Srinagar, September 23
Two Army personnel, including a Major, and two top militants were killed, while two officers and an NCO and a jawan were injured in an encounter at Baniyari, Hajin in Bandipore district of north Kashmir that concluded after 24 hours today.

Major Suresh Suri and NCO Khushal of 13 RR were killed in the encounter, the police said. Two Majors Gautam Raj Reshi and Kamlesh Kumar, NCO Mahipal Singh and sepoy Naveen were injured.

The killed militants have been identified as Pasha and Musa, district commanders of the Hizbul Muhaideen and the Lashkar-e-Toiba, respectively, the police said.

The encounter began yesterday afternoon when the police from the Sumbal area of Bandipora district and 13 RR personnel launched a joint operation in Baniyari village on specific information.

The militants were hiding in a house that was cordoned off by the personnel of the police, 13 RR, 45 Bn CRPF and they were afterwards joined by 1 Para and 4 Para troopers.

Meanwhile, with the death of an Army jawan and a militant, the death toll in the encounter in Panzla forests of Baramulla district has gone up to four. As already reported, an Army jawan and an unidentified militant were killed in the encounter yesterday. The encounter was over while the combing operations were still in progress, sources here said.

Meanwhile, DGP Kuldeep Khoda said the situation on the militancy front was much better this year as compared to last year. Replying questions at a press conference here this afternoon, Khoda said that infiltration from across the LoC was going on and militants were being fought firmly.

Udhampur, September 23
Bickering in the coalition government came to the fore today as Sajjad Kitchloo, MLA, Kishtwar, boycotted a review meeting called by Roads and Buildings (R&B) Minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori at Kishtwar. Kitchloo belongs to the NC while Saroori is the Congress MLA from the same district.

Interestingly, the MLC of the PDP was present in the meeting that was called by the minister.

Saroori had organised an Id Milan party at Kishtwar yesterday and the local MLA and NC workers boycotted it.

The Id Milan party was a personal function of the minister but Kitchloo’s absence from the official review meeting clearly indicated that there were serious differences between the coalition partners in Kishtwar and Doda districts.

Although Kitchloo refused to comment on his decision to boycott the meeting, sources said the NC workers were unhappy with the style of functioning of the R&B Minister.

They alleged that instead of strengthening the coalition, Saroori was more concerned about weakening the NC in erstwhile Doda district. Saroori had sidelined NC workers despite the fact that both parties were running the government.

Sources said the local administration had informed the MLA, Kishtwar, about the scheduled review meeting that was called by the minister. Kitchloo made it clear to the local administration that he would not attend any meeting that was convened by Saroori.

In Kishtwar district, the Congress and the NC have won a seat each in the Assembly elections. Kitchloo won from the Kishtwar seat on the NC ticket, while Saroori retained the Inderwal seat on the Congress ticket. Serious differences had arisen between them when Saroori was appointed as a Cabinet minister while Kitchloo’s name was deleted from the list of the Council of Ministers at the eleventh hour.

Jammu, September 23
Following reconciliation between students and representatives of the Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS), college students started boycotting classes again from today.

Students of Government Gandhi Memorial, Science College, Maulana Azad Memorial College and SPRM Commerce College today boycotted classes and held protests in front of the colleges. Protesters were raising slogans against the state government and were demanding the setting up of the central university in Jammu immediately.

Talking to The Tribune, Pratap Singh Jamwal, vice-president of the Jammu Joint Students Federation (JJSF), who was leading the protest at Science College, said, “The college students also boycotted classes in RS Pura, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba.” Earlier members of the CUAS and representatives of the Jammu Joint Students Federation (JJSF) had resolved their differences yesterday.

The student organisation had distanced itself from the CUAS and alleged that it was ignoring them while taking important decisions.

“After realising that the agitation will fizzle out without students, Pavitar Singh, convener of the CUAS, accepted that he was ignoring the students,” Jamwal had said. “Now, we will carry on the agitation along with the CUAS, demanding the setting up of the central university in Jammu,” he added.

Jammu, September 23
Even as the coalition government has taken a political initiative by conducting the first apex committee meeting this evening to woo the displaced Kashmiri Pandits back to the valley, for various Kashmiri Pandit organisations survival and safety of the internally displaced community comes first.

However, the Kashmiri Pandit leaders at the same time pinned high hopes from the apex committee.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a package of Rs 1618.40 crore for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants in the valley, including government jobs, housing loans and scholarships of students etc.

Briefing mediapersons before resuming the meeting, Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Raman Bhalla assured that the PM’s package would be implemented in letter and spirit.

“AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh besides Chief Minister Omar Abdhullah have been personally monitoring the implementation of this package,” he said.

All Kashmiri Pandit leaders present in the meeting had evinced keen interest and around 1,546 migrant families were willing to go back, he claimed.

He added that around 14,075 unemployed migrant youth had also shown their willingness to serve in the valley. Three sites at Baramulla, Anantnag and Kulgam had been selected for constructing a transit accommodation for Kashmiri Pandits and 60 flats at Sheikhpora and 18 fats at Mattan had already been constructed for them, he said.

He said the government would frame steering committees, which would try and create safe environment for the internally displaced community. However, modalities to implement the package were yet to be decided, he added.

HN Jattoo, president of the All India Kashmir Pandit Conference said in the past two decades several committees were constituted, who had given nothing but fake assurances.

“For our survival we need employment for our educated unemployed youth, enhancement in relief and age relaxation for over-aged youth, he said.

However, Amarnath Vashnavi, chairman of the All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference felt that under present situation it was not possible for the Kashmiri Pandit community to return to the valley.

“The government should protect the people of the majority community who are living in the valley. Our return is another issue,” he said. Out of 31 Kashmiri Pandit representatives 26 attended the meeting.

Srinagar, September 22
Dragad-Teetwal, a village in border Karnah district, is devoid of basic amenities. The village comprising 105 households lacks any road connectivity, dispensary, ration depot and other facilities.

“The Sazwani stream flowing by the village has disappeared. Now, neither the river nor the road exists here,” says middle-aged Sarwar Jan, a native of Dragad. She adds that “cultivation suffers in the absence of water. Farms have turned almost barren and the growth of maize has declined. Nothing grows without water.”

The hospital is about 10 km away from the village. The nearest dispensary is at Gundishat, 3 km from the village. “There is no doctor in the dispensary. A medical assistant and a nurse do the job,” she says.

Jan adds “people at the dispensary often fail to diagnose diseases. Medicines are usually to be arranged from the market.”

Expectant mothers face serious problems. “In case of emergency medical care, they are rushed to hospital and some die on the way. A road could be of great help,” says Sarwar.

Two schools exist in the village now. “During our time, girl education was uncommon, but now girls have started going to schools, though their number is less,” she says.

A ration depot exists about 4 km down the hill from the village. “People have to go down the mountain for food grains.”

Recollecting the October 8, 2005, earthquake, Jan says “when the earthquake struck, we felt as if there was a bomb blast. Soon atmosphere turned misty. Amid all this I could see my father’s house collapsing. This terrified me and I ran for cover.”

She lost her mother, sister, uncle and five other members of the family in the earthquake. “It gives me great pain whenever I remember them. Had there been a proper connecting road to the village, many injured people could have survived.”

After the death of his first wife, Jan’s husband married her. “Being a cousin, she was in a way forced to marry him. The consent of women is not considered vital at the time of the marriage. Her family decides for her,” says Hamraz, a social activist.

“Whatever had to happen, happened,” confesses Jan. The devastating earthquake made her to work for society. “I came across Charkha, a Delhi-based NGO. They started a 10-month training course for village women about handicrafts.

“Forty-one girls are at present being trained at two centres. Adjacent villages want similar programme for them,” says Jan, who works as a trainer at one of the centres.

She has learnt the art at a handicraft centre at Chitarkote a decade ago. Jan’s eight-member family lives on farming.

According to her, the Scheduled Tribe status to Gujjars has led to a rift between the Gujjars and the Pahadis in the area.

She says “funds aren’t utilised for the welfare of the Gujjars.”

Srinagar, September 23
Residents of Satipora village in the Beerwah constituency of Budgam district are angry over the lackadaisical approach of the Health Department in tackling chicken pox cases reported in the village over the last few weeks.

Reports said 20 days ago a village child was found to be suffering from chicken pox. The villagers complained that when they contacted health officials at the local health centre, the officers did not pay any heed to them.

“Despite chicken pox being highly contagious, officials at the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Beerwah, did not show any urgency in treating the case. This lead to the spread of the infectious disease,” said Hilal Ahmad, a resident.

The worst fears of the villagers came true as three children were diagnosed as suffering from chicken pox. They contacted the disease, but still the SDH officials did not do any thing. “Fifteen days ago, chicken pox spread its tentacles and Malik Mehreen, daughter of Abdul Hamid Malik, was diagnosed to be carrying chicken pox. The doctors prescribed some tablets to her and also advised her parents to apply an ointment over the affected areas,” said Hamid.

He said the doctors at the SDH, Beerwah, asked him to isolate Mehreen from the rest of the family members and did not prescribe any particular medicine. “We isolated Mehreen from others but still my other two children were diagnosed with chicken pox,” he says. Mehreen’s younger sister Nausheen and brother Basit were diagnosed as suffering from chicken pox on September 20 and 22, respectively. This created fear among people that the disease may break out.

“Chicken pox is on a comeback trail, but it is unfortunate that the doctors at the SDH, Beerwah, are not doing any thing,” say the villagers.

Udhampur, September 23
State secretary of the PDP Sayed Asgar Ali today warned that they would launch a mass agitation if authorities failed to solve the basic problems of the inhabitants of Kishtwar.

Speaking at the review meeting called by the Roads and Buildings minister GM Saroori at Kishtwar today, the PDP secretary regretted that even after commissioning of the Dul Hasti hydroelectric project the problem of drinking in Kishtwar had not been solved.

He warned the NHPC officials, who were also present at the meeting, that his party would not remain mute spectators if the situation remained the same.

He alleged that it was only due to the faulty policies of the NHPC that residents of Kishtwar were suffering.

Sayeed Asgar Ali said before the construction of Dul Hasti project, NHPC authorities had promised that infrastructure would be created in Kishtwar but nothing had been done so far. He warned that they would not allow NHPC authorities to start construction of other sanctioned hydroelectric projects until the problem of Kishtwar residents was solved.

Jammu, September 23
Chaos prevailed in the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) today where admissions for BA (first year) are going on these days. The students who had come from far-flung areas to take admissions or fill forms for revaluation or reappear were running helter-skelter while most of the staff assigned to attend them remained missing.

The Director, DDE, issued fresh circular in the afternoon, assigning 12 teachers to attend to students on daily basis.

Though the information regarding the room number and the teachers concerned to attest and stamp the admission forms was provided on the notice board, it was seen two rooms (202 and 207) out of three remained closed during the busiest first half of the day.

Romesh Verma, who was attending to the students in room no 104, too was sending many students to other two rooms to reduce the rush, but seeing other two rooms closed, the students got panicky.

Rebuffed by others, Jaspal Singh, a lecturer, showing generosity attended a beeline of such students, though he was not assigned the task.

The faculty in room no GE 2 too remained absent where the Public Relation Officer was supposed to disseminate information to the students regarding their queries. The students were raging with anger against the DDE for its poor management.

Rekha Rani, who came from Sahori village, said it was for the second day consecutively when she was coming to get her forms for MA English attested, but nobody was attending her. Mitali

When the matter was brought before Director, DDE, Meenaxi Keelam, she said she was aware of the problem and had assigned 12 teachers the task of attending students in three shifts from 9 am to 5 pm so that the students who come from far-flung areas were attended properly.

Jammu, September 23
Deeply touched by the worsening state of rivers in the country, Sardar Gurmeet Singh, an environmentalist, today embarked upon an unprecedented trek of 600-odd kms to Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar. His motto: Save water, save life!

The solitary trekker has plans to walk 10 hours a day and if the weather remains fair, hopes to reach his destination in the next 13 days.

To drive home his point that every river should be considered holy, Gurmeet intends to submerge water samples collected from three major rivers of the region - Surya Putri (Tawi), Devika and Chander Bhaga (Chenab) - into the holy water of the Ganga.

Gurmeet, who is also general secretary of Dogra Liberation Front, remains associated with the Tawi Bachao Aandolan that was launched two years ago.

Finding the results of the movement discouraging, he has taken to this idea now. “I was preparing myself for the past over two years to undertake such a long journey,” he revealed.

“People here have selective memory. They recall the pious value of rivers only when they have to immerse barley crop sown in earthen pot on the occasion of Ramnavami or during last rites of their near and dear ones. My aim is that people should respect rivers at all times,” he added.

Immaculately dressed in white and garlanded by activists of the organisation, Gurmeet set out on his mission after taking a round from Bikaram Chowk to Dogra Chowk through the Tawi Bridge.

According to myth, river Devika has been mentioned in ‘Nilmat Puran’, written in 7th century AD, whereas river Tawi, also called Suryaputri, holds historic and religious significance.

“What saddens me is that today these sacrosanct rivers have been reduced to garbage dumps. Water quality is deteriorating fast, but the government remains mute over the issue,” said Gurmeet.

“Through this initiative, I want to mobilise public opinion for cleaning up of all these polluted rivers,” he concluded.

Jammu, September 23
The mutual transfer scheme offered to employees of the Railways department in which they can swap their places of posting has become a blessing for the workers.

The scheme has been offered to employees belonging to same cadre, pay scale and the same department. The procedure is simple - the employee who wants to get transferred to his preferred location has to search for an eligible person in that destination who could act as his or her replacement.

“Anybody seeking transfer to a preferred place visits that division and pastes a notice wherein all details, including the phone number, are mentioned,” said Ashok Sharma, Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu.

He said transfers are done on the basis of grade-to- grade, as the employee has to be in the same position. The application is then sent to the headquarters from where it is sent to the Railway Board, which is the final deciding authority.

“There are many instances when such mutual transfers have taken place - if someone gets married, if there is a death at somebody’s house etc. The applications are considered if the department finds a suitable swap for the position,” added Sharma.

Meanwhile, a Railways employee, Manzoor Ahmed, has been seeking a transfer from East Central Railways to the Northern Railways.

“For the past one year, I have been employed as a peon in the operation section of the department at Mughalsarai station. As I belong to Kulgam village in Kashmir, I want a mutual transfer,” said Manzoor.

He added that since he has to support a big family that includes aged parents, he was seeking a mutual transfer.

“Now, when the Railways has started its operations in Kashmir valley, I would prefer a transfer close to my hometown. I am hopeful that the mutual transfer scheme would bail me out,” added Manzoor.

Jammu, September 23
Activists of the BJP Mahila Morcha led by party’s state vice-president and morcha prabhari Suresh Jamwal today protested against delay in the establishment of a central university in Jammu and also free education to girls in private institutions in the state. The protesters took out a rally from the party headquarters and reached Purani Mandi, where they staged a dharna for three hours.

Suresh Jamwal said the coalition government had intentionally created confusion over the setting up of the central university. Kashmiri leaders are responsible for making it into an issue. “Only a few Congress leaders have came out in support of the Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS), but it is unfortunate that the Congress ministers have refrained from supporting people of Jammu, who have been discriminated against by Kashmiri leaders for decades.”

Jamwal also expressed concern over the low literacy rate among girls belonging to poor families in the state. She said due to poor economic conditions, many families did not send girl children to schools.

Although there is free education for girl children in government-run institutions, it should be made mandatory for private institutions to impart free education to them.”

Udhampur, September 23
The mysterious death of a man has turned out to be a cold-blooded murder committed by his wife with the help of her paramour. After about 11 months of investigation, the police arrested the main accused, Gyaso Devi, and her paramour Rajesh Kumar, alias Raju, with evidences.

On October 13, 2008, an unidentified body was found in a highly decomposed condition near the Railway Colony, Udhampur. As the deceased could not be identified, the body was cremated as unclaimed after being kept in the mortuary for three days.

As there were wound signs on the body, the police constituted a team to probe the case. After three months, the deceased was identified as Dewanoo of Bupp in Chenani tehsil. During investigation, the police established that Dewanoo was murdered by his wife Gyaso Devi with the help of her paramour. Dewanoo was murdered as he came to know about the illicit relation of his wife with Rajesh Kumar. After killing Dewanoo, Gyaso and her paramour threw the body at the railway station.