Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 5: In view of upcoming Assembly election and festival season, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Ajeet Kumar Sahu and Deputy Commissioner Samba Mubarak Singh reviewed security arrangements in their respective districts.
DC Jammu Ajeet Kumar Sahu along with SSP Jammu Uttam Chand today convened a meeting to review the security scenario, law and orders situation in the district.
During the meeting, the stress was laid for maintenance of overall law and order in general and for Independence Day and celebration of religious festivals in particular.
DC asked the Police and Civil administration to conduct meetings with people in their respective area jurisdictions to maintain good cordial relation with the people.
Other issues which came up for detailed discussions include, identification of trouble creators and Trouble Shooters, timely action crime investigation, meeting with people up to village level for maintaining peace and tranquility, effective implementation of ban on polythene and noise pollution, timely LPG home delivery and complained redresses status, preparation in view of Assembly election 2014,  border firing, infiltration, etc.
SSP Jammu Uttam Chand also gave account of arrangements put in place by district police to tackle law and order situations, especially for celebration of Independence Day and ensuing festivals.
Among others, ADC Kalyan Singh, ACG Shahnaz Akhtar, SSP Traffic Sanjay Parihar, SSP Security Jammu Ramesh Angral, SE PHE Sunil Gupta, Deputy Controller Legal Metrology Manoj Prabhakar, Deputy Director CAPD Babu Ram, Deputy Controller Enf V. S. Sambyal, SP South Jammu Rahul Malik, SP HQ Jammu Randheer Singh, SP Rural M. L. Kaith, Tehsildars, SDPOs, besides other senior officers of various departments attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, DC Samba Mubarak Singh also convened a high level meeting to review the security scenario and law and order situation in the district.
The meeting was attended by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Officers of 168 Infantry Brigade, 92 Infantry Brigade, the Commandants of BSF and ITBP, besides the officers of the Civil Administration.
DC highlighted the role of officers of Civil Administration, Police, the Army and Para Military Forces in the event of adverse situations leading to law and order problems and to safeguard the life and property of public vis-à-vis maintaining the peace and tranquillity.
DC gave an account of arrangements made to maintain communal harmony and peace and further highlighted the role of PRIs, the prominent persons and religious heads of the communities, in maintaining peace.
He informed that regular meetings are held at various levels to maintain harmony. Besides the District Officers of various departments especially the essential services viz PHE, PDD, Health, Flood Control and CAPD  have been geared up to ensure delivery of services efficiently so as to avoid public outcry, agitations and protests.
DC also sought coordination from Army and Para Military forces for tackling the situation arising out of unforeseen circumstances especially Border Firing, Infiltration, disasters etc.
SSP Samba gave account of arrangements put in place by district police to tackle law and order situations, especially for celebration of Independence Day and ensuing festivals.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 5: Alleging irregularities in use of Quality Assurance Fund, members of National Secular Forum (NSF) staged a protest demonstration in Jammu University, here today.
The protesters, led by NSF president Sukhdev Singh, were demanding audit of the Quality Assurance Department since its establishment.
While addressing the protesters, Sukhdev Singh explained that the Department was charging Rs 135 from each student as Quality Assurance Fund, which was allegedly being misutilized instead of spending it for maintaining quality.
Alleging that the University has engaged some NGO, which was being provided this fund for the reasons best known to the Director Quality Assurance, the NSF leader demanded an enquiry to unearth the irregularities committed in this regard.
According to official website of Director Quality Assurance, it has been maintained in the objectives and functions that the collected QA fund would be used to undertake, intervention strategies for encouraging self-evaluation, accountability, continual improvement in all the system procedure beside many other functions, but on ground level the net result was nil, said Sukhdev Singh.
“The department is also supposed to use this fund for placements, fellowships, career education fairs besides numerous other functions, but not even a single placement drive has been conducted in Languages departments,” he added.
Demanding special audit of the funds and the department, NSF president appealed Chancellor NN Vohra to intervene into the matter and conduct a thorough probe of misappropriations.

NEW DELHI, Aug 5:
Over 200 IAS officers have failed to submit their Immovable Property Returns (IPRs) to the Government within the stipulated time frame this year.
Of the 205 officers who did not submit their IPRs for 2013, 58 are from Uttar Pradesh cadre, 28 from Madhya Pradesh and 26 from Andhra Pradesh cadre, according to Department of Personnel and Training data.
Besides, 13 each such officials are from Odisha and West Bengal, 10 from Jammu and Kashmir, and seven each from Manipur-Tripura and from Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, it said.
There are five IAS officers from Sikkim, four each from Assam-Meghalaya, Haryana, Jharkhand, Nagaland, and Rajasthan, and three each such personnel from Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand cadres who have not submitted their IPRs for 2013.
Two officers each from Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra cadres have also not submitted their IPRs for the last year.
As many as 4,619 IAS officers are working across the country against the total authorised strength of 6,270.
There are also 152 IAS officers who have not submitted their IPRs for 2012 and 49 others who have failed to give their property details for 2011. There are also 38 IAS officers who have not submitted their IPRs for 2010, the DoPT data said.
An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer is bound to file property returns of a year by January-end of the following year, failing which promotion and empanelment to senior-level postings may be denied.
In a related development, the DoPT has asked all Central Government Ministries, States Government and Union Territories administrators to ensure that all IAS, IPS and IFoS services officers file their revised property returns by September 15, as part of a mandatory obligation under the new Lokpal rules.
“The new Lokpal rules make it mandatory to file a revised return. The circular has been issued to ensure that officers give details in time,” a senior DoPT official said.
As per the rules, notified under Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, every public servant shall file declaration, information and annual returns of his assets and liabilities as on March 31, every year, on or before July 31 of that year. However, for the current year, the last date of filing such returns have been decided as September 15.
According to the Lokpal Act, a public servant shall furnish to the competent authority information relating to the assets of which he, his spouse and his dependent children, jointly or severally, own. (PTI)

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 5:  As a goodwill gesture, Army provided computers and  furniture to Government schools for assisting children in getting quality education.
Sohanda Rashtriya Rifles, under Delta Force, provided two computers with complete accessories and furniture to the Government Higher Secondary School Jakyas during a function in this regard.
In a similar goodwill gesture,  Rashtriya Rifles Battalion based at Samote, under Uniform Force, provided furniture to Government Middle School, Baithan and Government Girls High School Budhal today.
These Government Schools are imparting education to more than 634 students of nearby villages and adjoining areas.
The furniture items were handed to the Headmasters of the Schools in presence of village Sarpanchs and other civil dignitaries.
The villagers and the school authorities appreciated the efforts of the Indian Army in providing furniture to the school.

Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Aug 5: An elderly woman was electrocuted after a live wire fell from an electric pole on her near her residence at Battal Balian, Udhampur.
The woman, identified as  Darshana Devi (65) wife of Chuni  Lal of Battal Balian, was rushed to hospital where doctors declared her as brought dead.
Meanwhile, in a road accident, one person was injured when his car collided with another vehicle on the  National Highway at Omara Morh. The collision took place between a Swift car bearing registration number  JK02AJ-9027 and  Safari number  JK02AR-5810.   The injured person, identified as Sunil Kumar son of Bihari Lal of Bikram Chook Jammu was rushed to District Hospital Udhampur where doctors referred him to GMC Hospital Jammu.