Monitor polling in J&K, pleads Mufti
JAMMU, Sept 10 — Expressing fears that polling may be rigged in the Baramula, Anantnag, Jammu and Udhampur Lok Sabha constituencies on the pattern that was allegedly followed in the Srinagar constituency the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had demanded appointment of "unofficial" observers, prominent jurists, journalists and human rights activists to monitor polling in the four constituencies.

Two Pak intruders shot dead
JAMMU, Sept 10 — Two Pak infiltrators were killed on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri sector today. Official sources said the security forces spotted the movement on this side of the LoC and opened fire killing the two intruders on the spot. Reports said three others fled back to Pakistan.

Anantnag polling: fresh date notified
NEW DELHI, Sept 10 — The Election Commission today notified October 4 as fresh date for holding elections in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, the election to this constituency was adjourned following the killing of the BJP candidate.

Wasteland development project for Chenab
CHANDIGARH, Sept 10 — The National Wasteland Development Board, in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Government, has initiated an ambitious integrated wasteland development project with a view to tapping water resources near the Chenab area of Jammu district.

Bid on Maqbool Dar's life

SRINAGAR, Sept 10 — Militants made an abortive attempt on the life of the Janata Dal candidate for the Anantnag constituency, Mohammad Maqbool Dar near Pulwama this afternoon. A jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was injured in the exchange of firing with the militants.

The police said the motorcade of the Janata Dal candidate and former Union Minister, Mohammad Maqbool Dar was fired at by a group of five to six militants at Shadimarg near Pulwama at around 3 p.m. The police and CRPF men escorting Mr Dar returned the fired and then encounter continued for about half an hour. However, the militants escaped.

This is the second such attempt by militants in the south Kashmir constituency of Anantnag and third in the state in the past four days. The BJP candidate for the Anantnag constituency and his three securitymen were killed in a mine explosion near Anantnag on Tuesday. The Election Commission has already announced the rescheduling of the polling date for the Anantnag constituency. These will now be held on October 4.

Militants had also attacked a vehicle of the BJP election workers in Doda district yesterday.

In other incidents in the valley today, the militants shot dead a Congress worker at Nihalpora, Pattan in Baramula district. The police said unidentified militants shot at and injured Ghulam Nabi Itto. He died while being shifted to hospital.

JAMMU: The Army foiled militants' bid to blow up a polling: station in Sangla village 5 km north of Surankot in Poonch district today.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said that the Army patrol party detected one power IED planted in Government School building in the village where people were to cast their votes tomorrow. The bomb squad of the Army and engineers were summoned to defuse the IED.

The security forces have been directed to maintain vigil near all the polling booths in Poonch and
Rajouri sectors. This was the second major attempt by the militants to disrupt the poll process. On September 4 the Army defused six IEDs which had been planted under six culverts on the Rajouri-Darhal road to blow up poll processions. Had these IEDs exploded the road link between Rajouri and Darhal would have been snapped for several months.

Monitor polling in J&K, pleads Mufti
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 10 — Expressing fears that polling may be rigged in the Baramula, Anantnag, Jammu and Udhampur Lok Sabha constituencies on the pattern that was allegedly followed in the Srinagar constituency the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had demanded appointment of "unofficial" observers, prominent jurists, journalists and human rights activists to monitor polling in the four constituencies.

The president of the PDP, Mufti Mohd, Sayeed, told mediapersons here today he and his party had lost faith in the Election Commission observers who failed to take cognisance of "our complaints on rigging in various areas of the Srinagar constituency."

The Mufti said, "We submitted documentary evidence to the Election Commission" still there was no response from it over "our demand for repoll in the six Assembly segments of the constituency."

The PDP leader said the national interest had been bartered away because of the nexus between the state government and the Election Commission and the central government. He said the poll boycott call given by the separatists had suited the National Conference and it too encouraged people to boycott the polling. He said National Conference legislators and ministers with the help of the police carried labourers from Bihar, who were working in Kashmir, and anganwari workers to the polling booths for casting votes by proxy.

The Mufti said rigging in the 1987 Assembly poll had given birth to militancy and in case the state government and the ruling National Conference repeated the Srinagar "drama" in the remaining four constituencies it would further lose the "credibility" of the Election Commission.

He said the National Conference had failed to deliver the goods and the security scenario had deteriorated in Kashmir where even the contesting candidates were not safe. Referring to the recent killing of a BJP candidate, Ghulam Haider Noorani, the Mufti said he had not been provided with a bullet-proof car. Mr Noorani had informed the authorities about his election tour programme and his visit should have been preceded by road opening exercise the security forces.

He said it was sheer apathy of the people against the "misrule" of the National Conference government that voters refused to cast their votes. He said the poll boycott call had not been heeded in the 1996 and 1998 elections and the only reason for a response to the boycott call was voter's anger against the state government.

The Mufti felt the national interest had been damaged by the conspiracy hatched by the state government with the authorities concerned in Delhi. By ensuring victory for his son, Omar Abdullah, Dr Farooq Abdullah had jeopardised the interests of India in Kashmir.

He alleged after the two organisations of Kashmiri Pandit migrants, the Panun Kashmir and the All-Kashmiri Panidt Solidarity Conference, gave a call for poll boycott the state government had started making arrangements for proxy voting of these migrants. He said he had received reports that employees of the Relief Commissioner's office in Jammu were being forced to sign and stamp the postal ballot papers, which was another form of rigging.

The PDP leader said if the Centre wanted to remove peoples' alienation and encourage them to have faith in Indian elections and democracy it should make suitable arrangements to ensure that no political party or agency was able to indulge in rigging and booth capturing.

Two Pak intruders shot dead
Intelligence failure again
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 10 — Two Pak infiltrators were killed on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri sector today. Official sources said the security forces spotted the movement on this side of the LoC and opened fire killing the two intruders on the spot. Reports said three others fled back to Pakistan.

Arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants. It is believed that this group of militants had infiltrated into this side of the LoC to disrupt polling on Saturday by carrying IED and mine explosions.

Meanwhile, official sources confirmed reports that in the past three days a large group of foreign mercenaries had sneaked into Kashmir from across the Machel subsector in the north-west of the valley.

Their infiltration was organised by Pak troops who reported to heavy shelling on the Indian border posts and villages since Wednesday. The Pak soldiers engaged the Indian forces in the border fire and provide a fire cover to the infiltrators.

Though Pak troops suffered casualty and their bunkers were destroyed in the Indian retaliatory fire agencies across the border pushed into Kashmir rebels with assigned task of carrying out subversive activity which could create terror among people forcing them not to participate in the poll in the Baramula constituency slated for September 18.

Anantnag polling: fresh date notified

NEW DELHI, Sept 10 (UNI) — The Election Commission today notified October 4 as fresh date for holding elections in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, the election to this constituency was adjourned following the killing of the BJP candidate.

According to commission sources, the fresh date was notified to BJP general secretary Narendra Modi this morning.

The BJP has been given time till September 17 to nominate a fresh candidate to replace Mr Ghulam Hyder Noorani, who was killed in a mine blast on the Pahalgam road in south Kashmir on September 7.

The scrutiny of the nomination will take place on September 18 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature will be September 20.

The polling will be held on October 4 and counting of votes would be on October 6, along with all other constituencies.

The election process would be concluded by October 10.

Earlier, Anantnag was scheduled to go to the polls in the third phase of the general elections on September 18 along with Baramullah while elections were held in Srinagar and Ladakh constituencies of the state on September 5, polling is due in Udhampur and Jammu during the second phase of the 13th General Election tomorrow.

Wasteland development project for Chenab
By Vishal Joshi
From Our Corespondent

CHANDIGARH, Sept 10 — The National Wasteland Development Board, in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Government, has initiated an ambitious integrated wasteland development project (IWDP) with a view to tapping water resources near the Chenab area of Jammu district.

As many as 19 villages of the Jammu tehsil, including Gaur, Ramgarh and Saroot, will be benefited by the project to be completed by the year 2002. The area is one of 146 districts chosen after an all-India survey by the board.

The Rs 2.30 crore Mathwar Watershed Development Project is funded by the central Ministry of Rural Areas while the Jammu District Rural Development Agency as the implementing agency.

Acute water scarcity, poor soil nutrient status and lack of vegetal cover exist in this sub tropical area. The area is rainfed, thus creating agricultural problems.

The project covers a total catchment area of 5730 hectares for promotion of agro-forestry, afforestation, soil and moisture conservation work. For the community participation in the project, individual land besides the community will be treated from being eroded.

The project covers nearly 2155 hectare of privately owned land while the total volume of community land is about 2647 hectares. Besides this, there is a total of 928 hectares of forest land area.

The idea behind the active community participation is of immense help to understand the local problems, added Mr B.K. Bhagat, the Project Officer. Each of the 19 villages have a Village Development Committee (VDC). "The VDCs have a very crucial role to play in such projects. Initially, villagers may be hesitant to come forward to share different local matters," he said.

The villages will be benefited with levelling of their fields, constructions of rainwater channels for their best use. Due to the sloppy area, water erodes the soil, affecting the crop yield. Bandhs will be constructed around fields to protect soil as the upper soil is best for the agricultural purposes.

The main source of water consumption is natural old ponds, which are drying in the absence of maintenance. The project is planning to repair such water sources and construction of new ponds. Watershed plans have been formulated to store the rainwater for irrigation purposes, said Mr Bhagat.

Talking to this correspondent at the local Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, villagers said they hoped to derive advantage from the project.