Flowers to greet tourists along Lakhanpur-Srinagar highway

Floriculture Dept to develop parks
Flowers to greet tourists along Lakhanpur-Srinagar highway
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 29
To make the road journey more enjoyable for tourists coming to Jammu and kashmir, the Floriculture Department has decided to develop parks and green strips along the Lakhanpur-Srinagar National Highway.

The Minister for Floriculture, Sham Lal Sharma, today, while inaugurating a park at Batehra near Akhnoor on the Jammu-Poonch Highway announced that the state government would develop a number of big and lush green parks along the national highway, right from Lakhanpur to Srinagar.

“The innovative plan will be carried out by the Department of Floriculture, just to attract a maximum number of tourists to the state,” said Sham Lal Sharma.

He further said these parks would be developed along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and would also encourage the farmers to divert towards floriculture.

“The department will also create an earning source for floriculturists, besides beautifying the pathways along the national highway,” he added.

According to senior officials of the department, a similar project had been submitted to the higher-ups for their approval, to deck the sidetracks with flowers along the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway.

They added that the road beautification project would also make the national highway a tourist attraction and boost the local economy.

The farmers in the Jammu region usually cultivate maize, wheat, paddy, vegetables and fodder, but in the recent years under the crop diversification programme, the government has encouraged them to cultivate flowers.

In its effort to attract farmers towards crop diversification, the Floriculture Department has already announced a number of incentives, including marketing facility to floriculturists at their doorsteps.

At present about 300 hectares of land in the state is under cultivation of different varieties of flowers, particularly marigold, jasmine, aster, rose, chrysanthemum and tuberose, giving employment to large number of people.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Girls outdo boys in Class X results

Girls outdo boys in Class X results
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 30
Girls outshone boys in the Class X examinations in the Jammu province, the results of which were declared by the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE) here today. With 98.2 per cent marks (491/500), Tanu Devi, a student of RMC Higher Secondary School, Kathua, secured the top position, while the second position was shared by Megha Sethi, a student of Spring Dales English School, Kathua, and Swadha Kailoo of Brahama Rishi Bawra SVP Higher Secondary School, Udhampur, with 97 per cent marks (485/500). The top 20 positions on the merit list were secured by 84 students, including 53 girls.

The results, which were for the first time declared on the grading pattern, witnessed a decline of above six per cent as compared to the last year’s results. This year, the pass percentage is 50.01 per cent as compared to 56.52 per cent last year. The pass percentage of boys and girls were 49.22 and 50.98 per cent, respectively.

Of 47,061 students, who appeared in the exams, 20,275 were declared pass, while 3,259 students got reappear and 23,350 failed. Interestingly, all students, whose names figured on the merit list, were from private schools, and none was from government schools.

However, Prof Javed Iqbal Khatib, Joint Secretary (Secrecy), BoSE, said the pass percentage declined this year due to a strict drive against copying and use of unfair means during exams.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Now, flying squads to check attendance in ETT colleges

Now, flying squads to check attendance in ETT colleges
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 31
From this year onwards students, who get admission to ETT colleges in Jammu and Kashmir, will have to attend classes regularly, as the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE) has formed special flying squads to keep a check on absenteeism in these colleges and institutes.

After facing the flak from all corners, the BoSE authorities have now constituted 30 special flying squads comprising board officials, principals and teachers of various schools, colleges and institutes to keep a check on absenteeism in the ETT colleges/institutes.

Nearly 40,000 students from neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana take admission to colleges and institutes here as there is virtually no need to attend classes. Shockingly, the board officials are also aware of this practice but no action had been taken in this regard. “We are very much aware about mismanagement and corrupt practices going on in the ETT institutes and colleges in our state. So, we have decided to make surprise visits to such institutes during normal days and wherever the flying squads find less attendance of students, they will have the power to de-affiliate such institutes immediately,” said Prof Javed Iqbal Khatib, Joint Secretary (Secrecy), BoSE.

He said the surprise visits would be conducted on a routine basis and the college owners, principals and other staff members had been directed to strictly follow the norms fixed by the BoSE or face action.

Khatib added that, “The agent system is also giving a bad name to the board, which we are also trying to control from this year.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Teachers’ transfer policy being violated in state

Teachers’ transfer policy being violated in state
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 1
Despite tall claims by Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed of streamlining and bringing transparency in the education sector, nothing seems to be happening on the ground as a large number of teachers and lecturers are overstaying in the schools violating the norms of the transfer policy of the state government.

In a reply to an application filed under the RTI Act by Vilakshana Singh, an advocate, who is practising in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the Directorate of School Education stated that as many as 2,805 teachers and lecturers had been working in the same schools for a period of more than five years, which was against the prescribed norms.

A perusal of these documents further revealed that there were a few teachers who were working in the same schools for more than 30 years. These teachers had started their career from these schools and were about to retire from there only. The reply also stated that a teacher had been posted at Government Middle School, Kaumti, Ladda, in the Udhampur zone for the last 32 years.

Similarly, a teacher had been serving at Government Primary School, Kund, in the Udhampur zone for the last 30 years and another had been posted at Government Middle School, Chowki Choura, in the Jammu zone for the last 30 years.

The list of such teachers was long, but hardly any action had been taken against them because of their political backing.

Even the Director, School Education, GA Qureshi, failed to give a satisfactory reply. “This matter is very serious and I will check the details. So far I can’t comment on the issue,” said Qureshi while talking to The Tribune over the phone. However, he accepted that no teacher or lecturer could serve more than five years in the same school.

Courtesy: The Tribune

People vote for water in Dansal

People vote for water in Dansal
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jandrah, June 2
Braving searing heat, people voted for ensuring regular water supply in the Kandi (dry land) area of the Dansal block in Jammu district today.

Residents of this area have been facing an acute shortage of water every summer but the government has not launched any water scheme in the area. As the polling for the 13th phase of the panchayat elections began today, a large number of voters, especially youth and women, came out to vote to ensure proper drinking water supply to their area. Voters at Jandrah village in the Dhan panchayat alleged that they were not getting water supply for the last two days. “Though the government has declared our village as a model village, we are deprived of basic amenities like water and roads. The water shortage has made our life a hell. We have to travel long distances to fetch water,” said Sushil Sharma, a student of the University of Jammu and resident of Jandrah village.

He hoped that when their sarpanch and panches were elected, their major problems like water and roads would be solved. “The delegation of power to panchayats will surely solve problems, as the elected candidates will raise our issues for the development of the area. It will also make the government more accountable and the funds will be spent more efficiently,” added Sharma.

“The delegation of power to the grass-roots level will bring results in a short period. After the elections the power will come in the hands of sarpanches and panches, who will have to work for their areas, as they are accountable to the voters of their villages,” said Dhruv Singh, a resident of Jakhyari village.

The residents of these villages, including Jakhyari, Lai, Panwali, Athem and Surinsar, also alleged that they were unable to live in this hot summer due to the water scarcity.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Repolling in Nallah panchayat on June 6

Repolling in Nallah panchayat on June 6
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 3
Even as the panchayat elections are going on, objections and complaints of alleged rigging have flooded the office of the election authority, forcing it to decided on conducting re-polling in a few blocks.

In a recent incident at the Nallah panchayat in the Sunderbani block of Rajouri district, where elections were held on May 12, the election authority has decided to conduct re-polling on June 6, as Tirath Ram, a candidate for the post of sarpanch in the Nallah panchayat, had filed a complaint alleging that the counting process was unfair, as a few people had entered the counting room and destroyed ballot papers.

Acting on the complaint, Simrandeep Singh, SDM, Nowshera conducted an inquiry and submitted the report to the election authority. He stated in the report that the votes polled and the votes counted did not match. Talking to The Tribune, the SDM said, “There was clear negligence on the part of the returning officer and the assistant returning officer, as nearly seven ballots were destroyed. But both officers did not highlight the incident of loss of ballots and declared the results. So, an inquiry has been marked against them too”.

“I have requested the election authority to conduct the re-polling in the constituency. It has accepted my request and now the elections will be held on June 6,” he added.

The SDM said the High Court had also sought the status of the elections and the details of the panchayat area had been provided to the court. “The court has also agreed on the re-polling,” he said.

The officials conducting the elections also accepted the fact that they were receiving a large number of objections. The election authorities were looking into various aspects of the complaints before taking the final decision, they said.

However, repeated attempts to contact the Chief Electoral Officer, BR Sharma, proved futile.

Courtesy: The Tribune

Board chief blames Education Dept for ETT mess
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Dr Sheikh Bashir Ahmad

Jammu, June 4
The newly-appointed chairman of the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE), Dr Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, today blamed the state Education Department for the mess in the ETT colleges and institutions in the state.

Bashir said, “Yes, there are some loopholes in the existing system, but the state government is mainly responsible for either keeping a check on the functioning of the ETT colleges/institutions or disaffiliating them. We are the secondary authority having lesser powers.”

“It is the state government which issues no objection certificate (NoC) to the applicants to set up new colleges. Then the applicants apply to us for affiliation and after inspection we give them affiliation of the board. So, the mandate is with the state government and not with us,” said Bashir.

He said, “Besides conducting exams, we have constituted teams to regularly inspect these colleges,”

Bashir accepted the fact that there were a few colleges, which were defaulters, as the board had received some complaints regarding the lack of infrastructure, staff and the problem of absenteeism.

“We are trying our best, as the board has appointed a joint secretary, especially to deal with the ETT course. In two months the scenario will change, as the defaulters will have to close their institutions and then there will be no compromise,” said Bashir.

Speaking about the poor results in Class X and XII, he said the staff, including the principals of those schools which had shown poor results, would be taken to task by the department, as the Education Minister was concerned about bringing reforms in the present system.

Bashir appealed to the staff of the Education Board to perform their duties sincerely. “To bring transparency in the existing system is my first priority, and I assure the students of a fair evaluation system. I will try my best to conduct the exams well on time and declare the results within the stipulated time,” he said.

Courtesy: The Tribune