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Shutdown hits life in Jagti
Panun Kashmir vows to back migrants
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Ailing power sector in for privatisation
Restoration work goes slow in Channi Himmat area
Transport minister’s cavalcade gives commuters tough time
Law students continue stir for third day at university
Schools evading sports fund
Indiscipline at its peak in Batote school
They inspire a generation of students
Teachers’ Day celebrated with fervour
ETT students left in the lurch
CCB election campaign gains momentum
Reptile blocks tap, pulled out
J&K tie 4-4 with Kerala in hockey
Suchi wins cross country race at JU
GHSS Ghagwal beat HSS Uttarbahni
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Shutdown hits life in Jagti
Jammu, September 5 Following the conditions of some Kashmiri Pandits sitting on the fast unto death deteriorated, the angry youths forced shopkeepers to down their shutters and did not public transport vehicles to ply inside the township. Condition of Ajay Bhat, Rajinder Pandita, Kaka Ji Kachroo who are on a fast unto death in support of their demand to increase cash relief worsened. Kaka Ji Kachroo was shifted to the hospital today evening. Veer Ji Raina, a relief holder, said, “There is still some relaxation for private vehicles. But if the government keeps ignoring us like this, we will not be mute spectators. We will come on roads and block the national highway. Construction of the township has been very helpful for the government as people protesting in the outskirts of the city hardly make any difference to the government.” “The government had promised to speed up the process and they had sent the proposal to the Central government as well but nothing has been done yet. Our case is a dead issue for them,” Raina added. Pinky Koul, a housewife, said, “Schoolbuses are not coming inside the township as they are not allowed to enter. Also the shops are closed for the last three days. Adding to our woes, the government is providing us six hours electricity per day. Shifting here has proved to be a curse for us. At times, we realise that one room shanty accommodation was far better than this satellite township.” It was on June 20 that the state Cabinet had sent recommendations to the Ministry of Home Affairs to give the approval for enhancement of cash relief up to Rs 10,000. But no reply has been received from the ministry since then. |
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Panun Kashmir vows to back migrants
Jammu, September 5 “The existing cash relief is grossly inadequate to even a bare minimum subsistence level. The destitution in the camps has only increased alongside the government apathy." Reiterating their support to Kashmiri Pandit residents of Jagti refugee settlement, Chrungoo said, “The indefinite hunger strike by residents of the Jagti camp is a cause of concern for the entire Kashmiri Pandit community. The community stands behind the residents of Jagti camp." |
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Ailing power sector in for privatisation
Jammu, September 5 The department has hired the services of the PriceWaterHouseCoopers for preparing the blueprint for setting up of the transmission and distribution (T&D) companies in the state. Initially, the agency has engaged some 100 employees (on contractual basis) to distribute electricity bills, reading of electric meters and preparation of defaulter lists on trial basis. Officials said the PDD authorities had engaged the agency for distribution of bills and reading of electric meters in the areas falling under Sub-Division-3 of Parade Division in old Jammu city. “As per earlier arrangement, the consumers will make the payment of their electricity bills in the bank but the employees of private agency will keep a close watch on the distribution of electricity by discouraging the power pilferage,” sources said. Sources said the highly populated areas of the city having 20,000 or more power connections would be divided into two parts. “This is being done for hassle-free distribution of electricity bills. The process has also been started in Gandhi Nagar division,” sources said. The state cabinet had accorded sanction to the setting up of a state transmission company and two distribution companies-- one each for Kashmir and Jammu regions besides a Tradeco (holding company) under the Companies Act, 1956. Sources said the state transmission company would take over the job being performed by the System and Operation Wings of the department in both the regions. “The establishment of these companies will bring in more accountability in the department. The Tradeco would deal in purchase and selling of the power.” The state faces high power deficit with a loss of over Rs 2,200 crore during the last financial year. The high technical losses occurred due to existing outdated system while commercial losses took place because of theft, unaccounted and uncontrolled consumption of power beyond agreement load and high number of unregistered consumers. |
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Restoration work goes slow in Channi Himmat area
Jammu, September 5 The main market at the Channi Himmat area is a classic example of this. Over a month ago, the sidewall of the sewerage drain in the market was split for widening but no restoration work has started so far. Ekta, a resident of Channi, said the road had been dug up for widening of drain for past over one-and-half month. “It is not for the first time that existing structures have been dismantled on the name of renovation and development. No one is concerned about the inconvenience caused to residents. If we complain to some agency, they shift the responsibility on someone else.” Channu Sharma, another Channi resident, said due to the long delay in the restoration work, people were facing inconvenience. “We get stuck in traffic jams near the market most of the time. It is not the fault of motorists as hardly any road is left there. The lump of dug-up material also leads to chaos. We do not have any local representative to raise our voice as the government has not conducted municipal elections,” Sharma said. Adhiraj, a local trader, said the delay in maintenance works was affecting their business. “The business community is the worst sufferer. We already have been hit badly by the lackadaisical approach of the authorities. Customers have choices but we do not have,” the trader said. |
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Transport minister’s cavalcade gives commuters tough time
Rajouri, September 5 The minister had come to attend a Teachers’ Day function at the Girls Higher Secondary School, Rajouri. While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has made it a point while following the traffic rules as he stops his cavalcade at any traffic light junction waiting for it to turn green in Srinagar. But it seems that transport minister Shabir Ahmed Khan is not bothered when it comes to obeying traffic rules. Sources said after the minister’s convoy was parked in the middle of the busy market near Salani bridge, there was a massive traffic chaos on various routes. Traffic remained closed for half-an-hour on the bridge as there was no other alternate route on the stretch. This route connects the old city with the district hospital, Thanmandi and the Mughal Road. However, when situation started worsening and people voiced their concern, the cavalcade was taken off road to Gujjar Mandi. Khan had a busy schedule due to the Teacher’s Day celebrations and various rallies in the town. “The Transport Minister needs to follow traffic rules first and then to ask the commuters to follow,” one of vehicle drivers apparently annoyed over this said. Traffic congestion on this particular stretch becomes acute particularly during school hours. |
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Law students continue stir for third day at university
Jammu, September 5 The students met the Vice-Chancellor and demanded that a strict disciplinary action should be taken against Kulwant Singh, the director, for his alleged misbehaviour. It has been alleged that Singh interfered while a faculty member was taking class which led to tension between the two. The students expressed discontent over the inaction on part of the university administration and the police in the matter. The agitation comes at the heels of a recent agitation led by a student union protesting against harassment of girls and cases of eve-teasing outside major colleges in the city. Many student unions have come forward to support the ongoing agitation. The president of the National Panthers Student Union, Virender Singh, and National Secular Forum president Dr
Vikas Sharma had yesterday demanded the director be removed from his post with immediate effect along with facing
an enquiry. Recently, the head of the Department of Mathematics was also under scanner for alleged harassment. The Vice-Chancellor, however, has not issued any statement regarding carrying an enquiry into the matter. Virender Singh, NPSU president, said there was delay on part of the administration in removing the director from his post. Talking to
mediapersons, he said, “Not only should the director be penalised for tarnishing the image of the department and the university, a strict action should be taken against him immediately.” A student from the Law School said, “Though girls are often encouraged to file a case in cases of harassment, it becomes fodder for gossip when we do so. It makes things worse for victims in such cases as the police and administration take time in responding to complaints.” |
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Schools evading sports fund
Jammu, September 5 Sources said before the commencement of the ongoing competitions in various disciplines by the DYSS, a circular was issued by the department wherein it was mentioned that the students of the institutions who had failed to deposit the games fund would not be allowed to compete in the events. They said the department was particularly concerned about the private institutions who had not deposited the funds despite issuance of many reminders. The District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu, Tirath Ram, had convened a meeting of all the 14 zonal physical education officers emphasising on the collection of the funds at the earliest, said the sources. Tirath Ram instructed the officers to visit the institutions personally for the task. Sources said the efforts of the officials had yielded results with a few institutions agreeing to deposit the same but the process was very slow. Sources claim one reason why most of the schools were dodging the payment was the lenient approach of the DYSS, which allowed some of the defaulting institutions to field their students in the competitions. A senior DYSS official, who confirmed the development, told The Tribune, “There is a need to take some strict measures in order to put pressure on the erring institutions.” Though, the department had convinced some of the institutions, the pace of the fund collection was slow really slow. Moreover, a large number of institutions are still evading the formalities,” the official claimed. “These institutions are earning so much but are hesitant to deposit their share of the games fund in the district pool,” he rued. As per the data, out of 2,511 institutions in Jammu district, which include 1,528 government and 983 private schools, only 222 institutions have deposited the fund. Out of these 222 institutions, 150 are government while 72 are private schools. Playing spoiltsport
Out of 2,511 institutions in Jammu district, which include 1,528 government and 983 private schools, only 222 institutions have deposited the School Games Fund. Out of these 222 institutions, 150 are government while 72 are private schools |
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Indiscipline at its peak in Batote school
Batote, September 5 Police sources said the clash erupted when a boy of class 11th pushed his classmate while entering their classroom in front of a teacher yesterday afternoon. The second boy retaliated, making the ‘bully’ furious, who called his friends from his mobile phone and challenged the boy to meet him during the recess. During the lunch-break, the accused, with the help of his friends, allegedly dragged the victim outside the school gate and assaulted him with sticks. When one of the victim’s classmates tried to intervene, he was hit by a stone injuring his head. Students said their principal, Vimal Rai, watched helplessly from his office window while the both the parties clashed. The investigating police officer said, “Though we have received a written complaint from 17 students and a teacher, we have not registered an FIR yet as they are minors. However, we will deal with the accused in a reformative way tomorrow.” |
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They inspire a generation of students
Jammu, September 5 Sailesh Kumari is principal of a remote school, located 50 km from the Jammu city. She travels long distance every day to reach her school. Dr Iffat Shah is another example of a teacher reaching out to the society at large and promoting humanity beyond classrooms. She has helped students from economically backward families attain basic education which in turn has resulted in scores of students getting empowered through education. Dr Jaspal Warwal is an example of an academician who toiled hard to help diffuse higher education at university and college level through distance education. Dr Warwal was heading the M.Ed section of the distance education directorate till recently has now taken over as B.Ed coordinator. Under his supervision learning centres across seven centres around Jammu have helped educate thousands of students every year. Dr Baljindar Singh Nusralli who is currently heading the Punjabi Department at Jammu University has inspired a whole generation of students to take more interest in Punjabi literature. My students give me strength to learn and teach something new every day. I find peace of mind in school and will always be there for my students who have taught me more than I can ever express —Sailesh Kumari, principal A teacher’s role goes beyond classroom teaching. For me, it is important to instill self-confidence in my students and help them achieve their goals through self
empowerment —Dr Iffat Shah “My students are an integral part of my thinking. It is a personal endeavour for me to see to it that students across the social spectrum get a chance at completing higher education —Dr Jaspal Warwal I would see my students make a mark in the field of academics in the coming years and give back to the society good education —Dr Baljindar Singh Nusralli
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Teachers’ Day celebrated with fervour
Poonch, September 5 Principal of the college Prof GL Sharma was the chief guest on the occasion and Poonch ADDC Anwar Hussain Shah and Poonch Additional SP Yougal Manhas were the guests of honour. About 30 students and teachers took part in the symposium titled ‘Teachers are the builders of the nation’. The Jammu Intellectual Forum honoured Prof GL Sharma with the first Prof Dev Rattan Memorial Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of education and social work. The award has been constituted in the memory of Late Dr Dev Rattan Shastri, an eminent educationist, who started his career from the college in 1955. The day was also celebrated at the Government Higher Secondary School, Lassana, Surankote. Besides students and teachers, academicians and intellectuals from Surankote tehsil also spoke on the occasion. Principal of the school Sudarshan Sharma he wanted to inculcate moral and ethical values among his students. He said teachers should also be worthy enough to be role models for the students. |
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ETT students left in the lurch
Jammu, September 5 Sources said the BOSE had declared the results of first year but there were more than 5,000 students whose results were withheld due to non-submission of some formalities. Those students whose result was not declared then approached their respective colleges for submission of their formalities. Sources added that after the formalities were submitted, the result of these students was declared by the JKBOSE in a phased manner. Recently, JKBOSE had fixed September 15 as tentative date for conducting examination of second year and also asked all the ETT institutions to inform the students well in time to avoid any mess, sources claimed. Those students whose results were declared late were not allowed by the JKBOSE to sit in the examination claiming that they (students) had not attended 180 days of compulsory teaching classes. However, the aggrieved students have expressed concern over the alleged adamant attitude of the JKBOSE. |
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CCB election campaign gains momentum
Jammu, September 5 While introducing the team, the spokesperson for the panel, Rajiv Chuni, said that the panel was a mixture of old and new faces. “We wanted that there should be a sense of satisfaction among the shareholders of the bank when they looked at the team members, who are known for their credentials,” Chuni said, adding that they were capable of managing the day-to-day affairs of the bank. The panel includes Anil Gour, Ashwani Puri, Ayodhya Kumar, Kuldeep Raj Gupta, Onkar Seth, Rajiv Chuni, Rajiv Mahajan, Romesh Chander and Surinder Singh. The team members vowed to improve the financial health of the bank and make the working more advanced. They said special attention would be given to funding aspiring entrepreneurs. They promised setting up of a special cell for providing effective clientele services. Over 17,000 shareholders of the bank will decide the fate of the contesting candidates. However, another group of contesting candidates has alleged that some “frivolous practices” were being carried out to support some “blue-eyed” candidates who were in the race for the elections. Former Mayor of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Narinder Singh, who is one of the contesting candidates, alleged that the voter list were “totally asymmetrical”. He said that there were some contestants who had FIRs lodged against them by the bank authorities. He appealed to the Jammu Divisional Commissioner to take action against the irregularities in the election. |
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Reptile blocks tap, pulled out
Batote, September 5
“The water supply had been very irregular and we had not received water from August 1 to August 18 and from August 31 till date. This morning when I saw water trickling down from my lawn tap, I was delighted but my joy was shortlived as the overhead reservoir was not receiving water. When I opened the tap, I found over one-feet-long snake-like swollen reptile blocking the pipe. As soon as I pulled it out, the water started gushing,” said Surinder Singh Raina of Ward No. of Tringla Batote. He alleged that because of the callous and discriminatory attitude of the PHE employees, there have been several quarrels among the residents over the supply of water and the cases were reported to the police. Junior Engineer KC Sharma denied the allegations. However, Executive Engineer MR Khan didn’t rule out the possibility and assured to look into the matter.
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J&K tie 4-4 with Kerala in hockey
Jammu, September 5 The J&K dominated the proceedings in the first half by playing aggressively. Tarvinder Pal Singh converted a penalty corner into a goal in the 9th minute while Abhinandan Singh slammed another goal in the 18th minute. The J&K team went on to stretch its lead through Abhinandan Singh and Jatinder Singh to make it 4-0. After early hiccups, the Kerala team clawed their way back during the second half with an improved game plan. Despite trailing by 2 goals till the 60th minute, they managed to score field goals through Sarin in the 63rd minute and Sandeep in the 69th minute to end the match in a tie. In the other matches of the day, the Chhattisgarh team defeated the Gujarat team by 8-0 in a pool C match, the Maharashtra beat the Uttarakhand team by 5-0 in a pool E match, the Bengal team beat the Assam, the SAI, Bhopal, beat the Tamil Nadu team by 5-0 in pool E and the Karnataka team beat the Chandigarh by 2-0 in pool G. |
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Suchi wins cross country race at JU
Jammu, September 5 Earlier, the Director, Sports and Physical Education, Prof Dhian Singh Bhau, flagged off the race. Meanwhile in the men’s category, Sajad Sadeeq of Government Degree College, Thanamandi, won the gold medal and Angrez Singh of Government Degree College, Udhampur, secured the silver medal. Santosh Kumar of GGM Science College claimed the bronze medal. The race was conducted under the technical supervision of coach Nirmal Singh. |
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GHSS Ghagwal beat HSS Uttarbahni
Jammu, September 5 Earlier, Samba District Development Commissioner Mubarak Singh inaugurated the tournament which is being played in the disciplines of Kabaddi and Kho-Kho. About 400 students are participating in the event which has been organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports. In other matches in the U-19 Kabaddi, the HSS, Nud, toppled the HSS and Gurah Salathia, by 21 points. |
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