J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Panthers Party opposes initiative on talks
New Delhi, April 11
Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh today came out against the Vajpayee government’s decision to appoint Deputy Chairman Planning Commission K.C. Pant as its representative to hold talks with separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir saying this “would be an exercise in futility”.

12-hour power cuts on anvil in J&K
Jammu, April 11
The over one crore people of Jammu and Kashmir are in for a difficult period following the government’s inability to reduce electricity load shedding during the summer months. At least 45 lakh people in the torrid region of Jammu are preparing to face the worst ever dreary and hot days because of an acute shortage of electricity.

Foreign defence attaches visit forward areas
Jammu, April 11
Defence attaches from 23 countries today visited forward areas in the Jammu sector where they were shown some of the pockets which were being used for pushing into the state infiltrators from across the border.

DNA reports of exhumed bodies expected soon
Anantnag, April 11
The DNA reports of the bodies of five persons exhumed from three places in Anantnag district in May last year, are expected shortly. This will resolve the mystery behind the killing of the five persons allegedly at the hands of security forces in the Panchalthan area on March 24 night last year.

Eight hardcore militants killed
Jammu, April 11
Troops foiled a major Pakistan plan to destroy camps and convoys of the security forces by eliminating eight hardcore foreign mercenaries in three separate incidents in Poonch and Rajouri border belts during the past 24 hours.

MiG wreckage, pilot’s body located
Jammu, April 11
The body of Ft Lt P.K. Arun, pilot of the crashed MiG-21 aircraft, and the plane’s debris were located by Army patrols at Tosh-i-Maidain, 20 km inside the Line of Control (LoC), in south-east of Gulmarg. 

Panthers Party opposes initiative on talks
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11
Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh today came out against the Vajpayee government’s decision to appoint Deputy Chairman Planning Commission K.C. Pant as its representative to hold talks with separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir saying this “would be an exercise in futility”.

Addressing a press conference, Prof Bhim Singh said the government efforts would turn futile as even the terms and conditions for talks had not been spelled out. The government had been silent about the supposed mandate for talks that had been given to Mr Pant, he pointed out.

Even though his party had always been supportive of a dialogue but this should be with the ‘true representatives’ of the people and not with terrorists and militants, Prof Bhim Singh said.

“The best course will be to appoint a Parliamentary Committee consisting of all major political parties, to hold dialogue with various Kashmiri groups,” the Panthers Party leader said.

Criticising the government for not holding talks with the Pakistani military regime headed by Gen Pervez Musharraf, Prof Bhim Singh asked, “Why is the government hesitant to initiate talks with General Musharraf on finding a resolution to the Kashmir issue”.

Taking exception to the government’s decision to issue passport to JKLF leader Yasin Malik who was given passport on the recommendations of some of the intellectuals, Prof Bhim Singh said if the government could issue passport to Mr Malik then why was it not giving passports to other Hurriyat leaders for travelling to Pakistan.

Prof Bhim Singh, who was unanimously reelected national President at a national convention held recently, also demanded a CBI inquiry against the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman Lal Gupta for distributing made-in-Pakistan blankets in his constituency which were sent by Islamabad for quake hit victims in Gujarat.

‘‘If we accept Professor Gupta’s version that blankets were not the same which came for Gujarat then these must have been smuggled along with weapons from across the border,’’ the Panthers Party leader said justifying his demand for a CBI probe.

Earlier, Prof Bhim Singh appealed the Centre to declare parts of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir valley as “drought-affected area” as these were reeling under a severe drought. He asked the Centre to send surplus wheat for relief work. 

12-hour power cuts on anvil in J&K
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 11
The over one crore people of Jammu and Kashmir are in for a difficult period following the government’s inability to reduce electricity load shedding during the summer months. At least 45 lakh people in the torrid region of Jammu are preparing to face the worst ever dreary and hot days because of an acute shortage of electricity.

With the mercury having touched 40°C, Jammuites are fuming and fretting under power curtailment of around 12 hours per day.

The Power Minister, Mr S.S. Slathia, has held a series of meetings with the Union Minister for Energy and the authorities concerned in the Northern Grid but there is no hope for any major respite.

The total availability of electricity is only 600 MW against the daily requirement is 1350 MW. The crisis has been augmented by an unprecedented fall in power generation from the local four major projects. During the past six months, these projects generate only about 50 MW of power while their installed capacity is more than 1200 MW. Around 200 MW used to be generated from these projects during the lean period.

But an unprecedented fall in the water level in the Jhelum and Chenab has restricted power generation to a low of 50 MW. For the first time, the water level in the otherwise gushing Chenab has turned the ferocious river into a stream at a number of places near Batote.

According to Mr Slathia, the state purchases 550 MW of electricity from the Northern Grid. The state had expected to receive 120 MW from the Ranjit Sagar Dam, but only one machine has been working there on account of water shortage. He said he had requested the Central Government to release at least 100 MW of additional power. If it materialised, the load shedding period may be reduced by two hours. That is all for the summer months.

The state government’s worry has been accentuated by the dry winter. Rains have eluded the state and several districts have been hit by drought. A preliminary survey has revealed that 50 per cent crops have been damaged in the state. The winter witnessed a meagre snowfall in the hilly areas of the Kashmir valley and some parts of Jammu and this may not help the water level in rivers to rise during the summer as the snow has started melting in certain areas.

The state government has no surplus money to buy additional power from the Northern Grid if the situation on the power front improved to some extent. The state owes about Rs 2,000 crore to the Northern Grid and the arrears have accumulated during the past five years. The state buys power at a cost of Rs 850 crore per year from the Northern Grid. On several occasions, the grid authorities have threatened to snap the power supply if its arrears were not cleared.

However, with the intervention of the Central Government the grid has agreed to accept the payment of arrears in instalments. But meagre power revenue has not enabled the state government to clear major portion of the arrears. Last year, it had fixed a target of Rs 300 crore in the power revenue sector. It managed to realise only Rs 267 crore. Out of this, Rs 124 crore had been recovered as power tariff from the Jammu region, and Rs 66 crore from the Kashmir valley. The revenue from the government offices was Rs 77 crore.

A drive has been launched for the realisation of power tariff arrears and for the current financial year, the target has been fixed at Rs 400 crore. But there are small chances for meeting the target in the Kashmir valley.

Work on two major power projects has already been started which includes the 590-MW Bhagliar project. In addition, work on seven projects has been allotted to the NHPC. Experts are of the view that it may take more than five years to see one of these nine projects ready to generate electricity. Till then, only a miracle can save the people in the state.

Industrialists are as hard hit as common people because of power shortage. Leaders of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries said that use of diesel generators had pushed up the cost of production of goods and “we cannot compete in the market outside the state,” they said. “Our losses keep on increasing and power shortage has been one of the factors for upward curve in industrial sickness in the state,” they added.

The student community is also a hard hit segment of society. Several college and university students said that it was difficult for them to burn the midnight oil because of non-availability of electricity. A majority of them said, “We are not rich to install generators and 12-hour load shedding has made invertors redundant.”

Foreign defence attaches visit forward areas
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 11
Defence attaches from 23 countries today visited forward areas in the Jammu sector where they were shown some of the pockets which were being used for pushing into the state infiltrators from across the border.

These defence attaches, including those from the USA, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Iran, the UK and Bangladesh, had detailed discussion with the Army authorities who briefed them about the extent of terrorist activities sponsored by Pakistan.

They visited the Nagrota Corps Headquarters where the GOC, Lieut-Gen J.B.S. Yadava, explained to them the activities of militants. He informed them about the measures the Indian security forces had taken to protect the lives and property of civilians who had been targeted by the militants. Sources said the attaches appreciated the measures taken by the security forces, especially the Army, in containing militant activities without harassing civilians.

The team also had discussions with the Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah.

The state authorities are said to have suggested to the defence attaches to persuade their governments to mount pressure on Pakistan to stop sponsoring terrorism.

The team spent two days in Srinagar and is scheduled to leave for Delhi tomorrow. In Srinagar and Jammu, they met a cross-section of people and they all wanted peace in the state.

DNA reports of exhumed bodies expected soon
Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

Anantnag, April 11
The DNA reports of the bodies of five persons exhumed from three places in Anantnag district in May last year, are expected shortly. This will resolve the mystery behind the killing of the five persons allegedly at the hands of security forces in the Panchalthan area on March 24 night last year.

Talking to mediapersons at Pahalgam on Monday, the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Mr G.A. Peer, said the payment had been made to the laboratory concerned in Kolkata and the reports were expected by post within the next few days. A special investigating team (SIT) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police constituted under the directives of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Anantnag, is also expected to submit its report shortly.

The relatives of the five missing persons from Panchalthan-Pathribal and Anantnag had claimed that the bodies exhumed from three different places were those of their relatives. The security forces had claimed that five militants involved in the dastardly massacre of 35 Sikhs at Chhatti Singhpora on March 21 had been killed on the night of March 24. However, the authorities had directed to undertake the DNA tests to resolve the mystery. The reports will confirm whether or not the bodies exhumed belonged to the five missing persons.

The district administration has already sanctioned compensation in favour of the kith and kin of the five persons missing in Panchalthan-Pathribal and Anantnag last year, Mr Peer disclosed. He said on the basis of police reports he was satisfied that the five persons missing were deemed dead.

A series of killings had taken place beginning with the massacre of 35 Sikhs at Chhatti Singhpora on March 21 on the eve of Holi last year, at the hands of unidentified gunmen. On March 24 night, the security forces claimed to have killed five foreign militants involved in the massacre. Residents of the Panchalthan-Pathribal area held protest demonstrations claiming that the five persons killed were those of the five missing residents.

The situation turned worse when a large procession of demonstrators was fired upon allegedly by the police and the CRPF at Brakpora on the outskirts of Anantnag town. The protesters were demanding the whereabouts of the five missing persons claiming that those missing were killed by the security forces. At least eight persons were killed and over a dozen injured at Brakpora on April 3.

Taking cognizance of the worsening situation, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, announced the appointment of Justice S.R. Pandian, retired Judge of the Supreme Court, to investigate into the killings at Brakpora. The Pandian report suggested that the incident had links with the earlier incidents of the Chhatti Singhpora massacre and Panchalthan-Pathribal killings, which should also be investigated.

32 police officers transferred

Jammu, April 11
The Jammu and Kashmir Government has promoted Secretary, State Education Department, Dr Abdul Ahad, as Commissioner and transferred 32 senior police officers, including four Deputy Inspectors-General (digs), in the state.

Dr Ahad has been promoted as Commissioner in the same department, an official spokesman said here today.

The government has also ordered the transfer of four digs and 28 SPs in the state, the spokesman added.

Mr Ram Lubhaya, dig, Rajouri/Poonch Range has been transferred to Special Security, while posted Mr S. Bijrah, the spokesman said.

Mr Dilbagh Singh, dig, Baramullah/Kupwara Range, has been transferred as dig (Security) and Mr M.A. Shah put in his place.

Besides these, 28 SSPs/SPs who have been transferred were: H.K. Lohia, Naiz Mehmood, K.K. Saini, Alok Kumar, Manjoo Rashid, H.L. Fotedar, Alok Puri, Johny William, J.P. Singh, A.S. Bali, A.A. Samoon, Rafiq-ul-Hassan, G.M. Dar, Surinder Kumar, Sheikh Mehmood, N.D. Wani, M.A. Antoo, H.R. Parihar, M.A. Ganai, A.N. Kanoo, Nisar Ahmed, Per Gulam Ahmed, Joginder Singh, Rajinder Singh, R.P. Rastora, Bachen Singh, Afroz Malik and Mohd Amin Tak. PTI

Eight hardcore militants killed
Tribune News Service

MiG wreckage, pilot’s body located

Jammu, April 11
The body of Ft Lt P.K. Arun, pilot of the crashed MiG-21 aircraft, and the plane’s debris were located by Army patrols at Tosh-i-Maidain, 20 km inside the Line of Control (LoC), in south-east of Gulmarg. defence sources said here today. They said efforts were being made to bring the body of the pilot to the base camp.

The pilot had established radio contact with the base around 2.10 p.m. yesterday before the plane crashed due to a technical snag, the sources said.

The Air Force has set up a court of inquiry into the accident, they added. PTI