J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

3 cops, NC activist shot dead
SRINAGAR, June 4 — An activist of the ruling National Conference and three policemen were among six persons killed by unidentified militants in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Kashmiri Shiite Muslims protest against he killings at Bemina area on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday. At least 12 Shiite Muslims were killed and 15 wounded when a powerful bomb exploded near a religious gathering at Gund Qasim village in north Kashmir, wounding a prominent Shiite leader, Moulana Lftikhar Hussain Ansari. — AFP photo

Action plan for return of migrants
JAMMU, June 4 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has prepared an action plan for honourable return of Kashmiri migrants to Kashmir valley which will be submitted to the central government for detailed deliberations.

Plan to augment water flow into Dal
SRINAGAR, June 4 — A multi-pronged strategy is being adopted to tap and treat peripheral springs on Dal Lake to augment water flow to the world famous lake here during dry spells or low discharge from its perennial sources which will help add up to 10 cusecs of water to the lake.

3 cops, NC activist shot dead
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, June 4 — An activist of the ruling National Conference and three policemen were among six persons killed by unidentified militants in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Militants shot dead three police personnel and injured two of their colleagues in three successive attacks in the capital city this afternoon, reports said. Two policemen were killed when militants shot at them near Naaz crossing here this afternoon. This followed another similar attempt on the life of police personnel at Batamaloo near the general bus stand about an hour before. One policeman was killed while the other was shifted to the hospital in an injured condition, the police said. The militants also shot at and injured a policeman on duty in the Dalgate area of the Civil Lines here this afternoon.

This is for the second time that militants have attacked police personnel on duty in the Civil Lines area since last year. At least eight policemen were killed when militants shot at them from close range at five places in Lal Chowk and Batamaloo area within a period of two hours on December 14 last year. These attacks are part of the stepped up tactics by militants on the police and the security forces. The December 14 attack was followed by a suicide attack on the headquarters on the Special Task Force or SOG of the police here on December 27 last. At least 13 persons, including two militants, and police and CRPF personnel were killed in the 48-hour-long siege of the SOG building. Earlier in November, the militants attacked Badami Bagh cantonment here where the headquarters of the Srinagar-based 15 corps commander is located.

In another incident of shootout today, militants shot dead Abdul Salam Sofi outside his house near A1-Farooq mosque in Bemina locality of the city at about 11.30 am. He was an activist of the ruling National Conference, a police spokesman said.

Militants kidnapped and killed Ashraf Khan at Gopalpora Kalan in Anantnag district. He is reported to have been an ex-serviceman. Unidentified militants kidnapped and later killed Javed Iqbal at Mora Bichai in Surankoe sector in Poonch district of Jammu region, the police said.

JAMMU: The Romeo Force of the Army on Sunday achieved another success in destroying a major hideout of the militants near Doaba Gali in Poonch sector by killing four dreaded militants and wounding three others.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said that during the past 48 hours nine militants, including a top self-styled commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, had been killed by the Romeo Force.

He said that on Saturday a column of the troops had come under heavy fire in Palanagar near Thanamandi in Rajouri. The troops retaliated and killed one militant. The remaining fled to the forest area and hid themselves in a cave. The troops spotted the cave and “brought down heavy volume of fire on the cave in which two militants were killed.” Large quantities of arms and ammunition were seized.

In another incident near Thanamandi two militants were killed by the security forces.

The spokesman confirmed that in today’s encounter near Doaba Gali three jawans were killed when the militants opened heavy fire from their assault rifles and hurled grenades on the troops.

He said the Romeo Force had intensified “operation seek and destroy” and during the past three months as many as 73 militants, a majority of them foreign mercenaries, were killed in Poonch and Rajouri sectors. This figure did not include those killed the troops on the LoC and the police and the BSF.

Since the troops were carrying out the operation in a very difficult terrain in forests and ravines militants also engaged the soldiers in fierce encounters and during the past three months 12 jawans lost their lives while destroying the hideouts of the militants.

State government reports indicated that Pak agencies had pushed into Poonch and Rajouri fresh groups of foreign mercenaries for carrying out an offensive against the security forces after the Pak agencies received reports that the militants in the twin districts were on the run after more than 275 militants had been eliminated by the security forces during the past five months.

The reports said the militants who had intruded into the inhabited villages had been seen fleeing to the mountain forests to escape being hit by Army guns.

Action plan for return of migrants

JAMMU, June 4 (UNI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Government has prepared an action plan for honourable return of Kashmiri migrants to Kashmir valley which will be submitted to the central government for detailed deliberations.

The action plan was debated threadbare at a high-level meeting convened here today by Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Abdul Qayoom.

The representatives of Kashmiri migrants were of the view that there should be a concrete action plan formulated in consultation with the representatives of Kashmiri migrants for their rehabilitation and safe and honourable return to Kashmir Valley. The issue needed to be discussed and debated with the representatives of various migrant camps at Jammu, they said.

Mr Qayoom appreciated the suggestions made by the representatives and said these would be incorporated in the action plan to be submitted to the central government in the near future. The suggestions made included job opportunities to the youths of migrant families, rehabilitation of traders, regularisation of daily wagers, grant of house rent allowance and city compensatory allowance.

It was also decided that a copy of the action plan will be distributed among representatives of prominent associations of migrants for their study and they will give their suggestions to the financial commissioner and adviser to the Chief Minister on Minority Affairs.

The Minister said Kashmir without Pandits was incomplete. He said the government was determined to create a congenial atmosphere for the honourable return of Kashmiri pandits to their home land. The threat from across the border is not directed at any individual or a community but at the Kashmiri culture, he said.

The meeting was attended by several representatives of the Kashmiri migrants and government officials.

Plan to augment water flow into Dal

SRINAGAR, June 4 (PTI) — A multi-pronged strategy is being adopted to tap and treat peripheral springs on Dal Lake to augment water flow to the world famous lake here during dry spells or low discharge from its perennial sources which will help add up to 10 cusecs of water to the lake.

For the past two years due to a dry spell there was almost zero discharge from Telbal Nallah, the perennial water source, for most of the months, effecting seriously the water levels of the Dal Lake and posing ecological problems within the lake eco system, the Director, Research and Development of Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (JKLWDA) M.R.D. Kundangar said.

To tackle the situation, it was decided to tap 51 springs identified along Dal and Nagin lakes, which are either in a bad shape or completely choked because of negligence, unawareness and anthropogenic pressures, he said.

Mr Kundangar said heavy siltation in the lake basins have already choked a number of natural fresh water springs present on the lake beds effecting the water balance. Those having sufficient water are polluted due to mixture of raw sewage in them and most of their waters gets diffused.