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Vigilance probe against me godsend, says Taj
Army Chief reviews security in J-K
Peerzada’s fate to be decided after Feb 12
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Aamir’s tryst with Valley after a decade
‘Illegal’
Appointment
Coalition owes explanation to House on corruption: PDP
Revised
Rates
Chambers identify avenues to boost economy
Protest by chemists
Free camp for cancer patients
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Vigilance probe against me godsend, says Taj
Jammu, February 9 Talking to mediapersons today for the first time on the allegations levelled against him, the Irrigation Minister said he had already submitted his reply to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Congress high command. “I have also directed my staff to extend full co-operation to the Vigilance Department. I welcome the court order of a Vigilance inquiry against me. The inquiry is only going to underline my honesty and integrity,” he said. Referring to allegations of corruption, he said the accusation regarding misappropriation of funds do not pertain to his tenure, “There is not a single allegation during my tenure. Regarding the allocation of special funds to Doda districts, I would insist it was for providing drinking water supply to people belonging to the SC/ST category and for backward areas. If that is considered an offence, I would like to commit that offence again and again.” A sitting Congress MLA had levelled allegations of misuse of authority and corruption against him. Taj and the MLA Abdul Majid Wani had been engaged in a war of words for the last two weeks. A local court yesterday ordered a Vigilance inquiry after Jaan Mohammad, a resident of Bhatindi, moved a petition in the court seeking an inquiry into the matter. He said the allegations reported through the media amounted to violation of the privilege of the Assembly. “The Speaker is the right authority to take action as the deliberations of the Public Accounts Committee have been leaked to the Press. Further, one deleted paragraph from the deliberations has also appeared in some newspapers.” Taj refused to name the people behind the “conspiracy” but said some of his friends and foes were behind it. “I was recognised as the best Minister in six months. There were reports that I may be made Deputy Chief Minister in next reshuffle of ministers. I am considered close to the CM and the Congress high command. These are reasons enough for jealousy and such conspiracies against me,” he said. The minister denied that the Centre or the Congress high command was not happy with him due to his insistence on seeking return of the Central government-managed Hydropower projects to the state. Taj Mohiuddin, who belongs to Uri district in the Valley, said talk about clemency to Afzal Guru, who is facing capital punishment for launching an attack on Parliament in 2002, was a “non-issue”. “When a man has submitted a mercy petition to the President, it is clear he admits the sovereignty of India. I think all talk besides that is a non-issue,” Taj said.
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Army Chief reviews security in J-K
Jammu, February 9 Official sources said the visit was not a part of his planned itinerary. The General was accompanied by Air Marshal DC Kumaria, AOC-in-C, Western Air Command, and Lt Gen AK Chowdhary, Director General Military Operations (DGMO). General Singh’s visit assumed significance in the backdrop of the apex court’s judgment on his age row, which is scheduled for tomorrow. “General VK Singh accompanied by Air Marshal DC Kumaria and Lt Gen AK Chowdhary arrived at the Technical Airport here today in Brazilian aircraft Embraer this morning,” said officiating Defence PRO SN Acharya. They were received
by Group Captain M Giridhar, Officiating AOC, Jammu Air Force Station, Maj Gen BK Dhingra, MGGS SD, Northern Command HQ, and Maj Gen Surinder Singh, GOC, Tiger Division, said Acharya. After their arrival, they were flown to the
Northern Command HQ in garrison town of Udhampur, 65 km from here. The Army Chief, on his way to the garrison town, conducted a brief aerial recee of areas in Udhampur and Doda districts in an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). In Udhampur, the Army Chief was received by Lt Gen KT Parnaik, GOC-in-C, Northern Command. The General was briefed on all security issues by the Army Commander, Northern Command and later they reviewed the situation in the Northern Command Theatre, said the Defence PRO. This was the first visit of the Army Chief to Jammu and Kashmir this year. Later, General Singh chaired a high-level joint security meeting at the Udhampur-based Northern Command in which all General Officers Commanding (GOCs) and top IAF officers took part. The Army Chief also reviewed the synergy of operational scenario of the Army and Air Force in the state. In the evening, the General flew back to
New Delhi. Tomorrow, he will leave on a two-day visit to Jodhpur in Rajasthan. |
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Peerzada’s fate to be decided after Feb 12
Jammu, February 9 Sources in the Congress said the party leadership had sought the Crime Branch report from the government to discuss it at the party level before taking any decision on the fate of the Education Minister. “The report would be discussed after the JKPCC chief reaches Jammu on February 12,” sources said, adding that the party leadership was not happy over the leakage of the report before it was submitted to the Chief Minister. Sources said Soz had been in touch with some of his confidants and had asked them to inform him about all developments in the sensational case. Meanwhile, opposition parties have flayed the state government for patronising corruption. The PDP pointed out that recent disclosure of the cases of corruption and nepotism were just the tip of the iceberg because the government headed by Omar Abdullah was “neck deep in corruption”. |
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Aamir’s tryst with Valley after a decade
Srinagar, February 9 The Bollywood star had been camping here since yesterday in connection with the shooting of a promotion campaign for his “Incredible India” brand. He had visited a remote village near Kangan, 40 km from here, in Ganderbal district yesterday to shoot for the campaign. Aamir Khan arrived in the Valley yesterday and returned after a night stay at a local hotel overlooking the lake. Impressed with the natural beauty of Kashmir, Aamir Khan hoped that Bollywood would have the same association with Kashmir as it had five decades ago, when most of the romantic scenes and film songs were shot here. Kashmir now offers more spots like the scenic Tulip Garden overlooking the Dal lake, which has attracted some filmmakers during the past few years. Aamir recalled his uncle-filmmaker Nasir Hussain’s fascination for shooting films in the scenic environs of the Valley. Aamir had visited the state earlier for the shooting his popular film “3 Idiots” in the Leh area of Ladakh region. However, Aamir could not visit the Valley then. The shooting for “3 Idiots” in Ladakh had spurred the popularity of the region among tourists, most of whom subsequently visited the Ladakh region. Aamir Khan had earlier visited Kashmir in 1999 when he along with co-star Manisha Koirala had shot for “Mann”, directed by Inder Kumar, director Rattan Irani’s brother. After the eruption of militancy early in 1990s, Rattan was the first one to venture into the Kashmir valley in 1998 to shoot “Meray Apnay” in
Gulmarg. |
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Rare treat: Foreign scavenger sighted Jammu, February 9 Dr CM Seth, chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature, has claimed to have spotted
the scavenger called
Steppe Eagle. The Steppe Eagle, a rare species of winter migratory bird found in Romania, Egypt, South Russia, Mongolia and other parts of the Central Asian belt, has been reportedly sighted for the first time in the lower Shivalik hills in the Galakh region in Kathua district of the state. It is the national bird of Egypt. Seth has shared his findings and pictures of the bird with The Tribune (see pic). The sighting of the bird has come close on the reports of the Siberian Bar Headed Geese choosing the Gharana Wetland near Jammu over the Chinese wetlands this winter season. Few Siberian Geese were spotted carrying Chinese tags, indicating that these must have been migrating to China earlier. “Steppe Eagle or Aquil Nipalensis is a native of the region that falls between Romania and Mongolia. The process of migration may not be new but only it has been realised for the first time,” said Seth. Mentioning the peculiar features of the bird, he said: “The total length from tip of the bill to the tail of the Steppe Eagle is from 72 to 81 cm, and it weighs approximately 2.5 to 4 kg. Its general appearance is dark brown. Its wing flight feathers are blackish, with primaries being banded. Legs and cere (area at the base of the beak) are yellow.” “It is a matter of chance that I could capture the local vulture Himalayan Griffon with Steppe Eagle, amazingly in a single frame. The former is a local resident throughout the year and has a special metabolism that enables it to conserve the energy needed to survive in harsh winters,” he said. Bhushan Parimoo, a Jammu-based wildlife expert, has welcomed the sighting of the bird. “I have seen the pictures. I am delighted at the sighting of the foreign bird. It is a ray of hope... that Steppe Eagle is finding a favourable environment in this region. Vultures are natural scavengers, our well-wishers, so we should create the conditions to preserve them as they are on the brink of extinction,” he said. |
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‘Illegal’ Appointment
Katra, February 9 The MC office today received an order from the Deputy Commissioner, Reasi, appointing Sunita Devi as a computer assistant. Sunita Devi has been working as a daily wager at the office. As soon as the officials received the order, over 300 daily wagers of the MC staged a protest over the alleged illegal appointments made by the Deputy Commissioner. The MC office remained closed throughout the day owing to the protest. The protesters alleged that the fresh appointments made by the Deputy Commissioner were illegal. Even the official’s stay at the municipal office was in violation of the norms, they added. They said they had planned to hold a hunger strike at Katra against the illegal appointments. FC Bhagat, Director, Local Bodies, Jammu, said the order received by the office of the Municipal Committee, Katra, was “fake” and had not been issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Reasi. He said they were looking into the
matter. |
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Coalition owes explanation to House on corruption: PDP
Kathua, February 9 The PDP has taken the anti-corruption campaign to the streets before the session begins on February 23, giving a clear hint that recent cases of corruption are likely to dominate the Assembly proceedings. “We are not pinpointing corruption in the government. Leaders of the coalition partners are levelling serious allegations of corruption against their own ministers,” former Chief Minister and patron of the PDP Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said while recently addressing a public meeting at Kathua. In an obvious reference to the recent statements of senior Congress leader Abdul Gani Vakil, who accused his own party minister of indulging in corrupt practices, Mufti said the government owed an explanation. He said during the last three years this regime had weakened all institutions and people too had lost faith in the government. Although Mufti avoided a direct attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah or Congress leaders, his party colleague and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig made a frontal attack on National Conference leaders for patronising corruption. Taking a dig at the statement of NC leader Mustafa Kamal, who has demanded the resignation of Congress Ministers, namely Taj Mohiuddin, Peerzada Sayeed and Sham Lal Sharma, for their involvement in corrupt practices, Beig said the NC leadership had no moral authority to talk about corruption because the Chief Minister and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah were also under the lens after the mysterious death of NC worker Yousuf Shah. “THe NC has lost the moral authority to say anything about corruption because the role of top leadership of this party is also under a cloud,” he said and asserted that the party would effectively take up the corruption issue in the coming session. Besides corruption, Mufti also mentioned the trust deficit in the state and sought support of the people “to change the present inefficient and corrupt system to give justice to all sections of society”. He said the people of the state were now fed up with “this non-serious regime, its misgovernance and the strikingly corrupt system”. “Corruption has crossed all limits during the last three years because there is no transparency and accountability in the governance”, he observed, adding that the present regime had been committing the same blunders which were committed by the earlier NC regime from 1996 to 2002. |
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Finally, green light to traffic signals in J&K
Jammu, February 9 The traffic department installed the first traffic signal at the busy Bikram Chowk in the winter capital of the state on “experimental basis” to conduct technical analysis. “We have asked the lowest bidder to install the traffic lights at Bikram Chowk on experimental basis so that technical analysis can be conducted. We will see if the bidder meets our specifications. We will hold a meeting on February 15 to evaluate the process, which will be completed by March 31,” Inspector General of Police (Traffic) Hemant Kumar Lohia told The Tribune. The IGP said they had identified 30 points for the installation of traffic signals in Jammu city. “The installation of traffic signals will be started simultaneously in Srinagar city. The entire process will be completed in a phased manner,” Lohia said. Official sources said the traffic police had identified around 70 points for the installation of new traffic signals in Srinagar city. “Once the process is completed, it will reduce the pressure on around 1,000 traffic personnel deputed in the state, as vehicular traffic has assumed alarming proportions in the state,” sources maintained. Around 70,000 fresh vehicles hit the roads annually in the state. “The number of vehicles is quite high as compared to the road space. In addition to the registered vehicles in the state, around 10 lakh vehicles carrying tourists, pilgrims and security forces enter Jammu and Kashmir annually, adding to traffic chaos,” sources said. The road length in Jammu city is just 704.22 km and the density of vehicles stands at 574 per km. Srinagar is somewhat better off, with a road length of 1,263 km. “It is a free-for-all on roads in Jammu, as mini-bus, auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers jostle for space and often indulge in rash driving. You never know from where you are going to get hit,” said Rashmi Gupta, a government teacher.
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Revised
Rates
Jammu, February 9 As per the orders issued by the Health and Medical Education Department, the rates of medical surgeries, diagnostic tests, mammography, X-rays and others had been revised. Dr Tickoo, owner of a diagnostic centre here, said: “We have not implemented the revised rates as yet, as our association has not held its meeting so far. Until we get some directions, we cannot implement the new rates.” “We wonder why the new rate list has been issued, as there hasn’t been much difference between the old and revised rates. We did not get any specific notification and we got to know the new rate lists from newspapers only.” None of the diagnostic centres in Jammu has a clear idea of the new rates issued by the government, as they claim they have not got any notice from the government. Anuj Mahajan, owner of another diagnostic centre, said: “We have no idea about the new rates. We are charging the old rates for all diagnostic tests and X-rays. Our charges are genuine and we have never received any complaint from anybody. Also, we will apply the new charges after receiving some specific notification.” Even the patients who get their diagnostic tests done are not aware of the new rates issued by the state government and are paying as per the old rate list of the diagnostic centres. Samir Sharma, who had gone to a diagnostic centre to collect his mother’s X-ray report, said: “I am not aware about the new rates. I am an old customer of the centre and have been paying according to the old rate list only.” |
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82 SPOs inducted as constables
Udhampur, February 9 The Deputy Inspector General, Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Police Range, MK Sinha, gave appointment letters to the newly absorbed constables in the state police at a function organised at the Police Lines, Ramban, yesterday. He also reviewed the security situation in the three districts. Out-of-turn promotions were given to 13 police personnel of the range on the basis of their performance in fighting militancy. The promotions were given on the directions of the Director General of Police, J&K, and Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, said DIG Sinha, who was accompanied by SP, Kishtwar, BS Tuti, SP, Ramban, Anil Magotra
and SP, Doda, Mohammad Arif Rishu. The DIG also reviewed the efforts made by the police in eradicating militancy, crime, law and order scenario in the range. He stressed the need for reaching out to public. An open session was also organised to listen to the problems and difficulties of the police personnel. He asked other SPOs and police personnel to deliver their best, without showing any complacency on the anti-militancy front. Other senior officers also interacted with the newly inducted constables. |
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Chambers identify avenues to boost economy
Jammu, February 9 At a meeting, YV Sharma and Abdul Hamid Punjabi, presidents of the JCCI and KCCI, respectively, identified certain issues that needed immediate attention of the governments. Manish Gupta, secretary of the JCCI, said many common issues were discussed, like the implementation of the GST regime. It should not be made applicable before the requisite law was framed and approved by Parliament, he said. “If the Union Government approves the FDI in retail, it should not be made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. Otherwise, it will not only lead to an increase in unemployment but also push many to poverty,” said Gupta. The growth of industry in the shape of creation of new industrial estates should be preferred and adequate supply of electricity should be ensured. For better and continuous supply of electricity, the state government should take over power projects from the NHPC, they added. “It will not only make the state self-sufficient in power but given an impetus to the growth of economy in the state,” Gupta said. The chambers also felt that the Centre should give a one-time debt relief to the state from 1990. This will create an ideal atmosphere for investment in all sectors, he said.
— TNS |
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Protest by chemists
Srinagar, February 9 A large number of medical representatives and drug distributors and sellers from various parts of the Kashmir valley gathered at the Press Enclave area here under the banner of the Coordination Committee of J&K Pharma Traders and Professionals. — OC
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Free camp for cancer patients
Jammu, February 9 Dr Ashok Vaid, chairman, institute of oncology, Medenta-The Medicity, Gurgaon, will examine patients and offer free consultation to cancer patients. The patients can get themselves registered on telephone No. 2582559
or by personally visiting the venue - 3-Shakti Nagar, Jammu.
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Jammu, February 9
Jammu, February 9
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Jammu, February 9
n The inquiry is only going to underline my honesty and integrity
Interestingly, the local vultures, though decreasing in number, seem to have offered the well-known Indian hospitality to the guests. Seth said local vultures were comfortable with the foreigners. “They allow them to share their habitat and their feed, which includes remains of dead animals.”