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Rs 1 crore looted from J&K Bank PHE staff strike on July 14
Omar govt stumbles from one crisis to another
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Jammu SSP’s escort staff ‘rough up’ students
Admn to ‘reach out’ to people Now, farm scientists a call away Encroachments removed from banks of Devika Project for Wular Lake under study Shepherd who first spotted Pak troops in Kargil 9,845 have darshan at
Amarnath shrine Imposition of Service Tax De-addiction centre faces closure VDC member killed in militant attack 4.58 lakh cft of timber to be distributed Plea to hike IT exemption limit CM ‘endorses’ BJP stand on AFSPA Govt failed to address youth’s problems: PDP 6 papers of ETT exam put off
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Rs 1 crore looted from J&K Bank Udhampur, July 8 Though the chest in the strong room of the bank is safe, burglars took away the money that was kept in two boxes in addition to the chest. DGM of the bank Abdul Rashid, who rushed to the spot after the incident, told mediapersons that the burglars had decamped with about Rs 1 crore. The police said a class IV employee noticed the main shutter of bank office opened this morning and informed superiors about the theft. A team of senior police officers rushed to the spot and sealed the bank premises. After a team of forensic science experts and sniffer dogs reached the spot, the shutter was opened. Two boxes, which were lying outside the strong room, were found opened. Sources said one box was containing Rs 93 lakh while as Rs 13 lakh was placed in another box. “We are investigating all options,” a senior police officer said. He did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of some insiders in the incident. Interestingly, it is yet not known why such a huge amount was kept outside the strong room despite being the fact that there was an adequate space to keep this amount in the chest also. Sources said the burglars entered into the premises of the bank through a small gate, which was unlocked, and after breaking the main shutter, sneaked into the bank by uprooting the exhaust fan.
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PHE staff strike on July 14 Jammu, July 8 The new transfer policy was nothing but a ploy to victimise employees so as to suppress their genuine demands, said Bakshi Singh, provincial president of the PHE Workers Welfare Association. By accusing department employees of shirking work, Taj had tried to defame them in public, he added. Bakshi alleged that the minister introduced the new transfer policy with the sole motive to divert attention from their genuine demands, besides harassing them. Association general secretary Subash Verma asked the minister to refrain from making provocative remarks against the employees. “How employees could be brought under the ambit of the new transfer policy when there were no service and promotion rules, no seniority system, accommodation and other facilities for the employees,” asked Verma. Asked about the government threat to clamp ESMA against union leaders if they went ahead with the proposed tool-down strike on July 14, the leaders cautioned the authorities that they would fight the ‘autocratic’ rule of the minister. However, Taj said the new transfer policy would ensure accountability and transparency in the functioning of the department. He had claimed that around 3,000 class IV employees, despite attaining the age of superannuation, continued to work in the department. Besides, he said out of a total 30,000 class IV employees, about 10,000 seldom do their duties.
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Omar govt stumbles from one crisis to another Srinagar, July 8 Official and political sources said the government has been left wanting on the administration as well as political fronts as protests erupting in different parts of Kashmir seem to feed off each other in the absence of a firm approach by the administration and knee-jerk responses. If the local administration’s cover-up and Omar’s statements negating the possibility of rape and murder of two women in Shopian gave the separatists, who were left cooling their heels after Assembly and Parliamentary elections, an issue on a platter; his impulsive decision to withdraw the CRPF from Baramulla and claims that the central force would be replaced by the police, almost impossible going by the current police numbers, left many police officials wringing their hands in despair and the central force demoralised. A senior official said the Chief Minister has a vision for the state and required sincerity but the chain of events since he took over has proved too much for him. “He is still learning but the problem is that there is not much time for it in Kashmir. Any Chief Minister here is required to make a very fine balance between security needs and popular sentiments for minimal security interference in daily life,” he said, adding that Mufti Sayeed was deft in walking this tightrope. With his government still making do with only nine ministers for various reasons, official sources said a clear administration agenda to rule the state had not crystallized yet even as NC leaders, long waiting for their induction in the ministry, have been left sulking. A large stretch of Kashmir has no representation in the ministry and the NC, which is a dominant Kashmiri partner in the government while the Congress draws its strength from the Jammu region, has no minister from all four districts of south Kashmir. Interestingly, the places which have witnessed maximum unrest are those with a very marginalised NC base like Shopian, Anantnagh, Pulwama and, to some extent, Baramulla. The CM has long been saying that an expansion is imminent but the long wait has only added to the disappointment among his supporters.
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Jammu SSP’s escort staff ‘rough up’ students Jammu, July 8 Besides, the police also arrested four student leaders of the Jammu Joint Students Federation (JJSF) and booked them under Section 55/109, RPC. Trouble erupted around 10 am when around 100 girl students led by the four JJSF leaders took out a rally from Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, in south Jammu. On their way to Government College for Women, Parade, the rally caused a traffic snarl on the busy road, that leads to the airport. Incidentally, SSP, Jammu, Manohar Singh’s motorcade got stuck in the traffic jam and to make way for him his personal security officers allegedly roughed up some agitating students, particularly four JJSF leaders Pratap Singh Jamwal, Sumit Gupta, Dalbir Singh and Rahil Sharma. Talking to The Tribune, Jamwal alleged that not only SSP’s security personnel cane-charged the students, but also arrested him and the other three JJSF leaders without any provocation. “Subsequently, we were taken to the Nehru Market police post, where a case under Section 55/109, RPC, was registered against us,” he said. “The police has implicated us in a false case and we have apprised the Divisional Commissioner about police brutalities on peacefully agitating students,” he added. Students were proceeding towards the Parade Ground college to meet NK Verma, Commissioner/Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, to get their grievances redressed. However, when the students of the college at Parade learnt about the police action, JJSF state president Pushpinder Singh took out another rally and met Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kotwal, who in turn talked to IG, Jammu, K Rajendra. Eventually, the four student leaders were brought to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and bailed out by a tehsildar around 4 pm. Meanwhile, the SSP outrightly denied the charges saying none of the agitating students was manhandled or cane-charged. “They blocked the road, bringing traffic movement to a halt. Two ambulances carrying patients, one of them had suffered a heart-attack, were stuck in the jam,” he added. A case under Section 55/109, RPC, had been registered against the student leaders, said the SSP. Meanwhile, Verma said the government was weighing all options to redress the grievances of the students.
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Admn to ‘reach out’ to people Jammu, July 8 “The purpose behind running summer secretariat in Jammu is that people of the region do not face any problems regarding water, electricity and essential supplies, especially in the summer, due to the shifting of darbar to Srinagar,” he said. Interacting with different deputations at the Summer Secretariat here today, Slathia said different ministers were attending the secretariat on a rotation basis to redress public problems concerning different departments. Deputations from Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Billawer, Rajouri and other far-flung areas of the Jammu division met the minister and apprised him of their problems concerning basic facilities, foodgrain supplies, drinking water, electricity and employment. Slathia said the government believed that educated youth should venture into private jobs as the government sector was already overburdened and could not accommodate all educated unemployed. He said the government was working to enhance the employability of youth in the private sector. The minister assured representatives of the J&K Rural Development Society that every effort was being made to ensure equitable development by focusing on far-flung and rural pockets. |
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Now, farm scientists a call away Jammu, July 8 Setting an an example for others, the scientists at the Dry-land Research Substation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu, at Rakh Dhiansar near Bari Brahmana are publicising their mobile phone numbers so that the farmers could seek expert advice round the clock. The varsity is already providing consultancy services to the farmers on helpline numbers: 1551 and 01923-220821. On these numbers, the farmers can seek quick solutions to their problems related to horticulture, agriculture and animal husbandry etc. Dr VS Verma, senior scientist and in charge of the sub-centre, devised this innovative method and discussed it with his colleagues. “Their response was very encouraging. We all decided to serve the interests of the farmers even while off-duty,” said Dr Verma, who is also a senior scientist in fruit plant pathology. “We are visiting fields frequently for educating farmers of the rain-fed areas as well as command areas to address their farm-related problems,” he said. He added, “The farming community is illiterate and adopts traditional farming practices that leads to low crop production and hence low net returns.” “The scientists are going a step further by providing their mobile phone numbers to the farmers for seeking advice on high yield varieties of different crops or any farm-related problems at any time during the season,” Verma said.
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Encroachments removed from banks of Devika Udhampur, July 8 It may be recalled that the high court on a writ petition on June 4 ordered the district authorities to remove encroachments falling outside the limits of the Udhampur municipality on the government land on the banks of the Devika. The encroachments were removed today in the first phase of the drive. Similar encroachments within the limits of the Udhampur municipality would be removed in the next phase after the expiry of notices served on the offenders by the municipal authorities. The residents of the area cooperated with the team and removed encroachments on their own. In case of some large structures, the owners took up the removal of the part falling on the government land on their own and undertook to complete the work within a time frame. They also gave an undertaking individually in writing to the magistrate stating that they would remove the encroachments within the time mentioned in the affidavits. The team of officers, which supervised the drive, included Rajesh Sharma, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Udhampur, Rajeshwar Singh, SP, City, PC Tanoch, Executive Engineer, PWD, Ashwani Kumar, tehsildar (territorial), Vivek Gupta, DSP, and Bansi Lal Sharma, BDO, Udhampur.
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Project for Wular Lake under study New Delhi, July 8 Terming Wular and Dal Lakes as “critical water bodies” in need of urgent attention, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said the Centre had received a Wular conservation proposal worth Rs 360 crore from the state So far, Dal Lake is the only water body from Kashmir being conserved under the government’s centrally sponsored scheme called National Lake Conservation Action Plan. Since the inception of the scheme in June 2001, the Centre has received proposals to conserve 77 lakes across India However, the ministry had so far sanctioned projects for the conservation of 57 lakes at an estimated cost of Rs 856.76 crore, the minister said in in the Lower House. Dal Lake in Srinagar was one among the sanctioned projects, with Rs 300 crore set aside for cleaning up the water body. The government said the project to clean Dal Lake would be fully commissioned within two years, clarifying that it was committed only to conserving the Lake by setting up sewage treatment plants to prevent pollution of Dal. “The state government is yet to relocate the families settled in Dal Lake. That needs to be done,” Jairam Ramesh said, expressing grave concern on the Wular’s status.
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Shepherd who first spotted Pak troops in Kargil Batalik, July 8 Recounting his experience, Tashi Namgyal said: “I had gone to search for my yak on the top of Banju hill in Batalik when, I saw through my binoculars six Pakistani troops patrolling the area. “I immediately rushed to inform the nearest Indian army post about the intrusion. I am proud of this as it matters so much to me.” Namgyal had been awarded for his contribution. He did not find his yak, but says the Army “more than compensated” him for the loss of his pet. “I got a lot of support from the Army at that time, and their formations here still recognise my contribution,” he said. Apart from the one-time award of Rs 50,000 by the 8 Mountain Division commander in 1999, he has since been getting regular monetary help from the Army. “All commanders in the area have helped me whenever I was in a crisis,” he said. “Three years after the war, I had found the body of a 1/11 Gorkha Rifles soldier on Kukarthang ridge, which helped the soldier’s family in getting the compensation,” he said, adding that he also helped in retrieving the body of Major M. Sarvanan of 1 Bihar Regiment. Tashi said his role in the war helped bring his community — Aryans — into the limelight. But, the major grouse of members of the community was lack of financial resources, adequate educational facilities and avenues for employment. The community wants the four villages - Dah, Gurcoon, Darchik, Bamiah - inhabited by the Aryans, to be a part of Leh district only and not of both Leh and Kargil, he added. “I hope the 10th anniversary of the Kargil war reminds the state government about its responsibility towards the community,” he said.— PTI
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9,845 have darshan at
Amarnath shrine Srinagar, July 8 A spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said the pilgrimage to the cave shrine was going on smoothly on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes and 9,845 yatris performed darshan yesterday. He said another batch of 1,640 yatris left from Jammu for the Nunwan and Baltal Base Camps today. Over 2.26 lakh pilgrims had performed darshan at the holy cave till last evening. Meanwhile, chief executive officer of the SASB BB Vyas visited the Nunwan base camp (Pahalgam) and Mir Bazar in Anantnag district today and took stock of the arrangements made for the facility of the pilgrims. Meanwhile, a 90-year-old sadhu died after paying obeisance at the cave shrine of Amarnath today, raising the death toll in the ongoing pilgrimage to 24. According to official sources, Shambu Giri, a resident of UP, died of cardiac arrest at the Nunwan base camp along the traditional Pahalgam-cave route this morning. They said Giri had returned from the holy cave last evening. |
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Imposition of Service Tax Jammu, July 8 General secretary Rajesh Thappa, advocate, described the imposition of Service Tax on the lawyers as arbitrary, unjust and an unmindful act of the government. Thappa termed the legal profession as one of the noblest profession where the aggrieved were being provided services on equal footing. But this evasive and uncalled for decision of the government would affect the poor and underprivileged class of society.
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De-addiction centre faces closure Srinagar, July 8 “This has virtually led to the closure of the centre. Nearly two lakh people are involved in drug addiction, and going by the lackadaisical approach of the said Ministry it appears that they are against the eradication of this social evil in the valley. Even today a couple of drug addicts approach me on daily basis, but the centre can’t offer any assistance as we have been turned bankrupt,” Dr. Ghulam Nabi Wani, founder of the HNSS, said. The centre located at Khanyar, just a few km from city-centre, has been functioning over the past one decade. In 2008, the centre had started detoxification of female-addicts. Dr. Wani has approached the President’s office, the Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and also Governor NN Vohra. “Though the President’s office has been cooperative, but I have been dejected with the attitude of others. In February, I approached the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, but they denied any help as they said my case has been delayed by two years.” He said his file for recommendation of grant-in-aid by the state government reached the office of Ministry four days late due to “official and procedural delay.” “All documents were in place. But my file was deliberately delayed by 23 months. According to General Financial Rules, grant-in-aid is stopped to organisations that fail to submit requisite documents within two years. I am in touch with them, but never received a response. I personally went to the office of Ministry in February and virtually retrieved my file from dustbin,” he said. He said: “Despite the good work being done by the centre, they were punished. We appeal to the government to review the case.” “At times, the government relaxes rules. Why can’t they do so here as well keeping into consideration the situation prevailing over here? In almost every state there are 5-20 de-addiction centres functioning, but in Kashmir valley that is not the case,” he said. He alleged that grant-in-aid was granted in favour of those who grease their palms.
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VDC member killed in militant attack
Srinagar, July 8 Militants opened fire on VDC member Akbar Gorsi and 13-year-old Farid at Chiti Nadi Behak in Damhal-Hanjipora, 80 km from here, in the early hours today, killing Gorsi on the spot, a police spokesman said. He said Akbar and Farid were part of a group of shepherds who had moved from Reasi to Kulgam in search of green pastures. The injured boy was admitted to the Anantnag district hospital, the spokesman said. In another incident today, the security forces arrested a supporter of militants along with four Chinese grenades and 50 AK-47 rifle rounds during an operation at Matibugh in Kulgam district. Javid Ahmad Malik, a resident of Danew-Kandimarg, was arrested by a joint team of the police, Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF acting on specific information, the spokesman said. —
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4.58 lakh cft of timber to be distributed Srinagar, July 8 The Forest Minister directed that the timber should be distributed as per the norms of the department among the needy ones. He also directed that if needed the seized timber of 32000 cft should also be distributed among the consumers. The minister directed the Forest Corporation authorities for accelerating their efforts for extraction of timber from forests well in time so that people did not face any hardship. The verification of deserving persons should be done well in time and every needy consumer be provided timber for the construction purposes. |
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Plea to hike IT exemption limit Jammu, July 8 Reacting to the income tax exemption of Rs 1.6 lakh offered by the Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget for 2009-10. NMC president Subash Shastri said the exemption offered would not provide any relief to the fixed income group. He said the IT exemption limit should be raised to Rs 3 lakh to provide relief to the salaried class. Shastri also asked Pranab to provide a special financial package of Rs 8,000 crore for providing all benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission to the state government employees and pensioners. |
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CM ‘endorses’ BJP stand on AFSPA Jammu, July 8 He said the BJP was also opposed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s stand at the meeting of the Unified Command in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambram on abolishing the AFSPA. He warned that they would launch an agitation if the Act was abrogated. “We believe the situation will deteriorate if the AFSPA is withdrawn,” he added.
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Govt failed to address youth’s problems: PDP Jammu, July 8 Addressing a meeting of the youth wing of the party, PDP general secretary Thakur Balbir Singh said the the NC-Congress regime had failed to solve the problems of youth. The NC during the Assembly elections had promised to provide stipend to the educated unemployed youth of the state. He said the promise remained only on papers as during the past six months not only a single step had been taken so far to solve the problems of the youth. Exhorting the youth to oppose the anti-people policies of the coalition regime, he said the coalition had failed on all fronts. “Every section of society has been bearing the brunt of the wrong policies of the coalition regime,” he said and called upon the youth wing of the party to launch a campaign against the government. |
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6 papers of ETT exam put off Jammu, July 8 These papers were postponed following a court notice received by the BOSE on July 7 in which it was directed to the authorities to conduct the examination of ETT second batch along with the ETT first batch. Yesterday, around 17,000 students faced inconvenience when their paper was postponed without giving any prior information to them. Clarifying the reason for the postponement of the papers, joint secretary, BOSE, Ashok Kumar Abrol said the exam was postponed as it was impossible for them to conduct the examination of second batch along with the first batch. He said they received a court notice two times, one on June 27 and another on July 7. Accordingly, they filed objection in the court on June 29 and now after sorting out the issue, they would announce the new dates of the examination. |
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Srinagar, July 8
