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Cong intensifies attack on NC
Tax holiday: J&K
to oppose Punjab move
Cong urges panchayat members to support coalition candidates
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Attack on liquor shop: Hizbul denies its involvement
Moily assures PDP president of relaxing LPG ceiling
NASA trip of Kashmiri students in limbo
16 candidates cleared for two Kashmir LC seats
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Cong intensifies attack on NC
Kathua, November 17 Congress leaders chose the platform of “Shaheedi Divas” function to attack the NC leadership for insulting security forces in general and the Indian Army in particular by launching a vicious campaign. “It is unfortunate that over 5,000 security personnel, including soldiers of the Indian Army, have sacrificed their lives for Jammu and Kashmir but some political parties have launched a vicious campaign against the forces”, Azad said while paying tributes to the martyrs of Kathua district here today. In an obvious reference towards demand of revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) repeatedly raised by the ruling NC, Azad regretted it was disrespect and unjustice with the forces because it was due to the supreme sacrifices of the jawans of such forces that common people were living in peace. “Some political parties for their petty political gains usually criticise security forces in public meetings,” he said, in reference to a recent statement of NC leader Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, who had passed some remarks against the Army last Sunday. “Some acts are really shameful and unfortunate because jawans of the security forces from all over the country have sacrificed their lives in Jammu and Kashmir to restore peace in this region”, he observed, adding, “It is shocking that instead of acknowledging sacrifices of forces such political parties have been indulging in defaming the security forces just to get some votes”. Lok Sabha member from Udhampur-Doda Choudhary Lal Singh also availed this opportunity to give a befitting reply to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s uncle Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal for his alleged anti-national remarks. “Those spewing venom against India have taken oath of the Indian Constitution as MLA, so they are committing crime”, he said and demanded action against Kamaal for his anti-India statement. He said there was need to give a befitting reply to the NC leader. Though Congress is a coalition partner of the government headed by NC, Singh said the government which has failed to give due respect to the martyrs had no right to continue in office.
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Tax holiday: J&K
to oppose Punjab move
Jammu, November 17 Opposition has also come from Haryana, which along with Punjab has urged the Centre not to extend tax benefits for industrialisation in the hill states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K, saying that they are losing investment worth crores of rupees. A senior officer said Punjab has so far refused to share power and water from the Ranjit Sagar dam despite the fact that its major portion falls in the state. It has become a major point of discord between the two neighbours and now this new issue could further strain the relations. Meanwhile, Minister for Industries Surjit Singh Slathia has sought details about what transpired in the meeting called by Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram yesterday so that the state can respond to the moves of neighbouring states, especially Punjab. The Minister for Industries said his ministry was still reviewing the minutes of meeting about what the both states said. “We will oppose any such move and will talk to the Finance Ministry to present our view. The state needs special schemes to attract investment as militancy has ravaged the state for the past two decades”, Slathia said. He claimed that industrial growth and investment in the state was not possible if private investors were not extended sops as the state had become least preferred because of two-decade-long militancy. Since 2001, the Central government has extended several sops to J&K to revive industrial units but despite huge tax rebates, Jammu and Kashmir has largely remained un-preferred destination for the investors. According to an Assocham report, last year J&K attracted least investors and remained at the bottom of five states of the country with an investment of just Rs 1.11 lakh crore being pumped into the state in the past decade. The state was followed by Uttarakhand (Rs 1.07 lakh crore), Himachal Pradesh (Rs 84,062 crore) and Assam (Rs 58,179
crore). |
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Cong urges panchayat members to support coalition candidates
Srinagar, November 17 This was conveyed to senior party leaders and district presidents of the Congress in the Kashmir valley at a meeting presided over by the PCC president Saifuddin Soz here today. “The deliberations are still going on and we are here to work out a strategy for the forthcoming elections,” Soz told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting. Replying to questions, he said all efforts were being made by the coalition government for safety and security of the panchayat members. “They have been elected by the people …. and the people have rejected violence”, Soz said. He asserted there was no need to deploy policemen outside every house in the villages. Soz announced that the Congress had raised its voice for an honorarium to the panchayat members adding that he had taken up the issue with the Prime Minister as well. He also informed that the elected panchayat members would be given an insurance cover, payment for which would be given by the government. On his party’s stand on provisions of the 73rd amendment to the Panchayat Raj Act for elections to the Block Development Councils, Soz disclosed that the party’s paper on the recommendations would be made public soon. While the government deferred the Block Development Council elections following overt differences on the 73rd amendment, the party has been working on the issue for the past one month. Soz said the coalition government was for strengthening of the Panchayati Raj system. The meeting was informed that the Congress district presidents would be chief coordinators for the election purposes in their respective areas and the block levels. Both the Congress and National Conference have constituted six-member committees each to overlook the process. While the Congress has fielded Ghulam Nabi Monga, its coalition partner, the National Conference has fielded Ali Mohammad Dar for the two seats from the Kashmir valley that are going to the polls on December 3. The panchayat elections were held on non-party basis early last year after a gap of over three decades in the state. Those who attended today’s meeting included Ghulam Nabi Monga, Mohammad Muzaffar Parray, B A Magray (MLC), G A Mir (MLA) and other PCC leaders and district presidents. In all, 44 candidates filed their nomination papers for four seats of Legislative Council to be elected by the panchayat members in the state. Of these, 16 candidates have filed papers for two seats from the Kashmir valley. They include Ghulam Nabi Monga of the Congress, Ali Mohammad Dar of NC, Peer Mohammad Hussain and Yasir Reshi of PDP besides eight Independent candidates and two candidates of the NPP and one from the
BJP. |
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Attack on liquor shop: Hizbul denies its involvement
Srinagar, November 17 “We appreciate the act (on the liquor shop), but Hizb has nothing to do with it,” Muzaffarabad-based spokesman for the Hizbul Mujahideen Saleem Hasmi told a Srinagar-based local news agency in a statement. The spokesman claimed that Hizb had nothing
to do with Junaid-ul-Islam, who had claimed the responsibility for the attack on behalf of
the outfit. “Indian forces and intelligence agencies are trying to spread waywardness by establishing liquor shops and immorality to undermine the Islamic character of the state. However, Hizbul Mujahideen and people of the state will not let the designs of the agencies succeed,” read the statement. “Hizb along with freedom loving people is fighting against the cultural aggression. Liquor shop owners and other such traders are expected to take up alternative (halaal) means of earning. No one will be allowed to spread social and cultural waywardness in Kashmir,” the statement said. Militants had attacked two liquor shops in the Heemal hotel complex on the banks of the Dal Lake on Thursday evening, killing a salesman and injuring two other employees. Soon after the attack, Junaid-ul-Islam, who claimed to be the Hizb spokesman, had owned the responsibility for the attack. The police said it was investigating the case and suspected that the attack was carried out by a Hizb module, despite denial by the group. |
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Moily assures PDP president of relaxing LPG ceiling
Srinagar, November 17 Mehbooba urged the minister to not treat Jammu and Kashmir at par with other states in view of the harsh climatic conditions. She said cooking gas had become a tool of survival in J&K in the absence of alternative sources of fuel. “The fact that most of the hydropower generated in the state goes into the national energy pool makes it imperative that the cap of subsidised cylinders be raised to at least 12 per year,” Mehbooba told the minister. The PDP president also urged the minister to set up two additional bottling plants for the Valley in north and south Kashmir, the statement said. The existing plant, she said, failed to cater to the requirements fully. She said linking of south Kashmir with Jammu for gas supply was an irrational decision. She told the minister the arrangement was negative in view of traffic congestion on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and frequent blockades during the winter months which is the peak season for gas consumption in the Valley. Meanwhile, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has expressed concern over the plight of people standing in long queues in freezing temperatures for a gas cylinder. He was addressing a public meeting in south Kashmir today. “This is not just a matter of discomfort but a source of disrespect and indignity for our people. Such a situation would not exist even in war-ravaged Somalia or Afghanistan,” he said. Mufti regretted that a gentleman had lost his life in pursuit of a gas cylinder “and that should represent the lasting shame of the present coalition”. “The verification process of LPG consumers is incomplete in Kashmir even after a lapse of two months,” said Jagmohan Singh Raina, secretary of the State LPG Dealers Association. He said the main reason for the delay in verification was power curtailments, which hampered the computerisation process. Even as the government has given a third extension of 15 days for the verification process till November 30, the Dealers Association has sought extension till March end. Raina said the LPG stocks were also not built up for the winter months, despite assurances by the government. Proposal under Centre’s consideration: NC Reacting to Mehbooba Mufti’s statement, the ruling National Conference has said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and coalition parties had already taken up the issue with Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “She (Mehbooba) has been told in clear terms that on the instance of the state government headed by Omar Abdullah, the Central government is working seriously on the issue,” said an NC spokesman. “On the direction of the Chief Minister, a group of senior ministers had presented a memorandum to the Prime Minister and highlighted the peculiar geographic diversity, severe winter, remoteness of the state, insufficiency of electricity and economic stress of people due to a long militancy period and had strongly advocated for enhancement in the number of subsidised LPG cylinders. The Prime Minister has said the demand of the J&K will be considered positively,” the spokesman said. |
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NASA trip of Kashmiri students in limbo
Srinagar, November 17 The school administration and parents of the students have now appealed to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for providing necessary funding for the trip so that the selected students could fulfil their long cherished dream. Each of the 18 students requires an amount of Rs 2 lakh for the 12-day trip, including boarding and lodging facilities. Since most of the students come from middle class families, their parents say that they will not be able to shell out Rs 2 lakh for the trip. “So far, we have received the consent of three families for the trip. The rest of the children might pull out of this trip if the MHRD or the state government does not come forward to help,” said Rafiq Ahmad, NASA trip coordinator at Green Valley Educational Institute. Mehvish, a Class VIII student and one of the toppers of the national NASA Astronomy Olympiad-2012 that was held in New Delhi in October, said her parents could not spend Rs 2 lakh for the trip and she might have to miss the trip. “I was delighted when I heard about the opportunity, but my parents do not have enough money for the trip. I am hopeful that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who talks about bringing in an era of technological development to the state would not let us miss this golden opportunity,” she said. NASA will host the students for 11 days where they will also interact with scientists of the space agency. The NASA Trek is an educational and cultural tour of the USA providing an opportunity to students to work together, gain and share knowledge and get trained in the world's best possible infrastructure and facilities under the supervision of eminent scientists. The programme is designed for the students from 5th to 11th grades. |
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16 candidates cleared for two Kashmir LC seats
Srinagar, November 17 “After scrutiny, all the 16 candidates have been cleared by the returning officer,” said a spokesman of the divisional administration. Nine candidates are contesting the poll for the first seat of the Legislative Council in Kashmir, including Ali Muhammad Dar of the ruling National Conference, Peer Mohammad Hussain of the Peoples Democratic Party and Independent candidates, Mohammad Iqbal of the Panthers Party, Ghulam Hassan Dar, Mohammad Kamaal Malik, Nazir Ahmad War, Nazir Ahmad Paddar, Ghulam Mohiuddin Tantray and Ghulam-ud-din Gulshan. Seven candidates are in fray for the second seat of the Legislative Council in Kashmir. Those contesting the poll for the seven seats include Congress senior vice-president Ghulam Nabi Monga, Yasir Reshi of the PDP, Mohammad Maqbool Malik of the Panthers Party, Ashraf Ali of the BJP and three Independent candidates. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is November 19 and the elections are scheduled on December 3. |
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Nabi Azad, today intensified their attack on the coalition partner National Conference for not taking “appropriate” action against outspoken party leader Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal for allegedly “spewing venom” against India and security forces.
The J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has urged the elected panchayat members to support the two candidates of coalition parties for the elections to two seats of the State Legislative Council from the Kashmir valley.
