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16 die as truck rolls into gorge in Samba
Governor, CM express grief
Omar likely to raise AFSPA with Antony
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Machil encounter
Kargil War
Youth’s killing: Bandipore tense for 3rd day
Regularisation of casual workers
Governor reviews disaster management preparedness
NCW chief calls on Governor
Education of girl child must for growth: Governor
Chief Education Officer fined under RTI Act
Fresh spell of rain brings respite to paddy growers
BSF using sniffer dogs to trace their missing men
No Kashmiri youth being lured into militancy: IGP
SBI opens first ATM in Drass
LeT militant arrested
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16 die as truck rolls into gorge in Samba
Jammu, July 27 After getting information, the police, Army and the BSF rushed to the spot. Sixteen injured persons were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu. The police said nine persons died on the spot and seven others succumbed to their injuries on way to the hospital. Two other pilgrims on the vehicle who sustained minor injuries were discharged after first-aid.The police said the truck had been hired by an organisation called the Shiv Shakti Sewa Sansthan, which had made arrangements for langar at Baltal. Tinku, one of the members of the sansthan, said: “We had hired two vehicles, a truck and a van. I was driving the van. Seven other people were with me and the truck was following us. Near Udhampur, we took a separate route and reached Chichi Mata Temple in Samba by 10pm and stayed there for the night. Today morning, we got information about the accident.” The sansthan has been organising langar during the Amarnath yatra for the past nine years, he added. Ghansham of Uttar Pradesh, who received multiple fractures in both upper and lower limbs, said: “We could not even get the time to realise what was happening as suddenly the truck skidded and within no time I found myself on stones. I could not move my legs and both my hands were aching severely.” Rajpal Singh (20) of Madhya Pradesh said he had come to serve in the community kitchen for the second time. “We were on our way to Delhi. I have been told that 12 people from my group have been killed. Doctors say I have received a few internal injuries,” he said. Members of the Sansthan reached the GMCH, Jammu, this morning to identify the dead. The victims have been identified as Dada of Madhya Pradesh, Gajinder of Uttar Pradesh, Rinku of Delhi, Ranbir of UP, Kuldeep of Delhi, Amit of Kolkata, Sunil of MP, Shankar of MP, Sonu of UP, Rajkumar of UP, Vijay of Delhi, Deepak of Delhi and Gungun of Delhi. Three victims have yet to be identified. This is the second major accident involving Amarnath yatris in the Jammu region this month. Fifteen pilgrims were killed when an SRTC bus bringing them back from the yatra had rolled down a gorge near Ramban on theJammu-Srinagar National Highway on the night of July 14.
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Governor, CM express grief
Srinagar, July 27 In a statement issued here, the Governor, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of all those injured in the tragic accident that claimed 16 lives. The Chief Minister also conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls. Meanwhile, Vohra directed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to immediately proceed to the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu, to provide the help and support required by the injured persons. The Governor also asked Director General of Police Ashok Prasad to personally review the causes of frequent road accidents in the state, particularly on several stretches of the National Highway.
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Omar likely to raise AFSPA with Antony
Jammu, July 27 Antony will arrive in the summer capital tomorrow for a two-day visit to the border state. His delegation also includes General Bikram Singh and Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma. “While the Defence Minister is coming to review security scenario in the state and also to chair the Unified Headquarters’ meeting, the Chief Minister is likely to raise the issue of partial revocation of the AFSPA from areas where peace has returned long ago during his meeting with the Defence Minister,” said a highly placed source in the state government. Soon after assuming office on May 31, General Bikram Singh had visited the state on June 15. Omar, on April 10 this year, had reiterated his stand of revoking the AFSPA, to begin with from the peaceful areas of the state, at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in Jammu. As a sequel, he is likely to raise the issue with the Defence Minister, said the source. To substantiate his claim, the Chief Minister is likely to put forth some facts and figures before the Defence Minister. For instance, a sea-change in the security scenario in five districts of Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Budgam and Srinagar, where near-normalcy has returned, he said. The source, however, tried to downplay recent terror activities in Srinagar where on May 30 seven CRPF personnel were injured in a militant attack in Rainawari followed by a grenade attack on the heavily fortified civil secretariat on July 18. The Army has already made its stand clear to the Defence Ministry. The Army, in the past, had quite often conveyed in clear terms that any attempt to partially revoke or dilute the AFSPA would heavily impinge upon its counter-insurgency operations and the situation was in danger of returning to square one. |
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Machil encounter
Srinagar, July 27 On July 4, the J&K High Court had asked the Army to exercise an option for a trial either in a civil court or in the Army court. On the high court directions, the Army moved an application before the CJM Sopore on July 23 and it agreed to the trial of the Machil fake encounter case in a military court. The Army plea was allowed by CJM Javaid Geelani today. The CJM also shifted the trial of the three civilians charged for murder to the Sessions Court, Baramulla. Colonel DK Pathania of 4 Rajput Rifles, Major Upendra Singh and Major Maurya (Adjutant), four soldiers and three civilians are facing charges in the killing of three residents of Nadihal village in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. In April 2010, Shezhad Ahmad, Riyaz Ahmad and Mohammad Shafi, all residents of Nadihal, were allegedly killed in a fake encounter by the Army at Machil on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district. The Army had dubbed all the three slain youths as foreign militants. The alleged fake encounter surfaced when villagers of Nadihal staged protests and termed the Machil encounter as stage-managed. After protests, District Magistrate Kupwara ordered exhumation on May 29, 2010, and the bodies were identified as those of the three village youths. The police later chargesheeted 10 persons, including three Army officers, four soldiers and three civilians, on murder charges before CJM Sopore. The civil court in Sopore and later Baramulla had rejected the Army’s plea, which had sought transfer of the case for court martial proceedings. The Army later filed a revision petition against the order in the high court which quashed the trial court’s order. The police said it arrested three persons accused of killing the civilians but they did not arrest the Army officials who figured in the chargesheet. The court granted the permission for court martial proceedings a day after the General officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, said civilian witnesses and security forces personnel, who are connected to the Pathribal and Machil alleged fake encounters, would be allowed to depose before the Army inquiry into these cases. The Army on June 29 had decided to try in a military court five of its officers allegedly involved in the Pathribal fake encounter, in which five civilians were killed in Anantnag district of Kashmir in March 2000. |
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Kargil War
Kargil, July 27 Tashi Namgyal, a 60-year-old shepherd of Garkhon village in Kargil, was credited with providing the first input to the Indian Army in 1999 over the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers in the Batalik sector. Namgyal was not invited during various functions at Drass on the 13th anniversary of Indian victory over Pakistani Army and militants during the 1999 Kargil War. “I have been completely ignored by the nation,” lamented Namgyal. “I put my life to risk for the country’s security, but they have done nothing for me. I am not even invited to the Kargil anniversary functions," he added. Namgyal said since last 13 years, the Army has only acknowledged his service through various commendations, including a cash prize of Rs 50,000. “I have been given certificates by the Army officers for my work, but both the state and well as the Union government have ignored me,” he added. Namgyal had spotted intruders’ movement on the high mountains in the Batalik sector near the Line of Control in April 1999 when he went looking for his lost yak. “When I returned, I informed the local Army unit about the suspicious movement and they told me that if it was right information they would reward me. The Army officer also warned me of dire consequences if the information proved wrong. I accompanied the Army in the first week of May in 1999 to the rugged terrains in Batalik where I had seen the movement. The Army later noticed the movement in the area and it also found that massive Pakistani intrusion had taken place in the entire Kargil sector,” recalled Namgyal. In the battles that were later fought, the Indian Army managed to win back its territory after two months’ battle. More than 500 Indian Army officers and soliders were killed in the Kargil War. A senior Army officer of 56 Mountain Brigade at Drass said the Army had already felicitated Namgyal. “We have provided him a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and also helped his family. He has a grudge with the government and not with the Army,” he said. |
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Youth’s killing: Bandipore tense for 3rd day
Srinagar, July 27 Incidents of stone-pelting by protesters and retaliatory cane charge by the police were reported from Kemah, Qazipora, Patushai and Aloosa areas, sources said. Minor stone-pelting was also reported from Main Chowk Bandipore. The shutdown was observed to protest the killing of local youth Hilal Ahmed Dar on Tuesday night at Aloosa. While the locals alleged that the killing was custodial as the youth had been picked up first, the Army claimed that Hilal was killed in an encounter with the militants. Even as the Army had stood by its statement despite protests, the Defence Minister yesterday ordered an inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was detained after he along with his supporters attempted to lead a procession towards the local United Nations (UN) office here after Friday prayers. The JKLF had called for “UN chalo” to protest the youth’s killing and it intended to submit a memorandum to the UN office at Sonawar. Malik led a procession from Maisuma but it was intercepted by the police after it reached Budshah Chowk. The JKLF chief and around 15 protesters were taken into custody. Malik’s arrest triggered minor stone-pelting in the area but it was brought under control after the police resorted to cane charge. Protest against the killing, led by MLA Langate Engineer Rasheed, was also held at Handwara in Kupwara district. As chairman of the hard-line Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani has also called for a shutdown and peaceful protests against the Bandipore incident tomorrow, he, too, was placed under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence here. |
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Regularisation of casual workers
Jammu, July 27 Sources said the Finance Department had brought to the notice of the General Administration Department (GAD), headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, that various government departments didn’t furnish the requisite information despite a “chain of reminders”. “The GAD has directed all the administrative secretaries to furnish the requisite information strictly as per the enclosed format to the Finance Department within 10 days positively,” a government circular said, adding that the departments had been asked to forward the details like total number of casual workers engaged by them, their date of engagement, project under which they were engaged and wages paid under plan or non-plan scheme so that the government could formulate a comprehensive policy for their regularisation. An estimate of various employees’ association shows that the number of casual and seasonal workers in various government departments is between 65,000 to 70,000. The issue of their regularisation has been taken up several times by the employees’ associations. In the negotiations between Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) and Cabinet Sub-Committee, the mutually agreed position on the issue was approved by the Cabinet on February 19, 2009. “The text of Cabinet decision revealed that the Cabinet sub-committee was constituted to go into the extent and magnitude of the problem relating to casual workers, that is financial, legal and administrative, that may arise in the regularisation of such temporary workers and work out an appropriate policy,” the circular said. Thereafter, the Finance Department had advised all the departments to furnish the details of casual workers in the prescribed format on July 12, 2012, followed by a chain of reminders. However, to date the requisite information has not been received from any department by the Finance Department, the circular added. Ram Kumar Sharma, president, J&K Employees Joint Action Committee, however, described the entire exercise as “mere eyewash” to befool the employees. “Over the past three years, the government has failed to collect details about the casual and seasonal workers and these acts are clear reflection of its ill-intentions. The government has repeatedly betrayed the employees and it is another attempt to linger on the issue,” Sharma said. |
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Governor reviews disaster management preparedness
Srinagar, July 27 During their meeting, they reviewed matters pertaining to the disaster management preparedness in the state and the guidance being provided by the NDMA in formulating the disaster management plans, an official said. The Governor was briefed by Dr Ahmad about the outcome of a two-day Table Top Mock Drill exercises conducted by the NDMA in collaboration with Shri Amarnath Shrine Board at the Baltal and Nunwan base camps earlier this month for enlarging the level of preparedness for disaster management among the functionaries of the shrine board and government officials. The Governor, who is also the chairman of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, discussed the modalities for putting in place an effective disaster management plan for Vaishno Devi pilgrimage and organising awareness and training programmes for the staff of the board. Under the Governor’s direction, several hundred shrine board employees have already been trained in disaster management during the past two years. — TNS
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Srinagar, July 27 During their meeting, Sharma briefed the Governor about various initiatives being taken by the commission to enlarge awareness among women about their rights and the programmes and policies of the government aimed at securing their socio-economic empowerment. “For maximising benefits of the initiatives taken by the NCW for creating awareness among women about their socio-economic empowerment, sustained campaigns would need to be organised, with particular focus on women belonging to the less-privileged sections of society and those living in the remote and far-flung areas,” the Governor observed during the meeting. He requested Sharma to pay regular visits to the state to support and advise the departments and agencies which were engaged in promoting issues related to women development. — TNS |
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Education of girl child must for growth: Governor
Srinagar, July 27 He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a one-day Women’s Peace Conference organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre here yesterday. The Governor observed that our youth are highly talented and if provided satisfactory educational opportunities and an enabling environment, particularly to the girl child, our country would progress at a faster pace. He said wherever the required focus was devoted to the advancement of women education, the state showed speedy development. Referring to the unfortunate phase through which the state passed, the Governor said this had caused a setback to the education sector. He, however, expressed satisfaction that the situation was now fast improving and things had started looking up. He expressed his concern over female foeticide and decreasing female sex ratio and said a large-scale awareness campaign should be organised jointly by the Health, Education and Publicity Departments to make people aware. — TNS
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Chief Education Officer fined under RTI Act
Jammu, July 27 Naresh Gupta of Paharian Street, Jammu, had filed an RTI application on August 24, 2011, to the then CEO, Kathua, seeking information about some government teachers, who had continued holding private tuitions and coaching classes despite a High Court order of May 3, 2010, which restrained the government teachers from undertaking any such works. Gupta, in his capacity as the Public Information Officer (PIO), was under a legal obligation to provide the information to the applicant by September 23, 2011. However, the PIO did not provide the seeker a timely reply, which forced the latter to lodge a complaint in the office of the State Information Commissioner. The complaint was listed for hearing on January 4, 2012, when the PIO was given an opportunity to explain the reasons for his failure in procuring the information. However, the PIO could not satisfy the commission with his reasons. The judgment of the Information Commission read, “The PIO, who is presently the CEO, Reasi, has submitted his explanation vide letter no. CEO/RSI/Est/3715 dated 31-05-2012. Perusal of the contents of the above said two explanations by virtue of which the PIO has tried to defend himself and the record available on file shows that the PIO has failed to give a reasonable cause for failing to provide the information within the stipulated period of time as per the Act.” The delay caused in providing the information to the respondent was 183 days. |
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Fresh spell of rain brings respite to paddy growers
Jammu, July 27 According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the Jammu region has experienced 130.6 mm rainfall against the normal 210.6 mm since the onset of monsoon this year. The IMD officials said they have recorded a deficit of 38 percent rainfall across the state as compared to the corresponding last monsoon season. “The fresh spell of rain has lessened the ordeal of farmers as earlier, they were not able to begin transplantation of paddy seedling and paddy sowing, particularly in villages like Bishnah and RS Pura, which are located along the India-Pakistan International Border, due to scanty rainfall,” Choudhary Dev Raj, president of RS Pura Basmati Growers Association told The Tribune. He said the rain showers would save the seedling from drying up. “In Bishnah, Ramgarh and RS Pura, the farmers usually cultivate paddy on around one lakh hectares of land. This season, the farmers could sow paddy on only five percent land due to poor rainfall. The fresh rains have brought a ray of hope among farmers, who have begun paddy sowing,” Dev Raj said. He, however, claimed that the region was likely to witness a shortfall in the production of basmati by 20 to 25 percent due to the delayed monsoon. Nearly 2.5 lakh families cultivate basmati in the RS Pura, Bishnah, Ramgarh and Marh areas. Distressed over a delayed and weak monsoon, Dev Raj had earlier urged the Government to announce a special package under the Food Security Mission for basmati growers. Tejinder Singh, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Kissan Council said, “If the rains continue till July 31, it would definitely have an impact on the overall production of the rice,” he said. He, however, favoured the introduction of the National Mission on Climatic Change in Agriculture to boost farm activities in the state. |
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BSF using sniffer dogs to trace their missing men
Rajouri, July 27 The Border Security Force is still trying to trace their men, BSF’s spokesman told The Tribune. “We are using sniffer dogs to trace them out but the possibility of their survival is waning as the day is progressing,” he said. Hundreds of BSF jawans, along with expert divers, have been deployed to carry out the manhunt. The officials did not rule out the possibility that the bodies may have been washed away to POK which is just a few meters from the spot where the incident took place. “Seri nallah joins another nallah near Beri Pattan and then passes over to PoK (Bhimber district),” an official said. “The Pakistani authorities have been informed about the missing officer and his driver and we have been in constant touch with them,” he added. The gypsy in which they were travelling, their shoes and the shirt of the driver were recovered around 4 kms down the stream yesterday. Deputy Commandant Tarun Gupta, a resident of Rajasthan, along with his driver sepoy Udhay Kumar were patrolling the area near LoC at Seeri, when the floods washed them away. |
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No Kashmiri youth being lured into militancy: IGP
Jammu, July 27 Jammu IGP Dilbag Singh said that the peace was returning to the state. “No Kashmiri youth is being lured into militancy again. In fact, they are being lured to peace,” he said. “With peace returning to the state, we are keeping a constant eye on separatists. If they try something mischievous to vitiate the atmosphere, strict action under law will be initiated against them without any delay,” the IGP added. DIG, Doda-Ramban-Kishtwar range, Garib Dass said, “The security scenario is more favourable now and the morale of the remaining militants is at the lowest. He added that the security forces had consolidated their gains made in the past four years, particularly in Jammu region where situation was totally in their favour. The officer attributed the peace across Jammu region to the coordinated efforts of the security forces in tackling militancy. The DIG said, “The resources of the militants have been choked while their backbone has been crushed. Now, there is a greater degree of stability in the Jammu region.” Dass informed that there were only four militants left to be dealt within the Ramban district while the Kishtwar district had only six to eight ultras. “While the Doda district is free of militancy, there are only four ultras in Ramban and six to eight in the Kishtwar district. Though all of them are dormant, we have maintained a constant pressure on them,” said the DIG. The DIG outrightly rejected some news reports about teenaged youth being lured into militancy again. A Srinagar-based Defence official also echoed similar views. “There was a time when youth in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch were being lured into militancy but the situation has changed now. In Army, they now see their friend and savior,” said a senior Army officer. When militancy was at its peak in the state during ‘90s and the governance was lacking, the Army, as a part of its strategy to check militancy and ensure development in far-flung areas, had launched operation Sadbhavana in 1998, which has now changed their mindset, he added. |
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SBI opens first ATM in Drass
Jammu, July 27 The ATM is located adjacent to the Kargil Vijay Dwar at Drass, a memorial for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives while enabling the armed forces to re-occupy the heights of Tiger Hill (Pt 5353), which had been encroached upon by the enemy forces. The senior functionaries of the armed forces lauded the initiative taken by the State Bank, which has always been a front-runner in serving the defense forces. Bank officials who attended the inauguration of the ATM apprised the congregation about the bank's dedicated approach to ensuring quality service to customers in every far- flung nook and corner of the country.
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Srinagar, July 27 During a joint operation launched by the police, CRPF and the Army, the LeT militant, identified as Mohammad Mohsin Thoker, alias Abu Hamza, was arrested from a residential house at Wahipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. A mobile phone, one SIM, one memory card, 12 LeT letter pads and one LeT stamp were recovered from his possession. A case has been registered in this regard. In another joint search operation of the police and the Army, arms and ammunition were recovered at Shirpora in Baramulla district. — TNS |
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