Jammu, July 31
Two persons were seriously injured today in a mortar shell blast that occurred at a scrap dealer’s shop in the Muthi area.

Reports said two brothers, identified as Ranjit Singh and Manjit Singh from Amritsar, residents of Talab Tillo at Jammu, were working at the shop when the blast took place.

The victims were trying to pull out copper from a mortar shell when the blast took place.

Both the injured were shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu, and doctors attending on them said their condition was critical.

“Manjit is more critical and he has been operated upon,” said a doctor.

The police said investigation was going on and a team of Forensic Science Laboratory was probing the cause of the blast.

Prabhat Singh, SSP, Jammu, said, “Both the injured were working as junk dealers in the Muthi area. They were running their business in a rented shop and the incident took place while they were trying to fiddle with the shell.”

Rabish, an eyewitness, said, “I was waiting for a minibus at around 10:30 am when a deafening sound frightened the people. Later it was confirmed that there was a blast in some scrap shop.” 

Jammu, July 31
The police is clueless about the Jammu Police sub-inspector (SI), Sunil Khajuria, who had gone missing on July 27 under mysterious circumstances from new Akhnoor Bridge under Ghrota police jurisdiction.

Sunil, a resident of Shiv Nagar, was posted in the Akhnoor Road area under the jurisdiction of Bakshi Nagar police station on Amarnath duty.

Reports said Sunil was last seen on July 27 by an Army jawan, who was on sentry duty at the Akhnoor Bridge entrance. Sunil had parked his car on the bridge and the jawan had objected to it. But Sunil said he would be back soon after attending the call of nature.

However, when he did not return even after an hour, the matter was brought to the notice of Army officers, who then took up the issue with police.

The police had launched search operations and a 25-member National Disaster Rescue Team was also called on Sunday to carry out the operation.

The team members searched for the missing SI in the river from Akhnoor to Pargwal but could find any clue about his whereabouts.

Police sources said the search was underway but it was difficult to trace him as water level in the Chenab was above normal due to rains.

Sunil had been living with her mother as his father, who was also a JKP officer, had died and his only sister was settled in Australia.

“We cannot give any specific reason why Sunil is missing. It would be premature to draw any conclusion,” said a police official.

Family sources said Sunil was disturbed after he had met with a road accident in the recent past.

Jammu, July 31
A newly married woman committed suicide by jumping into a canal near Gadigarh area today.

The woman, who has been identified as Nishu Khajuria, wife of Nishant Khajuria of Jeevan Nagar, jumped into the Ranbir Canal near Gadigarh this morning.

She was rushed to the Government Medical College & Hospital, Jammu, where she was declared brought dead.

A case has been registered and the investigation is underway.

In the meanwhile, the body was handed over to the family for the last rites. 

Jammu, July 31
Finding no avenue to dispose of 450 MT of polythene seized in the past three years, the Pollution Control Board (PCB) has decided to sell it to industries manufacturing plastic products.

Sources said since 2009, both the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Pollution Control Board (PCB) - the two agencies responsible for enforcing the ban -- are at loggerheads over the disposal of seized polythene bags with quintals of confiscated material rotting in godowns.

While the authorities have seized tonnes of polythene in Jammu following the ban on its use, its disposal has remained a major issue for them.

PCB chairman Lal Chand said they had discussed various options for its disposal, which included shifting the seized polythene from the state to areas where it was not banned and burn it, but it could not materialise.

“Shifting such a huge quantity of polythene is a costly affair and burning it is not good for environment. So we have decided to sell it to plastic manufacturing units,” said Lal Chand.

The civic authorities had launched a drive against the use of polythene carry bags in the state following the ban imposed by the state government as per SRO-182 (ban on carrying polythene bags) under the Non-Biodegradable Material (Management, Handling, and Disposal) Act, 2007, in 2009 and in pursuance of its SRO 122 issued later, delegated powers to different authorities to punish the offenders. “They don’t have enough space to store it as keeping in view the drive launched by the authorities they need separate space to store it”, said an official.

Sources said earlier the Pollution Control Board had identified eight kanals of land at Samba district about five years ago to convert it into “landfill site” but the project could not take shape due to red tape. Jammu is a major centre of polythene production with nearly 50 manufacturing units engaged in its production.

“The polythene had emerged as a major health hazard in the state in the recent years with tonnes of synthetic material choking the drains and other water bodies. The ban was imposed on 16 items of non-biodegradable material, including polythene, poly bags, nylon and thermocol”, said Pankaj Sangral, a social worker.

y The civic authorities had launched a drive against the use of polythene carry bags in the state following the ban imposed by the state government as per SRO-182 (ban on carrying polythene bags) under the Non-Biodegradable Material (Management, Handling, and Disposal) Act, 2007, in 2009 and in pursuance of its SRO 122 issued later, delegated powers to different authorities to punish the offenders.

Jammu, July 31
Despite the announcement made by Sports Minister RS Chib to regularise the contractual coaches/instructors in the recently held 128th Standing Committee meeting at Srinagar, the coaches are still waiting to get an appointment letter regarding their engagement on permanent basis in the J&K State Sports Council.

Sources said neither the extension was granted to these contractual employees nor they got consolidated salaries since November 2011, when the previous Standing Committee was convened by the Sports Minister. Interestingly, minutes of that meeting have also been confirmed.

“When the Sports Minister in Standing Committee meeting held in November last year announced that we will be engaged on permanent basis in the State Sports Council, not only me but all the contractual coaches/ instructors were very happy”, said a contractual coach. “Suddenly, the government removed Kiran Wattal as Secretary, Sports Council, and appointed Daleep Thusoo as the new Secretary but no progress has been made regarding our regularisation”, he added. “The authorities at the helm of affairs have ditched us and they are playing a cruel joke with our future by delaying the process”, opined another contractual instructor. “What to talk of regularisation, they have not even extended our contract and released our salaries since November 2011”, he claimed.

“Despite getting offers from outside the state to impart coaching to sportspersons, we are interested in grooming our own budding sportspersons”, the instructor added.

As per data available, total 11 persons, including nine coaches and two instructors, were engaged on contractual basis by the Sports Council in different disciplines. These include Onkar Singh Gill (Volleyball coach), Jagjit Singh (Hockey coach), Shakti Gupta (Judo coach), Dalwinder Singh (Hockey coach), Rachna Jamwal (Fencing coach), Vikas Magotra (Swimming coach), Javaid Ahmed Sofi (Football coach), Muneer Aalam Mir (Volleyball coach), Rubia Jan (Netball trainer) and Mohammad Ashraf Parray (Handball instructor).

Meanwhile, a senior official of the State Sports Council told The Tribune “Right now, the process of regularisation is in final stages and is likely to be completed soon”.

Jammu, July 31
The casual labourers of the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council (JKSSC) have expressed their gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Minister for Youth Services and Sports RS Chib for regularising their services.

During its 128th Standing Council meeting, the JKSSC had approved the regularisation of casual labourers who had put in seven years of service in the organisation.

A delegation of labourers had met the minister and reiterated their commitment towards working for the betterment of the organisation.

They appreciated the initiatives taken by the minister in redressing their grievances and taking keen interest in their welfare. The delegation also appreciated the role of Vinod Koul, commissioner-secretary, Technical Education; Daleep Thusu, secretary, Sports Council, and other officials for the pro-employee decision.

Jammu, July 31
The authorities concerned seem to be in no mood to store rainwater using water harvesting techniques despite a lean monsoon season, which has resulted in an acute water shortage in the city.

While complaints have been coming in from various residential colonies regarding the paucity of water, the PHE Department has not shown any interest in developing techniques to conserve water before it goes into the drains.

Sarita Sharma, a resident of Janipur, said: “There are days when we do not get water supply even for one hour. Despite such shortage, the authorities concerned are not showing interest in storing rainwater. It is disappointing to see precious rainwater getting mixed with water in the drains instead of being judiciously conserved for the benefit of the residents.”

A source from the PHE Department said though rainwater harvesting had been proposed by certain sections of the department, the problem lay in the allotment of funds for the same.

“We are aware of the wastage of water during the monsoon season. We do not have the requisite infrastructure to store rainwater. When the request to allocate the resources is made, it is always deferred. As a result, people are facing a shortage of water.”

Jammu, July 31
The J&K Bank is conducting a recruitment drive inviting online applications for the position of Relationship Executives.

Mushtaq Ahmad, Chairman and CEO of the Bank, said “Employment generation in the state is a major policy plank of the Bank. As of now, our expansion plan is unfolding fast and so are the employment opportunities for talented youth of the state. All these initiatives are in line with the Bank’s mission of economic empowerment besides contributing towards employment generation in the state”, he added.

Eligible candidates are required to online through bank’s website www.jkbank.net as no other mode of application will be entertained. Graduates with 55% marks or postgraduates with 50% marks in the age group of 18-30 years as on 31-7-2012 (relaxable up to five years in respect of SC/ST and ex-servicemen) can apply for the posts. The candidate should also possess a valid State Subject.

Jammu, July 31
The Kathua Police today arrested four Jordan nationals who had allegedly stolen some ornaments from a jewellery shop at Kathua last night. Gold ornaments worth Rs 2,40,000 were recovered from their possession.

The four foreign nationals have been identified as Muna, Ramadan Rashid Saleh K -596982, Ahmed Ramadan Rashid Saleh K-042613, Naimeh Ramadan Rashid Saleh K-042525 and Khaled Ramadan Rashid Saleh K-341456.

Reports said Deepak Parkash, proprietor of Deepak Jewellers at Ward number 7, Kathua, lodged a complaint at the Kathua police station that yesterday at about 5:30 pm three foreign Jordon nationals, one man and two women, visited his shop and requested him (complainant) to show some gold ornaments as they wanted to purchase.

The complainant said he showed them some gold ornaments. They selected one pendant and offered to pay in their currency, to which the complainant refused and demanded Indian currency.

They left the shop with a promise to return with Indian currency. Soon after they left, the jeweller found that a gold coin weighing around 6 grams was missing.

He reported the matter to the police and all the nakas were alerted. The police intercepted an Innova at Kalibari Kathua in which the four accused were travelling.

They were taken into custody and gold ornaments weighing about 80.380 grams, valued at Rs 2,40,000, were recovered from their possession. — TNS

Jammu, July 31
The Jammu Police has seized 87 kg of bhukki near Domana and arrested a person in this connection.

Reports said acting on a specific information, the police held a naka at Domana and intercepted a vehicle. Amarjit Singh of Digiana was driving the vehicle and on searching the police recovered 87 kg of bhukki.

A case has been registered and the investigation is underway. — TNS

Katra, July 31
Thieves broke into a dry fruit shop in the main market area and decamped with Rs 4 lakh in cash on Sunday night. The cash was kept in an iron safe.

Kuldeep Sadotra, owner of the shop located on the main bazar road, learnt about the theft after his employee informed him yesterday morning.

Sadotra later informed the police about the incident. A police team visited the scene and lifted fingerprint samples.

Jammu, July 31
Secretary-general of the Handball Federation of India and president of the J&K Handball Association SM Bali today distributed balls among the district units of Kashmir valley at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar.

The move is a part of the Handball Federation of India’s decision to provide 200 balls among various district and coaching centres of the Kashmir Division through the J&K Handball Association, under the supervision of the J&K State Sports Council.

At the recently concluded Standing Council Meeting, Sports Minister RS Chib, Techincal Education Secretary Vinod Koul and Sports Council Secretary Dilip Thussu had appreciated the role of the J&K Handball Association for taking interest in the development and promotion of handball in the state.

Also present on the occasion were joint secretary of Sports Council Prof BA Shah, Chief Sports Officer MS Baba, Divisional Sports Officer Haji Abdul Qayoon and other officials of the sports council.

Jammu, July 31
The J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association is all set to conduct Hind Kesari National Wrestling Championship for Women at Vivekananda Stadium in the holy town of Katra from October 16 on the eve of Navrataras.

The president, J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma, said: “Around 80 women wrestlers drawn from 15 states across the country are likely to compete in the sporting event”.

He said, “The final bout will be held in 63kg weight category and the winner will be crowned the Hind Kesari title”.

Shiv Kumar Sharma also informed that all preparations have been made to organise the Mission Dosti International Wrestling Championships slated to be held on October 21.

“In the previous edition, wrestlers from three countries namely India, Pakistan and England had competed but this year three more countries have confirmed their participation. These include Ukraina, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,” he said.

Jammu, July 31
SKCC defeated Islamia College by 11 runs in the ongoing Fazil Kanth Memorial T-20 Cricket Tournament being played at Islamia College Ground, today.

Batting first, SKCC scored 144 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted overs. Javed Tiploo with 57 runs was the highest scorer. Yawar and Ubaid snared two wickets apiece for Islamia College.

In reply, Islamia College could manage only 133 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted quota of overs. Shahid scored 24 runs. Iqbal took three wickets for SKCC.

In the second match, Al-Ghazali Club thrashed Mars Club by 42 runs.

Batting first, Al-Ghazali scored 193 runs. Umer with 75 runs and Tariq with 32 runs were the main contributors. Sameer took four wickets.

In reply, Mars Club was bowled out for 141 runs. Shabir with 49 runs was the main scorer. Imtiyaz took five wickets for Al-Ghazali Club. — TNS

Jammu, July 31
The UCC Blues trounced the Anantnag Blues by 19 runs today in the ongoing Parvez Qureshi Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Kashmir University ground.

While batting first, the UCC accumulated 152 runs by losing all their wickets in 36.3 overs. Qafeel, with 49 runs, was the highest scorer while Irfan Yousuf took three wickets for the Anantnag team.

The Anantnag team, on the other hand, perished with 133 runs in 38 overs.

Jammu, July 31
Tyndale Biscoe defeated HSS Arwani (Anantnag) to clinch the u-14 title in the Subroto Mukherjee inter-district Football Tournament at Polo Ground.

Both teams failed to score a goal in the stipulated time and the winner was decided via tie-breaker.

Biscoe emerged victorious by 4-3 and also qualified for the main national level Subroto Mukherjee tournament slated to be played at New Delhi.

The event was organised by Youth Services and Sports Department.

Jammu, July 31
Woodland defeated Saint Paul by 126 runs in the ongoing u-16 President’s Cup Cricket Tournament being played at Boys High School, Sonwar today. Batting first, Woodland scored 201 runs for the loss of five wickets in the allotted 20 overs. In reply, Saint Paul was bowled out for 73 runs.

In another match, Vasanta High School thrashed Muslim Public School by six wickets. — TNS