J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

500 tribal families give up crime
KATHUA, Aug 24 — More than 500 families of Sansis, Piarnas and Bazigars of Chak Drabkhan village, 4 km from here, led by their leader, Surjeet Singh, a noted philanthropist and artist, vowed before the DIG, Jammu-Kathua, Mr S.P. Vaid, to give up crime on the occasion of Janmashtami yesterday. They vowed to lead an honest and respectable life.

Hizb in touch with other outfits: Dar
SRINAGAR, Aug 24 — Top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) leader in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Majid Dar has said talks are on between the HM and fellow militant outfits to make the proposed ceasefire a “meaningful and effective one”.

Flood control steps reviewed
JAMMU, Aug 24 — The Minister of State for Power and Works, Mr Qamar Ali Akhoon, reviewed the progress under PWD, Irrigation and Flood Control, JKPCC and PHE in Udhampur district at a meeting of officers of department concerned at Udhampur yesterday.

Excise collections up in J&K
SRINAGAR, Aug 24 — Sales tax and excise collections in Jammu and Kashmir have increased significantly in the past few months, state Finance Minister Abdul Rahim rather said today.

500 tribal families give up crime
From Our Correspondent

KATHUA, Aug 24 — More than 500 families of Sansis, Piarnas and Bazigars of Chak Drabkhan village, 4 km from here, led by their leader, Surjeet Singh, a noted philanthropist and artist, vowed before the DIG, Jammu-Kathua, Mr S.P. Vaid, to give up crime on the occasion of Janmashtami yesterday. They vowed to lead an honest and respectable life.

Community policing was started by the Jammu and Kashmir Police under the guidance of the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the DGP, Mr Gurbachan Jagat.

The Kathua police along with Thakur Fateh Singh, a philanthropist and artist of the Piarna community, Surjit Singh, president of the Piarnas, Mr Dev Raj, sarpanch of the village, Tilak Raj, president of the Sansi community in Kathua, and Chaman Lal motivated and persuaded these families to turn a new leaf.

Addressing a rally at Drabkhan village, leaders of these tribes alleged that earlier nobody had bothered to rehabilitate these communities and no education was provided to them. That was why the men of these tribes were forced to resort to burglary, theft, and sale of illicit liquor and the women were involved in prostitution and manufacturing illicit liquor. They thanked the DIG for taking the initiative to rehabilitate these families.

Mr K.C. Sharma, President, Chenab Textile Mills, Kathua, offered skilled and unskilled jobs to the women and youth of these tribes in his mills. He said the recruitments would be done on September 4 at 10 a.m. Free bus service would be provided to these people. Mr Mubarak Singh, Assistant Commissioner, Development, Kathua, declared that managers of all banks and financial institutions would attend the function for rehabilitation of these communities and sanction loans on the spot under the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojna and other schemes.

Welcoming all 500 families of the three tribes, Mr Vaid said that eligible youths of these communities would be recruited as home guards, SPOs, and constables on September 4. He declared that the police post in Dhrabkhan village was being withdrawn. The SPOs recruited from among these communities would be promoted as constables in the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Hizb in touch with other outfits: Dar

SRINAGAR, Aug 24 (PTI) — Top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) leader in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Majid Dar has said talks are on between the HM and fellow militant outfits to make the proposed ceasefire a “meaningful and effective one”.

“After the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Hizbul Mujahideen on July 24, Indian intelligentsia came forward and played an appreciable role in bringing together the government and the militant outfit’’, Dar said adding that he had been misquoted.

Flood control steps reviewed
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 24 — The Minister of State for Power and Works, Mr Qamar Ali Akhoon, reviewed the progress under PWD, Irrigation and Flood Control, JKPCC and PHE in Udhampur district at a meeting of officers of department concerned at Udhampur yesterday.

Development Commissioner, Mohammad Sayeed Khan, Mr Chuni Lal Khajuria, MLC and Mr Abdul Gani Malik, MLA were present in the meeting.

The minister was apprised that 168 schemes under R and B sector costing Rs 125 crore had been taken up in the district against which over Rs one core under district plan had been proposed to be spent this year. Under state plan, 36 schemes under the same sector costing Rs 61.20 crore had been projected under state sector in the current year, Rs 150 lakh are likely to be spent under the state plan. Besides, 49 new schemes costing Rs 61 crore had been sent to Nabard against which 17 schemes stand sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 16.80 crore. Of these, four schemes are nearing completion. The minister was apprised that Rs 62 lakh was spent under Nabard last year.

Under PHE sector, 26 schemes for improvement and upgradation have been taken up at a cost of over Rs 76 lakh in the division.

The meeting was informed that six villagers of Mahore and Ramnagar block will be electrified in the current year besides 18 hamlets falling in 11 blocks of the district will also be electrified under the rural electrification schemes already sanctioned.

The minister was apprised that Rs 37 lakh has been spent on the improvement and upgradation of first 13 km Salmay-Barmeet road against an estimated cost of Rs 77 lakh. Over 10 villages including Salmay, Thanoa, Kaldi, Barmeen and Ghordhi will be connected, over 20,000 persons will benefit with completion of this road.

Earlier, Mr Akhoon inspected the third stage of Chanani hydel project at Dibber being executed at a cost of Rs 50.24 crore. An amount of Rs 42.50 crore has been spent on this project so far. The project having 7.5 mw generation capacity is likely to be completed by this year end.

Addressing the meeting, the minister impressed upon the officers to work with, dedication and honesty to earn appreciation from all people. He advised the officers to take people’s representatives into confidence while executing public works in their areas.

Excise collections up in J&K

SRINAGAR, Aug 24 (PTI) — Sales tax and excise collections in Jammu and Kashmir have increased significantly in the past few months, state Finance Minister Abdul Rahim rather said today.

While the sales tax revenue realisation has increased by 57 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal against the corresponding period last year, the excise receipts have risen by 13.22 per cent in the first four months of current fiscal against same period last year, he said.

Giving details of the revenue realisation, he said while sales tax receipts have been over Rs 82 crore, showing an increase of Rs 29.70 crore over the receipts of Rs 52.33 crore during the first quarter last year, the collections in the excise sector have been Rs 94.68 crore from April to July this year against Rs 85.76 crore during the same period last year.

The minister said the sales tax receipts have shown an increase of about 59 per cent in Jammu division and about 49 per cent in Kashmir division during this financial year’s first quarter compared to corresponding period last year.

Similarly, the excise receipts too have shown upward trend in both the divisions during first four months of the current financial year, he said.