A book for a noble cause!

SRINAGAR, June 19 (UNI) In a noble gesture, a Navy captain translated his father's book to contribute its proceeds for the construction of a paediatric hospital at Handwara in north Kashmir in memory of the young victims of a boat capsize in the Wullar Lake on May 30 last year.

Captain D S Sodhi translated his father S Anoop Singh's work in English with a pledge to contribute the proceeds of this book for the construction of a 15-bed state-of-the-art paediatric ward as an annexe to the existing District Hospital in Handwara by the Navy.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha released the English version of the book, ''Kashmir and the Sikhs: An Insight'' by S Anoop Singh, at the Raj Bhawan here in the presence of the families of the 20 children who lost their lives in the boat capsize.

As many as 20 students, in the age group of 7-14 years, and two staff members of Burning Candle School at Handwara in border district of Kupwara drowned while ferrying in a navy boat in Wullar Lake, the Asia's largest fresh water reservoir ironically known for its sweet contents, during an excursion on May 30 last year.

Speaking on the occasion, Gen Sinha said the gruesome tragedy not only struck the families of the deceased children, but came as a severe shock to the entire nation.

Soon after the incident, the Governor said the then Naval Chief, Admiral Arun Prakash, called on him and expressed the desire to have a befitting memorial built in memory of the deceased children.

This showed the agony of the Indian Navy over the accident caused inadvertently by some of its personnel, he added.

''A good intentioned act had led to the loss of 22 precious lives, including 20 small children, due to negligence or lack of suitable precaution,'' Gen Sinha added.

He also referred to the ''senseless violence'' unleashed by militants in the Kashmir valley.

''There are several instances in which many children have fallen prey to their (militants') madness, but hardly drew any flak.

Yet the grave act of omission at Wullar was made an excuse by certain elements to unleash venom and hatred on the armed forces, describing it as a deliberate heinous act of genocide,'' the Governor said.

About the book, he said it was written by a native of Baramulla, a town which braved the brunt of a tribal raid in 1947.

Gen Sinha said the book dwells on economic, educational, political and social contribution of Sikhs during various rules in Kashmir.

Emaar MGF, Travel Inn JV to invest $600 mln NEW DELHI, June 19 (UNI) Real estate developer Emaar MGF has entered into an equal joint venture with UK's largest hospitality company Premier Travel Inn with an investment of upto 600 million dollars.

The JV will develop and operate 80 limited services hotels positioned between business and budget category under the brand Premier Travel Inn, a subsidiary of Britains Whitbread Plc, over the next 10 years in the country.

The hotel is expected to add around 12,000 hotel rooms priced between Rs 2,400 and Rs 3,600 offered both for the business and leisure travelers, the company said today.

''This alliance is in line with our hospitality plans and will introduce a new category of affordable class of branded hotels for the Indian traveler looking for best amenities at reasonable price points,'' Emaar-MGF Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director Shravan Gupta said.

Alan Parker, Chief Executive, Whitbread Plc said, ''Our subsidiary will fill the gap in India's hotel market by providing a high quality branded budget hotel product, and our aim is to offer customers with a consistent choice whether in the UK or India.'' This will be Premier Travel Inn's second international market.

A joint venture with Emirates was announced last year to develop the brand in the Gulf region, with its first site in Dubai currently under construction which is due to open in Spring next year.

Emaar MGF last year tied up with Accor, a global player in economy and budget hotels, to bring 100 Formule One hotels in India at an investment of 300 million dollars.

Whitbread Plc is the UK's largest hospitality company, managing market leading businesses in the budget hotels, restaurant and health and fitness sectors, including Premier Travel Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater and Costa.

Premier Travel Inn is the UK's biggest hotel brand with over 480 hotels and more than 32,600 rooms.