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Do not rake up rotational CM issue, Cong leaders directed
Land dispute dominates political adviser’s rally
Despite literary fest cancellation, memorable events marked year
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Power supply in Valley is better, says Minister
Three CRPF jawans killed; six detained
Natrang stages Tagore’s ‘Haye Mera Chanda’
Akhnoor to get another bridge over Chenab
2 consume poison
Hizb militant held
Two bodies recovered
Number of pilgrims this year to touch 1 cr
Confederation to gherao Assembly on March 5
CBI probe in land scams demanded
Empowerment of panchayats demanded
HelpAge India donation
‘Money-spinning’ phone calls dupe residents
Bhalwal residents say no to dumping in Kangryl land
Develop Gharana wetland as tourism spot: Jammu hoteliers
Kashmiri food fest
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Do not rake up rotational CM issue, Cong leaders directed
Jammu, December 25 Highly placed sources in the party told The Tribune that the high command had asked Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz to direct local leaders not to take up this issue in public for the “time being” because the party does not want to
disrupt relations with coalition partner National Conference (NC) at this
juncture. “Although the deadline of January 5 when Omar Abdullah is going to complete his three-year tenure as Chief Minister would elapse without any change, the chapter of the rotational chief minister would remain open,” a senior Congress leader told The Tribune on the condition of anonymity. He added that the party high command has decided to review this issue only after completion of
the Assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh in which the Congress has high stakes. Unlike other parts of the country, tenure of the Assembly in this state is six years, so a faction within the Congress has been demanding that the Congress should be given the opportunity to head the government in the remaining three years. Sources said while directing local leaders not to take up rotational chief minister issue in public, the high command has assured them that performance of the coalition government would be reviewed from time to time and effective action would be taken at an appropriate time. “Due to compelling circumstances, the party has decided not to rake up this issue at this juncture, but some leaders of the high command are aware of prevailing circumstances in the state,” the senior Congress leader said. He added that a faction within the Congress had already expressed its anguish over alleged “governance deficit” in the state. Soz had revealed on December 17 that some very important persons at the Centre were assessing the performance of the coalition regime in the state. Veteran Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, who has been vociferously demanding the provision of the
chief minister’s appointment being based on rotation, told The Tribune that the decision of the
high command would be acceptable to all Congressmen. “We have already conveyed our feelings to the appropriate quarters and the decision now rests with the high command,” he said. Meanwhile, Soz has refuted reports that some legislators had voluntarily tendered their resignations to exert pressure
on the high command on the issue of rotational chief minister. |
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Land dispute dominates political adviser’s rally
Jammu, December 25 They blamed the JDA for harassing the people who, they said, were the “real owners” of the land and sought personal intervention of the political adviser to resolve the issue. “We want to draw the attention of the government towards the problems being faced by the people of Raghura. The JDA has been harassing people over ownership rights of their land for the last 30-40 years. A directive should be issued to the JDA not to harass the residents,” Choudhary Afzal Mir, a resident of Raghura said while addressing the rally at Sidhra. Senior NC leader Haji Bali Mohammad also raked up the issue and said that Raghura residents would cooperate with the JDA for regularisation and demarcation of land. |
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art and culture review
Jammu, December 25 Besides painter Suman Gupta earning fame at national and international platforms, many Jammu-based cultural organisations held functions evoking tremendous response. Natrang Theatre Group, in association with National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi, organised a workshop to revive the age-old theatre tradition of Kashmir, ‘Bhand Pather’. Artists of the leading theatre group successfully performed in different parts of the Valley in October. Its ‘Nagot Cultural Festival’ saw a record participation of 920 artists who presented best of their performances during the three days of the festival in Reasi. The group also participated in six national drama festivals besides continuing with its Sunday theatre. Efforts of Natrang director, Balwant Thakur, got further recognition after he was appointed as state coordinator of SPIC MACAY. Birth centenary of great Urdu poet Faiz was celebrated by many organisations all through the year. Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society for Art and Literature organised a two-day event in which leading artists from India and Pakistan participated. The J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages organised a state art exhibition and an award-giving ceremony for distinguished artists at Kala Kendra after a gap of one year. On the literary front, Naseem Shafaie and Prof Lalit Magotra were selected for Sahitya Akademi award for their contribution to enrichment of Kashmiri and Dogri. Prof Desh Bandhu Nutan Dogra’s ‘Dogri Bhasha te Adab di Itihaasak Parchol’, Padam Shree Jainder Udhampuri’s ‘Duggar Sanskriti-Vishleshanatamak Adhayan’, Kirpa Sagar’s ‘Dido Jamwal’, ND Jamwal’s monograph on Master Sansar Chand and ‘Trifala’, TR Magotra’s ghazal collection, ‘Gai’n Gai’n’, Krishna Prem’s anthology of short stories ‘Thahmm Te Klawa’ and Gyaneshwar’s book of poems ‘Mamta Da Niggh’ were the major publications in Dogri language. In Hindi literature, ‘Tawi Jahan se Gujarti Hai’ edited by Dr Ashok Kumar was the major publication. The first-ever translation of Holy Quran in Pahari language was released here this month whereas in English, Suraj Saraf’s ‘Jammu Heritage’ came out this year. The year was promising as far as regional cinema is concerned. Pahari film ‘Lakeer’, that depicted pathos of partition, drew wide acclaim. Recently released Dogri film ‘Kuggi Mar Udaari’ is believed to be a healthy sign for language films. ‘Nain Sukh’, an art movie by Amit Dutta, was screened in Jammu by Swiss Arts Council in collaboration with Amar Mahal Museum and Library. Dogri language lost some eminent poets and writers like Yash Sharma, Madan Mohan, Tara Smailpuri and Ashok Jerath. The untimely demise of first woman sculptor of the state, Gobind Kaur, was again a loss to the artist community. In Gojri language, writers like Dr Sabir Afaqi passed away and Choudhary Abul Rashid Bhatti passed away this year. Actors of the state like Mushtaq Kak, Viduat Jamwal, Parvati Sehgal, Monika, Neelam Pathania and Sonu have been calling the shots while singers like Sitendra Shanu, Sumit Bhardwaj, Julekha Farid and Dharmesh Nagotra have carved a niche for themselves. |
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Power supply in Valley is better, says Minister
Srinagar, December 25 “The government is supplying 950 MW power to the Valley, which is far ahead of the supply during the previous year,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar said yesterday evening. His comments came after the PDP and Chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq accused the government of failing to provide basic amenities to the people during the harsh winter months. While PDP leaders had taken to streets in protest against the government yesterday, the Mirwaiz during his last Friday sermon had alleged the state government had “failed on all the fronts”. While reviewing the arrangements for providing basic amenities in the Valley, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon said 950 MW of power was being supplied in the Valley against 750-800 MW last winter. Reacting to the charges of the Mirwaiz that the entire administration had gone to Jammu in view of the Darbar Move and the people in the Valley were “left to fend for themselves”, Sagar said four cabinet ministers regularly visited the Valley in winter to take stock of the situation. “Even the winter Secretariat remains functional, where one minister is always present,” he added. Sagar said all the essential items were “available in abundance” and there was an adequate supply of petrol, LPG and other essential items in the Valley. Lashing out at the PDP, he said, “The party has lost its credibility among the people. During its own rule, the Valley was constantly under darkness during the winters. The present government has been able to streamline the power supply and also ensure its constant supply in the state.” |
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Fratricide gunfight
Srinagar, December 25 They said the incident took place around 10.30 pm last night at the 18th Battalion of the CRPF in Kulgam, following an altercation between the jawans, which led them to open fire at each other. Four jawans identified as Suman Pillay, P Sibbu, SD Murthy and Javed Hussain received injuries in the firing incident. While Pillay and Sibbu died on-the-spot, Hussain succumbed to his injuries later. The other injured jawan was shifted to a hospital. Soon after the incident, senior police and CRPF officers rushed to the spot and sealed the area. Talking to reporters today, SP, Kulgam, Maqsood-uz-Zaman said the police had registered a case in this regard and detained six CRPF jawans for questioning, who were present during the incident. |
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Natrang stages Tagore’s ‘Haye Mera Chanda’
Jammu, December 25 In the play, Dokodi Dutt, a lawyer, is portrayed as a miser, but people mostly approach him with an intention to get donations. The cast included Rahul Singh, Balwinder Singh, Uplaksh Singh, Abhinav Vimarsh, Sushil Raina, Sakshi Parkash and Atin Tikka. Ankush Lakhnotra operated the lights while Mohammad Yaseen operated the music. The show was coordinated by Sumeet Sharma. |
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Akhnoor to get another bridge over Chenab
Jammu, December 25 The central government has agreed to a proposal of the State Government for a new bridge at Namandhar-Akhnoor and the work on the project will start soon, Minister for Health, Horticulture and Floriculture Sham Lal Sharma said in a public meeting at Jourian near here today. "This was a long pending demand of the people of this border tehsil. With the construction of the new bridge, the people of Akhnoor town, Khour-Jourian and other adjoining areas will be benefited," he said. He said road connectivity is a vital factor for development of any area and almost all the villages of Akhnoor have been connected with roads.
— PTI |
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2 consume poison
Jammu, December 25 A girl died at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, today after she consumed poison at her residence last evening. A resident of Anantnag consumed some poisonous substance at his hostel in the Jewel area of old Jammu city. He was rushed to the GMCH, Jammu, where he was declared brought dead.
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Hizb militant held
Srinagar, December 25 One revolver and two Chinese hand grenades were recovered from his possession. A case has been registered in this regard. —
TNS
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Two bodies recovered
Srinagar, December 25 An unidentified body of a man was recovered at Shalyar in the Habbakadal area. — TNS
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Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine
Katra, December 25 Official statistics revealed that a record number of 99.50 lakh pilgrims from India and abroad had visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine till December 25 this year. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) officials said the number of pilgrims has been increasing by about a million every year since last four years. The board was formed in 1986 to manage the shrine. “That time the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine was 1.386 million,” said Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Additional Chief Executive officer, SMVDSB. “We are about to touch the figure of 10 million pilgrims,” he added. The speculations are high, as the yatra figure would for the first time touch the one crore mark. Near about 13.86 lakh devotees had paid obeisance at the holy cave in 1986, as compared to 87.5 lakh in the 2010. The rising number of pilgrims also boosts the local economy. The board officials said nearly 25,000 pilgrims pay obeisance at the shrine daily. “So many devotees throng the shrine. They believe that visiting this shrine is very auspicious for them,” said Rakesh Wazir, vice-president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, Katra. “Everyone associated with the yatra is benefitted by increase in the number of pilgrims,” Wazir added. |
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X-mas festivities a low-key affair Srinagar, December 25 The main Christmas prayers were held at the Holy Family Catholic Church located on the Maulana Azad road here. While Christians from various parts of the city poured in for prayers since morning, a team of the security personnel had been deployed outside the church to frisk the people. Father Mathew Thomas, who led the prayers at the church, said this year the Christmas celebrations were “soft” and “low profile”. “Because of the conversion controversy, the celebrations were soft and low profile. The government also felt that it was right to deploy security outside the church,” he said. Incidentally, the conversion controversy had come to the fore after a video of a local Muslim youth being allegedly converted to Christianity appeared on social networking sites last month. The video had triggered a controversy as the Muslim clerics had taken serious note of the matter and held several meetings to formulate the action plan to counter the alleged conversions. The police on November 20 had arrested Rev CM Khanna, who could be seen in the video, allegedly converting Muslim youth to Christianity. Khanna was released on bail later. Meanwhile, some local Muslims were also seen joining the Christmas celebrations at the local churches. “We come to the Holy Family Catholic Church every year to wish Christians on this day. We are aware of the conversion controversy, but that has not affected our relations,” a local Muslim said.
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Devotees throng churches
Jammu, December 25 All the churches wore a festive look to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. The main prayer meeting was held at St Mary’s Garrison Church in Gandhi Nagar, where hundreds of Christians and people belonging to other religions participated in special prayers and greeted each other. A Christmas tree was also beautifully decorated on the premises of the church and colourful candles were lit by the followers of Jesus Christ. Cutting of cake and exchange of pleasantries with friends and relatives marked the celebrations. A Santa Claus surprised the children by giving them gifts on the occasion. A heavy rush of devotees was also seen at the St Paul’s Church. On the occasion, the state administration had made elaborate arrangements to avoid any untoward incident. |
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Confederation to gherao Assembly on March 5
Jammu, December 25 In the general body meeting of the confederation held today, speakers attacked coalition regime for non-implementation of reservation rules in the state. They expressed their anguish over failure of the coalition regime to provide reservation in ad hoc, contractual and other temporary appointments. They pointed out that about two lakh employees had been recruited by successive state governments on temporary basis but reservation rules were blatantly flouted. |
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CBI probe in land scams demanded
Jammu, December 25 Addressing mediapersons here yesterday, YJKL leader Suresh Magotra said the whole state was facing an ill situation due to an increase in the number of land grab cases. “Majority of the government and private land has been encroached on at the behest of political leaders and ministers. The government should immediately order a high-level probe,” he added.
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Empowerment of panchayats demanded
Jammu, December 25 Protesters alleged the government was deliberately overlooking the plight of elected panchayat members. They said the coalition government was not serious towards the rural development. The protesters urged the minister concerned to fix suitable remunerations for elected representatives.
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HelpAge India donation
Jammu, December 25 Appreciating the efforts of the students, HelpAge India, Senior Executive, Neeru Deepak Khajuria said this was a big contribution by the students and the staff of the RRL.
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‘Money-spinning’ phone calls dupe residents
Jammu, December 25 A group of scammers is active across the state these days, targeting gullible people, particularly belonging to the rural areas by making ‘money-spinning’ calls on their mobile phones. These scammers usually ask the people to send money for the installation of mobile towers of private telecom companies at their residences, which will pay them a hefty amount as monthly rent. Officials told The Tribune that the state Crime Branch of the police had received a number of complaints, particularly from rural and border belts, where people had been duped by scammers by giving ‘lucrative’ offers. They said the Crime Branch has also decided to issue an advisery in the form of do’s and don’ts for the people, advising them not to fall into the trap of these scammers. “These scammers are running their racket in a very professional manner. They have the correct names of all the members of a particular family and its residential address. They will make a phone call, offering the installation of a mobile tower of some reputed private telecom company at their residence. They tell the people that the company will pay them a good amount on a monthly basis,” officials added. In another phone call, they will ask the particular person to send some amount, anything between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, as an advance fee for the installation of the mobile tower, they said. “In recent months, we have received several complaints, particularly from rural areas, including border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where the scammers are targeting people, who think the call is from a legitimate source and easily fall into the trap,” ASP Crime Branch Ranjit Singh Sambyal said. The ASP said these scammers had a modus-operandi to cheat the people. “They have the phone numbers, location and correct residential addresses of the people. We have even identified some of these callers,” Sambyal added. “The people need to be cautious of such phone calls and double check with other people prior to getting involved into any such deal,” Sambyal said. |
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Bhalwal residents say no to dumping in Kangryl land
Jammu, December 25 Talking to media, Rajdev Singh Jamwal, member of Bhalwal joint action committee, said, “We gave our consent earlier only after the intervention of three Cabinet ministers including Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who had visited the spot and sought a seven-day period for using the land as dumping ground. We kept our promise and cooperated with the JMC. Now, it’s their turn to keep the promises
they made.” He said residents of Bhalwal urged the government to identify some other land for the purpose and also to annul the government’s proposal to establish a solid waste management plan at Kangryl. Another member KD Singh said that Kangryl was never an ideal choice for the purpose as
densely populated areas surrounded it. Singh said, “There are many other isolated and secluded areas on the city’s outskirts including Nagrota and Bhatindi Gho Manhasa, but those were not considered owing to political pressure.” |
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Panun Kashmir holds rally to mark Homeland Day
Jammu, December 25 Panun Kashmir president Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo and DN Kissu, chairman, NCMCC, flagged off the rally at Ploura Surya Bhawan in the morning. The rally was led by Sameer Bhat, convener, Panun Kashmir Youth Wing. A large number of youth activists participated in the rally with national and Panun Kashmir flags in their hands and raised slogans in favour of the homeland demand. The Panun Kashmir song was sung by youth activist Paras. Sameer Bhat, convener, youth wing, said the purpose of the scooter rally was to tell the community members to have faith and belief in the generation next that the baton of Panun Kashmir would be taken to its logical
conclusion. |
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Develop Gharana wetland as tourism spot: Jammu hoteliers
Jammu, December 25 A meeting of the association held under the chairmanship of Inderjeet Khajuria observed that every year in winters, thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and other Asian countries visited the
Gharana wetland in search of food. |
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Kashmiri food fest
Jammu, December 25 Specialised cooks for preparation of Kashmiri wazwan items have been hired from the Valley. The festival will end tomorrow.
— TNS
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The ongoing confrontation between Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and residents of Raghura village in Nagrota Assembly segment over land dominated the public rally of political adviser to the Chief
Minister.
