With onset of summer, power cuts haunt people

With onset of summer, power cuts haunt people
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 27
Contrary to the claims of the Power Development Department (PDD) that the power scenario has improved in the state, unscheduled power cuts have started to haunt the people with the onset of summer, especially when the temperature is hovering around 40°C and giving sleepless nights to people. The power cuts in metered and non-metered areas across the state have already started, yet the authorities concerned seem to be in deep slumber, as there is hardly any difference in the power scenario as compared to that of last year.

Though every year the state government claims to have solved the problem, it has in fact been aggravating.

For the past few days, all major cities across the state have been reeling under power cuts, which not only affected the day-to-day life but also hit the industries. “Frequent unscheduled power cuts have already become the order of the day and we fear what will happen in the coming days. Summer has just started and power cuts up to four hours have been imposed,” said Munish Sharma, an industrialist of the Gangyal area here.

Recalling the last year’s situation, Sharma added, “Earlier the department had said there would be no power cuts in the metered areas this year, but there had hardly been any difference as compared to last year. The cuts are still continuing”. Similarly, villagers alleged that the PDD had started imposing night cuts too. “The department has not informed us about the schedule of power cuts but has started cuts for four to six hours,” said Amar Singh of Dharamsal village in Rajouri district.

Though the consumers are expecting a better summer this year, it seems the prevailing power scenario is not going to improve, as the officials concerned have failed to address the issue adequately.

“The state government purchases a large quantity of power from other states, Central and other agencies so the deficit in power generation from our own power projects hardly matters,” said Shalin Kabra, Managing Director, J&K Power Development Corporation (JKPDC). He added that they were generating the maximum power from their own projects.

Kabra said, “At present only the Baglihar-II is being repaired, as a technical snag hit it 10 days ago. But the 450 MW power project is at present generating 300 MW and the experts are trying to restore it. Besides, all our power projects are functioning well”. Similarly, the Commissioner of the PDD, Manzoor Ahmad, said, “We are trying our best and have adopted a number of policies in this regard”. However, he did not speak about the gap between the current demand and supply of power across the state. But government documents procured by The Tribune revealed that the gap between the demand and supply of power was almost 40 per cent.

More students, fewer teachers in Jammu schools

More students, fewer teachers in Jammu schools
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 27
Government schools in Jammu district have been successful in enrolling a large number of students, but most of these schools are facing a shortage of teachers, which is badly affecting studies.

Sources told The Tribune that primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools of the district were facing the shortage of teachers. Moreover, some of the schools did not even have headmasters/headmistresses to run the institutions properly, they added.

“Due to the shortage of teachers, the existing staff are being forced to take additional classes despite the fact that they are not well versed in teaching different subjects. As a result students are not being taught properly,” said a teacher on the condition of anonymity.

Government documents procured by The Tribune revealed that of the total 8,460 sanctioned posts of teacher in Jammu district, 1,546 posts were lying vacant. It added that there were 1,11,531 students enrolled in the government schools in the district, but these schools did not have the requisite number of teachers.

“A total of 1,546 posts, including 1,139 of teacher, 126 of master, 48 of lecturer and 204 posts of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT), are lying vacant in the district,” the documents stated.

Even Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed accepted the fact that a large number of posts were lying vacant. He said, “We are aware about the shortage of teachers and steps are being taken to fill vacant posts so that the students get better education”.

A senior official of the Education Department said, “We have referred 608 posts of teacher in Jammu district to the Staff Selection Board (SSB) for the selection of suitable candidates. Besides, a total of 289 posts of lecturer have also been referred to the Public Service Commission”.

He added that, “Steps are being taken to recruit ReT teachers also, but due to court cases there is little progress”.

Jammu varsity set to uproot ragging

Jammu varsity set to uproot ragging
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 26
As the University of Jammu (JU) prepares for the new academic session, it has also geared itself to check the menace of ragging by launching a campaign to welcome the freshers and to provide them peaceful environment.

On its part, the state government recently passed an Anti-Ragging Bill to deal with violators more strictly.

To ensure that the directions of the Supreme Court on ragging is followed in letter and spirit, the university authorities have pasted a number of posters and pamphlets on all notice boards and important places to inform the students that ragging is prohibited.

The authorities have also uploaded UGC guidelines on ragging on the university’s website. All these measures are being taken to ensure that not even a single incident of ragging takes place.

The university has also constituted an anti-ragging squad comprising senior officials to deal with any such incident, if it occurs.

A visit to the University reveals the seriousness on the part of the authorities in deal with this menace.

A senior official of the university said, “We have appealed to the senior students to deal with the freshers as their family members”.

He added, “The students have also agreed that they will not bring a bad name to this prestigious institution by indulging in ragging”.

The university has also been taking an affidavit from the students that they will not get indulge in ragging or any other illegal activity.

“If any student found involved in any such incident, he will be expelled and booked under the law,” said the official.

However, he added that there was nothing to worry about, but “sometimes students belonging to different communities do indulge in illegal activities that’s why we are adopting preventive measures”.

Polling suspended in three villages

Polling suspended in three villages
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 25
Incidents of bogus voting and incorrect voter lists were reported in Rajouri district during the fourth phase of the panchayat elections in the Jammu division today.The complaints of bogus voting had also been made to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) earlier, yet the “lackadaisical” approach of the officials concerned resulted in the suspension of polling at Dharamsal and Batta villages in the Raipur Kotha area and Loka village near Nowshera today.

It also resulted in minor clashes between the rival groups, as the candidates for the posts of sarpanch and panch and their supporters accused each other of indulging in bogus voting.

Senior officials of the district administration, including the local SDM, had to rush to these villages to take stock of the situation and get the polling resumed. At Dharamsal village, it was alleged that someone polled the vote of a dead woman. Similarly, at the Batta polling station in the Raipur Kotha area, another woman allegedly polled the vote of Sheila Devi, resulting in the suspension of polling from 11 am to 1 pm. At Loka village also the polling was suspended for a few minutes due to a similar incident.

However, the officials concerned claimed that everything was normal and no one was injured in the clashes.

Khwaja Ghulam Mohammad, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, said, “Though some minor incidents took place at three polling stations, the entire exercise concluded peacefully”. He added that, “As of now, no one has demanded re-polling and 84 per cent of the total voters exercised their right to franchise”.

Jammu gets golf course

Jammu gets golf course
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Sidhra (Jammu), April 24
The winter capital of J&K today got its first ever civilians’ golf course “Jammu Tawi Golf Course” on its outskirts at village Sidhra, situated on the bank of river Tawi. The golf course is still having 9-holes, inaugurated by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, while the work is going on to expand it to 18-hole golf course.

The construction work of this golf course was started in 2007 with the keen interest of the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, but it took a long time to get completed, because of Amarnath land row and some other agitations.

A senior official of the state tourism department said that it took almost Rs 20 crore to get the first phase of this golf course done. He further said that the 18-hole golf course, spread over in 1,485 kanals land would be completed by 2013. He added, “This golf course is bigger than the Royal Spring Golf Course, Srinagar.”

“The golf course is going to be an attraction point for the tourists and would be of immense help in boosting tourism in the state,” said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while inaugurating the Jammu Tawi Golf Course, here. He added, “The location of this golf course is very important, as our heritage monuments like Mubarak Mandi complex, Amar Mahal have a good view from here.”

Meanwhile, the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and a number of senior bureaucrats and the Army officials had a friendly match at the newly opened Golf Course.

Both the ministers were seen so crazy for the game that they didn’t even care body scorching heat and played for almost an hour. They also appealed the golfers from across the country to come and play here. An inaugural tournament was also organised during the occasion.

The tourism minister Nawang Ringzin Jora, minister of state for tourism Nasir Aslam Wani and a large number of bureaucrats and golfers were also present during the occasion.

Col KD Bagga (Retd), a man who calls himself “India’s Golf God” has designed the Jammu Tawi Golf Course, who charged Rs 20 lakh for it. He has, so far, designed 11 golf courses in India, mostly in Gujarat.

“This was the toughest land, as far as the issue is concerned to make a golf course here. Even the foreign architects had refused to work over here, citing the land as a reason,” said Bagga.

Golf Course: Omar gives credit to Azad

Golf Course: Omar gives credit to Azad
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Sidhra (Jammu), April 24
The proximity between Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the inauguration of the Jammu-Tawi Golf Course here today could have an impact on the political scene of the state.

A faction within the Congress, led by Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz, has been demanding rotation of chief ministership, but the proximity between the Abdullahs and Azad is being seen as an indication in political circles that the Azad lobby is in favour of continuation of Omar as the Chief Minister.

During the inaugural ceremony of the golf course here, the trio were seen in a humorous mood. Also during the photo session, Farooq chipped in asking Azad to take the centre stage between him and his son, which turned out to be a gesture that invited the attention of both the public and the media.

Later, Omar gave the credit of the golf course to Azad, as the project had started during the latter’s regime as the Chief Minister.

Now, single paper system for Class XII exams

Now, single paper system for Class XII exams
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 23
After introducing the single paper system in Class X, the J&K Board of School Education (BoSE) has introduced this system of exams in Class XII from this academic session.

Now, the Class XII students will also have to appear in one paper of each subject and the total marks will be 500 for all streams, including science, commerce, home science and humanities. Earlier, the students had to appear in two papers (A and B) of each of the five subjects and the total marks were 750.

Dr Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, Secretary of the education board, said, “The decision has been taken to facilitate the students, as earlier the process was complicated. Now, there will be one paper each of the five subjects containing 100 marks each, including practicals”.

Describing the single paper system, he said it was not a new system, as the CBSE had already adopted it. “Even we have implemented the system in the Class X exams and on the same pattern the Class XII students will get single papers this year,” said Sheikh Bashir.

He added that, “The syllabus is almost the same, as only minor changes have been made. The single paper system has been adopted to save the time of the students”. Some changes were made in the Class XII examinations last year. “This will surely help the students to get good results and improve the quality of the examination system,” he added.

The session of Class XII started in the Kashmir region in October-November last year, while it began in the Jammu region recently. A senior education board official said those students, who had taken the Class XII exams up to 2010 in the Kashmir region and up to 2011 in the Jammu region, would have to complete their backlog/reappear within a period of three years, as per the existing two paper scheme of examinations. He said the new syllabus and the guidelines on the pattern of examinations were available at all major bookstores.

Prime Minister’s Employment Package: Pandit migrants feel at home in Valley

Prime Minister’s Employment Package
Pandit migrants feel at home in Valley
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 22
As many as 1,179 displaced Kashmiri Pandit youth, who have been recruited to various state government departments in the Valley under the Prime Minister’s Employment Package for Kashmiri Migrants, are getting a good response from people there.

“Earlier, we feared that the people in the Valley would not tolerate us. But after we joined duty there, we realised that they were just like us as they helped us to adjust there,” said Meenakshi, a government teacher at Pulwama district.

Meenakshi, who had recently come here to meet her family, said, “The good response of the Valley residents was totally unexpected. With a change in mindset, they are no longer willing to fall prey to the designs of separatist leaders”.

Besides Meenakshi, many others, who were recruited as teachers, assistant engineers and junior engineers to various departments, were treated well by the Valley people. Another government teacher, Naveen Ganjoo, posted at Anantnag district, said, “I joined duty in the Valley three months ago and have not encountered any untoward incident. The people in the Valley are treating us like their brothers”.

He added that, “Initially, we found it a little difficult to get settled in Kashmir, but now things are quite well. Fundamentalism and communalism are fading there, as everyone wants peace”.

With the overwhelming response of the Valley people towards the Kashmiri Pandit migrants, who are being rehabilitated there, Vinod Koul, Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation (Migrants), said, “The Prime Minister’s Employment Package for the Kashmiri people has been successful, as 1,179 persons have joined duty in the Valley from December 2010 to January this year”.

He added, “Rehabilitation is a continuous process and the state government has been trying its best to provide maximum facilities to the migrants”.

Koul said at present they had provided transit accommodations to the fresh appointees. “Of 1,179 persons, about 950 are staying at the transit camps on a sharing basis and the remaining are living outside with their old neighbours or at rented accommodations”.

Experts for early harvesting of horticulture crops

Experts for early harvesting of horticulture crops
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Chatha (Jammu), April 22
With the possibility of rains in the next few days, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, has advised the fruit growers in the region to immediately harvest their horticulture crops like ber, papaya and loquat.

“Fruit growers are advised to harvest ber, loquat and papaya fruits in order to avoid the loss due to possibility of rains,” said a senior scientist, Agrometeorology Department, SKUAST. He added, “Weather is changing every day and the day temperature is lesser than the required, so the fruit growers should harvest their produce, otherwise they will have to suffer huge losses.” He further said during a survey conducted in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur districts, they found that ber, papaya and loquat were almost ripen and ready to harvest.

“Delay in this exercise at this time can increase the worries of the fruit growers,” he opined. About the growing mango crop, he said the recent rainfall on April 17 and 18 had caused maximum loss to the mango crop. “Mango crop is under the flowering stage and the rain at this stage has infected the crop,” said the expert.

He advised that the mango growers should remove malformed infected twinges from mango orchards, which would save them from further losses. The grape growers have also suffered losses due to the rainfall and if it occurred again, the entire fruit crop would be destroyed, the experts maintained. Even the Meteorology Department in its recent advisory report has forecasted that they were expecting rains in next few days.

Terming it the effect of the western disturbance, weathermen have forecasted that there would be rainfall in the next two-three days, the farming community should immediately make arrangements to save the crops.

Youth in Samba block vote for development

Youth in Samba block vote for development
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Tapyal (Samba), April 21
Going by the enthusiastic participation of the youth in the panchayat elections, it seems they have rejected divisive politics and taken up development as the key issue.

The panchayat elections, which are being held after a gap of 10 years, are attracting the maximum number of youth, as they are more concerned about the development of their villages than supporting the agenda of a few hardline separatist leaders.

“On an average, 80 per cent of the voters have exercised their right to vote in the Samba block,” KK Sidha, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Samba, said. “Above 90 per cent of the youth have cast their votes, as they were more enthusiastic from the day one of the election process,” he added.

Even candidates contesting for the posts of sarpanch and panch said when they were campaigning in their villages young voters asked them a number of questions regarding their manifestos and other development issues. “The youth don’t want to get involved in divisive politics. They only want development in their areas,” said Yashpal, who contested the elections for the post of sarpanch from Tapyal village. “Go and ask young voters what they want and they will tell you they want basic infrastructure in their villages and nothing else,” he added.

“We have nothing to do with the separatists or with the issues of any political party. We want basic facilities like schools, colleges and hospitals in our village and that is the reason behind the maximum participation of the youth in the elections,” said Ajit Singh, a resident of Rajpura village.

He added, “For the past seven years, the panchayats were lying dissolved and when the government gave us an opportunity to elect our own representatives, we should not miss it”. “Whenever we face any difficulty we have to approach the MLA or the MLC of the area to get our work done. But now these sarpanches and panches will be there to address our problems,” said Rashid Ahmed, a college student of Rajpura village.

In the earlier two phases of the panchayat elections, the participation of youths was recorded at the maximum.

KAS 2009 aspirants charge JKPSC of corruption

KAS 2009 aspirants charge JKPSC of corruption
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu April 20
Candidates, who appeared in the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) exams in 2009 and got the detailed mark sheets recently, levelled charges of corruption and favouritism against the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) here today.

Peeved by alleged malpractices by the JKPSC, the KAS aspirants also wrote letters to Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the CBI and the Vigilance Department, urging them to intervene in the matter.

The candidates said there was no proper distribution of marks in the viva and a number of candidates, including those who had secured good marks in the written examination, were shown the door. Terming it a injustice meted out to them, these candidates held a meeting at the University of Jammu today and shot off letters to all top dignitaries and investigation agencies in this regard.

“The results of almost 70 per cent of the candidates were incorrect. If the JKPSC fails to show us the answer sheets, we will knock the door of the Supreme Court,” said the candidates.

They questioned the criterion adopted for the distribution of marks in the viva and demanded that the weightage of marks in the viva be reduced from 250 to 50 marks. “We have doubts regarding the merit list, as many meritorious candidates have been failed to pave the way for some influential candidates,” they alleged.

The KAS aspirants alleged that the candidates having political science as an optional subject were the worst sufferers. “I am sure that the marks awarded to me were not based on my answer sheet. My answer sheet has got changed and I want to see it to satisfy myself,” said Sonu Singh, who had appeared in the KAS exams in 2009.

“Nepotism also rules the roost at the JKPSC, as a daughter of one of the JKPSC members has been given extra marks in the viva,” the candidates alleged. They demanded that the interview of the KAS should be held in camera and the marks for the interview should be decreased from 250 to 50 marks. Some benefit should be given to the candidates belonging to the reserved categories, they added.

The candidates said they had sought their answer sheets under the Right to Information Act and if their demand was rejected, they would move the Supreme Court.

However, SL Bhat, chairman of the JKPSC, rejected the allegations levelled by the candidates of the KAS exams of 2009. “We have conducted the entire process of selection in a very transparent manner and all allegations are baseless. There has not been even one case of nepotism,” he said.

He added that those levelling allegations against the JKPSC were earlier demanding detailed mark sheets and when they were provided mark sheets, they could not bear to see their poor performances.

Earlier too some candidates had moved the High Court in Srinagar alleging that candidates having Urdu as an optional subject were given excess marks as compared to others, Bhat said. He added, “Every candidate has a different level of ability. Its better these aspitants don’t waste time and prepare hard for the exams next time”.

Jams at Lakhanpur toll plaza to go

Jams at Lakhanpur toll plaza to go
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 19
The problem to wait for hours in traffic jam at Lakhanpur Toll Plaza - the gateway of Jammu and Kashmir - is about to get solved as the construction work of the new toll plaza is almost 90 per cent complete. The modern toll plaza, which came up with the cost of over Rs 32 crore, will have nine computerised weigh bridges.

Lakhanpur, which shares its border with the neighbouring state of Punjab, is the main entry point for surface transport and all commercial or private vehicles entering or leaving the state. for the convince of the commuters, the government has created parking lots for 240 trucks, shelter sheds for drivers, recreational building, animal husbandry complex, banking facilities, canteens, sanitation blocks and power and water supply installations there.

The new toll plaza is spread on an area of 156 kanals and another 108 kanals will be obtained from the railways.

A senior official of the Finance Department said out of the estimated cost of Rs 32.20 crore, Rs 28.48 crore has been spent so far.

Revenue realisation at Lakhanpur toll during 2010-11 has been Rs 249.82 crore as compared to Rs 208.92 crore during 2009-10, thus, showing a growth of 19.58 per cent. Even the taxable imports were recorded at Rs 25,125 crore in 2010-11 and exports during this period were Rs 13,777 crore.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had recently visited Lakhanpur to inspect the construction work of the new toll plaza and told the officials concerned to complete it at the earliest.

Postponement of ETT Exams: Omar urged to look into functioning of education board

Postponement of ETT Exams
Omar urged to look into functioning of education board
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 19
The postponement of the first year examinations of the Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) course by the J&K State Board of School Education seems to have landed the board officials in soup, as various students’ organisations and bodies of private ETT institutes have opened a front against the alleged bungling and nepotism in the functioning of the board.

These associations have asked the board authorities to immediately change joint secretary of the board Sheikh Bashir Ahmed and appoint a suitable person as the chairman of the board, as the post has been lying vacant for the last six months. To prove their charge about bungling in the board, the organisations have also produced some documents as “authentic” evidences.

These associations comprising the Jammu Private Schools and ETT Institutes Association, the National Secular Forum (NSF) and the Jammu Youth Forum (JYF) have alleged that the examinations were delayed to adjust the students of some private institutes.

Showing a document, Deep Singh, president of the Jammu Private Schools and ETT Institutes Association, said, “At a meeting between the Education Minister, the then Chairman of the school education board and the Secretary of the board in 2009, it was decided that the ETT first year exams would be held in October 2010, which were delayed without any reason and had not been conducted as yet”.

He added that, “It was also decided that no new institution would be given permission to enrol students before the completion of the academic session. Still the board officials violated the norm and allowed nearly 6,000 more students of some private colleges to appear in the ETT exams and that too a few days before the start of the exams”.

Deep Singh said it was also decided at the meeting that the admission process would be centralised without involving agents, but nothing had been done so far. “If the education board or the state government does not take any action in this regard within one week, we will go on a relay fast outside Raj Bhawan from April 25,” he added.

Similarly, the NSF has appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to look into the functioning of the education board and also burnt the effigy of Sheikh Bashir at the University of Jammu here today. “The board officials have brought a bad name to the state, as most of the ETT students belong to other states and the education board has delayed the exams without giving any reason. A large number of ETT institutes are functioning illegally in the state and are fleecing innocent students. This will not be tolerated anymore,” said Vikas Sharma, state president of the NSF.

Farmers advised to postpone harvesting of wheat, barley

Farmers advised to postpone harvesting of wheat, barley
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Chatha/Jammu, April 18
Following overnight rain and hailstorm at several places across the Jammu region yesterday, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu, (SKUAST) has advised farmers to postpone the harvesting of wheat and barley crops till the weather turns sunny.

Till the weather gets clear, the farmers should avoid harvesting the standing crops because storing them in prevailing weather conditions would cause more damage to the grain, said experts of the Agrometeorology Department, SKUAST.

They added that the chances of damage to granules of the standing crops in such weather conditions were less compared to the damage to the harvested crops.

The experts said, “Keeping the weather in view, the farmers have been advised to make necessary arrangements to prevent any possible damage to their crops. The temperature, both maximum and minimum, has remained much lower than the normal, affecting the size of granules this year”. He added that the full ripening of crops was also delayed.

In the last 24 hours, the region witnessed 14 mm of rain. The officials of the Meteorology Department said the rain due to the western disturbances had brought down the mercury by a few notches. In April till today, 24.4 mm of rain had been recorded.

A visit to various villages in the RS Pura area revealed that though the effect of the rain was less on the standing wheat crop, the vegetable crops had been badly destroyed. “The weather disturbances in the last seven days have damaged the crops, especially vegetables. Yesterday’s hailstorm will also show its effect on vegetables, as their prices will shoot up,” said Ghanshyam Dass, a farmer at Abdullian village, who has sown wheat and vegetables on 10 acres.

He added, “The wheat crop is in its final stage of ripening and is ready for harvesting, but rain God has not been kind to us this year. Already, the yellow rust has affected the crop and if there is one or more similar spells of rain, the entire wheat crop will be damaged”.

About the changing climate conditions and its effects, experts of the SKUAST said the maximum temperature hovered around 4.5°C less than the normal temperature. Humidity in the air was also recorded above 80 per cent, while the wind speed was recorded as 4 km/hour.

The experts said while the major crops like wheat and barley and vegetables had been damaged, horticulture crops like mango, which is in the flowering stage, had been infected. Besides, the yield of papaya, ber, loquat and plum had also been affected. They added that the sowing of pulses like moong and mash had also been delayed.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has started a fresh exercise to assess damage caused to crops.

Suchetgarh celebrates triumph of democracy

Suchetgarh celebrates triumph of democracy
Archit Watts/TNS

Suchetgarh (Indo-Pak Border), April 17
Though some separatists in the Kashmir valley are demanding ‘azaadi’ and adopting various methods to get their demand fulfilled, the people living in the Jammu region, especially in Suchetgarh village on the zero line, today set an example of patriotism.

As soon as the results of the panchayat elections were declared, villagers started dancing on the tunes of patriotic songs and reached close to the international border to celebrate triumph of democracy and to convey their feelings and message across the border.

They raised many patriotic slogans like “Bharat Mata ki jai ho; Vande Mataram; Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai, aapas mein hain bhai bhai” terming the success of panchayat poll as the victory of the democratic system in restive state of J&K.

“Being true Indian, we decided to celebrate the victory of first step towards democracy on the border with our brothers and sisters living on the other side (in Pakistan),” said Bachan Lal, a resident of Suchetgarh village.

“We tried to convey our message to the Pakistan government that they should also adopt the same (democratic) system there, so that their people can also enjoy the taste of grass-root level democracy,” he added.

In an elated mood, he further said during the Indo-Pak semifinal match in the cricket World Cup, when the entire country was taking it as a war between the two countries, they took it much lighter, as the people on the other side were also like them.

“What if, their (Pakistan) government is playing games? The people living across the border are just similar to us, having cultural and linguistic similarities,” added Bachan, an academician.

Jammu, Kathua districts home to 70 pc ETT colleges

Jammu, Kathua districts home to 70 pc ETT colleges
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 16
The sudden rescheduling of the first year exams of the Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) course by the J&K State Board of School Education is not only giving a harrowing time to above 40,000 students, but is also giving sleepless nights to board officials, as it has raked up a major controversy.

The government records procured by The Tribune reveal that above 70 per cent of the total ETT institutes/colleges in the state have been sanctioned for Jammu and Kathua districts alone. These two districts account for over 88 per cent (32,262 students) of the total 36,475 students enrolled for the course. However, there is no information about 6,000 students enrolled recently, as the education board authorities are tight-lipped over the issue.

Both Jammu and Kathua districts are near Punjab and the board has sanctioned 323 colleges of the total 439 there alone, which raises a number of questions.

The document further reveals that Jammu district alone has 173 ETT colleges, which are catering to 16,519 students. Similarly, there are 150 ETT colleges in Kathua district and 15,743 students have been enrolled for the course there.

On the other hand, there are eight districts in the state which do not have even one ETT institute. Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed had recently acknowledged that a large number of ETT students belonged to other states, mostly Punjab, but he had not mentioned why were the students of the state not opting for the course.

The ETT controversy erupted after the school board officials rescheduled the date sheet for the ETT first year exams. Earlier the exams were scheduled to begin yesterday (April 15) but were rescheduled for April 20.

Following this a number of disturbing facts, including some private ETT institutes running on fake addresses and above 100 institutes without adequate infrastructure, have come to light. However, the board officials are not ready to accept that there has been any negligence on their part.

Education board postpones ETT exams two days before scheduled date; 40,000 students have harrowing time

Education board postpones ETT exams two days before scheduled date
40,000 students have harrowing time
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 15
Over 40,000 students of the first year of the Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) course, a majority of them girls belonging to neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, are facing a harrowing time here. Reason: The J&K State Board of School Education, which conducts the exam of the two-year course, two days ago rescheduled the exams that were scheduled to commence today.

Earlier, the board had announced that the exams would start today (April 15), but when students started reaching here, it rescheduled the date sheet and announced that the exams would be conducted from April 20 to May 5.

Though the officials concerned said the exams had been postponed due to the ongoing panchayat elections, the students, who had come here travelling long distances from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, to appear in the exams had a harrowing time.

Investigations by The Tribune revealed that the education board had enrolled 6,000 students of private colleges just two days before the exams, thus delaying the entire examination process. Earlier, there were 36,145 students enrolled for the ETT exams, but due to the fresh enrolment the number of students crossed 42,000 mark.

Board sources disclosed that it had failed to arrange an adequate number of examination halls/centres, thus delaying the examination process. However, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Joint Secretary of the education board, terming it as unfortunate, said, “We have rescheduled the exams due to the panchayat elections, as teachers are deputed on election duty”.

On the contrary, Deep Singh, president of the Jammu Private Schools and ETT Institutes Association, said, “There is a nexus between the education board officials and some private colleges and they lure students from the neighbouring states into taking admission to the course for a hefty amount. These students are called to the colleges only to appear in the exams and otherwise they do not visit the colleges”.

He added, “As many as 99 per cent of the ETT students enrolled in the state belong to other states. What does it mean? It is self explanatory”. Deep Singh lashed out at the board officials saying, “The board has been headless for the last six months. The present joint secretary of the board has become all in all, but he is doing nothing”.

Government records procured by The Tribune revealed another shortcoming on the part of the education board. As per these documents, there are 439 ETT colleges across the state and 95 of them have no student. An official of the board alleged that the whole process of the ETT exams was dubious, as there was no criterion for getting admission to the course. “Nearly 100 institutes are running from fake addresses. Besides, 150 institutes are not even equipped with basic infrastructure,” he added.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, joint secretary of the education board, said they had received some complaints in this regard, but they could not take any action. This course has always remained the top priority of the students from the neighbouring states, because it is valid in other states also for getting government jobs.

Last year, a question paper of Class XII, which is conducted by the board, was leaked through SMS. Besides, a large number of mass copying cases were also reported throughout the state. However, no major action had been taken in this regard as yet.

Untimely rain delays wheat harvesting

Untimely rain delays wheat harvesting
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 15
Though the farming community in the neighbouring state of Punjab has already started harvesting the wheat crop, farmers in the state will have to wait for a few more days, thanks to the recent spell of rain that has led to forming of moisture content in the grain.

Weather disturbance and the recent spell of rain has so far kept the temperature below normal, delaying the ripening of the golden grain across the state.

Experts of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu (SKUAST-J) and officials of the Meteorological Department termed the moisture in the air and moderate temperature as the major reason for the delay in harvesting the crop.

“A random survey of various areas, including Kathua, Samba, RS Pura, Jammu and Udhampur, revealed that only five per cent of the crop is ready to harvest and that too in Bishnah block. The rest of the crop would be ready only in May,” said an expert of SKUAST-J.

He said the fungal disease yellow rust had also affected the growth of the crop. “But now with the use of fungicides, the farmers are expecting a good yield,” the expert added.

A visit to RS Pura, Bishnah, Vijaypur and some adjoining areas reveals that the crop is yet to ripen fully. Even farmers are seen removing weeds from their fields.

“This season, everything went against us. First, the rain and then yellow rust affected the crop across the region,” said Joginder Singh of Kullian village.

He also blamed the Agriculture Department for the delay. He alleged, “Though senior officials of the department visited the fields, they did not provide any sort of assistance to us. Had they made us aware of the disease and provided adequate fertilisers and fungicides, the result would have been far better”.

The Agriculture Department, however, refuted these allegations. “Our officials spread awareness about the use of modern techniques among farmers time to time. For this purpose, 257 awareness camps and meetings were organised. Besides, 765 spray pumps were also provided to the farmers,” said a senior official of the Agriculture Department.

He added, “This year, the standing wheat crop in the region was expected to reach 4,92,000 MT”.

The Meteorological Department also forecasted that the day temperature would increase in the next few days.

Lakhanpur-Jammu highway shortens journey by 40 min

Lakhanpur-Jammu highway shortens journey by 40 min
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Lakhanpur, April 14
The four-laning of 91-km Lakhanpur-Jammu National Highway (1-A), which is almost complete, has not only reduced traffic snarls but also shortened the journey by 40 minutes.

Being a Central government-sponsored project, which was started by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in year 2005 at an estimated cost of around Rs 158 crore, the road has been carpeted right from the main gateway of the state at Lakahnpur to Jammu and dividers installed.

However, eight bridges (each less than one km in length) of nearly 30 bridges on the highway are yet to be completed. A senior official of the NHAI said the work on the highway had been completed up to 80 to 85 per cent and the remaining 15 per cent would be done by this year end. “The road has been widened and carpeted. Now, a few bridges are left on which construction work is going on. Of the total 91-km stretch, only 5 km of road, which runs under the bridges, awaits completion,” he said.

The NHAI official said once the four-laning of the highway was complete it would save 40 to 60 minutes of travel time. “The journey on this road, which earlier took nearly around two-and-half hours, has shortened by 40 to 45 minutes,” he added.

Driving a car on this highway, this correspondent observed that traffic jams, which were earlier the order of the day, were not to be seen, as hardly any obstruction was found during the peak hours.

A number of newly-constructed bridges had been thrown open to traffic, though the work on the highway was in progress at Kalibari, Sakte Chak, Dayala Chak, Samba Cantonment, on the outskirts of Samba, near Chichi Mata Temple, Barian and Vijaypur.

It is the only trade link of the state with other parts of the country, besides the route of the pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi and the Amarnath cave shrine. Tourists also enter the state via this road.

CAG: University fails to use e-learning facility

CAG: University fails to use e-learning facility
Rs 3.65-cr expenditure proving unfruitful: Report
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 12
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its fresh report has detected the failure of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, in establishing a state-of-the-art e-learning system for the dissemination of agriculture-related information to farmers.

“Due to improper planning, the multipurpose e-learning system established by SKUAST-J was not made operational even after three years of its inauguration. As a result, the entire expenditure of Rs 3.65 crore incurred on its creation has remained unfruitful,” stated the audit report of CAG.

The scrutiny of records of SKUAST-J by CAG revealed that a contract was awarded in February 2007 to Indian Telephone Industries Limited, a Government of India undertaking, for setting up of a studio and 20 kiosks at a total cost of Rs 3.37 crore (excluding taxes), which included Rs 11.79 lakh for VSAT bandwidth charges for a year payable to Hughes Communications Limited.

The project was to be completed within six weeks from the date of placement of order failing which a penalty at the rate of 5 per cent per week was to be imposed subject to a maximum of 6 per cent of the value of the purchase order, stated the report.

Another contract was entered into with Bharti Airtel Limited in July 2007, for providing 512 Kbps MPLS bandwidth from Jammu to Gurgaon with one-time charge of Rs 1.25 lakh and annual recurring charges of Rs 1.70 lakh for MPLS.

Till August 2010, a total expenditure of Rs 3.65 crore had been incurred on establishing the facility (Rs 3.26 crore for the supply of equipment and other material by ITI Limited; Rs 11.79 lakh for VSAT bandwidth by Huges; Rs 2.26 lakh for MPLS bandwidth and allied hardware by Airtel; Rs 22.50 lakh on uninterrupted power supply, computers etc for the studio and kiosks; and Rs 1.50 lakh as rent for accommodation till their de-hiring).

“However, proposal for the appointment of technical staff to run the facility, which was sent to the government in March 2008, had not been approved till May 2010,” stated the CAG report, adding that even the connectivity with both Hughes and Airtel for VSAT and MPLS, respectively, obtained for the first year, expired in December 2008 and has not been renewed since.

It further said apart from the prime objective of disseminating scientific information to the farming community, the network envisaged data-sharing between the main campus and research stations and the system involved setting up of a studio on the main campus at Chatha and connecting it with multipurpose e-learning kiosks in various campuses, research stations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras in six districts of Jammu division with interlinking through VSATs manned from main satellite hub in Gurgaon.

The beginning of the facility required a provision for VSAT bandwidth and 512 Kbps multi-protocol label switching bandwidth for linking of studio and the kiosks with the main hub besides trained manpower for content development and to run the system successfully.

In last, the report said even after the lapse of three years of the inauguration, the multipurpose state-of-the art e-learning facility had not been put to use except on a few occasions for the purpose of demonstration to VIPs. It added that the entire expenditure of Rs 3.65 crore incurred on the creation of the facility had remained unfruitful and the envisaged benefits had not accrued to the targeted group.

However, the director, extension education, SKUAST, while accepting the facts, stated to the CAG that the project was at the connectivity stage only and did not reach the actual implementation stage.

He said, “The efforts to make the facility functional were on and once the manpower and funds for meeting the recurring expenses were made available, the envisaged activities would be resumed after the renewal of connectivity from the service providers”.

Ten veterinary hospitals without proper infrastructure: CAG

Ten veterinary hospitals without proper infrastructure: CAG
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, April 11
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has pointed towards the failure of the Animal Husbandry Department to provide sufficient infrastructure to 10 out of the 13 veterinary hospitals across the state.

In its audit report for the year ended March 31, 2010, the CAG stated that due to the lack of infrastructure and equipment in the hospitals, the symptoms of animal diseases like the foot and mouth disease, black quarter, foul duck cholera, anthrox, Rani-Khet disease had increased in the livestock and were proving fatal. “On being pointed out this fact, the department stated that the organisms usually undergo genetic re-assortment, which made the control over the diseases difficult,” it added.

The report said the Animal Husbandry Department also failed to clarify “why the vaccination of the entire susceptible livestock population could not be done in a phased manner so as to eradicate the diseases despite the fact that sufficient funds were made available to it under the Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases scheme”.

Besides, the foot and mouth disease vaccines worth Rs 13.43 lakh were destroyed due to the lack of a cold storage system in Baramulla, it added.

The report said only three hospitals were running from their own buildings. On the other hand, the officials concerned of various district hospitals stated that enough quantity of medicines was not supplied to them and thus problems were created for breeders, compelling them to go to the district headquarters to collect the medicines. However, the audit scrutiny revealed, “The reply was unacceptable, as the department had enough funds to purchase medicines”.

It said, “During an interaction with 68 breeders, it was observed that they did not get medicines even after they repeatedly visited the sheep extension centres, thus defeating the basic purpose of creating such extension centres”.

Panchayat Poll: Election fever grips Jammu

Panchayat Poll
Election fever grips Jammu
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 10
With just three days left for the first phase of the panchayat elections, the election fever has gripped the region and contestants, their supporters, security personnel and electoral staff are all busy with their respective poll-related jobs.

For the panchayat poll being conducted after a gap of almost 10 years, the candidates have dotted streets, houses and shops with their propaganda material, including posters, stickers and banners.

A visit to the Bishnah area of Jammu district and the Vijaypur area of Samba district revealed that all candidates in the fray have spent a huge sum of money for this purpose.

Tilak Raj, an outgoing sarpanch of Salehar village in Bishnah, said, “The trend of poll has changed. Last time when I contested the elections, hardly anyone took the support of posters or any other printing material. But this time the scenario is altogether different. Last time, there were only three contestants for the post of sarpanch in the village, which reached to six this time.”

He said this was the major reason behind the sudden increase in demand of posters, stickers and banners.

On the other hand, publicity material has proved a boon for the printing press owners, as the elections have increased their income manifold.

“The elections are taking place after a gap of long period and the contestants are trying their best. We are getting orders more than the capacity,” said Tajinder Kumar, a printing press owner at Bari Brahamana.

He added that it was the right time for them to generate income.

The security personnel have also started roaming in their respective areas, frisking vehicles and keeping an eye on miscreants, so as to make the elections free and fair.

“Sometimes, contestants try to woo voters by adopting illegal methods, so we have been ordered by the higher-ups to keep a check on such things,” said a sub-inspector deployed at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Bishnah.

Not only the candidates and the security personnel, but also the voters are overenthusiastic to participate in the process of constituting their local self-governments.

Many people told The Tribune that they were expecting 85 to 90 per cent polling this time.

“Panchayats are the first step of the democratic system and we will definitely cast our vote on April 13,” said Ashok Kumar of Treva village.

The electoral staff has also prepared themselves for the task, as ballet boxes have already arrived from Punjab.

The fist phase of the panchayat poll in the Jammu region will be held in the Samba and Bishnah block on April 13.

Posters of various parties pasted on a wall in a bid to attract voters next to a sweet shop at Gandli Morh village near Bisnah. Tribune photo

PDC failed to recover Rs 1,041.28 crore power bills, says CAG

PDC failed to recover Rs 1,041.28 crore power bills, says CAG
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 9
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has pulled up the state-owned J&K Power Development Corporation (PDC) Limited for its failure to recover outstanding bills of Rs 1,041.28 crore.

The PDC sells electricity to the Power Development Department (PDD), which failed to make payments for the power purchased and thus the outstanding power bills rose to Rs 1,041.28 crore, stated the CAG in its report for the year ended March 31, 2010.

“An ineffective system of recovering dues from the PDD led to the outstanding bills of Rs 1,041.28 crore and forced the PDC to depend on loans. Against the power bills of Rs 1,267.71 crore, the PDD paid Rs 476.96 crore only during 2005-10,” added the report.

The perusal of government documents revealed that the PDC also failed to assess the actual requirement of manpower for the operation of its powerhouses. “Despite training its employees, the PDC failed to manage the operations and maintenance of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Project, which had to be outsourced to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC),” it said.

The PDC also failed to evaluate the demand and supply position of electricity in the state. “The PDC did not devise a proper management information system to evaluate the demand and supply position of electricity to take timely policy decisions regarding capacity addition,” said the report.

The peak power demand in the state had increased from 1,800 MW to 2,247 MW and the deficit in meeting the peak demand ranged between 31 per cent and 37 per cent during the review period. It added that against the proposed power supply of 10,790.53 MU in respect of hydroelectric projects, the actual generation was 7,979.31 MU in 2009-10.

In its recommendations to the PDC, the CAG said the timely commissioning of power projects could have enabled it to increase power generation. “There were cost and time overruns in four projects. The time overrun ranged from four to 16 years and the cost overrun between 41 per cent and 687 per cent,” it added.

Annapurna Scheme for senior citizens: CAPD Dept failed to provide free ration: CAG

Annapurna Scheme for senior citizens
CAPD Dept failed to provide free ration: CAG
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 8
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has indicted the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department for its failure in providing free ration to senior citizens under the Annapurna Scheme.

The scheme is meant for those senior citizens who come under the National Old Age Pension Scheme/State Pension Scheme and have no regular means of subsistence.

In its annual audit report, the CAG said with a view to ensuring food security to these senior citizens, 10 kg of foodgrains (wheat or rice) per month was to be provided to them free of cost. However, the CAPD Department failed to facilitate the senior citizens in this regard.

“In the Jammu division, 4,650 beneficiaries were covered under the scheme. The department also lifted foodgrains to the extent of 35-60 per cent during 2007-09, but no stocks were lifted during 2009-10, thus depriving the beneficiaries of food security under the scheme,” said the report.

It added that Rs 1.11 crore was allocated under the scheme during 2007-10, but only Rs 20 lakh was spent and the balance Rs 91 lakh was returned.

However, the Deputy Director, CAPD Department, Jammu, (Purchase and Supply) told the CAG that the non-allocation of foodgrains by the Administrative Department hindered their lifting. The report also stated that the department had identified 4,772 beneficiaries in the Kashmir valley, but it was observed that no foodgrain was issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) against Rs 35 lakh released to the department during 2009-10.

“The non-issuance of foodgrains not only deprived the beneficiaries of food security but also blocked Rs 35 lakh,” it said.

Besides, the decision of the Union Ministry of Home and Tribal Affairs to provide foodgrains at the Below Poverty Line (BPL) rates to the people living in welfare institutions such as beggar homes, hostels for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled tribes and Backward Classes students, Nari Niketan was also not implemented.

The report said the deputy commissioners of all districts had to assess the requirements in their respective districts and communicate to the FCI through the state government about the additional allocation.

“Records of four districts of Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri and Anantnag were checked and it was found that no additional allocation was made. With the result, 3,007.63 metric tonnes of foodgrains/sugar were issued to various institutions during 2007-10 at the Above Poverty Line (APL) rates,” it said.

However, the CAPD Department stated that the deputy commissioners had been instructed to verify the records before taking up the matter with the Central government.

90 pc farmers repay loans: NABARD

90 pc farmers repay loans: NABARD
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 8
The Chief General Manager of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Jammu and Kashmir, ML Sukhdeve, said today that 90 per cent of the farmers using Kisan credit cards across the state were repaying loans.

On the sidelines of a press conference here, Sukhdeve said, “So far, 42,000 kisan credit cards have been issued across the state and out of these 8,000 were issued this year alone”.

He added, “The Kisan Credit Card scheme of NABARD for the welfare of farmers has got a good response. Nearly 90 per cent of the farmers have been repaying debts”.

Sukhdeve said the card was valid for three years and the cardholders had to get it renewed after a stipulated time. “It has been observed that most of the farmers are using this scheme, as the state government is also helping us,” he added.

Sukhdeve admitted that though the bank had launched a number of projects to create awareness among the farmers about the schemes, these had not reached out to all villages. “Most of the people in villages don’t know English or Hindi. We have planned to telecast five documentaries in Dogri, Urdu and Punjabi languages so that these people could avail of the modern schemes being launched by the bank from time to time,” he said.

He added, “Earlier, we published some literature in Urdu, which proved helpful”. He said the bank had supported 300 Farmers Clubs in the state and all of them were doing well.

“To encourage financing of the agriculture and rural sector, a potential credit plan of Rs 3,204 crore has been planned for 2011-12,” said Sukhdeve. He added that the bank had sanctioned Rs 902 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).

Report of State Human Rights Commission: Overcrowded jails, slow trials torment prisoners

Report of State Human Rights Commission
Overcrowded jails, slow trials torment prisoners
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 6
The fundamental right of the prisoners of getting a speedy trial is being violated in Jammu and Kashmir, as three high security prisons across the state are overcrowded and the inmates often miss court hearings due to the lack of transportation facility.

Justice Syed Bashir-ud-Din, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (JKSHRC), in his report submitted to the Legislative Council recently, had stated that the detainees revealed to the commission that they had been languishing in the jail for many years, as their cases had been pending for various reasons. The detainees said either they were not taken to the courts or produced before the judge or the disposal of their cases was inordinately delayed due to the protracted proceedings and an inapt dealing of the procedure.

The report also indicts the district police authorities for failing to send vehicles and deploy security for taking the detainees to the courts for hearing.

“The District Jail Jammu at Amphala, which has a capacity of 400 prisoners, has 575 inmates, including 113 foreign nationals. Similarly, the Central Jail Srinagar, which has a capacity of 300 prisoners, is housing 488 prisoners. The District Jail Baramulla having a capacity of 100 prisoners is accommodating 148 prisoners,” said the report.

Mahada Sheikh, 100, a resident of the Hajan area in Sumbal in Bandipora, had complained that no substantial proceedings were carried out in his case and he had been languishing in the jail even at the fag end of his life. He was facing trial in a case lodged against him at Sumbal police station. “He was not being taken to the court regularly due to the non-availability of transportation facility and police personnel to accompany him,” the report stated.

Besides Mahada Sheikh, many other inmates of these jails, who had been undergoing trial, had complained that they were languishing in the jails and were not being taken to the courts punctually, it said.

Noor-ul-Haq, a foreign national, complained that he was facing a trial in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, Kupwara, under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, for the last two years. “He was not being taken to the court regularly and his trial was not concluded. When he complained to the jail authorities, he was told that transportation and security personnel to take him to the court were not available,” stated the report.

Even the Superintendent, District Jail Jammu, Amphala, admitted that he was facing a number of problems related to the health of inmates, prison discipline and management of the inmates because of overcrowding of jails.

“With the onset of summer, the problem is bound to aggravate,” it stated, adding that the jails were understaffed too. Only 121 security personnel were working at the District Jail Jammu at Amphala against the sanctioned strength of 165 personnel. The basic function of the commission was to visit the jails, study the living conditions of the inmates and make recommendations accordingly.

58 pc agriculture land irrigated by rain

58 pc agriculture land irrigated by rain
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, April 5
After 63 years of Independence, the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir are still dependant on rain to irrigate their agriculture land. Giving a written reply to a question raised by the Congress legislator BR Kundal in the Legislative Council recently, the Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir informed the House that out of total 7.39 lakh hectares of net sown area, the 4.26 lakh hectares were dependant on rain. On this, Kundal asked, “What steps has the government initiated to protect the interests of farmers in such rainfall-fed areas?”

Mir replied, “The department is providing subsidy for the construction of deep bore wells and water harvesting tanks to the farming community especially in these areas”.

“22,000 hectares are being irrigated through bore wells, irrigation pump sets, tube wells and ponds. Besides, a National Agriculture Insurance Scheme is also under implementation in all the districts to cover the risk and damage to the crops due to drought, hailstorm, cloudburst and fire,” Mir added.

Kundal also questioned the minister about the functioning of the sub-stations established by the Agriculture Department to develop such areas.

Mir replied, “Three sub-stations have been established for carrying out research related to rain-fed areas at Dhiansar, Raya and Samba and all the three are functional”. The minister added, “Twenty two Automatic Weather Stations have been sanctioned by the Indian Space Research Organisation for all the districts in the state, which will become functional shortly. These will prove a boon for the general public and the farming community, as weather forecasts will be available at the district level”.

Legislative Council: Minister grilled over poor functioning of CAPD Dept

Legislative Council
Minister grilled over poor functioning of CAPD Dept
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 5
Legislators of the NC and the PDP grilled Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Shabir Ahmad Khan in the Legislative Council here recently over the poor functioning of the CAPD Department.

PDP legislator Syed Asgar Ali asked a question related to Class IV employees of the CAPD Department in erstwhile Doda district being given the charge of storekeeper. Ali said, “As a large number of appointments made in 1996 had been cancelled by the state government, how were these persons given the full-fledged charge of storekeeper at various sale centres?”

Replying to Ali’s question, the minister said, “Yes, these employees have been given the charge of store/sale centres at various places, as the High Court has stayed the cancellation of their appointments”.

Dissatisfied with the minister’s reply, Ali said, “When the state government has cancelled the appointments of 22 persons out of the total 36, how were they given the charge of storekeeper. There is something fishy about the whole issue”.

“That’s why a number of questions are being asked regarding the functioning of this department and the results are before the House to see. People are facing a lot of hardships in getting ration on time,” added Ali. However, the minister said, “Since all these people are getting salaries, we thought to assign them some tasks”.

Meanwhile, Murtaza Ahmad Khan of the PDP said, “Has the government mooted any action in this regard or not?” Khalid Najib Suharawardy of the NC said, “I fail to understand what is the government doing?” NC legislator Mohammad Rashid Qureshi said, “Storekeeper is an important job and the department has posted those employees whose appointments have been cancelled by the General Administration Department (GAD). This proves the inefficiency of the CAPD department”.

The minster admitted that the department was facing an acute shortage of staff and assured the House that the government was taking action in this regard. He said, “We have declared 44 vacancies and have also written to the SSRB to fill these posts. The interviews will be conducted in a short period. Besides, some more posts are also being created to solve the issue”.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the acting chairman of the House, Arvinder Singh Micky, intervened. He said, “This is the concern of all members and the CAPD Department should act in this regard”.

Meanwhile, Syed Asgar Ali, after threatening to stage a walkout from the House, demanded an assurance from the minister that the procedure for posting employees would be reviewed. Suharawardy also supported the concern of Ali. The minister further assured the House that the problems of the people would be solved by filling vacant posts.

CAG REPORT: Jammu MC failed to address parking problem

CAG REPORT
Jammu MC failed to address parking problem
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, April 5
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its report for the year ended March 31, 2010 has indicted the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), which has an area of 112 sq km, for failing to carry out a study to explore the possibility of more parking lots in the city.

The CAG report stated, “No study has ever been carried out by the JMC to ascertain the parking requirements so as to solve the prevailing parking problem”. So far, the city, having a population of over 12 lakh, has three parking lots.

Terming parking as a key issue, the CAG report stated that it required the attention of the JMC, as the parking problem was assuming an alarming proportion with a rapid increase in the number of vehicles. However, the JMC, in its reply to the CAG, stated that for the creation of parking lots it would take steps after consulting the Traffic Department and the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) for conducting surveys.

The report also highlighted another important issue of encroachments upon footpaths.

It said, “The Audit did not find any evidence of records showing the total length and breadth of footpaths on roads within the municipal limits and action taken to remove temporary and permanent encroachments upon footpaths so that these could be used by pedestrians unobstructed”.

The CAG report also stated that no inspection reports were ever prepared or submitted to any authority by the anti-encroachment wing of the JMC. On the issue, the JMC replied to the CAG that though drives for the removal of encroachments were being conducted, shopkeepers were again encroaching upon footpaths.

Following this reply of the JMC, the CAG reported that this was indicative of the fact that action taken by the corporation was ineffective.

CAG finds fault with Director, Health Services

CAG finds fault with Director, Health Services
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, April 4
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in its recent report, has pointed towards the improper decision of the Director, Health Services (DHS), Jammu, to place Rs 7.02 crore at the disposal of a government agency for the purchase of six CT scanners, thus blocking the amount for over two years.

The government agency, Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCCL), had no expertise in the purchase of the medical equipment and thus the funds remained blocked and could not be spent for creating necessary health care facilities for the needy people.

In its report for the year ended March 31, 2010, the CAG said the DHS, Jammu, had released Rs 1.17 crore each to the Medical Superintendent, Gandhi Nagar Hospital, Jammu, and the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of the five district hospitals of Kathua, Doda, Rajouri, Udhampur and Poonch in March 2008 for the purchase of six CT scanners and these officers in turn placed the funds at the disposal of the JKPCCL.

“The improper decision of the DHS, Jammu, to place the funds at the disposal of an agency that has no expertise in the purchase of the medical equipment resulted in the blocking of Rs 7.02 crore for over two years, defeating the objective of the government to provide modern medical facilities to the people at government hospitals at an affordable cost,” the report stated.

It said, on this being pointed out by the audit, the JKPCCL admitted in March 2010 that Rs 7.02 crore paid by one Medical Superintendent and five CMOs was lying with it and would be refunded, as it did not have any technical expertise in the purchase of such equipment.

The report added that the matter was referred to the Health Department from time to time, but there had been no response.

Kargil district free from human rights violations: Report

Kargil district free from human rights violations: Report
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 3
Kargil district, having a population of 1.25 lakh and spread over an area of 14,086 sq km, is the only district in the militancy-infested state which is free from the incidents of human rights violations.

Perusal of the 402 pages annual report 2009-2010 of the J&K State Human Rights Commission (JKSHRC), revealed that the commission handled 467 cases from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, wherein Kargil district under the Ladakh division was the only district where not even a single complaint of human rights violations was received.

On the other side, Kupwara district in the Kashmir division attained the top position, as the commission received 93 cases in the area, which included 17 cases of disappearance, seven murder cases, two custodial death and one rape case.

Poonch district in the Jammu division claimed the second position where 84 cases appeared before the JKSHRC, which included nine mysterious deaths/compensation and three murders.

However, the twin capital cities - Jammu and Srinagar - both witnessed 68 and 61 human rights violation incidents, respectively.

In the Kashmir division, only Shopian district came in the category of single digit violations, as only five cases were reported there. However, in the Jammu division, seven out of total 10 districts came in the single digit complaint category, which included Kathua, Udhampur, Rajouri, Reasi, Ramban, Samba and Kishtwar.

Leh district, which comes under the Ladakh division, witnessed only one human rights violation case.

Apart from it, the JKSHRC received four cases from other states, including Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.

Out of the total 467 cases received by the JKSHRC, 70 cases were of harassment, 29 of murders, 70 of mysterious deaths/compensation, 53 of disappearance, six of custodial death and one of kidnapping.

Out of the total 467 cases, the JKSHRC disposed of 249 cases, as per the annual report, which was recently released by the state government.

Govt to set up hydel projects on its own

Govt to set up hydel projects on its own
Archit Watts /TNS

Jammu, April 2
After the “failure” of the Army in setting up micro-hydel power projects in the state, the government has decided to execute such projects on its own.

While replying to a question of Congress legislator Vijay Bakaya, Minister of Science and Technology ASR Mehdi said today in the Legislative Council that according to a survey report, only 18 per cent of the projects executed by the Army under the Border Area Development Programme, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Operation Sadbhavana were functional.

“The IREP has conducted a survey of 524 micro-hydel power projects set up by the Army, out of which 388 were found to be non-functional, 37 were non-existent and the rest 99 were found to be test-functional,” said Mehdi, during Question Hour.

Bakaya said, “The test-functional projects are also expected to be found as non-functional soon, as the Army has failed in executing such projects”. Another NC legislator, Mohammad Rashid Qureshi, asked, “Is it essential to get the work done through the Army. Isn’t there any other mechanism?”

Mehdi said, “I agree with their concern, as the work done by the Army was not up to the expectations. Earlier, we constituted a committee in this regard and now we have put up the matter before the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy”. He added, “In future, the government has decided to install all micro-hydel power projects by itself”.

Walkout by MLCs over ‘discriminatory’ attitude of acting chairman

Legislative Council in Session
Walkout by MLCs over ‘discriminatory’ attitude of acting chairman
Archit Watts /TNS

Jammu, April 2
Charging the acting chairman of the Upper House with adopting a discriminatory attitude towards opposition members, PDP leader Murtaza Ahmad Khan staged walkout twice from the House, while Panthers Party legislator Mohammad Rafiq Shah and Congress legislator Haji Ali Mohammad Bhat also walked out during the thanksgiving address before the conclusion of the ongoing Budget session.

Showing his anger over non-listing of a few of his issues, the PDP legislator staged a walkout at the beginning of Question Hour.

He said, “I had requested to list two important issues in the business of the House, but they are nowhere. This is discriminatory and I will stage a walkout”. Murtaza added, “The son of a Member of Parliament has been provided a government job out of the way, which should have been discussed in the House”.

The acting chairman, Arvinder Singh Micky, did not allow him, due to which he trooped into the well of the House and staged a walkout. However, he came back to attend the proceedings after a few minutes.

Highlighting the issue of encroachment of a graveyard’s land in the Rehari area by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), he again staged a walkout.

Later, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar called him back and assured him that the matter would be looked into. Meanwhile, a few minutes before the conclusion of the Budget session, Shah, the lone legislator of the Panthers Party in the Upper House, staged a walkout.

Legislative Council Poor hospitality at Kashmir House in Delhi triggers debate

Legislative Council
Poor hospitality at Kashmir House in Delhi triggers debate
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 1
Poor hospitality at the JK Guest House (Kashmir House) in Delhi triggered a heated debate in the Legislative Council here recently. Legislators from both the ruling and the Opposition parties while complaining about the poor infrastructure and staff deployed there, told the Minister In-charge Hospitality and Protocol Department Abdul Rahim Rather to immediately look into the matter.

The issue was discussed in the House, when Mohammad Amin Bhat of the Congress asked what steps were being taken to facilitate the legislators and other dignitaries staying at the JK Guest House in Delhi.

On this, Naresh Gupta of the Congress also added, “The bed sheets are torn, televisions are also not functioning, no heating systems have been provided at the JK Guest House. So, the department should immediately take action in this regard”.

Another legislator, BR Magrey of the Congress said, “It is more of a slaughter house than a guest house. The acting chairman has also raised this issue with the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a meeting, but no action has been taken in this regard as yet”.

He added, “The peons deputed there do not respond to the guests. Fresh staff should be sent from Srinagar, so that the situation could improve”.

On this, Abdul Rahim Rather accepted the guests were facing problems there. He said, “The Resident Commission has been provided with Rs 15 lakh for the purchase of furniture and furnishing of the guest house”.

Murtaza Ahmad Khan of the PDP said, “One Member of Parliament is residing at the Guest House for almost two years, despite the fact having a government owned residential accommodation in Delhi”.

Some other members namely Vijay Bakaya of the NC, Amrit Malhotra of the Congress also raised the same issue.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Amin Bhat said, “If we talk about the Guest Houses for legislators in our own state, the condition is pitiable. Even an insect will not stay there”.

After a long discussion, Rather said, “I knew the legislators will raise a number of questions, as the issue is related to them”.

Specifically replying to Murtaza’s question, he said, “Yes, it is true that MP Mohammad Shafi Uri had stayed there, as the Union Government had requested us to provide him an accommodation. Can anyone refuse Centre’s request? But now, he has shifted to the accommodation provided to him by the government”.

While replying to the questions of other members, he said, “The Resident Commission is already in the progress of upgrading the system. Besides this, the Indian Tourism Development Corporation has also been approached to organise a refresher training course for its staff in housekeeping, front office and room service”.

He also accepted the vehicles with the Guest House were in bad shape and the Resident Commission had requested the state government to replace them.

Farmers worried over silt, garbage clogging canals

Farmers worried over silt, garbage clogging canals
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 1
Farmers in the Jammu region are a worried lot as the irrigation canals into which the Irrigation Department will release water on April 14 are blocked with silt and garbage.

De-silting of the choked canals has not yet started, thus depriving farmers of water to irrigate their fields. Due to the clogged canals, canal water fails to reach tail-end areas of the region.

Dharam Chand, a farmer of Domana village, said, “After the wheat crop is harvested by April 13-15, water will be required for irrigating fields for the next crop. However, the present condition of the canals and tributaries is not good. Silt and garbage have clogged the network of canals at several places”.

He added, “Breaches have appeared in the banks of the canals and their tributaries at some places. The Irrigation Department has not repaired these breaches yet”.

Tejinder Singh, another farmer of the Hiranagar subdivision in Kathua district, said, “Almost every year the Irrigation Department carries out de-silting of the canals just to get crores of rupees from the state’s exchequer. The condition of these canals exposes the tall claims of the department, which has been claiming that it will provide adequate water to the farmers for irrigation this season,” Tejinder added.

A number of farmers alleged that the de-silting of the Ranbir canal, which is the main source of irrigation in the area, was an eyewash last year, as no serious efforts were made to remove silt.

“The labourers engaged for the purpose last year removed the silt and placed it on the banks of the canals. After the silt dried, it again fell into the canals,” said Duni Chand, a farmer.

However, officials of the Irrigation Department blame people for the condition of the canals saying, “The canals were de-silted last year, but people have thrown garbage into them”.

Irrigation Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din, while talking to The Tribune over the phone, said, “Last year, an extensive de-silting drive was launched and silt and garbage were removed from most of the canals. There was no need to clean the canals this year”. He added, “The de-silting is done once in three years”.

DEATHS DUE TO MILITANCY 18,578 fell prey to ultras’ bullets in 20 yrs

DEATHS DUE TO MILITANCY
18,578 fell prey to ultras’ bullets in 20 yrs
Archit Watts /tns

Jammu, March 31
Since the eruption of militancy in the state in 1990, as many as 18,578 persons, including 698 politicians and 5,363 security personnel, have been killed up to February 25, 2011. Those killed also included 12,517 civilians. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Home portfolio, stated this in a written reply to a question in the Legislative Council here today.

However, there was a drastic decrease in violence after 2001. Omar said, “In 2001, 1,532 persons comprising 76 politicians, 843 civilians and 613 security personnel were killed. This number decreased to 106 in 2010, as only four politicians, 33 civilians and 69 security personnel were killed last year”.

The Chief Minister added that deaths in militancy-related incidents started coming down in 2002, as 1,461 persons were killed; this number fell to 1,109 in 2003; 988 in 2004; 746 in 2005; 540 in 2006; 268 in 2007; 166 in 2008; 142 in 2009; 106 deaths in 2010; while up to February 25, 2011, one politician, four civilians and two security personnel were killed by terrorists.

In the first year (1990) of militancy in the state, about 616 persons comprising 15 politicians, 446 civilians and 155 security personnel were killed. The perusal of official documents revealed that the maximum numbers of politicians, 101, were killed in 2002, while the maximum number of 1,275 civilians were killed by militants in 1996.

The maximum number of security personnel lost their lives while combating terrorism in 2001, when 613 of them attained martyrdom.

While replying to a question by NC legislator Javaid Ahmad Rana, the Chief Minister said keeping in view these figures, the state government was trying to withdraw the AFSPA from 20 out of 22 districts of the state.

Govt depts owe Rs 605 crore as power bills to PDD

Govt depts owe Rs 605 crore as power bills to PDD
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 31
Despite the fact that the state government is suffering huge losses in the power sector, most of the government departments have not paid electricity bills for a long time. Various government departments in the state owe a whopping Rs 605 crore for unpaid electricity bills to the Power Development Department (PDD).

In a written reply to a question in the Legislative Council today, Minister of State for Power Shabir Ahmad Khan said, “The unpaid power bills as on January 2011 stood at Rs 1,024.02 crore and out of these the government departments have to pay Rs 605.06 crore”.

He added that the industry sector was to pay Rs 55.01 crore, while domestic sector Rs 216.14 crore and the agriculture sector owed Rs 147.81 crore for electricity consumed.

The minister also mentioned in the reply that the state suffered 63.04 per cent transmission and distribution losses during 2009-10, which was around 30 per cent at the national level.

Providing more details, he said in 2009-10 the state had purchased 8,274.31 MW from other states and the Centre, while 3,448.36 MW was produced in the state during the period.

During discussion on another question during Question Hour, the minister said, “The government has fixed power revenue targets of Rs 1,422.61 crore for year 2010-11”.

Replying to a question by Congress legislator Naresh Gupta, he said, “The government is committed to providing 100 per cent electricity to the metered areas in the state. If anywhere some work needs to be done, steps will be taken in this regard”.

The minister said the power consumption in the state was too high and hence the department was imposing power cuts for 8-9 hours in the un-metered or partially metered areas.