Hill
Kaka compensation scam case
Court grants bail to 2
Revenue officials
Excelsior
Correspondent
Jammu, Jan 18: Special Judge
Anticorruption Jammu, JR Kotwal today
granted bail to two Junior Assistants of
Revenue Department Poonch namely Sohan
Singh and Maqbool Ahmed, who are involved
in much publicized Hill Kaka compensation
scam to the tune of Rs 7.40 Crores, with
the direction to filebail bond of to the
tune of Rs 50,000/- each.
The
accused Sohan Singh and Maqbool Ahmed,
Junior Assistants, who surrendered before
the Court on January 9, 2006 and prayed
for bail, the Court remanded both the
accused to the custody of the Vigilance
Organization and rejected their bail
applications. The Court, however, granted
interim bail to Mohd Hafiz, then
Assistant Commissioner Revenue Poonch.
According
to the Vigilance Organization, the
petitioner Mohd Hafiz at the relevant
time was posted as AC Revenue Poonch and
Sohan Singh and Maqbool Ahmed were Junior
Assistants under him.
In 2003,
army undertook an operation, namely,
"Sarpnash" in Hill Kaka Area.
In that connection about 100 families
from the village were evacuated to safer
places and some migratory families from
adjoining areas were not permitted to
migrate to their pastures in that area in
summer of that year.
To
compensate these families the Govt of
India released fund to the tune of Rs
7.40 Crore and kept them at the disposal
of the District Poonch Administration for
distribution to the genuine Claimants.
According
to the investigation 277 persons were
paid compensations and there are cases
where compensation was paid instead of Rs
12,960/- Rs 1,20,960/-, whereas
compensation Rs 2, 05,200/- was paid to a
person, whose name does not figure in the
list of affected families, the IO also
alleged that the concerned officials did
not cooperate and did not even hand over
the record pertaining to the cases.
Today, the Court after hearing both the
sides, granted bail in favour of Sohan
Singh and Maqbool Ahmed Junior
Assistants, who were in the custody of
Vigilance Organization.
Baig
recognises stupendous service of Beacon
Excelsior
Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 18: Deputy
Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig
while appreciating the efforts made by
the divisional and district
administration in mitigating the
sufferings of the people caused by recent
heavy snowfall, despite heavy odds, has
said that divisional administration has
to shoulder additional responsibilities
during winter months when offices move
down to Jammu, as such, it should be ever
ready, alert and prepared to face any
emergency owing to weather vigorous or of
any other nature.
Recognizing
stupendous service of Beacon organization
for pressing into service men and
machinery for prompt snow clearance
operation on the National Highway, he
hoped the National Highway will be opened
for traffic by tomorrow if weather
permits. He said 300 truck loads of
essentials are on way for the valley,
while as adequate stocks are already
available here
The Deputy
Chief Minister was addressing divisional
administration at a meeting here today
convened to review the situation arising
out of fresh heavy snowfall and also the
availability of essentials in the Valley.
Divisional
Commissioner Kashmir, Mr Basharat Ahmed,
Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar Dr. Asgar
Samoon DIG Police Srinagar Chief Engineer
Beacon organization, Mr. Charak, Chief
engineers of R&B, PHE, PDD,
Mechanical Engineering departments and
head of departments of various
departments attended the meeting.
The snow
clearance operations both mechanical and
manual were discussed in threadbare and
it was informed that inter district
routes have already been cleared of snow
while clearing of snow from inner links
is going on vigorously and maximum number
of inner roads are expected to be
connected with district routes by
tomorrow evening.
Regarding
power supply, the meeting was informed
that supply has mostly been restored
while efforts are on to restore it in far
of villages in northern Kashmir by
tomorrow where heavy snowfall has been
recorded.
Reviewing
stock and supply position of essentials,
it was given out that 2 lakh LPG
cylinders, 2.50 quintals of rice and
about 11000 quintals of Sugar besides
sufficient quantity of other commodities
including K-oil are available in various
sale-outlets in the valley.
Later,
interacting with electronic media
persons, the Deputy Chief Minister said
that panic about supplies in the event of
closure of National highway saying that
Govt has made sufficient stocks available
to cater to the demands of the people. He
said the administration is fully ready to
meet the challenge posed by weather
vagaries.
Earlier,
the Deputy Chief Minister, visited
Hindustan Petroleum Bottling plant at
Pampore, Food Supply godowns in Lathpora
and Mir Bazar Anantnag. He was
accompanied by Divisional Commissioner,
Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama,
Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, and
Director Consumer Affairs & Public
Distribution besides other officers.
At H P
Bottling Plant Pampore the Deputy Chief
Minister was informed that Bottling Plant
has sufficient stock of petrol and
petroleum products available which
include petrol, diesel, K. oil. LP gas
and more supply is on way. He was
informed that plant has a capacity of
bottling 10,000 cylinders per day and 75
percent requirement is met by the HP
alone for consumers.
Regarding
food grain position the Deputy Chief
Minister was informed that buffer stocks
of rice, atta, sugar are available in the
godowns which is being dispatched in
trucks every day to various destinations.
Regarding drinking water supply, Mr. Baig
said that due to severe cold the water
supply in Chari-e-sharief and Sopore was
affected but work to restore the supply
is going on in full swing.
Deaf,
dumb populace of Dhadkai
GMC doctors, Genetic
Centre of JU conducting
parallel
study
By Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 18: Directorate
of Health Services has approached the
Genetic Centre of the Jammu University
and Medicine and Blood Transfusion
Departments of the Government Medical
College Jammu for parallel study on the
deaf and dumb populace of the remote
Dhadkai village in Doda district.
Sources
told the EXCELSIOR that Dr Subash Gupta
of Medicine Department and Dr T R Raina
of Blood Transfusion Department of GMC
Jammu have prepared a detailed project
report and will submit the same within
next two days.
In the
report, they have mentioned that as a
preliminary action geographical and
environmental survey of the village needs
to be conducted followed by chromosomal
and molecular study of the genes of the
affected populace, the sources informed.
While the
molecular study will be conducted in the
Jammu University’s Molecular
Laboratory, the chromosomal study
(Karyotyping) will be done in the
Government Medical College Lab, they said
and added that the entire study would
take time as detailed study of one
chromosome usually takes 10 days and
there are 46 chromosomes in the human
body.
Since the
detailed study also requires lots of
funds, the Directorate of Health
Services, if need arrises, will seek the
help of Department of Bio-technology,
Government of India which can be easily
done with the interference of Chief
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Meanwhile,
two ENT surgeons in the Doda district are
on the final stage of sending requisite
samples to the Directorate of Health
Services Jammu for onward submission to
the experts of the Genetic Department of
the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for detailed
study on the deaf and dumb populace.
When
contacted, Director Health Services Dr
Jasbir Singh said that decision to
conduct parallel study was taken keeping
in view the availability of the Genetic
Centre in the Jammu University and
availability of two experts of Medicine
and Blood Transfusion Departments in GMC
Jammu.
"If
we have the infrastructure and expertise
there is no harm in conducting study here
too", he said while answering to a
query.
2
killed, 5 injured in LPG cylinder
explosion
Excelsior
Correspondent
BANIHAL, Jan 18: Two
children including an infant were killed
and five others received severe injuries
in an explosion of a Liquefied Petroleum
Gas Cylinder at their house in village
Nowgam last evening.
Police
sources said that the family was having a
dinner when all of a sudden LPG cylinder
burst killing two children including an
infant on the spot and wounding five
others critically.
On hearing
the sound of explosion, some neighbours
immediately rushed to the spot and even
informed police about the incident. A
police party immediately rushed to the
spot and shifted all the victims to the
hospital where two of them were declared
as brought dead.
The
condition of injured was stated to be
critical when reports last came in and
according to doctors there were least
chances of survival of two persons
because of 90 percent burn injuries.
The
deceased have been identified as an
infant Sakib and Bilkis. The injured are
Safdar Ali, his daughter Safarah, Jana,
wife of Ahmed Ganai Chopan, Abdul Gani
and Farhana, daughter of Shabir Ahmed.
Keeping in
view the critical condition of the
injured, Deputy Commissioner Doda Gulzar
Ahmed Qureshi made arrangements and got
the injured shifted to Srinagar hospital
for specialised treatment.
He also
announced Rs 5000 each for the injured
for treatment.
Man
found dead; 7 injured in mishaps
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 18: A man was found
dead on road-side while as seven persons
including two Army personnel were injured
in separate road accidents.
Police
spokesman said that body of a man was
recovered from road-side at village
Maryalan in Rajouri district. The body
was spotted by some villagers, who
informed the police.
Identity
of the body was, later, established as
Mohan Lal, son of Sita Ram of Dhalorhi
Morha Maryalan. The body was, later,
handed over to family member after legal
formalities.
Meanwhile,
two Army personnel were injured when they
were hit by a speeding and rashly driven
load carrier bearing registration number
JK02T-7785 near Chopra Shop under the
jurisdiction of Rehmbal Police Station.
Both the
critically injured Army personnel were
rushed to Military Hospital Udhampur and
their condition was stated to be serious
when reports last came in.
They have
been identified as Ram Take and Sanjay
Kumar, both Head Constables.
In other
accidents, five persons were injured and
have been hospitalised. Their condition
was stated to be out of danger when
reports last came in,
They have
been identified as Mohani Suri, wife of K
L Suri of Talab Tillo, Lakhvir Singh, son
of Bodh Raj of Kanachak, Ankush, son of
Sudesh Kumar, Sanjeev, son of Ram Lal and
Sada Nand, son of Ram Dass of Hiranagar.
Support
Azad in rooting out corruption: Charak
Excelsior
Correspondent
VIJAYPUR , Jan 18: Minister
incharge Roads and Buildings, Gulchain
Singh Charak today asked the Congress
activists to support Chief Minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad in the campaign to root
out corruption and provide clean
administration in the State.
Addressing
a meeting of Congress activists here in
tehsil Samba, Mr Charak appealed the
Block Congress Committee members and
other workers to strengthen the Party in
this block and work unitedly after
sinking the differences.
Referring
to Party’s poor performance in
Vijaypur in past many years, Mr Charak
appealed all the office bearers of the
Block Committee to come at one platform
and work unitedly for the betterment of
the party and strengthen its roots in all
villages and hamlets of the constituency.
He also listened to the grievances of
many Party leaders/ activists of the
area. It was unanimously resolved by all
to re-organise the Block Committee and
appoint new office bearers. It was
stressed that representation be given to
all the sections, communities and groups
in the new formation and also
reconstitute Youth, Women and Kissan
wings of the Party.
Former MLA
Bhagat Gauri Shanker stressed upon the
need of overall development of the
constituency and the unity among the
Congress workers.
Acting
president of Block Committee Vijaypur,
Capt Amar Nath, general secretary Omkar
Nath, Rashpal Singh- secretary, Ashish
Sharma- gen secy PYC, Karam Chand, S Raja
Singh, Master Charanjit and Dr B R Bhagat
also spoke on the occasion.
‘Stateless’
West Pak refugees to observe
January
26 as black day
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 18: Having denied
citizenship for the last 58 years, the
displaced people of West Pakistani are
all prepared to launch ‘do or
die’ battle for meeting their
demands.
Over four
lakh refugees of West Pakistan, who were
forced to leave their homes and hearths
during partition, are glaring example of
the worst ever human right violations in
the civilised world. Third generation of
this community has been bearing brunt of,
what they called, apathetic attitude and
discriminatory policies of the successive
state regimes.
As neither
Centre nor State governments have given
any response to the West Pakistani
refugees who have been staging an
indefinite protest dharna at Jantar
Mantar in New Delhi for the last five
months, they have decided to observe
‘Republic Day as Black Day’.
"We are forced to take this hard
decision", Labha Ram Gandhi,
president of the West Pakistani Refugee
Action Committee of 1947 told the
EXCELSIOR.
West
Pakistani refugees have been staging a
dharna at Union Capital from August 12,
2005 but government has not give any heed
to their problems.
"Celebrations
of republic day are nothing but a cruel
joke with over four lakh stateless
people- majority of them are Scheduled
Caste, who did not enjoy even basic
rights in a republic country", rued
Mr Gandhi, adding, "we will bear
black badges and stage protest dharnas at
several places to draw attention of the
world community towards miseries and
hardships being faced by us due to worst
ever discrimination being meted out to us
by the successive regimes of Jammu and
Kashmir".
Mr Gandhi
asserted that observing Black Day on
Republic Day will be beginning of their
agitation. "We will not allow
function of the forthcoming Budget
session of the Assembly", he
declared and added "with our family
members and cattle over four lakh
refugees will start march towards Jammu
city as soon as Assembly session start
and later seize the Civil Secretariat to
highlight our woes before the deaf rulers
".
Agony of
these displaced people can be gauged from
the fact they don’t have any right
in the State despite being the fact that
they have been living here since 1947.
"Neither we can purchase property
nor we have right to apply for government
job in the State", Mr Gandhi pointed
out while highlighting miseries of the
displaced people. The ongoing militancy
has further compounded their woes as due
to non-state subject they have been
denied recruitment in army as well as
other security forces.
However,
putting aside their differences on other
issues, some political groups have come
forward in support of their helpless
people as ruling parties failed to
fulfill their promises. BJP, Panthers
Party and BSP have announced their
support to the their displaced people.
|
