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Ranjit Sagar Dam
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32 pilgrims hurt in road mishap near Katra
Governor, Finance Minister review yatra preparations
Minor arson incident in Budgam mosque
Wheels of AI plane catch fire
Sonamarg awaits Amarnath yatris
Peace pre-requisite for development: Omar
Protesting employees attempt to gherao civil sectt
Government employees being sprayed with dyed water after they tried to gherao the civil secretariat in Srinagar on Wednesday. — AFP
Aloe vera farming changing lives of farmers in Kandi belt
Arms, ammunition recovered in Ramban
KAS probationers told to be open to suggestions
Grand Mufti of Kashmir welcomes SC ruling
500 youth join CRPF in 2011
56 bus bays to ease traffic snarls in city
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Ranjit Sagar Dam
Jammu, May 9 Although 1,802 families of 22 villages in Kathua and Basholi tehsils were displaced due to the construction of the dam, only 767 families were listed as eligible for jobs under the employment package as the authorities had set criteria for providing employment. Out of these 767 families, only half of them were provided jobs under the employment package which was implemented in 1993 and since then the families who had been left out were agitating for their rights. “We have received a list of 378 candidates for verification from the dam authorities for issuance of the final appointment orders,” the SDM, Basholi, Ashok Sharma, told The Tribune. “The process of verification is going on and officials of the Revenue Department have been deputed at different villages to conduct land verification to ensure that only deserving people get the jobs,” Sharma said and disclosed that the dam authorities had decided to give jobs to members of the eligible families which were there in 1986 when the construction of the project had started. “The agreement to give jobs to the displaced families was signed between the Governments of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in November, 1993”, he said. Official sources said the state government had opposed the decision of the Punjab Government to consider the case of only those families which were existing in 1986. “We are demanding that the agreement should be implemented from 1993 when the package was announced,” a source said and added that only 251 eligible persons had been given employment but the authorities in Punjab have been claiming that family members of 353 affected families had been given employment. “Ultimately the displaced families will get justice after a long struggle,” said the MLA, Basholi, Jagdish Raj Sapolia. While trying to take credit for the development, Sapolia said it was all due to the failure of elected representatives of the area that people were denied their rights for more than two decades. Sapolia claimed that if cases of the affected families would be effectively projected, more than 600 persons would get employment. The 1979 agreement signed between Punjab and J&K Governments stated that Punjab had to pay share of 1,100 cusecs of water, 20 per cent of the electricity, and jobs to one member of each family displaced after the construction of the dam. The criteria set by the authorities talks of three categories of the displaced families eligible for the job package. “The landless families which lost houses; families which lost their residential houses as well as 51% to 75 % of land; and families which lost more than 76 % of their land are eligible for getting jobs under the package,” the source said.
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32 pilgrims hurt in road mishap near Katra
Jammu, May 9 Soon after receiving the information, the police and local people launched a rescue operation and shifted the injured to Community Health Centre, Katra. Eleven of the injured were later shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu. Eyewitnesses said the driver of the bus lost control over it when he was changing the music CD. Most of the people on board the bus had come for pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and were returning to New Delhi. Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra has expressed concern and sympathy with all those who were injured in a bus accident at Mori near Katra today. He prayed for their speedy recovery. The Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, has directed Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, to provide medical and other required support to the injured. |
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CM meets ‘Noorie’
Srinagar, May 9 Less than 12 hours ago, Omar had tweeted, “Tomorrow I meet Noorie.” One of the followers of Omar on Twitter had questioned him “with Farooq Sheikh…”. Definitely it was not the 1979 Hindi feature film, starring Farooq Sheikh and Poonam Dhillon in the natural ambience of Doda district. “Your achievement is praiseworthy. I want that your research and technical work continues to achieve new highs. I hope your this achievement would be the first of many such successes,” the Chief Minister told the team of scientists led by Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST, Kashmir, Dr Tej Partap. The Vice-Chancellor told the Chief Minister that the next step of the team associated with the cloning of sheep-goat ‘Noori’ was to produce a herd of cloned sheep-goats. “This would lead in producing greater numbers and good quality of Pashmina sheep-goats,” he said, adding that the university is looking forward to upgrade and rear Pashmina goats at Chang-Thang in Ladakh on modern technological lines.
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Governor, Finance Minister review yatra preparations
Srinagar, May 9 “Besides discussing various important issues relating to the environment and forests, the Governor and the Forest Minister also reviewed matters relating to the preparations for the ensuing yatra to the Amarnath cave shrine,” an official said. “Several other matters, particularly relating to the speedy economic development of the state, also came up for discussion during
the meeting,” the official added. Chairman and Managing Director, National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, HS Kingra also called on the Governor at Raj Bhawan today. “During their meeting, the Governor and Kingra discussed the status of implementation of various schemes of the corporation aimed at securing the economic advancement and generation of employment opportunities for the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes in the state. The Governor underscored the need for enlarging awareness among the Scheduled Castes about the schemes for which the
corporation provides financial support so that they can benefit from available opportunities,” an official said.
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Minor arson incident in Budgam mosque
Srinagar, May 9 “It seemed to be a case of mischief and arson that would have been aimed at causing injury to the religious sentiments of the people,” DIG, Central Kashmir Range, SA Mujtaba said. “We are trying to do all that is needed in this regard,” the DIG said. There has been tremendous cooperation from people and the situation is under control, he said. Expressing his condemnation over the Narbal incident, Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir in his statement said the cowardly act was the handiwork of elements inimical to peace and development in the state. The Minister said these elements wanted to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the Valley by infusing religious hatred among different sections of society. He said by seeing developmental activities taking place across the state with the cooperation of people, these elements get frustrated and indulge in such nefarious activities. Their aim is to disturb the tourist season and stop the developmental process in the state. — TNS
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Wheels of AI plane catch fire
Jammu, May 9 The 119 passengers on board the airplane were rescued by security officials at the airport. Sources said just few minutes before the takeoff, the pilot detected some fault in the engine of the plane and applied emergency brakes. Eight tyres of the plane caught fire, but a major crash was averted. The plane had arrived from Delhi and was bound for Srinagar with 119 passengers, six crew members and two pilots. The passengers were taken to Srinagar in another flight. The security personnel have grounded the airplane for a check-up and repair. “A major tragedy was averted. The authorities are looking into the reason of the accident,” said Vivek Gupta,
SSP, Leh.
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Sonamarg awaits Amarnath yatris
Sonamarg, May 9 “The annual yatra is a boon for all those associated with tourism trade. Owners of mules and ponies, taxi operators, hoteliers and shopkeepers are always looking forward to the yatra,” said Mohammad Tanveer, a hotelier at Sonamarg. “We had a good business last year, which was peaceful unlike the period from 2008 to 2010. This year we are hoping that more tourists will come,” he added. The Sonamarg Development Authority (SDA) is developing infrastructure to lure more tourists to the hill station. “In the last three years, the SDA has constructed the state-of-the-art Sonamarg Club, youth hostel for adventure tourists, Tourism Reception Centre and yatri niwas for accommodating thousands of tourists. We are now adding to the infrastructure at Sonamarg so that tourists and yatris can enjoy the scenic beauty while heading towards the Amarnath cave,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the SDA, Mohammad Yousuf. Yousuf said that last year 5.5 lakh tourists (including yatris) visited Sonamarg and this year more tourists were expected. “Sonamarg stands unique among all tourist spots of the Valley. Here, we have accessible glaciers like Thajiwas and Doorinaar and it is also an ideal spot for people who love adventure,” he added.
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Peace pre-requisite for development: Omar
Srinagar, May 9 Addressing a public gathering at Mujgund on the outskirts of the city, Omar stressed the need for maintaining tranquillity and harmony in the state that would help in the socio-economic development. “I am time and again making it clear that political issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir require political addressing. Economic measures have their own importance but these cannot resolve matters of political dimensions,” he added. Without naming any group, Omar cautioned people about the “designs of vested interests” who were aiming to disturb peace and law and order situation in the state. “These elements are bent upon dividing the people and disturbing the peaceful situation in the state. You have to remain cautious about their attempts and foil their anti-peace designs,” he said. Omar rejected the claims of the PDP that the government had neglected Srinagar city. “Along with other areas, Srinagar district has received equal focus on the development front. During the last three years, 10 new bridges have been sanctioned for Srinagar. The Jahangir Chowk flyover has been approved at a cost of over Rs 250 crore. Works involving about Rs 90 crore are being executed in Srinagar besides projects involving Rs 122 crore have been launched for the development of roads, bridges and water supply schemes,” he said. Earlier, the Chief Minister formally inaugurated the 172-metre-long, double-laned bridge over the Jhelum at Mujgund constructed at a cost of Rs 12.20 crore. The bridge will provide direct connectivity to the National Highway (Srinagar-Bandipora) benefiting the population of around two lakh residing in the Palpora, Tangpora, Bakshipora, Chochan and Takun areas. The bridge will also provide an alternative route from Srinagar to
Ganderbal.
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Protesting employees attempt to gherao civil sectt
Srinagar, May 9 The protesting employees tried to take out processions from different parts of the city, including Batamaloo and Jehangir Chowk areas, towards the civil secretariat. However, the police sprayed dyed water from a water cannon and cane-charged the protesters. Scores of protesters, including JCC leader Khurshid Alam, were taken into preventive custody while several employees got injured during the protests, eyewitnesses said. Work at most of the government offices barring the civil secretariat remained affected for the second consecutive day today in view of the two-day JCC strike that was called against the government’s failure to meet their demands. The JCC demands include release of arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission, enhancement of retirement age and regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers working in various departments. Talking to reporters before attempting to take out a procession near Jehangir Chowk, JCC leader and Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC-Q) president Abdul Qayoom Wani said: “The government has failed to honour the agreement made with us. We will continue to fight for our rights and also intensify our protests if our demands are not met.” The JCC also announced its fresh protest programme. “We will be observing another round of strike on May 24, 25 and 26. On May 25, we will again attempt to gherao the civil secretariat and then protest outside Raj Bhawan on May 26,” JCC leader Farooq Trali told The Tribune over the phone from Kothi Bagh police station, where he had been put under preventive custody. Trali, who is also EJAC-Q general secretary, claimed that around 350 employees, including women, had been taken into preventive custody and lodged at four police stations of the summer capital. Govt employee-friendly, asserts Omar Srinagar: Asserting that the state government had “all along been employee-friendly”, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday questioned the regular protests taken out by employees’ associations. “Despite huge financial constraints, the salaries of government employees have been enhanced from Rs 6,000 crore in 2008 to Rs 11,500 crore at present. In addition to this, Rs 450 crore of arrears and additional DA instalments have already been provided to them?. The government has all along been employee-friendly,” Omar said while questioning the protests of employees. He made the comments while addressing a rally at Mujgund on the outskirts of the city. “One can easily imagine the state of financial affairs of Jammu and Kashmir where the total annual income is Rs 6,500 crore by all sources and it has to incur Rs 11,500 crore on the salaries of government employees and Rs 2,500 crore on payment of pension to retired government employees besides bearing Rs 2,000 crore annual losses on supply of electricity,” he added.
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Aloe vera farming changing lives of farmers in Kandi belt
Jammu, May 9 As aloe vera growers on an average earn Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per kanal, farmers of the rain-fed Kandi belt of Jammu province are taking up aloe cultivation to properly utilise their barren land. According to the economic survey report of 2011-12, out of total 8,32,804 hectares of cultivable area available in the state, more than 75 per cent is rain-fed and farmers of these areas solely depend upon rain for cultivation. “Aloe vera farming has proved as a relief and blessing for the farmers of Kandi belt, who cannot cultivate their land due to geographical conditions and non-availability of water,” Director, Horticulture, JN Sharma said. Sharma said the cultivation of aloe vera was started a couple of years ago, but a large number of families have directly been involved in the farming, as they have been earning a handsome income. “The farmers cannot earn Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per kanal from other crops,” he claimed and added that the socio-economic condition of farmers, who have barren land, has improved due to the introduction
of aloe vera. Aloe vera is well suited for the drier regions of the state, especially Kathua, Samba, Rajouri, Reasi, Ramban and Poonch, due to its low water requirement. It has the capacity to withstand dry conditions and provides an income to the farmers when other crops fail due to drought. To encourage the farmers, the government has also announced special incentives. “With the help of the Central government, we are providing a subsidy worth Rs 3,750 per kanal to the producers of aloe vera,” Sharma said. The state government is encouraging farmers to look beyond the traditional agriculture and is giving them incentives to switch over to cash crops. The department is propagating diascoria in temperate regions and aloe vera in sub-tropical regions. As herbal medicines and herbal cosmetics are globally in demand, the state government has formulated
a comprehensive policy to encourage the farmers to cultivate herbs and aromatic plants.
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Arms, ammunition recovered in Ramban
Jammu, May 9 Acting on a tip-off, a joint column of 58 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army and the police launched a search operation in Andernar in the Sumbar area under the jurisdiction of the Dharamkund police station in Ramban district, official sources said. Reports said security forces cordoned off the area and during a search operation the troops busted a hideout of militants in Sumber in Andernar. The joint column of security forces recovered one 303 rifle along with an empty magazine, 52 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition, 63 empty cartridges of 7.62 mm , a binocular with cover, three Motorola sets, five Chinese hand grenades and two anti-personal mines. The hideout was destroyed later.
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KAS probationers told to be open to suggestions
Srinagar, May 9 The KAS probationers called on the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to discuss a wide range of issues. He said the primary role of the officers should be to redress the grievances of people and urged the officials to be humane in their approach and take swift decisions. In matters related to the restoration of law and order, the Divisional Commissioner told the probationers that rules were made to help people and all necessary measures must be taken to ensure that peace and tranquility is ensured. “You should maintain cordial relations with everyone, especially print and electronic media, and also encourage the officers to gain adequate disaster preparedness skills, so that they can take necessary preventive measures and swiftly respond in case of any calamity,” the probationers were told.
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Haj subsidy
Srinagar, May 9 “Islam is a liberated religion and it has made Haj obligatory for those who can afford the expenses. A person, who is ill or cannot afford the pilgrimage, is not bound to perform Haj. Therefore, the Supreme Court ruling is appreciable,” the Grand Mufti, who heads the self-styled Supreme Court of Shariah, said. “If a person wishes to accept the government subsidy, it is his or her discretion. But the government is not bound to give subsidy and we have no objection to the ruling,” he added. However, patron of the Karwan-i-Islami Maulana GR Hami did not comment on the ruling. When contacted, Hami said: “We will comment on the matter after our group holds deliberations over the ruling.” The Supreme Court had quoted the Koran in its ruling. “We remind ourselves that the holy Koran in verse 97 in Surah 3, Al-e-Imran ordains as under: In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security. And Haj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence,” a Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai had said yesterday in a 33-page order. Meanwhile, people said the Supreme Court ruling would only affect the poorer section of society. “Every day more and more people prefer to perform Haj through private tour operators. The Supreme Court ruling if implemented would only hit the poor, as every devout Muslim dreams of performing the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime,” said a resident of the summer capital.
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500 youth join CRPF in 2011
Srinagar, May 9 Sources in the CRPF said a large number of boys and girls were eager to join the force to serve their people. “Last year 500 youth were recruited in the CRPF,” the sources said. “The CRPF is organising coaching camps in the state to prepare candidates for the physical and written tests,’’ they said. — TNS
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56 bus bays to ease traffic snarls in city
Srinagar, May 9 Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani yesterday directed the Traffic Department, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) to immediately operationalise 56 bus bays and six parking lots that had already been identified. “We have identified nearly 56 spots for bus bays at pressure junctions so that traffic is managed in a more effective way. In the first phase, 35 bus bays will be made functional by June. Additional shelter sheds will be constructed in consonance with the city ambience. Once bus stops and bays are operationalised, their use will be maximised and any deviation or violation will be strictly dealt with,” the Minister said while chairing a meeting of officials here. The SDA would also launch a drive to create mass awareness over the use of car parking. “The roadside parking will be discouraged and offenders will be punished,” an official said. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Roads and Buildings Javed Ahmad Dar said the government was mulling to construct flyovers and grade separators at Radio Kashmir, Dalgate, TRC, Convent School, Rajbagh, and Soura junctions here to deal with traffic jams.
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Minister for Forests Mian Altaf Ahmad called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today in the evening to review preparations regarding the ensuing Amarnath
yatra. “Besides discussing various important issues relating to the environment and forests, the Governor and the Forest Minister also reviewed matters relating to the preparations for the ensuing yatra to the Amarnath cave shrine,” an official said.
The bid of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various employees’
organisations, to gherao the civil secretariat was foiled by the police today by spraying dyed water and resorting to the use of cane charge.
