Jammu/Srinagar, May 12
After Dr Shah Faesal topped the civil services examination last year, a Gujjar boy is among the six candidates from Jammu and Kashmir, who have made it to the Union Public Service Commission’s list of successful candidates this year.

Based on the civil services examination 2011, the results of which were declared yesterday, Mohammad Aijaz, a Gujjar boy from the remote Dharna village in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district, has been selected for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) this year.

Son of Choudhary Ghulam Nabi, Aijaz had studied in the IIT, Delhi, and had secured more than 75 per cent marks in B Tech. He had also qualified the Kashmir Administrative Services in 2010. He remained a meritorious student throughout his career and got many awards at the state and national levels.

A woman candidate, Ovessa Iqbal from the Ladakh region, three candidates from the Valley, Abid Hussain Sadiq, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, Syed Abid Rashid, and two from the Jammu region, Sarvjeet Soodan and Mohammed Aijaz, have made it to the IAS this year.

Talking to The Tribune over phone, Sarvjeet Soodan, a 27-year-old veterinary science graduate from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu (SKUAST), attributed his success to support from his parents and friends. Soodan has cleared the coveted exams in his last attempt.

“My parents being academicians supported me in my quest. I could not crack the exams in the first three attempts since 2007, but I did it in my last attempt this year,” he said. He added that he kept his patience, which finally saw him through to the list of successful candidates.

Ranked 97th in the list, Soodan had taken geography and veterinary science as optional subjects. He had taken coaching for general studies from Vajiram Institute in New Delhi. Younger of the two siblings, Soodan said he always wanted to do something for the poor and the downtrodden in a society where corruption had spread its tentacles far and wide.

Hailing from the Hyderpora area of Srinagar city, 31-year-old Abid Hussain Sadiq gives the credit to his family for his success. Abid, who holds a bachelors degree in electronics and communication and is an MBA, was preparing for the civil services examination for the past two years.

Another successful candidate, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed of Baghat Barzulla is all praise for the DIG, Police Central Kashmir, Abdul Gani Mir, who along with other colleagues, runs the Initiative for Competition Promotion in Jammu and Kashmir for motivating the Kashmir youth to try for the civil services.

However, the youngest among the six is Gulzar Ahmed Wani, a law graduate. Gulzar, who hails from the Wagoora area of Baramulla district, says he had been aspiring to pass the civil services since his childhood.

Jammu, May 12
Though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is tech-savvy and is known for his tweets, the official website of the state government is not functioning for the last few months.

The official website of the Jammu and Kashmir Government-- jammukashmir.nic.in, which was earlier being used as an important tool to get all important information, is non-functional due to data uploading. As soon as one goes to this page, a picture showing a man working on the website appears with words “under construction”.

The delay in the functioning of the website is creating problems for students as well as people from all walks of life. “Earlier we used to take the help of the website to prepare project reports or get any authentic information about the government departments, but of late it has been non-functional for a long period, creating a lot of problems for us,” said Rohit Sharma, a student of the University of Jammu.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to look into the matter and find out the reasons behind the inordinate delay in making it functional again. Similarly, a government schoolteacher, Amrit, who also follows Omar on his twitter, told The Tribune that, “I am surprised that while the Chief Minister is always online, how come is he not aware about the closure of the government’s official website?”

He added that, “Had he known that the website was not functioning for a long time, he would have ordered an inquiry into the matter”.

Earlier The Tribune had published a number of stories about stale information being provided on this website. After the publication of these news the administration decided to update it and close it for updating. But even after almost four months it had not been made functional again.

Jammu, May 12
In the eighth phase of the ongoing panchayat elections, 76.80 per cent of voters cast their votes today. However, for the first time in the panchayat elections, voting percentage came down to below 80 per cent.

Today, the elections were held for seven different blocks of the state, including four of the Kashmir division. Three blocks of the Jammu province were Barnote in Kathua, Akhnoor in Jammu and Sunderbani in Rajouri.

Of the total 3,21,507 voters, 2,46,917 exercised their right to franchise in the poll. Re-polling was also held in six polling stations of the Behrot panchayat of Thanamandi in Rajouri district, three polling stations in Darhal and one panchayat of the Basholi area in Kathua district. The re-polling was ordered in polling stations of Rajouri district due to violence and allegations of a large scale bogus voting.

The fourth and fifth phases of the panchayat elections had been marred by a few incidents of violence in Rajouri district, which necessitated the suspension of polling at a few stations. Therefore, considering the fact that all such polling stations were declared hypersensitive, the authorities had made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the elections this time.

The elections were held today for the posts of 51 sarpanch and 360 posts of panch in Akhnoor. In Sunderbani, the elections were held for 24 posts of sarpanch and 190 posts of panch. A total of 882 candidates were in the fray for the 237 posts of sarpanch and 2,866 candidates for 1,659 posts of panch.

The Akhnoor block witnessed a brisk polling and people turned up in a large number to cast vote. Despite scorching heat, especially in the Kandi belts, villagers were seen standing in queues waiting for their turn to vote.

Trehgam (Kupwara), May 12
Situated in the frontier Kupwara district, a few kilometres from the Line of Control (LoC), the Trehgam block also presents a sorry look with dilapidated roads, lack of education facilities and unemployment.

The people in this block allege that whenever there is an infiltration attempt from across the LoC the villagers of many blocks in the area are picked up by the security forces for “questioning” to ascertain the whereabouts of the infiltrators. “The security forces pick up our people for no fault of ours. We want to elect a representative from the village who could become our voice and deal with the issues related to the security forces,” said Mehraj Ahmed, a voter in the Trehgam block.

The people here say that despite the fact that their block has been blessed with extreme natural beauty, the state government has done nothing to bring it on the tourism map. “Our block is blessed with tremendous natural beauty, but the government has done nothing to bring it on the tourism map of Kashmir. Now we are here to elect a representative who could take up our case with the Tourism Department to bring the area on the tourism map,” said a voter in the block.

The people in various villages of the block allege that despite the government approving various schemes for the construction of roads, they remain only on papers as no road has been laid. “The roads exist only on papers and on ground officials and contractors have done nothing and there is no one to question them. Once we elect our sarpanch, he/she will have the power to question the erring officials and take up the issue at the appropriate level,” said Majeed Ahmed, another voter in the block.

Since early morning the villagers had gathered in a large number in long queues outside polling stations to cast their votes. “Like other villages in the Valley, we too face problems of unemployment, lack roads, shortage of potable water and electricity and improper sanitation. As the local MLA and ministers are inaccessible to us, we could reach out to a local representative for the redress of our problems,” said Inayat Ahmed, another voter.

Mohammad Ashraf, a candidate for the post of sarpanch, said the youth of the area faced various problems and unemployment was rampant in the area. “If I get elected I promise the youth that they will be provided 100 days of employment under the MNREGA and the area will develop,”Ashraf said.

Chowki Choura (Akhnoor), May 12
Although the Akhnoor block of Jammu district is considered as the most developed VIP constituency, development was still the main issue in the panchayat elections held here today.

The Akhnoor block is represented by Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma. His elder brother Madan Lal Sharma, a Congress stalwart, who is a two time Lok Sabha member from the Jammu-Poonch segment, also belongs to this block. As Akhnoor is considered as the citadel of the Sharma brothers, the area has received maximum funds for development activities are concerned.

“Though some belts of our block have been developed, more needs to be done. We have decided to vote only for those candidates who will accelerate development activities in our area,” said Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Chowki Choura.

Voters of the block have reasons to rake up development issues in the panchayat elections, as despite pumping huge funds, a few areas are still facing shortage of potable water.

“As far as the shortage of drinking water is concerned, the situation is worst in the Kandi belt where people face hardships during summer,” said Chander Parkash, a resident of Maira Mandrian panchayat, which is located in the Kandi belt. He added that power crisis was another important issue in the elections.

Rafiabad (Baramulla) May 12
As the Rafiabad block in Baramulla district went to the polls in the eighth phase of the panchayat elections today, it presented a festive look where members of different communities came out to vote and elect their representatives to ensure development in the area.

The Rafiabad block has a sizable population of the members of the Sikh community, who also voted in a large number for their candidate. “We are not going to vote on the religion basis. We want to elect a representative who could help us resolve our day-to-day problems,” said Preetam Singh, a voter at Tangmulla village.

The Sikhs in the block have been living peacefully with the members of the majority community for centuries.

“We live like a family and whenever anyone needs help we offer our services. This time too the members of both communities have unanimously decided to vote for a representative who has the potential to serve the people and mitigate their problems,” said Ghulam Qadir, a voter in the Rafiabad block.

The people in the block alleged that the successive governments had failed to develop the area on all fronts despite the fact that the local MLA was a minister of state in the coalition government.

“The local MLA concentrates only on his village while other villages in the area are underdeveloped. We also face the problems of bad roads, lack of electricity and potable water,” said Imtiyaz Ahmed, a voter at Dangiwacha village.

The people in the area alleged that the state government had failed to provide them with a better health care facility and their repeated pleas had fallen on deaf ears. So now they wanted to elect a representative who could ‘fight’ with the administration to resolve their problems. “The health system in our area is in a shambles, as there is no doctor in the local health centre and even for minor ailments we have to travel to Baramulla or Sopore for treatment. The situation becomes worse for expectant mothers who have to travel several kilometres to reach hospital,” said Khursheed Ahmed, a villager of Rafiabad.

He said the voters in the area had pledged to elect a representative who could help them have a doctor round the clock in the local health centre. “Another problem we face is the lack of electricity. We want to elect a representative who could help us solve all these problems, no matter of what caste or religion he belongs to,” said Khursheed.

Jammu, May 12
BJP MLA from RS Pura Prof Garu Ram Bhagat, who along with six other MLAs has been suspended for cross-voting, has lodged a written complaint against national secretary of the party RP Singh for threatening him of dire consequences.

RP Singh, national secretary of the BJP, is the co in charge of the party in Jammu and Kashmir and has been investigating the cross-voting episode. In a written complaint to the SSP, Jammu, Prof Bhagat said he received a call from RP Singh on May 7 in which the former had asked him to appear before the party high command in New Delhi so as to save himself from disciplinary action, provided Bhagat should leave the company of other MLAs, who, too, were facing disciplinary action. “I did not follow to the directions of RP Singh,” Bhagat said.

He alleged that RP Singh again called him at 2.53 pm on May 9 and tried to pursue him to reach New Delhi the next day. “I replied in the negative and suggested him that in the best interest of the party it would be better to call all of us together. On this, RP Singh got offended and started using harsh words in threatening tones,” he said.

“RP Singh threatened that in case I did not act according to his wishes, he would engage his workers to create a scene of self-immolations in front of my house and that of Prof Chaman Lal Gupta,” Bhagat alleged.

“He also threatened me of dire consequences with regard to my reputation and life and the life of my children. With such threats, I feel scared that I and my family are insecure. I am a public representative and I have to meet a number of people and attend public gatherings. I have not indulged in cross-voting. I fail to understand why I am being pressured?” he stated in his complaint.

SSP, Jammu, Basant Rath told The Tribune that he had received a written complaint by the BJP legislator.

Akhnoor, May 12
It may sound strange, but an unwritten rule in Government Higher Secondary School at Chowki Chora in the Akhnoor subdivision does not allow boys to have hair more than one centimetre on their heads.

The nondescript disciplinary rule was enforced on May 10 when the principal of the school and the physical education teacher offended over the hairstyle of 50 boys reportedly clipped their hair with a pair of scissors in the morning assembly. However, the students found it appropriate to get them shaved to look decent. The embarrassed and scared students have stopped going to school since the incident took place. Though the students narrated the incident to this correspondent, they refused to be photographed or quoted for fear of possible ramifications.

“The physical education teacher on the behest of the principal clipped our hair on Tuesday, which is considered inauspicious for a haircut. The physical education teacher pleaded before the principal to give us some time, but the principal was adamant,” the students alleged. “We were slapped too in the assembly. It is a routine here that the students are cane-charged by the teachers,” they said.

“How can they treat our children in such a way. They should have warned them or summoned us or fined them,” said the parents of the students. They added that, “It was done just to intimidate the students for not demanding more teachers in the school”. “We have brought the issue to the notice of the authorities. Now, we are waiting to see what action they take,” they said.

The students said the posts of lecturer were lying vacant in the school for the last two academic years. “The school offers medical, non-medical and commerce subjects. But there is no lecturer in physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, computers and English,” they rued.

“We are forced to clean toilets in the school. Though we are not allowed to use it,” they alleged. “Since there is no boundary wall in the school, cattle stray into it and we have to pick up dung with our hands,” they added.

The students said the Class X students of the school did not have maths and science teachers.

The Director, School Education, Gulzar Ahmed Qureshi, said, “If the religious sentiments were not hurt, there is nothing wrong in cutting hair of the students. You might agree with me that teachers must take care of the hygiene of the students”.

Commenting on staff shortage, Qureshi said, “Everybody wants to be in Jammu. Who wants to work in a distant place? The department will arrange some contractual teachers for the school”. “Let me get the complete information, only then can I speak on all issues,” he added.

Udhampur, May 12
In the wake of the recent car bomb blast, the district administration has planned tight security arrangements for the coming Moungri Mela, which will start at Sardabbar in Moungri village of the Panchari block tomorrow.

Thousands of devotees visit the famous three-day traditional mela from all over the district and the adjoining areas. Addressing a news conference here today, Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Baseer Ahmed Khan said public safety was of paramount concern for the administration.

However, he refused to divulge the details about the security arrangements. Khan said the issue had been discussed in detail with the police and proper security would be provided at the venue of the mela.

He said such events helped foster the spirit of brotherhood and preserve the rich cultural heritage. Therefore, the administration would ensure that no untoward incident should take place and provide full support for its smooth conduct.

Briefing about various arrangements already in place, Khan said, besides the security aspect, instructions had been issued to the department concerned to arrange proper sanitation, health care, drinking water, power and ration supply facilities.

The occasion would also be used to create awareness about various state and Central government’s public welfare schemes. For the purpose, various government departments had been asked to put up their stalls.

In view of an expected rush of devotees, the administration had asked the Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Udhampur, to deploy additional buses from various locations to the venue, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said the Sports and Youth Services Department in association with other agencies would organise cultural programmes highlighting the folk culture of the area and would organise a rural sports meet.

The J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association would organise a traditional wrestling concert in which prominent wrestlers from all over the state were expected to participate.