Srinagar, April 11
Normal life in the Valley was affected in response to a bandh call given by the hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani in protest against the government order to issue Dogra certificates to the residents of the Jammu region on ethnic grounds.

All shops and business establishments remained closed in most parts of Srinagar city and elsewhere in the Valley.

Private vehicles and auto-rickshaws plied normally while public transport was off the roads in most parts of the city. A thin attendance was seen in government offices while some educational institutions remained closed.

Life was affected in the Valley for the third consecutive day today. The Geelani faction had earlier given a bandh call for today with “peaceful demonstrations” over the Dogra certificate issue. Both factions of the Hurriyat Conference (Mirwaiz and Geelani) had called for a day’s bandh on Saturday to mourn the death of Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah, who was killed in an IED blast in Srinagar. JKLF chairman Yasin Malik, who was close to the Moulana, had also given a two-day bandh call.

Even as the state government clarified that Dogra certificates would provide no reservation to the residents of any particular region and assured people that it would take up the matter in the Cabinet, the separatists in Kashmir said it was a conspiracy against the Muslims of the Jammu region.

The Geelani faction took exception to the government order regarding the Dogra certificate that “grants relaxation to the unemployed youth of the Jammu region in certain sectors on ethnic grounds”. Geelani said the aim of the Dogra certificate was to end the identity of the Muslims living in the Jammu region. He added that this was being done as part of a “hidden agenda” of the RSS and its allied parties. 

Jammu, April 11
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has pointed towards the failure of the Animal Husbandry Department to provide sufficient infrastructure to 10 out of the 13 veterinary hospitals across the state.

In its audit report for the year ended March 31, 2010, the CAG stated that due to the lack of infrastructure and equipment in the hospitals, the symptoms of animal diseases like the foot and mouth disease, black quarter, foul duck cholera, anthrox, Rani-Khet disease had increased in the livestock and were proving fatal. “On being pointed out this fact, the department stated that the organisms usually undergo genetic re-assortment, which made the control over the diseases difficult,” it added.

The report said the Animal Husbandry Department also failed to clarify “why the vaccination of the entire susceptible livestock population could not be done in a phased manner so as to eradicate the diseases despite the fact that sufficient funds were made available to it under the Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases scheme”.

Besides, the foot and mouth disease vaccines worth Rs 13.43 lakh were destroyed due to the lack of a cold storage system in Baramulla, it added.

The report said only three hospitals were running from their own buildings. On the other hand, the officials concerned of various district hospitals stated that enough quantity of medicines was not supplied to them and thus problems were created for breeders, compelling them to go to the district headquarters to collect the medicines. However, the audit scrutiny revealed, “The reply was unacceptable, as the department had enough funds to purchase medicines”.

It said, “During an interaction with 68 breeders, it was observed that they did not get medicines even after they repeatedly visited the sheep extension centres, thus defeating the basic purpose of creating such extension centres”.

Jammu/Srinagar, April 11
Governor NN Vohra has felicitated the people on Ramnaumi and expressed sincere hope that this auspicious occasion would be a harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity of the state.

In his message of felicitations, the Governor said the celebration of festivals, which are an important aspect of our glorious pluralistic history, strengthened communal harmony, brotherhood and secular ethos. He prayed for the well being of the people of the state.

In his message of greetings, the Chief Minister said the pluralistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir and its high traditions of communal amity get further strengthened by celebrating holy occasions in an atmosphere of brotherhood and harmony. “Let us spread love and happiness universally and remember the needy and poor on the holy occasions of festivity and joy,” he said.

Jammu, April 11
A Division Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court comprising Justice Virender Singh and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, while allowing a writ petition filed by Suraj Parkash Sharma and others, who had lost their son, Sanjay Kumar Sharma, due to electrocution, awarded Rs 4.7 lakh as compensation to the petitioner.

“The state and its functionaries, who were engaged in supplying electricity in a particular area, knew it very well that the live electric wire has dangerous dimensions. Therefore, it was their responsibility to take all precautionary and safety measures to prevent the snapping of the wires,” held the High Court.

On December 18, 2001, when Sanjay Kumar Sharma was going to a shop, he passed through a place called Jhiri where employees of the Power Development Department were removing temporary electric poles erected for the Jhiri festival. One of the poles fell on the head of Sanjay Kumar Sharma, which proved fatal.

A criminal case was registered under Section 304-A of the RPC against the officials of the Power Development Department. However, the defendants refuted the charge of the petitioner that Sanjay Kumar Sharma died after he came under the electric pole. They said Sanjay Kumar Sharma had himself stated that when the electric poles were being removed, he, in a rash manner, tried to pass under the electric pole in order to catch a matador and a pole accidentally fell on his head.

The Division Bench, while allowing the appeal, held that “In the normal course, it can be said that the exercise of powers under the Article 226 of the Constitution, though discretionary, has to follow certain well-recognised norms and should not be used in each and every case where action is not related to a fundamental right”.

“This power is also not to be exercised where the petitioner has an alternate remedy under the ordinary law of the land. It can also be said that extra-ordinary writ jurisdiction cannot be exercised when civil rights of the parties are involved and the facts are disputed. However, all these well-recognised norms will not be attracted in a case of ‘strict liability’. The liability cast on the state in law will fall within the ambit of ‘strict liability’. The basis of ‘strict liability’ is the foreseeable risk inherent in the very nature of the activity,” the Bench ruled.

Jammu, April 11
Showing some flexibility with regard to its stand on the Kashmir issue, the BJP said today that the vexed problem must to be resolved within the parameters of “justice and humanity”.

The BJP admitted that though the party had its owns views on Kashmir, it did not have a detailed study or document regarding the possible solution to this decades’ old issue.

Rajnath Singh, a former president of the party and head of the BJP parliamentarians study group on Kashmir, did not rule out the possibility of holding interactions with separatists and Hurriyat leaders. “We will welcome any organisation or individual, who comes forward for talks with us,” Rajnath said, adding that the party had already extended invitations to a large number of organisations of the state.

Rajnath Singh, along with party leaders, namely Ravi Shankar Prasad, Shahnawaz Hussain, Maya Singh and JK Jain, reached Jammu this morning to start their study programme. After meeting a cross-section of people in Jammu, the group would visit the Kashmir valley.

“We are here without any reservations and will hold discussions with all people with an open mind. Our aim is to collect more and more information from different sections of society,” the former BJP national president said. He added that in a democratic system it was necessary to involve more and more people in the dialogue process to evolve consensus on any vexed problem.

Interacting with mediapersons after inaugurating the group’s office here today, Rajnath said the study group would make efforts towards preparing a detailed report on various aspects of the Kashmir issue and suggest measures for its resolution on the basis of justice and humanity. He repeated the famous statement of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpyee, who had once stated that the Kashmir problem would be solved within the parameters of humanity.

Asked whether the aim of the formation of the study group was to counter the appointment of the interlocutors by the Union government, Rajnath said the BJP’s group would conduct a study on its own and there was no question of a competition with the Centre’s interlocutors. “We want to conduct a deep study of the Kashmir problem so as prepare a detailed report, which the party will use in future for debating the issue in and outside Parliament,” he said.

On a question regarding the party’s stand on Article 370, Rajnath said the BJP would not impose its agenda on other organisations, who wanted to meet the study group.

Jammu, April 11
After the announcement of the Union government to create the institution of Lokpal in the country, society, intelligentsia and political groups of the state have started exerting pressure on the state government to extend the jurisdiction of the Lokpal Bill in the state as well.

People have expressed apprehensions that the state government will make the excuse of the special status of the state for not extending the jurisdiction of the institution of Lokpal in the state.

“In the name of the special status, the successive governments in the state have not extended the jurisdictions of many laws enacted by the Union government from time to time to decentralise power and bring transparency and accountability in governance,” Dr Gopal Parthasarthi, convener of the Public Opinion Forum, said.

He added that the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Indian Constitution had not been extended to the state, as the ruling clique was not interested in decentralising power to the grass-roots level.

“This is a glaring example of the misuse of the special status,” he said. He emphasised the need for covering the state under the Lokpal Bill.

“The Lokpal is more relevant in the state, which has already been declared as the second most corrupt state of the country,” Parthasarthi said.

Echoing similar views, Talib Hussain, a research scholar and member of the Peoples Forum for Justice, said, “The special status under Article 370 has been granted to our state just to preserve the unique identity of the state, but this status has been brazenly misused by the ruling elites to enjoy power” .

Atul Sharma, a scholar of English literature, has been vociferously demanding the extension of the jurisdiction of Lokpal in the state. He said, “I don’t think the government will introduce the Lokpal Bill in the state. The ruling elites of the state will rather rake up the emotions of the people in the name of the special status”.

BJP leader Chaman Lal Gupta has welcomed the move for the creation of the institution of Lokpal, which can help check corruption in the state. “It is the moot point whether the jurisdiction of the proposed legislation will be extended to J&K also, as the state is having a special status under Article-370,” he said.

Gupta said it was heartening that many people in the state wanted that effective steps should be taken to eradicate corruption. “This is evident that several groups joined the cry for the creation of the institution of Lokpal. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also talked of having the Lokpal Bill, but it is a question whether his government will permit the extension of the proposed legislation to the state also, where there appears to be a greater need of it than elsewhere,” he added.

Jammu, April 11
Even as the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups have been trying to rake up the issue of Dogra certificate, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz today came out in support of Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla, who had given an official order for issuing the certificate to people living in the Jammu region.

Interacting with mediapersons after attending a meeting of party MLAs in connection with the coming Legislative Council elections here today, Soz said there was some misinformation and misgivings about the notification issued regarding the Dogra certificate. He added that such misgivings would be removed in the Cabinet meeting, which would discuss this issue.

Defending the Revenue Minister, Soz said that he had issued the notice in good faith as it was already in place. Soz said the tehsildar used to issue the certificate earlier to the Dogras for getting some concession in recruitment to the central paramilitary forces.

He expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the discussions at the Jammu and Kashmir Congress Legislature Party meeting. All legislators attending the meeting assured Soz that they would support the party candidates, Yashpal Khajuria and Jahangir Mir, in the Legislative Council elections.

They also assured Soz of full support to other candidates of the coalition.

Jammu, April 11
The Darbar Move offices will close in the winter capital on April 29 and shall reopen in Srinagar on May 9. According to a government order, the government offices observing a five-day week shall close in Jammu on April 29 after the office hours, while the offices observing a six-day week shall close on April 30 after the office hours and reopen in Srinagar on May 9, 2011, for the annual Darbar Move.

As per the orders, the offices moving in the camp shall carry only 33 per cent of the strength of the staff in that particular office or with 10 officials, whichever is less. All departments have been asked to send advance parties on April 25 consisting of one-gazetted officer and four to five non-gazetted employees, who will receive the records in Srinagar.

The SP, Security, Civil Secretariat, will furnish a list of defaulting departments in this regard to the General Administration Department. The J&K SRTC has been asked to make available a sufficient number of buses in good condition for the transportation of Kashmir-based employees on April 30 and May 1 and Jammu-based employees on May 7 and 8.

The booking of buses shall be done for the destination of the employees, wherever feasible. Tickets shall be issued by the SRTC in advance i.e. from April 20 both at the Civil Secretariat and the main booking counters of the SRTC.

The SRTC will also make available trucks for shifting records from Jammu to Srinagar. Trucks shall be allowed to enter the Secretariat premises after 5 pm on April 29. The loading of trucks shall commence on April 30 and the loading of records in the offices located outside the Secretariat that observe a six-day week begin after the working hours on April 30.

The loaded trucks shall leave for Srinagar on May 1 in a convoy. The SRTC will also ensure that one crane, two buses and two trucks accompany the convoy on the respective days so that the employees do not face inconvenience due to the breakdown of any bus or truck on the way. A mobile workshop shall also accompany the convoy.

The Health Department has been asked to keep available medical aid facilities en route various places, including Jhajjar Kotli, Udhampur, Kud, Patnitop, Ramban, Ramsu, Banihal, Qazigund and Bijbehara, on days when the employees travel from Jammu to Srinagar.

The Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education, will issue necessary instructions in this behalf to the Directorates of Jammu and Kashmir divisions.

Jammu April 11
The Jammu Province People’s Forum (JPPF), a conglomerate of Jammu-based political groups, socio-cultural groups and trade organisations, has warned the government against any dilution or revocation of the order regarding the issuance of Dogra certificates to the people of the Jammu region, irrespective of caste, religion, language and sub-region.

The JPPF leaders expressed hope that the members of the majority community of the Jammu region would not fall prey to the machinations of the communal-minded separatists. The benefits of the Dogra certificate would also be available to the Muslims, Sikhs and Christians in Jammu and any effort to rouse communal passions on this score would be foiled unitedly, they said.

The leaders of the JPPF warned the government that any surrender before the communal and anti-national elements in Kashmir on the issue of Dogra certificate would have a backlash in Jammu. “It will be opposed tooth and nail and an agitation would be started in Jammu on the pattern of the Amarnath land agitation,” they warned.

A meeting of the JPPF was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Thakur Pavitter Singh and was attended, among others, by senior leaders. The members condemned the vicious campaign launched by the separatists in Kashmir against the government’s decision to confer the Dogra certificate on all those living in the Jammu region for recruitment to the Army and paramilitary forces. 

Jammu, April 11
Usha Vohra, wife of Governor NN Vohra, yesterday called for intensifying the activities of the Association for Social Health in India (ASHI) and mopping up resources to bring more beneficiaries under the ambit of its initiatives.

The First Lady, who is the president of ASHI, J&K chapter, was chairing the governing body and annual general body meetings of the association here. Usha Vohra said there was need for working with renewed commitment to help the underprivileged persons with a view to transforming their lives.

She exhorted the ASHI members to undertake adult literacy programmes alongside its ongoing efforts for ensuring education to all children in the adopted villages, as education could make a vital difference in promoting speedy socio-economic empowerment.

Stressing on increasing the membership of the ASHI so that its activities could get the desired momentum, Usha also presented a cheque for Rs 50,000 on behalf of the Governor as a token of support for the ASHI activities.

She also asked for preparing a detailed project for undertaking activities like adult education, short duration employment-oriented training programmes, hygiene and health awareness etc., in the newly-adopted Panjgrain panchayat and announced that the Governor would be approached to provide adequate support for this purpose. She asked the executive body of the association to effectively liaise with the industrial and commerce bodies of the state to garner an enhanced financial support for the ASHI’s new development initiatives. The First Lady also reviewed the functioning of two short-stay homes — Neha Ghar and Apna Ghar — run by the ASHI.