Jammu, January 30
Jammu — the city of temples — witnessed a show of strength between two warring factions of the Congress today. The Congress leaders, owing allegiance to the rival factions, left no stone unturned to ensure maximum mobilisation of supporters.

The function, organised by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), was held at Muthi on the outskirts of the city, while the rival group, which owed allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, organised its function at Parade Ground in the heart of the old city.

Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde came all the way from Mumbai to participate in the function of the PCC, while Ghulam Nabi Azad presided over the function organised by the rival function, under the banner of Gandhi Global Family. Both the factions had been claiming that they had defeated their rivals as far as show of strength was concerned.

Though pro-Azad faction scored over their rivals as far as mobilising public was concerned, the group loyal to Soz claimed that in their function only Congress workers from village to state level were present. “The function organised by the dissidents at Parade Ground was not a party function, as a large number of employees as well as activists from other parties were also present in that gathering,” said a leader belonging to the pro-Soz faction.

PCC chief Saif Ud Din Soz also claimed that their function was the official party convention. “As only the party workers were present in our function, so it is obvious that ours was the official function of the Congress,” Soz told the reporters after completing the meeting at Muthi.

At the official function, Lok Sabha member from Jammu-Poonch Madan Lal Sharma, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla, Medical Education Minister RS Chib, Mahila Congress president and MLA Indu Pawar, spokesman of the party Ravinder Sharma, and other senior leaders were present.

In the function, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of State for Cooperative Manohar Lal Sharma, and a large number of MLAs attended, which was presided over by Azad. Interestingly, Minister of State for Power Shabir Khan attended both the functions to keep both the groups in good humour. 

Jammu, January 30
To cope with the power shortage in the state, the Centre has decided to set up a 1,000 MW power generation station in Pathankot in Punjab.

Addressing a function organised by the Pradesh Congress Committee in connection with the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi here today, the Union Power Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, said either a gas or a thermal power project would be set up at Pathankot with a capacity of generating 1,000 MW of power.

“The station will be set up exclusively for Jammu and Kashmir and the matter in this regard has already been discussed with the Chief Minister,” he said.

However, he did not mention whether the matter had been discussed with the Punjab or the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister. He said the Centre had been liberally giving all support to the state for its development.

Referring to the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, the Union Power Minister said due to some problems in generating power through the hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, the alternative sources would be invented to solve the power crisis in the state. He also pointed to the sanctioning of a few hydroelectric projects in the state and made a special mention of the Pakaldul Power Project of Kishtwar.

As a few leaders highlighted the issues regarding the implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidhotikaran Yojna in the rural areas of Jammu, the Union Power Minister said funds would not be any problem as far as the state was concerned.

Paying tributes to the Father of the Nation, Shinde called upon the youth of the state to join the mainstream. He said the real tribute to Mahatma Gandhi was to spread the message of peace and brotherhood.

New Delhi, January 30
Central government employees working in the Kashmir valley will receive facilities like additional HRAand other assistance for another year till December 31, 2011.

The decision was taken after the Union Home Ministry reviewed the issue in consultation with the Finance Ministry. The package of concessions and incentives was supposed to end on December 31 last year.

Under the package, the employees will get an additional HRA and other concessions. They have an option to move their families to a place of their choice in India at the expense of the government.

They will also get travelling allowance for the families, as admissible in permanent transfer, including transportation, payment for packing etc. Besides, the department concerned will make arrangements for stay, security and transportation to place of work for the employees.

The employees posted in the Kashmir valley, who do not wish to move their families to a selected place of residence, will get a daily allowance of Rs 101 for each day of attendance. This will be in addition to the transport allowance, which the employee is eligible for. Messing allowance will be paid to the employees at a uniform rate of Rs 151 daily by all departments, or in lieu messing arrangements 
will be made by the departments concerned. — PTI

Jammu, January 30
Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saif-Ud-Din Soz said here today that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is likely to visit Jammu on February 3 to hold discussions with Congress workers on certain recommendations of the Centre’s interlocutors.

“ The interlocutors have made some recommendations. I don’t know what they have suggested,but on my request, the Union Home Minister is likely to visit Jammu to know the viewpoint of local party workers”, Soz said, and added that aspirations of all regions and sub-regions would be considered before implementing any recommendations.

Although the interlocutors are likely to give their final report in April, they have been making recommendations and the government has decided to hold discussions with political groups before implementing them.

Soz did not rule out the possibility of a dialogue being held with different groups. “I don’t know with which group the Union Government has been holding behind-the-scenes parleys”, he replied when asked about involving Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups in the dialogue process for the resolution of the problem. “I do admit that the involvement of the Hurriyat leaders is a must for making the process meaningful ”, he said.

On the issue of rotational chief ministership, Soz said the Congress high command had to take a decision in this regard.

Udhampur, January 30
The fresh spell of snow at the Vaishno Devi shrine last night has delighted the local business community. This is the third time the area has received snow since New Year’s Eve. Though this is considered as an off-season period from the business point of view, the fresh round of snow is expected to ensure a longer stay of pilgrims, even as their number goes down during this period. 

“Due to the snowfall last night, we expect that pilgrims may stay for a day or two more than they normally do. They are likely to use this opportunity to make a trip to the Patnitop hill resort or the Shivkhori shrine and return to Katra,” said Ram Kishore, owner of a hotel.

As per information, about one-and-a-half km- stretch between the Bhawan and Sanjhi Chhat area of the shrine received snow last night. The first snow of the season had occurred in the Bhawan as well as the Bhairon Ghati area on the yatra track on New Year’s Eve. But the cold weather conditions, developed in its wake, had failed to dampen the spirits of pilgrims.

The area received another spell of snow during the middle of this month. Since the snow in the Bhairon Ghati area has still not fully melted after the earlier spells, the fresh snow has given it the look of a perennially snow-covered area which is visible from a distance. Apparently, the fresh snow is being looked upon as a blessing of Mata Vaishno Devi by the local businessmen in Katra, especially the owners of hotels, guest houses and lodges.

Udhampur, January 30
The District Employment Department in association with other government departments is organising an employment fair at Dharmari in Reasi from February 4 to 6.

The idea behind the fair is to spread awareness among the educated unemployed youth of the district, particularly its backward and remote hill areas. 

Jammu, January 30
As thousands of Congress activists arrived here to take part in rallies addressed by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saif-ud-Din Soz, the administration virtually failed to manage traffic in the city.

All roads leading to the venue of the rallies were blocked till the evening and even the convoy of Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Minister of Medical and Technical Education of RS Chib was held up in a traffic jam.Patients from the far-flung areas had a tough time reaching Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

Though the administration had information about the rallies organised by the two Congress factions,the police failed to control the traffic. A large number of buses, used for carrying party activists,were stationed in no-parking zones, leading to chaos.

The situation was the worst near the GMCH, which is a no-horn zone, with vehicles blocking the entrance to the hospital and horns being sounded frequently.“Whenever a political rally is held in the city, it leads to traffic chaos,” said Rajiv Sharma, a shopkeeper near the GMCH.

The situation was no different near the Parade Ground where the Union Health Minister addressed the rally.

Jammu, January 30
Raising serious doubts about the sincerity of the Centre and the state government to restore mainstream political activity in Kashmir, chief spokesman of state BJP Jitendra Singh yesterday alleged that party activists from the Valley, who had participated in the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra were being subjected to torture and harassment by the state and police authorities instead of being rewarded for their initiative to defy militants’ dictates and participate in mainstream nationalist activity.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh said some of the activists were arrested before or during the yatra and were released on bail but inspite of that they were being regularly summoned to police stations on a pretext of interrogation and subjected to mental and physical torture.

“The issue raises a question mark over the intention of the administration, which is on the one hand talking of rehabilitating youth, who had crossed over to PoK and stone throwers who indulged in anti-India movement, and on the other hand discouraging the local youth who are voluntarily willing to take part in mainstream pro-India activity in the Valley”, he said.

Jammu, January 30
The tableau of Jammu and Kashmir, based on the theme of ‘Bhand Pather’, which took part in the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi, has won the third prize. As many as 40 tableaux from 23 states and Central Government departments, took part in the parade.

Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages Zafar Iqbal Manhas said it was a rare honour for Jammu and Kashmir, which had been participating in the Republic Day Parade for the past 12 years.

Zafar also said this was unique as no other state had the distinction of having participated in the Republic Day Parade for 12 years in a row.

Strictly following the tradition, the theme of the tableau for this year’s Republic Day Parade was selected by the J&K State Tableaux Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary. Other members of the committee included Principal Secretary, Planning, Secretary, Finance, Secretary, General Administration Department, Secretary, Tourism, and Secretary, Cultural Academy, besides Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. The design of the tableau was prepared by local artists on the theme, ‘Bhand Pather’, which is an archetypal and traditional cultural soirée performed primarily in the Kashmir valley. The musical extravaganza is based on a central theme that is usually a satire. 

Srinagar, January 30
Residents of the Kashmir valley today got respite from the intense cold wave conditions as ‘Chillai Kalaan’, the 40-day harshest period of the winter, ended today with fresh snow and rain in many parts of the Valley.

A mild snow in the upper reaches of the Valley led to the closure of the 296-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only surface link to the Valley, with the rest of the country in the morning. However,one-way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu on the highway was resumed in the afternoon, the traffic police said. The condition of the road around the Jawahar Tunnel between Qazigund and Banihal was slippery leading to slow movement of traffic on the highway.

The maximum temperature here today was recorded at 9.6°C and the minimum at 1.2°C.The Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir recorded a maximum temperature of 5°C and a minimum of -1°C.

The tourist resort of Gulmarg, known for snow skiing, recorded a minimum temperature of -6.3°C. The resort received fresh snow, while 2 cm of snow was recorded in Pahalgam. Qazigund, the gateway to the Kashmir valley, recorded one inch of snow. The Met Department has forecast light rain or snow at isolated places during the next two days. 

Udhampur, January 30
Educated unemployed youth of Reasi district in the age group 26-37 and registered with the District Employment and Counselling Centre can apply for availing voluntary service allowance.

As per a release issued by the Assistant Director, Employment, Reasi, those interested in availing the benefit should not be above 37 years as on January 1, 2010.

Their minimum educational qualification should be matriculation and above. Those fulfilling the above conditions can apply for the allowance to the office of the Assistant Director, Employment, after completing requisite formalities, including an income certificate and a no-objection certificate.