Srinagar, Apr 24 : Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said that J&K is at the threshold of a momentous change and Srinagar has to be part of this movement

as this historic city and its enter-prising inhabitants have been the worst victims of NC’s exploitative politics.“I am seeing that the State’s people in general and the youth in par-

ticular are energetically enthusi-astic about change and I hope that the emancipated residents of Sri-nagar would be on the forefront of this movement in the interest of J&K’s political stability and eco-nomic prosperity,” Sayeed said while addressing a series of pub-lic meetings in Sonawar Assem-bly segment of Srinagar-Budgam Parliamentary constituency. “It is heartening to note that instead of remaining dormant recipients of political decisions, the State’s youth are taking charge of the political decision-making pro-cess to lay strong foundations for peaceful and progressive Jammu & Kashmir through democratic means,” he said.PDP patron said people of Sri-nagar owe it to themselves and fellow countrymen, not to let their power to determine the State’s destiny, be misused by NC again. “It was as a result of low voting percentage in Srinagar in 2008 as-sembly polls that NC

See Mufti On PG 11..

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

FRIDAY 25 April | 2014 | 24 Jamadi-Ul-Saani, 1435 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 4 | ISSUE NO: 114 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 Paisa)Pen For Justice Largely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&Khttp://www.zabarwantimes.com

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(FRIDAY)SUNRISE ON (SATURDAY) 05:50 AM

07:10PM 8.8 0C 24.40C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

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

Partly cloudy sky. Maximum &Minimum temperatures will be around 13°C & 04°C respectively.

Inside story

On Edit Page

See More On Pg 09

See More On Pg 10

Low voter turnout - a big jolt for democratic process

The poll percentage in south Kash-mir’s prestigious Lok Sabha seat is not surprising as separatists have been on their toes to get their poll boycott call implemented and they spend days and nights to persuade the people for this purpose. Not only this but the killings of some people including a Sarpanch and his son in Tral made those aspiring voters panicky who wanted to cast their vote to pave a way for the develop-mental needs of the state. However, that was not so as the forces averse to polls their presence felt and their

El Nino possibility: Experts say no pressing panic button yet

Releases “Tanhayian”

PG 10 PG 10 PG 06

Shut down and clashes at Sopore,

Bandipora and Hajin

JAMMU, APRIL 24: Air Vice Marshal Anil Khosla, Air Officer Command-ing, J&K, called on Mr. N.N. Vohra, Governor, here at Raj Bhavan, to-day.Mr. Khosla briefed the Governor about the IAF’s role and responsibili-ties in the State.The Governor lauded the valuable support extended by the Indian Air Force in support of the lo-gistical arrangements for the ongoing Parliamentary elections and for the

Air Vice Marshal, AOC, J&K briefs Governor

Polling official killed, 5 injured in militant attack7 injured in

road accidents

Srinagar has to drive the movement for change: Mufti

Dr. Farooq addressed NC Minority Convention in Srinagar

Militants give slip to troops in north Kashmir

Srinagar, April 24: A polling official was killed and five others were injured after suspected militants attacked a poling staff at Shopian in south Kashmir on Thursday evening.Official sources told GNS that the poll staff was attacked by unknown gunmen while they were on their way to their re-spective residences following conclusion of the polling at Nagbal area of Shopian.In the attack, six persons including two CRPF men were injured and one of them identified as Master Zia-ul-Haq of Hur-pora Shopian who were a presiding offi-cer succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital. While five others have been admitted and are undergoing treatment, official sources said.A police spokesman in a statement is-sued to GNS said that late today evening militants opened fire on a bus carrying polling staff and security personnel near Handew, Nagbal on Shopian-Zainpora road.One polling officer namely Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq of Herpora, Shopian was killed and one polling staff member Zubair Ah-mad Indrabi of Shopian, two CRPF per-sonnel of 144Bn namely Sandeep Kumar and Constable Viveik Devadi, one Po-liceman HC Ghulam Nabi and driver of the bus Manzoor Ahmad of Tral received bullet injuries. All the injured have been evacuated to hospital.Meanwhile, army and Special Operation Group (SOG) of po-

lice cordoned off the whole area and start-ed massive hunt to nab the attackers. Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Jammu and Kashmir has said that 28 percent polling has been recorded so far in Anantnag constituency of Lok Sabha in south Kashmir.Addressing a press conference at Ban-quet Hall, the CEO Umang Narula said the polling in Anantnag constituency remained ‘by and large peaceful’ barring few minor incidents, the situation was under control. There were total of 1301109 voters in Anantnag constituency.He said Pulwama district recorded 6.32% polling, Shopian recorded 20.43% poll-ing, Kulgam district recorded 36.68% and Anantnag recorded 37.76% polling. The CEO said migrant voters recorded 40% turnout. He said that the percentage may go up.In 2009 parliamentary polls, the Anant-nag constituency had recorded 27 percent polling.The CEO, while answering a question over low turnout in Pulwama, said; There were few incidents before the elections which eventually declined the turnout.”On Monday evening, militants attacked village representatives in Tral villages of Pulwama district in which a Numberdar, a Sarpanch and his son were killed. In other attack, a Sarpanch managed to es-cape unhurt.

See Polling On PG 11..

‘City worst victim of NC’s exploitative politics, mis-governance’

Srinagar, Apr 24: Maintaining the PDP has always believed in propagating the politics of deceit and deception as they are facing political bankruptcy, the Se-nior leader of National Conference and Minister for Rural Development, Pan-chayats, Ali Mohammad Sagar has said that in order to suit their political agen-da the leaders of the party have always hatched conspiracies against the people of the state for their political gains, per-sonal agendas and are now

See Sagar On PG 11..

PDP facing political bankruptcy, spreading

lies: Sagar

Srinagar, Apr 24 (KNS): A Tata Sumo bearing registration number JK06/1833, that was a part of PDP road show rolled down from road at Satrina, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Kangan, resulting in injuries to seven passengers. All the injured were shifted to Sub Dis-trict Hospital, Kangan and SKIMS Soura for treatment. Police has reg-istered a case in this regard. (KNS)

Baramulla / Bandipora, April 24, CNS: Panic gripped in North Kashmir’s Sopore town when groups of youth suddenly ap-peared in market and asked shopkeepers to put down their shutters. The youth according to reports indiscriminately pelted stones on CRPF bunker stationed inside State Bank of India. According to CNS, life was normal in Sopore when suddenly scores of youth appeared in the market and enforced shutdown there. The youth amid pro-free-dom and pro-election boycott slogans resorted to stone-pelting as a result the market presented a deserted look. Police and CRPF used tear-smoke shells to disperse the protestors. Reports said that the clashes between youth and government forces continued for hours at different places in Sopore town. SP Sopore Abdul Qayoom told CNS that some youth were pro-testing against the arrest of some people who have been arrested by police on the charges of stone-pelt-ing. “These ‘miscreants’ pelted stones on shopkeepers and CRPF as a result there was partial shut-down in the town,”

See Hajin On PG 11..

Beats Rajasthan Royals

Violence mars polling in south Kashmir

Clashes, arial firing teargas shelling at many place28% percent polling, says CEO

Pulwama, April 24: Though, the turnout in south Kashmir’s Anantnag constitu-ency was low, but there were various fac-tors which attracted the voters to polling booths in volatile districts of the region.One of the primary reasons put forth by the people who cast vote despite call of boycott by pro-freedom leaders and militants was the lack of basic facilities like lack of electricity, water and road connectivity to their respective villages and hamlets. This was the reason why there was high turnout in rural pockets as compared to urban pockets.

See Change On PG 11..

Kulgam, April 24, CNS: A police party allegedly thrashed some journalists in South Kashmir’s Kulgam town when they were on way to a nearby polling station in their vehicles. Reports said that soon after a stone-pelt-ing incident in Kulgam, a police party stopped few scribes who was in their vehicles and thrashed them without any provocation. “We revealed our identity and displayed our identity cards, yet they smashed the rare glass of my Sentro and targeted us with gun butts and lathi’s,” photo journalist Farooq Javid told CNS adding that one of his colleague Javid Ahmed Dar who works

See Police On PG 11..

Srinagar, April 24: The Inspector Gen-eral of Police (IGP) Kashmir range today said that that nearly two dozen police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were injured in south Kashmir clashes.Answering the questions of media person in Banquet Hall during press briefing of CEO, the IGP said: “Nearly 12 police and 12 CRPF men were injured in clashes in various parts of south Kashmir.” He said that police exercised maximum restraint while dealing with protesters. “No civil-ian was injured,” he said, adding: “few people were arrested during clashes.”The IGP, while assuring action over alleged thrashing by police of two pho-tojournalists in Kulgam by forces, said: “I got the complaint in the day. We are investigating the matter.

See Journalists On PG 11..

Srinagar: A bus driver was killed while the conductor suffered serious injuries on Thursday after a high tension wire fell upon their bus in Tral town of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.Reports reaching GNS said that the bus (JK01-643) that was meant for carrying election staff was hit by a high tension wire near a polling booth in Amlar area of Tral town this afternoon. The bus driver and the conductor suffered serious injuries after receiving electric shocks. The duo was removed to the nearby hospital for treatment where the bus driver identified as Mohammad Ismail Bhat succumbed to his injuries.“The condition of conductor

See Driver On PG 11..

Change for better main reason for poll

participation

Police thrashes scribes in Kulgam

Driver dead, conductor injured as HT wire falls in Tral

‘We are investigating complaints regarding

thrashing of journalists’

SRINAGAR: National Conference Spokes-man Junaid Azim Mattu has said that Na-tional Conference condemns the killing of a polling officer in an incident of armed violence in Shopian which also resulted in three CRPF personnel receiving serious injuries. Mattu has said that National Conference expresses grief and sorrow with the fami-ly of the bereaved officer who lost his life

during the conduct of his official duty and also extends its sympathies with the injured in this incident. Strongly condemning the killing of polling officer in Shopian area Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said violence has no place in a civilized society.In a statement, a party spokesman said by splashing blood of innocents

See Officer On PG 11..

NC, PDP Condemn Killing of Polling Officer

Srinagar, April 24: National Conference Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah addressed the National Conference Minority Convention in Srinagar today. The convention was also at-tended by Chief Minister and NC Working President Omar Abdullah.Addressing the conven-tion, Dr. Farooq Abdul-lah said that minori-ties formed an integral part of our society and culture and National Conference has always played a frontal role in safeguarding the inter-ests of our minorities. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said "Our minorities have played an important role in our history right from 1947 and have always played an active role in the betterment of the so-ciety".Stating that the Sikh commu-nity in Kashmir had always

walked hand-in-hand with their Muslim brothers and sisters, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that despite many machinations and conspiracies the Sikh com-munity never left Kashmir and chose to stay back and empa-thize with the society at large. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that

Ex-Governor Jagmohan had tried his best to spark an exodus of Sikhs from

Kashmir but his evil de-signs failed due to the communal harmony and brotherhood that Sikhs have always augmented and stood up for.Speaking on the occa-sion, Dr. Farooq Abdul-lah said that minorities had always lent their support to Sher-e-Kash-mir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and had given meaning to his slogan of

"Hindu Muslim Sikh Itihaad". Dr. Farooq Abdullah said that National Conference

See Farooq On PG 11..

Says minorities an integral part of our societyOmar also attends convention

Srinagar, April 24: (GNS) Militants on Thursday gave slip to a joint party of Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of police during cordon at Dangiwatcha area of Rafiabad in nouth Kashmir's Baramulla district.Sources told Global News Service that acting on information regarding the presence of some militants, Army’s 32 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 22 RR and Special Operations Group of police cordoned off Gund Karim Khan area of Dangiwatcha Rafiabad today and started combing operation

See Kashmir On PG 11..

11 Srinagar, Friday 25 April 2014 Zabarwan Times

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Polling

Change

Journalists

Farooq

Hajin

Kashmir

Sagar

Police

Driver

Offier

Mufti

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

The CEO said that the deployment of huge forces is done in order to facilitate the voting. (GNS)

“Boycott can’t solve our issues and, voting doesn’t mean we are traitors,” a man at Pulwama, who was standing in queue, said and his view was endorsed by three other persons around him.Most of the youth, who casted vote in South Kashmir, said they are hopeful that they will get rid from the menace of unemployment. “We are unemployed and due to which we are disturbed,” a small group of youth told GNS after they came out of the booth in a remote village of Anantnag. There are over 4.5 lac unemployed youth in the Jammu and Kashmir.There were also those voters who casted vote only to secure their relations with candidates or their colleagues. An aged woman, who was in queue to cast her vote, in Naira village of Pulwama district, said: “Voting doesn’t give us any benefit. I have voted in past but in vain. No issue of ours was sorted. “Howev-er”, she added: “I am voting because my ‘son’ told me to vote”.She was referring to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, who played a major role in wooing voters in Naira village. He was ferrying voters in his personal cab to the polling booth from other villages.In Below, Durgand village of Pulwama, an old man, who casted his vote at around 3:30 pm, said: “This is futile. I am only voting because of my ‘son’ told me.” Around 54 people, who voted in Naira village, said they are voting because a local youth leader told them to vote. “The other voters said they want ‘change’ in valley. “We want change. We are facing severe difficulties. See the condition of roads. There is no development and money which was meant for development went into the pockets of ministers and other bureaucrats. So, we want that all our problems should get solved,” a voter, Riyaz Ahmad of Kulgam village said. (GNS)

Let me assure you appropriate action will be taken.”Earlier in the day, two photojournalists identified as Farooq Javed Khan and Javed Dar was allegedly thrashed by forces in Kulgam while they were per-forming their professional duty. Reports said the car of Khan was also damaged. (GNS)

for China based news agency Xinhua. The other journalists who got injured in police action were identified as Naseer Ganie (Mail Today), Fayaz Wani, Faisul Yaseen, Manzoor-ul-Hasan (Rising Kashmir), Farooq Javid (European Press) and Javid Dar (Xin-hua). Photojournalist Javid Ahmed Dar was shifted to nearby hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, in Trenz area of Shopian district a camera man Aijaz Yaseen Dar, working for Day and Night News Channel was injured when he was allegedly attacked by some Special Operation Group personnel outside a polling station. A top police official told CNS that he would look into the matter. (CNS)

Manzoor Ahmad Wani of Raithan, Budgam is stated to be critical,” reports said. (GNS)

on the ground we won’t be able to achieve anything. Ex-pressing solidarity with the bereaved family, the Spokes-man said violence in any form is not acceptable in any case, as it would not solve our problems. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured in the incident.

was able to manipulate numbers against the public sentiment,” he said adding; “Let that not happen this time.”Accusing NC of having exploited the public sentiment throughout its existence and not learnt any lessons from either its own follies or the plight of the State, Sayeed said it is because of NC’s exploitative politics that the successive generations of our people had to suffer worst kind of deprivation, violence and power-lessness.Sayeed said it was for the people to judge the perfor-mance of different parties and leaders. Though PDP had been in the field only for less than a decade, this party, he said has brought changes of fundamental nature into the State’s political and economic system. “Not only did we provide a credible political alterna-tive, but PDP can humbly claim that it has tried its best, and succeeded to a large extent, in providing the best government ever to the people, albeit for a very brief stint between 2002 and 2005,” he said.Sayeed said while PDP had laid the foundation for pulling J&K out of the quagmire of political instabil-ity and economic deprivation, the clock was, unfor-tunately, turned back by the NC-Congress coalition government headed by Omar Abdullah. “Killings, ar-rests, crackdowns, enforced poll boycotts and mis-gov-ernance will only take us back to wherefrom we had pulled the State out in 2002,” he said and cautioned of imminent disaster if the cycle of alienation engi-neered by NC is not addressed immediately.Sayeed said having suffered immensely under the present anarchist dispensation, that has become a symbol of repression, political chaos, rampant cor-ruption, administrative anarchy and denial of justice, J&K today needs, more than ever before, a caring ad-ministration, which only a truly committed political party can provide.Expressing dismay over the developmental deficit Srinagar has suffered during the past 6 years, Sayeed said while PDP led government had initiated some major infrastructural projects for the socio-economic uplift of the City including Rapid Transport System, drainage network, beautification and conservation programme for Dal Lake and other water bodies, up-gradation of tourism facilities, establishment of new institutions, creation of employment avenues etc, the same were shelved by the present government. “All major projects and schemes started by the pre-vious coalition government were either shelved or

became victim of inefficiency, red tape and corrup-tion,” he said and added that key infrastructural in-terventions like the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme and ADB funded fly-over and drainage projects ran into problems due to the casual approach of the present dispensation. “No wonder the City has turned into a cesspool today amid a gloomy scenario of traffic snarls, water logging, power scarcity, insti-tutional decay, socio-economic distress and rampant unemployment visible all around,” he said.Seeking support for Tariq Hameed Karra, PDP’s can-didate for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency, Say-eed said as a Minister in the PDP-Congress coalition government, Karra’s performance is still being talked about by the people in every nook and corner of the City.On this occasion district president and MLC Mo-hammad Ashraf Mir said Omar Abdullah should apologize to the people for having failed to fulfill his commitment on Sadak, Paani, Bijli and Rozgaar, the plank on which he sought votes in 2008 assembly elec-tions. “Unfortunately the road communication power and employment have turned out to be the biggest ca-sualty of the present regime,” he said and added that the pathetic condition of roads, acute power scarcity and soaring unemployment speak volumes about the performance of NC-Congress coalition government. Secretary coordination Abdul Hameed Kosheen; Dis-trict Vice President Mohammad Maqbool Baig; Zone President Mohammad Shafi Mir and Mohammad La-teef were also present and spoke to the gathering on this occasion. (KNS)

will continue to work for the rights and interests of the minorities and will not allow communal forces to polarize the society for political gains.Dr. Farooq Abdullah on this occasion appealed to the State Government and the Central Government to en-sure that justice is delivered in the Chattisinghpora Massacre which saw innocent lives being lost in a manner that shook the hearts and minds of the peo-ple of this State. Dr. Farooq Abdullah appealed to the Chief Minister to expedite the probe into the Chattis-inghpora massacre so that the families of the victims could see the culprits being brought to the book.The Minority Leaders submitted a charter of de-mands to Dr. Farooq Abdullah on this occasion and Dr. Farooq Abdullah assured the minority leaders that National Conference would work with utmost seriousness to fulfill these demands to the utmost sat-isfaction of the minorities of the State.The Minority Convention was also attended by Pro-vincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, MLC Dharam-veer Oberoi, Minority Cell Organizer Sardar Jag-dish Singh Azad, Senior Vice President Mohammad Sayeed Akhoon, Provincial Vice President Mushtaq Guroo and Provincial Secretary Advocate Showkat Ahmed Mir. (GNS)

to flush out the suspected militants.As the team started search operations, the militants hiding in the area opened several shots at them before fleeing.Though the forces intensified the searches in the area, the militants, sources said, have managed to escape. The search operation was in progress when the last reports came in. (GNS)

involved in dis information campaign to mislead the people for their ulterior political motives.Sagar was addressing huge gatherings at different parts of the Srinagar city. It was attended by eminent persons of the area, besides leaders of the party. Sagar said that Omar led government has ushered an era of peace and development in the state, which have no parallels in the annals of the history and this has induced a sense of fear in the minds of PDP,which is now resorting to political gimmickry to further their ulterior political motives. He said that the govern-ment has worked tirelessly for the restoration of the peace in the state and now the people are reaping the dividends.Sagar said that it is unfortunate that PDP is trying to gain political mileage over the dead coffins of in-nocent people as has been there habit since decades. He said that it is recorded history that the patron of the particular party has been responsible for carry-ing out massacres of thousands of innocent Kash-miris during his tenure as Union Home Minister. “The party was involved in the killing of several mil-itant commanders, who had earlier supported them during their elections in 2002, when Mufti Sayeed became Chief Minster, they ensured killings of these militants”, he added. He said that the National Con-ference has borne the brunt of the killings during the turmoil and thousands of activists of the party were killed but we did not play politics over the killings of innocents.Referring to the initiatives undertaken by the govern-ment for providing employment to youth, Mr Sagar said that the government has provided jobs to more than 51,000 youth, besides providing jobs and to more than 18,000 in Himmayat,Udaan and under SKEWPY more than 72, 000 others were imparted skills for star-ing up their own entrepreneurial units, so that they can contribute their bit in generating jobs. “”We are aware of the fact that the youth of the state have to be channelized and have done accordingly by taking the necessary steps, whereas PDP has done nothing during their tenure in power except lip service and sugar coated lies”, he added. He said that during the tenure of Dr. Farooq Abdullah around 1.75 lakh youth were provided jobs whereas in Mufti’s tenure only 26,000 were provided employment, which speaks a lot about their double speak.Underlining the achievements registered by the gov-ernment in various spheres of life, Sagar said that growing popularity of the present coalition has in-duced sense desperation and frustration in the cad-res of PDP, which has triggered a panic reaction in them and they have started spreading lies and false propaganda. “The people of the state are wise enough to understand their mechanizations and would give a befitting reply to these forces of chaos and confusion, whose leaders are known for their dubious role in the political circles of the state as they can go to any ex-tent to further their lust for power and propagation of their personal agendas”, he added. Terming the government headed by Mufti Syed as one of the worst governments of state, Sagar said that it is known to all that it was one of the most corrupt and inefficient regimes to have governed the state replete with chaos and confusion. He said that the party is used to prop-agate lies and misleading the people in order to hide their failures. (KNS)

he said adding that every person indulging in vio-lence is subject to legal action. Meanwhile, in North Kashmir’s Hajin town, agitated youth clashed with the Government Forc-es following the detention of a Tehreek-i-Hurriyat, Abdul Hamid Parray activist. Reports said that police picked up the Tehreek-i-Hurriyat activist during a nocturnal raid. Clashes between youth and Government Forces also broke out in main town BandiporaThursday morning even as a complete shutdown was observed. (CNS)

Budgam, Apr 24: Urg-ing the youth to spear-head the movement for change, senior PDP lead-er and former Finance Minister, Tariq Hameed Karra Thursday said the state’s young population has become the biggest victim of the tyrannical policies of the Omar Abdullah-led govern-ment.“Besides getting vic-timized collectively by the repressive policies of the present govern-ment, the state’s youth are being subjected to economic subjuga-tion by depriving them the opportunities of employment and oth-er income-generating avenues,” Karra said while addressing a se-ries of election rallies in Budgam Assem-bly segment of Sri-nagar-Budgam Parlia-mentary constituency, reads a statement is-sued to KNS.PDP leaders Moulvi Im-ran Ansari, Saif-ud-Din Bhat, Muntazir Mohi-ud-Din and others also addressed the rallies. He said by corrupting various institutions in-cluding BOPEE and re-cruiting agencies, the present government as pushed the youth into a perpetual state of despair and uncertainty. “After pushing the youth into despondency, NC then exploits them for short-term political gains,” he said and added that as a part of its well-designed ploy to impose economic subjugation on the peo-ple, the present regime is operationalizing all the devious means to push Kashmiris into perpetual political enslavement.Accusing NC leaders of orchestrating violence to enforce poll boycott as a last resort for their sur-

vival, Karra said; “As NC has realized that having lost the public support, its survival is now solely dependent on continuing conflict and uncertainty in J&K, the party is overt-ly and covertly playing all the dirty tricks to car-ry on with the blood-let-ting of innocent Kash-miris,” he said and added that people have to de-cide whether they want NC to continue with its gory machinations or stamp-out this vi-cious circle of death and destruction once for all.Karra said while his father Dr Farooq Ab-dullah is remembered for getting Muham-mad Maqbool Bhat hanged, enforcing POTA and consti-tuting dreaded Task Force, Omar Abdul-lah would be remem-bered for rape and murder of Aasiya and Neelofar of Shopian, facilitating execution of Afzal Guru, kill-ing of 120 civilians in 2010 and presiding over the worst ever government J&K.Karra said the state’s ruling political elite is preoccupied with enjoying the luxu-ries of power while the Aam Aadmi is being subjected to all kinds of cruelties and miseries. “The people are fed up with the insensitivity of this self-centered re-gime and would respond appropriately to this feeling of utter neglect in the ongoing polls,” he said and urged people of Srinagar-Budgam con-stituency to ask Dr Fa-rooq Abdullah how many times he has visited them to address their prob-lems after being elected to the Parliament in 2009. (KNS)

Youth subjected to collective punishment by present Govt: KarraSeeks people’s support against ‘NC’s policies’

Display names, avail-ability of medicines in hospitals: SIC to Govt

Srinagar, Apr 24: The Jammu and Kashmir State Information Commissioner (SIC) has directed the state government to ensure display of lists of names and availability of the medicines in all the govern-ment hospitals across the state.Dr. SK Sharma, the Information Commissioner has passed the order while disposing a complaint filed by an RTI activist Deepak Sharma. In his five pages judgment the commission vide its order number SIC-J-A-46-2014/108 has directed the state government through Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education department to ensure display list of all medicines including life saving drugs available to the patients free of cost at prominent places in the hospitals and health centers for the benefits of the general public within a month time.Earlier in his complainant to the commission Sharma had sought a direction for the Hospital authorities to ensure compli-ance of section 4 of the J&K Right to Information Act 2009, which obligates a public authority to proactively display the information held by it.Sharing details of the case, Sharma stated that it is a common experience that though the Government claims that many medi-cines including life saving drugs are made available in hospitals and other health institutions and these drugs are meant for free distribution to patients, but usually the patients are not given the medicines available in the hospitals which is meant for free public distribution and are asked to purchase the medicines from the market.To find the fate of such medicines available in the hospi-tals, he filed an RTI application to Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu and raised queries which included to know the details of all medicines including life saving drugs and other surgical products available in the stores of hospitals and also asked the details of medicines available in the store that has crossed the expiry date.Being aggrieved by the reply of the PIO, the activist filed a complaint in the State Information Commission to issue order to the hospital authorities to display information regarding availability of medi-cines, proactively under section 4 of the J&K RTI Act 2009.Now the Commissioner Secretary Health and Med-ical Education, Principal Government Medical College and Hospital and Director Health Services have been asked to ensure that the availability of all medicines is displayed at prominent places of all hospitals and health centers for the benefit of the general public within one month of passing the order. (KNS)

‘Omar and Azad’s visits changed South Kashmir’s

political mood’Srinagar, Apr 24 (KNS): National Confer-ence-Congress coalition candidate for Anantnag Parliamentary constitu-ency Dr Mehboob Beg on Thursday said that polit-ical mainstream in the state does not believe in violence and it is the mil-itants who are responsi-ble for the ‘innocent kill-ings’ in South Kashmir.Talking to KNS after he cast his vote at Sarnal in Anantnag, Beg said that the militants are backed by the separatists in Kashmir and they go for killings of political work-ers just because they have an ideological dif-ference with the political mainstream.“I disagree with Dr Fa-rooq Sahib and Muzaf-far Hussain Beigh sahib who have blamed politi-cal rivalry for the recent killings of Sarpanches in South Kashmir. It is the militants backed by separatists who carry out these killings just because we want to settle things through dialogue and negotiations,” Beg told KNS.Beg said Syed Ali Gee-lani, Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik have ideological difference with the polit-ical mainstream and this is why these separatist leaders propagate poll boycott. “Yes they have differences with our po-litical approach but I don’t think that should be a reason to resort to violence,” he added.Regarding the polling in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, Beg said that recent visit of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to various areas in South

Kashmir has turned the poll scenario in favour of National Conference. He said Omar’s stature and popularity among people has garnered support for him and rest according to Beg was done by the Congress leadership par-ticularly Ghulam Nabi Azad and Prof Saifud-din Soz. “Omar Sahib’s visits to South Kashmir has changed the politi-cal mood in entire South Kashmir and we have been able to consolidate our votes. The Chief Minster’s visits created a wave in South Kash-mir and if there were some weak areas for Na-tional Conference, those were taken care by the Congress leadership and the party workers who according to Beg have supported National Con-ference wholeheartedly this time.Beg alleged that a wrong notion is being propa-gated by opposition PDP that boycott and low poll percentage benefits Na-tional Conference. “Let me remind people that PDP president Mehboo-ba Mufti had bagged 75000 votes in 2004 and had won and I had got 150,000 in 2009 and won. Also those who say that PDP has 12 MLAs in South Kashmir that will favour them this time. Let me remind these people that PDP had 12 MLAs in 2009 also but why did PDP candidate lost. Besides that my performance in Par-liament has remained better than Mehbooba Mufti. I raised a number of issues and which she did not during her time. We have made our per-formance in Parliament available on internet for people to judge us.” (KNS)

Militants, not political mainstream

responsible for killings: Mehboob Beg

South Kashmir has rejected PDP -

National Conference'PDP calling grapes sour,NC will emerge victorious'- Junaid Mattu'PDP facing rout in South Kashmir'SRINAGAR 24th April: (GNS) National Conference Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu, in a statement issued from Srinagar has said that with the com-pletion of elections for the Anantnag-Pulwama Parliamentary Seat, the enthusiasm of the people in South Kashmir to re-elect National Conference and reject PDP was now a reality that nobody could deny. Mattu said "The NC-Congress wave has swept South Kashmir and with the momentum it has also swept away the lies and canards of the BJP-PDP hidden nexus. Today the people of South Kashmir have come out to reject Mehbooba Mufti, her party and the lies that they propagate in supposedly their alleged bastion. PDP should see the writing on the wall and stop fooling the people now".Stating that National Conference was confident of a thumping victory in the Anantnag-Pulwama Parlia-mentary Seat, Junaid Mattu said "We are confident that the people of South Kashmir have rejected PDP in its own alleged bastion and the strong resentment against PDP MLAs in South Kashmir is a result of the party's absolvement of its duties in the Assem-bly". Junaid Mattu said the overwhelming rejection of PDP in South Kashmir was an endorsement of sec-ularism and inclusiveness and a total and complete rejection of communal forces and their hidden allies within the State.Junaid Mattu said that PDP's apolo-gist claims to justify its dismal performance in South Kashmir was a deflection from the ground reality. "PDP's big baloon of hot air and hollow words has finally exploded revealing the party's absolute ero-sion at the grassroots level", Mattu said while stating that PDP's lack of an ideological cadre was the reason for the party's poor performance. Conversely, Mattu said National Conference has a two pronged presence at the grassroots level. Junaid Mattu said "NC has a passionate and dedicated ideological cadre and we also have an up-swell of support at the grassroots level for our party since unlike PDP we do not believe in outsourcing constituencies to political contractors". Refuting irresponsible statements from PDP about the turnout in South Kashmir, the NC Spokesman said that National Conference has all along worked for greater participation of the people in the elec-tions and has rendered numerous sacrifices to safeguard democracy at a time when Mufti Moham-mad Sayeed chose rehabilitation in Uttar Pradesh. Mattu said "PDP's posturing is akin to them calling the grapes sour and the party has conceded defeat in South Kashmir by now running to give reasons for its rout in South Kashmir". PDP has been routed from South Kashmir not because of high or low turnout but because of its nexus with communal forces and its anti-people activities.Stating that National Conference had always main-tained that the party would retain all three Parliamen-tary Seats from Kashmir, Junaid Mattu said that PDP will face even bigger rejections from the people in Baramulla and Srinagar Parliamentary Seats. (GNS)

SRINAGAR | FRIDAY, APRIL | 25 | 2014Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JAMMU, APRIL 24- Principal Sec-retary to Governor R. K. Gupta and Divisional Commissioner Shantmanu discussed various arrangements for the forthcoming Shri Amarnath yatra which is going to start from June 28 .

They were chairing a high level meeting of the concerned officers with view to ensure timely arrange-ments for the Amarnath yatra.

It was informed in the meet-ing that Ist batch of yatries will be flagged off on June 27, 2014morning from Yatri Niwas, Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu.

They stressed upon the need for greater synergy and coordination between the civil administration, police, security forces, shrine board authorities and other concerned de-partments to ensure that the required arrangements are put in place well in time.

To ensure the quality and rates of eatables and other essential com-modities during the yatra period, es-pecially along the national highway, they issued directions to the officers of different departments to con-duct regular inspection of market to check overcharging by the shop-keepers during the yatra days.

In the meeting, all the aspects related to yatra registration, accom-modation, transport, free langers, face lifting/renovation of Yatri Ni-was, security arrangements, un-interrupted supply of electricity, adequate water supply at Yatri Ni-was besides lodging and boarding centres for yatris in Jammu were discussed

The meeting was attended by Inspector General of Police Jammu, DC Udhampur, DC Kathua, DC Sam-ba, ADDC Jammu, Director Tourism

Jammu, Director Health Jammu, Joint Director Information Jammu, SSP Jammu, SEs, RTO Jammu, RTO Kathua, XENs other concerned of-ficers of various department. In the meeting, all the aspects related to yatra registration, accommodation, transport, free langers, face lifting/renovation of Yatri Niwas, security arrangements, uninterrupted sup-ply of electricity, adequate water supply at Yatri Niwas besides lodg-ing and boarding centres for yatris in Jammu were discussed

The meeting was attended by Inspector General of Police Jammu, DC Udhampur, DC Kathua, DC Sam-ba, ADDC Jammu, Director Tourism Jammu, Director Health Jammu, Joint Director Information Jammu, SSP Jammu, SEs, RTO Jammu, RTO Kathua, XENs other concerned offi-cers of various department.

LMD imposes Rs 17900 fine on defaulters

KATHUA APRIL 24:- A team of the Legal Metrology De-partment under the supervision of the Assistant Control-ler Legal Metrology Ajay Verma and comprising of the Inspector Legal Metrology Kathua Vicky Sharma and In-spector Legal Metrology Dayalachack Devi Lakhanpuria conducted surprise checking of various business estab-lishments especially karayna shops, atta chacki, Ration Dealers, Provisional Stores, Wine Shops , Scrap dealer, Hardware shops and Vegetable/ Fruit Sellers at Main Ba-zar Kathua, Kalibari Hatli Morh, Chappaki Morh, Dinga Amb, Mangloor, Chann Arrorian, Dayalachack Ramkot and adjoining Areas. During Inspection, 14 traders were booked for violation of various provisions of J&K Weights and Mea-sures Enforcement Act 1997 and Package Commodities Rules and a penalty of Rs 17900 was imposed on the err-ing traders.

The traders were directed to use the verified weights and measures besides displaying MRP, PKD, Net Contents and complete address and Consumer Care Number on the commodities to be sold in pack-aged form.The Department also warned the unscrupulous traders to desist away from unfair trade practices to cheat the inno-cent Consumers and and also appealed to the Consumers to remain vigilant while purchasing the Commodities.

Yatra to commence from June 28

Gupta, Shantmanu discuss Amarnath Yatra arrangements

NEW DELHI: With IMD fore-casting below normal monsoon this year because of a possible El Nino factor, agriculture experts on Thursday advised the government not to press the panic button yet.

“We need to be on alert and be prepared but not get panic because the country had escaped El Nino without any scratch way back in 1997,” former chief of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices Ashok Gulati said.

“The monsoon seasonal rainfall is likely to be 95 per cent of the long period average with an error of plus or minus 5 percent,” Indian Meteorological Department said in a statement.

Officials in the weather depart-ment said the monsoon is expect-ed to be below normal because of the El Nino effect.

Gulati, who is now chair-pro-fessor at thinktank ICRIER, said below normal rain does not mean there will be drought. “We have to see how would be the distribution of rain across the country.”

El Nino refers to the warmer-than-average sea surface tem-perature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This condi-tion occurs every 4-12 years and

had last impacted India’s mon-soon in 2009, leading to the worst drought in almost four decades.

Crisil chief economist D K Joshi

said: “No doubt, the IMD forecast is not encouraging, but I won’t press the panic button now as there is higher probability of nor-

mal monsoon.” “Below normal monsoon is

not a drought year. What matter is how well rainfall is distributed

across the country. We need to be concerned and be prepared so that we are not taken by sur-prise,” he added.

The four-month long long monsoon starting June is crucial for kharif crops such as rice, soy-abean, cotton and maize because almost 60 per cent of the farm land in the country is rainfed.

Gulati said as per the Skymet forecast, rainfall in the country’s north west and western regions would be hit badly if El Nino oc-curs.

“If it (El Nino) affects rain in the western region, oilseeds, cotton, pulses and onion crops would be affected. The north-west region may not face much problem as it is irrigated,” he added.

Harish Galipelli, head of com-modities and currencies with JRG Wealth Management said if the rainfall spread is scattered then it will have impact on agriculture yields and production, thereby prices.

Australian Bureau of Me-teorology and private forecaster

Skymet have also predicted a likelihood of El Nino factor hitting monsoon in India.

El Nino possibility: Experts say no pressing panic button yet

Air Vice Marshal, AOC, J&K briefs Governor Governor releases “Tanhayian”JAMMU, APRIL 24: Air Vice Marshal Anil Khosla, Air Officer Commanding, J&K, called

on Mr. N.N. Vohra, Governor, here at Raj Bhavan, today.Mr. Khosla briefed the Governor about the IAF’s role and responsibilities in the State.The Governor lauded the valuable support extended by the Indian Air Force in support of the logistical arrangements for the ongoing Parliamentary elections and for the rescue, relief and evacuation operations carried out during the recent prolonged spell of bad weather in the State.

PCCF calls on Governor JAMMU, APRIL 24: Mr. Abhai Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests,

J&K, called on Mr. N.N Vohra, Governor, here at Raj Bhavan, today.Mr. Kumar briefed the Governor about the efforts being made by his Department to carry out afforestation in the State.The Governor and Mr. Kumar discussed issues related to conservation of bio-diversity, soil and water conservation and the steps being taken by the Department to ensure against environmental pollution and increase the application of new techniques and technologies to maintain and enhance forest cover in the State.

VC, SMVDU, calls on GovernorJAMMU, APRIL 24: Prof. Sudhir K. Jain, Vice Chancellor, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Uni-

versity, called on Governor Mr. N.N. Vohra, Chancellor, SMVDU, here at Raj Bhavan, today.Prof. Jain briefed the Governor about the to date status of the ongoing teaching pro-

grammes and the infrastructure development projects; steps being taken to fill up vacant faculty positions; preparation for the ensuing admissions to Academic Session 2014-15, and the measures underway to boost research activities in the various departments. He apprised the Governor about the conferences recently held in the Varisty and about the ongoing co- curricular activities in the campus.

JAMMU, APRIL 24: Mr. N.N. Vohra, Governor, released a book titled “Tanhayian” here at Raj Bhavan, today. This volume of Urdu poetry has been penned by Dr. Jitendra Udham-puri and published by Taskeen Press.“Tanhaiyan” is a collection of 71 poems and ghazals on varied themes, which are based on the author’s experiences relating to nature, cultur-al life of Jammu and Kashmir, problems of a comman man, glory of motherland, univer-sal love, brotherhood and so on.The Governor congratulated Dr. Udhampuri, Padamshri awardee and a versatile author and linguist, for writing a meaningful book of verse. He discussed with Dr. Udhampuri about his other ongoing literary projects and wished him success in all his future writings.The Governor, on the occasion, urged Mr. Khalid Bashir Ahmad, Secretary, J&K Cultural Academy, to hold book reading sessions and discussions to promote the book reading culture among the youth.

Dr. Ashok Bhan meets GovernorJAMMU, APRIL 24: Dr. Ashok Bhan, former DG Police and Member Shri Mata

Vaishno Devi Shrine Board called on Governor, Mr. N.N. Vohra, Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, at Raj Bhavan here today.Dr. Bhan informed the Governor about his feedback on the existing systems and procedures which relate to Yatra management. The Governor requested Dr. Bhan to particularly focus on all aspects of security management of the pilgrimage and to also advise him about the more effective utilizations of the Spiritual Growth Centre at Katra.

Principal Secretary, PDD calls on GovernorJAMMU, APRIL 24: Mr. A.K. Mehta, Principal Secretary, Power Development De-

partment called on Mr. N.N. Vohra, Governor, here at Raj Bhavan, today.Mr. Mehta briefed the Governor about various initiatives of the Department to

launch new hydro power projects and maintain optimum transmission and distri-bution of electricity in the State. The measures required to meet the challenges faced by the Department were also discussed.

SKUAST-K organized 29th Annual Group meeting of AICP-National Seed Project (Crops) 2014

ANANTNAG, APRIL 24: 29th Annual Group Meeting of All India Coordinated Project (AICP)-National Seed Project (Crops) 2014 organized by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Tech-nology of Kashmir (SKUAST), Shalimar, Srinagar commenced today and will continue till April 26, 2014.Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, New Delhi, Dr. Swapan Ku-mar Dutta was the chief guest on the occasion. More than 200 Scientists working in the different research organiza-tions in India participated in the meeting. Vice-Chancellor SKUAST, Kashmir, Dr. Tej Par-tap presided over the meeting. Various dignitaries including, ADG (Seed) ICAR, Dr. J. S. Chau-han, Project Director, Director-ate of Seed Research, Mau, UP,

Dr. S. Rajendra Prasad, Direc-tor CITH, Srinagar, Dr. Nazeer Ahmad, Director Research, SKUAST-Kashmir, Dr. Shafiq A. Wani, Dean, Faculty of Agricul-ture, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Dean, Faculty of Forestry, , Dr. M. Y. Zargar, Dean, Faculty of Horti-culture, Dr. F. A. Zaki, Registrar, SKUAST-Kashmir Dr. Tasleem S. Ganai and various Heads of Di-visions and Stations were also present in the meeting.

On the occasion, the Direc-tor Research, SKUAST-Kashmir, Prof. Shafiq A. Wani highlight-ed the significances of the Seed Research vis-a-vis conducting the Annual Group Meeting 2014.Project Director, Director-ate of Seed Research, Mau (UP), Dr. S. Rajandra Prasad pre-sented the achievement made under National Seed Project (Crops) at National level and

stressed on strengthening this programme in order to expand outreach and achieve identi-fied targets under 12thPlan.

The Chief Guest in his ad-dress highlighted the role of seed as a significant input in agriculture. He also men-tioned that the seed is impor-tant which encapsulates the past, present and the future of the whole agriculture and is the seat of the transcending important traits. He stressed that the adequate funds should be made available to State Ag-riculture Universities to un-dertake the innovations in restructuring the research for development quality seeds. He also mentioned that the major challenge in South East Asia is availability of quality seed.

He said that the food and nutritional need of the

country has to be kept in mind before moving ahead in seed sector at national level keeping in view challenges posed by the climate change, early ma-turing and drought resistant varieties of crops needs to be developed, infrastructure facil-ities for seed analysis and stor-age needs to be strengthened across the country in order to reduce storage loss. Climate independent crops need to be developed to address issues in research.The Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-Kashmir, Dr. Tej Partap while delivering Presidential Address, welcomed the partici-pants highlighted the contribu-tion of seed research and allied sectors in the country. He also mentioned the role of modern technology in research and its possibility to fight against hun-ger and poverty in the country

in line with the policies ad-opted by the J&K State Gov-ernment in reviving the seed supply chain. The impact of population pressure, economic opportunities, changing urban structure and receding land holdings, the country poses a new challenge for research organizations to create new linkages in order to harvest the full potential of the available technologies in national seed programme.He highlighted the importance of seed availability to small and marginal farm-ers of the country to ensure economic prosperity. He also mentioned that the paradigm shift need to be made in order to develop seeds for the future and harvest the potential of indigenous gene pool reposi-tories available in the different crops in the country.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Friday 25 April 2014

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

Low voter turnout - a big jolt for

democratic process

The poll percentage in south Kashmir’s pres-tigious Lok Sabha seat is not surprising as separatists have

been on their toes to get their poll boycott call implemented and they spend days and nights to persuade the people for this purpose. Not only this but the killings of some people includ-ing a Sarpanch and his son in Tral made those aspiring vot-ers panicky who wanted to cast their vote to pave a way for the developmental needs of the state. However, that was not so as the forces averse to polls their presence felt and their poll boycott call had its impact similar to the poll boycott of 1989 in most of the areas of Pul-wama Distt. And some other places in Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag. The low percentage cannot be attributed to the poll boycott appeals of separatists only because the people in gen-eral have kept aloof from these elections because of non-perfor-mance of the coalition govern-ment in the state and its failure to cope up with different day to day problems of the people including rising prices, road connectivity, electricity sup-ply, water supply, corruption and last but not the least the gigantic employment problem. Everybody in this state partic-ularly in the valley is worried about these problems as the co-alition had hardly any vision to cope up with the alarming situation. Whatever, the poll-ing has now been completed in Anantnag constituency and its low turnout is definitely go-ing to influence the rest of the phases in Srinagar and Bara-mullah. It has been a normal practice in the summer capital that people keep aloof and do not associate themselves most-ly with the electoral process. It has always recorded the lowest percentage and it is because of this that whosoever wins goes through with a thin margin. Definitely the low percentage in Pulwama and other places is not a good indicator for the rest of the phases left. Perhaps the election commission is also responsible for low turnout because there was no public awareness campaign launched in the valley to motivate the people to participate in the elec-toral process. Barring some ad-vertisements here and there in their favorite newspapers they did nothing to attract the young voters and convince them that their vote is very pressure for their own well being. It is un-fortunate that everybody takes the things very lightly and no concrete steps are taken to make democracy a tool in the hands of general masses.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Wednesday 12 February 2014

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

Drug Abuse and Kashmiri

Society

etlands are complex ecosystems and encompass a wide range of inland, coastal and marine hab-itats. They share the characteristics of both wet and dry environments and show immense di-versity based on their genesis, geographical loca-tion, hydrological regimes and substrate factors. They include flood plains, swamps, marshes, fishponds, tidal marshes natural and man-made wetlands. Among the most productive life sup-port, wetlands have immense socio-economic and ecological importance for mankind. They are crucial to the survival of natural biodiversity. They provide suitable habitats for endangered and rare species of birds and animals, endem-ic plants, insects besides sustaining migratory birds. India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems distributed in different geographical regions. Most of the wetlands in India are directly or indi-rectly linked with major river systems such as the Ganges, Cauvery, Krishna, Godavari and Tapti. India has totally 27, 403 wetlands, of which 23,444 are inland wetlands and 3,959 are coastal wetlands. According to the Directory of Asian Wetlands (1989), wetlands occupy 18.4% of the country area (excluding rivers), of which 70 % are under paddy cultivation. In India, out of an estimated 4.1 mha (excluding irrigated agricul-tural lands, rivers, and streams) of wetlands, 1.5 mha are natural, while 2.6 mha are manmade. The coastal wetlands occupy an estimated 6,750 sq km, and are largely dominated by mangrove vegetation.Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

India is also a signatory to the Ramsar Conven-tion on Wetlands and the Convention of Bio-logical Diversity. The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergov-ernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international coopera-tion for the conservation and wise use of wet-lands and their resources. There are presently 158 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1758 wetland sites, totaling 161 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Ram-sar Convention is the only global environment treaty dealing with a particular ecosystem. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was developed as a means to call international attention to the rate at which wetland habitats were disappear-ing, due to lack of understanding of their im-portant functions, values, goods and services. Governments which have joined the Conven-tion are expressing their willingness to make a commitment for helping to reverse that history of wetland loss and degradation. In addition, many wetlands are international systems lying across the boundaries of two or more countries, or are part of river basins that include more than one country. The health of these and other wet-lands is dependent upon the quality and quantity of the transboundary water supply from rivers, streams, lakes, or underground aquifers. This requires framework for international discussion and cooperation toward mutual benefits. The salient features of Ramsar Convention includes recommendations for monitoring of biodiver-sity and anthropogenic impact; improvement of the legislation for protection of the wetlands; elaboration of economic mechanisms for the bio-diversity protection while in nature management; organisation of new protected areas (Ramsar sites) in Kamchatka region; organisation of work with local population and search for sources of funding.Conservation of Natural Resources

Nature has provided bountiful resources sur-rounding us for sustenance of a better life. Thus, any part of our natural environment such as land, water, air, minerals, forest, grassland, wildlife, fish or even human population that man can utilize to promote his welfare, may be considered as Natural Resources. These resources, along with human resources and capital, play a crucial role for ex-pansion to national output which ultimately drives towards economic development. Hence for sustainable development, careful use of the exhaustible resources and maintenance of the quality of renewable resources are needed. For that, certain objectives should be followed. Eco-logical balance has been defined as “a state of dynamic equilibrium within a community of organisms in which genetic, species and ecosys-tem diversity remain relatively stable, subject to

gradual changes through natural succession.” and “a stable balance in the numbers of each spe-cies in an ecosystem.” The most important point being that the natural balance in an ecosystem is maintained. This balance may be disturbed due to the introduction of new species, the sudden death of some species, natural hazards or man-made causes. Common property resources (CPRs) constitute all such resources which are meant for common use of the villagers. In the pre-British India, a very large part of the country’s natural resourc-es was freely available to the rural population. These resources were largely under the control of the local communities. Gradually, with the extension of state control over these resources, resulting in decay of the community manage-ment system, CPRs available to the villagers de-clined substantially over the years. Nevertheless, it is widely held that CPRs still play an important role in the life and economy of the rural popula-tion. The beginning of the studies of the CPRs in India can be traced back to early 1980’s. Some of these studies covered fairly a large number of vil-lages scattered over the vast area of the country but majority of those was of the nature of case studies. Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term coined to describe the immense variety and richness of life on this planet. Biodiversity includes not only the many species that exist, but also the diversity of populations that make up a species, the genetic diversity among individual life forms, and the many different habitats and ecosystems around the globe. “Biodiversity is the variety of the world’s organisms, including their genetic diversity and the assemblage they form.” Biodiversity” is most commonly used as species diversity and species richness and as the “totality of genes, species, and ecosystems of a region”. Bi-ological variety has been identified as species di-versity, ecosystem diversity and genetic diversity. List of Wetlands In India The wetlands in India are classified as Himalayan wetlands which includes Ladakh and Zanskar Pangong Tso, Tso Morad, Chantau, Noorichan, Chushul and Hanlay marshes, Kashmir Valley including Dal, Anchar, Wular, Haigam, Malgam, Haukersar and Kranchu lakes, Central Himala-yas including Nainital, Bhimtal and Naukuchital and Eastern Himalayas having numerous wet-lands in Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur, Beels in the Brahmaputra and Barak valley. Indo-Gangetic wetlands are the largest wetland system in India, extending from the river Indus in the west to Brahmaputra in the east. This includes the wet-lands of the Himalayan terai and the Indo-Gan-getic plains. Coastal wetlands contains the vast intertidal areas, mangroves and lagoons along the 7500 km long coastline in West Bengal, Oris-sa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karna-taka, Goa, Maharashtra. and Gujarat. Mangrove forests of Sunderbans, West Bengal and Anda-man and Nicobar Islands. Offshore coral reefs of Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshwadeep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Deccan Wet-land includes a few natural wetlands, but innumer-able small and large reservoirs and several water storage tanks in almost every village in the region.

National Wetland Policy National wetland strategy should encompass (i) Conservation and collaborative management, (ii) Prevention of loss and promotion of restoration and (iii) Sustainable management. These include Protection of the existing wetlands. Of the many wetlands in India, only around 68 wetlands are pro-tected. But there are thousands of other wetlands that are biologically and economically import-ant but have no legal status. Planning, Manag-ing and Monitoring of Wetlands comes under the Protected Area Network have manage-ment plans but others do not. It is important for various stakeholders along with the local community and the corporate sector to come together for an effective management plan. Active monitoring of these wetland systems over a period of time is essential. Although several laws protect wetlands there is no spe-cial legislation pertaining specially to these ecosystems. Environment Impact Assessment is needed for major development projects and highlighting threats to wetlands need must be included and appropriate measures to be formu-

lated. Coordinated Approach is required because Wetlands are common property with multi-pur-pose utility; their protection and management also need to be a common responsibility. An appropriate forum for resolving the conflict on wetland issues has to be set up. It is important for all the relevant ministries to allocate sufficient funds towards the conservation of these eco-systems. There is a necessity for research in the formulation of a national strategy to understand the dynamics of these ecosystems. This could be useful for the planners to formulate strategies for the mitigation of pollution. The scientific knowl-edge will help the planners in understanding the economic values and benefits, which in turn will help in setting priorities and focusing the plan-ning process. Building Awareness is needed. Awareness among the general public, educa-tional and corporate institutions must be creat-ed for achieving any sustainable success in the protection of these wetlands. The policy makers at various levels, along with site managers, need to be educated. The bi-lateral cooperation in the resource management needs to be enhanced if country’s wetlands are shared.

National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP)

The Government opertionalized National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP) in closed collaboration with concerned State Government during the year 1986. Under the programme 115 wetlands have been identified till now by the Ministry of Environment and Forests which requires urgent conservation and management initiatives. The aim of this Scheme is Conservation and wise use of wetlands in the country so as to prevent their further degrada-tion. The scheme was initiated to lay down poli-cy guidelines for conservation and management of wetlands in the country; to undertake inten-sive conservation measures in priority wetlands; to monitor implementation of the programme and to prepare an inventory of Indian wetlands.

Legislations Wetlands conservation in India is indirectly influenced by an array of policy and legislative measures. Some of the key legislations are the In-dian Fisheries Act, 1857, the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Water (Prevention and Control of Pol1ution) Act, 1974, Territorial Water, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other, Marine Zones Act, 1976, Water (Prevention and Con-trol of Pollution) Act, 1977, Maritime Zone of India.(Regulation and fishing by foreign vessels) Act 1980, Forest (Conservation Act), 1980, Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, Coastal Zone Regulation Notification, 1991, Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 1991, based on UN Convention on Biological diver-sity 1992, Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was enacted. National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and De-velopment, 1992, National Policy and Macro level Action Strategy on Biodiversity, 1999 are also formulated by Government.

Wetland Management and Sustainable Development

Wetlands are not delineated under any spe-cific administrative jurisdiction. The primary responsibility for the management of these ecosystems is in the hands of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Although some wetlands are protected after the formulation of the Wildlife Protection Act, effective coor-dination between the different ministries, en-ergy, industry, fisheries, revenue, agriculture, transport and water resources, is essential for the protection of these ecosystems. Environ-mental management for sustainable utiliza-tion is the prime need of the hour. Industrial development with respect to automobiles, chemicals, fertilizers, insecticides, etc., are coming up very fast in India and due to various reasons these are often held responsible for en-vironmental damage. Lack of environmentally educated society, inefficient management, weak law enforcement, corporate greed to earn more profit with less investment can also lead to chem-ical accidents and causing imbalance in sustain-able development.

Protection oF Wetlands

W

Kashmir valley, known as Peer Waer has been an abode of moral val-ues since times imme-morial. Almost all the

religions flourished here with sin-cere tolerance and respect for ev-ery religion. Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani (RA), Lal Ded and many other Reshis, Sufis and Saints taught human values and religious tolerance. But all these values are now witnessing erosion particular-ly since when political uncertain-ty engulfed this valley. The youths being impatient, eager to earn fast buck& make a certain future start-ed adopting shortcut methods & fell prey to materialism as they could not resist temptations. Those who adopted this path landed into a web of drug abuse as they never got satisfied with their achieve-ments. With the time a large sec-tion of young generation are in the trap of drugs and other social evils. They are depending on illegal drug or medication which causes a situation where in the body of the addict is always intensely craving for more and more drugs. Initially most of the youngsters take drug for fun sake which later on leads to drug addiction and results into many health problems and oth-er social evils like theft and other crimes for accumulating mon-ey for their drug dose. Such drug addicts lose their conscience, self control, willpower, memory and energy. They indulge in anti social activities and in turn are hated and shunned by society. Their lives be-come miserable. They cannot live gracefully which has a negative impact on the fabric of the society. Families are split and ultimately they are of no use to family, soci-ety or the nation. Drug addiction kills youths morally, socially, psy-chologically, physically and emo-tionally. They live alone and die in isolation.United Nations International Drug Control Programme survey in 2008 revealed that there are near-ly seventy thousand drug addicts in the Kashmir valley, four thou-sand of them women. The survey also indicated that 65 to 70 percent of the students in Kashmir valley were into drugs and 26 percent fe-male students were drug addicts. Reports further revealed that 70 percent of the addicts fall in the age group of 18 to 35 years, a pro-ductive age group. Now in 2012 the number must have increased at an alarming rate which is a very precarious situation. Now the time has come when religious leaders, intellectuals, parents and social activists put their efforts to wage a war against this impending social evil which is putting our society at the brink of extinction.