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Farooq demands IT probe against Geelani, others
Inadequate infrastructure for tourists in Jammu
Focus on holistic development of far-flung areas, says Omar
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Leh to have improved health care soon, says Health Minister
Police ropes in theatre group to connect with youth
Play depicts plight of people during Partition
6 killed in road mishaps
NSF to launch second phase of stir today
Youth Forum seeks expenditure details of cultural event
Expelled BJP MLA to oppose govt’s ‘anti-Jammu’ policies
Lt-Gen Singh visits Jammu
Govt policies in consonance with needs of people, says minister
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Farooq demands IT probe against Geelani, others
Jammu, September 11 He asked the Income Tax Department to investigate the huge money collected by Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders in the name of giving relief to the families of stone throwers killed during the unrest in the Valley last year. In an informal chat with mediapersons here this afternoon, Farooq said disclosures made by WikiLeaks had unmasked the real face of Hurriyat Conference leaders who had been minting money in the name of violence in the Valley. “The disclosures are only the tip of the iceberg, as the real face of the Hurriyat leaders will be exposed before the people in the days to come,” he said. Farooq said the Hurriyat leaders had amassed huge wealth through a hawala racket in the name of rebuilding the Char-e-Sharief shrine, which was extensively damaged in a gunfight between militants and the security forces. “A whopping amount of worth Rs 3 crore was collected to repair the shrine, but there is no account of the money,” he said. WikiLeaks had disclosed that Geelani and other separatist leaders had collected a huge amount of money after the unrest in the Valley last year in the name of giving relief to the families of over 110 stone throwers, who were killed in police action. Replying to another question regarding the state’s connection to the Delhi bomb blast, Farooq said investigations were going on. “It is premature to say anything at this juncture,” he said, adding, “The suspects picked up by the police from Kishtwar and other parts of the country will be released, if they are proved innocents”. However, Farooq refused to speak on the resolution moved by Independent MLA Engineer Rashid in the Assembly, seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Earlier, Farooq had endorsed the stand of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to give clemency to Guru. Farooq also criticised the PDP for unnecessarily opposing the government headed by Omar Abdullah. “The PDP is opposing the government just for the sake of opposition,” he said. He regretted that the party had failed to realise the good work done by the present regime. |
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Inadequate infrastructure for tourists in Jammu
Jammu, September 11 A visit to Jammu-Tawi Railway Station, the bus stand and the Jammu airport showed that all the places did not have adequate infrastructure to facilitate the passengers. Except for some benches, the railway station which caters to thousands of passengers daily, didn’t have proper sitting arrangements. As a result, the passengers had to sit on the floor while waiting for the trains. A number of shopkeepers told The Tribune that this was a routine there. “During Navratras and other festivals, the rush increases manifold, which, in turn, increases the problems of the tourists. The authorities should immediately solve the problem,” said a shopkeeper. Sumit Sharma, a resident of Haryana, who had come to pay obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine said, “I am have been coming here for the past so many years, but nothing has been done in the name of development.The passengers are forced to sit on the floor to wait for their trains.” However, RN Meena, Divisional Traffic Manager, Jammu, said, “We have adequate sitting arrangements at the railway station, but the passengers prefer to sit on the floor.” The situation at the bus stand was equally bad.While a large number of passengers were sitting on the floor, others were standing.There was no proper sanitation. Shopkeepers near the bus stand revealed that during the rain, the place looked like a pond and passengers had to face a lot of problems. Similarly, the Jammu airport has been awaiting expansion for a long time. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his last visit to the city had assured that the airport would get a facelift shortly. The passengers coming out of the airport said though the authorities had declared it a high-security zone,they should be allowed to go in with their vehicles so that they could take their luggage easily to the reception. “This airport is unlike others in the country. One has to come out on the road with the luggage, to get any conveyance,” said Sunny Singh, a resident of Delhi, adding, that the passengers should not be harassed in the name of security.
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Focus on holistic development of far-flung areas, says Omar
Srinagar, September 11 Addressing a public gathering at Drass in Kargil district today, the Chief Minister said the government was aware of the problems of the people living in inaccessible areas. He said a considerable attention was being paid to address their development needs and mitigate their sufferings, an official spokesman stated. “My government has sensitised the administration at all the levels about the necessity of reaching out to the people in all the areas on the development front,” he said, adding, that the new initiatives and measures introduced during the last two-and-a-half years were yielding visible results. Omar said the basic ingredient of good governance was the empowerment of the people. He said the panchayat elections had paved the way in this direction, making the grass-roots level democratic institutions, units of power and decision-making. This, he said, would also give a new direction to the development process and help launch the area specific works as per the needs and aspirations of the people. The Chief Minister said for the opening of the remote and far-flung areas for a wide-range of economic activities and the generation of job opportunities, the government had flagged off the construction, development and upgradation of the road communication sector as one of the topmost concerns. “While the construction of new roads is being taken up under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), major roads and bridges are being taken up under the CRF and other schemes in the state,” he added. Underlining the importance of a tunnel at Zojila, Omar said the state government was vigorously pursuing the Union Surface Transport Ministry for the construction of various tunnels in the state to link the remote areas and help build a dependable road communication sector in the state. Interacting with panchayat members at Kargil, the Chief Minister asked them to render services to the people to the best of their capacities and make the panchayats viable and delivering centres in the development process. Omar said the government had transferred the first instalment of powers to the panchayats to enable them to carry forward the development in the areas under their jurisdiction and actively participate in the formulation of plans for launching new works in various sectors. |
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Leh to have improved health care soon, says Health Minister
Leh, September 11 The Durbuk block, which is a remote area of the district, consists of many hamlets. However, Durbuk is not the only block which is facing a shortage of doctors. There are a total of 14 primary health centres in the district and 147 posts of doctors have been sanctioned.However, only 70 doctors are presently posted in the district. During the inaugural function of the “health samelan” organised yesterday under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) at Choglamsar near Leh town, Executive Councilor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Dr Sonam Wangchuk urged Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma to strengthen the Amchi traditional system, which had already been integrated into the NRHM, by providing honorarium to Amchi doctors at par with Ayush doctors. Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma chaired the health sammelan organised for the first time, ever since the NRHM was implemented in the district. He said the Amchi traditional medicine system, which was also known as “Sowa Rigpa” was not only an alternative health care system, but also a viable and primary mode of health care in the remote and rural areas of Ladakh. Addressing the people on the occasion, the Health Minister said Leh and six other districts had been identified by the Centre as the focal areas and health care facilities would be improved in the coming years. Chief Executive Councilor of the LAHDC, Leh, Rigzin Spalbar said, “I am shocked to learn that 11 dental specialists posted or attached at other places of the state have been drawing salaries at Leh. I urge the Health Minister to look into the matter.” |
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Police ropes in theatre group to connect with youth
Srinagar, September 11 The show was organised by the police and a large number of policemen and officers were part of the audience. “We are going to perform in other districts of the state too. So far, we have performed here and in Jammu,” said Vinay Manhas, an actor with the Natrang group. Manhas added, “The show carried a social message.” It was directed by Balwant Thakur, a renowned theatre artist of the state. The show was chosen by the police to connect with the youth in the Valley. Earlier,the police had organised events in many disciplines, including T-20 cricket tournaments,a marathon, bicycle races and “Jashn-e-Dal,” which was a water sports event. “The theatre group was asked to make certain changes in the script. It had included some poetry which did not go well with the local context, so it was requested to bring in some changes according to the context of the situation here,” a police officer said. Another police officer said this type of a stage show was meant for a particular audience and was too complex for the understanding of a rural audience. “I am your future whose today is lost,” was a line for an actor, who represented a confronting youth, in response to attempts by “demons” trying to drag him into an “abyss” of hopelessness. The scenes discussing the schools and education of the youth were in direct reference to the last year’s protests when most of the schools were closed and the government criticised the hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for endangering the future of the youth. No names were, however, mentioned in the show. More than 110 persons were killed during violent clashes between protesters and the security forces last year and thousands of youth were arrested for participating in stone throwing incidents. —
PTI |
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Play depicts plight of people during Partition
Jammu, September 11 It showed how fanatics from both India and Pakistan showed no mercy to anyone and practised the religion of hatred. The narrator and the lead character, Darshan Singh, talks about the country and its Partition, the tremors of which are felt even today. After Partition, Darshan Singh and his family take asylum in a nearby gurdwara. They spend their days listening to all kinds of rumours about the happenings outside. Amidst all the chaos ‘Shahni’ gives birth to twins, but one of the twins is weak and has bleak chances of survival. Meanwhile, Darshan Singh gets the news of the arrival of a special train from India where they are supposed to live now for rest of their lives. Darshan Singh and his family leave the gurdwara and reach the station in a hurry, only to find that the train is overcrowded. Somehow, he finds space for himself and his family on top of the train. After the night falls and the train leaves the station, Darshan Singh notices that one of his kids is no longer making any movement and is lying cold. Realising that the kid is dead, he starts wailing in consternation. The people try to take the dead child away from Shahni, but she refuses to give it away. As the train passes over the Ravi river amidst all the clamour and building anticipation of the crowd about reaching home, someone whispers in Darshan Singh’s ear that he should throw the dead kid into the river. Feeling helpless, he quietly takes the dead kid away from Shahni and tosses the kid into the river, only to find out that Shahni is still embracing the dead kid. The solo play was designed and enacted by Deepak Virdhi, a versatile actor of Natrang. The play was directed by Neeraj Kant and the lights were executed by Pawan Verma. The sets were erected by Abhinav Vimarsh and Sushil Raina. The show was coordinated by Sumeet Sharma, who also did the presentations.
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Kashmir cannot be occupied by force, says Mehbooba
Srinagar, September 11 Speaking at the 15th National Integration Council (NIC) meeting in New Delhi yesterday, Mehbooba said, “No people can be occupied at gunpoint and if anyone thinks Kashmir can be occupied by force, he is wrong”. She said the people in Kashmir still saw India as the “land of spiritualism and an abode of saints , something we have in common”. “Whatever is left of our relations is because of this shared belief,” she said at the function which was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She urged the country’s leadership to provide justice and democratic space to people of the state. Expressing her grief at the loss of lives in the recent bomb blast in New Delhi, Mehbooba said the people of Kashmir understood the pain and agony of the victims and their families more than anyone else. She said the state had been in the vortex of similar mindless violence for decades, but was unable to receive justice in spite of being part of the country. She regretted that the acknowledgement of about 2,700 graves of unknown Kashmiris by a state agency had been treated as a routine news by most of the media and the political establishment. “Justice has been eluding Kashmir in spite of our best efforts to give democracy and non-violence a full endorsement. Fake encounters are continuing in the state in spite of the Supreme Court’s orders to hang the culprits involved in such cases,” Mehbooba said. She recounted the fake encounters staged recently, including the Surankote and Machhil encounters, and added that not even the decade-old Pathribal incident had been investigated properly. Similarly, none of the killers of the 120 youth last year had been prosecuted or punished, she said and added that justice could not be done selectively. She said those demanding punishment for Afzal Guru must join “our demand for the criminals who committed crimes against Kashmiris as well”. Mehbooba said it was satisfying that the NIC meeting was convened this time when there was no particular situation threatening the nation. “It looks like a positive initiative for a long-term policy than a firefighting effort as it usually has been in the past,” she added. |
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Srinagar, September 11 Four persons were killed when the Maruti car in which they were travelling fell into a nullah near the Padshahi Bagh bridge on the Srinagar bypass. Those killed were identified as Abdul Rashid Wagay, Mushtaq Ahmad Nangroo, Ghulam Nabi Ganie and Showkat Ahmad Sofi. Choket Ram of Haripora Anchal, Bihar, was hit by a Tipper at Sachipora road, near Frasthar, in Baramulla district, killing him on the spot. Meanwhile, Vijay Kumar from Janipora, Jammu, died at SKIMS hospital here yesterday. He had been seriously injured in an accident at Nayar Gurez in Bandipore district. — TNS |
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NSF to launch second phase of stir today
Jammu, September 11 Addressing a press conference here today, Vikas Sharma, state president of the NSF, said they would appeal to the masses to join the agitation. “Keeping in mind the academic interest of the students, we are going to start the second phase of agitation against the wrongdoings of the university authorities,” Sharma said. He added the first phase of the agitation was a success. “In the first phase, we opposed the wrong policies of the university authorities and from tomorrow, we will create awareness among the students, scholars and other people so that the decisions should be taken back,” Sharma said. |
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Youth Forum seeks expenditure details of cultural event
Jammu, September 11 Addressing a press conference here today, Balbir Kumar, president of the JYF, alleged that a wasteful expenditure was made by the university on the event, neglecting the needs of the students and scholars. “The budget of the event was misappropriated by the university authorities. The number of participants was much low, but in the official records the participation was shown much higher. If the university authorities have not changed anything in the records, then it should be made public so that everyone knows the fact,” said Balbir. He demanded the Dean Students’ Welfare, Dr NK Tripathi, to conduct the students’ council elections at the earliest.
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Expelled BJP MLA to oppose govt’s ‘anti-Jammu’ policies
Jammu, September 11 Addressing a series of public meetings at the Jammu West Assembly Segment, Gupta said they would fight tooth and nail the “anti-Jammu policies” of the government. He said the development of Jammu was his main priority and he would work to redress the grievances of the people. Addressing the workers of his Assembly segment, Gupta said all the wards falling under the Jammu West Constituency would be won by his candidates in the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections. He added that every possible effort would be made to mitigate the problems being faced by the people due to the lack of infrastructure.
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Lt-Gen Singh visits Jammu
Jammu, September 11 Lt-Gen Singh is the Colonel of the 46 Armed Regiment and the 51 Armed Regiment. On his two-day-long visit to Jammu, the Army Commander was received by Maj-Gen TPS Waraich, General-Officer-Commanding of the Tiger Division. Addressing the troops at a special sainik sammelan, Lt-Gen Singh expressed happiness that the units were doing well and were all geared up to face any challenges. Suneeta Singh, regional president of the Family Welfare Organisation of the Southern Command, accompanied him and interacted with the families of the soldiers and apprised them about the welfare schemes initiated by the regiment.
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Govt policies in consonance with needs of people, says minister
Srinagar, September 11 “The state government is committed to ameliorating the socio-economic condition of the people for which several flagship programmes under various sectors have been launched in the state,” Sayeed said in a series of public meetings in his Kokernag constituency yesterday. “Our policies are in consonance with the aspirations of the people,” he added. The minister said an equitable development of all the three regions was the priority of the government. He said two degree colleges and a fire service station had been sanctioned for the Kokernag constituency. “The construction work on Degree College, Kokernag, is in full swing while the identification of land for Degree College, Larnoo, is under active consideration,” he said. The work on the fire service station would start soon, the minister
added. — PTI
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Jammu, September 11
Jammu, September 11
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to an equitable development of the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said.
Srinagar, September 11
