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Martyrs’ graveyard turns battleground
Forces fomenting trouble anti-people: Azad
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BJP, PDP communalised land row: NC leader
For 20 years, JMC hasn’t seen new appointments
Agitation was ‘coup’ against govt: BJP
‘Replace damaged transformers’
High commissioner’s comments ignite debate
‘Pro-militant elements in Pak flexing muscles’
Azad’s fate hangs in balance
Vohra stresses on honest governance
Police officers transferred
Disqualification of NC councillors upheld
Consumers face brunt of inflation
BRO killings: Harkat ultra surrenders
Hizbul militant, OGW held
Raising Day celebrated
Hospital down with power cuts
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Martyrs’ graveyard turns battleground
Srinagar, July 13 The clashes between the mobs, mostly supporters of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) of Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, and the police also took place in adjoining areas including Daribal, Naikadal, Samkouchbal and Dastigeer Sahib, the sources said. The police personnel who were deployed in and around the shrine used batons to chase away stone-pelting mobs. The police also fired warning shots while leaving the shrine to keep away the stone pelting mobs from attacking the cavalcade. The clash left six persons including a photographer of a local Urdu daily Tariq Ahmad Mir injured. A police spokesman said, “Some miscreants pelted stones and tried to create law and order situation. It seems that some personnel on protection duty fired a few shorts in air however no one was injured.” Those who paid homage to the martyrs at graveyard during the daylong commemoration attended by thousands of people included former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Mehboob Iqbal, Kashmir divisional commissioner, Aijaz Iqbal, Srinagar deputy commissioner, besides civil and police authorities also paid floral tributes to the martyrs and offered special prayers. |
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Forces fomenting trouble anti-people: Azad
Akhnoor, July 13 Addressing a public rally here, Azad said the forces that pushed the state into turmoil over the Amarnath land row wanted to derail the development projects in the state. “They tried to divide the people on regional and religious lines and take Hindu and Muslim fundamentalism to its peak,” he said, adding that some political parties, who call themselves mainstream outfits, also added fuel to the fire. He said the parties that didn’t see eye to eye came together to oust his government, as had he completed his tenure they “would have been left with absolutely nothing” to say against the Congress government. Such parties are “anti-development and anti-people”, he said. “Some political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir didn't like the development that took place under the Congress rule. We spent double the money in three years then what was spent in the state in 60 years on development works,” he added. In what seemed to be a natural outburst, Azad also targeted the separatists. He said the tourism industry, which was flourishing a month back, is now in a shambles. “Earlier, we were receiving 11,000 tourists daily in the valley, but in the aftermath of the turmoil the number has reduced to a mere 1,000. It hasn't caused any losses to the leaders playing politics on the issue, as they receive funds from countries like Pakistan and their children too study abroad. However, it has snatched the livelihood of taxi operators, workers engaged in hotel industry, shopkeepers and many others.” He claimed that the unrest in the state has affected the livelihood of over three lakh families. Similarly, Azad said, the number of pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has dropped from 50,000 to 5,000 per day, which has hit those associated with tourism industry in Jammu hard. He said those stirring up trouble in Jammu over the land row “are not bothered” about the pilgrims. |
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BJP, PDP communalised land row: NC leader
Jammu, July 13 Addressing a gathering assembled to pay homage to the martyrs of 1931, Sadhotra said, “The Amarnath land transfer issue is the biggest conspiracy hatched at Delhi between the BJP and the PDP to communalise and disintegrate the state for getting votes in J&K.” He said the NC did all its efforts to suppress the “evil designs” of these political parties. While urging the party cadre to help strengthen the secularism and democracy in the state, Sadhotra said, “The best way of paying tribute to the martyrs is to strengthen the secularism and democracy." The upcoming Assembly elections would be held in time and should be free and fair, so that the people elect the government of their choice. This would deliver the aspiration of the common people. He said the NC government headed by Farooq Abdullah could only strengthen the integration of the state. “And only NC could sought out all the controversies raised in Jammu or Srinagar”. He added. He urged the people to be vigilant for forces that are playing vote politics on the name of the Amarnath Yatra. While addressing the gathering, Rattan Lal Gupta, the senior vice- president said martyr's of 1931 sacrificed their lives for the cause of the self rule in the state.
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For 20 years, JMC hasn’t seen new appointments
Jammu, July 13 The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has achieved this feat. It is a separate matter that its functioning this way has given the city and its residents a hell lot of time. Facing severe manpower crunch, the JMC’s jurisdiction increased from 21 to 71 wards since 1980. And during these many years the city grew from three lakh to 10 lakh population. According to official sources, the state government has not made any appointment in all the 15 wings of the JMC for the last over 20 years. Number of safai karamcharis, required for garbage clearance and cleaning of drainage channels, which was once 1,056, now stands at 700. The left 356 posts have been vacant for the past 10 years, say the sources. According to them, there are only 10 sanitary inspectors to look after 71 wards, whereas the number of disinfectant inspectors has gone down from 23 to eight. Similarly, the transport section, besides shortage of manpower, manages its work only with 70-80 small and heavy vehicles to ferry garbage outside the limits of the city. In order to round up the stray animals, there are only eight cattle catchers, the sources inform and add the state of affairs in the revenue section and mechanical wing of the JMC is no different. Also, the election section is being run by six officials, who work on deputation basis. Under the Jammu Municipality Act, there should be four joint commissioners to look after the affairs of four major sections of the civic body including administration, accounts, works and health but quite contrary to it, for quite some time the posts of joint commissioner accounts and health are lying vacant. Paras Ram Poonchi, chairman Safai Karamchari Union and head of Horticulture Section, says the JMC has only 12 gardeners to look after the maintenance and upkeep of 35 parks falling under its jurisdiction. Meanwhile, mayor Kavinder Gupta confirms that manpower and financial crunch is impeding the functioning of the JMC. “We wanted to reorganise the civic body so we mooted a proposal to the state government on June 30. Now we are expecting that the Governor will certainly look into our demands,” he said. |
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Agitation was ‘coup’ against govt: BJP
Jammu, July 13 Prof Hari Om, vice-president and spokesman of the state BJP, while addressing a press conference said, “The mass upsurge in Jammu province over the land transfer issue is nothing but a manifestation of pent up anger and discontent among the politically ignored and economically marginalized people
of Jammu.” Adding he said, “It shows that people are against the communal policies of the Congress, the NC and the PDP and will not accept the position subordination and their struggle is against those who have hurt their religious sentiments by vitiating the ongoing Amarnath yatra and who have reduced them to the status of second class citizens.” Hari termed the agitation in Jammu which led to the fall of the state government as a “coup against” the Congress-led government. He said the BJP's roadmap for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state would bring “political power” for the
Jammu region. PDP, NC, Cong played dirty politics: SDP Socialistic Democratic Party (SDP) president Darakhshan Andrabi today lashed out at the PDP, the National Conference (NC) and the Congress for playing dirty politics over the Amarnath land row and expressed gratitude to the people of Jammu for maintaining communal harmony. Addressing mediapersons here today, Andrabi said these political outfits not only polarised two regions of the state, but also tried to flare up the situation. Andrabi said for petty political gains, the PDP snapped ties with the Congress. She added that now the party has extended support to UPA government on nuke deal, which has exposed its double standards. She claimed that the Amarnath land controversy had also exposed the design’s of the NC and the Congress. Taking a dig at Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti for allegedly maintaining double standards, Andrabi said, “They should better shun their dual allegiance of either holding the Tricolor in their hands or joining the separatists.” Their doublespeak has mislead people in the state, she added. |
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‘Replace damaged transformers’
Jammu, July 13 Harsh Dev Singh, senior leader of the Panthers Party, who along with the party Chief Bhim Singh, called on the President of India in New Delhi yesterday and demanded that all the orders taken by the government, after the PDP withdrew its support to Ghulam Nabi Azad, be cancelled. Harsh Dev Singh said the party sent a communication to the union power minister and asked for replacement of the damaged transformers with immediate effect. He said people in Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri were facing numerous problems because of prolonged power shutdown ranging between 14 and 20 hours a day. He said inordinate delay in the installation of the transformers at the Gladni grid station had affected the industrial production and caused losses to unit holders. |
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High commissioner’s comments ignite debate
Srinagar, July 13 Sir Richard Stagg was lavish in his praise of Kashmir while he made an entry in a visitor’s book on a houseboat where he had stayed with his wife. “We had a marvellous first experience of Kashmir,” he wrote. “The weather, the views and the people could not have been a better advertisement for this lovely part of the world. We will certainly be back.”
His personal comments recorded in Clermont Houseboat in Srinagar are in contrast to the official position of his government, whose warning to tourists against visiting here has robbed us of huge business over the years, Maqbool Alam, a houseboat owner, said. The debate has made its way to Britain where a prominent newspaper, The Times, has done a story highlighting the discrepancy between the high commissioner’s personal opinion and the official position of The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, to which he reports. This office advises against tourist visits to Kashmir due to militancy. Sir Richard’s office has also played down the comments and said it was his personal opinion. Meanwhile, tourism department officials said it was high time overseas governments should have a re-look at their travel policies against Kashmir. |
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‘Pro-militant elements in Pak flexing muscles’
Srinagar, July 13 These apprehensions came to fore while talking to a cross-section of security and intelligence officials. Talking to The Tribune, a senior intelligence official said those sections in the Pakistani Army and the ISI, who have complicity with militants, have begun re-asserting themselves, especially after the advent of the new regime. But he said it should not be viewed as a change of policy by the Pakistan government, which was believed to have toned down its open support to militancy since 2001. “We should be looking at things from all angles. The Pakistan government and official media did not really play up the recent strikes in the valley. Had it been a few years back, we could have trusted them to make a propaganda out of it,” he said. A senior Army official said the last four cases of firing from the Pakistani Army and Rangers in the last few weeks has made them apprehensive. The elections were approaching and militants would like to derail them by indulging in killings and violence, he said. “I still believe that these are aberrations in the ceasefire agreement which has been otherwise adhered to by both the armies for five years,” he said. Official sources said sections of the Pakistani Army and the ISI often work independently of their government, which have little inkling of their activities at times. Firings from across the border are generally carried out to facilitate movements of militants, who are often hand in glove with some sections of establishment. It may be mentioned that leaderships of two most dreaded militant outfits, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba, have openly criticised the Pakistan government for its lack of support to them. Though the LeT has replaced the HM, intelligence officials said, as the most favoured militant organisation in the Pak establishment, they rued that they no longer get as unequivocal backing as earlier. The Hizbul has been more bitter of the two and since most of its cadres, including its PoK-based chief Syed Salahuddin, were from Kashmir, its recent assertions against the Pak government were widely reported in local media. |
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At centre or state
Jammu, July 13 “The party high command may ask him to maintain a low profile in the next Assembly elections in the state, relying more upon Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Saifuddin Soz, in the backdrop of the Amarnath land row,” a party leader said on the condition of anonymity. Rumour mills had it that after the state elections, AICC president Sonia Gandhi may recall Azad at New Delhi to lift the sagging morale of the party and lead it to the next Lok Sabha polls. “Even some section of the media reported that Azad might be inducted in Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's Cabinet and get the parliamentary affairs or information and broadcasting portfolios,” the party leader said. “Undoubtedly the PDP betrayed Azad, which triggered the Amarnath land transfer row, but considering the anger among the Hindu community, the party high command may ask Azad to play second fiddle to PCC president Saif-ud-Din Soz,” he said. Sources in the Congress admitted that Azad was still the most sought after Congress leader at New Delhi, but in the wake of the Amarnath land row and the floor test of the UPA on July 22, he may not be recalled. “In such a situation, where Azad is expected to campaign for the Congress for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, may harm the party’s prospects because the BJP may label him as an “anti-Hindu leader” and hold him responsible for hurting the religious sentiments of the community,” they said. “However, as of now, there are no such indications from 10 Janpath to recall Azad,” said another party leader. Being a star campaigner, Azad would campaign for the Congress in the state Assembly polls and his going to New Delhi would depend upon the election results, the party leader said. “Call it his expertise or sheer luck, Azad had driven the Congress to impressive victories in the states wherever he has campaigned for the party. But this time around, the Congress may use the secular Kashmiri face of PCC president Saif-ud-Din Soz in the forthcoming elections instead of relying upon Azad,” he added.
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Vohra stresses on honest governance
Srinagar, July 13 Participating in a discussion on the “Jammu and Kashmir Human Development Report
(HDR)” organised by the Universities of Kashmir and Jammu here today, Vohra hoped the report would contribute to establish a credible base line for mapping further progress in the health and education sectors. Vohra said the report would also serve as an instrument to serve the planning process with a focus on enhancing the levels of growth and development. Vohra cautioned against getting depressed as the report also carried some less satisfying conclusions. “Instead of getting obsessed by dismal evaluation findings, let us look forward in a determined and positive manner,” he said. Vohra noted with satisfaction that in the past decades, the planning authorities were essentially pre-occupied with grave problems of extreme food scarcity, large-scale poverty, unemployment, disease, hunger and illiteracy. “Thanks to the enormous developmental gains achieved in the past years, including the outstanding success of the Green Revolution, we had reached the very happy stage of now being concerned with the issues of human happiness,” he said. In this context, Vohra did not agree with the conclusion of the report that said the state was like a “paradise lost.” Vohra urged all concerned to work with concerted efforts to ensure that the state became an example of “paradise regained.” Governor and chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), N.N. Vohra, accompanied by his wife and B.B. Vyas, principal secretary and chief executive officer, SASB, visited the cave shrine today and stressed upon various environmental and eco concerns. |
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Police officers transferred
Srinagar, July 13 Farooq Khan, Jammu-Kathua range, DIG, as DIG, CID, headquarters while
Z.H. Chishti, IGP, modernization, would hold the additional charge of the post of IG, human rights. A.Q.
Manhas, DIG, CID, headquarters, will be the DIG, Jammu-Kathua range. Kamal Saini, DIG, Home Guards, has been posted as director, civil military liaison. Manju Rashid, commandant, JKAP 14th Battalion, has been posted as Commandant, IRP 3rd Battalion. T.
Phunsog, who was awaiting posting orders, is the new commandant of JKAP 4th Battalion. Sham Lal Sharma, SSP, CID (SS), is the new Divisional Commandant, Home Guards, Jammu. Jagjeet Kumar, SSP, Poonch will be principal,
PTTI, Vijaypur, while J.P. Singh, SSP, Kathua, has been posted as SSP, crime, Jammu. Vijay Kumar, SP, Kupwara, has been posted as SP, vigilance.
K.L. Bhagat, principal, PTS, Kathua, has been posted as Commandant, JKAP 12th
Battalion. Surrinder Gupta, SP, vigilance, is the new SP, Ramban. G.A. Dar, SSP, security, Kashmir, has been posted as Commandant, IRP 5th Battalion. A.K.
Atri, Commandant, IRP 5th Battalion, has been posted as staff officer to IGP, Jammu zone. |
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Disqualification of NC councillors upheld
Jammu, July 13 The petitioners had challenged the validity of the chief electoral officer’s order, which was upheld by the special tribunal. Elections for the Doda Municipal Committee were held on February 12, 2005. The council elected Zaffar Ullah Rather as the president of the MC by majority vote on August 28, 2006. Later a no-confidence motion was moved against the president, which ultimately resulted in the ouster of Rather. For electing a new president, the NC again put up the name of Rather for the post. But NC councilor Asif Jahan Gattu also filed his nomination for the post, which was proposed by Mohd Ishaq Khora. On September 5, 2006, Asif was declared as the MC president. He secured seven votes out of 13. The defeated NC sponsored candidate filed a reference petition before the chief electoral officer, J&K, seeking disqualification of Asif and Khora. The chief electoral officer allowed the reference and ordered disqualification of the NC councillors. Asif and Khora filed a statutory appeal before the J&K Special Tribunal but it was also dismissed. Justice Y. P. Nargotra of the high court observed, “The elected members, being representatives of their respective political parties, on whose mandate they have been elected are bound to follow the philosophy, policy and direction of that party. If one does not, he’s open to leave that party and re-contest the elections after vacating the seat.” |
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Consumers face brunt of inflation
Jammu, July 13 The soaring price of essential commodities and eatables has made them unaffordable for people who are forced to face the brunt as it has severely affected their budget. With the steep hike in the wholesale price, manufacturers have not only reduced the weight of the product, but have also increased the price of the items. “The inability of the government to control the ever-increasing market prices has badly affected our budget,” Pawan Kumar, a local resident, said. He added, “Everything is now available at a much higher rate, which has made life difficult for people who have a limited source of income.” Residents are worried as there seems to be no halt in the soaring rate of inflation. “This weekend, the rate of inflation has crossed 11.98 per cent and the rate seems to be increasing with every passing week. Companies are also fleecing the people by increasing the prices of commodities,” Lalit Kumar, another local resident, said. The people here have urged the Centre to control the prices of essential commodities so that they could save a part of their income. |
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BRO killings: Harkat ultra surrenders
Jammu, July 13 Gulam Mohmmad surrendered before the Rashtriya Rifles troops in Chatroo belt of the district along with his weapons, they said. Gulam Mohmmad was one of 11-member group of militants that intercepted the five BRO personnel, including Lt-Col Verma, assistant executive engineer S K Singh, two soldiers
and driver at Simthantop area of the district on June 13 and killed them this year. The police has so far arrested seven persons, including three militants in connection with the killings. Sources said the HuJI militant was sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre.
— PTI |
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Hizbul militant, OGW held
Rajouri, July 13 The police sources said Abdul Rasheed alias Mansoor-Ul-Haq, son of Abdul Ghani Bhatt of Doda, of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was arrested by the Rajouri police. Rasheed was on his way back to his native village in Doda via Rajouri from the Peer Panjal area where he had been hiding for the past few months. "We had specific information about the militant travelling to his native village---through this town---from the Peer Panjal area . He was apprehended while he was about to board a bus", a police source said. The police had recovered an AK rifle along with some ammunition from the possession of the HM militant. Meanwhile, the police today arrested an alleged OGW from the outskirts of the town here.The police sources claimed that Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamola village was arrested by them after the specific information confirmed that he had to hand over more than Rs 1.3 lakh ---brought by him from Pakistan from the financers of the HM outfit-----to the HM commanders. |
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Raising Day celebrated
Jammu, July 13 Initially raised in 1940 as the 41 Medium Regiment, it was later re-raised on July 15, 1948, by Lt Col Kalyan Singh at Jhanso by amalgamating the three princely states of Bikaner, Scindia and Patiala and was named as “Rajaon Ki Palton.” The regiment took part in Operation Vijay during the Kargil conflict, Lt Col. S.D. Goswami, PRO, ministry of defence, said. Today’s demonstration of the hot air balloon ride was a part of the first series of events planned to commemorate the 60 years of “glorious” service to the nation. |
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Hospital down with power cuts
Rajouri, July 13 Patients said since there was an acute shortage of power at the health centre, doctors did not attend to them, and instead asked them to visit their private clinics, where they had installed generators. Confirming that the crisis had hit the district hospital here, medical superintendent P.S. Slathia said he had taken up the matter with the director health services, Jammu. “About two days back, we tried to operate various units like
X-ray, ultrasound and ECG on the generator installed in the hospital but it did not take the load,” Slathia claimed. Meanwhile, the health director, Jammu, had assured to supply a 40 KVA generator for the hospital. |
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At least six persons, including a journalist, were today injured as the police fired warning shots and lobbed teargas shells to disperse stone-pelting
mobs at the martyrs’ graveyard at Naqashband Sahib Shrine in Srinagar.
In his first public appearance after the fall of his government, former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today dubbed the forces fomenting trouble in the state as “anti-development and anti-people.”
