Jammu, May 31
Twelve phases of the 16-phase panchayat elections have been successfully completed with unprecedented participation of the people in the formation of the local self-government. Though elections are being held on non-party basis, all political parties have started luring the newly elected panchayat members to give an impression that their supporters emerged victorious in the elections.

The way parties are luring panchayat members to accept their affiliation, the apolitical character of local self-government would be turned into completely political.

While all political parties have been claming victory of their supporters in the elections, there is a competition between the ruling National Conference and the main opposition group Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stake claim that maximum number of their supporters have won panchayat elections. As both parties are arch political rivals, their leaders have been organising functions to felicitate the newly elected panchayat members.

On one hand, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has been addressing series of public meetings in different parts of the state to felicitate panchayat members and on the other ministers of the NC have taken the charge of felicitating sarpanches and panches. Interestingly, majority of the newly elected members are without any political affiliation but now they are being approached by parties to join their groups. “It is not possible for us to remain apolitical because we have to get adequate funds for the development of our area,” said the newly elected sarpanch of Bhalwal who has joined the National Conference.

He said political patronage was must for ensuring the development of his area. “Instead of joining the opposition group, it is better to join the ruling party which would be helpful in getting funds for development,” he said.

The PDP is also luring sarpanches and panches to join their group because the party wants to give a message that people have preferred their candidates in the elections. “We are not luring them, rather the newly elected members are coming forward join to the PDP,” said Trilok Singh Bajwa, while pointing towards an independent sarpanch, Kuldeep Kumar Bhagat of Chakroi, who recently joined the PDP.

Meanwhile, the Congress leadership is also trying its best to bring maximum number of the newly elected members to its fold. Though the Congress ministers tried to remain neutral during the elections, they are now working overtime wooing panchayat members.

Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma recently addressed two functions to felicitate newly elected members only to lure them to join the party.

Similarly, Medical Education and Sports Minister RS Chib has also organised a number of programmes to felicitate the panchayat members in the RS Pura area to strengthen his base in his home constituency of Suchetgarh.

Another Congress leader and former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma has claimed that majority of his party supported candidates have emerged victorious in the Reasi Assembly segment. 

Jammu, May 31
Life has been a nightmare for this teenaged girl. Traumas of successive tragedies dot the life of this 14-year-old girl. Sunita (name changed), who hails from Kishtwar, lost her mother when she was an infant. Because of her father’s poor economic condition, she was compelled to leave school when she was in class II. Her father died two years ago, when she was just 12.

The worst happened four months ago when Sunita’s aunt, an alleged prostitute, lured her into flesh trade and started sending her to clients. Her resistance was of no use.

Luckily on May 26, she jumped out of a running car when a client was forcibly taking her to some unknown destination. She rushed to the police for help. On the basis of her information, the police raided a home at Durga Nagar, Bantalab, and arrested her aunt Santosh Devi (45), wife of Vijay Kumar Parihar, on the charges of holding the minor hostage and forcing her to indulge in flesh trade.

The police said Santosh basically belonged to Kishtwar and was known to the maternal uncle of Sunita, who had given shelter to the orphan girl after her father’s death. While her husband worked in a private company, she was allegedly running a sex racket from her home.

With an intention to capitalise on Sunita’s vulnerability, Santosh cunningly brought her to Jammu four months ago. To convince Sunita’s uncle, she promised to bear all expenses related to her upbringing, besides arranging her marriage as she attains marriageable age.

Presently, Sunita has been kept with a policewoman at her residence. However, neither any NGO nor the State Woman Commission or Human Rights Commission has stepped forward for the rehabilitation of the girl.

Diwakar Singh, SDPO, Domana, said: “After the legal formalities are completed, she will be sent to Nari Niketan or any other reform house. After she attains marriageable, the department will marry her off to a deserving man”.

“The girl is quite innocent and has been victimised by Santosh who has been into this trade for long,” he said, adding that the involvement of more people was likely to surface in the case.

“The case is under investigation and anyone who is found guilty will not be spared,” he said. However, the police has not arrested any other person in this case so far.

Srinagar, May 31
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has approved the enhancement to the threshold of quantum of works for self-help groups from present Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

“This would increase the working orbit of the self-help groups and encourage them to take higher responsibility of undertaking bigger projects,” he said and stressed on promotion of the self-help groups culture in the state. Chairing a high-level meeting recently to review the implementation of guidelines for allotting works to the self-help groups operating in the engineering and rural development departments, the CM asked for fresh registration of the groups and their categorisation according to the capacity to work.

Presently, 285 self-help groups are functioning in the state with a membership of 1,442 engineers. The works of Rs 34.33 crore have been allotted to them during last year. By directing fresh registration for the self-help groups, the CM has opened new avenues of jobs and independent livelihood earning opportunities to the unemployed engineers in the state, who can organise themselves into groups and get the benefits of the scheme. “More capacity building will earn further enhancement to the allotment of works limit,” Omar said and directed for encouraging and providing every facility and help to the engineers intending to organise themselves in the self-help groups.

The CM directed the departments concerned to implement the guidelines for allotting works to the self-help groups in a letter. And help the engineering graduates to earn their independent livelihood besides rendering service for quality implementation of development schemes. “I will like to see the visible growth of the self-help groups and attractive incentives for them to nurture and develop in the coming years,” he asserted.

Omar also directed for creating one nodal officer in each department concerned to look into the affairs of the self-help groups and monitoring the implementation of guidelines properly.

“In fact the commissioner secretaries of these departments should monitor the mechanism periodically and the minister concerned by yearly,” he said.

In an interaction with Tribune correspondent Archit Watts, the Director General of Police (DGP), J&K, Kuldeep Khoda, spoke at length about the various strategies to be followed to maintain law and order in the state.

The following are the excerpts:

Q: What is the major challenge before the Jammu and Kashmir Police today?

A: It’s been more than 20 years since we have been fighting militancy and bringing peace back to the state is the biggest challenge for us. Nearly 350 terrorists belonging to the four terrorist groups - Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Al Badar - all funded by Pakistan, are active in the state. Our efforts to restore peace, deal with law and order situations, especially in the Valley are continuing.

Currently, we are focusing on these aspects as our aim for 2011 is to avoid the loss of life and property across the state while dealing with such incidents.

Q: Last year, over 100 people were killed during unrest in the Valley. What are your plans this year to deal with such untoward incidents, especially the stone-pelting mob?

A: We always adopt new techniques to deal with such situations and this year, we are adopting non-lethal weapons to deal with crowd, as mostly police personnel face problems while dealing with a violent mob. For this purpose, we have formed five battalions, especially to deal with the stone-pelting mob, and these are equipped with full body protective gears, non-lethal weapons like plastic pellets for SLR guns, pump action guns, coloured water canons, triple-action smoke grenades, besides other traditional methods and weapons.

Q: Other than crowd control methods, how are you preparing to deal with youngsters, just to change their minds?

A: A large number of youngsters were found involved in violent incidents and a fairly large number of them were arrested in stone pelting activities last year. That’s why we are opening health clubs, organising sports tourneys, talent hunt contests, seminars and debates on various issues to help them explore their talent and make them aware of rightful living.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also ordered all government departments to listen to the grievances of the public with much care so that they would have no need to adopt any subversive method.

Q: Is there any major threat from Pakistan this summer as the intelligence agencies have from time to time sounded alert about terrorist strikes?

A: We consider all these inputs seriously. We have recently received reports that Pakistani rangers or other agencies in Pakistan are continuously trying to push terrorists into our territory. The terrorists have set up more than 20 main camps near our boundary. They are also funding separatists or anti-social elements here to carry on their operations.

Q: How do you take the threats of Syed Salahuddin, chief of HM, who has released a number of videos showing terrorist training camps on the other side?

A: No, he is no one to dare us. We are well prepared, as our government both at the Centre and state has full faith on us and we are very much capable in dealing with any such threat. It is not a question of fear from any individual, when a country (Pakistan) is already trying to harm us.

Q: Besides foreign ultras, is there any threat from Sikh militants?

A: Yes, there are some inputs that Sikh militants are trying hard to enter into the state from the other side, but our intelligence agencies like the CID, IB and RAW’s information about all this has helped us a lot. So far, there is no Sikh militant active here.

Q: You have so far spoken about militancy, is the law and order under control in J&K?

A: The year 2010 has proved far better as compared to 2009. The figure related to serious crime has also come down. If this continued, the day will be not be far when this state will appear as one of the top tourist places across the world.

Q: Will the troop reduction increase the burden on the police?

A: Let the Ministry of Home decide the issue. But, we are very much prepared to deal with all kind of situations.

Srinagar, May 31
In a significant achievement, the state’s handicraft exports have touched an all-time high of Rs 1004 crore by ending March this year as compared to Rs 661.24 crore during the previous financial year.

This information was given by Minister for Industries & Commerce SS Slathia while reviewing the performance of the Handicraft Department at a high-level meeting here recently.

He said the government was mobilising all available options and resources to give boost to the handicraft sector which provides livelihood to about 4 lakh people in the state, an official spokesperson said.

The Minister said measures were underway to provide all possible export-oriented facilities to artisans and handicraft traders, adding that after strenuous efforts of the state government, the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs has established Foreign Trade Affairs Office in Srinagar where a senior officers of Indian Trade Service (ITS), A. Saibaboo, Assistant Director General, Foreign Trade Affairs, has already assumed the charge. Opening of this trade service here was a long-pending demand of artisans and handicraft traders, Slathia added.

In addition, the Director General, Foreign Trade, has authorised the director, Handicraft, J&K, as the licencing authority for issuing registration-cum-membership certificates by the virtue of which artisans and handicraft dealers would now be able to get exemption from export duty without going to Delhi for getting themselves registered with various export promotion councils in New Delhi.

The Minister said with the increase in the monthly stipend of trainees from Rs 100 per month (basic course) to Rs 500 per month and from Rs 200 pm to Rs 700 per month for advanced course, the government was poised to utilise 100 per cent intake capacity in all 553 handicraft centres running in the state.

The Handicraft Department has set the target to train 12,000 youth in various handicraft trades during the current financial year. The Minister also directed for expeditiously completing ambitious project to replace all traditional looms with the modern looms under implementation at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore.

It was informed that 39 looms had already been replaced by modern looms while the remaining 35 looms would be replaced by June 20 this year.

The Minister said the government would explore all possibilities to provide free insurance cover to BPL artisans, adding that state awards for outstanding artisans would be revived from the current year to encourage artists to adopt handicraft as a dignified profession.

He also directed by organising convening buyer-seller meets and awareness programmes regarding potential of handicraft in providing job avenues in every nook and corner of the state in consultation with the local public representatives.

Slathia directed that each trainee should be paid stipend through banks to bring more transparency and accountability in the working of the Handicraft Department.

“Ensure that each handicraft centre is fully functional or face strict action,” Slathia warned field officers.

He said handicraft of the state had world acceptability and the onus lies on all of us to exploit the economic and employment potential in this sector optimally to bring speedy social economic transformation in the state.

He also directed the field officers not to shift training centres without the knowledge of the local public representatives.

Srinagar, May 31
The state government is contemplating to set up a zoo in Srinagar for which suitable land is being identified in a natural ambience in the capital city here in which all kinds of animals and birds will be kept for the attraction of locals as well as tourists.

This was stated by Forest Minister Mian Altaf Ahmad while chairing a high-level meeting of the officers of the Forest, Wildlife, Forest Protection Force and other allied departments here recently.

The meeting discussed the steps being taken for the conservation of Kashmiri hangul and markhore in the state, an official spokesperson said.

The meeting was informed that there were 218 hangul (deer) in Dachigam and its adjoining areas at present as per the Census-2011, which shows a marginal rise in their population. The Minister said the Department of Wildlife Protection in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India had been regularly monitoring the hangul population in the Dachigam National Park and its adjoining areas since 2004. He said the Census report conducted through the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, had indicated rise in the population. The Minister was informed that the Wildlife Department had simultaneously started a survey of hangul all over the Kashmir valley apart from Dachigam in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India, New Delhi. The survey would indicate the distribution trends of hangul population in its natural relic habitats.

Jammu, May 31
On the lines of the IPL, the Nowshera Brigade of the Army organised the “Nowshera Premier League T20 Cricket Tournament” from May 23 to May 27 at Rumlidhara Ground. The initiative was organised under the aegis of “Ace of Spade Division” (Rajouri).

The tournament saw participation of sports clubs from all over the region, even attracting clubs from the remote areas of Laam to Kalal. The grand finale was marked by the match on May 27 between Jhangar XI and Nowshera XI. Winning the toss Nowshera XI won the toss electing to bat first and was all out at 108 runs. Jhangar XI fought hard and scored 109 runs to win the match by four wickets.

The match was witnessed by 1,500 persons comprising schoolchildren, noted civilian personalities, media and eminent dignitaries.

The tournament saw the participation of six cricket clubs. Brigadier Balraj Mehta, Commander, Nowshera Brigade, was the chief guest and gave away the prizes to the winners.

The team selected in the tournament will now represent the Nowshera region in the forthcoming Rajouri Premier League.

Srinagar, May 31
He says he has special love and emotional bonding with the people of the Kashmir valley, especially the youth, who have suffered a lot during the two decades of armed insurgency.

“It is my emotional bonding with the youth of Kashmir that I chose Kashmir as my first stop of my countrywide tour to create awareness among the youth to take science and technology as their career,” Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar told The Tribune in an exclusive interview in Srinagar.

“I will be interacting with a cross-section of society. I met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Governor NN Vohra and academicians. I also travelled to Awantipora. My idea is to go to the heart of the Valley in order to ensure a meaningful outreach to the people of Kashmir in its interiors where violence has for many years inflicted extreme hardships on them and where there is a sense of despondency among the youth. I do hope that my visit will make a humble contribution,” the minister said.

Commenting on the UPA’s commitment to resolve the Kashmir issue with meaningful dialogue, Ashwani said, “It is the stated position of the Government of India that a political settlement of all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir issue, within the framework of the Constitution is the way forward. I am absolutely certain that terrorists and separatists will recognise the futility of the use of violence and killing of innocent people for settling political issues,”

Asked about the demand of chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq that his faction was ready for negotiations, not with the interlocutors but with the people who have the power to take decisions, Ashwani said, “It is self evident that the decision with respect to the situation in Kashmir will eventually be taken by the top leadership of the UPA and the Central Cabinet. The work of the interlocutors at present should be seen as a part of a larger process to access and identify the situation in various dimensions on the ground and by the wide process of consultation in the state as a whole”.

He added that, “At the same time all legitimate grievances of the people in the state need to be sympathetically addressed”.

The Union minister said his discussion with the Chief Minister was fruitful, as the Jammu and Kashmir Government has a vision for the all-round economic development of the state and a key component of which is peace and political stability. It is focusing on certain specific sectors such as electricity generation, promotion of arts and crafts, non-polluting industry and tourism in the state.

Ashwani said the state needed to be self-reliant and utilise its internal resources. “The state has a long way to go, but we need to make a beginning now. It is clear that the state must utilise its hydroelectric potential, which stands at 25,000 MW and as of now only 2,500 MW is being generated. Besides, a comprehensive action plan is needed to reduce transmission and distribution losses throughout the state to make it self-reliant,” he said.