J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Measures to check scandalous expenditure: Azad
Jammu, December 27
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced to check the “scandalous” expenditure in crores by various departments on security-related matters under the garb of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ban on heaters in J&K
Jammu, December 27
Faced with an acute shortage of electricity in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced a ban on the use of room heaters in the state and urged the people to return to the conventional heating system.

Militants kill one in Kashmir
Srinagar, December 27
Militants today killed one person and made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap another in the Kashmir valley, an official spokesman said.

Recognition to Anatomy Dept declined
Jammu, December 27
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has declined to grant recognition to the Departments of Anatomy, Orthopaedics and Pathology in the Government Medical College, Srinagar.

Measures to check scandalous expenditure: Azad
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 27
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced to check the “scandalous” expenditure in crores by various departments on security-related matters under the garb of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Azad, who was in the Legislative Council replying to questions pertaining to the hiring of several private houses at exorbitant rent by the government here and at Srinagar for allotment to non-government functionaries and providing government vehicles to them, said that he would review the entire issue next month.

Many irregularities have been done under the garb of militancy in the past 16 years. Steps would be taken to set things right now. The exchequer mainly was spent mercilessly without accountability. Tendency was to spend lavishly the tax payers money. The Chief Minister said that the practice of allotting houses to officers and others simultaneously at two places in Jammu and Srinagar would be discontinued. As many as 411 vehicles had been allotted to former Chief Ministers, the present Council of Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and MPs by the Transport Department and the security wing of the police. For the private houses at Srinagar hired by the government, monthly rent of Rs 28,000 each was being paid for the houses allotted to Syed Mohammad Akhoon and Mr Ajaz Ahmad Khan, both MLAs.

The documents placed by the Chief Minister in the Legislative Council pointed out that monthly rent of Rs 38,000 was being paid for the private house allotted to Abdul Gaffar Sofi, MLA at Srinagar, while at Jammu another house had been hired for him for Rs 15,000. Replying to a question of Mr A.R. Takroo (CPI), Mr Azad said that 13,501 gazetted and non-gazetted posts had been referred to the Public Service Commission and other recruiting agencies for direct recruitment. This includes 2,873 posts referred to the Public Service Commission and 10,628 to the service selection board. The service selection board has filled 717 posts during the current year. Besides 6,092 gazetted and non-gazetted posts will be referred to the recruiting agencies.

Ban on heaters in J&K
Tribune News Service

Militants kill one in Kashmir

Srinagar, December 27
Militants today killed one person and made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap another in the Kashmir valley, an official spokesman said.

He said militants kidnapped a 70-year-old contractor, Ghulam Mohammad Wani, and later killed him in the compound of a local panchayat ghar at Shangas in south Kashmir.

He said a group of militants entered the house of Mehraj Uddin at Harwan and tried to kidnap him. The militants escaped after the inmates raised an alaram.

Baramulla: A couple and their three children surrendered before the Uri police immediately after they crossed over to this side from Pakistan, official sources said on Tuesday.

They said Manzoor Ahmad Mir and his son Shabir left their village Gowalta in Uri sector in 1989 and crossed over to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Manzoor had died in the October 8 killer quake in the PoK.

Shabir, who had married a girl in the PoK Aisha, decided to return to his native village.

He and his three children in the age group of two to four finally crossed the Line of Control after trekking several km on foot.

Later, they surrendered before the police at Uri, sources said. — UNI

Recognition to Anatomy Dept declined
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 27
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has declined to grant recognition to the Departments of Anatomy, Orthopaedics and Pathology in the Government Medical College, Srinagar.

This was stated here today by the Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, in the Legislative Council while replying to a question of Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari (PDP).

The Chief Minister said the MCI had declined recognition to the three departments mainly because of depleted faculty position. Six faculty positions were lying vacant each in the Anatomy and Pathology and three in Orthopaedics Departments.

The faculty members of the Jammu Medical College, who were transferred to Srinagar on their elevation, did not join there with the result that the posts remained unfilled.

While replying to supplementaries, he said it had now been decided that separate seniority list of the faculty at Jammu and Srinagar would be maintained and there would be no inter-college transfers. seventy-two posts of faculty have been referred to the public service commission.