The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Flash floods kill 3 more in region Archit Watts Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Three more persons, including a five-year-old boy of Billawar tehsil in Kathua district, were washed away in flash floods in the Jammu region today. A man was washed away in the Tawi near the main bridge around 2.45 pm. The police launched a rescue operation, but was unable to recover the body till reports last came in. Yoginder Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, drowned in a canal in Trikuta Nagar here.In another incident,the body of five-year-old Sunil Singh of Dhar Dugnoo village, who was trapped in a seasonal rivulet in Billawar tehsil yesterday, was recovered today. A senior police officer said 50 persons, living in shanties in the Sidhra area here, were rescued from a flash flood. Five others were rescued from Utter Vehini near Vijaypur in Samba district. The flash flood also blocked traffic on link roads in the hill areas, which included Bani-Basohli and Billawar-Katli. Traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway was also affected for sometime. Meanwhile, a number of houses collapsed and rainwater flooded many low-lying localities here, which hampered the restoration work. The power supply to some areas was also affected. “Though the officials have been sent to restore the power supply, yet the continuous rain has delayed the restoration work. A number of transformers have been damaged and the assessment of the loss will take some time, as reports from the remote areas are yet to come,” said Shahnaz Goni, Chief Engineer, PDD, and added, “The Circular road and Gummat road were among the worst affected areas, while Vijaypur and Ramnagar cities also suffered a huge loss.” Officials of the PWD restored traffic on both the routes, leading to Nagrota via Panjtirthi and the Manda forest, after clearing the debris and removing the vehicles stuck in the sludge. A large number of people, who suffered losses due to the flash flood and rain, met senior officials of the administration and apprised them of the losses. The water level in the Chenab at Akhnoor also increased and reached up to 26 ft, almost three feet above the normal. A few flights also got delayed. Sonam Lotus, in-charge, Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Indian Meteorological Department said, “More showers are expected in the coming few hours as the monsoon is in full swing now.” “The people living in the low-lying areas should remain alert,” Sonam added.
	Heavy rain breaks dry spell in Valley Tribune News Service Srinagar/Jammu, August 12 Heavy rain lashed the Kashmir valley since last night, breaking the month-long dry spell even as three more persons were killed in flash floods in the Jammu region. More than 16.6 mm of rainfall was recorded in Srinagar city, a Met Department official said. He said the rain was expected to continue till tomorrow. The end of the dry spell in the Valley after a month came as a respite to the farmers and fruit growers as crops were in danger of getting damaged.The rain inundated major roads and flooded many markets in the city's commercial centres like Maisuma, Lal Chowk, Batamaloo and Regal Chowk. Traffic jams were also witnessed at several places due to waterlogging. In the Jammu region, three more persons, including a five-year-old boy of Billawar tehsil in Kathua district, were washed away in flash floods today. A man was washed away in the Tawi near the main bridge around 2.45 pm. The police launched a rescue operation, but was unable to recover the body till reports last came in. Yoginder Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, drowned in a canal in Trikuta Nagar here.In another incident,the body of five-year-old Sunil Singh of Dhar Dugnoo village, who was trapped in a seasonal rivulet in Billawar tehsil yesterday, was recovered today. A senior police officer said 50 persons, living in shanties in the Sidhra area here, were rescued from a flash flood. Five others were rescued from Utter Vehini near Vijaypur in Samba district. The flash flood also blocked traffic on link roads in the hill areas, which included Bani-Basohli and Billawar-Katli. Traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway was also affected for sometime.
	Expansion of Wi-Fi facility put on hold in Bhadarwah Raju William Tribune News Service Doda, August 12 The much-publicised Wi-Fi facility in “Chhota Kashmir” (Bhadarwah) has nearly come a cropper as the Bhadarwah Development Authority (BDA) has put on hold its expansion plans due to technical constraints as well as the heavy operational cost. Launched in 2009 as part of the e-governance project, the facility was expected to give a fillip to tourism-related activities in this picturesque valley region, but the past two-and-a-half years showed that the facility was introduced in a hurry. The shrinking user base, increasing operational and maintenance cost and the resultant revenue loss have put a question mark on its utility. But more than that it is the technical constraints like slow speed, which has weaned away a large number of users. Institutional users, including Government Degree College, Dak Banglow, and the ITI, University Campus, have switched over to the BSNL broadband service. The efforts to outsource its operations too failed to show any positive results. “We have put on hold the expansion plans of the Wi-Fi facility, as its running cost is not being recovered. We tried to amplify its speed in a tie-up with the BSNL broadband service on a trial basis, but it failed to work to the optimum level. Though the trial is still on, we are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Kalyan Singh, Chief Executive Officer, BDA. The first of its kind facility in erstwhile Doda district, including Kishtwar and Ramban, was introduced when there was no Internet facilities, no cyber café in the entire region. With the launch of broadband and e-video facility by the BSNL and the recent entry of the Tata Photon service had affected the user base of the WI-Fi facility. Local residents are of the view that the government should try to revive this facility as it will help increase the tourist footfall, particularly at the tourist resorts at Khellani and Jie valley, as no network works there. It is estimated that around 20,000 tourists visit the Bhadarwah valley every summer. The revival of the facility may well have a positive bearing on the tourist inflow and the resultant development of the local economy.
	CM, ministers use choppers to reach out to people: Govt Srinagar, August 12 The state government today said its helicopters were used by top functionaries, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, as these had proved to be important tools of better governance. “Choppers are important tools of effective and efficient governance where the Chief Minister and other ministers can attend to their office and be with the people in the far-flung areas in the shortest possible time,” an official spokesman said in response to media reports about the use of helicopters by the Chief Minister, that was revealed in an RTI reply. The spokesman said it must be appreciated that helicopter travel was a matter of necessity in a state like Jammu and Kashmir, which had a rugged, inhospitable and hazardous terrain spread over a large area. He said the reply of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) to an RTI application was in line with the government’s policy of following transparency in official matters. “Information was sought under the RTI Act regarding the use of helicopters by the Chief Minister in the last three years. “The government is committed to transparency in all the matters of governance and, therefore, has given the full details of the visits,” the spokesman said. He added that the expenditure figures, however, related to the flying activities of the entire department in the last three years. “It is important to understand that the DCA also undertakes the task of flying the Governor, Union ministers, ministers of the state and senior officials of the state and Central governments, besides key police officers in emergency situations. “The DCA also carries out casualty evacuations, polling duties, cash couriers to far-flung areas and flying people in the Gurez and Tangdhar areas during the winter when the road gets blocked. It ferries ministers and officials during natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, road blockages due to landslides and village fires and damages due to hailstorms and storms. “The expenditure figures given out, therefore, are for all the flying activities and not merely for the flights undertaken by the Chief Minister,” the spokesman said. He added that the flights to tourist resorts were not meant for holidaying but to get first hand information about the facilities and the progress of development activities and preside over various meetings of the Development Authority. “The Chief Minister uses the aerial route to visit such places to avoid inconvenience to the people and tourists, who get stranded due to his road movement. Also, adequate sorties are required to be carried out to the same location during the visit of any VVIP, to move officers, staff and key security personnel,” he said. — PTI
	Record 6.34 lakh pilgrims visit Amarnath shrine Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Over 6.34 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Amarnath shrine, surpassing the previous record of 5.33 lakh devotees. As many as 6,34,788 lakh pilgrims have visited the 13,500-ft high cave shrine till today, yatra officials said. This figure has surpassed the previous record of 5.33 lakh pilgrims in 2008. It is also for the first time in the yatra’s history that such a huge number of pilgrims have visited the shrine during the first 23 days of the yatra. On July 21, the figure touched five lakh mark and eight days later six lakh pilgrims had visited the cave shrine. In 2004, the duration of the pilgrimage was increased from 30 to 45 days and in that year, a record 3.82 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine. Next year, 3.88 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine, followed by 3.47 lakh in 2006 and 2.96 lakh in 2007. The year 2009 saw 3.81 lakh pilgrims, while 4.56 lakh devotees offered their prayers at the shrine despite the unrest in the Kashmir valley last year. “The yatra is going on smoothly and the pilgrims are paying obeisance without any difficulty,” the officials said.
	Signature forged to implement scheme, alleges Mendhar MLA Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 To give the benefit of the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) to undeserving and influential people in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district, senior officials allegedly forged the signature of the local MLA to get the Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved from the higher-ups. Making the allegation,the MLA, Mendhar, Rafiq Hussain Khan, demanded a CBI enquiry. “As the approval of the local MLA was a must for the implementation of the scheme, the officials forged my signature,” Khan said. He alleged that not only the benefits of the scheme were given to undeserving and influential persons, but also the officials pocketed the money meant for the electrification of certain villages. Giving the details,the MLA said when he objected to the inclusion of some “developed” villages in the RGGVY, the officials gave him a copy of the approved DPR carrying his signature. “I was shocked to find my forged signature on the approved scheme, which has not only been implemented on paper, but also the agencies engaged in the work have withdrawn the money,” he said. Launched on April 4, 2004, the aim of the scheme was to improve the electricity infrastructure in the rural areas. Providing electricity to below poverty line (BPL) families free of charge was also one of the aims of the flagship scheme. “Instead of targeting the BPL families under the scheme,the officials diverted the funds to give the benefit to some influential persons,” the MLA alleged, and pointed out that as per the documents, 114 hamlets had been covered under the scheme and Rs 22 crore had been spent. The MLA said he had raised the issue at the last District Development Board meeting. “I have also brought the matter to the notice of the Poonch Deputy Commissioner.” Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, A K Sahu, when contacted told The Tribune that he had not received any formal complaint from the MLA. “ The MLA, Mendhar, has informed me verbally about the forged signature. We will initiate an enquiry only after getting a formal complaint,” the Deputy Commissioner said. The first DPR for the electrification of the villages in the Mendhar area was prepared in 2004, when Khan was not an MLA. “A fresh DPR was prepared in 2008-09 and my approval was necessary for the implementation of the scheme,” said Khan, who became an MLA in 2008.
	Governor greets people on Raksha Bandhan Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 12 Governor NN Vohra has felicitated the people on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan and expressed hope that the festival would usher in a new era of sustained peace, amity, harmony, progress and prosperity in the state. In his message, the Governor said Raksha Bandhan was a unique feature of India’s cultural ethos, symbolising the special bond between brothers and sisters. He said the festival had a special significance for Jammu and Kashmir as the annual Amarnath yatra concluded on this day and devotees paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine on Shravana Purnima, which coincided with Raksha Bandhan. The Governor prayed for the well-being of the people of the state.
	BJP aiming at trifurcation of state, says NC Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 The NC today alleged that the BJP was making allout efforts to vitiate peace and communal harmony in the state with the aim of dividing the people of the state on the regional lines to achieve its agenda of the trifurcation of the state. Addressing a public meeting at Kathar in the Nagrota Assembly segment, Devender Singh Rana, Political Adviser to the Chief Minister, said the BJP had always tried to create fissures in society in Jammu and Kashmir and its designs were fraught with danger that, if not checked, could affect Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country. He said the state had always suffered because of the divisive politics of negative elements, who occasionally surfaced and exploited the sentiments of the people for their personal ends. Rana said the state government was determined to further strengthen the bonds of communal harmony in the state. He added that the NC-Congress government was moving ahead with a commitment to ensure economic development and peace in the state.
	Doda man alleges police torture Ashutosh Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Devinder Singh (41) of Kota Kharangal village in Doda district has alleged that even seven years after he was kidnapped from his house and tortured by the police,no action has been taken against the guilty. Devinder alleged that on the evening of November 9, 2004, he was kidnapped by the police and tortured. He said he had undergone mental and physical pain since then, adding he had two surgeries, which left him unfit for physical work and doctors had now suggested another operation. “At Gandoh police station, the then SHO pressurised me to confess to a theft from the village temple. He did not show any written complaint,” he said. “The police tied my hands behind my back with my ankles. Thereafter, I was thrashed. The cops punched me in the abdomen and kicked my private parts, ” he recalled, with tears in his eyes. He added that, “I was thrashed and thrown out, after which I fell unconscious”. “However, the next day, the entire village mobbed the police station and I was shifted to a hospital,” Devinder said. “After I was discharged from the hospital, I met senior police officers to enquire about the nature of the charges against me and the name of the complainant. But I have not got any satisfactory reply till now,” he added. “The temple stands on a piece of land that was donated by my father. How can I steal from the holy place ? Now, most of my time is spent in the temple and I pray to the Almighty to give me strength to prove my innocence. I want the erring policemen to apologise for their action,” he said. “As directed by the office of the Prime Minister and the President, the Chief Secretary asked the Police Department to conduct a probe into the incident in 2007. But I do not know whether there has been any progress in the investigation,” he said, and showed a character certificate issued by the SHO, Gandoh, in May 2007,saying there was nothing adverse against him in the record of the police station. Varinder Sharma, SSP, Doda, said: “I am not aware of the case. However, the person concerned must meet me in person. If he is innocent, action will certainly be taken against erring policemen”.
	Panthers Party alleges collapse of education system Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Former Education Minister and Panthers Party MLA Harsh Dev Singh today alleged that there was a total breakdown of the educational set-up in the state with academic activity becoming a major casualty of the bureaucratic red tape and official negligence. Claiming that thousands of government schools were facing an acute shortage of the teaching staff and the government was maintaining a complete silence over the issue, Singh said schools in the remote areas were the major sufferers and had almost become defunct due to non-availability of the faculty. Addressing a press conference here today, Singh said the government had itself admitted at a Project Appraisal Board (PAB) meeting in New Delhi in June this year that 13,020 posts of teacher were vacant at the elementary level, there were 8,104 vacancies in upper primary schools and 4,916 vacancies in primary schools. He added that more than 8,000 posts of master, headmaster and lecturer were vacant at the secondary level, including high schools and higher secondary schools, thus taking the total number of vacancies to around 22,000.
	Justice Yash Paul to head accountability panel Tribune News Service Srinagar, August 12 Governor NN Vohra has appointed Justice Yash Paul Nargotra (retd) as the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission for three years with effect from the date he assumes the office or until he attains the age of 70, whichever is earlier. The Governor, in exercise of his powers, has also appointed Justice Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain (retd) as a Member of the commission for three years with effect from the date he assumes the office or until he attains the age of 70,whichever is earlier. The Governor signed the Warrants of Appointment to this effect today on the recommendations of the Selection Committee constituted for the purpose, an official spokesman said.
	Gujjars seek ban on ‘Aarakshan’ Tribune News Service Jammu, August 12 Objecting to the screening of Prakash Jha’s movie, “Aarakshan” in different cinema houses of Jammu and Kashmir, the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, an organisation of Gujjars and other marginalised groups, today demanded that the movie be banned in the state as “it hurts the sentiments of the backward and suppressed sections of society”. “A team of our organisation, which viewed the movie today, decided to oppose its screening in a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir,” Dr Javaid Rahi, secretary of the foundation, told The Tribune. “Some contents of the movie hurt us,” he said, adding the basic concept of reservation had not been projected properly. “Reservation is neither a charity nor an aid to the weaker sections of society and they (SCs/STs and other backward classes) are not infringing upon anyone’s rights,” Rahi said. “The concept of reservation is based on the proportion of the total population of a suppressed community falling under a particular category, whereby a percentage of posts have been reserved in admission to educational institutions, employment, promotion, Assemblies and Parliament,” he said. He added that its objective was to ensure development of the socially and educationally backward communities, including the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. However, this fact was missing in the movie. “The SCs, STs and the OBCs constitute a substantial chunk of the state’s population and hence the government should respect our sentiments and ban the movie in the state,” Rahi said. He added that since three states had banned the movie, the Jammu and Kashmir government should also take appropriate action. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh had banned the movie on the ground that its screening could lead to a law and order problem.Rahi also objected to certain dialogues and scenes.