Jammu, May 21
Ahead of the annual Amarnath yatra, the condition of the road leading to the Yatri Niwas in Bhagwati Nagar of Jammu city is in a dilapidated condition. The sewerage treatment plant project of the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) is responsible for the condition of the road.

At a couple of places, even after premixing, the road has sunk, making it dangerous for commuters in the area.

Every year lakhs of devotees begin their pilgrimage from the Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar to reach the Amarnath cave shrine.

Hundreds of vehicles ply on the road leading to the Yatri Niwas but its condition is worsening despite macadamizing it.

The ERA authorities, however, hope that the condition of the road will be improved well ahead of the start of the pilgrimage but sources say there is no guarantee that the condition of the road would not deteriorate during the yatra.

“Work at the sewerage treatment plant is going on and the condition of the road is also being improved. There is more than one month’s time left to the start of yatra and we hope that everything will be put in place by June 15,” said Sourabh Bhagat, Chief Executive Officer, ERA.

Bhagat said compaction of the road needs four to five month time but it the road sank wherever work was not carried out for the prescribed time.

“We have asked the Road and Building Department to re-lay the road. We have given Rs 8 crore to the R&B Department to lay premix and macadamise it and hope it will be completed soon,” he added.

He tried to shift the blame for the condition of the road on the R&B Department. But the R&B Department denied any responsibility for the same. “The R&B Department was asked to macadamise the road but the problem is of the hard crust which was not built properly. The ERA and the R&B Department are doing their job and within a few days work on the road will be completed,” Tehseen Mustafa, Chief Engineer, R&B said.

Jammu, May 21
The High Court has ordered the J&K State Board of School Education (JKBOSE) to conduct the examination of the students of Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) Course along with other regular candidates from June 14.

This has brought relief to 15,000 students pursuing the ETT course in the 2011-13 session at different colleges across the state.

The BOSE had refused to conduct the examination the students who were admitted in various colleges after the completion of counselling process leading to a tussle between the managements of ETT institutes and the school education board.

Deep Singh, president, Jammu Private Schools and ETT Institutes Association (Progressive), has welcomed the decision. "The career of more than 15,000 ETT students was getting affected due to the mishandling of the issue by the state school education department. The order has given a ray of hope for the aggrieved students," Deep Singh said.

"JKBOSE has acted like a mute spectator over the last six years while dealing or monitoring the sub-standard rather a scandalous working particularly within the ETT course and gave a free hand to the outgoing BOSE chairman for promoting an unwanted unethical and corrupt culture," he alleged.

"Thousands of ETT students from outside the state had enrolled in institutes affiliated with BOSE which have the recognition of the state government. If technical irregularities have been committed by such institutes or BOSE, those responsible should be probed but without damaging the career of innocent students," Deep Singh said.

Deep Singh said, "As far as the lapses on part of the ETT institutions or BOSE administration are concerned they are also need to be dealt with in a strict and justified manner to set right the things for ever in future," another member of the association said.

Jammu, May 21
Activists of the Shiv Sena, Dogra Front, and the Jammu West Assembly Movement (JWAM) held a protest today against the shortage of water and power supply in Jammu. They held the government responsible for the same.

They also alleged that the government was discriminating against the people of Jammu. They also rued that while the ministers and bureaucrats enjoyed the cool environs of Kashmir, people here were suffering due to the scorching weather.

Shiv Sena state president Ashok Gupta lashed out at the government for enforcing five-hour power cuts in the city and other parts of the region.

“While the department has collected a huge amount of money as revenue from the people and at the time of collection assured of regular supply of electricity, but it was all hollow talk,” Gupta said. He alleged that the department of PHE was blaming the electricity department for the water shortage but the PHE was also not using the time to draw water from deeper tubewells.

JWAM president Sunil Dimple criticised the PHE officials for their failure to ensure regular drinking water supply. He alleged that the department had stopped the supply of water through tankers, which had affected a large number of people.

Jammu, May 21
After the High Court notice issued to the Head of the Convergence Unit, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, for not obeying its directions, did not yield any response, the partner institutions in the state have decided to refund fee to the students whose admissions in various programmes under the scheme was kept in abeyance.

As reported earlier, fresh admissions for all programmes of the IGNOU for the July 2012 cycle under the Convergence Scheme in the 325 partner institutions all over the country, including 25 in the state had been kept in abeyance owing to the decision of the Board of Management of IGNOU in its 113th meeting.

Following that, the Association of All Partner Institution of India (AAPI) had approached the High Court to sort out the issue. The High Court had then issued directions to the Board of Management of IGNOU on September 12, 2012, to resume the admission process but it was not done.

Ashok Khajuria, one of the members of AAPI, said, “We have lost all hope of any breakthrough and thus the management has started the process to refund the fee to the enrolled students."

“The datesheet has been announced and the examination will start from June 1 but this vexed issue remains unresolved. In fact, the present Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU, Prof Mohammad Aslam, was the acting Vice-Chancellor in 2012 when admissions under the Convergence Scheme were stopped. We hoped that he would do something to break the deadlock but in vain,” Ashok said.

"We are accountable to the students who took admissions under and the post graduate programmes in different colleges and the decision to stop the scheme without intimating us has left us in the lurch," he said.

“We have no option but to reimburse the course fee to the students who have taken admissions under the Convergence Scheme. Most of them belong to remote areas and also not economically sound to pursue regular course. The scheme is for students of distance education but unfortunately due to fault of some institutions, it has affected the functioning of all partner institutions,” he added.

Katra, May 21
The District Red Cross Committee, in collaboration with the Education Department, organised an awareness rally today from Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Reasi, in which students from different schools, along with Red Cross volunteers, participated. The rally passed through different markets, bus stops and colonies of Reasi town and concluded at the same school.

Earlier, a function to spread awareness was also organised by the District Red Cross Society, Reasi, on the school premises in which the District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary was the chief guest and the Chief Education Officer, Reasi, TL Bhagat was the guest of honour.

On this occasion, students from various government schools of the town presented their views on the theme of the World Red Cross Day this year, ‘Voluntarism-a Noble Cause ’. Dr Choudhary appreciated the efforts of the District Red Cross Society for making the event successful. The presence of Red Cross Society at a hilly place like Reasi increased its importance at such a place, he said.

Jammu, May 21
The non-gazetted employees of Jammu University continued to strike work for three-hours for the eighth consecutive day today.

They held the University authorities responsible for the present stalemate.

The employees also announced that they would suspend work for four hours from tomorrow and warned that other employee unions would join their struggle.

Raising slogans and carrying black flags, the protesting employees comprising Class IV and casual workers under the banner of the Jammu University Non-Gazetted and Causal Workers Association also held a rally on the campus.

“The university administration has taken no initiative to resolve our long pending issues. We will observe four-hour-long strike from tomorrow and if needed, we will also ask other employees like sweepers and security staff to suspend work,” Krishan Chand, president of the association said.

Over 700 non-gazetted employees comprising Class IV and casual workers have been protesting in support of their demands which include removal of pay anomalies, regularisation of causal workers and reduction in the period of conducting test to promotion of Class IV employees from five years to three years.

Chand also alleged that the university authorities had backtracked from their commitment vis-à-vis a resolution of employees’ issue in February last.

“We had suspended our agitation till March 30, the deadline given by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohan Paul Singh to concede to our major demand for regularisation of causal workers. He (V-C) had also assured that our demands will be fulfilled at the earliest but nothing has been done so far,” he said.

On February 18, the Jammu University Non-Gazetted and Causal Workers Association had suspended their 15-day agitation following an assurance from the Vice-Chancellor, Jammu University.

According to the university authorities, there were only 70 to 80 posts against 705 employees and most of them had been “absorbed without completing the legal formalities and without against any post”.

Doda, May 21
Hailing the state Cabinet’s recommendation to the Centre for sanctioning of Rs 607.77-crore rehabilitation package for the earthquake-hit people of the Chenab valley, provincial president of the NC Devender Singh Rana today exuded confidence that endeavours of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will go a long way in overcoming the challenges in the region.

Interacting with the quake-affected people at Dali, Ponda and Shiva in Doda, Rana hoped that the recommendations of the package would meet early consideration, as the Chief Minister has brought the overall picture of the Chenab valley to the notice of the Prime Minister recently in New Delhi.

He said collective efforts were being made by the state government and the good offices being used by the Union Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad have already succeeded in drawing the attention of the Centre of the situation arising in the wake of tremors early this month.

The provincial president gave an account of his meetings with the sufferers across the region and said he was overwhelmed to see their patience and resilience at this hour of crisis.

“Had such a catastrophe occurred in any other urban part of the country, the entire attention would have focused there,” Rana said.

He said the district, block and panchayat units of the NC in the three districts of the Chenab valley have been converted into relief committees and the party workers have been asked to assume the role of social workers.

Jammu, May 21
The duet song of Ridhi Thakur and Pallavi Koul enthralled the audience during a music show at the K L Sehgal hall of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages (JKAACL) on the world culture day, here on Tuesday.

Thakur and Koul were part of composite music programme organised by the JKAACL to celebrate the world culture day. Many young singers of Jammu participated in the programme and sung songs in different languages such as Kashmiri, Dogri, Punjabi, Paharai and Gojri.

Having the talent of becoming nightingale of Jammu and Kashmir, Ridhi Thakur and Pallavi Koul stunned audience at the jam packed K L Sehgal hall.

Besides, Supriya Sharma, Nidhi Kaila, Rukhsana Bano, Rabjot Singh, Sumit and Satinder Shanu also participated in the programme. These singers were supported by Joginder on tabla, Sunil Sharma on flute, Chandan Kumar on synth and Bishen Dass on harmonium.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary, the JKAACL, Savita Bakshi said India is the country which is known for its unique quality and unity in diversity and Jammu and Kashmir is replica of India.

Sudhir Mahajan conducted the proceedings of the programme and Irshad Hussain managed it.

Jammu, May 21
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a special recruitment drive in the Police department for youth of the Rajouri and Poonch districts.

Sate vice-resident of the party Vibodh Gupta, who met the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, Rajesh Kumar and submitted a memorandum here yesterday, expressed serious concerns over the “plight and miseries” of youth living in Rajouri-Poonch.

He said most of the areas falling in Rajouri and Poonch district were highly backward and requested the IGP to carry out a special recruitment drive so that the unemployed youth of the region could get some relief.

Raising the concerns of Special Police Officers (SPOs), Gupta said the SPOs had given their life and blood to fight terrorism in the state. “They have played a major role in bringing back normalcy in remote parts of the state. The Special Police Officers should be regularised in the state police as they are working in very tough conditions,” he said.

He also advocated special allowances to all Special Police Officers serving in remote areas of the state. He requested the IGP to have a transparent transfer policy in the police department and said those who had served far away from their home districts for about five years should be posted in their own districts.

Jammu, May 21
Usman Cricket Club (UCC), Bhaderwah and Youth Combine Club, Bhaderwah, registered emphatic wins today in the ongoing All-India 9th Gufran Memorial T20 Tournament at Sports Stadium, Doda.

In the first match, UCC beat City Warriors Club, Doda. Batting first after winning the toss, UCC posted a modest total of 113 runs for the loss of eight wickets. Mushtaq played a fine knock of 42 runs while Waseem contributed 21 runs.

From City Warriors Club, Vikash and Naresh snared three and two wickets respectively. City Warriors Club in reply could not chase the target and the whole team was skittled out for 88 runs in 19 overs. From UCC, Asif and Mushtaq scalped three and two wickets respectively. Mushtaq of UCC was declared the man of the match.

In another match, Youth Combine Club, Bhaderwah, had the last laugh against Royal Challenger Club, Doda, by 48 runs. Batting first, Youth Combine Club piled up a mammoth total of 195 runs by losing five wickets. Tousheef scored a brilliant 68 runs in as many deliveries while Ram Dayal chipped in with 62 runs. From Royal Challenger Club, Jaffer and Zhaid fetched three and two wickets respectively.

In reply, Royal Challenger Club could manage 147 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Vijay played a gutsy knock of 26 runs for the loser team. From Youth Combine Club, Ram Dayal and Touqeer were main strike bowlers with three and two scalps respectively. Ram Dayal was adjudged the man of the match, which was officiated by Dharmesh Bhardwaj and Sanjay Singh. The scorer was Rinku Badoria.

Jammu, May 21
The Inter-School District Level Competition in the disciplines of basketball, handball, throwball, netball, softball and rifle shooting commenced at different venues in the Jammu district today.

The competition was declared open by Tirath Ram, Jammu DYSSO.

In u-14 boys’ basketball, St Peter High School, BC Road, defeated Heritage Public School in the inaugural match. In other matches played, JK Public School beat GD Goenka School, KC Public School beat Model Academy, MHAC School, Nagbani, beat Army 
Public School, Domana and Model Academy beat Delhi Public School.

In u-17 age group, Army Public School, Domana, beat SOS School, Army Public School, Kaluchak, beat Delhi Public School and KC Public School beat JK Public School.

In handball (u-17 boys), Army Public School, Miran Sahib, beat Rainbow Public School, Spring Dales Higher Secondary School beat KC Public School, BSF School, Paloura, beat St Peter School, BC Road, Heritage School beat SD Tara Puri School and Army Public School, Domana, beat Chander Bhaga School.

In u-14, St Peter School, BC Road, pipped Army Public School, Domana, by 4-1 goals while in under-17 throwball final, Chander Bhaga High School beat Army Public School, Domana.

Jammu, May 21
Kaniksh and Divyam clinched under-14 and under-17 badminton singles title today in the divisional level Inter-District tournament in multi-disciplines at the M A Stadium here.

In under-14 final, Kaniksh of Udhampur got the better of Sahbhinav of Jammu while in doubles final, the duo of Kaniksh and Savam of Udhampur toppled Arjun and Rochier of Jammu Zone to bag the top honours.

In under-17 singles final, Divyam of Jammu had last laugh against Ashish Mahajan of Udhampur whereas in doubles event, the pair of Nalin and Parth of Jammu proved too good for Harsh and Aditya of Udhampur.

In under-14 girls singles final, Parik Thapa defeated Fiza, while in doubles final, Parik and Sazzle beat Fiza and Sonia to emerge victorious.

In under-17 final, Mitakshra edged out Maigha, while the duo of Saubhagini and Mitakshra trounced Durga and Megha to lift the doubles title.

In table tennis (under-17 boys), Divyam beat Muneeb, Propkar beat Arshad, Sudanshu beat Olive and Divyam beat Propkar. In under-17 girls, Janvi beat Sahila, Shreya beat Uzma, while in doubles Shweta and Nitika beat Sahila and Uzma.

Later, Ved Parkash, Deputy Director, Youth Services and Sports distributed trophies, mementos, medals and certificates to the winner and runner-up players. Tirath Ram, DYSSO Jammu was also present on the occasion.