|
|
|
|
|
Post offices to register Amarnath pilgrims
25 feet of snow on yatra routes
Soon, smart cards for ponywallas
|
|
|
NHRC slams state for not letting BJP hoist Tricolour
Traffic police under fire from all sides in state
Rare book on freedom struggle displays The Tribune’s clippings
PDP: Magisterial report mockery of justice
PDP playing politics over dead people: NC
Gujjars continue centuries-old migratory tradition
Police, CRPF get training in tackling stone-throwers with least force
Precious little done to protect sapphires
Foundation stone of lawyers’ canteen laid at Jammu
Conference on cancer
|
|
Post offices to register Amarnath pilgrims
Srinagar, April 30 This facility for registration will be in addition to the online e-registration system and the service available at 174 bank branches, said Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of the SASB. Until last year, the registration was done only through J&K Bank and Yes Bank, and now the SASB has tied up with the Department of Post for registration of yatris through select post offices. The Shrine Board had requested the Department of Post to do the registration of the yatris across the country, an official spokesman here said. The pilgrims undertake the yatra to the holy cave shrine located at an altitude of 13,500 feet in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in south Kashmir. John Samuel, Chief Postmaster General, J&K Circle, has said the Department of Post has a network of 1.55 lakh post offices across the country. Given the vast infrastructure, the postal department is in a position to provide various services to the customers. As a part of the registration process, the yatris will submit the application form along with the prescribed medical certificate. The Chief Postmaster General also announced that four Yatri Post Offices would be set up along the yatra route for the benefit of the pilgrims. These Yatri Post Offices would provide basic postal services, including letter post, registered post and speed post facilities, for the benefit of the yatris. For more than 20 years, these Yatri Post Offices had been non-functional. The Chief Postmaster General said all four Yatri Post Offices would be revived this year and made fully functional. During the yatra, special postal covers and picture postcards would be brought out and they would be available at the Yatri Post Offices, the Chief Postmaster General added. Postal service en route Four Yatri Post Offices will be set up along the yatra route for the benefit of pilgrims. These post offices will provide the basic postal services, including registered post and speed post facilities, for the benefit of the yatris. |
||
|
25 feet of snow on yatra routes
Srinagar, April 30 As part of the arrangements for the ensuing
yatra, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) Navin K Choudhary inspected the snow situation and other yatra facilities. On the instructions of Governor NN
Vohra, who is also the Chairman of the SASB, the CEO has concluded his four-day visit to the two base camps at Pahalgam-Chandanwari and Baltal-Domel axis. During his visit to the Baltal and Domel base camps, the CEO was informed that the Public Works Department,
Ganderbal, had opened the road to the Baltal base camp two days ago with great difficulty due to accumulation of snow at the base camp. Due to heavy snowfall this year, the police camp at Baltal was wiped out and massive damage was caused to other pre-fabricated structures. The CEO also inspected the helipad where various structures were destroyed due to snow avalanches. In a meeting with officials of the departments concerned at the base camp, the CEO underscored the need for hard work and extra efforts for re-establishing the infrastructure in time for the
yatra. The CEO of the SASB was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner,
Ganderbal, Showkat Mir; SP, Ganderbal, Shahid; CEO, Sonamarg Development Authority, Mohammad
Yousuf; GM, Works, SASB, KG Bamba and other senior officials of the district administration. While conducting an extensive tour of
Nunwan, Pahalgam and Chandanwari in Anantnag district, it was observed that there was more snow beyond
Chandanwari. Meanwhile, the road from Pahalgam to Chandanwari has been opened to traffic. Due to heavy snow, an advance party of the Pahalgam Development Authority to inspect the snow situation could not reach Sheshnag and had to return. |
||
|
Vaishno Devi
Katra, April 30 The Deputy Commissioner, Reasi, Sheetal Nanda, who is also the chairman of the Municipal Committee, Katra, said, “We have floated a request for the proposal of a visitor-pony management system for pilgrims at the Vaishno Devi shrine to have strict control over vendors for the benefit of devotees.” The system will be put in place from the 18-km-long Katra-Bhawan-Bharoh stretch to the cave shrine. The proposal has been invited from companies, which have a national presence for regulation of ponies, potters and delivery schedules etc. The Municipal Committee, Katra, has over 25,000 pony-vendors, who ferry roughly 35 lakh pilgrims annually. In the current system, the Municipal Committee manages the visitors and the vendors (ponywallas pithoowallas and palki wallas) manually, in which the vendors get paid according to the distance they travel. |
||
|
R-Day Celebration in 2011
Ruling on the year-old case (in which the state response came only on January 5 this year), the Full Bench of the commission headed by Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (retd) has issued a notice to the state, asking it to explain in two months under what authority it violated the Constitution. BJP youth wing president and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur is a petitioner in the case. “Every citizen has a fundamental right to go to J&K and hoist the National Flag in Srinagar on Republic Day. This right is guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution. It is not the case of the state government that the petitioners (BJP) were trying to flout any provision of the Emblems and Names Act 1950 or the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971. “The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is therefore directed to explain in two months under what authority and law it arrested/prevented persons proceeding to Lal Chowk from hoisting the National Flag on January 26, 2011,” the commission held. It added that the state should have in fact taken a pre-emptive action against those threatening to prevent the petitioners from exercising their fundamental right instead of doing the opposite. “The arrest/prevention of any person intending to hoist the National Flag at Lal Chowk amounted to the infringement of the fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution,” the NHRC said. Its judgment is based on the Supreme Court’s 2004 order which reads: “The Right to fly the Tricolour freely with dignity is a fundamental right within the meaning of Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution being an expression of manifestation of his allegiance and feelings of pride for the nation.” This case goes back to January 2011 when the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha organised the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra starting from West Bengal on January 12, 2011. The yatra was to end with the hoisting of the Tricolour by top BJP leaders in Lal Chowk on January 26 last year. The state government, however, deployed forces to prevent the participants from reaching Srinagar apprehending tension. Top BJP leaders, including Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were stopped at Jammu Civil Airport under preventive orders of the District Magistrate and deported to Madhopur in Punjab though they violated these orders to reach Kathua. The NHRC took strong exception to Kathua DM Zahida Khan’s orders where on two occasions she used the words “miscreants” and “culprits” for the BJP leaders who had violated her orders. “The use of these words is in bad taste. If Leaders of Opposition intended to proceed to Lal Chowk to hoist the Tricolour, they can’t be regarded as culprits. The state claims that no activist was detained or harassed but we can’t ignore the CDs and photos. It is our considered opinion that the hoisting of the National Flag is an expression of national pride as held by the Supreme Court,” the commission ruled. Importantly, though the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, under which the NHRC functions doesn’t extend to J&K, the state is bound by the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in its rulings. |
||
|
No let-up in road accidents
Jammu, April 30 The political groups, too, have joined the chorus with leaders of various parties accusing the government of resorting to “reactionary exercise” after the loss of human lives in road mishaps. “The need of the hour is to make the law more stringent. The first and foremost thing is to either do away with the traffic police or to bring traffic cops under the direct control of superintendents of police if the administration is sincere about putting an end to frequent road mishaps,” said a senior police officer seeking anonymity. He regretted that all efforts of the government to control the rising number of road mishaps and human tragedies had remained futile so far. “I shouldn’t say this, but it’s a bitter fact that traffic cops have indulged in several malpractices and they might have forgotten their basic job. Before acting against the violators, the traffic cops should be made accountable and it could be better done by bringing them under the direct control of the superintendents of police,” the officer said. The officer said that the police department could easily make traffic cops as well as district SP responsible for any road mishap and there should be a provision of taking stern action against the cops if they were found to be guilty of negligence on their part. While the traffic police claimed that it had recorded a significant increase in the revenue realisation in the form of challans issued to violators of road safety norms, a total of 1,120 people had lost their lives and over 9,000 were injured-most of them rendered handicapped -- in around 6,800 road mishaps in the state in 2011 alone. Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPM legislator and chairman of a House Committee constituted by the J&K Assembly to suggest recommendations for evolving a mechanism to check road accidents, lamented that there was a lack of coordination among various agencies vis-a-vis dealing with the “appalling” situation. The National Panthers Party working chairman, Harsh Dev Singh, believed that there was dire need to make traffic cops accountable. “A mechanism needs to be evolved to fix the accountability of the traffic cops. So far, they are busy collecting money on roads. It is just like open shops on roads where they charge as per their will,” Singh said. The state BJP chief spokesperson, Jitendra Singh, said whenever a road accident occurred, the government resorted to a “knee-jerk reaction”. “Either one of the ministers visits the victims or the accident site or extends condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. This is a typical stage-managed approach and the government should come out of this reactionary exercise if it is sincere about stopping road accidents,” Singh said. He, however, contested the suggestion for doing away with the traffic police department, saying it would be an “apologetic approach.” “The time has come to weed out the deep-rooted corruption in the traffic department,” he asserted. |
||
|
Rare book on freedom struggle displays The Tribune’s clippings
Jammu, April 30 Clippings of “The Tribune” revealed various major developments during the pre-Independence era, when only a few newspapers were instrumental in strengthening the freedom movement. The arrest of leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, who were spearheading the movement, details of trials, Hindu-Muslim unity, Kakori conspiracy, Bolshevik conspiracy case, world’s outlook on the Indian
freedom movement, Quit India Resolution, civil disobedience, communal politics and women’s role
in the freedom movement — all these developments have been covered in the clippings. Akruti, a visitor said: “It was a new thing for me to learn the role of Press in India’s freedom movement. The print media played a key role in not only disseminating the facts but also awakening the masses during tough times. It is appreciable that the Press maintained truthfulness even after facing atrocities.” Some clippings from “The Tribune”
included in the book n
March 12, 1922, Mahatma Gandhi Arrested, Page 71 n
December 27, 1924, Hindu Muslim Unity, Its Significance in Swaraj n
April 27, 1924, Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case n
January 17, 1926, Kakori Conspiracy Case n
December 19, 1928, Asst police Superintendent Shot Dead n
January 2, 1930, Congress votes for complete independence n
September 14, 1932, Gandhi decides to starve himself to death n
October 12, 1940, India dragged to World War- II |
||
|
PDP: Magisterial report mockery of justice
Srinagar, April 30 Stating that the people of the state “had never expected a fair report”, the PDP spokesman said the clean chit given to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his close aides in the case was “like adding insult to injury”. “Nobody expected a magistrate to investigate his CM or MoS for Home with independence and in accordance with law. It is a shameless attempt to cover up something that increasingly looks fishy and suspicious,” the spokesman added. The PDP spokesman claimed that there were “many loopholes in the cover-up bid” and the latest development in the case would lead to “lawlessness” in the state. — TNS
|
||
|
PDP playing politics over dead people: NC
Srinagar, April 30 “It is shameful that a party which claims to be transparent and factual is spreading lies and slur by playing petty politics. It is playing politics over dead people,” NC spokesman Tanvir Sadiq said. He made the statement in reaction to the PDP’s comments over the findings of the magisterial probe into the death of an NC worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf. The PDP termed the report, which exonerated Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, as “farcical” and “a mockery of justice, fair play and accountability”. Commenting on the findings of the magisterial probe, Sadiq said: “We stand vindicated as we have been all along. We are open to any inquiry because we are clean and clear.” |
||
|
Gujjars continue centuries-old migratory tradition
Jammu, April 30 Over 6 lakh people from the tribal community move to the upper reaches during summers and move down to the plains during winters. The tradition is, however, quite old as compared to the darbar move. A trip from Jammu to Srinagar is enough to witness the migrating Gujjar and Bakerwal families, which camp at various places with their livestock. The Tribune team met a group of tribals camping near Nandni on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Iftikar, who was heading the group, said, “We spilt into many groups called deras. Each dera is headed by a mukhaddam. A dera comprises 10 to 15 families. The groups are made to avoid confusion regarding the distribution and possession of the livestock.” “I cannot think of any other lifestyle as I have been doing this since my birth. We have an affinity with our livestock. It will not be wrong to say that we move for it. It is our lifeline and we have to see the compatibility,” he added. Dr Javed Rahi, National Secretary, Tribal Research and Culture Foundation, said the nomadic migration in the state was about 1,500 years old. Rahi added, “There are two types of migrating communities among the Gujjars and Bakerwals. One type goes from Jammu to Kashmir and back and the second type moves within the region. They have been using seven major routes, including Roprarisar, Peer Ki Gali, Mughal Road, Banihal Pass, Dral Pass and Loran Pass.” Dr Rahi said they had observed about 37 per cent decline in the tribal migration, in a survey conducted about two years ago. “Some factors which have contributed to the gradual decline in the tribal migration include militancy, closure of forest areas and inclination of younger generation towards other lifestyles,” he added. On the miseries of migrating families, he said health and food were the two major issues. He said, “We have been urging the government to support tribal economy, which has got major jots in the past few years.” |
||
|
Police, CRPF get training in tackling stone-throwers with least force
Srinagar, April 29 CRPF officers say the joint training is aimed at increasing coordination between the two forces, which are responsible for maintaining law and order. “During the training programme, mock exercises are being held. The mock exercises focus on how to maintain law and order by using minimal force,” spokesperson of the CRPF Sudhir Kumar said. “They are also provided with various types of non-lethal ammunition during the exercises,” the CRPF spokesperson said. The joint exercises are being held at two battalion headquarters in Srinagar and the District Police Lines, Ganderbal. Similar training programmes are also being conducted in other districts. Those engaged in the training programme said practical demonstrations were given to deal with stone-throwing mobs, especially in congested localities. “Since 2011, we have been holding these training programmes. The use of equipment to quell stone-throwing mobs is also taught during the training exercises,” said a police officer. “There is a standard operative procedure for dealing with law and order situation and the trainings focus on following these procedures,” he said. The joint exercises are being held despite a peaceful summer in 2011. In 2010, 110 civilians were killed and over 1,500 were injured when security forces allegedly opened fire on protesters in various parts of the Kashmir valley. After the high number of civilian casualties and deaths, the state police and the CRPF laid focus on training its personnel to deal with law and order by using minimal force. “The holding of such joint exercises show that we are not complacent and are ready to handle any type of agitation with minimal force,” said the police officer. “We are expecting a peaceful summer this year also.” The SP, Ganderbal, Shahid Mehraj, said the training programmes were being held continuously. “We ensure that every constable in the district is trained in handling law and order,” the SP said. |
||
|
Precious little done to protect sapphires
Jammu, April 30 Further, the cash-strapped state has not been able to exploit the full potential of the mines till date, which if done in right earnest, can drastically improve the fiscal health of the government. Since 2005, the government has not been able to rope in a private player to form a joint venture. While an Indian espionage agency has intercepted snatches of conversation between unknown persons in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir about mining operations at Padder sapphire mines, 129 pieces of precious stones worth several lakhs of rupees were recovered by the police on April 29 last year from four persons, including a policeman from Kishtwar. The stones were being smuggled from Padder. In 2008, Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited had earned over Rs 13 crore by auctioning rough sapphire corundum. “We depute cops at the mining area, which has a radius of over 6 km. In fact, it’s a big mountain. Our cops protect it during summers but in winters they return because we don’t have any permanent concrete structure for them,” said Kishtwar SSP Bhim Sen Tuti. The officer disclosed that during summer the cops, six to seven in number, lived in a natural cave. Since the area was prone to avalanches and witnesses heavy snowfall, no permanent structure could be raised there. Therefore, the cops leave the area during winter, he said. Workers of Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Limited (JKML) extract rough sapphire corundum in summers; illegal mining of the blue sapphire takes place during transition period. Talking to The Tribune, a senior official of JKML admitted that mining was being done on a hit and trial basis. “To keep the process of mining alive, we do it on a small scale every summer from mid-June to mid-September in the presence of the police,” he said. However, he said, since 2005 the state government had been trying its “best” to rope in private players to form a joint venture with JKML so as to do commercial mining at a much larger scale. “Since the government could not do it alone, it invited global tenders and in 2007 five national and international parties expressed interest in a joint venture,” he said. Subsequently, the state government shortlisted three parties, including Gujarat Minerals, a gemstone company from Mumbai, and Laxman Rawat, an NRI based in Switzerland, he added. Jewel in the Valley n
Situated more than 110 km from Kishtwar at an altitude of over 4,000 metres, blue sapphire mines were discovered in the 1880s. n
Extraction of peacock-neck-blue-coloured stone was banned by the high court following litigation in 1989 alleging nepotism in issuing mining rights. n Regular extraction was stopped in 1990 because of lack of expertise and militancy.
|
||
|
Foundation stone of lawyers’ canteen laid at Jammu
Jammu, April 30 Members of the Bar Association, Jammu, had been demanding the construction of a lawyers canteen from some time. The canteen will come up at a cost of Rs 90 lakh. The funds for the construction of the canteen have been provided by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. President, Bar Association, Jammu, BS Slathia in his welcome address thanked Justice Virender Singh for providing land for the construction of the canteen within the High Court Complex. Slathia also thanked the Union Health Minister for providing the financial support. The ceremony was attended by Registrar (General), J&K High Court, Janak Kotwal; Principal District Judge Jang Bhadur Singh Jamwal, members of the subordinate judiciary and the members of the Bar Association, Jammu. |
||
|
Conference on cancer
Srinagar, April 30 The conference is aimed at highlighting the urgency of cancer treatment and good medical care for poor patients in neglected rural areas of the state. Those who will attend the conference include BCPBF president Sameer Kaul and other members of the foundation. Some poor patients from Kashmir, who have been receiving free of cost treatment from the BCPBF, will also be present. A number of eminent doctors from the country would present papers on various aspects of cancer during a technical session. Two lectures are dedicated to two Kashmiris - one an infant, who had a tragic death, and another a young doctor who died in an accident. Padma Rao, member, BCPBF, New Delhi, stated the foundation had been conducting cancer screening camps and providing treatment free of cost to Below Poverty Line patients across the subcontinent for almost two decades, including Kashmir. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Srinagar, April 30
Jammu, April 30
Jammu, April 30
Srinagar, April 29
New Delhi, April 30