Udhampur, February 12
Even as more than six lakh people living in the mountainous districts of Doda and Kishtwar remain cut off from the rest of the country, the authorities today supplied essential commodities like flour and kerosene oil through helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to minimise miseries of the residents of this belt.

The local administration has decided to identify the most needy families in the belt for the supply of ration.

Although the authorities claimed to have an adequate stock of ration in the stores of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CADP) Department, many areas of this belt are experiencing a shortage of flour and LPG due to panic buying.

“The supply of only 20 quintals of flour is mere an eyewash”, observed Shakir Saddiqui, a social activist of Kishtwar.

He said situation was grim, especially in Kishtwar district, as there was a shortage of ration as well as medicines in this remote backward belt.

He warned that the situation would take an ugly turn if effective steps were not taken in a day or two.

The authorities planned to supply fresh vegetables and other essential commodities, but due to bad weather only flour and kerosene oil were supplied today.

The choppers of the IAF supplied flour and other essential commodities at Doda, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah areas of the belt.

Notwithstanding claims of the authorities to keep a check on the prices of essential commodities, some shopkeepers are openly charging double rates from customers.

There are reports of black-marketeering of fresh vegetables, fruits and cigarettes.

The shopkeepers are selling essential commodities on higher prices on the excuse of additional charges on account of costlier transportation cost of these commodities.

“Due to the non-availability of vehicles, we have to pay a huge amount to labourers during the trans-shipment of essential commodities from Assar to Trungal, so we are forced to charge higher prices from customers”, Abdul Rashid, a shopkeeper of Doda, told on the phone.

Rashid opined that the government should bear the additional cost of trans-shipping of essential commodities for supplying them to people at reasonable prices.

Meanwhile, resentment is brewing among the residents of Kishtwar as no senior minister has so far visited the area to assess the situation.

“Every minister is air-dashing to district headquarters Doda, but our area has been ignored by the ruling coalition”, Saddiqui said.

He warned that a stir would be launched if the authorities continued to ignore them.

This follows the resignation by Basharat Ahmad Bukhari, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Sakina Itoo, all from Kashmir province.

Besides, another seat has fallen vacant from Jammu province due to disqualification of Ashok Kumar Sharma from the House by the Leader of the Congress Legislature party on January 22.

Jammu, February 12
The Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti today deferred its plan to stage protests from February 13 for the withdrawal of the PSA case against Swami Dinesh Bharati.

This followed an assurance from the state government that it would shortly implement all clauses of the agreement that it signed with the samiti representatives in August last year.

Samiti convener Lila Karan Sharma held a meeting with political adviser to Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana and apprised him about various issues pending with the government arising out of its agreement with the samiti on August 31 last year.

The samiti expressed dismay over delay in the implementation of certain clauses of
the agreement.

As per a press note issued here, Rana gave a patient hearing to the samiti members and assured them that the government would take necessary action for the speedy implementation of various pending clauses of the agreement.

“On the basis of the assurance, the samiti has decided to postpone its proposed protest till March 1. As such the samiti’s protest scheduled for February 13 has been deferred,” stated the release.

Besides 16 members of the samiti’s core committee, divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal, deputy commissioner MK Bhandari and SSP Manohar Singh were also present at the meeting.

The samiti had announced yesterday that it would resume protests from tomorrow as the state government was yet to lift the Public Safety Act (PSA) imposed on Swami Dinesh Bharati, one of the leaders of the last year’s Amarnath land agitation.

The samiti was also bitter about the “government not keeping its word” on providing compensation to the next of the kin of those killed in the agitation and traders who suffered huge losses during the two-month long stir.

The samiti, an umbrella organisation of over 30 outfits, spearheaded the Amarnath land agitation in the Jammu region last year.

The agitation was suspended after the samiti and the government reached an agreement, as per which the latter agreed to set aside 800 kanals in Baltal exclusively for the Amarnath Shrine Board during the annual Amarnath yatra period.

Srinagar, February 12
Clashes broke out today between protesters demanding the removal of a CRPF camp and security forces in the sensitive Maisuma area, injuring at least four persons.

Official sources said the protesters were taking out a procession in support of their demands and were stopped by the security forces.

Many protesters resorted to pelting stones and security personnel fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse them.

As the situation deteriorated, shopkeepers in Maisuma and nearby areas of Gowkadal, Budshah Chowk downed their shutters. However, the trouble remained confined to Maisuma.

The CRPF camp in Maisuma, a hotbed of separatist feeling and home to JLKF leader Yaseen Malik, is a thorn for separatist agitators as the presence of paramilitary personnel is a major deterrent for them, officials said.

As the camp has been located in the area for years, many locals who often take lead in organising violent protests are often at the receiving end.

The locals allege that CRPF personnel have been rather harsh on them and use force at the slightest provocation.

"They beat up locals and innocents for no reasons. They should go," Shabir Ahmad, a local, said.

As militants fired upon security personnel, a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant was killed in the retaliatory fire.

The militant has been identified as Riyas Ahmad, a local resident. The police said another militant managed to escape.

Srinagar, February 12
Acting on a complaint by some locals, the police sealed all medical shops outside the OPD of Shri Maharaja Hari Sing (SMHS) hospital here today.

Local residents had filed a complaint that owners of medical shops as well as their salesmen were harassing patients and attendants into buying drugs from them only.

Following the complaint, a team of Karan Nagar police station swung into action and raided the shops. The team sealed the shops and took a few salesmen into custody.

Though the locals appreciated the police action, they said a follow-up action was needed against the shop owners and salesmen.

“In the past, such incidents have taken place and the police had also taken action. But later these people carried on with their business as usual as the police did not keep a watch on their activities. The police action today was appreciable, but it was important that these harassers were made accountable for their actions, so that they did not repeat it in future,” says Mohammad Subhan, a local.

Confirming the action against shop owners and salesmen, Rafiq Ahmad, SHO, Karan Nagar, said the police could only take initial action in form of closure of shops or arrests while the follow-up action had to be taken by the Drug Control Department.

“We acted on a public complaint and arrested some salesmen and sealed the shops. A challan was presented against these people by the Drug Control Department and it is the department which have to follow the case now,” says Rafiq.

Jammu, February 12
With only a couple of weeks left for the first session of the newly elected state Assembly, the opposition parties are busy devising strategies they would be adopting on the floor of the House.

The PDP, which is the largest opposition party with 21 MLAs, has made it clear that it will play the role of a “constructive opposition”.

“It will be a warm up session. It has been a month or so since the new government has taken over and we don’t expect miracles from them. However, we will raise the issues of public interest,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said.

She said the issues of basic amenities, power, ration and unemployment figure
high on her party's agenda. “The scenario is particularly bad on power and ration
fronts,” she added.

“Our role would be different from that of the conventional role of an opposition party. We will not criticise the government just for the sake of criticism. We will work towards bridging the regional divide at emotional as well as political level. We will also try to restore business ties between Jammu and Kashmir regions,” former Deputy CM and senior PDP leader Muzzafar Hussein Baig said.

He said the PDP would lay down proposals on key areas like education, industry and employment. He assured full cooperation to the government on issues concerning development, tourism and employment.

On the other hand, BJP legislature party leader Chaman Lal Gupta said they would raise a host of issues, including delimitation of Assembly constituencies, discrimination with Jammu, rising unemployment, lack of development, and the ongoing agitation of government employees seeking implementation of the 6th Pay Panel report.

He said the BJP would also seek answers from the government on its failure to withdraw PSA against Swami Dinesh Bharati and non-payment of compensation to the next of the kin of those killed during the Amarnath land agitation as also the traders who suffered losses during the stir. The BJP has 11 MLAs.

Jammu, February 12
Holding the NC-Congress government responsible for the plight of Doda and Kishtwar residents, the BJP today demanded a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge to fix responsibility for “ill-advised execution” of the Baglihar hydroelectric project.

Addressing a press conference here, state general secretary Bali Bhagat said the inquiry could bring to light the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus right from the state to Delhi and criminal proceedings be initiated against the guilty for creating a “man-made disaster” in the shape of a project dam.

He said it was astonishing that the Rs 6,000 crore project was executed in the state “without going into details about geology, environment and other critical factors”.

The BJP leader emphasised, “The government should issue a white paper immediately, giving full details from the selection of the site and technical clearance to the allotment of work so that people could know how public money had been misused, and that too for endangering their lives and property.”

He said due to the sinking of a vast road stretch at Assar the entire 30 km Assar-Doda portion of the Batote Kishtwar highway had been declared unsafe.

The situation had become unstable and people feared any village or hill could sink anytime in the region spelling disaster.

Bali stressed that compensation for homes, land, orchards and other property of the affected people should also be paid at commercial rates immediately.

Referring to the acute scarcity of LPG, kerosene oil, foodgrains, vegetables and other essential goods due to the blockade of the highway for the past one week, the BJP leader said, “The coalition government has failed to take any concrete steps to tackle the situation except conducting aerial surveys.

Later, it inspected functioning of different departments in science and arts faculty.

The panelists also interacted with the heads of the departments concerned. The inspection will continue for till February 13.

Referring to the Baglihar hydroelectric project, he said simultaneous afforestation should have been initiated while launching the project to check soil erosion.

Srinagar, February 12
The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) has registered a case against the then Executive Engineer, AEE and JE of the PHE division, Bijbehara, and two contractors for their involvement in the purchase of material on highly exorbitant rates, causing a loss of Rs 5.23 lakh to the state exchequer.

While Habibullah Mir, AEE, PHE subdivision, Anantnag (at present AEE, PHE subdivision, district headquarters, Pora Kulgam) and Mohammad Shafi Teli, then JE, Anantnag subdivision (at present JE, PHE division, Shopian) have been arrested, efforts are on to arrest the other accused, an official spokesman here said.

He said execution of work relating to widening of the Khanabal-Phalgam road, also involved realignment of pipes, was dishonestly allotted.

In this case, Mangat Singh, the then executive engineer, PHE division, Bijbehara, in league with Mir and Teli under a conspired plan made the allotment of providing and fixing of pipes especially to contractors, Mohammad Altaf Bhat of Anantnag and Mohammad Mukhtair Allai of Bijbehara to confer undue benefit upon the accused contractors and themselves.

It was found that tendering processes was not induced and no market survey for the purchase of items was conducted.

The accused public servants despite possessing knowledge of the fact that purchased material viz ‘Sluice Valves’ and ‘Gate Valves’ were available in M&P division, Srinagar, did not procure the same from said division.

Soz would particularly highlight the rebuttal to Nitish Kumar, former Railway Minister, who had made a statement in Parliament that a railway line to Kashmir would be completed by year 2007.

Soz had confronted Nitish, saying the latter was making an incorrect statement.