New Delhi, August 4
The Central University of Jammu and Kashmir may not come up any time soon, with the government in a fix about where to locate it.

Caught in a tug-of-war between Jammu and Kashmir, both claiming their right over the varsity, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal yesterday brushed aside the matter, saying the government was in the process of consultations and would “move about the path of justice and equity”.

A day after the state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Sibal to plead the case for a Central University in Kashmir, the minister appeared to be buying time on the issue, and naturally so, given the pressures from within the Congress to locate the varsity in Jammu. Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, also an MP from Bhaderwah in Jammu, is the most powerful votary of Jammu’s case for the varsity.

But the government can ill-afford to take a final call at the moment, given the fragility of the situation in the valley. It would obviously want the tempers, frayed by Shopian rape and murder cases and sex scandal allegations against Omar, to cool down before it moves to decide who would have what.

Sibal said the state was very special to the government: “Jammu and Kashmir is special to us. We will have to take special care of the concerns of our people there. We are consulting on the matter.”

Caught between two demanding regions, the government would ultimately have to set up one central university and two campuses in the state, considering it can’t have two varsities, each for Jammu and Kashmir. There would then be the question of whether to have two V-Cs or one V-C for the varsity and a pro-V-C for its campus.

Udhampur, August 4
The Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS) - an amalgam of various social, political and religious organisations - has decided to intensify its stir against the shifting of the proposed central university after the completion of the Amarnath yatra.

Jammu, August 4
The BJP feels that the entire game plan by the coalition government to offer twin central university (CU), for both Jammu and Kashmir respectively, is merely a ploy to divert the attention from people’s demand to not to shift the CU from Jammu.

Speaking on the issue, BJP state president Ashok Khajuria appealed to the Jammu-based ministers not to mislead the public by supporting the demand of two universities as there were total 12 universities in the country and it would be a foolish move to demand two universities in a state.

He asked people to support the original decision of establishing CU at Jammu without any delay. Khajuria also slammed the top leadership of the National Conference and the Congress of the state, especially the Jammu-based Congress and NC leaders, including MPs and MLAs, for their total surrender before their Kashmiri masters for the sake of retaining their chair. He asked these leaders to explain whether the decision to establish a CU in Jammu and an IIM at Kashmir was taken by the Central government or by the ministry concerned.

He also asked for the name of the political party, which was demanding shifting of the CU from Jammu to Kashmir and, the real motive behind the demand of the two CUs.

He questioned as to why the Ayurvedic College at Jammu was closed without any justification and also why Srinagar Airport, which was initially developed as an international airport for Jammu was shifted to Srinagar.

Amidst volley of questions, Khajuria also expressed surprise over inertia of Jammu-based leadership for not coming out in support of the demand of students in particular and public in general on the issue of CU. He asked such parties and people to resign instead from their positions.

Lastly, he reiterated his party’s stand to extend full support to the entire programme to be undertaken by the Central University Andolan Samiti.

Srinagar, August 4
The Cabinet today ordered the transfers of 21 IAS officers. BB Vyas, principal secretary to the Governor, has been transferred and asked to report to the GAD for further posting.

Raj Kumar Goyal has been posted as principal secretary to the Governor. He would also hold the additional charge of chief executive officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

Farooq Ahmad Peer, secretary in the Home Department, has been posted as secretary to the Government, Labour and Employment Department. MK Dwivedi, additional chief executive officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has been posted as Deputy Commissioner, Jammu. Sanjeev Verma, deputy commissioner, Reasi has been posted as Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, vice Mandeep Kour, who services are being placed at the disposal of the GOI.

Mandeep Kumar Bandari, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, has been posted as additional CEO, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Pondurang. K Pole, vice-chairman of the Jammu Development Authority has been transferred as Deputy Commissioner, Reasi.

Among other shifted are Mohammad Abass Dar, Vineeta Gupta, Baseer Ahmad Khan, Kifayat Hussain Rizvi, Tariq Ahmad Mir, Gulzar Ahmad Qureshi, Mohammad Yaqoob Zargar, Ghulam Hassan Shah, MS Qasba, Chandra Gupta.

Udhampur, August 4
The hope of peas growers in the Paddar belt of Kishtwar district to get a maximum price this year has been shattered, as the only bridge connecting the peas growing areas with other parts of the state has washed away in flash floods. As farmers could not transport their products to the market, middlemen had been taking the advantage of the situation.

Famous all over the country for organic farming, many inaccessible areas in the Paddar belt produce tonnes of vegetables through the traditional system without using fertilisers and pesticides. With the beginning of the harvesting season, peas were selling at a price between Rs 40 and Rs 45 per kg in cities and the peas growers of Kishtwar district, especially of the Paddar belt, were expecting bumper prices in the present market conditions.

Though farmers of Marsoo, Soul, Gandhari, Haloti and Gulabgarh grow peas on a large scale, the Kabban belt is famous for the production of exclusively this crop, which is usually exported to Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.

“On an average, the Kabban area produces peas worth Rs 2.5 crore per season,” Vinod Bala, Director Agriculture, told The Tribune and admitted that with the washing away of the only bridge, the farmers of this belt had been facing difficulties in selling their produce in the market.

Keeping in view the topography of this belt, the authorities have been thinking over developing alternative modes of communication to transport vegetables from inaccessible areas. “During every harvesting season, farmers have to confront the problem of transporting produce,” Bala said and disclosed that the Department of Agriculture Production had planned to connect these areas with a ropeway under the Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana scheme.

Four days back, the only bridge that connects Kabban with the rest of the state washed away in flash floods. The bridge was constructed by the Forest Department. While the authorities so far had failed to take any step to lift the produce of the farmers, middlemen had been active.

Though potatoes are selling between Rs 40 and Rs 45 per kg in many parts of the state, farmers are forced to sell potatoes for Rs 10 to Rs 12 per kg to the middlemen. It is the middlemen who pocketed the maximum profits by collecting peas from this belt and later selling the same in the markets of town.

Jammu, August 4
Claiming to be an outstanding person for having participated in international and national sports events in the roller skating and roller hockey, Ankush Kohli sought his appointment in the category of outstanding sportsperson under J&K (Appointment of Outstanding Sportsperson) Rules, 1998.

The petitioner was recommended for the post of assistant manager in the Hospitality and Protocol Department by Committee headed by the state chief secretary. The appointment against the post of asstt manager could not fructify as a consequence he was issued letter of an appointment as receptionist. The government on other hand admitted this position. However, information by the department indicated that there was no post of asstt manager available.

Justice Sunil Hali of the J&K High Court of Judicature, while disposing of petition, said, “The question whether petitioner has a right to seek appointment against the post of asstt manager as a matter of right. The J&K (Appointment of Outstanding Sportsperson) Rules, 1998, are exception to the general rules of recruitment. A person has no right to claim a particular post under aforesaid rules. The respondents had recommended the appointment of the petitioner against the post of asstt manager, but due to non-availability of said post, he has been appointed as receptionist. The other two outstanding persons, who have been appointed as receptionist, have high qualification than petitioner and they stand appointed as receptionist. So on the face of it, the petitioner cannot claim any preference for being appointed as asstt manager.”

The high court further observed that “It is not disputed that the petitioner is entitled to be appointed as receptionist. A direction is issued to the respondents to appoint the petitioner against the post of receptionist to which he was found entitled to by the committee vide its decision dated on June 3, 2004. Let this exercise be completed by the respondents within a period of two months.”

Jammu, August 4
Even as Shabir Ahmad Shah, chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), was admitted to the Government Medical College (GMC) here today, Dr Balquis Shah, wife of the separatist leader, criticised the government for allegedly depriving advanced treatment to her husband, putting his life at risk.

She described the entire exercise of hospitalising Shabir to the GMC here as an “eyewash”. Following deterioration in health, Shabir Shah, who had been detained along with other separatists under the PSA in the backdrop of the Shopian incident, was shifted from an Udhampur prison to Chopra Nursing Home in the GMC here this afternoon, said a senior police officer.

“Shabir has been kept in room number 204 and is being treated by Dr Suresh Saraf,” said Dr Ramesh Gupta, GMC Medical Superintendent.

Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Dr Balquis Shah said her husband was seriously ill and instead of providing him specialised treatment at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, the government shifted him to a prison in Udhampur. “He has been suffering from multiple ailments and doctors, who checked him at the prison, has advised an immediate surgery. But unfortunately no treatment has been provided to him till date and the time is running out for him,” said Dr Balquis. She added Shabir had a fall in the bathroom in the Udhampur prison and he had fainted.

Before shifting him to Udhampur two months ago, a medical board of super specialists in the SKIMS had examined him and despite knowing fully that he was suffering from multiple ailments, the government deliberately shifted him to the Udhampur prison. It now admitted him to the GMC, Jammu, where there were no super-specialists to treat him, she added.

Razzak Choudhary, a relative of the senior Hurriyat leader and who accompanied him to the hospital here, informed that Shabir had been advised to a surgery. He had a stone in a kidney and had turned diabetic, besides having problems in his foot and head, he added.

In Jammu we could not expect proper treatment for him and hence felt he should be either shifted to the SKIMS or Delhi for specialised medicare, Razzak added.

Srinagar, August 4
The state is all set to be the leader in the country for producing bioplastic, an effective and viable alternative to the polythene, with the setting up of a unit likely to cost Rs 5 crore.

This was stated on the occasion of signing of the MoU between the J&K Agro Industries Development Corporation and Earthsoul India Private Limited, a joint venture of bioplastic manufacturing unit, at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here today.

The unit will be the first of its kind in the country to manufacture bioplastic from potato or cornstarch to replace the polythene and help preserve the environment.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stressed the need to discourage the use of polythene at all levels and help preserve the state’s environment from depletion and degradation.

He said: “It takes one million years for polythene to get decomposed while as the new product of bioplastic to be produced in the state would get decomposed within three to four months.” Omar assured all help and assistance from the government for establishing the new industrial units, especially agro-based, in the state.

Chief executive officer and founder of Earthsoul India Limited P Bilimoria said the production of bioplastic bags and other items would start from October. Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir, chief secretary SS Kapur and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

Suchetgarh, August 4
With the commissioning of the first-ever women battalion of the BSF , residents of this frontier village in Samba district want immediate deployment of the battalion so that they could start cultivation on their farmland on the other side of the barbed fence.

The barbed fence erected to “check” infiltration from the Pakistani side has cut the farmland area into two halves. The farmers could not cultivate their land on the other side of the fence as men BSF personnel guarding the gates on the fence were frisking their women.

“As a result, we have given up farming on the land on the other side of the fence for the past many years,” said Yogesh Kumar, a resident of Suchetgarh village.

“Now, if women border guards get deployed, we can easily start cultivation on that piece of land as well,” he added.

The farmers here also rued that the time given by the BSF to cultivate the land on the other side of the fence was not feasible for the cultivation. “They open the gate at 10 am when the sun is already overhead and farming cannot be done at that time. Farming can be done either early in the morning or late in the evening. But, they close the gates at 5 pm. Thus, we cannot cultivate the land properly,” said Kuldeep Sharma, a resident of Sadoh border village .

Outgoing BSF Director-General ML Kumawat on his recent visit to Jammu had said it was tpart of the duty of BSF personnel to frisk people crossing the fence as“some of them tie certain items on their bodies to smuggle them into India”.

Jammu, August 4
The police today arrested two village defence committee (VDC) members, who opened fire on another member of the committee and injured him over a land dispute, in Rajouri district, 177 km from here.

The land dispute existed between two parties of Devi Singh and Mohd Abdullah which led to clashes in Jaglanoo village of Bhudal tehsil in Rajouri district today, they said.

Khem Singh and Sukhdev Singh, sons of Devi Singh, opened fire at another committee member Munshi Khan, son of Abdullah, in connection with the case, the police said, adding that Khan was injured in the attack and later hospitalised.

A case has been registered and the weapon used for firing confiscated. — PTI

Srinagar, August 4
A four-year-old boy left critically injured in an attack by a dog two weeks back died of rabies yesterday, marking yet another death by dog bite which has become a huge worry for people in several parts of Kashmir.

Hanan Iqbal of Kokernag, which falls in Anantnag district, who was mauled by a dog on July 20, was reportedly administered anti-rabies vaccines but his condition deteriorated yesterday, leading to his death. Doctors said it was almost impossible for someone to die of rabies if one was administered vaccines within the stipulated time frame, questioning the medication provided to Iqbal. He had also suffered head injuries when the dog attacked him, his family said.

The death of a child has sparked a debate as to whether the administration could allow the number of dogs to multiply because it does not have modern ways to control their growth while the old ways of killing dogs by poison and other means are frowned upon by animal rights activists.

In SHMS hospital alone, more than 10 cases of dogbite are reported everyday. “Their numbers are only increasing due to a rapid rise in the number of stray dogs. Many cases go unreported and victims are lucky if the dog does not suffer from rabies,” a health official said.

Even Srinagar has seen a rapid rise in the numbes of stray dogs, especially in downtown parts where garbage disposal is not efficient, and protests by residents have at times led the Municipal Corporation to resort to culling dogs secretively.

A controversy had erupted last year when a top MC official said they planned to poison dogs inviting sharp reactions from animal rights groups and forcing the MC to junk their plans. An official said the MC was grossly under-equipped to carry out sterilisation of dogs to control their numbers. “It is simply impossible whatever these right groups may claim. I understand their concern but they are putting a dog’s life above a human’s. The government has also been very defensive in its approach though we enjoy people’s support in killing dogs,” he said.