The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	NC, Congress duel intensifies Cong leaders say there will be no pre-poll alliance with NC Tribune News Service Jammu, January 18 A day after National Conference leader Mir Sajjad Shaheen passed some remarks against Congress MLA GM Saroori, the Congress today hit back. Shaheen yesterday had decried Saroori’s “orchestrated” campaign against the National Conference and termed it as a “sign of frustration”. In a joint statement issued here today, Congress leaders said so-called NC leaders were “exposed” before the public and were “mentally bankrupt” who in “utter frustration” were issuing statement “out of their whims”. Congress leaders claimed that the party would emerge strong in Parliament and Assembly elections and the next Chief Minister would be from the Congress and there would be no pre-poll alliance with the NC. “The NC is dependent on the Congress and without its support they can lose power. It is because of the Congress that Omar Abdullah continues to be the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Congress leaders said. The signatories to the statement included Naresh Kumar Gupta, Congress district president, Doda, MLCs Subash Gupta and Sham Lal Bhagat, Secretary, JKPCC, Thakur Jugal Bhandari, block presidents and secretaries of the Congress, including Mohammad Iqbal Keen, Ghulam Qadir Sheikh, Mohammad Iqbal Teli, Ch Abdul Rashid, Piyaray Lal Sharma, Akhtar Tatani, Asgar Khangi, Mushtaq Ahmed Hap, and Mahinder Singh Parihar. They alleged that the NC was losing ground in the state and the utterance of so called NC leaders, who had no base among the common masses, was the outcome of frustration as the hollow slogans of autonomy had turned futile. Bickering in coalition * National Conference leader Mir Sajjad Shaheen had decried Saroori’s “orchestrated” campaign against the National Conference and termed it as a “sign of frustration”. * Congress leaders said so-called NC leaders were “exposed” before the public and were “mentally bankrupt” who in “utter frustration” were issuing statement “out of their whims”.
	PDP protests govt ‘failure’ in restoring road connectivity after snowfall Tribune News Service Srinagar, January 18 The PDP staged protests against the alleged negligence of the government in handling the situation after the recent heavy snowfall in the Valley today. Senior leaders of the party led the demonstrations at different district headquarters of the Valley, including Srinagar, blaming the government for not providing adequate facilities following the recent snowfall. The leaders claimed that the people had to face a lot of problems in the absence of basic amenities and lack of essential supplies in view of the snowfall. They alleged that the government had failed to restore essential services and road connectivity in time, leading to immense difficulties to the people across the Valley, particularly in distant areas. The demonstrations here were led by senior leader and former minister Tariq Hameed Qarra, along with Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Khursheed Alam and Altaf Bukhari. They led a demonstration from the party office at Sher-e-Kashmir Park to the Residency Road, which culminated at Regal Chowk. The party workers led by Fayaz Ahmad Mir staged a protest march against lack of basic facilities like power, healthcare and potable water in the district. Protests were also held at Ganderbal, Bandipore, Baramulla, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama.
	Police foil PDP’s bid to protest against NC govt Tribune News Service Jammu, January 18 The police today lathicharged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) activists and foiled their attempt to take out a protest against the state government. Senior party leaders, including former Rajya Sabha member Trilok Singh Bajwa, were taken into police custody when they tried to break through the police barricade. As the PDP had announced to protest against the “failure” of the Omar government today, there was heavy police deployment outside the party office to stop workers from demonstrating. The PDP workers tried to move towards the Jammu-Pathankot national highway, but the police used a mild lathicharge and water cannons to disperse them. Former MLC Ved Mahajan, Surinder Choudhary, RK Bali, Puneet Jamwal, Varinder Singh and some other party leaders received minor injuries during the lathicharge.
	PM to inaugurate Katra rail link on Feb 3 Our Correspondent Udhampur, January 18 Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to inaugurate the Udhampur-Katra rail link on February 3. While trains are already running up to Udhampur, the Railways will open the 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra section after the Prime Minister flags off the first train from the Katra station. The Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) as per the schedule will conduct statutory inspection of the track on January 27. Train connectivity to Katra is a part of the Kashmir rail link project and has been executed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,050 crore. “The section can be opened for the normal train traffic only after the CRS issues a certificate declaring that the section conforms to all the safety parameters and fulfils other laid down criteria, including facilities for passengers,” sources said. Prior to the finalisation of scheduled flagging off ceremony of the rail link to Katra, the Northern Railways has already conducted a mandatory trial run on the 25-km Udhampur-Katra stretch during December last year. Suleman Salaria, IGP, Railways, has also undertaken a detailed inspection of security arrangements being put in place and set up the entire security grid on the route before its inauguration by the Prime Minister. The survey on the Udhampur-Katra project was conducted in 1998, but the groundwork started in 1999 setting 2005 as deadline to connect Katra with the rest of the country. The construction work, however, was brought to a halt in 2006 when engineers came across a water body in the middle of the alignment of the 2.4-km-long Tunnel No. 3 (T3) and the design of the tunnel had to be changed. In 2011, the work was once again stopped when the Tunnel No. 1 collapsed and other tunnels also faced seepage problem.
	Sunanda’s death shocks her neighbours in Jammu Tribune News Service Jammu, January 18 The sudden death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, has left those living in the neighbourhood of Pushkar Niwas at Channi Himmat here in shock. It’s all quiet at Pushkar Niwas, the house that belongs to Sunanda’s father and where she spent some time before moving to Mumbai in the early 1990s. Neighbours recall the good times they spent with her family after thousands of Kashmiri Pandits migrated from the militancy affected Valley. Sunanda’s father Lt Col (retd) Pushkar Nath Dass moved to Patiala after the death of his wife a couple of years back and the house at Channi Himmat is now being looked after by domestic help Harbans Lal. With tears in his eyes, he recalls that Sunanda was like a sister to him and was very caring. “She last visited here along with her father two years back and stayed for a day. She was a strong woman. I am totally shocked at Sunanda didi’s (sister) death,” Harbans said. He has been with the family for six years. “I have been trying to call uncleji (Lt Colonel (retd) Dass), but his phone is switched off,” Harbans said. Though, the residents had little interaction with Sunanda, they remembered other family members, especially her parents. “After his wife died, Dass saab left Jammu to live with his son. Sunanda’s death is sad news for the entire locality,” Praveen Kumar Gupta, a neighbour, said.
	‘Balidan Stambh’ gets sponsor for eternal flame Amit Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, January 18 After over four years of handing over the “Balidan Stambh” to the state, the war memorial has got a sponsor — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) — to supply gas to light its eternal flame. General Officer Commanding (GOC), Tiger Division, Major General Dushyant Singh today lit the flame. The Balidan Stambh, which was handed over to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by the then Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor, on November 24, 2009, has been neglected by the authorities. Neither the Army nor the state government is maintaining the memorial. At the base of the tower, the flame is supposed to be lighted but as it requires six LPG cylinders per day, no one has funds for it. Finally, the Army has got a sponsor to light the flame. Sudeb Gupta, Executive Director, IOC, Punjab State Office, who was present at the ceremony, pledged the free LPG supply for the eternal flame as a mark of respect for the Army martyrs. But other things remained same, the fountains inside the Balidan Stambh premises remained dry, tiles and some plates of the main tower (stambh) were also broken.
	Army Chief meets Governor Jammu, January 18 General Bikram Singh, Chief of the Army Staff, accompanied by Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, Northern Army Commander, called on Governor NN Vohra here at Raj Bhawan today. General Singh briefed the Governor about the obtaining security scenario, incidence of ceasefire violations along the International Border and Line of Control and the Army’s preparedness to deal with any emerging situation. — TNS
	Panic in Srinagar after militants open fire at CRPF patrol party Tribune News Service Srinagar, January 18 Panic gripped parts of the city after militants opened fire at securitymen on the Srinagar bypass road here today. “The militants fired to create panic and they fled away in a car,” Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) spokesperson Kishore Prasad said. The officer, however, pointed out that the firing was not aimed at the security personnel. “The firing was not aimed at the paramilitary men who were deployed in the area,” Kishore said. Soon after the incident, a large contingent of police, CRPF and the Army reached the spot and cordoned off the area. The traffic on the busy bypass road was suspended for some time and a search operation was launched in the adjoining areas to nab the militants. Meanwhile, the residents claimed that security men retaliated the firing and it continued for a brief time creating panic in the area. On December 11 last year, militants had shot dead a CRPF officer on the same highway. The 14-km-stretch from Pantha chowk to Parimpora on the Srinagar bypass road had featured four deadly attacks on the securitymen last year in which 15 men, comprising eight Armymen, six CRPF personnel and a BSF jawan, were killed.
	BSF to try its personnel for Gool killings Tribune News Service Jammu, January 18 The Border Security Force (BSF) is all set to take over the trial into the Gool killings in which four people lost their life and 40 others were injured. The decision comes after the Court of Inquiry exonerated the BSF personnel citing that they were forced to fire in self defence. The BSF in all likelihood is going to take over the FIR filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the case and conduct the trial, sources said. The move is permitted under the BSF rules which give authority to the Director General, BSF, to take custody of the men accused of firing and try them in the force court. “Under section 80 of the BSF rules, the Director General, BSF, has powers to take over the trial. The BSF court has the same powers as a civil court and can even award death penalty,” a source said. The BSF personnel had allegedly opened fire at a mob after it tried to rampage its camp at Gool in Ramban district on July 18 last year. The mob was protesting the alleged desecration of aholy book by the BSF personnel and beating a local Imam and his brothers. So far the police have arrested few people, including the local Imam and his brother, for inciting violence and provoking people against the BSF. But no security personal has been apprehended in this regard. The police claimed that inquiry was going on and if any BSF personal was found guilty he would be punished as per the law. The case BSF personnel had allegedly opened fire at a mob after it tried to rampage its camp at Gool in Ramban district on July 18 last year.
	Operational capacity of Srinagar Air Force station reviewed Tribune News Service Srinagar, January 18 Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command, Air Marshal SS Soman today assessed the operational capabilities of Air Force Station, Srinagar. His two-day visit to the Valley concluded today. “The AOC-in-C was given a presentation on the operational role of Air Force Station, Srinagar. He assessed the operational capabilities of each unit and section of the station. He also reviewed infrastructure development being undertaken at this premiere base of the Indian Air Force. He interacted with officers and civilian staff of the station and appreciated their professionalism,” a defence spokesman said.
	Geelani donates his property Srinagar, January 18 Chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani today announced the transfer of his entire immovable property, including his residential house in Srinagar, to a trust. The decision in this regard was taken by him during a meeting here on Saturday, a statement from Geelani said. — TNS