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Wednesday,
March 6, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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NC firm on restoration of autonomy Ultras gun
down four civilians
33 Pakistanis
overstaying in J&K
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| Availability-based tariff
introduced Jammu, March 5 Experts of the Power Grid Corporation of India have started interacting with engineers of the Power Development Department and the state electricity board functionaries in the northern region for explaining the features of the availability-based tariff which include capacity charge, energy charge and payment for deviation from the schedule.
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NC firm on restoration of autonomy Jammu, March 5 This became evident during the debate on a motion of thanks on the Governor’s Address in the state Assembly today. Barring the BJP members, who opposed the demand for the restoration of greater autonomy on the plea that it would result in the reversal of the process of integration, all NC members voiced full-throated support for going back to the pre-1953 constitutional position. After the CPM member, Mr M.Y. Tarigami, an NC member, Mr Dilawar Mir, and others spoke in favour of the restoration of greater autonomy, the Chief Minister, while winding up the discussion on the Governor’s Address, said the demand for the pre-1953 constitutional status was not a move towards the state’s cessation from India. Shaking with anger, Dr Abdullah said the restoration of greater autonomy was bound to strengthen the process of unity. He supported his party members who said grant of greater autonomy would restore peace and normalcy in the state. He said, “We are seeking restoration of what had been snatched from us. We are not demanding something which never existed or which did not exist in the constitutional arrangement between the state and the Centre.” The Chief Minister took the wind out of the sail of those demanding trifurcation of the state. He said any move to divide the state would lead to disintegration. He said so long as he remained alive, he would not allow the state to be divided and added that it was in the interest of the country’s survival that Jammu and Kashmir remained a single entity. He pooh-poohed those who had stated that during the NC regime, militancy-related violence escalated in Jammu and Kashmir during the past five years. He said, in fact, since 1996, when the NC formed the government, the political and economic structure, which had been derailed, had been put back on the rails. Dr Abdullah said if there had been incidents of militancy-related violence, it was the result of continued infiltration from across the border. He said the Centre had ordered a heavy military build-up on the LoC and when he demanded that the Indian troops should cross the border and destroy the training camps he was accused of leading India to war against Pakistan. He said the purpose of deploying additional forces on the border had been defeated because terrorists continued to get arms training in camps across the border. He said instead of blaming “my government” for failure to check militancy-related incidents, the forces should have been told to seal the border and stop infiltration and arms smuggling from across the LoC. He said if the terrorist training camps were not destroyed by the Indian forces what was then the need for ordering a heavy military build-up. Dr Abdullah expressed deep shock over violence that rocked Gujarat and other areas and said even after 50 years of Independence “we continue to behave like animals.” He blamed political and religious leaders for the communal turmoil and violence and said that such leaders should stop playing with the lives of people simply to ensure their political survival. Earlier, Mr M.Y. Tarigami of the CPM said “greater autonomy is our right.” He said it was unfortunate that those who demanded restoration of greater autonomy were dubbed as anti-national elements. He said, “We mean business. We want the Kashmir issue to be settled and restoration of the pre-1953 constitutional status could resolve the conflict.” Mr Dilawar Mir of the NC, while supporting the greater autonomy demand, said the National Conference government had restored the infrastructure that had been destroyed by Pak-aided militants between 1990 and 1996. He blamed the Government of India for having escalated tension on the border by deploying additional troops. He said Rs 80 crore was being spent on military build-up per day and the result was zero except for the fact that the BJP government lost power in Punjab, UP and Uttaranchal. BJP members Prithvi Chand and Piara Singh opposed the demand or restoration of greater autonomy on the plea that it would reverse the process of integration. They suggested to the NC government to accept the offer from the Centre that more powers could be devolved to the states. Later the motion was adopted with a voice vote. Earlier, during question hour, the entire Opposition staged a walkout in protest against the refusal of the Chief Minister to supplement a minister’s reply on the issue of violation of Dr Abdullah’s commitment to reinstate all those Class IV employees who had been sacked. The state Assembly today adopted a private member's resolution urging the Central Government to reconsider the resolution on autonomy adopted by the House last year. The resolution was moved by Mir Saifullah of the National Conference in the second sitting of the House. Supporting the resolution, the Law Minister said since the state legislature had adopted the resolution on the restoration of greater autonomy there was no question of going back on it. He said the adoption of the resolution of greater autonomy was in tune with the aspirations of the people of the state. However, the BJP and the Congress members opposed the resolution seeking the Central Government's reconsideration on the matter. When the Speaker put the resolution to vote, it was adopted by the House with the support of the National Conference members. The House rejected another private member's resolution which wanted the Assembly to convey its displeasure to the Central Government over the promulgation of POTO. Moving the resolution, Mr Tarigami of the CPM said POTO was a draconian law and violated the very spirit of parliamentary democracy and decency. He said the law would not check terrorism but only leap to inconvenience and
harassment of the innocent people. |
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Ultras gun down four civilians Jammu, March 5 The militants killed the civilian in indiscriminate firing in Mangota village of Rajouri district last night, the spokesman said. Three of the four victims have been identified as Fatima Begum, Makhna and Ajmalpn. In another incident, militants set ablaze 11 houses of villagers in Mahore area of Udhampur district last evening. However, there was no casualty in the incident. Meanwhile two militants were shot dead by security forces in separate encounters in Poonch district of Jammu region this afternoon. The SSP Poonch Dr Kamal Saini said the security forces launched a search operation following a tip-off that militants had infiltrated into the Hari Budha area of Poonch district. As they zeroed in on the militants, the ultras opened fired on them. In the ensuing encounter, which was on when reports last came in, one militant, identified as Saif Ullah, was killed. A Kalashnikov rifle, three magazines and a wireless set were seized from the slain militant. In another encounter, a militant was shot dead at Sangyote under the Gursai police station area. Baramula: The 27-hour-long encounter between security forces and militants holed up inside a house here ended on Tuesday afternoon, claiming the lives of an SOG constable, a civilian and two militants. However, the body of only one foreign militant had been found. The clash began at Sherwani Colony, Khawaja Bagh in Baramula district on Monday with the ultras shifting from one house to another, official sources said. An SOG constable was killed and three others, including an ASI, were injured in the initial firing. After intermittent firing during the night, militants opened heavy fire and lobbed grenades at the security forces at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday resulting in injuries to four army personnel, including a Major. The sources said blasts and firing occurred for about five minutes at 12.30 pm. The security forces fired mortars at the militants, who had shifted to a third house. Two houses were damaged in the mortar firing. Civilians were shifted to safer places and the area sealed, the sources said. In a separate incident, the security forces killed three militants in the woods of Chontiwara Kandi in the frontier district of Kupwara on Tuesday morning, while another ultra was gunned down at Gushi Dedikote in the same district, the security forces said. Militants hurled a hand grenade at an Army vehicle at Sumbal on Monday morning. The grenade missed the target and exploded on the roadside without causing any damage. Later, the forces cordoned off the area and conducted house-to-house searches. The security forces arrested two militants and seized two AK
rifles, a pistol, three magazines, 16 anti-tank grenades, 320 rounds
and two UBGLs in north Kashmir on Monday night. PTI, UNI
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33 Pakistanis
overstaying in J&K Jammu, March 5 All these foreigners have been overstaying for more than six months, Mr Suhrawardhy said in reply to a question by Mr Ashok Khajuria of the BJP. Giving details of the number of Pakistanis and other foreigners deported over the past five years, the minister said a Pakistani was deported in 1997 and two in 1999. In 2000, a Norwegian was deported and in 2001, a Pakistani, Mauritian and Dutch were deported. Replying to supplimentaries, the minister said these nationals had got stay orders from the courts and efforts were being made to vacate the orders.
PTI |
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Availability-based tariff
introduced Jammu, March 5 At a seminar,
organised here today by the Power Grid Corporation, senior functionaries of the Power Development, engineers and the Principal Secretary, Power, Mr B.R. Kundal, were introduced to the ABT system. Mr Bhanu Bushan, Director, Operations, Power Grid Corporation, informed the state engineers that the introduction of the ABT in the northern region would facilitate streaming of the regional grid operation and bring about necessary security, economy and efficiency. He told the state engineers that the ABT would also enable the real despatch function to be carried out in the state load despatch centres giving the state full autonomy in this regard with the regional load despatch centre which would function mainly as a coordinating centre. In the seminar it was explained that under the ABT, the state power boards would have the option of achieving financial benefits by responding to grid frequency and also by under drawing at low frequency. It will also bring about grid discipline in the regional grid operation. Others who participated in the seminar included Mr H.S. Gupta, Development Corporation, Dr K.K. Das, Executive Director, Mr R.D. Prabhakar, General Manager, Mr Prabhakar Singh, Additional General Manager, Power Grid Corporation. |
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