Leh cries for potable water
LEH (Ladakh), Aug 26 — Leh district, mecca for foreign tourists, has not been able to shake off its perennial problem of drinking water shortage.

PCC unable to carry out Sonia’s directive
JAMMU, Aug 26 — The PCC Chief Mr Mohammad Aslam, has expressed inability to accept party President, Ms Sonia Gandhi's direction to change the Congress candidate for the Jammu constituency.

ITBP succeeds in checking infiltration
JAMMU, Aug 26 — Working against several odds, two battalions of the ITBP have, during the past year, succeeded in containing the activities of militants in the Doda-Chamba border belt.

Jawan kills JCO, 4 others
JAMMU, Aug 26 — In a bizarre incident, an irate Army jawan today killed a Junior Commissioned Officer and four other colleagues at a forward border post in the R.S. Pura area of Jammu district today, defence sources said here tonight.

7 militants among 16 killed
From Tribune Reporters

SRINAGAR, Aug 26 — At least 16 persons, including seven militants were killed and 13 others injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday. The security forces also seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition during search operations.

Four militants and an ex-serviceman were killed in an encounter at Daranga, Sunderi Nalla in Poonch district yesterday.

The police said Mohammad Sadiq, an ex-serviceman, was among those killed. Four special police officers were injured in the encounter in Sawjian sector. Three AK rifles, eight magazines, an RPG, five rockets, six remote controllers, two wireless sets, 13 rifle grenades, four missiles, 26 electronic remote controls, 10 kgs of RDX and 80 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter, a police spokesman said here today.

Three militants and a civilian were killed in an encounter at Amb Khauri, Banahaiyas, Sunderbani area of Rajouri district yesterday. The identity of the militants was yet to be ascertained. The civilian, who was caught in the cross-fire between the militants and the security forces, had been identified as Gopal Das. Three AK rifles, a pistol and other ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter.

Another civilian, Sirajuddin, was killed and an encounter between the militants and the Special Operations Group of the police at Kachhama in Kupwara district of North Kashmir. The police said the search party was fired upon by the hiding militants. The security forces, however, recovered a 107 mm missile, an anti-tank missile and other ammunition from the site of the encounter.

Unidentified militants killed Ghulam Mohammad Bhat at Kandi in Kupwara district yesterday after he was kidnapped. One person was killed and four others were injured when the militants fired upon a matador going from Manzhar to Kupwara at Omendhar this morning. The driver was among the four injured in the shootout, the police said at Chatusa in the same district, three security force personnel were injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a mine planted by suspected militants. The vehicle has heavily damaged.

Unidentified militants shot dead a constable at Bonigam Qazigund in Anantnag district last night. He had been identified as Nissar Ahmad.

The militants fired at two persons in the city last evening, one of whom succumbed to his injuries. He had been identified as Fayaz Ahmad Malik of Makhdoom Sahib locality here. The other had been identified as Ghulam Hyder Qureshi of Nowhatta locality in the interior city. Another person was injured in an exchange of fire between the militants and a patrol of the security forces at Branbagh. He had been identified as Abdul Rashid Beigh.

The police today recovered the body of Rouf Ahmad Sheikh of Batamaloo from the flood channel area. The police said he was shot dead by the militants.

A bullet-riddled body was recovered from the Halyan area of Doda district. He had been identified as Abdul Qayoom from Bhaderwah.

KATHUA: BSF personnel gunned down two infiltrators and arrested three others in the Samba subsector on Thursday morning.

A BSF spokesman said a naka was raid at Mang Chak on specific information. The BSF party observed some movement inside the Indian territory. When challenged the suspected infiltrators tried to cross over to Pakistan. In the ensuing fire, two of them were killed and three others arrested. However, nothing incriminating was recovered from their possession. They were later identified as Bangladeshis. All of them have been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre.

Leh cries for potable water

LEH (Ladakh), Aug 26 (PTI) — Leh district, mecca for foreign tourists, has not been able to shake off its perennial problem of drinking water shortage.

A Rs 7.5 crore Augmentation of Water Supply Scheme (AWSS) phase-II, which includes the provision of diesel pump sets, has been put in cold storage as technical posts for monitoring the implementation of the scheme have not been filled, according to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) chief executive councillor Thupstan Chhewang.

‘‘The Public Health Engineering Department under which the scheme falls does not have enough manpower,’’ Mr Chhewang told PTI.

There are 120 villages in the district, which is bigger than the state of Himachal Pradesh, including 112 revenue villages, 99 per cent of them being declared ‘‘problem villages’’, since potable water has to be fetched from several kilometres away, he said.

This is because there are no residential taps, only community taps. Drinking water is also supplied by water tankers. The problem is compounded by the fact that a large number of the community taps had become unserviceable.

‘‘The only option before us is to install handpumps in the villages,’’ Mr Chhewang said.

The LAHDC has, therefore, gone in for the purchase of rotomatic rigs at the cost of Rs 90 lakh each for tapping water sources in problem villages. The drinking water problem is acute in 50 villages, with a total of 60 per cent of the 1.10 lakh population of the district hit by the crisis.

Indus river and springs are the main sources of water for the villagers, Mr Chhewang said, but too much silt in the river has made it practically unusable as a drinking water source.

The worst hit by the water crisis is the hotel industry in Leh town which mainly caters to foreign tourists. ‘‘we do not supply water to the hotels. They have to make their own arrangements’’, the chief executive councillor said.

Water tankers supply 40,000 litres of water every two days to the hotels, which also have to face another major problem, that of power. Electricity is supplied in Leh town for a few hours in the evening on alternate days.

A hotel manager, who refused to be named, said without electricity we have a constant problem of pumping water we buy and also supplying hot water to our guests.

Most hotels rely on wood-fired boilers to heat water. ‘‘We do not have geysers as we cannot run them without electricity’’.

He, however, alleged that though water connection is not given to hotels, some of them do have it.

‘‘We have a very difficult time especially during the tourist season because of water and power problems,’’ he said.

Speaking on the power problem, Mr Chhewang said while the demand was 10 MW daily, diesel generating sets provided only 1 MW, while the Chokglamsan project provides another 3 MW.

The problem turned acute this year after the Rs 25 crore Stakna Hydel Project with an installed capacity of generating 4 MW was shut down.

The project commissioned 25 years ago had never functioned properly, with one of the two units developing problems early while the other supplying 1.5 MW.

‘‘But this too was shut down because of technical faults and there are no funds to repair it,’’ Mr Chhewang said.

Since July, power to the town could be supplied for an additional hour or so after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah sanctioned additional funds for buying more diesel for the generating sets.

The only answer to solving the power problem is to reactivate projects like the Rs. 25 crore Martselang project stalled for lack of funds and taking steps to implement the proposed projects like the 30 MW Nyemo-Bazgo to supply 30 MW in summer and 10 MW in winter and the 2 MW Hanu. Both are hanging fire because of dearth of funds, he added.

Litmus test for Mufti
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 26 — The Lok Sabha poll results from the six constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir may not be as much crucial for the National Conference, the BJP and the Congress, the main contesting parties, as it would be for the PDP chief, Mufti Mohd. Sayeed.

Political analysts are of the view that the very political survival of the Mufti is linked with the poll results. The PDP has fielded candidates in all six constituencies but it has focussed its attention and has started utilising all its resources in the Srinagar, Baramula and Anantnag constituencies. Mufti Sayeed who had won the 1998 Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag constituency is again in the field and this time he faces a major challenge from the Revenue Minister, Mr Ali Mohd. Naik, who is the National Conference candidate.

Though the National Conference is trying hard to win at least four of the six seats, in 1998 it had won three seats of Srinagar, Baramula and Ladakh, it may not prove a swan song for the ruling party if it does not win more than two seats.

Mufti Mohd Sayeed has taken the biggest risk of his long political career by resigning from the Congress to float a regional party just on the eve of the notification of the Lok Sabha poll. He had quit the Congress in 1988-89 to join the Jana Morcha which was later christened as Janata Dal. He reaped the dividends when he was appointed the Union Home Minister. At that stage several political parties and political stalwarts, including Mr V.P. Singh and Mr Arun Nehru, were with him. This time he fights a lone battle along with his daughter Mehbooba Mufti who, too has resigned from the Congress and is challenging Dr Farooq Abdullah's son, Omar Abdullah, in the Srinagar constituency.

What will the Mufti do if his party draws a blank in the elections? This question is being debated not only in the Kashmir valley but in the Jammu region too. If the pre-poll scenario is any indication the PDP has strong candidates in Mufti Sayeed from Anantnag, Ms Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar and Muzaffar Hussain Beg in Baramula. But the going for the Mufti may not be as easy in Anantnag as it was in 1998 when he had mauled the National Conference candidate, Mohd. Yusuf Teng.

He could do it as a Congress candidate. This time he has not been able to carry with him all those Congress leaders and workers who have influence in Jammu and Kashmir. In 1988 when he joined the Janata Dal several senior Congress leaders followed him.

However, those who have watched him as leader of the Congress, the Janata Dal and now of the PDP are of the view that Mufti's political career would not be over even if his party draws a blank.

The poll will also prove crucial for the AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Azad has made the selection of party candidates for five out of the six constituencies in Baramula it has decided to support Prof Saifuddin Soz, contesting as an Independent candidate, and he may earn the displeasure of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Already the Congress is faced with a major internal crisis over the selection of the candidates in the three constituencies of Anantnag, Jammu and Udhampur and over the decision not to field party candidate from Baramula.

And like the Mufti, Azad's political career is also linked with the performance of the party candidates in the elections when in Jammu and Udhampur constituencies the BJP sits pretty and in the three constituencies of Srinagar, Baramula and Anantnag the main tie is going to be between the PDP candidates and the National Conference.

For the BJP the goal is limited to winning the Jammu and Udhampur seats which it had won in the 1998 poll. It cannot go beyond it as people hardly accept it in the Kashmir valley and its area of influence in Ladakh is too small to secure a victory for its candidate.

Amarnath yatra concludes
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 26 — The annual month-long pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath concluded today.

About 1 lakh pilgrims undertook the yatra.

The yatra concluded with the final darshan that was performed with the arrival of "Chhari Mubarak" or holy mace of Lord Shiva at the cave at 2.30 a.m. Over 1468 yatris performed the final darshan of the ice lingam" of Lord Shiva at the cave at a height of about 3,952m from the sea level. The final darshan started when the holy mace led by mahant Deepinder Giri reached the cave from Panjtarni, the last halting station on the 46-km-long trek from Chandanwari.

The occasion coincided with Raksha Bandhan which was also celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety here today. According to reports, no ice lingam was formed this year due to less snowfall.

A total of 99,690 pilgrims had darshan at the cave during the past 45 days an official spokesman said. The yatra had commenced on July 24. Pilgrims reached Pahalgam, the base camp of the annual yatra. This year, the base camp had been shifted 16 km ahead at Chandanwari.

The yatra passed off peacefully, with no untoward incident occurring in and around the area.

A securityman was killed and eight others were injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling came over a landmine planted by suspected militants near Anantnag, 40 km short of Pahalgam. However, the movement of the yatra was not affected.

At least 19 aged and sick yatris died a natural death. Most of these cases were those of pulmonary failures.

More than 10,000 labourers and 200 dandi-wallas, besides 5,000 riding ponies and 1000 pack ponies were pressed into service.

Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Food and Supplies Ajay Sadhotra said 4,750 quintals of rice, flour sugar, wheat bran (for ponies), 44,000 lts of kerosene and 1,750 cooking gas cylinders were supplied at different halting stations on the route. Apart from this, the Forest Department had made available 10,000 quintals of chopped fire wood.

The Department of Telecommunications had set up STD booths at Chandanwari, Pahalgam and Amarnath for the convenience of the pilgrims.

PCC unable to carry out Sonia’s directive
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 26 — The PCC Chief Mr Mohammad Aslam, has expressed inability to accept party President, Ms Sonia Gandhi's direction to change the Congress candidate for the Jammu constituency.

The demand of Ms Sonia Gandhi to replace Mr Madan Lal Sharma, who two days ago filed his nomination as Congress candidate in Jammu constituency was conveyed to Mr Aslam in strong terms by Mr Ahmed Patel, the other day.

Senior Congress sources said that when a busload of Congress workers and leaders met Mr Ahmed Patel and Ms Sonia Gandhi pleading for change of party candidate from Jammu constituency the Congress President directed Mr Patel to get in touch with Mr Aslam and tell him to find a new candidate. Mr Patel phoned Mr Aslam who expressed his inability to do so. When Mr Patel insisted Mr Aslam threatened to resign.

At this juncture Mr Ahmad Patel lost his cool and vowed to "teach a lesson" to Mr Aslam who is said to have been roped in by the AICC general secretary, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, at the last moment to enable Azad to field Congress candidates of his choice.

Party sources said that the Congress High Command decided to stomach the defiance from Mr Aslam and some supporters of Mr Azad till the Lok Sabha elections were announced. What has annoyed senior party leaders in Delhi is the U-Turn both Azad and Aslam had taken as far as the quality of the party candidates in the five of the six constituencies was concerned. It is learnt that the party High Command sought assurance from Mr Azad on his earlier commitment that the Congress would win all the five seats. Mr Aslam had also given an assurance to Mr Patel and others on the same lines.

When Mr Patel enquired from Mr Aslam recently whether he continued to maintain his earlier stand that all Congress candidates will win the PCC chief retracted saying "I cannot make any commitment."

These two developments have encouraged dissident leaders and their supporters to keep away from the party campaign at least in Anantnag, Baramula, Jammu and Udhampur constituencies.

Inside reports say that there has been revolt against the official candidates but their supporters either abstain from polling or divide their votes between the National Conference and the BJP candidates in Jammu and Udhampur constituencies and between the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party candidates in Anantnag and Baramula constituencies.

The new dimensions to the tussle between the loyalists and the dissidents in the state unit of the Congress is sure to help the BJP and the National Conference in Jammu and Udhampur and the PDP and the National Conference in the three constituencies in the Kashmir valley.

ITBP succeeds in checking infiltration
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 26 — Working against several odds, two battalions of the ITBP have, during the past year, succeeded in containing the activities of militants in the Doda-Chamba border belt.

Though the two ITBP battalions, one posted across Gandhov in the Chamba area, are too small to take care of the 140-km Doda-Chamba border, round-the-clock patrolling has enabled ITBP men to check infiltration by foreign mercenaries.

According to the ITBP Commandant, Mr Mohinder Singh, the hilly belt in Gandhov, Paddar and the adjoining areas was infested with foreign mercenaries. During the past one year, the ITBP repulsed several attacks launched by well-equipped militants.

Mr B.S. Negi, Deputy Commandant, said activists of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harkat-ul-Alsar and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were operating in the Doda belt. After Pakistani infiltrators and troops suffered defeat in the Kargil and Dras sectors, some of the foreign mercenaries had become active in Doda.

ITBP jawans have infused confidence among civilians who were scared after the massacre of 35 Hindus in the Kalaban area of Chamba. These civilians had urged the Director-General, ITBP, and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, that additional pickets of the ITBP be set up in the Gandhov, Chankha and Paddar areas where the militants had carved out safe sanctuaries.

Later, the Centre agreed to deploy two more ITBP battalions in the area. The ITBP men had escorted pilgrims during the recent Machail yatra and will provide security to pilgrims during the Mani Mahesh yatra in Bhaderwah next month.

Jawan kills JCO, 4 others

JAMMU, Aug 26 (PTI) — In a bizarre incident, an irate Army jawan today killed a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four other colleagues at a forward border post in the R.S. Pura area of Jammu district today, defence sources said here tonight.

Havaldar Surinder Singh resorted to indiscriminate firing from his light machine gun following a quarrel with a colleague over the deployment parade at the "Jasoor" post, they said.

A JCO and a Subedar were among the four killed, they said.

Havaldar Surinder Singh was arrested and a court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident, the sources said.