J&K orders austerity to
tide over crisis
SRINAGAR, Oct 1 — The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered austerity measures in its departmental spending with immediate effect.

Kargil empties as shelling continues
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 1 — More than 15 Pakistani bunkers and six Army barracks in border villages of Kekran and Shauqam across the Kargil sector were destroyed in Indian retaliatory fire during the past 12 hours. Reports reaching here said three Pakistani soldiers were wounded in the shelling.

According to these reports, Indian troops retaliated with artillery and mortar fire after two Army personnel were killed in yesterday's heavy Pak shelling. Since yesterday, Pakistani troops fired as many as 400 mortar shells on Kaksar and Kargil town and fired another 200 rounds from small arms.

Besides the two Army personnel killed three civilians were wounded and six huts were damaged. The Indian retaliatory fire silenced the Pakistani guns yesterday evening, but this morning Pakistani soldiers resorted to heavy shelling again forcing several thousand civilians to shift to safer places.

Reports said that during the past one week Kaksar and Kargil town wore a deserted look with the majority of government employees fleeing the troubled zone. Most Kashmiri employees posted in Kargil have reached Srinagar and senior government functionaries in Kargil prefer to work from within the security of Army units.

Eyewitness accounts said that Pak soldiers have been making determined bids to snap the Srinagar-Kargil supply line. They said goods and passenger transport services had been affected on five occasions since June last, when Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling on Kargil town but the supply line has been maintained.

As per these accounts Pakistan has also made concerted efforts to kick up turmoil in Shia-dominated Kargil town, and for this small groups of Pakistan-trained militants have been pushed from across the border into Kargil areas, including the Sonamarg belt. These militants have the advantage of moving from Sonamarg to south Kashmir areas via the Pahalgam mountain belts.

Another report said that Indian troops have been directed to remain vigilant after Pakistan moved additional forces across Poonch and Rajouri sectors in recent days. Pakistani soldiers have been seen carrying heavy weapons close to the border.

Srinagar, Agencies add: A security personnel was killed and two others wounded in heavy shelling by Pakistani troops while four militants were among five people killed during the past 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir.

Security forces apprehended two militants while militants abducted a CRPF constable and shot at and wounded three persons, an official spokesman said.

He said Pakistani troops opened unprovoked heavy mortar and artillery shelling on Indian positions in forward areas of Bonyar sector in north Kashmir last evening. Mortar and artillery shells were also fired at Indian positions in Kargil sector last evening. Details from Kargil were awaited. Security forces killed four militants at Ratinpora in the frontier district of Kupwara early this morning.

Security forces arrested two militants, smashed two of their hideouts and averted a disaster by picking up a live bomb in front of a commercial establishment in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

A militant of pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen, Nazir Hussain, forced his entry into the house of Ahadullah Wani at Dooligam in Doda district last night and shot him dead, the spokesman said.

Police picked up the body of an unidentified person from Cherwani area of Badgam district in central Kashmir last night.

He said militants kidnapped a CRPF constable, Abdul Rashid at Sunder Nallah in the border town of Poonch last night.

One person was shot at and critically wounded by militants in his house at Sumbal in Baramula district last night, the spokesman said.

J&K orders austerity to tide over crisis

SRINAGAR, Oct 1 (UNI) — The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered austerity measures in its departmental spending with immediate effect.

According to an official spokesman, measures would also apply to all public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies in the state.

The step has been ordered in view of the financial squeeze, he said.

He said there would be an across the board cut of 10 per cent on the budget provision under maintenance, repairs, purchase of material, supplies, machinery and equipment.

The government has also banned the purchase of furniture and fixture, including furnishings except in case of new offices, subject to approval of the Finance Department.

A ban has also been imposed on purchase of new vehicles of all kinds by all departments.

The expenditure on telephone has been ordered to be restricted within the available provisions and no liability on the account would be allowed to be carried over.

No additional provision would be made for the purchase of office equipment like photo copiers, fax machines and no purchase should be placed beyond December 31,1998 for any item and purchase contracts should be finalised before the said date.

The spokesman said that the government has ordered that there will be no official dinners and no lunches except those hosted by the Chief Minister and the Ministers.

The expenditure on the maintenance of government buildings and residential quarters should be restricted to most essential items only improvements to existing floorings and wall painting to cater to personal preference has been totally prohibited, besides there would be no additions to residential quarters. There will be no increase in the current level of grant in-aid to institutions.

The receipt budget will be closely monitored by the administrative departments concerned to ensure accomplishment of targets.

Strict action against officials concerned will be taken for any shortfall in the targets.

No reappropriation order will be issued without the concurrence of the Finance Department and release of funds to public sector undertakings will be strictly monitored and restricted to the bare minimum to be assessed on a case-to-case basis, the spokesman added.

Five drown in boat tragedy

JAMMU, Oct 1 (PTI) — At least five persons were drowned and seven were missing when a boat capsized on the Ravi at Basohli in Kathua district of the Jammu region last evening, officials said here today.

Five bodies had been recovered while rescue and search operations were on to trace the missing persons. The boat, carrying 12 persons, was on its way from Kote village in Basohli tehsil to Sanera in Himachal Pradesh when it capsized, they said.

Survivors, if any, are believed to have landed in the Himachal area, they added.

The authorities have formed five rescue and search parties comprising civilian and police personnel.

The cause of boat tragedy is being investigated.