Misuse of funds at Shadhra Sharief shrine: efforts being made to shelter culprits

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 3: To shelter some blue eyed people in the department the officials are making excuse to speak out the reality about the misuse of the developmental funds meant for the up keep of the Shadhra Sharief shrine.

Sources alleged that in enquiry of misuse of funds for developmental work in Rajouri the higher officials are hiding the name of the culprits who are involved in the scam. Though a inquiry committee has been constituted, with directions to submit the report within a month, but sources said that every effort is being made to scuttle the probe.

Recently Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora chaired an officials meeting in which the minister ordered to constitute a committee headed by Director Tourism, Jammu R S Mehta.

In the meeting the minister stated that under centrally sponsored schemes, the funds to the tune of Rs 8.57 crore were made available to Rajouri Development Authority (RDA), since its inception, out of which an expenditure of Rs 8.44 crore has been expended for creation of tourist infrastructure in the area, adding that this amount is over and above of state allocation allotted to area for the purpose.

“But the members of the committee is refusing to give any statement about the issue, as they suppose to protect the guilty persons” said a insider.

To attract the tourists towards the Rajouri the state government took the initiatives to create tourist infrastructure and developed scenic spots besides encourage heritage, pilgrim and adventure tourism activities.

“Nothing will emerge from the meeting as there will be pressure on the officials to delay the probe, because of the involvement of many senior officials”, said a source.

For the promotion of this area 2 central funded projects of Rs 5.28 crore was approved and Rajouri is being developed as pilgrim destination whereas Nangathub area is being developed as eco-tourism destination.

The then state government led by Ghulam Nabi Azad had created the Developmental Authorities across the state to promote tourism. During 2009-10, in Jammu region, Rs 3 crore was earmarked for Patnitop Development Authority, Rs 1.5 crore for Bhaderwah Development Authority, Rs 2.95 crore for Rajouri Development Authority, Rs 1.2 crore for Lakhanpur Development Authority, Rs 1 crore for Poonch Development Authority, Rs 1 crore for Kishtwar Development Authority and Rs 2.35 crore plus Rs 125 crore additionally for Surinsar-Mansar Development Authority.

Bio medical waste norms put to winds: Few hospitals have waste disposal plants in J&K

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 2: As most of the health institutions in Jammu and Kashmir are openly ‘defying’ the Bio-Medical Waste Disposal norms and have failed to install treatment plants, state government has issued a fresh warning to them, threatening their closure.

In a warning issued by State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), it has asked nearly 200 nursing homes and health centres to comply with the orders issued by the government from time to time, or be prepare for the closure of their units.

In accordance to rule 5 (2) of Bio Medical Waste Management and Handing Rules 1998 (Amended 2003 it is mandatory for every occupier to set up bio medical waste treatment facilities like incinerators, autoclave, microwave system for the treatment of waste or ensure treatment of waster at a common waste treatment facility or any other treatment facility. But in J&K very few Health institutions have installed this facility.

It has been observed in some of the health care centres the bio medical water generated is not managed and disposed off in accordance with the Bio-Medical Waste (BMW) rules and no proper records regarding quantity of infectious waste, the method of treatment and disposal are being maintained.

As per the warning issued by the PCB, “All health care establishments have been advised to pursue the BMW rules or else the authorization granted by the J&K SPCB will be withdrawn cancelled under the rules. Defaulters are liable to be prosecuted under the provisions of the environment protection act 1986 which may include closure of the centre”.

Officials said that there are clear directions that those health centres who have tied up with any of the Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) in the private sector must ensure that the waste collected by CBWTF is actually being disposed off scientifically and in BMW rules and does not find its way into any water body or is not illegally sold off to scrap dealers or mixed with municipal solid waste.

Nearly 60 private nursing homes operating in Jammu and Kashmir had faced the heat of government, after the Health Department has constituted an inspection committee with directions to submit a detailed report to the government. Sources said that report has been submitted to the government and action is likely to be taken in next few weeks.

Sources said that Health Department was waiting for the report as the Supreme Court had asked the state government to give time to these nursing homes to improve their infrastructure after they have approached the SC in month of April, following ultimatum for their closure.

When contacted Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma said, “Though we may again face some bottlenecks as Private Nursing Home act has not been amended since 1963, but we are determined this time to act tough”.

He further said that the majority of private nursing homes are functioning in gross violation of the directions of the apex court on the issue.

“Most of the nursing homes were allegedly money minting shops which besides charging the patients exorbitantly fail to provide proper treatment due to lack of required equipment and other facilities” added Sharma.

Open schools set to start functioning again in J&K from November

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 1: After facing almost closure, government has decided to re-launch the State Open School (SOS) concept in Jammu and Kashmir from November.

Officials said that these open schools will allow the poor children and those who have left their studies midway to continue their studies.

So far for past few years, the concept was facing lot of neglect but recently state government has asked the education department to start the project again.

Board of School Education (BOSE) Secretary M S Baloria while talking to TNI said that after an official meeting on September 5 regarding State Open School the department has sent the plans which the Ministry of Human Right Development (HRD) asked for SOS, now the delay is from their side.

He further said that the department has indentified the location and arranged other infrastructure which is required to start the said school.

Officials said that the SOS will start functioning from the November this year if everything will goes smooth.

As per the record the HRD Ministry is running the SOS in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Haryana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and shortly open the in eight more states.

The concept behind open this type of school is to provide education to the down trodden strata of the society, who cannot attend the school for different reasons. As per different reports, more than 70 percent students join distance mode of education for their degrees.

At the first time the project of SOS was introduced in the year 2001 thereafter the project was launched in 2003, then again the government re-launched it in 2010, but due to some unavoidable circumstances the concern department failed to start its functioning in the state.

However People’s Action & Public Accountability (PAPA) president Deep Singh said that there is lack of coordination in the JKBOSE so it seems that the SOS will not start functioning this time also as many times in the past, they had planned to start it but failed to do till date.

He further said that due to Secretariat involvement in the working of the board, BOSE is totally shakeup due to which they are unable to concentrate on one particular thing.

He maintained that for SOS the board has printed stationeries worth lakh of rupees but due to the delay in opening of the school the stationary is also spoiling.

Singh appealed to the civil society as well political parties to focus on the work scenario of the JKBOSE and highlighted the problems so that the board starts working efficiently.

Mobile schools for Gujjars, unable to fulfill the promise for which they were meant

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 30: To provide basic education to the nomads communities of the state the state government had launched mobile schools for them, but somehow these schools are unable to fulfill the purpose.

These mobile schools are especially established for those communities who are wondering from one place to another, within a particular time. And the department appointed the appointed the teacher from the same community who is qualified among other in the community.

As per the government data, in 2007 there were about 145 mobile schools out of total 298, have been converted into regular schools. But at present, 291 mobile schools are functioning in the state, out of these 217 are stationary and 74 schools are mobile. Apart from this as per the government figures, there are 474 seasonal camps which cater to the Gujjar, Bakarwal child population.

Sources said that many of the schools face the shortage of the teaching staff as people don’t prefer to work in these institutions and there are very few Gujjar teachers.

“Due to the mobile nature of the tribals, shifting such schools is a great challenge for the administration and in many cases they remain closed for many months”, sources said.

Leader of the Gujjar and Bakarwal Community Javed Rahi stated that the government should provide the students proper infrastructure and atleast mid-day meal which is the right of these students.

Rahi said that the state government should take some steps to promote and strengthen the mobile school.

The department should open increase the number of mobile school at different places so that more people get benefited.

When contacted Director School Education, Jammu Gulzar Qureshi said that the department has no proposal to open the new mobile schools yet.

When asked about the mid-day meal Qureshi said that the department will think about it but it will take time to implement it.

According to the study conducted recently by a prominent Gujjar organisation, extreme poverty, child labour, early marriage and nomadic way of life is causing dark shadow over the future of lakhs of nomadic Gujjar children residing in the most backward, hilly and border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The findings were observed in a survey conducted by Tribal Research and Cultural foundation-- a national organization working on Indian Tribes with special focus on Gujjars.

“They are being exploited because of low family income and are not in a position to get proper education and health facilities in early age,” the survey said.

According to the survey the worst condition was of the children belonging to Ajjhari Gujjar (shepherd keepers) and Manjhii Gujjar (buffalo keepers) as 83 percent of them have not seen the school and only 17 percent children were getting education in religious institutes.

The survey said that 93 percent Gujjar children were found to be domestic servants in their own community thus have been deprived of their basic and constitutional rights.

Roads in Jammu becoming death traps, thanks to unplanned digging

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 29: Despite clear directions from the government to its departments and private agencies to desist from digging up newly constructed roads for at least three years for any purpose, the regulation is being openly violated at many places in Jammu where the phenomenon has been started yet again.

At various localities, the workers hired by the telecom companies are busy in digging the roads to lay new telephone lines, an annual affair taken up after every Darbar move giving an ugly look to the city.

People allege that the construction agencies leave the dug up roads for several 
months, putting the locals to great inconvenience. The dug up roads also become a 
cause of accidents.

The basic issue is why such thing is allowed and why agencies like Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Roads and Buildings Department (R&B) department remain silent over the whole matter. However, both the government agencies associated with giving approval pass on bucks to each other.

If sources are to be believed these agencies are taking extra advantages from the 
government department by digging lanes and roads frequently creating problems for the people.

Sources also said that state government has asked the government and private 
agencies not to dig up newly constructed roads for at least three years for any 
purpose, but without bothering the direction of the government they openly violate 
the directive.

Surjeet Singh a local resident said that the higher officials of the concern department needs to take some concrete steps against the agencies as the private agencies repeatedly digging the streets for one reason or the other causing problems for the pedestrians and bikers.

Singh added that many these also results in traffic jams, due to which we are not 
able to reach on time to our destination.

When contacted Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Jammu, S C Sawhney said that the government has given the permission to the private agencies i.e National Building Construction Company (NBCC) and Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) to dig the streets and roads for installation of telephone line and drainage pipes.

Alarm! power bill to cross Rs 2507 this fiscal year

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sep 28: There has been whopping increase of Rs 1036 crore in power purchase bill of Jammu and Kashmir in past eight years, with power bill likely to cross Rs 2507 crore during current year. 

According to the data, from 2002-2010 period, the power bill has shown constant rise, pushing J&K under the debt trap of Rs 250 crore alone. Even the laxity on the part of Power Development Department (PDD) has also contributed in less revenue generation from the consumers, forcing Northern Grid to issue regular warning to the state government for last four years, to reform this sector. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the power purchase bill during the year 2009 alone (January 2009 to December 2009) was Rs 2351.95 crore.

Data says that in Jammu region, unrestricted demand is 1250 MW, while in Kashmir valley this demand is 1450 MW, which comes to about 2700 MW.

Similarly restricted demand in Jammu region is 700 MW while in Kashmir it is 800 MW (total 1500 MW), and most of it has to be imported from outside the state, particularly from Northern Grid. 

Document says that since peak demand occurs in Jammu region in summer and in Kashmir region in winter, the overall demand is nearly 2300 MWs against this demand presently total average availability of power varies between 1200 MW to 1400 MW leaving a power deficit between 37 per cent to 44 per cent.

“The state is meeting its power requirements partly through generation from its 
own power houses and mainly through imports from Northern Grid and we are making plans to tap more hydel potential”, said MoS Power Shabir Ahmed Khan. Khan said that reforming the power sector is long drawn process and cannot be streamlined in one go.

Besides above the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses in the state are also very high the order of 62 per cent due to the misuse and wastage of energy by the consumers which also leads to the increased gap between availability and demand.

Government document says that in winter power availability falls drastically 
because of fall in the hydel generation due to the reduced discharge in the rivers in both state and central sector projects whereas the consumption demand increases in these months.

4th Tawi bridge to be completed by end of this year

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 27: The construction work of the fourth Tawi Bridge will be completed soon giving the relief to the traffic rush of the city.

According to official sources the state government has approved the project of fourth Tawi Bridge in December 2010 and sanctioned a total amount of Rs 93 crore for the project and the target was fixed to November 2012 as per the agreement.

The project was handed over to Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) to complete the work.

Due to the migration from different parts of the state the Jammu has faced heavy traffic scenario which causes traffic jams at various crowded location included Shalamar, Jewel, Rehari Chungi, Vikram Chowk, Bakshi Nagar besides many others busy crossings.

The functioning of this new bridge will hopefully help to smoothened the traffic system in the city and also reduce the traffic jams.

When contacted Managing Director JKPCC Madan Mohan Gupta said that the department has completed the maximum construction work and the government has provided Rs 28.85 crore to the department till date.

He further said that department is going to pre-poned the date of completion the construction work and if the work is going in the same pace it is expected that work will be completed by July 2012.

The officials informed that the bridge will connect Ware House with 975 Mtr 4 Lane carriage way road, Satwari vai Belli Charana with 3.25 km length. 2 Lane carriageway road on one end and Bhagwati Nagar road with 200 Mtr. length. 4 lane carriageway road on the other end.  A 4 lane Bye Pass road from Bhagwati Nagar to Akhnoor Road near T V  Towers at Muthi having a length of 13 kms connecting villages mainly Seoura, Akalpur, Lower Barnai and Pounichak is also proposed. While speaking on the occasion, the minister said that these major projects after completion will result to ease traffic congestion in Jammu city.