Anantnag, May 7
After passengers failed to board an overloaded train at the Panzgam Railway Station in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district this morning, they blocked the track for more than two hours.

Sources said more than 100 people lay down across the Railway track and did not allow the train to proceed further for more than two hours.

The train was already overloaded when it left the Anantnag Railway Station and even at Bijbehara, commuters were unable to board the train, sources said.

However, when the passengers, who were waiting for the train at the Panzgam Railway Station, were not able to board the train, they blocked the track.

The angry passengers said the Railway authorities had been promising them that another train would be put into service, but nothing had been in this regard.

“The train is always overloaded. More than 1,500 people travel at any given time by the train while the total capacity is 800,” said an angry commuter.

The commuters said neither the Railway authorities were increasing the seating capacity by adding more bogeys nor they were putting another train 
into service.

The protesters were pacified after senior police as well as officials from the district administration visited the spot and brought situation under control.

The Railway authorities, however, maintained that increasing the frequency or capacity of the trains did not fall into their jurisdiction.

“These are administrative matters and we don’t have a say in this,” said a senior official of the Railways.

Srinagar, May 7
While train services were disrupted in south Kashmir, the Railways is contemplating to introduce two new trains by the end of this month to cater to the huge rush.

Railway officials said nearly 20 coaches had already arrived at Budgam and trial of new train was also going on.

“In next 10 days, we will have one new train operational, while the other will be commissioned by the end of this month between Qazigund in south Kashmir to Baramulla in north,” said a senior railway official.

Sources said the capacity of a few trains which were already plying would be also increased.

The coaches of the new trains have been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.

Chief Area Manger, Budgam, Northern Railways, A K Sharma said they were on job to introduce new trains in the Valley.

“Coaches have already arrived and they are being assembled. It will take some time but it is sure that new trains will be introduced between Qazigund to Baramulla very shortly,” Sharma told the Tribune.

The trains of Kashmir are yet to be connected with the rest of the country and they ply between Qazigund and Baramulla- a distance of 119-km. Railways say that 9,000 passengers travel every day during the summer months. 

Srinagar, May 7
A week-long sanitation drive conducted by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) across the city concluded here today.

An SMC official said awareness on the importance of keeping the city clean was created among people from different walks of life during the sanitation week.

He said garbage was also collected at different parts of the city, including Hawal, Gratebal, Kawdara, Interior Arampora, Alamdar Park Brian, Arabal Nahlla, Deewan Colony Ishber, Tanga Bagh, SP College premises, Barbar Shah, Chinar Bagh, Chandpora, Habba Kadal, Exhibition Road, Jehangir Chowk, Mehjoor Nagar, Bulbul Bagh Barzulla, Hazuri Bagh, Naaz Crossing, Hyderpora, Rawalpora, Rangreth, Pantha Chowk and other places.

The SMC official said sanitation drives were also conducted around the Nigeen and Dal Lakes that are frequented by tourists. “Besides identifying and cleaning of bad spots in various areas, many water channels, including the surface drains, were cleaned. The unwanted grass from the edges of main roads and inner roads was trimmed in various areas during the drive,” the official added. The drive was kick started on May 1 in the Naayid Yaar area of the city, following the instructions from SMC Commissioner GN Qasba. 

Srinagar, May 7
Taking cognisance of media reports which state that the government-run orphanage at Nishat is without basic healthcare facilities and children are forced to do menial jobs, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today appointed a two men committee of lawyers and asked them to inspect the spot and file a factual report.

A Division Bench of the high court, which passed the directions today, also converted the matter into a public interest litigation (PIL).

Recently, reports appearing in a section of local the media had stated that orphans enrolled in the government-run children’s home, Markazi Falai Itifal at Nishat on Srinagar outskirts were being forced by the officials concerned to do menial jobs and that the home lacked basic healthcare facilities.

The reports had also stated that children had fallen prey to diseases like anaemia and the Social Welfare Department, entrusted to look after the children’s home, had failed to take any 
measures.

Today, the bench headed by Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey took suo motu cognisance of the matter and appointed advocates Bashir Ahamd Bashir and Shah Amir as the amicus curie, directing them to visit the orphanage, carry out spot inspection and submit the report within due course of time.

The bench also directed that the matter be treated as the PIL, said Bashir Ahamd Bashir who along with Shah Amir later in the day carried the spot inspection of the children’s home as directed by the court.

“Children are going through worst medical problems. Some of them are suffering from anaemia while others are facing calcium deficiency. Their teeth are devastated and nobody is taking them to doctor,” the media reports had quoted an employee of the orphanage as having said.

Srinagar, May 7
Prithpal Singh has been waiting for his promotion to the post of electrician for the past 20 years. His promotion has been withheld despite the fact that a Tribunal had recommendation his elevation as electrician and the high court had also passed directions in this regard.

But, Prithpal, who is due to retire in April, 2014, continues to serve as a wireman in the Prasar Bharti Corporation at Radio Kashmir, Srinagar, since his appointment in 1993.

Prithpal, who hails from Tral tehsil in south Kashmir, said he had joined the Prasar Bharti Corporation as a wireman in 1993, but even after working for over two decades, he had been awarded not a single promotion.

“Despite being eligible and possessing the requisite qualifications and the experience, I have not been promoted till date,” he said.

“As my case for the promotion was not processed, I was forced to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) at Chandigarh in 2003. The Tribunal recommended that I be promoted to the post of an electrician, but those recommendations have not been implemented by the authorities concerned so far,” said Prithpal, while showing the copies of the Tribunal decision dated March 23, 2003.

The Tribunal in its report had advised the Prasar Bharti to promote Prithpal to the post of electrician. “The Prasar Bharti Corporation should consider the case of the applicant and as per the rules, he should be promoted to the post of electrician within a period of three months,” the Tribunal had recommended.

Subsequently, the report and the recommendations of the CAT reached the Prasar Bharti in 2006. “However, for five long years, I was made to run from pillar to post to get the recommendations implemented,” he said, adding that in February 2011, he was asked by the Prasar Bharti to appear for the ‘Trade Test’, which he did.

“But till date, the result of that test has not been declared by the authorities concerned and my promotion has been withheld again,” said Prithpal.

“I then approached the high court, which also ruled in my favour and directed the authorities to consider my promotion,” he said.

Prithpal said, “Certain vested interests do not want him to be promoted and have been dilly dallying to implement the recommendations of the Tribunal.”

Srinagar, May 7
Tourism Minister GA Mir addressed a news conference in Dubai yesterday where he extended an invitation to tourism stakeholders of the gulf countries.

“The minister extended an invitation to media and tour operators for a trip to building business tie ups publicity and awareness during a news conference in Dubai yesterday. He said Jammu and Kashmir had a vast potential for adventure tourism, as the state offered unparallelled sports activities like safaris, aero sports, skiing and snowboarding, besides its rich culture and mouth-watering cuisine,” a Tourism Department official quoted Mir.

He said the minister, who was addressing a news conference during the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai, told the gathering that little was known to the emerging tourist market about the scenic beauty and adventure challenges that the valley of Kashmir and Ladakh offered to its visitors.

“Kashmir is keen to do business in this Arabian tourism market for culture, cuisine and adventure, which has no parallels in the world. Few luxury hotels have also come up here. Staying in the houseboat that floats on the Dal Lake is a fantasy coming true,” the official quoted Mir.

“Pertinently, about 84,000 Arabian tourists visited India last year and the trend is on the rise. However, only a few could make it to Kashmir. Muslim tourists have shown interest in adventure, leisure and health segments. Kashmir happens to be a place of interest for them for its pristine beauty. For them, cold desert of Ladakh is charming for its set up and connection with sand and barren moonscape. They also display liking for the Kashmiri cuisine,” the official added. 

Srinagar, May 7
Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani said today that he was not the reason for disrupting peace in the region, as had been claimed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while defending the hardline Hurriyat faction chairperson's detention.

“I am not the reason for disruption of peace and uncertain situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” Geelani, who has been under detention since the 2010-street agitation, said.

He has been under the current spell of detention since the February 9 hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, when he was detained in his flat in New Delhi and later placed under house arrest on his return to the Valley.

The separatist leader blamed the disruption of peace on what he called the forcible military occupation by India.

Geelani said there is no guarantee that peace would be established in the region unless the Kashmir issue was not solved as per the ‘wishes and aspirations’ of the people here.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while defending the detention of the separatist leader, had yesterday told reporters that Geelani had been inciting people ‘every time he visited any place’.

Anantnag, May 7
Asserting that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has already sensed its defeat in the 2014 Assembly elections, provincial president of the ruling National Conference (NC) Nasir Aslam Wani said today that the fear of losing was making the PDP level allegations of rigging poll against the NC.

“The PDP was voted to power in 2002, at the time when the NC was in power. Had we believed in rigging elections, we would have rigged that one too,” said Wani.

He said the NC would have at least ensured that the results of the Ganderbal constituency from where Chief Minister (CM) Omar Abdullah was in the fray, in our favour. ”The wild allegations of the PDP have only exposed their frustration and nervousness about the coming Assembly elections,” he said.

When asked about Abdul Salaam Reshi joining the PDP, Wani said in democracy everybody was free to join a party of his own choice.

Reshi was the key witness in the 2011 much-politicised death of NC worker Haji Muhammad Yousuf.

Wani, however, said Reshi’s decision to join the PDP had casted a serious doubt over his loyalties. “The fact that he baselessly alleged the party leaders of corruption gives credence to our doubts that he had been planted in the NC by the Opposition,” said Wani.

On the PDP’s appeal to the Jamaat-e-Islami and its sympathisers not to boycott the elections this time, Wani said the Jamaat had been a part of the electoral process even before the 90s and had a strong cadre like the NC.

“We will welcome any such decision from the Jamaat leadership. However, the decision should be their own,” said Wani.

He seconded the statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was a threat to law and order.

“The CM has been heading the Home Department and he has inputs about the ground situation. So when he makes a statement about law and order, it is based on facts,” he said.

Wani said it had been seen in the recent past that wherever Geelani went, a law and order problem followed. 

Srinagar, May 7
A 10-day annual training camp for naval wing NCC cadets, organised by 1 Jammu and Kashmir Naval Unit, NCC, Srinagar, began here today.

The camp is being organised under the aegis of the NCC Group Headquarters.

Over 350 cadets, young boys and girls in the age group 13 to 19 from different schools and colleges of the state, were participating in the camp, a Defence spokesperson said.

This is the first annual training camp being organised this year.

“The aim of the camp is to impart combined naval training to the cadets of different institutions and give them an opportunity to live together as a team, promote waterman-ship activities among the youth of the state and develop qualities of character, courage, and comradeship,” he said.