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77.14% polling in phase X
20 hurt in poll violence in Balkote area
Dachnipora villagers vote for youth
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Due to lack of storage facility, blood donation camp cancelled
Proposed Basohli bridge to facilitate Army
Amarnath yatra routes being cleared of snow
Thrashing of Attendant
Protest held at Udhampur hospital
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77.14% polling in phase X
“Three years on since Tara Chand became the Deputy Chief Minister, there is a lot of development work to be done yet. Our basic needs like education, roads and a mobile phone network only exist on papers,” said Hari Chand, a local resident, who came to cast his vote at Primary School, Nai Basti. He added that, “The people of this area were overjoyed when Tara Chand became Deputy Chief Minister in the present government, as he had assured us of major development in the area. But the pace of development work is very slow and no one is here to keep a check on the officials engaged for the process”. Hari Chand was not alone to have cast his vote for development in his area. All voters, both aged and young, were seen enthusiastic about exercising their right to vote. “Our area faces flash floods during every rainy season, but no check dam or any other arrangement has been made here. Now, with the panchayat elections, we are sure that our representatives will raise our issues and get our genuine demands fulfilled,” said Jeet Ram, another voter. He said only the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was connecting the villages with roads, otherwise, the present state government had failed on all fronts. “See the poor condition of our villages, be it streets or roads. The Deputy Chief Minister is very busy and has forgotten the promises he made during the Assembly elections,” added Jeet Ram. The locals alleged that Tara Chand, a native of Chak Malal village, had constituted a Municipal Committee for his own village but ignored other villages. “There is no mobile phone network in the area and secondary schools are still a big issue,” said the voters. |
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20 hurt in poll violence in Balkote area
Jammu, May 21 According to official sources, violence broke out in the Naaka Panchayat area of Balkote in Poonch district when supporters of a candidate objected to casting of a bogus vote. As they were stopping a voter from casting vote, the rival group entered into a verbal dual, leading to a violent clash. Both groups used rods, sticks and bricks causing injuries to many persons. When the police tried to pacify them, the fighting groups also attacked it. At least four policemen were injured. Voting remained suspended in this polling station for more than an hour but later peace was restored. Some minor incidents also took place in the Banihal area of Ramban district. Elections in other areas were peaceful. A maximum of 87 per cent polling was registered in the Teetwal block. |
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Dachnipora villagers vote for youth
Veeri (Anantnag), May 21 “I had nothing to do with politics, but after seeing the plight of the people of my village, I decided to contest the elections here,” Arshad told The Tribune. He said the people in his area were fed up with the “old faces” and wanted to give a chance to the young blood, who could become their voice and bring development to the area. “The people here are facing many problems and unemployment is the biggest one. I have promised the people to help them in getting employment under the available grants that would be provided for the development of the village,” Arshad said. He added that since he decided to contest the elections, the villagers had been supporting him. Many people had also withdrawn their candidature in his support so that a representative could be elected who could serve the village in a better way. The voters in the village too said they wanted to elect a youth who could serve them in a better way. “The people here face problems in getting timber for construction of their houses. Arshad has promised us that he would help us get the same sanctioned from the Forest Department. There are many such issues, which only a young person like him can get solved. We have voted for him as we know he is young and can serve the people here in a better way,” said Khursheed Ahmed Dar, a voter from the village. |
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Death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi
Jammu, May 21 The newly-appointed AICC general secretary and in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Mohan Parkash was the chief guest of the function while PCC chief Saifuddin Soz presided over the function. A couple of leaders belonging to the pro-Azad faction were seen at the function but they came to meet Mohan Parkash with whom they had old relations. Some dissident leaders had also reached the airport to receive Mohan Parkash but boycotted the official function. Sources close to the pro-Azad faction said they deliberately boycotted the function to express their resentment against being sidelined by the PCC and the attitude of the official body. Today’s function attached importance because this was Mohan Parkash’s first meeting in Jammu after his appointment as the general secretary in charge of the state. Earlier he had visited the Kashmir valley where some dissidents had allegedly created nuisance. While paying tributes to Rajiv Gandhi, Mohan Parkash said the late Prime Minister was as a visionary leader who pioneered the information technology revolution and strengthened the panchayati raj system to decentralise power to the grass-roots level so that common masses were involved in policy formulation and implementation. He said Rajiv Gandhi was a staunch believer of the Gandhian philosophy and believed in the equal concept of society and equitable development of every section of society. Regarding the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution, Mohan said the Centre was keen to extend powers to sarpaches on a par with other states of the country. The PCC chief in his address said a huge turnout in the ongoing panchayat elections was a clear indication that people of the state were fed up with violence and bloodshed.
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Due to lack of storage facility, blood donation camp cancelled
Udhampur, May 21 As part of the nationwide programme, the YC leaders had planned a camp at the district hospital. “Our state unit president Shoaib Nabi Lone had given us instructions to organise the camp as it would have been a befitting tribute to the leader. We are extremely disappointed that this could not take place due to the lack of storage facility at the blood bank in the district hospital,” said senior YC leader Sheikh Nasir Hussain. Led by Hussain, the YC workers assembled at the District Hospital Kishtwar for the purpose and were told by the hospital authorities about their inability to accept blood, as there was no proper storage facility in the bank. Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Kishtwar, Dr Ajay Gupta informed us that in the absence of the required material and power failure there was no provision of blood storage in the blood bank of the hospital. Expressing displeasure over the state of the blood bank, Hussain said it was unfortunate that for nearly three lakh people in the district the only hospital with a blood bank lacked the facility of blood storage. “The matter will be brought to the notice of the state Health Minister,” he added. On the other hand, Dr Gupta failed to give a satisfactory reply with reference to the allegations made by the YC leader. He said since the consumption of the donated blood was less in the hospital, there was every chance of stored blood going waste. However, when told that blood was stored in the blood bank for the purpose of using it in the time of need, he said he would ask medical superintendent Dr Ghulam Mohammad Naqib regarding the incident. Interestingly, Dr Gupta later admitted that one of the two refrigerators at the hospital was not working. After leaving from the hospital, the YC workers organised a meeting to pay tributes to the former Prime Minister and observed a two-minute silence in his memory. |
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Omar govt has bulldozed democratic institutions, says Mehbooba
Baspur (RS Pura), May 21 PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti today started the campaign from the border town of RS Pura and minced no words in attacking Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for encouraging corruption at the highest level. “For one seat of the Upper House, this regime has brazenly bulldozed the democratic institution like the Legislative Council and undermined the stature of MLAs by luring them with money,” she pointed out. Mehbooba regretted that with assiduous efforts the previous PDP-Congress regime had revived people’s faith in democracy, but the present dispensation with a single stroke had shattered that faith. “Those involved in luring the legislators with money are equally responsible for encouraging corruption. So the Chief Minister cannot escape his responsibility,” she said. She opined that the present regime had not only reversed the reconciliatory process initiated by the PDP-Congress regime, but also created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the whole state. She reminded the people that when Omar took over as Chief Minister he publicly admitted that the security situation had improved in the state due to good work done by his predecessors. “But within two-and-a-half years, the present regime has spoiled the atmosphere as well as the security scenario,” she remarked. “It is not the question of having higher number of legislators, but the main question is the credibility,” she said. She said the PDP had just 16 MLAs in its kitty but the party had convinced the successive governments in New Delhi through its conviction and credibility. “Our pro-peace and reconciliation policies were endorsed by successive Central governments,” she said. Mehbooba pointed out that the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the leadership of the present UPA government fully endorsed the PDP’s policy to deal with the Kashmir issue in a holistic manner. |
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Proposed Basohli bridge to facilitate Army
Jammu, May 21 On May 17, a Congress minister from the ruling alliance in the state, while claiming development as the main agenda of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, reportedly said the proposed bridge was one of the priorities of Azad. The 592-metre cable-stayed bridge will be the first in north India and third in the country, two others being in Kolkata and Mumbai. Sources in the Defence Ministry said decks had been cleared for the bridge on the Ravi at Basohli, which would go a long way in fulfilling the administrative and logistics requirements of the Army. “After passing Jammu, the bridge will connect us to Udhampur and Anantnag in Kashmir,” said sources in the Defence Ministry. “In its absence we have to rely upon the existing highway (NH-44). Once the bridge comes up, ferrying ammunition, besides fulfilling other administrative and logistic requirements of the Army, will not be a problem. The Chicken Neck -- a narrow strip of the Pakistan territory that extends to the south of Akhnoor -- will no more be a disadvantage for us,” they added. Pakistan has always enjoyed an advantage in the Chicken Neck area. Besides Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister AK Antony, Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are slated to attend the programme. The Border Roads Organisation would primarily execute the project. The cable-stayed permanent bridge on the Dunera-Durban-Basohli-Bani-Bhaderwah road network will be completed by September 2014 at an estimated cost of Rs 71.47 crore. It will connect Gurdaspur in Punjab with Basohli in Kathua district. Meanwhile, the MoS Defence was received at Pathankot by Sub-Area Commander Brig JK Sharma this morning from where he reached Basohli to take stock of the arrangements. FACT FILE
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Mirwaiz’s Eidgah march foiled
Srinagar, May 21 To prevent the proposed march to Eidgah by the moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the authorities imposed restrictions under five police stations in downtown as precautionary measures. The areas included Rainawari, Khanyar, Maharj Gunj, Nowhatta and Safakadal, while a large number of police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the area. The decision was taken in view of the proposed march by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to lay the foundation of a martyrs’ memorial wall at Eidgah today. His father and the founder leader of the Awami Action Committee, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, who was shot dead by gunmen on this day in 1990, is buried at Eidgah. Another Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone was also shot dead during a tributes paying function at Eidgah on this day in 2002. Lone was also buried there. The Mirwaiz remained restricted to his Nageen residence following the decision of the authorities to restrict his movement. Other senior leaders, including hardline APHC chairman Syed Ali Geelani and JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, are already under house arrest. Meanwhile, most of the schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained closed in the Valley. All shops and business establishments were also closed.
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Amarnath yatra routes being cleared of snow
Srinagar, May 21 Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), undertook an aerial reconnaissance of the area today and issued directions for ensuring the deployment of adequate work force for clearing snow of both tracks and carrying out repair work on time. Accompanied by RK Goyal, Principal Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the shrine board, the Governor flew over Pahalgam, Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Mahagunas Top, Panjtarni, the cave shrine and reached Baltal after taking stock of the present status of the snow. — TNS
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Thrashing of Attendant
Jammu, May 21 Nazir, a resident of Bishnah, had admitted his daughter to the GMCH after she was bitten by a snake. Since his daughter was not being properly attended to by doctors on duty, Nazir complained of negligence to the accused doctor. They had an exchange of hot words, resulting into a scuffle. Nazir was allegedly beaten with kicks and blows. Besides receiving a head injury in the scuffle, Nazir had complained of severe pain in his abdomen. He was operated upon and is still admitted to the ICU of the hospital and his condition is said to be critical. However, objections were filed by the senior prosecuting officer while opposing the bail application on various grounds. The Sub-Judge, Jammu, while rejecting the bail application of the accused, observed that, “The conduct of the alleged accused doctor had been highly indifferent and instead of pacifying the irritated father of an ailing daughter, he resorted to illegal and unprofessional act of manhandling him to the extent of causing him grievous injuries”. The Judge added that, “This is a human problem and needs to be addressed by no one else, but a person known as a “doctor”. The accused does not deserve the concession at this pre-mature stage when the victim is struggling for his life in the ICU of the GMCH, Jammu”. |
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Protest held at Udhampur hospital
Jammu, May 21 The protesters burnt the effigy of the Health Minister and the medical superintendent of the hospital. “We held a protest against the chaos prevailing in the hospital and the poor medical facilities there,” Ajaz Sumberiya, founder president of the organisation, said. “Though a CT scan machine has been installed at the hospital, there is no technician to operate it,” he said. He added that the behaviour of the staff in the ultrasound section of the hospital was irresponsible. “The hospital is being run smoothly and the best services are being given to the patients,” medical superintendent of the hospital Dr Chander Prakash said. Meanwhile, a blood donation camp was organised by the district wing of the Indian Youth Congress in association with the
Red Cross Society at the hospital. |
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Naryana (Khour), May 21