Jammu, July 13
Good news for women employees of the state government and urban local bodies: the government has enhanced the maternity leave up to six months from 135 days, giving enough time to the prospective mothers to take care of their health as well as their infants.

Sources said the state government had issued a notification to amend Rule 41 (maternity leave) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1979 following a directive from Governor NN Vohra. Bringing an amendment to sub-rule (1) of Rule 41, the government had substituted 135 days with 180 days, sources added.

The sub-rule 1 states that a female government servant with less than two surviving children may be granted maternity leave by the authority competent to grant leave for a period which may extend up to 135 days from the date of its commencement. During such period, she shall be paid leave salary equal to the pay drawn immediately before proceeding on leave.

Ram Kumar Sharma, president, J&K Employees Joint Action Committee (R), welcomed the decision saying working female employees faced a lot of problems after delivery.

“We welcome the move as it will help the women employees look after their children in a better way. It has been a long-pending demand of the employees,” he said.

“Keeping in view the problems faced by women employees, the government should further increase the maternity leave up to one year,” he added.

While complimenting the state government for enhancing the maternity leave period, Ritu Khajuria, a government teacher, said the government should also allow a child care leave of around 730 days (two years) in special circumstances to look after their children when they grappled with serious diseases.

The state government has also granted an annual increment to those employees who had been in disadvantageous position during the fixation of salaries sequel to the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission recommendations.

Jammu, July 13
While the Valley observed Martyrs’ Day, the Kashmiri Pandits gathered and held a protest outside the Press Club over the observance of the day. The day is being observed by the Kashmiri Pandit community as “Black Day” since 1931 in commemoration of the persecution inflicted upon the society on that day in the Valley.

The Joint Forum of the Kashmiri Pandit Organisations said the community was subjected to loot, arson, murder and mayhem on a large scale on this day.

The demonstration was attended by activists of the Joint Forum of Kashmiri Pandit organisations. It was addressed by Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, president, Panun Kashmir, HL Chatta, president, All-State Kashmiri Pandit Conference, DN Kissu, chairman, Non-Camp Migrants Coordination Committee (NCMCC), RK Raina, senior vice-president, ASKPC, and Virender Raina, national spokesperson, Joint Forum.

The participants raised slogans against the apathy of the government towards the displaced community for the past two decades.

“The observance of the July 13 as Martyrs’ Day is equivalent to rubbing salt to the festering wounds of the minority Hindu community of Kashmir. On a day when the Kashmiri Pandits were subjected to mass persecution and loot, how can the government designated it as martyrs’ day. Kashmiri Pandits cannot forget the facts of history and have been observing this day as Black Day for decades,” said Chrangoo.

The leaders expressed their disgust at the recent utterances of Syed Ali Shah Geelani in which he opposed the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.

Jammu, July 13
A clause necessitating faculty to take six or more classes every day for the approval of their contract has become a cause for concern for teachers working on contract in government and private colleges. They contend that lack of infrastructure and classrooms are hindering their daily output.

A teacher on contract at Hiranagar Degree College said: “With 65 per cent vacancies going to teachers on contract and the rest to permanent staff, everyone is bound to complete six or more classes every day.”

“Since every teacher is supposed to take the requisite number of classes, we all are competing with each other to take our classes. We do not have sufficient number of classrooms on the campus, forcing us to depend on a handful of classrooms. With over 130 students in each classroom, the productivity of students as well as teachers is bound to go down,” she said.

Another teacher said: “Due to unnecessary pressure on teachers to take more than six classes a day, they are unable to deliver quality lectures. The lack of quality is evident from this year’s results, which showed a drop of around 15 per cent in the average percentage of students.”

The authorities, on the other hand, deny any such problem on their campuses.

Satvindar Singh, nodal in-charge of colleges, said: “The reports of teachers on contract getting stressed out due to extra classes are false. Classes are held according to the requirement of the subject. If a subject demands three classes, no one can be forced to take more classes. The responsibility of workload is shared equally by both permanent and contract staff. There is no question of exploitation as only the requisite number of classes for every subject are being taken. This clause is being wrongly interpreted by a certain lobby.”

Jammu, July 13
The coaches/instructors on contract who are eagerly awaiting their appointment on a permanent basis in the J&K State Sports Council are upbeat after their recent meeting with Minister for Youth Services and Sports RS Chib.

Sources said even after the clearance given by the standing committee of the J&K State Sports Council for engagement of contractual coaches/instructors on a permanent basis, resentment had been brewing among the coaches, as they accused the Sports Council of delaying the implementation of the decision.

The committee meeting was held under Chib’s chairmanship wherein it was decided to recruit more coaches in different disciplines.

Sources added that 11 persons, including nine coaches and two instructors, were engaged on contract by the Sports Council in different disciplines to overcome the shortage.

These included Onkar Singh Gill (volleyball coach), Jagjit Singh (hockey coach), Shakti Gupta (judo coach), Dalwinder Singh (hockey coach), Rachna Jamwal (fencing coach), Vikas Magotra (swimming coach), Javaid Ahmed Sofi (football coach), Muneer Aalam Mir (volleyball coach), Rubia Jan (netball trainer) and Mohammad Ashraf Parray (handball instructor).

“The Sports Minister has assured us of sorting out our case soon. We also briefed him about various hardships being faced by the contractual coaches/instructors,” said a contractual coach.

“We had been running from pillar to post in a bid to settle the issue of regularisation, but in vain. The authorities had not taken any serious initiative,” said another contractual coach.

“The decision taken at the standing committee meeting has raised our hopes of getting appointed on a permanent basis,” he opined.

“But why is there an inordinate delay on part of the J&K State Sports Council in implementing the decision taken at the standing committee meeting to engage us on a permanent basis,” asked another contractual coach.

“The authorities at the helm have played a cruel joke on us by delaying the process,” he added.

A senior official of the J&K State Sports Council said: “The process is in its final stage and is likely to be complete soon. There is a dire need for filling posts of coaches in the Sports Council to ensure its smooth functioning.”

Jammu, July 13
Chaotic conditions prevailed on the New Plot-Janipur road as the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) without notice closed down the road for the construction of four manholes, as part of the final phase of the sewerage laying project, today.

Hundreds of vehicles were caught in long traffic jams for over two hours in the morning, as they were caught unawares by the roadblock. The agency also failed to put up warning signs for the convenience of motorists during the morning rush hour.

The area has already been witnessing chaos for the past two months. The stretch, one of the busiest in the city, is used by thousands of commuters every day to reach the High Court.

“We came to know about the closing down of the road only after we saw a crater at New Plot. We had to wind through the narrow lanes to reach the Amphalla Road,” a commuter said.

Sunil Sharma, a law student, said: “There was no help from the traffic police or any other authority. It was a free for all in the area throughout the day.”

ERA Executive Engineer Sanjeev Puri said the road would remain closed for 48 hours to complete the last four major manholes.

“We could not have completed the work without stopping the traffic. The road will be thrown open to traffic by Saturday evening.”

Puri said they had engaged extra manpower and material to complete the work by the July-15 deadline.

“We will hand over the road to the Roads and Building (R&B) Department so that work on blacktopping can begin,” he said.

Officials blamed the slow pace of work on lack of coordination between the ERA, the Jammu municipal corporation and the National Building Construction Corporation, which had failed to complete the works initiated by them in the city.

Jammu, July 13
With incidents of burglary in shops and houses becoming a day-to-day affair, the demand for security gadgets has been on a steady rise in the city over the past few years.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, spy cameras and beam sensors are no longer the domain of the security forces or intelligence agencies, as several private establishments, including hotels, jewellery stores and electronic shops and even residences, have installed these on their premises.

Local shop owners selling these gadgets say the sale of security gadgets has registered a significant increase in the past five years and on a monthly basis, they sell around 50 security cameras.

“We deal in CCTV and infrared cameras. Our reception desk receives at least 10 enquiries every day,” says Aseem Choudhary, a distributor in the city.

Dealers say most people who are taking advantage of the technology feel much safer keeping in view the poor record of the law enforcement agencies in curbing crime in the state.

“These cameras are able to record events when we are away. So we are able to keep track of the happenings later, if a problem arises,” says Veer Saraf, a businessman.

People associated with this trade say cameras act as a brilliant deterrent. Anyone considering committing a crime is likely to think twice once they see a camera installed, as they know they are under surveillance.

Cameras produce high-quality images and people’s faces can easily be seen on security tapes. With the help of the CCTV footage, a large number of people who commit crimes are caught.

Even the police department and security agencies have been relying on these electronic gadgets. This can be gauged from the fact that the state police has installed over 60 CCTVs across the city to deal with the problem of traffic. Jammu SSP (PCR) Vijay Kumar says CCTV footage has helped them crack several cases and keep an eye on the happenings in the city.

“These cameras help us check traffic violations and anti-social activities. It is quite beneficial for the police department,” he says. The department has sent a proposal to the department concerned for the installation of more CCTV cameras in the state.

Rajouri, July 13
Pilgrims and local residents visiting the Baji Darbar in Kalakote tehsil of Rajouri district have been suffering on account of scarcity of water in the area, thereby belying the tall claims of the state government of promoting pilgrim tourism in the state.

The devotees paying obeisance at the darbar have to walk at least 3 km to fetch water, as the darbar complex lacks proper water supply despites repeated requests made by the darbar management, local people and pilgrims. The situation worsens during Urs (congregation).

The darbar complex suffered a lot of damage in a fire a few days ago due to the absence of water supply. Some adjoining houses were also damaged in the incident. The local people had put the loss at Rs 30 lakh.

The fire could have been quelled had there been proper water supply in the complex, a local resident said.

The government and the local administration have shown little interest in constructing a road connecting the darbar with a nearby road around 4 km away.

Quoom Dar, district president, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said besides the shortage of drinking water, lack of road connectivity was another major problem being faced by the people.

Besides, the darbar complex faces electricity shortage due to the presence of a single transformer for the entire complex and adjoining villages.

Irked at the laxity on part of the administration and the ministry concerned, people have threatened to initiate a protest to pressurise the authorities to mitigate their sufferings.

The darbar management assisted by hundreds of locals and devotees yesterday signed a memorandum listing their demands and submitted it to the Kalakote tehsildar. Abdul Aziz, member of the management, said people had decided to resort to protests if the authorities failed to fulfil their demands.

Jammu, July 13
The Akhil Bhartiya Gujjar Mahasabha today urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to prepare special sub-plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes before meeting the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, for discussion and finalisation of the State Plan 2012-13.

Eshfaq-ur-Rehman Poswal, state president, ABGM, said: “It is a highly appreciable that the Chief Minister is perusing the case with the Planing Commission. But on the other hand, it is ironical that in spite of the repeated instructions of the Planning Commission of India, the state government has not yet prepared separate sub-plans for Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes”.

He appealed that the Chief Minister should also keep the Directorate of Tribal Affairs and Nodal Agency in the loop.

Poswal said whenever they approached the Directorate of Tribal Affairs regarding the formulation of a tribal sub-plan, the authorities had expressed ignorance regarding the matter, saying they were not aware of the plans made by the higher authorities.

He reminded that despite their efforts and repeated demands, the state government had not appointed consultants comprising retired officers from the Planning Department.

“Now as the Chief Minister is going to meet Montek Singh Ahluwalia, he should have accurate tribal sub-plans at hand,” he said.

Ramban, July 13
Aljamia-Tul-Islamia-Tul-Kheriya (Islamic Falahi Tanzeem), an NGO, distributed the first quarterly pension of Rs 600 to 25 destitute widows today.

The chief guest, DC, Ramban, Shabir Ahmed Bhat, Ramban Bar Association president AR Mushtaq and NC leader Vishavbandhu Sharma distributed the cheques for Rs 600 and pension cards to all 25 widows.

The function was organised by the Ramban district general secretary of the NGO, Ajaz Ahmed.

The DC, SA Bhat, donated Rs 5,000 to the NGO as one-month pension installment to the women.

NGO adviser Maulvi Imtiaz Mughal, adviser member from Srinagar Mufti Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Maulvi Mukhtar Ahmed and several prominent citizens were present.

Azam said since the registration of the NGO in October 2011 in Delhi, 151 destitutes, including 35 Hindus and 21 Sikh women in Poonch, 20 women in Doda and 10 women in Samba, had been receiving the monthly pension of Rs 200 from the NGO.

He said they would now move to Baramulla to help the needy.

Jammu, July 13
A large number of BJP workers from the Khour area joined the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Front (JKDF) at a function held at Nikian village under the chairmanship of JKDF chairman Anil Gupta today.

The rally was organised to apprise and awake the government about the growing resentment of people, especially among the youth of Jammu, who has been neglected and debarred of equal opportunities and representation in various sectors.

The rally mostly dominated by rural women and youths holding JKDF flags in their hands expressed their full faith and support to the newly floated political front to counter the anti-people moves of government.

Welcoming BJP members into the party, Anil Gupta said, “Association of new members would give strength to the party and I hope these members shall work for the cause of common man, especially villagers and farmers”.

He alleged that successive governments led by Kashmir based politicians had deliberately turned a deaf ear towards the people of Jammu.

“Delimitation has been banned up to 2026 as its implementation will give much weight to Jammu as far as population and assembly constituencies are concerned,” he said.

He said that even the so called leaders of Jammu and Jammu based Cabinet Ministers, who are holding important positions in the coalition government, have failed to project the demands of the region.

Surinder Sharma, Murarari Lal, Ram Kumar, Krishan Lal, Arun Khanna, Deepak Sharma, Munish Khajuria, Prashant Puri, Ajay Manhas, Suresh Sharma, Anil Balgotra, Ravi Dogra, Suresh Sharma, Rattan Lal, Tara Chand, Chuni Lal and others addressed the meeting.

Rajouri, July 13
Local unit of the PDP convened a meeting under the chairmanship of district president Abdul Qayoom Dar to pay tributes to the martyrs of July 13, 1931. Senior party leaders Qamar Hussain, Ghulam Haider Aatish, Tazeem Dar, Farooq Lone, Rashid Khan, Tahir Lone and Ayoub Wani were present.

The leaders described the sacrifice of the martyrs as a turning point in the Kashmir’s struggle for establishing pro-people setup.

They also appealed to all stake-holders to resolve the Kashmir issue so that a peaceful atmosphere could be created for the future generations.

Abdul Qayoom Dar said: “PDP’s self rule document portrays the real aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for which the martyrs have sacrificed their precious lives.”

Dar said: “The cherished dream of the martyrs could only be accomplished if all get united to make the state of Jammu and Kashmir progressive and corruption free.”

Jammu, July 13
Anantnag Arsenals notched up a scintillating win in super over against Srinagar Sher Dils to secure a berth in the final of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL)-Phase II, being organised by the Indian Army in collaboration with the Department of Youth Services and Sports under Operation Sadhbhavna, at Delhi Public School, Srinagar, today.

Batting first, Srinagar Sher Dils garnered 121 runs in 18.4 overs. In reply, Anantnag Arsenals also made 121 runs in the stipulated overs.

In super over, Anantnag Arsenals scored 20 runs with three hits to the fence, while Srinagar Sher Dils managed to score 19 runs. Asif Rasool of Anantnag Arsenals was adjudged the man of the match.

Jai Pal Singh, Director, Youth Services and Sports, was the chief guest, while Kiran Wattal, Managing Director, J&K Housing Board, was the guest of honour.

Lt Col Rashid Ahmed, Officiating Commanding Officer, 126 Inf Bn (TA) JAK RIF, was also present.

At a valedictory function, the chief guest presented a cheque for Rs 5,000 to Parvez Rasool, skipper of the winning team.

Jammu, July 13
The Narwal police claims to have foiled a bovine smuggling bid with the seizure of a truck carrying 11 animals.

Reports said on July 12, acting on a tip-off, the police put up a checkpoint on the national highway and intercepted a truck (JK 02 AG 6587).

The operation was carried under Narwal police post in-charge Hilal Haider.

The police recovered 11 animals that had allegedly been smuggled to the Valley.

The truck driver, Mohd Hussian, a resident of Jammu, fled the scene.

The police has seized the truck and registered a case under relevant sections of the RPC and the Cruelty to Animal Act.