Srinagar, June 27
A bus carrying school children met with an accident near Foreshore Road on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar in the morning, injuring 13 students and two teachers.

Police said the school bus of Green Way School, Khulmulla, Ganderbal, 21 kilometres from Srinagar, was on way to the picnic spot of Pahalgam in south Kashmir when the driver lost control on the vehicle and it turned turtle.

“After the driver lost control on the school bus, it hit the central divider and turned turtle,” police said.

Locals rushed to the spot and rescued the children. Thirteen children and two teachers sustained injuries in the accident.

Police said the condition of all the injured was stable and they were discharged from the hospital after first-aid treatment.

Meanwhile, two persons died in separate road accidents across the Kashmir valley since Wednesday evening.

Police said an unidentified tipper hit and injured a pedestrian Mohammad Shafi of Kolkata near ITI crossing, Bemina, Srinagar, on Wednesday evening. The injured was shifted to Bemina Hospital, Srinagar, for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries.

In another accident, police said, an unidentified Maruti car hit a Scooty (JK01R/8321) at Mill Stop, Zadibal, Srinagar, resulting in the death of scooter driver Amjid Hussain Mir, a resident of Zari Mohalla Lalbazar, Srinagar, on the spot.

• Police said an unidentified tipper hit and injured a pedestrian Mohammad Shafi of Kolkata near ITI crossing, Bemina, Srinagar, on Wednesday evening. The injured was shifted to Bemina Hospital, Srinagar, for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries
• An unidentified Maruti car hit a Scooty (JK01R/8321) at Mill Stop, Zadibal, Srinagar, resulting in the death of scooter driver Amjid Hussain Mir

Srinagar, June 27
For the first day of this year’s Amarnath yatra tomorrow, 12,717 pilgrims have secured registration to trek to the holy cave. Out of them, 6,150 will leave from Pahalgam and 6,567 via the Baltal route.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) this year has fixed a ceiling of 15,000 yatris per day on both routes to the cave shrine. This excludes pilgrims who travel by heli services up to Panjtarni, 6 km short of the shrine. Their number normally varies between 1,000 and 1,400, depending upon the number of sorties which are undertaken during the day, which would be based on the weather conditions.

This was disclosed at a meeting held here today to review the final yatra arrangements under the chairmanship of Governor NN Vohra, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.

The Governor has directed the CEO of the shrine board to obtain the final reports from all camp directors on the arrangements put in place.

The CEO has been directed to immediately speak to the Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police of Ganderbal and Anantnag districts to personally oversee the management of the Access Control Gates at Domel and Chandanwari and ensure that only those yatris who possess valid registration permits are allowed to embark on the yatra. Instructions in this regard have already been issued to the camp directors and police officers responsible for enforcing effective Access Control measures.

Srinagar, June 27
Expressing displeasure over the lacklustre response of the authorities to the directions issued for implementation of the Food Safety Standards Act and rules, the J&K High Court has given the state government two months to comply with its directions issued from time to time, failing which, the Chief Secretary has been directed to appear in person.

These directions were issued by a division of the High Court headed by the Chief Justice MM Kumar in a PIL seeking court directions commanding the respondents to implement the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules 2011.

Earlier, the state counsel had sought two months time for compliance with the court directions in the PIL and had also submitted a formal application in this connection.

The court has been seeking compliance with the set of directions issued by it in the PIL from time to time, more particularly the directions issued on December 31, 2012.

The directions included constitution of a separate food safety organisation, appropriate service as envisaged under the Food Safety & Standards Rules 2011, creation and appointment of the staff to man the organisation and setting up of a functional laboratory for testing food samples for adulteration.

However, as the matter came up for hearing today, the bench expressed its displeasure over non-substantial implementation of most of the directions issued by the court in the matter so far.

“The court expressed its displeasure over the tardy response by the government functionaries towards implementation of the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules 2011 and has now granted J&K government two months time to comply with the directions,” advocate Tassaduq Khawaja, who is representing the petitioners in the PIL, said.

In case of failure to do so, he said, the court has further directed that Chief Secretary MI Khanday will appear in person on the next date of hearing, fixed after two months.

Srinagar, June 27
The Army recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunitions in Kupwara district yesterday. A defence spokesman said the recovery was made on Wednesday after specific intelligence inputs.

“The cache could have been used by militants for violent activities in the region, particularly with the Amarnath yatra beginning tomorrow,” the spokesman said.

The recovery was made from Shamsabari near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara.

“During searches, troops of 41 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion of Hajipir Brigade recovered two anti-tank mines, 55 anti-personal mines, 10 hand grenades, eight flame-thrower tubes, eight RPG rounds, two 105 mm artillery shells, 100 detonators, 1,500 rounds of AK ammunition and 35 kg RDX packed in 75 plastic containers,” he said.

The spokesman said the cache was carefully concealed behind boulders in the thick jungles on the upper reaches of Shamsabari.

“This is a major recovery and has thwarted the nefarious designs of militants who want to disturb fragile peace in the Kashmir valley. The cache could have been used by militants for violent activities in the region, particularly with the Amarnath yatra beginning tomorrow,” said Brig Ram Niwas, Commander of Hajibir Brigade.

Kupwara, June 27
Gusty winds followed by heavy rains and hailstorm last evening damaged paddy crop, vegetable fields and orchards in a few hamlets of Manigah block in Kupwara district, leaving the farmer community high and dry.

The hailstorm ripped through maize and paddy crops and badly hit the vegetation for about 30 minutes. “About 4 inches of hailstones accumulated on the ground. A hailstone weighed about 20 to 30 grams. The hailstorm damaged the crops and vegetable fields to the hilt as gusty winds and torrential rains flattened the crops in its peak season,” said Bhagoo Malik, sarpanch, Manigah C.

The Kupwara DC Itrat Hussain said a team of officials led by tehsildar Kupwara has been deputed to the affected villages to assess the loss. “The team will submit the report and the government will consider the compensation to the affected farmers accordingly,” said the DC.

The worst-hit hamlets in Manigah include Hajinakah, Beerambal, Chutwan, Subaya, Sonawali, Wati and Dhana. The farmers appealed to the administration to assess the loss for compensation.

“The paddy and vegetable fields are submerged in rainwater. We have lost everything to the natural disaster and are afraid that our children may face starvation-like conditions. We make a fervent appeal to the authorities to compensate for the loss,” said Abdullah Malik, a farmer from Hajinakah.

Following an improvement in weather conditions today, farmers were seen draining the rainwater from fields. Reports said crops in a few villages of Lolab valley including Warnow, Doban, Shalgund, Krusan and Khurhama were also affected by the gusty winds and torrential rains.

A windstorm also affected crops, vegetables and fruits in parts of Baramulla and Handwara.

Reports said around 4 pm yesterday, windstorm hit many areas, wreaking havoc on the crops and fruits. The worst-hit villages include Rajwar, Bakiakar, Kasloo, Rafiabad, Kahipora, Kanispora, Sangrama, Watergam, Dangiwacha, Ladoora, Mazbugh, Hadipora, Tangmarg, Wagoora, Kreeri, Sheeri, Sopore, Rohama and Rafiabad.

“We were expecting a good yield this year, but windstorm inflicted about 60 per cent loss on fruit and paddy crops. Unseasonal rains have already affected the growth of crops a few weeks back,” said Ali Mohd from Rajwar.

Srinagar, June 27
Kashmir got respite from the heat wave today after receiving rainfall from the wee hours. Most parts of the Valley had been witnessing a maximum temperature around mid-30 degrees Celsius for past many days, while more rain is expected till Sunday.

A Meteorological Department official said Srinagar received 13.6 mm rainfall while Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded 10.8 mm rainfall during the day. Similarly, south Kashmir tourist resort Pahalgam recorded 16 mm rainfall while border town Kupwara recorded 7.5 mm rainfall.

Several roads of the city were water-logged following the rainfall that continued till around 11 am. Due to the rainfall, maximum temperature in the summer capital dipped to 23.4 degrees Celsius as compared to yesterday’s 32.5 degrees Celsius. Other parts of the Valley too witnessed a dip in day temperatures. Qazigund recorded a maximum temperature of 22.7 degrees Celsius while Kupwara saw a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam recorded a maximum of 16 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperatures at Srinagar, Qazigund, Kupwara and Pahalgam stood at 19.1, 17.8, 17.5 and 15.0 degrees Celsius respectively. Even though most parts of the Valley did not receive showers in the afternoon, Director MeT office Sonum Lotus said more spells of rainfall are forecast till June 30. A MeT official said moderate to heavy rainfall was expected in many parts of the state during the next 24 hours. Leh and Kargil in Ladakh region saw a high of 31.4 and 31.8 degrees Celsius respectively. The minimum temperatures at Leh and Kargil were 18.8 and 14.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

Kupwara, June 27
After she returns from school, Nuzhat Jan, 10, a Class V student, almost every day sits in the verandah of her house in anticipation of her father’s return home. She was just one-year-old when her father Abdul Hamid Sheikh, 29, a daily-wager in Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC), went missing, never to return home.

For the past years, her mother Sameera Begum, 28, has been persuading her not to lose heart, and health, in memory of her missing father and focus on her studies, but the absence of the father has impacted not only the education of the little girl but also her health.

“She has lost interest in studies and her health has deteriorated over the past few years. She often refuses to take meals, saying she has no hunger. She is hopeful that her father will return home one day, but with every passing day, she loses heart,” said Sameera Begum, 28.

Sheikh went missing on November 22, 2002, when he left home to attend to his duties at Panzgam Kralpora. Education of his son Zubair, studying in class VI, is equally affected. Like her sister, he too often enquires about his father and seldom does any home work.

“For a long time, my mother has been telling me that my father will come back home, but he is not coming to see me. He did not make a phone call either,” said little Zubair.

After extensive search among relatives and friends, the family filed a missing report in police station Sogam. “Police did not search for him extensively as he remains untraced for nearly a decade. We exhausted lots of resources on the search for him and went to ministers, seeking their help, but to no avail,” said Gh Hassan Sheikh, a farmer and father of Sheikh.

The family is living a miserable life ever since he disappeared. “He was the only bread winner of the family. He worked over-time to fulfil the family’s daily needs. I have no source of income and due to my ill-health, I am not even able to work as a daily labourer. At times, we face starvation-like conditions,” he added.

DC Kupwara Itrat Hussain said, “The government declares a missing person or a person who has disappeared dead after seven years of disappearance. In such a case, the family is entitled to ex-gratia relief, which includes a government job to the next of kin or cash compensation. The family should visit my office and the help would be extended under law,” said the DC.

Srinagar, June 27
Several ‘Preraks’ (trainers), who had been employed under the central Saakshar Bharat Mission (SBM) scheme, staged a protest here today, demanding release of remunerations.

The protesters held a demonstration at the Press Enclave area and also threatened to gherao the Civil Secretariat if their demands were not met in the next two weeks.

Mukhtar Ahmad, a protesting ‘Prerak’ from Budgam in central Kashmir, claimed they had not been paid remunerations for the past many months. He said they had been engaged with the Education Department in 2006 under the Total Literacy Campaign till 2010, after which, the scheme was renamed Saakshar Bharat Mission.

He said they would intensify protests and also attempt to gherao the Civil Secretariat if the government failed to address their grievances during the next 15 days.

Khursheed Bhat, another protester, said they were also demanding job security as they had been working as trainers for the past nine years.

He also said the Centre had extended the scheme till 2017 while claiming that the state government was yet to take any decision in this regard.

Jammu, June 27
The Jammu Joint Forum of Kashmiri Pandit Organisation (JJFKPO), a joint group of different groups of displaced Kashmiri Hindus today termed the statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over Article 370 as a publicity stunt to keep separatist happy in Kashmir. PK has said that Article 370 was temporary provision incorporated by the Centre for total integration of the state in the Indian Union.

A spokesperson said the statements by the CM and his party on issues of Autonomy, Article 370 and national security had created an unpalatable situation.

Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, president, Panun Kashmir, said, the state was always a part of India socially, politically and culturally since time immemorial, and the Instrument of Accession was only a legal requirement for the acceding state to execute before joining India. 

Jammu, June 27
JD Institute, Jammu today organised 5th annual exhibition Fashion Fiesta-2013 and a pre show of garments for an upcoming fashion show.

Creations of students of interior and fashion design were on display, including kurtis, suits, bamboo table, chairs and sheet work.

The events of the day included pre-show of garments.

Jammu, June 27
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) criticised the state government for its failure to provide basic amenities to the people of Samba district.

Addressing mediapersons here today, PDP district president Pawan Dev Singh said the state coalition government had failed to provide basic and essential commodities to the people.

He said during the whole season, there was acute shortage of water and electricity.

PDP youth leader Sunny Sangral said the district had been gripped by unprecedented crises due to the non availability of ration in government depots, as from the last three months sugar was not available in these depots. “If this continues as it is, the time will soon come when the government will be unable to provide even rice and wheat to the people,” he added.

Singh warned that if their demands were not met within a period of 10 days, the workers of PDP, along with the people of Samba district, would start a mass agitation against the government.—TNS

Jammu, June 27
Activists of the National Panthers Students Union (NPSU) demonstrated outside the Commerce College today and demanded dismissal of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his remarks on Article 370.

The protest was led by Sahiil Mushtaq, Deppak Raj and Sidhanth who accused Chief Minister for encouraging separatist elements and demoralising the armed forces.

Raising slogans, they condemned the Omar government for making no arrests for the killing of two policemen in broad daylight in the heart of Srinagar, which, they said showed the weak policies of the government.

“The government has brutally attacked human rights, and the continuation of present government could prove disastrous to national interest and democracy in the state,” said leaders of NPSU.

Protesters also expressed dismay over the ambush of an Army convoy in which eight soldiers laid down their lives for the country a day before the Prime Minister visited Kashmir. They also demanded action against the terrorists and their over ground workers. Student leaders demanded invoking Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir under which the government can be dismissed. 

Poonch, June 27
Under Operation Sadbhavana of the Army, 39 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), under the aegis of 6 Sector RR, organised an educational-cum-motivational tour ‘Sair-e-Gulistan’ for 23 children and two teachers from border villages in Krishna Ghati sector. Commander 6 Sector RR Brigadier NR Indurkar, along with Bagh Hussain, sarpanch, Darra Dullian village, flagged off the tour.

During the 10-day tour, the children will visit major cities of India, including Amritsar, Manali and Chandigrah.

Brigadier Indurkar, commander 6 sector RR said “The aim of the tour is to acquaint the children with the culture and traditions of other parts of the country. It will also help them know about the development taking place in the country.”

“The local people lauded the civil administration and the local army unit for working together to help develop the area and promote peace and harmony in the state”, said Brigadier Indurkar. Col Muneesh Kumar briefed the audience about the tour.

Chief Medical officer, Poonch, Dr Vijay Kumar Sahni, Sudarshan Sharma, principal, HSS Lassana, Pardeep Khanna and Bagh Hussain also spoke on the occasion.