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Friday,
January 31, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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MLAs
denied berths boycott CLP meeting Healing
touch to continue: Beigh Mufti
announces more funds for panchayats 2
militants surrender |
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400 kg
poppy husk seized Fake
currency seized Killing
of women worries Pandits 14
forensic vans flagged off Major-Gen
Vig awarded AVSM Another
J&K minister to donate salary
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MLAs denied berths boycott CLP meeting Jammu, January 30 It is learnt that Mrs Suman Bhagat and Mr Shaffi Bhat did not participate in the meeting. Both of them were denied berths in the ministry by the Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed. The meeting was reportedly to be held two days earlier, but was postponed by Mr Azad to gain time to pacify the annoyed legislators. He, however, managed to calm down Mr Ghulam Hassan Saroori alone. There were indications that the Mufti might be asked by the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to further expand his ministry to satisfy the annoyed partymen. However, the expansion might be undertaken only after the budget session in April. Mrs Bhagat was recently offered the post of chairperson of the state Social Welfare Board with the status of a Cabinet Minister, but she rejected the offer and has demanded ministership for herself. She created a scene at Raj Bhavan during the recent expansion when she first had a tiff with Mr Azad and later walked out of the ceremony, protesting that no woman had been included in the ministry. Mr Shaffi Bhat, who had joined the Congress after deserting the National Conference a couple of days before the Assembly elections and won from the Amirakadal constituency in the heart of Srinagar city, has also been adopting threatening postures following non-inclusion in the ministry. Mr Saroori had initially raised the banner of revolt soon after the expansion and had even threatened to resign, but Mr Azad has managed to pacify him. Two young legislators, Mr Raman Bhalla and Mr Yogesh Sawhney, President of the Youth Congress, were also expecting a ministerial berth which was denied to them. Supporters of Mr Bhalla held angry protests in the city when his name did not figure in the list of the expanded ministry. Reacting to the annoyance of the legislators, the Mufti had indicated in Raj Bhavan that some of them could be appointed to head various corporations and boards, but it is learnt that hardly any one of them was willing to accept such posts outside the ministry. The PDP-Congress coalition is also being supported by eight independents. Some Congress candidates who lost the Assembly elections, are reportedly pressing the leadership to nominate them as members of the Legislature Council where at least four seats are vacant. |
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Healing
touch to continue: Beigh Srinagar, January 30 Addressing a public meeting at Baramula organised to distribute Rs 1.08 crore ex-gratia amount among 182 victims of militancy of the district, the minister said that the government would implement the common minimum programme in letter and spirit. He added although the implementation of the CMP initially faced hiccups due to misunderstanding over issues like the release of detainees, but now it has been overcome and complete understanding reached between the state and the Centre over the issue. The Joint Screening Committee, however, is yet to initiate review of the documents related to the cases being considered for release. Its third meeting scheduled on Tuesday last was postponed reportedly due to the delay in the collection of all requisite documents and details of the cases. Referring to the inability to fill thousands of vacancies so far, the minister said that the previous government had given an undertaking to the Centre that there would be no mass recruitment to government jobs for two years, and all vacancies would be freezed for this period. He said the government was now working out a machanism at least to fill the vacancies where there was acute shortage of staff. The minister called for greater public participation in the implementation of government’s welfare schemes and execution of developmental programmes. More than decade-long militancy had taken its toll not only by inflicting grave miseries of death and destruction of the people but created a plethora of problems which would take a lot of time to overcome, Mr Beigh said. These problems, he said, were complicated by the mismanagement of resources and lack of proper planning by the past regimes, pushing the state to the brink of economic disaster. He added that there were problems of basic amenities like good road, communication network, safe drinking water, proper health care, quality education and not the least the chronic problem of unemployment. |
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Mufti announces more funds for panchayats Jammu, January 30 Interacting with a deputation led by BJP state President, Nirmal Singh last evening, the Chief Minister said 50 per cent of the constituency development fund was being earmarked for Panchayats for villages’ development. Assembly elections in the state had generated a new hope among the people and their faith in democracy had been restored, he added. He said fairness of the elections boosted India’s image world-wide besides credibility of the electoral system. “The people of the state have come to believe that it is their ballot which decides the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir and not New Delhi”, he added. Referring various demands including the Wazir Commission Report put forth by the deputation, the Chief Minister sought their cooperation in addressing the socio-economic problems of the people and said the vexed issues could be taken up later.
UNI |
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2 militants surrender Srinagar, January 30 The militants surrendered at Bandipora township and handed over two AK assault rifles. The police, assisted by the security forces, recovered three grenades, a pistol, a wireless set and some ammunition during search operations in Badipora village last night. An explosion took place in the house of Ghulam Rasool Hajaat Zaloora at Sopore last night. No casualty was reported. JAMMU: The security forces have foiled an infiltration bid by gunning down a Pakistani militant in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said today. He said the militant was shot near the Line of Control in the Bhimber Gali sector yesterday. The militant has been identified as Shuker Sayeed of
PoK. A rifle with three magazines and 41 rounds and Rs 2,000 were recovered from him.
PTI |
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400 kg poppy husk seized Jammu, January 30 Acting on a tip-off, the police intercepted the truck which was on its way from Qazigund to Jammu, near Kud last night, the sources said, adding that nearly 402 kg of poppy husk was seized from the vehicle. The truck driver, identified as Abdul
Sattar, was arrested. PTI |
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Fake currency seized Jammu, January 30 The seizure was made when the cashier went to a local restaurant and made the payment of his bill of Rs 800. He was questioned by the police and he informed that he had also made a payment of Rs 600 in another hotel through fake currency notes of the denomination of Rs 100 each. The police has registered a case. |
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Killing
of women worries Pandits Jammu, January 30 It warned that the terrorists would take advantage of the theory of “healing touch” and feared that they might resort to killing innocent persons. The AKPSC rejected the plan of the coalition government for the return of Kashmiri Pandits in the Mattan and Kshir Bhawani areas and demanded a white paper on the exodus of about 3.5 lakh Pandits, ethnic cleansing and genocide. |
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14 forensic vans flagged off Jammu, January 30 The vans are equipped with the latest forensic science kits. These were sent to Baramula, Kupwara, Budgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Kathua Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Udhampur and Jammu besides Ganderbal and Awantipora. The vans have been purchased by the state police under its modernisation programme at a cost of Rs 83 lakh. Among those present were the Director General of Police, Mr A.K. Suri, and the Director, Forensic Science, Laboratory, Jammu, Mr R.L. Dhar. |
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Major-Gen Vig awarded AVSM Jammu, January 30 The award has been given in recognition of his dedication to duty while heading the electronics and mechanical engineers’ set-up in the Northern Command. A paratrooper and sportsman of the national level, he was earlier awarded the VSM and a COAS commendation card. |
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Another
J&K minister to donate salary Jammu, January 30 “I will utilise my salary for the weaker sections in all panchayats of Doda constituency... I will not use even a single penny for my personal use,” he announced at a public gathering in Doda town yesterday. Finance and Planning Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Education Minister Sayeed Bashir Ahmed had earlier announced that they would donate their salaries to the poor and orphans in their constituencies.
PTI |
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