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Lakhanpur toll post

Sir,

The authorities at Lakhanpur have seriously taken the news published in Daily Excelsior on 17-10-2000 edition about traffic regulation management at Lakhanpur toll post. It is clarified here that due to heavy rush of traffic both from Import and Export side on National Highway during ensuing Dewali festival huge quantity of fresh fruit loaded in truck, is being taken outside the State. The fresh fruit and the passanger vehicles are being checked at Madhopur police post for security reasons after clearance at Lakhanpur. Madhopur is the bottle neck and always traffic jams have occured towards that side with the result its effect at Lakhanpur traffic junctions. Further it is to be mentioned that Lakhanpur authorities have modernised Electronics toll system and maximum five Electronics weigh bridges are weighing the loaded vehicles for the payment of toll tax and huge revenue in cash is being collected here which is all being done swiftly with mechanical devices. Further toll post officials are besides collection of revenue performing search of vehicles at random towards both Import as well as Export side with the result huge Govt exchequer have been saved so far and large number of smugglers Tax evaders have been brought to book to eradicate smuggling menance.

It is pertinent to mention here, the Army authority usually move towards the J&K State and traffic authorities give priority to them and strictly adhere to stoppage of heavy vehicles so that army authorities can move alongwith their convoy safely. It is also to be noted that besides toll post Lakhanpur three more Govt agencies are functioning here subjecting the vehicles for checking. The remarks published about toll post Lakhanpur are not based on facts.

Yours etc...
Dy. Commissioner Excise
Lakhanpur.

Withdrawl of teachers' posts

Sir,

The statement of Dr Farooq Abdullah in J&K Assembly regarding the withdrawal of vacancies of teachers from SSRB and appointing Rehbar-e-Taleem against them was very shocking and disappointing for me and all aspirants like me.

I am B.A. B.Ed. with one year diploma in cutting and tailoring. I had applied for the job of teacher two years back. At that time my age was thirty four years (34). After that I was surviving with the hope that very soon interviews would be conducted and I might be selected. But the two lines statement of our Chief Minister in the State Assembly suddenly finished all my hopes and destroyed the palace of my dreams. I feel that I am deprived forever from the Govt job because at this time I have got myself overaged due to which I cannot apply for any job.

Moreover, I cannot get a chance of being appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem because no post of teacher is lying vacant in our block and as per rules, Rehbar-e-Taleems are to be appointed from the concerned areas where the posts are vacant.

Lastly, I request the Chief Minister to withdraw his statement of withdrawal of vacancies of teachers from SSRB and direct the SSRB to conduct the interview of these posts as soon as possible so that highly educated, overaged candidates who cannot apply again for any job may atleast get a chance to obtain reward of their labour.

Yours etc....
Shaheen Ara
Hasplote, Rajouri.

Power cuts and public apathy

Sir,

Hoodwinking the public and showing scant respect for their sensibilities have now become a pastime for the authorities who hold the reins of electric power in their hands. There is something seriously wrong with their policy of power management. It appears that they are themselves caught up in the eddies of confusion which are of their own choosing. They don't seem to be in a position to decide which policy is right and which is wrong. A few days ago, they were 'magnanimous' enough to announce 'obligingly' that there would be a reduction of half an hour (a cold comfort though) in the obtaining power cut schedule. This was soon followed by a stunning bombshell in the shape of an unexpectedly unabashed announcement that the existing power curtailment would be further enhanced by two hours. What a cruel joke ? This blowing of hot and cold in the same breath. ('relief' to grief) speaks volumes about the inefficiency of the concerned department. Six hours of power cut, mean hundred eighty hours cut per month and the height of it is that the consumers are supposed to pay tariff even for these long hours of non supply of electric power. This is the beginning of winter. What will happen in the severe wintry months when the water table will go considerably down, giving again an excuse to the authorities for further cuts. We may be eventually pushed back to the days when there was no electricity and people removed darkness by burning oil lamps and rasin laden brands. Perhaps all the problems will be solved then.

The ill-conceived and half baked schemes emanating from the power department in quick succession, are too obvious to be missed. The troubles of the general public started with the phenomenal increase in the power tarriff, and as a reaction to the protests from the people, the Chief Minister remarked in his less better moments, that whether or not power was supplied, tariff had to be paid. Then came the thoughtless directive that fees has to be paid in the J&K Bank, thus asking people to ready themselves for the harassment and inconvenience entailed by this procedure. The result of this hasty decision has left the coffer of this department poorer. The bills are still in the process of being prepared. The old system of door to door collection which paid dividends, was abolished without any reason. Now think of the obduracy and brazenness which have shown themselves in the unbearable load shedding which has caused not only inconvenience, but humiliation and harassment as well to the people.

It is a pity that the people of Jammu who are the victims of the wrong policies of the Government, have become insensible to all that is happening under their very noses. They seem to have developed the habit of taking every injustice lying down and pocketing issue after insult without any grumble.

The result is that their apathy is taken advantage of by the authorities who are encouraged to perpetrate miseries on the masses with impunity. Their continued silence is construed as acquiescence. Today it is the problem of power cuts, and the next time it can be any other 'unkindest cut''. Sleeping over matters that need to be addressed will ultimately land us in trouble. Let all of us shake off our slumber and give up apathy and fight against acts of callousness which are clearly visible in the anti people policies of followed by the so-called popular Government.

Yours etc....
Prof. M L Raina
Janipur Jammu.

Truths about Sheikh Abdullah

Sir,

I am satisfied with the letter of Sardar Teja Singh (Excelsior dated October 12, 2000), wherein he has been kind enough to concede that even great men commit blunders. Hence, it is syllogistic that even Sheikh Moh'd Abdullah also made some mistakes, maybe under the influence of some evil forces. Nobody can deny, least of all I, that Sheikh Abdullah personally had his own greatness. This caps the matter.

As regards other points, viz 'Accession' and 'Ceasefire' are concerned, these could not be discussed in a letter and required to be written down in a long article, which I may do after some time.

I may further point out that a writer, wittingly or unwittingly, directly or indirectly, often, if not always, expresses his own views through the mouths of the persons quoted by him. There is no justification to remain oneself mute and let the original characters speak.

Yours etc....
Professor Somnath Wakhlu
Shakti Nagar, Jammu-180001