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New highway to hit tourist-dependent towns
Akhoon reviews status of Srinagar-Leh highway
Congress infighting
Taj Mohiuddin |
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Congress nominates low-profile sarpanch
Sajjad Gani Lone
Congress for representation to Doda in Cabinet
Valley sees unexpected tourist rush during off season
Srinagar records coldest night of the season
CRPF holds welfare activities to win hearts in Valley
Tourism minister for completion of Sidhra golf course by March 2013
A govt teacher goes out of the way for philanthropic works
Ghulam Mohammad Shiekh
J-K lacks detailed data on diabetes
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New highway to hit tourist-dependent towns
Nandini, November 15 The project has already caused a sense of insecurity among hundreds of dhaba and tea-stall owners on the existing highway. The new highway will cut off
Nagrota, Nandini, Jajjar Kotli, Udhampur, Kud, Patnitop, Batote and several other townships from the highway due to construction of 12 tunnels and 11 four-lane bypasses. The National Highway Authority of India
(NHAI), which is executing the highway widening work between the two capital cities of Jammu and
Srinagar, will construct 11 major four-lane bypasses. The new highway will bypass
Pampore, Awantipora, Khanabal, Bijbehara, Wanpoh, Quazigund, Banihal,
Ramban, Chanderkote, Udhampur and Nagrota. “There are around 20 shops in
Nandini, famous for its cheese pakora, which will be cut off from the highway. The new passage will ruin their business as the area is entirely dependent on tourists and highway
travellers. Around 10,000 to 12,000 people halt on a daily basis in the area, which will soon disappear from the highway map,” regretted Ram Kumar, a tea-stall owner in
Nandini, 27 km from Jammu city. Kumar feared they would be rendered jobless as nobody would visit the area after the construction of the new road. Sources in the NHAI said four small tunnels covering about 1.5 km were being constructed in the Nandini area to make the highway travel hassle-free keeping in view the steep ascent and sharp and narrow bends on the range. One of the tunnels is being constructed nearly 35 metre below the existing Nandini tunnel. The highway widening project also includes two long tunnels — Chenani-Nashri (9.2 km) and Quazigund-Banihal (8.5-km) — 34 major bridges and 24 viaducts. The entire Udhampur town will also be cut off from the highway due to construction of a major four-lane bypass while Kud and Patnitop will be the worst-affected due to construction of the country’s longest tunnel from Chenani to
Nashri. “Highway travellers will have to go without the famous “patisa” (gram flour sweet) of Kud after the completion of the tunnel. It will also adversely affect more than 300 small and big shopkeepers as their business largely depends upon people travelling on the highway. The business pf hoteliers and restaurant owners in Patnitop will also suffer,” said Rakesh Sharma, a resident of
Kud. He said the government should make a comprehensive plan to save the future of hundreds of shopkeepers. 4-laning project The four-laning of
Jammu-Srinagar highway, which began on May 2011, will reduce the distance between two capital cities by approximately 50 km. The present travel time of 10 hrs will be reduced to about 5 hrs The deadline for the project, estimated to cost Rs 10,600
crore, is 2016 The new highway will bypass Pampore, Awantipora,
Khanabal, Bijbehara, Wanpoh, Quazigund, Banihal, Ramban, Chanderkote, Udhampur and Nagrota |
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Akhoon reviews status of Srinagar-Leh highway
Jammu, November 15 Chief Engineer, Project BEACON, Major
Rawath, Secretary, Transport, Muhammad Abbas Dara, and Transport Commissioner Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo attended the meeting. It was decided in the meeting that the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway, which is the only surface link to the twin districts of Kargil and
Ladakh, should remain open till the weather allowed. The meeting was told that the condition of the road would be reviewed again by the officials concerned next week and a decision would be taken accordingly. Meanwhile, the passengers travelling on the national highway have been instructed to verify the traffic status from the authorities concerned before embarking upon a journey. The meeting was informed that the forest clearance for the construction of 6-km-long first phase of
Z-Morh Tunnel had been taken up with the department concerned and the construction work would be started after the completion of required formalities. |
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Congress infighting
Jammu, November 15 While spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Ravinder Sharma has disapproved the “un-parliamentary” and “highly indecent” remarks by the party minister, the matter has been taken to the high command for action against Taj for publicly criticising the chairman of the Legislative Council, who is a nominee of the Congress. Sources said a recording of the press conference, which was addressed by Taj on Wednesday, has already been sent to the high command. Some state Congress leaders, who were in Delhi on Wednesday, immediately informed senior party leaders about the “irresponsible utterances” made by Taj. “The high command has assured action against the minister because he has undermined the authority of the chairman of the Legislative Council,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity. He disclosed that within a couple of days a delegation of Congress leaders would visit the Capital to inform the high command about the “misdeeds” of the ministers, including his alleged involvement in land grabbing. JKPCC spokesman Ravinder Sharma, who is also an MLC, disapproved the remarks made by Taj against the chairman of the Legislative Council. He termed them “un-parliamentary and highly indecent”. Sharma said Presiding Officers of the Legislative Houses were always referred to with respect and dignity because they represented the highest constitutional institutions in a parliamentary democracy. Meanwhile, a day after the PHE Minister clarified his position on the alleged grabbing of forest land, today faced another allegation of land grabbing in Chak Lalu Shah village. Two persons Tilak Raj and Hem Raj alleged that the Minister has grabbed their land. The allegation was strongly refuted by the Minister. Rebutting the charges of land grabbing, the Minister termed the allegation malicious, concocted and deliberate. He said when some people with vested interests had failed on one count, they were propping up unknown faces to defame him. |
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Legislative Council election
Jammu, November 15 The party has sprung a surprise by announcing Sham Lal Bhagat as one of the Congress candidate for the two Legislative Council seats. While Bhagat is the party candidate for the Jammu province, veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Monga has been announced as party candidate for the Kashmir Valley. Monga had been trying to get the party’s approval for his candidature, so the announcement of his name did not come as a surprise. But, the decision to nominate Sham Lal Bhagat has shocked senior leaders, including leaders of the two warring factions. Bhagat, a block president of the Assar area of the Ramban Assembly segment, is a sarpanch of Baggar-Assar. Although the faction which owes its allegiance to Union Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad is claiming that Bhagat is their candidate, sources said it was direct intervention of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi that a low-profile Scheduled Caste (SC) youth was selected to contest the poll. The sources said Bhagat, a grass-roots level Congress worker, had established direct contact with Rahul Gandhi and his dedication had impressed the Congress general secretary. “The selection of Bhagat as the party candidate shows that Rahul has started grooming his own team of youth in this sensitive state of Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity. Monga, who will contest the election from Kashmir, is a staunch supporter of JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz. Meanwhile, in view of the elections to the four seats of the Legislative Council, the state unit of the BJP has constituted an election management committee under the leadership of Shamsher Singh Manhas. The members of this election management committee are Nirmal Singh, Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Chander Prakash Ganga, Ashok Koul, Sat Sharma, Usha Choudhary, Bansi Lal Bharti, Thupstan Chhewang, Ali Mohd. Mir, Sakina Bano, Sukhandan Kumar, Sham Choudhary and Ghulam Ali Khatana. Poll Talk Elections to the four seats of the Legislative Council from the panchayat quota will be held on December 3. The coalition partners, the National Conference and the Congress, have decided to contest two seats each from the Jammu region and Kashmir province. The state unit of the BJP has constituted a 15-member committee for coordination between the party and the electors for the upcoming poll. |
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Sajjad Lone moves court against EC decision
Srinagar, November 15 Sajjad, who is the younger son of late Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone and currently heads a faction of the JKPC, has also challenged the EC's decision to de-reserve the party's election symbol “lion”. The EC had de-recognised the JKPC as a state political party and de-reserved its lion symbol by passing an order on July 30, 1997. “In the present proceedings, the petitioner calls in question the decision of the Election Commission to de-recognise the JKPC as a political party and de-reserve its symbol ‘lion’, which is clearly in contravention of law and in violation of rules of natural justice,” Sajjad Lone has submitted in the petition filed in the High Court through his counsel G A Lone. The writ petition is likely to be listed before a single bench of the High Court this week. The JKPC was founded by Sajjad’s father and former Hurriyat Conference leader Abdul Gani Lone, who was assassinated by unidentified gunmen on May 21 in 2002 in Srinagar. Before the eruption of militancy in the state in 1989, the JKPC was one of the main political parties in J-K and had participated in many elections, including 1987 Assembly elections, which are said to be the genesis of militancy in Kashmir. In 1987 elections, the JKPC was part of the Muslim United Front (MUF), which had then emerged as the main opposition political force in J&K. But after 1989, the JKPC became part of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and supported secession of Kashmir from the Union of India. Abdul Gani Lone was one of the influential separatist leaders of the APHC, which had boycotted both parliamentary and Assembly elections till 2009. |
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Congress for representation to Doda in Cabinet
Jammu, November 15 In a statement issued here today, Dharam Pal Sharma, senior vice-president of the
JKPCC, has said the erstwhile Doda district was the strong hold of the Congress. “Out of the six Assembly segments, five are represented by the Congress. There is great resentment among the people of
Doda. After the dismissal of GM Saroori from the state Cabinet, the district has no representation in the government,” he said. Sharma has appealed to the Congress high command to fill in the vacancies of the Public Works Department and the Education Department with due representation to
Doda. — TNS
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Valley sees unexpected tourist rush during off season
Srinagar, November 15 A number of cabs carrying tourists from the major tourist destinations of Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg converge in the winter capital since afternoon every day. “The tourist arrival is continuing and the number of tourists is more than received around this time in the past years,” said an official of the Tourism Department. “We were not expecting such a large number of tourists around this time of the year….. this is strange,” said the official, adding that the Kashmir valley will no longer be identified with summer tourism. “We cannot call the winter an off season now, as the tourists are still pouring in,” said the official. The Kashmir valley is known mainly for summer tourism. The Valley hosts tourists from West Bengal and adjacent areas during pooja holidays. Tourism Department officials and tourist traders say the ongoing trend shows that a large number of tourists will pour in during this season. The state Tourism Department and the Youth Services and Sports Department are gearing up for winter sports events in Gulmarg, better known as the winter sports destination. The winter sports events would attract a large number of national and international sportspersons and sports lovers. “The flow is on and there is no off season,” the official said. Encouraged by the peaceful atmosphere during the summer, more than 11 lakh tourists have visited the Valley this year. Over 4 lakh Amarnath pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine this year. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here yesterday said the tourism sector had shown tremendous improvement over the years. The Chief Minister said the United Kingdom had recently withdrawn its travel advisory to its citizens against visiting Kashmir in view of an improvement in the situation in the Valley. Omar also referred to the removal of more than 40 security forces bunkers from various densely populated areas of the capital city this year. “More tourists are arriving in the Valley this season as compared to the last year,” said Nasir Shah, chairman of the Kashmir Tourism Alliance. Though the Valley lacks sufficient high-end tourist infrastructure, the number of both the high-end and low-end tourists has increased this season, said Shah. There are only a couple of high-end hotels which are booked, he said. Hotels in A, B and C categories are also showing good bookings, he said. A non-local employee, who has been working at a high-end hotel for more than a decade, said, “Iss Saal Tou Patta Hi Nahin Chala…. Bohut Log Agaye.” He said the hotel had full bookings. |
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Srinagar records coldest night of the season
Srinagar, November 15 Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.6 °C, but the day temperature stood at 18.4 °C, an official of the Meteorological Department said. He said this was the lowest recorded night temperature of the season even as the Valley has been witnessing bright and sunny days. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir witnessed the coldest night of the season with a minimum temperature of minus 3.8 °C. The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir and Qazigund - the gateway town to Kashmir, saw minus 2.0 °C and minus 2.8 °C, respectively. The frontier town of Kupwara recorded a minimum temperature of minus 2.0 °C. The maximum temperatures recorded at Pahalgam, Qazigund and Kupwara were 16.4 °C, 20.4 °C and 18.9 °C, respectively. The weatherman has said the Valley would enjoy sunny days till November 17. “There is a possibility of rain or snowfall on November 18, especially in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir,” said an official of the Natural Disaster Management Cell. Based on the forecast, the authorities have ordered traffic restrictions. “On the basis of the forecast of rain or snowfall during the intervening night of November 17 and 18 in the higher reaches of the Valley and keeping in view the unpredictability of the weather, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon has ordered traffic restrictions on the Kargil-Zanskar, Srinagar-Zojila-Kargil, Kupwara-Machil/Tangdhar and Bandipora-Gurez roads on November 17 and 18,” an official said. Orders have also been passed to the Traffic Police to take appropriate measures to ensure the strict implementation of instructions. People have been asked to defer their travel plans to these areas. |
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CRPF holds welfare activities to win hearts in Valley
Jammu, November 15 The CRPF had never initiated welfare activities in Kashmir on such a large scale, but the summer unrest prompted it to follow in the footsteps of the Army. “Though the allegations of committing excesses by us were not proved, following the unrest we wanted to bridge the gap between the Kashmiri people and the CRPF,” said Sudhir Kumar, a CRPF officer posted in Kashmir. “With this aim in mind, the CRPF has been organising welfare activities for the people of the Valley since 2010. In 2010, we organised a seminar ‘educational scenario in Kashmir’ in the University of Kashmir which got a positive response,” said Kumar. He said the CRPF continues to hold welfare and sports activities in the Valley. “In 2011, we organised a soccer tournament in the downtown Nowhatta area of the city, followed by cricket tournaments in Kupwara and Baramulla. Similarly, blood donation camps and drug de-addiction camps were held by us. A national-level boxing match for deaf and dumb players was held at Tral,”
he said. “The main aim was to bridge the gap between the people of Kashmir and the CRPF, besides channelising the energy of the Kashmiri youth in a constructive and fruitful manner to prevent them from going astray,” said Kumar. He said the CRPF had conducted counselling courses for the recruitment of the youths in the paramilitary force in various villages. “As part of our social responsibility, we also provided computers to various schools in the Valley,” he said. Recently, the CRPF and the state police also underwent a joint training session to ensure better synergy among themselves. |
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Tourism minister for completion of Sidhra golf course by March 2013
Jammu, November 15 “You should showcase this picturesque golf course during national and international events,” Jora told the management. He was speaking at a meeting convened to review the pace of work on the second phase of the golf course. The first phase of the Sidhra golf course was completed and tee-off during the last fiscal while work on the second phase of the nine hole golf course is going on. An amount of Rs 26 crore has been spent so far against the estimated cost of Rs 37.39 crore. The Minister said the development of a golf course was a difficult task, but its maintenance was more difficult. He asked the officials concerned to take every measure for its proper maintenance. He set March 2013 as the deadline for the completion of the second phase of the golf course. Jora also emphasised the need for imparting training to local youth in golf to encourage them to participate in tournaments. He said the government was contemplating to constitute a golf management authority for the better management of affairs of all the golf courses. Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Atal Duloo; Director, Tourism, Jammu, RS Mehta; Executive Engineer, Tourism Department, SN Dhar; members of the course, SS Wazir and AM Watali, attended the meeting. Those present at the meeting discussed matters related to the installation of irrigation pump sets, solar power system, plantation, road up grading, earth filling, parking lot construction, laying of golf kits and installation of air conditioners in the club building. The Minister instructed the engineers concerned to redouble their efforts for the early completion of the project. He said there should be no compromise on the quality of work and directed the officials concerned for filling of quality earth for landscaping. He instructed the officials to create modern golf-related infrastructure at the club building so that golf lovers visiting the course do not face any inconvenience. |
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A govt teacher goes out of the way for philanthropic works
Srinagar, November 15 Besides, the 47-year-old has taken the responsibility of purchasing uniforms for students who cannot afford them. He has so far bought uniforms for 44 children at his school. Interestingly, his family members, including his wife, have no idea about Shiekh’s philanthropic activities as he prefers to help anonymously. It was during a surprise visit of District Institute of Educational and Training (DIET) staff to the school that his extraordinary zeal for community service became known. “I was really moved when I heard Shiekh’s colleagues narrating incidents when he went out of his way to make sure that no student or teacher suffered in his school. This commitment is rarely found these days and people like him are the real role models,” said Ruheed Gul, a DIET teacher, who visited the school. Shiekh’s passion for helping people also bore results when he succeeded in convincing the parents of a bright student of his school to not take their son out of the school and paying Rs 700 to them for paying the tuition fees at the school. “He is a bright kid and I know he will do very well in life. However, due to financial constraints, his family members were forcing him to drop out from school and to start earning. I convinced them of his abilities and paid some amount. Therafter, he passed the matriculation examinations with flying colours,” Shiekh said. His colleagues are more than impressed with Shiekh’s endeavours. “I have never seen a more dedicated professional in my life. He comes to school an hour before the scheduled time of arrival and leaves an hour post departure. And he doesn’t want to be known for all the good work he is doing,” said Ruheed. For Shiekh, working for society is the way to serve God. “We worship God in many ways, and one of the ways is by serving the society,” he says. |
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J-K lacks detailed data on diabetes
Jammu, November 15 Youngsters in the state are affected by diabetes mellitus type-2 and the disease is slowly affecting people in small towns and rural areas. It is possibly linked with the changing dietary pattern in the past two decades. Diabetes mellitus type-2 is a metabolic disorder that is characterised by high blood glucose, which not only raises the cost of medicine but also affects the economic situation of the poor. “My research shows that 15 per cent teenagers in Jammu are affected by the disease and the percentage could be high. Due to the absence of required data generated by the government, we are not sure how many people have been affected,” said Dr Jetinder Singh, a noted diabetologist. “Many poor people suffer due to the absence of any help from health institutions,” said Dr Jetinder. Health experts say the population in the state is facing rapid globalisation and the lifestyle is changing, raising the socio-economic status of the population. Rising diabetes prevalence in the Indian subcontinent is a serious matter and requires a consistent joint crusade of various government and non-government health agencies to educate people. Improved socio-economic conditions have resulted in the decrease in physical activity and increase in obesity, which has led to an increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 and its related complications. The Director, Health, Jammu, Madhu Khullar, said, “Awareness camps are being organised to educate people about the disease and efforts are being made to collect detailed data.” “We are collecting data, but there is a need to organise a special campaign to get a view of the prevalence of the disease. We are planning to do so,” said
Khullar. |
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National Highway, which will end the isolation of the Kashmir valley from the rest of the country, will adversely affect the economy of several tourist-dependent townships on the existing highway.
The hard-hitting statement of Minister for PHE and Irrigation Taj Mohiuddin against chairman of the Legislative Council Amrit Malhotra has triggered a controversy in the faction-ridden Congress as some leaders in the party have taken serious note of the “irresponsible utterances” of the senior party minister.
With the beginning of the winter in Kashmir, chilly nights have started greeting residents and tourists. An unexpected number of tourists is pouring in large numbers around this time of the year in the picturesque Valley.
salary of Rs 30,000 per month out of which he spends only Rs 15,000 on his personal and family expenditures. The other half of his salary is spent on paying salaries to two community teachers, whom he recruited to address the shortage of teaching staff in his school, and payment of 30 per cent of the tuition fees of poor students at the Government High School, Poshkreeri, in the remote Mattan area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
