Omar calls for strengthening of communal harmony

Describing communal harmony 'warp and woof' of Jammu and Kashmir's pluralistic culture, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on Friday called for it's strengthening and nurturing.

He said the State symbolizes traditional amity, brotherhood and love between various sections of the society.

Addressing the Baisakhi Mela at Nangali Sahib here , the Chief Minister said that celebration of festivals and holy occasions in unity and amity has been the characteristics of people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said extending greetings to each other on different festivals adds colour to the celebrations and strengthen the bonds of love.

The Chief Minister said that universalization of development and economic welfare equitably in the State is benchmark of the functioning of his Government. "We are determined to reach out every area and every section of the society equally in the process of development", he said, adding that comprehensive upliftment of weaker sections and people living in backward pockets of the State is on high focus.

Omar Abdullah said that improvement and upgradation of education and health sectors in far-off areas is receiving priority attention. "While various new health institutions and schools have been opened in these areas, the Government has also sanctioned new degree colleges, polytechnics and ITIs for the students living in these areas", he said, adding that accessibility of students in backward and remote areas to higher and technical education is being enhanced by providing adequate educational facilities to them.

"Similarly, health sector is receiving impetus to expand healthcare facilities across the State", he said elaborating on the infrastructure development programme, placing of manpower and consolidating the health institutions in all the districts and rural areas of the State. He said health institutions are being upgraded and modernized as per the present day requirements. He said many more steps are afoot to further strengthen the health and education sectors in the State besides other sectors relating to the public service delivery.

Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, Legislators, Ajaz Ahmad Jan and Jahangir Mir also spoke on the occasion.

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Omar pitches for relook into Indo Pak CBMs

Ahead of Asif Ali Zardari's visit, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today made a strong pitch for a fresh look by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Pakistan President at confidence building measures (CBMs) to boost Cross-LoC trade and travel.

"If this House supports us, it would be good. The Prime Minister and the Pakistan President are meeting in New Delhi in a few days," Omar told the Assembly while speaking on questions regarding cross-LoC trade and travel.

"I think a request should be made from this House to them that this CBMs (cross-LoC trade and travel) should be re-looked into both these things (communication and banking system for LoC travel and trade)," he said.

On this, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone asked the members of the House that whether they agreed to the chief minister's suggestion. The members through voice-vote gave their approval to it.

Omar further said "one of the things is to talk to each other (between the people on the two side of LoC) and second, to replace the barter system of trade with other financial terms or letter of credits should be a mechanism for trading".

"Banking arrangements should be there so that the barter system of trading should be closed under this system of trading if I will send goods I should get payment and if they send us goods we should pay them," he said.

"We have been repeatedly requesting the Centre to give attention to this important decision during the Indo-Pak talks it should not be a CBM for namesake it should be a workable CBM on the ground," the chief minister said.

"The Cross-LoC trade and travel was the biggest CBM to connect people on the two sides through bus service and trade," he said.

There have been a marked improvement when it comes to the bus service, Omar said.

"But unfortunately there have not been improvement in trade. Where there was need to create infrastructure, we created them. There is still a need to bring more improvement in it," he said.

Omar that said border trade points whether it is in Wagah (on Indo-Pak border) or Nathula (on Sino-India border) are along permanent border, but here (in J&K) the Line of Control cannot be considered as a border and there lies the problem.

The chief minister further said that the biggest problem is the LoC trade is barter system. "We cannot bring betterment in this trade unless and until two major decisions do not take place."

"One, the permission for one-to-one talk on two sides of LoC and second, for trading between the two sides," Omar said, adding that traders of Jammu and Kashmir did not benefit from cross-LoC trade as compared to their counterparts from Pathankot, Amritsar and other cities.

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No Cabinet reshuffle soon Omar

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said no Cabinet reshuffle would take place at the moment and described the speculation as a 'rumour'. "There will be no Cabinet reshuffle at the moment. It is just a rumour," Abdullah told reporters at the sidelines of a foundation laying ceremony of Jammu and Kashmir State Data Centre (JKSDC) in Civil Secretariat premises here this evening. "Both National Conference and coalition partner Congress have to discuss the issue. I represent both of them and have to think over the matter when it comes to me," he asserted.

The Chief Minister said his government has completed three years and their performance was being assessed from time to time.Lauding the role of his Ministers,he said, "Each Minister of my Cabinet has played his/her role for thefirst three years. The government and the Ministers have done their job well." The performances would be reviewed and a final decision  would be taken thereafter, he added. On blocked Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Abdullah said the road has been thrown open for stranded passengers and light motor vehicles followed by heavy vehicles. Earlier, laying the foundation, he said the state Government has initiated a programme of establishing Data Centres to provide core infrastructure for supporting e-governance, making service delivery to people fast and to the point. Underlining e-governance essentially important for making administration prompt on service delivery to the people, Abdullah also highlighted its significance in ensuring good governance and curbing malpractices."The State Data Centre would act as a central repository of the state providing secure data storage, disaster recovery and remote management functions," he added."These services would be extended to government agencies, citizens and business through the connectivity infrastructure to be rolled out as State Wide Area Network (SWAN)," he said.

Chief Ministers Constituency Without Water Supply

Residents of many villages of chief minister Omar Abdullah’s Ganderbal constituency are up in arms against the government as despite years of wait, these villages are still without the proper drinking water supply. Though the pipelines and other necessary infrastructure has already been accomplished, but the taps continue to remain thirsty in the absence of the water supply. In Safapora of Tehsil Lar, Pahlipora, Sheikh Mohalla, Wani Mohalla, Chan Mohalla, Naid Mohalla, Choh, Danger Mohalla and many other adjoining villages have been waiting for the past many years now to see the water supply in their villages and mohallas. “There is no water available for us in this age of science and technology”, lamented Manzoor Ahmad, a contractual

lecturer.“Though the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department had already laid the pipelines in these villages to ensure the water supply to these villages, but till now, no any concrete  measure has been undertaken by the concerned district authorities to let the villagers avail the drinking water facility”, he further said.“Our taps are thirsty for water, not to talk of us”, Shabu, another local told News Agency.

Pertinently, in the abovementioned villages, the PHE authorities, only a couple of years back has started to lay down another pipeline to ensure the drinking water facility to the villages, but this laying down of the pipeline is going at the snail’s pace bringing lot of irritation on the faces of thousands of villagers.Furthermore, a filtration plant coming up from the last two years near Government Higher Secondary Educational Institute is still incomplete following the work that is going at snail’s pace. “If the work on the plant is speeded up and is made functional, we would have a breather”, said Mohammad Yousuf of Wani Mohalla.Not only in Safapora, there are many villages in Kangan Tehsil as well without the drinking water supply. Gonchi Mohalla, Checki Akhal and other adjoining villages have the same story to tell as that of the Safapora villages: “Pipelines laid, but no water available”.

Though a tanker deployed by the PHE authorities provides the drinking water supply to these villages, but the dilapidated condition of the approaching road to Gonchi Mohalla and Checki Akhal has been putting a great brake on the tanker to move to these villages. “In winters (as it has already marked its presence), we are the worst-hit sufferers as the tanker couldn’t enter our villages”, said Mohammad Ashraf, a local of Akhal. The villagers of both Safapora have made umpteen numbers of visits to all the concerned officials from Executive Engineer PHE Ganderbal to Superintending Engineer to the office of Chief Minister, but till now, the villagers continue to remain thirsty for water. “We appeal Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to look into the matter so that our problem is mitigated”, the  villagers said.When contacted, Niyaz Ahmad Laway, Executive Engineer PHE Ganderbal admitted before Kashmir Times that there are the problems of non-availability of drinking water in Safapora and Kangan villages.

development of students

Omar for holistic development of students

Underlining the importance of personal development for moulding young children into capable and responsible citizens, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Wednesday asked the educational institutions to focus all round development of students while attending their academic excellence.

Speaking at a platinum jubilee celebrations of Presentation Convent School here, the Chief Minister said that the holistic development and growth of young boys and girls is need of the hour to enable them face futuristic challenges with capacity and calibre. “They should be proved to compete at the national and international level with confidence and competence”, he said adding that after completing education they have to step in a wider world to make a dent.