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Tuesday,
December 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Three
militants killed in Poonch Licences
only on clearing power dues
‘Review hike in
excise on CSD items’ |
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Three militants killed in Poonch Poonch (Jammu), December 30 Two ultras were killed in a counter-terrorism operation in the Boli Wali Dhok area of Surankote tehsil of the district early today, they said, adding that the encounter was still continuing when the reports last came in. The security forces, acting on a tip-off had cordoned off the suspected hideout of the militants, engaging them in a fierce encounter. Two AK rifles along with two magazines, four hand grenades and two wireless sets were seized from the slain militants, whose identity was yet to be ascertained. In another encounter, army shot dead an exfiltrating militant near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch town today, they said. One AK rifle with some ammunition and one radio set were seized from the killed militant, they added.
SRINAGAR: Three top militants, including a self-styled commander of a pro-Pakistani outfit were arrested and a hideout busted in Kashmir valley since Sunday. Acting on specific intelligence input, BSF troops alongwith intelligence team, nabbed launching Commander of Al-Umar Mujahideen, Fayaz Ahmed Teli alias Billa, Bilal Ahmed Khan, a close associate of Sahardar Peer, Divisional Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen for central Kashmir and Javid Ahmad Khan of Dalal Mohalla from downtown Srinagar today, a BSF spokesman said. A rocket launcher with two rockets, a Chinese pistol, five grenades, a wireless set, three rocket boosters and a large quantity of assorted
ammunition was seized from them. The spokesman said the troops of 8btn BSF also busted a militant hideout of Hizbul Mujahideen at Rammu Tujan forest in Pulwama district of south Kashmir last night. Nearly 800 gm RDX, one IED weighing five kg, two hand grenades, four detonators, a wireless set and large quantity of assorted ammunition was seized from the hideout during search operation, the spokesman said, adding that no one was arrested. |
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Licences only on clearing power dues Jammu, December 30 Reviewing the progress of power tariff collection at a meeting of senior officers of the Power Development Department (PDD), the Chief Minister asked the department to prepare a pragmatic and time-bound action plan for the collection of power dues. Noting with concern that there were about 10 lakh unauthorised connections, the Chief Minister ordered that a massive drive should be launched all over the state to regularise these and bring every consumer within the ambit of the collection system. At the same time, the system should be simplified and made consumer friendly. Several important decisions were taken to broadbase the mechanism for the realisation of power tariff. It was decided that every licence, government certificate or other document would be issued only on the receipt of a certificate from the executive engineer concerned of the PDD to the effect that the applicant had cleared the power dues till date. The decision will cover applications and certificates relating to state subject, the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, income, passports, ration cards, building permission and licences. The current year’s tariff must be recovered in full. As regards outstanding amounts, which are estimated at 1,700 crore, the power department will evolve a mechanism for collecting it in instalments in line with the high court’s directions. Drastic action like disconnection of the power line will also be resorted to if consumer fails to clear the dues. The Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, said that the state could not afford to delay the recovery of power tariff arrears as it was leading to a whopping deficit in the budget. Referring to the need for streamlining the transmission system, he said it would involve about Rs 530 crore, which was not readily available at present. The Financial Commissioner, Finance, Mr M.S. Pandit, stressed the need for urgency in the collection of dues. He said that against the budgetary provision of Rs 670 crore, this year’s target for revenue collection was Rs 485 crore. |
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‘Review hike
in excise on CSD items’ Jammu, December 30 While excise duty on CSD liquor was hiked between 5 per cent and 10 per cent it was for the first time last year that sales tax to the tune of 9 per cent was imposed on all CSD items, which included consumer items besides electric and electronic gadgets. Last year the station headquarters had, on the basis of complaints from service and ex-servicemen, sent a communication to the Army headquarters in Delhi to take up the matter with the Union Finance
Ministry so that it could persuade the Kashmir Government to withdraw sales tax on canteen items and lower the excise duty on canteen liquor. Soon after the formation of the PDP-Congress coalition government in the state the station headquarters in Jammu sent a communication to the Finance Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig, requesting him to reduce excise on liquor and scrap sales tax on consumer items sold in the canteens. One ex-serviceman, Ram Singh, said “the government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has started giving a healing touch to the people in the state and we will treat it a healing touch if the sales tax on all canteen items, imposed by the erstwhile National Conference government, is withdrawn.” A senior Army officer of the rank of Colonel said “the imposition of sales tax and hike in excise duty on consumer items and liquor has upset my domestic budget.” He said “if I feel the pinch what about soldiers and ex-servicemen?” He said “it is total injustice to serving soldiers and ex-servicemen in Jammu and Kashmir when they have to pay about Rs 82 and Rs 30 more on a bottle of Indian made foreign liquor and rum, respectively, when their counterparts in other states, including Delhi, Punjab and Haryana have to pay very less.” The Colonel cited another instance and said: “We in Jammu and Kashmir have to pay between Rs 700 and Rs 900 more on refrigerators, air conditioners and other gadgets after sales tax to the tune of 9 per cent was imposed.” One Captain said: “I get my monthly liquor from my home town in Haryana.” He said “others too have started doing the same.” The communication has requested Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beig to take in hand other measures for increasing internal resources in the state and undo the wrong that had been done by the National Conference government. Several Army officers are of the opinion that increase in excise on liquor and imposition of sales tax on all canteen items is an “unwise step” because the exercise will not yield more than Rs 10 crore a year to the state government. On the other hand it has caused lot of inconvenience to serving personnel and
exservicemen. |
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