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14 “inefficient” officials retired
CM’s anti-corruption drive derailed?
7 militants killed in Kupwara district
Militant acquitted for lack of proof
APHC ignores militant threat over Pak visit
Economic integration must for Indian interests: VC
Govt offices will be closed today for |
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14 “inefficient” officials retired
Jammu, April 27 This has been done on the basis of the report of a committee constituted to identify officials who have outlived their utility in government service. The officers who were retired with effect from April 26 are: Mr Rajesh Gupta, in charge Executive Engineer, REW, Kathua, Mr Neelam Kumar Sharma, BDO, Akhnoor, Mr Ayaz-ud-Din, BDO, Trehgam, Mr Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, in charge AEE, Police Construction Division, Mr Muzaffar Ahmed Khan, Headquarters Assistant to ACD, Kupwara, Mr Bir Singh, Girdawar, Rawalpore, Budgam, Mr Ram Dass, in charge Head Assistant, PHE Division, Samba. Other officers are Mr
Noor-ud-Din, teacher, Middle School Dachan, zone Hardpanzoo Budgam, Mr Ghoutam Singh, Junior Assistant Salesman, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, Rajouri, Mr Ravi Kumar, Junior Assistant (Presently under suspension) T&S Wing, Consumer Affairs and PD Department Jammu, Mr Braham Dev, Junior Assistant (Additional control clerk) TSO’s office R.S. Pura, Consumer Affairs and PD Department, Mr Darshan Kumar, patwari, Tehsil Office, Noshera Rajouri district, and Mr Kuldeep Kumar, patwari, Tehsil Office, Kathua. |
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CM’s anti-corruption drive derailed?
Jammu, April 27 Mr R.V. Raju’s, deputation with the CBI as Joint Director was got cut short by the Mufti to be appointed Additional-Director General of Police, Vigilance, shortly after the coalition government came to power. However, he was last week shifted to the police headquarters as ADGP. Initially, there was enthusiasm among coalition partners to weed out corruption, but within 30 months of coming to power, fingers were raised at several ministers and top bureaucrats, who were accused of misusing power. The PDP of the Mufti, the Congress, the Panthers Party, the CPM and the PDF, who are members of the ruling coalition, had in their election manifestos promised to end corruption, but none of these parties appear serious on the issue. The government has also failed to set up any accountability commission to check corruption at high places although the Assembly had passed a Bill to this effect two years ago. The entire exercise stands caught in procedural wrangles. The efforts of the previous National Conference (NC) government to appoint a Lokayukata-type of institution in the state were scuttled by a top bureaucrat. He sat on the orders of the Cabinet to this effect. The Cabinet of Dr Farooq Abdullah twice decided to set up the institution to check corruption at high places, but the officer put the file in the cold storage. With almost all coalition partners pulling the government in different directions, the anti-corruption drive has virtually failed to take off and it is being said that the officers who were accused of having become extra-constitutional power centres during the previous NC regime have again started raising their head with the “blessings” of certain ministers of the PDP. The Vigilance Department has not touched a single senior officer. There are allegations that the education, Health and Revenue Departments continue to be dens of corruption. There have been complaints of corrupt practices in recruitment to government services. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during his recent visit here, had announced that the ban on recruitment to government services in the state would be lifted, but the state government has not so far taken any steps in opening job opportunities. As a result, the unemployed are forced to grease the palms of certain officers. The Mufti government seems to be too busy taking credit for the introduction of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus services while hardly paying any attention to the problems faced by the common man. |
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7 militants killed in Kupwara district
Srinagar, April 27 A BSF spokesman said here this evening that the troops deployed at Darshak Post on the LoC witnessed the movement of heavily armed group of militants attempting to infiltrate early this morning. The infiltrators were challenged but they opened fire leading to an encounter in which four of them were killed. An unspecified number of their accomplices managed to escape across the LoC, the spokesman added. The bodies of three militants had been retrieved while the fourth was lying in a deep gorge. Till the last reports came in, the searches were going on with reinforcement of more troops in the area, the BSF spokesman said. Meanwhile, in an ongoing operation, security forces gunned down three more militants in North Kashmir, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said today. The toll in the operation has risen to nine, since yesterday, he said. Elsewhere in the state, a former militant was shot dead while security forces arrested two ultras and another surrendered. The spokesperson said troops shot dead three more militants in the early hours today when they were trying to escape from the area. The operation was still on, he added. The encounter began early yesterday when security forces, acting on a tip-off, cordoned off Dangiyari Kralpora village in the frontier district of Kupwara to nab the militants. However, when the troops were about to storm a particular house, they came under heavy fire from the militants. The troops retaliated and in the fierce clash, six militants were killed. A large cache of arms and ammunition, including AK rifles, grenades, wireless sets and UBGLs were recovered from the slain militants. Official sources said some gunmen shot at and critically wounded an ex-militant Mushtaq Ahmad War at Warpora Sopore around today. He was immediately taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Militants entered the house of one Abdul Rashid in the Krankshawan colony, Sopore, and shot at and wounded him. He has been admitted to hospital. Militants also attacked a security force search party at Sheikhpora Bandipora early this morning. Security forces returned fire but the militants managed to escape after a brief encounter. No one was injured in the clash. A Defence Ministry spokesperson said the IED, planted on the main Surankote-Poonch road by militants, was detected by troops near Khooni Nullah at Surankote, while they were conducting routine searches in the area. The IED was later destroyed by a bomb disposal squad of the Army, the spokesperson added, saying that had it exploded, it would have caused extensive damage to life and property of the local people. An official spokesperson said two militants were arrested by security forces along with one AK rifle, one magazine, 20 rounds of ammunition, two wireless sets, one IED, one hand grenade, two electric detonators and one
antenna in Kupwara district last night. One militant surrendered along with arms and ammunition at Pranoo
Bhaderwah. |
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Militant acquitted for lack of proof
Jammu, April 27 While passing the sentence, First Additional Sessions Judge A.K. Koul said it appeared that the entire investigation was tainted and recovery of arms shown to have been made from him tailored. The police had arrested KZF commander Balbir Singh on September 27, 1997, while roaming under suspicious circumstances on the banks of the Chenab. A mouser alongwith a magazine and 20 live cartridges besides a rifle and 66 cartridges were recovered from him.
— PTI |
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APHC ignores militant threat over Pak visit
Jammu, April 27 The Jamait-ul-Mujahideen leaders had conveyed to the Hurriyat leaders that there was no fun in visiting Pakistan and PoK because the ongoing peace process and the opening of road routes was part of the plan of Islamabad and Delhi to sideline the Kashmir issue. The APHC leaders had announced a week ago that they were keen to travel to Muzaffarabad and Islamabad for meeting leaders of various political parties and militant outfits for knowing their mind on the bilateral
problems. They had declared that they wished to visit Pakistan and PoK after they met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. A former Chairman of the APHC, Molvi Abbas Ansari, told this correspondent today, “We do not attach any importance to the threat dished out by the Jamait-ul-Mujahideen.” He said, “It is strange we receive threats if we open the channel of dialogue with the Government of India. We are threatened if we plan to visit Pakistan.” Molvi Ansari said, “I believe that the vested interests are trying to create hurdles in the peace process and in the efforts for normalising relations between India and Pakistan.” He wanted to convey to the Jamait-ul-Mujahideen leadership that the APHC has already declared that the peace process and road-opening exercise were no substitute for the Kashmir issue which needs to be settled. The APHC leader said, “Once relations between India and Pakistan become normal and friendly the Kashmir issue can be resolved through
negotiations. It is in this connection that our meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and our visit to Pakistan are necessary for promoting trilateral talks for the settlement of the Kashmir issue.” He advised militants not to derail the peace process and it would be better for the Jehadi groups to adopt wait-and-watch policy. |
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Economic integration must for Indian interests: VC
Jammu, April 27 He says there is a virtual consensus that a healthy dose of unilateralism can help bind the smaller nations into a stable integrative relationship with India. Prof Mattoo, who is an expert on external affairs as well as Kashmir, says there is considerable support for the Gujral doctrine. “Indian dominance is a reality, but there is recognition that the road to being a global player should not entirely bypass Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu and, perhaps, Islamabad,” he says. The new policy toward Pakistan, initiated in 2004, he says, has been given a new dynamism by the Manmohan Singh government. It has five elements — India has realised the importance of sustained engagement with Pakistan, there is a growing view that it may be possible to do business with President Pervez Musharraf, especially as far as the fight against jehadi forces is concerned, India has begun to recognise the importance of other actors and institutions within Pakistan (especially its civil society), India seems ready for greater flexibility and New Delhi is now prepared to seriously address the issue of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan. However, it is believed that a resolution of the Kashmir issue is only possible once the atmosphere of hostility between the two nations no longer exists. For New Delhi, this can happen if there is a speedy movement towards the economic integration of South Asia as well as the introduction of a range of confidence-building measures. |
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Govt offices will be closed today for Darbar Move
Jammu, April 27 The governor, the Chief Minister, the state secretariat and several other offices will move to Srinagar and reopen there next week. The annual exercise involves shifting of more than 6,000 officials to the summer
Capital and here. More than 100 trucks will be engaged for carrying the official records to Srinagar. Advance parties of each department have already moved to Srinagar to receive the records tomorrow. |
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