J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Doors open to all for talks: Farooq
NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said today his government was willing to hold talks with any militant or separatist group, which agreed to shun the path of violence even as the Hurriyat Conference hinted as its willingness to hold talks with the Centre. “We have kept our doors open for anyone who wishes to restore peace in the valley,” Dr Abdullah, who was here on a personal visit, told PTI.

Forest Dept earns record revenue
JAMMU, Dec 3 — A record revenue of Rs 145.48 crore has been realised by various wings of the Forest Department during the past four years in the state. This information was given to the Forest Minister, Peerzada Ghulam Ahmed Shah, who presided over a high-level meeting of forest officers at Sidhara near Jammu on Friday.

Material for fencing awaited
JAMMU, Dec 3 — The BSF, which has been entrusted with the task of fencing the 187-km International Border (IB) in the Jammu sector, is waiting for the arrival of construction material to start the work.

Doors open to all for talks: Farooq

NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (PTI) — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said today his government was willing to hold talks with any militant or separatist group, which agreed to shun the path of violence even as the Hurriyat Conference hinted as its willingness to hold talks with the Centre.

“We have kept our doors open for anyone who wishes to restore peace in the valley,” Dr Abdullah, who was here on a personal visit, told PTI.

Asked whether any pre-conditions would be attached for holding of talks, the Chief Minister said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s earlier offer that such talks would be held within the framework of “insaniyaat” (Humanitarian), would be the guiding principle.

Dr Abdullah said he hoped that better sense would prevail upon militant outfits before “people of Kashmir threw them out of the border as they want peace now.”

He said “eversince I took over as the Chief Minister of the state, I have always kept my doors, windows and even ventilators open for anyone who wants to talk and restore peace in the state.”

Asked about the mixed response from the Hurriyat Conference to the Centre’s announcement of ceasefire, Dr Abdullah said “it is high time they came forward before they are isolated.”

Referring to the comments made by new DGP A.K. Suri in Srinagar on Friday that the police would continue its operations against militants, Dr Abdullah said “he has been misquoted by the media.”

The state police would not react unless provoked by militants, the Chief Minister clarified.

Forest Dept earns record revenue
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 3 — A record revenue of Rs 145.48 crore has been realised by various wings of the Forest Department during the past four years in the state.

This information was given to the Forest Minister, Peerzada Ghulam Ahmed Shah, who presided over a high-level meeting of forest officers at Sidhara near Jammu on Friday.

The meeting was informed that Rs 7,393.08 lakh had been recovered through the sale of resin and Rs 4,220 lakh as royalty by the Forest Corporation. Similarly Rs 2,615.59 lakh was realised by way of sale of timber while Rs 320.14 lakh was earned by the sale of firewood during the period.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister asked the officers to prepare a comprehensive data of their respective areas and a future plan so that the next meeting with the Union Ministry for environment and other agencies could be result-oriented. He asked the officers to prepare plans for those areas which had not been covered adequately. He underlined the need for motivating the public to plant more saplings.

He warned that if the present trend of felling of trees was not stopped, the day was not far away when a majority of the wildlife would get extinct.

Material for fencing awaited
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 3 — The BSF, which has been entrusted with the task of fencing the 187-km International Border (IB) in the Jammu sector, is waiting for the arrival of construction material to start the work.

The BSF has sought logistic support from the Army and the defence authorities have assured it that the troops would be posted on the IB once the work on the project started. The Army assistance was sought after heavy firing on labourers and contractors forced the government to suspend work on the multi-crore project in 1995.

The BSF says that the fencing of the IB had become necessary on two counts: First, the Pakistani agencies had started concentrating on the IB for infiltrating groups of militants and mercenaries. The IB had become a focal point for arms smugglers from Pakistan and large groups of men and women from Bangladesh had made portions of the IB as their routes for ingress and egress.

Second after the project is completed, the authorities could shift several battalions of the BSF from the IB for internal security and counter-insurgency operations in other parts of the state.

A Defence Ministry source said that “ceasefire” by India had no link with the fencing project. Earlier, the Pakistani troops used to fire more than 50,000 rounds and shells daily on the border villages in the Jammu sector. After the ceasefire was enforced, the daily number of rounds from small arms mortar guns declined to about 15,000.

In 1995, Pakistan had demanded that if India wanted to fence the IB, it should raise barbed wire structures 1,000 metre inside the Indian territory. India had rejected this demand and had conveyed to the other side that fencing would be raised within the Indian territory. It also rejected another Pak suggestion that fencing be within 400 metres.