Jammu, March 3
With detection of pharmaceutical companies dumping their low quality and banned drugs in rural areas, the government has directed the Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO) to conduct inspection of medical stores.

Directions have also been issued to ensure that no drug sub-outlets are operative on proxy basis anywhere in the state and ordered that shops should only be run by licence holders.

Sources said there was a proposal to constitute a separate intelligence-cum-legal cell in the office of the DFCO to facilitate busting of spurious drug rackets and their prompt prosecutions.

In the recent past, Jammu and Kashmir has invested crores of rupees in strengthening basic infrastructure in the state, particularly in rural areas.

With increase in budget allocations in the healthcare sector, a number of pharmaceutical companies entered the state and many of them dumped their low quality drugs in the market which has become a major concern for the administration.

“A few days ago, Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan directed the department to close down proxy drug outlets and bring the offenders to book”, said an official of the department.

Sources said proposals like constitution of Food Safety Appellate Tribunal, Food Testing Laboratory, Lakhanpur, and strengthening of drug testing laboratories were under active consideration of the government.

Monitoring and evaluation is an essential component of the State Drug Policy, with a provision that checking should take place at regular intervals and complete external evaluation of the drugs supplied to be conducted after every five years.

Recently, the DFCO had ordered a check on use of abortion drugs, Misoprostol and Mifepristone, with directions to pharmacies that prescription of only gynaecologists should be accepted while selling these drugs.

Officials said both these drugs were being used in carrying out abortion, a major reason for decline in the gender ration in the state. 

Rajouri, March 3
Several protesters and policemen were injured in a clash at Muradpur in Rajouri district today over the death of a person, who feared drowned in a river three days ago.

The police resorted to lathicharge and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters who had blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway over the death of Mohammed Zahir, a resident of Muradpur.

On Friday evening, Zahir drowned in the river when he was taking bath. Police, Army and local divers tried their best to rescue him but failed.

Protesters demanded that divers of the Indian Navy should be called in for the rescue operation.

Angry villagers and relatives of the victim blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway for over five hours. When the police tried to clear the highway, the protesters pelted stones at the police. In order to disperse the protesters, the police fired teargas shells and chased them away during which several protesters and policeman, including local Station House Officer Varinder Gupta, were injured. Several private and passenger vehicles were also damaged in the stone pelting.

However, the police cleared the highway at 5 pm with the help of senior citizens.

The police said for the past few days, rescue operation was in the area, but the divers so far failed to locate him. 

Jammu, March 3
As competitions at different levels for 2013-14 are likely to commence shortly, the Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS), which had faced severe criticism from the parents of sportspersons for their alleged mismanagement in conducting four disciplines under one roof at Gymnasium Hall, University of Jammu last year, has directed its officials to ensure no such repetition in the upcoming calendar of activities.

Sources said the department was busy in preparing the calendar of activities, which are most likely to commence in May, but at the same time, main focus was to prevent the mess during the competitions which had often marred the purpose.

Sources said chaotic scenes were witnessed during the previous edition of inter-school competitions at JU, wherein the participants got confused due to competitions in four disciplines at one venue which included taekwondo, wushu, badminton and judo. The parents of these sportspersons who were assembled in large number to watch their wards performing had strongly objected to the move of DYSS to organise events in such an unorganised manner.

Sources said the sports department had also asked the officials to ensure the availability of technical officials concerned during the forthcoming competitions after reports poured in about referring of martial arts competitions by non-technical persons.

Sources further said during the previously held competitions in 2012, an alleged misunderstanding was developed between Sports Council and DYSS and Sports Council had denied the department to utilise its infrastructure to host competitions in multi-disciplines at M A Stadium. That incident had eventually forced the officials to look for other options. The DYSS then approached the University of Jammu authorities and succeeded in getting their consent for utilising the venue to conduct competitions. But now, the department is utilising the Sports Council infrastructure on routine basis.

When contacted, a senior DYSS official admitted that lack of infrastructure was the main hurdle for the department to become self-reliant. “We are trying our level best to finalising a site for constructing our own stadium in a bid to overcome the shortcomings of the department and we are hopeful that the matter will be sorted out soon,” he added.

Jammu, March 3
Former Minister and All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Abdul Gani Vakil today impressed upon the government to take immediate steps to address and resolve the genuine grievances of casual labourers engaged in various departments particularly in the Power Development Department (PDD).

He demanded release of their wages without any inordinate delay as funds for the purpose already stands allocated by the Planning and Development Department.

Vakil demanded an inquiry into the matter as the funds, which were to be disbursed on account of wages, remained unutilised due to the delay caused by different field departments in submission of the daily wagers’ list to the Administrative Department, which forced these workers to stay away from the work.

He was addressing PDD Casual Labourers’ Convention today at Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. Convention was presided over by Indian Nation Trade Union Congress senior vice-president Jugal Kishore Sharma.

While addressing the gathering, he appealed the Chief Minister to expedite the wage disbursement to the eligible workers as their families and dependents were on the verge of extinction in view of unending hardships being faced by them as they din’t have other source of income.

Jammu, March 3
Newly appointed state secretary of the Pradesh Youth Congress, Rajveer Singh, was accorded a warn reception by Youth Congress activists of Jammu region here today. A car and motorcycle rally started was Patta Paloura which passed through Jewel Chowk and culminated at the Congress headquarters.

In his address, Rajveer Singh expressed gratitude to the party high command for reposing faith and appointing him as the state secretary of the Pradesh Youth Congress. He further said he would try his level best to propagate the policies and programmes of Rahul Gandhi throughout the state.

On the occasion, Member Parliament Madan Lal Sharma called upon the youth to work towards strengthening the nation and communal harmony.

Pranav Shagotra, vice-president, PYC, RS Pathiania, Abid Kashmiri, Satish Shrama and Nasir Mir also spoke on the occasion.

Jammu, March 3
As the state government led by National Conference (NC) as well as the main Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are trying to score points in the Legislative Assembly over the issue of Afzal Guru’s hanging, people are angry with the attitude of elected representatives for not discussing issues confronting the common man.

They question the sincerity of politicians, who are enjoying every facility offered by the taxpayers of country, against whom they are raising questions.

The disruption in J&K Legislative Assembly over the issue of Afzal Guru’s execution is exasperating. Instead of debating over the matters concerning the citizens, the legislative members who have taken an oath under the constitution of India are debating and fighting over a closed matter. It is a sheer wastage of taxpayers’ money. It’s funny that a terror mastermind’s hanging has held the assembly at ransom
— Varad Sharma, an MBA student

What is Legislative Assembly for, to discuss the issues of common man like supply of ration, better infrastructure and ways to generate employment for youths? But in the recent past, it has become a platform for MLAs to remain in news. What is difference between separatists and mainstream politicians?
— Manpreet Singh, a businessman

We fail to understand why Guru is so important. Residents of Jammu and Ladakh are also living in the state. They are not interested in Guru, who planned the Parliament attack, which killed several people. We are amazed by the way politicians are behaving and ignoring issues like price hike and law and order problem
— Neeru, a student

Jammu, March 3
“Barsaat Ki Raat”, a Hindi play based on a short story by Chirnjeev, was staged here today at Natrang Studio Theatre in its weekly Sunday series. The play was directed by Balwant Thakur

The play opens at a thunderous rainy evening, ‘Sheela’ a housewife is waiting for her husband ‘Prakash’ to come back from office, she is very anxious as he is already very late and it’s raining heavily.

Afraid by repeated thunders and rain to the extent that she is even not ready to allow her maid ‘Sukhia’ to leave her alone. She is horrified by the environment around her and is not able to find any secure space in the house. Out of nowhere, she had an apprehension that ‘Som’ is chasing her to take the revenge of his unsuccessful love.

Som had one-sided love for her before she was married, he even tried to disrupt her marriage ceremony and for that criminal act, he has been jailed for four years. She visualises as if Som is outside her home, and making all attempts to break open his entry.

With every succeeding thunder, her heart sinks and she cries for help. She becomes so much hallucinated that an act of some radio play sounds like real news of a prisoner breaking jail, even a cat in the kitchen appeared as a hardcore murderer who has come to her. All the apprehensions were proved wrong at the end when her husband comes home and makes her to rethink the events in a rational and positive manner.

Sajra Qadir as ‘Sheela’ was very impressive, she was supported by Anita Dhar as ‘Sukhia’ and Rahul Singh as ‘Prakash’. Lights were designed and executed by Neeraj Kant, Anil Tickoo scored the music. Sets were designed by Ashwani Bali and Ankush Lakhnotra. The show was coordinated by Sumeet Sharma and Mohd Yaseen. Gaurav Jamwal did the presentation.

Katra, March 3
Conditions of roads in Reasi district are so bad that residents feel they are living away from civilisation.

Most of the roads in the district have potholes and are in a shambles. Residents are up in arms against the Roads and Buildings Department as well as the Border Road Organisation (BRO) authorities.

The Reasi-Dharmari road, which is a vital link in the Mahore area, is in a dilapidated condition from over a decade. Residents said after the failure of the R&B Department in repairing the road , the work was handed over to Beacon but the lackadaisical approach of the authorities did not end as the road stretch was repaired to just 3 km.

“It is a bone-breaking journey on the Reasi-Dharmari road to reach Dharmari. The road dotted with potholes gives a medieval look,” said Sunny Sharma, a resident of Arnas.

The road stretch, which connects more than 20 villages, including Geeta Nagar, Mari, Salal, Kanthan, Arnas and Dharmari, is lying in a dilapidated condition.

“The road track is in a bad shape and it takes hours to cross it which otherwise could be covered in a few minutes from the district headquarter Reasi,” he said.

“This stretch is not in motorable condition, we have to spend huge amounts to get our vehicles repaired. We are suffering heavy losses,” said a minibus driver.

Another road stretch from Talwara to Zero Morh (Reasi), which is under the jurisdiction of Salal Power Station authorities, is also in a worst condition due to big potholes, mud and ditches.

“Shabby condition of the road with potholes in the middle and dust is proving hazardous to the life and property of the residents. Everyday, one or other vehicle hits these potholes resulting in damage to them, ” said local residents.

Work on the expansion project of the Arnas-Reasi road, which is undertaken by the BRO, is very slow. “The callousness of the authorities can be gauged from the fact that two years on, an important bridge connecting Mari with Jyotipuram, besides scores of other villages, is incomplete,” said the residents.

They said patients and expecting mothers had to face difficulty due to bumpy road conditions.

The condition of Reasi-Dera Bawa road is no different. One of the other important road connecting the Dera Bawa Shrine with Reasi and villages is also bumpy and dotted with potholes. “Due to the pathetic condition of the road, we are not able to make it to our work places in time,” said Kewal Kumar.

People also complain that their vehicles have got damaged because of the bumpy roads as a result of which the maintenance cost of their cars has also increased manifold.

People also said even the internal roads of main towns of Reasi and Katra were in dilapidated condition. People in these areas often complain of respiratory disorders due to inhalation of dust following movement of vehicles.

Assistant Engineer, BRO (Reasi), RP Singh said, “We have recently repaired the road patches from Reasi to Jyotipuram but other issues related to roads were awaiting approvals which were to be taken by the higher authorities. We have started widening the roads which are in process." 

Jammu, March 3
Government College for Women (GCW), Gandhi Nagar, today celebrated its annual day-cum-prize distribution function.

Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone was the chief guest while KB Aggarwal, Principal Secretary, Higher Education was the guest of honour. Hemant Kumar Sharma, Special Secretary, Higher Education, and Prof Nalini Kohli, Director Colleges were the special guests.

The programme was commenced with the Durga Vandana followed by lighting of lamp. Principal Dr Kiran Bakshi read out the annual report of the college. She highlighted the achievements of the college for achieving excellence not only in academics and sports but also the new leaps and strides taken by the college to excel in new domains.

Vision 2020 document was submitted to the dignitaries for their suggestions. Chief guest, along with other dignitaries, also released the five annual news letters namely E-Odyssey by IQAC, Quest by Science club, IRIS by Red Ribbon Club, Humanity by Red Cross Unit, Symphony by Language Club, Horizon Newsletter of the campus and research reporter by the Research committee of the college.

A colourful cultural programme was also presented by the students to mark the occasion. Mohammad Akbar Lone, in his address, had complimented students and faculty members for working in a cohesive manner. Later, the dignitaries also gave away prizes to students for their performance in various fields.

Polini Singh was felicitated as the best student of the college. Staff Secretary of the college Dr Sudhanshu Sharma presented the vote of thanks. 

Jammu, March 3
The Kindergarten wing of Heritage School celebrated its sports day with enthusiasm on its school premises here today.

The event was commenced by a welcome ceremony followed by torch bearer escapade performed by Nursery kids. Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo was the chief guest on the occasion, who declared the meet open. Children participated in various sports events, including thread-the-beads race, frog race, umbrella race, hoopla race, rolling the ball and bouquet race.

Later, students were awarded with trophies and certificates by the chief guest. The guests of honour namely DIG JP Singh and Neena Sodhi were also present. The chief guest complimented the management for their efforts to bring out the best in the young ones. Principal JS Dhami presented the vote of thanks. 

Jammu, March 3
Police Training School and Stadium XI (Junior) won their respective matches to advance into the next round of the ongoing Kathua Premier League (KPL), T-20 Tournament, at Sports Stadium, Kathua, today.

In the first match, Police Training School defeated Kathua Cricket Club (KCC) by two wickets. Batting first, KCC was bowled out for 102 runs in 19.2 overs. In reply, PTS did the needful in 15.3 overs for the loss of eight wickets.

Kaka and Sunny were main scorers from KCC with 22 and 21 runs, respectively. Binny and Sunil bagged two wickets each from Police Training School.

Later, Police Training School overhauled by losing eight wickets in the process with 4.3 overs remaining. Nazeem Malik and Nitish played a fine knocks of 29 and 24 runs, respectively. From KCC, Sunny bagged three wickets and Jacky took two wickets.

Nazeem was declared the man of the match.

In another match, Stadium XI notched up a thumping 64-run win over Tiny Scholars, Kathua.

Batting first, Stadium XI scored 165 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Nikhil remained the top scorer with 36 runs while Kulbushan contributed 28 runs.

From Tiny Scholars, Vishal and Anil bagged three and two wickets, respectively. In reply, Tiny Scholars were bowled out for 101 runs in 16.5 overs. Satnam played a fine knock of 51 runs. Abhishek chipped in with 22 runs. Rajesh Gupta took as many as six wickets for Stadium XI. Monty bagged two wickets.

For his match winning six-wicket haul, Rajesh was adjudged the man of the match.

Jammu, March 3
Kings XI, Akhnoor, scripted a narrow win by 8 runs against Lions Cricket Club (LCC) to move into the ongoing Reasi Cup T20 Cricket Tournament being organised by the Reasi Cricket Club at the Sports Stadium, Reasi.

Batting first, Kings XI, Akhnoor, posted a competitive total of 161 runs in 19.2 overs. Sunny struck a brilliant 50-run-knock while Sumit and Sonu contributed 36 and 25 runs, respectively. For LCC, Irshad was the wrecker-in-chief with a four-wicket haul, including a brilliant hat-trick. Manjeet Singh and Vicky scalped three and two wickets, respectively.

In reply, LCC could manage 153 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted quota of overs. Vicky (33), Irshad (22) and Manjeet Singh (17) were the notable contributors. Sham and Sunny shared two wickets apiece for Kings XI Akhnoor while Dilawar Singh chipped in with one wicket. Sunny was adjudged man of the match for his excellent all-round display.

The match was officiated by Nishu Magray and Rocky as umpires while Kaka was the scorer. The tournament is being held under the overall supervision of Nadeep Bhat, Vikas Sharma and Vikas Baru.

Easy win for Glamorous Club

Glamorous Cricket Club today reached into the semifinals of the ongoing Shaheed Manjeet Singh Memorial T-20 Tournament by defeating Tigers XI by 42 runs.

Batting first, Glamorous Cricket Club set a target of 182 runs for the loss of three wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.