Jammu, July 11
The Gandhi Nagar police today arrested the three absconding accused in the sensational daylight robbery near Nanak Nagar Gurdwara yesterday.

A total of five persons were involved in the robbery and two of them were arrested hours after they committed the crime.

The absconding persons arrested by the police have been identified as Rajan Gupta, resident of Sector-3, Nanak Nagar, Balbir Kumar, alias Billu, and Sunny Kumar, both residents of the Dayalachak area in Kathua district.

Rajan Gupta happens to be an employee of the ITC company. Two other employees of the company, Ashok Kumar, a resident of Akhnoor, and Sunil Kant Arora, a resident of Talab Tillo, were robbed of Rs 25 lakh by four motorcycle-borne youths after throwing chilli powder in their eyes around 11.30 am yesterday.

The employees were on their way to deposit around Rs 25 lakh in the branch of J&K Bank at Nanak Nagar. Two youths, identified as Varun of Sanjay Nagar and Zaffar Hussain of Sainik Colony, were arrested by the police yesterday.

“On the disclosure of Varun and Zaffar, the police laid a trap and arrested all the absconding persons from the Jallochak area in Bari Brahmana, on the outskirts of Jammu city,” sources said.

The sources said Rajan Gupta had allegedly masterminded the robbery and was in close contact with the other accused. “He informed them that two employees of the company are carrying a huge amount for depositing it in the bank at Nanak Nagar. The accused waited for the employees near Nanak Nagar Gurdwara and stopped them on the pretext of seeking the details of a residential address,” the sources said, adding that they threw chilli powder in their eyes during the conversation and fled with the bag full of cash.

“Nearly Rs 2-3 lakh were still missing from the cash and it will soon be recovered,” the police said.

The police had got clues from the footage of a CCTV camera installed at a tutorial institute, located close to the crime spot, and it helped the police in tracing two accused.

Jammu, July 11
Paying tributes to Begum Akbar Jehan, wife of National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, on her 14th death anniversary, NC leaders today used this platform to gear up for the upcoming Assembly polls.

The NC provincial president for Jammu, Devender Singh Rana, said the best homage to Begum Jehan, also known as Madr-e-Meharban, would be to further rejuvenate NC for fulfilling the political urges and developmental aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We value the glorious legacy of Sher-e-Kashmir and resolve to meet the expectations of the founding fathers of the party by meeting the challenges posed by conspirators and anti-people forces,” Rana said at a function organised by women workers of the party at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan.

Rana said the biggest challenge was round the corner when the state would have Assembly elections. “The self-seeking parties, which have already initiated a number game, will find themselves at the fence with th NC registering a massive win,” he added.

The provincial president said the political pundits, too, would find their calculations going haywire as the NC was a cadre-based party having its presence in even the remotest corner of the state.

“The confidence and sincerity with which Omar Abdullah is serving his people, there is no reason why the NC will not emerge as a strong party in the ensuing elections,” Rana said.

Recalling the contribution of the Madr-e-Meharban in the uplift of people, especially women and weaker sections of the society, Rana said her role in female literacy, empowerment of women, welfare of Gujjars, Bakerwals and SC/ST communities would be remembered for all times to come.

Earlier, senior party leaders paid floral tribute to the Madr-e-Meharban.

Jammu, July 11
Activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) held a protest against the continuous price rise of the essential commodities.

Holding red flags and banners in their hands, the demonstrators castigated the Union Government, which had promised the people of the country that once they voted for it, they would get rid of the miseries and agonies inflicted during the UPA government. But to the dismay of the common people, the new government, led by Modi, seemed to have failed to translate the promises made into reality.

Regional secretary of the party Sham Prasad Keser alleged that the Rail Budget and the General Budget had vindicated that the government was fast moving towards privatisation of the economy and seeking PPP mode and foreign direct investment (FDI) in core sectors of the economy, which was bound to add to the miseries of the common people.

Jammu, July 11
Residents of the Muthi area today blocked the Jammu-Poonch national highway for more than an hour in protest against the unscheduled power cuts. They criticised the state government and Power Development Department (PDD) for restoring to unscheduled cuts in the city.

The protesters were joined by several BJP activists, who held protest against the unscheduled power cuts in Muthi, Barnai, Bantalab and Domana. The protesters were led by BJP state general secretary and former MLA Bali Bhagat along with district general secretary Omi Khajuria.

Bali Bhagat, while addressing the protesters, said it seemed the coalition government had not fully grasped public feeling and resentment against it even after the defeat in the recent elections.

“The NC-Congress coalition must realise that it has to perform and provide proper and good-governance ensuring availability of basic necessities and amenities of life like power and drinking water,” Bhagat said.

Residents alleged that even after having effected hundred per cent metering in the Jammu, yet every area was subjected to unscheduled long-duration cuts by the PDD. The quality of equipment used in the transmission and distribution of electricity was quite low.

Jammu, July 11
It was supposed to be a model commercial area of the temple city and a hub of corporate sector, but the failure of the civic authorities in maintaining sanitation of the lanes and bylanes in the Bahu Plaza commercial area has created unhealthy conditions.

Heaps of garbage, damaged road, stagnant water and blocked drains tell the tale of indifferent attitude of authorities towards this place created exclusively for the office space and high-end shoppers.

Looking at the plight of the area, there is no coordination between the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), which have responsibility to keep the place clean.

Despite constructed as planned commercial place, there is insufficient parking space within the vast area housing several state, Central government departments and private concerns leading to chaos daily.

“It surprises me. Where is the civic body? The lack of effective mechanism, failure to place garbage containers by the Municipal Corporation and shortage of safai karamcharies are the major reasons for the poor condition of the area,” said Kapil Kapoor, having a showroom in one of the buildings in Bahu Plaza.

“Our area has totally become a garbage dump. It seems that the authorities have no concern to make the area as a major attraction for shoppers,” said Bhagwan Singh, who runs a security firm.

The city already is facing a huge challenge of dumping solid waste generated by residents as the JMC has failed to find a suitable place for the purpose. A few months back, a plan to dump it in the Kot Bhalwal area was resisted by the people living around the area. However, none of the official from the MC and JDA was available for the comment.

Srinagar, July 11
The High Court has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary; the Principal Secretary, Ladakh Affairs Department; and the Kargil Deputy Commissioner in response to a petition seeking scrapping of the Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO) issued in 2004, granting voting rights to nominated councillors for electing or removing the Chairman or the Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil.

The High Court has ordered that status quo should be maintained as far as the functioning of the hill council under the present dispensation is concerned. Fearing attempts by National Conference councillors to derail functioning of the LAHDC by removing the Chairman and the Chief Executive Councillor, Asgar Ali Karbalai, councillor from Kargil, has prayed that High Court should issue directions to the respondents to allow the present dispensation to continue its working without disruption or disturbance.

Elections to the LAHDC were held in August, 2013. Ten candidates of the Congress, eight nominees of the National Conference and eight independents were elected. Subsequently, vide the SRO dated September 4, the government nominated four members to the council, who threw their weight behind the National Conference.

Since no political party had secured a majority, attempts were made by the National Conference to provide voting rights to nominated members with an SRO dating back to 2004, which was opposed by the Congress. Finally, the Congress nominated its candidate Karbalai to the post of Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor.

“An attempt was made by the government to elect the Chairman from among NC members, but the attempt did not succeed. In a Cabinet meeting held on July 17 under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, certain decisions were taken, including the decision that nominated councillors would not be given voting rights for electing or removing the Chairman or the Chief Executive Councillor,” submitted the petitioners, Mohammad Issa and others, who are residents of Kargil.

The petitioners further submitted that there were serious differences between the National Conference and the Congress, partners in the coalition government, on account of the loss in the General Election. “Now, attempts are again being made to derail functioning of the Council by NC councillors, who want to remove the Chairman through voting rights for nominated members on the basis of the SRO of 2004. It is an invalid legislation and is liable to be struck down by the government,” the petitioners submitted. They pleaded that the High Court should declare this ordinance as invalid and order its removal from the statute book.

The petitioners pleaded that the respondents should be directed to submit a proposal to the government concerning the Cabinet decision taken on July 16 to scrap the SRO which declared that nominated members did not have the right to elect or remove the Chairman or the Chief Executive Councillor of the hill council.

After perusing the petition and hearing GA Lone, counsel for the petitioners, the High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Chief Secretary; the Principal Secretary, Ladakh Affairs Department; and the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, also the Chief Executive Officer, LAHDC, Kargil. The High Court also asked the authorities to maintain status quo.

Why the petition

• The NC tried to give voting rights to nominated LAHDC-Kargil members through 2004 SRO (Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance), which was opposed by the Congress
• The government tried to get NC councillor elected as the Chairman, but attempt failed. The Congress nominated Karbalai as the Chairman-cum-Chief Executive Councillor
• Serious differences arose between the NC and the Congress after the General Election. NC councillors want to remove Chairman after getting voting rights for nominated members
• The petitioners (residents of Kargil) plead that the HC should declare the 2004 SRO on nominated councillors as invalid and order its removal from statute book.

Jammu, July 11
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, the governing body of the district, is up in arms against the Centre’s ambitious ultra mega solar power project to be set up in Ladakh.

The Council’s apprehensions are that it would deprive the people of Ladakh of the energy and money to be generated from the project and seeks an explanation from the Centre as to what benefits people will get from the project.

The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, in its maiden Budget, yesterday announced to take up four solar power projects, including one in the Ladakh region. An amount of Rs 500 crore was set aside for the projects.

“Ladakh is the solar capital of the country but it doesn’t mean that the Government of India will forcibly acquire land from Ladakhis for the solar power plant. The Centre will have to make it clear to the people of Ladakh as to what benefits they will get in lieu of a large chunk of land which will come under the project. We will oppose the move if the Centre makes any attempt to acquire land forcibly from people,” Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councillor (CEC), Leh, told The Tribune over phone.

The CEC said hundreds of square kilometres of land would be required for establishing the project in Leh. “They (Centre) will send both energy and money outside Ladakh, depriving the people of Ladakh their genuine rights. Our apprehensions are that the project is not in the interest of the people of Ladakh and the Centre must clear the modalities before making any beginning in the project,” Spalbar said.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable headed by Farooq Abdullah in the UPA-II government had envisaged the world’s largest solar energy project with a capacity of 5,000 MW in Ladakh about two years ago.

The project, planned in the Changthang area of Leh near the China border, is said to have a capacity more than three times the country’s installed solar capacity. Ladakh has the potential of 30,000 MW of solar energy.

Official sources said, “During the UPA-II government, the district administration, Leh, was told to work out the pre-requisites. It was told to identify nearly 20,000 acres and work out the technical feasibility and the means of transmitting power from the region.”

Interestingly, the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics has been building the world’s largest solar telescope — the National Large Solar Telescope — in Changthang, which now has also been proposed for setting up of the ultra mega solar power project.

Srinagar, July 11
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today sounded unimpressed with the Budget saying that good days or “acche din”, which was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s famous election slogan, are not yet in sight.

“So far ‘acche din’ are not in sight, and we should also not immediately expect good days (because of) the way monsoon has turned out,” Omar told reporters in reply to a question on the Budget. “Before the elections, they (BJP) talked about bringing ‘acche din’, but after winning the elections they talked about giving a bitter pill first to achieve the good days,” Omar said.

Omar said the talk of “good days” and also the feeling of a “bitter pill” remained missing from the Budget. “It has not even been two months yet (for the government), let some time pass then we will see," Omar said on the sidelines of a function in the city here.

The Chief Minister said he was expecting several things in the Budget which Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled yesterday.

He said that during the Union Finance Minister’s maiden visit to the state last month, he had asked for sports infrastructure.

Omar said the state already had two super-specialty hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar. “I had also asked for a package under which these two super-specialty hospitals could be upgraded to the AIIMS level. We have not heard about it. I hope when the Finance Minister talked about the AIIMS pattern, it also included our two hospitals,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said he would like to know the details of the Rs 500-crore package for migrant Kashmiris. “I would like to know the fine print (of the package) because one package was already existing… if these Rs 500 crore are under a new package then it is good… if it is on the past pattern then I think it will not be much beneficial,” he said.

The Chief Minister also advocated “something” for the Kashmir region similar to the IIT which has been announced for the Jammu region. “Mr Arun Jaitley knows the politics of this state. If Jammu gets something, Kashmir should also get something,” he said.

Srinagar, July 11
The Kashmir unit of the BJP today welcomed Amit Shah’s nomination as 
the national president of the party.

A statement issued by the party here said: “The Kashmir unit of the party has great expectations from Amit Shah. Under his dynamic command and political strategy, the BJP will definitely achieve the goal of Mission 44 plus in the upcoming Assembly elections.”

“The BJP will definitely change the whole political scenario in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement added.

Srinagar, July 11
The Amarnath yatra ritual related to the Charri Mubarak (holy mace of Lord Shiva) will begin from tomorrow with “bhoomi pujan” and “dhwajarohan” on the occasion of Vyas Purnima at Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

Mahant Deependra Giri said the Chhari Mubarak would leave for Pahalgam at 6.15 am from Dashnami Akhara here and return to its abode in the evening. He said pujan would be performed at the Martand Temple, Mattan, which falls between Pahalgam and Srinagar.

Srinagar, July 11
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded increase in the frequency of trains on the Baramulla-Banihal sector, besides extension of the rail network to Uri, Kupwara, Sonamarg, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Kishtwar to facilitate greater intra-state mobility.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha by moving cut motions on the Union Railway Budget, PDP MPs Mehbooba Mufti and Tariq Hameed Karra said while the latest announcement regarding increase in frequency of the train services on the Banihal-Budgam sector was a welcome step, it needed to be extended to Baramulla to cope with the massive passenger rush.

They said, as per reports, while the existing number of trains on the Banihal-Baramulla sector could cater to 1,500 passengers, around 5,000 passengers commute daily on the sector.

“In view of the massive passenger rush, there is a pressing need for increasing the train frequency on the Banihal-Baramulla sector,” they said and added the move would go a long way in cutting the risk of road accidents in Kashmir as scores of precious lives are lost daily in road accidents across the state.

They also demanded new stations on the Banihal-Baramulla sector to ease accessibility, besides developing Banihal, Anantnag, Budgam and Baramulla as model railway stations.

The MPs urged the Centre to initiate measures for extending the rail link from Srinagar to Sonamarg, Baramulla to Uri and Kupwara and Jammu to Poonch-Rajouri and Doda-Kishtwar.

Jammu, July 11
A day after the Narendra Modi-led NDA government presented its maiden Budget, the state BJP unit today said all three regions of the state — Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh — had been treated equally while being allocated funds in the Union Budget for the first time in the past 66 years.

“We welcome the holistic approach of the NDA government headed by Narendra Modi towards Jammu and Kashmir. And the manner in which it treated the state, it would go a long way in ensuring its unity and integrity. It will also help the BJP to expand its support base beyond Jammu and Ladakh and achieve the Mission 44 plus in the coming Assembly elections,” state BJP general secretaries Kavinder Gupta and Bali Bhagat at a press conference here.

They were accompanied by Hari Om, political adviser to state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma.

“The establishment of an IIT in Jammu was a long-pending demand of people here and the Narendra Modi government conceded to it in its first Budget. Ladakhi people had been struggling for a mega solar project since long and the government also gave them this gift,” they said.

The BJP leaders said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had focused equal attention on Kashmir by recognising the importance of the pashmina industry there and other important crafts in the state. “The BJP, unlike the NC, Congress and the PDP, doesn’t discriminate against regions and communities. The people of Kashmir should reject the politics of autonomy and self-rule as being indulged in by these parties and join the BJP in large numbers,” the leaders said. — TNS

Jammu, July 11
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Armed, J&K, SM Sahai on Thursday lauded the professional standards displayed by the mountain rescue teams of the police during rescue operations carried out in the ongoing Amarnath yatra.

The ADGP said since the commencement of the yatra, the teams had been continually carrying out rescue operations along the dangerous stretches of the track between Sheshnag and Poshpathri, ensuring the safety of the yatris.

“These teams have been created with the aim to carry out rescue operations in high altitudes during the arduous pilgrimage to the cave shrine,” he added.

Besides being trained in mountaineering and high-altitude rescue operations, the rescue teams are proficient in trekking, hiking, improvised emergency snow-clearance methods, rock climbing, river/zip wire crossing, first-aid operation, shifting/evacuation of sick or injured pilgrims to nearest medical aid centres.

Sahai said currently six teams comprising 60 experienced mountaineers were deployed at Sheshnag, Wavbal, Poshpathri, Sangam Top, lower holy cave and Brarimarg.

Having latest mountaineering equipment, the teams start every day at 4 am from their respective locations to conduct a recce and convey the status of the track to Sheshnag and Panjtarni, facilitating the decision of the camp directors regarding the movement of the pilgrims.

Doda, July 11
Two employees from Uttar Pradesh working for a private company were washed away in the Chenab in Kishtwar district on Friday morning.

The incident took place at the Kawar hydroelectricity project site in the Padyarna area of Kishtwar district around 11 am.

Two employees of G-MAT Company drowned in the Chenab while they were crossing it in a cradle box trolley to collect samples of soil and rock for testing. The box fell into the river and was washed away.

The deceased were identified as operator Hoshyar Sharma (20) of Sambalpur in Aligarh district and helper Pramod Pathak (34) of Naglapur.

"The employees were collecting rock and soil samples for testing," Addition Superintendent of Police Kishtwar Abdul Quoom said.

He said ropes of the cradle box broke, leading to the accident. A massive search operation was launched with the help of the police, the Army and divers of the Chenab rescue team.

Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force of Kishtwar and local residents helped the rescue teams, he added.

Kishtwar DSP (Headquarters) Ajaz Zargar was heading the rescue operation.

Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, Javed Khan said,“I have taken up the matter with the Army and divers. We hope that we will retrieve the bodies soon.”

Jammu, July 11
With All-India Congress Committee general secretary Ambika Soni submitting an inconclusive feedback report, the party has decided to convene another convention in Jammu on July 19 to interact with workers at the grassroots to decide on a pre-poll alliance with the National Conference (NC) for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Ambika Soni, in charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, had prepared the feedback report after the convention of senior party leaders in Srinagar on June 25. She submitted the report, based on one-on-one meetings with party leaders, to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on July 2.

Congress sources said the feedback report was inconclusive because views of most leaders from Jammu were not included. “Since only ministers, MLAs and some senior leaders from Jammu were invited to the Srinagar convention, the views of a majority of leaders from the area were not be taken into consideration,” sources said.

“The Congress high command has realised that the party has a strong base only in the Jammu region and ignoring it while devising any strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections will prove disastrous,” they added. A number of Congress leaders had aired their resentment against ignoring them while formulating the strategy for the upcoming Assembly poll.

“The high command has decidedon a convention here due to the resentment of Jammu-based Congress leaders,” sources said. They said Ambika Soni, former Union minister and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and state Congress chief Saifuddin Soz would attend the convention.

When contacted, Soz said party workers from both urban and rural areas of Jammu district would be invited to the daylong convention. “After our convention in Srinagar, we have decided to hold a similar convention in Jammu so that party leaders can get feedback from workers at the grassroots,” he said.

He added that such conventions would be a routine affair in days to come to revitalise the cadre for the elections. The sources said Ambika Soni would interact individually with workers in Jammu to get their views on the performance of the NC-Congress government.

Jammu, July 11
The 16 Corps of the Army, also called the White Knight Corps, started a plantation drive at Army Public School in Nagrota today.

The drive was started by Lt Gen KH Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the White Knight Corps.

About a thousand saplings of ashok, putranjiva, kanel and bougainvillea were planted by Army personnel, students of Army Public School and their parents.

On the occasion, the GOC said: “Schools were involved to teach the younger generation about their duty towards society to keep their future safe and making them aware that by planting trees the carbon imprints shall remain under control.”

He said the importance of trees in providing a cozy habitat for the human race had been increasing with the passgae of time. “It is our solemn duty to conserve the flora for the future generations,” he added.

Rajouri, July 11
The district unit of the BJP termed the Union Budget ‘people-friendly’ and ‘people-centric’ and congratulated the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister for focus on J&K.

Vibodh Gupta, state vice-president, Bharat Bhusan Gupta, district president, and others said with funds for an IIT at Jammu, ultra-modern solar power plant for Ladakh and pashmina production programmes in Kashmir and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandit migrants, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had fulfilled his poll promises.

“The Budget reflects the futuristic vision of the government towards aspirations of all three regions. People of the state were feeling alienated for a decade and now they are jubilant with announcements related to J&K made in the Budget,” said Gupta.

He said people of Rajouri and Poonch were hoping for development in all fields as a satisfactory financial announcement had been made related to improvement in railways, roads, highways, buildings, power, agriculture and women empowerment.

District president Bharat Bhushan Vaid said the people would get relief from sky-rocketing inflation.

“Recent announcements are the tip of the iceberg and ‘achhe din’ have started,” said Rajinder Gupta, former chairman of the municipal committee.

Srinagar, July 11
PDP chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar on Friday said the National Conference-led government reversed some bad decisions after losing in the General Election.

“Had the Assembly elections not been scheduled six months after the General Election, the NC might not have acknowledged its blunders,” he claimed.

He was addressing a function to welcome into the party fold dozens of new entrants from the Saderkoot Bala area in the Sonawari Assembly segment of Bandipore district.

He said if the NC was sensitive to people’s feelings and their problems, the last five years had offered it countless occasions to correct its course.

Accusing the NC of polarisation, he said the state was going through a difficult phase and the only solution to get together different regions lay in electing a trusted leadership with a decisive mandate.

PDP youth leader Shanti Singh expressed concern over the deteriorating health of the unemployed dental health surgeons on an indefinite fast in Jammu.

Srinagar, July 11
Mallinson Girls School won the Women’s Football Tournament 2014. The final match was played between Government Women’s College, MA Road, and Mallinson Girls High School today on the grounds of Women’s College, MA Road.

The match turned interesting towards the end of full time as none of the teams could score a goal. During the penalty shootout, Mallinson School scored two goals. Umihana Shah and Shameem Basharat scored goals for their team.

The match was finally won by Mallinson Girls School team with 2-0. Trophies and individual prizes were awarded by Parvez Ahmad Malik, Secretary to Government Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports.

Shaheen Altaf, Principal of Government Women’s College, and Dalip Thusu, Secretary of the J&K State Sports Council, were the guests of honour.

Government Girls Higher Secondary Institute, Kothibagh, bagged the third position in the four-team tournament. Fair play trophy was awarded to Government Girls Higher Secondary Institute, Chanpora.

The J&K Football Federation has decided to pick best women footballers of the tournament for the state women team that will play nationals later this year. — TNS