Recruitment policy rocks House
SRINAGAR, Aug 29 — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today witnessed uproarious scenes on the recruitment policy before the House was adjourned sine die after the two-week session. The Upper House of the state legislature was also adjourned sine die today.

J&K panchayat poll
put off
SRINAGAR, Aug 29 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today announced the postponement of the much-publicised panchayat elections in the state that were scheduled for November.

Cabinet panel examining proposal
JAMMU, Aug 29 — A six-member Cabinet subcommittee has started examining a proposal of the Law Minister, Mr P.L. Handoo, suggesting an amendment to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Act to enable baridars to have a regular share of 33 per cent from the income and offerings of the board.

Pak troops target Indian posts
JAMMU, Aug 29 — Pakistani troops opened fire at several Indian forward posts along the international border and the Line of Control last night without causing any loss of life or damage to property, a BSF spokesman said here today.

16 J&K scientists get young fellowship
SRINAGAR, Aug 29 — Sixteen young scientists of Jammu and Kashmir have been awarded the young fellowship for learning advanced research and new techniques in chosen areas of science and technology.

Recruitment policy rocks House
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 29 — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today witnessed uproarious scenes on the recruitment policy before the House was adjourned sine die after the two-week session. The Upper House of the state legislature was also adjourned sine die today.

A heated exchange of arguments was observed in the House between the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pyare Lal Handoo, and members of the Opposition on the issue of the recruitment policy of the state government.

The Opposition and the ruling National Conference members, Mohammad Dilawar Mir (JD), M.Y. Tarigami (CPM), Mubarak Gul (NC), Prithvi Chand (BJP), Shiva Charan Gupta (BJP), Ashok Kumar Sharma and Ch. Lal Singh (Cong) had raised half-an-hour discussion on the recruitment policy of the government.

Intervening on the discussion, the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Handoo, quoting references from the Constitution of India and Jammu and Kashmir Constitution said the recruitment issue had created problems everywhere in the country. He said the recruitment at the block-level was also problematic.

The members objected to these remarks as the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had at a number of times announced in the House that the appointments would be made at block-levels to adjust the local talent available in different areas of the State.

Announcing that 1,12,475 educated youth were registered as unemployed in September, 1997, the Law Minister told the House that there were six different appointing committees to effect appointments at various levels.

He said these included the Public Service Commission, the Police Recruitment Board, the Fire Services Recruitment Board, the Recruitment Board for Autonomous Hill Development Council for Leh, and heads of department for the appointments of Class IV employees. The total number of appointments made since the National Conference Government took over was 37,284, Mr Handoo told the House.

Intervening on the heated exchanges, the Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, stressed the need for upholding the democratic norms and asked the members to work unitedly for the uplift and overall development of the State that had suffered a lot in the past 10 years of militancy.

Giving details of the proceedings of the sixth session, before adjourning the House, the Speaker said four Bills were tabled out of which three were passed while the other was referred to the select committee. There were six Bills from private members out of which four were disallowed and one was withdrawn.

There were 29 private members resolutions out of which 14 were admitted as under rules and eight were disallowed. A total of 711 questions were tabled of which only 80 were taken up and 390 supplementary questions were taken up.

Before the adjournment of the House, Mr Handoo said it was a matter of concern that only 80 questions out of 711 questions were taken up in the Assembly during the session. He referred to the last year's whips conference here also that favoured at least 100 working days for the state legislatures annually. He regretted that in spite of that the number of working days of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had not touched even 70 last year.

Cabinet panel examining proposal
Amendment to Shrine Board Act
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 29 — A six-member Cabinet subcommittee has started examining a proposal of the Law Minister, Mr P.L. Handoo, suggesting an amendment to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Act to enable baridars to have a regular share of 33 per cent from the income and offerings of the board.

The Cabinet committee comprises Ministers for Law, Rural Development, Finance, Industries, Agriculture and Revenue and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, is said to have conveyed to baridars that the amendment to the Act would be made on the basis of the recommendations of the Cabinet subcommittee.

The Law Minister has recommended in his report that besides one third share from the board earnings the shrine board should have 33 per cent posts reserved for baridars and their children.

The 12-year struggle of baridars for the restoration of their rights had ended with the Supreme Court directing the state government to set up a tribunal to settle the claims of the baridars. The tribunal in its award had sanctioned Rs 12 crore as life-term compensation for the baridars who had been ejected after the establishment of the board in 1986. The baridars had received Rs 1.48 crore out of the total compensation of Rs 12 crore and later they refused to draw the remaining amount on the plea that the matter would be settled either by the Supreme Court or by the tribunal.

Dissatisfied with the award of the tribunal baridars won over the support of certain ministers and legislators for securing amendment to the Shrine Board Act because in the absence of the necessary amendment they could neither go in for appeal against the judgement of the tribunal nor seek regular share from the board income. It is in this context that the Law Minister submitted a report to the Chief Minister who referred it to the Cabinet subcommittee.

Inside reports said that after the baridars become entitled to one third share in the board's income and have 33 per cent posts reserved for them they would become more powerful than the shrine board members. Senior board functionaries do not oppose 33 per cent posts to be reserved for baridars and their children but what seems to be unpalatable to them is the possibility of surrendering a sizeable amount out of the board income to baridars. They recall that during decades of control of the shrine by baridars neither the shrine nor its environs witnessed any improvement.

They agrue, the board, had succeeded in providing finest possible facilities to the pilgrims whose number had increased from 10 lakh to 38 lakh per year in the past 12 years.

One of the approximate income of Rs 35 crore the board had been spending more than Rs 12 crore annually on the development of infrastructure by way of the construction of yatri bhawans and shelters, the setting up of medical centres and the improvement of the track between Katra and the bhawan. They feel that in case the baridars get a major share in the earnings of the board. It will undo all good work done by the former Governor Mr Jagmohan.

There are others who are critical of the style of functioning of the shrine board members who have encouraged "deputationism" in the board. Several senior officers working in the board are on deputation.

There are fears that the autonomous character of the shrine board was being eroded by the nexus between some board officials and the National Conference Government. The decision of the shrine board to set up Mata Vaishno Devi University, which has been accepted by the state legislature, is said to have brought the board authorities into conflict with the state government.

J&K panchayat poll put off
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Aug 29 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today announced the postponement of the much-publicised panchayat elections in the state that were scheduled for November.

The Chief Minister's statement came during zero hour in the assembly when Sheikh Abdul Rehman (BSP) pleaded for revision of electoral rolls and removal of anomalies in delimitation of panchayat wards before the elections.

Earlier, Mr Shiv Charan Gupta (BJP) and members of the ruling National Conference had raised the issue during zero hour. The demand for the revision of rolls from various members in both Houses of the legislature figured a number of times during the two-week session that concluded here today.

Responding to the demand, the Chief Minister said owing to demand by a over whelming number of members, cutting across party lines, he was willing to alley apprehensions on the electoral rolls.

He, however, reminded the members that this process would take at least three-four months by which time Ladakh, Gurez and many other areas in the state would be snowbound.

He said if the members belonging to both opposition and ruling parties were ready to wait for that long, the government would concede their demand for deferment of poll.

When the members expressed their willingness for the same, the Chief Minister requested the Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, to seek the consent of the House on the matter. The members in one voice asked for the postponement of the elections. The Chief Minister then announced that the electoral rolls would be first revised and then the elections conducted.

The elections could be held in April next year, he added.

Pak troops target Indian posts

JAMMU, Aug 29 (PTI) — Pakistani troops opened fire at several Indian forward posts along the international border and the Line of Control last night without causing any loss of life or damage to property, a BSF spokesman said here today.

The spokesman said Pakistani border guards opened unprovoked fire yesterday on border outposts of Sangral, Khatmaria and Garoda in the R.S. Pura subsector and later spread the firing to Bobiya, Pansar, Londa and Regal areas of the Samba subsector along the international border.

The firing, which continued intermittently till today, was retaliated by BSF troops, he said, adding light arms and medium machine guns were used in the exchange of firing.

Pakistani troops also opened fire at several other forward posts in the Rajouri and the Poonch sector forcing Indian troops to give adequate response.

However, there was no loss of life or damage to property on the Indian side during these exchanges.

BSF troops today apprehended two Bangladesh nationals from the Bobiya area of the Samba sector while infiltrating from across the border. A Burmese national was taken into custody at Golpattan while exfiltrating to Pakistan.

SRINAGAR: Four security men were, among six killed in Jammu and Kashmir as militants attacked security camps and patrols and detonated explosive devices since last evening, even as eight militants were arrested and two of their hideouts smashed during the period.

An official spokesman said two army jawans were killed and two injured when militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) on the Patra-Kundian road near Furkiangali at Keran in Kupwara district last evening.

In Baramulla district, militants attacked security vehicles at Garoora-Bandipora last night, killing one security force personnel and wounding two others.

He said a security personnel was killed when militants attacked a patrol party at Mundak Bass Khari near Banihal, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Doda district last night.

The spokesman said Lassa Dar was killed and a jawan was wounded when militants triggered an explosion at Kutwari-Nowgam in Kupwara district yesterday.

Dar was accompanying the forces for effecting seizure of arms and ammunition from a militant hideout when the explosion took place, he said.

He said an unidentified bullet-riddled body was picked up from Athwajan on the outskirts of Srinagar last night.

The security forces nabbed eight militants, five in Srinagar, two in Anantnag and one in Badgam - and recovered some arms and ammunition from their possession, he added.

16 J&K scientists get young fellowship

SRINAGAR, Aug 29 (PTI) — Sixteen young scientists of Jammu and Kashmir have been awarded the young fellowship for learning advanced research and new techniques in chosen areas of science and technology.

Eighteen young scientists were also conferred the prestigious award of the state Science and Technology Department for their significant contributions, an official release said yesterday.

A genetic counselling centre will be set up at Government Medical College, Jammu, by the State Council of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Union Biotechnology Department.

Genetic counselling has been provided to 38 mentally retarded children in Jammu division under cytogenetic study project, this was stated at a high-level meeting held here under the chairmanship of the Science and Technology Minister, Mr Ajatshatru Singh.

A training centre has also been set up at Dandesar-Sunderbani for imparting scientific training in sericulture from leaf to cloth technology and a plant germplasm bank has been established at the Jammu and Kashmir universities, respectively.