Jammu, December 15
Though he claimed it to be a revolutionary act in the history of the Indian democracy, Central Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibbullah felt the need of giving more teeth to the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information (RTI) Act 2004.

He favoured to bring the state act at par with the central RTI Act so as to empower people in the strife-torn state in real sense.

Addressing a gathering of intellectuals, bureaucrats, RTI crusaders and prominent citizens on “Public consultation on strengthening the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act” at Jammu University here today, the Central Chief Information Commissioner pointed out several discrepancies in the state RTI Act.

“It is an indispensable tool to extract information. Hence the state of Jammu and Kashmir deserves full application of the Central RTI Act,” he averred.

“Positive features of the state RTI Act apart, its preamble does not clearly spell out its objectives. The opening line of the state RTI Act merely states that it is an act to make provision for securing right to information,” he said.

He further said, “The preamble represents the soul of a legislation indicating its aims and objectives and the Central RTI Act clearly indicates various public interests that it aims to protect chief of which are creating an informed citizenry, making the government and its instrumentalities transparent and accountable to the governed and containment of corruption in public bodies.”

“The preamble of the Central Act also recognises the existence of other public interests such as the efficient operations of public bodies, optimum use of limited fiscal resources and preservation of the confidentiality of sensitive information. It indicates how these conflicting public interests are to be harmonised,” he said adding, “However the J&K RTI Act does not contain any such formulation.”

It may be recalled here that dissatisfied over amendments in the state RTI Act in the last legislative assembly session held at summer capital, Governor Lt Gen (retired) SK Sinha had returned it to the state legislature.

Habibbullah further said, “Similarly, the state high court has not been included within the definition of ‘public body’ of the J&K RTI Act. The Central RTI Act does not apply to Jammu and Kashmir and therefore the state high court is not covered by that legislation either.”

Habibbullah, who also cited instances from his personal experiences, said, “Similarly, the existing version of the state RTI Act defines the term ‘information’ in section 2 (e) as meaning ‘any document or information relating to the affairs of the state or a public body’. 

Rajouri, December 15
With temperatures dipping due to snowfall, the Power Development Department (PDD) has made the life of the people living in this border district miserable. Apart from scheduled power cuts, the PDD is making marathon unscheduled power cuts ranging from 7 to 10 hours on a daily-basis which have taken a heavy toll on the people.

Irked over the power cuts, residents alleged that the department imposed power cuts at will and they were made to suffer for hours together without electricity. They said the department had failed to provide power even during the night hours.

“The PDD is worthless as it has failed to provide electricity even at a time when the temperature has dropped down due to snowfall in the higher reaches of the district. They supply power for five minutes and then the power is cut off for hours together”, said Noor Hussain, a resident of DC colony.

Hussain further said the department was making the people suffer and it was impossible to survive in such conditions. He said students were the worst sufferers as they could not study due to marathon power cuts imposed by the department.

Assistant executive engineer (AEE), Muhammad Maqbool Naik, told the Tribune that the department had to impose unscheduled power cuts as the load had increased considerably due to the sudden fall in temperatures.

“Since the temperature has dipped during the past some days, people are making excessive use of electrical gadgets, including blowers to keep themselves warm. This has resulted in an increased load on our grid station and receiving stations. It is because of this we have to resort to unscheduled power cuts”, he said.

Budgam, December 15
The discovery of what the administration believes to be the world's oldest and biggest chinar tree in Budgam district, has pushed the government to develop it on the lines of a heritage site.

As the place is mired with encroachment and unclean neighbourhood, the administration held a public function today to spread awareness among locals about the tree's tourism potential so that they come up with plans to renovate the area.

“A similar place in Europe is visited by lakhs of people which brings in a lot of money. And here we are battling with dirty roads and shabby shops bounding the ancient tree as if it has no significance,” director of tourism, Farooq Shah said.

The tree, located in Chhatargam village, first hit the headlines when a nature researcher, Sultan Wadoo, claimed in his book, “The trees of our heritage”, that his three-decade old work had proved that it was the oldest and biggest chinar tree.

“I found during my research that the tree was planted in AD 1374. One Syed Kasim and our mystiques often pay homage to it. Locals believe it to be their protector and giver,” Wadoo said. The tree’s circumference is 31.85m which is unparalleled, while its height is 14.78m, he said. More than a mere tree, the chinar is regarded auspicious and is revered. Any loss to it often arouses public anger and condemnation as the Kashmiris believe it to be a part of their rich heritage.

Meanwhile, Budgam DC Farooq Renzu has asked villagers to cooperate with his plans to remove the encroachment, except the local mosque. “It's your gateway to prosperity as overseas tourists want to see new places instead of going to the same old popular spots. But we need to develop the place and infrastructure if they have to come,” he said.

Villagers told The Tribune that they would extend full cooperation to the officials.

“The government should be sincere. Officials should not forget their promises. We will definitely help them,” Abdul Mazid, a local, said. Though there is no scientific backup to claims of the tree being the world's oldest, Wadoo expressed confidence over his research and credited the region's unique climate for its longevity.

Patnitop (Udhampur), December 15
They had high hopes with the much-publicised Aerial Passenger Ropeway project at the picturesque hilly resort of Patnitop in Jammu and Kashmir but the delay in its construction has left many locals unhappy.

Foundation stone of this big project was laid five month back with an assurance to complete it within a span of just one and half month.

As the project designed to divert tourists towards other ignored areas, people have been expecting acceleration of developmental activities and economic growth in the adjoining localities after completion of the ropeway.

“Casual approach being adopted by the authorities to start this project speaks about the government's non-seriousness towards attracting tourists in this area,” Azher, a local shopkeeper, rued adding, “Hundreds of tourists visit Patnitop every year but adjoining picnic spots are still neglected by the concerned department.”

Echoing similar views Dara Singh, a taxi operator, also smelt a deep-rooted conspiracy in delaying the construction of the ropeway project. “Every formality has been completed so there is no reason to delay the project further,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) K.K. Gupta, however, held the private company, with whom the government has signed an agreement, responsible for delaying the construction.

“Delay is not from our part. We have already sanctioned this project to the Nagarjuna Construction Company. So it's up to them to start construction,” Gupta said.

He informed the company has been importing some tools from Austria, which was the real cause of delay.

On August 9, 2007, the Jammu and Kashmir government had entered into an agreement with the Nagarjuna Construction Company to construct ropeway project at Patnitop.

The first ever project of its kind in the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir is being constructed with the 100 per cent financial support from a private player.

The company will invest more than Rs 90 crore on this project on the basis on build operate and transfer (BOT) agreement.

This project attaches importance as, according to the agreement, the private company has to construct resorts, fountains, parks besides ropeway in the adjoining localities. Some resorts and picnic spots would be constructed in adjoining localities like Sudhmahadev, Chenani, Mantalai and Kud, which will boost economy of the inhabitants of these backward areas.

Although Patnitop attracts large number of tourists every year, adjoining picturesque areas remained ignored by the tour operators due to non-availability of infrastructure.

People still hoped that construction of the ropeway project would help in involving other areas under a tourist circuit. While signing agreement with the government and the company had also promised to construct the most attractive ropeway which would be proved helpful in developing other ignored areas.

Srinagar, December 15
One person was killed, while 25 others were injured, when the police resorted to fire to disperse a group of agitators, demanding a degree college in Mugam in Budgam district today.

The police said a large number of people were protesting against the government's failure in sanctioning a degree college for the area, when a section of the crowd turned unruly. The police claimed that some miscreants snatched the weapon of a constable and injured him. The police and the CRPF fired shots at the crowd to disperse them.

One of the injured, Zahoor Ahmed Mir (26), succumbed to his injuries. Inspector general S.M. Sahai, who was in Jammu at the time of the incident, rushed back to take stock of the situation.

PTI adds:

The agitators blocked the Srinagar-Gulmarg road after reports suggested that Mugam has not been allotted a degree college and set ablaze an official vehicle of deputy superintendent of police and a state transport bus. They also pelted stones at the police personnel.

The deputy superintendent of police was deputed in the area to tackle the law and order situation.

Six persons were also injured when the police opened fire. Senior superintendent of police, Budgam, S.A.H. Bukhari said, a police personnel was also injured during the incident. Official reports reaching here said 25 persons were injured in the clashes between the police and the protesters.

Police baton-charged the agitators and lobbed tear gas shells, while the protesters pelted stones on them, reports said.

Ten of the injured were admitted to a local hospital, while 15 others were referred to a hospital in Srinagar.

The state cabinet at a meeting in Jammu last evening approved the establishment of 18 new degrees colleges, including two for women, in the state.

Jammu, December 15
Castigating the UPA government for creating special economic zones (SEZs) across the country, the pradesh Janata Dal (United) said it was unfortunate that “fertile land belonging to marginal farmers is being acquired for the multinational companies.”

Addressing mediapersons here today, party’s national general secretary Javed Raza said, “We are not opposed to development but we would not allow the government to acquire agricultural land for MNCs.”

“These so-called SEZs across the country are being given to the capitalists at peanuts. Over 40 crore families which are struggling for their livelihood would be directly affected by such SEZs thereby increasing unemployment in the country,” he added.

He demanded that SEZ Act 2005 be repealed without any delay.

Switching over to state polity, Raza said that JD (U) would contest at 50 legislative assembly seats in the next general elections in 2008. He, however, underlined the need of a third front in the state also so as to provide corruption free government in the state.

State president Mohinder Tar Singh condemned the UPA government for 123 Deal with the US. 

Srinagar, December 15
A few days back, Firdous, a horticulture department employee, was allegedly shot dead by unidentified men in full public view in Sopur. His fault was that militants suspected him to be a police informer. Similarly, Shazad Ahmed, a seminary student, was abducted on November 30. His mutilated body was found a day later.

A spate of cold-blooded murders by unidentified gunmen in north Kashmir in the past few weeks has caused terror among the masses. It is something the militants wanted to convey to the police as well as to the common man, for being close to counter-insurgency forces.

The police has confirmed that the killings, four of which occurred in Sopur, was the handiwork of militants belonging to different organisations. “We have solved two cases and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) outfit was behind them. Militants want to create terror among civilians as they have taken a heavy beating from us in the last few months,” DIG B. Srinivas told The Tribune.

He said ultras belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) had joined hands to “terrorise” the people. Sources said though the police did not want to admit, but militants had tried to bludgeon those people into silence who they suspected to be police informers.

And if the sole purpose behind these brutal murders was to raise terror among people, then it has definitely been achieved, but not in a way the militants would have liked.

Hardliner Syed Ali Shah Gilani, probably the most vocal supporter of the armed struggle, has also issued a statement chiding ultras for these killings, while warning that such incidents “could bring a bad name to the separatist movement.”

In an indirect endorsement of public perception that militants were behind these murders, Gilani asked them to show “restraint as killing was not a punishment for every crime”.

Police sources said it was a reflection about the ongoing desperation in the militant camp. “We have killed 49 militants in the last few weeks, mostly in Bandipore, Sopore and Lolab. Militant outfits have suffered major reverses,” 

Srinagar, December 15
Describing his experience in Kashmir as “wonderful” in the making of “Dastaan” around the picturesque spot of Pahalgam, Bollywood actor Rahul Bose, today said many areas in Kashmir had still not been explored and its beauty was unmatched. He said the beauty in Kashmir presented unique locations for making national and international films.

A Rugby player, Bose, said he had a good experience both as a player as well as an actor, while shooting for veteran director Santosh Sivan’s film. “The main location of the shooting has been in Pahalgam in south Kashmir with various top actors, including Anupam Kher, Sarika and Rahul Khanna playing important characters in the movie,” he said.

“It was a near perfect experience… in which you have lot of travel, trucks carrying the requisites, with crew members, available hot food, accommodation and infrastructure in hands, drivers ad labourers”, he maintained talking to mediapersons at the end of his tour today. “It was absolutely wonderful shooting for the movie in Kashmir as compared to other spots in the world,” he said.

He also recalled his experiences during snowfall in Chandanwari in the upper reaches of Pahalgam, when their vehicles were stranded due to the heavy snowfall. He said he would love to be in Kashmir in future. Bose said he along with Anupam Kher and other crew members had to walk down for over two-and-a-half-hours, which proved to be a good experience to see Kashmir’s scenic beauty. “I did not look at Kashmir from the prism of militancy”, Bose said and added that there were many far-flung areas across the vast country where people were unaware about the other parts.

Referring to the movie being directed by Santosh Sivan, Bose said it was going to be a film of an international standard. “This is not a usual film with singing and dancing or glorification, but a movie first of its kind”, he said and added that the story was real and unconcerned of the politics of that kind.

“They are going to discover a location still undiscovered in 20 years”, he said. “There is no end to scenic beauty in Kashmir”, he added.

The crew of “Dastaan” has been camping in Pahalgam for its shooting for over a month now, which is being completed soon, while most of the actors, including Anupam Kher and Sarika have already completed their shooting schedules. Greater

significance is attached to the presence of the film crew since the eruption of militancy in Kashmir.

This has been for the first time during the past two decades that a film has been completely shot in the picturesque valley, though some attempts had been made earlier also. Rattan Irani, was the first director to have shot his film “Meray Apnay” in Kashmir in 1999, while smaller events for films had been shot later.