The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

PDP questions govt intent on civic poll
Mehbooba says prevailing ‘unaccountable’ system suits NC agenda
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party today alleged that some vested interests in the government were trying to sabotage the process of holding civic bodies elections as the prevailing “unaccountable” system suited their agenda. The state government had announced the completion of the process by April-end.

Addressing a series of public meetings in Jammu to garner support for the party in the civic bodies elections, the PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti, said elections to the civic bodies were due in February but the government kept delaying the process.

Although Mehbooba avoided a direct attack on Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who holds the portfolio of Urban Development, she said hundreds of backdoor appointments had been made during the past two years in different local bodies.

Also, unauthorised constructions had been going on unabated both within and outside the city, as there was no authority to keep a check on these constructions.

“The prevailing unaccountable system suits some vested interests, who have been sabotaging the process of holding the civic bodies elections,” she said.

The PDP chief said during the past three years, the current regime had undermined all democratic institutions, be it local bodies, panchayats or Assembly.

“The government has been boasting of successfully conducting panchayat elections but no powers have been given to the panchayats so far,” she said.

Instead of holding the civic bodies elections in a proper manner, the National Conference-led coalition government was completing the democratic exercise as a mere formality to get Central funds, she said.

She expressed surprise at the announcement of the state government to complete the exercise by April-end, when the process of delimitation of the Jammu Municipal Corporation was still on.

“How is it possible to complete the election process before completing the delimitation process,” she asked.

Areas like Bithandi, Sunjwan, Chatta and some outer areas of Sainik Colony were still excluded from the limits of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, she added. These areas had been rapidly growing as satellite colonies and should be brought within the corporation limits.

Human rights body alleges land mafia-police nexus
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The All-India Human Rights Association, Jammu, today alleged that a land mafia was active on the outskirts of the city in connivance with certain police and revenue officials.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Mahesh Padha and Naresh Kumar Talla, members of the association, along with members of some aggrieved parties, alleged that they had lodged numerous complaints with the revenue and police authorities against the alleged land grabbers, but to no avail.

The association alleged that the land grabbers enjoyed the patronage of some police as well as revenue officials, as a result of which no action was being initiated against them.

“The land mafia is being headed by Mahinder Singh and his brother Inderjeet Singh, in-charge of Supwal police station, Samba. Also, Domana SHO Ajay Jamwal is hand in glove with the land mafia and has been providing protection to them,” said Mahesh Pada.

In a joint compliant, they demanded strict action against the land grabbers and erring police officials.

Eighty-year-old Himmat Singh, a resident of Preet Nagar, Digaina; Harinder Singh, president, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu; AK Koul, a resident of Subhash Nagar Rehari Colony, Jammu; PS Pathania, a resident of Greater Kailash; Gurumeet Singh, a resident of Preet Nagar, Digaina; Ashok Kumar, a resident of Greater Kailash; Shamshair Singh, a resident of Gandhi Nagar; and Surjeet Singh, a resident of Raipur Satwari, alleged that they had fallen prey to the land mafia.

AK Koul charged Mahinder Singh, Sudhakar Mal and Harbans Singh of using force and preventing him from carrying out construction on a piece of land owned by him.

He alleged that SHO Jamwal refused to register an FIR against the accused as well as honour the court orders.

SHO Jamwal said: “If someone has a complaint, they can come to us and we will look into the matter. They are making false allegations. I am not involved in any criminal activity.”

Day 4: Curfew partially relaxed in Rajouri
Admn holds talks with both communities to defuse tension
Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
Curfew was relaxed partially today in the border town of Rajouri after no fresh clashes were reported from the district. The district administration also initiated a dialogue with representatives of the two communities and organised inter-community meetings to defuse the prevailing tension in the town even as curfew remained in force for the fourth consecutive day.

“We have initiated a dialogue with the representatives of both communities and we have received a good response. We also organised inter-community meetings to restore peace and things have started returning to normalcy. We hope to resolve the issue soon,” Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Khawaja Ghulam Ahmad told The Tribune over phone.

The Deputy Commissioner said the administration had decided to relax curfew restrictions in a phased manner as there was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the district. “The situation is well under control,” he remarked.

“We relaxed curfew restrictions in old city parts for two hours (from 4 pm to 6 pm), while the people in eastern parts of the town, including Gujjar Mandi and Jawahar Nagar, were allowed to buy essential commodities for two hours (from 6 pm to 8 pm),” Khawaja maintained.

Sources, however, said that barring a few establishments, the shopkeepers refused to open their outlets, demanding arrest of the “troublemakers”.

“While the minority community members remained adamant on their demand for the arrest of those who threw stones on a religious procession of Bhairav Nath, the other community leaders demanded the arrest of the people who hosted the ‘controversial programme’ of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Parveen Togadia,” said the sources.

Yesterday, Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone had directed the government to send a team of ministers to Rajouri for holding a dialogue with the representatives of both communities so that “peace could be restored” in the town.

The Deputy Commissioner, however, said no team visited the town today and the administration was actively participating with the representatives of both communities.

The authorities had relaxed curfew for an hour in the eastern parts of Rajouri town yesterday. Three persons had been detained for defying curfew restrictions.

Tension had simmered in the town following a controversial speech by Togadia during his visit to Rajouri last week. Communal clashes erupted after a religious procession was stoned. The police has already registered an FIR against the VHP leader for allegedly hurting the sentiments of a particular community.

One killed, 8 hurt in accidents
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
A pedestrian was killed while eight others suffered injuries in separate road mishaps in Jammu and Kathua districts today. The police said a pedestrian was killed while five others sustained injuries in an head-on collision between a Delhi-bound Punjab Roadways bus and a truck near Kalibari Chowk in Kathua on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway.

The driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle while trying to save a pedestrian, leading to the collision with the truck coming from the opposition direction. The pedestrian was killed on the spot and his identity couldn’t be established. Five injured passengers were shifted to the District Hospital, Kathua. In another accident on the national highway, a car hit a motorcycle near Barnoti, leaving two injured. Also, a 23-year-old youth suffered critical injuries when he lost control of his car near Greater Kailash on the Kunjwani-Narwal bypass here.

The police said the youth, Taran Deep Singh, a resident of Ekta Vihar, Gangyal, suffered serious injuries when he rammed his car into the divider of the road. The speeding car overturned with the impact. He was shifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu.

Legislative Council Election
Suspense continues over Congress choice
Workers stage protest over ‘sidelining’ of Udhampur district
Dinesh Manhotra/TNS

Jammu, March 11
Confusion prevailed over the name of the Congress candidate for the lone Legislative Council seat today. The deadline for the filing of nomination papers for the seat ends on Monday.

While veteran leader and Congress stalwart Mangat Ram Sharma’s supporters claimed that his name had been cleared for the seat, those supporting former minister Jugal Kishore Sharma celebrated the “issuance” of party ticket to their leader. Mangat Ram and Jugal Kishore, who had been camping at New Delhi for the past few days, returned to Jammu this morning. Both leaders have maintained a guarded silence on the issue.

Sources in the Congress said the high command had hinted at giving the ticket to Jugal Kishore Sharma, a Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad loyalist.

“Jugal Kishore has returned from Delhi after an assurance from the party high command that the mandate will be given to him at the eleventh hour,” a source said, adding that Jugal Kishore had been asked to prepare documents for filing his nomination papers.

The official announcement of the Congress candidate would be made on Monday morning, the sources added.

While suspense continued over the name of the party candidate, party leader Bhupinder Singh Pathania’s supporters staged a demonstration in front of the party headquarters at Sheedhi Chowk to lodge their protest against the decision of the high command to ignore Udhampur district.

After Pathania, president of the Udhampur unit, returned from Delhi, Congress workers hailing from the Udhampur Youth Congress, the NSUI, the Mahila Congress, the SC/ST cell, the Migrant Cell and the Seva Dal led him in a procession and staged a sit-in at the Congress headquarters.

Addressing mediapersons, Pathania said the high command had restored the representation of Udhampur district in the Upper House in April last year, after a gap of 37 years, by giving ticket to Yashpal Khajuria. But Khajuria’s death had again left the district unrepresented in the Council. He regretted that the high command had ignored the district in the allocation of ticket.

400 Zanskar-bound travellers stranded in Leh since Feb
Yangchan Dolma

Leh, March 11
At least 400 passengers from Zanskar, a remote sub-division of Kargil district, have been stranded at Leh since February. They have been eagerly awaiting the weather to improve so that the Indian Air Force can airlift them to Zanskar.

The 234-km-long Kargil-Padum road, the only road link connecting Zanskar with its district headquarter and other parts of Ladakh, has been blocked since January due to heavy snow on the Penzila pass.

The Chadar trek, another alternative route along the Zanskar river, has been shut by the authorities for safety reasons.

Tsultim Paljor, a stranded passenger said: “Among those stranded are patients, who had come to Leh for treatment at the district hospital, and pilgrims, who had returned from Bodhgaya in Bihar after Kalachakara initiation in January. Also, women and children have been stranded for over a month, as they could not undertake the arduous Chadar trek.

The Indian Air Force operates helicopters between Leh and Padum, headquarter of Zanskar sub-division, during winter.

Phunchok Tashi, Executive Councillor (Zanskar affairs), LAHDC, Kargil, said: “The IAF had carried out two sorties in the first week of February and two in the first week of March.”

Tashi said the operation to clear the snow from the Kargil-Padum road would begin on March 15 and it would take at least one month to reopen the road.

The Kargil-Padum road is the longest road in the state and is maintained by the civil authorities under the district plan.

Seminar on ‘lifelong learning’ concludes at Jammu varsity
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
A two-day national seminar on “Lifelong Learning and Higher Education” organised by the Department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu (JU), concluded here today.

Professor RD Sharma, Dean, Academic Affairs, University of Jammu, was the chief guest at the valedictory function. Prof Sharma said the theme had become quite important in the recent times and knowledge up gradation was also important in emerging societies, as these were knowledge-based and constantly changing.

He exhorted the teaching community to keep themselves abreast of the challenges of the globalised world, in the era of technology when knowledge was just one click away and students had access to a lot of information on the Internet.

He also spoke on the need for post-literacy reading, vocational training, livelihood and income generation skills, equivalency for educational accreditation and a range of aspects for improving the quality of life.

He hoped that the two-day deliberations of the seminar would flag the latest issues in the field of lifelong learning.

Dr Kavita Suri, Assistant Director, Department of Lifelong Learning, informed that the national seminar was divided into four sub-themes, including lifelong learning, globalisation and concurrent challenges in higher education, lifelong learning and sustainable development, role of ICTs in lifelong learning and lifelong learning through open and distance learning.

Over 100 research papers were presented on various issues, including confronting globalistion: the challenges of creating space for global learning, lifelong learning, higher education and active citizenship, lifelong learning in communities, empowering marginalised communities through lifelong learning, social media and lifelong learning environment and current practices in lifelong learning through distance education etc.

In the ten parallel technical sessions, Krishan Khanna, Chairman, i-Watch, Mumbai, spoke on “Dynamind: An e-Teacher and e-Trainer.” He explained how artificial intelligence had been used to provide low cost distance education programme, which was accessible to all.

BJP mobilises support for civic elections
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The BJP today organised a “jan sammelan” at Trikuta Nagar here to garner support of the people for the coming civic bodies
elections.

State president of the BJP Shamsher Singh Manhas was the chief guest on the occasion.

While addressing a massive gathering on the occasion, Manhas said the BJP was not only a political party but a mission. Its prime agenda was to strengthen nationalist forces and work towards strengthening the state’s ties with the Centre.

“We have been making sacrifices right from the days of the Praja Parishad to ensure full integration of the state with the rest of the country,” Manhas said, adding that every activist of the BJP was committed to maintaining the honour and dignity of the state at any cost.

Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister, Manhas said Omar had failed to provide good governance and had been making statements to divert the attention of the masses from his failures. “A Chief Minister who has utterly failed to check corruption and give good governance has forfeited the right to continue in chair and it would be better for him to step down with dignity,” he said.

BJP leaders Rajesh Gupta, Aseem Gupta, Amrik Singh and Vikram Randhawa also addressed the gathering.

Kashmiri Pandits’ mass dharna from today
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
Various Kashmiri Pandit organisations under the aegis of Pt Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust will start a mass dharna from March 12 to press for the introduction and passage of the Kashmiri Hindu Temples and Shrine Bill, which has been pending for the past five years.

Kashmiri Lal, founder, Pt Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust, said: “The Kashmiri Pandits need an Act for the protection of temples and shrines, just as the Muslims have the Auqaf Act and the Sikhs the Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Act.”

“The peaceful protest is just the beginning and we will keep the struggle on till the Act is passed,” he added.

The demand has been pending since 2007 when the government approved to draft a Bill on protection, management and regulation of religious shrines in the Valley. The community feels betrayed due to the failure of the government to introduce the Bill.

“Encroachment and illegal sale of land belonging to temples and shrines have been rampant over the past 22 years. We need an Act to keep a check on such violations. The government had promised us to bring in the Act but to no avail,” added Kashmiri Lal.

Around 500 shrines and temples in the Kashmir valley have fallen into neglect since the outbreak of insurgency and migration of the Kashmiri Pandits in the early 1990s.

There have been reports of rampant encroachments on temple properties in the Valley. The Kashmiri Pandits feel vested interests are taking advantage of the absence of a proper legislation to safeguard Hindu religious places.

This has even forced the state government to announce a ban on the sale of land and property belonging to temples and ashrams.

Gulmarg fiesta winds up with Saim’s musical notes
M Aamir Khan

Kashmiri singer Saim Bhat performs at the ski resort of Gulmarg on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

Srinagar, March 11
The three-day “Music and Adventure Fiesta” concluded with Kashmiri singer Saim Bhat’s performance at the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir today. The festival was organised by a New Delhi-based organisation and the state tourism department.

Bhat, who had shot to fame after singing a song for Hindi film “Murder 2”, enthralled the audiences with his performance. Highway 61, an Indian Sufi rock band, also captivated the audience with their rendition.Besides musical performances from local and national artistes, the fiesta showcased works of artisans drawn from other states.

According to the spokesperson for Soul Curators & Synapses Adventure, joint organisers of the festival, the event was organised to promote cultural exchange between the Valley and other parts of the country. Gulmarg, which is still entrenched in several feet of snow, has played host to a number of festivals and adventure sports activities this winter.

Postal employee found dead
Our correspondent

Srinagar, March 11
A non-local employee working in the General Post Office (GPO) here was found dead under suspicious circumstances, the police said today.

Nika Ram, a resident of Meyol in Himachal, was found dead at his residential room at the GPO, Srinagar.

Man dies in mishap

One person and a horse were killed after a vehicle hit a tonga at Magam in central Kashmir, the police said today.

A Tata Sumo hit a horse cart near Kawoosa in Magam, resulting in the death of the horse and injuries to Mehraj-u-Din Dar, a local resident. Dar was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Cheers for liquor sale in state!
Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The government yesterday said imposition of a blanket ban on the sale of liquor in the state would prove counterproductive as it would lead to smuggling of liquor into Jammu and
Kashmir from other parts of the country.

The government also categorically made it clear that it had no proposal to shut down liquor shops in the Kashmir valley.

Responding to a query asked by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Zulfikar Ali, Minister for Finance Abdul Rahim Rather, in a written reply in the Assembly, admitted that it was not possible to impose “total prohibition” in the state as any prohibition in isolation was going to prove counterproductive and result in smuggling of liquor into the state from other states.

“It has been observed that imposition of total prohibition results in manufacturing of spurious and poisonous liquor, which is more hazardous for health,” Rather said while referring to the ban on the sale of liquor enforced by the Andhra Pradesh Government in 1990.

Currently, prohibition is in force in Gujarat but smuggling of liquor and bootlegging is rampant there, the minister claimed.

Rather said Jammu and Kashmir, being a tourist state, had to keep in view the requirements of the tourists.

Though the minister didn’t relate the sale of liquor with the revenue realised, official documents reveal that the state government has earned Rs 333 crore (from goods and services tax and central sales tax) on account of the sale of liquor during the last three years.

The revenue collection in terms of the GST and CST on account of the sale of liquor in 2008-09 was Rs 8,592.20 lakh, Rs 11,120 lakh in 2009-10 and Rs 13,566 lakh in 2010-11.

The documents state that the state had also realised Rs 133 crore in 2008-09, Rs 156 crore in 2009-10 and Rs 184.44 crore in 2010-11 on account of liquor manufacturing.

Man shot at by unidentified militants in Valley
Our correspondent

Srinagar, March 11
One person was injured after he was shot at by unidentified militants at Tral in Pulwama district, the police said today.

“Unidentified militants fired upon Abdul Ahad Rather near Dadsara in Pulwama, resulting in injuries to his leg. Rather was shifted to Bone and Joints Hospital for treatment,” the police said.

A case has been registered in this regard.

SSP interacts with police personnel

Jammu, March 11
SSP, Crime Branch, Jammu, Nisar Ahmed organised a ‘darbar’ of gazetted and non-gazetted officers and other ranks of the organisation at District Police Lines here today. About 200 officers and jawans of the police participated in the programme.

Speaking on the occasion, the SSP, Crime Branch, asked participants to highlight collective problems being faced by them in performing their duty.

He also pointed out that some unscrupulous elements were indulging in illegal activities and crimes, which were directly affecting the public and stressed upon the officers and jawans of the organisation to act as eyes and ears of the Crime Branch.

During the darbar, the participants raised several relevant issues and brought them into the notice of the SSP. — TNS

Unemployed pharmacists demand work under govt scheme
Tribune News Service

Udhampur, March 11
The Unemployed Pharmacists Association (UPA), Doda, has demanded absorption of qualified jobless pharmacists in the government health scheme on the pattern of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

A meeting was organised on the issue at Doda yesterday. The president of the district unit of the UPA, Javed Iqbal Sheikh, threatened to launch an agitation against the state government for turning a blind eye towards the plight of unemployed pharmacists. He criticised the state government, particularly the Health Minister and Director, NRHM, for not fulfilling their demands.

Sheikh alleged that no action was taken even after assurances were given to them during meetings of the UPA representatives with Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Director, NRHM, and Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, regarding the inclusion and adjustment of unemployed pharmacists and diploma holder medical assistants on the pattern of the NRHM.

Highlighting the financial hardships being faced by them, Sheikh alleged that the step of the government to adjust other paramedical workers, including laboratory assistants, X-ray assistants, operation theatre assistants and more recently the male multipurpose health workers under the NRHM scheme amounted to discrimination against the jobless pharmacists in the state.

Adviser of the Unemployed Pharmacists Association Asif Iqbal Banday said most of the pharmacists were about to become overage and delay in providing them employment would render them ineligible for the government service.

Manto’s play ‘Khudkushi’ preaches optimism
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
To contribute to the centenary celebrations of one of the most celebrated Urdu short story writers of the century, Sadat Hasan Manto, Natrang in its weekly theatre series ‘Sunday Theatre’ presented Manto’s Urdu play ‘Khudkushi’ in its studio theatre here.

The play was directed by Neeraj Kant. In a satirical manner, the play preaches optimism and role of positivity, which is a real strength.

In the beginning, a girl is mourning the death of her lover. She thinks that it is the end of the world and gets so upset that she decides to commit suicide. Before taking the step, she thinks of taking the permission of her uncle, whom she holds responsible for the death of her soul mate.

The girl’s uncle, who is more concerned about his reputation, has almost no feelings for his niece.

He allows her to commit suicide on a condition that he will write the suicide note for her, as he thinks she is incapable of writing even a proper suicide note.

Meanwhile, ‘Heer’ appears in the picture, who looks upset. Heer explains to the girl the pain of the other couples like Soni-Mahiwal, Laila-Majnu, Sasi-Punoo etc.

Heer finally convinces the girl that love is not worth dying for and even repents on her decision to die for love.

The girl changes her mind and realises how important life is.

The play is a satire on all those, who are not capable of facing the challenges of life and commit suicide.

The cast of the play included Sajra Qadir, Rahul Singh, Shivika Verma and Atin Tika. Mohammad Yaseen coordinated the show and Neeraj Kant operated the lights.

Students hone skiing skills at Gulmarg

Srinagar, March 11
The Department of Youth Services and Sports had engaged international skiers to impart training to budding youngsters on the slopes of Gulmarg. The aim was to instil love for sport and zest to excel in the youngsters. Two courses for boys and one for girls were conducted at the tourist resort between January 20 and March 8. The department has been conducting such courses during winter months for the past 35 years.

The third and final course concluded on Thursday. At least 60 schoolchildren took part in basic training.

The Deputy Director, Youth Services and Sports, Kashmir, Neelofar Amin, gave prizes to outstanding performers at the concluding ceremony. “Efforts are afoot to extend training to as many children as possible in the competitive sport. The department aims at turning non-skiers into skiers, thus bringing young boys and girls into the ambit of competitive skiing,” the Deputy Director said. During their stay in Gulmarg, the skiers were lodged in huts of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation and their boarding was taken care of by it. — TNS

Hike in VAT on tobacco products hailed
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The state chapter of the Voluntary Health Association of India, an anti-tobacco NGO, has welcomed the decision of the state government to hike VAT on all tobacco products by 5 per cent.

Talking to mediapersons here recently, NC Prabhakar, liaison officer of the association, said the government had showed commitment towards safeguarding the health of people by announcing a hike in VAT on all tobacco products.

“The government move to put a control on tobacco consumption (both smoking and smokeless forms) is a step in the right direction,” Prabhakar said.

He said the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India 2009-10, released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, had suggested that 26.6 per cent population of Jammu and Kashmir used tobacco products in one form or the other.

The Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, in his budget speech, had announced an increase in VAT from 25 per cent to 30 per cent on all tobacco products during 2012-13.

Cricket ‘Scam’
Forum seeks CBI probe
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 11
The Citizens’ Forum, a social organisation, has demanded a CBI probe into the alleged financial irregularities, to the tune of Rs 50 crore, in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association.

In a press statement issued here yesterday, the president of the forum, RK Chadha, said the BCCI had been allocating and releasing funds to the association for the promotion of cricket in the state.

Instead of utilising the money, some disgruntled officials were siphoning it off, he said.

“It seems the BCCI has never sought details from the cricket association about the amount spent so far,” Chadha said.

The forum alleged that Rs 60 crore received by the cricket association had not been accounted for thus far.

Chadha also demanded an inquiry against the BCCI for not keeping an account of the activities of the state units in terms of expenditure and funding.

He said the state cricket association should come up with a complete account of the money received from all sources, including the BCCI, during the past 15 years and the steps taken by it for the promotion of cricket in the state.

A case against those who had allegedly siphoned off the money should also be lodged, he added.