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Bathinda-Srinagar gas pipeline to be completed by July 2014
Human rights violations
BJP to get new state president this month
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Peoples’ faith in democracy revived after PDP’s formation, says Mufti
Eerie calm prevails along LoC in
KG sector
Kashmir shuts to protest life sentence to former militants
Colourful’ drivers to be ‘uniformed again from January
Valley hoteliers for improving infrastructure to boost tourism
Equitable development priority of
govt: Minister
Newly elected MLCs take oath
Not against security forces, but impunity laws: Human rights body
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Bathinda-Srinagar gas pipeline to be completed by July 2014
Jammu, December 10 The 328-km-long gas pipeline project is scheduled to be completed by July 2014. Omar has already approved the project during a meeting of the state officers and a team of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) led by its chairman Lalit Mansingh at Srinagar. This was followed by various meetings of officers of the PNGRB with the chief secretary and other senior officers of the state. The presentations about the pipeline were made by the Board pertaining to the implementation and impact of the project on the state’s economy. In today’s meeting, Omar received appraisal of the roadmap prepared to start the work on the project and complete it by July 2014 to draw gas from Gujarat to Srinagar and Jammu. This will relieve the pressure on availability of domestic gas. It will also help generate employment. The pipeline from Bathinda to Srinagar will pass through Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, Anantnag and Pulwama. There will be hundreds of sub-lines which will supply gas to consumers at their houses. The Chief Minister has directed the PNGRB to start laying pipeline from both Srinagar and Bathinda simultaneously so that gas is supplied to both the cities of Jammu and Srinagar at the same time. Omar said the project assumes importance to the state in providing adequate domestic and commercial supply of gas to consumers at cheaper rates besides creating a huge employment for youth of the state. He said the gas company has already been sensitised in this regard. He said the project would also help to utilise gas for power generation in the state. He directed the Revenue and Law Departments to finalise a draft bill for right of use of land for laying gas pipelines by the gas company in the state for legislature for enactment as per the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar also stressed the need for fast tracking the project to ensure its completion in July 2014. “Jammu and Kashmir being the remotest northern state of India has so many disadvantages. Availability of gas in abundance has been a great challenge before us”, he said, adding that supply of gas to consumers in the state through the gas pipeline would be a revolutionary step. He also directed the officials concerned to ensure proper compensation to the landowners whose land would be used by the company for laying underground gas pipelines. The project
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Human rights violations
New Delhi, December 10 For Shamima and Taslima Bano, two of the thousands of half-widows of Kashmir, this reality is as biting today as it was years ago when their husbands were picked up for the purpose of interrogation, never to return. Even today they do not know the purpose for which their husbands left. The two women, and scores of mothers and sisters of men who disappeared for unknown reasons, brought their pain to the capital today and protested at the Jantar Mantar against the continuation of draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Public Safety Act. “Unless these laws are repealed, the ground will remain fertile for human rights violations in the Valley. These laws give the security personnel sweeping powers to take our people. It’s time the government repealed these,” Zafar Akbar Bhatt, a leader of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, told The Tribune today speaking on victims’ behalf. The victims themselves are little concerned about who takes up their cause even though they had support from All India Democratic Women’s Association and Anhad today. “I have been waiting for ages for the return of my husband. I can’t even begin to narrate the trauma of living in confusion over whether my man is dead or alive. The least we deserve is closure,” says Kupwara-based Shamima, who has three children. She had to resort to begging for a while to raise them. For Taslima Bano, another half-widow, the realities of life are as harsh as they are for Shamima and the others who lost their near and dear ones at some point following the days of terrorism in Kashmir. While the women seek closure, the Government is not ready to ratify the International Convention on Prevention of Enforced Involuntary Disappearances. The Tribune yesterday reported how the Government has rejected the UN Universal Period Review suggestions on the AFSPA repeal and on ratification of Conventions on Torture and Enforced Disappearances. Speaking on these developments, chairperson of the National Minorities Commission Wajahat Habibullah, a former Chief Information Commissioner, said India must sign the Conventions but first it should admit to the many disappearances. “Unless the Government admits, how will it ratify the Convention?” he told TNS on the occasion of World Human Rights Day today. Habibullah also advised victims to file Right to Information applications in the state and central information commissions to seek answers on why their men disappeared and what happened to them. Although the Army and paramilitary forces accused for disappearances are exempted categories under the RTI Act, Section 24 of the Central RTI Act says the Central Information Commission can force disclosures in every case of alleged human rights violation. “Similar section exists in the J&K RTI Act. People should hold the state government and the Centre accountable. I as the Chief Information Commission pursued one such case of 1990. I found the case records had been destroyed. The state should retain these records and not subject them to routine destruction given the nature of alleged abuses in the Valley,” Habibullah said. The J&K Government puts the number of half-widows in Kashmir at around 2,500 but victims say they are close to 8,000. |
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BJP to get new state president this month
Although over half a dozen “potential” candidates are in the fray for the state president’s post, former mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation Kavinder Gupta is still a front runner due to his clean image and strong RSS background. The incumbent president, Shamsher Singh Manhas, is also trying his best to get a second term but his chances of getting an extension look bleak due to his failure on various fronts during his tenure. Sources in the BJP said the election of the new state president was likely to be held during the last week of this month because the organisation elections would be completed on December 20. The sources said Kavinder Gupta, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Dr Jatinder Singh, Chander Parkash Ganga, Bali Bhagat and Chander Mohan Sharma are in fray for the post of the state president, but a consensus was likely to be arrived on Kavinder. “Kavinder is a non-controversial, committed leader of the party,” said a senior BJP leader on the conditions of anonymity, adding, “Some senior leaders, who had played a decisive role in Manhas’s election as the state president last time, are working overtime to sabotage Kavinder’s chances.” They said the anti-Kavinder lobby was trying to appoint a weak leader as the state president so that they could influence him and manage mandate for their loyalists in the coming urban local bodies elections. They are even advocating for an another term to Manhas. “These senior leaders have convinced some national party leaders, who too have been creating hurdles in appointing Kavinder as the new state president. The Sangh Parivar has advised the BJP to appoint a person with a clean image as the new president,” said a source. The party leadership wants to appoint Kavinder as the new state president to neutralise the impact of Chaman Lal Gupta’s expulsion from the party. Gupta along with six other MLAs were expelled from the BJP after the cross-voting episode in the Legislative Council elections on April 13, 2011. On the one hand, the Chaman Lal Gupta faction has successfully lured a large number of BJP workers and on the other hand, a dedicated party cadre was demoralised following the failure of the present leadership to aggressively pursue the party agenda at the grass-roots level. “The credibility of the BJP has reached its lowest ebb so the party wants to appoint a person with a clean image as the new president to rejuvenate the demoralised party cadre,” the source said. Meanwhile, the BJP core group today discussed the dismal performance of the party in the Legislative Council elections. In charge of the state unit of the BJP Jagdish Mukhi, especially came down from Delhi to attend the core group meeting, in which state leaders gave excuses for the party’s worst ever performance in the elections. |
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Peoples’ faith in democracy revived after PDP’s formation, says Mufti
Jammu, December 10 Mufti said the successive National Conference (NC) regimes had never allowed democracy to flourish in Jammu and Kashmir. He said it was only after the emergence of the PDP in the political scenario of the state that the peoples’ faith was restored in democratic institutions. Addressing a function to welcome some youths who joined the PDP here today, Mufti said democracy was the best way to address the aspirations of the people by involving them in governance. He, however, regretted that unlike other parts of the country, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were deprived of the real taste of democracy because the successive NC regimes had indulged in deceit tactics to undermine democratic institutions. He mentioned the infamous rigged elections of 1987 to substantiate his argument. He said his party had been aggressively pursuing the pro-people agenda. He said the formation of the PDP was a turning point in the history of Jammu and Kashmir because the party had emerged as a credible and real voice of the people. “The faith of the people in democracy and democratic institutions was restored only after the 2002 Assembly,” he said. He further said it was only during the PDP-led coalition regime in the state that the elections to the urban local bodies were held after more than two decades to strengthen democratic institutions at the grass-roots level. Mufti said the PDP had also scripted a new chapter of peace and development in the state and challenged the hegemony of the National Conference. “The way people of the state have been supporting our party, it has become clear that there is no alternative of the PDP in the state and the party is going to change the destiny of the people by implementing its progressive and visionary agenda,” he said, adding, “Change is imminent in Jammu and Kashmir because people have faith in the policies and programmes of the PDP.” |
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Eerie calm prevails along LoC in
KG sector
Jammu, December 10 “So far, the Pakistan army hasn’t opened fire but there are apprehensions of a fresh spell of unprovoked firing by them tonight,” said an intelligence source. He said during last night’s skirmish killing of two Pakistan army soldiers and an equal number of militants could not be confirmed. “Certainly, there was a damage to houses in a couple of villages in PoK where villagers held protests against continued firing between the two sides but killing of two Pakistani soldiers and two militants have not been confirmed,” said the source. The situation at the borderline in the KG sector remained tense and the Army is alert to the situation, he added. Since November 25 when the Pakistan army had opened heavy firing for three straight nights till November 28 to push a group of 16 militants into India, said the source. “Intelligence inputs from across the LoC say the Pakistan army has been shifting these militants from one place to another opposite the KG sector in a bid to push them to this side but the Army has been maintaining a hawk’s eye on their activities. Surveillance has been stepped up,” he added. Last night, intense firing between the two sides had created panic among the villagers living close to the borderline. “Last night, Pakistani troops had initially fired small arms, LMGs and then switched over to rockets. They had fired over 2,000 rounds on forward posts in the KG sector,” said an Army officer, who declined to be named.
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Kashmir shuts to protest life sentence to former militants
Srinagar, December 10 Shops and businesses in the main commercial areas of Srinagar remained closed and major markets wore a deserted look as residents remained indoors. Private vehicles were plying on several routes around the city. Reports of shutdown, with varying effect, were also received from other parts of the region. In north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, the shutdown affected the public transport system and many shops remained closed. The shutdown — coinciding with World Human Rights Day, which is observed annually on December 10, was called by the JKLF last week when two of its members, Sheikh Nazir and Showkat Ahmad Khan, both former militants, were sentenced life terms by a Jammu court. Nazir is the JKLF’s executive member. The JKLF’s call for a Kashmir bandh to protest against a sudden spate in pronouncement of life sentences against several former militants, including Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, was supported by both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference. The separatist group had also called for a series of small protests which included a march to Lal Chowk on Friday last, which was foiled by the police, a day-long hunger strike today and a torch march later in the evening. Around 100 JKLF members sat on a hunger strike at the Maisuma area of Srinagar. |
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Colourful’ drivers to be ‘uniformed again from January
Jammu, December 10 The traffic police wants to see these drivers and co-drivers wearing “khaki” uniforms with their names on badges from January next year. A previous attempt in 2009 had not worked out because the drivers had to bear the expenditure of such uniforms and at that time they had cited their “penury” to avoid getting “uniformed”. “The Traffic Police Department has decided to make khaki uniform mandatory for drivers of passenger vehicles from January next year. Anyone found violating the law will be penalised on the spot,” Traffic Police DIG Shakeel Beigh told The Tribune. “If business houses or whosoever is interested in advertising his brand or product without incurring heavy expenditure, they can approach the traffic police for sponsoring uniforms to these drivers. These uniforms will carry tags of the sponsors,” added Beigh. The DIG said on several occasions the drivers of the passenger vehicles cited their penury-ridden condition to avoid wearing uniforms. “But in case sponsors don’t come, then drivers will have to manage the uniforms themselves in December itself because from January we will be strictly implementing this law,” said Beigh. The state administration had utterly failed in implementing its order in 2009. Initially, the traffic police had gone full throttle in implementing the decision and violators were penalised but soon the drive had fizzled out and drivers and co-drivers were back to their “colours”. Uniforms with names of the drivers and co-drivers certainly help in identifying them and in case of a crime or incident involving them, these uniforms and their identities certainly help the people, said a police officer.
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Valley hoteliers for improving infrastructure to boost tourism
Srinagar, December 10 “We welcome the move as it is in the interest of the tourism sector. The government should take all possible steps to take the tourism industry to the next level as we have already had a booming season,” said chairman of the Hoteliers’ Club Mushtaq Chaya. Chaya made the statement days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government wanted to showcase the Valley’s beauty in a “new style” to woo more tourists as more than 14 lakh visitors had arrived here this year. “Many countries like Japan, Germany and Britain have modified their travel advisories...our effort is to present the beauty of Kashmir in a new style. Kashmir is the best destination for adventure tourism, be it skiing or white water rafting….the government is now hosting a whole lot of events that would attract more tourists, especially foreigners,” Omar had said. However, Kashmir Hotels and Restaurants Owners Federation president Faiz Bakshi said before wooing high-end tourists a lot needs to be done to improve the existing tourism infrastructure. “We have got world class skiing facilities at Gulmarg but we need to upgrade medical facilities (in case of eventualities during adventure sports) and also have proper rescue operations. Last year a few foreign skiers went missing. Himachal Pradesh has recently tied up with Pawan Hans for the helicopter services, we can do the same,” said Bakshi. He said the helicopters could be used not only for rescue operations but also for the to and fro movement of tourists between the Srinagar airport and Gulmarg. “Gulmarg needs to have uninterrupted power and water supply. Also, the roads leading to the resort need to be cleared quickly in case of roadblocks during the snowfall so that tourists do not face any problems,” said Bakshi. He said a state-of-the-art hotel of the Khyber group, which was among the best in the country, would be inaugurated at Gulmarg later this month and will cater to high-end tourists. |
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Equitable development priority of
govt: Minister
Jammu, December 10 Bhalla was addressing a gathering at Shanker Nagar in Channi Rama after dedicating a multipurpose community hall worth Rs 20 lakh to inhabitants of the locality, here yesterday. He said due to endeavours of the coalition government in the state, the Centre had provided liberal funding in various sectors for developing Jammu and Kashmir as a model state. He said the government was committed to provide better road connectivity, safe drinking water, healthcare, education, electricity, besides improved lanes and drains to the people across the state. The Minister called upon the people to protect public property in their respective areas, adding that the government had spent crores of rupees on development works so that the people could enjoy their lives without any inconvenience. He said the government was fully aware of people’s development-related problems and was making all out efforts to mitigate them in a phased manner. He said the multipurpose community hall would facilitate the people of the Shanker Nagar, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Channi Rama and its adjoining areas in arranging their social and religious celebrations on minimum rates.
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Newly elected MLCs take oath
Jammu, December 10 Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy CM Tara Chand, were among those present on the occasion. — TNS
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Not against security forces, but impunity laws: Human rights body
Srinagar, December 10 The APDP, comprising families of disappeared persons as its members, staged a peaceful sit-in at Pratap Park in Lal Chowk on the eve of International Human Rights Day. “Our struggle is not against the security forces, although our fact-finding report, which is based on the first-hand account of eyewitnesses, clearly states that the security forces were involved in over 80 per cent cases. But then, it is the excessive powers given to them which lead to human rights violations, and we are for repealing those draconian laws,” said an official spokesperson of the APDP. A majority of the mainstream and separatist organisations in Kashmir have called for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying the AFSPA will gradually be withdrawn from various areas of the state where militancy has waned. APDP activists say political leaders, including the Chief Minister, are not serious about these issues as a result of which they are lingering. “On the one hand, the state government has stated that the scale of violence has gone down in the state, but on the other hand they do not necessitate the repeal of granting the security forces legal impunity which could make them more accountable,” said Parveena Ahanger, APDP chairperson. Ahanger said there were various laws, besides the AFSPA such as the J&K Public Safety Act, Disturbed Areas Act, and sections of the Ranbir Penal Code which required executive sanctioning for prosecuting the security forces and public servants. “In most of the cases, where witnesses have identified the culprits, their prosecution has not been made possible due to various laws which give the forces a safe exit. Getting sanctions from the Union Ministries of Defence and Home has proved to be a tiresome job for the families, as a result of which they have left the investigation process midway,” said Ahanger. Besides the repeal of these laws, the APDP urged the state and Central governments to comply with various provisions under the international human rights law.
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Jammu, December 10
Jammu, December 10
