Jammu, August 18
The fact that the Power Development Department (PDD) does not have any disaster management plan, especially for capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar, has exposed the tall claims of successive state governments in revamping electricity infrastructure.

The government has utilised just Rs 1,243 crore out of Rs 2,297 crore funds extended by the Central government from 2007-2012 under the Prime Minister Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) for improving the power infrastructure.

Out of 54 grid stations, generator backup is available in only 37 sub-stations leaving others without any avenue to supply power to the major chunk of population in case of major fault in the electricity distribution system.

A senior PDD official claimed that under-utilisation was mostly due to unplanned project formulation, execution of projects on ad hoc basis and initiating work without availability of essential pre-planning mechanism, which had negated the purpose of the reconstruction plan. The state has received money under the Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme (APDRP) and R-APRDRP in the past seven years.

As per the recommendations of the Committee for Updating the Best Practices in Transmission System, DM system has to be set up by all the power utilities for immediate restoration of transmission system in the event of major failures and minimise the impact of break down on the system and restoring it in the shortest possible time.

“The DM cell had not been set-up due to paucity of funds and whatever money is sanctioned by the government, the PDD is trying to utilise it in a better way,” said Ajay Gupta, Chief Engineer (Operation and Maintenance).

Disaster management is carried out by deploying emergency restoration system, diesel generating sets, skilled and specialised manpower.

Two single-phase auto power transformers of 133.33 rating installed during 2001 at Gladni station, Jammu, had failed during June and July 2008 causing outage of entire installed capacity of 400 MVA of the grid station. This resulted in the loss of integrity of grid station plunging most parts of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts into darkness for over two months.

Later, a team from Central Power Research Institute, Bangalore, conducted inspection of the failed transformers and attributed the breakdown to ‘progressive accumulation deterioration of bushing insulators of the transformers’.

Jammu, August 18
Trains at the Jammu-Tawi Railway station continue to run late by 11-12 hours due to waterlogging on the track near Ambala on Sunday.

Waterlogging on the railway track near the Ghaggar led to the disrupted rail traffic in the northern states of the country on Sunday, which continued today as well.

The 12413 Pooja SF Express from Ajmer to Jammu-Tawi was running late by more than 11:20 minutes, the expected time of arrival was 8:10 am, but now it is expected to reach Jammu at 7:15 pm. Similarly, the 12331 Himgiri Express from the Kolkata Howrah Junction to Jammu-Tawi was running late by more than 6 hours, the time of arrival of the train to Jammu was 12:30 pm, which is expected to reach here at 6:30pm. Other trains are also running late by a few hours. About 30 trains run from the Jammu Railway station on a daily basis.

Ashwani Kumar, station manager, Jammu-Tawi, said, “Trains are running late due to waterlogging on the track. We had also diverted the route of some trains on Sunday, but most of them have been restored now.”

“Only the Pooja SF Express and the Himgiri Express are running late. We will get them on their routine time very soon,” he added.

As per the officials of the Jammu Railway station, these trains will further depart late from the Jammu-Tawi railway station.

The 12414 Pooja SF Express, which was scheduled to depart from Jammu-Tawi at 18:15, will depart at 11:59 pm from Jammu and the 12332 Himgiri Express, which was scheduled to depart from Jammu-Tawi at 22:45 pm, will depart at 12:30 am.

The delay of trains led to a heavy rush at Jammu-Tawi railway station as passengers were stranded at the platform. Due to heavy rush, all the waiting halls of the Jammu-Tawi railway station were overcrowded.

Jammu, August 18
Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding of the Western Command, will undertake his maiden visit to Jammu’s Tiger Division on August 20 and 21 to familiarise himself with the ‘sensitive’ 198-km international border.

General Singh took over the reins of the Western Command, with its headquarters at Chandimandir, on August 1 after Lt Gen Philip Campose took over as new Vice Chief of Army Staff the same day.

“During his two-day familiarisation visit, General Singh will review operational preparedness of troops on the international border,” said a Defence source. He was likely to meet the top brass of the BSF Jammu Frontier, which had the operational responsibility of the border, the source added.

The BSF has the operational responsibility of the 198-kilometre international border from Paharpur post in Kathua to Chicken Neck in Akhnoor, north of Jammu.

On March 28, three heavily armed militants staged twin attacks in Janglote in Kathua district, killing two civilians and a soldier in a daylong encounter.

The international border close to the Jammu-Pathankot highway had always been the traditional and shortest route for Pakistani militants to try to intrude and they had been reportedly successful in the past.

The police believed that the three militants who carried out the attacks on March 28 infiltrated into the Hiranagar sector via Chhap nullah before emerging at Dayalachak bridge on the highway.

Jammu, August 18
The Annual Sports Calendar of the Directorate of Sports and Physical Education, University of Jammu, got underway today with the commencement of Inter-Collegiate Chess Tournament at the Gymnasium Hall here.

A total of 19 men and 20 women are participating in the tournament and the final match will be played on August 22.

Prof MP Singh Ishar, Vice Chancellor, was the chief guest at the inaugural function, while Prof Dhian S Bhau, Director, Sports and Physical Education, presided over the function. 

Jammu, August 18
The University of Jammu today enjoyed the glimpse of colourful kites during a kite flying festival organised by the Department of Students Welfare on Janmashtami.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice-Chancellor of the university Mohan Paul Singh Ishar said, “On this festive day, let us re-dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of peace, cooperation and mutual goodwill among all sections of our diverse society”. The university officials and employees present on the occasion. 

Jammu, August 18
The Aryans Group of Colleges, Chandigarh, has got approval for an additional 60 seats each in BTech and civil engineering diploma courses. The All India Council for Technical Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi, and the state government have given their nod to this proposal. Briefing mediapersons, Dr Anshuman Kataria, chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges, said students from Jammu and Kashmir would be major beneficiaries of this development.

He said 95 per cent civil engineering students in the Aryans Group of Colleges were from the state. He said the college had launched the toll-free helpline number 1800-30000-388 for students interested in admission.

Dr Kataria further said the Punjab Chief Minister had honoured four Kashmiri girls, Rumaisa, Sadiya, Yusra and Zeenat, for developing the Aryans android application. “The life-saving glove developed by four Aryans engineering students from the state has got appreciation from various quarters, including Fortis Hospital,” he said. Dr Parveen Kataria, director general, Aryans Group of Colleges, said most students from the state probably opted for civil engineering because of the increasing demand in the state.

Around 700 students were studying in the Aryans Group of Colleges and more than 500 took admission for 2014-15. Punika Mahajan, academics coordinator, and Shashi Kiran, media coordinator, were present.

Jammu, August 18
In a bid to mobilise more resources and provide more activities among rural youth of the state, the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) has decided to focus on various important areas during the financial year 2014-15 through its core programme National Programme for Youth and Adolescents scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).

The core programme would be uniform for all the districts of the state. However, the number of core programmes in a district would depend upon the number of youth clubs and mahila mandals in a given district.

Further, based on the number of youth clubs and mahila mandals in a district, the districts will be divided into four slabs.

Sources said the Central Ministry had proposed skill development for self-employment and employment generation among educated rural youth of the state besides gender equality, women rights, legal literacy, employability resources, developing leadership skills, personality development and soft skills, especially among women.

Sources added the ministry had focused on the formation of self-help groups and link employment opportunities with emphasis on village, block and district-based opportunities to check migration. It also aims to launch campaigns against female foeticide, dowry, drug abuse and alcoholism, tobacco cessation and child marriage.

The scheme of the Nehru Yuvak Kendra for each district in the country was started by the Government of India in 1972. The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan came into existence in 1987 as an autonomous body of the Government of India which is presently functioning under the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Since 1972, there has been a phenomenal expansion and growth of Nehru Yuva Kendras, which are currently functional in 623 districts of the country. 

Kargil, August 18
With Assembly elections round the corner, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has opened communication with one of the influential religious groups of the region, Islamia School, to garner support for the party.

The Islamia School has traditionally been an ally of the ruling National Conference and was instrumental in the party’s previous successes from this Muslim-dominated district in the Ladakh region.

The PDP, which has a strong base in Kashmir and in some areas of the Jammu region, is struggling to gain a foothold here.

Sources said a senior PDP leader recently held a meeting with a youth wing leader of the Islamia School in Kargil.

“The two discussed various issues relating to the upcoming elections,” said a local leader of Kargil. “While the majority of the Islamia school management members are not in favour of allying with the PDP, but surely there are some who feel that it will be better to support the PDP especially after its recent victory from three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley,” he added.

Voters in Kargil district mainly constitute of two groups of Shia Muslims. While the puritanical group is associated with the Islamia School, the modernists are linked with the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT). The IKMT is an ally of the Congress.

The first Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, elected in 2003 was governed by the IKMT. It was routed in the 2008 elections when the Islamia School took up the reins.

The sitting NC MLA from Kargil, Qamar Ali Akhoon, claimed that the Islamia school would never enter into an alliance with the PDP.

“The PDP is not going to have any support base here,” said Akhoon, who is likely to be given the party ticket from Kargil. “The PDP has no future in Kargil,” he added.

All the major mainstream political parties have not announced names of their candidates from the region. There are four Assembly seats from the Ladakh region, two each from Leh and Kargil districts.

Jammu, August 18
Provincial NC president Devender Singh Rana was welcomed by supporters at Jammu airport on Monday.He came here from Srinagar. This was his first visit after the NC announced that he would be the candidate from the Nagrota Assembly segment.

A rally was organised from the airport to Nagrota via Sidhra. Around 250 motorcycles and 150 cars were part of the cavalcade.

It was aimed at giving a strong signal to rival parties that the provincial NC president’s candidature would change the fortunes of the party in Jammu province.

“Rana’s candidature has triggered panic in the BJP and the PDP because of his work as political adviser to the Chief Minister and provincial president,” claimed TS Tony, NC candidate from Suchetgarh.

“Rana has nurtured his constituency and focused on other constituencies of Jammu region as well,” said Tony. Rana’s entry might change electoral politics in Jammu region, where the NC aimed to improve from six seats in 2008.

“Because of Rana’s involvement and connect with the people, the dynamics of politics will change,” said Shafiq Ahmad, a Rana supporter who was part of the rally.

“In the last six years, Rana invested politically and infrastructure wise in Jammu constituencies, particularly Nagrota, from where he was now the NC candidate,” said the Rana supporter.

The Nagrota Assembly segment was represented by state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma till the Lok Sabha election results were declared.

Sharma was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jammu-Poonch, after which he vacated the Nagrota Assembly seat. The segment would go to the polls along with other constituencies later this year.

Rana’s name figured in third list of candidates announced by the NC on Saturday. The provincial NC president had worked as political adviser to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

After he was appointed provincial NC president for Jammu province in January last year, the party had regained lost ground in Jammu region.

Srinagar, August 18
Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Member of Parliament, Muzzafar Hussain Baig, said the forthcoming elections in the state would pave way for the victory of the people rather than just a political party.

Addressing a public meeting in Kupwara constituency, he said it would be the endeavour of the PDP to provide a platform for political resolution, inclusive growth and empowerment of individuals once it was voted to power.

Baig said emergence of the PDP in the political front of state was a historical development as it not only changed the political discourse in Jammu and Kashmir, but in the entire South Asian region as well.

The MP, who represents the north Kashmir in the Lok Sabha, said, “Change is inevitable on the ground. The people have an important role to play to enable us to establish a new system of justice and equality in the state.”

“The people have to continuously support the PDP so that we could transform the entire system of governance in the state,” he said, adding that the PDP would continue to fight for the self-respect of the residents and work seriously to safeguard their interests.

Meanwhile, a businessman from Srinagar, Abdul Rashid Wani, joined the PDP on Monday. A PDP spokesman said Wani joined the party along with his supporters.

Jammu, August 18
The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) threatened to launch a “Track Par Chalo Aandolan” next month. Party president and MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia while briefing mediapersons today said that if the Union Ministry of Railways failed to oust those employees involved in stone throwing on Kathua-Udhampur-Katra rail track, the party would hold a panchayat-level demonstration along the track from Lakhanpur-Samba-Udhampur-Reasi-Jammu up to Ramban-Banihal.

He said the Panthers Party had been protesting against the alleged appointment of outsiders for the last 20 days on the railway track. “Jammu division has been reserved for appointing only locals. Youth from Jammu have been neglected in each and every sphere,” claimed Mankotia.

He said the JKNPP had submitted a memorandum to the Railway Ministry wherein it had expressed anguish over the Central ministry’s decision to employ the Railway staff even for the class IV job on the Udhampur-Katra rail line from Kashmir valley.

“There is lot of resentment amongst the people, especially the youth, over the government’s decision to appoint people from outside Udhampur and Reasi districts. We demand that a recruitment drive for employment of locals of Udhampur and Reasi districts be held,” stated the MLA.

Mankotia alleged that activists of the Panthers Party were injured when the police resorted to lathi charge on a peaceful protest of the party 20-days ago.

Baramulla, August 18
Three eye camps were held to provide aid and medicines to the people in remote areas of north Kashmir. These camps were organised by Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust, run by a Dubai-based philanthropist, SP Singh Oberoi. The camps and relief activities were organised in Shalkot village, Baramulla district, on Sunday and Monday.

Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, Jaspal Singh inaugurated the camps. As many as 1,300 patients were examined in the camps. Varinder Singh Walia, Editor Punjabi Tribune, Chandigarh, Harpreet Singh Dardi, Editor, Charhdikala, Surinder Singh, senior vice president of Patiala district and Harvinder Singh Kukoo, were present.

Punjabi University Vice Chancellor lauded philanthropic services of Oberoi in the remote areas of country, where the medical and other facilities were not easily available. He also appreciated Sarbat Da Bhala Trust for supplying ration to the poor and giving financial help to the needy and widows of the Valley. Apart from the eye camps, the trust also distributed three truck loads of ration among the poor families, a statement said.

Giving details, Oberoi said as many as 1,300 patients were checked in the OPD out of which 630 were provided free eye-glasses and 21 cataract surgeries were performed in previous two camps.

“During the camp 35 persons were found fit for surgery by a team of eye specialists headed by Dr Manpreet Singh of Patiala,” Oberoi said, adding that the needy patients were given free medicine.

He said 17 more such camps would be organised in Jammu and Kashmir by the charitable trust. Hundred mass marriages of the poor girls of the state would also be solemnised by the trust, added Oberoi.

A computer centre at Budgam under the self employment generation programme for the youth was also inaugurated by Oberoi. Four stitching centres are also being run by the trust to make girls from the valley self reliant. The arrangements for the camp were made by Baldev Singh, president of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust.

Pulwama, August 18
Protests erupted at Sambora village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday over alleged desecration of a graveyard insignia by security forces.

According to reports some security forces personnel, who were patrolling the village at night, were assigned the job to remove an unauthorised flag.

The residents alleged that security force personnel tore and desecrated the holy script on the insignia. “When we woke up in the morning on Monday, we found martyrs’ graveyard insignia inscribed with some holy verses partially burnt and torn,” said a resident.

The residents blocked Pulwama-Srinagar highway and demanded an apology from the district administration. They also demanded re-installation of the insignia. Officials of the district administration evaded any comment on the incident.

Srinagar, August 18
Students of BA, BSc, BCom (II) 2013 batch from various degree colleges of the Valley are crying hoarse over the alleged delay in the declaration of exam re-evaluation results. They say it will cost them their academic year.

The students who could not clear all subjects of annual examinations had applied for re-evaluation of papers whose results were declared by Kashmir University, Controller of Examinations, on July 2.

Students say various degree colleges where they were studying are now refusing them to admit them at this stage, stating that they will not be able to resume their normal classes.

The students say their academic year is likely to get wasted due to the refusal of colleges.

“Our results were declared in March and it took the university authorities six months to re-evaluate the papers. The delay in the re-evaluation of papers will cost us an academic year. We raised our concern before the KU authorities, but to no avail,” said Mustansir, a BSc-II year student.

Meanwhile, KU Vice Chancellor AM Shah told The Tribune that the university’s new guidelines on examinations had given students, who apply for re-evaluation, right to take provisional admission in their respective colleges before the announcement of results.

“It seems as if these students were not aware of the new framed guidelines by KU. How is the university to be blamed for this chaos? They should have sought the provisional admission at the time they applied for re-evaluation. It is not possible for colleges to admit these students now, since a majority of the classes in this session are already over,” the Vice Chancellor said. 

Srinagar, August 18
Rawalpindi’s special street food variety ‘aalu pallay’ is becoming the favourite eatable among local residents, with huge crowds being witnessed everyday around the push cart that sells the delicacy in the city.

Fiftytwo-year-old Nazir Ahmad Qureshi, who hails from Pakistan, is the only person in the Valley who sells ‘aalu pallay’ on his push cart. The place has become one of the famous landmarks of Lal Chowk, the others being Ghanta Ghar and Palladium Cinema.

For the past more than 40 years, Nazir is selling ‘aalu pallay’ on a push cart which is covered on three sides with tin boards. A long queue of people can be seen in the afternoon, waiting for their turn to get a plate of the delicious ‘aalu pallay’.

“A food speciality from Rawalpindi, ‘aalu pallay’ is somewhat similar to ‘dahi bhalle’ as well,” says Nazir, sitting on his push cart.

“This snack has status in Rawalpindi. Indian ‘dahi bhalle’ is a smaller version of ‘aalu pallay’. In ‘dahi bhalle’, there is fried lentil dumplings in curd sprinkled with red chilly powder and other spices. In ‘aalu pallay’, potatoes and ‘besan’ are an addition,” Nazir says.

With the business drawing a large number of customers, Nazir is being helped by his nephew. “Because there is always a huge rush, which I am not able to handle, my nephew helps me in my work. We have been doing this work for generations,” he says.

With ‘aalu pallay’ becoming a known name among local residents of the city, Nazir says it has become a part of his name as well. “I am doing this work since my childhood. I am happy and satisfied as I have been earning well,” Nazir adds. He is known in the city as Nazir Pallay.

‘Aalu pallay’ has been the family business of the Qureshis for many generations. Nazir says, “It is not something everyone can do. I have been taught since my childhood. My family has been in this business since 1910.”

“My grandfather Fayzan Rasool used to sell it near a ‘dharamsala’ for 20 years. After him, my father Abdul Rehman Qureshi continued the family tradition for nearly 50 years. Nothing has changed except the place and style of selling. They sold it on roads. I sell it on a push cart. The recipe is the same,” Nazir says.

Nazir says his family had migrated from Rawalpindi in Pakistan more than a century back and introduced ‘pallay’ to Kashmiris, who gave it immense appreciation and acceptance.

Nazir says Pakistan had awarded his grandfather for his finesse in preparing delicious ‘pallay’. “Our family was known for making special ‘pallay’ and my grandfather was awarded,” he says.

Nazir maintains that preparing ‘pallay’ is not everyone’s cup of tea as it needs hard work. “Many people who tried to imitate us failed. They either failed to prepare the perfect ‘pallay’ or were not ready to give the energy and work hard required to prepare it,” Nazir says.

It takes Nazir more than 11 hours everyday to prepare a day’s stock of ‘pallay’. It is kept in three flat copper vessels with chutney. He loads the containers on the push cart everyday and pushes it from his house to the designated place at Lal Chowk.

He begins the sale in the afternoon and stays till the stock is over, which is usually by 7:30 pm. A plateful is priced at Rs 25. Nazir says he earns handsomely from selling ‘pallay’. His family comprises his wife and two daughters.

Customers relish the dish at Lal Chowk and many others carry it for their families. “Old customers usually carry it home. I have many old customers who have been coming in the evening everyday for decades, even from my father’s time,” Nazir says.

Says Yousuf Naqshbandi, a ‘pallay’ lover who teaches at a school, “I have been regularly coming to Nazir’s place for the last many years. My father used to eat it. Since then, I have become a fan as well. I have found that it has a cooling effect in summer. I find it light on the stomach and is unique in taste.”

‘Pallay’ is a different word which Kashmiris have hardly heard before. “Before the 1990s, a large number of cinema goers to the Palladium and Regal theatres were among the customers. The situation after that affected my business,” Nazir says.

Srinagar, August 18
Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, observed the first death anniversary of the former director of SKIMS and renowned cardiologist of the Valley, Dr Shiekh Jalal, who was shot dead by unidentified persons at his Pampore residence last year.

Srinagar, August 18
An-eight member team of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) led by its chairman and former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran on Monday concluded a three-day visit to the Kashmir Valley to have an assessment of the situation in the state on different fronts.

This was the first visit of the NSAB to Kashmir after the new government headed by Narendra Modi took charge in New Delhi. The team was expected to visit Ladakh as part of its exercise to have an assessment of the overall situation.

During its three-day stay in the Valley, the delegation held meetings with state government officials, apart from a cross-section of society, to have a closer eye on the ground situation in the Valley.

The team held a detailed discussion with a team of senior journalists in the summer capital on Monday for an indepth understanding of the situation in Kashmir. The NSAB had been constituted as a non-government organisation in 1996.

It comprises former senior government officers, civil society members, economists and scientists. It focuses on internal and external security, foreign policy, economic issues, ecological security and how the state connects with its people by “getting a broader perspective of issues”.

Besides Shyam Saran, the team included Admiral Suresh Mehta (retd); Ravinder Gupta, former Secretary, Defence Production; Sanjay G Dhande, former Director, IIT, Kanpur; TC Haldar, former Director, Intelligence Bureau; and Jaya Deva Ranada, former Additional Secretary.

Jammu, August 18
The Omar Abdullah-led coalition regime appears to be in a dormant state before the Assembly elections scheduled later this year as it has rendered or set to make defunct some important state commissions.

This can be gauged from the fact that the state government has failed to initiate the timely exercise for appointment of new chairpersons and members of four important commissions.

These are the State Human Rights Commission, the State Commission for Backward Classes, the State Accountability Commission and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, which have either been rendered defunct or will be non-functional shortly.

Srinagar, August 18
Lashkar-e-Toiba’s module, headed by a Pakistani militant Mohammad Qasim, has become a major headache for the security agencies in south Kashmir. The police have blamed the module for carrying out major attacks in south Kashmir recently. Four security men died and 13 BSF troops were injured in these attacks.

Sources from the Police Department said series of attacks on security men in Pulwama district were carried out by Lashkar militants in a meticulous way. They managed to flee after all the attacks, added the sources.

“In all the three attacks, the modus operandi of Lashkar militants was almost same. They chose their targets in a well-planned manner,” said an official.

“In Saturday’s attack, militants waited for their target and attacked the lone BSF vehicle at Koil, Pulwama, close to the Indian Air Force’s Awantipora airbase,” he added.

Assistant Sub Inspector Rudal Singh and Head Constable Subedar Singh Yadav, both of 165 Bn, BSF, were killed and four other BSF personnel were injured in the militant attack. The police said they were tracking the group, which was behind the recent attacks, including the Saturday afternoon assault.

“Lashkar carried out the attack in Koil, Pulwama. It is the same module that carried out recent attacks on security forces in Pulwama,” Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Abdul Ghani Mir, said, adding that “We are zeroing on the group that is behind these attacks.”

The police said Lashkar’s indigenous militant outfit in Kashmir, Hizbul Mujahideen, had claimed responsibility for all the three attacks. The Qasim module was operating in various areas of the central and south Kashmir, added the police. Qasim had been in the Valley for almost three years. He had taken over the charge of Lashkar in south Kashmir after the killing of senior commander, Rehman Bhai in 2011.

“Qasim module has been a real headache for the security agencies for the last two year,” a police official admitted.

Srinagar, August 18
The Department of Tourism, Kashmir, will make documentary and fiction film screenings an annual feature in the Valley to give tourism a boost and attract potential film-makers to the Valley.

Talat Pervez, Director, Tourism Department, said this while inaugurating the International Film Festival of Kashmir at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar on Monday.

The film festival was organised by the Experimental Moving Images and Theatre Association. He expressed concern over thin attendance on the opening day of the four-day film festival.

He added that people in the Valley, especially the youth, should be sensitised about the importance of documentary films. Over 44 documentary and short films made by film-makers from the Valley, Mumbai, Korea, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Canada would be screened during the festival.

Makers of these films would hold live interaction with the audience after the film screenings, said Manzoor-ul-Hassan, event coordinator. He added that the festival would give a boost to the morale of local film-makers and provide a learning opportunity to budding film-makers from the area.

The concluding ceremony would include the presentation of awards in various categories, including best feature film, best short film in fiction, best documentary, best student film, best animation film and best Kashmiri, Dogri and Ladakhi films.

Besides some eminent film-makers, artistes and linguists from Kashmir, the audience included mass communication and film-making students from the Central University, Kashmir, and Kashmir University.