US, UK flags burnt by women
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Dec 18 — Former chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference here today condemned the US and UK attacks on Iraq, while groups of women burnt US and UK flags here this afternoon.

Mirwaiz Maulvi Omar Farooq, former chairman of the (AIHC), condemned the attacks on Iraq. He was addressing the Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid here today. The Mirwaiz said the attacks were against Muslims and Islam. He appealed the Muslims to unite and warned them against enemies of Islam.

Later groups of women converged at Maisuma Chowk in the Lal Chowk area in the afternoon. The women under the banner of Dukhtaran-e-Millat burnt US and UK flags in protest against the attacks by these countries on Iraq.

Meanwhile, militants shot dead one person at Maisuma here today. He has been identified as Abdul Samad Kachroo of Nishat.

Kachroo, who was one of the negotiators during the Hazratbal crisis in 1993, was shot at while he was coming out of a mosque after saying his Friday prayers, he said.

Militants gunned down a fruit grower at Poshkreeri in Anantnag district of South Kashmir last night, he said.

Security forces arrested seven militants, smashed two main militant hideouts and found a big cache of arms and ammunition in the valley during the period.

JAMMU (PTI): Eight persons, including a Congress activist and three militants, were killed and seven militants arrested in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Two civilians and a militant were killed in an exchange of fire between militants and troops in the Saj area of Rajouri district last night, official reports said here today.

One militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Darhal area of Rajouri district and another was killed in the Thathri area of Doda district, the reports said.

One bullet riddled body was found from the Saisat area of Poonch district of the Jammu region last evening,the reports said.

Troops recovered one AK rifle, two pistols, four hand grenades and 500 rounds of ammunition during search of the Saj forest area, the reports said.

J&K gets Rs 20 cr for police arms
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 18 — After a delay of almost six months, the Centre has released Rs 20 crore for the purchase of modern weapons for the police in Jammu and Kashmir. The state government had in July last requested the Centre that it needed financial assistance for equipping the police with sophisticated weapons, improving communication and transport facilities for the men in khaki and raising two additional battalions of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP).

The funds were also needed for setting up border police posts which could play a key role in checking infiltration and arms smuggling from across the border.

As a result of the persistent efforts of the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, the Centre has agreed to release Rs 20 crore as first instalment for the Action Plan formulated to tackle insurgency.

Out of this Rs 16 crore will be spent on the purchase of better weapons, over Rs 2.50 crore on transport, Rs 50 lakh on civil works and another Rs 50 lakh on improving the communication network.

The Centre has agreed to release another instalment of Rs 20 crore. The amount is to be spent on raising two more battalions of the IRP, purchase of sophisticated weapons and development of transport and communication system.

Mr Jagat is said to have given much importance to setting up 114 Border police posts. About Rs 1 crore will be spent on this project.

During the past two years, after the police set up was revamped to take on the militants, the police authorities realised that during anti-insurgency operations, the police was handicapped on account of meagre transport facilities. Most of the transport fleet had been grounded as scores of vehicles had turned rickety.

More than 50 police stations and posts, particularly in the border areas of the state, were without jeeps and vans.

Informed sources said had not the Centre delayed releasing funds for the Action Plan, the state government would have by now replaced the paramilitary forces with the police in the state's towns and cities.

Panchayat poll may be put off
From Ramesh Gupta

UDHAMPUR: To ensure people's participation in governance at the grassroots level, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, soon after assuming the power in the J&K state had announced to hold panchayat elections in November, 1998. The revision process of voter lists had stood accomplished in Udhampur district along with other parts of the state, but the Chief Minister then announced the postponement of elections to March, 1999, perhaps the reason was intensity in militancy-related activities in some parts of the state and non-completion of voter lists revision process in militancy-infested areas. The Chief Minister, however, had expressed his determination to stick to this latest schedule though it had many hurdles to cross for fulfilling aspirations of the people for grassroot democracy to take roots in Jammu and Kashmir.

The last panchayat elections were held more than two decades ago and since then, the panchayat system has remained collapsed. The state government, however, had adopted new legislation in 1989 for securing representative character of panchayats with a stable financial base and other measures to make them effective democratic instrument of socio-economic transformation in rural areas of the state.

Although, the state government is committed and has reiterated time and again to go in for democratisation process to percolate to the local bodies and panchayat, level, people feel suspicious, whether the government could succeed in achieving Panchayat electoral process during March or further postpone it.

As four districts of Jammu division, including Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri and Poonch, are badly infested with militancy the people's fear with regard to implementation of panchayat poll schedule is quite genuine as there is no decrease in incidents of militancy. In addition to this the state is presently reeling under severe financial crunch also. In these circumstances, the government could not be able to implement electoral process because for accomplishment of electoral process there is a need of huge funds for deployment of sizeable number of returning and assistant returning offices, police personnel and other election staff. When the government is not even able to clear the monthly salary bills of state employees, how it could meet such heavy expenses on panchayat polls. This is double indeed.

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At present no government transport bus plies from Udhampur either to Jammu-Srinagar or other areas of Udhampur district whereas such buses are usually plying from other district headquarters and coming there from other destinations. In the absence adequate government bus facility hundreds of passengers and pilgrims visiting Patnitop, Sanasar, Sudhmahadef, Mantalai and Mansar lake face problems daily by travelling in overloaded private buses.

More than a decade ago, the government buses used to ply from Udhampur to the Garhi Rhembal area but that too was cancelled. The people have been demanding the resumption of government transport bus service from Udhampur to Jammu-Srinagar and other tehsil headquarters of the district besides restoration of city bus service since long but the transport authorities have paid no heed so far.

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The sweepers engaged by the town area committee went on a weeklong strike in protest against the non-release of their Pay Commission arrears during the last week of November. As a result the entire town virtually turned into a hell as heaps of garbage and filth piled up at various localities of the town. The lanes and drains got filled and choked with polythene bags. As a result, the people led a miserable life, during the strike.

After reaching an agreement with the town area authorities with regard to settlement of their pay arrears the sweepers called off their strike. However, the interior areas are still overfilled with heaps of garbage.

The people have been repeatedly requesting the authorities for taking stock of the situation and starting a special sanitation drive, so that there is no danger of outbreak of any epidemic but till now no such drive has been started. A special drive should be launched after every six months so that proper sanitation in the town cold be restored. In he past, on the eve of important festivals, a sanitation drive used to be carried out.