Omar fails to land in Jammu Cabinet Meet Postponed

Greater Kashmir

Syed Amjad Shah

Jammu, Jan 12: Thick fog caused postponement of the crucial cabinet meeting which was scheduled to be held here Wednesday as the Jammu-bound plane with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on board could not land at the Technical Airport.

Official sources said the special plane of the Chief Minister, who was returning from New Delhi after attending a high-level meeting there, reached Jammu at around 1:00 p.m but could not land due to poor visibility at the Airport.
“Dense fog had reduced the visibility at Technical Airport to a few meters and flight carrying Chief Minister could not land and was diverted to Srinagar,” a senior official at Jammu Airport told Greater Kashmir.
“The cabinet meeting was scheduled to be held at 3:30 p.m but the absence of the Chief Minister forced its cancellation,” official sources said.
The meeting has been now rescheduled at 6:30 pm on Friday.
On Tuesday, all flights were cancelled at Jammu Airport due to poor visibility.
Sources, however, said some of the Congress and National Conference ministers were also not in the town.
This cabinet meeting had gained importance after Omar’s statement that he would discuss with his cabinet colleagues the BJP’s plan of flag hoisting at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on January 26.
Official sources said the cabinet had also to give its approval to the proposal of bringing two colleges of Music and Fine Arts under the control of universities of Jammu and Kashmir. A report by a special committee, constituted over Sawlakote power project, was also to be discussed in the meeting.

APD visit a drama:Shabir Shah ‘Initiate Meaning Dialoque’

Greater Kashmir

SYED AMJAD SHAH

Jammu, Sept 24: Incarcerated chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Shabir Ahmed Shah, has described the recent visit of All Party Delegation to Jammu and Kashmir as a “drama.”

“Indian government should shun its ego and initiate a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan and people of Jammu and Kashmir to restore peace and normalcy in the sub-continent,” Shah told reporters at a Nursing Home here, where he was brought for a medical checkup. “The recent visit of All Party Delegation was a state managed drama to divert the attention from the real issue,” he said.

“To resolve Kashmir issue within the frame work of the Indian constitution is not possible”, he said. “India should implement the resolutions passed by the United Nations.”
“Economic and employment packages cannot resolve the Kashmir issue. Instead it needs a political solution,” he added.
Shah accused Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and its leadership of adopting double standards.
Referring to the statement of the BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, Shah reminded her about the commitments her party had made when it was in power.
“The then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, on the floor of the house had expressed his desire to resolve the Kashmir issue during his life time. How can BJP forget that Vajpayee had appointed Jaswant Singh and KC Pant as interlocutors for holding talks with Hurriyat leaders. The peace talks with Pakistan were initiated by none other than Vajpayee,” he added.

New government takes oath under tight security

Greater Kashmir

Syed Amjad Shah
JAMMU, Jan 5: Three-tier security bandobast was made for the oath-taking ceremony of new Chief Minister for Jammu and Kashmir State and his cabinet members, for which national leaders like UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Pranab Mukhjerji besides others arrived to take part, this afternoon.
The tight security arrangements were made around the varsity to prevent any untoward incident here today. A large number of police and para-military troops were deployed in and around General Zorawar Singh Auditorium, University of Jammu (JU) venue of the ceremony.
Police had blocked all roads leading to JU. Restriction was imposed on the movement of vehicular traffic at many places. The traffic was diverted at many places in the city. All the vehicles from Bagh-e-Bahu were diverted to Gujjar Nagar Bridge and vehicles from Panama Chowk were diverted to Bikram Chowk and Ware House road.
The traffic restrictions imposed by the authorities resulted in traffic jams, which created problems for commuters.
"It took me more than two hours to reach Dogra Chowk from Indira Chowk," said Narinder Singh employee of a private company, who was caught in traffic jam.
Traffic restrictions were also imposed on the Jammu Airport road, Residency road and Raj Bhawan.
Additional para-military troopers and CRPF personnel were deployed along major roads, who thoroughly frisked vehicles.
Policemen were deployed on roof tops of buildings covering the venue and on the buildings near the Jammu Airport where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was scheduled to arrive.
No policeman or personal security officers of VIPs was allowed to enter the auditorium with weapon, except for those who had already been deployed there.

Police, BSP at loggerheads over alleged killings

Kashmir Times

Syed Amjad Shah

JAMMU, Jan 1: Police and Bahujan Samaj Party is at loggerheads over the latter's claim of killing two of its activists in an incident of firing at the peacefully demonstrating supporters of BSP candidate Kamal Arora on the Jammu-Pathankote National Highway near Kunjwani in Jammu on Wednesday.
While police is dismissing the allegations of firing by referring as hypothetical assumption of BSP leaders, the state president of the party Tulsi Dass Langeh has sought a CBI probe into the entire episode. He has alleged that two of its activists were killed in Wednesday's alleged police firing on peaceful protestors.
The protestors had been seeking re-poll in Bishnah assembly segment from where its candidate Kamal Arora unsuccessfully contested the elections. In a meeting held today at its party headquarter; State president of the party Tulsi Dass Langeh alleged that police opened unprovoked firing on the "peacefully protesting activists of BSP".
He said that the activists had been demanding re-polling in Bishnah constituency against the alleged partial role of the 'returning officer'. While expressing concern over the killing, Langeh demanded a relief of Rs 10 lakh each for those killed in yesterday's alleged police firing and Rs 5 lakh each for the seriously injured supporters of BSP candidate.
Besides this, he further demanded immediate transfer of District Development Commissioner (DDC) and SSP (Jammu) Manohar Singh for their unskilled role to handle the situation. Later, he threatened that if their demands are not met, they would be forced to launch an agitation against the government. BSP leaders have identified the two killed persons as Bodhraj Yogi and Girdhari Lal both residents of Arnia.
Interestingly, none in the police is ready to buy this story of the leaders of BSP. Senior police officials maintain that one of the deceased persons Bodh Raj died of a heart attack and was not even injured during the mild lathicharge on the protesting BSP activists.
They added that even the postmortem report reveals that Bodhraj died of heart attack and not due to the alleged police firing. Official affirm that the other name Girdhari Lal, which is being mentioned by the BSP leaders is of a person who was not part of the mob which created a ruckus on the national highway and started pelting stones at the vehicles passing by.
Moreover, the two have been cremated peacefully and no FIR has been lodged anywhere in this respect. "Would the families not have protested if the two were killed in firing? How can one fake those killed during police firing?" added the official. He also clarified that protesters were cane charged with intent to disperse them for the restoration of vehicular traffic on the National Highway in Kunjwani.
When contacted SSP (Jammu) Manohar Singh said that Kamal Arora has been admitted at Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital for treatment because of his ailing health. He further said that Kamal Arora is yet to be released on bail and is still in police custody. Besides this, Singh averred that protesters were not fired at by the police and it is the rumours which are being spread across the state.
Protesters blocked NH in Kunjwani for four hours and disrupted traffic, when they were requested by the concerned SP to lift sit-in from the road, informed SSP Jammu, adding that they started pelting stones on the police which compelled them to cane charge the agitating mob. Instead of resorting to violence, they were advised to submit memorandum to the concerned Deputy Commissioner, police said.

Opposition corners govt over late funds release BJP, NPP members stage walkout

Greater Kashmir

SYED AMJAD SHAH

Jammu, Mar 29: The opposition members on Monday staged walkout from the assembly after they criticized the Coalition government for releasing the funds at the fag end of fiscal and blamed the ministers of promoting ruling party activists by approving works and ignoring them in matters of developmental activities in their constituencies.

The matter was raised by MLA Harshdev Singh of Panthers Party who alleged that the minister of state for finance and planning, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma released funds for new work in his constituency without taking him into confidence.
He said the funds for the work were released two days back, which is fag end of current fiscal.
Terming the release of the fund during the end of this fiscal as a ‘grave financial indiscipline’, he asked the finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather to take action against the junior minister.
Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone directed the government not to utilize the funds released if any, for the new work.
He also asked the government to involve the concerned members in developmental activities in their respective constituencies.
MLA Jugal Kishore of BJP said the ministers were busy in promoting their activists. He and other BJP members alleged that the ministers were looting the state exchequer to promote the ruling party workers.
Meanwhile, minister for Industries S S Salathia, who was replying to a question, got offended on the remarks of the opposition and entered in verbal duel with Jugal which prompted BJP and Panthers Party MLAs to stage a walkout.

PDP to boycott rest of Budget Session Assembly Has Become Dewan Khana: Baig

Greater Kashmir

SYED AMJAD SHAH

Jammu, Mar 29: Accusing the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of adopting a `vindictive’ approach towards the opposition and taking the House non-seriously, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Monday declared that the party’s legislators would boycott the proceedings of the state legislator for rest of the session.

“Keeping in view the non-serious and juvenile approach of Chief Minister, our party has decided not to attend the proceedings of House for the reset of the session”, former deputy Chief Minister and senior PDP leader, Muzaffar Hussain Baig told media persons, soon after his party staged a walkout from the assembly today.

“House has become a ‘Dewan Khana’ of the chief minister”, Baig said adding it was unfortunate that the chief minister was showing non-serious attitude towards the day-to-day business of the assembly.

“What is the fun of attending the proceedings of the Assembly when the Chief Minister who is leader of the House is more concerned about playing games on his cell phone instead of taking interest in the proceedings”, Baig regretted.
“It is a mockery that the Chief Minister of a sensitive State like Jammu and Kashmir has been taking functioning of the Assembly so casually”, he said and added that the Assembly is the highest institution of the democratic system and the Chief Minister should not have taken the proceedings so lightly.
Coming down heavily on the chief minister for not responding to the important issues being raised in the House, Baig said, “Due to the casual approach adopted by the government, we have decided that our party would not attend the rest of the budget session”.
He said that PDP has raised important issues like release of funds and additionalties to the constituencies being represented by the PDP MLAs. “However, we are not getting any response from the Government every time we raise the issues of public importance”.
“It has become policy of the government to discriminate with some specific areas for political reasons”, he said.
Charging the government with adopting discriminatory policies in releasing additionalties, he said that instead of working in a democratic manner, attitude of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is “totally autocratic.”
“What to say of releasing additionalties for the development of the constituencies represented by opposition especially by the PDP, the Chief Minister even threatened not to release funds to the state’s areas represented by PDP MLAs”, he said.
“The money with the state government is not ancestral property of any public representative including the chief minister”, Baig said and added that it is the public money and is to be used for the public welfare.

Mufti joins walkout
Former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed joined his party legislators, here Monday, to stage a walkout from the assembly over withdrawal of security to Ex-MLA Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Mir.
Mufti arrived in the House, a minute before, his party colleagues were preparing for a walkout. He was seen proceeding towards his seat from where he immediately joined his colleagues to stage a walkout.
Though Mufti attended the proceedings of the House, several times, during the ongoing session, he avoided tojoin walkouts and protests, till today.

Govt cancels Ladakh festival

Greater Kashmir

SYED AMJAD SHAH

Jammu, Aug 24: In the wake of 200 deaths and widespread destruction of property due to cloudbursts in Leh, the government has decided not to celebrate the popular Ladakh festival, this year.
The government, sources said, decided not to celebrate the festival as token of respect to the victims and the bereaved families. The annual Ladakh festival is organised for 15 days from September 1 to 15 every year. In this festival, lamas from different monasteries participate in events including archery, polo, and mask dances.
The famous festival, depicting traditional heritage of Himalayan district, has remained a great attraction for the tourists, especially foreigners.
Besides performances by local artists, large number of people, wearing traditional dresses and jewellery, depicting the unique culture of the region took part in the festival