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Saturday,
April 5, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Highway
closed for second day Mufti
revives faith of militant victims’ kin Rift
between Cong, Panthers widening APHC-Hizb
strike hits life in Kashmir
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Omar
appoints 4 to senior party posts Action
plan for promoting J&K exports Fresh
guidelines to re-employ doctors Body of
DD engineer found State
Cabinet orders hike in passenger fares Ultras attack police post Pak
‘pumping fake currency into India’ HC raps
J & K on Dal Lake upkeep Jammu
festival from April 13
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Highway closed for second day
Srinagar, April 4 The highway, only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed yesterday following heavy landslide in Digdole and efforts to clear the roads were hampered by heavy rains, official sources said. However, the sources said, almost all stranded vehicles were diverted back to Jammu and Srinagar. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had pressed its men and machines to clear the highway of the landslides and it was expected that the road would be thrown open to vehicular traffic tomorrow. The sources said the Srinagar-Kargil highway, the lifeline of frontier region of Ladakh, recorded about 10 inches of fresh snowfall last night, forcing the BRO to temporarily hault its road clearance operation. The highway was closed in November last year and is expected to reopen in the month of June as usual. The sources said the famous ski resort of Gulmarg, one of the main tourist attraction during winter, also received about one feet of snowfall during the night. Khilanmarg and other high altitude mountain ranges also witnessed unseasoned snowfall, the sources said. The overnight rains in the city and other plain areas of the valley almost flooded the low-lying areas due to poor drainage system which also sparked protests by the agitated residents in Chanipora, Natipora, Bemina, Hyderpora, Ikmrajpora and Mehjoor nagar localities of the city. CHANDIGARH: Western disturbances over Jammu and Kashmir and low pressure area over Haryana and adjoining Rajasthan have caused widespread snow on higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, besides rain in the past 24 hours, disrupting normal life. Chandigarh and its satellite towns like SAS Nagar and Panchkula saw the mercury falling sharply as dark convective clouds hung around, portending rain. Shimla and several stations in Himachal Pradesh, too, had dark clouds around 4.30 p.m. Amritsar had received 0.3 mm rain. Though the rain at this time of the year is considered harmful for the standing rabi crops nearing harvesting, weathermen here have warned of hails and thunder squalls of 45 km and plus velocity over the next 24 hours in the region. Light to moderate rain or snow have been forecast at a few places in the hilly states and isolated rain in plains during the period. In Himachal Pradesh, Dhundi, Patsaio and Solang Nullah recorded 14, 15 and three cm snow, respectively. The latter also had 15 mm rain. Higher reaches in Lahaul Spiti district, Kinnaur and Pangi valley in Chamba district adjoining Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir reported intermittent snowfall. Bhang Manali reported having received 38 mm rain while Rampur 8.00 mm, Bhuntar 3.6 mm and Shimla 0.6 mm. Pandoh (1.00 mm), Sunni (1.9 mm) and Kahu (1.9mm) were among the stations in Himachal which reported light rain. The snow and rain caused sharp fall in temperatures, forcing the people to take to heavy woollens.
PTI, UNI |
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Mufti revives faith of militant victims’ kin Doda, April 4 The victims of terrorism lamented that till now, no government bothered about them and some of them faced starvation after the killing of their bread winners. The government all these years failed to provide any succour to them although the rules and regulations were relaxed for this purpose. Mr Romesh Lal, whose father was among those killed in the marriage party, was escorted to the Mufti by his mother and she wailed that although the incident occurred in August 1998, but no one thought of providing relief to her. She found it very difficult all these years to feed her six children. Ms Lal Devi’s husband, Hakim Singh, was gunned down by terrorists on July 16, 1996 in his hut at Beoli village. She had to perform menial jobs all these seven years to bring up her five children. Now with a government job, she will be able to earn Rs 4,500 a month. Raja Firdous Bhat, whose father was gunned down at Bhaderwah on April 13, 1990, has been appointed village-level worker in the Rural Development Department after a gap of 13 years. Bhat is a science graduate and had knocked at the doors of several high-ups for a job. The government has relaxed qualification condition to help Hoshiar Singh, whose father was killed by terrorists in the Kellar area of Bhaderwah on June 9,1993. He had lost hope in the past 10 years, but suddenly he came to know that he was being appointed in the Irrigation Department. Mehtaba Begum, mother of seven children, whose husband was an SPO in the police fell to terrorists bullets in June last, has exhausted savings of her husband. She has been given a job in the Public Health Department. |
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Rift between Cong, Panthers widening Jammu, April 4 Inside reports have revealed that a majority of senior Congress leaders are not in favour of Prof Bhim Singh getting berth to the Legislative Council on the plea that the Panthers Party has started weakening the base of the Congress in the Jammu region by raking up the issue of discrimination of people of the province, while holding the ruling Congress responsible for downgrading the matter. The rift between the Congress and the Panthers Party, which is also a partner in the coalition government, came to the fore during the recently concluded Budget session of the state Assembly. It was during the fag end of the session that a Panthers Party MLA, Mr Balwant Singh, moved a resolution securing full citizenship rights for those refugees from Pakistan who had migrated to Jammu in 1947. During the discussion on the resolution, the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, was seen crossing swords with Mr Balwant Singh while opposing the adoption of the resolution. Mr Sharma even went to the extent of telling the Panthers Party’s four MLAs to quit the coalition as “our government will not fall if you withdraw your support.” Prof Bhim Singh did not take this confrontation lying down. He announced his resignation from the Coordination Committee, an apex body set up to guide and monitor the working of the coalition government. What intrigued Mr Mangat Ram Sharma and other Congress leaders was the way Prof Bhim Singh did not announce the withdrawal of his support to the government. It may be mentioned that with four
MLAs, the Panthers Party has two members in the Council of Ministers, one holding the rank of a Cabinet minister. Since then the Panthers Party leaders have launched an open attack on the Congress in general and Mr Mangat Ram Sharma in particular. It is with the slogan of ending regional discrimination that the Panthers Party is trying to widen its network in the Jammu region and its leadership believes that by firing repeated salvos against the Congress, it could enlarge its base. Senior Congress leaders are said to be aware of Prof Bhim Singh’s potential to thrive on controversies. Consequently, attempts are being made to woo back those influential leaders who have resigned from the Congress at one stage or the other. And the recent “catch” has been Mr Janak Raj Gupta, a former MP, who has rejoined the Congress. Mr Gupta has resigned from the Congress thrice in the past and joined the National Conference. While the PDP leaders enjoy the tussle between the Congress and the Panthers Party on the plea that the latter could weaken the Congress hegemony in Jammu, PCC chief Ghulam Nabi
Azad’ is said to have played a key role in facilitating Mr Janak Raj Gupta’s re-entry into the Congress so that Mr Mangat Ram Sharma’s hold on party workers and leaders could be reduced. Despite the show of unity, Mr Azad and Mr Sharma have been suspicious of each other, the former trying to sustain his hold on the party by installing his supporters on key posts, and the latter preferring to keep the Chief Minister in good humour to play second fiddle to Mr
Azad. Informed sources said Mr Azad continued to be in an uncomfortable position in the state after he lost the race for the Chief Minister’s post against the Mufti. He is creating a situation in which he could be recalled to Delhi and installed as the AICC General Secretary. These sources said the scenario for such an arrangement was unfavourable for him at present. The seniormost Congress leader, Mr Ghulam Rasool
Kar, was not considered for nomination to the Legislative Council. He could have been fielded by the Congress for contesting the council seat when it had 28
MLAs. It was not done because senior Congress leaders wanted their position in the organisation to remain unchallenged. They could succeed in keep Mr Kar on the sidelines as even senior PDP leaders are not interested in seeing a Congress starlwart to emerge on the political scene. The Congress is trying to build its base in the Jammu region and the PDP had evinced greater interest in consolidating its gains in the Kashmir valley rather than in the Jammu region. |
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APHC-Hizb strike hits life in Kashmir Srinagar, April 4 All shops and business establishments were closed here and public transport was off the roads. Attendance in government offices was thin. Educational institutions and banks also remained closed. This was in response to a strike call given by the separatist All-Party Hurriyat Conference and the Hizbul Mujahideen in protest against the alleged custodial death of Saif-ul-Islam, near here, on Wednesday night. Protest demonstrations were held at Lal Chowk, Batamaloo areas and other parts of the city. The police lobbed teargas shells to disperse the demonstrators indulging in stone-throwing in several areas here after the Friday prayers. Meanwhile, thousands of people attended the ''namaz jinazah'' of Saif-ul-Islam who was laid to rest at Shopian last evening. |
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Omar appoints 4 to
senior party posts Srinagar, March 4 Sheikh Abdul Rehman will be the senior vice-president of the National Conference for Kashmir province, the post which did not exist before. Similarly appointments to three new posts of provincial secretaries have also been made, who would be looking after the party affairs in two districts each in north, central and south Kashmir. They include Rafi Ahmad Mir for Anantnag and Pulwama districts (south Kashmir) Ghulam Rasool Naaz for Baramula, and Kupwara district (north Kashmir) and Ghulam Nabi Mir Lasjan for central districts of Srinagar and Budgam. “More changes are on the anvil and it will be out endeavour to use the experience of senior leaders of the party as also to infuse new blood”, Mr Abdullah said while addressing workers at the Nawa-i-Subh complex, the party headquarters, here today. |
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Action plan for promoting J&K exports Jammu, April 4 The Chief Secretary, Dr Sudhir Bloeria, said the Cabinet had decided that the recommendations of the committee led by Dr H.A.C. Prasad, Economic Adviser to the Government of India, would form the state’s action plan for promoting exports. The Industries and Commerce Department had been made a nodal department for dealing with the impact of the WTO agreements. The department had been authorised to give appropriate guidelines consistent with export-oriented schemes of the Centre. For implementing the Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development for Exports (ASIDE), the Secretary Industries had been nominated the Exports Commissioner. The Chief Secretary said the state government would set up an institutional mechanism to discuss and monitor export-promotion measures. It included export promotion board, a state-level committee and cell and district-level committees. Representatives of exporters would also be taken on these committees. The Chief Minister will head the 10-member board for discussing policy parameters for promoting exports, monitoring the action plan, reviewing strategy and establishing local specific-export-promotion centres. The Deputy Chief Minister will be the vice-chairman of the board and the Finance Minister, Horticulture Minister, Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioner, Finance Secretary, Principal Secretary Planning and Development would be its members. The state-level export-promotion committee will be headed by the Chief Secretary and have 11 other members — the Financial Commissioner, the Finance Secretary, Principal Secretary Planning and Development, chairman of the J and K Bank, Regional Director of the RBI and presidents of the Kashmir and Jammu Chambers of Commerce. It will review the progress of various schemes, coordination between the departments dealing
with exports, formulate lists of export items to be brought in focus and plan projects in advance to take advantage of schemes
announced by the Centre. The state-level cell will have Director Handicrafts as convener, while the district-level committees will be headed by General Managers of the district industry centres. The sectors identified for export potential are handicrafts and carpet-making sports goods, food processing, essential oils and honey, furniture, electronics and software, leather goods, gems and jewellery, pharmaceuticals based on herbs and bulk drugs, silk and other textiles, wool and pashmina products, floriculture and wooden toys. While the state has tremendous potential for exports, its share in the total exports of the country is poor, limited only to handicrafts and dry fruits. The Prasad Committee has said in its report that Jammu and Kashmir can take advantage of the WTO provisions. |
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Fresh guidelines to re-employ doctors Jammu, April 4 The state Cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, approved fresh guidelines for settling the cases of government doctors who had gone abroad. Announcing the decisions of the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Secretary, Dr Sudhir S. Bloeria, said such terminated super-specialists and specialists on their return to the state could, however, be considered for consolidated appointment wherever required. This concession would be available for one year only. The appointment would, however, be subject to the condition that such doctors should serve in the area decided by the government. The Cabinet ordered that graduate doctors taking up post-graduate or diploma courses would have to give an undertaking that they would serve the Health and Medical Education Department for seven years with first two years of their service in the rural areas. Those in-service doctors who obtain post-graduate degrees or diplomas and desirous to resign or leave the department before seven years, would have to refund the salary received by them during the period of their study. This decision has become necessary as most of the doctors after completing post-graduate and diploma courses go abroad for lucrative jobs leaving the department and the state in a quandary. The Cabinet also lifted restrictions on the movement of food grains, vegetables, butter and desi ghee within and outside the state. These restrictions were imposed by the state government from time to time in the past. The commodities which have been allowed free movement include peas (dried and green), pulses of all descriptions, including moong, roungi, rajmash, masur, moth, oil seeds, desi ghee, singhara and vegetable of all kinds, including potatoes and chillies, both dried and green. This step has been taken to remove the constraints on trade of agriculture products, enable farmers to get better remunerative prices through free movement and to help the consumers by ensuring stabilisation of prices of essential commodities. In the changed agriculture environment following the Central Government’s decision to do away with licensing, stock limits and movement restrictions, the state government found no justification in continuing with restrictions that do not augur well with the farming community. Moreover, the government’s decision for free movement of food grains and vegetables is in tune with the national policy of treating entire country as a single food zone. The Cabinet also approved the promotion of three Senior Superintending Engineers, mechanical as in charge chief engineers. They are Mr B.K. Avasthi, Mr J.B.S. Jawahar and Mr A.K. Khajuria. Mr Avasthi will be Chief Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Department, Jammu, Mr Jawahar will be Director, Store Procurement Department, Mr Khajuria will be Chief Engineer, Mechanical Engineering Department, Srinagar. |
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Body of DD engineer found
Srinagar, April 4 The body of R.S. Bali, who went missing on March 24 after leaving his home in Baramula for Bandipora on an official mission, was sighted floating in the river by locals and subsequently fished out by the police, the sources said. The highly decomposed body was taken to Baramula for identification and later brought here for a post-mortem and other legal formalities, they said.
PTI |
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State Cabinet
orders hike in passenger fares Jammu, April 4 The hike will cover private and government transport buses, mini-buses, autos and taxis. The decision to hike the fares was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet, which was chaired by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The Cabinet met in the morning and the afternoon to discuss various issues. |
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Ultras attack police post
Srinagar, April 4 The militants opened fire at a police post guarding the village at Devsar under Kulgam police station last night. However, the ultras escaped after retaliatory firing by the police. In another incident, militants hurled a grenade at a BSF camp at the
defunct Shiraz cinema hall in Khanyar, near here, last night, but no one was hurt in the explosion, the sources said. A mentally unstable person identified as Fayaz Ahmad Malik, was killed in firing by Army personnel at Dartbal village in Handwara area of Kupwara district late last night.
PTI |
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Pak ‘pumping
fake currency into India’ Jammu, April 4 Mr Zutshi, while talking to mediapersons here, said the reports of smuggling of fake currency notes from Pakistan had been received by the Revenue Intelligence wing. He said the fake currency notes were being printed in Pakistan and smuggled into India from Gulf countries or Nepal. Such notes were also being smuggled through the Indo-Pakistan border. Mr Zutshi said the special package provided to Jammu and Kashmir along with the north-eastern states for industrial development was expected to attract investment here. Another package for the tourism industry would also benefit the state. He said the Central Board for Excise and Customs fetched a total revenue of Rs 1.23 lakh crore for the government last year and the estimate for the current year was of Rs 1.55 lakh
crore. |
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HC raps J & K on Dal Lake upkeep
Srinagar, April 4 Taking serious view of the lapse on the part of the Lake and Waterways Development Authority
(LAWDA), a division bench comprising Mr Justice N.A. Kakroo and Pramod Kohli said the court had given sufficient time to various departments of the government to explain their positions in this regard. Stating that the court was for the supremacy of the rule of law, the Division Bench slammed the state government for not cooperating with the court by adopting delaying tactics. The court, on September 19, 2002 had asked the government to submit all relevant records regarding Dal Lake and again directed LAWDA to deposit the records before the court, but the authority did not comply.
PTI |
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Jammu festival from April 13
Jammu, April 4 “Through this event, a message will be sent that the state is inhabited by people of different faiths, who have been living harmoniously despite gravest provocations by the enemies of peace,” Mr Mir said after finalising the modalities of the festival at a high-level meeting. The major attraction of the festival will be the participation of 300 top artistes from the city, he said. Mr Mir, who will supervise the arrangements for the festival, urged various departments to work in unison for the success of this event.
PTI |
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Anti-US protests in valley
Srinagar, April 4 |
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