Jammu, November 10
Traffic police department’s claims of taking “effective corrective” measures to weed out corruption from roads seem to be far removed from reality. Men in uniform are allegedly forcing mini bus and bus operators into payoffs in exchange for overlooking visible violations.

This goes on despite the fact that the traffic police had done away with all the check-points on the national highway from Lakhanpur to Jawahar Tunnel following complaints of truckers and bus operators. Strict checking through joint mobile checking squads against life-threatening traffic violations such as over-loading, over-speeding, drunk driving and invalid driving licences is also said to have been initiated.

Official sources said the traffic police had decided to introduce a “one-time checking slip system” to avoid inconvenience to the drivers. “The drivers were asked to voluntarily come forward with valid documents of their vehicles before a checking slip is issued. Most of the vehicles still don’t get the slips and they end up paying the policemen,” said a source.

A mini bus operator said nobody could stop traffic policemen from charging entry fee from bus, mini bus and truck operators. “The decision to do away with the check posts was just an eyewash. I have been paying Rs 3,000 (Rs 100 each at 30 points) every month for plying a mini bus between Panjthirthi and Shastri Nagar despite the fact that I have all the valid documents. The payment of Rs 3,000 doesn’t mean they will spare us as we are still being harassed on one pretext or another,” he added.

Asked about the rampant road violations by mini bus drivers, he said, “If we don’t go for overloading, we will not be able to make up for the monthly cost of the vehicle. Both policemen and transporters are at fault for different reasons.”

On September 29, the traffic police department had abolished all static traffic check-points on the national highway from Lakhanpur. The decision was apparently taken after a clash between traffic cops and drivers when the former had allegedly demanded Rs 300 as “entry charges” from a bus driver. The department had decided that henceforth, there would be no individual traffic checking at the selected static points on the national highway.

Another driver, who runs a mini bus between Panjthirthi and Talab Tillo-Bohri, said, “Earlier, they used to demand anything between Rs 50 and Rs 100 per point, but they now demand Rs 200 per point. On the one hand, the increase in fuel prices has become a routine and on the other, traffic policemen are demanding entry charges. It is an open loot and nobody bothers to deal with it sternly.”

There are 6,107 buses, 7,382 mini buses, 25,613 trucks and tankers, 4,871 taxis and 15,078 three-wheelers in the Jammu region. Representatives of mini bus and bus operators unions have been demanding lowering of the number of traffic nakas (check-points) on roads.

Jammu Deputy Inspector General (DIG) traffic, Shakeel Ahmed Beig, rubbished the allegations of transporters and said drivers should come to him with written complaints.

“The allegations hold no ground. They should come to me and I assure you that we will suspend the policemen if they are found to be charging them,” the DIG said.

Jammu, November 10
In Jammu, no steps have yet been taken by the Municipal Corporation to deal expeditiously with the stray dog problem on roads. Citizens, particularly late night drivers are, as a result, in the grip of fear psychosis.

Even after one year, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has failed to start the project to tag pets in the city to distinguish between stray animals and domesticated ones. The plan was to bring dogs and cattle under the project’s purview, but any concrete steps are yet to be taken.

People in many localities even hesitate to come out of their homes during the evening hours.

“A few years back, the district administration had ordered steps for checking stray dog problem and take immediate measures for sterilisation under Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, but the drive was never undertaken due to lack of resources,” said a municipal official.

Officials say mushrooming of residential colonies and accompanying garbage dumps have contributed to the problem.

"Stray dogs often chase pedestrians, making it difficult for people, especially the aged and school-goers, to move around freely," said Afaq Ahmed Wani, resident of Gujjar Nagar.

JMC Commissioner KL Khajuria said they were waiting for sufficient funds for the purpose, and from time to time, sterilisation campaign is being carried out.

“It needs a massive effort and the corporation does not have resources. We have submitted a proposal to the government in this regard. But people should not throw solid waste openly,” Khajuria said.

Jammu, November 10
Accusing the state government of treating them as “second class citizens”, migrants from the erstwhile Doda district today staged a demonstration at the historic Mubarak Mandi complex, demanding a rehabilitation package on a par with Kashmiri migrants.

Doda migrants protest in Mubarak Mandi, Jammu, on Saturday. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh

The migrants raised slogans against the state government and alleged that discrimination with Jammu migrants resulted in starvation as they had been deprived of basic amenities like food, shelter and clothes.

Addressing the protesters, Ghulam Mohi-u-Din Beigh, chairman of the erstwhile Doda migrant committee, said Jammu migrants were facing serious hardships due to “political victimisation”.

“We were forced to migrate from our villages by terrorism because we acted against terrorists in 1990 and after migration, our people took shelter in Reasi, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts. Most of them were illiterate and are still living in a pathetic condition,” Beigh said.

He further said they had been staging a dharna at Mubarak Mandi for the last eight years, demanding relief on a par with Kashmiri migrants, but nothing has been done so far.

Beigh said Jammu migrants were being treated as “B-grade citizens” and the state government had even ignored the Supreme Court’s directions. He demanded rehabilitation of Doda migrants and other migrants of Jammu region on a par with Kashmiri migrants.

Ravinder Raina, general secretary of J&K Tehreek-e-Insaf, claimed there were about 10,000 migrant families in Jammu region and a majority of them belonged to erstwhile Doda, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch districts.

He said it was shocking that on one hand, the government had drafted a policy for those who took guns in their hands and killed innocent people and on the other, the state government had completely ignored such people.

Jammu, November 10
If you happen to visit the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) building in Jammu, there is one thing you will hardly miss- huge traffic snarls on the road outside it.

Those who come to pay bills at the BSNL office or visit the RBI office park their vehicles on the main road outside the offices thereby making it difficult for other vehicles to ply on the road. This despite the fact that the RBI complex is is guarded by the Central Reserve Police Force personnel.

Though a parking lot has been maintained for vehicles but people prefer parking in the road since the parking fee is high. Parking fee for a car is somewhere between Rs 20 and 30. Surprisingly, no challans are issued against the violators.

Sandeep sharma, another local resident, said: “Traffic chaos has become a norm in the city. Bahu Plaza is one of the prime locations in Jammu with all the official complexes being there. Little efficiency by the BSNL, RBI and traffic police officials can do wonders.”

Girdhari Lal, deputy general manager, BSNL, Jammu, said, “When the office complex was being constructed, the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) should have thought about the parking issue. They are charging Rs 20 for parking which is high.”

Ratna Basnota, an official with the BSNL, said, “We have ‘drop your cheque’ box installed at the building. One need not stand in a long queue and park their vehicles for hours to submit the bill. A person can drop his payments via cheque also. An acknowledgement SMS is delivered to the customer within 24 hours.”

Sources said the RBI had asked the JDA authorities to provide parking space for its customers.

Manmohan Singh, SSP, Jammu Traffic, assured an immediate action would be taken in this regard.

Jammu, November 10
Welcoming the statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the government will take up with Centre the issue of opening the Jammu-Sialkot route for trade, the All Jammu Hotels & Lodges Association (AJHLA) has urged the government to expedite the issue further.

AJHLA president Inderjeet Khajuria said he would call a meeting of the representatives of various trade and travel organisations to form a united front for chalking out a line of action to see the road was opened soon. He said the Suchetgarh border post could become a popular tourist destination.

Recalling the close ties between the cities of Jammu and Sialkot before the partition, Khajuria said the opening route would serve as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

The association demanded that the Suchetgarh border post be developed on the pattern of the Wagah border post with holding of ceremonial parade during evening time and also unfurl the national flag there.

This will promote tourism in Jammu and also help the region and the state economically alongside the Pakistani side of Punjab, he said.

The AJHLA also demanded that the road between Jammu and Suchetgarh be made four lanes and the entire border belt from Kathua to Akhnoor should be developed for tourism purpose.

Among others present during the meeting were AJLA senior vice-president Ajay Gupta, vice-president BS Manhas, general secretary Pawan Gupta, treasurer Baldev, Amarjeet Singh and Sunil Suri. 

Jammu, November 10
Crime Branch Jammu today arrested an absconder, allegedly involved in duping gullible people, after a gap of eight years.

The absconder, identified as Rajinder Bhat of Vyas market, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, was sent to judicial custody by the court.

The official spokesperson said the accused, in connivance with Varinder Koul, the then Managing Director of Endowment Agro Project, BA Manhas, Managing Director of Ocan Agro Form, Hamidullah Dar, Director and PK Raina, Regional Manager, had started publicity and installation of hoardings in connection with opening of their branches in the state with dishonest and fraudulent intent. They were out to allure innocent people into depositing money with their finance companies, promising to return double of the deposited amount within four-and-a-half years.

The complainant, along with other depositors, deposited money with these finance companies at its branch at Tirath Nagar, Talab Tillo, Jammu.

Later, the complainant and other depositors approached the accused time and again for all payments, but in vain. The accused allegedly duped the complainant and other depositors of their hard-earned money.

Jammu, November 10
The Department of Youth Services and Sports director JP Singh said there was no logic behind selecting weak teams for mere participation in important national-level competitions.

This, he said, while justifying the decision of the DYSS for not sending its basketball contingent in the 58th National School Games given its poor track record in the past.

“It is high time now that decisive steps should be taken to uplift the standard of important disciplines. It will be possible only if we properly analyse the strengths and weaknesses of our teams,” Singh said while talking to The Tribune.

About stopping other contingents from participating in the remaining disciplines of the National School Games, the DYSS director said, “Though the performance of the state contingent is weak in other important disciplines, the department cannot stop them all at one time for competing in the events.”

“Cancellation of all the contingents participating in important disciplines is not the solution of the problem. The process will be carried out in a phased manner so we shall be able to plug the loopholes in our preparation and then send the contingent with a better hope of fetching medals in prestigious sporting events,” added Singh.

He said the department was planning to organise coaching camps in important disciplines to provide rigorous training to sportspersons so they could not only hone their skills but also compete with self confidence.

Non-participation of the basketball team has drawn criticism from players who have blamed the sports department for not providing adequate facilities to them. “It is better not to send team for participation in such a scenario but the department is equally responsible for the poor standard of sports in the state,” said one of the players pleading anonymity.

“Neither the DYSS has conducted any tournament nor has it organised any coaching camp for us. It has deprived us from crucial practice,” another player claimed.

“Performance of the state contingent in other important disciplines is not up to the mark and it remains to see whether they will be allowed to compete or not,” he added.

Jammu, November 10
With the World Diabetes Day falling on November 14, the J&K Fine Arts 
Society in collaboration with the Janta Diabetes Care Centre Talab Tillo today organised a painting cum-poster making contest on diabetes.

More than 150 students from 20 schools took part in the painting contest in junior and senior categories.

The themes of the contest were ‘know your disease and live longer’, ‘fast food kills fast’, ‘control your diabetes to prevent complications’ and ‘optimum calories, lesser the diabetes and insulin a friend in need’.

Dr Raj Kumar Sharma, senior diabetologist, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, who has been working to make people aware about the disease and remove the myths about management of diabetes, deliberated upon various aspects in the management of the disease.

He said certain precautions could help in the management of diabetes and prevent long-term complications.

He further said that by regular monitoring of blood sugar and consultation with doctor, long-term complications of heart, kidney, brain, eyes and legs which were case of great morbidity and mortality could be checked.

Jammu, November 10
The J&K Sports Power Lifting Association has selected the its team for participation in the forthcoming National Power Lifting Championship to held at Samrala in Ludhiana from November 15 to 18. 

The team was selected on merit in presence of Rakesh Jain, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Lifting Association; Ashok Mahajan, vice president, Rajan Jain, general secretary, Ajay Sharma, Ashish Sharma, Gurumukh Singh and Rajesh Dutta, joint secretary. Rajan Jain, general secretary of the association, will accompany the team alongwith other officials. 

Jammu, November 10
Hosts Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) team was bowled out for 215 runs in 93 overs in their first innings to concede a decisive 105 runs lead to Odisha on the second U-25 cricket match at the GGM Science College Hostel Ground here today. Gokul Baru waged a lone battle against the disciplined bowling of the visiting team. He scored 58 runs off 166 balls including three hits to the fence. Owais Shah (29) Divya Pratap (26) and Syed Sagar (21) were other notable scorers.

For Odisha, Laganjit Samal had the best haul with four wickets while Priyatosh took two. Earlier, despite a fiery spell by speedster Sahil Sharma who took six wickets giving away 71 runs, Odisha still managed to accumulate 320 runs in 84.2 overs in their first innings. Paramanik struck a brilliant century followed by an 82-run knock by Alok Sahoo. Syed Sagar, Owais Shah, Wasim Raja and Amir Mehraj shared a wicket each for J&K. — TNS

Rajouri, November 10
The Municipal Corporation and Health Department officials of the district today collected samples from various sweets and cheese dealers in Rajouri to check adulterated food items. Adulteration of sweets is quite rampant in the town.

The teams also inspected usage of spurious materials ahead of Divali. — OC

Poonch, November 10
At least 10 persons including two children were injured, while three of them were reported critical, after a police jeep of DIG’s squad and a packed Tavera collided at Dhundak on Jammu-Poonch highway under jurisdiction of Surankote police station.

The mishap occurred around 8.50 am after a police jeep and a Tavera, both driving at a high speed, collided at Dhundak, injuring five policemen and passengers travelling in a Tavera. The police jeep of DIG Rajouri-Poonch Danish Rana was on its way to Poonch with the DIG in connection with the CM’s Poonch visit. It collided with a Tavera passenger vehicle which was on its way to Jammu. The injured were taken to Surankote sub-district hospital.

Five policemen, Rakesh Kumar, Suresh Kumar, Padam Dev Singh, Mohd Asgar and Satnam Singh sustained injuries, while critically injured Rakesh Kumar, Suresh Kumar and Padamdev Singh were admitted in GMC Jammu.

Poonch, November 10
A girl was critically injured in what is stated to be an accidental gunfire at Hari Jabra village in Surankote tehsil in Poonch district here today.

The incident is said to have taken place at about 12.30 pm when Asia Ahmed, 16, daughter of Iqbal Hussain Shah and her brother Sarfraz Hussain were posing with the 12 bore gun of their father for taking a photograph; suddenly, the loaded gun went off and a bullet hit Asia’s left arm. The family members present on the occasion admitted the injured to Sub-district Hospital Surankote for treatment. The doctors, finding the condition serious, shifted the girl to GMC Jammu for specialised treatment, police said. Police has registered a case. — OC