Army men take position during an encounter with militants near the LoC in Kupwara district. Tribune file Photo

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 26

The nearly 350-km-long Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir has many “porous infiltration avenues” which are close to launch pads across the fence, claimed defence sources.  There are of 40-50 routes where from militants find it easy to sneak into the Valley, sources said.Even if the LoC is buried deep under snow the infiltration never seizes. The militants killed in the recent gunfights at Chowkibal in Kupwara district and Pampore in Pulwama district had “infiltrated recently”. The Army, however, has maintained that infiltration from across the LoC into Kashmir was down to a “trickle” as compared to infiltration figures of earlier years.Defence sources said that infiltration avenues are correlated with launching pads, general areas and the reception area.“The group of trained militants is put at a launch pad in PoK where they are provided weapons. They along with a guide do probing actions for five to six days along the LoC before sneaking into the Valley,” said a Defence official. “And when Pakistani Army fires at our posts, the waiting militants get an opportunity to sneak in as our observation gets affected.”The official said infiltration routes keep on changing from time to time and over the years some routes have become active while others have turned dormant.Of late, major infiltration attempts are being made in the frontier Kupwara sector and it is turning out to be a key area for militants to sneak into the Valley. The infiltration along the LoC in Baramulla and Bandipora districts has dipped even though militants have not stopped infiltrating through these sectors.Sources said there were 16-17 launching pads across the LoC in the Kashmir region.The LoC in Kashmir runs from lofty peaks of Gulmarg in Baramulla to Kupwara and Gurez in Bandipora district. Along its long and arduous course the LoC also passes through several fresh water streams. It is fenced with barbed wire and sophisticated equipment like UAVs, high-power cameras, thermal imagers and long-range observation system to notice any movement. Two divisions of Army —one based in Baramulla and another in Kupwara man the stretch. The easiest and shortest infiltration route to the Valley is through the Keran sector. The sector, sources said, has three infiltration avenues. Though there is heavy presence of Army in the area to counter any infiltration attempts, militants often try to enter into Kashmir through this sector. After Keran, the other favourite infiltration route in Kupwara is Machil. Almost all the infiltrators coming into the Valley through the Kupwara sector have to cross the vast Shamsabari forest range to reach the hinterland.The Tangdhar sector in frontier Kupwara district had been laid inactive for a long time, but since last six years the route has got activated again. The toughest infiltration route, however, is through the Gurez sector of Bandipora district. Militants sneak through Kanzalwan and Nowshewra ridges before entering Bandipora. The Gurez sector is surrounded by 14,000-feet high mountain range.In the Uri sector of Baramulla, traditional infiltration routes emanate from high mountain passes. The sector is dormant now unlike past when it was the favourite route for militants. Same is the case with Gulmarg, which has not seen much activity in the recent past.“The routes can get active any time as launch pads are there to push militants,” said another Defence official.

Sneak street

• Kalighati, Kail, Keran, Machil, Kundiya,Tanghdar, Darnak Karna, Jabli Bala,Tootmar Gali, Noori Post,Gail Gali, Eagle Post, Gujar Dori, Balthadaya forest, Kunji Nad and Dacha forest in Kupwara
• Jabra, Kamalkote-Madiyan, Dulanja, Lachipora, Torna, Churanda, Hatlanga, Sahura, Gohalan, Zamboor Pattan and Nowgam in Baramulla

Focus on consumer: No fare, freight rate hike | 33% sub-quota for women | Baby food on menu | Prabhu chant: Cleaner, easier, faster travel

“We have made the Rail Budget keeping the common people’s interest in mind… We have tried to modernise the system and upgrade safety measures.” — Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 25

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today desisted from raising fares and freight rates in his second budget but promised to cut cost and exploit new sources of revenue beyond tariff as he announced three new superfast trains and completion of three freight corridors by 2019.“We need to mop up new sources of revenue, expenditure optimisation and new operating structure,” he said.The key announcements in the Rail Budget, in which consumer satisfaction was the operative word, included India’s first rail auto hub in Chennai, boost to e-catering, creation of dedicated north-south, east-west and east coast freight corridors by 2019, connectivity to North-East and Wi-Fi at railway stations.The plan outlay in 2016-17 has been pegged at Rs 1.21 lakh crore, about 20 per cent higher than the current fiscal year’s estimated expenditure. The minister continued his focus on completion of ongoing projects and thus again avoided announcement of new projects.“These are challenging times. We are faced with two headwinds, entirely beyond our control; tepid growth of our economy’s core sectors due to international slowdown and the looming impact of the 7th pay panel and increased productivity bonus payouts,” the minister said.Slowdown in growth of passenger and freight revenues has put pressure on finances and Prabhu said the Railways would need to cut costs, grow its freight business, which provides two-third of its revenue, and target new sources of non-tariff revenue through measures such as redeveloping train stations.  Indian Railways has a saving of Rs 8,720 crore from previous budget estimates, Prabhu said, adding: “This year we hope to generate revenues to the order of Rs 1,84,820 crores.” Prabhu announced plans to eliminate all unmanned level crossings by 2020, electrify 2,000-km rail line next year and increase the electrification budget by 50 per cent. The Railways is poised to commission 7 km of broad gauge lines every day in this year against an average of 4.3 km.

Consumer first

• Clean-my-coach service: Send SMS to cleaning staff during journey
• Bar-coded tickets to help tackle ticket-less travel, make journey hassle-free
• Counter tickets can be cancelled on phone quickly by calling 139

For differently abled

• One-time registration
• for availing concessions while booking tickets online
• Online booking of wheelchairs, a disabled-friendly toilet on A1- stations
• Braille-enabled new coaches and all stations under redevelopment to be made disabled friendly

For women and kids

• In all coaches, middle bays will be reserved for women to enhance security
• An all-India 24X7 helpline will be set up specifically for women

For  senior citizens

• Quota per coach increased by 50 pc (almost 120 lower berths per train)

Trains on key routes

• Humsafar: AC, optional meals
• Tejas: High-speed (130 kmph)
• Uday: Double-deckerAntyodaya: No reservation

Prabhu retains old fares but sets course for new reforms

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 23

An Army Colonel, who fought the 1999 Kargil war, reportedly committed suicide at Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh yesterday. The deceased has been identified as Col AK Rao of the Sikh Regiment, posted at the Brigade Headquarters in the garrison town.Rao was diagnosed with neurological disorder Huntington Disease in 2011, which among other problems, is also said to cause depression. He was also suffering from cardiac disorder.The officer was on compassionate last-leg posting and had about a year-and-a-half’s service left. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son.Sources said the officer had left home for a morning walk. When he did not return after an hour, his wife went looking for him and found him hanging from a cable that ran along a ledge outside their house.He was rushed to the local military hospital where he was declared “brought dead”. “This appears to be a case of suicide. A court of inquiry has been ordered by the Army. The police have also registered an FIR. All due official procedures and formalities are being undertaken,” an officer said.

Kargil War hero was depressed

• Col AK Rao was diagnosed with neurological disorder Huntington Disease in 2011, which among other problems, is also said to cause depression
• He was also suffering from cardiac disorder
• He was found hanging from a cable that ran along a ledge outside his house

Lt Gen DS Hooda, Northern Command chief, with Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in Jammu on Wednesday. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 17

Following the killing of two civilians in Pulwama district on February 14, Governor NN Vohra today discussed with Northern Command Chief Lt Gen DS Hooda issues related to procedures to be followed before and after operations against militants.Lieutenant General Hooda had called on the Governor at Raj Bhawan here.The Governor impressed upon strict enforcement of reasonable restrictions to minimise inconvenience to the people at large and at the same time ensure that no civilian was injured or killed during encounters against militants, said a Raj Bhawan spokesperson.The duo also discussed various issues related to security management along the international border, Line of Control, Line of Actual Control and counter terrorism operations in the hinterland, the spokesperson added.Following the Pulwama incident, Vohra had visited Kashmir on Tuesday to review security situation across the Valley with top officers of civil, police, central armed police forces, Army and the Intelligence agencies.Danish Farooq Mir (20), who was pursuing B.Tech from Islamic University of Science and Technology, and Shaista Hameed (22), who was pursuing a postgraduate course in Urdu, were killed in alleged security forces firing in Pulwama district on January 14, triggering wide spread protests.The Governor had sought a detailed report from DGP K Rajendra Kumar on the incident and also directed a time-bound magisterial enquiry by the Additional District Magistrate. Over a dozen civilians were also injured in Pulwama.

Manav Mander,Tribune News Service,Ludhiana, February 15

Is your cooking oil healthy ? With so many brands of cooking oil available in the market, it is a real task to find healthy cooking oil.Cooking oil is generally adulterated with cheap oil. A general practice adopted by unscrupulous traders is mixing palm oil or cheap edible oils with cooking oils such as sunflower or rice bran oil.There have been instances of packets of sunflower, soybean and groundnut containing cheap cotton seed oil.More and more people are these days using olive oil for its health benefits. It is also used as a salad dressing. The most common adulteration in olive oil is mixing extra-virgin olive oil with low-grade oils. Canola oil or colza oil, which are very cheap, are mixed with olive oil and then mixture is chemically deodorised, coloured and possibly flavoured to make it appear as “extra-virgin” oil.According to sources, adulteration is probably not the brand’s responsibility but that of the supplier.Mustard oil is found adulterated with cheap argemone oil which causes dropsy disease. Its symptoms include swelling of the whole body, especially legs and gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite.Many instances have been reported when unscrupulous traders mixed oil of reputed brands with ordinary palm oil or other cheap oils.“The consumption of mustard oil (Brassica nigra) adulterated with argemone oil (Argemone mexicana) even for a short duration leads to a clinical condition referred to as epidemic dropsy. Argemone oil causes oxidative stress and death of red blood cells. Argemone oil contamination poses a serious threat to human health,” said a city-based gastroenterologist.Leftover palm oil and sunflower oil are mixed with coconut oil to obtain a cheap variety.How to detect presence of argemone oil in mustard oilA lab test will quantify the presence of adulterants in oil but if you want to test it at home, then the best method is to first familiarise yourself with the aroma of mustard and its effect on the sinuses. Soak some mustard seeds in water and make a thick fine paste of it. Put a bit of this paste on your tongue. Close your mouth and breathe normally through your nostrils. Slowly, your sinuses will feel the pungency of the volatile elements in the mustard paste and you will know the aroma. Doing this a couple of times will develop your ‘taste memory’ for mustard oil.To know if mustard oil is adulterated, you have to just rub a couple of drops of mustard oil on the back of your hand and sniff it.

• If the smell is not very pungent, the oil is possibly diluted with cheap oil such as sunflower oil. Check the colour. Other oils are much lighter than pure mustard oil, which is dark golden brown.
• If your nose detects strange smell beyond pungency (usually a ‘chemical’ smell), it is likely that oil has been adulterated with oils which are similar to mustard oil but are not used in cooking – for example cottonseed or argemone oil

Olive oil

Keep extra-virgin olive oil in a refrigerator. It ought to become thick and cloudy. Some high-wax varieties of olive oil will even solidify completely.Body needs judicious mix of oils: ExpertsUsing oils on a rotational basis is a healthy practice. Olive oil works with breakfast, pastas and salads while sunflower oil can be opted for deep frying. Sesame oil is apt for Asian cooking but when it comes to Indian cooking, rice bran and canola oils can be used alternately.

Karachi, February 12

Nearly 100 hardcore militants of several top terror networks like al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Tehreek- e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been arrested on Friday, army said on Tuesday.

Army spokesman Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said the suspected militants were arrested from here during ongoing intelligence-based operations in the city.

The militants had set up joint task team for carrying out terror attacks in the country, army said They are suspected to have been involved in some major terror attacks in the past like the Mehran airbase Karachi, Jinnah airport in Karachi, PAF base in Kamra and several others.

They also “nearly” executed a plan to break into Hyderabad jail to free top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh, who was allegedly involved in the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, Bajwa said. Sheikh has been sentenced to death for killing journalist Daniel Pearl.

Sheikh, among the militants released by India in 1999 in exchange for the nearly 150 passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814, is also suspected to have played a crucial role in the September 2001 attacks in the US.

The perpetrators also had a list of 35 prisoners they wanted to kill, Bajwa said.

“The first few militants were arrested a few months ago and it led to more arrests,” the army spokesperson said.

Bajwa said Karachi operation launched in September 2013 had achieved major success as over 12,000 suspects were arrested in over 7,000 raids, leading to dramatic decrease in crimes of killings, kidnapping and extortions.

“The Karachi operation will continue till complete peace is achieved in the city,” he said. — PTI

he army today sought public assistance for locating an officer who went missing while travelling by train from Katihar in Bihar to Delhi.

In a public appeal, the army said Captain Shikhar Deep, posted in Jammu and Kashmir, was travelling by Mahananda Express (15483) from Katihar to Delhi on February 6-7.

“The officer did not reach his destination and went missing during transit. Any information with regard to the whereabouts of the officer may please be conveyed to Lt Col Anant Kumar on mobile number 9128724351,” it said.

The 25-year-old officer’s relatives had registered a case of suspected abduction with the railway police yesterday.

His father, Lt Col Anant Kumar, who is posted in Ranchi, has claimed Sikhardeep’s disappearance could be linked to some terrorist organisation.

According to the police, while his luggage was found intact in the train coach he was travelling in, the officer was nowhere to be found and his mobile was also switched off.

The ticket examiner and the man, who provided bedsheet in the coach, said he was last seen at Kanpur during the journey.

Indian and Chinese army personnel meet on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh on Tuesday. A Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 9

On Chinese Spring Festival, a ceremonial border personnel meeting was conducted today at the Chinese border personnel meeting huts in the Chushul and Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sectors of eastern Ladakh.“At Chushul, the delegations were led by Brigadier RS Raman and Senior Colonel Qian Youu Wu while at the DBO, the delegations were led by Colonel BS Uppal and Lt Colonel Duan Yugang,” said defence spokesperson Col SD Goswami.The ceremonial border personal meeting was marked by the hoisting of the national flags by both delegations. It was followed by the opening address by the delegation leaders.The proceedings reflected the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at the functional level on the border. Thereafter, a cultural programme showcasing the vibrant Chinese cultural and traditional grandeur was organised, said the spokesperson.Both delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment. The delegation parted amid feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control, he added.

30 veterans take part in golf cup

Jammu: The Northern Command Veteran’s Golf Cup 2016 was conducted at the White Knight Environmental Park and Training Area at Nagrota recently. The tournament witnessed the participation of 30 veterans from the Jammu region. Among the winners, the most-spirited golfer was Lt Col GK Raina (80). The best net score was achieved by Lt Col Zorawar Singh and the best gross score was achieved by Lt Col KK Sharma, a keen golfer from Nagrota. Maximum pars were by Maj Gen Shamsher Singh, maximum birdies on the day by Brig OP Abrol, closest to pin was Maj IPS Bali, closest to pin on the second shot was Lt Col HS Sambyal and the longest drive winner was Brig OP Abrol followed by the second-longest drive by Brig PS Charak.— TNS