The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Cabinet okays regularisation of Health Dept employees
Chief Minister orders transfer of 10 IAS officers
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 10
The state Cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah approved the regularisation of ad hoc, contractual and consolidated employees working in Health and Medical Education Department.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for transfer of state land measuring 202 kanals and 12 marlas in favour of the Industries and Commerce Department for setting up an industrial estate at Trajoor in Majaltaa tehsil of Udhampur district, an official spokesman said.

It approved the transfer of state land measuring 123 kanals and 13 marlas to the Industries and Commerce Department for setting up a silk cluster at Thanda Pani in Sunderbani tehsil of Rajouri district. The Cabinet also okayed the draft of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) and Annual Plan 2012-13, and okayed the use of forest land for non-forestry purposes.

The use of 0.50 hectare of the strip plantation area at Awantipora and Galander Pampore units under the Social Forestry Department was okayed for the four-laning of NH-1A by the NHAI , and 0.90 hectare of forest land will be used for the construction of mini secretariat at Mendhar. Besides, 1.51 hectares of forest land will be consumed for the four-laning of the Jammu-Udhampur section.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for the change of nomenclature of allopathic dispensaries into “new type primary health centres” and medical aid centres into “sub centres”.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also ordered the transfer and posting of 10 IAS officers, including the Director of Information, here today.

Zaffar Ahmad, Special Secretary to the CM’s Secretariat has been transferred and posted as Director Information, J&K, in place of Farooq Ahmad Renzu, who would report to General Administration Department (GAD).

KB Aggarwal, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government Public Works (R&B) Department, has been transferred and posted as Financial Commissioner (Revenue), and relieved BA Runiyal, Commissioner Secretary to Government, Revenue Department, of the additional charge of the post.

Umang Narulla, Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Industries and Commerce Department, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Forest Department, in place of Shant Manu.

Shant Manu, Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Forest Department, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner-Secretary to Government, lndustries and Commerce Department, replacing Umang Narulla.

Bipul Pathak, IAS, awaiting orders of posting in the GAD has been posted as Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department and relieved Shaleen Kabra of the additional charge of the post.

Tanveer Jehan, Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Higher Education Department, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Public Works (R&B) Department.

Syed Mohammad Fazalullah, Registrar, Cooperative Societies, J&K, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner-Secretary to Government, Cooperative Department, relieving Shaleen Kabra of the additional charge.

Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Secretary to Government, Information Technology and Science and Technology Departments, has been transferred and posted as Secretary to Government, Health and Medical Education Department, and relieved Tanveer Jehan of the additional charge of the post.

Gazzanfer Hussain, Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, J&K, is transferred and posted as Secretary to Government, Higher Education Department, in place of Tanveer Jehan.

Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari, Secretary, J&K Public Service Commission, has been transferred and posted as Secretary to Government, Information Technology and Science and Technology Departments in place of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi.

Infiltration bid foiled, five militants killed
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 10
With the opening of mountain passes, the Army has foiled the first infiltration bid in Kashmir by killing five militants near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir.

The militants were killed near the LoC in Uri sector of Baramulla district when a group comprising five to seven infiltrators tried to sneak into the Valley from Miadan Nala last night. Sources said the troops were searching the forests to trace whether any other militant had managed to slip into Valley. An Army spokesman here said the encounter broke out when 34 Rashtriya troops noticed a movement of militants near the LoC in Uri sector.

“As the group was cordoned, they were asked to surrender. The infiltrators, however, opened heavy fire on our troops which was retaliated, triggering an encounter. Five terrorists were killed in the gun battle,” said the Srinagar-based defence spokesperson, Lt Col J S Brar.

The Army has so far recovered bodies of four slain militants whose identities are yet to be established.

“Four AK rifles besides other ammunition have been recovered,” Brar added.

Army sources said that during the operation the Army avoided any direct contact with the Pakistani troops, as the encounter site was near the LoC.“As the militant movement was noticed, we allowed them to come deeper into our side. We kept a close watch on their movement and finally cordoned them and asked them to surrender. The encounter lasted ten hours,” an Army source said.

The sources added that due to the heavy Army concentration on the LoC, militants had started re-discovering new routes in the Uri sector. In the past few years, militants had preferred to sneak into the Valley through Kupwara and Gurez sectors after the opening of mountain passes.

Janglat Mandi encounter case adjourned to May 16
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 10
The High Court today adjourned the hearing in the alleged Janglat Mandi fake encounter case, involving the Army Chief designate, Lt Gen Bikram Singh, and listed it for May 16.

As the case came up for hearing before Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir, the counsels of the Union of India and state government sought to argue the case. The counsel of the Central government pleaded for early dismissal of the petition.

“We seek early dismissal of the case, as allegations have been levelled against the Army Chief designate, Lt Gen Bikram Singh,” pleaded the counsel for the Central government, Karnail Singh Wazir.

The counsel for the petitioner pleaded before the court that the case could not be disposed of without hearing the main petitioner.

After the hearing, Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir adjourned the matter and listed the case for May 16.

A petition was filed by family members of Abdullah Bhat of Machil Kupwara district in the High Court last year, alleging that the encounter at Janglat Mandi, Anantnag, on March 1, 2001, was not genuine but was stage-managed.

The petitioner alleged that his son Abdullah was killed in the fake encounter and he was later identified by the Army as a foreign militant, Mateen Chacha. Two civilians were also killed in the exchange of fire and Lt Gen Bikram Singh who was then a Brigadier commanding the 1 Sector Rashtriya was also injured in the gun battle.

The petitioner has demanded identification of the grave and a DNA test.

The J&K government had already accepted the report filed by the police, wherein Lt Gen Bikram Singh has been exonerated of all charges levelled by the petitioner’s family.

The Defence Ministry had already argued before the High Court that the Janglat Mandi encounter was genuine.

THE CASE

n A petition was filed by family members of Abdullah Bhat of Machil Kupwara district in the High Court last year, alleging that the encounter at Janglat Mandi, Anantnag, on March 1, 2001, was not genuine but was stage-managed.

n The petitioner alleged that his son Abdullah was killed in the fake encounter and he was later identified by the Army as a foreign militant, Mateen Chacha.

n Two civilians were also killed in the exchange of fire and Lt Gen Bikram Singh who was then a Brigadier commanding the 1 Sector Rashtriya was also injured in the gun battle.

Governor discusses disaster management
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 10
KM Singh, member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), met Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today.

During the meeting, they had a discussion on issues relating to disaster management, particularly the importance to implement schemes for securing capacity building and preparedness of all the people concerned. They also discussed the need for effectively trained manpower, which would enable the State Disaster Management Authority to deal with emergent situations like earthquakes, floods, snow avalanches, landslides and other calamities.

They also discussed the need and necessity for formulating an effective disaster management plan for this year’s Amarnath Yatra. This will help during a worst case scenario, evacuation arrangements and medical facilties preparedness at various en-route camps etc.

They also reviewed the disaster management and anti-stampede measures for the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.

SC grants custody of two brothers to father
Says it’ll not be just to separate siblings
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 10
Citing the strong bond between two siblings, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted both their custody to their father, an IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir who has filed for divorce, instead of leaving one of them with the mother.

“Upon speaking to the children personally, we also found that they are indeed very much attached to each other,” a Bench comprising Justices DK Jain and Anil R Dave observed in their order.

Looking at the “overall peculiar circumstances of the case, it is our view that the welfare of both the children would be best served if they remain together. In our view, it would not be just and proper to separate both brothers, who are admittedly very close to each other,” the Bench explained.

The children are 15 and nine years old. Married in February 1994, their parents have been living separately since April 2007. While the elder boy is living with the mother, the younger is with the father.

The Bench, however, directed the father, posted in Jammu, to take the children to their mother in Delhi during every school holiday exceeding two weeks and let them stay with her.

The custody of both children should be given to the father before May 15, the Bench said.

The apex court did not accept the contention of the mother that the IAS officer would bring up the children mainly with the help of servants and that this would not be in their interest. The Bench pointed out that the officer’s father was a retired professor and would be of great help in taking care of them.

Sonamarg awaits Amarnath yatris
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service

Sonamarg, May 10
As Sonamarg is brimming with tourists, those associated with the tourism trade are expecting good business this year. Baltal, the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, is 10 km from this scenic spot. It will see brisk activity with the beginning of the yatra from June 25. “The annual yatra is a boon for all those associated with tourism trade. Owners of mules and ponies, taxi operators, hoteliers and shopkeepers are always looking forward to the yatra,” said Mohammad Tanveer, a hotelier at Sonamarg. “We had a good business last year, which was peaceful unlike the period from 2008 to 2010. This year we are hoping that more tourists will come,” he added. The Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA) is developing infrastructure to lure more tourists to the hill station.

“In the last three years, the SDA has constructed the state-of-the-art Sonamarg Club, youth hostel for adventure tourists, Tourism Reception Centre and yatri niwas for accommodating thousands of tourists. We are now adding to the infrastructure at Sonamarg so that tourists and yatris can enjoy the scenic beauty while heading towards the Amarnath cave,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the SDA, Mohammad Yousuf. “Ahead of the yatra, we are ensuring that we have all the infrastructure in place,” he added.

Yousuf said that last year 5.5 lakh tourists (including yatris) visited Sonamarg and this year more tourists were expected.

“Sonamarg stands unique among all tourist spots of the Valley. Here, we have accessible glaciers like Thajiwas and Doorinaar and it is also an ideal spot for people who love adventure,” he added.

Yatra base camp nearby

n Baltal, the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, is 10 km from Sonamarg. The scenic hill station will see brisk activity with the beginning of the yatra from June 25.

Golden gateway to Ladakh

n Sonamarg — which means a golden meadow — is located 84 km from Srinagar and is known for its trekking routes with frozen lakes around. Sonamarg is also known as the Gateway to Ladakh

Malla fondly remembered by fans in Kashmir
M Aamir Khan
Tribune News Service

Legendary singer Vijay Kumar Malla passed away on Wednesday.

Srinagar, May 10
Legendary singer Vijay Kumar Malla, who passed away yesterday in Jammu, was fondly remembered by his fans in the Kashmir valley today. While condolence messages right from the Chief Minister’s Office to the common man started pouring in soon after the news of Malla’s death spread, social networking site Facebook was splashed with condolence messages from his Valley-based fans.

Besides condolence messages, Malla’s fans also posted links to his Kashmiri songs.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had condoled Malla’s demise yesterday by describing his passing away as a great loss to the artistes’ fraternity and society. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah in his condolence message said: “A great singer and artiste?. In his demise, the state has lost a great artiste.”

President of JKPCC Saifuddin Soz said the artiste’s death had created a deep void in the Valley’s music industry that was difficult to fill.

Several music clubs and other Kashmiri singers too have condoled the death.

Malla (57) breathed his last yesterday in Jammu after a heart attack. He was originally from the Habba Kadal area of the summer capital and had been living in Jammu after the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

However, Malla remained a household name here because of his mesmerising voice despite living away from the Valley. His most popular songs are “Zindeh rozneh baapath” and “Har moekh bar tal”. He was also famous for rendering Kashmiri bhajans.

Penalise VIPs, MLAs for jumping red light: Omar
Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 10
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday asked the traffic police to penalise the VIPs and MLAs for red-light traffic violations in the summer capital (Srinagar).

“The police should stop and fine them. I don't jump traffic lights so if I can stop, so can they,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging networking site Twitter.

The Chief Minister, who has 1,34,250 followers on Twitter, was responding to a question posed by one of his followers who tweeted “good to see traffic lights and people obeying the rules, but what about the VIPs, MLAs who jump red light in front of the police.”

Omar was the first VVIP who followed the newly-installed traffic signals at Srinagar.

The state government had recently installed a few traffic signals in Srinagar city to streamline the chaotic movement of vehicles. The traffic police has identified 35 points in areas where traffic bottlenecks occur in routine.

In Srinagar, traffic lights are not new to the people. In the early 1960s, then Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad installed traffic signals in Srinagar which became defunct after a couple of years.

The traffic police has also identified 30 points in Jammu city to cope with the problem of frequent traffic snarls. The work on installation of traffic signals in Jammu has yet not been started, though the authorities have set May 31 as deadline.

Omar had joined Twitter on January 9, 2011, after he was forced to abandon blogging on his National Conference party’s official website due to personal attacks on him.

Farmers complain of losses in cocoon farming
Ranjit Thakur

Rajouri, May 10
Despite knowing all the problems of the cocoon farmers of Nowshera, Sundarbani and Kalakote, who have faced huge losses for the second consecutive year owing to unknown reasons, the government has turned a blind eye to their problems and has failed to help them financially.

Suresh Kumar, a cocoon farmer of Kalakote, said, “Three generations of my family have been doing this farming, but the conditions have forced me to change this tradition. It’s very difficult to survive now. I had faced huge losses in the past two years but had not received any relief from the government.”

Kuldeep Singh, another cocoon farmer of Potha Banote village, said, “We earn very less from this farming. We are tired of the false claims of the state government.”

Ravinder Sharma, Municipal Legislative Council General Secretary and Spokesperson J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, has expressed his concern over the loss suffered by the farmers of villages of Rajouri district for the second consecutive year.

He alleged that the loss was due to the negligence of the department of Sericulture.

He said seeds supplied by the department were not suitable according to the climatic conditions. Consequently, farmers suffered huge loss again. He said, “No compensation was paid to them despite an announcement by the agriculture minister.” He said the department should give facts and figures for the real cause.

Sericulture Department Director said, “Everything is fine and there is no such situation. These days it has become a trend to gain compensation from the government.” He added that farmers who had no hygienic room for the farming suffered losses.

“Production of cocoon farming has increased in the state as compared to previous years. If we had losses how could we achieve all this,” he stated.

Minister for Agriculture Gulam Hussan Mir said, “If there are losses to the farmers, let’s see what the government can do.”

Chief Secy checks amenities at Jagti township

Jammu, May 10
In a meeting held today in Srinagar, Chief Secretary Madhav Lal reviewed the status of basic amenities provided to the migrants residing at Jagti township in Jammu. The matters related to power supply, water supply and cleanliness were discussed during the meeting.

The Chief Secretary directed the Commissioner Secretary Revenue to formulate a comprehensive proposal to ensure complete and uninterrupted power supply to the residents of the township.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister BB Vyas, Principal Secretary Power Development Department Sudhanshu Pandey, Commissioner Secretary Revenue BA Runiyal, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Migrants Ravinder Kumar Pandita and other senior officers. — TNS

Cancer on the rise among children
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 10
In 2010, an 11-year-old young boy Zakir Wani, a resident of Budgam, was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leuckemia. The cancer treatment is very expensive. The family members of Wani were shattered. The doctors said the treatment of the child would cost between Rs 3 lakh-5 lakh.

As his family was trying to find a way out, Wani’s uncle Tariq Ahmed contacted Breast Cancer Patients’ Benefit Foundation (BCPBF), an organisation headed by noted cancer surgeon Sameer Kaul. It treats patients free of cost. Two year later, the boy was in good health and recovered completely.

“Wani went through multiple chemotherapy and responded very well. His treatment costing Rs 5-7 lakh was funded entirely by the BCPBF,” said Kaul.

Kaul said 17 cancer patients from the state were provided free treatment and drugs in the past two years. He added that cancer among children was on a rise in J&K.

He added that blood cancer was turning out to be the most common among the children. “The next most common type of cancers in children, after the blood cancer, are those of the lymph nodes (lymphoma),” he said.

The Head of Medical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Vinod Raina, said, there were no specific reasons for cancer among the children compared to the adults. “Majority of cancers in the children can fortunately be treated, particularly if the child gets treated by the appropriate doctor,” he said.

All-India Speed Post Award for J&K postal circle

Srinagar, May 10
The J&K postal circle has been awarded with the All-India Speed Post Award for its excellent performance.

“The award was given to John Samuel, Chief Postmaster General, J&K Circle, by Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and HRD, during a function held at New Delhi,” an official said.

Sibal appreciated Karnataka and J&K postal circles for the initiatives taken by their respective Chief Postmaster Generals. He said the departments would have a major transformation across India by providing better postal and logistic services.

The J&K circle stood first in the post office saving bank performance and secured second position in the speed post performance. — TNS