|
|
|
|
|
State gets six offers for rare sapphire extraction
Encroachers reoccupy over 1,700 kanals of JDA land
Inquiry into graft charges against Cong MLA begins
|
|
|
‘CUSTODIAL’ DISAPPEARANCE CASE
Home to two hydel projects, Chenab valley reels under power shortage
Probe into JKCA scam stalled to protect Farooq, alleges PDP
Teaching aspirants question NIT’s selection of contractual staff
Former spy fought against heavy odds to get two pensions
Pak’s jail staff relied on Balwan to tackle Africans
Asian Heritage Foundation founder meets Governor
Mahadev yatra to resume after 23 years in Kashmir
Kashmir tourism fest ends, to be made annual affair
J&K youth can excel in all spheres of life: Vohra
|
|
State gets six offers for rare sapphire extraction
Jammu, May 29 On May 17, a 19.88 carat cushion-shaped sapphire from Padder — Star of Kashmir — had smashed all records after it sold
for $3,483,017 (nearly Rs 20 crore) at an auction in Geneva. The state government till now has not only been unable to tap the mines fully due to inadequate technical knowhow but has also been losing precious and rare gemstones to smugglers. “After we had floating global tenders and approached 33 embassies in April this year, six offers have come to us wherein the intending parties have expressed their interest for the exploration and extraction of this rare peacock-neck blue sapphire in Padder,” said a senior official of Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited (JKML). The official said the exploration and extraction would be done in a joint venture with the state government based upon viable technical and financial partnership. He, however, refused to divulge the names of the six parties that have offered their expertise, saying that “doing so casts adverse impact on competitiveness of the entire tendering process.” The official admitted that in the absence of latest and modern technical know-how, the JKML hitherto had been doing exploration and extraction on a “hit and trial” basis. “We don’t even have the exact data of reserves of this precious stone with us,” he said. The official admitted that professional extraction could easily shore up J&K’s economy. Another official said that despite Padder being bestowed with rich deposits, the state government had not been able to check smuggling of the precious stone. “Every year, we send our expeditions to the mines from mid-June to mid-September for doing small mining activity but primarily (they are sent) to restrict the movement of undesirable elements because the area is an asset of the JKML,” he said. In 2008, the JKML had got Rs 1.32 crore in an auction of 11.5 kg of sapphire corundum. The JKML holds the mining lease for the sapphire mines covering 6.65 sq km area and situated at an altitude of over 4,327 metres above sea level. Revenue generated
|
|||
|
Encroachers reoccupy over 1,700 kanals of JDA land
Jammu, May 29 Due to political pressure, the administration has been forced to go slow in its drive to retrieve its land assets from encroachment. A senior official said the anti-encroachment drive had become a lost battle, as pressure was being exerted not to evict people and all action meets great resistance. The JDA was created in 1971, under the J&K Development Act and controls vacant ‘Nazool’ land within 13-km radius of the city. Hundreds of kanals of land worth crores of rupees transferred to the authority by the government is under illegal occupation of Gujjars and people who have migrated from other districts of the state, particularly from Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and some areas of Kashmir Valley. At many places like Majheen, Raghura and Upper Sidhra, people who had received the land compensation from the government have not only constructed concrete houses themselves but also sold over 3,000 Kanals to the prospective buyers, mostly from Kashmir. “Encroachment has taken place in a planned manner under the very nose of the Forest Department and the officials of the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), the two major bodies which have significant portion of land under their disposal. Those who have been evicted are again occupying it,” said a source. JDA Vice-Chairman, Satish Nehru said, “There are incidents of re-occupation of land, but these are isolated cases. We are once again going to launch an anti-encroachment drive.” However, he refused to comment on the alleged political pressure being exerted to stop any action. “All the encroachments will be cleared in a phased manner,” Nehru said. Most attempts of eviction have witnessed violent protests during the anti-encroachment drive with the occupants clashing with the police and the JDA officials. Sidhra area falls within the city municipal limits. Despite the fact that encroachments and illegal constructions go unabated on forest land in Sidhra, the Forest Department does not have any data on the land encroached. |
|||
|
Inquiry into graft charges against Cong MLA begins
Srinagar, May 29 The probe was ordered against Saroori, a Congress MLA from Inderwal in Jammu and former Road and Building Minister, by the division bench of the commission comprising chairman Justice (retd) YP Nargotra and Justice (retd) Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain. Saroori has been given six weeks’ time by the SAC to respond to the allegations of corruption and misuse of official position levelled by a Srinagar resident. “The complainant alleges that while the respondent (Saroori) was holding the said portfolio, about 2,000 works were allotted by (his) department without tenders and that the same being not in accordance with law has caused a huge loss to the state exchequer?,” the SAC order reads. The complainant has corroborated his allegations of corruption against the former minister with several official documents, which he had submitted to the SAC. Saroori had denied charges against him in November last year. “Going by the number of contracts allotted without inviting tenders, it, prima facie, appears that getting the works executed without tenders was the norm then and to which the respondent (minister) was a mute spectator. His action, therefore, falls within sub-section (2) of Section 2 of the Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission Act, which is cognisable in terms of Section 9 of the Act,” the bench observed. “The bench is not inclined to absolve him (Saroori) of his inaction in the matter. Being the minister in charge of Roads and Buildings, he was bound to keep a vigil and control the working of the department,” the SAC observed in the order. The case has been now been listed for hearing
on July 8. Saroori was sacked as minister in August 2010 after his daughter was accused of using an impersonator during a medical entrance examination in Jammu. Saroori is considered to be close to Union minister Ghulan Nabi
Azad. |
|||
|
‘CUSTODIAL’ DISAPPEARANCE CASE
Srinagar, May 29 The high court was hearing a petition by Azizi Begum of Bemina Boatman Colony in Srinagar, wherein she had sought directions for investigation into a criminal case involving the alleged “lifting” and subsequent “disappearance” of her son Mushtaq Ahmad Dar by the security forces on April 13, 1997. “The investigation of the criminal case has been brought to its logical end by the state agency in which they have booked two Army personnel as is evident from the status report by the state government,” a high court single bench observed in its orders passed this week while disposing of the petition. In the status report, filed by the SHO, Parimpora, it has been submitted that the investigation of the case was complete and the case stood proved under Section 364 of the RPC against Major Vishwajeet Singh and Commandant SK Malik of 20 Grenadiers, Camp Batamaloo, Srinagar. In the report, it has also been stated that all legal formalities in the matter have been completed and the case file has been submitted to the SDPO (Sub-Divisional Police Officer), West, for further action, including accord of sanction for initiation of prosecution against the accused. In his subsequent affidavit, the SHO, Parimpora, Ashok Sharma, submitted that the case file has been submitted to the “higher-ups” for accord of government sanction on March 16 this year. However, during the hearing of the case, counsel for petitioner Mir Shafaqat Hussain submitted that the trial of the present case could proceed only after sanction was accorded by the competent authority, which was also agreed upon by the state counsel, Shuja-ul-Haq, in his submissions. “The counsel for the petitioner submits that he would feel satisfied if the petition at hand is disposed of at this stage itself directing the state (government) to take up the matter with the competent authority at the earliest so that if the sanction is accorded for prosecuting the Army personnel allegedly involved in this case, the trial starts without any delay”, the court observed in its orders. “The state counsel fairly agrees to it and ensures that no delay would be caused at the end of the state (government) at least for referring the matter to the competent authority for according the sanction (for prosecution)” the high court said in its orders while adding that “in view of the fair stand taken by the state counsel the petition at hand is disposed of”. The case file
|
|||
|
Home to two hydel projects, Chenab valley reels under power shortage
Doda, May 29 Moreover, the people of the region have to pay over Rs 3 per unit of electricity despite the fact that the major natural resource of the area, water, is being used to generate hundreds of megawatts of power. The erstwhile Doda consists of three districts —Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban — which get 115.5 MVA electricity every day. The production, however, does not meet the requirement of the area. The valley requires more power to facilitate a round-the-clock supply to residents. The demand of power goes up in winter but instead of arranging extra power supply, the authorities inflict power cuts on residents. At present, the Dul Hasti and Baghliar power projects generate 840 mega watts of electricity. When the second phase of the Baghliar power project gets completed, the power generation will go up to 1,290 mega watts. Besides, some small power projects are also coming up in the area. The Dul Hasti power project is with the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the state has no control over it. However, the state government has the ownership of the Baghliar project and power generated by it is being sold to other states to meet the expenses. The state government is yet to come up with a proposal to give adequate electricity to meet the demand in the area or concession on the power tariff to residents. When asked as why the Chenab valley was not given any special benefit, Minister of state for Power Viqar Rasool Wani said, “I will think over it.” The construction of the reservoir of the Baghliar power project forced people of Pul Doda to migrate as the area got submerged under water of the Chenab river after the construction of the dam. These people have still not been rehabilitated. The reservoir is also causing soil erosion due to which the Batote-Kishtwar National Highway 1B given away at many places and landslides have become a routine affair in the area. Raw deal for residents
|
|||
|
Probe into JKCA scam stalled to protect Farooq, alleges PDP
Srinagar, May 29 Party chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar in a statement issued here said Farooq faced serious charges of corruption as president of the state cricket association and it seemed that he was paying back Srinivasan's debt who looked the other way when the reports of fraud broke out. “Farooq Abdullah is facing more serious charges than Srinivasan as he has reportedly been issuing cheques himself for huge amounts from unauthorised bank accounts. The news reports had placed the embezzled amount at about Rs 50 crore but the police even after registering the case has not carried out an investigation,” said Akhtar. He said at a time when all leading lights of the BCCI were asking Srinivasan to step down, Farooq stuck to his position with “obvious help from his friends in the BCCI and the state government ”.
— TNS
|
|||
|
Teaching aspirants question NIT’s selection of contractual staff
Srinagar, May 29 This year, the selection process, in which 100 contractual teachers for various departments were selected, ended in April. The contract period of each lecturer is one year. However, many Bachelor of Technology (BTech) students at the NIT and aspirants for the posts allege that the selections are not done on a fair basis and that the academics suffer inevitably as undeserving candidates are hired. “These teachers who are selected on a one-year contract are fresh passouts from various engineering colleges. A majority of these teachers have no experience in teaching. This has taken a toll on our studies as these teachers are not trained enough. We have apprised the management of these problems but these are yet to be redressed,” said a student of the civil engineering department. Candidates who could not get through also smell a rat in the selection process . “This year, we saw experienced candidates being dropped from the selection list and inexperienced candidates getting recruited. We are oblivious to the criterion on the basis of which the selection takes place as there is no written test for the same,” Maqsood Ahmad, an aspirant said. However, the NIT authorities denied the allegations and said an in-house college committee was made every year and that the institute’s director, Rajat Gupta, headed the committees which conducted interviews of the candidates. “We have a fair and transparent policy for selecting candidates. After being sifted on the basis of a cut-off percentage for Btech and MTech degrees, candidates sit for interviews conducted by senior faculty members. Moreover, we have been taking feedback on teachers’ performance from students after the completion of annual sessions,” said AR Dar, in-charge, NIT, Srinagar, and Head of Civil Engineering Department. |
|||
|
Former spy fought against heavy odds to get two pensions
Narainpur (Kathua) Kunjwani (Jammu), May 29 However, a former soldier displayed grit and guts to fight against “heavy odds” pitted against him and finally got what was his rightful due. A matriculate, who did 10+2 during his service, 58-year-old Balwan Singh of Narainpur recollects his legal battle that won him two pensions. Singh, a former soldier of 3 JAK Rifles, said: “After spending 10 years from 1988 to 1998 in various Pakistan jails, I had to move the Delhi High Court, which in 2003 passed a decree in my favour and today I am getting two pensions - one for my service and another a medical pension.” Singh, who was caught in Lahore cantonment on September 9, 1988, was convicted under the 59 Pakistan Army Act. “I joined the Army in 1975 as a sepoy and in 1984 was promoted as Naik and shifted to Military Intelligence. After undergoing a brief training in Delhi, I was launched into Pakistan in 1984-85. My task was to collect information on military formations of Pakistan,” said Singh. Singh said after his return from Pakistan in 1998, the spying agency which had launched him not only disowned him but also threatened him with dire consequences. “I approached them with the hope to get recognition and rewards for my services to the country but they threatened me with dire consequences. They even threatened to kill me on the border and project me as an intruder from Pakistan,” said Singh. “I did not lose hope after a raw deal was given to me. I straightaway went to the Kathua Deputy Commissioner’s office in 1999 and threatened to become a militant. The DC compelled an officer, Major PS Hooda, to tell the entire truth in writing. This laid the ground for me to fight my case in the Delhi High Court. None other than the Rajya Sabha member, Dr Karan Singh, provided me with a lawyer and finally in 2003 the High Court awarded its judgment in my favour,” said Singh. Major PS Hooda, who had revealed the truth to the Kathua DC in writing was later fired from his job, he added. Today, Singh gets two pensions - service pension of Rs 13,000 a month and a medical pension of Rs 14,000 a month. However, another spy, 50-year-old Swarn Lal of Kunjwani who spent over 14 years in Pakistan jails, has a sorry tale to tell. Lal, who grew up reading spy novels and claims to be a patriot, paid too heavy a price for his patriotism. During Lal’s incarceration in Pakistan, his wife Bimla Devi, a mother of three children, had to sell vegetables to sustain her family. One of Lal’s children died during his imprisonment. Launched in 1986 from Khora post in Samba, he was arrested in Khaira village of Sialkot in Pakistan on January 10, 1992, and eventually freed on June 30, 2006. From 1986 to 1992, Lal claimed he crossed the border and entered Pakistan 60 times every time returning successfully with vital
photographs. “It was my burning desire to become a spy for the country but today I think life was much better in jail because people here call us ‘Pakistani’ while the government refuses to accept us,” said Lal. |
|||
|
Pak’s jail staff relied on Balwan to tackle Africans
Narainpur (Kathua), May 29 “They (staff of Pak prisons), particularly of the Kot Lakhpat jail, faced immense problems while trying to converse with prisoners from Sudan, Kenya and other African countries. I had sort of become a translator, a mediator or a liaison officer for them (jail staff) and prisoners from African countries,” said Singh. “They (jail staff) were mostly semi-literate Punjabis for whom English and the African accent was too much to tackle and Africans quite often used to complain about poor facilities. So, every time they created problems, the jail staff relied on me to pacify them,” said Singh. Singh said he had frequent interaction with Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who died due to attack at the Kot Lakhpat jail. “He always claimed he was innocent vis-à-vis allegations of him triggering bomb blasts in Pakistan and I also felt that he had been falsely implicated in the case,” said Singh.
|
|||
|
Asian Heritage Foundation founder meets Governor
Srinagar, May 29 Sethi is in the city in connection with an exposition, ‘Crafting Hands: Sheher’, at the Lal Ded Cultural Centre organised by the Tourism Department, INTACH (JK Chapter), CSIA Mumbai Airport and the GVK. Sethi briefed the Governor about the initiatives of the organisation for preserving the cultural heritage of the country and his work on reviving historical links with countries in Central Asia. He also apprised the Governor of the plans of the organisation. The Governor lauded the work done by Sethi and wished him success in his
endeavours. |
|||
|
Mahadev yatra to resume after 23 years in Kashmir
Srinagar, May 29 “We are restarting the yatra after 23 years on June 28. The pilgrimage is of great significance to Kashmiri Pandits and devotees used to perform the yatra annually before militancy,” said Vinod Pandit, chairman of the All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC), which is organising the yatra. He said the yatra would be performed as part of the APMCC’s efforts to preserve the ancient traditions of the Kashmiri Pandits and also to restart important religious events that had been stopped after the eruption of militancy. Pandit said even though the yatra was regularly performed till the late 1980s, it used to be performed on a much larger scale before 1947. The pilgrims would trek from Fakirgujri Dhara on the outskirts of the city to the holy cave of Lord Shiva on the Mahadev mountain, which is 13,013 feet above sea level. Pandit said it would take the pilgrims around 12 hours to reach the holy cave. “The pilgrims will stay overnight at the cave after performing puja. One can find the mention of the cave and yatra in the holy books and also in “Rajatarangini” (Chronicle of Kings — an account of Kashmir’s ancient history written by 12th-century historian Kalhana),” he added. In 2009, the APMCC had also restarted the Harmukt Ganga (Gangbal) yatra in the Valley after more than 100 years with the aim of preserving the rich cultural and religious heritage of Kashmiri Pandits. The body is also planning to restart the Dyneshwer yatra from north Kashmir’s Bandipore district on a large scale in August. This yatra too had not taken place on a large scale after militancy. Date with tradition
|
|||
|
Kashmir tourism fest ends, to be made annual affair
Srinagar, May 29 Talking to reporters here at the concluding event of the fest, Tourism Minister G A Mir said the festival would be held every year from now onwards and it would be advertised and held in a bigger way. He said the dates for the fest would be announced much earlier so that the tourists planned their visit to the Valley in advance. The tourism festival had commenced on May 14 and a host of events were held across the tourist spots of the Valley. The festival was aimed at giving a fillip to the tourism sector that had taken a hit briefly after the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in February. The Kashmir fest concluded with the holding of an awards function and cultural programmes at the SKICC here. |
|||
|
J&K youth can excel in all spheres of life: Vohra
Srinagar, May 29 The Governor thanked MM Pallam Raju, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, who was the chief guest on the occasion, for his visit to the state and the discussions he held on issues relating to the growth of higher education in J&K. The Governor observed that besides enormous human and economic losses in J&K there was an irreparable damage to the education system, with adverse effect on the career of the youth. He said many were pursuing their education in reputed technical and professional institutions across the country and competing successfully for various careers. He referred to an increasing number of boys and girls from the state qualifying for the civil services every year. He emphasised the need for equipping the youth with required knowledge and skills in sync with the job market requirements. Stressing the need for making the universities and other institutions of technical and higher learning in the state as centres of excellence, the Governor said the school education also required high attention as it was fundamental to future growth. Union minister Raju dwelt on various schemes being implemented for the development of education sector in the country. He congratulated the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation for organising the Peace Conference, adding that sustained peace was imperative for progress and prosperity. Srinagar: Former Member of Parliament Mahmood A Madani called on Governor NN Vohra here on Wednesday. They discussed issues related to the revival of Sufi traditions and maintenance of communal harmony and brotherhood. Madani felicitated the Governor for his appointment for the second term.
|
|
| 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 | |
After approaching 33 foreign embassies in New Delhi, the state government has got at least six responses to its global tenders aimed at exploration and extraction of the world-famous peacock blue-coloured Kashmir sapphire in Kishtwar district’s Padder area.
