Srinagar, August 8
Three militants were killed in an operation close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district on Friday.

The militants were killed in a search and combing operation going on since Wednesday after troops noticed suspected movement in the Gagadari forest of Tangdhar sector, about 165 kilometres from Srinagar.

“The Army killed three terrorists in an encounter in the Tangdhar sector. The body of the slain militants and their weapons have been recovered. The operation was in progress when reports last came in,” said Lt Col NN Joshi, defence spokesman of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps.

Defence sources said contact with the militants, who were hiding, was established around 8:30 am when the troops challenged the militants.

“They opened fire and the troops retaliated. Three unidentified militants were killed in the gunfight, that lasted over four hours. We recovered three AK-47 rifles and other material from the encounter site,” said the defence official.

The official said the search and combing operation in the thick forest was on since they suspected that more militants were hiding in the area. The Army had pressed helicopters into service to look for militants.

Jawan NK Damodar Thapa was killed in an encounter when the operation was launched on Wednesday. The sources said the group of militants had infiltrated some days back. The sources said they suspected that more militants were hiding in the forest area.

Four militants were killed when they tried to sneak into the Valley from Keran sector of Kupwara district last week. Militants had made nearly 10 attempts to sneak into the Valley in the last two months.

Lt Gen Subrata Saha, General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps, on Thursday said infiltration by militants had been contained to a large extent.

“Attempts of infiltration by armed militants has been contained because of the strong counter-insurgency grid and innovative troop deployment,” he said.

Jammu, August 8
Vikramaditya Singh, the elder son of Congress leader and former Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Karan Singh, today joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the presence of party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and president Mehbooba Mufti.

Vikramaditya is the grandson of the last Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh. The erstwhile Dogra dynasty still enjoys a great deal of respect among a generation in Jammu and the PDP has tried to send out a positive message by inducting a member of the family into the party fold.

Realising that Vikramaditya’s induction would help the PDP counter the allegation of being a Kashmir-centric outfit, Mufti said he was extremely delighted to enroll the Dogra scion as member of his party.

“Today’s event is going to change the political discourse of Jammu and Kashmir because Vikramaditya’s joining is going to give a very positive message all over the state,” Mufti said.

He exuded confidence that Vikramaditya’s induction would help his party make inroads in new areas.

With a large number of people from different parts of the Jammu region being present at today’s function, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tried to reach to the audience by recalling how Jammu had elected Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in early 1980s when National Conference had launched a malicious campaign against him in Kashmir.

“Mufti sahib has a soft corner for Jammu,” she observed and reminded the gathering that as Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed had ensured equitable development in the state.

“By inducting Vikramaditya, the PDP wants to send outa message to the people of Jammu that they too are the stakeholders in the movement for change in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehbooba said. She also hinted that Vikramaditya would be given greater responsibility in the party by presenting him as the PDP’s face in the Jammu region.

Party ideologue and eminent economist Dr Hasib Drabu, who was also present on the occasion, admitted that to exhibit its representative character the PDP has to have a strong base in Jammu region also.

“Joining of Vikramaditya is going to help us to emerge as the voice of the whole state,” Drabu said.

The Dogra scion, in his address, tried to give an impression to the people that his priority would be the Jammu region.

To strike an emotional chord with the audience, Vikramaditya, who was sporting a Dogra turban, delivered his address in Dogri. “I am grieved to see how the Jammu region has been systematically marginalised and sidelined over the years,” he said in chaste Dogri.

The new PDP recruit, while trying to invoke the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, said: “My forefathers had a vision for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. They took well-planned and sophisticated measures for setting up of water canal systems, revenue and justice reforms, Ranbir Panel Code, abolition of untouchability, forest preservation and wildlife conservation.”

He recalled that it was Maharaja Hari Singh’s vision to see J&K remain one. “As a person whose family has been closely associated with the history of the state and as a proud citizen of India I have decided to enter the political arena to try and bring about a change,” Vikramaditya said.

Jammu, August 8
“My vision for Jammu is clear. I would like to see a realistic master plan for the development and growth of the entire Jammu region, especially the far-flung and backward Kandi areas,” Vikramaditya Singh said after joining the Peoples Democratic Party today.

The Dogra scion’s speech was an indicative of the impending change in the political discourse of the Jammu region.

Vikramaditya projected himself as propagator of the Jammu’s cause and vociferously raked up the pro-Jammu issues to corner the BJP and other political groups.

“I would like to see greater industrialisation in areas linked to the railheads like Kathua, Basholi, Billawar and Hiranagar.”

“I would also like to see a new tourism development plan for the Jammu region. For the areas like Patnitop, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar and the Mugal Road,” Vikramaditya said chaste Dogri.

The PDP on the one hand is looking to utilise Vikramaditya’s services to counter the growing influence of the BJP and other Jammu-based parties in the region, while on the other hand it is projecting him as a respectable face to negate the impact of his younger brother and National Conference representative Ajat Shatru Singh.

Meanwhile, pointing towards the problem of unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir, Vikramaditya said: “It is vital to understand the aspirations and goals of the large population of youth in J&K. This very important segment of our society is disgruntled and is looking for leadership that understands these expectations. It is our responsibility to provide a safe and secure future to our younger generations.”

With Vikramaditya’s induction into the party, the PDP is also looking to widen its base in the Jammu region, especially in Udhampur, Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts, where the Dogra family still commands a lot of respect.

“Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Chief Minister sought to provide equal development in different regions of the state. He took measures towards integration of the state. He is a man of great wisdom, who enjoys respect of the people of the state,” the Dogra scion said while giving out reasons behind his affiliation with the PDP.

Srinagar, August 8
Facing dilemma over the selection of candidates for the Assembly segments vacated by its recently elected MPs, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has authorised the parliamentarians to nominate their replacement for the forthcoming state polls.

Out of the 46 Assembly seats in the Valley, the PDP has so far announced candidates for 40 segments. The party, however, remains in a fix over the selection of candidates for the Assembly seats of Wachi and Baramulla vacated by Mehbooba Mufti and Muzaffar Hussain Baig respectively.

The party has also failed to reach consensus over the Assembly seat of Batamaloo, which was represented by Tariq Hamid Karra after the death of National Conference legislator from the segment Mohiuddin Shah in 2004. The PDP parliamentarian, however, had lost the seat in 2008 polls. “The party discussed probable candidates who could replace the three MPs in few meetings, but there was no consensus so it has asked the trio to nominate their replacements,” said a senior PDP leader.

The three have been asked to forward their choice of names to the political affairs committee of the party, he said. The PDP has also not named its candidates for the Eidgah, Habba Kadal and Gurez constituencies.

The party has 21 members in the Assembly and in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls it had registered a lead in 41 Assembly segments, including the two constituencies in the Jammu region.

Srinagar, August 8
Candidates from the state, who succeeded in the civil services examination, 2013, met Governor NN Vohra here today.

The Governor interacted with each of the young men and congratulated them on their entry into various Central and All India Services. Vohra advised the youngsters, including Aabid Sidiq Shah, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Raja Yaqoob, Shakeel Maqbool Yatoo, Owais Ahmad Rana, Kamar-u-Zaman Choudry, Afaq Ahmad Giri and Vikrant Bhushan, to acquaint themselves closely with the demands of the job they were likely to be assigned on completion of their training course.

He encouraged them to work honestly and devotedly to render efficient services for the promotion of welfare of all the people and wished them a bright career ahead.Principal Secretary to the Governor Rakesh K Gupta was also present on the occasion. 

Poonch, August 8
Chanting ‘Bam Bam Bole’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’, over 25,000 devotees from across the country today took part in the annual Charri yatra (the holy mace) of Lord Shiva to the Buddha Amarnath shrine on the outskirts of Poonch town.

The holy mace, which was taken out from the Dashnami Akhara here in the form of a grand religious procession after the customary prayers, was led by Shri 1008 Swami Vishwatmanand Maharaj, the head of the akhara.

The yatra moved on foot towards the Buddha Amarnath shrine, 22 km from Poonch city. A large number of members from all communities, pilgrims, legislators, officials from the district administration, including MLA, Haveli, Ajaz Ahmed Jan, Poonch DC Mohammed Hussain Malik, and Poonch SSP Shamsheer Hussain, were present on the occasion.

The on-foot 22-km yatra from Poonch started at 8.30 am and reached the shrine at Mandi, covering 22 km distance. People from different communities had arranged langars for the en route pilgrims.

The annual “Chhari yatra” is taken out from the Dashnami Akhara here two days ahead of the Raksha Bandhan and is one of the most celebrated festivals of Poonch.

The district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the stay of pilgrims in schools and other government buildings.

Srinagar, August 8
A team of doctors led by Dr Mir Basharat Kant performed a microscopic disc surgery at a community health centre in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

The surgery was performed on a 45-year-old patient at community health centre in Sopore.

The surgery is generally performed at a tertiary level hospitals and it was the first time that the operation was conducted at a health centre, said an official from the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir.

The official said the patient complained of severe back ache and was diagnosed with “L4-L5 prolapsed intervertebral disc”. “Doctors performed L4-L5 microdisectomy on the patient,” he said.

The health official said the development would ease the burden of tertiary level hospitals. “The significance of surgeries like these is that patients will be provided tertiary care set up in peripheral hospitals with ease and at their doorsteps thereby saving their precious time and lessening the burden of already burdened tertiary hospitals,” he said.

Director, Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman complimented Dr Kant-led team and the administrator of the community health centre, Sopore, for the rare feat.

Srinagar, August 8
Bollywood stars Sunil Shetty and Sohail Khan will perform in the Valley on Sunday for a charity-cum-physiotherapy workshop event “Aashh”- 2014, Ek Kiran , an expectation of new Kashmir aimed at rehabilitating over 60 orphaned children from Baramulla district.

The event will be held at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of the Dal lake.

Srinagar-born Dr Aijaz Ashai, who is also the personal physio-trainer of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and many popular cricketers is the man behind the idea of organising this event, which besides providing advanced physiotherapy training to Valley doctors, will also include a cultural event showcasing performances by Bollywood’s top actors.

Dr Ashai said Salman Khan and his brothers Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan had been supporting many needy and deserving children and women through their “Being Human” initiative.

“The Khan brothers are widely known and respected as good Samaritans. I spoke to them regarding the poor conditions in which children and women of Kashmir live, especially those affected by violence over the last 20 years. They have expressed willingness to help in all possible ways,” Dr Ashai said. “Both Sunil Shetty and Sohail Khan will perform for the cause of rehabilitating these needy children. Cricketer Pervez Rasool and local artist Qazi Tawqeer will also be a part of the event,” he said, adding a local social group, “Human Aid”, will set up two rehabilitation centres in Baramulla and Srinagar for orphan children.

Pulwama, August 8
The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department is supplying turbid water to the residents of Pulwama town.

Recently, employees of the PHE Department had removed polythene and rubber items from the pipes while clearing a blockade that had halted water supply for many days in the Dalipora area.

The residents alleged that the PHE Department was supplying them irrigation water, thus making them prone to scores of water-borne diseases.

“It is not a coincident that about 10 kg of polythene were recovered from the pipes. Either the source of supply is in a dumping ground or it is unfiltered water from a stream that is being supplied to us,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, a resident, adding that many people in the town had contacted fungal diseases due to drinking such water.

“A water supply scheme was sanctioned in 2005 for the district costing Rs 7 crore, but it was later diverted to Pahalgam,” said Ghulam Mohammad Dar, president, District Development Forum.

PHE officials while admitting that bulk of polythene and rubber items were recovered from the pipes alleged that the pipes were blocked by the people themselves in order to get continuous water supply.

“During summer season, the consumption of water per head increases drastically and the flow slows down,” said assistant executive engineer FH Razvi, adding that some miscreants diverted the water to irrigate their fields and gardens.

He said the water supplied to the town was through dug wells and supplying turbid waters was “out of question”.

Udhampur, August 8
A Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher was crushed to death under the wheels of a rashly driven truck outside the school in Udhampur early Friday morning.

Pallavi Watts of the Dhar road in Udhampur, working as teacher with KV Number I, was on way to school when a truck hit her Scooty from the rear. She collapsed on the spot. Teachers and students who were about to enter the school were witness to the accident. “Students who saw the accident are in shock,” said school vice principal Vikram Sharma.

The driver of the truck fled the spot. Army and police officials reached the spot and took the body to the mortuary of the district hospital in Udhampur. — OC

Rajouri, August 8
A JE of the Power Development Department posted in Rajouri died while his wife and two children had a narrow escape when their car collided with another car on the Jammu-Poonch highway today.

The accident took place near Thanadpani in Sunderbani. The deceased was identified as Tajinder Singh.

Tajinder and his family were rushed to the sub-district hospital, Sunderbani, where he succumbed to his injuries. A case was registered and investigation launched. — OC

Jammu, August 8
A year has lapsed since rioters looted his shop and set it on fire after Eid prayers in violence-hit Kishtwar town on August 9 last year, but Hari Lal is yet to receive a compensation for the losses suffered by him in the mayhem.

Lal and his family tried to forget the pain and misery being inflicted on them after the riots, but it comes flooding back as they recounted the tales of horror.

Lal, who is the father of three daughters, regretted that the ‘official indifference’ and ‘discriminatory’ approach of the district administration had put the victims in more trouble during the last one year.

According to victims, at least 27 shopkeepers, whose shops were set on fire by rioters, are yet to be paid by the district administration despite the lapse of a year. The victims, who had already been paid compensation, said their losses were ‘under-valued’ as they had been given a ‘paltry’ amount against their losses.

Last year, around 100 shops, seven hotels and 35 vehicles were damaged in violence in communal clashes that broke out between two communities on August 9. At least three people were killed in the clashes.

“My family is on the verge of starvation as the district administration is yet to release compensation. The victims have been moving from pillar to post for the past one year, but the authorities concerned have adopted dilly-dallying tactics in releasing the compensation which has been undervalued,” Hari Lal told The Tribune.

He said the state government, particularly Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, had assured that ‘urgent relief’ would be released in favour of the victims. “The Chief Minister should explain the definition of urgent relief. Even after the lapse of a year, we have not been paid even a single penny,” he said.

Lal said he suffered a loss of about Rs 8 lakh, but the administration allegedly ‘under-valued’ his losses and decided to pay just Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation. “I am unable to bear the monthly expenses of daughters studying in Jammu and Kishtwar,” he said.

Surinder Gupta, another victim, claimed that he had suffered a loss of Rs 70 lakh, but he was paid only Rs 40 lakh for the losses. “So far, at least 27 shopkeepers are yet to receive the compensation. The administration recently reviewed some cases and gave a meagre hike in compensation to four victims whose damages were under-valued,” he said.

On July 20, the Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh had taken up the matter of non-payment of compensation to victims with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. The state administration had decided to give a maximum of Rs 5 lakh to the affected people for the losses.

Mohammad Javed Khan, Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, claimed nearly 98 per cent cases had been resolved and settled. “Only two per cent such cases, where the affected people had sought review in their compensation amount, are being reviewed and these will be settled soon. We have constituted a committee to review their cases. So far, we have provided an amount of Rs 3.24 crore to the affected people”.

Srinagar/Kupwara, August 8
Employees of the Public Heath Engineering Department (PHE) continued their protest for the second consecutive day on Friday.

They were demanding an apology from Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Chaudhry Mohammad Ramazan for “misbehaving” with the PHE official.

Chief engineer, PHE, Muzaffar Ahmad Lankar resigned on Thursday after being “abused” by the minister during a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat.

Refuting the allegation of abusing or manhandling the official, the minister said he was enquiring about embezzlement of funds and incomplete status of a water supply scheme in Handwara.

“We are with our officer and will intensify our protest if the minister does not apologise. We appeal to the National Conference working president to intervene and take action,” said a group of protesters. “We will convene a meeting and announce a formal protest schedule,” they said.

They said offices of the department throughout the Valley were shut on Friday.

In Kupwara, scores of PHE employees held a protest demonstration and demaned an apology from the minister. They said the minister should resign forthwith for “abusing” the PHE official.

The employees also held a protest march. “The chief engineer is an upright officer. The minister should apologise and resign from his post,” said Altaf Ahmad Malik, a protesting employee.

Jammu, August 8
The second phase of an orientation and training programme for prospective Hajis in Poonch district, selected for the Haj in 2014, will be organised on Sunday.

The Poonch district administration, in collaboration with the J&K State Haj Committee, will organise a daylong training session, in which the prospective Hajis from all tehsils of the district will assemble.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Mumtaz Ali Chowdhary said trainers from the State Hajj Committee will deliver lectures on Mansik-e-Haj and Ziarat-e-Madina Munawara during the training session.

They will also give other important instructions that the prospective Hajis need to follow during the course of their pilgrimage. — TNS

Udhampur, August 8
A man was washed away in the Devak river when a bridge collapsed due to a flash flood in Udhampur district today.

As per reports, a civilian, identified as Nand Kishore, a resident of Chabutra Bazaar in Udhampur, was on the bridge when it collapsed due to a flash flood caused by heavy rain in the area early morning.

As the news spread, senior officials of the district administration along with the police arrived at the spot and deployed a rescue team.

They started a search operation for fishing out the body, which could not be traced yet.

“We had already apprised the district administration about the dilapidated condition of the bridge, but they took it casually. Due to this, a person had lost his life in the flash flood. The Irrigation Department is fully responsible and a criminal case must be registered against it,” said Naresh Kumar, Shiv Sena leader from Udhampur.

“Three more bridges on the river are also in a dilapidated condition and can collapse any time,” said Tarinter Singh, BSP leader. He demanded early repair of all the damaged bridges.

Jammu, August 8
Air pollution in the city continues to be a major concern for the residents as the presence of suspended particles emitted in the air by vehicles, brick kilns and industries have exceeded the limit considered to be safe for breathing, but no efforts are being made to curb the pollution.

The suspended particulate matter (SPM), which should be 100 microgram, is between 110-114 microgram and the respiratory suspended particulate matter (RSPM), whose normal limit should be around 200 microgram, is around 220 to 230 micrograms, indicating the poor quality of the air in the city.

Despite several committees constituted by the government to close down brick klins on agricultural lands, major polluters in the rural areas, they continue to operate in several villages adjoining the city.

A report prepared by the government says that 65 brick kilns and 32 stone crushers in J&K were operating illegally till last year, but till now nothing has been done to shut them down so that their effect on environment could be contained.

As per the data gathered by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and respiratory suspended particulate matter (RSPM) has witnessed a steep rise in the past two decades, crossing the limits suggested as safe by the health experts.

Airborne suspended particulate matter is an important marker of air quality. The term particulate matter includes organic and inorganic matter, nitrogen compounds, sulphur compounds, polycyclic aromatic, hydrocarbons and several heavy metals.

“Most city residents are inhaling poor-quality air and this is likely to worsen in the coming years, keeping in view the high concentration of vehicles per kilometre and expansion of industries," said an official.

Jammu, August 8
National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has threatened the government with intensifying its agitation leading to coercive means if it does not implement the Right to Education Act in J&K at the earliest.

Neeraj Kundan, state president of the NSUI, said the most important right of the children, ie Right to Education, was not a fundamental right in the state of J&K, which was very unfortunate for the state and the future generations. He added that the NSUI had been protesting for over two years. The agitation was suspended on the false promises of the government, but it seemed that government was in no mood to implement the Right to Education Act in the state. Now that NSUI could not wait for more it had resumed its agitation demanding the implementation of the RTE Act.

He added that the NSUI had started a signature campaign at Kishtwar for the same and was submitted the same to the DDC there, but the administration was also deaf on the issue as the legislature was sleeping over it. As it appeared, the state government didn’t take any steps for an extension of the RTE Act to J&K, thus leaving the already crumbled education system of the state in chaos.

“The state should not forget that the school issues of dropout rate, out-of-school children, quality of education and availability of trained teachers continue to remain unaddressed in the state. This is further emboldened by the Unnikrishnan judgment, wherein the court observed that the right to education up to 14 years of age would not be contingent upon the economic capacity of the state.” The NSUI state president said.

Kamal Magotra, state general secretary of the NSUI, and Nitin Bakhshi, president of the NSUI, Jammu University, were also present at the press conference.

Jammu, August 8
An interactive case-based analysis session took place today at the International Centre for Cross Cultural Research and Human Resource Management (ICccR & HRM), University of Jammu, for the students of MBA: International Business (MBA-IB).

Prof Dinesh Sharma, Prof of marketing at the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT, Bombay, and previously fellow, MDI, Gurgaon, was the invited expert.

The spectrum of the Harvard Business Review Classic Case “The Parable of the Sadhu” trained the participants in several business and corporate issues, including leadership, ethical dilemma, challenges in decision-making and behavioural and diversity issues.

Students presented multiple perspectives of their understanding of business situations while obtaining substantial inputs through the case study methodology. During the discussion, Prof Dinesh also threw light upon a number of cross-cultural and diversity concerns in the conduct of global business operations, which is a significant component of the MBA: International Business programme.

While speaking on the occasion, Prof Neelu Rohmetra, Director, ICccR & HRM, said there is a need to frequently conduct such case-based workshops for the management students as it enables them to relate theoretical concepts with practical business situations and complexities.

Besides students, the session was also attended by faculty members of the ICccR & HRM.

Jammu, August 8
The city is all set to witness international models setting the ramp on fire wearing dresses prepared by students of Jammu and Kashmir as a mega fashion show is being held tomorrow.

A total of 12 international models and five supermodels will walk the ramp. The theme of the show is “Responsibility towards our arts and crafts”. The show is the part of the JD Annual Design Awards of the JD Institute to be held at Bee Pee Greens near Vijaypur.

Around 40 budding designers of Jammu and Kashmir will participate and showcase their designs. The international and supermodels will wear the dresses designed by the designers from Jammu and Kashmir and walk the ramp.

“A slide presentation of each of the art and craft taken up by the students would be displayed before the presentation of the collection. The presentation will include copper kandkari, tilla work, Kashmir carpets, papier machie, Ladakh masks, gota work of Jammu, phulkari of Jammu and basholi paintings etc,” Raman Gupta, chairman, Krishna Creations, and organiser of the show, said.

The fashion show was being choreographed by one of the country’s ace fashion choreographer Vijay Roy, he added.

Jammu, August 8
The city is gearing up for Raksha Bandhan, symbolising the bond of love between brother and sister in the Indian civilisation.

The markets in the city are decorated with colourful stalls of rakhis, gifts, sweets, kites etc, for attracting customers.

Shopkeepers in the city have a wide range of rakhis, which includes traditional rakhis, colourful silky rakhis and toy rachis like Chota Bhem, Krish, Ben-10 rakhis for kids.

“We are expecting good response this year as a wide range of rakhis is available in the market,” said Roop Chand Mahajan, a shopkeeper at Pakka Danga.

“Cartoon rakhis like Chota Bhim, Krish, Ben-10 are very famous among children this year,” he added.

Not only rakhis, but also special stalls for gift packs and kites have been put up in the city on the eve of Rakhsha Bandhan.

On the occasion of Rakhsha Bandhan, residents in Jammu enjoy flying kites after tying rakhi, which makes the sky full of colors on the festive occasion.

Piyush Sharma, 13-year-old boy at a kite shop, said, “I am here to buy lots of kites and thread for Raksha Bandhan. Every year after getting a rakhi tied from my sisters, I enjoy kite-flying throughout the day.”

Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated in Jammu on Sunday.

Jammu, August 8
Sri Guru Gobind Singh Public Higher Secondary School, Kunjwani, organised a theme party on the “importance of red colour” in our life on the school premises here today.

Students from nursery to Class II participated in the programme. The theme of the party was to create awareness on the importance of red-coloured fruits and vegetables. All the students wore red dresses. Students participated in various items like poem recitation, dance and music.

On the occasion, various stalls were set up by the school in which the products made of natural red colour were displayed. Students enjoyed eating red-coloured fruits like apple, cherry, pomegranate, etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Principal of the school Gurtaj Singh congratulated the teachers for using the new concept of teaching by colour method. The principal told students about the value of red colour in their lives. “Red is a warm and positive colour, so it is associated with our physical needs and our will to survive. It signifies a pioneering spirit and leadership qualities among students,” he said.

A vote of thanks was presented by the administrator of the school, Charanjeet Kour.

Srinagar, August 8
A year after a Kashmiri girl, Mehvish Mushtaq, shot to fame for creating “Dial Kashmir”, an android application containing phone numbers of all essential services in the Valley, 26-year-old city youth Mehraj-ur-Rehman has come up with another handy android application, “Kashmir Headlines” , the first of its kind news alert android app in the Valley.

Mehraj’s app on Google Play has already been downloaded 1,000 times with 4.3 ratings out of 5 and is being very well received by the mobile users in the Valley.

Kashmir Headlines notifies its users of news alerts minutes within the occurrence of the incident anywhere in Kashmir.

Mehraj said his app would ensure that the users get quick updates on various developments in Kashmir, especially those living outside the Valley.

He thinks that Kashmir till date lacked a user friendly mobile application which could focus on bringing the latest news updates to the readers.

“There are local newspaper applications available now, but none of them have been able to upgrade their services to news alerts, which is very crucial,” Mehraj told The Tribune.

Mehraj, who is a political science postgraduate from Kashmir University, said he came up with the idea in 2010 when the Valley was hit by street protests and unrest for months together.

“At that time, the concept of android applications was still naive in Kashmir. Hence, I was not able to execute my idea very well. I meanwhile developed a website as well as Facebook/Twitter pages of Kashmir Headlines where I would post news flashes of important occurrences. More than 3 lakh people are currently accessing these pages,” he said.

On Google Play, the users have written rare reviews for Kashmir Headlines.

Shabir Ahmad, a user, said, “Being a non-resident Kashmiri, I was in search of something as useful as this mobile app, so that Kashmir news is at fingertips. Kashmir Headlines is a step in that direction.”

News updates on your fingertips Kashmir Headlines notifies its users of news alerts minutes within the occurrence of the incident anywhere in Kashmir The app will ensure that the users get quick updates on various developments in Kashmir, especially those living outside the Valley Mehraj, who is a political science postgraduate from Kashmir University, came up with the idea in 2010 when the Valley was hit by street protests and unrest for months together

Srinagar, August 8
Forty-four films have been shortlisted from across the globe to be screened during the 10-day International Film Festival in Kashmir. The dates will be decided after August 15.

The official list was released by Gurmeet Singh, Bollywood film-maker and the director of Dimple Kapadia starrer “What the Fish?” here.

The committee has shortlisted 44 films from all genres out of about 200 entries from more than 50 countries.

The selected films are from 17 countries, including Syria, Russia, Armenia, Netherlands, Iran, Portugal, Germany, France, Kazakisthan, Korea, Canada, Serbia, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Jordan and India.

The event would be the biggest ever film festival in Kashmir which had received immense response from across the globe, the organisers said.

A few big film-makers would also visit the Valley. Three international film-makers from Poland and the US will hold workshops for the students.

The organiser of the festival, Experimental Moving Images and Theatre Association (XMITA), will hold the event on the eve of the 10th year of its establishment (2004 -2014) in their fourth edition of the International Film Festival of Kashmir (IFFK).

“We have included retrospective and master class sections this year to encourage and inspire young filmmakers. XMITA will continue to host some events for the festival on the lines of workshops through different national and international organisations,” XIMTA organisers said.

Films selected from 17 countries The organising committee has shortlisted 44 films from all genres out of about 200 entries from more than 50 countries The selected films are from 17 countries, including Syria, Russia, Armenia, Netherlands, Iran, Portugal, Germany, France, Kazakisthan, Korea, Canada, Serbia, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Jordan and India A few big film-makers will also visit the Valley during the 10-day-long film fest. Three international film-makers from Poland and the US will hold workshops for students The dates for the fest will be decided after August 15

Srinagar, August 8
A day after J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party had “plans” to stigmatise the youth who had crossed the Line of Control for political dividends, PDP senior leader Syed Altaf Bukhari said Omar was using the policy for former militants as a propaganda tool.

Addressing a series of meetings of party workers in Chanpora area of the Amira Kadal constituency, Bukhari remarked that given the plight of former militants and their hapless families who returned home after spending lakhs via Nepal, it seems that they were still not accepted by the state as its permanent residents, therefore many of them had gone back across LoC.

“Liaqat Shah who along with his wife had returned from Pakistan via Nepal and was arrested by the Delhi police is an example that came to light, but there are a number of such cases that go unnoticed. The National Conference is trying to exploit this serious issue picked up from the agenda of PDP because this was the party that spoke about rehabilitation of former militants by constituting a rehabilitation council which was later systematically made dysfunctional by the present dispensation,” Bukhari observed. 

Srinagar, August 8
Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages today organised a function to commemorate the doyen of Punjabi litterateur and prominent short story writer, Prem Singh.

On the occasion, a special issue of “Sheeraza Punjabi”, covering Prem Singh's life and contribution to the language, was also released by eminent Kashmiri poet Rehman Rahi, while Mohammad Yousuf Taing, former Director General, Culture, was the chief guest on the occasion.

President of the Punjabi Sahitya Sabha Kirat Singh Inqalabi was also present during the function.

Academy Secretary Haroon Rashid said Prem Singh was the doyen of Punjabi literature and he had contributed a lot to the Punjabi language and literature.

"He has enriched Punjabi literature in J&K with his thought provoking ideas. He was an academy award winner and an activist and was respected a lot in literary circles," Rashid said.

The J&K Cultural Academy compiled a special issue of Sheeraza Punjabi that covers almost all aspects of his life and contribution.

Taing highlighted life and contribution of Prem Singh and remembered his association with literary circles.

Rahi in his presidential address congratulated the academy for its initiatives to publish special issues of various publications on various literary personalities so as to pay them rich tributes.

A Punjabi "Kawi Darbar" was also organised on the occasion in which prominent Punjabi poets recited their poetic compositions. The proceedings of the function were conducted by Popinder Singh Paras.

Srinagar, August 8
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said it would turn the “neglected” old city in Srinagar into a model city. This was said in a statement issued by the Kashmir unit of the BJP here.

Alleging that successive regimes had ignored the old city during the past six decades, the statement said: “The party under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision for the entire country and Srinagar tops the agenda. The BJP wants to convert Srinagar into one of the most beautiful cities in India.”

Blaming the Congress for the “miseries” of Kashmiris, the statement said: “The BJP doesn’t believe in dual policy like the Congress. PM Modi wants to turn Kashmir into a real paradise.”

Srinagar, August 8
The Border Roads Organisation has received forest and environment clearance for constructing a 11-km-long main tunnel at Baltal on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.

“This assurance was given by the Chief Engineer, BRO, at a meeting chaired by Minister for Forests and Environment Mian Altaf Ahmad here today,” an official spokesman said.

The spokesman said the meeting was convened to review the status of the tunnel project and remove the impediments affecting its progress.

Various aspects of the project and the measures needed to be taken to ensure early commencement of work on this prestigious project, which will provide all-weather road connectivity between the Valley and Ladakh region, were discussed during the meeting, the spokesman said. — PTI

Srinagar, August 8
The police today said it had fished out the body of a 65-year-old man from the Jehlum river near Ganpatyar in the city here.

The deceased identified as Mohammad Sultan Kumar, a resident of Chandgam village of Pulwama district, had drowned a few days ago in the river near the Maisuma bund, a few kilometres away from where his body was recovered.

The spokesman said the body of the deceased has been handed over to his family after completion of all legal formalities. — TNS