Omar to oppose NCTC provision, bat for removal of CRPF bunkers

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Apr 15: As internal security comes under a major review with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh chairing a conference of the Chief Ministers’ in New Delhi tomorrow, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who had recently undertaken a detailed review of the situation here on April 10 will be briefing the meeting about security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will have his separate presentation on the situation.
Official sources said Mr Chidambaram would brief the Chief Minister’s conference about his assessment of situation on Jammu and Kashmir, which he gathered from Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, top brass of civil and police administration, Central Police Forces and Intelligence agencies during his one day meeting in winter capital of the State on April 10.
Sources said the conference would deliberate on how India is being affected due to its troubled neighbourhood and its obvious consequences in the country like cross border terrorism, covert support to insurgents, arms smuggling, circulation of fake Indian currency, inflow of refugees and immigration.
“Active terror infrastructure in Pakistan, growing nexus between the Naxals and anti-India forces both within the country as well as abroad, better Intelligence sharing among security forces, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), border management, coastal security and other Centre-State issues will also figure prominently at the meeting”, sources said.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in his nearly 15 to 20 minutes presentation in the Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security would toe the line of most of the non-Congress Chief Ministers on setting up of National Centre for Terrorism Control (NCTC) and amendments in Border Security Force (BSF) Act.
Sources said Omar would strongly oppose a provision of NCTC that enable it to carry out suo moto operations in any State.
The Chief Minister wouldn’t oppose other major provisions of NCTC including Intelligence gathering and Intelligence analysis of the State by the Central agencies.
The non-Congress Chief Ministers including some of the UPA-II allies including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was opposing NCTC provisions in entirety. Many other Chief Ministers have also voiced concern over NCTC.
Sources said Omar Abdullah wouldn’t oppose NCTC in toto but voice his strong reservations over one of its provision that gave the NCTC powers to carry out suo moto operations in any State. He would apprise the conference of the Chief Ministers that this clause of the NCTC was not acceptable to Jammu and Kashmir at any cost.
They pointed out that the Chief Minister would tell the conference that Jammu and Kashmir already has Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) under which all security agencies coordinate their efforts for conducting searches and sharing Intelligence inputs on militancy and other activities.
Sources said Omar was likely to bat for partial withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from five districts—Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Srinagar and Badgam giving facts and figures and logic that no major incident has taken place in the five districts for past quite sometime.
The Chief Minister would support three amendments in AFSPA Act proposed by the Union Home Ministry, which were pending discussion before Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The amendments proposed by the MHA in AFSPA included making it mandatory for armed forces to take arrest warrants in advance before conducting searches for arrests of any person, taking away the power of the armed forces to open firing causing deaths and setting up of a Grievance Redressal Cell. Defence Ministry and Army have strong objections to first two amendments.
Backed by strong facts and figures on reduction of militancy in entire State including five districts, the Chief Minister would call for withdrawal of AFSPA from there on the ground that it was no more required there.
He would also stress for removal of more bunkers of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Srinagar City before onset of summer.
The Chief Minister would apprise the conference that the State Government has taken a major initiative for withdrawal of cases against youth involved in summer unrest of 2010, which would give relief to nearly 5000 youth.
Many other issues pertaining to internal security could be discussed in the meeting.
Sources said Mr Chidambaram, who had paid a visit to Jammu, the winter capital of the State on April 10, was scheduled to present a report on security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and North East in the Chief Minister’s meeting.
Security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, which has witnessed relative peace in recent times, will be discussed intensively in the meeting, which would devise a strategy on hot to meet the challenge of maintaining peace for longer period in the sensitive State.
Mr Chidambaram had held a high level security review meeting with top brass of J&K’s civil administration and police, senior officers of all para-military forces and Intelligence agencies operating in the State during his one day visit here on April 10.
K Skandan, Joint Secretary (Kashmir) in Ministry of Home Affairs, Additional Director, Intelligence Bureau, Rajeev Kapoor and BN Ramesh, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Union Home Minister had also joined the meeting along with top brass of police and civil administration, Central Police Forces and Intelligence agencies.
Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had given a detailed briefing to the Union Home Minister on the situation.
The meeting had discussed measures to ensure a peaceful summer in Kashmir in 2012 like 2011 when the Valley and other parts of the State were abuzz with tourists and pilgrim tourism. It had discussed in detail the steps required to ensure that 2010 like situation didn’t erupt in Kashmir this summer when over 100 people were killed in incidents of firing etc.
Sources said the Home Minister had gathered Intelligence and other inputs with top brass of police, para-military, Intelligence and other agencies on Jammu and Kashmir, which he would share in tomorrow’s meeting.
Mr Chidambaram was reportedly satisfied with security scenario in the State, which had undergone improvement since 2010 summer. He could apprise the meeting that Jammu and Kashmir was far better placed now as compared to 2010 or previous years.
According to sources, the Home Minister was expected to direct all States to vigorously pursue the cases of terror funding and go all out for the hawala operators, who were fast becoming a potential threat in the country for all form of terrorism. The Home Minister has already directed all agencies and Department including Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate, Central Police Forces, Intelligence, NIA and Jammu and Kashmir Police to block hawala channels through businessmen and banking transactions.
The Home Minister had stressed that cross border terrorism remained an issue of concern as there was still presence of a number of militants across the border and infrastructure of terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen was also intact. However, he expressed satisfaction over zero infiltration on the IB and improved security scenario including graph of militancy, which had gone to an all time low in both Jammu and Kashmir regions during past couple of years. He stressed for keeping up the momentum against the militancy.
PTI adds from New Delhi: All non-Congress chief ministers, barring Mamata Banerjee, who had come together to oppose the Centre on the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and other issues, will be attending tomorrow’s CMs’ conference on internal security called by the Government.
Strengthening of counter terror capabilities and intelligence apparatus, Maoist violence, police reforms and capacity building will be high on agenda at the meeting to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Central Government has already conceded the demand of several non-Congress chief ministers, including ally Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, to hold a special meeting of CMs to exclusively discuss on the controversial issue of NCTC on May 5 and so the matter is unlikely to figure prominently at the day-long meet.
Sources in Kolkata today said Banerjee will not attend tomorrow’s chief ministers’ meeting and Finance Minister Amit Mitra will represent West Bengal Government. However, she will take part in the CMs’ meeting on NCTC.
No reason has been assigned for the West Bengal Chief Minister’s decision.
The conference will also be attended by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, Bihar’s Nitish Kumar and their Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi who have been vocal in their opposition to the NCTC.
The conference, originally scheduled for February 15, had to be postponed for two months due to the recent Assembly elections in five states and Budget Session of Parliament.
A separate session on Maoist violence will be held later in the day and will be attended by Chief Ministers of nine Maoist violence affected states.
Though the internal security situation has vastly improved during the last three years largely because of cooperation between the Centre and the state governments, Naxalism continues to remains a grave challenge which claimed nearly 600 lives in 2011, the sources said.
The country’s top leadership will review the two-pronged approach of development and police action to contain the Maoist problem and the future strategy to deal with it.
With communal violence becoming a major cause of concern for the government as 2,420 such incidents have reported from across the country in last three years where at least 427 people lost their lives, the issue is likely to be flagged by the Home Minister in the meeting since the sensitive matter needs urgent attention from all quarters.

NEW DELHI, Apr 15: With the Supreme Court upholding the constitutional validity of Right to Education Act, the Government today dismissed suggestions that the burden which private schools will have to bear to implement it will be passed on to the students.
The RTE Act mandates the schools to provide free education upto 25 per cent of the students from economic weaker section between 6 to 14 years of age.
“I do not think that will happen,” Sibal said in an interview to Karan Thapar for CNN-IBN Devil’s Advocate programme, adding “I think there would be ways and means to raise resources.” He said this when asked if the burden of providing free education to the 25 per cent of children will be passed on to other students.
Sibal also assured that Government will take care to ensure education to the students coming from the margins of the society after Class VIII when the provisoon of the Act comes to an end.
As per the provision of ther Act, free education will be provided to the disadvantaged children from Class I to VIII.
Asked as to who will pay the tab for the 25 per cent reservation, he said under the RTE Act schools which have not taken any benefit from the Government will be compensated by the Government.
“The Government contribution annually will vary from Rs 6000 to Rs 19,000… We have made the calculation “ Sibal said.
However, he agreed that this was not sufficient and said that during the 12th Five Year Plan, the Government will provide school uniform and textbooks to students.
Sibal also said that the schools can also raise resources from their fund if they have surplus resources and they can also tap the funds provided by corporates through their corporate social responsibility obligation.
“You have many corporates who are committed for corporate social responsibilities. Schools can actually tap their resources so that there is no burden on parents,” Sibal said.
Asked why boarding schools have been kept out of the purview of the Act, Sibal said “they have a different ecosystem where classes generally starts from Class VI onwards.”
However, on bringing such schools under RTE fold, he said “as and when we feel they should come under purview of the act, we will think of it.”
He also rubbished the allegations that he had vested interest in keeping the boarding schools out of the RTE fold saying that the act was drafted much before he became the HRD Minister.
Stressing on inclusive society, Sibal said “the gap between rich and the poor is enormous. We must move forward and we must have an inclusive society in which all must participate.”
Sibal said that Rs 2.31 lakh crore had been earmarked for implementing RTE for a period of five years.
He also made it clear that providing free education to all the children is not possible for the Government and therefore they have also sought to include schools other than the Government ones in providing free education to children.
“After years of deliberations we thought we must try and integrate disadvantage communities into the school. Social integration is the motive behind the move.”
Asked why the same integration is not happening in health sector which is as important like education, he said that “health sector is for Health Minister to decide but as far as education is concerned we are firm.”
He noted that hospitals are required to make reservation for poor as they had got land from the Government at a subsidised rate. (PTI)

*No compromise on security for games
SHIMLA, Apr 15:
The row between Himachal Pradesh Government and military over ownership of Annandale ground today escalated with the Army saying national security cannot be ignored for “game and gimmicks” and the Chief Minister alleging the large ground was under its “unlawful occupation”.
Chief Minister P K Dhumal also threatened to file a defamatory suit against the Army if it did not tender an unconditional apology for allegedly maligning the image of the BJP-ruled Government and him in particular. The State Government has demanded that the historic ground be handed over to it for building a multi-sports stadium.
The 121-bigha ground, surrounded by thick forests just 4.5 km from Shimla’s Ridge, has been under the army’s control since World War II and has now become a bone of contention between the state Government and the army amid an intensified campaign launched by Himachal Pradesh Cricket association (HPCA) headed by Anurag Thakur, MP and son of Dhumal, to restore it to the state authorities.
Adopting a tough posture, the army rejected the demand with a hard-hitting statement.
“Annandale ground is of paramount strategic significance for Indian Army from national security perspective which can never be ignored in favour of any game and gimmicks being played at the cost of larger national interest, national security, army training and disaster management purposes which are not negotiable at any cost,” it said.
Reacting sharply to the army statement, the chief minister said, “factually, Annandale ground belongs to Himachal and in under unlawful occupation of the Army”.
Dhumal alleged the statement is false, baseless, misleading, defamatory and aimed at maligning the clean image of the State Government in general and Chief Minister, in particular”.
He sought immediate unconditional apology by the authorities responsible for issuing the statement, failing which he said he would file a defamation suit and initiate appropriate legal action.
The historic ground from where the Durand cup started, wa major centre of activities during British rule and also a Race course, was leased to the Army during the World war II, to be used as a training camp and the lease expired some thirty years ago. The state has been pressing for returning the land to it. (PTI)

Duplicate issuance cover notes, multiple licences on one note detected
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 15: The Motor Vehicles Department, which is primarily responsible for enforcement of the provisions of the Act and Rules, is itself violating the law with impunity. This conclusion can easily be drawn from the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
As per Section 6 of Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, no person can hold two driving licenses but from the analysis of database of four RTOs and ARTOs by the CAG it came to fore that two separate driving licenses had been issued to the same person in 298 cases and four licenses had been issued to a single person by one RTO.
Stating that there was no check on issuance of more than one licenses in the Department, the CAG report said, “this indicates deficient input controls and validation checks in the software to check such cases”.
Similarly, Rule 61(1(A) of the Motor Vehicle Act states that fitness certificates granted under the Act in respect of newly registered transport vehicle is valid for two years and is required to be renewed every year on payment of the prescribed fee applicable to the category of the vehicle.
But, scrutiny of database of RTO Jammu and RTO Srinagar revealed that fitness certificates in respect of 63 school buses (34 under RTO Srinagar and 29 under RTO Jammu) were not renewed even after a lapse of three years, the CAG report said while regretting that the Department had made no efforts to trace out the vehicle despite the fact that the same was imperative to ensure safety of children.
The tale of violating own rules by the Motor Vehicle Department doesn’t end here as the CAG has found that one insurance cover note was being used by two or more vehicle owners in sheer violation of Section 146 of the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
“In 28,024 cases, multiple cover insurance was entered into the system”, the CAG said, adding “under a single insurance cover note vehicles ranging from two to 933 were being registered thereby indicating that the Department was not following the provisions of the Act”.
As far as engine number/ chassis number are concerned, the CAG analysis of data-base revealed 3032 cases of duplicate engine numbers, 17 cases of duplicate chassis and 53 cases of blank engine number in seven test-checked RTOs/ARTOs.
The CAG has also found deficiencies in the collection of tax from the owners of the vehicles. J&K Motor Vehicle Taxation Act, 1957 and Rules stipulate that tax should be paid by the owner of a vehicle in advance and in case of default in payment, additional tax at the rate of 2 per cent of such tax for each month is leviable.
However, the test check of database of seven RTOs/ARTOs revealed that the system was not designed for auto generation of information in respect of the vehicles that had defaulted in payment of tax. Due to this the Department was not aware of the total number of owners that had defaulted in payment of tax.
“Though this exercise could have been completed with the help of software by performing some additional exercises yet no attention was paid by the department to ascertain actual number of vehicles that were on road and liable to pay tax”, the report said, adding “13,369 goods and passenger vehicles were found defaulted in payment of tax to the tune of Rs 12.36 crore in seven computerized RTOs/ARTOs”.
According to the CAG report, Union Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, in March 2005, granted Rs 1.29 crore for implementation of VAHAN and SARTHI software packages at 14 locations—RTO Jammu, Kathua and Srinagar, ARTO Budgam, Baramulla, Udhampur, Rajouri, Leh, Anantnag, Pulwama, Poonch, Kargil, Kupwara and Doda.
However, there was delay ranging from six months to 49 months in implementation of the sytem in eight districts while the system was not implemented in the remaining six districts at all, the report said, adding “due to this the objective of the creation of software packages was not achieved”.

KABUL, Apr 15: Heavily-armed Taliban suicide bombers today unleashed a wave of coordinated attacks in Afghanistan with several explosions and gunfire rocking the diplomatic area and Parliament in Kabul and three other cities but no Indian target was attacked.
According to India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Gautam Mukhopadhyay, all Indians were safe.
ITBP Director General Ranjit Sinha said there was no threat to the Indian embassy as it was located three to four km away from the scene of the attack this afternoon by the Taliban gunmen who came from different directions in perhaps an unprecedented assault of this nature.
Taliban claimed responsibility for around a dozen attacks by the gunmen in central Kabul, which has stunned Afghan authorities. Any casualty is still unknown but Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoubi Salangi was quoted as having said one attacker had been killed near the Parliament.
The militants attacked five-star Kabul Star Hotel in Wazir Akhbar Khan area of the capital and some tried to enter the Afghan parliament firing rockets but were engaged by security forces and driven back, officials said.
An unknown number of Taliban men armed with light and heavy weapons targeted Afghan governmental and International offices in three different areas of Kabul, police said.
A number of Taliban militants took positions at a newly-build building at the Shahr-e-Naw, a neighborhood of Kabul. They battled with Afghan forces for several hours after the militants began assaulting Western embassies.
The building is located close to American embassy, Turkey embassy, presidential palace, Iranian embassy, ISAF’s headquarters, German embassy, UK embassy and different other diplomatic offices.
“I am on the spot and hearing the gunfire being traded between the suicide bombers and Afghan forces. Until now I heard several explosions,” a reporter reported from the scene of attack.
In a text message to the reporters, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said: “Today, afternoon, at 1 pm, suicide bombings are happening by our Mujaheddeen at the ISAF headquarters, Parliament building, and other diplomatic offices in Kabul, and our enemies got many casualties.”
The militants also struck at an airport in Jalalabad, Logar and Paktia.
A few others Taliban militants armed with heavy weapons positioned at a newly-build building are targeting Afghan parliament at the Darul Aman area of Kabul. The battle is ongoing between Afghan and Taliban militant forces, Afghan private tv, Tolo Tv, said today.
Another group of militants are targeting an ISAF’s base, Turkish military base, and a training camp of Afghan National Army at Pule Charkhi area of Kabul. They are targeting them from a building, which they took under their control.
According to the eyewitness, suicide bombers had taken over the newly built five-star hotel in Kabul, which was reportedly on fire.
Outside Kabul, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the gates to Jalalabad airport in eastern city of Nangarhar province, wounding several people, police said.
Four bombers tried to enter the airport and two detonated their explosives when they were stopped at the gate, officials said. Two others were wounded and arrested.
Taliban militants also attacked ISAF’s Provincial Reconstruction Team, Or PRT, in Jalalabad. “The battle is going on,” Tolo tv said.
“In Jalalabad, several mujahidin attacked airport and PRT compound. The fighting is going on and our mujahidin are showing very strong resistance,” the Taliban spokesman said.
According to reports, Taliban also attacked Military Academy Compound in Jalalabad road, District No 9 of Kabul.
In Logar province, Taliban militants attacked a Police compound, PRT Compound and provincial Intelligence Department.
In Paktia province also, Taliban attacked police Regional Zone Compound, airport, police headquarters and Intelligence Department. “The fighting is going on in all the provinces,” Mujahed said.
“Our mujahidin are equipped with small and heavy weapons and also suicide vests,” Mujahed said, adding “this attack was planned very well.”
“Mujahidin attacked Afghanistan Parliament compound and still the fighting is going on and we don’t have casualties reports until now,” the Taliban spokesman said.(PTI)

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 15: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad is visiting Jammu and Kashmir on a two day’s visit to the State on April 17 and 18.
Mr Azad would fly to Srinagar on April 17 from New Delhi and join death anniversary celebration of former Union Minister of State for Home Maqbool Dar in Anantnag.
He would fly to Banihal and attend a meeting of the Congress in the afternoon. He would have a night halt at Patnitop.
Mr Azad would address a public meeting at Phinter in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district in the afternoon on April 18. The meeting has been organized by Minister of State for Cooperative Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, MLA Billawar and would be attended by top Congress leaders of the State including many Ministers.
He was scheduled to return to New Delhi in the evening of April 18.
He would address a meeting of Backward Classes Union at Sidhra Byepass on April 18 afternoon.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 15: An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 occurred in the Ladakh region in the early hours here today.
Aamir Ali, Coordinator, Divisional Disaster Management Authority, Kashmir said that the epicentre of the earthquake was at Kashmir (Ladakh)-Xizang (China) border. He said the coordinates of the earthquake were 34.24N, 79.85E located at 209 kilometres east of Leh.

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 15: Normal life was paralyzed in the saffron rich town of Pampore today following stone pelting by a group of youth on the police after the latter carried out nocturnal raids in the town during the past two days. The people carried out protests on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway only to be dispersed by police and security forces.
At least two youth have been arrested during the raids and one of the arrested persons has been injured due to beating up by the police. Most of the shops remained closed in the town for some hours and situation became normal only late in the day.
Reports reaching here said that the police raided many houses in Pampore while searching for the youth who were involved in different incidents of stone pelting during 2008 and 2010. The youth being looked for by the police have been arrested for stone pelting incidents and since then they have been released as well.
On last Friday evening a contingent of police personnel of police station Pampore raided many houses in some of the localities of the town. The police personnel barged into these houses and ransacked the belongings of the people living in the area. The locals raised their protest against the raids and condemned the police action.
One youth was arrested during these raids and he was sent to police remand. The youth has been beaten to pulp and he suffered grievous injuries in the beating up incident. He has been taken to SKIMS-Soura for treatment where his condition is stated to be stable.
The police action on Friday led to resentment among the locals and they converged on the main road while raising slogans against the police personnel. On Saturday night the police cops raided yet another house and arrested Tauseef Ahmad, who runs a readymade garments shop in the area.
Tauseef was a stone pelter and was arrested by police for his role in fomenting trouble in the Pampore area during the 2010 summer agitation. However, after his release from the jail he got busy with his own business and was not involved in any further anti-state activities. His arrest led to further trouble in the Pampore area today and people most youth came out in the morning and raised protest against his arrest.
The protesters reached the Srinagar-Jammu national highway and carried out protest demonstrations there as well. Before this they forced closure of the shops located in the different localities of the Pampore town. The situation turned volatile and in no time reinforcements of police and CRPF were rushed to the area.
The police and security forces personnel swooped on the protesters resulting into the dispersal of the protesters. However, before this there were pitched battles between the two sides. The ding-dong battles carried out for some hours and the situation turned normal late in the day.
In the evening police personnel sealed the garments shop of Tauseef. His uncle’s mobile phone has also been seized by the police and people term this action as an act of victimization by the police.

AMRITSAR, Apr 15: Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today paid obeisance at Golden Temple here.
After paying the homage, Abdullah visited langar (community kitchen) and inspected the solar heating plant and solar energy plant here.
“Recently installed solar energy plant was operating successfully and producing 25 megawatt electricity for the Golden Temple,” said the Union minister for new and renewable energy.
One more plant was also being installed by the Union Government, which would produce electricity in bulk and would enable the Temple to meet demand of electricity up to good extent, he said. (PTI)

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 15: Vijay Lochan was today elected as president of Shri Guru Ravi Dass Sabha.
The election was held in Guru Ravi Dass Sabha premises at Krishna Nagar.
Official sources said the election was conducted in the presence of Magistrate and police on court orders. District Magistrate, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, supervised the election.
There had been dispute over the Sabha election between two parties.
When contacted, Mr Verma said the election was conducted on court orders. A Magistrate had been deployed for the election, which passed off peacefully in police presence.