The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Kamal sparks off another row, dubs Omar ‘weak’ CM downplays remark, refuses to get drawn into controversy Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 Even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today refused to get dragged into the fresh controversy sparked off by his “outspoken” uncle Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, the latter reiterated his statement, dubbing the former as a “weak” Chief Minister who had been forced to compromise with his position due to the “compulsions of the coalition”. Kamal had yesterday stated in a news programme on a TV channel that his nephew was “weak” and felt “insecure because of my popularity” and had pressurised Farooq Abdullah to “make me step down” from the posts of additional general secretary and chief spokesperson of the ruling National Conference (NC). Kamal, younger brother of Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, was sacked from the two key positions of the ruling party due to his “irresponsible” utterances against coalition partner Congress. Despite the provocative statements of his uncle, the Chief Minister refused to get drawn into the controversy. Responding to a question posed by one of his followers on social networking site Twitter, Omar Abdullah said about Kamal: “He is my uncle and I have the greatest of respect for him. This matter is between him and my father, no reason to drag me into it.” “What I had stated yesterday, I stick to the same statement, there is no question of deviation,” Kamal told The Tribune and reiterated that Omar Abdullah has proved to be a “weak” Chief Minister. He, however, said the Congress had been weakening Omar Abdullah as local Congress leaders were giving confusing statements and were gunning for the Chief Minister’s post. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress for repeatedly raking up the issue of rotation of Chief Minister, Kamal observed that this issue was deliberately raised to weaken Omar Abdullah. He added that due to the coalition compulsions, Omar had been compromising with his position. “It seems the local Congress leaders who have been repeatedly raking up the issue of rotation of chief ministership have the patronage of the Congress high command because the party leadership has never publicly reprimanded such leaders,” Kamal observed, adding that infighting in the Congress was also weakening the Chief Minister. Taking a dig at Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz for publicly pinpointing failures of the state government, Kamal said that being the chairman of the Coordination Committee, the JKPCC chief could highlight such issues at the meeting but he usually used public platform to criticise the government.
	PIL filed against Arundhati DS Chauhan Legal Correspondent Jammu, November 22 A PIL was filed today in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court seeking action against activist and author Arundhati Roy for her reported remarks advocating right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The PIL was filed by Vijay Kumar Kashkari, Veer Saraf and Ajay Bhat, all members of the Routes, an organisation of Kashmir Pandits based in Jammu and Delhi. The PIL sought the impounding of the passport of Arundhati and directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and the state government to restrain her from making “offensive” speeches and statements about Jammu and Kashmir. Attending a panel discussion on Kashmir in New York on November 12, Arundhati had said: “I want to say unambiguously that I do not think any country that calls itself a democracy has the right to force people to remain in it in a militaristic way, the way that India is doing in order to prove that it’s a secular country. “I think the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination, they have the right to choose who they want to be and how they want to be.” “The activities of Arundhati Roy are not at all perceived to be in the interest of the national security and integrity. Her statements on the face of it are anti-national which serve the interests of enemies of the nation,” stated the petitioners. The petitioners sought initiation of action against Arundhati for commission of offences under Section 505 (2) of the Indian Panel Code and Section 153-A of the Ranbir Panel Code for committing sedition and waging war against the state. The PIL will be heard by the Division Bench tomorrow. (Inputs from PTI)
	Migratory birds arrive in advance at Gharana Wetland Reserve Archit Watts Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 With the onset of the winter, migratory birds from Central Asia has started arriving in advance at the Gharana Wetland Reserve, near the border with Pakistan, 35 km from here. Bar-headed Geese and Grey-legged Geese are the first ones to arrive at the wetland reserve this month. This reserve attracts a large number of birds, including some endangered species. With the early arrival of these birds, the State Wildlife Protection Department has also started an exercise to remove weeds from the wetland and make it conducive for the stay of the birds. “About 20,000 birds come here during the winter, which has already started. Normally, these birds arrive here in December and stay till February end and return to the countries they had migrated from. This year, birds of a few species have arrived in advance,” said Tahir Ahmad Shawl, Wildlife Warden, Jammu. He added the climate in the Jammu regions suited these birds. “When Central Asia experiences a harsh winter, these winged visitors prefer to stay in Jammu and Kashmir,” added Shawl. Known as a bird watchers’ paradise, this reserve attracts birds, including Siberian Hans, Keel, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Mallard Duck, Common Goose, Purple Moorhen and Little Cormorants. Asked about the reasons for the decrease in the number of migratory birds in the past few years, Shawl said, “People living in the adjoining areas of the wetland reserve create disturbances, which results in a decrease in the number of visiting birds. But this time the department has been trying its best to get the maximum cooperation from the villagers. We are trying to provide compensation to the farmers, who suffer loss of crops.” He added the matter had already been taken up with Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal and Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma for providing compensation to the farmers. “Though there is no law for providing compensation to farmers, the Chief Wildlife Warden has been trying hard to sort out this old issue. He is trying to ensure that birds come here in a large number to enjoy the winter in the Jammu region without any disturbance,” he added. To watch and click the pictures of these migratory birds, a large number of people and wildlife photographers also throng the reserve.
	Sarpanches slam govt over delay in transfer of powers Omar promises to personally monitor implementation of government order on devolution Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 Keeping in view the brewing resentment among panchayat members over the inordinate delay in delegation of powers, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the official order regarding the transfer of powers has already been issued and assured that he would personally monitor the implementation of the order at grass-roots level. The Chief Minister gave this assurance while addressing a function for the distribution of identity cards to sarpanches and naib-sarpanches of Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts here today. A number of sarpanches at the function expressed their resentment over the causal approach of the state government to delegate powers to them despite the fact that the election process had been completed six months ago. Sarpanches complained that the official order issued by the government regarding the transfer of power of 18 departments to panchayats remained only on paper. Pawan Raina, sarpanch from Kharian Panchayat of R S Pura, regretted that panchayat members had become “showpieces” because no power had been delegated to them as yet. He said people had high expectations from them but the authorities concerned were not interested in delegating powers to them. Another Sarpanch from the Kandi belt of Samba district echoed a similar viewpoint and demanded that the three-tier Panchayat system prevalent in other parts of the country should be established in Jammu and Kashmir to make the Panchayat Raj institution functional in the real sense in the state. While addressing the function, the Chief Minister tried to dispel speculations and propaganda about the Panchayat Raj system in the state. He reiterated his government’s commitment to making the institution functional in the real sense. The Chief Minister said he had already given orders to various departments to involve panchayat members in all activities. He assured the gathering that he would soon meet senior officers of all the departments concerned to give them further directions about the delegation of powers to panchayats. He said any laxity in the smooth transfer of powers to panchayats by the 18 identified departments would not be accepted and the erring officials would be strictly dealt with for any kind of omission in this regard. Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar and Minister of State for Rural Development Aijaz Ahmed Khan also addressed the function. “For the last six months we have been listening to such assurances. We are waiting for the time when these assurances would be implemented in the real sense,” said Sunil Kumar, sarpanch of Gatti in the Bani area of Kathua.
	Power for the ‘powerful’ in Kishtwar Raju William/TNS Kishtwar, November 22 Political interference prevents them from taking action against illegal power connections in the district, claim officials in the Power Development Department (PDD) here. Power pilferage in Kishtwar, they added, was the highest but the department has not been able to act against illegal connections. As much as 58 per cent of the power distributed in the district is stolen, officials told The Tribune. But due to resistance from the consumers as well as political quarters, they claimed, less than six thousand electronic meters have been installed in the district, although officially, the number of consumers is said to be four times higher at 22,741. Attempts to disconnect illegal connections last year had led to road blocks and demonstrations. Intervention by two MLAs, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo and G M Saroori forced the NHPC to restore the illegal connections, point out officials. A written instruction to this effect was issued by the Minister of Higher Education, A.G. Malik, who also happens to be the chairman of the District Development Board. The minister claimed that if the connections were not restored, it would create a law and order problem. This was duly recorded in the minutes of a meeting of the department held in July last year. Consumers are brazen enough to admit they are using illegal connections. Dr Nisar Hasan, a retired government employee, conceded that in his locality alone there would be over 150 such connections. He, however, maintained that consumers were willing to get electronic meters installed if they are assured of power supply by the NHPC directly. But the PDD Executive Engineer, Ashok Sharma, pointed out that the NHPC was not authorised to sell power directly to the consumers. Moreover, authorised consumers are liable to suffer from power cuts extending to eight hours every day, he added. The consumers, therefore, prefer to illegally ‘hook’ power from whichever transmission line is accessible to them. The engineer admitted that power supply had gone down sharply because of the reduced inflow of water in the rivers even as the winter demand has peaked.
	Tributes paid to Commanders who died in copter crash Jammu, November 22 The Nangi Takeri Battalion of the Army held a wreath-laying ceremony at the General’s Memorial in Poonch today to pay homage to Lt Gen Daulat Singh, GOC-in-Cof Western Command; Air Vice Marshall EW Pinto, Air Officer Commanding of Western Air Command; Lt Gen Bikram Singh, GOC, 15 Corps; Maj Gen KND Nanavati, Military Cross, General Officer Commanding, 25 Infantry Division; Brig SR Oberoi, Military Cross, Commander of 93 Infantry Brigade, and Flight Lt SS Sodhi, who lost their lives while on duty in a helicopter crash on November 22, 1963. As a mark of respect to the martyrs, residents of surrounding villages hold an “akhand path” on this day every year. — TNS
	NHPC takes up welfare works in Kishtwar Raju William/TNS Kishtwar, November 22 National Hydro-electric Power Corporation Ltd (NHPC) has become more focused in carrying out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)development works to ensure fiscal prudence and to reach the target beneficiaries. In line with this, the NHPC authorities of the Dulhasti power station have started construction of two toilets for the women of the SC/ST-dominated Indira Nagar and the Agral areas of Kishtwar. Along with this, Rs 11 lakh are being spent on construction of a septic tank and separate toilets for boys and girls of Government Primary School at Zawer village. “Both works have been undertaken in view of their urgent requirement for beneficiaries as per our revised and focused corporate funding under the CSR. For this, we received activity-specific approval of Rs 27 lakh this month. The remaining amount is meant for the orphanage here,” said Rajiv Hustu, General Manager, Dulhasti Power Station. The NHPC started the CSR works in 2007 in Kishtwar after the commissioning of a power project in Dul and Hasti villages. It has already spent Rs 17 lakh so far this fiscal on various public welfare and developmental activities. A free eye camp was organised for the first time in the underdeveloped and remote Padder area, about 60 km from Kishtwar, in July this year. One of the most backward areas of the district woefully lacks basic facilities. Around 100 eye operations were successfully conducted. Scholarships of Rs 6,000 each were also given to 15 students of the SC/ST categories. “Earlier, a committee of local NHPC officials used to identify areas to undertake the CSR work. The approval of funds used to come under broader terms like education and health. But now we get funds for specific activity from the corporate management as suggested by us after a strict scrutiny. This is being done to ensure the optimum utilisation of funds earmarked for the CSR. This way, the target beneficiaries also benefit from the work done,” added Hustu.
	Woman urges Omar to look into ‘rape, murder’ of daughter Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 The mother of a minor girl, who was allegedly gang-raped and later murdered at the home of her employer where she worked as a domestic help, yesterday appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take cognisance of the matter and intervene. The woman, a native of Swari in Kandi Gala village in Rajouri district, alleged that the police had not registered an FIR in the case so far. The girl reportedly died on August 15 this year. However, the Rajouri police contradicted her charges and said it had started inquest proceedings and was awaiting the medical report of the girl. “My daughter was employed at the house a Junior Engineer (JE) of the Roads and Building Department living in Ward No. 2 in Rajouri. He took my daughter five years ago on the pretext that he would take care of her education. Since I was poor, I sent my daughter to work at his home when she was just nine years’ old,” the woman told mediapersons here yesterday. She said the male members of the JE’s family had been exploiting her daughter physically. “They did not allow her to come home even on special occasions for the last few years,” she said. “On August 15, my daughter was sexually abused and brutally thrashed. After she died, a post-mortem was conducted on her body in my absence,” she added. “I was informed about my daughter’s death three days after the incident. Her body was kept in a private clinic,” the woman claimed. She added, “Her body had deep injury marks and she was bleeding profusely.” “A member of the JE’s family is a senior official in the Health Department. The family is quite influential and as a result the police is not investigating the matter,” she alleged. “I appeal to Omar to intervene in the case as the role of the police has not been above board so far,” the woman said. “The case should be transferred to the crime branch,” she demanded. “Inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPc have been going on in the case. An FIR will be registered after the preliminary investigation is over,” said SSP, Rajouri, Vijay Singh Sambya.
	Back from tour, Bandipore students meet Governor Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 A group of 20 students from Bandipore district, who returned from a tour of various places of historical and cultural importance in South India, met Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today and shared with him their experiences of the tour. The students were accompanied by a teacher and Army officers, who had gone with them on the tour. The 17-day national integration tour was organised by the Third Battalion of Madras Regiment under the Operation Sadbhavana. During the tour, the students visited Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari. The tour was flagged off from Bandipore on November 7 and would conclude tomorrow. Interacting with the students, the Governor enquired about the places they visited and the places they liked the most. The students said the tour provided them an excellent opportunity to visit various places of educational, scientific, historical and cultural interests in Kerala. When the Governor asked some students of Class VI to XII about the careers they wished to pursue, most of them showed a keen interest in medicine and engineering courses. The students said in Thiruvananthapuram they called on Kerala Governor MOH Farook at Raj Bhawan and had tea with him. They also visited the Napier Museum, zoo, Botanical Gardens, Kovalam beach, Palace Complex, ISRO station and other places of interest, besides enjoying a motorboat ride. At Kanyakumari, they visited Vivekananda Rock and other places of historical interest. The Governor presented gifts to the students and wished them a bright future. He asked Lt Liju and other accompanying Army personnel to provide photo albums to the children as a memorabilia of their tour. Lt Liju presented a memento to the Governor on behalf of his regiment.
	JUTA chief calls on Governor Jammu, November 22 Prof Dalip Singh, president of the Jammu University Teachers Association (JUTA), called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today and presented a memorandum of demands to him. The demands of the association included enhancement in the age of superannuation of university teachers from 60 to 65 years, the payment of arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission and the grant of incentives for higher qualifications to university teachers with retrospective effect from September, 2008. After listening to Dalip, the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, spoke to Tanveer Jehan, Higher Education Commissioner, about the issues raised by the JUTA. — TNS
	Anamika, Abhishek adjudged best athletes in annual meet Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 Maharaja Hari Singh Agricultural Collegiate School held its annual athletics meet on the school premises in the Nagbani area here today. The function commenced with the recitation of Upasana mantras, followed by a march past by the participating athletes. Girl sports captain Anamika Sharma took an oath on behalf of all participants. The meet began with a cycle race for tiny tots of Class 1. The main events were 200 metre and 600 metre races. Besides, other events included a skipping race, a relay race and a parents’ race. Anamika Sharma and Abhishek Koul were adjudged the best girl athlete and the best boy athlete, respectively, in the senior category. Suvidha Sareen and Rakesh Singh were adjudged the best girl athlete and the best boy athlete in the pre-senior category. The Gulab House of the school bagged the overall trophy for sports and co-curricular activities. PK Kaul, Deputy Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Jammu, and Sushma Thapar, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ban Talab, were the chief guests on the occasion. Capt Dewan Singh, manager of the school, and Yogesh Khosla, principal, emphasised on the role of sports in the school curriculum.
	Jammu rice growers demand MSP for basmati Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 Rice growers of the Jammu region today demanded marketing facilities and a minimum support price (MSP) for the promotion of basmati. Addressing a press conference of various farmer associations here, Chaudhary Dev Raj, president of the RS Pura Rice Growers’ Association, said the state and Central governments were only making promises and were doing nothing on the ground. “During the last three years, the government has made several public announcements regarding a Basmati Mission and a Food Security Mission, but basmati growers are still getting low prices for their produce,” said Dev Raj. He demanded that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should intervene in the issue to ensure proper marketing of basmati. “He should also announce a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,800 per quintal for local basmati, which is famous for its aroma all over the world,” said Dev Raj. Shivdev Singh, president of the Rashtriya Kissan Sangh, also blamed the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for not procuring paddy in Kathua district. The farmers alleged that private mill owners were exploiting paddy growers and were not paying them a good price of their produce.
	Traders protest govt proposal for FDI in retail business Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 Traders of Jammu, under the banner of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCI), staged a dharna today in protest against a proposal of the Union government to permit Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail business. Addressing the protesters, speakers cautioned the government that this step would render a large number of people jobless throughout the country. They warned the Centre that they would not allow FDI in retail business. They said if approved the proposal would adversely affect the local traders as they could not compete with multinational companies in retail business. The traders added the retail outlets opened through the FDI route may give some concessions to consumers, but it would affect millions of traders all over the country. Meanwhile, members of the Federation of Chamber of Industries, Kashmir (FCIK), and the Federation of Industries, Jammu, (FIJ) called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here today. President of the FCIK Zahoor Ahmad and chairman of the FIJ Anil Suri sought the help of the government in strengthening local industrial units.
	Release of pastor demanded Tribune News Service Jammu, November 22 The JK Christian United Federation today termed the arrest of pastor CM Khanna in Srinagar as “wrong” and appealed to the state government to ensure the immediate release of the priest. Addressing a press conference here today, Sohan Lal, pastor of St Paul’s Church and patron of the federation, said: “The pastor of the church has been wrongfully arrested on the basis of a video clipping on Youtube which depicts a baptism service inside the church in Srinagar.” “The church, across the world, has the tradition of authorising the pastor to give ‘baptism’ to those who express their desire to be members of the church. “It is based on the traditions of the church in India. During the Sunday church service, those adults were baptised who came to Srinagar church for more than a year voluntarily,” he claimed. “Neither has the church done anything unlawful nor was it involved in anything that created communal disharmony in Srinagar. The church has always stood for peace and love,” he said. “We request the government to release the pastor. Members of the church have decided to go on a fast and pray till the pastor is released,” he added.