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June 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Bid on life of PCC ex-chief Ponywalas agitate against pre-paid
system Strike against molestation by security
forces 8,000 ponies cleared
for Amarnath yatra |
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Bid on life of PCC ex-chief Srinagar, June 29 Elsewhere in the state, six militants were killed and 10 others, including four security personnel, injured while forces seized a large cache of arms and ammunition, including rockets, detonators and explosives during the past 24 hours. Official sources said the militants hurled the grenade towards the police officials while senior state government functionaries were on their way to the secretariat. Mr Jalla and his guard Hakumat Singh, who were injured in the blast, were admitted to hospital, sources added. Traffic came to a halt and pedestrians were seen scurrying for safety following the blast. However, normalcy returned after an hour. The Jamait-ul-Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attack on Mr Jalla. This was the second attack on the life of Mr Jalla, earlier associated with the state task force. He had escaped with minor injuries in a “fidayeen” (suicide) attack last year on the police control room here in which about 12 police personnel were killed. In another incident militants attacked former state Congress chief, Mr Kar, who is also a former MP. When he was about to leave the main gate of Khankha Moula Mosque after offering Friday prayers. He told UNI that at 2.05 p m a youth appeared about four feet away from him and started firing at him from a pistol. “It was a very close shave as I saw my SPO Jung Bhadur falling to the ground after he was hit by bullets,’’ Mr Kar said, adding that he ran away and took shelter in a nearby house while the youth was busy reloading his pistol. Mr Kar said the assailant managed to escape after the incident. “I still do not believe that I am alive,’’he said adding “I, however, did not suffer any injury.’’ Another Congress leader, Mohammad Anwar Bhat, and his family members survived an attempt on their lives when militants attacked their house with automatic weapons at Kakapora Pulwama in South Kashmir late last night. However, the guards posted there also returned the fire but there were no reports of any casualty. Two boys, Mohammad Imran and Mohammad Shafi were injured when an explosive device, they were fiddling with, went off at Kandi Kupwara today while three security personnel were injured in a militant attack at Kumdalan Shopian this morning. The militants later managed to escape. An official spokesman said the security forces killed two militants each at Madhari and Sawjian in Poonch district of Jammu region last evening. Some arms and ammunition were also seized from the slain militants. The forces gunned down a militant in Haril Forest in the wee hours today. One AK rifle was found near the site of the encounter. Another militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Nallah Bagtoor in Gurez sector last evening. One AK rifle, three magazines, one grenade and 40 rounds were seized from the slain militant. Four civilians and a security jawan were injured in two different firing incidents in the South Kashmir district of Anantnag today, the spokesman said, adding that the injured were admitted to different hospitals. The forces during overnight operation seized 23 remote control devices, 21 grenades, one anti-tank rocket, 59 improvised explosive devices, 16 rockets, five anti-tank grenades, six kg explosive,209 detonators, six time devices, 14 rockets projectile guns, four AK magazines and 2600 rounds of ammunition in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
UNI |
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Ponywalas agitate against pre-paid
system Katra, June 29 At least 10 porters and ponywalas were injured yesterday when their rivals manhandled them for deciding to resume work. The police has registered a case and seven persons have been arrested so far. During the past several days ponywalas and porters have made it difficult for a large number of pilgrims by going on agitation against the pre-paid system. A majority of these porters and ponywalas went on strike. And those infirm pilgrims who would pay double the charges were carried on ponies or in dandies. The ponywalas and porters struck work saying that they received delayed payments for the work they put in. According to the Shrine Board officials it was impossible to pay within minutes in case 500 ponywalas reached Bhawan with the pilgrims on their ponies. They said that within a time frame of half an hour to one hour the porters and ponywalas received payment. The pre-paid system was introduced recently after the Shrine Board, the police and the Notified Area Committee received complaints from the pilgrims that they were either overcharged or harassed while trekking to the Shrine. These three agencies decided to introduce the pre-paid system under which the pilgrims are handed over the voucher for the payment made and the identity card of the porter or the ponywala when they reached Bhawan. At Bhawan three employees of the Shrine Board, the Notified Area Committee and the contractor regulate the pre-paid system. Police officials said that in recent weeks registration and identity cards of 50 ponywalas and porters had been cancelled on the charge of extracting more money from the pilgrims than was due to them. According to these officials, the porters and ponywalas would seldom stick to the rate list. For a pilgrim of normal weight the one-way pony fare is Rs 132 plus 12 per cent tax against Rs 170 plus 12 per cent tax in case of a bulky pilgrim. A porter gets Rs 176 plus 12 per cent tax deducted for the contractor. In case of dandies a pilgrim has to pay Rs 1300 plus 12 per cent tax and for a bulky pilgrim the rate is Rs 1580 plus 12 per cent tax. As per the series of complaints received by the police and the Shrine Board ponywalas would at times charge between Rs 300 and Rs 400 from one pilgrim. On other occasions porters and ponywalas would feign illness and drop the pilgrim halfway to get another customer at Katra. At the same time certain ponywalas and porters were not happy with the tabulation of 12 per cent tax which would go to the pocket of the contractor. They said the contractor deducted more money than was due to him and hence had supported the pre-paid system. However, Mohd Yusuf, president of the Porters Association, said pilgrims would pay more out of their “Sweet will.” Some pilgrims used to be so much impressed “by our hard work that they would donate some money to us.” There are over 5,720 ponywalas and porters at Katra. Out of them, the number of porters is 3,550. These ponywalas and porters have come from varions areas of the state, including the remote areas of Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri, Anantnag, Srinagar and Budgam. It has been a lucrative work for them and the contractor when between 50 and 52 lakh pilgrims visit the Shrine per year. The contractor has been allotted supply of porters and ponies after his bid for Rs 2.61 crore was accepted by the Notified Area Committee this year. Last year, the highest bid was Rs 1.63 crore. The contractor receives the entire amount that is secured from the pilgrims as 12 per cent tax on pony or porter services. The Notified Area Committee receives the bid amount and this year it has received Rs 2.61 crore. According to Mr Sham Lal Sharma, administrator, NAC, the committee spends Rs 60 lakh on the salary of the staff per year. Nearly Rs 1 crore is spent on the development works in Katra. As such, Katra NAC is the richest committee in the state. He said the introduction of the pre-paid system had left hardly any scope for cheating and the majority of pilgrims had appreciated the new system. Besides the ongoing tussle between the porters, ponywalas and the NAC what seems to add to the woes of the pilgrims is the simmering conflict between the authorities of the NAC, the Shrine Board and the police. The police ego has been hurt when the authority delegated to it at Katra to issue priority slips to some pilgrims for entering into the shrine on out of turn basis was taken back. Only the Shrine Board has now the sole authority of issuing priority slips. The Shrine Board officials are keen to sideline the NAC so that the revenue acquired from bidding the pony and porter services could go to the coffers of the board. The board does not feel any financial constraints because it earns several crores of rupees from offerings made by the pilgrims. The NAC would be reduced to a zero if it loses the right to give porter and pony services on contract. The committee has to take in hand various development works including road repair for Katra, which has emerged as the most frequented and crowded base camp for any pilgrim centre in north India. At times, citizens of this town admitted the three agencies work at cross purposes and during the ongoing agitation by porters and ponywalas the police did not play as effective a role as it should have done. |
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Strike against molestation by security
forces Srinagar, June 29 A number of groups raising slogans against the government were chased by the police in Maisuma area of Lal Chowk since the morning. All shops and business establishments were closed in the area. Traffic, however, plied normally in the area and the offices functioned normally. Similar protests were held in various parts of the interior of the city where people held demonstrations against the alleged molestation after the Friday prayers. The police had to lob tear-gas shells in these areas to disperse demonstrators. Several arrests were also made eyewitnesses said. The trouble started on Tuesday in Baramula town 60 km north of here reportedly against the alleged molestation of three girls by security forces. For the past four days the demonstrations have been going on in the area and the adjoining apple rich town of Sopore in protest against the alleged molestation. All shops and business establishments remained closed in Baramula for the past three days. |
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8,000 ponies cleared for Amarnath yatra Srinagar, June 28 Expert from the Jammu and Kashmir Animal Husbandry Department put the ponies to vigorous health and physical fitness tests before they are pressed into service, a department spokesman told PTI. This is done to prevent any pony with impaired vision, lameness or other ailment from getting recruited for the yatra duty, to safeguard life and property against accidents. The exercise, called pony passing, began at Pahalgam on June 20, he said. Armed with physical fitness certificates for their ponies, the horsemen can get them insured against death and disability during the yatra period, he said. Veterinary medicare to the 8,000 strong equine contingent would be provided during the yatra from its seven camp veterinary hospitals being set up at Pissu Top, Sheshnag, Chandanwari, Mahagunus Top and Panjtarni on the Pahalgam cave route and Baltal and Sangam on the Baltal cave route. Besides, two mobile veterinary dispensaries, one each on the two routes to the holy cave, are being set up. These camp veterinary hospitals and dispensaries would be fully functional from July 3, a day ahead of the scheduled commencement of the yatra’ he said.
PTI |
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