Srinagar, July 17:

Responding to the serious concern shown by the Mem-bers of Srinagar District De-velopment Board regarding comparably smaller Plan al-locations for Srinagar Dis-trict, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah announced Rs. 35 crore under Special Area Development Programme (SADP) for the District be-sides giving nod to Rs. 63.47 crore Annual Plan 2013-14 making the total funds of Rs. 98.47 crore available to the District for the current financial year.Chairing Srinagar District Development Board meet-ing of which he is also the Chairman, the Chief Min-

ister said that he has asked the Planning Department to revisit the system of allo-cating funds under District Plans and take corrective

measures to remove the dis-tort if observed in the allo-cation of funds to Srinagar District. The Chief Minis-ter said that various com-

mittees in Planning and Development Department are already on the job and recommendations made by

See Annual Plan on Pg. 11

Srinagar, July 17:

Barring few, most of the land line numbers of po-lice stations and posts in Srinagar city are out of order due to which people are facing lot of inconvenience.From past several months the land line numbers of Police Sta-tions Karan Nagar, Ni-geen, Bagiyass, Harwan, Khanyar, Maisuma, Lal Bazar, Kothi Bagh, Ram Munshi Bagh and others

are dead due to which people living in the ju-risdiction of these police stations and posts have to face lot of problems.“The crime rate is very high in Srinagar city and on daily basis the burglars break into the houses. How could people inform and seek their help in times of emergency. It is really disgusting that police which is meant for the protection of people are maintaining a distance

with the general pub-lic,” one of residents of Nigeen area said.“Every time you dial the land line number of po-lice stations like Karan Nagar, Khanyar or Ni-geen, the only thing you would hear is that ‘this telephone number is temporarily out of ser-vice,” a trader said.There are some police stations which never bother to pick up the call. The landline number of MR Gunj and Nishat

remains busy round the clock. The landline num-ber of Pantha Chowk Police Station is out of service too. Only few po-lice stations in Srinagar City are those where people could callfreely and these include Sha-heed Gunj, Saddar, Bata-maloo and Parimpora.When contacted a top police officer on condi-tion of anonymity said that it is the duty of the in charges of the

See Telephone on Pg. 11

Srinagar, July 17:

Residents of Batamaloo area have complained of shortage of drinking water in the locality. Particular-ly the residents of Shaikh Dawood Coloney, Gulab Bagh and adjacent areas complained that they are facing acute shortage of drinking water even in this holy month of Rama-zan. They said that the

See Water Shortage on Pg. 11

Acute water shortage hits

Batamaloo areas

Srinagar, July 17:

Close aide and body guard of United Jihad Council (UJC) Syed Salahudin was killed in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on Wednesday when unidentified persons lobbed a grenade on the police vehicle in which he was present during the time of in-cident. Police sources said that Hizbul Mujhadeen militant Sha-keel Ahmed Kasana was being taken to Sub jail Baramulla.Inspector General of Police Kashmir Division Abdul Gani Mir said that militants hurled a grenade over police vehicle in Batamaloo in which under trial HM militant, one civilian and four police constables were in-jured. The under trial militant later on succumbed to his inju-ries at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura.“Shakeel Ahmed Kasana son of Abdul Rahim Kasana resident of Kral Khayan, Kangan was the former body guard of Syed Sala-

hudin who had been arrested by police after returning from Pakistan administered Kash-

mir,” Mir said adding that the police vehicle was on its way to Baramulla.

IGP denied that it was an at-tempt on part of militants to

See Grenade on Pg. 11

Shahana

Srinagar, July 17: Though it dates back to 1947, but the in-vasion of Pseudo intellectuals, self-styled champions of hu-man rights and a brand of op-portunists in the garb of jour-nalists increased with every passing day for shedding croc-odile tears and putting salt to the injuries of Kashmiris. When militancy was at its peak, these people in herds started visiting valley to en-joy the hospitality of both, govt. and separatists, and after their sojourn they jot-ted down their reports which further complicated the al-ready vexed situation of J&K. Some of them addressed me-dia conferences, issued state-ments, not with the purpose of helping the cause of Kash-miris, but for self-projection

and publicity, so that they could become a permanent feature on media channels and can make it to interna-tional conferences held on Kashmir in different parts of the world which otherwise they could never afford to on their own expenses.As Kashmir is selling still like hot cakes even today, these opportunists true to proverb- make hay while the sun shines, come for a visit, advance their own philoso-phy, demand plebiscite, and become heroes overnight. Though they have no say, their out bursts hardly mat-ter still they please their sponsors by uttering state-ments representing their view point. In early nineties, their head-quarter in valley was a local hotel on Residency Road and

their source of information and liaison persons were the waiters of this hotel who fa-cilitated their meetings with separatists. On one side, they used to meet the anti-India lobby and on the other side they would not lose a second to avail the hospitality of se-curity forces. It is because of that, the militant leaders, calling them by the name of ‘Didi’ (elder sister) , ‘Bahan’ ( sister), Bade Bhai Sahib( elder Brother), ‘Toth’ ( dear-est), later after knowing their intentions banned them and declared them anti-move-ment. It was surprising and shocking that these people would be present in Kashmir even before any big incident would take place. This was because they were being informed by the same mili-tant groups in advance who

used to be involved in such incidents of violence for the purpose of wide publicity. This is a matter of concern that these opportunities are still pouring in and the state govt. is being very lenient to them, ignoring the fact that they are inciting trouble, playing with the emotions of the people and disturb-ing peace which somehow is fast returning to once called valley of ghosts. The govt. of India should also take a seri-ous note of these pseudo hu-man rights activists who in no way have any sympathy with the Kashmiri people and whose only interest is in cashing and exploiting the situation. There should be a blanket ban on their arrival and if they indulge in any activity pre-judicial to the in-terests of the state and if they

cause any dent to the peace-process, they should be dealt with sternly and treated as the enemies of the people. It is after several years of uncertainty that Kashmir is witnessing a faster process of socio-economic development. This state which has very lim-ited resources can ill-afford to have disturbances every now and then. The Kashmir prob-lem is a political issue and can be addressed politically by all the stake-holders in an amicable way. These people who have no locus-standi, no representative character and are not even residents of state can contribute nothing but confuse the process of negotia-tion efforts. There is no doubt that recovery of mass-graves, Kunan-Poshpora incidents and Chatti-Singhpora fol-lowed by Pathribal like hap-

penings raise many eye-brows and deserve a through probe which even the state govt. has sought, but how can these op-portunists (Barsati Mandak) help the cause except coming, enjoying and making to the front-pages of local papers and then vanishing and wait-ing for another sponsorship to visit the state again. However, they and their sponsors forget the fact that now Kashmiris having realized their motives will not be swayed away by their sensational, emotional out-bursts. Kashmirs are po-litically so mature that they analyse every statement in its real perspective, keep an eye on the happenings around the world, and decide their course of action based on their own assessment and not on the free advice of these lobbyists, touts and fixers.

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

ThurSDAY July 18 | 2013 | 08 ramzan 1434 Ah | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSuE NO: 173 | rS: 2/- (AIr SurChArGE FOr JAMMu /DELhI/LEh 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Top HM militant killed in grenade attack

Beijing, July 17:

The Chinese firm build-ing the Rs 274.88-billion Neelum-Jhelum hydro-power plant in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, plans to deploy more personnel to expedite completion of the project. The Chinese company building the Neelum-Jhelum mega hydro-power plant has decided to deploy more engineers and technical staff to ex-pedite work on the 969 MW project, Pakistan's state-run APP news agency reported.

India has been express-ing concern over China taking up infrastructure projects in PoK, consid-ering its disputed status. Officials of the China Gezhouba Group of Com-panies (CGGC), the proj-ect contractor, held talks in Beijing with a Paki-stani team and briefed them about deployment of additional Chinese technical staff, the re-port said adding that the induction of additional work force will help com-pletion of the project be-fore the given timetable. The meeting was held as

a follow-up to the recent visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here during which the progress of the project construction was re-viewed. The company had in-formed Sharif that the project was expected to be completed by June 2016. However, in view of its acute energy crisis, Pakistan wants the mega hydropower project to be completed before the given time frame. Before embarking on

See China on Pg. 11

China to expedite PoK hydropower project

New Delhi, July 17:

Incidents of attack on for-eign prisoners have "inter-national ramifications", Supreme Court today said asking the Centre and Jam-mu and Kashmir govern-ment to apprise it of steps to ensure that assaults similar to the one on Pakistani in-mate Sanaullah Ranjay do not recur. A bench of justices R M Lodha and S J Mukhopad-hya also voiced displeasure over the pace of progress in investigation into the death of Ranjay at Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu. "Such incidents have inter-national ramifications. The Government has to tell us that about the certain steps that have been taken and are being contemplated to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future," the court said and asked the Centre and the state govern-ment to file affidavits. "Look, such incidents have happened in Pakistan and

in India. In so far as Paki-stan is concerned, we have no control and so far as In-dia is concerned, we have got the control. You must tell us about the steps taken to ensure that such inci-dents do not happen again," it said. The court, after perusing the affidavit filed by Jam-mu and Kashmir govern-ment, expressed unhappi-ness there was "not a single word" about investigation into Ranjay's death though 72 days had passed since the incident. "You must have held some preliminary inquiry. What are the findings. This (affi-davit) is nothing as it does not give as to what had hap-pened? How it happened? It does not even say the date on which the FIR was lodged."More than 72 days have passed and the investiga-tion has not completed. The incident occurred inside the four corners of your jail.

See SC on Pg. 11

Attack on jail inmates: SC asks JK to reveal

measures taken

Of pseudo intellectuals, self-styled human rights champions and lobbyists

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Srinagar, July 17:

Anantnag police busted a extortionist gang in Dooru area that were planning to orchestrate subversion on the National Highway.According to a police hand-out, a reported movement of unknown individuals along with AK 47 rifles was being noticed in Dooru area. A manhunt was launched to apprehend such individu-als. On a specific informa-tion, Anantnag Police as-sisted by 40 Bn. CRPF, 9 RR and officials of Police

Station Dooru intercepted a vehicle and nabbed one person Mohammad Hus-sain Wani son of Moham-mad Yousuf Wani resident of Khushipora Dialgam. During questioning he ad-mitted of possessing 02 AK 47 rifles along with his as-sociates for the purpose of extortion initially and later also subsequently carried out some militant acts.On his disclosures Anant-nag police arrested his as-sociates, Mohammad Rafiq Wani resident of Nathipora

See Gang on Pg. 11

Extortion gang busted in Anantnag

J&K Police: This telephone number is out of service

Annual Plan of Rs. 98.47 Cr for Srinagar approved Concern for India

2 held with grenades, 2 hideouts busted Srinagar, July 17: Two persons, carrying hand grenades, were arrested in north Kashmir Kupwara district on Wednes-day. Besides, major arms haul were made from two separate militant hideouts in the valley.According to Srinagar-based police spokesman of the zonal headquarters, two persons, who were roaming suspiciously near Kupwara’s Sumo Stand, 100 km north of Srinagar, were arrested.“Two hand grenades were recovered from their posses-sion,” said the police official. The police identified the duo as Abdul Rouf Badder and Zafar Iqbal Badder.“Some suspicious powder was also recovered,” he said.An FIR under Section 7/25 A. Act, 8/20 NDPS Act was registered against the duo. In a separate incident, Arms and ammunition were recov-ered during a search operation of the security forces in Pakher-pora area in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. “One AK 47 rifle, ten rounds of AK ammunition, six hand grenades and five UBGL gre-nades were recovered,” said the police. In south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, a huge quantity of ex-plosive material was recovered from Larmoo Tral, Awantipora. “The Anantnag police along with CRPF’s 40 and 90 Bat-talion busted the hideout. The recovery included 75 kgs of Neo Gel 901, eight detonator plates, 500 gms of RDX powder, three bottles of potassium permanga-nate, one bottle aluminum fine powder and 16 fuse conduc-tors,” said the spokesman.

Skilled hunters to eliminate ferocious animalsSrinagar, July 17: Forest Minis-ter Mian Altaf Wednesday said that Wild Life Department has hired skilled hunters to hunt down the ferocious wild ani-mals. “No one can control wild animals and I appeal people to protect themselves from these ferocious animals,” Mian Altaf said adding that every time Wild Life Department (WLD) can’t be present at the time of incident.He said that people should not every time rely on the Govern-ment. “People are expecting that WLD should always be present on spot and eliminate ferocious animal which is not possible. Whenever we get information in the nick of time, we act and eliminate such man-eaters,” he said.Mian Altaf said people should understand wild animals could not be controlled and there is a need to take protective measures to save themselves from these wild animals. “We have hired skilled hunters and all those man-eaters would be eliminated who would emerge in residential areas and attack people,” he said.

ATM guard turns burglarSrinagar, July 17: Police Wednesday arrested a person for stealing Rs 25 Lakhs from an ATM. The accused according to police sources was himself guarding the ATM of the State Bank of India.Police sources said that few months ago State Bank of India had deputed Ishafaq Ahmed Shah son of Late Abdul Gani resident of Ahangam Beerwa Budgam as a guard for their ATM Branch located at Durga Nag Dalgate.A few days ago Rs 25 Lakhs were found missing from the ATM and it was believed that burglars during the dead of the night might have looted the cash.Ram Munshi Bagh police after getting inputs raided the house of the accused and recovered Rs 22 Lakhs from his possession. The accused during question-ing admitted that he stole cash

See ATM Guard on Pg. 11

CM Chairs DDB Meeting

SRINAGAR, JULY 17:

The Environment Committee of State Legislative Council has called for depart-mental interaction among various depart-ments to have consensus required to face the challenges posed by global warming and climate change in the State.

The Committee which met here Wednesday under the chairmanship of Dr. Bashir Ahmad Shah (Veeri) held threadbare discussions on the impacts of climate change and its impacts on forests and the initiatives being taken by the Government in Jammu and Kash-mir.

Legislators, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Vijay Bakaya, Showkat Hussain Ganai, Syed Muhammad Rafiq Shah and Mu-zaffar Parray attended the meeting.

Besides, Commissioner-Secretary, Agriculture Production, Dr. Asgar Samoon, Commissioner Secretary Rev-enue Sheikh Ejaz Iqbal, Chief of Forest Force and Chairman Pollution Control Board, Vinod Ranjan and senior officers of Forest Department and Legislative

Council also attended the meeting.The Committee observed that there

has been significant improvement in scientific understanding of climate change in the past 20 years. The Com-mittee also observed that glacial melt in the Himalayas is expected to increase flooding, rock avalanches from destabi-lized slopes and affect water resources and decreased river flows as the glaciers recede.

The Committee opined that the State has suffered substantially due to lack of planning to cover environment and deforestation which has caused en-vironmental hazard, especially the nat-ural resources. The Committee was of the view that the State has been blessed with rich natural resources and healthy environment and all out efforts should be made to protect these with the co-ordinated approach and involvement of various stakeholders.

The Forest Department gave a com-prehensive Power Point Presentation on climate change and its impact on forests of the state before the House Committee.

The presentation, inter-alia, touched on the areas of depleting forest cover and its impact on water availability, flora and fauna and the environment. The meeting was informed that in future the temperature is likely to increase, how-ever the State would also experience greater rainfall. The Forest Department is ambitiously targeting covering 66% area with forests as against the present coverage of only 42%.

The Chairman and the Members of the Committee registered their con-cern on depleting forests as also ruth-less felling of trees including Chinars. During the deliberations it was suggest-ed that Horticulture plantation could be encouraged on the wastelands on PPP mode.

Further it was suggested that Ladakh region could be made greener as with the new power projects, the water avail-ability there can be ensured. The Chair-man suggested that inter departmental deliberations are a must to evolve a consensus on future road map for sus-tainable eco-system.

SRINAGAR, JULY 17:

Minister of State for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Nazir Ahmed Gurezi Wednes-day visited various areas of AmiraKadal Constituency which include Mahjoor Nagar, Iqbal Colony, Gulshanpora and Padshahi Bagh and took stock of the problems confronting peo-ple of these areas.

MLA Amira Kadal , Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Engineer, PHE and other senior officers and en-gineers of line departments ac-companied the Minister during the tour.

Interacting with the people, the Minister said that the gov-ernment is already aware about their problems and due consid-eration is being paid to redress them for their convenience. He said work on various micro and mega developmental projects is going –on in the area, adding that some projects of public importance are also in pipeline.

The Minister said that the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is com-mitted to provide all basic amenities to the people of all the three regions of the State. He said that sufficient funds have been ear-marked under PHE sector with the aim to en-

sure adequate drinking water facilities to the people of the state at their doorsteps.

The locals projected demand with main thrust on extending drinking water facility in these areas.

KISHTWAR, JULY 17:

The Minister of state for Industries and Commerce, Home, R&B , MED, HUDD, Tourism and Culture, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo reviewed the drinking water supply sce-nario here Wednesday and asked the concerned functionaries to take ev-ery step to ensure that the people may not suffer due to lack of this essential amenity. Chairing a meet-ing here Wednesday to discuss the remedial mea-sures to overcome the wa-ter scarcity problem in the town, the minister asked the PHE functionaries to expedite the pace of work on the Naigad Water Supply scheme and in the meantime step up the sup-ply of water through tankers in

water stressed areas.Deputy Commissioner, Saleem Mo-hammad, other senior civil and police officers besides promi-nent civil society members, Panchayat representatives and other Social activists attended the meeting.The Minister

asked the district administra-tion to work in coordination to speed up work on core sector projects, including the Water Supply Schemes and creation of supporting infrastructure

to run these schemes.Re-sponding to the points raised by the PHE functionaries, the minister asked the Power De-velopment Department(PDD) to procure transformers and other equipment to ensure uninterrupted working of ex-

isting Water Lift Scheme. He asked the district ad-ministration to use every means at their disposal to ensure adequate and better civic amenities to the people.He reiterated that government was committed to provide safe drinking water in ev-ery area of the state and

asked the concerned officers to understand responsibility and ensure this basic facility to people. He enquired about all the related aspects and prog-ress on Naigad Water Supply.

Asks officers to ensure best

facilities to Am-arnath yatries

JAMMU, JULY 17-

Minister for Tourism, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Wednesday reviewed the pace of progress on various ongoing developmental works besides taking stock of functioning of various depart-ments here at a high level meeting.

Mir, who is here to attend Jammu Summer Secretariat, had a detailed review of essential services includ-ing power, water, irrigation, health, agriculture, and other civic amenities besides various issues concerning the people of the region.

Additional Divisional Commis-sioner, Jammu, R. S. Mehta, Additional District Development Commissioner, Jammu, Rehana Batul, DIG Jammu-Kathua Range, Shakeel A. Beig, VC JDA Satesh Nehru, CE Mech M. P. Shamra, SE PHE Sunil Gupta, SE EM & RE Gur-

bachan Singh, Joint Director Agricul-ture Dr. S. S. Jamwal, CMO Jammu Dr. Javed Chib, Joint Director Education Saif Ali Chouhan, Joint Commissioner Kapil Sharma besides other senior of-ficers of concerned departments at-tended the meeting.

While reviewing power and water scenario in Jammu region, the Minis-ter laid emphasis on maintenance of transmission and distribution system besides repair of damaged conductors, transformers on priority. He directed the PHE department to ensure regular

water supply to the people during the ongoing summer season.

Mir directed PDD authorities to keep close check on power break-downs to avoid inconvenience to the consumers. He called for minimum curtailment of power so that people may not suffer in hot summer. He also directed Irrigation and Flood Control Department to ensure adequate wa-ter supply to the farmers for irrigation of their land.

The Minister asked the executing agencies to complete all the develop-

ment works within stipulated time frame by using quality material, add-ing the Government has resolved to create durable assets to people across the state. He directed all the officers to work with dedication and ensure the essential services are made available to the general public during the ongo-ing summer.

Earlier, the Minister visited Jammu base camp, Yatri Niwas Bhagwati Na-gar and took stock of arrangements made by the district administration for the visiting Shri Amarnathji Ya-

tries.The Minister went round Yatri Ni-

was complex and inspected the lodg-ing and other facilities put in place for the yatries. He impressed upon the concerned officers to make sure that yatries do not face any problem at the Jammu base camp and other stations. He said that the Government is deter-mined to ensure smooth conduct of the annual yatra. He also interacted with the Yatries and enquired them about the facilities being extended to them by the administration.

You probably aren’t going to feel like socializing even though friends want you to go out with them. Your patience could be worn a bit thin, Aries, and you may get annoyed at incidents that normally wouldn’t bother you. This isn’t a good day for group activities or parties. It might be best to get a good workout and then rest. You will feel much better afterward.

Think about bending the rules on Monday. It’s OK to color outside the lines once in a while. “Safety first” should be your catchphrase on Wednesday. Don’t send text messages while driving. Harness the power of your mind on Friday. Visualize achieving a cherished goal. You’ll find the right words to say in any situation when your ruler Mercury turns direct on Saturday.

Money worries might have you more on edge than usual, Cancer. While you may be doing well, you could still be insecure enough to think that your funds might not stretch far enough. Consider the situation objec-tively. You will probably be relieved by what you find. Others’ demands on your time might irritate you more than usual.

More than usual, you’re probably craving solitude today, Leo. Although you may have committed to at-tending a party or get-together, now the idea may seem irritating. You may rather work on some tasks or proj-ects, or you might want to go for a workout and release some of the tension you feel. The latter idea is good. If you exercise early, you might feel like going out later.

Although you’re normally a sociable person who feels most comfortable in the company of others, Virgo, today you may prefer to be alone. You could feel a little under the weather, or you could be stressed from job-related worries. You probably need rest, but you might also benefit from taking a walk to work off some ten-sion, get the endorphins going, and help you feel like yourself again.

You tend to enjoy solitude, Libra, but today you might feel more reclusive than usual. Friends could invite you out, but you aren’t likely to accept the offer. You might even feel a little irritated. This is a great day to work out or throw yourself into your own projects. Your concentration is good and the physical activity will get relieve the stress.

There might be tension in the air for no discernible reason today. Family members might seem preoccu-pied with problems they can’t define. Your natural in-clination could be to try to cheer them up, Scorpio, but it probably won’t work. Don’t be annoyed if they don’t respond. It isn’t them. Blame the planets. This is a great day to jog, take a cardio class.

Some mysterious telephone calls might come your way - wrong numbers or hang-ups. Other people might seem less communicative than usual, Sagittarius, and you may be preoccupied. You might feel a bit more ner-vous than usual, but that should go away if you take a walk or get some other exercise. If you’ve been thinking about doing some writing, this is the day to start.

Confusion over money matters might arise, Capri-corn. You may need to check your records to shed light on past transactions. Don’t worry. All should be well once you ascertain the facts. You might have some in-tense dreams tonight. Write them down. You will want to remember them later, because they might reveal a lot about your current situation.

Confusion over money matters might arise, Capri-corn. You may need to check your records to shed light on past transactions. Don’t worry. All should be well once you ascertain the facts. You might have some in-tense dreams tonight. Write them down. You will want to remember them later, because they might reveal a lot about your current situation.

You might feel a bit tense, Pisces, and you probably won’t understand why. The reason? The planets. You might jump at unexpected noises or take offense where none is intended. Relations with others might be a little strained, necessitating some communication about how you’re feeling. Try to work off the tension by taking a brisk walk or perhaps working out at the gym.

Uptight is the mood for today. You might be the center of attention at some point. While you normally wouldn’t mind, Taurus, today it might make you ner-vous. When everyone looks at you and expects you to say something, say it. Keep it short and then withdraw. You aren’t in the mood. Walk to the library and throw yourself into reading about subjects that interest you

Mir reviews functioning of various departments

Gurezi visits Amira Kadal constituency

Kichloo reviews water supply scenario in Kishtwar

Environment Committee of LC ex-presses concern over losing green cover

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar |thurSday 18 .7 .2013

DDC inaugurates seminar cum awareness

camp on PMEGPSAMBA JULY 17: District Development Commissioner R.K

Varma on Wednesday inaugurated one day seminar cum aware-ness camp, organized by the J&K Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) on Prime Minister‘s Employment Generation Pro-gramme (PMEGP ), at village Gudwal, Viijaypur.

The DDC appreciated the officers and staff of the KVIB for organizing such type of awareness camps to educate the people especially the youth for setting up their own enterprises\income generating units.Addressing the gathering, the DDC called for a change in the mindset of unemployed youth towards entrepre-neurship so that they could become job providers instead of job seekers.He said that such programmes besides encouraging the youth for setting up their income generating units help in devel-oping cordial relationship between the department and the lo-cal people. He directed the concerned officers to create massive awareness about different State and centrally sponsored schemes and stressed upon the Sarpanchs and Panchs to render their ser-vices with utmost zeal and dedication.The DDC further said that local industry holds the required potential to ameliorate unem-ployment from the state and KVIB is under solemn affirmation to provide employment to all the unemployed youths especially those residing in rural areas. He impressed upon officers to ensure that benefit of various development and welfare schemes reach to the real beneficiaries timely. Officers and Experts from different line departments viz. Agriculture, Horticulture, DIC, DRDA, Em-ployment and Bank functionaries created awareness among the youth for setting up their own enterprises.Earlier, District Officer KVIB ,Samba Santosh Saraf presented a resume of activities of the board and elaborated in detail the features of PMEGP.Among oth-ers present were Chief Agriculture Officer Samba, Dr. Riaz from DIC Samba, Anju Thappa Executive Counselor Employment and Counseling Centre M.K Gupta, Director RSETI Samba, district of-ficers besides Sarpanches, Panches, NGOs and locals of the area.

Bakaya chairs DRSC-II meet

Arrangements for Holy Ramadhan reviewed at Bla

SRINAGAR, JULY 17:

The meeting of Departmental Related Standing Committee-II on the function-ing of Consumer Affairs and Public Dis-tribution Department (CA&PD) of the State Legislative Council was held here Wednesday under the Chairmanship of MLC Vijay Bakaya.

The Committee discussed threadbare, supply and distribution system of essen-tial commodities in the State.

Legislators Jehangir Ahmad Mir and Ravinder Kumar Sharma, Secretary CA&PD Mohammad Abbas Dar, Director CA&PD Kashmir Mir Mushtaq Ahmed, Special Secretary CA&PD, besides Spe-cial Secretary Legislative Assembly Mo-hammad Maqbool and senior officers of CA&PD attended the meeting. The legis-

lators gave their valuable suggestions for streamlining the distribution system of essential commodities.

Discussing the supply and distribu-tion of LPG in the State, the meeting was informed that 110 Gas agencies are func-tional in the state out of which 64 are in Jammu division while as 46 in Kashmir division. The meeting was informed that

on persuasion of the State Government, the Oil India Companies hailed setting up of additional 65 Gas agencies on various locations in Jammu and Kashmir. After completing all codal formalities envis-aged under norms of OIC, 14 agencies have been established at various places.

The meeting was informed that the department has in total recommended 172 locations which includes all rural blocks headquarters and additional in Ur-

ban areas. It was given out in the meeting that

the cooking gas is being distributed to the consumers through Home Delivery System from March 31 this year onwards and the facility is being ensured in the major towns besides providing refills to the other rural consumers through point delivery.

The meeting was informed that the department is holding fortnightly meetings with the LPG dealers and the representa-tives of Oil marketing companies for removing bottlenecks, if any in the smooth distribution of LPG. It was also given out in the meeting that the enforcement squads of the CA&PD has been instructed to keep strict vigil on LPG dealers operating in their jurisdiction for ensuring smooth delivery to the consumers and compliance report are sought regularly.

The meeting was informed that ration is being provided to 18.02 lakh families of the state as per the projected population of 2000 census on the aver-age rational norms of 5.52 souls per fam-ily. The State is receiving 63067 mts food grains monthly from Government of India which is being distributed through 5130 number of sale outlets which includes 1523 Government Depots, 3587 Fair Price Shops and 20 Cooperative Societies, the meeting was informed.

BARAMULLA, JULY 17:

With a view to ensure ad-equate arrangements for the holy month of Ramadhan-ul-Mubarak and availability of essential commodities in the market on reasonable rates, a meeting of concerned officers was held under the Chairman-ship of District Development Commissioner, Baramulla here Wednesday. Represen-tatives of Beopar Mandal, Auqaf Islamia and LPG deal-ers were also present in the meeting.It was decided in the meeting that the PDD shall provide uninterrupted power supply to the con-sumers as per the schedule without any curtailment. Assistant Director CA&PD informed that buffer stock of Rice, Atta, Sugar and Kerosene oil including LPG are available with the department.

The Executive Officers of Municipal Committee of Ba-

ramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Tang-marg and Uri were directed to ensure better sanitation ar-rangements in their respective jurisdictions especially at Jamia Masjid, Khankha and Eidgah.

Meanwhile, the Poul-try Officer Baramulla informed the meeting that buffer stock of poultry birds are available besides local producers have established sale centres at all the places of Baramulla town and Tehsil headquarters and assured that the birds avail-able shall be sold at the rate of Rs.95/- per Kg.

The District Develop-ment Commissioner impressed upon CA&PD, Metrology de-partments and all concerned Tehsildars to ensure market checking in their respective ju-risdictions and intensify a drive against traders found involved in illegal trade practices of hoarding and profiteering and take appropriate action against the defaulters under law.

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

THURSDAY | 18 JULY 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

Superfoods every woman must have

Feel younger, stay slim and thwart diseases by including these super-foods in your diet. We brought in experts to tell you what you need to eat, to stay fit and healthy. So, sit back and read on as we give you some important tips that work wonders..

Low fat yoghurtHigh in calcium and protein, low fat yoghurt is ideal for women. Nutritionist Pallavi Srivastava says, "Yoghurt, being an excellent source of calcium, helps fight os-teoporosis. The consumption of yoghurt is also said to decrease the risk of breast cancer, reduce irri-table bowel syndrome, inflamma-tory digestive tract disorders — all of which are common in women." It reduces the risk of stomach ul-cers and vaginal infections.Quantity: 1 bowl every day

Fatty fishFatty fish are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sardines, tuna and mackerel help reduce the risk

of blood clot formation that might occur due to the use of contracep-tive pills. Bariatric surgeon Dr Abhay Agrawal says, "Fatty fish protects against diseases related to the heart, stroke, hypertension, depression, joint pain, rheuma-toid arthritis and reproductive problems, and in some cases even from Alzheimer's disease."Omega-3 helps in optimal brain and vision development of the baby in the case of pregnant or lactating mothers. It is known to boost the level of serotonin, which is a feel-good brain chemical that aids in fighting postpartum de-pression.Quantity - 2 to 3 servings every week

BeansLow in fat and cholesterol; and a good source of protein and fibre, beans fight against heart disease and breast cancer. They are ideal for women who are either affected or have chances of getting colon

cancer. An excellent source of veg-etable protein, they aid women go-ing through menopause.Quantity: 3 to 4 servings every week

Dark chocolateDark chocolates are said to be rich in protective anti-oxidants that help reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. It consists of mag-nesium, manganese, phosphorous and copper zinc, which are im-portant nutrients for maintaining strong bones. Certain studies also suggest that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, sharpens thinking and hydrates the skin. It's the per-fect stressbuster when a woman is PMSing, and it tastes sensual without being high in calories.Quantity: One quarter a day

PapayaAn excellent source of potassium and vitamin C, papaya can offset the potentially harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. A re-search by the US Department of Health and Human Services sug-gests that women are at a higher risk of gallstones than men. So, load up on papaya because it helps combat gallbladder diseases. But pregnant women should refrain from papaya since it acts as a con-traceptive, which can lead to a miscarriage or an abortion.Quantity: 2 slices per day

TomatoesTomatoes contain a powerful anti-oxidant — lycopene, which helps reduce the chances of being affect-ed with breast cancer. Nutrition-ist Mansi Belani says, "Tomatoes are also known to protect from the harmful UV rays of the sun. It helps a woman stay younger and

slimmer."Quantity: 1 tomato every day

SpinachSpinach is known to be one of the best sources of folate which prevents birth defects, heart dis-ease, colon cancer and dementia. Spinach also helps our skin from getting damaged due to heat, and delays wrinkling, fine lines and roughness of the skin with comes with age.Quantity: About 2 to 3 servings a week

BerriesDr Agrawal suggests, "Like wine, berries protect your body with powerful anti-carcinogenic nutri-ents — anthocyans, which are be-lieved to play a role in cell repair." High in vitamin C and folic acid, it is essential for women in their child bearing years. Its powerful anti-oxidant not only protects the heart but also the skin against age-ing. Cranberries are known to have a positive impact on your vision, and to help reduce the chances of urinary tract infections which are common in women of all age groups.Quantity: 3 to 4 servings every week

Whole grainsThe consumption of whole grain helps combat blood pressure and a slow metabolism. Srivastava says, "Swapping refined grains like white bread and rice with whole wheat bread, rice, brown rice and oats will add more fibre to your diet and give you a feeling of fullness with fewer calories." Studies suggest that whole grains help the body retain potassium, which helps in maintaining blood pressure

Fat burning myths bustedWhen it comes to getting healthy or burning fat, you are fed with misinforma-tion all the time. Instead of being misled or discouraged or being confused on whether to believe it or not, here are a few facts on the most com-mon fat-burning myths along with the right tips Myth 1: No time! If scheduling cardio and weight training seems like too much time and effort, try combining the two. The combination of cardio and weight training not only burns calories but saves time as well. This tech-nique called circuit train-ing focuses on resistance training intervals along with intervals of cardio. You can create workout "stations," each featuring a different weight train-ing exercise for a muscle or muscle group. Do each station with a maximum rest period of 30 seconds in between each exercise to keep calorie-burning at its maximum. Myth 2: Long cardio ses-sions work best Even with the best inten-tions, it's not always pos-sible or feasible to exercise for 60 minutes or longer at one time. And if you're looking to drop pounds, it's also not the most effi-cient way. Instead, try intervals, which involves alternating

bouts of intense exercise with less-intense recovery periods. Short, intense exercise bursts burn more calories than working out at the same intensity for the same length of time. The active recovery peri-ods allow for greater in-tensity during the work intervals and, subse-quently, more calories are burned overall. Try the pre-programmed interval training programmes on cardio equipment, or do it yourself by alternat-ing 30 to 60 seconds of vigorous activity with the same amount of easy exertion. Myth 3: You should stay within the fat-burning zone when doing cardio Treadmills and other cardio equipment dis-play colourful charts in-dicating various zones, one of which indicates a 'fat-burning' zone. These

zones refer to the percent-age of fat burned, not the total calories. You burn the highest percentage of fat while you're sleeping. But you're also burning the least number of calo-ries, which is what counts towards body fat loss. Instead, look for ways to burn a greater number of calories over all and the weight and fat will auto-matically drop off. Myth 4: Only cardio leads to faster weight loss The intensity of the workout determines how many additional calories you'll burn. Car-diovascular fitness helps lower body fat by burn-ing more calories while you're exercising, but weight training helps burn more fat and calo-ries even when you're relaxing. The harder the workout, the longer the after-burn effect.

Diabetes: A reason to worry!Diabetes is a very serious ailment and it can cause numerous health compli-cations. When people have diabetes, their bodies fail to produce insulin or pro-duce very little insulin. It is also related to issues like vision problems, high blood pressure, heart ail-ments and strokes. There-fore it is important to know how you can prevent diabetes.Being overweight or being older may predispose you to diabetes. The common reasons for Diabetes to oc-cur are age, family history, ethnicity weight, activity level, smoking, high blood pressure and weight loss."While Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body's immune system destroys the insu-lin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Type 2 dia-betes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all people . It's also known as late-onset diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficien-

cy", informs Dr. Shreepad Khedekar, Specialist in Genetic Chronic Diseases, Imperial Clinics.While Type 1 diabetes can be treated with insulin and control through the use of glucose meters. Type 2 diabetes may be treated by dietary changes, exer-cise and/or tablets. Insulin injections may later be re-quired.There is no cure for dia-betes. Treatment involves medicines, diet, and exer-cise to control blood sugar and prevent symptoms and problemsDr. Shreepad Khedekar, Specialist in Genetic Chronic Diseases, Impe-rial Clinics gives quick tips to control diabetes:Get physicalExercise can help you:Lose weightLower your blood sugarBoosts your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal rangeResearch shows that both aerobic exercise and re-sistance training can help

control diabetes, but the greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.Get plenty of fiberIt's rough, it's tough — and it may help you:Reduce your risk of dia-betes by improving your blood sugar controlLower your risk of heart diseasePromote weight loss by helping you feel fullFoods high in fiber in-clude fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.Go for whole grainsAlthough it's not clear why, whole grains

may reduce your risk of diabetes and help main-tain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and many cereals. Look for the word "whole" on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.Lose extra weightIf you're overweight, dia-betes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Ev-ery pound you lose can im-prove your health.

With its origins in ancient religious and spiritual traditions, meditation is a widely used mind-body practice used even today, to complement medical procedures and treat-ments. Although, used mostly for relaxation and stress re-duction, meditation-based therapy is increasingly offered in medical cen-ters and clinics today to manage pain and reduce anxiety prior to surgeries. Surprised? Recent studies have shown that frequent practice of meditation can lead to significant control of pain. Read on to know how meditation alters your pain perception and quells pain even better than some of the most powerful drugs. Meditation and common forms The term meditation re-fers to a set of techniques wherein a person minimiz-es the activity of the mind without altering the level of alertness. Broadly, the

technique has been cat-egorized under five basic categories: Mantra meditation This comprises the Tran-scendental Meditation techniques, Clinically Stan-dardized Meditation and Relaxation Response. In this process, by repeatedly using a sound or phrase, a person focuses to achieve a state of perfect conscious-ness. Mindfulness meditation This form of meditation involves focusing on what you experience while per-forming the technique like the very flow of your breath. Yoga Here, a person attempts to achieve a state of calm-ness by combining bodily postures with controlled breathing. Tai-Chi - A form of Chinese martial arts, the technique is performed using self-paced series of movements in a slow-graceful manner along with deep breathing. Qi gong - This involves a combination of medita-

tion, breathing exercise, relaxation and physical movements. Meditation and pain man-agement: In the past, med-itation has been explored extensively for its effects on stress reduction and other similar clinical functions. However, researchers have now identified another sig-nificant health benefit of the technique that suggests that it is actually possible to overcome debilitating pain with the help of medi-tation. What's more, some of these studies have also suggested that the pain-relieving effects of medita-tion might be even more effective than morphine. Back in April, 2011, a study by the researchers at the Wake Forest Baptist Medi-cal Center indicated that a person can attain at least 40 per ent decrease in pain intensity and 57 per cent in pain unpleasant-ness merely by practicing these techniques regularly. This decrease in pain was found to be much higher

than with morphine or other pain-relieving drugs. With the help of mag-netic resonance imaging, the brain activity of study participants after medita-tion demonstrated how the technique increased the activity of certain areas which are responsible for pain perception. Despite such findings, sci-entists were unable to as-certain the actual mecha-nism of this phenomenon until now. According to a recent research published at the Brain Research Bul-letin, investigators from Harvard, MIT and Massa-chusetts General Hospital have identified a possible answer. They suggested that the explanation prob-ably lies in alpha waves manipulation in the brain. Furthermore, they ex-plained that by practicing the techniques of mindful-ness meditation for a peri-od of eight-weeks or above, you will be able to control the activity of these brain waves.

Scientists may have hit upon an effective way to block asthma attacks by identifying the two most significant biological trig-gers that bring them on. Researchers from the Universities of California-San Francisco (UCSF), Johns Hopkins and Duke universities demonstrate that these two triggers for asthma are tied to a spe-cific calcium-activated chloride channel, called TMEM16A. They regulate airway secre-tions and smooth muscle contraction, the two major factors linked with asthma attacks, according to the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences". "Maybe if we could inhibit both of these processes by blocking this one channel, we could affect the two symptoms of asthma," said senior study author Jason Rock, assistant professor of anatomy at UCSF. Asthma, a respiratory dis-order that causes short-

ness of breath, coughing and chest discomfort, re-sults from changes in the airways that lead to the lungs. It affects 18.7 million adults and 7.0 million children in the US alone, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Normally, humans have few mucus-producing cells. Those suffering from asthma, however, have an elevated number of these cells lining the tubes that lead to the lungs. "The overabundance of mucus plugging the air-

ways combined with hyper-contractility of the smooth muscle - when the tubes get really small - make it difficult to move air in or out," Rock said. "A lot of people equate that feeling with breathing through a straw." Rock and colleagues fo-cused on a calcium-activat-ed chloride channel called TMEM16A. This channel secretes chloride ions, be-sides regulating biological processes such as neuron firing, gastrointestinal ac-tivity and the secretion of sweat and tears.

Facts about fad dietsDieting is an age old way to lose weight but is fad diet the best way to lose those extra pounds?When you want to lose weight fast there is just one question on your mind... What works fast? Many of us are struggling to lose weight fast. Many of us want to shed those extra pounds so that we look and feel good for that spe-cial function or occasion and we want to fit into our old denims or that skimpy dress we saw in the mall. If any of these cases are true then we go on a spree to find that perfect diet plan that works wonders for us. It can be confusing in today's weight loss world to find that perfect prod-uct or that diet plan that works fast.One of the most common diet plans are the fad diets. These kinds of diets are all over the place with things such as detox diet, grapefruit diet and cabbage soup diet which promise instant weight loss. So if you need to lose

weight fast in a short span of time then yes these diet plans work fast. But their long term effect is not very good to lose a lot of weight in a short span of time. Loosing too much weight too quickly can affect your health by putting a lot of stress on your internal or-gans. Then there is also the case where you lose weight rather quickly only to re-alize that you've put it all back on. This happens because when you finish with your fad diet you go back to your old eating habits that

caused the weight gain in the first place. So, it is much better to lose weight in the long term by following a healthy and varied meal plan.Fad diets have a lot of negative drawbacks also. So, if you decide to go on a fad diet on a short term basis in order to shed a few pounds then be ready for some serious medical con-ditions. These diets have been known to cause some nasty side effects such as head-aches, diarrhea and dizzy spells.

Healthy foods to fight blood pressure

Here are a few items that you should stock up to re-duce your blood pressure levelsFighting blood pres-sure and sugar levels while craving for food might be a difficult job.Here a few food items that can help you lower your blood pres-sure levels and keep it at a normal level.Spinach - Spinach is load-ed with magnesium and also contains potassium which are key ingredients for lowering and maintain-ing healthy blood pressure levels. So add more greens

to your daily dish and en-joy a healthy life minus all the pressure.Dark chocolate - Well, this certainly does not mean that you binge upon choc-olate. But it is found that eating about 25-30 calories a day (flavanols are pres-ent in dark chocolates) can lower the blood pressure levels in your body.Skimed milk - It provides calcium, potassium and Vitamin D which together help in reducing blood pressure levels and keep your body healthy.

NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARThursday, July 18, 2013 Kashmir Thunder

Tuesday 25 . 06 . 2013

Ishrat Jahan case: MoS Home dismisses reports of IB-CBI clash

New Delhi: A day af-ter Union Home Minis-ter Sushil Kumar Shinde chose to stay quiet on Ishrat Jahan’s alleged terror links, the Min-ister of State in Home Ministry, RPN Singh, has dismissed reports of infighting between the Intelligence Bureau and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“I think it’s playing out more in the press. I think the CBI and IB are premier institutions of this country and politi-cal parties and people in the press should not try to dismantle the kind of premier institu-tions they have been. They are very serious organisations and they are not mud slinging at each other, but I think it continues to be played out in the newspapers

and television chan-nels when there is not even an iota of truth in what you’re trying to portray,” Singh replied when asked if the Ish-rat Jahan case has vi-tiated the atmosphere and it seems the IB and CBI are fighting against each other.

Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old Mumbai col-lege student, was alleg-edly killed by Gujarat police in a fake encoun-ter in 2004 along with three other people.

Earlier, Congress General Secretary and spokesperson Digvijaya Singh had asked the Home Ministry to set the record straight on wheth-er Ishrat was involved in terror related activities as claimed by Headley.

The Home Ministry had submitted two con-

trasting affidavits on Ishrat’s alleged terror links between 2009 and 2012. There is also confu-sion on a leaked portion of an NIA report submit-ted to the Home Ministry on whether Ishrat knew other alleged terrorists and their involvement in terror related activities.

The encounter kill-ings of four people Ishrat

and three men - Pranesh Pillai (alias Javed Gulam Sheikh), Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar took place on an empty road stretch between Ahmeda-bad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat. On June 11, 2004, Ishrat left for Na-shik with Javed. It’s not known how she came to Gujarat on June 15 when she was killed with Pil-

lai, Rana and Johar.According to the CBI

chargesheet filed in an Ahmedabad court on July 3, the four were killed in a fake encounter. Accord-ing to the chargesheet Ishrat Jahan and three others were kept in ille-gal confinement, put on tranquilizer before they were killed in cold blood on June 15, 2004.

Supreme Court turns down plea to reduce juvenile age

from 18 to 16 yearsNew Delhi: The Su-

preme Court has refused to reduce the age for be-ing considered juvenile to 16 years and has said that even those accused of hei-nous crimes, but below 18 years of age, will continue to be tried by a juvenile board under the Juvenile Justice Act, and not by a regular trial court.

The top court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an advocate seeking an amendment to the exist-ing Juvenile law to allow those below 18 to be pun-ished under regular law if they are charged with serious crimes.

“We uphold the pro-visions of Juvenile Act. Interference is not neces-sary,” said a bench head-ed by Chief Justice Alta-mas Kabir.

The petition was filed

after the brutal gang-rape and mur-der of a 23-year-old medical student in a moving bus in Delhi in December last year.

One of the six men accused of the horrific crime was a minor when the incident happened. He has been tried by the juvenile board and if found guilty, faces a maximum punish-ment of three years in a correction home.

The student’s family has demanded equal pun-ishment for the juvenile and the adults accused - they want them handed the death penalty. The po-lice have alleged that the minor was the “most bru-tal” of the six accused.

The horrific assault triggered massive public protests and a debate on

whether the age for be-ing considered a juvenile should be brought down to ensure that the minor was tried along with the adult accused.

The Justice Verma commission set up to suggest changes to make laws on rape more tough, too had refuse to propose that the age of a juvenile be brought down.

The Juvenile Justice Board hearing the Delhi gang-rape case is expect-ed to deliver its verdict on the role of the accused minor next week.

Pirates hijack oil tanker with 24 Indian crew off Gabon coast

MUMBAI: An oil-chemical tanker with an all Indian crew of 24 has been hijacked off the coast of the West African na-tion Gabon, officials said here today.

MV Cotton, the Malta-flagged vessel, was taken over by suspected pirates 15 miles off the Gentil Port between 0100 hrs and 0200 hrs local time yesterday, a statement from V Ships, the crew man-ager for the vessel owned by a Turkish company, told PTI.

The 2007-built ship was awaiting berthing in the Gulf of Guinea at the time of the hijack, they said. The vessel has a gross tonnage of 23,248 tonne and is 184 meter long.

Officials at the Directorate General of Shipping confirmed the incident but said they are awaiting further details.

Information on the cargo which the ship was carrying and the voyage de-tails were not immediately available.

Company officials did not confirm if any demand for ransom has been made by the suspected sea brigands.

“Safety is the absolute priority of V-Ships and every effort is being made to secure the safe return of the crew,” the statement said.

Company officials informed the Turkish government and the Navy as well as other agencies and embassies about the hijack, it said.

According to experts, the waters off the coast of the African nation are not known to be pirate-infested even though there have been some stray in-cidents off the coast of Nigeria.

Indian general slashed in ‘Amritsar revenge attack’

So far, more than 80,000 people have been evacu-ated to safety.Stranded people wait for their turn to be rescued by a heli-copter after heavy rains in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. - ReutersIn the wake of the worst natural disaster in the country this year, Uttara-khand still lies wounded from the devastating floods and landslides that occured in the past week.The entire country suffered a huge loss as pilgrims from all over were visiting the worst af-fected Badrinath and Kedarnath areas.The Indian Armed Forces (IAF) has put to use some of the best military skill-sets to great effect in the flash-flood affected zones of Uttarakhand and rescued hundreds of fatigued and exhausted stranded tourists almost seven days after the tragedy struck the Kedar Valley.The Army on Sunday evacuated all 1000 stranded pilgrims in the mountain folds around Jungle Chatti in Kedar Valley.

The progressive effort of the IAF for 'Óp Rahat' shows a total of 1088 sorties flown, 8222 persons airlifted and about 1,48,550

kg load dropped /landed.The state's disaster man-agement and mitigation minister Yashpal Arya Ut-tarakhand denied reports that quoted him as saying that he feared the toll was nearly 5,000. “The enor-mity of disaster is so big that the toll could be more than the present figure. However, the picture is

likely to be more clear in the coming days” he said.* More than 500 people are stuck at Gaurikund, but efforts to bring them back to safety had to be aborted following heavy rains in the region, an army official said. Eight choppers of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were pulled back from rescue opera-tions following heavy rains and inclement weather in Devprayag, which made flying dangerous and at places impossible.

Owing to heavy rains water levels have once again risen in Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers in the Rudraprayag region. Other parts in the state, including Pithoragarh, Nainital, Champawat, Udhamsinghnagar and Hald-wani, have also received widespread rains on Monday.

Ninety Nine pistols meant for crimi-nals seized by police, two arrested

In a major catch, the Delhi Police has seized 99 pistols meant for various criminal gangs operating in and around the national capital.

Two men--one identified by his second name Mishra and Firoz Alam--were arrest-ed from Sonia Vihar area here last evening along with the cache of weapons con-cealed in the car used by them, a senior police officer said tody.

“The pistols were kept in cav-ities created behind the head-lights of the car. The weapons were made in Bihar’s Munger district. The two arrested per-sons also hail from the same dis-trict,” he said.

Munger has lately emerged

as the hub of contraband weap-ons in the country, with pistols manufactured in the illegal fac-tories there even founding their way to Indian Mujahideen ter-rorists, police sources said.

Earlier, investigators had recovered illegal weapons made in Munger from the five persons arrested in connection with Pune blasts. They had alleg-

edly told the police that they had bought the weapons from Munger.

On terrorists going for country-made weapons, an official had claimed, “A coun-try-made pistol manufactured in Munger was as good as a sophisticated one.”

According to him, 130 pis-tols made in Munger were seized by the Delhi Police last

year while the figure for this year stands at about 60.

Costing somewhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000, there is a demand for Munger weapons in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Mad-hya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, the national capi-tal and adjoining areas and Ban-gladesh.

Was a mistake to align with Congress for 2011 polls: Mamata Banerjee

However, the Trinamool broke up with the Congress in September last year and the two parties are contesting the rural body elections separately.Stressing she had made a mistake by going with the Congress in the 2011 West Bengal Assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday attacked the Congress for “colluding” with the CPI-M to defeat her Trinamool Con-gress in the ongoing panchayat elections.

“It was a mistake to tie up with the Con-gress in the assembly polls two years back. We would have got 293 of the 294 seats had we not joined hands with the Congress,” Banerjee, the Trinamool supremo, said at a panchayat poll rally in Amta of South 24 Parganas district.

The Trinamool-Congress-Socialist Uni-ty Centre of India (Communist) combine won 227 seats in the 2011 polls to oust the

Left Front, which had been ruling the state since 1977.However, the Trinamool broke up with the Congress in September last year and the two parties are contesting the rural body elections separately.

Banerjee, who started off her political

career with the Congress, said she had left the party “out of shame” in 1998 and formed the Trinamool.

“I had left the Congress out of shame as its leaders were working as the agents of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Had I not done so, the CPI-M would have never lost power in the state,” she said.Coming down heavily on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance central government, she decried the regular hike in prices of petroleum products.Claiming that the Congress always used the Central Bureau of Investigation to silence those protesting against its policies, Banerjee challenged it to rope in all “central agen-cies against me”.“Even if nobody protests against the central government’s policies, I shall single-handedly raise my voice,” she asserted.

Given injection by rickshaw-puller, baby dies in Uttar Pradesh hospitalBallia, Uttar Pradesh: At an

understaffed government hos-pital in Uttar Pradesh, people are at the mercy of untrained sweepers and rickshaw pull-ers - a shocking state of affairs exposed after a baby died on Tuesday, moments after be-ing administered an injection by a rickshaw puller.

The seven-month-old baby, Ajay, died in the emergency ward of the Balia district hospital in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where sweepers and a rickshaw puller are bizarre-ly asked to fill in for tasks meant only for trained medi-cal professionals.Little Ajay was critical and suffering from septicemia. The surgeon treating him had recommend-ed a dose of a life-saving drug “Primacord” and asked the pharmacist to administer it.

Instead, the pharmacist allegedly passed on the job to Raju, a rickshaw puller usual-ly at the hospital for odd jobs

like ferrying bodies.The rickshaw puller is

seen injecting a child in dis-turbing TV visuals. Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Ahmed Hasan told NDTV that a high level probe has been ordered. “It is a very unfortu-nate incident,” he said.This is the same hospital, where last year, a sweeper was caught on camera stitching up the wounds of a child. The doc-tor on duty at the emergency ward had been suspended at the time.The Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospi-tal, KP Singh, denied that the visuals were of the same baby

who died, but did not deny the shocking fact that a rickshaw puller was giving injections, which may have caused the baby’s death.“We are inves-tigating what happened. The baby, suffering from measles for days, was admitted on Monday.

He was referred to the IMS hospital at Banaras Hindu University, but his parents brought him to our emer-gency ward when he became extremely critical”, Mr Singh said.The hospital is short of at least 80 doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, hardly any justification, however, for such criminal negligence.

The district magistrate has also started a probe, but there have been no arrests so far, not even a case registered.

The rickshaw puller, who has been jailed in the past for petty theft, told reporters that he had been coming to the hospital for 15-20 years.

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet expansion tomorrow

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Min-ister Akhilesh Ya-dav will expand his cabinet tomorrow, official sources said today.

"Preparations for cabinet expansion have started at Raj Bhawan and it will he held tomorrow," a senior official told PTI.

With removal of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya and Raja Ram Pandey from the cabinet earlier, four seats are now vacant in the cabinet.

There are presently 56 ministers in the cabinet and the number could go upto 60.

While Raja Bhaiya resigned after his name cropped up in Kunda Deputy SP Zia-ul-Haq murder case, Mr Pandey was axed after he allegedly made sexist remarks against a woman officer in Sultanpur.

According to party sources, two state ministers could be elevated to cabinet ministers, while speculations are rife about re-entry of Raja Bhaiya in the cabinet.

Meanwhile, SP is holding a meeting of party MLAs, office bearers and Lok Sabha candidates to review poll preparedness and approve name of ministers.

BS Bassi to take over as Delhi Police chief on August 1

New Delhi: Bhim Sain Bassi, the special commis-sioner of police in charge of administration, will be the new chief of Delhi Police. He will succeed Neeraj Ku-mar who retires July 31.

Bassi, 57, will take over Aug 1, according to a home ministry order issued Tues-day. A 1977 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Ter-ritories (AGMUT) cadre, Bassi was the front-runner for the post. He previously headed the Delhi Traffic Police and was also Goa's director general of police.He has also been the special commissioner (vigilance), joint commissioner (south-ern range) and additional commissioner (northern range). Among those who were considered contend-ers for the post were Kan-waljit Deol, who is now with the National Human

Rights Commission, Direc-tor General (Prisons) Vi-mla Mehra, and 1977 batch IPS officer Ajay Chaddha.

Neeraj Kumar, a 1976 batch IPS officer, took charge of Delhi Police from BK Gupta on July 1 last year.His biggest challenge followed the December 2012 gang rape of a young woman that unleashed un-precedented mass protests

in the capital. The woman died in Singapore.

Delhi Police came un-der widespread criticism after the gang rape. All the suspects in the case were arrested.After the Decem-ber incident, and again following the rape of a five-year-old girl in April this year, there were demands for Neeraj Kumar's resig-nation.

Coal scam: SC allows CBI to remove tainted Vivek

Dutt from probe teamNew Delhi: The

Supreme Court has allowed the central bureau of Investigation to remove former Chief Investigat-ing Officer Vivek Dutt from its probe team in the coal scam. This came after the CBI filed a chargesheet on

Tuesday which named Dutt, who is currently in judicial custody in a corruption case.

Dutt was caught taking a bribe of Rs 15 lakh on May 17. A CBI team nabbed him in an operation that was per-sonally supervised by the agency's director Ranjit Sinha.

The CBI had said that a businessman, Dinesh Gupta, had a land dispute and a cheating case was registered against him at Amar Colony police station in New Delhi and Dutt used to pressurise the Delhi Police officials, who were investigating the cheating case, to quash the FIR and for this he had demanded Rs 15 lakh from Gupta.

CBI investigating officer Vivek Dutt was caught tak-ing a bribe of Rs 15 lakh on May 17.

Dutt had, however, claimed innocence and alleged a conspiracy has been hatched to keep him out of the Supreme Court-monitored coalgate probe team.