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Board deaf to violations
World No-Tobacco Day today
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JKCA Scam: Culprits will not be spared, says Farooq
Foundation stone for dam laid
Congress MLC lambasts NC leader
Crackers association stresses fire safety
Villagers block NH
kabaddi meet
volleyball tournament
gufran t20
Shubam fashions NCA Red win
Kashmir Greats Club lift trophy
NC gives study material to poor
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Board deaf to violations
The SPCB, the main regulatory body in the state, has no legal powers to penalise those violating the permissible decibel (PD) limit nor has it established specific norms and zones around hospitals, educational institutions and parks, where drivers are prohibited from sounding pressure horns, and regulate the use of generators by shopkeepers like elsewhere in the country. Both the Traffic Police and the SPCB field staff have become mute spectators to the nerve-wracking noise produced by thousands of vehicles, generators, industries and
loud speakers. The SPCB was constituted by state government in 1986, under the provisions of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act-1974 and the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act- 1981. In 1988, provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 were also entrusted to the board for implementation, but it failed to act decisively against the violation of the pollution norms. “Jammu and Kashmir is perhaps the only state
that doesn’t have silent zones, normally demarcated around hospitals and educational institutions”, said Nadeem Qadri, a social activist. Sound pollution is often caused by industrial and construction activities, generator sets, loudspeakers, music systems, sounding of horns and other mechanical devices that have an adverse impact on the health of people. With increasing traffic rush in the twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu, as the number of vehicles in these urban centres has crossed the 8-lakh mark each, noise pollution has become a major menace for the public. However, Shoukat Choudhary, Regional Director, SPCB, said necessary laws had to be framed by the government. “We have been given powers under the Act and we are dealing with the violators under the prescribed norms,” said Choudhary. Choudhary said the
PCB had approached the government, seeking the delegation of regulatory powers with regard to noise and sound pollution to Deputy Commissioners concerned so that they could act against the
violators in their respective areas. Toothless body
The SPCB, the main regulatory body in the state, has no legal powers to penalise those violating the permissible decibel (PD) limit nor has it established specific norms and zones around hospitals, educational institutions and parks, where drivers are prohibited from sounding pressure horns |
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World No-Tobacco Day today
Jammu, May 30 Though the number of girls consuming tobacco in one form or the other is less than the number of boys in the state, a survey conducted by the Voluntary Health Association revealed that they start consuming tobacco at a very early stage. Around 41.6 per cent males and 10.3 per cent females currently use some form of tobacco in the state. Also 10.9 per cent males and 4.1 per cent females consume smokeless tobacco like gutka, khaini, zarda and other chewing tobacco products. Also in the state, 21.6 per cent males and 1.5 per cent females consume cigarettes, whereas 6.3 per cent males and 1 per cent females consume “bidi”, while the rest consume other forms of tobacco. Dr Shabab Angurana, an oncologist working with the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu, said: “The habit of smoking starts at the teenage stage and teenagers smoke by looking at it as a sign of adult behaviour. They think smoking helps them cope with difficult times and do it on a regular basis in order to feel better and relieved from heavy emotions. For some it is just an excuse for interrupting work and snatching a moment of pleasure.” “Most cases of cancer are because of tobacco abuse. But the consumer does not realise it until it becomes an addiction and then it is difficult to quit,” he added. The state government has also set up teams that are targeting bus stands, railway stations and major markets for securing compliance of Section-4 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Supply
and Distribution) Act, 2003. Satish Gupta, Commissioner, Food Safety and Standards, while talking with The Tribune said: “We are trying to stop the use of tobacco at public places. In the last financial year, we have collected a fine of Rs 1,99,770 and are trying to implement the rules strictly so that the habit of smoking comes down among the people in
the state.” |
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power to panchayats
Jammu, May 30 Addressing an orientation programme of female panchayat members of Bishnah block in Jammu district today, NC leaders admitted that even after one year of the elections, power was yet to be given to functionaries at the grass-roots level. “The government is committed to delegating powers to the panchayats but there is a bureaucratic hurdle,” said Jugal Mahajan, senior National Conference leader. He added that the powerful bureaucracy did not want power to be delegated from them to the panchayat members. “The officers are finding it hard to digest that villagers will dictate terms to them. That is why they are dilly-dallying on empowering panchayats,” he said
while trying to portray state government’s willingness to delegate powers to the panchayats. Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP have already launched an aggressive campaign against the NC for not empowering the panchayats. The PDP and the BJP got a boost when the Congress, a coalition partner in the government, also made veiled attack on the NC for not incorporating the 73rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state. The orientation programme was organised by the NC not only to educate the panchayat members about their rights but also to counter the campaign against the government by the opposition parties. NC provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta said: “The panchayat elections were held in the state after a long gap following Omar Abdullah’s concerted efforts.” He reiterated the commitment of the state government to delegate powers to the panchayats. In an obvious reference to the campaign launched by the Congress, Gupta said the government had repeatedly made it clear that a three-tier Panchayati Raj system would be established in the state. He said the process had already been put in place to conduct elections to the Block Development Council, which would be followed by elections to the District Development Board. NC MLA Vimla Luthra had organised the gathering of the female panchayat members of Bishnah block in which they were educated about their constitutional rights. |
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JKCA Scam: Culprits will not be spared, says Farooq
Jammu, May 30 The in-house advisory (probe) committee, which had submitted its preliminary internal inquiry report to the JKCA president, informed him about the recent developments. Sources said Dr Abdullah also took strong note of the recent locking row, involving the JKCA office premises at Bhatindi. On May 22, The Tribune had reported that the JKCA vice-chairman (Jammu wing), Shambu Nath Sharma, had alleged that the office of the JKCA was locked on the directions of the JKCA chairman without informing him (Sharma) about it. The JKCA vice-chairman then wrote to Dr Abdullah and complained about the incident. The sources added that the JKCA president had now authorised Sharma to take overall charge of the activities of the association. JKCA member Arvinder Singh Micky, who is also a member of the investigation panel, said: “The JKCA president has asked the probe committee to investigate the embezzlement issue in depth.” “Dr Abdullah has also termed the Bhatindi incident unfortunate and even authorised the JKCA vice-chairman to get the help of the police if such incidents happened again,” he added. Micky said the JKCA president also hinted at the conduct of the JKCA elections after the expiry of the present body on June 23. “Dr Abdullah asked all office-bearers to revive cricket activities in the state, which had been badly affected after the scam,” the JKCA member said. The multi-crore scam came to the fore two months ago when it was found that the JKCA officials were running parallel bank accounts in Khanyar and Air Cargo branches of J&K Bank along with the original account. The funds for the promotion of the cricket were diverted to the fake accounts and were subsequently siphoned off by them. Following the pressure, JKCA president Dr Farooq Abdullah constituted an in-house committee to conduct a probe. |
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City sizzles as mercury soars to 44.8 °C
Jammu, May 30 Ashtha, a schoolteacher, said: “Even fans seem ineffective in providing relief from the heat. We have advised students to drink a lot of water during this period. This is the most extreme period of summer and only vacations can provide some relief.” Dharmesh, a retailer at Mubarak Mandi, said: “Even for those who have air-conditioners, the relief is short-lived due to frequent power cuts.” Bhushan Parimoo, president, Environment Awareness Forum, said depleting forests cover was the main reason behind the changing weather conditions. “Jammu district has the lowest per capita forest cover in the state. Due to excessive deforestation and conversion of forest land into residential colonies, the weather has changed drastically over the years.” Dr MK Khushu, Chief Scientist, Department of Agro-metrology, Jammu, said they had recorded the highest temperature of the season today. “Increased presence of ultraviolet rays in the atmosphere can affect the human skin. People should avoid going out in the afternoon, as UV rays can cause irritation in the skin.” “The day temperature will continue to rise despite chances of a slight drizzle in the night. We expect some more hot days in the days to come.” “We have recorded just 15 per cent humidity, which can trigger forest fires,” he added. |
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Foundation stone for dam laid
Rajouri, May 30 The dam is being constructed by the J&K Soil Conservation Department in association with the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, at a cost of Rs 28 lakh. To meet the increasing water requirements for domestic, industrial and agricultural sector, the minister emphasised the need for conserving water resources besides harvesting the surface run-off through development of appropriate water impounding infrastructure in the state. Such efforts would not only prevent soil erosion but also promote artificial recharge of groundwater, he added. Appreciating the efforts of the Soil Conservation Department for conceiving and formulating such schemes, the minister said while 10 projects on artificial recharge of groundwater, with a proposed outlay of Rs 4.87 crore, were submitted to the Central Government during 2011-12 for sanction, four more projects, with financial outlay of Rs 1.33 crore, had been sanctioned. Work was under progress on the construction of three dams in the state, he added. He asked the forest officials to identify suitable sites in their respective jurisdictions and formulate projects for the artificial recharge of groundwater, preferably in areas that were rain-fed, to effectively use the scheme. The minister later inspected the site for the establishment of an environment park near Nowshera for which a plan costing Rs 1.17 crore had been submitted. MLC Ravinder Sharma, Principal Conservator of Forests Vinod Ranjan, Chief Conservator of Forests, Jammu, Ravi Kesar, Director, Environment and Remote Sensing, Suresh Chug, Director, Soil Conservation, MJ Sharma, Director, Ecology and Environment, RS Jasrotia were also present. |
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gb pant
hospital
Jammu, May 30 Addressing mediapersons here today, front chairman Virenderjit Singh urged the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, to visit the hospital to take stock of the plight of the poor and needy patients, who were not getting “Medicines worth lakhs of rupees are being destroyed by the hospital authorities,” he said. He alleged that equipment purchased over the past few years had never been put to use at the hospital. He added that Cantonment Board, Jammu, had failed to run the hospital properly despite the fact that over Rs 1 crore
was being spent on the salary of the staff every year. Others present included Kulawant Singh Bhatti, Prem Singh, Mahinder Singh and Darshan Singh. |
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Congress MLC lambasts NC leader
Poonch, May 30 Mir said the development of Jammu and Kashmir was the mutual responsibility of the National Conference and the Congress. Giving such statements hampered the development activities. He asked the NC leaders to mind their language while issuing statements. He requested NC chief patron Farooq Abdullah to take the matter seriously and issue directions to his workers to avoid such statements in future. He said during Azad’s tenure, Bhaderwah got a university campus, enjoyed Sarthal Highway facility, Kishtwar attained district status and Bhalesa got new identity as his birth place. He said the execution of development activities in the districts was the prime responsibility of the elected representatives. He has also expressed his concern over the recent trend among NC leaders of seeking resignations of Congress ministers. |
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Crackers association stresses fire safety
Jammu, May 30 He also stressed various fire safety norms, which are needed to be adhered to for a smooth functioning of the cracker business. Mahajan said such meetings played a very significant role in building good professional relations among dealers. He also suggested the dealers to trade quality products and a variety of firecrackers during the forthcoming festival seasons. It was also discussed at the meeting that the association would appoint new office-bearers in the coming days. The others present on the occasion included Ravi Mahajan, Raka, Mintu, Vikas Gupta, Bittu Pardhan, Sanjay Sharma, Parveen Sharma, Rakesh, Surinder Gupta, Rajinder, Ratinder Sodhi, Ajay Gupta, Sachin, Gopal Mahajan, Kuldeep and Ashu Gupta. |
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Villagers block NH
Rajouri, May 30 The vehicular movement on the main Jammu-Poonch National Highway remained suspended for over half an hour today in Kallar village, Rajouri district, when hundreds of villagers lodged a huge protest against PHE department for their poor services in the area, resulting in no water supply in the village for the past six months. The villagers blocked Jammu-Poonch National Highway causing huge traffic jam and raised slogans against the department for their careless attitude, the reports said. The protesters also alleged that the department employees were not doing their work as they remained out of duty most of the time. They added that the work of the pipeline installation in the village was yet to start and despite several complaints in the department, nothing had been done so far. Later, an Assistant Executive Engineer, Rajouri, assured the villagers that their demands would be fulfilled within 15 days. Only after the assurance, the villagers ended their protest and resumed the vehicular movements on NH. |
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kabaddi meet
Jammu, May 30 In other matches, Samba defeated Kishtwar by 16 points (25-9), Jammu trounced Rajouri by 11 points (28-17), Doda got the better of Reasi by 5 points (30-25), Ramban subdued Rajouri by 9 points (34-25) and Jammu defeated Doda by 6 points (21-15). In U-14 boys kabaddi, Jammu spanked Samba by a huge margin of 44 points (59-15), Poonch drubbed Udhampur by 22 points (53-31), Kathua toppled Doda by 15 points (35-20) and Rajouri overwhelmed Reasi by 30 points (48-18). Jaipal Singh, Director Youth Services and Sports, was the chief guest in
the inaugural function and declared the tournament open. He was accompanied by Deputy Director Youth Services and Sports SS Bali and District Youth Services and Sports Officer Tirath Ram. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Jeet Singh (convener technical committee), Sarita Pandha, Pushpa Sharma, Rakesh Kumari, Rajni Kumari, Veena Tickoo, Jaswant Singh, Rakesh Kakkar, Tarsem Singh and Sadiq Hussain Malik. |
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volleyball tournament
Jammu, May 30 Young Boys United (B), Balhama, and Sidique Public School, Zewan, had secured berths in the semifinals yesterday. In the quarterfinal, Young Boys United (B), Balhama, got the better of Young Boys United (A), Balhama, while Sidique Public School, Zewan, dispatched Noor-ul-Huda Educational Institute, Zewan, in another match to seal a berth in the last stage. The volleyball divisional league series tournament is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police XII Battalion on the guidelines of K Rajendra Kumar, ADGP Armed/Law and Order, J&K, under Civic Action Programme (CAP). Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated by Sheikh Abdul Hamid, DIG IR, Kashmir, at the Armed Police Complex in
Zewan. Among others the event was attended by Altaf Khan, SP Commandant JKAP 9th Battalion, and Sanjeev Kumar Khajuria, SP Principal CTC Lethpora, besides a large number of police officers and civilians. |
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gufran t20
Jammu, May 30 In the first match, Prince Cricket Club, Bhallessa, garnered 104 runs in 18 overs by losing all their wickets. Hakam Singh was the top scorer with 35 runs while Shrikant contributed 21 runs. From Sunjwan Cricket Club, Jammu, Samsher and Shabir grabbed four and two wickets, respectively. In reply, Sunjwan Cricket Club suffered a dramatic batting collapse and the whole team was bundled out for 75 runs in 14.5 overs. Adil was the only batsman to reach the double figure with a score of 10 runs. From Prince Cricket Club, Bhallessa, Vinod and Ahsan snared four and three wickets, respectively. Vinod was adjudged the man of the match. In another match, Shine Cricket Club, Panipat, won the toss and opted to bat first. They accumulated 100 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Manav and Vikas scored 22 and 16 runs, respectively. From Combine Cricket Club, Bhadarwah, Touqeer and Shabir scalped three and two wickets, respectively. In reply, Combine Cricket Club did the needful in 14.3 overs. Shahab Mughal contributed 56 while Sameer Malik chipped in with 14 runs. From Shine Cricket Club, Manav and Sumit took two and one wicket, respectively. Shahab Mughal of Combine Cricket Club was declared the man of the match. |
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Shubam fashions NCA Red win
Jammu, May 30 Shubam smashed 191 runs, hitting 31 boundaries and four sixes in the process. NCA Reds skipper Shubam Khajuria won the toss and elected to
bat first. Apart from Khajuria, Arman Jaffer of Mumbai also chipped in with a fine knock of 102 runs to help NCA Reds post a decent total of 428 runs for the loss of six wickets. Shubam Mavi of Uttar Pradesh and Prem Kumar of Jharkhand shared two wickets apiece. In reply, NCA Blues were bundled out for 244 runs and lost the match by 184 runs. Mohammd Saif Raza slammed an impressive 119 runs. For NCA Reds, Pankaj Jaiswal of Himachal Pradesh was the wrecker-in-chief, claiming seven wickets. |
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Kashmir Greats Club lift trophy
Jammu, May 30 Kashmir Greats overhauled the target with utmost ease in 19
overs. Skipper Arshad led from the front by slamming an excellent knock of 84 runs. He was also adjudged man of the match while Adil Reshi of City Hynks was declared the man of the series. Major General PD Hallur, GOC 31 Sub-area, was the chief guest in the valedictory function and distributed prizes among the winners and runners-up teams.
— TNS |
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NC gives study material to poor
Jammu, May 30 The function was organised by former MC councillor Rashida Begum. NC provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta was the chief guest and Pardeep Bali was the guest of honour. Gupta said providing education to the children was their priority. He added that education could play an important role in the overall development of a child. |
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Jammu, May 30