NC peeved at Centre's attitude
SRINAGAR, July 16 — The ruling National Conference leaders in Jammu and Kashmir are seething with aversion against the Centre's "adverse and negligent attitude" towards this trouble-torn state for not providing substantial economic support.

Tololing, the turning point
KARGIL, July 16 — The capture of Tololing, the highest point closest to the Srinagar-Leh highway on the night of June 12 and 13, was the turning point of the Kargil battle.

Gen Malik visits Poonch, Akhnoor sectors
JAMMU, July 16 — Army Chief General V.P. Malik, today visited several forward areas in the Poonch and Akhnoor sectors and interacted there with Jawans fighting Pakistani threat in the past two months.

Jammu DD to counter PTV propaganda
JAMMU, July 16 — With the objective of countering the Pak propaganda unleashed from across the border which has been targeting the people of Jammu region and the ban on Pakistan Television has been lifted a couple of days ago the local Doordarshan Kendra has started a number of programmes to counter this venomous propaganda.

NC peeved at Centre's attitude
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, July 16 — The ruling National Conference leaders in Jammu and Kashmir are seething with aversion against the Centre's "adverse and negligent attitude" towards this trouble-torn state for not providing substantial economic support.

Even as the party headed by Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, extended support to the BJP-led government, this feeling of aversion and negligent attitude may find vent during National Conference campaign in the coming general elections. The state has suffered on the economic front following the Centre's "inability" to provide enough economic support to meet its demands. The resultant economic crisis and the BJP's "communal leanings" led to the "disobedience of party whip" by Prof Saifuddin Soz, costing his life-term expulsion from the National Conference.

Several NC leaders, including the legislators and the ministerial colleagues of the Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah are of the opinion that the BJP is responsible for "economic crisis" in Jammu and Kashmir. That is the main cause of dissatisfaction among the youth in Kashmir, a senior minister in Farooq Abdullah's government told The Tribune. He blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre for not solving several other issues that Jammu and Kashmir is faced with. "Common man in Jammu and Kashmir suffers the most", he said, adding that while other states got relief packages J&K was ignored.

The decision of waiving of loans in Punjab taken during the decade of militancy, was an "eye-opener" for the people of this State. "Jammu and Kashmir in not an industrial State.... It is only agriculture based and thus needs more attention'', another minister said. He adds that in such a state more attention is required for the mobilisation of funds. The current year's budget proposed mobilisation of Rs 600 crore within the State, which the NC leaders feel was very difficult for the masses had suffered a lot during the past 10 years of militancy.

The militancy crippled life as also the tourism sector, which mobilised Rs 500 crore annual income to the State. However, according to Tourism Department officials, only 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the Valley's population are directly or indirectly

Tololing, the turning point
From Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

KARGIL, July 16 — The capture of Tololing, the highest point closest to the Srinagar-Leh highway on the night of June 12 and 13, was the turning point of the Kargil battle.

Defence analysts maintain the enemy perched atop these heights could target anyone on the highway both with the high machine gun and medium machine gun fire. But once this height was captured by 2 Rajputana Rifles, the first battalion to get the commendation from the Chief of the Army Staff in the current operation, Indian defence forces turned the tables on the infiltrators and Pakistan regulars.

From Tololing started a series of triumphs. And men and officers from the gallant Rajputana Rifles returned to action again to recapture Black Rock or 3 Pimples.

"When Tololing was captured, the Indian Air Force had not started its air strikes. "The ground situation was different. We were also very close to our objectives," says Major Sandeep Singh Bajaj, who was second-in-command when the assault on Tololing was launched on the night of June 12.

The Tribune talked to a couple of men and officers of 2 Rajputana Rifles as they were preparing themselves to be back in operations, this time to clear the recaptured area of all enemy obstacles, including APMs and booby traps.

Just six months into service, Lieut Praveen Tomar led his troops to a splendid victory at Tololing after the Commander of his company, Major Vivek Gupta, made the supreme sacrifice during the operation. Even the JCO of the company, too, laid down his life as the enemy entrenched at the feature had the brave men from Rajputana Rifles easy targets for it.

"When we captured the feature, it was a proud moment for me. My father had participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict," recalls Lieutenant Praveen.

He narrates the entire sequence of assault operation. It took nearly seven and a half hours to evict the enemy from the top of the Tololing heights.

"When we were just 10 metres short of the first bunker of the enemy, fire was opened on us. Three of my boys were hit. We continued our march forward. Major Gupta came from behind and went ahead. Grenades were hurled at us."

"We continued from the other side in an uncoventional manner. My hands were swollen because of cold. After Major Gupta and the company JCO died in the assault, I had no choice but to take over the command and continued to fight. Our casualties were high. We repulsed four counter-attacks and after nearly seven and a half hours of operation captured the feature," adds Lieutenant Tomar.

Major Mohit Saxena, who led his company to capture 3 Pimples or Black Rock, while narrating his moments of triumph said he had undertaken a reconnaissance of the area before the assault.

"It was a full moonlight night. We were lucky to cut their communications as we cut their wires. While we were climbing, we noticed a couple of new features which we had probably missed during our recce of the feature," he recalled.

At the first feature, MMG fire came on us. Then we had a sheer vertical cliff to climb which fell on us as we climbed it. Next day, when we started the climb again, I had the misfortune of seeing Lieut Nikhzakau Kengusi ("Nimbu") rolling down the cliff after being bombarded with stones and boulders. I remember his last words — "Do not leave them" — as he rolled down taking two enemies. He had in fact continued to climb while he had two bullets in his leg. Havildar Sharwan, who was also injured and continued to climb, also fell to the fury of stones and boulders. Before dying, he, too, killed a couple of the enemy.

"I had another setback when my radio operator also rolled down snapping my communication network. Unperturbed by these reverses, we continued our fight. It was fierce. We killed two more enemies before they started fleeing. They used ropes to climb down from the cliff rock. The last platoon of my company encountered them and killed two more. It was around 4 in the morning that the operation ended in a triumph for us," recalls Major Saxena.

Gen Malik visits Poonch, Akhnoor sectors
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, July 16 — Army Chief General V.P. Malik, today visited several forward areas in the Poonch and Akhnoor sectors and interacted there with Jawans fighting Pakistani threat in the past two months.

As General Malik’s helicopter touched a couple of forward posts the jawans greeted him with "Jai Hind." The Army Chief reciprocated with a broad smile and lauded the troops for pushing back Pakistani soldiers and infiltrators from the icy heights of Kargil and Dras sectors and in retaliating whenever and wherever Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing and shelling in Poonch, Rajouri and Akhnoor sectors in the recent months.

Gen. Malik accompanied by senior Army officers, including the Corps Commander addressed troops in the forward areas and praised their spirit of dedication. He said that after the Pakistani gameplan in Kargil "we have to remain alert all the time."

He said that the jawans and officers of the Indian Defence forces had demonstrated exemplary courage on one hand and utmost restraint on the other while dealing with Pakistani infiltrators in Kargil-Dras belt and in tackling insurgency within the state. He urged the troops to remain vigilant all along the Line of Control because after having faced defeat in Kargil Pakistan would not hesitate intensifying its 10-year long proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir.

At the Jammu airport and in the forward areas Gen. Malik was briefed on the latest border situation in Poonch, Rajouri, Akhnoor R.S. Pora and Samba sectors by the senior Army officers of the Corps. Sources said that the Army Chief was informed that the intensity of Pakistani firing and shelling in Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch sectors had witnessed marked decline during the last several days. He was told that the Indian jawans gave a befitting reply whenever the Pakistani soldiers attempted to kick up a border row by pounding Indian villages and pickets. Gen Mailk congratulated the Army jawans and officers for having forced Pakistani soldiers to maintain the sanctity of the Line of Control.

He said that all care would be taken of the families of soldiers who sacrificed their lives while fighting the enemy in Kargil and Dras sectors.

EME a shot in the arm for Army
Tribune News Service

KARGIL, July 16 — "Mind your head", cautioned a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) as this correspondent lowers himself into a bunker at a forward base.

Bending myself, I take a couple of steps down to enter a small corridor which leads in to the bunker. Illuminated by a single 100 watt bulb, the bunker is about 12 feet by six feet.

In its middle lies a table full of personal and battalion weapons used by Indian infantrymen. "All these weapons have come here for repairs, "explains Col G.S. Guron, Commanding Officer of the workshop.

"We undertake repair of everything that our Army has been using in the battle — from personal weapons to radars, rocket launchers, missile equipment, guns, vehicles, Bofors guns and even Cheetah and Chetak helicopters ," says Colonel Guron.

There are three bunkers from where men and officers of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Corps have been operating eversince the hostilities began.

Work in all three bunkers continues 24 hours a day. Explains Maj S.Y. Deshmukh: "we recycle the defence equipment. At times we undertake in situ repairs. We even fabricate some spare parts which are otherwise not available".

In each of the bunker four to eight men and officers work round the clock. The food comes from the langer when the chances of shelling are low.

Work is in progress to repair a Concorde missile launcher. A portion of its launch gear has ceased. Others are busy in repairing small and personal weapons used by infantrymen.

"In the past some weeks, we have been targeted by the enemy artillery and mortars so many times. More than 200 shells have landed in and around the workshop. This shelling notwithstanding, we have been working continuously", reveals a JCO.

"There has been no casualty here in the workshop. These bunkers have been constructed along the stonewalls of the main workshop building which is above the ground. Since the building and sheds have been abandoned because of shelling, the work has been continuing satisfactorily from the bunkers. These bunkers are safe from both shells and their splinters.

"We had only one casualty and that too above the ground. Hav G.R. Dass had gone to retrieve a couple of vehicles which had broken down. While he was retrieving one of the vehicles, a shell exploded. Other than that, we did not have any casualty," says the JCO.

Work continues as shells land at regular intervals in and around the periphery of the workshop. "Ten to 15 shells hit our area everyday," claims Colonel Guron.

In another bunker of the same workshop, radio and telecommunication equipment is being repaired. In the third bunker is the computer where the screen saver has former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. The EME looks after computerisation and maintenance of computer hardware also.

The EME also keeps the Srinagar-Leh highway, the main axis, clear of all stranded and accident vehicles, belonging to both military and civil.

"Since the beginning of the military operations in the Kargil-Dras-Batalik sector, we have retrieved and repaired more than 300 military vehicles," says Col V.K. Sharma. These include overturned vehicles, those which had mechanical failures and all those which had been hit by the enemy’s artillery and mortar fire.

"We also repair our guns, including Bofors. A helicopter, which was partially damaged in anti-aircraft fire, was also repaired by our engineers," discloses Maj Neeraj Varshney of an EME unit attached with 8 Mountain Division.

This unit suffered a casualty when Lance Naik Surinder Kumar went to retrieve one of the accident vehicles. He was injured in the shelling.

Shelling, rugged and inhospitable terrain, extremely cold climate, limited space to manoeuvre damaged and accident vehicles are the major constraints faced by the EME.

"Our job is such that we cannot leave any overturned, damaged or accident vehicle on the Srinagar-Leh highway — which has been the battle zone," adds Colonel Sharma.

Lt Col M.S. Sundaram, Col P.P. Singh and Capt D. Dahiya also explained types of recoveries and repairs conducted by men and officers of the EME from time to time.

Jammu DD to counter PTV propaganda
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, July 16 — With the objective of countering the Pak propaganda unleashed from across the border which has been targeting the people of Jammu region and the ban on Pakistan Television has been lifted a couple of days ago the local Doordarshan Kendra has started a number of programmes to counter this venomous propaganda.

The new Station Director of Doordarshan Kendra, Jammu (PGF), Mr Jai Krishan Zutshi, in his first ever interview after assuming charge as the Station Director spoke a length about these measures with this correspondent.

As the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had asked every station to prepare counter Pak propaganda programmes Mr Zutshi said his station had also started a number of programmes in this regard. Besides starting a series of programmes on the winners of Param Vir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra and other gallantry awards, the station has also started the telecast of statements of relatives of the Kargil martyrs which is usually mixed with patriotic songs. A number of disussions and current affairs programmes were already countering the nefarious Pak propaganda in quite dignified manner, said Mr Zutshi who has recently been transferred from Doordarshan Kendra, Jalandhar where he was working as Deputy Director, Programming (DDP).

Asked about catering to the masses living along the international border and the Line of Control in the Jammu region, Mr Zutshi said as the signals of Jammu Doordarshan did not go beyond Kathua it was very difficult for them to reach the masses living in the border areas. "We do understand the need to prepare programmes to cater to such people living in border areas which can counter nefarious propoganda unleashed by the enemy from across the border," he said, adding that he was also aware of the fact that these people who had been listening and watching Pak propaganda day in day out should have access to our programmes. "But the lack of facilities is the main reason behind the extension of transmission of signals up to Jammu border areas," he said.

The kendra has recently sent a proposal to the directorate at New Delhi regarding the need to extend the signals of the Jammu Kendra up to the border areas. At present the station is in dire need of a satellite link which would solve almost all problems of the station regarding the reach of programmes up to the border areas of the Jammu region.

Mr Zutshi said the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan on his recent visit to Jammu for the inauguration of the Dogri news set up had announced they would give them a special van for up linking of signals to satellite. No one knows how much time this might take.

Elaborating further, the Station Director informd that as the Doordarshan Kendra, Srinagar, was in the process of becoming an earth station (station having all modern facilities) there was a proposal of sendin satellite news gadget (SNG) van which was at present stationed at Srinagar to Jammu so that all important clipping were transmitted to various stations and directed through the satellite link. The SNG van, he said, would ensure quality. Even though the station had facilities like microwave link it was not as good as a satellite link as it sent poor quality.

The Station Director was quite hopeful that when provided with all such facilities he would be able to counter propaganda very effectively. Recently, the Doordarshan Kendra had got a survey done according to which the DD viewership in the entire Kashmir valley was 70 per cent while in Jammu district alone it was 29.17 per cent which was quite significant.