Udhampur, May 31
After 11 days of blackout on account of failure of power supply, residents of Kishtwar yesterday evening heaved a sigh of relief with its restoration.

Government offices, business establishments, banks, hospitals and clinics were back to normal.

The system delivering basic amenities, most importantly the drinking water supply, also started functioning effectively. The atmosphere was recharged in the educational institutions, especially the schools which were put to a great inconvenience.

Mobile telephone connectivity which had suffered due to lack of recharging of batteries too became normal.“The power supply was restored yesterday evening,” confirmed SP, Kishtwar, Dr Mohammad Haseeb Mughal.

It is pertinent to mention that the pitch-dark conditions all these days had made the civil and police administration of the district apprehend a breakdown of law and order, which might have arisen due to increasing frustration and anger among public.

The police authorities did not rule out a possible exploitation of the situation by anti-national elements.

The situation had come to this pass as 132 KV power transmission tower feeding the entire district had collapsed near Pul Doda on May 17. It was finally put back in place by the NHPC after working relentlessly all these days. The situation could not be alleviated in terms of making temporary arrangements due to the difficult terrain and dense forest where the tower was located.

PRO, NHPC, Ramesh Sharma informed that supply could have been restored within three days but the adamant Forest Department did not allow the cutting of some trees to facilitate temporary arrangements.

“So we were left with no option but to erect the tower at the same place from where it was uprooted,” he said, attributing the delay to the fact that the work had to be done right from the level of preparing concrete foundation of the tower.

Mansar (Samba), May 31
Any movement in the Mansar lake these days attracts the attention of Shaukat Khan, a resident of Srinagar, who hopes it could give some clue about his nephew, Zuhaib Rizvi, a student of MBBS final year in Jammu, who went missing from near the lake on May 14 under mysterious circumstances.

Even 17 days after the police claimed Zuhaib could have committed suicide as his wallet and some belongings were found by the lakeside, his body was untraceable. Shaukat is still hopeful that Zuhaib may be alive. The hapless family today announced a reward to anyone giving a clue about him.

And then there are many controversial theories associated with the disappearance of a Kashmir youth in the state. But Shaukat does not want to the talk about these.

The maternal uncle of the youth, along with other relatives, is camping alongside the lake all these days hoping to see Zuhaib’s body or a hint of his being alive.

Zuhaib was a student of Batra Medical College and Hospital, Jammu. “If he has committed suicide or has been killed, where is his body?” asks Shaukat.

Army divers have also searched the lake, but in vain. “One day a police officer threw a coin into the lake and surprisingly it was found by some divers the other day. So how is it possible that Zuhaib’s body is in the lake and still untraceable,” he said.

The family also raised questions about the negligence on the part of the college authorities and the police. “The day Zuhaib disappeared, the college authorities should have sealed his hostel room, which they did after seven days,” Shaukat alleged. “We move around the lake the whole day to look for Zuhaib’s body,” said Sayeed Khan, a cousin of Zuhaib, with tears in his eyes.

However, the family did not rule out the possibility of foul play or a love affair behind the sudden disappearance of Zuhaib. It said there was no family or property dispute that could have forced him to take the extreme step.

“Zuhaib was good in studies and was also adjudged the best sportsperson of the college a few days ago,” said a cousin of Zuhaib.

The Samba police, which is investigating the case, said it had recorded the statements of Zuhaib’s friends and a taxi driver. The taxi driver told it that the boy asked him to take him to the Mansar lake from the Bus Stand here on late May 14 evening. And after reaching the lake, the boy asked him to go back immediately and leave him there.

SHO, Mansar police station, Atul Singh said, “We are applying all theories to solve the case and are also taking the help of the Jammu police. But so far nothing has come out.” His identity card, the business card of the taxi driver and some money were also found, which created suspicion about the suicide theory.

Zuhaib is the only hope of his family as his father had died in a road mishap in 1999. He has a younger sister also.

Srinagar, May 31
The state Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here today, ordered transfers in the civil administration and promotions in the police department.

Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari, Secretary, Public Service Commission, has been transferred as Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, while Mohammad Abbas, Director Local Bodies, Kashmir, has been posted as Registrar, Cooperative Societies.

Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad, Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, has been transferred as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Srinagar. Ajit Kumar Sahu, Deputy Commissioner, Leh, has been posted as Director Technical Education, while M Raju, Additional DDC, has been transferred as Deputy Commissioner, Kargil.

Tushar Kanti Sharma, Special Secretary, Forests, has been transferred as Member, state Special Tribunal, against a vacancy while Mohammad Shafi Rather, Director, Technical Education, has been posted as Secretary, Agriculture Production Department. Syed Altaf Hussain, Special Secretary, PDD, has been transferred as Secretary in the PDD.

Raj Kumar Bhagat, Managing Director, J&K SC/ST&OBC Development Corporation, has been transferred as Additional Commissioner, Jammu, against a vacancy.

MS Sood, Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora, has been transferred as Deputy Commissioner, Shopian, while Farooq Ahmad Renzu, Director, Information, has been posted as Director, Local Bodies, Kashmir. The charge of the post of Director, Information, will be held by Zaffar Ahmad Bhat, Special Secretary to Chief Minister. Manzoor Ahmad Lone, Deputy Commissioner, Kulgam, has been transferred as Deputy Commissioner, Bandipore.

Showket Ahmad Mir, Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, has been transferred as Special Secretary, CAPD and Transport.

The IPS officers promoted to the rank of IG are Rashmi Ranjan Swain, Arun Kumar Choudhary, Hemant Kumar Lohia, Pankaj Saxena.

The Cabinet also approved the promotion to the rank of DIG of IPS officers Sham Lal Sharma, Jagjit Kumar, Shafqat Ali Watali, Mubarik Ahmad Ganai and Joginder Paul Singh.

Srinagar, May 31
The state government has asked deputy commissioners of hill districts to take measures to immediately rescue nomad Gujjars and Bakerwals who have been stranded on the upper reaches of the state for the past few days due to heavy rain and snowfall.

Reacting to reports that a sizeable number of Gujjars and Bakerwals were trapped in the Pir Panjal and other mountain ranges and certain others had been killed, Minister of State for Social Welfare Aijaz Ahmed Khan directed the deputy commissioners concerned to send relief and rescue teams there.

He said the matter had been taken up with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah regarding the disbursement of relief among kin of those who had lost their lives in the past one week due to the natural calamity.

He further said the government was committed to taking care of food, fodder, medicine and other needs of the stranded people. In case of emergency, the Army’s help would also be sought.

Meanwhile, on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Sajad Ahmad Kichloo, MLA Kishtwar, along with Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, undertook a tour of remote areas of Marwah and Dachhan to assess damage caused to livestock and property due to untimely snowfall and incessant rain.

The Chief Minister has directed Kotwal to prepare urgently an action plan based on the assessment, for providing relief to the affected people. Omar has also directed the divisional administration to maintain the supply of ration to the affected area so that people did not face any problem on this account.

Kotwal has also been directed to monitor the situation regularly and sensitise the officials concerned to be prompt and responsive to the needs of people. The Kishtwar MLA, while interacting with local people, said the damage caused to property, livestock, crops, trees and houses in Dachan, Marwah and Paddar should be assessed by the authority concerned. He assured the area people that the government would extend all possible help to those affected by rain and snowfall.

Jammu, May 31
While the staff of municipal committees conducted special campaigns today and challaned people smoking in public places, several non-governmental organisations and schools held awareness functions and rallies to mark World No-Tobacco Day.

To motivate people quit smoking, SR Public School today organised a rally, which comprised staff members and students who carried banners that read, “rally say no to tobacco”. It took a round from Exchange Road to Kachi Chawani and then headed back to school premises.

The rally was flagged off by Major Narender Sharma, who encouraged and applauded the students in his address after witnessing a skit presented by them.

World No-Tobacco Day was celebrated at Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. In the function, counselling was provided to smokers willing to quit the habit of smoking. About 150 persons availed the benefit of free service provided by the hospital.

Medical Superintendent Dr Subash Bhagat and Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Arun Sharma were also present in the function.

Dr Jagdish Thapa, Head, Department of Psychiatry Hospital, provided counselling and treatment to people, along with Dr Rakesh Banal and Dr Poonam Manyal.

An NGO, SPYM (Society for Promotion of youth & Masses), working for drug de-addiction also participated for creating awareness among people. Students of BEE ENN Charitable Trust made posters on the occasion showing bad effects of tobacco. The posters were displayed in the hospital auditorium.

The students also interacted with Dr Thapa and other doctors and learnt techniques of motivation and counselling. A function was organised by the Nirbhao Nirvair Organisation under the chairmanship of Harjeet Singh at Karan Bagh.

Singh stressed for such a education system wherein children were educated from the very beginning about ill-effects of tobacco use.

“Parents as well as teachers should make children understand it through plays, colour books and activities which focus on the dangerous aspects of tobacco use,” he added. District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, Jaipal Singh flagged off a rally in which a large number of students and citizens participated.

The rally was organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports in collaboration with the Drug and Food Control Organisation under the aegis of District Level Monitoring Committee for implementation of the Cigarette and Tobacco Act 2003.

The rally started from Town Hall, Rajouri, and culminated at Boys Higher Secondary School, Rajouri. Assistant Drug Controller, Mr Raj Kumar Koul, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Mohd Din and Prof Bashir Magray were also present on the occasion.

The Education Department in collaboration with Drugs and Food Control Organisation, Poonch, today organised a massive rally at Poonch which was participated by over 500 students from various educational institutions of the district.

The rally marched through the roads and markets of Poonch city with banners displaying slogans like “Smoking Kills”, “Tabacco Causes Cancer”, “Stop Smoking”.

District Development Commissioner, Reasi, PK Pole flagged off a rally from the Government Higher Secondary School, Katra.

The rally was organized with the collaborated efforts of Department of Education , Drugs and Food Control, and District Information Centre, Udhampur under the overall supervision of DDC. The private Drug Association Katra also extended their help to make the rally a success.

Deputy Controller Drugs, Jammu, Lotika Khajuria, Assistant Controller Drugs, Reasi Munish Gupta, Chief Education officer, Reasi, KK Sharma, BMO, Katra, Dr Gopal Dutt, heads of various educational institutions, Food and Drugs Inspector, Reasi, teachers and students participated in the rally.

Jammu, May 31
Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today dismissed a writ petition wherein Durga College of Education for Women, Katra, had sought writ of mandamus commanding the respondents to issue a fresh notification on the analogy of a notification, dated October 29, 2009, issued by University of Jammu and the order, dated November 19, 2009, issued by the Higher Education Department, holding that the university was an independent body and couldn’t follow a particular policy only for the reason that the same had been adopted by the University of Kashmir.

Each university has its own norms and method of working. The Syndicate of a university has all the powers to take any policy decision in such a matter.

The petitioner running B. Ed. courses with a capacity of 280 seats sanctioned by University of Jammu, filed a writ petition alleging that only 68 students were allotted to the college while maximum colleges had been allotted candidates for all the seats, thus making the college defunct because of less number of allotted students. The notification, dated June 29, 2009, issued by University of Jammu prescribed 45 per cent of the aggregate marks in the qualifying examination, as the eligibility criteria for admission to B. Ed courses, whereas, the University of Kashmir accepted admission forms from the candidates irrespective of their percentage/marks obtained in the qualifying examination.

University of Jammu while opposing the admission of the writ petition stated that it had fixed the eligibility criteria to maintain the standard of education.

The high court while rejecting the submissions of counsel for the petitioner observed that “University of Jammu is the best judge to fix the criteria and it exclusively lies within the power and jurisdiction of the university to fix criteria for admission to various courses run by it. The Syndicate is the best judge in the matter and the colleges affiliated with the university cannot ask for fixation of low marks/percentage for admission. The communication, dated November 19, 2009, considered by the Syndicate resolving not to dilute percentage fixed for admission to B. Ed. courses having not been challenged by the petitioner, he cannot ask for repeal of the notification dated October 29, 2009 or substitution by another notification as suggested by the government vide communication, dated November 11, 2009.”

Srinagar, May 31
The chairman of the moderate faction of the All- Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said today that human rights violations in Kashmir and the dialogue process could not go together.

The Mirwaiz said this while referring to the killing of three youths from Nadihal village of Baramulla district in an alleged fake encounter in the Machil sector on April 30. The police has booked a Major and arrested three persons, including a Territorial Army jawan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a press conference in New Delhi recently had invited the separatists to hold talks with the government for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Addressing a media conference at his party office in Rajbagh, the Mirwaiz said, “Human rights violations and the dialogue process cannot go together. Any talk about the future of the people of Kashmir cannot be possible when their lives are threatened.”

He said the ‘murder of innocent people’ in staged encounters won’t be tolerated. He also appealed to the international community to probe the killings.

“The people of Kashmir have no faith in the Indian investigation agencies and the police. How the CBI dealt with the Shopian rape and murder case and how it was hushed up to save the skin of the people involved have exposed their (CBI) working. We want an international committee to probe the killings in Kashmir,” he said.

Srinagar, May 31
The Jammu and Kashmir Voluntary Health and Development Association organised a function in connection with World No-Tobacco Day here today. While highlighting the ill-effects of smoking, the speakers impressed upon the youth to quit smoking.

Seema Gupta, a representative of the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), while speaking on the theme “Women and Tobacco”, said concepts like slim, mild and ultra-mild cigarettes had been promoted to encourage women to take up smoking. She asked women to be cautious about smoking saying this led to abortion and cervical cancer.

“We will have a picture of mouth cancer on cigarette packs from December this year, though the same was to come into effect from June 1. Right now there are pictorial warnings on cigarette and gutka packs, but the same have not led to desired results,” said Seema.

A prominent physician, Dr Ghulam Qadir Allaqaband, said environmental smoking and the deposition of smoke on carpets in homes led to passive smoking as well as other ill-effects on children and other family members.

“More and more women are taking to smoking and they smoke due to fashion. In villages hookah (hubble-bubble) is common and it is being used irrespective of gender,” said Allaqaband.

Udhampur, May 31
A team of district health and food officials imposed fine on those found smoking in public places on World No-Tobacco Day today to spread awareness about the ill-effects of tobacco. School students took out rallies in Katra and Reasi on the occasion.

The officials surveyed the Bus Stand, Gol Market and Military Hospital Chowk and realised a fine of Rs 470 from the violators of the ban on smoking in public places. The step had the desired result, as several smokers were found requesting the officials to spare them. Some were even spotted touching the feet of the officials at the Bus Stand promising not to smoke again.

Over 700 students drawn from various government and private educational institutions took out a rally in Katra town. They carried banners and placards on the ill-effects of smoking and its products like ‘Say No to Tobacco’, ‘Smoking Causes Cancer’, ‘Smoking is injurious to health’, ‘Avoid Smoking Save Planet’, and marched through the main areas of the holy town.

District Development Commissioner, Reasi, PK Pole formally flagged off the rally from the premises of Government Higher Secondary School, Katra. The rally was organised jointly by the Department of Education, Drugs and Food Control, and the District Information Centre, Udhampur, under the overall supervision of the DDC. The Drug Association, Katra, also extended help to make the rally successful.

Srinagar, May 31
Four militants were killed and an Army jawan was injured in an encounter in Rafiabad village in Baramulla district today.

On getting information about the presence of militants in the forests of Hamam in Rafiabad today, the Army launched a search operation and cordoned off the area. The militants hiding there started firing at the security forces which returned the fire, killing four of them , said a Srinagar-based spokesman of the Army.A jawan was also injured in the gunfight.

He said four AK- 47 assault rifles, one UBGL and other ammunition were recovered from the scene of the encounter.

“The operation is continuing,” said the spokesman.

Udhampur, May 31
A district commander of Hijbul Mujahideen (HM), Bashir Ahmed, alias Chhota Bashir, was allegedly killed by a fellow militant Abdul Latif in Doda district yesterday night.

The police came to know about the killing, which took place in the area near Laloor village under the jurisdiction of police station Dessa, today morning, following which a massive search operation was launched.

The area was cordoned off and Abdul Latif was arrested. An AK-57 was later recovered on the basis of information provided by him. SSP, Doda, Prabhat Singh said this was the first incident of internecine war among the ranks of HM this year. Two such incidents had taken place last year as well.

The incident showed frustration and personal despondency prevailing among the militant ranks after the offensive launched by the security forces leading to normalisation of the situation for the past one and half years.

He added the killed district commander had recruited Abdul Latif in the outfit just three months back. He is being interrogated by the Doda police. The SSP claimed that HM was crippled in Doda as its members decreased from 62 to 21. Around 20 militants belonging to this outfit were eliminated last year.

Jammu, May 31
Despite a barbed fence, a married woman today crossed over to occupied Kashmir (PoK) from a border village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district. “Noorjahan (32), a mother of three children and wife of Abdul Majeed of Gotriyan village, crossed over from Kerni forward belt along the LoC early this morning,” said SSP, Poonch, Manmohan Singh.

After a village watchman confirmed the incident we registered a case against the woman at the police station concerned, he added.

The SSP said though there had been a drop in incidents of illegal crossing ever since the barbed fence had come up at the LoC, stray incidents did happen because 80 per cent of the villagers living close to the LoC had relatives on other side of the divide.

Her husband, Abdul Majeed, claimed that his wife had been mentally upset for the past some time and she might come back, but we had registered a case against her, said Singh.