Will autonomy panel submit report?
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 31 — Will the state autonomy committee, headed by Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, submit its report to the state Assembly when it holds its budget session from February 22?

This question has assumed significance following divergent stands taken by Dr Abdullah and the Law Minister, Mr P.L. Handoo. The Chief Minister said that the committees' report will be tabled in the State Legislature during the February budget session. The Law Minister stated that he doubted whether the report would be ready by then as there has been no meeting of the committee since September.

However, the member secretary of the committee, Mr Teja Singh, said that the report was in its final stage and could be completed any time. Asked whether the report will be submitted to the Assembly next month as announced by the Chief Minister, Mr Teja Singh said "it can be. We are giving final touches to the report."

A member of the committee said that the guidelines for the report had been formulated in the initial meetings themselves. The report would be based essentially on the erosion in the Instrument of Accession signed in 1947 and the Delhi Agreement of 1952 signed between the Centre and Sheikh Abdullah.

Without wishing to be identified the member said the committee would recommend to the Centre to honour the spirit of the Instrument of Accession and the Delhi Agreement which had given a distinct constitutional position to the state and allowed it greater autonomy. Over the years a series of amendments to the state Constitution and application of several hundred central laws to the state had diluted the basic spirit of autonomy.

The voluminous report carries a detailed account of the main clauses of the Instrument of Accession, Delhi Agreement and verbal assurances by several central leaders, including former Prime Ministers to successive state governments regarding retention of the autonomous character of the state.

The committee secretariat has studied the two reports, one framed by the committee headed by Mr D.D. Thakur, a former Cabinet Minister, and another headed by Mr Ghulam Nabi Kochak, a former Minister, which identified central laws which had been thrust on the state, thereby diluting its autonomy. However, the two committees adopted a divergent approach. While the Thakur Committee said that the arms of the clock could not be reversed the Kochak Committee had recommended scrapping of all central laws applied to the state since 1950.

The committee headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah is said to have recommended to the Centre that only those central laws be retained which were "beneficial" to the people of the state and the right to select such laws be vested with the state government.

Constitutional experts here treat the government exercise as a "gimmick" saying more than 80 per cent of central laws applied to the state have proved beneficial.

According to these experts, the Thakur Report has been gathering dust after the Centre refused to table it before Parliament. Instead it was sent to the Supreme Court for its opinion. The National Conference had made a poll promise of restoring autonomy to the state and the committee was to submit its report within six months. It has failed to do so during the past two years because it knows that the task could be an exercise in futility.

District board meetings or get-togethers?
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 31 — The ruling National Conference has failed to implement in letter and spirit the plan conceived by late Sheikh Abdullah regarding the taking of the Cabinet to the "doorstep" of the people through the District Development Board meetings. During the past two years the board meetings have seemingly lost the basic purpose of interacting with the people for the purpose of mitigating their problems.

When Sheikh Abdullah regained power in 1975, after 22 years of political wilderness, he initiated the scheme of holding District Development Board meetings by rotation in each district so that people who had no means to meet the ministers could get an opportunity to do so. The creation of the boards was meant to formulate the district annual plans in consultation with the representatives of the people and members of the boards.

Till Sheikh Abudllah remained in power the entire Cabinet would visit each district twice a year and listen to the demands and suggestions of the people of the area. The plans were modified in accordance with the requirement of the people of each district. Gradually the board meetings were reduced to a get-togethers for the ministers and senior officers. Where National Conference workers, besides the Department of Hospitality and Protocol, would spend a lot of money on arranging sumptuous lunch for them.

However, during the past two years there has been further erosion in the sanctity of these meetings. The annual plans are prepared at the Civil Secretariat. During the meetings the plan allocations for each sector are read out. Members submit their suggestions and objections which are heard, but never implemented.

Reports said the ongoing cash crunch has affected the entire programme. Cabinet ministers have been appointed as chairmen of each District Development Board. The Chairman and members of the board, including legislators of the respective districts, visit the area during the meeting, but only for lunches.

It is in this context that financial experts in the state favour scrapping of the scheme when neither the government has anything to offer to the people of the area nor it is prepared to formulate the district plan in consultation with board members. These experts are of the opinion that holding of these meetings has become redundant. For each meeting several lakhs of rupees are spent on travel, petrol, boarding and lodging. Such meetings are also a strain for the overtaxed security forces.

2 cops among 6 killed in J&K

SRINAGAR, Jan 31 (PTI) — Two policemen were among six persons killed in militancy-related violence in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday, even as a political activist and his family escaped an attempt on their lives, an official spokesman said here today.

He said militants detonated an explosive device at the house of a political activist Mr Ghulam Hassan Qazi at Tikar village in Pulwama district of South Kashmir yesterday.

While the inmates of the house escaped unhurt, Constable Mohammad Yousuf and a Special Police Officer, Ghulam Mohammad, were injured in the blast, the spokesman said.

He said a special grade Constable, Ghulam Mohammad, a Special Police Officer, Ghulam Mohammad and a civilian, Fayaz Ahmad Beig, were killed and two more policemen and a civilian were injured in an encounter with militants in Badgam district of central Kashmir.

Giving details, he said the encounter erupted after militants equipped with sophisticated weapons fired at police guards posted at the Dreygam shrine of Sheikh Nooruddin Wali.

The spokesman said three persons, including a couple, were shot by militants at Gunthal village in border town of Poonch in the Jammu region.

The deceased were identified as Aziz Din, his wife, Ashraf Bi and Ms Sarwara Jan.

Rubaiya case accused get bail after 9 yrs

JAMMU, Jan 31 (PTI) — Three top Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) activists, accused in former Union Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya Sayeed’s kidnapping case, have been granted bail by a designated TADA court here after nine years.

The TADA court Presiding Officer, Abdul Hamid Mir, while granting bail to Shoukat Ahmed Bakshi, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi and Mohammad Iqbal Gandroo yesterday, directed that the accused be released on furnishing personal bail bonds of Rs 50,000 each with two sureties of like amount each.

The accused were directed to report to Sadar police station, Srinagar, once a week.

In his order, the judge observed that the accused were in custody for the last nine years without trial and the case had not yet commenced. They could not be punished before trial without proof of the commission of the crime, he said adding the health of the accused had also deteriorated during detention.

The other accused in the case, including JKLF chief Yasin Malik, had already been released on bail.

The accused are facing trial for allegedly kidnapping Dr Rubaiya Sayeed while she was returning to her Nowgam residence in Srinagar after hospital duty.

A case under Section 364 Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), Section 3 of TADA and Section 3/25 Arms Act was registered with Sadar police station, Srinagar on December 8, 1989. The case was later transferred to the CBI.

New Commander of Nagrota Corps

JAMMU, Jan 31 (PTI) — Lieut-Gen Arjun Singh Khanna today assumed command of Nagrota Corps, one of the largest corps of the Indian Army.

Born on September 1, 1942 in Punjab, General Khanna replaces Lt-Gen D.S. Chauhan who has been posted as Commandant of Infantry School at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.

An alumnus of Indian Military Academy, General Khanna was commissioned on June 30, 1963 in the regiment of artillery.

His gallantry in the 1965 Indo-Pak operation earned him the Vir Chakra, while serving as observation post officer in 17 Para Field Regiment in the Rann of Kutch.

He was appointed as ADC to the President of India from July 1968 to January 1971.

In his chequered military career spanning 36 years, General Khanna has held various command, staff and instructional assignments. After command of an armoured division artillery brigade, he commanded a mountain brigade in active counter-insurgency environment in the Kashmir valley for more than two years.

He was awarded the Ati Vishist Seva Medal during this tenure for his contribution towards fighting insurgency.

General Khanna was appointed General Officer Commanding of an infantry division forming part of Nagrota Corps itself and later Major-General (General Staff) at Western Command.

He has also held the appointment of Chief of Staff, headquarters Southern Command, Pune.

Striking employees may face action
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 31 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to take strict action against those employees who respond to the two-day general strike from tomorrow in protest against the government's plan to reduce the retirement age from 58 to 55 years.

According to a government spokesman, all departmental heads have been asked to ensure the presence of employees in the offices and also see to it that the general public faced no inconvenience.

The spokesman warned the employees against the machinations of some self-styled employee associations. He said these association leaders were simply misleading the government employees.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened all over the state to meet any emergency that may rise from the strike.

Widespread protests against price hike

SRINAGAR, Jan 31 (PTI) — Several demonstrations were held across Srinagar today in protest against the hike in prices of essential commodities supplied through public distribution system.

A large number of people, including women, took to streets in Rainawari here and raised anti-government and anti-price hike slogans. The police had to use force and lob teargas shells to keep the protesters at bay when they tried to break a police cordon to enter the Civil Lines area.

The demonstrators described the hike in prices as "uncalled for and unjustified".

Another demonstration was held outside the Directorate of Food and Supplies here where the agitated people raised slogans against the department officials.

Similar demonstrations were also held in Zainakadal and some other downtown localities.