Jammu, August 18
For a city facing an unending power crisis, the Power Development Department has found a new excuse. The department now blames curfew and rain for its inability to repair transformers.

The power situation in Jammu has gone from bad to worse as more than 20 transformers get damaged everyday, overburdening the PDD workshop is overburdened due to the backlog created over past seven days of the curfew.

Residents are out on the roads to protest against the department as they have been without power supply for four to five days.

Residents of Sainik Colony blocked the Kunjwani-Sidhra National highway for several hours today to protest against the department.

A protester, Rajesh Anand, said, “The transformer has been damaged since Thursday. Even inverters are not working now.”

“After repeated requests to the department, the transformer is still lying without repairs and the department seems to be taking this issue for granted,” he added.

Later, the police pacified the protesters and restored traffic on the highway.

Meanwhile, residents of Jeevan Nagar also protested against the department as the transformer in their locality has also been damaged since Tuesday. Many transformers are damaged in several localities of the city, including Trikuta Nagar, Channi, Nanak Nagar, Talab Tillo, Bantalab and Janipur.

Superintending Engineer, PDD, Gurbachan Singh, said, “We are overburdened these days as first of all we have to clear the backlog, as our workshop was closed during curfew in the city.”

“It takes four to five days to repair a transformer due to moisture in the environment. We do not have spare transformer in store, so it takes more than four days to replace a damaged transformer,” he added.

However, the department claims that the rate of transformer damage has come down this year. As per records, more than 2,000 transformers got damaged till July 31 this year. Till last year, the figure was 2,700.

Jammu, August 18
Frequent power cuts and fluctuations due to low voltage supply are taking a heavy toll on the teaching and research work besides the day-to-day functioning of the University of Jammu (JU). Though, the University took up the matter with The Power Development Department (PDD) but the latter demanded Rs 9 lakh and other expenses.

Sources said, a meeting was held in the office of the Vice-Chancellor, wherein PDD officials, including the Superintending Engineer (SE), Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) and others were present. In the meeting, the SE was apprised of the problems being faced because of the low voltage supply, frequent cuts and fluctuations. He was told that the power supply remains off for more than 12 hours a day.

“The main sufferers are the Faculty of Sciences where samples are evaluated in various laboratories which require regular power supply. Besides, there are six hostels housing 750 students. The University has its tubewells which need uninterrupted power to maintain regular water supply in hostels," PDD officials said.

The PDD official said special dedicated 11-KV feeder, supplying power to the University was not working properly. Power to the university is being provided through temporary arrangement by clubbing the same with Feeder RC 6, they added.

Sources said the VC disagreed with PDD officials regarding the estimate they made for separate panel and interestingly, after the meeting of PDD officials with the VC, the frequency of the power cuts increased manifold whereas areas in the vicinity of JU had regular supply through the same feeder.

Vice-Chancellor, JU, Mohan Pal Singh Ishar said JU was reeling under severe power crisis owing to frequent power cuts and low voltage. He said students and researchers were worst sufferers, and generator sets were being used to maintain power supply at high cost.

Jammu, August 18
After more than 24 hours of the collapse of the 110-feet long wall of Bahu Fort, the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), entrusted with looking after the Bahu Fort for past 12 years, and the State Archeology Department are busy passing the buck.

Vice-Chairman, JDA, Satish Nehru, said, “We were asked to build the roof of the Rani Mahal and install fountains. We had nothing to do with this wall. It was the duty of the Archeology Department.”

However, the Archaeology Department officials said, the JDA was given the contract to restore the monument, under the guidance of the department. It was Rs 69 crore project and the JDA had to handover the monument to the department in the beginning of this year.

“It was a technical construction so the delay of deadline is acceptable, but the maintenance work is the job of the JDA, under the guidance of our department,” said Peerzada Ashraf, Deputy Director, State Archaeology Department.

“It happened due to continuous rain, we can call it a natural disaster, in which 110-feet long and 20-feet high wall collapsed. It is a huge loss but with the help of the expert team of the JDA, the wall can be restored in six months,” he added.

Ashraf said extra budget will be needed to restore the monument. He said the reason for the collapse was absence of proper drainage in the fort, which fort is 200-years old and has been blocked.

Archaeology experts say it will take more than two years to make the wall again as it was and it may costs more than Rs 70 lakh to restore it. The Archeology Department conducts a survey of all historical monuments after every monsoon season, but as the monument was with the JDA for renovation, and thus the survey was not conducted. However, the officials of the department regularly visited Bahu Fort.

The Archaeology Department gets an annual budget of Rs 50 lakh for the entire state. In Jammu region, there are 27 historical monuments, out of which the department is working to restore five monuments.

“Our team is assessing the loss. We will start restoration work very soon. I hope funds will not be a problem,” said Peerzada Ashraf.

Jammu, August 18
It’s final. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has decided to end the Convergence Scheme in a meeting of its Board of Management recently. The scheme was kept in abeyance since 2012. Sources add that all partner institutions have been asked to set up study centres to conduct regular courses.

With this, all efforts of the partner institutions to revive the scheme at 325 centres across the country have failed.

The scheme was jointly conceived by the University Grants Commission (UGC), IGNOU, Distance Education Council (EDC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the guidance of the Ministry of Human Resources Development. The scheme was conceived in 2007 and was implemented in March 2008.

Sources said IGNOU authorities had made it clear that they have the right to shift or close the Special Study Centre if it was found that the support services were not being provided, as per the requirements of the university.

In such case, the coordinator would have to hand over all the assets and academic records of the learners to the Regional Director. Further, the coordinator will also have to settle all financial accounts with the respective Regional Directors. To appoint a Coordinator, the host institution (Regular Study Centre) will recommend a panel of names, preferably of academicians serving in the institution. The coordinators should not be retired persons or those nearing the retirement age. The centre would pay an honorarium at the rates in force from time to time. The study centres will appoint part-time class-III and IV employees.

Jammu, August 18
The ongoing four-laning work coupled with landslides triggered by incessant rains have turned the 65-km-long Jammu-Udhampur road into a slushy mess with motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, facing a harrowing time.

At certain places, even a slight negligence on the part of drivers could lead to a fatal accident and instances of two-wheeler riders skidding off the road were quite often.

The four-laning of the existing highway was started in 2011 and work on the Jammu-Udhampur highway stretch is scheduled to be completed by June 2014. The four-laning would not only shorten the distance, but also reduce the travel time between two towns to nearly half of the present time. At least 54 small and major bridges are being constructed on the stretch.

"It has been raining miseries for highway commuters in the form of water-filled potholes and slippery condition along with the problem of water logging and slush due to landslides at many places. The dilapidated condition of the road has virtually brought the traffic to a crawl," Sachin Sharma, a resident of Pacca Danga said while returning from Kah Potha village in Dansal block.

Sharma complained that surfacing had not been initiated by authorities to fill potholes and it was virtually impossible to ride two-wheeler on the road due to slippery conditions.

A visibly frustrated Romesh Kumar, a resident of Dhan village, said the commuters and the pedestrians had a harrowing time on the highway as they wade through water-logged and slushy road.

"It is a nightmare even for pedestrians and two-wheelers. Water-filled potholes and slush are posing threat to the safety of motorists. Every time, a vehicle passes them, water is splashed on them," Kumar said, adding that the bad condition of road was also leading to frequent traffic jams.

He said minor accidents had become a routine on the highway. "Authorities should take measures to fill potholes so that the road is made safe and secure for commuters and two-wheeler riders."

An official of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), who refused to be named, said continuous rains had hampered the ongoing widening work along the highway. "There are several places where protection walls had collapsed due to massive landslides," the official said and admitted that the people had been facing problem due to slush and slippery conditions.

He added, "We would take all possible measures to fill potholes so that the highway commuters don't face any problem."

Jammu, August 18
The six-day long curfew after the recent communal clashes in Kishtwar, has affected big and small businesses. Among these are thread and kite makers from Punjab who come here ahead of festivals like Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami have suffered badly due to the strike. Incessant rain added to their woes.

Due to the curfew and continuous rain these small businessmen could not earn much on Independence Day as expected.

Gurjeet Singh, a thread weaver from Amritsar at Gol Market area said, “We did brisk business during this time of the year. But this time my business suffered a lot. The rain has added to my worries.”

“Political parties do not think about the traders or businessmen as to how their business could get affected. They only think about their interests without taking into consideration the poor traders, including thread and kite makers,” he added.

Another kite maker Harbans Lal at Bakshi Nagar aired similar views.

Jammu, August 18
An educational-cum-motivational tour "Sair-e-Watan" was organised for the students hailing from various schools of Ramban district by the Indian Army. The tour was flagged off by the Commander, Sector 11, Rashtriya Rifles, from Chanderkot today.

Students, most of them sportspersons, represented schools of Nachlana, Khari, Trenna, Kumla, Buzla, Mohu and Mangat areas of Ramban district.

The 14-day tour comprising 23 students and two teachers has been organised by the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, under the aegis of the Counter Insurgency Force (Delta).

Giving details about the tour, the Defence spokesperson said the aim of the tour was to showcase the development of the country to youth from the remote and far-flung areas, as also to provide them an opportunity to visit important places of interest and to interact with the people of those regions and also eminent personalities, thereby widening their horizon.

The student will get an opportunity to visit Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Nehru Planetarium, Qutub Minar, Akshardham, Lotus Temple, St Stephen's College, Kirorimal College, Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi.

The youth would also experience a ride in the Delhi Metro, besides visiting Khwaja Khizar Tomb, Tilyar Lake in Sonipat and Rohtak.

During the "Sair-E-Watan", the participants will also get an opportunity to interact with vice Chief of the Army staff in New Delhi. — TNS

Jammu, August 18
Natrang Studio today staged Hindi play ‘Zameen Ka Sawal’as part of its weekly theatre series.

Artistes enact a scene from the play ‘Zameen Ka Sawal’ in Jammu on Sunday. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma

The play, written by Partap Sehgal and directed by Neeraj Kant, was a satire on corruption in the country.

The play opened on the sets of a trial room where a high-level panel was enquiring about the death of five persons at different locations who were sent letter-bombs to kill them. The character of the accused Ranganathan, a very senior scientist, who initially does not admit to his crime but when made to believe that his only son was also killed in the same manner, he breaks down and confesses that he committed the crime to take revenge from all those who were responsible for hurdles in his career growth and promotions.

Despite being the most talented scientist, he was denied the promotion he deserved as someone else close to the minister got the promotion.

Uplaksh Singh Kotwal, Ashwani Bali, Sushil Raina, Sachin Saini, Shekhar Sharma and Pankaj Verma made the chracters come alive in the play. Lights were designed and operated by Sumeet Sharma who also coordinated the show.

Jammu, August 18
Senior Congress leader and MLA Inderwal Ghulam Mohammad Saroori and other senior Congress leaders today congratulated Ghulam Nabi Azad for being voted as the best Union Health Minister of India.

The information came forth during a survey conducted by Zee TV on the popularity of present ministers in the UPA-led government in their respective areas. — TNS

Jammu, August 18
The Rashtriya Rifles Battalion based at Bagga, under the aegis of the Counter Insurgency Force (Uniform), organised run for peace for the youth of Mahore, Samote and Gul tehsils.

The mini marathon was organised as a part of the ongoing Operation Sadbhavna and in continuation of the efforts of the Army to actively promote sports among the youth of the region, besides providing them a recreation activity in order to channelise and harness their energy in a constructive manner.

The event was conducted from Mahore to Bagga which saw a decent participation of as many as 79 athletes.

Shabir Ahmed, a resident of Badder village, Mahore tehsil, bagged the top honours while Master Beapan Singh, a resident of Sarh village, Mahore tehsil, clinched the top position in the below 18-year category. Later, the event was culminated with the distribution of cash prizes and participation certificate as well as complimentary prizes to the participants by senior Army officers and AK Khajuria, sub-divisional magistrate, Mahore.

Jammu, August 18
Sumitpal Singh of J&K got the better of Vikas Singh of West Bengal in a hard-fought semifinal by 2-1 (5-7,6-2, 9-7) to secure a berth in the final of the ongoing All-India Adidas U-14 Lawn Tennis National Championship at YMCA Complex, Chennai, in Tamil Nadu.

At one stage, Sumitpal was leading by 5-3 in the first set, but Vikas Singh clawed his way back into the match to win the set by 7-5. Inspite of losing the set, Sumitpal managed to kept his cool and claimed back-to-back sets with margins of 6-2 and 9-7 to emerge victorious.

Earlier, in the first round, Sumitpal defeated Arnold of Tamil Nadu with consummate ease by 6-0 6-2 while in the second round, he had the last laugh against Srivatsa Ratakonda of Andhra Pradesh by 6-0,4-6, 6-2 to advance into the pre-quarterfinals wherein Sumitpal toppled Kabir Manrai of Chandigarh in straight sets by 6-3, 6-2.

In the quarterfinal, Sumitpal overcame the challenge of Dhruv Sunish of Maharashtra. Meanwhile, in U-14 girls, another player from J&K Prinkle Singh had also reached semifinals in the doubles event and quarterfinals in singles event.

Jammu, August 18
The district inter-school competitions in the disciplines of hockey, basketball, tennis ball cricket (U-19 boys and girls) and swimming (all age groups), which were earlier scheduled to be held on August 16 and 17, will now be held on August 19 and 20.

Tirath Ram, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu, said the competitions in the disciplines of football and handball for U-19 boys and girls had also been postponed and would now be held on August 22 and 23.

The tennis ball cricket competitions will be conducted at Higher Second School, Jammu Cantonment, while the basketball trials and matches will be held at the Mini Stadium, Parade ground. Hockey matches will be held at the KK Hakhu Astroturf stadium while the swimming competitions will be held at KC Public School.

The football U-19 boys and handball U-19 boys and girls competitions will be held at GGM Science College, Football Ground, and Dogra Ground, Shastri Nagar, respectively.