Jammu, August 27
One person has died and 900 have fallen ill following the outbreak of diarrhoea in Doda district, forcing the district administration to seek the help of the Army.

Responding to a distress call, the Army pressed into service the Delta Force and sent five doctors, 26 paramedics, medicines, tents and beds to provide round-the-clock medical aid to the patients.

In the past three days, 900 patients reported at Doda District Hospital, out of whom 800 were treated and discharged, while 100 others were still under the treatment, said Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan.

One of them, however, died as the patient was brought late to the hospital, he said.

“Soon after the outbreak, we immediately sought the help of the Army to overcome the situation and they responded appropriately providing us doctors, paramedics, tents and beds,” he added.

Khan attributed the outbreak to incessant rain that contaminated two water sources-Koti Nullah and Ghat Nullah - in the district.

“We had disconnected supplies from the Ghat Nullah, while the Koti Nullah had been chlorinated”, said Khan.

A team from Jammu, headed by an epidemiologist, had also been rushed to Doda where it collected water samples.

Apart from the Army, the Doda Municipality, the Public Health Engineering Department, the Health Department and other agencies were providing help, said Khan.

“We had also issued and extensively publicised an advisory to people in the entire district”, he said, and added medical teams had also been sent to the peripheral areas. “Hopefully, the situation would be controlled within the next two to three days,” said Khan.

“Nearly 112 patients reported at the District Hospital, which has been finding it hard to accommodate them”, army sources said.

They said 15 patients, who were in a serious condition, had been referred to Jammu.

While the Army sources claimed three patients had died of diarrhoea so far, the Deputy Commissioner claimed only one patient died due to diarrhoea while two other deaths occurred because of other ailments.

The Army has put up eight tents from which five doctors and 26 paramedics have been providing aid to the affected patients round the clock.

Col Ashok Vashishtha, a specialist in preventive medicine, has advised the local administration on super chlorination of drinking water and proper disposal of waste.

Jammu, August 27
By sacking Ghulam Mohammad Saroori from the state Cabinet, the Congress leadership has stopped its critics from further exploiting the CET impersonation issue. But the action has encouraged loyalists of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz to train guns on Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand.

Tara Chand and Saroori were two known detractors of Soz in the ministry and after the dismissal of one of them, the Soz loyalists are now availing of every opportunity to corner the Deputy Chief Minister. Tara Chand and Saroori owe their allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Earlier, the Soz loyalists had sounded the party high command against the style of functioning of Tara Chand and Saroori, but their complaints were not taken seriously in the absence of any proof. After the name of Saroori’s daughter surfaced in the CET impersonation case, the Soz loyalists utilised the opportunity to get him sacked.

Sources in the Congress said the pro-Azad faction was stunned by the developments, which took place during the past few days. “The dismissal of Saroori is a big setback for our group,” admits a senior dissident leader.

For quite some time, the pro-Soz faction had launched a campaign against the Deputy Chief Minister.But it had failed to yield any result. But now the situation seems to have changed.

The detractors of the Deputy Chief Minister have reportedly prepared a list of complaints against him which would be submitted to the party high command again for appropriate action. In the list, the Soz loyalists have reportedly provided some evidence to convince the Central leadership.

Sources in the party said bickering had also started within the pro-Azad faction. Interestingly, some leaders, who claim to be Azad loyalists, had started a campaign against Saroori despite the fact that he also belonged to the pro-Azad faction. Similarly, the Deputy Chief Minister had also been facing criticism from members of his own group.

Jammu, August 27
Expressing their anger over the dismissal of their leader from the state Cabinet, supporters of the sacked Minister, GM Saroori, today held demonstrations at various places in Kishtwar district.

During the demonstrations, Saroori’s supporter burnt effigies of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifudin Soz and Union Minister Prithvi Raj Chauhan for, what they alleged, hatching a conspiracy against Saroori.

Supporters of Saroori came on the roads to express their solidarity with their leader who, according to them, has become a victim of the infighting in the PCC. A large number of supporters of Saroori came on the roads in Thathri and resorted to chanting slogans. During their protests, they were targeting the PCC chief and Union Minister Prithvi Raj Chauhan, who is general secretary in-charge of the state Congress.

Similar protests were held at Chatroo and Kisthwar towns where a large number of Saroori’s supporters hit the streets to express their anger against the decision of the party high command.

Saroori’s supporters alleged since his elevation as minister, a faction within the party had been hatching a conspiracy against him. They said Saroori became a victim of the conspiracy hatched by the PCC chief with the connivance of some leaders sitting in New Delhi.

Reports reaching here said at Kishtwar some of the supporters also chanted slogans against the Chief Minister. 

Jammu, August 27
To take stock of the party’s district-level conferences and prepare its future plan of action in view of the prevailing situation in Kashmir, BJP state president Shamsher Singh Manhas chaired a meeting of senior leaders, state office-bearers, MLAs and morcha presidents here today.

Manhas, while addressing the meeting, termed Omar Abdullah as a confused man who had failed to make a distinctinction between a political and a law and order problem. “A Chief Minister, who is not aware of the real problem and its solution, should himself step down”, he said, and added, “ the Congress, which is a coalition
partner in the state government, is equally responsible for the
deteriorating situation in the state”.

He further observed the Congress leaders, as usual, had least concern for the nation and nationalist forces as their only agenda was to remain in power at any cost.

He said the state became part of India under the same Instrument of Accession as was signed by other princely states.Like other states, Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of the country and there could not be any discussion or rethinking about demands like autonomy and self-rule raised by regional parties, separatists and anti-national elements.

The BJP chief announced that all 11 MLAs of the party had decided to donate Rs 5 lakh each from their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to provide financial assistance to victims of the Ladakh cloudburst and appealed to the government to transfer the amount to the agency engaged in relief and rehabilitation measures.

He declared that the party would organise constituency-level programmes throughout the state on September 8 as a protest over the failure of the state government to deal the turmoil in Kashmir.

Jammu, August 27
Following an assurance from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to provide foolproof security to Kashmir-bound oil tankers, the Jammu and Kashmir Oil Tankers Owners Association called off its strike this evening and agreed to resume normal supply from tomorrow.

On an average, the association daily dispatches 24 lakh litres of petrol, diesel, kerosene oil and even ATF to the Kashmir valley through a fleet of 200 tankers.

In total, over 400 to 450 oil tankers supply kerosene oil, petrol, diesel and even ATF to the main depots in the Ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu regions on a daily basis.

“The Chief Minister personally assured us that a foolproof security mechanism would be put in place and the state police or the CRPF would escort our tankers to the Valley,” association president Anan Sharma told The Tribune over phone.

A four-member delegation of the association comprising Anan Sharma, Devinder Singh, Ranjit Singh and Gurvinder Singh met Omar in Srinagar today.

Sharma said the Chief Minister also agreed to compensate them for the damages caused to the tankers and injuries to the drivers in the past over two months of violence in Kashmir.

“He also agreed to our long-pending demand to shift Jammu’s main oil depot from the railway station area to Raya Morh on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway,” said Sharma.

Besides, the Chief Minister also asked the two Divisional Commissioners of the state to pursue with the court concerned their grievances about the ban on the entry of tankers in the capital cities from 11 am to 2 pm, he said.

Sharma claimed that the meeting was also attended by DGP Kuldeep Khoda and Transport Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon. From 6 am tomorrow the normal supply across the state would resumed, he added.

The association claimed that in the past over two months of violence more than 35 of its drivers were injured and over 200 tankers damaged by mobs in Kashmir.

Jammu, August 27
Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla has appealed to students to adopt the values of Sanskrit education to build their character and create a congenial atmosphere in our social life.

The minister stated this while addressing a gathering at the concluding function of the three-day Sanskrit conference held at the Rashtriya Sanskriti Sansthan, Shri Ranbir Parisar, at Kot Bhalwal here today. Principal Vishwamurti Shastri, scholars, students, prominent citizens, parents and Sanskrit lovers were present on the occasion.

Bhalla said Sanskrit was one of the oldest living languages and it had served as a repository of thought and philosophy of life over a period of more than 5,000 years. He said the knowledge of Sanskrit pertained to several disciplines like mathematics, natural

science, life science, social science and technology, besides arts and humanities.

The minister said the wisdom of Sanskrit should enrich the present day knowledge, besides boosting economy. He added that Indian languages should derive strength and stimulation from it. The social, moral and ethical values enshrined in the tradition of Sanskrit must be cultivated. He said Sanskrit could function as a cementing force for national integration.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishwabharti said the Rashtriya Sanskriti Sansthan since its inception in 1971 had been playing an important role in the development, preservation and promotion of Sanskrit learning all over the country and abroad. He said the projects undertaken by the sansthan for developing web-texts and hyper-electronic texts of Sanskrit shastras were indeed laudable.

Srinagar, August 27
Putting the onus of improving the situation in the Valley on the Centre, moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today said it should expedite steps to implement the four-point formula and initiate tripartite talks for resolving the Kashmir issue.

“It is up to the Government of India to improve the situation in Kashmir. It will improve only if the government revokes the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the Public Safety Act and similar draconin laws, withdraw troops, remove security bunkers from cities, towns and villages and release all prisoners, including the recently detained youths,” the Mirwaiz told Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid in the old city.

Referring to the recent statements of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and different leaders in Parliament during a debate on Kashmir, the Hurriyat’s moderate faction chief said, “This is not the time for making statements, it is time for action.”

“If you are interested in normalising the situation in Kashmir, you must initiate action to implement the four-point proposals and set in motion the process for tripartite talks involving Pakistan for resolution of the Kashmir issue,” the Mirwaiz said.

Referring to his meeting with a Sikh delegation, he appealed to people to form “coordination committees” comprising both Muslims and Sikhs for the welfare of both the communities. — PTI 

Jammu, August 27
The Rotary Club, Tawi, today handed over the relief material for the flood-hit people in Leh to the Red Cross Society.According to a statement issued here, this was the second consignment from the club for the flood-hit.

Earlier the club had sent medicines, woollen clothes, blankets and utensils directly to the district administration, Leh.

This consignment includes 200 blankets, woollen clothes and utensils for the flood-hit.

Jammu, August 27
Harsh Dev Singh, working chairman of the Panthers Party, has urged upon Governor NN Vohra to summon the Assembly session in view of, what he called, an ostensibly reluctant government disinclined to discharge its constitutional obligation of convening the session.

In a statement issued here today, Harsh Dev said the constitutional deadline for summoning the session was fast approaching but the government was silent and no intimation was being given to the members regarding it. He said the Governor must intervene and announce the schedule, as the members of the Legislature were required to give an advance written intimation of the AQs, bills, resolutions and notices to the Assembly Secretariat.

Harsh Dev said this was urgently required to be done as the Assembly session could not be postponed beyond September so as to satisfy the mandate of the Constitution. He said there could not be a gap of six months between two consecutive sessions of the state Legislature.

He said Section 53 empowered the Governor to summon the session so that the provisions of the Constitution were not disregarded and contravened. He said any failure of the government to fulfil its constitutional obligation would amount to ‘constitutional failure’ within the meaning and scope of Section 92 of the Constitution.

Harsh Dev reminded the Chief Minister of his commitment having been made in the Assembly for holding three sessions of the Legislature. He said it was decided in the Assembly on the initiative of the Chief Minister himself that three sessions would be held every year.

The Panthers Party leader said the session was further necessitated in view of the unprecedented crisis in all three regions of the state. He said while Ladakh was reeling under a natural disaster, the Kashmir region faced a crisis of confidence and erosion of government credibility with Jammu experiencing the worst ever spell of non-governance and discrimination.

Harsh Dev said the common feature of all three regions was the multi-fractured work culture, lack of accountability and transparency, rampant corruption, non-responsive administration and the total loss of acceptability and faith of the common man in the present dispensation.

Jammu, August 27
The GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt-Gen BS Jaswal, today dedicated a newly created modern transit hub, the first of its kind in the country, to soldiers and their families at the Udhampur Military Station.

The hub provides facilities, including rail and bus reservation and services to Udhampur and Jammu railway stations, Katra and Jammu town.

It also offers shuttle service to the Command Hospital and other places in Udhampur.Modern catering facilities, lounge, STD/PCO, waiting areas, besides rest bays, have also been created.

Plans are afoot for opening of ATM services also. The Army Commander lauded the efforts and stated that similar modern transit hubs must be established in all the stations.

Jammu, August 27
Acting tough, the licensing authority has suspended the driving licences of 17 drivers plying passenger buses on different routes in the division.

The erring drivers have been debarred from driving on the recommendation of the SSP (Traffic), Jammu, initially for a period of six months.

JS Manhas, Regional Transport Officer (RTO), hoped that the step would act as a deterrent to other drivers who were habitual offenders. “Most of the erring drivers had in the past violated traffic rules and regulations,” the RTO said.

He identified them as Puran Singh and Dwarika Nath of Akhnoor, Om Prakash of Gandhi Nagar, Joginder Paul of Gajansoo, Jagdev Singh of Paryal, Ranjit Sigh of Jandyal, Bachan Lal of Merpur, Ashok Kumar and Fauja Singh of Nanak Nagar, Joginder Kumar of Samba, Vikas Kumar of Ploura, Mohd Mushtaq of Rehari, Vicky of Raipur, Saran Singh of Bhaderwah, Mohan Singh of Bishnah, Chander Badan of Talab Tillo and Sandesh Kumar of Tope Manhasan.