Srinagar, February 12
Even as weather gods have been favourable during the past four days after heavy snowfall across the region, more than 50 villages in several areas of the Kashmir valley and Jammu division continued to remain cut off from the rest of the world through road surface. This has led to lack of the essential supplies and medicare facilities in different areas like Gurez in North Kashmir and parts of Doda and Kishtwar districts of Jammu region. 

The vital Srinagar-Jammu national highway has been opened for one way traffic since Sunday last helping the restoration of essential supplies to the valley after one week and transportation of stranded passengers.

The police today rescued at least 200 members of 17 families stuck due to recent snowfall from village Dara Kunj in Boniyar area of Baramulla district in North Kashmir. They have been shifted to local government schools, the officials here said.

The body of a potter, Mumtaz Ahmed, who had come under snow avalanche at Sadna Top in Karnah area of Kupwara district on Wednesday last, has been recovered at Zarla Karnah today. Search was going on for other missing potter, the police here said.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Agriculture Abdul Aziz Zargar reviewed arrangements for restoring essential services, particularly roads in different areas of Kulgam district of South Kashmir today. He was accompanied by MLA, Devsar, Sartaj Madni and Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mehboob Iqbal. The minister took stock of availability of essential commodities, power and water supply and other amenities in these areas. He appreciated the efforts of the administration of Kulgam and Anantnag districts for restoring all the essential services, including roads despite heavy snowfall.

In order to get proper feedback about the availability of essential services like road connectivity, water supply, electricity, food supplies and healthcare to the people, 11 teams were deputed to various areas of Budgam district today. The teams were asked to submit their report so that the necessary steps are taken by the administration to ensure availability of essential services to the people, wherever they are lacking. The teams are visiting various far-flung areas like Pakherpora, Kanidajan, Drang, Khag, Aripanthan, Reiyar, Suresyar, Buzgoo, Raithan, Puchro, Arizal and Sail.

People in Pakherpora, Kanidajan, Chrar-i-Sharief, Nagbal, Nilnag and Yusmarg have reported of water scarcity because of the submerging of the Raikoot canal due to 8 ft snow. The district administration has pressed round the clock tanker service into operation in these areas so that people are given ration, water, besides, the restoration of the Canal has also been taken up on war footing. 

Jammu, February 12
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today called on United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi and briefed her about the situation arising out of heavy and widespread snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir.

He also briefed her about the measures being taken by the state government to deal with the crisis. An official spokesman said the Chief Minister gave a perspective of the emergency unfolded by severe snowfall and apprised Sonia about his government's “quick response” to restore facilities.

He also informed Sonia about the difficulties being faced by the state administration in view of the tough topography and lack of communication links in the snow-affected areas. Despite severe geographical handicaps, he said, the state administration lost no time in providing relief which helped in saving many lives and the immediate restoration of services.

Azad told Sonia that restoration efforts were on in the affected areas and teams of ministers and senior officers were constantly monitoring the situation. Azad said, he himself had extensively toured the affected areas across the state. The Congress president expressed satisfaction over the measures taken by the state government in dealing with the situation so as to minimise human and property loss despite a severe natural calamity, the spokesman added.

Jammu, February 12
The arrest of Sabahuddin, a resident of Madhubani in Bihar, along with five other terror suspects from Uttar Pradesh on Sunday has reaffirmed the apprehensions among the security agencies here that the radical terror network operated by the Lashkar-e-Toiba is gradually being “extended and exported” to other parts of the country.

The outfit, which had restricted its activities mainly to the state so far, has been managing recruits so conveniently from the other parts of the country that it finds no difficulty in executing its plans wherever it wants.

Sabahuddin’s admission, during the preliminary interrogation, of having planned and executed the attacks on the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore and the Central Reserve Police Force training centre at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, in close coordination with a Kashmir-based Lashkar commander, has also raised the concerns about the nationwide striking potential of the outfit.

Besides, the arrests have also established that the terrorist training camps being run by the Lashkar were still functional in Pakistan despite the claims to the contrary by President Pervez Musharaf and other government agencies there.

Moreover, the ease with which the Lashkar has been managing the recruits for its operations across the country and executing them so successfully, whether in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bangalore or Mumbai, has also become a major cause of concern.

The security agencies here disclosed that while they had been able to maintain a consistent pressure on the terrorist outfits in Kashmir, which had resulted in substantial decline in violence there, these outfits seemed to be exploring other potential areas, where they had lesser chances of being detected in advance.

Moreover, if the recent disclosures of the arrested militants are to be believed, they had planned the attacks on the Bombay Stock Exchange in far-off Uttar Pradesh and were moving towards their targeted destination in two separate groups. They had already hired a place in Mumbai for the execution of their plan.

The security agencies said the recent arrests must make the Government of India rethink its approach towards Pakistan because, so far, everybody seemed to believe that Pakistan had closed down all terrorist training camps. At least that is what President Musharaf had and has been trying to insist upon the Indian leadership.

Jammu, February 12
The acute shortage of domestic gas cylinders in Jammu has become a matter of concern for hundreds of consumers who have to wait for hours in queues to get gas cylinders refilled.

For the past few weeks, residents are faced with an acute shortage of domestic gas cylinders in the city and have not been getting regular supply of cooking gas cylinders. They said gas dealers who indulged in hoarding and black-marketing were responsible for the shortage.

Residents said one had to wait in long queues for the entire day to get a gas cylinder refilled and one was considered lucky if he could get a cylinder refilled.

“For the past five days I have been coming here to get a gas cylinder refilled, but I have to return empty-handed as the supply comes limited and even after waiting for hours in long queues, my turn never comes,” said Ankit Manhotra, a resident of Digiana, Jammu.

However, residents blame gas-dealers for creating an artificial shortage of the domestic gas cylinders. “They sell domestic gas connection to hotels and restaurants by taking extra money from them. The cylinders which are meant for us are given to hotel and restaurant owners, who use these domestic gas cylinders for commercial purposes,” said Preetam Singh, a resident of Chattha, Jammu.

However, gas dealers said the shortage of gas cylinders in Jammu was due to the shortage in supply from the company. “The shortage of gas cylinders is not created by us, but the company has reduced the supply to the state. Whatever we get, we distribute it among our consumers. How can we be blamed for the shortage,” said Bhushan Kumar, a gas dealer in Jammu.

An official of the state Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department told The Tribune, “We have been keeping a close watch on the shortage of cooking gas in the region. The matter has been taken up with the Centre and solution will be found to the problem.”

The official added, “Regarding the hoarding and black-marketing of domestic gas cylinders in Jammu, we have been undertaking surprise raids and have instructed the police to confiscate any domestic gas cylinders being used for commercial purposes.”

Srinagar, February 12
LPG distributors of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) have expressed satisfaction over the “timely dispatches” of truck loads from its bottling plant in Jammu for distribution in the Kashmir valley even as it was cut off from the rest of the world for a week.

They said the building up of sufficient stocks of cooking gas during December and January last had helped in ensuring an uninterrupted supply to consumers during the recent snowfall.

A meeting of Kashmir-based LPG distributors of the IOC held yesterday discussed ways and means adopted to keep effective supplies of cooking gas during the heavy snowfall that had snapped road links across the valley. Area manager Alok Upadhayaya lauded the role of its distributors for putting in efforts in severe winter conditions. He also appreciated the close monitoring of LPG stocks and their distribution in close coordination with the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department of the state government.

The meeting was assured that supply from the bottling plant in Jammu would be maintained in future and that better services would be provided to consumers in Kashmir.

Udhampur, February 12
Power minister Babu Singh air dashed to Kishtwar this afternoon to personally supervise the operation to restore the power supply as for the ninth consecutive day, this 7,825 sq km snow-bound belt is without electricity. The communication system has virtually collapsed due to continuous breakdown of power supply.

Non availability of the electricity, when it is dearly needed, has compounded woes of desperate and freezing inhabitants of Kishtwar district, which is experiencing heaviest ever snowfall of the recent times. Resentment brewing among people against the authorities for what they alleged taking the restoration work casually.

“On the directions of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, I am camping at Kishtwar to personally supervise the restoration work of two towers of 132 KV lines, which were damaged in the snow fury”, Babu Singh told The Tribune that it would take some time to restore the power supply in this area where people have been reeling under severe cold.

On February 3, the two towers of 132 KV line got damaged at Faggumal area of Kishtwar district after the heavy snowfall and incessant rains. The authorities seem to be helpless in repairing the damaged towers as a huge snow is still accumulated on the foot tracks and roads connecting this area.

132 KV line, which is considered as a lifeline for inhabitants of Kishtwar district, is manned by the NHPC and people have already expressed their resentment over the casual approach being adopted by the authorities in the restoration work. “People have reasons to express their anger against the government”, the power minister admitted but added that the authorities too had been confronting with objective difficulties in the restoration work.

In the present conditions, it is not possible to take the equipments at the damaged site as there is no road connectivity. Although over 50 men have been working overtime to repair the damaged towers but they also seemed to be helpless in doing so.

People expressed their resentment when Azad landed at Kishtwar yesterday afternoon. Gauging the anger of the people, the Chief Minister called the power minister to his residence at the winter capital yesterday night and directed him to personally supervise the restoration work at Kishtwar.

The power minister along with a chief engineer, Power Development Department, air dashed to Kishtwar this afternoon and, later, summoned all officers of the PDD and the NHPC to expedite the restoration work.

Udhampur, February 12
The state Agriculture Department has decided to seek help from Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, to equip farmers here with the latest equipments and technology for boosting agriculture development and bringing economic transformation in rural areas.

Earlier, a group of farmers from Udhampur had visited PAU and were overwhelmed to see the equipments available in the institute. It was then that these farmers requested the Agriculture Department to seek help from PAU.

“On the request of our farmers we have decided to seek help from PAU”, director, Agriculture, Vinod Bala told The Tribune. Bala added that during formulation of the action plan, the Centre-sponsored Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna would be sent to the Union Government.

A batch of 41 farmers from Udhampur district had conducted a week-long tour outside the state. The tour was organised by the Agriculture Department under the Technology Mission of the Integrated Development on Horticulture to expose farmers with the latest technology in the agriculture sector.

The places visited and interaction sessions held by these farmers with experts included G.B. Pant Agriculture University Institute, Uttaranchal, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi and Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana. On their arrival, a brief interaction session was arranged by the Agriculture Department at Udhampur where the district development commissioner, Udhampur, was also present.

The participants shared their experiences with the officers and urged them to organise more such tour programmes for upgrading their knowledge about the latest trends in agriculture adopted in other parts of the country.

The district development commissioner said such type of tour programmes would help progressive farmers to expand their knowledge about the new technologies in the field of agriculture. Director, Agriculture, said farmers should utilise their expertise in the field of agriculture to enhance production to substantiate their income. 

Jammu, February 12
There can never be two sets of different parameters for people in a democratic set-up but anything can happen in Jammu and Kashmir, which enjoys special status under Article 370.

In a glaring instance of discrimination the Congress-led coalition government, for reasons inexplicable, has denied financial assistance to a Class IV employee of the Stores and Procurement Department, whose ailing son continues to battle between life and death.

Ashok Koul’s son Vipul Koul, suffers from growth hormonal disease, a life consuming disorder and AIIMS has prepared an estimate for conducting a surgery on him.
The coalition government in three similar cases of growth hormonal disease had provided financial assistance under J&K Civil Service Medical (Attendance-cum-Allowance) Rules 1990.

Secretary, Education Department, KM Wani under government order number 461-Edu of 2007 dated October 18, 2007 had sanctioned Rs 3.01 lakh in favour of Altaf Hussain Tara, a senior lecturer of Boys Higher Secondary School at Bomai in Sopore for the treatment of his daughter Afnan Altaf at Sher-E-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). 

Similarly, Wani under two government orders, 496-Edu of 2005 dated July 21, 2005 and 501-Edu of 2006 dated November 29, 2008 had sanctioned Rs 1.48 lakh and Rs 2.19 lakh in favour of Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a teacher of Middle School at Magam in Budgam district for the treatment of his son Danish Yousuf.

Talking to The Tribune, Ashok Koul and Usha Koul, parents of ailing boy said, “Despite repeated pleas the state government has denied us any financial help. Every day we haplessly watch our only son going into the jaws of death.”

The Accounts Officer (Codes) of the Finance Department vide his letter number A/12 (73) XXI-1024 dated December 27, 2007 to Usha Koul reads, “The undersigned is directed to convey that the case could not be considered under the scheme of medical reimbursement under the J&K Medical Attendance/Allowance Rules 1990 and has been sent to the Medical Aid Committee for consideration at their end.”

“Directives of the State Human Rights Commission, communiqués from the then President of India APJ Abdul Kalam and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in favour of our ailing son have also failed to convince this government,” said Ashok Koul.

It may be recalled here that a letter to Usha Koul written by Special Secretary to the Chief Minister vide number CMS/Gen/2007/482 dated July 24, 2007 had bluntly spurned official communiqué from the Ministry of Home Affairs citing Article 370 to overrule the order.