The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Country’s longest railway tunnel excavated
Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

Work in progress inside the tunnel. — Tribune photo/PTI

Banihal, October 14
A heavy explosion emanating dust and smoke up to hundreds of metres marked the “opening” of the 11.17-km-long railway tunnel here this afternoon.

With the “blast” the two sides of the tunnel - one in Qazigund in south Kashmir and the other in Banihal - joined hands and resulted in the opening of India’s longest railway tunnel.

It was a joyous moment for the labourers and workers of the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) who had been working on the project for the past six years.

The road distance of 35 km from Lower Munda (Qazigund) in south Kashmir to Banihal across the Pir Panjal range in Jammu region, has been shortened to 11.17 km by this railway tunnel.

The remaining work on the tunnel will be completed in about six months, and then the railway lines would be laid. The tunnel would be the shortest route connecting the Valley to the outside world.

“The length of the tunnel would be covered by the train in six minutes,” said Vikram Singh Tanwar, Manager, Corporate Communication, HCC.

Speaking after the “handshake” of the two sides of the tunnel T-80, AK Mishra, member of the Railway Engineering Board, said the concretisation work inside the tunnel would take six to seven months. This tunnel is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), the two portions of which, Udhampur-Katra and Katra-Banihal, are yet to be completed. Giving details, Mishra informed that the 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra and Banihal-Qazigund lines would be opened by December next year.

However, the link between Katra and Banihal was expected to be completed by 2017. The Banihal-Qazigund tunnel has been completed at a cost of Rs 1100 crore and has the distinction of being one of the world’s modern tunnels, Mishra said.

He added that this India’s longest and Asia’s second longest tunnel would be having a 3-metre side road for carrying out any repair or rescue work in case of emergencies.

Missing brothers restored to family
Ashutosh Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
Two brothers, who went missing from their house in Sector 6 of Nanak Nagar on October 9, were restored to their family here today. However, their domestic help, who had also disappeared along with the boys, was not restored to his parents and was instead lodged in the jail at Model police station, Gandhi Nagar. However, he along with his two uncles was released in the evening.

The domestic help, Dharmanand Joshi (14), a resident of Nepal, alleged that he was thrashed by the police at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand and again at the police station here. While Joshi’s two uncles had also been in the police custody for the last five days, he was detained in a separate cell.

Kartik (11) and Dhruv (10), sons of Jatinder Sharma, along with Joshi were brought here by a police team. The grandfather of Kartik and Dhruv, Jagmohan Sharma, accompanied them.

The boys had reportedly gone to Nepal on their own and were on the way back when they were spotted by the Pithoragarh police. Later, the children contacted their parents here and a police team was rushed to Uttarakhand to bring them back.

“We have been praying for their safe return. I always treated Joshi like my son. He ate the same food that my sons did and wore similar clothes. I never discriminated against Joshi,” said mother of Kartik and Dhruv, Bindu Sharma.

“It’s regretful that though Joshi was the eldest among the three, he did not bother to call me and tell their whereabouts,” she added.

The family expressed its gratitude to the police and distributed sweets at Gandhi Nagar police station.

Meanwhile, Deepika Singh Rajawat, child rights activist and member of the Juvenile Welfare Board, Jammu district, took a serious note of the incident. She said the detention of Joshi and his uncles was illegal. “The police is supposed to register a case against the family for employing a minor, but it has put the poor child behind bars,” she said. “The police cannot overlook the movement about juvenile justice going on across the country,” she added.

Deepika alleged that Joshi was not given anything to eat during the day. “He was abused and thrashed by the police and there was an injury mark on his forehead,” she claimed.

“I have taken up the matter with IGP, Jammu, Dilbaag Singh and asked him to send the child to some observation home till he is restored to his parents,” she said.

However, after the intervention of the media, Joshi was released along with his uncles in the evening. “We have released them as the children had gone (to Uttarakhand) on their own,” said SDPO, south city, ML Kaith.

Shrine board to promote welfare of erstwhile Baridar families
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 14
As part of the several activities planned by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in its year-long silver jubilee celebrations this year, the shrine board has announced various measures to promote the welfare of the erstwhile Baridar families who are residing in and around the Trikuta Hills, the abode of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.

The board has decided to enhance the quantum of scholarships for the students, particularly for girls, and financial assistance for celebrating the marriages of daughters.

Giving details of the decisions taken to this effect by Governor NN Vohra, who is the Chairman of the shrine board, Chief Executive Officer RK Goyal stated that the scale of scholarships provided to the students belonging to the erstwhile Baridar families had been revised from October 1.

Under the revised scheme, a special emphasis has been given for promoting the education of girls in a big way, by offering them a higher scale of scholarship. The girl students studying in classes I to V will be paid a scholarship of Rs 250 per month while boys studying in these classes will get Rs 150 per month. Earlier, there was no provision for scholarships for boys or girls studying up to Class V.

The scholarships provided to the girls belonging to the erstwhile Baridar families studying in classes VI to VIII has been raised from Rs 150 to Rs 300 per month, while the scholarship for boys has been hiked from Rs 150 to Rs 200 per month.

For girls studying in classes IX and X, the monthly scholarship shall now be Rs 400 and for boys Rs 250. The scholarship of Rs 500 per month provided to students studying in XI and XII has been enhanced to Rs 800 per month in the case of girls and Rs 600 for boys.

For the undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, the amount has been raised from Rs 750 per month to Rs 1200 per month for girl students and Rs 900 for boys.

The CEO said the above scholarships for those studying in classes I to XII in government schools shall be payable to the top 10 meritorious students, based on their class-wise internal merit. The scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses shall be payable to all students belonging to the erstwhile Baridar families studying anywhere in the country, provided the beneficiary families normally reside in rural
areas surrounding the Trikuta Hills.

Goyal disclosed that the financial assistance for the marriage of a daughter belonging to an erstwhile Baridar family had also been enhanced from Rs 21,000 to Rs 31,000.

In the case of the marriage of a daughter whose father was not alive, the financial assistance would be Rs 41,000 instead of the earlier amount of Rs 25,000. If both parents were no more, the girl would now get Rs 51,000. In addition, 15 suits and 2 chunnies would be presented by the board to each eligible family.

The CEO added that over 1,000 families would benefit from the decisions taken by the shrine board.

Bandh in Doda over teacher’s ‘objectionable’ remarks
Raju William/TNS

Doda, October 14
Though the situation became tense after Friday prayers in Bhadarwah town over the alleged objectionable remarks made by an ad hoc teacher of a local college which had triggered communal clashes, the bandh observed today over the issue in Doda and Kishtwar districts passed off peacefully.

Principal of Government Degree College, Bhadarwah, Mohammad Iqbal Zargar told The Tribune that the teacher concerned had admitted her mistake in writing before the committee of college teachers constituted specially to look into the matter. Following this, her services were terminated a couple of days ago but some vested interests still continued to foment trouble.

As a result of this, a protest was held after Friday prayers at Bhadarwah. The protesters raised slogans and the police had to fire in the air and use teargas shells to disperse them and restore law and order.

The IG, Jammu, Dilbag Singh, confirmed that some vested interests had tried to create trouble but the police brought the situation under control. The DC, Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan, has already ordered a magisterial probe on the issue.

Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in Doda, Bhadarwah and Gandoh towns. There was no report of any untoward incident, the police said. The Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Mohammad Hussain Malik, said the situation was completely under control. “We told the Imam, Jama Masjid, Kishtwar, that the matter had already been resolved so there was no point in creating unnecessary trouble. He assured us that the protest would remain peaceful,” said Malik.

Air Vice-Marshal visits Jammu station
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
Last two days have witnessed a flurry of activities at the Air Force Station, Jammu, due to the visit of Air Vice-Marshal Jasbir Walia, Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Jammu and Kashmir.

Air Vice-Marshal Walia is the overall Commander of all the IAF assets and operations in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Siachen glacier.

He was received by Air Commodore Nitin Sathe, AOC, Air Force Station, Jammu, along with all other senior officers. The Air Vice-Marshal interacted with the officers, air warriors, DSC personnel and the civilian staff of the Air Force Station.

He also visited various units and sections and expressed satisfaction over the way the station was being maintained on the operations, maintenance and administrative fronts.

The Air Vice-Marshal also expressed satisfaction over professionalism of the personnel of the station and extolled them to achieve even higher standards in the service of the nation. He also laid the foundation stone of the Married Accommodation Project (MAP) quarters, which would provide new and better family accommodation to officers, Warrant Officers and other ranks.

The Air Vice-Marshal also witnessed a keenly-contested volleyball match.

Cop shot at by militants near Hazratbal shrine

Srinagar, October 14
Suspected militants shot at and critically injured a policeman near the Hazratbal shrine on the outskirts of the city today, official sources said.

Constable Sajjad Ahmad of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) was on duty at the Hazratbal bus stand when some persons shot him in the head, they said.

The sources said Ahmad was admitted to the nearby Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, where his condition was stated to be “critical”.

The militants struck in the Hazratbal area when it was heavily crowded with thousands of devotees returning home after the Friday prayers at the shrine. The police and the paramilitary forces launched a hunt to nab the assailants.

No militant outfit had so far claimed the responsibility for the incident, which created panic in the area. — PTI

PDP women workers protest against govt
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
As part of its ongoing campaign against the state government, the women wing the PDP held a protest rally here today. The rally started from Dogra Chowk and passed through different areas before the protesters were stopped by the police at Vivekanand Chowk.

The protesters were carrying the effigies of the state government and the NC with garlands of fake notes symbolising rampant corruption and mis-governance.

Addressing the party activists, senior PDP leader Vijay Dogra alleged that the government had lost the faith of the people because it had failed to give justice to them. She said the NC-led government had crossed all limits of corruption and the people were at the receiving end.

Dogra said the murder of NC worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf allegedly in police custody had exposed the government and the NC. She regretted that instead of properly investigating the case to give justice to Yousuf’s family, the government had been trying to hush it up.

Sushila Jamwal, Anju Bhan, Geeta Thakur, Parveen Akther, Mumtaz Begum, Neelam Gupta, Suriya Begum, Ajit Kour and Indu Kumari also addressed the protesters.

Panthers Party to celebrate Accession Day on Oct 27
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
A meeting of the working committee of the Panthers Party was held here yesterday to chalk out the details of the Accession Day celebrations on October 27.

The meeting was presided over by working chairman of the party and MLA Harsh Dev Singh.

The working committee decided to celebrate the Accession of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India, which was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947, and accepted by the Governor General of India, Lord Mount Batten, on October 27, in a big way in all districts of the state.

The Panthers Party has been celebrating Accession Day of Jammu and Kashmir with India for many years. This year the celebration of the Accession has become more important, as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Assembly termed the Accession of the state with the Indian Union as temporary.

“The Panthers Party is of a firm view that the Accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India is full and final and cannot be questioned. Jammu and Kashmir has been and
shall continue to be an integral part of India and this fact should be clear to everybody within the country and outside,” said Singh.

He said the Panthers Party was holding the Accession Day celebrations in the entire state to give a clear message that the people of the state were integrated with the rest of the country and there was no scope for any reconsideration on this count.

The working committee gave a call to all people of the state to join the Accession Day celebrations at district and tehsil headquarters. The party working committee also decided to hold a massive rally on October 27 in Jammu.

Army launches green drive
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
The Gurj Division of the Army launched an awareness campaign about greening the surroundings at the Samba Military Station today. As part of the drive, Maj Gen G Sankaranarayanan, General Officer Commanding of Gurj Division, inaugurated a session of lectures during which soldiers, their families and students from local schools were educated on the necessity to conserve ecology.

The campaign would involve a series of awareness lectures by Army personnel and children alike and stress on the role of every person in the conservation, cleansing and greening of the surroundings.

The speakers highlighted the steep fall in the water table, thereby creating water scarcity, environmental degradation because of untreated solid waste and the rise in the temperature due to pollution and rapid deforestation. Schoolchildren, during the lecture, urged their parents to conserve fossil fuels and use low energy appliances.

Maj Gen Sankaranarayanan later emphasised on the role of the soldiers and the members of their families in the upkeep of the surroundings. He said the soldiers being role models of society needed to take the lead in adopting a lifestyle, which promoted a green environment.

The lectures were attended by nearly 800 Army personnel and their families at the Samba Military Station and students from Army Public School and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Samba.

40 hurt as bus falls into gorge

Jammu, October 14
At least 40 persons were injured, including two seriously, when the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge near the Nowshera TCP Bridge in Rajouri district today.

The bus was on the way to Nowshera from Rajpura when the accident occurred as its driver failed to negotiate a sharp turn. The injured comprised mainly students.

Informed about the accident, the police, the Army and local residents rushed to the spot and started a rescue operation. The injured were taken to the nearby district hospital. However, two critically injured students were referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here. Meanwhile, the driver fled after the mishap. The police has registered a case. — TNS

National integration camp
Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14
A national integration camp being conducted by the NCC Group of Jammu is in progress at Nagrota, 13 km from here.

The camp is being attended by specially selected 320 boys and 180 girls NCC Cadets, representing all the states of the country.

The aim of the camp is to foster national integrity, solidarity and comradeship amongst each other by way of creating awareness about the culture, customs and traditions through various activities organised by the NCC in these camps.

Special efforts are being made to showcase the natural beauty and culture of the region and provide these cadets an opportunity for an insight into the progressive and resurgent state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The camp will provide an excellent opportunity to cadets coming from far off places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kanyakumari, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh to know about the state, its heritage and endurance, courage and stamina to live in uncongenial and high altitude areas.

The cadets will also visit the local Army installations and get to know about the life and activities of service personnel.