J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

8 ultras killed in valley
SRINAGAR, May 14 — Eight militants, including an infiltrator, were killed in encounters with security personnel during intensified anti-militant operations in Jammu and Kashmir since last night.

Loans to help revive J&K units
SRINAGAR, May 14 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has declared the year 2000 as industrial rehabilitation year to revive the industrial sector in the state which has suffered tremendously during the decade-long militancy.

Private sector to develop Jammu
JAMMU, May 14 — The draft master plan for Jammu 2021 was discussed at a high-level meeting of officers here today. The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Mr Anil Goswami, presided.

Drought-hit areas to get relief
SRINAGAR, May 14 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government will undertake urgent measures to augment drinking water and irrigation facilities in the drought-hit Kandi areas of the valley.

Army rebuilds J&K village
AHAGAM (S. Kashmir), May 14 — Two years ago a furious fire raged across this village turning everything before it to ash. Two years later, hope is blooming again in this small hamlet of 79 houses.

J&K exports walnut plants
SRINAGAR, May 14 — For the first time, the Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Department has exported apple and walnut plants to different states of the country, fetching Rs 3 lakh, official sources here said.

8 ultras killed in valley

SRINAGAR, May 14 (PTI) — Eight militants, including an infiltrator, were killed in encounters with security personnel during intensified anti-militant operations in Jammu and Kashmir since last night.

Four militants, including two Pakistani nationals, were shot dead in Chingas sector of Rajouri district, an official spokesman said here today.

A number of arms and ammunition including four AK assault rifles, 36 grenades and 20 improvised explosive devices and some Indian and Pakistani currency were seized from them.

A Pakistani intruder was shot dead at Kala Paddar in Naushehra sector while he tried to sneak in from Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the spokesman said.

Three more militants were killed in Baramulla, Poonch and Badgam districts during the period.

Militants lobbed a grenade on a security picket in Naqashpora in Srinagar, which did not explode and was later defused by a bomb disposal squad, he said.

Security personnel arrested four militants during the period — three in Jogilanker-Rainawari in downtown Srinagar and one in Marhama in Anantnag district.

Loans to help revive J&K units

SRINAGAR, May 14 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has declared the year 2000 as industrial rehabilitation year to revive the industrial sector in the state which has suffered tremendously during the decade-long militancy.

A multi-pronged strategy has been adopted to ensure industrial revival, including rehabilitation of sick units and a package of incentives to entrepreneurs, the state’s Industries and Commerce Minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamal has said.

He said a Rs 10-crore project has been formulated to upgrade existing industrial estates in the state by way of improving roads, drainage system, electricity and drinking water facilities.

All viable sick industrial units would be provided a 30 per cent additional loan facility to make them functional, the minister said.

Funds for this purpose were expected to be provided by the Centre.

He said the Centre, at the request of Chief Minister, has agreed to hold a meeting of heads of all financial institutions including nationalised banks soon at Srinagar to work out modalities for early release of loans to prospective industrialists to give a boost to the industrial sector in the state.

The minister said besides revival and rehabilitation of sick industrial units, attractive incentives would be made available to industrialists under the new industrial policy announced recently to be implemented in letter and spirit during the current year.

The minister said all efforts would be made to mitigate the sufferings of entrepreneurs in organised industrial estates and compensation on account of commercial losses suffered by entrepreneurs due to turmoil in the state would be taken care of.

He also said the government was also considering paying compensation to affected unit holders on account of physical damage caused to assets and rental occupation.

The minister said the government had received a report of district-level rehabilitation committees on sick units and final decision based on these reports would be taken soon.

He said a buyer-seller meet would be held in Srinagar to explore marketing facilities for local products in various central government offices located in the state. The first such buyer-seller meet was organised last month in Jammu where the Defence and Railway Departments had agreed to procure some items from local units.

Private sector to develop Jammu
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, May 14 — The draft master plan for Jammu 2021 was discussed at a high-level meeting of officers here today. The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Mr Anil Goswami, presided.

According to the master plan, the projected population of Jammu for the next 20 years will be 16 lakh. The existing orchards and agricultural land in the delineated city are proposed to be changed into residential, commercial and other use zones which will be required to accommodate the projected population.

The master plan lays emphasis on allowing linear community facilities and utilities, including service shopping, along the residential streets which will conform to social habits.

The plan envisages a flexible land use plan, a liberal urban land policy followed by mixed land uses and simplified building norms. The Jammu Development Authority and public sector development bodies will be made to play more of a regulatory role and the private enterprise allowed to develop Jammu city in accordance with the proposals and land use of the the new master plan.

The plan proposes optimum redenstification of the existing low-density areas and re-development of areas so that the growth of population can be absorbed in these areas. To meet the needs of the growing population, corresponding infrastructure upgradation can be undertaken.

However, according to the plan, some of the areas will have to be specifically identified for building major office complexes and specialised markets.

Mr Goswami asked the Public Health Engineering Department to work out the availability of water for the estimated population in the next 20 years. Similarly, he sought suggestions from the traffic police about the parking facilities for the likely increase in the number of vehicles and measures for avoiding traffic congestion problems.

The administrator, Jammu Municipality, suggested a provision for slaughter houses and dumping of waste needed to be reflected in the plan.

Drought-hit areas to get relief

SRINAGAR, May 14 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Government will undertake urgent measures to augment drinking water and irrigation facilities in the drought-hit Kandi areas of the valley.

Initially, 20 hand pumps would be installed within the next 20 days at various places in these areas at a cost of Rs 1 crore, official sources said.

Rigs available with the engineering department would also be deployed within two days in the Kandi areas of Kupwara in North Kashmir and Anantnag district in South Kashmir for digging hand pumps and tubewells for ground water exploration, the sources said.

Moreover, Minister of State for Home, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone had assured provision of Rs 5 lakh from his constituency development fund and Rs 18 lakh out of border area development funds for exploration of ground water in Kupwara district, the sources said.

They said an expenditure of Rs 7.55 crores would be incurred on 16 new water supply schemes in Kupwara district under the Centrally sponsored 10 litre water per capita per day scheme during the current fiscal year. Eleven water supply schemes had already been completed in the district under phase 1 of the programme at a cost of Rs 1.88 crore.

A divisional level task force would also be set up under the chairmanship of Additional Commissioner, Kashmir, for day-to-day monitoring of the situation.

At least 10,000 pump sets would be provided to farmers and the Irrigation Department would submit proposals within the next two days indicating the requirements of funds for making existing irrigation pumps operational on priority basis after undertaking quick repairs, the sources added.

Army rebuilds J&K village

AHAGAM (S. Kashmir), May 14 (PTI) — Two years ago a furious fire raged across this village turning everything before it to ash. Two years later, hope is blooming again in this small hamlet of 79 houses.

In a bid to escape mounting pressures from the Army, foreign militants had set ablaze houses in this village in April 1998.

The encounter which lasted three days from April 17 left nearly 700 persons homeless and children without schools.

The Army’s Counter-Insurgency Victor Force under its Sadbhavana Project rebuilt the whole village in less than two years. The village was inaugurated by Home Minister L.K. Advani on April 7.

Ghulam Rasool, whose dreams were shattered in the 72-hour gun battle two years ago, has new of hope for his son who now studies in the school built by the Engineer Corps.

“I thought he would never have an opportunity to study...but thanks to the Army which has restored my faith in the Almighty,” says Rasool, holding his son Hamid’s hand with pride.

People of this village, 20 km from the main Jammu-Srinagar highway, are happy and the Army is proud of having a role in restoring their lost happiness, says Army Chief General Ved Prakash Malik, who was also present at the inauguration ceremony of the school.

During the three-day encounter, security personnel killed nine hardcore foreign mercenaries.

Three soldiers — Havildar Amarjeet Singh (13 Punjab), Paratrooper Baldev Raj and Lance Naik Prahlad Singh (6 Para) — also laid down their lives during the encounter.

Roads in this village have been named after the martyrs.

“We fondly remember these soldiers who laid down their lives for the nation and renaming the roads is just a small token of love from us to these heroes,” says Major General R.K. Kaushal, Commanding Officer of “Victor Force”.

The village has been rebuilt by the 235 Engineers Regiment. The project basically had two distinct components. The first part of the project dealt with improvement of the basic infrastructure which included construction and improvement of roads, pavements, drains, provisioning of toilets, electricfication and an integrated water supply.

The second part concentrated on creating infrastructure for collective use of the community like a middle school, a community development centre organised to provide health care, veterinary care, vocational training, shopping facility including a Public Distribution System booth, a chemist shop, a recreation room and an STD booth.

In order to provide job opportunities, the Army also built a caning centre and a fruit bottling plant.

J&K exports walnut plants

SRINAGAR, May 14 (PTI) — For the first time, the Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Department has exported apple and walnut plants to different states of the country, fetching Rs 3 lakh, official sources here said.

The export has been to Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The plants exported were produced in departmental nurseries, the sources said.

The department also produced 1.50 lakh high density plants grafted on clonal rootstocks and distributed among the farmers on a 50 per cent subsidy during last year, the sources said.

In addition, 6000 horticulture tool kits on 75 per cent subsidy were provided to progressive farmers. Under the nutritional garden scheme, 1.50 lakh fruit plants were provided free of cost to small and marginal farmers for plantation.

The olive plant production at the Advanced Centre for Horticulture Development at Govindpora in Jammu would be doubled this year.

For this purpose one more mist chamber with the greenhouse facility was being established at the farm with financial assistance from the national horticulture board.

Currently, the olive plant production capacity at the advanced centre was 7000 to 8000 plants, which would go up to 16,000 plants annually with the installation of new machinery during the current year, the sources said.

During the past three years, over 6.34 lakh plant of different varieties of fruits were produced and distributed among prospective farmers.

Giving details, Horticulture Director K, Wazir said the main thrust was on cultivation of olive, besides production of grafted walnut plants and propagation of colonel root stocks of apple and cheery at the farm spread over an area of 9.6 hectares.

Meanwhile, the tassar cocoon production had remarkably increased during the past two years in the state, the sources said.

The production had gone up to 3.39 lakh in 1999-2000 as against 47000 in 1997-98. The increase in production had been due to distribution of 23000 layings of tassar seed in Batote and Banihal areas of the hilly district of Doda in Jammu region, Sericulture Director Abdul Rashid Trag said.