• Taking note of the growing man-animal conflict in Kashmir, the government has decided to go for large scale fencing of the areas where from wild animals were coming into the human habitation. Finance Minister Tariq Hameed Karra who was replying to a question of the former MoS Home Abdul Rehman Veeri on why the government had failed in stopping the intrusion of wild animals in human habitations said that the man-animal conflict in Kashmir had grown. He said that
the government was devising a long-term strategy of fencing these areas as well as the short-term strategy of purchasing the required equipment like the intoxicating guns.
• Finance Minister Tariq Hameed Karra on Wednesday said that the employees of
the Excise department who had been shown the exit were recruited against rules and norms eight years back during the National Conference government in the state. He was replying to a question of Jammu State Morcha MLA Ashwani Sharma who on Wednesday raised the issue of those employees who had been recruited eight years back. Karra said that the matter was sub judice adding that though the government on the recommendations of Supreme Court was trying to rationalise and accommodate those employees.
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Wednesday
asked the government to frame an autonomous body to look into the import of skilled and unskilled labourers from outside states. He alleged successive governments in the state of maintaining "criminal silence" over the issue. "Our own labour force should be given a priority though we are not against the labourers coming from outside," Tarigami said. Tarigami also called upon the government to review the wages of the labourers.
• Former Works Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar on Wednesday stood for the
hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and accused the state police of abetting Shiv Sena activists of carrying out attacks on Geelani thrice in Jammu.
"It was the coalition government which took political mileage after the release of Geelani and today the government is sitting silent on how the Shiv Sena activists managed to attack Geelani thrice in Jammu while addressing the press." "In a democracy everyone whosoever, even if we don't support his views, should be allowed to express his point of view," he said adding that the Shiv Sena had held hostage the law and order machinery in the state. However, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia said they would not allow any person to say anything which is against the interests of India and JSM MLA Ashwami Sharma said that the government should not protect such people.
• National Conference MLA Mir Saifullah asked the government to tell the relatives of the eight persons having gone missing recently, where their graves were. "These people must have met the same fate as Abdul Rehman Padder, a carpenter of Kokernag," Saifullah said.
• Former Works Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar on Wednesday stood for the
hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and accused the state police of abetting Shiv Sena activists of carrying out attacks on Geelani thrice in Jammu.
"It was the coalition government which took political mileage after the release of Geelani and today the government is sitting silent on how the Shiv Sena activists managed to attack Geelani thrice in Jammu while addressing the press." "In a democracy everyone whosoever, even if we don't support his views, should be allowed to express his point of view," he said adding that the Shiv Sena had held hostage the law and order machinery in the state. However, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia said they would not allow any person to say anything which is against the interests of India and JSM MLA Ashwami Sharma said that the government should not protect such people.
• National Conference MLA Mir Saifullah asked the government to tell the relatives of the eight persons having gone missing recently, where their graves were. "These people must have met the same fate as Abdul Rehman Padder, a carpenter of Kokernag," Saifullah said.
• National Conference on Wednesday distanced itself from the statement of
their party MLA Nazir Gurezi saying that PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's statement of asking the government to withdraw his security was political gimmickry. Leader of opposition Abdul Rahim Rather said that the party distances itself from Gurezi's statement and added that the views were his own.