Jammu, August 23
Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pradeep Gupta today chaired a meeting of senior officers to take stock of the damage caused to the motorable Balole bridge in Samba district due to heavy rain and to discuss steps for its early restoration.

Officers of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the R&B, Irrigation, GREF and other departments concerned attended the meeting.

The meeting was also attended by the DDC, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, the DDC, Samba, Mubarak Singh, the Chief Engineer, PWD (R&B), Tahseen Mustafa, and the Chief Engineer, Irrigation, Ashwani Sharma.

Gupta said the bridge was constructed by GREF and was under the control of the NHAI.

He asked the authorities concerned to immediately take measures in consultation with experts to avoid further damage to the bridge.

The meeting decided that till the necessary repairs were carried out, there would be no traffic movement on the bridge . An alternative bridge adjacent to the damaged one is operational for vehicular movement.

He asked the DDC, Samba, to personally monitor the repair work and ensure that it was completed in the shortest possible time.

The Balole bridge had suffered extensive damage due to flash floods triggered by incessant rain that lashed the region since last weekend.

Jammu, August 23
Four labourers were killed this morning when an under-construction wall collapsed in a factory in the Sarore area of Samba district.

Reports said Pramila Devi (25), Ganga Bai (25), Sumitri Devi (47) and Sohan Charna (45), all residents of Chhattisgarh, lost their lives as the under-construction wall collapsed while they were carrying out labour work at Flexo Industries in the Mean Sarkar area of Sarore.

Three of them died on the spot, while Ganga Bai succumbed to her injuries at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu.

A case under Section 304 A has been registered at the Bari Brahmina police station and investigation is under way.

Jammu, August 23
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party has demanded a high-level probe into all transfers in the Public Works Department (PWD), headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The party has alleged that the recent transfers made in various departments, especially the PWD (also known as the R&B Department), have demonstrated the “highly parochial and irrational nature” of the transfers.

“There was large-scale hanky-panky in the transfer list of 67 assistant executive engineers issued on Tuesday and the government should order a through probe into all such PWD transfers,” Panthers Party working chairman Harsh Dev Singh said in a statement here.

He pointed out that the PWD had persistently been under the scanner as 75 to 80 per cent of the planned funds were allegedly siphoned off in the form of commissions.

“Barely 18 to 20 per cent of the funds are actually utilised. The menace of paid transfers will further worsen things, resulting in work being hit in a department which is assigned the most significant job of infrastructure creation in the state,” he alleged.

He said transfers of government functionaries were supposed to be made in the interests of the administration so that the delivery of public services could be made more “efficacious and efficient”.

“The mechanism of transfers in the state is plagued with the menace of favouritism, nepotism and monetary and other extraneous consideration, with no regard to the individual’s suitability and efficiency for the prescribed job,” he said.

He alleged that what mattered most in transfers was political or bureaucratic clout and proximity to the corridors of power, which jeopardised the concept of transparency and accountability.

Urging for a sound transfer and promotion policy, the Panthers Party leader reminded the Chief Minister that he too was a member of the Prime Minister’s working group constituted for the purpose and he should take appropriate steps and ensure that the recommendations of the group were not consigned to the dustbin.

Jammu, August 23
Gulchain Singh Charak, a member of the Congress Working Committee and in charge of the party affairs in Punjab, Bihar and Chandigarh, has appreciated the decision of the state government to open new degree colleges in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement issued here, Charak stressed the need for setting up degree colleges in far-flung areas near the border belt of Arnia so that higher education did not take a back seat in the region.

“The state government needs to give top priority to the education needs of the people residing in the remote border belt. It will help them compete with their counterparts from other parts of the state,” Charak said.

Charak expressed concern over firing from across the border by Pakistan, which was posing a threat to farmers and their cattle. He urged the state government to take timely steps to ensure the safety and security of the people and animals living in the border area.

Jammu, August 23
Kabaddi players are up in arms against the J&K Amateur Kabaddi Association for not taking any initiatives to uplift the standard of the game in the state. Sources said that despite numerous reminders sent by players to office-bearers of the association to conduct regular activities and about renovation of the playfield on stadium premises, no concrete step had been taken.

The players while talking to The Tribune expressed resentment over the alleged inaction of the association.

“The J&K Amateur Kabaddi Association officials are least bothered about hardships being faced by us,” said one of the players.

“Few years back, there were so many activities such as district and state championships besides national level tournaments like Lala Hans Raj Memorial tournament hosted by the association but we are struggling to attend even a practice session due to pathetic condition of the playfield,” he said.

“Despite approaching the authorities for renovation of the existing playfield at MA Stadium, the office-bearers have shifted their focus to Green Field ground in Gandhi Nagar for conducting activities,” another player said.

“The association issues notification regarding registration of players for participation in nationals in various categories every year. But when it comes to participation, only selected players are eligible,” the player claimed.

“How can you expect from us to perform well in national championships when the association is not conducting district and state championships on regular basis,” the player remarked.

“Unless the association conducts regular activities, it is not possible to select the best team for participation in tournaments on national level. Players are selected on the basis of their performance in domestic competitions which unfortunately the association is struggling to organise,” the player rued.

Kuldeep Gupta, General Secretary of J&K Amateur Kabaddi Association said lack of support from J&K State Sports Council was responsible for the grim scenario.

“Now when there are clear instructions from the federation in Delhi that the game will be played on mats indoors, we are yet to receive the required mats for conducting tournaments,” Gupta said.

“For conducting tournament in a smooth manner, there is a requirement of around 124 mats but we have only one mat at our disposal,” Gupta added.

Batote, August 23
Communal tension that prevailed in the Gandoh area since last evening over the killing of a nomad youth was finally defused following the assurance of senior police officials to hold a fair probe into the matter. The officials promised the angry villagers that accused would be brought to the book at the earliest.

The tension gripped the Jakyas panchayat of Gandoh after a nomad youth from Tesa village of Dhadkai in Gandoh was allegedly murdered by some members of minority community yesterday.

DIG, Ramban-Doda-Kishtwar range, Garib Dass along with Doda SP MA Reshu and ASP Bhaderwah Roop Raj reached the spot in the late evening.

Sources said the anger kept brewing among the kin of the deceased until three suspects were arrested in the case. Residents were assured by a team of civil and police administration from Doda and Kishtwar districts to hold a fair investigation in the case. The burial of the killed youth was held only after they were assured of this. Thereafter, a post-mortem of the body was conducted by a team of three doctors of sub-district hospital, Gandoh at the Jakyas hospital.

The father of the deceased said a cow belonging to a special police officer (SPO)) from Ganddo village of Bari area was found dead in a nullah at Talani on Doda-Kishtwar border area. He added that on Tuesday, the SPO along with two others came to their thatched hut at Talani and blamed the father-son duo for killing the cow and demanded Rs 20,000 as compensation but later settled for Rs 12,000.

He said when his son did not turn up with the money, the accused SPO came to their hut on Wednesday and threatened to take the boy along forcibly.

“In the meantime, I asked my son to keep tea prepared till I bring a bull and a calf from the jungle. I had hardly covered some distance that I heard them accusing my son for being an informer of militants. I could recognize their voices. After a while I heard the shrieks of my son and rushed to the hut. On reaching there, I found my son lying dead on the floor having been strangulated with a scarf,” he said.

Udhampur, August 23
The NSS wing of the Government College for Women, Udhampur, organised a plantation drive in the college here on Tuesday.

Chief Conservator of Forests OP Sharma was the chief guest on the occasion. Sharma threw light on the benefits of plants. He delivered a lecture on “My earth, my duty”.

Principal Yudhvir Singh, NSS programme officer Rich Paul Singh, along with NSS volunteers, planted various varieties of plants.

The Principal exhorted the students to contribute their bit in making the college environment healthier and pollution-free. — TNS

Jammu, August 23
The Kashmiri Pandit youths have remained cut-off from the Valley for almost 22 years ever since their parents migrated to other places. Even as the state government recently announced a government job package for them, they do not find it worthwhile and are seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

Though attached with their roots, they do not see any future in the Valley. The Tribune talked to some Pandit youths on the issue:

• I was two-year-old when our family migrated to Jammu. I did all my studies here. Nothing can separate me from my homeland Kashmir. But I do not see any future there as opportunities are very less in the Valley. The migration has at least given us an exposure to go out and venture into new jobs and find the best opportunities out there.

— Meenakshi Bhat, M Tech student

• We have lived in a violence-free environment. Return is not possible till peace prevails in Kashmir. It is also not possible that we can sit idle till the time Kashmiri Pandits go back to their roots. Sky is the limit for the community youth. They are excelling in various professions. We cannot find these opportunities there.

— Priya Sadhu, employee with a private company

• Our parents undoubtedly have a longing for our homeland and we too are very much attached to our roots. But it does not mean that we will keep on struggling for that at the cost of our future. For me, there is no purpose of going back to Kashmir as we have got better opportunities outside the Valley.

— Mithelesh Kaul, student at IIT, Guwahati

• There are no career opportunities in J&K except few government jobs. We agree that our roots are in Kashmir and disconnecting us from our roots will be injustice to us. What is happening for the past 23 years has made one thing clear that we have to make our future secure. For good jobs, one has to go out. Staying in the state will be of no use.

— Pavan Pandita, engineer

• Announcing a government job package for the youth cannot lure the whole community to remain stuck to Kashmir. Talented and educated youth can find jobs anywhere across the globe. So why to keep struggling with the state government just for sake of identity? I personally do not find anything fascinating about Kashmir that too at a time when we have such a vast field to explore outside the state.

— Priyanka Sathoo, pharmacy graduate

Poonch, August 23
The National Youth Corps (NYC) held a protest rally at Surankote today, demanding continuation of their services and release of pending dues.

A large number of volunteers from the district assembled at the Dak Bungalow, Surankote raising their slogans against the state government. They held a protest march under the banner of All J&K NYC Volunteers Association.

State joint secretary, Sayed Bakar Ali Jaffri said, “The government should formulate a concrete policy to save the future of 8,000 educated volunteers”.

Sikander Nourani, district president of NYCs association urged the state government to consider the NYC volunteers case sympathetically. He said, “Despite playing an active part in the social casts census 2012, we denied any sorts of 
remuneration”.

He demanded early release in the six months remuneration and dues of social casts census 2012. “We have been voluntarily discharging duties in various departments. Keeping in view our contribution, we should be regularized on priority basis,” he said. — TNS

Jammu, August 23
Farmers are a worried lot these days following continuous heavy rain in the Jammu region.

While the region had experienced deficient rainfall till recently, the sudden increase in rainfall poses a threat to standing crops.

The downpour will affect the foodgrain crops like maize and paddy along with various vegetables. The dip in temperature may also result in late maturity of paddy crop.

Farmers are worried if the heavy rain continues for a couple of more days, the damage to crop will be indeed significant.

“There are certain belts in the region such as RS Pura, Bishnah, and Marh which are not dependant on rainfall for agriculture. Canal water is the main source of irrigation for crops there. These areas have sowed their crops well in time but the rainfall is proving to be an nuisance for them,” said Tejinder Singh, the president of Jammu and Kashmir Kissan Council.

“It’s only the Kandi belt in Jammu that may benefit from rains to an extent. But it is a time when such excessive rainfall is not needed even there. Those areas where paddy has been sown in time are also apprehensive about the quality of the crop as it will delay their maturity,” Singh said.

The Department of Agriculture has also issued advisory to farmers to keep draining out the stagnant water from their fields.

Dr MK Khushu, chief scientist and head of the Department of Agronomy at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences (SKUAST), Jammu, said, “The continuous rainfall is of no benefit for crops. Instead it will damage the crops and vegetables. The rice crop too will not mature in time if such weather conditions persist for a couple of more days.”

Dr Khushu said the weather conditions may not improve for next two days with the temperature also remaining down. “We have already advised the farmers to keep on draining stagnant water from crop fields as it is the only way to reduce the loss,” Dr Khushu said.

Batote, August 23
The Rashtriya Rifles and Counter Insurgency Force (Delta) today organised a rally for ex-servicemen at Maitra in Ramban.

The rally was organised to address the problems of Army veterans and veer naris where they were informed about the latest employment opportunities, Ex-Serviceman Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), bank and other welfare policies by the officers of State Bank of India, soldier board and the recruitment node and defence salary package (DSP) accounts.

A medical camp was also conducted for the betterment of veterans living in different areas of Ramban. The veterans were guided on how to procure ECHS cards, canteen cards, CSD facilities, pension claims and issues related to district administration.

The Army veterans expressed their gratitude to the Army on the occasion.

Jammu, August 23
Jammu Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dilbagh Singh inaugurated the 27th Jammu District Badminton Championship at the multi-purpose sports complex, MA Stadium, here today.

As many as 300 shuttlers are competing in the championship. IGP Dilbagh Singh is also the president of the association.

On the inaugural day, preliminary matches in the U-10 and U-17 age groups were conducted. Balbir Jamwal, general secretary said, the association was focussing on tapping the potential of rural youth. “Shuttlers from far-flung areas of the district are participating in the championship which is an encouraging sign,” said Balbir Jamwal. There is no dearth of talent in the rural youth and such tournaments would provide an opportunity to prove their mettle, he said.

Jammu, August 23
Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Mubarak Mandi, overcame the challenge of MIER by 2-0 in the summit showdown to clinch the U-19 girls’ badminton title in the ongoing Jammu district inter-school competitions.

In the semi-finals, MIER defeated JK Public School by 2-0 while the GHSS, Mubarak Mandi, had a last laugh against SOS Gole Gujral with identical margin. In the U-19 girls hockey, Presentation Convent toppled SOS Gole Gujral by a solitary goal to bag the top honours.

Meanwhile, in the U-19 boys tug-of-war competition, Guru Harkrishan Public School thrashed Oriental Academy by 2-0 to win the title. In the semi-finals, Oriental Academy defeated the HSS, Gole Gujral, by 2-0 and Guru Harkrishan Public School subdued St Peters School by 2-0. In the other matches played, Oriental Academy trounced BHSS Bishnah by 2-0 and St Peters Karan Bagh got the better of the HSS, Hari Singh, by 2-0.

In the tug-of-war girls final, Guru Harkrishan Public School, Nanak Nagar dispatched the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Mubarak Mandi, by 2-0 to bag top honours. In the semi-finals, the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Mubarak Mandi, outclassed St Peters School while Guru Harkrishan Public School got the better of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Canan Road.

In the U-19 yoga, Pooja of Dewan Badri Nath School secured the first position while Sapna of SOS Gole Gujral School and Shivalika of Dewan Badri Nath School bagged a silver and bronze medal respectively.

Jammu, August 23
A continued medical education (CME) programme was organised in the government hospital, Sarwal, today.

Continued programmes and activities include preventive education and check-ups for the general public and continued education for all levels of hospital employees. A chart of activities had been prepared for the programme. The topic of the discussion was “Malnutrition and dietary requirements of the people”.

The hospital formed an academic club under the chairmanship of the Medical Superintendent, Dr Arun Sharma.

The academic club consisted of Dr Vijay Sabharwal (ortho-specialist), Dr Sanjeev Kapoor (physician), Dr AK Bhardwaj (pathologist), Dr Maqbool A Zargar (ENT), Dr Sham Gupta (surgeon), Dr Farman Chowdhary (paeditriacian), Dr Shafiqua and Dr Jyotsana (gynaecologists), Dr Phunchak Narboo (dental surgeon), Dr Kamal Gandotra (anaesthetist) and Dr Dinesh Khajuria(radiologist) as its members.

Jammu, August 23
Omar Nabi hit a brilliant century to help the Star Cricket Club (SCC) register a ten-wicket victory over the Bijbehara Sports Club (BSC) in the ongoing Parvez Qureshi Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Kashmir University ground.

Batting first, the BSC was bowled out for 138 runs in 35.2 overs. In reply, the SCC did the needful in just 12.4 overs.

For BSC, Showkat was the top scorer with a 30 runs while Arman chipped in with a handy 18. From SCC, Khalid and Younis were the most successful bowlers with three wickets each.

Omar Nabi and Jahangir helped their team to reach the target in 12.4 overs.

Jammu, August 23
The Kathua police has arrested an absconder, who was wanted under the Forest Act for the past around two decades.

Reports said Sat Paul of Searbhala in RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district was wanted in a case registered under Sections 6, 15 and 16 of the Forest Act at the Kathua police station. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kathua, had issued warrants under Section 512 of the CrPC on January 16, 1993.

The accused person had been evading arrest since then, said the police. — TNS