The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	46 houses gutted in fire in Pahalgam No loss of life reported; 260 persons rendered homeless Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 25 Forty-six houses were gutted in a massive fire that broke out in the early hours today at Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. The fire broke out in a house around 1:45 am at Frislan village in Pahalgam, 100 km from here, and quickly engulfed 46 houses and a few cowsheds, which were completely destroyed. Almost half of the village near the world famous tourist resort of Pahalgam is a rubble of debris. Clouds of uncertainty loom over the affected families who lost their homes in the fire. “Preliminary investigations reveal that the fire started from a house which had stored charcoal for the winter. It spread rapidly and was helped by a strong wind,” Anantnag Deputy Commissioner Farooq Ahmed Shah told The Tribune. “There was no report of any loss of life,” he added. Shah said they were yet to assess the damage. Locals said the fire was brought under control at 8 am after nearly two dozen fire tenders were rushed to the village. “We lost everything in the fire,” said Mohammad Ashraf Sheikh, a schoolteacher whose three-storied home, mostly made of wood, was damaged. “When we saw the fire in our neighbourhood, we took our two kids to safety, but we lost everything,” he added. Fortysix families have been rendered homeless and the district administration claimed it had already taken certain steps to help these families. “Most of the affected families have been provided space by the neighbours in the village. We also provided some financial help to the families. We will try to construct huts under the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) for the affected families,” Shah said. Villagers said the fire has left them with little or no possessions. “As many as 260 persons have been rendered homeless in the fire. With winter already in, we wonder how we will survive,” said another resident Shabir Ahmed whose house was also gutted in the fire. A police spokesman in Srinagar said they have started investigation into the case. “We will find the cause of the fire,” the police spokesman said. Minister of Forest Mian Altaf, Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo, Opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti and Pahalgam MLA Rafi Mir visited Frislan village.
	Omar urges village heads to vote for coalition candidates Our Correspondent Handwara, November 25 Terming Handwara constituency as a crown of the National Conference in the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today urged the panches and sarpanches in Handwara to vote for coalition candidates in the upcoming Legislative Council elections. He said the PDP could not mislead people of the state by waging propaganda against the NC time and again. Omar said his government was committed to empower panchayats in the state to further strengthen the governance at the grass-roots level for the benefit of people. He complimented Handwara MLA for making the constituency a strong belt of the NC. “I urge you to vote for coalition members on December 3 to make them victorious. With the unprecedented efforts of Handwara MLA for the past years, the constituency has truly become the crown of the NC in the state,” Omar said adding that the PDP cannot astray and befool people time and again. The Chief Minister was addressing a public gathering, including sarpanches and panches of Handwara. He said the panchayat poll in the state last year after a gap of over three decades was a major success for the coalition government. “The implementation of Panchayati Raj in the state has helped achieve development with the active participation of people. You have to vote for your own candidates and elect them to higher echelons of power,” he said. Describing NC as the party of people, Omar said plough (the party symbol) and hand were incomplete without each other and people especially a good chunk of farmers have time and again realised the significance of plough. “The NC has always proved to be the party of people. Especially the farmers fully know the importance of plough, which has been a source of sustenance for them,” he said. Earlier, Omar addressed a apublic gathering at the Tourist Reception Center (TRC) Kupwara and vowed to make efforts for the overall development of the state. Minister for Rural Development and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohd Sagar said under the supervision of Chief Minister, the coalition government has provided good governance to people in all regions of the state. Later, the Chief Minister addressed a gathering of sarpanches and panches in Langate constituency.
	Inept leadership responsible for misgovernance, says Mufti Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 25 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the incompetence of political leadership and not the administration was responsible for misgovernance in the state. He said it was the same administration which had delivered during the PDP rule but unfortunately the present dispensation led by the National Conference (NC) had rendered it meaningless and defunct. Addressing a public meeting at Rafiabad in Baramulla, Mufti said the governance deficit in the state had reached a level where the administration in the absence of a pro-people political direction had failed even in providing basic amenities like electricity, cooking gas, safe drinking water, roads and ration to people. The PDP patron attributed the prevailing administrative inertia to the NC’s political ineptitude that had not only bartered its own agenda but people’s sufferings in lieu of power. “It is because of the lust for power that the NC has never reached out or identified itself with the common masses whose miseries have witnessed a manifold increase since 2009,” said Mufti. He said the dismal development situation because of misgovernance was the same everywhere but people in rural and far-flung areas were the worst suffers of the wrong policies of the present government. Mufti said the people were being deprived of basic amenities at the cost of comfort and luxuries enjoyed by the families of the present dispensation. Former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh said the present government had failed to reach out to the people. “Today, we are here not to seek votes from you. It is not any election time that we have gathered here to seek your support. But we want to express our apprehension that people will get disenchanted with the political process, if the trend to disconnect with the people set by the NC-led government continued,” said Beigh. Referring to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s visits to various districts in south Kashmir, Beigh said his visits are not for solving problems of people but to seek votes for NC candidates nominated for the Legislative Council poll. “I wonder with what faith Omar seeks votes from panches and sarpanches who have been humiliated by his government,” he said. PDP general secretary Mohammad Dilawar Mir, party national spokesperson Dr Sameer Kaul, chief spokesman of the party Naeem Akhter and vice-president of the Youth Wing of the PDP Rajinder Manhas addressed the gathering.
	LeT threatens to avenge Kasab’s hanging Tribune News Service Jammu, November 25 Four days after Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab was sent to the gallows in Pune's Yerwada Jail on November 21, a terror mail purportedly by the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) sent to an hotelier in Katra has sent the state police into a tizzy. The police has sounded a high alert in Reasi district in general and Katra town in particular where the cave shrine of Vaishno Devi is nestled in the Trikuta Hills. "A mail has been sent to the email ID of an hotelier in Katra town. The LeT has threatened to avenge the hanging of Ajmal Kasab," said a senior police officer, who declined to be named. The mail has been sent to Ashiq Hussain Bhat, proprietor of Devi Grand Hotel in Katra, and we have taken cognisance of the matter, he added. In the mail the LeT has threatened to avenge the hanging of Kasab at the earliest and has also challenged the security forces in the state to stop it, if they can, said the officer. IGP, Jammu zone, Dilbag Singh, said it could be a prank by some anti-national elements.
	Desist from voting: Hurriyat to sarpanches Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 25 The hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference today appealed to panchayat members to boycott the upcoming elections to the four seats of the Legislative Council. In a statement issued today, the hardline amalgam, which has been calling for a boycott of all the elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the group was formed, appealed to the sarpanches and panches to boycott the poll. The group, which is headed by Syed Ali Geelani, also castigated the ruling coalition partners, the National Conference and the Congress, and the PDP for their “detrimental role” in the state. “National Conference’s plough (party’s election symbol) has dug the foundations of Kashmiris and made it empty. Congress’ hand has suppressed the freedom and the PDP is the creation of agencies,” the statement said.
	Census of bears on cards Ravi Krishnan Khajuria/TNS Jammu, November 25 To contain man-bear conflict effectively, the state government plans to have a comprehensive census of bears. Two species of this wild beast have been killing the people in the state due to fragmentation of their habitat over the years. The state has two important species of the bear - Asiatic black bear and Himalayan brown bear - out of a total of eight found in the world today. The state, as of today, has no official data of both the species. Though the census is yet to be started, efforts of the state Wildlife Department have already started paying positive dividends, reducing frequency of the man-bear conflict in Kashmir. Last year, the man-bear conflict had resulted in 35 deaths and injuries to over 500 people and this year the death count stands at seven and injuries to over 200. “To effectively contain man-bear conflict in Kashmir, the Department of Wildlife is aiming at a detailed census of the two important species of the bear,” said MA Tak, regional wildlife warden of Kashmir. He informed that during a recent pre-conference on bears, delegates from within the country and abroad had first-hand information on the two species in the state. “The pre-conference at Srinagar to 21st International Bear Conference in New Delhi from November 26 to 30 pondered over all the aspects on how to reduce the man-bear conflict in Kashmir,” said Tak. Last year nearly 35 people were killed and 500 others were injured in the bear attacks but this year the count has come down drastically to seven deaths and 200 injuries so far, he informed. Tak attributed the drastic decline in deaths and injuries this year to constant efforts of the Wildlife Department of creating awareness among the people. Besides other factors, fragmentation of their habitats had led to increase in man-bear conflict in the Valley, he said. However, after we started educating the people on how to combat bears without killing them and setting up 19 quick reaction teams (QRTs) across Kashmir in vulnerable areas fetched us positive results, the official said. “Since black bear is in abundance, in 90 per cent of cases they are involved in man-bear conflicts,” said Tak. These two species fall in schedule 1 of the J&K Wildlife Act and they are listed in the vulnerable category. Though not critically endangered species like Kashmir stag (Hangul), we need to have a bear project in the state, he added. Bear attacks * While Asiatic black bear is found in Pulwama, Anantnag, Kupwara, Handwara, Doda and Rajouri districts, Himalayan brown bear is found in higher altitudes of Gurez and Kargil * 35 persons were killed and over 500 injured in bear attacks in Kashmir last year * Seven deaths and injuries to over 200 have been reported in this year so far * Frequent bear attacks have invited public outcry in the Valley
	LC poll outcome to have bearing on panchayats empowerment Likely to have impact on Assembly elections in 2014 also Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, November 25 With all major political parties bracing up for the upcoming election to four seats of the Legislative Council (LC) from panchayat quota on December 3, the outcome of these polls is set to have a direct bearing on next assembly elections scheduled for 2014. Reason: Results of the polls to four seats will actually determine the political affiliations of nearly 33,000 village representatives who had been maintaining a distance from political parties to date. Keeping in mind the importance of these elections, political outfits - be it coalition partners or opposition groups - have been making all out efforts to muster ‘largest support’ as they will surely have an edge over the others in the next Assembly elections. The outcome will also decide the fate of panchayats vis-à-vis their empowerments. “Definitely, more than 4,100 panchayats of the state will play a major role in the next Assembly elections which will be held in 2014. The representatives of panchayats viz sarpanches and panches who are associated with the people at the grass-roots level will make a significant impact on the formation of next government in the state,” a leader of the ruling National Conference said on the condition of anonymity. The leader, however, claimed that the coalition parties had an edge over the opposition groups in view of the government’s performance and ‘sincere efforts’ to strength and empower panchayats. Former minister and chairman Panthers Party Harsh Dev Singh, however, believed the results of the MLC elections won’t have much impact on the Assembly elections. “Panchayats definitely play a role in mobilising the people but these elections will not have much impact on the Assembly elections. The impact will be significant if the coalition partners lose all the four seats in the upcoming MLC elections,” Singh said. The panchayat elections in the state had taken place on “non-party” basis in May-June 2011 after a gap of 33 years. Sarpanches and panches, time and again, have denied any affiliation with a particular political group. However, political experts opined that affiliations of elected panchayat members were no more a secret, despite the fact that they continued to remain in denial mode about their associations. They believed the results would not have much impact on the next Assembly polls as if the outcome of MLC elections would weaken the panchayat members demand for their empowerment. “Though the panchayat elections were held on non-party basis last year, the political groups had played a role and backed candidates for these polls. The role of political parties is now very much clear. The results will have less impact on the Assembly elections as the panchayat members affiliation is no more a secret,” said Rekha Choudhary, senior professor of political science at University of Jammu. Noted political analyst Professor Hari Om said the impact of MLC polls would be rather “negative”. “If the coalition partners manage to win two or three seats in these elections, it will weaken the panchayat members’ demand for empowerment. It will also serve the purpose of legislators who oppose the devolution of powers at the grass-roots level,” Prof Om said.
	Postal department eyes 100% financial inclusion in Ladakh Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 25 Even as the Department of Posts (DoP), J&K circle, has set a target of cent per cent financial inclusion for the Ladakh region in the next 100 days, it has opened over 2.3 lakh saving accounts during the current financial year. “We have seen a very good growth and the trend continues…. 2,34,332 saving accounts were opened from April to October end while the DoP has 14,06,213 net accounts across the state,” said John Samuel, Chief Postmaster General, J&K Circle. He said the department was eyeing total financial inclusion in Ladakh in the next 100 days. “Even though the exact figures are not available, we are extremely low in Ladakh with just 5 to 10 per cent (financial inclusion). Ladakh is a place where banks do not have much penetration and we have set a target of achieving complete financial inclusion in the next 100 days under the Samporna Bachat Yojana,” Samuel said. Financial inclusion is the delivery of banking services at an affordable cost to a large section of disadvantaged and low income group people. “If a person does not have an account, he or she cannot be a part of financial development and an economic society….we are encouraging people to use bank accounts to make them inclusive. Kerala was the first state to achieve complete financial inclusion,” he said. The Chief Postmaster General said the postal department would also achieve its target with the help of the state government by offering scholarships to students of remote areas as receiving scholarships required accounts. While there are 109 post offices in Ladakh, 2,737 saving accounts were opened in the region with the DoP till October 31. Ladakh has a total of 28,291 net accounts with the DoP. In Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Baramulla and Rajouri, a total of 48,008, 74,819, 18,047, 14,636 and 76,085 accounts were opened, respectively, during this financial year. Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Baramulla and Rajouri have a total of 3,45,410, 5,67,237, 1,48,916, 1,46,385 and 1,69,974 saving accounts, respectively, with the postal department.
	Family moves High Court against passport authorities Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 25 After being denied passports, a family of four has approached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with a contempt petition against the passport authorities for their failure to comply with the earlier court directions. The High Court had directed the authorities to consider issuance of passports to the family after conducting a fresh verification. As submitted before the court, Mohammad Ashraf (29), Ghulam Nabi (27) and Rukaya Akhter (25), all residents of the Noorbagh area in Srinagar, were kids when their father Ghulam Mohammad Dar crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training in 1990. Dar never returned from PoK and preferred to stay there. Dar’s three children and their mother, Aisha, had applied for fresh passports in 2011. They were denied passports by the authorities on the ground that their father was a militant based in PoK and had never returned or surrendered. After denial of passports by the authorities, the family had approached the High Court with a writ petition in 2011, which was finally disposed of by the court in March this year. The court had asked the authorities to consider recommendation of passports to the family. “The said order was served upon respondents but they have failed to comply with the High Court directions,” the petitioners have submitted in the petition filed through their counsel Mir Shafqat Hussain. In the contempt petition, Shafqat had argued that by not issuing the travel documents, the passport officer had “willfully, deliberately and intentionally” flouted the court orders. “For showing disobedience to the High Court orders, the passport officer, Srinagar, is liable to be punished under the law,” the counsel has prayed. The CID authorities in their objections filed before the court have said nothing about the activities and conduct of the petitioners while recommending denial of passport to them. “Under such circumstances, to deny recommendation for issuance of passports is unwarranted. In case nothing (adverse) is attributed to them for the last 20 years, then to deny them the right to have a passport on the basis of Ghulam Mohammad Dar being a militant shall not be valid,” the High Court had observed in its orders passed in March 2012.
	Siachen indispensable for India: Army Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, November 25 Past conflicts with Pakistan and China, growing proximity between China and Pakistan via Karakoram pass and trust deficit with Pakistan altogether makes strategic Siachen glacier indispensable for India. India cannot afford to withdraw its troops from the highest battlefield in the world today. “Army Chief General Bikram Singh had yesterday said there was no need to withdraw Indian forces from Siachen while the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, in July this year had said the Kargil war had happened because of Siachen. Now, these two statements are more than ample to convey what Siachen means to us,” said a top Army officer. The officer further said past conflicts with Pakistan, including the Kargil war, and growing ties between Islamabad and Beijing via the Karakoram pass should be looked into with right earnest. “Siachen is strategically important for us and we should not think of squandering away the advantage,” he added. Our presence in Siachen has kept the Karakoram highway within our range, said the officer. “If we move out of Siachen, Pakistan will waste no time in capturing Saltoro Range, which will help them bridge Aksai Chin and northern areas gap with China,” said the officer. Pakistan has already ceded Aksai Chin and Shaksgam Valley to China and if we move out of Siachen and they occupy Saltoro Range then they will have control over the entire Karakoram pass, he added. A Defence Ministry source said the Army has given a detailed feedback on Siachen vis-à-vis possible implications of moving out of the glacier. While Islamabad keeps on convincing us to demilitarise Siachen, there has been no shift in the strategy of ISI and the Pakistani army, he added. At the same time we are also aware of the fact that large number of Chinese troops is present in Pak-occupied-Kashmir, the source said. “At present, the Indian Army has its dominance on some parts of the Karakoram pass and within our range. We can’t afford to give up our advantage to Pakistan just because they want to demilitarise the glacier,” added the source. Pakistan wants India to withdraw to positions that existed in 1984 while India insists upon Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) and wants Pakistan to authenticate it on the map. The AGPL is not clearly marked beyond NJ-9842, just short of the Siachen glacier, thereby triggering the dispute between the two countries.
	JKCA blames senior cricketers for prevailing chaos Tribune News Service Jammu, November 25 The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has termed the boycott of Kashmir province players over the alleged biased selection for the ongoing Ranji Trophy match as unfortunate. It has blamed senior cricketers for the prevailing chaos. The association said it did not want to spoil the future of any cricketer by taking stern action, saying that they were wise enough to differentiate between the right and wrong. Due to the boycott by players of the Kashmir province, the JKCA had decided to field the Jammu province squad to represent the state in the ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Andhra Pradesh. The match was held at the hostel ground of GGM Science College, Jammu. JKCA treasurer Manzoor Wazir while confirming the development said, “What is happening right now is not a good sign for the game.” “During the team selection, we had proposed to select players for all formats and not only for the Ranji Trophy. This was done so that those who players who do not get a chance to represent the state will get in another tournament but unfortunately the formula did not work out,” said Wazir. “It is unfortunate that the JKCA has not been able to select a balanced team for the match owing to the stalemate. We tried our best to convince the revolting players to find out an amicable solution but in vain,” he said. “The selection panel has no choice but to select an all Jammu team for the crucial tie against Andhra Pradesh,” the JKCA treasurer said. Sources said before the selection of the state team, the selection panel had expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of senior cricketers and warned that they would not get any chance in future, if they failed to perform. The sources said JKCA chief coach Bishan Singh Bedi was also not satisfied with the fitness of some players, especially senior cricketers, who were on the verge of their retirement. They claimed that the selectors had proposed the names of three players for leading the state team, Ian Dev Singh, Parvez Rasool and Adil Reshi.
	24x7 drug de-addiction centre at Jammu soon Tribune News Service Jammu, November 25 With the drug menace taking a toll on the health of people, especially youth, the state will soon have a first-of-its-kind 24x7 drug de-addiction centre in the winter capital. A survey by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme in 2008 had put the number of drug addicts in Kashmir at 70,000. Since then the drug menace has spread across the state, inviting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s reaction on November 14. Omar termed the drug menace as the “worst enemy of civilisation” and “more dangerous than militancy”. “A 24x7 drug de-addiction centre with 25 beds in the psychiatric unit is coming up near Government Chest Diseases Hospital. It is likely to be ready in the next two months,” said Dr JR Thappa, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). At present, the Out Patients Department at Government Medical College caters to drug abusers. In case of hospitalisation, patients are referred to Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital. “The drug de-addiction centre will thoroughly treat drug abusers and help them quit drugs,” he said. “A new psychiatric unit with 125 beds (100 for psychiatric patients and 25 for drug addicts) at a cost of Rs 22 crore is coming up near the GMCH,” said Dr Thappa. He said drug abuse had assumed a serious proportion among unemployed youth and teenagers because of factors like peer pressure to perform well in academics, disturbed families and a strong desire to do well in life. He said the new psychiatric unit would have a counselling centre for drug abusers, de-addiction laboratory and training centre to train doctors from peripheral areas in psychiatry under the District Mental Health Programme. Besides conventional form of drugs like opium, marijuana, cannabis, brown sugar and heroin, prescription drugs like painkiller injections, tablets and sedatives are also being widely used by drug abusers.