Kupwara, April 6
At least 14 students of Haji Pir Army Goodwill School Trehgam were injured when the bus they were travelling in met with an accident near Hayan Trehgam.

Eight injured students were rushed to Kupwara Sub-district hospital and the rest of the injured were taken to the Trehgam Hospital.

Doctors attending on the injured said their condition was stable. “Two students are under observation and the rest of them have been discharged after treatment. Most of the injured had received injuries on their hands and arms,” said Dr Muneer Ahmad Khawaja, CMO Kupwara.

“The condition of the students undergoing treatment is stable,” he added.

Reports said the school bus bearing registration number JK09-1617 met with an accident around 3.30 pm. Local residents said the driver of the speeding vehicle lost control while negotiating a curve near Hayan village and the vehicle hit a polar tree before it turned turtle.

With the help of locals, cops from police station Trehgam rescued the injured and admitted them in the hospitals.

The accident set off panic among parents as they rushed to the accident spot and later to the hospital. Amid chaos, the doctors treated the injured in the hospitals.

Police seized the vehicle and a case has been registered.

Srinagar, April 6
With the state government banning gutkha, pan masala and other tobacco products in Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court has directed the authorities concerned, including the police, to take measures for implementing the ban in a way that these products are “not found anywhere in” the state.

These directions have been issued by a division bench of the J&K High Court comprising Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal while disposing of a public interest litigation filed by Sajjad Gilani on behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir Voluntary Health and Development Association.

In the PIL, a ban had been sought on the manufacture and sale of gutkha and other smokeless tobacco products in the state.

“While disposing of the PIL on Friday, the court has directed all the authorities concerned, including the police, to take steps/measures for implementation of the government notification banning use, sale and manufacture of gutkha, pan masala and other smokeless tobacco products in the state,” counsel Sajjad Gilani told The Tribune.

The court, in its orders, observed, Sajjad said, that the petitioners are “free to agitate” the matter again before the court in case of “non-compliance” with the ban orders by the authorities concerned.

Earlier, on February 4, the High Court had directed the government to take necessary steps for banning gutkha, pan masala and other tobacco products in the state and file a compliance report in this regard within a week. Subsequently, the state government banned gutkha and other tobacco products in the state vide a notification issued on March 6.

As per the government notification dated March 6, 2013, which was also taken on record by court while disposing of the PIL, the distribution of gutkha by whatever name and pan masala or zarda containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients by any name has been banned in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The notification issued under SRO-68 banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of articles of food, in which tobacco or nicotine are used as ingredients, in the state.

Srinagar, April 6
Pesky power cuts have returned to the Valley, proving irksome for consumers in metered and non-metered areas likewise.

For the past few days, there have been continuous interruptions in power supply to almost all the areas of civil lines (uptown Srinagar), old Srinagar city and even the south and north Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama and Baramulla respectively.

Power cuts have become even more frequent than in winters, in complete violation of the power cut schedules listed by Power Development Department for the year.

Unscheduled power cuts are also prevalent in non-metered areas, which, according to schedule, face power cuts for two days in a week.

Regular interruptions in power supply are also affecting work in public department offices, banks, schools and colleges.

People say even though the state government and the department concerned made a hullabaloo of the non-payment of dues in the Legislative Assembly, and even resorted to blacklisting of the power tariff defaulters in public, they have failed to adhere to the norms, with power supply snapping out of schedules.

Various trade bodies including Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) are up in arms against the state government for subjecting people to inconvenience with snapping of power supply.

Srinagar, April 6
Two days after the road accident involving a school bus in which nine children were killed and nine others injured, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the bereaved families in Kandiwara near Kokernag in Anantnag district of south Kashmir today.

The Chief Minister directed District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, to ensure early preparation of a DPR (Detailed Project Report) for construction of a bridge on Kandiwara-Sagam Road and its upgradation.

He also directed upgradation and widening of the Mohipora-Kandiwara link road. These steps would provide a safer road link to the area and avoid any recurrence of such accidents involving human lives.

Omar also called for strengthening of health infrastructure in Kandiwara area, which has the Health Sub-centre. This is being upgraded as Primary Health Centre (PHC), the District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, Farooq Ahmad Lone, said.

During his tour of the area, Omar visited bereaved families in Kandiwara, Kokernag area who have lost their kids in the tragic road accident. He stayed with the families, consoled them, conveyed his heartfelt grief, expressed solidarity, sympathy and prayed for peace to the departed souls and early recovery of those injured.

The Chief Minister has already announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh each to the victims’ families and Rs 10,000 each to the injured. He has also directed appropriate medical treatment to the injured, said an official spokesman.

On Thursday, the bus ferrying the students of Moral High Educational Institute, Dyalgam, near Anantnag, met with an accident when it fell into a 250-feet-deep gorge. At least seven students died on the spot while 11 others were injured, some of them seriously.

All the injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Anantnag and Srinagar.

The Minister for Public Enterprises, Hajj, Auqaf and Floriculture, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Minister for CA&PD and Transport, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan and Minister for Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo, visited the village yesterday. They visited the bereaved families and expressed sympathies with them besides praying for eternal peace to the departed souls.

Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, out of his Constituency Development Fund, also announced an ambulance for the Primary Health Centre, Kanigam, on the occasion. He said Rs 2.50 crore had already been sanctioned for widening of Kandiwara Road for which, work would be undertaken soon.

Srinagar, April 6
Union Minister for Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh and the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, handed over job letters to various trainees under Himaayat programme at the Entrepreneur Development Institute (EDI) at Pampore near here today.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister said more than 9 lakh women of the state were becoming part of 90,000 Mahila Shayita Sumoh (Women Self-Help Groups) during the next five years under Umeed Programme launched in the state in four blocks of Lar, Khanshahib, Basholi and Chenani.

Jairam Ramesh said during the current year, 15,000 youth of the state would be imparted training and provided employment in private companies under Himayat while 5,200 youth have so far been provided jobs under the programme.

“There are more than 900 youth trained under Himayat working successfully in various companies outside the state,” he said, adding that while creating maximum jobs for the trained youth under Himayat within the state, the expanding external job market for youth of J&K is also under active focus.

Jairam said the relocation allowance for youth working in companies outside the state under Himayat has been enhanced from Rs 1,000 for two months to Rs 2,000 for six months for each employee.

He said this would be further examined. He also said every youth completing one-year service in private company under Himayat would be given a tablet.

In his address, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reiterated his government’s commitment to working in unison with the Union government and the governments of various states of the country to ensure palatable and conducive environment for Jammu and Kashmir students, traders and employees outside the state and help them pursue their education, trade and service goals smoothly.

“I have already underlined this necessity while talking to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Chief Ministers of all the states,” he said, elaborating that the state government would be in continuous touch with other states in this regard besides keeping a liaison with citizens of Jammu and Kashmir working outside the state.

“I have also emphasised the need for changing the mindset about Kashmiri youth prevailing among some people outside the state,” he said.

Srinagar, April 6
The death of noted historian and writer Professor Muhammad Ishaq Khan, who passed away at the SKIMS here yesterday, was widely condoled.

Union Minister and President of the ruling National Conference (NC) Farooq Abdullah expressed sorrow and grief on the death of Prof Khan and conveyed his sympathies with the bereaved family. Other party leaders, general secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmad and additional general secretary Shiekh Mustafa Kamal also expressed profound grief and sorrow over the death. While remembering his contribution towards Kashmir’s history, Sheikh Nazir said the death of Prof Khan was a great loss. Several other party leaders and MLAs also expressed their heartfelt sympathies with the family.

The Central University of Kashmir (CUK) condoled the demise of Prof Khan, a distinguished scholar and a known historian of Kashmir. Prof Khan was also a member of the Court of the Central University.

In a condolence meeting held here today, Vice-Chancellor Abdul Wahid Qureshi dwelt upon the great qualities of head and heart of the late Professor and said his death was an immense loss to the Kashmiri society in general and the academic fraternity in particular. Qureshi, along with faculty members and other staff, expressed sympathies with the bereaved family.

Vice-Chancellor of University of Kashmir (KU) Prof Talat Ahmad chaired a condolence meeting on Friday organised to mourn the demise of Prof Khan and described his death as a great loss to the academic sector of the Valley.

Separate condolence meetings were held in various departments of the KU.

Various management officials and senior faculty members of KU visited Prof Khan’s residence at Rawalpora, Srinagar, to express sympathies with his family.

The literary organisation, Adbee Markaz Kamraz (AMK), expressing its condolences, recalled the immense contribution of Prof Khan as a teacher and a historian to the society. A statement of the AMK said Khan’s works on Kashmir’s history, religion, literature and culture were valuable assets which would guide those in pursuit of knowledge. “Prof Khan was a lover of Kashmiri language and literature and always appreciated AMK for its work,” said AMK President, Aziz Hajni.

Srinagar, April 6
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) paid tributes to former Jamiat Al-Hadees head Moulana Showkat on his third death anniversary today. Showkat was killed in a bomb blast on April 8, 2010 and the police investigation had blamed Lashkar-eToiba (LeT) for the assassination of the cleric.

“The Hurriyat today paid glowing tributes to Moulana Showkat on his death anniversary and described him as a bold and sincere pro-freedom leader”, a Hurriyat spokesman said here today in a statement.

“His contributions towards the freedom struggle of Kashmir are unforgettable” he said.

The LeT in its own investigation had admitted that militants had killed the moderate separatist leader in an IED blast outside the mosque at Maisuma Bazaar in Chennai. It had endorsed the J&K police investigation into the case, noting that two Tahreek-ul-Mujhadeen (TM) militants Javid Ahmad Munshi alias Bill Papa and Nisar Ahmad alias Ishaq, who were arrested, were the ones who had killed the cleric.

However, Lashkar remained tight-lipped on other arrested men, including Abdul Gani Dar alias Abdullah Gazali, a former militant and a leader of Sout-ul-Haq, a religious-political outfit and Abdul Majid Dar, an Imam of Batamaloo mosque.

Srinagar, April 6
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police for Central Kashmir Afadul Mujtaba on Saturday flagged off a cross-country run at Boulevard round, which circles around the Dal Lake, here in the city.

The run was organised by Police Public School, Bemina, at Nehru Park.

Students of the school, from class sixth to twelfth, participated in the race.

“The run was organised with the aim of keeping the students fit and healthy. All the schoolteachers were present en route for cheering up and motivating the participants,” a police spokesman said.

The run, which was flagged off at Nehru Park, ended at the Botanical Garden.

The participants were distributed in four groups. In the first group, Rabiya Nazir, Arzoo Tafazul and Insha Abbas secured the first, the second and the third positions.

In the second group, Zubir Yamin secured the first position while Sameer Rashid stood second and Sajid Bashir secured the third position.

In the third group, Ishfaq Bashir stood first while Saqib Bashir secured the second rank and Naveed Ahmad came third.

In the fourth group, Syed Iram, Amit Kaur and Tanzeela Rahim secured the first, second and the third position, the spokesman said.

Zojila (Sonmarg), April 6
Road to Zojila snakes through barren mountains till it reaches a point where the steep terrain on one side seems endless. Zojila is a mountain pass which connects Kashmir valley with the Ladakh region.

At Zojila, snowfall during the winter can accumulate up to 40 feet, constructing an impregnable wall which cuts off the Ladakh region for up to even six months every year.

The maximum standing snow at the pass has been recorded at around 5-6 metres and the lowest temperature here is estimated at -28 degree C.

Zojila, around 120 kilometres from Srinagar, stands at an altitude of 11,500 feet. The journey there traverses through central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and the last inhabited location is at Sonmarg resort.

A little away from Sonmarg towards Zojila, down a hill, is the summer base camp of Baltal for the pilgrims to Amarnath cave.

The road leading to Zojila is also prone to snow avalanches. Border Road Organisation, that is responsible for snow clearance till the pass from Sonmarg, says there are over 50 avalanche-prone areas.

“There is always a possibility of avalanches, shooting stones and the weather can change any time,” said the Chief Engineer of Beacon Brig RK Sharma.

In fact, Beacon’s sister organisation Project Vijayak has to maintain and keep the road stretch from Leh to Drass open.

The Srinagar-Leh highway is also turning out to be a strategically important road. With Pakistan and China on the other side of the border, the Centre is planning to make the highway an all-weather road as it has to maintain a continuous supply line 
to defence personnel deployed in the area, including troops manning posts at the Siachen glacier.

The Beacon is constructing an alternative road up to Zojila, which will become operational over the next two years. The government of India is to construct two more tunnels to have all-weather connectivity with Ladakh.

Jammu, April 6
The Raghunath Bazaar Business Association (RBBA) today urged the Chief General Manager (CGM), BSNL, to direct the officials to complete the remaining part of laying underground telephone cables at the earliest.

A deputation of the association today called on RK Kaul, Chief General Manager, J&K Telecom Circle, BSNL and urged him to pass the directions to complete the project.

The RBBA deputation, headed by the association president Baldev Khullar, told Kaul in the year 2003-04 under his supervision, 75 per cent telephone cables were laid underground in the bazaar, while 25 per cent of the cables were still hanging with poles. He requested Kaul to direct the officials to complete the remaining work soon. Kaul assured the deputation that underground GI pipes on both footpaths in the bazaar would be laid soon. Telephone poles in the bazaar would also be removed, he added.Those who accompanied Khullar included general secretary Sanjay Sethi, treasurer Amit Ramesh Kapoor and chairman of Jammu Heritage Society Om Parkash Gupta, along with its general secretary Bubhneshwar Gandotra and senior vice-president Ajesh Rohemetra.

Jammu, April 6
Terming knowledge and character as complementary components for making a successful personality, Minister for Medical Education, Taj Mohi ud Din, today asked academicians and scholars to devise a curriculum which blends the two concepts for the betterment of humanity and civilisation.

Inaugurating a seminar organised by a private college here today, the minister said attainment of knowledge should lead to character building which would have far reaching consequences for society. He said the aim and objective of imparting knowledge and education is not only to create an aware citizenry but also to carve out charactered souls who would shape society of our time.

Many academicians and scholars from and outside the state attended today’s seminar. Taj asked the participants to ponder over how to achieve a blend of character building and knowledge dissemination and not let the two concepts drift apart as has started happening in the West. Such a situation, he said, was outlined by Martin Luther King several decades ago, when he described the situation as that of guided missiles but misguided men.

He said time had come when necessary changes were made to streamline human behavior. He also released the annual college publication and felicitated some academicians. 

Jammu, April 6
J&K fencing team bagged the third position in the recently concluded Federation Cup Fencing Championship held at Hyderabad.

The men’s foil team clinched the silver medal. The team included Ranchan Sabarwal, Mohammad Tariq, Gursharan Singh and Dushyant Magotra. The sabre team also claimed the silver medal in the same championship. The medal winners included Ujjwal Gupta, Vishal Thappar, Javed Ahmed and Ankush Gupta.

In women’s sabre individual event, Shivani Hans had to settle for a bronze medal while Ranchan Sabarwal fetched the bronze medal in the men’s category in the same event. Ujjwal Gupta also won the bronze medal in men’s sabre individual event. SSCB bagged the top honours in the championship while Manipur finished second. The team was accompanied by Ajay Khartol and Dimple Thappa.

Poonch, April 6
Six persons, including the groom and his family members, were injured when a cooking gas cylinder exploded during a wedding function at the residence of Mohd Sadiq, Executive Engineer, PDD, at Sarhooti village in Mendhar Tehsil. Five of the victims were injured critically. 

The accident took place at 9 am when the guests were about to partake breakfast. The villagers shifted the injured to the Sub District Hospital, Mendhar. The groom Imtiaz Ahmed, Mansha Bi, Shaqeela Bi, Maqsood Begum, Inqlab Ahmed and Kalsoom Bi were injured. The injured except Kalsoom Bi were referred to Jammu.—OC