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Phase VI peaceful ,
80.52% cast vote
Development main issue in Ramkote area
Brothers of two Khalistan ultras win in Simbal Camp
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Politicians openly support, campaign for candidates
27 Independent win in Langate block
Poll rescheduled in Kashmir, Ladakh
Self-determination
only solution to Kashmir issue: Geelani
Woman killed,6 injured in fire incidents
73 apply under rehab policy in Poonch
Govt gave in to Geelani’s diktats: BJP
Doctors shifted for negligence of duty
Roll back new VAT form, demands industry
Cancel Combined Civil Services exam, says BJP
Number plate makers hold protest
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Phase VI peaceful ,
80.52% cast vote
Gujru Nagrota (Kathua), May 4 In the Jammu province, except for the Thanamandi and Dongi blocks, all other areas were considered peaceful zones. Despite threats by separatists and militants against participating in the poll, 81.90 per cent and 80.90 per cent of polling was registered in the Thanamandi and Dongi blocks, respectively. Reports from Rajouri said at least 12 persons suffered injuries in a clash between the supporters of two candidates for the post of sarpanch in the Behrot panchayat. Two of the injured persons were shifted to a Rajouri hospital. Although the authorities were ‘investigating’ the case, reports said the clash broke out when the supporters of a candidate objected to giving the voting right to a minor boy. The polling remained suspended for some time but later restarted following the intervention by the police. A minor incident took place at Lakhari in the Ramkote area, but with the intervention of locals the matter was resolved amicably. Today’s elections were held for the 320 posts of sarpanch and 2,320 posts of panch. Of the total 360,097 voters, 289,936 cast their votes. The Reasi and Majalta blocks registered 75 per cent polling. Of the total 25,115 voters, including 11,762 women voters, in the Majalta block, 9,680 male and 9,166 female voters cast their votes to decide the fate of 17 sarpanches and 128 panches. In the block, 128 polling stations had been set up to facilitate the Enthusiasm among the voters can be gauged from the fact that a 112-year-old man, Punjab Singh from Battal panchayat, reached the polling station to cast his vote. Besides, Sandhoku Ram, a 75-year-old physically challenged person, also used his right of franchise at Thalora
panchayat.
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Development main issue in Ramkote area
Ramkote (Kathua), May 4 Although some other important issues were also raked up by the candidates, development was the only issue for the voters who turned out in a large number to exercise their right to franchise. Voters were overenthusiastic to participate in the elections because these were directly linked with their lives. “We don’t have to convince the voters to come out for voting. A majority of the people voluntarily are coming forward to vote because they are aware that these elections are very important for them,” said Budhi Singh, who contested the election for the post of sarpanch from the Ramkote panchayat. This belt situated on the sides of the Dhar road is famous for a high literacy rate. The voters were also much aware of state specific and national issues but they gave preference to the local issues. “I will vote for only that candidate who I think is capable of accelerating development activities in our areas,” said Jeevanand, a resident of Ramkote. Although this belt is more developed than other areas of Kathua and Udhampur districts, residents of the Ramkote area were particular about further development. “One cannot make false promises to the voters in the panchayat elections because we have to face them every day after the elections. So we are concentrating only on those issues which we will resolve after the elections,” said Ramesh Gupta, who contested for the post of Sarpanch in the Khoon
panchayat.
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Brothers of two Khalistan ultras win in Simbal Camp
Simbal Camp (RS Pura), May 4 The top of the list is Rabinder Singh Binder, younger brother of Ranjeet Singh Neeta, one of the 20 most wanted terrorists of the country. Binder is also the brother-in-law of Ravinder Kaur, the first woman human bomb in Punjab, who also belonged to Simbal Camp village. While Neeta, as per the last reports, was in Pakistan trying to regroup the Khalistan Zindabad Force, his brother Binder played an instrumental role in the development activities in Simbal Camp village. He also helped in the regularisation of land records, which continued in the name of pre-1947 owners and got a road to his village constructed after many decades. Egged on by villagers to contest the elections, Binder then organised rallies on the premises of a temple and emerged victorious by securing over 80 per cent of non-Sikh votes. Remarkably, he had suffered multiple fractures in leg and arms in a road accident in March and addressed a couple of rallies while lying on a bed. However, he could not do aggressive campaigning. “My victory is the victory of democracy and secularism. I hope the government will give special attention towards the development of my village. I have already got installed streetlights at main chowks in the village,” Binder said. He added that leaders of all political parties encouraged him to contest the panchayat elections, but he was especially indebted to the Congress and Cabinet minister Raman Bhalla for helping him. “I don’t want to talk much about Neeta. But for me, winning the panchayat elections and doing development work is the right way,” he said. He remembered how he and his family members were tortured several times when Punjab was fighting terrorism. While Binder has won from the Nihalpur Simbal-Lower panchayat, Raja Singh, the younger brother of another Khalistan militant, Mohinder Singh Pappi, has won from the Dheendi Kalan-Lower seat. Both seats were in Simbal Camp village, a name synonymous with terrorism during its peak time in Punjab. The Punjab Police used to raid this place regularly then. Later, the Central government stationed two battalions of the Indian Reserve Police here. Raja Singh said, “Bloodshed and violence wreck havoc only”. “We can make a difference by sitting across the table. Development brings equality and it is the only solution,” he added.
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Politicians openly support, campaign for candidates
Ramkote (Kathua), May 4 Leaders of almost all political parties are campaigning for their candidates. The candidates supported by the ruling parties have been trying to lure the voters by promising adequate help from the government if they were elected as members of the panchayats. Political lines were clearly drawn between two candidates contesting for the post of sarpanch in Ramkote panchayat of Kathua district, located on the border of Udhampur. While the BJP was openly supporting Budhi Singh, the Congress was rooting for Sanju Raina. Budhi Singh is a prominent BJP leader. As the BJP and the Congress are rivals in the Ramkote area, leaders of both parties are in the fray in this “non-political” panchayat elections. In the adjoining Majalta block of Udhampur, which borders Kathua district, the contest was between the candidates supported by the Panthers Party and the Congress. As this block falls under the Ramnagar Assembly segment, Panthers Party stalwart Harsh Dev Singh, who is a three time MLA from this segment, is using all his resources to ensure the victory of his men in the elections. Newly-appointed senior vice-president of the Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) RS Pathanai, who is a native of this block, has taken charge of the Congress to register its presence in the segment, which is considered to be the citadel of the Panthers Party. The political divide in this belt can be gauged from the fact that on most of the posts of sarpanch there was a straight contests between the candidates supported by the Panthers Party and the Congress. The Khoon panchayat, which is the last panchayat of Udhampur district located on the border with Kathua district, witnessed a straight contest between Tara Singh and Ramesh Gupta. While the Panthers Party was supporting Tara Singh, the Congress was behind Ramesh Gupta. Similarly in the Pathyar panchayat, the Congress was supporting Charan Dass while the Panthers Party was supporting Raj Kumar. Interestingly, both Congress and Panthers Party have complained to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and blamed each other for politicising the panchayat elections. State general secretary of the BJP Satish Sharma, who is a native of Ramkote, alleged that a state minister belonging to the Congress, who is the MLA from the Billawar Assembly segment, had been misusing the official machinery to capture panchayats. “Minister of State for Cooperatives Manohar Lal Sharma has been misusing his official position to manipulate the panchayat elections,” Satish, who was asking people to vote for the candidate supported by the BJP, told The Tribune.
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27 Independent win in Langate block
Srinagar, May 4 Though the elections are held on non-party basis, the reports suggested that Independent candidates emerged victorious in the Langate block, where 27 Independent panches of the 38 candidates had been elected with a massive participation of the people. The Langate Assembly constituency is represented by Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid. Similarly, in the Tangmarg block of Baramulla district, the candidates owing allegiance to the National Conference and the Democratic Party (Nationalist) were the winners. — TNS
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Poll rescheduled in Kashmir, Ladakh
Srinagar, May 4 Meanwhile, the State Election Authority has issued a fresh notification by modifying earlier notifications for the polling in some blocks in the far-flung and snow-bound areas of Bandipore and Shopian districts in the Valley and Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region, all of these falling in the Kashmir division. Accordingly, the polling in the Gurez and Tulail blocks of Bandipore district will now be held on June 18, as the area remains cut off from the rest of the Valley due to a heavy accumulation of snow on the only road link to the area from Bandipore. The polling in the Keller block of Shopian district will be held on June 11. In Leh district of the Ladakh region, polling in the three blocks of Leh, Chuchut and Kahru will be held on June 2, the Nobra, Panamic, Nyoma and Durbuk blocks on June 6 and Khaltsi and Suspol blocks on June 18. Similarly, in Kargil district the polling in the four blocks of Kargil, Trespone, Sanko and Shekar Chetan will be held on June 11. Five other blocks of Kargil district, namely the Taisura, Drass, Shargole, Zanskar and Lungnuk will go to the polls on July 10.
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Self-determination
only solution to Kashmir issue: Geelani
While the moderate APHC chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, addressed a two-day conference in Brussels, the other leaders conveyed their message through tele-conference here for the international meet organised by the Kashmir Centre, Brussels, and the All Party Group of European Union. Though the police had earlier tried to foil the tele-conference being addressed by the separatist leaders, it was organised at a local hotel at Barbarshah in the central Lal Chowk area. In his address, Geelani rejected any solution “imposed from outside” or within the framework of the Indian Constitution to the long-pending Kashmir issue. He sought the international community to impress upon India to pave the way for the resolution of the Kashmir issue through the right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir involving a population of more than one crore. Addressing the fifth Global Discourse on Kashmir, the Mirwaiz said the recent developments in the Middle East were a categorical expression of the sentiments and aspirations of the people living there. He said this was a clear message for those suppressing the aspirations of the people that they would have to bow to the collective will of the masses. “Therefore, it is the right time for the Government of India to take the aspirations of Kashmir people seriously and work towards the resolution of the Kashmir conflict,” he said. He hailed India’s engagement with Pakistan over the issue and hoped that it would lead to a positive outcome provided it was made inclusive and the Kashmiri leadership was associated with the process. “The dialogue should help reduce the apprehensions and the people must feel its impact in their day-to-day life. In fact, the confidence needs to be built at different levels,” he said. The implementation of the suggestions already sent to the Centre by the APHC could be a starting point, the Mirwaiz added. Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah, in his message, said the Kashmir issue was not a territorial dispute between Indian and Pakistan, but a matter pertaining to the political future of 15 million people of the state. “If your efforts help in resolving this dispute, it can create friendship between two armed nuclear neighbours. Kashmir is the basic cause of tension between the two countries,” he added.
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Woman killed,6 injured in fire incidents
Jammu, May 4 A fire broke out in the house of Akbar in the remote Kuchhal area of Kishtwar district late last night and spread to three other houses, SSP, Kishtwar, Bhim Sen Toti said. In the fire incident, Jeena Begun was burnt alive, Toti said. He added that four other persons received minor burn injuries. In another incident, a gas cylinder exploded last night during refilling of gas into a car in the Bakshi Nagar area of Jammu city resulting in fire, the police said. Chander Prakash (shop owner) and Tarseem received burn injuries while two shops and a car were gutted in the fire, it added. The injured were hospitalised, they said. — PTI
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73 apply under rehab policy in Poonch
Jammu, May 4 Last year, the coalition government had announced amnesty to such youth, who had crossed over to the occupied Kashmir (PoK) during 1989 to 2009 for undergoing arms training but now wanted to come back. “As per our record, 180 youth had crossed the LoC over the years to undergo arms training in the PoK and so far the police has received 73 applications from the families of such youth, who want to come back and get settled under the rehabilitation policy,” said official sources. Ever since the announcement of the policy by the government, the police had received more than 600 applications in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, a fact recently substantiated by the GoC of the Ace of Spades Division, Major-Gen Om Prakash. The sources said though the state government had announced the policy, the police had been facing problems, as some of the youth, who got married in the PoK over the years, wanted to bring back their wives and children. The Army had also endorsed the policy, as anything that helped in restoring peace and tranquillity to the state should be given a chance, said an Army officer. “They are our own people, who had been misled in the name of ‘freedom struggle’. There is no harm in giving them an opportunity, provided they have realised the futility of the gun and want to live as law-abiding citizens,” he added. After requisite spadework, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had approached the Centre, which in turn had endorsed his scheme of things. Now, after putting in place proper checks and balances, the policy was being put into motion, said sources in the state Home Department. Besides the NC, the PDP also strongly advocated for the return of Kashmiri youth to the mainstream.
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Govt gave in to Geelani’s diktats: BJP
Jammu, May 4 According to a handout issued by the BJP, the party today held demonstrations in various parts of the Jammu region and threatened that it would not allow the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the NC-Congress coalition in the state to play with the future of the Dogra youth in the state. While addressing party activists of Samba district, the national executive member and chief spokesperson of the party, Dr Jitendra Singh, said the NC-led coalition government was indulging in communal and divisive politics and taking all decisions on the diktats of separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Meanwhile, state president of the Panthers Party and Udhampur MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia has announced to launch an agitation in protest against the revocation of the Dogra certificate order. Accusing the Congress of succumbing to separatists and the NC “blackmail” on the Dogra certificate issue, Mankotia said the Panthers Party would hold protests from May 11 at their district headquarters, starting from Udhampur. He said the people of Jammu knew about the anti-Jammu policies of the NC, but the UPA government’s decision to bow before the separatists had hurt the sentiments of the Dogra community across the Jammu region.
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Doctors shifted for negligence of duty
Srinagar, May 4 The transfer was ordered yesterday after the Director Health Services, Kashmir, Saleem-ul-rehman, conducted a surprise visit of the hospital, 35 km from here, an official spokesman said today. He said the director also ordered an inquiry against the block medical officer, Khursheed Ahmad Khan, for number of referrals to tertiary care hospitals for the past one-year despite the hospital having been upgraded to the level of a first referral unit. While reviewing the work at the hospital, the spokesman said despite availability of three gynaecologists, two physician specialists, two surgeons, one B-grade anaesthetist, four theatre assistants, only 15 lower segment cesarean section procedures and 260 normal deliveries had been conducted there. “The doctors have been very irregular towards their legitimate duties. This was substantiated when two gynaecologists were found absent during the visit,” the spokesman said. He said the absent doctors were transferred and replacement had been made available. Assistant surgeon Khan, who has been looking after the duties of the block medical officer, Kreeri, for the past four years has been transferred and posted as assistant surgeon at the Community Health Centre, Chandoosa. On random check of stores and the National Rural Health Mission accounts, some discrepancies had allegedly been found for which an enquiry was being ordered to fix the responsibility, the spokesman added. — PTI
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Roll back new VAT form, demands industry
Jammu, May 4 “After having detailed discussions with the Commissioner of the Commercial Tax Department on April 29 about the difficulties and hardships the assessees are likely to face while filing returns in the new VAT forms, the Commissioner had promised us to forward our request to the higher authorities for the withdrawal of the new format,” said JCCI secretary-general Satish Gupta. Now, despite the promise the department was organising an awareness programme on the subject, Gupta added. The JCCI could not understand that how its concern for the new return forms would be addressed by the Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, he said. He added that the Chamber liked to emphasise that the new return forms were not practical, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, which was “The trading community is of the opinion that the existing VAT return forms are sufficient and elicit the required information for the purpose of tax to the government,” said Gupta. The Chamber earnestly appealed to the authorities that the new Vat return forms should be withdrawn to facilitate the smooth operation of business in the state, he added.
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Cancel Combined Civil Services exam, says BJP
Jammu, May 4 “It cannot be a coincidence that the wards of top bureaucrats, ruling politicians and members of the state Public Service Commission have made it to the highest merit list in the state civil services examinations,” he said. He added that there was an urgent need to probe the allegations that some of the candidates, who had failed in the written examination, were given full marks (of the total 250) in the viva. He said while some of the meritorious candidates, who had scored high marks in the written examination, were ‘deliberately’ given very low marks in the viva. “This amounts to a criminal conspiracy to usurp the genuine merit and surreptitiously push in the favoured candidates,” he said. Jitendra Singh said there was need to investigate whether besides nepotism, money also played a part in these selections. He added that the 12 per cent viva marks were ideally meant only for personality interview and the overall assessment of the candidates’s calibre. If these marks were being manipulated for dubious considerations, it called for another look into the selection criteria.
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Number plate makers hold protest
Jammu, April 4 The department seized equipment and material from some shops yesterday for producing number plates and show plates not conforming to the prescribed traffic norms. However, the plate makers alleged that they were being harassed. “Most of the number plates on the government vehicles and even the vehicle of the Transport Commissioner do not comply with the norms and have been produced with the same material and using the same equipment,” alleged Rajesh Billu, a demonstrator. Later, the demonstrators lifted the dharna and called on Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Raman Bhalla at his residence here in the evening. “Tomorrow, we will call upon the IG, Traffic, in the morning. If there is no positive outcome, we will continue with the protest outside the office of Transport Commissioner,” the protesters said. |
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Barring a few minor incidents of violence, the sixth phase of the panchayat elections passed off peacefully today with 80.52 per cent of voters casting their votes in nine blocks of the state.
Expressing concern over reports regarding nepotism in the final selection list of the Combined Civil Services (CCS) examination 2009, Dr Jitendra Singh, BJP’s state chief spokesperson and national executive member, has urged the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission and the government to cancel the selection list and go for a fresh selection process in order to restore the confidence of the youth.
As clashes between the supporters of candidates took place in the Sunal, Neeli, Panara and Lakhari areas of Udhampur and Kathua districts on the eve of the polling yesterday, the authorities had made elaborate arrangements today to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.
Srinagar, May 4