Udhampur, May 27
Eleven persons, including a woman, were killed in two road mishaps involving a truck and a Tata Sumo, which skidded and fell into a gorge in Ramban district today.

The deceased included four residents of Dhyapur village of Batala tehsil in Gurdaspur district. They were travelling in the Srinagar-bound Tata Sumo.

According to official information, a Srinagar-bound truck fell into a gorge when the driver failed to negotiate a sharp curve at Kanda Morh under Chanderkot police station.The police first extricated two bodies and later the third after the Jammu-based owner of the truck informed it that three persons were travelling in the vehicle. The police found the third body from a nearby nullah.

The police was in for a surprise as its owner who reached the spot after a few hours told it that the body found to be in the driver’s seat was actually of the vehicle’s cleaner. They were later identified as Rakesh Kumar of Chowki Chowra, Akhnoor, and Anil Kumar of Metku, Akhnoor. The third body could not be identified.

In another accident, a Srinagar-bound Tata Sumo which left Jammu at about 11.30 pm fell into a gorge at Monkey Morh, near Battery Chashma. The police which was informed about the accident by a local resident took help of the Army and the local people in recovering eight bodies.Six of the killed were identified as Mohammad Aaqbul Bhat of Budgam, Fayaz Ahmed of Kupwara and Gulzar Singh, Madan Masih, Sarban Masih and Manga Masih,belonging to a village in Gurdaspur district.A woman and another victim were yet to be identified.

Jammu: A retired Army Captain, Tarlochan Singh, and his wife Surjeet Kaur were killed when a Tata Sumo hit their motorcycle on the national highway in Samba district on Thursday morning.

The police said Tarlochan and his wife were on their way to Samba from their native village Chak Ram Chand on the motorcycle when a Tata Sumo (bearing number MH-23-H-1133) on its way to Katra hit the motorcycle in the Sapowal area. Both were killed on the spot.

The police said Tata Sumo driver Rajesh Ganpati Satbudhe, a resident of Chandarpur in Maharashtra, was arrested and the vehicle impounded.

The in charge of Sapowal police post, Inderpal Singh, said, “A case has been registered and the accused has been arrested.”

Jammu, May 27
Bringing to the fore palpable flaws in a survey conducted by the Revenue Department for the assessment of losses caused by drought, more than 8,000 drought-hit farmers, who lost their Kharif crop last year, have been debarred from the relief.

The affected farmers in Sunder Bani and Nowshera reportedly did not get relief under the below poverty line (BPL) or above poverty line (APL) categories as their names were missing from the list of beneficiaries furnished to the respective tehsil supply officers.

The same families said this year again they would not compensated for Rabi crop failure due to the drought-like situation, as the assessment team from GOI, who had visited the state in April, did not surveyed their fields.

“As per our assessment, due to rain deficit, 70 to 80 per cent of the crop failed last year in 18 districts of the state,” said AK Malhotra, deputy director, Agriculture adding: “This year the Rabi crop has suffered 50 per cent loss due to the drought-like situation.”

“Nobody from the Revenue Department came to us for registering our names. We found our names missing in the list of beneficiaries with the tehsil supply officer,” said Dhani Ram, a farmer of Hathal in Sunder Bani.

Krishan Lal, another farmer of Bhjawal, said: “Our crops have failed two consecutive times. We are devastated as agriculture is our mainstay and we have not got any relief yet”.

“As many as 3,350 farmers from Sunder Bani tehsil and at least 4,800 farming families have been excluded. We have submitted supplementary lists of affected farmers to the DC.

Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri JP Singh told the Tribune: “The left out farmers should approach the district administration so that the reasons for the exemption could be established.”

“We have distributed the relief ration to one lakh affected farmers for three month - February, March and April - ” he added.

Udhampur, May 27
Over 30 persons, including 25 children, suffered from food poisoning after consuming adulterated ice-candies in Reasi town yesterday evening.

The condition of three is critical and of them two have been referred to the Jammu Medical College (JMC). The police has arrested the vendor, identified as Baldev Raj of Pathankot, Punjab, on complaint of the victims.

On the recommendation of the police, the district administration constituted special teams to conduct sampling of the eatables, including caned juices, lemon water, cut fruits and sweets being sold in the open.

The family members of some victims said when the children came home after consuming the ice-candies, they complained of vomiting and diarrhea.

The family members rushed them to the District Hospital, Reasi. The number of victims increased to 30 by 11 pm.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Rashid informed that the adulterated stuff could not be recovered from the accused as all of it had been sold out. The police had been investigating the source from where the adulterated material was manufactured. The accused confessed to have brought the raw material from Pathankot, where it was available at cheaper rates.

Senior Congress leader Tariq Bhat, who visited the hospital to enquire about health of the children, alleged that adulterated eatables were being sold in the area in connivance with the district officials and demanded that strict action be taken against those involved.

Jammu, May 27
The traffic movement on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was disrupted for more than half-an-hour when a sniffer dog aroused suspicion of the Road Opening Parties (ROP) towards a possible IED planted near the highway at Rattanbas in Banihal this morning.

Official sources said, during the routine patrol, a sniffer dog started sniffing a particular spot near the highway, adding the ROP got alerted and stopped the traffic movement immediately.

The sources said a bomb disposal squad was also requisitioned, but nothing was recovered after carefully digging the spot.

The traffic remained suspended from 8.30 am to 9 am. It may be stated here that the militants were always on a look out to plant mines and IEDs on the strategic highway to inflict maximum damage to the convoys of the security forces and the tourists.

Jammu, May 27
In view of UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s visit here on May 29, the Jammu and Kashmir police has stepped up security.

Sonia Gandhi will arrive here by air and then go by road to Narwal where she will inaugurate the Gurjar Centre for Culture and Heritage and address a public rally, a senior security officer said.

The police and security forces have been directed to make tight arrangements in the town where the UPA chairperson is likely to address the gathering, official sources said here.

Security is also being tightened on the National Highway and in other border villages by deploying additional companies of paramilitary forces, the sources added.

Gandhi will be accompanied by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, PCC chief Saifdudin Soz and other Congress ministers in the coalition government, a senior Congress leader said. A number of party MLAs and other leaders have reached the town for the visit.

Though the Special Protection Group (SPG) is looking after security arrangements for the visit, the district police has also deployed additional force at strategic points.

Inspector-General (IG), Jammu zone, Ashok Gupta, said: “We have deployed adequate number of cops to provide security to senior politicians and foolproof security arrangements have been made for this purpose”.He further said the route of the visit would be covered by cops and no one would be allowed to move on the road during the time.

Jammu, May 27
The PDP today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to announce a special package for the socio-economic uplift of the residents of twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the state in the first week of June.

The PDP has passed a resolution in this regard in a meeting of party workers at Rajouri. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of MLA, Darhal, Choudhary Zulfikar. The resolution urged the Prime Minister to announce an exclusive economic package for the uplift and development of both backward districts.

Speaking on the occasion, before moving the resolution, Zulfikar said the residents of Poonch and Rajouri were the worst victims of the wars between India and Pakistan and there was a need to take some concrete steps for the economic growth of the region.

He said Poonch and Rajouri were the most backward districts of the state and hence this belt deserved special attention.

Pointing towards the problems being faced by the youths of the belt, Zulfikar demanded that a special recruitment drive for the youths of Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Army and other security forces should be held. He also demanded that keeping in view the backwardness of the area, the youths be given priority in recruitment in other departments also.

The PDP leader said Poonch and Rajouri districts should also be connected with a railway line. He added a survey in this regard had already been conducted and there was a need to start work on the project.

Expressing concern over the failure of the authorities to exploit the hydroelectric potential in this belt, Zulfikar demanded the construction of mini hydroelectric projects on local rivers in Poonch and Rajouri to cope with the worst ever power crisis in this belt.

He said the construction of power projects would also create job opportunities for the youths of Poonch and Rajouri. He also urged the Prime Minister to help restore inter-district recruitment in the state.

Jammu, May 27
An elocution competition was held on the topic “ Buddhism and environmental protection” by the Department of Buddhist Studies at University of Jammu today to mark Buddha Purnima.

Monks and researchers expressed their views and offered prayers to triple gem (Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha). Dean Academic Affairs, Prof RD Sharma, was the chief guest.

Head of the department, Prof Baidyanath Labh, in his presidential remarks stressed upon formulation of a concrete policy for tackling global warming. He said in the absence of a policy, the flora and fauna was badly affected.

Srinagar: The 2,554th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gautam Buddha was celebrated with fervour and gaiety here on Thursday.

In this connection, a grand function was organised by the Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association Students Wing, Srinagar, at the Nigeen Club here.

Minister for Tourism, Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister for CA&PD Qamar Ali Akhoon and other senior officers, besides a large number of Ladakhi students, academicians, intellectuals and Lamas attended the function and offered prayers to Lord Buddha, besides prayed for the peace and prosperity of the state.

Jammu, May 27
Alleging irregularities, the National Secular Forum (NSF) today urged Vice-Chancellor of University of Jammu Varun Sahni to personally monitor the functioning of the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) at the campus.

NSF president Vikas Sharma, while addressing mediapersons on the campus here today, accused DDE director Meenakshi Kilam of carrying authoritative attitude, due to which the students coming from the far-flung areas were suffering. Sharma also claimed that certain elements were misguiding the VC over the state of affairs on the campus.

“The National Secular Forum requests the VC to look in the over-all functioning and performance of the DDE and take cognisance of the grievances of the students,” he added. “Thousands of students enrolled with the DDE have to suffer because of lack of facilities for them at the campus,” he said.

He also asked the varsity authorities to answer the queries like expenditure of admission fee, syllabus of how many courses has been changed during the past three years and amount spent on the same, year-wise detail of honorarium paid for the preparation of material, amount paid on account of printing of study material, amount paid as honorarium/remuneration to the faculty engaged for the lectures.

Jammu, May 27
Students of BA/B.Sc/B.Com part-III of Government Gandhi Memorial (GGM) Science and SPMR Commerce College boycotted the annual exam of mathematics paper-A yesterday claiming that the paper was out of the syllabus.

To express resentment against the university authorities, the students of Science College also held a protest against the university authorities under the banner of the Jammu Joint Students Federation.

Over 300 students of GGM Science College and around 37 students of SPMR Commerce College were appearing in the exam yesterday.

While talking to The Tribune, Sahil Choudhary, final year student of GGM Science College, said since around 70 per cent of the paper was out of the syllabus, it was difficult for the students to take the exam. “When we found that the paper was out of the syllabus, we reported the matter to the Principal and submitted a written application,” said Sahil.

He further said the Principal of the college and nodal officer of the colleges, Dr MS Billoria, assured them that the students would be given grace marks after talking to the authorities concerned.

Most of the students of GGM Science College said they did not have faith in the university authorities as even earlier they faced a similar problem in the physics paper-A on April 17.

However, the Principal of SPMR Commerce College, Anita Sudhan, alleged that the students of her college were taking the paper peacefully while the students of GGM Science College entered her college, disrupted the examination process and snatched answer sheets and destroyed them in front of her.

The Controller Examination, Jammu University, GM Bhat, said the paper was completely as per the syllabus. “Students took the same paper in the entire province and we did not receive any complaint about the paper from anywhere,” he added.

Bhat said he had received a written complaint from the Principal of SPMR Commerce College that some students of GGM Science College misbehaved with her on the premises of her college.

“The Principal complained that some students of GGM Science College snatched answer sheets from the students taking the paper in SPMR Commerce College,” said Bhat. He added, “Students of GGM Science College have also given a representation to me stating they were willing to take the exam but the Principal of the college has not given any information about the matter so far.”

However, Billoria could not be contacted for her comments.

Jammu, May 27
Despite efforts of senior leaders to bring peace between two warring groups of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), student wing of the Congress, a war of words has intensified between them as dissidents today levelled charges of corruption and bungling against union president Rashid Choudhary.

Interacting with mediapersons, “suspended” NSUI leader Abhishak Kousal today demanded an inquiry to ascertain where the funds allocated by the party high command to the NSUI chief had gone.

He alleged that the party high command had sanctioned huge funds to the state unit of the NSUI and the state president of the union had pocketed the same. “We will bring the matter to the notice of the party high command so as to expose those who have swindled the party funds,” he added.

Koushal again took up the issue of the removal of banners and posters of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. He reiterated the demand for action against those responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, Rashid dubbed the dissidents as “disgruntled” elements and “nuisance” who had been suspended from the organisation for creating indiscipline repeatedly. “I have already divested them of their posts. There is no reason to give any weightage to their allegations,” he told The Tribune and alleged that these disgruntled elements were playing into the hands of some agencies to spoil his image for some nefarious designs.

Rashid, who has been projected as a loyalist of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz, said he did not belong to any faction of the party. “Being the state president of the NSUI, I have to work in coordination with and under the guidance of the PCC chief. Hence, it does not mean that I am anti-Ghulam Nabi Azad,” he said while seeking to clarify his position.

Just like its parent organisation, infighting has intensified between the two NSUI groups. One group owes allegiance to the pro-Azad faction, while the other is known be loyal to Soz.

Under the patronage of senior leaders, activists of both groups have been indulging in mud-slinging for quite some time. Keeping in view the pending election to the post of the Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) chief, both factions have intensified their tirade against each other.

Srinagar, May 27
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for the greening of the industrial policy and harmonising its development with protection and conservation of the environment.

Speaking at the concluding session of a three-day conference on “Green Solutions for Sustainable Development in J&K”, the Chief Minister said there had been a tremendous pressure on the ecology and environment in the state due to the growth of population and haphazard construction. “We have to join hands to formulate a module to reduce this pressure on water bodies, forests, air and environment while chalking out the industrial development programme”, he maintained.

The Chief Minister said that planners had also to plan for management of a substantial floating population that stayed in the state during the tourist season and for pilgrimage. He said disposal of the waste and the management of water and energy had to be incorporated in the policy.

On the condition of Dal, Wullar and other lakes and water bodies bearing the brunt of pollution and human interference, the Chief Minister said these had been turned into garbage dumps and it was time to realise our responsibility for retrieving their immaculate glory. He said the government was committed to safeguarding the environment and ecology of the state and as such, development of tourism and industry was being carried forward under a comprehensive plan taking care of all aspects of pollution control and protection of ecology.

The Chief Minister emphasised on a perspective planning to address environment issues and joining hands with the international community against harmful effects of climate change. “Climate change influenced by other countries has also told upon our climate. We feel the changing pattern of the weather in the state. Chila Kalan (peak winter) passes away without snow, spring goes without rain, summer is hotter than normal and the month of May is now cooler than March in Kashmir. These all are disturbing effects of global climate change”, he said.

Srinagar, May 27
Welcoming the resumption of the India-Pakistan dialogue, the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has stressed the need for a result-oriented and meaningful dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Rejecting traditional politics, the Mirwaiz said here today the APHC was in favour of creating a conducive atmosphere by initiating confidence-building measures to resolve the issue. These included the release of political prisoners, revocation of laws giving special powers to security forces, withdrawal of troops and free movement of people across the LoC and trade between the two sides.

The issues also came up during a meeting of the executive council of the APHC at its headquarters here today which was attended by the top leaders, including Abdul Ghani Bhat, Agha Syed Hassan, Masroor Abbas Ansari, Mohammad Abdullah Taari and Musaddiq Aadil.

The council also extended its support to Saturday’s bandh call in protest against the alleged rape and murder case of two women in Shopian, a year after the incident.The bodies of the two women were recovered from the Ranbir nullah on May 29 last year, leading to widespread demonstrations across the Kashmir valley and a 49-day-long bandh in Shopian. The case was later investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while the Majlis Mashawrat of Shopian rejected its findings. The Mashawrat has already called for a march to Shopian on Saturday, while several separatist organisations have extended support, including the Mirwaiz faction of the APHC. The hardline faction of the APHC led by Syed Ali Geelani has, however, called for a march to Shopian on Sunday.

Srinagar, May 27
A three-day Tourist Mela, being organised by the Department of Tourism, took off in the Dard Tribal area of Batalik in Kargil district of the Ladakh region yesterday.

The festival was inaugurated by the Chief Executive of the Ladakh Hill Development Council (LHDC), Kargil, Kachoo Ahmad Ali, at Darchaks village in Batalik in the presence of MP from Ladakh, Ghulam Hassan Khan.

Appreciating the state and Central governments for opening Batalik for tourists, Kachoo said it would help promote tourism in other parts of Kargil district also. He said all possible efforts needed to be made by the Tourism Department to attract and motivate more and more tourists to Kargil.

Kachoo said it would provide ample opportunities to the domestic and foreign tourists to understand and see the age-old heritage in various parts of the district, including Darchaks.

The Ladakh MP impressed upon the local people to convert their houses into guest houses and provide ample hospitality to the tourists. — TNS

Jammu, May 27
Holding the Congress and its “adopted child” National Conference responsible for discrimination against Jammu, leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Chaman Lal Gupta, has ridiculed the claim of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saif-ud-Din Soz that his party is committed to balanced development of all regions and there is no scope left by this coalition for any injustice.

Addressing a meeting of party activists here, Gupta alleged that the Congress was the mother of all ills and its biggest folly was the grant of a special status to Jammu and Kashmir after accepting the Partition.

About regional disparities, Gupta pointed out leaders of the Congress and its ally NC were always acting under communal and regional considerations and Jammu was given step-motherly treatment in all spheres of life, including political representation to Jammu in the Lok Sabha as also in the state assembly.

In this regard, the BJP leader pointed out that the voter strength of both the regions was almost equal and the geographical area of Jammu was almost double to that of the Kashmir valley, but in the Lok Sabha, Jammu had been granted just two seats and in the assembly 37 seats against three Lok Sabha and 46 assembly seats to the valley. And their high-handedness was so deplorable that in 2001, the NC government had manipulated an amendment to the State Constitution under which an embargo had been put that there would be no delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir till 2026, he said and added the political slavery had been imposed against Jammu for many years to come.