Anti-tax bandh hits life
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 9 — Normal life was paralysed in most parts of the valley for the third consecutive day today in protest against the hike in taxes as proposed in the state Budget. The call for today's bandh was given by the People's Forum for Justice (PFJ), a conglomeration of 30 organisations of traders, transporters, employees and lawyers.

All shops and business establishments, banks and educational institutions here remained closed today. Passenger transport was off the road and there was thin attendance in government offices. Only private vehicles and autorickshaws plied as usual. More than a 100 buses of the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) were plying on inter-district routes, mostly to carry government employees to work and back.

Shops and business establishments in other major towns of the valley, including Anantnag, Baramula and Sopore, remained open today. But passenger transport was off the road. Most government offices in these areas and other district headquarters remained closed due to lack of transport.

The PFJ has been spearheading the agitation against the budgetary proposals since last month. The valley observed a complete bandh on Monday last in response to the forum's call. It coincided with the indefinite strike launched by transporters in the Jammu region, which has now been withdrawn.

A spokesman for the PFJ here this evening expressed satisfaction over the "response of the people from all walks of life to the agitation against the hike in taxes". He claimed that the recent programmes of the forum were a "total success". The future course of action against the budgetary proposals would be decided shortly.

Meanwhile, the PFJ seems to be in a disarray in view of the different programmes given by its various constituents, leading to strikes by the traders and transporters here during the past three days.

While the PFJ clarified on Monday last that the next "programme" would be announced later, the traders and transporters in Kashmir valley have been observing strikes since Wednesday.

Another separate call for a one-day strike was given by the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) that was observed throughout the valley on Wednesday, again deviating from the decision of the PFJ.

While the PFJ gave a call for bandh today, KTMF, one of its main constituents, appealed to the people not to observe a bandh today.

Aamir Khan in valley for shooting
Tribune News Service

GULMARG, April 9 — Once again a Bollywood crew is here for the shooting of Ashok Thakeria's "Mann" on the snowy slopes of Kongdori in the upper reaches of this picturesque tourist spot. Hundreds of visitors throng here these days. Stars Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala are engaged in the shooting of a love song "Tum Sey Kuchch Kehna Hai....", running snow scooters provided by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC).

"Mann", a love story, would be the first of the four movies to be released in June that were fully or partly picturised in the Kashmir valley since last year. Directed by Inder Kumar and produced by Ashok Thakeria of "Raja", "Dil" and "Beta" fame, "Mann" revolves round Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala. Except for the love song, most part of the film has already been shot in India and Singapore. "There cannot be a more beautiful place for the picturisation of such a love song than Kashmir", said producer Ashok Thakeria. This is his first production which is being shot in Kashmir.

Director Inder Kumar had been encouraged by his brother, Rattan Irani, to venture shooting in Kashmir. Rattan Irani was the first director to have ventured to shoot his film "Meray Apney" in the valley last year. He was here for a period of one and a half months with his stars Mukul Dev, Mayuri Kango and Amrish Puri.

Later, a Telugu film was partly shot in Mughal Gardens in Srinagar under tight security arrangements. Last month, Boney Kapoor was here for shooting of his film "Pukaar", starring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. Film lovers still await the arrival of Madhuri Dixit for shooting in the valley.

Flocks of visitors here gather round Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala dressed in colourful jackets and long snowshoes as they ride back about 2 km on deep snow to the snow-shed at Kongdori, the far-end of the Gulmarg-Gandola cable car project as hailstorm and rains hamper the shooting of the song. "He (Aamir Khan) was here first at 7 a.m. (on Thursday)," said a policeman on duty adding that "he had to go back due to the bad weather". "Yeh Tou aankh micholi khel raha hai", said a crew member as Ashok Thakeria pointing towards the shooting location said, "It is cloudy on that patch only and there is no sunshine....it has been like that since morning", Thakeria said.

"Our boys have been finding it difficult to control the enthusiastic locals keen to have a view of the stars", said Anil Bisht, an official of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) giving security cover to the crew. Certain crew members have been shuttling between Srinagar and Gulmarg, at a distance of about 50 km every day. Atleast 100 CRPF men and Jammu and Kashmir police personnel have been engaged in the security of the film crew.

Inder Kumar, Ashok Thakeria and other crew members are happy over the "security arrangements" made by the government at Srinagar and Gulmarg and in the surroundings. Aamir has reconciled with the "unusual security" round him and his associates in Kashmir. "It is part of the life here", he said.

Looking at the last year's successful completion of shooting by Rattan Irani, he is impressed by the kind of crowd round him. It was his first ever visit to Kashmir, and he is fascinated by the snow, the mountains, the green woods and the clear blue skies of Kashmir.

Manisha, who had visited Kashmir in her childhood, had been longing for visiting the beautiful environs again. "It was good the director decided to shoot in the valley....there was no second thought", he said.

While "Mann" is being released on June 18 this year, it will be the first of the four movies on the big screen that is shot in the valley after the decade-long disturbance since last year. But film lovers in Kashmir may not be "lucky enough" to watch it on the silver screen the same day since there is only one cinema hall, "Broadway", that was opened last year after a gap of about 10 years'. This is one of the dozen cinema halls in Kashmir, most of them being in Srinagar, that were closed down with the eruption of militancy late in 1989. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has been taking keen interest in inviting the film units and providing all possible assistance to the film-makers in Kashmir.

The presence of a film unit at Kongdori here has been attracting more local and domestic visitors and thereby giving more revenue to the Gulmarg-Gondola cable car project that carries them to and fro the shooting location.

Cash crunch immobilises J&K cops
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 9 — As many as 90 per cent police vehicles in the Kashmir valley have been put off the road following acute cash crunch which has not allowed the department to purchase petrol and diesel. During the last one week the crisis has affected anti-insurgency operations and the police has been "immobilised".

According to official sources, the IOC had refused to give petrol and diesel on credit to the police. Recently, the government had sent Rs 2 crore to the Srinagar treasury for clearing the petrol bills. The treasury officers have refused to allow the police to draw any amount from this head on the plea that they have not received written instructions from the Finance Department.

The police authorities had made a strong plea to the state government to increase the budgetary grant for petrol because the police has to bear the petrol expenses on vehicles used by the BSF and the CRPF that operate under the direct control of the police. In the budget there has been no increase.

The problem has been compounded because the new budgetary sanctions have not been supplemented by cash component with the result the police has failed to purchase petrol and diesel.

A senior police officer said except for top police officials who spent from their pocket to keep the vehicles on the move other ranks have been forced to remain indoors without carrying out any operations against the militants.

The cash crunch has affected other departments too and 80 per cent of the more than two lakh employees in the state have yet to receive salary for March. In several rural areas in the state employees have not received their salaries for the past two to three months. The case is similar as far as daily wage earners, special police officers and those engaged in different departments either on ad hoc basis or on contract are concerned.