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Terror threat on R-Day
Despite turmoil, Info Dept works undeterred |
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Faster melting glacier leaves Kashmiris worried
Man defies disability through colours
Swine Flu
Endless wait for missing person’s family
Army’s first indoor sports
complex gets good response
Avantiswami temple awaits
summer for tourists
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Areas near Bakshi Stadium wear security blanket
Tejinder Singh Sodhi Tribune News Service
Srinagar, January 25 Days before the celebrations, various roads leading to the area are sealed as a step of precautionary measure to avoid any militant activity. Unlike every year, this year security around Bakshi Stadium is high with the security forces apprehending a terror strike. “The security forces have intercepts that militants might try to launch a fidayeen (suicide) attack during the celebrations and we have sealed every road leading to the stadium,” said a senior police officer. Residents of the area are, however, worried as most of the roads leading to the locality have either been completely sealed or have been diverted. “Every year we have to face various hardships due to the tight security arrangements. This year, security arrangements such that all roads leading to our residential area have been completely sealed,” said Arshad Mir, a local resident. “If there is any untoward incident, we would be at the receiving end as the police and the security forces would question us and would suspect our hand behind the terror strike. We, too, are peace-loving people and we want that the celebrations of the event should go peaceful,” a local resident said. Various militant outfits and separatists in the valley have asked the people to observe January 26 as a Black Day. “We know that local residents have to face some hardships, but that is a part of the business. We, too, have to remain alert 24 hours without any break to make this day a success.”
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Despite turmoil, Info Dept works undeterred
Jammu, January 25 The then Governor Gen (retd) KV Krishna Rao was delivering the Republic Day speech when three explosions rocked the stadium, killing the officers on the spot. Despite losing Field Publicity Officer AK Abrol and two project operators, Anchal Singh and Harbans Singh, on the same day, the Information Department continued to record the speech and evening press briefing of Gen Rao, who was the prime target of the Pakistan-trained militants. Be it an Independence Day function or any other VIP visiting the state, this gory incident did not in fact deter the department from accomplishing its job in all these years of turmoil. “Every year on January 26, we remember and pay tributes to our brave officers, who laid down their lives while performing their official duty at MAM stadium here. It was an attempt to muzzle a particular ideology to which we are committed,” said director (information) Farooq Ahmad Renzu. Renzu said even though the tragic incident of January 26, 1995, has cast a deep scar on the psyche of every official working under him, the department is religiously sending its teams to every district headquarters to record the proceedings on this National Day. He said his department has remained a prime target of the militants during the past 20 years of insurgency in the state. “We braved a fidayeen attack, when militants entered our office in Srinagar a few years ago. Our assistant director and a deputy director have also become victims of militancy. The list of causalities is long,” he said. Renzu, however, said all these incidents have not cowed us. “The Centre and the state governments trust us in media management in this sensitive state,” he said. “When President or Prime Minister visits the state, our men are there to project government’s policy on Kashmir,” the director said. The Information Department disseminates the message of love and brotherhood and at the same time promotes the policies and plans of the government, so that total peace is restored in the state, he added. “No disruptive force can stop us from performing this noble act,” he added. Despite losing Field Publicity Officer AK Abrol and two project operators, Anchal Singh and Harbans Singh, on the same day, the Information Department continued to record the speech and evening press briefing of Gen Rao, who was the prime target of the Pakistan-trained militants. Be it an Independence Day function or any other VIP visiting the state, this gory incident did not in fact deter the department from accomplishing its job in all these years of turmoil
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Faster melting glacier leaves Kashmiris worried
Pahalgam, January 25 Kolahoi glacier, some 35 km from this south Kashmir tourist resort, is feared to be melting faster than other Himalayan glaciers, according to a study that says it has shrunk 2.63 sq km in the past three decades. The three-year-long Kolahai study was led by known glaciologist Shakil Ramsoo, assistant professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Kashmir. “The glacier is shrinking 0.08 sq km a year, which is an alarming speed,” the study says. What has renewed concerns is the dry winter in the Kashmir Valley this year, resulting in a huge deficit in rain and snow so far. “I don't know about other glaciers, but Kolahai is indeed shrinking and we are worried it may result in less irrigation this year threatening our agriculture produce,” said Sultan Neka (60) a farmer in Pahalgam. The relatively hot winter with almost no snow this year is also alarming, Neka said. Fifty-six mm of rain or snow in the Kashmir Valley in January is the long-term average. But until the third week of the month this year, it has received only 5 mm precipitation. That includes a short spell of snowfall. The Weather Department has estimated that the valley will have a deficit of 20- 30 per cent of rain or snow this winter. With less accumulation of snow this year, almost nothing so far, experts fear the glacier may recede further. Spread over a little above 11 sq km, Kolahai is the main source of water for Kashmir. The Lidder River that flows from the glacier irrigates a large tract of agricultural land in south Kashmir. Even, the biggest river of Kashmir, Jhelum, gets its water from Kolahai. — IANS
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Man defies disability through colours
Jammu, January 25 Basically a Kashmiri Pandit, Bhan shares the agony of his community living in exile since the eruption of terrorism in the valley. So, his subjects remain centered around Kashmir all through his work. It ranges from natural beauty to the devastation triggered by terrorism that finally pushed them out of the valley to the restoration of some religious shrines and finally culminates into a cherished dream for a dignified return back ‘home’. ‘A peep into the past’ is one such painting put on display at Kala Kendra that portrays bright memories of peaceful Kashmir amidst the prevailing gloomy situation. The solo exhibition, ‘Outpouring Emotions’ started on January 23, marked as Holocaust Day by Kashmiri Pandit community world over, and would come to a close on January 27. His father, Avtar Krishan Bhan, “He developed friendship with colours and brush at an early age of 10 and is going on and on till now,” he said. “My son is married to a differently-abled woman, who is also a wonderful person and they are blessed with two children. Their children are normal. The artist with a ‘never say die’ attitude is active in social work as well. He is also president of the All J&K Association of the Deaf”.
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Six months on, testing labs remain elusive
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service
Jammu, January 25 Giving further details, Dr RS Charak, epidemiologist and nodal officer for the region, said: “Till date, 304 samples have been airlifted to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), out of which 62 were tested positive, while two other samples from a private lab were also confirmed to be positive cases.” He further said, a man from Khairi Sarore village in Bishnah tehsil, who had also contracted the virus, died a month ago. About critical patients, he said so far five patients were hospitalised in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), out of whom one was on ventilator, one from Bishnah died and one was kept in isolation, while two others recovered completely. Last month, the centre received 99 samples, out of which 28 were tested positive at the NICD, while this month we have sent 11 samples so far, out of which only two have been tested positive, added Dr Charak. However, in the wake of the fresh guidelines from the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, the health authorities here were not hospitalising the patients in hospitals and they were being quarantined in their houses. “Only critical cases like I mentioned earlier were being treated at GMCH in isolation,” he said. Dr Charak, however, refused to comment upon two testing labs announced by Health Minister Sham Lal at a press conference in Jammu last year. The government had announced to open two testing labs in the twin capital cities, but then things didn’t move further for the reasons known to the higher-ups, said a senior health official. It may be stated here that the NICD has been providing the results of blood samples to the health authorities here after a gap of more than 48 and at times 72 hours.
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Endless wait for missing person’s family
Srinagar, January 25 Manzoor owned a medical shop in the uptown Srinagar. Remembering her father, Bilkis says a void continues to exist in their lives. Manzoor, father of four children, was picked up during a raid conducted by security forces at their Rawalpora residence on January 18, 2002. “Due to load-shedding, I couldn’t see properly, but under the candlelight, I could see 35 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) inscribed on the left side of the uniform of the security forces. I recollected that they had visited our house a couple of days ago,” said Bilkis. “They finally caught hold of him and told us that he would be released soon,” said her mother Jana Bano continuing “as he was taken away, we gave him pheran (long woolen cloak) to wear. It was biting cold and snow was around. The party was led by Colonel Kishore Malhotra”. She said the same security forces party visited their place a couple of days before Manzoor’s arrest, but he was not at the home. He had gone to see an ailing relative of one of his business partners. So they left. Jana says, next day she went to the local police station to file an FIR. “She came home sobbing and said your father is no more. The police has denied registering FIR,” shared Bilkis, adding, “We protested for three days and in the first week of February the FIR was lodged”. Later, the family, according to Bilkis, was offered compensation, which they refused. “We approached several officials, including Pervez Diwan, the then divisional commissioner. He tried hard to help us, but failed,” she said. Finally, the family filed a case in the High Court in 2002 and six years later they approached the Apex Court. “In its judgment, the Supreme Court in August 2008 not only dismissed Special Leave Petition (SLP), but also upheld the order of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir asking Colonel Malhotra to make himself available before the Special Investigation Team so that the investigation into the disappearance of Jana’s husband could be completed,” said the mother-daughter duo. According to SLP No: 23370-71 of 2008, titled Union of India versus Musmat Jana and others, the Union of India has challenged the orders dated June 5, 2008, and July 10, 2008, of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. “The High Court had directed Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Budgam for holding an enquiry and the CJM has indicted Colonel Malhotra for disappearing Manzoor,” they said. “We are thankful to human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, who is assisting us with all this and hasn’t charged even a penny from us,” they added.
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Army’s first indoor sports
complex gets good response
Udhampur, January 25 Inaugurated by GOC-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt-Gen BS Jaswal, on December 1 last year, the complex has been aptly named Dhruva Indoor Sports Complex on the lines of the North Star, Pole Star, which is the symbol of the Northern Command. It is drawing around 100 Army personnel as well as their family members on a daily basis. Going by the initials, the number is likely to swell in coming days. Since long a requirement was felt for such a facility with the state-of-the-art equipments and modern facilities for the soldiers and their families at Udhampur garrison. The complex has been conceptualised under the stewardship of the Chief of the Army staff, General Deepak Kapoor, and completed under the guidance of the present Army Commander who also unveiled the newly designed logo of the complex. The logo was designed by sub-area commander Brigadier Sanjay Kulkarni. The complex has a modern basketball court, two portable badminton courts and a gymnasium fitted with modern sports equipments for weightlifting as well as running and a separate sauna and steam baths for men and women. A state-of-the-art music system from BOSE, a leading music company, has been fitted which makes the workout a unique experience for the users, he said. The main attraction of the complex is the sauna and steam bath facility which is gaining much popularity among women as well as men. This is a green project to fulfil the long-standing requirement of organised sports activities of soldiers and their families serving at Udhampur. That is why the facility is meant for all ranks and their family members, said Kulkarni. |
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Avantiswami temple awaits
summer for tourists
Awantipora, January 25 But the shopkeepers like Abdul Aziz, who have been preparing tea for the past 35 years, have not lost hope of the heavy rush of customers ahead of summer. Many of these people have their humble sources of livelihood along the highway opposite the temple site and make their earnings mostly during summer months when life returns to the valley after harsh winter. The highway township of Awantipora has its centuries’ old name, after it was founded by the King ‘Avantivarman’ of Utpala dynasty during 853-883 AD. In view of the historic importance of the area, the state government has set up the Islamic University of Science and Technology in 2005, which is less than 2 km from the temple. A link road separates the temple site from the historic Mantaqi Jamia Masjid. It is only during winter months that it remains almost deserted, revealed Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, who keeps a watch at the temple entrance, being maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. Lakhs of tourists from different parts of the country converge during the two-month-long Amarnath Yatra in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in south Kashmir. Not only the Amarnath pilgrims but also domestic tourists and locals throng the place for several months. Further beautification of the landscape in and around the temple site will help attract more visitors and increase revenue to the government as well as the local businessmen, maintained a shopkeeper. According to the records of the site architecture, the shrine is built on a double base with four subsidiary shrines at the corners. The surface of the walls is ornamented profusely with sculpture reliefs. The four subsidiary shrines in the courtyard and at the corners of the main shrine show a “Panchayatana” form of temple, the archeological report states. |
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Long routes, right routes
Certain routes are frequently going missing from the city’s traffic map. To the surprise of vehicle operators, they are taken aback all of a sudden after coming across ‘no entry boards’ in and around the old city. After one comes to a halt, a group of security personnel approach the vehicle and start asking the driver a plethora of questions. Besides subjecting you to a volley of inquiries, the security personnel guide you about the new route. After all, security on Republic Day cannot be compromised. So 'long routes' be considered as 'rights routes' for different destinations in the city.
Secure these
‘deathtraps’, PDD
Power pilferage no doubt has become a headache for the government but laxity on the part of the Power Development Department (PDD) in ensuring safe transmission of electricity is a matter of concern. Unprotected transformers in the temple city continue to pose a serious threat to human lives (See pic). Though the PDD has “caged” transformers in some places in the winter capital yet people in most localities live under a constant threat to their lives. Take a drive through the city and one would easily find transformers installed at a very low height and that too without any cage. The threat becomes more serious during the rainy season when such transformers with naked wires virtually become a deathtrap. It is high time the PDD does something to keep these transformers well protected to avoid any mishap. Much in a name
William Shakespeare might have wondered “What is in a name?” since “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But it makes a world of difference for those living in a village like ”Gidar Gallian’’ near Miran Sahib locality of Jammu. On the persistent demand of villagers, the government renamed “Gidar Gallian” “ as “Shergarh’’on November 3 last year. The government also brought ”Gidar Gallian” under the jurisdiction of Satwari police station instead of Miran Sahib under a new nomenclature “Shergarh”. However, even after the change of the name, the village still continues to be called as “Gidar Gallian” as entered in the revenue records way back. (Contributed by Ashutosh Sharma, Ravi Krishnan Khajuria and Rajesh Bhat) |
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While the entire nation celebrates Republic Day, residents of various localities across Bakshi Stadium, the main venue of the R-Day celebrations in Srinagar city, are a worried lot.
— Artistes from various schools wait for their turn during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade at MA Stadium in Jammu. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma
Being hearing and speech impaired, sharing feelings through medium of communication was, however, not possible for Kamal Nain
Bhan, yet he transformed his helplessness into artistic genius and started giving vent to his feelings through colours on the canvas.
Dhabawalas outside centuries old Avantiswami temple on the outskirts of historic town of
Awantipora, 29 km south of Srinagar on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, have a little work to do these days.
Jammu diary
