Jammu, October 16
For employees of various government departments in the state, who have not received salaries for the past many months, it would be a black Diwali this time. As a mark of protest, they have decided to observe a black Diwali.

“We are without wages for the past five months. We don’t even have ration. How can we celebrate Diwali? We would be observing this Diwali as a black day,” Ashok Mehra, president of the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) Employees Union, said.

The SRTC employees are on strike for the past 52 days, demanding the release of their pending salaries. The employees will tie black ribbons on their elbows and sit at Bikram Chowk to register their anguish against the government.

Last week, an employee of the SRTC, who was with the corporation for the past three decades, died in absence of financial assistance as his family could not continue his treatment.

The situation is not different with the employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board as they too are on strike for the past 11 days and they too haven’t received their last month’s salary as they have been demanding the implementation of the 6th pay commission recommendations.

“Our families are on the verge of starvation, so all employees unanimously have decided to observe the festival of lights as black day. We won’t be lighting lamps candles, even we don’t have money to purchase sweets and firecrackers for our children,” Suman Sharma, secretary general of the J&K Housing Board Employees Association, said.

Protesting outside the office of the Divisional Commissioner for the past three years, the employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Home Guards are also on protest demanding increase in their salary and regularisation of their services. “How can you expect us to celebrate Diwali with a meagre monthly salary of Rs 410? For the past three years our Diwali has been black and this year too we would be observing the festival as black day,” Kamla Sharma, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Home Guards Association, said.

With no solution to their ongoing agitation in offing, the protesting doctors have also decided to observe a black Diwali.

In a statement issued here, the Doctors Joint Action Committee (DJAC), which led the indefinite stir across all hospitals in the region for the 12th consecutive day today, alleged that the government was not serious towards their demands. The DJAC also appealed to the government to assure them of accepting their demands by duly approving their memorandum.

Udhampur, October 16
Although officials of the Revenue Department are yet to submit village-level survey reports, initial information collected by the teams confirmed that 70 to 75 per cent of the maize and paddy crops have been damaged in Udhampur district due to draught.

Not only maize and paddy crops, production of vegetables has also been badly affected due to prolonged draught in the hilly region. The worst-hit areas were Dodu Bastangarh, Latti, Ramnagar, Chenani and Majalta. Officials of the Revenue Department, who had been deputed to conduct village to village survey to assess the total loss, are likely to submit their report after Diwali and following which a team from the Centre would visit the affected areas.

As problems of the inhabitants of these areas had been increasing, Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Ajay Khajuria, who is also the chairman of the Draught Prone Area Project (DPAP), has convened an emergency meeting of the officers concerned and directed them to expedite the watershed projects so as to protect the next crop and to maintain the moisture in the agricultural land of the draught-prone areas. Team leaders of the Watershed Development Committee (WDC) comprising of villagers were also invited in the meeting.

It was informed that 21 watershed projects were under implementation in the Udhampur block, Chenani and Panchari. The sector-wise review of soil and moisture conservation, afforestation, horticulture, agriculture and animal husbandry were discussed in the meeting.

It was informed in the meeting that each watershed had been taken under treatment in the identified villages. It was further added that 1,100 hectares had been treated under different soil conservation, including construction of water harvesting tanks, drainage to bring area under cultivation and prevent denudation of soil.

Srinagar, October 16
Ghulam Mohiudin Sofi, former minister from Handwara, today joined the PDP and also announced the merger of his People’s Democratic Forum into the PDP here today.

Welcoming Sofi’s entry into the PDP, party president Mehbooba Mufti said the former minister brought his cadre to the party in Kupwara district.

Sofi was first elected from his home constituency of Handwara in Kupwara district of north Kashmir in 2002 elections, but was defeated by NC’s Choudhary Mohammad ramzan in 2008.

Mehbooba said the PDP was making an attempt to establish the credibility of political system in the state which had been eroded because of the selfish policies of party’s like the NC ever since 1931.

She said the flip-flop conduct of the NC on matters of supreme national interest for Kashmiris had created a credibility crisis for the entire political class of the state.

“The politicians and political parties from the state are looked at as a saleable commodity, who could change their political agenda at any price,” Mehbooba said.

She added that the PDP was trying to change this image through its sustained campaign for the rights of the state.

Sofi on the occasion said he had been impressed with the leadership of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti and had come to the conclusion that only the self-rule agenda of the PDP could resolve Kashmir problem and also take care of the developmental and economic needs of the people of the state. He said his entire cadre of his People’s Democratic Forum had endorsed the decision to join the PDP.

Jammu, October 16
Panic gripped mentally challenged patients admitted in Ward Number 3 of the Government Psychiatric Hospital, Jammu, when the roof of the adjacent Ward Number 2 collapsed and reduced to a heap of rubble early this morning.

However, no injury to any patient was reported as the ward was vacated two months back for renovation.

“The incident occurred around 5.30 am when there was no labourer or patient inside the room or in the verandah,” senior psychiatrist Dr JR Thappa said.

Sham Sundar Sharma, who was attending to his ailing son Vicky Sahni, 23, in the Ward Number 2 when the incident took place, told the Tribune, “I was waiting outside while my son was in the toilet that shares wall with the collapsed ward. I heard a thunder and then saw clouds of dust for a while it appeared to me that it was the end of the world.”

Following the incident, the right wall of the hospital also developed cracks. As a precautionary measure, the hospital authorities vacated the ward and shifted the indoor patients to other wards.

Sources said the hospital building was 49 years’ old. “It was built as a mental hospital in 1964 and was further renamed as Government Psychiatric Hospital, Jammu, in 1974 and since then scarce efforts have been made to upgrade infrastructure and manpower,” they said.

The hospital caters to psychiatric patients not only from 10 districts of the Jammu region but also from Kashmir and bordering states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. “It sees as many as 200 patients at the OPD despite that the government is not serious towards the hospital,” they added.

Jammu, October 16
Though Chinese made firecrackers are said to be selling briskly in other parts of the country, Diwali shoppers in Jammu appear to be showing a marked preference for Indian made ones. This year most firecracker sellers in the region have not stocked Chinese items, saying they are unsafe as compared to locally made crackers.

“No, we aren’t selling Chinese crackers this Diwali season as the explosives used in them are dangerous and they burst with even when a little friction is applied,” said Vinod Kumar Gupta, a local wholesaler who has been in the firecrackers business for the past 31 years and has put up his stall at Parade Ground.

Though last year sizable quantities of firecrackers were sold in the town, this time around the sellers have refused to deal in Chinese made stuff. They also cited the central government’s ban on sale of Chinese fireworks after they were found to contain hazardous chemicals and were highly inflammable.

“Last year bursting of Chinese crackers led to many incidents of fire. Most of them don’t come with proper safety standards and are dangerous to store,” said Gupta.

According to wholesale dealers, around 90 per cent of the firecrackers sold in the region come from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu. They say sales this year have been much lower compared to previous years, though some hope they might pick up just before the Diwali festival.

“Though sales have been depressing till now we still have a day more to go. I expect to do business of around Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh this season,” Gupta said.

Yashpal Arora, owner of United Fireworks and in the trade for the past 40 years, says the economic downturn and soaring prices of almost all items have reduced the purchasing power of customers.

“This year business has not been as good as compared to previous years, though we’re hoping for it to recover a day before Diwali,” Gupta added. He also stated all wholesalers in Jammu had earlier decided not to sell Chinese firecrackers this time.

Jammu, October 16
Mohammad Yasin, a 21-year-old militant from Kishtwar lodged in the Amphala district jail, hums to himself as makes candles in his cell. Candles made by him and prison inmates will light up many houses this Diwali. Jail officials appear pleased at the fact that candles worth Rs 4 lakh have been sold till now in special stalls set up in different places in the state.

“Our hard work in making these candles will translate into joy in some house. This is how we can share their happiness, although indirectly,” said Yasin, who has been incarcerated in the jail for the past three years on charges of terrorism.

He has written several songs and ‘ghazals’ during this time. “Candle making has ignited some creativity in me,” said the youth, who once wielded guns and grenades.

Another inmate, Abid Khan, an army man from Bihar imprisoned for killing his commanding officer, teaches new arrivals how to make candles. His ‘co trainer’ is Jeet Singh, 32, who has been behind bars for the past 15 years for killing a schoolmate.

“As we make candles our thoughts go towards the houses and temples they would light up. It would be our penance and also provide us a cathartic release,” they said in an impassioned voice.

Jail superintendent Rajni Sehgal said inmates spend a lot of their time in this “good work”, part of the ‘Roshni’ project. “It brings revenues also - we have sold Rs 4 lakh worth of candles so far,” she added.

She said the shape and design of the candles are different every year in line with the prevailing trend. “We’ve decided on gel based lamps this year -they’re quite a craze these days.”

Krishan Chander Vishal of Orissa, who was sentenced to jail for three months, says he has decided to take up candle making as a business after his release. “I learnt the art during the past two months. Next month I’ll be released and once I’m back in my hometown I intend to make candles for a living,” he said.

Jammu, October 16
Diwali, also know as festival of lights, is likely to be bright for flower growers as besides earthen lamps and aromatic candles, marigold flowers are equally in demand in the city of temples.

“Marigold has eye-soothing fresh colours in different shades. Due to their largely acknowledged piousness, the flower is considered as good omen and is used in pooja,” believes Seegar, who has penchant for orange and yellow marigold. “God is what instantly comes into my mind when I see a marigold flower,” Seegar said.

“On Diwali, people of Jammu religiously decorate their doors and worship rooms with marigold flowers and candles or earthen lamps to welcome the Godess Laxmi in their homes,” she said.

Mohinder Verma said: “Flowers like rose, marigold and jasmine attract me but I am looking for tulip stems for their ornamental features.”

Local flower growers are all cheerful this Diwali due to the increasing demand of marigold flowers in Jammu. “Locally grown marigold are meeting almost 70 per cent demand in the indigenous market. Our farmers are getting Rs 60-70 and even more against one kg of marigold flowers,” president of the Flower Growers Association Tajinder Singh said.

“Marigold growers in RS Pura, Marh, Akhnoor, Nagrota and Bhaderwah are buoyed over encouraging market response during this festival season. We are getting six to eight times higher prices than previous years,” he added.

Maan Singh of Sarthian village in RS Pura said: “Earlier, I used to grow only traditional crops. The Flower Growers Association and Floriculture Department motivated me to grow flowers, and now, I am earning more than what I used to earn from traditional crops.”

“We are selling a garland for Rs 10-15 on regular days. But on Diwali the prices are likely to go up to Rs 125-30 per garland, depending upon the availability of marigold,” a flower seller said.

“Flowers are also being imported from Srinagar and adjoining states like Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Due to prolonged hot and dry spell, production of marigold has suffered a set back this year,” deputy director, Department of Floriculture, Rajinder Singh said.

Jammu, October 16
The cross-LoC trade between the two parts of the divided region that was initiated last year has done a business of over Rs 20.60 crore, but the traders from both side alleges that there are lobbies both within and outside the government trying to damage the trade ties.

A few days ago, the state police claimed to have busted a hawala racket and arrested some traders for allegedly organising hawala money for the dreaded LeT using the cross-LoC trade route to fund its operations in the valley.

Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a function held at the office of the Chambers of Commerce and Industries (CCI), Jammu, president of the CCI (PoK) Zulfiqar Abbasi, said on Wednesday that, “If any of our member is involved in the hawala transactions we condemn it. However, we doubt the investigations of the police as there are lobbies within and outside the government which want to sabotage the ongoing trade between the two sides.”

He said the “alleged” hawala transactions could be a handiwork of such lobbies with vested interest. He said though the government from both sides agreed to initiate the cross-LoC trade between the two sides, both countries failed to show seriousness in continuing the trade.

Abbasi said: “One year has passed, but still the trade is based on a barter system, whereas the government on both sides should open branches of their banks on either sides so as to bring transparency in trade and documentation of the same could be done.”

He said the government should ease restrictions in issuing travel permits and should provide the traders with multiple entry passes that could be used multiple times to enter into each other’s territory.

“It was decided to hold a review meeting between two governments in three months and an annual review meeting to increase the number of trade items, but unfortunately no such meeting has taken place,” Abbasi said.

He said though most of the trade between the two sides was taking place from the Poonch-Rawalkot side, but new routes of the Chamb-Palawala and Nowshera and Querta should be opened to benefit the trade as these routes were close to Jammu and the main industrial area of Mirpur in the PoK.

Earlier, Om Parkash Gupta, acting president of the CCI, Jammu, said in the absence of any telephonic link between the two parts of the divided region the trader from the Indian side could not call his counterpart in the PoK.

“We have to wait for their call, they can call us but we have restrictions on calling them, telecommunication services should be improved so that both sides carry on with the trade without facing problems,” Gupta said.

Jammu, October 16
Lieutenant-General Rameshwar Roy, today took the charge of the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps from Lt-Gen RK Swamy.

Previously Lt-Gen Roy held the important assignment at Director General, Military Intelligence at the Army Headquarters, New Delhi.

Roy was commissioned into the JAKRIF Regiment in June, 1973 and has had an illustrious career spanning over 36 years.

The General officer has to his credit an extremely distinguished service profile and has served at important professional appointments in Eastern and Northern sectors.

He has commanded Brigade during the peak of terrorism in Kupwara and has been the Divisional Commander of Ace of Spades Division under White Knight Corps.

He has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Yudh Seva Medal in recognition of his dedication and devotion to duty during operations.

Meanwhile, the outgoing GOC of the White Knight Corps, Lt-Gen RK Swamy, visited the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA), Northern Command, in Jammu on Thursday.

Lt-Gen Swamy was also accompanied by the new GoC, Lt-Gen Rameshwar Roy, and other senior officers of the White Knight Corps.

The Generals were received by Gautam Sen, the PCDA, Northern Command, and other officers of the organisation. Lt-Gen Swamy addressed the officers of the PCDA and spoke about the synergy in functions between the Army and the PCDA office.

Jammu, October 16
This Diwali has brought with it enormous light to illuminate the evenings on the campus of Jammu University as it has been decked up with different streetlights along the pathways.

“It’s never late. We appreciate the step taken by the varsity administration. There were certain spots on the campus that would plunge into darkness after sundown. So it was very difficult for women students to sit in central library for lengthy hours,” Ranjana Charak, a varsity student, said.

“It was a long-standing demand of students. We had submitted a memorandum to former vice-chancellor Amitabh Matto and then registrar GS Sambyal last year,” Vikas Sharma, president of the Jammu University Research Scholars Executive Association said.

“Though delayed, finally varsity has addressed one of the problems being confronted by the students. We have demanded such lights on the entire campus,” he said.

Assistant executive engineer of the Works Department at the varsity Jeevan Singh Thakur said: “The work is still on. We are setting up 50 post-lantern HBSB lights and 140 HBSB lights (street lights and flood lights) having 250 watts.”

“Besides this, we have also erected four high mast lights each having six HBSB lights of 400 watts in residential and academic areas,” he said.

“The streetlights have decked up entire campus. The evening walkers can enjoy the greenery on the campus in late hours also,” in charge of Beautification Wing DL Choudhary said.

“The campus welfare committee has decided to celebrate Diwali at faculty transit house near residential quarters on October 16,” he added.

Jammu, October 16
Safai karamcharis of the Municipal Corporation are a happy lot on the Diwali eve as their daily wages have been increased from Rs 70 to Rs 110. Keeping in view the hardships being faced by these employees, Mayor Kavinder Gupta today gave approval for releasing Rs 110 as daily wages to around 1,000 safai karamcharis, who are employed through an NGO on a contract basis.

Earlier these safai karamcharis were getting Rs 70 per day and now they would get the new wages from October 1. They had been pleading for an increase in the daily wages for a long time as the same amount was given to other daily wage workers enrolled on the corporation’s roll.

Extending gratitude to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Dharamvir Singh Jamwal and Commissioner Mubarak Singh, president of the Safai Karamchari Union, Devanand Gill said, “This decision has given a lot of happiness to the safia karamcharis and their families.” Gill said the Mayor had also assured them that the pending arrears of 125 employees, who were appointed in 2005, and of 169 employees, who were appointed in 2008, would also be released soon.

Srinagar, October 16
Welcoming Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement on dialogue process with separatists in Kashmir, CPM state secretary MY Tarigami has sought to take confidence-building measures to demonstrate its seriousness and commitment to resolve the vexed issue.

The CPM leader said the dialogue process should not be a mere show off but must be coupled with steps that to enhance the credibility and sanctity of the dialogue process. “Such measures will further strengthen the dialogue process and its credibility among people,” he said, adding that the stakeholders should not be hostage to the outcome of the dialogue but deem the process in itself a forward movement in finding a solution.

Expressing his dismay over India and Pakistan’s failure to act as facilitators for a meaningful dialogue, Tarigami said both countries had so far tried to impose their ready-made solutions to resolve the issue. “Since the Kashmir problem involves grave complexities, no ready-made solutions can work. There is a dire need to initiate intra-state dialogue so that a consensus is evolved among various shades of opinion of the state,” he asserted.

Tarigami observed that working group recommendations were appreciable and encouraging outcome of a dialogue, but lamented that these were not implemented in its entirety. “It is imperative that the Centre should immediately implement the working group recommendations, which will increment the faith of the people in the latest announcement,” Tarigami said.

The lone CPM MLA expected the Prime Minister to exhibit statesmanship to re-initiate the stalled bilateral talks with Pakistan. Hampering the dialogue between the two countries could only benefit the extremist forces, he said.

Udhampur, October 16
Sunil Sharma, a senior BJP leader from Kishtwar, has demanded that the local youths of erstwhile Doda district be given preference in jobs during the proposed construction of the second phase of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project on the Chenab in Ramban and all new proposed hydroelectric projects.

Sharma said a large number of skilled and unskilled workers were rendered jobless after the completion of the Dul Husti Power Project and the first phase of Baglihar as the projects were handed over to the NHPC and the PDC after completion.

The youths, he said, had worked in the projects for years and were now skilled enough to work on any power project. “The government, in the past, has ignored the local youth and instead the construction companies were allowed to employ people from outside, which only added to the woes of the local youths,” he said.

Sharma added that the government should give a clear instruction to the Power Development Corporation (PDC) to give preference to the local youths in all employment opportunities while executing the work on the second phase of the Baglihar project.

This, he said, would not only help in eradicating the menace of unemployment in the region, but would also boost the confidence of skilled workers.

Udhampur, October 16
Gulzar Singh Slathia, DIG, Udhampur-Reasi range, today felicitated all police constables and officers who were part of the team that shot dead a dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen self-styled commander Javed Iqbal. The most wanted Hizbul militant was killed on October 6 in the Domli Top area under the jurisdiction of Chenani police station.

The killing of Javed Iqbal is considered a big success for the police and a severe blow to the Hizbul Mujahidden, as he was the longest surviving dreaded militant active in both Doda and Udhampur districts. Javed was the main coordinator of militant activities in areas bordering Doda and Udhampur districts and used to collect money from local contractors. While felicitating the cops, the DIG said they had mounted pressure on the militants active in the region. He said it was all due to the pressure of the police that a good number of militants had been tracked down by the security forces in Reasi and Udhampur districts.

Slathia said locals had been sharing information about the presence of militants in their areas.