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Eye on poll, MLAs expelled from BJP in talks with NC
Minister denies involvement in spurious drugs case
Guv for upgrading facilities for pilgrims at Vaishno Devi shrine
Now, post office to market Gulmarg as tourist spot
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Farmers a happy lot as it’s all quiet along border in Jammu
e-muster rolls to ensure transparency in rural employment scheme
Fahadullah last surviving foreign militant in Sopore, says police
At militant's funeral, Geelani talks about ‘mission of martyrs’
Officer wants written
apology from minister
Apex Court modifies guidelines on amenities for Amarnath yatris
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Eye on poll, MLAs expelled from BJP in talks with NC
Jammu, April 19 Jain had stated on Wednesday that seven MLAs, who were expelled from the party on the charges of cross-voting in the 2011 Legislative Council elections, were free to rejoin the party fold. Local BJP leaders are, however, opposing the re-entry of the expelled members by saying that any rapprochement with “traitors” will send a wrong message among the cadre. Sources said the expelled BJP leaders were aware that the local unit would not allow their re-entry and so they had started exploring other possibilities. Two of the expelled leaders have reportedly given their consent to contest the 2014 Assembly elections on the mandate of the ruling National Conference. Although both the NC and the expelled BJP leaders have ruled out any political understanding, sources said the expelled leaders were in constant touch with the ruling party and the final decision would be taken at the appropriate time. “There is no question of rejoining the BJP or entering into an alliance with the NC. Being a separate identity, we will continue our fight for the cause of the Jammu region,” former Union Minister and leader of the expelled group Chaman Lal Gupta told The Tribune. Gupta claimed that their group would emerge as the “real and credible voice” of the people of the Jammu region. Notwithstanding clarification, NC leaders have opened a channel of communication with the expelled leaders to field some of them as party candidates in the next Assembly elections. Sources close to the expelled leaders said some of these MLAs were interested in rejoining the party but due to the “behaviour of loyalists”, they had begun communication with the NC. “Tactical understanding” between the NC and MLAs expelled from the BJP was exposed during the Legislative Council elections when these legislators had boycotted the polling to ensure victory of ruling party candidates. It was all due to the boycott of seven expelled BJP legislators that Independent candidate Shiban Kishan Dodha, who was supported by the BJP, lost the elections. Similarly, in the just concluded budget session of the state Assembly, the seven expelled leaders did not support the BJP legislators who had boycotted the proceedings of the House following the suspension of their leader Jugal Kishore Sharma from the Assembly. When the PDP and BJP had boycotted the Assembly, these seven MLAs played the role of Opposition to maintain quorum of the Assembly.
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Minister denies involvement in spurious drugs case
Jammu, April 19 Sharma, who holds the portfolio of Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Irrigation Department, said people in the Valley were being instigated and confusion was being created among them through a sustained media campaign targeting him. Addressing a press conference to clarify his position, which has exposed fissures within the state Congress, Sharma said the approval for the purchase of drugs and hospital supplies was the job of purchase committees and a minister had no role in the process. “Using the spurious drugs case to bring into question my reputation is nothing but a shoddy attempt at political assassination. I pushed for a drug policy for J&K, which was accepted by the Cabinet. Whenever you have reformers trying to push a positive agenda, people with vested interests try to stand against the changes,” the minister said. He claimed that four separate committees were constituted in September 2008 before his tenure. “It is solely the job of purchase committees to fix the rates and contracts and approve the purchase of drugs in the state after the tendering process,” he said. On allegations that one of the drugs in question is responsible for the death of infants, Sharma said people were being misled in the Valley and the drug was not prescribed to children below the age of 12 years and that medicines had not been purchased for the Kashmir valley alone but for hospitals in Jammu too. “Firstly, I would like to place on record that the supply of spurious or sub-standard drugs to needy patients is not only unethical but is also a crime. People who are responsible for these cases should be prosecuted to the full extent,” the minister said. “We should wait for the verdict of the inquiry committee before any conclusions are drawn. If the findings of the probe are not satisfactory, the government can initiate any other probe to find out the facts,” he said. He said, “Let the inquiry committee present their report and things will be cleared. I welcome any objective inquiry into my role in the alleged spurious drugs case because I know in my heart that the truth is on my side and the truth will prevail,” he said.
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Guv for upgrading facilities for pilgrims at Vaishno Devi shrine
Jammu, April 19 He said new buildings should have the best possible facilities to meet future requirements of the growing tourists. The Governor and his wife Usha Vohra paid obeisance at the holy cave on the occasion of Ramanavami this morning. The Governor, accompanied by various members of the board, reviewed various development works under execution and discussed measures for further development of the shrine area to provide better facilities to pilgrims. With a view to improve infrastructural facilities and address the issue of shortage of lockers, the Governor asked officials concerned to revisit the master plan of the Bhawan area, where old structures would be replaced by new buildings having proper facilities for pilgrims. He said a long-term perspective plan should be evolved and facilities upgraded and modernised as per emerging requirements. While inspecting the dispensary at the Bhawan, the Governor issued instructions for establishing a laboratory and an X-ray plant to tackle medical emergencies. Board members informed the governor that the under-construction Parvati Bhawan complex would be completed within a month. The Governor said there was a need to plant flowering shrubs and creepers along the tracks to improve the aesthetics and ambience of the yatra routes. He said a detailed project report for developing Adhkuwari should be prepared. He asked for relaying of electric wires so that the entire area gives a better look. He asked the CEO to explore the possibility of setting up a modern laundry at Adhkuwari for washing bedsheets and blankets provided to pilgrims. Taking stock of the ongoing work on the construction of an emergency helipad near Panchi View Point, Vohra asked members to expedite the project. |
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Now, post office to market Gulmarg as tourist spot
Srinagar, April 19 The Department of Posts, Jammu and Kashmir circle, is inaugurating the Tourist Post Office at Gulmarg tomorrow. Besides functioning as a normal post office, it will have special “postmarks” of the
ski resort. “The letters posted from Gulmarg will have artistic pictures of gondala as a postmark. When somebody outside sees it, he or she will appreciate it and see it as a special thing that would attract them to Kashmir,” said Chief Postmaster General, J&K circle, John Samuel. Besides being thronged by tourists for skiing
and sightseeing, Gulmarg is famous for its gondola rides. The Tourist Post Office will also have products related to tourism like special postcards and an office that will have tourism-related information, including brochures. Samuel said the post office would be located close to the Gulmarg bus stand, making it convenient for tourists to pay
a visit. The postal department had launched a floating post office on the Dal Lake in 2011 that had become an added tourist attraction around the Dal Lake, especially among foreigners, who used to visit the museum there and also buy special postcards showcasing the Valley’s landscape. While the post office had become defunct after the houseboat housing it submerged into the lake, a new floating post office is likely to be launched at the Dal Lake next month. |
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Farmers a happy lot as it’s all quiet along border in Jammu
Jammu, April 19 For the first time in the past six years, the two border guarding forces — the BSF and Pakistan Rangers — have avoided trading firearms this winter from December 1, 2012, to date creating a record of sorts since 2007. “This winter from December 1 last year up till now (April 19) there has been no incident of firing along the international border (Indo-Pak border). Not even a single bullet has been fired from either side and this had been the first winter since 2007 that has remained peaceful,” a senior BSF officer told The Tribune. The officer attributed the lull to the concerted efforts of the BSF and intelligence agencies. “Winters are always challenging for us when thick fog envelops the Indo-Pak border, largely in the plain area, because the Rangers try to push ultras to this side. But this winter neither was there a terror-related activity nor any attempt to smuggle narcotics or fake currency from the other side. It was the first winter in the past six years when not even a single bullet was fired on the 192-km-long border,” he said. He said the BSF had been repeatedly impressing upon the Rangers in various high-level meetings to ensure calm on the border in the larger interest of villagers living close to it on both the sides. “Probably, they understood our logic and responded in a positive way,” he said. “This winter, however, we do notice the Rangers dominating their territory more professionally. They could have had some other compulsions that has kept them quiet… so it doesn’t mean that we have lowered our guard”, he said. When asked about a recent US military report on 94 per cent of the LeT ultras who see J&K as their fighting front and come from Pakistan’s Punjab province opposite the Jammu frontier, the officer said that there were ultras on the other side. “We go by the ground situation, which is not alarming at this point of time,” he said. “There are movements of ultras on the other side. They conduct recce of the border and there are groups which have been kept on hold. But we have not only identified our grey areas but also do whatever is required at our end,” he added With Pakistan going to the polls in May this year, we are already on a high alert, he said.
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e-muster rolls to ensure transparency in rural employment scheme
Srinagar, April 19 “We had introduced e-muster rolls (e-MR) as a pilot project in 2012 but since April 1, 2013, it has been introduced in all the districts of the state,” Rural Development Commissioner Secretary Farooq Ahmad Peer said. “This system will lessen corruption and ensure transparency,” he said. The introduction of e-muster rolls under the MGNREGA had become a necessity after the Union government directed the states to switch over to e-MR from April, 1, 2013. Till March last year, there were only six states - Kamataka, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pardesh and Kerala - which were using the e-MR. Kashmir Rural Development director Mir Altaf Ahmad said the introduction of the system would help in bringing greater transparency in the execution of the MGNGREGA at the grass-roots level. “The introduction of e-MR will also make the process of paying wages to labourers hassle-free as their bank accounts are being registered these days,” Mir said. He said workshops to brief employees of the Rural Development Department about the e-MR had been organised recently in various districts of the Valley. “Prior to the introduction of the e-MR, the rolls were manually written by work supervisor, secretary panchayat or gram rozgar sahayak while the work was being done by labourers. Now, the e-MR will be formed on the basis of the demand of labourers in a particular halqa,” he said. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its latest report had criticised the J&K Government for lapses in the implementation of the MGNREGA. The CAG report observed that payments of wages to labourers were delayed. The MGNREGA was first introduced in Kupwara, Doda and Poonch districts in February 2006, following which it was launched in all the districts. The scheme aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of employment in a financial year to a rural household, whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
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Fahadullah last surviving foreign militant in Sopore, says police
Srinagar, April 19 Fahadullah rose to the rank of divisional commander of the Lashkar soon after Abdullah Uni, who was responsible for reviving militancy in north Kashmir’s Sopore area, was killed. Police sources said Fahadullah was the last surviving foreign militant in Sopore town who was on the police radar since 2011, after Abdullah Uni and another foreign militant Akash Bader were killed. Fahadullah, who was a key member of the LeT, had many narrow escapes in the past three years. He was also injured in an encounter but managed to flee. “Since Fahadullah took over command of the outfit, he preferred congested localities in Sopore town and adjoining villages. We have come close to getting him many times since 2011 but he managed to escape each time,” said a police officer. He said that the LeT commander had also set up a network of outfits in many parts of Baramulla, Bandipore and Kupwara districts of north Kashmir. “As per our records, Fahadullah was the last foreign militant active
in Sopore and its adjoining villages,” the police officer said. In 2010, the J&K Police said around 20 militants, mostly foreigners, were active in Sopore and the adjoining villages. These included Abdullah Uni, Abu Mayia and Akash Badar of the LeT, Yasir Tunda of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Nouman of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. All these militants were shot dead in various operations. In 2012, the police and security forces killed 15 militants in and around Sopore town, out of which 13 were foreigners. Kashmir Inspector General of Police Abdul Ghani Mir while terming the arrest of Fahadullah as a big success, said foreign militants were active in various parts of the Valley. “Fahadullah’s arrest was a big success for security forces and the police. We continue to question him though we can't share the details,” Mir said. |
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At militant's funeral, Geelani talks about ‘mission of martyrs’
Palhalan (Kashmir), April 19 He said, “The mission of martyrs is to end military occupation and replace the unjust system with a just system.” Geelani, like other separatists, terms the presence of the Army and paramilitary forces in the Kashmir region as “military occupation” and considers the slain militants as "martyrs". “It is your responsibility to continue the mission of martyrs and to remain loyal to it. The mission is to end the military occupation and usher in a just and honest system instead of the system which is based on barbarity and oppression.” The funeral ceremony was that of LeT militant Shabir Ahmad Sheikh, who, his father said, had gone "underground to become a militant five months and 18 days ago. Sheikh (30), previously a shopkeeper at his native village, was killed on Thursday in an orchard near Sopore town of north Kashmir. The police and paramilitary personnel sealed the entrance to the village, shops remained shut and a partial shutdown was also observed at the nearby Pattan market to mourn the militant's death. “We should take a pledge to boycott elections. Casting of vote is to support oppression,” he said, claiming there is “no difference” between political parties and individuals who are participating in elections. The Hurriyat hardliner’s previous appeals for boycott of election have failed to evoke a massive response. |
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Officer wants written
apology from minister
Jammu, April 19 Despite an uproar by the opposition parties, the state government has not taken any note of the incident. The local police and civil officers have maintained a guarded silence. The CEO, however, has expressed concern about the security of his family. Riaz left for Srinagar this morning to attend an official meeting. “My family is living in Jammu. I have certain apprehensions about their security because of lodging a written complaint against the MoS (Home),” Riaz Ahmed told The Tribune. “I know that no action will be taken against the Minister due to his influence,” he said. When asked about the action taken against the written complaint lodged by him, he said no action had been taken on his complaint. “Rather some influential persons are trying to pressurise me to amicably sort out the issue with the minister,” he said, adding that he was ready to forget the matter provided the minister tendered him a written apology. |
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Apex Court modifies guidelines on amenities for Amarnath yatris
New Delhi, April 19 Modifying the order, a bench headed by BS Chauhan said the registration of yatris would be done only in Jammu and Srinagar while its earlier order had allowed registration also in Baltal and Panchtarni. The bench also modified its order that the gap between iron grills installed near the cave should not be less than 12 inches, saying it is for the Special High Power Committee appointed by it to take a decision on the issue. The apex court had on December 13 directed the Centre and J&K Government to ensure proper facilities to the Amarnath yatris, saying it is the government’s constitutional obligation to provide basic facilities to the pilgrims who visit religious places. Observing that arrangements for the pilgrims near the holy shrine are “pathetic”, the apex court had issued a slew of directions to the governments and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board for widening the tracks to the holy cave which may be covered by pre-fabricated tiles. —
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Jammu, April 19
Even as Gulmarg has always remained a prime attraction for visitors in the Valley, the Department of Posts will now market this north Kashmir tourist resort through its unique Tourist Post Office.
