J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Murtaza is JKPSC acting chief 
Jammu, December 2
Having failed to reach a consensus, the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet today appointed Mr Akhtar Murtaza as the acting Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. 

Police shake-up in Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu, December 2
The Jammu and Kashmir Government in a shake-up in the police set-up today transferred the senior superintendents of Baramula, Anantnag, Budgam and Kathua districts.

Asad, who lives in Karin village in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir across the river, throws packet of cookies to his relatives living in Indian Kashmir on Monday. Kashmiris, separated by years of conflict between the two nations, gathered on either bank of the rushing River Neelum, shouting greetings to long-separated relatives and hurling letters wrapped around stones across the boundary line. — AP/PTI

Murtaza is JKPSC acting chief 
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 2
Having failed to reach a consensus, the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet today appointed Mr Akhtar Murtaza as the acting Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC).

Mr Murtaza is the seniormost member of the commission and the arrangement will continue till a regular appointment is made.

The Cabinet ordered that the appointment of Mr Murtaza shall be deemed to have retrospective effect from July 21 when Mr H.H. Tyabji retired from the post.

Ministers have not been able to reach a consensus on a name for the top slot for the past over four months since when the post is lying vacant.

The Cabinet had earlier appointed Mr M.S. Pandit, Finance Secretary, as the Chairman, but he refused to join.

In a bid to take early action against tainted officers, the Cabinet delegated its power of terminating gazetted officers to the Chief Minister. The power to terminate non-gazetted officials was already with the Chief Minister.

This assumes significance as the coalition government of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has been warning that it will weed out corrupt and inefficient officers from the administration.

It is learnt that a committee appointed for identifying tainted officers has prepared a list, which has already been submitted to the government.

The Chief Secretary, Mr S.S. Bloeria, said the Cabinet decided that the Delhi Public School Society (DPSS) would set up one school in each district and 25 per cent of the seats in these schools would be reserved for meritorious children of under-privileged sections, from whom no tuition fee would be charged. The expenses on account of their books and uniform shall be borne by the state government.

In lieu of the 25 per cent seats, the government will provide 10 acres for each school. The DPSS will set up a Montessori school for training teachers. The DPSS will adopt Government High School, Sonawar (Srinagar), and Government Girls High School, Gandhi Nagar (Jammu).

The Cabinet approved a Bill to amend the Panchayati Raj Act to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in panchayats. This would include those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

Two other draft Bills approved, which would be introduced in the coming session of the Assembly, pertain to the amendment to the transfer to Property Act and J&K Motor Spirit and Diesel Oil (Taxation and Sales) Act.

The Cabinet also approved a draft Bill seeking to abolish the state electricity board. This step has been taken by the government to get a huge benefit in the form of the 12th Finance Commission award on deficit on power purchase and revenue collection.

The state had to suffer a deficit of Rs 1,043 crore last year on account of purchase of power as only Rs 320-crore revenue was realised. The state could not project this deficit before the Finance Commission as it was not a non-Plan deficit.

The only function of the electricity board was to raise loans for implementation of rural electrification schemes and after abolition of the board, the job will be undertaken by the Power Development Department.

The Cabinet also ordered that 200 posts of Junior Engineer (Electrical) should be filled on a contract basis. The deputy commissioners have been authorised to fill 933 posts of paramedical staff on contract basis.

Police shake-up in Jammu & Kashmir
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 2
The Jammu and Kashmir Government in a shake-up in the police set-up today transferred the senior superintendents of Baramula, Anantnag, Budgam and Kathua districts.

Mr Muneer Ahmed Khan, SP CID, has been posted as SSP, Baramula, Mr Ashkoor Ahmad Wani, Commandant, 5th Bn, JKAP, has been appointed SSP, Anantnag, Mr Raghubir Singh, SP (Anti-hijacking), goes as SP, Kathua, and Mr Ramesh Jalla, SP (North), Srinagar, has been posted as SSP, Budgam.

Mr Javid Reyaz, SSP, Baramula, has been shifted to the Special Branch, Kashmir, in place of Syed Ahmad Syed, who has been appointed Commandant of 5th Bn, JKAP.

Mr A.Q. Manhas, SSP, Anantnag, goes as SSP, CID Headquarters, Mr Rajiv Kotwal, SP, Budgam, has been appointed SSP (Anti-hijacking), Jammu.

Mr Bashir Ahmed Khan, Staff Officer to the ADG (Security), has been sent as SP (North), Srinagar. Mr Garib Dass, SP, Handwara, has been appointed SP, Ramban, in place of Mr Danesh Rana, who has been asked to report at the police headquarters for further orders.

Mr Manmohan Singh, Staff Officer to the IGP, Jammu, has been posted as SP, Handwara. Mr G.M. Dar, Commandant, has been posted as Commandant, India Reserve 6th Bn. Mr M.K. Sinha, SP, Kathua, has been posted as AIG at the police headquarters.

Mr Mohammad Yousuf Shah, Deputy Commandant, IR 9th Bn, has been posted as Staff Officer to the DIG, Srinagar. Mr Sham Sunder, Deputy Commandant, IR 5th Bn, goes as Staff Officer to the ADG, Security.

Mr Suresh Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commandant, 6th Bn, JKAP, has been posted as Commandant, IR 2nd Bn.

Mr Vijay Kumar, Additional SP, Jammu, and Mr Deepak Kumar Salathia, Additional SP, Bhaderwah, swap places.

Shah not to join any Hurriyat faction
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 2
The chief of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Shabir Ahmad Shah, has said that he will not join any faction of the Hurriyat Conference as it will be against the spirit of unity among separatist Kashmiri leaders.

Commenting on reports of his joining the Abbas-led Hurriyat Conference, Mr Shabir Shah told The Tribune here today that "no such agreement" had taken place between him and Moulvi Abbas Ansari. He, however, admitted that the efforts of getting the two factions of the Hurriyat together had not yielded any result.