The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	legislative council election NC, Cong to hit poll trail together Agree to contest two seats each in Jammu and Kashmir provinces Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 The ruling National Conference and its coalition partner Congress today evolved a consensus on the elections to four seats of the Legislative Council by deciding to contest two seats each. The elections to four Legislative Council seats from the panchayat quota will be held on December 3. “We have come to the conclusion that in the interest of the coalition government, the National Conference and the Congress will organise these elections together on all four seats - two seats each will be contested by the two parties together,” chairman of the Coordination Committee and president of the J-K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Saifuddin Soz told reporters after a meeting of the Coordination Committee here. The ruling coalition had constituted the Coordination Committee to sort out the contentious issues between the two alliance partners to ensure the smooth functioning of the government. Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and former Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma (both from the Congress), Minister for Finance Abdul Rahim Rather, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Ali Mohammad Sagar and MLA Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan (all three from the National Conference) attended the meeting. “We are very confident that elections will be organised smoothly, fairly and freely and we (coalition partners) shall win all seats. It has been decided that the NC and the Congress will field one candidate each from Jammu and Kashmir provinces,” Soz said. An election coordination committee with six members each from both parties has been constituted to ensure close coordination for the smooth and fair conduct of the elections. Differences had cropped up between the two coalition partners over the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming elections with some Congress leaders expressing the demand for contesting three seats. The Minister for Finance, however, denied any differences over the seat sharing. He said the meeting was held in a congenial atmosphere and there were no differences between the two coalition partners. Rather said the decision on the “choice of candidates” for the four seats would be decided before November 16, the last date of filing nomination papers. Soz softens stance on 73rd Amendment On being asked by mediapersons about the Congress stand on the implementation of the 73rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, Soz took a U-turn on the issue. He said: “It is not necessary to implement the 73rd Amendment in toto.” He, however, describing the Amendment as the “guiding principle” vis-à-vis empowerment of the panchayat institution. “We will incorporate important provisions of 73rd Amendment in the state Panchayati Raj Act to empower panchayat members. Whatever will be done in this regard will be done in complete agreement with the National Conference,” Soz said. The JKPCC had been raising the pitch for the 73rd Amendment and had said it would accept nothing short of the implementation of the 73rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution in letter and spirit in Jammu and Kashmir.
	Land grabbing allegations against Taj Mohi-ud-din Council chairman dissolves House panel, puts onus on NC Constitution of panel was arbitrary, unilateral decision: NC Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 State Legislative Council chairman Amrit Malhotra today dissolved the House committee constituted to investigate into the allegations levelled against Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control of the ruling coalition Taj Mohi-ud-din following the resignation of two members belonging to the National Conference from the panel. The five-member House committee was constituted on October 16 after a Member of Legislative Council (MLC), Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah, levelled allegations against the minister through a question (listed on October 11) that the minister was involved in the case of illegal possession of forest land in Sedow, Shopian. “Since the members belonging to the National Conference have withdrawn from the House committee, it has become practically anfractuous. The committee does not seem to be in a position to serve any purpose without the participation of the largest political party in the House, viz the National Conference,” the chairman said in an order issued here. He said he had constituted the committee in good faith to investigate the allegations and to bring facts to light, keeping the rules and conventions of the august House in view. “There was no question of any malafide interest or any personal angle to this issue. Against this background, I am convinced that the continuance of the committee would serve any purpose,” the Chairman said. The National Conference, however, reacted sharply to the statement of the Legislative Council chairman, saying the onus of the decision to either constitute or dissolve the committee lied with none other than the chairman of the Legislative Council. In a press statement, Ajay Sadhotra, Leader of the National Conference in the Legislative Council, said the committeehad been constituted without consulting the National Conference and had been dissolved without taking the party on board. “Arbitrary, unilateral decisions lead to confrontations, misunderstandings and chaos and, as such, have no place in the Parliamentary democracy,” Sadhotra said, adding that the chairman, being the head of the Legislative Council, had to be non-partisan and so it would be inappropriate on his part to bring intra-party affairs to the Legislative Council and then fire the gun from the shoulders of the National Conference.
	LPG verification process exposes ‘illegal’ connections, black marketing Ehsan Fazili Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 12 The Central government’s decision to limit the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders, has brought to light unchecked “illegal connections” in the possession of consumers in the Kashmir valley. However, the consumers have put the blame on the government and oil companies for not streamlining the process over the past three decades saying it has encouraged black marketing. Most consumers are ready to pay any amount for a cylinder of cooking gas as it is a requisite to fight the harsh winter conditions. The Centre’s move has started the rigorous exercise of KYC (Know Your Customer) via verification documents, which were earlier not required by the dealers. Abdul Rauf, a resident of Qamarwari here, has been getting a regular supply of cooking gas at his house for the past three decades. However, the KYC has put the family in distress as his valid connection and his holding a blue card is of no help in speeding up the verification process. He was informed by the dealer at Karan Nagar that the connection had been blocked and needed verification, but his case is not being entertained due to huge rush. In such a scenario, a consumer has no option other than getting a cylinder in black for uninterrupted cooking at his home. Abdul Ahad, a shopkeeper at Lal Chowk says, “I have got (LPG connection) papers in the name of some migrant Pandit and these cannot be verified,” he said. He says getting a connection on his own name had become all the more difficult now. A number of such cases have surfaced in the process since the Central government announced the decision on September 13. “There are many reasons for lack of valid documents which have further complicated the process,” said Jagmohan Singh Raina, an employee of the Kashmir Gas Agency (IOC). These reasons, officials say, include migration, burning down of houses and searches due to security operations. A number of LPG cylinders which were either left behind by migrants or stolen have been circulating among residents here. There are at least 50,000 cylinders which cannot be accounted, officials say. Even as two months have passed, not many consumers have turned up for the verification of documents. A dealer out of 40 odd civilian suppliers in the Valley says only 18,000 documents have been updated out of over 31,000 documents. Facts on LPG There are 40 civil LPG dealers in Kashmir Total domestic consumer strength is 80,1391: IOC-13,7931, HPC-60,000, BPC-63,460 The project dealers supplying LPG to security forces are 15 in number
	Development works in Reasi reviewed Our Correspondent Katra, November 12 A meeting of sectoral officers of Reasi district was held under the chairmanship of District Development Commissioner Nirmal Sharma in Reasi today. While reviewing the plan performance of October, it was brought to the notice of the DDC that 60 per cent expenditure has been incurred under MGNREGA and IAY, where 60 per cent, 57 per cent and 40 per cent of the total expenditure has been incurred on various schemes and works being executed by the Power Development, Irrigation and R&B departments respectively. The DDC issued strict instructions to the low performing departments for expediting the utilisation of plan funds with commemorating physical achievements. Further, the instructions were issued to all the sectorial officers to formulate the proposals in consultation with MLAs and as per the instructions of the Planning and Development Department.
	Governor, CM greet people on Divali Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have extended warm greetings to the people on Divali and prayed for their well-being and prosperity. In a message, the Governor observed that the festival of lights symbolises the triumph of truth and righteousness over falsehood, highlighting the high values and ethos of the country’s great civilisation. The Governor hoped that the celebration of the festival this year would strengthen communal harmony, brotherhood, amity and secularism in the state. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in his Divali message, referred to the tradition and heritage of the state in celebrating festivals and holy occasions in an atmosphere of amity and brotherhood. Expressing the hope that this tradition would be strengthened, he said the sharing of happiness and joy added colour to the celebration of happy occasions. He hoped that the festival of lights would bring peace, prosperity and progress in the state and the country.
	Crime against women on the rise in state Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 12 The state is increasingly becoming a dangerous place for women as cases of rape, molestation, eve-teasing and “murder for dowry” are shooting up. There has been a constant rise in cases of violence against women in the state, says the data compiled by the crime branch of the state police. In 2010, 245 women were raped in the state. In 2011, the number shot up to 277, which corresponds to five women being raped every week in the region. Molestation cases also witnessed an increase last year. As many as 1,038 women were molested in 2010. This increased by 156 in 2011 to 1,194 or three women being molested every day. Deaths caused due to dowry have also shot up by two in 2011 to 11 compared to nine such deaths registered in 2010 across the state. The cases of eve-teasing have also registered an increase in 2011 as the police recorded 350 such cases compared to 262 in 2010. The crime statistics of the state show that there has been a gradual annual increase in the criminal cases in 2011 even though there has been a dip in the number of murders, attempted murders and stabbing cases. The murder cases in the region have come down to 169 in 2011 from 217 in 2010. Similarly, the “attempt to murder” cases have come down to 494 in 2011 from 711 in 2010. Despite the decrease in these crimes, there has been an overall increase in crime in the state as 24,504 criminal cases were recorded in 2011 as compared to 23,223 cases recorded the previous year. Among the crimes which have witnessed a phenomenal decrease was rioting for which 1,405 cases were registered in 2011, down by 764 as 2,169 cases were recorded in 2010. Burglary cases recorded an increase in 2011 with 1,516 cases registered as compared to 2010 when 1,406 cases were registered.
	Cold play: Kashmir valley sees sunny days, freezing nights M Aamir Khan Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 12 The Kashmir valley is witnessing bright and sunny days at the fag end of the autumn season, but the night temperatures have plummeted below freezing point at several places. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir witnessed the coldest night recording the minimum temperature of -2.4°Celsius, an official of the meteorological department said. However, the maximum temperature at Pahalgam stood at 15.1°C. Similarly, the skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded -2°C minimum temperature. Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, and Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded -1.2 and -0.4°C minimum temperatures, respectively. The maximum temperatures at Qazigund and Kokernag stood at 18.5 and 16.8°C, respectively. The maximum temperature at Srinagar stood at 19.5 °C while the minimum was a low of 0°C. The Met official said the day temperature in Srinagar was 2.5°C degrees above normal. The day temperatures at many other places in Kashmir were a notch above normal as well. Despite witnessing sunny days, the locals are able to enjoy the sunshine and comparatively warmer day temperatures for a few hours only. “It gets dark by 5.30 pm and the mornings remain chilly due to low temperatures. But we make the most of the sunshine by spending the afternoons in the sun as it is cold inside the houses,” said an elderly housewife. Dry spell ahead The MeT official has predicted dry weather conditions till November 18. “The weather will mostly remain dry and sunny till November 18. However, the weather is expected to be cloudy on November 14,” the MeT official added
	Court adjourns hearing on ‘talaq’ till Dec 3 Ishfaq Tantry Tribune News Service Srinagar, November 12 The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today adjourned the hearing into the applications seeking rehearing of the court’s verdict on ‘talaq’ till December 3. The two applications were filed last week by a former high court judge, Justice (retd) Bashir Ahmad Kirmani, the Bar Association and the Jamaat-e-Islami before the court. The applications were listed today before Justice Hasnain Massodi in the supplementary cause list and came up before him in the post-lunch session. During the brief hearing which took place today, both the applicants, Justice (retd) Kirmani and Bar president Zaffar Qureshi, were present. “We must not have an emotional attitude towards the judgment and the court must also not have an emotional attachment with it,” Justice (retd) Kirmani submitted as he rose to re-present his application before the court. In his application, Justice (retd) Kirmani said that the verdict was likely to operate in a wide area and, therefore, it required a thorough second look. However, after he made these submissions, sitting judge Justice Massodi adjourned the matter till December 3. The Bar Association and the Jamaat-e-Islami had sought rehearing of the high court’s verdict on talaq citing nullification of the Supreme Court’s 1985 verdict in the Shah Bano case by the Indian Parliament. Besides, they had also sought amends to the judgment delivered by Justice Hasnain Massodi in April. The single Bench of Justice Hasnain Massodi while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce talaq was ‘not absolute’. The high court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options. The court had held that it was only after the husband had proved that he had exhausted all options of reconciliation that the divorce would become valid. The judgment was delivered in a divorce case involving Mohammad Naseem Bhat and Bilquees Akhter.
	Army unsure about all-weather border fence Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 Even as the Union Home Ministry plans to study the feasibility of an ‘impregnable’ all-weather fence along the 776-km-long Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir to ward off militants from Pakistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir, the Army described it a very difficult task that would cost crores of rupees. “The LoC in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most difficult terrains in the world that witnesses heavy snowfall and avalanches during winter and landslides and floods during monsoon. We don’t know what kind of technology will be used to raise a permanent all-weather fence in such a terrain,” said a senior Army officer, who declined to be named. “But it sounds good to the ears and if it happens, nothing like it,” he added. The Union Home Ministry has decided to soon convene a high-level meeting with experts in the field of engineering and Army officials to ascertain the feasibility of erecting permanent fence along the LoC that can withstand heavy snowfall. The move is aimed at achieving zero-infiltration of militants from Pakistan and PoK. Even if such a technology is available in the world, the entire exercise would be a very costly affair running into crores of rupees but so far nobody in the world has ever tried to venture into such a project, said the officer. Another senior Army officer said, “The task would be very difficult.” “The Army had set up the present Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System, including a barbed fence, after studying various models across the world and this was the best model at that time, which still remains very effective,” he said. However, the Home Ministry might have been weighing some other options including the means of electronic surveillance, he added. He said the LoC under the responsibility of the Kashmir-based 15 Corps and Jammu-based 16 Crops was completely fenced in 2004. There are certain stretches which had to be left out because erecting the fence there was not possible, he added. A senior BSF officer said the 192-km-long international border had been covered with permanent fence and floodlights in 2002. To check illegal activities, including terrorism, the Union government had sanctioned 2043.63 km of border fencing and 2009.52 km of floodlighting along the Indo-Pak border; out of which 1940.72 km of border fencing and 1878.92 km of floodlighting were completed last year.
	Finally, govt wakes up to plight of Arai residents Villagers falling prey to unknown disease that renders them handicapped Darshan Bharti Poonch, November 12 The district administration has finally woken up and initiated a diagnostic process of the disease which has been rendering Arai villagers physically-challenged. Initially, eight patients, including six children, have been selected for the diagnosis. Arai, a small village in Mandi Tehsil, has over 40 per cent of its population suffering from an unknown disease, which initially weakens a person and gradually renders him handicapped. The disability is often more than 50 per cent. Moulana Fareed, a social worker and a victim of the disease, said, “We are becoming victims of an unidentified disease, which renders us physically-challenged. More than 7,000 villagers, who are suffering from this disease, may be unable to walk at any stage of their lives.” “Now, we are also becoming victims of an incurable genetic disease, which renders us deaf,” he added. Villagers say three or five members of every family in the village are suffering from the disease. Some are in a pitiable condition and they cannot even come out of their houses. “We get our pensions, but we have to go to Mandi to get it from banks. We have to call labourers who charge Rs 200 a day for carrying us from Arai to Mandi and back. Out of Rs 400 which I get per month, Rs 200 go to the labourer,” said one of them. Villagers said despite their repeated requests, the administration had not held even a single grievance camp in the village and that politicians came only before elections. The village is located at a distance of 27 km from Poonch and is 5 km from Mandi. The village, with a population of 25,000, is sans basic facilities such as potable water, a primary health centre, a high school and a proper power supply. The Tribune had on June 17 highlighted the plight of these villagers. Former Poonch chief medical officer Dr Younis Choudhary had conducted a survey and had found that over 20 per cent of the village’s population was suffering from the disability. He said the main cause of their disability, joint pain and the weakening of bones, was malnutrition or nutritional deficiency. After the survey, he had committed to establish a primary health centre in the village but five months on, nothing has been done. He had also promised to test the spring in the village. Poonch District Development Commissioner Ajeet Kumar Sahu said a total of 45 patients had been identified for treatment, out of whom eight had been selected initially, who would be taken to Jammu on November 20 for detailed medical examination. A special team of doctors has already been informed in Jammu. “Today we took the patients to the district hospital, Poonch, for their basic clinical examination. The expenses would be borne by the district administration,” he said.
	Governor, First Lady celebrate Divali Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 A function was organised to celebrate the festival of lights at Raj Bhavan on the eve of Divali. The Governor, NN Vohra, and First Lady Usha Vohra celebrated the festival with staff of the Secretariat and security personnel. The Governor and the First Lady extended Divali greetings and offered sweets to all those assembled on the occasion. They interacted with all members of the staff of the Secretariat and wished them and their families well-being and prosperity. Principal Secretary to the Governor Navin K. Choudhary was present on the occasion.
	Mufti, Mehbooba extend festive greetings Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 Former Chief Minister and patron of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and president of the party Mehbooba Mufti today greeted the people on the eve of Divali. In a joint message, party leaders extended their warm greetings and good wishes to the people of the state on occasion of Divali, the festival of lights. PDP leaders said Divali symbolises the elimination of all negative forces that impede our progress. “May the glow of Divali fill the lives of our people with happiness and prosperity,” PDP leaders stated in their message. They said Divali also symbolises the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness, of truth over untruth. “May the noble ideals of the festival prevail and usher in peace, prosperity and happiness in our lives. May the festival of lights be the harbinger of joy, prosperity and peace in the state,” PDP leaders stated.
	J&K Bank chairman meets Vohra Apprises him of loans to entrepreneurs Tribune News Service Jammu, November 12 The chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited, Mushtaq Ahmad, called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today. During the meeting, Ahmad briefed the Governor about the measures being taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited to advance loans to artisans, craftsmen, unemployed youth and others for establishing their own ventures under various self-employment schemes. The Governor complimented Ahmad on the high ratings and awards received by the bank for operational efficiency. He urged the chairman to ensure that the bank continued to play a significant role in speeding up the all-round growth and development of the state. The Governor also met Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu Prof MPS Ishar. They discussed issues relating to the effective implementation of the university’s objectives of teaching and research, particularly through sustained guidance to affiliated institutions.