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Friday,
February 21, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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J&K
seek vote on account PAMPORE BYPOLL Valley
still cut off
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Srinagar, February 20 A high-powered committee set up by the Jammu and Kashmir Government to look into the extent of encroachments and possible remedial measures in the green-belt area here is expected to submit its report within a few days. 2 Army men killed as
bunker collapses
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J&K seek vote on account Jammu, February 20 The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet here last evening. The Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed, presided over it. This has been reportedly done because the Plan size and its financing has not been finalised by the Planning Commission. According to the Chief Secretary, Mr S.S.
Bloeria, another factor for seeking the vote on account is that the government wants to have full assessment on the overall fiscal position and make a firm beginning to put that state’s economy on a sound footing by finalising an alternate financing mechanism of overdrafts, tap all avenues of additional resource mobilisation and devise ways and means to steer the state out of the debt trap. With the decision to introduce the VAT system from April 1 revenue estimates for the next financial year shall have to be worked out afresh. Several measures are also being finalised in consultation with experts to bring the state out of the perpetual debt trap which is evident from the fact that the overdraft has reached Rs 1,200
crore. As per the memorandum of understanding with the Centre the state government is required to restructure its approach towards revenue expenditure and receipts in such a manner that the expenditure is contained and receipts increased with special emphasis to reduce the non-Plan deficit and create non-Plan surplus. This will help restructure the economy. The Cabinet also approved the release of another instalment of DA for its employees and pensioners. It will given from July, last year. The arrears would be credited into the GP fund of the employees. But the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has criticised the state government’s decision to seek vote on account in the ensuing Assembly session instead of presenting a full-fledged Budget for the next financial year. In a strongly worded statement senior National Conference leader and former Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather said the decision was undemocratic, totally unwarranted and uncalled for. Mr Rather said this was normally done when elections were round the corner or when it is anticipated that the main demands of the grants and the Appropriation Bill could not be passed by the House within the stipulated period. Meanwhile, the state Cabinet has passed a resolution welcoming the appointment of Mr
N.N. Vohra, former Union Home Secretary as Central Government’s representative for starting for a dialogue on Kashmir. Chaired by the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed, the Cabinet hoped that with the appointment of Mr Vohra a process has been initiated for broad-based dialogue with the elected representatives and another sections in Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of peace. The Minister for Forest and Environment and Chairman of Peoples’ Democratic Forum, Mr Ghulam Mohd-ul-Din Sofi has welcomed the initiative. |
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PAMPORE
BYPOLL Pulwama, Friday 20 There are nine candidates in the fray for the election, as compared to 11 in the last elections held in the third phase on October 1 last year. The main contest is between the PDP and the National Conference candidates. While the PDP has fielded Mr Zahoor Ahmad Mir, son of the assassinated MLA. Abdul Aziz Mir, the National Conference has fielded Mr Mushtaq Ahmad
Kuchay, a former MLA. Mr Kuchay represented the constituency in the last Assembly, but was denied mandate in the September-October 2002 elections. The party’s nominee, Ghulam Nabi Bhat lost to PDP candidate, Abdul Aziz Mir in the last elections held on October 1. There are seven other Independent candidates in the fray. According to Mrs Nasema
Lankar, District Election Officer, Pulwama, all arrangements have been taken to ensure free and fair polling in the constituency. Though the contesting candidates had organised a series of public meeting during the past week, campaigning for this segment, one of the six Assembly segments in Pulwama district, is going on at a low key. Some of the Independent candidates have alleged lack of security cover for electioneering. A code of conduct, which already came into force in the whole district, was also worked out for the contestants to “ensure safety and security” of the candidates and voters. A total of 15 companies of paramilitary forces were being deployed for the purpose of polling, according to Mr Vijay Kumar, SP
Awantipora. Giving details Mrs Lankar the constituency has 51,688 votes including 600 migrant voters, for whom polling stations were being set up no at Udhampur, Delhi and Jammu. The migrant voters will have to use postal ballots only for the purpose, which should reach the District Election Office Pulwana before March 1 when the counting of votes would be taken up. The entire election process would be completed by March 7. Referring to the deployment of polling staff, the District Election Officer said that no staff from outside the state would be deployed as per the past practice. |
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Valley still cut off Srinagar, February 20 Life in the summer capital and its adjoining areas also remained paralysed due to severe cold coupled with the total failure of power and water supply besides the telecommunication systems. A traffic control room spokesman said that the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only road link between the valley and the rest of the country, remained closed due to snow and landslides. Official sources said hundreds of vehicles, including trucks loaded with essential commodities for the Kashmir valley are stranded on the highway. However, no vehicle was allowed from Srinagar or Jammu today. As soon as the highway reopens, only stranded vehicles would be allowed to proceed towards their respective destination. Meanwhile, a report from Baramulla said the snowfall, heaviest in recent years, had damaged about 50 houses and other structures in twin border districts of Kupwara and Baramulla. One child lost his life and four others were wounded in two different house collapses at Khumriyal and Handwara yesterday. |
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Report soon on encroachments Srinagar, February 20 The three-member committee, headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, was set up following an anti-encroachment drive jointly launched by the Srinagar Municipality and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) along roads in Srinagar and its suburbs recently. Similar drives were also launched by the bodies concerned in other major towns. A number of constructions, mostly belonging to the state government, have come up in the green-belt area from time to time. Some of these structures were constructed or being constructed during the six-year tenure of the National Conference government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah. These include the much-publicised Golf Course, inaugurated last year, and official residences of the Chief Minister and the Director-General of Police. The State Housing and Urban Development Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, told The Tribune that the government was keen to restore the
pristine glory of Kashmir, and there was an “overwhelming support” extended by people towards its policies. Mr Mir said the government had also chalked out a plan to remove encroachments along peripheries and catchment areas of Dal lake. |
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2 Army men killed as bunker collapses Jammu, February 20 A forward bunker near the LoC in the Bhawani area developed cracks and later collapsed killing the two Army men who were inside, the sources said. In another incident an Army driver was washed away in flash floods in the Bhawani nullah in Rajauri district last night.
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