Phones on demand in Srinagar, Jammu by March
JAMMU, Dec 5 — Union Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said telephones will be provided on demand in Jammu and Srinagar by March 31 next year.

Restructuring of ministries likely
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, December 5 — Having realised that the three-year old experiment of bifurcating several departments has proved a failure the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, plans to restructure various ministries and restore the old status.

The bifurcation of several departments had brought some ministers on a path of confrontation and had caused heartburns among various Cabinet Ministers. It had also forced the Chief Minister's brother, Dr Mustafa Kamal, to sulk after he realised that he had been almost sidelined when he was given the portfolio of Medical Education. The important portfolio of Health Services was given to Mr Govind Ram. Prior to the experiment Medical Education was part of Health Services.

Similarly, bifurcation of the portfolio of Education had created problems for the two ministers and bureaucrats. While Mr Abdul Qayoom was given the portfolio of Higher Education, Mr M.S. Tariq was given the charge of School Education. The two could not pull together. Hence there are indication that the Chief Minister would undo bifurcations in Health Services and Education.

When the Chief Minister bifurcated the Public Works Department giving only Roads and Buildings to Mr Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah the seniormost member in the Council of Ministers and who had worked with Sheikh Abdullah, Mr Shah made a mild protest. He wanted Irrigation and Flood control to be retained with the Public Works.

The case was hardly any different when the Rural Development was delinked from the Agriculture. This dismayed Mr Abdul Rahim Rather who was given Rural Development and Cooperation.

Informed sources said that Dr Abdullah was contemplating to bring Rural Development under Agriculture and Irrigation and flood control with roads and buildings.

Though the Chief Minister recently indicated that he would prefer cosmetic changes in the 30-member Council of Ministers to avoid 1984 episode when some disgruntled National Conference MLAs defected to overthrow the Farooq-led government, being repeated. The ruling party leadership has no fears this time. In 1984 it had 43 MLAs whereas this time it has over 61 MLAs with the result defection by 10 to 15 legislators would not lead to the fall of Dr Abdullah's government.

At the same time the Chief Minister has been advised by his close confidants not to drop senior ministers who had worked with his father. In this context the reports of the Finance Minister, Mr Mohd Shafi, PHE Minister, Mr Ali Mohd Sagar, Mr Ajay Sadhotra, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, the Transport Minister, Mr Bashir Ahmed Kichloo, being dropped along with Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Housing Minister, are treated with consternation by some of the supporters of Dr Abdullah.

These supporters explain that the Finance Minister, Mr Mohd Shafi, had demonstrated his efficiency in generating internal resources and in pulling the State Financial Corporation out of the red. He had successfully argued the case of the state's financial crunch with the Centre. His only fault had been that he did not accept the Chief Minister's direction to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Baramula constituency. He done it merely on health and domestic reasons.

If any segment of ethnic groups that has been annoyed with the Chief Minister it is the Gujjars of Jammu region. In the 30-member Council of Ministers Dr Abdullah had given fair representation to all the ethnic groups except the Gujjars and the Sikhs. Two senior Gujjar Leaders, Haji Buland Khan and Ch. Mohd. Hussain, deserved induction in the Cabinet. It may be recalled that Ch. Mohd. Husssain has won Assembly elections five times. There are indications that the Chief Minister may change the representatives in the Council of Ministers from Poonch and Rajouri to accommodate Ch. Mohd. Hussain and Haji Buland Khan.

As for Sikhs, he plans to either induct Mr H.S. Bali, Chairman Legislative Council, or Mr Rangil Singh in the Cabinet. Informed sources said that he had plans to appoint Ali Mohd. Sagar as general secretary of the National Conference after elevating Sheikh Nazir Ahmed as working President but this move has been dropped and Sagar may be retained in the Cabinet.

Farooq parries queries on reshuffle
Tribune News Service and PTI

SRINAGAR, Dec 5 — The Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah today parried questions on the poposed reshuffle of his Cabinet and the state administration.

"Leave it to me,’’ he said when asked when would the reshuffle take place and what would be the size of the ministry after the reshuffle.

"Keep them (ministers) in suspense rather than end the suspense,’’ he quipped when a group of reporters approached him at a function organised to release the special issue of local Urdu daily Indian Times marking the 94th birth anniversary of late Sheikh Abdullah.

Asked whether controversial Housing and Urban Development Minister Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari was being dropped, he shot back: "Why do you want him to be dropped’’?

"There are many aspirants for the ministership and those who are ministers would like to stay on as ministers. It is not an easy job to drop anybody," he said.

The state government, in an apparent attempt at transparency in administrative functioning, had released a report yesterday alleging that Mr Ansari has received Rs 60.25 lakh as kickbacks in the multi-crore Sidhra satellite town scheme.

He said the state was likely to get a financial package from the Centre soon. "Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitly is going to Delhi tomorrow in this regard," he said.

The Chief Minister also attended various functions on the occasion.

Soon after arriving here from Jammu this morning, he offered special prayers at the grave of Sheikh Abdullah at Hazratbal. A number of senior National Conference leaders and ministers also joined him.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated the newly-constructed building of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages that was damaged in a devastating fire on June 10 last.

The Chief Minister, who is also the president of the cultural academy, announced that the government was taking into consideration the proposal for separate academies for art, culture and languages. He said that a seminar would be held soon to discuss the idea.

He also announced that a "cultural complex" to further the cultural activities in the state, would be established here. The complex or "Tehzeeb Mahal" would be set up at Emporium Gardens.

The Chief Minister said a conference would be organised this month to discuss the introduction of Kashmiri, Dogri and Punjabi at the school level in all three regions — Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh — of the state.

Mr Balwant Thakur, secretary of the academy, said efforts were on to promote cultural activities of the state.

Phones on demandin Srinagar, Jammu by March

JAMMU, Dec 5 (PTI) — Union Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said telephones will be provided on demand in Jammu and Srinagar by March 31 next year.

The Telecom Ministry will ensure telephones are provided in all village panchayats of the country by 2002, he told reporters here last evening.

Lauding telecom employees working in the state in difficult conditions, he said they would be provided with a package similar to the one given to the department staff posted in the north-eastern states.

Internet facilities would be provided at all district headquarters of the state in the near future, he said adding speed post centres would be set up at Leh, Baramula and Anantnag.

Mr Paswan said five post offices in the state would be modernised and multi-purpose counter machines installed at 18 more post offices.