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Monday,
July 21, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Two deaths a day on Amarnath
Yatra
Asia’s highest ropeway by
year-end Election or selection of Jamaat
Amir? Come together on autonomy, urges
Omar |
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Mufti pulls up
engineering college authorities Militant hideouts busted in
Rajouri Cracks in Adhi Shankara’s seat Probe ordered into custodial
deaths
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Two deaths a day on Amarnath Yatra Amarnath, July 20 Administration officials said unprecedented cold coupled with a heavy rush of pilgrims, was leading to an average of two deaths every day, in certain cases soon after return from the pilgrimage. This, however, had failed to deter the devout and vehicles loaded with over 4,000 pilgrims were arriving daily in Jammu, making the yatra a "logistical nightmare", they said. "We are ourselves camping in snow, stay arrangements here are limited, inflow of pilgrims is many times more than was envisaged initially," Commandant Vikram Singh Sahi of 86 CRPF Battalion said. He said pilgrims were being encouraged to immediately leave for the base camps after the "darshan", as not only is the accommodation small but near-zero temperature at a height of 13,500 feet can have a serious affect on one’s health. Kamal Juneja, a pilgrim from Patiala, had a successful "darshan" of the ice-deity but after returning to the Baltal base camp had a massive heart attack. He was shifted to a Srinagar hospital but passed away soon thereafter. Bhavanaben of Rajkot slipped at Mahagunas Top, at 14,500 feet, the highest point in the Yatra, and had multiple fractures. Due to heavy rains, the ardous trek has become all the more treacherous and there are many instances of people having a fall only to break their bones. Yet the yatra procedures are being flouted with impunity and most pilgirms do not have the mandatory registration cards required to underatake the pilgrimage. Consequently, officials said against 25,000 pilgrims being permitted to have "darshan" in the first week, more than 60,000 undertook the pilgrimage. There were times when lathis had to be used to control the teeming crowds but in vain. Efforts to stop the crowds in Jammu itself, outside the Maulana Azad Stadium, also fail as pilgrims have their way after holding dharnas and shouting anti-government slogans, they added. Last Wednesday, the administration did not send the daily convoy of pilgrims from Jammu to the base-camps in Baltal and Nunwan. Pilgrim vehicles were also withheld at the Punjab- Jammu border in Lakhanpur to clear the rush. Pilgrims have had to wait for days together in Jammu itself, sleeping on roofs of buses or under the flyover in front of the stadium before being allowed to proceed further. Exasperated, many pilgrim vehicles have breached security rules and left for base camps on their own without being part of the daily military controlled convoy. A BSF official said the yatra was of only one month duration, limiting the number of those who could undertake it but the public does not realise this and lakhs want to be part of the annual exercise leading to the current chaos. Shankar Prasad, a sadhu, said for many it was just a holiday and even newly weds were paying a visit to the holy cave in what earlier used to be the "last journey of the faithful". —
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Ludhiana boy dies on way to Vaishno Devi Jammu, July 20 The injured include 20 pilgrims and eight CRPF jawans. A teenage boy, identified as Rinko of Ludhiana, was killed and 20 people injured, two of them seriously, when the Matador in which they were travelling fell into a gorge at Balwar mode in Kathua district this morning, the sources said. The vehicle was on its way from Punjab to Vaishno Devi Shrine when the accident took place, they said, adding that the injured had been hospitalised. In another accident a CRPF Head Constable was killed and eight jawans injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling turned turtle at Sidhra bridge, on the outskirts of Jammu, last night. The injured were rushed to the hospital. Two persons were killed and two others injured when a truck, on its way to Srinagar from Jammu fell into a deep gorge at Nagrota, 20 km from here last night, sources said. A woman labourer from Bihar was crushed to death by a speeding truck here today, sources said, adding that the driver of the vehicle had been arrested and the truck seized. Two persons were killed in separate road accidents at Narwal in Jammu and Thathri in Kishtwar areas last night. —
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Asia’s highest ropeway by year-end Srinagar, July 20 The ropeway will connect Gulmarg with the 13,500-foot upper ranges of Apharwat and open new vistas for international skiing in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Mir said. With the commissioning of the ropeway the concept of tourism would undergo a sea change and enable national and international tourists to enjoy the scenic splendour of the Alpather lake. To keep Gulmarg pollution-free, the state government plans to introduce battery-operated carts, snow mobikes and modern sledges, Mr Mir said, adding that this move would facilitate the movement of tourists. The minister said a ropeway project from Baba Reshi to Gulmarg was also under consideration. He said work on the second section of the Gulmarg-Gandola project running between Kongdoori and Apharwat was in progress and was likely to be completed by the end of the year. He said the Cable Car Corporation had registered a revenue of Rs 1.27 crore against Rs 80 lakh recorded in the corresponding period last year. An amount of Rs 30 lakh was being spent on the development of lawns, construction of waiting halls and eating points near Gandola in Gulmarg, Mr Mir said. Meanwhile, tourist arrival in Kashmir valley has crossed one lakh mark for the first time in the past 15 years. With a steady inflow of tourists since April this year, Kashmir is regaining its position as a popular tourist destination, officials said. The number of foreign tourists visiting Kashmir this year has registered an appreciable increase with 3348 visitors this season as compared to 1343 last year. Bouyed by the heavy tourist traffic, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) had announced attractive packages to lure tourists, Mr Mir said, adding that at least 25 groups had already availed themselves of the benefits provided as part of the package. Meanwhile, nearly 80,000 pilgrims arrived in the valley to offer prayers at the Amarnath cave shrine. Of them, about 70,000 had ‘darshan’ of the ice lingam of Lord Shiva, while the rest are on their way to the shrine. —
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Election or selection of Jamaat
Amir? Jammu, July 20 As per the constitution of the right wing Islamic organisation, the election of Amir is more of a selection than a vote-casting exercise. Members of the Majlis Shoura and those drawn from various areas of the state, comprising the electoral college, will sit on July 27 to discuss a name or a panel of names for the post of Amir. In case there is no unanimity, the members will exercise their franchise. The election of the Amir has assumed significance in the light of the sharp division between the hawks, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, former chairman of the APHC, on one side and the moderates headed by Mr G.M. Bhat, the present Amir, on other side. Jamaat sources said Mr Geelani was an aspirant for the post of Amir and if the majority of the electoral college was not in his favour, he is said to support his trusted man, Ashraf Sehrai, who is under detention at present. Though Mr G.M. Bhat has adopted a low profile, he is not out of the race for the post. If left to the APHC leadership, it would prefer Mr Bhat to Mr Geelani because the former has mainatined cordial relations with the 26-party conglomerate. The new Chairman of the APHC, Maulvi Abbas Ansari, told this correspondent that he would persuade Mr Geelani to close the issue of seeking the expulsion of the Peoples Conference from the APHC for having participated in the Assembly poll. But indications are that if Mr Geelani got elected as Amir, the equation between the Jamaat and the APHC may have to be rewritten as per the guidelines of Syayed Ali Shah because the Jamaat is an important constituent of the conglomerate. Reports say that several leaders of militant groups have put their weight behind Mr Geelani and the members of the electoral college may succumb to the pressure as the members of Majlis Shoura did when it reversed its earlier stand of replacing Mr Geelani by Mr Ali Mohd Sheikh as the Jamaat’s representative on the executive committee of the Hurriyat Conference. Under the leadership of Mr G.M. Bhat, the Jamait-e-Islami has not played any destructive role by giving open support or encouragement to the militants during the past three years. Political observers believe that in case Mr Geelani gets elected as Jamaat Amir, the right wing organisation may assume belligerent postures vis-a-vis the state government and the Centre. |
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Come together on autonomy, urges
Omar Jammu, July 20 Mr Abdullah, who was addressing the delegates of the National Conference at Gool in the Udhampur district today, said that the party was convinced that internal autonomy, coupled with regional autonomy, alone would fulfil the aspirations of the people of the state who have gone through the worst turmoil in the recent past. The gesture of Mr Abdullah towards the separatist leaders is considered significant in view of the National Conference snapping its ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, not inviting him to the today’s meeting of Opposition leaders to chalk out a joint strategy against the NDA government. This has perhaps left the National Conference without any allies at the national level for the first time. Mr Abdullah welcomed the statement of Moulvi Omar Farooq supporting internal autonomy for the state and said this was the only lasting solution to the Kashmir imbroglio and should help in restoring the honour, self-respect and dignity of people of Kashmir. He described the coalition government of Mufti Sayeed as “incompetent, non-performing and politically unstable which has failed on all fronts barring raising hollow slogans and making tall promises.” Mr Abdullah said the fissures within the ruling alliance had led to indecision and uncertainty in the administration. Development works had come to a halt and miseries of the poor had increased. The hydroelectric projects were the worst casualty of the Mufti government, he added. |
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Mufti pulls up engineering college authorities Srinagar, July 20 The Mufti asked the authorities to get it cleared from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development within the shortest possible time so that benefits accruing to the institution could percolate down fast. Chairing the meeting of the board of governors of REC yesterday, the Chief Minister said the institution, after switchover to the new status of NIT had to make constant endeavours for improving the quality of technical education to meet the requirements of the job market across the globe. He took a serious view of non-filling of 50 per cent quota seats in the institute from outside the state and said the vast infrastructure of the institution must be utilised fully. —
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Militant hideouts busted in Rajouri Jammu, July 20 Troops raided a hideout in the Kalakot area of Rajouri district last night and arrested four OGWs, allegedly working with pro-Pakistani Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), the sources said. The OGWs have been identified as Abdul Qayoom, alias Kamraj, Bashir Ahmed, Mohammad Latif and Noor Hussain. Eight improvised explosive devices and some pipe bombs were recovered from them. In another operation, one more militant supporter, Mubarak Hussain, was arrested from the Thandapani area last night, the sources said. Militant outfits Lashker-e-Toiba (LET), Jeis-e-Mohammad (JEM), Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HUJI), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), and Teji have a network of over 1000 to 2000 over-ground workers operating in Rajouri and Poonch districts, the sources said. The OGWs are engaged for carrying weapons, information, money and for guiding foreign militants in attacks against security forces, they said. SRINAGAR: At least 500 gm of RDX and 10 electric detonators were seized from a village in Baramulla district of Kashmir, a BSF spokesman said today. He said the BSF made this seizure last evening during cordon and search operation in Sangari village but noone was arrested. The security forces also smashed a militant hideout in frontier district of Kupwara and recovered 750 rounds of AK rifles, 13 RPG boosters and a gas cylinder, the spokesman said. Meanwhile, a militant of pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen, Shabir Ahmad Sheikh, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. One AK rifle, its three magazines and a hand grenade was recovered from him, the sources said. —
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Cracks in Adhi Shankara’s seat Shankaracharya Hill, July 20 Popularly known as Shankaracharya temple after the name of Adi Shankaracharya of Kashyapmeru “Kashmir Peethum”, the temple has developed 16 cracks on its unique architectured roof top and bewitching circumference due to the utter negligence of the Dharmarth Temple Trust (DTT) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on repair and restoration front during the past one decade, the Kashmiri Hindu Welfare Front (KHWF) president Chaman Lal Koul told PTI today. “If this neglect on restoration front continues on the part of the ASI and the DTT, the seat of Shankaracharya (temple) will soon be a monument of the past only. Therefore, it needs immediate restoration,” said Jammu and Kashmir Civil Secretriat employee Koul. “It pours heavily inside the temple. Besides, rock erosion has taken place around hillock. Some big stones, which had become loose, had been replaced and iron reinforcement provided around the circumference stone a year ago. But that is not sufficient,” priest of the temple, Om Prakash, said. The temple houses a big black marble “shiv lingum” brought from Nepal, besides the seat of Adhi Shankaracharya, now vacant for the past 200 years, he said, adding that the new Shankaracharya Jagat Guru Shankaracharya Amritaanand would soon take over the seat after a conference of Shankaracharyas gave approval for this during the Varanasi Sammelan on July 2. Like Shankaracharya temple, Kashmir’s 70 odd remaining ancient and historic temples dedicated to different gods and goddesses are in a bad shape due to poor upkeep by Dr Karan Singh-headed Darmarth Temple Trust, Zala Bagwati Welfare Association (ZBWA), secretary, Avtar Krishen, said. The 500-year-old wooden temple of Zala Bagwati (Mata Kali) atop Zawala hills on the outskirts of Srinagar city is damaged, Mr Krishen said. The security forces, which are deployed at several temple sites across Kashmir are undertaking minor works over the year but full repairs and restoration is the need of the hour to save them, said army officer, Major R. Mukerjee, who undertook minor repair works of the Zala Bagwati temple recently. The Dharmarth Trust has failed to undertake any repair work of these temples during 13 years, not to think of the reconstruction of 113 temples destroyed during the militancy period in the Kashmir valley, Ramesh Bhat, a devotee said. While 37 Hindu shrines were allegedly converted into Islamic monuments or destroyed during the advent of Islam in Kashmir, 39 temples were damaged or destroyed during the 1986 riots, 15 temples damaged from 1987 to 1990 and 21 shrines damaged and destroyed between 1990 to 1992, the All-State Kashmir Pandit Conference (ASKPC), general secretary, Hira Lal Chatta, said. —
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Probe ordered into custodial deaths Srinagar, July 20 A magisterial probe has been ordered into the alleged custodial deaths at Qamarwari and Ganderbal in Srinagar district and Jalsheeri in Baramulla district, Director-General of Police Gopla Sharma said last evening. Another case of alleged custodial death of one Sikh leader, Kulvinder Singh, at the Nai Basti area in Jammu, has also been ordered for a magisterial probe. Mr Sharma said special investigation teams of the police had also been constituted to expedite the investigation into the cases. The move comes following Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s fresh instructions to the police to check human rights violations at all costs. The government has drawn a lot of flak over the alleged custodial deaths of Mushtaq Ahmad at Qamarwari, Bashi Ahmad Shiekh at Ganderbal and Altaf Ahmad at Jalsheeri and residents of these localities took to the streets in protest. In case of the Qamarwari death, the police chowki in charge has been placed under suspension. Mr Sharma said he had also taken up the matter with the Corps Commander of the Army and impressed upon him to ensure that such incidents did not recur. —
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