Jammu, July 30
Residents are openly defying the order of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) against dumping of construction material on roads. Violations in this regard can be witnessed at various places, including the posh Gandhi Nagar locality.

The civic body has been directing builders and property owners to not place construction material on roads, but not much heed is being given to the direction, giving a disorderly look to the city.

In many areas, owners of hardware stores, too, encroach upon the platform space in the market to place construction material.

However, no action is being taken to ensure that the public space remains free for the movement of people.

“As there is virtually no check from the side of the Municipal Corporation, people openly dump construction material on roads. It seems directions are only on papers and so, nobody is afraid about paying a fine,” said Ramesh Sharma, a resident of Shastri Nagar.

Apart from being an eyesore, the material spread on roads also poses as a threat to commuters.

“Everyday, while travelling from Talab Tillo to Trikuta Nagar, I witness heaps of construction materials such as sand and rusting iron rods dumped on roads. There is a need to take action against those who violate the norms,” said Rajpal, a trader at Jewel Chowk.

Recently, Minister for Housing Raman Bhalla also directed the civic authorities to take action against people found dumping building material on roads, which leads to waterlogging in residential colonies during rainfall.

Sometimes, such material is dumped in water channels, too, leading to floods in low-lying areas.

JMC officials said efforts were being made to create awareness among local residents against the dumping of building material in canals.

Jammu, July 30
The Railway police claims to have solved the murder case of a 22-year-old girl who was found in May. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Railways, Kamal Saini said the girl, Ritu Kumari, had been killed by her father, Ram Preet, as he had an objection to her relationship with a boy of her locality. Ram was arrested at the railway station today.

He said the girl's body had been found on May 21, following which sub-inspector Jagjit Shigh had started the investigation under the supervision of Superintendent of Police, Railways, Shiv Kumar.

A 17-year-old boy, Raju Paswan, who was Ritu's friend, had identified the body and informed the police that her father had killed her as he was against their relationship, the IGP said.

During the investigation, Ram's neighbours said he might have killed her daughter as he had left for his native village on the same day.

The police had then contacted the Bihar police, which told them he would return to Jammu today. The IGP said after killing his daughter, Ram put her body in a jute bag and left it in a train at the railway station. He then left for Bihar.

Ram Preet, who is a labourer at the Food Corporation of India, said, "I was drunk at that time and I killed my daughter as she had an affair with a boy of our locality. I realised later that it was wrong on my part."

The police has been registered a case against Ram Preet under Sections 302 and 201 of the RPC. 

Jammu, July 30
A day after two labourers were killed and eight injured in an under-construction building collapse in the Barnai area, the police is yet to make any arrest. However, an FIR has been registered against the contractor concerned for “sheer negligence”.

“No arrest has been made so far. We have registered an FIR against the contractor concerned for negligence and the investigation is still on,” Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Superintendent of Police (Rural), told The Tribune.

The Superintendent of Police (Rural) said the preliminary investigation did not find any direct involvement of the owner in the incident as he had hired the contractor for the construction work. “We are still conducting the investigation and it will be completed soon,” he said.

Yesterday, two labourers were killed and eight others injured when an under-construction additional block of Kangra Fort, a banquet hall, had collapsed in the Barnai area, falling under the jurisdiction of the Domana police station. The district administration had announced Rs 20,000 to the family members of the deceased and Rs 10,000 for the seriously injured labourers through the Indian Red Cross Society.

The police said the rescue operation was completed late last night and all the trapped labourers were evacuated from the debris.

Meanwhile, the families and friends of the victims staged a protest at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, demanding adequate compensation.

“We have been working in Jammu for the past 15 years. The families of the deceased have lost their breadwinners. The government should consider our demand for adequate compensation to these families on humanitarian grounds,” a protester said. 

Batote, July 30
Ten persons, including eight of a family and two traffic police cops, received burn injuries in an LPG cylinder blast at a house in ward number 7 of Maitra in Ramban city yesterday. However, out of the injured persons, three infants later succumbed to their injuries.

The police sources said the mishap took place when a leaking 5-lt cylinder blasted at the house of Yasin Naik, a 66-year-old retired havaldar of BSF, afflicting him with 80% burn injuries. Others who suffered were his wife Parveena Akhter (60) (95% burns), daughter Razia Begum (30) (75%), daughter-in-law Nasima Begum (30) (70%), their children-Sahil (6) (70%), Zoya (40) (80%), Ayan (3) (80%) and Nazia (8) (85%) besides his tenants Sub-Inspector Dipak Sharma (40) (50% burn injuries) and SG Constable, Narinder Singh (36) (65%). All were referred to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, from the District Hospital, Ramban.

However, Nazia, Sahil and Zoya succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. The rest are reported to be critical.

Naik’s son and son-in-law were away on their jobs when the blast took place.

When the cylinder exploded in the kitchen, all the injured were sitting in an adjoining room. As an impact of the blast, the common wall between the kitchen and the room collapsed. Fire broke out and several electronic gadgets, including a TV and a refrigerator, were damaged.

Jammu, July 30
The National Conference (NC) has claimed that it will surprise everyone in the 2014 Assembly elections and perform better in the Jammu region than what it did in 2008.

“We will surprise all political pundits who are predicting that other parties will form the government and the NC will not do well in the state. We will prove everyone wrong and I am sure that the NC will perform better than earlier in Jammu region,” said Devender Singh Rana, NC provincial president for Jammu.

Rana said the NC won six seats in the Jammu region in the 2008 Assembly elections and its candidates were second in nine other constituencies.

“This time, I have travelled to every mile of the region and observed that the party cadre is working day and night. We will field the best possible candidates and give surprising results,” he said.

The NC provincial president was addressing a press conference at the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan here, the provincial headquarters of the party.

Asked if the NC would go in for a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the 2014 elections despite the fact that some sections of the Congress in the state were opposing it, Rana replied, “It is the discretion of NC president Farooq Abdullah, who will hold the discussion with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the issue. They will decide on the pre-poll alliance.”

“Ours is a disciplined party and we will abide by whatever decision the high command takes. At the same time, our cadre is ready on the ground,” Rana said.

Earlier, scoring a point over other Jammu-based political parties in getting Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) refugees on its side, the ruling NC got a big boost when refugee leader Rajiv Chunni joined the party along with 58 supporters.

The NC provincial president welcomed into the party Chunni along with his supporters. Rana said the NC had been fighting and would continue to fight for the welfare of state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir and POK refugees were a part of the state.

POK refugees had been demanding voting rights in Jammu and Kashmir for the last 66 years, but they had been denied the right by successive governments. The Centre did not take their demand seriously.

During the wars with Pakistan in 1947, 1965 and 1971, many people from POK had crossed over to the Indian side. They had been given voting rights for parliamentary elections, but denied voting rights for Assembly elections in the state.

Addressing a press conference, the NC provincial president said POK was a part of the bigger Jammu and Kashmir and POK refugees were state subjects.

“During the the Prime Minister’s recent visit to the state, the NC had, in its memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, called for looking into the issues of POK refugees. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been pushing for all persons displaced from POK and we hope that POK refugees will get their rights in the future,” Rana said.

He said Chunni and his supporters had realised that only the NC had been working for the welfare of all displaced persons. “Getting impressed by the leadership and work of the NC, Chunni and his supporters decided to join the party,” the NC provincial president said.

Accompanied by other party leaders, Rana garlanded Chunni and welcomed him into the party fold. Speaking on the occasion, Chunni said joining the NC was a conscious decision taken by all his supporters. “We are impressed with the work of the NC towards the welfare of refugees and hope to get our rights soon.”

Jammu, July 30
Representatives of displaced Kashmiri Pandits today informed the members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that the J&K government was deliberately slow on the passage of the Temples and Shrines Bill to safeguard the ancient religious places of Hindus in the Kashmir valley.

The issue of rehabilitation of displaced Pandits and Sikhs from the Valley was also discussed in the meeting.

The Parliamentary Committee is headed by Member of Parliament (MP) Venkaiah Naidu and its members include LK Advani, Navin Jindal, Rajiv Pratap Rudi, Satish Chander Mishra and V Matriyan.

Speaking on the occasion, Panun Kashmir (PK) president Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo attacked the government over its failure to solve the issues of displaced pandits.

He expressed surprise that the recommendations made by the committee had not been shared with the leadership of the community till date. Chrangoo advocated for a mechanism to monitor the implementation of recommendations of the committee. He also presented a copy of the report on policy and procedure for return of ex-militants to J&K state to the chairman of the committee.

Another representative, Rakesh Kaul, talked about the “pitiable condition of the displaced community” in the Jagti camp and also the sorry state of affairs of the displaced traders and teachers of Delhi. He gave a detailed account of the “cultural genocide” being perpetrated against the hapless community in Kashmir.

All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC) chief HL Chatta accused the government of failing to bring the Temples Bill in the legislature. He also said the killers of the Kashmiri minorities were roaming free in the streets of Kashmir and government had not taken any action against them. Till date, no commission of enquiry was set up to enquire into the reasons for the rise of fundamentalism and terrorism in the Valley, he added.

Displaced Sikhs’ representative Prem Singh, in his address, said minority status should be given to all minorities in the Jammu and Kashmir state. He also said the Sikh community had upheld nationalism in the Kashmir valley and the Sikh Forum supported Panun Kashmir.

Jammu, July 30
Welcoming the holding of annual Kailash Kund-Bhaderwah yatra jointly by the Bhaderwah Tourism Development Authority and the local NGOs, religious and social organisations, the All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA) has asked the state government to promote the yatra across the state.

The association has demanded that wide publicity be given to this yatra at Katra, Jammu and other tourist places outside the state, to motivate the Vaishno Devi and other pilgrims andpeople from all over Jammu and even from outside the state to participate in it.

The AJHLA has demanded that the legendary background and historical aspect of Kailash Kund Yatra be publicised and arrangements be made to facilitate the pilgrims undertaking this yatra.

Adequate transport arrangements, including luxury coaches should be pressed into service as well as chopper service be arranged for those who can afford to perform the yatra at high cost.

The association has also appealed to the stake holders in tourism and pilgrimage in Jammu to participate in large numbers in this yatra, which will commence on August 25 and conclude on September 5, with carrying of the holy mace to the shrine. It has also appealed to the general public to participate in the holy yatra.

Jammu, July 30
The BJP has said it was high time for Congress, National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other votaries of Article 370 to explain to the public as to how the article had helped the state or its people progress.

“Apart from keeping highthe morale of anti-national elements, no other effect of the Article 370 can be discerned,” said BJP state president Jugal Kishore Sharma while addressing a public gathering at Sunderbani.

Sharma, accompanied by Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary In charge Yudhvir Sethi and state treasurer Chander Mohan Gupta undertook a tour of Sunderbani and its border habitations Laam and Patrara to create public opinion in favour of the much-needed political change in the country.

Sharma said various rural poor uplift schemes, including MGNREAGA, Indira Awas Yojana had become milking cow for the ruling combine of the state.

“There is no perceptible improvement in the road connectivity, rural housing and availability of the portable water, in spite of enormous sums of money having been poured by the government,” he said.

Jammu, July 30
A daylong awareness camp was organised at Changia village of Jammu district on individual as well as group loan facilities for skilled and semi skilled persons.

Jeyoti Bhat highlighted the benefits of the government schemes. She added that she would help in providing advance training to the willing ladies at the main centre, if they needed.

Raj Kumari, supervisor laid stress on the various schemes and loan facilities offered at very low interest rates by agencies. The facility of individual loans could be offered for the opening up of cosmetic and crockery shops, boutique, dairy farming, agro based programmes like pickle, murabha making etc. 

Jammu, July 30
Director Vigilance and Chairman of the Wushu Association of J&K Sheikh Owais Ahmed today visited Gulmarg and interacted with the national campers, coaches and supporting staff during the ongoing National Wushu Camp.

The camp is being organised for preparing the Indian Wushu team for the 12th World Wushu Championship, slated to be held at Malaysia, World Games at Cali (Columbia) and World Combat Games at Russia. Ahmed assured the campers that the matter of establishing Gulmarg as the High Altitude Centre for National Campers would be taken up with the state government and Sports Authority of India.

Earlier, the Wushu Association of J&K had requested the Wushu Association of India for organising international events in Srinagar Indoor Stadium in the month of May 2014.

The WAJK had conducted the annual general meeting and election of office-bearers of the association. The meeting was presided over by Ahmed, who interacted with the office-bearers of the association and district units of the WAJK. General secretary Kuldeep Handoo presented the report for the year 2013-14 and also brought up the calendar activities for the year 2013-14 in the house.

During the election, Haji Qayoom Peerzada, Divisional Sports Officer, J&K State Sports Council and Mohammad Islamuddin, joint secretary, the Wushu Association of India, were the observers from the J&K Sports Council and the Wushu Association of India, respectively, for the smooth conduct of the poll.

Ahmed was elected chairman, while H K Lohia (IPS) was elected president. Farooq Amin, Ashiq Banday, Nirdosh Trehan, Deepak Handa, Umar Tramboo, Manjit Singh were elected as patrons. Mozam Bakshi, Ranjeet Kalra, Vijay Saraf and Farman Ali were elected as vice-presidents while Kuldeep Handoo was chosen general secretary. Nissar Hussain and Ajay Paul Gill were elected joint secretaries for Kashmir and Jammu, respectively and Abhishek Jain as treasurer.

Harron Malik, Sajad, Vivek Bassan, Bhavneet, Hafeez, Abhishek, Gourav Choudhary, Ravi Kant, Sajad Parray, Sajad Hussain and Mukhtyar Ahmed were nominated as executive members of the association.

Jammu, July 30
Badu XI toppled City Club by 27 runs to lift the trophy in the first Friendship Cup (night) Cricket Tournament, organised by Swabhiman, an NGO, at DBN Ground, Mubarak Mandi.

Batting first, Badu XI set a target of 89 runs for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 12 overs. Ankush was the top scorer with 29 runs while Pintu added 11 runs to the total. Rahul and Sitti shared two wickets each for City Club.

In reply, City Club could not chase the target and was bowled out for 61 runs in 10 overs.

City Club lost all its wickets for 61 runs in 10 overs. Except for Mukul, who made 12 runs, no other batsman could reach the double figure mark.

In the final and valedictory function, Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council Amrit Malhotra was the chief guest who gave away winner and runner-up trophies besides other individual prizes to the teams.

The winner team received a cash prize of Rs 5,000 while runner-up team got a sum of Rs 2,500. Ankush was adjudged the man of the match while the man of the series trophy went to Sitti. Tinu and Rohit were umpires and Tarun was the scorer in the final match.

A total of 30 teams participated in the tournament played on knock-out basis and sponsored by Lal Kitab, 17 Miles and Hira Lal Jewellers.

Prominent among others present on the occasion were Balbir Singh, Rinku Singh, Ramesh Sharma, Sukhdev Singh, Harbajan Singh, Daljeet Singh, Papu, Raj Singh, Shamsher Singh, Sunny, Raj Singh, Ram Swaroop Sharma, Jagdev Singh and Bhalla.

Jammu, July 30
Surya Risers and Jumbo Gladiators registered wins over the respective opponents to move into the next round of the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Corporate Premier League (JKCPL), being played at M A Stadium.

Earlier, in the first match, Surya Risers got the better of Simula Bulls by 24 runs. Batting first, Surya Risers accumulated 134 runs in 19.2 overs. Vikas Hathvala played a fine knock of 46 runs while Nitin Mehra and Rompy Sharma contributed 21 and 13 runs, respectively. Jatinder Jasrotia grabbed three 3 wickets while Hilal Rather and Amandep claimed two wickets each for Simula Bulls.

In reply, Simula Bulls was bundled out for 110 runs in 19 overs. Shashi Kumar (28), Amandeep Singh (20) and Sameer Khajuria (19) were the main contributors. For Surya Risers, Nitin Mehra was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Rompy Sharma and Vikas took two wickets each. Nitin Mehra was adjudged the HDFC man of the match while Vikas Hathvala got the TCI maximum sixes award.

In another match, Jumbo Gladiators overcame the challenge of Sachdeva Leopards by 16 runs in a close contest. Jumbo garnered 127 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. Parveen Singh was the top scorer with a brilliant knock of 45 runs, studded with six boundaries and two sixes.

Aditya Partap Singh contributed 20 runs to the total. For Sachdeva Leopards, Javid and Asif Rasool scalped two wickets each while Mohammad Muddasir claimed one wicket.

In reply, Sachdeva Leopards scored 111 in 19.5 overs to lose the match by 16 runs. Asif Khan and Vimarsh Kaw were the main scorers with 34 and 26 runs, respectively. For Jumbo Gladiators, left-arm spinner Raman Dutta was the chief destroyer with three wickets whereas skipper Ramdayal bagged two wickets. Raman Dutta was declared the HDFC man of the match while Parveen Singh got the TCI maximum sixes award.