Jammu, July 24
A flash flood reportedly caused by a cloudburst around 3 am today wreaked havoc on the outskirts of Jammu city, killing cattle, damaging houses and washing away crops.

There were, however, no reports of loss of life.

The Kangrial, Khabahdanga, Mishriwalla, Marh, Pargwal, Jhiri, Bhalwal, Kot areas and adjoining localities were badly affected as belongings of the people were washed away in the flood.

Meanwhile, the authorities have issued a red alert in some areas because the water level in the Chenab has risen due to the flash flood.

Initial reports said dozens of cows had died and more than 100 houses were damaged. Poultry birds at two farms were reportedly washed away in the flood. Some portion of the Jammu-Akhnoor road and some link roads were also washed away.

Power supply to the affected areas was snapped as a large numbers of poles were washed away.

“I have directed the officials concerned to immediately start relief operations in the affected areas,” said Minister for Planning, Development, Labour and Employment Ajay Sadhotra.

The minister said relief had been disbursed to the affected families and the authorities were assessing the the losses caused by the natural calamity.

Giving details of the incident, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, AK Sahu, who rushed to the affected areas, said the flash flood, triggered reportedly by a cloud burst, had caused huge damage in some areas of the Marh and Raipur Domana Assembly segments. He said there was no report of any loss of life or injuries due to the flash flood.

The Deputy Commissioner said portions of some roads were washed away due to the flash flood and the departments concerned had started repairing the roads.

“Emergent relief has been distributed to the affected families from the natural calamity fund,” he said and added that officials had been directed to conduct a ground-level survey to assess the total losses caused by the flood.

Eyewitnesses told The Tribune that at 3 am today water entered into the houses.

Locals believed that the flash flood was triggered by a cloud burst in the upper reaches because within no time water entered into the houses and people got no time to take along their belongings.

Desraj, who runs a poultry farm in the Marh area, said nearly 4,000 birds at his poultry farm were washed away in the flood.

Meanwhile, former minister and senior Congress leader Mula Ram demanded immediate ex gratia for the affected people and compensation for the losses they had suffered, besides restoration of essential services in the area.

BJP leader Bali Bhagat also toured the affected areas of the Kot panchayat in the Bhalwal block and demanded immediate relief for the affected families. He said joint teams of various departments should restore essential services in the affected areas.

Samba, July 24
The district unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today demanded implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations. It also demanded backlog quota and reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) proposed by the government.

BSP workers led by Somnath, ex-MLA and state general secretary of the party, today staged a protest here and later submitted a charter of demands to Mubarak Singh, Samba Deputy Commissioner.

“As the Mandal Commission, which has recommended 27 per cent reservation to the OBCs, has not been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, the OBCs have been agitating to get the report implemented in the state,” said Somnath, BSP state general secretary.

He said it was all due to Article 370 that the OBCs were not getting their constitutional rights. He said there was no reason to deny 27 per cent quota to the OBCs, adding that their counterparts in other parts of the country were getting the same benefit.

Leaders of the party, while addressing the party workers, condemned the state government’s attitude towards the downtrodden communities of the state. They demanded that the Mandal Commission report be implemented in toto in Jammu and Kashmir.

Srinagar, July 24
A day after the Centre said the time was “not appropriate” for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from J&K, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said New Delhi should define what it meant by “appropriate time”. Omar, who has been vociferously batting for the revocation of AFSPA for long, also hoped for a change in mindset of those against the withdrawal of the controversial Act.

“It (AFSPA) is an ongoing discussion with the Centre, first with the UPA and now with the NDA. Some people won’t find the appropriate time even if we silence the guns 100 per cent…they will keep on giving excuses and keep on deferring from one year to another…. If they tell us what the appropriate time for the AFSPA revocation is, we will try to determine the parameters of this appropriate time…. I hope there is a change in their thinking,” Omar said while interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

The Chief Minister was reacting to a written reply on AFSPA in the Rajya Sabha yesterday.

On Shiv Sena MPs allegedly force-feeding a fasting Muslim worker, Omar said those elected by the people should “set an example” instead of resorting to “hooliganism”.

“Either they (MPs) knew he was a Muslim… then it is all the more shameful. Even if they didn’t know, it is still not a good thing…after winning polls we should set an example through our behaviour. But if this is the example we set, it is a shameful thing. Hooliganism can’t be overlooked,” he said.

On the report submitted by Justice (retd) ML Koul, one-man panel probing killings of four persons in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on September 7 last year, Omar said it had been received just last evening and had been sent to the Home Department for examination.

Omar said he considered the 1996 elections as the “toughest” ever in the state. “There is a big difference between the militancy of that time and the present. The coming election may be politically difficult for some but I feel elections in 1996 were the most difficult from the administration and security point of view,” he said.

Jammu, July 24
To get feedback from grassroots level workers ahead of finalising candidates for the forthcoming Assembly elections, the Congress high command has deputed observers across the state to hold deliberations at the lower level.

These observers will also get feedback on performance of Congress ministers in the coalition government.

Sources said the observers have been deputed following strong resentment expressed by the workers against party ministers and sitting legislators during the Congress convention held at Srinagar and Jammu on June 25 and July 19 respectively.

During these conventions, Congress workers had accused party ministers of indulging in rampant corruption. They had also alleged that instead of giving importance to the cadre, ministers were playing in the hands of power-brokers.

Sources said the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Ambika Soni, who was present in both the conventions, has taken serious note of workers’ complaints.

“Ambika Soni in his feedback report, which she had submitted to Congress president Sonia Gandhi earlier this month, has particularly mentioned about the resentment shown by workers against party ministers,” a source said.

“It is due to the feedback report submitted by Ambika Soni that party has deputed observers in different areas (of the state) to assess the ground situation,” the source said.

Secretary, All India Mahila Congress, Charu Lata has been appointed as observer for Jammu district, comprising 11 Assembly segments, while Satya Narayan Sharma has been appointed as observer for mountainous districts of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban and Reasi.

Raj Kamal Singhania, Congress MLA from Chattisgarh, has been deputed as observer for Udhampur and Kathua districts.

Lata, who reached Jammu Tuesday, interacted witha cross-section of party workers. “During interactions, party workers complained against ministers,” a source said, adding that most of the workers who met Charu Lata pointed that ministers were not giving importance to the party.

Sources said Singhania also has reached Udhampur and has started interaction with party workers. He would also visit Kathua to seek feedback from workers.

Jammu, July 24
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders along with shopkeepers and residents of Kachi Chawani held a protest against the state government, Power Development Department (PDD) and local MLA for unscheduled power curtailment.

The protesters blocked the road for more than two hours. “We have been facing erratic power supply in the heart of Jammu city for the last 48 hours and no elected representative or officals of the PDD have come to take stock of the situation,” said one of the protesters.

Bharat Chowdhary said people of the area had been facing a complete blackout for the last 48 hours, claiming that the transformer of the area got damaged. He added that despite repeated requests to the Chief Engineer and Executive Engineer, the PDD authorities failed to restore electricity.

Bharat Chowdhary alleged that the local MLA, Ashok Khajuria, did not come out to support the residents during their hard time even after being approached by some of them.

Meanwhile, several residents of the Qassim Nagar area, led by Bharat Chowdhary, Vikram Singh, Girish Sharma, Sishu Gangotra, Goldy and Nitin, raised slogans against PDD officials for their alleged apathy towards the people of the Jammu, who are facing power cuts in this hot summer season.

Jammu, July 24
The recently proposed sports policy draft of the J&K State Sports Council may have recommended various measures to strengthen the sports infrastructure at the grass-roots level, but for the affiliated sports bodies and sportspersons the initiatives suggested in it will confined only to papers.

As per directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 53rd general council meeting, the autonomous sports body in its proposed sports policy draft had took an important decision to categorise various sports disciplines under Olympic and non-Olympic charter on the basis of present level of performance at the state and national level.

But the categorisation of sports had brought severe criticism from the affiliated sports associations, which claimed that the less important disciplines were put under Category A.

Taking note of the criticism, the Sports Council then again convened a meeting to discuss categories of disciplines.

Manjeet Singh, secretary, J&K Korfball Association, said the sports policy draft was just an eyewash.

“Unlike states like Punjab and Haryana where sports experts are invited to prepare sports policy draft taking into considerations all important aspects related to overall development of sports and sportspersons, the J&K State Sports Council is entirely different,” said Manjeet Singh.

“In fact, the sports policy draft is a cruel joke with the sportspersons of the state because no sports expert was consulted while preparing this important document. Non-technical persons were hired by the Sports Council to prepare its sports policy draft to complete a mere formality”, he claimed.

“There are very limited employment avenues for budding sportspersons and we have appealed to the government to give its nod for bringing corporation/boards and apex institutions under the overall umbrella of the autonomous sports body as recommended in the proposed sports policy draft. But I don’t think it will happen because no one seems to be interested in providing much needed fillip to the J&K sports,” a player said.

Sportspersons, however, have strongly demanded to bring revolutionary changes in the present grim sports scenario. “Though the associations are hosting national championships, but the standard is not of that level, simply because they are scared to spent lavishly claiming that the same amount will not be reimbursed by the Sports Council. That is why we are way behind in hosting a national event efficiently due to financial constraints,” another player claimed.

Jammu, July 24
A two-day national symposium on “Natural resource management and sustainable hill farming systems for livelihood security” was inaugurated at the Conference Hall of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Jammu.

The symposium is being organised by the Soil Conservation Society of India, Jammu chapter, in collaboration with the Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry of SKUAST-Jammu.

Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister for Agricultural Production, was the chief guest at the inaugural function, whereas Raman Bhalla, Minister for Housing, Horticulture, Youth affairs, Sports and Culture, was the guest of honour.

The programme started with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest. In his address, Ghulam Hassan Mir expressed happiness that a symposium focusing on the burning issues of depletion of natural resourses was being organised in SKUAST-Jammu.

He asked the varsity scientists to develop and adopt water use-efficient cost-effective and eco-friendly cropping systems/patterns, farming systems and technologies, besides integration of rainwater, surface and groundwater for promotion of conjunctive use of poor quality and polluted water after effluent treatment.

Raman Bhalla stressed on the plantation of horticultural trees and crops so that the problem of soil erosion was minimised in the slopes, besides adoption of soil conservation measures in hilly areas.

Dr Pradeep Kumar Sharma, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu, stressed on the need to adopting farming system approach for meeting the livelihood security of small and marginal farmers of both hills and plains.

He stressed on conservation of natural gifts to the mankind, ie soil, water and vegetation.

He also emphasised on resource conservation technologies, such as conservation tillage, soil test crop response approach of fertiliser application, soil health cards for rural farmers and use of conservation tools.

Dr Suraj Bhan, president, Soil Conservation Society of India, praised the Jammu chapter of the society for organising a symposium on such a crucial issue, relevant to survival of the mankind in coming years, and expressed satisfaction for receiving support of a galaxy of the eminent speakers. — TNS

Jammu, July 24
Residents of the Janipur area today staged a protest outside Power House, High Court Road, Janipur, against the Power Development Department (PDD).

The protesters assembled outside Power House and raised slogans against the PDD for its alleged failure to provide power supply in the prevailing scorching heat.

“The whole Janipur area, including Lakkad Mandi, Janipur Colony and Power House, is facing power fluctuation due to serious problem in Feeder No 3 at Power House and we have already informed the officials concerned about that, but nothing significant has been done so far,” Deepak, a local resident, said.

“In the Sarika Vihar area, the transformer was damaged last week, but the PDD is yet to send its team to repair or replace it. People of the area are the worst sufferers due to this negligence of the PDD,” he added.

Earlier, during the protest, the traffic was blocked for nearly two hours. It was only after a PDD official gave an assurance that the blockade was lifted and traffic resumed.

Jammu, July 24
An orientation programme was organised at the JK College of BBA and BCA for the 2014-15 session. The students of BBA and BCA-Part I introduced themselves. Principal of the college Shashi Chaudhary briefed the students about the college rules and regulations.

She apprised them about the subjects and the semester pattern that has been introduced by the university. After the principal’s speech, the librarian Meera Sharma told students about library rules and various books, journals, magazines, etc, available in the college library.

Neelam Mahajan, NSS coordinator, explained the NSS activities, various camps and important days that are celebrated in the NSS programme.

Faculty members introduced subjects to the students.

Lastly, the students were addressed by placement coordinator Deepika Jandial, who explained that student participation and cooperation is must for the proper functioning of an institution. She also briefed the students on various activities of the placement cell.

Jammu, July 24
The dharna of women dental surgeons under the banner of Dental Surgeons Association (DSA) continued for the consecutive 12th day, whereas the dharna by the association has entered 24th day today.

Chairman of the association Dr Pawan Singh appealed to people to join their protest. He announced that the protest would continue till their demands were met.

The protesting dental surgeons were demanding complete absorption of unemployed dental youth in government service, recruitment of dental surgeons on yearly basis and establishment of a directorate for dental health in the state.

The Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) has also extended its support to the agitation of the Dental Surgeons Association. State secretary of the BBJYM Partap Singh Jamwal in a meeting with the agitating surgeons lambasted the government for its arrogant attitude towards the surgeons. — TNS

Jammu, July 24
A meeting of different organisations of farmers was held at the J&K Kissan Advisory Board office, Pragati Bhawan, Rail Head Complex, Jammu, to discuss the issue of undertaking agriculture field operations by the farmers residing in border areas, affected due to unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops.

The issue was deliberated and some suggestions were made for immediate consideration of the state government. The board demanded that protection be provided to the needy farmers to for timely and properly completion of the paddy transplantation work.

“Moreover, inputs like fertilisers, weedicides, etc, be made easily available to the farmers. A few centres on temporary basis be opened in this belt as per field requirement,” a press release said.

It was also stressed to provide life insurance cover to the farmers and their families through group insurance in the effected villages.

Jammu, July 24
In the past couple of years, precisely since July 28, 2012, when a trans-border tunnel was unearthed in Samba, the international border from the Paharpur post in Kathua to the Chicken Neck area of Akhnoor and the Line of Control (LoC), south of Pir Panjal range, has remained tense with regular truce violations by Pakistani troops and raids by its Border Action Teams (BATs) and ultras deep inside the Indian territory.

Amidst spurt in the truce violations and intrusion bids by Pakistani forces and ultras this year, the Indian security forces apparently need to revisit their intelligence network and strengthen the security grid to secure the frontiers in 2014 — a year of upheavals in Jammu and Kashmir.

Already this year, two soldiers and a BSF jawan have been killed on the fence.

On January 8 and August 6 last year, the Army had suffered seven casualties in two BAT attacks in Balnoi and Chakan da Bagh areas respectively. It included brutal killings and mutilation of Lance Naik Hemraj Singh and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh.

In the January 8 raid, the BAT had intruded 450 metres inside the Indian territory in the Balnoi area.

On the intervening night of August 5 and 6 last year, a Pak BAT had ambushed an Indian patrol killing five troopers after breaching the LoC in Chakan da Bagh.

“Keeping in mind these BAT raids and the 540 metres long trans-border tunnel in Samba vis-à-vis ultras striking at our soldiers on the borders, we really need to revisit our security grid as well as intelligence network,” said a senior Intelligence source.

We are halfway through 2014 and the security analysts, including the Army, at the beginning of this year had anticipated a spurt in truce violations, intrusion bids and terror activities, but we also need to fortify our security grid at the frontiers, the source said.

We have an anti-infiltration obstacle system in place on the LoC and the international border but still BATs and ultras have been successful in planning mines and opening fire at troops. Besides, there was this trans-border tunnel. Pakistan has started opening new fronts on the border, he said.

“Practically, the borders cannot be sealed completely because of the topography and climatic conditions in the state, but we certainly need to relook our security and intelligence network because litmus test lies ahead in the second half of 2014,” the source added.

He further said the security forces also need to remain extra vigilant, especially on the international border post-unearthing of trans-border tunnel in the Chalyari area of the Samba sector on July 28, 2012.

“The tunnel had crossed the Zero Line, the barbed fence, BSF posts and caved in an agricultural field due to rains. Had it not caved in, the ultras could have sneaked into Samba in big numbers and could have caused a mayhem,” he said.

“We should not be caught off-guard again. Israel has claimed that Hamas fighters were entering Israel through cross-border tunnels,” the source said.

Srinagar, July 24
Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies Nawang Rigzin Jora called on Governor NN Vohra at the Raj Bhawan here today.

Jora briefed the Governor about steps taken by the Urban Development Department in improving basic infrastructure facilities in towns and cities of the state and the to-date implementation status of various centrally-sponsored schemes administered by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

They also discussed the government’s e-governance initiatives for improving the citizen centric services and public service delivery system.

Jora also briefed the Governor about the recently concluded Kalachakra initiation held in Leh. — TNS

Srinagar, July 24
Governor NN Vohra hosted Iftaar party at Raj Bhawan here this evening.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul, ministers, legislators, Northern Army Commander, GOC-XV Corps, Vice Chancellors, senior civil, police and security forces officers and prominent citizens participated in the party. The participants offered prayers after breaking their fast. 

Kathua, July 24
The Station House Officer (SHO), Raj Bagh, along with three other officials was suspended after a duo managed to escape from their custody during the wee hours of the morning today.

Neeraj Sharma and Nazakat Khan were arrested and booked for robbery and bovine smuggling by the police few days ago.

Though the police managed to catch Sharma later in the day from the Budhi railway station here, Khan could not be traced.

Taking notice of the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua, Mohan Lal suspended SHO, Raj Bagh.

“Three officials, including the duty officer, munshi and a sentry have also been suspended and case has been registered against them for negligence,” the SSP said.

He said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident and a case has also been registered in this regard. — OC

Doda, July 24
The Army and the special operations group of the police today busted a militant hideout in the Bhan-Bharat forest area of Doda district and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

Acting on a tip off, the 10 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army and the police launched a joint search operation in the Bhan-Bharat forest area of Doda and recovered arms and ammunition.

The recovery included 205 AK rounds, one country-made pistol, two country-made guns, two Chinese grenades, two hand grenades, six launcher shells, 55 detonators, nine Pika rounds, one binocular of Pika, one RDX box, three AK magazines, two pistol magazines and two SLR magazines.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Doda, Mohammed Sharif Chouhan said: “We have launched a massive campaign to dig out hidden arms in the area. This is the sixth major recovery in the past seven months and possibly there will be many more in the future.”

“We have busted three hideouts in Doda, one in Bhaderwah and two in the thick forest area of Gandho this year,” the Doda SSP said.

“It is an old dump of ammunition which was hidden by militants during the peak of militancy. We have intensified our campaign along with the Army to bust hideouts in such area so that militancy does not revive again in the area,” Chouhan said.

Srinagar, July 24
To ensure smooth movement of traffic ahead of Eid, the Traffic Police have issued a plan for the next few days.

As per the plan, no passenger vehicle will be allowed to ply on Residency Road from Radio Kashmir up to Hari Singh High Street on one side and along Moulana Azad Road from SRTC Crossing to Jehangir Chowk on the other side except in emergency cases from July 24 till Eid-ul-Fitr prayers.

Besides, the police said no 407 vehicle would be allowed on Residency Road and Moulana Azad Road from tomorrow. However, the passenger vehicles moving on Residency Road will be diverted via Radio Kashmir crossing towards Abdullah Bridge, Rajbagh, Lal Mandi, Shargari and Exhibition grounds.

“The vehicles which have to move from Batmaloo towards MA Road will be diverted at Jehangir Chowk, Old Secretariat, Tankipora, Habba Kadal, Barbar Shah, Baba Dharam Das route and at Maisuma interior. At Baba Dharam Das, the vehicles bound for Hazratbal and Soura will take a left turn and vehicles bound for Nishat and Shalimar will proceed towards Kohankhan Dalgate-Badyari Chowk and onwards,” the police added.

The general public has also been requested by the police to pool vehicles so that the traffic pressure on the city roads is reduced.

The shopkeepers have been told not to park their vehicles in front of their shops. Besides, all shopkeepers and business establishments of Lal Chowk area have been told to park their vehicles before 9am.

For the Residency Road market, polo view parking, Press Colony parking and SDA parking near Sangermal parking will be utilised. For Lal Chowk, municipal parking near Lala Rukh Hotel and Sheikh Bagh parking will be utilised.

Besides for HSHS and Jehangir Chowk, Exhibition parking, parking near Estate Quarters HSHS and Iqbal park parking will be used.

However, customers to Residency Road, Regal Chowk and Lal Chowk have been advised to park their vehicles in the designated parking space at polo view parking in Sports Council ground and Sheikh Bagh parking near Forest Lane. They can also park their vehicles in temporary parking at the SRTC yard.

The police further said the customers could park their vehicles at the Banquet Hall parking on MA Road along the boundary wall of Pratap Park (MA Road), between two yellow lines on Residency Road and Regal Chowk.

“There will be no parking zone from Regal Chowk up to Gantaghar and gurdwara up to Amira Kadal, Amira Kadal towards HSHS (right side of the road) and from Budshah bridge up to Dalgate,” the police added.

Jammu, July 24
Confusion prevailed over the submission of application forms for the post of Class-IV employee in the General Administration Department (GAD) as applicants remained unsure whether to fill in the form with a pen or a pencil.

The authorised collection centres rejected hundreds of application forms filled with pen, even as the instruction leaf attached with the form “clearly mentions” that candidates should use ball pen to fill the details.

The GAD, however, maintained that a notice was published in local dailies instructing the intending applicants to use pencil instead of a pen to fill the form. Besides, the department has also put the information regarding the change on its website.

So far the department has received 1.2 lakh forms for 148 available posts. The office of the Deputy Director, Employment Exchange, in all the districts of the state is experiencing heavy rush, but with the “uncertainty” looming over the filling of application forms in pen or pencil, there has been confusion among the applicants.

“I had come to submit my form a week ago, but there was some confusion over the filling of details in the application form. The instruction leaf with the form clearly mentions that it has to be filled with a ball point pen, but they rejected my application form saying only those forms filled with a pencil will be accepted,” said Sakshi Sharma.

“I had to purchase a new form and now I am again standing in a long queue to submit my form,” Sakshi added.

Ashok Sharma, whose form was also rejected as it was filled with a pen, said: “When it is clearly mentioned on the instruction leaf of the form, how can they reject it? They should replace all the forms from. It creates confusion among the candidates.”

Secretary to J&K Government, General Administration Department, Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari said: “Application forms have to be filled with pencil only, as the forms filled with pen cannot be scanned properly. The instruction leaf with the form, which is being sold by the Jammu and Kashmir Bank, is an old copy. We cannot change all the forms so we had issued notice for the intending candidates to fill the form with pencil only.”

“It is clearly mentioned on the website as well and the notice was published twice in local dailies,” Bukhari said.

Srinagar, July 24
With cases of diabetes increasing every year in the Valley, this Eid the demand for sugar-free bakeries, confectioneries and snacks has increased among the local population in the Valley.

Kashmir has seen a sharp increase in cases of diabetes with the Valley’s more than 13 per cent of population suffering from various types of diabetes.

With increase in the numbers of diabetic patients in every family, local bakers and confectioners have started making special varieties of sugar-free biscuits, cookies and cakes.

On Eid, bakery products, including traditional kulchas and bagirkhanis (local breads), are consumed a lot, but with rise in cases of diabetes, people are now moving to sugar-free bakery to take care of diabetic patients in their families.

“Both my grandparents are diabetic. On every Eid we used to buy a huge quantity of bakery and now they hardly eat it due to being rich in sugar. However, this year we will buy sugar-free cakes, biscuits and cookies for them as they are easily available in the market this Eid,” said Jabeena Kousar, a resident of Srinagar.

The doctors also encourage people suffering from diabetes to take sugar-free products. “There has been an increase in the number of diabetic patients in the Valley. Now, people have started taking precautions such as consuming sugar-free items,” said a Valley’s prominent endocrinologist.

The bakers said on the occasion of Eid they had made some special varieties of sugar-free items keeping diabetic patients in view.

“We have made a variety of sugar-free bakery as in every family on an average there is one diabetic patient and we are also getting a huge demand for cakes, biscuits and other items,” said a baker at Lal Chowk.

Retail shops that get packed sugar-free items from outside the state are also doing brisk business.

“We always keep sugar-free packed biscuits and other bakery at our outlet, but for Eid we have got more quantity of all products, including sugar-free juices, as they are in great demand,” said a sales girl at a retail outlet in the city.

Srinagar, July 24
The 27th night of Ramadan also called “Laylat al-Qadr” or “Shab-e-Qadr” will be observed with religious fervour tomorrow night. Devotees will be engrossed in nightlong prayers at mosques and shrines across the Valley.

Laylat al-Qadr is considered to be the holiest night of the fasting month of Ramadan. The largest congregation will be held at historic Jama Masjid in old city and the Hazratbal shrine on the banks of the Dal Lake. The area around the Hazratbal shrine, which houses the holy relic of Prophet Muhammad, wears a festive look during Ramadan and days before Eid.

All mosques have been decorated with colourful lights and a large number of stalls selling eatables and other goods have been set up for the occasion.

After Isha and Tarawhi prayers, religious heads throw light on the significance of the holy night. Shab-e-Qadr, according to Muslim traditions usually falls on the 27th night of Ramadan. However, scholars say it can also fall on any odd night of the last 10 days of the fasting month.

Keeping in view the sanctity of the night, many Muslims engage in nightlong prayers during all odd nights of Ramadan.

Preparations for Eid-ul-Fitr pick up full steam after Shab-e-Qadr only. Eid will be celebrated subject to the appearance of the crescent. To deal with heavy rush of shoppers ahead of Eid, the traffic plan issued by the government for areas in and around Lal Chowk was put into effect from today. 

Srinagar, July 24
The health wing of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) will step up its drive against food safety Act violators ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

An SMC official said Dr Rubeena Shaheen, Health Officer, along with a team of food safety officials, conducted an intensive market check in several areas of the city on Wednesday.

The team inspected shops and fast food outlets located at Karanagar, Hari Singh High Street, Lal Chowk, Poloview, Rajbagh Boulevard, Khanyar, Khayam and other areas of the city.

A large number of meat shops and poultries were thoroughly checked and owners directed to maintain sanitation, the official said.

During the inspection, all stale and rotten food articles were destroyed and food business operators directed to strictly adhere to food safety norms under the Food Safety and Authority Act, the official said. 

Srinagar, July 24
Additional Director General of Police (Armed) SM Sahai today felicitated fencer Rashid Ahmad Choudhary and kayak Adil Mohi-ud-Din of the Jammu and Kashmir Police for being conferred the coveted State Sports Award.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51,000, a gold medal and a citation.

The awards were presented to sportspersons by Governor NN Vohra in an investiture ceremony held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre here today.

Sahai congratulated both the sportspersons for being honored with the prestigious award and appreciated them for bringing laurels to the state in general and the J&K Police in particular.

The 34-year-old fencer, Rashid Ahmad Choudhary, joined the police as a sub-inspector under sports quota in 2006. He has represented the country nine times from 2003 to 2012 and has won a gold and a bronze medal.

Adil, an international player in canoeing and kayaking, hails from the Dalgate area of Srinagar.

Srinagar, July 24
A three-day exhibition of ancient manuscripts of the holy Koran, organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, concluded here on Wednesday. A record number of visitors witnessed the exhibition and hailed the academy initiative.

Over a hundred manuscripts of the holy Koran, including the famous Nuskha Fatehullahi, written by Fatehullah Kashmiri in 1238 AD, besides rare specimens of calligraphic art, were on display.

Also on display were a rare giant copy of the Koran calligraphed by Mohiuddin Qureshi about 200 years ago, a copy of the holy Koran dating back to 1594 AD and the only sample in the world written in saffron ink, in addition to a copy of the Koran gifted by the 16th-centurysaint Hazrat Sheikh Hamzah Makhdoom Kashmiri (RA) to one of his disciples.

The manuscripts of some famous commentaries of the Koran, including Tafseer-i- Al-Kashaaf by Allama Zamakhshari relating to the 12th century AD, that the 15th century ruler of Kashmir Zain al Abideen obtained from Makkah, the 12th century AD Tafseer-i-Kabir, Persian commentary, Jawahir-ul Tafseer by Allama Tantavi and Tafseer-i-Baizavee of 14th century AD, were also on display.

The exhibition also showcased the impressions of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) seal, his letter to the ruler of Persia inviting him to Islam, letter written by Prophet Solomon to Queen Sheeba and the first revelation of the Koran written on the bone of a camel.

The calligraphy section hosted celebrated artist Sadiqain’s calligraphy of the verses of ar-Rehman, a chapter of the holy Koran, in addition to other master specimens from the rich collection of the academy archives. The full text of the Koran calligraphed on a 25-foot by 2.5-inch scroll paper with 99 attributes of Allah remained a special attraction for visitors.

GR Sufi, Chief Information Commissioner, Muhammad Yusuf Taing and Ghulam Nabi Khayal were some of the dignitaries who visited the exhibition. 

Jammu, July 24
Amid heavy rains and dense fog, the Army foiled another infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Balakote sector of Poonch district late last night.

“Around 9 pm last night, a group of 12 heavily armed ultras made an intrusion bid from the Abbas, Dabi and Balakote forward posts of the Army in the Balakote sector, but the alert troops of the 15 Bihar Regiment thwarted the attempt,” said an intelligence source.

It rained heavily throughout the night and thick blanket of fog had also enveloped the borderline in Poonch district, which provided “ideal conditions” for the Pakistani ultras to make intrusion bids, he added.

After being spotted by the troops of the Bihar Regiment, the ultras opened small arms fire and a gunbattle ensued, said the source.

He said the gunbattle lasted till 10 pm before the ultras escaped to the Pak-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). — TNS

Jammu, July 24
Students of JK Public School, Kunjwani, celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr enlightening everyone about the spirit and history of the festival during a function held on the school premises.

"Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, not only has religious essence, but also carries a social connection," they said.

The students dressed up as little sufis and qawaals danced and sang soothing melodies praying to God and wished "Eid mubarak" to everyone.

Director of the school Brig Sukhdev Singh congratulated the students for putting up an excellent show.