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Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 20 : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Jammu State Morcha (JSM)
leaders have criticized Kashmiri separatists for trying to give a communal
and political colour to the traditional annual Amarnath pilgrimage by
"unnecessarily" raking up "extraneous" issues, including
environmental degradation and pollution.
Referring to the campaign having been launched by chairman Hurriyat
Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, against "unimaginary" plan
of the Shrine Board to construct a tarred road from Pahalgam to the holy cave
and against the plan of constructing a township at Baltal the VHP and he JSM
leaders have stated that when there was neither the plan to construct a
metalled road and a township the separatists were simply whipping up communal
passions and unrest.
The Chief of VHP, Dr Ramakant Dubey, and a senior JSM leader, Ashwini Kumar,
have stated that there was no justification for the separatists to campaign
against the constitution of the Amarnath Shrine Board. They said that the
Board had been constituted after the Shrine Board, set up for Mata Vaishno
Devi,had achieved major success in developing the environs around the shrine
and the facilities for the pilgrims. They said that Geelani was favouring
Kashmiri Pandits to run the affairs of the yatra which was not possible when
over 95 percent of the Pandit population had migrated to the plains since the
rise of militancy related violence. The V HP and the JSM leaders also
expressed their dismay over the allegations that growing rush of pilgrims to
the holy cave of Amarnath would pollute the entire environment adding that
when during the last over 150 years the environs of the cave shrine and the
mountain routes from Pahalgam to the cave and from Baltal to the shrine had
not got polluted why should it then lead to environmental degradation now.
These leaders wanted to inform the separatists that whatever waste material
was being thrown on the mountain routes would get consumed under deep snow
and ice that would keep the entire area out of bounds for over five months.
They said that the Government and the separatists need to encourage bigger
pilgrim traffic to Amarnath cave as it would help porters, ponywallas and
hoteliers, besides traders and transporters to earn a fortune. They said that
the pilgrim traffic to the shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath cave have
become a permanent affair.They said that over 70 lakh pilgrims to Vaishno
Devi and over five lakh pilgrims to Amarnath cave have the potential for
becoming a backbone of the state's economy.
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EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Nov 20: Former Union Minister Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta MLA has
ridiculed the conduct of the elections of the Legislative Council seats of
Panchayat quota without completing the process of elections as per the
Panchayat Raj Act even that of Jammu and Kashmir, and indicated to make it
an issue of challenging this whole drama in court of law as also on other
forces of public debate.
Taking a strong exception to the statements of the Pradesh Congress
President, Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz and some other leaders of the State
Coalition that the Block and District Committees polls linked with
Panchayati Raj would be held shortly and the Panchayats would be empowered,
Prof. Gupta observed that it was strange that Council polls are being held
before completion of elections to the Panchayati Raj system as per law.
Premises of empowering Panchayats and that of providing of honorarium sounds
luring the electors and it is a matter that the election commission should
take cognizance.
The question is that why it was not done before going for polls and why
these basic democracies were not empowered prior to the start of this
battle of hustings even for four seats which are part of the Legislature.
He said that 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Indian Constitution are basis
for empowering the basic democracies viz the Panchayats and Local bodies.
The Congress in their Election Manifestoes had committed to this major
issue but it was strange that they are not only sailing with the National
Conference which is not favouring extension of anymore provision of the
Indian Constitution to this part of the country but for their
semi-separatist mindset.
Gupta said that instead of sorting out these basic issues of democratic
rights of the people as also that of the unity of the country before
forming the Coalition, both these parties opted for sharing the benefits of
power without forging even a Common Minimum Programme and now their
marriage of convenience of 2009, is recoiling upon the interests of the
country as also that of democracy at the grass root level.
NEWS PUBLISHED IN EXCELLSIOR
Neeraj
Rohmetra
Jammu, Nov 20: Shocking though it may sound that
State Government has put on hold appointment of one of the candidates for
the post of District and Session Judge after the dossier sent by Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) to the Law Department 'verified' that the
candidate had close links with PTM (Pak-Trained Militant).
In
another case, the candidate had 'inadvertently' been awarded excess marks
in the Higher Judiciary (Direct Recruitment) examination due to which he
had been declared 'selected'. "However, as the papers were subjected
to re-checking, it was found that the candidate didn't have the desired
marks", reliable sources said.
They
said, "the appointment of nine District and Session Judges had been
engulfed into a major controversy with the State Government deciding to
withhold names of these two candidates. Besides, the appointment had been
challenged in various courts of the State and even in the Apex Court".
Sources
said that the appointment order of the candidate with militant-links had
raised several eyebrows in the Judiciary and among Government circles.
"The irony of the facts can be gauged from the fact that the candidate
occupied the top slot in the appointment order issued by the
Government", sources added.
Sources
in the Home Department also categorically stated that all the dossiers of
the candidates had been sent to the Law Department. "The dossier of
the candidate with militant links categorically stated that he has himself
remained an active member of the Pakistan backed militant outfit and has
been closely associated with several anti-national elements. The dossier
also mentioned the name of the militant outfit with which the candidate has
been actively associated", sources asserted.
Elaborating
on the method adopted for verification process, sources said, "the
procedure is same as the one adopted in case of other service appointment.
The confidential details from High Court are forwarded to the CID, which
are then forwarded to district level officials for further verification in
consultation with Special Branch (SB). The consolidated reports are then
sent back to the concerned quarters".
In
the case of second aspirant, sources stated that the candidate while
appearing for the entrance examination had attempted two choice questions,
while as only either of them had to be answered. "Further, the
individual while doing marking had inadvertently given marks for both the
answers, while only one of them was relevant. With the results the score of
the candidate which was earlier declared as 92 had dropped down to 85 after
necessary verification", sources said.
"Now
that the cases of both of these candidates had come to the fore, the State
Government had no choice but to drop their names", sources asserted.
Besides,
several petitions had been filed in different courts including the Apex
Court while challenging the selection list of nine District and Session
Judges.
Some
of the candidates, who couldn't make it to the selection process had also
filed a petition before the Supreme Court on the subject. The Court had
given the direction that the appointments to the Higher Judicial Service,
if made will be subject to the outcome of the petition.
Also,
at least 17 Sub-Judges have challenged the list before High Court in Jammu
while pleading that the direct recruitment may hamper their career
prospects.
In
a writ petition filed before the High Court the Sub-Judges claimed that their
service career and prospects are likely to be pre-judicially affected in
case 13 posts of District and Sessions Judges are filled-up by the direct
recruitment "at the cost of right of the in-service officers for
promotion earned by the length of their service under the State
Judiciary."
Around
215 candidates had appeared in Higher Judiciary (Direct Recruitment)
Examination conducted by the State High Court. Though 13 posts were desired
to be filled up and 15 candidates were short listed for interview, only
nine candidates were declared successful.
Names
of nine advocates were selected for District Judges, included five from
Kashmir and four from Jammu region in the month of August this year. The
list of nine candidates including Muhammad Altaf Khan, Haq Nawaz Zargar,
Tahir Khurshid Raina, Shazia Tabsum, Tasleem Arief, Sonia Gupta, Rajinder
Sapru, Naseer Ahmed Dar and Pawan Kumar Kundal.
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