Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 6:  The State Forest Corporation (SFC) at Awantipora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district has failed to auction thousands of cubic feet of timber worth lakhs of rupees and left it rotting for years.
The attitude of neglect of the SFC has observed at the time when people of the district are facing timber crisis for construction purposes.
A local resident of Mohd Younis alleged that despite a huge stock of timber rotting here in the depot, people are forced to buy timber from markets to meet their requirement.
General Manager Sales, SFC, Muneer Ahmad said the rotten logs have been lying there for many years. “The wooden logs keep accumulating in the depots because they are collection of many years. This has no timber value now,” he said.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: A youth allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at his residence in Khour area of tehsil Akhnoor.
As per reports, 22-year-old Rohit, son of Parkash of Khour allegedly consumed some poisonous stuff at his residence yesterday.
Finding him unconscious, family members shifted him to nearby hospital and was later referred to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where he failed to respond to the treatment and breathed his last today.
The body has been handed over to family members for last rites after completing legal formalities.
A case has been registered and investigation started to ascertain the reason behind such extreme step.

Excelsior Correspondent

KATHUA, Jan 6: Demanding OBC status hundreds of members of Jat community held a protest demonstration at Bhagat Singh Park, here today.
The demonstration was led by Ch. Kamal Singh, president Jat Kalyan Sabha, who is spearheading the agitation for over last eight years.
It is pertinent to mention here that Jats of all other States of the country have been granted OBC status baring the State which has generated a lot of resentment in the community.
Ch. Kamal while addressing the protestors said that the leaders of ruling alliance are misleading the community on one pretext or the other. He said that sometimes they are promising the strip of 8 Kms along the international border is likely to be included in RBA category and sometimes they are pretending strip of 8 kms along the International Border is likely to covered under ALC category. Kamal said these all are white lies of the political leaders and till date not even a single village of the community has been included in the RBA category.
He said that the community has got annoyed with the ruling Congress Party and National Conference for which they are voting since independence and now the people of the community would teach a lesson to both these parties for their partisan attitude.
He warned these political parties to desist from delaying tactics and misleading the innocent community who have to suffer a lot during the partition of the country and various Indo-Pak conflicts time and again.
Kamal Singh said that over 70% of the community are refugees of Deva Batala, Bhimber and Chhamb and are settled along Indo-Pak border and actual line of control from Kathua to Uri and have to suffer a lot during Indo-Pak wars of 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999 conflict.
Prominent persons of Jat community from Kathua, Hiranagar, Samba, Vijaypur, Bishnah, R.S Pura, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nowshera, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Basohli also attended the protest.

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Jan 6: Legal Metrology officials have booked a drug manufacturing company for violating the Packaged Commodities Rules and imposed a fine of Rs. 8000 on it.
A statement of the department said during a routine inspection of drug stores (Unani and Ayurvedic) in Srinagar, they found that the medicines offered for sale at these stores did not carry all the requisite statutory declarations.
“Two such centres were booked for violating different provisions of law. From one centre a large cache of medicine for anti-inflammatory (for joints & muscles) was seized and detained for not carrying the mfg. date, exp. date, Batch No. on the cover,” the statement claimed.
These declarations were found on the inner side of the pack which is not in accordance with the rules, the statement claimed.
“The legal notice was served to the manufacturer at Delhi. The firm confessed the shortcoming and ensured the department that the necessary rectifications shall be made in the future supplies to the Valley,” it claimed.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 6: Ek Sath Rang Mandal (ESRM) today staged “Hawa Badalni Hogi” during its Monday theatre series at Durga Bhawan Temple, Disco Morh, Janipur.
The play has been written and directed by Vijay Malla and assisted by Anuroop Pathania.
The plays depicts that the youth with their efforts, reforms and initiative have to change the scenario of country which is having ugly shadow of corruption and drug addiction.
In the play, the artists with their exemplary acting depicted that the youth can do an awareness campaign for such evils in society and country and they (youth) should take initiative for such campaigns.
The play described that the youth should stop drug addiction on ground level so that they can built a strong nation.
Youth are neglecting culture and tradition which will prove harmful for society in the days to come. To speak mother tongue is also very important to preserve culture. Our young generation should not waste their precious time aimless in wrong directions. We should work with motive and goal for betterment of country, the play portrayed.
Those who acted in the plat were Kumari Shallu, Qurat-ul-Ain, Nisha Devi, Nisha Jotshi, Priya Bhat, Preeti Bhat, Gopal Verma, Anuroop Pathania, Atul Mehra, Arun Singh, Ajay Sharma, Vikram Singh and Vijay Malla.
The play was witnessed by Zulekha Fareed and Mahesh Kotwal.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: Udyog Bhawan Employees’ Association (UBEA), Jammu, today criticized the anti-employees attitude and delaying tactics of the State Government in fulfilling its commitments made vide various agreements with the JCC  regarding just and genuine demands of the employees.
Addressing a meeting of the Association held here today, Association chairman, Ravi Singh Bahu, reiterated the demands of the employees, which include removal of pay anomalies of clerical cadre, implementation of 6th Pay Commission in favour of remaining public sector organisations, regularizations of all adhoc, contractual and daily rated workers, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, etc.
The meeting decided to support one-day dharna announced by Employees Joint Consultative Committee on January 8, 2014 at Press Club and appealed the employees working in various PSUs and Government departments to participate in the dharna.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: Sri Ram Sena (SRS) has demanded the State Government to supply free potable water and reduced tariff on power supply in the State on the pattern of Aam Aadmi Party’s Government in Delhi.
Addressing a press conference here today, SRS State president, Rajiv Mahajan said since the State has rich resources of water therefore the State Government should provide free potable water to the public and reduce tariff on power supply.
He appealed the public not to deposit water and power tariff until the State Government reduces the rate of both the tariffs.
Mahajan further appealed the public to vote in favour of honest, hardworking and spotless public representatives in the forthcoming elections in the interest of general public and development and prosperity of the State.
Maintaining that Aam Aadmi Government is the only solution to down with the corrupt NC-Congress Coalition Government in the State, SRS president appealed the public in favour of Aam Aadmi candidates.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: A meeting of Ex-Policemen League of district Jammu was held here today at District Police Lines to discuss various welfare issues of retired police personnel.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy SP (retd), KS Sambyal and was presided over by SP (retd), PL Mattoo.
During comprehensive discussion, speakers expressed that some retirees are in the grip of serious ailment and required costly treatment which they cannot afford, so their parent department should come forward for their help.
The meeting demanded that in the event of death of any police official, Rs 10, 000 be provided to the family member for the last rites of the deceased. Besides, medical allowances be enhanced from Rs 300 to Rs 1000 per month as per 6th Pay Commission.
The speakers also requested for making sufficient medicines available in Police hospitals to fulfill the requirements of retirees suffering from chronicle diseases.
It was also decided in the meeting that the executive body of District Committee will approach the DGP Jammu to request for suitable accommodation to be allotted for office use in DPL Jammu, where at least 50-70 chairs can be adjusted.