Liquor bottles in state to carry holograms

Liquor bottles in state to carry holograms
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, July 13
The Excise and Taxation Department has decided to introduce holograms on liquor bottles.

The step has been taken to ensure that spurious or adulterated liquor is not sold in the state, Deputy Excise Commissioner Manmohan Singh told The Tribune over the phone.

“The hologram will be a multi-coloured seal. It will be tamper-proof ,” he said, adding that each bottle would have a different hologram.

“Following the decision taken by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, we also prepared a detailed report in this regard and submitted it to the state government,” Manmohan Singh said.

However, beer bottles and tins would not carry the holograms.

“The sale of beer does not lead to any loss of revenue.So,bottles of beer and tins will not carry the holograms.However, Indian-made foreign liquor and countrymade liquor bottles will carry the holograms. The Punjab Government has also done it,” added Manmohan.

The hologram would be put on the cap of the bottle and in case of any tampering with the contents, it would be easy to detect the mischief. Earlier, it was proving difficult for the department to keep a check on liquor adulteration.

In the financial year 2010-11, the state government received Rs 695.39 crore from the sale of liquor, which is the biggest source of revenue collection.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Evidence of early human habitation found in Kargil

Evidence of early human habitation found in Kargil
Final report to be submitted to ASI soon
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 12
Ladakh had human habitation more than 3,000 years ago, says a study jointly conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and an expert from Jammu University (JU).

“For the first time, the evidence of human habitation more than 3,000 years ago has been found in the upper Himalayan region, near Mulbekh, about 40 km from Kargil on the Leh-Srinagar highway,” said Prof RK Ganjoo, Director, Institute of Himalayan Glaciology from the Department of Geology, JU, who headed the team.

Ganjoo said, “In the first week of the month, we found hearths used by early human for lighting fire on the banks of the Wakka river in Kargil district of the Ladakh region.”

“These were mostly transit camps where the fire was lit to cook food and to escape from the harsh winter,” Ganjoo added.

It was a Central government project for finding traces of early humans in the Ladakh region after similar discoveries were made in Tibet around 10-12 years ago and the Karakorum area about 2-3 years ago.

“The survey of the Ladakh valley which started last year proved successful and the final report will be submitted at the end of the month to the ASI,” said Prof Ganjoo.

Ganjoo said a team of seven, including the regional director of the ASI office in Bhopal, SB Ota, excavated a number of places and were able to search the hearths built by cutting natural slopes of the mountains as old as 3,000 to 4,000 years.

Giving details about the hearths, Prof Ganjoo said, “Interestingly, flat blocks of sandstone were used by the early humans as floor around the fire place.”

Samples from the hearths and the surrounding areas have been collected by the team for further scientific studies to investigate the type of wood used for burning the fire and remains of food material consumed by the early man, he added.

“Our report will definitely give a new impetus to the geo-archaeological research,” Ganjoo said.

Besides Prof Ganjoo, the team included Ota, RK Dwivedi, Chandrakant Bhandarkar, SK Goswami, Tsering Phunchok and Sonam Spalzin Bangkolok, all from the ASI.

Courtesy: The Tribune

State bus passengers to get computerised tickets soon

State bus passengers to get computerised tickets soon
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 11
The Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation will switch over to the electronic ticketing system soon.As a result,passengers travelling by the corporation buses will get computerised tickets.

The state government has approved a project of the corporation in this regard.

“After our counterparts in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh succeeded in plugging the pilferage of ticket revenue, we prepared a similar project which was approved by the Transport Minister,” the General Manager (Operations) of the corporation,SS Jamwal,said over the phone.

“The step was taken after it was found that some conductors were illegally reissuing tickets and fleecing the corporation.It will definitely keep a check on the illegal activity,”he said.

“During the trial period, the electronic ticketing system will cover short route buses and after that, it will cover all the buses owned by the state road transport corporation ,” said Jamwal.

The electronic ticketing machines would also decrease the workload. “ For getting the details of the total sale of tickets and the amount collected, every machine will be connected to a computer in the evening, which will provide the bifurcated details of the amount collected and the tax. It will also save a lot of time and energy, which will help us,” said Jamwal, adding that the conductors would also be given training before issuing the computerised tickets.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Peerzada avoids calls by setting strange caller tune

Peerzada avoids calls by setting strange caller tune
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, July 10
Though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been trying hard to set an example of good governance by reaching to the masses through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, some Cabinet ministers in the NC-Congress-led government are not even ready to respond to calls made by the public.

Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed has set an “odd” caller tune on his BSNL cellphone. Whenever one calls him,the caller tune says, “Hello, I am on international roaming. I will get back to you once I come back.”

These days the minister is staying in Srinagar and almost everyday the state Information Department releases his statements to the press. But, the “odd” caller tune on his cellphone makes everyone think twice before making a call to him.

“I had to talk to Peerzada due to some urgent work, but his caller tune made me feel that he had gone abroad,” a senior politician said. The Chief Minister has directed all his ministers and officials to attend to phone calls.

Though repeated attempts to call Peerzada failed, the General Manager, BSNL, Jammu zone, S Sawarkar, said, “Yes, one can set any caller tune on his cellphone by choosing it from various websites. There are a number of caller tunes available on websites and people are using them.”

Courtesy: The Tribune

Poor results of classes X, XII: Principals told to monitor performance regularly

Poor results of classes X, XII
Principals told to monitor performance regularly
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 5
After facing flak for poor results of classes X and XII, principals of all higher secondary schools have been told to regularly monitor the performance of schools within their jurisdiction.

Gulzar Ahmed Qureshi, director school education, recently convened a meeting of principals/headmasters and headmistresses of all high and higher secondary schools of Jammu region and told the principals to act as monitor, guide and facilitator of the adopted high schools.

Qureshi directed them to provide timely guidance for the improvement in academic standards. He also called for co-opting lecturers according to the number of feeding high schools i.e. one lecturer for each high school.

He said, “The principals shall visit the adopted schools at least once in a month whereas the lecturers should visit the adopted schools at least once a week”.

Qureshi said the principals and lecturers should ensure proper functioning of the adopted schools. He asked them to conduct weekly tests of students. He added that each subject’s teacher would fix the grading of the students on the basis of performance.

He said, “Necessary records in this regard shall also be maintained by the class subject teacher which shall be cross-checked by the head of the institution”.

He said the report regarding each and every aspect should be compiled by the visiting officer on a prescribed performa prepared by the authorities. “The principals will also ensure punctuality on part of the teaching staff,” Qureshi said.

Regarding duties of headmasters, he informed that they would ensure weekly tests of the students. The primary schools would be monitored by the in-charge/headmaster of the middle schools on similar pattern of the headmaster of the middle school.

Qureshi said the in-charge headmaster of the middle school would submit the report to the headmaster of high school with a copy to the zonal education officer (ZEO) and headmaster of the high school and they, after scrutinising the report, would submit the same to the principal DIET for further action.

“The purpose to adopt the schools is to bring the slow learners at least nearer to the best performer and to achieve 100 per cent results,” Qureshi said.

In order to check the quality of monitoring, the DIETs would also conduct random surprise check of at least 15 per cent schools of the district, besides SIE shall conduct test check of at least 5 per cent of the schools in the province.

Courtesy: The Tribune

819 govt schools sans toilets, drinking water

819 govt schools sans toilets, drinking water
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 9
Though education is necessary for the overall development of the children, as many as 819 government schools in the state are functioning without proper drinking water facility and toilets.

As per government documents accessed by The Tribune, 819 government schools (541 middle schools, 125 high schools, 101 higher secondary schools and 52 primary schools) lacked toilets and drinking water facility during the academic session 2010-11.

Though the state government claims that it has been working overtime to provide better education to the students, the scenario is altogether different as the students have to attend schools where even basic facilities are not available.

Infrastructure is also a major issue here, as 4,858 schools do not have their own buildings and are operating from either makeshift structures or rented accommodation, the documents reveal.

Besides, there are 474 primary schools functioning from dilapidated buildings. The vacancies of teacher is another major concern, as nearly 9,000 posts of teacher are lying vacant. The transfer policy also exists on paper only.

The lack of basic facilities, along with vacant posts of teacher, are affecting the results of government schools. In the Class X and XII results declared by the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE) recently, only a few students from government schools got distinction or their names appeared in the merit list.

Repeated attempts to contact Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed proved futile. However, Peerzada had acknowledged recently that there were a number of things required to done to uplift the educational infrastructure and the education standards in the state.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Manda Deer Park may be upgraded

Manda Deer Park may be upgraded
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 1
With the overwhelming response of visitors to the Manda Deer Park located on the outskirts of city, the Forest Department has now decided either to upgrade it or to find a new place to make a zoo in the city.

“The number of visitors has been increasing and the space available with us is proving less, so we have requested the higher-ups to either grant us permission to upgrade the existing Manda Deer Park or to allot any land in the city to make a zoo,” said Upinder Pachnanda, Chief Forest Conservator (Wildlife), Jammu.

He further said the efforts of their officials, in association with the Tourism Department, had brought good results.

Pachnanda added, “The proposal has been sent to the authorities concerned and we are waiting for its approval. If this project is sanctioned, the pilgrims and tourists coming here will get another beautiful tourist place.”

There are a number of species of deer, cheetal, sambar, leopard, duck, wildcat, beer, peacock and many other wild animals in this park at present.

On an average, 200-300 people daily visit this park. The number of visitors is expected to increase with the dip in temperature.

A senior official in the Tourism Department said if this project got formal nod from the higher-ups, the tourism would definitely get a boost.

“The promotion of such types of projects is very useful as it not only gives the tourists a place to enjoy, but it also gives employment to the people involved with the project,” the official said.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Low temperature, rain hit apple yield in J&K

Low temperature, rain hit apple yield in state
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 30
Apple production in the state is falling due to the changing weather and is affecting the fruit trade. Frequent changes in the climate and below normal temperature during the flowering stage of apple have affected the yield.

Experts in the Horticulture Department say a survey has shown that the production of apple will be less as compared to last year. “The size of the fruit has been affected because of the temperature remaining below normal. A frequent change in the weather during the flowering stage of apple during March and April and rain have damaged the fruit in the Kashmir valley as well as in Jammu division,” said GH Shah, Director, Horticulture Department, Kashmir division.

He said though the department had adopted various methods to ensure a bumper crop this year, the inclement weather had changed the scenario.

Shah added, “The apple crop has mainly been affected in the Shopian area and some parts of Srinagar district.” The Kashmir region produces a large quantity of apple and the economy of the region is also dependent on horticulture. Even tourism is the second important contributor to the economy of the region.

Apple is also grown in the upper areas of the Jammu region, including Kishtwar and Bhadarwah, where the situation is almost similar to the Kashmir valley this year.

“During the flowering stage of apple, the temperature should remain between 25°C and 30°C. But this year, the temperature has changed frequently and rain has also added to the woes of the the fruit growers,” said Jia Lal Sharma, Director, Horticulture Department, Jammu division.

Sharma maintained that the inclement weather was going to affect the apple production in September. “Normally, at this time of the season, we get an assessment report of the production all across the state, which is showing some decrease at this stage,” he added.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Amarnath Yatra: Road tax slashed for vehicles carrying pilgrims

Road tax slashed for vehicles carrying pilgrims
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Lakhanpur (Kathua), June 27
The state government has slashed road tax on all commercial vehicles carrying Amarnath yatris. Earlier, the commercial vehicles, including trucks and buses, had to pay Rs 2,000 as road tax per day, but following the government’s decision, Rs 2,000 will be charged for a week.

Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Transport Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon said, “We have reduced the road tax from Rs 2,000 per day to Rs 2,000 for one week for all trucks and buses carrying Amarnath pilgrims entering the state. ”

He said there would be no requirement to pay tax even when these vehicles left the state. But this concession would be applicable for one week only. “The road tax concession will also be available to those Amarnath pilgrims, who on their way back visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra ,” added Akhoon.

Meanwhile, officials of the Excise Department at the Lakhanpur toll post have opened a special lane for the vehicles carrying the pilgrims. “An easy passage will be given to the pilgrims, as a special corridor has been opened exclusively for the vehicles carrying them. The pilgrims will have to wait for just two-three minutes to get the toll receipt, as employees have been directed not to keep the yatris waiting,” said BA Saraf, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Kathua.

“The police and the Motor Vehicle Department have also been directed to ensure that the road remains clear for traffic throughout the day and there is no traffic jam near the toll post,” Saraf added.

Courtesy: The Tribune

RTI activists face IPO hurdle in Jammu

RTI activists face IPO hurdle
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 26
Even as the Centre has been making all efforts to spread awareness among the people about benefits of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, people here are finding it difficult to file applications under the Act.

One has to deposit a fee with an RTI application to get the required information from the department concerned. But in Jammu, the head post office at Gandhi Nagar has no stock of Indian Postal Orders (IPOs) of Rs 10, which is the easiest method of seeking information from any Central government office.

Officials at the post office are not even aware about the RTI Act and how an application is filed. The shortage of postal orders came to light on Thursday when this correspondent went to the post office to file an application. An official at a counter said they had not received the supply of Rs 10 IPOs for a long time.

“The IPOs of Rs 10 have been out of stock for a long time. Despite several requests, we have not yet got the supply,” said the official, and feigned ignorance that the IPOs were mostly used as fee for filing an RTI application.

However, the Chief Postmaster of the state, John Samuel, denied any shortage of IPOs.

“We are having adequate stock of IPOs of all denominations and there is no shortage,” he said. But he failed to reply to a question about the lack of awareness among the staff about the RTI Act.

On the other hand, an RTI activist, Balwinder Singh, alleged that, “The public is facing hardship in filing RTI applications, as the IPOs of Rs 10 are not available in the post offices and those seeking information have to go to banks for getting drafts to seek information under the RTI Act”.

He added that the IPOs,which were the best and the cheapest method to seek information under the RTI Act, were not available and the department should immediately take action in this regard.

Courtesy: the Tribune

Amarnath Yatra: Devotees begin preparations for langar

Amarnath Yatra
Devotees begin preparations for langar
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Chhan Roriyan (Kathua), June 26
Devotees from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi have started pitching tents on the Lakhanpur-Srinagar National Highway to offer langar to pilgrims coming from across the country for the annual Amarnath yatra starting from June 29.

A view of a langar at Chhan Roriyan village in Kathua district on Sunday. Photo by writer
The Baba Barfani Seva Mandal from Moga in Punjab, which has been serving community kitchen food to the devotees for the past 10 consecutive years here, is the first group this year to have set up tents in Kathua district.

The mandal having members in Canada, Australia and New Zealand collects money from the people and contributes it for the holy purpose.

Providing facilities like breakfast, lunch, dinner and accommodation free of cost to nearly 2,000 people and giving the services of a dispensary, the group said it had never charged a single penny from any pilgrim.

“It becomes possible only with the blessings of Lord Mahadev, who gives us the power and courage to meet the challenges. We serve langar for almost one-and-a-half month during the yatra and use only quality products, as the yatra is very arduous and we have to keep everything in mind while preparing the food,” said Suresh Rawal, vice-president of the mandal. He said this year, they would serve langar till August 12.

“The state government has taken a few steps to provide assistance to people like us, who offer langar on the roadside. Local MLC Subhash Gupta has provided us land without any charges and he has also assured support whenever required,” Rawal added.

TEACHER-STUDENT CLASH: Committee fails to submit report

TEACHER-STUDENT CLASH
Committee fails to submit report
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 23
A three-member committee, constituted by the authorities of the University of Jammu (JU) to inquire into the incident of a clash between a teacher and a PhD aspirant, failed to submit its report within the stipulated time here today.

On June 18, after a scuffle between Prof Dipankar Sengupta, who was officer on special duty (OSD) to conduct the entrance examination of PhD in Buddhist Sciences, and a PhD aspirant, Lovejeet Singh, alias Jimmy, in the examination hall, the university authorities had constituted a committee under the leadership of Prof Rajnikant, assisted by Prof RK Ganjoo and Dr Shailender Jamwal, to look into the matter.

They were asked to submit the report till June 23 after to enable the university to take the final decision on the issue. However, the committee failed to submit its report today.

“I am out of the city, so we will submit the report likely by tomorrow. So far I can’t tell you anything about our findings,” said Prof Rajnikant.

“We had received a few complaints that some candidates were using unfair means in the examination. I went there and found some students talking to each other. I first stopped them from doing so, but they used an abusive language against me, resulting into a scuffle,” said Sengupta.

On the other hand, students had been demanding the immediate suspension of Prof Sengupta alleging that he had slapped the student.

“Our delegation has gone to Srinagar to apprise the Chief Minister about the matter, as a teacher can’t slap any student and that too when the student has not committed any mistake,” said Kapil, a student leader and Jimmy’s friend. He added that during the scuffle Jimmy was injured and got three stitches in his chest.

“This is the admission time in the university and any further delay in taking a decision with regard to the matter may lead to a major trouble, as students have threatened to go on a strike,” university officials said.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Forest Dept to act tough with those found feeding monkeys

Forest Dept to act tough with those found feeding monkeys
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 22
The state Forest Department has decided to detain travellers, who are found feeding monkeys along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (1-A).Though it has failed to control the increasing population of monkeys, the Forest Department has now decided to detain for two to 24 hours people caught feeding monkeys.

Monkey menace in the state has assumed such a proportion that in some places residents have migrated from villages and have also left farming, as monkeys have been destroying their crops.

Confirming this development, the Chief Forest Conservator (Wildlife) of the Jammu division, Upinder Pachnanda, said, “Soon, those who are found feeding monkeys along the national highway will be detained in their own vehicles, as it is a crime to feed monkeys. The department is taking this step after taking cognisance of the problems being faced by the villagers”.

He added that it was just a step to make every violator realise that he had broken a law. “Though we have installed boards at several places asking travellers not to feed monkeys, people are in no mood to leave this practice. After detaining a traveller for a maximum of 24 hours, we will hand him or her to the police,” said Pachnanda. He added that their aim was to solve the problem and not to harass travellers.

About the department’s failure in controlling the menace, he cited the shortage of manpower and lack of funds as the main reasons for it. He acknowledged that though they were putting in maximum efforts and issuing challans to control the menace, the population of monkeys was uncontrollable.

“A monkey’s life is normally considered to be 12-13 years. So we cannot even keep them in captivity, as it is very difficult to feed them for such a long period,” he said.

On the steps being taken by the Himachal Pradesh government to curb the menace, the Chief Forest Conservator said, “The Himachal government’s method is not fruitful, as with the use of rubber pellets a monkey cannot be killed. It will definitely return to the same area after some time”.

Courtesy: The Tribune

8,600 clear first-ever entrance test of Jammu varsity

8,600 clear first-ever entrance test of Jammu varsity
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 22
With the declaration of the results of the first-ever Jammu University Entrance Test (JUET), the admission process to various courses of the University of Jammu began today.The university had conducted the entrance test for all 42 courses from May 26 to June 7, in which 11,000 candidates had appeared. The test was conducted for the first time to streamline the admission system and make it transparent.

Buoyed over the success of the entrance test, Assistant Registrar (Academics), University of Jammu, KPS Sambyal said, “Though we had promised to declare the results within 10 days, these were declared online successfully after 14 days today. We have not even received a single objection as yet.”

He said 22,000 applications were received for different courses and nearly 11,000 candidates took the entrance exam (some students had applied for two or more courses), while 8,600 of them cleared the test. For the general category candidates, the minimum pass marks were 21 and for the candidates belonging to the SC/ST category or Leh district the pass marks were 17.

After declaring the results, the university authorities also announced the admission schedule for the academic session 2011-12.

“The classes will start from July 18 and the candidates have been told to submit their admission forms in the respective departments along with the detailed mark sheets of graduation and the marks secured in the entrance test till July 6 without late fee and till July 9 with late fee of Rs 60,” said Sambyal. He added that the admission forms were available on the university website, www.jammuuniversity.in.

He added that, “No fees is being charged for the admission forms, as the authorities have already collected its charges during the entrance test. The norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be followed in giving admissions on merit.”

Now, every department would make its own merit list on the basis of marks obtained by the candidates in the entrance test and graduation. “For deciding the final merit of a candidate, a 70-marks weightage will be given to the entrance test results and 30-marks weightage to results in the graduation,” added Sambyal.

In case of any problem regarding the test results, students can file objections with the Assistant Registrar (Academics).

Courtesy: The Tribune

Ration scarcity: J&K demands additional quota from Centre

State demands additional quota from Centre
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 20
After failing to provide adequate ration to people, the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department has now urged the Centre to provide an additional quota to the state.

Minister for CAPD Qamar Ali Akhoon told The Tribune over the phone that the department had asked the Centre to sanction an additional quota of ration for Kashmiri migrants, floating population of Gujjars, Bakkarwals and people falling in the above poverty line (APL) category.

“We have requested for an additional quota of ration and are waiting for the approval,” said Qamar Ali Akhoon, adding that there was no shortage of ration for the people falling in the below poverty line (BPL) category.

A senior official of the department said the department required an additional monthly ration of 737 tonnes of rice, 254 tonnes of wheat and 68 tonnes of sugar for the migrants at the APL rates, whereas the requirement of foodgrains for nomadic families was 3,564 tonnes for six months.

The shortage of foodgrains is said to be a result of the nexus between the depot holders and the officials of the department.

Though a number of major ration scams have come to light this year, the department has not taken any steps to solve the problem of foodgain shortage, which has aggravated the problems of the Kashmiri migrants,the Gujjars, Bakkarwals and people in the APL category, as they have no other option left but to buy the ration at exorbitant rates from the open market.

At present, the state is facing a shortage of about 5,500 tonnes of ration for the APL category.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Katra Municipal Committee headless; Employees work without salary

Katra Municipal Committee headless
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Katra, June 19
Katra, which is the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, is without an Executive officer of the Municipal Committee and employees have not been paid salaries for the past three months.

It is one of the highest earning committees in the state.

Residents here do not know why the Local Bodies Department shifted the then Executive Officer, Ravi Sharma, in the last month of the previous financial year. Another officer who was appointed in his place also retired on March 31 and since then, the committee has been headless.

“This important post has been lying vacant since more than three months, but the government has taken no steps to fill it,” said MLA, Katra, Baldev Raj Sharma.

Sharma added, “Thousands of devotees daily visit the place, but due to the non-serious approach of the government towards this holy town, the pilgrims are facing a lot of inconvenience”.

In the absence of any E.O, the sweepers had earlier threatened to go on a strike if their salaries were not paid in a week.

However, the government in order to pacify the employees paid them the salary for one month. Other employees, including engineers, clerks, stenos, and peons have also been waiting for their salaries for three months.

SC Bhagat, Director, Department of Local Bodies, said: “We have written to the higher officials to immediately fill the post because the employees are not getting their salaries, which is causing resentment among them”.

Bhagat added that he had also written to the commissioner- secretary and the principal secretary, to immediately release the salaries of all the employees and hoped that they would get the dues within a week.

“So far we have given the additional charge to the deputy director of our department, but the vacant post will be filled by a KAS rank officer shortly”, he added.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Mushrooming of ETT colleges: Education Dept gets 100 fresh applications

Mushrooming of ETT colleges
Education Dept gets 100 fresh applications
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 17
More students from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan are seeking admission to the elementary teachers training (ETT) course in colleges and institutes here. At present, 439 colleges and institutes are offering the course across the state.

A senior Education Department official said the number of students was increasing every year because the four states had recognised the ETT certificate issued by the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE).

In view of the increase in the demand for the course,100 applications have been received by the Education Department seeking approval for setting up ETT institutes, say sources, and add the department is,however, still to grant the approval.

Educationists believe that deficiencies in the system like attendance being not compulsory and no requirement of proper infrastructure are the reasons behind a quantum jump in the number of such institutes and colleges. In the 2009-11 academic session, nearly 45,000 students appeared in the exams, with more than 40,000 belonging to other states.

An educationist, Prof Virender Gupta, a former head of the Physics Department in the University of Jammu, said, “The system has collapsed. No one is checking the infrastructure of these institutes and as a result, most of them are running from a single room. It has become an easy way to earn money as agents manage admission and students come here only to take the exams”.

AK Gandotra, assistant secretary, ETT, BoSE, said, “We inspect every institute or college before giving it affiliation. I have never received such a large number of applications seeking affiliation”.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, newly-appointed Chairman of BoSE, had said there were some loopholes in the existing system, which would be plugged within two months.

Courtsy: The Tribune

Drive to check sale of substandard pesticides

Drive to check sale of substandard pesticides
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 17
As the sowing of kharif crops is going on in full swing across the state, the Agriculture Department has launched a massive drive to keep a check on the sale of substandard pesticides, weedicides and insecticides.

Earlier, it had been reported that a large number of pesticide dealers were looting farmers by selling misbranded items to earn easy money. Acting over such complaints, the department has decided to check the stock of all dealers throughout the state.

The department has also issued an advisory to the farmers so that they don’t get cheated by unscrupulous dealers.

“The enforcement wing of the department has advised all farmers not to use Butaveer (a weedicide brand) batch No BuTJK0190 and KRICEL (an insecticide brand) batch No KRE1JK/256 as these have been found substandard in the quality control lab of the department,” said a senior officer of the department.

He further said all enforcement officers had been directed to seize the stock of said pesticides under batch No KRE/JK-389 CMO2.

“Similarly, the farmers have also been advised not to use Butaveer (Nanda Dawa) batch No ButJK0190, Benmain (fungicide) batch No MA00908CB and KRICEL (insecticide) batch No KREJK256 as these have also been found misbranded after lab tests,” he added.

He said so far the drive had proved successful and a large quantity of misbranded items had been seized.

“Now, the farmers will have to be aware so that their produce could be saved. First, they should use the pesticide, insecticide or weedicide over a small area so that the result could be checked. If it comes positive, only then they should spray it over the entire crop otherwise it might prove harmful,” said the officer.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Katra faces water shortage

Katra faces water shortage
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Katra, June 16
Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, has been facing drinking water shortage for the past several days.

A visit to various streets and markets of the town revealed that shopkeepers were selling bottles of water. Some residents were providing water free of cost to pilgrims.

Local residents and hoteliers alleged that they had to buy water from tankers to meet their daily requirements.

“There is a nexus between companies manufacturing mineral water bottles and officials of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, which has created the water shortage. We are dependent on tankers, which cost between Rs 600-700 each,” said hotel owner Bhushan Sharma.

He said they had taken up the issue with the authorities, but no steps had been taken to end the shortage. “Since, the PHE Department has failed to provide adequate water to the town, it should seek the help of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), which can solve the problem as there is no water shortage on the track from Katra to Bhawan,” added Bhushan.

Local MLA Baldev Raj Sharma said he was helpless. “A large number of tourists visit the town between May and June. The department concerned has failed to take steps to end the crisis,” he said and added that he had even raised the issue in the state Assembly.

“The supply of water to Katra is only 5 lakh gallons at present against a requirement of 20 lakh gallons daily. Erratic power supply has added to the problem,” he alleged.

He also pointed out that the natural water sources from where the authorities used to bring water had turned dry and they were totally dependant on the Jhajjar water lifting project, which is almost 13 km away from the town.

Sham Lal Kesar, president, Katra Hoteliers, Restaurants and Lodges Association, also criticised the state government and appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Governor NN Vohra to take steps to solve the problem.

A senior official of the shrine board said that on an average, nearly 35,000 to 40,000 pilgrims visited the holy cave shrine daily.

Minister for PHE Taj Mohi-ud-Din said, “The shortage of water happens in the summer. However, we have started a number of projects in the area, which will solve the problem”.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Water scarcity worries world famous basmati growers

Water scarcity worries basmati growers
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 16
Growers of basmati rice in the RS Pura area of the Jammu region are eagerly awaiting the monsoon to hit Jammu and Kashmir, as the sowing season has already started and water scarcity is affecting the crop.

RS Pura is known as the rice bowl of the state.“The sowing of rice has already started, but choked canals have affected it. Most of the canals are dry and our produce is now totally dependant on the rain,” said Chaudhary Dev Raj, president of the RS Pura Rice Growers Association.

He alleged that though the government was aware that the rice growers were facing water scarcity, it had not made any arrangement. “Though the Agriculture Department has distributed hybrid seeds to the farmers this year, it has forgotten its prime duty to provide adequate water to the rice growers,” Dev Raj said.

He demanded that either the Agriculture Minister or officials of the department should solve the farmers’ problem, otherwise, the area would lose its name for producing quality basmati rice.

Minister for Irrigation Taj Mohi-ud-Din had recently said the department had removed silt from almost all canals in the state. “If there is any canal still choked or dry, we will definitely remove silt and garbage from it to ensure that water reaches the tail end,” said Taj.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the monsoon is likely to hit the state on July 1. “As per our forecast, the monsoon will hit the state well on time and it will last a longer period, as this year has been cooler as compared to the previous years,” said Sonam Lotus, in charge of the IMD.

He said the monsoon always brought cheer to the farmers, as water was the basic requirement of every crop. “The farmers of the Jammu region will definitely get a respite from the water problem, as most of the agriculture land falls under the rain-fed area”.

Growers of basmati rice await the monsoon as the sowing season
has started

Water scarcity affecting the crop

Farmers rue poor irrigation facilities and government apathy

Courtesy: The Tribune