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Response to samiti leaders unnerves main parties
Morcha for statehood to Jammu
We’re ready for poll, say Panthers
K-word is a taboo in Jammu
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Kashmir Valley peaceful
Kashmir: Omar welcomes Zardari’s remarks
State does well on all fronts
Independent new LAHDC chief
Environment fest kicks off at Leh today
Doda civilian falls prey to Hizbul ultras
Schools in sorry state
Efforts to clear mail backlog
15 JU dons part of Big Bang
PoK migrants’ appeal
‘Assess’ crop losses
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Response to samiti leaders unnerves main parties
Udhampur, September 10 After "successful" conclusion of the 62-day agitation in the Jammu region, samiti leaders Leela Karan Sharma and Brig Suchet Singh (retd) have emerged as the most popular public figures in this region. Rallies to felicitate these leaders have been receiving an overwhelming response from the common masses. During their tours in different areas of the Jammu region, samiti leaders have been mincing no words in attacking mainstream political parties for their failure to protect the interests of the people. Taking advantage of their popularity, these leaders have been raking up emotional issues like discrimination with the Jammu region to keep pressure on mainstream political parties. Although samiti leaders are not directly attacking political leaders, their speeches have worried mainstream political parties preparing for the forthcoming elections. Most of the political parties have been trying to be in the good books of the sangharsh samiti. Leaders of parties like the BJP and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) headed by Bhim Singh have already associated themselves with the samiti. Local Congress leaders are also projecting themselves as wellwishers of the samiti. Congress leaders have been trying to convince the masses that it was all due to their efforts that the Centre restored land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. The samiti has chalked out a strategy to consolidate its position in the Jammu region. Instead of jumping into the electoral battle, samiti leaders are more interested in making it a pressure group. The sangharsh samiti would constitute its committees at the village level to keep pressure on political parties to protect the interest of people of the Jammu region. |
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Morcha for statehood to Jammu
Jammu, September 10 The party would also raise a demand for a union territory for displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Gujjars and Paharis. Addressing a press conference here today, morcha president Varinder Gupta said, “The role of Kashmiri leaders during the two-month-long agitation in Jammu over the land row has vindicated our party’s stand that there is no hope for the people of the Jammu region to get justice in the present political set up where the region remains as a part of Jammu and Kashmir.” He said the party would try to coordinate with all nationalist and secular forces, political parties and groups who support their demand of reorganisation and “who are committed to fight against the discrimination.” |
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We’re ready for poll, say Panthers
Jammu, September 10 As per a press statement issued here today, the JKNPP has said without the delimitation commission, holding the Assembly elections was illegal and meaningless. While criticising state BJP president Ashok Khajuria for clubbing
the JKNPP with the Congress, the PDP and the NC for their anti-people and anti-Jammu policies, party leaders have advised the BJP leaders to be careful while making such
statements. |
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K-word is a taboo in Jammu
Jammu, September 10 The growing resentment among the Jammu residents against the Kashmiri people was reason enough for the owners to change its name. “The people in Jammu were agitating against Kashmir and retaining the name as Kashmir Square would have proved costly to us. So we decided to remove Kashmir from the mall’s name”, one of the owners said. Not only Kashmir Square, but a newly inaugurated lounge - Kashmir lounge - too got its name changed. Kashmir, is no longer prefixed in its name. “Kashmir has become a symbol of autocracy over the Jammu region. People here no longer want Jammu to be represented with Kashmir”, an employee at the lounge, said. Such is the simmering anger in Jammu against Kashmir that at many places, the name “Kashmir” is either being deleted, or is being replaced by any other name as people don’t want their business establishments to be represented with Kashmir. The world-famous Kashmiri apple, too, has lost its sheen in Jammu, and is being sold as “Himachali” apple. “This apple is from Kashmir, but when we tell our customers that the apple is from Kashmir, they refuse to buy it. So we decided to sell the apple as Himachali apple”, Pawan Kumar, a fruit-seller at the Jammu bus stand, said. Pawan said: “We also destroyed the cartons in which the apples were packed so that customers did not know that the fruit had come from Kashmir”. “We don’t want to be recognised with Kashmir as they denied us of our basic rights. They protested to snatch the land from the Amarnath Shrine Board, so we don’t want to be a part with them”, Rakesh Kumar, a postgraduate student, said. |
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Kashmir Valley peaceful
Srinagar, September 10 Protest demonstrations were held in Anantnag and shops and business establishments remained closed for the sixth consecutive day today. However, there have been varying reports about the incidents that led to continued protest demonstrations and shutdown in the town. The police, however, claim that clashes occurred between the residents of two localities in the heart of the town. The residents blamed the CRPF for harassing people in Lal Chowk and Cheeni Chowk areas of the town, where windowpanes of a number of houses were damaged in the violence. However, separatist organisations, including both factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF, have expressed concern over the continued harassment of youths allegedly at the hands of the police and the CRPF across Kashmir. Meanwhile, a delegation of the JKLF led by Bashir Ahmad Bhat, visited Anantnag town and expressed concern over the prevailing situation in the town, for the past about one week. It has blamed the CRPF, police and the resurfaced counter-insurgent groups for harassing residents of the town. Spokesman of the coordination committee and provincial president of the Hurriyat Conference (Mirwaiz), Nayeem Ahmad Khan, has also expressed concern over the harassment faced by the people, particularly youths, at the hands of security forces over the past few weeks. Khan has asked intelligence services to visit the valley and take stock of the excesses being committed on the people. Meanwhile, the Awami National Conference (ANC) headed by former chief minister Ghulam Mohammad Shah has condemned the “high handedness, atrocities, killings, arson and use of brute force by the police and the security forces on the peaceful and unarmed civilians, including senior citizens and women, all across the valley”. The ANC has appealed to the Governor to take stock of the prevailing situation and restore law and order. An ANC has also condemned the arrest and third degree punishment of innocent youths by the forces.
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Kashmir: Omar welcomes Zardari’s remarks
Srinagar, September 10 Describing it as a welcome statement, Omar urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to use all resources at his disposal to ensure that a viable, honourable and acceptable solution to the Kashmir imbroglio is found at the earliest as per the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar also sought the Centre to constitute a Kashmir group comprising various political parties to facilitate the process of dialogue with Pakistan. In his statement here today, Omar said opportunity had knocked at “our door again to find a solution to the Kashmir issue and India should not lag behind in any way to help in the resolution of the issue. Despite my repeated request to the quarters concerned we missed an opportunity at the time of President Parvez Musharaf and if we miss this opportunity, history may not spare us the blame.” Omar said the problem of Kashmir could only be resolved by a political solution and this solution could be found if India, Pakistan and the people of both sides of Jammu and Kashmir were taken on board and a sincere and genuine effort is made by all parties to resolve the issue. He also urged the newly elected Pakistan President to put the process of resolution of Kashmir on fast track and give it his utmost priority. Omar asked the Indian and Pakistani leadership to take bold initiatives to resolve the Kashmir issue. He also urged the Indian and Pakistani leadership to take effective confidence-building measures to strengthen relations. |
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State does well on all fronts
Srinagar, September 10 Due to the efforts of the development agencies, 92.07 per cent of the annual plan amounting to Rs 4,439 crore was utilised achieving better results at the grass roots. The Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) was accorded priority for which over Rs 850 crore was earmarked for its implementation during the last fiscal. Under the plan, Rs 701.88 crore was spent during the period. The state received Rs 635 crore as loan component. Comprehensive plans were later approved for all districts in the state. About Rs 968.66 crore were earmarked for the purpose last year which included a revenue component of Rs 239.83 crore and a capital component of Rs 728.83 crore. The capital component included Rs 414.35 crore as the state share, Rs 200 crore as loan and Rs 30.29 crore under the PM's Reconstruction Plan. The overall expenditure against the district plan for the last year was about 88.85 per cent, the spokesman said. The state government gave thrust for reconstruction and development of infrastructure which was extensively damaged due to militancy-related activities during the past two decades across the state. A large number of works were also taken up. The spokesman said the government decided to complete under execution works requiring Rs 50 lakh or less for completion and 1,184 such works were identified in the state for which funds were earmarked. Water projects
If the government figures are to be believed, the state’s water woes, if any, will vanish soon. Under the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP), the government has undertaken 1,357 schemes worth Rs 1,153.28 crore, out of which many have been completed. An official spokesman here said the PHE Department submitted projects worth Rs 290 crore and Rs 338.74 crore for capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar, respectively, which were approved by the Union Ministry of Urban Development for funding under JNNRUM. Under the programme, out of 551 ongoing water supply schemes, 279 new schemes have been taken up during the past year in the Kashmir division at a cost of Rs 601 crore. Similarly, out of 708 ongoing schemes, 323 new water supply schemes have been taken up during last financial year at a cost of Rs 538.4 crore in the Jammu division. Rs 5.53 crore have been incurred on the execution of 27 ongoing water supply schemes in Leh district while Rs 8.35 crore were utilised for 71 under execution water supply schemes in Kargil district during the last financial year. During the last year, the department has covered 818 habitations under potable water supply programme in the state and has also installed 2,682 hand pumps in water scarcity areas. |
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Independent new LAHDC chief
Srinagar, September 10 Khan was elected as the chairman at the first General Council meeting of the LAHDC in the presence of all the 26 elected and four nominated members, the spokesman said. The Principal, District and Session Judge of Kargil, Kishore Kumar, administered the oath to the newly-elected councillors at a function organised by CEO and deputy commissioner of Kargil Satish Nehru, he said. Elections were held for 24 seats on August 30 as two candidates of the National Conference were declared elected without contest. In the new council, the NC has eight seats while the Congress has one and the rest of 17 are independents. The ceremony was attended by the former legislators of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Haji Nissar Ali and Qamar Ali Akhoon, former MP Hassan Khan and leaders of different religious and political groups. — PTI |
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Environment fest kicks off at Leh today
Srinagar, September 10 According to state chief wildlife warden A.K. Srivastava, the festival would start from Leh and travel to cities of Agartala, Bhopal, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune and Ranchi from September 2008 to January 2009. He said the festival would provide a unique opportunity to students, individuals, filmmakers, environmentalists, corporate organisations, government officials and scientists to interact and make a network for enhanced cooperation, knowledge and expertise exchange. The festival would have seminars, symposiums, panel discussions, film screening, climate change exhibitions, expert talks and competitions based on the festival theme to create awareness among the general public about the issue. In Leh, a seminar on “Conservation of High Attitude Wetlands” and a panel discussion by children on “Environmental Concerns of Ladakh” are the other highlights of the festival. A painting competition on the theme “Bio-diversity of Ladakh” besides, climate expo, climate change exhibition and film bazaar would also be organised in the three-day festival. Srivastava expressed the hope that the festival would go a long way in disseminating the conservation message among the masses and raising awareness about the environmental issues among the armed forces by involving Army and ITBP in the festival. |
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Doda civilian falls prey to Hizbul ultras
Jammu, September 10 “Militants barged into the house of one Mohd Iqbal (30) late last night in Dedni Khabaran village in Goha area and took him to the nearby field and killed him,” police sources said. The ultras escaped before the police parties reached the spot. The police handed over the body to his family members. Meanwhile, the police nabbed a man possessing 200 kg explosives in the city. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested a driver of a vehicle at the Sidhra check point in the city last night, Jammu SSP Manohar Singh said. However, the driver, according to police, said the explosives belonged to the government and was being transported to Akhnoor border belt. Another person has been nabbed in this connection during the investigation. — Agencies |
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Schools in sorry state
Jammu, September 10 The Government Higher Secondary School, Paloura, is situated on five kanals with just one building. The school doesn’t have sufficient space to accommodate its 490 students. Although the school was upgraded from high school to higher secondary, two years ago, it has failed to provide proper accommodation for its students. Students of class X and XII have no option than to study under the open sky. School principal Shakuntla Rani said: “The required infrastructure is totally absent. We have no provision of library and don’t even have a biology and physics laboratory.” Class XII student Anil Singh said: “Our school is situated on the main road and due to regular traffic movement, it is difficult for us to study in the ground”. Meanwhile, a new degree college has also come up this year, which functions in the two rooms provided to it by the school. In this two-room degree college, students have sought admission to BA I. College principal Anil Goel said: “Due to shortage of space, students of BA II and III have not been given admission to the college. We need proper infrastructure to run the classes.” Meanwhile, all buildings in the compound of Government Ranbir Higher Secondary School, Jammu, have developed cracks. This school was declared a “heritage school” by the government. Seems the 4,000 students studying in the school are waiting for a tragedy to happen. The school walls have developed cracks and if no repairs are carried out, the building may collapse anytime. Director, school education, Zahida Parveen Khan said: “Due to the more than two-month-long Jammu bandh, we could not concentrate on the problems being faced by some schools. Now we have lot of work to”. Khan further said: “The government should immediately construct a separate building for the degree college at another place so as to minimise the problems being faced by the college and the school.” |
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Efforts to clear mail backlog
Jammu, September 10 Over 1100 mailbags had piled up in the RMS at Jammu railway station after the two-month shutdown Budki said the entire backlog in the speed post wing had been cleared as not much mail had piled up there as people had been informed to collect or book their speed post packets from the speed post centre at the railway station. As far as the courier agencies are concerned, it may not take more than a week for clearing the letters and parcels that had piled up during the shutdown. A manager of a courier agency said: "It may take another week to clear the backlog’’ |
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15 JU dons part of Big Bang
Jammu, September 10 Talking to The Tribune, Prof Naresh Padha, head, Physics Department said: “We participated in the fabrication of one of the detectors, a major component of the experiment.” The fabrication process was conducted in segments at Jaipur, Chandigarh and Jammu and eventually assembled in Kolkata, Prof Padha added. “For the experiment, one part was the fabrication of detectors in which the department contributed its bit,” Prof Padha said. Further, JU had played its role in developing the software for the $10 billion experiment. “Apart from faculty member Prof Anju Bhasin, who had been doing researches in Birmingham on software aspect from the past two years, Prof Lalit Mangotra and engineer Anik Gupta contributed in the detector’s fabrication,” Prof Padha said. In fact, Prof Mangotra had been the principal investigator of the Rs 1.92 crore ALICE (A large ion collider experiment) project of the Department of Sciences and Technology, while Prof Anju Bhasin had been the in charge of the grid computing project, he added. Responding to a query, Prof Padha said: “Ever since the Physics Department was established in 1969 under Prof Yog Prakash, we have been doing research work in high-energy physics group (nuclear and particle research).” Prof Padha said 15 faculty members and researchers from Jammu University were part of the big experiment. “If 15 faculty members from the university had the privilege of associating with the biggest ever experiment for the welfare of mankind, then the country’s 200 scientists are also part of the research work presently going on in the Swiss Alps,” Prof Padha added. |
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PoK migrants’ appeal
Jammu, September 10 “We are not opposed to trade ties with any country, but the government should first settle down the core issue. Either give status to refugees or snap trade ties with Pakistan”, association president Rajiv Chuni said, while addressing a press conference here today. Chuni said: “The government kept ensuring to settle us back in PoK. But how can it take such a decision by sidelining the first victim of the turmoil”. Chuni warned the government of giving up the idea failing which, they could even resort to self-immolations to protest their resentment. |
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‘Assess’ crop losses
Udhampur, September 10 In a statement issued here today Bhat regretted that crops of farmers of Reasi had been completely damaged in the recent rain and hailstorm but the authorities had not taken any step to provide immediate relief to the affected families. Bhat, who visited some affected villages, said farmers were already facing numerous problems due to the advancement of the monsoon and the recent untimely hailstorms and rain had compounded their woes. The NC leader said a delegation would meet the deputy commissioner of Reasi to apprise him of the problems being faced by the farmers. He demanded that a crop insurance scheme should be started in these hill areas. |
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Jammu, September 10
