TOP NEWS: Hajis stone devils, tonsure heads
MINA: Around two million Muslims massed in the holy Saudi city of Mina on Wednesday for the symbolic stoning of the devil, one of the high points, but also one of the most risky, of the annual Hajj.
Amid tight security, with helicopters hovering overhead and a fleet of ambulances standing by, the human tide converged on the area for the stoning of pillars which will continue on Thursday and Friday.
The crush as pilgrims seek to ensure their stones hit Satan has led to hundreds of deaths in the past, including 345 during the ritual in January last year. A similar tragedy in 2004 saw 251 people trampled to death.
The Saudi Gazette newspaper said 10,000 troops had been deployed in Mina to beef up security and control pedestrian traffic on Jamarat Bridge, from where many throw their stones.
Saudi authorities have built a third level on to the bridge complex to ease the pressure, allowing more than 200,000 faithful an hour to cast pebbles they collected the previous day.
In another change after the deaths of the last Hajj, the three "Jamarat" pillars have been extended, each of them effectively being turned into a large wall. This has made them an easier target and lessened the need for pilgrims -- many elderly and feeble -- to push to get closer.
"By casting my pebbles I am saying that I will not give in to Satan's worldly temptations," said one middle-aged Arab, who identified himself as Jassem.
According to tradition, Mina is the place where Satan appeared first to Abraham, to his son Ishmael, and to Ishmael's mother Hagar. The word Mina is a derivative of an Arabic word meaning "wish," since it was here that Adam wished for heaven.
After the stoning, the pilgrims celebrate Eid al-Adha, literally the day of sacrifice, when animals, normally sheep but also goat, cows and camels, are sacrificed, in remembrance of Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to God.
The Saudi government prefers Hajjis to buy coupons instead of directly buying and sacrificing a beast, to avoid meat being wasted. Sheep sacrificed through coupon purchase are frozen and then distributed among the needy in the Islamic world.
This year the coupons cost around 105 dollars each. Last year, according to official figures coupons worth more than 74 million dollars were sold.
The Hajj reached its climax on Tuesday when the faithful -- men clad in a two-piece seamless white cloth, the women covered except for the hands and face -- spent the day praying for forgiveness.
"In total, 2,454,325 pilgrims, including 1,707,814 from outside the kingdom, are performing the pilgrimage this year," said the Saudi news agency SPA, quoting official figures.
Earlier, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz said the pilgrims had come to Saudi Arabia from 181 different countries, with their number increasing three percent on last year.
Among this year's pilgrims was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, invited by Saudi King Abdullah to become the first president of the Islamic republic to take part.
His pilgrimage has an added political significance because of the sometimes rocky relations between Shiite Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.
An Iranian demonstration during the Hajj in 1987 led to Tehran and Riyadh breaking diplomatic relations. Security forces tried to break up the protest and 402 people, including 275 Iranians, were killed. Iranians stayed away from the Hajj until 1991.
Azad for employment generation on mass scale
New Delhi: Making out a strong case for employment generation in 11th Five Year Plan, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has vehemently advocated exploring possibility of a monetary policy for the purpose of employment generation. "There are a number of schemes and programmes that envisage increase in the mandays of employment, yet the strategic thrust and policy intervention is what is needed", he added.
In his thought provoking and suggestions-based speech at the meeting of National Development Council here today, Azad said "in the prevailing cycle of high growth and high unemployment, RBI ought to choose employment targeting as a subject to devise a set of monetary policy instruments to achieve the target".
The single most important thing to differentiate "inclusive growth" from its earlier avatars of "growth with equity", would be the use of monetary policy measures for creating employment, he suggested.
"This is perhaps the first five year plan formulated by the centre, the success of which almost entirely depends on the states. While I think it is a good development, the problem is that in many states, including Jammu and Kashmir, the institutional capability to spend this kind of money is not very high. It is, therefore, necessary to start right from today the process of institutional capacity building and institutional reforms. Only then we can spend the allocated money in an appropriate manner", he maintained.
He said "there is an urgent need to modify the financing pattern of all centrally sponsored schemes for the special category states so that they have to provide only 10 percent of the cost as their share".
Citing the example of Jammu and Kashmir where development of road network in far-flung and hilly areas is about ten times higher than the plains, Chief Minister said that much headway could not be made under Bharat Nirman as the scheme does not provide the cost for land acquisition. "There may be a case for making a special dispensation in this regard for Jammu and Kashmir", he added.
He said that state governments should not become mere implementing agencies for the central plan or sponsored schemes as state governments have to concentrate and deliver according to the state and district plans. "We have seen that the 'free plan resources' available to the states have been shrinking during the 10th Five Year Plan. There is a real danger that this trend will get accentuated further. We have to ensure that the specific needs of a state are met, even as we equalize generic services across states.
He said the states were delighted to get substantial amount under 11th Five Year Plan, but what happens after the 11th Plan is any body's guess as the rich schemes will be transferred to the states non-plan expenditure without a corresponding revenue resource. Therefore, Azad suggested creation of fund right now to take care of the liabilities bound to arise.
He said that liability arising out of the pay commission need to be addressed more directly and clearly, adding that if this issue is kept open-ended in the hope that Finance Commission will pick it up later it would amount to postponing the inevitable.
Highlighting the necessity of viable public-private partnership, Chief Minister said it has become imperative to use PPP model for construction and the maintenance of capital assets with the motto 'we create, you maintain'.
Chief Minister complimented Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for the sharp focus he has laid on agricultural growth, rural economy and social sectors.
EDITORIAL: Lessons of Hajj
The Hajj is essentially a re-enactment of the rituals of the great prophets and teachers of faith. Pilgrims symbolically relive the experience of exile and atonement undergone by Adam and Eve after they were expelled from Heaven, wandered the earth, met again and sought forgiveness in the valley of Mecca. They also retrace the frantic footsteps of the wife of Abraham(AS), Hagar, as she ran between the hills of Safa and Marva searching for water for her thirsty baby (which according to Muslim tradition, God answered with the well of Zam Zam). Lastly, the pilgrims also commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for the sake of God. God later substituted a ram in place of his son.
Yet, the Hajj is more than these elaborate rituals. The faithful hope that it will bring about a deep spiritual transformation, one that will make him or her a better person. If such a change within does not occur, then the Hajj was merely a physical and material exercise devoid of any spiritual significance.
As all great religions teach, we are more than mere physical creatures in that we possess an essence beyond the material world. Indeed, this is why all great religions have a tradition of pilgrimage. In the Islamic tradition, Hajj encapsulates this spiritual journey toward this essence.
The current state of affairs -- both within and outside the Muslim world -- greatly increases the relevance of some of the spiritual and universal messages inherent in the Hajj.
Clearly, the white sea of men and women side by side performing tawaf (circling) around the Kaaba (the stone building Muslims believe was originally built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael) should lay to rest any claim that Islam -- as opposed to some Muslims --degrades women.
The fact that millions of Muslims transcending geographical, linguistic, level of practice, cultural, ethnic, color, economic and social barriers converge in unison on Mecca, attests to the universality of the Hajj. It plants the seed to celebrate the diversity of our common humanity. Pilgrims return home enriched by this more pluralistic and holistic outlook and with a new appreciation for their own origins.
In fact, as part of the spiritual experience, the pilgrimage links people across religions through a past shared by several Abrahamic traditions. This combined with the Islamic teaching of the common origin of humanity holds out much hope. Indeed, the Qur’an teaches: “We created you from a single pair of a male and female (Adam and Eve), and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other and not that you might despise each other. The most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you” (Al Hujurat: 13). This is a great celebration of the differences and at the same time unity of all of humanity.
Another essential spiritual message of the Hajj is one of humility to God and His supremacy and control over all that we know. The multitude of people and their inner beliefs and practices are all to be judged by God and God alone in His infinite wisdom and full knowledge. Indeed, as the Qur’an insists, "Let there be no compulsion in matters of faith, truth stands out clear from error." (2: 256). The result of a successful Hajj is a rich inner peace, which is manifested outwardly in the values of justice, honesty, respect, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy. And it is these values – all attributes of God almighty -- that are indispensable to us all if we are just to get along in this world.
IMPRESSION: Who controls Mosques in India?
Dear Sir,
It is a known fact that the government agencies effectively control the activities of Mosques across the country through various "elected" bodies existing for looking after the Mosque affairs. Information is being passed on to the concerned personnel for a "necessary action" and the action taken a report reaches the concerned authorities. Harassing the Muslims inside the Mosque takes place by the people in charge of Mosques, including the security unnoticed by the general masses who offer prayers. This is therefore the Babri Mosque was never raised in Indian Mosques on the eve of the December 06, in stead some other issues were touched upon in the sermons.
Any action initiated by the state for the benifits of the people is most welcome, but India has nurtured ill-feelings toward Muslims right from 15 August 1947 and its intereference with Mosques cannot but do further injustice to Muslims..The situation in Kashmir-Jammu is extremely explosive. Security personnel in their ambition to display their own power on innocent Muslims, makes a hell out of those coming to pray or for siyarat. Who should not enter and pray is generally decided by the state agencies and the "concerned" people stop them from doing so, directly or quasi-mode.
Of course anything done by the state for the well-being of Islam, the Muslims and their benefits is a different matter altogether. But India drinking hatred for Muslims although cannot be expected to do any thing good for them in India, because their only concern is the Majority Hindus. "Terrorism" plank perpetrated by the USA and India does not permit any good thoughts about Islam and Muslims. It is the foremost duty of every Kashmiri to talk about their independence, as Indians did during the "British Raj" in India. Geelani is constantly harassed by keeping him house arrest (already 72 times) and other restrictions because he, unlike pro-Indian leaders in Kashmir fueled and "oiled" by New Delhi, sincerely seeks independence for Kashmir. Until Kashmiris achieve their sweet freedom from big India, Geelani and others have every right to address people any where in India, including the Jammu Muslims.
Thank you
Yours Sincerely,
DR.ABDUL RUFF Colachal
Freelance writer & Colomnist
India
WE THE PEOPLE
Not moved by large-scale sufferings, shoppers flood markets of Kashmir
Hence conscientious citizens urge people to share their savings with orphans, destitutes and widows on Eid-ul-Azha
M.Shirjeel
Srinagar: Once an earthly paradise and an abode of peace got struck by tragedies of indescribable nature, especially after the eruption of turmoil in the State of Jammu and Kashmir in general and Kashmir Valley in particular. The Valley was known for its scenic beauty, which was a source of attraction for the tourists across the globe. The place had one added factor of being an abode of Reshies and Munies who had taught brotherhood and this was the reason that Kashmir Valley did not witness any carnage which surfaced in the rest of country after British left India. Even during the period of turbulence, the Islamic teachings remained guiding factors for providing umbrella to the minority by the majority community. However it seems that the scars of the sufferings caused to thousands of families have not taught any lesson to those who are seen flooding markets of Kashmir Valley on the eve of every festival. The prevailing scene on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha strengthens our argument and hence conscientious citizens appeal general masses to observe Eid with austerity and spare savings for the orphans, destitutes, handicapped and the widows who are not able to celebrate Eid due to paltry means of sustenance.
Islam is very clear and has enunciated code of conduct and if followed both in letter and spirit, we can have a welfare State. The very aim of Zakat is to share your savings with those who are in need of the same. The fasting equally conveys to us to feel and notice the pangs of hunger, which one faces due to starvation. Similarly, the Salat infuses discipline and inculcates punctuality. Therefore, if a Muslim follows and adheres to the guidelines laid down by Islam can have a smooth sailing and be a model for other communities. But unfortunately most of the Muslims of today have got swayed away by materialistic considerations and have forgotten the day of reckoning when all our actions will be audited. No advocate shall be available to plead our cases and all our organs will be the best witnesses available on the day. Should we not fear Allah and follow what He has conveyed to us through the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him).
“A causal survey shall reveal that there are hundreds of hearths and houses which are not lit for want of their bread-earners. There are hundreds of boys and girls who have been orphaned and are in a state of complete helplessness. There are hundreds of widows who are living from hand to mouth. Those kids who should have been in schools are spotted either in the centres of carpet weaving or in workshops. This also shows that the prevalent laws of the land are not in force as child labour is totally prohibited. Although the Central Government has come out with several programmes to nourish children and provide them food in schools and even scholarships have been earmarked for the children who are in need of the same, yet the spirit of such programmes is totally missing in Kashmir valley today. Even in Dogra regime, Primary Education was compulsory and children would be herded out of their houses and enrolled in schools to educate them, but that type of force is missing nowadays. Whatever the prevailing scenario, it becomes obligatory on the part of religious scholars, Imams of Mosques and other philanthropists to launch a drive against extravagance and urge affluent sections of society to come forward and help the needy”, said a group of conscientious citizens of Kashmir Valley.
Therefore, it is the duty of every person living in Kashmir Valley to rise to the occasion and work hard for the rehabilitation of those children who have been orphaned and those widows who are penniless and unable to sustain themselves. Equally care has to be taken of the handicapped that are unable to earn and sustain themselves. Invoking Islamic teachings and following them in letter and spirit can go a long way in reforming our ways of life and help the society in a big way. The responsibility lies on the shoulders of religious scholars and NGOs to come forward and raise funds for financing and maintaining the poor and needy sections of Kashmir society. Whether this is done remains to be seen!
BRIEFS
Market checking
Srinagar: A checking squad headed by the Executive Magistrate Amir Ali visited
Batamaloo area and booked 21 shopkeepers and recovered fine of Rs. 6200 for indulging in black-marketing. The government has fixed rate of broiler chicken at Rs 60 per kg. and Rs. 30 for layers, but during market checking it was found that the shopkeepers were selling the layer chicken at Rs 50 per kg. Three erring shopkeepers were arrested and later released on the assurance of selling the chicken as per approved rates. People hailed action of the officer and requested for repeated checks to contain price-line in the Valley.
One killed
Srinagar: According to QNS, a Platform bearing registration No. JK01/ 9332 hit one Mohammad Akbar Zargar 45, S/o Ghulam Mohammad, R/O Kupwara at general road near DIC Kupwara, resulting in his on spot death. Police has registered a case in this regard and has taken up investigations.
Fine realized
Kupwara: The checking squad of Municipal Committee, Kupwara during its market inspection today recovered a fine of Rs. 900 from the erring traders and destroyed two quintals of rotten vegetables on the spot.
Meanwhile, according to Assistant Director, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, the stock position of essential commodities in the Kupwara district presently is 20500 quintals rice, 1700 quintals atta, 1200 quintals sugar and 4.75 lakh liters k. oil.
Arrival passes
Baramulla: Relatives of those Hajjis of Baramulla district who proceeded for Hajj pilgrimage from November 11 to 18, 2007 have been asked to collect arrival passes from office of Deputy Commissioner Baramulla immediately.
Sec 144 imposed
Kupwara: According to a notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara the imposition of section 144 has been extended by 60 days more in the district.
Five injured
Baramulla: According to QNS, five persons were injured in a road accident on Baramulla-Muzaffarabad road today. A bus on way to Uri to here hit a Maruti car coming from opposite direction at Dandnakhan. Five persons travelling in the car were injured. The injured were admitted to a hospital in a critical condition.
NATIONAL
PM for 10 pct growth
NEW DELHI: India aims to achieve 10 percent economic growth by 2012 but is not immune to a global credit crunch spreading from the United States, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned on Wednesday.
"There are some clouds on global financial markets following the subprime lending crisis... We cannot be fully immune to international developments," Singh told top government policymakers.
The warning was the first by Singh about the fallout on India of the credit turmoil which stems from a default crisis in the US subprime mortgage sector.
The country of 1.1 billion people has been seen by many analysts as a safer investment play than other nations with its still relatively closed economy and fast-growing middle class against a backdrop of overall global weakening.
But Singh said he wanted "to sound a note of caution."
"There are worries the growth of the US and other leading economies may slow down and some may even go into a recession. This may impact both our exports as well as capital flows," he said, as he sought approval of the government's new five-year plan -- an economic roadmap targeting 10 percent growth by 2012.
Liberalisation means "our economy is now increasingly integrated into the global economy with the external sector accounting for almost 40 percent of GDP," he said, referring to such items as external debt and trade.
Singh launched the process of opening up India to foreign investment and trade in the early 1990s when he was finance minister.
But "it is possible with the correct set of policies... we will not only be able to maintain this momentum of high growth into the near future but may be able to raise it to 10 percent" by 2012, Singh emphasised.
The country needs to achieve double-digit growth to lift tens of millions out of deep poverty, Indian leaders say.
India's economy has grown by nearly nine percent annually for the last three years, second only to China, and the boom has drawn a tide of foreign funds that has accelerated since the credit turmoil erupted earlier this year.
Foreign investment in India jumped 65 percent to 7.2 billion dollars in the first half of the fiscal year to March 2008, figures this week showed, while the stock market has rocketed 45 percent this year, boosted by overseas funds.
But economists have warned of an economic slowdown in the face of high interest rates, rapid currency appreciation, weakening global demand, rising commodity prices and high global oil costs.
With his eye on national elections less than two years away, Singh also said he was concerned about "the slow reduction in poverty."
"High growth has not made as much of an impact on poverty reduction as we would have liked. Poverty is coming down but not fast enough," he said.
The previous Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government was defeated at the polls in 2004 when the rural masses voted against their exclusion from the boom.
Singh also sounded the alarm about the "impending problem of food security," citing global food output trends in which more crops are grown for biofuels that would "put pressure on availability" and called for greater buffer stocks.
The statement follows experts' warnings that India has become too complacent about its ability to feed its people after a 1970s "green revolution" quadrupled staple food production and banished fears of famine.
SC for sacking accused employees
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ruled that forgery by an employee is a serious offence which cannot be treated lightly and there is nothing wrong in sacking the delinquent staff.
In such a case, it is not proper for a tribunal or High Courts to interfere with the quantum of punishment, a bench of Justices S B Sinha and H S Bedi said.
"When a forgery is committed with a view to assist a person to make unlawful gain for himself or to cause unlawful loss to another, the matter should be viewed seriously," the apex court said, upholding an appeal filed by the Gujarat Government.
The Government appealed after the Gujarat High Court quashed the termination order passed against Gajanand M Dalwadi, posted at the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), who was sacked on October 26, 1998 on charges of misconduct, mainly for forging a driving license.
It was alleged that Dalwadi had forged a license to enable a private vehicle owner to claim insurance after the vehicle driven by the driver without a valid license met with an accident.
The Gujarat Civil Services Tribunal quashed the termination but a single judge of the High Court, on an appeal by the Government, upheld the termination.
INTERNATIONAL
60 killed in train-derailment
MEHRABPUR: An express train crowded with holiday travelers derailed in southern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least 60 people and leaving hundreds of terrified survivors to claw their way out of the wreckage in total darkness.
The train, which derailed at about 2 a.m., was loaded with an estimated 900 passengers, many of them heading home for the Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Adha.
Dozens of soldiers and police helped tend the injured and carry them away to waiting ambulances, as hundreds of people from the surrounding villages looked on. Army engineers used two cranes and cutting equipment to free the last survivors.
Passenger Mohammed Yusuf sat on a pink blanket next to a pile of discarded shoes and clothes, wailing in grief at the death of his younger brother.
He said his wife, two children and another brother were injured and taken to a hospital but their conditions were unknown. Yusuf, 26, said his brother survived the impact and was crying out in pain, but that he had been unable to free his trapped leg.
"It's unbearable. Don't say that he is dead," Yusuf pleaded as other relatives tried to console him.
The train was speeding from Karachi toward Lahore when about 12 of its 16 carriages came off the rails near Mehrabpur, about 250 miles north of Karachi. It was unclear what caused the accident.
Shahid Khan, a 25-year-old who had been traveling to Lahore with six of his relatives, said he used the light from his mobile phone to find his way out.
"The train was going at full speed. Then there was a sudden jerk and we felt the train sinking into the earth. There was chaos everywhere," said Khan, sitting next to bundles of luggage he had salvaged from a carriage lying on its side in the field.
By midmorning, rescuers had brought 58 bodies to three nearby hospitals, said Mumtaz Ali, an official from the Edhi Foundation, Pakistan's largest privately run emergency service.
Col. Abbas Malik, an army doctor, said about 150 people were injured.
Mohammed Khalid, a railway official who was traveling in one of the rear wagons that stayed on the rails, said he suspected a problem with the track - possibly sabotage - caused the accident.
"My guess is that there was some piece of rail was missing and the engine jumped the missing track and the following wagon got stuck," he said.
After the crash, a section of one of the rails had been torn loose. The engine came to a halt about a mile further up the line.
Deadly accidents are a regular occurrence on Pakistan's colonial-era railway network.
A speeding train struck a crowded bus at a railway crossing near Lahore in October, killing 12 people and injuring about 50 others. About 130 people died in July 2005 when three trains collided in southern Pakistan.
India, China hold military exercise
RAGHAVENDRA KUNMING: In an atmosphere tinged with the "Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai" spirit, Indian troops arrived here today to a warm welcome by the Chinese hosts for the first-ever Sino-Indian joint military exercise in a hilly terrain near here in South western Yunnan province.
It was bonhomie all through after the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s special transport aircraft IL-76 touched down at the airport with Chinese military officials receiving their Indian counterparts and troops drawn from the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry with cordiality and warmth.
As the men from both militaries exchanged pleasantries and were introduced to one another, the Chinese People's Liberation Army played the band followed by a ceremonial welcome later at the Kuniming Military Academy where the 103 Indian soldiers will stay.
The joint exercise will begin on December 21 with the spotlight on anti-terrorism drill, with China expected to draw upon the experience of Indian troops known for expertise gained in their counter-insurgency operations.
Largely mountainous Yunnan province on China's southwest frontier shares its border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
The troops, who arrived from Guwahati after a little more than two hours flight, will familiarise themselves with the terrain tomorrow before they plunge into the full-scale drill lasting five days.
The joint exercise, which comes after signs of warming of ties in recent years between the two Asian giants, was scheduled to happen much earlier but the dates were finalised in Beijing during the first ever Annual Defence Dialogue between the two nations recently.
"This is the first time the armies of China and India are holding the joint exercise. It is very important to improve mutual trust and understanding", Senior Col Tian, a military expert, told PTI before the Indian troops landed.
The drill, he said, would focus on anti-terrorism. "The aim is to strike against terrorism. We will through this exercise understand each other and build mutual trust," Tian said.
He described the joint drill as the "platform for understanding of two armies".
The growing defence ties between India and China was earlier exemplified in the joint naval exercise held in November 2003 off Shanghai on China's eastern seaboard which has continued since then with the latest one being an advanced five-day exercise involving two frontline Destroyers of the Indian navy held in April.
The two armies, who were locked in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation for decades across the Himalayan borders, have been holding bonhomie meetings but this is the first time a major confidence building exercise involving the two armies is being conducted.
India and China had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2006 expressing their desire to hold joint military exercises in the fields of search and rescue, anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and other areas of mutual interest. There has however been no contact between the two Air Forces.
`Pak’s nuke assets are quite safe’
Islamabad: Pakistan stands as a respectable nuclear state having excellent safety and security standards at all nuclear power plants, President Pervez Musharraf has said.
After performing containment dome placement ceremony at Chashma Nuclear Plant-II, the President said, ''''Pakistan''s nuclear safety regulatory infrastructure is effective, functional and respected by the world bodies.'''' The President, also chairman of the country''s National Command Authority, said Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) should work in unison towards the cherished goal.
He applauded the PAEC and PNRA in understanding, implementing and meeting the nuclear safety and physical security requirements of the nuclear power plants in the country. Pakistan will need 8,800 MW of electricity by 2020 and is seeking cooperation with several countries to utilise nuclear energy peacefully. One of the two plants at Chashma is already operational with capacity to produce 350 MW of electricity while the second one will be ready soon.
''''It is gratifying to note that excellent safety and security standards are being maintained at the country''s existing nuclear power plants at Kanupp and Chasnupp-I,'''' The News quoted him, as saying.
The 325 megawatt capacity plant, being built with Chinese collaboration and technical assistance, is likely to be completed by the end of 2010 as it is moving ahead of schedule. The dome placement event is the most important milestone in the construction phases of a nuclear power plant.
The government had chalked out a comprehensive plan to expand power generation to meet the growing demands of the country. The PAEC had been given the task of increasing nuclear power generation in accordance with the country''s energy security plan, the president added.
Besides the conventional and renewable power generation sources, nuclear technology had a major role in the power generation mix in the country, he said, adding that the world was realising the promise and potential of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and advancement in design and management had enhanced the safety of nuclear plants.
Thanking China for its collaboration and technical assistance in various development projects, including nuclear power generation, President Musharraf said his personal relations with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao had given these projects ''''momentum'''' and ''''impetus''''.
The Chashma power plant, along with numerous other development projects in the country, were a living testament to Pak-China friendship, he added.
HOME
Arrangements for courier service reviewed
Srinagar: Arrangements regarding operating of courier service AN- 32 from Srinagar airport to Kargil for carrying of passengers during winter months were reviewed at a high level meeting chaired by Minister for Social Welfare Haji Nissar Ali here today.
Among others Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mehboob Iqbal, DIG Srinagar-Budgam, Deputy Commissioner Kargil, Director Airport Authorities, SSP Anti Hijacking and General Manager SRTC attended the meeting.
It was decided in the meeting that SRTC would provide buses to transport passengers from Kargil House to Srinagar airport and vice versa. Security equipment and weighing machine would be installed in the Hajj terminal which would be used for convenience of the passengers of the courier service. In case of delay or postponement of any flight of this courier service, the passengers would be provided refreshment. In that case, the passenger using this service would have to pay fare of Rs. 900 per passenger. The service would enable people of this region to remain connected even during winter months when the road from Srinagar remains closed.
Lok Adalat
Srinagar: A Lok Adalat was held here the other day in the premises of Saddar Court complex Srinagar under the supervision and control of chairman District Legal Services Authority Srinagar Hassnain Masoodi. Principal District and Sessions Judge, Srinagar. The Lok Adalat was held for motor accidental claims and presided over by J. A. Qawoosa. Twenty-one claims were taken up and 12 claims amicably settled on spot. An amount of Rs. 23.58 lakh was awarded as compensation in these claims.
Samples of petrol pumps collected
Srinagar: Police has collected samples of diesel and petrol from a local petrol pump after a consumer alleged that adulterated fuel was being supplied there.
Police station Shergrahi has collected samples of petrol and diesel from the pump in the uptown and sent for tests, a police spokesman said.
He said a formal case would be registered only after receiving test reports.
The consumer alleged that his vehicle developed some problem after filling diesel from the pump.
Later, mechanics confirmed that vehicle developed problem because of adulterated fuel.
The consumer said it was also confirmed that kerosene oil was mixed with diesel.
A number of petrol pumps were found selling adulterated fuel in the city by a team of officials from Ministry of Petroleum recently.
`Govt has fulfilled its commitments’
Ganderbal: Government is alive with the alarming problem of unemployment and is initiating every measure to contain it", said Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig while addressing a massive public gathering at Lar Ganderbal today.
He said that despite marvelous achievements registered at all fronts, the State was severely confronted with the problem of unemployment that has assumed momentum due to limited job opportunities available in the State. He said that the government has made a sub committee to look into various aspects of unemployment and suggesting measures for creating employment avenues.
Deputy Chief Minister said that the government has fulfilled most of the promises made to the people under Common Minimum Programme adding that the remaining will also see the light of fulfillment. He said that the massive development programme launched across the State has started pouring results adding that most of the development projects aimed at reshaping the profile of the State have been completed. With the completion of these projects under health, education, PHE, R&B and rural development, he said that the neglected areas of the State have been provided the basic amenities in a brief spell of four years. He said that Ganderbal constituency would be developed as a model and Qazi Afzal representing the constituency has a remarkable role in this process.
Referring to the restoration of peace and normalcy in the State, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the people of the State were the stake holders in this process adding that the coalition government has adhered to its commitment of peace with dignity and ensuring involvement of the people in the development process.
Minister for Forests and Ecology Qazi Mohammad Afzal said that the government has accorded priority to equitable and sustainable development of all the regions of the State. He sought peoples' active participation in the development process saying that people being the source of power will have to have their role in refashioning the developmental profile of the State.
Earlier, Qazi also addressed public meeting at Behama Park. He said that the present government is working as a bridge between the people and the government and making administration accountable at all levels. He also said that education being the basic ingredient of social change and prosperity has been given added attention to provide facilities of education to the students at short distances.
MLC Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and other leaders also spoke on the occasion.
Kashmir Hajis lodge complaints with Mehbooba
Mecca: A large number of Hajj pilgrims from Jammu & Kashmir called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and Member Parliament Mehbooba Mufti here to bring to her notice various problems confronting them regarding accommodation and air travel.
Expressing dismay over the shabby arrangements made for their stay in Saudi Arabia, the pilgrims complained that although most of them had booked for A-class accommodation they were lodged in hotels and apartments that offered not even C-class facilities. "There is no water and electricity in the rooms and we are forced to live in congested rooms in appalling hygienic conditions," the pilgrims complained.
The pilgrims also expressed dismay over the reported change of norms by the Air India authorities for Jammu & Kashmir and Varanasi for carrying extra-baggage. "While the standard rate for per kilogram extra baggage is around 11 SRs, we are being asked to pay around 55 SRs per kilogram," the pilgrims said adding that such an unwarranted practice by Air India authorities is uncalled for as the pilgrims on way back home necessarily have added baggage to carry dates and Zumzum water. "We are being told that the extra-baggage would be sent through cargo and not with the passenger," the pilgrims said and added that if the extra-baggage is coming through the Air India cargo, there is absolutely no justification in charging such huge rates for the same as the cargo rates are usually reasonable.
Ms Mufti, who is herself performing the annual pilgrimage as part of the Indian goodwill delegation, assured the pilgrims that in future due care would be taken to ensure proper accommodation for the pilgrims from the State. She has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister's office in New Delhi. She spoke to the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, Mr Prithvi Raj Chauhan in this regard seeking his intervention in mitigating the problems confronting the pilgrims from Jammu & Kashmir.
The PDP President has also taken up the concerns of the pilgrims regarding the extra-baggage with the Ministry of Civil Aviation in New Delhi, asking the authorities there to look into the matter.
The PDP President said the State Government must also take up the matter at the official level with the concerned in New Delhi to ensure that the Hajj pilgrims from Jammu & Kashmir are not put to any trouble.
More 
