Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 2: The machinery procured for the multi-crore rupees World Bank aided project for leather technology course in Jammu and Kashmir is rotting for past 7 years in Kashmir Government Polytechnic, Srinagar.
The machinery was purchased by the State Procurement Implementation Unit (SPIU) between 2004 and 2007 for over Rs 5 crores and was dumped in the painting booth which was also purchased at the cost of crores of rupees for providing practical training to the students of automobile branch in the KGP, Srinagar.
The Leather Technology course was started by the department of Technical Education with World Bank funding its machinery with the objective of boosting the leather industry in the State for which raw material is readily available.
The course was started in KGP, Srinagar with the intake capacity of 40 students per year so that the youth of the State can start their own units as this industry has lot of potential in the State.
The machinery was procured by the SPIU on the requisition of then In-Charge Principal of the KGP, Srinagar, Tuha Andrabi, who is presently In-Charge Joint Director, Polytechnics. After procuring the machinery it was not installed at all causing huge losses to the State exchequer and with the changing technology the machinery has now become obsolete and carrier of hundreds of students has been ruined over the years.
For past 9 years only 13 students, with 7 in 2006, 5 in 2007 and one in 2008, passed out from the KGP, Srinagar in Leather Technology course. Sources said that all the 13 pass outs could not find any job in the State and had to go for further training in Leather Technology outside the State due to poor quality training in the KGP, Srinagar before getting a job.
However, the Leathery Technology department in the KGP, Srinagar has two lecturers, one demonstrator, one instructor, one attendant and two orderlies who are drawing lakhs of rupees as salary for sitting idle.
The KGP, Srinagar admits 40 students for the Leather Technology every year and after first year the students are forced to shift to other branches with the result the department has become defunct by now.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 2: The State High Court today adjourned the hearing of the alleged fake encounter case involving the designate Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh, who was Brigadier 1-Sector Rashtriya Riffles of Army in south Kashmir when the encounter took place, by one week.
Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir adjourned the case till May 10 after the State Government counsel, Advocate Nissar Hussain Shah, informed the Court that the objections filed by Senior Superintendent of Police, Anantnag in the case be taken on board as that of the State Government as well.
Earlier on April 11, the High Court had granted one week’s time to the State Government to file objections after the Deputy Advocate General of the State, Alaudin Ganai, prayed that time be given to the State Government to file objections.
SSP Anantnag has pleaded before the court that the petitioners never approached them with the plea seeking reinvestigation of the case.
The police report has also rubbished the claim that the encounter at Janglat Mandi was fake saying the death of two civilians, an army officer and a soldier were facts to the contrary.
Defence Ministry had already submitted their objections to the petition filed by Zaituna, who has alleged that her son Abdullah Bhat, a resident of Macchil in Kupwara district, was killed in a fake encounter at Anantnag town in March 2001 and later branded as a Pakistani militant ‘Mateen Chacha’.
According to the objections filed by the Defence Ministry, Lt Gen Singh, who was then a Brigadier commanding the 1 Sector Rashtriya Rifles in south Kashmir, was returning to Anantnag after visiting various Army units.
Later, when the Army convoy stopped at Janglat Mandi in Anantnag, a militant disguised as a beggar opened indiscriminate fire upon the Armymen.
The dead included Colonel J P Jam, the then Commanding Officer of a local RR unit, Sepoy Ganesh Kumar, Muhammad Shafi son of Abdul Rasheed of Hazratbal-Anantnag, and Abdul Ahad Sheikh son of Ghulam Muhammad Sheikh of Janglat Mandi-Anantnag.
Another person was killed in the retaliatory action of the army and police later ‘identified’ him as a resident of Pakistan.
The counsels for the Defence Ministry, Advocate Karnail Wazir Singh and the petitioner Advocate Zaffar Ahmad Qureshi were also present in the court.

NEW DELHI, May 2:
Carrying forward its probe on the bribery allegation made by Army Chief Gen V K Singh, the CBI today questioned retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh for the first time for his alleged role in the Tatra case.
Singh arrived at the CBI headquarters this morning and was grilled at length in connection with the Tatra case as the probe so far suggested role of some former Army officers in clearing the deal for the trucks, official sources said.
They said Singh was also asked to reply to the allegations levelled against him by the Army Chief who claimed in his statement that the former Lt Gen had approached him in 2010 with a bribe offer of Rs 14 crore to clear a tranche of 600 Tatra trucks for the Army.
Sources in the CBI said, Tejinder Singh was asked about the reasons of his visit to Army Chief’s office on September 22, 2010 when the alleged bribe offer was made to Gen V K Singh.
Tejinder Singh has denied all these allegations and also filed a contempt case against the Army Chief.
The CBI had recorded the statement of Army Chief on April 20 in which he had made the allegation against Tejinder Singh saying that he had made the offer on behalf of Ravi Rishi of Tatra trucks, the sources said.
Rishi and his company, Vectra, have also denied any wrong doing in the case.
CBI has registered a case in purchases of Tatra Trucks to Army on March 30 against Rishi, unknown officials of Defence Ministry and UK-based Vectra company.
The CBI sources claimed that documents showed that there was an apparent hurry shown in signing the Memorandum of Understanding in just three days between Tatra Sipox UK and the BEML in June, 1997.
Rishi holding substantial shares in Tatra Sipox UK has denied allegations of any wrong doing.
The agency is probing alleged irregularities in assigning supply from Czechoslovakia-based Tatra, with which the agreement was originally signed in 1986, to the Tatra-Sipox UK owned by Rishi in 1997 showing it as Original Equipment Manufacturer and the fully-owned subsidiary of Czech company, they said.
A CBI spokesperson had said this was against the provisions of Defence Procurement Procedure for supplying the vehicles to Indian Army on the basis of the orders placed by the Ministry of Defence.
“It is further alleged that in this manner, vehicles worth thousands of crores of rupees have been supplied to the Indian Army. In continuation of the aforesaid conspiracy to cause undue benefit to the UK-based company, the unknown officials of the Defence PSU allowed change of currency from US Dollar to Euro and further by not levying the Liquidated damages, thereby causing further loss of Rs 13.27 crores,” the CBI had said. (PTI)

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 2: On fourth day of his admission in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy and National Conference president, Dr Farooq Abdullah today showed further signs of response to viral infection and chest congestion but was expected to stay in the hospital for few more days.
Doctors attending upon the Union Minister said he has shown further signs of improvement and was responding very well to the treatment.
A team of four expert doctors of the AIIMS was holding regular medical examination of Dr Abdullah and conducting required tests.
“The Union Minister was comfortable”, the doctors said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was camping in New Delhi, visited AIIMS for third consecutive day this evening and inquired condition of his father. He remained with Dr Abdullah for about one hour.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, May 2: Savita Gupta, a daughter of Jammu was today elected as Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation with a comfortable margin of 20 votes. She has become first woman of Jammu and Kashmir to head a Corporation in the Union Capital.
In the election held today for 104 member Corporation of South Delhi for the post of Mayor, BJP leader Savita Gupta, a resident of Rehari Colony, Jammu, polled 66 votes while her NCP rival Phool Kali, backed by the Congress, secured 46 votes.
Besides 104 Corporations, MLAs and MPs of the area were also entitled to cast their votes for the post of Mayor.
Mrs Gupta, daughter of Satish Chander Gupta, a retired Under Secretary and Raj Rani Gupta and sister of Arvind Gupta, had made hat-trick this time from Ward No. 160, Amar Colony in South Delhi.
She was married to Ashwani Gupta of Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, a civil engineer, now running a construction company.
Mrs Gupta’s candidature for the post of Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation was announced by senior BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi and Incharge J&K in Jammu recently.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 2: Former Speaker and sitting MLA of the Congress from Surankote, Ch Mohd Aslam and veteran journalist and human rights activist Balraj Puri have been hospitalized in the Government Medical College and Hospital.
According to Dr Manoj Chalotra, Medical Superintendent of Government Medical College and Hospital, Ch Aslam and Balraj Puri were brought to the Emergency Wing of the Hospital by their respective family members last right.
While Ch Aslam was suffering from hypertension and cardiac related problems, Balraj Puri was diagnosed for brain infarct.
Soon after examination, Ch Aslam was shifted to the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) while as Balraj Puri was kept under observation in the Emergency Wing itself. They were examined by senior doctors after regular intervals during the day today.
According to Dr Chalotra, the condition of Ch Aslam as well as Balraj Puri was stable.
Minister for Medical Education, R S Chib and Political Advisor to Chief Minister, Devender Singh Rana, visited Ch Aslam as well as Balraj Puri and enquired about their health.

Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, May 2: The people and victim’s family members staged strong protest after a woman lodged in local Jail and her infant died in district hospital Poonch due to alleged negligence of doctor and other medical staff.
The Deputy Commissioner, A K Sahu, ordered an inquiry into the matter and directed Assistant Commissioner to complete the probe within a week and submit a report. The deceased identified Zarina Begum, wife of Mohd Sharief , resident of Salwa in Mendhar had been lodged in Poonch jail along with her husband and brother-in-law Mohd Rafiq in a muder case of two and half year old boy of one Rasalt Hussain, during a clash at the village on November 25, 2011. The woman, already pregnant, was under trial along with other two.
The Jail authorities sent the woman to hospital on April 30 along with staff for delivery as per date suggested by the doctor attending on her regularly. Dr Shehnaz Bhatti examined the woman and sent her back to jail telling to come after 2-3 days. The woman started developing problem and pains and the jail staff shifted her to hospital last evening. The infant (female) died at around 8.45 pm and later her mother at around 10.30 pm.
Today, the villagers and family members staged protest at the hospital and raised slogans against the Hospital staff and State Health authorities. They demanded action against Dr Bhatti and other staff responsible for the death of both mother and new born. approached the DC and narrated the whole story demanding stern action against doctors. The DC then ordered an inquiry into the matter. The postmortem on the bodies was conducted and after completion of legal formalities, bodies were handed over the family members.