|
|
|
|
|
J&K Cong chief takes U-turn on AFSPA
JKPCC chief draws flak from BJP
State to rehabilitate manual scavengers
Soldier shot dead by colleague at Nowshera
Cop held for links with ultras
|
|
|
IGNOU’s partner institutions to minimise staff strength
Migrants meet Governor, seek hike in cash relief
Despite militant attacks, AFSPA debate continues
PoK resident in jail for 5 yrs for offence punishable by 2 yrs
|
|
J&K Cong chief takes U-turn on AFSPA
Jammu/Srinagar, May 28 Fearing strong reaction from Jammu-based parties and a group within his own party for “toeing” the line of the PDP, National Conference and separatists, Soz on Tuesday took a U-turn on his statement on AFSPA revocation. “I have been misquoted by a section of media on this issue,” Soz told The Tribune on phone and added that his stand on the issue was clear that all stakeholders should be consulted before taking the final decision. “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah being the head of the Unified Command, I asked him to hold consultations with Army Commanders on this issue,” he said, adding that he was in favour of revoking the Act from some peaceful areas provided all stakeholders, including the Army, were brought on the same page. “Furthermore, I am of the opinion that this issue should not be politicised for political gains,” he said. Meanwhile, Omar, while replying to queries from mediapersons on the sidelines of a function to lay the foundation stone of Central University of Kashmir near Srinagar today, said initially the state Congress chief had certain reservations over the issue but now had no reservations over the revocation of AFSPA from some areas of the state. “Now there is a change and that will definitely be a support in Delhi,” Omar remarked. He, however, made it clear that there was no politicisation over the issue. On the reports about construction of roads by China up to 5 km inside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region, the Chief Minister said so far there were no such reports. If China was constructing roads on the Indian side of the LAC, the matter would be taken up by the Central government, Omar added. |
||
|
JKPCC chief draws flak from BJP
Jammu, May 28 Reacting to Soz’s statement, member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and former minister Gulchain Singh Charak cautioned against taking any hasty decision on matters which were directly linked to the security of the nation. “The consent of all stakeholders is a must to take a final decision on AFSPA,” he said while pointing to the recent spurt in terrorist attacks in the Kashmir valley. The BJP reacted strongly to announcement on revocation of AFPSA. “The double standards of the JKPCC chief have been exposed after his statement on AFSPA... he has brazenly toed the line of the NC, PDP and separatists to appease anti-national forces,” alleged Jugal Kishore Sharma, state president of the BJP. Panthers Party president Balwant Singh Mankotia also took Soz to task for politicising the security issue. “It is very unfortunate that the state president of a national party has been indulging in competitive politics to appease Valley-based separatists,” he said. |
||
|
State to rehabilitate manual scavengers
Jammu, May 28 For the purpose, the state government has constituted a state-level committee besides 22 district-level and town-level panels to conduct a detailed survey of manual scavengers and their dependents. The committee is expected to complete the exercise by July 31. “A state-level committee headed by the administrative secretary, Social Welfare Department, has been formed to conduct a detailed survey on manual scavengers. The department will be the nodal department to coordinate the survey, while the director, Economics and Statistics, will be the state level nodal officer,” an order of the General Administration Department (GAD), headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said. It stated that the Deputy Commissioners would be the district-level nodal officers. “The state-level survey committee also comprises directors of the Social Welfare Departments of the Jammu and Kashmir regions, regional director of the J&K Census Operations, directors of local bodies of the Jammu and Kashmir regions, representatives of the Housing and Urban Development Department not below the rank of special secretary, a representative of NGOs working for the welfare of manual scavengers and safai karamcharis (to be nominated by the Housing and Urban Development Department) and a community representative (to be nominated by the director of the local bodies) as members,” it said. “The committee has been assigned the task of coordinating and monitoring the work of survey of manual scavengers besides making a state-level list of manual scavengers,” the GAD order said. “Though the government has always remained in the denial mode vis-à-vis the prevalence of manual scavenging in the state, there are around 1.78 lakh households (according to Census 2011) in the state which are still dependent on human-waste carriers,” a source said. The source said that the state government had enacted the J&K Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 2010 to discourage the practice but it was not implemented effectively. The violation of the Act invites imprisonment, for a term which may extend up to one year, or fine. The Supreme Court had recently pulled up the Union government for its failure to enact a law to ban manual scavenging. |
||
|
Soldier shot dead by colleague at Nowshera
Rajouri, May 28 Mukesh Tiwari, a resident of Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), and Ratinder Kumar Chobe, a resident of Bassar (Bihar), of 33 Rashtriya Rifles posted at the Kalal area had an altercation at about 11.30 pm yesterday, following which Ratinder fired at Mukesh from his AK-47 service rifle. Mukesh was killed on the spot. “Mukesh (28) started his service in the Army nearly eight years ago with 45 Cavalry and was attached with 33 Rashtriya Rifles posted near the LOC in Kalal,” said Pardeep Goria, sub-district police officer, Nowshera. He said Ratinder (26) had joined the Army in 2005 and was now attached with 33 Rashtriya Rifles. “Both soldiers were posted in the forward post of the Kalal area for the last two months and had been close friends.” Goria said, “When we received the information about the death of a soldier from senior army officers, a police team was rushed to the spot which took the soldier’s body for postmortem examination to Nowshera hospital.” An FIR under Section 302 of the RPC has been registered with the Nowshera police station against Ratinder Kumar Chobe for killing his colleague. Goria said, “The soldier had been shot in his eye, chest and the upper part of a leg. We have recovered seven empty cases of bullets from the spot and seized Ratinder’s AK-47 service rifle.” Officiating PRO, Defence, SN Achariya said, “It was an unfortunate spat between two close friends which resulted in the death of one of them. The Army has initiated an inquiry into the incident.” He said Mukesh’s body had been sent to his native place for last rites. |
||
|
Cop held for links with ultras
Srinagar, May 28 Sources said Hilal Gul of Rafiabad, who was posted in the 18th Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP), was detained recently after his name surfaced during the questioning of Pakistani militant Fahadullah, a resident of Multan in Pakistan, who was arrested on April 17 from a village near Sopore. “Once the name of the policeman surfaced, we picked him up and during questioning, he admitted that he was providing logistic help to a LeT commander who was active in his native area since 2009,” said a police officer. “Gul was also a confidant of Fahadullah and we recovered one pressure cooker mine and 20 rounds of assault rifle ammunition from the arrested policeman. The ammunition and the mine were given to him by Fahadullah to ferry them to other places,” he said. The Sopore police has already registered a case under Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Act and 7/ 25 of the Arms Act. “Gul is now in police custody and we are questioning him to know about his activities,” he added. Police sources said Gul, who was posted in south Kashmir, was helping the LeT to carry arms and ammunitions. This is not for the first time that a policeman has been detained for his links with militants. In June last, the police nabbed four of its policemen from the intelligence wing for “planning to orchestrate terror strikes to create chaos in the state.” These policemen were accused of carrying weapons and providing sensitive information about the movement of police officers. |
||
|
Centre keen to set up knowledge economy, says HRD Minister
Tulamulla
(Ganderbal), May 28 The minister was speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Central University of Kashmir here today. He said efforts were on to develop a good Central university, which would not only generate educational temperament but also help in the growth and development of the area. He said 40 Central universities had been opened in the country, out of which two were in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Right to Education initiative of the UPA government had helped in increasing the enrolment of children in schools. He said presently, 23 crore children were receiving education in classes I-XII in the country. He said the mid-day meal was being provided to over 11 crore children and the growth of schools across the country was fast. Pallam Raju along with the Chief Minister, in the presence of Union minister Farooq Abdullah (MP) and others, laid the foundation stone of the university in lush environs near Tulamulla village. University Chancellor Srikumar Banerjee and Vice Chancellor Abdul Wahid, ministers, senior civil and police administration officers were among others present on the occasion. University students presented ‘University Tarana’ (anthem) for the first time on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Omar said the youth of the state were second to none in talent and ability, which was evident from their outstanding performance in the national-level examinations. “Their quest to seek higher education from reputed institutions of the country makes them move out of the state to other parts of the country,” he said, while expressing concern over difficulties faced by Kashmiri students in getting accommodations and carrying on their educational activities. “I am reiterating time and again to national and state forums that there is a dire need to change the mindset vis-a-vis Kashmiri youth pursuing education and those engaged in economic activities at the national level so that they do not feel any discrimination at any level and are not exposed to any trouble,” he said. The Chief Minister said every Kashmiri was not a gun-wielding person and that most of those who had once held guns had renunciated violence. |
||
|
IGNOU’s partner institutions to minimise staff strength
Jammu, May 28 Sources said the partner institutions had suffered a huge setback after the head of the convergence unit, Indira Gandhi National Open University , did not respond positively to the notice of the high court to start admitting students in various programmes for the July 2012 cycle under the Convergence Scheme. As a result, the sources said, these institutions were left with no option but to minimise their staff strength to curb their expenses. Ashok Khajuria, one of the members of the Association of All Partner Institutions of India, said, “Yes, the managements of the partner institutions have decided to sack their employees because we cannot afford to give salaries to employees every month.” “Every partner institution has recruited five to six employees to run programmes smoothly. These include programme coordinators, clerks, helpers, teachers etc. There are very slim chances of any breakthrough because the Indira Gandhi National Open University authorities do not seem very keen to solve this vexed issue,” he said. “The partner institutions have started reimbursing course fee to students and
it is just a matter of time when the employees recruited by the institutions will be issued pink
slips. It is very difficult for us to sack employees but we have no other option left,” another All Partner Institutions of India member said. Khajuria said, “The partner institutions have asked their employees to make their arrangements as they would shortly be issued pink slips.” He said, “Before taking the decision to stop the Convergence Scheme suddenly, it was imperative for the Indira Gandhi National Open University authorities to inform the partner institutions, which did
not happen.” The objective of the Convergence Scheme was to achieve targets set out in the 11th plan document for higher education and focus on access and equity issues. The scheme was jointly conceived by the University Grants Commission, Indira Gandhi National Open University , Distance Education Council and the All India Council for
Technical Education under the guidance of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. |
||
|
Train service till Katra likely by July-end
Jammu, May 28 Otherwise these 10 million pilgrims used to take the land route from Jammu and Udhampur to reach Katra before starting
their journey towards the shrine on foot or through helicopter. In a couple of months, the train is expected to reach Katra railway station which is considered a big achievement for the northern railways. “By July end, the train service will reach Katra. The last theatre of lining is being gauged and in another one and a half month locomotive will go through,” said General Manager of Northern Railway VK Gupta. Every year more than 10 million pilgrims from all over the country visit Vaishno Devi shrine situated on Trikuta hills at Katra. It is the second most visited shrine after Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh and is the temple of Goddess Vaishno. The railway station at Katra has been built on modern lines and will be the biggest station in the state. The Jammu railway station is one of the busiest stations of north India and when the train service reaches Katra, the rush will shift to this side. Work on the Jammu-Udhampur rail link began in 1983, which was later extended up to Katra. The Jammu-Udhampur rail link was commissioned on April 13, 2005, by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by flagging off the train from Udhampur to Jammu. After more than eight years, the train service will reach Katra. Keeping aside the amount spent and time consumed on the construction of rail link to Katra, the train will reach the footsteps of Vaishno Devi shrine, by July-end. |
||
|
Migrants meet Governor, seek hike in cash relief
Srinagar, May 28 The demands of the delegation, led by JKPMF chairman Sheikh Mohiuddin Shabnam, included enhancement of monthly cash relief and medical facilities for migrants, employment to their wards and additional accommodation for political migrants, an official said. The delegation also felicitated the Governor on his appointment for the second term and presented a memento to him. The Governor gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured the members that he would take up the issues raised by them with the authorities concerned in the state and Central governments. Meanwhile, Dipa Dixit, Member, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), New Delhi also called on the Governor. Dixit discussed with the Governor important issues related to the protection and promotion of child rights. She briefed the Governor about the activities of the NCPCR in the two pilot projects which are being run in Kupwara and Bandipore districts and are aimed at securing child rights. The Governor stressed the importance of creating more awareness about the protection of child rights. |
||
|
Despite militant attacks, AFSPA debate continues
Srinagar, May 28 “We are trying to take the Army on board and sorting out whatever reluctance they have regarding the revocation of AFSPA. Hopefully, we will be able to break the ice on the issue,” Omar had said in Shopian, 50 km from Srinagar. Only a day after Omar’s assertions on AFSPA, Srinagar’s old city witnessed a gunfight after a long time in recent years in which Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Hilal Moulvi was killed on May 23. The Omar government wants AFSPA to go from Srinagar and Budgam districts in the first phase. And while security forces were claiming to have a achieved major success against the LeT after the killing of Moulvi, militants ambushed an Army patrol in south Kashmir’s Tral area, 35 kilometers from Srinagar and killed four soldiers on May 24. A local militant of Hizbul Mujahideen was also killed. Additional general secretary of the ruling National Conference Mustafa Kamal said the revocation of AFSPA was not related to incidents that take place every now and then. “It (AFSPA) is related to the situation that was there in 1990, which no longer exists. It is high time that AFSPA went as our police is capable of handling any situation,” Kamal told The Tribune. “There are surely efforts on part of the people to sabotage the partial revocation,” he added. While mainstream parties in the state have been demanding the revocation of AFSPA, in the past there have been incidents of violence whenever the ante for the revocation of AFSPA has been raised. As per the J&K Government plans, it wants a phased rollback of AFSPA from districts of Srinagar and Budgam on a test basis due to the vast improvement in the situation. The Army has not been involved in any counter-insurgency operation in the two districts. The Army, however, says it is not the right time to revoke AFSPA ahead of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. “There will be a looming threat after the US withdrawal, so the Army has to be on alert. The soldiers who are fighting in J&K on ground zero need protection under AFSPA,” said an Army officer who wished anonymity. In 2011, the Army had stated that if AFSPA was withdrawn “J&K may secede from India soon after the US withdraws its troops from Afghanistan”.
|
||
|
PoK resident in jail for 5 yrs for offence punishable by 2 yrs
Srinagar, May 28 Irked by the delay in the conclusion of his trial, Zaheer recently approached the J&K High Court, which has now directed the trial court to “wrap up” his trial “at
the earliest”. His counsel Mir Shafqat Hussain stated in the court that Zaheer had “inadvertently slipped” over the Line of Control in Keran sector of Kupwara district in north Kashmir in 2008. He was subsequently arrested and found to be “uninvolved” in any militant activity, stated counsel Shafqat. Since he had crossed the LoC, he was subsequently booked under the Section 2/3 of the Egress & Ingress Movement Control Ordinance and a case was registered against him at the Keran police station
in 2008. However, while in custody, he was also booked under the provisions of the Public Safety Act (PSA) by the authorities on June 6, 2008. “The said detention order lost its significance after the termination of the detention period, which is a maximum of two years under the PSA. However, he was time and again booked under the PSA by the authorities,” the counsel stated. In the petition before the high court, he had prayed that the court at Kupwara be directed to speed up Abbassi’s trial and the authorities be directed to lodge him in a jail which is near to the Kupwara court so that his trial is not hampered further. “The trial at Kupwara be “wrapped up” at the earliest as the prosecution agency is not taking any interest in conclusion of the case,” he prayed
to court. “I find substance in the submissions advanced by counsel Hussain at the Bar,” Justice Verinder Singh observed in his orders passed in the instant petition this week. “In case the detention order impugned herein has already outlived its life after its execution, it would cease to operate forthwith,” the court observed while asking the state government to consider lodging Abbassi at Central Jail, Srinagar. “And if space is not available in Central Jail, the authorities concerned shall then lodge him at any other jail near to the Kupwara Court where he is facing the trial,” the court stated. “The trial court at Kupwara is directed to ensure that the trial is wrapped up at the earliest,” the court observed while disposing of the petition. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Srinagar, May 28
I have been misquoted by a section of media on this (AFSPA) issue…. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah being the head of the Unified Command, I asked him to hold consultations with Army Commanders on this
issue