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Coordination Panel's Plan of Action
20-yr-old rail project hangs in balance
EC to meet parties on Sept 8
Out-of-order dialysis machines leave patients in lurch
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Girl killed 65-yr-old man for money: Police
Jammu stir cost fruit, vegetable growers dearly
Teacher’s Day: ‘We miss you Ashok sir’
‘Fee’ bee stings students of private schools
Beautification of Hazratbal phase II: Vohra assures funds
HC rejects plea of ex-constable
Death of Infant
Policemen arrest SRTC employees during a protest in Srinagar on Thursday. A Tribune photograph
MC back in action
Five officials suspended for inciting violence
Forget past, start afresh: Panthers
Goods carriers to valley on rise
Troops, militants exchange fire
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Coordination Panel's Plan of Action
Srinagar, September 4 The committee last evening asked people to organise sit-ins and raise slogans in favour of "azadi" and Islam during Friday congregations in mosques. It also called for a bandh on Saturday. "I offer my support to their programmes but let me put it on record that my consent was not taken," the veteran secessionist leader said at a press conference at his Hyderpora house. Geelani said a representative of the committee, Ghulam Mohammad Hubbi of People's Conference, had come to meet him at his residence. "He said he was not here to take my permission but to inform me and enquire after my health," he said. He added that he would offer Friday namaz in Hazratbal here and asked people to join him. The police is unlikely to allow him to go to Hazratbal. The committee had held a long meeting at moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's residence, where he is under house arrest, to chalk out their further strategy. Their announcements came as a small respite to the authorities as they did not call for any rally, which could have elicited a tough response from the government. Mutual mistrust, ego clashes and varying ideologies have long been a bane of separatist politics in Kashmir that have resulted in even the killing of leaders like Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, and Geelani has been a polarising figure among his colleagues due to his leadership claims and rigid Islamist ideology. Some separatist leaders told The Tribune that Geelani's assertions at last month’s rally in TRC ground that he was the sole leader of the movement have alerted Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF leader Yaseen Malik, who command a considerable following in the valley. "There is definitely an attempt to outmanoeuvre Geelani but I am not sure how far they can push him," a senior secessionist leader said. Geelani also demanded release of those leaders who were arrested in the recent crackdown on humanitarian grounds as Muslim's holy month of Ramzan is on. Rejected the Amarnath land deal, Geelani asked people to continue peaceful protest, adding that the next course of action would be announced after Ramzan. |
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20-yr-old rail project hangs in balance
Jammu, September 4 Official sources told The Tribune that the fate of the project hanged in balance as work had been suspended on the 90-km-long Katra-Dharam section and on the 35-km-long Dharam-Qazigund section, which were being executed by the Konkan Railways and IRCON, respectively. Sources said the nodal agency - Northern Railways - which had allegedly goofed up initiating the project without conducting any geological survey of the Himalayan range, now wanted to realign these two key sections. Work on these two sections was suspended on July 25. Sources said even as change in the alignment had been proposed, the Konkan Railways had already completed 10 km of the tunnelling work in the difficult terrain between Katra and Dharam. Meanwhile, work on major bridges was in the advanced stage, while two special bridges over the Anji and Chenab had been completed partially, the sources added. Similarly, work on the remaining tunnels and bridges, was also in the advanced stages of tendering and the decision of suspending the work was a severe blow to the project. They said work to the tune of Rs 750 crore had already been completed and suspending them would lead to another Rs 700 crore worth of claims from the contractors. If major changes in the alignment were adopted, it would not only delay completion of the project by 13 years, but would also escalate the cost alarmingly, the sources added. It is worthwhile to mention here that the project, which initially was pegged at Rs 3,000 crores, was to be completed by 2012. But frequent delays had escalated the cost to over Rs 13,000 crore. In the recent past, the Northern Railways after finding difficulty in exploring the Himalayan range had approached the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to conduct a workshop for its engineers so as to acquaint them with the geological aspect of the terrain. Sources said the railways had thought about realignment on the ground that the geology of the Himalayan range was very fragile and progress on the Katra-Dharam section in the past four years had been very poor. But the proposed alignment also fell in the same geology and may throw similar problems, sources said, adding the current alignment touched 50 major villages, including remote villages like Kouri, Surukot and Sangaldhan. |
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EC to meet parties on Sept 8
Jammu, September 4 However, the National Conference’s (NC) final word will be known on September 7. It may be mentioned here that the state had to go to the polls in October. But the Amarnath land row eventually triggered violent protest demonstrations in both the regions, followed by the militant attack in Chinore. Talking to The Tribune, senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh said: “Obviously we want the elections to be held on time. An inordinate delay would convey a wrong message to the international community.” Peace has returned to the state and now the situation is ripe, Singh said. Panthers Party leader and former education minister Harsh Dev Singh said before going to the elections, Governor N.N. Vohra, while exercising his powers, should delimit the Assembly constituencies so as to end discrimination with the Jammu region. “The law and order situation is better despite provocations by separatists in the Kashmir valley, but we feel, the Governor should first pass an ordinance and delimit the Assembly constituencies before the elections,” Harsh said. “New Delhi should not forget that the state Legislative Assembly has a six-year-term unlike other states and it would end in November. Hence, the electoral process should be set into motion so as to give responsibility to an elected government at the earliest”, Harsh added. Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said: “Though the EC has to decide and the situation has to be taken into consideration, the Congress is ready to face the polls.” Responding to a query, Sharma said: “We are not proposing to postpone the elections, but at the same time, the EC should keep in mind the separatist movement in the valley.” However, the NC has maintained a guarded silence and would open its cards a day before September 8. NC provincial president Ajay Sadhotra said: “The party has been keenly watching the situation in the backdrop of the Amarnath land row and subsequent agreement the between Sangharsh Samiti and the government.”
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Out-of-order dialysis machines leave patients in lurch
Jammu, September 4 Both the machines went out of order in the last couple of days for the third time in the current year. Official sources told The Tribune that the equipments often develop technical snag due to inept handling and excessive use. “Against the requirement of 8 to 10 machines, only two cater to the need of patients from across the Jammu province,” they reasoned. Hence, these machines were being used in three shifts to carry out dialysis of six patients per day. The GMC is the only government hospital in the entire region, which provides dialysis facility, whereas among the private hospitals, only BN Hospital Talab Tillo and ASCOMS Hospital, Sidhra, have been equipped with the dialysis units. As many as 500 to 600 patients, suffering from different sorts of renal diseases, visit the GMC every month. The Department of Nephrology, though not full-fledged department, is an offshoot of the Department of Medicines. Consequentially, the department faces acute shortage of space and manpower. As of now there are only two technicians whereas the requirement is six while there are only nine beds against the requirement of 25. Similarly the nursing staff is also much below the requisite level. Meanwhile, the staff of the department rued absence of security in the department and said despite taking up the issue with the higher authorities, a number of times, things have not changed. They urged the authorities concerned to take cognizance of the matter and provide round-the-clock security to the department without any further delay. When contacted, HoD Nephrology, Dr S.K. Bali, confirmed that both the machines are out of order as a result of which serious patients have been suffering since last evening. “We have called technicians from outside the state and within couple of days the snags would be rectified and machines will start functioning as usual,” he said. “We have apprised the higher authorities regarding the problems confronting the department,” and expressed hope that demands would be conceded in the near future. |
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Girl killed 65-yr-old man for money: Police
Srinagar, September 4 A police spokesman, giving details about the incident, said body of Habib Saradan was recovered in the fields at Sonbrari, Kokernag in south Kashmir district of Anantnag on June six, 2008. The spokesman said a case was registered and during investigation, a number of people were questioned, including Fatima, who used to work in her fields, next to the fields of Saradan. After questionning, he said, it was learnt that Saradan always used to carry good amount of money with him, but no money was found when his body was recovered. On June 5, Fatima, while working in her fields, noticed currency notes falling from Saradan's jacket that he had removed because of hot weather. “I immediately made up my mind to snatch the money from him,” she added. Keeping a close watch on Saradan, she remained in the field till evening when she went to a nearby house and masked herself. She posed as Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant and asked him to show her a safe way to move out of the village. She hit him in the head with a stone, killing him before escaping with an amount of Rs 14,445. The spokesman said she admitted the crime and the money was recovered.
— UNI |
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Jammu stir cost fruit, vegetable growers dearly
Jammu, September 4 At the start of the agitation the crop in the Jammu region was ready to hit the markets but could not do so and was damaged due to the prolonged turmoil. " As the entire region came to a standstill the mango crop was spoiled, putting us to a great loss," said Ashok Kumar, a farmer of Channi Diwani village in the Akhnoor sector. Vegetable growers also suffered tremendous losses due to the unrest in the region as their produce also could not reach the market. The tomato growers of the area, who were expecting a bumper crop this season, faced huge losses as the produce got damaged in the open without hitting the market. Farmers in many villages across Jammu say that as they had taken loans from private moneylenders, they were unable to pay back the money now that their crop had got damaged. " I had borrowed money from a private moneylender. The crop was good, but I could not sell it in the market due to the prolonged unrest in the region," said Khushi Ram of Jourian village in the Akhnoor sector. The farmers say that though they have heard that the government has agreed to compensate them, it should come out with a clear-cut statement as to how much compensation would be paid. Parveen Kumar Gupta, president, Fruit Sellers Association, Jammu, said: "The fruit sellers in Jammu had paid more than Rs 100 crore as an advance to fruit growers in the Kashmir valley. However, we could not get the fruit due to the turmoil in Jammu and the fruit that otherwise should have reached us landed in other states."
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Teacher’s Day: ‘We miss you Ashok sir’
Jammu, September 4 This Teacher’s Day, they will miss their mentor who was killed by the militants during the Chinore encounter
recently. Swarna Devi, mothers of two kids, who were the students of Sharma, said: “My two kids have lost their appetite. They keep on saying that they miss Sharma Sir, who was a father figure to them besides
being a guide.” Her kids, Gagan (a student of Class 4th) and Kajal (class 10th) said: “Tomorrow we will mourn for our dear teacher in the same way we have been mourning for the past week.” Devi said: “I have yet to see a docile and simple teacher like Ashok Sharma. Two more students, Lucky and Priya
Kotwal, said: “Whatever we have achieved in our school is the result of proper guidance from Ashok sir who used to coach us in his room, which he had taken on rent.” Rakesh Kumar, who runs a PCO and a stationery shop, said: “Ashok Sharma was my dearest friend.” Recalling his association with him he said: “We had fixed Wednesday morning for levelling the ground so that students could play some games without getting hurt with pebbles. Ashok had started preparing his meals and he was late by half an hour.” He added the same “half-an-hour delay cost his life.” Explaining it, he said “Ashok was supposed to reach the ground by 6 am but he could not as the three militants, who had sneaked into the Jammu sector from across Kanachak area, had barged into the house, belonging to Bilu Gujjar, by 5.45 am holding Ashok, Bilu’s wife and four other children as hostages.” Besides conducting private coaching classes, Ashok Sharma was a teacher in a private school. He belonged to Chirala village in Tathri tehsil of Doda district and was engaged six months ago. He had told his parents that he would marry after four years so that he could enough money to build a house. Both these dreams remained unfulfilled and his friends carried his body to his ancestral village for
the last rites. Even the three kids of Bilu Gujjar, whose house bears the scars of gunshots, are shocked. They have not returned to their house because they do not want to see their house where their favourite teacher had fallen to the bullets of the militants. They say tomorrow’s Teacher’s Day “is a day of tears and tragedy for us.” |
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‘Fee’ bee stings students of private schools
Jammu, September 4 Narotam Sharma, resident of Shastri Nagar, said students have been charged fees for these months. He said, “These private schools should refund the fee to the students and instead ask the government for compensation.” “I am a shopkeeper and I have not earned a single penny during the past two months. Schools have also suffered similarly. We are not charging our customers for the goods we have not sold them, then why are the schools charging our children for the period during which they have not been imparted education. They should ask for compensation in a similar way as we have done,” said Madhusudan Bhat, resident of Indra Chowk. Zorawar Singh, principal of K.C. Public School, said, “We have charged fees for July and August because as per CBSE norms we have to pay the salary to the teaching staff as well as all other non-teaching staff regularly for the entire year.” Sanjeev Luthra, principal, Luthra Academy, aired similar views. Roopa Gupta, Principal Model Academy, Residency Road said, “We are not forcing the parents to pay fees immediately.” Zahida Parveen Khan, director, School Education, could not be contacted.
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Beautification of Hazratbal phase II: Vohra assures funds
Srinagar, September 4 During his round of the magnificent lush green lawns, Chief Executive, J&K Waqf Board, Syed Ahmed Syed, informed the Governor that the first phase of the development and expansion programme has been completed at a cost of Rs 2.2 crore by the state Tourism Department while the second phase is estimated to cost Rs 5 crore. Vohra assured him that the required funds would be made available for the second phase of the development project. He described the shrine as unique in the world for its scenic surroundings and space for two lakh devotees to offer prayers. Officials said about 81 structures in the shrine periphery have been acquired and some of them have been dismantled to expand the shrine area. This would add another 13 kanals of land to the existing 260-kanal shrine premises and enable the management to further enhance the aesthetic grandeur of the place, officials added. |
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HC rejects plea of ex-constable
Jammu, September 4 The court observed: “Record produced by respondents reveals that the petitioner, who was on probation, is a habitual absentee for which a proper enquiry was conducted and it was only thereafter that the punishments were awarded to the petitioner. Thereafter, there is no breach of natural justice.” Daleep Singh was appointed as constable in the J&K Armed Police on compassionate grounds on June 10, 2000. He suffered from acute low back pain and underwent treatment in Kashmir Police Hospital. Thereafter he was referred to Police Control Room Batmaloo, Srinagar on October 13, 2001 for undergoing further treatment. On October 21, 2001, the Commandant, JKAP 8th Battalion informed him that he has been discharged from service. On put to notice, the respondents filed reply stating that the petitioner was on probation, therefore, no inquiry was required to be conducted in terms of Rule 359 of J&K Police Manual and the action has rightly been taken in discharging services of petitioner. |
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Suspension of nurse sought
Tribune News Service
Udhampur, September 4 Members of the family the deceased infant along with some local persons staged a demonstration in the hospital, demanding the suspension of a nurse allegedly responsible for the tragedy. The enraged people were pacified only after medical superintendent M.H. Malik ordered an inquiry into the death. A nurse under training gave an injection to the two-day-old child admitted to the hospital with his mother. Half an hour after the injection, the child became unconscious and later died. Sunil, father of the child, alleged that a senior nurse was sitting idle in the ward when her junior was administering the injection to the newly born baby. Sunil further alleged that he repeatedly pleaded with the nurse to give the injection herself but she asked her junior to do so.
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SRTC staff threaten to intensify agitation
Srinagar, September 4 The chakka-jam by the SRTC employees has affected the transportation of rice, flour sugar to different depots of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD). The CA&PD has now decided to engage private vehicles for the job. It has also badly affected the working of some leading educational institutions, including Presentation Convent, which are using the SRTC transport. Parents said that they have to drop and later pick up their children from the schools because of strike by the
SRTC. Transport buses and other vehicles remained off Jammu and Kashmir routes. Besides, inter-state service has also been suspended.
— UNI
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Jammu, September 4 Sweepers are back, cleaning roads, lanes and bye-lanes early in the morning. However, given the duration of the agitation, it will take some time for the JMC to clean up heaps of garbage and filth from the city that has accumulated on account of shutdown. Speaking to The Tribune, mayor JMC Kavinder Gupta said: “I have called a meeting of commissioner and corporation staff yesterday. Instructions have been issued to the concerned staff to clean roads and clear drains within a week.” Health officer K.D. Singh said: “Around 30 per cent of the work is pending on account of bandh and curfew which will be completed within a week”. — TNS
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Sarin takes oath as Chief Justice
Srinagar, September 4 Sarin was a judge in the Delhi High Court prior to his appointment as the Chief Justice here. Sarin is the 26th Chief Justice of the state high court and replaces K.S. Radhakrishnan. The oath-taking ceremony was attended, among others, by the Advisers to the Governor, HH
Tyabji, SS Bloeria, C Phunsog, judges of the high court, several former ministers and legislators and senior judicial, civil and police officers, including chief secretary S.S. Kapur. |
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Five officials suspended for inciting violence
Rajouri, September 4 Afzal said the officials had been placed under suspension and attached with the district-level officer concerned with immediate effect. The five officials have been identified as Master Khetar Pal, Education Department; Rajesh Kumar, driver, Public Health Engineering (PHE) department; Nafees Haider, Forest Department; Qasim Ali, Rural Development Department; and Muhammad Taj, driver, PHE. |
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Forget past, start afresh: Panthers
Jammu, September 4 The party has also demanded compensation for the people who suffered loss of life and property during the land row agitation. In a press statement, senior party leader Bansi Lal Sharma along with the working committee of the party congratulated people of Jammu for maintaining communal harmony during the two-month-long agitation and demanded adequate relief and compensation for the daily-wagers.
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Goods carriers to valley on rise
Srinagar, September 4 An official said 990 trucks and tankers carrying essential commodities and fuel entered the valley and 888 laden with fresh fruit, vegetables and other commodities besides empty tankers left till 2 pm today. He said they had prepared adequate stock of food and other commodities as 269 load carriers with rice, 27 with sugar, 42 with flour, seven with sheep, eight with chicken, 26 with fruit, 349 with other commodities, 47 with petrol entered the valley.
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Troops, militants exchange fire
Rajouri, September 4 After spotting troops, militants opened fire. In an ensued encounter, which started at 8.30 in the evening and continued till late in the night, no casualty was reported. The militants taking cover of the dark managed to flee. Rajouri SSP Rajesh Kumar Yadav, “We had information about the presence of militants in the Manjakote area and accordingly launched a search and destroy operation to eliminate them.” |
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Srinagar, September 4
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