Jammu, October 22
With only a couple of days left for the filing of nominations for the first phase of the Assembly polls in the state, political parties have announced the names of candidates for the constituencies going to the polls in the first two phases - November 17 and 23.

Among the mainstream parties, the BJP has announced the names of its candidates for the 10 Assembly seats which will go to the polls in the first two phases.

The candidates are Vishwander Dev Sharma from Nowshera, Nirmala Sharma from Kalakote, Abdul Hamid from Darhal, Mohammed Iliyas Khan from Mendhar, Abdul Aziz Rahat from Surankote, Shams-ud-Din from Bandipora, Bashir Ahmed Ganai from Sonawari, Nazir Raina from Kangan, Sahil Sheikh from Ganderbal, and Ehsan Ali from the Kargil Assembly constituency. These names were cleared in the party’s parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi last night.

On the other hand, senior NC functionaries are likely to hold a meeting in Srinagar anytime soon to finalise the names of its party candidates. The Congress, too, has sent a list of party nominees to the party high command for the final approval.

Meanwhile, the PDP is still caught in the dilemma over contesting the elections and will take the final decision in the next couple of days.

Srinagar, October 22
NC president Omar Abdullah today formally launched the party’s election campaign from Budgam, saying elections were no solution to the Kashmir issue but a democratic way to provide facilities to the people. Though the NC has been a staunch supporter for the grant of internal autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said any better alternative for a solution to the issue was welcome.

Addressing a largely-attended party convention, Omar demanded resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the people. He said the conduct of elections would not affect the Kashmir issue and asked India and Pakistan to avoid delaying resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Referring to the separatists’ call for the boycott of elections, Omar said it was not in favour of the people and asked the masses to participate in the elections. Omar, who lost in his maiden attempt in the Assembly elections from the family’s home constituency of Ganderbal in 2002, asserted that his party was all set for the forthcoming elections. 

Jammu, October 22
Smelling a multi-crore scam in the Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited, the BJP has appealed Governor N.N. Vohra to conduct a high-level inquiry.

Addressing mediapersons here, state BJP general secretary Bali Bhagat alleged that the officials of company and others “hatched a conspiracy” to hand over the extraction work of 318 kanals of Assar Gypsum Mine to Baba Farid-Ud-din Bhagdadi, a Kashmir-based firm, in Doda on a lease basis for 20 years in 2006. He said there was a nexus between the higher officials of the company, Departments of Geology, Mining and Revenue.

He said Assar Gypsum Mine, a unit of J&K Minerals Limited, had been running in profit since 1974.

“The official records say that the firm has acquired 318 kanals but actually it has acquired 960 kanals of the state land to extract gypsum. It can not happen without the active involvement of the higher authorities of company and the said departments,” he alleged.

Bhagat stated that the decision to lease out the land to a private firm is causing loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer and has directly or indirectly affected thousands of people of the area, which is a matter of grave concern.

Meanwhile, expressing his serious concern over the decision of the JP Industries to retrench 2,630 local employees at the Baglihar power project in one go while not disturbing non-locals, the BJP leader demanded their readjustment immediately and provide permanent employment in the PDC Department to those who donated their lands to the firm.

Bali Bhagat also took the PDC Department to task for not rehabilitating the families, which got affected due to construction of Baglihar project despite the fact that the Prime Minister has commissioned its first phase and the poor people are running from pillar to post seeking their rehabilitation.

Jammu, October 22
The Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (AYSS) will try and convince Jammu-based political parties to join hands for the cause of Jammu and at the same time keep at bay outfits like the PDP, the NC and the Congress.

“We would convene a meeting shortly to chalk out a strategy,” said samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma.

Samiti spokesperson Narinder Singh felt that Jammu-based political parties should bury their trivial differences. The samiti's core committee would meet next week evolve a strategy for the elections, he said.

Kashmir's hegemony would cease only when Jammu-based parties like the Jammu State Morcha, Kranti Dal, Duggar Pradesh Party, State Morcha, different factions of the Shiv Sena and the BJP jointly contest the elections, he added.

“We would do the spadework to see that the people of Jammu reject the PDP, NC and Congress, particularly in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri and Ramban districts.” To a pointed query about the Panthers Party which fought a parallel agitation over the land row, Narinder Singh said all Jammu-based political parties should see to it that votes didn't get divided and fall in the kitty of Kashmir-centric parties.

Sources in the samiti say that special cells too will be framed shortly to create door-to-door awareness among the people to elect their representatives to the Assembly.

Jammu, October 22
The announcement of the Assembly elections has dashed hopes of traders and industrialists of getting compensation for the losses they suffered during the Amarnath land agitation.

Talking to The Tribune, Federation of Industries chairman Annil Suri said the working group constituted by the government for assessing the losses could not take off, as it failed to hold even a single meeting.

“Now that the model code of conduct has come into effect, the administration seems to have put off the further process till the formation of the new government,” he said.

As far as the current status of the industry is concerned, he said, though it would take long to recover from the losses suffered during the agitation, the routine functioning of the industry was slowly returning to the normal.

“We have somehow come over the labour problem, but the power scenario continues to remain grim. We need at least 20 hours of supply to run our industry to full capacity but what we are getting today is only 16-hour supply and that too with unscheduled cuts,” he averred.

All-Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association president Indrajeet Khajuria felt that now only thing they could expect from the government was a relief package, as the time for providing compensations had already been lost.

He said though they suffered huge losses due to the agitation and the power supply too was erratic during that period, the Power Department has handed them hefty bills.

Also the traders, who shut their shops for over two months in support of the agitation, are now reeling under the global financial crisis.

Associated Chamber of Traders Federation chief Yashpal Gupta said the business during the ongoing festive season was around 40 per cent less as compared to the previous years, which was a big blow to the business community.

On the other hand, the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, which spearheaded the land agitation in Jammu region, has called a meeting of its core committee tomorrow to discuss the implementation of the agreement reached between it and the state administration.

Samiti spokesperson Narinder Singh said: “We will review the progress on various points of the agreement, including compensation to business community and withdrawal of cases registered against our supporters.”

The samiti had suspended its agitation while giving a time frame of two months to the state administration to fully implement the agreement.

Jammu, October 22
Mr Justice Virender Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today stayed the judgment passed by the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in which the commission had recommended registration of a murder case against four cops.

Taking suo-moto cognisance regarding the custodial death of one Showkat Ali, a resident of Chaprian in Rajouri district, the SHRC held that Showkat Ali had died while in police custody on February 13, 2007.

The commission also held the then SHO Showkat Ali Malik, investigating officer Gian Singh and other cops Mohd Razak and Tassaduk Hussain responsible for Showkat’s custodial death.

The commission then directed that a murder case be registered against the police officials concerned and Rs 2 lakh be paid as compensation to the legal heir of the deceased. Out of this amount, Rs 1 lakh was directed to be charged in ratio of Rs 35,000 each from the then SHO, Rajouri, and investigating officer Gian Singh.

The commission also directed that Rs 15,000 each be charged from constables Mohd Razak and Tassaduk Hussain.

The petitioner, while challenging the order of the commission submitted that in the earlier inquiry held by the additional deputy commissioner with regard to the death of Showkat Ali, the petitioner - the then SHO was exonerated, but the commission in its order has held the petitioner responsible along with other police officials, who were posted with him in the said police station, without affording him an opportunity of being heard.

After hearing senior advocate M.A. Goni, Mr Justice Virender Singh issued notices to the respondents, while staying the operation of impugned order dated July 9, 2008, passed by the acting chairperson of the SHRC, Srinagar, in the meanwhile.

Srinagar, October 22
The Kashmir valley is in the throes of a huge power crisis with the Power Department announcing a 13-hour power cut across the region today.

There is little they could do as the gulf between demand and supply has widened like, development commissioner R.K. Seli and chief engineer Syed Aftab said at a press conference. As the two officers unconvincingly tried to reason their inability in meeting power requirements of the valley, angry media personnel accused them of colossal inefficiency and letting down the consumers who diligently pay their bills.

Syed Aftab said they were importing over 80 per cent of the power requirement, which is over 1050 MW at its peak, and managed to meet people's requirement during the holy month of Ramzan by illegitimately overdrawing from the power grid. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has imposed a huge penalty for this overdrawal, Seli said. He added that the penalty was severe, charging Rs 15 lakh for overdrawing for the first 15 minutes and it gets more punitive with more overdrawal.

They made appeals to the consumers for not using electricity for heating rooms and water, which is more a norm than aberration in this cold region.

The hitherto nine-hour power cut would now increase to 13 hours. There might be distress-cutting as well, meaning that load shedding in areas where the department was "committed" to supplying power.

The chief engineer expressed his department's helplessness in checking power theft while admitting that many areas were meeting 99 per cent of their consumption through theft.

Media personnel blamed the department's rampant corruption and insincerity for the sorry state of affairs, accusing it of punishing the good consumers for the sins of bad ones. The officials, however, added that they would soon launch a drive to check power theft.

Jammu, October 22
Life has turned miserable for the residents of at least four localities as an open drain running through areas like Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar is posing a health hazard.

The clogged drain which starts from the “Last Morh” at Gandhi Nagar and flows through Shastri Nagar bisecting Rampura and Nai Basti is a constant threat to the health and hygiene of residents living on both sides of the drain.

Human and animal excreta flows directly into the drain, while debris along with plastic and polythene bags has restricted the flow of water in the drain.

A foul stench emanates from the stagnant water making it difficult for passers by to walk along the drain. Residents fear it might lead to the outbreak of an epidemic in the area.

Shastri Nagar resident Raksha Sharma said: “Over the years, the level of pollution in the drain has increased manifold but the authorities concerned have turned a blind eye towards the entire mess.”

“Things aggravate during the rainy season when stink prevails everywhere and one finds it hard to breathe. We inhale polluted air which will prove harmful to us”, Raksha said.

“Its highly pathetic that the authorities are overlooking the hygiene of the area despite the fact that the area falls in the municipal limits”, she said.

“Leave aside locals, even the municipal employees dump the refuse into the drain every morning. This has turned it into a garbage dumping site”, Rajinder, a shopkeeper in Rampura, said.

“The drain is a breeding ground for flies and germs. The authorities should immediately launch a massive sanitation drive here”, he demanded. Rajinder said they had reported the matter to the councillor concerned a number of times, besides taking up the matter with the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC). But nothing has changed so far, he said.

Meanwhile, mayor Kavinder Gupta said: “Maintenance and upkeep of all major drains running the through city is the responsibility of the UEED and ERA.”

Udhampur, October 22
Already baffled over three mysterious deaths in Udhampur town in the past two weeks, the police has got more riddles to solve with the recovery of two more bodies from the Ramnagar area here.

On Monday night, locals recovered a body, which was identified that of Jagdish Raj of Ganore village from the Baralayalata area of Majalata block. Another body of one Desraj of Balote village was found in Dadoo village of Basantgarh block on the same night.

In both the cases, there were marks on the bodies of the deceased. So far, the police has got no clue about the “murders” of two middle-aged men.

“We are waiting for the post-mortem reports to ascertain the real cause of deaths in both the cases,” a senior police officer said who did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of some criminals.

Meanwhile, after the murders in Udhampur, these brutal incidents have created fear among the residents of Ramnagar.

A week back, the body of a housewife was recovered from a pond. Initially the police termed this incident as a suicide but following pressure of the family member, it was established as a murder, which was committed by the husband of the deceased.

R.S. Pathania, an advocate and politician, was of the opinion that these murders were committed as a well-planned conspiracy to create terror in this peaceful belt before the Assembly elections.

Jammu, October 22
The All-India Student Federation (AISF) today raised questions over the evaluation and result compilation system in Jammu University (JU) and accused the latter of “playing with the career of students”.

Referring to the results of BA-I, secretary, AISF, Reyaz Atish, said: “Many students from the Government Degree College, Poonch, who were declared pass in the gazette, were later declared fail in their respective mark sheets”.

Substantiating his claims, Reyaz said there were some 27 cases in which they had found a variation in the result. He said when these students received their mark sheets, they found that their roll numbers were also different from those allotted by the JU authorities during the examination.

“Now since the date for re-evaluation is over, these students don’t have any alternative at their disposal,” he said. Reyaz said they had brought the issue into the notice of the controller, Examinations, but the latter did not pay heed due to which the fate of these 27 students hanged in the balance.

R.S. Pura, October 22
An NGO named Serving All Humanity Yearning Over Globe (SAHYOG) India conducted a survey to assess the present status of differently-abled children and found that most of them have been subjected to a miserable life.

The survey was conducted when the Amaranth land row was going on in Jammu.

Without support from any government quarter, SAHYOG surveyed border villages in R.S. Pura and Bishnah besides urban areas like Shastri Nagar and Jeevan Nagar.

It revealed that most of the children suffering some sort of impairment have been living a life of neglect.

Dr Ashwani Jojra, founder president of the NGO, said: “We have registered as many as 1,700 differently abled children from rural as well as urban areas.”

“The staff of Prerna Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, an offshoot of SAHYOG which imparts special training to such children made the survey successful,” he said.

Describing the situation as alarming, Dr Jojra remarked: “Although programmes like Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan are in place, but the neglect remains.”

He attributed it to non-skilled workforce and lack of willpower or half-hearted efforts on part of employees associated with the implementation of such schemes.

Nominated for this year’s State Award for Social Emancipation and Empowerment, Dr Jojra stressed for a central monitory agency for taking account of welfare initiative aimed at emancipation of these children.

Speaking over startling facts of the survey, he said, “Parents of such children are generally cagey about revealing information. They seem depressed and dejected as they had exhausted on account of treatment of their wards.”

“In villages, parents of these kids too have been reduced to penury. Illiterate parents easily fall prey to superstitions and get exploited at the hands of self-acclaimed god-men.”

He said people don’t cooperate in such surveys and conceal information fearing social taboo.

The survey discovered that amongst disabled children, a major number of cases were mentally retarded followed by orthopaedically challenged and visually or hearing-impaired.

“With limited resources and a rented accommodation, we cannot realise our mission of establishing north India’s biggest rehabilitation centre for special children and for that we need around 50 kanal land,” he said adding that the 23-year-old organisation is operating from a rented accommodation with 78 children registered with its training institute.

He said the government had assured land and they were awaiting official go-ahead.