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Direct Billing With Valley Traders
Our MLAs were offered money to save Azad govt: Panthers
State Congress a house divided
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BJP hosts Iftar party to woo Muslims
Implement pay panel recommendations: BJP
Azad: Cong ensured equitable growth
Vohra urged to ensure supply of essential items
Hizbul ultra shot dead in Pulwama
Removal of non-Gujjar officials
Muslims throng mosques
BSF lodges protest with Pak over infiltration bid
CPM pleads students’ demand
Poonch, Rajouri traders hope for economic boom
Valley fruit growers not too enthusiastic
Artistes from 5 states in Pahari fest
2 BSF jawans hurt in blasts
1 kg of heroin seized
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Direct Billing With Valley Traders
Jammu, September 28 Chairman, CFA, Kulbhushan Mohtra, while addressing a press conference here today said: “We have already sealed the depots of two companies - Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd and Cargill India Ltd - for doing direct billing and sending goods directly to Kashmiri traders from Punjab depots.” Mohtra said if the companies didn't heed to their warning, they would be forced to boycott their products and even take “direct action” to safeguard their business interests. He said they would also rope in dealers and retailers in their protest and even urge consumers to boycott products of such firms at the all-India level. “We will not tolerate direct billing and have sent mails to various firms cautioning them against it”, he said, adding, that their fight was not against the valley or its traders. Mohtra said Kashmiri traders owed Rs 5,000 crore to distributors and forwarding agents of Jammu against goods supplied to them on credit. Mohtra said some anti-national elements were misleading traders in the valley to open CFAs as it would also generate employment opportunities. “These forces have incited them to approach big firms for direct billing,” he said, adding, that they had invested Rs 15,000 crore in Kashmir. “However, they are returning our goods from the valley. They recently turned back a loaded truck from Kupwara and destroyed goods sent by a Jammu-based factory in Sopore”, he said. Mohtra said the secessionists and their supporters in the trading community in Kashmir were indulging in “self economic blockade”. “While ailing people are not getting medicines in the valley, stockists, druggists and chemists in Kashmir are not accepting the supplies being sent by distributors from Jammu”, he said. According to him over 100 companies, including FMCG firms, have their CFAs in Jammu and the annual trade between Jammu and Kashmir is to the tune of a whopping Rs 30,000
crore. |
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Our MLAs were offered money to save Azad govt: Panthers
Jammu, September 28 Prof Singh, while addressing a party convention here today, fired salvos at the Congress, BJP, National Conference and PDP. “The Congress, NC, PDP and BJP are anti-Dogra parties but by the grace of god, we exposed all of them,” he said. “On behalf of Ghulam Nabi Azad, my four legislators were offered Rs 5 crore each to save his government on July 7 after the PDP pulled out of the coalition regime,” he claimed. Prof Singh said: “Even on the morning of July 7, when Azad had to face the floor test, he made a commitment of making my four legislators ministers in his government if they extended support to him.” The Congress had managed the figure of 42, just two less than the magic figure of 44 to prove its majority and hence it had been lobbying strongly to get my legislators on board, he said. Prof Singh vehemently demanded delimitation of the Assembly constituencies before the forthcoming elections. “The state constitution makes it mandatory to hold delimitation of the Assembly constituencies after every census and the last census was held in 2001”, he said. Prof Singh asked Governor N.N. Vohra to exercise his powers and immediately issue an ordinance to rectify the blunder of neglecting the people of Jammu. Prof Singh said if voted to power, his party would introduce unemployed allowance of Rs 5,000 a month to unemployed youth in the state. Earlier, party leader Harsh Dev Singh demanded that Article 370 be amended forthwith so Parliament could resume its power to legislate in respect of defence, foreign affairs, communication and currency. |
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State Congress a house divided
Jammu, September 28 In Jammu region, a fleet of former ministers and legislators, besides the two MPs, Lal Singh and Madan Lal Sharma, have formed a group that has distanced itself from some old guards, including two former ministers, Mangat Ram Sharma and Gulchain Singh Charak. The young Turks, as they are called in Jammu, do not even invite the old guards to the party meetings. A former minister who was instrumental in giving a new look to the Congress today said: “We have decided to keep these old guards at an arms length because of the dubious role they played during the two-month-long agitation Jammu agitation which had invited peoples’ wrath for the Congress. “These young Turks had demanded during a recent meeting of the PCC in Jammu, that tainted former ministers and those involved in the sex scam, not be given the party mandate.” Party sources said the young Turks had shown their loyalty to PCC chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz instead of former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. However, the old guards are with Azad. This was evident when during a visit to various development projects in the city, Azad was accompanied by former ministers Mangat Ram Sharma, Gulchain Singh Charak and B.R. Kundal. None among the young Turks was present will Azad. Even in the Kashmir valley, the Congress is divided between pro-Azad and pro-Soz camps. While former minister Abdul Gani Vakil is in the Azad camp, two former ministers, including Peerzada Mohd Syed, are said to be in the Soz camp. However, senior-most Congress leader Ghulam Rasool Kar feels he has been sidelined. Party sources said the Congress high command was opposed to sidelining Azad because he secured four to nine seats from Doda, Poonch, Rajouri districts and some segments in the Kashmir valley. Sources said Azad was in favour of forging an electoral understanding with the National Conference, which would help the Congress in winning three to five seats from the Kashmir valley. Sources said NC patron Dr Farooq Abdullah continued to be in favour of such an understanding, but he wanted to start the experiment before the poll schedule was announced. |
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BSP sounds poll bugle in Jammu
Jammu, September 28 Addressing an impressive public rally at the Parade Ground here, BSP general secretary and in charge of party’s J&K affairs, Narendra Kashyap, said the Congress-led UPA government has failed on all the fronts. He accused the Congress of diverting the people’s attention from these issues by projecting the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as a major achievement of the UPA government. Flaying the government for its alleged failure in poverty alleviation, he said around 70 crore people in the country didn’t have roof over their head, while 34 crore people survive on the daily earning of mere Rs 40. Kashyap said the situation on the terrorism front has gone out of control. “What to talk of other places, the nation’s capital is no longer safe,” he said. “While the BJP resorts to communalism to garner votes, the Congress divides people in the name of caste. The Congress and the BJP are two sides of the same coin,” he said. Referring to the Amarnath land row, he said the then Congress-PDP government revoked the land order and hurt the sentiments of the people of Jammu. “These parties spoiled the atmosphere in the state and tried to create a wedge between Hindus and Muslims. They spread hatred to gain political mileage,” he charged. “There are no roads, water and power in the state, while the political leaders usurped huge central funds during the successive state governments,” he charged. He said the BSP would contest on all the 87 Assembly seats on the agenda of ‘Sarvjan Hitay Sarvjan Sukhay’ (welfare of all people, happiness for all). |
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BJP hosts Iftar party to woo Muslims
Reasi, September 28 After successfully roping in a prominent Muslim leader from Doda, the party concentrates on Reasi to open its account in this newly carved district. BJP district Reasi in charge Baldev Sharma hosted an Iftar party on the occasion of Ramzan, in which all prominent Muslim leaders were present. The BJP leaders tried to remove misconceptions regarding the secular credentials of the party. Appreciating role of Muslim brethren in the 62-day agitation on the Amarnath land row, Baldev Sharma said it was all due to the support of all sections of the society that the government accepted the demands of the people. The BJP leader sought the support of all sections to the society in the elections. Tariq Bhat, president of the Aquaf Trust, Reasi, and a number of Muslim leaders spoke on the occasion. Three are three Assembly seats in the Reasi districts. Muslims constitute more than 70 per cent votes in Gool-Gulabgarh and Mahore constituencies and in Reasi seat their vote share is 18 to 20 per cent. From Mahore assembly seat, the BJP has already announced to field a Muslim candidate while as Baldev Sharma would be party candidate on
Reasi seat. |
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Implement pay panel recommendations: BJP
Jammu, September 28 In a statement released here, Gupta stressed upon early implementation of the recommendations of the commission. “The BJP-ruled states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and others, have already implemented the same,” Gupta claimed. He said the “dubious stand” of PDP, NC and Congress over the issue was inflicting suffering on the public sector employees. Gupta further alleged that employees in Jammu got lower salaries as compared to their counterparts in the Kashmir valley. He impressed upon Governor N.N. Vohra to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, besides enhancing emoluments of daily wagers. |
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Azad: Cong ensured equitable growth
Jammu, September 28 Addressing a gathering at the Guru Ravi Dass Sabha here today, he said they made an attempt for enhancement of the Assembly seats in the state, but didn't find support from other parties. He said his government, however, carved out new districts by implementing the Wazir Commission report and also gave the Chief Minister from the Jammu region, which was a long-pending demand of the people here. Expressing satisfaction over the performance of his government, Azad said the state had witnessed all-round development under his regime. "We initiated a slew of measures in sectors like education, health and tourism, but two-and-a-half years are not enough to bring a sea change in the areas facing neglect for long," he said. He claimed that all three regions saw equitable development under Congress rule. He said his government had also set up a Finance Commission to do away with the economic disparity among the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. Azad said his government had taken various steps for uplift of downtrodden sections of society. He said they brought about an amendment to increase the reservation quota in promotion in the government sector for SC/ST. He said his government also expanded the State Recruitment Board, besides creating district-level boards, to ensure that the benefits of reservation reached right up to the bottom. |
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Vohra urged to ensure supply of essential items
Jammu, September 28 They apprised him of the non-availability of essential commodities in remote areas of the Jammu region. They also requested Vohra to take effective measures and make all-out efforts to store ration for the winter season in higher reaches also. They further asked the Governor to upgrade Government Medical College, Jammu, on the lines of AIIMS. The erstwhile BJP-led NDA government and the present UPA government had promised to bring Government Medical College, Jammu, on a par with the AIIMS but it is unfortunate that both BJP and Congress have ditched the people of Jammu, they said. As the Jammu region had no super-specialty institute like the AIIMS, it was the need of the hour that the Governor should take initiative to have an institute on these lines in Jammu, they added. A piece of land had already been proposed at Sidhra for the purpose, they said. |
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Hizbul ultra shot dead in Pulwama
Srinagar, September 28 The police said a joint team of 44 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army, 182 and 183 battalions of the CRPF and the police cordoned off the area after getting a tip-off about militants presence and Rayees Ahmad Dar, alias Shiab, was killed in the ensuing encounter. He hailed from Shopian district. One AK rifle, three magazines and 25 rounds were seized from the killed militant. A police constable, Khursheed Ahmad, who was injured in the gunfight, had been admitted to hospital. With Dar's death, nine militants and a soldier have been killed in various encounters in the past 72 hours. Two Jaish-e-Mohammad ultras were killed in Pulwama yesterday while a top Lashkar militant was gunned down in north Kashmir district of Handwara. At least five militants were killed in forests ranging from Ganderbal to Bandipore districts. At least eight civilians were also injured in Pulwama yesterday when an explosive went off after an encounter. The police said the security forces were searching the forest areas for militants. |
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Removal of
non-Gujjar officials
Srinagar, September 28 "The plight of our tribe in Governor's rule can be perceived from their existence in the State Gujjar Board, the only government department working for Gujjar affairs, which has only two orderlies from the community," Gujjar leaders under the banner of "Joint Forum" said in a statement here today. "The continuation of non-Gujjar secretary and staff in the board is a conspiracy against us and the government is bent upon sidelining our tribe in the state affairs which is already at the bottom of the heap," they said. Anwar Chowdhary of the State Gujjar United Front demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged "diversion and misuse of funds" under the G&B
sub plan. "Various leaders belonging to different remote districts alleged the Gujjar board has deliberately stopped the grant to the Gojri wing of the State Academy of Art Culture and Languages and wants to suppress our ethno-cultural identity which is terrible", Anwar said. Terming this as an awful example of social "injustice", Haji Shamsher Ali Boken, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar Bakerwal Joint Forum, alleged that the "bureaucratic, bias and communal approach of the non-Gujjar secretary and other staff pushed the tribe to the sidelines".
— PTI |
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Muslims throng mosques
Srinagar, September 28 Muslim religious places were a beehive of activity through the night and noted among them like the Hazratbal shrine, which houses a beard strand of Prophet Mohammad, historic Jamia
Masjid, shrines of saints like Nooruddin Wali at Charar-e-Sharief and Peer Dastgir Sahib were crowded with devotees. "We seek deliverance from our sins and plead for Allah's mercy," Abdul
Aziz, a local, said. As religious fervour grew, people could be seen sobbing collectively. At Jamia
Masjid, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq led the religious congregation amidst the separatist slogans raised by many and the moderate Hurriyat leader also lamented the prolonged house arrest of his hawkish and ageing counterpart, Syed Ali Shah
Geelani. "He is our elderly guide and the government has not allowed him to offer prayers in a mosque even on Fridays during
Ramzan. We will continue to oppose it," he said. This is the last week of Ramzan and Eid is likely to be celebrated on either October 1 or 2, depending upon the sighting of the moon. Markets were awash with people today as shops remained open on a Sunday. |
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BSF lodges protest with Pak over infiltration bid
Jammu, September 28 “We have lodged two strong protests with our Pakistani counterparts at the border outpost over an attempt to push in ultras under the cover of Pakistani fire in Pargwal area of Jammu district and triggering of IED blast in Samba district today”, a BSF official said. The protests were registered with the Pakistan Rangers in Pargwal sub-sector of Jammu frontier between the Battalion Commandant of BSF and Wing Commander of the Chinab Rangers. When the BSF showed them the ground proofs of infiltration attempt and grenade blast marks, the Pakistan side said it was the handiwork of militants and promised to launch a probe into the incident. A group of 10 to 12 militants have tried to enter into the Indian side from Pakistan's Shah Jamaal Din post under the cover of Pakistan firing in Chak Pagwari yesterday. However, the BSF foiled the infiltration bid. Earlier on August 26, a group of 20-30 ultras from across the border opened indiscriminate fire on border patrol parties in Kanachak area and three ultras infiltrated through the tent post by cutting a three-tier fence. Later, they were killed in Chinore area in which five civilians and three jawans also killed. However, today two jawans were injured at the Khora BOP in Samba district in an IED blast.
— PTI |
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CPM pleads students’ demand
Srinagar, September 28 The CPM today lent its support to the cause and asked the university and the Board of School Education authorities to examine on merit the demand of students for rescheduling the annual board and university examinations. CPM secretary Yusouf Tarigami said and some concession like making some parts of syllabi non-evaluative or providing open choice in different question papers or allowing students to attempt a particular percentage of marks in each question papers should be given. "We all know that schools, colleges and even the university lost quite a large number of teaching periods because of the unfortunate circumstances in the state. Obviously, it has not been possible for educational institutions to transact the prescribed curriculum meaningfully,” he said. “It may not be desirable to dilute standards by downgrading the syllabi prescribed but it is neither appropriate nor desirable to set an examination based on syllabi which has not been
completed by the educational institutions," he said. |
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Poonch, Rajouri traders hope for economic boom
Poonch, September 28 They feel that their economic status will get a lift as the trade starts. However, there is one complain. Majority of the traders said the state government has not told them about the modalities of trade and items. The authorities said initially 21 items from India and Pakistan would be traded. These items will be finalised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Jammu and that of PoK. “It is a historical decision. It will definitely boost the economy of our districts,” said Sanjeev Mehta, who runs a wholesale karyana shop near bus stand here. “But we have a grievance that the government didn’t display the list of items to be traded and modalities for trade. They should do it at an earliest so that we also prepare for registering ourselves for trade with PoK,” he added. Another trader, Bashir Mughal, who runs a provisional store at Bazar Hathithan here, said it would go a long way to uplift the economic status of the traders on both the sides of LoC and will also bring people closer. Pushkar Nath, a one time trader of Mendhar, recalled the trade practice on either side of LoC in 1962. He said during those days, trade was carried out by the traders on either side through people living in buffer areas (no mans land). “We used to sell Lipton tea, muslin cloth, dry fruits and desi ghee to the traders on other side of LoC. They used to sell us some dry fruits, saw sharpner,” Nath said. “I feel happy that trade between the two sides is starting again,” he said. When asked about the complaints of the traders, Poonch deputy commissioner Muhammad Afzal told The Tribune that even we don’t have the list of the items to be traded and the procedure to enlist. “As soon as we get the requisite information, we will display the same,” the DC said. |
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Valley fruit growers not too enthusiastic
Cross-LoC Trade
Governor N.N. Vohra on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the “LoC
Trade Centre” in Poonch district, days after India and Pakistan agreed
to start cross-border business from October 28. Soon after laying the
foundation stone of the trade centre at Rangar area in Poonch district.
“The first phase of the centre would be completed by October 15 at a
cost of Rs 4.25 crore and trade would be started on October 28,” Vohra
said.
— PTI
Sopore, September 28 None of Beig’s concerns is, however, related with the impending cross-LoC trade with Pakistan, announced to begin on October 21. Something surprising as it was the demand for opening this historical Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, which had brought thousands onto roads on August 11, resulting in death of five persons in police firing. “We have no dearth of business. There is little knowledge about commercial prospects of our fruits in Pakistan,” the veteran fruit grower says as if his tribe is least bothered of the development. It may sound strange to many but there is no overflowing enthusiasm among the valley’s strong lobby of apple growers for cross-LoC trade. “We welcome it. It is better to have two customers than one,” said Mohammad Ramazan of the Fruit Buyers and Forwarding Agents Union. When asked if they expect economic gains, he said pugnaciously that the new route could not be blockaded, making reference to “economic blockade” of Kashmir during the prolonged Amarnath land agitation in Jammu. Beig is almost defensive when the issue of new trade route broaches up. “We were forced to come to roads. Otherwise who cares about a market of 20 crore people (Pakistan) when we have a ready market of 120 crore people (India),” he said. It is apparently the politics of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road that score over the economics of this route. Beig said Kashmir's fruit industry never really pushed for opening of this route in the past as they had robust relations with fruit dealers across the country and there was never paucity of any demand.
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Artistes from 5 states in Pahari fest
Udhampur, September 28 This four-day festival, which was inaugurated on Saturday evening, is organised jointly by Navrang Theatre People Group and Shri Goverdhan Natak Academy, Udhampur. Udhampur deputy commissioner Ajay Khajuria after inaugurating the event said folk music and dance were significant constituent of any society which play a pivotal role in reflecting our rich cultural heritage and traditions besides providing a source of entertainment and solace to our soul. |
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2 BSF jawans hurt in blasts
Jammu, September 28 Samba SSP Raghubir Singh said there were two landmine explosions, first occurring at 8.20 am followed by another after a gap of 10 minutes. However, according to a BSF official, constable Bhoja Ram and constable Munish Kumar were injured in an explosion at around 8.30 am. “At that time, the jawans were on patrol duty at Khura outpost on the international border in Samba sector,” he said. Constable Bhoja Ram, who sustained critical injuries, has been shifted to Government Medical College here. |
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1 kg of heroin seized
Udhampur, September 28 Harnam Singh, a resident of Sangaldan Gool in Ramban district, had arrived here on Saturday afternoon with 1 kg of heroin from Kishtwar. He had to take this consignment to New Delhi to sell it in international market. Sources said the police had deputed a team to Kishwar to arrest the person who had sent this consignment. Initial reports suggested that the heroin was smuggled from the Kashmir valley through Singhtan Top route to
Kishtwar. |
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