Avinash Azad
JAMMU, June 25: Exposing merciless behaviour of officials of Relief Organisation towards migrant Kashmiri Pandit Community, a Zonal Officer, posted at Migrant Township Jagti Nagrota has allegedly snatched monthly free ration slip from a widow who had gone to ration store situated in the township, besides the erring official has also ignored direction of the relief commissioner to compensate the woman.
The victim, Bimla Pandita (widow) presently residing at Migrant Township Jagti said, "I went to Zone Number 4 in Jagti, in the month of April 2014 where a ration store is run by Relief Organisation. In the meantime a Zonal Officer namely Abhinav Bhat snatched the ration slip from her," she said, adding that later when she came to know about the trick played by the Zonal Officer, she approached him to return the slip, but the arrogant official refused to mend his deed.
Woman with some other inmates of the township again approached Zonal Officer, but instead of listening the grievances, the official man-handled them. "We had apprised the Relief Commissioner about the malpractice being adopted by the official deputed for relief distribution", said Sunil Pandita, a social activist, adding that the Commissioner had also asked the officials to compensate the women but the Zonal Officer didn't respond to the boss too.
"We have also filed a complaint at Police Station Nagrota regarding misdeed by the official but no action has been taken so far", Pandita said, adding that it was not a single case of harassment and embezzlement by officials of Relief Organisation but a number of unheard and helpless migrants have been facing cruelty since migration.
Sunil further said that in twenty first century, Relief Organisation has adopted 100 year old method for weight and measure. "Despite availability of electronic as well as other weighing machines, old containers of mustard oil are being used for measuring ration", he said, alleging that less ration against fixed ratio is being supplied to every migrant by the Relief Organisation.
First state woman IPS officer goes from J&K to Kanyakumari
Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 25: The northern state had, for long, cherished the dream of getting a Muslim woman IPS officer someday. When the time came that the first Muslim woman from Jammu and Kashmir cracked the services, the Centre spoilt the state's party by allocating Ruveda Salam to the Tamil Nadu cadre.
More and more youth are taking the civil services route in the state after Shah Faesal of Kashmir created history by topping the All India merit list in 2010. Coupled with the new initiative taken by serving bureaucrats and police officers to coach local youth, the civil services have become the new craze in Kashmir.
The daughter of a former Doordarshan deputy director general, Ruveda comes from the far-flung Farkin village in the border district of Kupwara. She had qualified for MBBS before she cracked the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) in 2009. In 2013, she was one of the 11 people who qualified for the civil services from Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from Ruveda, two other women - Sehrish Asgar and Anchita Pandoh both from Jammu region - were among last year's qualifiers from the state. Ruveda was allotted the police services, and joined the police academy in Hyderabad for training. But after she completed her training, the lone Kashmiri Muslim policewoman was put in the Tamil Nadu cadre.
"That we have lost out on getting our first Muslim IPS officer from Kashmir is indeed depressing," said civil service aspirant Mehnaz Nazir. "We have no idea what criteria was followed while deciding the cadre. We are in dire need of having the first direct IPS officer." Jammu and Kashmir minister of state for home, Sajad Ahmad Kitchloo, told dna that the cadre allotment for the civil services qualifiers is done by the Centre, and that the state plays no role in the decision. "I will check if there were posts available (to allot the home cadre to the J&K qualifiers). We will talk to the chief minister and then write to the government of India," said Kitchloo. "There is already a shortfall (of officers) here. I do not know what is the present status? How many posts are vacant?"
Omar's grand plans may wreak havoc with state exchequer
Bashir Assad
Srinagar, June 25: Unmindful of the huge financial implications and their adverse impact on the future growth and development of the state, the desperate chief minister has been announcing a slew of measures for his comeback. As ill-advised he may be, without even realising that the creation of about 500 administrative units across the state could not save him from a humiliating defeat in the parliamentary polls, the poor chief minister is announcing sops for diverse vote banks which can play havoc with the state exchequer.
At the time of giving nod to the creation of new administrative units, a former chief secretary and senior NC leader Sheikh Ghulam Rasool had initially calculated that the state would need Rs 800 crores for the purpose. Further calculations by Rasool and his friends took the figure to Rs 1,500 crores. The final figure reached by them for the creation of these units was Rs 2,000 crore. Close on the heels of this statement, a renowned economist had further calculated that the actual requirement for making the administrative units functional was Rs 2,700 crores.
It is interesting to note that the non-plan expenditure in the state has crossed Rs 24,000 crore per annum. Of this, the wage bill of the state government employees comprises Rs 16,000 crore.
In the last fiscal, the state had a plan budget of Rs 8,000 crore. As rightly stated by Prof Nisar Ali, an economist, for execution of plans of mere Rs 8,000 crore, the state has to spend Rs 16,000 crore on its employees. As if this was not enough, the chief minister has further announced plans to burden the already-overstretched state exchequer.
J&K's lone Marxist legislator MY Tarigami recently warned that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is hugely investing for the future government that is already set to face a severe resource crunch. Leading think tanks of the state have been highly critical of this seemingly unmindful functioning of the Omar government, and its ill-conceived 'reforms'. "Whether these desperate announcements will
save the sinking boat of National Conference in the Assembly elections is not clear, but they will certainly wreak havoc on the state economy in the coming years," Tarigami said.
Social activist Shakeel Qalandar said the priority of the chief minister should have been to improve the delivery system and provide better governance.
"We are afraid that his misplaced notions of better governance may not boomerang on the state," said Qalandar.
Sasb Defers Yatra Via Pahalgam-Shesnag Route from June 28
Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 25: With just three days left before the start of annual Amarnath pilgrimage Shri Amarnath Shrine Board authorities wednesday announced
keeping in view the considerable snow accumulation in the entire area of the Sheshnag Yatra Camp, and also keeping in view the present status of the track from Sheshnag Camp -Mahagunus Pass - Panjtarni Camp, the Yatra via the Pahalgam - Sheshnag route yatra would not commence on the 28th June.
Chairman of the Shrine board, Governor NN Vohra also directed that the pace of the ongoing clearing of snow and repair and renovation work should be further enhanced and he would review the progress every day.
The meeting further decided that the pilgrims who are registered to undertake the Yatra from the Pahalgam route on 28th - 29th - 30th June, 2014 would, if they so wished, be enabled to travel to the Shrine by the Baltal route, which would open on 28th June, 2014, as scheduled.
Before chairing the crucial meeting the Governor and CEO undertook a day long tour to visit the Holy Cave Shrine, Panjtarni Yatra Camp, Sheshnag Yatra Camp via 14500 feet high Mahagunus Pass and the Pahalgam Yatra Camp. It was observed that the snow track along Panjtarni-Mahagunus Top-Sheshnag is still under very significant snow cover. After the Governor's inspection of the area of the Sheshnag Yatra Camp, along with CEO and senior officers of Army, BSF, CRPF and others, it was observed that, on an average, the entire Camp site was still covered by one and a half to two feet of snow.
It was also decided that a further meeting, chaired by the Governor, would be held on 30th June afternoon to review whether the Pahalgam route could be opened w.e.f. 1st July, 2014 morning. |
