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MLAs sworn in amid chaos
BJP MLAs take oath in Dogri
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Meera Bai recounts her tale at a press conference on the Jammu University campus on Tuesday. Tribune photo
50 hurt in clashes at recruitment rally
Pahalgam coldest at -7.2°C
Security up ahead of R-Day
Mallya eyeing RS seat; NC in a fix
Drive to check power theft
‘Implement’ 6th pay panel report
Central nod to 18 polytechnics
Students win 3 national awards
CM: Deploy cops at public places
CM urged to get central varsity status for JU
Two HM workers arrested
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MLAs sworn in amid chaos
Jammu, January 20 Attired in a white ‘salwar kameez’, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was the first to be administered the oath by Pro-tem Speaker Mohammad Aslam followed by his Cabinet ministers and NC chief Farooq Abdullah. It was a momentous occasion as the father-son duo shared the bench for the first time in the Assembly. However, the scene was different in the opposition benches where everyone was expecting the father-daughter duo of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti sharing the bench. While Mehbooba came at 10.15 am, the former CM was conspicuous by his absence. The third former CM to make it to the Assembly, Ghulam Nabi Azad, was also not present. Apart from Mehbooba, the two other women MLAs - Sakina Itoo and Shamima Firdous of the NC - were among the 80 MLAs who were today administered the oath. The saffron brigade led by senior BJP leader Chaman Lal Gupta made an impressive entry into the Assembly, with all its 11 MLAs sporting saffron turbans. Almost all BJP and Panthers Party MLAs took the oath in Dogri. The pandemonium began as soon as the Pro-tem Speaker entered the House as Panthers Party MLAs led by Harsh Dev Singh were up on their feet, seeking a word from the government regarding the budget session and demands of unemployed from the Jammu region. He said the government was “maintaining criminal silence” on various problems being faced by the people. He also asked the government to make a statement as to when it was calling the budget Session. The Pro-tem Speaker initially appealed to the Panthers MLAs to let the oath-taking ceremony get over, but when they didn’t heed his request, he went on to administer the oath to the CM. Later, noisy scenes were repeated over the languages and terms used by legislators while taking oath. NC and PDP MLAs objected when state BJP chief Ashok Khajuria swore in the name of Mata Vaishno Devi, stating that he should use the word “parmatma”. NC MLA Nazir Ahmed Gurezi took the oath in the Shina language, which also evoked objection from various quarters. However, he contended that the language was recognised in the Sixth Schedule of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution. Later, the Speaker allowed him to proceed. Independent MLA from Langate Abdul Rashid Sheikh took the oath in Kashmiri. Earlier, Omar along with his father entered the Assembly Hall at 9.55 am and shook hands with new legislators before taking their seats. |
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BJP MLAs take oath in Dogri
Jammu, January 20 And
saffron-colour traditional Dogra turbans that 11 BJP legislators were wearing added ‘colour’ to the oath-taking ceremony. “Keeping in mind the sentiments of the people of Duggar
Pradesh, we decided yesterday that all party MLAs would wear Dogra turbans and would take the oath in
Dogri,” BJP legislature party leader Chaman Lal Gupta said. “Though we don’t believe in secessionism and represent the entire state, we thought it right to wear saffron Dogra turbans and take the oath in
Dogri,” he added. Panthers Party legislators Balwant Singh Mankotia and Yashpal Kundal also took the oath in
Dogri, while their colleague and former Education Minister Harsh Dev preferred
English. Mankotia said, “Despite stiff resistance, I started the tradition of taking the oath in Dogri in 2002.” |
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Sack warden: Hostellers
Jammu, January 20 The hostellers joined by other students brought Meera Bai before the media this evening so that she could narrate her two-year-long ordeal. They were carrying placards reading, “Provost our father”, “Fire Amisha” and “Save Meera”. Furious hostellers maintained that this was not the lone case and several underage children belonging to tribal communities from backward states were working at resident quarters on the campus. “The police should probe into the matter and expose the racket involved in the alleged sale and purchase of children for domestic help,” they said. Revealing her injury marks, a scared Meera said, “I was being given inhuman treatment for the past over two years. She (Amisha) would beat me up on trivial issues.” Pointing toward human trafficking, Meera alleged that some agents sold her for Rs 4,000. “She (Amisha) paid the amount to agents and not to her parents. I did not get a penny for the past two years. My parents don’t know about my whereabouts,” she said. Disappointed over the way the police and the varsity authorities were handling this “serious issue”, the students alleged that it was shocking that attempts were being made to hush up the matter.“The varsity administration is mounting pressure on us. We have learnt the provost, who has always been kind to us, is being sacked. It is pathetic that officially Amisha is still the warden,” the students said. Claiming that the case was being rendered murkier, they alleged that “the administration is portraying that Meera was suffering from fits.” Maintaining that atmosphere in the three girls hostels, including, Chander Bhaga Hostel and Priya Darshini Hostel, was scary, the girls said despite repeated pleadings, they did not get any security. As its exam time on the campus, the girls said they were not in a condition to focus on studies as they were receiving anonymous threats. They said they would not take meals or go to their rooms till Meera was sent back home and her employer paid due compensation and remuneration along with interest for two years to her. The students were staging a sit-in in front of the girls hostels till the filing of this report. |
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50 hurt in clashes at recruitment rally
Srinagar, January 20 The trouble started when a large number of educated youth, who converged at the training school for recruitment in the Jammu and Kashmir Police, were told that the recruitment drive today was only for those belonging to Ganderbal district and asked to report to their respective district headquarters. Enraged over the announcement, the youths turned violent and hurled stones at the police. The police burst tear gas shells and resorted to cane-charge to restore order. A hut of the Beacon Project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was also set ablaze by the agitated youth. The youth claimed that they had been asked to reach the training school for recruitment and were now being denied the chance without any prior information. Reports here said more than 10,000 youth from various districts of the Kashmir valley and many of them from the Banihal area of Ramban ditrict had come to the school. The recruitment drive was later cancelled, the sources said, adding that the new date for the rally would be announced soon. |
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Srinagar, January 20 The night temperature recorded at Pahalgam, 100 km from here, in south Kashmir, this morning was 7.2 degrees below the freezing point, making it the coldest place in the valley, the spokesman told UNI. He said Kupwara with -1.1°C was the second coldest place followed by Kokernag (-1°C). However, Srinagar, where the sun shone this morning after remaining hidden behind the clouds, was warmer with 1.6°C, nearly four degrees above normal. There was no fresh rain or snow reported from anywhere during the past 24 hours, official sources said. The upper reaches of the Kashmir valley experienced heavy snowfall ranging between one feet to six feet after the western disturbances from the Arabian Sea through Pakistan and Afghanistan hit the state on Friday, while the plain were mostly lashed by rain. The heavy snowfall cut off far-flung areas from the mainland, the sources said, adding that efforts were on to restore the road links. However, the traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National highway was normal, the sources said. — UNI
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Security up ahead of R-Day
Jammu, January 20 SSP, Jammu, Manohar Singh said in view of the Republic Day celebrations a high alert had been sounded and mock exercises were being conducted at the bus stand, railway station and Narwal Mandi. Official sources told The Tribune that the Jammu and Kashmir Police had deployed over 1,500 personnel, including some in mufti, in and around Jammu, including the MA Stadium, Raghunath Temple, Bahu Fort and other crowded places. “We are also maintaining a strict vigil on city hotels as a few days back three militants were arrested from Hotel Samrat in the heart of the city,” said a police officer. Similarly, security had also been beefed up at the railway station, the bus stand and the airport, he added. He said the CRPF in adequate strength had also been posted in and around vital installations, including official residence of ministers, MLAs’ hostel and the arterial expressway. The MA Stadium, where the main function would be held, had already been declared out of bounds for the common people, he said, adding that a 24-hour vigil was being maintained at the stadium where sniffer dogs and bomb disposal squads with mine detectors had been stationed, he added. Random checking of vehicles at various check posts in and around the winter capital had been going on, he said. It may be recalled that the then Governor, KV Krishna Rao, had escaped a bid on his life on January 26, 1995, after three bombs went off at short intervals in the MA Stadium killing eight persons and injuring 45 others. |
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Mallya eyeing RS seat; NC in a fix
Srinagar, January 20 NC's president Farooq Abdullah has declined to comment upon his candidature for one of the four Upper House seats up for grabs in the state. A senior NC leader told The Tribune that Mallya enjoyed close proximity with Farooq Abdullah and their families had cordial ties for decades. Mallya was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka as an Independent candidate in 2002 and his term ended in 2008. During his visit, Mallya promised huge investments in the state, especially in the valley, and rolled out a detailed plan to bring in rich tourists from abroad on his airlines to the valley for money-spinners like golf. He invoked his father's ties to the state's towering leader and Farooq Abdullah's father, Sheikh Abdullah. However, sources said NC leaders were hardly enthused by his likely candidature in a state, particularly in the valley, where the insider-outsider issue is a polarising tool for the opposition, used to great effects by separatists during the Amarnath agitation. "We have come to power after a long struggle and ignoring our senior leaders in favour of Mallya can damage us before the parliamentary elections," an NC leader, who was recently elected to the Assembly, said. Another factor disadvantageous to Mallya is that he is the owner of a company making alcoholic drinks, another sensitive issue in Kashmir's orthodox society. The Bar Association of Kashmir, a body aligned with separatists, has already protested against Mallya's candidature. |
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Drive to check power theft
Jammu, January 20 The drive was led by assistant electrical engineer (AEE) Somnath and junior engineer (JE) Ritu Dingra. The AEE said a team comprising junior engineers and other staff had been constituted to check power pilferage and remove illegal connections. “We carried out checks in Shiv Nagar and Rajpura and detected several cases of power theft. We also seized 30 to 35 electric heaters, which were being illegally used, besides removed illegal power connections.” Somnath said the drive was part of a campaign to educate general public about the judicious use of electricity. The measures, he said, would minimise the problem of low voltage, frequent burning of transformers and breaking of electric wires. He also appealed to people to cooperate with the department in improving its functioning and bring into its notice any illegal use of electricity. |
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‘Implement’ 6th pay panel report
Jammu, January 20 Talking to mediapersons, BJP’s legislative party leader Chaman Lal Gupta said the government should immediately implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and fulfil their demands. He said during electioneering, leaders of the Congress and the NC had promised that, if voted to power, they would implement the pay panel recommendations. However, after coming to power, they were now maintaining a discreet silence, which had resulted in simmering discontent among employees, he added. He further said the previous Congress-led coalition government had also given this impression while presenting the state budget that the recommendations would be implemented and adequate funds allocated for the purpose. Apart from the pay panel recommendations, there were other nagging issues of unemployment, roads, electricity and water that the government should address immediately, he added. |
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Central nod to 18 polytechnics
Jammu, January 20 This is in keeping with the Chief Minister’s emphasis on skill development of youth to enhance their employability within and outside the country. Accordingly, he had taken up with the Centre the establishment of one polytechnic each in uncovered districts of the state. According to an official spokesman, the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has authorised the state government to set up 18 polytechnics and agreed to provide Rs 12 crore for each of these on account of non-recurring expenditure. Currently only Srinagar, Jammu, Leh and Kargil districts have polytechnics but all 22 districts will now have this facility with the setting up of 18 new polytechnics. |
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Students win 3 national awards
Jammu, January 20 According to a press note issued here today, the competition was conducted by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association
(PCRA) on the topic “Oil and gas conservation and its relevance in daily life”. In Hindi language, Nischal Gupta of class XII won the first prize of Rs 50,000 cash. Kirtika Sethi of class X was declared the third winner and won a cash prize of Rs 25,000. In English language, Urvashi Bhat of class XI won the third prize of Rs 25,000. |
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CM: Deploy cops at public places
Jammu, January 20 These will be supported by other central forces. The deployment of the state police will facilitate better police-public relations. The move can be seen in the backdrop of the Chief Minister's recent statements in which he had asked the police authorities to improve their delivery system to match the expectations of the people. Besides improving the public-police coordination, it will also result in speedier redressal of public grievances and supplement efforts of the law and order machinery in the maintenance of peace and order with the active cooperation of the public. Meanwhile, acting upon the Chief Minister's instructions, Director-General of Police Kuldeep Khoda said the deployment of the state police had been started. |
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CM urged to get central varsity status for JU
Jammu, January 20 " We will meet the CM to urge him to take up the issue with the Centre so that the varsity gets central university status," NCSU president Irfan Qureshi said in a statement today. Qureshi urged Chancellor NN Vohra to take this matter with the
Centre. |
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Two HM workers arrested
Srinagar, January 20 Manzoor Ahmad Dar and Mohammad Maqbool Lone, both residents of Pinglish-Tral, were arrested at the Hari Parigam link road, the spokesman said. He said two hand grenades and an AK rifle magazine with 18 rounds were seized from the arrested persons.
— UNI
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