NC’s volte face on support
SRINAGAR, April 22 — The changing stance of the National Conference at the Centre since last weekend is being closely watched in the valley.

Jugglery with govt funds
JAMMU, April 22 — In the face of an acute financial crisis in Jammu and Kashmir the state government has resorted to diversion of plan funds to other sectors for meeting exigencies.

NC’s volte face on support
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 22 — The changing stance of the National Conference at the Centre since last weekend is being closely watched in the valley.

After four days of voting against the Vajpayee government, National Conference member from Srinagar Umar Abdullah has issued a statement that his party is not "committed to any combination of parties at the Centre" . This is in spite of the repeated statements of the National Conference president and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, in favour of support to the BJP government at the Centre. The Chief Minister's son, Mr Umar Abdullah, who has made it to the leadership of the two-member NC Parliamentary Party with the expulsion of Prof Saifuddin Soz, has hinted at support to any party that comes to power at the Centre. If the NC supports any party that comes to power at the Centre, then why was Prof Saifuddin Soz expelled from the party. This is the question on the mind of the common man.

Several National Conference leaders of Baramulla, which is represented by Prof Soz, have expressed concern over the decision of the party to expel him. A meeting of these activists was held at Baramulla yesterday at which support was expressed for Mr Soz's decision to vote against the government at the Centre.

A statement issued by party workers also appealed to senior party leaders to "raise their voice against the expulsion of Prof Saifuddin Soz." The meeting held that the alliance of the National Conference with "communal" parties was against the policies laid down by late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.

A senior officer hailing from the Baramulla constituency said Prof Soz had been able to win the hearts of the people in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, comprising the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. The officer said on the condition of anonymity that the NC alliance with the BJP had not been fruitful. The state employees had not got their salaries for months now.

Jugglery with govt funds
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 22 — In the face of an acute financial crisis in Jammu and Kashmir the state government has resorted to diversion of plan funds to other sectors for meeting exigencies.

A month ago the state government received over Rs 200 crore from the Centre under the devolution of plan funds and more than Rs 150 crore were transferred to a foreign firm which had been given the contract for the construction of 450 MW Baghliar power project in Jammu.

The project is expected to cost Rs 3495 crore. Since the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, announced in the state assembly that "whether we beg or borrow" work on the Baghliar power project will be started soon. It is in this context that the state government transferred over Rs 150 crore for the project soon after a memorandum of understanding was signed in Jammu with the firm on April 10. And another instalment of over Rs 60 crore would be transferred shortly.

The government embarked on the "robbing Peter and paying to Paul" strategy to keep the activities on. It stopped releasing Rs 4 crore to the Police Department for modernising the telecommunication and transport system. It stopped the release of Rs 3 crore which had been allocated for the construction of the police housing colony. The Finance Minister, Mr Mohd Shafi, denied that funds meant for modernisation of the police and for the construction of housing colony had been slashed. He said it was the police that allocated funds for different projects. The slashing might have done by the police to meet the wage bill which had got inflated as a result of the implementation of 5th Pay Commission recommendations.

However, the police authorities said the funds earmarked for the modernisation and housing colony stood released by the government but secretly the treasury had been informed that the payment of Rs 7 crore be withheld.

Similarly plan and non-plan funds earmarked for each government department have been slashed with the result all departments are facing an acute cash crunch in the past six months. Government officers, employees, including drivers have pooled their money to buy petrol and diesel to keep government vehicle going. Since the treasuries do not honour petrol or diesel purchase bills scores of government vehicles have been grounded.
Telephone connections of several government departments have been disconnected as phone bills have not been cleared for the past six months.

What has irked the employees in the "freezing" of the provident fund. Employees in dire need of withdrawing part of their provident fund for meeting domestic exigencies have failed to get "their" money.

The government has no other alternative but to transfer part of the money received from the sale of foodgrains on ration depots to other departments with the result that arrears to be paid to the FCI have touched Rs 150 crore. The FCI has stopped extending credit facilities to Jammu and Kashmir which may create severe food crisis in the state within a month.

The Finance Minister and other government agencies are praying for the passage of the Union Budget. They feel that any delay in the adoption of the Union Budget might force the government to freeze even the monthly salary of over 2.73 lakh employees.

Agencies that lessen cares
From Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 22 — Many service agencies have come up here promising better customer service and "more prestigious, comfortable and pleasant" life on nominal charges. These also include senior citizens for interaction among lonely, retired and free people similarly placed to avoid boredom among the lot.

The latest of these agencies is the Service Affairs Management and Super Amenity Mission (SAM and SAM), the first of its kind here established recently. Such agencies had also been established in metropolitan cities of the country, some of which have been closed down for not coming up to the expectations of the customers. Sam and Sam has invited applications and many have approached the same for its assistance. It provides assistance in case of billing, home service, maintenance, travelling service and medical service.

A customer is required to become member of the agency by depositing Rs 500 and service charges separately for anyone of the services required. In 50 such members registered with the agency so far, a number of people have been relieved of the bother for payment of telephone bills and LPG refills in billing and home service. "It helps mostly employed couples in small families, who do not have time to be in long queues for telephone bills and LPG refills from distant agencies", said an expert in such agencies. He is pessimistic over the success of such agencies for the government employees here have "enough time away from their offices during office hours to get refills and make payment of bills".

"Your time is your most precious asset. Once spent never regained..... How profitable if it is possible to save on all your purchases" and other such assertions are catchy statements from an agency running Dee-Card or discount card to customers on membership basis. It promises Dee-Card holders to avoid hassles of bargaining with discount at 350 business establishments in Jammu and Kashmir. The Royals also promise its card holders priority treatment at service establishments, travel tickets and payment of bills, with a primary membership for payment of Rs 570 for two years.

A Senior Citizens’ Circle was also set up here recently to come to the rescue of retired and lonely senior citizens of the society. "Have you retired recently", "Do you feel lonely?", Have you lot of time at your hands? and "Do you want to interact with other people similarly placed? are the questions asked in an advertisement by the Senior Citizens’ Circle established for the purpose. This is for the first time in the recent years that such services have been established in Kashmir valley. Other major towns in the valley are yet to adopt the system of largely populated cities in the country.

These service agencies follow the long list of coaching centres and private schools in this city. A number of coaching centres to provide coaching for entrance examinations to various professional courses have already started working here on a large scale. These coaching centres have been inviting more and more students. But the parents have been complaining that these are only "business establishments" earning money in the name of coaching, while the teachers at the centres do not devote themselves to teaching in the government educational institutions.

Similarly private schools have cropped up here even as the government schools continue to suffer on account of the lack of attention from agencies the concerned. Some of these schools do not have buildings, which have led the parents to withdraw their wards from such institutions, resulting into the flourishing of private institutions. A number of government schools here exist only on papers as the students and staff do not have any accommodation or space. The government is yet to take action in such cases.

125 intruders' fate hangs in balance
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 22 — The fate of 125 Pakistani militants, intruders, and some Afghan mercenaries, hangs in the balance. They have completed their period of detention in various jails of the state.

Most of them had been detained under TADA and others on the charge of having illegally crossed into the Indian territory from across the border. State government had been deliberating on the future course it would adopt regarding the release there militants and intruders for the past few days. Since there is no political authority available in Delhi to guide the state government, the state authorities plan to take recourse to the Foreigners Act which stands extended to Jammu and Kashmir.

Under this Act the state government is empowered to notify the place of lodging of these militants, foreign mercenaries and intruders, where they could be kept under observation for any period of time.

At one stage the state authorities favoured their repatriation because the government had to spend nearly Rs 2.16 lakh per month on their maintenance. At present there are over 790 militants lodged in different jails in the state.

But senior functionaries of the government, including those manning the security agencies, have opposed the repatriation of the detainees who have completed their term of imprisonment to Pakistan on the plea that they might be pushed back into the state for kicking up subversive violence.

They say when local militants, including Bitta Karate and Mushtaq Latram and 600 others had been in jails for the last five to seven years why could not Pak nationals and other foreign mercenaries be kept in jails for another term.