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Tuesday,
March 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Opposition stages walkout Mufti rules out J&K trifurcation Mufti, 12 others take oath as MLC Right to Information Bill introduced Deputy CM’s assurance to displaced community |
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Phase 1 of power project completed Jobs: Operation Vijay victims to
get preference Screening panel to meet again Anti-war rallyists lathi-charged
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Opposition stages walkout Jammu, March 17 They were also protesting against the bomb attack at the residence of the BSP MLA, Mr Manjit Singh, last night. The National Conference had moved the adjournment motion to discuss the issue. However, the Speaker, Mr Tara Chand, rejected the motion leading to pandemonium in the House. The infuriated Opposition members said the lives of innocent people were not safe as the terrorists had stepped up their attacks during the past few days. There was an exchange of hot words between the National Conference and some Congress members when the latter took objection to the NC members continuing to disturb the proceedings while the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, was on his feet to make a statement. There were noisy scenes as the Opposition members stalled the statement of the Chief Minister on the massacre in Indh village by terrorists yesterday. Mr Abdul Gani Malik and Mr Ali Mohammad Sagar (NC) pressed for the adjournment motion. The din prevailed for more than 30 minutes until the NC members staged a walkout. During the question hour, in reply to a question of Mr M.Y. Tarigami (CPM), the Chief Minister said a total number of 606 persons were presently detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in various jails. They include 145 persons who were not facing any trial. At least 53 persons were arrested under POTA and later detained under PSA. Besides, 168 persons were arrested under POTA since October 2001. He said 130 foreign nationals from Pakistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Tazikistan and Afghanistan were lodged in different jails in the state. In a written reply to a question of Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari and Mr Qaiser Jamsheed Lone, the Chief Minister informed that as many as 13,813 persons had been killed by militants and in cross-firing since 1990. At least 243 persons had been killed in Surankot tehsil of Poonch district. As many as 4265 militancy affected persons had been given government jobs, while the cases of 2538 were pending. Mr Ajay Sadhotra (NC), Chief Minister, said 3,873 security
personnel lost their lives in terrorist-related incidents. |
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Mufti rules out J&K trifurcation Jammu, March 17 The Mufti justified the grant of Hill Councils for Leh and Kargil saying that the Ladakh region remained land-locked and lagged behind in development in the past. “Since similar conditions do not exist in other regions, there is no justification for suggesting similar councils for other areas,” he told the assembly. He said his government had removed injustice caused to the people of the Ladhakh region by fully empowering the existing Hill Council for Leh and declared that a hill council with similar powers for Kargil would be in place by June next. “This is in true spirit of the act under which the Leh council was set up,” the Chief Minister said. The Chief Minister assured the house that his government was committed to removing discrimination meted out to people and said “we have come here to do justice to all”. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri said there was no proposal before the government for the establishment of such councils in other areas of the state. He said despite closure of areas like Karnah, Gurez, Machhil during the winter months, the standard of life of the people living in these areas had improved considerably. He denied that the people of these areas had been deprived of the basic facilities of life for the last 50 years. The VHP and the RSS had been demanding a separate state of Jammu, Kashmir and a union territory status for Ladakh.
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Mufti, 12 others take oath as MLC Jammu, March 17 Mufti was the first to be administered oath as MLC by the Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council Mr A.R. Dar, in the Central Hall of the Assembly. He was followed by former Member of Parliament and senior Congress leader P Namgyal from Leh district in the Ladakh region. Other who took oath included Nasar Ullah from Kargil, Ali Mohammad Sofi (Congress) from Kashmir, Amrit Malhotra and Lal Mohammad Saber, both (Congress) from Jammu, Bashir Ahmed Naz (National Conference) from Jammu, and Ved Prakash Gupta (PDP) also from Jammu. PTI All of them were elected to the legislative council after being declared winners in the council elections on March 5. Those who were nominated and took oath as MLCs included Sardar Pradhmun Singh (Congress) from Jammu, Gulchain Singh Charak (Congress) from Jammu, Bhim Singh (JKNPP) from Jammu and Gulam Nabi Lone (PDP) from Kashmir. However, Tariq Ahmed Qarra (PDP) from Kashmir could not take oath in view of his being out of Jammu. He is likely to take oath in the next few days.
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Right to Information Bill introduced Jammu, March 17 The Bill proposes to enable the citizens to have an access to information on a statutory basis. The Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, introduced the Bill to provide the status of a Cabinet Minister to the Leader of Opposition. The Chief Minister moved a Bill seeking to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examination Act so as to enable the government to appoint a person having served as secretary to the government or against an equivalent post as chairman of the board. At present only academicians or educationists were entitled to be appointed on the post. |
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Deputy CM’s assurance to displaced community Jammu, March 17 Addressing a day-long delegates convention of the displaced persons at Digina near here last evening, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the grant of compensation was the responsibility of the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir Government would actively take up this matter. He regretted that despite 55 years of their displacement, the affected families had not been given their rights. Mr Sharma said their other demands like the allotment of land for residential colonies, handing over the possession of the land, change in the transport policy to benefit the poor displaced transporters would be taken up in the Cabinet meeting. He said other demands put forth by the community, including reservation in Municipal bodies, local bodies, panchayats and state legislature would receive due consideration. He would soon discuss the problems of the displaced with the Chief Minister so that some solutions are evolved, he added. Criticising the National Conference Mr Sharma said the demand for the grant of greater autonomy, restoration of 1953 position in the state and bringing the resettlement Bill was aimed to divide the state on regional and sectarian lines. Similarly, the demand for the bifurcation of state and declaring Jammu as a separate state, as voiced by some communal forces, was more dangerous, he added. He said that, Acts passed by the National Conference government which were detrimental to the interests of the state and its people would not be implemented in any case. He asked Pakistan to stop terrorist activities as the state had suffered immensely during the 13-long years of militancy. Supporting the demands of the displaced persons, the Minister for Public Health and Engineering Qazi Mohammed Afzal said the denial of rights to them was a great tragedy.
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Phase
1 of power project completed Srinagar, March 17 The Power Minister, Mr Mohammad Sharif Niaz, said here today that 80 per cent of the first phase of the project was completed and services of the retrenched work force of the project were not required. He blamed the previous government for throwing norms to the wind in the allotment of the construction work on the project and added that steps were being taken so that such practices were not repeated in future. He said the government would not tolerate any sort of indiscipline that would hamper the execution of the work on the much needed hydro-electric project. The minister was talking to newsmen here today after visiting various areas of the Kashmir valley for an on-the-spot assessment of the power scenario in the valley. In reply to a question on ongoing work at the Baglihar power project near Batote in Jammu region, the minister disclosed that an amount of Rs 38 crore had been granted by the coalition government for the construction work during the past over four months. There was also a demand for Rs 2700 crore for the completion of the project that would suffice the requirements of the state in future, he said. Referring to the decrease in power curtailments during winter months, the Power Minister said efforts were made to minimise the curtailment schedule, and added that the harsh conditions during the winter deteriorated the situation as the allocation of the power supply from the Northern Grid was also unsatisfactory. The recent snowfall in the Kashmir valley also disturbed the power supplies system, he said adding that while the supply was restored in most parts of the valley, restoration work in some far flung areas was still in progress. The Power Minister said all measures were being taken to augment the installed capacity of a number of power grid stations besides receiving stations in a phased manner. |
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Jobs: Operation Vijay victims to
get preference Jammu, March 17 The assurance was given by State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri while replying to a question by Member Raman Bhalla in the Assembly here today. He said the matter regarding the grant of incentives or financial assistance for the exemplary sacrifice rendered by the volunteers from different parts of Jammu province during the Kargil war would be taken up with the Defence Ministry. Earlier, in his reply, the minister said at present there was no proposal with the government to provide jobs in the Police Department to these
youth. UNI |
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Screening panel to meet again Jammu, March 17 The committee has officers of the state police, the Centre’s Intelligence Bureau and the Home Ministry as its members. The committee at its recent meeting had cleared the release of 17 detainees. The Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed, said in the Assembly today that no one would remain in jail if no case relating to a serious offence was pending against him. The release of innocent persons through the mechanism of the Screening Committee was a continuous process. The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs said that 145 persons had been lodged in jails without any trial. |
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Anti-war rallyists
lathi-charged Srinagar, March 17 The trouble started when students were proceeding towards Maulana Azad road from a local higher secondary school with banners appealing for peace. The police swung into action and chased away students, who also burnt the US flag. The students raised slogans against the US President, Mr George Bush.
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