Srinagar, October 5
The two-day office lockout programme of the state government employees concluded today. A complete work crackdown was observed at various public department offices, schools and colleges.

Leaders of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) gathered at the Sher-i-Kashmir Park in Lal Chowk, Srinagar, to march towards the Civil Secretariat.

However, the Kothi Bagh and Shaheed Gunj police, stationed at Poloview, Residency Road and Jehangir Chowk, foiled the Secretariat gherao planned by the employees.

Senior JCC leader Shabir Hussain said various other leaders of the JCC and EJAC, including Parley Singh, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, Fayaz Shabnam and Peer Nissar, were shifted to the Central Jail, Srinagar, after being lodged at various city police stations for the past few days.

“Though EJAC president Mohammad Qayum Wani was released today, rest of the employees continue to be lodged in various jails. The state government has not given a convincing reply to the queries raised by us and we will continue to remain steadfast on our demands,” Shabir said, in reply to a statement made by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather that the demands of government employees are being considered seriously.

Shabir welcomed the statements of various senior legislators in the Assembly yesterday, including CPM state general secretary MY Tarigami and senior BJP MLA Chaman Lal Gupta, of expressing sympathies with the protesting employees and urging the state government to resolve their issues amicably.

The senior Joint Consultative Committee leader, however, said the regular warnings issued by the state government of strict action against the protesting employees would not make them shift their stand.

“Since most of our leaders are in jail currently, we are yet to decide our future protest calendar,” Shabir added.

The employees' demands include release of arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, removal of pay anomalies and regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers working in various government departments.

The other Joint Consultative Committee demands are inclusion of five years of contractual service of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers in the service book and regularisation of education volunteers after seven years of service.

Anantnag, October 5
Violent protests today erupted in Zalangam village of Kokernag in south Kashmir district after a 35-year-old woman was allegedly abducted, later released, by two men wearing Army fatigues.

Srinagar, October 5
Sports fields in every panchayat and block in the state are being developed under the new Central scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan, which is going to take off from October 15.

This information was given by the Minister for Medical Education, Youth Service and Sports, Taj Mohi-ud-Din in the Legislative Assembly here today. He was replying to the supplementary questions from legislators on the main question by Hakim Mohammad Yasin. The minister said that funds in this regard are being released by the Centre and under this scheme, sports academies would be set up in every district.

He said sports stadium in urban areas having a population of above 50,000 would also be developed. For the purpose, the government has already submitted DPRs of Rs 700 crore to the Centre for approval of funds, adding that sports stadia in these urban areas would be developed subject to availability of land as there is no compensation of land under the scheme.

Taj Mohiuddin said that under NYK, 8,000 youth have been engaged in the state during 2010 for two years and as per the Central guidelines, another 8,000 youth were engaged under the scheme in the state and the demand for extension of NYC youth already engaged was also taken up with the Centre which is under their consideration.

The Sports Minister said that during the last three years, no funds were received from the Centre under PIKA. He, however, said that the government has submitted utilisation certificates of the projects and now funds to the tune of Rs 2 crore have been received and liabilities would be cleared.

In reply to a point by opposition PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, the Minister said the department has already started counselling of youth who are drug addicts, at GMCs of Srinagar and Jammu. He said government would consider setting up drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres at sports stadia. He said the department has a provision for youth counselling and hopes to extend it to district level.

Handwara, October 5
Human lives continue to fall prey to attacks by wild animals and children are apparently more prone to such attacks. During the past two weeks, leopards have attacked and killed three minors in Kupwara.

Last evening, a leopard attacked and killed a minor in remote Sudal village of Handwara tehsil. The victim Hanan Manzoor, 3, was killed by a leopard near his home.

Reports said the leopard pounced on the child near his home and killed him on the spot before fleeing the spot.

The incident prompted strong protests against the wildlife department in village. The villagers blocked Sudal Handwara Road and raised slogans against the department. They alleged that the department had miserably failed to save human lives from beastly attacks.

“Humans, especially minors, continue to fall prey to beastly attacks and the department has been watching as a mute spectator. We will be forced to take to the streets indefinitely if the department does not take necessary measures to deal with movement of wild animals,” said Amir Din, a village elderly.

On September 26, Naveed Jahangir 7, resident of Pathan Mohalla, Munwan in Handwara tehsil, was attacked and killed by a leopard near his home. The incident triggered protests against the department.

On September 20, a leopard killed a class V student, Umar Manzoor Dar, near his home in Pazipora village.

Three days later, the mutilated body of the victim was found about 700 metres away from his home.

The wildlife department has already declared the leopard man-eater and employed professional hunters to kill the animal. “We have laid a few cages in the village to trap the animal. We will kill the animal as and when it is spotted by the hunters on the lookout,” said a wildlife official.

“People should stay away from fruit orchards and vegetable fields as the animal often takes shelter in such places in search of food and waits for its prey,” he added.

Srinagar, October 5
Shrugging off the claims of the doctors, paramedics and various political parties on spurious drug scam, the state government today said Maximizin-625 (Amoxyllin Trihydrate and potassium Clavulanate Tablets IP Batch no. PBT-1583 , manufacturing date: August 2012, expiry date: January 2014) manufactured by M/S AFFY Parenthals (a Himachal Pradesh-based drug manufacturing company) has been found out to be sub-standard.

In a written reply to a query raised in the state Legislative Assembly today, the official report of the state health department stated that around 2,65,000 tablets of Maximizin-625 were found to be sub-standard and were supplied to various hospitals based in Srinagar and Jammu. The 2,65,000 spurious tablets supplied to hospitals include 50,000 tablets supplied to SMGS Hospital, Jammu, 2,00,000 tablets supplied to Provincial Medical Store at Barzulla, Srinagar, 5,000 tablets supplied to Lal Ded Hospital, Srinagar and 10,000 tablets supplied to Medical Superintendent, Gandhi Nagar Hospital, Jammu.

The official statement revealed that the drug sample was sent to the Drug Testing Laboratory, Srinagar and as per the government analyst report vide number L/DA/ 2012-13/2012 dated March 15, 2013, the drug sample was not found to be of standard quality. The reason mentioned in the drug analysis report was that “Sample fails in identification test and also the content of Amoxyllin in the sample was found Nil.”

The official report says that the Drug Inspector concerned has launched prosecution against 15 persons in this case under Section 17-B, 18(a)(i) with Section 27(a) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Srinagar, October 5
A delegation from Kishtwar on Saturday called on the Kashmir Bar Association in the city and narrated their side of story about the communal riots that broke out in the region on August 9.

The delegation members alleged the youths belonging to the majority community in the area were on on run as they were being implicated in false cases, a bar spokesman said in a statement issued here today. The spokesman said the Bar Association had been requested to file a PIL in the High Court seeking impartial investigation into the Kishtwar violence.

He said a delegation of the Anjumani-Islamia, Kishtwar, which was headed by Qazi Iqbal-Ud-din called on the members of the executive committee of the J&K High Court Bar Association in Srinagar today, wherein the Ajnumani-Islamia members apprised the bar association about the happenings in Kishtwar from August 9 onwards.

"They delegation said in gunshop incident, 16 boys from their community have been booked and a challan has been presented against them in the court. Similarly, for the Chogan incident, a challan has been presented against 33 boys from their community and in relation to the Shalimar incident where a private vehicle was set on fire, a challan has been presented against 14 boys belonging to the majority community," the spokesman further stated.

"They said that no culprit belonging to the other community or any VDC member responsible for the communal violence has been arrested or booked in any case so far," the spokesman said. " The delegation said all the youngsters from their area were on the to evade the arrest because they were being implicated in false cases," the spokesman said. The spokesman said the delegation had requested the bar associations of Jammu and Srinagar to file a public interest litigation for an impartial and thorough probe in the matter.

Srinagar, October 5
Tangdar, a remote area of the Valley, appeared on the mobile telephone network of the country when BSNL and Airtel launched the service as promised by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during his last visit to Tangdar.

The Chief Minister had taken up the issue with the Union Telecom Ministry, underlining the need of the mobile telephone service in this remote area that remains cut-off from the rest of the country in winter. BSNL and Airtel accepted the challenge and made it possible for the people of Tangdar to avail the facility and be connected with rest of the world throughout the year.

The service would facilitate 34 villages of the area having population of over 22,920.

The mobile coverage will be for Tangdar, Bagibela, Kandi, Dildar, Khurpora, Gumal, Bankhora, Bala, Pik, Derinar, Barwan and Hajinar.

BSNL is already providing landline service in Tangdar through the satellite link. It has already provided public telephones to 33 revenue villages in the Tangdar-Karnah area.

After hearing the announcement of Tangdar getting the mobile telephone service after completing the test running by the two companies, people expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister.

They said the initiative of the Chief Minister was historic and a dream had come true.

The people of the area had long cherished for the facility, which is significant for them to remain in touch with other parts of the state and the country, particularly during the severe winter months when the area remains cut-off with the rest of the state.

Srinagar, October 5
After various mainstream politicians, including legislators from the CPI (M) and the BJP raked up the issues of the state government employees, the hardline separatist leader and chairman of the Hurriyat Conference(G), Syed Ali Geelani, said the state government should not look down upon the issues of employees.

He said employees had the right to protest in a civilised society. Geelani also condemned the use of force and coercion on protesting employees and asked the state government to desist from using the force.

He called for the amicable resolution of the employees' issue . "Unfortunately in the Valley, the way state government is sabotaging the right to freedom of expression will only add to the unrest prevailing here," Geelani said.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association, also came out in the support of the government employees and said that their demands were genuine. The association strongly condemned the arrest and detention of the JCC leaders who have been lodged in the Central Jail, Srinagar." it is unjustified that the leaders are being arrested for demanding the genuine rights of employees," the bar association said.

Jammu, October 5
Dogra Law College in collaboration with the placement committee of the college organised on Saturday a placement-cum-legal training and orientation programme on the topic "Prospects of Legal Education". The programme was organised with the purpose of making the law students understand the significance and efficacy of professional course like law with reference to their contribution and achievements in multifarious placement avenues at the national and global level.

The programme started with the lighting of a lamp, which was followed by an inaugural lecture by Prof Lalita Parihar, director-cum-principal of the college. She said a placement cell in an educational Institute played a vital role in the all-round development of students.

Gulchain Singh Charak, chairman, Dogra Educational Trust and former Minister for Higher Education, presided over the programme. In his presidential address, he said the college would do its best to make the students capable of making the optimum use of their capabilities.

He further said the college was striving hard to develop an effective placement atmosphere.

MK Bhardwaj, senior advocate and president of the bar association of Jammu, advocates Sheikh Shakeel, Monika Kohli and Deepika Thusoo were the main speakers on the occasion. The students also had an interactive session with the lawyers. Later, Gulchain Singh Charak, presented mementos to the guest speakers. 

Srinagar, October 5
The J&K police has made elaborate arrangements for the 17th All-India Police Golf Tournament to be held at Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar. A total of 120 golfers will participate in the three-day event. The tournament will start from October 8.

“Elaborate arrangements are in place for the event which is being hosted by the J&K police for the third time,” Director General of J&K Police Ashok Prasad told reporters in Srinagar.

The J&K police had hosted the tournament in 2002 and 2005. The J&K police has been a regular participant of the All-India Police Golf Tournament since its inception in 1996. The J&K team lifted the championship during the 11th edition of the tournament in 2007 at the Chandigarh Golf club.

Prasad, who was accompanied by Additional Director Additional Director General of Police Armed (ADGP) S M Sahai during the press briefing, said the tournament would provide a unique opportunity to players to strengthen the bond.

"Such events help in making the bonds stronger within the police community in the country," the DGP said. He said such events provide new avenues for the tourism industry in the state.

The registration of players will start on October 8 and the tee-off ceremony will be held on October 9. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony.

“The valedictory ceremony will be held on October 10 and J&K Governor N N Vohra will be the chief Guest,” Prasad said.

Srinagar, October 5
The Jammu and Kashmir Government is planning to set up a traveller's mart at Lakhanpur in Jammu. The government has already acquired and transferred 114 kanals to the State Tourism Department for setting up the mart.

This was stated by the Revenue Minister during the ongoing Assembly session today.

The minister submitted a written reply to the question raised by MLA Charanjit Singh.

Singh in his query had asked if the government had acquired 213 kanals for the establishment of the traveller's mart at Lakhanpur

"It is a fact that out of 213 kanals, 45 kanal and 3 marla of private land was acquired under the J&K Land Acquisition Act while 69 kanal and 15 marla state land was transferred in favour of the Tourism Department in 2007," the Revenue Minister stated in the reply placed before the Assembly today.

He, however, stated that the NOC for the rest of the land, measuring 98 kanal and 2 marla, belonging to the Irrigation Department of the Punjab Government was pending.

The Minister replied that out of 213 kanals , physical possession of 114 kanals has already been handed over to the Tourism department in January, 2010, by the revenue field agency.

Jammu, October 5
Stadium XI, Kathua, and Kings XI have notched up convincing victories to reach the next round of the ongoing Jammu Tawi Premier T20 Cup Cricket Tournament. The tournament is being organised by the Young Star Cricket Club (YSCC) at the M A Stadium.

In the first match, Kings XI drubbed RR Club by 6 wickets. Batting first, RR Club was bundled out for paltry 85 runs with Nitin Mehra and Bhanu scoring 18 and 17 runs respectively. Jagteshwar took three wickets for Kings XI while Sahil Gill and Vikrant shared 2 wickets each.

In reply, Kings XI achieved the target in 19 overs at the loss of four wickets. Nipun Verma was the top scorer.

He scored 45 runs while Rahul Pandal (18) and Jagteshwar (11) were the other notable contributors.

For RR Club, Sonu was the chief destroyer with 3 scalps whereas Sunil claimed one. Nipun was declared the man of the match.

In another match, Stadium XI, Kathua, trounced GMC, Jammu, by 54 runs. Batting first, Kathua accumulated 154 runs with the loss of four wickets in 20 over. Atul played a brilliant knock of 64 while Vishal contributed valuable 39 runs to the total. Jasmeet, Qaiser and Danish claimed one wicket apiece for GMC, Jammu.

In reply, GMC suffered a batting collapse and the team was bowled out for 100. For Stadium XI, Kathua, Prashant and Munish took 2 wickets each while Hari Om claimed one. Atul was adjudged man of the match. 

Jammu, October 5
Joint forum of Kashmiri Pandit organisations, a group of half a dozen organisations, today said a separate homeland for displaced Kashmiri Hindus is the only solution when it comes to the problems faced by the minority community in Kashmir.

A meeting held by the forum also decided to take proactive measures to consolidate the Kashmiri Pandit opinion to achieve the political aims of the community which had to leave the Valley due to threat from terrorists.

“The forum would reach out to more groups and associations to take the struggle in exile to its logical conclusion. It is heartening to note that all the major Kashmiri Pandit organisations have a homeland in Kashmir as their core political objective,” said Ashwani Kumar Chrangoo, president, Panun Kashmir.

He said this has been achieved by a consistent and continuous process of engagement with the community leadership and organisations within and outside Jammu and Kashmir.

The forum expressed dismay over the fact that the government has, in the current session Assembly session, not addressed a single concern of the displaced community while discussing various measures for the people's welfare.

“If the government fails to bring the Temples Bill in the current session of the Assembly, it would be tantamount to apathy of the government towards the concerns of the religious minorities ofthe state,” said H L Chatta, president, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC).

Members have advised Pandit youth to apply for the HRD Ministry's special scholarships for J&K state in all streams as the same has been made applicable to the displaced community too as conveyed to the joint forum specifically at their recent meeting in New Delhi.