Srinagar, August 23
At least 11 out of 13 villages affected by fire at the Khundroo ammunition depot have been cleared of live ammunition while the remaining two villages, Sumran and Nogam, will be cleared by Sunday.

The clearance of orchards and maize and paddy fields will start tomorrow. A team of officers from the Revenue and R&B will start survey of the houses to assess the quantum of damage to residential buildings and loss to livestock.

The entire process will be videographed during house to house survey and the assessment will be completed by September 7.

This information was given at a high- level meeting of senior officers of the central and state governments, chaired by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last evening to review measures taken for relief and rehabilitation of the affected population at Khundroo.

The central team comprising joint secretary, home, Mittali Sen Gavai, joint secretary, defence, Binay Kumar, DG, ordnance supplies and a senior officer of the Army Operational Logistics arrived on a two day assessment visit earlier yesterday.

The state team was led by chief secretary, C. Phunsog and included financial commissioner, home, B. R. Kundal, DGP, Kuldeep Khoda, principal secretary to Chief Minister, Anil Goswami, secretary, revenue, divisional commissioner, Kashmir and district development commissioner, Anantnag.

The meeting was told that another team of officers from the revenue, agriculture and horticulture departments would assess the damage suffered by crops and horticulture.

The assessment of damage would be sent to the central government for compensation. The Chief Minister asked the officers to segregate the damaged houses as repairable and un-repairable structures so that owners of the repairable houses could be paid compensation to undertake repairs before the onset of winter.

He said arrangements for shelter and food for the families whose houses were fully damaged and could not be reconstructed before winter would have to be made.

The central team assured the Chief Minister that as soon as the assessment of the damages was received the compensation money would be released by the ministry of defence.

The team members who visited the affected villages earlier today said they would brief the central government about the situation and ensure that the sufferings of the local people on account of the Khundroo ammunition depot fire were adequately addressed.

Binay Kumar said that the request of the state government to release advance compensation money in anticipation of the final assessment would be considered, an official spokesman said.

Srinagar, August 23
Describing the Khundroo incident as a major tragedy, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that permanent rehabilitation of people in the affected villages was a big task and government would leave no stone unturned in providing succour to them.

During discussion on the ammunition depot blast in the Legislative Assembly here today, he said that he had talked to the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Army chief about the need to compensate the losses and clear residential houses, orchards and maize and paddy fields of live ammunition as it posed danger to human life.

The Chief Minister, without naming anyone, said that words had been attributed to him suggesting that he wanted civilian population shifted from near the ammunition depots.

He said when he replied a similar discussion in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, he did not say anything to suggest this.

He said during his meeting with the Prime Minister on August 18, he suggested to him that in future arms depots should be set up away from population.

He displayed a bunch of newspaper clippings of August 19 to show that the media had also reported him asking the Prime Minister to consider setting up of ammunition depots away from habitations.

He regretted that despite this there were some people who were feeding wrong information to public.

He said that the issue being sensitive one the leaders of political parties should not rake it up like this.

"We have responsible and seasoned leaders in all political parties who could place it before the Prime Minister and request that hazardous ordnance depots be located at a safe distance from population", he added.

The Chief Minister said the government was alive to the fallout of the incident and consequent sufferings of the local people and did not waste even a minute to reach the spot.

He gave details of the measures taken by the administration from the time of occurrence and dismissed the Opposition’s charge that it did not reach out to the victims of the tragedy.

Giving details of relief measures, the Chief Minister said that six relief camps were immediately set up for the evacuated people where today about 6500 persons were lodged and provided food and shelter.

He said the Army had cleared 11 of the 13 villages of live ammunition while the remaining two would be cleared by Sunday.

He said survey of villages to assess damages caused to residential houses has been started by seven teams.

They boarded a special bus under police escort for Pahalgam with the devotees chanting religious hymns.

Hitherto each militant, on surrender, was entitled to receive a package of Rs.1.50 lakh and the government would also initiate steps to provide him a gainful employment.

Under the modified policy those surrendering would not receive any cash incentive and they will have to find means of earning for themselves. This step has been taken to check fake surrenders.

Jammu, August 23
After locals went through an anxious phase following decline in the number of foreign tourists arriving in the Ladakh this summer, the area was currently witnessing a boom of European tourists.

Those connected with tourist trade were initially disheartened as the number of foreign tourists was unexpectedly low between January to July.

However, foreign tourists have outnumbered the domestic ones particularly in the Leh during the current month.

Foreign tourists are considered to be the backbone of the Ladakh’s economy. The unexplored mountains and Buddhist monasteries are on their itinerary.

The diversion of foreign tourists to the Tibet has resulted in a steep decline in tourists inflow to the Leh.

And this was worrying Ladakhis who have become dependant on tourism over
the years.

The foreign tourists used to trickle in the early part of the year following improvement in the situation in Nepal from where most of them used to go to the Tibet instead of visiting Ladakh.

The tourism industry is estimated to inject an economy of Rs 100-crore per annum
in Ladakh.

According to Nissar Hussain, a senior tourism officer based at the Leh, 15,878 foreign and 14,870 domestic tourists have visited Ladakh between January to August 15 this year.

The figure during 2006 was 26,114 foreign and 17,707 domestic tourists. The number of tourists visiting Ladakh this year was expected to cross the last year’s total of 43,821 as 30,748 have already come in the first seven months.

Nissar said the arrival of foreign tourists had now picked up and many of them came to listen to the discourses of the Dalai Lama earlier this month.

Kalon, who organizes tourist travel in Ladakh, wanted the Centre to open Changthang and Shyok to foreign tourists as most of the trekking routes pass through these areas.

This might help revive interest among foreign tourists to come to Leh. Many inner line areas were opened for tourists in 1974 and thereafter.

Pangong and Tsomorari, that were opened a few years ago, have become a major attraction for foreigner as well as domestic tourists.

Chairman, Ladakh Hill Development Council, Chhering Dorje, pointed out that a new trend of domestic tourists outnumbering foreigners had emerged this year. Foreigners had dominated the tourism scenario in the past.

He said that foreign tourists were backbone of Ladakh’s economy as almost every household was dependant on tourism.

More than 100 travel agencies were doing good business in the Leh town where hotels have also mushroomed. Nubra, Khalsi and places around have also expanded their tourism infrastructure.

Udhampur, August 23
Special secretary to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Pawan Kotwal visited different areas of Udhampur district and inspected development works in far-flung belts.

Kotwal inspected these works following directions of the Chief Minister who has been receiving complaints regarding slow pace of these works.

Although authorities termed the visit as routine, sources said higher- ups had received complaints of use of sub-standard material in ongoing development projects in the far-flung areas.

Kotwal inspected Devika Purification Project for which Azad had showed interest and released funds for this work.

The amount was sanctioned by Azad following appeals of the residents of town regarding pollution in the river.

This year in April, the Chief Minister had visited Udhampur and had sanctioned funds to make Devika free from pollution.

Kotwal directed the departments concerned to use quality material and complete the project in time.

He also inspected projects funded by NABARD and the Asian Development Bank. Later Kotwal visited Ramnagar where the World Bank has sanctioned some projects.

Udhampur, August 23
Lambasting the coalition government for its failure to mitigate the sufferings of the common men, National Conference president Omar Abdullah said today that the Congress and the PDP have been befooling them by giving contradictory statements on important issues.

Addressing a function organised to observe the sixth death anniversary of former Minister Bashir Ahmed Kitchloo at Kishtwar, Omar Abdullah minced no words in attacking the Congress-PDP coalition headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Earlier Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had befooled the people by raking up emotional issues now Azad was trying to ditch the people by making promises hard to fulfill, he added.

He pointed out that Azad’s much-publicised war against corruption had proved as “hollow slogan” as corruption during this dispensation crossed all limits.

Omar Abdullah also contested government claims of accelerating developmental activities in the state.

The government has failed to tape the hydroelectric potential of the Chenab and other rivers, he added.

Government should start micro and medium hydroelectric projects by involving private investors.

“Ambitious projects besides contributing in extenuating the energy crises in the state will provide employment to a large number of skilled and unskilled labourers of the twin districts of Ramban, Kishtwar and that of Doda.”