POONCH, June 18: The office bearers of PDP Zone Poonch have expressed resentment against the decision of the mandate for Poonch Haveli Assembly seat as announced by the party on Tuesday.
A meeting of the PDP Zone Poonch members was held under the chairmanship of district vice president Gurmeet Singh Rara in which aspiring candidates were also present. The card holders and other members expressed strong resentment over the name of Shah Mohd Tantray and described it as undemocratic. They pointed out that a panel of five candidates was forwarded from the district for the Poonch Haveli seat. All the five including Imtiaz Bandey, Shameem Ahmed Ganai, Ch Lal Hussain Mushtaq, Shahzad Khan and advocate Mohd Zaman were ignored by the party high command. They urged upon the top party leaders to reconsider decision and select one of the candidates from the panel as majority of the workers have refused to work for Tantary.
RAJOURI, June 18: Irate people from Rajouri town held protest against the PHE authorities for the poor supply of water in the town here.
The people including women assembled near Darhali bridge today and started protest. They were shouting slogans against the PHE authorities. They alleged that with the scarcity of water in the town, they were facing lot of hardships. The concerned field staff has failed to improve the supply position or provide alternate supply. Later, with the intervention of concerned officials, the protest was suspended.
Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, June 18: Under the weekly meeting of ‘PRAYAS’ as many as 15 callers registered their grievances at DC office here today.
The District Development Commissioner Kathua, Jitendra K. Singh in the presence of heads of various line and works departments took calls in an hour long session. DDC issued instructions to the concerned departments to attend to the grievances and problems registered by the callers. The problems projected by the callers from different parts of the district were mostly related to the provisions of basic amenities.
DDC said that efforts are being made to make PRAYAS initiative more popular among the masses so that more people can avail this platform to put forth their problems and grievances by making a single call. He said hoarding at public places and other important building will be installed to aware the people about the PRAYAS initiative.
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 18: Dozens of non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits today threatened to launch agitation against the Government if their demands aren’t considered while forming schemes and plans for rehabilitation of the migrant community.
The protesters accused the State and Central Government of ignoring the Valley-based Pandits for last 25 years.
Shouting anti Government slogans and carrying placards, the agitated people slammed Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government for ignoring their long pending demands.
Avtar Krishan Rajpori, president of the Hindu Welfare Society said the non-migrant Pandits despite living in the Valley throughout the turmoil have been ignored by the Congress and now by the BJP Government.
Rajpori said the non-migrant Pandits have become the victims of bad politics by some vested interested politicians. “We are treated as second class people by the Government as it has failed to meet our aspirations since the beginning of turmoil here,” he said.
The protesters assembled inside Shri Ram Mandir, Sattu Barbarshah and were scheduled to take out a protest march, but police party reached the venue before scheduled time and closed the main door of the temple to thwart their move.
Although, the community leaders assured the police officials of peaceful march to press the Government for their demands, but police didn’t allow them to come out of the Temple premises.
The protesters later told the media that they have become frustrated due to ill-treatment of Government and lesser economic avenues for the youth. “We lost everything during these years still Government is not serious about us,” they shouted, adding, hundreds of families are living on rented accommodations’ from past many years due to the extensive damage to their residential houses.
They also said rented accommodation hasn’t only become economic liability, but also affected the community people psychologically in absence of proper house and other facilities.
“Government has given every benefit to the migrants, while as non-migrants were neglected,” they said.
Chuni Lal Bhat, publicity secretary, Hindu Welfare Society, said the society will launch an indefinite fast if the Government did not pay special attention towards the Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley.
JAMMU, June 18: District Magistrate (DM) Jammu today slapped Public Safety Act (PSA) on a hardcore criminal and sent him to Central Jail Kot Bhalwal.
As per police sources, a hardcore criminal namely Narinder Singh alias Biku, son of Pritam Singh of Kathar, Tehsil Bishnah, who was the main accused in Vijaypur shootout and involved in various criminal cases was today sent to Central Jail Kot Bhalwal under Public Safety Act (PSA) by District Magistrate (DM) Jammu.
The accused was involved in various cases registered with different police stations”, they said, adding that presently the accused was in judicial custody at Hiranagar Jail in case registered under FIR number 63/14 under Section 307/34/323 of RPC and 3/25 and 4/25 of Arms Act at Vijaypur police station.
He was also involved in case registered under FIR number 116/12 under Section 307/34 RPC and 4/25 Arms Act with police station Nowabad. Cases under FIR number 72/13 under Section 3/4/25 Arms Act and FIR number 25/13 under Section 307/34, 323, 341 RPC also stands registered against the accused at Bus Stand police station, they added.
All the proceedings have been conducted by SHO Arnia police station Inspector Kulbir Choudhary under the supervision of SSP Jammu Atul Goel.
Mir Farhat
SRINAGAR, June 18: Depression and anxiety among students studying professional courses in the Valley’s Government Medical Colleges have become a new ticking bomb that is scaring students, even forcing them to commit suicide.
Students and their teachers blame the “traditional, flawed” system of teaching mechanism for making them anxious and sick.
Recent suicide by an MBBS student from Jammu and an attempt to commit suicide by another has once again highlighted the inability of professional colleges to reduce exam-related stress.
23-year-old Priya (name changed), a pre-final MBBS student of GMC, Srinagar committed suicide last week after consuming poison (Aluminum Phosphide) at her home in Jammu.
After passing the send-up examination, Priya had gone to her home in Jammu to prepare for final examination. “She was under severe depression due to examination fear and didn’t want to return for final examination,” her friend told.
Students at the GMC said the exam pattern should be changed because of the vastness of the syllabus in their course.
Following the suicide of the Jammu girl, another female student attempted suicide by jumping into Dal Lake.
She told Excelsior she was disturbed so much due to the pressure of the ongoing exams that she wanted to end her life.
The students also blame the “attitude” of their teachers toward them while studying.
“Some teachers had scolded the girl student who committed suicide because she was depressed due to exams. She was forced to end her life,” the student said.
Faculty members at GMC said the Medical Colleges need to change the traditional methods of teaching.
“We want an integrated and interactive system of teaching so that it involves students into teaching during the classes. But, our administrators have failed to evolve such methods,” said Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, who teaches Medicine at GMC.
Another faculty member said they need to find ways and means to deal with them with innovative methods of teaching.
Psychiatrists said a significant number of students in the college are depressed due to academic pressure on them.
“Qualitatively the Medical Colleges are boiling pots of stress and strain. So quantifying the stress that students face in Medical Colleges and establishing a causal relationship with psychological morbidity was a difficult proposition,” said Dr Arshad Hussain, a leading Psychiatrist in the Valley.
Dr Arshad said some students were depressed because of choices of the profession which are imposed on them by parents and peers.
“Some students have no aptitude towards the medical subject, but still they are forced into it,” he said.
The events in the college hurt the self-esteem, personal identity, and future career of these future doctors.
“The college authorities can help us to minimse our stress level by creating new teaching methods. For example, they can hold interactive, clinical sessions or teach us about subjects on common diseases at undergraduate level,” one of the student said.
Excelsior Correspondent
KISHTWAR, June 18: Due to mismanagement of the PHE Department, the water crisis has deepened in various parts of the district forcing the people to come out on streets to lodge protest.
The residents of Tregam, Dera Sarkoot and other parts of Kishtwar staged demonstrations in protest against acute scarcity of drinking water and failure of the PHE Department to meet the requirement of the people. The agitating people also accused the department of giving preferential treatment to certain areas at the cost of deserving ones.
“No attention is being paid towards the repairing of existing supply lines but in order to give benefits to some officers and contractors preference is being given to laying of new lines”, they said, adding “in some areas there is extra supply of drinking water while as in other areas consumers are not getting sufficient supply even on alternate days”.
The residents of Dera and Sarkoot, who also held massive protest demonstration on Poochal road, alleged that water supply lines were being diverted in order to provide undue benefit to politically sound people. Later, deputations from various areas including Matta and Kuleed called on authorities concerned and sought stern action against those damaging the Naigad pipeline while executing PMGSY work.
JAMMU, June 18: Police today recovered stolen vehicle, which was seized by Sale Tax Department and arrested two persons including owner of the vehicle.
As per police sources, on June 10, a written complaint was lodged by Sale Tax Vigilance and Inspection Officer, Rail Head Complex Jammu that a Mahindra Balero load carrier vehicle bearing registration number JKO8C-5722 was seized by Sales Tax Department on January 15, for violating tax evasion and was kept in the premises of Sale Tax Office at Rail Head Complex Railway Station, which was stolen by some unknown persons.
Accordingly, a case under FIR number 112/14 under Section 379 RPC was registered at police station Trikuta Nagar.
During the course of investigation, the owner of the vehicle identified as Mukesh Kumar, son of Baghwan Dass of Salan Dayala Chak, tehsil Hiranagar, district Kathua was detained for questioning.
During questioning, the owner confessed that he along with his associate hatched conspiracy to steal the vehicle as Sale Tax Department imposed heavy penalty of more than Rs 1.5 lakh on it and seized the vehicle.
On his disclosure, his associate namely Shesh Paul, son of Avtar Singh of Nadala, near Rajpura, district Samba was arrested from Bombyal, tehsil Pathankote. Stolen vehicle was also recovered.
Further investigation into the case is going on.
Police team headed by SHO police station Trikuta Nagar Chanchal Singh made the arrest under the supervision of SDPO East Mohammad Rafiq and SSP Jammu Atul Goel.
JAMMU, June 18: A major tragedy averted when an LPG cylinder caught fire due to gas leakage in a house at Janipur Colony.
As per police sources, an LPG cylinder caught fire due to gas leakage in a house at Janipur Colony.
Acting swiftly, the inmates of the house threw the cylinder outside and doused the flames by using sand.
On getting information, police team from Janipur police station led by SI Hilal Azhar also reached the spot.
No casualty or injury has been reported in the incident.
Police has taken cognizance in this regard.
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 18: Akhil Bhartiya Safai Mazdoor Sangh (ABSMS) today held a massive protest over mysterious death of two Safai Karamcharis, working with Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).
Hundreds of Safai Karamchari assembled at Town Hall Jammu and shouted slogans against JMC authorities for forcing the civic workers in ongoing Sanitation Drive in this harsh weather condition, which claimed the life to two workers namely Iqbal wife of Sagar, resident of Ward No 16 and Bittu, son of Bawa and resident of Ward No 18.
Addressing the protesters, Dev Anand Gill, State president, ABSMS, said that both the workers lost their life due to extreme work load in unbearable weather.
Gill informed that usually the sanitation drive of JMC is conducted in months of March- April and October-November but for the first time the authoritative Commissioner conducted this drive in month of May- June when summer is at its peak in Jammu.
He demanded immediate ban on sanitation drive in the month of May-June and administrative inquiry in the deaths of both the employees.
ABSMS also demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation to each family and threatened to launch an agitation if demand of union was not fulfilled.
