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Court orders probe against senior cops
Atrocities on Sikhs in Pakistan
Major wheat scam in Army unearthed
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Infiltration
Theft of Wires
Mufti for speedy resolution of Kashmir issue
A day in the life of a CRPF jawan
CRPF officer among 9 hurt
in Srinagar clashes
Flag march in Jammu
Poor turnout makes parties jittery
Amarnath pilgrimage from June 7
NC voice of its masters in Delhi, says Mehbooba
Canal water not reaching tail-end villages
School under construction ‘unsafe’
Transformer catches fire in Bakshi Nagar
Low-lying transformers a threat
Rs 3-cr garbage disposal system for Katra
Extension to dental college principal opposed
Srinagar to host medical meet
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Court orders probe against senior cops
Jammu, May 3 Bourney has referred the matter to the High Court under Section 15 (2) of the Contempt of Courts Act for taking an appropriate action against the respondent, Kifayat Hussain Rizvi. The CJM has passed the order on the contempt petition filed by one complainant Iftikiar Khan Salaria through AK Sawney, advocate. The complainant said he was forcibly evicted from his land near Indra theatre. He approached a local court for justice but the ruling of the court was not followed by the authorities concerned, due to which the contempt petition was filed. The CJM in a separate order in the main complaint against all officers and constables has directed the inquiry to be conducted by a Judicial Magistrate, and has directed the Special Excise Magistrate Jammu to conduct the inquiry on the matter and submit the report within three months. The complainant had filed a complaint for theft, robbery, criminal intimidation, hurt and conspiracy under Sections 323, 379, 506, 109 and 120 B of the RPC against the accused. CJM Jammu forwarded the complaint to SHO, in charge Nowabad, under Section 156 (3) for investigation and reporting back on March 24. According to Sawhney, though several days passed, the SHO did not take any action in the matter, and the complainant filed an application for calling of status report in the matter, wherein, the court on April 1, directed the SHO to file a report in the matter in the light of the application. On the same day, SHO Nowabad Jamwal filed a report that the custodian general informed him through a written communication that the complaint filed was false, frivolous and motivated. He quoted provisions of law and stated in the communication that “no other court has the powers to take cognizance in the matter” . On the basis of this communication, the SHO did not register an FIR, therefore, clearly committing gross contempt of the court, and custodian general committed criminal contempt by interfering in the course of administration of justice system. |
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Atrocities on Sikhs in Pakistan
Jammu, May 3 The members of the Sikh community living in that areas were not able to pay Rs 5 crore as Jiziya as they very poor, living in Aurakzai agency since centuries. There are 35 Sikh families living in Ferozkhel, near Merozai in Aurakzai agency, all of them have been expelled and have migrated to nearby Kohat and Hangu districts, said Mohinder Singh organiser of the protest demonstration. The Sikhs appealed to the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan to intervene in the matter and come to the rescue of the minority communities living in the area. They appealed to the PM to approach his counterpart in Pakistan to apply pressure on Taliban so that the Sikh community is allowed to live a peaceful life in the region. Sikh organisations in the state have requested president of SGPC, Amritsar, Avtar Singh Makkar and the president of Delhi Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, to immediately take up the issue with the PM to seek his intervention.
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Major wheat scam in Army unearthed
Jammu, May 3 An FIR has been registered in the connection. The FIR says that the Northern Command processed the tenders for purchase of wheat in 2006-2007. Kash Ind Roller Flour Mill, Jammu, won the tender for Rs 1, 45, 35, 235 to supply 1,025 metric tonnes per month to 15 Corps HQ. Kissan Flour Mill, Jammu, at Rs 1, 44, 52, 591 was the lowest contender for 16 Corps HQ. Similarly, the Jammu Flour Mill won the contract for HQ 15 corps at Rs 1, 46, 34, 315 and for HQ 16 corps at Rs 1, 45, 68,987. As per the FIR, the Jammu mill allegedly managed to get the agreement clause abolished through the Army Headquarters after which the contract of Kash Ind and Kissan Flour Mills were cancelled. Both mills approached the high court which ordered that the contract should not be given to any of the mills and the monthly local purchase under the guidelines be restored. The CBI maintained that Northern command HQ decided to go in for local purchase of wheat from August, 2006, to March, 2008. A board of officers was constituted for the local purchase. The rates of local purchase up to July, 2007, were Rs 6 to 7 lakh per month per 11.30 metric tonnes but when Lt Col Radha Krishnan was appointed presiding officer of the board, the rates abruptly shot up to Rs 22 lakh per month for 11.30 metric tonnes in July and August, 2007, and this continued till February and March, 2008. Considering the rate fixed from July, 2007, to February, 2008, the total expenditure should have been Rs 57 lakh but the Army spent Rs 1.76 crore, puttting an extra burden of Rs 1.20 crore on the state exchequer. |
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Infiltration
Jammu, May 3 “We are getting inputs that militant groups across the border have been directed to send militants using the Nepal border due to increased vigil on the LoC and the international border,” a senior intelligence officer told The Tribune. The police has recently arrested two militants during a routine frisking in Jammu. The duo had crossed over to Pakistan for arms training and had infiltrated into India on fake Pakistani passports through the Nepal border. The police in Jammu had arrested Hizbul Mujahideen militant Zaid Ahmed Dar, alias Mubassir, of Mustafabad HMT in Srinagar and an overground worker Ateeq Ullah Dar of Behota Mohalla in Doda district. The police had recovered two Pakistani passports and two Pakistani identity cards from their possession. As per intelligence sources, the modus operandi of these militants is simple. First they make a fake Pakistani passport and get a tourist visa for Nepal, and after reaching Nepal they either destroy their passport or hide it and infiltrate into the Indian side. The intelligence agencies are worried as they say that they cannot check the entire border with Nepal as both the countries under an understanding don’t require visa to enter either side. “It is a serious issue that the militants are using Nepal border to infiltrate into our side. We should not forget the hijacking of IC 814 that took place from Nepal, and India had to release some of the deadliest terrorists,” a senior army officer said.
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Theft of Wires
Srinagar, May 3 Earlier, they allegedly “stole” high-tension wires running through the area and few poles that were to be used by the department in the area. Around 8 pm on April 30, a few locals and an employee felled an electric pole having high-tension wire placed over it. They divided the pole into five parts (5-feet long) and as they were going to ferry the logs of pole, local youth stopped them and lodged a complaint with the police, a group of youth said. The police seized the Tata mobile van, but the violators managed to flee. There are reports that these people are planning to fell more poles in the area. “They have already identified prospective buyers. Couple of months ago, these people sold high-tension wires for a hefty sum,” says Iqbal Ahmad, a local youth. Muzaffar Ahmad, another local, said poles in his neighbourhood were in worse condition and despite repeated requests these had not been replaced. “Even if we apply for electric poles, they are not being replaced. However, PDD employees are felling poles and using them for their personal benefits,” Muzaffar said. “I informed the matter to the assistant engineer concerned, but surprisingly he took it with a pinch of salt,” Abdul Qayoom, a senior citizen, said. Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, chief engineer, maintenance and rural electrification (M&RE), PDD, said he would look into the matter. |
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Mufti for speedy resolution of Kashmir issue
Srinagar, May 3 Addressing election rallies in Budgam district, the Mufti said bilateral initiatives between India and Pakistan on Kashmir must move side-by-side to work out a comprehensive solution of the problem. “The PDP’s vision of self-rule lays a roadmap for amicable and speedy settlement of the issue in an environment of broader, permanent and just understanding and cooperation between India and Pakistan,” he said. Meanwhile, senior NC leader and Finance Minister AR Rather said his party was committed to ensuring permanent peace and political stability in the state for all-round development and economic growth. He said the NC would play a pivotal role in bettering the Indo-Pak relations. Saying that the NC will continue to advocate its autonomy proposal at all forums, Rather cautioned the people against the nefarious designs of the PDP. “Our endeavour will be to work for resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue and internal talks between the Union government and the separatists to open venues for settlement of all state-related issues,” he said while addressing election rallies in Budgam district.
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A day in the life of a CRPF jawan
This is no romantic escape in the panoramic Himalayas. Most take it as a ‘duty’ that has no escape. It is a mandatory 40-km march that each CRPF jawan deployed in the Kashmir valley has to undertake daily. Essential for continued dominance in the area, the jawans, many from south Indian states, unaccustomed to the freezing cold continue to serve with a smile.
It is not days, but weeks before a jawan can claim to have had a sound sleep. The only time a jawan from one of the over 65 CRPF battalions in the state is resting, he is dreaming of militants and strategies to protect himself from such elements among the general public. A yet-to-be-published report on traumatic stress among men in the uniformed forces has put the BSF and the CRPF among the top. Many soldiers revealed that being a disciplined force walking 40 km and sometimes an additional 10 to 12 km for the last man to leave was common. Most men have blisters and wounds on the feet. A majority have done away with their directly moulded sole shoes (that weight several kilos) and now wear lighter canvas shoes. “All these beautiful valleys delight visitors, but we are only trying to spot the militants from the crowds. Now due to cellphones we can talk to our families. This helps us to go on”, most jawans say. Jawans on road observation patrol (ROP) are woken up at 4am and given less than an hour to be in the vehicle that drops them in small groups at different points. They get their breakfast on the road itself, after two to three hours of walking in full battle gear. It is mandatory in Kashmir to be wearing bullet-proof jackets, bullet-proof caps and to carry arms and ammunition, sometimes weighing up to 40 kg. The next meal is served only way back at the camp, around 9 pm if it is a normal day and sometimes after 10 pm if there is some VIP movement during the day. For those who are not performing ROP and have been put on a cordon-and-search operation, four to five jawans are expected to sanitise an entire village in five to six hours. In the valley, the security forces work on a “zero error” principal as a small oversight can cost many lives. Risking their lives for the nation, a jawan recruited in 1990 gets a basic salary of under Rs 8,000 plus DA. After deduction he takes home anything between Rs 9,000 to 10,000. Similarly, a recruit of 2006 has a carry-home salary of under Rs 7,000. It is perhaps time the nation adequately compensates them. |
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CRPF officer among 9 hurt
in Srinagar clashes
Srinagar, May 3 A CRPF deputy commandant along with his driver and two personnel security officers (PSOs) were injured when their vehicle was stoned at Khawaja Bazar, official sources said. The vehicle collided with a roadside shop and overturned after its driver lost control due to stone pelting. The stone pelting started in the area and its adjoining localities, including Ranger stop, this morning when the police stopped people from taking out rallies against "frequent restrictions" on their movement, they said. The police fired tear gas shells and resorted to a baton-charge to disperse the protesters, some of whom were also distributing pamphlets prepared by the hardline Hurriyat faction asking people to boycott the parliamentary elections. Five protesters were injured in the clashes that were continuing when reports last came in, they said, adding that reinforcements had been rushed to the area to restore law and order. Most parts of downtown Srinagar remained sealed in view of stringent security measures following a call by the separatists to stage protests after Friday prayers. Shops and business establishments reopened yesterday in the areas falling under five police stations after remaining closed for the past three days in view of a 50-hour strike called by separatists. The police and paramilitary forces again sealed the areas this morning but withdrew the curbs later in view of large-scale protests by locals. —
PTI |
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Flag march in Jammu
Jammu, May 3 Five police contingents started from different corners of the city,namely Ambphalla Chowk, Bakhshi Nagar, Bikram Chowk, Satwari Chowk and Kunjwani Chowk. Each contingent reached its final destination after traversing more than 15 km. Rajendra Kumar asked policemen to concentrate on their physical and mental health so essential for achieving their personal as well as organisational goals. Jammu SSP Manohar Singh said many such programmes like yoga camps and sports activities would be organised in future.
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Poor turnout makes parties jittery
Srinagar, May 3 The lower turnout in Anantnag has made politicians, who had hoped for a good response following huge polling in the Assembly elections, redraw their strategies. Both NC and PDP leaders now believe that Srinagar city would again ignore polling, influenced either by the separatists’ call for boycott or the absence of any locally relevant issue, and are concentrating on its peripheral areas like Sonwar and Hazratbal or the adjoining districts of Budgam and Ganderbal. Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti, patron and president of the PDP, respectively, are crisscrossing the constituency, which goes to the polls on May 7, exhorting their supporters to vote. The PDP is particularly concerned over the poor turnout and is rallying its cadres in Budgam. “The NC benefits from a lower turnout. You have to make it certain that our supporters go out and vote,” Mufti Sayeed told a gathering of his party workers at his residence a few days ago. It is being largely believed that the 24 per cent turn out in Anantnag has brought the NC in the reckoning in a seat otherwise considered safe for the PDP. Moulvi Iftikar Ansari, PDP’s candidate in Srinagar, has made the battle interesting. The tallest leader among Shias, Ansari is running a campaign to rally Shias behind him. They make for close to 20 per cent of the total voters in the Srinagar constituency and are known to vote in large numbers, ignoring boycott calls. Wary of Shia consolidation in a scenario where the polling percentage is likely to be a repeat of Anantnag, the NC is deploying its own Shia leaders, including the MLA from Budgam, to dent Ansari’s hopes. Party president Farooq Abdullah, who is also its candidate here, is taking no chances. A senior NC leader said they had been categorically asked by the party leadership not to take “victory for granted”, believing that a poor turnout would help them. “Farooq sahib had barely managed to win the Sonwar Assembly seat by less than 100 votes and he has not forgotten it,” he said.
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Amarnath pilgrimage from June 7
Srinagar, May 3 At a joint meeting of state government officers and representatives of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) here, it was decided to take up measures in maintenance and preservation of environment and sanitation facilities from the base camps upto the holy cave. The state government has made arrangements for 7,000 quintals of firewood, 10,000 LPG cylinders and other essentials at all halting stations. Medical facilities also would be available. The board will take up works for setting up of pre-fabricated huts. — PTI |
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NC voice of its masters in Delhi, says Mehbooba
Srinagar, May 3 Addressing a public meeting at Tangmarg, Mehbooba said after being elected to power in October 2002, the PDP used the opportunity to implement its political agenda of facilitating peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem, both on external and internal fronts. She said the party remained on the fore-front of the reconciliatory and resolution process, unlike other mainstream political parties, who speak different languages in and outside the power. Mehbooba said the very foundation of the PDP is based on the principle that the Kashmir problem should have a dignified solution not only with the endorsement of India and Pakistan but also in accordance with the wishes of the state’s people to make it tenable and sustainable. “Whether in or outside the government, we have been pursuing this agenda with consistency and determination and it is because of these very policies that much headway was made towards creating an environment for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem between 2002 and 2005,” she said adding that the consistency on party agenda and ideology has become a trait the PDP is now known for. Mehbooba said the NC leaders have been assigned the task of berating the pro-people PDP agenda “by their masters in Delhi who do not want this people’s movement to gain ground”.
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Canal water not reaching tail-end villages
Jammu, May 3 On a question by BJP MLA from the Marh constituency Sukh Nandan, Minister for Irrigation and Flood Control Taj Mohi-ud-Din had assured the House that the de-silting of the canal was going on in full swing and would be completed before water was released into it. But farmers in various tail-end villages in the region said water had failed to reach them as the canal and its tributaries had not been cleaned and were choked with silt and garbage. “They claimed that they would completely de-silt the canal so that water could reach to the tail-end villages,” said Ashok Kumar, a farmer at Chak Gorian village in Bishnah. Speaking to The Tribune, Sukh Nandan said: “Though I raised the issue in the Assembly and the minister concerned had promised that he would personally supervise the de-silting project, nothing had been done.” He added, “Only grass in some areas and silt from the banks have been removed. However, this was an eyewash as they failed to clean the bed of the canal.” The farmers in various villages in Marh and Bishan areas rued that the canal had not been cleaned and they are facing hardship as their vegetable crop was wilting due to the non-availability of water. “The paddy season will soon start for which we need water. However, we don’t get a drop of water due to silt in the canal,” said another farmer in Changiya village in Bishnah. Taj Mohi-ud-din said: “There is no shortage of water, as besides water from the Chenab we have diverted water from the Tawi to the canal also.” Asked about the desilting of the canal, he said: “I have personally supervised the work. The canal has been completed desilted. However, it is Zamindara canals which the farmer themselves have to clean. My department has done its duty of cleaning the network of the main canal.” |
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School under construction ‘unsafe’
Srinagar: An under construction school building at Zandifaran in Baramulla district apart from generating a controversy in the village, about 70 km from the city centre, is reportedly unsafe.
There are reports that the building is coming up in a forest area. “Though some forest officials objected initially yet after their palms were greased, the matter was put on the back burner,” alleged a group of residents. They alleged the plinth of the structure under construction was 2 ft instead of 3.5 ft, rendering the school building unsafe. Recently, Noor-ul-Islam school in Baramulla collapsed, injuring four students. We don’t want this to be repeated here,” they said. According to villagers, a five-member education committee was formed to construct a school. Two-kanal forest land was ‘illegally occupied’ for construction. Reports say more than Rs 8 lakh has been sanctioned for the project. Apart from registering a complaint with the SHO Gantamulla-Sheeri, villagers say “we have approached the Deputy Commissioner concerned as well but no stern action has been initiated.” Acting on the public complaint, the Forest Department directed the zonal education officer (ZEO) concerned to stop work on the school building. The villagers alleged that the committee members were using the school for their vested interests. Daljeet Singh, DFO, Baramulla, says the construction of school was stopped for some time to ascertain the title of land. Initially, the land belonged to the Forest Department but it was given to a group of people under the “Grow more food” scheme and construction is going on there. Besides, there is a court decree issued in 1986, in favour of the person constructing the school,” said the DFO. |
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Transformer catches fire in Bakshi Nagar
Jammu, May 3 As per the local residents, they heard a bang late last night after which the electricity of the entire area went off. The residents raised hue and cry following which the employees of the department came and rectified the fault. “We heard a bang around 10:30 in the night and the light went off. We then called PDD employees, who rectified the fault and restored the light. However, after half an hour there was again a bang and the transformer caught fire,” Ravinder Singh of Bakshi Nagar said. He said: “As the transformer caught fire, fire tenders were called in and the electricity of the entire area was cut off.” He said the entire area had to spend a sleepless night as the fault was beyond repair. “It took several hours to douse the fire so we had to spend sleepless night without fans and coolers,” another resident said. He said: “It was only today in the evening that the PDD replaced the transformer and electricity was restored in the area.” An official of the PDD said: “The fault developed due to overload on the transformer. The residents might be running AC on the line and the capacity of the transformer was not that much so it caught fire.” He said: “We have replaced the transformer and there will be no problem to the people of the area as normal electricity supply has been restored.”
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Low-lying transformers a threat
Jammu: Lives of residents of Jammu city are at risk, as the state Electricity Department has placed transformers close to the ground level, without any fences around them. Passersby may get seriously hurt by coming into contact with live wires passing through them. People in some localities rue that the department has ignored the safety angle while installing the transformers, as their wires continue to threaten their lives. “You can find out how dangerous it is. They have installed the transformers close to the ground level, with live wires passing through them,” said Mangesh Kumar, a resident of Digiana Pully, Jammu. He said, “The lives of small children are more in danger, as they might touch the wires passing through the transformers.” People say they are worried over the installation of transformers close to the ground, as whenever it rains electric current could be felt. “Whenever there is extra load, wires turn red and produce a hissing sound. Its very scary, as we apprehend that these wires might melt and fall on us,” said Anuj, a local resident of the area. “We often hear electric wires fell on people resulting in causalities. Is the department waiting for casualties to happen in our area to take corrective measures?,” said Pankaj Kumar, a resident of Digaina Pully. He added, “Every time we approached the authorities concerned, we were assured that measures would be taken to ensure the safety of the residents. But like politicians they does not care two hoots for the problems of common people.” A senior officer of the Power Development Department (PDD) said, “The matter has been discussed. But in many areas, where these transformers have been installed, we don’t have proper space near them to construct fences around them.” He added, “However, we have noticed that these transformers have been installed at an appropriate height and people should not be scared of them.”
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Rs 3-cr garbage disposal system for Katra
Jammu, May 3 “We are setting up a Rs 3 crore garbage disposal system to cater to the needs of the Katra town. Over 70 lakh pilgrims visit the shrine annually generating huge quantity of garbage,” Reasi district development commissioner Sanjeev Verma said. Over 12 acres has been allotted for the purpose by the Municipal Committee, Katra. Besides this, the government has also proposed various development plans for the beautification of the town. — PTI |
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Extension to dental college principal opposed
Jammu, May 3 The extension to Prof Sharma would not only hamper the development of the dental college but also hit patient care, alleged Dr Ramesh Singh here yesterday. He also accused the medical superintendent of providing best facilities to VIPs and other dignitaries, besides spending funds on public relation exercises at the cost of poor patients. Dr Bhawna Kaul alleged that the medical superintendent had made the college his personal fiefdom “disallowing us from entering even the operating theater”. Principal Mela Ram Sharma, however, described the charges as wild and baseless. “Giving an extension is the prerogative of the government and not mine or of the medical superintendent,” he said. Dr Mohan Singh also refuted the allegations, describing them as a bundle of lies.
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Srinagar to host medical meet
Srinagar, May 3 Dr AG Ahangar, HoD, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), said the four-day conference from May 14 could prove to be a major boost for medical tourism in Kashmir. Experts from abroad and India, including noted names like Dr KM Cherian, Dr Naresh Trehan and Dr MS Valiathan, are expected to speak on advances related with the heart surgeries. Dr Ahangar said cardiac surgeries that cost Rs 2 to 3 lakh in the AIIMS, New Delhi, and Rs 10 lakh in Europe cost only a little over Rs 50,000 in the SKIMS. “My department has successfully carried out advanced surgeries and even conducted DVR through minimal access surgery, a first in the world, which we will share with others during the conference, he added. |
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Various Sikh organisations under the banner of the Bhai Kanahiya Jee Nishkam Seva society today held a protest demonstration and blocked the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway for several hours, against the atrocities committed by the Taliban on the members of the Sikh community living in Swat valley in Pakistan. Sikhs were protesting against the Taliban militants who have demolished 11 houses of the minority community in Pakistan’s troubled Aurakzai tribal region
Srinagar, May 3
