|
|
Jawan hurt in Pak army firing
Bomai villagers suspend migration
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Major killed in gunbattle
Cong all set to field Madan, Lal Singh
JU forms panel to probe firing incident
Labours work in newly constructed park in the green belt area of Trikuta Nagar in Jammu. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma
6 families to get benefit under SRO 43
Mayor wants control of revenue-earning depts
LS Poll: PDP to contest all 6 seats
Focus on steps to popularise Dogri
AISAD to field five candidates
Dogri, Urdu poets take part in literary meet
Chain snatching cases on the rise
Panthers’ silver jubilee tomorrow
Girls await their turn to perform during the annual day celebration at Government College for Women in Jammu on Saturday. Photo: Inderjeet Singh
NCP leader joins PDP
|
|
Jawan hurt in Pak army firing
Srinagar, March 21 The firing, the first this year in the Kashmir region, has marked yet another violation of the ceasefire agreement on the LoC that had started in 2003. The injured solider has been identified as lance naik Prakash Singh of 10 JAK Rifles. The Army spokesperson said they returned the fire, but used “small arms”. The Army has lodged a protest with the Pakistan counterpart over the incident. A sense of calm had prevailed on the LoC since the two governments entered into a ceasefire agreement in 2003. But it saw some major violations last year when the Pakistani army fired upon Indian posts at least 34 times. Overall, records say the agreement had been violated 58 times by the Pakistani army since it came into effect. Officials said today the firing started around 10 pm last night and continued till 3 am today, marking an end to around five months of peace. They added they were not sure as to what prompted the Pakistani army to fire upon their posts. “They often do it to give a cover to militants, who attempt to sneak into our side. It may be a likely reason,” an official said. |
|
|
Bomai villagers suspend migration
Srinagar, March 21 Meanwhile, claiming credit for the indictment of a junior commissioned officer and two soldiers for the killing of two civilians in Bomai village last month, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his government would ensure that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives security forces immunity against prosecution by the state government, was repealed during his tenure. He also promised to remove the Army camp in Bomai village and the locals, who had threatened mass migration if the camp was not removed, suspended their agitation. Law and order situation had improved a lot in the state and it was time to repeal the Act that had been the bane for the local population, Omar said in an interaction with the media here late evening. Abdullah lashed out at the PDP for accusing his government of ignoring human rights violation saying this was the first time that a state government had delivered a time-bound action against guilty soldiers. Civilians were killed in the past, but most of the probes never went beyond routine official inquiries, he said. The Chief Minister said the repeal of AFSPA would occur during his tenure. “I have made this assurance on the floor of the Assembly and would work to implement it,” he said. The final decision, though, vests with the Central government. Omar said situation had improved a lot in the state and militancy figures had hit an all-time low. |
|
Cong all set to field Madan, Lal Singh
Jammu, March 21 Not waiting for the formal announcement, Madan Lal has started campaigning in Vijaypur and Nagrota. Party workers too have been sounded about the candidates and directed to give all possible support to them. Party spokesperson Ravinder Sharma reasoned for repeating the candidates saying, “Lal Singh and Madan Lal are both experienced party leaders. They have worked well for past five years, which was taken in due consideration by the party.” The party legislators, who were visiting the party office in Delhi lobbying against Lal Singh, too have been given a clear message to back him. But Lal Singh denied any opposition to his candidature from within the party. He said, “Today, I reached at airport from Delhi and I am getting support from all party workers.” Fielded against BJP candidate Dr Nirmal Singh from Udhampur-Doda seat, Lal Singh said, “He is an academician and not a politician. He is hardly conversant with the locality and problems of people there. So there is no question of a stiff competition.” Lal Singh will start campaigning from tomorrow in the belt of Jatwa and Kathua. Sharma said, “The Congress wants the Ladakh seat as it is a big region. But the matter is yet to be resolved with the NC. The other probabilities are Baramulla and Anantnag seats where we defeated the PDP with a considerable margin of 35,000 votes. The matter will be clear within a couple of days.” Meanwhile, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) has asked the partymen and party units at grassroots level to gear up their activities in their respective areas and work collectively for the success of party candidates in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the state. In a meeting attended by all prominent PCC functionaries and other senior leaders, including some ministers/ legislators and leaders to frontal organisation, it was urged upon all party workers and all party units to get united and ensure the victory of the Congress candidates. The meeting expressed confidence that the Congress would win both the seats to the Lok Sabha in the region.
|
||
|
Vohra gives away scholarships
Jammu, March 21 Vohra was addressing the 12th Annual Scholarship distribution function of the Harbans Bhalla Educational Trust at Talab Tillo in Jammu today. He said philanthropic trusts and other social organisations could contribute significantly in providing necessary support for development and well being of disadvantaged children, orphans, widows and destitute. He said their effort and helping hand could make the real difference in the lives of the under-privileged sections of the society. He called upon the affluent sections of the society to come forward and help the needy and said such a gesture could transform the future of many bright children. Vohra interacted with some students and impressed upon them to work hard and achieve excellence in their education. He distributed scholarships amounting to over Rs 2.50 lakh to 210 students of various educational institutions of Jammu and adjoining districts. |
|
JU forms panel to probe firing incident
Jammu, March 21 The committee includes Prof Naresh Padha, Prof DS Bhau, dean students welfare Kulwant Singh and the assistant registrar, students welfare. The committee would look into damage caused to the university property, snatching of a motorcycle of an employee by the miscreants, besides identifying those involved in the incident. It would submit its report to the vice-chancellor along with recommendations, including appropriate punishment to the students involved in the incident. Meanwhile, the police has failed to arrest Amandeep Singh, son of former MLC Deepinder Kour, who along with two others had created lawlessness on the Jammu University campus yesterday. Amandeep Singh had fired two rounds from his revolver, injuring a student, Virinder Singh Chib, and security guard Sahil Kumar. While fleeing, Amandeep Singh and his accomplices, a Sikh youth and Vinay Sharma, had attacked law student Jeetu. Sweeper Khursheed had also sustained a fracture in his legs in the stampede that occurred when protesting students ran helter-skelter in panic hearing gunshots. “We have been conducting raids at suspected hideouts of the accused since yesterday, but so far no one has been arrested,” SP, south, Mubasir Latifi told the Tribune. “We have got some vital clues and the accused will be nabbed soon,” he said. Mubasir added that the former MLC, too, had been questioned about the whereabouts of her son. SHO, Gandhi Nagar, Sultan Mirza said so far over 60 raids had been conducted to arrest the accused. |
|
Turning nullahs into green belts
Jammu, March 21 Vinita Gupta, director, ERA, said these nullahs had occupied a lot of nearby areas . So, we created proper fencing around them along with walls on all sides. The adjoining area is utilised to create green parks, beautified with green trees, flower beds, benches and shaded huts. The projects are being run in many pockets of the city such as Landoichoi near Trikuta
Nagar, Janipur, Om Nagar and Chinoor. The one project in Landoicoi, which falls in Trikuta
Nagar, is being undertaken in collaboration with the Jammu Development Authority
(JDA). Two parks are being created here divided by a road. The JDA is looking after the construction work of a park which is 300-m long and 25-m wide with a budget of Rs 1.43 crore whereas the ERA is managing the other park of 200-metre long and 15-metre wide at a collective budget of Rs 3
crore. All these projects, which began almost simultaneously to each other in the beginning of this year, will be completed within a year. SR Sharma, executive engineer, JDA said the pipe culvert used to get clogged in rainy season. So we had covered it from all sides and also created a pipe culvert. The construction at pipe culvert was started at the behest of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad, who had given direction in this regard. This project will serve people living in Trikuta
Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Sanjay Nagar and Jeevan Nagar. The other one such green belt area at Chinoor Nallah will cover an area of 2 km in length and 800 m in width alongside a nullah which in itself is 3-km long and 4.5-m wide. Interestingly, the ERA has begun work on similar nullahs lying in Rajendrea
Nagar, Durga Nagar, Ban Talab, Shant Nagar, Patoli, Bhawani, Paloura, Om
Nagar, Janipur, which will cost Rs 26.61 crore. No wonder, the Jammu city will wear a green and clean look to some extent in coming time. |
|
|
6 families to get benefit under SRO 43
Jammu, March 21 After the Tribune carried a report in its columns recently highlighting the plight of these families, the Kishtwar district administration has approached the Election Commission via the Chief Electoral Officer seeking permission to provide them with jobs or cash relief. These six families despite a high court order in their favour had been given a raw deal by the successive state governments. Peeved over the indifferent attitude of successive regimes, these six families had approached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and on June 5, 2008, Justice YP Nargotra directed the state government to provide the petitioners benefits under SRO 43. However, after the state government observed the court order in breach, the petitioners filed a contempt petition in February this year. It may be recalled here that armed militants had killed 13 Hindu shepherds. While five families of the victims were given government jobs under SRO 43, remaining eight families were denied the benefit. Cases of two families still await disposal in the high court. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar Atta-ur-Rehman Natnoo attributed the inordinate delay to dearth of posts. The General Administration Department (GAD) provides us posts in various departments to appoint members of such families under SRO 43, but we were not having the posts, he said. “However, the government has a provision to provide either class IV job or cash relief of Rs 4 lakh in addition to Rs 1 lakh of ex
gratia, as the case may be, to victims’ families,” said Natnoo. He said by the time we completed such cases, the model code of conduct had come into force. But a week back we approached the EC for permission to settle these cases on humanitarian grounds. “We are ready to give them jobs and cash relief as per the criteria, but at the
same time poll code violation has to be avoided,” he said. As far as the six families were concerned, their cases had been cleared, he added. |
|
|
Mayor wants control of revenue-earning depts
Jammu, March 21 Talking to The Tribune, Gupta said all revenue earning departments like the Urban Engineering Department
(UED), Public Health Engineering Department (PHE), Power Development Department
(PDD), Primary Education and other developmental departments which deal with the civic needs of society, needed to brought under the
corporation. Even the Comptroller Auditor General report (2009) also favours handing over certain institutions to the Municipal Corporation. “Government institutions that have outlived their utility can be abolished. Even in the long run, jobs entrusted to SDA and the Jammu Development Authority
(JDA) can be passed on to the Municipal Corporations,” a CAG report says. The corporation was made an autonomous body in 2003 but only for namesake whereas in other parts of the country, all territorial organisations were under Municipal Corporations, Gupta said. The corporation is unable to perform its role of equipping the city with all basic facilities due to financial weakness. The annual income of the corporation is around
Rs. 6.5 crore and the government provides around Rs 30 crore whereas expenditure is around Rs 50
crore, Gupta said. He said the total dependence for financial allocation upon the government made the organisation vulnerable to undue interferences by the government in its routine functioning. Gupta said: “At present the situation is that the Jammu Development Authority
(JDA) Housing Department sells the land, earns the profit and leaves a liability for the JMC of constructing lanes and drains for
such colonies. Till such time, the JDA is brought under the corporation, stamp duty needs to be levied on the sale of plots by the
JDA.” |
|
|
LS Poll: PDP to contest all 6 seats
Jammu, March 21 Party leaders say though the party has already decided the names of the probable candidates, it will declare them in the coming days as party president Mehbooba Mufti is not present in the state. Speaking to the Tribune, PDP general secretary and MLA from Bandipora Nizam-ud Din Bhat said, “Our party has decided to field candidates on all six parliamentary seats in the state and the process to finalise the names of probable candidates is over.” He added, “The candidates would be soon announced after the party president returns to the city.” Bhat said as the Lok Sabha elections in the state would be held in five phases, the party had enough time to declare the candidates. However, the decision would be taken by the party president. In the previous general elections, party present Mehbooba Mufti was elected from the Anantnag seat. However, following her election to the state Assembly she had to vacate the seat.
|
|
Focus on steps to popularise Dogri
Udhampur, March 21 Eminent Dogri writers namely Padma Sachdeva, Prof Ved Ghai, Nalimbar Dev Sharma, Prof Lalit Magotra and many others were present in the literary event. President of the Dogri Sanstha Prof Lalit Magotra told The Tribune that the main aim of organising this gathering was to encourage local writers who have been contributing in popularising this centuries old language. As Udhampur has important role in enriching Dogri culture and literature, a special paper reading session was organised in this literary event. Om Jandhtriya, a local writers, Prakash Premi, a Shahitaya Akademy awardee writer of Udhampur, and eminent writer of Painthal Shiv Nirmohi presented papers on contribution on Udhampur in Dogri literature. They highlighted contribution of Udhampur in Dogri short stories and poetry. Earlier, the two-day conference was inaugurated by Padma Sachdeva in which Prof Ved Ghai presented a keynote address. The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages is organising this conference. Later in the evening, Dogri folk dance and other cultural activities were present by local writers.
|
|
|
AISAD to field five candidates
Jammu, March 21 Mann said the party had decided to contest on five seats from the six parliamentary constituencies in the state. It has decided to field candidates from Jammu Poonch, Doda Udhampur seats in Jammu and Baramulla, Anantnag and Srinagar seats in Kashmir division. The party would not contest on the Ladakh seat. “The party has decided to contest on five out of six seats, the J&K unit present of the party Joginder Singh Shan will contest from Jammu Poonch, Col (rtd) Amarjeet Singh from Udhampur Doda, Joginder Singh Pandi from Baramulla, Harminder Singh Hari from Srinagar, Karan Singh from Srinagar,” Mann said. He said his party would raise the issues of minority community and would fight for the economic and religious rights of the minority community. |
|
|
Dogri, Urdu poets take part in literary meet
Jammu, March 21 Prominent poet and writers participated. In the prose session, Urdu afsana “Badnam Dewta” was read by Nargis Sitara, while MS Kamta read out and Phari prose “Mera Hindostan”. A Dogri short story, Rakh Apna Apna, was red by Chander Ved Parkash. Sham Talib, president of the organisation, recited an Urdu gazal. Sham said the Adbi Kunj was going to participate in the Maha Kavi Sangam being organised by the Rashtrey Kavi Sangam, Delhi, at Katra on April 11. He said poets and writers from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab would also participate in the sangam. |
|
|
Chain snatching cases on the rise
Jammu, March 21 The youth came on a motorcycle and snatched the gold chain from Sukhwinder Kour, wife of the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer. An employee with BSNL here, Sukhwinder was returning home when two youth riding a motorcycle approached her. They requested her to help them locate the residence of one Gurvinder Singh. When she feigned ignorance about anyone by this name living in her locality and turned her back to enter her house, the youth snatched her gold chain and fled. A similar incident occurred the next morning when two youth riding a motorcycle targeted another woman Chand Sharma in Upper Roop Nagar. Adopting similar modus operandi, the youth asked Chand Sharma, a retired government schoolteacher, to help her locate the house of a boy, Vicky. They engaged her in talk and snatched her chain and fled. |
|
|
Panthers’ silver jubilee tomorrow
Jammu, March 21 Delegates from the state will attend the Panthers Party celebrations that will elect the party chairman for the next two years. The term of Prof Bhim Singh, the party chairman, will expire on April 2. The state committee of the JKNPP and the Young Panthers will also be constituted on the occasion. Prof Bhim Singh will announce the next action plan for 2009 for the implementation of Panthers Party’s Declaration, including the Delimitation Commission and comprehensive settlement of the Refugees of 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999.
|
|
|
College celebrates Annual day
Jammu, March 21 During the function, students presented various cultural items. |
|
|
NCP leader joins PDP
Jammu, March 21 Raj Mohni Sharma had contested the recent Assembly elections from Bishnah as an independent candidate. Rajinder Koul said he felt the regional parties of the state had an important role to play in meeting the aspirations of people and the PDP was the only party that could meet the demand. Raj Mohni Sharma said the PDP had a vision and dynamism to solve the issues confronting the
state. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
