Jammu, December 31
The Kashmir unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) today merged with the BJP at a function held under the leadership of Shamsher Singh Manhas, state president of the BJP.

JD (S) provincial president Gulam Nabi Wani along with other prominent leaders from Baramulla, Ganderbal and Bandipora districts were welcomed into the party fold by Manhas and the state vice-president of the party.

Welcoming them to the party fold, Manhas said the merger of the provincial unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) into the BJP was a clear message that people in the Valley were fed up with the hollow promises and assurances given by the leaders of the NC, the Congress and the PDP.

He said it was also a blow to all such forces in the Valley that had been painting the BJP as a communal party. He added that being a responsible national party, the BJP had been continuously raising people’s issues and agitating for the welfare of the citizens.

Ghulam Nabi Wani, while expressing faith in the principles and ideology of the BJP, said a handful of elements in Kashmir had been misleading people for their personal gains.

“Be it political leaders in the Valley or separatists, they all have been promoting their interests and have the least concern for the welfare of the masses,” he said.

Wani asked the nationalist people of the Valley to strengthen the party in Kashmir so as to give a befitting reply to the enemies of humanity.

Besides Wani, others who joined the BJP included JD (S) Ganderbal district president Ghulam Hassan Wani, Bandipore district president Mohammed Shafiq Najar, Baramulla district president Ghulam Mohammad Bhat and Baramulla district vice-president Ghulam Mohammed Najar.

Srinagar, December 31
In order to control mob violence with least damage to life and property and tackle the extreme law and order situations effectively with minimum possible force, a procedure has been drafted and submitted to the Union Home Ministry for implementation.

DGP Kuldeep Khoda revealed this in his New Year message to jawans and officers yesterday. The draft of the Standing Operative Procedure (SOP) has been prepared by a team of officers led by the DGP himself and this team was constituted by the Union Home Ministry earlier this year. Other members of the team included the DGP of Andhra Pradesh; an ADGP of Uttar Pradesh; IG, RAF, CRPF, and representatives of intelligence agencies.

Khoda maintained that the police tackled the grave situation in the Kashmir valley last summer “successfully maintaining the maximum possible restraint”. He held that demonstrating professionalism, discipline and resolve during the turmoil, the police was able to restore peace in the state. “The sensitive situation was handled with patience, though the force had to face many provocative situations, resulting in injuries to many of its jawans,” Khoda observed.

Referring to the fight against militants, the DGP said more pressure was maintained on armed militants and a number of militant commanders were killed during the year. Due to the strategy adopted by the police, militancy-related incidents came down drastically, Khoda said.

He added that the number of casualties of civilians and security personnel in militancy-related incidents had “dipped substantially compared to previous years”. “The militancy parameters like the number of incidents, civilians killed due to militancy, security forces personnel and militants killed, overall is the lowest this year since the eruption of militancy in 1990,” he said.

The police lost 15 of its jawans and officers during the year while fighting militants, the DGP said. In recognition of their services, 98 police personnel had been honoured with medals, which included 45 President’s Police Medals for gallantry and Police Medals for gallantry, two President’s Police Medals for distinguished services, 26 Police Medals for meritorious services, 17 Sher-i-Kashmir Police Medals for gallantry and eight Sher-i-Kashmir Police Medals for meritorious services.

Moreover, the police has intensified its efforts to establish a close rapport with people and strengthen good relations between the police and public, the DGP said. He added that the mechanism of public durbars was broadened.

Udhampur, December 31
The Northern Command bid farewell to the Army Commander, Lt-Gen BS Jaswal, on his superannuation today after 40 years of service in the Army. He had assumed the command of the prestigious Northern Army on October 1, 2009.

A third generation Army officer, Lt-Gen Jaswal was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in December 1970. In his distinguished career, he held various command, staff and instructional appointments. He came to the Northern Command with a rich and varied experience in counter-insurgency and conventional operations, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.

On the last day of his service, Lt-Gen Jaswal went to the Dhruva War Memorial to lay a wreath as a mark of respect to the martyrs. He then moved to the Officers Institute, where he had a cup of tea with the officers and interacted with them and their spouses. His wife, Ritu Jaswal, accompanied him. From here, he was taken in a ceremonial procession to the Bikram Helipad, where he was accorded a guard of honour before taking off to Jammu.

Addressing the officers and troops, the General highlighted the need to keep a constant vigil and exhorted them to continue upholding the glorious ethos of the great Indian Army. He expressed satisfaction that he was leaving the Northern Command in a high state of operational preparedness, ready to meet any eventuality.

In his message to all ranks of the Command, Lt-Gen Jaswal conveyed his appreciation to the exceptional grit and courage of the troops deployed on the icy frontiers and those engaged in the counter-terrorist operations. He extended his prayers and best wishes to all of them and their families.

Jammu, December 31
The state government has formulated a number of development schemes and plans and these will be implemented next year. Besides envisaging plans for expanding the road network, the government has also formulated schemes for solving the drinking water problem in the state.

Minister of Relief, Revenue and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla stated this here today.

He said the state government had prepared a comprehensive plan of Rs 300 crore under its Lone-II scheme for solving the drinking water problem. “This is one of the biggest plans, which will be implemented in 2011. The scheme will not only upgrade the existing drinking water facilities but also help in creating new drinking water resources in the city and the adjoining localities,” Bhalla added.

“Developmental activities continued in the Jammu region despite violence in other parts during 2010. These activities will be further accelerated next year because we have formulated comprehensive schemes for development,” he said.

Bhalla said the water supply scheme would be funded by the Asian Development Bank. He added that many schemes under the National Rural Development Water Supply Programme were underway in the region and these were likely to be completed next year.

He claimed that the coalition government was committed to providing all basic amenities, including drinking water, electricity, education, health and road connectivity, to the people of the three regions. He added there was no paucity of funds as far as developmental activities were concerned.

Bhalla said the expansion of the Jammu Airport would also be completed next year. “Peace is imperative for development, therefore, our government is committed to a lasting and sustainable peace in the region,” he added.

A team of experts from the Police Drug De-addiction Centre-PCR, Srinagar, and the Health Department would be available to treat those suffering from various forms of drug addiction, a police spokesman said. — TNS

Jammu, December 31
Checking road accidents proved a bigger challenge than even militancy for the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2010. Though the number of people killed in year 2010 was 53 less than the previous year, the high number of 950 deaths on roads was a matter of concern.

To the credit of the police, 2010 was the first year when attempts were made to check road accidents. The high number of challans issued to bus drivers is a proof. But a lot needs to be done in New Year to make driving safer on the state roads.

Even the IG, Traffic, Hemant Kumar Lohia, recently accepted the fact that there was a lot of work yet to be done to decrease the number of deaths in road mishaps. He said in 2010 a total of 12,000 challans were issued to the traffic rule offenders and nearly 300 persons were found using fake registration number plates on their vehicles.

The IG also termed negligent driving by minibus drivers to be the main cause for such a large number of road mishaps. Though he didn’t blame all of them, he said most of the minibus drivers worked for more than 12 hours, which often resulted in road accidents. “Of the 12,000 challans issued in year 2010, more than 7,000 challans were issued to the minibus drivers alone,” said the IG.

He added that the steps taken by them in 2010 brought some fruitful results. The cases were registered against the drivers involved in fatal accidents, where the vehicles were overloaded, under Section 304-A of the RPC. Cases under Section 307 of the RPC were registered against the minibus drivers where someone was injured in the accident.

The traffic police also brought in policewomen in 2010. About the strategy for year 2011, Lohia said they would introduce runaway challans in the first week of New Year. Besides, CCTV cameras were also being installed in both major towns of Jammu and Srinagar, Lohia said.

He added that apart from it, cameras would also be installed on the National Highway and the traffic situation would be monitored through the control room. However, the trafficlights could not be installed this year, even after getting the approval of the state Cabinet Committee. “We are putting in maximum efforts and the traffic lights will most probably be installed by this fiscal year,” said Lohia.

Even after repeated assurances from the state government and the traffic police, chaos and confusion at the state’s entrance point, the Lakhanpur toll post in Kathua district, could not be solved this year too.

Besides, the state police also tried to establish better relations with public, as a large number of cricket, hockey and football tournaments were organised in the cities as well as in remote areas. But the shortage of staff in most of the police stations and the dilapidated condition of buildings were the shortcomings.

Even the infamous Chopra murder case of 2006, in which a business tycoon Rajinder Chopra, a resident of Trikuta Nagar here, was killed along with his wife, daughter, a servant and a driver, could not be solved even after more than four years. Though the police reopened investigations by forming a special investigation team (SIT), no breakthrough could be achieved.

Besides, the functioning of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) also remained in the news, as nearly 1,100 cases were pending with it. However, DGP Kuldeep Khoda has always stressed that all efforts would be made for better policing in the state.

Jammu, December 31
To thwart the nefarious designs of anti-national elements and ensure smooth New Year celebrations, security was beefed up in the Jammu region. A large number of security personnel were deployed to make foolproof security arrangements in the town, especially near hotels, clubs and restaurants.

Security was tightened on the national highway and other border villages by deploying additional troops. Following intelligence inputs and inputs from other security agencies regarding possible terror attacks, all vehicles entering the city were checked throughout the day. The patrolling was also beefed up and the night patrolling parties were specially put on high alert.

The IG, Jammu Zone, Dilbagh Singh, also held a meeting of subordinate officers to review the security scenario. To ensure the celebrations pass off peacefully, all SHOs were also briefed to be more vigilant.

“The territorial officers should personally ensure the effective presence and deployment of police at all places in and around Jammu city. They should be tough on the mischievous elements who create trouble,” said Dilbagh Singh during the meeting.

He said a high alert should be maintained along with the border belt in liaison with other forces deployed there to ensure that any effort to sneak into this side is pre-empted.