Stone
pelting at Baltal
Srinagar,
July 14 (VOS): Incidents
of stone pelting were today reported from Dumail in Baltal area. “At about 2
pm, some miscreants among the Poney Wallas pelted stones on
Police and security forces at Dumail, Baltal”, said an official spokesperson
here.
Three
police men were also reported to have sustained injuries. “The police had to
resort to mild Lathi charge to disperse the miscreants, he said. “The senior
officers of police rushed to the sport, the situation was brought under
control. Six persons were injured. The situation is completely normal now”,
added the spokesperson.
Meanwhile,
Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Showkat Ahmad Mir expressed ignorance about the
incident. “The matter has not been brought to my notice yet, however I will
look into it”, Mir told VOS.
Internal
and external connectivity crucial for growth: Mufti
Asks
government to expedite Highway projects
Srinagar,
July 14 (VOS): Expressing
serious concern over the slow pace of work on four-lane Srinagar Jammu national
highway corridor in Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, patron Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) today stressed upon central and the state governments to expedite
work on the ambitious project given its economic importance for the state.
Mufti
was addressing a public gathering at Qazigund today.
“Various
developmental projects particularly the extension of North-South corridor to
Srinagar by the then central government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee is in a
state of inertia. The North-South corridor connecting Srinagar with
Kanyakumari and some other projects on National Highway have already missed
their deadlines,” Mufti observed. He said Vajpayee had readily agreed to his
request to extend the North south corridor to Srinagar as originally it was
planned only up to Kathua. The completion of most part of Jammu Kathua stretch
he said had already brought tremendous relief to the commuters and once completed
the highway could transform the standard of life of all residents of the state.
Even on Srinagar – Gulmarg road work has not been completed ispite of the fact
that it has been going on for seven years, Mufti added.
On
this occasion senior party leaders Muzaffar Hussain Beig, Mohd Sartaj Madni,
District President Nazir Ahmed Laway, Zaffarullah Wani, Reyaz Ahmed Dar, Ab
Rehman Ganai, G A Thakur, Manzoor Ahmed Zargar and others were also present and
spoke to the gathering.
Terming
the North South corridor extension to Srinagar as a vital economic decision for
the state, the former chief minister asked the state government to concentrate
on the project in the larger interests of the people. “There has been a lot of
delay in the execution of this project at the ground level which a more focused
and coordinated government could have reduced” the PDP patron remarked. “It was
in 2003 that the then prime minister had laid the foundation stone of the first
phase involving Srinagar and Jammu bye passes but for many years the project
suffered from lack of follow up and the Qazigund Srinagar stretch as a
consequence is only in its initial stages now” Mufti said.
Mufti
recalled that the coalition government led by him had got sanctioned the
project to widen the road from Khanabal to Pahalgam along with the four laning
of Srinagar Gulmarg road in view of their economic importance as tourism life
lines. The Khannabal Pahalgam stretch was four laned up to Seer Hamadan and it
was expected that the present government would carry it forward and four lane
it right up to Pahalgam. He said in view of its importance to tourism and Yatra
the projects needs to be taken up on priority.
Regretting
failure of the present government to carry forward the ambitious connectivity
plans laid down by PDP led coalition government in its brief tenure Mufti said
that the present government has failed to comprehend the vitality of these
projects. He said establishment of internal connectivity through projects like
the Mughal Road, Anantnag Kishtwar road via Synthan and tunneling of Zojilla
pass are of crucial importance as part of our over all vision for ending the
internal compartmentalization and external siege of the state. He said
completion of these projects along with reopening of our traditional links with
outside world across the LOC would liberate untapped economic energies of the
state and revitalize our cultural and social status.
Mufti
said it was disheartening to see how the government of India had to withhold
further funding for some important sectors in view of the state’s inability to
spend the same in desired manner. He said that despite central government’s
liberal funding the incapability of the present dispensation to realize the
importance of major projects in the state has impacted the overall growth of
the state.
Speaking
on the occasion senior party leader and former deputy chief minister
said that the present government has failed to reap benefits for the state
under the centrally sponsored schemes many of which have not even been
initiated so far. He said that it spoke volumes about the style and standard of
functioning of the state government that money that has already been sanctioned
under various central schemes has either been surrendered or has not been
utilized properly.
Baig
said people of the state are witness to the holistic change brought about by
the PDP led coalition government in a brief period of three years. “We had no
angels working for us in 2002 but it was the party’s political will, commitment
to people, ability to provide direction to the administration and transparency
that produced entirely different results,” he said.
Corruption
and faulty governance Baig said is the hallmark of the present dispensation. “I
think time has come when people should judge the governments by their
functioning and not the hollow slogans of the political parties. Your
application of mind will set things straight in this state not for us alone but
for your coming generations as well, he told the gathering. He urged
the people to apply a strict yardstick and standards of accountability to judge
the previous and the present governments. “Delivery on the ground on political
administrative and developmental fronts, civil liberty and human rights
situation and freedom of speech and movement should be the touchstone for you
to judge us and not mere rhetoric and promises” Baig told his audience.
Speeking
on this occasion deputy speeker and senior party leader Mohd Sartaj Madni said
the present government had failed to give the priority treatment to
horticulture that the previous government had ensured. The development of fruit
markets had stopped and even the construction of a Controlled Atmosphere Store
(CAS) in south Kashmir had been shelved and had failed to implement the Rs 400
crore technology mission sanctioned many years back. The PDP led government had
liberated the industry from heavy taxation and introduced marketing and
processing strategies that ensured higher returns for fruits but the NC led
coalition has reversed all those policies which could further increase
unemployment.
Jamaat
condemns house arrest of separatist leaders
“Action
against the very roots of democracy”
Srinagar,
July 14 (VOS): Jama’at-e-Islami
has described the house-arrest of various Hurriyat leaders including the
veteran leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani as undemocratic, unethical and against the
fundamental human rights to freedom of movement and speech.
“In
a real democracy, every person has a right to hold peaceful march and express
his views regarding any issue or problem and no one has any legal or moral
authority to curb such activities which form the very essence of the
democracy”, said the Jamaat spokesperson in a statement.
In
case such rights of the people are curbed, there is no difference between
autocracy and democracy, he added.
“The
people in Kashmir have been experiencing this autocracy since long. One
particular group of people is allowed to indulge in all activities with full
support of the government machinery and another group is strictly prohibited
from performing even its normal functions that too with the help of the
same government machinery”, the spokesperson said.
“This
duplicity goes against the very roots of democracy and is not even allowed
under the constitution of India where it is written that every person is equal
before law and has got equal rights under law”, added the spokesperson
He
said, “the action of the local administration curbing the political activities
of the Hurriyat leaders is quite unreasonable and cannot stand the test of the
constitution of India”.
The
Jamaat opposed the house-arrest of Hurriyat leaders including Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq, Ashraf Sehrai and Shabir Shah and demaned immediate removal of all
curbs on their movement in the interest of the Indian democracy.
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