Srinagar, June 30
Over 14,000 pilgrims started their journey to the Amarnath holy cave shrine from the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps today. According to officials here, about 20,000 pilgrims had darshan of the “Ice Lingam” of Lord Shiva today, while 15,500 pilgrims had darshan yesterday.

Lt-Gen SA Hasnain, General-Officer-Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army, also visited the cave shrine. He offered prayers for everlasting peace, stability and prosperity in the state.

“The Chinar Corps Commander accompanied by Maj-Gen Gurdeep Singh visited the Amarnath shrine and reviewed the security arrangements there, besides interacting with the people,” defence spokesperson Lt-Col JS Brar said. The Army was a major organisation involved in the conduct of the yatra, he added.

Meanwhile, on the instructions of the Additional Director- General of Police, Civil Defence, Home Guards and Auxiliary Police, Ram Lubayya, the Civil Defence Organisation yesterday set up facilitation camps for the yatris at Pantha Chowk, Dalgate, Sonamarg, Baltal, Anantnag, Nunwan and Pahalgam.

There were 41 CD volunteers at Pantha Chowk. A few volunteers were assisting the traffic police, as there was a heavy rush of vehicles. Many volunteers were offering drinking water to the yatris.

The CD volunteers recently completed a six-day Disaster Preparedness and First- Aid Training Programme, which was organised by the Divisional Disaster Management in collaboration with the Civil Defence and the Red Cross Society. The CD camp has been established by the deputy controller, CD, Rafiq Ahmed; chief warden Omar Nedou; deputy chief warden Mauzam Bakshi and divisional warden Aamir Ali.

JAMMU: Amid tight security, the third batch of 2,163 Amarnath pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here today for Baltal and Pahalgam.

The pilgrims comprising 529 women and 97 children left in a cavalcade of 99 vehicles around 5:30 am, officials of the Tourism Department said.

Jammu, June 30
An organisation of Kashmiri Pandits today demanded full implementation of the Prime Minister’s Employment Package, a scheme launched for the youth of the community.

“We demand full implementation of the Prime Minister’s Employment Package for Displaced Educated Kashmiri Pandit Youth in Jammu and Kashmir,” Roots in Kashmir convener Veer Saraf told reporters here.

The state government had failed to implement the scheme, which aimed at providing 6,000 jobs to the Kashmiri Pandit youth, he said.

“Only 1,700 jobs have been given in the last three years and the remaining 4,300 posts are yet to be announced and filled,” Saraf said, accusing the state government of a non-serious attitude in implementing the package in totality.

Accusing the ruling NC-Congress coalition in the state of failing to understand the political aspirations of the Kashmiri Pandits, he demanded that the state government should take confidence-building measures for the political empowerment of the community.

Saraf also demanded that the government should pass the temples and shrines Bill in the Assembly. The passage of the Bill and the setting up of a shrine and temples board under such an Act would safeguard the worship places in the Valley, as these sites had been encroached upon or sold, he said, adding that the government should declare the Kashmiri Pandit community as a minority in the state.

Saraf also demanded a comprehensive package of Rs 25 lakh each for Kashmiri Pandit youth for setting up business ventures who were not eligible for government jobs due to the age factor. — PTI 

Jammu, June 30
Apple production in the state is falling due to the changing weather and is affecting the fruit trade. Frequent changes in the climate and below normal temperature during the flowering stage of apple have affected the yield.

Experts in the Horticulture Department say a survey has shown that the production of apple will be less as compared to last year. “The size of the fruit has been affected because of the temperature remaining below normal. A frequent change in the weather during the flowering stage of apple during March and April and rain have damaged the fruit in the Kashmir valley as well as in Jammu division,” said GH Shah, Director, Horticulture Department, Kashmir division.

He said though the department had adopted various methods to ensure a bumper crop this year, the inclement weather had changed the scenario.

Shah added, “The apple crop has mainly been affected in the Shopian area and some parts of Srinagar district.” The Kashmir region produces a large quantity of apple and the economy of the region is also dependent on horticulture. Even tourism is the second important contributor to the economy of the region.

Apple is also grown in the upper areas of the Jammu region, including Kishtwar and Bhadarwah, where the situation is almost similar to the Kashmir valley this year.

“During the flowering stage of apple, the temperature should remain between 25°C and 30°C. But this year, the temperature has changed frequently and rain has also added to the woes of the the fruit growers,” said Jia Lal Sharma, Director, Horticulture Department, Jammu division.

Sharma maintained that the inclement weather was going to affect the apple production in September. “Normally, at this time of the season, we get an assessment report of the production all across the state, which is showing some decrease at this stage,” he added.

Srinagar, June 30
A major tragedy was averted here today when the police recovered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) from Boulevard Road along the Dal Lake.

“The IED was planted in a tin container in the parking lot of Hotel Heemal, close to a wine shop, in the Boulevard Road area of the city. The bomb disposal squad of the state police defused the IED,” said a police spokesman.

He added that had the IED weighing about 5 kg exploded, it would have caused a huge loss of life and property.

Sources said initial investigations suggested that the IED was planted to target two liquor shops in the hotel. Militants in Kashmir had banned the sale of liquor in early 1990s when armed insurgency started in the Valley. Before 1990, Srinagar had several liquor shops, which were shut down following militant threats.

At present, the city has a few liquor shops, which are run on licences issued by the state government. These are located in the high-security zones of the city.

People associated with the tourism industry have expressed concern about the incident. “With great difficulty and after suffering a loss of crores of rupees during the past three years, we are trying to revive the tourism sector. Tourists have now started coming to Kashmir. Had this IED exploded, it would have played havoc with the tourism sector,” said Abdul Majeed, a tour operator.

Meanwhile,in another incident, the Handwara police and the 30 RR busted a militant hideout in the Doke Haril forests and seized one AK 56 rifle, 2,194 rounds of AK ammunition, 12 mortar bombs and 17 UBGL grenades.

The police and the 3 RR also arrested Ali Mohammad Wani at Anantnag and seized one pistol, one magazine, 162 rounds, two grenades, 40 Pika rounds and one IED from his possession.

Srinagar, June 30
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked the departments concerned to gradually shift government offices on the outskirts of the city to decongest traffic.

Omar said the government departments should avoid creating non-productive infrastructure while building new offices, as land was shrinking in the cities and towns due to the economic activities and construction of residential houses.

The Chief Minister while addressing a meeting yesterday to review the recommendations of a committee for decongesting Srinagar and Jammu cities asked the Housing and Estates Departments to take the initiative for the construction of new flats for the government employees. The employees would then be shifted from the tourism infrastructure in Srinagar city, he said.

Emphasising widening of roads, along with the rehabilitation of the families and commercial establishments which have come under the infrastructural development, Omar said a plan to this effect needed to be formulated at the earliest.

Reviewing the proposals of the J&K Housing Board for the construction of new housing colonies in Srinagar and Jammu cities, Omar constituted a sub-committee under the Chief Secretary to finalise the possible modalities for the construction of such colonies. He said while construction of new colonies was necessary to meet the housing requirements of the people, the environmental, land use, funding pattern and other necessary aspects needed to be analysed along with a concrete proposal.— PTI

Baramulla, June 30
Most of the young boys here used to throw stones on the security forces and raise anti-India slogans last year. However, thanks to the Army, a large number of them are now undergoing coaching to fulfil their dream to join the armed forces.

The young boys, who are disillusioned with stone throwing, now see a bright career in the armed forces, as the Army has started providing them coaching of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Combined Defence Services (CDS) examinations.

Rather Abid, a class XII student, who aims to join the Army and is presently taking coaching at the headquarters of the 46 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army, said he wanted that peace should return to the Valley and by joining the Army, he wanted to contribute towards achieving the goal.

“The boys who throw stones should realise that there is no future in such violence. I want to become an Army officer and serve the country,” he said.

Abid said the stone throwers tried to stop him from attending the coaching and wanted him to join them, but he refused to give in to their demands.

“Though there is a lot of enthusiasm among the youth of the Valley to join the Army, they have no exposure.

Therefore, we decided to train them free of cost so that they can clear the NDA and CDS examinations. Besides the Army, we also train them to join the paramilitary forces,” Maj-Gen VS Dadhwal, General-Officer- Commanding of the Baramulla-based 19 Infantry Division of the Army, told The Tribune.

He said the aim of the programme was to give an exposure to the youth about the basic ethos of the Army, which was based on a secular approach and service to the country.

“We want a few success stories to come out from these youth, who should inform others about the ethos of the Army,” Maj-Gen Dadhwal said.

More than 50 students are taking coaching in the present batch, which is being organised by the 46 Rashtriya Rifles and a majority of the students are from Baramulla.

“The young boys have a lot of talent, but they lack exposure. Here, we are training them on how to face and qualify the exams,” Col Dalvinder Singh, Commanding Officer of the 46 Rashtriya Rifles, said. He added that a large number of the youth trained by them had already cleared the selection procedure and were undergoing the Army training.