Jammu, July 23
The NC today tried to clear the air regarding the shifting of the proposed central university from Jammu to Srinagar, saying that the controversy was being raked up by vested interests.

Senior NC leader Ajay Sadhotra said that it was unfortunate that disgruntled elements were raking up a controversy over the location of the central university and trying to mislead the common people by making false and provocative statements.

“They say that the central university has been shifted from Jammu to the valley, but it was not true, the location of the university has not been decided as yet and the central committee headed by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, which is to decide the location, has not even visited the state to see the locations. Even the process of identification of a site by the central authorities has not been started as yet,” Sadhotra said.

Sadhotra said it was decided by the Union Government in 2008 that 14 central universities and six IIMs would be established across the country and out of these one central university and one IIM shall be located in Jammu and Kashmir. To this objective the state government formed a committee headed by the then Planning Commissioner which identified six locations across the state, where the Central University could be located, which included Sopore, Budgam and Pulama in the Kashmir region and R.S. Pura, near Nandani Tunnel and Samba in the Jammu region.

Sadhotra said the revenue papers of all these six locations were prepared and sent to the Ministry of HRD, Government of India, with a request to send a team to visit all six identified locations and then take a decision about the suitability of the site for the location of the university.

As the central committee for site selection was yet to visit the state, there was no question of taking any decision regarding the location of the site, the NC leader claimed.

Jammu, July 23
The Evacuee Property Tenants Welfare Society, Jammu province, has demanded the proprietary rights of evacuee property houses to their allottees, and for which they had been paying rent for a long time and maintaining them themselves. There are some 2,000 residential and 400 commercial evacuee properties in the town, 80 per cent of them in the old city.

Krishan Lal Gupta, chairman of the association, said, “We urged Minister for Revenue and Relief Raman Bhalla to bring necessary amendments to the J&K Evacuee Property Act to provide proprietary rights to the tenants of the evacuee property houses, where they had been living for several decades, paying rent as well as undertaking repairs and renovation on their own.”

He said tenants all over the country, except in the state, had been given ownership rights after paying a nominal fees.

Abdul Wani, the custodian of evacuee properties, said, “The matter regarding transfer, enhancement in fee and lease rights have to be decided by a special committee of the Custodian Department after taking all aspects into consideration. But it is not possible that the property is given on lease without an increase in rent. And the demand of these people for ownership rights is not feasible keeping the volatile situation in Kashmir in view.”

Bhalla had assured to look into the matter by calling all officers concerned, including those from the Revenue Department, and the members of the association to arrive at an agreement.

He complained that the Property Department had been unnecessarily harassing the tenants by holding the sword of eviction over their heads and forcing them to enhance the rent every now and then. “We have demanded that no premium should be charged in case of transfer of tenancy to the legal heir of a deceased tenant and this transfer should be made automatically through a simple procedure.”

Gupta referred to his past meeting with the then Revenue Minister that was also attended by the Financial Commissioner (revenue) Custodian General in the previous government. “A consensus was built in the meeting that the evacuee properties be granted on a 40-year lease to the allotees without enhancing rent.”

Jammu, July 23
Rajni Devi and Shardha Devi of Bazigar basti, Akhnoor, are seven months’ pregnant. But happiness eludes them.

For both underwent a sterilisation operation last year which has failed . Rajni had four children and Shardha three when they took the decision, not common among such tribes that believed the more the earning hands, the merrier it is.

The failed sterilisation operations have not only embarrassed them but also depressed them. First, they cannot go out for work. Second, they have no money for extra diet and third, they have no additional means to feed another baby.

The worst part is the government promises Rs 30,000 compensation in such failed cases. But the women have not got anything so far. Only one of the 26 cases in Jammu has got compensation (eight out of 40, according to ICICI Lombard in the state).

Rajni and Shardha claim they were advised abortion. But they can’t do it. “Our community considers abortion a sin. Second, a woman who undergoes abortion or has a miscarriage is not allowed to move out for 40 days.”

Rajni already has met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and others. Her case file was moved this month finally to ICICI Lombard. But the file of Bimla Devi, a Nepalese woman, was moved one-and-a-half years ago, but she was still awaiting compensation. She aborted the third child on the advice of the doctors. But that added to her problems.“The abortion was performed in a government hospital, but it wasn’t proper. I had to get another operation done in a private hospital,” she rued.

The plight of these women is discouraging others. Bimla’s sister-in-law, Bholi, had encouraged her for the sterilisation operation. However, she doesn’t want to get sterilised herself now. “I don’t want to under go this ordeal.”

The scheme was started by the Centre in November, 2005. Till 2007, Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) insured the persons. Since January, 2008, ICICI Lombard is the agency. The bank is chosen by the Centre.

Sources said a premium of several crores is paid every year to ICICI Lombard. The OBC has not paid insurance to any and ICICI Lombard says it won’t pay to cases occurring before January, 2008. The bank and the government are in a dispute over the eligibility date. The government says it should be the date of pregnancy as it is at this time that the case fails while ICICI Lombard says it should be the date of operation.

Even in the cases of this period, people have to wait for months and years. BSF jawan Anil Kumar is one such hapless claimant, whose case file has been pending for nearly three years now.

Deputy Senior Medical Officer VP Sharma says: “The delay is on the part of the OBC or ICICI Lombard. We try our best to give compensation in time. But there is a procedure to be followed. We have sent the cases to ICICI Lombard and answered subsequent queries.”

Vikrant Sharma, state coordinator of ICICI Lombard, says: “The Health Department has to clear the cases with complete documentation. We process the cases once all formalities are cleared. We sent a query regarding the sterilisation certificate of Bimla Devi in February but have not yet received any reply. Other cases we have received only this month.”

RK Dhupper, Divisional Officer of OBC, says: “We send cases to our head office in Delhi. There were not more than two or three cases.”

Udhampur, July 23
With the completing of the 72-hour ultimatum given to the state government to clear its stand on shifting of the Central university from Jammu to Srinagar, students of Udhampur today came on streets and took out demonstration at different areas.

Students boycotted classes and blocked movement of traffic on Dhar Road on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Later in the evening a meeting of some political parties was held to chalk out future course of action to intensify the on-going stir.

Earlier this morning, students of PG College, Udhampur, under the leadership of Aijaz Sumberia took out a procession, which started from the college and passed through different areas. At Gole Market, students addressed a rally in which some shopkeepers and other youth were also present.

Aijaz said land for the Central university was identified for the Jammu region, but after formation of the NC-Congress coalition regime the government shifted the university to Kashmir. He, however, warned that Jammu people would not accept such step-motherly treatment with them.

He reminded that in 2008 when the Central university was sanctioned for the Jammu region, the Union government had also allotted an IIM to Kashmir. He, however, said after getting IIM, Kashmiri leadership had started snatching the university from Jammu.

After a rally at Gole Market, students later trooped towards the DC office where a process was held. Students shouted slogans against the state government for meting out step-motherly treatment with the Jammu region. They vowed to take this fight for “justice” to the logical end.

Speakers also flayed Jammu-based leaders for their silence on this issue. They warned to launch a campaign against Jammu-based ministers in the coalition regime.

Meanwhile, various political, religious and social organisations have decided to form a joint front to intensify the agitation. 

Srinagar, July 23
Work in the state government offices was affected for the second consecutive day today in response to the pen-down strike by the employees seeking the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations and other demands.

The work was affected in the government offices across the valley and also in the Civil Secretariat in the summer capital, which wore a deserted look with most of the non-gazetted employees on a pen-down strike today. Earlier the employees assembled in the lawns of the secretariat and held a demonstration urging upon the authorities to fulfil their demands at the earliest.

A spokesman for the Civil Secretariat (non-gazetted) Employees Union stated that a complete pen-down strike was observed on the call of the Joint Consultative Committee of the trade unions and the Secretariat Employees Union in the secretariat.

Jammu: Work in government offices across the state remained affected for the second consecutive day today as more than 4.50 lakh state government employees continued their strike.

Various organisations of government employees had given a two-day call demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

The strike paralysed work in government offices in the state as the employees protested against the non-implementation of the commitments made to the Joint Coordination Committee of various employee unions on February 19.

“The government had backtracked on commitments it made to us on February 19. The Cabinet had taken the decision but now the government was deliberately not implementing the decision, compelling the employees to go on an agitation,” Pardeep Kumar, an employee, said.

The employees held rallies and protests at various places. They also took out processions in support of their demands.

Leh: All state government offices in Ladakh wore a deserted look as over 3,000 employees went on the strike for the second day. Public works were badly affected since yesterday due to the strike.

Srinagar, July 23
As the Supreme Court takes up tomorrow the bail application of two accused cops, booked for destroying evidence in the alleged rape and murder of two Shopian women, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today deferred its hearing in the case.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Barin Ghosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir said they would hear the case after the SC decision.

The Bench also allowed the wife of SP Javed Iqbal Mattoo, the seniormost arrested cop, to withdraw her bail application for her husband as the apex court is also hearing her plea for his bail. She told the court in her petition that she did not get legal assistance in Kashmir as the atmosphere was prejudiced against her husband.

Though the Kashmir Bar Association, which has filed public interest litigation in Shopian the case resulting in the arrest of four cops, said there was no pressure by them on lawyers. “Since we are a party to the case, no office-bearer of the Bar would plead for the accused. But all other lawyers are free to take up their case,” Zaffar Shah, who appeared for the Bar, told the court.

Advocate-General Ishaq Qadri said the government was ready to provide safety and any other help to any lawyer hired by the accused. However, the Bench accepted the plea of Mattoo’s wife for withdrawal of her application.

Mattoo and DSP Rohit Baskotra have gone to the SC against the High Court order while asking for bail. The SC has already stayed their narco tests while issuing notices to the state and the Kashmir Bar to file their objections in the next hearing tomorrow.

Qadri also submitted the special investigation team’s status report on its probe in a sealed envelope to the High Court.

Srinagar, July 23
The arrest of five persons, including two girls and an alleged pimp hailing from Anantnag, sparked rioting in the south Kashmir town today resulting in injuries to over 20 persons, including several police and CRPF personnel, while the mob ransacked several shops.

Locals said the protests were initially organised by some traders who were angry over the demolition of encroached portions of their shops by the local municipal council late last night. But the already tense situation erupted when many youths and members of Muslim religious bodies joined them against the involvement of a local man, Zahoor Ahmad, in the suspected flesh trade.

They took out a march and targeted shops owned by Zahoor and his kin. Dozens of refrigerators and other home appliances were damaged as the angry crowd went about destroying properties.

Police and CRPF personnel resorted to a cane-charge and firing of tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and control the situation. The main town remained close and tense till the reports last came in.

Budgam SSP told The Tribune that the police had arrested five persons on July 16 near the Srinagar airport when they were about to board a flight to Mumbai. Three persons, including two girls, were from Anantnag while two others were from Mumbai.

He said the police picked up the accused on the basis of suspicion and they confessed to their involvement in flesh trade during interrogation. Legal experts, though, said it was legally untenable to arrest suspects on flesh trade charges just on the basis of suspicion.

Udhampur, July 23
It was a narrow escape for those flying in two private helicopters today. A helicopter made an emergency landing at Katra, the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi, and another at Chanka-Thanpal village, about 25 km from Reasi town.

Though officials of the private airlines are tight-lipped over the emergency landing, the police said a helicopter of Deccan Aviation Private Limited made an emergency landing due to extreme foggy conditions on the Trikuta mountain ranges. The helicopter, which was on its way to Katra from Sanji Chat, could not land at the helipad due to poor visibility. The helicopter of Deccan Aviation Private Limited with pilot Captain Nival landed at the open stadium of Katra.

Ashok Sharma, SP, Katra, told The Tribune that weather conditions were deteriorating in Katra since Thursday evening. As the entire belt was engulfed in fog, the pilot landed the chopper at the open stadium.

Another helicopter of Himalaya Airways Pvt Ltd also made an emergency landing due to poor visibility as well as a technical snag near Reasi.

According to the police, the helicopter with crew members on board was on its way to Delhi via Jammu from Srinagar when it landed at Chanka-Thanpal village on the bank of the Chenab. Since Wednesday night, Reasi and its adjoining localities have been experiencing heavy rain and storm. The pilot of the helicopter, Captain Puneet, reportedly lost the way due to hostile weather conditions and made an emergency landing on the bank of the Chenab in an open ground. There were an engineer and two technicians on board, they said, adding all persons on board the helicopter were safe.

Srinagar, July 23
The Amarnath yatra is proceeding smoothly and 4,976 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine yesterday.

According to a spokesman for Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, 2,181 pilgrims left the Baltal base camp and 1,042 moved out of the Nunwan base camp (Pahalgam) this morning for the pilgrimage onwards to the cave shrine. He stated that another batch of 858 pilgrims left Jammu today for Pahalgam and Baltal base camps.

Meanwhile, Chhari-Mubarak Swami Amarnath led by Mahant Deependra Giri was taken to the ancient Sharika-Bhawani temple, Hari Parbat, here today to pay obeisance on the occasion of “Shravan Shukla Paksha Dvitiya”. — TNS