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Last day of session sees more protests by opposition MLAs
No death penalty in J&K anti-rape Bill
94% Lashkar recruits view J-K as fighting front: US report
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Centre in touch with CM on panches’ security: Jairam
Govt to construct tunnel on Mughal Road for all-weather connectivity
News Analysis
PDP remained conspicuous by its absence from House
‘Lashkar poster’ comes up with dress diktat for girls
Srinagar-Leh highway to reopen today
Oz firm resumes work on Chenani-Nashri tunnel
Ropeway from Bhawan to Bhairon Temple demanded
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Last day of session sees more protests by opposition MLAs
Jammu, April 5 Before staging a walkout from the Assembly, the Opposition created an uproar in the House and targeted government for betraying educated unemployed youth of the state by allegedly appointing undeserving people through illegal means. As soon as the House assembled this morning, Panthers Party member Balwant Singh Mankotia raised the issue. Quoting an official document, Mankotia pointed out that the government had re-employed 192 retired officials. “Publicly, the government claims to discourage the policy of re-appointment of retired employees but official documents contradict all such claims,” said Mankotia while trooping towards the front row along with his party member Yash Pal Kundal and Jammu State Morcha (JSM) MLA Ashwani Kumar Sharma. Speaker Mubarak Gul tried to pacify the agitating members but to no avail. CPM member M Y Tarigami and Harsh Dev Singh of Panthers Party also joined the issue and took the government to task for reappointing retired officials. “On the one hand the government is not giving minimum wages to the youth engaged in government jobs, while on the other retired employees are re-employed on handsome salaries”, said Ashwani. When Congress legislator G M Saroori tried to defend the decision of the government to re-employ some retired employees, agitating members snubbed him. The protesting members were returned to their seats only after the Speaker’s assurance that he would ask the government to give a statement on the issue. The Opposition also created pandemonium in the Assembly on the issue of alleged back-door appointment in various government departments during the last four years. In one query raised by Bani MLA Lal Chand, the government admitted that 5,426 persons were engaged during the last four years in various departments. But in another reply to Tarigami, the government made it clear that no engagements had been made. “What is this?” Tarigami shouted while adding that the government was giving contradictory statements. “Deserving youth are facing harassment but back-door appointments through illegal means are going on unchecked,” Harsh Dev Singh said. |
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No death penalty in J&K anti-rape Bill Jammu, April 5 The state government introduced a comprehensive Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill-2013 in the Assembly on Friday. Central laws do not extend to J-K, which enjoys a special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. The state government’s Bill proposes no death penalty for rapists, a key difference from the Central legislation. Under the proposed Bill, the punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of the victim is rigorous imprisonment of not less than 25 years, which may extend to imprisonment for rest of the natural life under Section 376 A
of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). For gang rape, the Bill suggests rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than 25 years and fine. For repeat offence, the Bill proposes life imprisonment. Personnel of the armed forces and the police also come under the proposed legislation. In such cases, the amendment Bill proposes a minimum of 10-year RI which can be extended up to life imprisonment for the accused. Similarly, crimes such as voyeurism and stalking would also attract imprisonment ranging from one year to five years apart from fine. Under Section 326 A (RPC) of the amendment Bill, acid attackers who cause permanent or partial damage or deformity to the victim shall be imprisoned for not less than 10 years and a fine extending up to Rs 10 lakh. Acid throwers or those who even attempt to throw acid shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than five years. The Bill while defining rape under Section 375 of the RPC made an interesting exception which reads, “sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape.” |
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94% Lashkar recruits view J-K as fighting front: US report
Washington, April 5 The eye-opener report from the US Military Academy in West Point is result of a multi-year research effort conducted by a lead team of five eminent authors, including C Christine Fair, Don Rassler and Anirban Ghosh, and is based on a study of over 900 biographies of deceased LeT militants. The report that runs into nearly 60 pages states the vast majority of LeT's fighters are recruited from Pakistan's Punjab province and are actually rather well educated compared with Pakistani males generally. While LeT's recruitment is diversified across the north, central and southern parts of Punjab, the highest concentration of militants have come (in order of frequency) from the districts of Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sialkot, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Khanewal and Multan. LeT training has historically occurred in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir's capital Muzaffarabad and in Afghanistan. Together these two locations have accounted for 75 per cent of the LeT militant training over time, the report said. “Ninetyfour per cent of the fighters list Indian Kashmir as a fighting front,” the report said. Although less relevant, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Tajikistan and Bosnia are also identified in the biographies as other fronts. — PTI
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Centre in touch with CM on panches’ security: Jairam
Khansahab (Budgam), April 5 Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a function here today, Jairam Ramesh said these issues were prime responsibilities of the government. He said he had already talked to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in this regard. At least five panchayat members were killed at the hands of unidentified militants in the Kashmir valley last year, following the elections in 2011, after a gap of 33 years. Earlier, while addressing participants of a workshop, members of women self-help groups and panchayat members, he announced that the Central government had started a new programme, Umeed (hope). He said the project would facilitate Rs 800 crore for the empowerment of women in the rural areas of state in the next five years under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). The minister said the programme had been initially launched in four blocks of the state, two each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions. He said Umeed would be launched in all the blocks of the state in the next five years. The programme is slated to involve nine lakh families benefiting one woman from each family with the help of 90,000 self-help groups. He said the government had taken up the Local MLA and former minister Hakim Mohammad Yaseen also addressed the the gathering. Referring to another Centrally sponsored programme (Himayat) to train and provide jobs to one lakh unemployed youth, the Union Rural Development Minister said at least 5,200 skilled boys and girls had been provided jobs in the past one year. Out of these, he said, at least 900 youth were employed at various places outside the state. He said Umeed, Himayat and a strong panchayat system would help in the overall development of the state and restoring peace in
the region.
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Govt to construct tunnel on Mughal Road for all-weather connectivity
Jammu, April 5 This was announced by Minister for Roads and Buildings Abdul Majid Wani while interacting with mediapersons after a review meeting on the progress of the Mughal Road project yesterday. The minister said a tunnel would be constructed on the stretch as it is prone to landslides, especially the Peer Ke Gali belt. The road, which passes through twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, is an alternative track to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country. Earlier, the minister asked the Hindustan Construction Corporation (HCC) to gear up for early completion of the remaining work of the Rs 639.85-crore worth Mughal Road project. Besides HCC employees, officials of the R&B department were present in the meeting. Prominent among those present were Minister of State for R&B Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo and Commissioner Secretary, R&B, TanveerJehan. HCC officials gave a powerpoint presentation to apprise the gathering about the status of various construction works undertaken by the company on the project and difficulties encountered such as hostile weather conditions, high altitude and tough terrain during the execution of works. It was informed in the meeting that 93 per cent of the project work had been completed. The minister appreciated the executing agency for creating quality infrastructure in the state. He asked the officials concerned to conduct proper geological and geotechnical investigation for the proposed tunnel, which would be approximately 7 km long from Zaznar to Chathapani and would be at an altitude of 3000 m. The minister expressed hope that after the tunnel was made, the road would prove to be a viable alternative to the existing National Highway for traffic movement from Jammu to Srinagar and vice-versa. He said road connectivity during intense snowfall would give a fillip to the economy of the state, particularly the tourism sector, besides enhancing the socio-economic graph of the region.
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News
Analysis
Jammu, April 5 His one sentence encompassing his wish for friendship with the youth of Kashmir, and his hand clasping that of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was a classic symbolism of what he had said. Kashmiri youth that time had pinned their hopes on Omar. They were hoping for a fresh breeze to blow across the Valley. They also knew that Rahul was a Prime Minister-in-waiting. Thus, they hoped that the regional head and the man deemed to be working for the bright future of India — Kashmir to Kanyakumari — would change their lifestyles and pull them out of the quagmire of violence and dark shadows of uncertainty. On Thursday when Rahul spoke to the business leaders of the nation in New Delhi, he touched upon the theme of harmonious development by taking everybody along. Rahul’s craving for “harmonious growth” has a unique message for Jammu and Kashmir, a mini India because of its geographical, demographic and linguistic diversity. The state had demonstrated that it could put behind the acrimonious atmosphere of the 2008 Amarnath land row agitation and counter agitation and move forward. It was largely because of the deft handling of the situation by Governor N N Vohra that the state was pulled back from the brink. Vohra placed the democratic option of elections before the people, which many thought would be a big gamble. The electorate who were expecting that Governor’s Rule would spill over to President’s Rule after six months were taken by extreme surprise. They responded by overwhelmingly voting for “sadak, bijli pani” (road connectivity, electricity and water). The voter turnout was even more surprising , more than 60 per cent , defeating the boycott call of separatists and militant groups within the Valley and also from across the border. Now, Rahul’s words of 2009 are on test. He brought India’s industrialists to the Valley and strengthened the hope for jobs and peace in the Valley. But the state needs much more than that — three regions of Jammu, Ladakh and the Valley have to grow together, taking into account the increasing sense of “discrimination” felt by residents of Jammu and Ladakh and the “deepening alienation” felt by those in the Valley. It is a period of transition in Kashmir’s history — where the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the change from guns to stones a transformation that has altered the complexion of the Valley’s insurgency — and the Chief Minister has reinvoked the three terms of the accession — defence, communications and currency and external affairs. Which way Kashmir would go is in the womb of future. Such an atmosphere needs deft handling, otherwise there is a fear that the harmonious growth mantra would be incomplete. Jammu and Kashmir needs equal participation of all three regions within the state and also with the rest of the country. |
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PDP remained conspicuous by its absence from House
Jammu, April 5 The PDP had announced to boycott the Budget session on March 13, while none of the BJP members attended the session from March 13 as a mark of protest against the Speaker’s decision to suspend state BJP chief Jugal Kishore Sharma. Sharma was suspended from the entire Budget session of the Assembly for showing aggressive posture to a woman minister in the House. Although legislators raised many issues pertaining to their constituencies in the Assembly, the ruling National Conference (NC) and the PDP devoted maximum time to discussing Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and alleged Hizbul Mujahideen militant Syed Liyaqat Ali Shah. It was also unprecedented in the history that members of the ruling party moved adjournment motions in the Assembly. On the second day of the Assembly, NC members moved an adjournment motion to discuss Afzal Guru. Similarly, the NC members also moved an adjournment motion to discuss Liyaqat’s arrest. From February 28 to March 13, maximum time of the Assembly proceedings was consumed in discussing Afzal. “It is for the first time in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir that the main opposition parties have boycotted the Budget session,” Congress leader Dharam Pal Sharma told The Tribune, adding, “I have been in politics since 1967 and it is the first time that the main opposition remained absent during important debates.” Former Union Minister Chaman Lal Gupta regretted that the business of the House was conducted without the main opposition party. “I had raised the issue in the Assembly a number of times, but neither the main opposition party nor the government was interested in truce,” he said. Interestingly, the Assembly spar between the NC and the PDP spilled over to the streets. After boycotting the Assembly proceeding, the opposition launched a campaign on the streets to corner the coalition. While the PDP has been charging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of eroding the sanctity of the Assembly, the BJP, on the other hand, has been telling people that the Assembly has become a platform for preaching secession. Assembly secretary Mohammad Ramzan told The Tribune that 939 questions were listed in the business while 380 supplementary questions were asked by the members. |
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More measures needed for consumer welfare: Guv
Jammu, April 5 The Governor was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a two-day workshop on “Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare”, organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), J&K regional branch, and the Centre for Consumer Studies, IIPA, New Delhi, here today. The workshop has been sponsored by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India.
The Governor emphasised the need for sustained attention to issues concerning consumer protection and consumer welfare. Referring to his five decades of association with the IIPA, he observed that today consumerism was all-pervasive phenomenon, unlike in the past, when market transactions were limited to a few commodities.
He added that the advancement of international trade, globalisation and open markets had led to the movement of goods and services across the globe for delivery virtually on our doorsteps. The phenomenon, along with dynamic and sophisticated advertising campaigns, has led to a situation which calls for urgent steps being taken for consumers to be better informed and well-advised about the unlimited range of products which they are being lured to buy.
Referring to the consequences of spurious drugs and adulterated foods, the Governor spoke about the widespread malpractice of under-weighment of commodities sold to consumers, besides dishonest claims about the life span of products sold to the consumers.
He stressed the need for effective application of various laws to curb cheating of customers. He said to achieve the desired results it was of paramount importance to enlarge consumer awareness, adding that the most effective mechanisms will need to be adopted for generating awareness among the consumers about their rights, legal remedies and the various fora which are available for grievance redress. |
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‘Lashkar poster’ comes up with dress diktat for girls
Srinagar, April 5 The poster, which was put up in Aharihal village of Pulwama district, created panic among local villagers. “It was a single poster that was put up in the village. It didn’t have any seal and it mainly asked girls to strictly follow the Islamic dress code. The locals were also asked to desist from helping the security forces. It does not look genuine but we are looking into the case,” Pulwama SP Amit Kumar said. Kumar said there was no mention of any threat to the elected panchayat members in the poster.
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7 hurt as bus overturns in Rajouri
Rajouri, April 5 The accident occurred around 10. am today when the bus was on its way from Poonch to Jammu. It appears the driver of
the vehicle lost control over the bus which overturned near a sharp curve at Kaller on the outskirts
of Rajouri district. Several passengers were critically injured. Immediately after the accident, villagers gathered near the accident site and informed the district administration, the police and the Army for help. The injured were shifted to a hospital for treatment. Later, all the injured passengers were shifted to the district hospital in Rajouri. All the injured were reported to be out of danger. The police has lodged a complaint and started the investigations. |
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Srinagar-Leh highway to reopen today
Srinagar, April 5 Though the authorities had decided to open the highway for the movement of light vehicular traffic from Srinagar a day earlier, the recent rain and snowfall have delayed the reopening of the highway. The Beacon Project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which looks after the highway, had conveyed to the authorities its readiness to open the high peak Zojila this week. With the strenuous efforts of the men and machinery of the Beacon project, the road is being opened in about three weeks as compared to last year when it was reopened on April 25. The road was opened on May 2 in 2011. The GOC, 15 Corps, Lt Gen Om Prakash, would open the road on Saturday in presence of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shalinder Kumar, Chief Engineer, Beacon, Brig RK Sharma and other senior civil administration officers. The strategic highway remains blocked for six winter months every year due to heavy accumulation of snow along the high peak Zojila located at the height of over 11,500 ft from the sea level. |
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Oz firm resumes work on Chenani-Nashri tunnel
Batote, April 5 Following a five-hour-long meeting between the LWCPL management and the striking workers’ leaders in the presence of the DCs, DIGs, SPs of Udhampur and Ramban districts, besides prominent civil society members, including sarpanches from Chenani and Nashri, an agreement was reached thus paving the way for the resumption of the tunnel construction early morning yesterday. The company management agreed to reinstate four workers, three of whom worked at the Nashri end of the tunnel and one at the Chenani end, who were expelled on March 28 on criminal charges, subject to their acquittal by an inquiry committee within two days. However, the LWCPL management disagreed to reinstate the other terminated workers booked earlier than March 28 till they were absolved of the criminal charges by the court. — OC |
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Ropeway from Bhawan to Bhairon Temple demanded
Jammu, April 5 The demands presented by the seven-member
deputation, which was led by state BSP president Tulsi Dass Langeh, included setting up of more yatra slip counters at Katra, passenger ropeway from Bhawan to Bhairon Temple and quota for senior citizens in helicopter tickets for undertaking the
Vaishno Devi and Amarnath yatras. Other demands included compensation to farmers on enhanced rates whose lands had been acquired for the four-laning of the national highway, between Nagrota and Tikri, regulation of fee structure of private educational institutions, implementation in totality of the Mandal Commission recommendations in the state and reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in appointments made under the Rehbar-e-Taleem, Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan and National Rural Health Mission schemes. The delegation comprised RL Chargotra, Rakesh Wazir, Pawan Gupta, Mohinder
Kashyap, Rattan Kumar Bhagat and Charan Dass. |
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Jammu, April 5
Batote, April 5
