Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: While opposing old practice of Darbar move in the J&K State, Bhartiya Bahujan Party (BBP) has said that it is a heavy burden on the State exchequer.
Addressing a press conference here today, state president of the party Kanchan Sharma pointed out that centuries old practice of Darbar move be stopped immediately and Ministers and bureaucrats should be kept at rotation at both the capital cities. She said nearly Rs 6 cr is being spent after six months for move only and this money can be utilized for development of the State.
While referring to plight of 1947 refugees, the BBP president said that their decades old genuine and justified demands be settled once for all. She also stressed the BPL ration cards be provided to the genuine members and concerned authorities should not resort to favouritism on political basis. She also sought an inquiry into the matter and said many undeserving families are also getting the undue benefit.
The BBP leader alleged that people have been derived off essential services like drinking water and power supply by the Government. Even the areas where electronic meters have been installed are not getting regular power supply. The Government has failed to honour its tall claims to provide uninterrupted power to such areas. The public has been left to suffer during these hot summer days, she maintained.
Party leaders Parshotam Lal, Tejinder Singh and Lakhvir were also present.
BBP opposes Darbar move practice in J&K
Mega Craft Mela on pattern of Surajkund in July: Slathia
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 16: Government is contemplating to organize first of its kind 10-days ‘Mega Crafts Event’ in the first week of July 2012 on the pattern of Surajkund International Crafts Mela Haryana at Kashmir Haat, Srinagar.
This was stated by the Minister for Industries and Commerce S .S. Slathia while chairing an officers meeting here today.
It was decided that artisans from Handicraft and Handloom sector from all over the country will be asked to participate in the event in a large scale for which Government will provide all kind of assistance to the participants. The Minister expressed his desire and keeness to hold the event in the first week of July in view of huge rush of tourists in Valley, so that a clear message goes out to the rest of the country about the hospitality and peace prevalent in the State.
It was also given out in the meeting that the renowned artists especially folk artists of various States of the country are expected to participate in the event and will present cultural programmes in the evening for the entertainment of the public. Besides, Food Courts and Amusement activities will also be the part of the event.
It was also decided that the national level awardees of country who had played a vital role in boosting the handicraft and handloom sectors will also be approached to participate in the event so that they may share their experience with the artisans as well as the participants.
The Minister stressed upon the participants to make this event a grand success in order to attract the people in large and particularly the tourists from different parts of the country to witness the cultural programmes of various States.
Besides Commissioner /Secretary Industries and Commerce, Shantmanu, Managing Director, JKTDC Satish Nehru, Director Handicrafts Muzaffar Ahmad, the Managing Director, Haryana Tourism Corporation, Anand M Sharan, Tourist Officer, Surajkund Craft Mela Rajesh Joon, representatives of Tourism and Handloom Departments and senior officers of IC Department attended the meeting.
Purohit Sabha Martand holds meeting
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: Purohit Sabha Martand Improvement Charitable Trust in its meeting here today held under the chairmanship of M K Yogi its president discussed various issues pertaining to Shri Martand Shrine (Mattan), holy Amarnath Yatra and Malmas —Banmas.
The meeting while discussing the arrangements like ration, Kerosene Oil, wood, tented accommodation, medical facilities, transport and security arrangements urged the authorities to take immediate steps in providing all help to the Sabha.
The Working Committee assured full support to the president for the steps taken by him.
The meeting said as the shrine is providing free langer to yatris the Government should ensure all help to it. It sought intervention of Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism towards the shrine and in providing the essential commodities to it for making arrangements.
The meeting also made an appeal to Governor N N Vohra who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) to make the Martand shrine as the transit camp for the Amarnath Yatra.
The meeting among others was attended by Heera Lal Mukhi, Ved Parkash Kichloo and Ashok Kumar Mussa.
Akhoon inaugurates Tata Motors show room
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 16: Minister for Transport, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Qamar Ali Akhoon today said that private entrepreneurs are playing a pivotal role in improving socio- economic condition of the people of state by investing money in private sector, adding that the Government will encourage such entrepreneurs who desire to invest money in private sector and provide job opportunities to the unemployed youth of the State.
The Minister was addressing a gathering at Hyderpora after inaugurating a showroom of National Garages of Tata Motors India Ltd owned by Gulahti Family Jammu this evening.
Mr. Akhoon called upon the private entrepreneurs to invest more and more funds for setting up of self employments units in the State for unemployed youth so that the crises of unemployment is minimized to some extent.
Sandeep Ghulati, Auto-Mobile Engineers, private transporters, prominent citizens and media fraternity attended the inaugural ceremony.
Giving the resume of steps taken by the government for providing succor to the unemployed youth, the Minister said that various schemes have been launched by the government for upliftment of poor and weaker sections of the society and also the Government has initiated numerous programmes for the development of all the three regions of the State.
The Minister lauded the role of Chander Gulati for his contribution in the economic development of the state.
On the occasion the Transport Commissioner Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo said that Government is streamlining the transport system of the State and steps are being taken for ensuring road safety for the commuters by launching a mega programme of road widening in length and breadth of the state. Among others Director State Motor Garages M.A.Sofi, Chairman National Garages Jammu Chander Ghulati, Regional Manager Tata Motors for Northern India Rajesh Koul, Director National Garages Sandeep Ghulati, Auto-Mobile Engineers, private transporters, prominent citizens and media fraternity attended the inaugural ceremony.
Unidentified youth’s body found
Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, June 16: Unidentified body of a youth was found lying in fields near Lakhanpur in district Kathua this morning.
The semi-decomposed body with head injuries was found lying near village Moh, under Lakhanpur police jurisdiction by a villager and he informed police. A police party rushed to the spot and after examining spot shifted it to Kathua hospital for postmortem. The deceased appeared to be non-local and in the age group of 20-22 years.
The police found a few dry loafs wrapped in a cloth and liquor pouches lying nearby. It registered a case and started investigation.
Criminal, 2 absconders held
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: Police today arrested a criminal of erstwhile Billu gang and two absconders in two separate cases at Gajansoo and Miran Sahib.
The criminal arrested by Gajansoo police post has been identified as Vijay Kumar alias Kala son of Sansar Chand R/o Krishna Nagar.
Police recovered two sharp edged weapons from him.
Police said Kala was on way to City to execute a murder plot.
Meanwhile, Miran Sahib police today arrested a Naib Sarpanch Amarjit Singh of Basti Govindpura, Tinde Kalan, who was wanted in a FIR No. 349 of 1994 under Section 4/25 Arms Act and Devinder Singh son of Pritam Singh of Khour Deoni, Mamaka., who was wanted in FIR No. 43/1999 under Sections 307 and 326 RPC.
Devinder Singh was in the United States for past 11 years.
Police produced both of them before Second Additional Sessions Judge, who sent them to jail till July 7.
Police parties headed by SHO Miran Sahib Inspector Sukhbir Singh made the arrests under the supervision of SP Headquarters Shailender Singh and SDPO RS Pura Diwakar Singh.
Sham inaugurates PHC
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16 : Minister for Health, Horticulture and Floriculture, Sham Lal Sharma today inaugurated a Primary Health Centre (PHC) at village Sohal of Akhnoor tehsil completed at an estimated cost of Rs 2.15 crore.
The double story building constructed by the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) was completed in a time bound manner.
The newly constructed PHC, spread over an area of 12404.0 sq feet, has 2 wards, x-ray laboratory, labour room, dental unit , family welfare facility section, meeting hall, two room doctors’ quarters and 2 one room quarters .
After inaugurating the PHC, Mr. Sham said that Government would bring more reforms to further improve the health delivery system, particularly in rural and far-flung areas of the State. He urged upon the health fraternity to re-double their efforts to maintain the tempo of better delivery of health services to the patients and maintain the top slot the State has won in the country for the same. He said that the people have high expectations from the medical fraternity and they should continue to perform their duties with best of their abilities and as per medical ethics. He also stressed the need for maintaining close coordination between different wings to achieve the common goals.
Mr. Sham said that up gradation and improvement in the existing hospitals and extension of health care facilities to rural and border areas should be taken as a mission by all involved with this sector. He said the Coalition Government headed by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has flagged healthcare as priority sector and liberal funding was being earmarked for this sector out of the State’s own resources and Central funds.
He said that the pressure on secondary and tertiary care hospital would decrease when rural healthcare centres were upgraded and modernized as per the requirements. He also said that posting of doctors and para-medical staff along with necessary equipment for rural hospitals is receiving priority attention. He said equitable development and welfare of all sections of the society is benchmark of the present Government.
Responding to the local needs and demands, the Minister said that the Government was conscious of the difficulties of the people of the rural and far-flung areas. He said these areas are being paid focused attention and many special schemes and development projects have been devised to meet the development requirements. He said presently 124 tubewells have been made fully functional in Akhnoor constituency to meet potable water needs of the people of the border Tehsil.
Bhalla conducts extensive tour of constituency
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla today conducted an extensive tour of Azad Nagar, Doongian, Sagar Mohalla and Vidyata Nagar of Bathindi and Sunjwan areas and reviewed the progress made by Town Drainage, Urban Environmental Engineering (UEE) and Roads and Buildings (R&B) Departments in removing the debris from the choked nallahs in these areas.
Mr. Bhalla asked the line department officers to first remove debris from those nallahs which have been clogged on the level of road and pass through various basties. He asked them to complete the works well before the start of rainy season, adding that last year, the inhabitants of these localities were badly affected due to flash floods.
The Minister said for this purpose the Government has earmarked Rs. 37 lakh for restoration of breaches and construction of concrete nallah embankments. He informed that the Government has submitted a proposal to Central Government under ADB loan-2 for upgradation of Landoi Choi nallah at Bathindi passing through Sunjwan, Deeli and Trikuta Nagar areas, adding that after getting approval from GOI, the nallah would be modernized all along these localities.
Mr. Bhalla asked the Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) to immediately start the laying of crates along the embankments of the nallah, for which Government has earmarked Rs. 12 lakh. He asked the PDD and PHE departments to shift public utilities along the nallah and install the same at a suitable place so that the executing agencies do not face any inconvenience while removing the debris.
Mr. Bhalla assured the people that all their genuine demands and development needs would be fulfilled in a phased manner, adding that there was no constraint of funds in providing adequate basic amenities to the people of all the three regions of the state. He said people’s cooperation was imperative to make the State a prosperous one. He asked the people to extend their whole hearted cooperation to the Government for maintaining peace and prosperity in the State.
Earlier, the Minister laid foundation stone of playfield at Government Higher Secondary School, Sunjwan. The project would be constructed with the facilities of pavilion, change room, drinking water and toilet block on 35 kanals available land at a cost of Rs. 80 lakh in the school premises.
Youths role imperative for nation’s progress: Chib
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: Minister for Medical, Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports, R S Chib today said the youth have a definite role in shaping the destiny of country besides saving their community from being swayed by social ills like alcoholism, drug addiction etc.
Addressing a public meeting here, the Minister referred to the nation’s vital human resource, youth that is making a mark across the world in different disciplines and spheres of activity and said: “It is this strength that will ultimately make India to lead the world”.
The Minister exhorted youth to come forward in a big way in supplementing this effort, saying they have added responsibilities of steering Jammu and Kashmir, which has undergone a traumatic phase of turbulence for many years in the past.
Mr Chib said the Congress acknowledges the youth power and wants them to play a bigger role in politics so that the country benefits from their dynamism, training and larger involvement. “For this, it is necessary to strengthen the party at the grass roots level”, he maintained while urging the youth to fan out in rural areas to create awareness about literacy, health and hygiene, environment and seek people’s participation in the developmental effort.
Mr Chib expressed anguish over dwindling values in the political class and castigated those who believed in divisive politics, saying it was most dangerous for the growth of the country.
JWAM holds protest rally
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 16: Jammu West Assembly Movement (JWAM), under the leadership of its president, Sunil Dimple, held a protest rally today in various parts of the West Assembly Constituency against ERA, NBCC, PWD and JMC Departments alleging that they have made the life of people miserable.
The rally was largely attended by the people from all walks of life.
Speaking on the occasion, Dimple urged the Chief Minister to take immediate steps so that the work on BC Road along the city be completed on time, as the tourists as well as the pilgrims of Amarnath and Mata Vaishno Devi were suffering.
Alleging that the ongoing work of ERA is of sub-standard quality, Dimple demanded to check the samples of bricks and cement being used in the construction work.
He also demanded immediate black topping of the roads of the Constituency before the start of rainy season. He urged the Chief Minister to reshuffle his ministers to check the growing corruption.
“Despite many reminders, the Government does not seem to be interested in construction of four way circular road from Ambphalla to Bantalab, besides multy-story parkings spots in Jammu city” said Dimple adding, “it also has no intention to construct fly overs at Rehari Chungi and Jewel Chowk to ease the traffic problem”.
Flashing a memorandum, he urged the State Government to hold an enquiry by the Vigilance or any other accountable agency in the ongoing works of ERA in the Jammu West Constituency.