NAVRATRA FESTIVALOver 2 lakh visit Vaishno Devi shrine Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Katra, October 4
The arrangements made by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the J&K Tourism Department for the ongoing Navratra Festival have been proving well as the pilgrims from across the country are enjoying a lot these days.
The pilgrimage, which has so far crossed the mark of 75,73,298 this year, is getting almost 38,000 pilgrims on an average daily.
A senior official of the shrine board said: “Over 2 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Vasihno Devi Cave Shrine since the beginning of Navratras last week.
“We are expecting to cross the mark of 3 lakh pilgrims during the eight-day long Navratra Festival,” said the official sitting at the registration counter.
He said: “This year, the pilgrims are coming here in large numbers as the weather conditions are also favourable”.
The colourful procession, comprising tableaux by artistes, who have come here from Himachal Pradesh, UP, Madhya Pradesh and J&K, is also making the pilgrims to stay here longer than their scheduled visit.
Besides, the triangular wrestling competition between India, England and Pakistan also paid off well, which was won by India’s Joginder Kumar who defeated his Pakistani rival Zaman Anwar at the 7th Mission Dosti International Indian Style Wrestling Competition at Vivekananda Sports Stadium here.
The religious procession in the evenings is also drawing huge crowds.
Darshan Kumar, a hotelier, said: “Pilgrims are enjoying a lot during the festival. This year, the shrine board has made special arrangements to attract the pilgrims”.
“We are also offering 30 per cent discount to pilgrims on room tariffs. Every year, our association offers discounts to pilgrims during the festival,” he added.
Radhika Khanna, a pilgrim from Delhi, said: “The arrangements made by the shrine board are excellent and the performance by the artistes has won our hearts”.
“After watching the performance of various cultural troupes, we have decided to come here during the Navratras next year,” she added.
Suchetgarh (Indo-Pak Border), October 2
In the wake of the farming sector facing an acute shortage of farm labourers during the harvesting season of paddy crop, the labourers are demanding 30 to 35 per cent more for their services.
The labourers, including those from Nepal and Bihar who have now almost settled here, are charging Rs 2,900 - 3,000 per acre for harvesting paddy. Last year, they had charged Rs 2,200 for the same work.
A visit to 10 villages in the RS Pura belt here, which is also known as the rice bowl of the state, revealed that the farming community was facing the pinch in their pocket this paddy season.
“The government has fixed Rs 1,080 per quintal for procurement, which is almost the same as last year’s price. But, the labourers are demanding 35 per cent more money. Our profit has slashed,” said Gurjeet Singh, a farmer at Suchetgarh village.
Another paddy grower, Daljeet Singh of Gulabgarh village, said: “The labourers working here have gone to neighbouring states like Punjab this season, so there is an acute shortage of manpower for harvesting. Taking an advantage of this shortage, those who have remained here have begun to demand more wages.”
However, labourers have their own story to tell. Shubh Narain Rai, a farm labourer from Nepal, said: “We come here in every sowing and harvesting season. The travel fare and prices of all essential commodities have increased. So, we are demanding more wages. Is it not our right to demand more wages when faced with such high inflation?”
Another farm labourer, Ashok Mandal of Bihar, maintained that even Rs 3,000 for an acre was not enough to meet their basic needs: “We are four persons working in the fields from morning to evening and that too without a break. Against the work of four persons, we charge only Rs 3,000 for harvesting the standing crop in one acre.”
He further said some people offer them rice in place of money.
“Our job is not only to reap the standing paddy crop, but we have to ensure that the grain reaches the house of paddy growers,” added Mandal. 
Jammu, October 3
Commuters in Bani and Basohli subdivisions of Kathua district had to face a number of hardships, as the private bus operators went on an indefinite strike today.
The trouble erupted around 8 am, when the drivers and conductors of various private buses gathered outside the bus stand at Bani, demanding revocation of permit issued to two new buses on the Udhampur-Bani route.
The private bus operators here opposed the decision of regional transport office to introduce two new buses and termed it a clash with their already existing timings, said Vijay Kumar, a local resident.
The buses remained off the road throughout the day and caused immense hardships to all those who had to go to the district headquarters at Kathua, Punjab and any other far off place.
Office goers were the worst affected by the strike. They had to arrange other modes of transportation.
Ramesh Kumar, a banker, said: “I had to reach the bank at 9:30 am in Kathua but the strike caused me a delay of almost an hour.”
Sushil Kumar, a resident of Dhar Mahanpur village in Basohli, said: “I had to go to Pathankot to get some medicine. But because of the strike, I would have to now go in a cab, which would cost almost five times the bus fare.” He added that a very few state run buses were available on the hilly and remote routes.
KB Singh, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Bani, said: “The transporters here opposed the government’s decision to introduce two new buses on the Udhampur-Bani route. They came on the roads to stage their protest and kept their buses off the road.”
“The situation is normal. But taking some precautionary measures, we have deployed some cops to keep an eye over the situation,” added Singh.
Meanwhile, Zahida Khan, Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, sent the RTO and some other officials to talk to the protesting transporters. “The RTO is still there. But so far the stalemate has not ended,” said Zahida.
A senior official in the district administration said the new buses belonged to some politicians and the local transporters were against this decision of the state government.
Jammu, October 5
To check power theft and minimise the losses of the Power Development Department (PDD), the state government has started wooing people to disclose the names of the offenders.
Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla, on a visit to Langer village, near the Kunjwani area here, today asked the people to come forward and disclose the names of the offenders to help the PDD eradicate the menace of power theft. “The department will honour those who will name the power pilferers,” said Bhalla.
He also advised the people to use power judiciously, avoid illegal hooking, pay electricity bills on time and get the load sanctioned according to genuine consumption.
Bhalla directed the PDD officials accompanying him to install 17 poles in the uncovered areas of the village within three days so that better power supply could be provided to the people.
He assured the villagers that their development-related issues would be addressed in a phased manner. “The government is fully aware of the hardships being faced by the weaker sections of society and making all-out efforts to mitigate them on priority. There was no constraint of funds for the purpose,” said Bhalla.
The minister impressed upon the officials concerned to maintain transparency in the distribution of Central and state funds among the needy, besides ensuring their timely disbursement.
Jammu, October 5
The Power Development Department (PDD) has claimed that it has achieved a sharp increase in revenue in the last nine months and it will also take some more steps to keep a check on power theft.
Minister for Power Shabir Ahmed Khan said the PDD had realised a revenue of Rs 265.33 crore till September in the Jammu division. “During the corresponding period last year, the department had realised Rs 213.22 crore. This means revenue has risen by 24 per cent in the Jammu division,” Shabir said.
Talking about the power scenario, the minister said he had directed the officials concerned to speed up the work of installing meters. “As many as 6,627 electronic meters have been installed in the Jammu division this year, besides some steps have also been taken to improve the power scenario,” said Shabir.
Talking about power pilferage, he said Rs 2.38 crore had been recovered as fine during inspections by flying squads till September end.
Shabir also appreciated the role of the PDD staff in improving revenue collection, he said. “Besides routine work, the PDD employees have provided uninterrupted power supply to the people of Katra during navratras. All possible arrangements, including additional transformers, were installed there.”
Meanwhile, a senior PDD official said the department initiative to conduct raids at night had also given good results. “We are video-graphing the raids so that no one can point fingers towards us. So far, we have covered a few localities in cities and will soon go to villages where meters have been installed,” said the official.
Jammu, September 29
"Going back? Take care of yourself” were the words of Anya Sharma posted on the wall of Lt Sushil Khajuria’s account on social networking site Facebook on September 20, just a week before the 26-year-old Lieutenant sacrificed his life while fighting militants in a dense forest in the Kupwara sector of North Kashmir.
Anya has listed Lt Sushil Khajuria as her brother on Facebook. Lieutenant Khajuria was scheduled to marry early next year, but destiny had something else in store for him.
Sushil, a pass out of University of Jammu (JU), is now getting condolence messages from friends across the globe. Just a month ago on August 28, he had been flooded with birthday wishes. Having 166 friends on Facebook, Sushil’s account is open to all and anyone can see or post comments on his wall.
Sushil’s friend Vikas Hans has posted: “One day when a bullet gets stuck in my heart and I lay down my life for my country, pin my medals on my chest and say to my mom that her son was a brave man. These words were written by my friend Sushil on a simple page of my copy nearly six years ago. Who knew he gonna prove this today. I am proud to be your friend. I love you my brother. Missing u.”
The list of his friends who are proud of his daring act is long. “I am proud that I am your friend, Sushil.... And I will miss you?,” writes Munish Badgaal, another friend.
Jammu, October 1
International Day of Older Persons is a special day for older persons or senior citizens all over the world who have been disowned by their children. Here in the Home for Aged and Infirm persons at Ved Mandir in Ambphalla, all inmates have more or less a similar tale to narrate.
With wrinkled faces, inmates here say: “Paisa aata jaata rehta hai, magar maa-baap phir nahi milte (money comes and goes, but they will not get their parents again).”
“But who can understand our plight when our own family members have disowned us?” asks Ram Rakhi, an octogenarian and a native of Khour village who has two married daughters in Patiala.
Ram Rakhi has been living in the home for aged after the death of her husband for the past one and a half years. “My daughters are well-settled, but they don’t have time for me. They have never visited me here. Once I went to meet them, but they even cheated me of Rs 14,000 (my total savings) and then a neighbour brought me here as I was unable to live alone in the village house. I have lost the battle of life,” says Ram Rakhi with moist eyes.
Besides Ram Rakhi, there are a number of people who have been braving odds at the twilight of their lives.
Ninetyone-year-old Sai Dass of Sajjadpur village in Marh Block, whose only son had disowned him about seven years ago, has now started living here happily. He said: I had four kanals of agricultural land, but my son told me that he had nothing to feed me. It is a better option to die at some place where no one knows your background than living a pitiful life at your house.”
“Till the time I was working, my son had no problem with me. But when I became a burden, he disowned me. The greed of money has made him blind. Maybe one day, he will realise the fact, but by that time I would have left this world,” said Sai Dass,
his voice shaking with emotions.
Meanwhile, a few inmates were taken to the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bantalab, which had organised a special cultural programme for old persons.
Inmates of an old-age home sit in its lobby on International Day of Older Persons in Jammu on Saturday. A Tribune photograph
