Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: Displaced Kashmiri Pandit Welfare Committee, Tikkar Kupwara, Kashmir today demanded immediate restoration of the land belonging to the community in village Tikakr which has been in an unauthorized way occupied by Border Roads Organization (BRO) and All India Radio through district administration without intimating its owners who are leading an exiled life for over last 22 years.
Talking to reporters here today G L Bhat, president of the Committee made an appeal to State government in this regard. He said the migrants be handed over the land so that they can use it for agriculture and horticulture purposes. He warned that in case the government failed to give justice to the hapless people from the villages, they will be forced to come to streets.
Bhat wanted to know why the district administration handed over the migrants land to the BRO or All India Radio without prior permission of its owners and termed it a big conspiracy on the part of the district administration.
Bhat, while criticizing the government said that on one hand it is making tall claims on return of the migrants to their homes and hearths in Valley and on the other hand the government agencies are itself involved in encroachment of their land. How will be the Pandits able to return when their land is encroached by government itself, he asked?
He said the, matter was also brought by the Committee in the notice of both state and Central governments but they failed to act till date and dispensate justice to the community members from the village forcing them to approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
which registered the case in March 2003.
He said though NHRC also passed several directives to State Government but the later failed to do any thing concrete.
Those present in the press conference included Mohan Lal Padroo, Brij Nath Peshin, Avtar Krishan Trackroo and Makhan Lal Padroo.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: All Jammu and Kashmir Home Guard Welfare Association, Jammu has showed great resentment against Government, here today.
Kamla Sharma, president of the association, strongly criticized the administration which has not issued any orders or directions for the benefits of the jawan of Home Guards to solve their long outstanding demands.
The jawans of State Home Guards today started the rally from Mubarak Mandi complex towards Civil Secretariat to stress on the Government to solve their long pending demands.
They demanded same rate of salary as was being provided by the neighbouring states to their jawans of Home Guards; to fill-up the vacancies in other departments by enrolling the trained jawans if the services of J&K State Home Guards are not regularized and other allied demands.
While jostling with the police, Kamla Sharma fell unconscious. NPP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia also joined them.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: Protesting against the hike in customs duty and introduction of excise duty on non-branded jewellery in the budget, jewellery shops in the State remained closed for the twelfth consecutive day on the call given by All India Sarafa Association.
Hundreds of Swarankars, under the banner of Swarankar Sangh Jammu Province (SSJP) were protesting against the Central Government’s decision to impose excise duty of 1 per cent on unbranded jewellery and 4 per cent import duty on gold.
Jewellers from Chowk Chabutra area and other parts of the city including Pacca Danga, Moti Bazaar, Purani Mandi, City Chowk, Kanak Mandi, Lakhdatta Bazaar. Peer Mitha, Link Road and Jain Bazaar participated in the protest along with their colleagues from other parts of Jammu province raising slogans against the Central Government.
SSJP today appealed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to use his good offices with the Central Government and get the recently imposed taxes on unbranded jewellery and import of gold revoked.
Meanwhile, Raj Kumar Babber, president, SSJP, Parjan Jain, president, Sarafa Association, Kulbhushan Anand, president, Jammu city, SSJP, Parjan Anand, president, Sarafa Association, Ved Prakash Sethi, Chairman, SSJP, Ram Kapoor, general secretary, Rajinder Sehdev, cashier, Vijay Verma, vice president, Ashok Suri, joint secretary, Ashok Kumar Naggi, spokesman and Arun Sethi, vice president, Jammu city and other members viz tehsil president of SSJP today sat on hunger stike, which entered third day today.
Talking to media, Raj Kumar Babbar, President, SSJP said that the Central Government was forcing them to adopt agitational path as the imposition of excise and import duty on gold was a serious issue as it was related to 1.50 lakh workers.
“Government was not paying any heed towards their genuine demands compelling them to come on roads”, Babber said, adding, that the jewellery shops across the State will remain closed till our demands were conceded”.
Responding to a query, Babber said “we know that Navratra festival was on and people were facing problems as they could not purchase gold or silver ornaments due to the closure of shops, but we are also helpless as the rising prices of gold and recently imposed excise duty has broken the back bone of the jewellers and they will fight till the end to get the taxes revoked by the Central Government”.
Meanwhile, similar protest was also held at district Reasi, where hundreds of jewellers under the leadership of Vijay Abrol at Hindu Ashram held protest demonstration. They raised slogans against the Government and also expressed their resentment against the recently imposed excise duty on the unbranded jewellery and import of gold. They demanded immediate revocation of the recently imposed excise duty.
Reports pouring in from other districts of the Jammu province including Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar, Vijaypur, Samba and Udhampur, revealed that the jewellery shops also remained closed there and all the Swarankars from these districts held protest against this move of the Central Government and demanded its immediate revocation.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: The J&K Branch of Northern Indian regional Council of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India organized a seminar on the topic `statutory bank audit’ here today.
Member ICAI, Parveen Kumar, was the guest speaker who deliberated in detail and enlightened the members of the body about the various important aspects of conducting statutory bank audit.
Chairman of the J&K Branch of NIRC of ICAI, Sudhir K Wali while speaking on the occasion emphasized that seminar on bank audit which is an annual event, certainly helps in refreshing our memory and updates us with all the latest developments in the banking sector, concerning bank branch audit. He said such seminars work as a guide to the auditors to conduct an effective and smart bank audit exercise providing value and quality, given the paucity of time and resources at the disposal of the auditor.
A large number of Chartered Accountants and students participated in the seminar. Secretary of the J&K Banch, Vishal Rometra, conducted the proceedings and Deepak Kapahi, treasurer of the Branch presented vote of thanks.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: A total of 87 posts of para-medics have been lying vacant in the SMGS Hospital and 97 in the Associated Hospitals of Jammu.
This information was provided by Minister for Medical Education, R S Chib, in the written reply to the question of National Conference MLA, Bimla Luthra.
“All these posts will be filled up as soon as the recommendations are received from the Services Selection Board as the vacancies have already been referred to recruiting agency”, the Minister said.