Jammu, March 13
The Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex in the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir is in for scientific conservation and facelift to emerge as a major tourist attraction. The multi-crore project would see the complex being transformed into an iconic site of the city.

The complex is a heritage site comprising several palaces, the first of which is believed to have been built by Raja Dhruvdev Singh in 1710 AD. The Dogra Maharajas later added several palaces to the site. 
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is embarking upon an ambitious plan to scientifically conserve the old Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission and Jammu and Kashmir High Court buildings. For conservation of other heritage structures, a global tender would be issued. The Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), Delhi, has been engaged for documentation of the palace complex.

The heritage complex, spread over an area of 120 kanal, is the principal venue for Baisakhi festival in the city. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today convened a high-level meeting and reviewed the headway made on various components of conservation of the palace complex. The meeting was also attended by minister for higher education, Gulchain Singh Charak, minister for roads and buildings, Jugal Kishore, chief secretary, B.R. Kundal, DGP Kuldeep Khoda, principal secretary Anil Goswami, principal secretary, planning and development, M.I. Khandey, principal secretary, PHE, irrigation and flood control, A.K. Angurana and other senior officers. The Chief Minister highlighted the need for the Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex to be developed as the main tourist attraction.

Udhampur, March 13
With question papers already selling in the open market, authorities this evening cancelled exams of class 8th which are being conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education.

Interestingly, question papers were being sold in Kishtwar which is the home district of Minister of State (MoS) for School Educational, Ghulam Mohammed Saroori.

"We have already initiated an inquiry to single out the officials who were responsible for this whole leakage ", Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kishtwar, Shiv Sharma, told The Tribune while candidly admitting that there were reports of the selling of question papers in the market.

Although question papers of English, mathematics and science were sold in the market, the education department has decided to replace question papers of all subjects.

For the past three days some agents were openly selling question papers in Kishtwar town. Ironically, it was known to every body that these agents were charging Rs 1000 per paper from the students but authorities were ignored about the "sale". It was only after when people produced question papers before the officials, the CEO swung into action and announced to cancel the forthcoming examinations.

Sources in the Education Department disclosed that higher-ups had taken serious note of the whole episode and directed the CEO to initiate inquiry to fix responsibility of those who were responsible for this.

Over 14000 students were to appear in Class 8th examination in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban district. As the series of Kishtwar and Ramban was the same, examinations have been cancelled in both these districts as the process would continue as per schedule in Doda district.

The CEO, Kishtwar, told The Tribune that it was premature to say who were responsible for selling question papers in the market, he, however, did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of some supervisory staff in this episode. "Our first priority is to conduct exams to save precious time of students", he said but asserted that strict action would be taken against those who would be found involved in this episode.

Srinagar, March 13
Employees of the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) continued with their strike even today, suspending bus services despite an assurance from the government. Meanwhile, the government has pressed into service private buses to meet the requirements of the heavy rush of pilgrims on Eid-e-Milad.

Devotees in large numbers thronged the Hazratbal shrine housing the relic of Prophet Mohammad, and other places of worship on the occasion during the current holy month of Rabi-ul-Awal. The authorities have also got the services of drivers from the police to mitigate the sufferings of the commuters on several routes, including the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and transportation of devotees to Hazratbal shrine and other places here.

A police spokesman said police drivers along with passengers in SRTC buses reached Sempora, on the outskirts of Srinagar, where some striking SRTC employees coming from Anantnag attacked the buses. They forced passengers, drivers and conductors to vacate the buses.

Head constable Shabir Ahmed, SgCt Ab Khaliq, constable Nissar Ahmed and constable Zain -ul-Abdin were attacked by SRTC employees. Eight of the attackers have been arrested and a case has been registered, the police said.

With a view to ensure better transport facility, particularly to the devotees in connection with Eid-i-Milad-u-Nabi, transport minister Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen convened a high-level meeting today, an official spokesman said.

The meeting was informed that adequate transport arrangements were being made for carrying devotees to Hazratbal and other shrines during the Eid-u-Milad-u-Nabi. It was also decided that more private bus would be pressed into service in remote areas of the valley for carrying schoolchildren. The Minister was also told that a strategy had been formulated to ensure smooth movement of traffic during Eid-u-Milad.

Jammu, March 13
Naresh Mahajan of Jammu is the proud owner of a 21-feet high rose creeper grown at his residence, which he claims is taller than the rose bush of California, registered in Guinness Book of World Records. Mahajan had bought the plant four years back when it measured just one and half feet. Today, it is coiling around the bamboo in the vicinity of his house and almost measures 21-feet.

Interestingly, the tallest rose plant registered in Guinness Book of World Records is only 13-feet as such this Indian species stands a strong chance to give a tough competition to its Californian counterpart.

Unaware of the fact that a plant nurturing in the vicinity of his balcony had already crossed the world record, Mahajan was inspired to measure his creeper when he read in newspapers about the California bush.

“Today, the height of this plant is 21-feet. When I had bought this plant some four years ago, its size was around one and half feet.

The height of plant in California, which has set the world record, is around 13-feet three inches. When I read about this in newspaper, I thought of measuring my own plant and that time I didn't know that it can contest for world record,” said Mahajan. Mahajan is now all set to approach the Guinness World Records to claim a place in it for his tallest rose bush in the world.

Meanwhile, the Department of Floriculture of the Jammu and Kashmir government has endorsed the claim of Mahajan and the officials have proposed to process his claim if the plant continues to grow even after pruning.

“I inspected the site, I told him to strengthen the main stem and the side branches should be pruned so that the maximum nutrition could reach the main branch. When it grows till the height it is self supporting, it should be kept under watch for some time,” said K.K Sharma, director, Floriculture Department.

“When it has reached till the height of 7-8 feet, then it should be trimmed so that its growth increases. If the crown above spreads in a healthier way and beyond the height of world record establishing plant then we can claim, give him in the writing or process his case further," he added. Experts from the department are also giving tips to Mahajan for the preservation of this exclusive rose plant. — ANI

Jammu, March 12
The Third Front is likely to be born in Jammu and Kashmir towards the end of the current month. This was stated by senior CPM leader M.Y. Tarigami, when asked whether the proposed Third Front would be ready to jump into the ensuing Assembly poll fray.

Tarigami said, “We are not in a hurry. We want to announce the formation of the Third Front when we find that we have the support of those political leaders who matter.” He added, “We want to make the Third Front, a force capable of measuring swords with two other fronts, the National Conference and the PDP-Congress combine.”

Tarigami, who is credited with conceiving the idea of a Third Front, said he was already in touch with MLA Ghulam Hassan Mir, who was recently expelled from the PDP and Hakim Mohd. Yasin, transport minister and chief of the Peoples’ Democratic Forum. On the other hand, Ghulam Hassan Mir is also in touch with Independent MLA Shoaib Lone and Sarfaraz Khan, MLA from Beerwah in Budgam district.

Mir said, “Wait and watch, you will see big guns not only from the PDP but also from other parties joining the Third Front.” Asked when the leaders of the Front would initiate dialogue with Kashmiri separatists, he said, “I do not find any objection of holding talks with any political group.” Tarigami was, however, pessimistic on the success of talks with 
separatists.

Senior APHC leader Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat said “It is too early to comment on the Third Front.” He said if the programme of the Third Front was to contest the election and gain power, then “We shall have nothing to do with it because our aim is not to gain power but to secure settlement of the Kashmir issue.” 

Udhampur, March 13
Expulsion of former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir from the primary membership of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) has fuelled bickering within the party. After decision of the PDP's corporators in the Jammu Municipal Corporation to join Mir's camp, party workers in Doda district today criticised party high command for expelling founder member of the PDP from the primary membership.

A meeting of PDP workers was held today at Doda under the leadership of Ali Mohd Shokeen in which activists from various parts of Doda participated.

Workers in one voice criticised expulsion of Ghulam Hassan Mir from the primary membership of the PDP and termed this act as undemocratic and dictatorial.

While addressing the meeting Shokeen expressed full faith and confidence in the leadership of Ghulam Hassan Mir and said that there was overwhelming response to the leadership of Mir throughout the state because of his people friendly approach towards poor and downtrodden masses.

On this occasion Shokeen hoped that the Third Front would come into existence which would be best alternative to the people of the state under the leadership of Ghulam Hassan Mir.

Srinagar, March 13
As the political jugglery ahead of this year’s Assembly elections ranges from development within the state to resolving the Kashmir issue, preservation of water bodies in the valley is bound to be an important issue with different political parties.

Senior leaders of all three major political parties, the Congress, the PDP and the opposition National Conference (NC) have been focusing on the preservation of the Wullar lake, the Dal lake and Jhelum.

Union water resources minister, Saifiddin Soz, has also been very keen on the preservation of water bodies in Kashmir and last year had mooted a navigation project on the Jhelum cutting across the valley. He had also proposed a legislation for the preservation of water bodies. During his series of visits to north Kashmir districts of Baramulla and Kupwara as the union minister, comprising Baramulla constituency, he has been focusing on the preservation and maintenance of water bodies. These water bodies may get more focus since Soz has taken over as the new PCC president.

“Dal lake is our bread earner and the backbone of our economy and tourism. It is a worldwide recognition”, observed senior PDP leader and finance and urban development minister, Tariq Hameed Karra. Karra, who is also chairman of the lakes and waterways development authority (LAWDA).

PDP general secretary and MLC Nizam-u-Din Bhat, while appreciating the peoples’ initiative demanding immediate measures for conservation of water bodies, including Dal, Nigeen lakes and Jehlum, referred to it as a welcome change. 

Tribune News Service
Mansar (Jammu): After waking up early in the morning Mohammad Abas, a teacher at a government primary mobile school, embarks on an uphill journey of more than 2 km to reach a school which exists under the open sky to teach students who belong to nomad Gujjar and Bakkarwal families.

To provide basic education to the children of the nomad Gujjar and Bakkarwal families, who otherwise are not in a condition to attend regular schools, the government opened various mobile schools which could provide the children of these Gujjar and Bakkarwal with basic education.

Some of these mobile schools have been provided with laptops under an experiment by Jammu University to provide computer education to the nomad children.

“These children were very excited to see these laptop, as majority of them have never been to a city and for the first time they saw such a gadget,” said Mohammad Abas.

The concept of these mobile schools started way back in 1970 as the government was very much worried with the poor education ratio of these backward communities. “Our community is always on the move with our livestock, and the concept of these mobile schools has been a great idea for our children who otherwise could not go to a regular school to get education,” said Naseer Ahmed, a Gujjar.

Equipped with laptops provided under experimental basis by the Jammu University teachers at these mobile schools teach various computer programmes to the children of these nomad tribes.

“They love painting, they enjoy slideshows and do typing also, they enjoy every part of it,” said Abas.

“The students who never used to attend their classes now happily come to attend the same as they love to work on these laptops. Here they not only learn basic computers but also show interest in their subjects,” said Abas.

The students on their part also enjoy their education and are showing more interest to learn computers.

“I write my name, do painting and even learn how to play games on this computer (laptop),” said eight-year-old Ashiq Hussain, a student of one such mobile school.

The mobile schools have been running under open skies in the remotest areas of Jammu where these nomad tribes camp for some time, but with the introduction of computer education in their syllabi these students can get a chance to click and open windows to new technology.

Jammu, March 13
Aimed at improving the healthcare services in the state, Jammu and Kashmir would soon have an emergency management response system on the pattern of Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has formed a committee, headed by the principal secretary, Planning and Development, which would go into the proposal for introducing the service in the state.

Decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister here today during which Venkat Changavalli, chief executive officer of Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI), Secunderabad, made a power point presentation on the subject.

Noticing that topography of Jammu and Kashmir being difficult and different from Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister said there was a need to see how the experiment would be applied here.

Azad issued instructions to constitute a committee under principal secretary Iqbal Khanday to look into the proposal. Divisional commissioner, Jammu, Sudhanshu Pandey and secretary, Health & Medical Education, K.B. Jandial would be the other members of the committee. 

Udhampur, March 13
The traditional Kashmir silk industry is likely to receive a severe setback this year as over 7,000 farmers of Udhampur have decided not to rear cocoon due to the apathetic attitude of the state government.

Agitating for the past six months to get the support price hiked, enraged farmers have blamed the government of adopting adamant attitude to solve their just and genuine demands. After Rajouri, Udhampur is the second largest producer of cocoon in Jammu and Kashmir and their decision of not growing cocoon would badly affect the supply of raw material for silk industry in the state. Farmers of this district had produced 200 metric tonnes green cocoon in 2007.

Despite the rapid increase in production, farmers of the district are not getting incentives from the government. “The government seems to be non-serious in mitigating our woes so we decided not to rear cocoon this year,” Bua Ditta, a farmer told the Tribune and charged the government with meting out step-motherly treatment to them.

Cocoon growers who met today at Udhampur rued the apathetic attitude of the state government towards their problems. “All incentives announced by the government are only on papers. Farmers who have been engaged in cocoon growing are on the brink of starvation,” alleged Shivraj and expressed surprise that instead of hiking the support price, authorities had even reduced the same compared to the previous year. Echoing similar viewpoints, Pritam Chand, said, “We are left with no other option except not to rear cocoon this year.”

Deputy director, sericulture, Amanullah, said the government was keen to encourage cocoon growers. “Instead of fixing a support price to purchase raw material from farmers, we have fixed the floor price so that growers can get as much as price through auction,” Amanullah told the Tribune and informed that the government had fixed Rs 180 per kg as the floor price for dry cocoon.

Jammu and Kashmir is one of the five states in the country with the potential to produce silk yarn of international grade. About 30,000 families of 2,400 villages are engaged with this part-time trade generating income of approximately Rs 10 crore annually for the rearers.

Being the second largest producer in the state, cocoon rearers of Udhampur district had generated an income of over Rs 2.5 crore in 2007.

To boost cocoon production in the state, the government has claimed to provide several incentives but growers seem to be dissatisfied with these plans. “What to say of incentives, the government has even cut the support price,”  said Sangarm Singh and termed all announcements of the government to encourage cocoon growers as “rubbish.”

Jammu, March 13
Call it a move to shore up the state economy or an attempt purely to amuse a lobby of elite bureaucrats and politicians, the state government has been raising an 18-hole golf course on forest land near Sidhra on the outskirts of winter capital.

However, to ‘execute’ the project that had been hanging afire since long, 1,066 kanal of forestland was first transferred to the Tourism Department via a Cabinet decision in 2006.

“Under Forest Conservation Act and Supreme Court ruling any forest land can only be diverted in case of exigency, like apex court allowed in the case of Mughal Road construction,” said a senior bureaucrat pleading anonymity.

“The Act clearly says that forestland can only be diverted for projects of urgent public utility. By no parameters a golf course can be bracketed as indispensable project that would benefit the public at large,” he added.

It may not be out of place to mention here that in the past the erstwhile government had also converted Srinagar Forest National Park into a golf course.

“However, we all know how many among us and who play the golf,” said the bureaucrat, adding, “Since Jammu doesn’t have a civilian golf course a lobby among bureaucrats and some politicians had been pursuing the project.”

Official sources told The Tribune that in 2006 the government accorded sanction to the transfer of 1,066 kanal forestland to the Tourism Department so as to pave way for the construction of the golf course.

“After approval by the advisory committee headed by the chief secretary, the state cabinet had issued the sanction,” they added

They further said, “The project had been a dream of the previous National Conference government but forest and its allied departments including the Wildlife Department had raised certain objections shooting down the proposal.”

The Forest Department had clearly mentioned in its report that being a forest land raising a golf course for affluent strata at the cost of green gold would not be ethical.

“However, after considering every single aspect the state government made it mandatory that not even a single tree would be cut and 50,000 more saplings would be planted,” said a senior official.

He too admitted that 1,066 kanal of forestland was transferred to the Tourism Department for removing roadblocks in the construction of golf course.

“The state-of-the-art golf courses might be called a developmental parameter in the fast changing scenario but the government shouldn’t have opted for forestland,” he added. The 18-hole golf course is coming up at a cost of Rs 25 crore on an area of 1,384 kanal land.

Srinagar, March 13
An aquarium is to come up on the banks of Dal lake and at the foot of Shankaracharya hills near Gagribal. It would be the second aquarium after Bagh-e-Bahu in Jammu and would be a major tourist attraction in Kashmir. It would have a 200-metre-long tunnel with aqua caves and would house about 200 species of ornamental fish. The aquarium would be a centrally heated building to withstand extreme low temperature during winter.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad visited the proposed site of the aquarium yesterday and asked the officials concerned to go ahead with the project. At present, there is a small aquarium and awareness centre at Gagribal which would be extended and developed into a major aquarium on the pattern of the one at Bagh-i-Bahu.

Azad also inspected work on the second phase of the Haj House at Bemina under which a three-storey accommodation for Haj pilgrims is being built at a cost of Rs 5.25 crore. The building will have 34 rooms, 8 suites, a dining hall and a spacious prayer hall for 360 people. The premises of the Haj House will have parking space for 700 vehicles.

He also visited the site of the excise and taxation complex at Rambagh here, coming up at a cost of about Rs 31 crore and which was under construction. The complex is spread over an area of 20.22 kanals. The Chief Minister also visited the new legislature complex and inspected the fast track construction work. The complex will be one of the best legislature buildings in the country and ready by the time of the next session of the state legislature in May.

Other under construction projects inspected by the Chief Minister included the upcoming 300-bed Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital at Rainawari. The Chief Minister also took stock of arrangements at Hazratbal in connection with the ensuing Eid-i-Milad. The Imam of shrine mosque and caretaker of the shrine was also present. He issued instructions for its beautification and making adequate arrangements for pilgrims during the Urs days. He also joined special prayers led by the Imam for the peace and prosperity of the people.

Jammu, March 13
The Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded withdrawal of a case registered against its party workers in Kishtwar protesting against the damage caused to a temple there.

A delegation of the BJP comprising state general secretary Bali Bhagat and spokesperson Ramesh Arora met the Divisional Commissioner and expressed their resentment over the registration of "false cases" against their party workers who were "demonstrating in a peaceful manner in Kishtwar".

The BJP leaders told the Divisional Commissioner that the demonstration was regarding the demand for repairing the damage caused to a famous temple at Kishtwar by the Border Roads Organisation.

The people of the locality led by former district BJP president Brij Mohan, senior leader Sunil Kumar and others were holding peaceful demonstration to get the temple reparied.