Close shave for contractor in Kishtwar area

Renegade turn militant abducts JCB operator, demands ransom
Kishtwar: Brother of a contractor and Congress leader, believed to be right hand of minister for Roads and Buildings Ghulam Muhammad Saroori, had a close shave when a renegade turned militant attacked him at a construction site in Sigdhi area, around 25 kilometers from here. The militant later set a JCB on fire and abducted its operator.
Official sources told News Agency of Kashmir that Congress leader Om Parkash Pasarkote Chatroo had a close shave when a militant opened indiscriminate fire at him at Sigdhi area, this morning.
The contractor, who is brother of Congress leader Piyare Lal, was supervising his construction work being executed under Pradhan Mantry Gram Sadak Yogna (PMGSY) when he was attacked by the militant.
Sources said that more than twenty fires were shot at Om Parkash, who escaped unhurt. His PSO fired in retaliation but militants forced them to flee from the area.
The renegade turned militant, identified as Muhammad Amin of Chatroo area, later set a JCB on fire and abducted its operator. The abducted operator has been identified as Sat Paul of Himachal Pradesh.
Official sources claimed that the contractor and his brother has been facing constant threat from the said militant. "A ransom of Rs 3 lakh has been demanded for the release of the JCP operator", sources told NAK on the condition of anonymity.
It was reliably learnt that Muhammad Amin had gone underground after stealing four AK rifles from the Personal Security Officers (PSOs) of former NC MLA Qazi Jalal-ud-Din, where he was working as domestic help. Security forces after managing a contact with him had persuaded him to work for them.
"He is instrumental in killing more than a dozen hardcore militants in the area following which he surrendered before the security forces, who had promised him a reputed life and heavy cash rewards", sources said adding, "However, when the name of the renegade surfaced in some other murder cases and security forces failed to keep their promises, he again snatched official weapon of a police personal and joined militants".
The renegade has created a reign of terror in the area and believed to have created its own group with the help of some local Gujjar youth. He is openly extracting money from the contractors working in the area, while the security forces are watching helplessly.

242 teachers of Doda salary-less for 6 months

CEO admits says ball is in the court of government

BOLD VOICE DESK
Kishtwar: With the withholding of salaries for the last 6 months 242 teachers of Doda district are fed up with the attitude of the government and now have started some private business in order to keep the family pot boiling.
As per sources, 242 teachers who were appointed by the state government as 3rd teachers in primary and middle schools of Doda district in 2003 are without salary for the last 6 months after they were confirmed as permanent teachers.
These teachers were working as Rehbre-Taleem teachers and they were getting Rs 1500/- salary in the first two years which was enhanced as Rs 2000/ in third year of service. Government had fixed criteria that these teachers will be regularized after 5 years of service. All of the 242 ReT teachers were regularized in the month of November. They started receiving full regular salaries but all of a sudden their salaries were stopped from the month of March this year. Now for the last 6 months, they are without any salary.
Though they were highly excited on confirmation yet the attitude of government but their economic conditions is worse than those ReT teachers who are getting Rs. 1500/- per month.
Withholding of salaries of these teachers has forced them to initiate some other jobs in order to earn bread and butter. Many of them have opened shops while few are selling vegetables. Shabir Ahmed who is posted as teacher in Middle School Changa of tehsil Gandoh is an example of this. He said, “When we are getting nothing for our duties, we have to feed up our family and it is why I have opened a shop in my village which I operate after 4PM”, Shabir Ahmed said. Another teacher posted in Middle School Icher Dudwar Anayat Hussain in the same tehsil is selling eggs and Rajmash in Bhallesa area to meet the demands of the family. “If we do not this, we will starve”, he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the problems of salaries are only with the teachers of Doda district. Sources said that government has released salaries of these teachers in all districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
Taking dig at the government, Secretary of Teachers Association Doda, Jamaat Ali told Bold Voice that government is forcing them to adopt another way to get their rights. “Salary is the fundamental right of the employee and government is curbing our rights”, he said adding that if teachers community are not provided salaries in a week they will went on pen down strike.
Meanwhile Member Legislative Council of the area Advocate Naresh Gupta said that he is going to talk to Minister for School Education and will stressed upon him to release the salaries of these teachers. He said that these teachers are in trouble due to withholding of salary and they should be given it within no time.
When contacted, Chief Education Officer of Doda district YR Thusoo admitted that 242 teachers of Doda are not getting salaries for the last 6 months. He said that they have no funds to provide salaries to the teachers. “We were earlier releasing salaries of these teachers from the District Funds and there was no problem in it however Planning department has changed the head and they have kept the salaries of these teachers in Non-Plan Funds which will be released only when the government approved it”. He said that the file is in process and these teachers will be given salaries probably in the next month.

Rabies threat looms large in Dachan villages

10 villagers, 40 cattle head bitten by mad dogs; Administration expresses ignorance
Kishtwar: At least ten villagers and around fourty cattle heads were injured after being bitten by mad dogs, which have reportedly created havoc in some village of remote Dachan area of Kishtwar district. Though the residents said that they fear spread of rabbies in the area in the absence of any medicare facilities, district administration expressed its ignorance about any such incident.
Reports reaching here revealed that mad dogs have created panic among the local residents in some villages of Dachan. “At least ten villagers and fourty cattle heads have so far beaten by the dogs at Suied and Panjdhara hamlets”, Ghulam Nabi, a local resident of the area told The Bold Voice over phone. He said that the locals have now taken the recourse of killing the dogs but the victims were waiting for any medical help from the local administration.
Confirming the incidents another villager said that the victim have not taken any medical help so far as none was available in the area. “There is also no way to bring the victims to Kishtwar”, he added.
The district administration, however, expressed ignorance about any such incident. “I have no knowledge of any such incident in Dachan area”, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar GR Bhagat said when contacted. He, however, added that all necessary step would be taken in case any such incident is reported.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kishtwar Dr Subhash Bhagat also said that the concerned BMO has not so far reported any such incident. He said that even otherwise in case of dog bites a victim has to purchase Anti Rabies Vaccine (ARV) from the market as the government does not provide the vaccine free of cost to the victims.
If the locals have to be believed there is every likelihood of on spread of rabies in the area in the absence of anti rabies vaccine. “Poor victims cannot afford to buy anti-rabies vaccine because one injection cost around 350 rupees and the person who has bitten by a mad dog has to take a cource of seven injections”, Ghualm Abbas, another local resident said.