Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 14: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah this evening visited Dargah Hazratbal here and paid obeisance on Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW).
The Chief Minister offered Magrib Nimaz (Evening Prayer) at the Shrine among the thousands of devotees. He prayed for peace and prosperity of the State and well-being of the mankind. The Chief Minister extended his greetings to the people and shared felicitations with the devotees at the Dargah.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 14: In partial modification of the previous Government notice, the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted for examining the creation of new administrative units in the State will interact with the general public of Leh and Kargil districts on January 16, 2014 at 11 am at the State Guest House, Jammu.

Mir Farhat
Srinagar, Jan 14: National Conference legislator and Additional General Secretary, Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal today ruled out forging any pre-poll alliance with Congress in the forthcoming Parliament and Assembly elections in the State.
“NC has never in its history forged any pre-poll alliance with any party. Our workers have rejected any pre-poll option. We regret that we formed a Coalition Government with the Congress because it has been compromise with loss. So, there is nothing like having pre-poll alliance with Congress in any election,” Kamaal told reporters at Party Headquarters in Nawa-i-Subh, here this afternoon.
“Our workers tell us about the party’s position on pre-poll alliance to get out of the confusion, and we have told them clearly that there will be no alliance with them before elections,” Kamaal said.
Kamaal also hit out at the State Congress chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz for terming elections as “friendly match”. “Soz has called the election as a friendly match; it is a childish remark. Election is an election, and cannot be called a friendly match,” he said.
“Our 20,000 workers have been killed in the last two decades. We cannot compromise on contesting elections and betray with the love of our party workers by asking them to vote for Congress candidates,” he said.
Kamaal also flayed the Army Chief General Bikram Singh that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) should not be diluted in the State in view of US troop drawdown in Afghanistan.
Kamaal said even the Prime Minister has himself said that there is a huge decline in militancy.
NC wants that anti-militancy deployment should be rolled back from the State, he said.
Responding to a question on politics being played out on creation of new administrative units, Kamaal said People’s Democratic Party is only for dividing people in the State.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 14: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under its nation-wide campaign launched “Modi for PM Fund” here today.
The campaign was launched by BJP State president Jugal Kishore Sharma in presence of leader of Legislative Party Ashok Khajuria, national executive member and chief spokesperson Dr Jitendra Singh, Sukhnandan Kumar and Sham Choudhary, MLAs, IT Cell State Convenor Jaidev Rajwal and other party leaders and activists.
Jugal Kishore Sharma, while inaugurating this online donation process named “Modi for PM Fund”, said that this campaign has been undertaken with the purpose to have publically scrutinable account of the funds that the party will receive in future apart from starting formally the canvassing of support for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India from door to door.
BJP stands for having a verifiable and open account of the donations that it may receive to run its party affairs. He further added that we must girdle up from now onwards to seek support and vote for Narendra Modi.
IT Cell State Convenor Jaidev Rajwal said that the party has made arrangements for this online payment in its website and any person can make a payment into party account.
He said that this way the money becomes accountable and donors’ full particulars can be ascertained by anyone, this being part of the party’s open and transparent accounting system.
Chander Prakash Ganga, Ramesh Arora, Sakina Bano, Usha Choudhary, GM Mir, Ashok Koul, Kavinder Gupta, Bali Bhagat, Chander Mohan Gupta, Mamta Singh, Lalit Moza, Aseem Gupta, Sat Sharma, Rajni Sethi, besides many other party leaders were also present on the occasion.

Lalit Gupta

JAMMU, Jan 14: The response of the audience showed an upward trend in the ongoing festival being organized by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, at Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar.
Today’s production by Natshala was the immensely popular comedy Bicchoo, Wasi Khan’s Hindi translation of Moliere’s “Les Fourberies de Scapin”, under the direction of Tapeshwar Dutta who also played the lead role.
Play’s theme is broadly based on the lost and found formula, a story spun countless times in Bollywood. What is fresh about the play is the idiosyncrasy of the rich and the lovers’ desperation to fight against odds to marry and live happily ever after. Above all, the play shows the superiority of the folk wisdom of the domestic help, capable of resolving conflicts in a hilarious way that brings the comedy to a happy ending.
Tapeshwar Dutta, playing the part of domestic help, not only performed his role well but also played as anchor by supporting the other actors with cues for the entries, movements etc.
The set by Arvin Tickoo, showing a thoroughfare by the side of park like space lit with lamp posts made up of plastic drainage pipes reflected element of improvisation in set design. But the use of filmy dance sequence in between the scenes seemed more like a superfluous ploy to introduce popular element in the plot that revolved around two Nawab families.
Other members of the cast included Rahul Kumar, Arvin Tickoo, Ashis Uppal, Neeraj Magotra, Kanav Chopra, Gulshan Dingra, Aashima Sharma, Sheetal Sharma, Rohit Kapoor, Rohit Kumar, Snil Raina, Ashish Sharma, Sumit Sharma, Prashant Kumar, Prateeksha, Irfan Choudhary and child artist Hiresh Dutta.
Make up was by Manoj Dhameer, music designed by Surinder Manhas and operated by Sanjay Kumar and lights by Rohit Verma. Kanav Gupta was assistant director while Rahul Kumar was the associate director of the production.
Tomorrow Dr Sahib Singh’s Punjabi play ‘Parinde Hoon Jaan Kithen’, directed by T S Premi, would be staged by Manoranjan Kala Kendra.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 14: J&K Common Service Centre (CSC) Association asked the Government to redress their demands within 21 days otherwise they will launch anti-election campaign against the ruling parties in the forthcoming elections.
This was stated by Shah Shabbir, president of J&K CSC Association while addressing a press conference here today.
He said that the Government has turned a deaf ear towards the genuine demands of Khidmat Centre owners in the State, thus compelling them to lodge their protest in the Parliament at New Delhi.
Shah told that around 1000 Khidmat Centre owners were protesting from past one week, highlighting their demands but no one from the Government has initiated any action in their favour.
Chief Minister is deliberately ignoring our demands and also spoiling the career of the youth of the State, he alleged.
We were pressurized during past one week by different agencies to end our struggle, but we will not stop, till our demands are redressed, he added.
He said National e-Governance Programme was started in State in the year 2009 and Khidmat Centres were started, adding that we were promised G2C Services and Gap Support (Financial Assistance) for the survival, but nothing has been done apart from assurances.

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 14: A 35-year-old man has committed suicide by consuming poison at his home in Bandipora district.
A police spokesman said Mehraj-ud-Din Guroo son of late Farooq Ahmed Guroo of Nowpora, Bandipora consumed poison at his home. “He was shifted to SMHS for treatment, where he expired. A case has been registered in this regard,” the spokesman said.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 14: Bharatiya Gujjar Mahasabha (BGM) has alleged large scale embezzlement of funds under the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) since 1991, when the Gujjar and Bakkerwals were granted ST status.
Addressing a press conference here today, BGM president, Eshfaq-ur-Rehman Poswal alleged that embezzlement to the tune of around Rs 5,000 crore has been done in the State under Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) since 1991.
“No accountability has been fixed over such large misappropriation, while the Gujjars, Bakkerwal and other tribal communities of the State still continue to be backward and deprived of basic amenities including power, water, education and road connectivity”, he said adding, “Had the funds been utilized properly and in a transparent manner, the situation on ground would have been different”.
He also questioned the Chief Minister as to how many roads had been constructed in the State prior to implementation of PMGSY and how many areas have been electrified prior to the implementation of RGGVY.
“Government must explain as to how many areas have been provided water, roads, power under TSP”, he said.
Poswal said that the BGM has since long been demanding creation of a separate administrative Department for Tribal Affairs to keep a check on such embezzlements and for proper monitoring of schemes at block level.
He demanded from the CM to convene a meeting of his Principal Secretary, Principal Secretary Planning, Principal Secretary Finance and Principal Secretary Social Welfare involving the members of BGM so that facts and ground realities regarding TSP should be discussed to find a way out.
Poswal also demanded probe to ascertain the embezzlement of funds under TSP since 1991.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 14: Several religious organizations have slammed  Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust for allegedly misleading the people as well as Legislators over Kashmiri Hindu Shrine Bill, introduced in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
While we support the Government efforts to restore the glory of temples belonging to and managed by the Kashmiri Pandit community, the demand for including the temples managed by autonomous religious institutions within the purview of the Bill is born out of the greed by the vested interests to usurp the properties of these shrines, which are well managed and remained operational throughout the militancy, said a press statement, issued by Er Shashi Khajuria, secretary of the Dharmarth Trust.
He explained that disturbing these institutions would not only be detrimental to the religious  places but also have an adverse socio political impact not only in Kashmir but also in Jammu region.
There is a strong perception among the Hindus in Jammu division that the demand for inclusion of religious places belonging to and managed by non-Kashmiri Hindus is part of  the conspiracy to destroy the footprints of Dogra Hindus and their heritage in the Valley,  said  the statement, issued on behalf of  Sanatan Dharam Sabha Jammu, Sanatan Dharam Partap Sabha Kashmir, J&K Sadhu Samaj, Shri Chander Chinar Akhara Trust, Shri Narayan Math Srinagar, Abigujar Trust and Shri Hanuman Mandir Trust.
Accusing the Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust of playing in the hands of vested interests, Mr Khajuria said that if the body has any genuine interest about the Kashmiri Hindus, it should concern itself about them and not dabble in politics over the most sensitive religious issue concerning the Hindus in general and their places of worship.

Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Jan 14:  A young woman committed suicide by hanging at her parents’ house in Billawar area of district Kathua early today.
Reports said Sapna Devi, daughter of Karan Singh, resident of Dewal, hanged herself with the help of a rope with the ceiling hook of a room at parent’s house early today.  The family members found her dead and hanging from roof top in the morning in her room and informed police. The police party from Billawar shifted her to hospital for postmortem and later handed over to the family.
The police said that this girl had been married in Pathankote area. The persons with whom the girl was married, was already  father of three children. The girl was young and 12th pass. She returned home after being frustrated  at in-laws’ house and was staying with her parents for the last one and half year. She was under depression for the last several months. She took this extreme step after she was not provided timely treatment and further settlement by the family. The police registered a case in this connection.