Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Aug 24: Four officials of the Department of Information including District Information Officer, Anantnag were suspended today after Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, failed to address a rally in Bijbehara due to a technical snag in the public address system.
Eyewitnesses said that angry Chief Minister left the venue without his address after the gathering created furore over the failure of the public address system. As he left the venue pandemonium broke out leading to ransacking of the podium and stone pelting in which one Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was injured.
Reports said that the public address system was installed last night. “In the morning a cultural party was going on from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the venue. When Omar was about to speak, one of the amplifiers developed technical snag and it was followed by breaking down of other two amplifiers as well”, reports added.
When Chief Minister arrived at the venue, district president of National Conference (NC) Mohammad Akbar Ganai was addressing the gathering. As soon as announcement of Chief Minister’s address was made, the public address system developed the snag.
People in the gathering created furore over the failure of the address system and Omar left the podium in a huff. Reports said that he told the local Member Legislative Council (MLC) Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri “it is enough, I am leaving”.
As soon as the Chief Minister left the venue people jumped over the concertina wire that was erected around the podium for security reasons. They attacked the Information Department employees and ransacked the podium. The local photo journalists who were covering the rally were also beaten up. Those who became target of NC workers ire were Arif Aftab, Meenbul Islam and Fida Hussain.
They also raised slogans the district administration and People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
People also pelted stones at the podium leading to chaos in the rally. Sensing the trouble, the NC leaders Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri, Mohammad Akbar Ganai and Ghulam Qadir Tak also fled.
After the public rally, the Chief Minister was scheduled to have lunch at the residence of NC leader, Ghulam Qadir Tak. But he left for Srinagar in anger without having lunch.
The two NC leaders, Tak and Veeri, are at logger heads with each other for long time over the issue of party mandate from Bijbehara constituency. Last time Veeri was preferred over Tak as Chief Minister Omar wanted new face in the NC. Tak who was closed to Dr Farooq Abdullah then resigned from NC and contested the Assembly election of 2008 as an Independent candidate. He, however, later rejoined the NC after both Veeri and Tak lost the elections.
Earlier in the morning, Chief Minister laid foundation stones of Trauma Hospital at Fruit Mandi, Jablipora and Adar-Seepan bridge in Bijbehara. He also formally inaugurated the Government Degree College building at Bijbehara.
The Director of the Department of Information, Zaffar Ahmad, told Excelsior that he ordered suspension of the District Information Officer, Tanveer Ahmad and three other officials of the department following the failure of the public address system ahead of Chief Minister’s speech at village Adar in Bijbehara constituency of South Kashmir.
Ahmad said that he has ordered an inquiry into the failure of the Public address system and Joint Director Information, Kashmir, Shafaqat Ahmad has been asked to probe the matter. “He will submit his report in two weeks time, he added.
Earlier, Omar said people of the State will judge the performance of his Government and expressed hope that the “people-friendly policies” adopted by the coalition would speak loud and clear in next year’s Assembly elections.
“People are best judges to gauge the performance of my Government. The work done on the ground would speak loud and clear for the people-friendly policies adopted by the Government to steer the State towards the shore of peace, prosperity and economic welfare,” Omar said after laying foundation of a bridge at Audar in Bijbehara.
Omar said the people would judge “us on our performance and achievements” and that he has faith in the public.
“The report card of the Government is in the public domain and it will be further elaborated well before the Election-2014. We believe in almighty and public support is our highest strength,” he said.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated Rs 10 crore college complex for Degree College at Bijbehara and interacted with the students there, an official spokesman said.
Omar said the youth are the architects of new and modern Jammu and Kashmir and asked them to take their studies seriously and prove their merit and ability at all levels.
The Chief Minister told them that the Government was giving due attention to the process of expansion and consolidation in the education sector, the spokesman said.
Omar stressed on making education an apolitical sector and creating befitting educational environment in the schools, colleges and universities, so that development of human resource take place in its right perspective and the educational institutions produce talented, qualified and capable human resource.
Later, the Chief Minister also laid foundation of Rs 13 crore Trauma Hospital at Bijbehara and a Modern Fruit and Vegetable Market at Jablipora, the spokesman said.
Foundation of Rs 5.62 crore 50-metre-long bridge at Saphen Audar was also laid, he added.
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