Jammu, August 3
The Jammu University Teachers Association (JUTA) has given 15 days time to the state government for implementing the UGC Sixth Pay Commission report in toto.

According to a statement issued here, the decision was taken at the general body meeting held today to discuss issues like the implementation of the UGC Sixth Pay Commission report in toto and the transfer and posting of Director, IQAC, to the post of Director, Directorate of Distance Education (DDE).

Members of the JUTA have shown resentment against the “partial” implementation of the commission’s report. They also expressed concern for not giving allowances and other benefits recommended by the UGC for the university teachers on a par with the Central government employees.

The members appealed to the state government that the central university announced for Jammu province should be established immediately.

They also expressed concern over the recent transfer and posting of Director, Quality Cell, against a different cadre post of Director, DDE. The general body unanimously resolved to ask the authorities to revoke the transfer order of Dr Minakshi Kilam within seven days, failing which teachers would decide the further course of action. The JUTA also asked the authorities to fill vacant administrative and teaching positions within a limited time frame.

Srinagar, August 3
Demanding the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission report, non-teaching staff at the University of Kashmir has been on a pen-down strike over the past one week.

A high-level meeting held on July 10 at Raj Bhawan decided that employees of University of Kashmir, University of Jammu, Sher-i Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir and SKUAST-J would be given salary under the Sixth Central Pay Commission.

“Going by the order issued by Prof. Reyaz Punjabi, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir on August 1, it seems we, the ministerial staff come neither under the recommendations of the central pay commission or the sixth state pay commission. This is a serious discrepancy and needs to be resolved,” says Ghulam Jeelani, president, Kashmir University Ministerial Staff Association (KUMSA).

The strike has resulted in hardships for students and others visiting the university for various purposes. As the work has been affected in the administration and examination block, candidates could be seen running from pillar to post to get their problems resolved.

“We will continue our strike until our demands are met,” says Jeelani.

Jammu, August 3
Rains are a boon for some and bane for others. While farmers may be upbeat over the incessant showers lashing their fields and green pastures, there are a few who are struggling for a roof over their head despite ambitious schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).

Continuous rains have been nuisance for the family of Ashok Kumar comprising three teenage daughters and a son. Due to meagre income, the family is putting up in a small temporary shelter made up of bamboo sticks and polythene sheet at Badhori village in Samba tehsil of Vijaypur block. His wife and son died some years ago in the absence of healthcare facilities.

It’s wet morning. Smoke is billowing over the makeshift structure. Inside it, a girl is making efforts to set a fire in the hearth for cooking a meal. The wet firewood fails to burn up in spite of repeated attempts. Due to smoke her eyes are welled up, she hardly articulates in a choked voice: “Our father is outside.”

Like several other homeless people of the state, Ashok does not know if the Centre was financially assisting people like him living in penury to construct houses under the IAY.

A labourer, Ashok is state subject of J&K- who enjoys a special constitutional status. However, despite being poverty ridden he never approached a gram sevak or a block development officer for getting enrolled in the BPL list or seeking some benefit due to ignorance.

He said: “After the day’s hard toil I earn Rs 120; if I waste my day hanging around sarkari babus for collecting details about such welfare schemes, what will I feed my children in the evening?”

However, nobody from the Department of Rural Development or the village ‘Gram Sevak’ briefed him about any such welfare schemes.

His elder daughters Isha Devi (17) and Nisha Devi (16) are nearing marriageable age whereas the third, Kajal, is nine-year-old. “On a clear day, I sleep outside but during rains we are huddled together like animals in this makeshift shelter,” he said.

Block Development Officer (BDO), Vijaypur, Sonu Pargal said: “There are fixed guidelines for the IAY that only those falling under the BPL be entitled to the scheme. However, the BPL survey was conducted in 2001, the process for fresh survey is on and hopefully the discrepancies would be sorted out.”

Jammu, August 3
In connection to the ongoing agitation for the establishment of the central university, activists of the Central University Students Movement (CUSM) staged a dharna in the front of Dhanwantri Library at Jammu University today.

The activists said they would continue the protest till the state government and the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry would clear its stand on the establishment of the central university and an Indian Institute of Management.

They urged upon the HRD Ministry to send a special team for the selection of appropriate land to establish the central university, so that the confusion among the masses on the issue might be cleared.

Students of various city colleges also today observed “virodh diwas” under the banner of the Central University Andolan (CUA) and boycotted classes.

The protesters blocked the main road at Parade Ground and disrupted the movement of traffic for around one hour.

Meanwhile, Vikas Sharma, state president, Jammu University Research Scholars Association (JURSEA), demanded the removal of the Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University and said the new Vice-Chancellor should be from Jammu.

Jammu, August 3
A conduit of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) along with Rs 3 lakh of hawala money was arrested from Gujjar Nagar here last night. The Special Operations Group (SOG) that arrested the conduit was now trying to trace the person who had handed over the money to him.

The SOG conducted a raid in Gujjar Nagar here last night and arrested Asrar-ul-Haq, a resident of Neeli Bhalessa in the Gandoh area of Doda district, along with Rs 3 lakh. “We are trying to identify and trace the person, who gave money to Asrar,” Joginder Singh Sambyal, SP, Operations, told The Tribune.

However, preliminary investigations revealed that Asrar owned a medical shop at his native place and had come to the house of his in-laws in Bawe, said Samyal. The hawala money had to be delivered to the HM in Doda for militant activities, he added.

Sources revealed that the arrested person’s brother, a lawyer in the high court here, had recently joined a prominent political party of the state. Asrar’s father-in-law, too, was an ASI and had died during service, they added.

They said Asrar had been assigned the task by Hizbul’s divisional commander Shah Din Khandey, a dreaded militant, who issues diktats for such jobs to the HM’s overground workers. 

Srinagar, August 3
A grenade attack on a CRPF vehicle in Rambagh yesterday left one civilian dead and four others injured as it missed its target and went off in the midst of pedestrians.

The police said Mohammad Yunis, who hailed from Bihar and worked as a labourer here, sustained serious injuries he succumbed to later. All other injured have been hospitalised.

Meanwhile, the condition of two CRPF jawans, Firdous and BD Ghosh, who were left seriously injured in a shooting by militants on Residency Road, remains precarious. One cop had died in the twin attacks.

In the light of an apparent spurt in attacks on security forces by militants, restrictions have been imposed and police officials, who had been taking it easy for long in the light of fewer militant attacks on them, have been warned of more attacks. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came at a time when security has been scaled up ahead of forthcoming Independence Day.

The Army today said 29 Rashtriya Rifles had uneartheda militant hideout in Pattan and seized one 60 MM mortar, 10 UBGL grenades, 1,192 AK-47 rounds, 10 kg of RDX, five detonators and other arms and ammunition.

Udhampur, August 3
The Udhampur-Katra rail link, lying closed for almost two years, has got a fresh lease of life with the Indian Railways all set to start work on the project next month after devising a method to handle geological problems confronted in the laying of the track and construction of the tunnels on the way.

The project, scheduled to finish in May this year, was held up for almost two years after water accumulated in the tunnel number one after Udhampur.

Now, on the advice of geological consultants from Austria, the Indian Railways has decided to alter the design of the tunnel to parabola from the present “D-shaped” structure. This would facilitate the flow of water along walls or sides instead of the center, where the track would be laid. Other tunnels with the problem of water accumulation can be altered as well.

A Tribune team visited the problematic tunnel, located just after Udhampur railway station, where water had receded substantially. The Railways is successfully running a train on the Jammu-Udhampur section. The track up to Katra would prove a giant step in railway engineering as well as easy journey to Katra.

“The work on the project will begin next month. We have called tenders for the tunnel construction,” said RK Gupta, Chief Administrative Officer, JK rail project. He said an additional Rs 100 crore would be spent on the project.

Srinagar, August 3
The Vigilance Department today filed a chargesheet against three government officials for their involvement in bribery.

Officials said the Vigilance filed the chargesheet against Zubaida Khan of Batamaloo( the then building inspector), Abdul Rashid Bhat of Chattabal( the then sanitary supervisor) and Mohammad Hussain Shah of Budgam( the then clerk), who were produced in the court of the special judge, anti-corruption, Srinagar.

The case was registered on a complaint lodged by Zulfikhar Ahmad Bhat of Bemina that he had started construction of five shops at Bemina under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation, Srinagar, without permission. All these officials objected to the work and asked him to pay a bribe of Rs 10,000, which he paid.

However, these officials again threatened the complainant and asked him to pay Rs 8000 more. The deal was finally settled at Rs 5000 but Bhat approached the Vigilance Organisation, which caught the three accused officials accepting the bribe money from the complainant in a hotel.

Rajouri, August 3
The Chhari Mubarak (holy mace) of Baba Buddha Amarnath got a warm welcome on the concluding day of the week-long yatra at the main shrine in Mandi today. What made it special this year was that Muslims from the militancy-hit Mandi town of Poonch district exhibited a show of communal harmony and showered flowers on the procession taking the Chhari.

The Muslims had also set up stalls offering sweetened water and other eatables for the pilgrims, who came from all over the country. “It is good to see lakhs of pilgrims coming here. We request the government to develop this backward area so that the pilgrims don’t face any problem,” said Begum Jan (70) from Mandi town.

Shamim Ahmed Ganai, president of the Beopar Mandal, Mandi, said a majority of businessmen were Muslims and they had set up stalls offering sweetened water and eatables. He said, “It was really great that the people of Mandi exhibited communal harmony by welcoming and showering flowers on the Charri Mubarak.”

One of the priests at Baba Buddha Amarnath Ji Mandir in Mandi said, “The main function of the week-long pilgrimage is held on Raksha Bandhan, when the Chhari Mubarak procession starts from Akhara Mandir in Poonch and heads to Mandi. Thousands of devotees and sadhus normally accompany the procession, which leads towards Swami Budha Amarnath Ji Mandir in Mandi, on foot.” He said, “The procession reaches Rajpura the same day in the afternoon. The Chhari Mubarak is than taken to the main shrine amid rituals followed by the aarti of Lord Shiva,” he added.

Paramjeet Singh, convener of the arrangement committee, that looks after board and lodging and other facilities at Poonch and Mandi, told The Tribune that around one lakh pilgrims from the state and outside attended the yatra.

Jammu, August 3
Traders in Jammu have expressed dismay over the disruption in the ongoing Budget session of the State Assembly, saying that it was not in the interest of the state as various developmental works have come to a halt.

President of the Associated Chamber of Traders’ Federation, Jammu, Yashpal Gupta said, “It is very unfortunate that the representatives, who were elected by the people to raise their voice and concerns in the Assembly, are engaged in mudslinging and have held the Assembly to ransom.”

“The business community, who pays the tax and is responsible for functioning of the government, is worst affected with the ongoing impasse in the Assembly,” he added.

“The trader community does not want to get into politics, but to serve the interests of the people we can. We can help change it,” Gupta said.

He said the state needs immediate development, as in the recent past the state had suffered, “First there was Governor’s rule, then there was code of conduct during Assembly elections, then for the Parliamentary elections and when the right time came to take up the people centric issues, the problem in the Assembly started,” said Gupta.

He said the ongoing impasse in the Assembly would have a long term impact on the state, which would hamper the state’s economy.

“The people in different parts of the state have their eyes fixed on the Budget session, as this would bring out many things for their welfare. But, the ongoing mudslinging and disruption in the house is very unfortunate.” Gupta added.