Srinagar, October 5
To implement the Centre’s eight-point initiative on Kashmir, the state government has started the process of removing 16 CRPF bunkers from Srinagar.

The decision to remove the bunkers was taken at a meeting of the Unified Command Headquarters here last week soon after the Centre announced the peace initiative after the visit of an all-party delegation to the state.

Speaking to The Tribune, CRPF PRO Prabhakar Tripathy said: “The process has begun and more than 50 per cent of the bunkers have already been removed from various parts of Srinagar. Most of these are residential-type bunkers in which CRPF jawans, apart from discharging their duties, live”.

Asked whether their removal would result in an increase in anti-national activities in such areas, the PRO said, “Only the bunkers are being removed. The CRPF can be deployed at these places whenever it is required. There are many places in Srinagar city where our men are deployed round-the-clock without any bunkers”.

The state police will provide accommodation to CRPF personnel who have been living in the bunkers.

The bunkers are being removed from the Anganwadi Centre, Wanihama, BD School, Batmaloo, Sonawar, Janab Sahib Soura, Hazratbal, PHC Palpora, Magarmal crossing, Agricultural University, Shalimar, DAV School, Wazirbagh, SDPT, Aloochibagh, Miskinbagh, Firdausabad in Batamaloo, Sazgiripora, Sumkachbal, Common Dental College, Karanagar, and Bone and Joint Hospital in Barzulla.

Most of the bunkers were constructed much before the CRPF took charge of security from the BSF that was deployed in the city. “The CRPF was always there along with the BSF and the phase-out of the latter from Srinagar started in 2004. In 2006, the CRPF had completely taken over from the BSF and most of the bunkers were constructed prior to that,” Tripathy said.

Meanwhile, locals have welcomed the development, saying that the state and the Central governments are now showing seriousness in implementing the promises they made to people.

Srinagar, October 5
Cutting across party lines, members today expressed concern in the state Assembly over 110 deaths in Kashmir in the past four months and sought the cooperation of all for ending the turmoil.

The members were participating in a day-long discussion on the prevailing situation in the Kashmir valley that was called by two ruling National Conference (NC) members, Ch Mohammad Ramzan and Mir Saifullah, and CPM member Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami. While the government did not respond to the discussion, 10 members participated in it.

Initiating it, Tarigami said a credible structural mechanism in the shape of a parliamentary committee, assisted by legal experts, was required to engage different shades of political opinion and voices of dissent for resolving the issue. He said there was nothing substantial in the eight-point package announced by the Centre in the wake of an all-party delegation’s visit to the state.

He said most of the package components, including the release of arrested youth, review of PSA cases, deployment of the security forces, additional assistance, opening of schools, etc, were the exclusive jurisdiction and competence of the state government. “These injunctions, as such amount to encroaching upon the powers of the state government”, he rued. He called upon the government not to take advice on the subjects of its own jurisdiction; instead it should act on these matters swiftly on its own.

Tarigami asserted that the unrest in the state had prompted the Centre to initiate serious, result-oriented and pragmatic measures to sort out the issue permanently. He called upon the Centre to rise to the occasion or else the state would turn more volatile and the repercussions would impact the entire Indian security set-up.

Harshdev Singh of the Panthers Party said the need of the hour was to think collectively for resolving the problem of Kashmir and restoring peace and normalcy to the state.The unrest should not be considered a cause of concern for Jammu and Kashmir only but for the entire country,he said. People of different cultures and faiths had been living amicably in the state for ages. Singh said the Central Government had taken a bold initiative by deputing the all- party delegation to the state to examine the reasons behind the unrest.

Castigating PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti for fuelling the unrest, NC member Mir Saifullah said the party’s leaders activated their cadres to accentuate the crisis and get innocent youth killed in Kashmir. Activists of the PDP were part of violent processions, he said.

Terming the killings during the turmoil as unfortunate, NC member Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan urged the Centre to think positively for resolving the Kashmir issue and appreciated the remarks made by the Union Home Minister that Kashmir was a unique problem and required a unique solution.

Others who participated in the three-hour-long discussion, included Chaman lal Gupta and Ashok Khajuria of the BJP, Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, Abdul Majeed Wani, Kafeel-ur-Rehman and Sheikh Abdul Rashid.

Jammu, October 5
Buoyed over the merger of the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF) with the party, the BJP today vowed to aggressively launch a campaign for granting union territory (UT) status to the Ladakh region. Besides supporting the demand of UT status, the party has also taken up the demand of the inclusion of the Bhooti language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

“We will not allow the state government to discriminate against Ladakh any more. Since 1947, successive state governments have been meting out a step-motherly treatment to the Himalayan region,” asserted state president of BJP Shamsher Singh Manhas while releasing the manifesto for the forthcoming elections of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) along with veteran Ladakhi leader and former MP Thupsang Chhewang at Jammu today.

In the manifesto, the BJP has incorporated all demands of people of Ladakh so as to strengthen its base in this region where the party has a direct fight with the Congress for the prestigious LAHDC elections. The BJP blamed the Congress for the backwardness of the Ladakh region and pointed out that despite being a partner in the coalition, the Congress had failed to counter the parochial and communal policies being propagated by the government.

As people of Ladakh always complained about being neglected by the successive state governments, the BJP assured to effectively counter discriminatory and communal policies of the the NC-Congress regime in the state.

Supporting the demand of UT status for Ladakh, the BJP argued that successive state governments had discriminated against the region and similar policies were being pursued by the present dispensation . “Without the UT status, development of Ladakh is not possible so our party would effectively launch a campaign in this regard,” said Manhas.

People of Jammu and Ladakh would jointly fight against the communal and discriminatory policies of the Kashmir-centric parties as well as the Congress, he added.

“As both the Ladakh and Jammu regions are bearing the brunt of the discriminatory policies being propagated by the successive state governments, it is the need of the hour that these two regions have to unitedly fight against this discrimination,” he argued.

The BJP also supported the demand of setting up a Central University at Ladakh as this region is lagging behind in the education sector. Furthermore, the party has also demanded deemed university status for the Central Institute of Buddishist Studies, functioning in Ladakh.

Jammu, October 5
The National Secular Forum (NSF) today accused the Jammu-based legislators of not highlighting the genuine issues of Jammu in the ongoing Assembly session.

Speaking at a function in Akhnoor, president of the forum Vikas Sharma alleged that the recent selection list of the Public Service Commission was not fair. He also extended support to the aggrieved KAS candidates and criticised MLAs for not raising the issue in the Assembly.

He also expressed concern over the growing number of educated unemployed youth and endorsed the resolutions passed by the forum regarding the issues confronting economically-weaker sections and students.

The function was held under the chairmanship of Surjit Chowdhary. Later, Sunil Sharma was appointed president of the Akhnoor wing of the NSF. Ajay Sharma was appointed senior vice-president. Vinod Sharma was appointed general secretary. Ganesh Dass was appointed organising secretary. 

Srinagar, October 5
While life was paralysed across the Kashmir valley today after a day’s respite, the curfew was reimposed in downtown areas of Srinagar and parts of north Kashmir to prevent a march of the Hurriyat Conference (Geelani) to Kupwara today.

All shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the road in the entire Valley in response to the bandh call. There was a thin attendance in private and government schools and offices here due to the curfew restrictions.

While last night passed off peacefully and there were no reports of violence from any part of the Valley, the curfew was reimposed on areas under five police stations of Rainawari, Khanyar, Nowhatta, MR Gunj, Safakadal and Parimpora in Srinagar. It was relaxed from 1 pm onwards in these areas.

Other areas in north Kashmir, where the restrictions were imposed, included Delina and Palhalan areas and Sopore town of Baramulla district, Kupwara town, Trehgam and Kralpora areas of Kupwara district. It was also imposed on Handwara town, Chotipora and Kulangam areas of Kupwara district, the police here said.

Srinagar, October 5
Governor N.N Vohra has lauded the initiative taken by University of Kashmir for launching the Online Feedback Forum and said such a facility can provide a valuable interface between the student community and the university administration.

The Governor, who is the Chancellor of the university, was chairing a meeting of the University Council here last evening. The council, during its four-hour-long meeting, deliberated on the proposal for setting up a centre for e-Governance and e-Services. The functioning of private B.Ed colleges was also discussed in detail. The Governor cautioned against any dilution of the entrance-level qualifications for those joining the course.

He stressed the need for taking all measures for ensuring the highest standards of learning so that the youth were equipped to compete successfully with the best in the national and international job markets.

The Governor asked the Vice- Chancellors of Kashmir and Jammu Universities to identify the areas of learning which required enhanced attention for capacity building.

Srinagar, October 5
After a gap of two months and four days, various national dailies and news magazines today hit the stands in Kashmir sending a wave of cheer among newspaper lovers in the Valley.

Owing to the unrest, major newspaper distributors in the Kashmir valley had stopped bringing in newspapers. “Following the unrest in the Valley, we had stopped bringing in newspapers. We stopped doing it on August 1 after police and CRPF personnel did not allow hawkers to distribute newspapers and even did not honour their curfew passes. The securitymen also beat up the hawkers,” said Ghulam Mohiudin, proprietor of Janta News Agency, the sole distributor of national newspapers in Kashmir. “Today, we resumed the supply of newspapers after a gap of two months and four days”, he said.

Jammu, October 5
The results of the main exams of the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) have triggered a fresh controversy in the state, as various Jammu-based organisations allege there is a conspiracy behind the non-disclosure of names and addresses of the qualified candidates.

“A majority of the candidates from the Kashmir valley, who had opted for Urdu as an optional subject, have qualified the test while meritorious candidates from the Jammu region, who had opted for botany and zoology, have been disqualified,” alleged Leela Karan Sharma, former convener of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

He added that the government had deliberately not disclosed the names and addresses of the qualified candidates, as a majority of them belong to the Valley. He took members of the Public Service Commission as well as ministers from the Jammu region to task for maintaining silence over the issue.

The Jammu State Morcha (JSM) has also criticised the state government for singling out meritorious candidates from the Jammu region in the competitive exams.

Addressing a press conference here today, JSM leader Anil Gour regretted that the meritorious candidates from Jammu had been deliberately eliminated from the competitive examinations. He warned that people of the Jammu region would not accept this nefarious design of the government.

The JSM demanded that the Central government should immediately appoint the Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu and sanction Rs 5 lakh each to those killed during the Amarnath land agitation.

The Panthers Party has also demanded the disclosure of the names of all candidates who qualified the KAS mains exams. 

Jammu, October 5
The State Bank Learning Centre, Jammu, which is the premier training institution of State Bank of India (SBI) in north India, today organised a programme on the community banking service.

According to a statement issued here, the programme was organised in association with SOS Children Village, Balgran, Channi Rama.

Assistant General Manager of the bank SK Kapoor was the chief guest on the occasion.

The centre donated garments and other articles of utility to SOS Children Village.

Kapoor said, “We owe a duty to our society and everyone should come forward to help the downtrodden, orphans and destitute so that they may also become part of the society and contribute in the growth of the nation.”

Jammu, October 5
Expressing concern over the hardship being faced by mobile phone users due to the SMS ban in the state, the Kranti Dal today asked the state government to immediately resume the service by lifting the ban.

Addressing a meeting of party workers at Jammu, Kranti Dal leaders said there was no reason for the authorities to ban the SMS in the Jammu region which is by and large peaceful. They said the SMS had been banned in the Valley due to the turmoil there but the same was also imposed in Jammu. They demanded an immediate lifting of the ban.

The Kranti Dal also flayed the Centre as well as the state government for neglecting the Jammu region. They regretted that Jammu was neglected in the eight-point initiatives announced by the Centre for restoring peace in the Valley. 

Jammu, October 5
Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKACL) has constituted a panel of experts for writing an encyclopedia on the Duggar culture.

Additional secretary of the JKACL, Savita Bakshi said, “Almost all subjects pertaining to various aspects of the Duggar culture shall be covered in this proposed encyclopedia.”

She expressed hope that the encyclopedia would be of great help to students, researchers as well as cultural activists.

“The principal topics which shall be covered in the encyclopedia are folk literature, art, history, geography, languages, holy places, personalities, visual and performing arts, tradition, fauna, deities and music,” she said.

Dr Gian Singh, additional secretary (editorial) said the encyclopedia on the culture would also be translated into other modern languages.

Prominent writers, poets and artists who have been roped in for the project include Prof Nilamber Dev Sharma, Prof Ved Ghai, Mohan Singh, Desh Bhandu Dogra Nutan, Dr Lalit Magotra, Prof Sat Paul, Dr Jatinder Udhampuri, Dr Om Vidharthi, DK Vaid, Prof Archana Kesar, Prof Shiv Nirmohi, Dr Anil Kumar, Shiv Dev Singh Sushil, Prof Shiv Dev Manhas, Prof Veena Gupta, Dr Om Goswami, ND Jamwal, Ved Rahi, Prof Posh Charak, Prof Hari Om, Prof Raj Kumar, Prof Rattan Lal Shant , Prof Nirmal Gupta, Prof OP Gupta, Prof Shashi Pathiania, Prof Zahoor-ud-Din, Dr Uasha Vyas and Dr Rama Sharma.

Jammu, October 5
The crime branch of the Jammu police today arrested the NC’s Samba president, Mahender Gupta, for allegedly selling the cement bags of the government at a shop on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway in Bari Brahmana town of Samba.

The police said nearly three trucks of cement bags were seized, which were yet to be counted, from the shop.

A senior police officer of the Crime branch said they had received a complaint that the accused was selling the cement bags illegally. As a result, they had been keeping a vigil on him for the last few days.

He added after collecting ample evidence against the accused, a case under sections 420, 409, 120-B of the RPC and section 3/7 of the Essential Commodities Act was registered at the Crime branch police station, Jammu.

Confirming the arrest of Mahender Gupta, ASP (Crime) RS Sambyal said, “The accused is associated with the National Conference (NC) and has been arrested.” But the ASP did not confirm the designation of the accused with the NC.

“Our team went to the shop of the accused in the morning to conduct a raid. The cement bags are yet to be counted,” Sambyal added. When asked how many persons were involved in this racket, Sambyal said: “So far, only one person has been arrested. However, we are gathering evidence to nail more.”

Jammu, October 5
The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) today cleared 50 building permission cases in a meeting of the Building Operation Controlling Authority.

According to a statement issued here, the meeting was held under the chairmanship of MC Commissioner SC Sawhney.

The building permission cases cleared today would generate a revenue of Rs 8 lakh for the corporation. Besides members of the Building Operation Controlling Authority, Joint Commissioner (Administration), Joint Commissioner (Works) and Senior Town Planner of the JMC also attended the meeting.