Srinagar, November 12
Divali greetings poured in throughout the day today as the festival of lights is being celebrated tomorrow.

President of the ruling National Conference and Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah greeted the nation on Divali. “On the festive occasion, I express my good wishes and happiness to all the people of the state and the country. May the festival of lights dispel darkness and gloom and bring joy, happiness and prosperity,” he said.

In his message, president of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee Prof Saifuddin Soz wished a happy and prosperous Divali to all.

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and president Mehbooba Mufti also greeted the people of Jammu & Kashmir on Divali.

The PDP leaders hoped the festival would further strengthen communal harmony, brotherhood and secularism in the country and the state in particular.

State secretary CPI (M) and MLA Kulgam MY Tarigami said festivals were harbinger of peace, prosperity and symbolise mutual brotherhood. Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah also extended Divali greetings. “Everybody should congratulate one another on the festival irrespective of religious or political affiliations. History is witness to the fact that the people of Jammu and Kashmir participate in all religious festivals,” the separatist leader said in a statement.

“We should optimally utilise these occasions for creating a harmonious society for which the people of Jammu and Kashmir have already set an example,” he added.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asgar Samoon and the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti too extended Divali greetings.

Kupwara, November 12
A multi-lakh scam involving embezzlement of many truckloads of ration has come to the fore in the Consumer Affairs Public Distribution (CAPD) department.

After the scam surfaced, the department has placed under suspension 12 employees, including two tehsil officers, five storekeepers and four in-charge storekeepers.

Sources in the department said the employees misled the department with fictitious statistics about supply of ration to bordering areas of Karnah and Teetwal in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.

“The employees had put on papers that 12 truckloads of ration were dispatched and stored in Karnah and Teetwal for consumers for the winter. They had instead sold the ration in huge quantities at various places in Srinagar and Kupwara,” a source said.

However, the ration never reached Karnah and Teetwal as was shown in records by these employees.

“In connivance with some officials of dispatching section of the department, these employees had sold many truckloads of ration between Srinagar and Kupwara. The ration was never dumped at Chowkibal (entry point to Karnah and Teetwal) or was sent to depots in bordering areas for distribution to consumers,” sources added.

The scam surfaced following complaints by the officials of the department in Karnah and Teetwal that the ration quota for winter was yet to arrive there.

When department officials in Srinagar and Kupwara checked the supply register, they found the supply had been dispatched to bordering belts at least two weeks before. After investigations, it was found the truckloads of ration had never reached Kupwara and had been sold illegally, sources revealed.

The CAPD every year stores ration in the bordering areas of the Valley before winter as roads leading to these areas get blocked for weeks due to heavy snowfall.

Srinagar, November 12
The State Human Rights Commission has asked the nodal officer investigating the cases of alleged disappearances from Baramulla and Bandipora districts to appear in person before the panel.

On August 30, the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) had submitted a list of 507 cases of “forced or involuntary” disappearances from these two districts in north Kashmir before the SHRC.

The APDP and other rights groups working in Kashmir claim that over 8,000 persons in the state were subjected to forced disappearance by security forces and militants since in 1989.

In the petition, the association had requested the commission to conduct a thorough investigation to know the whereabouts of all those disappeared.

A division bench of the commission took the petition for hearing today.

“The SHRC today directed the government-appointed nodal officer to appear in person before the Commission on the next date which has been fixed on December 24,” an APDP spokesman told The Tribune.

The SHRC had on October 16 directed the chief prosecuting officer (CPO) to collect a copy of the order issued by the government wherein the superintendent of police (SP), CID (headquarters), was appointed as the nodal officer for DNA investigation.

The CPO had submitted that the SHRC should refer the petition on disappearance cases to the nodal officer.

Out of 507 cases submitted to the SHRC, 369 cases pertain to Baramulla district whereas 138 cases are from Bandipora.

It was also submitted in the petition that the families of the victims “want to know whether their loved ones are dead or alive”.

“If the disappeared persons are still alive, their families want the government to disclose their whereabouts. If they are dead, the families want the government to identify the graves of these persons,” the petition said.

The APDP had demanded that those involved in the crime of disappearances should be prosecuted.

Srinagar, November 12
When over 1,500 cinema halls across the country are going to screen the last directed movie by ace director Yash Chopra Jab Tak Hai Jaan on Divali, his fans in Kashmir will rue the fact that they won’t be able to watch it.

Reason for this: no cinema is operating in the Valley since an era of militancy erupted here.

The much-talked about film was shot in the picturesque locales of the Valley. The late director had wished Kashmir became a hotspot for film shooting all over again.

A host of Bollywood films were shot in the 60s and 70s in the Valley. It was the eruption of militancy that brought an end to the entertainment industry closing down all cinema halls here.

Many efforts have been made over a decade to bring back that lost era.

There have been some positive signals to revive the entertainment economy with some films having been shot here in the past few years.

Shooting of Shahrukh-starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan was one prominent Bollywood project having been shot here of late. The film was shot for a couple of weeks in September and October. Chopra was much in love with Kashmir.

All nine cinema halls in Srinagar- Broadway, Regal, Palladium, Naaz, Shah, Neelam, Khayam, Shiraz and Firdous- have been closed since late 80s. Then there is Heewan in Anantnag, Samad Talkies in Sopore and Thimaya in Baramulla which also share the same fate.

Though Broadway, Regal and Neelam were reopened in the late 90s, it was only for a brief period. Neelam remained open quite for some time having closed down earlier this summer.

“It is sad that cinema halls continue to remain closed. Many of them are occupied by security forces,” said Nazir A Bakshi, an old acquaintance of Yash Chopra. 

Srinagar, November 12
After the police had foiled an attempt of the Hurriyat Conference to organise a seminar on the construction of a road to Amarnath shrine, the hardline faction of the Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Geelani has now threatened to launch a ‘door-to-door awareness campaign’ over the issue.

The Hurriyat today made this decision at its executive meeting, which was chaired by Geelani.

The state government has strongly denied construction of any road to the Amarnath Shrine in south Kashmir.

“We will organise our agitation in any way and mobilise public against the designs of the Amarnath Shrine Board,” Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar quoted Geelani’s statement.

The Hurriyat will continue to reach out to various sections of the society, including intellectuals, lawyers, traders, transporters, students, the spokesman said in a statement. Ayaz added that at the executive council, it was decided to reach each household if required.

“It is not for the first time that government has foiled our seminar. We are demanding to restrict the number of yatris to the shrine and the administration of the Shrine Board should be handed over to local Pandits,” Geelani quoted in the statement.

Ayaz said the participants, at the meeting, unanimously criticised the ban on the proposed seminar and castigated the high-handedness of the state administration.”

The seminar was called by the hardline Hurriyat faction to talk about the road construction to the Amarnath shrine. It was supposed to be held at Geelani’s Hyderpora residence, which also houses the main office of the separatist group.

However, the police on Saturday sealed the main office of the group and the residence of group leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Anantnag, November 12
Commuters have rued the curtailment of the number of rail bogeys by the Railways Department. They say the practice has forced them to face unnecessaryduress.

The commuters, who shuttle between Anantnag and Srinagar, say Monday is the busiest day in terms of passengers travelling by trains. They opine the authorities concerned have chosen to reduce the number of bogeys on Monday for unknown reasons.

“Normally, the train has six bogeys but on Monday when the number of commuters is more than double than the normal days, there are only four bogeys available,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad, a commuter.

Other commuters said the train had a capacity of 650 to 750 passengers at a given time but ironically there were never less than 3,000 passengers on it and the number swells up to 5,000 on Mondays and Saturdays.

“Instead of increasing the number of bogeys on Saturdays and Mondays, they cut two bogeys. People are stuffed in the train like cattle and nobody cares about it,” said Abdul Rashid, who shuttles between Srinagar and Anantnag on a daily basis.

Moreover, they rue that there are roughly some 2,000 commuters who have railway passes allotted in their name.

“We do not understand the logic of allotting only 2,000 passes while the trains do not have the capacity of even a half of that number,” said one of the commuters.

The railway authorities, however, maintain that they do not cut down the number of bogeys intentionally.

“Sometimes, there are some technical snags and we are forced to curtail the number of bogeys,” said Sajad Ahmad Mir, Assistant Controller, Railways. He added that their department takes utmost care of the convenience of people.

“Technical snags do happen occasionally and they are beyond anybody’s control,” said the Assistant Controller of the Railway Department. 

Anantnag, November 12
CPI (M), general secretary Muhamad Yousuf Tarigami today blamed the political parties of the state for politicising the Panchayati Raj Institution for their own vested interests.

He said the boycott of the Legislative Council polls is going to fetch nothing to panchayat members.

“Boycott is not a solution and the panchayat members, who are contemplating to do so, should rethink about the whole issue. They should work for the empowerment of the institution,” said Tarigami on the side-lines of a conference here in Achabal area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

He said the representation of the panchayat members is a must for making the institution of panchayat more effective.

Terming the failure of the government in empowering the panchayats as unfortunate, he said, “There is a lot of confusion within the coalition government. Despite making statements about the empowerment of the panchayats, nothing concrete has been done so far.”

“People voted for their representatives in a hope of better governance and the solution of their long pending demands of basic amenities; however, the vote bank politics has kept the institution away from meeting its basic causes,” Tarigami said.

He stated that people with certain vision should come forward for the polls and help empower the Panchayati Raj institution. 

Jammu, November 12
Simula XI beat Young Star XI by 5 wickets to advance into the semifinal of the ongoing Eid-Diwali Milan Cup T20 Cricket Tournament being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Police Department, in collaboration with Simula Software, at MA Stadium here today.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, YSC XI accumulated 124 runs in 19.3 overs. Rohit was the top scorer with 33 runs off 24 balls. Rithik and Nipun also contributed 25 and 19 runs respectively.

For Simula XI, Shashi took three wickets while Sameer and Hilal Rather chipped in with two and one wicket respectively. In reply, Simula XI overhauled the target in 19 overs at the loss of 5 wickets. Shashi was the top scorer with 28 runs whereas Ashok and Sameer also contributed 26 and 18 runs to the total.

For YSC XI, Akash and Sahil shared two wickets apiece while Raman took a wicket. Shashi of Simula XI was adjudged the man of the match.

In another match, ACC XI scripted a thumping nine-wicket win over Doordarshan XI.

Batting first, DD XI garnered 132-6 in the allotted 16 overs in the process. Sanju was the top scorer with 66 runs, including 9 boundaries and a six. Akash also contributed useful 23 runs with the help of two fours.

For ACC XI, Ajay and Sanju scalped two wickets each. In reply, ACC XI did the needful in 12 overs for the loss of just one wicket. Balbir played a match winning knock of 64 runs with 11 fours and one six. Anand Tripathi and Bablu also contributed 40 and 14 runs respectively.

Representing DD XI, Rajesh took only wicket. Balbir of ACC XI was declared the man of the match.

In the third match, Ishar XI got the better of HPCC XI by a comfortable margin of 58 runs. Batting first, after winning the toss, Ishar XI scored 136-1 in the allotted 10 overs.

Opener Paras and Shubam scored 60 and 58 runs respectively. For HPCC XI, Tajumbal took the only wicket. In reply, HPCC XI managed to score 78 runs at the loss of 7 wickets. Yasir and Shafkat Baba scored 26 and 11 runs respectively.

For Ishar XI, Vishwajeet was the wrecker-in-chief who scalped three wickets while Pavit and Paras claimed two and one wicket respectively. Paras bagged the man of the match award.

The matches were officiated by Suhail, Sudhir Singh, Madan and Sadiq Hussain as umpires. Yogesh maintained the scorecard.

Srinagar, November 12
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said the present coalition government has broken all records of corruption and landed the state in its worst administrative crisis.

At a workers’ meeting in Zachaldara of Handwara constituency, former deputy chief minister and senior leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig said the NC-led coalition had struck the state like a natural calamity. On this occasion, senior party leaders Ab Haq Khan district president & MLA, Sofi Gh Mohiudin party cordinator for Kashmir, zone president Mohd Shafi and district secretary Adv Mohd Amin were also present.

Earlier, Baig addressed similar meetings in Kupwara, Karnah and Lolab constituencies.

Baig said most of the ruling politicians are facing charges of involvement in murder, fraud, nepotism and land grabbing. The dissolution of a house panel constituted to probe allegations of land grab case against a minister represented decadence of the government.

“Everyone will henceforth feel free to indulge in loot as all institutional vigilance has been demolished. The legislature is the only the latest victim and most powerful institution to be trampled by the present government,” Baig said.

Baig said Chief Minister had lost all moral authority after the Haji Yusuf incident. His and his father father, Dr Farooq Abdulla, has figured out in money transactions for granting party mandates and ministerial berths. This was followed by the cricket scam in which Dr Farooq Abdullah is in the dock in a multi-crore swindle.

He said the government had failed on all fronts and the central funds allocated to the state were now diverted to north-eastern states because of our inability to spend. The unlimited funds available for universalisation of education could have transformed the state into a most developed human resource bank but the government's inability to utilise them had resulted in a setback to the schemes like Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyan and Sakhshar Bharat.

“Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as the minister in charge could not escape from his direct responsibilities,” Baig said.

The state government has denied allowances to youthfor voluntary service for the Sher-i-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme for Youth (SKEWPY) scheme. 

Jammu, November 12
The 11th State Matsogi-Do Championship organised by the J&K State Mastogi-Do Association concluded today at MA Stadium here.

MP Choudhary Lal Singh was the chief guest, who distributed prizes amongst the winners. J&K state sports council secretary Dilip Thusoo, J&K state sports council ex-secretary Sheikh Fazal Ahmed, Department of Youth Services and Sports director JP Singh, Unique Educational Trust chairman Jasbir Singh, principal of Dogra Higher Secondary School Gambir Singh Charak, principal of Army School, Nagrota, Rohini Rohit Gurung and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

The bouts were officiated by Pankaj Kumar Mehra, Sushant Kumar, Suresh Kumar, Sudarshan, Gautam, Yasien, Bilal, Dinesh Singh, Jitender, Rabia, Harjeet, Jagpreet, Simran Jaral, Ravinder, Avneet, Gourav Kumar, Vivek Bogal, Raj Kumar, Gurpreet, Ommanish, Amanpreet, Raghav, Abhinand Mahajan, Rajat Gupta, Kasish Sood and Manpreet.

Results:

Boys below 9 years

(20 kg): Ansh Salathia, Ayush, Charanpreet and Jaswinder

(Below 20 kg): Nikunj Langer, Nityam and Aman Gupta

(20-25 kg): Kanaiyah Thakyal, Abhi Bist, Mandeep Singh and Ayush Mahajan

(25 kg and above): Arpit Abrol, Ashrav Gurung, Yuvraj Singh, Utkarsh and Anuj Chandel

(25 kg and above): Harivansh, Farhan, Shivansh and Nikunj

Below 9 years girls (below 19 kg): Vidyanti, Mansi Choudhary, Shubhangwni and Tejasvi Sharma

(19-24 kg): Sujata, Gaganpreet Kour and Irshken

(24 kg and above): Rashmi Rajput, Banshik Sharma, Tanvi Choudhary and Tarunpreet Kour

(24 kg and above) Himani Gupta, Manmeet, Bhumika Sharma and Sumeet Kour

(Below 21 kg): Shruti claimed gold medal.

(21-24 kg): Riya, Shruti Mishra, Taniya Sharma and Sumit Kour