Jammu, November 2
At least four persons received bullet injuries following a clash between two groups over a land dispute in Chatta area of Sunjwan this evening.

The injured were identified as Shah Mohammad, Talib Hussain, both residents of Chatta, Sunjwan, Vikram Singh, resident of Beli Charana and Kamaljeet of Bahu Fort.

Sources said two groups had a violent clash over the alleged dispute on 150-kanal land in Sunjwan area. “One of the groups opened fire that resulted in injuries to four persons. A total of 22 rounds were fired upon during the clash,” sources said.

The family members of Shah Mohammad said a group of people shot at them when they went to check for their land in the area. “A group of 10 to 12 people opened fire on our family members without any provocation after they were stopped from grabbing our 150-kanal ancestral land in the Sunjwan area. The local sarpanch had been threatening us for several months as he was hand in glove with land grabbers,” Sai Ditta, brother of Shah Mohammad, said.

“We had even approached the senior police officers informing them about the threats from land grabbers but they did not take any action in this regard,” he said.

Police officials, however, did not respond to repeated phone calls for comments. Police sources said an FIR had been registered in this regard and investigations were on.

Jammu, November 2
With a host of offices set to open in the wake of the annual Darbar Move, there is an anticipation of an additional 30,000 vehicles on the congested city roads. The Jammu Traffic Police with a view to ease the congestion has started the process of shifting interstate buses from the BC Road to newly constructed Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Narwal.

The traffic police has started directing the bus operators having interstate routes to make halt at the ISBT, Narwal to keep the BC Road free from illegal parking.

Official sources said around 150 buses with inter-state routes enter the state everyday making halt at the BC Road. This leads to severe congestion.

Similarly, there are about 400 buses in the Rajouri and Poonch areas which operate from the Jammu bus stand.

“Bus stand for all interstate buses has already been notified and we have also started the process of shifting the buses with same routes from the BC Road to the ISBT, Narwal. We are announcing this frequently to prepare the bus operators mentally,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Traffic Jammu, Shakeel Ahmed Beig said.

Beig said the transport corporations from neighboring states with their buses’ routes here would also be apprised of the decision shortly.

“We will gradually ask the interstate bus operators to shift their services to the Narwal bus terminal,” the DIG said.

He said the traffic police has decided to convene a meeting of all interstate bus operators soon in this regard.

“Many bus operators had reservations vis-a-vis infrastructural facilities at the ISBT Narwal. We will hear them and take up the matter with the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) so that necessary action is initiated to redress the issues,” Beig said.

Land measuring 72 kanals located at Transport Nagar in Narwal was notified and developed by the JDA. The estimated cost of the project is said to be Rs 2.86 crore.

The terminal has a parking area for 130 idle buses and active parking for 33 buses besides private parking for 75 taxis and scooters.

“The JDA has constructed another bus terminal at Nagrota with an estimated cost of Rs 3.2 crore while the third terminal which was proposed to be constructed at Paloura is still in its infancy,” sources said.

The district administration had directed that the BC Road would be a stop-drop-and-go zone for all intrastate bus operators. The bus operators, however, had been parking their buses as they resisted the move owing to poor infrastructural facilities at the bus terminal.

Rajouri, November 2
Hundreds of people, including the family members and relatives of Shahid who died under mysterious circumstances in December last year, blocked the Abdullah bridge and held a demonstration chanting slogans against the administration.

The protesters blocked the traffic for an hour. They ended their protest after Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Mubassir Latifi rushed to the spot and assured them of support.

They pointed fingers at the investigation team of the Crime Branch, Jammu.

After the death of Shahid, Channi Himmat police station, Jammu, had initiated inquest proceedings in the case. Thereafter, the matter was handed over to the Crime Branch.

Unfortunately, parents of deceased Shahid are still waiting for justice and pointing fingers on the investigations of the crime branch, Jammu and they are feared that unlimitedly the case might not see light of the day.

The investigation agency has yet not received a postmortem report from the Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) even after 11 have months passed since.

Abdul Qayoo, Shahid’s father, said, “He called me just before the incident occurred saying he got 15 days leave for marriage instead of the 45 days he had applied for.”

“He was very happy and made all the arrangements of his marriage. But the police says he committed suicide which is baseless. The case should be investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), including two police officers of our choice,” Qayoom added.

Arif Bhat, younger brother of the deceased, said, “Crime Branch DSP Heera Lal Pandita told us several times to settle the issues or we will not get any benefits.”

They demanded action against DSP Dalgeet Singh who is now posted in Uhampur. They threatened to come to the streets if the administration did not constitute a SIT in a week.

Jammu, November 2
The Udhampur police yesterday arrested three restaurant owners and as many sweetmeat vendors for using domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purpose.

As many as 43 cylinders were seized from them.

The police said there were reports that commercial outlets were rampantly using LPG cylinders as a result of which the public was facing problem in getting cooking gas cylinders.

Police teams conducted raids on sweetmeat shops and restaurants.

Udhampur SSP Ashkoor Ahmed Wani said a total of 43 cylinders had been seized from the shopkeepers.

“We are investigating the role of LPG distributors who provided them domestic cylinders for commercial purpose. This is not a normal issue and the investigations are on,” he said.

Udhampur police station SHO Kuldeep Khajuria said six shopkeepers had been booked under the Essential Commodities Act.

Rajouri, November 2
Cases of attempt to commit suicide among the youth are on the rise in the border district of Rajouri.

Statistics reveal that as many as 53 youngsters have attempted suicide by consuming poisonous substance in the past five months out of which six people died at the District Hospital, Rajouri. More than 15 people were referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, for further treatment and 31 were treated at the District Hospital.

Suicide attempts are higher among the fair sex. Among those who swallowed poisonous substance in the past five months, 31 were female and 22 male. The highest suicide rate has been found in the age group of 15-29.

The most common form of suicide death was by consuming pesticides which are easily available in markets, medical stores or agricultural-related shops in the district.

Experts say the youngsters usually would take such extreme step in cases of unrequited love or failure in examination. Matrimonial disputes also figured as a cause.

Medical facilities available at the District Hospital in Rajouri are not upgraded enough to meet such eventualities and the patients have to be referred to the GMC Hospital, Jammu.

There are two ventilators at the District Hospital which do not function owing to their mechanised installation.

Katra, November 2
While trying hard to market its tourist destinations across the state, the J&K government has missed on a pivotal point little realising how important road infrastructure is to attract visitors.

The roads leading to various tourist destinations such as the Vaishno Devi Shrine, Shiv Khori temple shrine, Shiar Bawa temple and Dera Bawa Sahib, are in a miserable condition.

“As majority of tourists arrive here using the surface transport, a bad condition of roads is a dampener for tourism promotion,” says Arjun Singh, a Katra-based hotelier.

Shrishti Paul from Delhi had reached Ransoo, the base camp for the Shiv Khori Shrine. After seeing the condition of the road between Kanda and Ransoo, Paul said he would think twice before planning his next road journey here.

“We reached Katra from Vaishno Devi but as soon as we entered Kanda, the condition of the road was horrible. Poor maintenance of roads not only spoiled our mood but also damaged our vehicle as there were huge potholes,” he said.

Tara Singh, a resident of Amritsar, reached Reasi by undertaking a 10-hour road journey in his car. He was shocked to see the dilapidated condition of roads when he drove on the Shiar Bawa road.

A total of 1.25 crore tourists visited Reasi till November this year. Even as the road transport is the only means of transportation within the district, the state government has failed to keep the roads in good condition.

“A poor road network is hindering the arrival of tourists,” said RS Mehta, director of the Department of Tourism. Urgent repair and black-topping could put an end to travelling woes of the tourists, he said.

“Due to bad condition of roads, the transporters have to bear losses as their vehicles develop problems and break down at times,” he added.

Rajouri, November 2
Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar, has said the government is committed to put in place a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj to ensure democratic decentralisation of power.

Sagar was addressing a one-day convention for Panches and Sarpanches of Rajouri district, during his extensive tour of the district. Minister of State for Power, Shabir Ahmad Khan, Director, Rural Development, Jammu, Shafiq Ahmad Raina, Additional District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, Manzoor Khan and other senior officers of district administration and different departments of the district, besides Panches and Sarpanches, were present on the occasion.

Terming the holding of Panchayati elections and putting empowered PRIs in place as a milestone in the political history of the state, Sagar said the government had ensured its implementation by empowering Panches and Sarpanches with powers of 14 vital departments and nominating Additional District Development Commissioner as Nodal Officer for ensuring the same. The officers as well as officials had been asked to adhere strictly to this initiative, he added.

“The Panches and Sarpanches should be taken on board while formulating and implementing various welfare programmes of their respective areas to ensure proper and sustained development’’, he said and maintained that the Panchayati Raj representatives are a part of governance and they should utilise their powers in a proper manner and work in synergy with officers of different departments.

Referring to the government’s initiative of creating infrastructural assets of panchayats, Sagar said an amount of Rs 20 lakh had been earmarked for the construction of panchayat ghars in every panchayat. Orders had already been passed down the line to ensure the construction of panchayat ghars within the shortest span of time for the day to day functioning of PRIs.

He said certain parties were trying to mislead the people for their petty political interests and people were well aware of the fact that the government led by Omar Abdullah believed in sustained action and had ensured overall development of the state, by initiating several landmark developmental programmes and schemes. In order to make the administration accountable to the people at all levels, Acts like Right to Information, the Public Services Guarantee Act had been legislated, by which accountability and transparency had been ensured, he added.

While en route the Mughal road, the Minister met several deputations of Panches and Sarpanches at Dera Ki Gali and assured them that the government was committed to put in place a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj.

At Bufliaz, while responding to the local demands, Sagar directed officers to construct a sanitation mart under Nirmal Bharat Programme, within two months, for the convenience of the people.

He also inspected the pace of work being undertaken in the model village at an estimated cost of Rs 3 crore at Sharda Sharief, Rajouri, and asked the concerned authorities to complete it within the stipulated time frame. Responding to the public demand, regarding the construction of a guest house at Sharda Sharief, the minister directed the officers to identify the land for taking up the construction of the same.

Rajouri, November 2
Minister for Rural Development, Panchayat, Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammed Sagar, today visited block Thanamandi to meet Panches and Sarpanches of the area.

He also reviewed the work of model village Shadra Sharif, after offering prayers at a dargah. Sagar later attended a meeting with the panches and sarpanches of Rajouri district, heard their grievances and assured them that authority would be given to them at ground level, to strengthen three-tyre system of Panchayat in Jammu and Kashmir.

Abdul Quoom, Sarpanch, Bharote, said the village heads had raised several demands, including their security, ex-gratia Rs 10 to 15 lakh to their kin during causalities in militancy related incidents, salaries on the pattern of MLAs and MLCs, declaration of modern village status to Bharote and providing solar lights to areas which are worst sufferers of insufficient power.

They have also raised serious issues as they had been given charge to monitor the working of 12 departments. But other than the rural development department, no other department bothered to disclose their projects or sanctions to the panches.

Batote, November 2
Unlike other parts of India, married Hindu women in Doda, Bhaderwah and Kishtwar prayed for the second time for the longevity and prosperity of their husbands, on Karva Chauth today, as they had already done so on ‘Kann Chauth’ on January 26 this year.

“For the past some decades, the women in the erstwhile Doda district, except in Ramban and Batote area, have started observing the Karva Chauth fast. Earlier, they used to observe the Kann Chauth fast on Gauri Trititya, i.e, two days before Basant Panchmi, for their husbands, which marks the wedding anniversary of Shiva and Parvati,” said Prof BPS Chauhan of Bhaderwah.

“This is the effect of the north Indian culture that has crept in here as Karva Chauth is still unknown in remote villages of Doda and Kishtwar districts and only Kann Chauth is observed there, even for a week at some places,” he added.

Unlike Karva Chauth, the Kann Chauth is celebrated by only the married women and not by the unmarried ones for their fiancés or for a good match. Early in the morning of Kann Chauth, women fill an urn (Matka) with water, walnuts, a citrus fruit and three twigs of any fruit tree, representing Shiv, Parvati and Ganesh and put a ring of sacred red thread (Mauli) around the urn.

They dress up in new clothes and ornaments, have sweet or salty Khamire (chapattis of fermented dough), little rice and Zeetayi flowers in a thali.

The fasting women wear a ring of mauli around their neck and left wrist, worship Shiva and pray for the longevity and prosperity of their husbands in a nearby temple. They break their fast after offering water to the sun in the evening and drinking water offered by their husbands.

After returning home, they touch the feet of all young and elder people to seek their blessings before taking meals. Mutton dishes are preferably cooked by the non-vegetarians. They then visit their neighbours and nearby kith and kin, exchange khamire and sweets. They send cooked dishes to their parents, if residing nearby.

They are gifted eatables, gifts and sweets by their parents-in-law. The newly married are gifted a coconut, misri cake and money. The day ends with a joint cultural programme.

Next day, before immersing the urn in a river or stream, some walnuts are sown in soil and the rest are distributed as prashad.

Jammu, November 2
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu zone, Dilbag Singh, today reviewed the security and law and order arrangements being made for six months of winter capital functioning.

Chairing a high-level meeting of senior officers of police, security, traffic and Crime Investigation Department (CID), a detailed assessment of law and order situation as well as security scenario was taken from all the concerned agencies and the officers. The departments were directed to gear up all the resources, increase vigil, enhance security and law and order measures in the city.

The official spokesperson said the deployment worked out and earmarked by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Superintendent of Police (SP), Security, and SP, Traffic, for civil secretariat and additional deployment, proposed to be made on the day of the Darbar Move, were discussed.

He asked the commandants and SSPs to identify all the sensitive spots and make adequate deployment at these places. He laid emphasis on effective coordination and quick communication at all levels, for quicker response and enhanced measures, on security and law and order front.

Singh issued detailed instructions to SP, Traffic, Jammu, for traffic deployment with pragmatic approach, in view of the increase in vehicular movement due to Darbar Move, with special care of routes likely to be used by VIPs, protected persons and secretariat employees.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Jammu-Kathua Range, DIG-Indian Reserve Police, SSP Jammu, SP Security, SSP CID (Special Branch), Jammu and other commandants of Jammu based armed battalions and territorial SSPs besides SP PCR, Jammu and SP APCR.

Jammu, November 2
The Post Graduate Department of Dogri, University of Jammu, screened Dogri film ‘Reet’ at the General Zorawar Singh Auditorium on the university campus, today.

The artists and supporting staff of the film were also felicitated by Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Mohan Paul Singh Ishar. The film was screened in collaboration with Jammu Links and Dogri Bal Manch, Jammu.

Prof Ishar congratulated the Dogri Department and others for organising such an event. “These events promote the culture and language of the region and JU is ready to appreciate such endeavours,” he said.

Prof Shiv Dev Singh Manhas, head, Department of Dogri, said films were not only a means of entertainment, but they also played a vital role for the promotion and development of a particular language, in which they were made. The film ‘Reet’ was a fine example of that. Such trends can open new job opportunities for the next generation, he added.

Pankaj Khajuria, director of the film, expressed his gratitude to the organisers of the function.

Jammu, November 2
A warm farewell was accorded to Subhash Shastri, an employee of Power Development Department (PDD) and president, National Mazdoor Conference (NMC) after rendering 38 years of service.

A function was held at Brahman Sabha for the function. Former Minister Yogesh Sawhney, along with XEN, A K Chhiber and AEE Surjeet Sethi, besides other officials of the department, were present on the occasion. They wished the PDD employee a happy post-retirement life. The senior officials of the department also lauded his services.

Jammu, November 2
MV International School, Vijaypur, bagged seven medals in their first participation in Jammu Sahodya Athletic Meet (JSAM), hosted by Sainik School, Nagrota, where 11 CBSE affiliated schools from Jammu region participated.

Minister for Revenue, Raman Bhalla, was the chief guest on the occasion and gave away the medals and trophies.

The winning athletes include Jimmy Verma, who won two bronze medals (4x400 mtr relay race and 3000 mtr), Shivani Rajput, with two bronze medals (4x400 mtr relay race and 400 mtr), Amit Jamwal, who got a silver medal (110 mtr), Sakshi Sambyal and Harshita Sharma, who bagged two bronze medals (4x400 mtr relay race).

BN Sarkar, principal of the school, school management and chairman HL Abrol acknowledged the team and also the coach for the performance.

Jammu, November 2
Sainik School, Nagrota, emerged as the overall champion of the Jammu Sahodaya Athletic Meet, hosted by the school in the mini-stadium, from October 30 to November 1.

Eleven schools of the region, affiliated to CBSE, participated in the meet. Raman Bhalla, Minister for Revenue, Relief & Rehabilitation, was the Chief Guest and gave away the medals and trophies to the winners.

In his address, he commended the performance of the host school’s athletes. He mentioned that the alumni of the school were doing extremely well in all fields and the school was an asset to the state.

Principal of APS, Akhnoor, presented the welcome address and lauded the role of the school as an active member of the Sahodaya Schools Complex.

In the final day’s events, Arjun Sharma of Jodhamal School clinched the gold in 100 mtr race and among the girls, Jessica of the same school won the gold.

In 4x100 mtr relay, the host school team won the gold with a comprehensive lead.

The minister also presented a special souvenir t-shirt, signed by cricketer Kapil Dev, to the most promising athlete, Sangeet Madiyan, of Sainik School, Rishav Singh Chib of APS, Akhnoor, who won the best athlete award among boys and Sakshi Koul of MHAC, Nagbani, who won the same award in girls category.

In the final medals tally, Sainik School, Nagrota, topped with 12 golds medals.

Jammu, November 2
After getting green signal from the high command, the Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) has decided to file criminal cases against those who have been ‘illegally’ running organisations in the names of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

Although Youth Congress is the frontal organisation of the Congress party, some youth in the city had been running organisations like Rahul Gandhi Brigade and Priyanka Gandhi Fan Club, creating embarrassment for those who were duly elected as office bearers of the PYC.

Those who have been running organisations in the names Gandhi family have no affiliation with the party but are attracting a large number of youth. These organisations have set up their units in different localities of the city and are organising various functions to influence the local administration.

PYC activists were finding it difficult to counter the self styled presidents of these brigades and fan clubs, so they sought help from the national leadership to control activities of such fake groups.

“We brought this matter to the notice of our national president Rajeev Satav recently, who asked us to file criminal cases against those who have been mis-using the name of the Gandhi family,” Shahnawaz Choudhary, president of PYC said. After giving warning to such elements, PYC would file criminal cases against them, he added.

As the high command had authorised PYC to take action against such elements, Choudhary today issued a statement to clarify that there was no frontal organisation like Rahul Gandhi Brigade and is not associated with the party.

He further said these brigade and organisations were formed by some persons for fulfilling their own petty and vested interests. The Congress Party has only NSUI, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, Congress Seva Dal and INTUC as its frontal wings, he added.