SHRC rendered dysfunctional in Omar Govt

Commission working without 2 members, IGP, other staff

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Apr 1: During Omar Abdullah-led coalition government, fate of the much hyped Jammu & Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is just a little different than other fully dysfunctional autonomous bodies---J&K State Accountability Commission, J&K State Information Commission et al. Government has announced formation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission in March and constituted J&K State Vigilance Commission in February this year but neither of the two has been provided staff and other logistics.

While three successive Chairmen’s repeated requests to provide an IGP rank officer for supervising investigation have fallen on deaf ears of successive governments, strength of the commission reduced to just a Chairman and one-odd member.

In the annual report for 2009-10, Omar Abdullah government first year, Chairman SHRC, Syed Bashiruddin, has lamented that the conditions that forced former Chairman, Justice Rtd Ali Mohammad Mir, to resign during Mufti Mohammad’s government, were still existing. The report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly today.

“The Commission has worked and is working with depleted strength of two during the period under report (2009-10). The often repeated requests, DO’s/ SOs for appointment of Commission members have yielded so far no results”, Mr Justice Rtd Syed Bashiruddin has recorded in the introduction. He has pointed out that only the Chairman and one member functioned at SHRC during 2009-10 as two members, namely Habibullah Bhat and B N Tingloo, retired.

Sources in the government, however, insisted that one vacancy of member was likely to be filled up in a month. They disputed the official version and asserted that Chairman Syed Bashiruddin and Member, A R Khan, had got the third member, namely Javed Ahmed Kawoosa, two months before the annual report was tabled in Assembly. They said that the government was also in search of the 4^th member for the SHRC.

Government is supposed to provide a Police team, headed by an IGP, for the purpose of investigation to the SHRC. “However, the investigating team has been without the services of an Inspector General of Police throughout the period (2009-10). No IGP is posted in the Commission. Even the Police personnel, to be part investigative staff is not posted in full strength”, Chairman has complained.

With identical complaints, besides no-action on annual reports and recommendations of the Commission by the state government, then Chairman SHRC, Justice Rtd Ali Mohammad Mir, had resigned in 2005.

In the report on 2009-10, Chairman SHRC has further recorded: “The Commission has also reviewed the depleted staff strength and difficulties faced thereto in the meetings of the Commission and in the meetings at various levels with Law Department and other officials, followed by that matter, being appropriately taken up with Government”.

“The Commission has faced difficulties in discharge of its duties and for the purpose, the Commission’s Chairperson took up the matter with His Excellency the Governor of J&K State during Governor’s rule and thereafter with the elected government by addressing DOs to Chief Minister and Law Minister and other concerned dignitaries and authorities of the State Government, thereby inter alia, the amendments have been proposed to J&K Protection of Human Rights Act, 1999, and need-based requirements qua infrastructure, staff, finances, logistics etc have been pinpointed to be met. These have been taken up appropriately with the Government via reports, DOs and other communications. Same are pending with the Government. No decisions to the knowledge of Commission have been taken thereto during the period under report”, it added.

Nevertheless, there has been remarkable decrease in matters of human rights abuse by the government agencies. During 2009-10, SHRC has received 467 complaints of which 249 were addressed.

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Cabinet writes off deceased Ministers’, MLAs’, MLCs’ loans

Pir gets charge of CCT; 3 IAS officers given suppertime scale

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 31: In a significant development, Cabinet today waived off all outstanding loans of a number of Ministers and legislators who have passed away in the last two decades. While as three IAS officers were promoted to suppertime scale, Commissioner Excise G A Pir was also given additional charge of Commissioner Commercial Taxes at the end of the re-employment period of Khwaja Bashir Ahmed.

On recommendations of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Government today ordered immediate attachment of Principal Secretary Health & Medical Education, Dr Ravi Kulbhushan Jeerath. A Government Order, circulated in Assembly, said that Jeerath had been attached to General Administration Department with immediate effect. Principal Secretary Housing & Urban Development, Suresh Kumar, would hold the additional charge of Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education.

As already reported, Jeerath had been censured by Privilege Committee of J&K Assembly and recommended for attachment after he was declared as guilty of showing disrespect to BJP’s MLA from Banni, Lal Chand. Under pressure from a near-unanimous House, Government today removed Jeerath from his posting and ordered his attachment to GAD hours before the Cabinet met with a brief agenda at Civil Secretariat in the evening.

In today’s meeting, Cabinet decided that Commissioner Excise, G A Pir, would also hold additional charge of Commissioner Commercial Taxes till further orders. It accorded sanction to promotion of three senior IAS officers, namely Yadullah (Secretary Rural Development), Aijaz Iqbal (Secretary Revenue) and Farooq Ahmed Pir (Secretary Labour and Employment).

Elevated to the post of Commissioner-Secretary, all the three IAS officers were promoted to super time scale of Rs  37400-67000 with Grade pay Rs. 10,000. They would continue to hold the existing postings.

Two days after J&K Legislative Assembly raised salaries of Ministers, MLAs and MLCs, besides pension of retired legislators, with retrospective effect of nearly two years, Cabinet today sanctioned waiver of loans granted to a number of former Ministers, MLAs and MLCs who died natural death or were killed by militants in the last 20 years. Families of slain Ministers Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, Safdar Ali Beg, Dr Ghulam Nabi Lone, slain Parliamentary Secretary Ghulam Hassan Bhat, besides those of several MLAs and MLCs, including slain counter-insurgents Kukka Parray and Javed Hussain Shah, would be among the beneficiaries.

The Cabinet also approved re-employment of retired officers and officials in the election department for assisting in the conduct of Panchayat Elections.

The Cabinet also approved re-employment of Mr M L Babu, Professor in the department of Surgery, Government Medical College, Jammu. It also approved purchase of 20,000 single phase, whole current LCD Static Energy Meters with Optic Port 5-30 Amperes, 1.30 Lakh meters of single phase whole current LCD Static Energy Meters with optical port 10-60 Amperes and 20,000 three phase four wire whole current fully statics Tri-vector energy meters LCD with optical port rating 20-80 Ampere.

Sources said that the Cabinet also approved the draft of some Bills likely to be introduced on last day of the Budget Session tomorrow in Legislative Assembly and subsequently in Legislative Council.

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Soz-Azad clash delays NC-Cong seat sharing

Bigwigs in NC, Congress fail to get ticket; 16 candidates file nomination papers

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 30: Factional warfare within Congress party has inordinately delayed seat sharing arrangement between the ruling coalition partners even as 15 candidates---including 4 each from National Conference (NC) and Congress---filed nomination papers for six notified vacancies in the Legislative Council on the last day of the process today. Contrary to wide expectations that businessmen would yet again grab the lion’s share, both the parties have, however, issued tickets on merit and dropped over a dozen of bigwigs who were all strong contenders.

Minutes before the deadline ended this afternoon, as many as 15 candidates of different political parties, including an Independent, filed nomination papers before Returning Officer and Secretary of Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Ramzan. As PDP’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir had already filed his papers last week, there are now 16 contestants for the six seats advertised through three separate notifications. One-odd Independent candidate, namely Abdul Gani Sofi, today filed his papers without the mandatory support of 10 MLAs. His nomination is sure to be declared as invalid during scrutiny on Thursday.

Legislative Assembly, comprising 87 elected and 2 nominated members, forms the electoral college for the election of six new MLCs, each for six years’ term.

Scrutiny of papers would be conducted tomorrow while as March 2^nd has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of nominations. Voting, if necessary, would be held by secret ballot on April 13^th.

In absence of a settlement between the two factions, sponsored by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz, and the Union Minister of Health, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress finally fielded two of its candidates for one-odd seat it was likely to get in the coalition seat sharing in Kashmir. Azad’s right hand man and outgoing MLC, Abdul Gani Vakil, as well as Soz loyalist, Ghulam Nabi Monga, filed their nomination papers for the Kashmir seat. As the crisis affected entire arrangement, both the parties decided to field their candidates for four seats each.

Well placed political sources said that the crisis would be resolved in a meeting between the coalition partners here on Thursday. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, a number of his ministerial colleagues and party functionaries, J&K PCC President, Saif-ud-din Soz, senior Congress leader, Mangat Ram Sharma and AICC General Secretary incharge Jammu & Kashmir, were expected to participate in the meeting. Sources said that some candidates from both parties would be asked to withdraw nominations and clear out in favour of the finally selected nominees. This process would span over the next three days.

For the moment, there are now seven candidates for three vacancies in Kashmir valley. They include Mohammad Ashraf Mir (PDP), Dr Bashir Ahmed Shah Veeri (NC), Dharamvir Singh Oberai (NC), Abdul Gani Vakil (Congress Azad faction), Ghulam Nabi Monga (Congress Soz faction), Mohammad Maqbool War (BJP) and Abdul Gani Sofi (Independent).

For two unreserved seats of Jammu division, there are five contestants, namely Master Noor Hussain (NC), Yashpal Khajuria (Congress), Fakeer Nath (National Panthers Party), Satish Kumar (BJP) and Bharat Bhushan (PDP).

For the ruling coalition’s reserved---and thus safest---seat of Poonch, NC has issued its ticket to former Minister Ghulam Ahmed Ganai’s daughter, Dr Shehnaz Ganai, while as Congress has for the moment repeated one of its outgoing MLCs, Jehangir Hussain Mir. Besides, NPP has fielded Mohammad Saleem and BJP Ranjit Singh.

Contrary to widespread speculations, both NC as well as Congress have this time issued tickets to real political workers and denied the same to politicians basically known on account of their money and businesses. For the last many days, speculations were rife that two of the NC’s outgoing MLCs, one each from Jammu and Kashmir, had “already bought” their tickets.

NC’s potential contenders, who failed to get mandate, include all the four outgoing MLCs, namely Trilochan Singh Wazir, Mohammad Rasheed Qureshi, Altaf Ahmed Wani and Showkat Hussain Ganai. Other bigwigs dropped today include Dr Farooq Abdullah’s confidante and former Advocate General, Mohammad Aslam Goni, Vice President for Jammu Rattan Lal Gupta and Vice President for Kashmir Ali Mohammad Dar.

NC’s first time nominee, Bashir Ahmed Shah Veeri, is a post-graduate doctor by profession. In 2008 Assembly elections, he had resigned his job and become a contender for Bijbehara seat. Son of party’s senior leader and several times MLA and MLC, Haji Abdul Gani Veeri, Dr Bashir was, however, directed by the NC high command to surrender in favour of advocate Mohammad Ashraf Tak. However, PDP’s incumbent Abdul Rehman Veeri trounced his rivals badly and he was returned for the third term with a huge margin of votes.

Like Bashir Veeri, NC’s candidate for the reserved seat of Poonch, Shehnaz Ganai, happens to be a doctor. She too had resigned her job when Dr Abdullah committed to her publicly that she would be the party’s candidate from Poonch in 2008 Assembly elections. However, during the elections, NC preferred its former MLA late Ghulam Mohammad Jan’s son, Aijaz Jan. She finally got preference over the outgoing MLC, Mohammad Rasheed Qureshi.

Master Noor Hussain is one of NC’s senior most workers in Jammu.

Dharamvir Singh Oberai too is widely known for his long time association with NC. In Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s government in late 1970s, Singh functioned as Chairman of Srinagar Municipal Council.

However, one among Singh and Dr Veeri, is sure to be a loser this time. By all indications, NC would have to make the Congress candidate’s victory certain with more than half of the coalition’s assumed strength of 50 MLAs.  Among remaining two seats, PDP is certainly to get one with its advantage of 21 seats plus three expected from NPP. In other words, NC, Congress and PDP would clearly get one each seat in Kashmir.

While the coalition has a cakewalk in the reserved seat of Poonch, most likely to be given to NC, Congress, for now, appears to be sure winner on one of the two unreserved seats in Jammu. State’s only interesting fight would be witnessed on the second unreserved seat of Jammu. It could straightaway go to an opposition candidate who could manage to get support from PDP (21), NPP (3), JSM (1) and BJP (11). NC or Congress (as to be decided in tomorrow’s coalition meeting), could get this seat only in case it got support from all of its “associate MLAs” and there was no unity between PDP, NPP and BJP.

Informed sources said that NC was using all possible resources to clinch victory on Jammu’s uncertain seat.

Like NC, Congress too has obliged its real political workers and dropped a number of bigwigs. Strong contenders for the Congress ticket included former Vice Chancellor of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Choudhary Masood (brother of NC’s MLC Javed Rana), former Deputy Chief Minister Pandit Mangat Ram Sharma besides former Advisor to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janak Raj Gupta and two more former Ministers, namely Moola Ram and Jugal Kishore.

NPP has fielded former MLA Fakeer Nath but the party supreme Bhim Singh, contrary to wide speculations, has not jumped into the fray. That has come as an indication that there were least prospects of tie-up between PDP, NPP and BJP on the one uncertain seat in Jammu.

Having fielded a young management graduate, Ashraf Mir, in Kashmir and Bharat Bhushan in Jammu, PDP too has disappointed a number of its potential contenders like former bureaucrat Naeem Akhtar, former Ministers Mohammad Dilawar Mir and Tariq Hameed Qarra besides Qarra’s sister-in-law, Asiya Naqash.

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Privilege Committee records Jerath’s statement

Speaker asks Health Minister to verify AIG’s claim

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 29: With the privilege proceedings getting underway against two senior officials of Police and Health departments, Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Akbar Lone, today asked Minister of Health Sham Lal Sharma to find whether AIG Provision Aftab Kakroo’s mother was really admitted in a hospital or the Police official had submitted a lame excuse to justify his absence.

Informed sources told Early Times that Speaker asked Minister incharge Health to check records to all hospitals to find whether the AIG Provision Aftab Kakroo’s mother was really admitted. As already reported in this newspaper, Speaker had on Monday slapped a notice of breach of privilege on Kakroo on account of his contemptuous behaviour towards the Legislature and its Presiding Officer.

The accused official had communicated through a team of Police Headquarters officials that he had not responded to telephonic calls of Speaker and Assembly Secretariat as his mother was ill and under treatment in a hospital. As the officials failed to produce any evidence of the accused official’s mother being under treatment, Speaker directed them to identify the hospital. Taking strong note of the Police official’s conduct, Speaker today asked Minister of Health to verify the AIG’s claim and report back to him by tomorrow.

Even after DGP’s instructions and repeated requisitions from Speaker, AIG Provisions has allegedly failed to either repair the Speaker’s bulletproof car or replace it by a brand new vehicle under DGP’s orders in the last five months. He allegedly did not respond to phone calls when Assembly Secretariat as well as Speaker himself attempted to talk to him on telephone for three consecutive days.

Speaker, meanwhile, referred the matter of disrespect to the BJP MLA Lal Chand, allegedly by Principal Secretary Health & Medical Education, Ravi Kulbhushan Jerath, to Assembly’s Privilege Committee. As reported in detail in a separate item in this newspaper, Speaker took the decision after members of all political parties agitated the matter at the beginning of Question Hour and demanded action against the accused bureaucrat.

On Speaker’s direction, Assembly Secretariat asked all members of the Privilege Committee, besides the complainant MLA, Lal Chand, and the accused bureaucrat, R K Jerath, through Chief Secretary to attend a meeting at 2.00 pm. Chairman of the committee and MLA from Doda, Abdul Majeed Wani, presided over the meeting that was held at the office of Deputy Speaker Mohammad sartaj Madni. While a member, Sajad Ahmed Kichloo, was absent, all others participated in the meeting. They included Mrs Indu Pawar, Messers Basharat Bukhari, Javed Mustaf Mir, Rafi Ahmed Mir (PDP), Kafeel-ur-Rehman (NC) and independent MLA, Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rasheed.

Even as Assembly Secretariat, as well as Chairman Abdul Majeed Wani, repeatedly requested the complainant MLA to be present for recording of his principal statement, Mr Lal Chand refused to attend with the assertion that he could not attend it as long as members of different political parties were on protest in a show of solidarity with him.

Sources said that Mr Jerath’s statement in defence was recorded in today’s meeting. He has reportedly maintained that he had failed to recognize the MLA who, according to the accused, did not disclose his identity. The accused official is said to have offered his public apology “in case an honourable MLA has felt hurt with my behaviour”.

Sources said that Chairman Wani called another meeting of the committee at 9.00 a.m on Wednesday and yet again requested the complainant MLA to attend and get his statement recorded. It has been made clear to the complainant that the matter would bounce back on his head if he continuously chose to remain absent. The accused official is likely to be cross-examined by the committee members in Wednesday’s meeting. Sources said that a report would be submitted to Speaker before commencement of the day’s scheduled proceedings at Assembly tomorrow.

END

Speaker slaps privilege notice on AIG Provisions

High flying Aftab Kakroo doesn’t respond to Legislature

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 28: In an extraordinary cognizance of the disobedience of a senior Police official, posted at J&K Police Headquarters, Speaker of Legislative Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone today slapped a privilege notice on AIG Provisions, Aftab Ahmed Kakroo. The official holding the rank of a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) has been charged with contempt of the House on account of his selective treatment to legislators and failure to respond to telephonic calls from MLAs and Presiding Officer of the House.

Informed sources revealed to Early Times that a number of MLAs had complained to Speaker that officials posted at J&K Police headquarters had been providing brand new cars and other privileges to only the legislators of their personal choice while those refusing to keep the officials in good humour were getting a shabby treatment. They had been repeatedly complaining that brand new bulletproof cars and double escort had been provided to certain legislators while as many others had been suffering badly as they had been provided with just one-odd dilapidated Gypsy.

Speaker’s assurances to redress the grievances of the legislators were implemented in breach, even after he spoke personally to Principal Secretary of Home and Director General of Police.

In November last year, Speaker’s own bulletproof car in Srinagar cracked its windscreen. He was assured by DGP that his car would be replaced with a brand new BP car “very soon”. After a great deal of persuasion, DGP personally directed AIG Provisions Aftab Kakroo to provide a freshly acquired BP car to the Speaker.

Even as Police Headquarters acquired a number of vehicles, Speaker’s damaged car was never replaced. Speaker yet again raised the matter with DGP who again repeated his assurance and reminded AIG Provisions to arrange a fresh BP car for the Presiding Officer of Legislative Assembly. Speaker was finally assured that his requisition would be fulfilled on March 22. However, that was not to be.

On March 22, 23 and 24 Assembly Secretariat made repeated attempts to get in touch with AIG Provisions. Messages were communicated to him also through other modes. Still, there was no response from Mr Kakroo.

Finally, Speaker himself dialed the AIG’s number quite a number of times. Still he did not bother either to pick up the call or to respond to the Speaker subsequently.

In the afternoon today, Speaker took extraordinary cognizance of the AIG’s disobedience and slapped a notice of breach of privilege on him through Secretary Assembly, Mohammad Ramzan. Within minutes, some officials from Police Headquarters called on Speaker with the defence that AIG had failed to respond as his mother was admitted in a hospital. Speaker asked the officials to return and submit a documentary evidence of the fact in case the accused official’s mother was really under treatment at a hospital. They were directed to submit a certificate from the hospital before 1700 hours today. Meanwhile, Speaker directed Assembly Secretariat to check veracity of the Police officials’ statement

However, till late this evening, the Police officials failed to submit any evidence of the AIG’s mother being under treatment in any hospital. Meanwhile, a number of MLAs requested Speaker to find how the same official had managed his posting of AIG Provision at Police Headquarters for over 16 years with a break of just two years. They also desired to know how over 300 BP cars, non-BP cars and Gypsies had been provided to influential persons without any threat perception certificate and security categorization from CID Headquarters. They complained that petrol and diesel worth Crores of rupees was being issued to these vehicles, though over a hundred of these were never in operation.

They complained that certain officials, who have remained posted at Police Headquarters continuously for 10 to 25 years, had developed intimate relations with senior Police officials and their families and with the advantage of that confidence they had been treating the institution of Legislature with brazen contempt.

Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone, confirmed to Early Times that he had initiated privilege proceedings against the AIG Provisions on account of his contemptuous treatment to the Legislature and its members. He said that he would also initiate similar proceedings against the doctors and the hospital if any of them issued a certificate in favour of the accused without his mother being admitted or under treatment. He said that all Police officials were public servants and accountable to the public through the Legislature.

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NC, Cong share Council seats around Patel-Nedou wedding

Farooq leaving for Finland, nominations likely today

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 26: Ruling coalition partners, National Conference (NC) and Congress, are understood to have settled the issue of sharing seats for Legislative Council in 4:2 on the basis of the spirit of an agreement made in January 2009. Senior leaders of the two parties are said to have sorted out the arrangement around the marriage ceremony of Ahmed Patel’s son with the daughter Srinagar-based businessman and close relative of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in New Delhi last weekend.

Well placed political sources told Early Times that NC and Congress had finalized an agreement over seat sharing for six vacancies in Legislative Council around a high profile wedding in New Delhi last weekend. Almost all the senior leaders of the two parties attended the ceremony of marriage between senior Congress leader and AICC chief Sonia Gandhi’s confidante Ahmed Patel’s son and daughter of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s close relative Omar Nedou. Sources said that Dr Abdullah and Omar Abdullah discussed the issue of seat sharing in detail with senior AICC leaders.

Sources said that on the basis of the spirit of an agreement made at the time of formation of the coalition government in January 2009, NC and Congress shared the seats in 4:2 ratio. Some J&K Pradesh Congress Committee leaders, including President Prof Saifuddin Soz, had been insisting on 3:3 formula. However, it was finally decided that on the basis of the parties’ respective strength in Legislative Assembly, NC would field four candidates and Congress would contest on remaining two seats. However, both the seats allotted to Congress, one each in Jammu and Kashmir provinces, would be “fully safe”.

Sources said that both the outgoing MLCs of Congress party, namely Jehangir Ahmed Mir (Poonch Reserved) and Abdul Gani Vakil, were likely to be repeated. Prof Soz, who interacted with his party colleagues in Jammu today, was still insisting on replacing both the incumbent MLCs. He was also insisting Congress to contest from a seat in Jammu and field one among the former Ministers namely Mangat Ram Sharma, Moola Ram, Jugal Kishore and Gharu Ram. Sources said that a final decision to that effect would be taken on Tuesday after Ghulam Nabi Azad’s return from Teheran.

According to informed sources, NC President and Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah, who has taken Omar Abdullah as well as party General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, in confidence over seat sharing arrangement as well as nomination of four of the party’s contenders, would be flying to Finland in Europe in the forenoon on Tuesday. Nominations are likely to be made public in Jammu in the afternoon tomorrow.

Almost all members of Dr Abdullah’s family and former Chief Minister late Ghulam Mohammad Shah’s family were conspicuously in attendance on the wedding in New Delhi. They included Dr Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Dr Mustafa Kamal, Begam Khalida Shah, her son Muzaffar Shah and all members of the Nedou family. Owner of Nedous group of hotels, Feredy Nedou happened to be Dr Farooq Abdullah’s maternal uncle. Before his departure for Iran, Mr Azad also attended the wedding. Ahmed Patel has been the most influential General Secretary of AICC besides Political Advisor to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. He was a close friend of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Even as the senior AICC and NC leaders are holding it close to their chest, sources said that Dr Abdullah was strongly in favour of repeating one of his party’s outgoing MLCs in Jammu. However, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and few others in his government were in favour another senior leader and former MLC with the apprehension that Dr Abdullah’s favourite could be arrested anytime on account of his alleged involvement in the infamous Chopra murder case. Sources said that there were also “bleak chances” of the repetition of NC’s outgoing MLCs in Kshmir namely Altaf Kaloo and Showkat Ganai in view of their poor performance, both in Legislative Council as well as their respective constituencies of Pahalgam and Wachi, in South Kashmir.

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Sagar defends diversion of funds from Kashmir to Jammu

PDP, CPI (M) stage walkout over diversion of Rs 30 Cr CRF

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 26: Senior National Conference (NC) leader and Minister incharge Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar, today found himself in the eye of a storm over diversion of Central Road Fund allocation worth Rs 30 Cr from Kashmir valley to Jammu division. Valley-based opposition parties, including PDP and CPI (M), staged a walkout from Legislative Assembly over the controversial decision of Public Works Department, currently functioning under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, but Sagar asserted in defence that diversion had become a necessity to protect flow of the central funds to Jammu & Kashmir.

With the beginning of Zero Hour, leader of the principal opposition party, PDP, Mehbooba Mufti sought Speaker’s attention to a recent Government order whereby CRF funds to the tune of Rs 30 Cr have been diverted from Srinagar to Jammu. She questioned shifting of funds from R&B Department Kashmir to R&B Department Jammu and called it “grave injustice to the people of Kashmir”. Today’s Greater Kashmir had carried a story on diversion of the CRF allocation and claimed that same were being utilized for development of Jammu.

Amid heated exchanges with Mehbooba, Sagar asserted that the NC-led coalition government had a strong commitment to development in Kashmir, particularly the capital city of Srinagar. He argued that the funds had been diverted earlier this month “only to protect further flow of the central funds”. He claimed that the funds had not been utilized due to disturbance in the Valley in 2010-11 and allowing the same to lapse would have meant stoppage of further allocations from the Union government.

Not satisfied with Sagar’s reply, all the members from PDP, PDF and CPI (M) shouted slogans and staged a walkout in protest. They were also joined in the protest by CPI (M) leader, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, who questioned Sagar’s assumption that the funds would have remained unspent and thus rendered the state of Jammu & Kashmir disqualified in seeking further allocations. He assured the House that Kashmir division would be duly compensated with the additionalities during 2011-12. Sagar asserted that the funds could not be utilized in full due to street turmoil in the Valley in 2011.

While the House remained disrupted, both Mehbooba as well as Sagar held separate press conferences to assert against each other. Sagar said that an amount of Rs 132 Cr had been received from the Centre under Central Road Fund during last year the current financial year’s allocation would be of an order of Rs 140 Cr. Keeping the money unutilized, he said, would have disqualified J&K from seeking further CRF allocations. He charged PDP and BJP with playing politics over development of the state.

Later, at a news conference, Sagar admitted that CRF was not lapsable at the end of a particular financial year. He maintained that failure in providing utilization certificates to the Centre would have stopped further allocations from New Delhi.

Sagar strongly dispelled the impression of ‘injustice to Kashmir and injustice to Jammu’ while asserting that some political parties, like PDP and BJP, had been generating mistrust over regional and religious divisions. When he was asked about a member’s dissent on recommendations of State Finance Commission, Sagar asserted that the real document would be tabled in nthe Legistaure in a few days and that would automatically set the records right.

END