Jammu, July 6
After the state government imposed a ban on polythene, the union of polythene bags manufacturers and traders said more than 50 industrial units in the business of manufacturing these bags have closed down, rendering more than 15,000 workers jobless.

“The annual turnover of polythene bags was more than Rs 100 crore and the blanket ban by the government on polythene has given a major blow to the industry of Jammu,” said Rajesh Gupta, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Polythene Manufacturers and Traders Association, Jammu.

In Jammu alone there were 50 units in the business of manufacturing polythene bags, Gupta said, ruing that before passing the bill the government did not bother to invite objections from the people associated with these units.

The daily consumption of polythene bags in the state was estimated at more than 200 tonnes while the local units were producing only 50 tonnes with the rest being imported from other states.

“The trade of polythene bags is still going on. While the government has imposed a ban on the manufacturing of polythene bags in Jammu, the import of these bags from other states is openly going on,” Gupta said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Polythene Manufacturer and Traders Association today held a demonstration here, claiming that the government had shown a bias against the Jammu region as there was not a single polythene bags unit in the Kashmir valley. They said the government should immediately withdraw the order banning the sale of polythene bags, keeping in view the livelihood of people associated with the industry.

Jammu, July 6
Out patient services (OPD) in hospitals in the region were partly affected today as doctors went on a day-long token strike in protest against anomalies in their pay scales vis-a-vis their counterparts in the Kashmir region, besides several other unfulfilled demands.

The disgruntled doctors protested under the banner of the Doctors Joint Action Committee comprising the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) and the Doctors Association of Jammu.

The postgraduate doctors alleged that in 2005 the state government had agreed to end discrimination against them in terms of salaries. “Accordingly, the strike was called off after we were assured of annual increments. But things did not materialise due to delaying tactics of the government,” said the protesting doctors.

Junior doctors rued that they were being given less stipend than their counterparts in the Kashmir valley. “The first year PG doctors in Jammu are getting Rs 11,800, whereas second and third year PG doctors get Rs 15,700 on a monthly basis. But the junior doctors are being given Rs 24,000 per month,” said convener of the JDA Dr Satyinder Singh.

“Though there is a common entrance test (CET) for all three medical institutes of the state, including Government Medical College, Jammu, Government Medical College, Srinagar, and the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Saura, candidates from the Jammu region are facing discrimination,” he said.

The association demanded parity in the pay scales of junior doctors in both regions, besides treating them like assistant surgeons and house surgeons. In view of the Sadar-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO) 93 that stands for the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the doctors sought that they be placed in the pay band 3 from the existing pay band 2 on the pattern of other states. They demanded that they be placed a grade above the plus two lecturers and the Indian System of Medicines (ISM) doctors in view of their long and uncertain working hours.

They further sought that assault on any health employee during working hours be considered a non-bailable offence. “At present, promotion are being affected after 10, 15 and 20 years. We ask the government to change the promotion policy and promote doctors after 4, 10 and 15 years,” they said and demanded that doctors having an experience of more than 20 years be inducted into higher administrative services.

Srinagar, July 6
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has welcomed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s announcement to provide funds for a mega cluster park for carpets in Srinagar and urged the state government to avail of the initiative.

KCCI president Mubeen Shah hoped that there would be a proper and timely implementation of the measure.

Referring to the increase of 23 per cent in the allocation for the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP), the KCCI president said the state government should “insist that out national highways from Jammu-Srinagar, Srinagar-Baramulla and Srinagar-Ladakh should be covered by it.”

Under the Urban Infrastructure Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) allocations had been increased by 87 per cent to Rs 12,887 crore. The state government should ensure it got a fair share, particularly for Srinagar, so that sewerage and drainage here were made of international standards by micro tunnelling, Shah said.

Allocations had also been increased under the Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (APDRP) and the state government should utilise it so that electricity transmission losses could be reduced, he said.

The KCCI also welcomed enhanced allocations under the Market Development Assistance Scheme and hoped that the Centre would further allocate funds to the state. However, it was disappointed that no sanction had been made for a mega handloom cluster, a mega handicraft cluster and a mega powerloom cluster for Kashmir.

Srinagar, July 6
In a sign of protests in the valley turning increasingly violent, cops patrolling Maisuma to keep stone-pelting youths at bay were attacked with a grenade that left three of them injured.

Cops fire tear gas shells to chase away protesters at Maisuma Chowk in Srinagar on Monday. Photo: Amin War

(However, according to PTI, at least 13 persons, including four policemen, were injured in the attacks and clashes with security men.)

The Sopore police station was also attacked with two grenades today but they went off without harming any life.

The grenade attack on the cops in the evening created panic and sounds of bullet fire were also heard but the cause the clash could not be confirmed.

The police said three cops were taken to hospital after sustaining injuries. Some youths of Maisuma, a dense locality rife with protesters ever ready to take to streets, had blocked the roads at Budshah Bridge and protested against the alleged failure of the authorities to locate a 20-year-old youth, Ashrar Dar, who went missing four days back.

Cops were present in the area throughout the day to keep situation under control. They resorted to firing tear shells to disperse the crowd as shopkeepers closed shutters. The clashes were culminated with the grenade attack creating a wave of panic in the nearby commercial hub of the summer capital with people seen running away from the area.

Earlier in the day, grenade blasts rang out in Sopore. One grenade went off as it fell on the roof of a police station while another blasted midway in the air.

There is an increasing concern over the deteriorating law and order in the valley since the Shopian incident in May end. Some parts of Kashmir witnesses violence almost everyday with cops and CRPF personnel coming under attack from increasingly aggressive mob as the state administration seems in two minds over its options.

Jammu, July 6
Prof Sham Lal, nodal officer of colleges, has assured students that the third merit list will be declared tomorrow in all colleges. He hoped that the students, whose name did not appear in the earlier merit lists, would be absorbed.

Students, who had applied for admission to three-year degree courses and whose names did not appear in the second merit list, held a protest rally today. They raised slogans against the authorities concerned.

The students gathered on the premises of Government College for Women, Parade, and Gandhi Nagar, and there they were addressed by leaders of the Jammu Joint Students Federation (JJSF). Later they marched towards Government Gandhi Memorial (GGM) Science College in a procession.

The protesters criticised the authorities concerned for the anti-student strategy and demanded that admissions be made open for all students. Partap Singh Jamwal, state vice-president of the JJSF, said the federation would render all possible help to the students. He suggested Sham Lal to start new courses in the evening colleges so that the remaining students could be adsorbed.

Srinagar, July 6
Around 10,000 pilgrims left Pahalgam and Baltal base camps for the Amarnath cave shrine this morning after remaining suspended due to bad weather and slippery condition of the tracks yesterday.

A spokesman for Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) here said 3,500 pilgrims left the Nunwan base camp at Pahlgam and around 6,090 pilgrims left the Baltal base camp for paying obeisance at the shrine. Another batch of 2,217 pilgrims left from Jammu for Pahalgam and Baltal base camps this morning, and had arrived at their respective destinations by the evening.

The spokesman added that 4,638 yatris had darshan yesterday.

The shrine board has evacuated three more critically ailing yatris to the Baltal base camp hospital in the last 48 hours. Gayatri Devi of Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi, was airlifted from Sheshnag to Baltal on Saturday, after she had fallen seriously ill. Shekhar Chand Ashoty, 68, from Jabalpur, and suffering from acute asthma, and Abi Narang from Faridabad, were airlifted from Panjtarni to the Baltal base camp hospital on Sunday, the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, traders and transporters observed a complete shutdown in Pahalgam town today demanding ‘relaxation in restrictions’ by the shrine board. A local trader said the pilgrims were not being allowed to move around and stay in local hotels.

He added that the transport services were also being restricted, denying benefits to the local operators who always depended upon the yatra.

The locals complained that the yatra had been going on for centuries with the active support of the locals, but they were being ignored now.

However, the officials concerned claimed that the matter had been resolved amicably between various sections of the traders’ community to ensure a smooth and unhindered movement of the yatris from the base camp. The 16-km-long motorable road from Pahalgam to Chandanwari leads to the 32-km-long track to the cave shrine on this traditional route.

Jammu, July 6
The industry in the state is disappointed over the Budget presented in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today.

The crippled state industry had suffered a severe blow after the excise refund package extended for 10 years was withdrawn by the Centre midway. However, it was hoping Pranab would offer some sops for it, but he did otherwise.

“The Budget is disappointing, as there is nothing for the overall growth of the state or the industry,” Ram Sahai, president of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Jammu, told The Tribune.

He added, “The industry in Jammu was expecting that the Union government would restore the excise refund package that was withdrawn last year, but the Finance Minister did not touch it.”

Ram Sahai said the state industry and the government had requested the Centre to extend an industrial package to the state like the one given to the northeastern state. However, nothing was done in this regard.

Annil Suri, former chairman of the Federation of Industries, Jammu, said, “This is a very disappointing Budget as far as the industry in the state is concerned. We were expecting that the excise refund package will be reviewed and the area-based incentives will be extended. But nothing of that sort was done.”

He added, “Though there is a good news that the fringe benefit tax (FBT) and the commodities transaction tax (CTT) have been abolished, the minimum alternative tax (MAT) has been increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.”

Suri said though he was waiting for the micro details of the Budget, overall it had nothing for the state.

Sanjay Puri, chairman of the J&K chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industries, termed the Budget as a politician’s Budget and not an economist’s Budget, aimed at pleasing the common masses.

“It is a politician’s Budget and not an economist’s Budget. The industry in Jammu had high hopes, as it wanted the government to cut down the import duty on copper, but nothing had been done,” Puri said.

President of the Federation of Industries, Jammu, Tejwant Singh Reen also termed it as disappointing for the state.

Meanwhile, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh said the Budget was a clear example of “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

Bhalesa (Doda), July 6
On the assurance of the previous Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led regime to properly rehabilitate him, Abdul Latif, a resident of Batyas, had laid down his arms and joined the main stream in 2003 to live a peaceful life with his family. But Latif now repents his decision as the authorities have failed to fulfil the promises.

Earning bread and butter is not the only concern for him. Latif is worried about his family’s security as the militants are repeatedly threatening him of dire consequences. “Surrendered militants are just like sitting ducks,” rued Haji Rashid, an elderly person of this belt, who has played an important role in convincing misguided youth to join the main stream.

The government had promised to provide adequate security to them as well as their families but it was not fulfilled, he said. Furthermore, after their surrender, the local police also reopened old cases and again put some of them behind bars, Rashid said. During the peak of militancy in the mid 90s when the security forces were groping in the dark, these surrendered militants helped the forces in counter-insurgency operations, he said.

“As soon as the security forces attained an upper hand vis-a-vis militants they started ignoring our contribution,” regretted Shaheen (name changed), another surrendered militant.

“During the past five years no agency has come forward to help us. We have become an eyesore for militant groups due to our role in counter-insurgency operations,” he said.

Shaheen, who laid down his arms in 1996, said: “At that time we had patronage of the Army, the paramilitary forces and the local police but after 2002 we were thrown at the mercy of the militants,” he said. He said due to the security threats some surrendered militants had rejoined some outfits as overground workers (OGWs) to ensure safety of their families.

According to official data, over 600 youths have surrendered in the Doda area during the past one decade. Out of these surrendered militants, about 100 of them were later killed by militants in revenge.

Hemant Kumar Lohia, DIG Doda-Ramban range, told The Tribune that the surrendered militants had become target of the terrorists due to their lack of cooperation with the local police. “At the time of surrender, they were asked to keep liaison with the local police but some of them failed to do so ,” he said.

Jammu, July 6
Turning out to be a case of honour killing, a man, who was questioned by the police after his daughter was found dead in her house under mysterious circumstances in an Akhnoor village, today confessed to his crime.

Seema Sharma, 23, daughter of Pritam Lal Sharma of Bhalwal Brahmana village in Akhnoor, was found dead in her house yesterday.

A year back, the girl had married a minibus driver, Tarsem Lal, in court, but she did not disclose it to her parents to escape their wrath.

Official sources told The Tribune that put to sustained questioning, Pritam Lal today broke down and confessed to killing his daughter.

In his statement, he confessed to having poisoned his daughter and then strangulating her, they said. Pritam Lal had been opposed to the inter-caste marriage of his daughter with Tarsem Lal, they added.

Despite being legally married to Tarsem Lal in court, Pritam Lal had been forcing Seema to part ways with him, as he belonged to a lower caste, the sources said.

However, Seema did not obey his father, infuriating him. Pritam Lal then hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her to ‘salvage the honour of his family’, they said.

The sources said the Akhnoor police had obtained a confession statement from Pritam Lal, wherein he admitted that he first poisoned Seema and then strangulated her with a wire.

A case under Section 302, RPC, had been registered against him, they added.

Initially, Pritam Lal tried to mislead the police by accusing Tarsem Lal of poisoning his daughter, but strangulation marks around Seema’s neck aroused our suspicion, said a senior police officer.

A detailed chargesheet would soon be produced before a court of law, he added.

Meanwhile, Tarsem Lal had been shifted to ward number 15 of Government Medical College here. After coming to know about Seema’s death, Tarsem had consumed poison yesterday.

The family of Seema had selected another boy for marriage on July 3.

However, a week ago Seema disclosed to her family that she was already married to Tarsem Lal, forcing Pritam Lal to marry off Seema’s younger sister Anita to the boy.