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One month after quake, Doda awaits relief package
Hizb militant gunned down in Shopian
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Governor chairs UMIKS governing body meet
Guv reviews Science Congress arrangements
Demand to regularise
ETT enrolments rejected
MLA questions halt in release of funds
Slain militant was a bright techy, says friend
Firing by Pak aimed to stop work on two border posts
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One month after quake, Doda awaits relief package
Jammu, June 1 The fear of a major earthquake hitting the region again runs deep in the minds of people as hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the region since May 1, when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the area. The government has failed to organise any counselling or awareness drive to make people aware about precautionary measures to be taken during an earthquake. People of the area have been preparing food and spending nights in the open in fear from a month but they are yet to get a relief package from the government. “We have been spending the nights in the open since the earthquake hit the area. My house was completely damaged but we are yet to receive any relief from the government. We have lost hope that they will give us anything,” said Ram Raj (47) of the Atalgarh area of Bhaderwah. As per official data, more than 80,000 structures, including houses, were partially, severely or completely damaged during the earthquake. Many teams of the state and the Central government have assessed the damage but no money has been released to help the affected families. “In Doda, 48,755 structures have been damaged, out of which over 10,000 have been severely damaged, 1,061 have been completely damaged,” said Doda Deputy Commissioner Mubarak Singh. Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Saleem Muhammad said more than 22,000 structures had been damaged in Kishtwar while in Ramban district, 75 structures had been damaged. Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts are part of the erstwhile Doda district. A few thousand tents were distributed among people, a process in which allegations of favouritism were levelled on the administration. Free ration was being distributed among affected families. The ration was meant for the whole area after 40 to 80 per cent drought was recorded by government agencies but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah limited it to only the affected families, leaving in the lurch those who are safe from the damage of the earthquake but have little access to food. A day after the earthquake, J&K Minister of State (MoS) for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo toured Bhaderwah to assess the damage. Thereafter, Union Health Minister Ghulan Nabi Azad, a native of the Bhalessa area of Doda district, visited the area on May 4 and took on the government for misinforming the Centre about the damage. Though Azad managed to send tents and
other relief items from New Delhi with the help of Red Cross Society, no other relief item reached the area. Sources told The Tribune that Azad’s critical approach towards the state government in dealing with the situation had not gone down well with the Chief Minister. They said due to this, the politics over announcing the relief package for the region started, which is yet
to be witnessed even after one month. |
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Hizb militant gunned down in Shopian
Shopian, June 1 According to reports the encounter started on Friday afternoon, after a joint team of the 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Army and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police were fired upon by militants when the forces were cordoning off Wandana village of Wachi area in Shopian. “They were acting on a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area,” a senior police officer said. He said sensing the cordon, the militants, who were spotted in an open field, fired upon the forces leading to the encounter. “While they were being chased, an unidentified militant was neutralised, while the others took shelter in a house in the area.” The slain militant has been identified as Muhammad Ashraf Rather of Nowpora Payen in Pulwama. “He was a district commander of the Hizb-ul-Mujahdeen,” said the senior police officer. “We have recovered some weapons and a mobile phone from the site of the encounter,” he said. He said the house the militant had taken shelter in was partially damaged. The militant who was killed in the gunfight yesterday was identified as Sajad Ahmad Mir, alias Tajammul Islam, a resident of Litter area of Pulwama. Meanwhile, to rescue the holed up militant, the local residents area came out in large numbers and tried to break the cordon of the security forces. “Agitated residents resorted to stone pelting. The security forces lathicharged them and used tear gas shells to disperse them,” sources said. Other militants accompanying the slain militants, believed to be three to four in number, fled the spot. The security forces conducted a combing operation in the forest area for two days without any success. Later, the militant out-fit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack and hailed the militant killed during the encounter. |
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PDP failed to highlight public grievances in Assembly: CM
Srinagar, June 1 He took a dig on the PDP leadership for “duping their voters by remaining absent from legislature proceedings and denying them the democratic right to be heard in the highest forum of the state”. “The PDP leadership loves to stay away from the Assembly and prefers talking outside. So, it should be given full opportunity of this kind in the six years following the general elections,” he said while addressing a rally in north Kashmir’s Baramulla town after inaugurating a power grid station at Delina. "They (PDP legislators) need to be replaced by people who are public friendly and enthusiastic about serving people meaningfully and making the government answerable on all fronts," Omar said. The Chief Minister asked the people to teach a befitting lesson to PDP legislators, including those from Baramulla, Sangrama and Pattan ( the assembly constituencies represented by the PDP), for ignoring their legitimate duty to highlight public grievances in the legislature and getting relief for them. “These people deserve to be kept out of the legislature business as they themselves prefer this style of functioning,” he said. Omar also expressed surprise over the “bizarre and brazen” approach of PDP legislators of remaining in the vanguard for receiving those who return from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the rehabilitation policy formulated and implemented by his government. Omar said the PDP and its legislators, when in power, had attacked the resolution in this regard in the Legislative Assembly, which was put forth by MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and supported by the National Conference. “The PDP denied the youth of Kashmir the chance of return and to live a peaceful life despite raising slogans of healing touch,” he said, adding, “When the opportunity came their way to deliver on their promises, they failed miserably.” |
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Guv inaugurates conference on orthopaedics
Srinagar, June 1 The Governor inaugurated the 32nd North Zone Annual Conference of the Indian Orthopaedic Association organised by the Department of Orthopaedics, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Medical College, Bemina, at SKICC, today. The Governor also stressed the need for progressively enlarging specialised medicare centres within the state to enable timely and effective management of various diseases, particularly orthopaedic problems. Referring to the workshop organised as part of the conference on shoulder arthroscopy at SKIMS yesterday, the Governor noted that such demonstrations would help young orthopaedic surgeons to learn these techniques from the eminent experts in this arena. The Governor congratulated Dr D Paljor and his team for arranging the conference and wished fruitful deliberations to the participants. The Governor also released a souvenir brought out on this occasion and gave away honorary fellowships to three doctors at the function. The Governor also congratulated them for their notable contributions in their field. Earlier, the Governor
lit the ceremonial lamp to mark the start of the conference. |
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Governor chairs UMIKS governing body meet
Srinagar, June 1 The Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the Kashmir University and Chairman of the Governing Body of the institute, said this while chairing the governing body meeting of the UNESCO Madanjit Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies at Raj Bhavan here today. The Governor emphasised the value of approaching eminent academics to deliver lectures at the UMIKS for the benefit of the scholars and students pursuing their studies and research projects at the institute. The Governor said the contents of the proposed courses of study and the subjects of research should be relevant and such as would attract scholars from the SAARC countries to gain admissions to the UNESCO Madanjit Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies. The Governor said the syllabus of the recently launched programme should be suitably re-looked, keeping in mind the views expressed by the members of the governing body. Referring to the need for a well-stocked library at the institute, the Governor observed that documentations and books available with the South Asia University and the SAARC Secretariat could be looked at and suitable understandings arrived at for UNESCO Madanjit Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies students utilising the available literature. The Governor suggested to the Vice Chancellor, Kashmir University, and the Director of the Institute, to initiate steps at least six months before the 2014 admissions to attract the best scholars from the SAARC countries. The Chancellor also welcomed and thanked Prof Mushir-ul-Hassan and RP Agrawal for accepting his request to be members of the governing body of UNESCO Madanjit Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies. Talat Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir; RP Agrawal, former Secretary, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development; Prof Mushir-ul-Hassan, former Vice Chancellor, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi; Prof Siddiq Wahid, Special Invitee; Prof Veena Sikri, Vice Chairperson, India Chapter, South Asia Foundation; Prabhakaran, Representative, South Asia Foundation; Navin K Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Zafar Ahmad, Registrar, Kashmir University; Gul Mohammad Wani, new director of the Institute: and other members of
the governing body of the institute took part in the meeting. |
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Guv reviews Science Congress arrangements
Srinagar, June 1 They discussed arrangements for Indian Science Congress in February 2014 by the University of Jammu. Both the Vice Chancellors briefed the Governor about the list of scientists and other dignitaries being invited to participate to the event. The Governor, who is the Chancellor of the University of Jammu, said it would be a historical occasion as top scientists from India and abroad would participate in the event. It is the first time that the mega science event will be hosted in the state. The Governor said he would discuss the arrangements with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He asked Navin K Choudhary, principal secretary to the Governor, to have a detailed discussion with Prof Ishar to identify issues for discussion with the state government. |
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Demand to regularise
ETT enrolments rejected
Jammu, June 1 Sources say a memorandum regarding regularisation of admissions made by promoters on their own for ETT course for the academic session 2011-13 was sent to the General Administration Department (GAD) for approval. The GAD has sent back the proposal and observed that, “The admissions in ETT institutions are regulated by the provisions of SRO 123 of 2010 which have not been adhered to while admitting students. The Department of School Education has separately proposed an enquiry to be conducted by the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, into illegal enrolment by private ETT institutions without adhering to the prescribed norms.” The department also stated “as the matter has already been enquired by the committee headed by the Commissioner, Finance, the need for further enquiry in this matter was not felt. The ETT institutions have resorted to illegal agitation pressing for regularisation of illegal enrolments. Section 32 of the BOSE Act provides that the government may order anything which appears to them necessary for the purpose or removing the difficulties that may arise, which give effect to the provisions of the Act”. “This section in no way interpreted to regularise the illegal act of admissions of students done with the sole commercial purpose. Such an action would tentamount to rewarding the culprits which will send very bad signals in the society. ETT institutions shall have to face consequences by not only refunding the fee of the students from outside the state but should be booked for cheating,” the letter claimed. It may be mention here that aggrieved by the court order regarding the conduct of annual examination of Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) students who were admitted after the completion of counselling process, the J&K State Board of School Education (JKBOSE), had filed a review petition challenging the single-judge order. The matter came to the fore when after the regular counselling to admit the ETT aspirants to pursue the course in 2011-13 session, more than 7,500 were left vacant due to poor outcome, the institutes then requested the BOSE chairman to extend the date. After submission of all the necessary formalities, the ETT institutes started admitting students for pursuing the course after this assurance that the list of candidates will be accommodated while preparing the final list of students who will appear in the annual examination. |
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MLA questions halt in release of funds
Jammu, June 1 In a statement issued here today, Gupta questioned the functioning of the coalition and asked why even the works taken up under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by legislators had been suspended and powers of the executive engineers for drawing and disbursing the payments had been stopped. “How and why is this happening?” he asked, adding, “The leaders of these parties need to tell people what is happening and who was guilty for the sad situation in which payments had been stopped.” “Due to this, the work on roads and lanes, pending from three years, has also stopped,” he said. He said of late, there was an air of differences between the two coalition parties but now the issue of stoppage of payments for the execution of developmental works was
also serious. Gupta said this coalition government was more like a marriage of convenience than that of any principle. He said the coalition partners did not have any common agenda. “When the government is about to complete its tenure and the elections are drawing nearer, such a situation speaks volumes about the coming events,” he said. Gupta asked the Chief Minister to convene a special session of the state legislature to explain the legislators what was happening and why the developmental activities had come to a halt. He said the Chief Minister should explain why meetings of the district development boards have not been convened even though two months of the new financial year had passed. |
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Young Rajouri scientist identifies new mushroom species
Rajouri, June 1 The 26-year-old scientist, who is a resident of Nowshera, nearly 110 km from Jammu, was awarded ‘Young Scientist Award’ in an international conference titled ‘New Horizons in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences’ organised by Sheetal Life Sciences at Dehradun (Uttarakhand) earlier this year. About 600 delegates across the country and abroad had presented their research papers in the conference. Nidhi had presented her research work on taxonomic and molecular identification of Verpa Bohemica, a newly explored fungi in Rajouri district. Speaking to The Tribune, she said, “I have explored this species of fungi for the first time from Rajouri district and determined the phylogenetic inter-relationship of the fungi with other species of fungi.” She said, “I worked as a research scientist in the National Centre of Fungal Taxonomy (NCFT), New Delhi, under the supervision of a well-known mycologist of India, Dr PN Chowdhry, who is also the director of the NCFT.” She said, “I had also contributed in two research projects - one in 2010 Commonwealth Games under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for estimation of air flora and trained students of 20 government schools in Delhi on mushroom cultivation.” She said, “I have 16 international quality research publications and I’m working on mushroom diversity in Rajouri district, which has not been explored by anyone before and is a hot spot of mushroom diversity. I have discovered 15 new mushroom species in Rajouri which are medicinally important and can help in curing cancer and AIDS.” Nidhi studied in Government Higher Secondary School, Nowshera, and completed her graduation in the science stream from Women Parade College, Jammu. She pursued post graduation in botany from Jammu University. “My dream is to establish a fully equipped laboratory here in my hometown to train local people about the significance of mushrooms so that they can contribute in building the economy of the region by taking up mushroom cultivation as a profession.” She expressed disappointment over the lack of support by the government. She said, “I have not been given any encouragement except a memento by the Sub-District Magistrate, Nowshera, on the Republic Day.” She said, “I want the government to support me in establishing a laboratory here. Presently, the equipment I have are not sufficient for the kind of research we are doing.” |
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Kashmiri singer to debut in Bollywood flick
Srinagar, June 1 Mehmeet, who was missing from the Kashmiri music scene for quite some time now, has made a big come back with her Bollywood debut. “I had not quit. I was busy with some domestic problems. My mother was unwell for many years. So I could not manage my singing career alongside. But, now I am back and dream of making it big in Bollywood,” Mehmeet said. She will be singing two duet songs in the film with the leading singers Javiad Ali and Sidhartha Slathia. Salim-Suliaman are the music directors of the film. “The songs have flavour of Kashmiri sufi music. There are kashmiri lyrics in the songs as well. I am fortunate to be a part of the project and to represent Kashmir in Bollywood,” a jubilant Mehmeet said. Mehmeet will head to Mumbai next week to finalise the deal with the director of the film, Shariq Ahmad and record her songs. Shariq met Mehmeet through common friends and asked her to sing in his visit to the Valley to shoot a portion of the film earlier this year.
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Slain militant was a bright techy, says friend
Srinagar, June 1 He left a postgraduate course in computer applications in the autumn of 2008 and went underground to resurface as a militant. Sajad, in his late 20s, had earlier done his postgraduation in Islamic Studies. He is the third well-educated militant to die fighting security forces in the last 10 days. His classmate at the Islamic University of Science and Technology said Sajad was a “brilliant student” and a deeply religious man. “He was from a non-technical background and he would pick up technical aspect so quickly that there was never a need to repeat it,” he said. He said Mir attended the post-graduate course in computer applications for a month before he disappeared in 2008. “The last we heard about him at the university was that he had become a militant and since then there was no news until I saw a picture of his body,” he said. A police official said Mir came on the radar of security agencies in early 2009 after it was confirmed that he had become a militant. Mir’s father is a bank manager, the police official said. |
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Firing by Pak aimed to stop work on two border posts
Srinagar, June 1 For the third time since May 24, Pakistani troopers opened fire on Indian positions in the Tutamari Gali of Nowgam sector of Kupwara district, 120 km from Srinagar. The latest ceasefire violations took place yesterday evening. “The repair and the construction was being carried after sunset and whenever the Indian Army tried to resume work, they were fired upon by Pakistani troops,” sources said. The Army authorities havedenied that any new construction activity in the Nowgam sector. |
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