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Pvt education sector must play vital role in coming years:
Governor
Construction of new toll plaza starts near Saroor
Ban goes up in smoke
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BJYM seeks release of jail wardens’ list
124 court-martialled for rights violations in 20 yrs
Valley youth draw inspiration from AAP
AAP’s victory a positive change: Mirwaiz
Court reserves final orders on Peer’s bail plea till Dec 17
Smooth trials signal opening of Katra-Udhampur rail track soon
on
track: A trial run being conducted on the Katra-Udhampur rail route on Monday. A Tribune photograph
Civilian hurt in militant attack succumbs to injuries
Congress leader alleges errors in electoral rolls
Nestled in Lolab valley, a village that awaits tourists
Converge MGNREGS with other schemes, says ministry
Terror outfits, ISI plan to push in militants before Assembly, Lok Sabha elections
Migratory birds flock to Gharana wetland
Bar-headed geese at the Gharana wetland at RS Pura near Jammu. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh
Interests of border areas crucial to PDP's vision: Mehbooba
CRPF IG calls on Governor
LPG blues for Anantnag residents
Poultry farmers rue lack of facilities
6-kg explosive recovered
3 decades on, kandi villagers await canal
Police e-governance project reviewed
Erratic BSNL service irks subscribers in Rajouri
PDP protests against corruption, power crisis
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party take out a protest march in Srinagar on Monday. Tribune photo: yawar kabli
One killed, nine injured in road accidents
4 structures damaged in fire incidents
Awareness camp on drug abuse held at Srinagar school
Geelani not allowed to hold press meet
Football tourney to begin after Dec 15
40 take part in carom, chess championship
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Pvt education sector must play vital role in coming years:
Governor
Jammu, December 9 The Governor urged the private sector educational institutions to continue the tradition of spreading education, particularly among the neglected segments of the society. Applauding the contribution of the women teachers in educational institutions, the Governor said the noble cause of imparting education had been immensely benefited by the hard work, dedication, devotion and commitment of women teachers. He congratulated the students and staff of the schools of the Shrimati Dewanini Vidyavati Badrinath Educational Trust for presenting a wonderful cultural programme based on the themes of peace, love, brotherhood and women empowerment. Appreciating the good work done in the field of educational by the Shrimati Dewanini Vidyavati Badrinath Educational Trust, the Governor announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh to it for sustained focus on imparting high cultural and ethical codes of conduct to the schoolchildren. Earlier, Governor NN Vohra was received by Surinder Mohan Mehra, vice-chairman of the Shrimati Dewanini Vidyavati Badrinath Educational Trust, Dr Rama Kant Dubey, adviser, Sushiela Narendrajit Singh Vidya Mandir, Lila Karan Sharma, adviser, Dewan Badri Nath Vidya Mandir, Amarvilla, and Yashpal Puri, adviser, Dewan Badrinath Vidya Mandir, Mubarak Mandi. Mohan Isher, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, accompanied the Governor during the function. A guard of honour by NCC cadets(boys and girls) and the girls' march past squad was presented to the Governor. Dr Rama Kant Dubey, adviser, Sushiela Narendrajit Singh Vidya Mandir, presented the welcome address telling about the brief history, mission and goals of the Shrimati Dewanini Vidyavati Badrinath Educational Trust. Lila Karan Sharma, adviser, Dewan Badri Nath Vidya Mandir, Amarvilla, presented the annual reports of all the three schools managed by the trust. On the occasion, the Governor launched the website of the Shrimati Dewanini Vidyavati Badrinath Educational Trust and gave away Life Time Best Teacher awards to Dr Baljeet Singh, Principal Dewan Badri Nath Vidya Mandir, Amarvilla, Indu Puri, Principal Dewan Badri Nath Vidya Mandir, Mubarak Mandi, Neelam Sabharwal, Principal, Sushiela Narendrajit Singh Vidya Mandir, and Shub Sharma, Headmaster and in charge of nursery. The award was also conferred on Jaininder Jain posthumously. The Social Work Award was given to Pankaja, whereas Suresh Sharma, Director, Academics, was presented the Dynamic Leadership Award. On the conclusion of the celebrations, vote of thanks was presented by Rajendra Kakkar, trustee of the Shrimati Dewanini Vidyavati Badrinath Educational Trust.
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Construction of new toll plaza starts near Saroor
Jammu, December 9 The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has started the construction of a toll plaza at Sarore, falling in Samba district, to start recovering the capital cost of constructing the prestigious highway. Constructed at a cost of Rs 393.31 crore, the highway was one of the main Centrally sponsored project approved by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003 to connect the state with an all-weather road with rest of the country. Officials said the toll plaza would start recovering the capital cost through user toll tax and it would be reduced to 40 per cent of the rates when the recovery was complete. All commercial vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities, would be charged fee under the National Highway Authority of India Act-1988. Last year, the state government had asked the NHAI not to collect the toll fearing public backlash as J&K is already collecting toll at Lakhanpur. But due to pressure from the Central government, the state has given its consent. "The bone of contention is the user charges and distance from Lakhanpur toll plaza, run by Commercial Taxes Department, which is the only entry point to J&K. As per the guidelines distance between the two toll points should be 60 km, but the distance between Lakhanpur and Rajbagh toll plaza is less. So new post is coming up at Sarore," said an official. The highway has totally changed the travelling experience for the people as 12 new concrete flyovers and bridges have also been constructed over rivers like the Ujh and other seasonal nullahas at places like Bari-Brahamana, Vijaypur, Samba, Hiranagar, Rajbagh and Kalibari to make it an all-weather road. Earlier, during the rainy season, the suspension of traffic on the highway was a routine affair. |
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Ban goes up in smoke
Jammu, December 9 Earlier, a ban on smoking at public places had come into effect in 2008 in Jammu and now a few days back, on the basis of a survey conducted by the Drug and Food Control Organisation in Jammu district regarding the enforcement of provisions of Section 4 and 6 (a, b) of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act-2003, Jammu was declared "smoke free" district by Additional District Magistrate, Jammu, Kalyan Singh Parihar in a meeting of senior officials convened under his chairmanship. But people defying the ban can be seen smoking anywhere and everywhere, be it offices, cinemas, railway stations and universities. Shockingly, cigarette packs find their way inside the Civil Secretariat even after regular checking on the main gate of the Secretariat. The ban was imposed under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisements and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act-2003, which was passed by Parliament in April, 2003. “Declaring it a smoke-free district is not a solution to the problem, the authorities have to be strict with the violators,” said Mohan Lal Sharma, a retired teacher. “Youngsters, even students, are smoking openly in the city, but who will stop them as even policemen can be seen smoking publically. The law has to be enforced strictly,” he added. Dr Vinod Sharma, Health Officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), said “I think people of Jammu have got aware of the law that smoking at public places is banned, but as per my survey, five-six cases of smoking at public places can be found within an hour in Jammu.” “My team is continuously checking the violators, and fining them up to Rs 200 on the spot,” he added. "Though the ban on smoking in the public places was imposed in 2008, yet it has not been enforced properly. But now I am going to start a drive against the violators. The problem cannot be solved by fines, we have to educate people that smoking not only affects the smokers, but also equally affects the people around the smoker,” he added. Giving details of the diseases caused by frequent smoking, Dr Sharma said, “It adversely affects lungs, kidney, nerves and heart.” As per the rules, anybody caught smoking in a public place will have to pay a fine of Rs 200. |
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BJYM seeks release of jail wardens’ list
Jammu, December 9 State president of the BJYM Ravinder Raina along with Jammu district president Ishant Gupta joined the hunger strike by these candidates. Addressing the protesting candidates, Ravinder Raina demanded immediate release of the final selection list, which has been lying pending for the last more than three years. He said otherwise it would lead to serious consequences. Reiterating the full support of the morcha, Raina said the Congress-NC government had failed to solve problems being faced by the youth of the state and instead of fulfilling genuine demands of the youth, the coalition government was exploiting them. He said on the one hand the government drafted the highly controversial surrender and rehabilitation policy for terrorists and on the other hand it did criminal injustice to the peace-loving and nationalist youth by adopting the delay tactics like it happened in the jail wardens' selection list. Speaking on the occasion, Ashwani Kumar and Zafar Javed Bhat, who are on the hunger strike, thanked the BJYM state president for supporting their agitation and said their would be no let up in their struggle until their demands were conceded as a number of the candidates were nearing "over age". |
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124 court-martialled for rights violations in 20 yrs
Jammu, December 9 He said about 1,524 allegations of human rights violation against Army personnel serving in the Northern Command were received during the last two decades and only 42 of them were found genuine. “Each and every allegation was inquired into by an independent and autonomous body and 42 of the allegations were found to be true and most of them (accused) have been awarded exemplary punishment ranging from dismissal from service without any service benefits to imprisonment.” Lt General Chachra said the Indian Army was people’s army where respect for human life and pride in benevolent attitude towards women and children was an important pillar of its strength. “This should continue to remain enshrined in our ethos and daily lives,” said the Northern Command chief. In his message on Human Rights Day, the Lt General directed all Army personnel in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that the common people did not suffer during counter-insurgency operations. Lt General Chachra said counter-terrorist operations required patience, maturity and restraint. “I know the task is difficult but I have faith in your abilities and we must ensure at all times that the Awaam (masses) is not put to any inconvenience or harassment due to our actions,” he said while reiterating the Army’s commitment to zero tolerance towards human rights violations. He said the Indian Army had one of the finest records for ensuring human rights and the importance given to this valued quality was evident from the fact that a human rights branch at the Army Headquarters had been functioning since March 1993 and such branches existed in formations up to the Brigade/Sector level. “There are a few ongoing cases which are being closely monitored. Anyone found guilty shall face the law. This amply demonstrates that all cases of alleged human rights violations are thoroughly investigated and personnel found guilty are promptly punished,” added the Northern Command chief. Allegations levelled * During the last two decades, 1,524 allegations of human rights violation against Army personnel serving in the Northern Command were received during the last two decades. Out of them, only 42 allegations were found genuine. *
In his message on Human Rights Day on Monday,
Lt General Sanjiv Chachra reiterated the Army’s commitment to zero tolerance towards human rights violations. |
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Valley youth draw inspiration from AAP
Srinagar, December 9 The group, comprising students, young professionals and activists, have urged people to come forward with their suggestions for building a parallel election manifesto in which the changes sought by the people will be included. While calling the performance of the AAP in the Delhi elections as inspiring, the group has appealed to the residents of the Valley to create their own AAP so that the Delhi elections euphoria could be recreated in the state. Javaid Trali, one of the founding members of the group and a former mass communication student at Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, said the AAP rightly demolished the negative notion the youth had about politics by defeating ‘corrupt’ politicians and showing the way to the young aspirants. “I think, the belief in democracy has become even stronger and it's time to introduce change in the political system of every state. Only the common man, particularly the youth, can bring about this change,” Trali said. Trali said he and his friends had admired Kejriwal’s efforts to involve public participation in politics which strengthened their idea of initiating a similar campaign in the Valley. “We invite people to talk about all issues ranging from corruption, reservation, examination patterns to state economy. It is interesting when we come across a variety of public opinions on any issue. I think, connection with the people has been a missing link in the conventional politics. Like AAP, we aim to connect with the people,” Fayyaz Ahmad Ganai, a government employee, said. The group believes that participation in elections could be a way out to the problems being faced by them. “We are not ruling out participation in elections. The AAP has shown us the way. We cannot sit back and just stare at problems. Dependence on the conventional political parties has not proved fruitful enough. We are not aligning ourselves with the National Conference or Peoples Democratic Party. We are a separate group,” Trali said. Sofi Arafat, an RTI activist who is also a group member and a student of psychology at Kashmir University, said the people who felt that their rights had been violated could use their power by keeping the corrupt and selfish politicians out of the power system. “Nothing could be achieved if we sit back and criticise the political parties, governments and their policies and don’t even exercise our right to vote. There are two major elections coming up next year and the participation of people is a must,” Arafat said.
Open to elections
* Students, young professionals and activists in the Valley have started a campaign on the pattern of Arvind
Kejriwal’s anti-corruption movement. * They have asked the people to create their own Aam Aadmi Party and give suggestions for building a parallel election manifesto. *
The group believes that participation in elections could help solve their problems. |
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AAP’s victory a positive change: Mirwaiz
Srinagar, December 9 “This is a welcome change which has happened in the capital city of India. I congratulate Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party for his victory,” Mirwaiz told reporters on the sidelines of a photographic exhibition on human rights violations organised by his party. He added that the AAP has been “espousing an agenda based on human values and their respect”. Earlier, during his speech at the function Mirwaiz said: “We expect that that the change of approach and thought in politics, as suggested by the AAP, will also be reflected in the thinking of India and its establishment over Kashmir.” “More than the political dimension Kashmir issue has a human side also, which needs to be addressed and taken into account,” he insisted. The separatist leader said the Hurriyat expects parties like the AAP, espousing a positive mindset, to make people in India aware about the real picture of Kashmir and inform them about the sufferings of its people. “We hope that the parties like AAP will come forward with a positive thinking for repealing black laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act,” Mirwaiz said. Meanwhile, on the construction of the wall along the Indo-Pak fence in Jammu, Mirwaiz said: “Any wall, whether it’s a big or great wall cannot check or stop the sentiments or the aspirations of the people.” “Earlier also in 1990’s, there was talk of raising a wall or putting in place radar monitoring system along the borders in J&K. But we feel that these are no solutions as for as the Kashmir dispute is concerned,” Mirwaiz told the reporters. He said by this way India was not going to achieve anything. “Kashmir struggle is a peaceful movement and we also want to carry it forward peacefully. It is better that India sheds its militaristic approach over Kashmir and comes forward with a political approach, so as to arrive at a solution,” the Hurriyat leader suggested. He warned that if India goes ahead with the idea of constructing the wall along the border people of Kashmir will rise against it. “So for, it appears that India is not clear on it. But if an attempt is made to construct this big wall, the Hurriyat Conference will oppose it and every Kashmiri will rise against it,” he said. |
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CET SCAM
Srinagar, December 9 After concluding the arguments on the jurisdictional point today, Special Judge, Anti-corruption, Mohan Lal Manhas reserved its final orders into Peer’s bail plea till December 17. Peer was arrested by the crime ranch on November 23 and sent to police remand. Subsequently, he was remanded in 10-day judicial custody by after the expiry of his police remand on December 7. During the hearing of Peer’s bail application today, his counsel Farooq Ahmad Kathwari challenged the maintainability of the investigation into the case by the crime branch on the ground that the probe agency had no jurisdiction to investigate the offences under the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act. “The crime branch is the creation of the J&K Police Act and is part of the police organisation. It has no powers to register an FIR or investigate the offences under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” Kathwari submitted while pleading the bail application of Peer in the court. Rebutting Kathwari’s arguments, Chief Prosecuting Officer (CPO) Khalid Muzaffar representing the crime branch submitted that the crime branch being a special police station under the Police Act could register an FIR and investigate cognisable offences. After hearing both sides, the Special Judge Anti-Corruption, reserved Peer’s bail plea for final orders on December 17. Charge against Peer The crime branch of the J&K Police, in its report to the court, has said former chairman of the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations Mushtaq Ahmad Peer sold CET papers through his aide Farooq Ahmad Itoo and in turn received around
Rs 60 lakh |
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Smooth trials signal opening of Katra-Udhampur rail track soon
Katra, December 9 The first successful trial run of an engine on the track was done around a week ago. The Railways authorities are now ready for the final inspection of the track by technical experts in a couple of days. “We have almost finalised the work on the Katra-Udhampur track. If everything goes well, the track will be opened after the final inspection, for which a team is already working,” said VK Gupta, General Manager, Northern Railway, who was in Katra today. Initially, four or five trains will run on the track, which will link Katra, the base camp of the Vaishno Devi shrine, with the rest of the country. “We have successfully conduced the trial runs of trains on the newly constructed Katra-Udhampur rail link. The track will be inaugurated next month. I can’t give a specific date, but it will be opened soon. A total of 10 to 15 trains, including goods trains, will run on the track on a daily basis,” said the General Manager of the Northern Railways. “The track will benefit pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine. They will reach Katra directly from other parts of the country. At present, they have to go to Jammu or Udhampur to catch the train,” Gupta said.
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Civilian hurt in militant attack succumbs to injuries
Srinagar, December 9 Station House Officer (SHO), Chadoora, Shabir Ahmad had died on the spot when militants attacked him in Chadoora in Budgam district on December 2. Two policemen guarding the SHO Mohammad Shafi and Firdous Ahmad and a civilian, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, were injured in the attack, which took place about 20 km from Srinagar city. “Ghulam Dar succumbed to his injuries at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences on Sunday evening. He had a fire arm injury and was undergoing treatment in the hospital,” said a police officer in central Kashmir. The police spokesman in Srinagar said the body of the deceased was handed over to his relatives for last rites. Chadoora town observed a shutdown to mourn the death of Dar, who was a prominent trader in
the locality.
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Congress leader alleges errors in electoral rolls
Samba, December 9 Interestingly, allegations of the discrepancies in the electoral rolls have been labelled by the Congress which is part of the government. Although the authorities claimed that the exercise had been started to include new voters in the existing lists, sources said the aim of the exercise was to identity the “professional voters” who had incorporated their names at more than one place to help a particular party in the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. A number of teachers and other officials of the Education Department have been appointed as booth level officers (BLOs) to rectify discrepancies in the voter lists. The BLOs have been asked to remove all discrepancies within stipulated time because process for the Lok Sabha elections would be started within a couple of months. But those who have labelled the allegations of discrepancies have termed the exercise as mere “eyewash” to befool the people. “Some professional voters have managed to get their names included at more than one place in the same constituency only to give benefit to the particular political party in the next Assembly elections,” alleged senior Congress leader and former minister Manjit Singh. “How these BLOs would identify those people who have deliberately incorporated their names in the voter lists of different areas?” he asked and demanded that instead of indulging in this exercise, the government should lodge FIR against the “professional voters”. “I have authentic information that still there are more than 5,000-6,000 voters whose names exist in electoral rolls of more than one place of the Vijaypur Assembly segment”, he said and alleged that such professional voters indulged in “scientific rigging” at the time of elections. |
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Nestled in Lolab valley, a village that awaits tourists
Kupwara, December 9 Bestowed with picturesque pastureland and lush green forests, Chandigam village, 25 km from Kupwara town, was put on the tourism map in 2011 and was formally opened for tourists by the state authorities on September 30, 2012. Youth said tourists’ influx to the village would create ample job opportunities for them. “Normalcy is increasingly gaining ground in the valley and people, especially those unemployed, are looking forward to earning money from tourism-related activities,” said Shabir Ahmad, an unemployed graduate. “The tourism authorities should build necessary infrastructure and develop the village as a tourist destination. I am planning to build a hotel here,” he said. Another unemployed matriculate Abrar Ahmad said: “Lolab is no less beautiful than other popular tourist destinations in Kashmir and we are expecting a good rush of tourists to the Valley. The tourism department should built more huts here and promote the place through advertisements on radio and TV to woo tourists.” Residents of adjoining Kalaroose and Dardpora villages, blessed with verdant forests and gushing streams, caves and old religious shrines, also demanded that the necessary infrastructure should be built in the villages to woo tourists. Kalaroose is famous for its copper mines and carved rocks called Sat Burn (seven doors). “The shrines and caves are expected to attract hordes of tourists. We are ready to host the visitors after a long period of time but the tourism department and travel agencies need to take more steps to woo tourists,” said Latif Ahmad, a trader from Kalaroose. “Fresh water springs, especially Kumarji Nag and Chandinag, are worth a visit," he said. Locals said that before the outbreak of insurgency in 1989, popular destinations such as Mir Sadradin Sahab Shrine in Kanthpora and Mir Baba Nazuk Shrine in Devar Lolab used to receive a heavy rush of devotees and tourists, and steps could be taken to resume the trend. Despite several attempts, Kashmir Tourism Director Talat Parvez could not be contacted for comment. |
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Converge MGNREGS with other schemes, says ministry
Jammu, December 9 These directions were issued by the ministry while preparing framework for “Planning for works and preparation of labour budget under MGNREGA for 2014-15”. The ministry said planned and systematic development of land and harnessing of rainwater following watershed principles should become the central focus of MGNREGS works in the state to enhance farm productivity and incomes of poor people. “Individual works can be logically sequenced and packaged together on the principles of Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) to form projects. Even works on private lands should be taken up following the principles of watershed management in an integrated manner,” a statement from the ministry said. The ministry said since the Gram Panchayat (GP) was the custodian of the shelf of projects, all works to be taken up at inter-GP level within a block or inter-block level within a district must also be ratified by each of the GPs concerned and appropriately reflected in its respective Annual Plans. Further, the order of priority of projects should be determined by each GP in meetings of the Gram Sabha (GS) and Ward Sabha (WS). The ministry stated that all implementing agencies, including departments, district panchayat, intermediate panchayats etc, would send their list of projects to be included in the shelf of projects well before August 15 each year to the respective GP. Ministry directions The Ministry of Rural Development has said planned and systematic development of land and harnessing of rainwater following watershed principles should become the central focus of MGNREGS works in the state to enhance farm productivity and incomes of poor people |
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Terror outfits, ISI plan to push in militants before Assembly, Lok Sabha elections
Rajouri, December 9 Sources in the Indian intelligence agencies said Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Sayeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin wanted to push maximum militants, who had crossed over to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training, into the Indian territory before the Lok Sabha elections. Sources said movements of hardcore and fully trained militants were noticed in ‘pucca’ houses constructed along the Line of Control (LoC) across the border. The Pakistani authorities claimed that these houses belonged to their ex-servicemen and their families. Denying the Pakistani theory, sources said the Pakistani Army was using these houses as bunkers as Pakistani soldiers were seen taking shelters in these houses following exchange of heavy mortar shelling between the two armies between September and November. Sources said on October 11 and 12, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Azahar Mehmood and Hafiz Sayeed met militant commanders, including Imtiaz of the JK Freedom Force, Tariq etc, members of the Border Action Team (BAT) and ISI officials in Muzaffarabad. During the meeting, sources said it was decided to direct leaders of various terrorist outfits to push maximum militants into Poonch and Rajouri districts on the pattern of Keran where the Indian Army faced tough time in locating and eliminating the intruders. “The forced infiltration may include a large number of militants so that some may engage Indian soldiers in firing to give others sufficient time to locate safe passage to enter Indian soil," said a source. These forced intruders were also directed to ambush vehicles of security forces and target their installations. On October13, Sayed Salahuddin also visited Muzaffarabad and met the same commanders and others. He sought their help in pushing in Hizb militants into the Indian territory. Senior Army and BSF officials responsible for the security of the LoC in both the districts are of the view that infiltration attempts may increase in the next few weeks. Lt Gen DS Hooda, GOC, 16 Corps, during his recent visit to Poonch had said; “More than 200 militants are ready to enter the Indian soil and out of the 42 training camps, 25 are based near the LoC.” “Security forces are keeping a watch on the movement of anti-national elements and their supporters. All vehicles moving on the Mughal Road and other highways are regularly checked," said Danesh Rana, DIG, Rajouri-Poonch Range.
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Migratory birds flock to Gharana wetland
Jammu, December 9 Tahir Shawl, former wildlife warden, who had started collaring bar-headed geese, said one such goose with the collar on its neck has been seen at the Gharana wetland. He said they had collared bar-headed geese at Chushul in Ladakh to study the route of the geese. “We saw one bar-headed goose with the collar number K-24 today, which we had tied to the bird in Ladakh,” said Shawl. “It shows that the bar-headed geese, which are migratory birds, live in Ladakh during the summer and fly to Jammu during the winter,” he said. Shawl said on September 17, 2013, they had tied four collars to bar-headed geese, out of which two collars had satellite transmitters fitted to them, which showed the actual position of the bird. “Two bar-headed geese, tied with the satellite transmitter collar were roaming in Himachal Pradesh and one collared bar-headed goose is here at Jammu,” said Shawl. The department had started the process of tying the collars to bar-headed geese two years ago to know their position and the routes taken by them. The satellite transmitter collars were fitted to study the actual routes of the birds. The Gharana wetland is about 35 km west of Jammu in the RS Pura sector on the Indo-Pak border. It has been notified as the Important Bird Area site. It was declared a reserve in 1981. About 2,000 migratory birds have reached the wetland this year so far. Tracking the birds *
A bar-headed goose, collared by the state Wildlife Department, in September this year at Chushul in Ladakh was sighted at the Gharana wetland on Monday *
Tahir Shawl, former wildlife warden, said on September 17, 2013, they had tied four collars to bar-headed geese, out of which two collars had satellite transmitters fitted to them, which showed the actual position of the bird. |
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Interests of border areas crucial to PDP's vision: Mehbooba
Srinagar, December 9 The PDP president said this while addressing a public meeting at the Taad area of the Karnah constituency near the Line of Control in frontier Kupwara district yesterday. She said the interests of the residents of the border areas were crucial to her party’s vision of making Jammu and Kashmir a bridge between India and Pakistan and lifting the post-Independence siege around the state. Mehbooba claimed the infrastructure problems in the Tangdhar sub-division had remained unattended, perhaps because of the uninterrupted run of the National Conference which emerged the winner from the area for most part of its history because of emotional exploitation, and, lately had benefited from the
fragmentation of the opposition vote. The PDP leader said the destiny of the people in border areas was largely linked to the success of the vision provided by the PDP to make the LoC irrelevant. “The people residing in border areas are the pillars of our concept to convert J&K into a bridge between India and Pakistan,” she said and assured the people that the PDP would construct a tunnel to connect the border area with the rest of the Valley.
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CRPF IG calls on Governor
Jammu, December 9 This was Dhar's first meeting with the Governor after becoming the CRPF IG. The Governor wished him success in all his
endeavours.
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LPG blues for Anantnag residents
Anantnag, December 9 “The orders were issued to start the home delivery in a phased manner, starting with the Anantnag and Dooru towns. Other towns were to follow subsequently,” a source in the district administration said. “The service has been left in the limbo and repeated reminders from the district administration have gone unheeded,” the source added. The locals in the area rued the “untimely delivery” of the cylinders at a “randomly chosen spot”, by the distributing agencies and said it was causing “immense trouble” to them. “They arrive unannounced in the middle of the day, when men folk of the vicinity are at work, putting the women to unnecessary trouble,” Nazir Ahmad, a resident of Anantnag town, said. And with the winters setting in, residents claim that these visits are getting rare as well. “They come once in two months, leaving us
high and dry,” said Muzammil Shah, a resident of Bijbehara. “The pathetic power scenario has left us dependent on the LPG more than ever and securing a gas cylinder is becoming a nightmare,” she added. The district administration, however, maintained that the home delivery system of the cooking gas was up and running. “We had a meeting with the dealers only yesterday. All people need to do is call the local gas dealer and they will get the cylinder delivered at their door step,” Additional Deputy Development Commissioner, Anantnag, Bashir Ahmad Khan said. The locals, though, contested that there were not adequate number of distributors in the area and added those present did not entertain the phone calls. “Not enough gas agencies are available in the area. And those who are there do not entertain the phone calls. Even if somehow you manage to get the line, they don’t pick the call,” a subscriber alleged. |
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Poultry farmers rue lack of facilities
Pulwama, December 9 The poultry holders have to buy chicken from the dealers, who in turn book the orders outside the state, especially in Punjab, which results in an unprecedented 200 per cent hike in the rates of the bird. “We are bound to buy chicken from outside Jammu and Kashmir as hatcheries are yet to be established in our state to cater the needs of the poultry farms in the Valley, especially in Pulwama, which has taken a lead in poultry farming,” said Javed Ahmad, a poultry farm owner. “There are just two government hatcheries in the Valley. They too deal in production of hybrid chicken, meant for promotion of backyard poultry,” he added. “If hatcheries are established in the Valley we can get a chick at Rs 10, which otherwise costs us Rs 20…a hike of 200 per cent,” Javed said. The poultry farmers here also face acute shortage of feed as there are no feed-manufacturing units in Kashmir. “Sometimes the feed is not available to the farm-holders, especially during the winter months when Jammu-Srinagar national highway remains closed,” Mushtaq Ahmad said. “It is very hard to survive in this business as the conditions are not conducive for the poultry. We are dependent on other states for the main ingredients like feed and chicken. Yet we have not given up the business. We have learnt to cater our needs,” he said. Mushtaq said if proper facilities will be provided to poultry-holders in Pulwama they can emerge as market leaders. “If facilities are provided in our own state we can lead the business, not only in the state but in the entire country,” he added. Poultry Development Officer, Pulwama, Dr Nazir Ahmad endorsed the views of the poultry-holders. “The poultry farming is flourishing in Pulwama, but the low rate of growth is due to the dependency on other states for the main ingredients. Moreover, the dealers exploit the farmers which incurs in diminishing of profits to the farmers,” the official said. He added that there were 1,063 registered poultry farms in Pulwama with a capacity of 30,000 chickens per hatch. There are also 1.81 lakh backyard fowls in the district, comprising both indigenous and hybrid varieties, he said.
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Srinagar, December 9 “The explosive could have been meant for manufacturing of the Improvised Explosive Devise,” the source said, adding that the driver of the vehicle has been detained for questioning.— TNS |
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3 decades on, kandi villagers await canal
Doda, December 9 The 38.5-km canal project, which was conceptualised in 1980’s, was finally started in 2007 with an estimated cost of Rs 55 crore. The canal became the victim of official apathy in 2010 when the contractor raised some objections after constructing only 900 metres and stopped the work. With suspension of the construction work, hopes of over 50,000 villagers living in the kandi areas of Thathri, Gandho and Badharwah have been shattered. The villagers now urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to get the construction work done so that could get proper drinking and irrigation water. “The kandi canal will give relief to thousands of villagers who are living miserable life due to water crisis. The villagers have failed to produce more than one crop in a year. With the construction of the canal, they would be able produce more than three crops in a year,” said a villager. Congress MLA Mohammed Sharif Niaz said, “The project is very crucial and commenced in 1980’s. In early stages, we faced some clearance difficulties owing to the Indus Water Treaty. The Central government had also raised some objections which were later resolved.” “Another dispute emerged between the Irrigation and Power departments in 2004, when the Power Department was about to start another project on the same nullah. When I took over as the Power Minister, we settled the dispute and the work started in 2007. Due to some objections, the contractor moved the court,” Niaz added. Doda Superintendent Engineer, Irrigation Department, Ashok Kumar Pradhan said, “The court has directed us to take issues raised by the contractor seriously. Hopefully, the work will start soon.” |
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Police e-governance project reviewed
Jammu, December 9 The CCTNS is a mission mode project under the national e-governance programme aimed at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiecyand effectiveness of policing. In J&K, initially, 190 police stations have to be brought under the CCTNS project, including two police headquarters at Srinagar and Jammu, one SCRB at Jammu, two zonal offices, seven range offices, 25 districtpolice offices and 67 SDPO/ASP offices. The committee was informed that till date Rs 9.60 crore had been allocated to the state by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, of which Rs 5.78 crore had been spent on various components and activities under the project, digitisation of case files, training of 3,000 personnel in basic computer and role-based training, hardware-software installation, besides BSNL connectivity arrangements. The Chief Secretary, on the occasion, called for accelerating the implementation process and removing bottlenecks hindering its timely completion. He said modernisation of the state police apparatus was necessary to handle a large amount of information and huge volume of records, adding that it will help in the overall improvement of services delivery mechanism of our police force, besides bridge the gap between the public and the police through citizen-friendly and alternate modes of communication.
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Erratic BSNL service irks subscribers in Rajouri
Rajouri, December 9 The people in the remote areas generally depend on the BSNL for mobile and internet services, but with frequent breakdowns in the service, subscribers are now relying on the private players. “On the one hand the BSNL is spending huge amount of money on advertisements claiming the best service in the field, while on the other hand instead of improving its quality, the telecom operator is going from bad to worse,” a subscriber alleged. It is not only the common man who is suffering because of the poor services, but banks and other civil and security organisation are also getting affected because of the erratic connectivity. On December 3, the banks in the area could not function properly because of the failure of the internet services and as a result many of the customers from far flung area had to return disappointed. Earlier on October 30 also poor internet connectivity had hampered the functioning of the banks. The Chief General Manager, BSNL, expressed his ignorance over the poor services in Rajouri district, but assured that he will take up the matter with the Telephone District Engineer (TDE). “The present era is the era of Information and Technology. The Union Government spends huge amount on providing such services to the people. But the BSNL has failed to provide quality services to its subscribers in the remote areas,” Wazir Ahmed, a businessman from Kotranka area of Rajouri, said. “Except the BSNL, all other private players in the field are providing hassle-free services in Budhal and Kotranka tehsils of Rajouri,” he added. TDE, Rajouri, AK Sexena, however, attributed the frequent disruptions in the services to the widening of roads along the highway. “All our services, including the broadband and the internet, operate through optical fibre cable (OFC) system and in most of the areas along the highway, from Jammu to Rajouri, the General Reserved Engineering Force is taking up the road widening projects. It causes damage to the cable, resulting in failure of services,”
Sexena said. Talking particularly about the Budhal circuit, the official said: “As far as the Budhal circuit is concerned, the department has tried its best to maintain it. But after every hour the OFC cable
gets damaged due to road widening.” Shahbaz Khan, Executive Chairman, JK Pahari People Movement, was so annoyed with the BSNL that he said it should be renamed as “Bhai sahib nahi chalte (brother it doesn’t work)”. He alleged that some of the BSNL employees were hand in glove with the private operators and deliberately disturbed the services for pecuniary considerations. |
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PDP protests against corruption, power crisis
Srinagar, December 9 The rally began from the PDP headquarters and the protesters, who carried banners and placards, raised slogans against the state government for its "failure" to stop corruption and frequent breakdowns in power supply. However, as the protesters reached Regal Chowk, the police barred them from proceeding towards Lal Chowk. Later, Karra said there was rampant corruption in the state and the government had initiated no action against the tainted and corrupt officials. "Corruption has hit the common man. The recent unearthing of the MBBS scam shows that corruption has crossed all limits," he said. Another PDP leader lashed out at the government for "poor" power supply during winter. "From all localities across the Valley, there are reports about frequent power cuts and the tragedy is that both metered as well as non-metered areas are suffering," said another PDP leader.e protesters later dispersed peacefully. |
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One killed, nine injured in road accidents
Srinagar, December 9 A truck skidded off the road at Nagabal in central Kashmir’s Budgam district and fell into a nearby stream, he said and adding that seven persons travelling in the vehicle sustained injuries in the mishap. Of the injured, Mohammad Kamal Teli, a resident of Pakherpora, succumbed to his injuries after being referred to SMHS hospital here. A case has been registered in this regard. In another incident, a Sumo hit a motorcycle at KP Chowk in Anantnag in south Kashmir. Injured motorcyclist Bopinder Singh was referred to SKIMS, Soura, for treatment. In yet another incident, a vehicle rammed into a wall at Upper Bus Stop at Bandipora in north Kashmir. Vehicle driver Bilal Ahmad Wani, who received injuries in the mishap, was shifted to Bone and Joints Hospital, Barzulla. In south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a truck hit a motorcycle at Braculu, resulting in injuries to motorcyclist Naseer Ahmad Shah, who was shifted to SKIMS, Soura, for treatment, the spokesman said. |
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4 structures damaged in fire incidents
Srinagar, December 9 Due to leakage of liquefied petroleum gas, fire broke out in the kitchen of a house of Bashir Ahmad Baba at Malpora, Sopore. While the fire caused partial damage to the kitchen, no loss of life or injuries were reported in the incident. In another incident, fire broke out at Darpora, Sopore, resulting in partial damage to three cowsheds belonging to local residents identified as Mohammad Shafi Bhat, Abdul Hamid Bhat and Jameed Ahmad Baba son of Abdul Ahad. However, no loss of life or injury was reported in the incident. |
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Awareness camp on drug abuse held at Srinagar school
Srinagar, December 9 Medical Officer Dr Siddrah Zia and Counseling Psychologist Zahid Jeelani talked about drug abuse, its causes and preventive measures, stress and stress management. The Institute Principal also spoke about the importance of healthy lifestyle to cope with such health problems. "Good behaviour and living by the teachings of the religion can prevent us from social evils," he said. "The J&K police have begun a series of drug abuse awareness programmes in the district, wherein students are apprised of the harmful effects of drugs," a police spokesperson said. "Earlier, drug abuse awareness programmes were held in Boys High School, Hazratbal, Kashmir Harvard Educational Institute, Elite Educational Institute Nishat, SP Higher Secondary School, Caset School and National School. The programme will continue till the schools are closed for winter vacation on December 15," he added. |
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Geelani not allowed to hold press meet
Srinagar, December 9 Earlier on November
21, the government had foiled his scheduled press conference by barring mediapersons from attending it. The journalists who had reached Hyderpora today were not allowed by the police to enter Geelani's residence and were kept waiting outside. Geelani, who heads one of the breakaway factions of Hurriyat Conference, was scheduled to address the media at 12.30pm. In a statement issued here, Geelani's spokesperson termed the foiling of the press conference as "mere frustration of the so-called government".— TNS |
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Football tourney to begin after Dec 15
Srinagar, December 9 An annual feature in the football calendar of the state, the tournament will begin after December 15 in Pologround, Srinagar, after the winter vacation will start in the Valley schools. "The entry for participation of schools was thrown open yesterday and
the maximum age limit for participating children has been fixed at 15 years.
We will be checking participants' date-of-birth certificates issued by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation," JKFA spokesperson Bilal Punjabi said. Last year, 32 Valley-based schools had participated in the tournament. "A maximum of 32 schools can participate in the tournament. Last year, the tournament had received overwhelming response. Though winter in Valley is extremely harsh, it does not deter young football players from enjoying the sport. We have been successfully organising this tournament for the past many years now," Punjabi said. He said the schools would contest for the coveted trophy for a period of 15 days and many matches would be played simultaneously at Pologround Stadium.
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40 take part in carom, chess championship
Srinagar, December 9 The championship was held in continuity to the district-level championship that was held in the districts of Leh, Kargil, Ganderbal, Srinagar and Budgam, a police spokesperson said. While 40 players participated in the championship in two categories of boys and girls, in the carom championship boys' category, Mohammad Yaqoob defeated Waseem Bashir to clinch the range title. Similarly, in the girls' category, Insha Afzal, who defeated Iram Rafiq, was declared the winner. In the chess championship, Mehraj-u-Din Meerani was declared the winner, while in the girls' category Farhana Mehraj lifted the range title. Deputy Inspector General of Police, central Kashmir range (CKR), SA Mujtaba distributed prizes among the winners and the runners-up. Addressing the participants, Mujtaba said the aim of organising such tournaments was to hone the talent of the youth in our society so that they, too, could compete in the national and international competitions. |
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"India has a long-standing tradition of philanthropy in the field of education, which has led to the creation of many educational trusts, which run good educational institutions.
Though Jammu has been declared a "smoke-free" district, but smokers can still be seen puffing cigarettes anywhere in the winter capital of the state, including Civil Secretariat and near educational institutions, with impunity.
The trial runs on the Katra-Udhampur rail link were completed successfully today. The track will be thrown open to traffic in January next year.
The rail section is part of the Udhampur-Katra-Reasi-Qazigund-Kashmir rail link.
The Gharana wetland at RS Pura near Jammu has been witnessing the arrival of hundreds of migratory birds.
Interestingly, a bar-headed goose, collared by the state Wildlife Department, in September this year at Ladakh was sighted at the wetland today.
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday staged a protest against the alleged corruption and frequent power cuts in the Valley.
The rally was led by former Finance Minister and PDP nominee for the upcoming Srinagar Parliamentary seat Tariq Hamid
Karra.
