Panel report today

A committee, headed by Dr Shahnaz Taing, set up by the LD Hospital authorities to investigate the case will submit its report on Friday

The doctors refused to operate upon her. She was operated upon 27 hours after her admission to the hospital. Her baby died in the womb

— Abdul Hamid Bhat, Mehbooba’s husband

Mehbooba was kept in the ICU for four hours at the SMHS Hospital and eventually died on Wednesday evening

— an official source at SMHS Hospital

A criminal case of negligence has been registered against LD Hospital doctors at the Rajbagh police station. The body was handed over to her relatives for the last rites

— Riyaz Ahmad, SHO, Rajbagh police station

Kupwara, September 13
In a major respite to the residents of villages in Handwara town, a team of the 6 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Army shot dead a leopard, which had been declared a man-eater, in the Ramhal area of the town yesterday morning.

The leopard was declared a man-eater by the Wildlife Department. The department had also sought help from the police and the Army to eliminate the leopard.

The animal had killed a four-year-girl in Malikpora village on September 3. The wildlife officials said the animal had killed two persons in the Ramhal area of the town last year and devoured dozens of cattle.

“The leopard was feeding on the carcass after killing a cow in the wee hours when it was shot dead by troops of the 6 RR,” said Mohammad Maqbool Baba, Wildlife Warden (north Kashmir circle).

He said the wildlife field staff had also launched a hunt to kill the beast. Sajad Ahmad Bara was mauled by the leopard on August 16 in Haphrada village.

“We had received permission to kill the man-eater from the wildlife department after the animal was declared a man-eater,” said an Army officer.

The animal was turning out to be a major threat for the local population.

“It is a success for the department and good news for the residents of the area. We managed to eliminate the man-eater,” Baba said.

“We conducted the post-mortem of the animal at a Sopore hospital. It was a 7-foot-long male, ageing around eight with broken canines,” he said.

The people of the area heaved a sigh of relief following the killing of the animal.

North Kashmir has seen a series of attacks by wild animals over the past few months. At least 21 persons have been mauled by wild animals between January 2011 and February this year.

Livestock worth lakhs of rupees has been devoured by wild animals in the Kupwara and Handwara areas.

Apart from locals, wildlife officials have also fallen prey to similar attacks. Manzoor Ahmad Ganie, a helper in the wildlife block, and Zahoor Ahmad, another employee, have been left critically injured in two attacks during the past two years.

We had received permission to kill the man-eater from the wildlife department after the animal was declared a man-eater

— An Army officer

The leopard was feeding on the carcass after killing a cow in the wee hours when it was shot dead by troops of the 6 RR

— Mohammad Maqbool Baba, Wildlife Warden (north Kashmir circle) 

Srinagar, September 13
The Sikh bodies of the Valley have demanded a judicial inquiry into the death of a 16-year-old class-X student 10 days ago in Baramulla of north Kashmir.

Panveer Singh, who was enrolled at Baramulla Public School, had died on September 3, a week after he attempted suicide by jumping off the second floor of his school building following alleged harassment at the hands of the school authorities.

“After jumping off the school building, the boy kept lying on school campus for half an hour and the school authorities failed to provide him with any medical help,” said Jagmohan Singh Raina, chairman, All-Parties Sikh Co-ordination Committee, Kashmir (APSCC).

Raina claimed that the school authorities, instead of helping the boy, tried to soil the case.

“Even the police did the same by not recording the victim’s statement for two days while he was at a hospital. We have also learned that the deceased’s paternal aunt, Jasbeer Kour, was called to the police station to withdraw the case. This is a cause for worry for the minority community in the Valley,” said Raina.

He said the APSCC demanded an “immediate judicial inquiry into the case to know why the victim was tortured by his teacher, which forced the poor boy to take the extreme step”.

The victim’s family had alleged that their son was subjected to undue harassment by the school authorities as he belonged to a minority community.

The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee of Baramulla have already voiced their support for the victim’s family, demanding a fair probe.

They have blamed the school authorities for negligent attitude and demanded stern action against the teacher, Altaf Hussain Teli, who had allegedly been picking on the student for some time.

The local police has dismissed the claims that the boy was harassed for being a member of a minority community, but has registered a case and is carrying out its investigations.

After jumping off the school building, the boy kept lying on school campus for half an hour and the school authorities failed to give him any medical help

— Jagmohan Singh Raina, chairman, All-Parties Sikh Co-ordination Committee, Kashmir

Srinagar, September 13
The Estimates Committee of the J&K Assembly has sought a detailed report into pending and sanctioned road projects in the state while taking a serious note of delay in the settlement of forest clearance cases for the sanctioned road projects.

The panel, which met here today, directed the Public Works Department (PWD) authorities to come up with their reply on the pending schemes, causes of their pendency, which may be due to forest clearance or other reasons, before the committee within a week for its scrutiny, a government spokesperson said in a statement.

“The committee also stressed the need for early clearance of compensation to land owners so that the projects are completed well within time,” he said.

The panel sought early completion of all works within a stipulated time frame, he said, adding that it “also asked the the authorities concerned to start the construction work on sanctioned road projects immediately”.

During the meeting, which was presided over by committee chairman and MLA Choydhary Ramzan, discussion were also held on PMGSY and NABARD schemes.

“The committee suggested the utilisation of unused steel bridge material for the construction of other bridges,” the statement added.

The other legislators who took part in the meeting included Naresh Kumar Gupta, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Mustafa Kamal, Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, Harsh Dev Singh, GM Saroori, AR Veeri, Abdul Gaffar Sofi and Mohammad Yasin.

“They asked the officers concerned to mobilise their field functionaries and pursue the cases pending with the forest department vigorously and fix responsibility,” the spokesperson added.

The committee also stressed the need for early clearance of compensation to land owners so that the projects are completed well within time

— Riyaz Ahmad, A government spokesperson

People have set up bathrooms, kitchens and shops over these irrigation canals, hindering the flow of water to a great extent. These encroachments are for every one to see but I don’t understand why the authorities choose to be mum

— Arif Shafi, a resident of Harnag in Anantnag

Many farmers have chosen to sell their agricultural land and invest elsewhere because of this problem

— Abdul Ahad, a resident of Qaimoh area in Kulgam

Kupwara, September 13
J&K ADGP (armed/law and order) K Rajendra today said the return of peace to the Valley could not have been possible without the active support of the people.

Rajendra said infiltration from across the border had declined to a great extent and so had the presence of militants in the Valley.

“With the active support of the people, the number of militants had gone down from 2,000 to 200 over the past few years,” he said.

He was addressing a seminar on “Police-Public relations” organised by 7th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP) at Wayan, 8 km from Kupwara town.

Rajendra said five battalions raised during the past two years had been exclusively trained to deal with the law and order situation in the Valley by using non-lethal weapons.

“Policemen have been imparted refresher and reorientation courses to help them understand the psyche of trouble-mongers. If they fail to convince the protesters, they use water cannons, chilly grenades and pump-action guns to maintain law and order,” he said.

He hailed the contribution of the people in return of peace to the frontier district.

“Peace has made it possible for me to address a public gathering in the forests of Wayan. The support of the people is imperative to ensuring public order,” said Rajendra. He said the police was making efforts to firm up police-public relations in the Valley.

“We have organised sports tournaments to explore the talent of the youth, seminars to help people exchange ideas and formed youth clubs to enhance the relations,” he said. The ADGP said three cyber police stations had been set up in Jammu and Srinagar to deal with cyber crime.

Students drawn from several schools delivered lectures on police-public relations.izes were distributed among top-three position holders.

Baramulla, September 13
Residents of Delina and its adjoining areas in Baramulla town are facing inconvenience due to lack of infrastructure at the primary health centre (PHC), which has been functioning from a small rented building for the past seven years.

The new building for the PHC has been ready for the past two years but the health centre has not been shifted. “We fail to understand why the new building has been kept unused for the past two years. We are suffering due to lack of space,” said Mushtaq Ahmad.

The new building for the PHC was completed in June 2010 at a cost of over Rs 1 crore. The foundation stone was laid by the then Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh.

The locals demanded that the new building should be made functional with latest healthcare facilities at the earliest. “The health centre is meant to cater to the needs of over 10,000 people in Delina and other areas. The government should not waste time in shifting the health centre to the new building,” said another resident.

The medical staff is also facing problems. “We are unable to accommodate necessary medicines and other medicinal aid due to the shortage of crunch,” said an employee.

The locals said despite the availability of medical centre they were forced to take patients to a Baramulla hospital. “There is no space available for the patients as well as doctors in this old building,” said Imran Ali. The Chief Medical Officer, Baramulla, was not available for comments.

The health centre is meant to cater to the needs of over 10,000 people in Delina and other areas. The government should not waste time in shifting the health centre to the new building

— a Resident

Srinagar, September 13
The first flight carrying 260 Haj pilgrims from the city will take off for Madina in Saudi Arabia on September 17. The pilgrimage is scheduled to start later this month.

Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, gave details of the operation of the first Haj flight during a meeting held in the city to review arrangements for the pilgrimage.

He said all necessary arrangements related to board and lodging, transferring pilgrims and their luggage from the Haj House, Bemina, to the international airport would be put in place by the authorities ahead of the pilgrimage.

Samoon said necessary medical facilities would also be made available to the pilgrims.

The meeting was also attended by Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan, Budgam Deputy Commissioner Khursheed Ahmad, DIG (Traffic) SA Watali, Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr GN Qasba, Director, Airports Authority, VK Jain and J&K Hajj Committee Executive Officer Abdul Salam. 

Srinagar, September 13
Khansahib MLA and Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF) president Hakim Mohammad Yasin welcomed the ongoing dialogue process between India and Pakistan.

He said the better relations between the two neighbouring countries will have a positive impact on the state.

“The dialogues and development are a welcome step but Kashmir issue needs to be discussed. The internal and external dimension of the issue needs to be addressed for amicable and peaceful solution,” he said.

He enjoined upon the government to commence work on the 12 MW Mini-Hydel Power House project, Sukhnag, for which tenders had already passed.

He said the construction of the power house will boost socio-economic activities in the tourist area, including the Tossa maidan.

Srinagar, September 13
The office timings in the High Court and all other subordinate courts will change from October 1, following the commencement of the winter session.

The J&K High Court Registrar (Judicial), while informing the changed timings said, “The office timings of the High Court wing, Jammu, from October to April 2013 will be 10 am to 5 pm while for the Srinagar wing, the timings will be 10.30 am to 4 pm from November to April 2013.”

The court hours of the High Court wing, Jammu, shall be 10.30 am to 4 pm, he said. For the subcourt Jammu province, the timings from October to April 2013 shall be 10 am to 4:30 pm.

“For the Kashmir province, the timings notified from November to April 2013 will be 10 am to 4.30 pm, including the courts at Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Gandoh (Bhallesa), Batote and Banihal”, he said.

Srinagar, September 13
The Bhand Pather series, which involved the participation of over thousand traditional performers, playwrights and directors concluded here at Budgam today.

The street plays were staged in the south, north and central Kashmir districts and attracted more than one lakh viewers.

The plays in the Bhand Pather series showcased messages of peace, brotherhood, eradication of social evils, drug de-addiction, environment protection and empowerment of women, leaving the audiences spellbound with wit and humour.

The Bhand Pather series, initiated by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Natrang, proved to be a huge draw among the old and the young.

The concluding presentation ‘Na Pursaan’ staged by the National Bhand Theatre at Buzgoo, Budgam, of the twenty-show Bhand Pather series came out to be an unparallel production amongst all in terms of theme, production design and the audience response.

Written and directed by Shah-e-Jahan Ahmed Bhagat, the play was a live example of the ultimate experience of Bhand Pather style of performance, which demonstrated versatility in all its artistic departments.

Kashmir Bhand Theatre also presented a play ‘Mai Bachaeve’ at Dadompora in Budgam.

Jammu, September 13
Upbeat over the excellent win by the state team over the formidable Mohun Bagan in a goodwill football match played at GGM Science College Ground, the players hoped that the sports authorities will now take initiatives to uplift the standard of the game by providing adequate infrastructural facilities.

“The way our team played against country’s professional club like Mohun Bagan and that too without the inclusion of key players proves the fact that we have the talent provided it should be given appropriate opportunities to prove its mettle,” one of the football players told The Tribune.

“As far as playing skills is concerned, there is not much difference between both the teams but professionally there is a huge difference. Mohun Bagan and other national clubs of the country are enjoying full support of their respective authorities but here in J&K, we are still struggling to get the basic facilities, which is really unfortunate,” he said.

“Playing against top professional sides will not only boost our morale but we should also know our weaknesses and strengths,” said another player. “Not only few matches, there is a need to conduct maximum tournaments of national repute if we want to further improve our skills,” the player maintained. “As far as the Valley is concerned, the game is very popular here because there are so many tournaments being conducted on a regular basis,” another player claimed. “Even there is much better infrastructure and that is why you find most of the footballers selected in the prestigious clubs of the country,” he said. “The state team’s disastrous performance in the recently concluded Santosh Trophy national football tournament was an eye opener and if the Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) wants to avoid an early exit humiliation in the next edition, it should focus on conducting tournaments at regular intervials in both provinces so that the players are selected only on merit,” the player maintained.

A senior official of the JKFA said the association was trying its best to bolster the standard of the game in the state. “The hosting of matches in the state against top clubs and teams shows that both the government and the JKFA is interested in promoting the game at the grassroots level”, he said. “We are thankful to the Union Sports Ministry and the state government for their assistance in organising such matches in J&K,” the official added. 

Srinagar, September 13
Shuttler Saina Nehwal is likely to visit Kashmir later this month to participate in the 68th National Badminton Championship being held in the city.

The inter-state tournament is being organised by the J&K Badminton Association and around 800 players are expected to participate.

An official said star badminton players including Jwala Gutta, Ashwani Ponappa, P Kashyap and V Diju, who participated in the recent Olympics, will take part in the tournament, being held from September 26 to October 3, at the Sher-e-Kashmir Indoor Stadium.

Olympics medallist Saina Nehwal is also expected to participate in the event, the official added.

Srinagar city is hosting the National Badminton Championship for the first time ever.