Total bandh in valley
SRINAGAR, April 5 — Normal life was completely paralysed throughout the valley today in protest against a "massive hike" in taxes proposed in the state budget. Today's strike call given by transporters was supported by the Peoples Forum for Justice, constituted to protest against the budgetary proposals targeted at mobilising Rs 565 crore during the current financial year.

Bid on life of BJP leader
SRINAGAR, April 5 — The Jammu and Kashmir police repulsed a militant attack on the life of a senior BJP leader even as five militants and an engineer were killed and three militants arrested in the state since last evening.

Power cuts irk residents
JAMMU, April 5 — Electricity is available to consumers in the urban areas especially in major towns of Jammu and Kashmir for less than 82 hours a week. The heavy load shedding which was ordered in October still continues. The situation in the rural areas is worse than in the two capitals.

Banda Bahadur mela from April 13
JAMMU, April 5 — A three-day annual historic mela at Dera Baba Banda Bahadur will begin from April 13 in Reasi tehsil of Udhampur district.

Budget issue
Total bandh in valley
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 5 — Normal life was completely paralysed throughout the valley today in protest against a "massive hike" in taxes proposed in the state budget. Today's strike call given by transporters was supported by the Peoples Forum for Justice, constituted to protest against the budgetary proposals targeted at mobilising Rs 565 crore during the current financial year.

All shops business establishments, banks and educational institutions here remained closed and passenger transport including buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws and trucks went off the road. There was thin attendance in state government offices.

However, an official spokesman claimed that there was a partial response to the call. He told TNS that attendance in government offices here was "slightly affected".

Inter-district transport was also affected. The divisional administration had made transport arrangements for the government employees from various parts of the city and on inter-district routes to ensure attendance in the offices. For this purpose at least 200 buses of the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) had been pressed into service.

Reports from other major towns of the valley including Anantnag, Baramula, Pulwama, Budgam, Sopore, Kupwara and Handwara revealed that life was totally paralysed in these areas also. There was thin attendance in government offices at the district headquarters while educational institutions were closed.

This is for the third time that the valley has observed a complete bandh in protest against the budget tabled in the state assembly on March 4 last.

The Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation had called for a two-day valley-wide bandh on March 8 and 9 last, three days after the budget was presented. A one-day strike was observed at the call of Peoples Forum for Justice, constituted of over 30 organisations and associations of the traders, transporters, state government employees and the bar association on March 22.

Spearheading the "agitation", the Peoples Forum for Justice, constituted early last month, said that the "people had no other option available to protest against the imperialistic, anti-people policies of the state." Calling for today's general strike, it said that the "public transport will freeze its routine activities from Lakhanpur to Uri". The demands put forth by the Forum include immediate withdrawal of proposed taxes, maintaining status quo ante on water and power tariff, a halt to the violation of human rights, withdrawal of TADA and other acts, stopping the anti employees policies of the government and releasing the salaries of employees."

The Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation has also extended its support to the Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries for today's call in Jammu region. A spokesman of the federation reiterated that the traders will not pay the additional taxes from April 1. It had early last month cautioned the government that traders would charge sales taxes at the last year's rates only and not according to the new rates proposed in the current year's budget.

JAMMU: Life was completely paralysed in Jammu following a general strike by transporters in the state. There was total chaos at the Jammu railway station where several thousand pilgrims going to Vaishno Devi shrine and other passengers were stranded for several hours.

The state government swung into action and plied roadways transport corporation buses on Jammu-Katra route, but the number of buses were less.

The passenger transport services on inter-district and inter-state routes remained suspended today. Private buses, coaches, taxis were off the road on Jammu-Srinagar Highway. The government directed the transport corporation to send 40 additional buses from Srinagar to Jammu to carry pilgrims to Katra.

The city roads wore a deserted look except for private cars and scooters. Work in government offices, banks and educational institutions was affected as employees could not reach their offices. Even three-wheelers remained off the road.

The call for the strike was given by transporters in the state to protest against the steep hike in licence fee, toll tax and passenger tax imposed by the state government. Traders also supported the call and most of the shops in Jammu and Srinagar remained closed.

The call for the strike had been backed by several opposition parties, including the BJP, Congress, CPM, Panthers Party, Janata Dal, Awami National Conference and the BSP.

Right from early morning passengers were seen walking to their destinations in the city carrying their luggage on their heads.

BJP leaders, including Mr Piara Singh, said the government had imposed additional taxes which would further forces the transporters to suffer losses. They added that had the government recovered tax arrears there would have been on need to fleece the transporters and common people.

Bid on life of BJP leader

SRINAGAR, April 5 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir police repulsed a militant attack on the life of a senior BJP leader even as five militants and an engineer were killed and three militants arrested in the state since last evening.

Militants equipped with sophisticated weapons fired at the house of senior BJP leader Chuni Lal at Dudwar in the Gandoh area of Doda district last night, an official spokesman said.

Police guards posted at the house returned the fire and repulsed the attack, which was aimed at the life of the BJP leader.

No one had been injured in the incident.

A hunt has been launched to nab the militants.

Suspected militants shot dead Meraj-ud-Din, an Assistant Engineer working in the Roads and Buildings Division, outside his Muchpoona residence in Pulwama district of south Kashmir early this morning.

The state police shot dead a militant, Abdul Hamid Bhat, alias Abdullah, during search operations at Drubgam-Akhal in Pulwama district last evening. An AK assault rifle, two magazines, 16 rounds and a grenade were recovered from the slain militant.

JAMMU (TNS): The security forces killed two foreign mercenaries who had killed seven civilians, including four women, at two separate places in the Surankot area of Poonch recently.

According to the Ministry of Defence officials, the troops unearthed a militant hideout in the Nerain forest belt in Surankot and killed the two foreign mercenaries on the spot. These mercenaries had cut into pieces the bodies of one Barkat Bi and her three daughters near Surankot three days ago.

The troops recovered assault rifles, one radio set and large quantities of ammunition from the slain militants.

In another area of Mohar tehsil, the troops recovered some arms and ammunition, including a Chinese grenade, from a militant hideout.

In another incident, members of the Village Defence Committee repulsed at attack by foreign mercenaries in the Kalkot area of Rajouri recently.

Three-day Mansar mela concludes
From Our Correspondent

MANSAR (JAMMU), April 5 — The three-day Mansar mela, which was inaugurated here on Friday concluded yesterday here on the banks of the picturesque Mansar Lake, 60 km from Jammu city.

A large number of people, including the Minister for Medical Education, Dr Mustafa Kamal, and the Minister of State for Power, Mr Abdul Rashid, were present on the occasion.

The ministers went round the Mansar lake to have a glimpse of the stalls put up by various departments as well as private agencies. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kamal said tourism was the main source of the state's income and every effort would be made to harness tourist potential in all three regions of the state in order to improve the economy of the state.

Madhumita Raut, an Odissi dancer who is running a dance school at Frankfurt in Germany, also gave a performance during the festival. She started her performance with Ram bhajan "Shri Ram Chandra Kripalu Bhajman" which was later followed by "Ram Sita Pratham Milan". She was honoured by Dr Kamal by presenting cash awards on behalf of the State Tourism Department and Jammu Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Association.

Music competitions were also arranged to promote the culture of the state, besides providing entertainment and recreation to the people. A film and a folk music competitions were organised by the Tourism Department.

Speaking on the concluding function, Mr Mehboob Iqbal, District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, thanked the Tourism Department for organising such a festival at Mansar. He said such activities would enhance the importance of the place which has already found a place on the tourism map of India. He added that Udhampur district had great tourist potential "There are many other historical monuments like Kirmachi, Manwal, Bhimgarh Fort in Reasi which would be developed as main tourist spots in the near future," he said.

The Nodal Officer of Mansar mela, Mr S.M. Sahni, said a number of visitors from Jammu and Udhampur and surrounding villages had visited Mansar in these three days.

Power cuts irk residents
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 5 — Electricity is available to consumers in the urban areas especially in major towns of Jammu and Kashmir for less than 82 hours a week. The heavy load shedding which was ordered in October still continues. The situation in the rural areas is worse than in the two capitals.

Several hundred villages in the state have not received electricity for the last several months owing to load shedding and damage to transformers.

What has angered the consumers is that despite a 47 per cent hike in power tariff they were not being provided electricity and most of the consumers are charged on flat rates. Following reports that the government could not draw additional electricity from the northern grid because of cash crunch the affluent sections of people have purchased diesel or petrol generators and some of them have bought inverters.

Three main dealers in Srinagar and Jammu have confirmed that during the last six months their sale of diesel generators and inverters had registered 400 per cent increase. Another dealer said that there was initially a big demand for inverters but the demand has started dwindling because batteries do not get fully charged owing to prolonged load shedding.

The state government had assured the people of the Jammu region that the load shedding period would be reduced from April 1 but so far there has been no change and besides load shedding frequent power breakdowns have added to the difficulties of the people.

A cross-section of consumers interviewed said that the Chief Minister, his ministerial colleagues, legislators and senior bureaucrats were oblivious of prolonged load shedding because their offices and residential houses were supplied uninterrupted power for which special lines had been laid.

Prolonged power cuts have damaged electric and electronic gadgets. Number of consumers complained of repeated damage to their refrigerators and other machines.

Banda Bahadur mela from April 13
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, April 5 — A three-day annual historic mela at Dera Baba Banda Bahadur will begin from April 13 in Reasi tehsil of Udhampur district.

The 300-year-old Dera Baba Banda Bahadur has a historic gurdwara having the samadhi of Banda Bahadur. Besides the ashes of Banda Bahadur, it has an arrow given to him by Guru Gobind Singh and other weapons, including a huge sword. The mela will display all these belongings.

Every year an average of 30,000 devotees throng the mela from northern India. According to mahant of the dera Jatinder Pal Singh, the administration has made all arrangements for the mela.

Mr H.S. Bali, Chairman of the State Legislative Council, who visited the gurdwara here on Saturday, said efforts were on to develop this spot as a pilgrim destination and a tourist place.