J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Geelani seeks permission to perform Haj
New Delhi, February 1
Senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has written to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee seeking permission to proceed on Haj pilgrimage. “One can hardly think of deriving political mileage out of this religious obligation.

Rs 7 crore bank scam
Srinagar, February 1
A Rs 7 crore scam has been unearthed in Central Cooperative Bank, Anantnag, in South Kashmir where the alleged misappropriation took place under the debt relief scheme, 1996.

Campaigning in Jammu yet to pick up
Jammu, February 1
With three weeks to go for the Jammu Lok Sabha poll campaigning in the constituency is yet to pick up. Though contesting parties have set up their election offices even in disturbed Poonch and Rajouri districts, people seem to be more concerned about their survival following heavy Pakistan shelling than in the fate of the candidates.

Chief Secy reviews poll arrangements
Jammu, February 1
With the polling day coming nearer election preparedness in the Jammu parliamentary constituency was reviewed at a high-level meeting here today with the Chief Secretary, Mr Ashok Jaitly, presiding.

Geelani seeks permission to perform Haj

New Delhi, February 1
Senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has written to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee seeking permission to proceed on Haj pilgrimage.

“One can hardly think of deriving political mileage out of this religious obligation. I record with acute anguish that despite meeting all norms and observing all formalities, I am being prevented from proceeding to Mecca for Haj pilgrimage,” Mr Geelani has said in his letter.

The letter was delivered at the Prime Minister’s Office here this morning, sources said here.

“Dear Prime Minister, performance of Haj is the religious obligation on every Muslim and remains a life-long burning desire of every faithful to pay a visit to Mecca.

“The country you steer professes to be the biggest democracy of the globe. It also claims that the constitutional sanctities occupy the prime place in the polity. The Constitution also guarantees all persons religious freedom and entails them the right to profess, preach, practise and propagate any religion.

“The powers that be seem to be politicising this pristine religious matter, the right to which is guaranteed under the Constitution of India and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the letter said.

“Dear Vajpayeeji, my views regarding the Kashmir dispute are open and explicit. These may be subject to disagreement. I abide by the stand unless the issue is addressed in all sincerity,” Mr Geelani said in the letter.

“Until and unless the Kashmir issue is resolved, peace in south Asia will continue to remain elusive. It is in the interest of India and Pakistan and millions and millions of poverty-stricken and the downtrodden and peace-loving people of the two countries to get this matter settled once and forever,” he said.

“The difference of opinion is the soul of democracy and should not stand in the way of operations of Fundamental Rights ensured in the Constitution. If the freedom of religion is curtailed or restricted, it will negate the supremacy of the law and the Constitution,” Mr Geelani added.

“When other Hurriyat leaders were allowed to leave the country, why am I being singled out and prevented from going abroad,” the former Hurriyat Chairman asked. UNI

Rs 7 crore bank scam

Srinagar, February 1
A Rs 7 crore scam has been unearthed in Central Cooperative Bank, Anantnag, in South Kashmir where the alleged misappropriation took place under the debt relief scheme, 1996.

As per the inquiry conducted by the Vigilance Department, following a tip-off, the bank management, with an intention to defraud the exchequer in the process of implementation of the scheme, prepared and submitted a highly inflated claim of Rs 11.69 crore in respect of 25 branches covering two districts of Anantnag and Pulwama to the Centre, an official spokesman said.

The Centre released an amount of Rs 10.85 crore for the implementation of the scheme aimed at helping borrowers of the state, in the liquidation of loan of and up to Rs 50,000 granted to them by various banks in connection with their business activities which had suffered due to militancy.

The spokesman said the bank management resorted to large scale mis-adjustment of loans in order to give undue advantage to the ineligible borrowers for ulterior motives.

“The loan accounts were further bifurcated in the names of non existent loanees. The entire amount received from the Centre was credited into the accounts of the borrowers and in the accounts of other fictitious names,” he added.

The bank management, including its General Managers Ghulam Mustaffa Wani and Farooq Ahmad Khan, unit officers of district Anantnag and Pulwama Ghulam Hassan Lone, Mohammad Yousuf Zargar, Mohammad Abdullah Rather, Ghulam Nabi Darzi and Nazir Ahmad Pandit; besides concerned branch managers and other officials showed adjustment of entire released amount as against the genuine entitlement of borrowers to the tune of about Rs 4 crore only, the spokesman said.

He said the money was later on drawn from banks and subsequently misappropriated in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy thereby causing huge loss to the exchequer.

The officials allegedly tampered with the records to cover up adjustment of accounts of ineligible borrowers. Even some accounts were opened after the cut off date June 30, 1996 in order to accommodate wrongful adjustments. Even the interest accrued on the loan accounts after the date was found adjusted out of the grant received from the Centre, he said.

He said the inquiry disclosed that though the initial claims prepared and projected were highly inflated, still the bank officials made adjustments much beyond the projected claims.

Adjustments were made in two phases — the first one up to March 31, 2001 and the second up to July 28,2001, he said.

The inquiry prima facie established that the management and other officials of the bank had deliberately indulged in various acts of omissions and commissions and misused their official position for obtaining pecuniary gains to themselves and had thus committed criminal misconduct, he said, adding a case has been registered in this connection. PTI

Campaigning in Jammu yet to pick up
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 1
With three weeks to go for the Jammu Lok Sabha poll campaigning in the constituency is yet to pick up. Though contesting parties have set up their election offices even in disturbed Poonch and Rajouri districts, people seem to be more concerned about their survival following heavy Pakistan shelling than in the fate of the candidates.

No senior party leader from the BJP, Congress and National Conference (NC) have so far toured Poonch and Rajouri districts and hitherto the focus has been on Jammu district and its adjoining areas.

While the National Conference candidate banks on the charismatic leadership of Dr Farooq Abdullah, the Congress has deputed a senior party leader from Himachal, Mr Sat Mahajan. Mr Mahajan has been in Jammu for the past two days and is scheduled to remain there till polling takes place on February 21.

Mr Mahajan was picked up by the AICC leadership to unite the factional leaders for the poll campaigning. During the past two days Mr Mahajan has had a series of meetings with senior party leaders in Jammu and succeeded in uniting them. Since a number of senior Congress leaders, including Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, and Mr Janak Raj Gupta, have had personal relationship with Mr Mahajan, he has been assured of sincere support for the Congress candidate, Mr Madan Lal Sharma.

Mr Mahajan will be supported by AICC leaders, including Mr Satyajit Gaekward, Ms Mohsina Kidwai and Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, when he starts touring various Assembly segments in the constituency.

The BJP candidate, Dr Nirmal Singh, and his party supporters are seen concentrating on the three Assembly segments in the Jammu city which together have over 3.50 lakh voters.

The National Conference is concentrating on Poonch and Rajouri districts where Muslim voters are in a majority.

As far as the BSP, Panthers Party and Janata Dal candidates are concerned they have to bank on the efforts of the state unit leaders. It is yet uncertain whether the BSP supremo, Mr Kanshi Ram, would visit Jammu in view of his pressing schedule in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

However, the NC leadership is as much confident as the BJP and the Congress are when they rate their victory chances.

Chief Secy reviews poll arrangements
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 1
With the polling day coming nearer election preparedness in the Jammu parliamentary constituency was reviewed at a high-level meeting here today with the Chief Secretary, Mr Ashok Jaitly, presiding.

The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for making sufficient security arrangements in the constituency, spread over 20 assembly segments in the three districts of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of poll.

Mr Jaitly also called for making suitable arrangements for border migrants so that they are in a position to exercise their right of franchise smoothly.

The chief electoral officer, Mr Pramod Jain, gave a brief resume of the arrangements made to ensure the smooth conduct of the byelection to the Jammu parliamentary constituency. A plan has also been finalised regarding the setting up of polling booths and counting centres, he added.

The Principal Secretary, Home, Mr C. Phunsog, Director-General of Police, Mr A.K. Suri, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Anil Goswami and Deputy Commissioner, Rohit Kansal, who is also the returning officer, were among those who attended the meeting.