News
LG reviews school edu, languishing projects
Jammu, Nov 13: Lt. Governor Girish Chandra Murmu reviewed the progress of languishing projects being funded by the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Ltd. He also reviewed the status of Prisons department and School Education sector in separate meetings held at the Civil Secretariat, here on Wednesday.
BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Arun Kumar Mehta, Financial Commissioner, Finance; Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lt. Governor were among the officers present on the occasion.
Mehta informed Lt. Governor that JKIDFC has taken up 2,274 languishing projects with an investment of Rs. 9111.25 crore.
Lt. Governor directed Mehta to give preference to local labour and oversee that the labour laws are being adhered to by the agencies responsible for engaging workforce and check whether insurance cover is available to all of them.
He stressed keeping provision for maintenance of all the assets and creation of amenities like overhead water tanks, library, common field in all the residential projects. He emphasised strict quality control, use of anti corrosion building material, compressive strength test for roads and suggested avoiding cost and time overruns in infrastructure projects.
Lt. Governor advised wide publicity of the completed projects with dissemination of information regarding date of sanctioning and completion of the project so that people become aware of the facilities created for their convenience.
In another meeting of the Department of Home attended by Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary Home and V.K. Singh, DGP Prisons, a detailed presentation was given by Kabra on the status of available infrastructure, occupancy of jails and present capacity. He informed about the initiatives of the Department of Prisons for welfare of prisoners.
Lt. Governor discussed in detail the status of under trials, convicts, condemned and detenues under the common law and militancy related laws. He directed fast track recruitment of staff on vacant positions and completion of all the under construction infrastructure projects of the Department at the earliest.
During the review of School Education department which was attended by Sarita Chouhan, Commissioner Secretary School Education and Directors of Education, Lt. Governor advised regular health check-ups of students at least twice a year and generation of their health cards. Lt. Governor suggested check-ups in presence of parents so that they could be made aware of their children’s health issues. He directed for creating health check up calendars in consultation with Health Department.
Lt. Governor suggested regular training for improving quality of teaching, survey of facilities available in science and computer laboratories, check availability of drinking water and toilet facilities in schools, identify vacancies of lecturers and teachers for the next 5 years.
The Secretary School Education was directed to organise first health check up in the month of December in summer zone and in the month of March in schools falling under winter zone. She was asked to ensure 100 % availability of drinking water supply in all the schools by 31st December 2019 and complete survey of science and computer laboratories within the next 15 days.
Lt. Governor directed for filling up vacant positions in the department at the earliest and stressed enhanced focus on schools having Gross Enrolment Ratio of less than 25 %.
Accords sanction to contingency fund
Jammu, Nov 13: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu under section 69 of J&K Reorganization Act, 2019 Wednesday accorded sanction for the establishment of “Contingency Fund” for the Union Territory of the Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar, Dec 9: No flights could operate from Srinagar airport for the third consecutive day due to poor visibility.
The Meteorological (Met) Department has warned that foggy conditions will continue for the next 48-hours.
“There will be a slight improvement in the foggy weather on Tuesday, and then the weather will improve from Wednesday,” said Sonam Lotus, Director, Met Department, Kashmir.
He said for the last ten days Kashmir has mostly seen dry weather with a slow wind speed, resulting in foggy conditions.
Lotus said there will be a significant improvement in the foggy conditions from Tuesday.
“Significant improvement (in visibility) is expected from Tuesday onwards,” he told The Kashmir Monitor.
The valley, he said, will witness light rains on December 11.
“Moderate to heavy snowfall is predicted between the intervening night of 12 and 13 December,” said Lotus.
“Below freezing temperature, calm winds (1 to 2 km per hour), more than 75% humidity, and suspended dust particles in the atmosphere are the reasons for such dense fog,” he added.
Lotus said that similar foggy conditions occurred back in November months of 2015 and 2016.
The Met Department has predicated snowfall in Kashmir from December 12 and 13 due to a fresh western disturbance.
According to a government advisory, an active western disturbance is most likely to affect the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and adjoining areas from December to 10-14, 2019.
“Under the influence of this weather system, widespread moderate rain/snow is expected at a few places of Kashmir on December 10, thereafter increase in intensity and distribution will happen.”
The weather advisory says the system is likely to cause heavy rain/snow mainly in Pirpanjal range of Jammu division (from Baderwah to Banihal), upper reaches of Kashmir (Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Baramulla and Kupwara, and Drass subdivision of Ladakh Union Territory.
“This may lead to disruption of surface and air transport including Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Srinagar-Leh National highway (Zojilla pass), Leh-Manali Highway, Mughal road and Sadhana pass and there would be a further dip in temperature.”
There has been a significant drop in temperature due to prevailing cold wave conditions in Kashmir.
The night temperature in Srinagar was recorded at minus 2.6 degrees and minus 4.2 degrees in the ski resort Gulmarg.
Srinagar, Dec 9: The number of domestic tourists who visited Kashmir from August to November this year fell 87% compared to the same period last year, The Times of India reported on Monday. The number was 32,411, as against 2.49 lakh during August-November 2018. The number of foreign tourists fell 82% during the four-month period – from 19,167 in 2018 to just 3,413 this year.
However, November was the best month since August, with 10,946 domestic and 1,140 foreign tourists visiting the Union Territory.
The drop in the number of tourists appears to be a consequence of the Centre’s decision to impose prohibitory orders after abrogating the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. The decision was taken on August 5. Prohibitory orders are gradually being lifted.
On October 10, the Jammu and Kashmir administration lifted its advisory against tourists in the Valley. Postpaid mobile services have resumed in the Valley, but internet connectivity remains blocked.
In June and July, Kashmir received 1.62 lakh and 1.49 lakh domestic tourists. This was around 27% higher than the figures for June and July 2018.
Parvez Baba, the owner of Hotel Samci Riviera in Srinagar’s Rajbagh, told The Times of India that he has only four rooms out of 24 occupied this week. “My hotel is just three years old and I can’t afford to lose any business that comes my way,” he said. “If I charge Rs 4,000 per room, what chance do I have of getting a guest?”
SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 09: Government today ordered winter vacation for all Government Educational Institutions and recognized private schools up to Higher Secondary level functioning in the Kashmir Division and winter zone areas of Jammu Division from December 10 to February 22, 2020.
The order was issued in view of foggy conditions and forecast of further dip in temperature along with rains and snowfall over next week.