Farooq tables reports
JAMMU, April 13 — The ruling National Conference fulfilled its poll promise today by placing on the table of the Assembly two reports, one from the State Autonomy Committee and another by the Regional Autonomy Committee, for general debate and discussion.

Firing claimed 40 lives in Kargil
JAMMU, April 13 — As many as 40 persons including eight soldiers were killed and 73 persons, including 19 security personnel injured in Pakistani shelling of Kargil town during the last two years.

Militants attack police post
SRINAGAR, April 13 — Gun-toting militants attacked a police post while forces captured two militants and seized some arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley in the past 24 hours.

SRTC bunglings: Farooq sets up committee
JAMMU, April 13 — The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, today announced the setting up of a three-member committee that would look into the alleged financial bunglings in the State Road Transport Corporation.

Oath administered to Taing
JAMMU, April 13 — The Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, Mr H.S. Bali, today administered oath to Mr Mohammad Yousuf Taing, who was nominated as member of the state Legislative Council.

11 forest officials held after fire
JAMMU, April 13 — As many as 15,960 pieces of timber with a volume of 43991.20 CFT were destroyed in a fire at a forest department depot in Kishtwar area of Doda district.

Farooq tables reports
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 13 — The ruling National Conference fulfilled its poll promise today by placing on the table of the Assembly two reports, one from the State Autonomy Committee and another by the Regional Autonomy Committee, for general debate and discussion. Since the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was in haste he submitted a copy of the reports to the Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, and promised the members that on Thursday, which may be the last day of the Budget session, the copies of the two reports would be made available to them.

It was a strange situation when Dr Abdullah tabled the report on the need for restoring to the state greater autonomy. While laying the report on the table of the House, he said another report of the Regional Autonomy Committee, too, would be laid on the table of the House shortly. The members had expected that the second report would be tabled on Thursday. But they were surprised when after 45 minutes of the presentation of the first report, the Chief Minister re-entered the House to table the second report.

While explaining the background of the government exercise, the Chief Minister said the reports on greater autonomy and regional autonomy were not aimed at weakening the integrity of the country or the state. He said the reports would be circulated among all members of the two Houses for opinion. Their suggestions would be discussed by the government and the reports would be debated in other states and circles.

"We want to do everything constitutionally", he said adding, that nothing would be done to weaken the unity and integrity of the country.

Dr Farooq said by preparing the report on the restoration of greater autonomy "we have taken a historic step" and once for all, the views and suggestions received at a special session of the state legislature would be convened to adopt the two reports. He said by seeking greater autonomy for the state, "we aim at strengthening India and the Indian democracy".

He envisaged a national debate on the issue and said that the government would send a team to Calcutta and other states for explaining the main features of the autonomy report. "What we have done and wish to do will be within the ambit of the Constitution of India", he declared.

Regarding regional autonomy, for which a separate report had been tabled in the House, the Chief Minister said he was keen to promote regional amity. He said the three main regions in the state and sub-regions were inhabited by people of varied culture, language and religion and once a mechanism was evolved to give to all three regions an equal share in political and economic power, it would ensure unity and integrity of the state.

The committee on state autonomy has not, according to informed sources, done any exercise in identifying central laws applied to the state since 1950 "repugnant" to the spirit of greater autonomy. It has not done so because it had no such terms of reference.

Instead the committee, according to knowledgeable circles, has stated that extension of several hundred central laws to the state and extension of the jurisdiction of several central agencies, including the Chief Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor-General and the Supreme Court of India, had violated the Instrument of Accession of 1947 and the Delhi Agreement of 1952.

The committee is said to have recommended that the state be allowed to go back to the 1952 position so that it had the powers to frame laws for the people. It has stated that the state legislature should have full powers to make laws for conferring special rights and privileges on state subjects, though they remained for all practical purposes citizens of India under Article 5 of the Constitution.

The committee has emphasised the need for reviving the system under which the state legislature had powers to elect the Governor who had to be recognised by the President of India before he was allowed to assume office. The committee has said after 1953, Governors have been nominees of the President. At least the Governor should be recognised by the President of India on the recommendations of the state legislature.

It has also recommended that the state be kept out of the purview of extension of the internal emergency proclaimed by the President and only in case of external emergency in the wake of war or aggression be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. It has sought maximum autonomy for local organs of the state power.

Gen Malik expects good tourist season
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 13 — Chief of the Army Staff, Gen V.P. Malik said here yesterday that there was "considerable improvement" in the situation in Kashmir, particularly during the past winter.

Gen Malik was addressing newspersons here yesterday afternoon following his current visit to the Northern Command. He has already visited Rajouri, Poonch and Doda districts of Jammu division, and is scheduled to visit Siachen today before reaching Udhampur, where he is scheduled to spend a day before his departure for Delhi.

"We hope that we shall be having large number of tourists to the valley this summer", Gen Malik said adding that he had already met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Governor G.C. Saxena and some other ministers. "We all feel that there is some improvement in the situation", Gen Malik said. He said the Chief Minister had conveyed to him that there was advance booking for hotels, houseboats etc by tourists planning to come to the valley this summer.

Replying questions on the aftermath of the Lahore declaration on the situation along the line of control (LoC), Chief of the Army Staff said that one had to "wait and watch". He added that usually during winters there was less firing on the LoC. "Last year there was more firing in Siachen and Kargil areas...we hope that in pursuance of the Lahore declaration there would be no provocation from the Pakistani side", Chief of the Army Staff said.

Referring to the latest test of Agni, the Chief of Army Staff said that "it is a part of our defence capabilities...one feels satisfied" over such an achievement, he added. "Our defence policy is defensive in nature....it does not visualise going outside the territories" of the vast country, he added in reply to a question.

"If the infiltration of militants stops" that could be considered as a change in the attitudes after the Lahore declaration, Gen Malik said.

The Chief of Army Staff admitted to incidents of killing of Pakistani soldiers on the borders and inside Kashmir. "It is an ongoing development", he added. "There is ample proof of Pakistan supporting militancy in Kashmir...some of the Pak soldiers are either killed or are apprehended, he added.

He was replying to a question on the killing of two Pakistani soldiers in Rajouri sector in Jammu division on Saturday. One of these soldiers was a JCO.

Gen V.P. Malik said cities and towns of the valley had already been handed over to para-military forces and withdrawal of forces from populated areas was continuously being reviewed.

However, he said no to a total withdrawal of troops from the valley. LoC is a different matter, Gen Malik said adding that more troops were inducted in Rajouri-Poonch sector in September-October last year in view of reports of more infiltration.

Firing claimed 40 lives in Kargil
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 13 — As many as 40 persons including eight soldiers were killed and 73 persons, including 19 security personnel injured in Pakistani shelling of Kargil town during the last two years.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Home, Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, in the Assembly in reply to a call attention motion tabled by Mr Mohammed Abbas today.

The minister said that number of residential buildings and schools had been damaged in the town and on several occasions a large number of civilians had to migrate to safer places.

He said not only Kargil but other border villages were affected.

The Minister said that as an umbrella against Pakistani shelling a number of bunkers had been constructed in Kargil town and the villages of Kaksar, Budgam, Hardas, Chanigund etc. He said the civilian administration and security forces provided assistance to residents when they were shifted to bunkers or two other safer places.

During question hour the Forest Minister, Ch. Mohammed Ramzan, informed the House that the Punjab Government had agreed to release Rs 86 crore as compensation for land in Kathua district to be submerged by the construction of Ranjit Sagar and Thein dam.

He said that of this sum the state government had received only Rs 66 crore so far. He said that the total area under threat of submergence was around 32,319 kanals and not 1,13,715 kanals as claimed by Mr Lal Singh (Congress). Rs 2.01 crore had been received as compensation for state land, Rs 95 lakh for forest land and Rs 73 lakh for revenue land.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, in reply to a question said unemployment was not a district or state problem alone. He said that under the new recruitment policy blocks would be taken as the basis for employment. Eligible youth belonging to border villages from Poonch to Kathua would be recruited in two police battalions which were being raised shortly.

Army dons goodwill mantle
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, April 13 — The Army has launched "operation sadbhavana" a civic action programme for "accelerated development activity" particularly in the broder belt of the Kashmir valley to undertake various projects with the central help of Rs 3 crore.

Disclosing this here Major-General A.S. Sihota, Chief of the Staff, 15 Corps Headquarters, said an Army development group (ADG) had been constituted for the purpose. The welfare oriented action, he said would help generate goodwill amongst the local population and build the image of the Army.

Seven villages, four in Kupwara district and three in Baramula district in north Kashmir had been adopted. These villages would be getting all civic amenities under the operation. Most of these projects were under way, while in the border villages some of these projects were yet to take off due to the heavy snow fall in these areas of north Kashmir, General Sihota said. The villages adopted by the Army for this purpose include Keran, Machchil, Jabri and Markut in Kupwara district and Sumawali, Braripora and Aragam in Baramula district.

Our of the Rs 3 crore central assistance, which has already been received by the corps HQ Rs 1 crore would be spent on "operation Ahgam" for the overall development of the village. The village, in Pulwama district, suffered heavy damage to the property in an encounter between the Army and militants in April last year. Eight militants were killed in a three-day long operation in the village. The Army had decided to adopt the village and make it a model village. The projects at Ahgam village included the setting up of a community development centre, a vocational training centre, a health centre, a veterinary centre and a shopping complex. It would also have a rural sanitation scheme, water supply scheme, the upgradation of existing electricity supply scheme, middle school, roads, villages bus stand and repair of roofs of damaged houses.

The facilities in seven villages of Kupwara and Baramula districts in north Kashmir adopted by the Army would also include the setting up of community development centres, water supply schemes and electrification schemes. To promote human resource development, vocational training centres were being set up at Dangiwacha in Baramula district and at Kupwara. The facilities being provided at these centres would include training in computers, typewriting, repair of motor vehicles, repair of TV and VCRs, health centres with basic diagnostic facilities and medicines.

Further, the Army had adopted Ranipora village in Anantnag district for providing a community development centre and a health centre. At least seven villagers were killed in the village in November due to explosions in the area. The Army had an arms dump in the area, and the villagers usually collected scrap after the explosives are destroyed by the Army. An unexploded device in the area killed seven villagers who had been collecting the scrap.

The Army had also completed the ‘artificial limbs project’ under which at least 76 persons were provided with artificial limbs at Nevedac Centre at Chandigarh.

Militants attack police post

SRINAGAR, April 13 (UNI) — Gun-toting militants attacked a police post while forces captured two militants and seized some arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley in the past 24 hours.

An official spokesman said militants fired at a police post with automatic weapons at Kralgund in Kupwara district last evening. The police retaliated and the exchange continued for some time. No one was injured in the encounter.

He said the security forces captured two militants in Srinagar and recovered two remote control devices, one anti personnel mine, one fuse and 15 rounds last evening.

The spokesman said the forces during search recovered about 2 kg of explosives, five detonators,15 grenades,four magazines, 64 rounds and four safety fuses at Haihama forest last evening.

SRTC bunglings: Farooq sets up committee

JAMMU, April 13 (UNI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, today announced the setting up of a three-member committee that would look into the alleged financial bunglings in the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC).

BJP member Choudhary Piara Singh alleged during zero hour today that financial irregularities amounting to crores of rupees had been committed by the SRTC authorities and demanded a thorough inquiry.

About 1,400 trucks were purchased for the SRTC but these vehicles were being plied in Nepal and the corporation was not earning any profit on them, he alleged.

In his reply, Dr Abdullah announced that the committee being set up would be chaired by Choudhary Piara Singh himself and would submit a report within two months. Other members of the committee would be Mr Mubark Gul (National Conference) and Mr M.Y. Tarigami (CPM).

Oath administered to Taing
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, April 13 — The Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, Mr H.S. Bali, today administered oath to Mr Mohammad Yousuf Taing, who was nominated as member of the state Legislative Council. With this the number of members in the council has risen to 30.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was also present in the House. The Chief Minister, Chairman of the Legislative Council and the Industries Minister felicitated Mr Taing on his nomination.

11 forest officials held after fire

JAMMU, April 13 (PTI) — As many as 15,960 pieces of timber with a volume of 43991.20 CFT were destroyed in a fire at a forest department depot in Kishtwar area of Doda district. 11 Forest Department officials were arrested in that connection, Minister of Forest and Environment Chowdary Mohmmad Ramzan informed the Jammu and Kashmir assembly yesterday.

Replying to a call attention motion, Mr Ramzan said the timber was destroyed in Keshwan Forest Department depot last week and a probe by the crime branch had been ordered.

The 11 officials, now in police custody, have been suspended, he said.