Gas PIPELINE

The Gas pipeline in J&K is waiting cabinet’s approval for its implementation on its grounds. The Revenue Department in consultation with the Law Department has prepared a draft ordinance, which will be placed before the state cabinet very shortly for final decision to authorize M/s Gujarat State Petronet Ltd (GSPL) to use land and immediately start work on laying of Bathinda-Jammu-Srinagar gas pipeline.

The draft ordinance titled “the Jammu and Kashmir Underground Public Utilities (Acquisition of Rights of User of Land), 2013”, was prepared by the Revenue Department after the chief minister, Omar Abdullah recently laid stress on early start of work on the ambitious project, which possesses greater importance to the state in providing adequate domestic and commercial supply of gas to the consumers on cheaper rates besides creating huge employment for youth.

Omar has already directed the M/s Gujarat State Petronet Ltd to start laying of pipeline from both Srinagar and Bathinda simultaneously so that gas is supplied to both the cities of Jammu and Srinagar at the same time.

“The special law for underground public utilities is being contemplated in order to expedite the completion of this project in a time bound manner as under the existing law—Transfer of Property Act, 1977, the land acquisition is a lengthy process and the CM Omar Abdullah and Revenue Minister, Raman Bhalla don’t want this ambitious project to get delayed,” sources said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Bathinda-Jammu-Srinagar gas pipeline project is scheduled to be completed by July 2014 to draw gas from Gujarat to Jammu and Kashmir. The gas pipeline will consist of 328 kilometer long main gas trunk from Bathinda to Srinagar passing through Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, Anantnag, Pulwama and Srinagar. There will be hundreds of sub-lines, which will supply gas to the consumers at their houses.

REFUGEES

A major political controversy is looming large over the state coalition government on the issue of granting Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) to West Pakistan refugees. The government Monday made it clear that it has no plans to bring any constitutional amendment in this regard after some Congress ministers in Omar Abdullah cabinet vowed to bring constitutional amendments to settle the West Pakistan refugees permanently in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Anybody was free to bring a Bill in the legislature in this regard, but the government has no plans to do it on its own,” Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Sagar Monday said while rebuffing its coalition partner Congress on granting Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) to West Pakistan refugees.

Sagar said granting PRCs to West Pakistan refugees doesn’t come under the ambit of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir as they are not the residents of our state.

He also said that it is an issue which comes under the purview of government of India and therefore, the onus lies with the central government to settle the issue. However, he added that the Chief Minister had already expressed his concern about the problems being faced by the West Pakistan refuges ever since they had been displaced.

While addressing a public meeting near Vijaypur on Sunday, two senior Congress leaders and ministers in the Omar-Abdullah-led coalition government, Sham Lal Sharma and Raman Bhalla, announced that the state government will bring an amendment in the constitution during the upcoming session of the state legislature to grant PRCs to the West Pakistan refugees. They had also stated that the matter is under the active consideration of the state government.

Sharma, while addressing the refugees, said that a delegation of state leaders under the leadership of President Pradesh Congress Committee, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz and MP Madan Lal Sharma met the Central leadership recently and discussed the issues of West Pakistani and PaK refugees.

PSC

The constitutional body JKPSC (Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission), the highest recruiting organization is in dock again. In an embarrassing situation High court has returned a selection list with remarks that the laid down procedure was not followed while making the selection of candidates and on other side, one of its ex-member has leveled serious allegations of ‘dictatorship, illegality and unfairness’ against the Chairman of JKPSC.

High Court has returned the selection list of 24 Court Managers with the remarks that proper procedure which was created by the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department early last year on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, were not followed. “The High Court has conveyed to the PSC that criteria laid down for the selection of Munsiffs should have been adopted in the case of Court Managers.”

Meanwhile, within days of his retirement, an ex-IPS officer Javed Makhdoomi has written a letter addressing governor N N Vohra about some unfair recruitment in the commission. Even if his own daughter became a KAS officer under same Commission, and after sons and daughters of several other close friends-bureaucrats, police and accounts officers were adjudged by the same commission.

Makhdoomi was also a member of the Commission when some youths came on roads alleging favoritism and foul play in the selection of officers through Combined Service Examination (CEC) for KAS, KPS and Accounts services. But then he termed the allegations baseless and at the point of time chief minister Omar Abdullah also came to their rescue when he tweeted and questioned the credibility and veracity of the news reports. The news report contained detailed account of how the members had played with the future of children of poor and downtrodden sections of the society by awarding marks in the interview graciously to their own wards as well as those of their friends and relatives.

The ex-officer has now obliquely termed Chairman S.L.Bhat’s attitude authoritarian and accused him of manipulating results of high profile examinations.

While referring to selection of junior judges, Makhdoomi claimed that the result notification issued on November 16 had been signed by just one member namely ex-IAS officer Khazir Mohammed Wani. He has claimed of not having signed the result notification along with two other members namely Masood Samoon and Kulbhushan Jandial. Taking a moral high ground, Makhdoomi has said that result notification of KCS (Judicial) examination was completely illegal and unauthorized.

As last resort, Makhdoomi requested the governor to order an inquiry. He has sought immediate cancellation of the result notification, since according to him; it did not have mandatory approval of three-fourth of the members.

Free @ Last

In a serious blow to the State Accountability Commission (SAC), the state High Court held that the commission doesn’t have the inherent powers or jurisdiction to initiate suo-moto action. The order will help in disposing of several litigations pending for the period ranging between five to seven years.

After drawing conclusion that SAC cannot claim to have inherent power to suo-moto order investigation, inquiry or proceedings against a public functionary, High Court quashed the proceedings initiated against several ministers and others by the Commission suo-moto on anonymous complaints.

Justice Hasnain Massodi announced the 39- pages judgment, which was reserved on August 24, 2012, in the open court. Senior Additional Advocate General (SAAG), Gagan Basotra appearing for the state was present in the court.

Meanwhile with this judgement, the stand taken by the state government in a detailed reply filed before the High Court on August 23, 2012 through SAAG also got vindicated. And the other 35 cases challenging the suo-moto proceedings initiated by the SAC first came up for hearing in the High Court on June 8, 2012 when several lawyers appearing for the petitioners had vociferously argued that the Accountability Commission has no powers to take suo-moto actions.

In its order the High Court has also held that lawmakers are free to confer power on the Commission to suo-moto order inquiry, investigation or proceeding against a public functionary by making necessary amendment in the Act keeping in view the alarming rise in the corruption.

Meanwhile while drawing the attention of the High Court towards Section 9 of the Act, which specifically prescribes the nature and scope of Commission’s jurisdiction, the government had stated that the jurisdiction of SAC as specified in Act doesn’t authorize the Commission to suo-moto issue process to or take any action against any public functionary.

In the 39-pages judgment, Justice Hasnain Massodi said that the Regulation 9 where under the Commission claims it has powers to take suo-moto action is in conflict with the principle Act and beyond the scope of relevant section as such the same is held ultra vires and is struck down.

Such proceedings were initiated against Minister of State for Finance and Cooperatives, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, Minister for Public Enterprises, Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, Commissioner Secretary Cooperative Department, Abdul Hamid Wani, Mohd Abbas, Registrar Cooperatives, Chairman Jammu Central Cooperative Bank, Mohinder Singh, Managing Director of the Bank, Arun Bakshi, Rattan Lal Tikoo, the then General Manager SICOP, Rafiq Shah and the then Additional Deputy Commissioner Jammu etc.

Qazi DIED

“Those who had the opportunity of meeting Qazi Hussain Ahmed will remember him as a politician, religious scholar, and a well hearted human being,” read a Facebook post, when the former Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami chief passed away.

Qazi HussainAs JI Pakistan amir, Qazi was brain behind the establishment of youth wing of Islami Jamiat-i-Tulaba.

It is an open secret that the emotional religious songs (Milli Taranay) which were played in almost every mosque of Kashmir in early nineties were prepared by the youth belonging to Islami Jamiat-i-Tulaba Pakistan, under the guidance of late Qazi Hussain Ahmad.

It is the late Qazi’s strong Kashmir connection that a Jinaza in absentia was organized in Srinagar by the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, headed by none other than Syed Ali Geelani. The same Geelani, who’s name was used with Qazi and Gulbadin Hikmatyaar of Afghanistan during late eighties and early nineties in slogans like ‘Tera Yaar Mera Yaar, Geelani, Qazi, Hikmatyaar’. Geelani has even wished to travel to Pakistan to condole the family of Qazi Hussain and he is waiting for the travel documents which are unlikely to be issued.

Though the MMA under the leadership of Qazi Hussain Ahmed played a pivotal role in getting the 17th constitutional amendment passed by the Parliament which legitimised Musharraf’s rule and paved the way for army to stay in power, yet Qazi was detained by the same Musharraf regime only for opposing the US invasion on Afghanistan.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed was re- elected as member of the Senate of Pakistan in 1992, but he resigned in 1996 in protest against the corrupt political system. He is survived by two daughters and two sons.

Shyam Koul (1931 – 2013)

Veteran journalist, Shyam Koul, who reported on developments in Kashmir for a long time, died recently in New Delhi after a brief illness.He was 79. Hailing from Safapora in Mansabal area of district Ganderbal, Koulstarted his career as a reporter for ‘Press Asia International’ and ‘Kashmir Post’, edited by former DG, Information Department, JN Zutshi.Shyam Kaul

Later he joined Radio Kashmir Srinagar as a regional correspondent. He also worked with ‘Kashmir Times’ for a short period and remained bureau chief of ‘National Herald’ and ‘QuamiAwaz’ for over two decades.

Koul had earned acclaim for his proficiency in Urdu and scholarly pursuits, which reflected his great knowledge of history, culture and politics of J&K.

He had done his Master’s Degree in Psychology from Lucknow University. As a studentwhile doing graduation, he did a dissertation on the growth of composite culture in Kashmir after the advent of Islam for which the was awarded certificate of merit.

With a Diploma in Journalism and Advertising also to his credit, he started professional career prior to journalism as the head of advertisement films wing of a famous film producing company of Mumbai, Filmistan Ltd. He was associated with the production of many commercial advertisement films, gaining considerable experience and appreciation in the film production.

Later he joined as Editor with a reputed publishing establishment ‘Jaico Publishing House’, Mumbai. Jaico House was the first one in India to produce pocket book editions.

He joined active journalism in mid-sixties and remained in the profession till his last breath.In the last two decades, he confined his work to the plight of Kashmiri Pandits.

An alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University in Psychology and Islamic History, `ShyamJi’, as he was affectionately known, started his career in publishing from Mumbai wherefrom he shifted to Srinagar in early sixties.

He served as a co-editor of ‘Kashmir Post’ along with another veteran scribe Late ON Koul. After Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed’s arrest in 1964, ‘Kashmir Post’ was banned. Shyam Kaul later restarted it as ‘New Kashmir Post’which was again banned by the-then state government headed by GM Sadiq.

Kaul had a close association with Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed. He was also very close to Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and worked as a PRO of state Congress unit from 1965 to 1966.

He authored two books ‘Agony of Kashmir’ and ‘Paradise Called Dispute’.Kaulalso co-authored a book, ‘Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh- Ringside Views’ along with OnkarKachroo.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here