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Congress infighting reaches Delhi
Panthers Party youth president joins BJP
Lajpat Nagar Blast Verdict
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If assessment made at a lower rate
CM stresses on fast tracking ERA projects
Minister kick-starts work on road
Relief package
Data of water pumping stations to be online
Darbar Move
Class X Paper Leak Scandal
Inter-district Recruitment
Two hideouts busted, arms seized
Intermittent rain in valley Founder editor of Urdu daily dead
Ex-Wing Commander commits suicide
Shabir Shah hospitalised
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Congress infighting reaches Delhi
Jammu, April 28 The Congress high command has summoned leaders of both factions to listen to their grievances so as to evolve a consensus for smooth running of the party in the state and strengthening of the coalition regime. Sources in the party said some senior Congress leaders separately met with Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and Minister of Medical and Technical Education RS Chib who had visited the Union Capital last week. After meeting both the leaders who belong to rival factions, the high command has decided to call some other prominent leaders of both groups to listen to their grievances. Leaders of both factions have been called individually to sort out the issue. The Congress in Jammu and Kashmir is divided between two factions - one owns its allegiance to PCC chief Saifuddin Soz, while the other group is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand. This group is known as loyalists of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The pro-Soz group has already launched an aggressive campaign against Tara Chand and this group has been demanding his replacement, as according to them he was indulged in fuelling factionalism in the party. This group has been especially targeting the Deputy Chief Minister to demoralise other leaders of this faction. The rival group, on the other hand, is exerting pressure on the party high command to change the PCC chief. They have charged Soz with projecting some “deserters” in the party to demoralise the dedicated and senior party workers. This faction repeatedly mentioned the function that was held at Katra, which was organised by a former Panthers Party leader and the local Congress unit was not invited. Insiders in the party said due to infighting, the Congress had failed to take credit of some of the revolutionary steps that were taken by the government, especially exclusion of Scheduled Castes (SCs) from the controversial Inter-district Recruitment Bill. Despite being in the government, the Congress leaders failed to give an impression to the people that the SCs were excluded from the Bill all due to their stand. Sources said the high command had taken serious note of the failure of the party to encash such steps and warned the leaders against the anti-party activities. Interestingly, leaders of both warring factions have been shifting responsibilities on each other for the failure of the party to take credit of the exclusion of the SCs from the Bill. The sources said besides RS Chib, Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla also visited the Union Capital and sounded the party leadership about the developments in the party. |
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Panthers Party youth president joins BJP
Jammu, April 28 Speaking on the occasion, Khatana gave reasons for his disillusionment with the Panthers Party and stated that the highly partisan and blatantly anti-Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other reserved categories, role played by the Panthers Party during the consideration of the Inter-district Recruitment Bill in the Assembly has exposed its real face. Justifying his joining the BJP, he said the core ideology of this party was revealed by the remarks of its national president Nitin Gadkari who had made it clear that the party was not against any religion. Manhas and Gupta, while welcoming Khatana into the party, said a vicious propaganda had been launched against the BJP to tarnish its secular image. They said the BJP stood for strengthening nationalist forces and it never played politics on the name of religion or caste. “For the BJP, anyone who respects the Indian Constitution is a true Indian. Anyone who indulges in anti-national activities, irrespective of his religion or region, is a criminal and should be punished under the law of the land,” Manhas said. Meanwhile, BJP Mahila Morcha leader Sakina Bano, in consultation with president Shamsher Singh Manhas, has constituted a state team with Kamla Gutpa, Sushma Manhas, Manju Gupta, Amresh Khajuria, Neena Gupta as vice-presidents, Priya Sethi as general secretary, Santosh Bhagat, Sudesh Trilochan, Raj Dulari Gupta, Vijay Raina, Pushpa Devi and Usha Sharma as secretaries, Sonia as cashier, Rajni Sethi as media secretary and Pinky Gupta as office secretary. Meanwhile, PDP vice-president and former Rajya Sabha member Trilok Singh Bajwa said today that this dispensation had been exposed within 15 months of its formation because it had reneged on all promises made with the people during the Assembly elections. Addressing a function organised by the youth wing of the party, Bajwa said except promises, nothing concrete had been done on the ground by this regime. He added that the achievements of this government were confined only on papers because this regime was more concerned about issuing press statements and conducting photo sessions to hoodwink the common masses. During the past 15 months, woes of the common masses had been compounded due to the wrong policies of this regime, he said. He added that every section of society was on warpath, but the ruling elites seemed to be unconcerned towards growing unrest among different sections of society. “This dispensation is repeating the same blunders which were committed by the previous NC regime from 1996 to October 2002,” he pointed out and recalled revolutionary steps that were taken during the PDP-Congress regime in the state. In the meeting, which was organised by Varinder Singh, Dimple Kumar was nominated as president of the youth wing Jammu East and Sanjeev Khajuria as president of the youth wing Jammu West. Ved Mahajan, Daman Bhasin, Surjeet Kour, Abdul Rashid Malik, Harmeet Singh, Sohit Sharma, Balbir Singh youth leader, Jagjeet Singh Jaggi, Chatter Saini, Rajesh Bali and others also spoke on the occasion. |
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Lajpat Nagar Blast Verdict Srinagar, April 28 The fast was launched outside the JKLF office in Maisuma this morning where several JKLF members joined him. The protesters included Bashir Ahmad Bhat and Ghulam Rasool Eidie. Malik had launched a protest march to the central Lal Chowk after Friday prayers last week against the death sentence to three persons. Those awarded death sentence by a Delhi court on April 22 include Mohammad Ali Bhat and Nissar Hussain from Srinagar and Mohammad Naushad from Delhi. Another accused in the case, Javed Ahmad Khan, was awarded life term. Malik has also decided to hold a protest in Delhi against the verdict. A number of separatist leaders visited Malik at the fasting site in Maisuma. Malik said the agitation against the court decision would continue until it was changed. Geelani for Friday protests The hardline APHC chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, here today announced weekly protests after Friday prayers against a Delhi court verdict that awarded the death sentence to three persons, including two Kashmiris, in the Lajpat Nagar blast case of 1996. Addressing mediapersons here, Geelani said the protests would begin with a march from Lal Chowk to the office of the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOG) at Sonwar here. During his visit to Shopian yesterday, Geelani had announced that a comprehensive programme of fund-raising would be launched to provide legal assistance to those convicted in the case. He expressed concern over the verdict and alleged human rights violations at the hands of security forces in the state. He also visited Keller, where Ghulam Mohammad Kalas was killed by the security forces during search operations in Chawan village on Saturday. Geelani’s decision to hold weekly protests comes a day after the moderate APHC chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, announced the constitution of a two-member committee to impress upon other organisations to adopt a common strategy against the court verdict. The committee comprising Agha Syed Hassan and Mohammad Abdullah Taari met Geelani at his residence today with the Mirwaiz’s proposal to chalk out a common strategy.Geelani has assured the committee that there will be no confrontation on the issue and his organisation will go ahead with its own programme of protest demonstrations.
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If assessment made at a lower rate
Jammu, April 28 Standard Electric Corporation had executed contracts of the government and some other statutory bodies for 1994-95 and 1995-96. The assessing authority, while exercising power under Section 7 (8) of the J&K General Sales Tax Act, levied tax at the rate of 4 per cent from the gross turnover on the ground that the assessment was done at a lower rate. An appeal was filed against the said order before the appellate authority which was dismissed. The company filed an appeal against the order before the State Sales Tax (Appellate) Tribunal, Jammu, which dismissed the appeal.The company then filed an application before the Tribunal under Section 12-D of the Act, for referring the matter to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. After having failed to obtain an order of reference from the Tribunal, the petitioner filed the present petition in terms of proviso to Section 12-D of the Act. Justice Sunil Hali while dismissing the petition filed in terms of proviso to Section 12-D of the J&K GST Act, 1962, observed that “The import of Section 7 (11)(a)(b) of the Act clearly envisages two situations. The first situation arises where the assessing authority finds that due to the reason of omission or failure on the part of assessee to disclose fully and truly all the material facts necessary for assessment for that, the turnover chargeable to tax and the same has not been charged, the re-assessment could be done. The second situation in terms of sub clause (b) noticed above is when the assessing authority has come into possession of a fresh information which was not available to it at the time of assessment regarding the actual turnover of the assessee. The other ground for re-assessment under the said provision is that the assessing authority has reasons to believe that the turnover chargeable to tax has escaped the assessment or has been assessed at a lower rate for any year in whole or in part.” The court further held that “Applying the above principles to the present case, it clearly envisages that in case the assessing authority has reasons to believe that a lower rate of tax has been charged, there is no requirement of any fresh material or information to be obtained by the assessing authority for re-assessment. The contention of counsel for the petitioner that the company is being assessed afresh on the basis of the same material which was provided at the time of initial assessment and no new information has been procured or obtained by the assessing authority for re-assessment cannot be sustained as it is a case of charging of tax at a lower rate which has nothing to do with the first part of the provision noticed above that the re-assessment can be ordered only if there is a fresh information disclosed to the assessing authority.” |
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CM stresses on fast tracking ERA projects
Jammu, April 28 “The focus should be on time-bound commissioning of projects to ensure benefits to the people in accordance with targeted dates,” he said and expressed hope that the projects under execution would address the civic requirements to a great extent. Chairing the 15th meeting of the Governing Body of ERA here, Omar said the ambitious projects taken up by ERA under ADB loan-1 were aimed at upgrading and improving the road connectivity, sewerage, drainage and drinking water supply facilities. He asked ERA to maintain the quality of works under all circumstances and ensure judicious utilisation of funds and regular monitoring of works at all levels. While appreciating the Centre and ADB for extending the loan completion period of ADB loan-1 up to June 2011, the Chief Minister took a detailed review of progress of various sub-projects under execution by ERA. In a power point presentation, commissioner/secretary, Planning and Development, and CEO, ERA, BB Vyas briefed the meeting about achievements registered by ERA in various areas of development. He said 102 projects at a cost of Rs 1108.85 crore had been launched under loan-1, Multisector Project for Infrastructure Rehabilitation (MPIR). Of this, an expenditure of Rs 914 crore has been achieved so far. |
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Minister kick-starts work on road
Jammu April 28 According to an official statement issued here, Saroori instructed the engineers and executing agency to accelerate the work on the blood bank block to ensure its completion within the next 15 days. He asked the J&K Project Construction Corporation to ensure that one block of the 100-bedded hospital would be ready in the next three months. He said: “The government is committed to improving the basic public utilities. The healthcare is among the priority sectors of the government.” He said a massive development plan had been devised with liberal funding from Centre. Responding to the demand for the upgradation of High School, Sari, to the Higher Secondary- level, Saroori assured the matter would be taken up with the authorities concerned. |
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Relief package
Jammu, April 28 “We should move beyond 1947. We all should accept that there is no option to co-existent and a plural society. Even Pakistan and India should co-exist peacefully”, said P.N.Bhat,a senior member of the forum. Bhat further said: “It needs to be emphasised that the restoration of a composite culture in Kashmir with the return of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits will go a long way in ensuring a peaceful co-existence between India and Pakistan.” The forum appealed to all Kashmiri Pandit organisations and intellectuals of the community to converge, realising their historical responsibilities towards their community at this crucial juncture.It also requested all community leaders to ensure that deficiencies, if any, in the package for rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits were communicated to the authorities concerned in a constructive and positive way so that it became a boon for the community for its preservation and smooth development. |
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Data of water pumping stations to be online
Jammu, April 28 This was disclosed at a high-level meeting of engineers presided over by Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Taj Mohiud Din here today. Addressing the meeting, the minister directed for the judicious use of drinking water in view of the increasing demand and depletion of water sources due to global warming. The meeting also decided to install meters to make water available to all consumers. In this regard, it decided to take up metering of water connections in a phased manner so that consumers were provided water for adequate time and also check wastage. The meeting also decided to check transmission and distribution losses occurring during the delivery of water. |
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Darbar Move
A total of 2,850 CRPF jawans and officers would ensure safe transportation of the employees and the records to Srinagar up to the strategic Jawahar Tunnel on May 1, 2, 8 and 9. On May 1, the first convoy of Kashmir-based Darbar Move employees would leave Jammu for Srinagar.It would be escorted by five sections (50 men) of the CRPF led by an Assistant Commandant and a DSP, the IG,CRPF, Jammu, AS Sidhu told The Tribune in an exclusive interview here today. On May 2,the five sections would ferry the official records to Srinagar, he said, adding that on May 8 and May 9, the Jammu-based Darbar Move employees (approximately 3000) would be escorted under the same security. Before moving from Jammu on May 1, Road Opening Parties (ROPs) of the CRPF would sanitize the highway from Nagrota to the Chenab Bridge in Ramban, said Sidhu. Following road clearance from the ROPs, including the anti-sabotage check, convoys from Jammu to Srinagar would be allowed to move, he added. Additional reserves had also been kept at standby to ensure incident-free movement of the employees, he added. The IG said the CRPF had also arranged ambulances, recovery vehicles and medical aid for the Darbar Move employees at Nagrota, Udhampur and Ramban. “Besides, the two headquarters of as many battalions en route the highway at Ramban,Boom and Udhampur will also have additional arrangements of paramedical staff and medical officers for the convenience of employees,” said Sidhu. The entire exercise to ferry employees and official records would be supervised by a DIG, Assistant Commandants and other senior officers. The CRPF would take the convoys and records up to Banihal Traffic Check Post from where the Army would take them to the other side of the Jawahar Tunnel and then again the CRPF would be responsible for their safe transportation to Srinagar. |
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Class X Paper Leak Scandal
Jammu, April 28 While police investigation is on, The Tribune investigation reveals that some persons were being given examination duties in violation of norms and some schools suddenly had more students on rolls during examination time. Eight persons — two teachers, two policemen, two students and two Education Department officials -- have been arrested so far with police investigation also turning towards the role of some high profile persons, including senior officials of the Board of School Education. Meanwhile, The Tribune investigation reveals one of the accused teacher, Gurdev, owns a two-storey palatial house at Simbal village in Miran Sahib here. The police is also inquiring into his other sources of income. The police estimates that the house Gurdev owns values around Rs 2 crore. “We are also investigating how he built such a big house. If anything was found wrong, a case of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income will be registered against him,” said Rayaz Iqbal Tantray, DSP, Miran Sahib police station. Another accused Balbir, also a teacher, arrested in the paper leak case, surprisingly had performed over 40 examination duties in the last five years. According to the board rules, a teacher of master grade could perform examination duty up to Class X only. School board chairman Desh Bandhu Gupta admitted that there seemed to be something hanky panky about allotting him so many examination duties.” “We are changing the rules now. We have formed a committee to look into the matter,” he added. “It seems Balbir had a nexus with some board officials. Otherwise, how it could be possible for him to give examination duties much more than permitted by rules,” DSP Tantray said. On suspicion, the police today seized some documents from the board office and claimed that the role of higher board officers were also under scanner. Interestingly, examination centre superintendent Surat Singh, who caught the two students and exposed the scandal, was doing his first duty at the centre at NGM B.Ed College, while the police doubted copying went unchecked. Also, a senior police officer told The Tribune that New Bikram Public Higher Secondary School, Kirpind, had given admission to more than 120 students of Class X and a majority of them belonged to Doda and Ramban districts. The arrested students are Lovedeep Singh and Satnam Singh while other six arrested persons are two constables Manjit and Ajay and four others -- Manjit Singh, Gurdev Singh, Balbir Singh, Mohan Singh. Manjit Singh was bailed out yesterday by a local court.
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State lacks human organ transplant laws
Jammu, April 28 He is just the latest case. There have already been 30 cases in the last 12 months, who need kidney transplantation and this is the government figure. And only a few of these could afford the financial burden running into lakhs for the operation and the follow up proceedure. The complexion of Karan (22) has turned grey and pale. He is admitted to ward number 10, bed number 4, in the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu. Hardly any of his body parts now moves, except for eyes. Adjacent to his bed is squatted his worried mother, father and brother. Their concern is that Karan gets well soon and return to normal life. For this, they are ready to donate a kidney but the only hurdle is that the state does not have a Human Organ Transplant Act due to which the donation of a human organ or the transplantation cannot take place here. Ashok Kumar (father) and Parveen Kumar (brother) are labourers and hardly earn beyond their daily sustenance. “The surgery will cost us a huge money even if we donate a kidney to him. Doctors have suggested to take him to Punjab for the operation.” “With no money in hand, we cannot go anywhere,” regretted Ashok and took this correspondent away from the bedside saying “we have not told him anything.” It has been more than a month, Karan is admitted to the hospital and 11 days ago doctors expressed their helplessness, asking them to explore options. The Head of the Nephrology Department, Dr SK Bali, said in such cases a special board certifies the patient. “Every year on an average 30 patients are authorised for kidney transplantation from Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, AIIMS, PGIMR and others institutes,” he said. “At the GMCH, we usually treat patients through hemodialysis and in rare cases we opt for CAPD (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis). But the second option involves high complication rate. There is lack of manpower and machines at the hospital, so we usually treat patients through hemodialysis or homedialysis,” Dr Bali said. He said transplantation was the third and final option left with a renal patient. “Everyone cannot afford it as it costs anything between Rs 3-4 lakh, besides a donor. Even after the transplantation a patient has to spend Rs 20,000 every month on drugs,” he added. Also, patients go outside the state for liver, bone marrow and cornea transplantation and the authorisation for it is given by the same board that comprises senior doctors and health officials. However, the board certifies only in those cases where the donor is a blood relation of the patient. Only an NGO, Serving All Humanity Yearningly Over Globe (Sahyog) has come to the help of the family in distress. The NGO has started collecting funds with “Save Karan’s life” campaign. |
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Inter-district Recruitment
Jammu, April 28 They submitted a memorandum to Governor NN Vohra today urging him to return the Bill to the state Assembly for more debate. The residents also announced the formation of a United Front of Rajouri and Poonch residents which would organise a week-long agitation, including dharnas and rallies, in the two districts. The front also termed the Bill as anti-India and divisive and an “insult” to the Supreme Court that allowed inter-district recruitment in a landmark judgment five years ago. The front, interestingly, consists of representatives from all political parties, including the NC that moved the Bill and the PDP that supported it initially but opposed it when 8 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes was accepted. These two districts claimed to be worst hit by the ban as nearly 5,000 youths had got jobs across the state, especially in the Kashmir valley in the last few years. Most of them were Scheduled Castes as the population of this community is the highest in these districts. “The Inter-district Recruitment Bill has hit us the most,” said Anam Chowdhry, chairman of the front. “Our youths got jobs but now there would be fewer for us.” Flanked by front spokesperson Iqbal Chowdhry, convener Vibodh Gupta and general secretary Bharat Bhushan Vaid, the front chairman said the Bill was brought at the behest of anti-India forces, which did not
want people from outside the Kashmir region get jobs there. “The motive behind the Bill was to keep nationalist Muslims out of the valley,” alleged Vaid, adding that the Bill would divide the state on district lines. |
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Two hideouts busted, arms seized
Jammu, April 28 In another incident, the security forces last evening busted another militant hideout in the Dacchan area in Ramban district. The recoveries from the hideout included a pistol magazine, eight pistol rounds, and a Chinese hand grenade. Meanwhile, Ramban SSP Mubasir Latifi refuted reports that a 26-year-old woman militant supporter Tasleema of Cherwari was arrested by the police. |
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Intermittent rain in valley Srinagar, April 28 The Met Department forecast says there will be rain and thunder showers at a few places during the next 24 hours.
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Founder editor of Urdu daily dead Srinagar, April 28 Aziz (90) is survived by six sons and a daughter. The author of many books, Abdul Aziz, also known as Aziz Kashmiri, born in 1919, joined journalism at the age of 19. He had initially worked for an Urdu weekly - Al-Baraq - and also worked for Khlasa Gazette. He founded Roshni in 1943.
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Ex-Wing Commander commits suicide
Jammu, April 28 It further said the man in his sixties was found dead this morning. “A suicide note has been recovered from the spot, in which he has stated that he should be cremated at Katra, instead of Bhopal,” a senior police officer said. The inquest proceedings under Section 174, CrPC, have been initiated in this regard. |
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Shabir Shah hospitalised
Jammu, April 28 However, prison officials did not comment on the issue. Shabir Shah was booked under the Public Safety Act
(PSA).
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Jammu, April 28