The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	I’m damn well going to do my job: Omar Says did no wrong by handing over Yousuf to police Srinagar, October 7 “I will not succumb to my critics and enemies and I am damn well going to do my job,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah declared tonight. Even as the controversy surrounding the death of National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf showed no signs of abating, Omar ruled out his resignation as demanded by the opposition PDP. “I will do the job I have to do until I have the opportunity to do it. And that is it,” said the Chief Minister. He did not regret getting involved in the matter in which two NC workers had complained that Syed Yousuf had taken over Rs 1 crore from them for getting them membership of the Legislative Council. He had handed over all the three to the police after which Yousuf had died. “I did the right thing. Aside from being a Chief Minister, I am also a past president of the party and have an obligation to try and root out corruption within the party or anywhere else when things are brought to my notice,” he said. “I took cognisance of the allegation and instead of trying to deal with it in an underhand manner, I dealt with it in the most transparent manner and handed over the case to the police,” Omar said. The Chief Minister said he wanted to expedite an inquiry into the episode by a sitting judge of the high court and the government was in correspondence with the Chief Justice. The Chief Minister acknowledged that there was “something seriously wrong” as two NC workers had believed that they could get what they wanted by paying money. “The NC has never been a party that has sold seats or ministries. God knows that we don't need to... we do need to go in for some soul searching. “We will do that but right now our focus has to ensure that truth prevails and true circumstances, and not fictions around Yousuf's death are allowed to come out,” Omar said. Asked if he had been in touch with the leadership of his coalition partner Congress, he replied in the negative but went on to say that he had seen some statements from various Congress leaders, including their national spokesman (who has supported him). “My contacts are with Congress ministers, my coalition partners. They are my ministers. That is it. I will not be distracted from that,” he added. Lashing out at sections of the media for the manner in which they were covering the controversy, Omar said: "Fictitious stories and lies that are being presented in the media is something I don't understand.... Where they believe that I have done something wrong, by all means criticise me. Last year when trouble was there, almost every section of the media criticised me and rightly so....this year I don't understand.” — PTI
	‘Oust CM’ chorus reaches Jammu Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Jammu, October 7 After creating a ruckus in the Assembly and organising demonstrations in Srinagar, the Peoples Democratic Party today took the issue of “custodial death” of National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf to the streets of Jammu. Led by party general secretary Balbir Singh and former MP T S Bajwa, PDP activists took out the rally from the party headquarters in the Gandhi Nagar area. They were demanding resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah and Minister of State for Home Naseer Wani over the Yousuf case. Raising anti-government slogans, the protesters blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The police asked them to clear the highway and later resorted to lathicharge to disperse them for the resumption of the traffic. The protesters then allegedly clashed with the police, leaving some PDP activists injured. Earlier addressing the rally, PDP leaders said a fair probe in the “sensational murder” of Yousuf was not possible as long as Omar Abdullah was in power. They alleged that the government, through state machinery, was trying to bury the truth. Amidst shouting of slogans, PDP leaders alleged that the present regime headed by Omar Abdullah had legitimised corruption at all levels. They said the “murder” of the NC worker was a clear indication that corruption had crossed all levels and those who dared to expose it faced a threat to their lives. Demanding the sacking of Omar to give justice to the family of Yousuf, the PDP leaders said this regime had been trying to pressurise family members of Yousuf and some eyewitnesses. After senior leaders addressed the rally, PDP workers began to march towards the Jammu-Pathankot national highway. As soon as they reached near the highway, cops prevented them from proceeding further. The protesters then had a scuffle with the cops and tried to pierce through the police barricade. Cops had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the protesters. Some party workers received injuries in the lathicharge. One of the activists fell unconscious on the road and was taken to the nearby Gandhi Nagar hospital, where his condition was stated to be stable. After police action, former MP Trilok Singh Bajwa alleged that cops resorted to unprovoked lathcharge because the party workers were protesting peacefully.
	Rope in religious leaders to check drug menace, says Governor Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 7 Governor NN Vohra has emphasised the need for adopting a multi-disciplinary approach to effectively check drug menace. He suggested the involvement of religious leaders and social activists in launching a large scale awareness campaign against drug and other addictions. The Governor, interacting with a delegation of the Civil Society Forum (CSF) here today, said the involvement of the print and electronic media and other means of mass communication would also be required. Observing that a sound drug policy was required to be made into an effective law to regulate the use of drugs, he assured the CSF that he would take up the issue with Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The CSF delegation also submitted a memorandum of demands to the Governor. The demands included revisiting the draft Drug Policy to make it more comprehensive and its early implementation in the state, effective measures to address the menace of drug addiction and ensuring the availability of quality drugs to the people. The other demands included the establishment of in-house drug quality control cells in hospitals, popularising generic medicines and setting up drug de-addiction and counselling centres in the state. The Governor enquired from the delegation about the activities of the forum with regard to creating awareness among the youth about drug addiction. The CSF delegation comprised Salman Sagar, AM Magray, Dr Ishaq Geer, MA Gora and Sheikh Imran.
	Make people aware about right to service, says Omar Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 7 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today stressed the need for ensuring the implementation of the Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) in letter and in spirit and made it clear that no laxity would be tolerated on this count. He said he would himself monitor the functioning of the departments identified under the Act for providing time-bound services to the people. The Chief Minister was chairing a meeting to review the PSGA here today. “There is an urgent need for making the people aware about their right to receive public services within the prescribed time frame,” he said and fixed a 15-day time limit for the departments concerned to install hoardings in their offices throughout the state, giving every detail about the services and the time line fixed to provide these to the people. Omar said the hoardings should also provide information about the appellate authority and the nature and quantum of fine liable to be imposed on the erring officials. The Chief Minister directed the Rural Development Department to provide all the information to the panchayats about the services notified under the Act and the time frame fixed for their delivery. “The dissemination of information should be in Urdu and Hindi,” he said. Department-wise advertisements regarding the services and their delivery time frame should also be given through the print and electronic media, he added. Underlining the importance of the PSGA in streamlining the delivery of public services, the Chief Minister said it would reduce the lower-level corruption to a greater extent. It may be mentioned that 45 services in the Public Health Engineering, Power, CAPD, Revenue, Housing and Transport departments have been notified under the Act, which provides for punishment in the form of fine on the erring officials.
	Need to protect natural beauty of state: CM Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 7 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, stressing on the need to maintain ecological balance at health resorts, said in no way the natural beauty and ambiance of these places should be tampered with while creating the necessary infrastructure. He said private parties which are granted permission to build tourist facilities should strictly adhere to the rules and guidelines regarding the constructions. “No deviation in this regard will be acceptable,” he said. The Chief Minister was addressing a function after inaugurating the Rs 3.58-crore Youth Hostel-cum-Adventure Centre, Rs 3.28-crore Yatri Niwas and the Rs 3.14-crore club at the Sonmarg tourist resort, about 100 km from here, on the Srinagar-Leh highway today. The state government has provided Rs 15.12 crore for the creation of these facilities while the Central government has assisted with Rs 4.87 crore.
	Health Minister suggests changes in design of maternity hospital Archit Watts/TNS Jammu, October 7 Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma today directed the officials of the health department to make some changes in the design of the 200-bedded maternity hospital, which will come up in the Government Hospital complex in Gandhi Nagar here. “It seems the proposed building requires some changes. It should be constructed in ‘L’ shape. Some empty space is also required in the centre of the building for ventilation. So, we have decided to call the architect and I will personally discuss the changes with him,” said Sham Lal while he was on a visit to the hospital. “The maternity hospital has to come up after dismantling two buildings, one of which has the office of Deputy CMO. As soon as these buildings are evacuated, we will be able to start the construction of this much required hospital,” said Sham Lal. “We will also make private wards on two floors of the hospital, with the capacity to accommodate at least 40 patients,” said the Health Minister. “The government is very keen to develop the healthcare infrastructure in the state and all possible steps are being taken for the purpose,” added Sham Lal.
	Appointment of two Info Commissioners approved Srinagar, October 7 Governor NN Vohra has appointed Sudesh Kumar Sharma, a former Dean of Law Faculty, University of Jammu, and Nazir Ahmed, Chief Engineer, Roads and Building, as State Information Commissioners. The Governor approved the appointment of Sudesh and Nazir today on the recommendation of the Selection Committee set up for the purpose, an official spokesman said. — TNS
	Jawan booked for planting IED near Army hospital Tribune News Service Jammu, October 7 After procuring an arrest warrant from the City Magistrate, the police has booked a Territorial Army (TA) jawan, who planted an improvised explosive device (IED) near a military hospital on the Satwari-Belicharana road last month. The police is now awaiting a response from 26 Division of the Territorial Army to arrest the jawan. The accused jawan, Bishan Dass, alias Bubby, a resident of Palatan village in Akhnoor tehsil, has been booked under the Explosive Substances Act. The police said today that a case had been registered against Bishan at Satwari police station. Bishan had planted an IED near a canal close to some sensitive military settlements, including a military hospital and the Belicharana migrant camp, on September 23. “Investigations revealed that Bishan planted the IED without an ignition mechanism apparently for getting a reward,” it said, adding that the City Magistrate had already issued an arrest warrant against him. The police would soon take up the matter with the Territorial Army for the immediate execution of the arrest warrant. Earlier also, a TA jawan was involved in the killing of a mentally-challenged youth in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district. During investigations it was found that the jawan had faked the encounter for a salary hike and promotion.
	Final report will fulfil aspirations of all regions: Radha Kumar Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, October 7 At the final stage of drafting their report, the interlocutors appointment by the Union government are confident that it will fulfil the aspirations and wishes of the people of all the regions and sub-regions of the state. “We are hopeful that our recommendations will be acceptable to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh,” Prof Radha Kumar, one of the interlocutors, told The Tribune over the phone. She said despite having divergent views on various issues, the people of different regions of the state were unanimous on some vital points. “In our report, we are trying to highlight especially those issues which are important for the people of all the three regions of the state,” she said and exuded confidence that the report would be submitted before October 12. “I don’t think there is any reason for any possible delay in submitting the final report,” she said. Prof Kumar, who had visited all the 22 districts of the state, said the people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir had many common demands as far as the daily life was concerned. “Governance, power, roads, water and other civic amenities are some of the common problems that the people highlighted everywhere we went,” she said. Unemployment was an important issue in the state, she added. Prof Kumar denied the allegation that the interlocutors were working on a fixed agenda and would justify the demand for the restoration of the pre-1953 status to the state. “It is absolutely wrong that we are working on a fixed agenda. We have visited all the regions of the state and interacted with all shades of people to get their views,” she said, adding that consultations were held with all sections of society. “When we submit our report no section of society will complain that its demands have not been projected,” she claimed. Senior journalist Dilip Padgaonkar, former Chief Information Commissioner MM Ansari and eminent scholar Prof Radha Kumar were appointed interlocutors in October last year. They were entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking a sustained dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to understand their problems and submit a report.
	Pro-Jammu groups fume as RSS changes stance Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, October 7 The “pro-Jammu” political groups have been fuming over the U-turn taken by the RSS on the demand of statehood for the Jammu region and the reorganisation of the state. The groups observed that the so-called national parties had failed to accommodate the regional aspirations of the people. The RSS had “backtracked” from its earlier stand on the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during the recently concluded five-day tour in Jammu had not come out openly in support of the demand. Instead of supporting the demand of the reorganisation of the state, the RSS chief had suggested an institutional arrangement to stop the discrimination with the Jammu and Ladakh regions. The RSS in its national executive committee meeting at Kurukshetra in 2002, had passed a resolution demanding the reorganisation of the state by carving out a separate state for Jammu, giving union territory status for Ladakh and providing a homeland for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits within the Valley. The RSS chief had not made any commitment to Kashmiri Pandits on the “homeland” demand but had asserted that it was the duty of the nation to ensure the return of the Kashmiri Pandit community to their native places with dignity and honour. “Backtracking of the RSS from the reorganisation demand reflects that the organisation has no consistency,” observed Varinder Gupta, convener of the Jammu State Morcha (JSM), which is spearheading the agitation for a separate Jammu state. Gupta said, “The BJP leadership has forced the RSS to change its earlier stand.” He alleged that local BJP leadership had always bartered Jammu’s interests for their petty personal comforts. He said the RSS had constituted the JSM in 2002 to intensify the stir in support of a separate Jammu state. The RSS had also sponsored the 2002 Assembly election for the JSM. Although the JSM could not perform well in the elections, the BJP lost at least eight Assembly seats as its votebank was hit with the JSM contesting elections. “I don’t know what were the compulsions before the RSS leadership to take a U-turn on its earlier stand. But one thing is clear that the national parties have failed to accommodate the regional aspirations,” Panthers Party leader Balwant Singh Mankotia said. Mankotia, who had raised the demand for a separate Assembly for Jammu in the just-concluded Assembly session, told The Tribune that only the regional parties could effectively accommodate the wishes and aspirations of all the people. He said the reorganisation of the state was the only solution to all the problems and reaffirmed the agenda of his party on the issue. Mahesh Koul, a research scholar from University of Jammu, said the political reorganisation of the state was needed to protect all the communities, including the minorities.
	Ishan elected president of Students’ Council Tribune News Service Jammu, October 7 Ishan Chaudhary of the National Panthers Student Union (NPSU) was elected president of the Students’ Council of SPMR College of Commerce here today. Ishan polled 27 votes while his opponent Akash Sharma secured 24 votes. Prof Sunil Tikoo, returning officer for the poll, said, “The entire election process was free and fair. The students first elected their class representatives, who later elected the office-bearers of the Students’ Council.” He added that the voting started at 10 am and the results were announced around 3 pm. The students were excited as they participated in a large number. The other elected office-bearers are: vice-presidents -- Ankit Gupta and Paramveer Sharma; general secretary -- Mahesh Bakshi; joint secretaries -- Mohit Arora and Anjali Chaudhary. Dancing to the beats of a drum, Ishan said, “I will try to resolve the pending issues of the students. I am thankful to my supporters and voters for electing me the president of the Students’ Council of the college.” Meanwhile, Neha Sharma was nominated as a girls’ representative to the council. An advisory committee of the students’ council was also formed and Anil Sudan, Sandeep Singh, Anu Salathia and Mohan Singh were nominated as its members.
	Migrants’ committee goes on indefinite fast Tribune News Service Jammu, October 7 The All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC), an amalgam of several Dogra and Kashmiri Hindu organisations, began an indefinite fast in support of its long pending demands outside the Press Club here today. Vinod Pandita, chairman of the APMCC, who sat on fast, said the government should initiate a dialogue with Pakistan for facilitating visits to the Shardha Peeth in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said the APMCC had earlier served an ultimatum on the state and Central governments to declare a time frame for considering its charter of demands, but to no avail. “Besides facilitating visits to the Shardha Peeth, we want the establishment of Shardha Peeth University, a probe into the encroachment of land belonging to temples and shrines, the passing of the Temples and Shrines Bill in the Legislative Assembly, compensation for overage youth and a special employment package for the non-migrant Hindus of the Kashmir valley,” said Pandita. He added that the worth of the property of the temples in Kashmir alone was more than Rs 500 crore and a high-level probe should be initiated into the encroachment of lands belonging to them.
	Painting workshop concludes Jammu, October 7 A five-day workshop on miniature painting organised by Vishwasthali, a social and cultural organisation, at Basohli concluded yesterday. Several distinguished artists, including Vijay Sharma from Himachal Pardesh, Prof Nathu Lal Verma from Rajasthan and OP Sharma from Jammu and Kashmir, participated in the workshop, which commenced on October 2. They taught the participating students the techniques of miniature painting, including the process of making traditional stone colours and paint brushes. Artists from Basohli, Dharam Paul Verma, Susheel Padha and Shakeel Ahmed, were also present on the occasion. — TNS