‘No move to amend shrine Act’
NEW DELHI, Sept 22 — Jammu and Kashmir Governor Girish Saxena today said the state government did not have any intention to amend the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Act, 1988.
Fake currency from
Pak floods J&K
JAMMU, Sept 22 — "Beware of the wads of crisp and clean Indian currency notes". This is the advice being given by bank managers to the public in the wake of new Pakistani strategy to flood the state markets with fake Indian currency notes.

‘No move to amend shrine Act’

NEW DELHI, Sept 22 (UNI) — Jammu and Kashmir Governor Girish Saxena today said the state government did not have any intention to amend the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Act, 1988.

He said after a marathon meeting of the Shrine Board here that "baridars" (traditional caretakers) had made a representation to the state government and that it would be discussed separately.

About the Cabinet sub-committee constituted by the state government to look into the possibility of amendments to the Act, the Governor said the state government and the legislature had their own jurisdiction in the matter, "but we will go by the announcement of the official spokesman that the state government had no intention to amend the Act.’’

When asked about the threat by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to launch a nationwide agitation if the Act was amended, he said: "We have taken note of relevant developments.’’

Earlier, VHP representatives, including Central Secretary B.L. Sharma Prem, Mr Vaid Vishnu Dutt (BJP MP from Jammu) and the Ashok Khajuria, MLA, presented a memorandum to the Governor, urging him to direct the state government not to interfere in the affairs of the Hindu temples and shrines in the state and withdraw the proposed amendment failing which a nationwide "mass agitation’’ would be launched.

The memorandum submitted on behalf of the recently constituted Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, expressed "pain and resentment at the state government’s nefarious designs to protect and proliferate the vested interests’’ and said the constitution of the Cabinet sub-committee for the purpose did not augur well with the scheme of things envisaged in the basic Act.

It said the proposed action was bound to create misgivings in the mind of a common Hindu. The memorandum was signed by the presidents of 40 Hindu organisations all over the country.

About the meeting Mr Saxena said it was held to discuss the affairs of the Shrine Board and more important was the audit report of the newly constituted board.

Between April and August this year, an amount of Rs 17 crore accrued to the board as income and out of it more than Rs 10 crore were invested on developmental activities.

The new board includes two women members — Mrs Vidya Behn Shah and Mrs Shobhana Bharatiya. The other members are Mr Justice J.S. Verma, industrialists Dharam Vir Batra and Sagar Suri, Mr B.K. Goswami (former adviser to Jammu and Kashmir Governor) and Mr D.K. Kotwal.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Governor and reviewed the progress of various developmental works being carried out by it.

The board directed that the alternative track between Adhkawari and Bhavan be opened by December. This would provide facilities to the pilgrims. It also approved the taking up of various new schemes which include the construction of a dormitory at Katra, the base camp, construction of additional rain shelters between Katra and Bhavan, among other things.

The board which is headed by the Governor, approved the enhancement of the gratuity limit for its employees from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Mr Saxena also released a book, "Vaishno Devi — The Shrine", by Mr Anil Goswami, who has been the chief executive officer of the board.

Fake currency from Pak floods J&K
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 22 — "Beware of the wads of crisp and clean Indian currency notes". This is the advice being given by bank managers to the public in the wake of new Pakistani strategy to flood the state markets with fake Indian currency notes.

Wads of fake currency notes have already been deposited in banks and the government treasuries in the state and it is difficult to sift the genuine notes from the fake ones. The recovery of fake Indian currency notes totalling Rs 3500 in Jammu yesterday led to preliminary investigations, which revealed that they had their origin in Akhnoor treasury.

Fake currency notes of the denomination of Rs 50 have flooded the markets in the Jammu region in the past year. Of late, fake Indian currency notes of the denominations of Rs 100 and Rs 500 have also been in circulation. One nationalised bank recently detected several fake Rs 500 notes, which a trader had deposited in the bank. The trader had received the notes for the goods he had sold.

The police last week recovered a bundle of fake Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes amounting to more than Rs 6.25 lakh from Poonch district. The police said trans-border smugglers and militants brought these fake notes when they crossed into Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistani agencies have to make huge payments to the militants, their supporters and other secessionist organisations agencies across the border. However, in view of their tight financial position, these agencies have been minting fake Indian currency notes to make these payments. This step is also being taken to paralyse the economy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The police said various segments of the international border between Kathua and Akhnoor have been used for smuggling arms, heroin and fake Indian currency notes into Jammu and Kashmir. To check this, the number of border police posts along the border is being increased from 31 to over 75 within the next six months.

According to the police, the border police posts have played a key role in eliminating or arresting scores of militants, subversive elements and smugglers during the past six months, and recovered huge quantities of arms, explosives and contraband goods.

3 BSF men hurt in blast

SRINAGAR, Sep 22 (PTI) — Six persons, including two securitymen, were killed and three BSF personnel injured when militants attacked their picket in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening, an official spokesman said here today.

Militants attacked a BSF picket with a grenade in Kawdara locality of Srinagar today injuring three jawans. The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of one was stated to be "serious’’.

Troops sealed the area and launched a hunt to nab the militants soon after the blast. The spokesman said three unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Sangarh in Kupwara last night. A rifle and some ammunition and explosives were recovered from them.

The body of a policeman was recovered from Deuthu-Shangus village in Anantnag district early today. The policeman was kidnapped and later killed by militants.

Two special police officers (SPOS), who were kidnapped along with five of their colleagues by unidentified militants from their picket at Tral in Pulwama on Saturday, were let off last evening.

The two were set free unconditionally like their colleagues who were released on Saturday itself. However, all of them were deprived of their weapons.

An Army jawan was found dead inside his barrack on the outskirts of Srinagar today. The victim had reportedly hanged himself to death.

Militants shot dead a civilian near Dodarimal in Rajouri district of Jammu region late last night. A BSF jawan and a civilian were injured in a shootout at Gamroo in Bandipora area of Baramulla district last night.

Militants shot at a person at Sochapora-Pattan in Baramulla district.

Militants clashed with the police and village defence committee members at Berote and Dudwar in Doda district last night. No casualty was reported on either side.

Militants torched a house at Dagpora-Achar on the outskirts of Srinagar. A shopkeeper was robbed of Rs 30,000 at gunpoint at Magermal Bagh last night.

Meanwhile, Sopore town in Baramulla district observed a complete bandh today in protest against the arrest of two shopkeepers by the special operation group of the local police yesterday.

Three suspected militants were arrested from Srinagar and Anantnag.

New policy to increase forest cover

JAMMU, Sept 22 (PTI) — Union Minister for Environment and Forests Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said a new policy is on the anvil to devise an action plan for improvement and protection of the forest cover in the country.

Addressing forest officers of Jammu region here yesterday, he told the officers that forest administration and management must be geared up to improve the forests.

There was a programme to bring one-third of country’s area under the forest cover. He said two lakh forest villages in the country were being directly involved to provide employment and for protection to forests and wildlife.

The minister said plantation in degraded forest areas would be taken up on a war footing to save land erosion. He said the Union Government was planning a national award to the best forester in the country from this year.

He appreciated the work done by the Forest Department in Jammu and Kashmir despite militancy in the state.

NMC seeks release of DA instalments
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 22 — Activists of the National Mazdoor Conference ( NMC) held a rally at Bioshnah, near Jammu, to protest against the delay in the release of first and second instalments of DA due from January and July, payment of arrears, enhancement in the wages of daily wagers and their regularisation.

Speaking at the rally, Mr Subhash Shastri, president of the NMC, regretted that despite the Cabinet's decision to release 3 per cent DA, the relevant orders had not been issued so far, causing a lot of resentment among employees. He urged upon the Chief Minister to release the instalment with effect from July 1, at the rate of 6 per cent for those employees of the state government and pensioners who were eligible.

Moreover, when the Central Government had already released both instalments for their employees, there was no justification for withholding the same for the employees of the state government, he added.