Id, Mahavir Jayanti celebrated
From Tribune Reporters and UNI

JAMMU, March 29 — Id-ul-Zuha celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir remained a subdued not due to militancy, but on account of acute cash crisis. First to be affected by the cash crisis has been government employees as a result majority of Muslim employees failed to get March salary as had been assured by the government.

The government had allowed flow of Rs 22 crore in the treasuries in the Kashmir valley to enable employees to get salary but the amount was too meagre to meet the demand. In addition to this the order for the flow of cash to the treasuries was late with the result most of the employees could not get their salary till yesterday.

Another class of people affected was the contractors and suppliers.

Their bills amounting to several hundred crores are pending payment. In certain cases with strong political backing 10 to 20 per cent payment has been released. However, the latest instructions to the treasury officers not to make any payment of bills submitted by contractors and suppliers in the month of March has left this section of people high and dry. The order had been issued to check withdrawal of money on some fake bills.

As a result of financial crisis main markets in the Kashmir valley and in parts of the Jammu region did not witness usual rush of customers wanting to buy new garments, shoes and other luxury items in connection with the Id festival. Three traders in Lal Chowk admitted that their sales had been quite low when compared to earlier Id festivals. Ghulam Nabi, a leather footwear dealer, said that he sold his goods during the past three days for just Rs 50,000 when during the Id celebrations his sale would range between Rs three lakh and Rs five lakh in three to five days. The fate of cloth and garment dealers was similar to the leather footwear dealers.

During the past three decades it had been seen that contractors, engineers and suppliers indulge in reckless spending while celebrating Id festival but this year the cashless treasuries forced them to follow austerity measures. They had not enough money to make a show of their riches because they had to pay to their workers and labourers even without having received payment from the government.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry leaders said that against the demand for Rs 150 crore, which the government had to pay to contractors and suppliers, the treasuries had been given Rs 22 crore that too for disbursing salaries to the employees. One Chamber leader said that each treasury received one fifth of the cash requirement which forced many employees and contractors to on for credit purchases.

The Chamber people referred to the visible fall in the rate of "kurban" a religious ceremony in which goats are slaughtered with a ritual and the mutton shared by many families. Mutton dealers admitted that the rate of "kurban" witnessed a decrease by 50 per cent. During the past three days one did not find the usual rush on roadside corners bidding for lambs from wholesalers.

However, the cash crunch did not affect religious formalities that had to be fulfilled in connection with the Id- ul-Zuha. Millions of people visited several mosques in the state and offered nimaz. While the biggest congregation was witnessed in Idgah in Srinagar and Jamia Masjid in Jammu, other mosques in the rural and urban areas registered big gatherings of people who offered nimaz.

Several ministers, legislators and political leaders also offered Id prayers in mosques. However, those political leaders and bureaucrats who are on the hit list of the militant preferred to offer nimaz indoors. In Srinagar killing of one police Assistant Sub-Inspector yesterday had caused panic among several senior police officers who did not visit any mosque for offering Id nimaz. The police officer was strangled after he came out from the mosque in Srinagar.

The cash crisis was not reflected in one sphere of activity. Large number of people were seen visiting the houses of ministers with packets of sweets, cakes and other gifts as part of the usual Id greetings. Senior bureaucrats too wore a smile after they received Id gifts from junior officials.

Three SOG men shot dead

SRINAGAR, March 29 (PTI) — Four policemen and 10 others have been killed in militancy-related violence in the Kashmir valley since last evening, while timely detection by the security forces averted two landmine blasts, an official spokesman said here today.

Three Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir police, Abdul Ahad Magray, alias Janbaaz, his brother-in-law Gulzar Ahmad Mir and Farooq Ahmad were shot dead by unidentified militants at Alasteng in the Zakoora area of Srinagar today.

The deceased, all surrendered militants working with Ganderbal unit of the SOG, had gone to Gulzar’s house to celebrate Id when the militants attacked, the spokesman said.

The body of Assistant Sub-Inspector Mohammad Jaffar was recovered from a mosque near Kothibagh police station in the city last evening. Jaffar was strangled to death by suspected militants who escaped with his service revolver and an identity card, the spokesman said, adding Jaffar had gone to the mosque last evening to offer prayers.

Farooq Ahmad Mir, self-styled battalion commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, and his bodyguard Ghulam Hassan Lone were killed in an encounter with the Army at Putshai in the Bandipora area of Baramulla last evening, he said.

A girl, Nasreena, was killed in the crossfire. Two AK assault rifles, four grenades, a wireless set and some ammunition were seized.

The spokesman said the security forces averted two blasts with the timely detection of powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Ganderbal town near Srinagar last night.

The first IED was detected near Khumani mosque in the town last night, while another was found on the Ganderbal-Safapora road early today, he said, adding the area was cordoned off and IEDs defused.

Militants shot dead three labourers at Silander in the Bandipora area last night, the spokesman said.

Quoting delayed reports, he said militants killed three villagers and injured one at Hari Budha in Poonch on Friday.

The police picked up the bullet-riddled body of an unidentified person from the Kulgam area of Anantnag early today.

Four Army personnel, including a Colonel and a Junior Commissioned Officer, were wounded when militants blew up their vehicle with a landmine in Ganderbal on Saturday.

The spokesman said the security forces arrested a self-styled district commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Assadulla Bhat, from his hideout at Dadasar in the Tral area of Pulwama last evening.

A pistol, one magazine and six rounds of ammunition were also recovered from the militant who is being interrogated.

The security forces recovered two AK rifle grenade launchers, two AK assault rifles, seven magazines, a pistol, a wireless set, 27 RPG boosters and two hand-grenades from a militant hideout in the Kalaroos forests of Kupwara yesterday, the spokesman added.

(FOC): The Army raided a militant hideout in the Liran jungle area of Udhampur district and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The cache included 12 remote control boxes, three sniper magazines, 12 sniper rounds of ammunition, 8 kg explosives, two eyeguards for telescopic gun sight, two initiation switches of IED, 10 solar activated switches and four time pencils.

J&K plans new water policy
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, March 29 — The J&K Government is planning to formulate a new water policy for maintenance and streamlining of the available natural water resources in the state.

Mr A.M. Sagar, Minister for Public Health Engineering, said there was need for channelising water resources in the state so that potable drinking water facility was made available to the people living in far-off areas. He also directed the officers concerned to plan viable water schemes which were more beneficial and result-oriented and could be completed with the available allocations.

J&K orders probe into selection
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, March 29 — The state government has instituted a detailed inquiry into the complaints received regarding the selection of candidates as firemen and drivers in the State Fire Services Department.

The Additional Director-General of Prisons and Fire Services, Mr A.C. Chaturvedi has been appointed as the inquiry officer. He will submit his report within three months.

Meanwhile, the Director, Fire Services, Mr C.L. Koul has been attached with the Additional Director-General of Prisons and Fire Services pending the inquiry.

It may be recalled that a preliminary inquiry was ordered by the Home Department in August last year had found enough evidence of irregularities in the selection process.