Jammu, September 19
Poor mobile and internet services in Jammu are giving frustrating time to the subscribers. The low speed of internet and connectivity problem for the last 48 hours is creating a lot of problems for them.

Though the telecom operators say that due to faults detected at several places after recent floods, they have been forced to shift their communication service to a few fully operational towers, but sources said as the focus of the companies has now shifted to make mobile services operational in Srinagar, technical staff has been shifted to Kashmir and network traffic from Srinagar has been diverted and is using towers operating in Jammu.

The internet users are facing an ordeal as the connections of both broadband and mobile are slow affecting the work of several private companies. “It is very difficult to do any work as the internet is running slow,” said Ruchi Gupta, a PhD student in Jammu University.

According to subscribers, even when there is full signal, on dialing a number one gets to hear “network is busy” or “switched off”. The subscribers also complained that they had to redial the number several times to get the call through.

“Consumers of all the service providers — BSNL, Aircel, Vodafone, Airtel, Reliance and Idea — are complaining of poor connectivity. We are quite irritated by this sudden drop in service,” said Sunil Sharma, a trader.

Meanwhile, none of the officials from telecom companies was willing to talk about the issue and said the services will be restored in the next few days.

Jammu, September 19
The Piramal Foundation has partnered with the Central Government, state government and Indian Air Force to provide relief support to the the flood-ravaged state.

Piramal Sarvajal, Piramal Foundation’s philanthropic safe drinking water initiative, is in the process of sending and setting up 10 Sarvajal water purification plants across the state.

Four plants have been sent via the Indian Air Force, of which one has been installed at the Srinagar Air Force station. Another six Sarvajal plants shall be sent over the course of the week.

More plants are being sent and will be provided as per the needs of the state. The Piramal Sarvajal team of engineers and technicians has been stationed in the state to install, run and maintain the machines.

Jammu, September 19
The All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA) has demanded action against the people who have encroached upon the Tawi banks and constructed homes and commercial places.

Association members held a meeting and alleged that the recent floods have exposed the land mafia and functioning of the administration, which led to devastation along the river in Jammu, particularly in Sidhra, Gujjar Nagar and Beli Charana.

Speaking on the occasion, association president Inderjeet Khajuria called upon the state government to make a detailed assessment of the losses caused due to flood in the ongoing tourism related projects.

Referring to the Tawi artificial lake project, which was at the stage of completion, he said it has suffered huge losses due to the damage caused by recent floods. “What to talk of the damage to the fourth bridge, the embankments on both sides of the Tawi have been completely washed away and need immediate reconstruction. The river at present is free from all sorts of encroachments and the government should ensure that no encroachment is made,” Khajuria said.

He mentioned the damage caused to Hari Singh Park on the right bank of the Tawi adjoining Jogi Gate and demanded its immediate repair so that it did not get further eroded. Expressing concern over the damage to roads due to floods and deluge, he said the Jammu-Suchetgarh, Jammu-Mansar via Samba, Jammu-Mansar via Sidhra-Surinasar and Jammu-Utterbani-Parmandal roads need immediate repairs for the smooth movements of tourists’ vehicles.

Jammu, September 19
An ambulance containing relief material for flood victims was flagged off today by Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, former Union Minister of State for Defence and presently MLA from the Jammu (West) Assembly constituency.

The relief material included 1,200 blankets, 150 shawls, 1,200 biscuit packets and 1,000 packets of food material. As many as 400 blankets were provided by the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohamatology (ISBTI) through Dr T R Raina, administrator, Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Charitable Hospital, Ambphala, Jammu, and secretary general of the society.

The ISBTI is an NGO working for the promotion of voluntary blood donation in the country. As many as 500 blankets, 1,200 biscuits packets and 150 shawls were arranged by Rajiv Chuni, chairman, SOS International, an organisation for the displaced persons from PoK, and 300 blankets were made available by the donations made by doctors of Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Charitable Hospital, Ambphala, Jammu.

The 1,000 packets containing food items were provided by the Red Cross Society, Patiala, Punjab, through Ravi Puri, secretary, regional Red Cross Society, Jammu.

The relief material will be distributed among the flood victims of villages of the Sunderbani, Nowshera, Kalakote and Rajouri areas. The sarpanches and panches of the affected areas have been contacted and the list of the deserving persons already stands prepared for the distribution of the blankets.

Dhram Vir Gupta, president, Beopar Mandal, Nowshera, and JP Singh, a social activist, are coordinating the process of distribution of the relief material.

Jammu, September 19
Volunteers of NSS and NCC cadets of Government Degree College (GDC), Paloura, collected donations from students and staff of the college and residents of the city for providing relief to the flood victims.

An amount of Rs 18,350 was collected. A relief camp was organised by the NSS volunteers of the college at Phallein Mandaal (Sumb village). Relief materials — 66 blankets and eatables —were distributed among flood victims. — TNS

Jammu, September 19
When the Jhelum ravaged Srinagar city on September 7, the ancient Zyesta Devi temple became a refuge to thousands of people, including 20 newborn babies and their mothers, some of whom had gone through caesarean section.

These women were rescued by the Army from GB Pant Hospital, which was engulfed by the rising water of the Jhelum.

When the first batch of the flood-affected people reached the shrine situated on a hilltop overlooking the Dal Lake, the temple management never expected that they would have to feed thousands of people in distress in the days to come.

“About 20 women along with their babies, most of them Muslims rescued from GB Pant Hospital, were brought to the shrine and provided food and shelter,” president of the Zyesta Devi Temple Committee BB Bhat said, adding that the patients needed immediate help.

“During the floods, hundreds of Sikh and Muslim families were served langar (food) at the shrine,” he said.

Bhat said that though there was no medical aid provided by the administration, many Kashmiri Pandit women and volunteers helped these nursing mothers during their stay at the shrine.

“Tragedies transcend the walls of religion. The flood in Kashmir has brought together Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs…the only aim was to survive,” said Bhat, who is still at the shrine to offer help to people staying there.

At one point of time, the shrine fed about 7,000 people. After the Air Force began evacuating people from different parts of the city on a daily basis, the management used to prepare food for more than 2,000 people daily as several secretariat employees from Jammu and tourists were airdropped by rescue teams at the shrine, Bhat said.

The shrine management generally keeps stock of foodgrains but during the crisis many of the volunteers used to trek to the Hazratbal to bring supplies from shopkeepers who were unaffected by the floods. 

Jammu, September 19
The fruit industry, one of the biggest industries in the state, has suffered a great loss during the recent floods. The loss is expected to be around Rs 2,000 crore and may increase as the Department of Horticulture has started assessment of loss.

To minimise the loss, horticultural officials, with the help of various fruit associations in the Valley, are loading trucks and sending fruit to markets outside the state.

The industry in the Valley, including that of dry fruits, is worth Rs 4,500 crore. Between 15 and 17 lakh metric tonnes is sent countrywide. This time, the loss is expected to be around 50 per cent.

“We loaded around 200 trucks of apple in areas of the Valley on Friday. There is no dearth of vehicles, but fares have been increased, which is a bit worrying,” said Showkat Zargar, Director for Horticulture Planning and Marketing.

The worst-affected areas in the Valley are Kulgam, Shopian and Anantnag in south Kashmir and Bandipore and areas around the Wullar Lake in north Kashmir. Some areas of Sopore have suffered loss, but not much.

“Orchards in south Kashmir are the worst affected. The loss can be around 100 per cent at a few places. We are trying to save as much fruit as we can, but productivity is not more than 9 lakh metric tonnes,” Zargar said, adding that orchards in and around Srinagar suffered loss as well,” he said.

To save fallen fruit, the department had been inviting companies from Mumbai and other areas to come to Srinagar and use the fruit to prepare juices. “By selling fruit to these companies, we can partly compensate the loss,” he added.

Kashmir apple varieties are sent to various parts of the country after September 15 and till November.

“On September 4, 400 trucks of apple from Charar-e-Sharief got stuck due to heavy rain and had got totally damaged. This is a big loss to the market,” said QA Rashid, Deputy Director for Horticulture Marketing and Planning in Kashmir.

Jammu, September 19
The recent floods have damaged more than 10,000 acres in the Jammu region producing basmati. The floods have washed away land demarcations, which has created confusion among farmers.

The disastrous floods in the state have not only damaged infrastructure in the Jammu region, but affected basmati production as well.

An estimate by the Basmati Rice Grower Association said more than 10,000 acres producing basmati had been damaged in the floods.

Association president Dev Raj said, “The floods washed away the crop in almost all important areas of Jammu, which damaged more than 10,000 acres.”

“Farms are filled with silt. In some areas, the silt is up to three feet, which has destroyed the entire crop of farmers,” he added.

Areas like Pargwal, Makwal, Phalian Mandal, Somka Chanduchak, Abdullian, Ramgarh and Hira Nagar were badly affected.

Some paddy fields are still waterlogged, but most are filled with silt. The demarcations of most farms have been washed away, creating confusion among farmers.

“Another problem is that demarcations of land has been washed away, which has created chaos and confusion among the farmers,” said Dev Raj. “The state government should take stock of actual loss of farmers and compensate them accordingly,” he added.

BC Sharma, agrometeorologist at Sher-e-Kashmir Agricultural University of Science and Technology, said, “The paddy crop has been washed away. A couple of inches of water-logging or silt may give advantage to the crop. Produce on farms where silt is over a foot crop cannot be saved,” he added.

Jammu, September 19
Microsoft co-founder and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chairperson Bill Gates on Friday announced $ 7,00,000 for flood-affected Jammu and Kashmir.

Gates is on a visit to India. He announced the relief during a meeting with Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.

An official communiqué issued by the foundation said $ 7,00,000 was being earmarked as emergency relief for Jammu and Kashmir. The amount is around Rs 4,20,00,000 in Indian currency.

The minister requested Gates for relief and the Microsoft founder responded positively. “Gates accepted the request and the foundation sent a handout that $ 7,00,000 was being announced,” the minister said.

Gates expressed satisfaction over his meeting with Jitendra. In a press note, he said “I share the minister’s belief in the power of technology to change the world and applaud his commitment to harnessing the power of Indian innovation to save lives.”

Jammu, September 19
The fear-stricken Jammu-based employees remained adamant against assuming their duties in the summer capital at this juncture, even as the civil secretariat in Srinagar re-opened today.

Instead of attending their duties at Srinagar, the Jammu-based employees today gathered in the premises of the civil secretariat here to chalk out future course of action.

Employees paid tributes to their two colleagues who lost their life in the flood after they were neither rescued by local volunteers nor by the other government agencies engaged in retrieving the trapped people in the marooned city.

Buoyed by the stand taken by the BJP leaders in their support, the Jammu-based employees of the civil secretariat made it clear that they would not assume their duties unless the government deputes a senior officer at Jammu to address their grievances.

A memorandum signed by over 880 Jammu-based employees of the civil secretariat was also served to the Chief Secretary, in which the protesting staff set some pre-conditions to resume duties at Srinagar.

“The flood struck the entire Kashmir valley inundating the areas, including the parts where the employees were dwelling. The entire Valley was under siege, leaving no option for the employees but to rescue themselves of their own,” the memorandum stated.

“The administration was fully aware of the fact that the stranded officials were not provided any kind of assistance or rescue. After a gap of three or four days the officials managed to escape to the safer zones from the allotted accommodation on their own and from there they managed to reach Jammu through private airlines out of their own resources,” the memorandum added.

“There is no denying the facts that the government is in need of officials for making the secretariat operational, but without providing the basic amenities to these officials it would not be appropriate to make them work in different locations of Srinagar city apart from the secretariat. In this time of crisis, providing basic facilities to these employees will be another tough task,” the employees observed.

The fear-stricken employees, who survived devastating flood without any assistance, said they were prepared to move to Srinagar subject to the state providing alternative accommodation to them at the safer zones.

There is no denying the facts that the government is in need of officials for making the secretariat operational, but without providing the basic amenities to these officials it would not be appropriate to make them work in different locations of Srinagar city apart from the secretariat. — Jammu-based employees

Srinagar, September 19
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said the claims made by the state government about the relief efforts were “confined to announcements” only and urged it to put its act together even at this late stage.

“The inadequate arrangement for pumping out flood waters from the inundated areas is threatening lives and surviving buildings, besides adding to the economic loss suffered by the people in Valley,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said after visiting several affected areas of south Kashmir and Srinagar.

“Many areas in south Kashmir, Srinagar city and other parts of central and north Kashmir continue to be inundated,” Mehbooba said in a statement, adding that the mechanical dewatering of these areas has not been taken up at the desired pace.

In Srinagar, she said, the business centres around the Lal Chowk, Badshah Chowk, Hari Singh High Street, Residency Road and Moulana Azad Road continue to be filled with water.

The business establishments have suffered huge loss but the inaction on part of the government has even snatched their opportunity to retrieve whatever goods might have survived the calamity, Mehbooba said.

“Along with the continued inundation of residential areas like Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Gogjibagh, Batmaloo, Karan Nagar, Bemina and Qamarwari the inability to dispose of dead animals has made it impossible for the survivors even to visit these areas not to speak of picking up threads of life again,” she added.

The PDP president said heavy duty pumps needed to be deployed at places. “But it seems that there is lack of coordination between the Centre and the state government as hardly any major dewatering machinery is evident on ground in the affected areas.”

Mehbooba said her party had in the recently-held all-party meeting suggested that the relief material be distributed through community and religious institutions, but nothing of that sort has been done so far.

Nowgam (Srinagar), Sept 19
While the Railways has resumed partial service in the Kashmir valley, the Nowgam railway station, one of the finest stations of the Indian Railways in Kashmir, is stinking.

A foul smell emanating from all directions has made the life of officials posted there and commuters miserable. The stink is emanating from the water that had entered the two underground hollow stories of the station.

“Stagnant water has led to the stinking problem. Both the officials at the station and the commuters face a lot of problems. It is a serious health hazard and if the water is not dewatered immediately, people will fall ill,” said a railway official.

The officials said they have also requested the local authorities to dewater the underground stories. The commuters said it was shocking as to how such a sprawling railway station was stinking. “The station in one of the finest stations of the Indian Railways in Kashmir. It is adored with unique Khatamband woodwork of skilled Kashmiri craftsmen which demonstrate the grandeur of the railway project in Kashmir, but I am surprised as to why the authorities are not dewatering the stagnant water, which is a health hazard, from the station,” said government official Manzoor Ahmed, who is posted in the civil secretariat.

The Railways started partial service between Srinagar and Baramulla in north Kashmir earlier this week and it would take almost a fortnight before the service resumes up to south Kashmir and later Banihal. The Railways had suspended the service after the floods ravaged the Valley.

Railway tracks were also damaged due to flooding.

At present, the trains make six trips between Baramulla and Srinagar stations. 

Srinagar, September 19
Imran, a young labourer from Bihar, is in big demand these days. While most of his counterparts left the Valley during the floods, he decided to stay back.

Even though construction work is hardly taking place now with locals busy rebuilding their lives, Imran still manages to earn Rs 400 a day. And he gets booked in advance because people are finding it hard to find any labour to clean their houses that were submerged in floods.

“So many people approach me for the same work – to clean their homes. But I tell them I have already been booked for the next many days,” said Imran, who is currently seen cleaning houses at the Magarmal Bagh area where ground floors were completely submerged. The area has now dried up even as many other parts of the city continue to remain inundated.

Many residents returned to Magarmal Bagh only to find their homes damp with thick layers of mud plastered on the floors and walls. Besides, most of their belongings too had been damaged or were missing after probably getting floated away in floodwater.

“Our houses were in a dreadful condition. Many household articles had floated out and others were damaged. Though we returned three days back, we managed to get this labourer only today. Three days ago, we saw him working at the house of our relative, who is also our neighbour. I told him to come to our place once he was done there. For the last three days, we have been cleaning our house on our own and this job is a nightmare given the extent of damage and dirt,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Magarmal Bagh.

Incidentally, thousands of migrant workers – mainly masons, carpenters, painters and labourers — come to the Valley for work from the spring to autumn season. They remain in big demand during this period. However, most of them left when floods submerged most parts of Srinagar city.

“I stayed back because I was living at a place that did not submerge. But many workers left as they lost their belongings in floods and they feared they might not find work anymore. And they left Kashmir on foot amid great difficulty because there was no transport available then,” said Imran.

Srinagar, September 19
For the first time since the floods wreaked havoc in the Kashmir, the government on Friday put the number of deaths at 77 with the highest toll of 39 in Srinagar, 38 in eight other districts and none in Baramulla district.

While relief and rescue operations are going on in flood-affected areas of Srinagar, there are apprehensions of more bodies being recovered. The houses, lanes and drains in areas like Raj Bagh, Jawahar Nagar, Bemina and Qamarwari are still under water. Search and relief operations are still going on.

The police said the highest number of 24 deaths had taken place in south Srinagar, followed by seven in the west, three each in east and north and two in Hazratbal police circle. Eight deaths had been reported from Ganderbal and Budgam districts of central Kashmir. These included six deaths from Budgam and two from Ganderbal. In south Kashmir, nine deaths had been reported from Kulgam, eight from Anantnag, four from Pulwama and two from Shopian district. In north Kashmir, four deaths had been reported from Kupwara and three from Bandipora district.

Rescue operations under Operation Megh Rahat launched by the Army had been called off while relief and medical assistance would be continued, a defence spokesman said.

Restoration of the road network had been largely done and efforts were being continued to improve traffic flow on damaged roads. Operation Sadbhavna would be continued, the spokesman added.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who visited south Kashmir Friday, reviewed relief and rehabilitation work. He directed officers in Pulwama district to ensure support and help to families affected and ensure that relief reached them.

Omar said that priority had been given to make foodgrains and other essentials available to the people, besides making hospitals functional and cleaning garbage and carcasses.

He expressed hope that the situation would improve further in the next few days and relief and rehabilitation work would be intensified.

Jammu, September 19
The primary and pre-primary wing of Delhi Public School (DPS), Jammu, celebrated “Hindi Week” with great fanfare and enthusiasm. It was an attempt to promote and propagate the use of the national language and to explore the talents of students.

The programme started with the lighting of lamp and followed by a variety of cultural items, including “Saraswati vandana”, “Krishna leela”, skits, poems and songs. The entire week saw a gamut of Hindi language-based activities taking place in classes from pre-nursery to Class V, like “Kavita goshthi”, story-telling, book-reading, “Meri Pehchan”, “Language games: Bhoojho to jaane”, Id-card making and “Shabdon ka khel”. While conducting these activities, students were helped in organising their thoughts and expressing in Hindi.

Jammu, September 19
Hindi Fortnight celebrations started at Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Shri Ranbir Campus, Kot Bhalwal.

Principal, BSF School, and recipient of President's Teacher Award Dr SS Khokhar was the chief guest. The function was presided over by Prof Ramanuj Devanathan, Principal of the campus.

ln his address, Dr SS Khokhar said, “No country can be great on the crutches of a foreign language.” He said even the US President Barak Obama has said that the time has come when the Americans should learn Hindi.

“The language of a country becomes strong only when the country itself is strong. Therefore, while trying to make Hindi strong, we should ensure that lndia also becomes strong,” he said.

Dr Khokhar highlighted the need for ensuring a close connectivity between various educational institutions in order to improve educational standards. He lauded Sanskrit as the best source of moral education.

ln his presidential address, Prof Ramanuj Devanathan said at present the Hindi week or fortnight celebrations are held as per government order, but the real tribute to Hindi would be paid only when such functions are held voluntarily.

Jammu, September 19
The Army and the BSF have prevented Pakistan from raising hostile  structures on the pretext of checking floods on their side of the Line of Control (LoC) and international border.

The Jammu region has 224.5-km-long LoC from the Chicken Neck area of Akhnoor till Poonch, while the 198-km-long international border runs from the Paharpur area in Kathua till Chicken Neck.

“We observed that on the pretext of checking flash floods the Pakistani army was trying to raise new defences on the other side of the LoC, especially opposite the Poonch sector and the Pallanwala sub-sector of Akhnoor subdivision. We immediately contacted them via hotline and inquired about these new developments,” said a top Army source.

“Though the Pakistani army initially claimed that they were restoring and reconstructing the damaged infrastructure on their side, we asked them to immediately stop new construction works and they ensured the same,” he added.

A BSF officer said the Pakistan Rangers also tried to come up with some new constructions opposite the RS Pura sector.

“We stopped them from doing so. However, we remain alert to such developments. Damage to their border infrastructure was not much when compared to ours because they have a bundh (embankment) and bunkers all along the international border,” the BSF officer said.

The Pallanwala and RS Pura sectors fall in Jammu district. After the floods, the Army and the BSF have been busy repairing and restoring their border infrastructures.

“Some stretches of the damaged barbed fence have been repaired while some are being repaired along the LoC in the Poonch sector. Similarly, ambush points and forward posts, which were either inundated or collapsed, are being restored,” said an Intelligence source.

The work is on at full swing in the Mankote,  Balakote and KG sectors, he added. 

Jammu, September 19
Satya Mohanty, Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar.

Mohanty briefed the Governor about ongoing rescue and relief operations being carried out by the NDMA in flood-affected areas.

The Governor discussed the NDMA’s short-term plan to deal with the present situation as long-term goals of facing such disasters in the future. They discussed public health measures to prevent spread of diseases.

Jammu, September 19
At least 31 journalists from across India, both print and electronic, today interacted with the GOC, 16 Corps, Lt Gen KH Singh at Nagrota.

They started defence correspondents’ course from Kochi on August 20. Lt Col NN Joshi, defence spokesperson, was course conducting officer.

After visiting the Navy, Air Force and Army modules at various locations, the group was on a forward area tour from September 14 in area of Cross Swords and Ace of Spades Division.

The journalists were given a chance to see anti-infiltration obstacle system. They visited the Corps Battle School, Sarol, for orientation training of new soldiers.

Sitanshu Kar, DG, media and communication called on 16 Corps Commander Lt Gen KH Singh. They interacted with the journalists. — TNS

Jammu, September 19
The State Bank of India (SBI) has resumed its operations in Kashmir valley.

Out of 67 branches of SBI in the Valley, 30 branches have started functioning and the ATMs linked to these branches are also operational.

The bank is now in process of making more of its branches and ATMs in the Valley functional in coming days.

It dispatched three mobile ATM vans to Kashmir to help people withdraw cash and is looking ahead send four more such vans to the Valley within a day. — TNS

Rajouri, September 19
The Chief Education Officer (CEO) of Rajouri district has sought a detailed report from the principal of the  Government Higher Secondary School, Chingus, in a reported incident of beating up of class XI student Gurdeep Singh of Narian village by ad hoc lecturer Rahil Parvez on Wednesday. The lecturer later fled the school.

CEO Lal Hussain said after receipt of a preliminary inquiry, recommendation and detailed report by headmaster Ashok Sharma, the services of the ad hoc lecturer might be terminated.

“Legal action will be recommended against the lecturer as beating up in schools is strictly prohibited by the apex court,” added Hussain.

Gurdeep Singh, whose sister died in a bus mishap on September 4, could not attend school for days.

On Wednesday, when Gurdeep turned up in class, he was questioned and physically punished.

Gurdeep received an eye injury in the incident and he had to be rescued by teachers and other students of the school.

The matter was brought to the notice of the CEO by the principal, who directed him to take Gurdeep to a health centre and depute a teacher with him. Gurdeep was shifted to a hospital in Nowshera, where his family and relatives staged a protest.

Deepti Uppal, SDM, reached the hospital and assured the family to take action against the lecturer. Doctors in Nowshera shifted Gurdeep to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu.

Rajouri, September 19
As many as 22 passengers on board a matador were injured when the vehicle rolled down a 30-foot deep gorge near Nagrota village here last evening.

The matador was on its way to Rehan village from Rajouri, the police said.

A police team led by inspector Yash Pal Singh rushed to the spot and along with the locals and Army men shifted the injured to District Hospital, Rajouri.

The injured are undergoing treatment and are out of danger, a hospital spokesperson said.

Those who were injured in the accident included Wahid Shah, Ratan Singh, Mohammad Sajad, Mohammad Riaz, Abdul Haq, Parveen Akhtar, Abdul Ghani, Moha- mmad Razak, Mohammad Aslam, Abdul Qayoom, Kulvir Singh, Baldev Singh, Mohammad Nissar, Mohammad Rashid, Moh- ammad Mukhtar, Mohammad Saleem, Nissar Hussain, Mohammad Sakhi, Maqsooda Begum and her twelve-year-old daughter Maniza.

“The driver was under the influence of liquor and did not listen to the repeated requests made by the passengers to drive the vehicle carefully,” alleged Maqsooda.

The police have registered a case against the unidentified driver of the matador and have started investigation into the case.

In another incident, two people were injured, one of them critically, when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by a car near Thandikassi.

Sumit Kumar and Azam Shah were on their way to Rajouri when their motorcycle was hit by a car, the police said.

The injured were shifted to a hospital in Rajouri from where one of them was referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu.

The car driver escaped from the accident site along with the vehicle, the police said.