Wednesday 29 February 2012

­­­AMJAD CRICKET CLUB WINS POONCH PREMIER LEAGUE T-20 BY DEFEATING PP TIGERS CRICKET CLUB

POONCH: The finals of Poonch Premier League was played today between Amjad Cricket Club, Poonch and PP Tigers Cricket Club, Poonch, which was a nail biter and both teams put up their best efforts.  The match was won by Amjad Cricket Club by 41 runs. 
 
The finals were followed by a gala closing ceremony which featured the Military Band and a Rajasthani troupe. Speaking on the occasion Maj Gen GS Shergill, General Officer Commanding, Counter Insurgency Force (Romeo) told that the tournament was a huge success and has been successful in the primary aim of bringing the people of the district and army closer to each other and bring out the hidden cricketing talent of the district to the fore.  It has been instrumental in channelising the energy of the youth in the constructive field of sports.
 
Medals and Certificates were distributed to the winner and runners up team and also the man of the series and man of the match. Winning team received a cash reward of Rs 10,000/- alongwith trophy whereas runners up team was rewarded Rs 5,000/-. JP Singh was declared man of the match for his performance during the tense match whereas Nawaz Rathar was declared man of the series for his outstanding performance in all matches and he walked away with Rs 3,000/- . The team members expressed gratitude to the Rashtriya Rifles for conducting of the tournament. 
 
The GOC expressed his gratitude to the Poonch District Administration for their providing technical and other logistical support for conduct of this mega tournament. The occasion was attended by Commander, Sector Rashtriya Rifles, Mr AK Sahoo, District Commissioner, Mr Ashkur Wani, SSP Poonch, Poonch District Sports Authorities, various prominent citizens and a mammoth crowd. 


ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY : BADAMI BAGH CANTONMENT, SRINAGAR

SRINAGAR: Over last one and an half year Station Headquarters Cell, Srinagar has made a multidimensional effort towards environment conservation making Badami Bagh Cantonment an ‘Environment Friendly Cantonment’.  The revamped waste disposal management ensures segregation of biodegradable and non biodegradable wastes at collection points and employment of ecological friendly methods for waste degradation.
 
Badami Bagh Cantonment has also been declared as ‘Plastic Free Zone’.  Awareness campaigns are conducted to educate the populace about the harmful effects of non-biodegradable plastic waste on the environment, if not disposed properly. 
 
In quest towards an environment friendly Cantonment, the first ever endeavour in the state of Jammu and Kashmir to gainfully manage the leaf fall during the autumn has taken shape in form of a ‘Leaf Compost Farm’ developed in the cantonment.  The leaves and other horticulture waste previously being burnt now decompose into manure naturally without using chemicals.  This prevents environment pollution and assists in enhancing soil nutrition value.  In the leaf compost farm both hot (anaerobic) and cold (aerobic) process of composting are being used to decompose leaf and horticultural waste into manure.
 
The natural lakes within the Cantonment have been cleaned and de-silted restoring the natural beauty of by gone years.  The effort has brought back the migratory birds visiting these lakes to enjoy the pristine green environment.
 
This is just the beginning of a long journey towards ‘Green Cantonment’.  More projects such as installation of plants to convert garbage and night soil into natural gas are in the pipeline.  Brigadier Kuldeep Singh, the Station Commander Badami Bagh Cantonment is monitoring the progress of these dream projects closely.

ARMY COMMANDER VISITS AVALANCHE HIT AREAS OF VALLEY

SRINAGAR: Lt Gen KT Parnaik, PVSM, UYSM, YSM, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, arrived on a day’s visit to the Valley.  On arrival, the Army Commander was received by Lt Gen  SA Hasnain, GOC Chinar Corps who briefed him about the ongoing restoration operations in the Gurez Sector. 

Later the Army Commander  accompanied by the  Corps Commander paid  a visit to both the avalanche sites at Dawar and Sonamarg and interacted with  troops stationed at these  locations. He complimented the troops for performing their duties with dedication, professionalism and utmost sincerity. 

“It is commendable that despite all difficulties you have maintained high morale” the Army Commander said. The  Army Commander also honoured  12 brave officers and other ranks with  “GOC-in-C, Northern Command Commendation  card” for keeping “Service before self” while conducting search and  rescue operations and   saving  precious  lives of their comrades during the unfortunate tragedy. 

He took stock of the situation at both the places and appreciated the rescue efforts put in by the local units and assistance  provided by the Civil Administration.  The Army  Commander  expressed his  deep condolences to families of the brave soldiers who laid down their life in the service of the Nation and assured them that in their hour of  grief , all assistance shall be provided to them. The Army Commander left for Udhampur in the evening.

Tuesday 28 February 2012

MEL MILAP ORGANISED BY ARMY AT VILLAGE SITENGAL, TEHSIL BHADARWAH

BHADARWAH - A Mel-milap between army and the local people was organised at village Sitengal on 28 Feb 2012 with the representatives of villages Upper Hadal, Sitengal, Upper Bheja, Sharekhi, Seri, Dhareu, Atalgarh,  Nalthi, Garh, Badrot, Bhamlakhi, Katare and Butilu.  
The main agenda of the Mel-milap was discussion over security arrangements, training of Village Defence Committees, plan for medical camps and mutual coordination between Armed Forces and locals.   The village representatives took part in the mel-milap with utmost zeal and enthusiasm.  A total strength of 40 person attended the mel-milap, which included Sarpanch, Namberdar, Village Defence Committee members and youths.

The village representative were informed about forthcoming recruitment rally, which was given a patient hearing by all.  The village representative appreciated efforts of the mel milap and praised Army located at Bhadarwah for the efforts towards security, upliftment and civic actions for development of far flung villages. 
Satish Kumar, Sarpanch of Upper Bheja appreciated this noble initiative on part of the Army wherein he remarked that “these kind of initiatives by the government are always welcome as they help such far flung areas to relate itself with main stream activities”.

ACE OF SPADES DIVISION EDUCATIONAL/MOTIVATIONAL TOUR FLAGGING IN CEREMONY

RAJOURI- In an endeavor to promote national awareness amongst the youth of Rajouri district 57 Fd Regt under the aegis of Ace of Spades Division conducted an educational and motivational tour for nineteen school students of Govt Higher Secondary School and Pahari Hostel, Rajouri (J&K) and two teachers to Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh. The duration of the tour was 11 days from 18 Feb to 28 Feb 2012.

On successful completion, the tour was flagged in today at ALG, Rajouri by Maj Gen KH Singh, GOC 25 Infantry Division.

The students during their tour got the opportunity to interact with the Governor of Rajasthan and Army Commander, South West Command. They visited a large number of  tourist places at Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh like Birla Mandir, Raj Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Pushkar Lake, Pushkar Fort, Nathdwara Temple Udaipur, Ranakpur temple, Chittorgarh Fort to name a few.

This was a wonderful opportunity for the children to get a glimpse of the progress which the nation has made, its cultural diversity and rich cultural heritage. The students as well as their parents expressed their gratitude towards the Army for organizing such a tour under OP SADBHAVANA.

The students were extremely joyful and described it as an experience of a lifetime. The tour has certainly left a positive impact on the students and has motivated them to work for the progress and development of the society.

CLOSING CEREMONY : ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES

DODA- On 27 Feb 2012 a closing ceremony of a two month long English speaking classes was conducted at village Ghat. This English speaking classes were organised bya Rashtriya Rifles Battalion  students of Udianpur, Bhart, Hajipura, Ogadh and Ghatfor. About 400 students attended the classes. 
The Classes helped the students to constructively utilize their winter vacation and gave an opportunity to the students to learn the global language which would help them to express themselves better in today’s competitive world and be at par with their counterparts from rest of the country. 
The closing ceremony was attended by a large number of villagers and prominent people of the area including Mr Mohd Hafiz, Imam of Ghat, Mr Quazi, BDO Ghat, sarpanches of neighboring villages and parents of the students. It  was presided byCommander Sector RR, who motivated the students and asked them to widen their horizons and excel in all works of life.

The Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, has undertaken numerous youth empowerment  initiatives such as welding classes, driving classes etc to make the youth of this region self reliant. The local community, especially the parents and the students, have appreciated this initiative by the Army to empower the youths.


INTERDISTRICT VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

SRINAGAR: Victor Force Inter District Volleyball Tournament organised under the aegis of 3 Sector Rashtriya Rifles  by 13 Rashtriya Rifles (KUMAON) had commenced on 07 Feb 2012 onwards with 14 teams participating from 07 District of Victor Force (Anantnag, Badgam,Supian, Pulwama, Kulgam, Bandipora and Ganderbal). 
Youths from around 50 villages participated in the overall tournament. The final match was played on 28 Feb 12 betweenPulwama-II and Ganderbal-I. In a very electrifying and thrilling match, players of Pulwama-II befittingly won the tournament. “It was a nail biting match till the last” said one of the spectator while another said “throughout it was an edge of the seat experience”. 
 
The tournament was aimed at developing a competitive spirit amongst the local youths and also to provide them a platform to showcase their talent. The matches were witnessed with keen interest by one and all and generated bonhomie amongst the villagers and troops stationed nearby. The event drew tremendous participation and enthusiasm from the locals.Major General Gurdeep Singh, AVSM, GOC  Victor Force gave away the prizes to the winner and runners up of the tournament. 
All the participating players were also given certificates and consolation prizes. Apart from senior Army officials­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Brig Niraj Seth, Commander 3 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, Brigadier  Shivender Singh, Commander  12 Sect Rashtriya Rifles, Mr M A Lone DC Bandipora, Mr B A Khan SP Bandipora and other prominent personalities of the participating villages attended the tournament. Khurshid Ahmed, one of the player of the participating teams remarked “13 Rashtriya Rifles (KUMAON) is doing a good service for the area by conducting such sports, with this exposure we too now can dream of participating in the district level matches”.

ARMY SAVES PRECIOUS LIFE IN REMOTE AREA OF MACHHAL

KISHTWAR: Presence of our Army in the remote border area of Machhal once again helped in saving a precious life from snow bounded cut off areas.  The degree of difficulty of civilians living in the areas came to fore when Mr Abdul Samed Sheikh a 75 yrs old, resident of Thalli, Machhal developed critical heart problem and was stranded at snow bound area cut off from Kupwara.  
 
This precious life was saved by the efforts of Army Medical Officer Captain Ankur Rawat who managed this critically ill old man for more than 24 hours before evacuating him by service helicopter to SKIMS Srinagar on  27 Feb 12.
 
On 26 February 2012 at 1750hrs, Mr Abdul Samed Sheikh r/o Thalli (Dudi) was brought on a stretcher by locals to the Medical Room of RR unit deployed in the sector with complaints of extreme breathlessness and generalized swelling of the body. On being checked by Captain Ankur Rawat, Army Medical Officer the patient was diagnosed as a case of Congestive Cardiac Failure.  
 
Considering the seriousness of his illness and the remote area cut off due to heavy snowfall it was decided to evacuate the patient by air to save his life.  Due to prevailing bad weather and continuous snow fall during morning of 27 Feb 12, helicopter could reach only at 1530h at Dudi helipad.  Patient was finally evacuated to SKIMS, Srinagar alongwith his two sons and is reported to be stable 

COMMANDER PIR PANJAL BRIGADE INAUGURATES SKIING CAMP AT GULMARG

GULMARG: Jammu & Kashmir affords great opportunities for adventure sports like Skiing, Snow Surfing, Hot Air Ballooning, Trekking, Wind surfing, Heli Sking etc which are being used extensively by tourists including foreigners.  During winters, Gulmarg becomes a global destination for professional and amateur skiers because of its excellent ski slopes.
 
Keeping in view the celebrations of “2012 – A Year of Adventure Tourism” by Jammu & Kashmir, the response of children & on popular demand of locals, Dagger Division once again took the initiative to introduce the art of skiing to local boys at Gulmarg. 
 
The Skiing Camp is underway at Gulmarg under the aegis of 4 RAJPUTANA RIFLES from 27 February to 04 Mar 2012. Dagger Division of the Indian Army earlier also conducted skiing camp at Gulmarg during the year 2011 with great zeal & enthusiasm.
 
The camp was formally inaugurated by Brig Sanjeev Saini Commander, Pir Panjal Brigade in an impressive ceremony at Gulmarg.  25 Children from remote areas of Valley are taking part in the camp during which, besides skiing, events like trekking, sightseeing, cultural evening, motivational lectures and various competitions have also been planned.

ARMY DISTRIBUTES COMPUTERS WITH PERIPHERALS AND FURNITURE TO FOUR SCHOOLS IN NOWSHERA

NOWSHERA:  Continuing with the Indian Army’s drive for improvement of educational facilities in remote areas of the state under Operation Sadbhavana, Tithwal Brigade distributed educational aids to various schools in its area of responsibility, on 28 Feb 2012. On the occasion, three computers alongwith peripherals were presented to Government High School, Bhajnowa and desks and benches were presented to three Government schools located in Kalsiyan of Nowshera Tehsil.  
 
The presentation ceremony was held at Rashtriya Rifles Battalion Headquarter and was attended by Dr Sahid Iqbal, SDM Nowshera, Dr Koshal Sharma, ASP, Mr Trilok Chand  ZEO, Mrs Jitender Kaur Bhel, Dy CEO, students alongwith their Principals and teachers of the concerned schools and respective village Sarpanches. 
           
The presentation ceremony was presided over by Commanding Officer of Rashtriya Rifles.  Mr Ved Prakash, Headmaster Government High School Bhajnowa conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to the army for this noble gesture and remarked, “This will largely benefit their school thereby increasing the educational standards and uplifting the morale of the children”.  An enthralling cultural programme was also presented by the students to commemorate the event.
           
The Commanding Officer in his address, impressed upon the people and the students to be progressive in their approach and cooperate with the army in its efforts towards the development of the society and to strive for their bright future ahead.  Promising to continue such efforts, he encouraged the children to take advantage of the facilities being provided for their personality development.  He emphasized the need for the students to come forward and make full use of various opportunities provided by the Army from time to time, so as to better their educational standards.

Monday 27 February 2012

AVALANCHE RESCUE AT SONAMARG

SONAMARG: We were at the mercy of God and had little or no hope of survival.  Every passing minute brought death closer and closer.  Gradually we were getting physically and mentally numb”. These are the words of Abdul Rafique Lone staying with his relative at Sitkari village of Sonamarg, who miraculously escaped the avalanche due to the timely rescue done by paratroopers of Indian Army.  The low drone of a helicopter over the Rafique and his colleagues really gave them the first ray of hope that things were happening and Allah had answered their prayers.
 
According to Rafique on 22 Feb 2012, Sonamarg witnessed heavy snowfall and strong winds.  In late afternoon Sitkari village came under unforgiving crush of a massive avalanche, and they were struck inside with no way to move out.
 
Rafique further brought out the following “On the morning of 24 Feb 2012 at around 9 O’ Clock we heard the distant hum of a helicopter approaching us.  I struggled out of the house and realised that it was an army rescue team, looking for survivors.  I waved my arms to get their attention and fortunately they spotted me.  However the helicopter could not land due to unstable snow that was more than 15 ft thick.  I, then saw an army personnel jumping out of the helicopter into the snow.  He made his way over to me and said that he was Major Khati who was here to rescue us”.
 
Major Khati from 81 Mountain Brigade, who is a paratrooper, alonwith Rafique’s assistance located and pulled out eight more people who were trapped under snow in general vicinity.  After ensuring that no one was hurt, Major Khati gathered the survivors and set out to beat down the unstable snow, large enough for the helicopter to land. From this make shift helipad, the survivors were airlifted in three sorties. Major Khati left the area only after the last of the survivors had been evacuated.
 
“We shall forever be grateful to the brave soldiers and pilots of the Indian Armed Forces especially to Major Khati who risked his own life to save ours”.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING: UNDER SADBHAVANA FOR YOUTH OF VALLEY

BUDGAM: The Nations Armed forces are known for their humane efforts for uplifting the lives of people wherever they are deployed.   Keeping in with this tradition, a JCB Excavator training for unemployed youth of Budgam District of Kashmir is being organized under “Operation Sadbhavana” under the aegis of the CIF (K) Force and Chief Engineer Chinar Corps at their Engineering Unit located at Badgam from 06 Feb 2012 for four weeks.  
 
The noble aim of this training is to make the unemployed youth of Budgam District, self-employed, by earning their livehoods through use of this training. In this humane effort, 21 unemployed youth of the District are being trained in JCB Excavators handling and operations.  The candidates will also be awarded civil driving license through RTO for operating JCB excavator, which will help them to get suitable employment.

One of the elated local youth of the District, Mr. Aijaz Ahmed Dar, studying in second year graduation remarked that “This is a very unique and noblest step by the Army, which will not only make them self dependent but also will bring up the standard of living of the entire community”.  
 
It is evident from the enthusiasm and interest of these youth of the valley that this training holds a great value in their career building.  This humane step will definitely go a along way for these unemployed youth in finding their feet while striving for self dependency and better future.  After all they are the building blocks for the promising future of the Kashmir Valley.

BANDIPORA YOUTH FESTIVAL

BANDIPORA: With the mercury showing signs of improvement in the coming days after the bleak winters it was the perfect time for the Army to launch hobby and activity clubs to create greater awareness in the youth about their culture and surroundings. 3 MADRAS Battalion of 81 Mountain Brigade launched the Camera Club, the Eco Club and the Joggers Club at a colourful ceremony in Higher Secondary School, Kuyil in coordination with the Zonal Education Officer. 
 
The Camera Club would teach school children how to click photographs using digital cameras. Theme based photography competitions to create awareness in ­­preserving the environment, portraying Kashmiri culture and learning about wildlife would be the next step in this direction. The ‘Eco Club’ would be a first step towards creating mission oriented groups of young children in local schools to arrest deforestation and launch a tree plantation drive in the coming summers. On this occasion 39 students of the recently concluded Computer Education Course were also awarded certificates by the Commanding Officer 3 MADRAS and Zonal Education Officer.

The Joggers Club would promote healthy lifestyle amongst the youth. A Mini Marathon ‘Run for Fun’ as part of the youth festival starting on 26thFeb, has also been planned for 04th March at Bandipora in conjunction with the DC, Bandipora and Police. On this day youth from all three directions Bunakut, Erin & Aragam and Aloosa will take part in a Mini Marathon towards the heart of Bandipora and finish at Kulus Higher Secondary School. Besides this a Tri - cycle race for the Physically Challenged will also be organized alongwith a host of activities for girls below 14 years and children by 6 PARA.

A Valedictory Function for the Youth from Bandipora who have successfully completed their two months training as part of the Skill Development Programme “ATHROUT” in Retail, Hospitality and IT Enabling Services will be organised on 2 Feb, which will also mark the commencement of the next four batches of Skill Development Programme under the Youth Employment Generation Node (YEGN).

The ten day long Youth Festival which commenced on 26th Feb will also include “BUZURGON KI DEKHBAL” in which four Medical Camps will be organised to inculcate the Tehzeeb to look after our elders of Bandipora by 14 Rashtriya Rifles. In these camps 80 hearing aids, Tri – Cycles to the physically challenged will also be distributed. A unique feature of this will be to teach the youth in different parts of the Bandipora Tehsil basic First Aid techniques.

Sunday 26 February 2012

FURNITURE DISTRIBUTED AT GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL, NAMB AND GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL, KARHALI

NAOSHERA: In continuation of its efforts for upliftment of basic infrastructure of the border areas, the Indian Army added yet another chapter in the series by provisioning pf furniture to Government Primary School Namb and Government Primary School Karhali on 24 Feb. Both the schools are located in the area of responsibility of Jhangar Battalion of Naoshera Brigade.   

The schools were facing acute shortage of furniture.  For providing basic infrastructure to the students, furniture of approximately Rs 72,500/- each was distributed to the schools of Namb and Karhali by Commander Naoshera Brigade. The ceremony was attended by school children, parents, teachers, sarpanchs and ESM of the area and the effort was appreciated by all.