Jammu, May 10
Girl students maintained their supremacy in the Class XII board results declared by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) here today.

However, boys outclassed girls in the science stream by clinching 13 slots in the merit list of top 10 positions which was shared by 23 students. Out of a total of 50 students at the top 30 positions in science, commerce and arts stream (10 each in the faculty), there were 31 girls and 19 boys.

According to the JKBOSE officials, 28,574 students, including 15,572 boys and 13,002 girls appeared in various streams and 13,820 students qualified the examination this year.

The overall pass per centage stood at 48 per cent with 53 per cent girls and 44 per cent boys qualifying the examination. A total of 2,689 students scored 75 per cent or above marks in the results, while at least 6,071 students passed with the first division.

The officials said the overall pass percentage declined this year as 49 per cent students had qualified the Class XII examinations last year.

“In 2012, 17,500 out of 36,088 students had qualified Class XII with 52 per cent girls and 46 per cent boys clearing the test,” they said.

They said two students were disqualified and the examinations of three students were cancelled this year. The government-run schools, whose performance was dismal during the past three years, improved their results as 38 per cent students from government higher secondary schools made it to the merit lists in the three streams. The most interesting aspect was that the government-run schools in the rural areas gave a tough competition to private as well as government schools in the urban areas and they prominently figured in the merit list of science stream.

Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Ramkote, and GHSS, Billawar, both in Kathua district, GHSS, Ramnagar, and GHSS (Boys), Samba, figured in the merit list of the science stream for the first time. Ruchika Bali a student of International Public School, Rajouri, has topped in the Class XII exam in Rajouri-Poonch districts. A resident of Jawahar Nagar, Rajouri, Ruchika Bali secured 95 per cent marks.

Akhil Bahu of SRML Higher Secondary School Parade, Jammu, bagged the first position in the science stream by scoring 97.8 per cent marks. The second and third positions were bagged by Deepak Sharma of Nav Adarsh Higher Secondary School, Kathua and Charul of Government Higher Secondary School, Ramkote, Kathua, who scored 97.6 per cent and 96.6 per cent marks, respectively. A total of 23 students comprising 13 boys and 10 girls shared the top ten positions in the science stream. In the commerce faculty, Rahul Kumar of Sir Abraham Lincoln Embark Garrison Higher Secondary School, Bishnah, and Sehar Zulfiqar of SP Higher Secondary School, Exchange Road, Jammu, shared the first position by scoring 93.6 per cent marks.

The second and the third positions were bagged by Swati Gupta of Indira Public Higher Secondary School, Shant Nagar, Janipur and Akash Sharma of SRML Higher Secondary School Parade, Jammu, as they scored 93.2 per cent and 93 per cent marks, respectively. As many as 13 students comprising 10 girls shared the top ten positions in the merit list.

In the arts stream, Sarish Gupta of Government Higher Secondary School bagged the first position with 89.8 per cent marks, while the second position was shared by Rasmeet Kaur of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Mubarak Mandi, Jammu, and Vikas Chalotra of Government Higher Secondary School (Boys), Allah, Bishnah, with both students scoring 88.8 per cent marks. The third position was bagged by Amandeep Singh of RN Tagore Higher Secondary school who scored 87.8 per cent marks. In this stream, 14 students shared the top ten positions, including 11 girls and 3 boys.

In home science stream, girl students of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Mubarak Mandi, made a clean sweep after they bagged eight out of the top 10 positions shared by 11 students.

Batote, May 10
Seven houses were razed and more than hundred cattle were charred to death in a devastating fire at Tachupora village of Tregam Lower in Banihal last night.

According to sources, the fire started from a straw pile in a cowshed at one of the houses and engulfed 28 houses of the area at 8 pm.

Eleven policemen from Khari police post, led by SI Shamim Ahmed and 20 soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), led by its Company Commander under the supervision of its Commanding Officer doused the fire after five hours.

Abdul Gani Kacher, the village sarpanch said the police and Armymen saved the lives of the three women. Besides, Rs 10.8 lakh cash, 38 cows, 60 sheep and 33 goats belonging to different families were destroyed in the blaze. Kacher said the hamlet is 14 Km away from the NH-44 and 2 km away from the link road in a jungle. In the absence of power supply, the villagers use resin twigs of pine trees and keep their money in their houses instead of a bank. Vikar Rasool, Minister of State, visited Tachupora today.

Jammu, May 10
Alleged illegal confinement of a minor girl by the police triggered protests in Kanachak area near here today with an angry mob, including the family members and relatives of the girl blocking the Akhnoor highway for hours.

However, the police denied any illegal confinement of the victim and said the girl aged 17 years was not ready to go with her parents. Trouble erupted this morning when an angry mob blocked the road and burnt tyres.

Girl’s relatives accused the police of illegally keeping the girl in its custody and for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 20,000 to release her.

SP Rural Rajesh Kumar said on May 7 the girl’s father had lodged a complaint against Rakesh Kumar of Batehra in Mishriwalla area accusing him of of kidnapping the girl.

“We lodged a case under Section 363 RPC and recovered the girl and her alleged kidnapper on May 9 but the girl refused to go with her parents, Kumar said.

She claimed to be in love with Rakesh Kumar despite stiff opposition of her family members and her refusal to go with her parents we produced both of them before a court, which directed us to keep the girl at Neha Ghar till her actual age is verified, he said.

The court has ordered an age test of the girl and the court will decide further course of action thereafter, the officer said. Now, under court orders and against the wishes of the girl we cannot give her custody to her parents, he added.

Katra, May 10
More than 8,33,709 pilgrims from within and various parts of the country visited the historic Shiv Khori cave shrine situated in Sanger hills of Pouni block of Reasi district during the first four months of the year.

Executive officer, Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board, Dr Manmeet Kumar, said here today.

During the corresponding period last year, 5,92,313 pilgrims visited the holy shrine thus registering an increase of 2,41,396 pilgrims during the first four months this year.

Kumar said Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board is making all out efforts to provide more infrastructural facilities to the pilgrims at the base camp and at the site of the cave shrine and a number of development works have been initiated in this regard. The destination is emerging as the second largest pilgrimage destination in the Reasi district after Shri Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine.

The other source of pilgrimage like Aghar Jitto, Nav Mata, Danser Baba, Dera Baba, Siar Baba , Kakala Mata temple, Mahadev temple, Chenana Devta Salal, Zirat Jandi Morh and Zirah Simle Choa are also witnessing a heavy rush of devotees these days.

Jammu, May 10
Patients and their attendants had a harrowing time today as all the medical stores across Jammu remained closed for the day in protest against alleged “draconian” provisions in the Centre’s new drug policy.

Hundreds of the medical store owners, under the banner of J&K Chemists and Druggists Association, also assembled outside the Press Club, Jammu, and staged a strong protest against the Centre demanding revocation of such provisions in the new drug policy.

Chemists and druggists had closed medical stores on the nationwide strike call by the All India Chemists and Druggists Association.

“The new policy is aimed at targeting the chemists selling drugs and medicines on small profit margins. The government should focus on multi-national drug companies who more than 300 per cent of profit margin,” one of the protesting chemists said.

He said they also oppose the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail and the government would have to face severe agitation in case it does not drop the idea of FDI in retail vis-à-vis sale of drugs and medicines.

Another chemist said they were also against the provisions made in Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Act, 2008, which stipulates action against chemists and druggists too who may be found selling spurious drugs.

“Our concern is that we are merely sellers, not manufacturers. We welcome strict legal provisions to reduce the presence of substandard drugs in the market but in that effort, we should be made witnesses not the accused,” he said.

Meanwhile, patients and their attendants suffered because of non-availability of medicines and other drugs due to the chemists’ strike. “I had no idea about the strike and I visited various medical stores in the city to buy medicines for my child who has a fracture in his right leg but all in vain. All medical stores were closed due to the nation-wide strike,” Satpal Singh, a dejected father said.

Jammu, May 10
Decision of authorities to debar the entry of inter state-buses to the general bus stand of Jammu has stirred a political controversy as traders smelt a deep-rooted conspiracy to hit economy of the Jammu city.

Enraged over the decision of the authorities to sideline the Jammu city by taking such actions, the Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCI) today sought an intervention of the Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma, in this regard.

The CCI called on a meeting with the minister in which traders informed him about the alleged conspiracies hatched by authorities to isolate the Jammu city.

“We informed the minister that debarring the inter-state buses to enter into the general bus stand would badly affect the economy of Jammu city,” CCI president YV Sharma told The Tribune, adding that the economy of Jammu city was largely dependent on pilgrimage tourism.

Traders regretted that instead of taking some steps to provide facilities to the pilgrims in Jammu city, the state government was discouraging the tourists to enter the city where historic temples were located.

“Keeping in view the gravity of the situation following unwise decision of the authorities, we called the minister to listen to our grievances,” Sharma said. He informed that the minister had assured that he would take up this matter with the authorities concerned so as to solve the issue.

Traders demanded that instead of debarring inter-state buses, the authorities should turn the general bus stand of Jammu as a terminal point on the patterns of Chandigarh bus stand. Traders aired apprehension that inflow of the pilgrims was already affected after commencing the train service to Udhampur and the new decision of the authorities would further affect local traders and shopkeepers.

Meanwhile, a deputation of various Bazar Associations, led by Murari Lal Balgotra, today met former union minister and MLA, Jammu West, Chaman Lal Gupta to apprise him about the situation arisen due to the decision of the state government.

“Business and earning of thousands of people will be affected due to this move. There seems a big conspiracy to spoil the trade and industry of the Jammu City”, the deputation told Gupta. 

Jammu, May 10
The All J&K SRTC Volunteer Retirement Employees Association staged a demonstration outside the exhibition ground here today and accused the state government of harassing them by issuing arbitrary circulars.

Led by Dev Raj Bali, president of the association, the protesters raised slogans against the state government and demanded that it should take immediate steps to fulfill their demands at the earliest.

“We are forced to adopt the path of agitation as the state Finance Department has been harassing us for the past three years. It has become a practise on the part of the department to circulate orders to harass the retired employees on one pretext or another,” Bali said.

He disclosed that the Finance Department, in its recent order, has said that it would not entertain any settled cases of the retired SRTC employees. “The fact is that there are no settled cases of retired employees as the files of 670 Volunteer Retirement Employees are still laying with the department. It is quite astonishing that we have been counted in settled cases,” he alleged.

He also reiterated that other demands of the association were the release of 126 slab cost of living allowance (COLA) and pending arrears with effect from 1999 and release of the sixth pay commission arrears. 

Jammu, May 10
The Jagti Tenement Committee and Soan Kashmir Front, J&K, has expressed concern over the difficulties being faced by the Kashmiri Pandit Migrant community for the past 23 years. A joint meeting of the office-bearers was held under the presidentship of Shadi Lal Pandita, who said that nothing has been done by the state or the Centre to improve the condition of this community.

The office-bearers alleged that Assembly constituencies were not available in the zonal officers and camp relief offices concerned. The members had appealed to the authorities concerned for making available complete voter lists of all Assembly constituencies in the office of Relief Commissioner, Relief Organisation (Migrant), Jammu alongwith EPIC- ID forms, enabling the migrants to fill their respective EPIC Identity Forms for obtaining Identity Cards.

The meeting further said for the past 23 years, the community has been appealing for bringing up a safe and secure place in Kashmir valley for permanent rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandit Migrant Community but nothing has been done in this regard.

They also demanded compensation to the migrants for the losses suffered by them due to damages to their properties in the Valley during the past 23 years. An appeal was also made for implementing the Prime Minister’s employment package for Kashmiri migrant youth by filling the remaining posts at the earliest to absorb the educated youth in the government departments.

The office-bearers appealed to the government to enhance the cash assistance relief in favour of the migrants and restoration of proper power supplies to migrant camp to save lives from alleged unscheduled power-cuts. Others who attended the meeting included Rajinder Dhar, SL Kar, Deepak Bhat, Hari Krishan, Deepak Razdan, Ramesh Bhat, PL Thusoo and ML Akhoon.

Jammu, May 10
The Directorate of Sports and Physical Education, University of Jammu, celebrated its annual campus sports day-cum-prize distribution function at the University Stadium near Gymnasium Hall here today.

Prof Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, Vice-Chancellor, JU, was the chief guest, who gave away winner and runner-up trophies to the departments which participated in the inter-departmental competitions organised by the Directorate of Sports and Physical Education. The Vice-Chancellorlauded the efforts of the department in organising the sporting event, besides laying stress on the importance of sports. — TNS