Jammu, September 24
The recent floods in the state which caused huge damage to the life and property in both the Kashmir and Jammu region of the state have dampened the Navratra festivities in the city.

The priest at Maha Maya Temple in Jammu preparing for the Navratra festival on Wednesday

The Navratra festival, which is often celebrated with great enthusiasm in the winter capital, has failed to evoke the same kind of spirit this year.

Though the temples around the city are gearing up for the nine-day-long festival, but the usual buzz around this time of the year was missing from the markets.

The famous Bawe temple has been all decked up for the festival, which begins tomorrow, but neither the business community nor the state administration is expecting much fanfare.

Every year, thousands of pilgrims visit Jammu after paying obeisance at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in the Trikuta hills at Katra, but this year a far less number of devotees have reached the city of temples.

“This year the pilgrims are very less. Only locals are there in the market to buy the stuff for the puja,” said Subash Gupta, a shopkeeper at the Raghunath Bazar.

The administration is also not enthusiastic about the Navratra festival. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Shantmanu has already announced that keeping in view the calamity which hit the state, causing loss to life and property, this year’s Navratra festival would be a low key affair.

The event shall be kept simple and the ‘Bhagwat Katha’ would be organised at temples for the well being of the state.

Meanwhile, attention is being paid to the Bawe temple, which is thronged by the pilgrims during the Navratri.

Arrangements are being made to cater the huge rush to the temple. The security angle is also being reviewed.

The city’s Mahamaya temple, Shree Ranvireshwar temple and Raghunath Mandir have also been decorated for the festival.

Katra, September 24
Katra town, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine, is deserted and there is silence on Navratras.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and local organisations have decided to keep the celebrations low-key as many lives were lost and property damaged in the floods across the state.

“Navratra celebrations will be minimum. ‘Bhagavad katha’ will be organised. ‘Kalash yatra’ will be performed,” said Mandeep K Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer of the board.

“All tracks are open and the yatra picking up. More yatris are expected during the Navratras,” he said.

More than 2,50,000 people visit the Vaishno Devi shrine during Navratras every year.

Religious tourism in Jammu has declined due to the recent weather conditions. On an average, around 10,000 pilgrims visit the shrine everyday while 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims paid visit during the same period last year.

President of the Hotel Association, Katra, Sham Lal Kesar, who is also a member of the Katra Navratra Celebration Committee, said: “It was decided that keeping in view the calamity and the loss to life and property caused by torrential rains, floods and landslides, Navratras at Katra will be without any component of festivities in it. The event will be simple and low-key.”

“The only event which shall mark the nine-day festival will be of worshipping Goddess Durga at Raghunath Mandir in Katra. Prayers will be held for the well-being of all who have suffered during the disaster in the state,” said the president of the Hotel Association, Katra, adding that as per tradition, ‘kalash yatra’ will be taken out from Kalika Mandir to Raghunath Mandir at 2 pm.

Rakesh Wazir, a businessman from Katra, said the pilgrimage was important for tourism in Katra.

Katra, September 24
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) today said it had made elaborate arrangements for the large number of pilgrims, intending to undertake the pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine during the Navratra festival, starting tomorrow.

Chief Executive Officer of the shrine board Mandeep K Bhandari reviewed the to-date status of the water supply at Katra, en route and in the Bhawan area at a meeting here today.

He said the board had made all arrangements to ensure proper water and power supply along the track leading to the shrine, sanitation, availability of special food for fasts at ‘bhojanalayas’ (eating joints) of the shrine board.

MK Kumar, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the SMVDSB, SC Gupta, Superintending Engineer of the shrine board, Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering, Reasi and Udhampur, other engineers and officials of the board were present at the meeting.

Giving details of various arrangements, Bhandari said, like in the past, Bhawan of Mata Vaishno Devi ‘atka’ and the area surrounding it had been decorated with flowers.

All routes leading to the shrine have been fully maintained for the movement of pilgrims.

The CEO said the yatra, which was temporarily suspended on September 4 due to incessant rain, resumed on September 8 and had been going on smoothly.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu zone, Rajesh Kumar today reviewed security arrangements in Katra town in view of Navratras.

The police officers of the Udhampur-Reasi range attended the meeting.

A threadbare discussion was held to ensure elaborate security arrangement on the eve of Navratras.

The Senior Superintendent (SSP) of Reasi was directed to ensure comprehensive deployment of personnel to maintain law and order and communal harmony and keep a watch on the activities of anti-national, anti-social and other disgruntled elements.

The SSP was also directed to look after the periphery of Katra town, Trikuta Hills adjoining the Bhawan area by regular patrolling by the Army, CRPF and the police.

Guv greets people Srinagar: Governor NN Vohra has greeted the people on the commencement of Navratras and prayed for communal harmony, brotherhood, peace, progress and prosperity in the state. The Governor prayed for the well-being 
of the people of the state. — TNS

Gundjahnagir (Bandipora), September 24
In north Kashmir, thousands of kanals of apple orchards and other agricultural land around the Wular lake in the Sonawari belt stretching between Baramullla and Bandipora districts are still under floodwaters.

The flooding in the villages, which lie on the south-western periphery of the Wular lake, began immediately after Srinagar city was inundated by the overflowing Jhelum on September 7.

By September 10, as the floodwaters in Srinagar city started receding, villages Naidkhai, Wazapora, Tengpora, Bathipora, Shahgund, Gundjahangir, Bonigam, Vijpara, Kawpora, Lower Asham and Rakh-e-Ahsan of north Kashmir had been submerged in 6 to 10 feet of water. Hundreds of residential houses and thousands of kanals of apple orchards and farm land with paddy, maize and rajma were submerged.

“Both the Jhelum and the flood channel, which pass through the Sonawari belt and crisscross these villages, were already flowing above the danger mark. However, thousands of villagers kept vigil along the embankments of both these water bodies night and day and kept plugging the minor breaches till September 7,” said Abdul Rashid Dar, a former police inspector, who was supervising the breaching of a bund on the Sopore-Hajin road near Shah-Gund village to drain out the floodwaters from the orchards into the Wular catchment area.

As the government and administration is still missing in these interior areas of Kashmir, villagers had hired a JCB bulldozer to breach the road-cum-embankment at the spot which separates the Wular waters from apple orchards and prevents it from entering the fields.

However, this controlled breach, villagers say, is meant to drain out the 6 to 10 feet of stagnant flood waters from the apple orchards and rice fields into the Wular Lake, wherein the water levels are now receding.

“However since September 8 morning, the water in both the Jhelum and the flood channel started rising and finally the flood channel beached its embankment near Ahsan Wasi Khan, a small hamlet in Sumbal tehsil of Bandipora district,” Dar said, narrating the sequence of events which led to the flooding in the area.

While counting their losses, the apple growers said their biggest worry is the standing waters in the fields which is a serious threat to apple trees.

“I have 40 kanals of apple orchards which is currently under 6 feet of water. The trees are laden with apple, but my biggest worry is how to drain out the water, which is a threatening the lives of trees,” said Abdul Aziz from Gund Jahangir village.

“So far this season, I have plucked apples for only 150 boxes… the rest is now under water. This year I had taken Rs 3 lakh as advance from by beopari and another Rs 2 lakh loan from the bank. Now how will I repay the debt as the apple crop has gone,” he added.

Another apple grower and farmer Sanaullah Dar, 80, from Bathipora village described the flooding in the area as unprecedented. “Though the Sonawari belt had witnessed severe flooding in 1959, this time the level of water is higher”, he said.

Giving the details of the apple and paddy land in the Sonawari belt, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a panchayat member from Gundjahangir village, said in his village around 9,000 kanals with apple and paddy crop was currently inundated.

Asham (Bandipora), Sept 24
Wazapora is a small hamlet on the Naidkhai-Hamray road in in Baramulla district of north Kashmir. It was devastated after the flood channel breached its embankment on September 8.

Originating in Srinagar, the flood channel passes through this village before flowing into the Wular Lake. Rows of houses in the hamlet had been inundated, a majority of which had either cracked or collapsed.

Two weeks after the calamity, no relief or rehabilitation effort was in sight, which in contrast to Srinagar, was flooded the day before.

“Floods started in our area on September 8 around 3 pm. Within half an hour, more than three feet of water accumulated in our compound, following which I and my family ran to safety, leaving behind all belongings,” said Muzaffar Ahmad Waza.

The gushing floodwaters from the flood channel damaged the boundary wall and uprooted the gate of his house. On both sides of Farooq’s house, two newly constructed houses developed cracks.

“Most of the residents in our hamlet sleep on roads during the night. No relief or aid was given to us by the government agency,” he said. He acknowledged that Falah-ud-Dareen, a charity organisation, and Jamat-e-Islami circle from Baramulla distributed relief material a few days ago.

Another villager pointed out that moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was in the area Wednesday to distribute the relief material. He did not cross the bridge on the flood channel to provide relief material to the affected locality.

In villages like Rakh Ahsan Wasi Khan and lower Asham in Bandipora district, residents complained that nobody visited the area.

“Our locality has 150 houses, all inundated despite the passage of over two weeks,” said Ghulam Hassan Khan, a ward member of Sumbal municipal committee.

“Government attention is focused on Srinagar and NGOs are not paying attention to poor villagers like us. Every time we demand relief, the administration sends the police with batons to attack us,” he alleged.

Apart from villages like Shah Gund, Naidkhai, Markundal, Bonigam and Kanitar in north Kashmir, a majority of houses had been damaged by floodwaters.

Aarigatnoo/Gund Kelam (Kulgam), September 24
Two hamlets in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district are eight kilometres apart, but the flood fury has united the two. Floods devastated the two villages and rendered the habitation homeless.

A majority of houses in Gund Kelam, with a population of 700, and Aarigatnoo were washed away and the rest badly damaged. Villagers felt devastated as their villages were unsafe now.

There was normalcy in Gund Kelam, on the banks of the Vaishaw stream, till September 3. The area received incessant for over six days. The stream, originating from Kousar Nag, was swelling.

“On the afternoon of September 3, we judged that the water level was rising. We closed the school so that students could go home,” recalled Shabir Ahmed (35), a teacher at the government middle school in the village.

“There was apprehension that the embankment could be breached at Zangalpora. Army men reached the village and sounded an alert for people to leave,” he added.

The breach occurred Thursday morning. Many people, including women and children, had left the village. The gushing waters washed away dozens of houses (officially 42), cow sheds, metalled roads and dozens of trees. The embankment of the bridge connecting the area to Pulwama was washed away.

Over 100 men, mostly youths, were stranded in the village for five days.

“Farooq Ahmed Dar, who teaches the Quran, said holed up youngsters should prepare for death. We offered funeral prayers in the mosque where we were stranded,” said 29-year-old Manzoor Ahmed Dar.

“Death haunted us for five days. Whenever I peeped out of the window of the mosque, I could not recognise the village. There was disaster everywhere,” he added.

The trapped managed to come out after the water level receded. Such was the devastation that houses not washed away were badly damaged. The one-km road stretch to the village was washed away. Paddy fields and orchards bore the brunt.

“None except the Army and local volunteers came to our rescue,” said Shabir Ahmed. “The stream changed its course and passed through our backyard.”

The villagers spent over 10 days at a village in the neighbourhood who arranged food and bedding. “The government machinery was nowhere. Villagers of Ashmuji helped us,” said Mohammad Yousuf Dar.

His house was washed away and he was putting up in a tent with his family. “We will not go back to the village,” he added.

Barely eight kilometres away, Aarigatnoo village, on the foothills of the Pir Panchal range was devastated. The water washed away nearly 200 houses and damaged others. The wreckage of many houses was not visible after a fortnight.

“Can you believe that I had a house there?” asked Razia Begum, pointing to wreckage. “I cannot weep as tears have dried,” she said. “I have lost everything and cannot explain that I once had a house,” she said.

Srinagar, September 24
The floods in Kashmir have brought to the fore many innovative stories from Kashmir. The canoes made from tin sheets, thermocol and kerosene drums indicate the innovative mindset of Kashmiris.

Not only were Kashmiris innovative in saving the lives of others, they also pioneered ways to satiate their smoking urges.

Cigarette smoking is a favourite pastime in Kashmir and when people got trapped in floodwaters at the Valley’s only children hospital — GB Pant Hospital in Srinagar — for days together they set their mind rolling. A hookah was crafted from a dextrose or glucose bottle.

The charcoal bowl was also made from a lab equipment present in the hospital.

A test tube was used in place of the hollow shaft while the air valve and hose were made from drip pipe.

The anonymous inventor had used cigarette bits in place of tobacco.

“This hookah was brought into our notice by Mushtaq Ahmed, a part of the service staff. We don’t know who exactly made it,” said noted paediatrician Muzaffar Jan.

Jan, who serves at GB Pant Hospital, further said: “It seems the hookah was made by one of the attendants accompanying the patients.”

The hospital remained closed for a fortnight after floods inundated the city. Over 200 patients and attendants were trapped inside the GB Pant Hospital after it was flooded by the Jhelum waters on the intervening night of September 6 and 7.

Those trapped inside the hospital said they ran short of food and other stuff.

Ahmed said he noticed the hookah last Friday when he entered the hospital for the first time after the flood. “It (hookah) was lying in a corner on the second storey of the hospital. There were cigarette bits around the hookah indicating that it might have been used as tobacco for the hookah. I immediately brought it into the notice of doctors,” he said.

Srinagar, September 24
The skeleton of a woolly mammoth, extinct around 10,000 BC and excavated from Galandar village outside Srinagar city in 1930s, is rotting under layers of fungus as a deadly deluge, more than a fortnight ago, also ravaged the Valley’s only museum, devastating the region’s rich history.

The Shri Pratap Singh Museum, established in 1898 on the banks of the Jhelum at Lal Mandi in Srinagar, housed approximately 79,595 artefacts and objects, including paintings, manuscripts, textiles and an armoury of first-generation guns.

“It is difficult to assess the exact damage but our initial estimate is that 80 per cent of the artefacts on display and in the store have been damaged,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Beigh, curator of the museum.

The ageing building, which houses the museum, had remained under the floodwaters for several days. Much of the history could have been saved had the museum been shifted to the new multi-storeyed building, which is awaiting inauguration for the last several years.

The summer capital of the state, Srinagar, was devastated by the floods, displacing thousands of people as dozens of neighbourhoods and commercial centres got submerged. The deluge also devastated the records of Kashmir’s history. An 18th century exquisite and priceless painting titled --- King and Queen --- is now a piece of trash at the museum and pictures have vanished from a collection of rare century-old photographs of Kashmir, most of them clicked by foreigners.

The museum housed 1,992 sculptures, 680 paintings, 2,399 paintings, 356 weapons, 333 textile items, 60 anthropology and ethnographical items, 620 natural history items, 1,096 decorative items, 71,131 numismatic item, 900 geology and mineral items and 28 jewellery items.

On Wednesday, 21 days since the floods ravaged the southern and western parts of Srinagar city, the museum officials had placed several manuscripts under the afternoon sun.

“The manuscripts are from different eras. Some belong to the 14th century and some are from the 18th century. They are in Arabic, Persian, Gilgiti and Shardha scripts,” the official said.

The curator, during a tour of the museum through the mud-smeared floor calculated the extent of the loss. Everything from the rare to the rarest was damaged by the floods.

“The damaged items include the Afghan-era shawls and the Mughal-era carpets. The official documents and currency notes of the Dogra era have been damaged. Copper utensils and walnut wood artefacts are damaged,” Beigh says, listing the destruction.

There are only a few things that the flood could do little damage. The stone artefacts and the armoury of guns are safe, the curator said. “If conservation is not done immediately, we may lose everything,” he said.

Srinagar, September 24
The traffic movement on the national highway has been rescheduled. According to the IGP, traffic, the traffic will ply from Srinagar towards Jammu from 11pm (of previous day) up to 6am of convoy day, while normal traffic will be allowed to ply towards Jammu from 9am.

The cut-off timing for down traffic will be 5pm at Levdora and 7pm at Jawaher Tunnel, but no multi-axel/multi-tyre vehicles will be allowed to ply on NHW-IA till further orders.

During up traffic day, the traffic will ply from Jammu towards Srinagar from 9pm to midnight (of previous day) and no traffic will be allowed from Jammu onwards Srinagar from midnight onwards up to 6am the next day. However, normal traffic will be allowed to ply from Jammu onwards to Srinagar from 6am. The cut-off timing for up traffic will be 3pm at Nagrota, 5pm at Udhampur and 11pm at Jawaher Tunnel. No multi-tyre vehicle would be allowed to ply on NHW-IA till further orders, the statement said.

In order to facilitate the passengers, transportation of fruits and essential commodities, the passenger service vehicles (LMVs only), empty oil tankers and fruit-laden load carriers (medium only) can use the Sinthan top-Kishtwar route and the Mughal road from the Valley towards Jammu during up traffic days after getting clearance from the district administration.

Similarly, during down traffic day, the passenger service vehicles (LMVs only) and medium load carriers can use the Sinthan Top-Kishstwar route and Mughal road for their journey from Jammu towards the Valley temporarily till the restoration/repair work of NHW-IA especially on the Ramsoo road stretch is completed and the traffic movement on NHW-IA will strictly remain one way as per schedule till further orders, it said.

Srinagar/Jammu, Sept 24
Life is limping back to normal after floods wreaked havoc in the state, but students in more than 3,500 government schools are attending classes in makeshift rooms, rented accommodation, panchayat ghars or in the shade of trees.

The School Education Department says over 3,500 school buildings have been partially or fully damaged and still have silt and slush. Apart from reconstruction and repair of damaged structures, the authorities are planning to conduct inspection of all partially damaged and silt-filled buildings before running classes there.

The inspection, to be conducted by staff of the Public Works Department, will ensure whether or not all partially damaged and previously submerged school buildings are safe. Nearly 20 per cent of the 11,536 government schools in the Kashmir valley, are closed.

Normal classes in the water-logged Srinagar district, which has suffered the brunt of floods, are yet to restart as many school buildings are still filled with stagnant water, silt and slush.

Only a few schools in hilly and unaffected parts of Srinagar district are functional. The government has set up relief camps for flood victims in 71 government schools in Kashmir.

As far as Jammu division is concerned, at least 1,276 government schools have been partially or fully damaged, causing a loss of Rs 62 crore.

The districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi have suffered maximum damage to school buildings. As many as 650 school buildings have been partially or fully damaged. The loss to the department is estimated to be around Rs 62 crore.

“It is difficult to assess exact loss to infrastructure as many areas in the Kashmir valley are still water-logged. Reports of building collapse are pouring in. Nearly 80 per cent schools in the Valley except Srinagar are open and functional,” said Nirmal Sharma, Secretary, School Education Department.

She said efforts were being made to remove water from school buildings. “All schools will be functional after the Public Works Department conducts an inspection whether or not the buildings are safe,” she said. She added that buildings were still inundated and filled with silt in many parts of Srinagar and its periphery.

Statistics point out that 685 of the 854 schools are functional in Pulwama district, 157 partially damaged and 12 fully damaged. Classes are being conducted in 794 of the 893 government schools in Kulgam district while 99 are damaged. Of the 569 schools in Baramulla district, 539 are open and 30 damaged.

Schools in four of the 18 education zones are closed due to water-logging and silt. As many as 83 government schools are damaged in floods in the Batmaloo area of of Srinagar district.

Schools in Anantnag and Bijbhera education zones in Anantnag district are still closed. Thirty schools have been damaged in Bijbhera.

In Bandipora district, buildings in two education zones are still inundated. Efforts are being made to clean the structures for running classes there.

Tariq Ali, Director, School Education, Kashmir, said committees comprising zonal education officials, engineers and revenue officials had been constituted to assess damage to government school buildings in the Kashmir Valley.

“They are assessing losses and will come out with detailed reports soon,” he said. “We have made alternative arrangements to continue classes in affected areas. Schools situated at a short distance from one another have been clubbed,” he added.

Srinagar, September 24
Despite the state government’s claim of restoration of 80 per cent electricity supply in the Valley, people say their localities sans electricity for almost a fortnight now.

Electricity supply has not been restored even after floodwaters have receded. The Principal Secretary, Power Development Department, AK Mehta, said Tuesday the power situation across the Valley had improved to a great extent and 212 of the 229 receiving stations had been restored.

He claimed that 18,500 of the 22,703 distribution transformers were functional and the rest would be repaired.

However, residents of flood-affected areas claimed that there was no improvement in the power scenario despite the fact that there was no floodwater in their localities.

Locals started pooling in money to get the power distribution transformers of their respective localities repaired.

In many areas of Srinagar and south Kashmir, the transformers have been badly damaged due to the stagnant water. People were taking power inverters and generators on rent for alternative mode of electricity.

Even for drinking water and other supplies, people are dependent on electricity. As houses are being cleared of debris and mud water, both electricity and water supplies are a must.

“The junior engineer and other officials in the Chanapora receiving station have said if transformers are in good shape and repaired soon, they will have no problem in providing supply. Hence, instead of waiting for the government to start repair work, we have taken it on ourselves to get these transformers repaired,” said Farooq Ahmad, a resident of Budshah Nagar, Natipora.

Jammu, September 24
With the winter around the corner, the BSF is going full throttle to restore the border infrastructure, including the barbed fence and posts all along the Indo-Pak border, damaged by the recent floods.

The floods have caused considerable damage to the border infrastructure, especially close to various rivulets, that flow into Pakistan.

“The restoration work is in full swing while the gaps on the border are fully dominated by our personnel,” said a senior BSF officer.

He said in the affected stretches along the border, the BSF had deployed additional troops, besides putting up more floodlights and laying concertina wires.

“Wherever barbed fence suffered damage because of the heavy rain, we have deployed more men, set up more ambush points and secured the area with more border floodlights. We have also laid concertina wire with livewire running through it,” he said.

He said 18 posts — 10 in the Tawi area (Nikki and Badi) in Jammu, four in Basanter river in Kathua and four in the Chenab area of Pargwal in Akhnoor were affected.

“Similarly, 6 km of the barbed fence was damaged, in stretches, along the border. The gaps vary from 50m to 500m. The gaps of 500m are at two or three places. The restoration work has been going on a war-footing. Special engineering teams of the BSF have come from various places of the country,” he said.

He said soon after the floods in the state, BSF, Jammu Frontier, Inspector General, RK Sharma had visited all affected stretches on the border to ensure porous openings were well-guarded till permanent infrastructure came up.

“By now, we can say that the majority of the restoration work has been completed,” he said.

BSF posts in areas close to the Basanter, Devak and Tarnah rivers in the Samba-Kathua sector, Aik Nullah, Nikki and Baddi Tawi in the RS Pura sector of Jammu, Chenab river in the Pargwal sector and Munawar Tawi in the Akhnoor subdivision were overflowing due to the floods.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday took stock of the “large-scale damage” to the border fencing and the BSF posts. He told the BSF to keep a vigil on the frontier to curb infiltration.

Jammu, September 24
Following requests from parents of Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) students who have been displaced due to floods in the Valley, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has asked parents to approach the nearest KV or regional office for provisional admission of their wards.

“All possible help is being extended to such KV students on humanitarian grounds. Principals of the KVs in the Kashmir valley will attend cases of verification requests and requests for issuing transfer certificate on priority so that temporary admission granted in other KVs can be regularised at the earliest (within two months)”, said a KVS official.

“Parents have been advised to apply for from the KV in the Kashmir valley and send those to the KV concerned by post. Scanned copies can be forwarded to obtain transfer certificates,” he added.

The KVS made it clear that temporary admissions of bona fide KV students displaced from KVs in the Valley were subject to verification. It added that the KVS and KVs had the liberty to cancel admission if any misrepresentation or false information was brought to the notice of authorities concerned.

Sources said parents had been instructed to furnish authentic information about their wards, failing which strict action would be taken against them as per the law.

Srinagar, September 24
The Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) under the supervision of ADGP, Armed, SM Sahai continued relief, rehabilitation and cleaning drives across the Srinagar city hospitals, orphanages and schools for specially abled children.

The officers and men of the armed police are working tirelessly to rehabilitate the health care facilities across the flood-affected hospitals, including SMHS, Sher-i- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Bemina, Lal Ded Maternity Hospital and GB Panth childcare hospital located at Badami Bagh, Srinagar.

As a major relief for the flood-hit families who have completely lost their homes, the J&K Armed Police has set up a tent colony for Be-Ghar colony residents near Sher-i- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Bemina, Srinagar.

The tent colony is currently being housed by 385 people belonging to 38 flood-affected families. The police are also providing other necessary help to the affected people in form of edibles and other basic necessities.

The Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police also started cleaning drive at Shafaqat Rehabilitation Centre and School for specially abled children.

Srinagar, September 24
The recent floods have severely affected the horticulture sector in the state and the department is in continuous touch with the people associated with the fruit industry.

Secretary, Horticulture, Sanjeev Verma said he visited various places, including the Parimpora fruit mandi, and took stock of the situation arisen due to heavy floods.

The secretary said 2,654 trucks laden with fresh fruit and 15 trucks of dry fruits have moved to various fruit mandis outside the state since September 18 from the Kashmir valley. He said the Deputy Director, Planning and Marketing, has been designated to ensure that all measures are taken up for dewatering and cleaning up the mandis. — TNS

Jammu, September 24
Kartar Singh lost six members of his family in a devastating landslide, but he could not do anything. He narrated how the landslide swallowed his loved ones right in front of his eyes.

“I helplessly watched my destruction and death of my family,” he said, tears rolling down his eyes. He recounted how Saddal village under the Panjer panchayat turned into a graveyard.

The ill-fated village, located 55 kilometres northeast of Udhampur, was wiped out after a massive landslide struck it on the afternoon of September 6.

“The landslide started around noon. Sitting near a window, I raised an alarm and asked my family members to rush outside. I took two small children and rushed outside, but others could not,” he said.

“As I looked back, the landslide killed my love ones,” he recounted. He added that Saddal village, comprising 48 houses, was buried under debris within minutes.

“I cried for help, but there was none to rescue them,” he recalled. He added that another landslide started from the hill where he was watching his destruction.

“I rushed towards the Saroli Dhar mountain because the entire areas was shaking,” Kartar said. He said he took shelter in an abandoned hut of nomads who had already left after a heavy downpour.

Survivors of nature’s fury gathered at Saroli Dhar and spent the night there, he said. Official figures said 38 persons were buried under debris.

Had the landslide started during the night, casualties could have been more, said Kartar. He added that a number of families had shifted to safety because there was fear of floods after incessant rain.

“The landslide started during the day and people got the opportunity to rush to safety,” he said. He added that some others helplessly watched death of their loved ones as well.

Kartar was inconsolable as he lost six members of his family in the calamity. “The authorities should retrieve the bodies of those buried under the debris,” he demanded.

Udhampur-Reasi Deputy Inspector General Garib Dass said 14 bodies had been recovered and 24 were still buried under debris.

“Work on retrieving the bodies is going on manually. We have decided to mechanise it to complete the task as early as possible,” he said.

Srinagar, September 24
A delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Amritsar, led by its president, Jathedar Avtar Singh Makkad, met Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today.

The members of the delegation conveyed their sympathy and solidarity to the flood-affected people of Jammu and Kashmir. They apprised the Governor about the details of various relief and rehabilitation measures, initiated by the SGPC in J&K.

They offered free services of doctors from Punjab and free of cost medicines, warm clothes and other utility items for distribution among the affected.

The Governor thanked Jathedar Makkad and conveyed his appreciation for the help being rendered by the SGPC to the flood-affected people in their hour of distress and grief and assured all possible support to them in this noble cause.

Srinagar, September 24
The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar, has written to Governor NN Vohra to convey his deepest condolences to the people of the state for the loss of hundreds of lives, besides damage to property due to the recent floods and landslides.

The Governor has replied to the King of Bhutan to thank him for his concern.

The text of the King’s letter reads: “It was with the greatest unhappiness that I received news of the calamitous floods and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir, which have resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives as well as damage to property.

“Please convey my deepest condolences to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We offer our prayers for those who have lost their lives, and that the ongoing rescue operations succeed in bringing relief to those who are still stranded.

“I wish you and the bereaved families the strength and fortitude to navigate through this difficult time.”

Jammu, September 24
As an initial step towards flood relief operations in the ill affected villages of Jammu and Kashmir, the management of Chenab Textile Mills has decided to contribute blankets, utensils, roofing sheets and packaged drinking water to the flood-affected people of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts.

Executive president of the Chenab Textile Mills, KC Sharma said the relief material would also be distributed to villages in Kashmir province.

The relief material worth Rs 50 lakh, comprising 15,000 blankets, 20,000 bottles of packaged drinking water and 500 sets of utensils will be donated. Meanwhile, the first two trucks, each carrying 2,000 blankets and 3,000 bottles of packaged drinking water, were sent to Poonch and Rajouri districts today.

SSP, Kathua, and Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, were also present on the occasion.

Jammu, September 24
Mukteshi Sharma of Government College for Women (GCW), Parade, today secured the first position in the western vocal solo competition in the ongoing “Display Your Talent 2014-15”, being organised by the Department of Students Welfare, University of Jammu.

Anjusha B Sharma from the Department of English, University of Jammu, and Diksha Kumari from GCW, Gandhi Nagar, bagged the second and third positions respectively.

The certificates of merit were awarded to Tushar from GGM Science College, Jammu, Sahil Choudhary from Government Degree College, Samba, and Ishan Sarna from The School of Hospitality and Management, University of Jammu.

In the western group song competition, the team from GCW, Gandhi Nagar, bagged the top honours while a team Government MAM College finished as runner-ups.

Digvijay Singh, Jagdeep Singh and Sumit Sharma were among the adjudicators for the event.

Dr Monika Sethi and Dr Sadaf Shah were the teacher in charge for the events. Dean Students Welfare Prof Pankaj Srivastava and chairperson, Campus Cultural Committee, Prof Parmeshwari Sharma distributed the certificates.

Jammu, September 24
City residents are facing inconvenience in getting the LPG cylinders.

Even after the prior booking, residents are getting delivery of cylinders 15 to 20 days later.

Those consumers who have only one connection, either have to prepare the meal on electric heaters or have to buy the food from restaurants.

By using electric heaters, the electricity bills of residents are going up.

“We are receiving the delivery of cylinders late from quiet some time. We thought that home delivery of cylinders through prior booking will help consumers but there is no respite and in return our woes have increased,” said Mukesh Sharma, a resident of Janipur area.

The state government has banned the spot delivery of cylinders by the distributors and registered customers were asked to go for prior booking so that the distributors could deliver the cylinders at their residences.

This process continued for some time smoothly but now it has become a hectic affair and consumers are getting the delivery late by 15 to 20 days. Those having single cylinder are facing much problem.

“I have only one cylinder and it is empty for the past many days. We are facing a lot of problem due to non-availability of cylinders. We have to either cook on heaters or to purchase the food from outside, which costs us more,” said Shameem Ahmad, a resident of Gujjar Nagar area.

Despite repeated attempts, Director Consumer Affair and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Jammu was not available for comments.

Jammu, September 24
In a bid to promote language competence among its students, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), New Delhi, has issued instructions to its regional offices to establish language labs and take other initiatives to achieve the set target.

Sources said the matter was discussed during the recently-held Deputy Commissioners’ Conference, which was also attended by KVS officials from the Jammu region.

“Good listening is the first step in building up the competence in any language. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is planning to create language labs in schools in a phased manner. The existing e-classrooms can effectively be used for this purpose,” a source claimed.

Good listening exercises can very easily be planned with the existing equipment in schools, using devices such as CD/DVD players, internet, etc... In fact the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had called for assessment of speaking and listening skills activities to be conducted for classes IX and XI, but it is now planning to organise such activities at all levels to improve listening and speaking skills among students, the Sangathan said in a statement.

All Kendriya Vidyalayas have been instructed to conduct spelling competitions in all the classes, especially in the primary classes as a part of the formative assessment, the statement said.

It maintained that such competitions should be held by all schools which would improve the vocabulary and spelling competency among the tiny tots.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan also emphasised upon promoting book reading habit among students.

It not only aids language strengthening, but also opens up the imagination of the students, the Sangathan stated.

The school libraries have been entrusted with the task of getting good age books and make them available to the students. “In order to promote creative writing, essay writing, poetry writing, story writing competitions must be conducted at regular intervals and it must ensure maximum participation of students,” the statement added.

Sources said the Sangathan observed that Kendriya Vidyalaya students were not able to speak correct and fluent English and there was need to promote public speaking skills among them.

It stressed on continuous practice in classrooms in all the Kendriya Vidyalayas to overcome this problem to some extent.

Jammu, September 24
Not learning from its past experiences, the educational institutions in the city continue to impart training to the students in unrecognised sport disciplines, particularly in the martial arts category.

The competitions conducted under the category are not recognised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and neither certificated awarded in the segment have any relevance. It does not help the aspirants to get admission in professional courses or apply for a job under the sports quota.

Interestingly, the schools managements are conducting tournaments/competitions at domestic and national levels, besides conducting selections trials and sending teams for tournaments which are yet to be recognised by the IOA.

“The matter has assumed dangerous proportion as most the schools, especially the private ones, are conducting so many competitions in unrecognised disciplines and charging hefty fees from the students,” a source said.

“The certificates, medals and positions achieved by students in these games later become a case of disputed eligibility. Especially, when the candidates apply for the benefits under the sports quota,” the source said.

“It is not that the instructions have not been circulated among all the educational institutions, both government and private. They have been instructed that they should not allow students to compete in events which are not recognised. In spite of that, the practice is still common in institutions and parents are kept in dark,” he maintained.

A sports official, meanwhile, said: “We want students to participate in only affiliated games so that the medals/certificates they achieve are useful for them.”

“I am sure such activities are conducted with ulterior motives, which immediately need to be curbed ,” he said.

Jammu, September 24
With the Dasehra festival round the corner, artists from across the country are busy creating the effigies of demon king Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnatha.

During the Navratra festival hundreds of artists, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, come to Jammu to prepare the models of demon king as there are very few artists in Jammu and Kashmir which have the expertise in creating such big-sized effigies.

For decades, several Muslim artisans from Meerut have been traveling to the winter capital of the state build these jumbo idols for Dasehra, which marks the victory of good over the evil.

“We are preparing effigies for the final day of Navratras. Every year we visit the state for the festival and several organisations and individuals approach us. This is a source of our livelihood,” said Rehman, a Muslim artisan from Meerut.

The effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnatha are burnt every year on the occasion of Dasehra, and preparations begin for the festival about a month ahead. This year the festival falls on October 3.

“It takes about two weeks to make the model and lot of raw material has to be brought from outside the state. We are coming here for the last two decades,” said Raju, who also hails from Meerut.