J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Heavy shelling by Pak troops
JAMMU, Sept 17 — Pakistani troops continued heavy firing and shelling at various places along the Line of Control and the international border even as the Indian troops killed two intruders in Jammu division since last evening, a defence spokesman said today.

Hizb call has hit census: Director
SRINAGAR, Sept 17 — The boycott call by the Hizbul Mujahideen and certain issues raised by former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz has hampered census work in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Feroz Ahmad, Director, Census Operations, said this addressing a press conference here yesterday.

Rise in J&K fruit production
SRINAGAR, Sept 17 — Fruit production in Jammu and Kashmir has registered an increase of 2.45 lakh metric tonnes during the past four years. 

Central team to visit border areas
JAMMU, Sept 17 — A Central team, headed by the Union Minister of State for Home, would be visiting border areas in Jammu to study problems of people who had been forced to flee from their hamlets following intermittent, but heavy, shelling and firing from across the border during the past 14 months.

Relief sought for border farmers
JAMMU, Sept 17 — The Kisan Morcha of the BJP has demanded the early implementation of the crops insurance scheme in this state and compensation to farmers of the border areas who could not cultivate their lands due to shelling and firing by Pakistani troops.

Mazdoor leader seeks release of DA, arrears
JAMMU, Sept 17 — The President of the National Mazdoor Conference has demanded the release of the third instalment of arrears recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission, 1 per cent DA instalment due from January, 2000, and also the cost of living allowance which is overdue in favour of both state government and public sector employees at the earliest.

Heavy shelling by Pak troops
Tribune News Service & PTI

JAMMU, Sept 17 — Pakistani troops continued heavy firing and shelling at various places along the Line of Control and the international border even as the Indian troops killed two intruders in Jammu division since last evening, a defence spokesman said today.

He said one intruder was killed during firing between the BSF troops and the Pakistani Rangers at S.M. Pur post in the Samba sector last evening. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the intruder.

Another intruder was killed in the R.S. Pura sector last night while the exchange of firing between the two sides was going on.

The Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling at Palanwalla in Akhnoor sector last evening forcing the Indian troops to retaliate, he said, adding that heavy small arms firing exchange was continuing.

Reports of moderate to heavy firing were also received along LoC in Poonch, Noushera and Krishna Ghatti sectors since last evening. However, no casualty or damage was reported on the Indian side, he said.

Meanwhile, a nine-hour relaxation in curfew in Rajouri town was given today. There was no untoward incident during the relaxation period.

The police said after discussion with prominent citizens of both communities this morning relaxation in day curfew which was imposed yesterday following a clash between students belonging to two communities, were lifted.

The police and paramilitary forces continued to patrol the township and at least 10 youths had been taken into custody for questioning.

Prominent citizens of the two communities have appealed to the college students to maintain communal amity and not foment any divide over trifles issue. The college students had clashed yesterday in a football ground when a student belonging to a particular community was hit by the ball.

The police opened fire in which two students were wounded and were airlifted to Jammu. Doctors in the medical college said the condition of the wounded students was stable.

The district authorities have decided to set up additional security pickets in the sensitive areas of the town, especially in the close vicinity of the degree college where communal polarisation has taken place in the student community. The police said that the situation had been defused and it was under control.

The state government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident of clashes between students and subsequent firing, official reports said here. 

Hizb call has hit census: Director
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 17 — The boycott call by the Hizbul Mujahideen and certain issues raised by former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz has hampered census work in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Feroz Ahmad, Director, Census Operations, said this addressing a press conference here yesterday.

Mr Feroz Ahmad appealed the Hizbul Mujahideen to lift the ban. He said census staff were finding it difficult to approach the people. He said 90 per cent material had been distributed among the staff. The date for census could be extended, he added. The census work is scheduled to be concluded by month-end.

Allaying apprehensions of manipulation in census to ‘‘change the demographic character of Jammu and Kashmir’’, he said the procedure for enumeration was so fool-proof. Elaborating on the observation made by Prof Saifuddin Soz, Mr Ahmad said there was no special census format for the state. However, if the state government so desired, the data collected could be analysed and exact number of state subjects and non state subjects could be determined separately.

The Director, Census, while dwelling on the growth rate of Hindus and Muslims in the valley, emphasised that the growth rate of Muslims between 1971 and 1981 censuses was 30.02 per cent against only 7.83 per cent in respect of Hindus.

He said in Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Budgam, Baramula and Kupwara districts during this period the growth rate has been 28.06 per cent, 29.55 per cent, 28.28 per cent, 34.92 per cent, 32.11 per cent and 28.72 per cent respectively. Against this the growth rate of Hindus in these districts during the period has been 4.06, 1.08, 5.10, 165.77, (-) 4.11 and (-) 28.72 per cent respectively. ‘‘This fact has not been put forth by Prof Soz for the reasons best known to him’’, Mr Feroz Ahmad said.

He said Prof Soz was wrong in saying that it would take six to seven years to analyse the data of locals and non-locals or labour forces, adding that with computers the result could be had in a week’s time. He wished Prof Soz had raised all these issues in May 1999 or at the time of the first phase of the census early this year. All these things would have been sorted out to the satisfaction of everyone, he elaborated.

Rise in J&K fruit production
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Sept 17 — Fruit production in Jammu and Kashmir has registered an increase of 2.45 lakh metric tonnes during the past four years. The fruit production, which was 8.60 lakh metric tonnes in 1995-96 has risen to 11.05 lakh metric tonnes, registering a record increase of 35 per cent in four years. The area under orchards has also increased from 1.98 lakh hectares to 2.17 lakh hectares, registering an increase of over 19,000 hectares during the period.

An official spokesman said here that the government had accorded the highest priority for further development of the horticulture sector as it provided direct or indirect employment to 25 lakh people in the state. It was one of the major economic activities of the state.

Fresh fruit and dry fruit generate an income of about Rs 750 crore annually. It is one of the main foreign exchange earner for the state with a contribution of about Rs 100 crore.

Greater emphasis was given to popularising the plantation of walnut. To improve walnut production, 6943 grafted walnut plants were produced in Horticulture Department nurseries and distributed among prospective farmers. The department has at present 10,000 walnut plants available in its nurseries for plantation purposes.

For the first time the department supplied budded and grafted apple and walnut plants and colonal root stocks of apple worth Rs 3 lakh to Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and UP, besides the Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture. The department envisaged supplying such plants worth Rs 10 lakh to neighbouring countries during this year.

Under the Area Expansion Programme, an additional area of 11,485 hectares had been covered under fruit plantation. An amount of Rs 7.55 crore was spent on it during the past four years. Under a centrally sponsored scheme called the Integrated Development of Tropical, Arid and Temperate Zone Fruit, an area of 9,250 hectares had been brought under new fruit plantation in the state.

To boost and popularise horticulture activity in a big way, the department had distributed 57 lakh plants among farmers in the state during this period.

Steps were taken to improve quality and increase per unit production. The government laid thrust on production of high-density fruit plants of apple and cherry, propagated on root stocks. Over 2.23 lakh high-density fruit plants of cherry and apple were distributed among orchardists in the state by March last. During the current year, the department produced 2.50 lakh high-density plants and 7 lakh root stock. Nearly 9 lakh strawberry runners of selected growers produced in horticulture farms were distributed among the growers during the past four years.

The government had decided to establish 18 fruit mandis in the state to provide better marketing facilities to the fruit growers. The major fruit mandi consisting of 700 shops with facilities of truck terminal, bank and post office was coming up at apple-rich Sopore. Land was being acquired for establishing mandis at other places too, the spokesman said.

Central team to visit border areas
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 17 — A Central team, headed by the Union Minister of State for Home, would be visiting border areas in Jammu to study problems of people who had been forced to flee from their hamlets following intermittent, but heavy, shelling and firing from across the border during the past 14 months.

This was disclosed by a senior BJP leader, Vaid Vishnu Dutt, MP, addressing these migrants in the Choki Chora area near here today.

The BJP leader expressed concern over the way the National Conference Government had indifference towards 40,000 border migrants living in tattered tents for past over 14 months. These migrants, he said, had been provided with any substantial relief or foodgrains for their sustenance. He said senior National Conference minister had visited these camps.

Vaid Vishnu Dutt said he had raised that issue of the border migrants at his recent meeting with the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani. The BJP leader said Mr Advani had assured him that a Central team would visit the areas to assess their difficulties.

He said the state government had also given a raw deal to Gujjars and Bakerwals, who constitute 25 per cent of the state’s population. The BJP leader has urged the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, to help these scheduled tribes avail of concessions due to them.

Vaid Vishnu Dutt urged to Chief Minister to examine the BJP demand for screening government employees so that those found having links with separatists were weeded out. He said without screening the officials anti-insurgency operations in the state were likely to be sabotaged. 

Relief sought for border farmers
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 17 — The Kisan Morcha of the BJP has demanded the early implementation of the crops insurance scheme in this state and compensation to farmers of the border areas who could not cultivate their lands due to shelling and firing by Pakistani troops.

After touring the border areas of R.S. Pora and Samba sectors, the Vice-President of the morcha, Mr Onkar Seth, said there was need to introduce the crop insurance scheme because of the uncertainty created by militancy.

He said in certain areas the farmers were not in a position to cultivate their lands and quite often they could go to their fields in fear of shelling.

He also urged the government to exempt the farmers from irrigation levy and land revenue.

Mazdoor leader seeks release of DA, arrears
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 17 — The President of the National Mazdoor Conference has demanded the release of the third instalment of arrears recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission, 1 per cent DA instalment due from January, 2000, and also the cost of living allowance which is overdue in favour of both state government and public sector employees at the earliest.

Addressing a meeting of conference workers at Jhiri yesterday Mr Shastri said the reason given to employees for withholding these payments was that the state was facing a financial crunch, but as per the latest statement made by the Finance Minister the financial position of the state was comfortable and the crunch was over now. In view of such statements there was no justification on the part of the government to withhold the payment of the arrears, DA and cost of living allowance instalment to its employees.