Daily Excelsior.........State

PWD Fortnight Celebrations-2003 conclude
Shun lust for money, dedicate yourself to
development: Madan to Engineers

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: Shun lust for money and dedicate yourself to the proper development of road network of the State to come up to the expectations of the people.

This message was given to Engineers by the Minister for Roads and Buildings, Madan Lal Sharma while addressing the officers of his department during the valedictory function of the PWD Fortnight Celebrations-2003 here today.

"Instead of hankering after money, Engineers must shoulder the responsibility of improving road network of the State, which was in dilapidated condition when the coalition Government took over the reigns", he stressed while alleging that the previous regime always remained busy in the politics of favoritism and gave nod to only those projects which suited it.

Jammu and Kashmir, he said, has over 5700 kilometers of road length which requires Rs 50 crore for its maintenance but Government could earmark only Rs 9 crore for the same and proper maintenance was possible only when Engineers shun lust for money and contribute properly in development process.

"The maintenance of the roads is the job of every individual and they can be kept in good position only with the collective efforts of department and common masses", he said and asked the people to maintain hawk’s eyes on the contractors so that they could not compromise on quality materials.

The Minister said that PWD Fortnight Celebrations-2003 was organised so that people, MLAs and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) could highlight the short-comings of the Department and action could be taken accordingly.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Engineer A S Wazir said that the fortnight was organised to bring an end to general lethargy among the officers of the Department. "The celebrations were also aimed at clearing the misconceptions among the people about the Department. For bad condition of any road people have been criticising us but they are not aware of the fact we have to maintain the condition of roads with just meagre amount", he said and added that the celebrations were also aimed at imbibing the sense of responsibility among the engineers.

A cultural programme was also presented by the artists of various clubs of Jammu. Khajour Singh and party from Basohli presented folk item which ent hralled the audience.

Jia Lal Sharma and Rajni Sharma compaired the programme. Later, PWD diary was also released.

Niaz urges people to use electricity judiciously

Excelsior Correspondent

Rajouri, Oct 16: Minister for Power, Mohammad Sharief Niaz has said that the State Government is contemplating to establish number of mini hydel projects to overcome the deficiency of power generation in the state.

The Minister was addressing a public meeting at Rajouri, yesterday Minister of State for Forests and Fisheries, Thakur Puran Singh was also present on the occasion.

Mr Niaz said that twelve mini hydel projects have already been cleared by the Government recently, which include one each to be constructed at Thanda Pani and Chingus in Rajouri district and at Mandi in district Poonch. He said that the state has a vast potential for such projects as the area has been blessed with numerous water resources. The Minister said that power generation has been accorded top priority as this would not only promote industries, which further will help in creating employment, but also raise the socio-economic standard of the people.

The Minister appealed to the people to deposit their electricity bills honestly and sincerely as this revenue collection is ultimately utilized in further development of the state. He asked people to use power judiciously and reiterated the resolve of Government to provide round the clock un-interrupted power supply to the people, as apart of which nine hour power curtailment has already been reduced by 50 per cent, he said.

The Minister asked the people to remain vigilant from the evil designs of the disruptive elements who are bent upon to destabilizing peace and secular fabric of the state. He sought people’s cooperation for successful execution of development, social welfare and employment generation programmes launched by the government.

The Minister for Power, who is also the Chairman of the Rajouri district Development Board, referring to various demands projected by the people assured that these would be recommended to the government in the board’s meeting.

Thakur Puran Singh said that through implementation of Common Minimum Programme the State Government is committed to create as much job opportunities as possible for the unemployed. He said the process in this regard has already been initiated by providing one additional teacher to schools and raising security battalions in the state.

Enroute, Mr. Niaz addressed public meetings at Sunderbani, Kalakote and Dhangri.

Legislators Dr Romesh Sharma, Farida Muneer and Ch. Lal Mohd. Sabir accompanied the ministers.

NC discusses problems of Nagrota area people

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: Difficulties and problems being faced by people of Nagrota constituency were discussed at a largely attended meeting of Sarpanches, Panches, delegates and office functionaries of National Conference at Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan here today.

The problems pertaining to roads, water supply, electricity and unemployment were discussed and it was felt that present Government has failed on all fronts to meet the just and genuine demands and problems of people of Nagrota constituency.

Provincial president of NC Ajay Sadhotra while addressing stated that Mufti Government was creating hurdles in the appointment of youth especially in Education Department. He said the qualification earlier mentioned as 10+2 for Rehbar-e-Taleem has been changed to graduation as a result of which outsiders were being posted.

Mr Sadhotra assured then gathering that present Government would fall under its own pressure. He said leaders of present coalition Government were making only hollow slogans and doing nothing concrete for the masses.

Others who addressed included Messrs Rattan Lal Gupta, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Th Rashpal Singh MLA, Brij Mohan Sharma MLC, Mohammad Hussain MLC, Gurdeep Singh Sasan, Rameshwar Dutt, Sanjeev Sareen Advocate, Angrez Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Rehmat Ali.

Harbans Bhalla Educational Trust sanctions
scholarship to 138 students

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: Continuing for the seventh consecutive year, the Harbans Bhalla Educational Trust this year sanctioned educational scholarships to 138 meritorious cum needy students who are studying in 34 rural and 7 urban schools of Jammu district.

The total amount of scholarship which is payable to the students in three installments is Rs 20100. Out of total 138 students 113 female students and 25 males students and 77 students are such students who have been getting scholarship from the Trust for the past many years.

Some students who have been getting scholarship from the Trust when they were in their upper primary classes are now studying in colleges and they continue to get scholarship from the Trust.

Speaking on the occasion, Kunil Bhalla, Managing Trustee said that as a policy student once selected for the scholarship will continue to get financial support from the Trust as long as the student is studying provided his performance does not fall.

Mr Bhalla further said that objective of the Trust is not merely a charity distribution of money but to help a budding student overcome financial constraints and fulfill his/her education pursuits and to become an earning member of her/his family.

The Managing Trustee of the Trust has been personally visiting the schools for paying first installment to the selected students.

‘Middlemen-doctors nexus have launched malicious
campaign against Thyrocare’

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: Taking strong exception of the news-item published in a local english daily, Edward Joy of Thyrocare Services today said that there was nexus between some doctors and agents, who have launched malicious campaign against their laboratory.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Joy said that Thyrocare Services has been charging nominally from the patients as compared to some other laboratories in the city. "Due to our efficient service and nominal charges, we have been getting encouraging response in city but some doctors, who have been charging commission from other laboratories, were finding it difficult to digest our popularity", he said and alleged that these doctors and their agents have hatched a conspiracy to defame us as ‘we flatly refused to give them commission.

"We are the franchise of Thyrocare, collecting specimen from this part of the country and sending it to our laboratory at Mumbai. We have done in the past six years more than a lakh investigations and the quality, speed and cost we have maintained has won the majority of medical consultants as our well wishers", he said.

"Thyrocare never encouraged those doctors who sent their patients to local laboratory which charge high amount from patients and give incentives to the referring doctors on monthly basis", he said, adding, "this amount to extra bonus to them and some doctors enjoy it".

Mr Joy disclosed that during the last six years they have received many calls from some senior doctors from Government Medical College that they are ready to send their patients to Thyrocare if incentives will be given to them. "As we rejected their offers this created worry to some segment of the diagnostic labs and doctors and they have started calling us to close down our operations and have threatened us to leave", he said, adding, "recently a doctor of GMC has threatened us that he will make us to leave this place".

Terming the report published in a local english daily as fabricated and false, Mr Joy clarified, "only to keep up his personal grudge against Thyrocare this doctor has given his statement that a TSH valued patient went to coma while operating. A local lab was given TSH values 5.75. TSH value upto 6.0 is normal. From this it is very clear that patient’s going to coma was due to some other reasons, not because of the normal TSH values". "Most surprisingly, we inquired from the duty doctors of ICU of GMC and they did not know anything about the patient Vijay Sambyal. This patient’s name is not registered in the hospital register", he said.

Mara thon checking drive on NH
Fine of Rs 71,600 realized from 47 vehicles

Excelsior Correspondent

Jammu, Oct 16: As part of its campaign to streamline the transport system and check the growing menace of over loading, over charging and ticket less traveling, the Motor Vehicle Department has launched a comprehensive drive throughout the Jammu region in a phased manners.

In the first phase of the drive, a team of Inspectors of Motor Vehicle Department lead by RTO, Jammu, S. Gurdarshan Singh made surprise checking of buses, matadors and trucks etc on Jammu-Lakhanpur National Highway by holding nakas at Kunjwani, Baribrahamana, Samba, Deyala Check and Lakhanpur today. The checking team found that 58 vehicles plying on the National Highway were operating in contravention of provision of Motor Vehicle Act. Of these, 47 vehicles were compounded and a fine of Rs. 71, 600 was recovered on spot from them. The checking team also found that 11 vehicles including mostly matadors and buses were plying without obeying traffic rules and violating Motor Vehicle Act. Their documents were seized, cases registered and challans imposed for necessary action.

While interacting with the motor operators and local transporters, the RTO asked them to adhere to the rules and regulations of the MVD and warned them not to indulge in the malpractices of operating the vehicles without proper permission from the concerned authority. He also warned them to desist from the prevailing practices of overloading and ex-orbitant charging. He asked the conductors to behave properly with the passengers especially, the senior citizens, physically handicapped, women passengers and government employees. He said that the operators violating the rules of MVA would be dealt with severely under rules. The vehicles not plying on their permitted routes would be punished by cancellation of their route permit on the spot.

Mr. Singh appealed the commuters and passengers to lodge complaints regarding misbehavior of the conductors, over charging, over loading and not halting at proper stops, rash driving at the RTO office Jammu.

The checking team included Mr. Ajit Kumar, Mr. Mohammad Saleem and Shammi Sharma all inspectors. Mr. Ashwani Kumar and Mr. Ram Paul assisted the operation.

Deptt of Anaesthesia organises lecture on
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: Department of Anaesthesia, Government Medical College Jammu celebrated the Anaesthesia Day by organising a lecture on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) at Headquarters of Fire Services Department at Gandhi Nagar.

Delivering the lecture, Dr Satya Dev Gupta, Head of the Department of Anaesthesia said that CPR is the most important technique which should be known to everyone because commonman may also at times encounter such emergency.

"This procedure can save life of a dying person if CPR started immediately", he said and added that since the fire brigade personnel are usually the first responders to many emergencies they should be aware of this technique to save the lives of people.

A team of Anaesthesia comprising of Dr Sameer, Dr Sudhakar Sharma, Dr Sheetal, Dr Juhi and Dr Tilak, all Post Graduates and Anaesthesia Technician Kulbhushan trained the fire service personnel on how to provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

Deputy Director Fire Services R T Dubey, in his address, thanked Dr Satya Dev Gupta for organising lecture on CPR and said that training of CPR would help the firemen in saving the lives of people during emergencies.

Meanwhile, Anaesthesia Day was also celebrated at GMC Jammu by Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. Seminar on the history of Anaesthesia, its application in the present scenario, modern anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia and future trends in anaesthesia was also organised.

Dr Satya Dev Gupta while addressing the seminar said that an anesthesiologist can do wonders as where other physician fails Anaesthesiologist prevails. He asked the Anaesthesiologists to work hard for ameliorating pain and misery of the patients.

Mattoo for cottage industries in rural areas

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 16: Stressing the need for cottage and small scale industries in rural areas, the Minister of State for Industries and Commerce, Raman Mattoo today said that active participation of ruralties in industrialization would go a long way in fulfilling Gandhiji’s dream of making every village self-reliant.

The Minister was speaking at the inaugural session of one-day seminar on "Rural Employment Generation Programme" organized by Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at Women Polytechnic, Bemina.

Mr. Mattoo said that rural economy has to be build up to develop a strong and prosperous nation. No industry can flourish economically and commercially without proper knowledge of viable technologies, he added.

Expressing concern over mounting urbanization among the ruralties, he said that it has badly affected the rural prosperity and is leading the villages to self-destruction. He said with changed times the ruralties could get all the facilities in their respective villages instead of migrating to urban areas.

He exhorted youth to take benefit of various schemes by tapping their talent in right perspective. He said that women entrepreneurs could do wonders in raising their status besides strengthening their will to fight against all atrocities being committed on them since time immemorial.

Appreciating the efforts of KVIC and KVIB in conceptualizing the basic idea of Khadi Village Industries, the Minister said that a cluster approach of these agencies and the people themselves could bring a socio-economic transformation in rural profile of the state.

Later, the Minister inspected the labs of different streams and had a detailed interaction with the students.

Chairman KVIB, Mr. Sahasranaman briefed the gathering about the functioning of KVIC and assured of incentives to the desirous to promote self-employment ventures in the state. He said Government jobs in the state have already reached saturation point, so these ventures are the best way to earn livelihood besides improving state’s economy.

Govt hailed for granting SDM to Samba

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: Th Sukhdev Singh Sambyal Advocate, president All Party District Action Committee Samba has expressed concern over ignoring Samba in its development.

Mr Sambyal recalling people’s struggle over the past over 20 years for creation of District headquarters at Samba observed that people had high hopes from the present Government when implementation of Wazir Commission Report was included in the CMP of coalition Government but now it appears that Government has scant respect for the urges and aspirations of the people of Samba.

Mr Sambyal appealed Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, PCC chief Gulam Nabi Azad, Prof Bhim Singh and others to announce definite minimum period within which promises shall be converted into action.

Mr Sambyal however hailed the Government for taking a unanimous decision for granting Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) for Samba but urged the coalition Government that other long standing demands of the people including opening up of a degree college and grant of district status to Samba also be addressed at an earliest.

KVK celebrates World Food Day

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 16: On the occasion of World Food Day, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jammu of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology, Jammu, organised an interaction cum awareness programme at R S Pura.

Theme of the programme was ‘International Alliance Against Hunger’. Farmers from different villages attended the programme which focussed on enhancement of food grain production and removing the global hunger by year 2015.

Dr Rangil Singh, Director Research, Dr M P Gupta, Director Extension Education, Dr A K Raina, Dr A S Bali, Dr Mohd Saleem, Dr Farooq Masoodi, Dr Arshaed Mehmood and other divisional heads, scientific staff of the University interacted with the farmers.

Dr Rakesh Nanda, Training Organisor, KVK, who coordinated the proceedings, emphasised that the Government can not alone solve the problem of hunger and mal-nutrition. He stressed that different groups must work together in united efforts and international alliance will bring together the strength of food production and consumers.

A lecture session on the significance of World Food Day was also organised on the occasion.

Dr M P Gupta, DEE, while delivering the keynote address, asked the farmers to explore reasons for not having requisite green revolution in J&K State while Dr Rangil Singh, Director Research, asked the scientists to launch massive awareness programme for agriculture diversification.

Consumer Column
Scarcity of milk, cheese still continues

By Avtar Bhat

Failure of Government and milk supply agencies to reach a consensus on the price of milk and its products has led to the scarcity of these essential items in the market for over a month now. Such an irresponsible attitude of both sides has led to the problems of the people especially in this festival season when the demand of both milk and its products is on increase in the market.

The people however heaved a sigh of relief to some extent when on the intervention of some religious and social organizations the leading suppliers agreed to resume the supply in view of the festival season.

These organizations otherwise had stopped the supply demanding the enhancement of rates of both milk and curd.

But still the scarcity problem has not been fully solved and the people are facing the hardships. Many shopkeepers dealing in milk and cheese have closed down their shops in the city and suburbs due to shortage of supply.

As the agencies responsible for regulating the prices of milk and its products were sleeping over the issue, there are allegations from various quarters that the artificial scarcity has been deliberately created under a hatched conspiracy to add to the woes of the masses during the festival season.

Such an attitude of the Government which has totally failed to regulate the prices of the essential commodities like milk in the market has generated a lot of public anger. This resentment is genuine for all practical purposes as the people have been put to many hardships due to no availability of milk and cheese.

Going through the rate lists of milk prescribed by the Government few years back the cow milk containing 3.5 percent fat and 8.5 SNF will cost Rs 8.5 per litre and the standard milk containing 4.5 percent fat and 8.5 percent SNF will cost Rs 9 a litre. The price of standard milk boiled with 4.5 per cent fat and 8.5 percent SNF has been fixed at Rs 10.per litre, while buffalo milk containing 5.5 percent fat and 9.5 percent SNF will cost Rs 11 per litre.

The rate of buffalo milk boiled with 5.5 fat and 9.5 per cent SNF has been fixed Rs 12 per litre. The curd standard milk will cost Rs 13 per litre and the cheese without water conducts will cost Rs 60 per kg.

A notification to this effect has been issued by the Director Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Jammu on August 5 this year. Under this notification the shopkeepers have been asked to display the rates at their business premises in bold letters and failure to do so will render the defaulters liable to action under law, the notification reads.

But plainly speaking except the prices of cheese and curd, this rate list was not respected by the shopkeepers any where in rural and urban areas in Jammu province.

For the information of the Government agencies regulating the prices, the milk is nowhere sold at the rate of Rs 8.50 or Rs 9.0 a kg and no fat content is checked in it. No where in Jammu region the cow milk is available less than Rs 12 a kg while the buffalo milk is sold from Rs 13 to 14 a kg.

After this notification was issued different milk supply agencies and local unions defied it and demanded that the prices of the milk and its products be revised which have been fixed over two years back. This resulted into a stalemate between the Government agencies and the suppliers as the both sticked to their respective stand. Seeing that Government was not ready to budge from its stand the local milk unions and non local milk agencies either stopped the supply or decreased it to a some extent which resulted into the scarcity of milk and its products in the market. This has led to many problems and trouble to the people.

This has made evident that the main reason for the prevailing deadlock between the price regulating organizations and different supply agencies is over the prices of milk and cheese. The later has demanded that the milk and cheese prices be enhanced as the fodder and feed for the cattle has become much dearer over the years.

While the leading milk suppliers including Surya has totally shown its reluctance to supply the cheese and milk at the rates prescribed by the Government, some local suppliers also supported them and demanded the enhancement of rate. The Government organizations on other side say that enhancement of prices at this stage will not be consumer friendly step and it would add to their problems and hardships.

Moreover these Government organizations which have been empowered to take a decision regarding the revision of prices of milk and its products were of the opinion that it will not be opportune to enhance the rate at this period when milk is not available in abundance.

So they have decided to hold another meeting to ascertain the views of all the organizations including the consumer bodies before taking the final decision. However, the Director Food and Supplies was optimistic that the decision regarding the revision will be announced after the Diwali as the shortage of milk would have ended by that period.

But the Jammu Milk Supply Union is also strongly advocating for the enhancement of rate. President of the Union while arguing for the demand says the Government is supposed to enhance the rate of milk and its products after every three months but in J&K the rate has not been revised for last over three years despite the fact that the prices of fodder has touched heights over these years.

So one fails to understand the logic behind the stand taken by the Government agencies. When they could not maintain and regulate the rates fixed by them over four years back how do they expect that they can maintain it in future.

The rigidness of both sides is going to help nobody but to add to the problems and woes of the consumers.

Moreover apart from their business interests the milk supply agencies should also maintain a consumer friendly attitude and take the problems suffered by the masses into account and ask for the price of milk which will not break the back of consumers and are also justifiable.

One will realm not disagree with the Director Food Supplies that some suppliers have no logic in demanding the rate of milk for Rs 18 a kg and cheese at Rs 90. But this issue can be sorted out through a consensus.

Veeri addresses seminar on AIDS

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 16: The Minister of State for Education, Mr Abdul Rehman Veeri today said that education is a multidimensional sector whose objective cannot be limited to obtaining certificates and seeking employment alone rather it bears the responsibility of constructing a healthy, conscious and progressive society.

Vulnerable diseases like HIV-AIDS that have taken the form of a curse come up as one of the biggest challenges could be checked only by making common masses aware for which every section of the intelligentsia will have to contribute.

The Minister was speaking at a one-day seminar on AIDS awareness organized by Indira Gandhi National Open University at Amar Singh College here today. The delegates from all three regions of the state participated in the seminar. MLC, Ghulam Nabi Lone was also present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Veeri said that the deadly disease is spreading fast and as per reports can lead to the death of more than 20,000 people in the state of J&K by the year 2010.

The state which has faced more than a decade long turmoil, cannot be thrown open for another disaster in the form of AIDS.

Isolated efforts of the Government cannot help preventing the disease, correct understanding of its causes and sentence to the layman is the actual requirement, he added.

Normalcy is because of people: Mufti

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 16: Saying that the process of normalcy and peace was initiated by the people of Jammu and Kashmir themselves in the last historic elections, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said that this can not be derailed by any one.

Addressing one-day seminar on citizen empowerment and e-powerment organized by the Union Ministry of Information Technology and IT Department of State Government here this morning, the Chief Minister said that the enemies of peace would continue to make effort to create obstacles in restoration of normalcy but they would never succeed in their designs. ‘These would be foiled with the cooperation of the people’, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the people of the state for the first time felt in the last assembly election that they are the masters who can elect or remove Governments and not the New Delhi. They genuinely felt that there should be no hegemony of any individual or party. He said the discernible improvement in the situation is because of the people and the coalition Government is facilitating it. It is endeavouring to be responsive to the genuine urges and aspirations of the people.

Saying that the centre is very considerate in helping us in all spheres, the Chief Minister asserted that Jammu and Kashmir is part of democratic India and it has every right to seek fruits of development that had touched different parts of the country. He said if a good thing is done for the people of the state, they respond positively which helps in further relaxing the situation.

The Chief Minister said that the state has suffered immensely due to militancy. Thousands of children rendered orphans, to whom we want to give a vision and bright future. He said many children born after 1989 could not see even schools and play fields.

Saying that distance between Kashmir and Delhi is just of one hour but the mental distance is very long. He, however, expressed happiness that this mindset is now changing fast and the people across the country are realizing that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has considerably improved.

Emphasizing that every visit to Kashmir is a step towards peace, Mufti Sayeed appreciated the gesture of Amul Dairy to set up Rs. 10 crore plant here and the keen interest several investors from outside Jammu and Kashmir are taking for industrial development of the state. He said this besides creating employment opportunities, would also prove a big morale booster for the people of the state.