Zabarwan Times E-Paper English 23 July

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TuESDAY

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July 23 | 2013 | 13 Ramzan 1434 AH | PAGES 12 |

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VOL NO: 3 | ISSuE NO: 178 | RS: 2/- (AIR SuRCHARGE FOR JAMMu /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)

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Largely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

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Moderate quake jolts Bhaderwah Baderwah, July 22: A moderate intensity tremor today shook Bhaderwah valley and adjoining areas in Doda-Kishtwar belt of Jammu and Kashmir, triggering fresh panic among the people.

The quake, measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale, hit the area around 2.38 pm on Monday, Met officials said.

There was no immediate report of any casualty or injury reported from anywhere, the officials said. However, it triggered fear among the people, leading them to rush out of their houses.

In the month of May this year, Bhaderwah and its adjoining areas witnessed 37 tremors.

Body fished out in Bandipora Srinagar July 22: While extracting sand from river Jhelum at Shilvat , Bandipora sand miners found a body of a person today morning. They informed in Police station Sumbal. Police reached on the spot and the body was identified as Idress Hussain Bhat son of Ghulam Hussain Bhat resident of Indra Nagar as per the identity card, found from the body.

Two drown in Jehlum in Srinagar Srinagar July 22: Two boys namely Abdul Qayoom Sheikh son of Asadullah Sheikh and Mohammad Altaf Sheikh son of Mohammad Maqbool residents of Checki-Pohru, were drowned in river Jhelum at Baghi Shakoor Shah while bathing, in the jurisdiction of police station Nowgam, Srinagar. Police is on job.

2 drown in reservoirs in Kupwara Srinagar July 22: Ashiq Husain Ganie age about 12 years son of Bashir Ahmad resident of Lalpora, Kupwara was drowned while taking bath in a water reservoir at Rethnag, Kupwara, in the jurisdiction of police station Lalpora. The body was fished out and handed over his relatives for last rites. In another similar incident the 07 years old Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir age son of Ghulam Hassan resident of Tangchek was drowned in a water reservoir at Tangchek, Kupwara, in the jurisdiction of police station Sogam. The body was fished out and handed over his relatives for last rites.

Tipper crushes Motorcyclist to death in Budgam Srinagar July 22: A Tipper bearing registration number JK01P/1619 hit a Motorcycle bearing registration number JK01B/8904 at village Hayatpora, Budgam, in the jurisdiction of police station Chadoora, resulting in grievous injuries to the Motorcyclist Farooq Ahmad Ganie son of Abdul Razak resident of Dalwan, Charar-e-Sharief sustained.

The injured was shifted to Sub District Hospital, Chadoora for treatment, where he succumbed his injuries. A case has been registered in this regard.

Drug De-addiction awareness programme held Tangmarg, July 22: Drug De–Addiction centre DPL Baramulla held a drug de- addiction awareness programme in a B Ed college at Tangmarg, in which B.Ed teachers and students were briefed about the menace of drug abuse.

Continuing their efforts to create awareness about ill effects of drug abuse and detoxification, Drug De-Addiction centre DPL Baramulla organised an awareness programme at Green Valley B.ED College at Dobiwan See Drug on Pg. 11

Normalcy returns to Kashmir Srinagar, July 22:

Minor Faizan Case: J&K granted 4 weeks to file reply A Division Bench of Apex Court comprising Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice Fakkir Mohammad Ibrahim Kalifulla Monday granted four weeks time to the State of Jammu and Kashmir to file counter to the petition of 12-years old Faizan, a minor who was illegally arrested by Safakadal, Srinagar Police last year in August.

The petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Professor Bhim Singh through State Legal Aid

Committee claims that Faizan was kept in police lock-up without food and water for 40 hours and was even not produced before any Magistrate.

The Supreme Court issued show cause notice on 11th March, 2013 to the Union of India, Chief Secretary, Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, SHO, Safakadal and others. The court had directed the respondents to file reply

by April 15, 2013, according to the office report.

The service to all the respondents was complete according to the office

J&K Bank Organizes SLBC Meeting For Export Promotion Srinagar, July 22: Sub-committee of State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) for export promotion organized by J&K Bank met here Monday at the Bank’s Corporate Headquarters. Executive President of the Bank, O. P. Sharma chaired the meeting.

A wide range of issues including setting up of Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Srinagar,

SVO directed to complete probe within 4 months Jammu, July 22: Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu Puneet Gupta Monday directed State Vigilance Organization to complete the investigation into the much publicized complaint filed against Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, his personal staff and senior IAS and KAS officers regarding ‘Double Drawal of Petrol Oil Lubricants (POL)’ within a period of four months beginning today.

The Court further directed in case the needful is not done within the four months time and further time is sought, the Vigilance will be required to satisfy the court for not completing the inquiry within the given time before any further extension is granted for the completion of the inquiry.

The Judge further observed: “the court further expects that the concerned agency will complete the investigation within the time granted and the court

Life in Kashmir returned to normalcy Monday after three days of curfew and strikes over the firing incident in Ramban district that left four persons dead.

Shops, business establishments and institutions of higher learning opened after a gap of three days. Public transport also started plying on all routes of the valley this morning, official sources said.

Authorities imposed curfew in all major towns of Kashmir on Friday a day after four persons were killed in BSF firing at Gool in Ramban district on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

While the curfew was lifted yesterday, normal activities remained suspended due to strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Nearly 200 persons including dozens of security force personnel were injured in clashes between protesters and law enforcing agencies over the past three days.

The authorities have maintained a strong presence of police and paramilitary forces at vulnerable See Normalcy on Pg. 11

New Delhi, July 22:

Misuse of government vehicles by Deputy CM

Brand certification of Kashmir made products, setting up of Pashmina testing laboratory at Srinagar and providing of liberal finance to the artisans & weavers at concessional rate of interest were discussed in the meeting.

The meeting, which was fifth in series, was attended among others by Nayeemullah, President A&AP, J&K Bank, Ravinder See Bank on Pg. 11

report itself.

Prof. Bhim Singh, appearing in the case submitted before the court that the state has not cared to file reply and there was a delay of seven weeks. Prof. Bhim Singh also urged the court to award reasonable compensation to the minor whose education has suffered and caused agony and torture to the minor as well as to his parents.

On the request of the counsel of J&K state, court granted four weeks to file reply.

See Faizan Case on Pg. 11

Geelani's son booked for rumour mongering Srinagar, July 22: Police have registered a case against son of hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani for rumour mongering on social media.

The Jammu and Kashmir police registered a case against rumour-mongers , who spread false information on social networking websites about casualties in recent protests in the Valley. Among those booked is Syed Naseem, Geelani's son who is a lecturer in agricultural university in Srinagar.

"Police have registered a case against all those in-

volved in trying to vitiate the atmosphere by spreading rumours about deaths," Kashmir inspector general of police Abdul Gani Mir said.

He said that among those who posted rumours about a young boy being killed in Sumbal was one Facebook user 'Syed Naseem'.

Police had warned against misuse of social media on late Sunday evening.

In a statement police said, ``certain people are trying hard to vitiate the atmosphere by spreading rumours. Rumours of a young boy being killed in Sumbal, were floated by certain fake

Gool firing incident

Moral challenge to Centre: PDP Srinagar, July 22: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir today said incidents like "Gool carnage" present a moral challenge to the Centre.

"The Gool carnage and such incidents present a moral challenge to the Centre," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement after visiting families of four persons killed in BSF firing in Ramban district last week.

She alleged government forces were treating people

will not be burdened with further request to extend the period for completion of inquiry.”

These significant directions were passed by Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu in a complaint filed by a noted RTI activist Prof.

S.K.Bhalla through advocate Sheikh Shakil Ahmed.

The applicant had filed an application before the court for seeking fresh status of the ongoing investigation into the ‘Double Drawl of POL’ in which the Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and his personal staff have been arrayed as accused.

It is worth to mention here that the complainant after having inputs through RTI applications lodged a complaint against Tara Chand then Minister for Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UD), Suresh Kumar IAS then Commissioner Secretary H&UDD, Dr Raj Kumar Thapa special assistant to Deputy Chief Minister, Prabu Singh, Kewal Sharma and Vijay Kumar

of Jammu and Kashmir as enemies and training their guns on them.

"It is unimaginable that security force deployed primarily for the safety of people could act so atrociously and gun down innocent and unarmed civilians as was done in Gool.

It seems people of the state have been deprived of all fundamental rights including right to life, right to expression and even the right to protest," she said.

Terming the present state government as a "costly liability", the PDP president

said it could not run away from its responsibility to ensure people's safety.

"Just issuing statements of condemnation and not being able to act against the perpetrators, has resulted in complete collapse of law and order in the state," Mehbooba said.

Demanding an inquiry into acts that led to Gool firing, she said PDP was concerned at the targeting of youths in other areas of Chenab Valley who are being booked by police for holding protests against killings.

identity holders on Facebook. Reportedly one person with Facebook identity as Syed Naseem had also updated about death of a youth in Safa Pora which was not true. He later removed this post. All these Facebook miscreants are being identified and action would be taken against them.''

The statement also said that a case has been registered against the users in Kothibagh police station in city centre Lal chowk.

IGP Kashmiri Mir has appealed to all the people not to heed to the rumours.

See Booked on Pg. 11

all pubic relation officers to Tara Chand, P.K.Poley former Vice Chairman Jammu Development Authority, Mubarak Singh former Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation (JCA) presently Deputy Commissioner Doda and S.C.Sawheny Director Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan before Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organization last year seeking registration of FIR for Double Drawl of POL and misuse of government vehicles by the Deputy Chief Minister and his personal staff.

Prof. S.K.Bhalla in his complaint stated that 21 vehicles are at the disposal of Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the POL is being obtained fraudulently from Jammu Municipal Corporation, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Jammu Development Authority, LAWDA and other organizations.

According to the complainant, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand as per See Vehicles on Pg. 11

Gang of robbers busted Baramulla, July 22: Police today claimed to have busted a gang of burglars in north Kashmir's Baramulla district by arresting its nine members and recovering stolen goods worth lakhs of rupees.

The gang was unearthed after police in Sopore town of the district arrested two persons for allegedly stealing goods worth lakhs of rupees from a cloth merchant at Chankhan, police said.

During the investigation of the case, police received a tip off regarding one of the accused Irshad Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Izatshah See Gang on Pg. 11

Rather is new chief of GST panel New Delhi, July 22: Jammu & Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather has been elected as the new Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST. Rather, also a senior National Conference leader, was chosen to head the panel at a meeting of state Finance Ministers here.

The post of Chairman of the FM's committee on Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been lying vacant since June 17 when Bihar Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi resigned fol-

lowing the JD(U)-BJP split in the eastern state.

The new chief will have a formidable task of pursuing the proposed new indirect tax regime (GST) which will subsume excise, service tax and local levies.

The Standing Committee on Finance had last week finalised its views on the GST Bill, which was introduced in Parliament in 2010.

The states and the Centre would together finalise the draft now and bring it back to Parliament.

In 2011, Modi had replaced Asim Dasgupta, who had See Rather on Pg. 11

Thanks to rehab policy, ex- militants rebuild their lives Zabarwan Desk Shopian, July 22: Shabir Ahmed Dar has come home. His children play under the walnut trees where he once played. His father, white-bearded and thin now, watches them. The village of Degoom, the cluster of traditional brick-and-wood houses in Kashmir where Dar grew up, is still reached by a dirt road and hay is still hung from the branches of the soaring chinar trees to dry.

But Dar has changed, even if Degoom has not. It is 22 years since he left the village to steal over the line of control. Along with a dozen or so other teenagers, he hoped to take part in the insurgency which pitted groups of young Kashmiris against Indian

security forces.

"I went because everyone else was going. The situation was bad here. I had my beliefs, my dream for my homeland. I was very young," he said, sitting in the room where he had slept as a child.

The conflict had only just begun when he left. Over the next two decades, an estimated 50,000 soldiers, policemen, militants and, above all, ordinary people were to die. Dar's aim had been to "create a true Islamic society" in Kashmir. This could only be achieved by accession to Pakistan or independence, he believed.

But once across the LoC, even though he spent only a few months with the militant group he had set out to join and never took part in any fighting,

he was unable to return. "I was stuck there. I made a new life. I married and found work. I didn't think I would ever come back here," Dar said.

But now the 36-year-old has finally come home, with his Pakistani-born wife and three children. He is one of 400 former militants who have taken advantage of a new "rehabilitation" policy launched by the chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Dar's father heard of the scheme and convinced his son to return last year.

"I am an old man. I wanted to see my son and grandchildren before I die. I wanted him to have his share of our land," said Dar senior, who is 70.

The scheme is an indication of the changes in this beautiful, battered land. In recent years, economic

growth in India has begun to benefit Kashmir. At the same time, despite a series of spectacular attacks on security forces by militants in recent months, violence has fallen to its lowest levels since the insurgency broke out in the late 1980s. The two phenomena are connected, many observers say.

It is this relative calm that has allowed Dar and the others to return – and allows even some hardened veterans who have renounced violence to live unmolested. "A few years ago the agencies would have shot this down because they would have seen it as another move to infiltrate [militants from Pakistan]," Abdullah, the chief minister, said.

The scheme is not, however, an am-

nesty. "If there are cases against them they will still be arrested [and] prosecuted … Largely this scheme has been taken up by those who have not carried out any acts of terrorism.

Either they never came [across the LoC], or if they came we never knew about it," Abdullah said.

So far there have been only two cases – one unproved – of people becoming active again in the insurgency on returning to the Indian side. Police officials confirm that the "returnees" live quietly. One reason for this is that most of them, like Dar, left during the first wave of early enthusiasm for "the cause" which swept Kashmir amid repression in the late 1980s, but were swiftly disillusioned. Ehsan ulSee Rehab Policy on Pg. 11

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11 From Front Page........

Daily

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Normalcy..........

spots across the Valley to maintain law and order, the sources said. Ganderbal district town, however, remained closed over protests following an alleged incident of mischief inside a mosque by some unidentified persons.

The Amarnath Yatra, which was suspended due to the prevailing tension, has resumed from Saturday evening.

According to reports, the stranded pilgrims held protests in the valley as they were not allowed to continue their journey to the holy shrine.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has resumed movement as well, after remaining shut for three days.

However, authorities are still monitoring the situation.

Large contingent of state police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order.

As people thronged the markets, traffic also surged on to the roads and led to jams almost everywhere and moved at snail's pace. Major roads were blocked for many hours. “It looks like as if tomorrow it is Id as people are on a shopping spree,” said Aijaz Ahmad, a student. Shopkeepers are also expecting to sell more as they have faced enormous losses in the past days.

Vehicles.........

Director General of Foreign Trade Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad, Joint Director Handicrafts Kashmir, Mohammad Ashraf Mir President FCIK, Shiekh Ashiq, Sr. Vice President KCCI and the representatives of ECGC and banks operating in J&K. M.D.SIDCO informed that work on inland container depot (ICD) at Srinagar is almost complete and they in coordination with KCCI Intend to commission it soon.

Joint Director Handicrafts informed the house that Brand certification of Kashmir made products is in final stage and Pashmina testing laboratory is also being set up at CDI, Baghi-Ali Mardan Khan and both the facilities are expected to be commissioned in a month’s time.

Ravinder Koul, AGM RBI, suggested that innovative designs and products should be launched in consultation with some qualified agency to promote sale of Kashmir made products.

As a step to facilitate the exporters Assistant Director General of Foreign Trade informed that the office is functional in Srinagar since 02-05-2012 and informed that I. E. Code is being issued within one day.

Meeting concluded with vote of thanks by Nayeemullah, President J&K Bank.

Rehab Policy.........

Haq, who now runs a shoe shop in central Srinagar after spending 21 years in Pakistan, remembered how he crossed the LoC with 300 others one night in 1990. A political campaigner, the 53-year-old remembered how he "wanted to make Kashmir into Switzerland" but "through the years saw only destruction".

"Once money entered into it, the cause was lost; all purpose, all direction, was gone," said ul-Haq, who left his political party soon after arriving on the Pakistani side of the LoC. He married a local girl, had five children and ran a stationery business. Of the original 300 who had crossed with him, he said, 100 were killed fighting in the insurgency, a dozen had returned to the homes they had left as "returnees" under the new scheme, and the rest had remained across the LoC. In all about 4,000 men were still "over there", he said.

Abdullah, the chief minister, has suggested some kind of peace and reconciliation commission for Kashmir.

"Ultimately we want to heal wounds. We want to be able to answer questions," he said. "A lot of people have said that [a commission] is a post-conflict measure. My question is: what sort of benchmarks for violence do you want to set? “I think Kashmir would be ready. I am not sure that India and Pakistan are ready."

government norms was entitled to have POL from his administrative department that is H&UDD and also from Security organizations with regard to escort vehicles.

However, the Information obtained under RTI disclosed that the personal section of the Deputy CM requisitioned not only the vehicles numbering 21 from various departments under his administrative control but also obtained POL from JDA,JMC,LAWDA and SMC in addition to police and H&UDD. Bhalla has stated in his complaint that 414 slips/requisition letters have been issued by the personal section of Deputy CM for issuance of POL for 21 vehicles from JMC. The complainant has indicated the registration numbers of such vehicles which were at the disposal of Deputy CM and his personal staff.

Today when this case came up for hearing before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu, the court heard arguments advanced by S.Harminder Singh, Chief Prosecuting Officer appearing for SVO and advocate Shiekh Shakil Ahmed appearing for whistle blower S.K.Bhalla.

The court observed that the status has been furnished in terms of order dated May 24, 2013 and in the status report six months time is stated to be required to conclude the Tangmarg. verification as it is submitted that the matter is required to Experts from DDC briefed the faculty and students be verified from different officers and drivers posted in about Drug Addiction and moral degradation in society.

Experts stressed on importance of awareness and different parts of the state.

The Counsel for the Complainant, advocate S.S.Ahmed knowledge about preventive measures regarding Drug submitted that he has no grievances so far the direction in addiction. Latter on Principal of Green Valley B.ED which the inquiry is taking place in the matter. However, he College Mr.Syed Ahmad Shah and other teachers talked said that he is aggrieved of the time being taken by SVO to on prevailing issue. Administration of Green Valley complete even the preliminary probe in the matter. He B.ED College thanked to District SP Baramulla for opposed the grant of six months time to complete the conducting such awareness programme. inquiry and submitted that SVO has already taken sufficient time to complete the inquiry.

After considering the rival contentions advanced by both the sides, the Special Judge Anti Corruption Court Puneet Gupta passed a significant order directing the SVO to complete the investigation with a period of four months time from today and also disposed off the application filed Beijing, July 22: A strong, destructive. The center shallow earthquake struck said it struck about 20 by complainant Prof. S.K.Bhalla. a dry, hilly farming area in kilometers (12.4 miles) western China early beneath the surface, while It has been submitted in the petition that Jammu and Monday, killing at least 89 the Gansu provincial Kashmir has no Juvenile Welfare Board. This board could people, injuring more than earthquake administration have handled cases of the juvenile delinquents and has 400, and destroying said it was just 6 kilomepower of adjudication as enshrined in the Act. Absence of thousands of homes, state ters (3.7 miles) deep.

Juvenile Courts is also major cause of worry which stops media and the local The U.S. Geological government said.

Survey measured the justice to minors.

The petition has urged the court to pay a compensation of R e s i d e n t s d e s c r i b e d magnitude of the initial Rs10 lakh to Faizan for his wrongful confinement and shaking windows and quake as 5.9 and the depth s w i n g i n g l i g h t s i n at 10 kilometers (6 miles). illegal detention. communities where the Initial measurements of an quake hit near the city of earthquake can vary "News channels are requested to publish or broadcast Dingxi in Gansu province, widely, especially if news, after confirmation,'' Mir said. Meanwhile, the police a hilly region of moun- different monitoring also arrested a sarpanch on charges of throwing stones at t a i n s , d e s e r t a n d equipment is used. China the police during protests against Thursday's killing in pastureland about 1,233 s t a t e X i n h u a N e w s kilometers (766 miles) Agency said the death toll Ramban area of Jammu.

Mohammed Akbar Bhat,sarpanch of Bhat Mohalla, is west of Beijing. Tremors was at 75. An additional 14 among nine other persons arrested for violence in Palhallan were felt in the provincial people were missing, and capital of Lanzhou 177 412 were injured, the area of north Kashmir's district.

Station house officer Mehboob Banday said Bhat was kilometers (110 miles) provincial government north, and as far away as said in a statement posted given a warning but to no effect.

"He continued indulging in violence and on Saturday Xi'an, 400 kilometers (250 online. The deaths and miles) to the east. "You injuries were reported in damaged a vehicle of the paramilitary CRPF," he said. could see the chandeliers Min County and other wobble and the windows rural southern parts of the Colony Ningli, for being involved in burglaries. Bhat was vibrating and making municipality, D ingxi arrested and during questioning he confessed to his noise, but there aren't any Mayor Tang Xiaoming involvement in the crime along with his associate Tariq cracks in the walls. Shop told state broadcaster Ahmad Naikoo, they said, adding that the arrest of the duo assistants all poured out CCTV. Tang said damage led to the recovery of stolen properties from the shop. Their onto the streets when the was worst in the counties further interrogation led to the arrest of seven other shaking began," said a of Zhang and Min, where members of the gang - Mohammad Saleem Sheikh, Aatif front desk clerk at the scores of homes were Aijaz Shah, Abdul Rashid Bhat, Bashir Ahmad Malla, Wuyang Hotel in the damaged and telephone Sajad Ahmad Dar, Bashir Ahmad Baba and Mohammad Zhang County seat about and electricity services Rafiq Kana - all residents of Sopore. Police also recovered 40 kilometers (25 miles) 50 wedding suits, 120 copper utensils, two computer from the epicenter. The systems and three gas cylinders among others from them. A clerk surnamed Bao refrained from identifying case has been registered against the accused, they added. herself further, as is common among ordinary resigned following the defeat of Left-front government in Chinese.

West Bengal. Modi had earlier said that 80 per cent T h e g o v e r n m e n t ' s consensus had been built on the Bill. The GST rollout had earthquake monitoring missed several deadlines due to differences between the center said the initial states and the Centre over contentious issue of central sales quake at 7:45 a.m. (2345 tax compensation to states and design of the GST structure. G M T S u n d a y ) w a s magnitude-6.6 and subsequent tremors Koul, Assistant General Manager Reserve Bank of India, included a magnitude-5.6.

Karanjit Singh Assistant Vice-President FEBD, J&K The quake was shallow, Bank, M. Muazzam M.D. SIDCO, P. Saibabu Assistant which can be more

Drug........

ZABARWAN TIMES

Indian social activist to head Earth Foundation International Dr. Rashid Became the First Asian Chairman of EFI

Jammu, July 22: Dr. Abdul Rashid Choudhary, an Indian social activist, naturalist, and youth leader belonging to Jammu and Kashmir state, has been elected Chairman cum CEO of the Earth Foundation International.

Earth Foundation I n t e r n a t i o n a l (http://earthfi.org) is a leading nonprofit organisation based on research, resource, policy and action and works on the issues related to peace, justice and sustainability in many countries of the world. Dr. Rashid is the first Asian to become the chairman of the most promising nonprofit organisation of the world.

Before his election as Chairman, Rashid has served on the board of governing council of EFI for three years in various capacities. Dr. Joe Griffin from USA, Dr. Abdul Rashid India, Ashley Kon UK, Prof. George Smith Canada, Dr. Janine Taylor France, Barry Smith South Africa, Jennifer Schultz Austria, Kreutz Jan Turkey, Su Lee Japan, Pankaj Shahu, India, Reza Ahmed Bangladesh and Prince M. Ali, Saudi Arabia, Sara Alabuquerki, Austria, Jena William from Australia and Dr. John Taylor, USA are the members elected to governing council of EFI for the next five years.

Also, there will few recommendatory inductions in GC later this year.

Dr. Joe Griffin, the outgoing Chairman,

declared Dr. Rashid elected as the Chairman of EFI for the next five years, during a video conference meet of EFI Governing Council coordinated in New Delhi at the EFI head office. All the sixteen GC Members of EFI participated in the process and by a majority vote of 12 members Rashid got elected as the Chairman.

The EFI Governing Council met in Dubai in February this year and declared the new Council but election for the Chairmanship was not held for some time due to delay in the overhauling and upgrading of EFI website and concepts.

Besides the above action areas, EFI has four major subsidiaries including Earth Ranking I n t e r n a t i o n a l (http://earthfi.org/earthran king/index.html), Earth Accreditation International (http://earthfi.org/earthacc rediation/index.html), Earth Institute for Research and Development (http://earthfi.org/ird/index .html) and Earth Publishers (http://earthpublcihers.co m) promoting peace, justice and sustainability.

D r. A b d u l R a s h i d Choudhary, thanked the Governing Council and the outgoing chairman for expressing their trust in him and giving him the opportunity to serve the organisation and the people. He said that he shall strive hard to achieve the goals and objectives set by the EFI. Earth

Foundation International is partner organisation with many of the world leading environmental, educational and developmental organisations.

Earth Foundation International has a wide range of expertise in the educational, social, economic, cultural and environmental fields, including biodiversity Conservation, climate change, and environmental aspects of air, water, health, farming, wetlands, ecosystem studies, green industries, urban sustainability studies, energy initiatives, socioeconomic development, sustainable tourism and many other areas of science, society and s u s t a i n a b i l i t y. E a r t h Foundation International offers multi-disciplinary research into peace, justice and sustainability. EFI provides expert help on environmental problems and information and cooperation in various spheres of society for a better tomorrow.

SPO’s turned Constables draw meager salary

Srinagar, July 22: Scores of SPO’s working in Jammu and Kashmir Police Department Monday alleged that despite being promoted as Constables a decade ago their salary was not enhanced. They said soon after getting promotions, they started drawing Rs 16,000 per month, however, after sometime police department through a circular curtailed our salary and directed the concerned authority to release only Rs 3800 per month.

The SPO’s told CNS at a time when market is becoming darer and darer, how they would be able to meet their both ends by meager salary.

“When we approached the concerned authority they informed us that police has issued a circular on 27/10/2013 which reads that all the SPO’s converted to constables would not get more than Rs 4000 salary permonth,” they said adding it is a grave injustice towards them.

They appealed Director General of Police Ashok Prasad to look into the matter and relieve them from their miseries. (CNS)

Office of the Regional Transport Office Kashmir NOTICE

Whereas a joint application has been received from Shri Farooq Ahmad Sofi S/o Gh. Qadir Sofi R/o Naid Kadal Sgr. (as Transferor) and Shri.

Nissar Ahmad Mir S/o Abdul Rehman R/o Natipora Sgr. (as Transferee) for transfer of Auto (P) Carriage route permit No. 4926-STAR Covering vehicle No. JK01T-4857. Now, Therefore, it is notified for general information that objections, if any to the proposed transfer of the said route permit/vehicle shall be filed in writing in the office of the Regional Transport Officer, Kashmir within a period of seven days from the date of publication of this notice. Seller and Purchaser identified by the authorised representative of M/s S.T.W Co. namely Mr. Bagh Hussain.

No: JK RTOK 3714 Sd/- Regional Transport Officer Dated: 22-07-2013 Kashmir

Strong earthquake in western China kills 89 people

Faizan Case..........

Booked.........

Gang.........

knocked out.

Su Wei, leader of a 120member rescue team from the paramilitary People's Armed Police, told state broadcaster CCTV that they were on their way to the epicenter, but progress was being slowed by mud and rock slides blocking the road.

The Chinese Red Cross said it was shipping 200 tents, 1,000 sets of household items, and 2,000 jackets to the area and sending teams from both Lanzhou and Beijing to help with relief work and assess further needs.

Heavy rain is expected in the area later in the week, raising the need for shelter and increasing the chance of further landslides. More than 1,200 homes were destroyed by the quake, with another 21,000 badly damaged, provincial government spokesman Chang Zhengguo was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. With a population of 26 million, Gansu is one of China's more lightly populated provinces.

Rather.........

Bank..........

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Programmes of Sericulture and Horticultural departments reviewed at Anantnag ANANTNAG, JULY 22: District Development Commissioner, Anantnag monday reviewed the working and the different developmental programmes being executed by Horticulture and Sericulture departments here monday. Additional District Development Commissioner, Chief Planning Officer, Chief Horticulture Officer and Assistant Director Sericulture were also present in the meeting besides other concerned officers.Different developmental programmes of the departments being executed in the district were discussed thread bare. While reviewing the Horticulture Sector, District Development Commissioner directed the Chief Horticulture Officer to take necessary steps for ensuring the plantation drive during December every year besides introducing of “grape plantation in the district.

District Development Commissioner instructed to prepare demonstration plots of grape plants at least

of two hectares during 2013-14. He also instructed to organise awareness camps regarding the different programmes being executed by the Horticulture department, so that more and more fruit growers are made aware about these schemes and avail benefits of the initiatives.

District Development Commissioner while reviewing the function of the Sericulture department instructed the concerned to provide “huts” to at least 900 silk-worm rearers during 2013-14.It was given out in the meeting that cocoon production of 50,000 Kgs was recorded in the district last year and it is expected to reach to 60,000 Kgs by the end of the current year.

It was also instructed in the meeting that women silk-worm rearers are being provided with an insurance cover of Rs. 15,000 per year by Sericulture department in collaboration with ICICI Lambert to provide best health care facilities to the women rearers, their spouse and children.

District Development Commissioner instructed the concerned officer to judiciously utilize the resources so that the benefits of the different

schemes are being availed by the general public besides making sure the transparency in procuring the latest technology. He also urged to arrange

more exposure visits of growers within and outside the state, so that they are made familiar with the latest tools and techniques in the sector.

Market checking in Anantnag, Srinagar SRINAGAR, JULY 22: During ensuing holy month of Ramadhan, the market checking has geared up in district Anantnag.

Assistant Controller Legal Metrology checked the market for ensuring quality and the sale of essential commodities on prescribed rates, during which a fine of Rs. 14,550/- was recovered from the 15 erring traders.A huge amount of rotten vegetables and fruits were also destroyed during the checking. Locals have hailed the action and have appealed to intensify the market checking further.Meanwhile, the market checking squad headed by Assistant Director, CA&PD, Srinagar conducted market checking at Zero Bridge, Raj Bagh, Jawahar Nagar, K.P. Bagh, Baghat, Nowgam, Yayil, Humhama, Pir Bagh, Rawalpora etc. here monday. During the market checking, 83 business establishments were inspected and an amount of Rs. 22,500/- has been recovered as fine from 25 erring shopkeepers for violation of Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

DM Kulgam appeals for peace, harmony KULGAM, JULY 22: District Magistrate, Kulgam, Jahangir Mir called for nurturing cordial admin-public relations to maintain peace and stability, adding periodic interactions are a must to remove misgivings and misperceptions.

Among others, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Commandant CRPF, Assistant Commissioner (Rev) and Tehsildars attended the meeting.

Chairing a joint meeting of Police, CRPF and respectables of Kulgam town here this morning, he stressed on making joint efforts to avoid law and order disturbances in the district.The District Magistrate called upon respectables to use their influence in discouraging youngsters from participating in any provocative and violent activities.

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Lone News Agency Kangan Khan News Agency Ganderbal Gulzar News Agency Soura Zahid Book Depot Chadoora Tariq News Agency Hawal Bashir News Agency Nowhatta Muzaffar Ali News Agency Alamgari Bazar Budshah News Agency Lal Chowk Abdullah News Agency Lal Chowk Sikendar News Agency Lal Chowk Gupkari News Agency Lal Chowk Raina News Agency Gund Kangan Khan News Agency Regal Chowk Rashid News Agency Dalgate ANANTNAG, JULY 22: On the occasion of “Boomi Puja” the Sheikh News Agency Hyderpora Hilal News Agency Budgam “Chari Mubarak” monday reached Pahalgam under the leadership Lone News Agency Tangmarg Bhat News Chadoora JAMMU, JULYAgency 22of Mehant Bipinder Giri.

Bhat News Agency MagamDr. Farooq Zargar News Agency Kunzar District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, MinisterNews for Roads & Buildings Dar News Beerwahand it was Bashir Agency Sumbal and Ahmad Lone also accompanied theAgency “Chari Mubarak” Mechanical Engineering, Abdul Majid received by civil and police officers.

Sadhus and Kashmiri Pandits Reshi News Agency Safapora Saleem Pattan Wani toadyNews visitedAgency Yatri Niwas here at in large numbers were also accompanying the Chari Mubarak.

Basharat News Agency Bandipora Reyaz News Agency Pampore Bhagwati Nagar-the Jammu base camp The Chari Mubarak will leave towards Akhada Temple SrinaforJavaid Shri Amarnath Yatra , and took stock Altaf News Agency Pulwama News Agency Qazigund gar in the evening. of the put in place by the Jeelani News Agency Baramulla G.Marrangements News Agency Sopore administration there.

Shah News Agency Kupwara Sultan Interacting News Agency Handwara with the yatris, the Younis News Agency Langate Sheikhenquired News Agency Islamabad Minister about the facilities made available for them at the Reshi News Agency Islamabad Three Way News Agency Tralbase camp.

He asked the Yatris toBijbehara feel free and Turray News Agency Tral Badru News Agency at home in the state as the government Rahi News Agency Kulgam Malik News Agency Arwani as well as people of the state are keen to Shaheen News SRINAGAR, JULY 22:Rah News Agency Byepass extend every type of Agency support toKargil make the

Chari Mubarak reaches Pahalgam

Take due care of yatris: Wani to Administration

Anti-tobacco squad inspects Srinagar Hospitals

On the instructions of Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, AntiTobacco squad of Drugs and Food Control Organization with the volunteers of JKVHA, Red Cross Society and Civil Defence, Srinagar headed by Food Safety Officer, Srinagar inspected various areas around the health institutions of district Srinagar of SMHS, LD, Bone and Joint and CD Hospitals here monday.

As many as 19 shopkeepers were found selling tobacco products within the 100 yards of health institutions which is a punishable offence and a fine of Rs. 1900 has been realized from them under Section 6(b) of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003. Kashmir, Anti Smoking Squad monday conducted inspection of Old Secretariat, L.D Hospital, Rajbagh, GB Panth Hospital, Forest Complex Lal Chowk and 16 persons were found violating Section 4 and 6 (b) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003. A fine of Rs. 1750 was realized from the offenders.

Yatra a success. He said that the situation in the state is getting normal with every passing day and tourists from across the world are coming in large numbers to enjoy the serene and magnificent beauty of Jammu and Kashmir.

He appealed the yatris to be the ambassadors of the State and spread the message of peace, normalcy and amity in their respective states so that more and more yatris come to pay obeisance at the revered Shrines of the State He hoped that the day is not far when there will be no need of security to escort the yatris in to the holy cave.

Appealing the Civil Society to come forward to make the AmarnathjI Yatra a success, Wani said that it is pos-

sible with the joint efforts civil Society and administration.

The yatris expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements made for their comfortable stay at the camp, saying that they are feeling home like atmosphere in the State.

The Minister chaired a high level meeting of officers and got first hand appraisal of the arrangements prepared for

Minister of State for Industries and Commerce, Home and Tourism, Mr. Sajad Ahmad Kichloo today called for outsourcing of unviable coal mines adding modern mine exploration machinery needs to be installed for ensuring optimum exploitation of vast mineral reserves in the state.

Speaking at the 164the meeting of the board of Directors of Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Ltd (JKML) held at Civil Secretariat, Srinagar today, Mr. Kichloo said that J&K State is bestowed with abundant mineral reserves which need to be explored scientifically. He asked the management of the Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Ltd to undertake only economically viable and technically feasible mines.

The Principal Secretary, Planning and Development, Mr. B. R. Sharma, Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce, Mr. Shantmanu, consultant Finance Department, Mr. R. Magotra, Director Geology and Mining, Mr. Farooq Ahmad, Managing Director JK Minerals, Mr. A. S. Hussain and concerned of-

which existing in Paddar area of Jammu division.The meeting also deliberated on revival of the cement project at Wuyan and at was decided that the corporation will utilize its about 140 kanals of land near Wuyan for construction of a 600 ton per day capacity cement plant. A Techno Economic Feasibility Report (TEFR) has already been got prepared from M/S National Council for Cement and Building Material (NCB) and its estimated cost will

the yatris. He directed the Administration to make every possible effort for the comfortable stay of the yatris so that they do not feel any inconvenience here, saying that their good experience in the state would also encourage influx of tourists which is the main stay of the state’s economy.

pointed on compassionate grounds under SRO-283.The meeting also agreed the proposal to consider stoppage of recovery of House Rent Allowance from wages of the mine workers on the analogy of Coal India Limited (CIL). The meeting also approved to bring about 345 casual workers of coal mines under Group Insurance Scheme as their working conditions are prone to hazardous conditions while at work.

SRINAGAR, JULY 22 – Air Commodore B. Balachandran, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Srinagar, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here monday.The Governor lauded the crucial air defence role which the Indian Air Force is discharging in the Western Sector and, besides, providing valuable support in carrying out rescue, relief and evacuation operations and enabling the civil authorities to deal with emergencies and natural calamities.The Air Commodore briefed the Governor about IAF’s initiatives in further securing the frontiers and issues relating to the Leh and Srinagar Air bases.

Dr. Shehnaz Ganai calls on Governor

SRINAGAR, JULY 22 – Dr. Shehnaz Ganai, Member of the State Legislative Council, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here monday and presented to him a Memorandum of development-related demands of Poonch and Rajouri districts.During meeting with the Governor, Dr. Ganai urged for launching special drives for the recruitment of youth from Rajouri and Poonch districts in the Central Para-Military Forces, creation of facilities for the pilgrims visiting Shri Buddha Amarnathji Shrine and speedy implementation of socio-economic development schemes and programmes in the area.

tourism, PHE, UEED ERA sectors.

Among others, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pardeep Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu A K Sahu, besides heads of line departments and senior officers of district administration attended the meeting.

Al-Habib Foundation voices its difficulties to Governor SRINAGAR, JULY 22 A deputation of the Al-Habib Foundation, Shalimar, Srinagar, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here monday and informed him about their difficulties and demands.

The demands presented by the 5-member delegation led by Ms. Tasleema Kounsar, Chairperson of the Foundation, include, interalia, need for financial support, accommodation and transport facilities for the school run by the Foundation for educating special children.

The delegation briefed the Governor about the aims and objects of the Foundation, which was set up in 2010. Presently, 10 physically and mentally challenged children are being provided special day care at the Kounsar Special Schoolcum-Rehabilitation Centre for Physically and Mentally Challenged Children, to reduce their

dependency, besides extending home-based care to 5 other such children. Ms. Kounsar informed that the Foundation has identified 150 special children who would be enrolled in the school in a phased manner.

The Governor heard the deputationists with keen interest and informed the delegation about rupees one lakh being sanctioned to support the Foundation for promoting the welfare of physically and mentally challenged children.

He observed that their demand relating to accommodation and other issues and problems raised by them would be taken up with the concerned authorities.

The deputation comprised Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Mehdi Parvaiz Khan and Ms. Mahvish Rashid, all Trustees of the Foundation, and Nazir Ahmad, parent of a special child.

Navin K. Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor, was present on the occasion.

Nizam-ud-Din Bhat presents demands to Governor SRINAGAR, JULY 22 – Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Member of the State Legislative Assembly, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan, here monday and presented to him various

Srinagar-Bandipore-Gurez road, expeditious upgradation of Bandipore-Sopore road, construction of hospital building at Bandipore and other infrastructure development projects in

Taurus April 20-May 20

There may be dreaminess about your emotions today, Taurus, which could keep you from focusing on the task at hand. The aspects dictate that people may be stubborn and confused - and you’re likely to be one of them. Your mind may seem to be going in two different directions and you aren’t sure which way to proceed.

Gemini May 21-June 21

Little voices whisper in your ear and ask you to take flight and join them in the clouds, Gemini. There’s tension between what your heart and mind tell you.

They’re pulling you in very different directions. Don’t be surprised if today’s energy leaves you confused by sunset. Don’t stress about making hard decisions or commitments.

Cancer June 22-July 22

Something or someone may prod you to take action today, Cancer. It may be best if you beat them to it and motivate yourself. Break away from the herd and go wherever you want to go. It’s likely that you will run into conflict regarding an issue you feel strongly about.

People may be stubborn, so prepare for a stalemate rather than any sort of resolution.

Leo

July 23-August 22

It will be a challenge to keep your emotions on an even keel today, Virgo. Conflict may be brewing and you might fear it could get out of hand. Everything will work out. Don’t add to the pressure. The best solution is to escape into reverie and come back to Earth when the storm has passed. Don’t try to untangle the knots if they won’t give.

Libra

September 23-October 23 Tension may arise today, Libra. It’s possible that you’re either too dreamy or too practical to deal effectively with the issue. It’s important to strike a balance.

The toughest part will be finding others who agree with you. The people you’re in conflict with aren’t likely to budge from their position. You may have to be flexible in order to reach a compromise.

Scorpio

October 24-November 21 Yesterday’s trajectory may run into trouble today, Scorpio. Your intrinsically dreamy nature is dragging down the action you initiated. This conflict could create tension that will be difficult to resolve. Your emotions may deceive you, so try not to get pulled off course by a passing whim. Try to keep your feelings grounded.

Sagittarius November 22-December 21

Try to align your mind with your emotions today.

It’s possible that a powerful yet subtle force is slowly pulling you off track. If so, you should think about taking a break and doing some fast-paced physical activity to get your heart rate up and blood pumping. Jogging will help clear your head and enable you to think more rationally about decisions you need to make.

Capricorn December 22-January 19

An emotional issue could be rubbing you the wrong way, Capricorn. Your impulse is to escape. Try to do so in a healthy manner. Go see a movie or read a book.

Don’t fall prey to the temptation to indulge in alcohol or food. This will only push the problems away temporarily. When they resurface again, they may be even harder to handle.

Aquarius Your artistic side wants to take to the airwaves in some way, Aquarius. Perhaps you should consider building a website or becoming a commentator on a local radio show. Your dreams need a vehicle in order to reach their audience. Find the means. You have the ability to inspire a many people. Take this ability seriously and make use of your creative talents.

Pisces

SRINAGAR, JULY 22 – Bashir Ahmad Nengroo, former Minister, met N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan, here monday.Nengroo discussed with the Governor various issues relating to the rapid economic advancement of his area and the implementation of major welfare and development schemes and programmes.

KUPWARA, JULY 22: According to the Assistant Director, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, Kupwara, the last date for receipt of application forms for recruitment to Class IV posts in CAPD Department has been extended upto July 25, 2013.

The pace of things is likely to slow compared to what it was yesterday, Aries. This is probably best. Take this time to plan and stabilize. You’ve plowed, sown, and reaped the fields. Now stop and assess what you’ve produced and decide what to do with it. Take things one step at a time and don’t get ahead of yourself. Be patient and things will naturally come your way.

January 20-February 18

Former Minister meets Governor Attention candidates of Kupwara

March 21-April 19

Virgo

be about Rs. 125 crore. It will be a joint venture arrangement.The meeting also took a sympathetic view to the employees demand regarding regularization of the services of Daily Rated Workers ap-

Air Commodore briefs Governor

Aries

August 23-September 22

Kichloo for optimum exploitation of mineral wealth ficers attended the meeting.Mr. Kichloo enjoined upon the management of the corporation to explore further marketing channeling for sale and auction of world famous sapphire also known as Neelam

HOROSCOPE

You might experience a great deal of emotional confusion, Leo. There’s a debate brewing inside you, and you’re having a hard time deciding whether to be practical or more fanciful. Looking to others for help may only add to the problem, so take other people’s advice with a grain of salt.

164th BoD meeting of JKML

SRINAGAR, JULY 22:

Meanwhile, the Minister also reviewed the essential services scenario in Jammu region at a meeting here at civil secretariat.

The minister reviewed the power, water, health services scenario, besides the stock and supply position of ration in the region. He also reviewed the pace of progress and status of development projects, including those take up under roads,

23 .7.2013

February 19-March 20 problems and development needs of his area.

The issues raised by Bhat included, interalia, Bandipore district being brought under the Border Area Development Programme, provision of more funds for the district under Tribal Sub-Plan, widening and upgradation of

the district and the speedy implementation of social security schemes and programmes in the area.The Governor and Bhat also discussed issues relating to the importance of ensuring the integrity and functional efficiency of public institutions.

It may be apparent that what was so light and active yesterday is running into a few roadblocks today, Pisces. You’re suddenly heading into a brick wall with some of the projects you’ve been working on. Suddenly there’s a more reserved tone to things and you may lose precious momentum. Use this time to back off and reassess the wisdom of your direction.

Editorial/Opinion The Daily

Zabarwan Times Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Choked City

L

ast fortnight has not gone well for Kashmir. Bandipora killings in which two youths were shot dead

by Army were followed by Ramban killings at the hands of Border Security Force (BSF). A public resentment against these killings is but natural. As a spontaneous reaction, public anger spilled on the roads and protestors took on police and other security agencies head on resulting in more casualties. The state administration imposed its readily available weapon-curfew to cage the Valleyites inside their homes for three consecutive days. Life came to a standstill in the length and breadth of the Kashmir valley and the already suffering people were made to suffer more. The state government has found an easy remedy for all the problems.

Whenever there is a law and order problem, it resorts to confining people to their homes. It seems the state government has become so helpless that instead of stopping the incidents that result in such disturbances, it satisfies itself by choking people.

Men in power can never understand the agonies of common people who have to suffer due to such restrictions every now and them. Patients who have to take daily doses of life saving drugs find it difficult to buy medicines as all the shops remain closed. Many patients have developed complicacies because they could not have their dose of medicines on time. Also they could not reach hospitals because of curfew. Having a helpline in DC office does not solve the problems of people who are not allowed to even peep out of their windows. Add to it the miseries of people who are working as daily wagers and no work for them means no food. No work for three or four days means a suffering of many days. The state government must admit that it has failed badly to keep in control the security agencies in Kashmir. Our government has the habit of rushing to New Delhi to complain about wrong doings of the security forces. But how has this solved the problem? During past 23 years, we have seen hundreds of such cases taking place one after another. Who can forget the happenings of 2008, 2009 and 2010? But is there a single person who has been punished for the killings? Such tantrums of the state government are not going well with the common people. Over the years, people in Kashmir have become politically mature and they understand situation much better now. They cannot be misled by rhetoric anymore. What they want is a real change in the behavior of the gun trotting troops. If the state government wants to stop such happenings in future it shall have to take some extraordinary measures. Sticking to chair is not going to solve the issue. The government must come out of the defensive mode and take up the issue more proactively. Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is a big road block which is allowing security forces to go scot free after every kill. The state government will have to take a more powerful stand to do away with the act. Once AFSPA is gone, soldiers will think twice before pressing the trigger.

Also the central government will have to adopt more serious approach vis-à-vis Kashmir killings. If it wants to bridge the gap between New Delhi and Kashmir, people behind the killings will have to be punished. Ordering a Court of Inquiry is not going to help much because there are hundreds of such inquiries gathering dust in Kashmir.

Why is peace eluding tourist season over three decades now?

Shahana

It is now precisely 24 years since no tourist season has passed off without any major disturbances particularly after partial revival of tourist activities in the Kashmir valley. On one pretext or the other, deliberately a situation is being created so that the economy of the state remains fragile and no tourist season is allowed to pass off without incidents of violence, protests, strikes and imposition of curfew. One wonders as to why is this all happening and who are the key players behind this creation of uncertainty by axing the very interests of people of this state.

Ramban like carnages, incidents of firing given the name of mistaken identity, unprovoked shootouts, leading to innocent killings do occur and why every time one or the other security agency is in the midst of the controversy? Beyond doubt, there are black sheep everywhere including law enforcing and security agencies which are in search of the opportunities to suffice their petty selfish interests. One cannot deny the fact that in war zones, unfortunate incidents do happen here and there, but if one goes by the record, it has become very common in J&K particularly in summers. Quite obvious that elements alien to peace and normalcy, along with vested interests funded by the agencies not conducive to the interests of a calm society join hands to indulge in these anti-people activities. One has to be bold enough to admit that our security and law enforcing agencies are totally failing in exercising utmost restraint and are falling prey to the net spread by communal and alien forces to vitiate the atmosphere.

It is not possible that any sane person or persons will usually indulge in desecration of any Holy Book that too when they know that the first finger raised will be pointing towards government agencies. These kinds of allegations have to be substantiated with proof and if anybody is found responsible, he deserves no mercy.

Daily

ZABARWAN TIMES 9

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Fee Structure for each institute must be fixed, rules Apex Court

Mushtaq Ahmad The Supreme Court judgment for fee hike by Private Education Institutions in the case of Islamic Academy of Education v/s State of Karnataka has laid down that the fee structure for each institute must be fixed keeping in mind the infrastructure and facilities available, the investments made, But if anti social elements, drug of Omer Abdullah in such cases , but salaries paid to the teachers and staff, future plans for addicts, house burglars and bad most of them are yet to reach expansions and /or betterment of the institution etc. Of characters are provided ample anywhere near conclusion. The govt. course, there can be no profiteering and capitation fees opportunities by the society as well should also realize this fact that it is cannot be charged. It thus needs to be emphasized that as per as the law enforcing agencies, they losing credibility because of these the majority judgment imparting of education is essentially will continue to indulge in such acts inconclusive enquiries and probes. charitable in nature. Thus the surplus/profit that can be which they have reportedly done in Now let us see the other aspect which generated must be only for the benefit / use of that educaGanderbal. In such a surcharged surface as a result of these unfortu- tional institution. Profits surplus cannot be diverted for any atmosphere, a small incident can nate incidents. For example, the other use or purpose and cannot be used for personal gain or erupt like a volcano. Now the stone pelters come out on the streets any other business or enterprise. From this judgment it has question arises why should we not and pelt stones not only on security become mandatory on all Private Education Institutions not follow a path wherein we can register forces but on civilians, serious to hike the fees unless there is approval from the Committee our protests against any act of patients, school going children, for fixation of Fee Structure of Pvt. Education Institutions. It is a good omen that in view of this judgment the state government has framed a committee-- Committee for The stone pelting has only spoiled the Fixation of Fee Structure of Private Education Institutions (CFFSPEI) that can check the fee hike by Private Schools. future of several brilliant students, The committee not only has to check the fee hike but also the profit that these schools earn from the fees of the students. taken the lives of budding flowers and Now there will be some restraint on fee hike by this committee. The committee in J & K State which is being headed by Mr. Ahmad Hussain Bhat (KAS) Deputy Secretary has got several of the youths imprisoned started functioning and has asked all Private recognised / registered Education Institutions to submit their proposed fee for years. Many youths either stone structure for approval before the committee for new academic session.

Earlier almost all Private Schools were hiking school and bus pelters or victims of stone pelting fees every year and that too without any consent of parents.

Reputed private schools were hiking the fees from 50% to have become crippled for the whole of 100% annually and there was no government official of the education department who could enquire about the hike their lives.

These schools were hiking fees arbitrarily. Now after the committee is being set up. It is imperative upon the commitviolation of human rights or an act of women and old aged persons. Every tee to look into the fee hike and the profits these private indecency, desecration or showing of day scores of people are injured and schools and institutions are making.. disrespect to a particular community, some of the injured have succumbed The parents whose wards are studying in these private and avoid loss of life, property and to injuries and died on the spot during schools feel comfortable because if there will be any fee hike enormous damage to our fragile previous years. Property worth crores now it will be genuine and approved by committee .It will be economy. There are various methods of rupees including ambulances have from 3% to 5% annually and not 50% or above as it was which have brought revolutions and been damaged, but all in vain and previously .The parents noticed for past many years that provided the way for addressing nothing achieved. The stone pelting these private schools earned a lot of profit from the school even difficult issues. Candle light has only spoiled the future of several fees. They purchased buses from this profit and now are march, peaceful processions, brilliant students, taken the lives of charging bus fees too high from the students to recover the presentation of memorandums, budding flowers and got several of loan of banks if any. It is the responsibility of the committee hunger strikes, sit-ins, or the methods the youths imprisoned for years. that it should check the accounts of last few years of the which can be used to register our Many youths either stone pelters or private education institutes also, to know the facts about the resentment and protest in reply to victims of stone pelting have become fee hike. The committee will be surprised to know that these incidents like Ramban. However, it crippled for the whole of their lives. institutions were making enough profit from the fees can never be one way traffic. If Perhaps here comes the role of our obtained from the students. An example can be quoted from a restraint and patience is exercised, it leaders both mainstream and news published in a newspaper that a reputed school of will become the main weapon to deal separatists to cool down the tempers Srinagar City has hiked bus fees 100% in the current session with the mobs and hardly any restraint our youth from stone pelting, and government did nothing to the school authorities incident like that of Ramban will save the economy from further regarding this hike. occur. Remember, 168 enquires have slowing down and adopt positive All parents of such private education institutions will now so far been ordered during the last ten ways for the solution of the main watch the functioning of this committee and hope good years and fifty-four during the tenure problem peacefully and amicably. results from the committee.

Jamini Roy: A Versatile Experimental Artist J

amini Roy (1887 – 1972) was one of the earliest and most significant modernists of 20th century Indian art who played a prominent role in breaking away from the art practices of his time. His career spanning over nearly six decades had many significant turning points showcasing the versatility in his visual language. Trained in the British academic style of painting in the early decades of the 20th century, Jamini Roy became well-known as a skilful portraitist. He received regular commissions after he graduated from the Government Art School in what is now Kolkata, in 1916. However, the first three decades of the 20th century saw a sea-change in cultural expressions in Bengal. The growing surge of the nationalist movement prompted all kinds of experiments in literature and the arts. In visual arts also the experiments were clearly manifest with the founding of the Bengal School by Abanindranath Tagore rejecting European naturalism and the use of oil as a medium. Jamini Roy also rejected the style he had mastered during his academic training and from the early 1920s searched for forms that stirred the innermost recesses of his being. He sought inspiration from sources as diverse as East Asian calligraphy, terracotta temple friezes, objects from folk arts and crafts traditions and the like.

From 1920 onwards Roy brought a joy and élan to the representation of village scenes and people, reflecting the innocence and romanticism of his childhood upbringing in a rural environment. It was perhaps an instinctive step forward for him, given that he was born in Beliatore village in Bankura district of

what is now West Bengal. There was no denying that he sought to express his kinship with his roots from this period onwards.

Sometime around 1919-1920, Jamini

suddenly expressed radically different visual ideas germinating in his mind. For the next few years, he did a suite of paintings featuring Santhal women.

These sensuously painted women were

From the mid-1920s, his images were

executed with sweeping, calligraphic lines

showing the artist’s strong control over the

brush. Colour was leached out of the paintings resulting in series of monochromatic pictures that hinted at inspiration from

both East Asian painting styles and Kalighat pats. The images were drawn from

everyday life—mother and child figures, women, bauls and so on. By the end of

1920s, Jamini Roy turned for inspiration towards the folk arts and craft traditions of his own district.

Roy turned away from the commissioned portraits. He would paint a little and then something deep down made him obliterate what he had painted earlier.

This went on for a good few days till he

engaged in their daily chores in their village settings. Using firm angular lines, he painted romanticised images of figures that hinted at increasing stylisation. These paintings were stepping stones to even

more dramatic changes in his visual language. From the mid-1920s, his images were executed with sweeping, calligraphic lines showing the artist’s strong control over the brush. Colour was leached out of the paintings resulting in series of monochromatic pictures that hinted at inspiration from both East Asian painting styles and Kalighat pats. The images were drawn from everyday life—mother and child figures, women, bauls and so on. By the end of 1920s, Jamini Roy turned for inspiration towards the folk arts and craft traditions of his own district. He painted ordinary rural people, scenes from Krishna-leela, scenes from the epics, icons from the folk cults of the region, witty representations of animals.

Perhaps, one of the boldest experiments in figuration and narrativisation was the series from the life of Jesus Christ. The episodes from Christian mythology were visualised in a way that could communicate itself easily to the ordinary Bengali villager. Jamini Roy’s engagement with modernity lay in his search for the essence of form. He found what he wanted in the folk art idioms. Something of this search can be seen in the carved wooden sculptures that he made in the early 1940s. And yet Jamini Roy’s methods were not that of the folk artist. There was no spontaneous naivéte in his visualisation. He made meticulous and detailed drawings of his images. He was rooted in the village culture that shaped his early years and he shared with the villagers an uncomplicated world-view and a belief in the certainties of tradition. Another feature to be noted in Jamini Roy’s modernism was the use of bold, vibrant, dazzling colours that negated the

Disclaimer : The contents and comments appearing in any article published in this paper are purely the personal opinion of the writer.

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ZABARWANTIMES ZABARWAN TIMES TUESDAY | 23 JULY 2013

Exposure to pesticide behind childhood cough

Children exposed to the widely used pesticide additive piperonyl butoxide (PBO) in the womb have heightened risk of noninfectious cough at ages 5 and 6, a new study has found.

The findings support the premise that the children's respiratory system is susceptible to damage from toxic exposures during the prenatal period. A common symptom, childhood cough can disrupt normal daytime activities and interrupt sleep for both child and parent.

Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health and of Columbia University Medical Center conducted the study.

Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) is an organic compound used to bolster the effects of pyrethroid pesticides.

Pyrethroids are the most commonly used pesticides for both professional pest control and non-professional residential use, according to a 2011 study by Mailman School researchers.

Exposure to one pyrethroid, a variation of permethrin, was linked with increased risk for cough by

age 5 in a 2009 study by Rachel Miller, MD. In the current study, Dr. Miller and colleagues sought to build on these findings by exploring the effects of subsequent exposure during childhood, looking specifically at the effects of PBO exposure.

Researchers looked at 224 mother-child pairs enrolled in the CCCEH birth cohort study of environmental exposures, examining measures of PBO and pyrethroid in personal air monitors worn by the mothers during pregnancy.

Air samples also were collected from the home over the course of two weeks when children were between 5 and 6 years old.

Questionnaires were used to evaluate respiratory outcomes.

Researchers found that children exposed to PBO during pregnancy had increased odds of reporting cough unrelated to cold or flu. Exposures to PBO during childhood were not a factor.

There was no observed association between prenatal or childhood permethrin exposure and cough,

something the researchers say may be explained by the fact that PBO is much easier to measure in air samples than permethrin.

There was also no association with PBO or permethrin exposure and other respiratory outcomes like wheeze or asthma.

While it is unclear whether the effect is due mainly to PBO itself or residential pyrethroids of which PBO is an indicator, it is important to remember, said Dr. Miller, that "these exposures may be a factor in a very common problem for children—cough.

Personal care items cause asthma in kids

Researchers have found that children exposed to diethyl phthalate (DEP) and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP)—phthalate chemicals commonly found in personal care and plastic products—have elevated risk of asthma-related airway inflammation.

Of the 244 children aged 5 to 9 in the study, all had detectable levels of phthalates in their urine although these varied over a wide range.

Higher levels of both phthalates were associated with higher levels of nitric oxide in exhaled breath, a biological marker of airway inflammation.

The association between BBzP exposure and airway inflammation was especially strong among children who had recently reported wheeze, a common symptom of asthma, according to the researchers at Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health.

"While many factors contribute to childhood asthma, our study shows that exposure to phthalates may play a significant role," said Allan Just, PhD, first author on the new CCCEH study and current

postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Just and co-investigators looked at children enrolled in the CCCEH Mothers and Newborns study. All live in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx where asthma prevalence is high. Exposure to phthalates was measured through a urine test, and the level of nitric oxide in the child's exhaled breath was quantified as a marker of airway inflammation.

The study is the first to use exhaled nitric oxide in a

study of phthalate exposure in children. By using the biomarker in exhaled breath, the researchers overcame a significant hurdle.

"Many asthma patients only have asthma exacerbations a few times a year, making it difficult to discern short-term associations between environmental exposures and the disease," explained Matthew Perzanowski, PhD, senior author and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School.

"To solve this problem, we used nitric oxide, which has been shown to be a reliable marker of airway inflammation in response to known asthma triggers like vehicle emissions," he said.Phthalates are used widely in consumer products, including plastics, vinyl flooring, and personal care products, making exposure ubiquitous in the United States and other developed nations.

Phthalates enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and absorption through the skin.

percent respectively, compared with less than 0.5 percent among smokeless coal users of both sexes.

These risks are almost as high as those reported for heavy smokers in Western countries, ranging between 20 percent and 26 percent.

Lung cancer deaths were also associated with the average number of hours that a smoky coal user spent at home and the age at which participants started cooking. The researchers say that their findings have important implications for public health in this region of China and suggest that the use of less carcinogenic types of coal or other fuels can translate into a substantial reduction of lung cancer risk. As this chemical and physical composition of coal differs widely in different geographical locations, additional research is needed on the carcinogenicity of various types of coal, they added.

Scientists now have an explanation for why green tea is good for the brain -- it lies in the chemical properties that affect the production of brain cells, improving memory and spatial learning.

"Green tea is a popular beverage across the world," said Yun Bai, professor from the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.

"There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain."

Yun's team focused on the organic chemical EGCG, (epigallocatechin-3 gallate) a key property of green tea. While EGCG is a known antioxidant, the team believed it can also have a beneficial effect against age-related degenerative diseases, the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research

reports."We proposed that EGCG can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis," said Yun. "We focused our research on the hippocampus, the part of the brain which processes information from short-term to longterm memory."

The team found that ECGC boosts the production of neural progenitor cells, which like stem cells can adapt, or differentiate, into various types of cells. The team then used lab mice to discover if this increased cell production gave an advantage to memory or spatial learning, according to a Medical University statement."We ran tests on two groups of mice, one which had imbibed ECGC and a control group (without ECGC)," said Yun. "First the mice were trained for three days to find a visible platform in their maze. Then they were trained for seven days to find a hidden platform."

Best purple foods for good health There has been so much talk on having a rainbow of foods on your plate - a group of 'colours' of certain fruit signifying certain benefits.

Of these purple foods are perhaps most significant as it is a fact that darker the food, the higher the antioxidant level. Antioxidants can prevent cell damage, and keep one looking younger. Here are more reasons to stock up on purple-hued foods today.

Benefits galore: As per data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), in a survey on eating and health, it was seen that adults who eat purple and blue fruits and vegetables are less likely to be overweight. They have a reduced risk for both high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol. It was believed that anthocyanins, or compounds that give purple foods their colour, were responsible for this. Purple foods have a pigment called anthocyanin. This is a strong and antioxidant, which is said to reduce the risk of cancer.

What they are: Eggplant, Purple grapes, figs, plums, dark cherries, raisins, purple cabbage are all candidates.

Get cooking!

Here are some quick-fix recipes...

Plums: Take fresh plums, and put them in a grill with the skin on. Grill and sprinkle a little cinnamon powder on them. You

can also stick a clove in each of them and rest them awhile, then remove cloves and eat.

Purple cabbage: Take purple cabbage, slice it up. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar or light sweet onion dressing over them.

Enjoy!

Figs: To make a healthy salad, just chop fresh figs along with shredded rocket leaves, feta cheese and add toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts on them. Serve.

Plums: This fruit is best had on its own.

However, it can also be enjoyed in desserts and savouries. To make poached plums, place plums in a baking dish, add a little sugar and lemon juice and toss them gently so they get coated. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and have with cream or just like that.

The use of "smoky coal" for household cooking and heating was found to be associated with a substantial increase in the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study from China. This represents one of the strongest effects of environmental pollution reported for cancer risk in any population, the researchers said. It also underlines the importance of taking action to minimise exposure to the most hazardous types of fuel. About half the world's population uses coal and other solid fuels for cooking and heating, often in simple stoves that are unvented.

Exposure to certain types of solid fuel smoke is associated with several diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratory infections, and lung cancer. However, the relationship between smoky coal use and lung cancer is not

Replace ghee with canola or olive oil When a recipe calls for ghee or butter, substitute it with canola or olive oil for better health.

Both these oils can help you to shed weight and reduce liver fat, lipids and triglycerides, says a study.

The study conducted by the Diabetes Foundation (India) (DFI) and the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC) has found that consuming olive or canola oil can help in decreasing weight, waist circumference and reduce liver fat, lipids and triglycerides. A group of 90 people were part of the study for three years from June 2007 to 2010. They were divided into three groups and asked to use one type of cooking oil — olive, canola or any other oil. "After a period of six months itself, we found that those who used olive or canola significantly reduced there weight, liver fat and triglycerides," said Seema Gulati, head of nutrition research group at N-DOC.

The group which used olive oil significantly reduced the body weight, waist circumference and liver fat. As for the 30 people who used canola oil, they reported a decrease in waist circumference and a significantly improved insulin and blood glucose. The group which

used other oils, except the soybean or sunflower oil — which have a high content of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) — as cooking medium had not showed any significant changes.

"If the different traditional Indian oils used across the country are replaced by olive or

canola oil, it can lead to multiple health benefits," said Anoop Misra, director and head of department of diabetes and metabolic diseases at a leading hospital. he said that the study has important implications for Indians who are at heightened risk for diabetes and heart disease

fully understood.

So an international team of researchers compared deaths from lung cancer between lifelong users of "smoky coal" and "smokeless coal" for household cooking and heating in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Provine, China, where lung cancer rates are particularly elevated. In total, over 37,000 individuals were followed over a 20year period (1976-96) during which time more than 2,000 deaths from lung cancer were recorded. After taking account of other possible risk factors including tobacco use, lung cancer cases and deaths were substantially higher among users of smoky (i.e. bituminous) coal for home cooking and heating than users of smokeless (i.e. anthracitic) coal. In absolute terms, the risk of lung cancer death before 70 years of age for men and women using smoky coal was 18 percent and 20

Books are tonic for the brain

Reading is not just another leisurely activity or a way of brushing up your literacy skills and factual knowledge - it acts as a tonic for the brain too.

Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield suggests that reading helps to expand attention spans in kids.

"Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end - a structure that encourages our brains to think in sequence, to link cause, effect and significance," she says.

"It is essential to learn this skill as a small child, while the brain has more plasticity, which is why it's so important for parents to read to their children. The more we do it, the better we get at it," Greenfield added.

Reading can enrich our relationships by increasing our understanding of other cultures and helping us learn to empathise, the Daily Mail reports.

"In a computer game, you might have to rescue a princess, but you don't care about her, you just want to win," explains Greenfield.

"But a princess in a book has a past, present and future, she has connections and motivations. We can relate to her. We see the world through her eyes."

John Stein, emeritus professor of neuroscience at Magdalen College, Oxford, says reading is far from a passive activity. "Reading exercises the whole brain," he explains. Read-

ing stories to children will help their brains develop the ability to analyse the cause, effect and significance of events In 2009, a brain-imaging study in the US showed that reading about landscapes, sounds, smells and tastes, activates brain areas tied to these experiences in real life, creating new neural pathways.

Simply stated, our brains simulate real experiences, which doesn't happen when you're watching TV or playing computer games.

In 2009, University of Sussex researchers showed how six minutes of reading can slash stress levels by more than two-thirds, more than listening to music or going out for a walk.

NATION

75 Tuesday, July 23, 2013 Kashmir Thunder SRINAGAR

Tuesday 23 .

07 . 2013

Rajnath Singh says US should lift the visa ban on Narendra Modi

New York: Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh has demanded that the United States should lift its visa ban on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Calling Modi the only leader with ‘national appeal’ at a meeting in New Jersey, Rajnath said he would raise the issue of denial of US visa to the Gujarat CM during his meetings with lawmakers in the United States.

Speaking in the US he said, “Modi is one single leader with national appeal. I will appeal to the US government to clear US visa to the Gujarat CM.” The United States first denied Modi a visa in 2005 over allegations that his government did nothing to stop the 2002 Gujarat riots. Modi has not applied for a US visa since the denial.

He also claimed that the party will get more allies to fight the polls. The developmental issues rather than the Ram Janam Bhoomi dispute would

dominate BJP’s poll campaign.

“It’s not necessary that party president should also be a crowd puller and a prime ministerial candidate. I have an assignment to do for my party.

I have a job to deliver - that is victory of the party in the 2014 elections.”

“Seven months before the elections, I have nominated Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Chairman of the party’s Election Campaign Committee.

What is unusual in that? We have nominated Modi like other parties do and why read between lines. I have named him as campaign head in view of his image, popularity and commitment to the party,” he said.

Giving all indications that it could be Modi who is the prime ministerial candidate, Singh said the Chief Minister is certainly the most popular and tallest leader of India now.

“He is a crowd puller not only in Gujarat but also in Tamil

Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from North to South, East to West. He is one single leader with a national appeal. His popularity will help the party in the elections,” he said. On the question of party president not being projected as Prime Ministerial candidate

Bihar BJP suspends legislator who criticised Sushil Modi Patna: Trouble seems to be brewing within the Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP. A party MLA was today suspended after he raised his voice against the state unit chief, Sushil Modi.

“You have a Modi in Gujarat and you have a Modi in Bihar. The Modi in Gujarat is doing all he can for the welfare of his followers. But the Modi in Bihar is killing us (Yahan toh karyakartaon ka hatya ho raha hai),” Amarnath Gami, MLA from Hayaghat in Darbhanga district, said.

Mr Gami is not alone in his dissidence. There are many more within the party who are expected to raise the banner of revolt.

Mr Sushil Modi, the seniormost BJP leader in Bihar, is known for his alleged autocratic style of functioning.

Two days ago, BJP workers in Rohtas protested against Mr Modi and shouted slogans against him during his visit.

BJP’s ex-ally Janata Dal United or JDU said that this was just the beginning of the downfall of the party.

“This is just the beginning. There are

many more people like Mr Gami in the BJP,” said Shivanand Tiwari, hinting that they too would quit.

State BJP President Mangal Pandey, however, hit back, accusing the JDU of luring away its MLAs and trying to shore up its numbers within the Assembly.

“Our MLAs are being offered ministership and their relatives are being promised seats in the legislative council,” he said.

“The day the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) expands his Council of Ministers, there will be a split in JDU. So, he is trying to increase his numbers in the assembly,” Mr Pandey said.

The absence of a few dissident MLAs like Mr Gami had prompted the BJP decision last month to abstain from the vote of confidence sought by Mr Nitish after the JDU and the BJP broke their 17year-long association citing differences over the elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP’s 2014 campaign head.

at Aliyar. But, the forest authorities have not taken their statement at face value.

The tortoise, initially kept at the Forest headquarters, was handed over to the Partuthipally range. A case had been registered against the three persons under the Wildlife Act.

New Delhi: As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) winds up its probe into Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav's alleged illegal wealth, there is speculation about whether the agency is being pressured by the Congress to end its investigation against him.

CBI sources told NDTV that the probe into Mr Yadav's case has concluded and the final call will be taken by the CBI direct Ranjit Sinha by the month-end, ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament.Speculation about a possible "clean chit" began after a petitioner in the case, Vishwanath Chaurvedi, alleged that the government is intervening to help the Samajwadi

chief, whose 21 Lok Sabha MPs are indispensable for the minority government.

Mr Chaturvedi had earlier said he would challenge the Supreme Court order in December which let off Mr Yadav's daughter-inlaw Dimple Yadav from the probe.The inquiry on whether Mr Yadav and his son, Akhilesh, are guilty of corruption was ordered by the Supreme Court in 2007 based on petition by Mr Chaturvedi.The CBI Director Ranjit Sinha will

decide whether to inform the Supreme Court that the agency wishes to close the case because it has not found evidence of venality.

The CBI has, through its six-year investigation, seesawed between whether its investigation is yielding dividends. Critics say that the Congress has leveraged the case to pressure Mr Yadav into supporting it on crucial legislation - the nuclear deal with the US in 2008, for example. Now, they say, the Congress wants to force Mr Yadav into voting for the Food Security law, which entitles nearly 70% of India's population to highly subsidized food. Mr Yadav had said he was not in favour of the proposal because it was anti-farmer.

New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has advised his party to “speak positive” as national elections draw closer.

Mr Gandhi, 43, inaugurated a Congress media conclave being held in Delhi this morning.

Around 200 delegates are attending; the event will last two days.

“Let’s get talent from states. Let youth and seniors work together” Mr Gandhi advised the session. All states have been asked to send five spokespersons, for the workshop. Among those who are addressing the event are senior ministers like P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh.

The party will work on how to effectively sell the accomplishments of the government as it asks voters for a third term in power. Social media

guidelines will also be discussed.

Union minister Manish Tewari will train participants on how to prepare for an effective debate or press briefing.

In recent weeks, the Congress and the BJP have traded litanies of accusations, many of them on Twitter, and with BJP leader Narendra Modi as the focus. On the weekend, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed impelled a new controversy by stating that the communal riots of 2002 in Mr Modi’s state were responsible for the birth of the Indian Mujahideen, the terror group that has targeted many Indian cities in recent

years. “Indian Mujahideen was formed after Gujarat riots, says NIA in its charge sheet. Even now BJP and RSS will not desist from their communal politics?” tweeted Mr Ahmed on Sunday, referring to a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after 10 serial blasts took place at Bodh Gaya in Bihar earlier this month.

The BJP, simmering, responded that the Congress stand was “reprehensible” and that it is politicising a dangerous terror group.

1984 riots: High Court notice to Sajjan Kumar on CBI’s plea against acquittal NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar on an appeal of the CBI challenging his acquittal in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case relating to the killing of five Sikhs by a mob.

A bench of justices G S Sistani and G P Mittal asked the Congress leader to file his response to the petition of the probe agency and fixed the matter for further hearing on August 27.

Besides CBI, victims’ family members Jagdish and Nirpreet Kaur had also challenged the trial court order in the case and their plea would be taken up on August 27 by the same bench.

A lower court had on May 30 let off Kumar in the 29-year-old case saying he deserved the “benefit of doubt” as key witness Jagdish Kaur did not name him as an accused in her statement given to the Justice Ranganath Mishra panel in 1985.

“It wasa matter of fact that when eye witness and complainant Jagdish Kaur had submitted her affidavit before Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission in 1985, she had not mentioned the name of Sajjan Kumar in any manner though the other accused had

Geochelone elegans, the Indian star tortoise, is a highly prized specimen in illegal wildlife trade.

Trade in star tortoise is banned under Appendix-II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. There have been several instances of seizure of star tortoises at the Thiruvananthapuram and the Kochi airports while these were being taken to aquariums and pet stores in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Their ornate pattern has made star tortoises popular among collectors around the world. Small-sized tortoises and hatchlings fetch a higher price in the black market.

Forest officials said it was the first time that a big star tortoise was being seized.

Mulayam Singh Yadav's corruption case: CBI chief to decide whether to close enquiry

Congress Communications 101: Rahul Gandhi’s message is “Speak positive”

in the Lok Sabha elections, he said it is necessarily not the one and the same.Rajnath Singh is on a five-day tour of the United States. He is scheduled to speak on India and Afghanistan at an event in Washington and has several private and public meetings lined up too.

Star tortoise seized, three arrested The Forest Department on Sunday seized an Indian star tortoise from the baggage of a passenger, who had arrived from Coimbatore on Amritha Express, at Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station.

Three persons hailing from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Acting on a tip-off received by the Forest Intelligence Cell, a team led by Range Officer C.K. Sudhish tracked Saravan, 24, Modilal, 27, and Malraj, 29, and seized the star tortoise weighing over one kg.

The tortoise was brought to the capital for sale by the three-member team. On questioning, the accused told the forest officials that they got the tortoise while bathing in a river

DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

been named,” it had said.

The trial court, however, had held five others guilty in the case and awarded varying jail terms for being part of the mob that killed the Sikhs.

Ex-councillor Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal were given life term, while the remaining two, former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokkar, were given three-year jail term for their lesser roles.

The probe agency, in its appeal to the High Court, has said the trial court erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots that broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, and five others were tried in the case dealing with the killing of five Sikhs - Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Ra-

.

ghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, who were members of the same family, by a mob in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area.

The case against Kumar and others was registered in 2005 on a recommendation by Justice G T Nanavati Commission. CBI had filed two charge sheets against him and the other accused in January 2010.

2 villagers found dead; 4th phase of Panchayat polls underway SURI: Two alleged CPI(M) supporters were killed when the crude bombs they were making exploded at Satpalsa village in Birbhum district, even as the fourth phase of Panchayat polls began in four districts today.

The deceased, identified as Jamir Seikh and Asim Bagdi, are believed to be CPI(M) supporters, but Dilip Ganguly, the district secretary of the party said, “We are not yet sure of their party affiliation”.

The bodies were found in a paddy field, which falls under Mayureswar police station. “Prima facie the two were making bombs which went off. Their hands were blown off,” Rampurhat sub divisional police officer Debasish Nandi said.

Though locals claimed there were three bodies, the police confirmed only two. In a separate incident, father of independent candidate Hriday Ghosh, was allegedly shot at Kasba near Bolpur, in the same district.

Ghosh claimed that the miscreants targeted him but his father was shot at while trying to rescue him. Some Maoist-posters were found at Barra village under Suri sub-division, also in Birbhum.

The fourth phase of Panchayat polls are being held in Birbhum, Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia districts today.

Congress tally to decline, but BJP will fall short in 2014: survey A new survey has projected a hung Parliament in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the single largest party with 145-155 seats.

This is because the Congress party, despite its poor governance record, will lose ground, yet come a close second with 130-140 seats.

The survey conducted by Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd, an investment advisory firm, also said the main opposition party would improve on its 2009 performance by consolidating its core constituencies of upper caste, urban and educated voters and make gains in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.The Congress may do better in Karnataka and Bihar but the snapping of its alliance with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu will weaken its prospects in these states, the poll said.The survey conducted in 10 big states—Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan—also concluded that the relevance of caste, the importance of pre-poll

alliances, the role of governance and the electoral cycles of the states were the key themes that provided the basic framework to analyse the contours of electoral politics in India.

The analysis of the ground-level situation in Uttar Pradesh, the politically crucial state that sends 80 lawmakers to the 545-member Lok Sabha, said that the BJP is expected to make gains by consolidating upper caste votes, mainly due to the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who heads its campaign team.

The ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), which

has 22 seats in the Lok Sabha, may gain minority votes, but lose Dalit and upper caste votes it won in the 2012 assembly election.

The survey said the SP could win 25-27 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 21-23 and the BJP 21-23, leaving just 7-9 for the Congress that had won 23 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.In Maharashtra, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats, the opposition Shiv Sena and BJP, which are alliance partners, may cash in on the anti-incumbency factor and win 10-12 and 15-17 seats, respectively. But the Maharahstra Navnirman Sena, a splinter group of the Sena, could be a spoiler and split the opposition alliance’s vote.In Andhra Pradesh, where the Congress is struggling to resolve a crisis arising out of the demand for a separate Telangana state, the ruling party may face a major electoral setback because of the newly formed YSR Congress. The Congress is not expected to improve its seat position against the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and may lose its dominance in Rajasthan, where runs the government, to the same party. But its recent victory in the Karnataka state elections may be repeated in the parliamentary election.