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Hurriyat’s march to Shopian foiled
Police personnel fire teargas shells to disperse protesters in Srinagar on Friday. Tribune photo: Amin War Shopian remains under curfew
Relocation of CRPF camp from Gagren begins
Soon, BSF women may guard Indo-Pak border in JK
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12 killed as minibus rolls into gorge in Reasi district
Panic in Samba as patients get ‘fake’ dengue reports
Kashmir aims to give tourism a boost with saffron festival
Governor announces Rs 50,000, vehicle for ‘Raahat Ghar’
Poor management hits crop production in J&K
Ladakh fest aimed at extending tourist season
Ladakhi filmmaker plans film on wife-sharing
Jammu civil secretariat rendered ‘defunct’ as ministers opt to stay in Valley
NC slams Cong for claiming to win 50 of total 87 seats
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Hurriyat’s march to Shopian foiled
Srinagar, September 20 Activists and supporters of the moderate faction of the separatist amalgam tried to take out a march from the Jamia Masjid in the old city, but were prevented by the police and paramilitary personnel from heading towards Shopian, 60 km south of Srinagar. Shopian has remained under curfew for 14 consecutive days since September 7 when four people, including three civilians, were killed in alleged firing by the CRPF personnel in the Gagren area of the district. The police suspect the fourth man killed on September 7, when Zubin Mehta was performing in the city here, is a militant. But it has not been able to provide any concrete evidence of his militant links so far. One more person was killed in the curfew-bound district on September 11, leading to shutdowns
and protests elsewhere in the region. The chief of the moderate faction of the outfit Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who had earlier issued an ultimatum to the state government to lift the curfew from Shopian district and had also called for a march to the besieged town, was placed under detention at his residence in the
posh Nigeen locality of the city today. His supporters, however, tried to take out a march from the Jamia Masjid in the old city in the afternoon, but were intercepted by the police and paramilitary personnel at the nearby Khwaja Bazar locality. The police fired
multiple tear smoke shells to disperse the marchers, who became agitated and threw stones at the security personnel. The clashes between the two sides continued in the later half of the day,
disrupting transport service in the old city neighbourhoods and leading to a shutdown in nearby markets. A photojournalist and a videographer, working with international news organisations, were reportedly injured in the clashes near the Khwaja Bazar. A Hurriyat Conference spokesman said most of the top-tier leadership of the moderate amalgam had been detained by the police.
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Shopian remains under curfew
Anantnag, September 20 Restrictions were imposed in Shopian town following the killing of four people in alleged CRPF firing on September 7 in the Gagren area of the district. Curfew was relaxed during the past two days a couple of hours early in the wake of the improvement in the situation. However, despite improvement in the situation, the authorities decided to impose restrictions today. Police and CRPF personnel remained deployed in strength and barricades were yet again erected today on the main entry and exit points of the town to restrict movement. “We had to impose restrictions in the wake of the ‘Shopian
chalo’ call extended by separatists,” said Deputy Commissioner (DC),
Shopian, Bashir Ahmad Bhat. “Restrictions were eased at 4:30 pm (today),” the Deputy Commissioner said. He said the deadline for eyewitnesses to record their statements in the September 7 and 11 killings in the Gagren area had been extended till September 28. Regarding lifting of restrictions, the DC said the administration and the security agencies would take stock of the situation in the evening. “And, the decision will be taken at the meeting,” the official said. Life in the area has been affected due to the shortage of essentials. Residents of Shopian town say the district administration was non-existent and the town had been handed over to security forces. “The security forces, in the absence of any intervention from the district administration, are doing whatever pleases them,” a resident of Shopian town said. The town residents said the acute shortage of essentials, including medicine and baby food, was taking a toll on them, particularly the elderly, sick and children. |
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Relocation of CRPF camp from Gagren begins
Anantnag, September 20
The move follows a cabinet decision of September 12, in wake of the killing of five people in Shopian in alleged firing by the CRPF. Four people, including three civilians, were allegedly gunned down by the CRPF personnel of 14th battalion on September 7. The CRPF maintained that those killed were militants and attacked their camp. However, the police have so far identified 3 of them as civilians with no militant links. Another civilian was killed, allegedly by the CRPF personnel of the same battalion on September 11. The battalion, meanwhile, will be shifted to the district police lines, Shopian, and will be replaced by the men from the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police. The camp was housed inside an industrial complex and the paramilitary forces occupied five buildings. “The CRPF personnel housed in one of the five buildings have been moved to district police lines, Shopian today. Rest of them will be evacuated subsequently,” a source said. However, a senior police officer said the shifting process will take some time. “It will take at least 10 to 15 days,” he said on the condition of anonymity. While interacting with mediapersons in Srinagar, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Abdul Gani Mir confirmed that the process of shifting had begun. “Yes, the relocation process has been commenced,” he said, without divulging the details. The CRPF spokesperson Kishore Prasad said he has been informed about some activity taking place at the camp. “It’s a very lengthy process and we will need ample space to relocate a Headquarters,” Prasad insisted.
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Soon, BSF women may guard Indo-Pak border in JK
Jammu, September 20 The frequency of BAT attacks and infiltration bids is more on the 744-km Line of Control. The Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the 191.5-km international border where these women constables are soon likely to be deployed, combats cross-border fire, including sniper fire of the Pakistan Rangers. The BSF headquarters in New Delhi have been mulling over the proposal to deploy women border guards along the international border. To begin with, the women are likely to be deployed in Akhnoor sector. The international border runs from Paharpur on the Punjab border to the Chicken Neck area of Pallanwala in the Akhnoor sector. In 2009, for the first time in the history of BSF, women constables of the force were deployed on the Indo-Pakistan border in Attari, Punjab. “Initially, their number is going to be minuscule in the state. Before deploying them on the border, we have to take up construction work for their separate accommodation with all basic amenities at the forward outposts,” said the BSF Jammu Frontier IG, SS Tomar. “As of now it’s a proposal. Once we get the nod from the BSF headquarters, women border guards will be initially posted at the battalion headquarters and then moved to border outposts,” said the IG. To begin with at least four women constables would be deployed in the Akhnoor sector, he said. “Since the border fence in some stretches of the Akhnoor sector has been raised inside the Indian territory, these women guards would be deployed at the gates on the fence to allow farmers and womenfolk to go to their agricultural fields for undertaking farming activities,” said the IG. In Jammu and Kashmir, several Indian villages and agricultural fields are located between the fence and the border. As per the government figures tabled in Parliament on August 14 this year, the BSF has 2,39,424 personnel, including 2,517 women, making their strength 1.05 per cent in the force. The CRPF has 3,02,036 personnel, including 5,856 women, constituting 1.94 per cent of the force. The Sashastra Seema Bal has 73,325 personnel, including, 1,175 women (1.60 per cent of the force), Central Industrial Security Force has 1,18,443 personnel, including 5,606 women (4.73 per cent) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police has a strength of 71, 942 personnel, including 1,052 women, making their strength 1.46 per cent in the force. |
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12 killed as minibus rolls into gorge in Reasi district
Katra, September 20 Four critically injured persons were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu while 10 other injured were undergoing treatment at District Hospital, Reasi. “It appears that the driver of the minibus lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a curve,” a police officer said. The search and rescue operation was still on when the reports last came in. |
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Panic in Samba as patients get ‘fake’ dengue reports
Jammu, September 20 Highly placed sources in the Health Department said private medical laboratories at Samba were misguiding patients by giving them fake medical reports and advising them to consult doctors at Ludhiana for dengue treatment. People of Samba are living in fear for the past few days due to reports of rising dengue cases in the district. While talking to The Tribune, Dr BS Pathania, Director, Health Services, said, “About 100 cases were suspected (of dengue) in the entire Jammu region in September, out of which only 18 were found positive after ‘Elisa Test’ at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu.” “Only three patient out of 18 belong to Samba and were living in Ludhiana when they were detected positive for dengue. The other 12 patients were detected by military hospitals and might be from other states. Three others were from Satwari, Bari Brahmana and Vijaypur,” the Director, Health Services, said. The doctor said if some patients showed symptoms for dengue, they recommended ‘Rapid Test’ to them and in case the report was positive, they then collect samples at the hospital and send them to the GMCH, Jammu, for Elisa Test, which confirms the disease. The test is only done at the GMCH in the Jammu region. “Some of the private medical laboratories at Samba, on the basis of the Rapid Test, send patients to Ludhiana, saying that Jammu doctors cannot treat the disease properly,” a source said. “For the Rapid Test, laboratories in Samba charge Rs 700 from a patient. But because of the nexus, it makes them (laboratories and doctors from Ludhiana) earn in lakhs,” the source said. Dr Pathania said they too had got reports from Samba that some laboratories, for their own interest, were sending patients to Ludhiana by manipulating the medical reports of patients. “We have taken up the issue with the Deputy Commissioner, Samba, and our team is verifying the facts about this kind of malpractice,” he said. |
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Kashmir aims to give tourism a boost with saffron festival
Srinagar, September 20 Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Federation (KHAROF) president Faiz Bakshi said militancy-related and other incidents this year had sent a wrong signal outside the state. External factors like the Uttarakhand tragedy too led to a dip in tourist arrivals. The tourism sector took a hit earlier this year following the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in February. Even though the sector revived later, the government had to postpone the Gurez tourism festival after the killing of two youths in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district in June. A militant attack on June 24 that had left eight Army men dead near Hyderpora too sent a “wrong signal”. With the recent Shopian killings also remaining in the news since September 7, officials are tight-lipped about the tourist inflow this year. Over 12 lakh tourists had arrived in the Valley last year. Meanwhile, an official of the Tourism Department said they were hosting the saffron festival next month and launching a new website on September 27. He said several adventure sports-related activities were also scheduled on World Tourism Day to boost the inflow of visitors. Bakshi said the tourism sector was hopeful that the inflow would pick up in October. “The holding of the saffron festival and other festivals is a good idea. Moreover, Durga Puja and Dasehra holidays too are happening next month and we are hopeful that tourists will start arriving again,” he said. |
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Governor announces Rs 50,000, vehicle for ‘Raahat Ghar’
Srinagar, September 20 An official said 52 orphan and destitute children from far-flung areas of the Kashmir valley and the Ladakh region were being provided free of cost boarding, lodging, educational and vocational training facilities by Raahat Ghar, which is run by the Guild of Service, New Delhi. Interacting with Girija Dhar, chairperson of Raahat Ghar, and members of the advisory committee of the organisation, the Governor announced that a vehicle would be provided to the home for facilitating the transportation of children. He also announced a cash support of Rs 50,000 for carrying forward its work for the rehabilitation of orphan and destitute children. Regarding the need for allotment of land for construction of a permanent premises for Raahat Ghar, the Governor said the matter would be taken up with the authorities concerned. The Governor also viewed the drawings and craftwork done by girls and lauded their creative talent. He invited the children to the Raj Bhawan lawns in the coming days, where a variety of flowers are in full bloom. In her welcome address, Dhar dwelt on the establishment of the Guild of Service, its activities and the functioning of Raahat Ghar. She also presented various requirements of Raahat Ghar, including provision of land for construction of its building. The children presented a brief cultural programme on the occasion. |
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Poor management hits crop production in J&K
Jammu, September 20 “Socio-economic constraints like small land holdings, poor productivity, poor production management, labour shortages, poor post-harvest management, poor market network and lack of entrepreneurship have been responsible for under utilisation of available resource base leading to limited generation of surpluses in J&K,” claimed the state agriculture policy. The policy further said agriculture in the hills and mountains of the state suffers from inherent constraints of remoteness and inaccessibility, marginality and fragility in terms of moisture stress and poor soil conditions and a short growing season. Over 70 per cent of the population of the state is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture and its allied sectors. In order to prevent conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use, the policy suggested promulgation of strict laws involving punitive action for any violation, particularly in respect of more productive lands. About 70 per cent of the net sown area (NSA) in Jammu and Kashmir is under the food crops. To ensure the security of farmer community, the policy stated that priority will be given to provide a package insurance policy for the farmers, right from sowing of the crops to the post-harvest operations, including market fluctuations in the prices of agricultural produce. It also said adoption of seed crop insurance scheme shall be explored to provide risk cover in seed production. The policy, meanwhile, stressed the need to promote closer cooperation and interaction between government agencies, research institutions and farmers to attain growth in productivity. It added that public-private partnership for investment and growth will be an essential ingredient for holistic development of the agriculture and allied sectors. Emphasising the need for maintaining quality at all stages of farm operations, the policy said, “Quality consciousness among farmers and agro-processors will be promoted through effective use of the media and personal contact by the departmental functionaries and instituting a scheme of awards for recognising outstanding performance.” |
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Ladakh fest aimed at extending tourist season
Leh, September 20 The week-long festival, which was inaugurated by the Minister of Tourism G A Mir, is aimed at promoting the region as a tourist destination and extending the short tourism season in the area. The festival was earlier organised for over 15 days from September 1, but this year the event has been reduced to a week. Mir in his inaugural address said tourist infrastructure was developed across the state with
the financial support from the Centre. He urged the local traders involved in tourism to maintain the hospitable culture of the region. Minister for Urban Development and Local Bodies Nawang Rigzin Jora earlier in his address said the Bollywood film 3 Idiots, which was shot in Ladakh, helped the tourism grow in the region. Last year, Ladakh received up to 1.50 lakh tourists, which is equal to the total population of the Leh district, he said. Meanwhile, in his welcome address the Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, Rigzin Spalbar said series of cultural functions will be organised during the festival. The festival started with a cultural parade by the artists, who came from different parts of Ladakh.
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Ladakhi filmmaker plans film on wife-sharing
Leh, September 20 “It’s very sad that wife-sharing still happens in some parts. Two, three brothers share one wife. It still exists, and it doesn’t feel good. So I have decided to make an hour-long telefilm on it,” Phyang said. Phyang’s first telefilm “Miphm Othisl” was telecast by the Leh station of the public broadcaster, Doordarshan. The gleam in the 40-year-old’s eyes shows the happiness within her for having beaten all odds and ignored vile comments to become the artiste that she is today. Phyang studied only till Class IX, started working as a theatre artiste at 22, performed as a folk dancer, and got married at 25. Now a divorcee, she has a 16-year-old daughter who studies in Delhi. Phyang says she was looked down upon when she started working in the “entertainment” field in this Jammu and Kashmir district, where filmmaking is a niche and nascent art. “When I used to walk around, people used to say, ‘Dekho, dancer aa rahi hai, actress aa rahi hai (Look, the dancer is coming, the actress is coming)’. People used to backbite about me, and sometimes when I used to reach home at 10 pm or as late as 1 am in getting back home, you can imagine the kind of comments I had to hear. I used to feel like crying,” she said. But the wagging tongues didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams. Times have changed now. “Now many people want me to cast their daughters in my films, and there is also another female filmmaker by the name of Disket Shay. I believe people will slowly improve and open up,” Phyang shared on the sidelines of the recently concluded Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF) here. Post the 2010 flash floods across Leh, Phyang also began training a group of 15 boys and girls in local cultural activities. “I thought it could be a means of earning for them. Children have impressionable minds, and I did not want them to indulge in any wrong activities due to lack of activity or funds. It turned out to be good,” recalls Phyang, who says she always found strength in the thought that “whatever I was doing was to keep my local culture alive”. — IANS |
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Jammu civil secretariat rendered ‘defunct’ as ministers opt to stay in Valley
Jammu, September 20 The non-availability of ministers in the summer civil secretariat in Jammu is not only compounding the problems of people, but they are also forced to cover a distance of 300-km to Srinagar to get their issues resolved. It also bared the claims of the ruling dispensation to provide good governance and take administration on the doorsteps of the people. The civil secretariat and associated offices were closed in Jammu on April 26 and reopened in Srinagar on May 6. The offices will again be shifted to Jammu for six months in November under the 141-year-old Durbar Move tradition. The exercise costs a staggering Rs 100 crore to the state every year. Mahesh Koul, a University of Jammu scholar, said, “The shifting of the civil secretariat from one place to another does not mean that other regions of the state are made to suffer. The government is giving reasons to the people to demand political reorganisation of the state.” Koul said there should be government representatives in all three regions of the state and if it did not happen, it meant the government was creating political and administrative imbalance. “If you (government) are not able to delegate powers to all regions, the political reorganisation of the state is the only solution to address the basic issues of the people in a proper and proportionate manner,” he said. Harsh Dev Singh, chairman of the Panthers Party, who has vociferously been demanding abolishment of the Durbar Move practice, said there were several government departments which could be bifurcated for better administration to the public. “The government claims that it is not possible to completely do away with the practice of the biannual Durbar Move, but it can be minimised through bifurcation of several government departments so that the people don’t face any problems. In winter, when the civil secretariat functions from Jammu, the ministers in the government are always available to the people in Kashmir. Then, why this discrimination with the people of Jammu?” he asked. Jitendra Singh, chief spokesperson for the state BJP, said, “The non-functioning of the civil secretariat in Jammu betrays the tendency on the part of the coalition government to take the people of Jammu forgranted and succumb to blackmail by separatists in the Kashmir valley.” Last year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had raised a question over the Durbar Move practice and written on social networking site Twitter: “Do I think the darbar move is a waste of money? Yes I do. Is there an alternative? I haven't seen a viable alternative suggested.” “I agree. We run away when people need us most and (they) face the most difficulty. The darbar move is escapist,” he had tweeted. |
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2014 Assembly elections
Jammu, September 20 “There are some leaders in the Congress who are dreaming of occupying
the chair (of the Chief Minister). On the one side, they claimed that their party would win 50 out of total 87 seats in the state Assembly, and on the other hand, they have kept their option open (for coalition). Such leaders should refrain from making unreasonable statements,” Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, additional general secretary of the National Conference (NC), told reporters here. He said the Congress should come out of this illusion that the NC cannot form the government without its support. “The National Conference has its own cadre and people have voted us to power because of our policies and programmes,” Kamal said. He also took on the Congress for forcibly executing the agreement to stake its claim on the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, and said, “We had won
the council, but under the agreement, it was given to the Congress. They should not expect that the National Conference would do it again under pressure,” he said. |
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A scheduled march by the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference to the curfew-bound south Kashmir town of Shopian was foiled by the authorities today, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies here.
Governor NN Vohra today visited ‘Raahat Ghar’ at Zakura in Srinagar and interacted with orphan and destitute children from far-flung areas.
An official said 52 orphan and destitute children from far-flung areas of the Kashmir valley and the Ladakh region were being provided free of cost boarding, lodging, educational and vocational training facilities by Raahat
Ghar, which is run by the Guild of Service, New Delhi.
Jammu, September 20
