Srinagar, June 17
The announcement for the conduct of elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is expected to be made in the first half of October. The Omar Abdulla-led coalition government completes its term of six years on January 5 next year.

The elections for 87 Assembly constituencies across the three regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh would be held during November-December this year so that the new government is in place within the stipulated time.

“It is clear that the announcement for the conduct of elections will not be made before October,” an official source said today. This followed a video conference of Chief Electoral Officer Umang Narula with the Deputy Commissioners of all 22 districts of the state today.

Various matters related to the revision of electoral rolls, upgrade of the lists, inclusion of new voters and changes in the location of polling stations were taken up during the meeting.

The new voters attaining the age of 18 years as on October 1, would also be enlisted as voters, the officials said. The Deputy Commissioners have been put on deputation under the Election Commission of India ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections.

* The elections for 87 Assembly constituencies across the three regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh will be held during November-December
* The schedule for the elections is being worked out in view of the weather conditions in all three regions of the state
* New voters attaining the age of 18 years as on October 1 would be included in the voters’ list

Jammu, June 17
The Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) Refugee Front - 1947, 1965 and 1971 held a “Sangharsh” rally today.

The rally was led by the head of the executive committee of the front, Rachhpal Singh Chib, who claimed that the state coalition government was creating hurdles in resolving their long-pending settlement case.

“The Central Government after recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission sanctioned a financial package for the camp and non-camp refugees of 1947 on August, 2000, but the state government did not implement its all components,” a statement from the front said.

The front claimed that on November 7, 2013, the state government prepared a draft package for all categories and presented it to the Parliamentary Committee of the Home Affairs Department and promised to submit its final approved copy, but this has not been done yet. It added that the Article 370 has been misused by the state government.

Jammu, June 17
A day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accused the BJP of “bartering” away the interests of the Jammu region for its “personal gains”, the saffron party on Tuesday launched a counter-offensive, threatening to drag him to court over his remarks against its leaders.

BJP activists protest against “controversial” remarks of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Jammu on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh

The party is considering filing a defamation suit against the Chief Minister for “disrespecting” the Dogra turban and “tarnishing” its public image.

“The Chief Minister’s utterances reflected his sheer frustration as his party suffered a humiliating and comprehensive defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. It has become a fashion for them (National Confrence leaders) to criticise the BJP and its leaders on petty issues. We will drag him to court against his cheap and baseless charges,” Ashok Khajuria, leader of the BJP Legislature Party, told reporters here.

Flanked by two party MLAs, Sukhnandan Choudhary and Sham Choudhary, he said the Chief Minister had made a direct attack on the entire Dogra community by showing “disrespect” to the Dogra turban.

“He has insulted the entire Dogra community by showing disrespect to the Dogra ‘pagri’ which is the symbol of the community’s prestige. We will not tolerate it and file a defamation suit against the Chief Minister for insulting the Dogri community and tarnishing the party’s image,” Khajuria said.

Omar, while speaking at a function at Jammu Club here yesterday, had said, “Pagri pahnane se koi leader nahin ban jata (no one becomes a leader by just wearing a turban)….”

He had said this while indirectly referring to Khajuria, who wears a turban. Khajuria along with other MLAs of the party had yesterday disrupted the Chief Minister’s function in protest against the erratic power supply in the Jammu region.

The Chief Minister had also accused the BJP of following “double standard”, saying that the saffron party leaders had always sought personal benefits from him and his father Farooq Abdullah. He had accused the BJP state leader Ashok Khajuria of sycophancy.

Khajuria, while defending himself and his party leaders, said they were public representatives and they always went to the Chief Minister for issues concerning the public.

“I have met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah thrice during the past five and a half years and never sought any personal benefit from him. Whatever Omar has said is out of sheer frustration as he knows that his party is on the verge of extinction and this process has started with the NC’s massive defeat in the Lok Sabha polls,” Khajuria said.

Describing Chief Minister’s statement as “childish”, Sukhnandan Choudhary said Omar had crossed all limits. The Chief Minister was trying to hide his failures as he never listened to the genuine demands of MLAs from Jammu, the BJP leader added.

Choudhary demanded that the Chief Minister should disclose the names of MLAs who were “showered” with personal benefits. “Omar should come out with the list of relatives of the MLAs, if any, who benefited,” he said. 

What Omar had said

BJP leader Ashok Khajuria addressing the media in Jammu.

* Omar Abdullah, speaking at a function in Jammu on Monday, had said, “Pagri pahnane se koi leader nahin ban jata (no one becomes a leader by just wearing a turban)….” Omar was indirectly referring to the turbaned BJP Legislature Party leader Ashok Khajuria, who was disrupting the CM’s function over erratic power supply in Jammu

* Omar also accused the BJP of following “double standard”, saying that saffron party leaders had always sought personal benefits from him and his father Farooq Abdullah 

Jammu, June 17
The National Conference today described accusations made by the BJP about “disrespect of Dogra turban” by Chief Minister as an attempt to “digress from the real issue” and insisted that Omar Abdullah never attempted to hurt the sentiments of any community.

“The exposed BJP has preferred to digress from the real issue. There was remote possibility that the Chief Minister attempted to hurt the sentiments of any community,” said Devender Singh Rana, NC provincial president, told reporters here.

“He didn’t refer to Dogra pagri (turban) at all. It is yet another nefarious design of the BJP to create confusion among the people,” Rana said.

The senior leader said the BJP could not hide their betrayal of the people of Jammu by taking recourse to falsehood, deceit and mischievous machinations.

“Embarrassed over public exposure of their sycophancy and pestering successive Chief Ministers for personal gains, some BJP leaders have sought to distort the facts by putting an emotional cover to the plain-speak of Omar Abdullah yesterday to exploit public sentiment,” Rana said.

“He (Omar) did not mention at all word ‘Dogra’ as is being made out by the indicted members,” he said.

“The Chief Minister had said by just wearing a turban one cannot become a leader of the people of Jammu. One has to work selflessly for the welfare of Jammu to deserve leadership position,” the NC leader pointed out.

Jammu, June 17
Pakistan army troops and Pakistan Rangers today opened sniper fire followed by a brief burst of automatic fire on Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border.

Around 11.30 am today, Pakistani troops of the 650 Mujahid Regiment fired a sniper shot followed by a burst of automatic gunfire from their Hackle Post on the Poona Post of the Indian Army in the Mendhar area of Poonch district, said an Intelligence source.

The Mendhar stretch of the LoC is being guarded by the 5 Grenadiers of the Army.

“Four Indian troops were on duty at the post when Pakistan opened sniper fire followed by a burst of automatic fire. Indian troops, who survived the sniper shot, retaliated and fired three to four bursts of fire. The incident lasted for less than five minutes,” said the source.

However, a defence spokesperson denied the incident.

In another incident of truce violation on the international border, the Pakistan Rangers fired a few rounds at the 6R Border outpost of the BSF near Suchetgarh in the Samba sector this afternoon.

A BSF officer said around 1.30 pm today, the Pakistan Rangers fired around six rounds from their Dhandar post at the 6R post of the BSF, being manned by the 9 Battalion. “Our border guards also retaliated. There were no casualties or injuries to our personnel,” he said.

On June 26, the Pakistan Rangers will take part in the annual Chamliyal fair in the Ramgarh sub-sector of the Samba sector.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley during his recent visit to the state said the Indian forces were capable of responding to ceasefire violations.

Jammu, June 17
A day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah exposed the “double standard” of the BJP, it was the turn of outspoken Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma today to take the saffron party to task for “betraying” people of the Jammu region. Sham Lal, known for his pro-Jammu approach, today dared the BJP to clear its stand on the abrogation of Article 370.

Sham Lal, who holds the PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control portfolios in the Omar Abdullah government, made these remarks at a function organised to celebrate the anniversary of Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh’s coronation. Even though newly elected Lok Sabha member from Jammu-Poonch segment and state president of the BJP Jugal Kishore Sharma was sharing dais with Sham Lal, the latter minced no words in attacking the BJP for “betraying” the Jammu region.

“For the last 66 years your party has been exploiting the sentiments of the people of Jammu region by demanding revocation of Article 370. Why is your party silent on this issue after getting absolute majority in the Lok Sabha elections?” Sham Lal asked Jugal Kishore.

In an obvious reference to the statement of Minister of State in the PMO Jatinder Singh, Sham Lal said, “Some days ago, one person had spoken on the issue but later he was asked to retract his statement”.

Further sharpening his attack on the BJP for taking people of the Jammu region for granted, Sham Lal said during the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had promised to solve problems of refugees of West Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) but nothing had been done so far. “We welcome the announcement of the BJP government to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits but refugees of the Jammu region also deserve humane treatment,” he said. “West Pakistani refugees have been struggling to get basic fundamental rights since 1947. Why are you adopting double standard on human issues?” Sham Lal asked.

Continuing his tirade against the BJP for not presenting any roadmap to remove discrimination against the Jammu region, Sham Lal pointed out that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had promised UT status for Ladakh but now the party was even silent on empowering the Jammu region.

Srinagar, June 17
The central working committee of the J&K’s ruling National Conference will meet tomorrow to discuss the strategy for the upcoming state Assembly elections as several sitting legislators have demanded more populist measures and administrative changes as a precondition to contest the polls.

The meeting of the committee, which is the top policy-making body of the ruling party, is scheduled to be held at the party headquarters and will be chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Omar is the working president of the National Conference and has led the process of introspection of policies, several of which have been changed after debacle in the parliamentary polls.

“The meeting is scheduled to discuss the distribution of seats for the Assembly elections, which will be held later this year, and will also discuss the feedback received from the provincial working committee meeting, held yesterday,” a source said.

The sources said the party’s top brass would discuss the possible candidates for all 87 Legislative Assembly seats of the state as the provincial working committees have refused to enter into an alliance with the Congress.

“The provincial committee meeting has decided that the arrangements (with the Congress) that are in place will continue till this government completes its tenure and after that the party will fight the elections on its own. We will not go ahead with the alliance,” said a source, who was present in the yesterday’s meeting.

The ruling party faced an unprecedented rout in the LS elections that made it introspect on its policies.

The defeat in the parliamentary elections, which the National Conference and the Congress contested on seat-sharing basis, jolted the alliance between the two coalition partners as the members of the two parties blamed each other for the poll debacle.

Sources said several legislators have set preconditions before the central working committee for contesting the state Assembly elections and demanded that more “populist measures” be taken in the run-up to the elections. “They said without these measures they cannot go before the people. They refused to fight without populist measures,” the source said.

Since the parliamentary election results, the ruling party has taken several populist measures that included revoking the new job policy and increasing the retirement age of government employees from 58 to 60 years.

Ramban, June 17
Former Union Health Minister and now leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad today thanked the voters of the Chenab valley here for their support.

Despite losing to BJP’s Jitendra Singh in the parliamentary polls, the senior Congress leader had maintained lead in all the six Assembly segments of the area.

Azad, even thanked people who didn’t vote for him, saying if he would not have lost the election he will not have been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

He, however, warned people not to vote on religious basis, as anybody elected on the basis of religion cannot do justice with his job. Azad exhorted the people of the Chenab valley to support him by voting for the Congress in the Assembly elections to ensure the completion of all the development works started by him and all round progress of J&K.

Poonch, June 17
Former minister and veteran Congress leader Choudhary Mohammad Aslam, who died after a prolonged illness last night, was laid to rest at his native Lassana village here today.

Former Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Home Minister Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, Revenue Minister Ajaz Khan and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone joined his Nimaz-e-Jinazah.

Aslam was the sitting MLA from the Surankote Assembly segment and represented the Congress from the Mendhar and Surankote Assembly segments six times and once in the Rajya Sabha.

He remained the finance minister, social welfare minister and education minister and speaker for over eight years. He was also appointed protem Speaker in the Omar government. He was first elected as an MLA from the Mendhar Assembly seat in 1966 when he was 27. He remained active in politics for over 50 years.

He died at the age of 75 and is survived by his wife and son. Hundreds of supporters and Congress leaders paid tribute to the departed soul at Lassana.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “He (Aslam) was not only a Congress leader. In fact, he was among the prominent and veteran leaders of Jammu and Kashmir. He served in various governments in different capacities and took various steps for the uplift of the Gujjar community. His death has created a vacuum in the state which will be difficult to fill.”

Former Union Minister Azad said, “He was a senior Congress leader and close to me for over 40 years. In politics, he was a sincere, honest and dedicated leader and this is the reason that thousands of people have reached here to pay homage to the departed soul. Even I have not seen such a huge janaza in my life.”

Srinagar, June 17
Governor NN Vohra has expressed grief over the death of Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam, a Congress leader, whom he had known for many years.

The Governor expressed sympathy with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also expressed grief over the death of the legislator and former minister who passed away yesterday after a prolonged illness. The CM visited the residence of the Congress leader at Lassana, Surankote, and consoled the bereaved family. He prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.

Jammu, June 17
The Northern Command, popularly known as the ‘Dhruva Command’, celebrated its 43rd Raising Day at Udhampur today. At a solemn ceremony at the Dhruva War Memorial, Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda paid homage to martyrs by laying a wreath on behalf of all ranks.

Northern Command was raised on June 17, 1972, after the 1971 Indo-Pak War and has the unique responsibility of guarding the nation borders with both Pakistan and China.

On this occasion, the troops of ‘Dhruva’ Command rededicate themselves in the service of the nation and re-affirm their resolve to work for peace, prosperity and development in the state of J&K, a Defence spokesperson said.

Other functions which marked the celebrations included “Run for Fun” and a melodious rendition by the Army Symphony Orchestra at the Dhruva Auditorium.

A blood donation camp was held at North Star Clinic yesterday wherein a large number of soldiers and their families donated blood.

A Military Tattoo was also held on June 17, which included a breathtaking display by the Army motorcycle team “Dare Devils” and demonstration by canines with their proficiency in military related tasks.

Parachute motor display, sky diving by paratroopers were the show stealers of the evening.

On the occasion Lieutenant General Hooda extended good wishes to all ranks and their families.

He complimented the rank and file of the command for demonstrating extraordinary endurance, steadfastness and exemplary sense of duty during counter-terrorist operations with a people-friendly approach as also in guarding the northern frontiers.

He exhorted them to continue maintaining the exalted standards through professionalism, dedication and devotion to duty.

Samba, June 17
Eight Vaishno Devi-bound pilgrims were injured when the vehicle they were traveling in met with an accident near Vijaypur area of Samba district early this morning. The injured were on their way to the holy town of Katra when the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into the Devak river, police said.

Eight persons of a family were injured, three of them seriously, when a Scorpio they were traveling in fell down from Devak bridge near Vijaypur on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway this morning, the police said.

The vehicle was coming from Sonipat in Haryana and was on its way to Katra, the police said, adding the mishap took place around 5.30am.

An accident victim revealed that the vehicle was not so fast, but the driver could not control the vehicle on the bridge and it fell down into the river.

Immediately after the mishap, the police team from Vijaypur rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to Accidental Hospital at Vijaypur. Three seriously injured passengers were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu.

The injured included Vinod Kumar, Neeraj Kumar, Asha Rani, Monika, Sartaz, Jagdish Kumar and Baldev Singh. 

Handwara, June 17
Wild animals, mostly bears, have killed about three dozen sheep and goats in the past few days in various villages of Handwara in frontier Kupwara district.

Residents of Braripora, Satkochi, Golpora, Butchungi, Behnipora, Rajpora, Ahgam, Sodal and Bakikar villages said a pack of bears was roaming in their villages and posing a threat to humans and livestock.

“The bears killed eight sheep in a nearby forest last evening. Thankfully, I had kept my six sheep in a shed otherwise they would have also been killed,” said Javid Ahmad Mir, a Satkochi resident. “Livestock rearing has been my source of livelihood since years but wild animals this year caused a huge loss by killing sheep. I appeal to the wildlife authorities to take measures and trap or kill the (wild) animals,” he said.

Locals said bears were also attacking the livestock kept in sheds.

“On Sunday night, bears barged into a shed at a good distance from my house and mauled six goats. Next morning, we found goats dead and the shed broken,” said Bashir Ahmad Khatana from Butchungi.

The affected people demanded that cages be set up in villages to trap the animals. “We requested the officials to lay traps and catch the animals but they ignored our pleas,” said Mohammad Ahsan Shiekh, a resident of Goolpora.

Block Forest Officer, Handwara, Habibullah Mir said: “We have laid traps at a few places to catch the bears. People should avoid visiting vegetable and paddy fields in the evening to avoid any eventuality.” 

Doda, June 17
The annual Bhaderwah Festival, showcasing culture, tradition and tourist destinations of Bhaderwah town, will begin tomorrow. Former Union Minister and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Gulam Nabi Azad is likely to inaugurate the two-day event.

The festival will showcase songs, dance and ethnic foods of the region, besides highlighting the tourism potential of the area.

The Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) is expecting large number of visitors during the festival, which would also include entertainment and sporting activities for the public.

Chief Executive Officer, BDA, Angrez Singh said Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for Public Health Engineering Sham Lal Sharma and Minister for Roads and Buildings Abdul Majid Wani would attend the function. He also said playback singer Vinod Rathore would be a part of the event.

“Vinod Rathore, Suraj Singh, Waheed Jilani and Riyaz will perform during the festival,” he said.

“We have made all the arrangements and hopefully we will get a good response,” Singh hoped.

Srinagar, June 17
Patron of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said his party would formulate a comprehensive and exclusive policy to address issues relating to the youth of the state.

He said the PDP leaders would organise interactions with youth at all district headquarters in the state before formulating a policy for the youth.

A party spokesman said Mufti said this during an interaction with a group of youth, who met him under the leadership of PDP's youth wing president Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra.

Mufti called upon the educated youth to participate in the ongoing "movement" of his party to establish a new system of justice and equality in Jammu and Kashmir.

While reiterating his resolve to address all issues of the youth, he reminded the group that the PDP was the only party in the state that had formulated a separate youth development policy for the overall welfare and betterment of the youth.

"We will also accommodate the wishes and aspirations of the youth of all regions and sub-regions of the state by organising district-level interactions," he said. He said PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, senior leaders, including Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Tariq Hameed Karra, would participate in the interactions to make the youth policy more comprehensive and focused.

Meanwhile, senior PDP leader and Member Parliament Tariq Hameed Karra has accused the National Conference-Congress coalition government of landing Jammu and Kashmir in a financial mess.

"Due to the mismanagement of finances by the present government, the state is facing an unprecedented cash crunch as the treasuries are running dry and the bills of contractors, GP fund subscribers, pensioners and daily-rated workers are pending payment for months together," Karra said today while addressing a series of thanksgiving public meetings in the Beerwah Assembly segment of central Kashmir's Budgam district.

Srinagar, June 17
The Power Development Department (PDD) has initiated an inquiry and suspended two whistleblower employees, who had reported power theft by a flour mill owned by an influential political leader.

The employees were suspended by the Chief Engineer, Electric Maintenance and RE wing, of the department last week despite the duo bringing to fore the theft and informing higher-ups to carry out an investigation into possible bypassing of electricity metre by Baba Reshi Flour Mill at Narbal in Budgam district.

The prompt action of the two employees had resulted in the imposition of Rs 29.47 lakh fine on the mill owner.

The employees of the department stationed at the Narbal sub-division abstained from work today, in solidarity with the two suspended employees.

The Chief Engineer, however, ordered the suspension of the duo pending inquiry into the "deliberate lapses" on part of the two officials.

Superintending Engineer, Electric Maintenance and RE Circle-2nd, Srinagar, has been appointed as the inquiry officer.

Official documents suggest that the two suspended officials had highlighted the theft by Baba Reshi Flour Mill, owned by an influential Peoples Democratic Party leader.

An PDD official, who is privy to the details of the case, said the two junior rank employees have been made "scapegoats", while another official held the suspension "will make them tough".

Chief Engineer, Electric Maintenance and RE wing, Kashmir, Bashir Ahmad said the two employees should not have recommended the case to higher-officials of the department and instead should have acted on their own. "They should have gone to the police when they were not allowed to enter the mill," the Chief Engineer said.

In July 2013, one of the two suspended officials --- a metre reader --- in his monthly report mentioned that he suspected the mill was "bypassing the metre" and requested an investigation be conducted.

On the basis of metre reader's report, the second suspended official --- a Junior Engineer --- visited the site, but was not allowed to enter the premises.

"The installation (floor mill) was inspected. The reading of the installation was reducing. I personally visited the site but the gatekeeper didn't open the gate. It is as such requested that the installation may be checked by higher offices as I suspect that there is bypassing of the metre," the official stated in his report.

The two junior-rank officials put forward their reports despite it being a senior official who is designated as per rule --- order number DC/PD/TO-II/536 of 2006 --- to take metre reading of industrial and commercial units, which have a sanctioned load of above 100 HP/KVA.

Baba Reshi Flour Mill has sanctioned load of 245.88 HP/KVA.

The investigation carried out by the inspection squad of the Electric Maintenance and RE wing, which submitted its report on December 6, 2013, in its remarks state that the mill was "checked and found ok".

On May 20, however, another inspection was carried out by the office of the Development Commissioner (Power) which contrary to the earlier inspection on December 6, 2013, found that "all the three phases were bypassed" at the mill. 

Punished for doing duty

* The two employees were suspended by the Chief Engineer, Electric Maintenance and RE wing, of the PDD last week

* The duo had brought to fore the power theft by Baba Reshi Flour Mill at Narbal in Budgam dist

Srinagar, June 17
Bakers in Kashmir are at the high risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as asthma. This was revealed by a study conducted by the Department of General Medicine at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.

The study found that there is a prevalence of COPD (6.4 per cent) and asthma (12.8 per cent) among 130 bakers from various areas of Srinagar, who formed the subjects of the study. The subjects (66 per cent of them) belonged to the age group of 20 to 40 years with an average age of 31 years. The medicos, who conducted the study, are Dr Parvaiz Koul, Dr Umar Hafiz and Dr Arif Nabi.

The study found that the males were more prone to COPD than females.

Interestingly, smoking was not seen as a major factor that promoted COPD among bakers, as 71.4 per cent of the studied subjects were non-smokers. These bakers, as per the study, have been in the bakery business for an average of 7 to 12 years with 5-8 hours of working in their shops.

The basis of the study was that the participants were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire and were also subjected to lung function measurements using a portable spirometer.

The study says bakers are frequently exposed to flour dust and wood smoke which have been shown to be associated with the development of respiratory disease symptoms and varying degrees of reduction in lung function.

The study findings

* The study conducted at Sher-i- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, found that there is a prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (6.4 per cent) and asthma (12.8 per cent ) among 130 bakers from various areas of Srinagar

* The subjects (66 per cent of them) belonged to the age group of 20 to 40 years with an average age of 31 years

Srinagar, June 17
The Vigilance Organisation has registered a case against several officials of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department on the basis of an inquiry conducted into the allegations of pilferage of flour meant for ration depots.

The case has been registered against Mushtaq Ahmad, the then Assistant Director, Stores, CAPD, Kashmir, in 2011-12, and several other employees posted at the coupon and account section of the Directorate of the CAPD, Kashmir, a statement from the Vigilance Organisation said.

It said a surprise check was conducted into the allegations of pilferage of flour meant for ration depots of Rambagh, Mehjoor Nagar and Gundibal in the city here.

The investigations revealed that 75 quintals of flour was received by storekeeper Abdul Rashid in 2011-12. “The entire quantity of flour was pilfered by the storekeeper in connivance with Mustaq Ahmad, the then Assistant Director, Stores, CAPD, Kashmir; Qaiser Ahmad and other employees posted in the coupon section and accounts section of the directorate of the CAPD, Kashmir, thereby causing loss to the state exchequer to the tune of Rs 72,000,” the VB said. — TNS

Jammu, June 17
Jammu boy Bhanu Uday Goswami (33) has brought laurels to the state by performing the lead role in the recently released Bollywood Hindi horror movie “Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai”.

Son of Anil Goswami, an IAS officer, currently holding the office of Home Secretary, and Neeru Goswami, a lawyer of Jammu, Bhanu Uday is a former student of KC Public School.

His maternal grandfather Sudarshen Mahajan is the chairman of KC Educational Society. After graduating from Hansraj College, Delhi University (North Campus), Bhanu opted for a career in performing arts and joined the National School of Drama (NSD).

After completing his education from this premier institution, he started working on television and displayed his talent in the action-packed investigative serial “Special Squad” aired on Star One as its main protagonist.

In addition, he has also performed short but significant roles in numerous Bollywood films, including an Indo-American production. He has played a significant role in the forthcoming “Blemished Light”, slated for release shortly.

In the movie “Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai”, Bhanu has played a role of the husband of a woman suffering from horrifying psychological disorders after a road accident.

Jammu, June 17
Leaders of the Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) Teachers Forum have welcomed the step taken by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand regarding inclusion of five years’ of honorarium period for service benefits and transfer policy.

The leaders expressed joy over the inclusion of honorarium period in service and transfer policy for more than 60,000 ReT teachers across the state.

Bhupinder Singh, senior vice-chairman of the Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) Teachers Forum, said due to struggle of thousands of ReT teachers, this dream had come true.

He said the ReT Scheme under which qualified people of an area were appointed as teachers in their respective areas was started in 2000 with an intention to lower the rate of unemployment and improve the literacy rate in the state.

The leaders said when the scheme was launched, Rs 1,500 per month were paid for the first five years of service and the period was not included in their service record and there was no transfer policy for them.

Jammu, June 17
The State Government Employees Joint Action Committee (SGEJAC) today criticised the alleged indifferent attitude of the state government. A protest was staged by government/public sector unit employees, including daily wagers, for the fulfilment of their demands.

Senior leaders of the SGEJAC who addressed the employees included Sushil Sudan, Suresh Sharma, Subash Verma, Babu Hussain Malik, Prem Singh Bawa, Yash Pal Sharma, KC Dubey, Rinku Gill and Jarnail.

The leaders opposed the state government for its “cosmetic approach” on the agreed demands. They alleged that the government befooled its employees by extending assurances after assurances and reports from Heads of Departments (HoDs) but nothing practical was done.

The demands of the SGEJAC included regularisation of daily wagers, casual labourers, ad hoc and contractual workers, release of 10 per cent DA in cash, increase in medical allowance, decrease in qualifying service for pension from 28 to 30 years and grant of Sixth Pay Commission benefits to PSU employees. The SGEJAC stated that if the government failed to accept their demands by June 30, it would hold protests at all district headquarters of the state on July 10.

Jammu, June 17
The Sacred Heart College of Education celebrated World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness about the need for donating safe blood and blood products.

An essay writing competition was organised in the college on the theme “Save life, donate blood” in which all the students participated. Former Superintendent, District Hospital, Samba, Dr RD Wazir, highlighted the importance of donating blood for saving lives. Chairperson of the college Rajni Bala also spoke on the occasion.

Managing Director Hari Singh Chib stressed that every blood donation was a gift of life. Principal of the college Dr KK Tiwari, Prof Jyoti Sarma, Prof Raj Bakshi, Prof Sonika Anand, Prof Sonika Anand, Prof Monika Anand, Prof Neha Sharma, Prof Shalini Mahajan and Prof Kiran Manhas also spoke.

The programme was organised by the NSS Programme Officer, Prof Sheetal Khajuria. The vote of thanks was presented by Prof Raj Bakshi.

Jammu, June 17
State bodybuilder Pushpinder Bharti has been selected to represent India in the upcoming Mr Asia (Bodybuilding) Championship-2014 to be held at Colombo in Sri Lanka from June 19 to 21.

Rajeev Charak, general secretary of the All J&K Amateur Body Building Association, has congratulated Pushpinder for being selected for the coveted championship.

Rajeev Charak hoped that more bodybuilders of Jammu and Kashmir would bring laurels to the state in future by participating in international competitions.

Rajeev Charak exuded confidence that Pushpinder could win a medal in the championship to make the country as well as state proud.

Jammu, June 17
The Sacred Heart College of Education celebrated World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness about the need for donating safe blood and blood products.

An essay writing competition was organised in the college on the theme “Save life, donate blood” in which all the students participated. Former Superintendent, District Hospital, Samba, Dr RD Wazir, highlighted the importance of donating blood for saving lives. Chairperson of the college Rajni Bala also spoke on the occasion.

Managing Director Hari Singh Chib stressed that every blood donation was a gift of life. Principal of the college Dr KK Tiwari, Prof Jyoti Sarma, Prof Raj Bakshi, Prof Sonika Anand, Prof Sonika Anand, Prof Monika Anand, Prof Neha Sharma, Prof Shalini Mahajan and Prof Kiran Manhas also spoke.

The programme was organised by the NSS Programme Officer, Prof Sheetal Khajuria. The vote of thanks was presented by Prof Raj Bakshi.

Srinagar, June 17
In order to encourage the writing skills among women and provide them a suitable platform, the J&K Cultural Academy today organised a session on short stories on women in Urdu, Hindi, Kashmir, Pahari, Punjabi and Dogri languages.

The function was organised at the seminar hall of the academy, which was presided over by noted poetess and Director, Radio Kashmir, Srinagar, Ruqsana Jabeen, while prominent playwright and former secretary of the academy Reeta Jetendar was the chief guest.

In-charge Secretary of the academy Haroon Rashid presented a brief resume of the activities which the academy is undergoing for promotion of art, culture and languages. He said on International Women’s Day, it was announced that the academy would organise special functions to boost women writers.

The women who presented their short stories included Neelofer Naz Nehvi and Nikhat Nazar in Urdu, Nowneet Kour Neer in Punjabi, Reeta Jetender in Hindi, Nirmal Vikram in Dogri, Ruksana Kausar and Syed Mumtaza Bukhari in Pahari and Shahida Shabnum and Mehfooza Jan in Kashmiri. The session was followed by a discussion and interaction.

Jabeen congratulated the academy for organising such activities.

Srinagar, June 17
A three-day workshop on research methodology in biomedical research began at Government Medical College, Srinagar, today.

Inaugurating the workshop conducted by the department of community medicine (SPM), Dr Rafiq Ahmad Pampori exhorted the participating faculty to take research in medical college as a priority with establishment of multi-specialty research laboratory funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

The faculty members from 14 departments of GMC, Srinagar, are participating in the first-of-its-kind in-house workshop where discussions were held on developing research protocol, research questions, research design, sampling, study instrument and data management. — TNS