Jammu, July 11:

Army's Northern Com-mand Headquarters has floated tenders for the purchase of six Border Surveillance Management Systems (BSMS) for deployment in Jammu and Kash-mir. "A surveillance system is required which can cater to Indian Army's peacetime require-ments, both during day and night," said the Request for Pro-posal (RFP) document released recently by Northern Command's First Field Ordnance Depot.

The move comes in the light of increased at-tempts at infiltration across the Line of Con-trol ( LoC) in J-K in re-cent months. The border area al-ready has in place a strong surveillance mechanism, includ-ing three-tier fencing, flood-lighting, sensors, thermal imagers and manual patrolling, and the BSMS is only ex-pected to enhance the Army's anti-infiltration capabilities. As per specifications, the BSMS set-up must be simple, yet able to provide inputs any time

See BSMS on Pg. 11

Jammu, July 11:

BJP on Thursday demanded a mechanism to account for utilisa-tion of central funds given to Jam-mu and Kashmir government for development of the state. BJP National Executive member and state party spokesperson Ji-tendra Singh demanded that the government must come out with precise details to prove its claim that central funds were being al-located equitably among the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. "There is a popular perception that central funds are being cal-

lously swindled or misused by the powers-that-be on the pretext of militancy which has, ironically, according to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, declined, which is why he is demanding revocation of AF-SPA," Singh said here. "There ought to be a mechanism in place to account for the utilisa-tion by the state government of this liberal financial assistance flowing into J&K from the Centre every year," Singh said. He was reacting to the plan size for the state which was finalised after a meeting between the Chief Minister and Planning Commis-sion Deputy Chairman Montek

Singh Ahluwalia recently. Singh said although the approved plan size per se for the state was Rs 7,300 crore for 2013-14, there was an additional Rs 3,500 crore expected to flow in for various centrally- sponsored schemes. Besides, Rs 710 crore would be available from the central plan for Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana projects and Rs 600 crore for PMRP (state sector) ventures. Hence, the total plan assistance from the Centre to the state is expected to be about 12,110 crore during the current fiscal, he said. Singh said the NC-led coalition

See BJP on Pg. 11

Srinagar, July 11:

District Magistrate Sri-nagar has imposed a com-plete ban on sale of ciga-rettes and other tobacco products within 100 yards of all hospitals in the Dis-trict, in the interest of pa-tient care. Medical Super-intendents of all hospitals have been directed to en-sure implementation of

See Ban on Pg. 11

Ban on sale of tobacco

outside hospitals

Government orders time

bound inquirySrinagar, July 11:

A wooden building housing of-fices of several departments in the campus of Civil Secretariat was gutted in a mysterious dev-astating fire on Thursday morn-ing.

Eyewitnesses said that the fire emanated from the building at

9:10 am and within no time en-gulfed the whole building hous-ing departments of Higher Edu-cation, Cooperative, Science and Technology, Accounts and Trea-suries and Gujjar and Bakerwal

Advisory Board.SP Security Civil Secretariat Maqsood-ul-Zaman said that preliminarily investigations re-vealed that short circuit caused the fire. “Investigations are on

and FIR has been lodged. We sealed the scene of the crime till the Forensic Sciences Labora-tory (FSL) experts took the sam-ples,” he said.

See Fire on Pg. 11

Shahana

Srinagar, July 11: The Assembly elections slated to be held in 2014 will not be an easy going for all ma-jor political parties in J&K. Gone are the days when people used to be swayed away by hollow slogans and false promises. Gone are the days when all the blames were being at-tributed to the central government to hide the failures of the state play-ers. Gone are the days when people used to be carried away by the slo-gans of safeguarding dignity and honour of Kashmiris and opening up of Rawalpindi Road and so on. Now the people judge every political party and individual on the basis of his performance and fulfillment of his promises. In J&K, there are four major parties which count in the political arena. Indian National Congress (INC) which is heading the coalition at the

centre and a partner in the state has lost the lead role in J&K due to the withdrawal of support by PDP to Gh-ulam Nabi Azad and subsequent anti incumbency vote guided by commu-nal passion in Jammu region. The Amarnath Land Row became the main reason for its debacle because the people of Jammu enmass voted in favour of BJP reducing the con-gress tally from 28 to 17. Now this party will try its best to regain its lost glory in the coming elections, on the basis of what it did in the state on the developmental scene and also in rebuilding the basic infrastructure which had been destroyed during the last three decades.The second largest party at the cen-tral level BJP has hardly anything in its kitty of achievements. It will not be a force to reckon with as the party has disintegrated in the state and seven of its members stand ex-pelled from the party. The party

cannot be written off totally because it can still create problems with its old mantras of a separate state for Jammu and revocation of Article 370. As far as National Conference and PDP are concerned, they are the major players and will leave no stone unturned to grab the power. If National Conference has not much to boast during the last over four years, it has still deep roots in elder generation and also in Srinagar city and some other pockets, where it can prove very tough for its opponents. The party has failed on major fronts like tackling of unemployment prob-lem, power supply, and developmen-tal scenario besides its political en-deavors which will be discussed in the coming articles. As far as PDP is concerned, it has gained strong grounds in south Kashmir and some areas of North Kashmir. Though like National Conference, this party has also nothing much to show, still

its political overtures can cause heavy damage to other three parties. However, the recent change of tune by National Conference, speaking similar language as that of PDP can render PDP less effective as it main-ly depends on revocation of AFSPA, withdrawal of army and softening of boarders. The National Conference is using the same turf to keep PDP at a bay.Now let us discuss the performance and prospects of these parties in details which will give us an idea about their standings. As National Conference is heading the coalition govt. in the state, it will be perti-nent to elaborate on what this party promised in its election manifesto of 2008, its achievements both politi-cal and developmental and also its future prospects. The first promise, the party made in its election mani-festo was overall development of the state, because the party thought

that the vote of the people is for de-velopment whereas political issues should be addressed politically in-volving all stake holders. Despite its tall promises, nothing concrete seems to have been achieved and the non utilization of funds provided by the central govt. delays in complet-ing the projects, depleting condi-tions of roads, work on snail’s pace on PMGSY projects is ample proof of its failures beside unprecedented power cuts never seen by the people in earlier govts. The second promise of providing employment to thousands of edu-cated youths has also remained con-fined to announcements despite the launch of Sher-e- Kashmir Employ-ment Guarantee Scheme. Here it is worth mentioning that Chief Min-ister Omar Abdullah has without any doubt been a clean man with a vision to take the state forward but

See Elections on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

FriDAY July 12 | 2013 | 02 ramzan 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | iSSUE NO: 167 | rS: 2/- (Air SUrCHArGE FOr JAMMU /DELHi/LEH 50 PAiSA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Mysterious fire in Civil Secretariat

Srinagar, July 11:

With recent census indi-cating drastic decrease in child sex ratio, Chief Min-ister Omar Abdullah on Thursday termed as worri-some the female foeticide in Jammu and Kashmir and called for need to reverse the trend. Speaking at a function host-ed by Madar-e-Meherban Education Institution at Gulab Bagh in outskirts of here, the Chief Minister said that it was strange in a society like Kashmir where girls and women have al-ways received highest re-spect and love. He called upon the civil

society to play their impor-tant role in reversing the alarming trend.Jammu and Kashmir is

only behind Haryana and Punjab in child sex ration in 0 to 6 years age group. The state was better off with 963 females in 1981 and it gradually dropped to 941

females in 2001, dipping fur-ther to 862 females in 2011.The trend has raised ques-tions regarding the official claims about crackdown on prenatal sex determination tests and female foeticide in the state.Omar also paid rich trib-utes to Madar-e-Meherban Begum Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on her 13th death anniversary.He said that her endeavour for women empowerment and skill development at the time when its significance was in oblivion and speaks louder and clear of her vi-sion for holistic welfare of the society.

See Omar on Pg. 11

Female foeticide worrisome: Omar

Srinagar, July 11:

The holy month of Rama-dan started here today as Muslims thronged mosques for morning prayers after beginning their day-long fast.According to Muslim faith, Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, rep-resents the 30-day period of fasting during which those who engage in prayer and penance are pardoned by Allah.In summer capital Sri-nagar, all the eateries in-cluding hotels, restaurants, tea-stalls and dhabas re-mained closed since morn-ing and markets and streets witnessed less traffic move-ment.Locals engaged in hectic buying of fruits, juices, foodstuffs Wednesday to stock for the holy month during which Muslims find less time for shopping due to religious engagements.The most sought after fruit

in the markets Thursday are dates which come here from different parts of the country and also the Middle East.Due to middle class afflu-ence, which is a relatively recent phenomenon in Kashmir, many people are buying dates from Saudi Arabia, fruit juices and jams from multi-national companies and even the im-ported brands.“I have bought black berry jam, Saudi dates and some fruit juices and milk creams for the family. These things are needed at ‘Iftaar’ time when the day-long fast is broken,” said a shopper at one of Srinagar’s high end departmental stores.Even the less privileged lo-cals spend comparatively more during this month to provide nourishment to their families.“One has to spend a little more during this month on fruits, juices and food

See ramadan on Pg. 11

Amid prayer and penance, Ramadan begins in Kashmir

Of 2014 Assembly Elections – where do political parties stand?

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Srinagar, July 11:

A day after Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary dis-missed suggestions that it was making any compromise with national in-terests due to coali-tion compulsions in Jammu and Kashmir, ruling National Conference Ad-ditional General Secretary Dr Mustafa Kamal hit back at Congress saying Delhi

can’t keep Kashmir by force always.“One lakh people in Kash-mir have died for dignity.

New Delhi should understand that without restoration of autonomy, situa-tion won’t improve in J&K,” Kamal said.Saying that the rea-son for resurgence

of militancy in Kashmir is Delhi’s stubborn approach, he said, “Till how long they

See Kamal on Pg. 11

Kamal hits back at Renuka Chowdhary

BJP demands mechanism to show funds' utilisation

Wooden building gutted, records destroyed

Srinagar, July 11:

A local court here on Thurs-day framed murder charges against a Dutchman, ac-cused of killing an English woman Sarah Elizabeth Groves here in April this year.Principal Sessions Judge Srinagar Muhammad Shafi Khan framed the charge after the Dutchman plead-ed not guilty, one of the counsels representing the accused advocate Ahsan-ul-Haq said. Advocate Haq actually assists the Su-preme Court lawyer Shilpi Jain in the case on behalf of the accused.

Last month, English ver-sion of charge sheet was provided to the accused after his counsel moved an application, stating neither she nor the person she was representing is conversant with Urdu, the official lan-guage of the state. On April 6, a British wom-an tourist was found mur-dered in a houseboat in Dal lake and police arrested a Dutch national Richard De-Wit, saying he was involved in the killing. After an FIR (40/2013) under section 302 of RPC was registered in police station Ram Munshi Bagh, Srinagar, Police

See Charges on Pg. 11

BSMS to keep eye on LoC in JK

British woman’s killing: Court frames charges

against Dutchman

‘Delhi can’t keep Kashmir by force always’

Srinagar, July 11: A major fire broke out at Zamzam Complex, housing about a dozen of the State Government offices, in Rambagh area of uptown Sri-nagar, on Thursday evening.Fire tenders rushed for firefight-ing immediately after Police and Fire Services departments

See Hotel on Pg. 11

Fire engulfs Zamzam Hotel

Hepatitis B Breaks in LolabKupwara, July 11: Hepatitis B broke out in Kaker Village of this North Kashmir district with more than 50 persons including five family members complaining of symptoms of the disease.Reports said that more than 50 persons suffered from Hepatitis B in Kaker Village, Lolab in frontier district of Kupwara. The residents blame polluted drinking water from Nalla, which is the main source of drinking water to dozens of villages in the area, for the outbreak of the disease.“The reoccurrence of Hepatitis B cases is common in the area,” Muhammad Sultan a resident said whose relative also felt victim to this disease.When contacted Block Medi-cal Officer Sogam, Dr Farooq Qureshi said that a team of doc-tors led by him have rushed to the village for mass screening. “One of the affected families had been diagnosed under Hepatitis B at SKIMS Soura,” he said.The BMO said we have already taken blood samples of about 100 persons from the area for tests which are expected to be completed within two days. “The infection is blood-borne and can spread through in-fected needles and unsafe blood transfusion. So the medical team is conducting awareness program to prevent the spread of infection,” he said.He said the situation was “under control” and people did not need to panic. “As per the patients, they have taken con-taminated water flowing in the area from a nearby jungle.”

Mysterious gas causes fire Srinagar, July 11: Fire tenders were pressed into service when a mysterious gas emanating while digging a bore well in Lal-pora, Kupwara on Thursday.Fire tenders had to be called when a mysterious gas emanat-ing while digging a bore well at Wani Mohallah Diver, Lalpora caught fire. The workers of the bore well machine managed to move to safer place. No one was hurt in the incident.A police statement said that the fire has been brought under control.

Kashmir Youth Missing in MumbaiSrinagar, July 11: A young man Parvaiz Ahmed Teli from Qa-lamdan pora Nawab Baazar is missing from Mumbai. He had travelled to the place on July 2, 2013 and was reportedly seen by some known person waiting for the bus. He had reportedly been duped of all the cash. Now from July 6, there is no trace of the person.Intizamia Committee Masjid Sharief Qalamdan Pora has ap-pealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene in the matter as the missing young man has an ailing mother at home waiting for his return.

Six injured in road mishapsSrinagar, July 11: A Santro car bearing registration number JK09/4790 collided with a motorcycle bearing registration number JK03/9373 at Shumnag, Kupwara in the jurisdiction of Police station Trehgam, Kupwara, resulting in injuries to motorcyclist Bashir Ahmad Sheikh son of Abdul Gaffer resident of Dard Hari, Kral-pora. The injured was shifted to SKIMS, Soura for treatment. Trehgam Police has registered a case in this regard.Meanwhile, a Tata 407 passen-ger vehicle bearing registration number Jk04/1534 met with an accident at Baghat, in the jurisdiction of Police station Sadder, resulting in injuries to four school children and the conductor of the vehicle. All the injured were shifted

See injured on Pg. 11

SRINAGAR, JULY 11:

Naveed Atiq had recently completed his degree in Hos-pitality and Hotel Manage-ment (H&GA) from Institute of Hotel Management Srina-gar. Naveed a hardworking and brilliant student got his placement in a Seven Star Hotel Oberoi, Udaipur (Ra-jasthan) and joined his job on 13th of previous month.

Naveed on July 10 (Wednesday) along with his associates went to Badi Lake, 22 Kms. from Udaipur for picnic. While swim-ming in the lake, Naveed drowned and despite ef-forts by his colleagues and others could not be saved. Thus he remained in his job for only 27 days.

Naveed was the son of Mohi-ud-din Reshi, former Editor of famed Kashmiri

Publication of Department of Information & Public Rela-tions, Aalov, and a prominent writer of the State.

Several personali-ties and organizations have expressed their grief over the demise of Naveed Atiq and shared their sympathies with the bereaved family.

Member, J&K Public Ser-vice Commission, K. B. Jan-dial, Director, Information, Zaffar Ahmad and Secretary, Cultural Academy, Khalid Bashir Ahmad visited Reshi and consoled the family members.

Authorities of Oberoi Hotel Management and the State Administration called the divers and experts from local army unit to fish out his dead body and in the late hours the dead body of Nav-eed was fished out, which is expected to be airlifted to his

home town tomorrow, after completing legal formalities by the local police.

The staff of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages have condoled the sudden demise of the youngest son of Mohi ud din Reshi.

A condolence meet-ing was held at the Academy office here during which the participants expressed deep shock and grief over the tragedy befalling Reshi and conveyed their heartfelt condolences to him and the bereaved family.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Secretary Academy, Khalid Bashir Ahmad, Additional Secretary, Kashmir, Dr. A. S. Aman, Chief Editor Urdu, M. A. Tak and officers and of-ficials of the Kashmiri Sec-tion.

SRINAGAR, JULY 11:

Describing Nursing a no-ble profession, the Minister for Forests, Ecology and Envi-ronment, Mian Altaf Ahmad has asked the nurses to work with dedication and render their services wholeheartedly in mitigating the suf-ferings of the needy approaching them for medical aid.

The Minister was addressing at a con-cluding day of 3-Day Seminar and Ist An-nual Day function of Madr-e-Meharban College of Nursing SKIMS, Srinagar held at SKIMS auditorium today.

The theme of the seminar

was “Application of Nursing Theories in Education Re-search and Practice” aimed to update and supplement the knowledge of Nursing

Students towards theoretical background of nursing and its application in field.

Director SKIMS, Dr. Showkat Ahmad Zargar,

Dean of Medical Faculty Prof. Khurshid Iqbal, Principal of the College, Munira Bashir, besides other senior doctors of the hospital were present

on the occasion.Dr. Showkat

Ahmad Zargar, Prof Khurshid Iqbal also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the role of nurses and the medicare facilities being extended to the people coming to the institute.

P r i n c i p a l , Muneera Regu

delivered welcome address while Perkash Kour present-ed vote of thanks

College Souvenir was also released on the occasion.

Her vision for women empower-

ment, skill development remarkable

SRINAGAR, JULY 11

Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Thursday paid rich tributes to Madar-e-Meherban Begum Sheikh Moham-mad Abdullah on her 13th Death An-niversary and said that her endeavour for women empowerment and skill development at the time when its significance was in oblivion, speaks louder and clear of her vision for ho-listic welfare of the society.

“Presently we all talk ve-hemently on these issues and special focus is on women empowerment and skill development in the Coun-try”, he said and added that Begum Akbar Jahan was the founder of these important initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir. “She founded Miskeen Bagh Women Welfare and Skills Develop-

ment Centre more than 30 years back and launched various drives for em-powerment of women and develop-ment of children particularly belong-ing to weaker sections of the society”, Omar said and referred to the sincere efforts of Madar-e-Meherban to uni-versalize education and upgradation of skills in women. He also referred to the work done by her for the develop-

ment of children and downtrodden sections of the society.

Speaking at a function at Madar-e-Meherban Education Institution at Gulab Bagh after offering fateh and laying floral wreath at the grave of Begum Sher-i-Kashmir at Hazratbal, the Chief Minister said that be-sides the laudable political role, Madar-e-Meherban is known for her stupendous efforts to empower women and help holistic de-velopment of children particularly of weaker sections.

“In fact Late Begum Sher-i-Kashmir’s role as a great social worker gets often eclipsed under the political responsibility she had to render in ab-sence of Late Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, which is in it-self a historic memorabilia”, he said and added that after one studies the life sketch of Madar-e-Meherban one finds that the title of ‘Kind Mother’

given to her by common masses befits her for extra-ordinary social work and generosity extends by her to people in general and to women and children particularly.

Omar Abdullah said that his close association with his grand-mother (Begum Sher-i-Kashmir) has in fact exposed him to political arena in his childhood. “I used to be with her in political functions and at pub-lic meetings she addressed during her campaigning in the Parliament Elec-tion she contested from Anantnag in 1980’s. I am witness to the love and wholehearted support she received from the women, men and children from all sections of the society as their beloved Madar-e-Meherban”, he said.

Omar Abdullah said that Madar-e-Meherban filled Sher-i-Kashmir’s vision of Naya Kashmir with colour by working for universalization of education especially among the girls and weaker sections. He said that her vision for women education and empowerment is being translated in to reality. “One feels hearty when one finds 50 percent enrolment of girls in degree colleges”, he said maintaining that development of women is more significant to develop a robust and de-

veloped society. However, the Chief Minister

drew the attention of people towards the alarming report of female foeti-cide and said that this serious and un-fortunate happening in a society like Kashmir where girls and women have always received highest respect and love, looks strange and worrisome. He called upon the civil society to play their important role in reversing this trend.

The Chief Minister appre-ciated Madar-e-Meherban Education Institute for imparting education to the students of weaker sections and also lauded the locals for their sup-port to the Institution and said that the government support for such philanthropic institutions will be forthcoming.

The renowned author and former Deputy Chairman Legislative Council, M. Y. Taing presented a pa-per on the life and struggle of Begum Sher-i-Kashmir. He said the title of Madar-e-Meherban given to Begum Akbar Jahan by the common people was in recognition of her extra-ordi-nary social work for the society and extending compassion to the sufferers during the freedom struggle.

A disagreement with a friend or family member could cause confusion and hurt feelings if it isn’t nipped in the bud. Communication is the key, Aries. Avert mis-understanding by explaining in detail exactly what it is you need or what you’re prepared to give. Don’t assume everyone knows this already. Do this in person if you can. Phone or email might not be as effective.

Plans to get together with a close friend or roman-tic partner might go awry due to circumstances beyond your control, Gemini. Sudden events could necessitate being out of touch. You might have to face delays when you’re trying to make arrangements. Don’t give up - you will reach your goal but just a little later than you’d hoped.

A member of your household has perhaps been withholding some negative emotions for a long time. He or she may finally let loose with everything today. This could prove disconcerting, Cancer, as you probably had no idea this was going on. Some honest talk is definitely in order. Try to show that you understand. All should be fine in the end.

An unexpected and perhaps unwelcome call or email from a co-worker might mean you have to work some extra hours, Leo. This could be frustrating. You may feel that someone is taking unfair advantage of you. If you aren’t up to doing it, say no. This won’t affect your long-term standing with this person. Otherwise, grit your teeth, dig in, and think of it as a favor.

You may have been saving up for something you really wanted, Virgo, when an unexpected expense compels you to spend some of your savings. This could cause some gloom. Make sure you’ve exhausted all of your other options before digging into your nest egg. Appearances could be deceiving. There could be other resources at your disposal that you didn’t immediately think of.

Some hidden problems in your house could sud-denly appear, Libra. This could involve plumbing, elec-tricity, or the walls. Repairs are definitely indicated. It’s best if you see to them right away rather than wait. The problem will only escalate if neglected. It’s probably bet-ter to call in professionals than to try to do it yourself. Things like this are a drag, but they happen.

Some strange communications could come your way today, Scorpio. Hang-ups or blank emails could have you wondering who the person is and what they want from you. This is probably due more to problems with phone lines or Internet connections than to any-thing else, so don’t waste time worrying. If you think you know who’s trying to reach you.

A group you’re affiliated with could find some dis-crepancies in their financial records and ask you to check into it, Sagittarius. This is probably due more to mistaken entries or lost pages than to any major disas-ter, but solving it will set everyone’s mind at ease. Don’t be surprised if you have to dig through little scraps of paper buried in the bottom of files.

Secrets that someone close has been trying to keep hidden could come out today, Capricorn. This may or may not be something Earthshaking, but either way, some quick damage control might prevent them from becoming common knowledge. The people around you are more understanding than you know, so express how you feel. By tomorrow it should be old news.

Some strange news concerning friends who live far away could come to you secondhand today, Aquarius. Attempts to reach the people in question may prove fruitless, at least now. Withhold judgment about what you hear until you talk to your friends, as much of what is passed on to you is likely to be misinformation. To-morrow you should have better luck reaching them.

Some rather unsettling insights into a friend’s thoughts and feelings could come to you today. Your intuition is keener than usual, Pisces, so trust your in-stincts about everyone, even strangers. Disconcerting though it may be, the experience will increase your un-derstanding of others and enable you to deal with them in the right way.

Plans to get some long-neglected tasks done around the house or yard may be interrupted by a phone call from someone dear who lives far away. You might be so excited by the call that you are no longer in the right frame of mind to finish your work once the conversa-tion ends. Don’t worry. You can always get the tasks done later.

Madar-e-Meherban was a great social activist: Omar

RKJ Advisory Com-mittee meeting held

Mohi ud Din Reshi bereaved, son Naveed drowned to death at Udaipur

1st Annual College Day

Mian Altaf asks Nurses to work with dedication

SRINAGAR, JULY 11:

Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand Thursday impressed upon officers of School Education Department to strictly adhere to the instructions issued by Ad-ministrative department for ensuring smooth functioning of educa-tional institutions of the State or otherwise face disciplinary action under rules for showing derelic-tion in performing their routine duties. Deputy Chief Minister was addressing a State level offi-cers meeting of school education department today, convened to review the pace of school map-ping in RMSA and SSA, availabil-ity of teacher posts, pace of filling up vacancies, transfers of teachers and up-gradation of schools.Minister of State for School Education, Mr Feroz Ahmed Khan was also present on the occasion.

Secretary School Education, Mr Hird-esh kumar, Director, School Education, Mr Mir Tariq Ali, Director, School Education, Jammu, Mr P. R. Pole, State Project Director, SSA, S. C. Sahni, Director, RMSA, H. A. Par-ray, CEO’s, ZEO’s and other senior officers

of school education attended the meeting. Reviewing the issue related to

school mapping, Deputy Chief Minister directed for completion of the task within a week’s period, so that the required infor-mation is forwarded to union Government well in time. Tara Chand appreciated CEO

Anantnag for completing school mapping of the district in stipulated time frame and asked other CEO’s to do the same by ob-taining guidance from Administrative de-partment as well as CEO Anantnag.

Deputy Chief Minister took serious note of the transfers of teachers ordered by a number of CEO’s on their own and directed the erring officers to explain their position for deviation of Government or-

der in this behalf.In order to ensure availability of teach-

ers in all the schools of the State and to provide proper teaching facilities, Deputy Chief Minister ordered all the CEO’s to identify posts of teachers under the RBA and ALC category in their districts, so that

the process of recruitment against such vacancies is taken up on war footing basis.He also took review of the pace of upgradation of various schools and sought details from concerned officers.On this occa-sion, the meeting was informed that under civil works of SSA, 3243 Primary School building, 578 Mid-dle School building, 4869 ACR’s, 40 BRC’s, 213 CRC’s, 38 KGBVs, 117 boundary walls and 1286 Ramps

were constructed and completed in Kash-mir Division.Similarly, under the opening up and upgradation of school schemes un-der SSA, 2976 new schools were opened, 2696 Primary Schools upgraded to Middle School and 1302 EGS Centres elevated into Primary Schools, besides 5870 RET’s were engaged in newly opened schools, 5253 in new Middle Schools and 2564 in Primary Schools.

JAMMU, JULY 11:

The Programme Advisory Committee of Radio Kashmir Jammu (RKJ) has stressed the need to broadcast more In-formation based Programmes on potential hazards which are disturbing the Environ-ment side along with the entertainment based pro-grammes.

The Advisory Commit-tee meeting held under the Chairmanship of Ms Anjali Sharma, Station Head, delib-erated upon the Programmes to be scheduled during the following three months besides reviewing the Pro-grammes b’cast during the last three months.

Those meeting was at-tended by Prof Rita Jiten-dra, Major General (Retd) Goverdhan Singh Jamwal, Dr Taran Singh, Sh Shiv Dutt Sharma, Dr Namrata Gupta, Sh Sailesh Raina, Engg Head, Ms Smita Sethi, Joint Director Information, Jammu, Mr Ravi

Magotra, Mr T.R.Magotra, Ms Renu Raina and Mr K.K.Lidhoo.

The Meeting was informed that the Studio Complex of the station was being refurbished and would be ready soon.

The Engineering Head informed that a new DRM Transmitter to replace the existing 300 K.Watt Xtr is in the offering. It was informed that huge archive material including Music and Spoken word would be repackaged from the station. Currently a programme ‘Hamare Sangreh Se’ is already being broadcast. The members suggested to record New Plays, Light Mu-sic, Folk Music and Classical Music for quality originations from the station.

The Joint Director Infor-mation stressed the need for Scheduling Programmes on Voter awareness, the Flagship and Development Schemes of the State and the Central government.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar |friday 12 .7 .2013

Dy CM reviews pace of School mapping, vacancies & upgradation of schools

Sadhotra reviews ongoing, pro-posed mega projects for JammuJAMMU, JULY 11-

Minister for Planning, Labour & Employment De-partment Ajay Sadhotra on Thursday convened a high level meeting of officers and reviewed the pace of progress on various ongoing and pro-posed mega projects in Jam-mu region.The meeting was attended by senior officers of all developmental depart-ments, besides the divisional and district administration functionaries.The Minister re-viewed and sought detailed status report on the Sewerage projects Jammu, Moderniza-tion of Ranbir Canal, Extension of Ravi Tawi Canal, Seed Mul-tiplication Centre Chakrohi, progress on the second phase of 4th Bridge on Tawi, Four lan-ing of Satwari-Kunjwani Road, Convention Centre Jammu, Legislative Complex Jammu, Sidhra Golf Course, Develop-ment of Tawi Front, Conserva-tion/restoration of Mubarak Mandi, Jammu Ropeway proj-ect, Construction of barrage at Sidhra, R-APDRP Project, In-dustrial Estates Jammu, Super

Specialty Hospital Jammu and New 200-bedded Maternity Hospital at Jammu.The Min-ister also sought the details about the proposed projects like Multi storey Parking at Bus Stand, Lifting of water

from Chenab River, Ropeway Project from Mubarak Mandi to Bahu Fort and others.The Minister discussed in detail the status of work on these Mega projects and asked the concerned departments to remove bottlenecks if any to ensure time bound comple-tion.He asked for expediting the procedure for seeking all clearance wherever required for the construction of Rope-

way Project from Mubarak Mandi to Bahu Fort.The Min-ister stressed that different agencies involved in the de-velopment projects should coordinate their working to avoid delay in the completion

of the projects.Among others, Principal Secretary Planning B. R. Sharma, Divisional Com-missioner Jammu Pardeep Gupta, Deputy Commissioner Jammu A. K. Sahu, Director Area Planning Shabir Ahmad Bhat, Director CSS, S.S. Jam-wal, Director Planning A. K. Gandotra, CEO ERA Saurabh Bhagat, VC JDA Satesh Nehru, Commissioner JMC K L. Khaju-ria, CE R&B, S. T. Mustafa.

Bla College gets access to 8000 E-books, 5000 E-journals

BARAMULLA, JULY 11:-

Development and advance-ment of education system in the State is the prime concern of present coalition Govern-ment and every possible step is being taken for providing quality and innovative educa-tion so that students are able to prove their capability at na-tional and global level compe-titions besides inculcate sense of responsibility and leadership qualities.This was stated by the Minister for Higher Education, Mohammad Akbar Lone while addressing a gathering after inaugurating Commerce and Computer Application blocks, Library Automation System and Auditorium of Govern-ment Degree College (Boys) Baramulla.The Minister an-nounced providing additional Rs 40 lacs for the upgradation of new blocks besides directed the District Administration for the acquisition of 13 kanals land for the college which is within the college premises.

Lone said that steps are being taken on war footing for the upgradation of college

infrastructure besides inno-vative and quality education in higher education system across the State.The Minis-ter urged upon all the college heads and faculty members to utilise their experience and skills for the exploitation of the potential of the students so that they can exhibit their tal-ent in all the spheres of life and lead the State to new horizons of success and prosperity.Lone underscored the importance of extra-curricular activities and modern electronic revolution and said such things are nec-essary to achieve success in all fields of life. He also enjoined upon colleges to maintain dis-cipline and regular attendance of students and staff strictly.While appreciating the efforts of the College management, the Minister hailed the overall development of the college and urged upon the college au-thorities to keep up the tempo of achievements so that digni-ty of this prestigious college is maintained.The Minister also released college News Bulle-tin Glimpses on the occasion.Earlier the Principal of the Col-

lege, Prof Irshad Ahmad Wani gave a resume of the college activities and highlighted the achievements of the college through a PowerPoint presen-tation. He said with the estab-lishment of Commerce and Computer blocks the college would be able to provide BCA and BBA courses to the stu-dents with satisfaction. He said by the Automation of College library 8000 electronic books and 5000 E- journals have been made available online for the facility of students and they can take benefit of huge information at their home.On the occasion various cultural programs ath-letics events were presented by the college students which were highly applauded by the audi-ence. The Minister announces Rs 20,000 cash prize for the two participant groups of these programmes.Deputy Commis-sioner Baramulla, G A Khawaja, Director Colleges, Dr Nalini Kohli, Principals from various colleges of the district, S P Ba-ramulla, Zubair Khan, eminent citizens, staff and large number of students of the college were present on the occasion.

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

FRIDAY | 12 JULY 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

Exercise keeps body and mind healthy

Exercise is not just good for physi-cal health, but it can also boost our mental health, say experts.Now, a new study has explored psychosocial factors that may help to explain connection be-tween physical activity and mental health.Karin Monshouwer of the Trimbos Institute in the Nether-lands and colleagues at Trimbos and VU University Medical Cen-ter specifically wanted to examine two existing explanations for the link between exercise and mental health.The self-image hypothesis suggests that physical activity has positive effects on body weight and body structure, leading to positive feedback from peers and improved self-image, and ultimately im-proving mental health.The social interaction hypothesis, on the oth-er hand, holds that it's the social aspects of physical activity - such as social relationships and mutual support among team members - that contribute to the positive ef-fects of exercise on mental health.Monshouwer and her colleagues surveyed over 7000 Dutch stu-dents, ages 11 to 16. The adoles-cents completed validated surveys aimed at assessing their physical

activity, mental health problems, body weight perception, and par-ticipation in organized sports.The researchers also gathered data on the adolescents' age, gender, and socioeconomic status; wheth-er they lived at home with their parents; and whether they lived in an urban area.The researchers found that ado-lescents who were physically inac-tive or who perceived their bodies as either "too fat" or "too thin" were at greater risk for both inter-nalizing problems (e.g., depres-sion, anxiety) and externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, sub-stance abuse). Adolescents who participated in organized sports, on the other hand, were at lower risk for mental health problems.Confirming both the self-image hypothesis and the social inter-action hypothesis, adolescents' body weight perception (i.e., "too heavy," "good," or "too thin") and sports club membership each par-tially accounted for the relation-ship between physical activity and mental health, even after taking adolescents' backgrounds into ac-count.These results suggested that certain psychosocial factors - body

image and social interaction - may help to explain at least part of the connection between physical ac-tivity and mental health. The re-searchers acknowledge, however, that other factors, such as the physiological effects of exercise, are probably also at work."We think that these findings are important for policymakers and anyone who works in healthcare or prevention. Our findings indi-cate that physical activity may be

one effective tool for the preven-tion of mental health problems in adolescence," said Monshouwer.Monshouwer and her colleagues hope that future studies will be able to examine similar questions while following participants over time. Such longitudinal studies could help researchers to under-stand how physical activity type and context might influence the relationship between exercise and mental health.

Did you know that walking not only helps you to lose weight but also prevent di-abetes and breast cancer? Read on to know the health benefits of walking. Walking is said to be a great exercise which has proven to be an excellent fat burner. If you walk at a steady pace for 30 to 45 minutes at least six days a week along with a healthy diet, you will gradually witness a change in your weight. There are several benefits of walking. Some of them are as follows-

Walking regularly at a good speed improves your mus-cle strength and endur-ance and also helps build stamina. It is good for your heart. Walking is known to reduce your blood pres-sure, improve your blood circulation and all round cardio vascular functions. Walking is said to be good for your bones. It is a great way to strengthen your bones. Walking about 30 minutes a day increases your bone density and slows down bone loss in your legs. This low-impact exercise

is also said to target your spine, legs and hips. It pro-motes mental well-being. Known as a great stress-buster, if you walk outdoors, the combination of fresh air and exercise is an excellent way to boost your morale and mood. Helps prevent type 2 diabe-tes. Studies have revealed that walking approximately 150 minutes per week can reduce the risk of diabetes. Reduces the risk of colon and breast cancer. Last but not the least, walking is said to be safer than running.

Deep sleep turns on puberty

Slow-wave sleep or 'deep sleep' is intimately involved in the complex control of the onset of puberty, a new study has suggested. The many changes that oc-cur in boys and girls dur-ing puberty are triggered by changes in the brain. Previous studies have shown that the parts of the brain that control puberty first become active dur-ing sleep, but the present

study shows that it is deep sleep, rather than sleep in general, that is associated with this activity. "If the parts of the brain that activate the repro-ductive system depend on deep sleep, then we need to be concerned that inad-equate or disturbed sleep in children and young ado-lescents may interfere with normal pubertal matura-tion," Natalie Shaw, lead

researcher from Harvard, said. "This is particularly true for children who have been diagnosed with sleep disorders, but may also have more widespread im-plications as recent studies have found that most ado-lescents get less sleep than they require," she said. In the study, research-ers examined pulses of luteinizing hormone (LH)

secretion in relation to specific sleep stages in children ages 9-15. LH is essential for reproduction and triggers ovulation in females and stimulates the production of testosterone in males. They found that the major-ity of LH pulses that occur after sleep are preceded by deep sleep suggesting that deep sleep is intimately in-volved in pubertal onset.

Green benefits of fruits and veggies

Fruits and vegetables give you high nutrition and low calories. They have enor-mous therapeutic value with their rich nutritional composition, high fibre and water content and boost immunity, improve stamina and protect us from several health prob-lems.Research shows di-ets containing substantial amounts of varied veg-etables and fruits reduce chances of cancer by 20 per cent and of stroke and cardio vascular disease by 60 per cent.Helps in weight management Be-

ing low in calories and fat content and high in fibre, micronutrients and an-tioxidants with a high satiety value, they help in weight management. They work as fillers and can be treated as free foods with the exception of potatoes, sweet pota-toes, jimikand and arbi, which must be used in moderation.Keeps BP in controlOwing to their high po-tassium and low sodium content, intake of fruits and vegetables is recom-mended for BP patients.

4 Foods for a raging libido

If you feel that your relationship is turning from deeply-in-love to boring, it isn't because you want to make it dull.The reason is that you simply find yourself in no mood for romance. Grab these foods to spice up your relation-ship and sex life.The reasons for a lacking libido can range from too many things on your to-do list and working too many hours to your hormones being out of whack. This is where food plays a role. Here are four delicious items you can work into your diet that will increase your libido, and help you work out of your clothes...

1. WatermelonCoined 'the new Via-gra', watermelon con-tains citrulline, an amino acid that relax-es blood vessels there-

by increasing your sex drive.

2. AparagusAsparagus is high in the B vitamin folate that helps increase your production of histamine. Histamine is important for in-creasing the sex drive in men and women.

3. AvocadosLoaded with potas-sium, avocados boost libido for both sexes. And they're rich in fo-lic acid that provides energy and stamina - both of which are important once your libido is restored.

4. ChilliesIf you like it hot and spicy, this one will bring a smile on your face! Chillies contain capsaicin, a chemical which also increases blood flow and triggers the release of mood-en-hancing endorphins that naturally pump up your libido.

Top 10 exercises to boost your brain powerYou keep your body active by doing regular workouts. Similarly, your mind also requires certain brain fit-ness workouts that can help your mind process information more quickly. This increases your abil-ity to perform multiple tasks at the same time.To help you achieve this, you will find simple but effective brain train-ing games and exercises such as solv-ing math problems to achieve great-er mind fitness. Include this brain stretching exercise in your daily rou-tine to get boost your brain power. Here are the top 10 daily brain exer-cises that can help you stay mentally sharp at any age. Art projects: Art is a great source of exercise for your brain, as it helps to boost that part of the brain that works without words and can only express itself non-verbally. Art requires you to be creative, use fine motor skills, and think analytically. Hence, art encourages the brain to think out of the box, and trains your brain to think on different planes. All this while being fun as well. Expand your vocabulary Learn new words, sign up for news-letters, read articles closely, and list out words that you are not familiar with. This technique will help you out-smart the conversation with your boss, as well as sharpen your memo-ry, by increasing your vocabulary.

Use your non-dominant hand While doing basic tasks which re-quire no concentration, try using the non-dominant hand; say if you are right-handed, try using your left hand to eat, brush etc. This activity will require extreme at-tention, and you will find yourself focusing on completing these simple tasks.

Do your own math For your daily calculation, do not use calculators. Instead, opt for the old fashioned mental math. As we grow older, it gets difficult to do even the normal math in our heads and we opt for calculators. It's better not to take the help of the calculator, and do math in your head. This is a very common way to

keep your brain active. If you are not good at calculations, then put in som practicez Listen to your favourite song again and again If you like a specific song, keep listen-ing to it over and over again as this will help your brain memorize the lyrics and after some time you will know the lyrics of the entire song.

This activity will help your brain boost its memorizing power. Multi tasking is good for you Performing activities like working at the computer, putting your little sis-ter to sleep, listening to music, solv-ing math etc - all at the same time, requires a lot of attention. All these are simple basic activities, which can be done together; but, dis-

tractions can cause confusion. Prac-tise multi tasking simple tasks so that it increases your concentration levels. Study a foreign language The advantage of learning a new language is that it is a great source of exercise for the mind and it's a great way to boost your professional career as well. Further, people who have knowledge of foreign languages are always in great professional de-mand. Besides, studying something new always keeps your brain busy. Skip GPS - Opt for maps Thanks to new technology, reach-ing an unknown destination has become very easy. However, we are becoming too dependent on these technologies as we are losing our mind's power of analysis. We need to stop letting these gadgets do all our tasks for us, and use maps instead. This utilizes your imagination and analytical skills. Use a brain training video game When you are free or when you have nothing to do, engage in playing video games. Not all video games are brainless. Some video games like Halo, would require lots of reason-ing and thinking. Engaging in play-ing games like this or even solving Sudoku puzzles will help your brain power develop. Avoid using a shop-ping list Always shopping with a list in hand is a simple job. The real task begins when you memorize all the things in your head and then do the shopping.

NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARFriday, July 12 ,2013

Kashmir ThunderThursday 11 . 07. 2013

Congress paranoid about Narendra Modi: BJP

Claiming that relief kits worth Rs 12 crore loaded in a train were sent by Modi government for affected people in the wake of the tragedy in Uttarakhand, the BJP leader said not a single state government functionary has talked about it till date.

BJP today accused Congress of being para-noid about Narendra Modi, saying if it had not been so, the party-led government in Uttara-khand would not have “systematically hidden” facts about the assistance offered by Gujarat for the relief of disaster-hit people.“I cannot under-stand why the Congress is so paranoid about Modi. After all it is this paranoia which did not let Bahuguna government talk openly about the generous amount of help offered by Modi for the flood-hit people of the state,” BJP national secretary Trivendra Singh Rawat told reporters here.

Claiming that relief kits worth Rs 12 crore loaded in a train were sent by Modi government for affected people in the wake of the tragedy in

Uttarakhand, the BJP leader said not a single state government functionary has talked about it till date.

Why shouldn’t they talk openly about assis-tance offered by Gujarat the way they talk about other states, he asked.

“Not only that, a team from Gujarat having expertise in extricating bodies from debris, which had come to Dehradun on the invitation of the state government to lend a helping hand in removal of debris at Kedarnath, was sent back without its services being taken.

“This shows the state government wants to systematically hide every fact which has the po-tential of going in favour of Modi,” Rawat said.

Terming the package of Rs 1000 crore given by the Centre for relief in Uttarakhand as abso-lutely inadequate, the BJP leader said over Rs 20,000 crore will have to be spent on reconstruc-tion work in the devastated state.

He also demanded that the Uttarakhand trag-edy be declared a national calamity by the Cen-tre considering its magnitude and the pan-Indi-an nature of the disaster in which thousands of pilgrims from all over the country perished.

Congress backs Chandy, says Left conspiring against him

NEW DELHI, JULY 10:

In a bid to end specu-lation over leadership change in Kerala, the Congress made it clear on Wednesday that it was not going to give in to pressure from the Op-position to remove Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.However, the party High Command is looking at various options to change the “image” of the Gov-ernment, which has been caught in contro-versies following some arrests in the solar scam case.

Four persons, including an associate of Chandy, are under arrest in the cheating case, where a number of consumers lost money after investing in Team Solar, a fraud company said to be engaged in sell-ing solar panels.

The party said there was no basis in the corruption allegations against Chandy.

Party spokesperson Renuka Chowd-hary said the Opposition Left Democratic

Front (LDF) was conspiring against the Chief Minister.

“He has a spotless image. The investigations are going on. To condemn someone who has a spotless character for so many years, is very demean-ing,” Chowdhary told report-ers here.

AICC General Secretary Ajay Maken maintained that the party backed the Chief Minister.“Chandy has a long history of unblemished public life. The Left should wait for the SIT probe to be completed,” Maken added.In an indi-cation that the Congress High Command was not in favour of any discussions on the leadership change, a group of MLAs from Kerala were denied an appointment with top Congress leaders. The MLAs wanted to “apprise” the leadership that the image of the Government and the party had been hit due to endless controversies.The ruling coalition, the United Demo-cratic Front, enjoys a majority of just two MLAs in the Assembly.

Allahabad High Court stays caste-based rallies throughout Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday stayed with immediate ef-fect caste-based rallies throughout Uttar Pradesh, while issuing notices to central and state governments, EC and four ma-jor political parties.

“We stay caste-based rallies through-out the state of UP,” the Lucknow bench of the Court comprising justices Uma Nath Singh and Mahendra Dayal said on a PIL filed by a local lawyer Motilal Yadav.

The ruling comes in the backdrop of the BSP recently organising Brahmin Bhaichara Sammelan in 40 districts of the state, including one addressed by party supremo Mayawati at Lucknow.

SP too had organised a similar event in Lucknow recently besides a Muslim Sam-melan.

The court also issued notices to Con-gress, BJP, BSP and SP.

The litigant submitted that there was a spurt of caste-based political rallies in the state.He said politi-cal parties were organising caste-based rallies in the name of different castes like Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya etc.

Yadav submitted that while such events were causing damage to social unity and harmony, they were also vitiating the so-ciety which was against the spirit of the Constitution.

On behalf of the state gov-ernment, additional advo-cate general Bulbul Godiyal appeared before the court.

The centre, state government, ECI, Congress, BJP, SP and BSP have been made respondents in the PIL.

Maoists attack local Congress leader Matsya Raju in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: A local Congress leader and a former sarpanch were allegedly attacked by the Maoists, po-lice said on Thursday.

Some Maoists and militia mem-bers went to the house of local Con-gress leader and former zila parishad

territorial constituency mem-ber Matsya Raju at Devarpalli village in the GK Veedhi man-dal Wednesday night.

They allegedly beat him up and damaged the house before looting some articles from there.

The number of ultras who attacked the leader was yet to be ascertained, he said.

The Maoists also beat up former sarpanch of Mangala-palem village, Babu Rao, last night, the police official said adding that the reason for the

attack was not yet known. Maoists are said to have threat-

ened the Congress leaders in the agency area of GK Veedhi mandal not to participate in the panchayat elec-tions, scheduled later this month.

Delhi gang-rape case: Verdict for uvenile accused on July 25

New Delhi: A verdict on the role of the juvenile accused in the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student on a mov-ing bus in Delhi on Decem-ber 16 last year, is now ex-pected two weeks later, on July 25.

Today the Juvenile Jus-tice Board gave order on a second case against the accused - that of allegedly robbing a carpenter on the same day as the gang rape. The carpenter had boarded the private bus some time before the stu-dent and a friend accom-panying her did and had alleged that he was robbed and thrown out of the ve-hicle.

Today’s order was served in sealed cover

and the board has barred the media from writing about or airing its verdict in both cases. Verdict on whether the accused, who was a minor in December and turned 18 last month, will be convicted or not for rape and murder among other charges, will be given on July 25.student’s fam-ily, which was in the court-room today, was extremely disappointed. As they pre-

pared to leave for the board office this morning, her fa-ther had said, “Three years punishment is not enough. Now that the juvenile is 18, he should be treated like the rest. We want nothing but the death sentence for all six accused, including the juvenile.” (Read)

According to law, if found guilty, the maxi-mum sentence the juve-nile faces today is three years in a correctional facility or special home, including the time he has already spent in custody. More lenient punishment could mean being admon-ished and asked to partic-ipate in community ser-vice or being put under the care of his parents or a probation officer.

Whatever the verdict, his name and role in the crime will remain perma-nently sealed. The crime will also not reflect when he seeks employment in the future.The sentence is likely to cause further out-rage in a country attempt-ing to turn a rising tide of violence against women and which has passed a new law toughening sen-tences for adults convicted of sex crimes.

The trial of four adult suspects continues but is expected to wrap up in the next few months, with the men facing a possible death sentence if convicted of rape and murder.

The fifth adult, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in jail.

Ishrat Jahan's family alleges threat to their lives

Mumbai: The family of Ishrat Ja-han, who was killed by the Gujarat Police in 2004, today alleged threat to their lives.

"At 2:30 in the night, someone knocked on our door, when we asked them six-seven times who they were, they said they were policemen, they kept telling us to open the door. You tell us in which law is it written that police came come to your house at 2:30 in the night and force you to open the door, we are being threatened in ev-ery way possible, we don't feel safe," they said while addressing a press conference in Mumbai.

They also claimed that wherever they go, there are cars following them. The family's lawyer, Vrinda Grover, has written to the govern-ment alleging threat.Even the Maha-rashtra DGP in the past had said he is ready to give security to Ishrat's fam-ily. Last month when Ishrat's mother and uncle were en route from Guja-rat to Mumbai, someone had opened

fired on their car.The Home Ministry says they will provide security to the family. "If we get a request from Ish-rat's family, we will give security," said Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. Ishrat and her friend Javed Shaikh, alias Pranesh Pillai and two Pakistani nationals Amjadali Akba-rali Rana and Zeeshan Johar, were killed near Ahmedabad by a team of Gujarat Crime

Branch officials on June 15, 2004.The CBI which filed its first

chargesheet in the case last week,

claims that Ishrat, a 19-year-old col-lege student, was shot dead in a staged encounter in "cold blood." The agency said the killing was a joint operation between the Gujarat Police and the state's Intelligence Bureau.

Seven policemen have been ac-cused of charges that include con-spiracy, murder, and destruction of evidence. They include top officers DG Vanzara, already in jail, and PP Pande, who is absconding.

The CBI also said that it will fur-ther investigate the alleged roles of Rajendra Kumar, who was then the Gujarat station chief of the Intelli-gence Bureau and three other officers from his agency.

The state police has said that the Intelligence Bureau had warned that Ishrat and the others were planning to assassinate the chief minister. But the CBI says the four people were ille-gally confined at three different farm-houses for days before the encounter on June 15, 2004 .

Son of cop who probed 26/11 attack shoots himself with father's gun

A 21-year-old man, son of a police officer who was part of the 26/11attack probe team, alleg-edly committed suicide by shoot-ing himself at the family’s Tilak Nagar residence around 7.15am on Wednesday. The deceased, Tejas Sawant, used his father’s service pistol to end his life, the police said.

The night before, Tejas had sent a text message to two of his friends from his cell phone which read: “One day no more, forever”.

Wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, Tejas’s parents and younger sis-ter found him sprawled on the blood-splattered floor of their two-bedroom flat on the eighth floor. They had rushed out of their rooms on hearing a loud thud (the gunshot).

Tejas, who was sleeping on a sofa in the hall, put a bullet through his temple. The bullet which passed through his right side flew out of the balcony, said the police. The family had moved into this house about a month ago.

The police, who have reg-

istered a case of accidental death, said that no suicide note has been found.

Tejas was supposed to take admission to Ruparel College in Matunga for his final year science degree course on Wednesday.

Tejas’s father, senior in-spector Arvind Sawant who was part of the 26/11 probe team, is posted with unit 3 of the crime branch at Lower Parel.

Tejas’s parents, who summoned help from the neighbours and the building watchman, took him to the civic-run Rajawadi hospital where he was declared ‘dead before admission’.

A post-mortem examina-tion will be conducted at the state-run JJ hospital in By-culla.

Police inspector Rajen-dra Hovale said the revolver, which has been the capacity to hold nine bullets, was found load-ed with eight live bullets.

“We have impounded the weapon. It will be sent to the fo-

rensic laboratory in Kalina for in-vestigation,” said Hovale, adding that while the deceased youth’s cell phone has been seized, they are getting details of call records from the service provider.

Deputy commissioner of po-lice Mahesh Ghurye said that in the absence of any suicide note, they are probing all possible an-gles to find out why Tejas ended his life.

Bengal panchayat polls tomor-row, attacks on State Election

Commission continueKOLKATA: The first phase of the

crucial panchayat polls in West Bengal will begin tomorrow even as the ruling Trinamool Congress kept up its attack against the State Election Commission.

Criticising the state government for ‘dilly-dallying’, the Supreme Court had on July two refused to reschedule the dates of the polls which are to be con-ducted in five phases beginning from July 11 as per its direction.

In the first phase, polling will be held in Bankura, West Midnapur and Purulia districts in the former Maoist stronghold of junglemahal.

Of the total 58,865 seats going to polls, 6,274 have been won uncontested, a major-ity by the Trinamool Congress.

In all 1.7 lakh candidates are in fray in over 17 districts.

Most panchayats and zilla parishads are now under control of the Left Front.

The TMC, the ruling party, and opposi-tion Congress have failed to reach an un-derstanding over seats and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which is still smarting from the humiliating defeat in the assembly polls, is looking to cash in on it.

Trinaool Congress leaders claim that the party is confident about continuing its winning streak since the assembly polls in 2011 and prove that the Saradha chitfund scandal, Kamduni rape and murder and a string of other incidents will not have a bearing on the poll results.

The Congress is keen to prove that it

can play a decisive role in the state and that it has not been overshadowed by Ma-mata Banerjee’s image after it quit the TMC government.

“TMC has been continuously saying that the victory in West Bengal (in the as-sembly polls) is to their credit. But it is not only because of them; the fact that the Con-gress played a pivotal role will be proved through these elections,” WBPCC chief Pradip Bhattacharjee told PTI.

Bhattacherjee said his party has put up candidates in 30,000 seats.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose al-leged intimidation by the Trinamool Con-gress and claimed that party-men could not file nominations in 6000-odd seats.

TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, however, dismissed the charges.

“The allegation is baseless. CPI(M) is afraid as they are sure to be defeated in the elections.”