Two soldiers among 4 held for South Kashmir extortion spree

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz 

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JAMMU, Jan 1: Police in Kulgam district of southern Kashmir have arrested all the four persons, including two locsl soldiers of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) working with a camp of Rashtriya Rifles, and seized from their possession one fake AK-47 rifle purportedly used in an extortion spree by the organised gang.

As reported in Friday's edition of STATE TIMES, a gang of four unidentified persons, who were later identified, had extorted an amount of Rs 32,500 from the house of dental surgeon Dr Bilal Beg at Khriwan, Qazigund, on December 27 evening while masquerading as militants.

SHO Qazigund, Inspector Pervez Ahmad, said that Police registered case FIR No: 303 of 2015 under sections 452, 34 and 386 RPC on the complaint of Dr Bilal's sister Yasmeena and brother-in-law Dr Rizwan who had been robbed off by the gang on last Sunday. He said that during the investigation Police picked up one suspect and three more on his disclosures. He identified the civilians detainees as Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat and Nisar Ahmad of Nusu and said that two JAKLI general soldiers, Mohammad Yousuf Teeli of Khriwan and Mohammad Rafeeq Khandey of Sangran, were also arrested.

SHO Qazigund told STATE TIMES the local Army camp officers handed over the two local soldiers with "total cooperation" for questioning, detention and prosecution. "If soldiers commit a crime in company of civilian, prosecution and trial has to run in a civil court", Inspector Pervez said. He revealed that on Khandey’s disclosure, Police recovered a fake AK-47 rifle, claimed to have been used in commission of the crime, from his cowshed. Munsiff Court Kulgam yesterday remanded all the four detainees to Police custody for a week.

"The detainees disclosed during sustained questioning that after committing extortion at Dr Bilal's home, the extortionists had also raided another house in Khriwan and looted Rs 2,000. Thereafter they had intruded into the house of a physician Dr Mir Ishaque at Monghal in Anantnag district and extorted cash worth Rs 37,500 from his family. He said that Police Station Anantnag was registering a separate FIR ovet the extortion done at Monghal.

"We have recovered one fake gun which is strikingly identical to a real AK-47 rifle. They claim that they had destroyed another fake rifle used in the crime", Inspector Pervez said and asserted that all the four accused would be subjected to further investigation and prosecution to ascertain if they were involved in any other crime, particularly extortion. 

Even as the Police officers insisted that one or two fake rifles had been used in the extortion spree and subsequently seized by Police, they maintained that Army extended full support to the Police team and handed over the accused without any resistance. "We are investigating if this gang of four men has looted cash at any other house in South Kashmir", SHO said. He said that the money looted from the houses of two doctors in Khriwan and Monghal would be recovered on Friday night.

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How Khandey failed to induct Hassan Mir's Munsiff son into IAS

A junior judge is on deputation with State Govt for over 10 years

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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JAMMU, Dec 30: When senior IAS officer Mohammad Iqbal Khandey came off the hook in the infamous Srinagar sex scandal after the complainant witnesses turned hostile in a Chandigarh court, then Minister of Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir played a key role in his rehabilitation in bureaucracy. Mir managed his appointment as Principal Secretary Agriculture Production. Later, upon Madhav Lal's retirement, Mir was instrumental behind Khandey's elevation to the senior most bureaucratic position of Chief Secretary in February 2013.

Before his voluntary retirement in August 2015, three months ahead of his scheduled superannuation, Khandey made sustained attempts to induct Mir's son, Afroz Mir, into so-called technical quota (TQ) of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). However, he failed each time as the Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT) of the Government of India did not determine the vacancies for Jammu and Kashmir cadres under TQ in 2014 and 2015.

Highly placed authoritative sources in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government revealed to STATE TIMES that on Khandey’s instance, Commissioner Secretaries of General Administration Department (GAD) sent a series of communications seeking determination of the vacancies under TQ, making it a point that nobody had been inducted from Jammu and Kashmir for over the last five years, after former Law Secretary Ghulam Hassan Tantray.

"Neither in Omar Abdullah's nor in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government were the TQ vacancies determined by the DOPT. A list of highly influential recommendees, containing 13 names, was framed but kept a closely-guarded secret for it included junior officers on controversial deputations like Mir's son who had been appointed as a Munsiff in 2003 and soon sent on a brief deputation from judicial service to the Civil Secretariat.

Mir Afroz was initially appointed as Assistant Legal Remembrancer (ALR) in the State Law Department---a position equivalent to Munsiff or an Under Secretary to Government. However, enjoying high political clout, Mir Afroz was soon appointed on the far superior position of Director Defence Labour Procurement. In judicial service that position is stated to be equivalent to a District and Sessions Judge. As soon as then Chief Justice Bashir Ahmad Khan learned about the Munsiff's superior deputation, he dashed off a communication to Chief Secretary S.S. Kapur. Khan asked Chief Secretary to explain how a junior Munsiff had been elevated to a senior civil service position during deputation not approved by his employer---J&K High Court.

Suddenly the matter was hushed up purportedly after Mir called off his rebellion and surrendered before the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Chief Secretary’s explanation did not see the light of the day thereafter. Even after Mir broke away with PDP and floated his own party, Mir Afroz was reither shifted by the State government nor recalled from unending deputation by J&K High Court. It was the time when 50 Munsiff courts were without a judge in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Someone other would have been called back within 6 months or one year as Supreme Court of India has given special direction to J&K Government that no stop gap arrangement should extend beyond 6 months. Since he was an influential Minister’s son, nobody in High Court or the State government dared to touch him", said a bureaucratic source.

Advocate Pawan Dev Singh filed an application under RTI Act last year and sought information from GAD about the non-KAS officials recommended, considered or granted induction into IAS after 2007. Even as the information was ready, the bureaucracy under Khandey made it a point that the name of Hassan Mir's son should not be made public under any circumstances. Singh filed the first appeal which failed to evoke any response from Civil Secretariat. His second appeal is currently under process with Jammu and Kashmir State Information Commission (SIC).

The SIC, according to sources, put its foot down and forced GAD to provide the information demanded. Sources in GAD disclosed to STATE TIMES that Sectional Officer Amreek Singh finally sent the information to SIC.

In reply to Singh’s first question, GAD made it clear that no non-KAS official had been inducted into IAS after 2007. His second question was: "How many officers other than those from State Civil Services (KAS) were recommended for appointment to IAS in pursuance to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir General Administration Department Services Section Civil Secretariat Srinagar Order No: GAD (Ser)IAS/88/2013 dated 08.08.2013 by the different State departments by or before the due date, furnish the names with the full particulars of the officers so recommended".

The GAD's reply annexure makes it clear that Mir Afroz, now posted as Secretary Khadi and Village Industries Board, figures at serial number 7. Director Accounts and Treasuries Kashmir Laila Chanda figures at serial number 6 but it is mentioned in the remarks column that she had become ineligible with crossing the age bar of 54 years.

Sources insist that some nominations, including Mir Afroz's, were deficient as these did not contain mandatory 10 years of "Outstanding" APRs or the mandatory Vigilance clearance. His nomination and recommendation, according to sources, came from the former Law Secretary Ghulam Hassan Tantray.

Incumbent Law Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Mir insisted that he had "absolutely no knowledge of such recommendations". "It didn't happen during my tenure", he told STATE TIMES. He was in fact surprised to know that Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs department of the Omar Abdullah government had also recommended some other law officers like Ghulam Nabi Ganai, ex-Minister Hassan Mir's OSD Abdul Majid Bhat and Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh.

Others recommend clandestinely for the IAS induction by different departments included MD of SRTC and then Director State Motor Garage Ghulam Ahmad Sofi (Transport), Medical Superintendent GB Pant Hospital Dr Shafqat Khan, Financial Advisor Health and Medical Education Department Zahoor Ahmad Wani, Accounts Officer Romesh Singh besides ADs/DDs of Planning and Development Department Anil Kumar Gandotra, Satvir Kaur Sudan, Shehzada Bilal Ahmad and Tariq Ahmad Khan.

Officials said that this nomination list of 13 non-KAS officials would change completely with fresh nominations as and when vacancies under TQ were to be determined by DOPT.

END

[ Published in today's STATE TIMES ] 

Mufti brings back booted out Dr Pampori as Principal GMC Srinagar

On Facebook, I was probably the first to resent unceremonious removal of Dr Rafeeq Pampori.  On Facebook and my WhatsApp group 'Kashmir Firstpost' I had taken categorical stand in favour of Dr Rafeeq Pampori and stressed on Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed that he must be brought back as Principal Government Medical College Srinagar. I had written that Minister Lal Singh is behaving like an insane joker. It is great of the Chief Minister that he has directly taken cognizance of this plea, and a lesser visible one by the medical fraternity, and brought back Dr Pampori as Principal GMC on Monday, within 2 days. A good Chief Minister should always take cognizance of the public voice without making anything as point of prestige or ego. Now that Lal Singh has been put to unprecedented shame by none other than CM, he must quit as Minister of Health and Medical Education and clear out for a better BJP MLA. Rogue and ruffians need not stand on the peoples' head as Ministers or bureaucrats.

Rewarding private practice!

Omar Abdullah's government appointed Kashmir's most 'famous' private practitioner as Director of the prestigious Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura at a time when politicians were running jihad against private practice of physicians and State Vigilance Organisation had raided clinics and booked noted clinicians in criminal cases. Now that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's government was talking much against private practice of government doctors, same government has appointed another busiest pediatric clinician as Principal of Government Medical College Srinagar. This not only lends recognition and sanctity to the illegal private practice but also signifies the huge gap between what our political leaders say and do. Crass hypocrisy!

Driving Licence Mafia:

Issuing driving licences and route permits to commercial vehicles is one of the most lucrative activities of government officials in Jammu and Kashmir. Driving test is held usually twice a week. Minimum of 400 to 600 driving licences (around 80% LMVs/two-wheelers and 20% heavy, hill and other commercial categories) are issued every month by each ARTO in 18 districts of Kashmir and Jammu. Numbers double or three times in principle districts of Srinagar and Jammu. Those who pass the driving test are only 10% and they are subjected to untold miseries. Others obtain these licences through "agents" who almost run their offices from the RTOs/ARTOs premises in full knowledge of people and Police. Currently the rates for a commercial licence (on which you can also get a government job as Driver) are Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000 if you are a fresher and Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 if your LMV license is three year old. Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 is charged for each LMV licence. At most of the places only a still photograph is captured rather than a video of the driving test. In short, an ARTO's ill-gotten income per month is Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh and an RTO's income goes upto Rs 50 lakh and Rs one Crore a month. Obviously this whole business cannot run without the participation and ashirwaad of the Minister incharge. Ironically, both Transport Commissioner Mr Khateeb and Secretary Transport Kifayat Hussain Rizvi are known to be meticulously honest officials. A couple of years back, our deceased colleague Izhar Wani's wife was asked to pay Rs 10,000 for transfer of ownership in RTO office Srinagar. One of our colleagues working with NDTV went to Chief Secretary Iqbal Khanday and narrated her tale. Khandey pleaded he was helpless. Chief Secretary as well as Minister of Transport Choudhary Ramzan did their best to dump the RTO as deadwood or at least shift him to some other posting. Both failed. Instead, then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah granted one year of extension to the RTO on his retirement. Because of this non-cadre officials brought from Mechanical Engineering department for deputation of 6 months continue as ARTOs for 8 and 10 years as they know how to share this 'maal' with the 'maalik'!

END

Omar dismisses Govt’s claim on NFSA as ‘brazen lie’
 
‘Whither AFSPA revocation, jobs for youth, dialogue with separatists?’
 
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Dec 17: National Conference acting President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday claimed that he put his foot down against New Delhi’s plan of implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Jammu and Kashmir even as his coalition partner Congress exerted considerable pressure on him for about two years. He asserted that he put up his resistance after he realised that the NFSA was not beneficial for the people of his State.
 
“For about two years, I resisted sustained pressure from the Centre. No less a person than the UPA Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi got angry with me. But I told them categorically that the Central law could not be implemented as it would not benefit the people of my State”, Omar said at a public meeting in Congress-held Shangus Assembly constituency in Anantnag district of South Kashmir. Earlier scheduled on November 24, NC’s Workers Convention in Shangus had been postponed due to the death of three local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen in Tantraypora Siligam, near Mattan, on that day.
 
“I didn’t allow implementation of NFSA despite sustained pressure from our then alliance partner, Congress, because I knew the Act was against the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. I said I won’t allow this law until I was convinced it would benefit my people”, Omar said. “When Mufti Sahab took over after his sell-out to the BJP, he patted on his own back over the implementation of the NFSA. His Ministers claimed it was the biggest miracle of the PDP-BJP Government. Today people are out on the roads in every nook and corner of the State and now Mufti Sahab’s Minister says that this was a decision taken by the previous Government. That’s a brazen lie. It is ridiculous. They should either own or disown NFSA”. He alleged that the government had created “unprecedented chaos and confusion” in the State with its own self-contradictory statements.
 
Omar said that the PDP leadership had dithered from all of its “sugar-coated promises and slogans” after assuming power in March this year.
 
“After seeking votes against the BJP during the elections Mufti Sahab went to embrace the BJP and said he was doing so for the benefit of the State and its people. We were given a fancy ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ where it was promise that Mufti Sahab would bring back the power projects, get AFSPA revoked, make New Delhi talk to the Separatists and get New Delhi to open additional trade and travel routes along the LoC. What happened to those promises Mufti Sahab? Today there is no talk of AFSPA revocation. Where are Mehbooba Mufti’s placards and protests on AFSPA today? It’s astonishing how PDP has changed its entire political persona and ideology to remain in power with the BJP”, Omar added. 
 
“During the Press interaction after the opening of the Secretariat, Mufti Sahab himself said that he couldn’t convince the Prime Minister on vital issues as the Chief Minister. OK Mufti Sahab, we won’t seek answers from you on those things that are in the hands of New Delhi and the Prime Minister but at least do justice to your own basic duties as the Chief Minister of this State. You have increased power tariffs and bills while decreasing the power supply. Electricity is nowhere to be seen – entire localities are plunged into long phases of darkness while the Chief Minister is either seen in Gulmarg or Pahalgam or in the company of a few business houses who he has bent rules for”, the NC President asserted.
 
END

Srinagar demand more rice, no NFSA

Shutdown, traffic jam, clashes mark day three of protests

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Dec 16: State’s summer capital is boiling yet again----this time around for purely non-political purpose: Consumers in large numbers, with no political or civil society leadership, have begun demonstrating on the streets against the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government’s decision to implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the special status State of Jammu and Kashmir. Their apprehension is that the enforcementof the Central law, which Omar Abdullah’s National Conference-Congress coalition categorically declined to implement, would not only deprive them of the ages-old subsidy but would also affect a drastic cut into the quantities of rice and flour they used to get under the previous public distribution system.

On the third consecutive day on Wednesday, hordes of the consumers, predominantly women, blocked the national highway bypass from Bemina to Shalteng. Traffic on the highway came to a standstill cumulating into a massive jam. Police did not interfere for several hours as Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar, according to highly placed sources, has already made it clear to the government that the belt force would not intervene into any peaceful demonstration. DGP has been repeatedly telling the civil authorities that resolution of such crises was exclusively their responsibility.

Consequently, traffic on the roads leading to Jammu, Anantnag, Baramull, Sopore, Uri, Kupwara and other areas in northern and southern Kashmir remained frozen for about four hours. The demonstrators demanded immediate revocation of the decision to implement NFSA as also continuance of the previous PDS system under which every APL and BPL family used to get 35 kilos of rice on subsidised rates per month.

Shops and businesses establishments remained shut down in Tengpora, parts of Batmaloo, Bemina, Parimpora, Shalteng and adjoining areas. Some of the consumers made a bonfire of their ration cards. They shouted anti-government slogans but avoided the traditional political slogans for azadi and against India and her security forces.

Contrary to the capital city outskirts, people in downtown Srinagar gathered at different places and they blocked roads while burning rubber tyres. At Habbakadal, Kralkhud, Tankipora, Zaindar Mohalla, Shaheed Gung and other places, demonstrators shouted anti-government slogans and clashed with Police and paramilitary forces. Even in Kohnakhan Dalgate, people put up a brief demonstration.

"They are cheating us in broad daylight in the name of NFSA. This is a great injustice to the consumers. They have already cheated us over flood relief and made our life miserable. Now they are going to deny us even the rice. They want us die of starvation. This is a conspiracy against us by Mufti’s and Modi's governments", Saleema of Shaheed Gunj complained to STATE TIMES.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar while reviewing the progress under National Food Security Act was informed that 86,085 consumers have obtained the digitalized forms and 17,769 fresh forms from the concerned Fair Price Shops/ Sale outlets. "All other consumers are requested to obtain the forms for correction/authentication immediately and return the same by 18th December 2015 positively so that their correct particulars are reflected in the database", said an official release.

"The consumers are once again informed that Adhar Card Number is not mandatory and the forms will be received back at the concerned FP Shops/Sale Outlets without Adhar Card Number. In case of any difficulty the consumers may contact concerned Assistant Director, CAPD North/South Srinagar", it said.

As per the schedule notified the preliminary list shall be displayed at the respective Fair Price Shops and sale outlets on December 22 and objections to the preliminary lists by general public shall be received upto December 26.

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TIMELINE AND HIGHLIGHTS OF NFSA

November 24, 2011: J&K Cabinet vide its decision No: 202/25/2011 dated: 24-11-2011 gave concurrence to the Government of India’s proposal for implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) in J&K.

September 10, 2013: After being passed by the Parliament, Government of India notified the National Food Security Act- 2013 on 10 September 2013 for implementation across the country.

December 2, 2015: The State Cabinet in its meeting convened on 2 December 2015 approved implementation of NFSA in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the Cabinet decision, NFSA is to be implemented throughout J&K from 1 February 2016.

◆With the implementation of NFSA, 119.13 lakh souls (95% population) in J&K shall be covered under subsidized rations.

◆Out of 119.13 lakh souls, 13.77 lakh souls falling under AAY category shall get rations at the rate of Rs 2 per kg (atta) and Rs 3 per kg (rice). The scale of 35 kgs per family shall be maintained in AAY category irrespective of the number of souls in each family.

◆Under BPL category, 26.49 lakh souls will get rations at the rate of Rs 2 per kg (atta) and Rs 3 per kg (rice) with every member of a family entitled to get 5 kgs ration.

◆Under Priority Class, 33.87 lakh souls will get rations at the rate of Rs 2 per kg (atta) and Rs 3 per kg (rice) with every member of a family entitled to get 5 kgs ration.

◆In the Non-Priority Category, 45 lakh souls will get rations at the subsidized rate of Rs 8 (atta) and Rs 10 (Rice) with every member of a family entitled to get 5 kgs ration.

◆A small chunk of population of around 6 lakh souls comprising persons with income of more than Rs 25 lakh per annum, persons holding constitutional positions including Ministers and Legislators, employees of the State and the Central Government in the Gazetted Cadre and a person owning more than 80 kanals of land individually or 250 kanals of land in joint family shall be kept out of NFSA. For such families food-grains would be made available on OMSS (Open Market Sale Scheme) rates.

◆Any person who is, due to some reason, denied ration, will be given food security allowance

◆Under the existing dispensation only 18.02 lakh families comprising a population of 99 lakh souls are covered under Public Distribution System (PDS) in J&K while NFSA will cover 22.73 lakh families comprising a population of 119.13 lakh souls.

◆Implementation of NFSA shall usher an era of assured supply of highly subsidized rations to the citizens of J&K at their doorstep in a transparent manner.

END