Srinagar, June 3
Militants in Kashmir are going hi-tech. Earlier they used mobile phone-operated improvised explosive devices, and now they have solar-activated missiles to target security forces.

For the first time in two decades of armed insurgency in the valley, the police has seized two solar-activated missiles, capable of hitting a target within 4 km of range. The missiles were seized from the Lola area of Kupwara district fitted to a tree in a forest.

“The target of the missiles was a nearby security force camp, but they were seized just in time,” said a police spokesman. He said each missile had a weight of about 4 kg and was lighter than an AK 47 assault rifle. Each missile was around four feet in length.

“A solar-activated missile is a highly sophisticated weapon. It can be fixed at any place. Its range can be set and the person who plants it can flee,” the spokesman said. The missile gets activated with sunlight and hits the target.

Srinagar, June 3
Expressing concern over eroding ecosystem, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked society to be responsive to the issue of safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem by jointly protecting environment and biological diversity of the state.

Omar was addressing the inaugural session of a three-day international conference on ‘Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation vis-à-vis Climate Change’ at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre here today. The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology , Kashmir is organising the conference in collaboration with the Association of Indian Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarian.

He held that the three regions of the state had enormously rich biodiversity of rare and unique plant and animal species. “Our actions have eroded the ecosystem putting tremendous pressure on forests, wetlands, water bodies, lakes and rivers. Time is ripe enough for us to understand the dangerous affects of the denuding of forests, polluting of water bodies and pressure on fauna and flora,” Omar said.

He asked the participants in the conference to come up with concrete suggestions to address this issue and stressed the need to focus on local problems formulating recommendations.

“It is heartening that the younger generation is quite aware of the importance of safeguarding the state’s biodiversity and environment. Our teenagers and children of even lesser ages question us about our carelessness vis-à-vis conservation and protection of the state’s natural wealth,” he said. This should act as a driving force for us to realise our responsibilities in this direction, he added. He asked the conference to discuss the pressure caused by population growth on biodiversity.

Srinagar, June 3
Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has urged the Centre to review its incentive policy for security forces in view of the repeated instances of alleged “murder for medals, rewards and promotions”.

While addressing a card holders’ convention of the PDP’s Noorabad constituency at Ahrabal in south Kashmir today, he urged the government to review the policy of rewards and promotions based on encounters.

“This can create a conducive atmosphere during the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit, as the sentiments of the people are deeply hurt by various staged killings in the name of encounters,” he added. He said this could act as a timely confidence-building measure.

Mufti pleaded for the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and demilitarisation of civilian areas. He said the reports of fake encounters had created a credibility crisis among the people and it was in the interest of the security forces to remove the blot.

Mufti further said the people of the state had endorsed the democratic system through their overwhelming participation in the elections expecting a matching response from the Centre.

Such a response, he said, had not been forthcoming and the human rights’ scenario had gone low instead.

“With relations reviving between India and Pakistan, it would be necessary for people of Jammu and Kashmir to feel the positive effect of this development that could happen if the AFSPA is revoked,” he added.

Mufti said the working groups appointed by the Prime Minister had recommended withdrawal of troops from civilian areas and revocation of the AFSPA.

He reiterated that the soldier and his gun should not symbolise the relations between the state and the Centre.

Jammu, June 3
Will they sustain bumpy and rough roads in treacherous hilly terrains? Concerns are being raised over the success of 150 air-conditioned low floor buses that the State Roads Transport Corporation (SRTC) is soon going to add to its existing fleet of buses.

Though the low floor 50 and 18 seat buses are meant for convenient boarding and alighting, the concept here has gone terribly wrong as far as the topography of the state is concerned. Sources disclosed the front bumpers of two buses were badly damaged during transportation itself.

While the corporation is yet to receive the consignment of remaining buses, it is over a month now that 26 buses parked at the Narwal truck yard have been waiting to be rolled out.

However, officials said they would get the delivery of remaining buses soon and eventually the 150 buses would be given equally to Jammu and Kashmir divisions.

Finding faults with the model of the buses, an SRTC driver said, “Being in the service of the Army we have to travel on poor roads. Keeping in view the body of the buses, these are apt for plains.”

“Such buses are made for silky-smooth roads, and I doubt if they will be successful in a hilly state like ours,” he said. He added, “Out of the 24 registered buses, 10 were tasked for Army service today.”

In such state-of-the-art buses the control remains with the driver. It would be at the discretion of the driver to open or close the front and rear doors for the passengers.

Also, there would be a ticker running on one side of the bus, which would alert the passengers at every stop, besides intimating them about the next destination.

Operations manager, SRTC, SS Jamwal said, “The buses will be successful. The low floor buses have been purchased as per the guidelines of the Housing and Urban Transport Ministry.”

On the routes planned for these buses, Jamwal said the modalities were being finalised and would be made public as soon as the Chief Minister or the minister concerned inaugurated the fleet. He denied the buses were being rented out to the Army.

If the buses are successful, the cash-strapped SRTC is expected to tide over the financial crisis that got aggravated during December last year when its employees went on a 100-day strike.

Jammu, June 3
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Union of India against an award passed by the arbitrator when the former effected recoveries from a subsequent contract on failure of the claimant to complete the work under an earlier contract, ruling that withholding of the amount by Union of India by seeking recovery against the claimant from a different contract, was not referred to the arbitrator.

The arbitrator has clearly reflected in his award that he was called upon to adjudicate upon a dispute which was referred to him by the court. He could not have adjudicated upon an issue which was not referred to him. He had rightly concluded that the claimant was entitled to receive the amount for the work executed by him,Justice Sunil Hali ruled.

Barrinder Kumar Sharma was awarded a contract for supply and stacking of BT materials (hard firewood) between Km 73 to Km 81 on the Dhar-Udhampur road by Project Sampark Vide contract dated May 25, 1995. The contract was for an amount of Rs. 1, 22, 360 and the work was required to be completed within three phases. After having executed phase I and II of the contract and part of the work of phase III, no payments were made to the claimant. The payment was withheld on account of recovery, which was sought to be made against the claimant for a different contract bearing No CDR 13 TF/05/95-96.

Having failed to recover the contract amount,a petition under Section 20 of the Arbitration Act was filed for making reference of the dispute to the Arbitrator before the Second Additional District Judge, Jammu. Through intervention of the court, the arbitrator came to be appointed. On entering the reference and after hearing the parties, the arbitrator passed an award, which was subsequently made Rule of the Court. Feeling aggrieved, the Union of India preferred an appeal.

Jammu, June 3
Expressing dissatisfaction over the functioning of the State Public Service Commission (SPSC), the National Secular Forum (NSF) today staged a protest at the University of Jammu.

The NSF demanded bifurcation of the SPSC, one each for Jammu and Kashmir regions for transparency.

A group of students led by Vikas Sharma, NSF president, took a round of campus and burnt the effigy of the SPSC chairman.

Sharma urged the SPSC chairman to take a quick decision over the pending grievances of aggrieved KAS aspirants.

He alleged that the wrong examination pattern adopted by the SPSC authorities in some of the optional subjects like Chemistry-B, Dogri-B, Zoology-B, Geography-B and Agriculture-B.

He said a fair chance be given to all candidates to rewrite their examiantions, wherein questions came from outside the syllabus.

Another student leader Randeep Singh Chib, quoting instances of the alleged bias, said in selection list of Urdu lecturer, of 62, only 18 were from the Jammu region while 44 were from the valley.

Similarly, he said out of 71, only 21 were from Jammu region in Political Science while 50 were from the valley. “In Statistics, only 3 of 11 were from the Jammu region while 8 were from the valley. In Botany, out of 51, only 19 were from the Jammu region while 32 were from the valley and in Zoology out of 106, only 41 were from the Jammu region while 65 were from the valley. In English, only 15 of 79 were from the Jammu region while 64 were from the valley. In Economics, out of 43, only 13 belonged to the Jammu region while 30 were from the valley. Of 17, only 6 were from the Jammu region while 11 from the valley in the selection list of a dental surgeon,” he added.

Jammu, June 3
Members of the Youth All-India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS) have decided to go on fast for two days in Srinagar during the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh there on June 7 and 8.

R. K. Bhat, President of YAIKS, said this was to express resentment against the Centre and state governments for ignoring the Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community while initiating a dialogue on the Kashmir issue.

“No political solution of the Kashmir problem is possible without KPs who have been aborigines of the valley for the last 5000 years”, Bhat said.

He said the main aim of the fast would be to focus the attention of the Centre and state governments on the main problems of the youth who had suffered a lot and were still suffering due to negligence of the both governments.

The president said: “ We want to communicate some grave flaws in the implementation of the special employment package for migrants since it is the subject of the Prime Minister.”

He alleged that the state government was not implementing the package for migrants in a rational, planned and scientific manner. Bhat said the rehabilitation of the uprooted community after two decades was a sensitive issue and needed to be discussed threadbare with the community leaders.

“The honour, security and respect must be guaranteed to the KPs under the Constitution of the state and the country with minority status,” said the president.

Bhat said, “The youth is shattered and dejected on account of the security scenario and accommodation after they return to valley to join their new places of posting. It is the duty of the state government to make foolproof arrangements for their safety, security and stay in the valley.”

He added that the KPs should be given reservation in state legislature so that they could get political empowerment.

Jammu, June 3
To expand its base to the whole state, the BJP has started serious efforts to strengthen its organisational structure in the Kashmir valley. Although the party had fielded candidates on more than 20 seats of the valley in the last Assembly elections, it had miserably failed to register any presence in the other side of the Pir Panjal.

First time since its formation, a BJP state president has conducted a week-long tour of the valley and addressed several meetings in different parts of Kashmir to remove “misconceptions” about the party in that area.

“It was really an encouraging tour,” BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas told The Tribune. He claimed that some residents of the Kashmir valley had some misconceptions about the party and he tried his best to convince people that the BJP was the most secular party in the country.

The BJP chief blamed the separatists and Kashmir-centric mainstream parties for launching a vicious campaign against the BJP in the valley. “People everywhere listened to our views seriously and raised various queries to remove their misconceptions,” he claimed. He hoped that in the days to come the BJP would expand its base in the valley.

In the early Nineties, when militancy was at its peak, some Kashmir leaders, namely Abdul Rashid Kabuli and Deen Mohammad Cheetah, had joined the party but they shortly parted ways as local BJP leaders failed to adjust them properly.

The ideology of the BJP and the erstwhile Jan Sangh revolves around the demand for scrapping Article 370 and hence the party is finding it difficult to expand its base in the Kashmir valley. “It is not the question about our ideology. A majority of the people in the Kashmir valley are fed up with the exploitative politics of the NC and the PDP,” Manhas said. The younger generation of Kashmir had realised that the parties like NC and PDP had been using them for furthering their political interests, he added.

Interestingly, instead of touching the controversial issue of Article 370 or discrimination against the Jammu region, BJP leaders, during their meetings in Kashmir, highlighted the problem of unemployment and backwardness in the valley. They tried to convince people that Kashmir-centric parties, especially the NC and the PDP, were solely responsible for their miseries.

Jammu, June 3
While intensifying the ongoing anti-adulteration drive, a team of the Jammu Municipal Corporation today destroyed around 30 kg of adulterated food items and seized 15 kg of polythene carry bags in various localities of the city.

The team headed by food inspectors and health officer of the corporation destroyed around 10 kg of unhygienic ice cream, 15 kg of stale cooked food and 5 kg of cut fruits being sold in the open in the market at various places.

The team inspected 55 food establishments, including meat/chicken shops, ice cream rehris, fruit juice shops, sweet shops, cooked food dhabas, restaurants in the areas of Panama Chowk, Narwal Mandi, Transport Nagar and Malik Market.

During the inspection, 14 defaulters were booked under the J&K Municipal Corporation Act, 2000, and PFA Act, 1954.

Besides this, the team also booked three persons who were found smoking at public places under the Cigarettes and Tobacco Act, 2003. A fine of Rs 3400 was realised on the spot from the defaulters.

About 15 kg of polythene carrybags were seized during the drive from the shopkeepers and vendors. An amount of Rs 5100 was charged as fine from 27 defaulters who were found using polythene carrybags.

The Enforcement field staff led by the Chief Enforcement Officer along with the police inspected the shops and other outlets in the areas of Rehari, Exchange Road, Rani Park and Parade.

Jammu, June 3
The Army last evening nabbed a Pakistani national near the international border (IB) in the Pallanwalla sector of Akhnoor subdivision.

Official sources said troops of the 12 Sikh Light Infantry nabbed 50-year-old Allah Ditta, a resident of Bukan in Pakistan, after he entered the Indian territory from the Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor last evening.

However, nothing incriminating was found from his possession, they said. The Pak national was later handed over to the local police.

Jammu, June 3
Three suspected “militants” today turned out to be cattle traders after some cops arrested them in a bid to foil a possible terror attack.

The incident took place this morning at a check post being manned by the police and the Army near jungles in the Sarthal area of Bani town in Kathua district, a route once used by Pak ultras to reach militancy infected Udhampur and Doda districts.

What made the cops suspicious was about Rs 7 lakh seized from thir possession, which they doubted to be Hawala money.

Since April 19, when two armed Pak ultras kept the security forces on tenterhooks for seven days at Chabechak in Kathua district before being killed in an encounter on April 25 on the Punjab-Kathua border, security forces had been on high alert so that similar incident did not take place.

Sources said the “militant supporters” were identified as Mohammed Iqbal, Mushtaq Ahmed and Bahar Ahmed, all residents of Banihal in Ramban district.

When contacted, SSP Kathua district, Gareeb Dass said: “Around Rs 7 lakh was seized from them that aroused the suspicion of cops but they turned out to be cattle traders later.”

We also crosschecked their credentials from their parent police station in Banihal, he said, adding that nothing incriminating was found, thus, they were released.

Jammu, June 3
“Even if it is assumed that an FIR has not been proved, a court cannot brush aside the statement of a claimant and also the fact that he was taken from the place of the accident to hospital by other witnesses. The statement of the claimant cannot be brushed aside merely on the fact that it does not have corroboration. What is important to note is that the witnesses, who have deposed in favour of the claimant, have stated that the claimant had suffered injuries on account of the accident which had taken place and they had accompanied the claimant to the hospital at Jammu”, held Justice Sunil Hali of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

While travelling in a bus from Jammu to Udhampur on April 2, 2000, the claimant ,Ishri Devi, suffered injuries on account of rash and negligent driving of the driver. A claim petition was filed before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Kishtwar, seeking compensation on account of disability of the claimant to the extent of 50 per cent which had resulted because of rash and negligent driving of the driver.

After recording the evidence and hearing the parties, the Tribunal passed an award for an amount of Rs 3,40,000 on account of the disability suffered by the claimant along with interest of 9 per cent from the date of filing of the claim petition till its realisation and the Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. was directed to pay the compensation.

Feeling aggrieved, the insurer filed an appeal on the ground that the negligence of the driver of the offending vehicle was not proved and the reliance placed on the copy of FIR was not sufficient to prove the act of negligence unless some witnesses also deposed in favour of the same.

The high court while disagreeing with the contentions of counsel for insurer observed that “the statement of the claimant regarding the accident, which resulted in the injuries, could not have been brushed aside by the Tribunal. The other contention raised is that filing of copy of the FIR alone itself was not sufficient to prove the act of negligence. It is stated that it is not only the copy of the FIR but a copy of the challan has also been produced before the Tribunal as is reflected from its order. The allegations in the police report clearly indicate that accident was caused due to rash and negligent driving of the driver of the offending vehicle, resulting in injuries to not only the claimant but also others who were travelling in the said vehicle. The report under Section 173 Cr.P.C is a public document and reliance can be placed on it by the Tribunal. Respondents have not produced any evidence to rebut this contention.”