Jammu, March 20
The Jammu and Kashmir Government is likely to amend the SRO-123, which was introduced about three years back to curb the mushrooming of private schools in the state.

Officials said the failure to improve the quality of education offered by government-funded schools and pressure from the lobby of private educational institutions - many of which are owned by ministers and political activists - has led to ‘rethinking’ by the Omar Abdullah-led government in this regard.

Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand during a recent high-level meeting directed officials concerned to review various provisions of the Act to make it more “pragmatic”.

Officials said it had been decided that the School Education Department would take up the matter with the Public Service Commission and the Services Selection Board to expedite the recruitment process as about 20,000 posts under different categories were lying vacant in the department.

“Since the Act was introduced, the private schools’ body has been demanding its review. Moreover, poor management and performance by government schools have left the education department red-faced,” said an official.

Sources said the government had also decided to constitute a high-level committee under the chairmanship of a retired judge of the J&K High Court to be nominated by the Chief Justice of the court for reviewing and fixing the fee structure for private schools in the state.

“The committee will examine whether private schools are charging any capitation fee and whether these institutions are indulging in profiteering,” said Chand.

The SRO-123 is according to the guidelines of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Rashtriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan which facilitate opening of primary schools, upgrade of primary to middle schools and upgrade of middle schools to high schools.

The Deputy Chief Minister said academic inspection of private schools was regularly conducted by teams constituted by the J&K Board of School Education.

Sources in the education department say hundreds of schools in the state are lacking basic facilities which are mentioned in the SRO. They said the move would prompt authorities to close down their businesses across the state.

“Hundreds of schools across the state lack basic facilities and adequate space for students. They have financial limitations, due to which it is not possible for them to upgrade the infrastructure. Therefore, the government is likely to de-recognise them,” said an official of the department.

Jammu, March 20
Minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo today said the state government was vigorously pursuing the murder case of a Jammu girl, who was undergoing Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Zoology at Dyalbagh Educational Institute in Agra, with the Agra police.

Replying to a Calling Attention Notice raised by National Conference member Devinder Singh Rana in the Legislative Council here, Kichloo said the report obtained from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Agra, revealed that Rachpal Sharma, the father of the deceased girl (Neha Sharma), a resident of Block Bhalwal, Jammu, who was currently residing in Agra had reported in writing that his daughter had been found murdered by unknown persons in the Zoology laboratory of Dyalbagh Educational Institute on March 15, 2012.

The minister said on the basis of this, an FIR under Section 302 of the IPC was registered and the case was being investigated.

He said the Agra Inspector General of Police, DIG, SSP, SP City and Dy SP Crime had inspected the site. He also informed the House during the course of investigation by the Agra police, 100 persons were questioned and out of them, fingerprints of 11 suspects and hair samples of nine suspects had been taken. He said the mobile and the laptop of the victim had been recovered from buses of the institute and had been sent for technical examination.

He said blood stains, shoes, clothes and a cycle of an unknown suspect have been recovered and sent to Forensic Science Laboratory in Agra for investigation.

He said the report was expected in two to three days and for speedy investigation, teams had been constituted under the SP City and the Dy SP Crime.

Jammu, March 20
The All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA) has said violence supported by separatists in Kashmir cannot be tolerated anymore as it is scaring tourists away. The association, which represents the hotel industry of the Jammu region, has said maintaining a healthy tourist season is in the interest of a majority of people of the state, specially Kashmir, as they earn their livelihood directly or indirectly through this sector.

The association in a statement urged all the political parties, social organisations and the civil society of Kashmir to avoid protesting during the tourist season and allow people to earn their livelihood.

“Tourism is in the interest of all the sections of society in Kashmir. Violence has had a spillover for Jammu, too. There have been reports of large-scale cancellations of bookings in hotels, lodges and houseboats in the Valley, which will affect everyone,” said AJHLA president KL Khajuria.

The association hailed Tourism Minister GA Mir’s suggestion in the Legislative Assembly on Monday that the House should pass a unanimous resolution appealing the people concerned to not harm tourists coming to the state. Members of the association said the protests in the Kashmir valley and the ruckus in the state legislature had sent a wrong message to prospective tourists.

“Protests to put forth any grievance should in no way turn violent. They should be held in a way that tourists and pilgrims do not feel insecure,” said a member of the association.

Meanwhile, the association has welcomed the decision of the state authorities that 25,000 youth would be trained in the hospitality sector to provide professional services to tourists coming to the state.

“A good number of youth should be trained to become tourist guides. They should be imparted thorough knowledge of tourist and pilgrimage spots in the state. They should know the historical background and legends pertaining to each spot so that they can convey the information to tourists, motivating them to visit more spots,” said Ajay Gupta, senior vice-president of the AJHLA.

The association has also demanded early completion of all the tourism-related projects in and around Jammu city so that there is a reason for tourists visiting the Valley to stay in Jammu, too.

Jammu, March 20
The state government today introduced a Bill in the Legislative Assembly to constitute a Shrine Board for the better management, administration and governance of famous shrines of Mata Sukhrala Devi and Mata Bala Sundari in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district.

The Bill was introduced in the House by the Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir.

It seeks constitution of a statutory authority on the pattern of the Shiv Khori Shrine Board for the better management, administration and governance of the shrines in view of heavy influx of pilgrims.

“Thousands of pilgrims visit the shrines to pay obeisance on every Tuesday and Sunday and during Navartaras. It becomes difficult to manageable crowd in absence of basic infrastructure there,” the Bill stated in its objects and reason.

The Bill stated that the pilgrimage to the shrine was increasing every year and offerings in the shrine are not being properly utilised.

Presently, there is a management committee headed by Tehsildar Billawar to look after the affairs of the Mata Sukhrala Devi Shrine while a committee headed by former MLA is taking care of the affairs of the Mata Bala Sundri Shrine.

“It is expected that after the board is constituted and the avenues of employment would be generated for the local population,” the Bill said.

According to the Bill, the board would have nine members comprising a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, six members and a member-secretary.

The Bill stated that the Divisional Commissioner Jammu should be nominated as the chairperson of the board by the government if he is a Hindu. If he doesn’t profess Hinduism, the preference would be given to the Deputy Commissioner Kathua. In case both of them do not profess Hindu faith, an eminent person professing Hindu faith should be nominated as 
the chairperson.

It also stated that the members of the board other than the official members would hold the office for a term of five years from the date of their nomination.

As per the Bill, the board would arrange for the proper performance of worship at the shrines, provide necessary facilities to pilgrims, make arrangements for the safe custody of the funds, valuables, properties and jewelleries and for the preservation of the shrine fund, construction of buildings for the accommodation and sanitary work for pilgrims and undertake development activities concerning the area for the shrine and its surroundings.

Jammu, March 20
In an initiative to groom promising sportspersons, who have performed exceptionally well at the national and international level, the state government is all set to establish state-of-the-art academies for various games.

As per the proposed sports policy, initially, the academies would be set up for sports disciplines such as football (boys), basketball (women), athletics, hockey (women), volleyball, polo, kayaking and canoeing, skiing and archery.

The selection of trainees in the academies will be done on the basis of their potential and performance. Those who have won medals in state/ national/ international-level competitions will be admitted in these academies after their age verification and medical examination. Besides these, they should perform well in a battery of tests. They will be provided with boarding and lodging, sports kits, daily medical check-up and sports equipment - all free of cost.

The draft stated that the state Sports Council would run sports hostels in different games in a phased manner. It states that the selection of boys and girls will be made in a transparent manner after fixing the standards and criteria and inviting applications from the interested sportspersons.

According to the draft, the performance of all the trainees would be evaluated every year and those who are not performing well would be taken off from the hostels and instead, new sportspersons with potential would be given their place.

The state government and the J&K State Sports Council will also explore the possibility of setting up day boarding centres for budding sportspersons in the state in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India.

In the first phase, these centres will be opened for disciplines of wrestling, basketball, volleyball, kabaddi, skiing, archery, kayaking and canoeing.

The draft states that a centre of sports medicine and human performance lab will be established at the capital cities to measure the physiological and physical performance of sportspersons periodically, so that training programmes could be changed accordingly. This centre will have facilities for testing and evaluating sportspersons in biomechanics, sports psychology, sports medicine, anthropometry.

Jammu, March 20
In a reply to a question in the Legislative Council (LC), Minister for Urban Development and Local Bodies Nawang Rigzin Jora informed the House that Jammu and Srinagar Master Plans-2021 are under revision for horizon period 2031 and 2032 respectively.

“The final draft of the revised Master Plans is in the advance stage of preparation and will be put for public objections and suggestions shortly,” Jora said.

Replying to another question raised by Dharambir Singh, the minister informed the House that none of the 31 traffic signal lights installed in Srinagar is defunct.

He said the agency concerned had repaired the lights during the warranty period, thereafter the Municipal Corporation had been repairing it from using its own resources.

A proposal is being formulated for installation of safety lights for pedestrians to cross the road as well as installation of traffic lights in leftover intersection junctions, Jora said. Replying to another question raised by Ajat Shatru Singh, the minister said the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) had notified ISBT Narwal and Khapur Nagrota. All the vehicle owners or operators operating from the general bus stand, BC road, had been directed to shift at interstate bus terminal, Narwal, for operation for their services.

Jammu, March 20
The All Jammu and Kashmir National Youth Corps (JKNYC) has demanded that the government should review their services as thousands of unemployed youth has been engaged under the scheme to monitor development works.

Members of the organisation threatened to sit on a hunger strike if their demands for regularisation and extension of services are not accepted by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

They demanded that they should be given an extension as most of the youth are working with dedication in their respective areas, despite being paid only Rs 2,500 as a monthly salary.

State joint secretary Syed Baker Ali Jafri said as many as 8,000 unemployed youths were engaged in monitoring developmental activities particularly in rural and militancy-affected areas, but their services were being terminated.

He appealed to the state government to pay attention towards their genuine demands. Bhat said they were not backdoor entrants but recruited under a transparent policy and were serving in 14 different departments.

Jammu, March 20
Dogra Law College organised a seminar on “No more victims on road” to pay homage to four students of the college, Tariff Hussain, Vikas Narwal, Kapil Gupta and Kamal Kishore, who lost their lives in a tragic accident in 2011.

Muneer Ahmed Khan IGP Traffic Police was the chief guest who lauded the efforts of Dogra Law College to take the issue of road safety and observance of traffic rules and regulations with a missionary approach.

He said the Traffic Police could maintain only 50 per cent traffic and the rest is dependant upon the general public. The IGP said the police as an enforcement agency and the public as a main segment would have to adopt a coordinated approach.

He said the process had been initiated for the enhancement of the punishment as well as penalty for those who violate traffic rules and regulations.

SP Traffic (rural) Sujit Kumar stressed upon the need of dealing with the real issues with proper solutions such as efficient engineering with reference to road measurement, healthy traffic environment, enforcement of rules and regulations by the enforcement agencies.

Shakeel Ahmed Beig, DIG Jammu-Kathua Range, appreciated the efforts of the college management. SM Jangral, SDPO Bari Brahmana, extended all possible help for the successful organisation of the event. Garima Gupta, Advocate J&K High Court, and Slahudin Samar Dev Singh Charak, Secretary, Dogra Educational Trust presented mementoes to the dignitaries. Prof VK Kapoor, director-cum-principal of Dogra Law College laid stress upon collective efforts by the enforcement agencies.

Jammu, March 20
The statistics department trounced the law department by 2-1 in the carrom event in the ongoing Inter-Department Sports Meet being held at Gymnasium Hall, University of Jammu (JU) here today.

In the first match, Ruchi Kumari got the better of Ila Khajuria while Narinder Kour lost to Pallvi Gupta in the next match. In the decider, the Ruchi and Pallak toppled Fatima and Rohini to emerge victorious.

The physical education department beat the maths department by 2-1 in another match. Jyoti Devi defeated Rupali Gupta whereas Samdeep Kour lost to Mehak Kohli. In the final, the pair of Jyoti and Samdeep Kour beat Rupali Gupta and Mehak.

In badminton (women), Law School overcame the challenge of the electronics department by 2-0. Deepanshi Isher had last laugh against Razia Thakur while Deepanshi and Antru beat Razia and Jogita Sharma. In another contest, the MCA deparment defeated the statistics department by 2-0. Akshma Chadha beat Ankita Sharma in the first match while Namita Sharma beat Ruby Sharma in the next match.

The law department also emerged victorious against the maths department by identical margin. In the inaugural match, Upasana Gupta beat Panmeet Kour while Heena Sharma pipped Urvashi.

In chess, (women), library sciences beat the maths department by 2-1 (Priyanka beat Rajni Kumari, Abidha Sabnam lost to Sonia Gupta and Priyanka beat Rajni Kumari).

Similarly, in Table Tennis, the chemistry department beat the physical education department by 2-1 (Komika Sharma lost to Jyoti by 9-11, 4-11, Samriti Sharma beat Sandeep Kour by 11-1, 11-4 and Samiriti and Komika beat Jyoti and Sandeep by 11-9, 11-8. The Law School beat the Business School by 2-0 (Deepansi Isher beat Manasvi Gupta by 11-6,11-4 and Bhuvweshwari Bali beat Surbhi Kakkor 11-2,11-5).

The matches were officiated by Ravish Vaid, Amit Sharma, Pankaj Kumar, Taran Pal Singh, Rekha Rani and Anil Sharma.

Jammu, March 20
Punjab defeated J&K by 43 runs in a North Zone leg encounter of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Tournament at Tata Energy Research Institute Oval, Gurgaon.

Earlier, Punjab won the toss and decided to bat first. The team accumulated 147 runs for the loss of nine wickets. In reply, J&K could not able to chase the target and skittled out for 103 in 19.3 overs.