Govt urges protesters to end faceoff  

Jammu: The parts of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed black out yet again on Sunday due to power crisis in view of ongoing indefinite strike of the Power Development Department employees that has entered the second day.

The pen down and tool down strike started from Friday midnight.

However, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Dr Raghav Langer will be holding fresh round of talks with the protesting PDD employees as stalemate continued due to dialogue failure earlier. The employees alleged that the government has failed in addressing their issues.

Meanwhile, protests were staged in many parts of the Union Territory due to power failure that remained hit from Friday midnight. The protestors have appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir administration to consider the demands of the agitating employees for early restoration of the electricity as people are facing many hardships due to power failure.

The PDD employees have refused to resume their work and repair any fault unless the demands are met.

Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees Coordination Committee (JKPECC) Jaipal Sharma said that all the unions and associations from Linemen to senior Engineers across J&K are on indefinite strike as the stalemate continues because several round of talks with the Government has failed. “We will continue to agitate until our demands are considered,” said the Chairman.

Flanked by Committee convenor Sachin Tickoo, he said that the intent of the government is not serious in addressing issues such as scrapping of joint venture of JKPTCL and PGCIL, delinking of salary of Employees on deputation to PDD corporations from Grant In Aid and routing through treasury directly with earlier mechanism, failure to address the recommendations of the unbundling committee which formed basis of corporations.

“We demand white paper on non creations, regularisation of engineers and PDL TDL and Casual labours and also on service conditions of Employees on deputation to CVPPP,” said the leaders.

“We have sent many representations to the Government and also senior officers of the department and held series of meetings on earlier occasions, but they have remained unmoved to the genuine and justified demands of the employees,” he said.

However, many parts of the Union Territory witnessed ‘black out’ due to snapped power supply adding to the woes of common man.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Government after fresh round of dialogue have requested the agitating employees of Power Development Department to end the strike.

PDD employees are on indefinite strike from Friday midnight pressing government to consider their demands.

“The Government of J&K, taking a sympathetic view of the issues raised, has engaged in several round of talks with Coordination Committee of the Power Employees,” official spokesman said.

The spokesman said that in the wake of Covid contagion and nail-biting cold in both the divisions, the Coordination Committee of the Power Employees has been requested to end its strike.

He said that the Government has already agreed on two of their major demands – putting on hold the proposal for formation of JV and delay in salary is immediately resolved.

“During each round of talks, the government representatives have appealed to the power employees to call off their strike as people in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions are suffering,” he said. (UNI)

Admin likely to deploy final year students of ITIs on essential service duties

By: Haroon Nabi

Srinagar: The “work boycott” by Power Development Department (PDD) employees in Jammu and Kashmir has left hundreds of COVID-19 patients who are on oxygen support at home on death bed. Nonetheless, the government is mulling to deploy the final year students in “electric engineering” on essential service duties.

Complaints and distress calls were received from different parts of the Valley against the PDD employees for switching off the grid stations and disrupting power supply to people.

In Pulwama village of Ratnipora, locals said that 10 COVID-19 patients are on oxygen concentrators since last week, but their lives in absence of the electricity has been put at risk.

The locals said that the PDD employee posted at Receiving Station Narwa, which supplies power to dozens of villages, has switched off the electric supply and deprived the consumers of electricity.

Locals said they are pleading with the employees and concerned officials including Executive Engineer Nazir Malik, Junior Engineer Naveed and other concerned employees to restore the electric supply.

“Our pleas are being ignored by the Exen, JE and the employees posted at the Receiving Station Narwa. We are urging them to restore the supply for the life of the patients, but they are not listening,” Muhammad Yaqoob, a local said.

He said when they talked to the Executive Engineer and JE about the patients, their replies were shocking.

“Executive Engineer told us that ‘when doctors strike work in hospitals why don’t people complaint then. We can’t help patients as we are on strike’,” the locals quoted the Executive Engineer as having said.

The residents of Pulwama have urged the District Commissioner and Divisional Commissioner to intervene.

Vinod Pandit, a resident of Jammu, said that their area is reeling under darkness from Saturday morning but no official is bothered.

Similar complaints poured in from Bandipora, Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Shopian and other different parts of Kashmir and Jammu.

Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary SDD, Asgar Samoon has directed the Principals and Superintendents of all the government it is to submit names and contact numbers of all final year students in “electric engineering” immediately for deploying them on essential service duties by government in view of electrical employees strike. (With inputs from KDC)

By: Sheikh Qayoom

Jammu: Having failed to reach an amicable agreement with thousands of striking employees of the Power Development Department (PDD), the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday requisitioned the assistance of the army to man electric installations/supplies in the Union Territory.

For the last 24 hours, almost the entire Jammu city and the rural areas have remained plunged into darkness as the striking employees of the PDD refuse to man duties until the government reverses its decision to privatise the power sector in the UT.

After the daylong discussions with the representatives of the striking employees failed to persuade them to return to their duties, the administration on Sunday evening requisitioned the army to man electric power supply in Jammu division.

In a letter to the Defence Ministry, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Raghav Langer wrote: “It is to bring to your kind notice that due to strike by electric department personnel in the UT of J&K, essential services have been severely affected in the Jammu region.

“We would like to hereby requisition the Indian army to assist in the restoration of the said essential services by provisioning manpower to man critical electricity stations and water supply sources.”

Till late Sunday evening, the physical deployment of soldiers to man electricity in Jammu division had not taken place and the entire region continued to reel under darkness. (IANS)

New Delhi: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the government will try to ensure that scientific evidence is sent electronically to courts and police stations at the earliest.

On the second day of his Maharashtra visit, Shah formally inaugurated the Camp Complex of the 5th Battalion of the NDRF in Pune, inspected the new campus of the CFSL and inaugurated its new building.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that the Government of India has developed many softwares, which are also being linked to the courts and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), so that no person or prosecutor in the court will be able to say that the FSL report is yet to be received.

“The report will reach the court records directly and a copy will go to the police station and a copy will go to the Home Department of the state. The day this system is established, many delays will be eliminated and using science we will be able to increase proof of conviction,” he said.

He pointed out that so far, there are seven Central Forensic Scientific Laboratories (CFSL) in the country and said, “If we have to strengthen the internal security and judicial system of a country like India in this area, then we still have to do a lot of work”.

He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had planned intensively to make the Forensic Science Laboratory of Gujarat world class and today the Gujarat FSL is known as one of the best in the world.

He pointed out that the biggest drawback in the spread of FSL was the lack of a specialised human resource force, there was no such course designed for this field.

“In the field of forensic science, not a single college, university was established in the country. The country’s first forensic science university was established in Gujarat. Our target is that in every state, the state government should establish one college each and with this university they should be associated with the college of forensic science,” he said.

He stated that the day at least one forensic science college will be set up in all the states, then there will be no dearth of human resource force in this country and experts from different fields of forensic science will be produced by these colleges and universities and fulfil our needs.

“Thereafter, at least two mobile FSLs should be established in every district, which should cover every police station. If we can do this in the coming five to ten years, then a change can also be made in the country so that we can make the visit of the FSL team mandatory in the cases of punishment of six years or more,” he said.

Expressing confidence that it will help in controlling crime and internal security, he said, “I am sure that the day we do this, the proof of conviction will increase tremendously and will be of great help in both internal security and crime control in the country. We will also enhance the manpower position of CFSL and along with this, efforts will also be made to ensure that scientific evidence is sent directly to courts and police stations electronically,” the Home Minister said. (IANS)

 New Delhi: Pointing out that India still has the largest number of illiterate persons in the world, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that the literacy drive should become a people’s movement.

The Vice President urged all stakeholders, including the private sector, to come forward and supplement the government’s work in the field of adult education and skills training. Stressing the need to make every adult literate, he also highlighted the need to focus on digital literacy and financial literacy among the masses.

Addressing the gathering after presenting the prestigious Nehru and Tagore Literacy Awards in the national capital, Naidu said that it was disappointing that despite making great progress in various fields like IT and digitization, India still has the largest number of illiterate persons in the world.

Calling for urgent steps to address this challenge, he wanted the literacy drive to become a people’s movement. “Every educated youth in villages and colonies should come forward and teach at least one person from their localities or communities how to write and, how to operate digital devices and how to avail themselves of benefits of government schemes,” he said.

Terming it as their PSR (Personal Social Responsibility), Naidu said, “‘Each one-teach one’ should not merely remain a slogan, rather it should become a motivating force for the youth.”

Naidu also advised schools to encourage their students to begin adult education drives in their areas on weekends. “Students should be given some extra marks for such activities,” he said.

Praising all awardees for their noteworthy contribution to the cause of adult education, the Vice President asked everyone to resolve to make India a fully literate and educated nation.

Apart from illiteracy, the Vice President also emphasized the need to address various other challenges on priority such as poverty, urban-rural divide, social discrimination and gender discrimination.

Terming literacy as a precondition for skill education, the Vice President said that it not only instils confidence in a person but also helps in making one’s social life more active and dignified.

Praising the New Education Policy – 2020 for its due emphasis on various aspects of adult education, Naidu said that this approach opens new vistas of growth and development through availing lifelong opportunities of socio-economic and cultural development.

“It recommends multiple avenues including crowd funding and utilising online and app-based technology, satellite based television channels, online study resources and libraries for the development and promotion of adult education centres,” he added. (IANS)

By: Nadeem Nadu

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir reported 136 fresh covid-19 cases while as one person succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.

22 of the fresh cases were reported from Jammu Division and 114 from Kashmir, taking the overall tally to 339827.

There one death reported from Kashmir division due to the virus during the last 24 hours, they said. So far 4512 persons—2194 in Jammu and 2318 in Kashmir—have died due to the virus, they said.

Giving district wise details of the fresh cases, the officials said that Srinagar reported 50 cases, Baramulla 19, Budgam 10, Pulwama 4, Kupwara 10, Anantnag 2, Bandipora 7, Ganderbal 11, Kulgam 1, Shopian 0, Jammu 8, Udhampur 0, Rajouri 0, Doda 5, Kathua 0, Samba 1, Kishtwar 0, Poonch 3, Ramban 4 and Reasi 1.

A number of these cases were confirmed at CD hospital’s diagnostic centre and include female (52) from Wodipora, female (32) from Zachaldara, male (52) from Zafarkhani, female (43) from Zafarkhani, female (70) from Dargah, female (65) from Naseembagh, female (20) from Naseembagh, female (30) from Bagi mehtab sgr, female (46) from Shairabad, male (70) (NA) from Pulwama, male (41) from Harwan, female (48) from Lalbazar, male (42) from Lalbazar, female (17) from Umar colony, female (38) from Nowshera, female (19) from Buchpora, female (85) from Sgr, female (55) from Lasjan, female (61) from Sgr, female (09) from Jawaharnagar ,female (45) from Nowgam, female (40) (NA) from Khag and male (37) from Bemina sgr.

Moreover, 142 Covid-19 patients recovered during the time, 42 from Jammu Division and 100 from Kashmir, they said.

So far 333864 patients have recovered, leaving active case tally at 1451—341 in Jammu and 1110 in Kashmir.

They said there was no new confirmed case of mucormycosis (black fungus) reported today. So far 50 black fungus cases have been confirmed in J&K, the officials said. They also informed that 31799 doses of covid-19 vaccine were administered during the time in J&K. (GNS)

By: Nadeem Nadu

Srinagar: A court here has rejected anticipatory bail application of a man accused in a case involving selling off a piece of land that did not belong to him or co-accused person.

The accused, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar, in league with another accused Kanwal Khrishan Dhar alleged played fraud with one Azhar Hussain Bhat of Chanpora.

As per prosecution, Bhat was given an offer by the accused Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar of Jalwalapora Budgam to purchase a patch of land measuring two Kanal three Marlas at Rajbagh Srinagar on the agreed sale consideration amount of Rs. 4.50 Crores from the owner of the land who introduced himself as Kapil Dhar of Rajbagh Srinagar.

As per Bhat, he along with other witnesses and accused Ghulma  Mohi-ud-Din Dar went to Jammu where the accused introduced him to “Kapil Dhar” who showed a revenue extract of the land under Khasra No. 120 Khewat No. 830.  The deal was finalized with the accused persons for an amount of Rs. 4.5 Crores.

Bhat also alleged that he paid Rs. 44 lacs into the account of “Kapil Dhar” through online transactions as well as vide cheques and also Rs. 35 lacs were paid in cash through accused Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar.

Bhat further alleged that thereafter he asked accused Ghulam Mohiud-Din Dar to execute formal sale deed pertaining to the land, however the same was delayed. He further submitted that the co-accused had impersonated himself as Kapil Dhar in league with accused Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar when in fact his real name is Kanwal Khrishan Dhar of Rajbagh Srinagar at present Nanak Nagar Jammu.

Bhat said that he has been cheated by the accused persons by committing fraud and impersonation. Accordingly Bhat filed a case with Crime Branch Kashmir. During enquiry the statement the bank statements of Bhat and accused Kanwal Krishan Dhar and Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar were obtained from the concerned bank branches and also the documentary proof which Kanwal Khrishan Dhar had produced before the bank authority at the time of opening of account in Canara Bank Branch Unit Shalimar Road Jammu.

“On perusal of the documents, it came to fore that Kanwal Khrishan Dhar had produced driving license and election card in the name of House No. 361, Shopkeeper at Rugunath Bazar Jammu,” Crime Branch said, adding, “During enquiry the revenue extract regarding the land under survey situated at Kursoo Padshahibagh, Rajbagh, Srinagar was also obtained and the statement of the concerned patwari was recorded.”

As per revenue records and the statement of the concerned Patwari, the land in question is the property of Mander Shri Ramesh Wajee and is recorded in revenue records in the name of Kanwal Dhar and Darshan Dhar sons of Prithvi Nath on lease deed for a period of 99 years.

“The probe conducted has prima facie established that the accused in league with each other and by forging identity have cheated the complainant and sold him the land that did not belong to them which has prima facie established that the accused are involved in commission of offences punishable under section 419, 420, 120-B IPC,” observed Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, Judge of Court Of 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar, in the order.

“Keeping in view all the facts and circumstances of the case, the application at hand for grant of bail in anticipation of arrest is refused and the application is rejected accordingly,” the court added. (GNS)