Kashmir
‘JK Cements procure ‘sub-standard’ material from blue-eyed parties’
Police seizes 8 trucks loaded with coal
Srinagar, Sep 12: Police seized at least 8 trucks loaded with coal during night hours in Khrew area in the outskirts of Srinagar city. The trucks had been loaded with coal in the premises of Jammu Kashmir Cements Ltd and if sources are to be believed, the coal was being smuggled and was meant for private parties.
Reliable sources said that police seized the loaded trucks after receiving inputs that coal is being smuggled from JK Cements Ltd.
In charge Police Post Khrew Javaid Ahmed confirmed to news agency CNS that they seized 8 trucks of JK Cements Ltd loaded with coal. “These trucks were ferrying coal in an unauthorized manner and were without proper documents,” he said and added that an FIR vide number 68/2018 under section 409 RPC has been registered in this regard and investigation taken up.
MD JK Cements Atul Sharma said that it was rejected coal that was supposed to go to supplier back. However, insiders reveal that it has become a routine for JK Cements to procure sub-standard material from companies on commission basis.
Insiders said that officials on the directions of MD JK Cements procure sub-standard material from a supplier called Wonder Wage Trading Company. “This time as well sub-standard coal was procured by JK Cements Ltd and when employees raised fingers, some coal was returned while rest was accepted,” said an employee wishing not to be named.
Earlier, the same company supplied five lakh PP bags. The bags despite being oversized and with maximum wastage and burstage problems were accepted by JK Cements Ltd. Reports said that officials at the helm of affairs earned huge chunk of money out of this ‘illegal’ practice.
“Whatever happens in JK Cements need to be probed,” said a group of employees adding that incumbent MD JK Cements Ltd now wants to give undue advantage to a private cement company. That is a different story.”
Sources further added that last year as well, JK Cements Ltd procured sub-standard coal from a Jammu based company. “Initially, JK Cements Ltd employees refused to unload those trucks and they remained parked for a week outside the factory. However, after a week, all the trucks were unloaded for the reasons better known to the head of the government undertaking.
Srinagar, May 22: After Moholla clinics, the Srinagar district administration is all set to replicate Delhi model for establishing Smart Schools in the summer capital city.
The government has framed a list of 25 schools from the entire district to be identified in the smart school project in a bid to improve the education in the primary and middle schools in the Srinagar city.
“After a study of Delhi model, we’ve taken up 25 Govt schools for a smart school project. Made good use of #BudhaPurnima holiday in gathering the first-hand survey of needs. Students, teachers contributed brilliant ideas. More local suggestions are welcome”, tweeted Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, district development commissioner Srinagar,
Later speaking to The Kashmir Monitor, Choudhary said they earlier had sent a team to Delhi where they studied two to three model school both from government and private sector.
“The Idea is to improve the infrastructure in the identified school and the academic part. We are currently focusing on the soft skills including the proper training of teachers and involvement of the community,” he said.
Shahid said that they are going to enhance the capability of students and whatever it will cost they are ready to bear the expenses. “Initially we are starting with Rs five crores for the project,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner noted that they are going to focus on primary and middle schools. “We already have smart higher secondary schools in place but students while reaching to that level have little knowledge of the smart appliances”, he said
“The student-teacher ratio in government school is 1:5 which is quite good while that of private school is 1:22. All we have to do is to make good use of human resource and provide quality education in the government school,” he said.
Around 20 agencies from outside are involved in this project like one who delivers capsules on moral values and skill development.
“We will start career counseling on the primary and secondary level also. Initially 120 schools were selected and undergo certain competition out of which 52 students were selected and out of 52 only 25 were selected,” he said.
The schools selected for the project include Boys Middle School, Gagribal, Boys Middle School Drugjua, Middle School Allochibagh, Girls Midle School Panzinara, Middle School Cheki Mujigund, Middle School Khojabagh, Girls Middle School Boatman Colony, Middle School Kothi Bagh, Middle School ApparPora Balhama, Primary School Gundabal, Middle School Chatterhama, Girls Middle School Buchpora, Middle School Panjkarwari, Boys Middle School Habak, Boys Middle School Hazratbal, Boys Middle School Zakura, Middle School Pamposh Colony, Girls Middle School Ahmad Nagar, Middle School Saida Kadal, Middle School Saderbal, Middle School Daribal, Girls Middle School Soura, Middle School Taploo Muhalla, Hawal, Middle School Khan Muhalla Iddgah, Middle School Q D Pora, Zaldagar.
“The project will be completed within six months of the time period”, Shahid said.
Srinagar, May 22: Much publicized market checking teams constituted by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (DFCSCA) have failed to control the steep price-rise of the essential commodities in the holy months of Ramzan.
A kilogram of cabbage is selling at Rs 80 and before Ramzan the vegetable used to sell at Rs 30-40 per kilo. Beans, in most of the valley markets is selling at Rs 100, which is Rs 40 more compared to pre Ramzan days. Prices of rest of the vegetables including tomatoes, potatoes, brinjals and green collard ranges between Rs 40 to Rs 50.
Mutton and chicken rates are no different, which too are sold Rs 10-20 higher than the prescribed rates by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs.
In Lalchowk, a kilogram of chicken sells at Rs 160, 10 Rs more than the prescribed rate. The rates vary as one heads towards north or south Kashmir where a kilogram of chicken cost up to Rs170.
Being a mutton consuming region, a kilogram of mutton sells at Rs 520-530 throughout the valley. The government prescribed rates stand at Rs 450 per kilogram.
The sudden hike in essentials is leaving the consumer furious, who question the outcome of frequent raids by the authorities.
“This has become a norm for the traders during Ramadan. The concerned department often tours markets but fail to permanently control the prices of essential commodities,” said Muhammad Yaqoob a customer from Srinagar’s Barbarshah area.
Expressing helplessness to control the price hike, Director DFCS&CA, Muhammad Qasim Wani said the closure of the highway mostly paves way for the hike in the essential commodities in Kashmir.
“We charge the offenders who don’t follow our rates. Actually highway has mostly remained closed due to which the vehicles coming from markets of New Delhi and Punjab remain stranded for days together,” he said.
Wani said the department has its teams in the city and almost 15 members in every district to check rates of the essential commodities.
“The local production will be also available in market by next week,” he added.
Srinagar, May 22: Family of slain driver Jan Mohammad from Mamoosa village, whose body was retrieved from a stream under mysterious circumstances, has appealed the police to speed up the investigation.
Jan Mohammad of Mamossa in Pattan had left for Srinagar on March 22 to collect the money from the owner of the car. Since then, he was missing and eventually his body was retrieved from a stream in Chaenbal area of Pattan on April 4.
Staging protest at Press Enclave, the family members said that police have so far not been able to bring the culprits to book. Jan’s brother, Shabir Ahmad said that the family wants to know who killed their son.
Seeking intervention of Governor Satya Pal Malik and Director General of Police (DGP), Dilbagh Singh, Shabir demanded stern punishment to the killers of his brother.
“We even protested on Srinagar –Baramulla highway. It was after Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Baramulla’s assurance that we called off the protest. He told us that 70% of the investigation has been completed,” he said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Baramulla, Abdul Qayoom said that the investigation was on.
“The Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Pattan is probing the case. It would reach to the conclusion, within few days. Jan Mohammad has been murdered, initially a missing report was lodged at Police station Pattan, later that was converted into an FIR,” he said.