Students ride bikes, cars without licenses

Daily chaos prevalent outside schools

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 19: Proving a threat to people and themselves school going students ride bikes and cars without driving license has become a common scene in the city.

It not only puts the life of people in danger but at times have led to tragic accidents leaving many families grieved. Whereas the traffic department observing these riders silently taking no action against them.

The fault is not only the students but also from their parents’ side who allowed them with bikes neglecting the norms created by traffic department.

These underage students not only violating the rules by riding motorcycles without license but also driving without a helmet, driving under the influence, and other documents jumping traffic signals, using mobile phones while driving.

Many times their rash driving resulted dangerous accidents besides these underage students do stunts on roads, risk their own and other people’s lives.

Balder Sharma a local said the authorities should take some acting against such erring riders.

“The traffic police needs to deal sternly with underage riders. Increased penalties, seizing vehicles of violators, traffic awareness workshops for school students are some of the ways by which this menace can be controlled” Sharma said.

He maintained that the parents should also need to understand how dangers it is to drive without proper documents.

In absence of required parking space, private vehicles continue to create traffic mess outside the Government Women College (GWC) and Presentation Convent School, Gandhi Nagar. Daily there is huge jam outside educational institutions during the morning and afternoon.

Traffic can be a nightmare during the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, with drivers mounting pavements and narrowly missing themselves or their children as they travel along the Satwari-Bikram Chowk road.

When contacted Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Jammu Saleem Ahmed said that the traffic police continuously doing challans of any such underage student who ride bike without license.

“Expect this department is unable to control them to ride the bikes as this is also the responsibility of their parents not to purchase the vehicles for them” he added.

QRTs without equipment, projects fails to create mechanism

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 12: While the road accidents continue to kill people across the state, the Quick Rescue Teams (QRTs) seems to be functioning on the papers and official files only.

Source said that yet these teams have not been provided with necessary equipment, required at the time of rescue operations, virtually making them handicapped. The fully equipped Quick Rescue Teams (QRTs), to be deployed with ambulances for immediate rescue operations in times of road accidents on highways in the state, has been stuck with the finance department from last some years.

Sources further said that though some teams were constituted under the chairmanship of deputy commissioners and deployed on accident prone areas along the highways in the mountainous Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, yet these teams have not been provided with necessary equipments, required at the time of rescue operations, virtually making them handicapped.”

On February 2009, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also suggested creation of a corpus to provide insurance cover to passengers travelling in commercial vehicles in the state so that in eventualities the families of the victims were paid relief from the corpus fund” he added.

“Which ambulances deployed the ambulances need longer ropes and other equipments to retrieve injured persons and vehicles from deep gorges and the mighty Chenab flowing through these districts but we were not provided the same. It creates several problems in rescue operations and we fail sometimes to save precious human lives”, said a officer.

When contacted Director Health Services, Jammu Dr Madhu Khullar said in QRT project no such equipment and team were required as the department has deputed some of the ambulances in service on the concern district hospitals and peripheral areas.

Dr Khullar further said that the person has to dial 102 to call for the ambulance service.

Malaria alarm: 654 cases detected in past nine months in J&K

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 8: In past nine months Health Department has detected 654 malaria cases in the state which has sent alarm bells ringing among the officials.

Now the department has started a fresh campaign to identify the people mostly from outside the state who act as carriers of pathogen.

As per the figures in Jammu most of the cases are reported from Mendhar, Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Samba. In Kashmir region it is the urban centers from where most of the malaria cases are reported.

Talking to TNI, State Malariologist, Dr Kuldeep Kesar said that from January upto September this year department has registered 654 cases of malaria whereas 352 samples have been sent to laboratories for detection of Dengue fever. However no dengue positive case has been detected so far.

Dr Kesar further said that department has launched a awareness campaign to make people aware about the threat.

“If anybody found suffering from these diseases the department starts early treatment besides doing focal spray in the said areas where is spread” he added.

He maintained as per the previous year record the cases of malaria is going in parallel.

It is pertinent to mention here that some cases of Dengue has been found in Punjab area due to which the treat of this disease may occur in the state.

However department has actively launched the drive in collaboration with Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) supervised by Anti-Malaria Officer to prevent spread of water borne diseases in the area falling within the municipal limits.

Though the department has been claiming that its campaign has been able to curb the breeding grounds, but in most parts of the city, mosquito menace is still prevented.

They appealed the people, especially children and those allergic to smoke to remain in door during fogging and have urged the people to keep their surrounding clean so that mosquitoes don’t get places to breed.

Pertinently the under-construction sites, potholed roads and lanes, pits in and around the localities provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease causing germs, which when passed into the human body through mosquitoes are life threatening.

Govt wakes up from slumber: GMC to have eye bank soon

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 03: After fifteen years since its enactment, the state government finally mooted a proposal to establish a Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO) in Srinagar and two eye-banks one each in Government Medical Colleges of the state to comply with statutory obligation under the Jammu and Kashmir Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1997.

This was disclosed by HOD Department of Opthalamology Dr Sudhir Bhagotra while talking to TNI.

Dr Bhagotra further said that proposal has been sent to the state government for further proceedings.

He maintained that after sanctioned the funds by the state government the department needs to purchase the required infrastructure of functioning of Eye Bank.

“As per the new guidelines of the centre government for the transplant of body organ there are certain rules which have to be fulfilled by the department for running an eye bank” Dr Bhagotra added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the hospital had the facility of Eye Bank a decade ago but due to some problems the bank had to be closed. 

After Human Organs Transplantation Act was passed in the country envisaging transplantation of human organs, including eyes, in a recognized and registered medical institution by competent eye specialists the eye bank in GMCH has closed as it does not follow the norms and guidelines required for an Eye Bank.

 As per sources, the Eye Bank infrastructure had been deported to other departments. The ambulance of the eye bank is now being used for transportation of the students.

Sources further said that the project would be fully funded by Union government.

“The Union government had assured the state government to fully fund the project which is to the tune of Rs. 78 Crores, but the land was to be provided by state government” sources said, adding that the state government has identified 16 Kanals of land in Dewanbagh Sringar.

Courts to have video conferencing facilities to hear criminal cases

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Oct 02: All the jails and courts in Jammu and Kashmir will be soon connected with video conferencing facility, allowing judges to conduct trial while sitting at their respective courts.

A senior officer said that centre has asked the J&K to select the people for handling the equipments. “There is need for a separate technical wing to run the project and they have to be imparted necessary training to handle it”, said an official. 

As part of the centrally sponsored E-Court project, National Informatics Centre
(NIC) has started a detailed survey of the requirements to implement the project
and the report will be submitted to the central government for the final approval.

Sources said that state government is showing keen interest in the project,
keeping in view problems police is facing while shifting militants and hardcore
criminals to courts during the trial period.

“NIC has already asked its unit in the state to make detailed report about the
requirements and problems they will face when the project would be started, as it  will be the main implementing agency”, officials said.

The project is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and
Himachal Pradesh as part of the modernisation plan for the jails and courts and
speeding up the justice process.

“It had been found that the detainees had to waste a long period before they were
produced in the trial courts. The reason was they had to be moved from distant
places to the district headquarters where the courts exist, this will simply the
process”, officials said.

Sources said that Government of India plans to spend over Rs.500 crores on the
rehabilitation of jail inmates over next decade.

Few years back government had decided to install E-attendance system in all the jails of the state for the daily attendance of the staff, though the project was not fully implemented, but at some jails it is working. At many places, CCTV cameras have been installed to keep an eye on the inmates, many of them are local and foreign militants.

JMC misusing money non-productive works

Passenger sheds in city taken over by beggars, no benefit to the people

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 25: Constructed for the benefit of commuters travelling by public transport, passengers sheds in the city have become resting place for beggars. In absence of any action by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), most of the people are not using them now. 

Passenger shed at Gole Market, near Women College Gandhi Nagar, Jewel Chowk, Amphalla, Main stop, and at Parade are totally ‘encroached’ by beggars. Begging, the most common urban problem has taken alarming dimensions in Jammu city, who roam the market places seeking alms.

“Beggars in Jammu are mostly from other parts of the country who are brought here under a well planned strategy not only to fleece but also to commit petty crimes- the government however seems to be sleeping over the issue” said Amit Singh, a housewife.

Most sheds have been rendered useless for daily commuters, who use the public transport system to reach their destinations every day.

These stops have turned out to be a waste of money, as these are not being utilised for the purpose they were constructed. At some places fruit sellers are using them for storing place.

“These are for the benefit of passengers and the authorities need to create awareness about them. Beggers should be removed from these sites,” says Bupesh Kumarl, a local resident.

Commuters allege that at some place, drug addicts could be seen using the places during the evening hours, which have become a threat to the people moving near these places during evening hours.

 “They have become a nuisance for the people particularly the tourists as they follow them in the markets. Though they are mostly children, but their handlers are always near them keeping a close watch”, said a shopkeeper at Gandhi Nagar.

For being the city of temples, Jammu is a paradise for the beggars who mostly come from other states like Orrisa, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Gujarat along with their families, with the hope of getting good alms here.

Decks cleared for city’s first ropeway project from Bag-e-Bahu and Mubarak Mandi

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 21: The much delayed Mubarak mandi-Bag-e-Bahu ropeway project may soon see the light of the day, as the Pollution Control Board (PCB) today conducted public hearing to get the feedback from people regarding the project, after which the report will be sent to Union Environmental Ministry for clearance.

The project is pending for last over a decade due to non-clearance from the union environment ministry which has raised its objection over the impact on the forested areas, falling on its way.

Sources said that the views of the people living close to the proposed project will be incorporated in the final report to be sent to centre after which the work is likely to start on the ambitious project.

The project was to be constructed on a BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis, in which the state government had to provide the land and private parties had to raise the infrastructure, operate it for 30 years or so and then transfer it back to J&K.

When completed the project will connect Mubarak Mandi, Mahamaya Termple, Bagh-e-Bahu, Bawe Wali Mata Temple, Peerkho temple allowing people to enjoy the beauty of the these places.  

According to sources from the corporation, the EIAA which was established in 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir to clear the environmentally fragile projects, had not given it consent to the ropeway citing that it will damage the environment around the area and will threaten the wildlife.

Row between state’s Environment Impact Assessment Authority (EIAA) and J&K Cable Car Corporation had threatened the ambitious 24-crore Mubarak Mandi-Bahu fort ropeway project, as despite directions by the government to start the work, the EIAA had not given its clearance to the project.

When contacted Chairman PCB, Lal Chand said, “The view of people is necessary before the environmental clearance as per the rules laid down by the government. The work can only start then. Clearance from EIAA and Union Ministry is necessary”.

Sources said that officials from the Pollution Control Board (PCB) had also raised the question on the project by saying that it falls within 10-km of the Ramnagar wildlife sanctuary.

It is pertinent to mention here that the prestigious ropeway project has faced the delay from 1996, when it was conceived by the then Farooq Abdullah government, to boost the tourist attraction in Jammu region.

             

In 2005, much hype was created by the government to start the project, but it continued to face delay due to the differences between different agencies in the state.