Jammu, July 17
Weak monsoon has led to an unprecedented rise in vegetable prices, taking its toll on gastronomic plans of the people across the city. Many vegetable delicacies have started disappearing from dining tables, as middle-class households look for alternative foods, even non-vegetarian items.

As if this is not enough, residents will have to cough up more for their daily milk, curd and cheese supplies as the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Department has notified revised prices of milk products.

Agriculturalists say vegetable production has witnessed a drastic shortfall due to delayed and weak monsoon across the state, particularly in the kandi belt.

At some places, the vegetable production has reduced to 20 per cent. The vegetables procured from other states are being sold at much higher prices in retail mandis, forcing people to bring a drastic change to their menus.

“We have switched to eating non-vegetarian food at our home now as it costs less as compared to expensive vegetables. Vegetable dishes are slowly disappearing from our dining table as soaring prices have adversely affected our monthly budget,” said Rajesh Singh, a resident of Afghana Mohalla in old city.

He said average vegetable prices had gone up by two times.

“The prices for some vegetables like tomato, lady’s finger, bitter gourd, brinjal and cauliflower have witnessed an unprecedented hike and are priced two times their cost last week,” he said.

Shilpa Khajuria of Mubarak Mandi has also brought a drastic change in her cooking menu.

“Earlier, I used to prepare two vegetable dishes, but the sudden price rise has forced me to restrict to a single dish. I hope the prices come down soon,” she said.

Raj Kumar, a vegetable vendor at Parade Mandi, said the prices of vegetables were high in the wholesale market and the existing inflation had also hit their business hard, with customers buying veggies in small quantities.

“All vegetables have got costlier by Rs 10 to Rs 20 per kg. Last week, tomato was being sold at Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg, while it is now being sold at Rs 40 to Rs 60 per kg,” he said. Also, green peas were being sold at Rs 40-50 per kg, registering a hike of Rs 20 per kg in one week.

He added that the price of lady’s finger (okra) was Rs 30 per kg, while capsicum (bell pepper) and bitter gourd was selling at Rs 40 per kg each.

Radish was being sold at Rs 30 per kg, against Rs 10 per kg last week.

“As most customers belong to the middle class, they don’t venture out to shop for vegetables everyday following high prices of vegetables,” he maintained.

Pervez Malik, Director, CA&PD, Jammu, said they were closely monitoring the rates being charged from people and would punish violators for overcharging.

Jammu, July 17
The University of Jammu has suspended two engineers, including an Executive Engineer of Works Department, for allegedly withdrawing Rs 3.49 lakh against the non-executed work on the campus.

He along with a junior engineer, who was posted on deputation in the university, was booked by the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) on July 6.

The university has also started an internal inquiry to ascertain their involvement in the scam. The suspended officials have been identified as Suresh Sharma, in charge Executive Engineer, and Akash Bhalla, Assistant Engineer, posted in the works department.

The authorities have also recommended the suspension of Junior Engineer Virender Singh Wazir, who had been serving on the campus on deputation.

Suresh, Akash and Virender in collusion with a contractor, Karam Chand, had withdrawn Rs 3,49,376 for work on fixing tiles at the rate of Rs 1,100 per sq m on the first floor of the building of Business School, University of Jammu. The work was never executed.

The SVO officials said they caused wrongful loss to the government exchequer by withdrawing a huge amount against non-executed work.

The SVO officials said Suresh and Akash had sent a wrong report for the clearance of the amount, while the contractor wrongfully claimed the amount against the work that was never executed.

Official sources also raised the finger of suspicion at higher officials for clearing the bills without assessing the ground reality.

“The role of higher officials is also under scanner, as their bills were cleared without checking the ground work,” a source said.

Prof Naresh Padha, Registrar, said they had suspended two engineers who were booked by the vigilance officials. Besides, an internal inquiry has been initiated to ascertain their involvement and for further action.

The accused The suspended officials have been identified as Suresh Sharma, in charge Executive Engineer, and Akash Bhalla, Assistant Engineer, posted in the works department. The authorities have also recommended the suspension of Junior Engineer Virender Singh Wazir, who had been serving on the campus on deputation

Jammu, July 17
The district administration has failed to implement its order asking drivers and conductors of commercial vehicles to wear a proper uniform. On the contrary, it has been claiming that it is formulating a comprehensive city mobility plan to streamline traffic in the city.

The order to wear uniform was issued in 2009, directing drives and conductors of commercial vehicles like matadors and buses to wear khaki colour shirts and trousers for easy identification.

The administration and the traffic police seem to have turned a blind eye to the decision and have failed to take steps to strictly implement the directive.

The traffic police has failed to punish erring mini-bus drivers, who seem to break rules with impunity.

“There is total chaos on city roads. Let alone manage the traffic properly, even the basic rules are not been enforced,” said Kuldeep Sharma, a local resident.

Officials blame the failure of the “uniform” policy on a nexus between traffic personnel and drivers, as many police officials allegedly receive fee at several points on a monthly basis.

Anil Chopra, president, All-J&K Transporters Association, blamed individuals for defying the directive of the administration.

Officials say the administration is also overlooking the manner in which seats are altered by matador owners to allow overloading of passengers. The approved seating capacity of a Tata 407 mini bus is 17 and that of Swaraj Mazda is 21. But over 90 per cent mini buses do not adhere to the rules and indulge in overloading.

Most passenger vehicles plying on Roop Nagar, Durga Nagar, Rajinder Nagar, Sainik Colony, Preet Nagar and Greater Kailash routes have altered seats, posing a threat to the lives of passengers.

“Instead of formulating big plans, the administration should first implement simple rules. The problem of traffic violations will be addressed automatically,” says Nadeem Qadri.

Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Verma said the administration along with the traffic department had imposed fines on traffic offenders.

“We are also seeking the cooperation of the people and transport unions.”

Jammu, July 17
The recently installed traffic lights may take some more time to blink on the city roads, as the Power Development Department has refused to provide the 30-KW power necessary to run these signals.

Sources said though the traffic police department had sent a proposal to the PDD for its approval, the department had so far not given its consent, keeping in view the shortage of electricity in the city.

A senior officer said the power department was already under attack from people for its failure to provide regular electricity to the residential areas. The demand for these traffic lights would put additional burden on the system.

“A dedicated system is required to supply electricity. If there is a sudden breakdown in the system, it will directly affect traffic management,” said a senior officer.

New signals were installed at 20 locations across the city some time ago. These signals had been put through regular testing.

Shanaz Goni, Chief Engineer, PDD, said: “A decision will be taken at an appropriate time. We are studying ways to provide power to these signals. A decision will be taken soon.”

The project has already seen a lot of delay ever since its inception four years ago.

The J&K Traffic Police had been asked to conduct a survey to choose the areas where these signals could be installed. But it was later rejected by the government.

The Jammu municipal corporation then invited tenders from companies, but the process moved at a snail’s pace till the point of installation.

With the traffic department already facing shortage of staff, the management of traffic has become a major challenge for the department.

The problem has been aggravated by the increased influx of vehicles from other states due to the ongoing pilgrim rush.

Jammu, July 17
Irked over the alleged inordinate delay by the General Administration Department (GAD) in issuing appointment orders to outstanding sportspersons, who were appointed under a special sports quota (SRO-349) in 2008, the sportspersons have warned the authorities that they would prevent others from applying for the posts that have been advertised recently by the J&K State Sports Council for 2011-12.

Sources said only 59 applications had been received by the State Sports Council so far. The sportspersons blamed the authorities for the chaos.

“The GAD seems to be in a deep slumber and that is why they are least bothered about the hardships being faced by us”, said one of the outstanding sportsperson.

“It is quite difficult to understand as to why the authorities are delaying the process of issuing appointment orders to the remaining sportspersons who were allotted departments in 2008,” he said.

“The way things are going we are fast losing our faith in the working of GAD which gives no importance to our achievements in the field of sports,” said another sportsperson.

Sources claimed that after the sportspersons had submitted their profiles with the office of the J&K State Sports Council, which were further sent back to the GAD.

Instead of giving its final nod, the GAD had returned the file to the Sports Council, instructing them to have a re-look. The Sports Council, after a detailed review of the file, again submitted it to the GAD but no progress had been made yet.

A senior official of the State Sports Council said: “The number of applications received from outstanding sportspersons is much lower than what we had received last year.”

“Had the GAD handed over all previous appointment orders to the sportspersons, the situation would have been much different today,” he said.

Jammu, July 17
The BJP today appealed to all non-Congress MLAs and the MPs to vote in favour of opposition candidate PA Sangma as the next President of the country.

Addressing a press conference, BJP Legislature Party leader Jugal Kishore Sharma said Sangma was a better choice than Pranab Mukherjee in all aspects. His tenure as the Speaker of Lok Sabha was appreciated by all due to his effective handling of the proceedings.

Sharma said: “Mukherjee is the candidate of the Congress-led UPA. It is the same UPA in whose government Pranab Mukherjee was holding a very important portfolio as a Cabinet minister. Every one knows that the UPA has set new records in corruption and price rise.”

“Being a Cabinet minister in UPA the government, Pranab Mukherjee was equally responsible for the wrongdoings of his government,” he said. Sharma said the BJP had extended support to Sangma’s candidature as according to their party, the NDA had a better candidate than the UPA.

Katra July 17
The arrangements for the smooth conduct of the six-day annual Kounsar Nag Yatra in Mahore tehsil of Reasi district, commencing from July 21, were discussed at a meeting held under the chairmanship of District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Nirmal Sharma, today.

The DDC said efforts would be made to promote Kounsar Nag as a tourist destination. For the purpose, she asked the officers of the Tourism Department to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to popularise the spot by erecting hoardings at prominent locations, so that pilgrims after visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine could be diverted to such locations for the promotion of tourism in the district.

Discussions were held on various arrangements including medicare, transportation, board and lodging, provision of adequate ration, security, uninterrupted power and water supply.

They decided to make specific arrangements for providing medicare facilities to the yatris. For the purpose, six teams of doctors and paramedics would be stationed at specific locations with adequate stock of medicines and oxygen cylinders. The Army would also provide tents for the stay of the pilgrims at Harshu village, the base camp of the yatra.

The pilgrims, after their stay at the base camp in Mahore, would proceed for Kounsar Nag and pay their obeisance on Nag Panchami, which falls on July 23.

The yatris would cover different locations of Reasi district, including Salal, Arnas, Dharmari, Mahore, Chasana and Sungri, to reach Kounsar Nag.

Among others, Additional SP, Reasi; Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mahore; Assistant Commissioner Development; Chief Medical Officer; ARTO ; president, Kounsar Nag Yatra Samiti and officers of the PHE, the PWD, the PDD, tourism and CA&P departments attended the meeting.

Rajouri, July 17
The Saaj based Rashtriya Rifles Battalion under the aegis of Counter Insurgency Force (Romeo) organised a five-day trekking expedition for schoolchildren from July 12 to 16. The adventure activity was planned in collaboration with the Everest Mountaineering Club, Rajouri.

The participants included 18 students from Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Saaj, and Government Higher Secondary School, Fatehpur.

The participants were flagged off from Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Saaj, on July 12. The trekkers visited Kharimarg, Shakarmarg, and Thand.

Maharajker Singh Isher, general secretary, Everest Mountaineering Club, Rajouri, appreciated the initiative undertaken by Rishtriya Rifles to promote mountaineering and trekking among the youth. Certificates of participation were awarded to all participants by the organizers and were also given honorary membership of the Everest Mountaineering Club, Rajouri. The closing ceremony of the trekking expedition was attended by a number of civil dignitaries and parents of the participating youth.

Katra, July 17
With a view to building scientific temper among students, the 2nd District-Level Science Exhibition commenced at Government Higher Secondary School here today.

The two-day exhibition is being organised by the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) under centrally sponsored INSPIRE scheme.

District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Nirmal Sharma, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the exhibition. As many as 185 science models from different government educational institutions from all six zones of Reasi district have been displayed at the exhibition.

The DDC went round the exhibition to examine the models. She also interacted with the students and teachers.

The working models prepared by meritorious students of different schools on ecosystem, pollution, water purification, greenhouse effect, water cycle, energy conservation and green roof gardening got special appreciation from the visitors.

DIET Principal Vinay Lata said 185 meritorious students were selected from different government schools of the district under INSPIRE scheme to prepare a science project.

She said the best entries from the district would be selected a state-level exhibition and further the best entries there would be invited to take part at a national-level exhibition in the near future.

Jammu, July 17
Dr Aniece Chowdhary, Principal, Government Medical College, Jammu, today visited the emergency unit and the disaster ward of the hospital to review the medicare being extended to the victims of the Ramban bus accident. This comes after directions were issued by Minister for Medical education RS Chib to ensure best diagnostic and treatment facilities to victims.

Dr Manoj Chalotra, medical superintendent, Dr Wasiq Rasool, deputy medical superintendent, Dr Utam Singh Samyal, in charge, casualty, and Dr Sanjeev Gupta, in charge, control room, accompanied the principal.

Chowdhary said of the 14 bodies in the mortuary, three were handed over to the CRPF authorities, Bantalab, for last rites after proper identification. Seven more were flown to Patna today after embalming.

The rests of the bodies are being kept in the mortuary for identification by their relatives.

Dr Chowdhary took serious notice of the unhygienic conditions in front of the disaster ward. He warned the contractor to ensure hygienic and healthy atmosphere on the premises, besides providing quality eatables to the people.

He said such dilapidated hospital canteens could further deteriorate patients’ health.

He warned the canteen’s owner to strictly adhere to the terms and conditions laid down in the agreement.

Jammu, July 17
Challenger Cricket Club (CCC) defeated Singh Cricket Club (SCC) by a margin of 120 runs to lift the trophy of the 4th Pawan Memorial T20 Cricket Tournament at Government Higher Secondary School, Akhnoor, today.

Batting first, CCC scored 213 runs. Ashu made 85 runs off just 43 balls. Parveen Singh and Vimarsh Kaw contributed valuable 47 and 45 runs, respectively. For SCC, Dilawar Singh, Shubam Khajuria and Nitin Mehra claimed one wicket apiece.

In reply, SCC was bowled out for 93 runs in 15 overs. Shubam Khajuria contributed 29 runs off 20 balls. Dilawar Singh, Sumit Rajput and Jasvinder Singh scored 13, 11 and 10 runs, respectively. For CCC, Ram Dayal took four wickets. Ashwani, Manik Gupta and Deepak Singh Manhas shared one wicket each.

Ashu was declared the man of the match.

Ram Dayal was declared the man of the series.

Rohit Sharma was declared the best batsman of the tournament.

Dilbag Singh, IGP, Jammu, was the chief guest on the occasion and Col Muktesh Kapil, CO 91 Medium Regiment was the guest of honour.

The winners were presented a cash prize of Rs 20,000 along with a trophy and runners-up team was awarded a cash prize of Rs 10,000 along with a trophy from the chief guest and the guest of honour.

The match was officiated by Sadiq Hussain Malik, Joginder Mangotra and Srikant.

Jammu, July 17
J&K Bank (A) and RCF Kapurthala have secured a berth in the final of the ongoing 14th J&K Police Martyrs Memorial Football Tournament.

In the first semifinal, RCF Kapurthala defeated Uttrakhand Police by 3-0.

In second semifinal, J&K Bank (A) defeated Punjab Police by a single goal.

The matches were officiated by Zahoor Khan, Farooq Shaheen, Farooq Khan, Rakesh Kumar, Muzafar Ahmad, Riyaz Ahmad, Hilal Ahmad, and Reyaz Ahmad.

The Tournament is being organised by J&K Police under the patronage of DGP K Rajendra Kumar. — TNS