Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 3: The High Court, in a PIL filed by Balvinder Singh an RTI Activists seeking to disband the mode and practice of depositing of payments under all Major Heads of all Public Authorities to avoid giving undue benefit to the J&K Bank by means of commissions; to withdraw all officials/ employees of J&K State Govt deputed to J&K Bank for collecting remittance of challans of various denominations; also seeking direction to the Official respondents to take on itself the receipts and treasury transactions to get rid of payment of commission by adopting the mode of remittance of payment in the particular department itself or in the Govt treasury and also seeking investigation by CBI to initiate Inquiry for investigating the huge loss caused to the State Exchequer and to identify those who are responsible as well as beneficiaries out of the decision of giving undue benefit and wrongful gain, granted two weeks time response on behalf of the State.
Today when this PIL came-up for hearing, AAG Ravinder Sharma appearing vice senior AAG Gagan Basotra, projecting the difficulty of Sr. AAG to appear today, being out of the station, sought another two weeks time to file response on behalf of State.  A Division Bench of State High Court Comprising Justice Virender Singh and Justice Bansi Lal Bhat granted two weeks time but as last opportunity  and  further observed that in default thereof, the Court shall be constrained to pass some interim direction.

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 3: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar has directed the officers to speed up the macadamization of city roads, so that the people of the city do not face any inconvenience and also asked for speeding up developmental works undertaken by the Government.
The Minister was interacting with officers during his extensive tour of the Srinagar city today to oversee the status of various developmental works undertaken by the Government.
He was accompanied by the senior officers of various departments like R&B, SMC, PHE, Health, CA&PD and district administration.
Mr Sagar asked the officers to speed up the macadamization of the city roads and complete the same within shortest possible time in view of the on-going tourist season and general convenience of the public. He said that the special care should be taken on macadamizing the roads leading to various tourist and pilgrim spots.
The Minister also asked for macadamizing of Syed Mirakhshah and KZP Road projects as they are pivotal in ensuring better traffic mobility and management in the city. He also asked the officers to speed up the leftover work on these projects as soon as possible for the general convenience of the public.
He also asked the SMC to speed up the pace of work on the Mukhdoom Mandaw Shrine at Kailashpora and also pay adequate compensation to the shopkeepers whose properties are being acquired.
The Minister also inaugurated the Ration Ghat at Suratang Rainawari. While interacting with the people, the Minister maintained that the Government is committed to provide quality services to the people and in this regard several schemes have been undertaken in vital sectors of PHE, R&B, Health, Education, PDD, Housing etc.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 3: The Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce Department (ICD), Government of India, reviewed Dastkar Scheme in a meeting held recently.
The meeting was attended by Special Secretary to Government, I&C Department, Director Handicrafts Department, Director Finance, I&C Department, president, J&K Bank Ltd, Assistant Director, Handicrafts and the KCCI president Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad accompanied by Rauf Ahmad Punjabi.
During the meeting, the KCCI raised issues about bringing some change in the Scheme for the ease of its beneficiary and in response to which the Financial Commissioner ordered that J&K Bank will allow a moratorium period of 6 months under the Scheme to all cases to be sanctioned after July 1, 2014.
The Financial Commissioner further ordered that Interest Subsidy of 10% will be available for 5 ½ years including the moratorium of only one month allowed at present, loan amount in full shall be treated as term loan under the Scheme with effect from July 1, 2014.
He also ordered Director, Handicrafts Department to prepare the scheme guidelines accordingly and submit the draft guidelines to the Administrative Department for formal approval.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 3: Radio Sharda 90.4 FM Community Radio of Pir Panchal (CESES) Organization, working for the promotion and preservation of 5000 years old culture and language among the displaced people and local residents today celebrated 200th Episode Ceremony of ‘Pend tee Puran’ Programme meaning Homes and Hearths at its Complex, here.
The programme is dedicated to the displaced people who had been forced to leave home after the militancy in Kashmir.
Speaking on the occasion, Founder Director and president Pir Panchal (CESES) Organization prased the programmers and the public for describing the geneses of migration which forced the community to leave their homes and hearths.
He said the survey conducted by the Radio Sharda team will serve as an eye opener to the Government and the Society in general for understanding migration in real spirits.
In the Programme, thousands of displaced people belonging to different age groups, genders and different regions of Kashmir were interviewed and asked to freely express their views regarding various aspects of migration and difficulties faced during last 25 years in the displacement.
The Programme was basically focused to seek inputs for promotion of language and culture among the younger generations so as to keep the 5000 years history culturally alive.
Later, the Founder Director requested the Government of India to take measures for strengthening the community radios by providing sustenance through advertisements and different schemes of the Government.

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, July 3: Police today arrested a notorious high-tech ATM cheater and recovered around Rs 2.5 lakh, which he had fraudulently withdrawn from the account of a person by exchanging the ATM card of the latter.
A police spokesman said that, on July 1, 2014, Prithvi Raj, son of Shiv Ram of Dhangri lodged a complaint with police station Rajouri that he visited ATM of SBI Bank at Jawahar Nagar on May 22, for withdrawal of Rs 2,000 but due to lack of knowledge, he sought the help of a person present in the ATM cabin.
The complainant further stated that during the process of withdrawing the money, the accused person present in the ATM cabin exchanged his ATM card with his own card and later fraudulently withdrawn Rs 2.35 lakh from his account.
Accordingly, a case under FIR number 338/14 under Section 420 and 380 of RPC was registered at police station Rajouri and investigation started.
During the course of investigation, police on the basis of available information and CCTV footage succeeded in arresting the accused who has been identified as Mohammad Rafiq, son of Mohammad Shafi of Rehan, tehsil Koteranka, district Rajouri.
On the disclosure of accused, police recovered the stolen amount of Rs 2.35 lakh.
SP Rajouri Mubassir Latifi said that police was looking for this notorious cheat since long as number of such cases have been reported in the past also.
He said that this notorious cheat who happens to be a Diploma Engineer presently working in Rajouri, would be interrogated thoroughly to find out whether he was deceiving the public alone or he is part of any bigger organized group.
Police team headed by SHO Yash Jamwal made the arrest under the overall supervision of SP Rajouri Mubassir Latifi.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 3: The representatives of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh All Departments Clerical Staff Association (JKLADCSA), under the chairmanship of its State president, Babu Hussain Malik have urged the Government for removal of the pay anomaly and pay disparity of the clerical cadre at an earliest in a joint meeting of the Association held today.
Mr Malik said that after the 5th Pay Commission, the pay scales Patwaries, Teachers, Medical Assistants, Junior Wool Shephards etc were upgraded from existing 3050-4910 to 4000-6000 notionally from January 1996 and monetary from February 19, 2003, but the clerical cadre employees were deprived at all levels.
He said despite a sea change in the basic qualification and service rules of clerical cadre from time to time, the Government has failed to take any step with regard to the problems faced by these employees, adding that at present the basic qualification for direct recruitment to the post of junior assistant is Graduation with Certificate Course in Computer Application alongwith 35 words per minute speed in typing which was earlier Matriculation with 35 words per minute in typing, but, unfortunately there has been no change in the Grade of Junior Assistants.
The representatives criticized the State Government for shying away from its commitments and promises made to the employees in the meetings on March 10, 2008, February 19, 2009, May 14, 2010 and September 15, 2014.
Meanwhile the representatives unanimously decided to hold protest demonstration at Rail Head Sales Tax Complex Jammu and in front of the DC Offices of all the District Headquarters on July 10, 2014 in pursuance to the call given by J&K State Govt Employees Joint Action Committee to decide the future course of action on other burning issues.
The other demands projected included removal of pay anomalies of clerical cadre, release of 10 percent DA installment in cash and merger of 50 percent DA in Basic Pay, enhancement of Medical Allowance and regularization of daily rated workers, casual labourers, adhoc and contractual workers.
The Association has appealed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene in the matter personally to help clerical cadre employees not to be left in the lurch.
Prominent among others present in the meeting were Khurshid Ahmad Dewan, Javed Ahmad Akhoon, Bharat Bushan, Anil Kesar, Seva Ram, Meenakshi Sharma, Vipan Kumar, Yashpal Sharma and others.

Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, July 3: Safai Karamchari Union held a protest against the Director Urban Local Bodies Jammu for not redressing the issues of Safai karamcharis.
Large number of safai karamcharis assembled in the premises of Municipal Council here and raised slogans in favour of their demands.
They were demanding regularization of daily wagers safai karamcharis and casual labours against available vacant posts as promised by the concerned Minister and Secretary H&UDD mentioned by Director Urban Local bodies KL Khajuria in a press statement.
President of the Union Girdhari Lal said that the second and third installment of 6th Pay Commission has not been released in favor of civic employees as the same was released in favour of other employees working in different departments.
He informed that they will continue their “Kaam Chhoro Hartal” till the Government fulfills all its commitments made with the employees.
Among others present were David, Pappu, Yousuf, Mazid, Sohan Lal, Sarla, Poli, Kirna, Purvi, Manisha and Lakshmi.