Jammu, June 15
Buoyed over the “encouraging” statements of Rajya Sabha member Dr Karan Singh and veteran party leader Makhan Lal Fotedar, Congress workers have decided to step up campaign for the rotation of chief ministership in the state.

Although the faction owing allegiance to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has maintained a guarded silence on the issue, the pro-Soz group has been vociferously demanding that the Congress should be given an opportunity to head the state government after the completion of the three-year tenure of Omar Abdullah.

It was veteran Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, who had raised the demand in 2010 during a public meeting at Samba in the presence of PCC chief Saifuddin Soz.

“I stick to my demand that the Congress must be given an opportunity to head the government, as it is in the interest of both coalition parties,” Sharma told The Tribune.

Sharma, who is in the union capital to apprise the party leadership of the views of Congress workers on the issue of rotation of chief ministership, said the high command had not contradicted their demand.

“Dr Karan Singh is part of the Congress high command. Therefore, it is a clear indication that the high command is supportive of our demand,” he said.

He warned that if the NC was allowed to head the government for six years, the base of the Congress would be eroded in the state. “Ultimately, the final decision has to be taken by the Congress high command,” he said.

Unlike other parts of the country, the tenure of the Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir is six years. Congress leaders have been demanding that after the completion of the first three years, the chief ministership should be handed over to the Congress, as both parties are running the coalition.

The demand got a boost when Dr Karan Singh assured party workers that he would convey their suggestions to the high command.

“In 2002, when the PDP-Congress government was formed, it was decided that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed would be allowed to complete the six-year tenure, but due to the pressure of the workers, Ghulam Nabi Azad was made the Chief Minister,” a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

Veteran Congress leader ML Fotedar also echoed similar views when party workers raised the issue of the rotation of chief ministership.Fotedar praised former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and described his tenure as the “golden era in the history of the state”.

He added that the Kashmir issue would have been resolved had Mufti Mohammad Sayeed been allowed to continue as the Chief Minister in 2005 by the Congress high command. 

New Delhi, June 15
The Planning Commission today approved a Rs 6,600 crore Annual Plan for Jammu and Kashmir for 2011-12, Rs 600 crore higher than the last year’s outlay. This is the highest ever annual outlay in the state’s history

The plan was finalised at a meeting between the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here, an official statement said. Besides, the state has also got an additional Rs 1,200 crore under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan.

The main highlights of the Annual Plan are: a plan revenue of Rs 1,167.75 crore (18 per cent of the total plan); a capital component of Rs 5,432.25 crore (82 pc); a provision of Rs 900 crore earmarked to access the Central share of about Rs 3,400 crore.

Not that the Chief Minister was all happy at today’s meeting. Citing the challenging situations in Jammu and Kashmir, he sought the release of Rs 356 crore for meeting the rehabilitation costs of Dal Lake dwellers. He also sought the financing of the management action plan for Wular Lake, besides seeking Rs 150 crore for the rejuvenation of the J&K State Financial Corporation in connection with the recommendations of the Task Force on Jobs set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also demanded the release of Rs 100 crore corpus fund for micro, medium and small enterprises.

On the tourism front, a sector which the Prime Minister-constituted task force on jobs dealt with in great detail, Omar called for stopping negative advisories issued for travel to the Valley by Europe and the USA, need for the upper ceiling of air fares during the tourist season; starting of the Leh-Damchuk flights from the Srinagar Airport and the start of the morning-evening flights from Srinagar.

Complimenting the state for the smooth and successful conduct of the panchayat elections, Ahluwalia said the move would help ensure more inclusive growth. Omar, while briefing mediapersons, said the increase in the allocation would help the state in its efforts to decentralise the financial powers to the local bodies.

“This, for us, is the year during which we hope to devolve the maximum amount of power to the grass-roots level. We concluded the panchayat elections this month. We expect to have elections to the urban local bodies in the autumn this year.

“So, by the end of this year, we will have the third tier of the government, not only in place but also made fully functional as well,” the Chief Minister said. He added that the work on the railway link was going on in the state.

“We hope that next year, the tunnel under the Banihal Pass will be completed and, therefore, Jammu will be linked to Kashmir...I think joining the track to Katra from Jammu will take a little longer time,” Omar said.

He said the work on two mega infrastructure projects, the Jammu-Srinagar rail link and the four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, was in progress. “The completion of these projects will add enormously to the quality of connectivity of the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country,” Omar added.

Ahluwalia appreciated the efforts of the state government to improve the infrastructure and basic services. He said appreciable improvement had been noticed in the health, education and drinking water sectors.

* The Annual Plan outlay this year is Rs 600 crore higher than the allocation of last year

* The state has also got an additional Rs 1,200 crore under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan

* This is the highest-ever plan allocation in the state’s history

* The Chief Minister sought Rs 356 crore for meeting the 
rehabilitation costs of Dal Lake dwellers

* He also demanded Rs 150 crore for the rejuvenation of the State Financial Corporation and a Rs 100 crore corpus fund for micro, medium and small enterprises

Jammu/Srinagar, June 15
Union Minister of State for Home, Communications and Information Technology Gurudas Kamat visited the Frontier Headquarters of the BSF at Paloura here today.

Prior to his visit to the headquarters, Kamat paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra and Shri Raghunath Temple here.

During his brief stay at the BSF headquarters, the minister interacted with senior officers on various issued relating to border management and recent developments on the 198-km-long international border (IB).

He also reviewed security arrangements being made by the BSF in view of the latest developments on the western borders.

S Chattopadhyaya, IG, BSF, Jammu Frontier, briefed Kamat on the prevailing situation on the borders, deployment of the BSF for the ensuing Amarnath yatra and the security scenario on the international border.

The minister expressed gratitude to the government for sanctioning a 135-ft composite embankment on international border in Jammu, which he said would go a long way in providing security to the people in the region.

Kamat expressed satisfaction over the work of the BSF in bringing peace and tranquility to the region and said the Union government was well aware of the problems faced by the BSF. He added that the government would leave no stone unturned to address the pending issues of the force.

Meanwhile, Kamat met Governor NN Vohra here last evening.

During an hour-long meeting, the Governor and Kamat discussed the overall security situation in the state and reviewed the measures being taken for the expansion, upgrade and modernisation of the telecommunications and IT network in the state, an official spokesperson said.

The Governor emphasised that it was imperative for the economic development of the people of the state, particularly those living in the remote and far-flung areas.

He thanked Kamat for the support provided by the Ministry of Communications for establishing a telecom network in the Amarnath yatra area. 

Jammu, June 15
BJP state chief spokesperson Jitendra Singh yesterday denounced British parliamentarian George Galloway’s observation that Kashmiris wanted plebiscite promised to them by the first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru.

He said no country had the right to interfere in the internal affairs of India and such statements from western dignitaries received unwarranted media coverage because of the weak-kneed responses from the UPA government and failure of the Centre to place the Kashmir policy firmly on record.

In a statement issued here,Singh said a great part of the present Kashmir imbroglio was the result of Pandit Nehru’s “misguided ventures” referred to as the Nehruvian blunders on Kashmir.

But, the contradiction emanating from Nehruvian mistakes had since been sought to be put at rest with the passage of a unanimous all-party resolution of Parliament in 1994 stating that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and pledging to vacate the portion of the state under Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, he added. Reacting sharply to Galloway’s statement comparing the so-called plight of the Kashmiris with that of the Palestinians, Singh said the observation was devoid of logic or fact, particularly when the state enjoyed all democratic rights that were enjoyed by other states of the country and there had been regular elections held from time to time.

He called upon the UPA government to take a strong note of the British MP’s statement and take up the issue through diplomatic channels. 

Srinagar, June 15
Train services to Baramulla have been restored following the completion of repair work and maintenance of the signalling system, which was damaged during the turmoil in the Kashmir valley last year.

The services were suspended on the 120-km Qazigund-Baramulla railway line due to the unrest in August last year. With an improvement in the situation, the repair on the tracks in some areas and the signalling system in the northern sector of the line was taken up last year. The train services were partially restored between Budgam and Qazigund through Srinagar in December last year, while these were extended from Budgam to Hamray, about three months ago.

The services were finally restored on the last stretch of 18 km from Hamray to Baramulla yesterday with the completion of the track repair and the restoration of the station at Sopore. The tracks were destroyed in several areas while damage was also caused to the premises of the yard at Budgam.

With the restoration of the train services on the entire stretch in the Kashmir valley, many commuters have heaved a sigh of relief.

However, the railway line is yet to be connected with the national network for which the work is going on at two stages. The longest tunnel of 11 km connecting Qazigund with Banihal is nearing completion, while work is also underway on the Banihal-Udhampur stretch. The much-awaited train services in the Valley were inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on October 11, 2008, between Anantnag and Mazhama.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin Soz, MP and PCC president, has thanked the chairman of the Railway Board of India, Vivek Sahai, for the restoration of the railway line to Baramulla. Soz had taken up the matter with the Railways. He expressed happiness that there were only a few complaints of persons travelling without ticket in 
Kashmir.

Srinagar, June 15
After an agreement between the government and the Jammu-based Baba Amarnath Yatri Niyas on Monday over the duration of the Amarnath yatra, “pratham darshan pooja” was performed at Panjtarni today.

Two members of the niyas, Surinder Mohan Aggarwal and Karan Singh Charak, president and general secretary, respectively, participated in the pooja organised by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), marking the beginning of the yatra. RK Goyal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SASB, performed the pooja.

The niyas, an amalgam of religious, social and political organisations, was in favour of commencing the yatra from Jyeshta Purnima (June 15) instead of June 29, as fixed by the SASB.

An official spokesman here said Goyal, accompanied by Aggarwal and Charak, flew to Panjtarni from Srinagar in a helicopter and performed the pooja on the banks of Panjtarni amid the chanting of vedic mantras. However, the movement of pilgrims would start from June 29 via both Pahalgam and Baltal routes.

Goyal also reviewed the yatra-related works at the Panjtarni camp. He issued instructions to all concerned to ensure that all arrangements were put in place as per the schedule.

Jammu, June 15
A man was allegedly looted of Rs 42,000 by four masked men at gunpoint in the Darpora area of Banihal tehsil of Ramban district during wee hours today.

Official sources said around 3 am today, four masked men, clad in Khaki, knocked at the door of Abdul Latif Dar’s house and asked him to help them locate the Dooligam area in Ramban district.

As Dar took them atop the roof of his house to show them the direction to reach Dooligam, the four men attacked him and tore his clothes, they added. The assailants then decamped with Rs 42,000, said the sources. This morning, the matter was reported to the Banihal police. It confirmed the incident and admitted that three bullets of an SLR were recovered from Dar’s house. SHO, Banihal, Sajjad Ahmed Mir said the police had registered an FIR and investigations had been started.

Jammu, June 15
Tension gripped the family of a merchant navy officer belonging to Bari Brahmna town, 12 km from here, a day after it celebrated the news of his release from the captivity of Somali pirates following reports that the ship had again been attacked by another group of pirates.

The hope for the safety of the officer, Narottam Kumar Sharma, and other crew members now lies on Pakistan with reports that Pakistani warship, “Babbar”, is approaching the ship, MV Suez, which had earlier been held captive for over 10 months by the pirates.

“ We are worried,” said Mulk Raj Sharma, Narottam’s brother.

“We are shocked at the development, but again there is no help from the Indian government.Pakistan’s human rights activist Ansar Burney called us today to inform that the ship had been attacked again,” he added.

“The captain contacted Burney and sought his help after he saw some boats approaching the ship after the Somali pirates released it,” Mulk Raj said.

The ship was reportedly released yesterday after a ransom of Rs 10.5 crore was paid to the pirates.

Samba, June 15
The death of a woman in a freak accident on a hill road of Mansar on February 12 this year may turn out to be a cold-blooded murder with her husband as the prime suspect.

The Samba police, which has reopened the file, is now in the process of converting it into a murder case. It has accessed the call details of the accused, Yudhvir Singh, a resident of Kaily Mandi in Samba town, and his girlfriend, a teacher in a private school, on the day of the incident.

On February 12, Yudhvir, who has a four-year-old daughter, took his wife, Anita Devi, in a car to Mansar Lake on the pretext of feeding fish, said police sources. Though it was a routine for the couple and their minor daughter to visit the Mansar Lake to feed fish, on the fateful day, the man did not take along his daughter,the sources said.

On their way back home, Yudhvir, who had given his cellphone to his girlfriend and was carrying someone else’s phone , allegedly executed his plan, the sources said. Around 6.30 am when their car reached a steep slope,Yudhvir, who pretended that the vehicle had developed a technical snag, started pushing it while sitting in the car to start the engine. “During investigation,Yudhvir had told the police that since the car went out of control, he jumped out and also asked his wife to do so, but she didn’t do so. Before he could do anything, the vehicle fell into a deep gorge,” SSP, Samba, Israr Khan told The Tribune.

“What appeared unconvincing to me was the fact that a vehicle, which breaks down on a steep slope, needs a simple push to gain momentum. Secondly, a person will ask his wife to get out of the vehicle before trying to push it to start the engine,” said the SSP. “The police has also succeeded in tracing an eyewitness, who is a truck driver,” said the SSP, adding that he had been identified as Jaswant Singh of Jourian in Akhnoor. The police had also identified one of the rescuers, Ravi Kumar, a native of Papad in Samba,who was the first to make an effort to save Anita. The critically injured woman died while taken to hospital,said the SSP.