Gill: fair poll will be ensured
SRINAGAR, July 31 — Chief Election Commissioner Dr M.S. Gill today assured the nation that the commission would do everything possible to ensure that the September elections were good, clean, fair and peaceful.

21 diarrhoea deaths in Udhampur
UDHAMPUR, July 31 — The diarrhoea cases are on rise in the district. The epidemic shows no sign of relief as unofficial reports quote 21 deaths so far in the Ramnagar, Latt, Cheneni, Mahore and Basantgarh areas.

IA reschedules Jammu-Leh flights
JAMMU, July 31 — The Indian Airlines has rescheduled its flights on Jammu-Leh axis from Monday to Friday from tomorrow.

New road between Jammu, Srinagar proposed
SRINAGAR, July 31 — The Jammu and Kashmir Government is considering a proposal to construct an alternate highway between Jammu and Srinagar which will remain open for vehicular traffic throughout the year, an official spokesman said here today.

Gill: fair poll will be ensured

SRINAGAR, July 31 (PTI) — Chief Election Commissioner Dr M.S. Gill today assured the nation that the commission would do everything possible to ensure that the September elections were good, clean, fair and peaceful.

The prime duty of the Election Commission (EC) as a constitutional body was to protect and carry forward the democratic system and ensure fair, free, peaceful and clean elections, Mr Gill told mediapersons here before leaving for New Delhi at the end of a four-day extensive tour of Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to the Kargil conflict, he said: "In Kargil we were not defending a line. We were actually, in my view, defending a democratic way of life and the coming elections are precisely a part of that process... Our strength is not in the Bofors gun but in a strong constitutional democracy".

However, he said, members of the commission were "human beings and can make errors, but no deliberate or willing mistakes will be committed".

Mr Gill said he would be only too happy that all parties fought hard and fought to win but fought fairly. "Whether it is Punjab, Kerala, Kashmir or Assam, there is a party in power and also a candidate for representation in Parliament. They have to ensure that state power is not misused for electoral gains.

The code of conduct is in this single sentence and there is nothing more to it, he said, adding "our effort is only to see and try to ensure that state power is not misused by whichever party is in power in whichever state".

Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Election Commissioner said the commission intended to hold elections for all six seats in the state including Ladakh.

In reply to a question on security arrangements during the elections in Kashmir, Mr Gill said there was no apprehension on lack of security for holding elections. "We are assessing in Delhi everything possible to see that there is maximum and adequate security in Kashmir during the elections".

"I have had discussions with senior civil and police officers of the state including Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitly, Director-General of Police Gurbachan Jagat, and the Chief Electoral Officer about the arrangements being made for the elections in the state", he said.

The CEC hoped the people of Kashmir will come out and exercise franchise in the coming elections. "I feel the people want to vote in this election. Ultimately to correct things you need to put a man or woman into Parliament to fight for what you believe is wrong".

Congress yet to decide on Soz
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, July 31 — The Congress is yet to decide whether it will support Prof Saifuddin Soz, who is contesting as an independent from Baramula, or field a former PCC chief. Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar, from the constituency from where he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996.

Soon after Prof Soz was expelled from the National Conference on charges of defying the party whip by voting against the motion of confidence moved by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the Lok Sabha, he had received assurances from Congress leaders that they would support him from Baramula. However, the situation has changed with Mufti Mohammed Sayeed having quit the party to form a new party.

Those senior Congress leaders, who have not jumped onto the bandwagon of the Mufti, are said to have conveyed to the high command that the party base will suffer a major erosion if Mr Ghulam Rasool Kar is not fielded from Baramula.

According to senior PCC members Taj Mohiuddin, he informed the party bosses in Delhi that if the Congress decides to support Prof Soz it will affect the party and create a wrong impression among its voters and supporters.

Since the People's Democratic Party of the Mufti has decided to field Muzaffar Hussain Beg, Prof Soz has conveyed to the Congress high command that he could give a tough fight to the National Conference and the PDP candidates provided the party supported him in Baramula.

As far as the National Conference's decision to field its candidate from Baramula is concerned, the party is waiting for the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, to return from Delhi. For the time being, Dr Abdullah has accepted the plea of the Finance Minister, Mohd Shafi, that he is not willing to contest from Baramula.

Mr Sharief Din Shariq, a member of the Rajya Sabha and Mr Abdul Rashid Shaheen, a former Deputy Minister, who recently resigned from the Janata Dal to rejoin the National Conference, have volunteered to contest from Baramula. The National Conference general secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, is said to have favoured the candidature of Mr Shaheen.

Mr Shaheen, who hails from Patton, could make it easy for the National Conference in case the Shia leader, Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, Minister for Urban Development, Mr Dilawar Mir, MLA from Rafiabad, the Finance Minister, Mohd Shafi from Uri, and Ch Mohd Ramzan, Forest Minister, had support to him.

After Mufti Mohd sayeed resigned from the Congress, the party has been weighing all pros and cons to select candidates from the Jammu and Udhampur constituencies.

There are more than 15 candidates keen on getting the Congress ticket from the constituencies.

21 diarrhoea deaths in Udhampur
From Our Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, July 31 — The diarrhoea cases are on rise in the district. The epidemic shows no sign of relief as unofficial reports quote 21 deaths so far in the Ramnagar, Latt, Cheneni, Mahore and Basantgarh areas.

However, the Chief Medical Officer has denied the unofficial reports and confirmed only 12 deaths. More than 1200 persons are suffering from diarrhoea in these areas, she said. Seven paramedical teams have been sent to the affected areas.

She also claimed that by deputing teams the epidemic was under control. But the people of these areas complained that no teams had reached the remote areas, especially the militancy-affected areas.

IA reschedules Jammu-Leh flights

JAMMU, July 31 (PTI) — The Indian Airlines has rescheduled its flights on Jammu-Leh axis from Monday to Friday from tomorrow.

IA Jammu station manager said flight no: IC-7425 will now operate from Jammu to Leh on Mondays instead of Fridays from August 1, 1999, while flight no: IC-829 will operate on Tuesdays from Jammu to Leh as per the existing schedule and time, while flight no: IC-7426 will now operate on Fridays instead of Mondays, he said in a statement here.

New road between Jammu, Srinagar proposed

SRINAGAR, July 31 (PTI) — The Jammu and Kashmir Government is considering a proposal to construct an alternate highway between Jammu and Srinagar which will remain open for vehicular traffic throughout the year, an official spokesman said here today.

A detailed techno-economic feasibility report is being prepared for this proposed highway at a cost of around Rs 2.30 crore, the spokesman said.

Seventy per cent of the cost would be borne by the housing and urban development corporation (HUDCO) while rest will be made available by the state government, he said.

The proposed road would be bit shorter than the present 300-km-long highway, the only road link between the Kashmir valley and rest of the country.

The spokesman said the planning and finance departments had been asked to make available Rs 70 lakh for getting the project report prepared.