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Sunday,
May 11, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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J&K seeks 5 more police
battalions Gupta attends dissidents’
meeting
PDP asks ultras to cease
fire
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Passenger fares up
by 10 pc in J&K 2 kids killed in Pak
shelling Jammu Bar Assn begins
strike
Land scam: JDA vice-chief sent on
leave
Team arrives to search scribe’s
residence
Bhim Singh seeks security for office-bearers
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J&K seeks 5 more police
battalions Jammu, May 10 According to official sources, the Centre had sanctioned the raising of two new police battalions over a year ago, but the PDP-Congress coalition government has sought Central funds for adding five more battalions. The state government says that firstly, it could help solve the problem of unemployment in the state and secondly, it could spare a couple of battalions of the paramilitary forces, now engaged in anti-insurgency operations and in providing security cover to the VIPs and other soft targets, that could be utilised on guarding the border. Though during the past 13 years, the strength of the police in Jammu and Kashmir has increased from 30,000 to 65,000, the state authorities treat this rise as insufficient in view of the new challenges posed by the militants. The state government has also conveyed to the Centre that as a result of insufficient police forces, the overall strength in the Traffic Department has not been increased during the past one decade. The number of vehicles has increased by 10 times during the last 13 years and new routes have been thrown open for buses and Matadors, but the paucity of traffic policemen had resulted in violations of traffic rules. The state authorities have also expressed concern over the release of funds, in small measures, for carrying out modernisation of weapons, communication and transport system in the police. Over three years ago, a Rs 198-crore plan had been cleared by the Centre for the modernisation of communication, weaponry and transport in the police, but so far not more than 60 per cent of the amount has been released. The result was that a large chunk of the police force had to remain content with .303 rifles and rickety jeeps. In many police stations, the jeeps have been grounded without suitable replacements. It is on a plea made by the state authorities that the Union Home Ministry has agreed to sanction 5,000 assault rifles for policemen engaged in anti-insurgency operations. The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed
Sayeed, has, while congratulating the police for its successful operations against the militants, expressed concern over a series of incidents wherein policemen either surrendered tamely before the militants or shut their eyes whenever rebels carried out operations against soft targets. |
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Gupta attends dissidents’
meeting Jammu, May 10 The meeting, which virtually turned out to be a well-attended rally in the Brahmin Sabha hall, was organised by Mr Shiv Charan Gupta, veteran BJP leader and a member of the state working committee, to finalise the arrangements regarding the celebrations in the memory of the activists of the erstwhile Praja Parishad who sacrificed their lives for the integration of J&K into India. Defying the directive of the state BJP chief many senior leaders of the party and RSS participated in the meeting. Prominent among them were Mr Bhagwat Swaroop, senior RSS leader, Mr Chander Mohan Sharma, vice-president of the BJP, Mr Kuldeep Gupta, member of the state working committee, Mr Sat Pal Grover and Mr Om Prakash, district unit presidents of Jammu and Doda. This has sent clear signals that the BJP leadership here is vertically divided. It is being pointed out by a section of the BJP that groupism in the party has culminated into the today’s development. Mr Gupta, while addressing the participants, warned that those who were describing the meeting as an anti-party activity should think again what they were saying. There was nothing anti-party in remembering those Dogra heroes, he added. Mr Gupta made it clear that they were not setting up a new organisation. Interestingly, Mr Nirmal Singh had also called a public meeting of the BJP at Samba today for seeking district status for the area and all senior leaders of the party were expected to go there. However, many office-bearers of the party turned down the invitation for the meeting at Samba and participated in the dissidents meeting here. The dissidents meeting here turned out to be a show of strength. The dissidents meeting is being seen as an attempt to raise a parallel outfit under the name “Praja Parishad andolan yadgar samiti” (PRAYAS) as Mr Chander Mohan Sharma made the participants raise their hands to authorise Mr Shiv Charan Gupta to appoint committees at the district and block levels. Most of the leaders who addressed the meeting stressed the need for ending the Kashmiri domination in the state. |
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PDP asks ultras to cease
fire Srinagar, May 10 “We are watching the situation as how the militants respond to the situation arising out of the developments towards the Indo-Pakistan dialogue”, Ms Mehbooba Mufti said. She was talking to mediapersons after an executive committee meeting of the PDP here today. She said “vested interests” on either side of the LoC were against the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir. It was because of this reason that militants were aiming at soft targets whenever some positive development took place. In this connection she referred to various incidents of militant attacks after the Nadimarg incident in March last. Announcing the political resolution adopted at the meeting, Ms Mufti expressed the hope that Pakistan would also use its influence in creating a congenial atmosphere for the dialogue. She said the expression of goodwill by the Pakistan Prime Minister would also be matched by improvement in the ground situation here. Replying questions, the PDP President, who took over from senior leader and Finance Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh recently, said the attitude of the security forces on the ground had changed. There was panic among them and complaints of harassment of people were coming in after the Nadimarg massacre. Efforts were on to check such incidents, Ms Mufti added. Spelling out the main issues before the party, Ms Mufti said these were being pursued after the government took over six months ago. She said the party’s stand had been vindicated and now it was internationally accepted that there was no alternative to the dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue. The meeting also endorsed the appointment of Mr N.N. Vohra as an interlocutor on Kashmir and viewed it as a “serious and credible effort at finding a roadmap for the future”. The PDP also stressed the desirability of engaging all elements in the process, identifying the areas of possible agreement and proceedings on the basis of truism that gun had lost its utility in forcing agenda and shaping destinies in the new world. |
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Passenger fares up by 10 pc in J&K Jammu, May 10 On the direction of Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, who chaired a high-level meeting of transport officials, the department issued the notification setting up six fare slabs with 10 per cent surcharge on the existing fares, he said. The new fare for a distance up to 5 km would be Rs 3.50, up to 10 km Rs 4.25, up to 15 km Rs 5 and for 20 km Rs 6.50, the spokesman said. “People are advised to pay as per the changes announced, as these have been agreed to by transporters,” he said. Route permits of those minibus and matadoor operators violating the notification by charging more would be cancelled, he said. Squads of the Vigilance Department and the traffic police had been set up to monitor overcharging by the transporters. It has come to the government’s notice that in some places in Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Udhmapur and Kathua, Rs 3 was being charged instead of Rs 1.50 for a distance of 2 km, he said, adding that the Deputy Chief Minister had directed the authorities to deal with an iron hand in such cases.
PTI |
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2 kids killed in Pak shelling Baramula, May 10 Official sources said the Pakistani troops fired more than 20 mortar shells, targeting civilian areas and security force installations in the 5-km border belt of Karana yesterday. The sources said some of the shells fell in a village adjacent to the Line of Control, resulting in the death of two children. Three persons were also injured. Indian troops also returned the fire and hit a number of Pakistani army bunkers.
UNI |
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Jammu Bar Assn begins strike Jammu, May 10 “We will continue the strike till the government starts the construction work of the lower court complex. The foundation stone for the complex was laid in 1995 and work on it was to be completed two years ago,” JBA secretary Sandesh Singh said. Other demands of the JBA included construction of chambers for advocates at Janipur complex and ending political interference in the appointment of standing counsel and Additional Advocate-Generals, he said. “Unless and until these demands are met, we will continue the strike,” Mr Sandesh Singh added.
PTI |
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‘Ghost’ responsible for murder, says police Jammu, May 10 The father of the deceased, however, alleged that his son was murdered by his relatives as he was the only legal heir to his property. He also said the police had closed the investigation under the “influence of some local leaders.” Meanwhile, a deputation of the area residents, led by PDP leader Fulel Singh, met Inspector-General of Police (Jammu Range) P. L. Gupta last week and requested him to intervene into the matter. Mr Gupta ordered the transfer of the case from the Rajouri police station to the Crime Branch, Jammu. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Choudhary Bashir is at present investigating the case.
UNI |
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Land scam: JDA vice-chief sent on leave Jammu, May 10 Special Secretary Abdul Hamid Wani, who began investigation into the alleged illegal allotments on Thursday, seized records, including 310 allotment files of residential plots, commercial buildings and shops and 298 accounts, the sources said. The JDA Vice-Chairman has been asked to go on leave during the probe period. The sources said “huge financial losses have been caused to the JDA by these irregular allotments, which had been done at lower price and allotted to the kith and kin of former NC leaders”. As per preliminary investigation, most files did not contain income certificates of revenue officers for economically weaker section allotments, the sources said. Some cases of EWS category land being allotted to those with higher income had also come to light, they said. |
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Team arrives to search scribe’s residence Srinagar, May 10 A five-member team of the Delhi police arrived here this afternoon and met senior local police officials before heading to the Chanapora residence of Mohiuddin to conduct searches, official sources said. The local police had already sealed the residence and the office of Kashmir Press Service at the request of the Delhi police last night, apprehending that any likely evidence against Mohiuddin might be removed from the premises. The police has picked up for questioning a reporter of the news agency, K.P.S. Irshad Ahmad Payar from Kupwara district this afternoon.
PTI |
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Bhim Singh seeks security for office-bearers Srinagar, May 10 According to a statement, Prof Bhim Singh has discussed the issue with the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and urged him to intervene in the matter. |
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Baramula, May 10
