Srinagar, July 15
The National Conference (NC) on Tuesday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. The list includes the names of 10 ministers, but has no mention of the Abdullahs.

The names of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is the working president of the party, and former Union minister Farooq Abdullah, who is NC president, do not figure in the first list, in which sitting legislators have been retained.

The list of 32 candidates was decided during a meeting of the parliamentary board of the party chaired by Omar. The list was approved by Farooq.

After three-hour deliberations, candidates were decided for 19 Assembly segments in the Kashmir valley, 12 in the Jammu region and one in Ladakh, the party said.

Twenty-one candidates in the list are sitting legislators and most of the other 11 had finished second in the Assembly elections in 2008. The names of two women, Sakina Itoo and Shamima Firdaus, are in the list.

The NC has named its candidates for five of the eight Assembly constituencies in Srinagar district. It is yet to decide on two constituencies from where Omar is expected to contest the poll. The Chief Minister, who was elected from Ganderbal in 2008, might opt for the “safer seat” of Sonawar or Hazratbal. The candidate from Ganderbal is yet to be decided.

The party has not decided the seat from which Farooq will contest the poll. He had won from Hazratbal and Sonawar in 2008 and lost in the General Election earlier this year.

Several senior leaders have been retained. Party general secretary and Cabinet minister Ali Mohammad Sagar will contest from his stronghold Khanyar.

Party’s Kashmir provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani will contest from Amira Kadal, Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul from Idgah, Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather from Chrar-e-Sharif and Forest Minister Mian Altaf from Kangan.

Transport Minister Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan will contest from Handwara, Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone from Sonawari, Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo from Noorabad and Law Minister Mir Saifullah from Kupwara.

Minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo is the party candidate from Kishtwar and Minister of State for Agriculture Nazir Ahmad Khan from Gurez.

Jammu, July 15
To devise a strategy for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, newly elected BJP national president Amit Shah has called for a meeting of the core committee of the state BJP tomorrow in New Delhi.

The meeting has been called in a day’s notice and all members of the core committee have been directed to reach Delhi by Wednesday morning.

The core committee of state BJP comprises state president Jugal Kishore Sharma, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, former state BJP president Nirmal Singh and Ashok Khajuria, general secretaries of the party, Bali Bhagat, Kavinder Gupta, Rajiv Jasrotia and Ashok Koul.

Former state BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas is also a member of the core committee but his name is missing from the list of invitees.

Highly placed sources in the party said the BJP high command was serious about fighting the coming Assembly elections in J&K and the party had set a target of getting 44 plus seats to form the government on its own in the only Muslim-majority state of the country.

“It shows seriousness on the part of the BJP high command that Amit Shah after becoming the president of the party has decided to hold a meeting with the leaders of the J&K unit to devise a strategy for the Assembly elections,” a senior party leader said on the condition of anonymity, adding, “After taking charge, tomorrow’s meeting is Amit Shah’s first official meeting with any state unit.”

Sources said the members of the core committee had been told to come up with detailed data of previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state so that a strategy would be devised on the basis of that.

The last meeting of the state BJP leaders with the party high command was held on July 2 when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was the national president of the party.

The sources said during the meeting, Amit Shah would get feedback from the party leaders and seek their suggestions on each Assembly segment of the state. Sources said besides devising strategy for the Assembly elections, the tour programmes of the union ministers would also be chalked out in their presence.

Katra, July 15
The first Katra-Delhi Shri Shakti Express arrived at the Katra railway station in Reasi district on Tuesday morning amid celebrations and chanting of hymns. The service, aimed at facilitating the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, began on Monday evening. Passengers appreciated the facilities. “We did not face any problem during the journey. It will be very convenient to visit Vaishno Devi,” said Mahesh, a passenger.

“We thank the government for the service. It is the first time in years that there is a superfast train from New Delhi to Katra. It is convenient for Vaishno Devi pilgrims and residents of Katra,” another passenger said.

Railway officials said the next service to be started from Katra would be the Katra-Kalka Express. The Jammu Mail and the 
Uttar Sampark Kranti Express would be extended to Katra.

Jammu, July 15
Though Jammu is facing a severe power crisis and increase in rate of damage to transformers, the Power Development Department (PDD) is facing a problem in repairing them due to shortage of spare parts and funds.

With poor maintenance and repair facilities most of the transformers take days to get repaired forcing people to go without electricity in sweltering heat if the transformer breaks down in their area.

Workshops are overburdened by these damaged transformers and to facilitate their speedy repair, the department takes the service of registered repairing agencies as well as workshops, but they have failed to repair the damaged equipment on time.

“There are very hard days ahead for the residents as well as the PDD as the central transformer pool in Jammu is running short of ready transformers. At the moment the capacity of every installed transformer is up to six times less than the total agreed load of consumers fed from it with the rate of damage to distribution transformers increasing with every passing month,” sources said.

As per the data, during 2012-13 as many as 5,972 distribution transformers got damaged across the state, highest in the country. The department has two repairing stations, one at Pampore and other at Gladni.

The PDD has 20 registered private workshops where it is sending the damaged feeder transformers for repair, but due to the increased influx of damaged equipment, it is taking time to repair them.

Exposing the claims of the state government about bringing drastic reforms in the power sector, Jammu and Kashmir scored lowest in energy management efficiency in the country during 2012-13 fiscal. Only 35.94 per cent of energy output was realised during the fiscal, while the remaining was lost during transmission and distribution in the power-starved state.

Meanwhile, in view of frequent damages to transformers, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has approved a special package of Rs 5 crore for the Jammu division to get these replaced or repaired on priority basis.

“This step has been taken to combat the problem and provide respite to consumers,”

Minister for Planning Ajay Sadhotra said while chairing a meeting of officials to assess the status of power and water supply, irrigation facilities, position of fertilisers, sanitation, ration supply and related issues here today.

“Any problem in the power supply badly affects the supply of water and irrigation facilities, thus putting people to grave hardships,” the minister maintained.

Expressing concern over dissatisfaction among people over frequent unscheduled power curtailments, the minister asked the Chief Engineer, PDD, Shahnaz Goni, to keep round-the-clock monitoring on the status of power supply in the division. He asked her to devise an effective mechanism to further streamline the position of power supply.

He also impressed upon her to gear up the field functionaries and related wings to get proper feedback about the status of power scenario, particularly in the rural and peripheral areas of the region, so that prompt response is ensured accordingly.

The minister took stock of irrigation facilities in the division and asked the officials to make sure that regular flow of irrigation services was made available to the people, especially at the tailends in view of paddy season.

Jammu, July 15
Accusing the Jammu University administration of encouraging nepotism and favouritism on the campus, the Students-Scholars Joint Action Committee (SSJAC) today demanded that all the interviews for teaching, gazetted and other categories, should be conducted under the surveillance of CCTVs and it should be properly videographed to ensure transparency and fairness in the system.

“We have apprehensions that family members and relatives of university officials and politically associated student leaders appearing in the interviews for various posts are to be accommodated by ignoring genuine, competent and deserving candidates. The university should conduct all interviews under the surveillance of CCTVs and need to be videographed,” Varinder Singh Chib, chairman the SSJAC told reporters here.

Chib claimed that they had prepared a list of candidates who were likely to be given alleged undue benefit during interviews at the cost of deserving people because they were either relatives of senior officials in Jammu University or have “strong political affiliations”.

“Our sole aim to highlight the nepotism is to ensure that deserving, competent and meritorious candidates get justice,” he said.

The SSJAC leader also demanded a high-level inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into all appointments made in the university during the past three years.

“We also demand an independent probe into financial irregularities conducted by varsity officials during the 101st Indian Science Congress in February this year,” he said.

Meanwhile, the university has postponed all interviews scheduled for July 17 and July 18 citing unavoidable circumstances as reason behind the decision.

Jammu, July 15
After having already issued advisories, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) has once again warned that strict action will be initiated against the vice-principal, house master, catering assistant and staff nurse of a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) if any eventuality like food poisoning happens in the school.

Sources said the instructions were issued by the samiti after it came to the fore that when the assistant commissioner visited the schools, the vidyalaya administration got alert and made all necessary arrangements. It was suggested that the assistant commissioner and cluster in charge should also carry out surprise checks of the vidyalayas.

The NVS has directed vidyalayas’ managements that food should be prepared according to the strength of the students and if spare food is available for any reason, the same is to be disposed of immediately. Directions were also issued to clean mess on daily basis.

The NVS has instructed vidyalayas’ managements that the entry of any animal, like cows, buffalos, cats, dogs, pigs, etc. in the vidyalaya messes and kitchens are strictly prohibited. It added that before serving any packaged material to the students its expiry date should be checked.

“Food items being sold in the tuck shop/kiosk on the vidyalaya campus should be inspected by a committee from time to time for their quality, cleanliness, etc, and report submitted to the Principal,” a NVS statement said.

Even the mess staff has been directed not to smoke inside the mess. Health check-up of all mess staff members every month by the vidyalaya’s doctor has been made mandatory. The staff nurse has been entrusted with the responsibility of testing the food before it is served to the students.

The samiti stated that master and assistant house master should ensure that students do not keep any stale food items with them. It stated that sometimes parents visit the students in between and give food items to them.

“The entry of any unauthorised person in the vidyalaya's mess is to be strictly prohibited. If any official from the district administration or parents of the students want to inspect the mess, they are to be accompanied by the principal/vice-principal/senior teacher,” another statement claimed.

Jammu, July 15
The dharna and chain hunger strike of the Dental Surgeons Association, J&K, continued on the 15th consecutive day at Amphalla Chowk here today.

Chairman of the association Dr Pawan Singh Jasrotia said it was ironical on the part of the government that skilled professionals had been sitting on road for the last 15 days with even female doctors forced to sit on a hunger strike, but still no one had bothered to issue any positive statement or approach us to acknowledge our genuine demands.

“Thanks to the ill-minded policymakers of the state that the dental profession is on the verge of extinction in J&K with neither any sufficient scope of higher education after pursuing BDS nor any employment opportunities available in the government as well as private sector,” Pawan Singh added.

Dr Kritika Rajput, in her address, said the agitation was not going to stop till the demands of the association were met. She warned that the agitation would intensify and the government would be responsible for any mishap.

Meanwhile, the demands of the association are complete absorption of unemployed dental doctors, recruitment of dental surgeons on yearly basis and establishment of separate directorate for dental health in the state.

Srinagar, July 15
Anti-Israel protests continued to rock Srinagar and various other districts for the second consecutive day today. Parties cutting across political ideologies staged protest demonstrations in different areas of the city.

Workers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took out a procession rally from Lal Chowk to Polo Ground raising slogans against Israel’s continued aggression on Palestinian people.

Protests by PDP workers came a day after its party president and MP Mehbooba Mufti and MP Tariq Hameed Karra staged a walkout from Lok Sabha while urging the Centre to condemn Israel’s violence against Gaza.

Earlier, Chairperson of the Hurriyat Conference (Hardline) Syed Ali Shah Geelani had called for a protest programme after Duhr (afternoon) prayers for today. Rallies were taken out in Civil Line areas of Srinagar near Geelani’s residence in Hyderpora with people raising slogans against Israel attacks on civilians in Palestine calling them barbaric.

Meanwhile, students, members of the Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) and journalists took out separate protest rallies in various parts of the city, protesting against the continued violent strikes of Israel on Gaza residents.

The biggest procession rally was witnessed from uptown Srinagar to the city centre with people burning Israeli flags and raising slogans against Israel and the United States.

Students at Anantnag Higher Secondary School in south Kashmir staged protests against Israel’s persistent attacks, calling for humanitarian organisations to join hands for an end to the wire crimes committed by Israel.

Despite the government orders on summer vacations, students wearing uniforms gathered near school compound in huge numbers sloganeering against Israel aggression.

The local police, however, exercised restraint while dealing with student protesters.

In Baramulla Degree College of north Kashmir, the students raised anti-Israel slogans on the campus and displayed placards urging international communities’ immediate intervention into what they called a humanitarian crisis.

Members of the Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) were lathi-charged by the police while they tried to assemble for the second consecutive day at city centre.

Journalists from various media organisations also took out protest rallies at media hub, Press Enclave in Srinagar, seeking impartial news coverage of Israel attacks on Gaza. 

Srinagar, July 15
The surge in anti-Israel protests across Kashmir has brought to the fore a radical pan-Islamic undercurrent and a new radical strain in the youth. Protesters had unfurled black al-Qaida flags at several locations in support of the militant movement. Hundreds of students marched to Lal Chowk on Monday.

It was the first such gathering in the highly guarded city centre, kept out of bounds for protesters since the summer agitation of 2010.

On Tuesday, they raised slogans in support of Gaza and militants and against Israel, the United States and India. A college student at Sopore praised the militants in his speech.

“We want to give a message from Kashmir to Israel that truth will triumph and falsehood will perish,” the protester said, describing militant Islamic state chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as “qayid”, the leader.

“One day, Israel will cease to exist and the flag of Islam wave over Washington, New York and the Red Fort in Delhi,” said the protester, whose speech had gone viral on social networking sites.

When the first protest was organised last Friday, a group of masked youths set ablaze Israeli flags and waved an al- Qaida flag outside the Jamia Masjid in the old city.

Separatists warned that the “glamour” of the Taliban could push the youth towards a renewed armed conflict. A larger flag was seen on Monday when students marched towards Lal Chowk.

Protesters raised slogans in support of the Islamic state and Baghdadi in the old city. The spread of protests surprised the separatists, forcing them to reschedule their protests.

Jammu, July 15
With protests against Gaza killings across Kashmir, Israel has asked its citizens to avoid visiting Kashmir while its embassy in India is closely monitoring the situation.

The travel advisory has been issued by the National Security Council (NSC) of Israel, its highest defence body, following large-scale protests in the Valley and other parts of the world against Israel’s air offensive against Gaza in which more than 170 people have been killed.

Sources said that though the advisory was limited to Kashmir and did not mention Jammu and Ladakh, it was likely to affect tourist footfalls in the state.

Officials said nearly 8,000 tourists from Israel visited J&K every year. When contacted by The Tribune, an official from the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi confirmed that “there is a recommendation from the NSC to avoid visiting the Kashmir valley keeping in view the recent protests. But it does not include Ladakh region, where no such protests are being held.”

The embassy official said they were constantly monitoring the situation and were in touch with the External Affairs Ministry.

Israel has never issued an advisory against Kashmir and its nationals used to visit the state even in the 1990s when militancy was its peak.

The only attack on Israelis was in 1991, when a tourist, Erez Kahane, was killed in a scuffle with militants after seven backpackers were kidnapped from a houseboat in Srinagar. The hostages fought back and snatched automatic weapons from the militants, killing two of them in the struggle.

Meanwhile, Director, Tourism (Kashmir), Talat Parvez said every foreign tourist was safe and there was no need to panic. “The Valley is safe for all tourists. I don’t think foreign tourists, including visitors from Israel, are facing any problem,” he said.

Srinagar, July 15
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MPs continued their protest in the Lok Sabha for the second consecutive day today, seeking an end to the killings in Gaza. The PDP moved an adjournment motion in the House today, seeking a discussion on the Gaza crisis.

As the Lok Sabha began its proceedings today, PDP members Mehbooba Mufti and Tariq Hameed Karra got up from their seats, urging the Speaker that the House adopt a resolution condemning continued Israeli aggression in Gaza, in which more than 170 people have been killed so far.

Holding placards, the PDP MPs marched towards the well of the House and staged a sit-in there. They were later joined by the members of the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen, Congress, TMC, CPM, Samajwadi Party and others, demanding an end to Israeli aggression.

As the House showed reluctance to adopt a resolution on the Palestinian issue, citing diplomatic intricacies, the PDP members walked out of the House.

The PDP MPs said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should raise the issue at the BRICS summit to ensure that there was an immediate end to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

Jammu, July 15
A drought-like situation looms over the state as sowing is yet to begin on large tracts of agricultural land due to the poor monsoon, raising fears of a fall in food production and water and power crises.

The state has recorded a shortfall of nearly 39 per cent in rainfall with the Jammu district recording a rain deficit of 79 per cent so far. “The state has a rain deficit of 39 per cent so far. The state recorded 79.4 mm rain till July 15 while 130.5 mm was the normal rainfall quantum,” a senior Indian Meteorological Department official said.

“The situation is the worst in the Jammu district where actual rainfall was 38.9 mm, with a deficit of nearly 79 per cent. The normal rainfall quantum for the district till date is 183.8 mm,” the official said.

Weathermen considered the period from June 1 to September 30 as monsoon in the state and 534 mm as the normal rainfall quantum.

The official said Kathua and Samba districts in the kandi belt recorded deficient rain this year.

“There was 72.2 mm rain in Samba district so far compared to the normalcy quantum of 183.8 mm, showing a deficit of nearly 61 per cent. Reasi district recorded an 18 per cent deficit as only 228.2 mm rain was recorded so far compared to the normalcy quantum of 278.9 mm,” the official said.

The state had recorded nearly 26 per cent extra rain last monsoon when it received 651 mm rain. “Monsoon currents are active in the state. We predict that monsoon currents will remain active up to July 19. Till then, there is a possibility of showers during the wee hours,” the official said.

BC Sharma, Chief Scientist, Agrometeorology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Jammu, said they had prepared contingency plans. “The maize crop is sown in the kandi belt by July 15 under normal circumstances. If the situation continues, we advise farmers to sow pulses which require less water content. The poor monsoon has affected sowing so far,” he said.

Dev Raj, president, RS Pura Basmati Growers Association, said, “Paddy growers have been able to sow only 15 per cent of the crop so far in RS Pura because of water shortage and a power crisis.” 

Srinagar, July 15
One of the proclaimed offenders in the MBBS exam scam Mushtaq Ahmad Kenu today surrendered before the crime branch, which is investigating the case

Kenu, a businessman, was absconding and evading arrest ever since his name figured in the chargesheet filed by the crime branch.

“Keenu surrendered before the crime branch in south Kashmir,” an official said.

The crime branch had last week issued a lookout notice against Kenu.

Earlier on July 11, two absconding persons had surrendered before the probe agency, while as the third accused, a broker, was arrested by the crime branch.

During last week’s hearing, the J&K High Court had come down heavily upon the crime branch for its failure to nab the absconding accused.

The two accused, who surrendered before the investigators on July 11, include Hilal Ahmad and Afroza Begum, parents of beneficiary students. The third accused, who was arrested by the crime branch on the same day, has been identified as Mohammad Amin, a broker, an official said.

As many as 15 accused were absconding and evading their arrest. 

Anantnag, July 15
With the officials of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), overlooking the functioning of government fair price shops, turning a blind eye at the “gross mishandling” of the supplies, “black-marketing” of essential goods is on the rise.

The quantity of essential supplies to be distributed has been solely left to the discretion of shop in charge leading to black-marketing.

The practice remains rampant in rural areas where people alleged that individuals running the fair price shops fluctuate the quantity of supplies at their will, leaving the gullible consumers high and dry.

People alleged that supplies don’t even last for the entire month.

“Be it sugar, rice, kerosene or any other essential supply, the in charge at these shops always have the last word,” said Adil Hamid Bhat from Kokernag area of Anantnag.

As per norms, in charge at these shops have to disclose the monthly supply to the local Auqaf committee or panchayat members, but a source said the department often received complaints about violations.

“This is to ensure some transparency in the conduct of these shops. But often complaints are received that norms are not followed,” said a highly-placed source in the CAPD.

At some places panchayat members are intimated about the supplies, however, consumers allege that transparency was still a far cry.

“Panchayat members work hand in glove with the in charge or the contractor. Local people continue to suffer any which way,” a teacher from Dupathyar village of Anantnag said on condition of anonymity.

An official from the office of the Director of CAPD, however, maintained that fluctuation in supplies was at the departmental level.

“We sometimes need to decrease supplies in plains to cater to the need of border areas,” a CAPD official said.

He said such a trend was usually followed during winters and in summers there were ample supplies.

Pulwama, July 15
Pulwama residents resorted to stone-throwing after a youth was booked for attempt to murder today. The youth was booked after he allegedly beat up a police officer yesterday.

The protestors demanded revocation of charges against the youth. They alleged that the accused had only retaliated to police officers “high handedness”.

They claimed that the police officer had first beaten the youth for alleged violation of traffic rules.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, Tejinder Kumar Singh, however, said the youth, identified as Muzamil, had obstructed traffic and the police officer was just helping people to get out of the mess.

He said the youth was one of the wanted absconders and was involved in various incidents of hooliganism in the town.

Jammu, July 15
The police have intensified their search to nab the two accused in the IED blast on the revenue office along the Line of Control in Poonch district on June 24 night. The duo managed to escape from police custody in Srinagar on July 12.

“Though we have not been able to catch them, our efforts are on,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Rajouri-Poonch range, AK Atri.

In fact, the Srinagar and Poonch police teams have been put on the task to nab both accused, added Atri.

The DIG said the police investigations into the IED blast inside the revenue office building at Dhargloon village near the LoC had established the involvement of both accused.

“That is why they were arrested and being brought to Poonch,” said the DIG.

He further said an alert had been sounded. “We are on the task to nab them at the earliest,” he said.

On July 12, the two accused, identified as Irfan Ahmad Kakad, a resident of Poonch, and Abdul Majeed Ganai, who was living in a rented accommodation at the Batamaloo area of Srinagar, escaped police custody soon after their arrest.

A police team headed by the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Gursai police station in Poonch, Inspector Sadaqat Hussain, had managed to arrest the duo from Srinagar.

As the police team from Poonch was in the civvies and the accused not being taken away in a police vehicle, one of the accused shouted for help during traffic jam at MA Link Road in Srinagar.

As a result, a mob surrounded the vehicle and roughed up the police team. The duo took advantage of the chaos and fled.

The three policemen, including the SHO, were injured in the melee.

The IED blast which had blown off the office of the Naib Tehsildar in Balakote near the LoC on June 25 appeared to have been caused by a timer.

Prior to the blast at the revenue office, the LoC in Poonch district had witnessed IED explosions.

A soldier was killed and a Major and seven other troops were injured in two IED blasts in the Tarkundi area along the LoC on June 12.

Kulgam, July 15
The cavalcade of senior PDP leader Abdul Majeed Padroo was today attacked with stones and a petrol bomb near Qaimoh in Kulgam. A security vehicle was damaged and a police constable received minor injuries.

Padroo was on his way home in Damhal Hanjipora when youths attacked his cavalcade around 5:30 pm.

“Seven or eight youths started throwing stones at our vehicles,” said Padroo.

“They threw a petrol bomb as well,” he said.

Asked about the attackers, he said, “How would I know about the attackers? The police will investigate.”

The police confirmed the incident and said investigation was initiated. A case was registered in this regard.

Srinagar, July 15
Having Iftar at home has become old fashioned for many Valley youth as the trend of Iftar parties has gained popularity this Ramadan.

Earlier, people preferred to reach their homes before dusk, but nowadays outdoor Iftars are becoming common among locals, particularly youth. Inviting friends and relatives for breaking fast together at restaurants has added to the festivity of the month.

“Iftar gatherings are a way to stay in touch with family members and promote kinship,” said a university student. “The atmosphere and gatherings encourage us to arrange Iftar parties at restaurants,” she added.

“Iftar time brings us together with friends, relatives and family. We also invite Non-Muslim friends on Iftar to draw their attention towards the specialities of Ramadan and its benefits. This Ramadan we went to different restaurants and homes of friends to enjoy Iftar parties,” said a youth, Saqib Gulzar, a resident of Raj Bagh, Srinagar. He added that the tradition increased affection among family and friends.

Another youth Muhammad Amir said the time of Iftar parties also gives them chance to go for religious and political discussions. “It is the best time to sit with friends and have post-Iftar religious and political discussions,” Muhammad said.

In the Valley, Iftar parties are also being used by political parties to increase their public relations, but for a common man it is just an occasion to get together and a religious concern to host.

With people thronging different food outlets in the city, restaurant owners said, “This Ramadan they are making special Iftar arrangements for people. Some of them also give pre-Iftar orders for special varieties. This year having Iftar in restaurants has increased. We are also witnessing heavy rush, therefore we make special dishes such as different varieties of kheer, brownies, date cakes and other sweet dishes to give people the best time,” said a food outlet owner in city centre.

Besides Iftar parties, people also organise community iftar on the roadside of commercial hubs and localities of Srinagar for passersby.

“This is the speciality of this month. People feel that no one should remain hungry. We arrange these stalls voluntarily and people contribute wholeheartedly,” said a local at Abi Guzar, Srinagar.

Srinagar, July 15
Defunct traffic signals have aggravated the already bad traffic scenario in the city leading to chaos. Traffic signals were introduced in Kashmir in 2012 to regulate 4 lakh vehicles on Srinagar roads, but today due to timers lying defunct at many places, they have become a cause of traffic jams in the city.

The signals installed near the Batamaloo bus stand are not functioning for the past one year, thus leading to traffic congestion.

“Batamaloo bus stand stretch is a vital road which witnesses a huge rush of vehicles every day. It takes more than 30 minutes to cross the Batamaloo junction. Slow movement of public transport vehicles plying to north Kashmir add to the mess,” said Ali Muhammad, a local.

Locals said, “Installation of signals has not provided any relief to traffic in Srinagar. In other states, electronic traffic signal system is the key to effective regulation,” said another person Ghulam Muhammad.

Srinagar Municipal Commissioner (SMC) GN Qasba said, “The traffic signals are functioning, but sometimes they are put on blinker mode to manage traffic.”

Superintendent of Traffic Police Haseeb-ur-Rehman said, “It is a computerised system that sometimes turn faulty. We put them on blinker mode for managing huge traffic. Today we had meeting with the SMC Commissioner on the issue. If they are lying defunct anywhere in the city, they will be repaired.” 

Srinagar, July 15
City residents rued scarcity of drinking water for the past one week. The protesting locals said despite bringing the problem into notice of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, nothing was done on ground.

Residents of Rail Chowk, Batamaloo, Mominabad, Tengpora and Gangbuk said for the past more than a week there was scarcity of drinking water and they were facing difficulties in the month of Ramadan amid soaring temperatures.

“We are facing difficulties due to non-availability of drinking water. We have already approached the PHE officials, but the problem continues. Besides, the holy month of Ramadan is going on where we will go for ablutions,” said a resident of Batamaloo.

Complaints of water scarcity were also received from residents of Chanapora and Madina Bagh. The locals said even if there was availability of water, the pressure was too low to store water. “Water scarcity is going on for the past one month, but we still got water supply for some hours. However, for the past one week the problem is getting worse as we have not been getting water at all,” said another local.

Officials of the PHE Department said they supply water in all areas on time keeping in view the month of Ramadan. They said if there were any problems in the said area they would look into it. 

Srinagar, July 15
Despite state government instructions to close all private and government educational institutions from July 15 to July 31 for summer vacation, many private schools defied the government orders by remaining open today.

The students and parents were ambiguous over the summer vacation schedule despite the announcement from the Department of Education.

“The school authorities when contacted told us that the classes will go on as per routine and there is no summer break. We had to hurriedly rush our children to school today,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a parent.

Students from a few schools in the city even joined anti-Israel protests today.

Meanwhile, parents complained to the Directorate of School Education on defiance of government instructions.

Director, School Education, Mir Tariq Ali constituted inspection teams that visited various schools and found at least three private schools violating the government orders.

As per the Department of Education official handout, the inspection team headed by Joint Director Suraiya Akhter found Fayaz Educational Institute and Scholars School in Nowgam area of Srinagar violating the government orders.

The schools have been asked to explain the reason for not following the government regulations in this regard.

Chief Education Officer, Srinagar, Javaid Munshi said Tibetan School in Hawal area of Srinagar was also found open today and had been asked to submit an explanation in this regard.

The Department of Education has kept Delhi Public School, Srinagar, out of its radar of inspection although the students from the school complained that they were too asked to come today.

Katra, July 15
Reasi-based Rashtriya Rifles’ Uniform Force celebrated its 12th Raising Day today. A solemn ceremony was held at Sila Garrison.

Senior officers of the formation paid homage to martyrs by laying a wreath at the war memorial. Two minutes silence was observed as a mark of respect to those soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice of their life in the line of service.

The General Officer Commanding exhorted all ranks to dedicate themselves to maintain peace and tranquility. He started a plantation drive by planting a sapling near the “wall of remembrance”.

Jammu, July 15
A month-long summer camp, organised by Samooh Theatre in collaboration with RRaSh Motion Pictures and Krishna Colour Lab, concluded with the staging of a short play, “Arise and Awake”.

The play was written by Shivani Anand and directed by Kanika Sharma. The dance performance was choreographed by Preeti Sharma.

During the workshop, children learned the basics of acting, which includes theatre exercises, body movement, expression, body language, voice, speech, etc. They also learned the basics of dance and photography.

Founder of Samooh Theatre Dr Sudhir Mahajan was the chief guest, who appreciated the work of children. “Performing art plays a vital role in the overall development of a child. He not only learns how to act or speak before a group of people, but also understands how to present oneself in the society,” he said.

Director of Samooh Theatre Ravinder Sharma was the theatre expert in the camp, while Rohit Bains, choreographer, Dazzelers Dance Group, was dance expert and Akash Mahajan was photography expert.

Anurag Mahajan, Yashita Mahajan, Rudra Mahajan, Mukul Bains, Munish Malhotra, Rajat Gupta, Rohit Chib, Kartik Singh Saini, Ajay Tamang, Pankaj Sharma, Goutam Sharma, Abisheak Bhat, Avinash Lakhnotra and Vishal Singh participated in the workshop. The show was anchored by Shivani Anand.

Jammu, July 15
To equip and enable the staff to cope with challenges in the field of education, a series of workshops and orientation programmes were organised at KC International School.

Teacher training programmes were divided into three categories. The first session included “Behavioural patterns in students: Identification and remediation”. This enabled the teachers to diagnose the problems related to learning and develop ways to help the child to perform better.

“Pedagogy of collaborative learning” helped the teachers to refresh the 21st century skills required in teaching and effectiveness of theme-based learning approach and team work. They developed new teaching and learning strategies to make teaching effective.

An orientation session on “Teaching methodologies and English communication” was also held. The resource persons were Dr Jagdeep Arora, Sunita Grover and Kesar Patel. A vote of thanks was presented by Principal Dr Ravi Bhushan.

He emphasised that such training sessions were the backbone of any successful organisation as these programmes would enable staff to impart a great deal of knowledge to their pupils.

Pulwama, July 15
A security guard of Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Pulwama was shot at by unidentified gunmen around 4 pm today. The injured guard has been identified as Mohammad Rajab Dar (50). He was on duty at the ATM near the gate of Shaheed Park.

Dar received a bullet injury in his lower right leg. He was shifted to District Hospital, Pulwama, where doctors said his condition was stable.

Eyewitnesses said gunshots created panic in the area and people were seen running for shelter. They said normalcy returned after firing stopped and the police arrived on the spot.

“The gunmen fired only a few shots and fled from the spot,” said an eyewitness. The police said they had registered an FIR in the case and investigation was on. Meanwhile, the police and the CRPF blocked all entry and exit points to the area to nab the gunmen. — OC

Jammu, July 15
The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) on Monday booked officials of the Export Oriented Handloom Development Project, Samba, for causing a loss to the exchequer by committing irregularities in iron scrap auction.

A spokesperson said the SVO booked officials on the basis of a preliminary inquiry into allegations of causing a loss of Rs 7.23 lakh.

“The inquiry revealed that the project manager called tenders for auctioning iron scrap on the premises of a project site. The rates quoted by two bidders were rejected. Later, a decision was taken to sell the scrap by weight. M/S Lakshmi General Store, Samba, had quoted 5 per cent above other parties,” he said.

The rates quoted by Shree Gandhi Sewa Sadan were considered and an average rate of three lots was calculated at Rs 13 per kg by adding 5 per cent, which came to Rs 13.65 per kg, he said.

The contract was awarded to M/S Lakshmi General Store, which lifted 11,850 kg of iron scrap. The Handloom Development Corporation earned Rs 1, 61,616.

“The inquiry revealed that M/S Sunil Iron Scrap had quoted Rs 2,81,000 per lot and by adding 5 per cent, the value was Rs 8,85,150. The officials caused a loss of Rs 7, 23,534,” he said.