topple MPCC in Gufran T20
HS Baghdar win kabaddi title in zonal-level meet
Sree Cricket topple Shiva club
Martyrs Memorial Football Tournament in June
Inter-school tourney gets underway
Double delight for Akhnoor Zone
State team win handball championship
Darbagh XI emerge victorious
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No let-up in traders, commuters’ miseries
Jammu, May 17 The dusty conditions created by heavy traffic coupled with accident risk posed by the deep trenches and excavations have adversely affected the business of the shopkeepers and traders along the 5 km Kunjwani-Satwari stretch. “The process of widening the stretch, which is part of the ambitious four-laning project of Lakhanpur-Srinagar highway, began about five months ago. The only work carried out on the stretch is that of clearing the trees and laying of sewerage pipes,” a source said adding that the project is unlikely to meet its deadline. While taking a drive on the stretch, The Tribune found that dilapidated and dusty conditions on the road causes inconvenience to the general public with potholes and dangerous trenches greeting the commuters, particularly tourists and Vaishno Devi pilgrims. At several places, construction material was littered along the highway, causing frequent traffic snarls. The shopkeepers and traders are suffering losses due to excavation and digging of deep trenches for laying sewer pipes and construction of culverts. Some of them are even planning a demonstration if the widening work continues with such a slow pace. “Some shopkeepers and kiosk owners were relocated when the widening work began, but they have not been able to resume their businesses. And those still operating on the roadside are dejected by the slow pace of the excavation work,” Ranjeet Singh, who runs a furniture shop near Digiana Ashram, regretted. He said there was also no relief in sight for motorists as of now, and they would have to bear the bumpy ride for some more months as the widening work was moving at a snail’s pace. The government has sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the six-laning of the Satwari-Kunjwani national highway. A new bridge and nine culverts would be constructed on the road. It has also been proposed that ornamental and other plants would be planted by the roadside. High mast lights would also be installed on the road for the attraction of tourists. The shopkeepers said the situation would become more grave during the ensuing rainy season. “The problems of commuters and shopkeepers will get compounded during the ensuing rainy season. The present dusty conditions coupled with muck and water logging will turn the situation from bad to worse. The authorities should expedite the work so that the public don’t face any hardships,” Ashwani Kumar, a scooter mechanic, said. The Minister for Revenue, Raman Bhalla, who is also a local MLA and is personally monitoring the widening work, didn’t respond to repeated phone calls. y The government has sanctioned ~50 crore for the six-laning of the Satwari-Kunjwani national highway. A new bridge and nine culverts would be constructed on the road. It has also been proposed to plant trees on the roadside. High mast lights would also be installed on the road for the attraction of tourists. |
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Kashmiri Pandits’ strike enters 53rd day
Jammu, May 17 More than 19,000 Kashmiri Pandit families are totally dependent on the cash assistance that they receive from the government as part of the relief provided to them after their displacement. “Nobody is bothered about the condition of our community. During our hunger strike, almost three Cabinet meetings took place but the issue was not highlighted anywhere. Even Minister for Revenue and Relief Raman Bhalla visited us at Jagti Township and promised a solution to the issue but nothing has been done so far,” said Veer Ji Raina, a relief holder sitting on a dharna at Jagti. “There are around 2,000 families in Jagti only who are dependent on the relief and it is very difficult to feed a family on Rs 40 per head,” he added. Another group of non-camp relief holders are on a hunger strike outside the Relief Commissioner’s office for the past 48 days without any assurance from the government regarding the hike in their monthly cash assistance. “The government gives us Rs 40 per soul per day and that too if there are only four members in a family. If the number of family members are above four, then no cash assistance is paid to that member,” said Ravinder Koul, a relief holder. “We have just one demand and that is increase in the cash assistance by the government. When we were forced to leave the Valley, we had left all the property there and those who were not into government jobs had no other option. Even there was an apex committee meeting during our hunger strike, which was chaired by the Chief Minister himself, but nothing came out of that meeting also,” he added. |
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National Conference takes a dig at Mufti
Jammu, May 17 In a statement issued here today, Sadhotra has posed few direct questions to Mufti and asked him to explain to the state why he (Mufti) failed to generate a revenue to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore from natural resources and utilised the same for the welfare of the people while he remained the Chief Minister for three long years. “When Mufti was occupying the high office of Chief Minister for a period of three years he never realised the importance of earning revenue by way of properly utilising the natural resources of the state nor he took keen interest in improving the financial health of the state,” he said, adding, “It is only now the desperate PDP top brass is raking the issue of generating Rs 50,000 crore through natural resources. “ “No one stopped Mufti from taking bold initiatives and renegotiating discriminatory water agreements aimed at generating resources for the state,” asked Sadhotra while flaying the PDP’s vicious campaign. — TNS
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Preservation of rich heritage last on state’s priority list
Jammu, May 17 Most local residents lack awareness about the significance of the forts and other monuments in their areas. Consequently, these structures are slowly decaying or falling prey to demolition squads, which raze dilapidated structures to make way for parking space in the city. The scope of tourism is ample as historical monuments are spread across the Jammu region, including Hiranagar, Udhampur, Lakhanpur, Mubarakh Mandi, Rajouri. However, scholars point out that tourism in the state, especially in the Jammu region, had fallen prey ethno-religious conflict. “While heritage is a crystallised form of culture, we must preserve every piece of history in the state, despite its political interpretations. At a time when preservation works of decaying monuments has been given to the PWD, which has no expertise in the field, one can only wonder if we will be left with any heritage sites at all in the future,” said Mahesh Kaul, pursuing PhD from Jammu University. Heritage sites need to be put on tourist maps, people need to be spoken about the historical significance of heritage sites and the government needs to wake up to the needs of professional guidance to preserve the relics, he added. There are scores of virgin tourist places ready to be discovered in the state. “There is more to this state in terms of history and unexplored cultural anthropology, which can contribute to our understanding of this state,” said Ravi Kumar, a resident of Mubarakh Mandi, which houses around 10 forts built over a passage of time, but are now lying in a dilapidated state. |
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Protest against anti-farmers’ policies
Jammu, May 17 Addressing a protest demonstration against the policies of the UPA government, Karan Singh, state president of the Kisan Morcha, said on the one hand there was a bumper crop in the country, but on the other hand lakhs of tonnes of foodgrains were getting destroyed and rotten due to lack of proper storage and management. “It is the responsibility of the Central Government to arrange timely availability of jute bags but the UPA government is adopting indifferent attitude as a result of which helpless farmers are made to suffer,” he said. Singh said farmers had been facing a lot of problems due to no clear policy for their welfare and upliftment. Prominent Kisan Morcha activists Suraj Padha, Capt Kasturi Lal Sharma, Swaran Singh, Omi Khajuria, Rajinder Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Kamal Bhagat, Suraj Singh, Jagdish Pandey, Pawan Singh, Raghuvir Singh and Daljit Singh participated in the programme. Similar protests were also organised in Samba, Kathua, Doda, Ramban, RS Pura, Reasi and the Sunderbani areas.
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Police hands over lost items
Jammu, May 17 Shiv Kumar Sharma, SSP Railways, said the police found a bag and a purse on the station premises and handed it over to their owners. The bag containing four mobile phones, a camera, 11 pashmina shawls, a watch and Rs 3,000 was handed over to Bhola Nath of Orissa while the purse having ATM cards, PAN cards, OD cards and cash was handed over to coach attendant Dharam Pal.
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ANC expresses concern over power cuts
Jammu, May 17 Gian Singh, provincial president of the party, threatened to launch a coordinated campaign against the PDD if regular power supply was not restored in the region soon. He criticised political leaders from various parties of the state for not taking up the matter with the government and ignoring the hardships faced by the local residents on a daily basis. He urged the regional parties to be more sensitive to the demands of the people and help restore regular electricity supply in the city.
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School holds investiture ceremony
Jammu, May 17 As many as 32 students were appointed to various posts of house prefects, school captain and vice-captain among other posts. The students were appointed on the basis of merit and performances in co-curricular activities. Rita Bakshi headed the swearing-in ceremony and congratulated the students on their achievements. |
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Inter-zonal kabbadi tourney begins in Samba
Jammu, May 17 Mubarak Singh, District Development Commissioner, Samba, opened the tournament in a simple function. Ravi Dubey, Chief Education Officer, Samba, was also present. In the event held today, Samba overcame the challenge of Ghagwal by 9 points in U-17 age group while Purmandel outplayed Ramgarh by 30 points and Vijaypur lost to Samba. In U-14 boys kho-kho event, Purmandel scripted win by 3 points against Ramgarh and Vijaypur had last laugh against Ghagwal by 19 points. In U-14 boys kabaddi, Vijay got the better of Ghagwal by 23 points. In another match, Ramgarh toppled Purmandel by 30 points while Vijaypur spanked Samba by 18 points. In U-17 boys kabaddi, Purmandel trounced Ramgarh, Samba lost to Ghagwal by 18 points and Purmandel beat Vijaypur by 10 points. In U-14 girls kabaddi event, Purmandel overwhelmed Vijaypur by 11 points and Samba subdued Ramgarh by 13 points. Earlier, Jarpal Singh, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Samba, presented a detailed report of the tournament. He said 440 players drawn different institution were competing in the two-day sporting event. Mohan Singh, Such Dev Singh, Manjeet Kaur, ZEPO (Gaghwal), Dildar Singh, Anirudh Singh Slathia, Vinod Sharma, Kulvir Singh, Rekha Sambyal, Zorawer Singh and Chander Parkash were also present on the event.
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World Telecommunication Day celebrated
Jammu, May 17 Joy Ganjoo, chairman, IETE, spoke on the future of telecommunications and technological developments. He said the telecommunications provided basic tools for communicating world wide for future growth. The advancements in telecommunication and information technology would result in better connectivity of our country with rest of the world. He further said the telecommunications were developing at a faster rate and our country stood benefited, as people in rural and urban areas would stay well-connected. Dr Pawanesh Abrol, secretary, dwelt upon the importance of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which was celebrated on 17th May all over the world. Prof Parveen Lehana, Dr Rakesh Vaid and other members were also present on the occasion.
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Housing Board staff observe strike
Jammu, May 17 Suman Sharma, secretary of the association, said the board was already facing a financial crunch and Thusoo’s attachment to the other department would further worsen the situation. He also warned that the employees would go on an indefinite strike if the government did not revisit its decision. — TNS |
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Miran Sahib zone bag volleyball title
Jammu, May 17 In the under-14 girls’ volleyball final, Miran Sahib zone toppled Bhalwal zone by 2-0 sets. Earlier, in the semi-finals, Miran Sahib got the better of Akhnoor zone by 2-0 sets and Bhalwal defeated Khour zone in the second semi-final. Similarly, in under-17 volleyball semi-finals, Jourian zone trounced Bhalwal in straight sets, while Chowk Choura had last laugh against Miran Sahib zone by identical margin. In under-17 girls’ kho-kho event, Akhnoor defeated Jammu zone, Miran Sahib thrashed Jourian zone, Gandhi Nagar pipped RS Pura zone and Khour subdued Dansal zone. Also, Marh outclassed Arnia zone, Bhalwal Zone overcame Gandhi Nagar zone, Miran Sahib downed Satwari zone, Akhnoor dispatched Bishnah zone and Khour beat Marh zone in the same category. Jammu zone scripted a thumping win over Chowki Choura in the inaugural match of under-14 girls’ kho-kho category. In other matches, Satwari beat RS Pura zone, Dansal beat Arnia zone, Miran Sahib defeated Gandhi Nagar zone. Adding to the list of victories, Khour won over Jourian zone, Marh beat Bhalwal zone, Akhnoor outclassed Jammu zone, Bishnah downed Satwari zone. In the semi-finals played, Akhnoor drubbed Dansal zone, while Miran Sahib subdued Bishnah zone. In under-14 boys’ wrestling, Rafiq Ahmad and Gulshan Singh bagged first and second position in 32kg weight category, respectively. In 35kg, Rakesh Bahadur and Tanbir Singh had to settle for first and second place, respectively. Vishal Mehra and Chetan Kumar finished first and second in 38 kg weight category, respectively. In 41kg, Yaqoob Khan and Amit Kumar bagged first and second position, respectively. In 45kg weight category, Shoukat Ali and Anil Kumar secured first and second position, respectively. Similarly, in 50kg, Sahil Kumar and Muradh Ali clinched first and second position, respectively. In under-14 girls’ kabaddi semi-finals, Arnia zone defeated Khour, whereas, RS Pura emerged triumphant against Miran Sahib zone. In the preliminary round, Marh beat Bishnah zone, Miran Sahib won over Akhnoor zone, RS Pura drubbed Satwari zone, Khour defeated Bhalwal zone and Miran Sahib succeed over Jourian zone. In the first semi-final in under-17 girls’ kabaddi, Miran Sahib got the better of Bhalwal zone, while Akhnoor thrashed Jammu zone in the second semi-final. Earlier, in the matches played, Miran Sahib beat Arnia zone, RS Pura downed Bishnah zone, Jammu defeated Satwari zone, Bhalwal beat Dansal zone, Miran Sahib won over Marh zone and Akhnoor succeeded over RS Pura zone.
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State team shine at National Speedball C’ship
Jammu, May 17 Players who fetched gold medals include Shivani Saroha, Uditi Verma, Manthan Pandoh, Dhruv Sharma, Heena Bali, Manpreet Singh, Suryansh, Sahil Janjua, Ankit Sharma, Gurmehar Singh, Manika Sharma and Mohammad Majeed and silver medals went to Sanya Gupta, Neel Bhan, Sishaan Datt, Archit Saroha, Vaibhav Mahajan and Honey Bali. Bronze medals went to Rochak Chopra, Pranay Gupta, Aaryan Sharma, Jaimeet Kour, Prajwal Singh, Arshia Slathia, Nandini Sharma, Jatin Kaul, Sugandh Mehta, Amit Kour, Aditya Partap, Sarthak Luthra, Yuvraj Bantrol and Sarthak Gupta. Meanwhile, Heena Bali, Manika Sharma, Mohammad Majeed and Sahil Janjua were also awarded for best solo event.
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DCC topple MPCC in Gufran T20
Jammu, May 17 DCC won the toss and opted to bat first. They accumulated 119 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the stipulated overs. Charan Singh was the top scorer with 41 runs while Sanjay Singh contributed 19 runs. For MPCC, Rajnesh was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Anirodh scalped two wickets. In reply, MPCC skittled out for 94 runs in 17 overs. Touseef Faridi played a gutsy knock of 38 runs while Anirodh contributed 10 runs. From DCC, Vikram and Sunit Singh snared two wickets each. Charan Singh was awarded the man of the match. The match was officiated by Dharmesh Bhardwaj and Tarun Kapoor as umpires, while Dheerendra Singh was the scorer.
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HS Baghdar win kabaddi title in zonal-level meet
Jammu, May 17 In U-14 boys kabaddi, Ambika Kids Home, Panthal, got the better of HS Kambal, Danga, by 19-11 to bag the top honours whereas in U-14 girls kabaddi event, Amba Kids Home toppled GGHSS, Reasi, by 26-23 points. The U-17 girls kabaddi title was bagged by HSS, Reasi, by defeating HS Gran by 28-20 points. Amba Kids School again proved its supermacy by clinching U-14 boys kho-kho title while the girls title in the same age gropus again went to Amba Kids Home. Meanwhile, HSS, Panthal, claimed U-17 boys kho-kho title by defeating HS, Nomain. The U-17 girls kho-kho title was won by HS Gran. The tournament is being organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports under the overall supervision of Dr Swaran Singh Chib, District Youth Services and Sports Oficer, Reasi. Rohit Sharma, Block Development Officer, Reasi, was the chief guest on the occasion while Headmaster Romal Singh was the guest of honour.
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Sree Cricket topple Shiva club
Jammu, May 17 Batting first, SCC posted a meagre 98 runs in 19.4 overs. Sachin contributed 31 runs, while Jimmy and Venu chipped in with 13 runs and 11 runs, respectively. Qadir was the wrecker-in-chief for Sree Cricket Club, who scalped four wickets at crucial juncture. Sahil and Nazim grabbed two wickets each, while Vikram took one wicket. In reply, Sree Club got off to a shaky start losing wickets at regular intervals. But, Nazim (35) kept the one end along with Ashok who also chipped in with a valuable innings of 15 runs. For SCC, Aatish scalped three wickets, while Rajesh snared one. Nazim was declared the man of the match.
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Martyrs Memorial Football Tournament in June
Jammu, May 17 The ADGP said the tournament is an annual event organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Police to commemorate police martyrs who made supreme sacrifices in safeguarding the people of the state. He further said such events had been proving beneficial in promoting sports culture in the state. “Top football teams within and outside the state are participating in the tournament and talented players of the state have done exceedingly well in the previous tournaments,” the ADGP said. He added that the tournament will start in the third week of June and conclude in July. He said the JKP would also conduct football promotion camps for the youth in the far-flung areas of the state during the summer this year.
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Inter-school tourney gets underway
Jammu, May 17 In the events held, HS Degwar Maldyana toppled HS Khari Khamara by three points in U-14 boys kho-kho while HS Shahpur spanked MS Batwari by seven points. In volleyball, Degwar Maldyana trounced HS Kalai by 2-1 sets while in U-17 kho-kho, HS Degwar Maldyana had last laugh against HS Purani Poonch by one point. In another match, HS Khari Khamara outplayed HSS boys, Poonch, by 10 points while in volleyball, HS Kalai subdued HSS boys, Poonch, by 2-1 sets. In the girls category, HS Bandichechian edged out GHS Chandak by four points while in volleyball, HS Degwar overcame the challenge of HS Khari Khamara by 2-0 sets. In U-17 volelyball, HS Ajote overwhelmed HS Khari Khamara and HS Khanater defeated HS Degwar by 2-0 sets. — TNS
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Double delight for Akhnoor Zone
Jammu, May 17 Miran Sahib Zone bagged the top honours in U-17 kabaddi event by beating Akhnoor Zone by one point. The U-14 title went to R S Pura Zone who defeated Arnia Zone by six points. In U-17 volleyball final, Akhnoor Zone spanked Gandhi Nagar Zone by 2-0 sets. Later, Tirath Ram, DYSSO, Jammu, along with Shifat Singh distributed certificates among the participants. |
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State team win handball championship
Jammu, May 17 The final score was 19-17. The team accorded a warm welcome by the office-bearers of the J&K Handball Association at Jammu Railway Station on its arrival. J&K was also the defending champion as they title in the 15th edition of the championship last year. |
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Jammu, May 17 In reply, Alusteng XI scored only 129 runs in 22.3 overs. Abid Nabi played a gutsy knock of 67 runs but in vain. He was also adjudged the man of the series for scoring 434 runs and taking nine wickets in the tournament. Chairman, Sonawar Development Forum, Peer Bilal Ahmad distributed prizes among the winners and the runners-up. — TNS
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Jammu, May 17
