Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 10: High Court today sought status report from various departments on the direction regarding for decongestion and smooth plying of traffic in the city.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Virender Singh and Justice Hasnain Masoodi in a public interest litigation for decongestion and smooth plying of traffic in Srinagar city directed Srinagar Development authority to file detailed status report with regard to Pantha Chowk Bus Stand and suggestions made by NIT.
Advocate J. H. Reshi, who is amicus to the litigation pointed out that experts from NIT Hazratbal have surveyed the Bus Stand and other places and put certain suggestions with regard to congestion problems.
The PIL has been filed by Kashmir Consumer Welfare Forum against the Government for management of traffic in Srinagar.
Advocate Javed Iqbal, counsel for SDA, assured the court that the suggestions put forth by the NIT be placed before the experts of RITES India who have been contacted  by SDA for visiting the valley and make their suggestion to curb the problems of congestion of traffic in city and particularly in Bus Stand.
With regard to installation of Auto LPG outlets in Valley, counsel for Indian Oil Corporation requested for some time for filing response regarding required formalities and necessary approvals for installation of such outlets.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in compliance to previous direction of the court in its status report specifically denied that any used Indian Oil is being utilized in the macadamization work on Qazigund-Srinagar road.
Amicus to the PIL however stated that large number of complaints of private contractors, agents, who have undertaken the job of macadamization of the roads in valley are using used Mobile Oil to save the Tarcoal which is ultimately sold in the market.
He requested to the court that complete mechanism should be put in place to stop the use of used Mobile oil. The court granted four weeks to Additional Advocate General to file status report in this regard.

Excelsior Correspondent

KATHUA, July 10: With an aim to listen the problems of the people at their door steps Minister of State for Fisheries, Cooperatives, Finance and Planning, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma convened public grievance camps at Rajwalta.
At Rajwalta  deputations hailing from Uppar Rajwalta, Kalyal, Mastgarh apprised the minister about their difficulties and demands including extension of PMGSY road from Kalyal to Mastgarh, up gradation of High School Uppar Rajwalta, new electric poles for 11 kw line, PHE water tank, and ration depot for Rajwalta.
While speaking on the occasion, Dr Sharma announced Panchayat Ghar for Rajwalta panchayat and assured every help to mitigate other highlighted issues by the representatives.  He directed PDD officers to remove old poles of 11 KW line and also directed to shift 63 Kw transformer to accessible area. He assured that extension of PMGSY will be examined and needful will be done to give people road access.
Koug deputation apprised the minister about water scarcity in Bakkerwal Basti and also demanded Mobile school, CAPD ration,  transformer for Morian, electric poles for Pakda.
Dr Sharma after giving patient hearing to the demands of the people passed instructions to the field functionaries to adress the genuine demands of the people on priority basis. He said Governmnet is keen to strenghen the Panchayats so that development reach at grass root level. He said Panch and Sarpanchs must own responsibilty to project and address the demands and difficulties of the people at proper forum. He said time demands proactive participation of the rural community to uplift their economic and social status.
He directed TSO to provide ration supply to left out areas of Koug panchayat immediately.  He also directed PDD to install electric poles at leftout habitations. PHE Department was asked to provide water supply through tankers and also to submit the estimate of pipes for Marhoon.  PWD officers were directed to do the patchwork on Sialna road at an earliest.

Excelsior Correspondent

SAMBA, July 10: The irate residents of Ward No 2, Daghore in district Samba held a protest demonstration against the PHE and PDD for the scarcity of drinking eater and power crisis in the area and blocked the Jammu -Pathankote NH for 15 minutes.
The protestors alleged that they face acute scarcity of drinking water for a week now. The protest was led by Som Nath Panch, Ward No 2 in which men, women and children participated. The protestors lifted the road blockade on the request of Sapwal Police to allow the Amarnath pilgrims to move.
They alleged that the PHE Department has failed to concede their demand of supplying the drinking water and there are crisis in the area as water supply has remained suspended for a week now in these hot days of Summer.
Another protest was held at Ramgarh which was led by PDP leader against the power curtailments. The protestors raising anti Government and anti PDD slogans   blocked Ramgarh road. The protest was led by Yash Paul Sharma PDP leader.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 10:  The Government is contemplating to open consumer awareness centre at all districts to create mass awareness about the consumer rights in the state.
Giving directions in this regard,    the Minister for Transport, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Mohammad Ramzan asked the department functionaries to involve the local NGOs in the establishment of these centres and the awareness campaign to be launched thereto.  He said that having such centers at the district levels would facilitate to take the consumer awareness campaign to the rural areas.
Chairing a meeting of the functionaries of departments under his charge, including Transport and CAPD, the minister took a detailed review of the stock and supply position in the Jammu region.
Stressing the need to further streamlining of the public distribution of ration, he specially emphasized the need for mounting vigil on the transportation of ration to the rural areas to check the pilferage and theft.
The Minister asked the CAPD functionaries to go tough against the hoarders and black marketers and brought them to book to set an example for others. He mentioned about the complaints pouring in from some far flung areas and asked the Director to identify the elements official or outsiders involved in mal practices. For this, he asked the division, district and tehsil level functionaries to conduct regular inspection in their areas of jurisdiction.  He called for maintaining close coordination among CAPD, FCI and SRTC – the agency involved in the transportation of the ration.
Regarding the supply of   LPG, the Minister asked the regulating agencies to keep a check on black marketing of subsidized LPG and take action against the agencies who fail to provide home delivery to the consumers.
The Minister also asked the CA&PD functionaries to identify the Oil Companies which are not complying with the norms with regard to LPG supply and recommend their names to Central Government for necessary action.
Regarding dearth of staff in the CA&PD Department, the Minister asked the authorities to imitate the process for appointment of IVth class employees within a month time.
The Minister also asked for strict enforcement of the Essential Commodity Act to check black marketing and hoarding by unscrupulous traders, adding that the Government was contemplating to add more teeth to the existing act by making it more stringent.
The Minister also reviewed the functioning of Legal Metrological and Transport Department. He was informed that various innovative proposals are in pipeline to make the department more effective and vibrant like establishment of working Standard Laboratories in all the districts, besides introduction of latest quality check instruments.
The meeting was attended by Secretary CAPD, Baseer Khan, Director CAPD, G.S. Chib, Transport Commissioner, Sourabh Bhagat, Deputy Transport Commissioner, M.L. Raina, RTO Jammu, Arvind Kotwal, RTO Lakhanpur, Ajay Sharma, ARTO Jammu, Kuldeep Singh, ARTO (BOI), Jugal Sharma, ARTO Kathua, Mohmmad Saleem, Deputy Director State Motor Garages, Zakir Chowdhary, Deputy Controller Legal Metrology Jammu, General Manager JKSRTC, R.S. Jamwal, Manoj Prabhakar, GM (FCI), Kishore Kumar besides senior offices of all concerned departments.

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 10: A local court in Baramulla awarded life imprisonment to former divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahedeen on charges of murder and imposed a fine of Rs 10000 on him.
The District and Additional Sessions Judge Baramulla, Tasleem Arief convicted Maqsood Ahmad Bhat on the charges of murdering Dr Reyaz Ahmed Bhat in 2005.
“The period of imprisonment already undergone by the convict as an undertrial in the instant case shall be considered while computing the sentence,” the court said.
Bhat has been convicted for causing “intentional” death of a man in Baramulla district by using prohibited arms.
The court also imposed an amount of Rs 10000 on the accused and asked for paying the same to the state treasury.
According to the prosecution, the accused Maqsood Bhat killed Dr Reyaz Ahmed Bhat of Hanzura Pattan, a PDP Block President, on June 16, 2005. “A case under FIR No. 87/2005 under Section 302 of the RPC was registered in Police Station Pattan”.
“I am of the considered opinion that the case of the convicts is not the rarest of the rare case where the convict should forfeit his right to life because no case for awarding capital punishment is made out,” Judge Tasleem Arief said in his judgment.