The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Samba farmers on the verge of starvation Tejinder Singh Sodhi Tribune News Service Pangdor (Zero line), July 19 For the past more than 15 days, the two hours of wait for the half an hour electricity supply for 75-year old Ramesh Lal, a resident of Pangdor village of Samba district, seems to be a never ending affair as everyday he has to walk several kilometres from the village to reach his farmland located at a distance of a stone’s throw from the Indo-Pakistan International Border. Every morning Ramesh Lal leaves his house in the hope that electricity would come and he would operate his bore well to irrigate his seven Kanals of farmland where he cultivates paddy, but due to non availability of water supply his entire paddy crop has started to wilt. “I don’t know what to do; my entire crop is wilting due to non availability of water,” Ramesh Lal said. Marred by the erratic irrigation system, failed monsoon and the poor supply of electricity the farmers in the border district of Samba are a worried lot as their entire paddy crop is wilting as they could not get adequate water supply for the irrigation of their farmland. Due to the tedious lending process of the banks, majority of the farmers in the belt had taken credit from private financiers against the hefty interest rates, but now the farmers are worried as they don’t expect any crop this year. “We are worried as how can we repay the debt, the entire crop is dying, the sowing of the seed was already delayed by more than one month, but now no hope is insight for us,” said Mohinder Singh a farmer of Suchethgarh in Samba. “If the crop fails we would be left with no option but to starve, the government should declare it a drought and should give us some compensation,” said Ramesh Lal. State Irrigation Minister Taj Mohiudin said, “The Punjab government has betrayed us by passing a legislation of cancelling all water sharing agreement, if they give us water from Shahpur Kandi barrage than we could irrigate our entire farmland and can surpass Punjab by becoming food bowl of India.”
	SAD (A) urges Hillary to take up rights violations Tribune News Service Jammu, July 19 Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann today emphasised upon the visiting US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to put up the case of human rights violations in Kashmir valley. “Our party welcomes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to India and makes a request that honouring human rights is a commitment of the Obama administration, we bring to her notice that the Indian forces are violating human rights in the valley. Thus, she should strongly put up the case of human rights violence to the Indian government,” Mann said while addressing media in Jammu. He said his party also wanted to bring into the notice of Hillary Clinton when former US president Bill Clinton visited South Asia in 2000, 36 Kashmiri Sikhs were massacred in cold blood in Chittisinghpura village of Kashmir valley. “Later president Clinton writing a forward in his Secretary of State Madeline Albrights memories wrote that ‘Hindu terrorists had massacred the Sikhs’. Though the perpetrators of this carnage have been identified, neither the Vajpayee nor the Manmohan Singh government have done anything to bring the ‘Hindu Terrorists’ to book,” he said. “Our party condemns the Shopian incident and the detention of Kashmiri leaders, including Sayed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and many others who were detained by the state government under draconian laws,” Mann said. He strongly pleaded for the peaceful and democratic solution to Kashmir problem and said his party support the UN Security Council resolution. Repeating his demand of sovereign Sikh state, Mann said it was the only way to the peace in South Asia.
	Soz’s detractors seek his ouster Tribune News Service Jammu, July 19 The problems for the president of the Pradesh Congress Party, Saif-ud-Din Soz, are not coming to an end. Some senior Congress leaders had levelled serious allegations of embezzlement of election funds on him and said they met AICC President Sonia Gandhi and apprised her about the matter. These dissidents have demanded for removal of Soz to maintain unity in the party in state. Abdul Wakil, rebel leader, said Sonia Gandhi had assured them that she would look into the matter in the interest of the party. When asked why these leaders took such a long time in arraigning Soz for misappropriation of funds after the elections, Mohammad Aslam, another senior party leader, said: “Earlier we were keeping quiet to maintain unity in the party, but now everything has gone haywire. Congress leader Chib got ‘ministry’ in Cabinet expansion for being loyal to Soz so what else is left now? We have now come in open to take up this issue as we want a stronger Congress now. We held a meeting of the Congress Legislature yesterday and decided to meet the PM tomorrow to apprise him about the matter.” However, Congress senior vice-president slammed Aslam for creating indiscipline in the party by spreading false allegations against Soz.
	Pattern of class XII question papers changed Sunaina Kaul Tribune News Service Jammu, July 19 The state Board of School Education (BOSE) has introduced changes in the existing pattern of question papers for the Class XII. Now the students need not to be worry for their multiple-choice question (MCQ) paper as from this year onwards students would now get only descriptive question paper during their examination. The multiple-choice question paper would be merged with descriptive paper and its marks would be proportionally distributed in long-answer type, short-answer type, very short-answer type and objective-type questions. “The MCQ paper, which was earlier taken separately for 15 minutes of the examination, would not appear in the examination from the ensuing annual session (regular) October- November (2009) in case of Kashmir division and March-April session (2010) in case of Jammu division and subsequent private examinations of the Board,” Dr. Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, secretary, BOSE, said. Dr. Ahmad said it had been realised by the Board that by merging multiple-choice question paper with descriptive paper, the board could evaluate the knowledge of the student better. He said the changes had been introduced on the bases of recommendations of the expert committee, which recommended that the mechanism of administering the multiple-choice questions for Class XII students as a separate entity was a time-consuming process. Henceforth, there would be only descriptive paper comprising Paper A and B for Class XII and no separate multiple-choice question paper in any subject of any discipline for the said class,” Dr. Ahmad said. He said this change had been introduced to improve the existing quality of the education. The duration of the examination would remain the same and 15 minutes previously given for MCQs would be made available for the newly designed descriptive question paper, he said.
	Two youths bring hope to village of silence Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Gandoh (Doda), July 19 Two local youth have rekindled a ray of hope among inhabitants of Dhadkai, the remotest village of Doda district, which is known for having highest number of deaf and dumb. Nestled in the high mountains on the right side of the Puldoda-Gandoh road, each of 48 families of this village have at least one deaf and dumb member. The ever increasing number of deaf and dumb has reached to 92 as some more cases were detected among newborn children during the past two months. Fed up with the repeated assurances of the successive governments as well as of the social organisations, people of this village pinned their hopes on the two youth of their village, who after getting special training from National Institute of Mental Handicapped, returned to their native place to change the lives of the residents of this mountainous hamlet. Jan Mohammad and Ali Mohammad, who completed their training in June this year, have opened a school for the rehabilitation of deaf and dumb population. With the help of an NGO, both were selected by the Army and sent to Hyderabad for a special training to become instructor for deaf and dumb. In the school, both instructors would impart special education to the deaf and dumb through an exclusive language and style. “We hope that they will bring some changes,” sarpanch of Dhadkai village Mohammad Hanief said. He said: “Except promises nothing concrete has been done by the authorities so far to solve our problem.” Four family members of Hanief are suffering from this congenital defect. Though some “efforts” were taken by the government to ascertain cause of this congenital defect, nothing concrete has been done so far. Three years ago, a team of scientists and doctors came from AIIMS, New Delhi, to study this village’s case, but no conclusive findings have been made public yet. Nek Mohammad, local social activist, hoped that the youth trained by the Hyderabad institute would someway change the fate of the physically challenged people. He praised the Army for imparting training to the youth at Hyderabad. A camp was held in March 2008, for the selection. Out of total 30 participants, only two of them were selected for the special training. Nek Mohammed, whose three brothers are deaf and dumb, demanded a special economic package for such physically challenged persons.
	Swiss expert roped in to push skiing in Gulmarg Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 19 The state government is seeking international expertise to promote heli-skiing and other adventure sports in Gulmarg to attract high-end foreign tourists to the state. Tourism minister Nawang Rigzin Jora said the government is taking help of well-known Swiss skier Sylvain Saudon to explore possibilities of kick-starting heli skiing in the famous health resort here. Accompanied by minister of state for tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani, Jora visited Gulmarg along with Saudon and helda meeting with senior officials to push the project. Saudon said Gulmarg offered great opportunities for heli-skiing, but international standard infrastructure was needed to attract tourists. An official spokesperson said Saudon was an adventurous skier who had been cited thrice in the Guinness Book of World Records for his daredevilry. At 73, he remains a frequent traveller to Kashmir he has been visiting Kashmir for over two decades. The Swiss skier advised the laying of a carpet for beginner skiers at Koungdori, 2.5 km gandola ride from Gulmarg, if they have to be groomed to the intermediate level. He said the place was ideal for heli-skiing.
	Chopper service for Sheshnag pilgrims Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 19 With the stage set for launching a helicopter service from Pahalgam to Panchtarni, traditional route of yatra starting from July 22, the Amamrnath board has decided to offer chopper-borne “parikrama”of the holy Sheshnag. A spokesperson said it would be an important element of the new helicopter service on the traditional route. “The board took the decision in deference to the wishes of certain sections of the pilgrims who, for various reasons like old-age and physical disability, cannot undertake the arduous track tohave darshan of holy Sheshnag on the way to the holy cave. The pilgrims would have the opportunity of flying over Mahagunas and Pissu Tops,” he said.
	Blood samples of arrested cops taken Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 19 The special investigating team (SIT) probing the alleged rape and murder of two Shopian women took all four arrested cops to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Registrar’s office to collect their blood samples last night. The SIT’s decision took the families of the cops by surprise and some of them also registered their protest. Two seniormost arrested cops, suspended SP Javed Iqbal and DSP Rohit Baskotra, have already moved the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision of asking the SIT to collect their blood samples for DNA profiling. The SC will hear their appeal tomorrow and many said the SIT decided to take their samples to speed up its probe and do its part before the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Barin Ghosh meets on July 23 for the next hearing. The SIT took all four cops to the Registrar’s office around 9 pm where their blood samples were taken.
	Mobiles banned in schools, colleges Tribune News Service Srinagar, July 19 The state government has banned mobile phones in government educational institutions. The ban will be strictly imposed henceforth and stern action taken against the violators, Education Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed said. The decision had been taken in the light of rampant use of mobile phones, especially among students, and its use becomes more rife in the higher classes. Sayeed also stressed the importance girl education in the contemporary world and said women have to brought on par with men for the holistic growth of society. “How can we talk of equality of status when more than half our women are illiterate?” asked Peerzada.
	Vohra interacts with NCC cadets Our Correspondent Leh, July 19 Governor NN Vohra visited Leh today and interacted with the NCC cadets participating in the ongoing All-India Special Integration Camp at Leh. Addressing the cadets, the Governor said, “By organising the NCC camp in Ladakh, the cadets able to see closely the operations of the Army at the frontier region, one of India’s difficult frontier.” Vohra described the Jammu and Kashmir as diversified and multi-coloured state which was a symbol of integration and harmony for the nation and added that holding such camp with the participation of cadets from all states and the union territories would further play a vital role to promote nationalism and patriotism among the youth. About 200 NCC cadets from all parts of the country are participating in the camp which started on July 11. Expressing his hope for career opportunity to the girl cadets in the Armed Forces, he stressed that women could serve in the Armed Forces in non-combative element. The Governor said, “Ladakh need special attention in developments. Its connectivity should be improved through construction of all weather roads and tunnelling at the Zojila pass on the Leh-Srinagar national high way,” he told the mediapersons on the sideline of the camp. He distributed awards to the winners of the national integration camps competition to the Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Maharastra NCC directorates for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize, respectively. Earlier, chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, called on the Governor about the developmental issues in the district and discussed about the potentiality of the geothermal power project, hydro project and posting of doctors and engineers in the district.
	Col who ensured dignified return of Kargil martyrs New Delhi, July 19 The nation went through a turmoil during the Kargil war in which over 500 soldiers were killed but imagine the shock to their families had the bodies been handed over in the torn and mutilated condition caused by intense fighting. Thanks to the untiring efforts of Col S Bhattacharya and his team, most of the bodies reached the family members quite intact and properly embalmed. "Handing over the bodies to their respective families in that mutilated state would have been an act of disrespect and ingratitude towards the deed done by the deceased. At the same time, it would have created an outrage among the people and the families who would receive them," Col Bhattacharya, now head of the department of lab sciences, Army Hospital, Research and Referral, here, said. Almost all bodies of the Kargil martyrs that came for embalming at the Army's mortuary in Jammu and Kashmir, were badly disfigured, he said. "Some bodies had smashed faces, many had flesh and bone missing from their limbs and the skin hanging from the waist or shoulder. In many others, organs in the abdomen area like liver, kidney and intestine were popping out," Bhattacharya said. "The biggest challenge was to put together the bodies that were beheaded. Probably, the enemy had carried the heads away with them," Bhattacharya recalled. Embalming would have been difficult had these bodies were not put in shape as the blood vessels were torn and would not contain the solution for preserving them, he said. Bhattacharya and his team of seven technicians conducted surgery on such bodies. In some cases, they created many missing organs using cotton and plaster of Paris while in other cases, damaged organs were repaired. "As far as I can remember, we reconstructed nearly 300 bodies," Bhattacharya said. "I remember a commando who came bringing six corpses for embalming. After the process, he accompanied the bodies till Jammu. One day, his body, too, came for reconstruction at the mortuary," Col Bhattacharya recalled. An expert in body reconstruction and embalming, Colonel Bhattacharya has been invited by many institutions in the past 10 years to share his expertise. — PTI
	Five pilgrims die Srinagar, July 19 Two elderly pilgrims here died after paying obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, taking the death toll during the ongoing yatra to 31, the police said today. A sadhu, identified as Dani Baba (65), was declared brought dead at the SMHS hospital here this afternoon. The deceased, whose residential address could not be ascertained immediately, had fell seriously ill on reaching Pahalgam, 100 km from here, and was referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment. Another pilgrim, identified as Kalyan Dass (96) of Bhopal, reportedly died at Soura Medical Institute here last evening. Dass was admitted in the hospital on July 15 after he complained chest pain on reaching Baltal after offering prayers at the holy cave shrine. Meanwhile, over 5,600 pilgrims left for the holy shrine from the base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal and Pahalgam in Anantnag districts this morning. While 2,840 pilgrims were allowed from the shortest 16-km Baltal track, 2,808 pilgrims proceeded from the traditional 45-km Pahalgam route, the sources said. Jammu: Three pilgrims on their way to the Vaishno Devi cave shrine, today died of heart attack in Reasi district. Sixty-year-old B Venkatraman from Chhattisgarh and 35-year-old Shanker Vithal from Maharashtra had a cardiac arrest in the Sanjichat and Banganga areas, respectively, en route to the holy cave, official sources said. The two were rushed to the hospitals where they were declared brought dead. Preeti (47), another pilgrim, also died of cardiac arrest in the Himkoti area on way to the shrine this afternoon. — PTI
	Gupta takes over as Vigilance chief Srinagar, July 19 PL Gupta has taken over as the Vigilance Commissioner.As many as 62 IPS officers were transferred in a major reshuffle on July 14. Meanwhile, S. Owais Ahmad has taken over as the Inspector-General, replacing S. Gopal Reddy, who has been sent to Home Guards. As many as 16 police personnel were given out-of-turn promotions for the bravery displayed while fighting militancy, besides saving life and property of people. A police spokesman said the promotees included six from Anantnag district, four from Bandipora, five from Kupwara and one from Handwara. — PTI
	Central Varsity Panthers’ protest today Jammu, July 19 The Panthers Party has expressed serious concern over the “hackneyed approach” of the NC-Congress coalition in handling the sensitive affairs of the state. In a meeting of the Panthers Party central body held under the chairmanship of state president Balwant Singh Mankotia, the party expressed concern over the government move to shift Central university from Jammu to Kashmir and warned the government of serious consequences if the decision was not rescinding. It was unanimously resolved in the meeting to hold a protest against the government move to shift the Central university campus to Kashmir tomorrow. — TNS