Forget past, let’s start afresh: Manmohan to Gilani :

New Delhi, Mar 31: Buoyed by his cricket diplomacy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said that India and Pakistan must “find ways” to resolve whatever be the “differences” between the two neighbours. He said the two countries should put their “ancient animosities” behind them and work for a “permanent reconciliation” in the region.

Singh also said that he and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani reaffirmed their resolve to make every “honest effort” to overcome difficulties coming in the way of improving bilateral relations.
“Whatever be the differences between our two countries, we have to find ways to resolve them,” he said.
The prime minister was briefing reporters on his dinner-eve meeting with Gilani on the margins of India-Pakistan World Cup cricket semi final match at Mohali last evening.

Singh also gave the “beautiful game” of cricket credit in being a “uniting factor” to bring the two prime ministers together. “Cricket”, Singh said “has been a uniting factor. It has brought our two PMs together and I dare say that’s a very good beginning”.

He said the “message” from Mohali is that the people of the two countries want to live in “peace and amity”.

At the dinner meeting, Singh said the two countries “should be working together to find cooperative solutions and need permanent reconciliation to live together in dignity and honour”.

“We should put our ancient animosities behind us to attend to the problems of our nations,” he said.
Singh said; “Gilani Sahab and I have had extensive discussions on all outstanding issues and we have reaffirmed our resolve that there are difficulties in the way but we will make every honest effort to overcome those difficulties. And the message from Mohali is that the people of India and Pakistan want to live in peace and amity and that the two PMs have committed their governments to work in that direction,” he said.

Singh said he was “very grateful” to Gilani for “having accepted my invitation to join me in watching this beautiful game of cricket”.

Gilani on his part termed his talks with Singh as “positive” and said they discussed all the core issues between the two countries.

“Talks were positive. We discussed all the core issues between the two countries,” Gilani told the Pakistan media in a brief chat after his dinner meeting.

“We don’t want that we are unable to resolve our own issues. We have the capacity and ability to resolve our issues by ourselves. We held talks on all outstanding issues and Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) showed magnanimity by saying he is ready to resolve all issues by sitting together”, the Pakistan Prime Minister said.

“Today’s match brought the peoples and leadership of the two countries together. This, I believe, is the positive outcome of today’s semi-final”, Gilani said.

Gilani said “winning or losing a game does not matter more than its quality and the team spirit” and congratulated both the teams “for demonstrating sportsmanship and quality game”.

The Pakistan Prime Minister felicitated the Indian team for showing better performance and determination and said the Pakistan team also did put up resistance but it was not their day.

Gilani conveyed to the people of India that Pakistan wanted good neighbourly relations and “the resolution of all issues through dialogue will bring peace and prosperity to our people”.

Gilani told PTV that “winning and losing is something that has its own place but this is a victory for cricket and the two countries”.

“On the basis of this, we came together today and we held discussions on the sidelines (of the game) and we talked on all issues. It is our determination that we will resolve all issues”, he said.
Gilani said “I congratulate the (Indian) Prime Minister for the resumption of the composite dialogue. It was his promise in Thimphu and it was in the spirit of Thimphu that meeting of the Interior Secretaries was very successful. A good message has gone.

“We don’t want that we are unable to resolve our own issues. We have the capacity and ability to resolve our issues by ourselves.  We held talks on all outstanding issues and Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) showed magnanimity by saying he is ready to resolve all issues by sitting together”, the Pakistan Prime Minister said.

He said “we want positive messages to be sent by both countries and our common enemy is poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment. We should give attention to that and Prime Minister (Singh) has said earlier and is saying today that the intention of both of us is to resolve these issues and both the countries should prosper. There should be prosperity and development.
Gilani invited Singh and Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi to visit Pakistan.

Kashmir issue discussed: Pak

Islamabad, Mar 31: Pakistan Thursday said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh that Kashmir and other longstanding issues have to be addressed “earnestly” and noted their meeting was a “win-win” event.

“In short, Mohali was a win-win for the Pakistan-India process of engagement,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said, referring to yesterday’s meeting between Gilani and Singh during the Indo-Pak semi-final match.

Longstanding issues between India and Pakistan, including the Kashmir issue, have to be “addressed earnestly” by the two sides while they focus on stability and peace in the region, Gilani was quoted as saying by Janjua.

“Of course, there are longstanding issues, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, that need to be addressed earnestly with a view to finding a solution that accords with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” Gilani told Singh.

In response to questions that the two leaders had not referred to the Kashmir issue during their public comments yesterday, Janjua said that “Kashmir was discussed in the context of bilateral relations”.
Pakistan is looking at the “entire engagement in a positive manner” and the two premiers had provided an impetus to the process, she said.

Januja said Pakistan looks forward to meaningful progress in the ongoing process.
“We do not under-estimate the difficulties but have faith and confidence in a bright future for the peoples of our region,” Janjua told a weekly news briefing.

“Constructive engagement is essential so that we move towards the goal of establishing good neighbourly and cooperative relations. Prime Minister Gilani assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that indeed this was what the government and people of Pakistan desired,” Janjua said.

Talking about the meeting between the two leaders, she quoted Gilani as having told Singh: “Both sides needed to also focus on the issues of stability and peace in the region.”

Pakistan and India, as two important states in South Asia, “must endeavour to take ownership for their affairs with a view to advancing the objectives of stability and peace in our region and fulfilling the aspirations of the people” of the region, the premier said.

Gilani also stressed that Pakistan wants to “move towards a comprehensive and broad-ranging engagement with India on the basis of equality, mutual trust, mutual interest and mutual respect”.

TALKS A MILESTONE: GILANI
 Meanwhile Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday described his interaction with the Indian leadership in Mohali as a “milestone” in opening a new chapter of good neighbourly relations and cooperation.

Gilani, in an official statement issued by his office today, said the World Cup semi-final match in Mohali provided a “very useful opportunity to the leadership of Pakistan and India to get together and discuss the whole gamut of bilateral relations”.

“The Prime Minister has termed his interaction with the Indian leadership as a milestone on the way of opening up a new chapter of good neighbourly relations and cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

The warmth and hospitality shown by the Indian leadership and people to Gilani, his entourage and Pakistan’s cricket team reflected “the shared sentiments of goodwill between our two people which needs to be built upon for sustained and long-lasting peace and amity between the two countries”, the statement quoted Gilani as saying.

Gilani visited India at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to watch yesterday’s keenly contested cricket semi-final clash between the two countries, which India won.

ZARDARI FOR FREQUENT EXCHANGES
 President Asif Ali Zardari said dialogue between Pakistan and India is the only way forward to address all outstanding issues and regular interaction will provide a “solid platform” to reduce misperceptions and mistrust.

Zardari also described the meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Indian leadership as “a positive development” for the region.

Zardari made the remarks during a meeting with Gilani, who briefed the President on his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the cricket World Cup semi-final at Mohali.
Regular interaction at all levels will provide Pakistan and India a “solid platform to resolve mutual issues” and “help obviate and reduce misperceptions and mistrust”, Zardari said.

Kashmiris populated Europe 40,000 years back: Study :

Srinagar, Mar 31: An international study has found that Europe was populated by people from Kashmir around 40,000 years back and that they carry two to four percent Neanderthal genes – an ancient species of homosapiens.
The study, conducted by the UC Davis Anthropology Department at the United States of America, has found that about four percent (ranging from two to five percent) of all modern humans not of African descent have Neanderthal genes left over from matings between the two peoples in prehistoric times.
Referring to the study, an article in allvoices—a global community that shares news, videos, images and opinions tied to news events and people—reads that “scientists look for genetic signatures to classify an individual’s mtDNA (mitochondria DNA) into different types, or haplogroups. These haplogroups represent major branches on the family tree of Homo sapiens. A 30,000-year old Russian cave man had U2 mtDNA. And people in Europe today have U2 DNA as well as people living in India.”
 “You have numerous people with U2e, the European version of U2 living in Europe, especially in Italy today, and Germany as well as other places in Europe. It’s widely distributed throughout all of Europe in current times. And you have India-specific U2i mtDNA living primarily in India, especially NW India and Kashmir,” reads an excerpt from the study, published by allvoices. “So was Europe populated by people from India, Kashmir, and Pakistan as well as the rest of Central Asia? Yes. And after that migration, around 40,000 years ago moving West into Russia and then into the rest of Europe came another migration from the Middle East, when climate allowed it to open up, around 45,000 years ago. A lot of those cave people were mammoth hunters or followed the animal herds before the last ice age began. But U2 in Europe is still pretty rare in modern populations, although it does exist.”
Quoting another study published by Cosmos Magazine, the study reveals that as humans migrated out of Africa 100,000 to 50,000 years ago, some individuals interbred with Neanderthal and as a result some genetic sequences can be found in all non-African humans.
A number of articles have in the past six months appeared in international media—quoting different studies—that Neanderthal genes have been found in some modern humans.
“Neanderthals were more muscular with more body fat, a wide waist, and also had a wide rib cage, short limbs, stocky, short bodies, and didn’t run very fast. The circular bones in their inner ears that helped to control gait, kept them from moving fast on foot. In contrast, Homo sapiens had larger circular bones in their ears, allowing them to run fast. They were tall and thin,” reads the allvoices piece. “Basically, homo sapiens were perfectly suited to African climate. Neanderthals were suited to very cold weather, for example, the climate in ice age Europe. Neanderthals had larger brains and heads, but were shorter in height and had short life spans. But both had similar hyoid bones, allowing for at least basic speech.”
According to excerpts, it is archeologically a proven fact that Neanderthal man—a long extinct species—has lived in Kashmir. “Archeologically one can establish that Neanderthal man has lived in Kashmir, Pakistan and Central Asia. However we cannot say whether his genes are still available in these areas or not,” said Prof Aijaz Banday, professor of Archaeology at the University of Kashmir. “Unless and until we have the DNA profile of the people in these areas, then only it can be properly established. That profiling has not been done so far. One cannot outrightly deny such studies that Neanderthal genes are present in Kashmir, but we can authentically prove it only after going for the DNA profiling.”

Kashmiris populated Europe 40,000 years back: Study:

Srinagar, Mar 31: An international study has found that Europe was populated by people from Kashmir around 40,000 years back and that they carry two to four percent Neanderthal genes – an ancient species of homosapiens.
The study, conducted by the UC Davis Anthropology Department at the United States of America, has found that about four percent (ranging from two to five percent) of all modern humans not of African descent have Neanderthal genes left over from matings between the two peoples in prehistoric times.
Referring to the study, an article in allvoices—a global community that shares news, videos, images and opinions tied to news events and people—reads that “scientists look for genetic signatures to classify an individual’s mtDNA (mitochondria DNA) into different types, or haplogroups. These haplogroups represent major branches on the family tree of Homo sapiens. A 30,000-year old Russian cave man had U2 mtDNA. And people in Europe today have U2 DNA as well as people living in India.”
 “You have numerous people with U2e, the European version of U2 living in Europe, especially in Italy today, and Germany as well as other places in Europe. It’s widely distributed throughout all of Europe in current times. And you have India-specific U2i mtDNA living primarily in India, especially NW India and Kashmir,” reads an excerpt from the study, published by allvoices. “So was Europe populated by people from India, Kashmir, and Pakistan as well as the rest of Central Asia? Yes. And after that migration, around 40,000 years ago moving West into Russia and then into the rest of Europe came another migration from the Middle East, when climate allowed it to open up, around 45,000 years ago. A lot of those cave people were mammoth hunters or followed the animal herds before the last ice age began. But U2 in Europe is still pretty rare in modern populations, although it does exist.”
Quoting another study published by Cosmos Magazine, the study reveals that as humans migrated out of Africa 100,000 to 50,000 years ago, some individuals interbred with Neanderthal and as a result some genetic sequences can be found in all non-African humans.
A number of articles have in the past six months appeared in international media—quoting different studies—that Neanderthal genes have been found in some modern humans.
“Neanderthals were more muscular with more body fat, a wide waist, and also had a wide rib cage, short limbs, stocky, short bodies, and didn’t run very fast. The circular bones in their inner ears that helped to control gait, kept them from moving fast on foot. In contrast, Homo sapiens had larger circular bones in their ears, allowing them to run fast. They were tall and thin,” reads the allvoices piece. “Basically, homo sapiens were perfectly suited to African climate. Neanderthals were suited to very cold weather, for example, the climate in ice age Europe. Neanderthals had larger brains and heads, but were shorter in height and had short life spans. But both had similar hyoid bones, allowing for at least basic speech.”
According to excerpts, it is archeologically a proven fact that Neanderthal man—a long extinct species—has lived in Kashmir. “Archeologically one can establish that Neanderthal man has lived in Kashmir, Pakistan and Central Asia. However we cannot say whether his genes are still available in these areas or not,” said Prof Aijaz Banday, professor of Archaeology at the University of Kashmir. “Unless and until we have the DNA profile of the people in these areas, then only it can be properly established. That profiling has not been done so far. One cannot outrightly deny such studies that Neanderthal genes are present in Kashmir, but we can authentically prove it only after going for the DNA profiling.”

India has 1.21 bn population:

New Delhi, Mar 31: India’s population rose to 1.21 billion people over the last 10 years -an increase by 181 million, according to the new census released Thursday, but significantly the growth is slower for the first time in nine decades.
The population, which accounts for world’s 17.5 per cent population, comprises 623.7 million males and 586.5 million females, said a provisional 2011 Census report.
China is the most populous nation accounting for 19.4 per cent of the global population. The country’s headcount is almost equal to the combined population of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan put together, it said.
The population has increased by more than 181 million during the decade 2001-2011, the report said. The growth rate in 2011 is 17.64 per cent in comparison to 21.15 per cent in 2001.
The 2001-2011 period is the first decade - with exception of 1911-1921 - which has actually added lesser population compared to the previous decade, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner of India C Chandramauli said in presence of Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai.
Among the states and Union territories, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with 199 million people and Lakshadweep the least populated at 64,429.
The combined population of UP and Maharashtra is bigger than that of the US.
The highest population density is in Delhi’s north-east district (37,346 per sq km) while the lowest is in Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh (just one per sq km).
The Census indicated a continuing preference for male children over female children. The latest child sex ratio in is 914 female against 1,000 male- the lowest since Independence.
However, in some good news, the overall sex ratio at the national level has increased by 7 points since the 2001 Census to reach 940 females per 1000 male at Census 2011.
This is the highest sex ratio recorded since 1971 and a shade lower than 1961. Increase in sex ratio has been recorded in 29 states and UTs while three major states - Bihar, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir have shown a decline in sex ratio as compared to Census 2001.
Kerala with 1084 has the highest sex ratio followed by Puducherry with 1038. Daman and Diu has the lowest sex ratio of 618. According to the data, literates constitute 74 per cent of the total population aged seven and above and illiterates form 26 per cent.
The literacy rate has gone up from 64.83 per cent in 2001 to 74.04 per cent in 2011 showing an increase of 9.21 per cent.

341 custodial deaths in 21 years: Govt :

Jammu, Mar 31: After the recent report of Amnesty International on human rights violations in Kashmir, the State Government Thursday accepted that 341 persons have been killed in custody so far in the state since 1990.
In a written reply to a question of NC member Javed Rana in the Legislative Council, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said 341 people died in police custody in the state since 1990. However, there was no report of any custodial death from Rajouri and Poonch districts.
The Chief Minister said 113 people -- 99 from Poonch and 14 from Rajouri -- are reported missing since 1990. Similarly, the Government said 104 people were killed in last year’s summer unrest while 962 were injured and 18 crippled for life.
Replying to a question of independent MLA from Langate, Engineer Rasheed, the Chief Minister said, “Probe has been ordered in 17 killings so far and Rs 10 crore have been sanctioned in favour of the families of the victims.”

CM to interact with civil society :

Jammu, Mar 31: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called a special Durbar on April 5 at SKICC Srinagar in which prominent citizens including retired police officers, former judges, writers, businessmen, intellectuals, transporters and others have been invited.
IGP Kashmir Range, S M Sahai, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Dr Asghar Samoon, DIG Traffic, Directors CAPD and Tourism, Chief Engineers of PHE, R&B and PDD will also attend the meet, sources said.
The meeting, sources said, would start at 10 am and the Chief Minister will discuss public issues with the civil society members.
“About 77 prominent civil society members have been invited and Omar would discuss prevailing situation in the Valley with them. The CM will also discuss the upcoming tourism season,” they said.
Prominent among those invited are Muhammad Shafi Pandit, A M Lanker, Qazi Amin, Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie, Mumtaz Afzal, former IPS officers Shams Ahmad Khan, A M Watali, former chairman of JK Bank M Y Khan, Retd Justice Muzafar Jan, Aga Ashraf Ali, journalist Nayeema Ahmad Mehjoor, Prof Margoob Banhali, Prof Ishaq Khan, poet Zareef Ahmad Zareef, Dr G Q Allaqaband.

Panel to examine Rent Control Act :

Jammu, Mar 31: The state cabinet which met here Thursday rejected a proposed Bill seeking amendments in the decades-old Jammu and Kashmir Rent Control Act.
Well informed sources said that the cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of chief minister Omar Abdullah, refused to give consent on the proposed amendments and instead constituted a high-level committee to examine the matter.
The committee, they said, will be headed by the Chief Secretary Madhav Lal and comprise at least four commissioner secretaries as members. It will examine the Bill and forward a detailed report to the cabinet for further decision.
The cabinet, however, approved the proposal for waiving off outstanding arrears on account of rent and housing/car advance in favour of deceased legislators. The beneficiaries (posthumously) include Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, Mirza Safadar Ali, Ghulam Nabi Lone (all former Ministers of State), Muhammad Yousaf Parray alias Kuka Parray, Mir Mustafa and S M Mansoor (all former MLAs). It also approved promotion of three IAS officers to super time scale (Rs 37400-67000, Grade pay Rs 10,000) namely Sheikh Ejaz Iqbal, Farooq Ahmed Peer and Yedullah.
A proposal seeking re-employment of retired officers and officials in the election department for assisting in the conduct of Panchayat elections and re-employment of M.L Babu, Professor in the department of Surgery, Government Medical College Jammu, was also approved.
The nine retired officers in the Election Department who were reemployed include Nazir Ahmed Parrey (retired Incharge Assistant Chief Electoral Officer), M K Pandita, Nanak Chand, Abdul Majid Wani, (all retd Naib Tehsildar Election), Bushan Lal, M A Khan (both retd Election Assistant), B L Bhat (retd Senior Assistant), Abdul Rahim Akhoon and Mohd Yousaf (both retd Naib Tehsildars).
The Cabinet also gave consent to the purchase of 20,000 single phase, whole current LCD Static Energy Meters with Optic Port 5-30 Amperes, 1.30 Lakh meters of single phase whole current LCD Static Energy Meters with optical port 10-60 Amperes and 20,000 three phase four wire whole current fully static Tri-vector energy meters LCD with optical port rating 20-80 Ampere.

GOVT ORDERS TRANSFER OF JERATH
The Government Thursday ordered transfer of Principal Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department Dr R K Jerath and attached him to the General Administration Department (GAD) with immediate effect.
The Government further ordered that the Principal Secretary to the Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Mr Suresh Kumar shall hold the additional charge of the post of Administrative Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department till further orders.

Govt to tax properties:

Jammu, Mar 31: Amid uproarious scenes with en-masse walkout by entire opposition and stiff disagreement by members, the state government Thursday passed the controversial law imposing tax on all kinds of properties falling within the municipal limits.
The Bills, Jammu and Kashmir Municipal (Amendment) Act 2000 and Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act-2000, besides one more Bill to establish a Property Tax Board, were passed with voice-vote with only members from treasury benches available to consent the passage.
With the passage of the amendments, the government devised a new tax regime in the state to impose property tax on commercial as well as residential structures in the cities and towns.
As per the new law, the state government will impose tax on commercial and residential properties across the state. While 10 percent tax will be levied on all commercial properties, 4 percent tax would be imposed on residential properties falling within the Municipal Corporations of Srinagar and Jammu. However, lands upto 10 marlas and residential construction thereon is exempted from tax.
In Municipal Committees only commercial properties will be charged tax with maximum ceiling up to 3 percent. The commercial properties in Municipal Councils will be charged upto 7 percent while residential properties up to maximum of 3 percent.
While the opposition members were on their feet to oppose the bill, the House also dropped the amendments brought in by PDP members Choudhary Zulfikar and Basharat Bukhari.
The bill to amend Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act-2000, Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act-2000 was earlier referred to the House Select Committee, which in its report had suggested certain changes in the legislation. The Select Committee was also divided over the issue and three out of around seven members had reportedly refused to sign the recommendations.
After the Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand introduced the bill, PDP member Abdul Rehman Veeri accused the government of bringing a ‘draconian’ and `anti-poor’ law, which will put added burden on the common man.
“The bill has not clarified how it will save the poor from the new tax burden. We will not give our consent and it should be dropped”, Veeri said.
He said the bill has not differentiated between poor and rich and both sections have to pay same for usage of their properties. “There are families in Srinagar, Jammu and in most of the districts, who live from hand-to-mouth and their only property is their house, how would they pay tax imposed by the government”, he said.
Expressing concern over the tax imposed in urban areas, Chaman Lal Gupta of BJP said that the amendments have given more powers to the Municipal Councils (MC) to generate and use the funds which in turn would give rise to corruption. “Properties particularly commercial and residential in urban areas will have to shell out more and keeping in view the economic condition of the people it is unjust”, he said.
He agreed with the observation of Veeri that the law was draconian and will have serious repercussions.
Urging Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone to refer the bill again to the Select Committee, Choudhary Zulfikar termed the coalition regime as ‘tax govt. which has taxed everything in the state’.
“People have faced unprecedented problems in past 20 years and just begun to recover from the economic sludge but the new amendments introduced will again push the entire population to the wall”, he said. “We members demand that this bill should again be referred to the select committee for review”.
While opposition members vehemently opposed the bill, ruling party members, including Nazir Gurezi, Mir Saifullah and Sheikh Mustafa Kamal also expressed their reservations on the act.
“It is unjust for the people. If a person has 15 marlas of land and constructs hotel by taking loan to earn his livelihood, his returns are not more than a lakh rupee per year particularly in urban centres, how can he be able to pay the tax on property as proposed,” the members said.
Mir Saifullah, citing the condition of masses in his own constituency said, “In my constituency people don’t have enough to eat, how can they be able to pay the taxes. It should be reviewed”.
However, minister of State for Urban Development, Nasir Aslam Wani defended the new law and said that no new Act has been brought in the state. “Act is old it was introduced in year 2000, rather than increasing the tax we have reduced it. “BPL families, Agriculture land, war widows, widows, educational institutions and hospitals have been exempted from the act,” he said.
Earlier, the General Tax was 15 percent and now we have divided it into two parts, first for commercial property the upper limit will be 10 per cent while for residential property the upper limit would be 4 percent”.
Elaborating further Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand said that the government has only reformed the old Act and interests of the people have been kept in mind before bringing in the amendments.
Tara Chand, who is also holding Housing and Urban Development portfolio, made it clear that no new taxes have been imposed by way of the amendments.
He later told the media persons, outside the house, that tax on commercial properties will now be up to 10% while that of residential properties 4% as against 15% of ratable value under the Corporation Act 2000. Lands up to 10 marlas and residential construction thereon is exempted from the tax in Municipal Corporations, he added.
In Municipal Committees only commercial properties will be charged with maximum ceiling up to 3%, the Deputy Chief Minister said adding that residential properties have been fully exempted. He said the commercial properties in Municipal Councils will be charged up to 7% while residential properties up to maximum of 3 %.
Under the Municipal Act of 2000 taxes up to 10% were chargeable in Municipal Committees, he said while asserting that residential properties up to 12 marlas have been exempted by the new amendment in Municipal committees.
In addition, he said BPL, agriculture land, hospitals, educational institutions, widows, deserted, divorcees and disabled persons have been exempted through the amendments, which otherwise had to pay tax under the earlier Acts.

HIGHLIGHTS

* 10% property tax on commercial properties falling in Municipal 
  Corporation limits of Srinagar and Jammu cities

* 4% tax on residential properties constructed on land area beyond 10 marlas in Municipal Corporations jurisdiction

* 7% tax on commercial properties falling in the jurisdiction of  Municipal Councils

* 3% tax on residential properties in Municipal Councils jurisdiction beyond 12 marls of land

* 3% tax on commercial properties in Municipal Committees jurisdiction

Prepone Panchayat polls in Poonch-Rajouri: PDP :

Jammu, March 20: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sunday demanded pre-poning of Panchayat elections in twin hilly districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

In a statement issued here today, senior PDP leader and MLA Darhal Choudhary Zulfikar Ali said majority of the population of these two districts usually migrate to higher reaches from the month of May, so there is need to conduct elections before starting of this seasonal migration so that maximum people participate in the electoral process.
He warned that if elections were held on as per the schedule issued by the authorities, majority of the population would not exercise their right to franchise in the Panchayat elections.

"To ensure maximum participation of the people in the formation of local self government there is a need to pre-pone the elections especially in Poonch and Rajouri district," he said and maintained that elections, without participation of the maximum people, would not serve the real cause.

Zulfikar said that he had already taken up this issue in the Assembly. "I again appeal to the authorities concerned to keep all aspects into consideration while going for polls in the twin hilly districts of Poonch and Rajouri", he added

'Laws won't go without Delhi support' :