J-K hikes relief for victims
JAMMU, Jan 14 — The state government has accepted the recommendations of the commission headed by Justice M.R.A.Ansari and decided to enhance the compensation for the victims of the 1989 riots from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

3 foreign militants killed
JAMMU, Jan 14 — Militants operating in the Poonch-Udhampur belt of the Jammu region suffered a major setback when three dreaded foreign mercenaries were killed in two separate incidents last night.

State's financial position "to improve"
SRINAGAR, Jan 14 — The financial crisis being faced by Jammu and Kashmir will somewhat ease next month following an assurance by the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said here yesterday.

Panchayat poll after 20 years
JAMMU, Jan 14 — The Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir are to be held in April-May. The last elections were held in the state in 1978.

J-K hikes relief for victims
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 14 — The state government has accepted the recommendations of the commission headed by Justice M.R.A.Ansari and decided to enhance the compensation for the victims of the 1989 riots from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

This decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the state Cabinet here today. The emergency Cabinet meeting was convened by Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah after the government was embarrassed by Mr Balraj Puri's release of the Ansari Commission report on the riots in which 15 Sikhs were killed on January 13, 1989. The report had been gathering dust all these years and Mr Puri took the initiative of releasing portions of the report to the Press.

The Ansari Commission had recommended that Rs 1 lakh each should be paid as compensation to the riot victims. The government decided to pay Rs 1 lakh each to the dependents of those killed in the riots, besides providing employment to one of the dependents.

The Cabinet decided to discuss again other recommendations made by the commission which included revamping of the police and intelligence wings so as to provide adequate security during religious processions. The commission had also suggested that the compensation for loss to property damaged in arson and looting should be increased as 5 per cent of the assessed loss was too meagre a relief.

The government is yet to decide on the recommendation of the commission for levying a punitive tax on people in the areas where riots take place. The commission has said that such a measure would help the government save money it has to pay as compensation to the riot victims. Another recommendation made by the commission is to introduce an insurance scheme under which the insurance companies pay compensation to those killed in communal riots. The Cabinet postponed its decision on it.

The Cabinet also briefly discussed the Singhal Committee report on the selection of candidates for the MMBS and BDS courses for 1997. The committee had been set up after the Jammu Joint Students Federation and other political parties resorted to a prolonged general strike demanding the scrapping of the selection list on the ground that some irregularities had been committed. The committee is said to have found major irregularities in the selection of the candidates. It has at the same time pointed out some defects in the selection procedure with regard to the time taken in receiving the applications, holding the interview and the declaration of the results.

The Cabinet is said to have decided to set up an expert committee to examine the recommendations of the Singhal Committee so as to make the selection process transparent.

The Singhal Committee has stated that no evidence of irregularities was found in the selection of candidates for the MBBS and BDS courses but the process needed some improvement.

3 foreign militants killed
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 14 — Militants operating in the Poonch-Udhampur belt of the Jammu region suffered a major setback when three dreaded foreign mercenaries were killed in two separate incidents last night. In the valley five persons, including a surrendered militant were killed.

Official reports said that the security forces led by Army jawans raided two militant outfits one at Mohra Bachi near Surankot in Poonch and another in Trenga village near Prankot in Udhampur district where more than 18 insurgents were hiding. As the security forces neared the hideout braving icy winds and pitch darkness they came under fire from the militants. The troops retailiated killing Moosa Afghani and Mohammed Sadiq, senior functionaries of Hizbul-Mujahideen in Trenga. In the Surankot area one Pakistani national, Mushtaq Talibani was killed.

Other militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness. The security forces recovered three assault rifles, Rs 11,000 in Indian currency and a large quantity of explosives and ammunition.

According to official sources, the three slain militants were involved in the Prankot massacre in which 27 Hindus were killed on April 18 last year. The two groups of militants led by Moosa Afghani, Mushtaq Talibani and Mohammed Sadiq had been moving constantly between Udhampur and Poonch. During the last one year they had been responsible for other incidents in which more than 10 civilians were killed.

Senior BSF officers complimented their men for the operation in Trenga village. The BSF has evolved a strategy under which the Jawans have been directed to destroy hideouts so that rebels do not get chance to use them in the near future. One intriguing feature about these hideouts has been that the militants have built them to resemble caves and the mouth of each is blocked by a boulder to allay suspicion. Another feature is that all 10 hideouts smashed in recent weeks by the BSF have yielded heavy quantities of grain and edibles indicating that militants had stored rations to last them through the current winter.

Reports indicate that most of the foodgrains have been supplied by government ration depots by dealers trying to buy peace with militants so that they could carry on their business.

SRINAGAR, (PTI): Five persons, including a surrendered militant, were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since last night.

The bullet-riddled bodies of two persons, identified as Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din and Mian Khan, were recovered from Chakelpora in Anantnag district in south Kashmir today, official sources said.

Militants shot dead one Abdul Ahad Bhat at his house at Khan Mohalla in the frontier district of Kupwara late last night sources said.

The body of Farooq Ahmad Khan, a surrendered militant, was recovered by the police from Babapora-Haihama in Kupwara today.

The police also recovered the body of an unidentified person with bullet wounds from Gund-Jehangir in Sumbal area of Baramula district today, sources said.

Meanwhile, residents of Bijbehara in Anantnag district today held a demonstration at the main chowk, blocking traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, protesting against alleged "excesses" by security forces during their late night search operation in the area yesterday.

Cashless Id for J&K staff
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 14 — For the first time in living memory Muslim employees working in the government departments in Jammu and Kashmir have failed to get a festival advance to enable them to celebrate Id-ul-Fitr.

Reports collected from several government departments in Srinagar and Jammu, besides the civil secretariat, said that several hundred employees had applied for a festival advance but were not given it on the plea that all treasuries in the state were "cashless."

Many others who had applied for a provident fund loan were also refused the benefit owing to the acute cash crunch. In several parts of Kashmir valley, a large number of employees, especially teachers, have yet to receive their salary for December. Others have failed to get their monthly salary for the past two months.

Reports said that several thousand labourers, masons and carpenters also failed to get their wages on time after the contractors, who employed them could not "encash" their bills. Bills worth several hundred crore were pending payment in treasuries.

In several cases the bills have been returned to the parent offices with a remark that since there was no cash the payment had to be delayed.

One senior officer said that while all other categories of employees continued to face a series of difficulties because of the cash crunch employees of the civil secretariat were able to get festival advance and provident fund loans and there was no delay in disbursing monthly salaries to them.

Even a few ministers confirmed that they had failed to get reimbursement of their TA bills which have been lying pending in the treasuries for the past several weeks.

Earlier employees belonging to other communities too had been denied festival advances and provident fund loans on the plea that the current cash crunch had forced the government to suspend work on ongoing projects and abandoned work on new projects.

Reports from the valley indicated that workers may stage demonstrations if they were not paid their salaries on time.

J&K's financial position "to improve"

SRINAGAR, Jan 14 (PTI) — The financial crisis being faced by Jammu and Kashmir will somewhat ease next month following an assurance by the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said here yesterday.

"The financial position of the state would improve next month in view of an assurance of the central government for providing liberal assistance", he said, addressing the District Development Board meeting of Frontier district of Kupwara convened at Srinagar.

He called upon the district authorities for the formulation of such socio-economic development plans which would achieve the desired results within the stipulated period.

Panchayat poll after 20 years
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 14 — The Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir are to be held in April-May. The last elections were held in the state in 1978.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said this at a meeting with representatives of several political parties here today. He assured political leaders that the government would consider their demand for holding the elections on a non-party basis.

The Minister for Rural Development, Mr A.R. Rather, said the ensuing elections would have new features which included secret ballot and direct elections for sarpanches. Women will be given due representation.

Mr Rather said the number of panchayat halqas in the State had increased to 2683 from 1468.