|
|
|
|
|
Legislative Council poll
Omar for opening of Jammu-Sialkot route for trade, travel
ADMINISTRATIVE CRISIS |
|
|
|
Mufti opposes govt decision to hold Legislative Council poll
Militants our ‘brothers’, say Budgam sarpanches
Panches’ security is govt’s responsibility, says BJP
Centre assures help to J&K
vis-a-vis panches’ resignations
Women separatists question selection of delegation for PoK meet
Disaster management contingency plan prepared
|
|
Legislative Council poll
Jammu, November 8 Though Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference - a conglomeration of various panchayat unions and main opposition PDP - have opposed the holding of elections without properly empowering panchayats, both the factions within the Congress have intensified their campaign to get the party mandate for their loyalists. The infighting in the party has been fuelled with the announcement of the elections because warring factions were exposing each other in public also. The loyalists of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saif ud Din Soz have convened a meeting on Wednesday to devise a strategy because this faction had received a setback when a staunch supporter of Ghulam Nabi Azad was given a mandate for the lone Legislative Council seat in March this year. “This time we don’t want to take any chance. We have been mounting pressure on the high command to ensure that only leader from our faction gets mandate”, a loyalist of Soz told on the condition of anonymity. As per the agreement between coalition partners - the National Conference and the Congress - two seats each would be shared by both the parties. The Congress would contest election on one seat from Jammu province and second from the quota of the Kashmir valley. Sources in the Congress said there were as many as 12“potential” candidates who have been staking claims on two Legislative Council seats. Prominent among those who have been staking claims included Mangat Ram Sharma, Mula Ram, Parkash Sharma, Prem Sagar Aziz, Choudhary Garu Ram, Janak Raj Gupta, Balwan Singh, Pankaj Dogra, Abdul Gani Vakil, Ghulam Nabi Monga and Muzaffar Parrey. Some Congress workers, who have won elections as panchayat members, argued that they have the first claim on these seats because elections would be held from the quota of panchayats. Although panchayat elections were held on non-party basis, three main parties, namely the National Conference, the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have been claiming that a majority of their supporters emerged victorious. Elections to the four seats of teh Legislative Council would also “substantiate” claims of these parties. As par the schedule, candidates for the four seats of the Legislative Council can file their nomination papers from November 9 to 16. Scrutiny will be held on November 17 while nominations can be withdrawn till November 19. The polling will be held on December 3. The entire poll process, including counting, will be concluded by December 8. |
|
Omar for opening of Jammu-Sialkot route for trade, travel
Jammu, November 8 He said while the opening of other routes and trade points across the Line of Control (LoC) figure in the priority list of his government, he would especially advocate the opening of the Jammu-Sailkot travel and trade point on the international border. The Chief Minister said issues such as banking facilities for the cross-border trade and enhancement of the list of tradable items had already been taken up with the Union government. He said these were issues which needed consent from both the countries. He expressed hope that the relations between the countries would improve and the trade and travel activities would enhance. The Federation of Industries, Jammu, led by its chairman, Anil Suri, also raised issues pertaining to the Government of India’s package of incentives to the state industry, transport subsidy on raw materials and finished products, income tax exemption, establishment of mother industry, cross-LoC trade, infrastructure development, among others. |
|
ADMINISTRATIVE CRISIS
Jammu, November 8 According to a General Administration Department circular, the services of Sudhanshu Pandey, a 1987-batch IAS officer who was presently serving as principal secretary, Power Development Department, were placed at the disposal of the Government of India for his appointment as joint secretary in the Department of Commerce, Government of India, New Delhi. The circular also stated that BR Sharma, principal secretary, Home Department, would hold the charge of administrative secretary, Power Development Department, in addition to his own duties till further orders. Besides, Bipul Pathak, commissioner/secretary, IT and Science and Technology Department, would hold the charge of administrative secretary, Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports Department, in addition to his own duties till further orders. Sources, however, expressed surprise over the move as all important government departments in the state were being looked after by top-rung officers in the form of additional charges which has not only caused an “administrative crisis” but also adversely hitting governance in the state. “The paucity of top-level officers is plaguing the state bureaucracy as nearly one-third of sanctioned posts of the IAS cadre are lying vacant in the state because the state government has failed to pursue with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, for its demand for early repatriation of top officers who have completed five-year period of Central deputation,” the sources said. They said the state government would face a daunting task ahead as at least 13 IAS officers serving at the top level are expected to retire by the end of this month. They further said the IAS-cadre strength of the state was reviewed in 2009 and increased from 112 to 137. “While 75 positions are reserved for direct recruitment, 62 are promotion posts. At present, as many as 46 posts of IAS officers are lying vacant in the state, which is adversely affecting the governance,” the sources said, adding that the government was left with no option but to give additional charge to officers. Around 200 Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officers were also awaiting their formal posting. |
|
Mufti opposes govt decision to hold Legislative Council poll
Jammu, November 8 Addressing a function to welcome political activists from Basholi area here today, Mufti said the decision to hold elections to the Legislative Council seats, without delegating powers, reflected that the coalition regime headed by the National Conference had a myopic and narrow vision. He said at a time when panchayat members were agitating for the real empowerment of the panchayats, the government had announced elections for the Legislative Council seats. “Electing Legislative Council members from the quota of the panchayats is not a real issue. Delegating powers to the panchayats to set up a vibrant Panchayati Raj system in the state to decentralise power at the grassroots level is the main issue,” he said, adding that the government had eroded the sanctity of the democratic institutions in state. Taking a dig at the government, Mufti said the Block Development Council (BDC) elections were deferred without any reason but the government was in a hurry to elect Legislative Council members from the quota of panchayats. “It seems that the entire process of holding elections of the panchayats was planned only to get four seats of the Legislative Council and the government has no intension to decentralise power at the grassroots level as per the spirit of the Panchayati Raj system,” he said, adding that the government had sacrificed the whole system and betrayed people just for some seats of the Legislative Council. |
|
|
Houseboat owners fail to adhere to HC orders
Srinagar, November 8 In a bid to prevent pollution in the lake and to supervise the state government’s efforts to conserve the Dal Lake, a division Bench of the HC had on October 29 directed the houseboat owners in the lake to retreat their anchored houseboats from their existing position by 300 feet from the Boulevard Road, which forms the outer periphery of the lake. The Bench comprising Chief justice MM Kumar and Justice Hasnain Massodi had ordered that the retreival process of around 230 houseboats should be carried out within ten days. However, so far no re-alignment process been initiated by the owners. Instead, they allege that some people are bent upon “destroying” the heritage houseboat trade of Kashmir for their vested interests. “We respect the court orders but it is really difficult to shift such a huge number of houseboats within just a week’s time. Besides, where will the families of houseboat owners go during the re-alignment process?” questioned the president of the House Boat Owners Association, Azim Tuman. The court is of the view that shifting of the houseboats 300 feet away from the parapet wall of the Boulevard Road would allow routine observation of work undertaken by the government and environmentalists to cleanse the lake. When asked why they had not honoured the high court orders, Tuman said, “We are in a fix. The re-alignment of the houseboats is not going to reduce the pollution levels in the Dal Lake. There are multiple factors responsible for the pollution of the lake.” The high court has been hearing a Public Interest Litigation calling for the conservation of the Dal Lake and has been monitoring the efforts of the government in this regard in the lake for many years. Currently, the Centrally-sponsored 'Dal lake cleaning & conservation project', which was started in 2005, is being implemented by the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), Srinagar, under the court’s supervision. Over the years, the lake water has become polluted as sewerage of hundreds of houseboats and hotels and houses on its periphery goes directly into the lake. “The houseboats are a heritage feature and a novelty of Kashmir. However, the authorities want to destroy this heritage. We are not even being allowed to repair our old houseboats,” said Tuman. |
|
Militants our ‘brothers’, say Budgam sarpanches
Srinagar, November 8 Around 20 sarpanches, who were elected last year, appealed to the militant outfits led by United Jehad Council — which had threatened to kill the sarpanches and panches in the state — that they were not against the “Kashmir cause.” “We want to tell the Jehad Council that we are your brothers. We are not against the Kashmir cause. Kashmir is a disputed issue and we also agree to it,” Gulzar Ahmad Beigh, a sarpanch from the Khag area of Budgam told reporters here. The United Jehad Council, an amalgam of several militant outfits led by Hizbul Mujahideen's Syed Salahuddin, had earlier this month issued a death threat against sarpanches and panches warning them that no security can protect them. Beigh blamed the government for projecting them as “success of democracy” in the state, which he said triggered the
militant threat. “We have been elected by the people to solve their village-level issues and that is our only mandate,” Beigh said. “Jehad Council had earlier said they have no issue with the panchayat election. We feel the present situation is because the government has tried to project us at international forums. But our becoming sarpanch and panch does not undermine the Kashmir issue,” he said. He said they do not want any “security cover”
from the government. “We want to tell the government that we do not want any security. Why would we want to live under security, we only solve people’s issues,”
he said. Beigh, who was accompanied by nearly 20 other sarpanchs - all from the Budgam district, appealed the government not to project panchayats as the “victory” of any sort and said militant commander Salahuddin is “partly right” when he said sarpanches and panches were being “exploited by the government”. The sarpanches also appealed to the government not to make them “pawns” in an attempt to project Kashmir as a normal place. “Do not take our issue to such an extent where our lives are in danger,” Beigh said. Earlier this week, a
group of sarpanches and panches under the banner of All-Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference had rebuffed Salahuddin saying they would continue to
work to strengthen the democratic institutions at the grassroots level. More than 50 panchayat members have publicly resigned after the recent death threat issued by Salahuddin. Over 1,000 sarpanches and panches have published their resignation in local newspapers this year after two sarpanches in north Kashmir were
shot dead by suspected militants. |
|
Panches’ security is govt’s responsibility, says BJP
Jammu, November 8 “Providing adequate security to sarpanches and panches is a state responsibility and by publicly expressing its inability to do so, the coalition government is abdicating its constitutional obligation and admitting its failure,” state BJP spokesman Jitendra Singh said here today. He said the state had sufficient mechanisms in place to determine the threat perception of sarpanches and panches and if there was any lack of resources, it could seek the assistance of the Union Home Ministry as it had been doing in the past to arrange security cover for the Chief Minister and other ministers. Singh said sarpanches and panches in the state had become victims of “dual” vulnerability. “On the one hand, they are under constant militant threat from terrorist organisations and on the other hand, they have become a target of public wrath and resentment due to their inability to deliver because of lack of empowerment in the absence of the implementation of the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution,” he said. Singh alleged that the National Conference-led government’s reluctance to implement the 73rd and 74th Amendments had sent out a message that it was a Kashmir-centric party. He said the NC leadership was deliberately doing that to appease the separatist constituency at the cost of the lives of sarpanches and
panches. |
|
|
Centre assures help to J&K
vis-a-vis panches’ resignations
New Delhi, November 8 "Whatever assistance the Jammu and Kashmir Government wants, we will provide to them...We will give full assistance. There are no issues on that. There is nothing to be scared of," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters here. He was responding to a question on the reported resignation of nearly 800 panches and sarpanches in the state through advertisements in various local dailies citing threat to their life. The state authorities have, however, stated that they have received only 50 resignations since the panchayat elections were held last year after a gap of nearly three decades. There are 35,000 panches and sarpanches in the state. "I want to request all the people, including the separatists, please remain peaceful. We all want peace in Jammu and Kashmir," Shinde said. He said he was in touch with state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and had offered him help him in any required way, including helping by way of developmental initiatives. "I had toured the state for three days (recently). Let's talk about the development of Kashmir. A new confidence has been instilled among the people of the state," he said. Many panchayat members had announced their resignation through advertisements following the killing of a deputy sarpanch by militants in Baramulla district in September.
— PTI |
|
|
Women separatists question selection of delegation for PoK meet
Srinagar, November 8 The two-day long conference, which began on Tuesday, deliberated on issues pertaining to the role of women in peace-building measures, conflict resolution and economic empowerment. Zamrooda Habib, chairperson of the Muslim Khwateen Markaz, a Kashmir-based women’s separatist organisation, asked on what basis the delegation members were selected. The conference was sponsored by a German organisation, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), and facilitated by Delhi-based NGO Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR). Zamrooda said separatist women leaders of the Valley should have been given the opportunity of attending the conference so as to put their point across. “This conference revolved around the politics of the Kashmir region and the separatist point of view should not have been ignored at such a level. It is a matter of great concern that real women, who can bring change, have been ignored,” she said. The delegation had reached Muzaffarabad on Monday after crossing the Line of Control (LoC) via the Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district while walking through the famous Kaman bridge, which is a crossing point between the Uri and Chakoti sectors of Jammu and Kashmir and Muzaffarabad respectively. The delegation comprised HOPE chairperson Nighat Shafi Pandit, CDR executive director Sushobha Barve and former principals of Government Women’s College, Srinagar--- Prof Nusrat Andrabi, Prof T Joldan, Qurrat-ul-Ain, Prof Effat Yasmeen, Prof Ravinderjit Kour, Prof Rekha Chowdhary, Prof Yasmin Ashai, Ellora Puri and Ayesha
Saleem. |
|
|
Disaster management contingency plan prepared
Batote, November 8 The 14 Shelter Sheds (SS) have been marked to provide shelter to stranded passengers during the blockade of the Patnitop-Jawahar Tunnel Highway in the winter. The additional facilities of bedding and heating shall be provided to them by the Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON), the Army and the other private firms. Besides, special kind of machines shall also be utilised to clear the highway during the heavy snowfall. The GREF was asked to repair and maintain the highway. All the departments concerned, the Army battalions and the companies have been asked to coordinate with the Disaster Management Control Room, Ramban. The village-level committees headed by the sarpanches of the nearby village panchayats will be assisting the administration. The Army at Banihal would accommodate the stranded paramilitary personnel if need arises. |
|
| 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 | |
