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Most passengers return
Army’s humane face to the fore
Tension over youth’s death |
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Night curfew along border
Help end water crisis in Katra, MLA to Omar
Diabetes claims 580 lives daily in India
Need to tap adventure tourism: Omar
Film show on environment
Hydel policy to be revised: CM
Misappropriation of Funds
Jawan handed over to Army
Polythene ban comes into force
Drive against illegal study centres
Power shutdown
Murder accused arrested
Water supply disruption 200 shopkeepers booked
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Most passengers return
Jammu, May 27 The train services between Jammu and other parts of the country were hampered due to violent clashes in Punjab following the killing a sect leader in Vienna. “It was really a Herculean task for us to evacuate more than 30,000 stranded passengers. But as soon as we got the green light from the security agencies, we managed to send the stranded passengers to their destinations,” said Ashok Sharma, divisional traffic manager, Jammu railway station. He said, “All this was done without injury to any passenger. They had to face delay due to turmoil in Punjab, but we managed to send them back.” Today, the Jammu station presented a deserted look with only a few passengers waiting for their turn to go back as per the schedule. “It was not less than an evacuation exercise for us. We got the active help of the state administration, the Army and various social organisations,” Sharma said. He said he felt relieved after the train services were restored and miseries of the stranded passengers ended. The department got a go ahead from the security agencies last evening and within a few hours around 16 trains were sent from Jammu to their respective destinations. “The first train left at 3 pm and till 12 midnight we managed to send 16 trains with a majority of the stranded passengers on them,” Sharma said. He said that rest of the passengers were sent back this morning on four trains. “The department had to face a loss in the form of refund of the train fares of more than Rs 25 lakh,” Sharma said. |
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Army’s humane face to the fore
Jammu, May 27 The stranded passengers, a majority of whom had come on pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Katra, had thought that the Army was only for war and fighting anti-national elements, but they were amazed to see the timely help of the Army. “As soon as the Army came to know that the passengers were stranded at the Jammu railway station without adequate food and water, the
Tiger Division immediately mobilised and provided much needed relief to the stranded people,” defence spokesperson said. He said the Army established 18 food distribution points and provided hot and packed food to over 12,000 passengers. Nine water tankers were also placed at vantage points near the station for providing water. “We set up community kitchens, provided water and mobile urinal vans for the stranded passengers at the railway station,” GOC of the Jammu-based Tiger
Division Maj Gen K Surender Nath. He said the Army had catered over 12,000 stranded passengers by providing them free dinner, medical facility, water and other such facilities. The railway authorities too extended their gratitude to the Army for their timely help to the stranded passengers. “We are thankful to the Army for their timely help to the stranded passengers. Their helped made a lot of difference for us. They provided meals, medical facility and other services free of cost for the passengers,” Ashok Sharma, divisional traffic manager, Jammu railway station, said. |
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Tension over youth’s death
Srinagar, May 27 Scores of youths took to roads in areas like Safa Kadal, Nowhatta, Kowdara and Gojwara to condemn Arif Ayub’s (22) death, raising pro-azadi and Islamic slogans. The situation had been tense since morning and the police and the CRPF were largely on the defensive as stones pelted by protesters landed on them. CRPF spokesperson Prabhakar Tripathy said there were “minor incidents” of violence. Official sources said at least 10 persons ( 25, according to IANS) including security personnel, were injured. Separatist politicians also joined the protest and hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani asked the people to carry out a torchlight protest in the evening. “Arif’s death is another life martyred by Indian forces in their attempts to crush pro-freedom protests. But like every previous death, it would only further fuel our youths’ sentiments,” he claimed. The police has put him under house arrest to prevent him from disturbing the law and order situation.
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Night curfew along border
Jammu, May 27 He said the restriction on movement of civilians during night hours from 10 pm to 6 am was necessary to check infiltration, smuggling of arms, ammunition as also likelihood of infiltration by the militants from across the border. Farmers were also advised to finish the work in fields before sunset and not venture out. The international border touches Jammu district from Kathu to Palanwala in Akhnoor, from where the LoC starts. Restriction on movement is always in place along the LoC. The movement of civilians during night hours is likely to confuse the troops deployed there and also endanger lives of innocent people. Sources said: “Infiltration bids are highest during summer time. Moreover, due to crops, forest cover and bushes, the armed forces on 24-hour vigil often fails to differentiate between a militant or their sympathiser and farmers, due to which the night curfew is imposed.”
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Help end water crisis in Katra, MLA to Omar
Jammu, May 27 “There is an acute scarcity of water in Katra. Water required for a floating population of over one crore in Katra is 20 lakh gallons per day against the present supply of 3.5 lakh gallons,” he said. The state and Union governments had found a solution to the problem by initiating “Dhansar project” at a cost of Rs 73 crore, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year. “As a temporary arrangement, I approached Union Minister for Railway Lalu Yadav with a suggestion to pump in 10 lakh gallons of surplus water,” he said. The railway authorities accepted this suggestion, but with a pre-condition that the pumping system to be installed at the railway reservoir at Serli to service the reservoir at Hansali shall be provided by the state government out of its own resources, he added. The Chief Minister had agreed to release the required Rs 1.28 crore for Katra, he said. The BJP leader, however, said to meet the situation the state government should expedite work on the Dhansar project, besides adopting temporary arrangements so as to avoid hardships to the people of Katra, including lakhs of pilgrims.
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Diabetes claims 580 lives daily in India
Srinagar, May 27 These views were expressed by renowned doctors during a day-long health awareness programme on ‘lifestyle diseases’ here at the Sher-e Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, (SKIMS) yesterday. “Fifty per cent of deaths in India occur due to cardio-vascular problems,” said Dr Khurshid Iqbal. He said people should limit time with respect to television, computer and video so that they utilise the same in productive activities. Dr Abdul Hamid Zargar, Director, SKIMS, said out of eight patients only one had respectable control over high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. “The lifestyle of people has changed and many diseases relating to lifestyle have emerged.” The director said, “Their success rate is as dismal as the effect of the message carried out in form of an advertisement in the electronic media regarding smoking being injurious to health. On the contrary, the advertisers become richer. If actually brakes are to be applied anywhere, we have to make the youth aware about such things.” He advocated for creating an appropriate lifestyle and warned that “most deaths in future would be due to cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.” Dr Zargar said 3,600 cases of diabetes were diagnosed every 24 hours in India. “India is known as the diabetes capital of the world. Where are we heading to,” he asks, adding, “Women are more prone to diabetes than men.” Dr Shariq Masoodi, a faculty member in the endocrinology department of the SKIMS, said prevention was the best cure with respect to lifestyle disorders like diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Tracing causes of hypertension, he said the family history, age, race, obesity, smoking and lack of physical activity were the risk factors. Students from Islamia College, Srinagar, also took part in the programme. Queries were put to the panel at the end of the programme.
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Need to tap adventure tourism: Omar
Udhampur, May 27 After starting skiing in Gulmarg and other parts of the Kashmir valley, the authorities have diverted their attention towards the famous track of Udhampur to to promote adventure tourism. As a first step towards reviving adventure tourism, a batch of 43 trekkers for heritage trekking expedition was flagged off by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from PG College, Udhampur, yesterday. The trekking expedition is being organised by the Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI) with the collaboration of the Tourism and Education Departments and the district administration, Udhampur. The 39-km expedition starting from Panchari to Mantalai will pass through the picturesque sites of Shankri Devata, Nathatop, Patnitop, Gouikund and the Sudhmahadev area. The Chief Minister said the state had a huge potential for adventure tourism due to its varied topography and climatic conditions and it was the need of the hour to tap this sector to transform the socio-economic conditions of people of the state. He called upon the trekkers to carry a social message and take care of environment cleanliness along the expedition routes.
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Film show on environment
Leh, May 27 The theme of the festival is “Quotes from earth-travelling film festival series”. Organised by the Forest Department and the State Pollution Control Board, Leh, in collaboration with Delhi-based NGO-Toxic Link, eight films covering different environmental issues ranging from climate change, energy efficiency and environment protection were screened at the auditorium hall today. Divisional forest officer, Leh, Dr B Balaji said eight more films on environmental issues would be screened tomorrow and a drawing and painting competition for schoolchildren on environment issues would also be held in the coming days.
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Hydel policy to be revised: CM
Srinagar, May 27 The Chief Minister called for better coordination between different agencies for completion of all power projects in a time-bound manner. He has also reduced time frame for the completion of all ongoing projects by one year and stressed the need for indigenous power generation to meet the requirements of the state. The Chief Minister said the State Hydel Policy of 2003 would be revised and made progressive in view of the future requirements of power development in the state. He was informed that some of the projects under the IPP Phase-1 were awaiting Indus Water Treaty clearances. The meeting also decided that the Power Development Department would initiate process for drawing up the Wheeling and Banking Agreement as well as the Power Purchase Agreement with the developer in case of the Athwatoo Hydel Project in Bandipora district after remaining clearances were obtained.
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Misappropriation of Funds
Srinagar, May 27 The chargesheet presented in the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption here yesterday named Mohammad Ramzan Bhat, then District Panchayat Officer (DPO), Kupwara, Mohammad Munawar Lone, then senior assistant, DPO Office (Kupwara), Ghulam Nabi Shah, then block development officer, Ramhal (Kupwara) and Shamasdin Shah, daily wage worker, DPO, Kupwara. Javid Ahmad War, Leader of Chinar Self-help Group Bohipora, Kupwara, and Tahira Begum, Leader of Self Help Group Bohipora, Kupwara, are the two others. Investigations revealed the officials of the Rural Development Department purchased store items for centrally sponsored Total Sanitation Programme in Kupwara. They fabricated records and misused official position to give undue benefit to the local self-help groups and suppliers, he said. —
PTI |
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Jawan handed over to Army
Jammu, May 27 The trio, including a soldier of the Territorial Army, Bahadur Khan, were picked up by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police following inputs that they had come to Jammu to receive a militant in the Tanda area of Akhnoor sector. The militant was supposed to infiltrate via the heavily-guarded international border in Akhnoor sector. Talking to The Tribune, IG, Jammu zone, K Rajendra said no incriminating material had been found from the jawan, who was handed over to his Army unit today. He was on a bona fide duty and at no point of time he was arrested, said the IG. He was picked up because two suspects were with him, said Rajendra. As far as two others were concerned, investigations were on, he said while refusing to give further details. Official sources said, an SOG team had picked up Bahadur Khan (posted in Mahore), Abdul Rashid of Mahore and Adish Hussain of Doda from Tanda, where they had gone purportedly to help a militant sneak into India. They said the two other suspects were still in the custody of Satwari police. A couple of years ago, a militant identified as Farooq Ahmed of Mahore had crossed over to Pakistan for arms training, the sources said, adding that he was related to Abdul Rashid.
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Polythene ban comes into force Jammu, May 27 The government has issued a notification to various departments asking them to gear up to face challenges on the environmental front. “The Deputy Chief Minister chaired a meeting recently, wherein he stressed upon creating awareness among people and stakeholders,” said Deputy Commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari. He added, “The manufacturing of polythene bags gets automatically banned with the implementation of new Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO). The existing stock of polythene bags would be phased out within six months.” “The administration has been taking the help of NGOs and the media to make people aware of environmental commitments and need to use paper or cloth bags,” he added. Under the law, district magistrates or deputy commissioners or any other officer nominated by the government shall enforce the law, besides acting as a facilitator and guide in the matter of dealing with the non-biodegradable material. The Act asks owners and occupants of all premises to place two separate containers specified by the municipal authority for the collection of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
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Drive against illegal study centres
Jammu, May 27 As many as 30 members of the JURSEA distributed pamphlets to students in order to make them aware about illegal study centres. JURSEA state president Vikas Sharma said the JURSEA team would go to all districts of the Jammu region and distribute pamphlets to the college students.
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Power shutdown
Jammu, May 27 Similarly, to carry out interconnection of 33 KV outgoing feeders from 50 MVA, 132/33 KV newly constructed Grid Station Mahanpur, the power supply to Basohli, Mahanpur, Bhoond, Bani and Lowang shall remain affected tomorrow from 6 am to 2 pm.
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Murder accused arrested
Jammu, May 27 Official sources said Jeet Raj along with his brother Kuldeep Singh and their third accomplice Ravi Kumar had set on fire Kailash Acharya of Arnia on June 1, 2006 over a trivial dispute relating to construction of a culvert
in front of their shops in Arnia. Earlier, the deceased in his statement had named the three accused. Though Kuldeep Singh and Ravi Kumar were arrested within few days of the crime, Jeet Raj had been on the run since June 1, 2006. |
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station, following the cancellation of more than 19 trains due to violent protests in parts of neighbouring Punjab, saw a new face of the security forces, which was gentle and extended a helping hand.
of a youth, who succumbed to his injuries received a week back when a tear gas shell fired by the security forces hit his face, and a curfew-like situation prevailed in many parts. 
