JAMMU: Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta chaired a winter preparedness review of Power Distribution Companies (DisComs) here at the Civil Secretariat today.

The Chief Secretary instructed the officers to ensure that government workshops are replenished with spare parts, inspections of transformers should be undertaken and sufficient stock of transformers is maintained to meet demand during peak consumption season. He stated that the flat rate system of billing will be dispensed with soon.

The Chief Secretary observed that demand side management to reduce losses and to ensure regular supply of power to the customers is of paramount importance. For this purpose, effective enforcement has to be undertaken against power theft. The Chief Secretary directed the Department to ensure that the schedule of power cuts, wherever required, is publicized in advance so that the consumers can plan their activities accordingly.

He called for expediting the process of power lines installation between Ramban-Kishtwar and for Sonamarg and Gurez.

Reviewing the overall power scenario, Dr. Mehta called for hiring professional consultants for efficient and cost effective power procurement by the UT. He called for formulating definite procedures for such purchases, either through Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or from power exchanges.

The officers were directed to set definite targets of revenue collection from regular customers and amnesty payers and asked for ensuring efficiency of the process. The Chief Secretary reiterated directions for installation of at least 1.5 lakh smart meters each in Srinagar and Jammu cities by March 2023.

The Chief Secretary directed for concluding disciplinary action against officers/officials in charge of feeders with losses greater than 90 percent immediately. He stressed that Aggregated Technical and Commercial (AT&C) Losses should be maintained below 15 percent.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Power Development Department (PDD), H. Rajesh Prasad; Managing Director JPDCL, Shiv Anant Tayal and Managing Director KPDCL, Yasin M Choudhary among other senior officers of the discoms.

JAMMU, Nov 8: Hundreds of people here in Nehru market of Jammu risk their lives every day living in ramshackle government flats which outlived their utility years back with little to no hope of a safe rehabilitation from the authorities.
The buildings were declared “unsafe for habitation” by the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) in 2012, yet they house several families and businesses.
Nehru Market happens to be Jammu and Kashmir’s biggest warehouse belt having firms serving the region since the 1950s, when the buildings were first erected.
The three buildings located in the market have 72 quarters and over 50 shops which were constructed in the early 1950s in the heart of the city famed for its temples.
But over the decades, they have been reduced to being rundown structures with their residents eking out with a precarious existence with a very literal danger hanging above their heads.
Besides their old age, these buildings are also alleged by the residents to be the victims of neglect and poor maintenance by the estates department and JDA.
Their occupants have been demanding that they be shifted to a safer place, and worry it will take nothing less than a catastrophe before the authorities wake up.
“I feel the government is waiting for a tragedy to happen before they wake up. For 32 years, no repair and renovation was carried out by the JDA and estates department,” Bharat Bushan, a migrant, who lives in quarter number 7, with his three-member family on a relief amount of Rs 13,000, told PTI.
“Government should immediately wake up to save the people here,” he said.
Meenakshi, his wife, says that they moved to the flat 32 years ago, when her father-in-law, who worked as a government employee with the civil secretariat, and was a Kashmiri migrant, got it in allotment.
“There is no care of us. Despite repeated requests, neither they renovated the buildings, nor provided us alternative accommodation,” said Meenakshi, adding that how will the family afford rent elsewhere, when it survives on a pittance.
Even as the administration put up boards warning the residents of danger, migrants living in these blocks and shopkeepers running trade there refuse to leave the place due to, among other things, fear of loss of business.
“They have left us to die here. We raised issues with all but nobody is listening to us or coming forward to help us. We urge Lieutenant Governor to help us by relocating us to a safer place,” said 70-year-old Kishni Wantoo, wife of former civil secretariat officer Late T N Wantoo. J
DA declared the buildings unsafe for living and for carrying out trading activity in 2012-13 after considering the assessment of the Public Works department (PWD) which had notified JDA that the buildings had outlived their utility and structural stability.
Though some occupants left the buildings after JDA put up warning boards, still about 50 families live in them and scores of other people run businesses there.
Traders Association Warehouse president Deepak Gupta called for immediate shifting of families and asked the authorities to ensure some mechanism so that livelihood of traders do not suffer during the rehabilitation.
“It is the biggest warehouse of Jammu and Kashmir which has been supplying essential commodities to the twin provinces since 1962,” he said.
“Government cannot escape from its responsibilities by putting up warning sign boards. They have ensured security of life of flat dwellers and ensure that there is loss to livelihood of the traders and shopkeepers,” he added.
Gupta urged the government to relocate residents to safe accommodations and build temporary shops for the traders to carry out their regular work.
JDA which oversees the buildings in the area is working on setting up an India Habitat Centre type hub here.
After it found the buildings unsafe for habitation, JDA put up warning boards for the residents suggesting to them that they should find a new place.
“It is brought in the notice occupants residing in Government quarters at Nehru market, warehouse in block A, B (old and new) and D need to vacate the quarters keeping in view the deplorable and dilapidated conditions of the buildings to avoid any untoward mishap to their life and properties.
“Despite this notice, if somebody still chooses to reside in these quarters, he or she will be doing it at his or her own risk and cost,” the board reads.
Magotra too has appealed to the residents to vacate the premises, but with no alternative arrangement on offer.
“It is my submission to people that it is highly unsafe to live there. It is time you shift from that place. It is urged to both shopkeepers as well as families — don’t put your lives at risk. It is more important than the economic aspect,” Magotra told PTI.
He added that the rehabilitation issue is very important and will be raised with the government as it involves the livelihood of the people.
Magotra said that the process of declaring these buildings “unsafe” was started in 2012.
“State PWD conducted a survey of buildings, which are 70 years old now. They found that these buildings had outlived their utility and structural stability. They notified to us that they have turned unsafe. You (JDA) rebuild it,” he said.
He said the authority accordingly began a process for setting up an IHC-type hub here and began work in this direction from 2018-19.
“But it requires that people vacate these buildings,” Magotra added. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI, Nov 8: In sync with Prime Minister’s vision of “Health for All,” the government has granted 265 Diplomate of National Board (DNB) postgraduate medical seats to several government hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir across 20 districts. The step will not only benefit people of Jammu and Kashmir, but the doctors there there will also get an opportunity of being trained in their own region, a health ministry statement said. Tapping into this homegrown medical workforce would lead to an effective healthcare delivery system in the Union Territory, it said. ”With the vision of providing trained specialists in almost every district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of India took this as a challenge in a mission mode,” read the statement.
”The Ministry of Health along with National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) took a lead role and ensured that several postgraduate seats of NBEMS are granted to various government hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir,” it said.
As a consequence, at present there exist more than 250 PG seats across 20 districts in phase 1 of the expansion plan. Two more PG seats will be granted in the second phase.
Fifty per cent of the PG seats are reserved for local in-service doctors to provide them with the opportunity for postgraduate training.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir will be benefited as modern quality healthcare will become more affordable and accessible in almost all the districts. This in turn, would further enhance the quality of primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare, the statement said. The Indian government has also increased the number of examination centres in the UT to ensure that the candidates do not have to travel to other states to appear in the entrance examinations, the statement said. (Agencies)

SRINAGAR: A penalty of Rs Rs 30 lakh has been imposed on the Jammu and Kashmir State Co-Operative Bank Limited in Srinagar by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for non-compliance with its directions on ‘income recognition, assets classification, provisioning and other related matters.

Details reveal that the penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of section 47A(1) read with section 46(4)(i) of section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, taking into account the failure of the bank to adhere to the aforesaid directions issued by the RBI.

An order in this regard was issued by the financial institution on October 28, 2022. This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.

The statutory inspection of the bank conducted by NABARD with reference to the bank’s financial position as on March 31, 2020, revealed, inter alia, non-compliance by the bank with aforesaid directions issued by RBI.

“Based on the same, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why a penalty should not be imposed for non-compliance with the said directions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice, RBI came to the conclusion that the aforesaid charge of non-compliance with RBI directions was substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty.

SRINAGAR, Nov 8: At least 20 persons were injured when a vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident in Watayin area of Handwara in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday.
An official told that a bus turned turtle near Watayin when it was on way to Srinagar.
He said that in the at least 20 persons were injured and they were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The official added that among 20 injured 14 were later referred to district hospital Handwara. (KNO)

JAMMU, Nov 8: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday ordered the closure of primary and middle schools in Ramban and Kishtwar districts in view of harsh weather conditions, officials said. Snowfall in the upper reaches and heavy rains in lower areas have triggered cold conditions in the districts.
In view of heavy rains, all primary and middle schools in Ramban district shall remain closed, they said, adding that students are advised to remain indoors.
Similarly, all primary and middle schools of Kishtwar district will remain closed due to bad weather as directed by the district administration. However, all high schools and higher secondary schools in the districts will function normally, they added. (Agencies)