Jammu, June 17
The Union government has formulated a comprehensive ‘action plan’ to channelise the energy of the youth of the state for sports. The plan will give the youth an opportunity to excel in sports.

The Union Sports Ministry has decided to emphasise on football as it is popular in Kashmir and in some parts of the Jammu region as well. “Football is the game that can be popularised in the rural areas of the state, as it attracts a large number number of youth,” said Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken while interacting with mediapersons here this evening.

Football’s popularity in the Kashmir valley can be gauged from the fact that Brazilian coach Juan Marcos Troia has been working there for the last four years to teach soccer to the youth.

As the first instalment of the plan, Rs 28.6 crore has been sanctioned for creating sports infrastructure in the region to wean the youth away from violence. “In the initial stage, three synthetic turfs for football will be developed in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore each,” Maken said. He added that two turfs would be developed in the Valley and one at GGM Science College in Jammu. “One turf will be developed for Brazilian coach Marcos, who has been training the youth of the Valley in football, to open an academy there,” Maken said.

He added that the Jammu and Kashmir Football Federation and the Sports Council would run the proposed football academy. “It is just a beginning.The Union Sports Ministry has formulated a comprehensive plan for the development of sports infrastructure in the state,” Maken said, adding that besides turfs for football, a synthetic turf would be developed at a hockey stadium at Baramulla and 12 training centres, four each in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, for archery would be set up. A water sports facility in Srinagar, winter sports facility in Gulmarg and an adventure sports facility in Gulmarg would also be established

“This is my third visit to the state after taking over as Union Sports Minister. We have formulated a number of plans for the state to involve the youth in sports activities,” he said. 

Poonch, June 17
Seventeen years after a woman, Hassan Bi, was wounded in indiscriminate firing by Pakistan soldiers in a border village of Poonch district, she has received only Rs 5,000,which she got last month, as compensation.

The bullet not only wounded her but also killed her child in the womb.

However, the meagre compensation also did not come easy to Hassan Bi of Kerni border village. After being discharged from the hospital, she and her husband, Mohammad Sharief, made several rounds of government offices for getting relief. Finally, the case was brought to the notice of the State Human Rights Commission by a local activist. The commission after verifying her medical reports and the police report recommended to the government to compensate her in 2009.

The commission, in its recommendation, said: “She sustained injuries as alleged, as a result of a rocket/shell fired from across the border. She was admitted to a hospital with injuries on one of the upper limbs and liver. Her child died in the womb. She is poor and has no source of income”.

On April 21, 1994, her village was caught in a war-like situation and there was heavy firing between the forces on the actual Line of Control (LoC). She was on the roof of her house when a bullet hit her. After a while, a shell hit her house and damaged it completely.

“I was rushed to hospital. I survived, but the injuries have left me unfit for any kind of work. We do not have any source of income,” she said.

The amount of relief has come as a shock to the woman. “For 17 years, I have been collecting documents from one government office and submitting it to other,” she said.

“To meet the medical expenses, money was raised through charity for her treatment. Besides, I sold off my livestock,” her husband said.

However, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mohammad Matloob Khan, said her injuries were minor and feigned ignorance over the death of her unborn child.

The amount given to the woman was an ex-gratia relief as sanctioned by the Empowerment Committee of the Home Department, he added.

Jammu, June 17
The Southern Command has sent a soldier,accused in a case of rape and suicide of a college girl in 2007, to the Station Headquarters, Bari Brahmana, in Samba district to enable the police to carry out investigations.

The soldier,identified as Abdul Gaffar, had allegedly raped the girl,a second-year student of Dogra College at Bari Brahmana, who later committed suicide in her hostel room on September 20, 2007.Gaffar had developed a relationship with her by using a fictitious name,Capt Aman Kumar.

“The Army has brought the soldier to the Station Headquarters,Bari Brahmana,” Israr Khan, SSP, Samba, told The Tribune.

“After legal formalities, we will seek custody of the accused to carry out further investigations,” he added.

Earlier,the Northern Command had written to the Southern Command,requesting it to hand over the accused to the Samba police.

Till October 2010, the accused had served the Medical Corps of the Northern Command before being transferred and posted to the 158 Medical Regiment of the Southern Command.

Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the SSP is all set to leave for Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan tomorrow to record the statements of two classmates and family members of the victim.

“The SIT headed by Inspector Devinder Singh is all set to leave for Himachal Pradesh tomorrow,” Khan added.

After recording the statements of the victim’s classmates, the team would go to Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan where it would record the statements of the victim’s father and other family members, the SSP added. 

Srinagar, June 17
Underlining tourism as one of the major components of the economy of the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed hope that tourism would pick up gradually this season to compensate for the losses incurred in the last three years.

“For us, tourism is one of the major components of the economy, but it is uncertain in nature for various reasons,” he said, and added “We hope it will increase gradually during the coming days.”

Addressing a tourism conference organised by FICCI here today, Omar stressed the need for facilitating visits of tourists from South-East Asia and Middle-East to the Valley by operating direct flights.

Terming connectivity as an important ingredient for facilitating the inflow of tourists, he strongly advocated operationalising international flights by Air India to and from Srinagar Airport.

"This would give a fillip to international tourist traffic to the Valley. Air India should not make the profitability its yardstick for operating international flights from Srinagar ," Omar said

“We have already taken up the matter with the Civil Aviation Ministry for operationalising the time chart for Delhi-Srinagar flights so that the first flight from Delhi reaches Srinagar airport at 7 am and the last flight leaves from here at 6 pm,” he said, adding that it would greatly facilitate the inflow of the tourists.

The Chief Minister said the new tourist markets of Russia, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan should be explored for diverting the traffic to Kashmir as the tourist rush to India from these countries was increasing.

Jammu, June 17
The invitation to Maj-Gen Gurmeet Singh, GOC, Delta Force, who is an expert in counter-insurgency operations, to visit China on a “regular visa” from June 19 has been welcomed by the Army.

It now hopes to see a new high in defence ties between the two countries. Maj-Gen Gurmeet Singh will lead an eight-member delegation to China from June 19 to 24. Last year, Beijing had denied a stamped visa to the then GOC of the Northern Command, Lt-Gen BS Jaswal, on the ground that he had commanded troops in the “sensitive” state of Jammu and Kashmir, allegedly a disputed territory between India and Pakistan, compelling New Delhi to snap defence ties with it.

“It is a good development. At last, good sense has prevailed on China and it has realised that raking up a controversy vis-à-vis Kashmir may prove counterproductive for it because the country has the same sentiments for Tibet as we have for Kashmir,” said a senior Army officer.

“I personally feel that in the present scenario in South Asia, military diplomacy between India and China should be continued,” said the officer.

Brig (retd) SS Saini, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad, also exuded confidence that “something” positive would emerge out of the resumption of the military ties with China.

“Our Prime Minister, who visited Beijing in April this year, wants to have good relations with China. Let us see how far we succeed in our endeavour,” said Brig Saini.

“Though we cannot trust China, I think this visit will open new vistas in the relations between the two countries,” he said, adding that a bilateral dialogue was the only and the best way to iron out differences.

“Maj-Gen Gurmeet Singh is a bright officer and we look forward to his visit to China. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but at the same time feel that something positive will emerge out of the exercise,” said Brig Saini.

China always has reservations about issuing regular visas to officers from the Northern and Eastern commands of the Army. 

Jammu, June 17
More students from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan are seeking admission to the elementary teachers training (ETT) course in colleges and institutes here. At present, 439 colleges and institutes are offering the course across the state.

A senior Education Department official said the number of students was increasing every year because the four states had recognised the ETT certificate issued by the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE).

In view of the increase in the demand for the course,100 applications have been received by the Education Department seeking approval for setting up ETT institutes, say sources, and add the department is,however, still to grant the approval.

Educationists believe that deficiencies in the system like attendance being not compulsory and no requirement of proper infrastructure are the reasons behind a quantum jump in the number of such institutes and colleges. In the 2009-11 academic session, nearly 45,000 students appeared in the exams, with more than 40,000 belonging to other states.

An educationist, Prof Virender Gupta, a former head of the Physics Department in the University of Jammu, said, “The system has collapsed. No one is checking the infrastructure of these institutes and as a result, most of them are running from a single room. It has become an easy way to earn money as agents manage admission and students come here only to take the exams”.

AK Gandotra, assistant secretary, ETT, BoSE, said, “We inspect every institute or college before giving it affiliation. I have never received such a large number of applications seeking affiliation”.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, newly-appointed Chairman of BoSE, had said there were some loopholes in the existing system, which would be plugged within two months.

Jammu, June 17
Describing panchayats as the basic unit of development, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah re-affirmed his government’s commitment to make these powerful.

Addressing panches and sarpanches of the Vijaypur and Samba Assembly constituencies of Jammu division today, the Chief Minister said his constant interactions with the elected public representatives at the Assembly constituency- level was to get a firsthand appraisal of the views of the panches and sarpanches regarding the establishment of a powerful Panchayati Raj system in the state.

Omar said the decision to hold panchayat elections in the state was a historic step. “It has paved the way to empower the public representatives and make development holistic and equitable,” he said.

He added that the panchayats should also be involved in monitoring the functioning of the Health, Education, CAPD, PHE and other public service delivery departments.

“Your responsibility is holistic in nature,” he told the panches and sarpanches, asking them to function as an important tool to fight corruption and reduce chances of malpractices in the development process. He asked them to be sincere and God-fearing.

The Chief Minister said a committee headed by the Chief Secretary was finalising a report regarding the transfer of powers to the panchayats. “We want powerful panchayats to deliver as per the public aspirations and in accordance with the specific requirements in specific areas,” he said.

Srinagar, June 17
Governor NN Vohra discussed the modalities for an effective disaster management plan for the ensuing Amarnath yatra with Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), here today.

The NDMA would be conducting table-top mock drill exercises at the Baltal and Nunwan Base Camps simultaneously on June 25, an official spokesperson said. 

As many as two NDMA teams from Delhi would overview the conduct of the mock drills with an objective of evolving the optimum level of preparedness and response during worst scenarios, evacuation arrangements, medical preparedness and arrangements in regard to hygiene and sanitation at various base and en-route camps. — TNS 

Srinagar, June 17
Prof Radha Kumar, one of the three interlocutors, who arrived here yesterday, had a meeting with students of prestigious Women’s College, Moulana Azad Road, today.

She had also visited SP College and interacted with students on her arrival yesterday. Radha, after meeting the students at Women’s College, also visited Qazigund today, where she had meetings with migrant Kashmiri Pandits, who had been posted at various government departments in the Kashmir valley. The Kashmiri Pandit youth have been appointed in different parts of the Valley under the Prime Minister’s employment package for their rehabilitation in their homeland.

Besides Radha Kumar, the three-member committee of interlocutors comprised senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar and MM Ansari, and it had been visiting the state every month and meeting people from all walks of life. It is supposed to submit its report within a year.