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Amarnath pilgrimage-2012
Top political parties intensify activities in
Poonch, Rajouri belt
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Govt bans export of banana to
PoK
Girls walk past the LoC trade centre office in
Poonch. A Tribune photograph
Provide nutritional food to yatris, says Governor
Improved situation prompted removal of bunkers: IGP
Slathia, Rana condemn criminalisation of politics
Former spy Vinod Sawhney on a fast-unto-death outside the Press Club, Jammu, before being shifted to the hospital on Saturday evening. Tribune photo: Inderjeet Singh
Reality has dawned on Pak, says Soz
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz at a public rally in Rajouri
on Saturday. A Tribune photograph
Killing of ASI
Hotels, guest houses fined in Katra
Police arrests top Hizb commander ‘Darbar
Move’
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Amarnath pilgrimage-2012
Jammu, April 21 The decision to start the registration for the yatra was taken at a review meeting held yesterday by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Chairman NN Vohra, with Chief Executive Officer Navin K Choudhary, ACEO Preet Pal Singh and other functionaries. The registration will commence across the country from counters located in 121 designated branches of J&K Bank, 49 of YES Bank and four district Cooperative Banks. The details of the registration centres are available on the board’s website — Navin K Choudhary said as recommended by the board sub-committee headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and consequently approved by the Shrine Board, the yatra would commence simultaneously on the While applying for a yatra permit, pilgrims will require to submit a health certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner (RMP). During the last three years, 107, 68 and 45 pilgrims, respectively, had lost their lives while undertaking the yatra. Observing that a majority of pilgrims do not heed to the health advisories issued by the CEO, the board has decided that the pilgrims should undergo a compulsory health checkup and furnish a health certificate from an RMP while applying for a yatra permit. This requirement has also been advised by the National Disaster Management Authority, he added. The board has increased the number of bank registration counters from 149 in 2011 to 174 this year. For registration, to be done on “first come, first served” basis, the requisite application and health certificate forms can be collected from the designated branches of J&K Bank, YES Bank and Cooperative Banks or downloaded from the website. The registration will be done through a yatra permit, which will be issued on the submission of the application form, health certificate and payment of handling charges (Rs 15 per pilgrim). As decided by the Chairman, the handling charges of Rs 15 per pilgrim for registration done both through the counter and Internet has not been increased. The CEO said the pilgrims can obtain a provisional yatra permit on-line through the J&K Bank website (http://yatra.jkbank.net) against the payment of handling charges of Rs 15 per pilgrim. The pilgrims who hold provisional yatra permits will have to submit the prescribed health certificate at the yatra base camps — Baltal and Nunwan — and get their provisional yatra permits stamped by officials of the Shrine Board before being allowed to proceed further. This facility has been provided for those who do not have access to any of the 174 designated registration counters. The CEO said every registered pilgrim will be covered under an accidental insurance of Rs 1 lakh, which is to be paid for by the Shrine Board. He cautioned the pilgrims against undertaking the arduous yatra without securing a yatra permit. To ensure effective security arrangements along the difficult tracks, only those pilgrims will be allowed to proceed beyond the base camps and the entry gates at Domel and Chandanwari who possessed a yatra permit, which is valid for a specified date and route. Pilgrims’ trail
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Top political parties intensify activities in
Poonch, Rajouri belt
Jammu, April 21 In the Poonch-Rajouri belt, the NC, the Congress and the PDP have equal stakes because out of the total seven Assembly segments in two districts, these parties won three, two and two seats, respectively, in the Assembly elections in 2008. Keeping in view the topography and ethnic divide in the belt, all political parties are hoping to improve their position in the next Assembly elections. The NC has been trying to consolidate its position in the belt because the party had lost the Rajouri Assembly segment, which was considered as its citadel. The party has been concentrating on Darhal and Mendhar Assembly segments, which were won by the PDP in the last Assembly elections. The NC had sprung a surprise in the 2008 Assembly elections by winning the Nowshere seat, which the Congress had lost after decades. As far as the PDP is concerned, the party leadership is optimistic about its performance in the next Assembly elections because some influential leaders from the belt have recently joined the party. In the entire Jammu region, the Poonch and Rajouri belt is the priority of the PDP because in the last Assembly elections, the party had opened its account in the belt. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti addressed a number of rallies in the area last week. Besides trying to consolidate its position in Darhal and
Mendhar, the PDP has been concentrating on Rajouri, Poonch and Surankote. The PDP had lost Rajouri by a narrow margin in the last Assembly elections. The Congress, which is the partner in the coalition, has reasons to concentrate on the belt, because party candidates and rebels had performed well in the belt in the last Assembly elections. It was all due to factionalism in the party that Congress leadership was not concentrating on the belt for the last three years. Now the party has realised that it has good scope in the belt. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz is touring the belt from today. He will address a series of meetings in the Darhal Assembly segment. Similarly, the party is also trying to revive its hold in the Nowshere segment, which has remained a bastion of the Congress for decades.
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Govt bans export of banana to
PoK
Poonch, April 21 Officials said the Customs and Central Excise Department had issued a notice, following the decision taken by the 9th Inter-Ministerial Meeting on the
Cross-LoC trade held last year, banning the export of goods not produced in the state. The Customs Department had recently written to the state Horticulture Department asking if banana was produced in the state for commercial purposes. The department, in its reply, had stated that the fruit was not grown in the state on commercial scale. “The government has already banned the export of garlic, cardamom, coconut and
zeera, etc. With a ban on the export of banana, chilli is set to face similar restrictions, as it is also not produced on a commercial scale in the state,” said Rajeev
Tandon, secretary, Poonch-Rawlakote Traders Association. “For the past few months, only chilli and banana were being sent across the border. Banana comprised 40 per cent of total traded items,” said
Tandon. He said the ban on the export of banana would derail the Poonch-Rawlakote trade, as there was a high demand of banana in the
PoK. The traders on the other side have decided to launch an agitation from next week against the ban. Abdul
Hamid, Custodian, Poonch-Rawlakote Trade Centre, said: “I have received a letter and conveyed the same to the traders. Only chilli will be exported from the next week, which will hamper the trade.” The traders alleged that both governments were not keen on promoting the Poonch-Rawlakote trade, as the trade was confined to just one item from India and a few items from the
PoK. |
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Provide nutritional food to yatris, says Governor
Jammu, April 21 While interacting with the deputation, the Governor emphasised that the langar service should be ensured for yatris at all identified places till the conclusion of the pilgrimage to avoid any inconvenience to them. He asked the Langar Organisation to provide food according to the diet chart circulated to them, which took into account the nutritional requirements of the yatris, particularly in view of the high altitude and difficult climatic conditions in the yatra area. The Governor also stressed the importance of maintaining hygienic conditions in and around all langars during the yatra period. The SABLO deputation assured the Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), that it would devote special attention to cleanliness in the entire yatra area, particularly in and around langar areas.
— TNS
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Improved situation prompted removal of bunkers: IGP
Srinagar, April 21 Interacting with The Tribune, Sahai said in view of the gradual improvement in the overall situation, more than 40 security bunkers had been removed from the city areas. The process of removing more bunkers will continue, he added. The number of active militants had gone down considerably over the past five years. “Militancy related violence has come down in the city and there is no need to keep these bunkers. The bunkers were set up to provide security to the people. These were not meant to cause discomfort to them. Since the state is on the path of normalcy, the bunkers are being removed,” he said. On infiltration by armed militants from across the LoC, the IGP said no fresh attempts of infiltration had been made this year. He added that after the recent success in Handwara, where 10 foreign militants were killed, the militants and their handlers were finding it hard to carry out infiltration, as their reception teams had been neutralised. On violence during summers, Sahai said: “In 2008, there was an agitation against the perceived allotment of land by the government to the (Amarnath) Shrine Board. However, in 2010 it was a very different agitation.” Misguided youth, released militants, school dropouts, who were organised by separatist forces through their overground network, often indulged in stone-pelting but they did not have popular support, he added. Sahai added that successful identification of these elements had helped curb the violence. Moreover, the government’s response to all issues of public importance had been dealt with a lot of sensitivity from the highest quarters, he said. “Our boys are much better trained and equipped today to handle any street violence. The possibility of such large-scale violence taking place again has minimised,” Sahai asserted. The IGP said stone-pelting was often related to issues like lack of electricity or water supply and was seldom politically driven. “Mischievous elements will always want to resort to violence, especially in parts of downtown on Sundays and Fridays. Counselling has helped minimise such incidents,” he added. |
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Slathia, Rana condemn criminalisation of politics
Jammu, April 21 They said the Panthers leadership had historically bartered the interest of people for their personal gains. Addressing a public rally in the Ramnagar area here today, the two said while Panthers Party leadership talked of idealism and high morals in the Assembly, the criminalisation and dictatorial political machinations that they had unleashed in their constituencies exposed them. They said it was unfortunate that the people of the Ramnagar area were living in fear unleashed by the Panthers Party through its henchmen and contractors, who had been using muscle power to gag the voice of the people. They said the time had come for all political parties to join hands and work to fulfil the genuine aspirations of the people of the area. Describing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as the hope of youth and epitome of courage and dynamism, Slathia and Rana said the coalition government symbolised equitable development of all areas and holistic welfare of the weaker sections of society. “Omar Abdullah is the torch-bearer of democratic values and secular traits. He is working for all-around development and peace in the state,” they said. They added the government was giving focused attention to the uplift of backward pockets and rural areas in the state. They said, “The days are gone when influential people used to exploit development process for their own interests.” They added that the Chief Minister had made justice the benchmark of the functioning of the government and the administration had been given clear-cut instructions to reach out to poor and downtrodden people equitably in the process of development. Taking a dig at the Panthers Party, Rana said the exploitation politics being nurtured by the Panthers Party in Ramnagar was the worst kind of opportunism at the cost of poor and downtrodden people. Those who spoke on the occasion included NC provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta, Rakesh Gupta, Subash
Kudyar, Master Umar Din, Mohammad Iqbal, Raj Kapoor and KD Sharma.
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Ex-spy forcibly shifted to hospital
Jammu, April 21 Talking to The Tribune over phone, Sawhney’s son Vivek said around 6.45 pm, a police team reached the Press Club and forcibly shifted his father to the hospital. “In spite of being in a critical condition, my father tried to resist the police, but they picked him up and took him to the hospital in a police vehicle,” said Vivek. A GMCH official told The Tribune that doctors checked his basic parameters and administered IV fluids. Earlier in the day, a senior district administration official tried to persuade the former spy to eat something. Sawhney, 59, has languished in different Pakistani jails for 11 years. “An official of the district administration, who introduced himself as the Additional Deputy Commissioner, asked me to eat something. The official said he had no problem with my fast-unto-death, but asked me to eat something,” Sawhney said. The official also assured me of all possible help from the district administration, but he didn’t give me anything in writing, he said. The former spy added that after talking to him for about five minutes, the official left. Sawhney had expressed apprehensions that he could be forcibly taken away in the evening. “An ambulance has come and CID officials are also here. I doubt they may remove me forcibly tonight,” said the former spy. “I am waging a battle for myself and for many secret agents like me, who were used and then dumped by various secret agencies,” he said. He added that the government could not turn a blind eye to those who worked for the country. Jammu Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Verma said the ADC, Jammu, Dr Ravi Shankar Sharma had gone to meet the former spy. “We asked him to end his fast. We will certainly look into the issue and see what can be done,” said Verma.
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Reality has dawned on Pak, says Soz
Rajouri, April 21 Soz, who was addressing a rally in Rajouri, said militancy had left many tearful memories in the recent past and incidents like the Mumbai attacks were a black spot on efforts to normalise relations between the two countries. “Pakistan has sheltered many militants and Jehadi outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) for disturbing the peaceful atmosphere in Kashmir. Unfortunately they have failed to disturb the secular ethos of India,” Soz said. He said dialogue was the only solution to all sorts of problems in a democratic set-up and futility of gun had been realised by one and all after a lot of destruction and loss of precious human lives. Stressing on more confidence building measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan, Soz said, “The civil society in Pakistan wants friendly relations with India and strengthening of CBMs to further normalise relations and peace in the region.” Referring to the recent visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to India, the JKPCC chief said, “The civil society in Pakistan was in favour of more CBMs between the two countries. They advocate for better relations and cooperation between the two neighbours.” |
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Killing of ASI
Srinagar, April 21 A spokesman for Islamic Front has warned of similar attacks on policemen in the future. This is the fourth such attack on the police here since October last year. Police officials here claimed that the militants wanted to “show their presence” even though the level of militancy had come down. As the level of militancy has decreased gradually over the years, stray incidents of militancy have been in witnessed in central Kashmir during the recent months. Three persons, including a father-son duo and a railway policeman, were injured when unidentified persons lobbed a grenade at a shop in Ompora village, near the Budgam railway station recently. Of the four attacks on policemen since October in central Kashmir, only one case had been solved, AG Mir, DIG (Central Kashmir) said.
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Police arrests top Hizb commander Srinagar, April 21 The police said the militant commander identified as Latif Ahmed Dar (27) alias, Masood Saini, a resident of Panzgam in Pulwama, was involved in a car blast on March 22, which left one dead and injured more than 20 persons, including four CRPF personnel. “The militant commander was active in Pulwama and Awantipora since January 2008. He was also involved in the killing of panches and sarpanches of the area,” said Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, SM Sahai. Latif is the younger brother of Rayees Ahmad Dar, a Hizb commander, who was killed in an encounter in 2008. Sources in the police said soon after the death of Rayees, Latif had actively joined militant ranks. “On receiving a tip off about the movement of militants in the Litter area, the police laid a naka in the area yesterday evening. Around 8.30 pm a Alto car, which was coming from Kulpora village, was intercepted by the police and passengers on board the vehicle were asked to alight. The driver of the vehicle Sajad Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Ladermad, came down while one of the persons on board made an attempt to escape,” Sahai said. “The police party was successful in nabbing the militant commander,” the IGP added. About 100 kg of RDX and detonators were recovered at Gulzarpora village in Awantipora after Latif was questioned by the police.
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Hotels, guest houses fined in Katra
Reasi, April 21 During a surprise check conducted by KDA officials along with the Tourist police, a number of hotels were booked for violating the provisions of the J&K Tourist Trade Act. The surprise checking was conducted in view of repeated complaints from pilgrims regarding deficiency of services in hotels and guest houses. Hotel and guest house owners were warned to strictly adhere to the provisions of J&K Tourist Trade Act, 1978.
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‘Darbar
Move’ Jammu, April 21
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Jammu, April 21
Poonch, April 21
‘Gun culture won’t solve Kashmir issue’
