Jammu, May 1
Even though the police claimed to have solved the murder case of gangster Sanjay Gupta with the arrest of two main accused, yet more than two years after the crime, four other accused, including a young girl, who befriended the slain don and was instrumental in his killing, remain at large. Sanjay Gupta, a resident of Mast Garh, was shot dead in an inter-gang rivalry at the clinic-cum-residence of Dr Rattan Kudiyar in the Trikuta Nagar locality on November 25, 2006.

Though two alleged killers, Rajesh Dogra, aka Mohan Jheer of Talli Morh, and Vicky Thakur of Janipur are behind bars, a woman member of the gang, Ambika Sharma, alias Monica of Talab Tillo, Deepak Sharma, alias Deepu of Circular Road, Sanjeev Grover, alias Palla of Fatu Chowgan and Kapil of Rehari have not been arrested so far.

On the day of the crime, Monica, a B.Ed student, who had trapped Sanjay Gupta in a fake love tangle, asked him to come to the doctor’s clinic where the assailants, who posed as patients, were waiting for him. The moment Sanjay reached there, they shot him dead from point blank range before fleeing. Official sources claimed that the police had been working on the case to arrest the remaining accused. “Since all four accused escaped to Nepal, we could not do much, but are still trying to catch them,” they said. Furthermore, two of the killers had been arrested and convicted by a court of law.Hence, the case stood solved, they added.

But the family members of the deceased claim that of late the remaining accused were seen in the city and its outskirts.”We face threat to our lives”, they said, adding that after Sanjay’s killing, they had also approached the National Human Rights Commission seeking protection.

“We strongly feel that there was a nexus of politicians, businessmen and some policemen behind Sanjay’s murder and the conspiracy has not been exposed till date,” they said. Not only this, a constant threat to their lives kept haunting them, they said, and accused the police of not exposing the conspiracy.

Before his murder, Sanjay had surrendered before the then IGP, Jammu zone, Dr SP Vaid, and had given in writing to be a law- abiding citizen. Since then, not even a single case had been registered against him, they maintained.

Miran Sahib, May 1
Usually, it is females who complain of discrimination in the male-dominated society, but here in this area the case is quite opposite. It is not the fair sex but boys who have a feeling of being discriminated against.

Girls of the area have an edge over boys so far as higher secondary education is concerned, as the girls have a higher secondary school in the main town, but boys have to travel 20 km to attend classes.

“We have to board a bus for RS Pura or Gandhi Nagar to attend classes in respective higher secondary schools, which are around 10 km away from the main town,” said Manjeet Singh, a local resident, who is studying in RS Pura.

“We don’t envy girls but the government is discriminating against us. If we get a higher secondary school, we can save time and energy,” corroborated his friend Rahu Prashar, adding, “Every year girls excel in the board examinations. It humiliates us. If we get a higher secondary school in the town, we can put extra efforts into studies to score maximum in our annual examinations.”

“There are 40 villages in Meeran Sahib. Whenever politicians or ministers come here, we submit memorandums demanding a higher secondary school for boys, but to no avail,” said Pramod Sharma, a social worker.

Sharma said there were three private senior secondary schools but people who don’t have sound economic background could not afford to admit their children in such schools.

“Our children have to spend extra money on bus fare. Sweltering summer further adds to their woes,” said Meenakshi Sharma, mother of a student.

She added, “There are several educational zones which have five senior secondary schools. One fails to make out as to why the government is not opening a higher secondary school for poor boys.”

“Higher secondary schools are generally set up as per the need of the locality and feasibility that there should be no school within a radius of 7 km,” said Suresh Kumar Sharma, chief education officer, Jammu, adding, “If we get representation from the local people, we can consider their demand.”

Jammu, May 1
The 212 farming families of Bhaderwah continue to protest against the state government and Jammu University for the non-fulfillment of promises made to them in lieu of the acquisition of their land.

The farmers, who were promised jobs in lieu of their 410 kanals of agricultural land for the construction of a satellite campus of the university in Bhaderwah, over 300 km from here, have decided to intensify their struggle after the Lok Sabha polls.

The protesters have been sitting on a dharna at the campus gate since March 2. Earlier, they held a chain hunger strike for 25 days, but after getting an assurance from the administration, they called off the strike, but continued with the torch processions and other peaceful methods of protest.

“We will resume the hunger strike and hold a dharna at the main bazaar from May 17,” said president of the Zamindar Youth Committee Maroof Ahmed Bhat, who also alleged that some officials of the varsity with the connivance of local police were trying to disrupt the peaceful movement.

According to them, the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led state government committed job to one member of each family when the land was taken. “We agreed to sell land at prices much lower than the market price as we were promised jobs,” they said.

To spearhead the movement, unemployed youth and students of the area have formed the Bhaderwah Youth Organisation. The organisation has urged the government to fulfill the promises made by the previous regime.

President of the organisation Mudaseer Zargar said, “When we sold land for the campus, the market rate was Rs 15,000 per marla. However, on the promise of jobs, we sold our land at the rate of Rs 7,000 per marla”.

He added, “Now the rates have soared up to Rs 30,000 per marla, but we are feeling cheated as we neither have land nor any jobs”.

Another youth of the area, Naaz Zargar, said, “Out of 212 families which sold land to the government, nearly 90 families are educated. They must be given jobs as the younger generation has no source of livelihood”.

The protesters also rued that when the varsity recruited 45 candidates, only two candidates belonging to the affected families were entertained.

“Such appointments were made under political pressure in violation of the norms,” they alleged, seeking a probe into the recruitment process.

A university official said there was a lot of politics behind the agitation. “Some political parties have been instigating the protesters. Moreover, the farmers have an issue with the state government, not with us,” he added.

Jammu, May 1
The Narwal vegetable and fruit market is one of the dirtiest and filthiest places in Jammu.Its sanitation is being totally ignored by the municipal corporation as well as the business community.

No one bothers about the unhygienic condition of a place, which a businessman finds ideal to sell his products and a consumer finds better for a good bargain.

The cleaning operations are symbolic as nobody seems to own the responsibility for maintaining its hygiene. The place has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Rotten vegetables and fruits are scattered all over the place with cattle moving around and feeding on the garbage.

Ram Pal, a shopkeeper near this market, said, “Jammu is a populous city. Vegetables and fruits are supplied to the city from this mandi.Hence, there is a huge rush here. But due to the shortage of proper space and negligible sanitation it has become a garbage yard.”

“It is the dirtiest place in the city from where a majority of people make purchases every day,” said Mandeep Singh, a resident of the area.

Shiveta Sharma, another resident, said besides the foul smell that comes from the market, the place had become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies.

Expressing disappointment, Parveen Kumar Gupta, president of the mandi, said the condition of sanitation was bad. “It is the duty of the municipal corporation to maintain the cleanliness of the biggest mandi in the city, but they do not bother about it,” alleged Gupta.

He said, “We have engaged private contactors for keeping the place clean, but we do not have garbage bins where we could dump the rotten fruits and vegetable”.

Jammu, May 1
Even as arch rivals PDP and the National Conference (NC) continue to play politics over the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and a cut in the number of troops in militancy-infested Jammu and Kashmir, experts altogether have a different view on the two sensitive issues.

While addressing election rallies in Anantnag, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had promised to solve both issues in six years.

Former DGP MM Khajooria felt that if the ground situation changed in two years from now, it could pave the way for the union government to either revoke the law or come up with a diluted form.

But before taking a final decision, there are certain requirements to be looked into by security experts. “Since we all know that Pakistan is directly aiding and abetting terrorism in the state, armed forces here need special laws to combat terrorism”, said Khajooria.

However, giving powers to armed forces under the AFSPA did not mean that they had been using them on a daily basis, he said, adding that the forces had been using their powers sparingly under special circumstances.

Even Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had said the AFSPA would be reviewed after the LS polls and, if deemed fit, the government might come up with certain amendments to it, he said.

The AFSPA ultimately had to go, Omar told The Tribune recently.

As of now there had been no major concentration of security forces in towns and “we want the state police to be more visible to people on the ground compared to armed forces”, said Omar.

When reminded about Chidambaram’s remarks, he said, “We also want that the AFSPA should be re-looked into after the LS elections.”

A former Army officer, who insisted anonymity, felt that the PDP and the NC had been playing politics to further their interests by raking up the issue every now and then.

In the context of Jammu and Kashmir, the AFSPA and troops would stay here as long as they were required, he said, adding that the political parties must see sensitive issues in the right perspective.

He also referred to increased intrusion bids by militants from the LoC in recent times, saying that Pakistan was desperate to set up violence in the state during the ongoing LS polls.

RS Pura, May 1
Schoolchildren in border villages of the RS Pura tehsil could be the best role models for their contribution to keeping the environment clean.

While in cities, youngsters’ craze for trendy two-wheelers is unmatchable, rural teenagers prefer to paddle a bicycle to reach their destinations. Students belonging to well-off families also prefer the common man’s mode of transport while for many economically backward children bicycle is the only mode.

In forward villages like Fatehpur Brahmana, rows of bicycle riders, a scene usually seen in old Hindi movies, can be spotted. The low vehicular traffic on the roads also adds to the fun of riding a bicycle.

“My parents encouraged me for the bicycle. They believe that paddling will keep me fit,” chuckles Manpreet Kaur, a student of New Public School in RS Pura.

Another student, Raman Kumar of New Public Brilliant Higher Secondary School, says, “It’s a trend here and very few people ride scooters or motorcycles. Since the area is plain, cycling is convenient so every one prefers a bicycle”.

Even parents like to gift their children bicycles. “I got a bicycle on my last birthday while my brother got one when he got the first position in the final exams of class VIII,” disclosed Manik of Dogra Public School.

However, there are other students who do not own a bicycle due to financial constraints. Such students could be spotted traveling on horse-carts.

Most of the schools here also encourage their students for cycling. According to them, as many as 75 per cent of the schoolchildren drawn from villages like Agra Chak, Old Agra Chak, Tokenwali, Hansa Chak, Fateh Pur Brahmna, Koperbasti and Kana Chak are using bicycles as a medium of commuting on a daily basis.

Principal of Dogra Public School Kishore Kumar says, “Primarily, we want to encourage students to help the cause of environment and check air pollution. Secondly, the economic condition of the people is also not very good so they get bicycles for their children”.

“Nevertheless, students don’t feel shy in riding bicycles. They are also encouraged by schools and we have provided parking space to them inside the school premises,” says the principal, adding, “If people all over the world start taking to environment friendly modes of travelling, air pollution could be checked in no time”.

Srinagar, May 1
The fire-fighting mechanism, an important constituent for tackling emergency situations, is missing in most public buildings and hotels across the Kashmir valley. Since no fire Act is in place in the state, the authorities as well as owners of hotels don’t deem it mandatory to put in place the fire-fighting facilities in their establishments.

When a fire breaks out, these people depend on the services offered by the fire and emergency services department. They would wait for fire brigades to douse the flames, but by that time tremendous damage is caused to life and property.

All public buildings and hotels should have an inbuilt fire-fighting facility so that crisis could be mitigated.

Aamir Ali, officer on special duty (OSD), divisional administration, Kashmir, says public buildings are not equipped to tackle fire incidents.

“Basically, there is no fire Act in place and it is not mandatory for people to install fire-fighting equipment in their buildings,” says the OSD, adding, “A proposal in this regard has been put forward to the government and once the law is passed, installing the fire-fighting equipment would be made compulsory”.

“Almost all educational institutions and hospitals lack in fire-fighting facilities. It is not being maintained at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura. Response from the hospital authorities, too, has been poor ,” says Mohammad Akbar Dar, assistant director, fire and emergency services.

Dar says Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital also lacks provision to fight fire. “Sometime ago, a mini fire station was set up at the hospital, but later we were compelled to shift it to a rented accommodation,” he says.

The inbuilt fire-fighting equipment, according to the official, has neither been completed nor properly handed over to the hospital authorities at GB Pant (Children) Hospital. He expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of the inbuilt fire-fighting system at Lal Ded, the only maternity hospital in Kashmir, saying necessary provisions are not being adhered to.

Tagore Hall, hosting cultural events and functions, film festivals and book release and other literary functions is yet to be visited by this official. “Film and drama festivals are often conducted at the Tagore Hall. In the case of any eventuality, fire can break out and cause huge loss,” says Mohammad Ishaq, a theatre lover.

According to Dar, the Government Arts Emporium in Srinagar has external and internal hydrants, but mock drills are missing.

Referring to the fire-fighting facilities available at police stations, hotels and restaurants, the official maintains that the situation is no different.

“Grand Palace hotel has the facility, but it has not been updated in Hotel Centaur,” says Dar, adding, “An ordinary hotel should have a reservoir of 50,000 litres of water and norms would change according to the specifications of the hotel”.

Jammu, May 1
The All-Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA) has hailed the announcement made by Governor NN Vohra to retain the period of the Amarnath yatra for two months i.e. from June 6 to August 6.

They urged that no one should be allowed to undertake the yatra before its official start and all heating devices around the cave shrine should be strictly prohibited till the culmination of the yatra.

Hailing the coming up of the yatra base camp at Bhagwati Nagar in the city, Inderjeet Khajuria, president, AJHLA, demanded that all facilities and infrastructure required by the yatris should be available in single premises.

He also reiterated the demand that Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar should be linked with a wide road with the right side of the Tawi bridge through a high lane along the river’s embankment.

Meanwhile, the association hailed the constitution of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Advisory Committee by the Governor in his capacity as ex-officio chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, in which representatives of the trade organisations connected with tourism and pilgrimage have been nominated as members.

However, they condemned the statement by Brigadier Sucheit Singh, the acting convenor of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti, who criticised the constitution of the Advisory Committee.

Khajuria said for the last two decades, the yatra has become Jammu-centric and the trade bodies of Jammu had been making major contribution to promote the same.

He said during the yatra agitation, the trade organisations of the city had suffered a lot, particularly those who earned some living from pilgrimage.

The hoteliers’ body mentioned that the mandate given by the people of Jammu to the top leaders of the samiti during the yatra agitation was only for a temporary period during the agitation.

Jammu, May 1
“Whom the gods love, die young” goes the aphorism but some bestowed with charismatic persona having dedication towards their profession leave an indelible imprint on the future generations.

To remember senior photojournalist Ashok Sodhi, who died while covering a militant attack in Samba on May 11 last year, the Print and Electronic Cameramen Association today started a cricket tournament in his memory at Parade Ground here.

“Sodhi would be remembered for his contribution to photojournalism by the coming generations, particularly by the media fraternity”, IGP, Jammu zone, K Rajendra said after inaugurating it.

This tournament was a befitting tribute to the man, who dedicated his entire life to photojournalism, said Rajendra.

Apart from trophies by the organisers, the Jammu and Kashmir police would give the prize money of Rs 11,000 to the winning team and Rs 51,000 to the first runner-up, added the IGP.

Jammu Press Club president Manu Shrivatsa also described the tournament as a good initiative by the media fraternity to pay homage to the late Sodhi.

On behalf of the JK News Point, Shrivatsa also announced two cash awards of Rs 1,100 each for the best bowler and the best batsman of the tournament, while Deepak Handa, proprietor of Tiny Tots School, announced a cash prize of Rs 3,100 for the man of the series.

Before falling to a bullet of militants in the Samba encounter, the photojournalist had served a local English daily, “Daily Excelsior”, for nearly three decades.

Giving details of the competition, organisers said 16 teams were in the fray in a shortened version, “Twenty-20”, of the game that would be played on knockout basis. Every day two matches would be played and the final would be held on May 10. The inaugural match started between the Mayank Cricket Club and the Aryan Cricket Club.

Jammu: Tata Teleservices has launched a specialised VAS service for its subscribers to stay connected to the Indian Premier League through their Tata Indicom handsets or Tata Zone.Tata Indicom subscribers can now get live IPL score updates through three different mediums, through SMS, through IVR and through Tata Zone. — TNS