Jammu, February 22
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) has decided not to support the candidate from the ruling National Conference-Congress alliance in the upcoming elections to the legislative council.

The party has decided to vote for any candidate from the opposition party in the Assembly. Speaking to The Tribune, JKNPP supremo Prof Bhim Singh said, “To promote the democratic values in the state and to strengthen the opposition, we have decided to vote in favour of the candidate from any of the opposition party.”

He said his party would vote for the opposition candidate who was in winning position. “Though we are ideologically poles apart from the parties like the BJP and the PDP, to provide a strong opposition and to strengthen democratic values we need to vote in favour of an opposition candidate,” Singh said.

The decision was taken after an eight-hour marathon meeting of the office bearers and legislatures of the party and it was unanimously decided that the party should not put its claim on such seats from Jammu.

He, however, said his party would put up candidates in all other constituencies, where opposition had no chance to win, even if united.

When asked to comment on the ideology of the PDP, he said, “Those parties, which have taken oath in the name of the Constitution of India, are not untouchable even though their agenda are poles apart from the Panthers.”

Bhim Singh has authorised Harsh Dev Singh, leader of the Panthers Legislature Party, to work out a collective formula with the opposition parties to ensure an effective and healthy cooperation of the opposition.

Jammu, February 22
The government has formulated a comprehensive master plan for the development of Shiv Khori as a revered pilgrim-tourist destination, for which an amount of Rs 12.5 crore has been approved.

Inaugurating the Shiv Khori Mela at base camp, Ransoo, Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora made it public.

He was accompanied by Reasi Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Verma, also the vice chairman of the Shiv Khori Shrine Board, director of the state tourism M Sahni and general manager of the JKTDC Shiv Kumar Gupta.

Jora said in Phase I of the project, an amount of Rs 4.11 crore would be spent on ongoing construction of five-storeyed waiting hall having capacity for 1,500 pilgrims.

The three-day mela is being organised by the state tourism department in collaboration with the Shiv Khori Shrine Board every year.

Sambal (Udhampur), February 22
After giving away their only source of livelihood to the Northern Railways for the “prestigious” Kashmir rail project, third generation of the seven families still await government jobs.

The Railways had acquired agricultural land for the Jammu-Udhampur railway project and in lieu had promised to provide jobs to those farmers whose 75 per cent and above land had come under the project.

The Railways had identified 39 families whose more than 75 per cent of land were acquired. Though cases of 32 families were settled after a decade-long struggle, the remaining seven families are still moving from pillar to post to get the jobs.

“For the past five years, I have been shuttling between Jammu and Delhi to get a job in the Railways,” rued Deepak Sharma of Tikri, who is hopeful that the railway authorities would fulfill the promises which they had made while acquiring the land.

Out of the total 20, 19 kanals of the agricultural land of the Sharma family was acquired by the authorities.

“Land was our only source of livelihood. Now we have been working as labourers in the adjoining localities to feed our family members,” Sharma told the Tribune.

He said due to the delaying tactics of the railway officers, seven families had been facing hardships.

State president of the BJYM Pawan Khajuria, who had taken a delegation of the affected families to New Delhi to pursue their case, regretted that files were lying in the Railways headquarters but officers at the helm of the affairs had been adopting a casual approach to provide justice to these affected families.

“Just a couple of days back, these families have faxed their representation of the higher ups of the Railways,” Khajuria informed.

He added that they would sit on dharna in New Delhi if demands of these families were not fulfilled within a month’s time.

Way back in 1983, the railway authorities had acquired land from a large number of farmers for the construction of Udhampur-Jammu railway line.

Earlier, 43 families were identified for compensation but later the number decreased to 39 as authorities had decided to provide government jobs to only those families whose more than 75 per cent of the land were acquired.

Baramulla, February 22
The police today burst tear gas shells and resorted to a lathicharge to disperse a violent mob, protesting against the Sopore incident, in which two youths were killed and another injured in alleged unprovoked firing by Rashtriya Rifles (RR) yesterday.

Most shops in the town on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road remained closed and about six vehicles were damaged in stone pelting.

Official sources said people, mostly youths, took to streets near here, protesting against the killings.

Raising pro-freedom slogans, the demonstrators demanded immediate arrest of RR personnel involved in the unprovoked firing on civilians.

However, when the demonstrators tried to move towards the main highway, the police tried to stop them.

The police resorted to a lathicharge after the demonstrators refused to disperse. Later, the police burst tear gas shells to disperse them, who were pelting stones.

About six vehicles were damaged in the stone pelting, the sources said. Shops in the town and adjoining areas remained closed in protest against the Bomai Sopore firing. — UNI

Srinagar, February 22
Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for a bandh in Kashmir on Wednesday against the death of two persons in army firing in Sopore yesterday.

The opposition also came out angrily against the authorities and demanded stern action against the accused soldiers.

A PDP delegation led by MLA Nizamuddin Bhat and former minister Dilawar Mir visit Bomai, where the incident occurred, had to face an angry mob shouting "azadi" slogans. "One of the killed was a young student of Class XII. It is a shameful incident," Mir said.

The crowd chanted slogans against mainstream parties' leaders and demanded the withdrawal of troops

Sopore MLA Ashraf Ganai, who belongs to the National Conference, said the incident was a big setback for those working for peace to return.

The incident has come handy for separatists and the Wednesday bandh is the first announced by them since a popular government was sworn last month.

The PDP has demanded the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) and withdrawal of troops.

"The loss of human lives at the hands of security forces every now and then can't be prevented unless the AFSPA is scrapped and reduction in troops deployed on internal security is effected," party patron Mufti Sayeed said.

Srinagar, February 22
After seven years’ wait, the state Services Selection Board (SSB) conducted written examination for posts of naib tehsildar across the state today.

The applications for the same were first invited in 2002 and later in 2005 and 2008, when the SSB issued notification for 111 posts referred to it.

“It is like a dream coming true. After submitting application form in 2002, I anxiously waited for the exam. I am glad that finally we appeared for it,” says Mukhtar Ahmad, an aspirant, adding that he had applied for the post when he was a collegiate.

The SSB had set up centres across Kashmir and Jammu divisions, however, no centre was set up in Ladakh division.

Candidates had to come to Srinagar for appearing in the examination.

The exam was earlier scheduled for February 8, but could not be conducted as some candidates who were left out demanded their inclusion.

Interestingly, the admit cards were issued to the applicants last year.

An official of the SSB said around 50,000 persons applied for the posts and of these, some could not appeared for it.

Srinagar, February 22
A day after undergoing surgery in his right leg at the valley’s lone Orthopaedic Tertiary Hospital at Barzulla, a patient, Tariq Ahmad, was discharged owing to fewer beds in the hospital.

Tariq’s family said he was not in a condition to be discharged, but the hospital administration compelled him to leave.

Quoting the registration card number 002594 and MRD number 11093, one of the attendants of the patient said Tariq was admitted to the hospital on February 2, operated and discharged the next day.

“Four persons are required to shift the patient from one place to another. Problem arises at the time of dressing, we have privately arranged that now but in the hospital it could have been done in a much better way and at cheaper rates,” members of his family said.

“Not only beds and beddings but also the hospital lacks proper infrastructure,” said Firdous Ahmad, Tariq’s friend.

Significantly, the hospital caters to all districts of Kashmir and Ladakh division.

The unprecedented rush of patients to this hospital is due to the fact that orthopaedic facilities are minimal or in fact missing at district level.

Dr Mohammad Ramzan Mir, medical superintendent of bone and joints hospital, said the patients were discharged only after doctors feel so.

He said the hospital authorities had made demand for more beddings even though there was no problem regarding bed strength at present.

“There is a tremendous rush of patients to the hospital and as such we have to admit many of them in the Indoor Patient Department (IPD). But as far as admitted patients at a particular time are concerned they are discharged only after satisfaction of doctors. Patients don’t want to leave the hospital as everything is available free to them here,” said Dr Ramzan.

Mohammad Fayaz, a social activist, said huge relief material in terms of beds and beddings lie dumped within closed corridors of godown at the Department of Stores and Procurement, Pampore.

The material was basically sent for October 8, 2005, earthquake-affected people.

The police also arrested another drug peddler, Krishen Lal, and seized from him 220 gm of 'charas' in the Ramnagar belt of Udhampur district today, they said. — PTI

He said Kashmir had remained a seat of Shai’vism for centuries and the philosophy had contributed in a big way to the multicultural ethos of the valley.

Udhampur, February 22
As the scarcity of water has been emerging as the biggest problem in the Kandi belt of Jammu province, especially in Udhampur district, the Information Department organised a symposium on ‘Water Is Life’ at Girls Higher Secondary School, Garhi, to create awareness among young students about importance of water.

Participants expressed their views on the importance of preserving and conservation of water for the sustenance of life on this globe.

Monika Jamwal was declared the best speaker whereas Shivanjali Sharma and Pooja Rani bagged the second and third prizes, respectively.

School principal Shakuntala Sharma called upon students to initiate an awareness drive regarding preservation and conservation of water in their respective areas.

Omar directed executing agency, the JKPCC, to complete the project by September.

Jammu, February 22
Though summer is yet to come, water woes have begun to haunt students as well as researchers of Jammu University.

Since there is only one tube well on the campus that is proving inadequate to meet the demand of potable water.

The students also allege that in most of the departments, especially science stream, they don’t get adequate water supply in laboratories.

They complain that in the examination centre, which pulls a large crowd of students, has only one tap at the basement downstairs.

“It cannot cater to the need of students and the authorities should make proper provision for potable water,” the students said.

“Though there are two water coolers in the block, but both are out of order for quite long and the authorities must take cognisance of the matter,” they said.

A researcher of the Chemistry Department said due to water shortage, research work suffered as distillation process in the experiments requires plenty of water.

As a result of water shortage, the duration of research lingers on inordinately.

A scholar from the Zoology Department said: “The varsity has spent a lot of money over several things which have no academic use while the water scarcity has not been mitigated over the years.”

“Last year, our guides asked us to stay at home in the absence of water as experiments could not be conducted under such conditions. It is unfair on part of the administration that despite our last year’s protest demonstration, even this year no extra provisions of water have been made so far,” he said.

However, Dean Academic Affairs (DAA) BPS Sehgal said: “There has been no such problem this year so far. If there is shortage of water in any of the departments, it can take measures to arrange water on its own.”

Jammu, February 22
After erstwhile PDP-Congress government remained non-committal about fulfilling its promise, BJP and Panthers Party legislators have decided to convince Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to provide official business of the state legislature in Hindi as well.

Hitherto, the state legislature had been providing the business to legislators in English and Urdu.

Earlier, BJP legislator Jugal Kishore from Nagrota and former Congress legislator from Jammu East Yogesh Sawhney had jointly moved a private member’s Bill in the last session of the previous coalition government where they had sought business in Hindi as well.

Subsequently, the then Deputy CM Muzaffar Hussain Beig had requested both legislators to withdraw the Bill giving an assurance that the government would bring another Bill.

“Being national language widely read and understood by the people, including legislators, we have already asked Omar to provide the business in Hindi,” leader of the BJP legislature party Prof Chaman Lal Gupta said.

Omar, too, had agreed to the logic assuring us that he would look into it, he added.

State BJP president and sitting legislator from Jammu East Ashok Khajuria said in this context, the BJP in a couple of days would give a representation to the government after holding a party meeting.

Leader of the Panthers Party legislature party and former Education Minister Harsh Dev felt that the government should fulfill its commitment.

“No doubt, Urdu is an official language of the state, but the fact of the matter is that a major chunk of people in the state including several legislators in both Houses could not read, write and comprehend Urdu and English,” he said.