Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 29: Devyani Rana, MLA Nagrota, today led a road blockage to protest against the acute and escalating water crisis in the Nagrota constituency, terming it a direct consequence of administrative negligence and failure on the part of the Jal Shakti (PHE) Department.
“This is a clear case of prolonged negligence, administrative apathy, and systemic failure, which has severely disrupted the water supply and caused immense hardship to the people of Nagrota,” she said.
During her visit to Badsoo Panchayat in Nagrota, the MLA staged a warning protest against the department. She highlighted that more than 13 PHE stations and dug wells across the constituency have remained defunct for several months, severely affecting water supply to thousands of residents.
Citing specific instances, she pointed out that the PHE dug wells at Hurnali and Kah Pohta have been non-functional since August following flood damage, with no meaningful restoration efforts undertaken so far.
Expressing serious concern, Rana stated that despite substantial allocations in the 2026-27 budget to the PHE sector of Rs 3,500 crore along with financial assistance from the Central Government of an additional approximately Rs 3,000 crore under SASCI, the UT administration and the department have “miserably failed” to utilize these funds effectively.
Taking strong exception to the functioning of the Mechanical Wing of the PHE department, she said the department has failed to ensure timely repair and maintenance of pump sets and motors.
“In many cases, motors are repaired and reinstalled only to get burnt again within days. This clearly points towards substandard repair work, lack of technical oversight, and absence of preventive maintenance. Such inefficiency is unacceptable,” she said.
She further added that over the past six days, the department has been repeatedly repairing and reinstalling motors, pumps, and transformers at PHE stations in Galali and Gharota, only for them to develop faults or burn out again the very next day. “This recurring failure reflects sheer mismanagement, poor quality control, and a complete lack of accountability within the system,” she asserted.
She further noted that water tanker services, which had been providing temporary relief, have also been discontinued without any alternative arrangements, aggravating the hardships faced by the people.
Ms. Rana asked the department to act immediately and restore all defunct water supply systems on a war footing.
“If the authorities continue to remain indifferent, the patience of the people will wear thin. They will have no option but to come out on the streets and protest against this blatant neglect and administrative failure,” she warned.
She urged the UT administration to intervene at the highest level, fix responsibility, and ensure time-bound restoration of water supply systems.

Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Apr 29: A mega medical eye camp was organised here today at Shree Hari Prabhu Sanstha, Gujroo Nagrota by Dr. Ashok Sharma of GMC Jammu along with his dedicated team of doctors.
The camp witnessed an overwhelming response, with more than 185 patients from far-flung areas attending and availing the medical facilities. Out of these, around 50 patients were identified for cataract operations while 70 patients were recommended for spectacles.
The identified patients will be taken by the Sanstha to Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu on May 11, 2026, where their surgeries will be conducted.
The Sanstha will provide all necessary assistance during this process. Additionally, spectacles will be prepared and distributed free of cost to the needy patients.
The lunch was arranged for all patients and the visiting medical team by Vipin Gupta.
On this occasion, the president, Sansar Chand Gupta delivered vote of thanks.
Earlier, Kuldeep Gupta delivered the welcome address while Kishori Lal Gupta added a cultural touch to the event by presenting melodious songs.
The dedicated team of the Sanstha included Sansar Chand Gupta, Kuldeep Gupta, Kishori Lal Gupta, Romesh Gupta, Sudesh Gupta, Darshan Gupta, Deepak Sharma, Krishan Chand Verma, Dr. Govind Ram Gupta, Dev Kumar Gupta, Shori Lal Gupta and Har Dev Singh.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 29: Dogra Brahman Pratinidhi Sabha Channi Himmat released its Ist edition ‘Panchang’ (Indian Calendar) for Vikrami Samvat 2083, here today.
The calendar highlights Indian culture, festivals, and traditional fasts, and is widely utilized in local households to mark traditional cultural festivals. The event brought together students, artists, Vedic Scholars, head of various religious and social organizations, poets, prominent personalities, media personnel on one platform.
The event was led by Dogra Brahman Pratinidhi Sabha Channi Himmat President Sunil Sharma and graced by Soujanya Sharma, former Municipal Commissioner; O P Dubey, former Chief Engineer and Professor Vijay Sharma.
Sunil Sharma released the ‘Panchang Calendar’ in the presence of Phool Krishan ji Maharaj, Vedic Scholar, Dr Baldev Shastri, Head of Manuscript Documentation, Jagdish Dogra -ex president Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Professor Yash Paul Sharma -President General Category Peoples Forum.
Speaking on the occasion, Sunil Sharma said that the calendar with its charming and attractive colours is not only suitable for people of all age groups, but should be seen also as a medium for propagating Sanatan Dharma.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 29: In a significant step towards strengthening the digital governance and enhancing citizen service delivery, the Information Technology Department today convened a comprehensive meeting under the chairmanship of Secretary, Information Technology, to deliberate upon the adoption of a Multi-Channel Messaging API Solution for seamless delivery of Government e-services to the citizens.
The meeting was chaired by Dr. Piyush Singla Secretary, Information Technology Department and was attended by senior officers and officials of the Department, including the CEO, JaKeGA, Director Finance, Additional Secretary IT, Head SeMT, Consultant SeMT, and representatives of empanelled System Integrators (SI’s) under the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
The deliberations focused on leveraging a conversational multi-channel communication platform to improve the accessibility, efficiency and responsiveness of Government services. During the meeting, technical presentations and Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations were reviewed, highlighting multiple citizen-centric use cases such as grievance redressal, service delivery notifications, application status tracking, dissemination of Government schemes and public information and interactive citizen support services.
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary IT emphasized that the initiative is aimed at bringing the Government services closer to the citizens by utilizing widely adopted digital communication platforms, thereby ensuring ease of access, real-time interaction, and an improved user experience. He further observed that integration of Multi-Channel Messaging API Solution based services has the potential to significantly strengthen inclusive governance, particularly in remote and underserved areas of the Union Territory.
The empanelled agencies also presented their technical capabilities for deployment of secure, scalable and efficient solutions in compliance with the guidelines and standards prescribed by the MeitY Government of India.
The Information Technology Department is presently evaluating the PoCs and technical proposals submitted by the participating agencies and shall finalize the implementation strategy accordingly.
This initiative marks another significant milestone in the Government of Jammu & Kashmir’s vision of harnessing technology-driven governance to deliver accessible, efficient and people-centric public services.