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Wednesday,
May 21, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Reshuffle: Mufti ‘gave in to pressure’
J&K has 5
DGPs Shadow of fear lurks over mela Gen Vij reviews anti-militancy
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Pak bid to disrupt fencing work 44-cr plan to update marketing
facilities 10 houses, gutted in fire
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Reshuffle: Mufti ‘gave in to pressure’ Jammu, May 20 It is learnt that some ministers belonging to the Congress, the Panthers Party and the People’s Democratic Front of Independent legislators mounted pressure on the Mufti in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting to immediately remove Mr Suri from the post. They are learnt to have made the issue a major point and expressed their annoyance over the delay in shifting the DGP, who, they said, was a man of the National Conference of Dr Farooq Abdullah. However, the Mufti resisted the pressure of his coalition partners for these six months after coming to power and had to finally bow yesterday when some ministers made it a prestige issue. They have also succeeded in getting Mr Kuldeep Khuda, ADGP, removed from the crucial assignment of head of the CID and sending him as the ADGP of the armed police, which is considered comparatively less significant to his current post. Mr Suri and Mr Khuda were being accused of having been loyalists of Dr Farooq Abdullah eversince the PDP-led coalition government came to power. Many ministers and legislators of the coalition have been accusing the Mufti of retaining those officers on high posts who had remained loyal to the previous regime of the National Conference. Despite tremendous pressure on him, the Mufti ordered the first reshuffle of the bureaucracy about three months after coming to power. However, a section of the coalition was not satisfied with this and has been criticising the weak-kneed approach of the Mufti towards the bureaucracy and the police. Some ministers have been raising the issue of appointment of certain tainted bureaucrats on important posts by the Mufti. The transfers of officers had to be postponed several times as the ministers did not reach a consensus on choosing the right officers. It is learnt that many more bureaucrats were scheduled to be transferred yesterday, but the exercise had to be postponed for lack of consensus. It took a long time in the appointment of the new Advocate-General and his team because of difference of opinion among some ministers. The delay in the reshuffle of certain heads of departments has created an impression among the people that although the rulers have changed, yet the bureaucrats considered loyal to the previous regime are still calling the shots. The problem being faced by the Mufti is because of the fact that the officialdom in Jammu and Kashmir was loaded with loyalists of the National Conference, which ruled for 27 years. The coalition government was finding it difficult to get even a handful of officers whom it could call having remained neutral during the regime of the National Conference. |
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Kids of slain
ultras to get state support: CM Srinagar, May 20 "The state rehabilitation council for victims of militancy's commendable schemes would be made a peoples' movement so that everyone is associated to help the traumatised victims," Mufti Sayeed said at the first meeting of the governing council last evening. The council was set up with the objective of providing assistance for physical, psychological and economical rehabilitation to the victims of militancy in the state with special focus on widows, orphans, handicapped and the aged persons.
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J&K has 5
DGPs Jammu, May 20 Since the entire Cabinet was in favour of Mr Gopal Sharma being elevated to the rank of DGP, the government had no other alternative but to promote Mr M.K. Mohanty and Mr Rajan Bakshi to the rank of DGP because both of them were senior to Mr Sharma. While Mr Mohanty is an IPS officer of the 1971 batch, Mr Gopal Sharma and Mr Rajan Bakshi are of the 1972 batch, with Mr Bakshi a shade senior to the new DGP. In fact, four months ago, the government had plans of replacing Mr Suri with Mr Gopal Sharma and when a report appeared in The Tribune indicating that Mr Suri may be sent to the Centre, his lobby in Delhi intervened and presuaded the Chief Minister to keep the plan in abeyance. And when the dice had finally been cast against Mr Suri, the name of Mr Gopal Sharma found favour with most of the Cabinet Ministers. What went in favour of Mr Gopal Sharma was his professional integrity, honesty and efficiency. Officers who have worked with him or under him have found him accessible, whether in the field as police chief in several districts or during his long stint in the IB and later as DIG, IG and Additional Director-General, Armed Police. Mr Sharma is aware of his responsibilities while heading a 65,000-strong police force in a state troubled by Pakistani-sponsored terrorism. He was confident about loyalty from all ranks because he has been an officer who has never been linked to any political party or groups within the police. Among his priorities are modernisation of the weaponry, transport and telecommunication system in the police and restoring people’s confidence in the police. |
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Shadow of fear lurks over mela Srinagar, May 20 Over the past 12 years, migrant Pandits in large numbers have been visiting the shrine at Tulla Mulla, about 30 km from here, on the occasion. The festival is attended by the pilgrims coming from Jammu under special security. Most of the non-migrant Pandits who stayed put in the valley since the eruption of militancy also make it to the festival. A number of violent incidents in different parts of the valley have led to fresh migrations from time to time. The latest incident was the massacre of 24 Kashmiri Pandits at Nadimarg in Pulwama district on March 24. Due to a deep sense of insecurity, a number of non-migrant Pandits have left the valley, despite claims of the Jammu and Kashmir Government to the contrary, following the incident. “The massacre at Nadimarg has led to fresh migration of Pandits from different areas of the valley”, says Mr Vinod Kumar, a Kashmiri Pandit and an employee of the state government, who has shifted here from Jammu with the durbar move. At that time a resident of a locality, near here, Vinod Kumar has been moving with the durbar biannually between Jammu and Srinagar, and residing here along with many other colleagues in a hotel under security cover facilitated by the government. He said several families of the community left the valley following the Nadimarg incident. For Vinod Kumar, the situation is not quite favourable this year too, so his family could be shifted here from Jammu for a few weeks during summer. It was not so last year when he visited, along with his family members, many of their relatives living in different parts of the valley. “The fear continued to be there, but the Nadimarg incident has deepened it”, he says, adding that he would not plan to shift his family here this summer for obvious reasons. It is not only the Nadimarg incident, which led to fresh wave of migration of the Pandits from the valley, several other similar massacres have decreased the number of those staying back in the valley. Following the mass migration of nearly 3 lakh members of the community with the eruption of militancy in 1989-90, the mysterious attacks by suspected militants on the minority communities have reduced their number to less than 10,000 in the valley at present. The minorities became the first target when seven Pandits were killed at Sangrampora in Budgam district on March 22, 1997. Later, 23 others were killed at Wandahama near Ganderbal in Srinagar district on January 26, 1998, while 35 Sikhs were massacred at Chhatisinghpora in Anantnag district on March 21, 2000. The separatist militant and political organisations have been condemning the attacks on minority communities and blaming “government agencies to malign the militants.” The government agencies, on the other hand, blame the militants for such acts at the behest of their mentors from across the border. The findings of an inquiry into the massace of 36 Sikhs at Chhatisinghpora followed by DNA tests of the five persons killed allegedly by the security forces for being involved in the attack, have however, put a question mark on the claims of the previous government. The police here claims that the involvement of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit in Nadimarg incident is beyond doubt. |
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Gen Vij reviews anti-militancy
steps Jammu, May 20 Gen Vij was briefed on the situation by Lt Gen T.P.S. Brar, GOC of the 16 Corps and thereafter he visited districts of Rajauri, Poonch, Udhampur and Doda. The Army chief reviewed the operational situation and met the troops deployed for counter-terrorist operations. He expressed satisfaction at the state of security, operational preparedness and high morale of the troops. The army has launched an operation to flush out the Pakistan trained terrorists from their hide-outs in remote areas of the state. This is for the first time that such an operation has been launched. Earlier efforts of the security forces to nab terrorists in the high mountains had proved futile as they had taken advantageous positions. However, this time the Army reportedly has started the operation in well-organised way and helicopters were also being used for the purpose. Reports indicate that the terrorists were on the run and have started shifting the areas considered safe. The number of terrorists being killed by the security forces is increasing day by day and over 200 of them have been shot in the past 45 days. Meanwhile, the authorities have imposed night curfew in the
Rajouri district where terrorists killed six members of a family yesterday. Reports said that the victims were cut into pieces by terrorists. |
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Pak bid to disrupt fencing work Jammu, May 20 The Pakistani troops have been firing from the Umrawali, Uchawal, Nandpur and Kachari posts, the sources said. They had been targeting areas of Karotana, Bakarpur, Nikowal in R.S. Pora sector in order to disrupt the ongoing fencing work, they said. The Indian troops had retaliated effectively, the sources said.
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44-cr plan to update marketing
facilities Srinagar, May 20 The fruit mandis are located in Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, Batingoo, Charar-i-Sharif and Handwara. The state government has undertaken an ambitious programme to set up 17 fruit and vegetable markets in various areas of the state at a cost of Rs 44.25 crore. Two modern terminal fruit markets, one each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions, would also be developed under the programme. This was stated at a high-level meeting of the heads of agriculture and allied departments held here yesterday. The Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production, Mr B.R. Kundal, presided. While reviewing the performance of Sericulture Department, it was stated that seven cocoon godowns and seven hot-air driers would be set up at a cost of Rs 5.25 crore in Sunderbhani, Udhampur, Mandli, Kathua, Pulwama, Srinagar and Baramula during the current year. Funds for this purpose would be provided by the Central Silk Board under the Prime Minister’s Package for the state. The meeting decided to develop the high-tech nursery concept for the propagation of plant material particularly conifer species. The project would cost Rs 10.50 lakh. A comprehensive Rs 70-crore Jhelum conservation project would be formulated for treating catchments area of the river from Veerinag to the Wullar Lake. Funds for this purpose would also be provided under the Prime Ministers’ package. The meeting was informed that the Animal Husbandry Department had launched various centrally sponsored programmes for integrated dairy development, which included extension of frozen semen, establishment of fodder bank, strengthening of fodder seed farm, systematic control of livestock and animal disease surveillance. |
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10 houses, gutted in fire Srinagar, May 20 Sources said the fire broke out at Batakoke, Pahalgam and engulfed 10 houses and 18 shops. The cause was not immediately known, sources said, adding that there was no report of any loss of life.
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