Jammu, March 11
Unregistered Islamic religious schools called madrassas are mushrooming across Jammu & Kashmir right under the nose of the state education department, which is supposed to control and check what are they teaching hundreds of students, mostly from poor sections of society.

According to government data, there are 117 unregistered madrassas in the state, with 87 such unregistered institutions in Jammu region while Kashmir has 30 unregistered religious schools, often criticised for producing ‘educated manpower’ without any technical or professional qualification except mastery in religious texts and practices in their kitty.

Data says there are 388 madrassas in the state, with Jammu having as many as 121 such schools while Kashmir has 267 schools.

“Unregulated and unregistered religious schools have proliferated in recent years, with the government turning a blind eye towards bringing about reforms in their functioning, as many of them are allegedly receiving funds from unknown sources,” said a senior bureaucrat.

Jammu and Kashmir School Education Act 2002 says no private school can be established and run without permission and ‘only such private schools as are recognised shall be permitted to function. Though the Act did not mention the term ‘madrassa’, later, the government incorporated them under the education department as part of reform process.

A few years back, intelligence sources had confirmed that World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), a Saudi Arabia-based organisation, had created a special fund for setting up new mosques and more madrassas in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Earlier, there used to be Muktabs imparting religious training, but all that changed in the past two decades with the influence of radical Salafi movements in the Middle East. The government needs to check their activities,” said MM Khajuria, former DGP.

Though the Centre has earmarked special funds for these institutions, a controversy last year over the funding had embarrassed the Omar Abdullah-led government when details emerged about the alleged financial discrepancies and non-existent beneficiaries came to the fore.

Putting the Department of School Education in the dock, many of the madrassas incorporated in the list forwarded to the HRD Ministry had later denied having received any funding, while some institutions shown in the list actually do not exist on ground.

Jammu, March 11
The state government today said the recent hailstorms had caused heavy losses to standing crop of wheat, oilseeds, fodder and vegetables on 1,870 hectare land in RS Pura belt.

Replying to a calling attention notice by BR Kundal in the Legislative Council, the Minister of State for Agriculture Nazir Ahmad Gurezi said RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district witnessed a heavy hailstorm on February 27, which caused heavy losses to standing crop of wheat, oilseeds, fodder and vegetables.

“The assessment of losses was made by field staff of Agriculture department immediately and based on preliminary assessments, the village-wise losses in an area of about 1,870 hectares were reported,” said Gurezi.

He said the losses to the extent of more than 50 per cent had been assessed on about 200 hectares where vegetables and fodder crops were mainly affected. In the remaining area, the damage to crops had been of varying degrees in different villages ranging from 15 per cent to 45 per cent and a detailed survey was underway.

“No perennial fruit crop has been reportedly damaged in RS Pura due to hailstorm. However, as per reports, an area of 6 kanals of strawberry was damaged. The assessment by the Agriculture Production Department is being communicated to Revenue Department for verification and further necessary action,” he said.

He said as per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) rules, if damage was more than 50 per cent, the relief would be provided.

Jammu, March 11
As many as 1,055 persons were killed and 4,487 injured during the last five years in erstwhile Doda comprising three districts, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban. A total of 2,958 road accidents took place during this period.

According to the transport department, 232 persons were killed and 777 received injuries in 529 road mishaps in 2008, while the number of road mishaps in 2009 was 574 which claimed 254 innocent lives and leaving 783 persons injured critically.

“In 2010, a total of 657 road mishaps took place in all the three districts where 199 persons were killed and 997 sustained injuries. A total of 638 road accidents were reported in erstwhile district Doda in which 169 people lost their lives and 1028 were injured. Last year (2012), the number of road mishaps in these three districts was 560 which claimed 201 innocent lives and rendered 902 persons injured,” the department said.

The department said there were various reasons for such accidents which include use of mobile phones while driving, rash and negligent driving, mechanical fault of vehicles and bad road conditions.

“The government has banned plying of new four-wheeled 407 mini-buses in the district of Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch to minimise the road accidents in these districts. The bus operators have also been directed to ply buses on fixed time table to avoid inconvenience to the passengers and the frequency of the services have been increased to prevent over-speeding and overloading,” the department said.

Further, enforcement by traffic police and motor vehicles department staff has been stepped up, it said and added that action against violators was taken which included suspending the driving licenses.

Jammu, March 11
The School Education Department today said there were 1,260 vacancies across different categories or cadres including Chief Education Officer (CEO) in the border district of Rajouri.

Ad hocism rules the department’s functioning following the transfer of CEO Rajouri almost a month back. At present, the head of District Institute of Education & Training (DIET), Rajouri, is holding the charge of CEO.

In a written reply to a question by Congress legislator Ravinder Kumar Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who holds the portfolio of School Education Department, said 519 posts had been referred to recruiting agencies for selection of suitable candidates.

“There are as many as 1,260 vacancies in different cadres including one post of CEO, five posts of principals, two vacancies of zonal education officers, 244 lecturers, six posts of headmasters, 137 masters, 578 vacancies of teachers and 113 posts of Class IV,” said Chand.

Katra March 11
Pilgrims from within and outside the state visited the holy cave shrine Shiv Khori on the concluding day of three-day historic Shiv Khori mela at Ransoo to pay their obeisance and seek blessings of Lord Shiva.

To create awareness among the masses about various state and centrally sponsored schemes including employment generation schemes, various departments had put up their stalls at TRC Ransoo where a large number of people of the area visited these stalls.

Various social organisations including Shiv Khori Mandli, Katra, had organised free langars at the mela site and enroute the cave shrine.

Vishesh Pooja followd by puran-aahuti by pandits was performed besides chanting of religious hymns in the praise of Lord Shiva at the Cave Shrine during last evening which lasted till late night.

Jammu, March 11
The Second Vishal Jagran was organised by the Satwari Sabzi Mandi Association (SSMA) on the eve of Mahashivratri in which singers and other artistes from Kishtwar, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh took part.

On the occasion, Minister for Housing Raman Bhalla was the chief guest. Addressing the gathering, Bhalla appreciated the efforts of the association for organising this the bhandara.

Singers Daljeet Rathore from Paddar-Machail, Komal Sharma from Himachal Pradesh and Naveen Punjabi, Pamma Punjabi, Surinder Manhas, Anil Punjabi and Sona Dogra from Punjab mesmerised the audience. The area was echoing with the bhajan kirtan, ‘bhaints’. Lighting, water supply and security arrangements were also made for a smooth conduct of the event.

Speaking on the occasion, president of the association Sunny Mehra thanked the devotees for the part of the jagran and assured that the events of this sort would be held in future as well.

A large number of residents of Satwari and adjoining localities participated in the jagran and took the blessings of Goddess Bhagwati, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parwati. Later, ‘prasad’ was also distributed among the devotees.

Sunny, Jimmy, Rahul, Lucky and Bhinder Gupta organised the jagran.

Jammu, March 11
Mahashivratri was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across the Jammu region yesterday. Cave shrines and ancient temples of Lord Shiva witnessed a heavy rush of devotees.

All shrines of Lord Shiva, including ancient temples, were decorated with colourful lights and buntings. The temples witnessed a heavy of devotees, who thronged the temples to offer prayers since early morning. The devotees also took a holy dip at Harki Pauri in the Tawi and at Purmandal.

Serpentine queues were seen at the famous Aap Shambhu temple at Roopnagar and the Ranbireshwar temple at Shalamar.

Special prayers at the temples marked the festivals.

Shivratri, which means the great night of Lord Shiva, holds an immense importance in Hinduism and the festival celebrates the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

At some places, devotees had a verbal spat with policemen owing to the delay in paying obeisance at temples and other shrines. A large number of social organisations and devotees also organised ‘langars’ on temple premises.

The government had also set up mobile outlets to sell a rare fish to Kashmiri Pandits living at migrant camps. The mobile outlets were set up across the state in areas where Kashmiri Pandits live. However, the state administration had made elaborate arrangements to ensure free celebrations of the festival.

Meanwhile, heavy rush was witnessed at the Lord Shiva temples in other parts of the state as well.

Jammu, March 11
The Gumat Traders’ Association today organised a ‘langar’ at JP Chowk to celebrate Shivratri.

It was organised under the supervision of association president Gurdarshan Singh.

On the occasion, Gurdarshan Singh said Shivratri was an important religious festival and Lord Shiva brought peace and happiness to people.

Jammu, March 11
Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd will provide consultancy services to the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) on the 400KV D/C Kishenpur-Wagoora Transmission Line at Pot Head Yard of the Baglihar-II hydroelectric project.

An agreement in this connection was signed by KR Suri, General Manager (O&M) on the behalf of Power Grid and RN Bhat, Chief Engineer (Civil), Baglihar hydroelectric project, on the behalf of the JKSPDC in the presence of senior executives from both organisations.

As per the agreement, the scope of work of Power Grid will include design, engineering, procurement, erection, project management, testing etc. The consultancy fee being charged by Power Grid for this project will be 11 per cent of the total cost, which, as per the present estimate, is Rs 118.217 lakh.

Further, an additional consultancy fee of Rs 27.87 lakh shall be payable on account of tower design to Power Grid that is already doing the restoration work of 132 KV transmission lines in the Poonch area damaged in January due to heavy snowfall and high velocity winds.

Batote, March 11
The government handed out compensation for bear attacks last year at different places in Ramban district here yesterday.

The Wildlife Range Officer, Wajid Rafiqui, under the supervision of Incharge Wild Life Warden, DFO, Kishtwar, Rakesh Kumar, handed over cheques of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 25,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000 each to deceased Taja Begum’s husband Bashir Ahmed, Farzi Begum - both of Banihal, and the injured Yograj Bhagat and his kin Kaushalya Devi - both of Batote, respectively.

On the occasion, the citizens were also educated regarding the precautions to avoid attacks by beasts, the emergency measures during such attacks, importance of wild animals in maintaining the ecological balance and the Wildlife Act 1978.

Meanwhile, MLA, Ramban, Ashok Kumar today handed over cheques of Rs 50,000 each to Sarfraz Ahmed Deng of Tatarsu and Netar Singh of Balawat, Ramban, whose family members had fallen victim to a highway mishap and electrocution respectively last year. The compensation was sanctioned by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from CM’s Relief Fund on Ashok’s recommendation.

Sarfraz’s widow mother, a young brother and a sister were washed away in the Chenab after rolling into it alongwith the Sumo they were travelling in following a mishap on the highway in Ramban. The brother and an uncle of Netar were electrocuted while working in their paddy fields when an overhead electric wire had fallen in their wet field.

Jammu, March 11
Single Star Trespone got the better of Titi Chumeek in the summit clash by five points (32-27) to claim the title trophy of the Kargil Archery Tournament organised by the Ladakh Archery Development Association Kargil (LADAK) at Khree Sultan Choo Stadium.

Mohammad Ali of Single Star Trespone was adjudged the man of the match while Abass Jan of City GM Pore was declared the man of the series. The acting Chief Executive Councilor (CEC), LAHDC, Kargil, Haji Ghulam Amir Kamran, was the chief guest on the occasion. He distributed prizes among the winner and runner-up teams.

Speaking on the occasion, Kamran lauded the efforts of the LADAK for the development and promotion of traditional archery.

Talking about the promotion of sports by the LAHDC in the past four years, Kamran said the council had started work on the International Ice Skating Rink in Kurbathang, Ice Skating Rink in Drass, Polo Promotion Development Infrastructure in Drass, Pavilion at Khree Sultan Choo Stadium and Snow Ski Slops of Drass.

Earlier, Secretary of the LADAK Kacho Mohammad addressed the gathering and gave an overview of the association and its activities. He said 92 teams drawn from all over the district participated in the tournament.

Jammu, March 11
The J&K Christian Dalit Association has demanded international intervention in preventing genocide of Christians, Shia Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan by religious fanatics.

The association has condemned the atrocities committed on the the minorities and criminal silence of the Pakistan government.

A meeting of the association was held here today under the chairmanship of the chairperson of the association S Peter. He expressed anguish and strong resentment over the incident that took place in the Masehi colony in Lahore inhabited by Christians. Under the pretext of searching for a member of the community who had indulged in blasphemy, hundreds of Christian houses were ransacked and many were set ablaze. Hundreds were killed in the incident and many were rendered homeless, said Peter.

He said the atrocities being committed on the minorities in Pakistan were going unabated and the country’s government was helplessness in checking the religious fanaticism.

Peter observed that besides Hindus and Sikhs, Shia Muslims were also being butchered and subjected to all sorts of atrocities by the fanatics in different parts of Pakistan. The Pak government was failing to provide security to the minorities there, lamented Peter.

Jammu, March 11
National Youth, Child and Women Empowerment Society Nanak Nagar and Nehru Youth Club Chatta Gujran Marh organised a free eye camp at CHC Marh in collaboration with Chief Medical Officer Jammu and District Blindness Control Society under the direct supervision of Block Medical Officer Dr Neetu Singh.

Suman Kapil (president of the society), Pritam Singh Social Worker, Shakti Khajuria (National Youth Awardee), Deepak Mehra (social worker) and other prominent personalities of the area were present on the occasion.

A team of Doctors led by Dr Arti Khajuria (ophthalmologist), Dr Chander Rashmi (ophthalmologist), Mohinder Kumar (Asst), Naresh Kumar (Asst), Amarjeet Singh (Senior Pharmacist) conducted the camp. Free medicines, health care and meal were provided to the patients free of cost during the camp.

About 230 patients were examined in the camp and 35 cases were admitted for the cataract surgery successfully.

Jammu, March 11
Arrangements for day-long 22nd Police Public Mela being organised in Jammu, were finalised at a high-level police officers meeting held at Police Headquarters (PHQ), here this afternoon. The meeting was chaired by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), K Rajendra Kumar.

Addressing the meeting, Rajendra briefed the participants that the mela was scheduled for February 24, but due to unfavourable weather, the event was deferred and would now be held on March 17 at Police Sports Stadium Gulshan Ground. — TNS

Jammu, March 11
South Indian Bank, Gole Market branch, today organised a customer meeting at Gandhi Nagar here.

General Manager of the branch TJ Raphael elaborated on the achievements and services being offered by the bank.

He also informed the customers about the special scheme being offered by the bank for FDRs at the rate of 10.10 per cent especially for senior citizens for up to 15 months in commemoration of opening 750 branches across the country. Raphael further said the bank was also planning to open more branches in the state.