Jammu, May 12
The residents of the Winter Capital may once again suffer due to power cuts in Jammu during this summer, as the Power Development Department (PDD) does not have sufficient stock of standby transformers in its workshop.

The risk of the transformers getting damaged has increased in the summer heat. The department has 6,800 transformers installed in the Jammu circle, out of which 2,400 got damaged between May and August last year.

As per information, the department has only 140 new transformers in stock and 150 repaired transformers, which cannot fulfill the requirement of the Jammu city for this summer.

Last year, an average 20 transformers were damaged per day during peak summers and the residents of almost all areas of Jammu suffered due to transformer damage.

Nikhil Sharma, a resident of Roop Nagar said, "The transformer in my locality was damaged five times in summers, and it takes the department at least two days to replace it."

"The first priority of the department was always the city and Gandhi Nagar area, where influential people live, and for the people of our locality, the department had the excuse that they don't have transformers in stock," he added.

Residents allege that the department sends the damaged transformers to the workshop for repair and installs the same transformer in the locality, but it takes more than four days to repair and replace the transformer.

Shubham Sharma of Bohri said, "If the transformer gets overloaded, the department should install transformer of a higher capacity in that locality, but they install the same capacity transformer after repairs, which get damaged again after few days."

Superintendent Engineer (SE) maintenance, Gurbachan Singh said, "It is true that the rate of the transformers getting damaged increases drastically during summers in Jammu, due to overload, but the department is doing its best to control overloading and power theft. The department will make sure that less transformers get damaged during this summer session.” He said, "We cannot store more transformers in our workshop but we will provide new transformers whereaver needed.”

“We have our own workshop as well as Small Scale Industries partners to repair transformers, it takes two-three days to repair a transformer, as per the damage, and I think we will not let the people suffer in this summer,” he added. He appealed to the people to use power judicially so that the transformers do not get overloaded.

Jammu, May 12
The J&K Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA), entrusted to provide green energy to the people, will set up a biogas plant at Kangarh Morh village at Kot Bhalwal.

The plant is being set up under a centrally sponsored scheme and is likely to benefit hundreds of farmers. Biogas is produced through biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. It is generated from biogenic material and a relatively clean burning, colourless and odourless gas; biogas is composed of methane and carbon dioxide, depending on the feedstock used.

Officials said if the concept of biogas units picks up it would greatly benefit the farmers. The plant is based on kitchen wastage, cow dung and dry leaves.

Biogas is a clean and efficient fuel with 65 per cent methane, 34 per cent carbon dioxide and traces of other gases, such as hydrogen sulphide and ammonia.

Minister of State for Science, Feroz Ahmad Khan said, “The bio gas plant would provide clean energy to the people and also produce organic fertilisers. We are trying to popularize it among the masses.”

Minister said with the support of central subsidy under the Scheme on National Biogas and Manure Management Programme, which caters to the setting up of biogas plants for families, the agency has set up 500 biogas plants over the last two years in Jammu, Kathua, Doda and Udhampur.

There are 87.06 lakh livestock in the state which reflect the vast potential to generate bio gas. The biogas generated will suffice the needs of more than 42.57 lakh persons. Energy for cooking alone contributes 50 per cent of the total energy budget of the state.

agent of clean energy The J&K Energy Development Agency will set up a biogas plant at Kangarh Morh village at Kot Bhalwal The plant is being set up under a centrally sponsored scheme and is likely to benefit hundreds of farmers The JKEDA has set up 500 biogas plants in two years in Jammu, Kathua, Doda and Udhampur

Jammu, May 12
Balidan Stambh or the Tower of Sacrifices, built in memory of soldiers who laid down their lives for the country and fighting militancy in the state is in a state of neglect. The memorial was handed over to Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah by than Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor on November 24, 2009. Neither the state government nor the Army is ready to own responsibility to maintain the memorial.

Built at a cost of Rs 13 crore, the Baldian Stambh took five years to be completed. The memorial has 54 pillars bearing the names of more than 5,000 martyrs, etched on stone in golden colour, who sacrificed their lives for the country since 1947. It has a 60-metre tall citadel, prodding the skyline like a bayoneted rifle. Its height is an epitome of unsurpassable resolve, valour, dedication and selfless service by the Indian Army men to their country.

Musical fountains, pathways and landscaped gardens which add to the ambience and beauty of the memorial have become a victim of apathy of the administration. The golden colour of these names of the martyrs have lost shine, many floor and wall tiles are broken, the fountains are not working and the memorial has not been cleaned for months.

At the base of the tower an eternal flame is supposed to be lit, a timeless commemoration of the supreme sacrifice made by the brave martyrs on the soil of the state, while upholding the unity and integrity of the country. Unfortunately it is lit during the visit of Army officials or Union Ministers.

Photography is also prohibited inside the monument.

“It was built by the Army but at the time of its inauguration, it was handed over to the state administration. The Army provides security to the memorial, but the maintenance and internal security is the duty of the state administration,” said SN Acharya, Officiating PRO Defence.

Divisional Commissioner, Predeep Gupta, said, “As per my knowledge, it is with the Army only; if they have handed it over to the state administration, please ask them, which department has taken it from them.”

DIG, Jammu-Kathua range, Shekeel Beig said the armed police is deployed at the memorail. DIG Armed Police, Jonny William, said, “It doesn’t come under our department, we have nothing to do with it.”

“The view of the Balidan Stambh is mesmerising, the moment I enter the area, it instils a sense of patriotism in me, however, I wish that the authorities take some measures regarding its maintenance,” said Sapna Tiwari, 29, a tourist from Jaipur. “The distemper and the paint chipping off the walls, and there are some pillars which do not bear any name. The Amar Jyoti is not lit round-the-clock, which is very disappointing,” she added.

Jammu, May 12
The statue of Lt Gen Bikram Singh, PVSM, a war hero, was shifted today from Bikram Chowk to Tawi Bridge to start work on the flyover.

The 11-feet tall statue of Lt Gen Bikram Singh, who belonged to Jammu, was built by the Bikram Singh Yaadgar Committee (BSYC), with the help of the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) in 1993 at a cost of Rs 11 lakh. The BSYC paid Rs 9 lakh while the JDA paid Rs 2 lakh.

The chowk (crossing) known as Bikram Chowk, is a landmark in the city. The statue fell within the area of the flyover project between Bikram Chowk and Satwari. The BSYC members offered prayers before the statue was lifted with the help of a crane and placed at the new spot near the Tawi Bridge.

Harinder Singh, a member of BSYC said, “We have shifted the statue to facilitate work on the flyover.” The BSYC pays tribute to Bikram Singh every year on November 22.

Jammu, May 12
A brief spell of light rain and overcast sky today turned hot and sizzling weather pleasant in city and its outskirts with maximum temperature dropping several degrees below normal. The state Met office predicted partly cloudy sky with possibility of thunderstorm and rain.

Dr MK Khushu, Chief Scientist Agrometeorology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, said Jammu recorded 1.2 mm light rain over the past 24 hours and the temperature dropped seven notches below normal. “The maximum temperature of Jammu was 26.9 degree Celsius which was nearly seven notches below normal, while the minimum temperature plummeted to 20.4 degree Celsius," Khushu said. He said they were expecting similar weather conditions tomorrow and the region would face hot conditions from Tuesday.

In Kathua, the maximum temperature was recorded at 26.2 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was 24.2 degree Celsius, Khushu said. he said Kathua recorded 1 mm rainfall. “All other districts too recorded light rain and overcast sky which provided some relief to the people from the heat," he said.

Residents enjoyed the pleasant weather conditions as they stayed outdoors to make the most of it. "For the last couple of days, temperature was quite high touching 39 degree Celsius in the first week of this month. The brief spell and strong winds have brought some relief to the people. Today being a Sunday, many families went out and enjoyed the weather," said Samriti Sharma, a housewife.

Jammu, May 12
‘Rehearsal’, a fast-paced comedy play in Hindii was staged at Natrang Studio Theatre here today by theatre group Natrang. The play written by Lakshmi Kant Vaishnav and directed by Neeraj Kant kept the audience in splits.

Natrang director said Natrang was launching the year long celebrations of 30 years of Natrang with the presentation of highly acclaimed Hindi children play ‘Aap Hamare Hain Kaun’ at the auditorium of IIIM in Jammu.

The play ‘Rehearsal’ very portrayed the rehearsal scenario of a play with an all-women cast. Though the characters want to present a good show but their approach is not good enough as they are immature.

The play depicted how the basic values for a professional theatre production like discipline, punctuality, team spirit, self-motivation neutrality of the mind etc were missing in the characters and how they were instead full of jealousy, gossip, lack of coordination and ego. The characters thus lose track and reveal their mind in a dramatic manner in the play. The character of the director of the play is shown to have her own limitations and lacks mettle as she is unable to control the team. Where these characters were required to act with compassion towards their fellow artistes they are depicted as having their own whims and fancies as some of them even seek special treatment.

Writer has very satirically mocked on the people who want to do something without its proper knowledge and also without possessing the basic eligibilities of the field.

Jammu, May 12
Expressing concern over low participation of girls in various sports competitions held at the zonal, district, state and national level, the authorities are planning to develop a mechanism to ensure ample opportunities for women players.

The proposed draft of sports policy of the J&K State Sports Council has stressed for providing equal opportunities to women in the field of sports, besides taking necessary steps to meet the sporting needs of physically challenged sportspersons.

“It is the need of the hour to take concrete measures for maximum participation of girls, which at present is very low. In most of the competitions, whether they are conducted at the district or the state level, there is more participation of boys and men as compared to girls and women,” said an official.

“The proposed sports policy has put women sports under ‘special sector games’, wherein the competitions will be held at the block, district and state level. However, it is imperative that the decision taken is implemented in letter and spirit to achieve the desired results,” he said.

“In order to ensure maximum participation of women in various games at the national level, Centrally sponsored schemes such as the Panchayat Yuva Khel Aur Krida Abhiyan will play a pivotal role,” said a source. He said the proposed sports policy has recommended that every year, 15 best sportswomen should be honoured and rewarded under the Madri-Meharban Sports Award for winning medals in national competitions to further boost their morale.

The draft has also emphasised on strengthening the rural sports in a bid to provide adequate opportunities for rural youth to prove their mettle at higher levels.

Efforts are also on to ensure that there is sufficient infrastructure, training facilities and competitive events to enable physically challenged persons to participate in sports. Sources said district and state level tournaments would be conducted for them through state sports associations.

Jammu, May 12
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) today demanded immediate arrest of former Union Cabinet ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, saying resignation of these leaders was not enough.

It also demanded thorough investigations into scams pertaining to Railway Department and allocation of coal blocks.

BJYM activists led by their state vice-president Karan Sharma and state secretary Ishant Gupta held a demonstration in the city and burnt the effigy of the UPA government.

They demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should resign from his post as his Cabinet members were facing allegations of involvement in various scams.

Addressing the activists, Sharma said corruption and lack of accountability of the UPA government had become a major cause of concern for the entire country.

“First 2G, then coalgate and now railgate, this government is full of corrupt officials. Mere resignations by the law and railway ministers won’t do. They should be prosecuted and put behind the bars,” the BJYM leader said.

He also hit out at the UPA government for using the CBI as its instrument. “They have been using the CBI as an instrument for their own political gains. They should stop such practises,” he said. 

Jammu, May 12
A photo exhibition was organised in the heart of the city to commemorate the 5th death anniversary of photo journalist Ashok Sodhi, who lost his life while on duty during the Samba encounter in 2008.

Three photo journalists, Afzal Shah, Anand Sharma and Raman Raina, displayed their 62 photographs in the exhibition at Shalimar Chowk. Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and Director General of Police Ashok Parshad were among those who visited the venue.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand recalled his association with the photographer. He said Sodhi was committed towards his profession and had laid down his life while performing his duty.

Appreciating photo journalists for organising the exhibition as mark of tribute to Sodhi, the Deputy Chief Minister asked them to continue making such efforts to recall Sodhi’s contribution to the field of journalism.

Katra, May 12
Reasi District Development Commissioner (DDC) Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary reviewed the disaster management plan at Vaishno Devi Shrine on Sunday.

Police officials and shrine board members gave presentations on law and order and disaster management to the DDC. During his visit to the cave shrine, the DDC interacted with officers and took stock various arrangements for pilgrims visiting the cave shrine.

The DDC was accompanied by Katra SP Mohan Lal, Bhawan SDM Ranjeet Singh, ACR Nawab Din and other senior officers of the administration and the police.

He also reviewed the supply of water and electricity. The Bhawan SDM apprised him of problems related to the power line.

In a meeting of Additional Chief Executive Officer, Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Dr Mandeep Bhandari and the Reasi DDC, a number of issues related to the Katra township were discussed, including the implementation of the Katra master plan.

Rajouri, May 12
Newly elected Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Dr Shehnaz Ganai said women were given 33 per cent reservation in at the halqa panchayat level and soon similar percentage of seats would be reserved for women at the block level.

She said the bill regarding the same had been introduced in the Legislative Council by her during the recent budget session.

She said this while chairing the review meeting of Panchayati Raj Institutions of Sunderbani, Nowshera Kalokatote, Dongi blocks of the Rajouri district today.

She said various initiatives had been taken by the government such as providing Rs 30,000 as relief for the marriage of below poverty line girls, constitution of the state mission authority for women, which would take steps to improve women socially and economically in the state.

On the empowerment of panchayats, she said these institutions had already been given the power to monitor 14 departments. She said the need of the hour for the panches and sarpanches was to utilise these powers fully and help cultivate an atmosphere of good governance at the grass-roots level.

Flaying the “elements bent upon weakening the Panchayati Raj Institutions”, she said the nefarious designs of such elements would never succeed and the tempo of panchayats would gather momentum day by day.

She said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was committed towards giving powers to the common man. She said, "A common man has been entrusted with the power to question the government on its every action or commission under the Right to Information Act and get answers to his queries." She said by this initiative, the government had been brought under the scanner of public.

Jammu, May 12
The High School, Baghdar, trounced the Amba Kids, Panthal, 2-0 in the finals to lift the U-14 volleyball title in the inter-school tournament of Reasi Zone.

The set score read 25-14 and 25-22. In the U-17 finals, the High School, Kambal Danga, trounced the Higher Secondary School, Panthal, 2-0 (25-17, 25-15).

In the U-14 kho-kho (boys), the High School, Nomain, got the better of the High School, Aghar Jitto, by 4 points (10-6). In the U-17 age group, the High School, Nomain, overcame the challenge of the High School, Kambal Danga, by 12 points (17-5). In the U-14 kabaddi event, the Middle School, Seela, scripted a narrow win over the Amba Kids by 24-23 and in the U-17 boys category of the event, the High School, Baghdar, beat the High School, Kambal Danga, by 47-15.

In the girls’ section, the U-14 kho-kho title went to the Amba Kids which defeated the High School, Nomain, by 3 points (5-2). In the U-17 girls’ category, the Higher Secondary School, Panthal, beat the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Reasi, by 5 points (14-9).

The kabaddi U-14 girls title trophy was bagged by the Amba kids School by beating the High School, Ghair Mari, by 14-8. In the U-17 kabaddi event, the Higher Secondary School, Panthal, beat the Higher Secondary School, Kanjli, by 42-15.

Arshad Choudhary, District Treasury Officer, Reasi, was the chief guest on the occasion and Rajesh Baru, Naib Tehsildar, Reasi, was the chief guest in the events held in the girls’ section.

A total of 707 boys and girls drawn from 36 government and private educational institutions participated in the event organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, under the supervision of Dr Swaran Singh Chib, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Reasi, at Government Higher Secondary School, Reasi.

Principal of the Boys Higher Secondary School, Reasi, was the chairperson of the tournament.

Rajouri, May 12
The Red Cross Society, Rajouri, today gave two wheelchairs to handicapped persons in the district. These were given to persons who had lost their limbs in accidents a few years back.

Mass media officer Sadiq Khan said more chairs would be given to needy people.