Jammu, March 28
The state government today admitted that 14,000 hectares of forest land was under illegal occupation and it had evicted encroachments from over 400 hectares over the last two years.

“Area of 13,948.01 hectares of forest land was under encroachment. Except encroachment over 50.31 hectares during 2011-12 in Bhaderwah division, no fresh encroachment has taken place thereafter,” Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Mian Altaf said in a written reply to the question of MLA from Jammu West Chaman Lal Gupta in the Legislative Assembly.

The minister claimed that 62.81 hectares of forest land had been got evicted in Jammu region and 341.01 hectares in Kashmir region.

“In Jammu division, nearly 9,497 hectares of the forest land was under illegal occupation, while the quantum of land under encroachment in the Kashmir division was 3,890 hectares,” Altaf said.

In the current year, he said at least 13 attempts of encroachments on forest land were foiled, saving 2,474 kanals of forest land from encroachers.

As far as encroachment on forest and state land in and around Jammu city was concerned, the forest staff had been keeping a close vigil on any attempts of encroachment. “A special task force has been constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, to ascertain the status of such areas which are under illegal possession,” the minister said.

Jammu, March 28
Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Entrepreneurship Development Association (JKAEDA) today protested against overcharging for power by the Power Development Department (PDD), Jammu.

The farmers alleged that besides overcharging, the charges were being levied arbitrarily. They alleged that in many instances, they had been asked to pay bills even on non-functional connections. The farmers claimed that they used bore-well connections for two months but they charged for the entire year.

Association leader Kulbhushan Khajuria held the government responsible for ignoring losses caused due to the recent hailstorm that had inflicted massive damage particularly to the standing vegetable crops.

He also appealed for lumpsum power charges for electric motors up to 5 HP saying that these were used only for two months from July to August (paddy planting) last year. The Association members also warned to intensify the agitation if the government failed to fulfill their genuine demands.

Jammu, March 28
The residents of Prem Nagar along with the leaders of J&K Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today held a strong protest against the Power Development Department (PDD). The rally was led by Nico Demas, president, Christian Community, Vikram Singh, district vice-president, PDP, Girish Sharma, Asif Gill, Rohit Seastus, Victor Bhatti, Narider Bhatti, Ashu Kalyan, Pooja and Sunnita.

They alleged there was no power in Prem Nagar since 11 am. They said after repeated requests to the PDD officials nothing was done to restore power supply. —TNS

Jammu, March 28
Inmates of Jagti Migrant Camp, Jagti Nagrota, held a protest against unscheduled power cuts today. The rally was held under the leadership of Shadi Lal Pandita, president of Jagti Tenement Committee.

Pandita said prolonged power curtailments had made the life of inmates of the camp very difficult. He said the Power Minister and the Power Development Department had been forcing the Kashmiri Pandit Migrant community living at Jati Migrant Camp to enter into agreements with the department to bear the electric charges.

Pandita claimed that since the camp accommodation had been provided to the Kashmiri Pandit Migrants under the Prime Minister’s package, the power supply needs to be ensured as per the 22-year-old practice without charging from the community as the Centre bore all the expenses. He said the community had already suffered great financial loss over the past 23 years of migration. He also appealed to the authorities that till permanent rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandit community, the community be exempted from electric and other charges.

The leaders also appealed to the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner to initiate steps to restore un-interrupted power supply free of cost to the inmates of Jagti migrant camp.

BL Dhar, TK Dhar, PL Thusoo, SL Tickoo, Rajinder Dhar and H N Bhat also spoke on the occasion.

Batote, March 28
“I am in a dilemma whether to pay my power bill or not as even the concerned officers are unable to tell me the exact amount I have to deposit. They are not even ready to accept the power bill without interest, which could be deposited later,” said Gulzari Lal who, according to the PDD Office Notice No 67-72, 
dated: 6-3-13, owes Rs 49,238 to the M&RE, Sub-Division, Batote.

Besides numerous defaulters like him, all the engineers of the PDD are confused since the announcement about the waiving off of the interest on the long-pending bills of the defaulters. This may further aggravate the power revenue crisis in J&K.

“In the absence of any government order regarding the assurance made by the Finance Minister, J&K, during his budget speech about the power bill interest waiver, we are unaware of the extent or the period and other conditions to be considered to implement the waiver,” said an officer on the condition of anonymity.

“Since this announcement, not only are we fed up of replying to the relevant queries of the consumers but are not able to achieve our target as every defaulter now shirks to deposit any money,” said another officer who too preferred to remain anonymous.

Sources said even if the relevant order was issued within a couple of days, it would be a herculean task for the officials to implement the order at the end of March. 

Jammu, March 28
A two-day workshop on ‘Improvisation of Teaching Aids’ was organised by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), J&K Chapter-Jammu, in collaboration with the Department of Educational Studies and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Jammu.

Around 120 educationists drawn from various colleges of education participated in the workshop and learned various skills to improve teaching aids related to various subjects.

The function started with the lighting of the traditional lamp. Dr Ritu Bakshi conducted the session along with Dr Baliya and Dr Aman. Prof Jyoti, Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences, gave a brief speech about the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA). He said the association holds workshops every year in the first week of January.

Dr JN Baliya, Department of Educational Studies, Central University of Jammu, provided a brief summary of the workshop, its relevance and the theme of the collaboration of the two departments. He said improvisation meant making teaching aids relevant and affordable. He added that the primary objective of the workshop was to train the participants to prepare affordable teaching aids.

Prof Lokesh Koul gave the inaugural key note address. He said teaching aids sustain students’ interest and encourage their involvement. Prof Lokesh said ‘no cost teaching aids’ like soil, leaves etc should be used more so that major portion of the population could be reached. He opined that teaching aids made learning joyful, productive and at the same time unforgettable.

Prof NR Sharma, Head, Department of Educational Studies, shared his experiences as a teacher and appreciated the move of the association. The participants also asked questions during the session. The second day started with a demonstration by Rajeev Trikha. Dr JN Baliya summed up the demonstrations of all the resources persons and appreciated their efforts to make the workshop more fruitful and intellectually meaningful.

Jammu, March 28
The deaf and dumb children and their parents today held a protest under the banner of the Association of Parents of Hearing Handicapped (APHH), J&K. The rally began from Samaj Kalyan Kendra at Shahidi Chowk and passed through Residency Road before culminating at the Press Club.

Bashir Ahmad Dar, APHH president, said jobs were not being provided to persons with severe hearing disability. 

Jammu, March 28
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Rajesh Kumar, has said apart from maintaining law and order in the region, the J&K police would focus to ensure safety of women and children.

Talking to mediapersons after assuming charge recently, the IGP said tackling militancy would be top priority for the state police besides improving city policing. “Police is fully prepared to face the challenge of militancy and our primary concern is to maintain law and order to ensure safety of the citizens.”

Expressing concern over crimes against women and children, the IGP said various steps would be taken to ensure their safety besides focusing on tackling the drug menace among youth.

IGP said measures would also be taken to ensure fast-track verification of passports. 

Jammu, March 28
Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Raman Bhalla said the government had taken several measures to raise the living standards of the people, including those residing in the peripheral areas of the urban centres.

Bhalla was interacting with people after launching the work to upgrade lanes and drains at ward no 45 of Preet Nagar here today. He stressed upon the concerned engineers and officers to double their efforts and accelerate the pace of the ongoing works in the area. He directed them to ensure the use of quality material in execution of the works, adding that the objective of the state government was to create durable basic infrastructure for providing better facilities to the people. Bhalla said the government had spent crores of rupees in its endeavour. Work on several ambitious projects under the PHE, R&B, JMC and ERA was on war footing in every corner of the state, he added. 

Jammu, March 28
Linda Ishar, wife of Prof Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu (JU), celebrated holi with the gardeners of the campus.

As part of the celebrations, the gardeners greeted Ishar who in turn wished them and hoped that the year to come would fill their lives with happiness. She also exchanged pleasantries with them and enquired about the well being of their families. Prof Ishar also joined the celebrations and extended greetings to the gardners.

Jammu, March 28
A Holi Milan function was organised at Raj Bhawan here last evening, in which Governor NN Vohra and his wife, Usha Vohra, celebrated the festival of colours along with members of the staff of the Governor’s secretariat, their spouses and children.

The event, organised on the lawns of Raj Bhawan, made the occasion memorable for participants, particularly children, who were delighted to be able to play around on the lawns where flowers were in full bloom.

The Governor and his wife extended Holi greetings and offered sweets to all those assembled on the occasion.

They interacted with the children, members of the staff of the Governor’s secretariat and their families and posed for photographs with them. They wished them good health and happiness. The Governor prayed for peace, progress and prosperity in the state.

Principal Secretary to the Governor Navin K Choudhary was present on the occasion. 

Jammu, March 28
The National Photo Awards (2011- 2012) ‘Special Mention Award’ in the professional category was conferred by the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, on SN Acharya, Senior Photographic Officer of the Jammu-based Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Defence, at New Delhi today.

An official release issued here stated that the award was presented to Acharya during an impressive and glittering awards presentation ceremony, held at the Vigyan Bhavan.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari was also present during the ceremony.

The National Photo Awards were instituted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2010.

The award-winning photographs on tree plantation in the world’s highest and coldest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier and another in Mushkoh valley of Drass sector, the second coldest and permanently inhabited place in the world, had been clicked during the Army's 'Green Siachen' campaign.

The Northern Command of the Army takes several initiatives for the ecological upgrade of the Siachen glacier. The 'Green Siachen' campaign was one such initiative.

Jammu, March 28
To give Raghunath Bazar a historical look, ornamental lamp posts and water taps with antique look will be installed in the market as part of its beautification project. The designs were approved today in a joint meeting of the officers from the departments concerned and members of Raghunath Bazar Businessmen Association (RBBA). The meeting was convened by Pardeep Gupta, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu.

The meeting was held in the art gallery of renowned sculptor from the state, Ravinder Singh Jamwal at Beerpur, as per a statement released here today.

The Divisional Commissioner gave the direction that one piece each of lamp post and water faucets would be installed at the bazaar soon as models. He also instructed the departments of BSNL, sewerage and the PDD to undertake their share of the work on a war footing.

Jammu, March 28
Law Department got the better of Economics Department by 2-1 sets today in volleyball in the ongoing Inter-Department Sports Meet, being played at University of Jammu (JU) here. The set score read 25-16, 25-19,15-13.

For Law Department, Suyash Singh, Mohit Sharma and Anshu played outstandingly while from Economics Department Mohammad Qadeer played well.

In another match, Geology Department had the last laugh against Geography by 3-0 sets (27-25, 25-22, 25-22). From Geology Department, Neeraj Sharma and Sanjeev Sharma played well while Rohit Sharma was the outstanding player from the loser team. The matches were officiated by RC Sharma, Mulkh Raj Sharma, Stanzin Namsas and Imtiyaz Ahmad.

In badminton, Physics and Electronics Department toppled Commerce Department by 2-0. In the first singles, Akhil Chouhan beat Raman Kumar 2-0 whereas Rahul Gupta trounced Lalit Katoch. In the second quarterfinal, Physical Education Department beat Maths Department. In the first singles, Amit Sharma outclassed Akhil Sharma while Taranpal Singh thrashed Sushil Kumar. Law School overcame the challenge of Law Department by 2-0 in the third quarterfinal.

In table tennis, Physical Education Department edged out Business School in the first quarterfinal. Sandeep Singh outclassed Akhil Gour in the first singles while Amit Sharma lost to Madur Khullar in the second singles. In the decider, the duo of Sandeep and Amit beat Akhil and Madhur to emerge victorious.

In the second quarterfinal, Library Science trounced Maths Department whereas Law Department pipped down Environment Science Department in the third quarterfinal. All the matches were officiated by Pankaj Kumar, Amit Sharma and Taranpal Singh.

In carrom, Law School eased past Chemistry Department by 2-1 (Akash Gupta beat Mukesh Sharma, Navdeep lost to Abhishek Sharma and Akash and Navdeep beat Mukesh and Abhishek).

In another match, Maths Department defeated Statistics Department by 2-0 (Minkak Sharma beat Rahul Sharma and Vimal Singh beat Sandeep Charak).

Jammu, March 28
Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs Abdul Rahim Rather has said sports inculcate discipline and team spirit among players, besides quick decision-making power to make them good administrators.

He was speaking at the valedictory function of the Easter Football Friendship Cup between Norway Youth Football Club and JK Christian Youth Football Club at GGM Science College Football Ground.

He said more sports events will be organised for the youth of the state in the future. He said the state government was committed to promote sports in every nook and corner of the state and also assured the organisers of every possible help in future sports activities.

Earlier, in an exhibition match, Norway Club clinched a 5-3 win via a tie-breaker. After tie in the stipulated time, Norway club held its nerves in the tie-breaker to script an exciting win.

Moon Stephan, Elijha Sotra, Amit Sotra and Rinku Gill officiated the matches. David who was the guest of honour also congratulated the Bethel Trust for organising this exhibition match on the eve of Easter. Earlier, Pastor Shokat Peter, Head priest of Bethel Church, inaugurated the match by releasing balloons. He, along with David, met the players of both teams.

Rajesh Gill, coordinator of the exhibition match, said the aim of the exhibition match was to provide a platform to youth of the state. The proceedings of the programme were conducted by Rajesh Dhar, advisor of the Christian Sports Organisation and Chairman of Bethel Trust, John Rocques Bhatti, presented the vote of thanks. Later, winner-and the runner-up trophies were given away by the chief guest and other dignitaries.