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Monday,
July 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Pahalgam gets facelift for Amarnath yatra Unprecedented security around J&K House Fear stalks Qasim Nagar Statehood for Jammu: support sought |
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Pahalgam gets facelift for Amarnath yatra Pahalgam, July 14 While this township on the western bank of Lidder river is getting a facelift, a large number of people throng the cool environs, punctuated by intermittent rain, prior to the commencement of the pilgrimage. The local tourists find it difficult to reach Pahalgam due to high security arrangements in view of the month-long pilgrimage, attended by more than one lakh pilgrims every year and led by Mahant Deepinder Giri. A large number of local tourists drawn from different parts of the valley, commonly described as “from Khannabal to Khadinyar” after two prominent locations in the south and the north, have been thronging this famous tourist spot during recent months. Many local visit this picnic spot close to the beginning of the yatra or when it starts. Many locals, travelling in private vehicles, had to bear the brunt of the police and security forces at the security check-post at Langanbal, 5 km short of Pahalgam, the other day. A policeman had a tough time trying to avoid double lining of the vehicles driven by enthusiastic picnic lovers near the Langanbal bridge, where the two roads leading from Beijbahara and Khannabal (Anantnag) on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway towards Pahalgam, merge. “Frisking is going on at the check-post”, he said, to the disappointment of all those heading for the picnic. It was, however, not blocked for the security vehicles, which boomed through the narrow space. “It is better to return and instead go to Kokernag”, said driver, but a schoolchild on board remained adamant on going to Pahalgam only. “Why have they stopped us” asked Sehban, a five-year-old from Srinagar, who was on his first visit to this picnic spot. The town, 7200 ft above the sea level, wore a festive look with long rows of private vehicles along the main road and on the banks of the Lidder and on the road leading to Aroo, 12 km ahead. There was a heavy rush in spite of an indefinite strike by passenger transport services. There were no regular bus services to this township, 45 km from the district headquarters of Anantnag since Tuesday last due to the strike. But even then the local market was humming with activity due to a heavy rush of tourists, drawn from distant areas of the valley. Officials of various departments of the state government have occupied government accommodation like huts in connection with the arrangements for the yatra. Businessmen, especially hoteliers, are pinning their hopes on the ensuing yatra. “For many years, the yatris have not been allowed to move freely in the market place”, said a hotelier, adding that there was an assurance from the authorities this year. The Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Tourism Department, said the Governor had directed the security agencies to allow free movement of yatris in the market place and also permit them, if they desired, to stay in the local hotels. Officials as the Tourist Reception Centre are busy giving final touches to the arrangement. “We do not have a tourist flow like that in the pre-militancy period”, said an official, adding that “whosoever comes to us, is tourist”. He said only the Amarnath yatra kept this township alive for a couple of months. The department has got 2,100 ponies passed by the Veterinary Department and 200 porters registered on payment of fixed rates for the yatra. |
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Unprecedented security around J&K House Srinagar, July 14 The members of the Assembly will meet for the last time in a four-day brief session beginning on July 16 ahead of the October Assembly election. Security forces in strength are deployed in and outside the complex where members of the Legislative Council and Assembly will cast votes in the presidential election. Senior security force officials were seen giving instructions to security personnel deployed outside the main gate. “We do not want to take any chance this time. Last year’s Fidayeen attack on the Legislative complex that left about 40 dead and scores wounded is still fresh in our memory,’’ official sources said. Sources said security forces had already taken positions on high-rise buildings around the Assembly complex to thwart any attack by militants. Security forces in strength would also remain deployed on both sides of the road being used by the VVIPs to reach the complex, sources said. Patrolling along the Jhelum river also would be intensified from today to make sure that militants did not attack the complex through the river side, they said. Security forces also conducted thorough searches in the areas around the complex and intensified foot and night patrolling in the areas from where there was a possibility of firing rockets or rifle grenades by militants towards the Assembly complex. Militants in the past had fired rockets and rifle grenades and also hurled hand grenades towards the complex. However, each time the rockets and grenades fell short of the target and exploded without causing any damage. Sources said the main road in front of the complex will be closed to traffic during the Assembly session for security reasons. The mediapersons are not issued vehicle passes this time by the agencies looking after security arrangements for the Assembly session. Despite assurance by Assembly Speaker Abdul Ahad Vakil to mediapersons that they would be provided all facilities for covering the session, security agencies refused to issue them vehicle passes, agitated journalists said. “How is it possible to keep our vehicles at a distance of one or two km and cover the distance to the Assembly complex on foot,” they said and demanded intervention by the Speaker. Describing the decision of not issuing vehicle passes to them as ‘unfortunate’, the journalists said they might boycott the proceedings of the Assembly. The Legislative Assembly is meeting for the last time from Tuesday before Assembly election is held in September or first week of October. According to the business schedule of the Assembly, there will be government business on July 16 and July 17 followed by private members Bills on July 18. The House will again take government business on July 21 after a three-day break. Meanwhile, an official spokesman said a high-level meeting under the chairmanship of Speaker Abdul Ahad Vakil reviewed the arrangements made for the smooth conduct of the session. He said Mr Vakil stressed the need for the installation of a security alarm system and floodlights in the legislators hostels. An additional drop-gate would be constructed on the road leading to the MLA hostel for increasing security arrangements for the MLAs. Acting Chief Minister Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah told the meeting that the government was alive to the prevailing security scenario in the state and had already taken various fool-proof measures. He said that the government was duty-bound to protect life and property of every citizen of the state and asked the security agencies to ensure better security by checking anti-social and disruptive elements. Security in and around Assembly complex was beefed up today following terrorist strike in Jammu leaving 27 persons dead last night. A joint security drill was conducted by the BSF and the police at the Assembly complex early today. The roads leading to the complex were blocked and the nearby areas searched, they said.
UNI, PTI |
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Fear stalks Qasim Nagar
Narwal Forests (Jammu), July 14 “We can never forget the black Saturday evening when militants in sadhu’s robes carrying AK rifles and grenades enacted a death dance,” Mahant Hiri Giri, chief of the slum, told PTI. “We have developed a fear psychosis about staying here as the forest-mountainous belt surrounding the Qasim Nagar valley has a thick presence of militants.” Showing the temple where his two colleague-sadhus were killed, the Mahant said, “Militants zig-zagged for nearly 45 minutes spraying bullets and exploding grenades in the slum but the police continued to play safe, watching haplessly from a distance”. The Mahant, who accompanied a group of reporters to places through narrow bylanes of the slum, said most of the people living here for over a decade were from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The residents have deserted their mud huts and are sitting in the open for the arrival of bodies. “We are mourning the dead and waiting for the bodies of kith and kin for performing last rites,” Mr Ashok Kumar, a carpenter, whose sister and mother were injured in the attack, said. “How can we go inside the huts where the blood of our relatives was spilled? It haunts us,” Ms Parmo Devi, who was widowed by militants in yesterday’s attack, said. The residents demanded the setting up of security posts manned either by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) or BSF and high fencing around Qasim Nagar where nearly 1,400 families comprising 8,000 persons live. “We cannot go back to our houses and sleep tension-free as militants can walk here from the forest area and kill us,” residents said. Most of slum-dwellers are poor labourers who perform such jobs as boot polishing and construction work.
PTI |
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List of massacre victims Jammu, July 14 |
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Statehood for Jammu: support sought Jammu, July 14 JJSF President Rajinder Singh Jamwal yesterday alleged that the ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir had been “deliberately discriminating” against Jammu and Ladakh regions in almost every sphere and time had come to grant statehood to Jammu to ensure the region’s economic and social development. Mr Jamwal categorically refused the allegations that the JJSF’s demands had communal overtones, and said that these demands were triggered by the sheer discrimination against the region by the NC government. When asked to comment on the demands of the VHP and the RSS to grant statehood to Jammu and Ladakh, Mr Jamwal said these proposals were distinctly communal and would harm the secular character of the Jammu region and would, in the long run, benefit the NC. In another move, the JJSF leadership has decided to field a candidate for the country’s vice-presidentship. The federation leaders have resolved to field senior activist Mr Vinay Kumar as the vice-presidential candidate.
UNI |
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