Shams Irfan
A journalist with seven years of working experience in Kashmir.
370 challenger commemorated in JU
Hamidullah DarThe decision by J&K government to allow a convention to commemorate the 56th death anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee – the founder president...
Will exhumation lead the way?
Investigations into Shopian rape and murder has been complicated by loss of critical evidence. Autopsy has been deemed inconclusive. The question now is whether...
Newsmakers
SHORTLISTED: Basharat Peer’s Curfewed Night has been short-listed for the Vodafone-Crossword Book Award 2008 in the non-fiction category. Published by Random House, the book...
Telecom providers fail TRAI survey
Zubair A. Dar
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has snubbed telecom service providers in J&K for failing to meet customer satisfaction benchmarks. The regulatory authority has demanded better treatment to customers particularly in resolving their grievances that a state wide survey identified late last year.
The survey, TRAI said, concluded that BSNL, the lone wireline service provider in J&K falls short of TRAI specified benchmark with a score of 58 percent in provision of telephone after registration of demand.
About fault incidence and clearance statistics in wireline service, the report said, “Fault repair remains pain point as only 44 percent of the total complaints registered in the sample exchanges were repaired within 24 hrs which is significantly short of TRAI specified benchmark of 90percent.”
For live calling carried out by IMRB auditors, only 62 percent of subscribers claimed that fault was repaired within 24 hrs. Even for fault repair within 3 days, BSNL falls short of the TRAI specified benchmark with a score of 72 percent.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has snubbed telecom service providers in J&K for failing to meet customer satisfaction benchmarks. The regulatory authority has demanded better treatment to customers particularly in resolving their grievances that a state wide survey identified late last year.
The survey, TRAI said, concluded that BSNL, the lone wireline service provider in J&K falls short of TRAI specified benchmark with a score of 58 percent in provision of telephone after registration of demand.
About fault incidence and clearance statistics in wireline service, the report said, “Fault repair remains pain point as only 44 percent of the total complaints registered in the sample exchanges were repaired within 24 hrs which is significantly short of TRAI specified benchmark of 90percent.”
For live calling carried out by IMRB auditors, only 62 percent of subscribers claimed that fault was repaired within 24 hrs. Even for fault repair within 3 days, BSNL falls short of the TRAI specified benchmark with a score of 72 percent.
Tendering bias
In Kashmir, even the right to submit a tender for government procurement needs an intervention from Chief Minister’s office. R S Gull reports.
The statement that manufacturing sector in Kashmir suffers because of the attitude of the state government for long has remained just an allegation. Rarely has anyone been able to prove it right.
This month, however, the naysayers were vindicated when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had to personally intervene to allow Khyber Cements, a local cement manufacturing major, submit a tender application. The entrepreneur had been denied the right to apply on ‘flimsy’ grounds by a state government department that makes purchases for hundreds of crores every year.
“We have a huge market in the private sector but that does not mean we can not supply our cement to the state government if and when there is an opportunity,” Umer Khursheed Trambu of Khyber Cements told Kashmir Life. “It was a crude shock that a state government department was seeking tenders from outside manufacturers when better quality cement is produced within the state.”
Worker ants, multi-tasking and my broken TV
Arshid Malik Ha! Ha! I had the laugh of my life when I found out that none of us, in the family, could find...
Babudum(b)
The regrettable performance of some top civil servants during Home Minister’s meeting is symptomatic of a much deeper malaise than just pure incompetence and inefficiency.
First Information Report
Dr Syed M Afzal Qadri
The refusal by the police at Shopian to register an FIR in the rape and murder of Nilofar and her teenage sister-in-law Asiya has tarnished the image of state police. Policing in Kashmir is a highly suspicious exercise. Some unscrupulous and dishonest police officers have maligned the police image to that extent that people have lost faith in the entire system of administration of criminal justice. It is not the personal failure of a one police officer but the system failure which is dangerous to the society. One fails to understand why the police at the initial stage skipped registering a case for the crimes that no system in the world can ignore.
As a student of law, I wonder what were the compelling constraints for not registering a case that triggered a Kashmir wide crisis. The law (read section 154 Code of Criminal Procedure) is clear that as soon as an information with regard to commission of a cognizable offence is given to an officer in charge of a police station (SHO) he shall reduce it in writing and write it faithfully, and a copy is to be given to the informant. If the SHO refuses to accept it the informant can approach the concerned superintendent of the police who if satisfied that a cognizable offence has taken place shall direct to start the investigation.
The refusal by the police at Shopian to register an FIR in the rape and murder of Nilofar and her teenage sister-in-law Asiya has tarnished the image of state police. Policing in Kashmir is a highly suspicious exercise. Some unscrupulous and dishonest police officers have maligned the police image to that extent that people have lost faith in the entire system of administration of criminal justice. It is not the personal failure of a one police officer but the system failure which is dangerous to the society. One fails to understand why the police at the initial stage skipped registering a case for the crimes that no system in the world can ignore.
As a student of law, I wonder what were the compelling constraints for not registering a case that triggered a Kashmir wide crisis. The law (read section 154 Code of Criminal Procedure) is clear that as soon as an information with regard to commission of a cognizable offence is given to an officer in charge of a police station (SHO) he shall reduce it in writing and write it faithfully, and a copy is to be given to the informant. If the SHO refuses to accept it the informant can approach the concerned superintendent of the police who if satisfied that a cognizable offence has taken place shall direct to start the investigation.
Omar Abdullah
After his faux pas in the Shopian aftermath Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seems to have taking his lessons keenly. Although there is little in action to demonstrate
Srinagar Roads: Hunt and Gather
Tarique A Bhat
Sadak Bijli Paani is what was promised during 2008 elections. We are getting cosmetic touch and not the traffic-infrastructure
Done in by the dons
Home Minister P Chidambaram was requested by the state government to review the development projects in J&K. It may not have helped the state...
PM talks Kashmir
Journalist Iftikhar Gilani was part of media team that accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Russia. Dr Singh had a 40-minute close-door meeting with...
Water warriors of Doda
A group of young men fight Chenab’s fast flowing waters for rescuing persons who fell in the river. Haroon Mirani profiles these brave-hearts. In...
Newsmakers
KILLED: Senior JKLF activist Sher Khan was killed in PAK. He was abducted by unidentified persons a few days ago and his body was...
Talk Loose and Lose Track!
Zamir Ahmed“And then a scholar said, Speak of Talking. And he (the prophet) answered, saying: You talk when you cease to be at peace...
