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PM to review state’s development
Ahead of PM’s visit, NC throws autonomy ball into Centre’s court
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Guv reviews yatra arrangements at Sheshnag, Chandanwari
Disposal of toxic waste
J-K extends Rs 1-cr help to flood-hit Uttarakhand, HP
Autonomy is party’s bedrock: NC leader
People unhappy over cancellation of Mughal Road inauguration
No helping hand from govt, kin clueless about missing pilgrims
India-Pakistan talks: Geelani
opposes Mirwaiz’s suggestion
State animal, bird among endangered species
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PM to review state’s development
Srinagar, June 21 The meeting will be held as soon as Prime Minister arrives in Srinagar after laying the foundation stone of the 850-MW Rattle Hydro Electrical Power Project, to be constructed on the Chenab River at Drabshala in Kishtwar. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also review the implementation of Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP),” sources said. He is also likely to chair a separate meeting of top bureaucrats of the state and get their feedback about the developmental scenario. “They (bureaucrats) have been told to be ready for the separate meeting but the meet is not finalised,” sources said. In fact, state government today discussed in detail the tour programme of the Prime Minister during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. A cabinet Minister said that the complete programme of the PM was discussed at the meeting and a panel of ministers was also constituted to receive Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Srinagar. Sources said Omar Abdullah and legislators from Kistwar would also receive the two dignitaries on June 25. In Srinagar the Prime Minister will be received by the council of ministers. The Chief Minister will host a dinner for the visiting dignitaries. The Prime Minister will stay at the Raj Bhawan on Tuesday night. He will flag off the Banihal-Qazigund rail on June 26 after which he will return to Delhi. Meanwhile, ahead of Prime Minister’s visit, security grid has been beefed up across the state. The police and paramilitary forces have been put on alert. Frisking has also been increased. The police and the CRPF also conducted a surprise cordon and search operation at the city centre this afternoon. “We had no specific information, but we have to be on alert ahead of the PM’s visit to avoid any untoward incident,” a police officer said. Separatist groups have called for a strike on June 25 during the PM’s visit to the Valley. |
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Ahead of PM’s visit, NC throws autonomy ball into Centre’s court
Jammu, June 21 The party that has ruled Jammu and Kashmir for most of the period since Independence has played its cards well by invoking the reports of the five working groups constituted by the Prime Minister in 2006 and declared that some of those will be implemented. Among others the recommendations were granting of some more autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, rehabilitation of the youth coming from across the Line of Control, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandit migrants and also the review of the laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act. The demand has been raised by National Conference’s Kashmir unit, headed by Provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani, one of the closest aides of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Nasir, according to sources, was reading from the script drafted by the top leadership of the National Conference. Omar is also working president of the party. In his speech on Thursday Wani had said, “It would be for the best interests of both the state and the central governments to implement the recommendation of the working group.” He also wanted “Prime Minister to show his magnanimity and initiate the process of implementations of the working groups”. “Its time New Delhi should adopt a path of reaching out to the people by endorsing the demand of the National Conference,” he said. Appealing the Prime Minister to address the aspiration of the people of the state by announcing steps towards the restoration of the autonomy in his ensuing visit Nasir said “The autonomy document has become a legal document now. It has been recommended and passed by the state legislature. The document has been endorsed by Justice Sageer also.” The move has been initiated to inject the political agenda into the developmental agenda with which Prime Minister is arriving in the state. His developmental agenda includes, inauguration of Banihal-Qazigund railway track which passes through one of the longest tunnels in the world, and laying of foundation stone of 850-MW Rattle hydro-electric project in Kishtwar district of Jammu. The National Conference is trying to shift the focus from development and maneuver things in such a way that political element dominates the show. It is pretty much an echo of what the Chief Minister had said in October 2009 in the presence of Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at Qazigund that “no amount of development would resolve the Kashmir problem”. He had asked for a political solution to the “Kashmir issue”, much to the discomfort of Congress, and its leadership. |
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Guv reviews yatra arrangements at Sheshnag, Chandanwari
Srinagar, June 21 The Governor, also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, inspected arrangements at the Sheshnag and Chandanwari camps and held meetings with the officials at both camps. He also inspected arrangements at the Nunwan base camp and held a high-level review meeting which was attended by Navin K Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of the SASB; Vijay Kumar, Anantnag DIG; and Farooq Ahmad Lone, Anantnag Deputy Commissioner. Expressing satisfaction over the arrangements on the ground, the Governor asked the government departments and all other agencies concerned to complete the entire remaining work before June 26 before the yatra starts. The Governor said all the medical centres at the base camps and en route must be made functional immediately. He emphasised the need for greater coordination among all the departments and agencies concerned for the smooth conduct of the yatra and best possible facilities for the yatris. He directed all officials to ensure that each pilgrim was treated with courtesy and provided the required guidance and assistance for completing his or her yatra without facing any inconvenience. He reiterated that no yatri without valid registration should be allowed to cross the access control gates. The Governor stressed on the camp directors and additional camp directors to maintain security, cleanliness and effective sanitation within their camp areas and asked them to maintain round the clock contact with the Shrine Board control room and other camps to ensure that any arising problem was resolved without any delay. While reviewing the track status, the Governor asked the CEO of the Pahalgam Development Authority to particularly focus on the difficult stretches on the Chandanwari-Sheshnag-Panjtarni-Sangam-holy cave axis and gave directions regarding the positioning of the mountain rescue teams to help the yatris. During his inspection of the Nunwan base camp, the Governor particularly reviewed the medicare arrangements, water and power supply, paths, toilets and baths, sewage treatment plant, sanitation and langar facilities. He asked langarwallas to ensure cleanliness and hygienic conditions in and around their langars. Facilities at the Mir Bazar and Walnut Factory transit camps, status of the Khanabal-Pahalgam and Pahalgam-Chandanwari roads, transport and traffic arrangements, public address system, fire and emergency services, telecommunication, security and weather forecasting were also reviewed. |
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Disposal of toxic waste
Jammu, June 21 Officials say the activities of the Committee of Environment (CE), constituted by the Legislative Assembly two years ago, were limited to meetings only. Its recommendations have found no takers so far. Most of the decisions regarding the establishment of effluent treatment plants near
industrial estates have been pending for years. As a result no action was taken to build them. About 194 units are operating in the state which include recycling of metals, battery units, pharmaceutical factories, paper and pulp factories, steel rolling mills, paint and ink factories. At Samba and Bari Brahmana, highly toxic output from the pesticide units is discharged into the local water bodies, which can become a big environmental challenge in the future. Last year, the state government had submitted an environment assessment report to the Union Environment Ministry to get approval for starting construction of the first facility at Samba to scientifically dispose of 15,000 metric tonnes of hazardous industrial waste generated annually in the state. No action has been taken in this regard. Chairman of the Committee on Environment MY Tarigami said, “We are not satisfied with the approach of the government and
are waiting for action. There is a need for a serious approach as pollution is an important issue before people.” “The lack of hazardous waste management in the pesticide, plastic and paint factories is a matter of serious concern and a strategic action plan is needed for storage, disposal and handling of hazardous waste,” Tarigami said. Officials said though the State Industrial Development Corporation had engaged a consultant to prepare a Detailed Project Report to establish effluent treatment plants at industrial estates at Rangreth and Khanmoh in Kashmir and Bari Brahmana and Samba in Jammu, the same process was carried out earlier also. Chairman of the Pollution Control Board Arun Tikku said, “We are doing everything to create a system in the state. The Industries Department also needs to cooperate with us. The matter has been taken up with the government.” Under the Management, Handling and Trans-Boundary Movement Rules-2008 and the Provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, toxic waste needs to be scientifically disposed of to minimise its impact on soil, water and air. |
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J-K extends Rs 1-cr help to flood-hit Uttarakhand, HP
Srinagar, June 21 The state government on Friday expressed solidarity with the victims of the natural calamity that has ravaged Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. “The Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, pledged Rs 1 crore towards the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the victims,” a spokesman said. The Cabinet has also approved the return and rehabilitation package in favour of Jammu migrants amounting to Rs 91.56 crore and its submission to the Centre to sanction the package and allotment of funds. The Cabinet also ordered transfers and postings in the administration. Shaleen Kabra, Commissioner Secretary Youth Service and Sports and Technical Education, who was holding additional charge of the Post of the Commissioner Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner/ Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department. BA Runyal, chairman, J&K Special Tribunal
has been transferred and posted as Commissioner Secretary to the Government, Labour and Employment Department, relieving Farooq Ahmad Peer, Commissioner Secretary to the Government, Rural Development Department, of the additional charge of the post. Sarita Chouhan, has been posted as Chairman, J&K Special Tribunal, in place of BA Runiyal. Paarvez Ahmad Malik, Director, Command Area Development, Jammu has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Youth Services and Sports
and Technical Education Department in place of Shaleen Kabra. Nirmal Sharma has been posted as MD, J&K Handloom Development Corporation vice Sarita Chouhan. Hemant Kumar Sharma, Special Secretary, Higher Education Department, has been transferred and posted as Director, Command Area Development Jammu vice Parvez Ahmad Malik. |
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Autonomy is party’s bedrock: NC leader
Srinagar, June 21 Beg, who is the Member of Parliament from a south Kashmir constituency, said the legal documents for the restoration of autonomy had been approved and passed by the state legislature. “(It) is a historic fact and a pending issue with the Government of India for which the National Conference would continue its endeavour,” he said. Beg was reacting to Congress leader Makhan Lal Fotedar’s statement who had termed autonomy as a closed chapter. Beg said Fotedar’s statement had “very serious ramifications”. “While the National Conference strongly feels that the UPA government is committed to the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, Fotedar’s statement has put a question mark on the sincerity of the Union Government towards finding a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue,” Beg said. “Autonomy is the bedrock of the National Conference and the party placed the autonomy resolution before the state legislature which passed it with a two-third majority, thereby reposing faith in the National Conference’s endeavour to work tirelessly for the restoration of autonomy in the state,” Beg said. |
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People unhappy over cancellation of Mughal Road inauguration
Peer-Ki-Gali (Mughal Road), June 21 Wani, who has remained associated with the project for 26 years, lives in Heerpora village on the Mughal Road, some 12 km from Shopian town. He feels the decision to put off the inauguration ceremony will create doubts in the minds of the people, especially motorists vis-à-vis the viability of the road. The road was used by the caravans of Mughal emperor Shah Jehan while travelling to Kashmir during the 17th century. “I am disappointed by the cancellation of the Prime Minister’s scheduled programme. For the last one month, we were busy in preparations. We have almost finished the work on the venue where the Prime Minister was scheduled to formally inaugurate the road,” Wani said. He believes it will send a wrong message as the people may think that the road is not motorable and is yet to be completed. “Some traffic is already moving on the road and the delay in the inauguration may lead to doubts
in the minds of the people vis-à-vis the feasibility of the road owing to the hilly and difficult
terrains in the area,” Wani maintains. Wani has worked as a supervisor in the project for at least 26 years. “I was given the task to supervise the project when the work on it was started in 1986. After the eruption of militancy in 1989, the work remained suspended till 2004. During this period, I was shifted to my parent department but I was again entrusted with the task in 2005 when the project was re-started. I retired in April 2012. I feel proud to be a part of the historic project, but the cancellation of the inauguration has hurt me,” Wani says. The Prime Minister was scheduled to inaugurate the road on the first day of his two-day visit beginning June 25. The road has been completed at an estimated cost of Rs 639.85 crore. People in Shopian town and villages located along the entire road were in an upbeat mood over the proposed inauguration of the road. The road would reduce the distance from Poonch to Srinagar via Jammu from 541 km to 174 km and the travel time from 32 hours through Jammu to seven hours via Bufliaz and Shopian. Mohammad Ayaz, 26, a native of Poshana village near Peer Ki Gali (the highest point on the Mughal Road), who presently resides at
the Behrote area in Rajouri district, says: “Earlier, we used to walk for two days and cover 40 km to reach the village. Now, we cover the distance in two hours. The delay in the formal opening of the Mughal Road is a setback to the people on both sides of the road. We were hopeful that the areas along the road, which have been neglected by the successive regimes, would witness development after
inauguration by the Prime Minister.” The Mughal Road project was sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan in 2004. The idea of the new Mughal Road was conceived in 1950s to improve connectivity with the twin border districts of Poonch
and Rajouri. |
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No helping hand from govt, kin clueless about missing pilgrims
Jammu, June 21 The State Home and Tourism Departments have not set up helpline cells to look for those missing in the tragedy that stuck Uttarakhand five days ago in which thousands went missing and hundreds are feared dead. The state government may have extended monetary help of Rs 1 crore but families of missing pilgrims are faced with agonizing wait to know about their whereabouts. Officials say the government does not have any record of the pilgrims, but thousands of pilgrims travel through private tour operators to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Hemkund Sahib. No effort is being made by the state government to gather and provide information from the relief camps set up by the Army for the pilgrims rescued. “When a Bollywood movie skipped to mention the scenic beauty of Kashmir in a movie, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was quick to tweet his displeasure, but even after a week, state machinery is totally silent,” said a senior bureaucrat on the condition of anonymity. Response of Home Secretary, Suresh Kumar was surprising, “I don’t have any information about this and the Tourism Department will be better prepared to respond to your queries.” Director, Tourism, Sojanya Sharma, said, “The Tourism Department has nothing to do with the yatra as most of the pilgrims visit religious places through private tour operators. Anything for them
has to be done by the state government.” In Jammu many families whose members are stuck in Uttrakhand are feeling helpless and unable to figure out how to get information and are dependent on the helplines provided by the Uttarakhand government. |
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India-Pakistan talks: Geelani
opposes Mirwaiz’s suggestion
Srinagar, June 21 The hardline Hurriyat faction said such an event, proposed by Mirwaiz yesterday at a seminar here, would impact the “disputed nature and status” of the state. The faction led by Geelani said holding the Indo-Pak talks in Srinagar and at Muzaffarabad, which is the main city in the other part of Kashmir across the Line of Control, as proposed by the moderate Hurriyat faction could provide a basis for India to justify its “military occupation”, the term separatists use to refer to the Army’s presence in the state. The hardline Hurriyat termed Kashmir as a “long and sensitive issue”, saying any dialogue aimed at its resolution should be held in a “third country”. The hardline faction censured the moderates and said any international event hosted in the state would have a “negative” impact on the “nature of the dispute”. In recent weeks, relations between Kashmir’s separatist groups has been strenuous, presenting a picture of divide and public infighting among them. Earlier, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik had engaged in a war of words with the moderate Hurriyat faction. While the JKLF accused moderate separatist leaders of swindling money, the moderate separatist faction taunted the JKLF chief by calling him a runaway fighter, referring to his 1994 “unilateral ceasefire”. The latest showdown, though not of the scale of the previous verbal duels, was triggered by the moderate Hurriyat chief’s proposal to hold the Indo-Pak summit talk in Kashmir. Moderate separatist chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had yesterday proposed that New Delhi and Islamabad should hold the summit-level talks in Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. “Let there be summit-level talks between the leadership of both countries. Let prime ministers of Indian and Pakistan first meet in Srinagar and then at Muzaffarabad and start a new process aimed at finding a resolution to the vexed issue of Kashmir,” Mirwaiz had said. |
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State animal, bird among endangered species
Srinagar, June 21 The endangered or critically endangered species of the state include hangul, markhor, Tibetan antelope, musk deer, ibex, Himalayan brown and black bear, common leopard and black-necked crane. The critically endangered ‘state animal’, hangul, a sub-species of European red deer, is the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir and is marked as critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the first global environment organisation. In the beginning of the 1900, 3,000 to 5,000 hanguls were believed to have lived in Kashmir. The number fell to 1,000-2,000 in 1947. In 1996, hanguls were almost on the verge of extinction as their number fell to the lowest so far, 107. Since then, the state animal has shown an incredible resilience as their numbers doubled and reached 218 in 2011. MA Tak, Regional Wildlife Warden, Kashmir, said there was further “improvement” in the number of hangul as per the 2013 Census, which would be released soon. Hanguls have now remained confined to the safe environs of the Dachigam National Park. The largest mountain goat of the world, markhor, is also facing an extreme high risk of extinction. The IUCN has marked markhor as critically endangered. It is commonly sighted in Limber, Lachipora and Hirpora Sanctuaries of the Kashmir region. Chiru is the third wildlife species of the region which has been marked as critically endangered by the IUCN. The antelope is distributed along the Tibetan plateau and a migratory population visits Ladakh during the summers. Chiru is sighted in the Daulat Beg Oldie area and in Chang Chen Mo Valley in Ladakh. A member of deer family, musk deer is marked as endangered species by the IUCN. It is commonly seen in the Aru and Limber Sanctuaries in the Kashmir region and at the Kishtwar National Park in the Jammu region. Marked as endangered, ibex is a dark-brown goat with dull white saddle patch. It is frequently sighted in the Hemis and Kishtwar National Parks and at the Kanji Wildlife Sanctuary. A copper-brown mountain goat, marked as endangered, lives in extremely inaccessible terrains. The Himalayan tahr is occasionally seen in the Kishtwar National Park in the Jammu region. The IUCN has marked Himalayan brown bear, the world’s largest terrestrial omnivore, as endangered. It is often seen in the Limber and Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Kashmir region and at the Kishtwar National Park in Jammu. Also known as asiatic black bear, this large forest dwelling bear species has been categorised as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. It is generally seen in all of the Valley’s protected areas, particularly in the Dachigam National Park. The black bears are involved in many of the man-animal conflicts in the Kashmir region, which have spiked in recent years. Another wild animal which has been involved in the increased cases of man-animal conflict, the common leopards, which has been marked as endangered, are commonly seen in all the protected areas of the state. The IUCN has marked the snow leopard as endangered. The snow leopards are generally seen in the Hemis National Park in Ladakh. Ironically, the region’s only bird to be listed as critically endangered is also the state bird of Jammu and Kashmir, the black-necked crane. The black-necked crane is seen in the Tso-moriri lake area of the Ladakh region. Facing extinction The endangered species of the state include hangul, markhor, Tibetan antelope, musk deer, ibex, Himalayan brown and black bear, common leopard and black-necked crane. The critically endangered hangul, a sub-species of European red deer, is the state animal of J&K and is marked as critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature The region’s only bird to be listed as critically endangered is also the state bird of J&K, the black-necked crane. It is seen in the Tso-moriri lake area of the Ladakh region
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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will make a power-point presentation about the developmental works in the state before Prime Minister Manmohan during his forthcoming visit to the state.
In an otherwise brilliantly crafted developmental visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Kashmir Valley, first in a little over two years, the ruling National Conference has thrown its autonomy ball in his court, that too, at a time when the two ruling alliance partners are busy in castigating each other in public.
Governor NN Vohra today visited the Sheshnag, Chandanwari and
Nunwan camps on the Pahalgam route to review arrangements for the Amarnath yatra scheduled from June 28.
The Governor, also the chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, inspected arrangements at the Sheshnag and Chandanwari camps and held meetings with the officials at both camps.
The state government today announced Rs 1 crore for the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the victims of flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The state government on Friday expressed solidarity with the victims of the natural calamity that has ravaged Uttarakhand and Himachal
Pradesh.
