Jammu, February 24
Testing times lie ahead of the new government as the main opposition parties - PDP and BJP - appear all set to target it over the issues that figure prominently in their agenda in the first session of the Assembly beginning tomorrow.

In view of the alleged killing of two youths by the security forces in Sopore recently, the PDP has enough ammunition to target the NC-Congress combine on the issue of human rights.

In the last few days, the PDP has seized every opportunity to raise the issue of troops reduction and withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The father-daughter duo of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti have strongly stressed on the “need to trust the people” of Jammu and Kashmir. “Time has come, when instead of relying on the length of the gun and strength of the bullet, the government must genuinely engage the people’s aspirations to work for lasting peace in the state,” said the former CM in Jammu recently. Mehbooba also felt that the way people turned out to vote in large numbers despite a difficult situation and emotive issues, the government should compliment them by reducing the strength of the security forces and withdrawing the AFSPA.

On the other hand, the BJP, which rode high on the Amarnath land agitation, to win 11 seats in the Assembly poll, would rake up the issue of “discrimination” with Jammu as well as delimitation of Assembly constituencies. “Despite having more area and population Jammu has got a mere 37 Assembly seats as against Kashmir’s 46. This discrimination must end to facilitate political empowerment of Jammu,” say party leaders. The BJP is likely to find support from the Panthers Party on the issue of delimitation as the latter too has been raising the issue for long.

It would be interesting to see as to what would be the strategy of the Congress, a ruling alliance partner, vis-a-vis delimitation as the issue also figured in its manifesto. The common minimum programme of the previous Congress-PDP regime also featured delimitation, but the Congress failed to get it through in the Assembly.

As far as troops reduction is concerned, there has been no word from the new state government, even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for zero tolerance on human rights violation in his first meeting with the Unified Command. He also gave a strong message by reversing the domination of the Army and security forces in Srinagar and asking the state police to take the frontline position there.

Jammu, February 24
Former Chief Secretaries Vijay Bakaya and BR Kundal were among those who filed their nominations for the Legislative Council poll, scheduled to be held on March 7.

Both the former bureaucrats have been fielded by the ruling coalition. While Bakaya is the National Conference candidate, Kundal is the Congress nominee. Both of them had served as Chief Secretaries in the previous Congress-PDP regime and had quit the top post to join politics.

They both were among the 17 candidates of different parties who filed their nominations today for 11 vacancies in the Legislative Council of the state. Of these, six belong to the National Conference, five to the Congress, four to the Panthers and one each to the PDP and the BJP.

Three seats are available now and eight shall become available in March with retirement of many MLCs.

Other Congress candidates are Khem Lata Wakhloo, Mir Jahangir, Nurboo Gialchan and Ghulam Nabi Monga. Apart from Bakaya, the National Conference has fielded scion of the royal family Ajatshatru Singh, Khalid Najib Suharwardi, Showkat Ahmad, Altaf Ahmad, and Aga Sayeed Ahmad. While the PDP has fielded Sayeed Asghar Ali, the BJP has fielded Shamsher Singh Manhas. Scrutiny of nominations will take place tomorrow, while the last date for withdrawal is February 27.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary board of the Panthers Party today met under the chairmanship of Bhim Singh and cleared the names of four candidates for election to the Legislative Council.

The party has left the Jammu seat for the Opposition and decided to vote for the Opposition candidate irrespective of party manifestos or agendas. Bhim Singh also appealed to all opposition parties to vote for a common candidate from Jammu.

The Panthers Party has put up three candidates from the Kashmir valley -- Syed Rafiq Shah from Kupwara, Yousuf Bhat from Shopian and Maqbool Malik, a prominent Shia youth leader. All these three seats shall be contested separately.

From Jammu single byelection, the party has fielded Rajesh Padgotra, who got the highest votes among the defeated party candidates in the Assembly elections from the Vijaypur constituency in Jammu province.

Bhim Singh said wherever the Opposition could manage to defeat the ruling alliance the Panthers Party would support the Opposition. 

Jammu, February 24
The PDP plans to move a private member resolution in the Legislative Assembly for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the state.

The party says that the Act should be withdrawn from the state “to prevent killings of innocent citizens at the hands of security forces”.

The PDP MLA from Darhal, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, will move the resolution under Rule 174 of the Rules procedure and Conduct of the Business in the Legislative Assembly.

In a letter to the Speaker, Zulfikar Ali stated that in view of the situation arising due to the incident at Bumai in Sopore, he would place a resolution in the Assembly regarding the recommendation to the Central government for the withdrawal of the AFSPA.

While moving the resolution, the PDP MLA requested the Speaker to entertain the resolution in the interest of the public of Jammu and Kashmir at large.

The PDP MLA stated that scrapping of this Act was must to prevent losses of human lives at the hands of security forces. He strongly condemned the Bumai incident and said that recurrence of such incidents would be stopped only by scarping such “draconian laws” which were against the civilised society.

Jammu, February 24
After Tokyo, Jammu is considered to be the city having the highest density of vehicular traffic. But paradoxically, there are not more than 90 traffic police personnel manning the important intersections in and around the city.

Traffic management is also giving blues to the department concerned in the absence of traffic signals, as the entire work is being executed manually with such a small team of police personnel.

The development in and around the city is too unplanned to give any space to “parking slots”, resulting in haphazard parking of vehicles along the main roads even at the “vintage points.”

Most theatres, restaurants, hotels and malls don’t have parking places and shoppers have no choice but to park their vehicles along the roads. This has been leading to vehicular congestion on the roads and lanes.

To compound the problem further, the road length has also remained the same over the years for the ever-multiplying number of vehicles in the city.

“Traffic chaos has become the order of the day and people seem to be have grown habitual of it,” said an office-goer at Vikram Chowk.

As per traffic police officials, there is an acute shortage of personnel and it’s quite impossible to man every intersection. As a result, heavy vehicles, whose entry have been denied into the city during afternoon, sneak into the city and cause disruption in the vehicular movement.

“There are no traffic lights at the intersections so the vehicles make wrongful entries on the roads, which results into traffic snarls,” said another commuter at Jewel Chowk.

“In an attempt to surpass others, mini-buses over speed, putting commuters’ life at risk,” said commuters at Residency Road, complaining that they throw all norms to the wind but despite that traffic personnel don’t do a thing to discipline them.

“These heavy vehicles start alighting goods and merchandise everywhere and anywhere in congested markets of the city leaving other small vehicles hooting and honking in chaos,” he added.

“Even increase in manpower is not a solution to traffic woes unless we get traffic signals. Some agencies have approached the government to install traffic signals provided they get advertisement rights. Authorities concerned have been mulling over it,” said SSP Traffic, Jammu, Parminder Singh, maintaining, “If traffic signals are put in place, we can make rational deployment of manpower at the discretion while the commuting will also improve.”

Srinagar, February 24
Air Marshal PK Barbora, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Air Command, arrived on a two-day annual inspection visit here yesterday along with his wife, Arundhati Barbora, president of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association.

A defence spokesman here said the Air Marshal was received at the airbase by Air Cmde Ramesh Goyal, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Srinagar, and his wife Renu Goyal and was presented a guard of honour. He inspected various combat units at the station and was satisfied with their operational readiness, the spokesman said.

The Air Marshal further took a stock of various welfare measures being undertaken by the station administration for the station personnel and their families. Arundhati Barbora interacted with schoolchildren at Air Force School and addressed the wives of the Army men. 

Jammu, February 24
There is widespread stagnation and frustration among psychiatrists of the only Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital here as the successive governments have failed to create the post of Associate Professor, which they have been long demanding.

To add to their woes, the three psychiatrists have to examine 150 to 200 OPD patients on daily basis, besides looking after hospitalised patients.

According to officials, since 1982 the psychiatry department has been on a life support system in the absence of Associate Professor’s post. In 2002, a representation had been given to the then principal of Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals, Jammu, Dr HL Goswamy, in this regard. Goswamy, too, had asked the government to undo the wrong but since then nothing has been done.

Because of a missing cadre of Associate Professor, the postgraduate faculty could not be started in the hospital, which had resulted into stagnation, the officials said.

The 75-bedded hospital that cater to patients from all the ten districts of the entire Jammu region, has only three postgraduates in psychiatry - Dr Chander Mohan Sharma, Dr Jagdish Raj Thappa and Dr Manu Arora.

Sources said, stuck on the post of Assistant Professor for years, Dr Surinder Kumar had taken premature retirement in 2002 and joined a private hospital. He had served at that post for over a decade.

He resigned from the job after his constant pleas to the government to create the post fell on deaf ears, they said.

The post of Associate Professor has its significance as the psychiatrist promoted to it becomes head of the unit, a concept which hitherto was missing in the psychiatric department here. As of now, the department has the post of Lecturer, Assistant Professor and Professor. Whereas, Government Medical College, Srinagar, not only has a full-fledged PG faculty since 1982, it has also 12 to 15 MDs, unlike three here in GMC, Jammu, said officials.

When contacted, GMC, Jammu, Principal Dr Rajinder Singh claimed that the post had been referred to the government and it would be created shortly.

Rajouri, February 24
Chief education officer, Rajouri, Kuldeep Kumar Gupta has withheld the salaries of 22 teachers for remaining absent from duty or leaving schools before time.

Sources in the Education Department told the Tribune that acting on complaints by local residents that some government teachers in various education zones of this frontier district remain absent from duty or leave the school early, Gupta toured eight government schools recently and found 22 teachers either absent or having left the school before the closing time. The schools he toured included Government Primary School, Dalogra, Primary School, Bathuni, Government High School, Muradpur, Government Middle School, Balchar, Government High School, Thanda Pani, Government High School, Siot, Government Middle School, Triyath, and Government High School, Channi Priyath.

“During the inspection of the schools, the chief education officer found that 22 teachers were either absent or had left the school before 4 pm”, said a department source.

“The officer in an order today withheld the salaries of these teachers and asked the zonal education officers concerned to hold inquires against them.” Gupta confirmed that he had issued orders.

There have been complaints that some teachers are not interested in teaching students, mainly from poor families, and remain absent from schools.

Jammu, February 24
Around 25 parks falling in the Jammu Municipal Corporation limits are a picture of utter neglect.

Residents of the Talab Tillo residential area allege that the corporation has virtually abandoned the park in their locality. "Nobody maintains to this park. Grass is never trimmed; branches of trees are not pruned, which hinders the movement of children and the elderly in the park," avers Rajneesh Sharma, a resident.

Sahil Kumar, another resident the area, says, "Polythene bags and waste paper can be seen strewn all over the park. The corporation has failed to ensure proper maintenance of the park."

Though swings have been installed for children, they have been lying defunct as they have never been serviced. The lack of lights in the park prevents people from walking in the park late evening. Cemented benches meant for people to relax are also in a dilapidated state. These benches need repair and replacement immediately.

Though it is a small park, it is the only place where the residents, particularly the elderly, assemble and take a walk in morning and evening.

The park is situated on the bank of the irrigation canal. The residents demand that the corporation should convert the bank of the canal into a walk pathway by demolishing illegal structure over it.

An official of the corporation says the corporation has not provided funds for the maintenance of the park. While admitting there is a shortage of staff, he says the corporation has only 13 gardeners.

Mayor Kavinder Gupta too says due to lack of funds and staff it is difficult for the corporation to maintain parks and provide new swings and other things there.

Srinagar, February 24
Bursting of tear gas shells boomed across the commercial heart of Srinagar as the police tried to quell protests in ever-volatile Maisuma over the suspicious death of a person, who was a relative of separatist leader Yaseen Malik.

The police today recovered the body of Shabir Ahmad Shiekh, a resident of Maisuma, from Sharifabad in the Parimpora area on the outskirts of the city. The police said he was visibly strangulated. Shiekh, an auto-driver, had not returned home since yesterday and his body did not have any other marks.

As Maisuma came to know of his apparent murder, scores of youths marched through the nearby commercial areas like Lal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street and Regal Road and enforced a shutdown. Panicky shopkeepers downed the shutters and people scurried home while large contingents of police personnel tried to take control of the situation.

However, a battle-like scene prevailed for hours and agitators pelted stones and jammed roads whilethe police tried to repulse them firing tear gas shells and wielding lathis. A few persons were injured.

The deceased’s relation with Malik has added another dimension to the case, at least for street protesters who tried to sniff a bigger conspiracy. Malik is currently in Pakistan where he wedded a Pakistani artist on February 22. Senior police officials assured locals of a swift and thorough probe but things remained tense.

Srinagar, February 24
Life in Sopore town of north Kashmir remained crippled for the third day today in protest against the killing of two youths allegedly in an unprovoked firing by the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) on Saturday.

Official sources said shops and other business establishments in the town and adjoining areas remained closed.

Traffic on some routes was, however, plying normally in the town where strike also affected normal working in government offices.

People of the town are observing spontaneous strikes, demanding the arrest of RR personnel involved in the killing of two youths. The state government has already ordered a time-bound magisterial inquiry, while the Army has decided to conduct a court of inquiry into the incident. — UNI 

Jammu, February 24
Various Sikh organisations, namely the Sikh Intellectuals Circle (Jammu and Kashmir), the Sikh Students Federation (Jammu and Kashmir) and the Sikh Welfare Front (Jammu), have condemned the alleged killing of two innocent students in Sopore by security forces. They have supported the general strike called by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on February 25.

A meeting of senior leaders of these organisations was held under the chairmanship of Narinder Singh Khalsa to express sympathy with the families of the youth. Sikh leaders said such incidents have “exposed the zero tolerance claims of the government”.

They further said the Government of India recently had itself admitted that the level of militancy had decreased considerably but unfortunately this was not reflected either in the corresponding reduction of armed forces in the civilian areas or on the human rights front. They demanded the release of senior APHC leader Shabir Ahmed Shah and others, moratorium on human rights violations, repealing of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) and demilitarisation.

Sikh leaders have also appealed to the international community to ensure the dialogue process between India and Pakistan is not derailed for durable resolution of the Kashmir dispute and peace in the entire South Asia.