Electrocuted bear's body parts smuggled
Shabir Ibn Yusuf
SANZIPORA (MAVAR) Oct 6: A black bear which had sneaked into an orchard here was electrocuted and later its parts were smuggled by some people in connivance with wildlife employees. People alleged that the wild animals are being killed here and their parts smuggled.
Police, which confirmed the incident, has informed the wildlife department. "What they did we do not know," police said.
The villagers are all fire against the killing and demand stern action against the people, behind the killing. The villagers say if film actor Salman Khan was arrested why not these smugglers, who kill and smuggle the organs of the wild animals.
According to the residents a black bear used to come from check forest area during the night and used to roam in the village orchards. The bear was seen many times in the village, but did not attack the people. Even the villagers made no move to kill the animal.
"We never tried to kill the bear as it never appeared in day light. It was seen during the night and at times, we saw him after the evening prayers," said a resident of Sanzipora 16 kilometers from the Handwara.
During the intervening night of October 3 and 4, the bear sneaked into the orchard of Ghulam Hassan Wani and Ghulam Mohammad Wani, son's of Ghulam Ahmad Wani. Both the brothers connected had the fence of orchard with electricity and when the bear tried to leave the orchard; he got electrocuted and died on spot.
During the night the duo took out the liver of the bear and buried the animal in the same orchard. In the morning, when the children were playing there, they spotted the grave. The villagers assembled and dug out the bear from the orchard. A wildlife employee Farooq Ahmad Pir reached the spot and took out the pancreas of the bear. He was buried again, but the fowl smell is still prevailing in the village.
Now the villagers are seeking a trial into the matter. "If Salman Khan has faced the jail, why should not they," the villagers told Kashmir Times. They alleged that the wildlife department in connivance with some people has started to kill the wild animals and later smuggle the organs.
It needs to be mentioned that many wild animals were killed in Handwara area during past some months.
Police is in know how of the whole affair, but are disappointed with the work of wild life department. Superintendent of police Handwara Dr Haseeb Mughal while taking to Kashmir Times said, "We know and informed the wild life department and they took no action," he said and added that "If they ask us to register a case we do register, but the department has disappointed us."

Workshop on personality development for women
Asifa Amin Koul
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: If you are a working lady and experiencing 'personality block', doing the same work, day after day might be the reason. A deep introspection to know yourself and your hidden skills and abilities is the only panacea.
This was the underlying message of a day long workshop "Knowing Yourself" organized by Spring Board, a Women's Development Programme with the collaboration of Women's Studies Centre (WSC), Government College for Women M.A. Road Srinagar here today.
"After doing the same job for years together, our personality is bound to develop kinks and get stagnant. The main objective behind holding this workshop is to open those unknown kinks and provide an opportunity to have a new look at our lives so as to reorientate our confidence and finding our positive self," said Dr. Yasmeen Ashai, coordinator, WSC in her introductory speech.
Besides the WSC members, the workshop was attended by Dr. Zeenat, principal women college, M.A. Road Srinagar, Prof Usha Pathania, Lead Trainer Springboard Consultancy, Dr. Sue Hewitt, U.K. based member of Springboard and Nighat Shafi Pandit, Chairperson Help Foundation J&K who was also the Chief Guest of the Occasion.
The mainstay of the workshop was that it was participatory and involved the participants actively in working group activities and group presentations. The trainer of the occasion, Professor Usha Pathania gave valuable tips and advices to the participants regarding how to know oneself, realize one's power, energy and wisdom and use one's assertiveness positively.
The participants seemed quite upbeat throughout the workshop which vividly reflected when they came up with positive feedback regarding the workshop. While talking to Kashmir times, Professor Heena Iqbal, member WSC, said, "Such workshops help us to make a networking among ourselves which in turn help us to develop positive thinking, quite imperative in the professional forefront."
While sharing her experiences on the occasion about the inception of Help Foundation, Nighat Pandit said, "With just meager amount of Rs 14,000 in hand, I along with my group of 14 friends dared to start an NGO to help the vulnerable section of our society. Today, our organization is covering almost all the districts of the valley. We focus not only on orphanages but we are also working for rehabilitation and counseling programmes, health care and income generating programmes."
It is in place to mention here that Springboard Women's development programme was launched in response to the expressed need for women's empowerment by the British Council and was launched in India in 2002.
"The best part," as writes Kiran Bedi, Indian Police Service (IPS) and an active member of Springboard development programmes, about such programmes in Springboard Workbook, "is that it is not anti-men, it encourages women to take charge of their life, learn from each other and promote networking .provide skills and information relevant to make women realize their self-esteem; a crucial value that makes a women complete and forward looking, a woman of action, purpose and confidence."

KU, PSC have different lakes on Botany,
Environmental Botany
KT NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: There might be a communication gap between Kashmir University (KU) and Public Service Commission (PSC) authorities. KU has declared that Environmental Botany (EB) and Botany are two separate and not related subjects; but on the other hand PSC has short-listed and called some candidates from EB for interviews for selection of Botany lectures.
This has aggravated post graduate students and scholars of Botany who demand that the matter should be made public and apprehend that some thing fishy is going under cover to incorporate EB candidates in the selection list.
"When KU has declared that Botany and EB are two separate and un-equivalent subjects, why PSC is has then called EB students as interviews. There is definitely a communication gap between the two autonomous institutions, and their ambiguous attitude is putting our career at stake," said one of the Botany scholars, who wished not to be named.
"We want some thing should come in public. PSC authorities say that KU authorities have to write to them regarding their decision about the equivalence and non-equivalence of the two subjects. And KU in return put the ball in their court by saying that PSC has to write to them, where can we go what can we do," they lamented.
The Botany scholars questioned the logic of inviting candidates from E B when the expert committee, which was constituted by the university in this connection, has concluded that EB and Botany are two separate disciplines or courses which have no relevance with each other.
It all started in January this year when the interview for the selection of Botany lecturers was conducted in the University. Applications from the candidates, who had specialized in EB, were also invited. Later after the selection process was through, one of the candidates from E B was also shown selected.
This was challenged by the candidates from Botany discipline, who had mostly completed the post graduate and other degrees in Botany from KU. These candidates had argued that candidates from E B can't be considered or selected for the lecturer-ship in Botany.
Consequently the university authorities later constituted an expert team for drawing a conclusion whether two subjects have any relevance or not. The expert team which also included experts from Jammu and outside universities, after examining the syllabi of both the subjects, concluded that the two subjects have no relevance at all. As a corollary they held the view that the selection of the candidate, who was selected on the basis of EB, should be withheld. Incidentally, this post got lapsed since the 10th plan of the university culminated just a few weeks after the decision and it is yet to be fulfilled.
The candidates of Botany are now aghast over the decision of PSC authorities to short-list and call candidates from EB for interviews. They also expressed their surprise as to why the University didn't pass on the opinion of the expert committee to the PSC to avoid any similar confusion.
They said that PSC seeks the opinion of the institutions like University if there is some confusion about some subject. "But unfortunately, the PSC is yet to do it", they complained and demanded that the confusion should be cleared without wasting any time so that the candidates from both the Botany and Environment Botany get a clear direction.
When contacted vice-chancellor Kashmir University Prof Abdul Wahid Quereshi, said, "We have already declared that the two subjects are irrelevant and separate". Why KU don't has made it public or communicated the same to PSC. "The matter is a sub-judice as well, so we can scratch it any more. And PSC has to write us for any recommendation in this matter," he said.
However, chairman PSC Mohammad Shafi Pandit said that they have their own procedures and rules to follow. "If we felt need to contact KU we can. Candidates can not declare the appointment policy and procedures for PSC," he said.

24,836 patients with missile injuries treated in SKIMS alone
Athar Parvaiz
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: During the last 17 years, 24,836 patients, who had received missile injuries, have been treated in the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). The youngest patient among them was five years old whereas the oldest was 73 years old.
This has come to the fore during a study conducted by the department of Neurosurgery, SKIMS. According to the Director SKIMS Dr Abdul Hameed Zargar, the study titled "Missile Injuries of the brain in Kashmir valley" was conducted as part of an exercise started by the Institute to audit the work in this prime tertiary institute in the valley. The study has highlighted that out of 24,836 patients of missile injuries, 1460 patients needed neurosurgical intervention.
Dwelling upon the study, Dr Zargar said that missile injures include injuries as a result of baton charges, bullet injuries, injuries received during stone-pelting, injuries received during collapsing of the infrastructure and other conflict related injures. During the last 17 years of conflict, countless incidents have occurred in the valley wherein people were killed and injured.
Says Dr Zargar: "This is our most extensive experience as of today. unfortunately we live in a zone which is hit by conflict due to which we have to treat such patients at SKIMS day in and day out." He however expressed his satisfaction that the survival rates of such patients being treated at SKIMS stands at par with the best centers across the world. "But it doesn't mean that we should get complacent; we have to improve upon our performance in each category of medical treatment," the Director SKIMS said.
He added that they are planning to formulate guidelines for dealing with missile injuries so that other parts of the country or the world, which confront such a scenario, get benefited from the experiences of the medical professionals at SKIMS who have got 17 years of expertise to deal with such patients.
Dr Zargar said that missile injury is a serious injury, but if managed properly and promptly, the outcome is not always discouraging. "That is why the patients brought in from the places falling close to Srinagar, have shown highly encouraging results as compared to the remotest places like Machil and Karnah", Dr Zargar said. During the study the clinical scenario of all patients of missile injures who were presented in the Institute between March, 1989 to March, 2007, have been analysed by the members of the team which conducted the study.
The study has concluded that the number of patients having brain injuries was 1007 whereas 453 needed spinal injury. "The missiles have victimised people irrespective of age factor: the youngest patient was five-years old while the oldest patient was 73 years old," the study has revealed.
The study has claimed that the efficacy of the hospital services was evident when it was found that more than 80 percent of the patients were operated within three hours of injury. It has further revealed that 54 percent patients, who were admitted in the hospital in the comatose condition, could recover.

Prof SK Koul elected AMPI president
KT NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: Professor S K Koul, Head of Department of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura has been elected as President of Association of Medical Physicists of India (AMPI) which he has accepted.
He has been elected as the President during the annual general body meeting of the association held at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay on September 27, 2007.
The association comprises of more than one thousand members from Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, Rajiv Gandhi Centre Delhi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research Chandigarh, Sanjiv Gandhi Postgraduate Lucknow, Apollo Hospital Madras and members from abroad also.
"I accept it as an honour for the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Professor Koul, who started his career in Medical Physics in 1974, said. With the teaching experience of 33 years, he has served in SKIMS as Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor and Head. He was involved in a number of pioneer works in the institute including the installation and commissioning of Cobalt Machine, Linear accelerator, simulator and CT scan.
During this period he also organized various workshops and conferences on medical physics, Radiology and other subjects related to health care and medical education. He is member of Indian Association for Radiation Protection, Convener of Publications Association of Medical Physicists and member of Indian Institute of Public Administration. He is a member of scores of other medical association.
Professor Koul's work on treatment of Keloids with Beta rays has been recognized world over and is among the hundred best papers on surgery from India. He is the M.Sc and Ph.D examiner of many universities. He was recently awarded the Bharat Jyoti Award by India International Friendship Society for Outstanding services.

JKLF leader released after 11 years
KT NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: JKLF leader, Bilal Sidiqui, was today released after 11 years of detention.
Soon after his release JKLF leaders and supporters reached his Kursu Raj Bagh residence to greet him. They included Noor Mohammad Kalwal and Showkat Bakhshi.
Bilal was first arrested on September 29, 1988 and released on May 11, 1991. He was re-arrested in Delhi on November 11, 1996 and lodged in Tihar jail and then shifted to other jails.