Lower Munda (Qazigund), February 8
At least nine persons, including five members of a single family, were killed in snow avalanches in separate incidents across the Kashmir valley today.

Five members of a family, including three children were killed in a snow avalanche at Pathallan, Kapran in Shopian district of south Kashmir. One person was killed, while three others were injured, when they got caught in snow which was trapped inside their houses at Gulab Bagh, Hillar, about 90 km south of Srinagar.

At least 40 others, 25 of them children, were rescued from seven houses this morning. The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was also blocked due to the accumulation of 3 to 11 feet snow.

A woman, Sitara Begum, died and two others were buried alive when an avalanche hit the house of one Abdul Ahad Baba at Nayal Gurez near Tanchi Gurez in Bandipore district, about 150 km north of Srinagar.

Another person, identified as Mohammad Shafi Chechi, died of shock due to heavy snow which covered his house in Gulab Bagh, Qazigund, early this morning. Three others, including a woman, Razia, Mohammad Yaqoob and Mohammad Jaffar were injured and received multiple fractures when their houses collapsed. They had been shifted to the Bone and Joints Hospital, Srinagar.

Reminiscent of the tragedy that had struck in the nearby Waltengoo Nar two years ago, the civil administration was caught unawares, though there was already an alert in view of the heavy snowfall since Sunday last.

“We were sleeping when harrowing sounds of some natural calamity hit our houses”, said one of the rescued persons at the Government Middle School, Hillar, today. There was no hope but neighbours along with the police and security forces approached the area and rescues us, he added.

Meanwhile, seven houses in Gulab Bagh, Bate Shandul and Hillar villages, about 3 km from the highway, were partially or fully damaged due to heavy snowfall. More than 5 feet snow was accumulated in the area.

“We received information on the telephone that 40 persons had died,” said an officials of the state administration. He added that rescue teams were immediately rushed to the area and it took them about three hours to reach the spot. The rescue operation was completed within two to three hours and all people trapped in snow were rescued, he added.

Senior officers, including the divisional commissioner, Kashmir, and IGP, S.M. Sahai, also visited the area in the afternoon through the snow Khannabal-Qazigund stretch of the highway.

A defence spokesman said tragedy struck the helpless families of Gulab Bagh whence they found themselves trapped in a sea of snow. The Rashtriya Rifles immediately reached the site and rescued the families using specialised avalanche rescue equipment like, ice piton, combination harness, cord avalanche, attachment casualty clearance etc.

Almost 40 civilians were rescued and brought to Lower Munda where they were provided immediate medical assistance.

The police said they received information that a residential structure had collapsed at Gulab Bagh in Qazigund. Gulab Bagh area is about 5 km away from Qazigund Toll Post, deep in the jungle area. He said the area also fell in the avalanche-prone zone and with avalanche warning being sounded, people needed to be evacuated to safer places immediately. In this regard, a rescue team headed by SHO, Qazigund, sub -inspector Reyaz Ahmed was immediately dispatched to the area, he added.

Jammu, February 8
The memories of the snow tsunami that had struck Waltnagoo Nar village of Anantnag district in February 2005, which killed more than 200 people, have come afresh as it is after three years that the valley is again face to face with another such disaster.

Continuous snowfall since the past few days has left various places in the valley vulnerable to a similar situation and residents are worried about their lives and property. Famous for its snowfall, the Kashmir valley has now emerged as a major threat to the very existence of the people here.

For 74-year-old Gulam Nabi Ahngar, a resident of Anantnag, who has been stranded in Jammu for the past six days after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed, life would never be the same again. Nabi who along with his two sons had gone to Delhi for some medical treatment and was on his way back home when he got stuck in Jammu after the highway was closed.

Ever since Ahngar came to know that a snow storm had hit his village of Gulab Bagh in Lower Munda, where 30 people were feared dead, Ahngar is eager to go back to his village.

“For a person like me this is a disaster, while I am struck here I don’t have any information about my family back home,” Ahngar laments. Since the road block Ahngar has no news about his family back home. “I don’t know whether they have survived the snow storm or not”.

Ahngar who himself is a witness to the snow tsunami of 2005 fears that his family might also have been subjected to a similar fate.

“I witnessed the disaster caused by the snow tsunami in which hundreds of people lost their lives but now I fear that my family back home might have met with a similar fate,” he said. Ahngar is not the only one who is worried about the fate of his family back home, but for hundreds of Srinagar-bound stranded passengers, every passing day adds to their miseries. “Today I came to know that the roof of my house has collapsed due to heavy snowfall in my village,” said Mohammed Ashraf, a resident of Kashmir’s central Budgam district who has also been stranded in Jammu for the past six days.

Adding he said, “My wife along with two small kids can neither get the roof repaired in such a harsh condition nor can she clear the snow from the roof of her own.”

Jammu, February 8
The state government has sought the services of the Army and the Air Force in reaching out to the people cut off due to heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of the Doda region, which has recorded history's heaviest snow fall so far.

The Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who convened an emergency meeting of senior civil, Army, para-military and police officers disclosed that this is for the first time in recorded history that the region has witnessed such a heavy snowfall accumulating about 15 feet at some places.

Even in Kishtwar town, where the snow would not accumulate more than few inches, it has already accumulated more that two and a half feet. The snowfall has not stopped so far.

Azad asked the senior officers of Army, para-military and police to be on alert on their nearest formations in the snow-bound areas especially in upper reaches to collect information and move to the affected places for relief and rescue operation wherever needed.

He said telecommunication systems of these forces could be best utilised for collection of information as normal communication links like landline and cell phones have stopped working in these areas.

He asked the Air Force to mobilise helicopter sorties in different directions in the affected districts as soon as weather opens up to instill confidence among the people and reach out to them in their hour of need.

The Chief Minister also told the Air Force to identify places for helicopter landing so that medicines and other necessary items could be reached to any destination if needed.

Udhampur, February 8
The opposition parties have flayed the state government for its failure to take precautionary measures to protect lives and property of the people during the winter season.

Ramban MLA Dr Chaman Lal has expressed his anguish over death of six members of a family in avalanches in his constituency.

He shifted all blames on the state government for not taking effective steps.

Dr Chaman Lal earlier called on chief secretary B R Kundal and demanded immediate relief for the inhabitants of snow-bound areas.

He demanded that teams should be sent to the affected areas to review the situation.

Dr Lal pointed out that most of the affected areas have been facing shortage of essential commodities and authorities seemed to be unconcerned towards solving problems of the masses.

Former MLA Ramban, Bali Bhagat has also expressed his shock over loss of human lives and demanded immediate relief for the affected families.

He termed the situation in erstwhile Doda district as "out of control" and lambasted the government for not taking effective steps.

Meanwhile, another BJP leader from Kishtwar, Anil Parihar has demanded immediate relief for the people of Thukari, Keshwan, Nagsani, Kuntwardha, Machail and Padder as inhabitants of these areas have been facing acute shortage of ration.

Jammu, February 8
Following assurance from the coalition government to get their batches approved by the Dental Council of India within shortest possible time, agitating students of Indira Gandhi Government Dental College today suspended their strike for a fortnight.

After a marathon meeting of students and their parents here today with the secretary Health and Medical Education, K.B Jandial and college principal Prof M.R. Sharma, students suspended their week-long strike for the next 15 days.

Talking to The Tribune, students and their parents claimed that the secretary Health and Medical Education sought some time to send another letter to the Government of India and Dental Council of India so as to rectify the mistake committed by the state government.

However, students made it clear that in case government fails to fulfill their demand, they would be forced to launch their agitation again.

In the morning a deputation comprising parents of agitating students had met Health and Medical Education Minister Mangat Ram Sharma.

Jammu, February 8
The Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan has stressed on the need to train judges with management techniques as, according to him, they have to manager their courts.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the three-day north zone regional workshop on techniques and tools for enhancing timely justice at the Zorawar Singh auditorium in the University of Jammu Justice Radhakrishnan said, “Judicial officers should be taught court management techniques as judges now have to manager their courts.”

He also said non-judicial academies should conduct programmes for case management.

He said that there was a strong need to evolve new techniques and strategies to provide speedy justice to the people.

Regarding the large number of pending cases in the courts he said, “Regional workshops like this should emphasis on techniques and strategies that can relieve courts of large backlog of pending cases.”

He said the delay in disposing of the court cases was at various stages, right from the beginning of the case, delay is at every stage of litigation.

Tendency of not paying the court fee is one step, filing case without jurisdiction is the other, and various other reasons for delay, including filing of cases after limitation period had expired and praying for mercy of court for small things.”

Referring to the reconciliation measures recommended by the Supreme Court Justice Radhakrishanan said, “The pending cases need to be disposed off at an earliest, the reconciliation measures as recommended by the Supreme Court for enhancing quality justice and saving time, energy and money of litigants.

Highlighting the significance of the workshop Justice Radhakrishnan said, “The vision of national judicial education was to hold such a significant national workshop to enhance qualitative and timely justice.”

Around 200 judges from Allahabad, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Uttranchal are participating.

Earlier, speaking at the function professor G. Mohan Gopal, director of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, said, “The main aim of these programmes is to bring out strategies which provide the judges with innovative means to control huge backlog in the courts.”

Jammu, February 8
Mr Justice Varinder Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court dismissed appeal of the state government. challenging judgment of the Special Judge (Anti-Corruption), Jammu, by virtue of which Abdul Qayoom Mir, the then Assistant Labour Commissioner, Doda, had been acquitted of the charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case was that Sakhi Mohd and Mohd Haneef had filed a claim petition against Bansi Lal before the Assistant Labour Commissioner, Doda, for which the accused demanded Rs 3000 from Bansi Lal for showing him favour and threatened him of an adverse decision for not meeting demand of gratification. Bansi Lal lodged a complaint with the vigilance organisation, Jammu, which swung into action and caught the accused red-handed after laying a trap. However, he was acquitted by the Special Judge (Anti-Corruption), Jammu.

B. S. Slathia, AAG, representing the state argued that the trial court did not see the case in its right perspective. O.P. Thakur, appearing for the accused, supported the acquittal and argued non-infirmity in a well-reasoned judgment.

Mr Justice Varinder Singh, while referring to the judgement of the apex court, held that “in an appeal against acquittal though the court can review the entire evidence but would interfere with only if there are compelling and substantial reasons. No doubt corruption in a civilised society is a cancerous disease, if not detected in time, it is sure to have disastrous consequences..., but at the same time an individual who is doubted as a corrupt official is not to be punished merely on the asking of prosecution agency without testing his case on touchstone of judicial scrutiny.”

The HC while finding non-infirmity either on facts or law in judgment dismissed the same, thus upholding decision of the Special Judge.

Jammu, February 8
President of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and member of parliament, Mehbooba Mufti, today said Jammu and Kashmir was on the threshold of a momentous transformation and it needed a caring administration which only a committed political party could provide.

Addressing a public meeting at Marh, Mehbooba said, “Given its performance, while heading the coalition government, the PDP can humbly claim that it has tried its best and succeeded to a large extent in upholding the norms.”

She said in the upcoming Assembly elections, her party would go to the people with the commitment to fight for their cause and to bring a qualitative improvement in their lives.

“The PDP stands for political power for the common good and not for a selected privileged few. It’s a matter of great satisfaction for the PDP that the performance of the government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is today being acclaimed unparalleled not only by people within the state, but outside as well. Our party would continue to work for the people with a fresh resolve,” she added.

While reiterating her party’s stand to work hand in hand with progressive and democratic forces in the region to set a new agenda for the state’s peace and prosperity, she said, “Our focus would be on fulfilling the party’s unfinished agenda of ensuring political stability and economic prosperity for people in the state.” She said both short and long-term measures would be taken to get the state and its people their due share of the global economic bonanza.

Stressing on the need to harness the natural resource of the state, she said, “The natural resources of the state need to be harnessed fully to bring the state at par with its counterparts in the country in terms of economic growth.”

Adding, she said, “The rich natural resources available in three regions of the state have sustained us throughout our recorded history of five thousand years.”

Rajouri, February 8
Troops of the 39 Rashtriya Rifles killed three militants believed to be from Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit at Chhatral near Mendhar today. But according to the intelligence sources, the slain militants, part of the group comprising eight militants, were actually infiltrators who had sneaked in to this side from Ghora post on February 2.

Intelligence sources said that the three militants believed to be from LeT militant outfit were injured in a gun battle in the forests near Ghani village after they sneaked to this side of LoC from Ghora Post in Mankote sector of Poonch district.

Whereas the sources in line with the statements of the Army authorities said four militants were killed by the troops during the operation on February 8 in the forest near Ghani village.

They said remaining members of the group had received injuries in the gun fight at Ghani village and had managed to give the troops a slip.

Sources further said these injured militants taking the advantage of the bad weather were hiding in the forest.