Kathar/Surinsar, June 2
Over 250 nomadic Bakerwals, including 70 women, covered a distance of more than 250 km to cast their vote in the panchayat elections to demonstrate their faith in democracy and democratic institutions of the country. Under the leadership Haji Mohammad Yosuf, these nomads travelled all the way from Wardwan in Kishtwar, through Anantnag, and reached Surinsar in the Dansal block to cast their vote.

Every summer these nomads go to the higher reaches with their cattle and return to their native places in plains during winter. “It is really difficult for us to bear the scorching heat of the plains, especially in June, because we are habitual of living in cold places. But this time we have come here, as it is our duty to vote in the panchayat elections,” Yosuf told The Tribune.

He said being a native of the Surinsar panchayat it was their duty to vote in the panchayat poll. It was like a festival for the nomadic people. They had prepared a community lunch on the premises of the guest house of Surinsar Lake.

Yosuf like all other nomads is an illiterate person but like a political thinker he “throws” light on the importance of strengthening democratic institutions. “We never missed any opportunity to cast our vote,” said another nomad Haji Mohammad Misri. He added that, “As a panchayat is one of the important institutions of democracy, we made it a point to reach our village at any cost to vote”.

After reaching Anantnag on foot, these nomads arranged three buses to reach Surinsar on the eve of the panchayat elections. “Our cattle are still on the higher reaches. We have deputed nomads of other areas to take care of our cattle till we return,” Misri said.

These illiterate nomads are aware of the importance of the local self government. “Neither the MP nor the local MLA is accessible to us. We can easily approach our sarpanch and hence we are overenthusiastic about participating in the panchayat elections”.

While the nomadic Bakerwals covered 250 km to demonstrate their faith in democracy, residents of Kandi village of Kathar braved scorching heat to cast their vote. “The panchayat elections are more important than the Assembly or Lok Sabha poll and hence we are participating in the process actively,” said Ramnik Sharma, a computer engineer working with a private company in Jammu. It is all due to Sharma’s commitment to strengthening the local self government that he took an off today to cast his vote.

Kishanpur, June 2
While 73.15 per cent polling was recorded in the 13th phase of the panchayat elections today, the Dansal block of Jammu district registered a maximum of 85 per cent turnout.

Today, the elections were held in the nine blocks of the state, including four blocks of the Jammu province, namely Mendhar, Dansal, Gundana and Bhagwah, three of the Leh province, Kahru, Chuchot and Leh, and two of the Kashmir province, namely Tral and Sopore. Of the total 22,33,551 voters, 1,70,844 cast their vote to elect 240 sarpanches and 1,709 panches. Barring some minor incidents of violence in the Poonch and Doda areas, the polling by and large remained peaceful throughout the region.

The Dansal block of Jammu district, where the polling was held for 34 posts of sarpanch, witnessed a brisk voting since early morning. Keeping in view the soaring temperature, people preferred to vote early in the morning. At the Jagti panchayat, which registered over 90 per cent turnout, people were seen queueing up before the beginning of the polling. Similarly, at the Surinsar panchayat, 90 per cent of the voters had cast their vote till 12 noon.

Although the panchayat elections were being held on a non-party basis, elections in the Dansal block was considered a prestige issue for sitting BJP MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma, who had been recently appointed the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the Assembly after the cross-voting controversy. Sharma has got all panchayat members of his native Manwal panchayat elected unopposed.

In the Mendhar area, a few minor clashes between the supporters of the candidates were reported, but the polling by and large passed off peacefully. Similarly, in Doda district, where the elections were held in two blocks, people came out in a large number to vote.

Tral (Pulwama), June 2
While the issues of basic facilities have brought a large number of peasants to polling booths in the ongoing panchayat elections, no nominations were filed for nine seats of sarpanch and 231 seats of panch in the militancy-infested Tral block of Pulwama district. The polling was held in this block and another militancy-infested Sopore block of Baramulla district today.

The boycott call by the hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani had little impact in far flung and deeper corners of the Valley. However, the fear of militancy in certain areas like the Tral area spread over the sleepy slopes covered by lush green trees and other flora kept many an aspirant from contesting or participating in the panchayat elections.

The undercurrent of fear in these areas did not prevent over 2,000 villagers of Gulshanpora, about 5 km from the Tral tehsil headquarters, from coming out to vote in a large number. Since early morning, the villagers, with a 15 per cent population of Sikhs, came out to vote in the five polling booths set up in as many classrooms at Government Primary School for Girls. “Issues are many here,” says a candidate for the seat of sarpanch, Jang Bahadur Singh. There is no school building, playground, road, “pani”, “bijli”, and transport facility in the village, say the candidates and the residents equivocally.

Only a few kilometres from the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Awantipora, which cuts through Pulwama district, is Midora village with a population of over 6,000. Besides the common problems of “pani”, “bijli” and “sadak”, the village faces shortage of rice as there is not enough area for paddy cultivation due to its location in the barren foothills.

Jandrah, June 2
Braving searing heat, people voted for ensuring regular water supply in the Kandi (dry land) area of the Dansal block in Jammu district today.

Residents of this area have been facing an acute shortage of water every summer but the government has not launched any water scheme in the area. As the polling for the 13th phase of the panchayat elections began today, a large number of voters, especially youth and women, came out to vote to ensure proper drinking water supply to their area. Voters at Jandrah village in the Dhan panchayat alleged that they were not getting water supply for the last two days. “Though the government has declared our village as a model village, we are deprived of basic amenities like water and roads. The water shortage has made our life a hell. We have to travel long distances to fetch water,” said Sushil Sharma, a student of the University of Jammu and resident of Jandrah village.

He hoped that when their sarpanch and panches were elected, their major problems like water and roads would be solved. “The delegation of power to panchayats will surely solve problems, as the elected candidates will raise our issues for the development of the area. It will also make the government more accountable and the funds will be spent more efficiently,” added Sharma.

“The delegation of power to the grass-roots level will bring results in a short period. After the elections the power will come in the hands of sarpanches and panches, who will have to work for their areas, as they are accountable to the voters of their villages,” said Dhruv Singh, a resident of Jakhyari village.

The residents of these villages, including Jakhyari, Lai, Panwali, Athem and Surinsar, also alleged that they were unable to live in this hot summer due to the water scarcity.

Jammu, June 2
Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal today urged the Baba Amarnath and Baba Budda Amarnath Yatri Niyas to withdraw their plans of starting the Amarnath yatra from June 14 and avoid creating confusion among the pilgrims.

The niyas had announced to launch the yatra from June 14 and also claimed that it had already started online registrations for it. It set up a base camp for the purpose at Geeta Bhawan today.

The pilgrims from outside the state have been enquiring from their friends about the exercise being conducted by the niyas, as the first 15 days witnessed a huge rush of the yatris. However, Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has repeatedly said the schedule announced by it would be final and binding.

Talking to The Tribune, Kotwal said, “We have been talking to the niyas and will hold another meeting in a couple of days. They also know that the SASB is the supreme authority that manages and controls the pilgrimage”.

“As far as the administration is concerned, we are in touch with them, telling them that the yatra dates are from June 29 to August 15,” Kotwal added.

“We are also convincing them not to run a parallel system (against the SASB), as we can’t allow confusion to prevail among the devotees,” he said, adding that “If we feel that the niyas is endangering the lives of the pilgrims with its parallel exercise, the administration, for the safety and security of the devotees, will intervene”.

Meanwhile, DGP Kuldeep Khoda reviewed security arrangements for the yatra at a high-level meeting attended by the IGP, Jammu Zone, Dilbagh Singh, senior police officers and officers from the Army, paramilitary forces and various intelligence agencies here last evening.

Khoda emphasised upon establishing a joint control room for better and close coordination with other sister agencies to ensure a hassle-free pilgrimage.

Jammu, June 2
The state government has restricted the use of air-conditioners (ACs) by its officials in their office chambers and cabins. The move has been initiated following a large number of complaints that hundreds of state government officials, who are not entitled to such a facility, have installed ACs at their offices by misusing both funds and electricity.

Even in some cases, many officials posted at hill resorts and winter zones, had also fitted both window and split ACs at their office chambers. Some officials had even gone to the extent of purchasing ACs for their office cabins by diverting funds, which, otherwise, were meant for implementing centrally-sponsored flagship schemes, informed sources said.

Concerned over the misuse of their official position and in order to arrest the growing tendency of installing ACs, the Finance Department had accordingly issued a circular, warning all employees to desist from such a practice, they said.

As per the circular, issued by the Director General (Budget), only such officials drawing grade pay of Rs 10,000 and above in the pay band-4 would be eligible for installing one window AC after obtaining prior sanction. All categories of officials, however, had been debarred from using split ACs.

Those officials, with a grade pay less than Rs 10,000, were not entitled to install any type and range of AC, the sources said. Further, the entitlement to an AC would only be to such officials, who were working in the summer zone, where the office timings were observed from 8 am to 2 pm. No official functioning in the winter zone had been permitted to install AC.

The sources, while quoting the circular, said ACs purchased by non-entitled officials in the past had been directed to stop using such cooling gadgets and report to their respective administrative departments for their redeployment to the entitled official in case they had not outlived the prescribed life of five years.

Srinagar, June 2
Keeping in view the area specific requirements and the potential for the promotion of tourism in the state, Governor NN Vohra has emphasised the need for progressively expanding and modernising the tourist infrastructure, as it has enormous scope for generating economic activity and employment avenues.

Interacting with a delegation of the J&K Tourism Alliance here today, the Governor said there was need to draw up imaginative, short and long term plans for the promotion of tourism.

In this context, it would be necessary to develop adequate wayside facilities, eating places, public conveniences, areas for pitching tents, parking vehicles etc, and, at the same time, ensuring that all these facilities were designed to be in harmony with the natural surroundings and ecology of the area, he said.

The delegation comprising Hilal A Dar, honorary treasurer of the alliance, Nazir A Bakshi, Shamim A Shah, Manzoor Ahmad and Ashfaq Siddiq, executive committee members of the J&K Tourism Alliance, briefed the Governor about the activities of their organisation, which were aimed at promoting tourism.

The Governor suggested that an apex state-level organisation of the travel trade and hospitality industry should be formed for delivering the tourism potential. He said there was need for working out attractive packages for achieving the dispersal of a significant percentage of the pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi and the Amarnath cave shrine to various tourist destinations in Ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu regions.

This could be achieved if all agencies concerned associated with travel trade in the state work in coordination, he added.

Referring to the demand relating to the operation of international chartered flights put forth by the delegation in their memorandum submitted to him, the Governor assured that he would discuss the matter with the state Tourism Minister and also address the Union ministers for Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The demands presented by the delegation led by GM Dug, chairman of the J&K Tourism Alliance, included inter-alia the extension of landing and take-off timings of flights from the Srinagar airport, permission for operating back-to-back chartered flights and taking requisite measures for speeding up security check-up at the airport.

Jammu, June 2
Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, who has been expelled from the primary membership of the BJP for six years, challenged his disqualification and expulsion in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court here today. Justice Hasnain Massodi issued a notice to the Commissioner/Secretary Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Speaker of the state Legislative Assembly, Deputy Speaker, Secretary of the Assembly, Chairman of the Legislative Council, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council, MLAs Jugal Kishore Sharma, Ashok Khajuria, Sukhnadan, Sham Lal and the BJP. An Additional Advocate General accepted the notice on behalf of six respondents and the court ordered its listing tomorrow.

Gupta along with Jagdish Raj Sapolia, Master Lal Chand, Prof Gharu Ram, Baldev Raj Sharma, Durga Dass, Bharat Bhushan Budhi, Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore, Sukhnadan Singh and Sham Lal Choudhary were elected to the Legislative Assembly from the BJP. The petitioner was elected as the Leader of the BJP Legislature Party. In terms of SRO 98 issued by the J&K Election Department dated March 24, 2011, the election of the six members of the J&K Legislative Council, including three members from the Kashmir province, was notified. However, Gupta along with six other MLAs were suspended from the BJP for indulging in cross-voting in favour of the candidates of the NC and the Congress on April 13.

Jammu, June 2
An Army jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon in Reasi district last night.

Jawan Narayan Reddy of the 54 Rashtriya Rifles counter insurgency force shot himself dead while on guard duty at the Talwara Army camp last night, an Army spokesperson said. Reddy had two days ago returned from leave. He was a native of Andhra Pradesh. A court of inquiry had been ordered, he said. — TNS

Jammu, June 2
Three family members of Vikram Singh, second officer in Japanese merchant navy company Mitsui Osk Lines, who has reportedly gone missing from his tanker vessel off the Australian coast since May 27, have been requisitioned by Mitsui Osk Lines to Singapore. Vikram had joined the company just a year ago.

Vikram’s father-in-law Chanan Singh Toor, his younger brother Paramjeet Singh, and his uncle Lt-Col Baldev Raj (retd) will leave for Singapore tomorrow evening.

“The vessel will reach Singapore on June 4 and the company officials have asked us to reach there,” Paramjeet told The Tribune over phone.

“We have been told that since the vessel has entered the territory of Singapore, its police will investigate the case,” he added. “We don’t know why, but we have been asked by the company officials to travel all the way to Singapore. Perhaps, we will be shown Vikram’s cabin on the tanker vessel and other belongings, which may help the police in investigation,” said Paramjeet.

The family has been praying for the well-being of the young officer ever since it got the news of his disappearance. The state government had already written two letters to the Australian and Singapore embassies, besides taking up the matter with the UPA government.

Jammu, June 2
Justice JP Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court of judicature at Jammu, on a writ petition filed by Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, directed the Supervisory and Monitoring Constitutional Permanent Committee to complete the selection process for the MD/MS management quota seats to facilitate the admission of selected candidates to Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital.

Justice JP Singh, while admitting the petition, said: “During the course of the consideration of the hospital’s petition, the state counsel, submitted that the state had not found the procedure in any way unfair or exploitative. In view of the statement of the state counsel and keeping in view the fact that the selection was being monitored by the Supervisory and Monitoring Constitutional Permanent Committee headed by a retired judge of the High Court, Justice AQ Parray, the court permitted the petitioner-institution to admit students against the management quota seats, which shall, however, remain subject to the final order on the writ petition”.

Jammu, June 2
The police arrested a scrap dealer and a BSNL labourer-turned thief in connection with the theft of the Army’s telephone cable. Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Loran Mandi in Poonch district, was arrested by the Nehru Market police.

The police recovered an iron blade, a cutter and a landline phone. During the course of investigation, it was found that Mushtaq, Hamid and Mumtaz of Poonch were working as labourers along with supervisor Latief of Basohli and contractor Jagdish of Himachal Pradesh with BSNL for lying cable for the last 2-3 years.

It said all labourers were involved in many cases of theft. “To dodge the police, they would use landline phones giving the impression of fixing the fault in the communication line,” police said.

Mushtaq sold the cable to a scrap dealer, Pawan Kumar, alias Kali, resident of Gole Pulli, Talab Tillo, Jammu.

Pawan’s shop was raided and he was arrested. The stolen cable worth Rs 20,000 was also recovered from Mushtaq and Pawan Kumar. However, contractor Jagdish, his supervisor Latief and Hamid were absconding.

“The involvement of BSNL employees cannot be ruled out, as the contractor has to submit the old cable to the BSNL authorities. However, instead of depositing the old cable they would sell it to scrap dealers at throwaway prices,” the police said. It added that the same gang was involved in the theft of cable in Nowabad, Satwari, Bag-e Bahu, Gandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar and Talab Tillo.

The arrests were made by the in charge of the market police post, Sub Inspector Hilal Azhar under the supervision of the SHO, Gandhi Nagar police station, Rafiq Manhas, SDPO, Gandhi Nagar, Mohan Lal Kaith.