Jammu, September 10
About-185 boat owners in the Kashmir valley, who were given soft loan worth Rs 4.35 crore, for the revival of tourism industry have invested the amount in fixed deposits instead of the purpose for which the scheme was introduced in 1998.

The Tourism Department sponsored 1,027 cases for loans from J and K Bank, which provided Rs 17.9 crores in 908 cases. The department subsidised the interest to the extent of 11 per cent for the first three years and the loanee was supposed to bear full interest thereafter. Treating these loans as interest free, the department has paid Rs 12.18 crore as interest on these loans up to March, 2003.

The state government introduced the scheme to help those engaged in tourist trade to overcome difficulties that arose because of terrorism. Among those who were identified for being helped under the scheme were shikara operators, pony owners, coolies, photographers and others engaged in tourism trade.

However, neither the principal and nor the interest has been recovered from the 4,307 beneficiaries who were provided loans worth Rs 6.47 crores.

The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has pointed out in his report that in a case of favouritism, the Tourism Department disbursed Rs 62.50 lakhs as outright subsidy to two cinema hall owners of Srinagar in August, 1999, for renovating the theatres that were partly damaged during militancy. Cinema halls do not fall under the ambit of tourism incentive rules and could not be categorised as tourist units.

The report has pointed out that the government showered undue favours worth crores of rupees to a private firm for publicity of tourism.

Construction of a tourist hut at the famous Lamayuru in Ladakh has been abandoned after incurring an expenditure of Rs 17.24 lakh. After reaching the lintel level, the authorities discovered that the place was away from the main resort and not suitable from tourist point of view. The constructed portion of the hut has got damaged and the entire building material has been stolen.

The development work of Ziarat Shah Wali Sahib, a pilgrimage centre in Kupwara district of Kashmir, was abandoned halfway after spending Rs 50.73 lakhs.

While there was poor tourist traffic to the valley because of terrorism, the department went in for the purchase of trekking equipment worth Rs 38 lakhs that was lying idle.

The functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) was equally questionable. The CAG has pointed out that the corporation failed to implement four schemes for which the centre provided a grant of Rs 62.95 lakh between March 1998 and November, 2001. These schemes were construction of a yatri nivas at Patnitop in Jammu, upgradation and installation of central heating system in the tourist lodge at Patnitop, renovation of accommodation at Verinag and computerisation of the tour and travel division.

The number of loss making units of the JKTDC increased to 39 during 2002-2003 as against 29 in 1998-99.

Jammu, September 10
The allies and supporters of the PDP-led coalition government have started making it difficult for the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohd Sayeed, to assert his authority for bringing in administrative reforms.

What seems to have encouraged leaders of the state unit of the Congress not to play a second fiddle to the Mufti is the growing dissensions within the PDP. The rift between the Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, and the Tourism Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir (both of the PDP) is no longer a secret.

The rift resulted in the shifting of a senior bureaucrat, Mr Najam Saquib, to an inocuous post forcing him to proceed on leave.

Soon after the Lok Sabha poll the Chief Minister developed suspicion as far as the loyalty of two Ministers of State, Mr Sarfraz Khan and Mr Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi, was concerned. While the former’s son, who was the Chief of the Youth Wing of the PDP, fielded himself as an Independent candidate from Srinagar constituency the latter did not campaign for the PDP candidate in Baramula constituency.

The Mufti thought it prudent to sleep over the matter as he did not want to fuel revolt within his organisation and differences between the PDP and the Peoples Democratic Forum, a group of Independent MLAs.

With the installation of the Congress-led UPA government in the Centre the leaders of the state unit of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir have begun playing a big brother’s role. Inside reports said though in power the Congress had been sitting in the Opposition during the Cabinet meetings and within the state legislature. Even the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, saw to it that his favourite Mr K.B. Pillai was installed as chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Authority. However, the PDP leadership vetoed Mr Sharma’s plan to get Mr Pillai posted as the Chairman of the Public Service Commission which was given to Mr Mohd Shafi Pandit.

The role the Congress played in getting the Daughters’ Bill defeated in the Assembly has not only sharpened the difference between the two main allies of the coalition but also deepened the mistrust between the two sides.

No doubt, soon after the fall of the Daughters’ Bill in the Assembly the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, and Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, a Cabinet Minister and President of the PCC, called on the Chief Minister at his residence for sorting out the irritants.

The PDP circles told this correspondent here today that the Congress had started sending feelers to the Mufti to rejoin the Congress so that there was no need for replacing him by a Congress MLA after a gap of three years. The Mufti will be completing his three years in November 2005.

Reports said after wooing six Independent MLAs to its fold the Congress had set its eyes on those PDP MLAs who had either been denied a berth in the council of ministers or had strained their relations with confidants of the Mufti.

Srinagar, September 10
Four persons, including three militants, one of them a top militant of the Hizb-e-Islami, were killed in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

A Pakistani militant, Abdul Sattar, alias Chandal, deputy chief of the Hizb-e-Islami, was killed in an encounter with security forces near railway track at Arwani, Beijbehara in Anantnag district of south Kashmir early this morning. A Defence spokesman said that Abdul Sattar, alias Umer, was involved in the abduction and killing of IRCON Railway engineer earlier this year. Appointed as the deputy chief of the outfit in January this year, Abdul Sattar from Sahibagh, Punjab in Pakistan, had been involved in several incidents of killing and extortion from Railway contractors, the police here said. One AK rifle, three magazines and 21 rounds were recovered from the site of encounter.

A foreign militant identified as Abu Moosa, alias Shaheen, of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, was killed in an encounter with security forces at Chak Seeri, Pattan in Baramula district yesterday.

The spokesman stated that one Mohammad Iqbal Bahroo, a recycled militant of the Hizb-ul Mujahideen was killed in an inter group clash at Palpora, Anantnag, yesterday.

Unidentified militants shot dead Bashir Ahmad Chopan at Saderkote Payeen, Sumbal in Baramula district yesterday. He had been associated with the counter-insurgent group of Ikhwan and was now enrolled in Territorial Army.