Srinagar, July 19
Two members of Parliament and 85 members of Legislative Assembly cast votes for the election of President of India here today in the lobby of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and MPs Ms Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were among those who cast votes. The polling, which started at 10 am and concluded at 5 pm was conducted smoothly. Only two of the 87-member state Assembly, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh of the PDP and G M Jaan of the National Conference did not cast votes.

The opposition National Conference, with the largest number of members in the House, had here on Tuesday last asked its legislators to vote for UPA candidate Pratibha Patil.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad welcomed the decision of the National Conference to vote for the UPA candidate for President’s post Pratibha Patil, saying it showed the wisdom of the state’s major opposition party.

Talking to media persons after casting his vote in the election, Azad said the National Conference had rightly realised not to make the President’s post a matter of controversy. "I wish that other political parties, especially the Third Front had also thought in the same way", he added. Azad said it was a matter of satisfaction that the ruling coalition, opposition and independents in Jammu and Kashmir had all voted for the same candidate. He said this showed that the leadership and political parties here were driven by the desire and urge to strengthen secularism by voting the candidate of a secular combine.

All three regions of the state were together on this account, he added. "This is a significant political message for all political parties in the country", Azad said. "Such unity was imperative for the very existence of the state and secular traditions".

Udhampur, July 19
To trace "missing" government teachers posted in 22 primary and middle schools of Kishtwar, the district administration has decided to constitute special flying squads comprising officials of Education, CID and the police departments.

The revelation of government teachers "missing" came to light today when the inhabitants of Nagsani belt of Kishtwar district appeared before the senior officials of district administration and informed the government teachers of number of schools were missing since past four months.

"We inquired about the teachers from the other school staff but no one had any information about the teachers," informed local inhabitants to the officials requesting them "to issue directions to trace the missing teachers so that the closed schools could be re-opened." Residents alleged there was no system to check attendance of the teachers in these schools. They alleged teachers appointed in these far-flung schools had engaged local youth in their place by giving them monthly `honorarium' to perform their duties.

Admitting many educational institutions in Nagsani belt were virtually defunct as teachers appointed in these schools usually played truant, ADC Kishtwar Riyaz Ahmed Zarger said he had directed the zonal education officer (ZEO) Nagsani to prepare list of all teachers appointed in the far-flung areas. "On the basis of that list flaying squads will raid different places'', he said, adding, "main aim of the flying squads is to trace these 'missing' teachers, who usually are found roaming in bazaars during working hours''.

To monitor functioning of educational institutions in far-flung areas, village committees were constituted by the administration but these committees too failed to streamline functioning of the schools.

This morning large number of villagers came to the district headquarters to protest. They met the ADC Kishtwar and complained about non-functioning of the schools in their areas. It was only after complaint of the residents the ADC called the ZEO Nagsani and decided to constitute flying squads.