The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	ASI shot dead by militants Violence in Srinagar coincides with removal of bunker from city hub Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 20 An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) was shot dead while he was on duty by unidentified militants in the Safakadal area of Srinagar city this morning. The assailants managed to flee after the shootout. The incident coincided with the removal of a security bunker in central Lal Chowk, as part of the measures to provide relief to the general public and traders in the commercial hub in view of the improved situation in the Valley. The police here said ASI Sukhpal Singh, posted with Bagyas-Chattabal police post in the Safakadal area, was fired upon by pistol-borne militants from a close range about 9-20 am. The seriously injured officer was immediately rushed to the nearby SMHS hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Three shots were fired at Sukhpal Singh, leaving him in a pool of blood, said DIG Police, Central Kashmir Range (CKR), AG Mir. The investigation into the incident was in progress, he added. Appointed in 1983 as constable in the Executive Police, Sukhpal Sigh hailed from Chatoosa-Dangiwacha village in Baramulla district of north Kashmir. He is survived by his mother and spouse, a police spokesman said. The wreath-laying ceremony of Sukhpal Singh was held at District Police Lines here today. Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani, IGP, Kashmir Zone, SM Sahai and other senior police and CRPF officers attended the wreath-laying ceremony. The Director General of Police (DGP), Kuldeep Khoda, condemned the killing. In a statement issued here, the DGP assured the bereaved family that the police would provide them every possible help. This incident has put the police and security agencies on alert in the Valley, which has seen a relatively a peaceful atmosphere since last year. Meanwhile, in view of the gradual improvement in the overall security scenario, a bunker of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was removed from the central Lal Chowk area of the city today. This had been a long-pending demand of traders in particular and the public in general. As part of the policy to remove some of the bunkers from the densely populated areas of the city to provide relief to the common man, this is the fourth such security installation that has been removed this year. The government has decided to remove 24 bunkers this year, after 39 such bunkers were removed last year. “In all, 43 bunkers have been removed since last year as the situation is now better,” Mir said, adding that many of the bunkers were not needed and more would be removed in due course of time. The CRPF bunker close to the debris of the Palladium cinema had been removed after looking into the feasibility of such a move, said PK Singh, DIG, CRPF. He said a mobile bunker would be kept on the spot keeping in view the security concerns.
	CM’s darbar move tweet sparks debate Demand for secretariat at both capitals gets louder Arteev Sharma/TNS Jammu, April 20 A day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the 140-year-old tradition of shifting of capitals in the state as an “escapist move”, the demand for abolishing the darbar move system today got louder with political leaders, experts and intellectuals suggesting simultaneous functioning of the civil secretariat and other government offices at the twin capitals with bifurcation of administrative units. Noted political expert Hari Om, while appreciating the Chief Minister’s remarks, said: “It is a welcoming statement but lip-service is not enough as he has to give a practical shape to his idea if he is really concerned about wastage of public money.” Delving into history, Professor Om said Kashmir became part of Jammu Kingdom under the “March 18, 1846, Amritsar treaty” and the then Maharaja Ranbir Singh had started the darbar move exercise to curb the activities of the British. “If the Chief Minister was sincere vis-à-vis abolishing the practice of darbar move, either the civil secretariat should be made functional at the original capital (Jammu) of the state or the government should go for bifurcation of administrative departments making them function simultaneously at the twin capitals,” he said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had yesterday tweeted, “Do I think the darbar move is a waste of money? Yes I do. Is there an alternative? I haven't seen a viable alternative suggested.” He further wrote, “I agree. We run away when people need us most and (they) face the most difficulty. The darbar move is escapist.” Panthers Party president and MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, who had moved a private members’ resolution for abolishing the darbar move exercise in the recent budget session, said the Chief Minister’s statement had vindicated his party’s position. “We welcome the Chief Minister’s statement. The whole exercise is just wastage of public money. If the Chief Minister was sincere about delivering good governance on the doorstep of the people, he has to abolish this practice,” he said, adding that like the J&K High Court, the civil secretariat should simultaneously function at both places. Dr Agnishekhar, convener, Panun Kashmir, a frontline organisation of displaced Kashmir Pandits (KPs), said: “If the proposition of abolishing the darbar move leads to reorganisation of the state with a separate geo-socio-political set-up for Kashmir Pandits and others in the form of a separate homeland in the Kashmir valley then it will be a wonderful thing for the people,” he remarked. Mahesh Koul, a Jammu University scholar, remarked: “We should understand whether they (government) want to shift the civil secretariat and other government offices to the Kashmir valley permanently. The only remedy to cut down expenses is the political reorganisation of the state and redressal of the aspirations of all three regions.” Every year the civil secretariat and other government offices with 7,000 employees move to Srinagar in summer and to Jammu in winters. Thousands are files are shifted in buses and trucks on the 300-km-long Srinagar and Jammu.
	BJP infighting takes dramatic turn Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Jammu, April 20 The infighting in the state unit of the BJP has taken a dramatic turn as leader of the rebel group Chaman Lal Gupta, who has been expelled from the BJP for anti-party activities, has written a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly to disqualify four “loyalist” BJP MLAs from the Assembly. Chaman Lal Gupta has written this letter to the Speaker in his capacity as leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the Assembly. Addressing a joint press conference with six other legislator who have been expelled from the BJP, Gupta claimed that there faction was the real BJP. Buoyed over the ruling of the Speaker, who had refused to accept the split in the BJP Legislature Party, Gupta took the “loyalist” legislators to task for trying to disassociate themselves from the BJP. “After the Speaker’s ruling it has become clear that I am the Legislature Party leader so those BJP legislators who are not treating me as the party leader in the Assembly are likely to face action,” he asserted. After the cross-voting controversy last year in which seven of the 11 BJP legislators had voted in favour of National Conference (NC) and Congress candidates in the Legislative Council elections, BJP high command had singled out the seven legislators, who owe their allegiance to Chaman Lal Gupta, and charged them with violating the party whip. While Gupta was expelled from the party on May 31, 2011, his supporter MLAs were expelled from BJP on November 18, 2011. Besides expelling Gupta and his supporter MLAs from the party, the BJP appointed “loyalist” MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma as the Legislature Party leader and subsequently wrote a letter to the Speaker to disqualify all seven MLAs. “The cross-voting episode was part of a design to weaken the nationalist voice of this state, more so, that of Jammu. But as far as we are concerned, there is no change in our ideology and approach. We stand firmly by the verdict of the electorate and will continue to strive to mitigate the problems and sufferings of poor people as also those who are being discriminated against for various reasons by the respective governments,” the seven MLAs stated in a joint handout.
	College fee goes up by 10% Sumit Hakhoo Jammu, April 20 The Higher Education Department has increased the fee by 10 per cent from this academic session for various undergraduate courses being taught at Government Degree Colleges across the state. Sources said the committee constituted for the revision of fee structure had been given powers to review it after every two years. They said the new free structure would be applicable to BA, B.Sc, B.Com, BBA, BCA and other courses being taught at various government colleges in the state. Officials said the new fee structure has been implemented as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. However, the new fee structure will not be applicable to private colleges of the state, which will issue a separate notification, after getting an approval from the government. The last fee hike was made in 2004, when the department had revised the fee structure after a decade, which was also opposed by student organisations. The sources say though the department had issued a notification on January 12, but it had not given much publicity to the new order, keeping in view the likely opposition from student organisations, which were protesting against the rising cost of education in the state. The Higher Education Department had also ordered that the existing charges for application forms for admission to a course (for centralised admission) or admission to a particular college and the cost of prospectus of about 100 pages should not exceed Rs 60. When contacted, Director, Colleges, Muqabil Chisti said, “The increase in not that big. We have hiked the fee by 5 to 10 per cent, keeping in view the increase in the cost of education. It is still much less than what is being charged by private colleges,” said the Director, Colleges. Chisti said the hike had become necessary, as additional funds generated from it would be utilised for the welfare of students.
	Workshop on e-tendering organised Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 20 To fully implement the process of e-tendering in various government offices, a two-day workshop started here today at the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) premises. The training programme was organised by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for Srinagar-based departments and agencies of the Housing and Urban Development Department. The programme was conducted by NIC project coordinator of e-tendering and e-procurement MS Modi. Around 150 participants attended the workshop. Addressing the participants, Informatics Officer, SMC, Farooq Ahmed, who is also the nodal officer of e-tendering in the state, said the implementation of the e-tendering process would not only “satisfy” contractors, but also ensure “zero-level litigations and vigilance cases”. Later, Farooq said the process of e-tendering had already been started in the SMC and the Public Works Department (PWD), but had not taken off fully at the Housing and Urban Development Department and its sister concerns like the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), as the officials and contractors were not fully aware of the e-tendering process.
	Faced with govt apathy, ex-spy on fast-unto-death Claims over 200 Indian secret agents languishing in Pak jails Ravi Krishnan Khajuria/TNS Jammu, April 20 In fetters and with the Tricolour in his hand, a former spy, who claims that he languished for over a decade in different Pakistani jails, today sat on a fast-unto-death to seek the attention of the authorities for himself and others of his ilk. Launched from the Suchetgarh sector during the intervening night of August17 and 18 in 1977 on an espionage mission to Pakistan, Vinod Sawhney, who was kept in different prisons in Sahiwal, Multan, Mianwali and Lahore, claimed that over 200 Indian secret agents were still languishing in Pakistani jails. Convicted under the 59 Pakistani Army Act, 59-year old former spy Sawhney, who was around 24 years old at that time, still shudders recalling the third degree torture and inhumane treatment meted out to him in different Pakistani prisons for 11 long years. He expressed regret over the raw deal given to him by the agency for which he worked and, subsequently, the indifferent attitude of successive state governments, which have “failed to rehabilitate him”. “After giving my prime to the country, I now realise that there is no difference between secret agencies and militant organisations because both are brutal and ruthless,” Sawhney told The Tribune. “I was a small-time cab driver content with my job before I fell into the trap of an officer from a particular intelligence agency. Soon after I was arrested in Dabowali in Sialkot district of Pakistan, this agency turned its back on me and my family back home,” recalled Sawhney. “After 11 long years, I was finally set free and I returned home via the Wagah border in 1988. Since then I have been running from pillar to post writing letters to the President, Prime Minister, Home Minister, Governor, State Chief Secretary, DGP, then Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, present Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and Higher Education Minister AB Malik seeking rehabilitation. But except for assurances, nothing so far has come my way,” said the former secret agent. Sawhney also recollected the names of some other Indian secret agents like Kuldeep Kumar Yadav of Ahmedabad, Surjeet Singh of Ferozepur, Waryam Singh of Rajasthan, Khakhi Hussain of Srinagar, Hari Chand of Orissa, Nazir Ahmed of Rajouri and Om Prakash of Kathua, who continue to languish in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. Sawhney is now waging a lone battle for himself and other former agents via the Jammu Ex-Sleuths Association - an organisation constituted by him.
	KU Council meet Governor, CM for quality research initiatives Tribune News Service Jammu, April 20 Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today decided to provide a seed capital of Rs 50 lakh each to the University of Kashmir (KU) and the University of Jammu for the promotion of research activities. They announced this while addressing the University Council meeting of the University of Kashmir at Raj Bhawan here today. The Governor laid emphasis on quality research on high-end research projects, particularly those concerned with the economic development of the state. He added that this would also enhance the employability of highly trained human resource, which can also contribute in a big way towards securing the goal of making the state a front line developed state in the near future. He also laid emphasis on engendering greater linkages between the universities, colleges and schools so that the deficiency of well-qualified faculty in various subjects at the college and university levels could be addressed by encouraging bright students to pursue higher studies and research. The Governor observed that there was an urgent need for enlarging the outreach of various skill upgradation and placement programmes like “Udaan” so that maximum number of youth of the state could be benefited. The Governor impressed upon the university authorities to formulate a comprehensive master plan for infrastructure development of the university so that every new building and other facilities harmonise with the settings of the varsity. Omar while referring to the augmentation of hostel and other facilities for the students in the university, stressed for preparing projects for funding by various sources, including the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to avail maximum benefits of the schemes available with it. He said adequate provisions should be ensured for water harvesting and use of solar energy in upcoming hostels and buildings in the university. The Chief Minister said employability aspects must be kept in view while introducing any new course. He added that high priority needed to be accorded to those courses, which had higher employment potential in the existing and emerging job market.
	Petroleum dealers’ strike on April 23 Varun Suthra/TNS Jammu, April 20 The Jammu and Kashmir Petroleum Dealers Association (JKPDA) has decided to go on a one-day strike on April 23 in support of their long-pending demands. Talking to mediapersons here today, Anan Sharma, president, JKPDA, said they were extending full support to the Federation of All India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT), which had given a call to the petroleum traders across the country to hold a one-day strike on the same day. “We have been consistently demanding the implementation of the committee’s report on dealers’ commission, check on mushrooming of new retail outlets and discussion on marketing discipline guidelines,” he said. He said they had been knocking the doors of the authorities concerned for the past five years for increasing their commission to five per cent but nothing was implemented even after several assurances. “Both private companies and the government are hand in glove. They have been encouraging the mushrooming of petrol pumps, which affects our business. Following the pressure from our association, they have restricted the development of pumps in the municipal limits but the practice is going on unchecked in the areas which are out of municipal reach,” he added. “All the petrol pumps would be closed from April 22 night to April 23 night. If the government still shows reluctance in redressing our demands, we will observe indefinite strike from May 1,” he said.
	Fire Services Week concludes Srinagar, April 20 The Fire and Emergency Services Week, which began on April 14, concluded with a commemoration parade held at Fire and Emergency Services Headquarters here today. During the week-long programme, the department organised rallies to acquaint people with means and ways to minimise losses caused by fire incidents, an official spokesman said. Drills were also conducted in industries, LPG godowns, airports, schools, colleges and health institutions. — TNS