NC’s tribute of silence to its founder Sheikh Abdullah!

Leaving all the space to PDP and separatists, J&K’s largest political party has now reconciled to oblivion

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 8: They call their organisation as Jammu and Kashmir’s largest political party even after reducing its base in Legislative Assembly from 58 seats in 1996 to 29 in 2008. They claim other distinctions: Being the only political outfit that has base and representation in all the three regions of the state; having maximum number of its representative, among all state parties, in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the state’s own Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. They also claim that maximum of the Panches and Sarpanches elected in 2011 Panchayat elections are affiliated to their party. But, conversely, leaders of the ruling National Conference (NC) are not going to hold any congregation to remember the party’s founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 30^th death anniversary tomorrow.

In fact, the process of forgetting Sher-e-Kashmir began a few years back when Government of Jammu and Kashmir withdrew gazetted holiday from its calendar over 25 years after Sheikh’s death in 1982. It was followed by cancellation of the remembrance ceremony at Sheikh’s mausoleum at Hazratbal. A tribute paying still takes place on the NC founder’s birth anniversary every year on December 5^th but the number of participants has drastically reduced in the last five years.

Even as few of Sheikh’s devotees, like late Maqbool Shah Khaksaar, mustered courage to turn up at his tombstone on occasion of his birth and death anniversaries in the worst of times from 1990 to 1995 and most of today’s Ministers and legislators did hide themselves in Jammu after publishing resignation advertisements and apologies to militants, a change in the ambience was witnessed in 1996-97. With Dr Farooq Abdullah functioning simultaneously as Chief Minister and NC’s President, multitudes of the party workers converged on Hazratbal to remember Sher-e-Kashmir on all of his birth and death anniversaries from 1996 to 2002.

Even the militants’ threats, an IED, thick snow accumulation and sub-zero temperature failed to stop thousands of Sheikh’s devotees from attending a massive remembrance event in December 1998. On one of such occasions, independent media reports put the number of participants between 15,000 to 20,000---one of the largest by the post-1990 Kashmir standards. Even after NC lost power to a PDP-Congress coalition in November 2002, Quran Khwani and Fatiha Khwani by thousands of the party supporters used to be a routine feature at the mausoleum in Hazratbal, both on September 8^th and December 5^th, from 2002 to 2007.

Enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Directorate of Information, first under KB Jandial and later under Farooq Reenzu, organized photo exhibitions at Sheikh’s mausoleum on his birth and death anniversaries even during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s regime. Even on the Martyrs Day of July 13^th, NC would organize well-attended public gatherings at Mazaar-e-Shuhada (Naqashband Sahab) and Sher-e-Kashmir Park in defiance of militant-sponsored shutdown. This age-old practice has also been abandoned now.

Even on the Martyrs Day in 2008, when the NC was in opposition and the Hurriyat-sponsored bandh was complete during the Amarnath land row, party’s workers stuck to their ground firmly. They clashed with invading separatists, repulsing their advances and breaking doors and windows of their houses in the neighbourhood and continued to pay homage to the Year-1931 martyrs at Mazar-e-Shuhada at a three-hour-long function. It was on this occasion that head of then ruling PDP, Mehbooba Mufti, had to run for life at the venue, leaving behind her shoes. Sympathizers of militants and separatist leaders trooped into a female Councilor’s house in the evening, thrashed her and her sister but failed to force her resign.

Nevertheless, Year 2008 seems to have come as a turning point as neither NC nor any other mainstream political party has been able to hold a presentable gathering on such occasions in Srinagar or elsewhere. With some changes, the number of participants on I-Day and R-Day functions too seems to have shrunk to a trickle post-2008. Prasar Bharti’s CEO, Jawahar Sircar, who was in Srinagar last month, noticed with surprise that even the Director of Srinagar Doordarshan had sent to New Delhi only the posterior visuals of her national flag hoisting event on the Independence Day to hide her face from the viewers. It has happened first time since 1989.

Notwithstanding some lackluster shows on such occasions in the first year of Omar Abdullah’s coalition government in 2009, there was no activity in 2010. A Policeman went to the extent of hurling his shoes on the chief guest and the Chief Minister on I-Day function at Bakhshi Stadium in Srinagar. Over a hundred civilians died on streets from June 10^th to September 13^th in clashes with Police and CRPF. Around Sheikh’s birth anniversary, Chief Minister as well as his father remained clung to Iftaar parties and visits to residences of Congress leaders in New Delhi to save their regime. They spent not more than 5 minutes in a floral tribute to Sheikh at Hazratbal and went back to Delhi.

Even after restoration of peace and normality, there was no activity at Hazratbal or any other place on Sheikh’s birth anniversary next year. On September 8^th in 2010 as well as in 2011, State Information Department circulated brief four-paragraph handouts to cover Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s and Dr Farooq Abdullah’s remembrance rituals. On both occasions, bigger functions were in fact held in Jammu where Rattan Lal Gupta, Ajay Sadhotra and others delivered lengthy speeches on Sheikh at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan and MLA Bimla Luthra led a rally of the party workers.

“We have lately organized a big rally at Hazratbal on occasion of Madr-e-Meherban’s death anniversary on July 11^th. Now, we will be holding another on Sher-e-Kashmir birth anniversary on December 5^th. We can’t trouble people so frequently”, said a senior NC leader and former Minister. Party’s official spokesman, Tanvir Sadiq confirmed that there would be no public gathering at Hazratbal tomorrow. “Omar Sahab and others are scheduled to visit for a Fatiha Khwani in the morning. Then there would a collective Fatiha but no speeches”, Tanvir told Early Times. He said that instead of holding a major rally at Hazratbal, party workers would gather at all district headquarters and pay tributes to Sher-e-Kashmir.

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Mirwaiz confidante alleges ‘rigging’ in Bar elections

‘Urdu daily editor, Police and Revenue officers, among bogus voters’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 2: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s confidante and a member of his Awami Action Committee (AAC), Advocate Shahidul Islam has leveled allegations of “largescale rigging and bogus voting” in the lately conducted elections of High Court Bar Association (HCBA). He has complained that despite being a licensee advocate and a genuine voter, he was among a large number of voters who were denied right to participate in the elections even as a number of ‘ bogus voters’, including editor of an Urdu daily and officers of Police and Revenue departments, were allowed to cast vote.

“I will not take it lying down. I will raise my voice and fight for my right’, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahidul Islam, who claimed to a member of Hurriyat Conference’s Working Committee and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s AAC, told Early Times. Once a top ranking commander of then dreaded militant outfit, Hizbullah, Shahidul Islam has distanced himself from guerrilla warfare after his arrest and subsequently release from a jail over 15 years back. Over a decade ago, he joined AAC and has been asserting as Mirwaiz Umar’s personal spokesman. He has been occasionally attending Hurriyat’s meetings on behalf of Mirwaiz Umar---the separatist amalgam’s founder-chairman and incumbent head.

Now a Police-protected Hurriyat activist and Mirwaiz Umar’s spokesman, Shahidul Islam is the first in the Valley’s entire separatist camp who has come out with serious allegation of rigging and bogus voting in the HCBA elections, held on Thursday last. Since 1990, HCBA has been an open advocate of Kashmir’s “freedom” from India and it has been reaffirming its political resolve after its elections and round-the-year by staying away from all government functions including the official ones, like swearing-in of judges, held by J&K High Court.

From 1993 to 2003, HCBA functioned as a General Council constituent of ‘All Parties Hurriyat Conference”. After Hurriyat’s split in 2003, it has been asserting as an independent “pro-freedom organisation” while issuing statements, staging demonstrations, contesting detention and charges slapped on separatist activists and militants besides organizing conferences. All the 600-odd advocates, practicing at J&K High Court in Srinagar, excluding those recruited or engaged by Government of India and Government of Jammu and Kashmir, qualify to be its members. Prominent separatist leaders, like Mian Abdul Qayoom and Nazir Ahmad Ronga, have been HCBA’s Presidents for most of terms in the last 23 years.

While talking to Early Times, Shahidul Islam alleged that the HCBA elections were being held in “completely non-democratic atmosphere”. “There’s no transparency. Even in the recent elections, electoral roll was surreptitiously changed just two days before scheduled date of polling”, Shahidul Islam lamented. He complained that a number of genuine voters, including he, were prevented from casting vote and their names were removed from the electoral roll. “Everything was hijacked”, he alleged. According to him, even the officers of Police and Revenue departments cast votes.

“A large number of bogus voters were incorporated in the list and allowed to cast vote. They included about 150 members from district bars who have been admitted as voters only on account of their loyalty and liaison to a former HCBA functionary. Many of those, who are not practicing lawyers and members of HCBA, were allowed to cast vote. They included an editor of a local Urdu daily besides a spokesman of a politico-religious organisation. I don’t want to name them as both are my good friends”, Shahidul Islam asserted. He claimed that he had completed his LL B from University of Kashmir in 1988-89, got himself registered as a legal practitioner and obtained Advocates License No: 2041/89 from the competent authority.

Nobody from HCBA could be reached for comment over telephone. However, a couple of HCBA members argued on condition of anonymity that despite having obtained license in 1989, Shahidul Islam had never practiced law in any court and thus he was not entitled to being a member of HCBA or a voter for the elections. “He practiced different things but not law”, said one of them. He claimed that the elections were held in a transparent and democratic manner under the supervision of a senior advocate who had been duly appointed as Election Commissioner by the HCBA Governing Body. “Why doesn’t he name the Police and Revenue officers who, according to him, cast votes?” he asked.

Shahidul Islam admitted that he had not worked as full-time legal practitioner but asked: “Those having completed Bachelors in Law through correspondence course are not qualified to become HCBA’s members or voters. Isn’t it a fact that a number of such individuals did cast vote in the elections on Thursday last?” He claimed that, until last year, he had voted in all the HCBA elections and nobody had ever objected to his enrolment as a voter. According to him, bogus voting took place in order to ensure victory for a particular candidate faithful to a former Bar chief.

In the annual elections held last week, senior advocate Zaffar Qureishi defeated Mirwaiz loyalist advocate Nazir Ahmad Ronga as President of HCBA with a margin of 104 votes. Mohammad Ashraf Bhat was elected as General Secretary, defeating advocate Ghulam Nabi Shaheen. Advocate Aijaz Ahmad Bedar was elected as Vice President.

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Fiancee’s murder by fiancé sends shockwaves in Shopian

10,000 people run amok; killer’s house torched, orchards destroyed

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 29: Murder of a 21-year-old woman by her fiancé, nine days before their scheduled wedding, has sent shockwaves across south Kashmir as thousands of outraged residents converged on a village in Shopian and destroyed the alleged killer’s houses and orchards.

Informed sources in south Kashmir told Early Times that dead body of a 21-year-old woman, namely Tawheeda D/o Mohammad Shafi Dar R/o Ahend, Shopian, was spotted and recovered from the ferociously flowing Veshav Nallah at Rishi Nagri, over 3 Km downstream of the famous waterfall of Aharbal, last evening. Tawheeda, who was engaged to her neighbour and old classmate, namely Eetimad Hussain Dar S/o Mohammad Yousuf Dar, was missing from her home since August 17^th. Their wedding stood scheduled on August 26^th.

On August 18^th, Police had filed a missing report on the statement of Tawheeda’s family members which was finally converted into FIR No: 275 of 2012. On the family’s complaint, Police took into custody Tawheeda’s fiancé, Eetimad Hussain Dar, alongwith his father. During sustained questioning, the would-be bridegroom made a chilling revelation that he had taken his fiancée ostensibly on a picnic to Aharbal on August 17^th and killed her by pushing her into the ferocious Veshav Nallah near Aharbal bridge when she was standing on a rock, about 600 metres upsteam of the waterfall.

Eetimad disclosed during interrogation that he was not interested in tying the nuptial knot to Tawheeda though they had remained engaged and in a relationship for the last three years. He revealed that in June 2011, he had developed an affair with another girl, namely Raafi of Kamad, Dyalgam (Anantnag) and secretly executed his engagement with her.

As the date of marriage between Tawheeda and Eetimad drew closer, he planned to eliminate her around the festival of Eid on a picnic at Aharbal.

Sources said that Eetimad owned and operated a Tata-407 pick-up and his family had a flourishing fruit business and apple orchards at three villages. He had returned after killing Tawheeda and stayed at his home without disclosing his criminal act to anybody. As he was arrested and spilled the beans during sustained interrogation, he led Police to the spot where some local men from Gujjar community confirmed that Eetimad had brought Tawheeda on a motorcycle and both had enjoyed for a couple of hours near a spot in the jungle, close to Aharbal bridge.

Police launched a search for the dead body and it could not be spotted or recovered for 11 days. Finally, some residents spotted Tawheeda’s blood splattered body close to the river bank near Rishi Nagri and they informed Police. Police rushed to the spot and took the body into custody. It had begun decomposing.

As the body was being carried for post mortem and other medico-legal formalities from Rishi Nagri, Aharbal, to Shopian, thousands of residents from dozens of villages gathered and rushed to Shopian. Eyewitnesses said that over 200 trucks, buses, Tata Sumo vehicles and tractor trolleys carried the outraged residents to Shopian. On a couple of occasions, the crowds threw stones and clashed with Police.

Police sources said that they managed to conduct the post mortem and other medico-legal formalities against heavy odds and late last night the body was carried to Ahend, near Rawalpora and Kachhdora villages, in Zainapora area and handed over to the bereaved family. Emotional scenes marked Tawheeda’s arrival as she returned dead just a week before the scheduled date of her wedding.

Sources said that while Police were grappling with the crowds and managing post mortem at the district headquarters, over 10,000 residents of Ahend, Rawalpora, Kachhdara, Chowdhrigund and other adjoining villages gathered at Ahend. The furious mobs set on fire alleged killer Eetimad Dar’s residential house and its adjoining structures. Thereafter, they trooped to three or four of his orchards and felled about a hundred apple-laden trees. As the father and his son were in Police custody, others of the family had already deserted their village and taken shelter at a relative’s house at Hanjipora.

SP Shopian, Mumtaz Ahmad, admitted that Police could not protect the alleged killer’s house and orchards as it encountered a huge law and order problem at the district headquarters. Still, 30 armed personnel, headed by an Inspector, were deployed for the safety of Eetimad Dar’s family members and relatives at Hanjipora. “Eetimad is in Police custody as Tawheed’s killer. His father has been placed in protective custody”, SP Shopian said.

In the forenoon today, Tawheeda’s funeral took place at Ahend. A middle ranking Police officer said that about 20,000 people participated in the funeral and Namaaz-e-Janazah. They demanded exemplary punishment to the alleged killer.

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Minister, DGP not allowed in to attend Army function

Chib, Prasad, Sahai miss lunch with CM as JAKLI gate shut on them at old airport in Srinagar

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 28: Minister of Medical Education, R S Chib, and Director General of Police, Ashok Prasad, returned to Srinagar ‘in protest’ after they were humiliated publicly and the gates were shut on them at the main entrance of JAKLI headquarters of Army at Rangreth, near the old Srinagar Airport today. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had been invited as the chief guest, was allowed in and he attended the function, knowing nothing about the treatment meted out to his Cabinet colleague, DGP and other officials of the state government.

Highly placed authoritative sources disclosed to Early times that DGP Ashok Prasad would be communicating his ‘official protest’ to General Officer Commanding 15 Corps over the “shabby treatment” meted out to him, other senior officers of J&K Police and a Cabinet Minister ( R S Chib) by army staff at the main entrance of Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) at Rangreth, near old airport of Srinagar. Messers Chib, Prasad and IGP Kashmir, S M Sahai, were prevented from entering the military formation where they were going to attend lunch at conclusion of a JAKLI ceremonial function, known as Reunion Day, held after every four years.

Official sources, corroborated by eyewitnesses, said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had been invited as chief guest and happens to be an honorary member of the JAKLI mess, reached on time at around 1300 hours. He was, as usual, escorted by an SSG cavalcade and drove straight to the venue without any hindrance.

Minutes after the CM’s arrival, senior Congress leader and Minister of Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports, R S Chib, reached the main entrance. He was escorted by his PSOs, radio operator and two Police escort vehicles. Mr Chib, DGP Prasad, IGP Sahai, and several other state government dignitaries had also been invited for the lunch. However, the JAKLI security staff shut the gate at once and told the Minister and his security staff curtly that they could not be allowed in as they had reached “late”. Even as the Minister’s staff argued that the VIP had been invited only for the lunch and he was not supposed to attend the Reunion Day function in the forenoon, JAKLI guards did not relent.

Thereupon, SHO of Police Division Humhama, Sub Inspector Ghulam Jeelani, Naib Tehsildar who was posted as executive magistrate, and Dy SP Traffic (Rural), Gh Hyder, reached the spot. Their requests and arguments too fell on the deaf ears of the JAKLI guards. SHO was seen pulling the barriers physically but the JAKLI staff resisted his move firmly and made it clear that they would not permit anybody in. Interestingly, some civilian contractors walked in smoothly.

On this occasion, DGP, Mr Ashok Prasad, and IGP Kashmir, S M Sahai, too arrived in their cavalcades and their security staff learned that no more guests were being allowed in. They watched the scene for a while. Suddenly, DGP signaled his pilots to turn back and the entire VVIP cavalcade drove back towards Srinagar.

DIG Central Kashmir, Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba, and SSP Budgam, Uttam Chand, had already entered the premises and were both waiting for DGP after receiving Chief Minister. As they came to know that neither Mr Chib nor the DGP had been allowed in, they too left the spot hurriedly and began chasing the VVIP cavalcade, without taking the lunch.

Mr Chib did not respond to repeatedly made calls from this newspaper when attempts were made to know his reaction. DGP’s personal staff advised to “wait for some time” with the assurance that they would call back as soon as their boss would be free. However, three repeated attempts failed to evoke a response. However, senior officials, privy to what they described as “unfortunate incident”, confirmed all details of the treatment meted out to the Minister and senior officers of J&K Police.

Both, SHO as well as Dy SP of traffic on duty, confirmed that the two VVIP cavalcades returned towards Srinagar after their entry was blocked at the JAKLI entrance. “We did our best to do our duty and resolve the crisis but the JAKLI guys did not relent for over 5 minutes”, said maintained.

While as Defence PRO, Lt Col J S Brar, said that he was outside the state on leave, his junior and officiating PRO, Mr Naresh, claimed that no such incident had occurred at the event. “Aisa kuch nahi hai”, he asserted.

However, highly placed sources at Civil Secretariat told Early Times that DGP had taken “serious note” of the treatment meted out to senior Police officers besides a Cabinet Minister who had himself served in Indian Air Force before joining politics in 1983. Sources said that DGP would communicate his ‘note of protest’ to the Corps Headquarters and seek necessary corrective measures to sustain harmony between Police and security forces.

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Father killed by Army, daughter by family

Budgam ‘honour killing’: Murder knows no bounds in dehumanized Kashmir

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 27: In 1992, Hizbul Mujahideen’s militant Ashraf Khan lay in ambush, waiting for a military convoy to return from Beerwah to the Sector Headquarters at Budgam. Holding a vantage position behind a Chinar at the village graveyard at Nasrallapora, alongwith a couple of his associates, Khan lobbed a hand grenade straight into his target vehicle. It exploded, killing and wounding unknown number of soldiers. Later, word spread that the fatal casualties included a Guruji, who had been engaged for a session of worship.

Khan made good his escape (and was next year caught and killed during a cordon-and-search operation). Furious over the saint’s death, soldiers disembarked and stormed the village, killing as many as eleven persons---including women---all innocent civilians. They included middle-aged Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar of Pusroo, Sholipora, who earned his day’s wages by sawing smuggled timber at nearby residential premises.

Dar’s fifth and the last child, Zubaida, was born a year before her father died in the carnage at Nasrallapora. Twenty years later, on Friday, August 24^th, 2012, a youthful Zubaida was done to death, perhaps more mercilessly, by none other than her elder brother, Mushtaq Dar, and two elder sisters, namely Misra and Nasreen, both married. She was beaten up for hours and finally strangled to death with the scarf she wore to hide her head and hair. Nobody responded to her screaming.

A local shepherd and Bihari labours working at a brick kiln are said to be the eyewitnesses of Zubaida’s gruesome murder. If her siblings, who have made the confession to Police, are to be believed, it is the first “honour killing” in Budgam district. On a tip off, men from Police Station Budgam rushed to Sarathpora village where some local residents guided them to the dead body of Zubaida, in an orchard. Body was taken into custody for medico-legal formalities and later buried at Pusroo amid a community protest. Residents today carried a rally to the district headquarters, yelling against Zubaida’s killers and demanding severe punishment to them all.

On Friday night, Police Station Budgam registered case FIR No: 248 under section 302 RPC as the marks of physical torture and strangulation were tell-tale on Zubaida’s body. A team of doctors at District Hospital Budgam carried out post mortem and observed prima facie that cause of death was strangulation. Sources said that a detailed autopsy report would be available in the next couple of weeks.

“During investigations Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, the brother of the deceased was brought for questing to ascertain/unearth the facts who disclosed that he and his two other sisters namely Nasreen and Misra were not satisfied with the behaviour /character of their sister (deceased )so were facing a lot of humiliation in the society by her deeds. He and his above mentioned sisters hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her to save their honor in the society. The above name duo sisters took Zubida (deceased) to the out fields of Sarthpora village and strangulated her with her scarf she was wearing”, says a press release from Police.

It adds:“All the three accused have been arrested and the investigation of the case is still going on and some more confessions are expected from them besides the arrest of other suspects is also expected. Police is also probing on the other aspects which include grabbing of ex gratia money belonging to the deceased which she had got from government in SRO case lying in the bank account of the deceased”.

“We have solved this murder case and found that Zubaida has been killed by her two sisters and her brother (Mushtaq Dar) is also involved in the conspiracy. We have arrested three of the accused and investigation is still underway with regard to other questions and details”, SHO Budgam, Inspector Rafeeq Shah, told Early Times over telephone. He said that the accused confessed to the murder and according to their statements, still being cross checked, it was an “honour killing” as the family members were not purportedly happy with Zubaida’s behaviour and character.

Residents of several villages, nevertheless, insist that the actual reason behind Zubaida’s death was an amount of Rs 5 to 6 Lakh that was lying in her bank account. Her sisters and brothers wanted to share the money between themselves. However, Zubaida resisted, arguing that the amount had been deposited in her account and belonged to her only. While as the eldest, Mushtaq Dar, was appointed as a Class 4^th employee (and works at DC’s office in Budgam), an amount of Rs 1.00 lakh had been released in favour of the victim family on account of ex gratia relief under SRO-43, years after the family head died in Army’s indiscriminate firing. It is said to have multiplied to Rs 5 or 6 lakhs over the last many years.

Zubaida’s second elder brother, Javed Ahmad Dar, has been recruited in J&K Armed Police in 2007 and he is currently posted in IRP 4^th Bn, camping at Chhani Himmat in Jammu. Misra is married in Batpora and Nasreen in Warpora, Beerwah.

On the fateful day, Zubaida was seeking help of her brother-in-law at Batpora, a village on Budgam-Beerwah Road. But, soon her sister, Misra, called another sister, Nasreen, from Warpora. Some reports indicate that their brother, Mushtaq, too joined Zubaida’s torturing. She was forcibly dragged towards her residential village and all were reportedly spotted by a local shepherd and some Bihari labours working at a brick kiln, at 2.30 p.m.

Later, Zubaida was mercilessly strangled to death by her siblings. Police says her head scarf, that seems to have been used in the killing, has also been recovered and seized. Some of the residents insist that at least two of the cousins of the cruel siblings were also present.

“Whether it was really an honour killing or simply a murder for money, will become clear in a couple of days”, said an official associated with the investigation. He said that at least three to four others were suspects and they would be all arrested and interrogated to unravel the truth.

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CAG pulls up R&B engineers for bad performance, Govt adorns them with medals

Hundreds of works executed without NITs, AAs; Liabilities worth Rs 110 Crores created; Poor performance on Mughal Road, Narbal-Tangmarg Road; NABARD-funded roads incomplete

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 25: State government’s awards and accolades seem to be continuously jinxed since 2009. Doordarshan’s Deputy Director General, Rafeeq Masoodi, has been placed under suspension by CEO of Prasar Bharti Jawahar Sircar for “poor performance and indulgence in corruption” a year after he was decorated by Governor, N N Vohra, and Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, with the prestigious ‘State Award’ for his “impressive performance”. Messers Vohra and Omar, in fact, only executed what had been scripted previously in the DD official’s honour by then Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad. Yes, they conveniently shut their eyes to explicit media reports about the awardee’s omissions and commissions in DD and J&K Cultural Academy for years.

This season last year, Omar Abdullah government showered bountiful praise on then retiring Chief Engineer of R&B, Nazir Ahmad Ladakhi, while granting him a prestigious post-retirement rehabilitation. Ignoring reports that works worth hundreds of Crores of Rupees had been executed during his tenure as SE and CE in R&B Department, State Government appointed Mr Nazir as a Commissioner in J&K State Information Commission.

On Independence Day last fortnight, Government honoured incumbent Chief Engineer of R&B Kashmir, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, with the more prestigious Chief Minister’s Gold Medal for Honesty/ Integrity & Meritorious Public Service. The list of five top awardees included very honest and gutsy officials like Commissioner-Secretary of Rural Development Department, Farooq Ahmad Pir, who is still famous for kicking out Dr Farooq Abdullah from an officials’ meeting at DC Office Baramulla in 1994 when the NC President had been driven to the meeting by late Rajesh Pilot. Mr Pir was then just a district level officer. Alongwith four others [Umang Narula, Farooq Pir, VC LAWDA Irfan Yasin and Ms Resham Kashyap] CE R&B Kashmir, Mr Lone on the I-Day function became recipient of cash reward of Rs one lakh, Chief Minister’s Gold Medal and a Citation.

Now the anti-climax: CAG Annual Report for 2010-11, that covers the period from 2006 to 2011, snubs R&B’s engineers and bureaucrats for bad performance and a host of other irregularities. Both the decorated engineers have held senior positions of SE and CE during the period in question. Poor IAS officer, K B Agarwal, remains one-odd incumbent who was removed by the government as Commissioner-Secretary R&B---Chief Minister is himself holding portfolio of R&B since August 2010---reportedly for negative reasons.

Amid reports that the Government of India has barred state government from giving approval to the projects pertaining to roads and building infrastructure in J&K, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has come up with some startling revelations--- indicting the State government for flouting norms in the R&B sector, causing loss of hundreds of crores to state exchequer besides having failed to implement and execute scores of key developmental projects.

It has also blamed MLAs and Ministers for pressurizing various executing agencies and their heads for diverting funds in order to please “blue eyed contractors” for their own promotion in different constituencies.

CAG report mentions that in violation of all norms and procedures, a whopping liability of Rs 110.82 Cr was raised by executing 1,328 unapproved works mostly for the sweet will and pleasure of Ministers and legislators. The report reveals that 1,301 works have been executed without obtaining any administrative approval which was mandatory for undertaking such works. While asserting that the department had failed to transform developmental schemes into public benefit, CAG report says that unproductive expenditure worth Rs 128.28 Cr has been made till March 2011.

CAG has pulled up the state government for not attaining the targeted physical achievements in respect of roads under the Prime Minster’s Reconstruction Programme (PMRP). It has expressed dissatisfaction over the progress on the ambitious Mughal Road and Narbal-Tangmarg road projects. Although the cost of both the projects has been revised and raised by hundreds of crores over the actual approved cost, yet the projects were still awaiting completion, says the CAG report.

“The targeted date for completion of Mughal Road has been extended upto March 2013 with a revised cost of Rs 255 Cr. Similarly Narbal-Tangmarg Road (NTR) estimated to cost Rs 38 Cr [revised: Rs 116 Cr], although nearing completion, has witnessed a cost overrun of Rs 78 Cr as of March 2011”, reads the CAG report.

The report has also highlighted the ‘inability’ of the government in achieving the targets under NABARD.

“Against 1,196 schemes sanctioned under NABARD (RIDF IV to RIDF XIII) to be completed by 2010-11, only 725 (61 percent) schemes have been completed and the balance of 471 schemes have not been completed due to non-release of matching share by the state government”, it claims.

The report says that works worth Rs 113.57 Cr were executed without inviting tenders, thus defeating the purpose of transparency and tendering in execution.

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