Jammu, December 7
Official vehicles of the Vice-Chancellor of Sher-e Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Jammu, consume at least nine litres of petrol or 13 litres of diesel daily, costing nearly Rs 500.

This has been revealed in a reply to an RTI application filed by Balvinder Singh, a resident of Nanak Nagar and convener of an NGO, Sangarsh.

By that measure, more than Rs 9 lakh is the travel expenses of the Vice-Chancellor between March 2005 and March 2010. If Sundays and gazetted holidays are excluded, the Vice-Chancellor’s vehicles consume 12 litres of petrol or 16 litres of diesel everyday, costing Rs 650. The university’s reply does not state whether the vehicles run on petrol or diesel.

While Rs 14.17 lakh was spent on scholarships during the past five years, more than Rs 28 lakh was paid as telephone, mobile and broadband charges of the Vice-Chancellor. While Rs 18.50 lakh was spent on the Vice-Chancellor’s accommodation and travelling, only Rs 16.20 lakh was spent on medicines as well as equipment for the students during the period.

The university paid more than Rs 9 lakh as rent for the official accommodation of the Vice-Chancellor during the period. Similarly, more than Rs 28 lakh was spent by the university on advertisements in electronic as well as print media while more than Rs 22 lakh was spent on the purchase of vehicles in April 2009-2010. No automobiles were purchased between 2005 and 2008.

Also, nearly Rs 17 lakh was spent on the purchase of computers and related equipment in the past five years while the university paid nearly Rs 1.92 crore as electricity charges.

The university realised Rs 7,000 as fine during the same period.

“Public money is not being spent on official purposes. Looking at the startling figures, one gets the true picture that academics and research are not getting the funds while the entire emphasis has been on providing luxuries to the Vice-Chancellor and other officials,” said Balvinder Singh.

“Earlier, we had come to know through an RTI application that though the Vice-Chancellor was not entitled to use a red light atop his vehicle but he had been doing so. Though it is a small instance, it signifies how some officials have been misusing power. So, we decided to file an RTI application to get more details about the expenditure of the varsity,” he said.

He added, “Our organisation is thinking of using this information so that education and research work get the kind of priority they deserve.”

Jammu, December 7
Stunned by the remarks of Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma,who belongs to the Congress, regarding discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh, the BJP, which always claims to champion the cause of the two regions, is finding it difficult to come to terms with the stand taken by the leader of its main rival party.

Fearing that their pro-Jammu agenda may be hijacked by the Congress, BJP leaders raked up the alleged “azadi” remarks of the minister despite the fact that Sharma had clarified that he had been “misquoted” in a section of the media regarding his statement on Kashmir. The minister, however, stuck to his stand on discrimination against the two regions.

As the BJP is raking up the alleged remarks, pro-Jammu groups have taken the party to task for unnecessarily harping on it to score political gains.

“It is unfortunate that instead of appreciating the Congress minister for highlighting the plight of the people of Jammu, BJP leaders are unnecessarily raking up his ‘misquoted’ remarks for petty political gains,” said Capt Anil Gour, a senior leader of the Jammu State Morcha, who lashed out at the party for not showing maturity at a time when people in the entire Jammu region had supported Sharma.

“BJP leaders have realised that their agenda has been hijacked by the Congress.So, they are speaking out of frustration,” said Sourab Sharma of the Jammu Youth Forum. He advised the BJP leaders to forget their petty political interests and come on a platform to fight for the cause of Jammu.

BJP state president Shamsher Singh Manhas, however, termed the remarks of the Health Minister as an attempt to hoodwink people. “The Congress is very much part of the present dispensation.Hence, it is also responsible for the stepmotherly treatment meted out to the Jammu and Ladakh regions,” he argued. He dared the Congress to withdraw support to the state government.

Manhas said it was due to the BJP’s pressure, especially after the controversial statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on accession of the state to the Indian Union, that the Congress was speaking in favour of Jammu to befool people.

Meanwhile, the Jammu State Morcha (JSM), at a press conference here, asked all parties in the region to come on one platform to fight injustice against Jammu. The JSM leaders said without statehood to Jammu, injustice and discrimination against the region would not end.

SOS International, an organisation of PoK regufees, also welcomed “bold” remarks of the Congress minister and appreciated his public admission of discrimination against the Jammu region. The chairman of the SOS, Rajiv Chuni, said it was the first time that a Cabinet minister had raised the issue of Kashmir’s domination in the state.

Jammu, December 7
The BJP today protested against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s remarks on the accession of the state to India and burnt his effigies even as it sought the Chief Minister’s apology saying he had “crossed constitutional limits”.

The BJP activists today blocked roads, raised anti-Omar slogans and held demonstrations in Samba and Satwari areas of Jammu.

“By challenging the finality of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian union, he has crossed the constitutional limits and that should be met with a stiff opposition,” BJP National Executive Member Nirmal Singh said while addressing party activists at Satwari Chowk here.

Nirmal said the accession of the state to India was a “settled fact” and those who talked of it being a dispute were “virtually playing the game of separatists”.

By questioning the accession of the state to India the Chief Minister had indulged in an anti-constitutional act and he should seek an apology or vacate the chair, he said.

The Chief Minister, while referring to points raised by opposition members during a two-day debate in the Assembly, had said Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India could not be compared to Hyderabad and Junagarh as the latter had merged with the Union, which was not the case with the trouble-torn state.

“We have acceded to the Union under a special provision in the Constitution while Hyderabad and Junagarh merged with India after acceding to it,” Omar had said. — PTI

Srinagar, December 7
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for all efforts for massive aforestation, terming it important for the maintenance of ecology and natural beauty of the state.

Addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation of the Forest Awareness Centre at Shahdab Kareva at Zawoora in Shopian district today, the Chief Minister stressed the need for rejuvenating the green wealth and retrieving degraded forests. He said the erratic climate changes witnessed during the recent years were due to the heavy damage inflicted upon the rich forest wealth in the state.

“We have to go all out to launch an afforestation programme with enthusiasm and realise it successfully as a mission,” Omar said.

He added that the population living near the forests had the added responsibility of protecting and preserving the green cover.

The Chief Minister said forests not only maintained climate and ecology, but were also responsible for plenty of water that was important for the sustenance of an agro-based economy and food production.

Omar stressed the need for involving students from all over the state in the afforestation programme and awareness strategies. “This would not only inculcate in them the necessary love for bio-diversity of the state, but also help spread awareness among people regarding the importance of planting trees and protecting these for the posterity,” he said. He held that during his school days, regular plantation drives by the students were an important feature and he himself had planted more than 50 saplings as a student.

The Chief Minister said with the opening of the historic Mughal Road, Shopian would become an important tourist station, and as such there was an urgent need to make the surroundings of this area attractive for tourists.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Forests Mian Altaf Ahmad said 15,000 saplings of conifer, kail, deodar etc., would be planted on 32 hectares of degraded forests adjacent to the awareness centre in the first phase. He added measures were afoot to safeguard the plant wealth and rejuvenate the depleted forests.

Mian Altaf said the Forest Department provided over 12 lakh cubic feet of timber to the people annually to accommodate the needs for the construction of houses and repairs. “In order to reduce pressure and keep imported timber available in the market, the department would encourage the import of timber,” he added.

Srinagar, December 7
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the initiative of awami mulaqat (public interaction) aimed to reach out to the people and the local administration to analyse the efficacy of government programmes and get a first-hand account of the people’s grievances on the development front.

Speaking to a number of deputations and individuals at a public interaction session in Shopian today, the Chief Minister said his government was determined to fulfil the promises made to the people on the development front.

“We are taking vigorous measures to give the necessary boost to development schemes and launch new ones to ensure faster and equitable development in all areas,” he maintained.

Fortysix deputations and scores of individuals met the Chief Minister and presented him charters of demand. They also apprised the Chief Minister of the status of development works and highlighted their grievances.

He also gave on-the-spot directions for the redressal of grievances of urgent nature and directed the heads of the department concerned to register the demands in the next plan.

Minister for Forests Mian Altaf Ahmad, Minister of State for Tourism Nasir Aslam Wani, Minister of State for Power Shabir Ahmad Khan, Advisers to the Chief Minister Mubarak Gul and Devendar Singh Rana, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister BB Vyas, various administrative secretaries, all heads of department, the District Development Commissioner and district officers were present.

Jammu, December 7
Even as the state government finally has initiated a process to appoint next of kin of slain special police officers (SPOs) and village defence committee (VDC) members on compassionate grounds, the latter rue the raw deal meted out to them by successive regimes.

The state government has claimed that 150 cases of compassionate appointment of next of kin of SPOs and VDC members, who were killed while combating militancy, are under process.

“Though the eligible family members of these SPOs and VDC members are entitled to compassionate appointment under the Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO) 43 of 1994, we are not sure how many of them (slain SPOs’ family members) have been given jobs till date,” said a senior police officer.

It may be stated here that 475 SPOs and 131 VDC members had been killed in militancy- related incidents in the state up to October this year.

However, IG, Jammu zone, Ashok Kumar Gupta said depending upon their exceptional work some of the SPOs had been made constables and absorbed in the regular police force. He divulged that he personally recruited around 200 SPOs in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district, who were later absorbed in regular service in the police.

Such SPOs, on the completion of three years of service, get weightage, including preference over other candidates and age relaxation, at the time of recruitment drives for the posts of constable, he added.

Admitting that the SPOs had been doing yeoman service in combating militancy, Gupta said most of those selected as constables from the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri recently were SPOs.

The state has over 26,000 SPOs — 15,000 in the Jammu region and 11,000 in Kashmir — who get a monthly salary of Rs 3,000.

Sources in the Home Department told The Tribune that till September 30, 2009, appointments on compassionate grounds of next of kin of slain SPOs were the responsibility of respective deputy commissioners.

But the state government vide SRO 302, October 1, 2009, amended the rules and shifted the responsibility to the DGP in the case of SPOs while such appointments in the case of slain VDC members rested with the deputy commissioners concerned, they added.

While government officials claimed that the process had been started to absorb next of kin of slain SPOs, those still serving the police at a salary of Rs 3,000 said they exhibited dare-devilry in a hope to get permanent jobs in the department.

“Being locals, who are well-cquainted with the topography of the area, we do have information about the movement of militants through our network and hence neutralise them, but at the same time our families rue the day we decided to join the police department,” said an SPO.

Jammu, December 7
Governor NN Vohra has appealed to the people to donate generously to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund and stressed the need to involve students in a big way in this initiative.

The Governor was speaking after launching a fund collection drive by being the first to donate for the fund at a function held at Raj Bhavan here today. He suggested that groups of students could visit various institutions, including the railway station, the bus stand,the airport and other public places to raise funds.

He asked Director of Sainik Welfare, Brig (retd) RS Langeh, to organise week-long programmes at the district level to generate greater awareness among the people, particularly the youth, about the message behind the Armed Forces Flag Day.

He added that such activities ought to be specially conducted in distant areas, particularly Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar and other far-flung areas of the state, in collaboration with Deputy Commissioners and District Education Officers. He lauded the role that the Armed Forces played, both during war and in peace, in the state and observed that their sacrifices bore testimony to their bravery, devotion and dedication.

Jammu, December 7
Three persons were killed and another was injured in road mishaps across the Jammu region today.

The police said a motorcyclist was critically injured while the pillion rider was killed when their motorcycle skidded off the road and plunged into a nullah at Paloura last night.

Though a police team from Domana police station rushed to the spot and shifted the victims to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), the pillion rider, identified as Shaksham (19), a resident of New Delhi, was declared brought dead. The condition of the injured, Karthik Koul of Toph Sherkhania, was stated to be out of danger.

In another mishap, Krishan Joshi, a resident of Udhaywalla, was killed when his scooter skidded off the road at Roop Nagar here today. Similarly, Shanker, a migrant labourer, who was injured in a road mishap yesterday, succumbed to his injuries in the GMCH here. Shanker had been putting up at Patil Nagar.

Jammu, December 7
The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Rajouri, approved an annual action plan of Rs 1.73 crore under the Sawarnjayanti Sawyam Rozgar Yojna (SGSY) and Rs 1.72 crore under the DRDA for the border district at its 31st governing body meet here yesterday.

Minister of State for Power, CAPD and Forests Shabir Ahmad Khan, legislators Rashpal Singh and Zulfikar Ali, District Development Commissioner GA Khawaja, besides other members of the board and district officers attended the meeting.

The meeting decided that under the SGSY, Rs 1.04 crore would be provided as the subsidy component to 1,212 swarozgaries (self-employers) of the district both under the cluster and individual sectors while Rs 34.64 lakh for construction of infrastructure in the district.

It was also decided that Rs 17.32 lakh would be incurred on skill-development training for 1,212 swarozgaries and 1,730 members of the Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

Besides, Rs 7.32 lakh would be kept at the disposal of the Block Development Officers as revolving funds for the SHGs.

The meeting was informed that under the DRDA, the allocation for the current year was Rs 1.72 crore, which included Rs 67.16 lakh as the Centre’s share and Rs 43.18 lakh as the state share.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister stressed on early disposal of the financial assistance cases so that the needy would be able to establish their self-employment units well in time.

He directed to provide due share of these schemes to all blocks of the district and loan cases be sponsored and forwarded to the banks concerned well in time for early sanction.

Giving details of last year’s achievements registered under these schemes in the district, the DDC informed the meeting that under the SGSY, against the approved plan outlay of Rs 1.71 crore agency received funds of Rs 1.14 crore, out of which, Rs 43.91 lakh were utilised as subsidy component for assisting 493 swarozgaries, Rs 59.03 lakh as credit mobilised for 493 units by various banks.

He said under the DRDA against last year’s approved outlay of Rs 1.44 crore, the agency had received the funds to the tune of Rs 1.26 crore and a total expenditure of Rs 75.56 lakh had been registered for providing subsidy component alongwith a bank loan Rs 5.38 crore for existing 1212 swarozgaries in the district.

Jammu, December 7
Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, in the eye of a storm over his “Azadi” remarks, today said the state was an integral part of India and its accession to the country was final and irrevocable.

In a statement here, the Congress leader also sought to clarify his remarks over statehood for Jammu, UT status for Ladakh and “Azadi for Kashmir” made at a rally near Bani in Kathua district yesterday.

The minister lashed out at the ruling NC in the state for what he said pouring venom on his party, especially the high command.

“The entire world knows that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the accession of the state to the country is final and irrevocable,” Sharma said.

He added, “What I have said is that if we do not adhere to the principle of coalition dharma, then forces who want UT for Ladakh, separate state for Jammu and autonomy for Kashmir will gain momentum in their nefarious designs”.

“Many Congress leaders are concerned about some NC leaders feeling free to criticise the party, particularly the high command, continously,” he said.

“Statements of senior NC leader and MLA Mustafa Kamal have been appearing in the media for a long time. He has been continuously pouring venom on the Congress. In this background, I made a strong plea for running the coalition smoothly which can only happen when there is no no room left for regional discrimination,” Sharma said.

The minister had stoked a controversy when he suggested that Kashmir be granted “Azadi”, remarks that embarrassed his party which termed these as his personal view. — PTI