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Saturday,
October 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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De-escalation in Jammu unlikely
Three ultras shot dead J&K House kept in suspended animation |
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De-escalation in Jammu unlikely Jammu, October 18 Though the 187-km International Border in the Jammu sector has not been included in the border belt where India has ordered de-escalation, the Defence Ministry had begun keeping a watch on the developments in this state so that pullout of additional troops from the Kathua, R.S. Pora and Samba sectors could be ordered in the near future. However, the escalation in the border firing in recent days has, according to Defence Ministry sources, further delayed de-escalation moves. During the past three days more than 5,000 rounds of fire by Pakistani troops have been recorded from across the Kathua, R.S. Pora and Samba sectors. From across the Budwar post in R.S. Pora, the Pakistani troops fired, between late last night and early hours of this morning, about 12,000 rounds from small arms. In the Samba and Arnia sectors, the Pakistani troops fired between 14 and 1,000 rounds in which there was no loss of life. The Indian troops retaliated. The Pakistani troops resorted to mortar and artillery shelling from across Mushkov in the Kargil sector and there was exchange of artillery and mortar fire between the Indian and Pakistani troops on the 19000-foot Siachen Glacier in eastern Ladakh. The step-up in Pak firing has dismayed over 60,000 migrants in Kathua, R.S. Pora and Samba. Jagdish Raj of Bega village in R.S. Pora said, “Fresh exchange of fire between the two sides has delayed de-escalation on the IB in the Jammu sector. It will add to our woes.” He explained that a “majority of border migrants have not received compensation for the land that had been occupied by the Army for laying mines.” State government authorities said that after a joint survey carried out by state and Defence Ministry experts 51,000 acres of land had been identified to have been occupied by the troops since the military build-up on the border ordered by India on December 13. These border farmers were to receive Rs 36 crore by way of compensation at the rate of Rs 11,000 per acre. The authorities said so far “only Rs 8 crore had been received for Jammu and Kathua districts.” Soon after the poll schedule was announced on August 2, the Chief Election Commission ordered that the release of compensation, cash assistance and free ration to the border migrants be stopped as was provided in the poll code. Mr Trilok Singh Bajwa, president of the Kisan Union, said, “Delay and consequent stoppage of the compensation of land occupied by the Army and suspension of free ration and meagre cash assistance had forced many farmers to eke out a living from working as labourers.” Sardari Lal of Abdulliah village in R.S. Pora said, “We used to feed the people of the state as our area is considered as the Jammu’s rice bowl but during the past 11 months, we have to bank on doles from the government and other agencies.” He and Trilok Singh said, “We have been given a raw deal. Our counterparts in Punjab and Rajasthan received compensation in the beginning of March and we are yet to receive a penny.” They said, “De-escalation on the IB in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat has been ordered and it will enable farmers to resume their farming practices. But in our case, we do not know when we will restart our activities on our farms.” |
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Three ultras shot dead Jammu, October 18 An Army spokesman said, acting on a tip-off that some ultras were hiding in Rajouri, troops launched an operation to flush them out. As the security personnel reached their target area, they were fired upon by militants. In the ensuing gunbattle, three ultras were killed. Three Kalashnikov rifles were seized from the encounter site. SRINAGAR: Three persons including two policemen, were injured in a grenade attack by ultras here, while a militant and an alleged informer of security forces were killed in separate incidents in the Kashmir valley since Thursday night, official sources said today. Militants hurled a grenade towards a police party in the Batmaloo area of central Srinagar on Friday, injuring two constables and a woman pedestrian. The ultras fled the scene taking advantage of the panic which followed the blast. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, a militant identified as Fayaz Ahmad was killed in an encounter with security forces during search operations at Zampathri in Anantnag. Militants shot dead an alleged informer of security forces inside his house at Tarthpora in the Vilgam area of Kupwara district early today.
UNI, PTI |
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J&K House kept in suspended animation Srinagar, October 18 According to the proclamation issued here last night, the Legislative Assembly constituted vide SRO 475 dated October 13, 2002 shall remain in suspended animation till the revocation this proclamation or varied by a subsequent proclamation, an official spokesman said. The proclamation further says that in exercise of the powers of the legislature to make laws under or by virtue of this proclamation, the Governor shall prepare such Bills as he may deem necessary and declare in respect of any Bill so prepared that he assent thereto. Further, the Governor, in exercise of the powers of the Legislative Assembly shall make grants under sub-section (1) of Section 83 of the state Constitution as often as he may deem it necessary and pending due appropriate by law, make, by notification in the official gazette, the grants in advance in respect of the estimated expenditure or grants in respect of supplementary or additional expenditure for the period during which this proclamation may be or is in force. |
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