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BJP lists ‘35 sins’ of Congress Education Minister to campaign for Govt misused security-related funds: |
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| Shabir Shah, Geelani put under house arrest Srinagar, April 23 The Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah were put under house arrest today.
Army building bomb-proof bunkers
Kalam to visit forward areas
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BJP lists ‘35 sins’ of Congress Jammu, April 23 Releasing the document here today, the BJP spokesman, Dr Hari Om, described the Congress rule in Jammu and Kashmir during the past 17 months as a ‘saga of 35 sins’. He accused the Congress of throwing to the winds the series of promises it had made to the people of the Jammu region during the 2002 assembly poll. The document listed failure of the Congress to get the Wazir Committee report implemented. The BJP leadership held the Congress responsible for approving the Cabinet decision under which Rs 399.1 crore, out of the total Central assistance of Rs 400 crore, were earmarked for Kashmir valley for water resources. Against the total allocation of Rs 6.29 crore for the promotion of tourism, the Jammu region got only Rs 94 lakh, it said. Other “sins” of the Congress mentioned in the list included sanctioning of Rs 3 crore for the Srinagar Municipal Corporation against Rs 1 crore for the Jammu civic body, employment of 48 law graduates from Kashmir against none from the Jammu region and jobs to 24 junior engineers from the valley against none from Jammu. Mr Hari Om said the state Cabinet sanctioned 154 development projects, involving an expenditure of Rs 10,473.13 lakh for the Kashmir valley against 26 projects, estimated to cost Rs 1629.36 lakh, for the Jammu region. He said the “biggest sin” the Congress committed was its support to the Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill, which was adopted by the state assembly during the budget session last month. It said the Congress had won majority of assembly seats in the Jammu region in 2002 poll on the slogan of ending regional discrimination, but during the past 17 months of its rule, people of the region were made to suffer even more discrimination. Fifty seats were added to the Srinagar Medical College, while there was no addition of seats in Jammu Medical College, he said. |
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Education Minister to campaign for Bhim Singh Jammu, April 23 Mr Harsh Dev Singh had won the Assembly poll on Panthers Party ticket. When Bhim Singh announced his candidature for the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat the of the four party MLAs, including Mr Harsh Dev Singh, avoided stating anything on the issue. Days before filing his nomination papers Prof Bhim Singh had launched a vigorous election campaign in Udhampur, Doda and Kathua districts but Mr Harsh Dev Singh remained conspicuous by his absence at such programmes. Many in Jammu had formed an opinion that Mr Harsh Dev Singh, who enjoyed confidence of the Chief Minister, might keep away from his party chairman’s election campaign because the PDP and the Congress had opposed Prof Bhim Singh’s entry into the poll fray. Since the Education Minister’s election tour programme has been issued on the letter pad of Panthers Party it is evident that he has finally decided to support Prof Bhim Singh. |
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Govt misused security-related funds: Prof Gupta Jammu, April 23 Addressing series of poll rallies in Doda district today Prof Gupta said under a centrally-sponsored scheme 27,000 posts of Special Police Officer (SPO) had been sanctioned by the BJP-led NDA government and for each SPO the Centre was to provide Rs 20,000 to Rs 24,000 per annum. The state government did not pay adequate emoluments to the SPOs. In most of the cases SPO received Rs 1500 to Rs 1800 a month and scores of them were not paid regularly, he alleged. Appreciating the Village Defence Committees for fighting terrorism in the Jammu region he blamed the ruling coalition for not releasing emoluments to VDC members. He assured VDC members that he would take up the matter with the Union Home Ministry and besides suitable emoluments they would be equipped with sophisticated weapons. Prof Gupta appealed to the voters in Udhampur constituency to “punish” the ruling coalition candidates and those from the National Conference by supporting the BJP for bringing peace in the state. |
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Shabir Shah, Geelani put under house arrest
Srinagar, April 23 Mr Shah told UNI that the police and paramilitary forces cordoned off his Rawalpora residence late last night. He said this morning as he was about to leave on an ‘’anti-poll’’ campaign to Beerwah in central Kashmir, a police officer informed him about the house arrest. The Hurriyat faction led by Mr Geelani and the DFP are boycotting the elections. ‘’I was not allowed to leave the house though I made several attempts,’’ he said adding the officer had told him that they had “orders from the top”. Mr Shah said he was also scheduled to address an ‘’anti-poll’’ campaign in the city after Friday prayers. A spokesman of the HC said that Mr Geelani was informed this morning that he had been put under house arrest. However, there was no restriction on people coming or leaving Mr Geelani’s house, he said. He said Mr Geelani was to address ‘’anti-election’’ rallies in the Srinagar constituency today. “This confirms that the authorities are frustrated after the poll boycott in the Baramula constituency,’’ he said and added the ‘’anti-poll’’ campaign would continue in the Kashmir valley. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik was arrested today along with a former Hurriyat Conference spokesman, Sheikh Rashid, at Narabal in the valley. Mr Malik was also scheduled to address ‘’anti-election’’ rallies in central Kashmir.
— UNI |
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Army building bomb-proof bunkers Jammu, April 23 Official sources said the experiment had been started in the Ramgarh sector in Jammu district and each bunker could accommodate between 100 and 150 persons during any emergency. The sources said if the required funds were made available, the construction of bomb-proof bunkers would be extended to other border areas. During the past five years, it had been seen that whenever Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing, villagers would migrate to safer places, where they used to be forced to live in camps under tattered tents. In order to reduce inconvenience to the civilians and reduce the chances of people getting killed or maimed in Pakistani firing and mortar fire, the plan of constructing bomb-proof bunkers had been taken in hand. Village heads in the Ramgarh sector had appreciated the plan and had requested the Army authorities to construct more bomb-proof bunkers
in other border segments. At certain places, bunkers, built during the 1965 and 1971 wars were being developed into bomb-proof bunkers. |
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Kalam to visit forward areas Jammu, April 23 Army sources said today that the President would be accompanied by senior Army officers during his one-day tour of the border districts. Soon after his arrival, Dr Kalam would meet jawans on the line of control in a bid to boost their morale. Later, he would chair a meeting of senior Army officers, who would brief him on the state of militancy in the Jammu region and the steps being taken to curb it, the sources said.
— UNI |
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