J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Water Woes
Villagers block road
Udhampur, June 13
Acute shortage of drinking water in the Kandi areas of Udhampur district today led to a clash between inhabitants of two hamlets. The police fired a few shots into the air, followed by cane charge to disperse villagers who were protesting against the decision of the Public Health Engineering Department to install some pipes in Baist river to carry water to another hamlet.

Train whistle to echo by year-end
Srinagar, June 13
The romance associated with the train journey between Kalka and Shimla has been legendary for its languid and slow-paced speed through hills and forests. It could soon find its match.

A train engine mounted on a truck reaches Srinagar. — Tribune photo by Amin War

Home Secy arrives to review security
Srinagar, June 13
Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta arrived here on a two- day visit of Jammu and Kashmir to review security scenario in the state. Gupta, on his first visit to the state as home secretary, is accompanied by eight officers, official sources here said.

Water Woes
Villagers block road
Tribune News Service

Udhampur, June 13
Acute shortage of drinking water in the Kandi areas of Udhampur district today led to a clash between inhabitants of two hamlets. The police fired a few shots into the air, followed by cane charge to disperse villagers who were protesting against the decision of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department to install some pipes in Baist river to carry water to another hamlet.

The enraged villagers later staged a dharna on the Chanani-Sudhmahadev road and disrupted traffic for more than three hours.

Inhabitants of Pogal and Chanani hamlets have been facing acute shortage of drinking water for the past so many years and the situation became worse this summer as most of the natural resources have gone dry.

During the visit of deputy commissioner O.P.Kalandharia some days back, residents highlighted their woes to him and demanded a solution. On the directions of the deputy commissioner, the PHE Department today decided to install some pipes to carry water from river Baist to supply it to the Pogal area.

As residents of Baist got information about the installation of pipes in the river, they rushed to the site and created hurdles in the work. They said with the installation of pipes in the river, their areas would face shortage of water.

In the meantime inhabitants of Pogal also reached the spot and they were pressing PHE officials to install the pipes. Tension gripped the area as both groups were shouting slogans against each other. In the meantime some miscreants threw stones on the police.

As the situation was taking an ugly turn, the police fired some shots into the air and resorted to lathi charge to disperse the stone -throwing people. The villagers later trooped onto the Chanani-Sudhmahadev road and staged a dharna. Traffic on this road remained disrupted for more than three hours.

Police and civil officers reached the spot and assured people the matter would be resolved amicably with the intervention of the deputy commissioner after which residents lifted the dharna.

Almost all parts of Udhampur district have been facing shortage of drinking water. Many schemes have been launched in the district in this respect but to no avail.

Train whistle to echo by year-end
Kumar Rakesh
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 13
The romance associated with the train journey between Kalka and Shimla has been legendary for its languid and slow-paced speed through hills and forests. It could soon find its match.

Work on the first phase of 70-km rail tracks between Wampoh in Anantnagh and Mazhama in central Kashmir is close to completion, and the first train is likely to run from December this year, a senior official said. And this is already giving goosebumps to locals, many of whom have never seen a train in their lives. "If you ask me, let me tell you that many may be visiting railway stations to get themselves photographed with a train. It's like something coming here from a different planet," Mohammed Yusuf, a local businessman, said.

Official sources said IRCON International Ltd, a public sector undertaking, is working in overdrive to complete the tracks by August this year. Then it will hand it over to the Northern Railways, which will begin plying trains after tightening up all arrangements, including security, a prime concern.

In fact, militants have taken a rather grim view of this massive developmental work and abducted and killed a few professionals,including engineers. It has forced the nervous authorities into the backroom, and they mostly refuse to speak about their success story,as any publicity may invite unwanted attention of the militants.

The Railways intend to connect the valley with the rest of the India through rail tracks. For the common man, the precarious road link with Jammu is often a source of misery as they are often shut in during snow or avalanche. Though rail link between Jammu and Kashmir will take several years to complete, the 120-km network across the valley will be ready by the next year-end, official sources said. The massive work will have close to 60 major bridges and scores of minor ones.

The train network, directly funded by the government of India instead of the Railways, will be a huge convenience for the locals, as it could cut down on the time consumed in road journeys by as much as two-thirds.

Small matador buses connect between towns in the valley and travel in them is no fun. They stop wherever they find a passenger, lengthening the travel time.

Home Secy arrives to review security
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 13
Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta arrived here on a two- day visit of Jammu and Kashmir to review security scenario in the state.

Gupta, on his first visit to the state as home secretary, is accompanied by eight officers, official sources here said.

After arrival here Gupta called on Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad this evening.

He will also have a meeting with senior state-level civil and security officers to discuss the security scenario, state officials here said.