Srinagar, June 25
The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has approved the release of 3 per cent dearness allowance (DA) for all the state government employees with effect from January this year.

An official spokesman said today that the Cabinet, which met here last evening with Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the chair, approved the release of 3 per cent DA with effect from January, 2006.

With this, the DA has been raised from 21 to 24 per cent to the state government employees. These include work-charged and wholetime contingent paid employees working on regular time scale and to the state and family pensioners, he added.

The spokesman said the Cabinet approved the transfer of six kanals and seven marlas of state land to the Horticulture, Planning and Marketing Department for setting up of an “apni mandi” at Gohlad village in Mehdhar tehsil of Poonch district.

He said the Cabinet gave its nod to the Pahalgam master plan to help develop Pahalgam as a world-class tourist resort. It approved creation of a sub-treasury at Darhal, Malkhan, Rajouri.

The Cabinet approved renaming of Government Dental College, Jammu, as Indira Gandhi Dental College, Jammu. It also approved creation of posts of Assistant Regional Transport Officer along with supporting staff for the districts of Poonch, Kathua, Doda, Kupwara, Budgam, Pulwama and Kargil.

The Cabinet approved the introduction of biotechnology as a subject at the undergraduate level at S P College, Srinagar, Women College M.A. Road, Srinagar, Government Degree College, Anantnag, Government Degree College, Baramula, Government Degree College, Sopore, G G M Science College, Jammu, Women College, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, Government Degree Colleges of Kathua, Udhampur and Rajouri from the academic session 2006-07. — UNI

Srinagar, June 25
The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here last evening, approved the transfer and postings of 61 IAS and KAS officers.

Mr Amit Kushari, Financial Commissioner, Revenue, has been transferred and posted as Director-General, IMPA.

Mr G.D. Wadhwa, Financial Commissioner, Labour and Employment, is the new Financial Commissioner, Revenue.

Mr S.V. Bhave, Principal Secretary, Revenue, is the new Resident Commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi, relieving Mr Ajit Kumar of the additional charge.

Mr Anil Goswami, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, would hold the additional charge of Health and Medical Education till further orders.

Mr Shailendra Kumar, Special Secretary to Chief Minister, has been transferred and posted as Secretary to Chief Minister.

Mr Aijaz Ahmad Kakroo, has been posted Additional Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office.

Mr A.R. Kyuchay, PS to Chief Minister, is the new MD of the Jammu and Kashmir Handicrafts Corporation.

Mr Asgar Samoon, Secretary, Agriculture Production, has been made Secretary, Social Welfare.

Mr Khazir Mohammad Wani, Chairman, Services Selection Board, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, School Education.

Mr Khalid Habib, Director, CA&PD, Kashmir, has been made Secretary, CA&PD.

Ms Naseema Lanker, Secretary, Education, is the new Secretary, Housing and Urban Development.

Mr K.B. Jandial, vice-chairman, Jammu Development Authority, has been posted as Secretary, Agriculture Production. Mr Naeem Akhtar, Secretary, Agriculture Production, has been posted as Secretary, Tourism.

Srinagar, June 25
The first train from Udhampur to Katra and in the Kashmir valley is expected to run in early 2007 as the work is apace on the Rs 11,000-crore Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula line.

This was stated by the Chairman, Railway Board, Mr J. P. Batra, while giving details during an interaction with the media on the second day of the three-day All-India Editors’ Conference on “Social Infrastructure with focus on Jammu and Kashmir” here on Friday.

He said Northern Railway was actively working towards the completion of the railway line. He said for the speedy completion of this rail link the project had been divided into three legs.

Its first leg is the 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra section, having 10 km in tunnels, with one of the longest 3.1-km-long tunnel.

The second leg of 148-km-long line, the most challenging part of the project, passes through the Pir Panjal range. Of the entire length of the section, 106 km lies in tunnels. This section would require the construction of 11-km-long tunnel, the longest tunnel that would facilitate the passing of the railway line through the Pir Panjal range to the Kashmir valley.

Mr Batra said the third stretch, Qazigund-Baramula, is 119 km long and it falls in the Kashmir valley. Though there are no tunnels, heavy bridging is required across the Jehlum, its tributaries, canals and roads.