Srinagar, June 23
Protest erupted at the Valley’s lone public paediatric hospital - GB Pant Hospital in Sonwar - here today after the news of the death of four infants in the past 48 hours spread on the hospital premises.

The protesters claimed that the callousness on part of the hospital authorities was behind the deaths of the infants. Most of the staff remained absent on Sunday when the deaths occurred.

They alleged that the hospital authorities’ neglect led to delay in the emergency cases and eventually the death of the children.

The protesters later blocked the Dalgate-Sonawar road which led to massive traffic jams in the area and its vicinities.

However, the hospital administration downplayed the protests calling them unjustified.

The GB Pant Hospital management in an official handout said only three deaths occurred within 48 hours out of which one was a case of shock and another was a complex congenital head disease.

“These deaths occurred since June 21 morning and another newborn who was admitted to the hospital had least chances of survival. There was no way to prevent the death of these infants,” the hospital management said.

The hospital management said a group of attendants who were not allowed inside the hospital premises protested outside and resorted to defaming the hospital and accusing it of causing deaths.

Earlier, the Principal of Government Medical College, Srinagar, had submitted a comprehensive report to the Secretary of the Health Department probing deaths in November and December 2013 at the hospital.

As per the report, a majority of deaths (52 per cent in November 2013 and 34 per cent in December 2013) occurred within 48 hours of admission to GB Pant Hospital, Srinagar, which as per international norms are not attributed to the hospital.

“The cause of most of the neonatal deaths was prematurity/low birth weights which is mostly non-medical and social in nature. Besides, malnutrition among pregnant women was one of the major reasons. Inborn metabolic disorders and congenital heart diseases which constitute around 10% of all neonatal deaths are not preventable being genetic in nature. The progression of infection (sepsis) among neonates is usually subtle and goes undetected by parents till the child becomes very sick.

Similarly, late detection of neonatal jaundice leads to irreversible brain damage,” the report observed.

Jammu, June 23
The Public Works Department (PWD) has broken the railing of the fourth Tawi bridge to allegedly providing way to the land and sand mafia. A steep cut down from the broken railing is also posing a serious accident threat to the commuters.

The four-lane fourth Tawi bridge was constructed at the cost of Rs 89.05 crore and inaugurated by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on May 26 last year.

Karan Sharma, a resident of Bhagwati Nagar, near the fourth bridge, said, “On the day of inauguration, when people demanded opening of a road from fourth bridge, then the Chief Minister had directly refused to provide any way from the bridge and now they themselves have opened the way to provide way to the land and sand mafia to the Tawi bed.”

“The administration is trying to provide easy access to a senior political leader, who has 700 kanals of land on the Tawi bed. The way will only help the sand and land mafia and that politician, but not the common villagers. This issue was raised earlier also and now the opening of the way has proved that the department has made it only to oblige the politician,” he added.

The broken railing of the bridge is also posing a life threat to the commuters as the steep cut down from it towards the Tawi bed may cause accidents.

“This was made for the land and sand mafia, who has encroached on hundreds of kanals of land on the Tawi bed. The steep cut on the bridge is a blind turn. The vehicle coming from the Tawi bed cannot be seen on the bridge, which may cause serious accident,” said Sunil Bhagat, another resident of Bhagwati Nagar.

“If they had to make this way, they should have made it earlier when the bridge was constructed, so that it could have been made with a proper crossing,” he added.

Shekh Hameed, Chief Engineer, PWD, said, “The railing was broken by the department to construct a way to about 29 villages on the Tawi bed.”

“Earlier there was some confusion created by some people, but now it has been cleared, and the way will connect 29 villages near the Tawi with the bridge,” he added.

Katra, June 23
The travel to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine will become faster and comfortable as trains are expected to run up to Katra, the base camp for the shrine, from July this year.

"The work on the difficult route is complete and it will be opened for trains as the Railways have got security clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety,” said Neeraj Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off a passenger train from Katra after the Railways throws open the 25-km Udhampur-Katra rail link.

Sharma said, “We are preparing for the VVIPs visit to Katra between June 30 and July 9 for the flag-off ceremony of a passenger train from Katra after the Railways opens the 25-km Udhampur-Katra rail link.”

After the commissioning of the new route, the pilgrims will be able to reach the base camp of the shrine without having to break their journey at Jammu.

The train services up to Katra will prove to be a boon for an estimated 10 million devotees visiting the shrine every year. Till now, the pilgrims have depended on road transport.

The Udhampur-Katra rail route — constructed at a cost of Rs 1,060 crore —passes through a hostile terrain, making it a challenging project.

The most difficult task for the Railways was to lay the tracks on the 3.1-km tunnel on the route.

To begin with, two trains — the Delhi-Katra Express and the Kalka-Katra Express — will run on the section. More trains will be added in the coming months, sources said.

No final decision has been taken on the number of trains which will run up to Katra, an official said, adding that once the line is operational, any train coming to Udhampur can be extended to Katra depending on the passenger traffic.

The Udhampur-Katra line has seven tunnels and over 30 small and big bridges, including a 185-foot tunnel.

The Katra station has modern facilities, including a tourist guide counter, cloak room, waiting hall, VIP lounge, escalators, lifts and parking space.

Srinagar, June 23
A Pakistani militant of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) who had escaped the security dragnet at least half a dozen times over the past one year was killed on Monday morning in an 18-hour encounter in north Kashmir’s Sopore town, 55 km from here. Two Army men received minor injuries in the gunfight. The slain militant has been identified as Mehmood Bhai, alias Hurraira.

An hour after the operation was called off, a civilian, Arshid Ahmad Shah, of Seer village was killed and four others were injured as security forces allegedly opened fire to check protests in Sopore town over the killing of the militant.

The police said soon after the gunfight ended protesters tried to set ablaze a security vehicle. “Operation parties while withdrawing from the area were pelted with stones by some miscreants. The mob swelled and attempted to set on fire one security armoured vehicle. Security forces used non-lethal weapons but the situation could not be controlled. Resultantly, a few shots were fired in which four persons got injured. One of the injured, Arshid Ahmad Shah, succumbed to his injuries unfortunately,” a police spokesman said in Srinagar.

“The incident is being inquired into and a case has been registered,” he added.

Earlier, Mehmood Bhai, in his early twenties, was killed in a joint operation by the police, Army and the CRPF in Krankshiwan Colony in Sopore town this morning. His local associate, Javed Mattoo, an LeT commander, however, managed to give the forces the slip during the encounter, which began on Sunday evening.

In the past one year, Mehmood managed to get away from the security forces twice from Ahmednagar on the outskirts of Srinagar. Thereafter, he shifted his base to north Kashmir and escaped many times from Sopore and Hajin areas.

The police said Mehmood, who had infiltrated last year, nearly managed to escape during the Sopore encounter also, but was shot dead by security men when he was about to the break the cordon.

"We launched at least six operations to nab or kill him over the last one year, but he managed to give us the slip. Today, we managed to kill him," a police officer said.

The officer said a search operation was launched on Sunday evening after specific information about the presence of two militants in a residential house of one Abdul Gani in the Krankshiwan Colony area. As the forces zeroed in on the house, the militants opened fire, triggering an encounter.

“The security forces launched an assault today and Mehmood Bhai was killed,” he said. His associate Mattoo continued to give a tough fight to the security forces.

After Pakistani militant Mehmood’s killing, Mattoo's mother, on police request, came to the encounter site and asked her son to surrender. However, Mattoo did not respond to his mother’s plea. The exchange of fire continued and the house was blasted by the forces. Later, the body of only Mehmood was recovered.

Police sources said Mattoo managed to escape from the encounter site.

Srinagar: The Army on Monday said a local Lashkar-e-Toiba militant, Waseem Ahmed, who was part of the group against whom an operation was launched in Sopore on Sunday evening, was arrested on Tuesday from the neighbouring Palhalan area of north Kashmir.

“One AK-47, two magazines, 20 rounds of ammunition and a Chinese grenade were recovered from him,” the Army said.

Srinagar, June 23
Kashmir valley today observed a shutdown in response to a bandh call by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) against the alleged attempt to “destroy Muslim identity” of the state.

Security forces maintain a strict vigil in Srinagar on Monday. Tribune photo: Amin War

The shutdown was complete in Lal Chowk and its adjoining localities, which form the commercial nerve center of the city. All markets, shops and other business centres in the area remained closed.

The shutdown call was a part of the JKLF’s “Quit Kashmir movement” to protest what it termed as “sinister” designs of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP to “destroy the Muslim identity” of the state by declaring refugees as state-subjects.

The group called for a march to Lal Chowk to mark the beginning of the movement.

JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who had called for the shutdown and protest march to Lal Chowk, after remaining in hiding to avoid detention for the past several days, appeared in the city this morning.

He was, however, detained by the police near Maisuma while leading the march to Lal Chowk.

Malik was detained along with several of his party workers and shifted to a nearby police station.

The police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in large numbers in and around Maisuma to prevent JKLF activists from marching to the proposed site.

The police had also laid rolls of concertina wires on the entry and exit points of Maisuma locality, the stronghold of JKLF.

The shutdown impacted public transport services in the city as few passenger busses plied on the roads. The private vehicles and cabs, however, remained unaffected.

There were reports of shutdown, with varying intensity, from other parts of the region as well.

Srinagar, June 23
Senior Peoples Democratic Party leader and MP Tariq Hameed Karra today accused the NC-Congress coalition government of pushing the state and its people into a distressing situation and perpetuating a sense of insecurity and uncertainty.

“People have already started running out of patience with this government as their miseries are multiplying with every passing day due to governance failure in the state,” Karra said, while addressing a series of public meetings in Hazratbal, Srinagar.

In a statement issued here, the PDP spokesman while quoting Karra said the state in general and the Srinagar city in particular had been the worst victims of misgovernance in the past six years.

“Governance failure and development deficit is visible in every nook and corner of Srinagar and this historic city is fast turning into a chaotic slum due to the apathetic attitude of the present government,” he alleged.

“The pathetic condition of roads, dysfunctional drainage system, acute scarcity of drinking water, erratic power supply, lack of adequate housing facilities, swelling unemployment and chaotic traffic snarls are some of the indicators of the government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah,” he added.

Srinagar, June 23
Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani today said the Al-Qaida, which recently issued a statement saying it will fight Kashmir’s war for ‘azadi’, and the Taliban had no role and scope in the region.

Geelani, who was addressing a seminar organised by his party in the city here, said the government was using the “garb” of the Al-Qaida to “kill youth and defame the (separatist) movement”.

“The arrival of the Al-Qaida in Kashmir is fictitious…(and) there is no scope for the Al-Qaida and the Taliban in Kashmir. Ours is a local and indigenous movement,” Geelani, who is the chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, said in a statement.

“The Al-Qaida or the Taliban have no role in Kashmir,” he said.

The Al-Qaida had this month issued a statement in which a member of its Pakistani unit, Maulana Asim Umar, had vowed that the global Islamist militant group would fight the war for Kashmir’s “liberation”.

The militant group which has presence in nearly a dozen countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, had also criticised the separatists’ preferred mode of politics —- shutdowns and protests —- blaming it for pushing the people into a “swamp”.

Geelani has criticised the Taliban in the past.

The separatist leader also opposed any move to create separate settlements for the migrant Kashmiri Pandit.

Jammu, June 23
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today asked the Centre to rollback the rail fare hike or else it would hold protest demonstrations across the country.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, BSP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Narinder Kashyap said the rail fare hike was “anti-people” and it must be rolled back. “Whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi said before elections was mere slogans as within one month of the new government the common man is facing the brunt,” he said.

He said the government should have put the recommendations in Parliament and taken members into confidence before imposing the hike. The BSP leader said his party would hold a protest in Jammu on June 25 to force the government to reconsider its decision. — TNS

Shopian, June 23
Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Syeed’s cavalcade was stoned today at Sedav Herpora village by people holding protest demonstration against the Power Development Department (PDD) for failing to restore electricity in their village.

Mufti Syeed was on his way to Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Jammu region when he came under attack of stone throwers, who had blocked the road and were protesting against PDD inaction for not reinstalling the village transformer which had been sent for repair.

“Many angry youth from the Sedav Herpora village, who were demonstrating against the PDD, pelted Mufti’s cavalcade with stones. Mufti stopped on the spot and assured them that he would request Member of Parliament Mehbooba Mufti to install a transformer at the village soon,” an eyewitness said.

While confirming the incident the police said some miscreants from the village threw stones on the police, who were sent to supervise the situation following which they had to fire teargas shells to disperse protestors.

However, the police denied any attack on Mufti’s vehicle and said the cavalcade went ahead smoothly.

“It was about 9.00 in the morning when Mufti’s cavalcade passed the spot before the stone throwing incident took place,” a police officer said.

The protest continued till afternoon and was called off only after the district authorities promised to install the transformer.

Jammu, June 23
Buoyed by its historic victory in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has decided to utilise all its resources to form the government on its own in Jammu and Kashmir.

During a day-long meeting of the state Executive Committee of the party today, national general secretary of the BJP JP Nadda today said the party high command had decided to fight the J&K Assembly elections seriously.

“We have started preparations for the Assembly elections in J&K,” Nadda told the gathering and announced that the elections in J&K would be fought on the pattern of the Lok Sabha polls where the BJP achieved a majority on its own. Nadda asserted that the “Mission 44 Plus” would be accomplished as the high command had devised a strategy for the task.

Insiders in the BJP said the party had decided to identify nearly 50 constituencies where all resources would be utilised. “Union ministers would be made the in charge of the constituencies to ensure the victory of the party candidates,” a source said and added that the high command had told the state leaders to identify winnable constituencies.

Apart from the 37 segments of Jammu province, the BJP has decided to lay emphasis on the four segments of Ladakh and nearly 15 seats of the Kashmir valley.

At today’s meeting, party leaders gave an impression to the cadre that the “Mission 44 Plus” was not an impossible task. Nadda and another national general secretary of the party Ram Lal said when the BJP had set up “Mission 272 Plus” for the Lok Sabha elections, opponents used to make fun of it but ultimately the party got 282 seats.

Meanwhile, a closed-door core committee meeting will be held tomorrow. The names of candidates will be discussed in it.

Sources said selecting suitable candidates was the biggest task before the party because it had been facing pressure from various quarters to accommodate their nominee as party candidates for the Assembly elections.

During their meeting with BJP national president and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, state BJP leaders had given a number of suggestions to accomplish the “Mission 44 Plus”.

The party leaders have a reason to take the elections seriously because the BJP has emerged as the biggest party in the only Muslim-majority state of the country.

Jammu, June 23
Rajesh Kumar of Jammu, who had been stuck in Iraq for 14 days, was reunited with his family at Miran Sahib on the outskirts of the winter capital on Monday. He called up his family in the afternoon after boarding a train from New Delhi to Jammu.

Rajesh reached New Delhi on Monday morning after efforts of the management of Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast, a construction company in Basra, which sent all Indian labourers back.

“The management fulfilled its promise of paying our dues, providing return tickets and sending us back without demanding anything,” the relieved 34-year-old told The Tribune at his residence.

His reunion with his family brought back smiles on the faces of his wife Rena Chowdhary, son Dewam, father Sarwan Dass and other members.

Recounting his horrific stay in Iraq, Rajesh said, “The Shia-led government is helpless in countering attacks of Sunni militants. The situation is bad and the next target is Basra, where we were staying.”

He added, “Our company made security arrangements from the site to the Basra airport. The management decided to stay back and send labourers first. They will come back by Wednesday.”

He said he did not want to go back to Iraq. “I will work at anywhere, but not go back to a country where nobody is sure what will happen next. I am with my family because of my company. The government did not do anything,” he said.

Rajesh spoke to his family over the telephone from Basra for the last time on June 9, after which all communication lines got snapped.

“We boarded a flight from Basra to Dubai on June 21. There was a 24-hour halt, but we were not allowed to move out of the airport. Company officials welcomed us at the Delhi airport and handed me a train ticket home,” he said.

“Many other Indians are stuck in Iraq and companies from other countries have abandoned them. There is nobody to help them,” he added.

Expressing happiness over his return, Rena said, “We are very happy today. We got another lease of life after waiting and going through a bad time for many days.”

Srinagar, June 23
Fayaz Ahmed Dar of Bandipora, a student trained through the Army’s “Kashmir Super 30” project brought laurels to the Kashmir valley by securing 95th rank in IIT Advanced Exams (permanent disability category), 2014, held on May 26 last.

Fayaz, a resident of Sudurkot Bala of Bandipora district, comes from a humble background while his father, Mushtaq Ahmed Dar is a daily-wage labourer.

A bright and upcoming student during his schooldays, Fayaz has always strived for excellence. He had never let his disability come between his dreams. There was no limit to his happiness when the results for IIT Mains were declared on June 20.

“It’s like I am in the seventh heaven. I thank Allah Tallah, my parents, who stood by me throughout, and finally the Army for selecting and providing me necessary support without which I could not have dreamt of cracking IIT exam. I am really thankful to them,” said Fayaz Ahmed.

Fayaz’s father Mustaq Ahmed Dar was all praise for the Army.

Under project Super 30, the Army in collaboration with an NGO, Centre for Social Responsibility and Leadership (CSRL), provided free-of-cost coaching and lodging to 22 youth hailing from humble backgrounds from various remote areas of the Valley for 10 months.

The first edition of Kashmir Super 30 was launched in February last year in which about 900 Class XII students appeared for written test out of which 100 were shortlisted for interview. Finally, 22 students were selected to undergo coaching for IIT exams. All 22 appeared for IIT prelims exams held in April 2014. Out of which, nine could clear the prelims. However, only Fayaz Ahmed could appear for the IIT Mains. The other eight students were not able to appear for the mains due to few technical issues involving J&K Board of Secondary Education (JKBOSE). The CSRL has already taken up a case with the J&K High Court regarding the same.

The Chinar Corps Commander, Lt General Gurmit Singh, extended his best wishes and congratulated Dar for his extraordinary achievement. The Corps Commander urged the youth of Kashmir to emulate Dar who despite being physically handicapped turned his dream into reality.

The second edition of Kashmir Super 30 is scheduled to start in July 2014. The selection process of candidates for IIT coaching has already been completed and 30 students from various places in Kashmir have been selected.

Jammu, June 23
There is difference of opinion among various groups about the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants in three places in the Kashmir valley.

Sources said the proposal was put forth by Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami to the community as part of the rehabilitation module of the previous United Progressive Alliance government.

After Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government took charge, the government had made an announcement to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandit community in the Valley with dignity and honour.

Even though there was no communication from the Centre, sources said a revised Rs 5,800-crore plan was under the active consideration of the government.

Under the revised plan, Rs 20 lakh would be given as compensation to each family and Kashmiri Pandits would be rehabilitated in clusters at different places.

Groups of Kashmiri Pandits were divided over the proposal. The Panun Kashmir rejected outright any such proposal while the Jagti Tenement Committee (JTC) and the Soan Kashmir Front (SKF) welcomed it.

“We feel concerned and surprised at the undue haste with which some organisations have made a beeline in front of the new dispensation in Delhi,” said Panun Kashmir factions led by Agnishekhar and Ajay Chrungoo in a joint press note.

They have been trying to showcase themselves as messiahs of the community leading them back to the Valley. More surprising is the fact that there is no official communication from any quarter in the government regarding any rehabilitation and return plan,” they said.

Agnishekhar told The Tribune that they stood by the demand for their homeland and no other option would be acceptable to them in any case.

Shadi Lal Pandita, president of both the JTC and the SKF, hit out at the two leaders and said some Kashmiri Pandits residing in Delhi were not willing to go to the Valley or create hurdles in the return process.

“These so-called leaders have destroyed the image of the community for the last 25 years and more,” he said. He asked the Centre to convene a meeting of “real” migrants and not so-called leaders.

He suggested that migrants from Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama could be rehabilitated in Anantnag district, those from Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal in Srinagar district and those from Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora in Baramulla district.

Srinagar, June 23
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today warned the BJP-led Centre Government against announcing any package for Kashmir Pandits “merely for vote bank” and without consulting the state government.

“They have to sit here with the elected state government first…. All the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir are sensitive and they should not give such statements merely for vote bank,” Azad told reporters here.

The senior leader was reacting to media reports that the Centre was planning to construct separate townships for Pandits in the Valley under it’s yet to be announced re-settlement package for the community.

Emphasising that bringing back Pandits to the Valley was not an easy task, Azad said the Congress-led UPA government too had made efforts in this regard and no mainstream or non-mainstream organisation had ever objected to their return.

Azad, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, further said he had no expectations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi vis-à-vis resolution of Kashmir issue and claimed the BJP was raking up Article 370 merely for vote bank politics.

“I have got no expectations… Kashmir is far…first let him (Modi) see the national front…I have been hearing about Article 370 for ages…Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the tallest BJP leader and nothing changed even during his time…. It is being used only for vote bank for assembly elections,” he said.

On his party’s failure to win even a single seat in Jammu and Kashmir in parliamentary polls and its impact on the forthcoming state elections, Azad said the results would have no bearing on the Assembly polls.

“There are around 16 constituencies (in one parliamentary segment) and candidates will be different…many issues are involved…so results will be different,” he said.

On BJP’s good show in the Lok Sabha polls, the senior leader said: “The RSS contested elections…the BJP was at the back and the RSS was at the forefront during campaigning.”

Azad, meanwhile, described his recent meeting with the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as a “social one” and asserted that they did not discuss the issue of pre-poll alliance.

On chances of alliance with other political parties ahead of the Assembly elections, Azad said it would be decided by the party high command after consultations with all local leaders.

“That is why (AICC general secretary) Ambika Soni is holding one to one meeting (with the local leaders). We don’t know what they will tell her,” he said.

Srinagar, June 23
The Jammu and Kashmir Government has constituted a high-level committee to look into the issue of rehabilitation of persons affected by the ban on stone quarrying.

The three-member committee headed by the Financial Commissioner of the Industries and Commerce Department is expected to submit its report to the government within one month.

Stone quarrying has been banned in forest areas by the High Court, which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on illegal quarrying in forest areas of the state.

“Sanction is accorded to the constitution of a committee to study issues regarding rehabilitation of affected persons, if any, due to stopping stone quarrying in forest areas as well as in Kahcharai land,” the government said in the order issued by the General Administration Department.

As per the orders dated June 18, the three-member committee will be headed by the Financial Commissioner of the Industries and Commerce Department, with the Commissioner or Secretary to Government (Revenue) and the Secretary to Government (Forest Department) as its members.

The committee, which will be serviced by the Forest Department, has been asked to submit its report with regard to rehabilitation of persons affected within one month.

In his compliance report to the High Court in April, the Financial Commissioner of the Industries and Commerce Department had stated that a meeting under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary was held, wherein it was decided to constitute a committee to study the issue on the basis of inputs to be furnished by the Geology and Mining Department.

It had been stated in the compliance report that revised rules regarding stone quarrying and minor mineral activities in Jammu and Kashmir were in the final stage, pending approval of the Chief Minister.

Following this, the High Court, in its orders on April 12, directed the authorities concerned to file a status report on decisions taken to finalise rules aimed at regulating mining and quarrying in the state.

Srinagar, June 23
Over the past few years, Kashmiri women have essayed the role of a successful moneymaker, besides being a conventional homemaker.

At a time when the women workforce is leaving no stone unturned in strife-torn Kashmir, Managing Director of the J&K State Women Development Corporation (SWDC) Naheed Soz hopes to bring out women from the marginalised and poor sections of society and turn them into successful entrepreneurs.

This journey for Naheed is self-transforming as well since she is a witness to the success stories of widows, orphans, destitute and poor women who turn into economically independent entrepreneurs.

For 2012-2013, Naheed as the head of the SWDC has been able to financially benefit 1,576 women from 22 districts of the state while disbursing funds worth Rs 853 lakh under various centrally sponsored and state government women entrepreneurship schemes.

After being appointed as the MD at SWDC, Naheed said her priorities drastically changed from being just a family person to a responsible public servant.

“It has made my outlook towards economic independence of women broader. I never realised how important it is for today’s woman to become self-reliant since I never faced any financial constraint. Working with the women who are from weaker sections of society is in itself a huge learning experience,” Naheed said.

Naheed as MD, SWDC, has been handed over the job of reaching out to women who are interested in setting up their own income generating units, provide skilled training to these women and finance their ventures under various centrally sponsored and state-level entrepreneurship schemes.

The women are imparted vocational training through government institutions for learning handloom weaving, cloth designing, tailoring, embroidery work, pottery and other related activities which would suit women entrepreneurs.

Nadia Mehraj, a differently abled girl from Habba Kadal areas of old city, after attending an awareness workshop of the SWDC got a loan of Rs 50,000 under the National Handicapped Development and Finance Corporation (NHDFC)) scheme from SWDC and started a Kashmiri embroidery unit based out of her home.

Naheed feels elated to be a part of Nadia’s story and many other women like her helping them realize their dreams.

Srinagar, June 23
After written complaints from people of Dalgate and adjoining areas about the presence of dogs with rabies in the area, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has formed a committee to remove dogs with rabies from the city, calling it a serious public health concern.

In a written complaint to the Municipal Magistrate from the residents of Dalgate and Padshahi Bagh through Bilal Ahmad Bhat and MA Khanday, it was stated that the fear of dogs with rabies was looming large in the area as several children and tourists have been bitten in localities so far.

“A few dogs are suffering from rabies and have bitten people many a time. Even some tourists have been bitten by these rabid dogs,” the complaint said.

Describing it as a serious public health concern, Health Officer of the SMC Shafqat Khan said, “I have called for an emergency meeting and the committee has been formed to eradicate the dogs suffering from rabies from Srinagar with the help of scientific methods. This is a serious issue which can even cause death to humans. The committee will take necessary steps to eradicate such animals that pose threat to citizens and are apprehended to be infected with rabies or other communicable diseases. Most scientific methods will be adopted by the department to eradicate them.”

The presence of a huge number of dogs in Srinagar and adjoining areas is posing a big threat to the humans with people being bitten regularly, though the SMC have adopted many methods, including sterilisation of canines, which is currently going on to eradicate the menace from the city, but people allege that no concrete and timely steps are being taken by the department to prevent people from being bitten.

Jammu, June 23
The six-day-long orientation training programme in the disciplines of Hindi and social sciences for teachers and masters of all the 10 districts of the Jammu province got underway here today.

The programme has been organised by the State Institute of Education (SIE), Jammu, and it would conclude on June 28. The training programme of Hindi and social studies was inaugurated by senior field adviser Saroop Kumar Raina.

In his inaugural address, Raina described the value and significance of training programmes conducted by the SIE, Jammu, for the professional excellence of teachers working in schools.

He also encouraged and inspired the teachers and explained different areas of the subjects. He called upon the teachers to adopt new techniques and methodology of these subjects and avoid traditional method of teaching “chalk and talk’ and teaching from “textbooks to notebooks”.

Earlier, Sarita Anand, field adviser and coordinator of the programme, delivered welcome address.

The proceedings of the programme were conducted by Rakesh Kumari, Research Officer (Social Studies), and Alka Sharma, Research Officer (Hindi), both associate coordinators, SIE, Jammu.

Teachers and masters from all the districts of the Jammu division participated in the training programme.

Jammu, June 23
The president of the Traders’ Association of old city market of Jammu announced that the shopkeepers would go on summer vacation from June 27 to 29. He appealed to customers to defer their shopping.

While briefing the media today, the association president said during the vacation the entire market would be closed and open on June 30. He stated that the availing of summer vacation by the traders was as per their past practice.

Meanwhile, the association has also congratulated the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Jammu, for the successful conduct of election and hoped that the new team would work for the welfare of the traders.

Jammu, June 23
In the series of programmes being organised on the occasion of International Day against the Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Jammu zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau has organised a rally at RS Pura.

The rally was flagged off by Neeraj Dubey, Commandant, 193 Bn, BSF, RS Pura, along with Manoj Kumar, Zonal Director, Narcotics Control Bureau, Jammu. The rally started from Mahatma Gandhi Park and culminated at Bana Singh Stadium going through RS Pura bazaar and bus stand.

Students from different schools, staff/volunteers of NGO “Sahyag India”, BSF personnel from 193 Bn, sarpanches and panches of border villages took part in the rally.

The Narcotics Control Bureau provided banners and placards to the participants to spread the message of preventing drug abuse among the local public in the RS Pura market. During the rally, pamphlets consisting information on drugs and NDPS Act, were also distributed among the shopkeepers to make them aware of the menace of drug abuse and its ill effects on the human body.

Addressing the participants, Manoj Kumar, Zonal Director, NCB, Jammu, spoke about the steps being taken by the agency to curb the menace of drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir. He also conveyed the theme released by the UNODC this year, ie “Make health your new high in life, not drugs”.

The SDPO, RS Pura, Devinder Singh, Ashvini Jojra, founder president of the NGO, Shayag India, and Lalit Sharma Mattoo also participated in the rally.

Jammu, June 23
The protest of shortlisted candidates for the posts of jail warden in the Prison Department continued today. The candidates said they would continue their struggle till their demand was met.

One of the representatives of the candidates, Ashwani Kumar, while briefing the media, said despite getting support from many political and social organisations for their demand, the government did not take any decisive measure in this regard.

The candidates are demanding early release of the final selection list. Reiterating the resolve, the candidates warned the authorities concerned that if they failed to release the final selection list, they would intensify their agitation.

Ashwani Kumar added that 41,182 candidates had applied for the posts advertised in local dailies in 2005. Out of that, 1,247 candidates were shortlisted for the interview, which was held in the September, 2010.

Jammu, June 23
Natrang presented a play, “Mission H2O”, by children in its Sunday theatre series. It was written and directed by Aarushi Thakur.

Children enact a scene in the play,“Mission H2O”, in Jammu. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh

The play revolved around the most important environment issue for the present generation. The play started with a classroom scene in which a teacher is speaking about global warming. She realises that the children are not paying attention.

In order to catch their attention, she narrates a story. The story revolves around a village in which all water sources suddenly go dry. People in the village become worried and seek a reason.

Some villagers blame a ghost or a supernatural power. To their despair, it was an angel who had stopped the water to make the villagers realise its worth.

She tells children of the village that if they want water to return to their village, they need to be selfless, thinking about others and the future generation before themselves.

She asks the king to gave up his fortune if he wishes that water should return to the village. He mocks at the idea, but when his daughter suffers without water to drink, he decides to give up his fortune to save the village.

This was the first performance by club children. Natrang had been encouraging children to develop ideas about theatre and explore their talent.

The actors who enacted the play were Gopi Sharma, Sanchita Dubey, Agam Kaur Chirag Anand, Chander Pratap Singh Bhau, Mihir Gujral, Manya Gujral, Sanyam Gupta and Shreya Gupta.

Jammu, June 23
A soldier and a civilian were injured in two mine blasts in Poonch district on Sunday, officials said today.

“During a routine patrol, a soldier, Mohammed Maroof, of the 17 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry stepped on a mine near the Nakkarkot post along the LoC in the Digwar area of Poonch district. He sustained injuries on his right leg,” said an Intelligence source.

The soldier was evacuated to Army Hospital in Poonch and was stated to be out of danger, the source said.

In another incident, a civilian, Mohammad Ayub, stepped on a mine which exploded while he was grazing cattle in the Karmara belt of Poonch district last evening. He was taken to District Hospital, Poonch.

Anti-personnel mines, planted to check Pakistani intruders, drift due to rains from their actual positions.

Srinagar, June 23
Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, held a meeting at Raj Bhawan today to review arrangements for the Amarnath yatra, scheduled to commence on June 28.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shrine Board RK Gupta briefed the Governor about the to-date position of snow-melt on the tracks leading to the holy cave, at the yatra camps, status of restoration of the yatra tracks along both routes and other logistic arrangements being made by various departments.

The CEO returned to Srinagar last night after undertaking a two-day on-ground assessment tour of the entire yatra route covering Baltal-holy cave-Panjtarni-Sheshnag-Chandanwari.

The Governor was informed that while the Baltal-holy cave track was almost clear, the final stretch of about a kilometre up to the shrine was covered with snow and, as in the past years, the pilgrims would have to walk on the frozen path on this stretch.

The CEO told the Governor that it would be possible to commence the yatra along the Baltal route from June 28.

Regarding the Chandanwari route, the Governor was informed that the track between Sheshnag-Wavbal- Mahagunus Top-Poshpatri-Panjtarni was heavily covered with snow.

The snow level, particularly at Poshpatri-Mahagunus Top and Wavbal, is between six and eight feet. The Pahalgam Development Authority is working on the stretch in double shifts to clear the snow and restore the track for the pilgrims.

However, the track is not expected to be free of snow before the commencement of the yatra.

Gupta said the CEO of the Pahalgam Development Authority along with officials of Anantnag district was scheduled to visit the yatra area today to see that all yatra-related arrangements, including track restoration works, were completed in the next five days.

Jammu, June 23
The police recovered the body of a minor from a canal in the Kunjwani area here this afternoon. The minor went missing from his residence in the Trikuta Nagar area on June 19.

The deceased was identified as Amaan Sheikh (8), son of Akram Sheikh, resident of Maharashtra, but presently residing at Trikuta Nagar.

Police officials said some people spotted the body of the minor floating in the canal and informed the police. The body was shifted to hospital for autopsy and identification.

During the course of investigation, it came to the fore that a minor had been missing from his residence since June 19. The Trikuta Nagar police said the family of the minor had filed a complaint wherein it was stated that the boy went missing soon after he ventured out from his residence.

Meanwhile, the Bagh-e-Bahu police recovered the body of an unidentified woman from near the railway track.

Police officials said the body was recovered early this morning and it had some injury marks on the body. The body was shifted to a hospital for autopsy and identification.

Srinagar, June 23
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has decided to take strict action against top private companies found indulging in defacement and illegal pasting of advertisements on public and private properties.

An SMC official said it had already moved the court against Cemtac Cements, Aircel and Dishnet Wireless Limited that were found indulging in setting up kiosks, small hoardings and wall wraps on private properties without permission of any competent authority.

Municipal magistrate Khursheed-ul-Islam, while taking cognisance, said prima facie, the accused have committed offences under Section 115, 116 and 302 (VI) of the J-K Municipal Corporation Act.

“A summon is issued to the accused for their presence before the court on July 1,” he added.

The SMC said they had also observed that big private companies such as Airtel, Aircel, Idea and Khyber Cements had painted private and government buildings in an “illegal attempt” to advertise their respective brands.

“The rampant pasting on the one hand has defaced public property and on the other inflicted losses on the SMC to the tune of Rs 4 crore. Several companies did not even spare sacred spaces like graveyards and misused the space against the sensibilities of people,” the official added.

SMC Commissioner Dr GN Qasba said, in case of violations, the SMC was bound to penalise such companies and take stern action, including imprisonment as per the provisions.

“The SMC has decided to clampdown on such companies indulging in inconvenience to people, defacement of walls and illegal pasting of advertisements. It is incumbent on the companies to show self ethics and stop the practice,” he added.

Jammu, June 23
The Dulhasti Power Station management today cautioned people of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts not to move near the Chenab river on June 25 and June 26.

The authorities said the gates of the Dulhasti Power Station dam would be opened for periodical reservoir flushing during this period due to which the water level may rise temporarily.

The power station management said anyone not complying with the request would be doing so at his own risk and they shall not be responsible for consequences thereof.

Jammu, June 23
The state administration on Monday appointed Uttam Chand, a 2002-batch IPS officer, as the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, replacing Atul Goel.

Sources said Uttam Chand, who had worked in several militancy affected districts of the state, was appointed as the SSP on Monday evening after Atul Goel was sent on deputation.

Uttam Chand was serving as Additional Inspector General (Crime Intelligence Vigilance) in the Police Headquarters at present.

He had served as SSP, CID, CI, Kashmir, and SSP, Budgam. He has experience of working in the Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Jammu, June 23
The J&K Wrestling Association in collaboration with the J&K State Sports Council is going to host 33rd boys and 17th girls Sub-Junior National Wrestling Championship at Sher-e-Kashmir Indoor Sports Stadium, Srinagar, from June 28 to July 2.

Raman Bhalla, Minister for Youth Services and Sports, while briefing the media today said about 1,200 wrestlers from across the country would vie for top honours in the coveted sporting event. He added that a 30-member team has been selected for the championship.

The minister stated that elaborate arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of the national competition, the opening ceremony of which would be held in Srinagar at 5 pm.

This is for the first time that the sub-junior championship is being held in Kashmir to promote the game in the region.