Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 31: In an attempt to reach out to the people of hilly and rural areas and address their problems at the doorsteps, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Sharma today dedicated 3500 gallon discharge capacity per hour deep drill tube well to the people of Garh in Akhnoor Tehsil.
The construction work of tube well including laying of water supply pipes in uncovered areas of the village Garh has been completed at an cost of Rs. 125 lakh under MRDWP.
Addressing a largely attended public meeting after inauguration of the deep drill tubewell, Sham said that with the commissioning of this water supply scheme, a populace of about 5,000 souls of Garh, Talban, Sohal, Tanda and its adjoining areas would get relief from shortage of drinking water. He said that Government was highly concerned about the scarcity of water supply in urban and peripheral areas of the State, adding that number of water supply scheme have been taken up to provide safe drinking water in these areas.
Emphasizing the need to involve sarpanchs, panchs as well as locals in revival and maintenance of traditional water resources, the Minister said that these areas have perennial source of water in kandi areas since centuries. He said that Government has also been working on a comprehensive plan to modernize and revive all the traditional ponds and water bodies in Kandi areas of the State that are highly dependable source of water for the people of these areas.
Regarding development issues, the Minister said that during the last five and half years unprecedented development has been witnessed in the three regions of the State. He said that during this period several projects pertaining to PHE and Irrigation have been completed. He asked the executing agencies to make optimum use of funds and complete the projects within time frame. He urged the people to personally monitor the development works being executed in their respective areas.
Chief Engineer PHE Susheel Aima, SE Hydraulic Rajeev Malhotra, XEn PHE, Ground Water, AEEs and officers of the concerned department were also present on the occasion.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 31: Minister for Health & Medical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-Din has asked the hospital authorities to make the operation theatres fully equipped and functional so that patients do not face any inconvenience.
Chairing a meeting to review the status of operation theatres at various hospitals, the Minister asked the authorities concerned to revisit the facilities and functionalities at the operation theatres in order to serve the patients in a better and efficient way.
The meeting was told that 32 operation theatres are functional at GMC, Srinagar and its Associated Hospitals against 29 last year. It was also given out that during the last financial year 17,000 surgeries were conducted in these theatres.
Mr. Taj underscored the need for equipping hospitals with most modern surgical amenities and equipment so that the treatment is rendered to the maximum level of precision. He said the field of surgery has made many advances across the globe and these advances need to be factored in our operation theatres.
The Minister directed making Kashmir Nursing Home and Sanat Nagar Maternity Hospital fully functional so that the patient rush on other adjoining hospitals is rationalized. He also asked for streamlining manpower and conducting human resource auditing of GMC and Associated Hospitals.
Commissioner-Secretary, Health & Medical Education,  Gazzanfar Hussain; Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Rafiq Pampori and other senior doctors and officers were present in the meeting.

Excelsior Correspondent
MENDHAR, July 31: Residents of Chhajla  and Mankote area today held protest against PDD after a 9-year-old boy died of electric shock as a live wire had fallen on him in the field at the village.
The police has registered an FIR against the PDD authorities and started investigation. The incident took place at Chhajla village in the morning. 9-year-old Azhar Ahmed, son of Mehmood Ahmed, resident of Chhajla had gone to nearby maize field. He was hit by a live electric wire which had fallen down on the ground. He got electrocuted. The family rushed him to hospital at Mendhar where doctors  declared him as dead. After postmortem, the body was handed over to the family. The relatives of the deceased and villagers held protest against PDD for negligence and demanded action. Later, an FIR was lodged with the Mendhar police in this connection.

Excelsior Correspondent

Jammu, July 31: First ever ‘Tabla Recital’  featuring eminent Tabla maestro K.L. Verma was organised here today by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India at K.L. Sehgal Hall.
This exclusive Tabla evening programme was also marked by the honouring of yet another Tabla Maestro Rajinder Raina. Earlier the Regional Director of ICCR Jammu Balwant Thakur while welcoming the music lovers said that unfortunately in Jammu, Tabla as an instrument is seen and acknowledged as accompaniment to a musical concert and never ever the great instrumentalists of the town were showcased in a spotlight programme. Although the origin of tabla is somewhat obscure, it is generally believed that it evolved from the barrel shaped drum called Pakhawaj, this was about three hundred years ago.
ICCR Jammu is making all out efforts to recognise such individuals who have given a new identity to this great art through their hard efforts. Speaking about K.L. Verma, Balwant Thakur said that a living legend of the field, K.L. Verma started his career in music at the age of five when he started learning devotional singing under saintly personality Guru Baba Sita Ram Ji.
Later he became the Shashya (Student) of Pt. Uma Dutt Sharma. K.L. Verma and takes pride in having remained associated with world music personality Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma with whom he accompanied in various concerts and programmes and stayed with him in Mumbai for over eight years.
As Tabla player, K.L. Verma is having the distinction of accompanying great artists of India which included Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pt. Naryan rao Byas, Ustad Husan Lal, Pt. Hari Gosh, Pt. Rajan Sajan Mishra, Peenaz Misani, Rajinder Mehta, Neena Mehta,  Ustad Ahmed Hussain Mohmad Hussain, and Pt. Bhajan Sopuri. Retired as H.O.D of Music Department of the University of Jammu, he is has the credit of having participated in over hundreds of the programmes and concerts organised by All India Radio, Doordarshan, J&K Cultural Academy which were held across the length and breadth of the country.
The ‘Tabla Concert’ by K.L. Verma being a legendary figure was more of a Lecture demonstration series which keenly witnessed and relished by the music lovers. He started his programme with ‘Utthan’ followed by ‘Peshkaar’, ‘Kayada’, ‘Rela’, ‘Chakardaar Tukddey’ and was culminated with soulful ‘Lehkaaryain’.
Prominent among those who graced the occasion included V.K. Samyal, Director Radio Kashmir Jammu, Vachaspati , Former Principal Institute of Music and Fine Arts, Rajinder Kumar Raina, Prof. Kailash Mehra,  Suraj Singh, Ravi Magotra, Prithvi Raj Sharma, Ravi Sharma and Harish Kaila.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 31: The dental surgeons today took out a protest march to express their anguish against the Government for not conceding their demands.
The unemployed dental surgeons along with members of All India Backward Class Union (AIBCU) assembled near Civil Secretariat and marched towards Deputy Commissioner (DC) Office via Residency Road. They were raising slogans against the Government for not redressing their demands. The protestors also held protest outside NC and Congress offices.
Addressing the gathering, Chairman of the association Dr Pawan Singh Jasrotia said that coalition Government is not bothered about the educated and skilled youth of the State, which will prove self-inflicting harms to them in the forthcoming assembly elections.
Dr Jasrotia appealed the Government to redress the issues of the dental surgeons at the earliest.
He also appealed to the entire dental fraternity as well as other public to join us on humanitarian ground for our genuine demands.
He stated that the protest will continue till their demands including complete absorption of unemployed dental youth, recruitment of dental surgeons on yearly basis and establishment of separate directorate for dental health in the State is met with.
Meanwhile, female dental surgeons under the banner of Dental Surgeons Association (DSA) continued their chain hunger strike for the nineteenth consecutive day, whereas the dharna by the association entered 31st day today.
Continuing the chain hunger strike, Dr Preeti Menia was sitting on fast to carry forward the movement of the association.
The members of Jammu province people Front (JPPF) led by its working president MS Katoch met the protesting dental surgeons and extended full support to their agitation.
JKPF members including its president Satish Poonchi and Insaaf Party also extended their support to the agitating unemployed dental surgeons.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 31: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Ali Mohammad Sagar accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmed Shah and other senior officers, today visited the cloud burst victims of Anzimar, Khanyar whose properties got damaged.
While interacting with the victims, the Minister assured all possible assistance from the Government. He said the authorities would assess the loss and compensate the victims accordingly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sagar directed the officers to prepare a comprehensive report about the extent of damage so that the process of compensation was initiated.
The Minister also inspected Syed Mirakh Shah Road project and directed the officers to speed up the pace of work on this prestigious road project. He said that the project is very essential for ensuring better traffic mobility in the Srinagar city and the necessary steps should be taken to ensure its completion within shortest possible time.
Mr. Sagar further directed the officers to ensure timely disposal of various compensation cases of the persons whose properties are being acquired as a result of the road widening so that they do not face any inconvenience.