|
|
|
|
|
Only 170 fire stations for 1.25 crore people
Shutdown continues in Pampore over Army occupation of PHE land
LeT had planned suicide attack on former IGP
|
|
|
Congress without agenda, says BSP
Durbar Move a liability: Civil society
Time to shun soft approach while protecting frontiers: War veterans
Don’t link Chinese incursion with tourism: Omar
Spell out policy on tackling China, BJP tells Centre
Security guard found dead
Tulip export brought Rs 1 cr to Valley in 2012
Minister for conservation of natural resources
TEENAGER’s KILLING
Kashmir’s only women police station resolves 60% cases with counselling
|
|
Only 170 fire stations for 1.25 crore people
Jammu, April 26 The proposal was mooted after a massive earthquake had claimed hundreds of lives and caused extensive loss of property in 2005. At the moment, for the state’s population of 1.25 crore, there are only 170 fire stations. Sources said fire-fighting disaster management has become very low-priority for the government as it has used its resources to fight against terrorist violence. There are 41 fire stations in Jammu and 129 in Kashmir province, but they are not enough to deal with any major calamity. Official sources said while rapid expansion of towns and urbanisation has increased the workload on the Fire service department, there has been no major modernisation of its equipment or personnel gear. The department still lacks even the basic equipment and field personnel are not provided with fire-resistant suits, masks or potable oxygen cylinders to deal with any man-made or natural calamity. Sources attribute the department’s poor condition to diversion of funds by the government for modernisation of police force in order to combat insurgency, which has put the expansion plans for the Fire service department on the backburner. Director Fire Services RS Sodhi said, “The process for capacity-building has been started. We submitted our requirements and needs to the government.” Sodhi said till the new stations are established, they are making use of the equipment available to deal with emergency situations. “Since earthquake struck the state, we have added modern equipment and planning to deal with calamity has improved. Our personnel are getting advanced search and rescue training. Government is processing our requirements,” he said. “For the population of nearly 52 lakh who inhabit the 10 districts of Jammu region, there are only 70 fire tenders, while Kashmir has nearly 100 fire tenders. Some latest vehicles and equipment have been added, but funds are the main constraint and there is no effort to create a dedicated emergency wing,” said a source. A senior officer said the main reason why the proposal did not materialise was the cost involved which is stated to be beyond the government’s capacity. Each new fire station involves expenditure of Rs 1.3 crore and an additional staff of 26 personnel. |
||
|
Shutdown continues in Pampore over Army occupation of PHE land
Anantnag, April 26 Reports said all shops and other commercial establishments in the area remained closed throughout the day, while the people resorted to anti-Army sloganeering. People also blocked the Wuyen-Khrew road and did not allow any vehicular movement. Locals alleged that the Army was trying to forcibly occupy the piece of land which was close to a residential area. Local MLA Zahoor Ahmad Mir also joined the protesters today and demanded immediate removal of the Army camp. He, along with some senior police officials and citizens of the area, called upon the Commanding Officer (CO) of 50 Rashtriya Rifles (RR). “We tried to persuade the CO not to go ahead with the construction of the camp,” said Mir. “He, however, showed helplessness, saying it was the decision of his higher-ups and he has no say in the decision making,” Mir said. He said he also called upon Minister of State for Home Sajad Kitchloo and asked him to intervene. “On the one hand, the government is trying to make us believe that militancy is on a decline while on the other hand, new camps are coming up everywhere,” Mir said. “I have talked to every person concerned in this regard and I urge the government not to alienate the people further by such moves,” he said. The Commanding Officer, Colonel Ashok, however, maintained that the Army had got the consent of local people. “We have negotiated the matter with local residents and they have agreed to call off the strike,” he said. Local residents alleged that the district administration was acting as a mute spectator. Residents of Wuyen village expressed fear that the Army would affect their day-to-day activities. “They will start putting curbs on our movement and if anything happens in the area, civilians will have to face the wrath of Army personnel,” said the protesting locals. They demanded that the district administration should intervene and the Army be made to vacate the PHE land as soon as possible. The administration maintained that it was a temporary arrangement and the Army would be relocated shortly. “They have decided the terms and conditions with the PHE department,” said Pulwama Deputy Commissioner Shafat Noor Barlas. Officials of the PHE Department said they had not permitted the Army to occupy the land. “We are trying to negotiate with the Army officials and persuade them to leave the land as soon as possible,” said Executive Engineer, PHE, Awantipora Division, RK
Pandita. |
||
|
LeT had planned suicide attack on former IGP
Srinagar, April 26 This was revealed during interrogation of LeT commander Hafiz Naveed alias Fahadullah of Multan in Pakistan who was arrested in a joint operation of the police and the Army on April 17 in north Kashmir’s Sopore area. “Interrogation of the arrested LeT commander, Hafiz Naveed, alias Fahadullah, reveals that he and Muzamil Amin Dar, alias Urfi, alias Abu Hushaam had planned
to execute a suicide attack on the office and residence of SM Sahai, the then
IGP, Kashmir,” a police report said. The report said two Pakistani militants had been chosen to execute the suicide attack on the IGP. “Urfi had conducted the reconnaissance (recce) of the target areas along with another Pakistani Abdullah Shaheen. They had planned to enter the IGP office, Srinagar, through the building of the Municipal Corporation, Srinagar. Two Pakistanis namely Abdullah Haroon and Abdullah Shaheen had been chosen to execute the task. They had taken some photographs of the IGP office from the Municipal Corporation building,” the report said. “However, after the killing of Urfi and Shaheen during an encounter at Shalpora locality of Sopore on October 21, 2012, the plan was thwarted,” the report said. “But the officer (Sahai) continues to be on the hit list of the LeT as per the revelation of Fahadullah and other inputs.” A senior police officer said the LeT was to carry out the fidayeen attack on the former IGP in November last year. “But, before they could launch the Fidayeen attack, the militants were killed,” he said. Sahai is currently posted as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) and was till last month was posted as the IGP, Kashmir. Since the arrest of Fahadullah, who was active in north Kashmir since 2009, the police said it had detained seven militants and over-ground workers of the outfit. |
||
|
Soz finds it tough to infuse fresh blood into Congress
Jammu, April 26 Soz was reappointed as JKPCC president on April 4 but he has, so far, failed to appoint new office-bearers and executive committee of the state unit of the party. It was in 2008 that the office-bearers were last appointed and a jumbo JKPCC was constituted. The same team is functioning to date. Sources said Soz had initiated steps to appoint new faces after his reappointment as JKPCC chief but due to factionalism and the “Delhi connection” of veteran leaders his plan fell flat. Soz had indirectly suggested to some veteran leaders to vacate their posts for younger party members but his appeal was not considered by the “septuagenarian and octogenarian” Congress leaders, the sources said. Most Congress leaders in the age group of 40-50 years are the worst sufferers because they are neither allowed to continue in the Youth Congress nor are they adjusted in the main party. “It is all due to the pressure of such middle-aged leaders that Soz is trying to replace some of the veterans,” a source said, adding that the JKPCC chief had called up his confidant in New Delhi to devise a strategy to pave the way for fresh faces in the party. The sources said due to factionalism in the party, Soz was hesitating to appoint new office-bearers by replacing veteran leaders with younger ones. “There is apprehension that veteran leaders would join the dissidents’ camp and open a new front. So, he is delaying the announcement of new office-bearers,” a source said. Some days ago while addressing a meeting of party workers at Hiranagar in Kathua district, Soz had hinted at revamping the JKPCC by giving important positions only dedicated workers. Without naming any leader, he mentioned that some persons had occupied important posts of the party but were “non-performing liabilities”. However, sources said, Soz had decided to revamp the Pradesh Congress at the lower level. Soz would soon appoint new district presidents, who would be assigned the job of constituting committees at the block level. In the name of revamping, Soz faction would also try to clip the wings of some dissidents, the sources added. Yet to appoint new team
|
||
|
Congress without agenda, says BSP
Jammu, April 26 Addressing party workers at RS Pura, 25 km from here, BSP state president Tulsi Dass Langeh said the NC was demanding greater autonomy for the state while the PDP was demanding self rule. He said both these demands were against the country. He said the Congress, being a coalition partner in the state government, had no agenda and was brazenly following Kashmir-centric policies just to remain in power. “It is a matter of surprise that Kashmir-centric leadership of all the political parties are following the ideology of separatists and other anti-national forces led by both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference,” he said. Langeh said instead of solving basic problems, these parties were trying to appease separatist elements. He said neither the PDP nor the NC had any proposal for the return of displaced Kashmiri Pandits to their native places. |
||
|
Durbar Move a liability: Civil society
Jammu, April 26 Durbar Move offices, comprising civil secretariat, CM’s secretariat, Raj Bhawan and the state legislature, closed here today. They will now re-open on May 6 in Srinagar. Official sources say the state spends a staggering Rs 100 crore a year to shift these offices every six months between Jammu and Srinagar. “In a politically sensitive state where voices of regional bias refuse to die down, where Jammu versus Kashmir is always up for grabs for political hawks, shifting of Durbar Move offices has become a liability for successive regimes. The time has come to evolve a mechanism to stop this practice, which was introduced by the erstwhile royal rulers,” said Meenakshi Gupta, a Jammu University scholar. “We are an economically crippled state, with a deficit of Rs 2,000 crore, which in no way can afford to waste a huge amount of money in the name of good governance every year,” she added. Gupta said if the intention of the state government was right, it could work out a way to function from Srinagar and Jammu simultaneously. Earlier, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had decided to establish Srinagar as the permanent capital, a move which had triggered widespread agitation across Jammu. The decision had to be rolled back within a month. “Going by the history, topography, location and its strategic and political importance, Jammu should be declared the only capital of the state,” a historian said. “However, to attend to all the 22 districts — 10 of Jammu region, 10 of Kashmir region and two of Ladakh region --- the government can bifurcate administrative departments to function simultaneously from Jammu and Srinagar,” he said. Sushma Sharma, a lecturer, said, “Every six months, nearly 7,000 employees in a fleet of vehicles plus official records in trucks traverse a distance of 312 km between Jammu and Srinagar at a cost of Rs 100 crore. It is just ridiculous. If a government, which has all the resources, has the intention to govern well, it can be done from Antartica or Sahara,” she said. Munir Hussain, a postgraduate, said the government could do a lot of good to unemployed youth with Rs 100 crore, which is spent every year on the exercise. The state officially has nearly six lakh educated unemployed youth. In April 2010, the then Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department, Basharat Ahmed Dar, had told The Tribune the Darbar Move costed Rs 40 crore to the state ex-chequer every year. |
||
|
Time to shun soft approach while protecting frontiers: War veterans
Jammu, April 26 War veterans in the border state feel that the weak-kneed approach of New Delhi in protecting its frontiers may cost it dear in the times to come. “Going by past experiences and what Chinese troops did on April 15-16 in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector of eastern Ladakh… intruding 10 km inside the Indian Territory and pitching up a tent … coupled with the weak-kneed approach of the Union government, China can cause more harm to us along the LAC for the simple reason that we are not alert to the new emerging challenges,” said Brigadier SS Saini (retd), president of the J&K Poorva Sainik Sewa Parishad. In a striking contrast to the well-replenished and well-connected People’s Liberation Army on the other side of the LAC, the Indo-Tibetan Border police (ITBP) to date is without an independent aviation wing for air reconnaissance and 10 of its posts with 1,500 personnel get cut off during winter for over six months in the strategic Ladakh region. “Under these circumstances when the ITBP has no flying machines and 10 of its posts get cut off during winter, the possibility of Chinese troops thinking of something more dangerous could not be ruled out,” said Brigadier Saini. He reminded that in 1987, the Chinese troops had resorted to a similar intrusion at Sum Dorong Chu, north of Tawang in Arunachal. “We had rushed our Army but because of no well laid out strategy and political compulsions, our forces were withdrawn and China still occupies that territory,” he said. The 3,488-km-long LAC between India and China runs through the Himalayan states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. China has laid a network of railway lines and roads on the other side of the LAC, but the Centre has not paid any heed to the requests of the Himachal government for a road and rail network to match that of China, he said. Brigadier Saini said despite gravest provocations, India remained soft not only with China but also other neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. “Because of weak-kneed approach, Pakistan beheaded and mutilated our troops, Bangladesh killed and treated bodies of our border guards like animals and illegal immigrants from Myanmar continue to enter India,” he added. Another war veteran, who wished anonymity, said that despite the banner drill agreement of 2005, this time around China didn’t honour it in the DBO sector. “It seemed they wanted to test the waters, to see how a weak government reacts to their misadventure - a part of their larger game plan under the ‘string of pearls’ strategy to surround and then choke India,” he said. |
||
|
Don’t link Chinese incursion with tourism: Omar
Jammu, April 26 Ahead of the tourist season, Omar wrote on Twitter, "Can we please not link the Chinese incursion to tourism in the region. The Chinese troops are too far to bother any tourists coming to Leh.” He tweeted, “When we use the words ‘Chinese troops’ & ‘tourists’ in the same sentence we create doubts where none existed.” Omar’s tweet came at a time when tourists from within the country and abroad flock the Ladakh region. Tourism is one of the mainstays of the state economy. Out of the 22 districts of the state, Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region are not under the purview of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Disturbed Areas Act. |
||
|
Spell out policy on tackling China, BJP tells Centre
Jammu, April 26 Reiterating that no political party was in the favour of escalating the stand-off, following the Chinese intrusion in Daulat Beg Oldie sector of Ladakh, he said the government should ensure that PLA troops occupying the area are immediately asked to withdraw. Sharma said the Vajpayee-led NDA government had followed a consistent foreign policy towards China and Pakistan but since the Manmohan Singh government came into power, there had been confusion on both the fronts. He said due to this, China and Pakistan had been emboldened to carry out their mischievous designs on the border. Sharma said these countries should not get a message that India was a soft state and was not capable of defending its territory. Jugal said the BJP had set up a strong party unit in Ladakh, which was working in close coordination with local people, who were at the receiving end of the Chinese aggression. He said people of the region had made great sacrifices for the country, particularly during the 1962 war and the Kargil war of 1999, and in future, too, they were prepared to put up a brave front. — TNS |
||
|
Security guard found dead
Srinagar, April 26 Jan Bahadur Thapa, a resident of Bagwan Nagar of Bursa district of Nepal, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his bedroom at Khunmoh, a police spokesman said. Thapa was working as a security guard in a private cement factory at Khunmoh. A case under Section 174 of the CrPC and has been registered and the police investigation is on, the spokesman said. — TNS
|
||
|
Tulip export brought Rs 1 cr to Valley in 2012
Srinagar, April 25 “The revenue generated by export of tulips amounted to Rs 1 crore in 2012. There was an additional income of Rs 50 lakh due to 1 lakh visitors visiting the Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar in 2012. In total, tulips have fetched us revenue of Rs 1.5 crore. This is slowly becoming the backbone of Kashmir’s floriculture industry,” said Javaid Ahmad Shah, in charge of the Tulip Garden. Shah said, “Each tulip bulb costs anywhere between Rs 35 and Rs 55 and various flower chains based in metros like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi are striking deals with the State Floriculture Department for buying Kashmiri tulips due to their increased demand in domestic and foreign markets.” He said many farmers based in Srinagar and Budgam districts were now turning to tulip cultivation after a series of experimentation in 2009. “We first imported 1.2 million tulip bulbs of 68 varieties from Holland in 2008 which were grown on an area of 30 hectares on the foothills of Zabarwan hills, now known as Tulip Garden. In 2009, various Dutch floriculturists visited Kashmir and advised us to artificially grow tulips in poly-houses which have inbuilt temperatures suitable to the growth of tulips. In 2009, we grew tulips in three such poly-houses and were thus able to grow and export tulips during winters too which is generally considered an off season
for tulip cultivation,” Shah said. Not only artificial poly-houses, even natural climatic conditions of the Valley, as per experts, are best suited for tulip cultivation. “Nowhere in India can tulips grow under natural conditions except in Kashmir. The soil quality and the extreme winter conditions of the Valley are a must for good bloom of tulip flowers during spring time. The research intervention combined with the most perfect weather conditions have made not only tulips an added attraction to the Kashmir’s breathtaking beauty, but is proving to be a good source of revenue too,” said Dr Anzar, a botanist at University of Kashmir. |
||
|
Minister for conservation of natural resources
Jammu, April 26 He was speaking at a seminar on the ‘Role of Society in Water Conservation’ at Government Women College, Gandhi Nagar, here today. He said every individual should extend his support to the government for the conservation of natural resources such as water, and forests, which are essential for the survival of human beings. He said the water crisis had been observed globally and coordinated efforts were required to save every drop of water. He said the government would make a well-knit strategy to conserve water with the involvement of panchayati raj institutions, educational institutions and NGOs. In order to ensure an adequate supply of drinking water in all the three regions of the state, the minister said the government had taken several initiatives to streamline the functioning of the PHE department. An attempt has been made to strengthen the ground level monitoring mechanism to fix accountability for each individual, he said. He said the panchayats had been made responsible for supervising the management of water installations falling under their jurisdictions. They will also check the attendance of ground level PHE functionaries before the disbursement of their wages. He said village-level sanitation committees would be constituted at the earliest to sensitise people about the issue. |
||
|
TEENAGER’s KILLING
New Delhi, April 26 According to the chargesheet filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, RK Birdi, Commandant of the 68th Battalion, had asked constable Lakhwinder Kumar to open fire on a group of boys on February 5, 2010, near the BSF headquarters at Nishat, Srinagar, following some arguments over a traffic jam in that area. The constable fired twice and one of the rounds hit a teenage boy, Zahid
Farooq Sheikh, who died on the spot. The police arrested both the BSF personnel and filed a chargesheet in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, on April 5, 2010, under
Sections 302 (murder), 109 and 201 of the Ranbir Penal Code. On April 6, 2010, the BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) filed an application in the court in his capacity as the Commanding Officer, pleading that he wanted the trial to be held by the BSF court under the BSF Act 1968. The CJM accepted the plea and transferred
the case. The state government and a relative of the victim challenged the CJM’s order in the High Court, which dismissed their plea, forcing them to approach the Supreme Court. In a 54-page verdict, an apex court Bench comprising Justices CK Prasad and FMI Kalifulla said the
DIG of the BSF was supposed to have given the reasons for his plea under Section 80 of the BSF Act, but he did not. “In our opinion, the Commanding Officer has exercised his power ignorant of the restriction placed on him under the rules.
Having found that the Commanding Officer’s decision is illegal, the order passed by the CJM and affirmed by the HC based on that cannot be allowed to stand,”
the SC held. The Supreme Court, therefore, directed the DG of BSF to revisit the entire issue within eight weeks and approach the CJM afresh if he felt that the trial should be held by the BSF court. |
||
|
Kashmir’s only women police station resolves 60% cases with counselling
Srinagar, April 26 “We receive three or four fresh cases related to marital problems, dowry, etc, on a daily basis. We register FIRs in serious cases only if we find injury marks on women who come here… but 60 to 70 per cent of the cases are resolved by our team in this police station through counselling and these cases do not reach the court,” Station House Officer (SHO), Women Police Station, Rambagh, Gulshan Akhtar told The Tribune. Gulshan said they had started counselling couples and their families around five years back at the women police station, which was established in 1998 and is manned by policewomen. “Now more women are coming forward to seek justice. Marital problems were always there in our society but not many women would come forward with complaints earlier,” she said. Asked why more women were coming forward with complaints to the women police station, Gulshan said: “A woman understands another woman’s problem in a better way. Also, we found out that most of the cases are a result of misunderstanding and women, especially those who are reluctant to come out in the open, are more comfortable expressing themselves before other women.” A local woman at the police station, who was allegedly being harassed by her husband, said she approached the police after a “lot of thought”. “I was scared of approaching the police as my husband used to harass me a lot in different ways. But when I was told that this police station is run by women, I came here. My husband’s behaviour towards me has changed after he was called here as well,” she said. Barring a driver and two male constables, who are used to escort men against whom complaints are filed, the show at the women police station is run by women. “We have a staff of around 45 to 50 women and we deal with almost all issues ourselves,” said Gulshan. When asked if they were facing problems in carrying out their duties because of being women, she said: “Not at all! In fact, we are respected because of our profession.” Other policewomen too echoed that sentiment. “I joined the force in 1998 and so far there have been no problems. In fact, it is safer for women to be in the police and I feel it is better being here than in other departments,” said Constable Mubeena. Rambagh houses the Valley’s sole full-fledged women police station while there are two women police cells in Anantnag and Baramulla districts. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Anantnag, April 26
Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) had planned a fidayeen (suicide) attack on the office and residence of former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Shiv Murari Sahai, and had done a recce of their target and taken photographs of the zonal police headquarters here.
LeT militant Fahadullah
Jammu, April 26
Srinagar, April 26
