J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Army washes hands off Suru valley controversy
Jammu, July 28
The Army authorities have washed their hands off the controversy over the denial of permission to 700 Gujjars and Bakerwals along with 50,000 cattle head from entering the Suru valley in the Zanskar area for grazing. 

Farooq firm on J&K autonomy report
Srinagar, July 28
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today ruled out the submission of any new proposal on the devolution of powers to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the Centre would have to accept the autonomy report endorsed by the state legislature. “We would not relent on it and continue to press for its acceptance’’, the Chief Minister told a questioner in a phone-in programme of Radio Kashmir, Srinagar.

J&K panchayats to help in greening
Jammu, July 28
With the completion of panchayat elections, after a gap of 23 years, the Social Forestry Project has been closed. A part of the activities of the project is being given to the newly elected panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir.

Army washes hands off Suru valley controversy
Tribune news Service

Jammu, July 28
The Army authorities have washed their hands off the controversy over the denial of permission to 700 Gujjars and Bakerwals along with 50,000 cattle head from entering the Suru valley in the Zanskar area for grazing.

A spokesman of the Northern Command has issued a brief press note, which says that “The Army will like to clarify that the permission for entry of Gujjars and Bakerwals into the Ladakh and Kargil regions is at the discretion of the state government”.

However, the Gujjars Welfare Board authorities have referred to the interaction the leaders of the board had with the Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, who had shown keen interest in allowing the grazers to enter the Suru valley.

The vice chairman of the board, Haji Buland Khan, said the Divisional Commissioner had visited Ladakh recently and had a detailed discussion with the Army authorities and the leaders of the Buddhist Association. He said the Divisional Commissioner had expressed his “helplessness” in the matter after both Army authorities in Ladakh and the Buddhists opposed permission given to the grazers to enter the Suru valley.

The Army authorities and the Buddhists had cited security reasons for the denial of permission.

Haji Buland Khan and other Gujjar leaders cited a letter from Lt. Gen Arjun Ray, Corps Commander, which was in reply to a letter written by Mian Altaf, Minister for Health, wherein the Army had stated that the entry of the grazers could pose security problems in the area.

The Army authorities in Ladakh had stated in the letter that since militants had picked up the Bakerwal dialect the rebels could sneak into Ladakh from Suru in the guise of grazers. General Ray also referred to the militant strike in Zanskar last year in which three Buddhist monks and one German tourist were killed. This had angered the Buddhists, who were now opposed to the entry of Gujjars into the Suru valley.

Haji Buland Khan, expressing surprise over the way the Army authorities have placed the onus on the shoulders of the state government, said when he met the Army Commander in Udhampur he did not “tell me that the state government was competent and the right authority to grant permission for my people to enter the Suru valley”.

He has appealed to the Chief Minister, to review the issue afresh. He said if the Chief Minister delayed the decision the very survival of the Gujjars and their cattle was in danger.

Farooq firm on J&K autonomy report

Srinagar, July 28
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today ruled out the submission of any new proposal on the devolution of powers to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the Centre would have to accept the autonomy report endorsed by the state legislature.

Most of the questions asked by the people on phone related to amenities and development. UNI

J&K panchayats to help in greening
M. L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 28
With the completion of panchayat elections, after a gap of 23 years, the Social Forestry Project has been closed. A part of the activities of the project is being given to the newly elected panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir.

The state Cabinet had examined a report in which it was stated that the Social Forestry Project has become a white elephant and decided to wind up the project and entrust the task of plantation, soil conservation and reclamation of the degraded forest lands to the Department of Forests.

As per the Cabinet decision, social forestry programmes, except the reclamation of arable lands, would be carried out by the respective panchayats, with the peoples’ participation.

The reclamation of arable wastelands would be handled by the Department of Agricultural Production and Rural Development.

The state government has concluded that the involvement of panchayats in the social forestry programme would accelerate the pace of greening the degraded forest lands because duly elected panchayats existed in 121 blocks in the state.

In the recently concluded elections, 2700 sarpanches and 20559 panches were elected and they could give new shape to the development of forest wealth in the state which had been depleted during the past 12 years of militancy.

Under the Cabinet decision, all nurseries and assets of the Social Forestry Project would be transferred to the Rural Development Department for their ultimate transfer to the panchayats. This would allow people to participate in the development of the forest wealth at the grassroot level.

In addition, village forest committees are being set up and these committees would work under the technical guidance of the Forest Department.

The employees who were sent on deputation to the Social Forestry Project, would be reverted back to their parent departments. And those borne on the establishment of the Project would be treated as surplus and are to be adjusted in Forest Department, Rural Development and other government departments. The Planning Development has been instructed to release funds to the Forest Department for releasing salary and allowances in favour of the project employee till the time they were adjusted and absorbed in other government departments.

The Cabinet has also asked the Planning Department to assess the quality of the work done by the Social Forestry Project and evaluate whether its programmes had benefited the rural people and carried out its assigned task of greening the wastelands in the state.

In the meantime, the state Forest Department has signed an MOU with the Norwegian Government under which the state would receive financial assistance and loans to the tune of over Rs 200 crore in a phased manner, for the development of the forest wealth in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Norwegian team would also help forest experts to start new nurseries where quality plants would be reared that could compensate for the rapid degradation of forests.