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Checking misuse of funds
Three killed, 80 hurt in Kashmir clashes
Despite alert, people venture into riverbeds
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Army to the rescue of flood-hit
Srinagar, July 30 The Army has rescued a large number of people trapped in flash floods in various districts of north Kashmir. Three districts of north Kashmir, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora, have been witnessing flash floods due to torrential rains that have lashed the Valley causing loss of life and property and paralysing life.
Assault on Youth
Vaishno Devi Shrine Board gets two solar power projects
Sangharsh samiti meets Divisional Commissioner
Channelling youth energy everyone’s duty, says Omar
Valley Incidents
Payment of Arrears
Two varsity librarians retire
Chandigarh girl accuses Jammu doc of ditching her
Amarnath yatra resumes from Jammu
Case for hurting religious sentiments
Militant sympathiser nabbed
Missing Girls’ Case
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Checking misuse of funds
Jammu, July 30 This decision was taken following reports about the misuse of the funds meant for such programmes, which have been formulated for the socio-economic growth of the neglected and marginalised lot of the society. Although official orders in this regard have yet to be issued, all district-level officers have been directed to involve district coordinators of the NYK so as to prepare a list of the youth clubs active in all districts. Earlier activities of these youth clubs were confined only to organise sports and cultural activities. Udhampur is the first district in the state where a decision in this regard has been already officially communicated to the officers concerned. The District Development Commissioner (DDC), Udhampur, being chairman of the NYK of the district emphasised on the need for involving youth clubs for monitoring and getting a feedback regarding the implementation of Centrally sponsored programmes in the state. While chairing a review meeting of the district officers concerned to discuss and finalise the district plan of the youth programme for the current fiscal, the DDC said services of youth clubs should be collaborated for the implementation of various schemes, including the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Rural Sanitation, Midday Meal for getting optimum results on the ground. “We had been asking the government to properly utilise this well-motivated and dedicated youth force in the state for quite some time,” Choudhary Mohammad Atif, zonal director of the NYK said, terming the decision of the DDC, Udhampur, as laudable step to utilise this force. In the whole state, there are about 3,000 youth clubs associated with the NYK but authorities have so far failed to utilise such a big force. The well-trained members of such clubs were never involved in developmental activities. “As we were aggressively asking the government to involve the youth clubs in auditing the government-sponsored schemes, our suggestion has been finally included in the agenda,” Choudhary Atif said. All the youth clubs associated with the NYK are functioning exclusively in the rural areas and their involvement in monitoring the government-sponsored schemes would help in proper utilisation of the funds and to keep a check on the quality of the work to be executed under such schemes. |
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Three killed, 80 hurt in Kashmir clashes
Srinagar, July 30 Two persons were killed and 15 others injured in the clashes which erupted after Friday prayers in the Sopore area of Baramulla district this afternoon. The protests were held at Amargarh near Sopore where demonstrators tried to take out a procession. The police, trying to quell the demonstrators, resorted to a cane-charge and opened fire on them, injuring several persons. Two seriously injured persons, Showkat Ahmad and Mohammad Ahsan, were shifted to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here, where the doctors declared them brought dead. A late night report said one person, Rafiq Ahmad, was killed in clashes at Pattan in Baramulla district. The clashes spread to several places in the area, including Baramulla, Pattan and Kreeri, as an irate mob set on fire the police station at Pattan, 27 km from here. Five others were injured, one of them seriously, in the Chhanapora area here while they defied restrictions. Protests were also held in Tral, Awantipora and Kokernag areas of south Kashmir. The clashes across the Kashmir valley took place amid a complete shutdown on the call of the separatists, while curfew restrictions was imposed in Srinagar city, parts of Budgam, Anantnag and Pulwama districts and Sopore in north Kashmir. The police resorted to a baton charge and opened fire to disperse the protesters at Chhanapora here. Two persons were injured, one of them seriously. Seriously injured Iqbal Ahmad Khan has been shifted to the SKIMS, Soura. |
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Despite alert, people venture into riverbeds
Jammu, July 30 Heavy rains in the upper reaches of the region have caused flash floods in the region, resulting in increase in the water levels of the Tawi, the Ujh, Basantar nullah and other seasonal rivulets. However, people seem unwilling to learn a lesson from the fatalities due to the flash floods in the rivers. Though the administration has warned people against going to the riverbeds these days, the latter are not heeding to the warning. After visiting the embankment area of the Tawi, The Tribune team found a large number of people in the river and some of them grazing their cattle nearby. Besides, the loading of sand and stones is also going on at full pace. “We have to come here daily to graze our cattle and we can’t stop it. If we don’t come here, where should we go,” asked Aslam, a nomadic. He added that the administration might have warned against entering into the rivers, but these were our lifeline and we could not stop coming here. Suresh Kumar, a local resident, sitting under the new Tawi Bridge, said, “The place is calm and quiet so I prefer coming here in the morning. It gives me peace of mind also and I can’t change my routine that I have been following for years.” However, a senior police officer said they were closely watching the movement of people around the rivers. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal said, “We have already issued an alert in flood-prone areas in the region and people should also cooperate with us.” |
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Army to the rescue of flood-hit
Srinagar, July 30 The Army has rescued around 400 families in Shular, Chowkibal, Trehgam and Pashrpura areas of Kupwara and relocated them to safer places. The other worst-hit areas include Kehmil, Lolab, Mwar nullah and the Ghoretal valley. “The Army has pressed numerous columns, including Specialised Combat Engineers, into operation to rescue people and arrest breach that is causing floods,” Srinagar-based defence PRO Lt-Col JS Brar said. He said two helicopters of the Air Force and one civilian helicopter had also been pressed into service, and three persons marooned in the Khemil nullah at Galosa in Kupwara for the past 24 hours had been rescued. “The priority of the Army is to rescue stranded people, provide requisite relief in the form of medical aid, provision of water, food, kerosene oil and temporary shelters and arrest the breach in the nullah,” Brar said. He said the rescue operations were being carried out in populated areas and the higher reaches where Gujjars and Bakkarwals live. In Khurian Baikh, rain washed away dhoks of the nomadic tribe, rendering a family of 18 homeless. “The Army immediately provided assistance and shelter to the affected persons. Relief operations were going on as reports last came in,” Brar said. Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir visited the flood-hit areas of the Tangmarg constituency and took stock of the situation arising out of the flash floods. Infrastructure, property and standing crops have suffered damages due to a cloudburst in these areas and several villages in Tangmarg and Kunzar blocks have been affected. Mir visited Wanigam, Ganiwani, Darakasi, Chandil areas of the Tangmarg block and Deobug, Katibugh, Moghama, Norpora, Uchleepora, Hurdishora, Haradabora, Mulgam, Awlara, Mulpora, Hariwanto and Rambailpora areas of the Kunzar block. During the visit, he assessed damage caused to crops, roads, bridges, culverts and residential structures. State secretary, CPM, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has also expressed concern over damage caused to crops, property and cattle due to the flash floods in various parts of the Valley, particularly in Kupwara district, Bandipora and Uri.
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Assault on Youth
Jammu, July 30 BJP leaders said after forcing Kashmiri Pandits out of the Valley, attempts were now being made to insult, harass and force members of other minorities to leave their homes and hearths there. Describing it as a ‘Taliban approach’, the BJP leaders said such an approach originated from Pakistan, reached the PoK and now it was being practised in Kashmir. “It needs to be checked immediately with a firm hand before the situation worsens in the state,” they said. Varinderjeet Singh, Amrik Singh, Gurcharan Singh Sudan, Surinder Singh, Harjang Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Harvinder Singh, Kirpal Singh Sudan, Sandeep Singh, Paramjit Singh, Shiv Kumar Gupta, Vikram Randhawa, Karan Singh, Jaideep Sharma, Rita Jamwal, Ashwani Sharm and others addressed the protesters. Bhim Singh, chairman of the Panthers Party, condemned the incident at Tral and demanded stern action against the culprits. He appealed to the majority community to condemn such incidents which attempted to disturb centuries’ old brotherhood and communal harmony in the state. Former Rajya Sabha member and vice-president of the PDP Trilok Singh Bajwa, while condemning the incident, said the present dispensation had failed to protect the dignity of the people. He said every section of society had been bearing the brunt of the wrong policies being propagated by the present regime. The Nirbhao Nirvair Organisation also held a protest at Karan Bagh Chowk. Meanwhile, the National Sikh Front has urged the Centre to dismiss the Omar government as it had failed to provide security to the minorities. |
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Vaishno Devi Shrine Board gets two solar power projects
Jammu, July 30 A solar water heating system, which has a capacity of 5,000 litres per day, has been installed at Shakti Bhawan, Katra, and a 5 KW solar power plant has been set up at the cave shrine. These two projects, aimed at both utilising and demonstrating the potential of solar power, have been set up with support from the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under its scheme Special Area Demonstration Projects. Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of the SMVDSB, has been stressing the importance of such projects being set up on a time-bound basis. Vohra has asked the Chief Executive Officer of the SMVDSB to identify various locations between Katra and the cave shrine for establishing similar projects. The CEO has reported to the Governor that two other projects, viz a mule dung-based bio-gas plant of four tons per day capacity and a solar emergency lighting system, are also being planned on a time-limited basis. In view of the increase in the number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave shrine, the Governor has been laying emphasis on tapping all possible renewable energy sources. He has also called upon all the hotel owners at Katra to set up solar power plants for saving electricity, the supply of which is far short as compared to the ever-increasing demand. The CEO also disclosed that on the Governor’s instructions, 33,000 forest plants of different species and 4,000 ornamental plants were being planted in the yatra area during the current rainy season to beautify the tracks leading to the shrine. The other significant initiatives launched by the shrine board this year include a number of fire prevention measures in identified sectors, creation of fire lines, controlled burning of grasses and providing comprehensive disaster management training to the board’s employees. |
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Tunnel excavated on Katra rail link
Jammu, July 30 The work on the tunnel was started in 2006 but owing to the challenging and hostile landscape, work moved at a slow pace. This is a major success and it will pave the way for the fast construction of other tunnels, a railway spokesman said. About 700 workers and 80 engineers celebrated the excavation of tunnel No.T-43 on the Katra-Dharam section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link project at Sangaldan. The length of the tunnel is 1.65 km. This is the first tunnel to be excavated in this section. RK Gupta, CAO, Northern Railway, visited the tunnel after its excavation. Afcons Infrastructure is the executing agency and the Konkan Railway Corporation is controlling
the construction works in this section. The works in this section has been under suspension from July 2010 to September 2010 due to a change in alignment by the Railways. |
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Sangharsh samiti meets Divisional Commissioner
Jammu, July 30 The samiti expressed concern over the non-serious attitude of the state government towards the implementation of an agreement signed between them over the Amarnath land row in 2008. During the meeting it was pointed out that the government was not serious about the implementation of the agreement signed in 2008 as it had not come out with any serious package or plan for either transport/tourism or any other business community. Moreover, the state government had not shown any willingness to give full-time employment or compensation to victims of the agitation. “Comparisons were also made between those who sacrificed life for the nation at Jammu and those who are throwing stones on security forces in Kashmir,” the statement stated. The Divisional Commissioner assured the delegation that he will take all the required measures to ensure that agreement to be implemented in its letter and spirit. Brigadier Singh, later, warned the state government about the resentment and anguish among common masses and conveyed his apprehension about another struggle for implementation of the accord, if required. Among those who prominently participated in the debate included general secretary Chamber of Commerce Satish Gupta, Dev Raj Baru, Romesh Sabharwal, Rajesh Gupta and Uday Chand. |
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Channelling youth energy everyone’s duty, says Omar
However, he added some were hellbent upon diverting the anger of younger generation in a
negative direction for self-motives. “They have no regard either for the career of youth or for the future of the state.” Addressing the All-India National Integration Camp of the NCC here, the Chief Minister said those who were associated with organisations like the NCC cultivate young persons as disciplined, qualified, responsible and capable citizens to take care of the future and safeguard the interests of the society and the country. On recent happenings in the Valley, Omar said the government was out to convince the people all across that exploitation of youth was in nobody’s interest and the civil society has responsibility to protect the youth from falling prey in the hands of vested interests. He said the government was taking appropriate measures to take the state out of the difficult period. Omar Abdullah also distributed medals and certificates to the outstanding cadets on the occasion and prayed for the betterment and bright future for all the youth. |
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Valley Incidents
Srinagar, July 30 Of them, 851 youths had been released in consultation with their parents and senior citizens of the respective areas. Their parents had given an assurance of their good moral conduct in future and they were subsequently released, the police said. There was no truth that hundreds of youths had been arrested and were in police custody, the spokesman clarified. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had claimed yesterday that more than 1400 youths had been arrested. |
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Payment of Arrears
Jammu, July 30 Led by association president Dalip Singh and vice-president Vijay Dev Singh, the delegation sought the attention of the minister towards issues like the payment of arrears as per the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations, age of superannuation, accumulation of earned leave etc. Malik assured the delegation of an early disposal of its issues. He told the delegation that the issues of the teachers had been discussed with the Pro-Chancellor of Jammu University. He added the state government was also concerned about their issues. Later, the delegation submitted a copy of a letter received from the HRD Ministry recently to the minister regarding the provision of financial support for the payment of the arrears as per the Sixth Pay Commission. |
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Two varsity librarians retire
Jammu, July 30 According to a statement issued here, Mohammad Shoaib, in charge librarian, Jammu University, was the chief guest and Imran Farooq, president of the association, presided over the function. Addressing the gathering, Shoaib said both officers had always worked hard. Imran said they had worked honestly and dedicatedly in the interest of the institution. Farooq wished both of them a happy life ahead. |
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Chandigarh girl accuses Jammu doc of ditching her
Jammu, July 30 The girl claimed herself to be the daughter of a senior officer in Chandigarh and alleged the boy hid his real identity and religion and played a fraud on her. Senior police officials were tight-lipped about the case. The police did not disclose the identity of the youth and did not allow mediapersons to talk to the girl. It was learnt the police was recording her statement. |
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Amarnath yatra resumes from Jammu
Jammu, July 30 Nearly 2,000 pilgrims, who have been stranded in the city for past two days heaved a sigh of relief after the weather improved. |
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Case for hurting religious sentiments
Jammu, July 30 Sensing trouble, senior police officers and Minister for Revenue and Relief Raman Bhalla, who is also an MLA of the Gandhi Nagar constituency, rushed to the scene and pacified an agitated mob that had gathered there. The police patrolling has been stepped up in the area.
— TNS |
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Militant sympathiser nabbed
Jammu, July 30 The troops later handed over the overground worker to the Rajouri police. ASP, Rajouri, Mohammed Shabir said the individual was being interrogated but nothing so far had been established against him. |
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Missing Girls’ Case
Jammu, July 30 “The state government has failed to protect the life and property of common man and people have lost faith in this regime,” he said. He pointed out that even after three weeks of the incident the government had failed to take action against those police officers who were “responsible for the disappearance of the girls”.
— TNS |
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Srinagar, July 30