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Spotlight

Hajj House completion left midway, admits Chief Minister’s officeReport reveals poor quality of works, cost escalation, poor funding

UMER MAQBOOL

Srinagar, July 7: The Chief Minister’s Monitoring Cell has revealed that work on the Hajj House at Bemina here has not only come to a grinding halt due to paucity of funds but the project is also marred by faults and cost escalations.

The project, according to a report by the Monitoring Cell—copy of which is with Greater Kashmir—is running five years behind on comple-tion. “The completion of the scheme is now overdue by more than five years,” it reads.

While the project was taken up in June 2006, it was to be completed in 2008. Its first phase was completed within shortest possible time when Ghulam Nabi Azad was head-ing the State. Now, November 2014 has been fixed as new date of its completion “subject to availability of funds.”

The report, quoting Deputy General Manager of JKPCC, attributes the delay in project completion to “sluggish fund-ing.” “On inspection day, no work was going on the proj-ect and stoppage of work is attributed by the agency to non-availability of funds,” the report states. The project

has undergone cost escala-tion of 86 percent over the years, the report states.

The original cost of the project was estimated to be Rs 10.50 crore which has gone up to Rs 19.09 crore. First it went up to Rs 17.50 crore in 2008 and was further revised to Rs 19.09 crore in 2009.

So far, Rs 17.15 crore has been released and expended by the executing agency while Rs 1.94 crore is yet to be released by the government.

The report mentions that several works taken up for

Project taken up for execution : June 2006First deadline : 2008New deadline : November 2014Cost escalation : From Rs 10.50 cr to Rs 19.09 cr

Shariat court has no legal status: Supreme Court

IN SUPPLICATION | People offer Zuhr (afternoon) prayers at Khanqah-e-Moula, one of the oldest shrines in Srinagar, on the eight day of the holy month of Ramadan on Monday. PIC: MUBASHIR KHAN/GK

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar, July 7: While the ruling National Conference- Congress is struggling to fill up vacancies at top slots of the state bureaucracy, at least three senior IAS officers are still awaiting their adjust-ment for several months.

Pradip Kumar Tripathi, a 1987-batch IAS officer and the State’s 17th senior-most bureaucrat, is awaiting adjustment though he has returned to J&K in Febru-ary this year after complet-ing the central deputation.

The government is also sitting over adjustment of

‘Unauthorized’ religious places: Govt seeks details from departmentsJK had in 2010 informed SC that there are 1142 such structures in the State

MUDDASIR ALI

Srinagar, July 7: The State Government has started com-piling data about the “unau-thorized” places of worship—of all communities—set up on the state land across Jammu and Kashmir.

The latest move by the gov-ernment comes in the wake of the Supreme Court direction to all the states asking them to come up with detailed report of religious structures con-structed on the state land.

“You are requested to fur-nish the details of unauthor-

ized religious structures on public land/places, removed, relocated or regularized under your jurisdiction,” senior Law officer, Hous-ing and Urban Development Department, has written to various heads of departments under the administrative con-trol of H&UDD.

Sources said once the details are compiled, the State’s Home Department would present the status report before the apex court.

Following the directions from the Supreme Court, J&K Government had earlier

in 2010 undertaken the survey to identify places of worship that have come up illegally on the state land over the years.

All states and union ter-ritories were directed by the division bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and K S Radhakrishnan to submit the list of such reli-gious structures built illegal-ly on public land and propose a plan to deal with such struc-tures. They were also asked not to allow setting up of any new religious structures on the public land. The restric-tion applies to mosques, tem-ples, churches, Gurdwaras and other places of worship of all communities.

There is no doubt that such a court has no legal status while noting that in some cases, orders were being passed by them which violate human rights and punish innocent persons

--Supreme Court verdict

We will be identifying the religious and other institutions of all the communities built on the public land, roadsides and then the Government will take a call on their regularization or relocation

New Delhi, July 7: Disap-proving of a Shariat court issu-ing fatwa and order against a person who is not before it, the Supreme Court Monday said it has no sanction of law and has no legal status.

The apex court said there is “no doubt” that such a court has no legal status while noting that in some cases, orders were being passed by them “which vio-late human rights and punish innocent persons.”

A bench headed by Jus-tice C K Prasad said that no religion, including Islam, allows punishing innocent persons and ordered that no 'Darul Qaza' should give ver-dict which affects rights of a person who is not before it.

The court passed the ver-dict on a PIL filed by advo-cate Vishwa Lochan Madam questioning the constitution-al validity of Shariat courts which allegedly run a parallel judicial system in the country.

All India Personal Law Board had earlier submitted that fatwa was not binding on people and it was just an opinion of a 'mufti' (cleric) and he has no power and authority to implement it.

The counsel, appearing for the Board, had said if a fatwa was sought to be implemented against the wish of the person concerned, then he could approach the court of law against it. The petitioner had submitted that the fundamen-tal rights of Muslims could not be controlled and curtailed through fatwas issued by

'qazis' and 'muftis' appointed by Muslim organizations. SC ruling on Shariat court draws sharp reaction from clerics.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's verdict drew sharp reaction from Muslim clerics who said that the Constitution allows them the right to work and act according to Muslim personal law. Zafaryab Jilani, member of the Muslim Per-sonal Law Board, said, “We are not doing anything paral-lel to the judicial system and we don't say that any order passed by a Qazi is binding on all. Our sole motto is to resolve a matter with the consent of two parties involved in accor-dance with Shariat.”

Khalid Rasheed Farangi, a Muslim cleric, said that under the Constitution,

JK shelves Dal conservation, stops funds to LAWDAMove forces suspension of de-weeding, dredging operations; STPs face closure

ARIF SHAFI WANI

Srinagar, July 7: In a major jolt to restoration of Dal lake here, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has “stopped” funds for conservation of the world-famous water body under the state plan for this year.

Sources said the govern-ment move to stop the Opera-tion and Maintenance funds has badly hit the lake’s conser-vation plans, forcing closure of dredging and de-weeding

operations and pushing the five Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) around Dal and Nigeen

lakes on the verge of closure.Casting shadow on the

future conservation plans

of the lake, the Housing and Urban Development Depart-ment (H&UDD has categori-cally told the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) that it should generate financial resources on its own for the conservation plan.

The H&UDD headed by Nawang Rigzin Jora has gone on to direct the LAWDA to col-lect service charges from the Shikarawallas, Houseboat owners, tourists visiting the

lake and other locals who derive their livelihood from the water body to generate Operation and Maintenance charges for Dal conservation.

Bizarre!The H&UDD headed by Nawang Rigzin Jora has gone on to direct the LAWDA to collect service charges from the Shikarawallas, Houseboat owners, tourists visiting the lake and other locals who derive their livelihood from the water body to generate Operation and Maintenance charges for Dal conservation.

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See Shariat court...on Pg-10

See 3 senior IAS...on Pg-10

See JK shelves Dal...on Pg-10

See ‘Unauthorized’...on Pg-10

See Hajj House...on Pg-10