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11 workers trapped in snow rescued
282 stranded people may be airlifted today |
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Thousands stuck in jam as horsecart overturns
774 police recruits pass out from PTS
16 buffaloes charred to death
Army gears up to negate remaining ultras
IAF ferries 1,700 stranded civilians
Missing PDP worker found dead
SKUAST Vice-Chancellor calls on Governor
Political Buzz
Sunshine after overnight snowfall
Protest against power shortage
Gujjars seek inclusion of Gojri in 8th Schedule
Chattisinghpora
encounter
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11 workers trapped in snow rescued
Jammu, January 23 “Around 8.20 pm on January 22, Commanding Officer of the 8 Rashtriya Rifles, Col Abdul Hamid Khan received an SOS call from the Deputy Commissioner, Doda, who informed him about the development,” said an Army spokesperson of Nagrota-based 16 Corps. Eleven workers of the PHE Department, belonging to Al village, had gone to the upper reaches of the Alkanda region during the day to fix the water supply line but were trapped in the snow. The workers managed to send a distress call to their department, he added. An immediate evacuation from thickly-forested area, known to be avalanche prone, was necessary to save the lives. The Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan, contacted the Army unit. Without wasting time, Colonel Khan ordered 20 men from the nearest post at Udyanpur to move to the area, said the spokesperson, adding that around 8.45 pm yesterday, the soldiers along with a nursing assistant carrying emergency life saving medicines moved to the area. They also carried rescue equipment, warm clothing and packaged food for the trapped workers. After walking for over seven hours in deep snow, using ropes, the team finally reached the scene at 4 am today. They found five of the trapped workers in critical condition, he said. The team initiated attempts to resuscitate the workers by lighting a fire and providing them with the first aid. They also provided them with warm clothing, besides serving them food, he said. The workers were resuscitated after over two hours. At daybreak, the Army men helped the workers down the snowy terrain and brought them to Al village, where they were received by local villagers. Farooq Ahmad Khan appreciated the efforts of the 8 RR for the timely rescue operation.
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282 stranded people may be airlifted today
Jammu, January 23 "An IAF plane had come yesterday but could not land because of bad weather. If all goes well then the stranded people may finally be airlifted by tomorrow,” Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Mohammed Hussain Malik told The Tribune over the phone. “In fact, we had a sunny day today. If the weather holds tomorrow then the IAF has planned two sorties each to Saundar in Dachhan and Navapachi in Marwah, and one to Inchan in the Warwan area to airlift the stranded people,” added Malik. Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, local MLA from the National Conference, said subject to fair weather, the IAF would start its operation at 10 am tomorrow. Officiating PRO of the Jammu-based Ministry of Defence SN Acharaya said since the weather had been hostile in the past few days, the IAF could not carry out sorties. However, subject to fair weather, the job was likely to be done tomorrow, he added. Meanwhile, a local resident from Kishtwar told The Tribune that people, anticipating harsh winter in the mountainous district, stocked essential commodities and food for the next six months well in advance. “Since Dachhan, Marwah and Warwan witness heavy snowfall during winter, even the district administration stocks food and essential commodities well in advance. So, there is no dearth of food, clothing and other basic amenities at these places,” he said. The IAF had undertaken relief and rescue operations on January 9, 13 and 17 in Reasi and Ramban districts to carry essential supplies and food, and also evacuate the people. The Jammu and Kashmir government had sought the help of the IAF to ferry passengers stranded for the past 10 days at Jammu and Srinagar due to the closure of the Jammu and Srinagar national highway.
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Thousands stuck in jam as horsecart overturns
Jammu, January 23 “Some gaps (grooves) have widened on the bridge and have not been filled by the Roads and Building (R&B) department. Such incidents have become a routine on the bridge. This is the third incident in the past two months when a horsecart either overturned or animal suffered injuries after its feet stuck in the groove,” a traffic cop wishing not to be named told The Tribune. Noor Din, the horsecart rider who received injuries, said, “I was returning to my home after transporting vegetables to the old city. The hoof of the horse got stuck in the gap that overturned the carriage”. A commuter regretted that the traffic chaos had become a routine affair on the bridge. “The speeding vehicles generally crawl on the bridge due to unusual traffic chaos. The traffic cops are least bothered to clear the road during peak hours, subjecting commuters, especially office-goers and schoolchildren to great hardships,” said Tumul Sharma, a motorbike rider. A senior R&B department official, on the condition of anonymity, said these gaps allow the bridge to expand and contract. “This means if it gets heated up, it expands so it needs a gap,” he maintained and assured they would take corrective steps.
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774 police recruits pass out from PTS
Jammu, January 23 Addressing the 23rd batch of recruits at S Prithinandan Singh Police Training School (PTS), Kathua, during a pass-out-cum-attestation function today, Khoda said other measures like modernisation in respect of equipment and gadgets as also the aspects of investigations had been receiving high priority. “The J&K Police has worked at the forefront to protect the life and property of people in the days of unrest. It has offered a helping hand to the needy in the times of calamities and disasters too,” the DGP said, while urging the passouts to serve and work for the integrity of the nation and keep the flag of the organisation afloat. Principal, PTS, Ashok Sharma gave an oath to 774 recruit constables, who took a solemn pledge to serve the nation. Khoda said the PTS had so far trained over 22,173 recruits of the J&K Police since its establishment in 1998, besides imparting training to the Railway Protection Force in different fields of policing. Among the pass-outs, 96 were postgraduates, 53 graduates with professional qualifications and 448 graduates belonging to various districts of the state. Constable Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir, who was declared all-round best in the training, was granted an out-of-turn promotion and decorated with the rank of Sgct by
the DGP. Constables Humayun Hussain, Jasbir Singh, Mohammad Javed, Bilal Ahmad, Jasbir Singh, Arundeep Singh and Tasaduq Ahmad were also honoured with commendation certificates and cash rewards for their performance during the training.
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16 buffaloes charred to death
Jammu, January 23 A fire tender from Vijaypur was pressed into service. The injured animals were being provided treatment by animal husbandry officials. Imam Din, head of the family, said 16 head of buffaloes were burnt alive, while 26 others received serious burn injuries in the fire. “We have suffered a loss of around Rs 20 lakh in the incident,” he said. Minister for Industries Surjit Singh Slathia along with senior officials of the administration and the police visited the scene and interacted with the affected family. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 1.60 lakh from the Chief Minister’s relief fund to the family. Also, the district administration provided Rs 10,000 from the
Red Cross relief fund to the family. Slathia assured the family of providing assistance in their rehabilitation. Slathia also called for an awareness campaign within the Gujjar community about the Cattle Insurance Scheme in the state to protect cattle from the risks arising out of natural calamities. He asked the animal husbandry officials to educate farmers and Gujjars about the scheme. He said 50 per cent premium of each
cattle insurance policy would be provided by the government and would cover different risks for three years. The scheme is the best option to protect cattle from the risks arising out of natural calamities, Slathia said while stressing the need for educating the Gujjars about the scheme. A Gujjar and 20 head of buffaloes were charred to death after a major fire broke out in a shanty in RS Pura two weeks ago. |
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Army gears up to negate remaining ultras
Jammu, January 23 “This year more effort is being put in by the Army to neutralise remaining militants in the jungles of Rajouri, Poonch and Doda,” said a senior Army officer. There had been a time when the Army had launched seek and destroy operations to decimate leadership of various militant outfits like LeT, HM, HuJI but now the situation had improved drastically, he said. The officer admitted that developing intelligence on remaining militants in the region had become a difficult task. He attributed it to the presence of much lesser number of militants in Jammu region. Since their number has come down and the remaining militants are on the run, we have re-doubled our efforts to trace and neutralise them, he said. Since the remaining militants are on the run, developing intelligence about their whereabouts and possible hideouts has become a little difficult but the Army is leaving no stone unturned to deal with them, said the officer. He recalled how concerted operations against militants in Reasi district had forced some ultras to flee to Kashmir Valley and surrender before the security forces there. “At present, there are a few militants, who have been hiding in the jungles of Rajouri and Poonch besides hiding in the upper reaches of Doda. The Army via its intelligence network has been developing information about them to neutralise them at the earliest,” he said. “We have been seeking inputs from various quarters, including locals, in these districts but at the same time the tempo has come down because of their (ultras) decreased number,” he said. While the Army had been successful in effectively checking intrusion bids on the Line of Control (LoC) in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, a strategy to rope in more locals for smooth flow of information about remaining militants has also been put in place.
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IAF ferries 1,700 stranded civilians
Chandigarh, January 23 IAF aircrew worked tirelessly, flying across the snow-capped Banihal Pass overnight between Jammu and Srinagar. Foremost among them was a woman pilot from Himachal Pradesh, Sqdn Ldr Nidhi Handa, who undertook four sorties. Air Cmde SC Chafekar, Air Officer Commanding, 12 Wing, said IL-76 aircraft flew six shuttles, ferrying around 1,400 persons between Jammu and Srinagar, while AN-32 aircraft flew five shuttles carrying around 300 persons. The IAF transport fleet was called upon to provide succour to the stranded civilian population after heavy snowfall over the Himalayas led to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, bringing undue miseries to the population in the region that was already reeling under an intense cold wave. The aircrew braved harsh weather and hostile flying conditions to help the civilian population. The sorties were in addition to their regular tasks of airlifting men and supplies to the northern sector. Wg Cdr SS Chhabra and Wg Cdr NK Singhal from the IL-76 squadron and Wg Cdr R Kochhar from the AN-32 squadron were the captains of the aircraft. They along with other pilots and air crew carried out the entire operation.
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Missing PDP worker found dead
Srinagar, January 23 A PDP spokesperson said the deceased, Nazir Ahmed Dar, was vice-president of the Chrar-e-Sharief area unit. “He had gone missing while returning home from his business at Chadoora three days ago,” the spokesperson added. Dar’s body was found at Nagam this morning, while preliminary investigations revealed that he had died from a blow to the head. Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti condemned Dar’s killing. “Nazir Ahmed Dar’s ‘assassination’ is a cold-blooded act that is beyond condemnation. The act only highlights the underlying paranoia of those unscrupulous elements who are threatened by peaceful and democratic setup of the party,” she said. The PDP president has called for a high-level investigation into the incident. Mehbooba also lashed out at the police for their “negligence”. “Had the police acted in time, an innocent life could have been saved,” she added. Mehbooba also offered condolences to the deceased’s family members. |
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SKUAST Vice-Chancellor calls on Governor
Jammu, January 23 The Governor, who is the Chancellor of SKUAST, emphasised the need for developing and modernising agriculture and its allied sectors in the state and stressed the vital role of the two state farm universities in securing these objectives. Professor Mishra briefed the Governor about the status of various ongoing development and research projects at the university. Deselphine meets Governor
SM Deselphine, Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir State Electricity Regulatory Commission, called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhavan here today. They discussed various matters being processed and issued by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the possible approaches that might be followed to reduce recurring losses in the power sector. |
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Political Buzz
Jammu: Expressing confidence that ensuing summer would be more productive in tourist-related activities in the Valley and other parts of the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday asked all stakeholders to put in place necessary preparatory measures for the ensuing tourist season. “The government agencies and private partners are equally responsible for making the stay of tourists comfortable by providing good accommodation and better services”, he said. He was addressing the first meeting of the State Tourism Advisory Committee.
The state government was adding to the problems of the people by burdening them with “user charges” through municipal corporations and steep increase in water charges, said Jammu Mahanagar president Rajesh Gupta on Monday. “These decisions are uncalled for on account of non-existent service by the Municipality and poor water supply by the PHE,” said the BJP leader. He said the decision of the Jammu Municipal Corporation to charge Rs 600 annually from every family under its jurisdiction under the head “user charges” was not justified. JKDF president
The Jammu Kashmir Democratic Front has been aggressively appointing ward-wise working committees for the forthcoming municipal elections. The front held a meeting in ward No. 38 on Monday wherein Ramesh Singh Manhas was nominated unanimously as president of the JKDF, ward No 38. Bose’s anniversary celebrated
The Congress Seva Dal on Monday organised 116th birth anniversary of Netaji Subash Chander Bose under the chairmanship of Balbinder Singh Sambyal. While addressing the gathering, Sambyal recalled achievements of Bose during the freedom struggle. He said that Netaji had a remendous zeal of patriotism and
nationalism. — TNS |
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Sunshine after overnight snowfall
Srinagar, January 23 The skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received 5.6 mm of snow and rain till 8 am. However, Srinagar remained dry as the summer capital along with other parts of the Valley witnessed a sunny day later. The meteorological office had earlier forecast snow in the Valley from January 23 to 26. Kashmir is currently going through “chillai kalan”, harshest period of winter that began on December 21. The Jammu-Srinagar national highway continued to remain open to one-way traffic only due to bad weather conditions. Today, the authorities allowed the movement of stranded vehicles, besides trucks and State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses, from Jammu to Srinagar, a police official said. Due to slippery road conditions, the movement of light vehicles was not allowed. Meanwhile, the Valley continued to witness sub-zero temperatures at night. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of -4.2 °C, a meteorological department official said. Pahalgam recorded a minimum temperature of -7.0 °C, while Gulmarg remained the coldest place of the Valley at -10.0 °C. The gateway town to Kashmir, Qazigund, recorded a minimum temperature of -8.6 °C. Leh in Ladakh region witnessed the coldest night of the season, recording a minimum temperature of -22.2 °C. |
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Protest against power shortage
Jammu, January 23 The protesters also served a three-day ultimatum to the state administration, threatening that they would launch an indefinite agitation if their long-pending problem of power shortage was not solved. They demanded that the electricity department should install a transformer of 50-mV capacity instead of existing 20 mV in Kalakote to streamline the power supply in these three
tehsils. |
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Gujjars seek inclusion of Gojri in 8th Schedule
Jammu, January 23 "We seek support from Gujjar community residing in other states of India to build pressure on the Centre for inclusion of 'Gojri' language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and struggle for recognition of their identity at the national level," Secretary, Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF), Javaid Rahi told reporters here. He said Gojri is the oldest tribal language and its inclusion in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution is to give it an official status.
— PTI |
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Chattisinghpora
encounter
New Delhi, January 23 A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar issued notice to the Home and Defence ministries, seeking their views on the issue. The Bench passed the order following contentions by Additional Solicitor-General PP Malhotra, who appeared for the Army, that sanction was necessary to proceed against the Army personnel involved in the incident either under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) or under the Army Act as the area fell under the disturbed category and the AFSPA was in force. The Bench asked the ASG to cite some of the cases in which the Army had taken prior permission of the government to court martial its personnel. Chaos would prevail in the Army if it had to get government sanction even for court martial proceedings against its personnel, it remarked. The ASG sought time to come out with its clarifications, upon which the Bench slated the next hearing for February 3. The CBI has approached the SC seeking vacation of its stay on the trial in the case in a J&K court. The Army action had followed the killing of 36 civilians by militants in
Chattisinghpora. |
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