Leh/Srinagar, May 17
The bitter defeat of the Congress candidate at the hands of a National Conference rebel in Ladakh has been the only sore point for the Congress-NC alliance which has otherwise won the other five seats.

“I have been betrayed by my own family members,” P. Namgyal, the Congress candidate, said of his loss to NC rebel Ghulam Hassan Khan, who projected himself as an NC’s man and bagged a majority of the Muslim votes.

The Congress camp in Ladakh was livid over the NC leadership’s soft-pedalling of Khan’s candidature as despite their public utterances in favour of Namgyal they took no disciplinary measure against Khan, sending a message that he was its man.

Those acquainted with the political profile of Ladakh say it was inevitable that some strong Muslim candidate would try to consolidate Muslim votes, who are close to 52 per cent against 48 per cent Buddhists, as the two communities, mostly concentrated in Leh and Kargil districts, have long been rival political groups.

A senior NC leader said Khan, a former MP is NC’s most towering leader in Ladakh, would finally return to the party fold and his victory was as good for the NC-Congress alliance as Namgyal’s victory would have been. “It’s a virtual 6-0 score in our favour,” he said.

Congress leaders had propped up Asgar Ali Karbalie, another leading political figure in Kargil, to cut Muslim votes going to Khan. By bagging 24,498 votes, Karbalie almost did the trick for Namgyal but he failed to stop the division of votes in his own backyard as Ladakh Union Territory Front candidate Thinless Angmo walked away with 22,717 votes, mostly Buddhists from Leh. In the end, Namgyal ended up with 29,017 against Khan’s 32,017 votes.

Political observers say a major positive aspect of Ladakh’s election has been the scoring of political forces over the clergy.

The constituency has seen in the past that religious rhetoric decided the political choices of Muslim and Buddhist voters, silencing all opposition. If Buddhist groups completely abstained from the political process in Leh, rival religious bodies in Kargil threw their weight behind different candidates, avoiding any religion polarisation in favour of one candidate.

Jammu, May 17
The National Students Union of India (NSUI) today celebrated the victory of the UPA in the general elections 2009 and the winning of two seats of the Jammu region by the party candidates Madan Lal Sharma and Choudhary Lal Singh with a reasonable margin of votes.

NSUI activists banged drums and danced to the tunes of patriotic songs like “yeh desh hai veer jawano ka” in various busy chowks and streets like Dogra Chowk and Jewel Chowk of the city.

Activists were holding the portraits of Congress president Sonia Gandhi; Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and of Rahul Gandhi. They shared their happiness with the people by offering them sweets.

Speaking on the occasion, Rashid Choudhary, president of the state unit of the NSUI, described the UPA’s victory as the victory of secular India, peace and development of the country.

He said people of the country and of the state have expressed a huge faith in the plans and programmes of the UPA government and in the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi; and of Rahul Gandhi, the hope of a young India.

Adding, he said the NSUI would take up all issues related to education, including the fast establishment of IIM and central university, with the UPA government through the two MPs for proper solutions.

Rashid also revealed that the NSUI would urge the young MPs to formulate a special policy for the youth and students of the state.

Udhampur, May 17
Infighting in the faction-ridden BJP is likely to be intensified after the humiliating defeat of Dr Nirmal Singh from the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat as a group within the party has worked openly against the party candidate. Bickering was going in the party from the day one after Dr Nirmal Singh was fielded from this Lok Sabha seat.

Stunned by the defeat, Dr Nirmal Singh’s supporters have started pointing fingers at dissidents for the debacle.

“We lost the elections due to sabotage by a section of party leaders and workers,” a senior leader said and observed that defeat of Nirmal Dr Singh was the victory of a BJP group. He disclosed that even during electioneering they had brought the matter to the notice of the high command, but the party leadership failed to rein in the dissidents.

Sources close to the defeated BJP candidate disclosed that they would expose all those “black sheep” who were in connivance with the Congress candidate.

The defeated candidate was also not satisfied with the performance of sitting MLAs. Although the BJP has maintained lead on the seats represented by party MLAs, margins on these segments were not on expected lines. Furthermore, some leaders, who are known to be closed to a veteran party stalwart, reportedly sabotaged the party candidate’s winning chances.

Since the beginning of the election campaign for the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, the BJP was confronting infighting. Four MLAs had raised a banner of revolt against the party decision to field Dr Nirmal Singh because they wanted the mandate for Anil Gupta, son of BJP veteran Chaman Lal Gupta. Though these annoyed MLAs were placated after the intervening of senior leaders, infighting continued till polling.

Jammu, May 17
After the two consecutive wins by both Congress candidates from the two parliamentary constituencies in the Jammu region, demand for a Cabinet berth for one of them is being raised.

The only Congress MP from the region to remain a Cabinet Minister was Dr Karan Singh who had won twice from the Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency in the early and late 70s. The second one was former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, but he had never contested any election in the state earlier.

Though BJP’s Chaman Lal Gupta, who represented Udhampur-Doda in the Parliament twice, was made a Minister of State for defence in the BJP-led NDA government, but every time the Congress came into power no Lok Sabha member from the region made it to the Cabinet .

The Congress cadre is trying to built pressure on Union Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz, who is also the state unit chief, to request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to take one of the MPs from Jammu into the Cabinet.

Madan Lal Sharma and Lal Singh, Congress candidates from Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda , respectively, have retained their respective seats for the second term.

Jammu, May 17
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who once shared stage with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for being a part of the Congress-led UPA government, today stands alone as her party has been wiped out from the national political scene.

Even though the PDP last year withdrew its support from the Congress-led government in the state, it continued to support the UPA government at the Centre.

However, irked over the recent tie-up between Congress and the NC after the last year Assembly elections that led to the formation of the new coalition, the PDP finally decided to withdraw its support from the Congress-led UPA government.

In the recently held elections, the PDP had fielded its candidates from all six parliamentary constituencies in the state. However, this time the party could not open its account and even lost the Anantnag seat that was held by the party earlier.

Though the PDP has attributed its debacle in the parliamentary elections to the low-voter turnout that it termed has helped the ruling coalition in the valley, the party failed to even retain a single seat, besides losing the byelections in the two Assembly seats in the state.

The PDP had fielded its bigwigs in the elections, but they failed to perform on the expected lines of the party and resulted in a stunning victory to the ruling coalition in the state.

Srinagar, May 17
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that the coming five and a half years of his government would be dedicated to public cause and allround development of the state would be the guiding factor for governance.

He said the return of the UPA to power at the Centre was a good omen for peace and development in the state.

He was addressing a large gathering of people that had come to his Gupkar residence here today to felicitate him on the victory of the NC-Congress alliance in the parliamentary elections in the state.

He expressed his gratitude to the people for reposing faith in the ruling NC-Congress alliance and said the landslide victory of the coalition in the state was a clear verdict of the people against the policies of divide and rule.

He said the people in the state were confronted with various problems on account of employment, road connectivity, water and power supply and restoration of lasting peace. “The government would do its best to address all these issues,” he added.

Omar said for the permanent peace, political stability and sustained development, all issues pertaining to the state need urgent focus for amicable solution. “Our government would take concrete steps toward this direction,” he added.

Jammu, May 17
The ambitious plan for a new terminal building for Jammu Airport which will involve 1,300 kanals of land, extending up to Vikram Chowk, near Tawi river, has got stuck due to a chunk of 145 kanals of Defence land en route.

G Chandermouli, former director of AAI who was deeply involved in the project with Azad said, “Initially the Defence authorities did not agree for the transfer of the land, but they finally did to see the larger perspective of welfare of the state, but hit the roadblock by asking a freehold or revenue land where they can relocate their assets.

One such 180 kanals of land has been identified at Sujwan, in Jammu, but the Army had its reservation since it was a forest land. It wanted a freehold or revenue land.”

Putting further light on the matter, Capt S Katoch, director, Civil Aviation, said, “The government too has crossed over the complication of adhering with the directions of the Supreme Court in such matter of clearing Forest land for public use. The state forest department too has agreed to clear the forest from Sujwan land to amenable for defence settlement.

The project, which was the brainchild of former CM Ghulam Nabi Azad, stuck a bottle neck after his government fell. The new government which too has the Congress as a coalition partner shown interest in the plan but could not devote time to it due to the Assembly and parliamentary elections. A meeting was held recently to study the blueprint prepared by the earlier government.

District commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari who gave a quick go-ahead to the project at his level says, “My office being at initiator’s level, moved it fast further to the state revenue department.

But it won’t be a cakewalk to get it done as the stringent law of the SC’s directions are involved, then crores of rupees will have to be invested to clear the land.”

Now the ball lies in the divisional commissioner’s office who have to set it rolling to get the land cleared by writing to the chief conservator forest, then the matter will move up to the approval of the state Empower Committee, headed by the chief secretary to CM. It will then direct the forest department to clear the land which will then finally be handed over to the Army.

Divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal said the approval of matter had been taken from the State Empower Committee but it was found out that the file had yet to move from his office.

Jammu, May 17
The J&K States Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has recommended a woman doctor for all district jails in Jammu division. It has also asked the government for providing better facilities to child inmates, besides transport facilities to undertrials, to appear before the court on fixed dates.

The commission proposes for a woman doctor along with a female attendant in all district jails at Udhampur, Kotebhalwal and Kathua. It maintains that there were complaints from people that the inmates, especially women and children, were faced with lack of basics facilities.

However, in district jail, Kathua, the annual report of commission said there was not even a single doctor placed on duty for the healthcare of thousands of inmates.

Acting-chairperson of the commission Habibullah Bhat has already conveyed suggestions to the commissioner secretary, law, in this regard.

“Children housed in jails with their parents need special attention so that they are not treated as prisoners. Their schooling and upbringing with up-to-date recreation should be ensured as per the guidelines of the apex court,” the report sought.

The report further maintains that the jail inmates don’t have sufficient arrangements for recreation besides cooling facility during the summer. It further says: “Vocational training should be introduced as several inmates are young and have lot of scope for acquiring avenues for earning.”

Citing common complaint of the jail inmates, the report said the undertrials were not being taken to the courts on given dates. The commission said: “It is serious violation of the law that infringes the scope of human rights.”

It has solicited that the district administration, especially the SSPs, should be directed to provide transport facilities to the respective jails so that undertrials were produced before the court of law. It maintained that some prisoners were being punished without trails.

The commission further proposes floriculture and vegetable cultivation in jails, besides improvement in sanitation and renovation.

Jammu, May 17
As many as seven persons were injured after falling in open manholes in Camp Gole Gujral on the outskirts of the city last week. The Tribune had highlighted the problem in its columns recently.

Mann Kaur, 75, suffered a fracture in her right foot and other injuries when she fell in a manhole on Thursday evening.

Six other persons, including two minor children and two women, fell in the manholes last week. Several calves and buffaloes had died after falling in open manholes in the past few months. These manholes had also caused several road accidents. Almost all manholes had been without lids for the past several years.

Talking to The Tribune, Mann Kaur said, “Around 8 pm, I went to the camp market to purchase medicines. In the absence of streetlights, I fell in a drain. The camp residents rescued me and took me to the Government Medical Hospital.”

Gurmeet Singh, an area resident, said, “In the absence of streetlights, a number of road accidents occur every month. These manholes are causing problems for commuters constantly.”

The residents alleged that they had brought the problem to the notice of the area sarpanch, but nothing had been done.

While expressing ignorance about Wednesday’s incident, sarpanch Darminder Singh said he had raised the matter with the authorities concerned several times, but no one paid heed to him.

However, he assured that he would get all manholes covered immediately by utilising development funds of around Rs 2-3 lakh.

Meanwhile, Gurmeet Kaur, Block Development Officer (BDO), could not be contacted for comments. 

Srinagar, May 17
Expressing hope that Kashmiri youth would follow the suit of setting up their business units, Dr AS Rao, advisor, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, on Saturday said his ministry had so far helped 300 innovators across India in starting their own venture.

Delivering his address at the innovators meet organised by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell and the Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network, Dr Rao said he would ideally like Kashmiri youth to come forward and create self-employment by setting up their own units.

“This is the age of competition and at the same time the government is also not in a position to provide jobs to everyone. We are here to support you for setting up innovative units aimed at discovering new things and we can provide grants to such people who want to come forward in this respect,” said Dr Rao.

The advisor says that Kashmiri innovators can create battery-operated rickshaws which can reduce pollution level in the valley. “Kashmir is known for its beauty and it is necessary that this place is made pollution free. The battery-operated rickshaws would help a lot and I wish someone comes up and creates such rickshaws,” 
he says.

Prof Reyaz Punjabi, Vice-Chancellor (VC), University of Kashmir, said if youth follow their dreams they could attain heights like Dhirubhai Ambani.

“We are constantly struggling with type of courses which will provide employment to young students and this skill development programme is a innovative kind of programme. We have scientific instrumentation centre at the university and the same would provide all technical expertise to the youth who wish to set up their own units.

The VC said it was important that launching and marketing of inventions is done at a proper manner so that results lead to some benefit for the people. “This would introduce products to people and entrepreneurs would earn good benefits,” he added.

Some innovations were also displayed on the occasion.

Nowshera (Rajouri), May 17
Not caring two hoots for various rules fixed by the Directorate of School Education (DSE) for recognition of private-run schools, seven schools are functioning in Nowshera and its adjoining areas of Laam Ladoka without any statutory permission.

“There are seven such schools in Nowshera and on its peripheries, including Laam Ladoka, which are running without any statutory permission from the DSE. It is a nexus between the DSE and the authorities so they don’t even care to apply for the permission.

The management of these schools are playing with the future of students. These schools don’t even have an infrastructure for running classes,” a local resident said.

“It is the responsibility of the directorate to ensure that such schools are closed and the future of the students is not put at stake,” he added.

An illiterate farmer, whose child is a studying in a private-run school in Nowshera, don’t even know that his ward is studying in a school which is not having a statutory permission and whose school leaving certificate is not valid.

“They admitted my son in the school after filling the admission form and have even given me the fee receipt,” he said.

Kuldeep Kumar Gupta, Chief Education Officer, said: “We will lodge an FIR against the management of these schools and get these schools closed if these allegations are found correct.”

“We have reports that some schools who have got permission for running upto class V, run schools for upto class VIII. We are identifying such schools and will take action,” CEO assured.