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BJP stuns Congress in mayor’s race
SRTC employees’ strike continues
Resume duty or face action, SRTC staff told
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Mahashivratri
HC sets detainee free
Stinking Dal brings people on road
Awami National Conference to take part in poll
Govt discriminating with rural belts: BJP
No cure to cure ‘quack’ disease
2 LeT ultras shot
Mystery shrouds youth’s death
Landmines recovered
8 shopkeepers booked
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BJP stuns Congress in mayor’s race
Jammu, March 5 It could not have been more worse and that too at a time when the party is preparing for the Assembly elections scheduled to be held anytime this year. However, as anticipated, the post of deputy mayor again fell into the kitty of the National Conference (NC) for the third time in a row. BJP’s second time aspirant Kavinder Gupta today became the mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) by securing 37 votes compared to 34 of Congress candidate Manmohan Singh Pinka. The 71-member House has 27 corporators of the Congress, 25 of the BJP, six of the NC, nine Independents, two of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and one each of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Shiv Sena. Much to the discomfort of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, who were chairing a big party workers’ meeting at Azad’s official banquet today to pass a resolution on the UPA government’s budget for waiving off loans to farmers, the Congress became a victim of internal discord. A senior Congress leader on the condition of anonymity said, “The Congress had 27 members and we enjoyed the support of three Independents, two of the PDP, six of the NC and one of the BSP and the number accrued to 39.” “To win by simple majority, a minimum of 36 votes were required but the results clearly show that party candidate Manmohan Singh Pinka lost due to cross-voting by the Congress corporators,” he added. Earlier, Azad had convened a meeting of Congress corporators and its allies, including some independent corporators, who assured him that Congress candidate Manmohan Singh Pinka would emerge victorious. Sources in the BJP said the last minute withdrawal by party candidate Usha Choudhary for the post of deputy mayor also paid rich dividends. Kavinder has become the Jammu mayor for the second time after he was elected in 2005 when the erstwhile Jammu Municipality was converted into the JMC. However, for the third straight year, the post of deputy mayor fell into the kitty of the NC. In a straight contest between Independent corporator Jaswant Singh Sudan and present incumbent Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, the latter secured 40 votes compared to 30 by Sudan. One vote was declared invalid. Though BJP candidate Usha Choudhary was also in the fray, but she withdrew her nomination at the last minute, following certain developments. |
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SRTC employees’ strike continues
Srinagar, March 5 More than 5,000 employees, including drivers, conductors and administrative staff have been protesting against the alleged apathetic attitude of the government for not accepting their demands for the past more than two weeks. This has affected bus services across the state. Even the government orders declaring SRTC employees strike as unlawful did not stop the agitating workers from holding protest demonstrations. The state government had yesterday issued a notice to the employees of the SRTC asking them to resume their duties forthwith and start operational activities of the corporation, adding, that failure on this count would make the employees liable for prosecution. The government order in Jammu yesterday stated that the SRTC had been declared as an essential service in terms of essential services (Maintenance) Ordinance 2001. “As such, the employees of the corporation cannot abandon their employment and duty or absent themselves from the work or abstain from discharging their duties, failing which they shall be deemed to have committed an offence under Section 5 of the Ordinance”, it said. The order said the employees have been on strike since February 19 and were appealed time and again to resume their duties in the wake of release of their pending salaries. It added that in the event of non-resumption of their duty, causing inconvenience to the general public and pecuniary loss to the corporation, the government would be constrained to take action against them. Hundreds of striking employees blocked traffic on the Residency Road in the central Lal Chowk area in support of their demands. They have demanded release of their salaries pending for several months and cost of living allowances. They have also demanded the release of other arrears and facilities pending for the past about one decade. The government has not been taking into “consideration our genuine demands”, one of the employees said, adding, that the announcement of the release of four months’ salary was a mere “eye wash”. “This does not help our long-pending issues”, he said. He added that facilities being provided to other employees in the state government were not being provided to the SRTC employees. |
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Resume duty or face action, SRTC staff told
Jammu, March 5 The SRTC staff had been on strike since February 19 demanding release of their four months salary. Though the government had already released their salaries, the agitating employees are now demanding benefits under Road Transportation Act 1950. Besides others things, these employees want pending installments of cost of living allowance (COLA) and dearness allowance. The striking employees maintain that if the government wants to seriously run the SRTC then it has to dole out benefits being given to their counterparts in other states. “A special package of Rs 250 crore should also be sanctioned for the welfare of SRTC employees,” said an employee, adding, “If the government is not serious about our genuine demands then it should better opt for golden handshake and wind up the corporation.” However, the Transport Department secretary vide an order issued has once again asked the striking employees to resume their duties failing which they would be liable to be prosecuted under Section 4 of the Essential Services (Maintenance) Ordinance 2001. Despite repeated appeals via print and electronic media, the employees have refused to resume their duties thereby bringing operational activities of the SRTC to a grinding halt. The strike has not only affected the SRTC operations but has caused inconvenience to the public. |
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Mahashivratri
Srinagar, March 5 The Governor, Lt-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd) and several other top leaders have extended their greetings to the Pandits on the eve Mahashivratri. The Governor also made a surprise visit to Sheikhpora to greet members of the Pandit community, 31 families of whom had on Monday shifted to the newly constructed flats in Budgam district. As they were preparing for Mahashivratri or Herath Pooja this year in their newly acquired dream home on a hillock in the Kashmir valley, a surprise visitor dropped in to greet the Pandit family. The stunned Pandit family could not just believe their eyes to see Governor Sinha at their door during his unscheduled and impromptu visit. The Governor extended his greetings to the families putting up there. The Governor also witnessed the elderly Pandits making arrangements for the Vatak Pooja. Kashmiri Pandits have been celebrating this festival with much gaiety and enthusiasm in a different way. Hearing about the presence of the Governor, the Pandit families assembled and urged him to ensure that a school and dispensary was set up at the earliest. They also said they were very happy with the treatment meted out to them by their Muslim brethren and said that it served as a source of strength. Meanwhile, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the party president Mehbooba Mufti have greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri. In their felicitation message, the PDP leaders said Mahashivratri reminded them of the age-old tradition of brotherhood and amity that overwhelmed the Kashmir valley in the good old days of peace when Kashmiri Pandits used to celebrate the festival. The PDP leaders have expressed hope that with peace fast returning to the state, Kashmir would again buzz with same ethos of goodwill that was embedded in its unique composite
culture. |
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HC sets detainee free
Jammu, March 5 The detention order of the Jammu district magistrate was dated June 30, 2007, which put Assadullah in preventive custody. The high court held the petitioner’s detention to be violative of Section 13 of Public Safety Act and Article 22 (5) of Constitution of India. The court observed, “In the absence of any stand taken by respondents regarding their having made serious efforts to execute order and apprehend petitioner, the detention cannot be justified, for unreasonable and unexplained delay in executing the detention order.” It further said, “The power exercised by detaining authority for immediate detention of person sought to be kept in preventive custody, in order to prevent him from carrying on his alleged activities prejudicial to custody of state creates serious doubts.” “Non execution of detention warrant, without any plausible explanation snaps live and proximate link between grounds and purpose of detention,” Justice J.P Singh said. Sunil Sethi, advocate, appearing for detenue submitted that non-execution of detention order for more than two months renders detention unsustainable and non-supply of material relied upon by detaining authority to detenue deprives him of his right to make effective representation against his detention to the government. B.S. Slathia, AAG, on other hand justified detention order saying that while attending public rally of All Party Hurriyat Conference of Separatist Leader Sayeed Ali Shah Gilani at Jammu, the petitioner had made pro-freedom and anti-India slogans asking youth to fight for total independence of state of Jammu and Kashmir and in that view of matter, his detention would not warrant any interference. |
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Stinking Dal brings people on road
Srinagar, March 5 Demonstrating under the banner of Dal Protection Forum, an NGO working for the cause of this water body, they demanded a thorough probe into the causes and callous approach of government officials, who watched in silence while all-round encroachment almost killed the lake, behind its present sad state of affairs. “Tourists come from outside thinking of Dal as a resplendent water body which they read in books and turn extremely disappointed seeing what it actually is,” Syed Mushtaq, a houseboat owner, told The Tribune. Pulled up by the high court, the government has tried in the last few years to take corrective measures, but the forum said it’s not going anywhere. The government should stop the use of machines in removing weeds from the lake, they demanded, as it is killing fishes and is not effective in removing weeds either. “Machines do not remove the grass from the root and it comes up soon after being cut. Manual work is the best,” one of the demonstrators said. The forum said similar action should also be taken regarding Nageen lake, which branches off from the Dal and is in a more pitiable state. Years of encroachments on the banks of lake in the last some decades have stopped the natural flow of the Dal and dumping of garbage and sewage from thousands of households around it have not helped matters, the experts say. The area of the water body, which used to be a point of reference for those expounding on Kashmir’s natural endowment, has shrunk to half of it was and its water's condition has also deteriorated. “We used to drink its water. You can't even think of it now,” Mushtaq, 62, who has seen the Dal at its best said. The forum has asked the government to restore the lake to its original conditions by taking the help of its map. The government has removed a bit of encroachment of late, but the forum said it's too little. Many experts fear that politicians would find it next to impossible to remove all encroachment, which would affect thousands of people in the summer capital of the sensitive state. |
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Awami National Conference to take part in poll
Srinagar, March 5 The former chief minister, G M Shah, who is brother-in-law of the patron of the National Conference, Farooq Abdullah, made his decision public yesterday, which followed a series of meetings of different party leaders at various levels. The party had here recently expressed concern over the alleged human rights violations at the hands of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. As a run-up to this decision it is already planning to hold a provincial workers’ meet later this month here to accelerate its poll-related activities. It also plans to hold an intra-Kashmir conference, postponed twice during the recent years, for finding an everlasting solution to resolve the long- pending Kashmir dispute. In continuation with its rejuvenated political activities, a maiden meeting of the district-level party workers held at Baramulla today was formally announced that the party leader, G M Shah had indicated that it would participate in the Assembly elections ahead. |
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Govt discriminating with rural belts: BJP
Udhampur, March 5 Addressing a meeting of party workers, state secretary of the BJP Pawan Gupta said problems of rural people have been increased manifold but authorities at the helm of the affairs have failed to mitigate their woes. Gupta especially mentioned problems being faced by the villagers of Udhampur and recalled that during the previous NDA regime, various programmes and policies were formulated for the upliftment of neglected areas of Udhampur district. He, however, said all these programmes were defunct due to discriminatory policies of the both state and central governments. The BJP leader also lambasted the local Panthers Party MLA for his failure to effectively highlighting these problems. He charged the local MLA with playing in the hands of ruling coalition. |
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No cure to cure ‘quack’ disease
Jammu, March 5 Many such quacks who claim to have these magic herbs and medicines can be found in various localities of Jammu, including the Gumat Chowk area in the heart of the city, where they find their customers who usually come from lower strata of the communities. According to the Constitution, no one can claim to treat any disease with miracle herbs, but the police says that these quacks have been active in the area for the past so many years. They are doing their business for the past so many years, SSP, Jammu, told The tribune over phone. As these roadside quacks don’t posses any knowledge of the medical science, the people who fall victim to these quacks end up with further aggravating their disease. Doctors caution the people from going to such quacks as they say that as the ingredients of the medicines these quacks provide can be harmful to a person and can even result in the death of the patient. Speaking to The Tribune Dr. S.K. Gupta, a renowned neurologist and Head of the neurology department of the Government Medical College, Jammu said, “Nobody knows what ingredients these medicines have. Such medicines spoil the nervous system of the person, which could damage the brain and even lead to death.” When asked as to why people go to such roadside quacks, Dr Gupta said “the main reason is that a doctor first diagnoses the disease and then gives medicine but people want immediate relief, so they turn to these quacks because they give medicines made out of steroids and other heavy metal, which provides a temporary relief to the patient, but in the long run such medicines permanently spoil the health of the patients, which could ultimately lead to their death.” Doctors say that the police should act against such quacks as they play with the lives of many ignorant people, who fall victim to their false claims. “We cannot ask every one not to go to such quacks, but it’s the duty of law enforcing agencies to stop the practice, otherwise lives of many people would be in danger,” said Dr Gupta. |
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2 LeT ultras shot
Srinagar, March 5 Sources said they had received inputs about the threat to Usman Majjid, who was a militant-turned politician, and troops of the 23 Punjab and the 10 Para launched an operation in the Argam area. The militants were trapped in a house and an encounter ensued between them and the troops. One of the militants has been identified as Abu Abdullah, alias Mohammed Salim of Pakistan, while the identity of another militant was being ascertained. Incidentally, the police in its official statement has refrained from stating whether the militants were planning to target the MLA or not. Two AK rifles were recovered from their possession. In another operation, the Handwara police and the Army gunned down two unidentified militants and busted their hideout in Pethwudar village in Handwara. Handwara SP Haseeb Mughal said they learnt about a militant hideout in the Pethwudar area, about 25 km, from Handwara town. The joint operation was launched by the Handwara police camp Zachaldara and the 2 Para regiment of the Army. |
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Mystery shrouds youth’s death
Udhampur, March 5 According to reports, some passers-by spotted an unclaimed body lying on a road at Tringula village at Batote. After getting information a police party rushed to the spot and took the body under its possession. Later, identity of the deceased was established as Ghulam Mohammed of Doda. The deceased had reportedly gone to his in-laws at Tringala village where his body was found this morning. According to the police the deceased had left his in-laws house and slipped from a hilly side which was cause of his death. On the other hand, family members of the deceased smelt a foul play and asked the police to register a case under Section 302 of the RPC. |
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Landmines recovered
Rajouri, March 5 The defence spokesman said based on specific information, a joint column of 37 Rashtriya Rifles
(Punjab) under the aegis of Romeo Force and the Surankote police recovered
these mines. |
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Jammu, March 5
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