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Mirwaiz,
Lone death anniversaries today Militants
short on arms Amarnath
yatra from July 2 24,000
reach Katra daily |
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8 SSPs
back at pre-poll stations Power
cuts irk Jammu residents Natural
resources project for J&K 26
Bangladeshi nationals held
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Mirwaiz, Lone death anniversaries today Srinagar, May 20 This coincides with the second death anniversary of former Hurriyat Conference leader and founder Chairman of the Peoples Conference, Abdul Ghani Lone, which is also being observed tomorrow. Lone fell to the bullets of unidentified gunmen at Idgah while paying tributes to Mirwaiz on May 21, 2002. The Hurriyat Conference organised a seminar here yesterday in the memory of the two leaders. The two main constituent organisations, the Awami Action Committee of Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, now led by his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the Peoples Conference led by Abdul Ghani Lone’s son, Bilal Lone, are jointly observing the anniversaries. However, the younger son of Abdul Ghani Lone, Sajad Lone, claiming to be the chairman of the “real” Peoples Conference is observing the death anniversary of his father separately on May 22. In this connection, a public meeting is being held at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium here on Saturday. This follows Sajad Lone’s series of public meetings held in far flung areas of Kupwara district in north Kashmir since early this month. It was for the first time that Sajad Lone held such public meetings in far flung areas of Lolab valley and Hadwara during the past three weeks. Meanwhile, the National Conference patron and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Farooq Abdullah, paid tributes to Moulvi Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone. Farooq Abdullah lauded the role of Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq for his contribution in the religious preaching as laid down by his ancestors. Paying tributes to the Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone, Farooq Abdullah said Lone was a distinguished leader. Other NC leaders including its president, Mr Omar Abdullah, general secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad, and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah, also paid tributes to the two leaders. |
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Militants short on arms Jammu, May 20 This has been revealed in several messages rebels have sent to their patrons across the border. According to official sources, the latest interception of messages indicates that militants have sought immediate supply of weapons and ammunition on the plea that they had exhausted the stocks while attacking security pickets, soft targets and political activists in various parts of the state during the past three months. The sources said smuggling of arms and ammunition from across the border had become a difficult exercise after 80 per cent of the LoC and the international border had been fenced by the Army and the BSF. Also, after the enforcement of ceasefire on the border, agencies abetting insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir had become handicapped in sending arms and ammunition and in pushing into the state groups of militants because of unavailability of support from Pakistani troops. The sources said the rebel groups had also become handicapped in terms of dwindling manpower after more that 700 militants had been killed in the state during the past one year. However, this shortage was being covered by recruiting local youths. The sources said leaders of militant outfits were trying to reorganise their ranks so that they could counter anti-insurgency operations that were being launched by the security forces in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir. These operations had been affected by the recent Lok Sabha poll. A senior BSF officer said, “We are waiting for the new government to take over at the Centre so that we receive specific instructions on the nature of operations that the security forces have to launch.” |
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Amarnath yatra from July 2 Srinagar, May 20 Announcing this here today, Dr Arun Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Amarnath Shrine Board, said the Baltal rout to Amarnath would be opened from July 2. This has been done as snow melts earlier on the 12-km-long Baltal-cave stretch, and there were lesser security considerations in the area. The annual pilgrimage via the Pahalgam route would start from August 1 and conclude on Raksha Bandhan on August 30. Referring to the registration to undertake the annual pilgrimage, Dr Arun Kumar said only 50 per cent registration would be done in advance as per practice across the country, while 50 per cent pilgrims would be allowed through current registration in the valley. He said there was a proposal to increase the number of pilgrims to around 5,000 per day. There is also a proposal to provide helicopter services. Some companies are being contacted to provide daily services for carrying 40 to 50 pilgrims from Baltal to the cave. Dr Arun Kumar said the extended period of yatra and helicopter facilities were expected to increase the number of pilgrims to 3 lakh this year. Barbed wire fencing with searchlights would be there at camping sites in view of continuing militancy. Rest shelters with benches, kiosks, drinking water and toilets would be provided along the track. The board has also sought the services of the DRDO and IIT, Delhi to prevent the melting of the ice Lingam of Lord Shiva. It usually melts down due to the heat produced as a result of the heavy rush of pilgrims within the first week. |
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24,000
reach Katra daily Jammu, May 20 “Over 24000 pilgrims are daily reaching Katra town,” he said. Over 17.58 lakh pilgrims have visited the shrine since January this year, registering an increase of more than 2.84 lakh pilgrims from last year. During the first fortnight of May, at least 2.72 lakh devotees had visited the shrine. As part of efforts to encourage tourists in the area, the state government is marketing spots such as Shiv Khori at Ransoo, Aghar Jittoo, Deta Baba Banda Bahadur, Sudhmahadev, Sukrala Devi, Mansar and Bahu fort. The pilgrims are also visiting spots such as Raghunath temple situated in the heart of Jammu city, besides Kud, Patnitop and Sanasar.
— PTI |
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8 SSPs back at pre-poll stations Jammu, May 20 All eight police officers of the rank of SSPs, who had been transferred after the Model Code of Conduct came into force, have been moved back to their respective positions, a state Home Department order said. SSP Kamal Saini is back as the police chief, Jammu, while the present district chief, Jammu, SSP Rajesh Kumar, has been sent to Police Training College, Udhampur. Mr Vijay Kumar has been transferred back as the police chief, Udhampur, from where Mr P.R. Manhas moves as the SSP, (Security) of the Chief Minister, it said. The SSP, Leh, Mr Vijay Kumar, has been posted as Commandant, 13 Battalion, Armed Police, and Mr T. Phunchok is back as the police chief, Leh, it added. SSPs Shakiel Beigh and Ghulam Sarwat have been posted as the SSP, Police Control Room, Jammu, and Section Officer to the Additional Director-General, Home Guard, respectively.
— PTI |
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Power
cuts irk Jammu residents Jammu, May 20 Power supply to many parts of the city remained cut off today as mercury touched 43°C. Besides the scheduled power cut of four and a half hours every day, the electricity department has started resorting to frequent load shedding even during the day. Residents have accused the Congress - PDP government of resorting to power cuts just a day after the declaration of election results. Before elections there was no unscheduled power cut even for a single minute. The erratic power has badly affected the drinking water supply in the town. Reports of low voltage have also been received from most parts of the city as a result of which the air-conditioners are not functioning properly. The industrialists, too are grumbling as their units have been affected. Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed had sometime ago assured the people that the load-shedding would be restricted to four and-a-half hours in two shifts during the day. However, the Power Development Department has resumed the old system of power cuts for almost eight hours daily. |
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Natural resources
project for J&K Srinagar, May 20 The project would be launched by the Environment and Remote Sensing Department in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Space, an official spokesman said yesterday. He said the main objective of the project was to build a complete database for land and water resources of the state on district level and to integrate the social economic parameters with these resources so that a management plan is prepared and implemented. Giving details of the project, he said the estimated cost of the project was Rs 8 crore for three years, of which the Central Government would provide Rs 7.09 crore and the rest would be borne by the state government. The Environment and Remote Sensing Department has received Rs 4.55 crore from the Department of Space, of which Rs 2 crore have been spent for the procurement of equipment, he said.
— PTI |
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26 Bangladeshi nationals held Jammu, May 20 Four of them were arrested near the border outpost of Sangral and an equal number of them were taken into custody by security forces at Kharkhola outpost RS Pura sector. Eighteen more were arrested near Mangral outpost in Samba sector around 5 a.m. yesterday, they said, adding that these included six women and four children. Preliminary questioning revealed that they were brought by same agents from West Bengal with an assurance to provide them jobs as labourers, the sources said, adding that they were left in the border areas by their agents and were trying to cross over to Pakistan. This is the second exfiltration bid of Bangladeshis since Tuesday. Border Security Force troops had arrested six of them yesterday in Akhnoor sector.
— PTI |
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