Jammu, October 01:

Experts are of the opin-ion that after the rise of militancy related violence in Jammu and Kashmir tourism has stopped being the backbone of the state’s economy. These experts say that it is agriculture, horticulture and handi-crafts that continue to be the backbone of the state’s economy.According to these experts the official figures related to the tourist arrivals in-clude those who come to Jammu and Kashmir as labourers. Besides the offi-

cial figures do not include class of the tourists. Since the rise of violence tourists with limited means, both from Home and abroad, visit the state and the offi-cial figures do not indicate about the duration of the stay of tourists.Those connected with tourism say that most of the tourists stay for a brief period in Kashmir and spend minimum. On several occasions a large number of tourists cut short their stay and others cancel their reservation once the valley witnesses

See Tourism on Pg. 11

4,112 VDC’s fight militancy

Shopian Killings

Police foils Panchs protest

No plan to disband VDC’s: Govt

Srinagar, October 01:

The state government Tuesday detained scores of government employees when they tried to protest near secretariat to press for their demands. According to KNS, scores of employees today morn-ing suddenly assembled near civil secretariat and protested in support of their demands. However, police swung into action and prevented them from disrupting the area. The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amal-gam of the employees, had called for protests in front of the secretariat to press for their demands including enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularization of

daily wagers and consoli-dated workers.Eye witnesses told KNS that as soon as employees assembled near civil sec-retariat here and started a protest, large number of police and CRPF person-nel intercepted them near main gate of civil secretar-iat and did not allow them to proceed. “However, the employees did not relent and continued with their protest. The large number of police and CRPF person-nel bundled scores of em-ployees in police vehicles and took them to different police stations. The police action created panic and traffic movement was also affected for quite some time,” eye witness said.Meanwhile Talking to KNS, Abdul Qayoom

Wani, senior leader JCC said that government’s confrontation with the employees is not at all good and will yield only destructive results. “Our demands are genuine and the government acknowl-edged the same many a times. We are striving for our demands in a demo-cratic way and we will never quit. He also warned the government that if government will continue with this kind of attitude we will go for an indefi-nite strike and we also will not hesitate from stopping essential services. Mean-while he said that since the October 3rd is holiday the employees will postpone their Assembly gherao on the day but it will be held

See Employees on Pg. 11

Srinagar, October 01:

The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to-day ordered a judi-cial probe headed by a retired High Court judge to bring the facts to public. Answering a discus-sion initiated after PDP and other parties moved an adjourn-ment motion pertain-ing to the incidents of Shopian, Kishtwar,

Gool, Markundal, Samba and Hira Nagar killings which was allowed by the Speaker after he sus-pended the question hour, Omar said that the different state-ments issued on the incident has created confusion and now the people will not ac-cept even if proofs are provided to them. “It has become com-pulsory now to ask a

retired judge to inves-tigate Shopian kill-ings,” the Chief Min-ister said. The Chief Minister accepted that issuing different statements on the in-cident made the issue murkier. Omar said that he is still not convinced about the facts which have reached me. Two motorcyclists, five people, four killed,

See CM on Pg. 11

Srinagar, October 01:

Government has made it clear that there is no plan to disband Village De-fence Committees (VDC’s) formed in different dis-tricts of Jammu Division. In a written reply to que-ries raised by MLA Peo-ple’s Democratic Party, Choudhri Zulifqar Ali, Government has said that, “given the security situation in the State and the role played by VDC’s, it may not be advisable to disband them at this stage.”However, Home Ministry has admitted that some VDC members have been found guilty of misusing

their weapons allotted to them by the government. “49 complaints have been received till date regard-ing misuse of weapons by the Village Defence Com-mittees members. In this regard cases have been registered.”Doda figures top in all Jammu districts where 15 cases have been regis-tered against VDC mem-bers for misusing their weapons. Cases regis-tered relating to misuse of weapons by VDC mem-bers stand registered in district Ramban, Udham-pur, Doda, Reasi and Ra-jouri.Home Ministry in its written reply mentioned

that one VDC member from District Udham-pur, Hem Raj son of Devi Chand Thakur resident of Sia Meri, Ramnagar was sentenced with life im-prisonment. The accused had misused his weapon and fired upon his son resulting in his on spot death. Largest number of Village Defence Committees are found in district Doda (864) followed by Rajouri (683), Reasi (626), Kishtwar (401), Ramban (367), Udhampur (331), Kathua (305), Samba (202), Jammu (195) and Poonch (126). The num-ber of VDC’s in Kargil is 7 while there are 5 VDC’s in district Leh.

Srinagar, October 01:

Police on Tuesday de-tained number of Panchs and Sarpanchs to foil their march towards Civil Sec-retariat here. Scores of Panchs and Sarpanchs un-der the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat conference assembled near Jahangir Chowk and raised slogans demanding ‘implementation of the 73rd constitutional amend-ment and empowerment.“As soon as they marched towards civil secretariat police swung into action and detained number of Panchs and Sarpanchs. Around 20 Panchs and

Sarpanchs were detained by police including some leaders,” a spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference told KNS.He said that since they were elected by the people, the government has done nothing to empower and facilitate us. “Although repeated assurances have been given to empower Panchayats, nothing in practical has been done in this regard,” he said. “While most of the states in India have implement-ed the 73rd Constitutional amendment with a motive to give full rights to

See Police on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

WEDNESDAY October 02 | 2013 | 25 Zeeqad 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 247 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

CM orders judicial probe by a retired HC judge

Srinagar, October 01:

First time since the mysterious death of two women in south Kash-mir’s Shopian district in April 2009, Chief Min-ister Omar Abdullah endorsed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report describing the deaths as a case of drowning and denying allegations of rape or murder. The relatives of the victims as also the common people in Shop-ian have dismissed the CBI inquiry as fabricated and Chief Minister had so far never endorsed the CBI findings publicly.Speaking on the adjourn-

ment motion on spate of killings in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister regretted that due to inexperience he revealed part of the preliminary inquiry on Shopian deaths in 2009, which suggested the two women had not drowned. He said that he should have parried the ques-tion and told reporters to wait for the final report of the investigation con-ducted at that time. Chief Minister’s acknowledge-ment on the basis of pre-liminary investigation and subsequently Justice Muzaffar Jan Commis-sion’s report pointing fingers on “some securi-

ty agency” for raping and murdering the women-Asiya Jaan and Neelofar Bano-build the common perception. However, the CBI inquiry reversed it through its inquiry. “The CBI inquiry revealed the truth about Shopian deaths”, the Chief Minis-ter said while endorsing the report. Pertinently, Omar Abdullah in a message to people aired through official media had declared Asiya and Neelofar as his sisters and vowed to give justice to them. “My conscience will not be satisfied until justice is given to these sisters”, Chief Minister had said in his message.

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(WED)SUNRISE ON (THURSDAY)

06:16 pm06:28 am

13.2 0C28.3 0C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

Light Rain/Thundershower could occur at isolated places over the state.

Partly cloudy sky. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 28°C & 13°C respectively.

Gets 14-day parole Inaugurates Regional Science Congress

7 8 10

Say no to water between meals

Employees march foiled; scores detained

CM endorses CBI report

Tourism no longer backbone of JK's economy, say experts

JCC threatens indefinite strike, stopping essential services

‘I assure guilty will be brought to justice’ Such incidents should not be politicised

Mysterious killing of Asiya, Neelofar

Jammu, October 01:

BJP national executive member and J&K chief spokesperson Jitendra Singh has asked the Na-tional Conference (NC)-Congress government in Jammu & Kashmir to clarify its stand on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and come out unambiguously as to whether, in the wake of a series of terror at-tacks in the past few days, members of the coalition ministry still continue to endorse their chief min-ister's obsessive demand

See BJP on Pg. 11

Govt must clarify stand on AFSPA:

BJP

Empower us by implementing 73rd amendment: Panches

Assembly Session extended by a daySrinagar, October 01: Speaker, Jammu and Kashmir Legisla-tive Assembly Mubarak Gul today announced that since October 03 has been declared as a holiday on account of Urs of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali (RA), the business for that day would be transacted on October 09. As such the session has been extended by a day.

Elderly drowns in Jehlum Srinagar, October 01: 90 years old Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh son of Habibullah Sheikh resi-dent of Naganari was drowned in river Jehlum at Pernia, Baramulla. The body was fished out from the river and handed over to his relatives for last rites.

Promotions in Police DepttSrinagar, October 01: The Gov-ernment accorded sanction to the placement of four Inspectors (Ministerial) as I/C Deputy Su-perintendent of Police in their own pay and grade. The officers are Smt. Sudershan Kumari No. 3280/NGO, Mr. Augal Singh No. 3329/NGO, Smt. Kushalya Devi No. 4666/NGO and Mr. Moham-mad Munshi NO. 4658/NGO.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS

Directs for early comple-

tion of the project

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 01

Minister for Rural De-

velopment and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar Wednesday urged upon of-ficers to work with more zeal and dedication for the bet-

terment of people. He asked them to work in unison so that developmental works are completed well in time and people are benefited.

This was stated by the Minister in a meeting con-vened to assess the pace and progress of the work being executed for the development and beautification of Syed Meerak Shah Road. He direct-

ed the officers for speedy re-moval of bottlenecks coming under the project and asked for taking necessary measures for speedy completion of land

acquisition process besides comfortable and immedi-ate rehabilitation of affected people.

Sagar directed them to speed up the pace of work being executed for the beauti-fication of Khankah-i- Moulla and other city Shrines.

Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah,Director Health Ser-

vices, Kashmir, Dr. Saleem-ul-Rehman, officers of R&B, Revenue and other concerned departments were present on the occasion.

ANANTNAG, OCTOBER 01

Government is commit-ted to provide best possible facilities to both rural and ur-ban populations and every possible step is being taken to extend the benefits of gov-ernment run developmental programmes at the doorsteps of people. This was stated by Minister for Urban Develop-ment Nawan Rigzin Jora while reviewing the Urban Develop-ment Department at Dak Ban-glow Anantnag. Director Local Bodies Kashmir besides Dis-trict Development Commis-sioner Anantnag Dr. Farooq Ahmad Lone, ADDC Anant-nag were also present in the review meeting.It was given out in the meeting that under district sector, Rs. 102.98 lacs have been allocated during 2013-14 for 77 different works in 11 municipal councils of

the District. Under UIDSSMT programme an amount of Rs. 488.00 lacs have been ap-proved for development of Garbage dumping sites out of which 219.60 lacs have been released. Under IHSDP (infra-structure part) an amount of Rs. 453.71 lacs have been re-leased by government out of which 381.36 lacs have been utilized and 97 works have been completed out of which 34 works are in progress. In Anantnag, Mattan, Dooru, Verinag and Kokernag Munici-palities an amount of Rs. 224-43 lac have been released by the government out of which expenditure of Rs. 130.40 lac have been booked for 262 units. Besides, 94 units have been completed while 133 units are in progress. It was also given out in the meet-ing that under ILCS Scheme expenditure of Rs. 166.11 lacs

have been incurred involving 1491 units out of which 1468 units have been completed and work on 23 is in prog-ress in 11 municipal councils of Anantnag.DDC Anantnag while presenting an overall view of the developmental works of MCS of Anantnag urged for early completion of macademization of Bus Adda Anantnag besides speeding up of developmental work at Sumo Stand, Shopping com-plex at Old SRTC Yard and vari-ous community halls across the District.Minister stressed upon the officers for speeding up their men and machinery for early completion of the projects. Later the Minister visited and inspected the pro-cess of macadimization at Bus Adda Anantnag besides under construction shopping com-plex at SRTC Complex Anant-nag.

Sagar takes stock of the work under ex-ecution at Syed Mirak Shah Road Khanyar

Government committed to provide best facilities to Rural,

Urban people:Jora

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER | 02 | 2013

You may feel extra passionate today, Libra, so don’t be surprised if you take things to extremes even more than usu-al. There’s an aggression within you that’s working to help keep you in control of every situation. Remember that you must be prepared to receive whatever you dish out. There’s a warring instinct in everyone that’s likely to emerge on a day like this.

Find your strength from within, Scorpio. There’s a great deal of it in there, and it’s ready to erupt like a volcano. Let your passion drive your engine today and you’ll be amazed at the incredible places you can go. Don’t be afraid to take things to extremes. Your fantastic good luck will pull you out of any sticky predicament.

Your strong yet steady pace may get a lift today, Sagittar-ius. It might seem like there’s a fire under your feet, and you probably need to keep moving in order to keep yourself from getting burned. Use your independent streak to get things done the way you want them. This could be a powerhouse day for you!

There’s excitement today that indicates that things are happening, things are changing. Stay alert and in tune with what’s going on around you, Capricorn. There’s a wonderful energy charge urging you to push the boundaries of every-thing going on around you. Do your part to help the world evolve to a happier, more peaceful place.

You’re the sensitive one in a sea of anger today, Aquarius, so keep your guard up. Don’t be tempted or seduced by any rage around you. Be wary of people who seem motivated by fear. You’ll be much better off when you align yourself with those who act from a point of neutrality and self-confidence. Model your behavior after the people you see as superheroes in your world.

You should mesh quite well with the prevailing energy today, Pisces. There’s a powerful, transformative force help-ing to give greater strength to your ego and vitality. Note the fiery energy about the day that encourages your dynamic and forceful personality to shine through. Feel free to ex-press your independence in every situation.

Tension is building today that may wreak havoc with your harmonious nature, Virgo. The key for you now is to see the opportunity instead of conflict in each situation. This is a good time to gain a greater perspective on certain things. A bit of internal transformation may take place when you see things from the other side of the fence.

Things may be happening too fast around you today, Ar-ies, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily have to join the frenzied pace. You’re probably much better off sticking with your methodical approach. Take the time to collect the facts you need before you jump into a major decision or plan of attack. People may be a bit jumpy, so do your best to be the stable one in the group.

Make sure you aren’t projecting a picture of yourself that doesn’t represent the real you, Taurus. It’s important that you remain true to your soul or you’ll end up in situations that make you uncomfortable and frustrated. There’s a strong transformative force working against you today, but you’ll have the leadership and confidence to stand up for yourself in whatever way you need.

Remind yourself of all the positive things you have going on in your life now, Gemini. It’s possible that you’ll be met with tension and challenges today that are threatening your sense of self. Arguments may break out around you, and you may have questions regarding what it is you stand for. Don’t lose touch with your nurturing qualities and sixth sense.

The fire within you is burning extra hot, Cancer, so make the most of this incredible internal furnace. Treat yourself to some new attire and proudly show it off tonight. Take the lead on projects that might be floundering. You have power behind your words and actions today, so use it for the high-est good.

You may feel the urge to get up and go today, Leo, but at the same time you may feel like you aren’t prepared. Perhaps you don’t feel you’re on solid enough ground to take the next step. Don’t let the pressure of the outside world move you to a place you aren’t ready to go. Take things at your own pace, and be tolerant of those who choose to go at theirs.

G A Mir for development

of quality infrastructure

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 01:

The government has spent around Rs 18 crore to develop tourism related infrastructure in Kargil since the incep-tion of Kargil Development Authority.

The information was provided in a meeting of Kargil Development Au-thority Board held here t to review the physical and financial achievements registered for development and up gradation of tourist related infrastruc-ture in the area.Minister for Tourism, Ghulam Ahmad Mir chaired the meet-ing while as Chief Executive Council-lor, Kargil Hill Development Council, Haji Asgar Karbalie, Advisor to Chief Minister, Qamar Ali Akhoon, Executive Councillor, Tourism, Skyzalng Wang-yal, Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Mr Atul Duloo were pres-ent in the meeting.The meeting was

informed that tourism developmental projects have been taken up at a es-timated cost of Rs.25 crore in Kargil under Centre and State Plans against which Rs. 17.69 crore were expended till last fiscal. The meeting after thread bare discussion approved Rs 1.50 crore action plan of RDA for current finan-cial year. The meeting was told that

under Prime Ministers Reconstruction Programme the Development work on Kargil, Drass-Panikhar and Drass-Sankoo as tourist destinations has been completed by creation of varied tourist infrastructure, while as preservation and beautification work of historical monuments and way side facilities and development of tourist infrastruc-ture in Kargil was taken up at the total sanctioned cost of Rs.8.60 crore un-der Destination Development Scheme phase-Ist, against which so far Rs 1.71

crore were expended on several monu-ment works in the area.The meeting was further told that over Rs 4 crore have also been incurred on upgrada-tion of tourist infrastructure in the area under State plan during last 4 years in the area. The formulation of Master Plan, land acquisition, out sourcing of assets, completion of on-going projects

also came under discussion during the meeting and concerned authorities were directed to keep close coordina-tion for removal of impediments which hamper completion of the projects in time.Meanwhile the Minister also re-viewed physical and financial achieve-ments of Zanskar Development Au-thority in a separate meeting in which, the Minister of State for Information Technology, Feroz Ahmad Khan, the lo-cal representative of the area was also present.

BARAMULLA, OCT 01:

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shailendra Kumar Wednesday exhorted upon the officers and the execut-ing agencies to expedite the developmental activities and achieve the tangible targets within the stipulated time frame. He also directed for the implementation of various welfare and developmental schemes on grass root level so that the people can avail the benefits and improve their socio-economic conditions.

This was stated by the Divisional Commissioner at Baramulla Wednesday while convening a meeting of sectoral and district officers to review the pace of develop-ment activities in the district.

Deputy Commission-er, Baramulla on the occasion, made a power point presenta-tion of the developmental ac-tivities being executed in the district.

It was given out

that under PMGSY, Rs. 29.07 crore have been utilised while as many as 4112 works have been taken up out of which 1802 works have been com-pleted during the current fis-cal, besides 87046 job cards have been distributed thereby generating 709370 mandays in the district.

Divisional Commissioner asked the officers to ensure better power supply and ade-quate availability of essentials for the consumers in view of the ensuing winter season. He also directed for ensuring regularity and punctuality of the officials besides submit-ting the attendance report to the divisional administration on daily basis.

Earlier, a deputa-tion of Civil Society Baramulla called on the Divisional Com-missioner and apprised him about their demands. Kumar gave them a patient hearing and assured for the early ful-filment of their genuine de-mands.

Div Com for expediting dev activities in Baramulla

Stresses on facilitating people

CS chairs COS meetingStresses on field visits by Secretaries

Governor inaugurates Regional Science Congress; 9th JK Science Congress at KU

32 cr spent on tourism infrastructure in Kargil, Zanskar

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 01:

Minister of State for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Nazir Ahmed Gurezi Wednesday while replying on behalf of the Education Minister to a question by Abdul Majid Bhat in the Legislative Council said that the Government schools have con-siderably shown upward trend in results.

The Minister said that the Gov-ernment has taken various steps for increasing the enrolment of stu-dents and improving performance of government schools. He said Ac-ademic monitoring is being under-taken by the Directorate as well as by the State Institute of Education. In order to attract a large number of students towards Government schools, the teachers are imparted training by the concerned DIET as well as the State institute of educa-tion for better classroom transac-tions and introduction of Mid-day meals, Provision of scholarship at the elementary and secondary level to retain children in schools, he added.The Minister said that the trainings are also being imparted to the heads of institutions of second-ary schools as well as Higher Sec-ondary schools under RMSA, to en-

hance the quality initiatives at the secondary level. He also said that the Department has constituted the State Education Advisory Board for the purpose of obtaining advice on matters pertaining to education policy and administration.

Gurezi said that substantial achievement has been made in in-creasing the enrolment of children in schools through the schemes of SSA/RMSA for improving quality education. He said that the steps have been taken to provide infra-structure under SSA,RMSA and maintained that Monday test has been introduced in the schools to assess the weak students and direc-tions have been issued to the staff to give extra attention and guidance to the weak students to improve their performance at par with oth-er students.The Minister said that infrastructure is being upgraded to provide basic amenities to the Students/Teachers and strict Ad-ministrative mechanism has been put in place to check lacunae in the system.The Minister informed that all these steps initiated by the School Education Department will definitively improve the quality of education and performance of Gov-ernment schools.

Govt. schools registering upward trend in results: Gurezi

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 01:

Chief Secretary, Iqbal Khandey, Tues-day chaired the periodic meeting of the Committee of Secretaries to review the status of various administrative matters

and functioning of departments.Besides reviewing the status of RFD,

SMS based Monitoring, Catch up and Re-cruitment Rules and other matters, the Chief Secretary stressed upon the Secre-taries to conduct tours throughout the State to inspect by themselves the func-

tioning of their respective departments in the field. He said regular, on the spot field visits by the Secretaries will cer-tainly improve the overall functioning of the departments including public service delivery.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary also re-ceived brief from the Secretaries on the working in Secretariat, Divisional, Dis-trict and other offices across the State. He was informed that all offices across the State have reported normal attendance Wednesday and business as usual.

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 1 -

N. N. Vohra, Governor Jammu and Kash-mir, Wednesday called upon the scientists and researchers to rededicate their efforts for effective application of scientific knowl-edge and technological innovations to ad-dress the challenges facing the State and the country and securing rapid and sustained all round progress to promote the welfare of the people at large.The Governor, as Chief Guest, was addressing the Inaugural Session of the 3-day Regional Science Congress, and 9th JK Science Congress, on the theme of “Innova-tions and Advances in Science and Technol-ogy” at the Kashmir University here Wednes-day. These two joint Science Congresses have been organized by the Kashmir University in collaboration with the Indian Science Con-gress Association; Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; J&K State Council for Science and Technology and the J&K Academy of Sciences. Referring to India’s foundational contribution to varied arenas of science centuries ago, the Governor called upon the academia, research institu-tions, policy makers and the governmental

functionaries working in the field to operate in close collaboration to harvest the benefits of advancements made in the realm of sci-ence and technology for the welfare, progress and prosperity of humanity.

Observing that J&K has its own partic-ular problems, the Governor noted that one of these relates to earthquakes and referred to the recurring tremors which had been taking place in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts in the past several months. Another problem highlighted by the Governor was about the emerging challenges of global warming and climate change and its serious impact on agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, forests, animal and sheep husbandry and al-lied sectors. He suggested to the participating scientists in the Regional Science Congress and the 9th JK Science Congress to also focus their deliberations for identifying viable solu-tions for meeting these challenges. On the need for achieving the second green rev-olution for enhancing agri-productivity, the Governor suggested the usefulness of a group of scientists from the two Farm Universities and other varsities of J&K being set up so that they can start working towards this objective.

35 MNREGA works completed in Panchayat Sarote, more 26 taken up

DODA, OCTOBER 01-As many as 35 works have been completed in Panchayat Sarote of Thathri Tehsil involving a cost of Rs 27 Lakh under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme(MNREGA) during last year, while 26 more works are being executed in the halqa during the current year under the same scheme.

Similarly, under Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) an amount of Rs. 1.50 lacs and under MPLAD Rs. 1.80 lacs have been expended in the Panchayat.The works completed include 6 water reservoirs constructed at various places in the Pancahyat to meet the water requirements for various purposes.The 26 works approved for the current year under MNREGA include, construction of three pucca paths, each involving a cost of Rs 1 lakh, besides construction of various protection works.The information was given during the inspection of the completed and ongoing works by Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD) Rakesh Kumar. ACD also inspected ongoing works under Nirmal Bharat Abhyan (NBA) which include Latrine at Primary School Haneja and IHHL units at other places.The ACD also listened to the grievances of the people and passed on spot directions to the concerned to mitigate the same.

Sanitation drive launched in Katra, Navratra arrangements reviewed

KATRA, OCTOBER 01-Katra town is being beautified and various measures have been put in place for cleanliness, illumination and decoration of streets ahead of Navratras.Deputy Commissioner Reasi Shahid Iqbal Wednesday launched a massive sanitation drive in the holy town under a comprehensive sanitation plan. SP Sharief Chouhan and Commandant CRPF Sunil Kumar accompanied the DC.

The DC inspected the venues of Navratra Festival besides ongoing beautification and facelift works at bus stand and stadium. He also visited spots identified for disposal of solid waste and directed for disposal of waste only at these selected places.He asked the PHE Department for round the clock potable drinking water supply in the town for which two more tankers have been deployed.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

ZABARWAN TIMES Wednesday 02 October 2013

Say no to water between mealsGlugging water during meals severely hampers your stomach's digestive pow-ers and causes insulin levels to fluctuate significantly, warns Microboitic counsel-lor Shonali SabherwalTo know if you're drinking enough water, it is often said, just check if you are feel-ing thirsty. If you aren't, your fluid intake is likely to be just about right. But down-ing glasses of water along with your meals may not be the best time to quench your thirst.Macrobiotic counsellor Shonali Sabher-wal explains why you should not drink water during your meal. "Most Indians have water along with their meals. The usual theory is washing down the food while eating. People have no idea how wrong this practice is and how difficult this can be for their digestion. For those suffering with digestion problems, the ramifications are manifold. Our stomachs have a knack of knowing when you will eat and starts releasing digestive juices immediately. If you start drinking water at the same time, what you are actually doing is diluting the digestive juices be-ing released to digest your food, thereby hindering them from breaking down food."Research shows that sipping a little wa-ter during meals isn't a cause for concern but drinking a glass or two may interfere with digestion. It is best to drink fluids before and two hours after meals as this helps in absorption of nutrients, research-ers have found.

Elaborating on what exactly happens inside you when you glug water dur-ing meals, Sabherwal says that it gets absorbed by the intestinal walls of the stomach. "This absorption continues till it becomes concentrated enough for the digestive juices to begin digesting your food. However, due to it getting mixed with water, this concentrated substance is now thicker than the food contents present in your stomach. So less gastric juice will be secreted to digest your food. The result is, undigested food leaks into your system as it gets absorbed through the stomach walls. This will also lead to acid reflux and heart burn." Drinking water with meals can also cause a surge in your insu-lin levels, almost like the way high glycemic food would affect you, Sab-herwal cautions. "The more insulin is released in to your blood stream, the higher the chances of you storing fat in your body."To avoid watering down your meals, Sabherwal suggests a few don'ts. "Make sure your food is not too salty as that would aggravate your thirst and trigger your need to down more water. Besides, eating in a hurry will cause you to gulp your food down. Most likely, you would feel the need to wash it down with water while you are at it. Instead, chew, chew and then chew some more. We secrete a lot of digestive juices (enzymes) while chewing, which makes our stomach's job easier."

Elaborating on what exactly hap-pens inside you when you glug water during meals, Sabherwal says that it gets absorbed by the intestinal walls of the stomach.

To avoid watering down your meals, Sabherwal sug-gests a few don'ts. "Make sure your food is not too salty as that would aggravate your thirst and trigger your need to down more water. Besides, eating in a

hurry will cause you to gulp your food down.

Naturals ways to increase sperm count

Low sperm count is one of the reasons for infertil-ity. We detail out the different ways to increase sperm count, what to include in your diet and which habits to follow. These are natural ways to pump up your sperm count and increase your chances of fertility.

Causes of low sperm count include:- Zinc deficiency- Excessive smoking and drinking- Tight underpants- Overweight- Exhaustion- Stress

Sperm disorders can affect your sperm count, the quality of the sperm and the movement. If sperms are not ejaculated often, their mobility goes haywire. Sperm disorder affects the shape of the sperm too. In terms of ejaculation and infertility, erectile dysfunction, failure to ejaculate or even premature ejaculation can be a problem during sex and also for conceiv-ing.Normal sperm count:The normal volume varies from 1.5 to 5.0 milliliter per ejaculation.The sperm count varies from 20 to 150 million sperm per milliliter.At least 60% of the sperm should have a normal shape and show normal forward movement (motility).Vitamins that can increase sperm count:1) Vitamin B: Sources of Vitamin B: Cheese, eggs, milk, yoghurt, fortified cereals, spinach, legumes, whole grains and nuts.2) Zinc: Sources of zinc: Oysters, sesame and sunflower seeds, ginger, wheat germ, red meat, dark chocolate, watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds.

5 tips to a flat tummy like Deepika'sStruggling to keep your

wayward waist in check? Follow these five tips

to get a flat tummy like Deepika Padukone

Arecent study found the average woman's waist has increased by seven inches since the 1950s — from a toned 27 to a solid 34.And according to the National Health Sur-vey, UK, a waist over 34.5 inches puts you at greater risk of heart disease, high blood pres-sure and type-2 diabetes.But it's not too late to lose the extra pad-ding — try these waist-whittling tips to feel healthy.

Curl itCanada's University of Waterloo found old-style crunches can damage the spine. The more effective version is the curl-up.Lie on your back with your hands palm-down, tucked under the small of your back. Bend your knees and slightly lift your head and shoulders.You don't need to crunch up much to get the desired response from your entire abdominal muscle complex. If that's still too much, buy a hula hoop. Just 15 minutes' hooping a day will result in a waspish waist.

De-fizz itIf you're a fan of fizzy diet drinks, you could unwittingly be widening your waistline. All fizzy drinks have gas in them, which causes gas in your intestinal system. One should also steer clear of sorbitol, an artificial drinks sweetener which the body can't break down properly. Instead, swap your diet drinks for water. Equally, if you enjoy an alcoholic treat, avoid beer, prosecco and fizzy mixers — a glass of red wine or plain vodka is less likely to cause bloating.Finally, drink peppermint tea. Some studies suggest it can ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and reduce bloating.

Calm itTried everything but your waist won't shrink? Bloating with no obvious cause is known as 'dysbiosis' and refers to an imbalance of bacteria in your stomach, usually caused by excess yeast, Candida. Too much boozing, being on the Pill or HRT, or even taking anti-biotics regularly can trigger the problem.Think of yeast 'rising' in your gutAvoid high sugar foods and go easy on beans, potatoes, sprouts, lentils, broccoli, ba-nanas and raisins, which can all make bloat-ing worse. Stick to berries, plums and other lowsugar fruits. Eat more eggs and pumpkin seeds to support your stress levels as they have calming properties and take a daily pro-biotic.

Squeeze itIf it's good enough for Jessica Alba, it's got to be worth a try. Reportedly, the Hollywood actress wore an elastic corset for two months to help shed her baby weight — the idea be-ing that you're more likely to notice overeat-ing than if you're wearing comfy trackies. Rather than Cousin Violet-style whalebone, you're better off slipping into a Waist Cinch-er. This smoothing 'control lingerie' has flexible bones, double-layer panels and flat hook-and-eye fastenings, and it really does hold in excess flab, whilst ensuring you can still breathe.

Tone itEvery celeb swears by Pilates and it is a bril-liant way to flatten your waist. Most classes begin with 'the hundred' — so called because you hold the position for 100 beats.It works muscles to create a strong and stable core, and tone your waistline. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat to the floor. Then lift your feet off the ground and bend your knees to a 90-degree angle. Your shins should be parallel to the floor. Reach your arms towards the sky. As you exhale, bring your arms back down towards the floor while lifting your head and the very top of your shoulders off the mat.

4 facial pains and what they mean

Facial pain, say experts, point to conditions that affect varied parts of the bodyTwenty-three-year-old IT engineer, Dharni Gurnani, made peace with recurrent headaches she had been battling for 10 years. She'd avoid brightly-lit and air-conditioned rooms, and when the pain got unbearable, she'd reach out to a painkiller. "That would sort me out for a few days, but it would be back in three days," she says.A visit this year to pain specialist Dr Raashi Khatri-Panjabi, how-ever, led to the realisation that the source of the headache was in the muscles of her neck. Gurnani's posture was the culprit. She was diagnosed with the classic turtlehead posture-forward head and sloping shoulders.The doctor, who says she receives 50 new cases a week at her clin-ics in Juhu and Colaba, says pain in the orofacial region (face, mouth, nose, ears, eyes, neck, and head) is usually the result of a problem somewhere far from it. Dr Khatri-Panjabi says, "Patients often complain of chronic headaches at the top of the head along with stiffness at the base of the skull that radiates to the tips of the fingers. Often, this is wrongly attributed to stress."4 facial pains and what they could point toA. Symptom: Deep, dull headacheCondition: Neck muscle spasmsCaused by: Whiplash (neck injury), poor posture and long hours at computer, physical stressHow does a spasm in the neck muscle play out as a headache, like in Gurnani's case? Medically termed as myofascial pain, this is common and characterised by discrete tender areas or trigger points. The spasm may occur in the centre of the neck muscle but it can play itself out at any point along the length and width of the muscle, like the top of the head. There-fore, a muscle spasm in the neck can show up as a debilitating headache, says Dr Khatri-Panjabi, founder of the Center for Orofacial Pain. "These deep, dull headaches are often referred to as cervical headaches and more commonly as 'tension headaches'. But the tension does not refer to psychological stress but actual tensile forces acting on the muscle, she clarifies.

Five diseases your pets can give youOur furry bundles of joy give us love and attention, and some-thing else - skin diseases and other infections. Read on to know how to safeguard your pet and your family against five mala-dies.We love them, cuddle with them and treat them like family. And these cuddly, furry creatures reciprocate in kind by show-ering us with unconditional love and affection. They lick our hands and faces when we are feeling low and offer us a friendly paw in greeting. But these furry bundles of joy are also carriers of germs that they unknowingly pass on to us, leading to skin rashes and infections. We introduce you to five skin infections you can get from your beloved pets and steps you can take to prevent them.Hookworm: It is primarily transmitted from animal feces, dirt, or contaminated soil. Humans pick up the eggs or larvae on their skin from contaminated soil when walking barefoot in parks and gardens frequented by animals.

Puppies and kittens can acquire hookworm from their moth-

er's milk. If the nursing mum has an infestation, this is then passed on to human beings. Hookworm larvae have the ability to penetrate human skin and a rash forms on the skin where the larva enters. The most common area for a rash is on the feet of a person who has walked barefoot in sand or soil containing hookworm larva.It is also possible to acquire a hookworm skin infection in the form of a 'travelling rash,' where you've possibly been ex-posed to contaminated soil and have a mysterious rash moving around on your skin. It can also cause serve coughing, chest pain, wheezing, fever, epigastric pains, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrohoea can occur early or in later stages as well, although gastrointestinal symptoms tend to improve with time. Signs of advanced severe infection are anaemia and protein deficiency, including emaciation, cardiac failure and abdominal distension.Roundworms: They are large and spaghetti-like in appearance. And they can create a full-blown infestation in your pet before you are even aware of their existence. By the time you see

signs of roundworms in your dog's or cat's feces or vomit, he's overrun with them.Don't count on seeing roundworms or hookworms to alert you to an infestation. If you suspect your pet has been exposed, you should collect a stool sample and drop it by your vet's office for an analysis. Your pet will typically acquire a roundworm problem by eating infected feces. The infection can also be passed from a female to her unborn puppies or kittens across the placenta. The babies develop their own infection while still in the uterus and are born with roundworm.Roundworm infections in people are most commonly trans-mitted through ingestion of contaminated soil. For example, if you pull vegetables from your garden and don't wash them thoroughly, you could ingest soil that is contaminated with roundworm eggs. Because humans are not the perfect host for roundworms, they tend to travel through the body and create problems like organ inflammation. In fact, they are known to migrate through the eyes of small children. It is not uncom-mon for an eye doctor to discover roundworm larva at the back

of a child's eye. For obvious reasons, it’s very important that puppies and kittens be de-wormed if they are carrying a worm parasite like hook or roundworm. An infected pet new to your family creates an unacceptable potential for exposure - espe-cially when it comes to young children.Toxoplasmosis: This is a zoonotic disease any warm-blooded vertebrate can acquire, however, infections are most common in cats and humans. Most at risk are pregnant women and peo-ple who are immuno-suppressed. For example, an AIDS pa-tient runs a much greater risk of acquiring a toxoplasmosis in-fection than a person with a healthy immune system. Children are also at higher risk. Also, if you are pregnant avoid cleaning your cat’s litter box. If you feed your pet a raw food diet, freeze fresh meat for three days to kill off any toxoplasmosis living in the tissues. This will make the meat safer for you to handle and healthy for your pet to eat.Lyme disease: This is a vector-borne illness; a vector is the vehicle of transmission, in this case it is the Ixodes tick, also known as the deer tick or the black-legged tick.

Agencies

Convicted in the fodder scam and lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail, Ranchi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav, is getting all the facilities a

VIP prisoner gets as per the Jail Manual. As per the jail record, he is prisoner num-ber 3312.The jail has also become the epicentre of RJD politics ever since Lalu was convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam and sent there on Monday.No less than 50 top RJD leaders, including

sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap, have visited Lalu in the jail since Monday afternoon. Among other things, plans and strategies to strength-en the party in the current political scenario and the forthcoming general elec-

tions were discussed.were reports that Lalu’s wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi could not visit Ranchi due to inclement weather – it’s raining heavily in Ranchi since the last three days.Prominent among those who called on Lalu this morning were RJD’s Mahara-

jganj MP Prabhunath Singh, senior MP Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, party’s general secretary Ram Kripal Yadav, vice president Raghunath Jha and leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly Abdul Bari Siddiqui.They left the jail singing their leader’s praises. Prabhunath Singh said Lalu was a kingmaker and would remain so in the future. “His personality and charisma will not be affected by his impris-onment,” he said.Ram Kripal Yadav said Lalu is in good health and unaffected by his conviction. “He has asked us to go to Patna and hold meet-ings with the party workers to plan for the Lok Sabha polls,” Yadav said.Siddiqui said the BJP and JD(U) were conspir-ing against Lalu. “But Lalu will come out victorious,” he said.The leaders vehemently de-clined any differences in the party over leadership issue. They said they have no hesi-tation in accepting Rabri or Tejashwi as their acting chief and that the party remains united in this hour of crisis.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER | 02 | 2013ZABARWAN TIMES 7

To take care of chemical

weapons stock-pile, inspectors arrive at SyriaAn advance group of interna-

tional inspectors arrived in Syria on Tuesday to begin the ambitious task of overseeing the destruc-tion of President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons program, kick-ing off a mission that must navigate the country’s bloody civil war as well as the international spotlight. Twenty inspectors from a Neth-erlands-based chemical weapons watchdog crossed into Syria from neighboring Lebanon on their way to Damascus to begin their complex mission of finding, dismantling and ultimately destroying an estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal. The experts have about nine months to complete the task, which has been endorsed by a UN Security Coun-cil resolution that calls for Syria’s chemical stockpile to be eliminated by mid-2014. It is the shortest deadline that experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have ever faced in any nation, and their first mission in a country at war.

MBBS seat scam: Congress MP Masood jailed, faces disqualification Agencies

Rajya Sabha member Rasheed Masood of the Congress was on Tuesday sentenced to four years in jail for fraudulently nominat-ing undeserving candidates from across the country to MBBS seats in 1990-91, making him the first to stand disqualified as a law-maker.

Special CBI Court Judge J.P.S. Malik held Masood guilty on charges of corruption and other offences.

Masood was convicted of fraudulently nominating unde-serving candidates from across the country to the MBBS seats al-lotted to Tripura medical colleges from the central pool.

Masood, who was immedi-ately taken into custody after the sentencing, will also lose the right to contest polls for the next 10 years since a convicted leader cannot fight elections for six years from the date of release from their prison.

Masood faces immediate disqualification as the Rajya Sabha member under a recent Supreme Court ruling that a Member of

Parliament and State legislatures stands disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with

punishment of two years or more and under some other laws even without jail sentence.

Masood was found guilty of of-fences under the Prevention of Cor-ruption Act and under Indian Penal

Code Sections 120-B (criminal con-spiracy), 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery)

With Lalu as qaidi No.3312, Birsa jail becomes centre of RJD politics

Sanjay Dutt gets 14-day parole, reaches home

Will Modi magic workin the South?

Agencies

Sanjay Dutt tries to en-ter TADA Court in Mumbai on May 16, 2013. The crowd gathered at both the TADA Court and Arthur Road Jail was huge, with people trying to catch one glimpse of their favourite star. (Photo by Pro-dip Guha)

Sanjay Dutt on Tues-day has reached home on a 14-day leave sanctioned to him on eligibility criteria for the treatment of his leg, jail authorities said. Dutt told reporters that all prisoners are entitled to furlough, and added that he wanted to spend his time out of prison with his . “I respect the law of the land. I respect the honourable courts of India. I

am a law abiding citizen and will complete my parole and will report back,” Dutt said.

“I want to request to the press that I have got some time which I want to spend with my family. I thank the press for its support. Thanks to all my fans and I love my fans,” he added.

Dutt, serving sentence under the Arms Act for illegal possession of weapons in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, left the prison at around 9.30 am after his pending application for parole was sanc-tioned by the au-thorities, jail su-

perintendent Yogesh Desai said. “Good conduct is one of the criteria for granting parole, which is sanctioned from prisoner’s accumulated leave,” Desai added.

This comes days after a cultural programme, organ-ised by prison administra-tion to raise a welfare fund in which the Bollywood actor was to take part, was post-poned.

Agencies

An evening before he ad-dressed by far the BJP’s biggest-ever Tamil Nadu rally in Tiruchi on September 26, Narendra Modi was closeted with his Kerala party leaders in Thiruvananthapuram.

BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi waves with senior leaders at the party’s rally in Tiruchira-palli on September 26. The focus on southern states by the BJP could help them make up for deficits in the north. (PTI Photo)

As the BJP prime minis-terial candidate heard out their assessment of the par-ty’s prospects, Modi finally spelt out his key message. “No matter what it takes,” he said, party workers in the south should work hard to take advantage of a national climate favour-able to the BJP. The focus on southern states could help the party make up for “deficits” in the north, and help carry the day.

For a Hindi-speaking BJP, the south has always been a big chal-lenge. Atal Bihari Vajpayee came closest to cracking the problem because he held some appeal for educated middle class non-Hindi speakers.What is causing eyebrows to be raised this time round is a recent survey by Tamil magazine Junior Vikatan. It said a clear majority (53%) of Tamil

Nadu voters felt Modi was best suited to be PM, with chief minis-ter Jayalalithaa, Rahul Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh trailing far behind. It published the findings in a cover story titled “Shock re-sult!”

BJP insiders say Modi may meet the Tamil Nadu CM soon for a “friendly” fight to ensure the BJP wins at least four seats.

Karnataka, the one state con-sidered a strong base of the BJP

among southern states until 2010, is still likely to be its best bet. De-spite the fear of the CBI gunning for him, BS Yeddyurappa is try-ing to work with Modi.Yet the BJP cannot hope to retain all of the 19 (out of 28) seats in Karnataka it got in 2009.In April, Modi made his Kerala foray, attending a func-tion at Sivagiri Mutt, creating a flutter in the state dominated by minorities and leftists. The BJP’s calculation is it should try for two of the 21 seats, at least.

Cabinet cites ‘sharp public criticism, wrong perception’ to review ordinance today

Agencies

The Union cabinet meeting on Wednesday — fallout of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s strong intervention — will cite strong public sentiments as the reason behind the review of the controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers.The Union cabinet will meet on Wednesday at 6 pm to discuss the ordinance that has been publicly dubbed as a “complete nonsense” by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who also felt that the piece of legislation should be torn up and thrown away. Gandhi’s strong position has forced the cabinet to reconsider the ordinance that is still lying before the President.The cabinet note says the proposal to reconsider the ordinance is based primarily on two points. One, “after the cabinet decision was made public, the provi-sions of the proposed ordinance have come for sharp criticism.” The note cites the second reason as: there is a “perception that the government seeks to protect convicted legislators by circumventing the Supreme Court judgment.”But in a bid to defend its earlier position, the cabinet note also maintains, “any reasonable reading of the ordinance can not lead to this conclusion” referring to the percep-tion of protection of guilty legislators.Top government sources added that the meeting will discuss two options on Wednesday evening - to wait for President to promulgate the with-draw the ordinance and to withdraw the proposed ordinance but wait for the standing committee to give its re-port on the related bill which is pend-

ing before parliament.The bill to give limited legal protection to convicted lawmakers from losing their chairs was introduced in Rajya Sabha on Au-gust 30. The cabinet’s move, sources

added, will mean that although the government is forced to back track on the ordinance on Rahul Gandhi’s pressure, the bill will stay on, at least for now.

Agencies

Millions of Americans will learn on Tuesday what President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law actually means for them, as the administration

opens new insurance marketplaces in 50 states despite a government shut-down. The launch marks a milestone for Obama’s signature domestic

policy achievement, which aims to provide subsidised healthcare to millions of the uninsured, the most ambitious US social program since Medicare was introduced in the 1960s.

Obama is scheduled to meet and pose for pictures in the Oval Office with a group of Americans who stand to benefit from the pro-gramme, while Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama will also promote the law via media channels.

The first day of online enrollment in the health insurance plans was going ahead despite a partial shutdown of the US government after the failure of the US Congress to pass spending bills to fund government operations in the fiscal year that begins on Tuesday.

The marketplaces, or exchanges, require health plans to provide a broad range of essential benefits that were not necessar-

ily part of individual policies in the past, including mental health services, birth control and preventive care. The coverage is linked to other insurance market reforms and new consumer safeguards, including a ban on discrimination based on gender and health history.

The healthcare law also mandates that Americans obtain insurance or pay a fine.

“For years, the financial, physical or mental health of millions of Americans suf-fered because they couldn’t afford the care they or their family needed,” US Depart-ment of Health and Human Services Secre-tary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement

on Tuesday. “But thanks to the health care law, all of that is changing. Today’s launch begins a new day when health care cover-age will be more accessible and affordable than ever before.”

Republicans have fought for months to delay or stop Obamacare, most recently

triggering a shutdown of the fed-eral government on Monday night by insisting that a routine funding measure include a delay in Obam-acare, which the Democratic-con-trolled Senate rejected.

“The Affordable Care Act is moving forward. That funding is already in place. You can’t shut it down,” Obama told his Republican opponents in a televised statement at the White House on Monday.

Officials running the new ex-changes braced for computer problems that could hamper the enrollment effort. The federal gov-ernment opened websites for 36 states through its www.health-care.gov site at 8 am EDT (1200

GMT).But early checks on 18 of these state sites for some users called up error messag-es such as: “We have a lot of visitors on our site right now and we’re working to make your experience here better. Please wait here until we send you to the login page.” Others who were able to begin to set up an account were halted at a page for security

questions.As many as 7 million Americans are

expected to sign up for insurance in 2014 through the exchanges, which will accept applications through March 31. An addi-tional 8 million people are expected to re-ceive health benefits through an expansion of the government’s Medicaid program for the poor.Republicans have blamed Obam-acare’s requirements for pushing up the cost of health insurance for business and individuals, a charge the Democrats deny.

“What I want is to keep the government running and at the same time to deal with the harms, the millions of Americans who are ... at risk of losing their healthcare, are facing skyrocketing insurance premiums,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has been lead-ing the charge among Republicans in Con-gress to

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been the object of intensive Repub-lican attack since it was signed into law in 2010. Its foes tried and failed to use the U.S. Supreme Court and a presidential election to get it overturned in 2012.

The early planning, the administration aimed to create new healthcare markets that would make shopping for insurance as simple as buying an airline ticket online. But repeated delays and technical difficul-ties mean the new sites in many states will not have all of their functions ready in the first weeks, or perhaps longer.

Obamacare launch poised to reach millions despite US govt shutdown

Bangladesh Opposition

Lawmaker Sen-tenced to Death for War CrimesAgencies

.Bangladesh sentenced a senior opposition lawmaker to death for war crimes in 1971, the first conviction of a member of parliament and the seventh in the three-year-old trials that have sparked street violence.

Lawmaker Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, whose father led a party that backed Pakistan during the country’s independence struggle, was found guilty of nine charges of genocide, includ-ing the killing of Hindus, prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told reporters in Dhaka today. His Bangladesh Nationalist Party holds 32 of 300 directly elected seats in Parliament.

“Those who were affected by the war crimes 42 years ago have received justice,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after the verdict. “It was an appropriate punishment.”

The death sentence risks a renewal of clashes that killed more than 150 people this year fol-lowing previous convictions. The tribunal set up in 2010 has reopened wounds that led to the country’s founding four decades ago, when about three million people died in a nationalist uprising against Pakistani troops. “We did not get justice,” Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, told reporters. The family plans to appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Phone lines case: CBI books Maran, BSNL officials

CBI has filed a case against the then telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and BSNL officials for allegedly allotting 300 high-speed telephone lines to Maran's residence in Chennai which were extended to his brother's channel. CBI sources said an FIR was filed following its preliminary enquiry when it found enough ma-terial to proceed with a regular case against Maran and BSNL officials -- the then CGM K Bramhanathan and MP Veluswami. The agency which had registered the enquiry into allegations in 2011 had wrapped up its probe in July. Maran could not be reached for reaction either over the phone or text messages.The sources said these 323 residential lines were allegedly in the name of BSNL general manager connecting the Boat House residence of Maran with the office of Sun TV through a dedicated underground cable during his tenure as Telecom Minister.

Agencies

Callum Ferguson has been re-called to the Australian ODI squad for the India tour after the captain Michael Clarke formally withdrew due to his chronic back condition. Nic Maddinson has also been added to the squad for the Twenty20 match that precedes the seven 50-over matches.

ESPNcricinfo reported last month that Clarke was set to be taken out of the squad in order to ensure his back recovers fully from its most re-cent flare up in time for the start of the home Ashes series against Eng-land. His absence means that George Bailey will again lead the ODI team, with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin as his deputy.

Alex Kountouris, the Australia team physio, said Clarke’s back had been slow in responding to daily treatment since his return home from England. “Michael Clarke has a longstanding low back injury that requires ongoing management,” he said.

“During the recent England ODI series his injury flared up again and has been slow to improve with his regular treatment regime.

“Michael will therefore not be available to play the upcoming India ODI series and will require a more extensive rehabilitation period be-fore returning to competitive crick-

et.”Ferguson possesses a handsome

limited-overs record for Australia but has been used only sparingly since a serious knee injury curtailed a suc-cessful run in the team in 2009. The national selector John Inverarity said Ferguson had backed up those per-formances with a strong domestic limited-overs season in 2012-13.

“Michael was very keen to cap-tain the ODI team to India but un-fortunately he hasn’t progressed enough to be available for selection,” Inverarity said.

“His replacement is Callum Fer-guson, whose form in 50-over cricket during the last Australian summer was impressive, scoring 271 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 70 in the Ryobi Cup, along with an additional three matches for Aus-tralia A against the England Lions in February, scoring 149 runs in three innings at 49.66 with a strike rate of 91.”

Maddinson’s selection for the T20 fixture follows strong showings for Australia A on tours of the British Isles and southern Africa earlier this year. His powerful, free-swinging approach impressed national team coach Darren Lehmann in particular. “Nic showed some sparkling form on Australia A tours during the winter,” Inverarity said. “He will be in strong contention to open the batting with Aaron Finch in the T20.”

Ajmal plays down revenge talk ahead of SA series

Agencies

Pakistan lost 3-0 in the Tests on their tour of South Africa earlier this year, but their offspinner Saeed Aj-mal says revenge will not be on his mind when the two sides clash again later this month.“There’s nothing like revenge in cricket, but we will give them a strong reply,” Ajmal said at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. “I can’t say 100% Pakistan will win, but if we play to 100% we will win in UAE.”One of Pakistan’s greatest results in Tests was their 3-0 victory over the then No. 1 side England in 2012 in the UAE, and Ajmal hoped that the team could perform at a similar level against the current No. 1 side.“Last time when we played in Dubai, England was No. 1 and we were at the same position and we performed well,” he said. “Inshallah against South Af-rica we will try our best to perform as well as we did against England.”Ajmal was one of the stars of the suc-cess against England, turn-

ing in a Man-of-the-Series performance with 24 wick-

ets at 14.70. “I can’t say that I will take 20 or 40 wickets, but I am trying my best to be Man of the Series in the coming series.”Pakistan’s

Test record has been or-dinary since that England

series, winning only one Test - against No. 9 ranked Zimbabwe. Ajmal hoped that playing in Dubai would change that.

One player to be selected for partici-

pation in international tournament to be held

in turkeySRINAGAR, OCTOBER 01:

Gulmarg Tae-Kwon-Do Cup 2013 organized at Gulmarg, Kashmir by Budgam District Tae-Kwon-Do Association under the auspices of J&K Taekwon Do Association concluded Wednes-day. More than 200 players participated in the said event. The players showed their great skills and art during the said championships which has been highly appreciated and lauded by the spectators. The participating players were also exposed to the natural beauty of Gulmarg. Play-

er while leaving the Srinagar to Gulmarg for par-ticipating in said event, were seen off by Speaker J&K Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul

The prizes were distributed by Tariq Ahmad, CEO Gulmarg Development Authority. A good number of dignitaries from various government departments especially from health and tourism also witnessed the closing ceremony of the said championships. Pahalwan Sports Club, Soibugh bagged 6 golds, 7 silvers and 5 bronze medals, R.M.P. Magam, bagged 5 golds, 4 silvers and 7 bronzes medals, while as District Baramulla bagged 2 golds, 1silver and 3 bronze medals in the said championships. The prizes were distrib-uted by Tariq Ahmad, CEO Gulmarg Develop-ment Authority. A good number of dignitaries from various government departments espe-cially from health and tourism also witnessed the closing ceremony of the said championships. Pahalwan Sports Club, Soibugh bagged 6 golds, 7 silvers and 5 bronze medals, R.M.P. Magam, bagged 5 golds, 4 silvers and 7 bronzes medals, while as District Baramulla bagged 2 golds, 1sil-ver and 3 bronze medals in the said champion-

ships. R.G.N. Wani Advisor, Federation of Indian Taek-won-Do congratulated the organizers for successful organiza-tion of the said event and assured the players that such events shall be made a routine henceforth so as to expose the talent of the local players on national and international levels. Ten players from said event have been selected for national coaching, wherefrom one among them will be selected for partic-ipation in international championships to be held at Turkey.

Dr. Mustafa Kamal conveyed his congratulations for the 10 players who have got selected for national coaching. He also announced three sports kits in favour of 3 top players from Tangmarg. He further said that we are waiting for the players who are going to participate in Kashmir Gold Cup - 2013 to be held from 15th November, 2013. Dr.Mustafa Kamal also declared the said champi-onships closed on telephone.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER | 02 | 2013ZABARWAN TIMES6

Gulmarg taek-won-do cup - 2013 event concludes

Agencies

Vishakhapatnam: Skip-per Vijay Zol struck yet another century in colts cricket but that wasn’t enough as India U-19 lot to their South Af-rican counterparts by 10 runs in an inconse-quential penultimate round robin league match of the Quadran-gular U-19 tournament here on Tuesday.Both India and South Africa are on 16 points from five matches and South Af-rica’s win helped them shut the door on Australia with a match to go.Put into bat, South Africa posted 257 for

six with Clyde Fortuin scor-ing a patient 65 off 94 balls with eight boundaries.Yas-een Valli also smashed his way to 49-ball-64 with five

fours and two sixes.In reply, India U-19 were restricted to 247 for nine in 50 overs.Zol played a lone hand hitting 103 off 115 deliveries with

the help of 10 fours and two sixes while the second high-est score was that of Shub-ham Khajuria who made 36.India were in control at

one point of time hav-ing scored 215 for four in 43 overs. Needing only 43 runs in seven overs, India lost five wickets for only 32 runs with Zol being holed out in the deep off pacer Ka-giso Rabada’s (3/45 in 10 overs) bowling.Zol had some useful part-nerships like 67 for the

second wicket with Khaju-ria, 53 for the third wicket with Shreyash Iyer (25) and 67 runs for the fourth wicket with Ricky Bhui (32).

Agencies

Beijing – Rafael Nadal said Tuesday he will look back on his career with pride even if he doesn’t eclipse Roger Federer’s record 17 Grand Slam titles.

The world number two currently has 13 and has been in siz-zling form this season after long-term injury. He is also closing in on the top spot in the world rankings, cur-rently held by Novak Djokovic.

Tennis legends Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras report-edly said the Spaniard could overtake Federer before the 27-year-old finishes his career. “If that happens or that not happens, the only thing I am sure is when I am going to leave this tour, I am go-

ing to be very happy about what I did,” Nadal told reporters in Beijing in response to ques-tions about the comments from Agassi and Sampras. Nadal believes he would need to sustain his form – and crucially his fitness – for the next four years if he is to better Fe-

derer’s Grand Slam achievements.

“I tried everything in every practice, in every match. I gave everything. When you try your best ev-ery day, that’s all that you can do. I think I did. So that’s why I am going to be hap-py,” Nadal said after he won his opening game at the China Open against Santia-go Giraldo 6-2, 6-4.

The second seed and 2004 champion in Beijing will now face German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round.

Vijay Zol’s fine century goes in vain as India colts lose to

South Africa by 10 runs

Overtaking Federer is not Nadal’s goal

Agencies

Amid the cloud of uncertainty that hov-ers over India’s tour of South Africa, batting mainstay Virat Kohli on Tuesday said the upcoming rubber is important as it will “set the standards for this young” national cricket team.

BCCI and Cricket South Africa have been at loggerheads since the latter appointed Ha-roon Lorgat as its CEO.

Lorgat’s differences with BCCI were well known since the time he was the CEO of ICC. The South African locked horns with Indian board president N. Srinivasan on a number of issues, including the use of the controversial Decision Review System.

“South Africa tour is something we are looking forward to. The tour will set the standards of this team. We have got a young team. We are hoping to get a few games there, I can’t say more than that,” Kohli said.

Though a consensus is still awaited on the much-awaited tour, an optimistic Kohli said the team “should be well prepared.”

The 24-year-old batting star, who has already amassed over 4500 runs in ODIs and is seen as

India’s future captain, said he was looking for-ward to a good start to the season, which will

kick off with the seven-match ODIs series against Australia.

“We are excited and hope to have a good start to the season. Australia has always been a strong side and we can’t take them lightly (whether they are with or without regular skipper Michael Clarke or not),” he said during a promotional event for Herbalife, a company that sells nutrition weight management and skin care products.

As far as Yuvraj Singh’s comeback to the side was concerned, Kohli said, “I never had any doubt that Yuvraj would come back to the national team. He has always been a great player. I am really happy for him but more than that, what I liked most was that he had gone to France for (fitness) training. I am glad that he has done that, he had no contact with others, and you will see that on the field.”

Kohli said he was looking forward to be part of Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test match.

“Sachin has achieved one success after another. There can be no bigger achievement

than playing in the 200th Test. We all are looking forward to that.”

SA tour will set the standards for this Indian team: Kohli

Langer hopes for a Hollies on Tendulkar

Ferguson replaces Clarke in India squad

Agencies

Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer hopes one of his spinners will do an Eric Hollies on Sachin Tendulkar when they play Mumbai Indians in the last Group A fixture on Wednesday. Hollies, a legspinner from England, is best remembered as the man who bowled Don Bradman for a duck in his final Test innings, leaving him four runs short of an average of 100 in Tests.

“I hope we have a Hollies in our team tomorrow when we bowl to Sachin. Hollies - wasn’t that the name?” Langer told jour-nalists on the eve of their last match. “Well, I love watching Sachin bat and wish he never gets out. But tomorrow, I wouldn’t like him to score too many runs. Even at this age of 40, he batted in the nets for two hours the other day. That was incredible.”

“I would like my boys to take up the chal-lenge of playing against superstars. This is an inexperienced side and they will learn a lot from this trip. Look at Otago Volts. They have come here three times and now it’s showing results.”Tendulkar is now 26 runs short

of completing 50,000 runs in first-class, List A and Twenty20 matches.

Langer also spoke of Harbhajan Singh, an-

other international player for Mumbai who they

would have to be wary of.“They have to face a trouble-maker like Harb-

hajan,” he said. “Well, please don’t make a controversy when I term Harbhajan as a trouble-maker. I mean he is a guy who would always like to have a competition or two with us over the years.”

Scorchers lie at the bottom of the points table in their group without a win against their name. While their first match was washed out, they lost their other two matches, against Otago Volts and Rajas-than Royals. They were the first to crash out of the Champions League from their group and were soon followed by the Li-ons. Langer stated that even though it was no excuse, the absence of several players, due to injury and some of them opting for IPL franchises, could have affected their performances.“We didn’t have the Marsh brothers - Shaun and Mitch - due to inju-ry,” he said. “We didn’t have Pat Cummins, while Nathan Coultier-Nile and Mitchell Johnson decided to play for Mumbai Indi-ans. So we had a side that was very thin on

experience. But that’s no excuse.