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Act swiftly against misuse of farm land, HC tells govt
Army jawan killed in Kupwara encounter; hunt on to nab militants
News
Analysis |
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NHAI to woo pvt investors to maintain Jammu-Srinagar highway
Militant numbers back to 3 digits in Valley
Census figures belie govt's development claims: BJP
School summer vacation from July 15
HC wants govt to clarify on pvt practice by consultants
Measures afoot to transform NSS
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Act swiftly against misuse of farm land, HC tells govt
Srinagar, July 10 The court warned that “otherwise” the entire Kashmir could get “converted into a concrete jungle.” The court also issued a show-cause notice to the J&K Government to explain how a “tainted” official with corruption charges against him had been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Sonamarg Development Authority, which is entrusted to develop the Sonamarg tourist resort. These orders were passed by a division bench of the high court headed by Chief Justice MM Kumar today in a public interest litigation filed by an NGO calling for a ban on the conversion of agrarian land into residential land. The orders followed after an interim application was filed by the petitioners in which it was pointed out that at the Dharin area in Ganderbal district, a vehicle showroom was being constructed in violation of the high court directions and it was also submitted that a tainted official had been appointed to head the Sonamarg Development Authority. In its earlier direction on June 4, the high court had directed the state government to ensure that no conversion of agricultural land was allowed for commercial, residential and industrial purposes. “Mr MA Chashu (government counsel) accepts notice according to the averments made that one Shri MY Bhat, who is facing charges (of corruption) under FIR 41/2003 at police station, Vigilance Organisation Kashmir, is allowed to man the Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA). The respondents to show cause that how such a person is allowed to man the key post”, the bench said in its orders while issuing a show-cause notice to the government. However, after passing the orders, the bench in its observations also asked the government to act fast against the conversion of agricultural land and illegal constructions along river banks and other eco-sensitive areas of Kashmir. “You have to act swiftly because otherwise the whole Kashmir can get converted into a concrete jungle”, the bench headed by Chief Justice observed. “We don’t want a situation parallel to Uttarakhand in J&K, that is so unfortunate that so many lives have been lost”, it added in its observation.
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Army jawan killed in Kupwara encounter; hunt on to nab militants
Srinagar, July 10 The jawan was killed when Army troops launched a search operation in the Lolab area in the wee hours after receiving information about the presence of militants. A massive search operation has been launched to nab the militants involved in the attack. The militant attack in Kupwara district has come just a day after the Army claimed that it had killed five militants near the
Line of Control (LoC) in the Keran sector of the district. Sources said a joint operation was launched by the police and the Army in Kawari Khurahama, Lolab, 120 km from here, after getting specific information about the presence of militants in the area. “As the cordon was being laid at 8.30 am, militants opened fire on Army men, resulting in critical injuries to one of the jawans of 18 Rashtriya Rifles. The fire was retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for some time,” said a source, adding that militants managed to escape from the spot. The Army man latter succumbed to his injuries. The exchange of fire continued for half an hour. Soon after the encounter, additional deployment of Army and police was rushed to the area and a massive search operation was launched to nab the militants. “The search operation is going on to nab the militants. We had an input that two or three militants were roaming in the village,” an Army officer said, adding that many villages around Kawari had also been cordoned off. |
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News
Analysis
Every time Chinese troops intrude into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, a note is sent by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asking it to take up the matter with Beijing and get it resolved once and for all.
Such calls have not been responded to as it is clear the way Chinese have been doing it time and again. And when such intrusions, go unchallenged diplomatically, these dent the prestige of the Indian nation. The intrusions into this side of the LAC is indeed a worrying factor on the ground, miles away from the populated areas, but the more serious aspect is that it dents the image of the nation. It is perceived to be taking things passively and unable to put a halt to such incursions, which are definitely provocative. In April-May, there was a three-week-long stand-off at Despang in the Daulat Beg Oldie area - the Chinese had come 19 km inside the Indian territory — and in June the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had vandalised the posts and taken away the surveillance camera. It was enough of a provocation, which is being dismissed as a routine affair. But the Indian troops stayed calm, as they believe that the Chinese troops and the Indian Army have a different perception about the LAC “It’s a disputed territory, hence it cannot be called an intrusion as per the definition of the word,” an Army officer tried to explain. That is the line that the Army has often used to dispel the impression that there was
anything major that required some reaction from its side. But, sources in the Army confirmed that each time such an incident took place, the MEA was asked to get the LAC demarcated and ease tensions on the borders. The MEA, however, has not paid any heed to such pleas of the Army and the MoD, the sources said. Consequently, things continue to happen on the LAC. The Indian Army could have retaliated but that would have escalated the tension on the borders. The Indian Army is already facing tensions of high level on the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Almost every day there is an intrusion bid from across the LoC or a ceasefire violation. The Army is tied up at the LoC. Any reaction to Chinese provocation at the LAC would only add to the problems on the borders. “We have only one option that the mandarins in the Ministry of External Affairs should talk to their counterparts in Beijing and get the issue resolved — get the
LAC demarcated,” a senior officer in the Army told The Tribune. Their regret is that the MEA has taken the matters non-seriously and as such the situation remains unchanged on the borders. The conclusion is simple: that the Indian diplomacy is too soft to take up these issues with the Chinese. It is not a hawkish approach that the Army wants from the MEA, the Army simply wants the exact delineation of the LAC to defuse the tension on the borderline. |
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Amarnath yatra suspended from Baltal route due to rain
Srinagar, July 10 “Due to incessant rain, the movement of yatris from the Baltal route was suspended for the day after 7.40 am today. Till then, 3,124 yatris had crossed the Access Control Gate at Domel towards the holy cave,” said Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) CEO Navin K Choudhary. The SASB advised the pilgrims to stay at the Baltal base camp till the weather improved. However, the movement of pilgrims from Chandanwari was halted for half an hour in the morning. A total of 5,477 yatris left for the holy cave shrine from Chandanwari. Choudhary said, on the instructions of Governor N N Vohra, who is also the SASB chairman, rigorous monitoring of the weather situation commenced after midnight. He said the board had been constantly in touch with the MeT Department, all camp directors, district officials and commandants of various security forces en route yatra. Meanwhile, a total of 1,73,593 pilgrims had performed darshan at the shrine till last evening at an average of 14,466 yatris per day. The death toll for this year’s yatra has risen to five. While a woman pilgrim, Vijaya from Srigandakavel in Karnataka, died due to cardiac arrest at the Baltal base camp yesterday, another yatri identified as J L Shaw from Kolkata died at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, where he had been admitted following an illness. The CEO has again appealed to the yatris to be “100 per cent confident of their health condition” before performing the arduous journey to the holy cave. The pilgrims have also been advised to contact the nearest medical camp in case of any health problem. The CEO has also appealed to the yatris to not proceed further on the yatra track if they have fallen sick and doctors have advised them not to proceed further. He also directed the camp directors to make suitable arrangements to send
sick yatris back to the base camps. |
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Governor, CM review progress of pilgrimage
Srinagar, July 10 The Chief Minister, as per an official statement, briefed the Governor about the discussions which he had with the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission in New Delhi yesterday and the size of the state’s Annual Plan (2013-14). The Governor and the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the ongoing Amarnath yatra and also discussed some important issues related to the governance and security of the state, the statement said. |
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NHAI to woo pvt investors to maintain Jammu-Srinagar highway
Jammu, July 10 Official sources said the NHAI, which is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, would pay Rs 26,000 crore to private developers during the concession period spanning 17 years, excluding three years of construction, to compensate them for the capital cost and the operation and maintenance expenses of the project. “The four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar (national highway) is being carried out under the built, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. The Ministry of Roads had initially some reservations over such a huge amount to be paid as annuity to the private sector. However, it finally given its consent and six developers will be paid an annuity of Rs 26,000 crore during a concession period of 17 years,” a senior officer privy to the decision told The Tribune. The officer said though an emphasis was also laid on completing the four-laning project under BOT — toll funding model to abate the load on the fiscal arising out of annuity liability,
the Ministry preferred to make payment to the private investors on an annuity basis and the
toll rights would be retained by the NHAI. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways applies both BOT (toll) and annuity models for development of highways in the public-private partnership mode. Under the BOT— toll funding model, the private investor is entitled to receive a viability gap funding of up to 40 per cent of the project cost and earns revenues from the project in the form of toll through the concession period. It transfers the project to the government after the concession period. On the other hand, the annuity model states that the developer gets a return on his investments in the form of fixed semi-annual payments (annuity) by the government through the concession period. There is no provision of viability gap funding and the toll rights are also retained by the government. The project has been divided into six sub-projects, including widening of the Jammu-Udhampur road (65 km), Chenani-Nashri tunnel (9.2 km), Ramban-Udhampur road (43 km), Banihal-Ramban road (36 km), Qazigund-Banihal road (15.25 km) and Srinagar-Banihal road (67.7 km). The four-laning of the existing 286-km-long national highway was started in 2011 and the project would be completed in five years from its commencement. It will reduce the
distance between two capital cities (Jammu and Srinagar) by 50 km. The 9 to 10 hours travel would be covered in just 5 hours, that too, avoiding the treacherous points on
the highway. The major structures of the project include two long tunnels viz country’s longest road tunnel between Chenani and Nashri and 8.5-km-long Qazigund-Banihal tunnel, besides 12 short tunnels, having a total length of 6.2 km, 34 major bridges and 24 viaducts. |
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Militant numbers back to 3 digits in Valley
Srinagar, July 10 The number of militants operating in Kashmir had fallen to just 91 at the end of 2012, according to a confidential police document. The figure of 91 is the lowest in the last two decades of conflict in the region, where hundreds of militants were operating when militancy was at its peak. Among those named in the list, 10 have been killed and two, including Laskhar-e-Toiba commander Fawad, alias Fahadullah, have been arrested in the last six months, which also witnessed militants opting for an aggressive stance and carrying out deadly attacks. Militancy in Kashmir had receded to record levels in recent years as most of the commanders and cadres of militant groups were killed in gunfights, which diminished the capacity of these outfits to carry out large-scale attacks. However, resurgent militants have successfully carried out deadly attacks and ambushes in the last three months, in which
more than 30 soldiers, paramilitary personnel and policemen were killed across the region. At the start of this year, Lashkar-e-Toiba was leading on the militancy front, with 46 cadres active in the region, followed by Hizbul Mujahideen with 34 militants, the police document shows. Jaish-e-Mohammad is the third on the list, with 11 of their cadre active in the region. According to
the document, no other militant outfit is active in Kashmir. The document says the number of local militants present in the Valley at the beginning of the year was 52, out of whom 10 were subsequently killed and one arrested. The number of foreign militants was 39, out of whom one has been arrested. Two out of 12 militants —Hizbul Mujahideen commander Shabir Ahmad Bhat and Jaish-e-Mohammad commander Altaf Ahmad Baba — who are categorised as ‘A plus plus’ have been killed in separate gunfights this year, and one militant, Fawad, has been arrested. Five commanders categorised as ‘A plus plus’ militants are locals, including Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Sajad Ahmad Bhat, who is a resident of Srinagar. Four others in the list of ‘A plus plus’ militants are Pakistani commanders — Qari Yasir of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Hamza Kocha, Abu Qasim and Huraira. A police officer who is part of the counter-insurgency unit said the figure of 91 compiled at the beginning of the year had risen to around 130 to 135 by June-end. “It included locally recruited youth and militants who have infiltrated from across the Line of Control,” the officer said. Inspector General of Police for Kashmir zone Abdul Gani Mir said the number of militants present in the region was around 130. “As far as the known militants are concerned, the number is around 130,” the IGP said. The IGP said all the militants present in the region were not mentioned in the categorisation list. “There is no increase (in militants). That is not the
case,” he said. |
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Census figures belie govt's development claims: BJP
Jammu, July 10 In a statement issued here today, Singh said statistics disclosed that out of the total state population of 1.25 crore, only 43 lakh were employed. What is even more disturbing, he said, was that the Census figures reveal that during the tenure of the present coalition government, the dependency ratio has increased. Today, five or six persons were dependent on a single earning hand in a family, he said. Singh also took on the government on the declining sex ratio, asking that what had happened to the coalition government’s much hyped crackdown on ultrasound clinics and doctors facilitating female foeticide. Singh said it was unfortunate that the NC-led government wasted its time in futile politicking over issues like the AFSPA while there had been deterioration in virtually every sphere because of “government’s wrong priorities”. — TNS |
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School summer vacation from July 15
Srinagar, July 10 The summer vacation in all government institutions, including recognised private schools up to the higher secondary level, falling in Kashmir division and Jammu division will be from July 15 to 24, an official statement said. “Any default on the part of private school(s) in observance of the calendar of vacations so authorised shall attract action under rules,” the statement added. |
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HC wants govt to clarify on pvt practice by consultants
Srinagar, July 10 In the report, the Health Secretary has also been asked to explain the timings of the private practice by the consultants if
they (consultants) are undertaking it. These directions were issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur in
a in a public interest litigation filed in the wake of infant deaths at GB Pant Children Hospital here early this year. “The Secretary, Health, has been asked to tell the court if the consultants working in the GMC, Jammu and Srinagar, are permitted to undertake private practice. If they do undertake this practice, he (Secretary, Health) has been asked to indicate the timings and file a report in this regard”, said advocate Faisal Qadri, the counsel representing the petitioners in the PIL. The directions of the bench have come in the wake of an application filed by some faculty members at the GMC, Srinagar, in May, wherein they
had submitted that Registrars and Associate Professors appointed to teach at the GMC, Srinagar, had been ordered by the hospital administration to perform duties as consultants during night at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, Srinagar, which is an associated hospital of the GMC Srinagar. As a result of this, it had been submitted in the applications, the studies of the students in the GMS had suffered. It had been prayed before the court that the earlier orders about regulating the duty of consultants during night hours in the hospitals be modified. Earlier on February 25, the High Court had directed the respective authorities of the GMC, Srinagar and Jammu, to take necessary steps for ensuring the presence of consultants during night hours in the affiliated hospitals of the GMC. The court had said that consultants in all disciplines should be ordered to stay on the hospital premises so that the patients reporting in emergency during night hours were taken care of. In its fresh directions yesterday, the HC bench has also directed Registrar, GMC, Srinagar, Wasim Qureshi to file a personal affidavit stating if the roaster about night duties of consultants in the GMC and associate hospitals was being followed or not, counsel Faisal said. |
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Measures afoot to transform NSS
Jammu, July 10 Sources said inputs were being collected from various stakeholders at the state level, including industries, civil society and various government departments. Further, a pro forma has been circulated among NSS volunteers of select universities to gather feedback on their aspirations. It was revealed at a recently concluded Conference of Ministers of States/Union Territories In charge of Youth Affairs and Sports held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Representatives from J&K also attended the meeting. The state governments and Union Territories (UTs) were also directed to appoint a full-time State Liaison Officer (SLO). State governments which don’t have a full-time SLO or a SLO cell were urged to put the cell in place
and select and appoint full-time SLO for better monitoring and implantation of NSS activities in the states. Sources said from the financial year 2011-12, a new accounting procedure had been adopted by the ministry which was circulated to all state secretaries and SLOs to furnish their accounts duly audited by CA/CAG or the State Audit Cell along with the Utilisation Certificate. All the state governments were requested to furnish the audited accounts along with the Utilisation Certificates. The step was taken after it was observed that even after the funds were released to the state governments, the NSS units received the actual funds very late and in some cases, at the fag-end of the financial year. Introduced in 1969 on a pilot basis in 37 universities and three other institutions of higher education. An expert group was also constituted by the Prime Minister some years back which held various meetings with the stakeholders, besides holding consultations with the Chief Ministers. The group had observed that J&K had shown high economic growth but was not able to meet the aspirations of the people, especially the youth. |
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Jammu, July 10
