Srinagar, July 12
Tight security arrangements have been made here ahead of Martyrs Day, to be observed tomorrow, when mainstream and separatist leaders will offer special prayers and lay wreaths on the graves of martyrs of July 13, 1931.

The entire area around the martyrs’ graveyard or “Mazar-e-Shohda” at the shrine of Khwaja Naqshbandh Sahib at Khwaja Bazaar has been put under a heavy security cover.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, his ministerial colleagues, legislators, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and other senior party leaders will offer special prayers.

The moderate faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has already announced its programme to pay tributes to the martyrs.

The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) plans to take out a march tomorrow from the Jamia Masjid area to the martyrs’ graveyard to offer special prayers.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed concern over the restrictions imposed on the movement of people in the area. He said the APHC believed in a peaceful programme and blamed the government for creating trouble by imposing restrictions and harassing the people.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate, Srinagar Meraj Ahmad Kakroo said, “We have not received any application from any of the Hurriyat factions for holding a rally tomorrow.”

He said since prohibitory orders under Section 144, CrPC, were in force in the city, the authorities would not allow any illegal assembly of people as it could lead to a law and order problem.

A senior police officer said that rallies by Hurriyat factions in the past had turned unruly and violent, leading to the loss of life and property.

“We have sent our recommendations to the government in this regard. Whatever the decision, we will implement it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra has emphasised the need for strengthening the bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood and amity in the state.

In a message on the eve of Martyrs Day, the Governor called upon the people to rededicate themselves to democratic values and further strengthen secular traditions to fully restore the pristine glory of the state.

The Chief Minister also paid rich tributes to the martyrs of July 13, 1931, describing them as heroes of the struggle against suppression and totalitarianism.

In his message, the Chief Minister said the sacrifice of the martyrs to free society of autocracy and lay the edifice for democracy and human dignity was one of the richest chapters in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The best way to pay homage to the martyrs is to help create an equitable and palatable environment for everyone to grow and nurture in a democratic atmosphere. Let us join hands to develop a society based on justice and principals of secular democratic temperament,” he said.

Bani (Kathua), July 12
The claims of the authorities concerned, notwithstanding, substandard material is being used in development works in the backward area of Bani as there is no mechanism to keep a check on the quality.

As various schemes have been launched in the backward belt, those responsible for the execution of the projects are blatantly using substandard material. Bani is one of the remotest areas of the Jammu province.

Minister of State for Roads and Buildings Javed Ahmad Dar, during a visit to the belt early this year, had found that substandard material was being used in the execution of various projects and had instructed the Principal Secretary, Roads and Buildings, to hold an inquiry into the matter and submit a report to him. “The minister visited the area more than six months ago, but still no action has been taken with regard to the poor quality of the works,” said KC Verma, a social activist and retired Zonal Education Officer.

“There is no check on the quality of the works because of a nexus between the contractors and the engineers of the Roads and Buildings Department. A huge amount of money spent on the development of this backward area has been pocketed by the contractors handling the projects,” said Verma.

While referring to the projects in the area, he said though the development activities had been accelerated there, substandard material was being used in most of the works. He alleged that the officials were allotting the projects to their favourites.

Expressing similar views, a resident, Haji Bashir, regretted that instead of keeping a check on the quality of works, the authorities had turned a blind eye to the bungling. He said not only substandard material was being used but also the work was going on at a snail’s pace. To support his charge, Bashir pointed to the work on the Bani-Chalose road, which started five years ago, but was yet to be completed.

Residents of Bani were critical of local politicians for their failure to take up the issue properly. “We are fed up with the politicians,” said Rajesh, a local youth. He hoped that with the establishment of panchayats, the quality of development works would be ensured at the village level.

Jammu, July 12
The state government today approved a Rs 92.53 crore annual plan 2011 for Jammu district at a District Development Board meeting here today.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while chairing the meeting, laid stress on judicious spending of the funds and time-bound completion of the works.

The Rs 92.53 crore plan includes Rs 34.53 crore as the revenue component and Rs 57.99 crore as the capital component.

The plan also includes Rs 31.62 crore as the normal state share, Rs 14.24 crore as NABARD loan, Rs 1.46 crore as LIC loan and Rs 8.50 crore as a tied grant. The priority sectors of irrigation, PWD (R&B), education and PHE have been allocated Rs 9.96 crore, Rs 10.98 crore, Rs 11.86 crore and Rs 5.64 crore, respectively. For the agriculture sector, Rs 43.50 lakh has been allocated. The agriculture plan envisages 30,391 quintals of HYM seeds of different crops to farmers, distribution of 30,391 tonnes of fertiliser, besides bringing 1.69 hectares under the HYV programme.

Under the power sector, Rs 46 lakh has been earmarked for the repair of 492 transformers.

Under the education sector, Rs. 39.90 crore has been proposed. The upgrading of 18 primary schools under the SSA has been proposed, besides the upgrade of 20 middle schools to the high school level under the RMSA. For the health sector, Rs 5.50 crore has been proposed.

Under the social welfare sector, Rs 1.96 crore and Rs 2.37 crore have been proposed for providing pre-metric scholarships to 23,815 students of SC/OBC, besides the reimbursement of the examination fee to 1,326 students.

Omar appreciated the district administration for showing a remarkable achievement on the expenditure front and directed it to take note of the reports preferred by the monitoring agency, NABCON, so that the shortcomings and weak points were analysed during the execution of the new projects.

The Chief Minister said it was observed that the pace of the progress of works remained slow in the first two quarters of the year,picked up in the third quarter and gathered momentum in the fourth. “We have to change this trend. The pace of progress should be balanced and equitable so that a quick spending of the funds in the fourth quarter is avoided,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the Planning Commission had sanctioned a Rs 6,600 crore Annual Plan for the state, but the additional aid of Rs 150 crore for Jammu and Rs 100 crore for Ladakh, as recommended by the Task Force appointed by the Central government for Jammu and Ladakh, had not been provided. However, this amount was being spent out of the current plan on the schemes identified by the Task Force.

On the power front, the Chief Minister said the government was working on a special strategy to make a headway. 

Jammu, July 12
It has become difficult to get a train ticket to Haridwar these days. The only direct train from here to Haridwar, Hemkunt Express, is running full and there is no ticket for the journey.

Ahead of the Kanwar Mela that starts in the second week of the month of Sawan in Haridwar, all the reserved tickets for the next two months have been sold out, causing resentment among the passengers.

“The railway authorities know that a large number of people go to Haridwar these days, but they have neither made available additional coaches nor started a special train to Haridwar ,” said Madhav Lal Sharma, a local resident, who did not get a ticket and decided to go to the holy town by a taxi.

“Railway officials have failed to manage the rush of passengers who are reaching their destinations late,” said Dhiraj Kumar, another passenger. On the other hand, the railway authorities said almost all the trains were running full and behind schedule.

“The Railways started the booking of tickets in advance for three months and hence most of the trains are running full,” said RN Meena, Divisional Traffic Manager (DTM), Jammu. He added that he was out of the city and was not aware about the non-availability of tickets for the journey to Haridwar.

Ashwani Kumar, Station Superintendent, Jammu, said, “Yes, trains are witnessing a huge rush these days and almost all of them are running behind schedule.”

Jammu, July 12
Emphasising the role of arts in preserving and strengthening pluralism in Jammu and Kashmir, a two-day Roundtable Conference on pluralism and diversity concluded here today.

The conference, the first of its kind, was organised by the three interlocutors appointed by the Centre for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The interlocutors, Dileep Padgaonkar, Prof Radha Kumar and MM Ansari, listened to the speakers, comprising eminent scholars, cultural personalities and representatives of various social and religious organisations. Besides highlighting the role of arts in preserving pluralism, the conference also discussed the mechanism to reduce the impact of conflict on the people.

Speakers at the conference emphasised the need for spreading the culture of tolerance and brotherhood to further strengthen regional integration in the state. They threw light on the diversities in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, which according to them, was the real example of pluralism.

The two-day conference, which started on Monday discussed plurality in the state, challenges to pluralism and political dimensions of multi-ethnicity in the state.

Prof Radha Kumar said the conference was “excellent” and said the entire exercise was informative. She said a document based on discussions and inputs given by the participants would be formulated and submitted to the Centre. She added that there was a consensus on many issues.

Udhampur, July 12
Nine Amarnath yatris were hurt when the vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident at Rehamble, near here, today.

All the pilgrims received minor injuries.

Officials at Rehamble police station said the pilgrims were returning to Jammu in the morning when their Tata Sumo was hit by another passenger vehicle, Winger (JK14 B 0273), coming from Jammu. The passersby informed the police,which reached the spot and rushed the pilgrims to District Hospital, Udhampur.

All the pilgrims belonged to Jharkhand and West Bengal. However, the driver, Lakhwinder Singh, who was also injured, hailed from Amritsar. Doctors at the hospital said some of the injured were discharged after first aid, as they had sustained minor injuries.

Other injured pilgrims were advised medical rest. DIG, Udhampur-Reasi Police Range, Jagjit Kumar and SSP, Udhampur, Shakeel Ahmed Beig, visited the hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured. The police detained the drivers of the two vehicles.

Srinagar, July 12
Governor NN Vohra has reiterated his firm belief that lasting peace and tranquillity was a prerequisite for sustained progress and prosperity and called upon all the stakeholders to work together to make Jammu and Kashmir a prosperous state.

He was interacting with a deputation of the Jammu and Kashmir Ex-Militants’ Association, which called on him here today. The deputation was led by Syed Abbas Jowhar, a Congress worker, who had suffered at the hands of militants, an official spokesman said.

Observing that development and progress had been adversely affected due to the situation in the state over the past decades, the Governor said it was imperative for all the sections of the society to work with sustained zeal and vigour to draw the maximum possible benefit from the liberal funding, which was available from various Central sources to take Jammu and Kashmir on the path to progress and prosperity.

Referring to the recently held panchayat elections in the state, the Governor called upon all the members of the association to actively participate in the strengthening of democracy at the grass-roots level and speed up the development process.

The Governor assured the deputation that he would discuss their problems with the Chief Minister.

Jammu, July 12
The state unit of the BJP has demanded that the Desa valley of Doda tehsil should be brought on the tourism map by creating either a Desa Development Authority or bringing the valley under the Bhaderwah Development Authority for its overall development.

According to a press release issued by the BJP, state party vice- president and former MLA Bali Bhagat after a week-long tour of the remote and hilly area of Desa expressed concern about the backwardness in the belt.

Bali Bhagat said that Desa had a huge tourism potential and there was need to explore it by bringing the belt on the tourism map.

He further said many places in the area were ideal for paragliding, snow-skiing,mountaineering and trekking.

“The Desa valley is a combination of snow-capped peaks, mighty mountains, green forests, glaciers, streams, and waterfalls,” he said.

The BJP leader also demanded that the potential of the Desa nullah for the setting up of a micro-hydroelectric project to generate power and employment be explored.

Srinagar, July 12
Governor N. N. Vohra reviewed the movement of pilgrims to the Amarnath cave shrine at a meeting of the Shrine Board here today.

Taking note of the improvement in the weather conditions in the yatra area and the smooth movement of the pilgrims on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, the Governor reiterated the need for the inspection of the sanitation arrangements at the base camps, all other camps along the tracks and the holy cave twice a day.

He asked the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shrine Board,R.K.Goyal, to immediately provide additional toilets at Sheshnag, Panjtarni and the holy cave area, keeping in view the number of pilgrims who had visited the three camps in the past 12 days.

The yatra to the holy cave shrine was progressing satisfactorily on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes today and over 10,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine,an official spokesman said.

Referring to the weather forecast for the next five days, the CEO stated that the sky was likely to remain cloudy in Kashmir division. Giving the details of the forecast provided by the Meteorological Department, he said the sky would remain partly cloudy on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. However, light rain was expected on Thursday while on Saturday it would generally be a cloudy sky with light rain or thundershowers.

Srinagar, July 12
Former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has alleged that the coalition government was responsible for maligning the country’s democracy and constitutional system by depriving peaceful and respectable citizens of their liberty and fundamental rights.

“The government has lowered the prestige of the judicial and constitutional systems by muzzling the voice of dissent and putting in jail people of all age groups,” the PDP patron said at a public meeting in Kupwara today.

He said false cases had been registered against more than 5,000 youth.The denial of rights was not new to the state, which had experienced turbulent and dark times in the past,he said and added that the elections in 2002 had “changed the fundamentals of our politics and the course of the struggle for rights”.

“Had the PDP-Congress coalition continued, the history of the state would have been different even though I believe that the destiny of Jammu and Kashmir is bound to change for the better,” he declared.

Mufti lamented that hundreds of people continued to be in jail for expressing dissenting views. “Democracy is a battle of ideas and no jail is strong enough to imprison an idea,” he said. Mufti added that many ideas about the state, its problems and their resolution had been articulated from time to time, which had resulted in uncertainty and miseries for people. But the zero sum game could be ended only by meeting an idea with a more creative idea, which was in tune with the spirit and reality of our times. He said the formulation of self-rule was an effort in that direction.

Baramulla, July 12
A fire broke out in the house of Majeed Jehangir at Mohalla Khawaja Sahab in the old town and spread to nearby houses last night.

A major tragedy was averted as jawans of the 46 Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles not only rescued the residents but also stopped the fire from spreading.

On getting information about the incident, Army personnel along with five water tankers and fire-fighting equipment reached the area. Four engines of the Fire Department joined them.

The rescue operation was monitored by Col Dalvider Singh, Commanding Officer of the 46 RR, who also assisted his men in dousing the fire. Three families consisting of 25 members were affected by the fire. The Army provided them bedding, ration and temporary shelters.

Jammu, July 12
A deputation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu, led by its president, YV Sharma, today called upon Devinder Rana, Political Advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and expressed concern about the inordinate delay in the completion of important projects in Jammu.

The deputation urged Rana to convey its concern to the Chief Minister and get the projects expedited.

Sharma said Rana assured them that he would convey their feelings to the Chief Minister and get the projects completed in a short time.

The deputation highlighted the delay in the completion of the Gandola project from Mubarak Mandi to Bagh-e-Bahu, the lifting of water from Chenab to meet the requirements of drinking water in Jammu and the construction of flyovers from Bikram Chowk to the Canal Head.

Besides this, the Chamber also demanded the expansion of the existing airport with modern infrastructure.

During the meeting, the deputation stressed that immediate steps should be taken to beautify the city.