Excelsior Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Nov 2: A deputation of the families of labourers serving in 35 BRTF from Udhampur, under the leadership of senior Congress leader Sumeet Magotra met with Deputy Commissioner Udhampur and sought his intervention.
Magotra disclosed to the Deputy Commissioner that many local people of Udhampur have engaged by 35BRTF for more than one decade on consolidated salary but it is unfortunate that these labourers are not allowed to go back their homes since long despite repeated requests even after performing their duty for the last eight months with the plea of Coronavirus. Their relatives disclosed that their dear ones are forcibly detained and not allowed to leave the workshop Falata of 35 BRTF.
Congress leader requested the Deputy Commissioner that these people have not seen the face of their bread earners for the last eight months and they must be released from illegal detention. The DC has taken this issue very seriously and he immediately made a contact with concerned authorities of 35 BRTF and gave necessary instructions in this regard.
While speaking to the media persons, Congress leader said if Government employees of Medical Department are allowed to go back their residence after performing their duties then why these labourers are detained by the concerned authorities of 35 BRTF. He warned to file a suit against the 35 BRTF in the court of law if the labourers were not allowed to move their homes.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 2: Secretary, J&K BJP, Advocate Rekha Mahajan today said that the new land laws of J&K will encourage investment and advance peace and progress in the UT.
“Under the new arrangements, no domicile or permanent resident certificate is required to purchase non-agricultural land in the UT,” Rekha Mahajan said in a statement. She added that the Union Home Ministry has also notified the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, paving way for the acquisition of land in J&K by all Indian citizens.
She said that LG Manoj Sinha has assured that the amendments did not allow transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists. “However, there are several exemptions in the Act which enable transfer of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, including setting up of educational or health care facilities,” she added.
“J&K is an integral part of India. Any citizen of India is entitled to live in J&K because J&K is an integral and inseparable part of India. India is one nation and the new land laws strengthen this idea of India,” the BJP leader said.
The BJP secretary said that the new laws will also give an impetus to the investment and business in J&K and in turn will provide employment to the youth and will boost industrial growth in the Union Territory. “The new law doesn’t state that anybody can grab or forcibly occupy a property in J&K and the freedom for outsiders to purchase property in J&K does not mean that insider is deprived of rights to decide to sell their property,” she added.
She asserted that the new land laws will open doors for huge investment in the industrial sector, health and medical education, tourism industry, real estate and other sectors which will provide job opportunities to the local youth in the private sector.

Non-filing of status report on artificial lake

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal has granted one more opportunity for filing status report on artificial lake subject to payment of Rs 15,000 cost by the Commissioner/Secretary to Government Irrigation, Flood Control & PHE Department.
When the PIL filed by Inderjeet Khajuria, President All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association came up for hearing, the DB observed, “this Public Interest Litigation is pending before this court since 2014 with regard to the completion of the project of artificial lake; laying down of the Gandola project from Mubarak Mandi to Bahu Fort and beautification of the areas and related issues”.
“We had on March 16, 2020 directed the respondents to place before us the latest status report with regard to these projects. This has not been done despite passage of about seven months”, the DB said and granted one more opportunity to the respondents to file the status report subject to payment of cost of Rs 15,000 by the Commissioner/ Secretary, Irrigation, Flood Control & PHE Department.
“The costs shall be deposited with the Advocate’s Welfare Fund within a period of one week. Proof of deposit shall accompany the status report which shall be filed within four weeks from today”, the DB ordered.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: Bari Brahmana Industries Association has demanded free hold rights for lease hold industrial land in the J&K UT.
A meeting of BBIA Jammu was held today under chairmanship of Lalit Mahajan (president) and also Chairman, Federation of Industries, Jammu, in presence of office bearers Tarun Singla, Ajay Langer, Viraaj Malhotra, Rajesh Jain, Vivek Singhal and other members, to discuss the issue in regarding the conversion of lease hold Industrial land into free hold by J&K SIDCO/SICOP for the existing Unit holders.
The members while conveying their heartiest thanks to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for offering free hold rights to the investors from outside the State for the purchase of land for Industrial use as per the Amendment done the State Land laws, request the Lt. Governor for the grant of free hold rights to the existing units established by sons of soil & the units working since last 15 years as per the State Domicile Law.
It is pertinent to mention here that Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Board has decided to transfer or regularize leasehold rights of Industrial plots on nominal charges of 5-10 per cent of their market value.
The matter in respect of free hold rights of SIDCO/SICOP Land is pending with State Govt since long & it was assured to us number of times the matter is resolved at the earliest but nothing has been done so far.
It is worthwhile to mention here that with the grant of free hold rights of SIDCO/SICOP land in favour of unit holders which will enable the unit holders to have the better credit facilities from the Banks/Financial Institutes. It will also provide window to Unit holders for the transfer of property by General Power of Attorney holders, cancelled lease deed, change of constitution, change in shareholding pattern and cancellation due to non-construction within the stipulated time will be regularized by paying nominal charges of 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the market value.
BBIA requested the Lt. Governor to consider demand by conversion of Lease-hold rights by J&K SIDCO/SICOP in to free hold rights in the proposed New Industrial Policy 2020.

* Seeks records of land transfers in last 2 decades

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 2 High Court has expressed serious concern over the constructions along the banks of River Jhelum in Srinagar and sought records from the Revenue Authorities of titles and transfers of State land in Kashmir from year 2000 till date.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sindhu Sharma recorded that despite prohibitions by the Court and concerns being expressed after the 2014 floods in Srinagar on account of overflow of River Jehlum, it appears that the authorities are completely unaware and uninformed of the gravity of the situation.
The observations have been made by the court after attention drawn towards a construction adjacent to the Abdullah Bridge in Rajbagh area of Srinagar. Court noticed that despite the concern in the matter, a huge multi-storied construction is going on with impunity on the site which is surrounded by main roads leading from Abdullah Bridge towards Convent School on two sides.
Before proceedings further in the matter court deemed it necessary to have all necessary records as well as spot inspection of the site in question. As such court appointed Registrar Judicial as Commissioner and directed her to visit on spot and give a spot notice to owner of the site. “If notice is refused the same be pasted and photo be taken”, court said.
Commissioner has been also asked to have complete photograph and videography of interior and exterior of the construction. Court during the proceedings of the case has been informed that the site in question was completely submerged in 2014 floods and there was no structure in existence at that time. Court has also been apprised that the site in question is unconnected by any passage and there is certainly no place for sewage from the spot.
Court after this information said that it has doubt as to whether such construction is permissible under any law or the Master Plan of City. Court has also sought report with regard to fresh construction is being undertaken on spot or not. “The Commissioner shall also report regarding the provisions of discharge of sewerage”, reads another direction.
Court directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation to bear all costs which are incurred by the Commissioner on videography, photography and other activities taken by her on the directions of court as regards to the construction in question. SMC has been also directed to produce the record of the permission or Sanction granted with regard to the raising of construction.
Apart from this, Court also directed the Secretary Revenue Department to produce the records of ownership of land on which the structure is being constructed including the flow of title and transfers from the year 2000.
Court has also directed the SMC to place before it the copies of NOC granted to the owner of the structure for raising the construction with complete details of authorities who have granted NOC for the structure.
“Prepare a site plan of the site with assistance of a draftsman pointing out the complete construction including floor wise plan” adding with “Report as to existence of a passage to the construction from the public roads”, Court directed to Commissioner.

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 2: High Court has denied bail to two persons having Codeine in their possession in commercial quantity and observed that duo failed to make out case for bail.
Through the medium of application, accused Tanveer Ahmad Rather and Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat were seeking bail in a case (FIR No.47/2020 for offences under Section 8/22/29 of NDPS Act) registered in Police Station, Sumbal, Bandipora.
Duo on 22.03.2020 were arrested by a Police party of Police Station, Sumbal, while on patrolling by spotting them carrying bags in their hands coming towards Sumbal.
The bag recovered from accused Hilal Ahmad Wani contained 8 bottles of Rexorid (Codeine Phosphate), 21 bottles of Omrex (Codeine Phosphate) and 6 bottles of Sivzcodiene (Codeine Phosphate) whereas the bag recovered from accused Tanveer Ahmad contained 13 bottles of Omrex (Codeine Phosphate), 4 bottles of Rexorid (Codeine Phosphate) and 4 bottles of Sivzcodiene(Codeine.
After investigation of the case, offences under Section 8/22/29 of the NDPS Act were found established against the accused-persons and charge sheet was presented before the trial court.
The court of Justice Sanjay Dhar after hearing both the parties at length and perused the record of the trial court dismissed the bail application and recorded that there is no ground, much less a reasonable ground, for believing that the applicants are not guilty of the offence.
Justice Dhar said the petitioners have not been able to make out a case of such nature. Thus there is no merit in the application. “For the foregoing reasons, the bail petition of the petitioner is dismissed at this stage”, Court concluded.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 2: In a meeting of JK Teachers Joint Action Committee (JKTJAC) at Udhampur under the chairmanship of its district president, Lekh Raj Parihar wherein UT president, Vinod Sharma and other representatives of JKTJAC were also present, issues of teachers appointed under ReT scheme were discussed.
On issue of regularization of ReTs whose files are lying in directorates for a long time, Vinod Sharma said no regularization list has been issued by Director School Education Jammu (DSEJ) for the last five months due to which teachers are suffering badly.
Sharma said that some regularization cases are due since 2018 and the affected teachers who were supposed to get full salary after regularization are just getting Rs. 3,000 per month and that too is pending for the last many months.
“Delay in regularization means delay in conversion to Teachers Grade II/III and consequently delay in releasing their several months salary,” he maintained adding that the matter has been brought into the notice of DSEJ many times but nothing fruitful emerged so the teachers are forced to come on roads.
Sharma said that they will hold protest demonstration against the callous approach of authorities after November 15 if regularization list of all the ReTs is not issued by then.
He also demanded revocation of order regarding forced retirement of employees after a certain age and called it clear cut injustice.
Sharma appealed all the organizations of employees to fight jointly against such harassment.
Other demands raised in the meeting were transfer policy in favour of teachers appointed under ReT scheme, DPC of teachers to masters, conversion of Head Teachers posts (SSA) into non plan master posts, release of salary and other arrears of RReTs under SSA prior to September 2018.
Those who attended the meeting were Sukhdev Singh Sumberia, Sham Sharma, Sukesh Khajuria, Ashok Seth, Bhushan Khajuria, Pritam Goswami, Anil Sharma, Som Raj, Anil Khajuria, Ranjit Singh, Parshotam Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Vipan Sharma, Rajesh Jamwal, Parshant Sharma, Binder Kumar and others.

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Nov 2: In a bid to start non-COVID operations, SKIMS Medical College & Hospital, Bemina has gone novel by starting first-of-its-kind Online Booking of OPD consultations for patients.
Principal of the hospital Dr. Reyaz Untoo termed the service as first of its kind in the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
While detailing its working, he said: “Under this service, a patient has to book prior appointment on the website of the hospital and select the doctor and in the list, once the booking is confirmed and the patient can download or take the screenshot of the application and accordingly we make his OPD card and necessary arrangements.”
Notably, the SKIMS, Bemina was a COVID dedicated hospital and the after the spread of pandemic all non-COVID services were brought to a halt.
While the hospital has entirely focused on COVID care, now, to restart the services of OPD in SKIMS Bemina, authorities have to arrange separate facilities for the non-COVID operations to start.
Dr Untoo said that separate premises and separate entry and exit points have been arranged for OPD patients.   As of now, online booking has been started for selected departments.
“We have started the prior online booking for OPD services in Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Psychiatric and Orthopaedic Department.
Notably, the Faculty Forum of SKIMS, Bemina during a meeting with the LG Manoj Sinha recently had taken up the issue of starting the non-COVID operations at the hospital.
The Forum had also demanded that the academics at the hospital must also be started given the easing up of the COVID-19 situation.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 2: Three hundred eighty-three persons were fined today by Food Safety team of Food and Drugs Administration for smoking at public places.
A total fine of Rs 29707 was realized on spot from the persons who were found smoking at public places. The drive was carried out on the instructions of the Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, Shakeel-Ur-Rehman, to enforce the various provision laid down under the COTPA 2003, throughout the Union Territory.
During the drive, 876 inspections were carried out and 383 persons were found violating the Section (4) of the said Act. Moreover, 9 shops were found selling Cigarette and other Tobacco products within the radius of 100 yards of educational institutions and fine of Rs 1800 realized from the vendors for violating Section 6(b) of the Act.
Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, J&K has advised the general public, not to smoke, in the public places, as it not only affects their health but also the co-person equally.