Udhampur, October 25
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today assured the reconstruction of the Margi village, where a massive fire broke out on Monday. He made the announcement after visiting the ravaged area in Kishtwar district, about 250 km from here, official sources said.

They said the Chief Minister also announced free ration for six months to the fire victims and assured them of all possible help, including early rehabilitation.

“The area is the most backward, not only in the country but perhaps in the entire world as it is 120 km from the tehsil and district headquarters with no road connectivity,” Azad said adding the disaster had further worsened the plight of the population.

The Chief Minister also announced a relief of Rs 10,000 each for the affected families, besides special recruitment of youths in the state police and ANM training for local girls.

While the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today visited the fire ravaged Margi village in Kishtwar to supervise the on-going rescue operations, the visit of a People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader to the spot in state chopper is snowballing into a major controversy.

Opposition National Conference workers today staged a protest at Kishtwar and condemned the incident.

Besides collecting relief material for the affected families, NC workers also expressed anger over the attempt of the PDP leaders to draw political mileage out of the tragedy .

A National Conference spokesman, in a statement issued here, demanded an inquiry into the incident of change of route by a helicopter carrying PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and finance minister Tariq Hameed Qarra to Margi village in Wardwan tehsil to Kishtwar to lift former director, Rural Development, Asghar Ali and then to drop him back at Kishtwar before flying back to Srinagar.

Spokesman said PDP has mastered the art of cashing in on human tragedies and was in the habit of just raising a hue and cry and doing nothing on ground for the victims of various tragedies.

He said a person who had been forcibly retired from government service for alleged acts of omission and commission by a Cabinet decision was given VIP treatment at the cost of state exchequer. He added that a journey which would have taken just 20 minutes from Srinagar to the affected village turned into a two-and-a-half hour flight costing the state exchequer heavily.

Meanwhile, various social organisations have started collecting relief material for the affected families. Some groups of youths were seen moving in Kishtwar town collecting woollen clothes and other relief material for victims of fire tragedy. A large number of jackets, packed food and other materials were dispatched to Margi village today.

Srinagar, October 25
The Centre today increased the ex gratia amount to be paid to the victims of the devastating fire in the Army's biggest ammunition depot at Khundru in Anantnag district of south Kashmir from Rs 10 crore to Rs 26.75 crore, an official spokesman said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government would distribute the relief amount, he added. At least 20 persons were killed and hundreds wounded when the Army’s largest ammunition depot at Khundru caught fire on August 11 this year. The blaze triggered a series of explosions in the area.

Hundreds of people were rendered homeless in Khundru and the adjoining villages due to the devastating fire and explosions.

Concerned over the loss of means of livelihood and property due to the fire, the Defence Ministry had released Rs 10 crore as an interim assistance to the Jammu and Kashmir government on August 28 to provide relief to the people, the spokesman said.

With today's sanction, the defence ministry has fully met the amount requested by the state government, he added.

The defence ministry expressed the hope that the Jammu and Kashmir government would take urgent measures in disbursing the relief amount to the affected people.

Meanwhile, defence minister A.K Antony will review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir during his day-long visit to the valley on October 27.

He will hold meetings with senior Army and state government officials.

Antony will also inaugurate the silver jubilee celebrations of the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIMWS) at the tourist resort of Pahalgam. He will also attend the executive council and the general body meetings of the institute. 
— UNI

Udhampur, October 25
The callous attitude of the authorities in streamlining the functioning of their school forced the students of the only high school in the Bup area to come on roads and stage a dharna in front of the office of the deputy commissioner here today. The protesting students were demanding the appointment of adequate staff in their institution which caters to children of over 20 villages.

The school, located in the Bup area near the picturesque spot of Mantalai, lacks basic infrastructure. The school has over 400 students but the authorities have appointed only three teachers for the high school.

The local panchayat has brought the matter to the notice of the authorities several times but without any result. Some teachers, who were transferred to this village have got themselves attached either with the tehsil headquarters at Chenani or at district headquarters.

Today over 300 students of the school, located in the Chenani area of Udhampur district, thronged office of the Deputy Commissioner. They covered a distance of 50 kilometres to the reach the district headquarters to express their resentment. As soon as the Deputy Commissioner entered his office today, they raised slogans against the education department.

Some locals, including the MLA, also joined the agitating people. The deputy commissioner immediately summoned officer of the education department to resolve the issue. He assured the students that adequate staff will be appointed in the school immediately. It was only after deputy commissioner’s assurance that the students lifted the dharna.

Later, students alleged that for the past six months the villagers had been repeatedly bringing this matter to the notice of the authorities concerned. Even the Village Education Committee had drawn the attention of the authorities towards problems being faced by the students due to non-availability of staff but nothing concrete was done.

Deputy commissioner O.P Kalandaria said keeping in view the problems being faced by the students, the education department had been directed to appoint adequate staff immediately. 

Udhampur, October 25
Two days after a hospital in Bhaderwah was ransacked by an irate mob, residents of Kishtwar today staged a dharna to protest against the death of a newborn child allegedly due to negligence of doctors.

The protest continued for more than three hours as enraged people blocked the highway. They were demanding the registration of a case against a gynaecologist and para medical staff, who had allegedly thrown out a pregnant woman out of labour room as her father-in-law had refused to give bribe to them. The protesters lifted the dharna only after Superintendent of Kishtwar hospital assured them that an inquiry will be conducted in this regard.

According to reports Nazia, wife of Nissar Ahmed of Chattroo, was admitted to the hospital on October 24 and was taken to the labour room for delivery today morning.

Family members alleged that some members of the para medical staff demanded Rs 1,000 from Sher Mohammed, father-in-law of the woman. As he refused the pay the money, the pregnant woman, who was in labour, was allegedly thrown out of the labour room. As soon as she was thrown out of the labour room, she delivered a child who died after sometime.

Death of the infant sparked protests on the premises of the hospital.

Jammu, October 25
Security forces have apprehended a suspected militant after an encounter with the ultras in the Ramban district, official sources said here today.

Militants opened fire on a BSF patrol party in Hariwala Majid Nullah in the district last evening and the troops retaliated leading to an exchange of fire 
between them.

However, the militants finally managed to escape under the cover of darkness, the sources said adding one person suspected to be a militant was later apprehended by the troops during search operations in the area. — PTI