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State yet to review progress of national rural job scheme
BSF jawan, civilian injured as Pak again shells Poonch posts
2 militants killed in encounter in Bandipora
Governor praises Army’s role in managing Amarnath yatra
NC withstood onslaughts, emerged victorious: Omar
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Curfew continues in Shopian
A deserted street during curfew in Shopian district on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Amin War Afzal projects himself as supporter of militancy in book
Hurriyat Conference leaders and other participants during the release of a book on Afzal Guru’s writings, in Srinagar on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Yawar Kabli RSS chief to visit Jammu
Mahila Cong warns people against ‘communal forces’
CRPF jawan killed in accidental fire in Jammu
Cong choses its four Kargil councillors
This Kashmiri girl is aiming for the skies
At 12°C, Doda witnesses coldest day of season
A view of the snow-clad Kailash range bordering Bhaderwah. A Tribune photograph
Mysterious fever grips villages in Kathua district
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State yet to review progress of national rural job scheme
Jammu, September 17 This has been revealed in a report issued by the Union Ministry of Rural Development. The report further claimed the state has not conducted any meeting during the current fiscal so far. It has, meanwhile, asked the state authorities to ensure that the meeting notice, agenda notes and the proceedings of the meetings are uploaded on the website of the state government. As per the direction of the Ministry, four meetings, once in a quarter, are to be convened by the member secretary of the state and district level committees in a year. The member secretary is responsible for convening the meetings at the stipulated intervals. In case, the chairman has not indicated any date for the meeting, the member secretary, in consultation with co-chairman, can convene the meeting within 15 days of the end of each quarter. Apart from J&K, other states that have failed to conduct the vigilance and monitoring committees meeting during the 2012-13 period are Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. At the district level, only 758 meetings across 407 districts of the country have been reported during the 2012-13 fiscal, while just 19 meetings have been held across 19 districts during the current financial year so far. Sources said the Rural Development Ministry taking a serious note of the issue had prescribed a procedure to ensure better coordination between the state governments and the nodal ministries by expanding the scope of the district-level vigilance and monitoring committees. Time lines have also been prescribed for the issue of meeting notice, agenda note, proceedings of the meetings and the follow-up action on recommendations of the vigilance and monitoring committees. “Every state government is required to pay special attention to this matter. The district authority of every state should ensure that the meetings are held frequently and in the manner as prescribed in the guidelines. The details of the meetings should also be uploaded on the website of the ministry,” the report said. |
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BSF jawan, civilian injured as Pak again shells Poonch posts
Jammu, September 17 In less than 12 hours, the Pakistan army again violated the ceasefire today opening automatic fire, including rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), mortars and heavy machine guns (HMGs) on three Indian forward posts prompting the Indian Army to respond in equal measure. The injured have been identified as Sepoy Mohammed Abu Siddiqi of the 34 Battalion of the BSF and Mohammed Taj, son of Khadim Hussain of Deri village in forward area. The BSF soldier was injured when Pakistani troops were firing from HMGs and RPGs on Indian forward posts along the LoC in the Mendhar sub-sector of Poonch district at 11.30 pm yesterday. A BSF spokesperson, however, said the jawan sustained minor injuries caused by shrapnel. “He was immediately evacuated to a hospital of the 5 Grenadiers in the area and is back to work, but
at another post on the LoC,” he said. An Intelligence source said Pakistani troops opened heavy fire on Indian forward posts in the Mendhar sub-sector around 9.30 pm yesterday, drawing effective response from the BSF. The BSF retaliated by firing nearly 100 rounds of medium machine guns (MMGs) and 35 grenades from automatic grenade launchers. The exchange of fire lasted till 1.45 am. Meanwhile, late in the evening officiating defence spokesperson SN Acharya, in a release issued here, stated that Pakistani posts opposite the Mendhar sector violated the ceasefire and opened unprovoked fire on the intervening night of September 16 and 17, which continued till 2 am. The fire was given immediate and strong reply by Indian forward posts. “Today, the Pakistani forward posts opened heavy volume of automatic and mortar fire in the area at 8.40 am. One civilian named Taj Mohammed of Deri village sustained injuries on his shoulder due to enemy fire. Own posts retaliated strongly and brought down effective automatic and mortar fire on the enemy posts which forced them to stop firing. The exchange of fire continued till 2 pm,” he said. The injured civilian has been shifted to a Rajouri hospital. |
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2 militants killed in encounter in Bandipora
Srinagar, September 17 He added that it was a joint operation by the Army and the police. Both the slain militants were reported to be Hizbul Mujahideen operatives. Officials said on a specific tip-off, 22 Rashtriya Rifles and the personnel from the Special |
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Governor praises Army’s role in managing Amarnath yatra
Srinagar, September 17 The formations, after the conclusion of their yatra duties, are moving out of Jammu and Kashmir. The Governor was speaking after presenting mementos to Maj Gen R R Nimbhorkar, GOC, HQ Victor Force, Colonel R P Singh, Commanding Officer, 4 Bihar regiment, and Lt Colonel Sumer Singh, Officiating Commanding Officer, 2 Mahar regiment, as a token of appreciation for their valuable support to the smooth conduct of the yatra at Raj Bhawan here last evening. Vohra, according to an official spokesman, observed that in ensuring the successful conduct of the yatra, the Army, the police and the security forces have been playing a very significant role not only in providing a secure environment in the entire yatra area, but also in providing physical support to the pilgrims. Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, GOC, Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Home, Navin K Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the SASB, and Preet Pal Singh, Additional CEO, were present on the occasion. |
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NC withstood onslaughts, emerged victorious: Omar
Srinagar, September 17 “The NC and its activists have withstood so many onslaughts and challenges, particularly during the period of disturbance, but it came out victorious and stronger for the fact that it lived in the minds and hearts of the people,” Abdullah said while addressing the party’s Anantnag district committee members here in the city. He urged workers to nurture “high principles” of the NC and always stand for the public cause. “Despite many attempts by some elements to weaken and damage the National Conference, even by using force against its workers, the NC has emerged stronger and firm on its principles and its workers stood like a monolith,” he said. Omar said the party flag was “up-mast in every village, every area and every region” of the state, which vindicated the popularity of the party. The Chief Minister said power had never been the objective of the ruling party and public service was its “only benchmark”. Omar Abdullah described the ruling party as the “torch-bearer of amity, brotherhood, solidarity, peace and inclusive development” of all regions and sub-regions of the state. “You represent public aspirations, you are the legacy holders of the high principles preached and nurtured by Baba-i-Qoum Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, you are the hope of people and your party the NC symbolises the state’s secular democratic credentials,” the Chief Minister told the party workers at the meeting. “Our only aim in politics is public good and prosperity of the state”, he said. Omar Abdullah urged the party workers to make people aware of “path-breaking and historic initiatives” taken by the government to empower the people at grassroots and make them “equal partners in governance, plan formulation and implementation” of development schemes. “You should make the common man aware of the authority your government has given him by enacting historic Public Services Guarantee Act and Right to Information Act. You should tell them how your government has made them legally empowered to demand important listed public services in a time-bound manner and question the government for all its actions and omissions,” Omar Abdullah said. The Chief Minister urged party workers to strengthen their rank and file and reach out to the people in all areas to help redress their difficulties and address development requirements. Kashmir provincial president of the party Nasir Aslam Wani, Anantnag district president Mohammad Akbar Ganai, former minister Abdul Rashid Shaheen, various senior leaders, all block presidents and other office-bearers of the party’s south Kashmir district were present in the meeting. |
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Curfew continues in Shopian
Anantnag, September 17 “Hall tickets of these people were treated as curfew passes,” an official source said. Barricades erected by the security forces and the concertina wires laid across the entry and exit points to curtail the pedestrian movement and the traffic remained intact. Locals said they were distressed by the restrictions. “We are out of essential supplies like baby food and medicines. Even though, there has been no major incident of violence in the past three days now, the authorities have shown reluctance to lift the restrictions,” said a local. While the district administration has been maintaining that due care is being taken to meet the essential needs of the local populace, the residents say that the administration has done nothing to address their grievances. “The police and the CRPF have taken over the town. They are not even allowing patients to be ferried to the hospitals,” said another resident. The locals felt that by imposing curfew the government was adding insult to their injuries. Curfew was imposed in the Shopian town and its adjoining areas on September 7 after the CRPF personnel from the 14th battalion allegedly shot dead three people in Gagren area of the district. While the CRPF maintained that those killed were militants, who attacked their camp, the police have so far identified three of them as civilians with no militant links. The police, however, claimed that the fourth person, whose identity remains to be ascertained, might be a Pakistan-based Lashkar operative. Following the unrest in the town, another person was gunned down allegedly by the CRPF personnel of the same battalion on September 11. The state cabinet ordered a probe into the killings on September 12. |
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Afzal projects himself as supporter of militancy in book
Srinagar, September 17 Hailing from Jageer village in Baramulla district, Afzal was was executed on February 9 in Tihar Jail and buried there. Afzal, in the book, has also pointed out several contradictions in the separatist leadership, saying that there is a clear contradiction between “thought and practice” and that the Kashmiris lack a proper “direction or roadmap” to carry forward their “movement”. His projection of himself as a staunch supporter of militancy comes in the backdrop of the claims that he was “used” by some security agencies and that he did not get a fair trial or a chance to represent himself before the courts. The 94-page book titled, “Ahl-e-Imaan Kay Naam Afzal Guru Ka Aakhiri Paigaam” (The Last Message of Afzal Guru for the Faithful), which has been compiled and published by the National Front, headed by senior Hurriyat leader Nayeem Khan. It was released by Afzal’s elder brother Ajaz Guru and separatist leaders, including Ashraf Sehrai, during a function in Srinagar today. “It is necessary to distinguish between a persons and thoughts…. When we look back at our freedom movement, particularly the last 20 years, we see a clear contradiction between thought an practice,” Afzal writes in a paragraph in the book released today. “But in this whole struggle one thing is clear, which is the sacrifice, sincerity and the passion of the martyrs. It is their blood which has kept this movement alive and their mission is a responsibility on our shoulders,” he continues in the same paragraph. While supporting “jihad”, Afzal says, “In Kashmir the armed struggle (militancy) is necessary the way prayers and fasting is necessary for Muslims.” Through his writings in this book, he also seems to be disillusioned, lamenting the fact that Kashmiris have no “roadmap”. “We have a passion which we call Azadi (freedom). But to define this passion neither we have a proper definition, explanation, or a roadmap or constitution, which could have advocated this passion,” he says in another paragraph in the book, adding that “this passion for freedom is transferring from generation to generation”. Afzal further writes that this “uncertainty”, which has gripped Kashmir, can be ended by the intellectuals by offering a “proper explanation or interpretation” to
the passion Kashmiris call “Azadi”. The foreword of the book has been written by Shafi Shariati, who is currently in jail for his involvement in the killing of human rights activist HN Wanchoo.
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RSS chief to visit Jammu
Jammu, September 17 The meeting is likely to be held during the visit of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, who is arriving in Jammu on September 27 to review the functioning of the organisation in the region. The decision of the Union government to grant statehood to Telangana has encouraged those who have been demanding statehood for the Jammu region. These groups have been exerting pressure on the RSS to support their demand. The RSS in its national executive meeting in 2002 at Kurukshetra had adopted a resolution in support of a demand for the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. It had demanded statehood for Jammu and union territory (UT) status for the Ladakh region. The Jammu State Morcha (JSM) has already intensified its campaign in support of statehood for the Jammu region. The Panthers Party, in its convention held recently, has also reiterated the demand of reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir to fulfil aspirations of the people of different regions and sub-regions. Sources said various groups raising the demand of statehood for the Jammu region have decided to avail the opportunity of the visit of the RSS chief to convince the Sangh Parivar to again support the demand. |
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Mahila Cong warns people against ‘communal forces’
Jammu, September 17 Addressing a public meeting at Rathoa in connection with the ongoing campaign to educate the people about the achievements of the UPA government, Pradesh Mahila Congress president Indu Pawar regretted that instead of addressing the grievances of the people, some political parties had been propagating divisive politics, which, according to her, was a dangerous trend. She asked the people to come under the banner of the Congress, which had given impartial and secular governments in the country. “The future of our state and country depends on maintenance of peace and tranquillity and the Congress is the only party, which address the wishes and aspirations of every section of society,” she said. She asked the party workers to remain united and meet regularly to discuss the problems of the poor, who had no jobs and were being deprived of the welfare schemes of the government. She said the
Congress was keeping its doors open to all those who were ready to follow the principles of secularism and co-existence. She heard the problems of workers and assured them of finding a solution within the framework of the government rules and regulations. She also inaugurated works under the constituency development fund at a cost of Rs 15 lakh for the replacement of low tension and high tension network in the Rathoa panchayat. |
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CRPF jawan killed in accidental fire in Jammu
Jammu, September 17 The police said Mohammad Yaseen accidentally opened fire, in which Lance Naik Akbar Ali of 160 Battalion of the CRPF, who was coming out from the toilet, was killed. The police immediately rushed Akbar Ali to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, where he succumbed to his injuries at 9:10 am. He had received a bullet injury in his stomach. Akbar Ali belongs to Assam. The police has arrested the IRP men who had run away from the spot. A case was registered at the Pakka Danga police station against them under Section 307 of the RPC. — TNS
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Cong choses its four Kargil councillors
Srinagar, September 17 The ruling National Conference has abstained from voting in the newly elected Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, allowing its coalition partner, Congress, to form the council. “This was done in accordance with the directive from the party high command to enable the Congress to form the new council,” said Qamar Ali Akhoon, senior National Conference leader from Kargil and former minister, who is presently the adviser to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The first meeting of the elected council members was held yesterday, in which the elected and nominated members of the National Conference (NC) did not participate. The NC high command’s instruction to its members for abstaining from voting has sent “wrong signals” within the NC cadres in Kargil, sources said. There were simmering differences between the Kargil unit of the party and the party high command, which have been continuing ever since the ouster of Qamar Ali Akhoon from the council of ministers in the last reshuffle. The impasse was created following the nomination of four NC members by the government, with voting powers on September 4, days before the scheduled oath-taking ceremony of the elected members. Akhoon told The Tribune that with the four nominated members having voting rights, the NC was having a clear majority in the council with 16 members. The Congress, on the other hand, had claimed its majority in the 26-member council with 15 members. After the results were declared on August 28, there was an impasse over the formation of the council, as none of the coalition parties was able to get a clear majority. Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 10 members, the nomination of four members by the government led to the stalemate. The NC followed with eight members and eight Independents. The coalition parties took up the matter at the Coordination Committee meeting, led by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Saifuddin Soz, and sorted it out. |
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This Kashmiri girl is aiming for the skies
Srinagar, September 17 Now 17, Mumbai-based Ayesha, whose mother hails from Baramulla district in north Kashmir, has a word of advice for the Kashmiri youth, saying they must follow their heart and dreams and not be bothered by politics. She has also earned the Flight Radio Telephone Operator’s Licence and is a member of the Indian Women Pilots Association. “I only had one dream and that was to become a pilot. It was the only thing that was in my mind and I was focused and determined to realise my dream,” Ayesha said. Although she is eligible to sit in the examination for qualifying as a commercial pilot in November this year, she said she would appear in the test next year as “I don't think I am ready yet.” While she was in Class 12 at Christ Church School in Mumbai, a NASA team visited the school and selected her, along with two boys, for a space training programme. “NASA was an awesome experience. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It felt great....I do not have words to describe my feeling,” she said. During the two-month course, she received advanced training in space shuttle mission, multi-axis training, micro-gravity, manned manoeuvering unit and extra vehicular activity, Ayesha said. “Kashmir has played a significant role in my life and I am emotionally attached to it,” Ayesha said. She said the youth in Kashmir, especially girls, should not be bothered by politics and must follow their heart. “I have the pictures in my mind of the sufferings and everything that is happening in Kashmir. I am waiting for the day when all these bad things end,” she said. “I want to tell the Kashmiri youth to follow their heart and dreams. There are avenues you should follow and not just run after medicine and engineering. And do not be after politics. Do not bother your mind by it...that is not how it should be,” she added. She said women had achieved success in every field, citing the example of India-born astronaut Sunita Williams. She hopes to make a mark like Williams. — PTI |
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At 12°C, Doda witnesses coldest day of season
Batote, September 17 Patnitop, in Udhampur district, was the coldest at 8°
Celsius. The sudden dip in the temperature following the overnight snowfall in the upper reaches of the region and intermittent rains forced people to put on the woollens. In last 24 hours, Batote recorded a rainfall of 4.4mm, while Bhaderwah registered 20.8mm rain. Patnitop had 4.9mm of rain. “I woke up to a shivering surprise yesterday. The intermittent rainfall on Sunday and overnight snowfall in the upper reaches brought down the temperature considerably. It seems to be the on-set of winter,” said Babinder Kumar, a local. The entire Kailash range bordering the Bhaderwah tehsil and the Chamba in Himachal Pradesh has been covered with the snow. “It was surprising to see the entire Kailash mountain range covered with snow when I removed the curtains of my window and peeped out yesterday morning,” said Divisional Forest Officer, Bhaderwah, Mushtaq Ahmed Choudhry. The higher reaches of Marwah, Dachhan, Warwan and Padder in Kishtwar district were also covered with white layer of snow. The peaks of Kowkot and Gagan Rail Mandu, bordering Ramban and Banihal tehsils too were snow-clad. The peaks in Pir Panjal range were also covered with snow. |
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Mysterious fever grips villages in Kathua district
Jammu, September 17 Taking cognisance of the situation, the Health Department rushed a team of senior doctors to the village and collected 16 blood samples from patients suffering from fever. The team is also learnt to have collected water samples from open wells and bore wells and sent them for testing. Panchayat members said many villages in panchayat halqa ‘four-lane-west’, having a total population of around 6,000, had been suffering from a ‘mild but mysterious fever’ during the past few weeks. “Nearly 60 per cent population of the panchayat has been suffering from a mysterious fever. The affected people have been taking medicines, but they are not showing any effect. We have requested the Health Department to send a team of senior doctors to assess the situation,” Mehar Chand, sarpanch of the area, told reporters. Ajay Khajuria, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Kathua, said they had sent a team of doctors to Dorsi village and it had collected 16 blood samples from Dorsi and adjoining villages. “People had complained about mild fever. We have collected the blood samples and are awaiting reports. We are closely monitoring the situation,” the CMO said.
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Severe restrictions continued in Shopian district amid heavy deployment of security forces for the eleventh consecutive day today.
Reports said the police and the CRPF remained deployed across the Shopian town, and barring few people, who were to appear in a competitive exam, nobody was allowed to venture outdoors.
A book, which is a compilation of the original writings of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, was released here today, in which he has projected himself as a supporter of the armed resistance in Kashmir.
Hailing from Jageer village in Baramulla district, Afzal was was executed on February 9 in Tihar Jail and buried there.
Jammu, September 17
The erstwhile Doda district experienced the coldest day of the season today as the mercury plummeted below 12°Celsius.
While Batote registered a temperature of 12° Celsius, the mercury dipped to 9.2 degree Celsius in
Bhaderwah.
