Thursday May 13, 202110

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: Top women ath-lete of Jammu and Kashmirhas recommended Chess asbest sporting event to prac-tice while staying at homeduring this pandemic situa-tion.

She has advised youngtrainees to continue withtheir practice sessions withsiblings and parents, espe-cially during the ongoing'lockdown' and restrictionson movement imposed theGovernment to contain thevirus spread.

"Everybody is undertremendous pressure andthe sportpersons are theworst sufferers, especiallythose who train in outdoor

games and need to visit thespecialised coaching facili-ties at stadias and sportsacademics. Under such cir-cumstances, we need explorethe possible options avail-able with us," said top Chessplayer of J&K, ArushiKotwal.

Arushi, who has the dis-tinction of being only J&K

women with WCM title said,"Chess is such a sports eventthat can be played againstan opponent on the comput-er screen. Those players,who are at the advancestages of their game can takepart in number in the ongo-ing events," said Arushi.

Only J&K player to havewon medal in all three for-mats of Classical, Rapid andBlitz, Arushi further said,"To remain engaged withsports is something impor-tant for young children dur-ing tough times of COVID-19 situation. So I advise theparents to encourage chil-dren practice their chosendiscipline and stay activewith their fitness sessions."

Chess best option to play whilestaying home, says Arushi

Former Hockeyumpire RavinderSodhi is no moreSTATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: Hockey Indiatoday mourned the saddemise of 66-year-old NationalHockey UmpireRavinder SinghSodhi. He passedaway in NewDelhi following COVID-related complications.

The former Umpire andthe Technical official,Ravinder had officiated inseveral top domestic hockeyevents. He had also officiat-ed at the Indira GandhiInternational Hockey GoldCup Lucknow in 1988.

Expressing Hockey India'sdeepest condolences toRavinder's family, presidentGyanendro Ningombamsaid, "We at Hockey Indiaare extremely saddened tohear the news of Ravinder'sdemise. His passing awayhas shocked the hockey fra-ternity. We extend our deep-est condolences to his familyin this moment of grief."

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: Jammu KashmirSharnarthi Action Committee(JKSAC) on Wednesdayexpressed their heartfelt griefover the sad demise of BhagatSingh, popularly known as'Master Ji', a veteran leader ofDPs of 1947 from POK and alegal luminary, particularly inrevenue laws.

While paying glowing trib-utes to the departed refugeeleader, Gurdev Singh PresidentJKSAC, described him as anexemplary and devoted soulwho remained associated withDPs struggle and worked fortheir upliftment.

He was one of the foundermember of JKSAC andworked as General Secretaryfrom 1992 to 2006, Gurdevsaid.

Bhagat Singh was a multi-faceted personality who con-tributed in many spheres oflife, particularly remainedassociated with DPs cause andworked selflessly to achieve full

and final settlement for DPsunder the patronage of BachanSingh Panchhi, a veteran polit-ical/refugee leader of J&K.

Bhagat Singh was born invillage Bhonth, Tehsil Bagh,now in POK in 1940. Aftercompleting his elementary edu-cation he joined EducationDepartment as teacher andside by side he improved hisqualification. He was MA inUrdu and qualified himself inLaw and started practicing lawafter retirement.

Recalling his contribution incultural and literature field,Gurdev Singh said that he wasa good orator and a knownpoet in Urdu and Punjabi.

Having command over boththe languages he composedpoetry and also authoredbooks, Gurdev said.

JKSAC expressed their sym-pathies with the bereaved fam-ily in this hour of grief and sor-row and said in his demise DPshave also lost a unique leaderand man of letters.

JKSAC condoles demise ofBhagat Singh

AHMED ALI FAYYAZJAMMU: In a historic development forJammu and Kashmir, two senior officersof the Union Territory-and both alumniof Sainik School Nagrota-have been pro-moted to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal inthe Indian Air Force. Even as son of thesoil Gen (Retd) N.C. Vij of Jammureached the top slot in the Indian Armyand Kapil Kak of Kashmir retired as AirVice-Marshal, it is for the first time thattwo meritorious officers from J&K havereached a prestigious position, just tworanks short of the IAF chief.

Highly placed defence sources in NewDelhi told STATE TIMES that both thesenior officers and top pilots had beenelevated as Air Vice-Marshal onTuesday.

Air Commodore Hilal Ahmed Ratheris a resident of Bkahshiabad, neighbour-hood of the Anantnag township in south-ern Kashmir. Air Commodore KirtiKhajuria is from Tikri area of Jammu.Both the officers are from the 1978batch of Sainik School Nagrota,Jammu.

Hilal played a crucial role in settlingthe deal with a French company anddelivery of the prestigious Rafale jets toIndia which are rated to be the game-changer in strategic quarters in SouthWest Asia. He has been India's AirAttache in France for the last over twoyears. He received the Vayu Sena Medal(VM) for devotion to duty in 2010, fol-lowed by the Vishisht Seva Medal(VSM) in 2016.

With an impeccable record of 3,000accident-free flying hours on Mirage-2000, MIG-21 and Kiran aircraft,Hilal's name will now forever be associat-ed with Rafale in India.

Kirti Khajuria was commissioned as afighter pilot in the Flying Branch of theIndian Air Force on June 11, 1988. Forthe distinguished service of a high order,

he was awarded VSM. He is currentlyposted at the IAF Headquarters in NewDelhi.

Hilal hogged headlines for being asso-ciated at the top level with the IAF'ssuper ambitious Rafale manufacturingand acquisition project in France. Hispictures on a Rafale jet went viral, with-in minutes of his visit to the project sitewith Ambassador Jawed Ashraf in July2020.

"It is not that we got only #Pakistansponsored terrorism in Anantnag inSouth Kashmir. Our country has gotmany brave heroes, social workers, doc-tors and engineers from this area too.One of them is Hilal Ahmed. AirCommodore of the Indian Air Forcefrom #Anantnag," A freelance journal-ist from Jammu, Rakhi Dogra, tweetedwhen the first Rafale was being com-mandeered to India last year.

Across India that time, there wasenthusiasm among students and teach-ers of Sainik Schools as four of the elitepilots associated with the Rafale projectare known to be alumni of the SainikSchools of Nagrota, Bijapur, Kunjpuraand Tilaiya. "Proud moment for India","Proud moment for Sainik Schools","Proud moment for Jammu andKashmir" were the comments in socialmedia.

After elementary studies at MontessoriHigh School in Anantnag, the 12-year-old son of a policeman, Hilal AhmadRather, was among the droves of enthu-siasts from Anantnag, who qualified anentrance exam and was admitted toClass 6 at Sainik School Nagrota in1978. His father worked in the Jammuand Kashmir Police, and years before hisdeath in 2014, he retired as a DeputySuperintendent of Police.

According to his relatives and neigh-bours, Hilal visited his home rarely afteran outbreak of terrorism in 1989, as

there were always apprehensions ofbeing kidnapped or killed like Lt UmerFayaz.

"Even before 1989, he was very rarelyseen here," said a shopkeeper at IqbalMarket in Anantnag, who was acquaint-ed with the family. Hilal's brother JavedRather is a lecturer in the HigherEducation Department of the J&KGovernment. All three of his sisters aremarried - two in South Kashmir, and onein Srinagar.

One of Hilal's school-day friendsrevealed that some of his classmates atSainik School Nagrota had attained toppositions in different fields. They includeMuneerul Islam and Tariq HussainGanai, now senior KashmirAdministrative Service (KAS) officers inthe J&K Government. Others of hisschoolmates include KAS officer PervezSajad and Kashmir Police ServiceOfficer Zahid Nasim Manhas.

By the time Hilal completed his stud-ies and training, and was commissionedas a flight pilot in the Flying branch ofIAF on 17 December 1988, Kashmirhad gone through a sea change.

Hilal was just 13-months-old in his fly-ing rank when the Jammu and KashmirLiberation Front (JKLF) terroristscame out with the first devastating ter-ror strike and killed four IAF personnelincluding Squadron Leader RaviKhanna, in Srinagar on 25 January1990.

"Thereafter, he was rarely seen inKashmir. For most of the time, heremained posted outside J&K and livedthere with his wife and three children,"one of his Nagrota classmates said.According to him, Hilal visited hishome, "secretly and briefly" twice whenhis parents died between 2010 and2014. On both occasions, he went backquickly.

"At school, he was a superb debater, a

singer and a football player. He lovedpets," SSP Zahid Naseem Manhasrecalled. "Hilal was a terrific learner.For about a month, he was busy whenhe represented J&K at the RepublicDay parade in New Delhi. Our Class 10exams were just a month away. He didhis studies for only some 25 days andbecame the CBSE topper in NorthernIndia," Manhas said.

"He was all through a topper, excep-tionally brilliant, god-fearing and honestto the last penny. While his nationalistand patriotic credentials may bearguably of the highest order in India, Iknow him as someone who recitesQuran every day and has never skippedNamaaz. He has infinite god-giftedqualities of integrity, understanding anddedication. What we would pick up for 6days, he would in 10 minutes," said sen-ior KAS officer Muneerul Islam. "Wewere classmates and roommates at thehostel for 6 years. And have beenfriends since our school days."

According to him, Hilal is a man of"tremendous leadership qualities",whose clarity and moral strength are"unmatched".

According to Muneerul Islam, 37 ofhis Nagrota classmates, including Hilal,joined the Army, Air Force and Navyand rose to high ranks. Two of themhave died, and 35 are still in service.One is a Major General, three areBrigadiers, and many others areColonels and above or equal ranks in theIAF and Navy. However, most of themwere not residents of J&K.

"We knew that he would make thenation proud," KAS officer, TariqHussain Ganai, said about his Nagrotaclassmate for six years who is now flyingRafale, training pilots for the IAF'sgame-changer in South Asia and super-vising India's Rs 59,000 crore ambi-tious Defence project in France.

Hilal Rather, Kirti Khajuria from J&K elevated as Air Vice-Marshal in IAF

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: Continuing withthe efforts to reach outthe maximum people frompoor section of the societyand provide them somesort of help in the diffi-cult time of the ongoingCOVID-19 crisis, JammuCentral Mahajan Sabha(JCMS) on Wednesdaydistributed face masksand sanitizers.

Led by Sabha PresidentRomesh Chander Guptaand General SecretarySanjay Mahajan, theoffice bearers of JammuCentral Mahajan Sabha,also visited SuperSpeciality Hospital andhanded over seventypacks mineral water bot-tles totaling 1260 litresto the hospital authoritiesfor the distributionamong the patients andattendants.

The administrationthanked the Sabha for itstimely help. Meanwhile,Romesh Chander Gupta,appreciated the efforts ofhis team in contributingfor the help of poor andneedy.

Gupta also appealed tothe general public andother Biradaris to comeforward for their help tothe health institutionsand not to get misled bythe false propaganda/mis-information campaignrelated to the causalities,availability status of theoxygen and ventilators inthe health institutionsand contribute wholeheartedly in the nation'sfight against the deadlycoronavirus.

He also assured of everypossible help in future asa gesture of human service.

JCMS distributes facemasks, sanitizers

STATE TIMES NEWSNEW DELHI/JAMMU: UnionMinister of State(IndependentCharge) for DoNER, MoS inPrime Minister's Office;Personnel, Public Grievances andPensions, Department of AtomicEnergy and Department of Space,Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesdaycalled for audit of oxygen cylin-ders and ventilators in theGovernment Medical College(GMC) Jammu to ensure equi-table distribution for needypatients.

He said, even a single death dueto alleged unavailability ofOxygen causes tremendous socialunrest and negates all the othergood work done if any.

A confidence building messagehas to go out loud and clear that apremier institution like GMCJammu will ensure that not a sin-gle death occurs on account ofOxygen unavailability, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh made thisclarion call during an urgent highlevel meeting of administrationand medical staff convened byhim, at a short notice, in view ofdisturbing reports emanatingfrom Govt Medical College,Jammu with regard to COVIDmanagement facilities.

The meeting was attended byAdvisor to LG Bhatnagar,Financial Commissioner, AtalDullo, Divisional CommissionerRaghav Langer, DC JammuAnshul Garg apart from thePrincipal, GMC Jammu DrShashi Sudan Sharma and others.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, commu-nity management is a vital compo-nent of optimum Covid manage-ment and the GMC as well as theadministrative authorities shouldnot feel shy of taking the commu-nity into confidence and soliciting

their cooperation.The Union Minister asked

about various steps being takenby the administration for aug-menting the oxygen capacity ofGovernment Medical College(GMC) Jammu and variousDistrict Hospitals across the UT.In this regard he was informedthat two Oxygen Plants each of1200 lpm capacity have been setup in GMC Jammu. A 1000 lpmOxygen plant has also been set upin Chest and Diseases Hospital,Jammu. Further, in Govt.Hospital, Gandhi Nagar another1000 lpm plant has been set up.In addition to this, two moreplants are being set up in GMCJammu to augment its oxygencapacity. With regard to thebuffer stocks of Oxygen cylindersDr Singh was informed thatpresently buffer stock of 400cylinders was present in GMCJammu.

While commending the stepsbeing taken to augment the oxy-

gen capacity of hospitals DrSingh called for audit of oxygencapacity as well as ventilators inthe UT so that no lives should belost for want of critical care. Hefurther expressed his support toAdministration and HospitalStaff for fighting the battleagainst Covid and saving preciouslives of people.

Dr Jitendra Singh instructedthe Divisional Commissioner topost one Mechanical Engineerand one Biomedical Engineer inGMC to exclusively look after theupkeep of Oxygen supply so thatthe patient's attendants or nursesdonot have to undergo the ordealof struggling to maintain oxygensupply. He asked for a regularissue of medical bulletin by theauthorities and keeping publicrepresentatives informed aboutwhat is being done by the GMC.

Dr Singh also reviewed the situ-ation of the ventilators to handlecritical patients. In this regard itwas informed that around 60 ven-tilators and Respirators werebeing provided to GMC Jammu.

To overcome the shortage ofstaff, Dr Jitendra Singh askedthe administration to engagepost-graduate students, final yearmedical Students paramedicaland nursing students to fight theproblem of lack of humanresource.

He urged the GMC Doctors tosurrender their privaterooms/chambers in ChopraNursing Home so that the samecould be converted into COVIDchambers.

For the patient's relatives , DrJitendra Singh asked for arrangingproper SoPs and PPE kits. Insteadof being dealt with by police force,the patient's relatives should besensitively counselled with the help

of social volunteers and well-mean-ing NGOs. For this, he assignedDC Anshul Garg to take theresponsibility.

While taking a stock of vaccina-tion status in Jammu, Dr JitendraSingh was informed that around96% of population of the age-groupof 45 plus had been vaccinated inJammu alone while the figure wasaround 60% for the whole UT. Hewas also informed that the vaccina-tion in the age-group 18-45 yearswas under process and dailyaround 200-250 shots in this agegroup were being provided inJammu and around 16,438 per-sons had received first dose in thisage group. Dr Singh suggestedthat better information flow to thepublic should be carried out tofacilitate the vaccination processand if the vaccination centre is notoperating at a certain time, itshould be frankly conveyed to thepublic. Dr Jitendra also said thatthe referral process should bestreamlined and only patients thatneed critical care should be shiftedto GMC Jammu. In this regard, hewas informed that Home kits werebeing provided to COVID patientsand call centres had been engagedfor making calls to COVIDpatients on regular basis so thatpatients only in dire need of hospi-talisation may visit hospitals. DrSingh also called for better coordi-nation and synergy between vari-ous departments, involvement ofcivil society groups and NGOs forreaching out to the public to fightcovid and follow COVID appropri-ate behaviour. He further said thatthe Union Government was com-mitted to support the UT adminis-tration and to fill in missing gapswhere required so as to save livesand improve the health infrastruc-ture of the UT.

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: Amid the prevail-ing difficult times, when theworld as a whole is lockedup inside the homes and lifehas come to a standstill, theCovid-19 warriors aredetermined to take the chal-lenge with full might.

Mumtaz Ahmad is one ofthose frontline workers.The newly married Mumtazsaid that he hasn't been tohis home in Poonch for thelast five months. 'After fin-ishing my shift at MCHJammu, I go back to myroom; I live alone here inJammu and do my choresand cooking, while my wifeis putting up with my par-ents in Poonch'.

When asked if he misseshis family, he says, 'ofcourse I do, everybodydoes!' He works as a para-medic in GandhinagarHospital Jammu.

Medical Superintendent,

MCH Gandhi Nagar, DrArun Sharma is also keep-ing distance from his familyever since Covid pandemicbegan. 'I live on a separatefloor of my house, and onlymeet my family before leav-ing for work in the morn-ing. I greet them from adistance only'.

When asked if he has everbeen infected with thevirus, he responds in nega-tive and said that he's beenstrictly observing Covidappropriate behavior, whichincludes keeping social dis-tance, frequently washinghands and wearing facemask in public at all times.'I make sure that I changemy clothes after returningfrom any public place', hesaid.

'When we wear a maskand follow Covid appropri-ate behavior, it is not onlyfor one's own safety, but forone's family and society as

well. Each individual caneither act as a carrier ofCovid-19 virus or as a bar-rier against its spread. Weshould act responsibly, forour own good and for thesake of our beloved familyand friends', concludes DrArun Sharma. In spite ofhectic schedules and stress,tackling patients physicallyand psychologically is themain job these days.Hospitals are not only cur-ing the disease but peoplelike Mumtaz help themcome out of this crisis byrendering emotional andmental support. We need tohelp these healthcare work-ers by keeping up the guardand following the MaskUpIndia campaign. There canbe no greater help and sup-port to all the CoronaWarriors than to follow theSOPs and adherence toCovid AppropriateBehaviour.

Braving all odds, COVID-19 warriors ofJammu taking challenge with full might

‘No patient should die due to Oxygen unavailability’

Dr Jitendra calls for Oxygen, Ventilator audit in GMC Jammu

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singhconvening an urgent high levelmeeting of administration and

Medical staff, at a short notice, inview of disturbing reports fromGMC Jammu, on Wednesday.

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: A CRPF jawan carried a criticallyinjured accident victim on his back from a 50-metre-gorge along the Jammu-Srinagarnational highway, officials said on Wednesday,as his effort was lauded after Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps shared the pic-tures on social media.

Naresh Kumar, a resident of Kathua dis-trict, was on the way to Srinagar fromJammu when he lost control of his privatevehicle, which rolled down into a deep gorgebefore landing in the Bichleri Nallah (stream)near Banihal in Ramban district of Jammuand Kashmir on Tuesday, the officials said.

CRPF spokesperson Shivnandan Singhsaid a quick reaction team of F/187 Battalionimmediately launched a rescue operation onnoticing the accident near Wagan village andshifted the critically injured civilian to anArmy unit.

CRPF constable Virendra Singh rescuedNaresh Kumar #Kathua, carrying him on hisback from Bichleri river after the victim's

vehicle fell into a gorge near Wagan on#NH44 and helped him get timely first aidby Army doctor, thus saving a precious life,White Knight Corps, the official twitteraccount of 16 Corps, said in a tweet.

The late Tuesday tweet recorded thousandsof likes and hundreds of retweets with socialmedia users saluting the CRPF and the Armyfor timely action to save a precious life.

Jammu sector CRPF also shared a video ofthe operation, showing the rescued civilianbeing brought out of the gorge by a group ofCRPF personnel before being shifted to anArmy hospital.

Another video, shared by the CRPF, showedthe constable carrying the accident victim onhis back from the scene of the accident.

The rescue party found the accident victimin an unconscious state and after hecticefforts ensured his timely treatment at anarmy camp. After initial treatment, he wasshifted to government hospital Banihal forfurther treatment, the CRPF spokespersonsaid.

CRPF Jawan hailed for rescuing criticallyinjured civilian from gorge in Ramban

STATE TIMES NEWSKATRA: President, SeniorCitizens Welfare ForunKatra and Senior BJPleader, Shiv KumarSharma, on Wednesdayappreciated the stepstaken by Lt GovernmentManoj Sinha regarding-announcement of specialpension, scholarships andfinancial assistance forCOVID victim familiesspecially grant of pensionto senior citizens who havelost their earning member

and scholarship for thechildren of victims.

Sharma further said thatfinancial assistance to thelabourer class workers whorendered jobless due toCOVID pandemic will defi-nitely give a sigh of reliefto them in this crucialtime. Sharma said thatvaccination must also beextended to the media per-sons working in the J&KUT as they are also at highrisk of their lives like front-line health workers, police

personals, bank employeesand Safaikaramcharis asmaximum of the media per-sons falls in the age groupof 18 to 45 years.

"As the media personswork as a bridge betweenadministration and public,they also share latest andimportant information tothe public from time totime we request LG admin-istration to start vaccina-tion of this age group atthe earliest in the UT,"Sharma said.

Shiv Sharma urges LG to vaccinate media persons on priority