JAMMU, Apr 3: In order to ensure better facilities to the pilgrims and smooth conduct of annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine situated in the Himalayan range in the South Kashmir, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has decided to deploy Additional Secretary and Superintendent of Police (SP) rank officers at all the eight camp locations and increase the number of helicopter sorties with slashed rates during the annual pilgrimage this year. Moreover, 100 Post Offices and 21 more branches of Yes Bank will provide registration facilities to the pilgrims across the country besides the already identified 100 branches of J&K Bank and 25 of Yes Bank.
This was disclosed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, Navin Choudhary in an exclusive interview to EXCELSIOR. “Since better coordination between all the agencies is imperative for smooth conduct of annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Shri Amarnath, it has been decided to deploy senior level officers of civil as well as police administration at all the camp locations this year”, he said.
“Unlike last year arrangements whereby senior civil officers were coordinating from only Pahalgam, Baltal and cave area, the Board has decided to deploy Additional Secretary level officers of the civil administration and SP rank officer of Police administration at all the eight camp locations which include Holy Cave area, Panjtarni, Sheshnag, Baltal, Chandanwari and Poshpatri for enhanced coordination in civil as well as security matters”, he informed, adding “apart from this, senior Shrine Board officers will be supervising the arrangements at all the locations for smooth conduct of pilgrimage and to ensure that pilgrims don’t face any sort of problem”.
Responding to a question regarding helicopter service, the CEO of the Shrine Board said, “since the demand of air service is increasing every year, it has been decided to increase the number of sorties this year”, adding “even the rates of the chopper service are being made more reasonable so that large number of pilgrims could avail this facility. The final decision in this regard is likely within a day or two”.
Regarding the complaints during last year’s yatra about over-charging for chopper service, Navin Choudhary said, “though there is a transparent system in this regard yet the possibility of some pilgrims having been overcharged cannot be ruled out”, adding “if any such complaint will come to the notice of Shrine Board, action will certainly be taken”. He further said that since 50 per cent tickets remain available on-line, there are very little chances of over-charging.
About the registration facilities, the CEO said, “last year registration facility was available in 100 branches of Jammu and Kashmir and 25 of Yes Bank but this year the Board has decided to make this facility available at more places”, adding “talks are going on with the Department of Posts for providing registration facility in 100 Post Offices across the country besides 21 more branches of Yes Bank”.
Stating that final decision vis-à-vis 100 Post Offices would be taken within next one week, he said, “majority of these Post Offices will be in those area where there are neither J&K Bank nor Yes Bank branches, which have been identified for registration of pilgrims”. With this, the registration facility would be double as compared to last year much to the benefit of intending pilgrims.
About the duration of yatra, Navin Choudhary said that it depends upon two major factors—date of Raksha Bandhan and track situation. “Though decision regarding 60 days yatra was taken several times in the past yet practically it could not continue for complete two months because of weather and track conditions. Sometimes it got delayed from Baltal and sometimes from Pahalgam”, he further said.
Stating that duration of yatra fluctuates with the changing of Rakha Bandhan date and during the past several years yatra is starting by ending June, the CEO of Shrine Board said, “this year duration of yatra will be 39 days. It will start on June 25 and conclude on August 2”, adding “as per the calendar of next year, the duration of yatra will be of 53 days in 2013 due to changing of Raksha Bandhan date”.
“Moreover, Sub-Committee headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and other eminent personalities has laid down guidelines in this regard and the same are being strictly adhered to”, he said.
To a question, he said, “though massive snowfall was experienced this year as compared to previous year yet we will continuously monitor the melting of snow and if it melts faster we will start yatra prior to the finalized date”, adding “Pooja will be formally performed on June 4 at a location where we would be able to reach to symbolize the start of yatra”.
About the comprehensive report of the High Level Committee, the CEO said that report has been accepted by the Shrine Board as well as State Government, adding that some of the recommendations will be implemented before this year’s yatra and remaining before next year’s pilgrimage.
According to Navin Choudhary, the suggestions are relating to improvement of track, better provision of electricity, drinking water, better sanitation, shelter and gated complex at Chandanwari and Domel etc.
Regarding the implementation of directions of Division Bench of State High Court, he said, “we are already taking care of unfortunate deaths during the pilgrimage and will do our utmost in this regard”, adding “we are also committed to provide railing at the vulnerable places for the convenience of the pilgrims”.
He informed that around 500 oxygen gas cylinders would be kept at the camp locations for the convenience of pilgrims besides sufficient medicines. “We are printing pamphlets to provide information about do’s and don’ts to the intending pilgrims so that they don’t face any problem during pilgrimage”.

By Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 3:  Questioning the “delay” in passage of Transworld Muslim University Bill, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today created ruckus in the Legislative Assembly with one of the party MLA Javed Mustafa Mir tearing a copy of the Bill even as all party members led by their Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti staged a walk out in the House.
Mr Mir and National Conference legislator from Kupwara Saifullah Mir had yesterday given a notice to Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone on the bill on the ground that the Legislative Council had blocked it. The Speaker had said he would give his ruling today.
The bill to set up the Trans-World Muslim University, sponsored by the Jamiat-e-Ahla-Hadees, as also two other Bills to set up the Sheikhul Alam University, to be sponsored by another sect of the Muslims, and the Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa University were sent to Select Committee in Legislative Council on October 12, 2010.
As soon as the Question Hour was over, all PDP members including Ms Mufti, National Conference legislators-Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Saifullah Mir and Kafeel-ur-Rehman besides PDF MLA and former Minister Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Independent legislator Engineer Abdul Rashid were on their feet.
Javed Mustafa Mir raised a query on the fate of the Transworld Muslim University Bill passed by the Legislative Assembly on October 9, 2010 and demanded that the Speaker “summon it” for passage from the Legislative Council as his party colleagues Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Basharat Bukhari, NC MLA Saifullah Mir and NPP leader Harshdev Singh quoted rules to claim that the Upper House had to take a decision on the bill (pass or reject it) within a specified timeframe.
Another NC MLA and former Minister Choudhary Ramzan said the Council should send back the bill.
The Speaker, however, asked the legislators to show him prescribed timeframe in the rules, which the MLAs were unable to do.
“I have no command over the Upper House. You are very correct that the bill has been passed by us (the Legislative Assembly). The Legislative Council had decided to send it to the Joint Select Committee (JSC). They asked us to give two members for the JSC. We nominated the members. Now where is the fault on our part”? Mr Lone asked.
He said the Rules authorized the member to again move the bill, present it here and “we have the authority to again pass or reject it but definitely I have no authority to command the Upper House”. However, he maintained that the bill was alive and has not been rejected or approved by the Council.
“Till the Upper House takes a decision on the bill (pass or reject it), I can’t go ahead. However, I will ask my Secretariat to get information from the Upper House as to why the bill has been withheld there”, the Speaker assured the agitated MLAs of PDP, National Conference, PDF and an Independent.
Seeking time from the MLAs, the Speaker said he would convey their feelings and observations to the Upper House.
Asserting that the bill was alive, Mr Lone said: “it was a living bill pending in the Upper House. We passed it here and sent it to the Council. They sent it to the Select Committee, which has not worked since then. Let them (the Upper House) give us in writing. Until the information comes from that House, how we can make reference. Let us wait for the result from that House. We can’t list the bill till then”.
“We have given the bill for listing in the business, but it has not been listed for passage” Javed Mir urged the Speaker and sought reply from him.
“The bill is hanging fire for so long in Upper house and even JSC has not been constituted so far. How long will this bill face this fate,” PDP members Abdul Rehman Veeri, Basharat Bukhari, Javed Mustafa Mir and Abdul Gaffar Sofi asked.
Irate over the delay in passing of the bill by the Upper House, Javed Mir tore a copy of the bill and threw the shreds in the air before trooping into the Well along with the members of the opposition PDP.
“We are being deprived of this bill on sectarian basis”, Mir said but was immediately countered by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar by saying “what do you mean by sectarian basis. It was not a lone bill, which was sent to Select Committee. With it two more bills — Sheikhul Alam University and the Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa University– went to Select Committee”.
“Do not mislead the people,” Sagar shot back after heated exchanges with Javed Mir.
“When I brought this bill as private member’s, the then PDP-Congress Government had rejected it and did not allow it to get passed,” Saifullah Mir said and reminded the PDP that it was during the tenure of National Conference Government that the bill was passed in the Assembly but has been blocked by the Upper House.
Amid noisy scenes, Minister for Higher Education Abdul Gani Malik intervened on the issue saying the Government was committed to establishing more institutions of higher learning but the organisations sponsoring and funding them should have financial backing for building infrastructure and creating other resources.
Citing the example of Islamic University, Awantipora being run by the Waqaf Board, Mr Malik said the institution and the Board even didn’t know the relations between each other.
“Questions can be raised on capacity building of these organisations. Before setting up the institutions of learning, the sponsores should come up with requisite infrastructure. Merely passing the bills wouldn’t give highest learning institutions of studies. I can give figures about number of students, who were going to other States for studies”, the Minister said.
This drew the criticism from PDP member Basharat Bukhari, who claimed that the Minister was now opposing the bill in the House and wanted to know where was he when it was passed in the Legislative Assembly.
Gani Malik clarified that it was a technical matter as the bill was pending in the Legislative Council. The Upper House should deliberate on the bill and come up with its report.
“Intentions of mine as well as my Government are very clear. We want new institutions to come up but with requisite infrastructure. We would facilitate correspondence with the Council”, the Higher Education Minister said.
NC MLA Saifullah Mir said it was now a legal issue “beyond the control of Minister as we have already passed the bill but it was the Council, which has neither passed nor rejected the bill but only blocked it. The issue is simple. You have to decide it”.
The Speaker asked Saifullah: “can’t Minister intervene? He is within his rights to speak and give statement on the issue”. However, Saifullah said it was an issued between the House and the Speaker. Mr Lone said he had to listen all and then decide according to the law.
In between, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) MLA and former Minister Harshdev Singh intervened by quoting a rule of J&K Legislative Assembly and told the Speaker that he has powers to summon the bill.
PDP member Nizam-uddin Bhat said that Upper House has neither any power to sit on this bill nor it has right to negate it. Even the Governor and the Upper House cannot disapprove the bill passed by the Lower House, he added.
PDP Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti demanded that Speaker should summon the bill, which was backed strongly by the other PDP members.
“The Government has no intention to pass the bill. It has majority in both the Houses –they can easily pass the bill if they have the intention to do so,” PDP MLA and former Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said and charged the Government with blocking the bill in the Upper House.
Amid protests, the Speaker said the matter is still pending in Select Committee and has not been passed in Upper House.” I will ask my Secretariat to call details from Legislative Council,” he said, adding: “anyway I leave it to the wisdom of the Upper House”.
On this, Javed Mir trooped into the well again and said “What is democracy in Jammu and Kashmir– you need approval from Centre for doing it”.
Later, all PDP members led by Mehbooba Mufti staged a walkout from the House.

NEW DELHI, Apr 3:
The US has announced a USD 10 million bounty on Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa(JUD) chief Hafiz Saeed, a decision welcomed by India, which today hoped that this would prod Islamabad into taking action against the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
Late last night, the US Government announced an award of up to USD 10 million for information leading to arrest and conviction of Saeed and up to USD two million for his deputy Adbul Rahman Makki under the ‘Rewards for Justice programme’, for information on the two terrorists, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
“India welcomes the notification under the Rewards for Justice Programme. It reflects the commitment of India and the United States to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice and continuing efforts to combat terrorism.
“It also sends a strong signal to Lashkar-e-Taiba as also its members and patrons that the international community remains united in combating terrorism,” External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters here.
Asserting that there was enough material to detain and interrogate Saeed and that Pakistan was not “doing its duty”, Home Minister P Chidambaram said US decision should prod Pakistan in taking action against him. “Pakistan can’t go through with this farce of a trial,” he said.
The US maintains both LeT and JUD as foreign terrorist organisations and has also individually designated Saeed and Makki for terrorist activities under its law.
Sixty-one-year-old Saeed has become one of only four terrorist leaders for whom the US has offered a bounty of USD 10 million, joining the likes of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar. The only person with a higher bounty on his head than these four terrorist leaders is Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al- Zawahiri, for whom the US has put a reward of USD 25 million.
Chidambaram said the US decision will also help India in sharing information on Saeed and JuD with the American authorities.
Saeed, the brain behind the terror attack on Mumbai that left 166 dead, is “safely tucked away” somewhere in Pakistan, Krishna said, adding that US which keeps a tab on all these terrorists around the world, would have kept a tab on Saeed.
“I have always been insisting that he was the brain behind the terror attack on Mumbai. These terrorists and conspirators cannot be spared and they will have to be brought to justice and that is what we have been demanding from Pakistan,” the External Affairs Minister said.
Krishna said in recent years, India and the US have deepened mutual understanding on the nature of terrorism challenges emanating from India’s neighbourhood.
India and the US agree that all terrorist organisations, including LeT, should be defeated and have called for elimination of terrorist safe havens and infrastructure inside Pakistan and Afghanistan, a statement by the MEA said.
It also said that yesterday, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman conveyed to Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai Washington’s intention to take additional steps to deal with terrorists like Saeed and Makki to which Mathai expressed New Delhi’s sincere appreciation.
The two countries have strengthened their counter- terrorism cooperation through the Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism, Counter-terrorism Cooperation Initiative, the Homeland Security Dialogue and regular exchanges between intelligence and law enforcement agencies, MEA said.
Saeed has became one of only four terrorist leaders for whom the US has offered a bounty of USD 10 million, joining the likes of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar.
The only person with a higher bounty on his head than these four terrorist leaders is Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, for whom the US has offered a reward of USD 25 million under its Rewards for Justice programme.
Besides 61-year-old Saeed, the other terrorist leaders who carry a bounty of USD 10 million on their head are Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Du’a, one-eyed Mullah Omar and Yasin al-Suri alias Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, a senior Al-Qaeda facilitator based in Iran.
The listing for Saeed on the Rewards for Justice website describes him as a former professor of Arabic and Engineering who was a founding member of “Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a radical Deobandi Islamist organisation dedicated to installing Islamist rule over parts of India and Pakistan, and its military branch, Lashkar-e-Taiba”.
“Saeed is suspected of masterminding numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six American citizens,” the listing further states.
The website noted that India has issued an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Saeed for his role in the Mumbai attacks. Besides, the US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a “Specially Designated National under Executive Order 13224”.
The Order provides a means to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist groups by authorising the US government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. (PTI)