The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Government struggles to answer queries on top vigilance posts Governor had sought reply on two names suggested for state commission Arun Joshi Tribune News Service Jammu, June 23 The Jammu and Kashmir Government is struggling to find answers to the queries raised by Governor NN Vohra on two out of three names recommended for the constitution of the first-ever State Vigilance Commission in the state. Sources said the Governor had raised objections to the names of former DGP Kuldeep Khoda, recommended for the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner, and former Secretary General (Administration) MS Khan, recommended for the post of Vigilance Commissioner. The Governor had minutely studied the recommendations and the dissent note sent by Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti before sending back the file to the state government, seeking answers to the queries before giving his assent to the names. On May 28, a panel, comprising Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, leader of the opposition Mehbooba Mufti and Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar had recommended the names of former DGP Kuldeep Khoda and two former secretaries to the government — RK Jerath and MS Khan — to the Governor for his consent. The recommendation was made despite objections raised by Mehbooba Mufti over Khoda’s name, whom she accused of covering up the “misdeeds” of the ruling National Conference government. She had referred to an alleged fake encounter case in which the police chief had been facing trial. She had also raised concerns over the manner in which the police had handled the case of the mysterious death of NC worker Mohammad Yousuf in September, sources told The Tribune. Sources said the Governor had raised a set of objections. In his note, the Governor had sought a clarification on how Mehbooba’s “dissent” had been handled, as it had found no mention in the minutes of the meeting sent to him. Citing Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of former Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India PJ Thomas that the dissent note and its handling should reflect in the minutes of the meeting, the Governor’s note said the details of the procedure should be mentioned to him. A query was also raised on the clean chit given by the state government to the police chief while recommending his name for the post of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner when a case was pending against the former police officer in the High Court. The High Court had, however, dismissed a petition of fake encounter against Khoda on May 29. Khuram Parvez, a human rights activist pursuing the case, told The Tribune that they would challenge the High Court order “as the government had neither produced the requisite papers that the High Court had sought on September 30 nor had our lawyer been heard before the HC dismissed the case”. “We will challenge the High Court decision in the Supreme Court,” he said. The petitioner, Nazira Begum, of Bhaderwah in Doda district had alleged that her husband was killed in a fake encounter when Khoda was the DIG, Doda-Udhampur range. The objection raised against MS Khan’s name involved the failure of the government to evaluate his property (two or three houses). A complaint against him of having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income was dismissed by the vigilance department. Although the Law Minister had said that the queries would be answered, it didn’t seem that the queries would be replied any time soon, sources said. Row over recommendation On May 28, a panel, comprising CM Omar Abdullah, Deputy CM Tara Chand, opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti and Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar had recommended the names of former DGP Kuldeep Khoda and two former secretaries to the government — RK Jerath and MS Khan — to Governor for consent The recommendation was made despite objections raised by Mehbooba Mufti over Khoda’s name The Governor later sought queries on the recommendation of the names of Khoda and Khan for the posts of Chief Vigilance Commissioner and Vigilance Commissioner, respectively
	Future of ETT 2008-batch students hangs in balance Vikas Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, June 23 An alleged inordinate delay by the J&K State Board of School Education (JKBOSE) in conducting the annual examination of special batch of Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) 2008 has put the future of more than 20,000 students at stake. The students are blaming managements of private ETT colleges and the JKBOSE for the delay in conducting the examination. According to the sources, after the completion of the syllabus, the students pursuing ETT course in various colleges in the state had approached the respective management of ETT colleges to enquire about the examination schedule. The owners of ETT colleges then intensified their efforts and after repeated appeals, the JKBOSE authorities had decided to conduct the examination in December 2011. After conducting two examinations, the JKBOSE authorities stopped the process without intimating the reason to the students and the ETT colleges. Sources claim that differences surfaced up among private ETT colleges when the JKBOSE authorities had raised questions over the validity of admissions in some colleges. The ETT colleges, whose admissions were cancelled, had shown resentment to the JKBOSE authorities and approached the court to stay proceedings of the examination of the ETT 2008 Special Batch. Due to the ongoing impasse, the examinations of other ETT batches have not been conducted yet. However, the students are the worst sufferers between the ongoing blame game between the JKBOSE and private ETT colleges. “We have deposited Rs 30,000 in the college to seek admission, but the ongoing tussle between the ETT colleges and the JKBOSE authorities has put us in a dilemma,” said Gitajali from Punjab. “We were hoping that after the completion of the course, we would apply for jobs. Due to non-conduct of examination, our future has been put at stake,” she added. The ETT colleges, on the other hand, are blaming the board for the inordinate delay in vacating the stay to resume the examination process. “It is a complete failure of the JKBOSE authorities who have not been able to vacate the stay yet,” said owner of an ETT institute. “Students, particularly from outside the state, are not showing any interest in taking admission in ETT colleges, which is a cause of concern for us,” he added. “We have invested money in constructing the ETT college. If the students do not take admissions, we will have no option but to close the college,” said another owner of an ETT college. Meanwhile, a senior official of the JKBOSE said, “We are aware of the difficulties being faced by the students. We are trying to sort out the issue.” Delay in examination The JKBOSE authorities stopped the process of conducting two examinations without intimating the reason to the students and the ETT colleges Sources claim that differences surfaced among private ETT colleges when the JKBOSE authorities raised questions over the validity of admissions in some colleges The ETT colleges, whose admissions were cancelled, had approached the court to stay proceedings of the examination of the ETT 2008 special batch
	Terror threat to panchayat members No resignations on paper yet Majid Jahangir/TNS Srinagar, June 23 While panches and sarpanches continue to “resign” through newspaper advertisements following terror threats, not a single panchayat member has formally tendered his resignation in the Valley so far. According to Mir Altaf, Director, Rural Development, Kashmir, the department had not received any resignation from a panch or sarpanch from any part of the Valley so far. “I have checked with my field officers and no one among them has received any resignation letter from panchayat members,” Altaf told The Tribune. “In fact, most panchayat members whose resignations have appeared in local newspapers have disowned such advertisements,” he added. Over 300 panchayat members, mostly from Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam districts in south Kashmir, had issued advertisements in local newspapers, announcing their resignation from respective posts. Under the rules, panches and sarpanches have to submit their resignation to the Block Development Officer or the District Panchayat Officer concerned. After they submit their resignation, they have to surrender the IDs provided by the Election Commission of India and the official seal. “There are over 2,300 panches and sarpanches in Pulwama and Shopian districts and no one has so far tendered their resignation,” said Pulwama DPO MA Bhat. Posters purportedly released by militant outfits had appeared in Pulwama and Shopian districts in the first week of June. Jaish-e-Mohammad had pasted posters on electricity poles and walls of mosques, threatening the sarpanches and panches with “dire consequences” if they did not resign from their posts within a week. Unidentified militants had also shot at and injured a sarpanch in Shopian district on June 2. Five days later, suspected militants had attacked the house of a numberdar (village head) in Kulgam district. The threats had created panic among panchayat members. In April, Lashkar-e-Toiba posters had appeared in Pulwama asking panches and sarpanches to resign or face the consequences. Officials said around 33,500 sarpanches and panches were elected across the state last year after a gap of over 30 years. In fact, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin had then announced that they would not oppose the process.
	Interlocutors internationalising Kashmir issue: Joshi Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, June 23 Former union minister and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi today minced no words in taking on the three-member panel of interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir for preparing an “ambiguous and confused” report which will have “broader and dangerous” implications. He also lambasted the interlocutors for making an attempt to “internationalize the J&K issue” under a well-planned conspiracy, alleging that they (panel) had tried to make the issue an “international dispute” through a “dangerous document”. “The interlocutors tried to create confusion among the masses through an ambiguous report. The terminology used in the report is dangerous with broader implications. The report has also made an attempt to project Kashmir as an international dispute, as its tone and tenor favoured separatists,” Joshi said while addressing a seminar on “Final report submitted by group of interlocutors for J&K” organised by the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Forum. The BJP leader was here to commemorate the death anniversary of Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which existed from 1951 to 1980. Later, it was succeeded by the BJP. Joshi said the interlocutors had tried to pursue pro-separatist and pro-Pakistan policies and they wanted to settle the J&K issue through the outcome of dialogue with Pakistan and separatists. “By using dangerous terminology, they have tried to project the legality of Pakistan on parts of Kashmir occupied by it. A conspiracy had been hatched to internationalise the Kashmir issue and interlocutors report was attempt to make it an international dispute,” the former HRD minister said. He pointed out that there could be a discussion on Siachen, border and other issues with the Pakistan but the terminology used in the report was “indicative of dangerous implications”. He again lashed out at the interlocutors, saying they were ignorant and had started their mission with “pre-conceived notions”. “Their recommendations for making Article 370 as a permanent feature was a nonsensical one and it should be outrightly rejected. The interlocutors have made an attempt to destroy the multi-cultural identity of the country,” he said. He also took a dig at the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ridiculed his formula of making Line of Control (LoC) irrelevant, saying it would lead to a catastrophe. “This is the biggest threat to national security ever,” he remarked. He also questioned the silence of interlocutors on the fact that Kashmir-centric leadership was “responsible for all ills”, be it poverty, unemployment or other issue in the state. Earlier, various prominent speakers, including Bishnah MLA Ashwani Kumar Sharma, columnist Daya Sagar and Jammu University professor Deepankar Sen Gupt picked holes in the report of interlocutors and observed that if the recommendations of the report were implemented, it would have serious implications.
	Amarnath Yatra Yatri post offices to open at Baltal, Nunwan base camps Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 23 The Postal Department will open yatri post offices at Baltal and Nunwan base camps for the Amarnath Yatra beginning on Monday. NN Vohra, Governor and chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, will inaugurate the yatri post office at Baltal on June 25. At the time of inauguration, he will also release the special postal cover on the Amarnath Yatra. John Samuel, Chief Post Master General, J&K, said the yatri post offices would provide postal services, including speed post, registered post, Amarnath Yatra special covers and special postcards, philately products and local souvenirs. “The major attraction will be ‘my stamp’ services that will enable the pilgrims to get their own photographs printed on the stamps with snow-clad mountains in the background. This will be a rare and innovative service provided by the J&K Postal Circle. While the photographs of the customers will be taken by the Postal Department, ‘my stamps’ will be delivered to the customers within 10 minutes,” Samuel said. The yatri post offices will also provide PCO and STD services to the people. “In association with the BSNL, the yatri post offices will provide SIM cards for mobile phones,” he said. Samuel said the objective of establishing the yatri post offices is to make the post office relevant and beneficial to the society. “During this year, 102 post offices across India, including Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and UP, have been providing yatri registration service for the first time,” he said.
	First yatra batch to be flagged off today Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, June 23 While the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board in tandem with the state government toils hard to put in place requisite arrangements before June 25, the first batch of Amarnath pilgrims is set to leave from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here tomorrow for the cave shrine nestled in south Kashmir. “Amidst tight security, the first batch of pilgrims will leave the Yatri Niwas base camp in Bhagwati Nagar here tomorrow at 5 am,” Dinesh Singh Chandel, a CRPF officer, in charge of security at the base camp, told The Tribune. The convoy will be escorted by CRPF personnel up to Banihal from where it will be handed over to their counterparts on the other side of the Jawahar tunnel, said Chandel. He said the first batch, comprising around 6,000 pilgrims, will be flagged off by Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora. A large number of pilgrims, nearly 2000, have already checked into the Bhagwati Nagar base camp, he added. “I have been visiting the cave shrine for the past seven years and this time I decided to be the part of first batch. I was among the early birds for the registration and now I am anxiously awaiting the yatra to commence,” said Shailender Kumar, a pilgrim from Nabha. The police has set up information booths at various places for the convenience of pilgrims along the Jammu-Pathankot highway, while the Jammu-Srinagar highway has been taken over by the CRPF for the protection and hassle-free journey of pilgrims. The pilgrims reaching Jammu have been accommodated in the base camp and 14 other centres in the capital city. The state police and the CRPF have been entrusted with the task of extending security cover to the pilgrims visiting the state for the annual pilgrimage. The CRPF has already deputed 75 companies while the state police, including IRP, has spared 25 companies for the pilgrimage, which in the past had been attacked by terror groups.
	DGP reviews yatra security Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 23 Director General of Police K Rajendra here today reviewed and finalised arrangements of security and deployment of manpower for smooth conduct of the Amarnath yatra. The DGP sought reports from the officers representing police, civil and para-military at the high-level meeting held at the Police Control Room here. The meeting was briefed about the arrangements put in place by these agencies for safety and security of the yatris. Rajendra stressed upon the officers to ensure efforts in making the yatra successful. He said joint arrangements be put in place to facilitate the yatris, for which coordination among the agencies is imperative. Intelligence gathering and information sharing would help in foiling any ill design of the miscreants, for which frequent meetings should be convened at different levels, the DGP said. He added that joint control rooms established at different destinations on the twin routes would also help in coordinating among the agencies, besides assessing the situation on a daily basis. He stressed on maintaining a full-fledged communication network from Lakhanpur to the holy cave for ensuring coordination among the agencies.
	Governor inspects routes Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 23 Governor NN Vohra today inspected the entire Amarnath yatra route ahead of the 39-day pilgrimage, which begins in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in south Kashmir from Monday. Huge accumulation of snow was witnessed at the Sheshnag and holy cave camps, impeding the pitching of langar tents and provision of toilets and other facilities. The Governor directed Sheshnag camp director Surinder Mohan Sharma and holy cave camp director Ranjit Singh besides other officials concerned to put in renewed efforts to remove the accumulated snow from the vulnerable areas, particularly tracks and stairs leading to the shrine. The Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, accompanied by the CEO Navin K Choudhary inspected the arrangements and held review meetings with senior officials at the Nunwan, Sheshnag, Panjtarni, holy cave and Baltal base camps. He also inspected the control gates at Chandanwari and Domel. DGP K Rajendra and IGP (Kashmir Division) SM Sahai participated in the review meetings and accompanied him on the inspection tour of the Baltal-Domel track. During the course of the meetings, the Governor asked the officials concerned to maintain security, discipline, cleanliness and effective sanitation at the camps. The meetings at Nunwan and Baltal base camps were attended by the DGP, the IGP, and the deputy commissioners and SSPs of Anantnag and Ganderbal districts. Choudhary brought up for discussion important issues related to the handling of pilgrims at the two control gates at Chandanwari and Domel and the procedure to be followed to deal with pilgrims arriving without registration. It was agreed that those arriving without proper registration would have to wait their turn and allowed to proceed only after they had secured their registration. The Governor directed the officials to ensure that pilgrims were treated with courtesy and properly assisted in completing their yatra.
	Minister inspects GB Pant Hospital Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 23 Minister for Medical Education, Sports and Youth Affairs RS Chib paid a surprise visit to GB Pant Hospital and took stock of the healthcare facilities available there. During the visit, the minister enquired about the welfare of the patients, besides inspecting the medicare facilities. He directed the hospital administration to provide all possible facilities to the patients. An official spokesperson said the minister inspected different wings, including out-patient department, store, operating theatre/ labour room, gyane ward, laboratory and other important units and told the authorities to ensure proper sanitation, cleanliness and punctuality of doctors and para-medical staff. “The medicos and para-medical staff were directed to give a patient hearing to all patients reporting to hospital and take prompt action in providing necessary medical aid,” the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, the minster directed the Medical Superintendent to initate action against those involved in the supply of sub-standard medicines. “If any sub-standard medicines is supplied to the hospital, the Medical Superintendent may take up the matter with the administrative department through the Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar. Anybody found guilty will be dealt with sternly,” the spokesperson said. The government has been facing sharp criticism over the death of 500 infants at the hospital since January. In May, the state government had removed Medical Superintendent Javed Choudhary over the high number of infant deaths at the hospital.
	4 ‘rogue’ cops remanded in police custody Majid Jahangir/TNS Srinagar, June 23 A local court has remanded four detained policemen, allegedly involved in militant activities, in police custody till June 30. The Intelligence Bureau and the J&K Police are questioning them for their alleged role in terror activities. The police had detained the four — Mohammad Abbas of Buchoo Tral, Pulwama; Mohammad Ilyas of Kawa Mohalla, Srinagar; Mukhtar Ahmad Sheikh of Rainawari, Srinagar; and Riyaz Ahmed — for their alleged links with Hizbul Mujahideen militants. The police claimed that the four were “planning to orchestrate terror strikes to create chaos in the state”. In the remand application filed by the police before court of the first additional munsif on Thursday, the police said the policemen were having links with Hizbul Mujahideen militants and were taking money from them to carry weapons and provide sensitive information about the movement of police officers. The application said the main accused, Mohammad Abbas Rather, a constable in the Criminal Investigation Department, was tasked to “infiltrate” in the militant ranks to gather intelligence but he switched his loyalties and started working for the outfit. “After the police suspected his role in a shooting incident in Hazratbal, Abbas was summoned for questioning. The police recovered a paper bearing a formula to make an IED from him,” the application said. The application added that Abbas had met a militant commander in Tral and demanded lakhs of rupees from him to share secret information about the police. Abbas also met the other three policemen, who decided to jointly hatch a conspiracy. All four were arrested by the police last week. Mukhtar Sheikh was earlier picked up by the West Bengal police after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks for supplying SIMs to Lashkar-e-Toiba militants who took part in the attacks.
	Two parks, VIP hut come up at Sonamarg Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 23 Minister for Forests and Environment Mian Altaf Ahmed has called upon the people of the state to extend hospitality to the tourists and pilgrims to ensure their comfortable stay here. The minister was speaking at a function after inaugurating two recreational parks and a VIP tourist hut at the scenic Sonamarg on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Baltal, 13 km from Sonamarg, serves as a base camp for the Amarnath pilgrimage, which is slated to begin on Monday. The minister asked the people to watch out for unscrupulous traders and touts who duped visitors and brought a bad name to the local populace, an official spokesperson said. The park at Hang, Sonamarg, has been developed over an area of 12 kanals at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, while the Sindh view park has come up over 20 kanals at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. A state-of-the-art VIP tourist hut at Sonamarg has come up at a cost of Rs 18 lakh and has three bedrooms and a dining hall. The minister said Sonamarg needed better infrastructure to cope with the rush of tourists. He said the newly developed parks at the VIP hut would provide recreational as well as board and lodging facilities to the tourists visiting the destination. Mian Altaf said the government had invited private investment for developing basic tourist infrastructure in Sonamarg. He said an influx of tourists and Amarnath pilgrims would boost economic activity in the Kangan and Ganderbal areas. BOOSTING TOURISM The park at Hang, Sonamarg, has been developed over an area of 12 kanals at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, while the Sindh view park has come up over 20 kanals at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. A state-of-the-art VIP tourist hut has come up at a cost of Rs 18 lakh and has three bedrooms and a dining hall.
	NC welcomes Ashraf as Pak PM Srinagar, June 23 National Conference president and Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, and working president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have welcomed Raja Pervez Ashraf’s appointment as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan. While congratulating the new PM, the NC leaders hoped that he would usher in a new dawn of peace and prosperity between the two neighboring countries and help resolve the Kashmir issue, a party spokesperson said. Farooq hoped that the Indo-Pak dialogue process would be carried forward as it was the only way to resolve issues. Omar, while wishing the new Prime Minister success, also hoped that the Indo-Pak dialogue process would get a major fillip. NC general secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmed also congratulated the new PM of Pakistan. — TNS