Jammu, June 22
“It may be my last call. Now, you have to take care of yourself and the children.” These were the last words of Didar Singh to his wife, Surjeet Kour, from Basra city of Iraq.

Didar made the last call to his family around 2 am on June 18 and told them that militants were a few kilometres away and his life was in danger. Since then his wife, two sons, Sarabjeet Singh (10) and Parminder Singh (8), and other family members are frantic with worry.

The family, which lives in Kaloyen village of Ranbir Singh Pura, has been waiting for Didar’s call. “When Didar Singh called, he sounded tense and said he might not be able to call us again. He said his two colleagues from Himachal Pradesh had been killed by militants and his life was in danger,” Shankar Singh, Didar’s brother, told The Tribune.

Didar Singh, 38, had left for Iraq on October 26, 2013, to work as a painter. After reaching Iraq, he started working as a cook with Monlim Company in Basra city.

When violence broke out in Iraq after the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militants started to capture cities and other areas, Indian workers wanted to come back.

Though some have returned, most of them are stuck up there.

“My brother also wanted to come back but the company was not giving him his passport and return ticket despite not being paid salary for five months. Many workers of the company, who are from other countries, have also not been given their passports,” Shankar Singh said.

Didar’s family is praying for his safe return and has requested the government to help them trace him.

“We have informed the local sarpanch. On Monday, we will apprise the sub-district magistrate, RS Pura, of the matter. I request the media to raise the issue of my brother so that he returns,” said Shankar Singh. Didar Singh is the second Jammu resident who is missing in Iraq.

Rajesh Kumar of Miran Sahib on the outskirts of Jammu has also been missing in Iraq since June 9. His family is waiting to hear from him. The state government has forwarded the details of Rajesh Kumar to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through the J&K Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi after his family approached the Jammu Divisional Commissioner.

“I have heard about Didar Singh and have told my officials to get all requisite details so that the MEA is apprised of him and some headway is made,” said Shantmanu, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu.

“We haven’t received any positive response from the MEA so far regarding Rajesh Kumar but we are hopeful of a positive outcome as the Ministry is receiving information from the Indian High Commission in Baghdad on a case-to-case basis,” the Divisional Commissioner said.

Srinagar, June 22
Asserting that security in the region was under control, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh today said the Army was aware of the Al-Qaida “intentions” and it was ready to face any challenge.

“We are aware of their intentions, their capability and capacity…we are ready to take any challenge on that front,” Lt Gen Gurmit Singh said.

Interacting with mediapersons at the Badami Bagh Cantonment here, the GOC said security in the region was under control with a “very effective anti-infiltration grid” in place.

“We have got safety and security for awaam (people)…,” Lt Gen Gurmit Singh maintained.

The officer said 40 militants were killed and 23 others apprehended in various anti-militant operations in Kashmir valley so far this year.

He also disclosed that recovery of 140 weapons included a good number of pistols, which indicated the close range firing incidents by militants.

Lt Gen Gurmit Singh said those killed included 18 foreign militants, 18 locals and four unidentified operatives.

Of them 17 belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba, 11 were from Hizbul Mujahideen, eight from Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen and four others were unidentified, he said

The officer also said as compared to the killing of top 10 militants during the last year, an equal number of top militants were killed during the first five months of this year.

The top militants killed so far this year included four foreign militants and six locals, he added.

These results were achieved without any incidents of human rights violations, collateral damage or any inconvenience to the population, the GOC emphasised, adding this was possible due to synergy between the security forces and the J&K Police.

Jammu, June 22
The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) has allocated Rs 477.91 crore to the state Flood Control and Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) for the Annual Action Plan (AAP).

Meanwhile, under Water Quality Special Focus Fund Project (subject to approval of the Cabinet), the state is eligible to get another Rs 1.64 crore.

Secretary of the MDWS has directed the state authorities to give equal focus on all components of NRDWP and not only to the NRDWP-programme funds.

“The state will follow NRDWP guidelines in letter and spirit and will not violate any provision of the guidelines. The execution period for completion of schemes should be minimised to avoid price escalation and all schemes more than five years’ old be wound up immediately and considered closed for central funding. No central funds shall be used for such schemes and these schemes be now completed with state funds as they cannot be left incomplete which would lead to infructuous expenditure,” a statement from the Central ministry said.

Sources claimed that the state had reported MDWS that 10 water quality affected habitations, eight iron and two fluoride affected habitations were proposed to be covered in 2014-15. The ministry in reply pointed out that water quality monitoring was not being done properly in J&K and it was advised that for proper monitoring outsourcing might be done.

Sources added that the state was advised to procure mobile testing vans equipped with necessary lab equipment so that accessibility to remote habitations was ensured.

The state has proposed to train 17,000 rural people for water quality testing, conducting 70,000 water quality tests in laboratories and 10,000 tests using field test kits (FTKs) during 2014-15.

The ministry has instructed the state authorities that all government schools and anganwaris be provided water supply and toilets as per directions of the Supreme Court.

Sources claimed that no such targets were fixed by the government.

“All drinking water sources should be tested once in every year for chemical contamination and twice for bacteriological contamination. The state should provide water quality test results of all rural drinking water sources,” the MDWS statement said.

Srinagar, June 22
The Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees Joint Action Committee (JKGEJAC) today accused the government of “backtracking” from the agreement made with the employees.

“The government backtracked from its September 15, 2011, agreement,” Committee leader Ram Kumar Sharma told reporters here.

“It is unfortunate that the state government has only addressed the issue of age enhancement from 58 to 60 years but has sidetracked the question of regularisation of casual, seasonal, consolidated, local fund need base and daily rated workers working in different departments of the state government,” he said.

Rafiq Ahmad Khanyari, another employee leader, flayed the government for its “anti-employee policies”.

He said the state government was trying to “hoodwink the public opinion” and was making some announcements only for “electoral gains” in the ensuing Assembly polls. “We will hold a convention here on July 9 to chalk out the strategy for further course of action,” he said.

He also called for unity among the employees so that pressure was put on the government vis-à-vis their demands. The body is seeking removal of pay anomalies, budgetary support to the PSU employees, medical insurance policy to be implemented by the government on minimum premium basis or implementation of the Central government employees/pensioners’ medical claim policy and grant of special duty allowance at 12.50 per cent to Ladakh employees.

It has also been demanding regularisation of temporary, seasonal/need base, consolidated, local fund and daily rated workers, who have completed seven years of service. — TNS

The Abdullahs — Farooq and Omar — fearing the repeat of the debacle their party National Conference faced in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir — have started working out on all options which are available to them for the survival and revival of their party ahead of the coming Assembly elections. The Congress, they know, will part ways once the elections are announced and the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) that handed the NC its worst ever defeat in the parliamentary polls is going to be the ruthless in the polls. The PDP has worked out a fresh strategy aimed at decimating the NC.

Srinagar, June 22
Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Member of Parliament Tariq Hameed Karra today said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent admission that the BJP legislators bargained and voted for National Conference candidates in 2011 Legislative Council polls highlighted the “covert” alliance between the two parties.

“It has only brought out the fact that how the NC is having a simultaneous alliance with the Congress and the BJP in the state,” Karra said while addressing a public meeting at Chrar-e-Sharief in Budgam district.

“The Chief Minister’s revelation about bargaining by BJP legislators also points to the disturbing fact that how political corruption is being promoted by this government at the highest levels,” he said.

“The PDP has right from the beginning maintained that while the NC is having an overt coalition with the Congress in the state, it is enjoying a covert alliance with the BJP simultaneously,” he added.

Stating that the Chief Minister at a function in Jammu had recently said the BJP legislators after “bargaining” with the government voted for NC-Congress coalition candidates during the 2011 polls for six Legislative Council seats, Karra said: “Doesn’t Omar Abdullah’s admission of purchasing BJP votes make it a fit case of corruption against not only those who got the money, but also those who paid it for buying votes.”

“If such a thing would have happened in any other state, the culprits, howsoever powerful, would have been since behind the bars. Unfortunately the rule of law could never cross the Lakhanpur toll post to make the individuals and institutions accountable in J&K,” the PDP leader said.

“This is one of the primary reasons why people in J&K have least faith in the institutions of governance and the democratic system,” Karra added.

Rajouri, June 22
The urban health unit (UHU) in the heart of old Rajouri is unable to provide services like delivery, X-ray, laboratory tests, ultrasound and ECG even though the health authorities claim that it provides medical help to more than 20,000 residents.

The UHU is being run in a rented three-room building, including a shop, of the municipal committee inside its complex, about 1,500 metres from the district hospital.

Since its inception, only one doctor has been provided despite two sanctioned posts. A post each of pharmacist, ‘nueshing’ orderly and multi-purpose female health worker have been sanctioned, but no ‘safaiwala’ has been posted.

The medical officer is available for four days as he has to provide services at the district hospital on Fridays and Saturdays.

One room is being used as OPD, another for minor treatment like administering injection and dressing and the third as a store. The unclean rooms stink and the roof and walls have decayed due to rainwater.

The UHU has no emergency power back-up and the staff use torches and other gadgets to light the dressing room in case of emergency. Employees collect water from municipality taps in buckets to keep those in the washroom.

“The OPD is meant for everybody. Female patients are hesitant in discussing their health problems in the presence of other male members,” says Mohd Illyas, the pharmacist.

The multi-purpose female health worker says they are facing difficulty in handling the rush that due to shortage of staff. The centre is situated in the centre of the town and mostly poor patients visit it for medical help.

They add that the structure is not suitable for a health centre due to the foul smell and breeding of mosquitoes in the temporary pond at the door of the centre to collect water for the ensuing construction.

Dr Mehmood, Block Medical Officer, has admitted that the UHU is not safe as water enters almost all rooms whenever it rains.

He says, “I am ready to provide another doctor, pharmacist, multi-purpose female health worker, medicines and facilities and want to operate the UHU 24X7, but the infrastructure is not suitable for it.”

He adds, “The matter has been taken up with the higher authorities and with the help of prominent citizens, we are trying hire a suitable building for the UHU, which is important for residents of old Rajouri.”

Dr Rajiv Sharma , Chief Medical Officer, says the BMO has taken up the matter with his office and required material and a ‘safaiwala’ will be provided soon.

In dire straits Only one doctor, available four days a week. No ‘safaiwala’ posted, unclean rooms stink No power back-up in case of emergency. Water enters rooms whenever it rains

Jammu, June 22
With the Assembly elections likely to be held in October, the Congress leaders have approved names of some of its candidates for the forthcoming polls.

Highly placed sources in the Congress said during their meeting with party ministers on Friday, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz approved names of some of the candidates for the Assembly elections.

They said former ministers RS Chib, Mula Ram and Jugal Kishore Sharma had been asked by the party leaders to start work in their respective constituencies of Suchetgarh, Raipur Domana and Reasi.

Sitting Legislative Council member Ravinder Sharma is likely to be party candidate for the Nowshera segment, sources said.

Pulwama, June 22
Thousands of kanals of forest land in Pulwama and Shopian districts has been illegally converted into arable land and orchards, but it hardly seems to have an effect on the Forest Department which is exhibiting complete laxity in curbing these encroachments.

People of Achagoza, Chewa, Abhama, Sangherwani, Dunoodu and Underwali villages have reportedly encroached upon the forest land and converted it into cultivable terrain.

Villagers said encroachments were being made in a systematic way.

“First a temporary residential structure is constructed on the forest land and then the land surrounding the structure is fenced. It is then dug and used for other purposes. After some months a permanent house is set up in the forest area,” a resident of Abhama village said on condition of anonymity.

“After constructing a temporary house, the residents bribe the in charge official and hove the land during night,” he said.

Sources said most of the employees deputed to guard the forest area seldom attend their duties.

The forest employees rarely fulfill their duties. The day they attend the office they visit few houses to have tea and rarely patrol the forest area, sources said.

Pertinently, the government had allotted a kanal each to some families in the area, but now every household owns more than 100 kanals.

“Every household in the area which is supposed to have one kanal of land has illegally occupied more than hundred kanals and is doing everything to acquire more,” said a social activist.

Divisional Forest Officer, Shopian, Mohammad Ashraf Kotoo said he assumed the charge of this forest division two years ago and mentioned that his office has been successful in curbing encroachments since then.

“We have been able to check the intensity of encroachments in the area and very few incidents have come to my notice since then,” Kotoo said, adding that he would personally visit the area and will act strictly against erring persons.

The official further said he had already carried an eviction drive in Dubjan area of Shopian and would follow the same way in other areas also. 

Srinagar, June 22
A war of words has begun between the National Conference (NC) and the CPM-led Peoples United Front, with the latter taking a strong exception to the remarks of an NC spokesman.

“We feel extremely sorry and can understand the amount of pain and agony being experienced by the NC following a humiliating drubbing in the recently held Lok Sabha elections,” Peoples United Front spokespman said yesterday.

“The utterances made by the NC spokesman, who is politically naive and juvenile in state politics, reflects that his name has been used for taking potshots at MY Tarigami,” the spokesman said. He said the language used by the NC in its official handout reflected “the state of discourteousness and the level of intolerance for its opposition parties”.

The NC on Friday had lashed out at MY Tarigami over his remarks against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and “termed his allegations as attempts to please some invisible quarters plotting intrigues against J&K’s identity, integrity and ethos”.

The NC spokesman had said Tarigami owed his “present political constituency and space in politics to the National Conference and was otherwise a political non-entity”.

Jammu, June 22
The Army and the police today busted a militant hideout in the Keshwan area of Kishtwar district and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition.

Based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of hideout, a joint operation was launched by the Army and Police in Keshwan, said the Jammu-based Defence spokesperson.

“War like stores including one AK-47, two pistols, one rifle, three 12 bore rifles, 60 kg RDX, 1 kg explosive Russian marking, 2 kg unidentified explosive, 40 detonators, three RPGs, 43 hand grenades, 19 rounds of UBGL ammunition, 608 rounds of AK-47, 940 rounds of 7.62mm, six rounds of 9 mm, 13 AK-47 magazines, one 9 mm magazine, one binocular and one radio set were recovered,” the officer said. — TNS

Srinagar, June 22
Advocating legislative internship programme for youth on pattern of the United Nations initiative in Lebanon, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Member of Parliament Tariq Hamid Karra yesterday said his party’s mission was to “educate, employ and empower” the young generation of the state. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of Kashmir Youth Parliament at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar.

“This programme will provide them with a training opportunity on public policy-making tools and introduce them to the legislative functions,” Karra said.

Kupwara, June 22
Poor mobile and broadband services of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is irking subscribers in Kupwara district.

Subscribers said they were unable to make or receive calls even when they were near to the mobile towers in Kupwara town.

The broadband service of the cellular company is also not up to mark, they said.

The subscribers said either the internet speed was slow or the service was down most of the times. They said despite repeated requests to BSNL officials at the local exchange, the service had not been improved.

“The service is so poor that we are not able to make or receive calls. We will be forced to surrender the sim cards, if the company does not improve its services,” said Riyaz Ahmad, a BSNL subscriber from Kupwara. “The cell phone often flashes ‘no network coverage’ on its screen,” he said. — OC

Rajouri, June 22
Residents of Muradpur village in Rajouri district blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway last evening and demanded an investigation into the suspicious death of Neha Kumari.

Protesters were led by senior Bajrang Dal leader Taran Chand who alleged that Neha was killed by her in-laws.

He said they had been demanding dowry from her and were reportedly not happy with her as she had given birth to a girl child about three months ago.

ASP Shiv Kumar Chouhan rushed to the spot and held a discussion with the protesters who were demanding registration of an FIR against the woman’s in-laws. — OC

Srinagar, June 22
The entry of heavy vehicles, including tippers, in the city after 8.30pm has become a cause of nuisance for locals as well as tourists as they lead to long traffic jams.

Besides, traffic police personnel also disappear from roads during evening hours creating inconvenience to commuters.

A number of places in the city witness heavy traffic jams in the evenings with tipper drivers not following traffic signals.

According to people, in the wake of the peak tourism season in the Valley, the timing of tipper movement should be changed. "The tippers should be allowed to move from 10.30pm onwards in summer months. The existing timing of 8.30pm should be increased to allow people and tourists to move freely. The Traffic Department must intervene in the matter and ensure deployment of cops at different spots till late evenings," said Gulzar Ahmed of Jawahar Nagar where the traffic rush has increased manifold in the past two months due to traffic diversion from Solina ahead of flyover construction from Rambagh to Jehangir Chowk.

"Unnecessary jam is not because of heavy rush of vehicles, but poor management of heavy vehicles such as tippers in city areas," said a local.

"The timing of tippers for entry into Srinagar these days should be increased as the city witnesses rush of tourists and locals till late hours. The unnecessary traffic mess is due to the presence of heavy vehicles that creates a lot of inconvenience to people," said a resident of Dalgate.

With the absence of traffic cops on roads after 8:30pm, locals say it further increases the problem making people wait during traffic jams. "There must be traffic police available for help so that they can manage the movement of vehicles," another resident said.

In some areas of the city, people have even complained that tippers flout the High Court directions and move during day hours too, blocking roads for private vehicles.

Residents of Mehjoor Nagar, Bagi Mehtab, KP Bagh and Nowgam said the problem was still prevalent, though they have approached the authorities concerned many a time.

Superintendent of Traffic Police Haseeb-ur-Reham said, "The entry of tippers and other heavy vehicles has been fixed by the High Court and the department has no authority to change it. We cannot change the timings, but I have written to the Inspector General of the traffic police to look into problem and try to extend it to 10pm for the convenience of people."

He added that there was also a staff shortage in the department. "The staff is already performing a 14-hour duty that cannot be extended. Increasing the staff strength is a government decision," he said.

The High Court has banned the movement of load carriers, including trucks and tippers, except for those carrying essential supplies into the city during daytime. The heavy vehicles, as per the court orders, can move only between 8.30pm and 7am.

Srinagar, June 22
Moved by the agony of the kin of disappeared persons, a young Kashmiri author’s debut novel “The Half Mother” was launched here yesterday.

Published by Hachette India, the 180-page fiction paperback was released here at an informal gathering which saw youngsters hosting the launch event.

“The Half Mother” is the story of a mother, Haleema, whose son, Imran, has disappeared.

She doesn’t know whether her son Imran is dead or alive. Torn apart by her own lonely existence, the protagonist searches torture camps, jails and morgues to find Imran.

Author of the novel Shahnaz Bashir, who is born and brought up in the Valley, was a former journalist. Now, she is a teacher of narrative journalism at the department of convergent journalism at Central University of Kashmir.

The novel has also been included in the year-end special issue of Forbes magazine as one of the 16 books to watch out for in 2014.

Besides bookstores, the book is available on all leading e-commerce market sites such as Amazon, Flipkart and Infibeam. In Kashmir, the book has been stocked at the Password and Gulshan bookstores at Residency Road, Srinagar.

“In strife-torn Kashmir, I have always been tormented by the feelings of indefinite and eternal uncertainty. ‘The Half Mother’ is an outcome of those feelings,” said Bashir at the book launch in the city.

Inspired by the pain of the relatives of disappeared persons, the novel focuses on one character. In 20 years of Kashmir conflict, more than 5,000 persons have disappeared according to the figures of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons that works for the rights of the disappeared people.

Srinagar, June 22
The Directorate of Distance Education (DDE), University of Kashmir, successfully conducted the entrance test for MEd programme (distance mode) on June 19 in which 18,000 candidates from all over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, including Jammu, Leh and Kargil, appeared.

Around 18,000 students appeared in the test and 358 centres were set up for the purpose. The centres of the examination included University of Kashmir, Jammu University, all government degree colleges of Srinagar city and some prominent higher secondary schools.

According to the officials of the university, this huge academic exercise was coordinated well by various wings of the university with accuracy, efficiency and higher degree of responsibility.

The test was monitored by Interim Vice Chancellor Prof AM Shah.

Congratulating the officials of the DDE, KU, for successfully conducting the entrance test and making elaborate arrangements for the convenience of the students, Shah said, “We are trying our best to reach up to the expectations of the students of the state and our Directorate of Distance Education is one of the flagship centres which is playing a key role in this endeavour by offering a range of quality programmes in distance mode.”

Director, Distance Education, Shabir A Bhat while thanking the university administration for providing all possible support for the successful conduct of the test said, “the DDE was established with the view to impart education in different disciplines through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode and has been offering many academic courses/programmes which have highly benefited those who could not continue higher education in regular mode thereby providing an alternative to a huge number of talented students to fulfil their dreams.”

Under strict vigil 358 centres were set up for conducting the exam. The centres included University of Kashmir, Jammu University, all government degree colleges of Srinagar city and some prominent higher secondary schools The test was monitored by Interim Vice Chancellor Prof AM Shah

Jammu, June 22
Anjuman Minhaj-e-Rasool chairman Maulana Syed Athar Dehalvi has asked India and Pakistan to launch a joint operation against militants in Pakistan-occupied Jammu-Kashmir (PoJK).

“The action Pakistan is taking in Swat should be taken against Hafiz Sayeed, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and other militants in Pakistan,” Dehalvi said.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Dehalvi said if Pakistan was sincere to bring permanent peace in the region, its government should initiate immediate action against Hafiz Sayeed and his Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

Dehlavi said a separate unit of the Army should be set up to stop infiltration from across the Line of Control and it should be held solely responsible for any action on the Line of Control.

Speaking on various issues, Dehalvi said development was the only way out on the Kashmir issue. He said the issue had already been settled once people participated in elections in huge numbers.

“I travelled to different parts of the state. People want development and there is no sentiment for ‘azadi’. Permanent peace is not possible till the border areas are developed,” he added.

He advocated the return of Kashmir Pandits to the Valley and said ‘Kashmiriyat’ was incomplete without them. He advocated the rehabilitation of refugees from PoJK and Bangladesh.

Jammu, June 22
The Dogri Sanstha organised ‘geet sandhya’ based on the poetry of Usha Kiran ‘Kiran’ on Sunday. The musical composition based on classical ‘raagas’ was prepared by Manju Bala, Karan Dev Singh, Shyam Manjal, Apoorva Jamwal and Sham Sajan.

The audience appreciated the programme. Another attraction was the recital of a few poems by the poet.

Vijay Singh Sambyal, Director Radio Station, Jammu, was the chief guest. He assured to do his best to promote local artistic talent and literature.

Anjali Sharma, in charge Director, Doordarshan, Jammu, was the guest of honour. She said it was a pity that such beautiful and standard programmes were limited to a small gathering in Jammu.

Jammu, June 22
Activists of the Dogra Front took out a protest march on Sunday to register their resentment against long unscheduled power cuts in the city amid the scorching heat.

Led by Dogra Front president Ashok Gupta, the protesters burnt an old refrigerator and shouted slogans against the ruling National Conference-Congress coalition government.

Addressing the protesters, Gupta said people had been paying electricity dues in time, but they were being subjected to hardships through long unscheduled power cuts amid hot weather conditions by the Power Development Department.

He said curtailment of power had made the life of people miserable and students were the worst sufferers.

He demanded construction of another 50-MVA receiving station at Janipur to tide over the power crisis in the city. He warned the government that they would would appeal to the people not to pay power tariff if the power supply situation did not improve.

Jammu, June 22
The headmaster cadre of the School Education Officers Association (SEOA) on Sunday said nothing had been done by the authorities concerned to fulfil their long-pending demands.

Talking to mediapersons, association president Paramjit Singh expressed concern over the delaying tactics of those at the helm of affairs. He added that they had been going from pillar to post for the fulfilment of their demands, but in vain.

The demands of the association included regularisation of in charge officers like headmasters, principals and zonal education officers, grade of Rs 9,300-34,800, grade pay of Rs 5,400 for headmasters at a par with class XII lecturers by removing anomaly and increase in promotion quota of headmasters from 20 per cent to 50 per cent.

The association appealed to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, seeking their personal intervention to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Kulwant Singh, Sushila Sharma, Prem Lal, Kiran Rajput, Mohinder Raina, Rafiq Khan, Farid Ahmad Wani, Romesh Chander, Himmat Rai, Shakuntala Devi, Bimla and Tirath Singh were present.

Jammu, June 22
Rakesh Gupta was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Jammu (CCIJ) on Saturday night, defeating Parveen Kumar Gupta by 501 votes.

The biennial elections of the CCIJ for the 2014-16 term were held at Chamber House under the supervision of election president Prithvi Raj Gupta.

During the election for the post of president, Rakesh Gupta secured 1,237 votes and Parveen Kumar Gupta 736 votes. Of the 2,138 votes, a total of 2,005 were polled.

Rakesh Gupta was contesting for the post of president for the third consecutive time. He had lost the previous two elections to YV Sharma.

Rakesh Gupta had been active in raising the issues of traders and making sure that the issues were addressed to the satisfaction of traders.

After his win, he said, “I am thankful to all voters who voted and specially the election committee president for conducting free and fair polls.” He said he would announce the further programme and policies after taking charge in a few days.

Elections were held for posts of president, senior vice-president, junior vice-president, secretary general, secretary and treasurer.

Sham Lal Langer won the election for the post of senior vice-president by 249 votes. He secured 1,111 votes and Surinder Mahajan 862 votes.

Deepak Aggarwal defeated Bharat Bhushan Gupta by 850 votes to be elected junior vice-president. Aggarwal secured 1,406 votes and Gupta 550 votes.

For the election to the post of of secretary general, Arun Gupta defeated Manish Gupta by 164 votes. Arun Gupta secured 951 votes and Manish Gupta 787 votes.

For the election to the post of secretary, Rahul Mahajan defeated Rajesh Gupta by 689 votes. Mahajan got 1,328 votes and Gupta 639 votes.

For the post of treasurer, there was a triangular contest. A couple of days prior to the elections, Narinder Gupta decided to support Ashu Gupta.

This gave a fillip to Ashu Gupta, who defeated Rakesh Jandial by 1,101 votes. Gupta secured 1,531 votes and Jandial 430 votes.

Jammu, June 22
Cricketer Shubham Khajuria has been selected for the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Shubham has been selected for the NCA along with 25 other promising cricketers. They will practise under the watchful eyes of coaches of international repute. Shubham’s father Pardeep Khajuria was ecstatic.

Shubham said, “I am happy to be picked and my ultimate goal is to play for India. It is the third time that I have been called up for the NCA where the country’s top cricketers hone their skills.”

“It was expected. He is an exceptional talent and deserves this call-up. He should work harder to make a place in the final squad,” said Sudershan Mehta, joint secretary of the JKCA.

Jammu, June 22
Subhash Anand’s painting exhibition concluded at Amar Mahal Museum on Sunday. Bishnah MLA Ashwani Sharma was the chief guest. Ravi Magotra, Assistant Director, Radio Jammu Kashmir, presided.

Sharma was all praise for the creativity of the artist. He said more exhibitions should be organised at different places in the city so that more people could see the paintings and get inspired. Magotra appreciated the artwork and congratulated Anand on successfully conducting the exhibition for three days.

Anand had done a two-year national apprentices course in painting from the National Council for Training in Vocational Trades, New Delhi.

Srinagar, June 22
The Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) in collaboration with the Khyber Medical Institute organised a one-day workshop on “FIFA 11 Plus Warm Up” here today.

An organiser of the event said the workshop was held with an aim to improve the quality of the game and prevent injuries to football players. “The course was conducted by Dr Shahnawaz Gazi, who is the physiotherapist for the J&K Bank football team. Ten coaches from different academies were given training,” he said.

President of the JKFA Zameer Thakur said the association would conduct more such workshops to provide platform to those interested in development of football in the state. Later, the participants were awarded certificates. — TNS

Srinagar, June 22
The inter-battalion hockey tournament of the Srinagar sector of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which kicked off a week ago, concluded at Recruit Training Centre (RTC) in Humhama Srinagar today.

Started on June 17, 20 teams of the Srinagar sector CRPF-based battalion participated in the tournament.

“Tournament was played on knock-out basis. The final match was played between 43 and 115 Battalion. 43 Battalion defeated 115 Battalion by 1-0,” the official of the event said.

He said in the tournament, 132 Battalion clinched the third position. “Deputy Commandant Ajay Verma presented the review of the tournament,” the official maintained.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), who also heads the Recruit Training Centre, Bhupinder Singh, while encouraging the participants explained to them the importance of sports in the lives of the security forces.

Singh, who was also the chief guest at the closing ceremony, presented the medals and trophies to the winner and runners-up teams and reminded them of the golden days of the Indian hockey.