Markets Cash-in on Festive Craze

Time belongs to Women’s Cadre, all it’s “Karva Chauth"

Markets Cash-in on Festive Craze

Yash Khajuria
Jammu, Oct 29:

Call it the Saas-Bahu soap opera effect or plain commercialisation of a tradition, the fact of the matter is Karva Chauth, a festival in which married women fast for their husbands’ long lives, has become a shopkeeper’s delight.

With the festival falling on Friday, the shops in the city have stocked up the items related directly or indirectly with Karva Chauth rituals, hoping to cash-in on the religious sentiments by offering discounts and packages. With just three days remaining, the markets are abuzz with women, often accompanied by their husbands, buying sarees and jewellery to customised gifts for the festival.

A specially designed thali (plate) with dry fruits and items for rituals attracted most customers. Shops selling items from flowers and perfumes to cosmetics are also doing brisk business.

With Stone – Jarkan work Leads the market parallel in Clothing and Ornaments, The festival turned expensive for husbands who can be seen ‘paying the price’ - by cash and credit cards – for their wives Jewelry or designer Suits and Sarees made famous by the actors in the numerous soap operas.

Rajiv, a shopkeeper at Pakka Danga, said, “This season, the metallic bangles are a rage with women. Silver metal bangles, studded with colourful stones, are also much in demand. But above all most women buy the combination of Stone – Jarkan bangles which look like the wedding bracelet chura from a distance.”

The henna artists, too, are having a field day. Setting up their makeshift stalls comprising a few small chairs and a henna design book outside the bigger shops, the artists charge anything from Rs 30 for putting mehendi on the palm of one hand to Rs 300 for both hands and the feet.

“This is the only time of the year when we make good money,” said Ravi Kumar, a 14-year-old mehendiwala who has set his stall in Raghunath Bazar.

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The for-the-love-of-Karwa-Chauth type:

With yet-to-be-married Shalini and her four cousins Karva Chauth is a must-fast day. “I have been keeping the fast since I was in the 11th standard. It’s the same with four of my cousins. It’s not like we keep it for someone. We just love the Karva Chauth shopping and the mehndi. Of course the spirit of the festival is incomplete without the fast. So we have been observing it religiously since we were kids.”

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The till-death-do-us-apart types:

Newly Wedded of just two months Manju Sharma and Rakesh Sharma got married this August. While they never fasted earlier, they plan to fast together from this year on. Rakesh is currently at New Delhi, but both of them will observe the fast at their respective locations. Manju says, “We plan to break the fast during online chat on facebook.”

Well, Vishal and his girlfriend Aarti are not married but they have been fasting for each other for the past two years. Vishal says, “This is our way of showing love for each other.”

Sportspersons still awaits Scholarships

57^th National School Games

Sportspersons still awaits Scholarships

Yash Khajuria
Jammu, Oct 25: Despite producing their best ever performance accompanied with a record medal haul in various disciplines in the recently concluded 57th National School Games, it has been a long wait for the outstanding sportspersons of the State who have not yet received their scholarships as the Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS) is allegedly grappling with shortage of funds.

As per rule, the medallists (outstanding sportspersons) will get a scholarship of Rs 10,000 while the participants in various competitions will get a scholarship worth Rs 1,750.

According to the sources, the State Government every year released additional funds for DYSS to award scholarships to the outstanding sportspersons but an inordinate delay in release of the same has been a major cause of concern for the department which needed an approximate amount of over Rs 15 lakh for awarding scholarships. The sources further claimed that the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports has not even prepare a list of sportspersons who will receive scholarships.

“This is perhaps for the first time that the department has been in such a precarious situation as every year the Government allotted us additional funds before the closing of the Financial Year to award sports scholarships but that was not the case this year”, said one of the officials of DYSS on the condition of anonymity. “Not only the sportspersons but their parents are also raising questions over the delay in awarding scholarships”, he added.

 Meanwhile, Jai Pal Singh, Director, Youth Services and Sports while talking to TNI said “the department is very much aware of the shortage of funds but we have also send a proposal to the State Government mentioning the actual amount needed for awarding scholarships to the outstanding sportspersons”.  “There is nothing serious about the issue as we are hopeful of getting the funds from the State Government soon, but at the moment we did not have received any positive sign from the government’s side”, he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention here that a record 83 medals including 16 gold, 28 silver and 39 bronze have been bagged by the State contingent in the 57th edition of National School Games recently.

Death-birth entries recorded casually; people suffering

Death-Birth entries recorded casually; people suffering

Yash Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 25: Call it a height of illiteracy or negligence at galore that entries of death and birth are being recorded wrongly in many government health institutions as the job is being performed by by the under-trained and sub-qualified staff.

The system is in vogue in almost all health institutions where such mistakes are  being committed on registration of names of the parents as well as those of the new born siblings which later have to undergo the tedious and cumbersome process at Municipal and allied institutions to get these rectified.

The dilemma goes unabated as incorrect records of patients in their record books are entered by these staff attendants who do not even care to lend proper audience to the spellings of the names uttered by the attendants thus leaving them into a lurch.

Common public hence faces a number of hardships in making their further documents ranging from birth certificate to death certificate.
To add a convenience to public, National Informatics Centre (NIC) started the online death and birth certificate service but the incorrect records sent by the health institution to the JMC has made this service useless as most of the records on searching by the public in the JMC sites responds as “Record not found” after which they have to undertake traumatic journey of various JMC departments.

It is pertinent to mention here that there are number of big and small health institution in the province which are owned by the state government, prominent among which include Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital (SMGS), Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, SDH R.S. Pura, SDH Bishnah which as per the government tall claims have well qualified trained staff for the treatment and entry of the patients record but despite of this, large number of records are entered wrongly by them due to unknown reasons.

This problem is mainly encountered in the delivery cases where authorities mostly enter incorrect records i.e incorrect mother or father’s name and many times address too.

The staff deployed even doesn’t know how to spell a simple name and just finish off by scribbling the letters heard. Due to this casual and irresponsible attitude of the hospital authorities’ large number of people face problem after the death of their kin or the birth of a new one as when they reach Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) office the certificates they find bear incorrect names and address written on them.

Not only the names, many times the address written by the authorities are found incorrect due to which they face number of hardships to make them correct for which they have to spend money and time due to the lengthy official formalities for correction.

Gopal Krishan, a resident of R.S. Pura said that his wife Sangeeta gave birth to baby boy at Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar but the hospital authorities entered her name as Sangita instead of Sangeeta while his husband’s name was entered as Krishan Kumar instead of Gopal krishan due to which the couple is facing a number of hardships in making the birth certificate of their child.

He said due to this mistake of hospital authorities his money and time is getting wasted as when he contacted the hospital authorities for the mistake get rectified the officials have directed him to bring affidavits and other documents. Even after providing all the documents for correction when he approached the hospital authorities, they annoyingly misbehaved and asked him to contact JMC.

When contacted Director Health Services Jammu Dr. Madhu Khullar, said that she is aware of this but this is not a fault of the concerned health officials. She informed that this was mainly due to the wrong information/ record provided to the health officials by the attendants of patients who themselves don’t know the accurate information of the patient brought by them. She refuted the allegation that mistakes were going on at a mass scale but said she will direct all the concerned superintendents to check this.

Though,  she gave a simple reason of avoidance and negligence the irking part remains as to how it is possible that a husband does not know his spouse’s and his own name correctly or a family does not know the name of their relatives.

Official apathy leaves Sidhra Golf Course in tatters

Official apathy leaves Sidhra Golf Course in tatters

Yash Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 16: The much hyped project of 18 holes Golf Course which is under construction in Sidhra had crossed many deadlines due to alleged inordinate delay the authorities. It may be mention here that the course was constructed with an aim to promote the tourism attraction and also to provide a fillip to sports culture in the State.

Since the work started on the project in 2008, the authorities have delayed many deadlines to come out with a full fledge 18 holes golf course, and the disabled speed of work done that too in patches had deprived desiring golfers of assaying their hands out there.

Stretched over an area of about 400 kanals with an estimated cost over Rs. 37 crore the Sidhra Golf Course which was expected to be completed in December 2012 is likely to cross another deadline as work on the remaining nine holes is yet to complete. Further, the building of the complex is also not completed.
When contacted, Director Tourism - Robin Singh Mehta admitting that the work is delayed said that we are preparing an international level podium for the golfers and to come up with such high class mechanism it also costs time duration and more patience.

“The Golf Course of international standard possesses a unique and picturesque location; with an amount of Rs. 22 crore has so far been spent on the development of 9 holes with the work on the remaining 9 holes is scheduled”, he said.

The project was supposed to get completed soon but the insufficient allocation of funds in the middle of the work has extended its deadline. Moreover, the funding issues have been resolved and we have assured the authorities to handover a full-fledged Golf Course in the Jammu in March 2013.

Illegal mining destroys Balol Bridge in Purmandal

Crores of rupees go waste

Illegal mining destroys Balol Bridge in Purmandal

Yash Khajuria

JAMMU, Oct 12: The illegal mining of sand and Gravel from streams had taken toll of newly constructed Balol bridge on Jammu – Lakhanpur national highway near Purmandal, as the bridge collapsed within months of its inauguration.   

Project Director, National Highways Authority of India, R P Singh said that the base of almost 500-mt long bridge constructed on river suffered extensive damage due to illegal mining (lifting of sand, pebbles) near the bridge as its basement got uprooted, suffered extensive damage even after just six months after it was constructed by National Highways Authority of India.

“The Balol Bridge at Purmandal morh near Kaluchak, has suffered damage during the flash flood in the nallah and the unchecked mining activity under the bridge was the only reason for the damage. Its basement had been exposed to flood waters and it started sinking” Singh said.

The illegal and uncontrolled excavation of sand and Bajri from the beds of rivers and nullahs in Samba district of the region has been termed as the main cause behind the weakening of the basic structures of bridges on them.

Pertinent to mention here that according to the order issued by the administration regarding the ban on the mining practices “it emphasizes that no miner was allowed to excavate sand within 500 meter upstream and 300 meter downstream from the bridges on national highway including Balol nullah.

In the case of small nullahs, which had culverts on them, no excavation work was allowed within 150 meter upstream and 100 meter downstream, if any person was found violating this Government directive, stern action under law would be taken against him, the order states.

Sources said that despite this illegal mining state exchequer deficits crores of rupees every month, but due to the nexus between the officials and people associated with the trade, the illegal work is going on.

Chief Engineer, PWD (R&B), Jammu Tahseen Mustafa when contacted said that many bridges are becoming vulnerable only due to the increasing activity of illegal mining. He said this mafia has become so powerful that even now despite ban; they managed to operate even during nights and early hours. There was urgent need of implementation of the orders of the District Magistrates and for this some mechanism is needed to be devised, he opined.

Authorities to be blame for poor performance of players

Sports least priority for state

Authorities to be blame for poor performance of players 

Yash Khajuria 

JAMMU, Oct 9: The poor performance by the Jammu and Kashmir squad in the recently concluded 77th Senior National Badminton Championship in Srinagar, has exposed the apathetic approach towards the game by the authorities. 

Sources said the J&K Badminton Association (JKBA) which hosted the prestigious event did not conduct the necessary 21-day long coaching camp for the 10-member state squad to hone their skills before the championship.

Interestingly, sources while alleging favoritism in the selection have said that the team for such important championship was selected with dark eyes as no selection trails were held before the state team’s selection and the players had been selected randomly.   

The shuttlers had expressed displeasure over not conducting the camp but could not do much as the championship was round the corner, sources added.

“As per rule, it is mandatory for any association to organise a coaching camp for the selected players before competing in the championship, and the results would have been different if they had been given adequate time for preparations”  a shuttler said.

Despite the fact that the states shutters haven’t performed impressively in the recent past but, when the championship was to be held in J&K, it was a high time to prove the potential by competing against rest of the states and it was necessary for the JKBA to conduct a coaching camp at least for a month for better preparation, he maintained.

“It is better not to compete in the championship when you are not sufficiently prepared. In fact, it was an ideal opportunity for us to perform against ace shuttlers of the country but unfortunately that did not happen,” another shuttler said.

“The more time you devote for preparation, the better will be the results. For example, had our team been selected one month before the championship, we would have had ample time at our disposal to prepare for the competition,” the shuttler remarked.

“Our state already lacks sports infrastructure and such things will only worsen the situation further,” he maintained.

“How can you expect from us to clinch titles in such championships when you are short of practice and that too against those best in the business,” he quipped.

ERA, PWD lack coordination, blacktopping work get delayed

ERA, PWD lack coordination, blacktopping work get delayed

Yash Khajuria

JAMMU, Oct 8: Lack of co-ordination between the Public Works Department (PWD) and Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) has delayed the blacktopping project of the roads in the city.

Many of the roads got damaged after the sewerage laying work in the different localities started by the PWD and ERA department about three months ago. Most of the roads have been damaged due to the sewerage laying works undertaken by the said agencies in the past two years in the city.

Protest demonstrations have been organised by locals against the poor condition of roads and delay on part of the administration to improve the road condition.

Few days back, hundreds of residents of Janipur, New Plot, Sarwal and Disco Morh had taken to streets protesting against the poor condition of roads and delay on part of the administration to improve the condition.

“Every day entire stretch from Amphalla to Buta Nagar locality face chaotic conditions as hundreds of vehicles are caught in traffic jams. There is total disruption of normal life in the areas, as the dust blowing due to the plying of vehicles create lot of problems for the people”, said a local, Randeep Singh.

At the moment there are 21 roads having aggregate length of 12 kilometers which are damaged in the city. Further there are many localities were streets have been dug out by the contractors for laying sewerage lines.

“Administration has assured us that work will start in first week of this month and in past few days labourers are seen lifting the debris. Let us hope they stick to the schedule”, said Sunil Dimple, a local leader.

According to the officials, slow pace of work is mainly because of lack of coordination between Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) which have failed to complete the works initiated by them in the city.

“To face this problem on daily have become a routine practice for marching mass  as the department concerned is  not considering any complaint of the locals, normal life gets completely disrupted in these areas, as the dust that blows due to the plying of vehicles creates lot of problems for the people,” said Rakesh Kumar,  advocate in court.

When contacted, Muhammad Rafiq, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) said that work has been initiated in areas which have been handed over by the ERA. “Till Agency hands us over the areas fully completed, work can be started only after that”.

Home delivery of LPG cylinders still stopped by distributors

Home delivery of LPG cylinders still stopped by distributors

Yash Khajuria

JAMMU, Oct 06:  Despite completion of verification process of LPG consumers in Jammu, but most of them are still not getting the home delivery of the cylinders.

Though the government has asked the oil companies to speed up the verification process of cooking gas connections and delivery of cylinders to avoid inconvenience to public, but consumers are still facing lot of problems in the city.

Official said that the oil companies and LPG agency owners have been directed to avoid any inconvenience to the public with regard to the verification of the connections and delivery of cylinders.

Notwithstanding with the complaints of LPG shortage in the Jammu region the officials refuse to admit that there is any shortage of the LPG gas.

A large number of consumers continue to line up with cylinders in extended queues at outside the offices of LPG distributors have become a daily view in the Jammu. Large number of consumers has complained that are being made to suffer without any fault.

“Even they stopped the home delivery of cooking gas and now the LPG cylinders are denied at outlets as well, the offices of the distributors are too small to handle the chaotic consumers on daily and they even not installed the external booths for the verification process so the consumers who have verified connection can receive the gas delivery, which has poured the unnecessary rush at the distributors offices and the people with verified connection have to wait for long hours and even they back with empty cylinders.

Pertinent to mention that since, about 1.25 lakh consumers have been blocked by oil companies in the Jammu region due to non- verification of LPG connections in view of the policy to cap the number of subsidised cylinders, the distributors have consistently faced the consumers wrath, as they were caught inept to maintain the smooth services of LPG supply.

Commuter Faces Relentless Parking Problem in JU, Authorities helpless

Parking Mess

Commuter Faces Relentless Parking Problem in JU, Authorities helpless

Yash Khajuria        

The Over crowdedness of vehicular traffic have bothered many fellows in Jammu university campus as the anonymous parking in JU is increasing problems for the students and the teachers owning vehicle.

JAMMU, Oct 04: Parking in Jammu University is day by day becoming a problem as in absence of space, people are facing lot of problems were to place their cars and two wheelers.

However authorities have failed to rein in on illegally parked vehicles, which has created a chaos like situation in the campus.

Although university has parking places specified for the teachers and students, yet they are too small as the volume of vehicles in the varsity has increased. Moreover, a lot of vehicles belong to outsiders which are being parked in the university campus.

“Most of the vehicles parked in the campus belong to outsiders which has further created chaos in the University parking space. There is need to stop the flow out vehicles of outsiders”, said”, a professor wishing anonymity.

There are parking places for eight departments which are specified for the teachers and the students but it is not managed properly as the vehicles are not parked in proper way.

Problem could be witnessed on any day at the Gossip Corner cafeteria side where vehicles are found parked back to back which creates problem for the vehicle holders while they are leaving from there.

"To park a vehicle, everybody only thinks about the space in some way for parking and forgets that they have also have to leave the place. Nobody in the university parks their vehicles in a rational and proper manner,” said Gourav Sharma, a student who owns a vehicle.

However, JU authorities has said that they do not have earmarked any area where parking is prohibited but that doesn’t mean one could park here and there in the campus.

The university administration says that they are concerned about the parking problem but are unable to tackle it yet. They said that the number of vehicles was increasing as most of the students prefer to come in their own vehicles.

If sources are to believe the JU administration to curb this menace in the campus premises is up to launch coupon system soon, as it is in Kashmir University but the effectiveness of that will be directly proportional to the obedience of both the student and faculty members.

“We have a lot of parking space in front of the Zorawar Singh auditorium but people do not park their vehicles out there. We had also called upon the students avoid four wheelers to avoid the parking problem but they do not bother about it,” said, N K Tripathi.

Abhinav Theatre Still Crying For Attention

Abhinav Theatre Still Crying For Attention

Only 50 percent renovation work completed

Yash Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 01: Jammuites have been keenly waiting for the completion of the Abhinav Theatre, which is city’s only auditorium with all the facilities for stage performances. Renovation of the theatre is going on for the past few months.

As per the reliable sources despite of long lapse of time only fifty percent of renovation work has been complete till date due to tortoise pace and the remaining fifty percent might take more than six months.

Theatre lovers of the city have been missing the charm of watching the plays in the Abhinav as most of the plays are being performed at other auditoriums, which are not meant for staging theatrical shows.

This theatre is the only government theatre in the Jammu province situated at Canal road Jammu under the J&K Academy of Art, Cultural and Languages Jammu (J&KAACLJ), and is presently headed by its additional secretary Savita Bakshi.

But the said theatre has become non functional due to renovation work which was started with the deadline of ending October and the renovation work was granted to Public Works Department (PWD) but after the lapse of almost six months the work has not been completed.

Sources also informed that the slow pace of work is due to non receipt of funds from the state government for the renovation of this theatre to the PWD who is the wholly-solly incharge of the renovation project undergoing there.

“Abhinav Theater is the only platform for artists in the province and delay in its renovation is clearly an injustice and hanging sword on the career of both senior and budding artists as there is no other stage in the province for displaying and performing arts with all required facilities that’s too on affordable charges” said Sonali Bhagat, an theater artist.

Another artist Ritika Gandotra says “undoubtedly the renovation of the Abhinav theatre was the caring need of the hour as its condition had became miserable due to attrition but now the delaying tactics has deprived the artists to a platform for their presentations.

When contacted Savita Bakshi, additional secretary AACLJ, has said that the PWD is carrying out the renovation work of the theatre and they have no role to play in this project as the department has direct tie up with the state government.

“I hopes that the deadline of the ending October might be met but not sure as still fifty percent of the renovation has been done so it is quite challenging to complete rest fifty percent in remaining one month but work in double shift might help in meeting with the deadline” she added.

She informed that she has constituted a six member committee right from the beginning of the renovation for the technical check up besides quality of the work.

Ashok Gupta, Manager Abhinav theatre disclosed that they are regularly taking the percentage of work done from the different wings engaged in the renovation in black and white which included sound, lights, white wash etc to keep the record of pending work and admitted that overall fifty to fifty five percent of the renovation work has been completed till date.

He further expressed that there is a possibility of completion of work upto the deadline but everything is depend on the concerned PWD department who is carrying out the renovation work of the theatre.