New Delhi, February 13
The Union Government plans to withdraw nearly 10,000 paramilitary personnel from Jammu and Kashmir this year as it feels that the state can do with less Central forces.

It also said amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) were being considered by the Centre and hoped a committee of the Unified Headquarters would declare some areas in the state as "not disturbed" to make the controversial law redundant there.

"That there is scope for the withdrawal of troops is the Home Ministry's view. There are more than adequate forces in Kashmir and the state can do with less Central forces," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told PTI.

When asked how many personnel were being pulled out of the state, he said in 2009, the Centre withdrew 10 battalions (10,000 men) from the state. Last year, it did not pull out any battalion because of an agitation.

"I think this year, we can easily withdraw 10 battalions, if not more. Irrespective of the situation, I can pull out 10 battalions and it will not have any impact.We have about 70 battalions in Kashmir and 62 in seven Left-wing affected states which are big states.... I think if I can take out, I will try to pull out as many as I can," he said.

On the amendments to the AFSPA whose withdrawal was being demanded by the state, he said this was an issue which had to be decided politically.

"But, OK, even if it is not done, I think you can move forward and say some parts of Kashmir need not be declared disturbed," he said.

Pillai said that if there was no change being made in the AFSPA, than the area could be denotified (as disturbed) and the law would not be applicable there.

He said the proposals for amendments to the AFSPA were before the Cabinet Committee on Security.

The Home Secretary allayed fears that violence might return to the Kashmir valley, saying several major steps had been taken after September last year.

Pillai said there was a need to reach out to people of Kashmir and not just reaching out to mainstream parties.

He said the Centre was planning to hold seminars in the remote areas of the state with a team of 100 officers of the Centre along with state government officers listening to the problems of local people.

The Home Secretary said in many remote areas, people did not know whom to contact.

"You will be surprised that most of the people still come to me from distant districts in North-Eastern states because I held such seminars there," he said. — PTI

Jammu, February 13
The city had moderate rain here today.Most of the main roads and lanes in the low-lying areas remained waterlogged.According to an official report of the Meteorological Department, the city may witness moderate to heavy rain during the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile,the delay in the completion of laying of drainage pipes in the city by the Economic Reconstruction Agency has added to the problems of the residents. As most of the roads have been dug for laying the pipes, the work has been left incomplete.

Many vehicles were stranded on under- construction roads that led to heavy traffic jams.

In the Bhori area, two school buses fell into a partially- dug road that led to a traffic jam for hours.

“My daughter, who is studying in Vishwa Bharti School, did not reach home on time due to the traffic jam,” said Shanta Rani, a resident of the Bohri area.

Jammu, February 13
India sent a message of peace to Pakistan today from the shrine of Baba Chamliyal on the international border in the Ramgarh sector of Samba district on Indo-Pak Brotherhood Day- 2011.

“Peace is not only a necessity, but also the destiny of the world,” said peacenik Darakhshan Andrabi, president of the Socialistic Democratic Party (SDP), who has been organising such events since 2008.

“Our endeavour in initiating peace and brotherhood has succeeded to some extent across the border. This is a people’s initiative and many newspapers from Pakistan carried stories about our programme last year. Many social organisations also responded positively to our peace initiatives,” Andrabi said.

The highlight of the programme was a unique message to the youths of the Valley, who crossed over to the other side of the border to join militancy and now wanted to come back, she said.

She urged such youths to join the mainstream and work for peace and brotherhood. “We appeal to the governments of India and Pakistan to facilitate the return of such youths,” she said and urged the chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Salahuddin, to shun militancy and work for peace as Islam preached non-violence.

Placards depicting the pain of mothers, who have been waiting since long for their sons to come back from Pakistan, were held by Andrabi and other leaders of the party.

Andrabi appealed to the rulers of Pakistan to stop sponsoring violence and reciprocate to the peace initiatives for prosperity of the people in both countries.

“We alone cannot establish peace in the Valley. Pakistan should also contribute to ensure stability in the region. So this day, we appeal to the rulers and intelligentsia of Pakistan to reciprocate in right earnest,” she said.

The programme started with an all-religion prayer for peace. at the shrine. A chaddar was offered to the saint. Heart-shaped balloons and pigeons were released in the direction of Pakistan. 

Udhampur, February 13
The 71 Headquarters of the Army,in association with the Khadi Village Industries Corporation (KVIC), organised an awareness programme at the military station here.

The programme was organised to bring awareness among ex-servicemen and Veer Naris about various loan schemes available with the KVIC.

Army officers and the Assistant Director,KVIC, were present on the occasion where a presentation was given on the schemes available under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). The Assistant Director explained the schemes in detail.

The beneficiaries were educated about the loans available for various small-scale projects with a maximum contribution of an individual restricted to 5 per cent of the cost. A subsidy of 35 per cent was also provided on the approval of the project. The remaining 60 per cent of the total project cost was provided by nationalised banks at the existing rates. They were also informed that the KVIC was committed to providing them all possible help to procure loans from the banks.

The ex-servicemen and the Veer Naris were informed that the application forms and other details of various schemes were available at the office of the Director, Resettlement.The Army officials assured them that an exclusive outlet for their finished products would be provided at Dhruva Amenities. 

Jammu, February 13
The Adhkuwari-Himkoti-Bhawan track to the Vaishno Devi shrine was closed today following a landslide near Himkoti this evening.The police said three pilgrims who were injured in the incident were rushed to hospital.

“The new track has been closed and the old Adhkuwari-Hathi Matha-Bhawan track has been reopened,” said a senior police officer.

Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed to traffic on Sunday following landslides near Panthial in Ramban district.

Kifayat Hyder, SSP, National Highway, said: “We are appealing to commuters to postpone their journeys as the road near Panthial is risky.Incessant rain has triggered major landslides in the area.”

“The National Highway was opened in the morning,but was closed after the landslides”.

He added: “There is no possibility of resuming the traffic by the evening. Officials of various government departments have been working to open the road for vehicular 
movement,but it will take some time.”

Srinagar: The Kashmir valley had rain and snow for the second consecutive day on Sunday.

“With a western disturbance persisting , there will be more rain and snow in the Valley in the next two days,” said an official of the state MeT Department.

“While Gulmarg and Pahalgam witnessed a heavy snowfall, the lower reaches were lashed by rain. The minimum temperature in Srinagar was recorded at 2.6°C while it was 1.2°C in Pahalgam and - 3.4°C in Gulmarg ,” the official said.

It was still snowing on the upper reaches of the Valley, including Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Gurez.

He said Sadna Top, Z-Gali and Razdan Top in North Kashmir, the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, the areas in the periphery of the Pahalgam hill resort , Sonamarg and the Zojilla Pass along the Srinagar-Leh National Highway and Yousmarg in Budgam district of Central Kashmir received heavy snow.

Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed to traffic today following landslides at various places.

Srinagar, February 13
Tourism Minister Nawang Ringzin Jora has called for joint efforts by the government and stakeholders in the tourism industry for creating a congenial atmosphere to attract tourists to the Valley.

He said the state Tourism Ministry held melas in Bangalore, Kolkata, Surat, Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi to promote tourism.

But, he said these measures could only be translated into reality when “we initiate efforts for creating an atmosphere where tourists not only from the country but also from abroad are attracted to this beautiful Valley.”

He said the government had fixed a target of one million tourists for the Valley in 2010, but unfortunately, such a situation was created that many tourists were forced to go to other destinations in the country. Jora said, “ The government is also working on a plan so that tourists can have a longer stay in the Valley at various spots, which will boost the economy of the tourism industry.”

The minister was addressing a function organised by the Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHARA) here today. 

Srinagar, February 13
Welcoming the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, today said it proved that the aspirations of the people could not be suppressed for long by the use of brute force.

In a statement to the media, the Mirwaiz said:“We welcome the stepping down of Hosni Mubarak as the President of Egypt. It has proved that people's aspirations cannot be suppressed for long by the use of brute force.”

He said history was full of examples of dictators and autocrats temporarily succeeding in "muzzling the voice of people, but ultimately bowing before the masses.”

He urged the international community to help resolve the Kashmir issue.

Jammu, February 13
A security guard deployed with a Minister of State was arrested on a charge of eve-teasing in Kathua district yesterday night. A police officer said the Special Police Officer (SPO), Ashok Kumar,who was deployed at the house of Minister of State for Cooperatives Manohar Lal was caught by local residents when he allegedly teased a girl under the influence of liquor last night at Dongada village in the district. Though the police did not disclose the name of the complainant, it confirmed that the SPO was arrested after receiving the complaint. 

Jammu, February 13
Two minor siblings were found abandoned at Jammu Tawi Railway Station in early today, the police said.

It said a boy and his sister arrived here in the Hemkund Express from Haridwar around 6 am.

“We got the information about the two children found abandoned at a coach in the Hemkund Express. They were immediately taken to the police station from where they were sent to the Janipur Childline,” the police said.

It added investigations were on by the railway police to trace their parents. 

Jammu, February 13
The Childline, Jammu, has urged mobile phone service providers like Airtel, Aircel, Idea and Reliance to provide toll-free services on its helpline number 1098 on the pattern of the BSNL, Tata Indicom and Vodafone as part of their social corporate responsibility.

It has also urged the government to establish an independent welfare home for children in distress, homeless children and children who need special care. Other demands include the strengthening of the Juvenile Welfare Board, the formation of a committee to monitor shelter homes and the inclusion of the Childline logo in the district’s website.

“At present, the Childline is functional at the city level, but considering the topography and the population, particularly the migratory population, there is immediate need for expanding its activities to the district level.This will surely increase the call status as well as the number of cases for advocacy,” the organisation said in a statement.

Jammu, February 13
The Nagrota police today rescued a 15-year-old girl, an NCC cadet, who was allegedly kidnapped by her instructor on February 2 from an NCC camp at Nagrota.

“Acting on specific information, we raided a hideout of the accused in Jammu from where the girl was rescued, but the kidnapper managed to flee,” said Parvez Sajjad, SHO, Nagrota police station.

The kidnapped girl, Bismah, a native of Bhaderwah had gone to participate in the Republic Day Parade at New Delhi with her instructor, Nazamul Saqib, also a resident of Bhaderwah. On their return, both stayed at the NCC camp, Nagrota, from where both went missing under suspicious circumstances.

Sajjad added, “The victim’s father had lodged an FIR on February 8, alleging that his daughter was kidnapped by her instructor. Acting on it, we started a hunt and succeeded in rescuing the girl.”

A case under Section 366 of the RPC has been registered at Nagrota police station.