Udhampur, November 21
Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology Mian Altaf seemed unsparing in his review of the functioning of the Department of Forests as he asked officials to support the work done by them with documentation.

During a meeting here today to review the department’s working, the minister, as per sources, was apparently annoyed at the lack of transparency in the works shown to have been done by the officials, especially in the areas of social forestry and soil conservation. Since the start of any project till its completion, its progress should be documented, he instructed.

Sources said the instruction by the minister was aimed at removing any scope of manipulation, especially in the case of sapling plantation drives. It would also ensure that measures to check soil erosion, especially during the rainy season,were actually taken on the ground. It was felt that there should be no compromise on the issues of social forestry and soil conservation sectors in the ecologically fragile state for the rehabilitation of the degraded forests by undertaking meaningful plantation drives.

It was in the above context that the minister appreciated the efforts of the district administration in getting the entries of the forest land mapped out in revenue records by conducting regular joint inspections of revenue and forest officials. He added that this effort would go a long way in checking the illegal occupation of the forest land by the unscrupulous elements.

In line with his emphasis on ensuring greater transparency in the department’s working, the minister instructed the officers in the presence of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to take into confidence the MLAs concerned while formulating different plans to be executed by them. He also directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to maintain coordination with the district administration, forest territorial divisions and other agencies.

Among other issues, he instructed the officers of the State Forest Corporation to expedite the supply of timber at sale depots of the department in Udhampur to the target of 7500 CFT within 15 days so that consumers in general might not face any difficulty in getting timber for various purposes at subsidised rates, especially in the winter season. 

Jammu, November 21
A gangster was killed and another injured in a fierce encounter with the police near Satyam Resorts in the Channi area here today.

The police said after getting specific information about the presence of the gangster along with his associates, a police party was sent there to chase them. As soon as the police party reached near the resort, criminals fired at the chasing party with a country-made pistol, the police said.

Retaliating the attack, the cops fired some shots, in which one dreaded gangster Rakesh Kumar alias Giri, son of Jeet Kumar, a resident of RS Pura, was killed, while another, Yudhveer alias Babloo, son of Aaya Singh, was injured and one accomplice Arjun, managed to escape from there.

JS Johar, SP, official spokesperson of the police said, “The criminals were wanted in nearly 20 cases, and the police was tracking them for a long period.” He added that the slain gangster, Rakesh, was also involved in the killing of a youngster in Bari Brahamana. “He came out of the jail, a few days ago and again started extortion, stabbing and snatching incidents in the city,” Johar said.

Terming it a major success for the local police, he said, “The chasing party has done a good job and their case would be forwarded to the higher-ups for awards.” He added that a number of criminal cases had been pending in Gandhi Nagar, Bishnah, RS Pura, Vijaypur and Samba police stations against them. Earlier, some country made pistols had also been recovered from their possession, a source said.

Srinagar, November 21
At least 15 persons, including three policemen, were injured in clashes between stone throwing youth and police personnel in Pulwama town in south Kashmir today.

The town observed a complete shutdown in protest against alleged excesses committed by the security forces there during the past few days. The residents alleged that security personnel beat up shopkeepers and damaged their goods in the main market on Friday.

Agitated youth threw stones at private and public property and blocked the main road connecting Pulwama and Shopian districts to Srinagar. All shops and business establishments there were also closed.

Restrictions were also imposed in the Parimpora locality on outskirts of the city in the morning to prevent any demonstrations against the arrest of a local youth, who was picked up recently by the police on charges of stone throwing.

Meanwhile, a militant was killed and another apprehended following an encounter in the Sopore area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir late last night, while eight persons were injured when suspected militants hurled a grenade at an Army convoy at Beijbehara today.

According to the police, a joint operation of the police and the 22 RR was launched in Shalimar Colony in the Sopore area late last night, in which a militant was killed and another apprehended. One AK 47 rifle, four AK magazines, 122 rounds and one hand grenade were 
recovered from the scene of the encounter.

Eight persons received splinter injuries when suspected militants hurled a grenade at an Army convoy near Beijbehara town on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway this afternoon. A car and a scooter parked nearby caught fire as a result of the explosion. Those injured were identified as Sohail Ahmad Rather of Tangmarg, Javaid Ahmad Para of Shopian, Nissar Ahmad Shiekh of Bijbehara and Aqib Gul Bhat of Tangmarg.They were admitted to SMHS Hospital here.

In another incident, militants threw a grenade at security forces near Old Police Post in Kakapora in Pulwama district last evening. The grenade missed the target and exploded on the road. There was no loss of life or property.

Meanwhile, the police and the Army apprehended a suspected militant of the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, Shabir Ahmad Ganaie, from the Narbal area of Magam in Budgam district and recovered arms and ammunition from him. 

Jammu, November 21
Governor N. N. Vohra has emphasised the need for creating a vast corpus of scientists and technocrats to resolve various problems and take the country forward on the path of progress and prosperity.

He was inaugurating a five-day science camp for “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) ” Internship Component at University of Jammu here today.The camp has been organised by the Postgraduate Department of Geology, University of Jammu, and sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under the INSPIRE Programme.

The Governor, while dwelling on the laudable contribution of science and technology to the economic development of the country in the past decades, stressed the need for focusing on enhancing employability of the youth by their skill upgradation, ensuring availability of safe drinking water, provision of affordable housing, increasing productivity and production of agriculture, horticulture, dairy, poultry, fodder, besides conservation of the environment, ecology and biodiversity, by optimally utilising the scientific and technological advancements.

Recalling the sound foundation laid by the first Prime Minister of India, the late Jawaharlal Nehru, the Governor said Nehru had a great vision and set up a number of engineering and medical colleges, IITs and other institutions for the promotion of science and technology for the speedy development of the country on modern lines.

Referring to the programme, the Governor said science teachers from various schools should also be invited to participate in such camps along with their students. He thanked the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for launching the project, which aimed at providing excellent opportunity and assuring a good future in science to bright students.

The Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, congratulated the students for participating in the camp, adding that teaching and learning of science enhanced the spirit of enquiry, besides providing excellent career opportunities.

The Vice-Chancellor,University of Jammu,Prof Varun Sahni, while congratulating the participating students, said the study of science offered excellent career opportunities and hoped that an increasing number of the participants would opt for this study. He said the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, had launched many innovative programmes and scholarship schemes up to the post-Ph.D. level and the students could benefit from these.He also dwelt on the initiatives under way for strengthening the infrastructure for teaching and research in science in various colleges in the state and the support extended by the Department of Science and Technology for the purpose.

The Adviser, Science and Engineering Council, Department of Science and Technology, Dr A. Mukhopadhya, gave details of various programmes launched by the department for attracting students to study science and follow it by research. He added this was one of the innovative programmes launched by it.This was also aimed at attracting talent to study science at an early age and build the required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the science and technology system and R&D base, he added.

Earlier, in his address of welcome, the Coordinator, INSPIRE Programme, Prof M. A. Malik, spoke about the aims and objectives of organising such camps. 

Srinagar, November 21
Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand has given a 15-day deadline for the assessment of 395 structures along the Dole Demb area of the Dal Lake and subsequent rehabilitation of inhabitants at Rakh-e-Arth, which would open the three sq km area and increase the lake water expanse from 18 sq km to 21 sq km.

Tara Chand was addressing a review meeting of the line departments of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) and the Housing Board here. It was informed at the meeting that various conservation measures had been undertaken by LAWDA, which included cleaning of the Pokhribal area of Nigin Lake by removing reeds, radhs, landmasses and encroachments, an official spokesman said.

The meeting was also informed that five pump stations had been commissioned and made operational by the LAWDA at a cost of Rs 79 lakh, and 25 km of trunk-sewers completed at a cost of Rs 20.84 crore so far. Likewise, 57 km of lateral and secondary sewers had been completed out of 77 km at a cost of Rs 40.53 crore.

Work on state-of- the-art Sequencing Batch Reactor Technology Sewerage Treatment Plants was in full swing. The plants were being constructed at Brari-Nambal and Nallah Amir Khan and would treat about 21.5 million litres of sewerage per day, catering to a population of 1.5 lakh living on the Dal Lake periphery.

It was also told that six blocked channels like Rainawari, Nowpora, Merakshah, Chowdri Bagh, Dal Kawpora and Chakoo channels, were dredged and opened up, which had helped the water-circulation of the lake. The meeting was informed that manual dredging of shoal formation at Dockyard, Nishat, Mir Mohalla, Lam and Tilla Mohalla, was carried out.

Srinagar, November 21
Gurpurb was celebrated with fervour and gaiety across the Kashmir valley today. A large number of devotees offered prayers in gurdwaras with the main function being held at Chattipadshahi Gurdwara at Rainiwari here.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Samoon felicitated people,especially members of the Sikh community, on the occasion. In his message, Samoon said Guru Nanak Dev was a great saint and throughout his life stood for non-violence, humanity, brotherhood, communal harmony, tolerance, equality and truth.

Greeting the community on the occasion, the chairman of the All-Parties Sikh Coordination Committee, Jagmohan Singh Raina,said after the visit of Guru Nanak Dev, the religion was introduced in the Kashmir valley. Guru Nanak Dev stressed on universal brotherhood. Raina hoped that people’s unity in Kashmir would be an example of communal harmony to the world where people were fighting in the name of religion, region and sectarianism.

Meanwhile, PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and party president Mehbooba Mufti have greeted people on the occasion. They said Guru Nanak Dev showed us the path of peace, harmony and righteousness. "His divine message of devotion of thought, excellence of conduct and tolerance has a timeless relevance and can transform the society”, they added. 

Srinagar, November 21
A day after the hardline Hurriyat Conference leader, Syed Ali Geelani, scaled down the protest programme, markets here and elsewhere in the Kashmir valley were abuzz with activity.

The business community has welcomed the decision describing it as a recognition of the fact that huge losses have been suffered by shopkeepers during the past five months of turmoil.

Nazimuddin Wadhera, president of the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation, said the scaling down of the protest programme was a welcome step. He said both the shopkeepers and the transporters in the valley had suffered huge losses. “We have been the most sufferers”, he said, and added the decision would help a great deal in reviving the business activity in Kashmir. Though the community did not approach separatist leaders to review the decision on continued strikes, Wadhera felt the latter could understand their problems by getting a feedback on the situation.

All shops and business establishments were open and there was hectic activity in the markets, even as it was a Sunday today. “It has been a good working day like those prior to the five-month-long turmoil”, said Javed Ahmad (name changed), a bookseller in the Lal Chowk area. While many other shopkeepers dealing in the sale of essential commodities and other goods were able to make up their losses during normal working days, those like Javed Ahmad suffered a lot as they had virtually no customers during the unrest.

Meanwhile,Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar said the losses suffered by people, due to the unrest,in various sectors like economy, education, tourism were colossal and it would take decades to make up the losses.

Addressing public meetings in Budgam district yesterday, he said it was unfortunate that several innocent lives were lost in the turmoil. He asserted that peace was essential for the overall development of the state and held that forces inimical to the restoration of normalcy were the real enemies of the people in the state. He appealed to the people to come forward and help the government restore peace and implement various development schemes.

Udhampur, November 21
A bandh was observed in Kishtwar today in protest against the alleged killing yesterday of a civilian in the Keshwan area, about 45 km from Kishtwar town, in an exchange of fire between the police and militants.

The bandh call was given by the Imam, Jamia Masjid, Kishtwar, in the wake of clashes between the police and the people, which left 10 security personnel and two youth injured. The police made elaborate arrangements to thwart any eventuality.Shops belonging to the majority community were closed, but no demonstration was held.

The man killed was identified as Mohammad Shafi of Nagni Keshwan. Reports said a joint column of the Army and the police on a specific information about the presence of Habib Gujjar, district commander, LeT, and his associates in the forests of Nagnigad Keshwan started search operations,which led to an encounter that continued for several hours.The next morning, the security forces found the body of Mohammad Shafi along with a satellite phone, a pistol, a hand grenade and dry fruits.

As soon as the news of the killing of Shafi spread, a large number of local people gathered on the spot and started raising slogans against the security forces.

They claimed that the deceased was innocent and was returning from a relative’s house when the security forces killed him. The agitating mob turned violent and pelted the Naginigard police post with stones.

The police resorted to firing in the air to disperse the mob. But SP,Kishtwar, Mohammad Haseeb Mughal, denied the allegation.

As per the police version, the deceased was an active overground worker associated

with the LeT. The police had been closely monitoring his activities and he was with the militants during the encounter. It was officially revealed that the deceased was the uncle of the LeT commander, Habib Gujjar, and had been working with him for some time. While the police took the locals to the spot to identify the body, the LeT sympathisers provoked the people who started raising pro-Azadi slogans. Subsequently, the clashes took place between the security forces and the people.

Jhiri (Jammu), November 21
On the main bath day at the holy pond, during the ongoing annual Jhiri Fair, traffic chaos and confusion prevailed on the Jammu-Akhnoor National Highway today.

For the whole day, huge queues of vehicles were seen blocking the highway near Mishriwala to Jhiri, and the commuters to Akhnoor, especially, the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, had to face a harrowing time.

Though the traffic cops were deployed on the highway for the smooth flow of traffic, they could be seen helpless.

The vehicles moved at a snail’s pace, and the devotees of the Baba Jitmal “Jitto”, coming from far-flung areas, like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states, had to wait for hours in the traffic jam to reach Jhiri.

On the first Purnima of November every year, lakhs of devotees come here to pay obeisance, and take bath in the holy pond - Babe-Da-Talab - to cure skin disorders and other illnesses.

While going to Jhiri from Jammu, it took nearly two hours by car for The Tribune team, which otherwise, takes barely 30 minutes, as it is about 25 km from Jammu.

“It seems the traffic control system has collapsed, as we are waiting for the past one hour to reach Jhiri, but the queue of vehicles has travelled only a km.

Last year too, the situation was almost the same, and we had to wait for two hours to reach Jhiri from Jammu,” said Ram Parkash, a regular visitor to Jhiri, from Pathankot.

He further said the administration had spent a huge amount to conduct the fair, but it always failed to provide proper facilities to the devotees on this special day.

On the other hand, a senior traffic-cop said they had deployed a number of cops from Jammu-Jhiri, on the highway, and patrolling parties were also directed to clear the roads for vehicular movement. “It is the public which makes two queues, and the whole system gets collapsed. Commuters are, themselves, responsible for the disruption in traffic movement,” he added.

Jammu, November 21
In order to assess the functioning and infrastructural facilities of degree colleges at RS Pura and Bishnah, the Minister for Higher Education, Labour and Employment, Abdul Gani Malik, accompanied by local MLA Gharu Ram Bhagat, visited the Government Degree Colleges, RS Pura, and Bishnah yesterday.

Malik inspected the classrooms, the computer lab and the science laboratories at RS Pura and the prefabricated halls at Bishnah, and issued necessary instructions to the staff concerned for providing adequate facilities to the students.

After inspection of the colleges, Malik said an amount of Rs 25 lakh had been provided to the Degree College, RS Pura, and Rs 29 lakh to the Degree College, Bishnah, for creating infrastructural facilities in addition to normal grants. He stressed the need to promote quality education by providing students an opportunity to participate in cultural, co-curricular, literary and sports activities.

Malik directed the staff of the college to help the students in exploring the world and to understand the realities of life, in order to prepare them to compete in the outside world.

He further said science and Information Technology had to play very important role these days and students of all colleges must be given an opportunity to have access to the internet.

He appreciated the staff of both the colleges for their best efforts in providing quality education.

Malik inaugurated website of the Degree College, Bishnah, and directed the Principal to provide all internet facilities to the students. MLA RS Pura, Gharu Ram Bhagat, speaking on the occasion, appreciated the efforts of Malik in providing infrastructural facilities to the RS Pura Degree College.

Jammu, November 21
The three Myanmar nationals, who were detained last night from the Pooja Express at Kathua railway station, on suspicion of putting some explosive material in the train, are not the only foreign nationals, who had allegedly, entered the state without passports,but also a large number of their countrymen have also been illegally staying in the city.

Naveen Aggarwal, IG, Railways, said: “We have registered a case against these three Myanmar nationals under the Foreign Nationals Act, and their interrogation is on. So far, they have told that a large number of Mayanmar nationals have been staying in the city, illegally.”

He added that they had conveyed this information to the local police too, but so far, no more arrests were made. He further said during the interrogation, the arrested Myanmar nationals — Farooq Ahmed, Abu Ahmed and Mohammad Saleem — had revealed that they were working at some private hotels and restaurants in Jammu, and were staying at Narwal, at the accommodation provided by a local labour-contractor, Tahir. He also stated that they had been conducting raids to nab Tahir, who would clear the picture.

These persons were detained last night, after an alert was sounded at

Kathua and nearby railway stations, when some passengers called the

PCR, Kathua, at 7.50 pm, that some suspected persons were travelling in coach number S-9 of the train.

Immediately after receiving the call, the security forces swung into action and started a search operation, in which these three were arrested and the train was stopped for almost two hours at Kathua. However, nothing wrong was found there.

Sources said Farooq, one of the detained persons, also had a tiff with an Army jawan, as Farooq refused to vacate a seat for him. The detained persons were, last night, handed over to the railway police by the Kathua police, as it came under the jurisdiction of railway police.

Sources further said the accused would be sent tomorrow, to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), where they would be thoroughly interrogated.

Jammu, November 21
More than 17 years after the Election Commission of India started the process of issuing electors photo identity cards to all voters, only four states, Haryana, Kerala, Meghalya, Tripura and the Union Territory of Puduchery, have achieved the distinction of 100 per cent issuance of the cards and Jammu and Kashmir is the third lowest on the list with only 54 per cent of the voters getting such cards.

Punjab has 96.52 per cent photo identity card holders while Himachal has 90 per cent. Sikkim and Tamil Nadu with over 99 per cent will soon achieve the distinction of having 100 per cent photo identity cards for all voters.

In response to an RTI application filed by Poonch-based RTI activist Ayaz Mughal, the Election Commission of India revealed this fact.

The state is only ahead of Nagaland and Assam amongst all the states and Union Territories. The Commission mentioned that the voter identity cards scheme had not been implemented in Assam so far.

The application was the part of the 100 filed on October 17 here under the banner of the Sangarsh RTI Movement. On March 16, 3,555,444 photo identity cards had been issued in the state against 6,534,542 electors on the 2009 rolls.

Sources reveal that the shortcoming could be attributed to the ongoing turmoil, hartals and the curfew in Kashmir and the remote villages where there was no road connectivity and officials concerned had to fly there, which couldn’t be done as a routine. Also,in 2008, following the recovery of voter identity cards from slain militants, the then CEO, B.R. Sharma, had decided to reverify about 1.8 million of the cards that had been issued, thus delaying the scheme’s implementation.

Jammu, November 21
The Natrang Theatre staged two shows of ‘Bawa Jitto’ today at Jhiri Mela. According to a statement issued here, the Jhiri Mela witnessed the ultimate magical power of theatre when the supreme sacrifice of the hero of the farmers- Bawa Jitto was enlivened by the Natrang.

Speaking on the occasion, Natrang Director Balwant Thakur said with a few more coordinated and sustained professional efforts, this theatrical venture had the potential to become a global happening. “This is a life-time opportunity to exhibit the cultural ethos of the region before over five to seven lakh audience”, said Thakur.

Set in the rural backdrop, this 15th century tale portrays the age-old saga of exploitation of landless farmers by landlords. Due to the constant and persistent pressures of relatives, with a piece of land as bone of contention, Bawa Jitto, an industrious but farmless farmer, is forced to leave his native village.

Accompanied by his nine-year-old daughter, he takes shelter in the house of a friend in Shamachak, a nearby village. The efforts of his friend, Rullo, result in a land grant from landlord in Shamachak, and one-fourth of the produce is fixed as land revenue.

The hard work put in by him, the sweat and the toil turn a barren land into a treasure trove. This makes avaricious landlord to back out on his word and ask for major share of the crop. Helpless Jitto, unable to endure injustice, kills himself. The agony becomes boundless when Gauri, his little daughter, immolates herself on her father's pyre.

Arvind Anand, who is known for his versatility and excellence in acting, was at his best in portraying the role of Bawa Jitto, and Juhi Singh, in the role of Bua Gauri, made the audience cry at times with her powerful acting. Renu Sharma as Chachi Jojan was lauded by the audience; Mohit Sharma played the role as Malli; Sanjeev Gupta as Isso; Suresh Kumar as Mehta; and Qadir as Jeauni, gave remarkable performances.

Udhampur, November 21
Lt Gen BS Jaswal, the Colonel of the Regiment and GOC-in-C, Northern Command, yesterday reviewed the Reunion Parade of JAK Rifles organised at Hunza Parade Ground, Regimental Centre, Jabalpur.

Veer Naris of the soldiers, who had laid down their lives in operations and battles, were honoured along with the winners of gallantry awards, the personnel who excelled in sports, and the recruits who performed outstandingly in their training.

An official dinner of all veteran and serving officers at the Officers Mess was also organised on the occasion in which the traditional band concert played martial tunes.

As part of the four-day reunion function, a solemn wreath laying ceremony was also held at the War Memorial of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regimental Centre, built in the memory of 2,367 gallants, to pay homage to the martyrs of the Regiment, as a part of 11th reunion of JAK Regiment. The serving and retired soldiers honoured those who laid down their lives in the true traditions of the Indian Army, keeping their Regimental and National Flags flying high even at the cost of their lives. Wreaths were laid by the serving and the veteran officers and the JCOs.

Prominent among those present included Lt Gen BS Jaswal; Ritu Jaswal, president AWWA; Northern Command, ex-Colonels of the Regiment Lt General (Retd) GS Rawat, Maj General (Retd) RK Sood, Lt Gen(Retd) GL Bakshi, Lt Gen(Retd) SS Grewal and Lt Gen(Retd) Susheel Gupta.

The ceremony was also attended by serving Lt Gen AC Soneja, Brig CM Rodrigues, Commandant Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regimental Centre and a host of Reunion Guests along with their spouses.

After paying homage to the martyrs, a special Sainik Sammelan was held at the Sainik Sammelan Manch of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regimental Centre. Lt Gen Jaswal congratulated all ranks of the Regiment for the high standard of professionalism, training and administration, which has brought unparalleled laurels to the Regiment in all spheres.

He also appreciated the training standards of the Regimental Centre and the growth made by the War Widows Hostel (Rajinder Hostel) and the other important institutes.