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BJP can’t get even 543 nominees for LS: Azad
Security up in Kathua for Modi's visit tomorrow
Amarnath yatra: Online booking of copter tickets from March 27
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Militants
escape security cordon in Pulwama
LoC drug smuggling hatched in Dubai
NC’s dual policy caused many generations to suffer: PDP
Special drive to encourage tribals to vote in Reasi district
12 Poonch villages without electricity for last 45 days
Stray dogs forcing people in
Udhampur to live in fear
NC opposes extension of Tosa Maidan lease
Kupwara villagers seek action against violator
Election officer reviews work in Doda
Snow harms almond orchards, farmers shifting to apple
Ex-PDP leader joins AIP
Batamaloo residents take to streets against waterlogging
Rain lashes Valley, mercury drops
‘Pellets can cause grievous injury, damage eye’
Complex plastic surgery performed at city hospital
MC inspects anganwadis, takes food samples
Workshop on criminal justice and forensics
Employees protest against Estate Dept
Seminar on feminist transitions at Vaishno Devi varsity
Jammu varsity holds meet on environment issues
College holds annual function
World TB Day observed
Teenager killed, three hurt in Reasi accident
People briefed on TB prevention in Anantnag
Anganwari workers told to motivate people to vote
Wrestling tourney concludes
Two die in accident on highway
Yoga camp organised on Shahidi Divas
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BJP can’t get even 543 nominees for LS: Azad
Jammu, March 24 “This is the internal matter of the party. They can deny ticket to anyone but the amount of disrespect and disgrace shown to senior leaders of the party — right from LK Advani, Jaswant Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi, this is very surprising. This kind of disrespect has never been shown to any leader in the Congress,” Azad said when asked about the infighting in the BJP. The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister is contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time from Jammu and Kashmir. He will file his nomination papers in Kathua tomorrow. Azad, on the sidelines of his first public rally at Bhour Camp on the outskirts of Jammu city, after his nomination as the Congress candidate from the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, also dismissed any ‘Modi wave’ in the country. “There is no Modi wave in the country. I must say that had there been a Modi wave, it (BJP) would not have gone after other political parties. Why should they bother to placate somebody from the Congress, BSP, Samajwadi Party, some heroes and some heroines?Why should they call for help from other political parties?” the Congress leader asked. “All artistes from Mumbai have been collected to field them as candidates for Lok Sabha seats. They don’t even have candidates to nominate for all Lok Sabha seats. They have turned to artistes or leaders from other political parties for fielding candidates. I don’t think they have 543 members from their own party to enter the contest,” Azad mocked. To a comment that Army personnel could vote at their place of posting, Azad said: “Why should not they? It is a very good decision. We should not affiliate armed personnel — be it from the Army, BSF or CRPF — with the BJP or any other party. The Army is not the BJP. They are Indian first and Indian last.” He said he was hopeful that he along with his colleague from Jammu-Poonch parliamentary seat Madan Lal Sharma would get elected easily. “The kind of love and affection the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given to me as the Chief Minister and till today, we are hopeful of getting elected from both seats,” he said, adding that he has always worked on the
policy of development and will continue to follow it in Jammu and Kashmir also. |
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Security up in Kathua for Modi's visit tomorrow
Jammu, March 24 The Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate will address the rally to support party candidate for the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha segment Jitendra Singh. On September 26 last year, militants carried out an attack in Hiranagar, killing 13 persons. The militants were also killed. The police are not taking any risk ahead of Modi’s visit to Hiranagar town which is 16 km from the international border. They have alerted all agencies and paramilitary forces. “Apart from the police, paramilitary personnel will deployed during the rally. A three-tier security system will be put in place to make sure no untoward incident takes place,” said Mohan Lal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kathua. The SSP, Kathua, said the Border Security Force (BSF) had also been alerted on the international border to ensure that there was no infiltration. “We are leaving no stone unturned while making the security arrangements. Even the Army has been alerted and it is on a standby,” the SSP said. Modi will address the rally at the sports stadium in Hiranagar and the BJP is expecting a good show in the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency where it is facing competition from Congress candidate Ghulam Nabi Azad. Meanwhile, in charge of the BJP affairs in J&K Avinash Rai Khanna said: “We are satisfied with the security arrangements. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Kathua range, and other senior police officers are in touch with us and things are expected to go smooth.” |
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Amarnath yatra: Online booking of copter tickets from March 27
Jammu, March 24 The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has made arrangements with Pawan Hans Limited and Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd for providing helicopter services on the Neelgrath (Baltal)-Panjtarni-Neelgrath (Baltal) sector and with Himalayan Heli Services Pvt Ltd for copter services on the Pahalgam-Panjtarni-Pahalgam sector, said Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer, SASB. He said the online booking facility would be available to the intending yatris from 10 am onwards from March 27 on the websites of the aforesaid companies i.e www.pawanhans.co.in, www.onlineglobalhelicorp.com and www.himalayanheli.com. The one-way helicopter fares per passenger for the Neelgrath (Baltal)-Panjtarni and Pahalgam-Panjtarni sectors have been fixed at Rs 1950 and Rs 4190, respectively. Choudhary said the yatris who wanted to avail themselves of the helicopter service for their pilgrimage were not required to seek advance registration through the designated bank branches as their helicopter tickets would be treated as yatra
permits for undertaking the pilgrimage. However, yatris will be allowed to board helicopters only if they produce the Compulsory Health Certificate issued by the authorised doctor/ institute notified by their respective state governments. The yatris will have to furnish Compulsory Health Certificates at the time of boarding the helicopter at Neelgrath or Pahalgam, without which the boarding passes will not be issued to them. The CEO said with one credit/debit Card, a maximum of five passengers would be booked. The same credit/debit card cannot be used for booking tickets for the next three weeks. The credit/debit card used for booking shall have to be reproduced at the time of issuance of the boarding pass.
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Militants escape security cordon in Pulwama Pulwama, March 24 Official sources said acting on a tip off, a joint team of the Army’s 42 and 3 Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police laid a cordon around a house at Batipora Dadsara village of Tral. When the joint team intensified its search, the militants believed to be two in number fired some shots before fleeing from the spot. "A bag containing clothes and two magazines was recovered from the spot," a police officer who was part of the operation said. He said the militants probably escaped from the area. The cordon and search in the area was going on when the reports last came in.
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LoC drug smuggling hatched in Dubai
Srinagar, March 24 Two cross-LoC traders — Tariq Ahmed Sheikh from Baramulla and Showkat Habib from Bandipore — and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) truck driver Mohammad Shafiq Awan were taken into police custody after a case was registered under the NDPS Act upon the seizure of drugs from a PoK truck on January 17. Sources privy to the investigation said that one of the two detained cross-LoC traders during questioning disclosed to the police that Harjinder Singh, alias Happy Singh, a resident of Amritsar, and Azad, a resident of north Kashmir, now settled in Rawalpindi, had held a meeting in Dubai last year to smuggle drugs through the cross-LoC trade. “The detained trader disclosed that prior to the seizure of the drugs haul worth Rs 114 crore on January 17, two consignments of drugs had been successfully smuggled to Amritsar,” a source said. The sources said that after the recovery of the drugs from the PoK truck, phone calls were made to Tariq from Dubai. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the J&K Police probing the racket also carried out raids in Amritsar to nab Harjinder, who continues to evade arrest. The J&K police are contemplating handing over the case to a Central investigation agency as it has not been able to make headway after the arrest of the trio. “It is a massive racket and now with the Dubai and PoK angle coming forward, there has to be a Central agency such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which can investigate the case,” said a police officer. Deputy Inspector General of Police, north Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Bhat said the investigation into the drugs haul case was almost complete. “Our investigation in the case is almost complete and we will produce the charge-sheet in a week,” said Bhat. The cross-LoC trade on the Srinagar Muzzaffarabad route had remained suspended for nearly 40 days after the recovery of brown sugar on January 17. The crisis had worsened as 76 drivers had been detained on both sides for several days. After the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides exchanged the detained drivers on February 12. The trade on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route resumed on February 27.
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PDP appreciative of Vajpayee not BJP, says Mehbooba
Pulwama, March 24 “The PDP did not appreciate the BJP, but it appreciated the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had promised to solve Kashmir issue on humanitarian grounds and promote friendship between arch rivals India and Pakistan,” said PDP president and party’s nominee from Anantnag constituency Mehbooba Mufti. Mehbooba said that the PDP wanted to change the mindset of people sitting in New Delhi about a Kashmiri and make the Valley a bridge between Pakistan and India. Hitting out at the National Conference for its remarks over the “alliance” between the BJP and the PDP, Mehbooba said it was NC scion Omar Abdullah who began his political carrier in the “womb of the BJP”. Mehbooba alleged that NC went on to make thousands of people jobless by banning shahtoosh trade at the insistence of BJP MP and activist Maneka Gandhi. “She (Maneka) also criticised use of pellet guns against dogs, but unfortunately Omar Abdullah was using the same against Kashmiris,” Mehbooba said. The PDP leader added that it was rather the NC which joined hands with the BJP for a ministerial berth for Omar Abdullah. “The NC is also responsible for the disempowerment of the Legislative Assembly and its prestige,” she said. The NDA threw the resolution on autonomy, which was unanimously passed by the legislature, into the dustbin, despite that NC continued to serve with them, she alleged. Mehbooba also raked up the execution of Afzal Guru, saying that he was hanged just because he was a Muslim. “Afzal Guru would not have been executed if he would have been bearing a Hindu name. He was executed only because he was a Muslim,” she said, adding that it all happened because the NC has been supporting the
BJP. |
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Women to play key role in LS polls in J&K
Srinagar, March 24 Records suggest as compared to their male counterparts, women in J&K have not utilised their right to franchise significantly. During the 2009 parliamentary elections only 33.82 per cent women franchised in comparison to 45 per cent male voters. The overall voting percentage stood at 39.65 per cent. However, the number of female voters has seen an increase from 3,151,188 in 2009 parliamentary elections to 3,275,354 in 2014, which is likely to boost their participation in coming polls. The political pundits are suggesting that women factor is going to have a great impact on the election results and much will depend on the way the political parties project the issues concerning the fair sex during their poll campaign. National Conference spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu told The Tribune that his party has always been a staunch supporter of the women participation in politics. He added that as far wooing the women voters of the state was concerned, the party has adequately included their issues in its campaign. “In the wake of increasing number of crimes against women in the state, the present government acted tough and implemented the Sexual Harassment at Workplace bill. We have also constituted the Women’s Commission to look into the problems faced by the female folk of our state,” Mattu said. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the other hand sees its president and leader of the Opposition Mehbooba Mufti as an inspiring force for the women in state. For the last over two decades of turmoil in the Valley, Mehbooba has been the sole face of women from the state, said PDP chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar. “The women from state have been suffering, especially on the social and economic equality front. These concerns are time and again raised by the PDP,” Akhtar said. General secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee and vice president of the party’s women wing Shameema Raina, however, said: “The present political arena of the state has still little space for women.” She, though, said things were improving gradually. “Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been actively advocating the women empowerment and it is one of our top priorities. State president Saifuddin Soz has maintained that the party will stand by women reservation in Parliament and state Legislative Assembly,” Raina said.
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Reject divisive forces: Cong candidate
Jammu, March 24 Congress candidate from the Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat Madan Lal Sharma was the chief guest at the meeting in which prominent workers of the Marh Assembly segment were present. At the meeting, the strategy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections was discussed. Panchayat campaign committees were constituted. It was decided that members would launch door-to-door campaign in favour of the NC-Congress coalition candidate Madan Lal Sharma. Speaking on the occasion, Madan Lal cautioned the people against the forces which exploit the people in the name of religion and region and indulged in vote bank politics. He urged the people to reject such forces which create hatred and division among people for their narrow political interests and vote for secular and progressive parties like the Congress in order to safeguard the interests of the state and the nation. He asked the people to choose secular and a 'unifying force' like the Congress for furthering the larger interests of nation and equitable development in the state. Speaking on the occasion, Thakur Balwan Singh said during the past 10 yeas the Congress-led UPA Government took historical steps which strengthened the democracy and development in all fronts. |
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NC’s dual policy caused many generations to suffer: PDP
Srinagar, March 24 Addressing party workers from the Sopore Assembly segment of the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency at Baramulla today, he said the lack of alternative to the National Conference (NC) had in the past resulted in its monopoly, leading to degeneration of the party into a "B-team" of either the BJP or the Congress depending on who
rules Delhi. Baig said places such as Sopore had suffered the most because of the instability in Kashmir brought about by unprincipled politics of the NC and its U-turns. He said many generations in the state had lost meaning of their lives as the NC had
pursued one policy in the state and followed other in Delhi. “In Delhi, they struck close relationships to seek favours and enjoy personal luxury, while in the state they at one time led the plebiscite front for 22 years and after surrendering that, assumed power to punish the people who still continue to be influenced by its earlier ideology,” Baig said pointing out that honest politicians such as
Sofi Mohammad Akbar represented a tragic example of the National Conference’s frequent volte-face. |
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Special drive to encourage tribals to vote in Reasi district
Katra, March 24 The drive was launched after a study conducted by a local NGO in Reasi district revealed that in the 2009 General Election only 20 per cent of the tribal population voted in the district. The overall voting percentage of the district was around 44 per cent. The drive was launched in the jurisdiction of 88 polling stations, covering over 19,000 tribal voters of the district. The study also revealed that in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, some of the polling stations recorded the lowest voting percentage, touching only 15 per cent in the tribal areas. The drive was launched from Sarsote village in Gulabgarh which recorded a voting percentage of 22.44 percent in last General Election. Officials showed the people how to cast their vote using an electronic voting machine by giving live demonstrations. Ahmad Din, a villager who registered himself at the camp, said: “In this camp I came to know about my voting right and the importance of my vote. With my vote I can participate in forming the government and I will vote.” Shenaz, 45, said, “I have never voted in any of the elections. I have no knowledge about voting. After participating in the camp I realised how my vote matters. Today, I have taken a pledge to vote and will bring my relatives to cast their vote.” During the camp, the voters' list was read out and people were told to fill Form 6 to register themselves. District Election Officer Shahid Iqbal said the objective was to educate the tribal and backward caste voters from remote areas and to instill confidence in them. Special camps are being held across the district which will end on
March 26. |
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12 Poonch villages without electricity for last 45 days
Poonch, March 24 “While political parties have been leaving no stone unturned to influence voters by guaranteeing them basic facilities at their doorsteps, around a dozen villages are without electricity for the past so many days,” said Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Kalai village. Power supply in most of the villages had been disrupted due to the recent snowfall and incessant rain. Power supply in Saujian, Gali Maidan, Bedar, Chhunga, Chhaprian, Trara Wali, Kalai, Bufliaz, Kulai and Mara has totally snapped and these villages have been without electricity for the last over 45 days. “We are unable to know about election campaigns of political parties as we are living without electricity and don’t have access to news channels these days,” said Mohammed Yasar, a local resident of Saujian Village. “Transformer in Traran Wali village suffered damage on February 25 and when we reported about it to the Power Development Department (PDD), the official concerned told us to bring the damaged transformer to the road so that it could be transported to the workshop for an early repair. We did so, but even after a month the damaged transformer is lying on the roadside and none from the PDD came to take it to the workshop,” said Mohammed Iqbal, a resident. He further said the power supply to his village remained disrupted since February 25. Executive Engineer, PDD, Maqbool Naik, admitted that the Poonch district was passing through power crisis. “It is right that in many villages we have not restored power supply. Heavy snowfall and rain have caused extensive damage to our power supply system in rural areas and we are taking it seriously to restore the supply in almost all the affected villages in the district.” |
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Stray dogs forcing people in
Udhampur to live in fear
Udhampur, March 24 Majority of the people living in Chenani, Ramnagar and Majalta tehsils of the district hesitate to venture out after the dusk or early morning as the dog menace in these areas has reached alarming proportions. In the absence of any strategy to tackle the problem, the people are forced to live in fear. As per the district Health Department records, dog bite cases have become a routine affair at hospitals in the area. At latest two cases of dog bite are reported everyday in the district. Over 1,000 cases of dog bite were reported during 2013, the data suggested. It added that this year, till February, 122 such cases were reported across the district. Most of these cases are from Chenani and Ramnagar tehsils of the district, an official said. “Due to increase in the population of stray dogs numbers of dog bite cases have increased in the last three years,” Chief Medical Officer Dr Arun Sharma said. He added that stray dogs were “dangerous” as they could cause serious diseases and disorders among humans and other animals like cows, etc… Sharma, meanwhile, said anti-rabies injections were administered free of cost to the below poverty line patients at government hospitals. He, however, said general public needs to buy the medicine from private stores and added that the cost of administering the injection to a patient at a private set-up can run up to Rs 2,000. “Earlier, we used to poison them, but since the ban by the Supreme Court we are feeling helpless. We have no other
means to catch stray dogs,” said Chief Executive Officer, Udhampur Municipal Committee,
KK Chalotra. |
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NC opposes extension of Tosa Maidan lease
Srinagar, March 24 Pointing out that the day to day life and local economy was getting affected due to the firing range, Wani said: “We are of the opinion that Tosa Maidan and Drang possess enormous tourism potential and hence request the government to explore plans to develop Tosa Maidan, Drang and adjoining areas as exclusive tourist destinations.” “The National Conference not only endorses the demand for the closure of the artillery range, but also demands that entire area be combed and scientifically sanitised to prevent any accidental harm to life and property,” the NC leader said in
a statement. |
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Kupwara villagers seek action against violator
Kupwara March 24 We appeal to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally intervene and stop the misuse of state land, said Devar villagers. They alleged that some politically affluent persons were grabbing the state land to fill their own coffers. We demand action against Abdul Jabbar Bhat, the villagers said, alleging that he was constructing a shopping complex on the state land near the bus stand. The locals alleged that Bhat bribed a few revenue officials and grabbed six kanals of the state land for the construction of the shopping complex. “Bhat has raised about 10 shops on the state land during the past few years. Although we made several representations to the tehsildar concerned, no action has been taken against him. Now he has grabbed another six kanals of state land and is building a shopping complex there,” said Riyaz Ahmad, local resident. “He enjoys political patronage and gets away without any action,” Riyaz said. Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, Itrat Hussain Rafique said he has already received a complaint from locals regarding the issue. “I have directed the tehsildar to visit the spot and ascertain the facts. If found guilty, the accused will be dealt under law and construction work would be stopped right away,” the DC said. |
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Election officer reviews work in Doda
Doda, March 24 The Assistant Development Commissioner, Doda, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Doda, Assistant Commissioner, Development, Doda, and Programme Officer, Integrated Child Development Services, Doda, were present. The meeting was informed that each parliamentary constituency had been divided into zones which were further divided into sectors from the security point of view. In each zone, a Zonal Magistrate will be deployed along with a Zonal Officer from the Police Department. In a sector, a sector-level officer from the Police Department will accompany the Sectoral Magistrate. Singh said the meeting was held to ensure a free, fair and transparent poll process. Elaborating upon the role of the Zonal and Sectoral Magistrates, he said their magisterial jurisdiction would be outside the polling booths and they would perform additional functions such as reporting the poll percentage in their respective zone/sector to the election control room on an hourly basis. The DEO said people could lodge their complaint related to the poll on helpline numbers 18001807070 (toll free), 01996-233010 and 01996-233951. |
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Snow harms almond orchards, farmers shifting to apple
Pulwama, March 24 Orchardists from the district alleged the inefficiency on the part of the government and the Horticulture Department was wiping out almond orchards in the district. People in the district are aghast against the authorities and the government over the negligence of the almond orchardists. "Before the snowfall happened, almond trees were attacked by porcupine and now the snowfall has given one more excuse for the farmers to cut the almond trees and plant apple trees in the most fertile and mineral-rich karewa soil," said Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Loswani, Pulwama. Almond orchardists said the government had not been able to provide proper incentives and standard class marketing for the dry fruit (almond), which had ruined the almond trade and compelled the orchardists to changeover to apple orchards which was fetching them high prices in the market. "One apple tree is worth 10 almond trees as apple fetches more price in the market than almonds. But, all I can say is that it was negligence from the part of the government that the almond orchards are becoming endangered," said Ghulam Mohammad Dar, president, Fruit Growers Association, Pulwama. “We are assessing the losses and it may range from two per cent to 55 per cent and the beneficiary committee is preparing the report to disburse relief to the orchardists," said Farpooq Ahmad Mirza, chief horticulture officer, Pulwama. He said the conversion of the almond land was grave in Awantipora Karewa Land, but the orchardists in the Karewa area of Parigam were still having a good prospectus. “Almond orchardists in the Awantipora area are not managing the orchards properly. The Parigam area of the Karewa land has managed it properly and are getting good dividends," he added. |
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Ex-PDP leader joins AIP
Srinagar, March 24 In a statement, the AIP said former PDP zonal president, Kangan, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, chairman of the Welfare Committee, Ahmadnagar in Srinagar, Bashir Ahmad Khan along with noted citizen Abdul Majid Bazaz had joined the party. “AIP party leaders welcomed the three new entrants into the party fold,” the statement said. |
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Batamaloo residents take to streets against waterlogging
Srinagar, March 24 In the wee hours, a large number of people, including women of the area, came out on the road and blocked the highway near the Tengpora bypass, resulting in a traffic mess for hours together. The protesters said despite their repeated pleas, the authorities concerned have turned a deaf ear to their problems. “We are living in a miserable condition. Now, the water has even started entering our rooms,” said Mohammad Aslam Malik, a resident of Mominabad. The residents said they fear that their houses would collapse due to the presence of rainwater that has inundated the area. “There are damaged houses in the area which can collapse anytime. Besides, water has seeped into our houses now,” said Malik. The protesters alleged that though the government had constructed drains in all adjacent areas, but ignored Moominabad. “We have always been ignored despite the fact that we have time and again appealed to the district administration to address our grievances,” said Sheikh Firdous. Sheikh added that they were left with no other option then to block the road to press for their demands. Residents threatened that if their demands were not fulfilled, they would hold a sit-in. The residents allege that the major cause of waterlogging is the recent construction of courts complex in Batamaloo. “The land on which the court has been constructed was the outlet for all waste. Prior to its construction, the government assured that they will provide the drainage system in the area, but later didn’t do anything,” said another protester. Moominabad Tengpora, an extension part of Batmaloo, is a low-lying area and two decades ago the land in the area was under paddy cultivation, which was later turned into residential colonies. “There is no drainage facility and during winters, the area gets submerged and the movement of people becomes difficult. Children find it hard to reach the educational institutions,” the residents said. Officials of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) said with the starting of the big drainage project in the city, the problems would be solved. “There is a massive drainage construction project for Srinagar in pipeline. Most of the areas in Srinagar will be benefited. People have constructed houses in low-lying areas so there are very less dewatering channels. Drainage problems in the city will be soon solved with the new infrastructure,” said commissioner of the Srinagar Muncipal Corporation (SMC) GN
Qasba. |
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Rain lashes Valley, mercury drops
Srinagar, March 24 The Srinagar-bound vehicles were stopped at Panthal due to landslides and stones falling from the mountains, said a traffic police official. “The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials stopped working due to rain as it triggers landslides at Panthal,” said the official. Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, received 3.4 mm of rainfall and recorded a minimum temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius, a Met official said. Pahalgam, a famous tourist resort in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius and received 1.2 mm of rainfall, he said. Kokernag, in south Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.1 degrees Celsius and received 6.9 mm of rainfall. Qazigund - the gateway town to Kashmir - recorded a minimum temperature of 6.4 degrees Celsius and received 1.2 mm of rainfall. Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of 4.1 degrees Celsius and received 6.9 mm of rainfall, the official said. The famous ski resort - Gulmarg - recorded a minimum temperature of 0 degrees Celsius and received 4 mm of rainfall. Kargil town recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, while Leh in Ladakh region recorded a minimum temperature of 1.1 degree Celsius, a MeT official said.
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AAP hits out at govt for ‘ignoring’ landslide-hit Budgam residents
Srinagar, March 24 AAP volunteers visited the villages on Sunday to assess the damage caused to the houses there due to the recent landslides. The AAP has appealed to the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to immediately visit these villages in upper reaches of Budgam where more than three dozen houses have been damaged due to continuous erosion of land after the recent snowfall. AAP leader and candidate for Srinagar parliamentary seat Raja Muzaffar Bhat said, “Many families in Frestwar, Hangoo, Neego, Loolipora, Watkaloo and other areas have suffered tremendous loss due to soil erosion and landslides, but the state government did not even reach out them for weeks together.” “It was only after AAP brought the matter into the notice of the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner and the Budgam Deputy Commissioner a few days ago that Tehsildar Khansahib visited one such village in Frestwar,” he said. He added that paying mere visits would not be enough and that the state government must declare the recent snowfall as a natural calamity and the victims whose houses have been destroyed must be provided compensation and enlisted in the beneficiary list of Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY). It is a matter of great concern that the authorities concerned have failed to even pitch tents in Frestwar and other areas so that people who have turned homeless could at least get a sigh of relief. “Many families in Hangoo area of Chadoora have been living in tin sheds for the past many months as their houses were demolished during the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana road construction and they are waiting for compensation for the past one year, but haven’t been paid the same. The tin sheds where many such families have been residing too have been damaged due to recent snowfall and the government is least bothered about the same and indicates that the government treats such people like animals,” said
Bhat. |
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International students’ conference on linguistics begins at Kashmir varsity
Srinagar, March 24 At least 110 participants from India and abroad are participating in the conference. The Students’ Conference of Linguistics in India (SCONLI) is a two-day international conference followed by a day’s workshop organised annually by the students of linguistics at various universities in India and abroad. Delivering the presidential address during the inaugural session of the conference, renowned mathematician of international repute and acting Vice Chancellor, KU, MA Sofi said, “Linguistics as a discipline demonstrates the pattern in a particular socio-cultural setup and the inherent desire to know more about any natural or man-made pattern of this world is universal.” Correlating linguistics with mathematics, Sofi said, “Language is a universal concept and everybody uses some form of language to communicate. However, there are a lot of similarities between mathematics and linguistics if we talk in terms of the pattern followed in both disciplines as forming a sentence by combining various words and alphabets is like forming a mathematical equation.” Referring to the application of catastrophe theory to linguistics, Sofi said the theory played a pivotal role in the past in understanding the various phenomena of linguistics. Registrar, KU, Zaffar A Reishi said linguistics in itself was a science and participation in such conferences and discourses would help the students in honing their communications skills, including the word syntax, dialect and pronunciation. Reishi said, “He hopes that such conferences will pave way for a multicultural dialogue and interaction between the students of KU and those from other parts of the country and world.” Shivrama Krishna, Deputy Director, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, delivered the keynote address on the occasion, whereas Head, Department of Linguistics, Aadil A Kak presented the welcome address. The various themes and topics which would be deliberated upon during the conference include syntax semantics, phonetics and phonology morphology, discourse analysis semiotics, Indian grammatical theory historical linguistics, translation applied linguistics, sociolinguistics pragmatics, typology computational linguistics, general linguistics and language documentation. |
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‘Pellets can cause grievous injury, damage eye’
Srinagar, March 24 This has been stated by the authorities of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh State Hospital (SMHS), Srinagar, in response to an RTI application. Out of the total 91 patients with pellet injuries admitted to SMHS between March 2010 and October 2013, 36 patients were received at its ophthalmology department with serious pellet injuries in the eyes. "Pellets hitting the eye lead to a grievous injury. Pellet being small, sharp and with a high velocity can penetrate deep through the structures of the eye and cause damage to multiple delicate parts of the eye," the Public Information Officer quoted a communication from the head of the ophthalmology department in his reply to the RTI. "The chances of complete recovery of eyesight depend on the part hit and the structure damaged and the extent of the damage," the reply added. Pellet guns and pepper gas were introduced in Kashmir during the 2010 agitation for "effective and non-lethal" mob-control by the security forces. Meanwhile, the High Court is hearing a review petition by the Kashmir Bar Association, wherein a ban on the use of pepper gas and pellet guns on the civilian protesters in the state has been sought. In his application filed under the J&K Right to Information Act, 2009, on November 2, activist Abdul Manan Bukhari had sought information regarding the total number of patients admitted to the hospital with pellet gun injuries from 2010 to October 2013. He had also sought information with regard to the number of patients with pellet injuries admitted to the ophthalmology department of the hospital, besides the number of these patients who either lost vision due to these injuries or died. "The total number of patients received in the SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, with pellet gun injuries from March 2010 to October 2013 is 91....The total number of deaths observed due to excessive use of pellet guns by the police/CRPF from March 2010 to October 2013 is nil," the PIO of the SMHS Hospital stated in his response to the RTI application made available today. The official reply from the PIO further stated that out of these, a total of 36 victims with pellet injuries in the eye were admitted in the ophthalmology department of the hospital between this period. "Out of these, 27 were open globe injuries and eight were closed globe. Overall, 14 had no chances of regaining some eyesight on initial examination," the official reply went on to reveal. "Fourteen (patients) had retained pellets inside the eyeball and were referred to outside the state for further treatment. However, the fate of those referred outside the state is unknown," the official reply said. In an earlier reply to a similar kind of RTI application, the officials had stated that a total of 118 patients with pellet injuries were admitted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Medical College Hospital, Bemina, in Srinagar between March 2010 to October 2013. Fourteen persons out of the total were visually disabled due to pellet injuries.
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Complex plastic surgery performed at city hospital
Srinagar, March 24 Doctors at the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) operated upon a 26-year-old male patient with accidental post electric burn deformity of hand. Such surgeries are usually performed at tertiary care hospitals. Director, Health Services, Kashmir, Saleem-ur-Rehman today said the performing of the operation at JLNM, Rainawari, was a landmark feat. A DHSK official said: “Patient’s post burn contracture was released with a flap cover in first stage in the same hospital some time ago. The patient had a moderate sized segmental defect of both nerves of the hand which were reconstructed by harvesting of sural nerve, (a donor nerve from his own leg) approximately 30 cm.” This complex plastic surgical procedure was performed for about five hours by a team of plastic surgeons of the Health Department comprising Tahir Saleem Khan and Sheikh Tariq. Meanwhile, the Director, Health Services, Kashmir assured of providing better logistics so that such procedures were done with ease at the peripheral hospitals. |
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Chaos rules city roads
Jammu, March 24 Rashly driven minibuses, two-wheeler riders without helmets, illegally parked vehicles and overtaking has become the norm of the day, while modern technology is providing ineffective to streamline the movement of vehicles in the city of temples. Though the department is blaming shortage of manpower as the main reason for the absence of police personnel at key areas, corruption at various levels within the department is a major reason why traffic management is becoming a difficult job. It has raised a question mark over the tall claims of the Traffic Department that strict action is being taken against those who are violating rules daily on the roads. In the absence of a dedicated public transport system and dependence of major chunk of population on minibuses in the city, daily travel is a harrowing experience. “Measures are not being implemented effectively. Though several drives have been initiated against violators, they continue mainly due to failure of weak laws. Mere imposing fine on drivers will not solve the problem,” said a traffic police inspector. Traffic lights have now become showpiece, buses and matador drivers don’t follow the lights, particularly at Bikram Chowk, Janipur, Kachi Chawni and Indira Chowk. Nearly 300 traffic policemen have been regulating more than 5 lakh vehicles in Jammu. Besides, thousands of vehicles from other states enter the city, thereby adding to the chaos. There is a need to increase the strength. However, SSP, Traffic, Pawan Parihar was not available for his comments. In January under Parihar’s supervision about 15,000 people were penalised for violating traffic rules in the city. Officials said on an average 600 people were being challaned every day mainly related to overloading, over-speeding, rash driving, plying two-wheelers without crash helmet, overcharging by auto rickshaws, jumping of red lights and wrong parking. |
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MC inspects anganwadis, takes food samples
Jammu, March 24 Officials said the corporation was waiting for report from the lab and more centres would be inspected in the coming days. Samples of mustard oil, biscuits, sugar and spices had been lifted by the team. A team of officials from the Municipal Health Wing, led by health officer Dr Muhammad Saleem Khan visited anganwadi centres at Roop Nagar, Karan Nagar, Bahu Plaza and Gandhi Nagar and checked food samples and sent them to public analyser at Muthi. “It’s an ongoing drive against the menace of adulteration in commonly used food items. We are waiting for the report. Till then we can’t say anything more. If something is found, action will be taken,” said Dr Khan. He claimed that Municipal Commissioner Kiran Wattal had given clear direction to check all the anganwadi centres so that children should get proper nutritious food. The JMC launches routine checking and much publicity is being given to such events. However, on ground, not much has been done to educate traders to maintain hygiene while preparing different eatables. “Anganwadis should prepare food under healthy and clean environment. We will take strict action against the any violation as it involves the health of children,” Dr Khan said. There are 71 wards spread over 112 sq km which make up Jammu city and its newly developed colonies. The health wing of the corporation has responsibility from Ward no-1 to Ward no-48, while the remaining wards are looked after by the Legal Meteorology Department. The corporation has constituted special teams to check production of poor quality food items and influx of adulterated raw material from various markets in Jammu. |
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Workshop on criminal justice and forensics
Jammu, March 24 Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, chairman, State Judicial Academy, in his inaugural address emphasised the objective of the workshop on the topic “Criminal Justice and Forensic Process”. Justice Attar impressed upon the trainees to make optimum use of the expertise of the resource persons and to improve their professional skills, knowledge about how to proceed right from the beginning when a report is filed, how to collect physical evidence and how to prosecute. He stressed upon the importance of the programme and said the entire purpose of the institutions of criminal justice system was to ensure order in society. “Therefore, the understanding of these concepts by all the stakeholders will have a direct bearing on the efficiency of the maintenance of law and order,” he said. Suresh Kumar Sharma, Registrar General, state high court, and in charge, Director State Judicial Academy, emphasised on the importance of imparting continuous training even while on job as part of the regular curriculum of any professional organisation. “It is important that the guardians of law are ahead of outlaws so as to maintain order or else there will be uncertainty while orderly society deteriorates into anarchy and lawlessness resulting into issues of Naxalites and other prohibited militant outfits,” he said. The workshop was conducted by forensic experts Dr TSN Murthy, Director (Technical), and GVSV Prasad, Director, Truth Labs, Hyderabad. About 80 officers of Jammu province, including newly appointed Additional Sessions Judges, public prosecutors, newly appointed judicial magistrates, police prosecutors and investigation officers participated. |
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Employees protest against Estate Dept
Jammu, March 24 Employees of the Estate Department under the banner of the Estate Employees Coordination Committee (EECC) staged a protest near the Deputy Director’s office. Their demands included reorganisation of department, two-and-a-half day extra salary, regularisation of daily wagers, release of pending salary of need-based employees, clearing cases of time-bound promotions and arrears, finalisation of seniority list and constituting a departmental promotion committee, shifting the office of the Deputy Director in the building of the Estate Division, Jammu, and release of tool and uniform of employees. Addressing the employees, leaders of the co-ordination committee Prem Singh Bawa and Yash Paul Sharma urged employees to remain united and participate in the ongoing agitation launched by the coordination committee. |
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Seminar on feminist transitions at Vaishno Devi varsity
Jammu, March 24 The seminar, which is part of the month-long activities held worldwide to commemorate Women’s Day, aimed at deliberating over unprecedented broadening of feminist issues and practices which have moved across and beyond a number of established boundaries. Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Sudhir K Jain inaugurated the seminar at the Matrika auditorium. In his inaugural address, he highlighted the significance of feminism and need of sensitisation in society and traced the development of the marginalisation of women in society. The keynote speaker, Prof Manju Jaidka from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and chairperson, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, set the theme for the two-day seminar, looking back at the genesis and development of the feminist movement, its various broad phases and finally looking at feminism the way it exists (or does not) in India. Prof Jaidka underscored that there was no single ideology or set of rules that might be labelled as feminism. “Each person has a different concept of what feminism comprises. Besides, the movement is forever in transit and cannot be fixed in a formulated phrase and what is needed is re-visioning,” Prof Jaidka said. Prominent academics and scholars from across the country participating in the seminar included Professor Harish Narang from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof Anita Singh from Banaras Hindu University, Prof Sanjoy Saksena from Allahabad University, Dr Neeraja Gupta from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Ahmedabad, and Roshan Sharma from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh. Prof VK Bhat, Dean Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, is the chairperson of the seminar. The coordinator of the seminar, Dr Vandhana Sharma, Director School of Languages and Literature, expressed satisfaction over the overwhelming response of papers to be presented at the seminar. Dr Neeru Sharma, Assistant Professor, School of Languages and Literature, proposed the vote of thanks, while Simranpreet Kaur, research scholar, conducted the proceedings of the inaugural
programme. |
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Jammu varsity holds meet on environment issues
Jammu March 24 Speaking on the occasion, Sharma said, “Environmental issues concerns all of us and being a stakeholder in the deliberations in the sense that what is happening around us, whatever we do or whatever action we take, its result and consequences are equally important for all of us and for even those who are yet to be born and brought up on this earth”. Earlier in his presidential address Prof Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, said environment being dynamic had been changing even before the intervention of mankind and there had been extinctions much earlier before the human intervention. Deepika Slathia, organising secretary, presented the vote of thanks. |
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College holds annual function
Jammu, March 24 Prof Suram Singh was the special invitee in the function wherein a colourful cultural programme was presented by the students of the college which enthralled the audience. The items showed culture of different states like Himachal, Punjab, J&K and Rajasthan. Prof Arun Bharti in his address applauded the cultural programme presented by the students. Dr Mohini Sawhney, Principal of the college, presented the annual report of the college. Rajinder Parshad Sharma, chairman of the college, presented the vote of thanks.
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World TB Day observed
Srinagar, March 24 Principal of Government Medical College, Srinagar, Rafiq Ahmad Pampori was the chief guest on the occasion. Renowned pulmonologist Dr MY Kawoosa and state TB officer Dr GA Wani and senior faculty at the hospital were present on the occasion. Pampori stated that the authorities should send its teams to far-flung and remote areas to help identify TB patients and organise camps to spread awareness on how to debilitate the disease, its causes and preventions. He urged the state society, Asha and anganwari workers to help identify villages and areas of the Valley, where the disease was prevalent. Later, a power point presentation was also presented to sensitise people for prevention and eradication of TB. — TNS
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Teenager killed, three hurt in Reasi accident
Katra, March 24 The incident took place when the cab they were travelling in was hit by stones falling from the mountain around 9.30am near Dhaman in Mahore area. The cab, which was carrying 22 people, was on its way to Mahore from Jammu. Nazia Bano (18), a resident of Maslote, was killed on the spot. Three persons, who were injured in the mishap, were later rushed to the Reasi district hospital. They have been identified as Pooja Devi (18), a resident of Maslot, and Jaan Beghum (45) and Zamida Beghum (32), both residents of Janslaam, Mahore. The Reasi Deputy Commissioner announced a relief of Rs 1.5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 5,000 each was provided to the injured. Meanwhile, the Mahore Sub-Divisional Magistrate has been directed to lodge an FIR in the matter and inquire if there was any negligence on part of the Border Roads Organisation as the area faces recurrent landslides. |
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People briefed on TB prevention in Anantnag
Anantnag, March 24 Participants carried placards and banners and rallied from the District Tuberculosis Centre (DTC), Anantnag, to Lalchowk and back. A seminar was later organised at the DTC, which was presided over by the Chief Medical Officer, Anantnag. People from different walks of life attended the seminar. They were briefed about the causes and prevention of the disease. While the World Tuberculosis Day was being observed, patients affected by the disease in Kulgam district of south Kashmir said there was no full-fledged tuberculosis centre. Official data says 787 new cases of the epidemic have been reported in Anantnag and Kulgam districts during 2013. A small unit is, however, being run in Kulgam town under the patronage of the DTC, Anantnag, which the patients in the district say does not cater to their needs. “We had 1,020 tuberculosis cases in 2012. This of course is good news as far as the epidemic is concerned,” said Dr Faheem Alam, District Tuberculosis Officer, Anantnag. The patients in Kulgam, however, said regardless of the decrease in the number of cases, a tuberculosis centre should be set up in the district because a large number of patients are from the district. “We have to go to Anantnag for treatment many a times. The unit set up in our area is not well equipped to cater to such a large number of patients,” said a patient from Kulgam. Faheem Alam said the proposal for a full-fledged centre at Kulgam had been put forth and would hopefully be sanctioned in the next financial year. |
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Anganwari workers told to motivate people to vote
Rajouri, March 24 The meeting was held under the guidance of Hemant Kumar Sharma, District Election Officer (Deputy Commissioner). The theme of the meeting was ‘greater participation for strong democracy’. Sukhpal Singh, Nodal Officer, SVEEP, along with the tehsildar and the Block Development Officer, Rajouri, addressed anganwari workers so that they would educate and motivate the people in their respective areas to participate in the General Election. ‘Saas Bahu and Beti’ pamphlets were distributed among the workers. They were exhorted to work as “matdata sakhi” to ensure maximum participation of women voters. The issue of masking, removing hoardings and other publicity material and replacing them with slogans on voter awareness was deliberated upon in the programme. Posters carrying the message of the Election Commission of India were distributed among the anganwari workers to aware people about the importance of their participation in the elections. |
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Wrestling tourney concludes
Jammu, March 24 SM Sahai, ADGP Armed, J&K, lauded the efforts of the Jassociation. Other dignitaries present included Vijay Singh Sambyal, DIG, IR, Jammu, and Vijay Kumar, Commandant, IR, 10th Battalion. Gold medal winners in different weight categories included Rahul Kumar, Lal Hussain, Sunny Sharma, Qasim Din , Rajesh Sharma, Bhadur Khan, Benia Min and Roshan Sharma.— TNS
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Two die in accident on highway
Doda, March 24 Reports said a Tata Sumo which was on its way to Doda from Jammu rolled down into Khelani Nullah after the driver lost control over the vehicle at a sharp curve. Immediately after the mishap, in charge, police post Khelani, Rahul Dogra rushed to the spot along with his team and started a rescue operation. The deceased have been identified as Mudassir Hussain (22) and Tariq Hussain (18), both Doda residents. — OC |
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Yoga camp organised on Shahidi Divas
Ramban, March 24 The mahotsav started with a tribute to all martyrs of the national freedom movement. Hundreds of local yoga enthusiasts were trained in yoga postures by yoga trainer from Jammu Dinesh Kumar. Organiser of the Yog Mahotsav and president of the Bharat Svabhiman Trust Pritam Kumar said the function was a part of the nationwide campaign sponsored by the Patanjali Yog Peeth Trust, under the patronage of Yogacharya Baba
Ramdev. — OC |
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Jammu, March 24
