Srinagar, May 9
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has stressed the need to speed up the dialogue process both at the internal and external levels to resolve the Kashmir issue and asked the separatists to join the talks with the government for an acceptable solution to the problem.

The Chief Minister also asserted that reactions from various quarters following the death of Al-Qaida founder leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan were not going to impact the relations and the dialogue process between India and Pakistan. He added that the Foreign Secretary and other officers of the Central government had already made it clear that Osama’s killing would have no impact on the dialogue process between the two neighbouring countries. “A lot of people have tried to draw parallels between Al-Qaida and militancy in Kashmir,” Omar said, adding that there was no connection between the two. During the past two-and-a-half years, there was “not a single piece of intelligence” showing that there was any connection between the Al-Qaida and Kashmir militancy though there was an external dimension to militancy in the state, he said.

Talking to mediapersons on the reopening of the Civil Secretariat here today, Omar said the people in the state, apart from seeking solution to their day-to-day problems, were looking forward to the resolution of larger issue of Kashmir. This, he added, could be solved through a dialogue process both at the internal and external levels. “Efforts should be made to speed up the dialogue process (at the internal level) and those who have not participated must come forward and join the talks,” Omar commented.

In an overt reference to the separatists, he said these leaders had been saying they were not against the dialogue process.

Referring to the dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad, the Chief Minister said it had been started but there was need to speed up the process to resolve Kashmir issue. The Kashmir issue, he said, needed to be resolved in a way that was acceptable to the governments of both India and Pakistan and the people of trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir.

Asked about hardline APHC chairman Syed Ali Geelani’s call for a general strike on May 14 to protest the continued detention of separatist leaders and activists by the police, the Chief Minister hoped that Geelani did not put the people to inconvenience. “He (Geelani) is a senior member of society and I appeal to him that if there is any difference of opinion that could be taken up at a public forum,” Omar said.

The Civil Secretariat and other Darbar Move offices, including Raj Bhawan and the state police headquarters, reopened for summer here today after they closed in Jammu on April 29.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was presented a guard of honour by the police on his arrival at the Civil Secretariat. Accompanied by some of his ministerial colleagues and senior officers, Omar went around various sections in the Secretariat and met employees working in different departments to have a feel of the accommodation arrangements.

The Chief Minister hoped that his government would serve the people in a better way without wasting time. He added that the people were faced with immense problems and urged his ministerial colleagues to address all day-to-day problems of the people. “It is not possible to address all problems of the people during these six months, but we will utilise this period to solve their problems,” Omar commented.

The Chief Minister also urged his ministerial colleagues and senior officers to come to the expectations of the people, who yearned for peace.

The Governor’s Secretariat in Raj Bhawan also commenced functioning here today after it closed in Jammu on April 29. Governor NN Vohra went around various wings of the Raj Bhawan Secretariat and issued instructions for improved cleanliness, better management of office records, replacement of old electric wiring, enforcement of fire safety measures and adequate maintenance of lawns and gardens.

He stressed the need for better upkeep of the Raj Bhawan estate and promoting the usage of new and renewable energy sources. He reviewed the status of the ongoing works with regard to the installation of a 20 KW solar power plant and a 2,000 LPD capacity solar water heating system at Raj Bhawan.

Srinagar, May 9
Governor NN Vohra today emphasised the need for making available quality medicines to the people at affordable prices and dealing effectively with the menace of spurious drugs.

The Governor was speaking after inaugurating the first Jan Aushadhi Generic Drugs store in Jammu and Kashmir at the Red Cross Complex, Exchange Road, here this evening. This Generic Drugs outlet has been set up under the initiative of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and coordinated by the pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India.

The Governor observed that the availability of generic drugs manufactured by the Central and state PSUs could contribute significantly towards tackling the problem of rapid increase in the prices of drugs, injectables and other material required for medical care.

He said there was an enormous difference between the prices of branded and generic drugs. In this context, he stressed the need for popularising generic drugs. He said doctors had an important role in popularising generic drugs in the state.

Referring to the activities of the Red Cross, the Governor called for dynamic efforts to mobilise adequate resources to give a meaningful momentum to ameliorate activities in the state. He appealed to the affluent sections of society, philanthropists and the corporate sector to donate liberally to the Red Cross Society in the state to help those in distress.

The Governor gave away cash rewards to three drivers of the Indian Red Cross Society, who had done a commendable work during the unrest last year. He interacted with the drivers and lauded the work done by them. He also presided over the lucky draw of the Red Cross and took out three tickets to announce the first three prize winners.

Katra, May 9
As the rates of tickets of the helicopter service to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine from its base camp at Katra to Sanjhi Chhat and from Sanjhi Chhat to Katra have been reduced drastically, it has become the first preference of the pilgrims. As a result there is no ticket available at present and tickets have been sold in advance for a month.

The ticket for an adult is now available at Rs 700, which was earlier available around Rs 1,400 for a single side. Two private players -- Global Vectra and Pawan Hans -- are at present providing this service. “Earlier when the ticket price was almost double, there were hardly any takers of the chopper service. But now the scenario is altogether different,” said an official at the ticket booking counter at Hotel Continental here.

He added that, “The entire process has gone online and the pilgrims can now get tickets by logging into the websites of the service providers by paying the fare through credit cards. There is also a benefit of availing of the helicopter service, as the pilgrims get a priority slip to pay obeisance at the shrine”.

The official said they were getting a large number of phone calls for tickets for VIPs and VVIPs everyday.

Even the officials of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board accepted the fact that the recent cut in the prices of chopper tickets was attracting a large number of pilgrims. “The pilgrimage is about 12-km long and most of the pilgrims prefer the helicopter services to reach Sanjhi Chhat, from where the distance to the shrine is about 2.5 km. There is no ticket available at any ticket counter till May 31,” said a senior official of the shrine board.

He added, “Summer vacation are yet to start, but there is already a huge rush of devotees and helicopter tickets till May 31 have been sold in advance”.

He also appealed to the pilgrims, those planning to pay obeisance at the shrine, to get helicopter tickets in advance, as these were not available here. “Those who can go on foot or on mules or palanquins should avoid using the chopper service so that the needy or the aged could make use of it,” the official said.

Battery-operated vehicles are also running from Ardhkwari to the Bhawan via the new track. So far about 28 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine. Last year, nearly 87.5 lakh pilgrims had darshan at the shrine, the highest ever since the inception of the shrine board in 1986. In April alone about 9.77 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the shrine, while the number of pilgrims was almost the same in March.

At present on an average nearly 30,000 pilgrims are coming here to pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine.

Jammu, May 9
Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) today announced that the registration process for the annual Amarnath yatra would begin tomorrow.

This year the pilgrimage would be held between June 29 and August 13 on both Baltal and Chandanwari routes. According to RK Goyal, CEO of the SASB, the pilgrims could register themselves at 149 bank branches located across the country, as well as online.

He added that the registration counters at the designated branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, YES Bank and District Cooperative Banks would remain open from 3 pm to 6 pm on all working days and from 1 pm to 4 pm on all working Saturdays up to August 10. The registration would be done on the first come first served basis and the details of these branches would be available on the board’s website www.shriamarnathjishrine.com.

Jammu, May 9
Union Minister of State for Defence Dr MM Pallam Raju along with Director General Border Roads Lt-Gen S Ravi Shankar and Special Secretary, Ministry of Defence, RK Mathur arrived here today on a three-day visit to asses the progress of works by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

They were received at the Air Force Station, Jammu, by Air Commodore Nitin Sathe, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Jammu, Brig Pankaj Saxena, Deputy GOC, Tiger Division, and Brig SK Tiwari, Chief Engineer, Project Sampark.

After a short briefing, the minister took an aerial reconnaissance of the projects undertaken by the BRO along with his team in the Jammu-Kathua region. He was also accompanied by MP Lal Singh and Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal.

Thereafter, Raju reviewed the activities of the BRO, Jammu, where he was also briefed on the progress of the ongoing projects by Brig SK Tiwari. On the completion of the briefing, the minister visited various units in the Project Sampark. Later, he held a high-level meeting on road development issues with senior officials of the BRO and the civil administration of Jammu and Kashmir.

Raju is scheduled to meet the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt-Gen KT Parnaik, and other senior officers.

Srinagar, May 9
Pledging to empower local self-government institutions, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today his government would hold elections to municipal bodies after the panchayat poll.

“I want to transfer power from the Secretariat to the people at lower levels and my endeavour is to achieve this goal during the current financial year,” Omar said at a function here.

The Chief Minister said he had given directions to the Housing and Urban Development Department to move forward and finalise a timetable for holding elections to the municipal corporations and other urban local bodies in the state during the current fiscal year.

Omar was addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation of Rs 12.15-crore Zero Bridge near Raj Bagh here to be completed by June 2013.

The Chief Minister said the empowerment of panchayats and local bodies was the cherished goal of his government. “I want to present this gift to the people as soon as possible,” he said.

Appealing for peace, he said last summer’s disturbances had hampered development projects, including upgrade and improvement of road development process in the city. “We could not accomplish the task and realise the targets. However, I have given categorical directions to the R&B Department to take up the development of city roads on a war footing,”he said.

Omar said his government was sensitive to the requirements and needs of the people. “Strategies and programmes have already been chalked out to mitigate people’s difficulties. We are on the job. Give me a peaceful season this year. You will see the change yourself,” he added.

Omar said the city was the face of the Valley and every measure should be taken to keep it clean and up to the mark. “If the face is not palatable, the beauty of the whole body gets eclipsed,” he said.

The Chief Minister said during the 2008 elections, he had promised a new Zero Bridge and the reconstruction of gutted Tourist Reception Centre (TRC). “The foundation of Zero Bridge has been laid and the work on the reconstruction of the new TRC building at the present place will start soon,” he said.

Omar said at the site of the present Road Transport Corporation, the government was contemplating constructing Tehzeb Mehal to preserve and showcase the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir.

“This would also serve as an important centre to learn about the Kashmir’s Art, Culture, Language, History and other aspects,” he said. The Chief Minister said he had also approved a Rs 8.92-crore bridge over the Jhelum at Zainakadal and a Rs 16.21-crore bridge at Malroo. — PTI

Jammu, May 9
Activists of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party held a protest against the state’s Chief Electoral Officer here today for adopting an alleged biased approach during the panchayat elections.

The protesters were irked over the Chief Electoral Officer’s decisions regarding polling in the Sadrota panchayat of the Lohai Mather block in Billawer tehsil of Kathua district. They alleged that rules were not followed during the elections in Kathua district.

They said the administrative machinery was used to favour a particular candidate at Billawer. State vice-president of the Young Panthers Pushvinder Singh Manhas demanded action against the officials campaigning for candidates in the panchayat elections and said the Chief Electoral Officer was silent over the episode. Pushvinder lambasted ministers for allegedly making announcements in favour of some candidates.

Udhampur, May 9
The district unit of the Youth Congress today demanded that the hydro-power projects planned in Kishtwar district be started to generate employment opportunities for the jobless youth of the mountainous district.

In a statement issued here today, the Youth Congress leader, Sheikh Nasir Hussain, urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the cases of several projects, which were in limbo, with Union Power Minister SK Shinde.

He rued that the survey of several projects had been completed and some of them had been put through the tendering process, but no steps were being taken for the early start of their construction work.

These included projects at Ratle, Keru, Karthie, Budser and Pakaldul. This could help generate employment opportunities for thousands of youth, especially those belonging to the remote areas of the district, who were rendered jobless after the completion of the Dul Hasti power project.

Kishtwar district has a huge potential of power generation and only one project has been commissioned so far, which is generating 390 MW. Besides providing jobs to many, the new hydro-power projects could also help the state to come out of the financial crunch.

The Youth Congress leader also demanded preference to the local youth in construction work as they had ample experience of working in the Dul Hasti project.

Srinagar, May 9
The day when the government resumed its functioning in Srinagar, the PDP today criticised the government for pursuing a policy of “arrests and detentions”.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged that the state government was trying to exist only through strong arm tactics against its people while being unable to perform on the governance front. “Arrests and continued detentions are the only gift from the coalition government to the people, who are nursing the wounds of innocent deaths, injuries, disabilities and destitution caused during the previous two years,” she said.

Mehbooba said the government by continuing to hold teenagers and aged people in detention was actually discrediting not just itself but the entire process of resolution and reconciliation that was supposed to have been initiated in the wake of last year’s “atrocities on defenceless and peaceful citizens”.

“Contrary to the claims made from time to time, a large number of people continue to languish in detention while the future of hundreds of youths has been imperiled by the filing of FIRs against them. A large number of students have lost their precious academic pursuit trying to evade arrests,” she said.

Referring to the latest slapping of the Public Safety Act against Qazi Yaser, a religious leader, Mehbooba said it made no sense to deny peaceful citizens and religious leaders their liberty merely on suspicion. “It is immensely dangerous to link such a highhanded conduct with the panchayat elections or the sensitive issue of the Amarnath yatra,” she said. She added that the peaceful conduct of the yatra over the years, increased number of pilgrims and support from the people was enough to disprove the government contention.

On an attempt to link prominent local personalities with the disruption of the yatra, she said, “It is not just a lame excuse, but is fraught with apprehensions of serious nature in and outside the state, which amounts to painting black the people, who take pride in hosting the pilgrimage”.

Udhampur, May 9
The Commandant,137 BN CRPF, Jakhani, Udhampur, J Majumdar, today gave an ex-gratia relief of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of police constable Sham Lal, who was killed in an encounter with militants.

Kamlesh Bhagat, wife of the martyr, his mother Chandi Devi and daughter Neharika received the relief in the form of bank drafts of Rs 1 lakh each. On the occasion, the Commandant recalled the supreme sacrifice made by Sham Lal in defending the sovereignty of the country.

Deputy Commandant, 137 BN CRPF, Udhampur, OP Pandey, DSP (HQ), Udhampur, Suram Singh, senior officers and prominent persons of Sham Lal’s native village were present.

Jammu, May 9
President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil honoured Prof Vishwamurti Shastri at a function organised at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday last.

The Higher Education Department of the Union Human Resource Development Ministry selected Prof Shastri for the award for his pioneering work in promoting Sanskrit in the remote and backward areas of Jammu and Kashmir through hundreds of non-formal Sanskrit teaching centres where about 5,000 students had been imparted with basic knowledge of Sanskrit.

Union Minister for Human Resources Development Kapil Sibal was also present at the function and congratulated Shastri for the award. Born in Ghordi in Ramnagar tehsil of Udampur district, Shastri had his initial teaching from his father Pandit Anant Ram Jyotishi and later pursued his higher education from the then Jammu and Kashmir University and did his Ph.D from the Rashtriya Sasnkrit Sansthan.

At present he is principal of the Rahstriya Sanskrit Sansthan Deemed University, Ranbir Campus, Jammu, which is the only Sanskrit learning institute in the state. — TNS