Jammu, March 30
The BJP and the Congress have fielded Brahmin candidates from the Jammu-Poonch seat to woo the large number of community voters living here.

While Leela Karan Sharma is the BJP candidate, the Congress has fielded Madan Lal Sharma . Besides a large number of Brahmin voters, the constituency has a mixed population of Muslims, Gujjars, Muslim-turned Gujjars and Paharis. But since the majority are Brahmins, the parties are betting on the factor to ensure their victory.

The Congress has again given ticket to its sitting MP from the Jammu-Poonch seat. Leela Karan, who led the Amarnath land agitation, was the obvious choice of the BJP.

As the pattern shows, most of the candidates who had contested or won the Lok Sabha elections earlier from here, were Brahmins or from the upper castes. Ved Vishnu Dutt of the BJP, Janank Raj Gupta and Dharampal Sharma, both of the Congress, Karan Singh, who contested and lost as an Independent candidate, were all from upper castes.

However, Thakur Baldev Singh, a Rajput, won the Lok Sabha elections from the seat in 1977. It is understood that since the RSS wanted to defeat the Congress led by Indira Gandhi at that time, it supported Baldev Singh.

Of the total population, Paharis are around 80,000, whereas Gujjars are 1.5 lakh in the entire region. In Rajouri, 70 per cent of the population is Muslim, 30 per cent Hindus. In case of Nowshera, Akhnoor and rest of the region, Hindus dominate.

Keeping these equations in mind, the parties have focused on Hindu votes, but taken up the issues of other communities as well. The BJP for instance has been assuring Pahari-converted Muslims and Gujjars of the Sheduled Tribe status and ensured the victory for former Minister of State for Defence Chaman Lal Gupta from here.

Jammu, March 30
With the last date of nominations for the Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat ending today, 14 candidates filed their nominations, taking the total tally to 23, including a woman aspirant.

Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, who is the Returning Officer for the Jammu-Poonch parliamentary seat, said 14 candidates, including independents, today filed their nomination papers.

Twentythree candidates included Zahir Abbas Bhatti of All-India Forward Bloc, Choudhary Hussain Ali Wafa (BSP), sitting MP Madan Lal Sharma (Congress), Leela Karan Sharma (BJP), Abdul Majid Malik (Backward Classes Democratic Party), Labha Ram Gandhi (independent), Sant Ram (Bharatiya Bahujan Party), Uday Chand (Duggar Pradesh Party), Satish Poonchi (J&K People’s Front), Tarlok Singh Bajwa (PDP), Sanjeev Kumar Manmotra (Lok Janshakti Party) and Rajeev Mahajan (Shiv Sena Hindustan), among others.

Scrutiny will be held tomorrow while April 2 is the last date for withdrawal.

The Jammu Poonch parliamentary segment will go to polls on April 16, followed by Doda-Udhampur on April 23.

Jammu, March 30
The BJP is geared up to make the nomination of members to the Legislative Council an issue in the Lok Sabha elections. It believes the nomination of MLCs at this time is a violation of model code of conduct.

Governor NN Vohra had nominated eight members -- four each from the NC and the Congress -- to the Legislative Council on last Saturday. Leela Karan Sharma, BJP candidate from Jammu-Poonch seat, attacked the Congress saying “the reserved categories of MLC are meant for prominent people from various fields. But here, the ruling combine has reduced this exercise to benefit its defeated MLAs. The exercise is a testimony to blatant corruption in the government.”

The BJP, which is unhappy with the coalition for nominating four Muslims to the Rajya Sabha from the state without giving representation to any other community, is all set to rake up the issue of nomination of MLCs during its campaign.

Chaman Lal Gupta, leader of the BJP Legislators Party and former Union Minister for State for Defence, said, “The way both NC and Congress have nominated its own people to the council ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, is a clear violation of the model code of conduct. We have written a letter to the Election Commission in this regard. We will raise the issue during campaign also.”

Saifuddin Soz, PCC president, denied the BJP allegations saying “the BJP is facing a crisis of issues. Therefore, it is raising baseless issues out of desperation.”

Enquired about the issue, BR Sharma, chief electoral officer, said, “Saifuddin Soz had asked me whether they could nominate members to the upper house during election time. I gave my approval for it, as there is nothing unconstitutional about it. As far as the question of credibility of people nominated is concerned, the matter comes under the jurisdiction of the state government.”

Meanwhile, the eight nominated MLCs took oath today. They include former MLC Amrit Malhotra, Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma, former MLA Ahmed Magrey and Subhash Gupta, all four from the Congress, and former MLAs Ajay Sadhotra, Javed Rana, Mehmoob Beg and Ghulam Kadar Pardesi, all from the NC.

Meanwhile, Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh also termed the nominations to the Legislative Council a violation of constitutional provisions and democratic procedures.

He said Section 50 of the Constitution permitted eight nominations with clear stipulation that three out of the eight shall be persons belonging to socially or economically backward classes and rest shall be persons having special knowledge of literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service. Harsh Dev said in no case Section 50 of the Constitution be abused to rehabilitate defeated and disgruntled politicians that the government had done. He urged the Governor to review the nominations. 

Srinagar, March 30
At least six leaders, including former legislator Sheikh Mohammad Rafi and Ghulam Nabi Bhat, returned to the ruling NC here today.

They joined the party in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah could not attend the ceremony on health grounds, Omar said. Sheikh Mohammad Rafi, the party’s former MLA from Shopian, had recently joined the PDP here. Others who joined the NC included Ghulam Qadir Tak and Ghulam Nabi Bhat.

The Chief Minister arrived here on a two-day visit to the valley from Jammu. Youth leader Imran A Dar, son of a district president of the party, Mohammad Ayub Dar from Kulgam in south Kashmir, also joined the NC today. Another leader, Abdul Ghani Bhat from Beijbehara, would also join the party, the Chief Minister said.

About the recent encounters between armed infiltrators and the Army along the LoC in north Kashmir, the Chief Minister said infiltration attempts were being made with the melting of snow. Efforts were being made to thwart the designs of militants to create trouble during the elections ahead, he said. 

Jammu, March 30
Finally, the residents of Nai Basti, Shastri Nagar, got some relief from their major problem as the municipal corporation has started to clean the main drain of their area, which always remains choked with polythene bags, rags, plastic remains, earthen wares, and other types of garbage.

MC employees busy clearing the main drain in Nai Basti, Shastri Nagar, in Jammu on Monday.  A Tribune photograph

The miseries being faced by these residents got the attention of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) who finally decided to clean the mess.

The Tribune had highlighted the pathetic condition of the drain repeatedly and the problem being confronted by the people of the area.

The drain was converted into a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes and was posing a threat for the residents.

Besides being a nuisance for the residents, the drain was also proving to be a major obstacle for carrying out regular business, for those who have shops near the drain.

Expressing happiness, Kamal Sharma, who has STD shop near this drain said, “Thanks to the authorities concerned, at least they feel to clean it after four months. They should always remain active and should clear the drain regularly.”

While demanding garbage bins for the areas, Meenakshi Rajput said, “Municipal safai karmchari come once a week for maintaining hygiene. They should come regularly.”

The residents demanded that the corporation should place slabs over the drain which could restrict the people from dumping domestic wastes into it.

However, the municipal employees have placed heaps of garbage on the main roadside which is posing difficulty for the passers-by to walk freely. The foul smell which comes out from it forced them to hold their breath till they cross a reasonable distance on this road.

Accumulated garbage on the road is also creating a hindrance in the frequent movement of the vehicular traffic as well.

Jammu, March 30
The Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), being implemented by the director of Horticulture Planning and Marketing for the procurement of apple and sandy pear, has failed to achieve the desired results, as the achievement was just 45 per cent on financial front and 43 per cent on physical side.

The scheme was introduced in 2003, in Kashmir division while it was implemented in the rest of the state in 2005.

Under the MIS, the procured produce is processed into juice by the J&K Horticulture Planning and Marketing Corporation and private processing units in the state.

According to a report prepared by the Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Planning and Development, employment generation in the processing sector showed a marginal increase against the proportional huge expenditure. It maintains that growers were normally selling their “C” grade produce at a much lower rate than the one offered under the MIS.

The report said under the scheme non-deserving traders and middlemen in contravention of the MIS objectives reaped benefits while the growers were dissatisfied over the delayed payments by the implementing agency. This could hardly bring any change in the overall grading and packaging practices the growers are used to.

Amazingly, the average wholesale rates of apple per box have decreased after the implementation of the scheme, which out rightly negates the department’s assumption that introduction of the MIS would fetch higher returns to the growers.

It revealed that due to the faulty implementation and monitoring of the scheme, the implementing department failed to utilise the allocated financial resources fully and resultantly the physical targets, which were already short of desired quantum, were not achieved and the shortfall was of the order of 56 per cent.

“While examining the status of processing sector, it has come to the fore that only one unit in Srinagar has been established after the MIS launch. It transpires that the element of subsidy on raw produce has not been able to pave way for establishment of new units in the private sector,” it said.

Srinagar, March 30
Six activists of the People's Freedom League, including provincial president Imtiyaz Ahmad Shah, were detained when they tried to take out a rally.

Shouting pro-freedom slogans, the league activists led by Shah assembled at Ghanta Ghar in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city, and tried to stage a march to the local office of the United Nations Military Observers Group at Sonawar.

The protesters, who were also carrying placards demanding immediate release of political prisoners, were stopped by the police and asked to disperse.

When they refused, the police resorted to a baton-charge and took six of them into preventive custody, official sources said, adding that they were lodged at Maisuma police station. — PTI

Rajouri, March 30
Only two Indians could manage to get travel permits and boarded the Poonch-Rawlakote bus from Poonch today, as the Pakistani authorities failed to give security clearance to more Indian visitors willing to travel to the PoK.

Even as only two Indians travelled to the PoK by bus, 56 visitors from the PoK arrived in India.

Meanwhile, around 90 passengers from both sides crossed over to the other side at the Chakkan Da Bagh terminal on the Poonch-Rawlakote road.

Among the 13 passengers, who travelled from Poonch to Rawlakote, were 11 Pakistani returnees, whereas among the 76 passengers, who reached Poonch by bus, were 56 new Pakistani visitors.

Srinagar, March 30
Syed Ali Shah Geelani was today detained and taken to Humhama police station after he tried to defy preventive custody at his house.He is likely to be put under house arrest. The police had specific information that he was planning to visit Budgam to kickstart a campaign against the upcoming parliamentary elections, official sources said.

After his return from Delhi last week, Geelani has been visiting different places and urging people to boycott the Lok Sabha elections.

Despite a similar anti-poll campaign by separatists, the state had witnessed a record turnout of voters in the Assembly elections late last year.

Geelani’s spokesman Aiyaz Akbar said he was to leave for Budgam to meet families of separatist leaders presently lodged in jails. 

Aiyaz Akbar told The Tribune that Geelani refused to obey a police order, asking him to remain at his Hyderpora house, and was whisked away to the police station.

His party colleagues said Geelani had managed to dodge the police’s efforts to keep him indoors for the past few days. He addressed a few gatherings in different parts of the valley and as usual attacked the Union and state governments. 

Since his return from Delhi a few days back, where he is being treated for various ailments, Geelani spoke in Bomai, where two youths were killed in Army firing, and addressed a crowd in Tral yesterday where the security forces had gunned down two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants. He justified militancy and said militants had kept the Kashmir issue “live".

Jammu, March 30
In a Muslim-majority state that seethed in rage for two straight months dividing Hindus and Muslims on communal lines over the Amarnath land dispute last year, a Muslim girl and a Hindu boy continue to fight all odds to save their inter-religion marriage.

The couple has now moved an appeal before the Delhi High Court to save their marriage. The runaway couple has set an example for fanatics in both communities, who don’t miss any opportunity to perpetuate hatred.

If the agitation over Amarnath land had polarised the state on communal lines, then this couple has proved that love knows no barriers like caste, creed and religion.

Anjum Ara (20) and Khem Raj (24), who had reportedly got married, sought refuge in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Saurabh Kulshreshtha in Delhi.

The Metropolitan Magistrate has asked the Delhi police to provide protection to the runaway couple from Nagrota.

Official sources told The Tribune that Anjum Ara had given her statement to the Delhi police accusing a police team from Jammu and her relatives of assaulting her in a shelter home in Delhi on March 26.

After the girl’s family had lodged a complaint of kidnapping against Khem Raj, the Jammu police had sent a police team to Delhi.

However, the NGO being run by V Mohini Giri, former chairperson of the National Commission for Women, yesterday filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court and now the Jammu police team was returning, he said.

The Delhi Metropolitan Magistrate had directed SHO Hauz Khas police station to provide protection to the couple.

Srinagar, March 30
The security forces today gunned down two militants in Kellar in Shopian district. Officials said the police and 42 Rashtriya Rifles cordoned off a hideout of militants in Moshwara village and killed two of them in an encounter. Two AK rifles were seized from the spot.

Meanwhile, a soldier who suffered bullet injuries in an encounter with Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in Kamla forests in Tral on March 28 has succumbed to his injuries. The police said jawan Rumpum Gogi succumbed to his injuries in an Army hospital in Srinagar. The police also identified a killed militant as a Pakistani, Azhar, alias Usman, of Faisalabad. One militant was yesterday announced to be a resident of Tral.

The security forces are out to hunt down militants since their week-long bloody encounter with LeT infiltrators in Kupwara forests that left 18 militants and eight Army personnel killed. Nine militants have been killed in Kashmir in the past three days.

Srinagar, March 30
Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have called upon scientists and researchers of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, to appreciate the close relationship between the universities and the farming community for increasing agriculture production and productivity.

Saying there was a direct connect between agriculture research and agriculture economy of the state, they exhorted the university to seek greater coordination with the agriculture extension network of the state government for translating research into improved agricultural practices on ground.

Addressing the 17th governing body meeting of the university today, the Governor and the Chief Minister hoped that the university would come up to the expectations of the farming community. They hoped it would give a new direction to agriculture in the state, particularly diversification of agriculture into allied sectors like horticulture, floriculture, vegetable cultivation, sheep and wool production, oil seeds and pulses, saffron cultivation and poultry.

The Governor impressed upon the authorities to also give attention to animal husbandry, forestry and fisheries sectors, including willow plantation, under a task force approach. He underlined the need for setting up of demonstration plots in each of the agri-allied sectors in different areas of Kashmir division to share new and best practices with farmers.

Vohra directed the university authorities to launch special job-oriented programmes in a manner that those who pass out could start their entrepreneurial ventures.

The Chief Minister, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the university, highlighted the need for an enhanced linkage between theoretical research and practical on-ground implementation so that the purpose of establishment of the university was realised to the full extent.

He observed that the university should focus on extending benefits of scientific advancements to the farming community so that productivity and production were increased.

Vice-Chancellor Anwar Alam informed that the university had released 60 varieties of rice so far, including 17 released in the recent past.

Jammu, March 30
With the arrest of four persons, who had allegedly stolen guns from a gun shop in the Gangyal area, the Jammu police late this evening claimed to have worked out the robbery carried out at gunpoint in a jewellery shop in New Plots on March 13.

DIG, Jammu, AQ Manhas said acting on a tip off, a police party of the Domana police nabbed one Rakesh Sharma, alias Mantu of Bhour Camp, who during questioning confessed that he was an active member of a gang of robbers, which had also looted the shop of Suri Jewellers.

On his disclosure his other accomplices Kamaldeep Singh, alias Nikol, Vishal Sharma, alias Vishu, aka Mirinda, and Parminder Singh, alias Pammi, all residents of Bhour Camp were picked up from various parts of Jammu, he said.

During further questioning, they revealed that they had committed several other crimes, said Manhas.

Upon their disclosure the police recovered two gold necklaces weighing 100gms, precious stones/pearls, one silver coin, two ATM cards a Maruti Swift car, Motorcycle, which had been used at the time of robbing at Suri Jewellers), a scooter, 12 bore single barrel gun, two double barrel guns, three shortened double barrel guns, one complete double barrel gun, 12 bore cartridges ammunition, he added

On December 30, they had planned a robbery for which they required some weapons and accordingly they decided to loot some arms and ammunition store, said the DIG, adding that since both Kamaldeep and Rakesh had earlier worked as salesmen at Bhargav Arms and Ammunition Store in Gangyal, they decided to loot the same shop. 

Jammu, March 30
Three persons were killed and 11 others were injured in different road accidents across Jammu today. Joginder Paul (45) of ward No 6 in RS Pura slipped from his scooter, near Shiv Mandir, in Kotli Shah Abdulian and succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to Government Medical College here.

In another mishap, a 60-year-old man, Abdul Rehman of Chattigam in Shopian, was killed and a 21-year-old girl Akhter Bano sustained injuries when their Maruti car collided with a truck at Chamalwas on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Dead and injured were later shifted to Emergency Hospital in Banihal.

A Tata Sumo, on way from Jammu to Chandigarh, skidded off the road, near Thandi Khui, on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway resulting death of one person and injuries to another.

A truck on way from Srinagar to Udhampur skidded off the road, near Bagu Nallah, at Bypass Mir Mohalla injuring its driver.

In other road mishaps eight persons sustained injuries. They have been hospitalised in the GMC here. Meanwhile, two persons have died in road accidents in the Srinagar valley, the police said today.

A tipper skidded off the road, near Calgai, falling under the jurisdiction of Uri police station, resulting in on the spot death of two persons, Rameez Ahmad Khan (19), of Kalai, and while other person remains unidentified. One Gurdev Singh, son of Mehar Singh and resident of Ludhiana in Punjab, also got injured.