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Katra on alert after terror threat
Major truce violation by Pak along LoC
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High Court notice to state on Shopian killings
Laws curbing female foeticide to get more teeth
Legislative Council elections
Top official reviews facilities at Katra railway station
Constitution of road development body delayed
18 kg charas seized, two arrested
Army distributes books at remote school
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Katra on alert after terror threat
Katra, November 26 Hotel authorities said they received an e-mail on Saturday evening threatening to avenge Kasab’s execution by targeting the Katra and Vaishno Devi shrine area. The e-mail was first noticed in the mail box of the hotel account by the manager. The hotel manager informed the proprietors of the hotel and subsequently the local police to verify the authenticity of the mail. The cyber cell of the state police later seized a laptop from the hotel and traced the mail to a cyber cafe in Bangalore. Police officials confirmed that an FIR had been registered against unknown
persons at the Katra police station. A team of the state police would visit Bangalore to carry out further investigation in the case. A senior police officer said: “An alert has been sounded at Katra, cave shrine and its adjoining areas. Tight vigil is being kept on the movement of suspected people. Some more companies of the CRPF have also been requisitioned to beef up security.” The level of security has been upgraded to the level seen during the ‘Navratra season. The shrine is witnessing huge rush these days with over 30,000 visitors paying obeisance at the shrine every day. The number of tourists who have visited the shrine this year is expected to cross the one-crore mark by mid-December.
e-mail Threat
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Major truce violation by Pak along LoC
Jammu/Poonch, November 26 The truce deal between the two countries had come into force on November 26, 2003. The Army has described it as a major truce violation this year. “Around 7.40 pm last night, Pakistan army opened heavy machine gun and medium machine gun fire, firing over 6,000 rounds on 10 Indian posts in KG sector,” said officiating Defence PRO SN Acharaya. He said the firing lasted till 11.45 pm. The official said it was heaviest fire this year along the LoC and described it as a clear case of ceasefire violation. The Army also gave calibrated response to the Pakistan army troops before guns fell silent on both sides, he said. No casualty or injury was reported on the Indian side, he added. The two sides did not hold any flag meeting today, reports said. The Army has alerted its headquarters in New Delhi. During the skirmish, a forest fire broke out on the Indian side and was extinguished by the Army with the help of locals this morning. A strict vigil is being maintained along the LoC. An Intelligence source said Pakistan troops tried to push a group of 12 armed militants into the Indian territory in KG sector last night. “But the group was detected by the soldiers, who challenged it, resulting in a gunfight. Pakistan troops then opened heavy fire from Daku, Battal, Chuha and Roza posts in Pak-occupied Kashmir on 10 Indian posts, particularly Kranti, Kirpan and Ghora,” the source added. Pakistan troops also provided cover fire to the militants but following effective retaliation by Indian troops, the militants, who had crossed the LoC but were behind the barbed fence, escaped back to PoK, he said. This was 13th ceasefire violation in KG sector this year. Maj Gen KH Singh, GOC, Ace of Spades Division, during his recent tour to Poonch district had expressed apprehensions of more truce violations from across the LoC to push ultras before snowfall plugs the mountain passes. The state has witnessed over 104 violations along the LoC and International Border so far this year.
Pak offensive
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High Court notice to state on Shopian killings
Srinagar, November 26 The directions were by issued by a High Court Division Bench, comprising Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, today after the victims’ family approached the court with a motion seeking reinvestigation of the case. Asiya Jan (17) and her sister-in-law Neelofar Jan (22) were found dead on May 30, 2009, at the Rambiara Nullah in Shopian. The victims’ family and local residents had alleged that the two were “raped and murdered”. But the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had ascribed the deaths to “accidental drowning” in its charge-sheet before the court. The case had been handed over to the CBI after the Kashmir High Court Bar Association filed a public interest litigation before the High Court in 2009 asking for monitoring of the case, which is still pending before the court. “Acting on the motion, the High Court today issued a notice to the state government and directed it to file objections within two weeks,” said counsel for victims’ family GN Shaheen. He added: “Apart from seeking reinvestigation of the case, we had made other pleas before the High Court, including directing the respondent authorities to place the copies of Jan Commission inquiry report, SIT investigation report and the CBI charge-sheet before the Bench.” The family’s counsel in his submission before the Bench said the victims’ family was not satisfied with the investigation of the case by the CBI and therefore wanted reinvestigation of the case. He pointed out that there were contradictions in the individual investigations carried out by the CBI, the special investigation team of the J&K Police and the Justice Jan (retd) Commission of Inquiry into the incident. To support the family’s plea for reinvestigation, the counsel has cited several Supreme Court rulings, including the 2002 Best Bakery case wherein the apex court had ordered reinvestigation.
Case file
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Inferno victims seek pre-fabricated huts
Frislan (Pahalgam), November 26 Sixty structures, most of them residential, were gutted in the devastating fire in the village, 4 km from Pahalgam. “We can’t live in these tents especially at a time when winter is fast approaching. Spending cold nights in these tents is out of question,” said Ghulam Qadir Shiekh, a victim. “The government should provide us with pre-fabricated huts, which will give adequate shelter during winter,” he added. Sheikh lost all his belongings and food stocked for the winter to the blaze He along with his family members today rummaged through the debris looking for valuables. “Living with other people in the locality is not an option. The number of families affected is large and it will be difficult for others to accommodate us in their homes,” said Abdul Salam Lone, another victim. “Prefabricated huts are the only viable option for us now.” Most victims lost all their horses in the inferno. Horses are the main source of income for the villagers. “Our horses ferry tourists and Hindu pilgrims during the peak season. They are crucial to our survival,” said Abdul Salaam Sheikh, another victim. People from adjoining villages have lent a helping hand to the victims by providing them with food, blankets and other essential commodities. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar
flew to the village and expressed grief over the loss of property. The Chief Minister met villagers and conveyed his sympathies to the victims. |
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Laws curbing female foeticide to get more teeth
The gender ratio in the state has dwindled to 883 per 1,000 male and unethical practice of female foeticide continues to threaten the girl child. Once amendments are in place, the rules will entail a provision of three years imprisonment and fine up to Rs 50,000 on persons found running unregistered ultrasound clinics. The Jammu and Kashmir State Supervisory Board (SSB) for PC&PNDT Act proposes recommendations to make amendments to the rules by inserting a clause in Rule 11 (2) of the PC&PNDT Rules, 2006 on the lines of amendment made by the Government of India, which also provides for the confiscation of equipment of unregistered clinics. The Board agreed upon the amendments at a meeting chaired by Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma here today. The meeting also endorsed the recommendation to introduce medical audit of the ultrasound clinics/centres to ensure proper monitoring of such clinics under the Act. The medical audit of clinics would include scrutiny of records in respect of all pre-conception or pregnancy related procedures to curb the rampant misuse of medical technology for sex selection. The appropriate authorities at divisional and district levels under the Act will conduct regular medical audit of the records and the department will devise a mechanism and issue necessary orders for the implementation of medical audit of all ultrasound clinics/centres. Sharma, who is also the ex-officio chairman of the State Supervisory Board, called for seeking the support of the civil society to deal with the issue. He said efforts of the government alone were not adequate to deal with the sensitive issue and people from all sections of the society had to play their part to make people aware about the consequences of such practices. Sharma stressed the need to start a campaign by involving religious priests for educating people through sermons in mosques, temples, gurdwaras and churches for creating awareness against female feticide, domestic violence and other crimes against women. For this purpose, he asked both the Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu to approach religious leaders. Sharma also stressed for wider publicity of the programmes being implemented in the state under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) through mass media. Dr Yashpal Sharma, Mission Director, NRHM, Jammu, gave a brief presentation highlighting the functioning of the State Supervisory Board, trends in gender ratio and various initiatives being initiated by the
NRHM. Key recommendations
Support sought
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Legislative Council elections
Srinagar, November 26 Nearly 18,000 elected panchayat members across 12 districts of the Kashmir division, including two in the Ladakh region, would decide the fate of 16 candidates on December 3. Similarly, over 15,000 panchayat members will decide the fate of 21 candidates for two seats of the Legislative Council from the Jammu division. The polling will be held at 145 blocks in the state. While the security of panchayat members has been a major concern for the government, particularly after the killing of two panchayat members by suspected militants in September, the Hurriyat’s boycott call has put them in the dock. The hardline Hurriyat Conference has asked
the panchayat members to stay away from the election process. With only a week left for the elections, the political parties are holding public meetings across the Valley to support their candidates. The major tussle is between the coalition and the PDP candidates. The ruling coalition parties, the National Conference (NC) and the Congress, have fielded one member each for the two seats from Kashmir, which include senior vice-president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Ghulam Nabi Monga and Ali Mohammad Dar of the NC. It was for the first time during the present coalition regime that the two parties jointly launched the election campaign from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s home constituency Ganderbal earlier last week. The contesting parties have been holding public meetings and interactions with the panchayat members, seeking their support for the elections to the
four seats of the Legislative Council. The Chief Minister held a series of public meetings across the Valley over the past few days before returning to the winter capital. JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz also addressed a number of meetings in Kashmir. PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has of late started focusing on Kashmir after his long tour of the Jammu division where he held a series of public meetings. |
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Govt committed to giving powers to panchayats: Omar
Rajouri, November 26 Omar said holding of the panchayat elections after a gap of 30 years in the state vindicated the keenness of the National Conference and the Congress to strengthen grass-roots level institutions across the state. Omar told the panchayat members that his government was in touch with the Central government and Panchayati Raj Minister Jai Ram Ramesh to sort out issues which had become a hurdle in empowering them, giving them salaries and insurance benefits. He asked the panchayat representatives to beware of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had left no stone unturned to grab power, and was trying to create problems between the two coalition partners, the National Conference and the Congress. “I told you to beware of the PDP’s conspiracy and emotional blackmail, as they are playing divisive politics, shedding crocodile tears and spreading falsehood. The PDP can go to any extent to grab power,” said Omar. He also accused the PDP of spreading corruption by distributing wazwan packets to panches and sarpanches to cast vote in their favour in the upcoming Legislative Council elections. Omar asked the panches and sarpanches to vote for coalition candidates in the Legislative Council poll. |
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Top official reviews facilities at Katra railway station
Jammu, November 26 Taking stock of the services at a high level meeting convened here today, Gupta discussed various issues with officials which included shifting of the Katra bus stand and parking of vehicles. Divisional Railway Manager, Firozpur division, Northern Railway, Naresh Chand Goyal said the ground floor of the railway station would include current reservation, second class booking, inquiry section, pilgrim guide, tourist assistance, VIP lounge, cloak room, waiting hall, book stall, tea stall, toilet block for ladies and gents and a catering area. The first floor will have eight retiring rooms and a cafeteria. Goyal apprised the Divisional Commissioner about the status of progress on works at the railway station and assured him that it would be operational by March 2013. About 14 passenger trains would run between Udhampur and Katra. The Divisional Commissioner directed the Reasi Deputy Commissioner to ensure that no illegal construction or encroachment erupts near the railway station and construction should be executed strictly according to the Katra master plan. He stressed upon the traffic authorities to prepare a decongestion plan for smooth regulation of traffic in Katra. Issue of proper parking at the railway station, regular water and power supply and installation of signage on approach road were discussed during the meeting. Divisional Railway Manager Naresh Chand Goyal; Jammu Deputy Commissioner Sanjeev Verma; Reasi Deputy Commissioner Nirmal Sharma; Jammu DIG, Traffic, Shakeel Beig; Tourism Director RS Mehta; Deputy Director, Information, Jammu, Jyoti Salathia; Deputy CEO, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Rishpal Singh; SDPO, Katra, Rajinder Katoch and Town Planner Anil Raina were present in the meeting. |
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Constitution of road development body delayed
Jammu, November 26 Setting up of the SRDC will allow the privatisation of road infrastructure and introduce user fee on state roads for their better maintenance. It will also give access to private companies to invest in road projects. Sources said the lethargic approach of the officials towards forwarding the details sought by the Registrar of Companies had led to a delay in the registration process which is mandatory for allowing large scale private investment in road infrastructure. The officials have adopted a go slow process despite Cabinet clearance in August this year. “The process has been caught up in legal wrangles. It can also affect the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana funding,” said an official. “It is a sort of privatisation. There are apprehensions at the bureaucratic level about how it will affect the future policies. People will have to pay for availing benefits like in Karnataka, Delhi and Gujarat,” he said. Commissioner Secretary, R&B Department, Tanveer Jehan said, “It will take some time to complete the formalities. There are some legal hurdles which are being studied and sorted out.” When asked about the completion of the process, Tanveer said, “We will try to complete the process by the year end. I cannot say anything further on the issue.” When formed, the corporation will promote surface infrastructure by taking up road works, including tunnels, flyovers and appurtenant structures, and will execute projects on build-own-transfer, build-own-operate and transfer under the public private partnership mode. Minister of State for Roads and Buildings will be its vice-chairman. Administrative secretaries of the Finance, Planning and Development, Forest, Housing and Urban Development and Public Works Departments and Managing Director of the SRDC will be its members. |
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18 kg charas seized, two arrested
Rajouri, November 26 The narcotic smuggler has been identified as Mohammad Yousuf and his daughter-in-law as Parveen Akhter, both residents of Rajouri. Reports said on a tip off, the police searched Yousuf’s house and found 18 kg charas which was concealed in plastic bags. The accused were booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. A case was registered. |
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Army distributes books at remote school
Poonch, November 26 The Army handed over encyclopedias, books based on mythology, history, fiction, science, etc. to headmaster Jatinder Singh. The headmaster lauded the Army for taking the initiative under Operation Sadbhavana. |
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Jammu, November 26