Impressive
Shobha Yatra taken out on
eve
of Bhagwan Parshuram Jayanti
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 6: In
connection with Bhagwan Parshuram Jayanti
falling tomorrow, an impressive Shobha
Yatra was taken out by Bhagwan Shri
Parshuram Janam Utsav Shobha Yatra Samiti
here, this afternoon. A large number of
people drawn from all walks of life
participated in the yatra which started
from Radio Station, Panjtirthi.
Dedicated
to the birth anniversary celebrations of
Bhagwan Shri Parshuram Ji, the Shobha
Yatra passed through historical Mubarak
Mandi, Chowk Chabutra, Pacca Danga, Moti
Bazar, Rajinder Bazar, Residency road,
Raghunath Bazar, City Chowk, Link Road
and Jain Bazar.
All routes
of yatra were fully decorated by the
people and members of business
organizations by installing welcome gates
befitting the occasion. The stalls were
also installed enroute by the devotees to
offer soft drinks and fruits to yatris.
Large number of people who had gathered
enroute to have a darshan of Shobha Yatra
showered the flowers on the portraits of
Bhagwan Parshuram Ji which were decorated
on various vehicles and on the yatris.
The Shobha
yatra was led by a Brahman Flag which was
installed on a decorated horse back. The
ritual was performed by chanting of Vedic
Shlokas and Mantras by eminent religious
scholars.
The
highlights of the Shobha yatra were the
feats and folk dance performed by the
cultural troupes of Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, West Bengal and Haryana who
were attired in colourful costumes. They
were followed by a Sadhu Mandli reciting
bhajans in praise of Bhagwan Parshuram
Ji.
These
cultural troupes comprised by a seizable
number of women artists were also
accompanying the yatra. Dozens of
vehicles which were fully decorated
including open trucks, tractor trolleys,
cars, three wheelers etc were the part of
the calvacade that participated in the
Shobha yatra.
The
special features of the yatra were the
breaking of Matka (earthen pitchers) at
various crossings by folk artists of
Maharashtra and feats performed by a
horse.
The
performance by Royal band of Rajasthan,
Sufiana Khartaal from Jaipur and music
dance mesmerized every one. The
performance by the singers belonging to
Jammu but putting up in Mumbai and other
regions of the country was also the
highlight of the yatra.
The
replicas of various ancient temple idols
attired in Dogra dresses especially those
related to Gadha Dhar Temple Jammu stole
the show. The artists from West Bengal
created wonders with the help of Hugly
clay and enthralled every body with their
creative fineness.
The
elaborate arrangements were made by the
authorities for the yatris. The traffic
on busy city routes where from the Shobha
yatra moved remained paralyzed for hours
together.
The yatra
was led by B B Raina, spokesman of the
Samiti. Besides, Mayor JMC, Kavinder
Gupta, Deputy Mayor, Narinder Singh
Jamwal, leaders of various political
parties, social and religious
organizations as well as the prominent
citizens participated in the yatra.
To welcome
the Shobha Yatra, The Muslim Federation
led by its president Abdul Majid
installed a Chabeel at Rajinder Bazar to
offer sweet water to yatris and garlanded
the leaders accompanying the yatra.
Chicken-pox
cases go up to 30
Excelsior
Correspondent
KATHUA, May 6: The number
of chicken-pox cases reported in Mela and
adjoining hamlets in tehsil Hiranagar
have reached up to 30 while Medical team
was camping in the area for the last two
days.
Chief
Medical Officer Kathua Dr Ajay Khajuria
told Excelsior that a total 16 cases of
Chicken-pox were reported in Athi Mohalla
of Mela on Saturday. Majority of the
affected children belong to Scheduled
Caste community.
Dr
Khajuria further disclosed that on Sunday
eight more cases were reported and the
para-medical team from Hiranagar Block
hospital was rushed to the area. On
Monday, the number of affected cases went
up to 27.
He said
today during check up at Govt Meddle
School Chann Khatriyan, two more cases
were reported. A total 110 school
children were examined by the Medical
team. One more case was reported from
Mela village today.
Now the
number of total Chicken Pox affected
cases has gone up to 30. They have been
given anti-biotic cover. The parents have
been directed to take precautions. They
have been asked to keep surrounding
environment clean, drink boiled water and
take hygienic food. The affected children
have been asked to remain indoor, not to
go to school or mix up with other
children of the locality.
The CMO
said that all the para-medical staff
members have been asked not to proceed on
leave. The teams have started medical
examination of the children in the
adjoining hamlets in Mela and Koota area.
The senior Medical officers are
supervising treatment and examination
work.
No
political consideration in development:
Azad
Excelsior
Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 6: Chief Minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad today said the
development initiative launched by his
Government in the State was governed by
the principle of justice and not party or
electoral considerations.
Addressing
Bandipora District Development Board
meeting, Mr Azad said he was the first
Chief Minister of the State in 60 years
who had worked above political
considerations in so far as development
matters were concerned. He said he did
not resort to political considerations
even in his own constituency where he did
not interfere with development
activities.
"The
leaders of opposition parties also sit
with me in public meetings and actively
participate in identifying and
implementation of development
projects", he said, adding they were
taken on board on these issues.
The Chief
Minister said that development and
justice were his main plank and people of
the State the priority. He said he did
not believe in promoting one region over
the expense of other or take decisions on
caste, religion or region basis. The
Government, he added, was actively
involved in equitable development of
different areas and regions of the State
while neglected and underdeveloped areas
were in special focus.
He said
his emphasis had been on providing
amenities to the people and improving and
upgrading the existing facilities
throughout the State. He said he was
concentrating on people’s issues and
would address them rather than asking the
people to strengthen his party.
The
meeting approved the current year’s
annual plan of the district at Rs 41.27
crores, registering an increase of 34%
over the previous year’s plan of Rs
30.71 crore. However, the Chief Minister
announced another Rs 11 crore for
execution of works under the fast track
scheme to provide immediate relief to
people by completing projects long
pending for want of adequate funds. He
said with this additional amount, the
actual increase of the allocations for
the district over the previous year would
be 75%.
Mr Azad in
response to a point raised by a
legislator, asked heads of various
departments to refer for filling up all
available vacancies to the SSRB. He said
a process of fast track implementation of
development projects pending for long had
been initiated and funds made available
for them. He said a committee of three
members headed by him would identify the
languishing projects which could be
completed by a few lakhs of rupees in a
period of about three to four months. He
clarified that no new projects would be
taken up under this dispensation, adding
that replacement of old electric poles
and improvement of lanes and drains and
blacktopping of internal roads in cities,
pending for want of some money would be
handled by these funds.
He asked
legislators to identify the ongoing
projects within these parameters. He said
the fast track experiment had been
extended to all districts of the State to
ensure early completion of ongoing
projects pending for want of some funds.
Replying
to some demands of up-gradation of health
and educational institutions in the
district, the Chief Minister said that
during past five years thousands of
health and educational institutions had
been upgraded and opened throughout the
State and the Government was now
concentrated on consolidation process to
provide the requisite infrastructure and
manpower to these institutions.
Minister
for Social Welfare, Abdul Gani Vakil, who
is also Chairman of the Bandipora
District Development Board, said that the
Government was fully behind the upright,
honest and performing officers. He asked
district officers to closely and
regularly monitor development and public
welfare projects in their respective
sectors. He complimented the district
officers for their performance in the
newly created district.
Legislators
from the district including Deputy
Speaker, Legislative Assembly, Muhammad
Akbar Lone, Usman Majid, Nazir Gurezi and
Nizamuddin Bhat also spoke in the meeting
and highlighted development demands of
their respective areas.
Earlier,
District Development Commissioner, Sheikh
Mushtaq Ahmad made a presentation on the
development profile of the district and
physical and financial achievements
registered during the last year. He said
new district office complex was being
constructed at a cost of Rs. 15 crore.
Two
held with charas
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 6: Police today
arrested two narcotics smugglers and
recovered 920 grams of charas from their
possession.
Senior
Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu,
Alok Kumar said that on a specific
information a raid was conducted in a
house in New Plots area and two narcotics
smugglers were arrested. From the house,
police recovered 920 grams of charas.
The
arrested smugglers have been identified
as Raj Kumar Koul alias Raju, son of
Chuni Lal Koul and Deepak Kumar, son of
Ram Dass, both the residents of New
Plots.
A case
under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act (NDPSA) has been
registered against them at Pacca Danga
Police Station.
Meanwhile,
a police team from Gandhi Nagar Police
Station conducted a raid in a house in
Nai Basti area and arrested a
drug-peddler identified as Sanu, son of
Sham Lal.
From the
house, police recovered 800 intoxicant
capsules which were brought to Jammu from
Punjab for the drug addicts.
The
accused has been booked under NDPSA.
Two-day
national seminar concludes
Pakistan in critical
position: Parthasarthy
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 6: Former Ambassador G
Parthasarthy today aired view that
Pakistan is passing now a day through its
most critical phase as the newly elected
regime in the country lies in a hung type
situation offering scope to all types of
trouble makers.
He was
addressing the valedictory session of
national seminar on "Pakistan: Past,
Present and Future" in the capacity
of chief guest at University of Jammu
(JU) this afternoon. It is to mention
that Mr Parthasarthy remained Indian High
Commissioner in Pakistan for over five
years.
Further
speaking, Mr Parthasarthy emphasized upon
the need to understand Pakistan in
totality and also to have credible
intelligence network especially in the
wake of uncertainties there.
"The
recent elections in Pakistan produced a
Government wherein nobody has clear cut
majority and political parties were
forced to cobble an alliance of
compulsion. Even, the political
uncertainity there has threatened the
term of President Musharraf", stated
the former ambassador.
He added
that restoration of Judiciary in
beleaguered nation will keep the Govt on
tenterhooks, while the Army will not also
give up too easily, as it’s now
playing its role carefully and feeling
disgraced and said "Army’s role
can not be ignored".
He,
however, said that Musharraf’s
meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee was a significant one, as
according to him, that was the beginning
of real meaningful dialogue process.
Earlier,
Vice Chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo, in
his remarks, pointed, "We as a
country haven’t devoted time in
understanding Pakistan especially about
her complex interior phenomenon".
He said
that the university has tried to
comprehensively understand the problems
in Pakistan through this seminar.
GOC 16
Corps Lt Gen R K Karwal and his wife
Geeta Karwal were also present on the
occasion.
Earlier in
the day, three sessions on themes
"Pakistan’s Foreign
Policy", "Civil Society and
Public Sphere" and "Future of
Pakistan" were held. The speakers
who spoke included AVM (Retd) Kapil Kak,
Dr R P Rajagopalan, Dr Manoj Joshi, Prof
G Gopa Kumar, S S Oberoi, Dr Shaji
Virkey, Ranjeet Kalra, Prof Rajesh
Rajagopalan, Dr Rajiv Nayan and Happymon
Jacob.
Centre for
Strategic and Regional Studies (CSRS), JU
in collaboration with HQ 16 Corps had
organized this workshop.
Negligent
death of woman in Emergency Hospital
Inquiry ordered, doctor
arrested after
massive
protest on NH
Excelsior
Correspondent
RAMBAN, May 6: People today held
massive protest demonstration and blocked
Jammu-Srinagar National Highway here for
more than three hours following the death
of a woman in the Emergency Hospital
allegedly due to the negligence of a
doctor.
The family
members of the deceased Mathi Devi, wife
of Rakesh Kumar of Danote, Ramban alleged
that she was admitted in the Emergency
Hospital on May 4 and Doctor Pardeep
Singh, Assistant Surgeon, conveyed that
she was required to be operated upon.
Soon after
the surgery, the condition of woman
started deteriorating and when Dr Pardeep
Singh was approached the latter refused
to attend to the patient and rather
prepared documents referring her to the
Government Medical College and Hospital,
Jammu, they alleged.
The woman
died in the hospital at Jammu and doctors
remarked that she died due to glaring
negligence during the surgery. Upon this,
the family members brought the body here
and held massive protest demonstration by
blocking the National Highway for more
than three hours.
Shouting
slogans against the accused doctor, the
agitating people demanded strict action
against Dr Pardeep Singh. They alleged
that despite tall claims of the Health
Department, the doctors in the remote
areas particularly in Emergency Hospitals
on the Highway were not ready to perform
their duties sincerely resulting into
negligent deaths after regular intervals.
As the
road blockade continued for more than
three hours, the administration
immediately placed the doctor under
suspension and got a police case
registered against him at Ramban Police
Station.
Later, the
Assistant Commissioner Revenue, who was
appointed as Inquiry Officer to look into
the entire episode, visited the spot and
informed the people that action has been
taken against the doctor. However,
demonstration came to an end after the
arrest of the doctor.
Meanwhile,
MLA Ramban, Chaman Lal demanded relief
and free education for the children of
the deceased.
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