Jammu, September 26
One of the country’s leading film-makers Mukesh Bhatt today said the situation in the Kashmir valley had returned to normal and more films could be shot here.

He said during times of yore not even a single movie in India was considered complete without the scenic beauty of Kashmir valley in it. Bhatt is on a visit to Katra to participate as a judge in the All-India devotional song competition.

“Switzerland is no match for Kashmir valley and now with the improved situation, it is time for film-makers to capture the natural beauty here,” he said. “Most of the songs of old movies were shot in Kashmir valley,” he added.

Mukesh emphasised that film-making in Kashmir would not only attract more tourists, but also become a source of employment for the youth of the state.

Regarding the devotional song competition at Katra during ‘Navratra’ festival, Mukesh said it was a good platform for budding singers from the state.

“The competition was started 12 years back with the aim to provide a platform to singers from here and promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Earlier, chairman of All-India Devotional Song Committee Rakesh Wazir, while addressing mediapersons said the competition was being jointly organised by SMVD Shrine Board, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department, Zee News, Zee Jagran, Mh-one Network, Big 92.7 FM, besides Hotel and Restaurant Association Katra, under the overall supervision of Navratra Festival Committee.

Udhampur, September 26
Minister for health Sham Lal Sharma today made a surprise visit to Katra hospital and took stock of its functioning. Dissatisfied, he took to task the BMO Dr KC Dogra and ordered his attachment with the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, till further orders.

He also pulled up CMO, Reasi, for neglecting the hospital and not ensuring proper work culture in the institution. He asked him to undertake frequent touring of all the health institutions falling under his jurisdiction and ensure proper management.

He also imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on Tarsem Singh, Head Pharmacist, and ordered suspension and attachment of Vivek Raman, Senior Pharmacist (storekeeper) with Director Health Services, Jammu, for not performing their duties as per norms.

While maintaining that Katra was a tourist hub, the minister asked the doctors and paramedical staff to be alert at all times, especially during the night, to meet any emergency. He issued instructions for proper sanitation in and around the hospital. He also interacted with the patients.

Later, Sharma inspected the Katra Park and took stock of the facilities there. 

Srinagar, September 26
High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) has successfully scaled the Machoi peak (18,000 ft) in three waves on September 16, 17 and 18.

The HAWS puts its students attending the mountain warfare advance course through the expedition to give them the first-hand experience of the planning and technical aspects of the course. These techniques may come handy in the face of any eventuality along our mountainous borders. The successful completion of the expedition also validated the rock craft and ice draft training imparted to the students, a defence spokesman said.

The first summit team comprising two officers, a JCO and 12 others ranks of training staff and six officers and 32 others rank students started under the leadership of Major Harsh Jha on September 16 from the road head at Gumri and established the Base camp at a height of 14,500 ft. The first team reached the summit at 10.54 am and by 11.20 am all teams reached the summit.

The complete wave reached the Base camp by 2 pm, after the lunch break of an hour this wave started their final journey to the road head at Gumri.

Simultaneously, the second wave had started at 6.30 am on September 19 and was safely at the Base Camp 10.30 am to welcome the first wave returning from successful venture.

The second wave comprising three JCOs and 10 others ranks of training staff and six officers and 30 others ranks students started under the leadership of Subedar Gokul Pradhan on September 17 from the Base Camp and reached the summit at 8.08 am and finally to the Base Camp at 12.10 pm with this wave returning .

The third wave comprising two officers, two JCOs and nine other ranks of training staffs and four officers, a JCO and 31 other rank students started under the leadership of Capt Mirza Zaihid Baig on September 18 from the Base Camp and reached the summit on September 18. 

Furniture lies ransacked after JKLF and AAC activists disrupted the Id Milan function organised by journalist Shabnam Qayoom (inset) in Sirinagar on Saturday.Photos: Amin War

Srinagar, September 26
The police today detained two activists of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and a JKLF worker for allegedly assaulting a journalist here.

Activists of the two parties entered into a local hotel here today, where Shabnam Qayoom had hosted an Id Milan function for fellow journalists.

They allegedly assaulted him for his write-ups against JKLF chairman Yasin Malik and AAC president Mirwaiz Umer Farooq for marrying foreign nationals, the police said.

The police detained Shahidul Islam and Mushtaq Ahmad, both AAC activists, and Bita Goroo, a JKLF activist.

Qayoom, who works with a local newspaper Qami Wakar, had hosted the function to brief his colleagues about the alleged threats he had been getting from the two parties for writing against the pro-freedom leaders. — PTI

Rajouri, September 26
Can the monthly family income of a government officer, whose wife is also a government employee, be less than Rs 9,000.There are such cases in the district where government officials, who have more than one government employee in their families, in connivance with revenue officials have reportedly managed to get income certificates showing the family income much less than the actual income. 

Parents (government employees) of some students belonging to the Scheduled Tribes category, seeking admissions to various graduate and postgraduate courses in government and private colleges in or outside the state, have reportedly submitted income certificates showing less family income to enable their wards get scholarships.

 The scholarships (in the form of payment of fees for the course and mess charges in case of hostel users), which is given by the state’s Social Welfare Department, is awarded to students of various categories, including the Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), resident of backward areas (RBA), resident of actual line of control (ALC) and other categories.

Whereas the maximum family income limit for a candidate belonging to the ST category is Rs 1.08 lakh per annum, for the SC category it is Rs one lakh and for the majority of other categories it is Rs 44,500 per annum. The income certificate is issued by the tehsildar of the areas after a field report from the patwari and verification by the naib tehsildar.

In one such case, a senior health officer, whose wife is also a government employee, in connivance with the local revenue officials reportedly managed a income certificate showing monthly income of Rs 2,500 for getting the scholarship meant for ST students for his child.

In another case, a principal of Government Higher Secondary School, whose wife is also a government employee, managed a certificate showing income below Rs 9,000 to get his child the scholarship meant for ST students.

A senior intelligence officer confirmed that they had received public complaints against 12 government officials, who had reportedly produced wrong income certificates to the office of the District Social Welfare Officer concerned for availing scholarships under various categories for their children and seeking admissions to various professional and degree colleges and universities. These government officials got these income certificates by allegedly bribing the revenue officials. “We are probing the matter,” the intelligence officer said.

A source in the Social Welfare Department confirmed that the department had received such fake income certificates. “How can a gazetted government official, whose wife is also a government employee, can have income less than Rs 9,000? They, by producing such certificates, are eating the share of poor and deserving needy students.”

Jammu, September 26
The NC has expressed satisfaction over the decision of Union Minister for Human Resources Development Kapil Sibal to sanction two central universities for the state.Addressing a press conference, senior NC leader and member legislative council Ajay Sadhotra said it was due to the sincere efforts of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that two central universities were announced for the state.

“This indicates that Omar Abdullah is committed to carry all the three regions of the state together and satisfy the genuine aspirations of people of the region,” Sadhotra said.

Sadhotra also thanked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for agreeing to the proposal.

He said the coalition government led by Omar Abdullah was sensitive towards regional sensibilities and therefore approached the Union HRD minister with a proposal to sanction two central universities - one each for Jammu and Kashmir regions.

The PM had sanctioned one central university for the state and one IIM, but there was a huge uproar in the Jammu region as it was believed that the state government was planning to shift the central university to the Kashmir region.

The issue was slowly snowballing into a major controversy, which could have again brought the state to the brink of polarisation. However, ending the impasse, Kapil Sibal sanctioned two central universities. But the two central universities had come at the cost of an IIM.

Sadhotra said his party was committed to equitable development of all regions and would fight against communal forces.

Jammu, September 26
The BJP today celebrated the decision of the Central government of announcing two central universities for the state, with party leaders dancing to the drum beats and distributing sweets at the party headquarters.

State BJP president Ashok Khajuria said with the HRD Ministry decision to establish a central university in Jammu was a victory for the people of Jammu. He said the credit for the central university should go to the Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS), which spearheaded the agitation over the issue. The samiti’s struggle forced the Union government to fulfil the commitment of setting up of a central university in Jammu.

Khajuria regretted that instead of forcefully pleading for setting up the central university in Jammu at the earliest as per the original decision, the NC leaders diluted the issue by seeking the establishment of another central university in the valley, delaying the entire process.

Activists of the Jammu Joint Students’ Federation (JJSF) along with students of various colleges today celebrated the Central government’s decision sanctioning two central varsities, terming it as the victory of Jammuites.

The Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS) welcomed the decision. Pushvinder Singh Manhas, co-convener of the CUAS and state president of the JJSF, addressed students at GGM Science College. He said we had only suspended our agitation and not ended it.

Later students of SPMR College of Commerce joined the celebrations at GGM Science College. Partap Singh Jamwal, secretary of the CUAS and state vice-president of the JJSF, said they would continue to fight for the rights of students.

Jammu, September 26
A Gujjar woman was found dead in a bushy area of Babliana in Satwari here yesterday.Official sources said the body of 34-year-old Reshma, wife of Mohammed Yousuf, was found behind bushes in the Babliana area by some passersby, who informed the police.

They said the victim, a mother of three children, had been putting up with her parents at Babliana for the past one month after having a quarrel with her husband, who lives in the Camp Gole Gujral area.

Reshma had been married to Mohammed Yousuf for the past 10 years, but a month ago she had come to her parental home in Babliana after having a quarrel with her husband over some issue.

The sources said three days ago Reshma went missing from her parental house only to be found dead yesterday.

They added that the body was shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) for an autopsy. The police picked up husband of the deceased for questioning at the Satwari police station.

“The body bore injury marks, which aroused our suspicion that she might have been murdered,” they added. We were awaiting the post-mortem report, they said.

Geelani was placed under house arrest on September 9, a day after his release from the central jail, after undergoing detention for 95 days under the Public Safety Act. — PTI