Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 22

The Army today rescued two patients, including a pregnant woman, who were stranded at a remote mountainous pass at an altitude of 10,000 ft in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.The two patients, along with seven others, were travelling in an ambulance from the Tangdhar area last evening when the vehicle got stranded at Nastachung Pass – located at an altitude of 10,000 ft — due to a landslide, the Army said in a statement.“The ambulance could not move to Chowkibal or return to Tangdhar because of landslides on either side,” it said.Tangdhar is a remote mountainous area in Kupwara district and is located along the Line of Control.The Army said the decreasing temperature at the mountainous pass could have proven fatal for one of the patients, Waheeda Mir, who is in an advanced stage of pregnancy and suffers from anaemia. The second patient, 15-year-old Madsoor Ahmad, had to undergo a surgery for a stomach ailment.The Army said its rescue team reacted swiftly and cleared the way for the ambulance to return to Tangdhar. It said the rescue team also provided medical relief and care to the patients.

Four missing skiers rescued

• Four skiers, who had gone missing from the upper reaches of the Gulmarg skiing resort, were rescued on Wednesday by a joint team of J&K Police and Tourism Department, a senior police official said.
• SSP, Baramulla, Imtiyaz Hussain said, “At around 7 pm on Tuesday, the Gulmarg police station received information that some skiers had gone missing from the Affarwat-Kongdori-Drang area. Soon, a rescue team, comprising police and Tourism Department personnel, was dispatched for a search and rescue operation,” .
• The skiers were traced to the Kharnala area at around 1 am and rescued by the team. They were brought to Gulmarg and admitted to a hospital. — PTI

PoJK refugees want relief process simplified

Jammu, February 22

Refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) today alleged that displaced people are facing problems as their family records are not available with the Revenue Department, leaving many out of the ambit of Rs 2,000-crore relief package announced by the Central government.A large number of refugees today took out a rally, urging the government to simplify the procedure for the PoJK refugees to get relief.“Ration cards for those living in camps set up for the displaced of 1965 and 1971 are not available. About 30 per cent families are unable to provide state subject documents. The procedure for the legal heir certificate should be simplified,” said Capt (retd) Yudhvir Singh Chib, president, PoJK Displaced Front.He demanded that Rs 2,000 crore should not be treated as the full and final amount as many other components of the package had been ignored. There is a confusion over the quantum of relief and it should be clarified, he added.He also sought Rs 30-lakh compensation for each displaced family. —TNS