Zabarwan Times E- Paper English 08 April

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TUESDAY 08 April | 2014 | 07 Jamadi-Ul-Thani 1435 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 4 | ISSUE NO: 97 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 Paisa)Pen For Justice Largely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&Khttp://www.zabarwantimes.com

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(TUESDAY)SUNRISE ON (WEDNESDAY) 06:09 AM

06:57PM 6.4 0C 10.20C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

Light Rain/Snow would occur at a few places over the state.

Partly cloudy sky. Maximum &Minimum temperatures will be around 12°C & 02°C respectively.

Inside story

On Edit Page

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Devastation of Forests-an alarming situation

The devastation of forests in the world as a whole has resulted in global warming which, in turn has confronted the world with massive earth quakes, Tsunamis’, floods, wild fires and other natural calamities. The global warming has made the environment so imbalanced that the existence of mankind has become subservient to the nature’s fury. In Jammu & Kashmir the illegal felling of forest cover and its irrational ex-ploitation has brought the state at the brink of becoming a cold desert.

Declared man of the tournament

Semi decomposed body found in Srinagar

PG 06 PG 11 PG 06

Man dies due to doctor's negligence

in Kupwara

Srinagar, April 7: Heavy water log-ging due to continuous downpour forced Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School Amira Kadal to close the Institution on Mon-day while School administration said that they are mulling to extend the holiday’s as each and every class and staff room is water logged. Students told CNS that there were

House attacked

‘People suffering for want of basic amenities’

BOTTOM LINE

Srinagar, Apr 7: Expressing serious concern over the prob-lems related to basic amenities being faced by the people, CPI (M) State Secretary Moham-mad Yousuf Tarigami and PDF chairman Hakim Mohammad Yasin have urged the Election Commission to clear the mis-conceptions within the admin-istration with regard to the guidelines set-in Model Code of Conduct (MCC).In a joint statement issued to KNS, while referring to the scarcity of essential commod-ities, frequent curtailment in electricity, damaged electricity transformers, dismal condition of roads and poor supplies of safe drinking water at various places in Kashmir, the two leaders have said that the Mod-el Code of Conduct has provid-ed an easy excuse to the other-wise sluggish administration in the state.“One fails to understand that how come the Model Code of Conduct bars the administra-tion to provide basic ameni-

ties to people,” they observed while, appealing the Election Commission to at least clear the misconceptions within the administrative set-up with re-gard to their duties during the election periods.The two leaders remarked that the people have already suf-fered much due to an untimely heavy snowfall this year and the continuing incessant rains has created havoc in many parts of the valley adding to public woes. They observed that the administrative inertia has further coupled the prob-lems being faced by the people.“Various delegations have com-plained to us about damaged transformers, no electricity, scarcity of ration and no drink-ing water. The height of official apathy is that at some places in North and South Kashmir, the affected families whose houses got severely damaged due to recent snowfall are yet to re-ceive some relief as the admin-istration

See People On Page 11..

Explosion at Kunan Poshpora—an act of intimidation: JKCCS

Why J&K State is being flooded by spurious drugs? Asks CSFK‘Forget open market, Govt hospitals involved in this heinous crime’

EC should clear misconceptions with regard to MCC: Tarigami, Hakim

Change in school timing

From special correspondent. Srinagar April 07: Called moth-er of all elections, the present Lok Sabha polls have generated new debates as they have created new political alliances and formations throughout the country. After Sha-hi Imama Syed Abdullah Bukhari in a surprise move appealed the Muslims of the country to vote for congress at National level and in West Bengal Trinimol Congress, jitters have been sent to spine of BJP and its allies who on one side were swearing by Muslim broth-erin and on the other side were

trying to woe the majority senti-ment by talking against Muslims who some of its leaders labeled 30% supporters of terrorism and some announced that present vote is to be treated as a revenge for past things obviously pointing towards Godhara incidents. The hate speeches which according to Shahi Imam are in total contrast to the basic structure of Indian con-stitution which is secular in nature and does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, religion and color. It was not only confined to Shahi Imam but about two hun-dred top intellectuals of the coun-

try also joined hands to appeal to the countrymen to vote against

communal politics and strengthen the secular manifestation. These

appeals have opened new points of confrontation and it is now seem-ingly more of a fight between com-munal and non-communal forces. If one goes by the statistics Mus-lims in the country can change the results of 22% of the total seats which means that if they vote in favour of secular candidates par-ticular congress, the results will be totally different than shown in exit polls by various media organi-zations in about 126 seats around the country. Here comes the point where all predictions and exit polls can turn useless

See Muslims On Page 11..

Are Muslims really going to call shots in Lok Sabha Elections?Will it be a fight between secular and non-secular forces leaving behind corruption and good governance issues ?

Srinagar, Apr 7: Mocking at the election advertisement of BJP (Abki bar Modi Sarkar), chief minister Omar Abdullah Sunday stated that it appears more like a dictatorship party that a demo-cratic one.Omar was talking to reporters on the sidelines of filing of nomina-tion papers from his father and

president National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah. Besides Omar, Dr Farooq was flanked by Pradesh Congress president, Saifuddin Soz.According to the KNS correspon-dent, Omar while talking to re-porters after his father filed nom-ination papers from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, said that the advertise-ment wherein Modi is being pro-jected as a ‘savior’ has dishearten

him. “We would have accepted it if they would said this time BJP or NDA government but what they are projecting

See Farooq On Page 11..

Dr Farooq files nomination papers

Omar mocks at BJP’s election advertisement‘It is almost like we are being asked to vote for dictatorship’

5 candidates file nomination papers for Srinagar seat

Srinagar, Apr 7 (KNS): The returning officer for Sri-nagar-Budgam Parliamentary constituency has received nomination papers from five including three independent candidates sofar. The con-stituency is scheduled to go for polls for general elections 2014, on April 30.According to Farooq Ahmad Shah, Returning

See Seat On Page 11..

LS POLLS 2014

New Delhi, April 7 : Bhartiya Janata Par-ty (BJP) has returned to its ideological moorings by retaining all the contentious issues like the building of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, a uniform civil code for Hindus and Muslims and the abrogation of article 370 in its poll manifesto that the party re-leased on Monday. According to CNS, Bhartiya Janata Party Monday released its much-delayed manifesto in New Delhi for coming Gen-eral Elections. The party in its manifesto has promised to improve centre-state re-lations in the nation in which it has men-tioned region specific plans with regard to Jammu and Kashmir. It has also called for a discussion on Article 370 with all stake-holders and said it will ensure return of Kashmiri Pandits with full dignity in the state. The BJP brought its focus back on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with its "com-mitment to explore all possibilities to facilitate its construction". "We will con-struct the Ram temple within the Consti-tutional framework," the party claims. Besides it has also claimed that if vot-ed to power, the party would implement Uniform Civil Code for all the citizens. Uniform civil code of India is a term re-ferring to the concept of an overarching Civil Law Code in India. A uniform civil code administers the same set of secular civil laws to govern all people irrespec-tive of their religion, caste and tribe. By implementing Uniform Code, the Islamic Courts all over would automatically be-come defunct. (CNS)

Build Ram Temple, abrogate 370, Implement UCC

BJP retains contentious issues in its poll manifesto

Srinagar, Apr 7 : Though the state Congress leaders show massive support to the sus-tenance of Article 370 and make claims of development of Jammu and Kashmir during election rallies at present , the election manifesto of its high command, Indian Na-tional Congress (INC), men-tions Kashmir only once that too about the discrimination against students of the region.According to the report re-ceived by KNS, the 50 page

manifesto released by Con-gress in the past has nowhere the mention of Kashmir and its political solution. It doesn’t even mention the party plans about the development of the state if elected to power.However, the manifesto main-tains that the party will take appropriate steps so that the problem of discrimination against the students of Jammu and Kashmir is addressed.The state Congress

See Kashmir On Page 11..

......... Congress manifesto 2014 .......

By the way, where is Kashmir?

Jammu, Apr 7 (KNS): Reacting to the BJP’s call for scrapping the Article 370 the Peo-ples Democratic Party (PDP) patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Monday said the arti-cle is non-negotiable, irrevocable and those talking about its abrogation are ignorant about the constitutional position of the state and are misleading people of the country.Taking on the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi for backtracking from his earlier statement

See Mufti On Page 11..

Article 370 is non-negotiable, irrevocable: Mufti

‘PDP will resist any attempt at dilution of J&K’s special position’

Srinagar, Apr 7: Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and the Support Group for Justice for Kunan Poshpora Survivors have said the explosion carried out at Kunan Poshpora and the ‘threat of further searches is clearly an act of intimidation’ against the villagers of Kunan and Poshpora, and all those associated with the struggle against impunity of the Indian army.According to a statement issued by JKCCS the two the Village Commit-tee of Kunan Poshpora, that is fighting the mass rape and torture case of February 1991, has approached Trehgam Police Station for the filing of a FIR. “At around 8:45 am this morning [7 April 2014], there was an explosion in Kunan village, Kupwara. The explosion

See JKCCS On Page 11..

Srinagar, Apr 7 : Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK) has expressed deep shock and dismay over recent news reports making fresh disclosures about 76 more drug samples found substandard drugs and being con-sumed by the people in Kashmir.According to a statement issued to KNS, a spokesman of the Forum in a press statement here has expressed serious concern over government in-

action in controlling and regulating the quality of medicines being con-sumed by the people.The very fact that sale of spurious and substandard drugs is continuing un-abated with full knowledge of the drug control officials is proof enough that government is taking Kashmiri people for granted as there is complete lack of accountability on all fronts particu-larly in matters related to health of the

people at large.Government of J&K has not only miserably failed in implementing the draft drug policy that was revised with due intervention of the subject ex-perts of CSFK but has displayed total inaction in fulfilling its tall promises of upgrading drug testing facilities of the state and making alternative drug testing laboratory

See CSFKOn Page 11..

Srinagar, Apr 7 : Joint Amalgam of Doc-tors & Paramedical Association Kashmir (JADPA) has expressed heartfelt condo-lences over the sad demise of ex. Director General Health Services Dr Ali Baksh.According to a statement issued to KNS, a delegation of JADPA visited the bereaved family at their residence on 07/04/2014. Dr Ali Baksh served the nation with distinction in many capacities throughout his life which enriched our land and has served the state and people for a long.His work was deeply rooted in the abiding values of the system.

See JADPA On Page 11..

JADPA Condoles demise of Dr Ali Baksh

Srinagar, April 07: A man died due to the alleged negligence of doctors in a well-known private clinic in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.Mushtaq Ahmad Beigh, Block Secretary of Peoples Conference of Rashanpora, was admitted in Dr Ghulam Mohd Sheikh's private clinic in Regipora area on April 1, family sources told GNS Monday.At the clinic, the doctor discharged him late in the evening after con-ducting for Sigmodiscopy on him."On April 04, the patient again complained of severe pain and subsequently he started bleeding which forced us to visit the clinic again", Gulzar Ahmad, a relative of the patient, told GNS."After we reached at the clinic around 7:00 AM, the doctor con-ducted another surgery (Lapracto-my) upon

See Man On Page 11..

Srinagar, April 7: Directorate of School Education Kashmir Mon-day issued a notification with re-spect to change in school timings. The new school timing for all Government as well as recognized Private Schools falling within the municipal limits of Srinagar city shall be from 9:00 AM to 3 PM with effect from Wednesday (April 9. 09/04/2014. However, according to the Director School Education there shall be no change in school timing for the schools outside the municipal limits of Srinagar City. Directorate has

See Change On Page 11..

Water logging forced faculty to shut the school

SMC, other departments scilent spectators

11 Srinagar, Tuesday 07 April 2014 Zabarwan Times

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Muslims

Kashmir

People

JKCCS

JADPA

CSFK

Mufti

Man

Change

Seat

Farooq

Owner , Printer & Publisher: Suhail Malik Editor -in-Chief: Shahana Malik RNI NO. JKBII/2011/39764, Email: [email protected] Publised at Govt. Quarters , M-13 Magarmal Bagh Srinagar-190001 J&K, Printed at:- Sangarmal Offset Press Humhama Sheikhpora Tele/Fax: 2478370 Cell No. 09999964750, 9796 787844

Result Notification (P.G Entrance Test – 2014) No. 01: It is notified for information of the candidates bearing following Entrance Test Roll Nos. that they have been provisionally selected for admission to the courses viz. M.Sc. Electronics, M.Sc. Food Sciences & Technology, MCA and M.Sc IT for the Academic Session 2014 in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology. The detailed notification is available on the official website of the Kashmir University (www.kashmiruniversity.net) and in the offices of the respective Heads/Directors of the Departments. The selected candidates can obtain their admission form from the official website of University of Kashmir (www.kashmiruniversity.net). They shall complete their admission formalities latest by 12th April 2014 (4:00 P.M), failing which their right to admission shall be forfeited and resultant vacancy (ies) shall be filled up from the waiting list. M.Sc. Electronics: Open Merit: 470038, 470027, 470076, 470080, 470060, 470083,

470113, 470070, 470015, 470023, 470012, 470047, 470002, 470074, 470112, 470045, 470017, 470055, 470061, 470007, 470003, 470034, 470011,

Reserved Categories: (RBA); 470109, 470106, 470082, (WUP); 470029, (CDP); 470016, (SCST); 470013, (NCC); 470063, (SN); 470095.

M.Sc. Food Science & Technology: Open Merit: 500092, 500113, 500045, 500013, 500006, 500159,

500117, 500030, 500078, 500026, 500138, 500080, 500079. Reserved Categories: (RBA); 500004, 500061, (SC/ST); 500147,

(CDP); 500118, (SPT); 500121, (WUP); 500111, (SN); 500176.

MCA (Main Campus): Open Merit: 510050, 510448, 510452, 510383, 510052, 510069,

510368, 510060, 510390, 510010, 510284, 510381, 510461, 510053, 510457, 510221, 510007, 510185, 510237, 510367, 510304, 510063, 510059, 510349, 510073, 510240, 510028, 510058, 510129, 510205, 510169, 510171.

Reserved Categories: (RBA); 510334, 510453, 510224, 510266, 510250, (SC/ST); 510437, (NCC); 510004, (SPT); 510426, (CDP); 510227, 510080, (PHC); 510376, (WUP) 510300, (SN); 510347, (OSJ) 510479.

M.Sc IT: Open Merit: 550361, 550040, 550080, 550386, 550028, 550224,

550381, 550369, 550373, 550306, 550300, 550009, 550137, 550383, 550375, 550049, 550374, 550182, 550256, 550050, 550048, 550156, 550309.

Reserved Categories: (RBA); 550178, 550333, 550355, (SCST); 550325, (NCC); 550190, (SPT); 550208, (CDP); 550370, (WUP); 550362, (SN); 550274.

Sd/- (Prof. M.Y. Shah)No: F(DFAST-Result –PG No.01)/ET-53 Dean Faculty of Dated: 07-04-2014 Applied Sciences & Technology

OFFICE OF THE DEAN, FACULTY APPLIED SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER ( CIVIL )

Sher-i- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura Srinagar.

Notice Inviting E- Tenders NIT NO: SIMS/HEC/C/ET/01 of 2014-15 .Dated 05.04.2014

For and on behalf of the Governor of J&K state E - tenders are invited from “C&D “ classCivil Contrac-tors registered with PWD/CPWD/MES

S.No. Name of work Amount CDR Amount

Cost of tender document

Time of completion

01. Modification / Renovation in Trust Hospital area at SKIMS.

Rs. 7.75 Lacs.

Rs. 15,500

Rs. 1,000/= 45 days.

Funds Demanded The detailed tender documents can be down loaded from Web site JKtenders.gov.in from 05 .04.2014 to 17 .04.2014 ( up to 2.P.M ) against tender document fee in the shape of Payment or-der / DD pledged to Director Finance SKIMS up to 17 .04.2014 (2.P.M ). Interested Contractors / firms may upload on - line E- tenders for the above work up to 2.PM of 17 .04.2014 along with the scanned copies of following documents:-•Tender document fee receipt in the shape of Payment order / DD pledged to Director Finance SKIMS up to 17-04-2014 upto 2.pm.•Earnest money in the shape of CDR as indicated above from any Nationalized / Scheduled Bank pledged to Director Finance SKIMS ,Soura.•Vat Registration for work contract from Commercial Taxes_ Department along with latest Tax Clearance Certificate.•Valid " C&D " class contractor Registration Certificate issued by the competent authority i,e PWD/CPWD/MES etc.( Hard copies of above documents ( original tender document fee receipt, CDR and attested copies of other documents should reach the office of the Chief Engineer SKIMS up to 2 PM of 21 -04-2014 for its scruitiny and reference )The tenderers in their own interest are advised to visit the site and to go through terms of NIT before quoting rates for the items of work.The tenders shall be opened in the office of Chief Engineer SKIMS on 25 -04-2014 at 11.30 AM or on any other subsequent date convenient to the Chief Engineer/ Tender OpeningsCommittee.

No: SIMS 139/ Xen/ C/ET-01/ 2014 Sd/-EXECUTIVE ENGINEER ( CIVIL)

and the exercise futile. The wedge which reported-ly has been created between Muslims and Smajwadi party, besides Muslims and Bhujansmaj party is pre-sumably going help congress than Bhartiya Janta Par-ty which also has some senior Muslim leaders in its cadres. However, the appeal of Shahi Imam and the intellectuals can even draw a blank as Muslims around the country are in total disarray and it is because of non existence of a single leadership that they remained as backward as they have been some decades back. Though congress claims to have done so many things but its inability to implement Sacher Committee report in totally has annoyed the Muslims of the country the most. It has been a tradition that congress and some regional parties give big assurances to Muslims when they face elections but as soon as they come to power they forget this community and never remember it till the next elections. The Muslims of this country have specific problems and its very genuine of them if they ask for their solution. The literacy rate amongst the Muslims of India is the lowest of all communities and their representation in central government services particularly IAS, IPS, IFS, army, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies is negligible. It may not be a deliberate attempt certainly they have the right to feel about it as the citizen of this country who have offered their sacrifices whenever the country needed them af-ter and before the independence. They are as good the citizens of this country as any other community hence they deserve what they ask in the above mentioned fields. If the secular parties including congress want their vote and support they should come clear and take a pledge that Muslims of this country will be treated as a dignified citizens and all their genuine demands will be met in letter and spirit. Muslims cannot expect any betterment in the hands of communal forces as even before the election results these forces have started intimidating and threatening this minority. Coming to Jammu & Kashmir, this state has hardly seen any real representation and fair elections barring the elections since 2008. The National Conference, PDP and con-gress are the three parties which have ruled the state in coalition with each other. However, unfortunately these three parties though secular and progressive in their ideologies have only learned to rule and never allowed people to get their genuine share of the fruits of a democratically elected government. Rigging of the elections to the backdoor entries, corruption, scandals they have given hardly anything positive to this state. The state has survived the winds of fundamentalism only because the people of this state are secular in re-ality and have Sufi sentiments which they have been following since ages. However, it does not mean that these parties who have ruled single handedly or in co-alition should continue to exploit the people. This time they have a tough competition; it will not be smooth sailing for any of the three as BJP has strong roots in Jammu constituency and PDP in some areas of Jam-mu and South Kashmir. National Conference and Congress may not find it difficult as far as Udhampur constituency is concerned, but in reality it will be neck to neck fight in all the constituencies of Kashmir Divi-sion. The Ladakh seat will also see a close fight between NC-Congress and BJP. As far as Baramullah constitu-ency s concerned the People’s Conference will take a good chunk of votes besides the Awami Intihad party. Pahari and Gojjar votes will also be divided as Muzaf-far Hussain Baig on one side and National Conference and Congress leaders Taj Mohi ud din and Mohd Shafi Uri have their own chunks of influence in these two communities. In Srinagar Dr. Farooq may be compla-cent but he will be on a very slippery turf due to the inroads made by PDP in Srinagar city and some other areas. As far as Anantnag is concerns though PDP will be claiming a lot of influence in South Kashmir, but the joining of hands by NC and Congress may turn the table. Whatever the election results, it is amply clear that this time the voters will decide the fate of differ-ent parties and candidates on merit and their past per-formance and will not be swayed away by hollow slo-ganeering. It is also clear that there are more chances of a hung parliament than the BJP lead or Congress Lead government and some other front may form the government with the support of secular forces as is obivious from the election atmosphere in the country. The people this time are not going to be polarized or divided on communal basis as they want a government at the centre which will perform and perform well.

Officer for Srinagar Lok Sabah parliamentary constit-uency five candidates including Dr Farooq Abdullah and Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat besides three independent candidates filed their nomination papers for the Sri-nagar-Budgam Lok Sabah seat sofar.Giving details about the independent candidates, Shah said that three include Rabia Altaf from Soura, Sajad Ahmad Beigh from Zadibal and Feroze Ahmad Bhat from Chrar-e-Shareef. The deputy commissioner Srinagar said that the last date of filing of nomina-tions is April 9 and the nomination papers will be scrutinized on April 10. “The last date for withdraw-ing of nomination papers is April 12,” he added.Sources said that Tariq Hamid Karra, Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) candidate for Srinagar Lok Sabah seat is scheduled to file his nomination papers on April 9. (KNS)

is indeed tantamount to undermining the role and works of other senior BJP leaders.” We are tired of hearing Abki bar Modi Sarkar slogan now; let us move on, added Omar.Commenting over the election manifesto of BJP, wherein abrogation of Article 370 was promised, Omar claimed that the Article cannot be removed from the constitution. “We cannot abrogate Article 370 without reopening the question of accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India. If BJP is ready to reopen the ques-tion, we have no problem.”Over the issue of Common Civil Code, Ram Mandir,

Omar stated that when BJp was in power at New Delhi, no efforts were made to address the issues. “These are clearly the gimmicks to hoodwink the people during elections, Once the elections are over, BJP sidelines all the issues.”“Please tell me what BJP did over the Common Civ-il Code, Ram Mandir and Article 370 when BJP was in power. When I was the part of NDA- no effort was made. The same is being repeated at present. BJP is again trying to hoodwink people of India.” Commenting over the remarks made by BJP leader Amit shah in the recent past, Omar said that the Elec-tion Commission must look into the matter seriously. “If revenge is the agenda of BJP then the voters in In-dia must feel fear.”Omar claimed that the way BJP is campaigning for elections, it is almost like we are being asked to vote for dictatorship. Over the pre-poll surveys Omar said that he is the great believer of not believing in surveys of this nature. “It is for the people to decide who they choose, once the result comes, everyone will come to know and we will accept that.”Dr Farooq Abdullah told reporters that the people of India will vote for the secular forces and that the com-munalism has already been rejected by the voters at large.Terming the BJP, a party of ‘liars’, Dr Farooq said that Article 370 will never be abrogated neither can anyone touch it.

leaders however stated that the Congress party is the real representative of the people of the state and that to take the state towards the new horizons of develop-ment is the priority of the Congress party both at New Delhi and in the state.“History stands witness to the fact that Congress party always has Kashmir and the well being of its people in priority. The leaders of Congress were always close to the state- party has never overlooked the state,” claims senior Congress leader and state vice- president Ghu-lam Nabi Monga.He added that the strengthening of Panchayat insti-tutions in the state was due to the efforts of Rahul Gandhi and that Congress once attaining power at New Delhi, Kashmir will be the top priority of the new government.Monga stated that the development of all the three re-gions of the state is among the basic concerns for the Congress and the state always has witnessed huge pace of development during the Congress regimes. (KNS)

in which he had said in Jammu that ‘he would follow Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s policy on Kashmir’, Mufti said this is not the way to ‘start a new chapter’ in the coun-try which Modi usually talks about.“Article 370 provides the mechanism for a constitu-tional relationship between the state and rest of the country and it cannot be abrogated without bringing into question the fundamentals of that relationship.“It is an article of faith which is non-negotiable and ir-revocable” said Mufti while commenting on the BJP manifesto released today. He was addressing rallies at Rajouri and Surankote in Jammu parliamentary seat today.Mufti said the PDP will resist any attempt at dilution of the state’s special position guaranteed by the con-stitution. He said by reviving the old rhetoric the BJP is simply negating the policies of Vajpayee and such a policy has everything in it to hurt the sensibilities of the people of J&K and prospects of reducing the trust deficit it suffers with rest of the country.“Mr Vajpayee reached out to the people of J&K and had vowed to resolve the Kashmir issue under the ambit of insaniyat (humanity),” he said adding Modi’s speeches in Jammu would look like mere lip service to Vajpay-ee’s statesmanship in the light of his party’s manifesto.

takes refuge in model code of conduct,” the two leaders said, while stressing on Election Commission to issue guidelines to the administration to act in the interest of public. (KNS)

was carried out by personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles and 160 Territorial Army, of the Hiri camp, who stated to the villagers that it was a very old mine that had to be exploded,” the statement issued by JKCCS has said. The statement reads that they declared that arms and ammunition were recovered from near the blast site. “The recovery was done with no independent or lo-cal witnesses. Sarpanch of Kunan, Abdul Samad Dar, questioned the army personnel. He was told that the army had received information on arms and ammu-nition in the Kunan village, and that there would be searches conducted in the village in the coming days.” The JKCCS has said that on 5 April, army personnel from Hiri camp were at the same location shooting a video, which appeared like a reconnaissance. For three days, prior to 5 April, there was unusual movement of the same army personnel at this location. (KNS)

Dr Ali was known for his gentleness and polite nature. JADPA sympathizes with the bereaved family and Hon’ble Minister for Health & Medical Educa-tion Mr. Taj Mohi-ud-Din in particular and prays for eternal peace to the departed soul. (KNS)

functional at Bemina, Srinagar.Government’s face-saving measures taken at a time when spurious drug scam surfaced in the state like setting up of J&K Medical Supplies Corporation and streamlining drug procurement on the pattern of Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation have proved to be a damp squib and a non-starter in spite of the fact that more than a year has passed ever since this Corporation was set up but it is still quite far from being functional since no sufficient staff or funds have been made available to the said Corporation so far.Same is the fate of other provisions of the draft drug policy like implementing generic drug prescribing and sale within government hospitals and issuing drug li-censes to qualified pharmacists only. Government has miserably failed on every front.Civil Society Forum Kashmir urges upon the con-cerned ministry and health authorities of the state to fulfill its promises made to the people from time to time and ensure sale of standard quality drugs besides implementing all provisions of the draft drug policy and issuing drug licenses to qualified personnel only. Registration of unqualified people as pharmacists and issuing drug licenses to them must stop forthwith and qualified pharmacists must be employed in all hospi-tals of the state. J&K Medical Supplies Corporation must be provided with all requisite facilities and made fully functional besides upgrading the drug testing fa-cilities on a war footing basis. (KNS)

the patient in the evening hours. However, after sometime, they asked me to take him to SKIMS Soura because of serious infection. I was shocked to hear the doctor's words," he said.

said that the instructions must be adhered to strictly by all the concerned institutions without any viola-tions. (CNS)

Semi decomposed body found in Srinagar

Srinagar, Apr 7 : Srinagar Police recovered an un-identified semi decomposed male body from Sonar Kohl here this afternoon.According to a police statement issued to KNS, some locals informed Police station Mahraj Gunj that a body is floating in Sonar Kohl near Zaldagar. A police party reached the spot and retrieved the body.The body is in semi decomposed state having traces of beard on the face.

SMC, other departments

scilent spectatorsSrinagar, April 7: Heavy water logging due to con-tinuous downpour forced Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School Amira Kadal to close the In-stitution on Monday while School administration said that they are mulling to ex-tend the holiday’s as each and every class and staff room is water logged. Students told CNS that there were no

classes on Monday as the rain water has found its way into the library, staff room, and class rooms. The School ground is water logged while some teachers who bothered to make their way to Prin-cipal’s room had to remove their shoes. “School gets inundated and water logged even with a slight down-pour thus posing a serious threat to the foundations of school buildings be-sides disrupting teach-ing-learning process.”

Water logging forced faculty to shut the school

SRINAGAR | TUESDAY, APRIL | 08| 2014Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS

Take a break from your routine, Libra. You might feel like you’re leading an army into battle as you strive for new adven-tures and conquer new realms. Make sure you take a bit of time out today to stop and let your troops rest. You deserve a little rest yourself. Use this moment of stillness to form your plan of attack so you’re sure about how to proceed.

The key for you is to minimize your daily drama as much as possible, Scorpio. You may not realize how much you cripple your-self by the way you exaggerate every aspect of your life. Try not to give so much of your attention to things that really don’t matter much. Petty jealousy and gossip about other people’s lives are es-pecially irrelevant in your world.

Be careful of advertising yourself as someone who is so strong and mentally competent that you’re capable of handling every-thing, Sagittarius. Take note that the strongest mule on the trail usually ends up carrying the most weight. Your emotions are more sensitive than you may think, and certainly more than you demonstrate to others. Be honest about the way you feel and not just the way you think.

Things should flow well for you today with very little ef-fort on your part, Capricorn. Take note that if any quarrel arises, it’s an indication that the person you’re arguing with isn’t nec-essarily the right person to deal with or confide in. Emotional issues are likely to be the hardest ones to overcome, but this shouldn’t be a problem for you. You have the ability to work through these like a pro.

This is meant to be a nice, relaxing day, so treat it as such, Aquarius. There’s no need for you to plan any great strategy at this time. Try to take it easy and not indulge in any unnecessary stress. This is your time to enjoy the moment. Don’t tax your mind by overanalyzing everything that comes your way. Go with the flow and have a great time regardless of what you end up doing.

Your sensual nature is heightened, Pisces, and you’ll find yourself engaged in tender moments and languid peacefulness in the company of others. Soothe your soul by letting yourself slip into situations that give you the emotional freedom to do or say whatever comes to mind. Life should be like a love poem written by a great master. Accept the good energy that comes your way.

Your sixth sense is right on target, Virgo, so trust your instincts today. You’re likely to connect with someone in a wonderful partnership that will help you foster the very plan you want to develop now. Stay close to those things that resonate strongly with your morals. The answer is in front of you; you don’t have to search too far afield in order to find it.

Allow your eager and restless nature to express itself in ways other than through the spoken word, Aries. Show someone that you care through your gentle touch or a big bear hug. Hold on a little bit more tightly than you might normally. There’s an unspo-ken understanding that comes when you communicate through nothing but pure silence. Work on developing this kind of connec-tion with those closest to you.

This is a terrific day for you, Taurus. You should find that your relationships, especially with men, go exceptionally well. Your tender and extremely sensitive nature is finally being recognized as the treasure chest it is. There are many times in which this type of personality is seen as weak, yet today is one of those times in which you’re given the full credit you deserve.

A selfish attitude on your part won’t be tolerated today, re-gardless of the circumstances, Gemini. Don’t make it worse for yourself by pretending that you don’t notice others’ hurt feelings. People are likely to be extra sensitive today, so be careful about trying to impose your will on someone who really wants nothing more than an ear to talk to and a shoulder to cry on.

You could find the hardest person to face is you, Cancer. You tend toward introspection, and you may find yourself shrinking into self-recrimination. You could analyze the important people in your life and yet fail to address the one you really need to look at – you. As you continually strive for perfection, give yourself proper credit. Do something nice for yourself today.

Take advantage of the creative energy in the air today, Leo. Keep your hands moving and your imagination flowing toward something fun and artistic. If you begin to doubt your work, you may fall down a spiral of creative blockage. Don’t get into the habit of constantly judging the quality or outcome of your work. Give yourself free rein to open up and explore whatever comes to mind.

JAMMU, APRIL 07: The Council of Ministers of the State has expressed condolence with Minister of State for Home, Mr Sajad Ahmad Kichloo over the sad demise of his mother who ex-pired today after a brief illness.

They expressed grief over the sad demise and expressed their sympa-thies with the bereaved family and prayed for peace to the departed soul.

Minister for Finance & Ladakh Af-fairs, Mr. A. R. Rather, Minister for Public Enterprises, Haj, Auqaf and Floriculture, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Minister for Rural Develop-ment and Panchayats, Mr. Ali Mo-hammad Sagar, Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Minister for Health & Medi-cal Education, Mr. Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rig-zin Jora, Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Mr. Sham Lal Sharma,

Minister for Agriculture Production, Mr. Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister for Social Welfare, ARI & Trainings and Public Grievances, Ms. Sakina Itoo, Minister for Housing, Horticulture, Culture, Youth Services & Sports, Mr. Raman Bhalla, Minister for Higher Education, Mr. Mohammad Akbar Lone, Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution and Transport, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Minister for Planning & Develop-ment, Labour & Employment, Mr. Ajay Sadhotra, Minister for Tourism, Mr. Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for R&B and Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Abdul Majid Wani and Minister for Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Mohammad Akbar Lone, Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Dis-tribution and Transport, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Minister for Planning & Development, Labour & Employment, Mr. Ajay Sadhotra, Min-

ister for Tourism, Mr. Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for R&B and Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Abdul Majid Wani and Minister for Law, Justice & Par-liamentary Affairs,, Mir Saifullah ex-pressed deep sorrow over the demise and expressed sympathies with the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Revenue, Relief & Rehabilitation, Mr. Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Minister of State for Fisheries, Cooperative, Printing & Stationery and Elections, Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma, Minister of State for Sci-ence & Technology and Information Technology, Mr. Feroz Ahmad Khan, Minister of State for Animal & Sheep Husbandry, Mr. Nazir Ahmad Gurezi and Minister of State for Technical Ed-ucation, Mr. Vikar Rasool Wani have also expressed their condolence with Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo over the pass-ing away of his mother. They prayed for peace to the departed soul.

UDHAMPUR, APRIL-07:- For the awareness of general pub-lic and particularly the pilgrims, an awareness programme under SVEEP was held at Chountra Mata Shrine here today.

Large number of pilgrims visited the shrine situated on a scenic hillock in-between village Rang Bulandh and village Thial in tehsil Ramnagar and Majalta of the Udhampur dis-trict. District Election Officer Udhampur Yasha Mudgal was the chief guest on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, DEO appreciated the efforts of Nodal Officer SVEEP, Mr. N.S Jamwal for organizing an aware-ness programme of great importance in such a place where people reached from every nook and corner of the district.

She called upon the women folk who were present in large number to come forward and participate in the forth-coming Lok Sabha Election for stronger democracy.

SDM, Dudu Basantgarh also spoke on the occasion and urged upon the people to spread the message for larger participation in upcoming election. He asked people to use their right to vote for stronger democracy.

A voter facilitation booth was also established at the Chountra Mata Shrine for creating awareness and provid-ing training regarding EVM functioning among the visiting pilgrims by the Election Cell.Awareness was also generated among the people by means of cultural programme by Rum-alu Ram and party, organized by district administration in lo-cal language on the occasion.

SVEEP awareness programme held at Chountra Mata Shrine Minister’s condole Kichloo

over mother’s demise

LONDON: Malaysia’s defence minister is “cautiously hopeful” that teams searching for miss-ing Flight MH370 will be able to make a positive announce-ment in the next few days, “if not hours”. Hishamuddin Hussein have a statement to reporters at a press conference on Monday in light of underwater “pings” that were detected by ships searching the southern Indian Ocean.

His comments came after the head of the Australian agency co-ordinating the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 said the team is “very close” to locating the area where the air-craft fell, after a US navy ping lo-cator towed by an Australian ship detected signals consistent with the beacons emitted from aircraft black box recorders.

However, authorities have warned it will take time to con-firm whether the sounds are sig-nals from the flight data record-ers that belonged to the missing aircraft.

Angus Houston, a former Aus-tralian defence chief and head of the Australian search, told a news conference in Perth on Monday that this was the most promising lead yet in the monthlong hunt

for the aeroplane.Australia’s Ocean Shield

picked up the signals in an area 1,680km (1,040 miles) northwest of Perth, which analysis of spo-radic satellite data has showed is the most likely place Boeing 777 went down.

Houston told reporters that he is “much more optimistic than I was a week ago.”

The first “ping” signal detec-tion was held for more than two hours before the Ocean Shield lost contact, but the ship was able to pick up a signal aground 13 minutes, Houston said.

“We are encouraged that we are very close to where we need to be,” he said according to Tele-graph.

“On this occasion two distinct pinger returns were audible. Significantly, this would be con-

sistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder,” he said.

“In the search so far it is prob-ably the best information we have had. We are trying to fix the position on the basis of the trans-missions.

“We are now in a very well defined search area, which hope-fully will eventually yield the information that we need to say that MH370 might have entered the water just here.”

Despite his positivity, Hous-ton cautioned that the wreckage was still lost.

“I would want more informa-tion before we say ‘this is it’.”

“We are right on the edge of capability and we might be lim-ited on capability if the aircraft ended up in deeper water. In very deep oceanic water, nothing hap-pens fast,” said Houston.

“This is not the end of the search. We still have got difficult, painstaking work to do to con-firm that this is indeed where the aircraft entered the water.”

He added that if the signals can be narrowed further, Bluefin 21, an autonomous underwater vehicle, can be used to try to lo-cate wreckage on the sea floor and confirm whether the signals are from the aircraft’s flight re-corders.

The potential search area was 4.5km (2.8 miles) deep, the same as the Bluefin range.

As the recorders’ batteries only last for 30 days, crews are

working against the clock before the pings begin to fade, at which point the search will become more complicated.

A second search area was be-ing maintained in waters where a Chinese vessel had also picked up “ping” signals at the weekend in an area more than 300 nautical miles from the latest signals.

Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 reported receiving a pulse signal with a frequency of 37.5kHz, con-sistent with the signal emitted by flight recorders, on Friday and again on Saturday.

Houston said the Chinese and Australian discoveries of pings were consistent with work done on analysing radar and satellite data but the Ocean Shield’s leads were now the most promising.

Houston on Sunday said he was comfortable with the level of cooperation between search countries, following criticisms that Australia only became aware of the Chinese find at the same time as the Xinhua state news agency filed a story from a re-porter on board the Haixun.

“I’m very satisfied with the consultation, the coordination that we are building with our Chinese friends,” Houston said.

Missing plane: Malaysia says ‘positive announcement could be made within hours’

Governor , Omar greet people on Ramnavmi Ministers greet people on Ramnavami, wish peace, prosperity JAMMU, APRIL 07 –The Governor, Mr. N. N. Vohra, has felicitated the people on Ramana-

vami and prayed that this auspicious occasion would be the harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity of the State.In his message of felicitations, the Governor said that the celebration of festivals, which are an important part of our glorious history, strengthen communal har-mony and brotherhood and reinvigorate the secular ethos.The Governor prayed for the well-being of the people of the State. Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has felicitated people on Ramnavami whishing them well-being and prosperity.In a greetings message issued here today, the Chief Minister said that the pluralistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir and its high traditions of communal amity get further strengthened by celebrating the holy occasions in an atmosphere of brotherhood and harmony. “Let us spread love and happiness universally and remember the needy and poor on the holy occasions of festivity and joy”, he said.The Chief Minister expressed the hope that this day will herald a new era of peace and development in the State and the Country.

Election Media Centre set up at PWD Guest House, Gandhi NagarJAMMU, APRIL 07: The Information Department has set up an Election Media Centre at

PWD Guest House, Gandhinagar, Jammu, in Room No. 6, equipped with all facilities. The functioning of the centre will commence from tomorrow.

Malhotra, Gul extend greetings to people on RamnavamiJAMMU, April 07: Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, Mr. Amrit Malhotra

and Speaker, Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mr. Mubarak Gul have extended greet-ings to the people of the State on the eve of Ramnavami.

They prayed for the well-being of the people and hoped that this auspicious day would be the harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity in the State and the Country.

JAMMU, April 07: The Council of Min-isters of the State has extended warm greetings to the people on the eve of Ramnavami and hoped that the auspi-cious occasion will usher the State into an era of peace and prosperity.

Minister for Finance & Ladakh Affairs, Mr. A. R. Rather, Minister for Public En-terprises, Haj, Auqaf and Floriculture, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Minister for Rural Development and Panchay-ats, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Minister for Health & Medical Education, Mr. Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Mr. Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for Agriculture Production, Mr. Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister for So-cial Welfare, ARI & Trainings and Public Grievances, Ms. Sakina Itoo, Minister for Housing, Horticulture, Culture, Youth Services & Sports, Mr. Raman Bhalla,

Minister for Higher Education, Mr. Mohammad Akbar Lone, Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution and Transport, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Minister for Planning & De-velopment, Labour & Employment, Mr. Ajay Sadhotra, Minister for Tourism, Mr. Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for R&B and Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Abdul Majid Wani and Minister for Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs, Mir Saifullah in their joint message hoped that the fes-tival will bring peace and prosperity to the State and the people.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Rev-enue, Relief & Rehabilitation, Mr. Aijaz Ahmad Khan, Minister of State for Fish-eries, Cooperative, Printing & Stationery and Elections, Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma, Minister of State for Science & Technol-ogy and Information Technology, Mr. Feroz Ahmad Khan, Minister of State for Animal & Sheep Husbandry, Mr. Nazir Ahmad Gurezi and Minister of State for Technical Education.

FC I&C visits various industrial units in Srinagar city

Important initiatives for

revival of State PSU’s on anvil: Khurshid GanaiSRINAGAR, APRIL 07: To assess

the functioning of various PSU’s under the Administrative Control of Industries & Commerce Depart-ment, Financial Commissioner Industries & Commerce, Mr. Khur-shid Ahmed Ganai visited several establishments of the PSUs includ-ing Government Silk Factory, Raj Bagh, Government Woollen Mills Bemina (JKI Units), Handloom De-velopment Corporation Solina, In-dian Institute of Carpet Technology Nowshera, UNDP Nowshera and Craft Development Institute (CDI) Nowshera here today.

During the inspection of the manufacturing units, the Fi-nancial Commissioner observed that there was a tremendous scope to improve the functioning of the units to improve productivity and quality of products. He said that the PSUs can discharge their role efficiently only if they are finan-cially self reliant and as such there was a need for professionalism and accountability in the functioning of PSUs to ensure optimum capacity utilization and productivity.

The Financial Commis-sioner reviewed the initiatives that have been taken to upgrade the infrastructure and the subsequent success achieved.

Regarding Govt. Silk Facto-ry Raj Bagh and Govt. Woollen Mills Bemina, the Financial Commis-sioner was informed by the Manag-ing Director JKI that composite De-tailed Project Reports have been got prepared for funding under ASIDE

Scheme of Govt. of India which en-visage production of 5 lakh meters of Silken Fabric and 3 lakh meters of woollen fabrics, enabling the units to be self reliant.

While as about Hand-loom Development Corporation, the Financial Commissioner was apprised that in terms of infrastruc-ture development the Corporation has commenced upgrading the processing facilities at UNDP Now-shera and modus operandi for op-erationalizing the Spinning Plant at Solina is underway.

The representatives of the Employees of Raj Bagh Silk Factory and Bemina Woollen Mills assured the Financial Commissioner that JKI shall be provided financial as-sistance for modernization of plant facilities and with assured sale of products by Govt. Agencies and De-partments, the Woollen Mills and Silk Factory will be able to become self reliant to generate resources

and to become profitable industry. During his visit to Indi-

an Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT), the Financial Commissioner inspected various sections of the Institute and interacted with carpet artisans of Srinagar district under-going 02 months Skill up-gradation and Capacity Building course. He also interacted with the students of one year Diploma in Carpet Technology and Entrepreneurship Development being offered by the Institute under Integrated Skill De-velopment Scheme (ISDS).

The Financial Commis-sioner appreciated the work of the Institute and expressed the hope that its efforts & initiatives will go a long way in reviving and boosting the centuries old carpet industry of the State. The students of 02 year course of Master in Craft Manage-ment & Entrepreneurship (MCME) also interacted with the visiting dignitary.

The members of Tahafuz Soci-ety called on the Financial Commis-sioner and apprised him about the activities being pursued by them. He assured them that their genu-ine issues and problems would be looked into in the larger interest of Pashmina Shawls industry.

While concluding the visit and his interaction with the officers of concerned departments, the Finan-cial Commissioner assured that all possible steps would be taken for improving the functioning of PSUs and urged for spot assessment vis-its to be conducted at ground level for perusal of the progress of the initiatives aimed at bringing about overall improvement in the Indus-trial Sector.

Among others, Managing Di-rector JKI, Managing Director JKCL, Managing Director Handicrafts (S&E), Director IICT, Deputy General Manager HDC and other officials of various PSUs accompanied.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Tuesday 07 April 2014

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

Devastation of Forests-an

alarming situation

The devastation of for-ests in the world as a whole has resulted in global warming which, in turn has confront-

ed the world with massive earth quakes, Tsunamis’, floods, wild fires and other natural calam-ities. The global warming has made the environment so imbal-anced that the existence of man-kind has become subservient to the nature’s fury. In Jammu & Kashmir the illegal felling of for-est cover and its irrational ex-ploitation has brought the state at the brink of becoming a cold desert. Tremendous decrease in the forest cover is gradually turning the soil unfertile and the environment inconducive to hu-man living. It is for many years now that the valley has not had enough snowfall and rains. The whole winter goes with the lit-tle or no snowfall at all and the whole summer passes without sufficient rainfall. The glaciers at higher ridges are melting day by day and the water resources are drying up. The water level has gone down considerably and the availability of clean drinking water is becoming a scarcity with every passing day. It is due to the illegal felling that the whole for-est belt spreading from Gulmarg to Yousmarg, from Yousmarg to Pir Panchal and from there to Pahalgam is decreasing and with this decrease the imbal-ance in the environment is go-ing upwards and creating many fold difficulties for the survival of the human beings and forest life. It is really unfortunate that the forest department, Police, The environment branch of the state government and the other governmental agencies are ei-ther hand in glove with the el-ements mainly responsible for forest devastation or they shut their eyes deliberately for the reasons which are obviously beneficial for them. Despite the repeated claims and announce-ments for forest policy, there seems to be none which can be used as an effective tool to curb the forest elimination. The gov-ernmental apathy, the unending greed of exploiters, smugglers and the undue support extend-ed to them by the official agen-cies have paved an easy way for extraction of lacs of cubic feet of timber from the forest of the state annually. If this trend is not stopped, time is not far when the paradise on earth will become a hell on earth and which will be cropless, plantless, waterless and barren and consequently life less.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Wednesday 26 February 2014

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

Catch them young

Poverty is a big curse. The society has been divided between haves and haves not. Due to economic liberalization

a new class of neo-rich is emerg-ing which is exploiting all kinds of channels to earn fast buck to stand equal to the affluent class. They adopt all kind of unscrupu-lous means for easy money. Em-ploying children in industries and exploiting child labour for their vested interests is no inhibition for them. Catch them young is their dictum for aiming success in their trade by hook or crook. Most of the children below the age of 18 years are seen working in industries like carpet, glass, garments, brick kiln, stone quar-ries, fire crackers etc. Though as per law the employment of chil-dren in hazardous occupations is a cognizable offence, and the law stipulates imprisonment upto one year and penalty upto a max-imum of rupees twenty thousand, still in reality, the surveys reveal that over 13 lakh inspections were carried out in the country under child labour act since its inception in 1986, but only 4500 employers were convicted and in most of the cases a meager sum was imposed as penalty. A large number of children are employed in hazardous trades in our state also. This number has increased alarmingly during the last two decades due to conflict situation as the sources of income dried up or parents of these children lost their lives. Finding no other alter-native the children had to go for some job to feed themselves and the family members. Authorities too have failed to take action to curb this menace. In the absence of exact number of such chil-dren no planning or strategy has been evolved to rehabilitate such labourers. It has also been ob-served that most of the children are falsely registered with schools for the sake of mid-day meals scheme but in reality they have fallen prey to forced begging, child trafficking, bonded labour-ing away from their homes. The state government must devise an ambitious, realistic, time bound rehabilitation scheme under the flagship programmes initiated by the central government. The most difficult task ahead is to rehabil-itate child labourers between the age group of 14 to 18 indulging in hazardous work as they cannot be adjusted in the conventional schooling system. Consequent-ly there is need of a well thought scheme which will provide the vocational training along with ac-ademic knowledge thereby mak-ing them self reliant to earn their bread & butter.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Saturday 08 February 2014

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

Old people deserve love and affection and

not the ill-treatment

The decision to open old homes in the state is the need of the hour as the whole society is going through such

an inhuman phase that even the devils are ashamed of what is happening around us. Every religion teaches as to how one should treat his old parents who bring him up and spend their whole life in grooming him and providing every com-fort he desires. But as soon as the children grow and start earning, with that they also start to ill-treat their parents and sometimes make the atmo-sphere of the house so hostile that the parents themselves prefer to leave and wander on the roads till they die on a road side, in a mosque or in a hos-pital. There are several cases when the police have to give ad-vertisements in the media for the identification of the bodies of these unfortunate parents who die helplessly. The social, ethical and moral degradation in our society has caste us very darely so has the lust for mate-rialistic fortunes done. We for-get that the holy Quran once and again preaches that the service of the parents particu-larly in their old age is one of the dearest acts which the God Almighty and the Prophet Mo-hammad (pbuh) wants every human to do. There are some social problems also which re-sult in throwing of the old par-ents out of their houses in utter disregard to the teachings of our religion. Though there are some organizations who volun-tarily take care of some old peo-ple but that is not enough as the cases like this are increasing day by day. Within the house also the children indulge in the harassment of their parents and even if they don’t leave the house, they live a life which is worse than hell. No law or au-thority can enforce the love, respect and the spirit of taking care of the old people. It is once conscience which should be sensitive enough to know the duties towards parents and the respect and love they deserve from everybody in the society including their own children for whom they sacrifice their own comforts and luxuries. Our religion says that the heav-en lies in the very feet of a moth-er, so we should not miss any opportunity to serve her and give her the love and affection she deserves so that God will be merciful on us on the doom’s day.