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IAF airlifts 1,375 stranded people
Travellers recount their ordeal
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Alert IndiGo pilot averts major tragedy
Mercury dips to -16.5 °C at Pahalgam
Hit-&-Run Case
Governor mourns demise of minister’s sister
3,100 vehicles stranded on NH
Eleven days on road, truckers insist farsighted planning
PDP propagates ‘regional federalism’
Training in Ladakhi wedding folk songs
Relief Operations
J&K contests
survey report on milk adulteration
Hospital
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IAF airlifts 1,375 stranded people
Jammu, January 21 As traffic on the 300-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway could not be fully restored because of heavy snowfall and rain, the IAF launched fresh operations and ferried 1,375 civilians and 250 Army personnel between the three places. “At 6.45 am, an IL-76 ferried 200 Army personnel from Chandigarh to Srinagar,” officiating PRO of the Jammu-based Defence Ministry SN Acharya told The Tribune. Thereafter, the IAF launched its operations from the Technical Airport here at 8.30 am, pressing into service another IL-76, which shuttled between Jammu and Srinagar, ferrying 1,125 civilians between the two places, he said. Similarly, AN-32 planes were pressed into service, ferrying 250 civilians and 50 Army personnel between Jammu and Srinagar, said the official. He said if weather remained stable, the remaining Army personnel could also be ferried between the two places during the night. Acharya, who flew to Srinagar, said the IAF planes would carry more passengers from Kashmir. However, 282 people who have been stranded in the Marwah, Dachhan and Warwan areas of Kishtwar district could not be air-lifted as yet because of the bad weather in the region, he said, adding that they could be airlifted to safer places tomorrow or the day after. Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Jammu IAF Station, Air Commodore Nitin Sathe, who supervised the operation, said IL-76 and AN-32 planes had been pressed into services to shift stranded people from Jammu to Srinagar and vice versa. The IAF had begun relief and rescue operations on January 9, 13 and 17 in Reasi and Ramban districts, and carried essential supplies and food grains besides evacuating people. The Jammu and Kashmir government had requisitioned IAF helicopters to ferry passengers stranded for the past 10 days at Jammu and Srinagar due to the closure of the national highway. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been assigned the task of widening the existing 300-km stretch into a four-lane highway and make it an all-weather road. However, the work has been going on at a snail’s pace. IL-76 and AN-32 used IL-76 and AN-32 planes were pressed into services to shift stranded people from Jammu to Srinagar and vice versa. |
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Travellers recount their ordeal
Srinagar, January 21 The blockade of the highway continued to create havoc in the Valley due to the shortage of essential commodities like LPG, fresh vegetables, fruits, mutton, poultry. The highway, which is the lifeline of the Kashmir valley, has been closed to normal traffic for the past two weeks, with scores of trucks carrying essential supplies remaining stranded en route to the Valley. Also, the suspension of the air traffic between Srinagar and Jammu a few days ago caused problems for those
travelling. Some passengers who were lucky to get airlifted from Jammu here today, narrated their plight as they remained stranded in Jammu for several days.
Farooq Ahmad Lone, a labourer from Baramulla district, working in Delhi was stranded in Jammu for three days. Farooq had left Delhi on Thursday and reached Jammu in the evening, but vehicles were not allowed to move to Srinagar due to the blockade of the
highway. Farooq said passengers had to spend two nights in a bus near Jammu. “We were given food along with some water,” he said. They could not alight from the bus in the absence of any accommodation, causing problems for passengers, including women and children. Many people had to wait for over a week to reach
Srinagar, he said, after arriving at the local airport. Another group of labourers from the Pattan area of Baramulla district had “bitter experiences” of remaining stuck at Patnitop for five days before returning to Jammu due to the blockade of the road. They deplored the lack
ofarrangements/ communication by the government, leading to a lot of inconvenience. Things haven’t been rosy for those travelling by air either. Abdul
Hameed, a government employee, had booked his air ticket from New Delhi to Srinagar on January 15, but the flight could not take off due to snowfall and was rescheduled for January 17. Heavy rush and bad weather led to the cancellation of the flight and he eventually reached here on January 18. The prices of air tickets also sky-rocketed, seeing the demand from passengers. The fare between Srinagar and Jammu touched Rs 13,000 on January 15, which has come down to Rs 3,000 now, said a travel agent. |
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Alert IndiGo pilot averts major tragedy
Jammu, January 21 His action saved the lives of at least 150 people travelling both in the bus as well as the plane. The Jammu airport is the second most critical airport in the country due to its short runaway, which is just 6,700 feet long. The State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) bus, carrying over 60 persons, was heading towards an AN-32 plane of the Indian Air Force parked on the other side of the runway. The IAF plane was one of the several planes arranged for the airlifting over 1,300 persons between Jammu and Srinagar. They had been stuck due to heavy snowfall and landslide on the national highway. Vijay Gupta, an eyewitness, who lives close to the airport, said: “The plane had begun running on the runway when an SRTC bus came right on it. The plane stopped well in time as it hadn’t touched its top speed.” A spokesperson for the Airports Authority, Jammu, said: “The pilot applied emergency brakes to abort the takeoff. It stopped at a safe distance from the bus.” Sources said buses were not allowed on the runaway but there was increased activity today, as over 1,300 passengers were being airlifted. They were being ferried in specially-arranged buses. The plane took off after the bus moved towards the IAF station. The Airports Authority later restricted the entry of such buses inside the compound. The passengers were thereafter made to alight outside the airport and walk towards the IAF planes. |
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Mercury dips to -16.5 °C at Pahalgam
Srinagar, January 21 Srinagar recorded the minimum temperature of -5 °C last night, while the day temperature was recorded at 3.6 °C today. The peripheries of the Dal Lake remained frozen, while the movement of vehicles and pedestrians was made difficult due to snow along the roads. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded the lowest temperature of the season at -16.5 °C last night, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 0.5 °C. Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, near Jawahar Tunnel, recording the minimum temperature of -12.4 °C and maximum temperature of °4 C today. In case of clear weather conditions, only heavy vehicles would be allowed from Srinagar to Jammu tomorrow, IG (Traffic Police) HK Lohia said. He added that no light vehicular movement would be allowed on the highway tomorrow.
— TNS |
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Hit-&-Run Case
Jammu, January 21 Official sources said the police failed to get any clue to the unidentified two-wheeler or its rider, who had fled the scene after hitting the woman near JP World Public School on the Kunjwani-Narwal bypass highway. The victim, Sehnaz Begum (55) of Surankote, who was working as a government teacher and was living in a rented accommodation in Bathindi area, was crossing the road when she was hit by a two-wheeler. A Santro car tailing the two-wheeler then ran over the woman, killing her on the spot. Sources said the police has detained the driver of the Santro car who had shifted the victim to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, where the doctors had declared her brought dead. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today mourned the demise of the Forest Minister’s sister. In a message, he expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
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Governor mourns demise of minister’s sister
Jammu, January 21 In a condolence message, the Governor expressed sympathy with Mian
Bashir, Mian Altaf Ahmad and other members of the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.
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Jammu, January 21 “No fresh traffic would be allowed between Kashmir and Jammu areas today, as the authorities are clearing the large number of vehicles stranded between the two places,” the police said. Over 3,100 vehicles, mostly trucks and tankers, are stranded at various places of the highway, including
Banihal, Ramban, Patnitop, Udhampur and Nagrota areas of Jammu district for the past one week following the closure of the highway due to snowfall and landslides. “Our aim is to clear all stranded passengers. Only then would the traffic be resumed,” they said. “Over 400 vehicles had crossed the Jawahar Tunnel towards the Kashmir Valley till this morning,” Ramban Superintendent of Police Anil Magotra said. “The movement of traffic on the highway is very slow in view of the slippery road,” he said. After the reopening of the highway yesterday, over 350 trucks and oil tankers carrying essential commodities crossed into the Kashmir valley late last night, he said. Snowfall had stopped in the Jawahar Tunnel,
Banihal, Shatani Nallah, Ramso, Batote and Patnitop areas yesterday, Magotra said. — PTI |
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Eleven days on road, truckers insist farsighted planning
Jammu, January 21 NH-1 is the lifeline of the Valley as this is the only surface link to the Kashmir and erstwhile Doda district with rest of the country. As per reports, mostly trucks and tankers have been stranded at various places of the highway including Banihal, Ramban, Patnitop, Udhampur and Nagrota areas of Jammu region for past one week. Police sources told The Tribune that vehicles would not be allowed in between Kashmir and Jammu areas today as authorities were clearing the large number of stranded vehicles between the two places. Sansar Singh, a trucker, who has been plying on NH-1 for over 10 years, said they are used to such situations but it was worst this year. “We lost our patience this time. I don’t know why the administration fails to make prior arrangements. They never come up with some plans to reduce our troubles. Our resources have exhausted and we are not left with any money,” he said. Nasir, a tanker, said it was extremely difficult to restart the vehicles after being stationed for some period. “A few days back, I kept my vehicle on start mode for the whole night, expecting that we would be moving as the roads might be clear soon. But unfortunately the entire fuel exhausted,” said he. Sartaj Singh, transported from Kathua, said four out of his six trucks were stranded on the NH-1 for past 10 days and he was bearing a huge loss. “Situation has become extremely complicated for us as most of the drivers are sent with a small amount of money. They collect rest of the money from the sources at destinations in the Valley. Life has become miserable,” said Sartaj. He also said two of his drivers were stuck and had missed some important family functions. The stranded truckers alleged that government was not coming up with any splendid and visionary proposals. They also demanded the mending of Mughal Road, which could be an alternative route to the Valley. Police sources said over 400 vehicles had crossed to Jawahar tunnel toward the Valley till this morning, but the movements of the vehicles were slow due to crooked roads. |
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Death lurks on Kunjwani-Narwal highway
Jammu, January 21 It has turned out to be one of the most dangerous roads in the city as five persons lost their lives here last year alone. There were no zebra crossings or stop lines on the entire stretch and pedestrians were found weaving their way around speeding vehicles. Unauthorised parking of trucks and other vehicles had made the road accident-prone. The stretch was poorly-lit as there was not even single high mast lighting along the road. Adding to it are hundred of vehicles parked by big showrooms and workshops on the highway. Ironically, no traffic cop or civil policeman was deputed there. “It was getting dark yesterday evening when the forest Minister Mian Altaf’s sister, Sehnaz Begum, was first hit by a two-wheeler and then a Santro car rammed over her. Had there been proper lighting arrangement and zebra crossing on this road, the tragedy might not have taken place,” Satish Kumar, a car mechanic in a workshop said while narrating the incident. Commuters and local residents living in the vicinity alleged that the authorities have turned “nelson’s eye” towards haphazard and illegal parking of trucks alongside the road. “The bypass was widened to ease off the nagging traffic problems in the city, but accidents have become a routine affair here. Trucks loaded with goods generally block the view of vehicles coming from connecting roads, resulting in a major accidents,” said Rakesh Manhas, a resident of Channi. He said a minor girl lost her life few months back when a rashly driven vehicle hit her on the road. “Sometime, it becomes difficult for drivers to judge the high-speed vehicles coming from the opposite direction. The traffic police also encourage illegal parking of trucks to make some money,” said Manhas. A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said they were facing problem in removing the parked trucks from the bypass road due to road widening work on the main highway. He said, “Separate artery on main highway is being built for trucks and the problem will continue till work on highway gets completed.” Reality check
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PDP propagates ‘regional federalism’
Sumb (Samba), January 21 Addressing a public meeting here today at Samba district, the PDP patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said his party was committed to remove all regional disparities by making some institutional arrangements. “There is a provision of Regional Federalism in the Self Rule document prepared by the PDP for the solution of Kashmir problem,” he said. “Policies and programmes of the PDP were formulated by incorporating wishes and aspirations of all regions and sub-regions,” he added. While elaborating idea of Regional Federalism, Mufti said people of all regions would be given the adequate powers to formulate policies and He said it was only during the PDP led regime that Finance Commission was constituted so as to ensure equal distribution of funds. “During our tenure we had initiated many steps to treat all regions equally and had carved out a path of equitable development in the state,” he said. Former Chief Minister also availed the opportunity to attack the ruling National Conference for, what he called, eroding the sanctity and credibility of democratic institutions in the state. “During the last three years the government headed by the NC has brazenly undermined all prestigious democratic institutions be it the Assembly, Local Bodies, Panchayati Raj Institutions or District Development Boards (DDBs),” he alleged. He added, “Instead of strengthening these democratic institutions, they have indulged into undemocratic means to undermine the role of elected representatives.” To authenticate his allegations, Mufti pointed out the delay in conducting civic bodies elections in the state. “Elections of the civic bodies, including Jammu and Srinagar municipal corporations, were due in the month of February 2010 but the government has been delaying these elections with one or other excuse and thereby denying people their democratic rights,” he said. The PDP patron also contested government’s claims of empowering panchayats and said all assurances given by the government were confined only to papers. He smacked some foul play in not conducting elections of Block Samities and Zila Samities despite the fact that elections of the panchayats were completed nine months back. |
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Training in Ladakhi wedding folk songs
Leh, January 21 The training is organised to revive the marriage folk songs in Ladakhi society. A few elderly have the knowledge of the folk songs and the youth
have no other sources to learn it. The youth are being trained under the guidance of well-known theatre personality Mipham Otsal. He was recently awarded Sangeet Natak Academy award. Dr Sonam Wangchuk, Health Executive Councillor of LAHDC, Leh, has assured support, both morally and financially, for those working in this field. Editor of Academy of Art, Culture and Language, Tsering Chosphel, said a book on this subject is in the printing stage and would be soon published. Chosphel also said there are sixty nine marriage songs starting from marriage proposal, acceptance of proposal, and marriage party for the relative to the final wedding. |
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Relief Operations
Jammu, January 21 A meeting of Congress workers was held today under the chairmanship of senior vice-president of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Dharampal Sharma to review the situation arising out of heavy snowfall in various parts of Jammu province. The PCC leaders felt that while the state government and local administration were making efforts to deal with the situation, there was a need to further intensify the efforts and closely monitor the measures in this regard, to ensure adequate supply of essential commodities in snowbound areas of Jammu division, especially hilly and remote areas of erstwhile Doda district, upper reaches of Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi and Kathua districts. They said the road-clearing operations should be further accelerated. The leaders further asked the government to depute ministers to visit the affected areas to take stock of the measures taken so far and initiate steps to efficiently and effectively deal with the problems of the people.
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J&K contests
survey report on milk adulteration
Satish Gupta, Commissioner of Food Safety, said
the FSSAI should have informed them before conducting the survey. “We
are not sure wherefrom the samples had been lifted for testing. Any
agency, while conducting such a survey, should involve the state offices
concerned for relevant outcomes.” He said the matter was also
discussed at the 6th Central Advisory Committee meeting on January 18. “As
per the FSSAI report, 18 samples were lifted from the state and 15 i.e.
83 per cent were found not conforming to the standards. The reason for
the non-conformance was the presence of glucose and skimmed milk powder
(SMP). Of the 15, two loose samples were lifted from the rural areas,
while the rest were taken from the urban areas. Of the 13 urban samples,
12 were loose, while one was packed,” he added. He said the food testing laboratories of the state government had tested 73 samples of milk during the last year and 36 per cent were found not conforming to the standards. “The
consumers need not panic seeing the FSSAI survey reports. They can
contact us in case of any complaints or clarifications. But we want that
the masses should not be mislead,” said Gupta. He, however, said their enforcement staff had lifted 69 samples and sent these to the food testing laboratories after the FSSAI report came out. Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Mizoram had been shown to have 100 per cent non-conformity in the FSSAI research. Even Gujarat, known for white revolution, had shown 89 per cent non-conformity, he argued. Gupta said any study or survey on milk could be carried out only on the basis of its classification into various categories. Anwar
Chowdhary, Health Officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation, said: “Most of
the milk being supplied to the consumers in areas under the municipal
limits is good. Is is necessary to study the nature of the survey, as
sometimes skimmed milk is supplied on consumers’ demand.” Chief
Executive Officer, FSSAI, VK Gaur could not be contacted. |
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Hospital
Jammu, January 21 “We will never allow this to happen. This is an anti-people policy and the government should desist from handing over the hospital, after its completion, to private companies,” Dabgotra said.— TNS
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The Indian Air Force today pressed into service its aircraft from Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar for ferrying stranded passengers in the three cities.
Srinagar, January 21
Jammu,
January 21