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War of words between NC, Congress deepens
Guv, CM review yatra arrangements
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Infiltration bid foiled in Poonch
NC slams Congress over autonomy
Hill climb challenge to be a highlight of Mughal Rally
NC leader Kichloo calls for better coordination for rally’s success
Jammu tour operators hand over ambulance to shrine board
Best Book Award given to 7 authors
MLC Akhtar, Guv discuss governance issues
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War of words between NC, Congress deepens
Jammu, June 19 A day after NC workers lambasted Congress Minister Abdul Majid Wani for using “derogatory” language against NC minister Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, today Youth Congress (YC) leader launched a counteroffensive against NC leaders. “NC leaders have launched a vicious campaign against Congress minister Abdul Majid Wani only to hide their failure to solve problems of the residents of Doda and Kishtwar districts,” alleged YC leader Sheikh Nasir Hussain. “Except for exploiting the sentiments of the people, the NC has done nothing for this belt,” he added. Earlier NC workers had condemned the “undesired” words used by Congress minister Wani against Kichloo. Wani, who is holding the Roads and Buildings (R&B) portfolio in Omar Abdullah-led coalition government, had asked the Chief Minister on Monday to check the credentials of the “arrogant” Kichloo and sack him to “save the coalition”. NC leaders, in veiled attack on Wani, said: “Those who face inquiries by the State Accountability Commission (SAC) on corruption charges cannot teach lessons to others,” NC workers aired their apprehension that Wani, as chairman of the district development board, could create hurdles in the development of Kishtwar district because Kichloo represented the Kishtwar Assembly segment. The war of words between the Congress and NC Minister started when Kichloo raised an objection over the style of functioning of his senior minister and publicly alleged that some vested interests were trying to undermine his authority as minister of state in the R&B department. He alleged that Wani, a Cabinet minister, had sidelined him in taking important decisions. Kichloo, had written a letter to the Chief Minister on June 14, pointing out that important files pertaining to development projects and transfers of officers in the R&B department had been routed directly to the senior minister, bypassing him altogether.
Congress MLA from Inderwal G M Saroori has taken serious note of the irresponsible utterance of NC leader Sheikh Mustafa Kamal against Congress leaders.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Saroori alleged that Kamal was speaking out of frustration and it seemed he had lost his mental balance. “Instead of mitigating the woes of the earthquake-affected families of erstwhile Doda district, NC leaders are indulging in cheap politics,”
he alleged, adding that following the rejection of their autonomy proposal, NC leaders had become a “frustrated lot”. Mustafa Kamal had criticised Congress leaders for opposing greater autonomy. Kamal had also lambasted the Congress leadership for “politicizing” the May 1 earthquake. |
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Guv, CM review yatra arrangements
Srinagar, June 19 “In their over one-hour-long meeting, the Governor and the Chief Minister reviewed the arrangements for the forthcoming Amarnath yatra and discussed the overall security scenario,” an official said. The official said the duo also discussed matters related to programmes of important visitors to the state later this month. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are scheduled to visit the state next week to inaugurate the Qazigund-Banihal railway link. |
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Infiltration bid foiled in Poonch
Poonch, June 19 Pakistani troops simultaneously targeted Indian forward posts in Krishna Ghati, Khari and Shahpur sectors after Indian troops foiled an infiltration bid at the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch this morning. “A group of four armed persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were seen moving towards an Indian forward post in the Krishna Ghati sector around 9:50 am,” PRO defence SN Acharya said. “Alert Indian troops took position and opened firing on the infiltrating persons,” Acharya said, adding that they were pushed back towards PoK. “As the infiltration bid was foiled, Pakistani troops opened heavy firing on Indian posts in the Mandi, Krishna Ghati and Khari sectors in Poonch district. Sher Shakti, PP1 and PP2 in the Mandi sector, Kripan and Kranti posts in the Krishna Ghati sector and Bahadur, Rekha and Neck posts in the Poonch sector also came under firing,” he said. “They fired small arms and 82 mm mortars on the Indian posts which was retaliated by the Indian troops resulting in an exchange of fire. A civilian identified as Mohammad Shafi of Shahpur suffered injury due to a mortar shell fired by Pakistani troops. He was taken to District Hospital, Poonch, where
his condition is stated to be normal.” |
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NC slams Congress over autonomy
Srinagar, June 19 “Political circles in J&K are fully aware of the role played by the likes of (ML) Fotedar in destabilising the political situation in the state since 1953 and, as such, political lackeys have no role to play in the prevailing situation in the state,” National Conference Parliamentarian Mohammad Shafi said in a statement. “Fotedar should find some other issue or non-issue to make himself relevant to his friends for whom he has been lobbying in the Congress party circles,” the NC leader said. Congress Working Committee (CWC) member ML Fotedar had yesterday flayed the National Conference for raking up the issue of restoration of autonomy to the state ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections. “This (autonomy) chapter was over after the 1975 accord,” Fotedar had said. Shafi said Fotedar had distorted the contents of the 1975 accord to oppose the autonomy for J&K as demanded by the National Conference. “The accord in fact provides the basis for restoring autonomy as envisaged in Article 370 of the Constitution of India," Shafi said. The restoration of autonomy to the state has been the major electioneering slogan of the National Conference.
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Female literacy rate in 8 districts of state below 50 per cent
Srinagar, June 19 As per the findings of Census 2011, the overall literacy rate has increased from 55.5 per cent in 2001 to 67.2 per cent. However, the female literacy rate in eight districts, four each from the Kashmir and Jammu regions, continues to remain below 50 per cent. Ramban district in Jammu has the lowest female literacy rate at 38.04 per cent followed by Kishtwar district (42.36 per cent), also in Jammu, and north Kashmir’s Bandipore district (44.34 per cent). The female literacy rate in Reasi and Doda districts of Jammu in 2011 stood at 46.59 and 49.69 per cent, respectively. Budgam, Ganderbal and Kulgam districts of the Valley have female literacy rates of 44.85, 45.71 and 48.49 per cent, respectively. In 2001, the female literacy rates at Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi, Ganderbal, Bandipore, Kulgam and Budgam stood at 24.21, 34.69, 27.74, 35.57, 27.5, 26.23, 32.79 and 30.29 per cent, respectively. The overall female literacy rate in the state in 2011 has risen to 56.43 per cent from 43 per cent in 2001 with a net gain of 13.44 per cent. The male literacy rate has risen from 66.60 to 76.75 per cent in 2011 with a net gain of 10.15 per cent. The female literacy rate in India is 64.64 per cent while the male literacy rate in the country is 80.89 per cent. In the state, Jammu district has the highest female literacy rate at 77.13 per cent followed by Samba district at 73.64 per cent. These are the only two districts in the state with female literacy rate of over 70 per cent. Jammu district has the highest overall literacy rate in state at 83.5 per cent followed by Samba district at 81.4 per cent and Leh in the Ladakh region at 77.2 per cent. Ramban district has the lowest overall literacy rate in the state at 54.3 per cent followed by Budgam district at 56.1 per cent. The literacy rate in Srinagar is 69.4 per cent. Kerala has the highest literacy rate in the country at 94 per cent while Bihar has the lowest at 61.8 per cent. The overall literacy rate in the country stands at 73 per
cent. |
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Hill climb challenge to be a highlight of Mughal Rally
Srinagar, June 19 About 150 competitors are set to take part in the fourth edition of the annual rally, which is being touted as the first motor sport event in the country to host a hill climb battle. “The Pikes Peak Hill Climb, also called the ‘Race to The Clouds’, is a 20-km track in Colorado, USA, rises up to a height of 14,115 feet (4,302 metres). The race is being organised since 1916, and is contested by drivers of cars, SUVs and motorcycles. Almost 100 years later, the hill climb race will be held on the Indian motor sport circuit on two of the highest peaks in the country --- Pir Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass,” spokesperson for the rally Rajni Shaleen Chopra said. “Here too, competitors will drive cars, SUVs and motorcycles,” she added. On June 27, a pre-event scrutiny will be held in Srinagar to ensure that all vehicles comply with stringent rallying and safety regulations. On June 28, motor sport daredevils will test their skills in the hill climb to Pir Ki Gali, the highest point on the Mughal Road, at an elevation of 11,500
feet (4,100 metres) approximately. The Mughal Road is a historic track, which was used by emperors such as Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to traverse Kashmir to go to Lahore. On June 29, the second hill climb battle will come into play when the competitors will race to Sinthan Pass, at an altitude of 12,450 feet (3748 metres). The Sinthan Pass is on National Highway 1B, connecting Kishtwar and Anantnag. Even during the peak of summer in the country, the climb up to Sinthan Pass is lined with walls of snow. It is open from April to September. The Mughal Rally was first held in 2010, when the stretch was a quagmire of mud and rocks. It is now a smooth, double-laned highway which will be formally opened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 25. “The Mughal Rally 2013 has 26 teams in the Xtreme (4X4) category, which is all about speed. The Enduro category, which is based on the time-speed-distance format, has 35 teams in the fray. Each team comprises a driver and a navigator. In the Xtreme (Moto) category, there are 10 bikers competing for the top spot this year,” Chopra said. |
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NC leader Kichloo calls for better coordination for rally’s success
Srinagar, June 19 Discussions were held on safety issues, including security, road clearance, convoy movement, health and emergency services, to check mishaps. The meeting was chaired by Minister of State for Tourism, Home and Industries
and Commerce Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo. Kichloo called for greater coordination between the departments and agencies concerned to make the event a success. “The Mughal car
rally has now become a permanent feature to showcase the tourism potential of the state. The car rallies on the Mughal road via Simthan Circle will also help in generating economic
activities on the rally route besides attracting a large number of tourists,” an official spokesman while quoting the Chief Minister said. |
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J&K mulls e-challan for traffic violations
Srinagar, June 19 Besides, the traffic police has also proposed introduction of high-tech traffic interceptor vans equipped with inbuilt high-tech facilities like breath analysers, laser speed and video monitors. The proposal about introducing e-challans against traffic violators was prepared and formulated by the Superintendent of Police, Traffic (Rural), Jammu, say official sources. The e-challan idea came out of the SP’s visit to Bangalore, where he was deputed to study the traffic management system of the city and interact with the enforcement agencies, including the traffic
authorities. “The proposal for introducing the e-challan system stands submitted to the Police Headquarters for further study and deliberations, and for taking effective steps for its implementation,” an official source said. The traffic police has also proposed introduction of traffic interceptor vans with facilities of flash light, breath analysers for checking drunk driving, computer-based monitoring of
vehicles, laser fast speed monitors, standard monitoring systems and night vision cameras. “All these steps have been proposed for improvement in the traffic management and delivery system by the J&K traffic police,” a source said, adding that these issues also came up for discussion during a recent high-level meeting of the traffic and transport authorities, which was chaired by the Chief Secretary and attended
by the Transport Commissioner and the IG, Traffic, Kashmir, among other high ranking officials. “During the meeting,
the traffic authorities announced that the proposals submitted by the traffic police were at an advanced stage,” a source said.
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Jammu tour operators hand over ambulance to shrine board
Srinagar, June 19 The Governor, who is also the SASB chairman, lauded the gesture of the federation for providing an ambulance to the Shrine Board. He asked Navin K. Choudhary, his Principal Secretary and SASB Chief Executive Officer, to see how this ambulance could be best utilised for the transportation of pilgrims who may fall sick or be involved in accidents. The Governor enquired from the delegation about their activities vis-à-vis promotion of tourism. The government agencies and all other stakeholders should take the required measures for significantly promoting tourism in the state, which has a vast potential for generating economic activity and employment avenues, he said. Package tours suiting pockets of different categories of tourists would be required for securing rapid growth of the tourism sector, the Governor added. Referring to the tremendous potential of adventure tourism in all three regions of the state, particularly of white water rafting, he said organisers of such activities should have trained staff and life-saving
equipment. Rajesh Gupta, chairman of the federation, expressed gratitude to the Governor for taking a keen interest towards the promotion of tourism in the state. |
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Best Book Award given to 7 authors
Srinagar, June 19 The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 51,000, a memento, shawl and
citation, was given to seven authors. The awardees include N D Jamwal for his Dogri book “Triphala”; Abdul Gani Sheikh for his English work “Reflections of Ladakh, Tibet and Central Asia”; Shiv Nirmohi for his Hindi book “Kishtwar- Sanskriti Aur Parampara”; Makhan Lal Kanwal for his Kashmiri work “Yath Aangnas Manz”; Urgyan Rigzin for his Ladakhi book “Nubray Nas Shad”; Dr Sushil Sharma for his Punjabi book “Jammu Kashmir De Panjabi Geetan Wich Samkaleen Samaj Di Jhalak”; and Muhammad Amin Lala for his Urdu work “Kitab ul Mousiqee”. The Academy gives away this award annually in 10 languages. However, this time Gojri, Pahari and Dardi languages remained out of the competition as minimum three books are required for the selection, and the required number of works were not received in these languages. The awards were presented by Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs Abdul Rahim Rather. |
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Teenager turns novelist, courtesy Kashmir conflict
Srinagar, June 19 “Right from the inception of my memory, I've been in the Valley which is quite different from other parts of the world in almost every manner, be it culture, topography, serenity or politics. So I thought before writing about anything else, I have to do justice with the place where I have lived since my birth. So I wrote a novel in which I have tried my best to showcase everything that Kashmir has to offer, be it culture, beauty or conflict,” said Wani. Wani studied at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Shahkote, near the Line of Control in Uri up to matriculation and is now studying literature at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He has chosen a teenaged character 'Sahil', who drags the narrative all along. Sahil, as described by the author, craves to find the true purpose and meaning of his life which he eventually finds by the end of the novel. Written in about 70,000 words, the novel also tries to describe the life of Kashmiri teenagers living through the years of 2008, 2009 and 2010 (when the Valley was hit by three consecutive years of street protests). |
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MLC Akhtar, Guv discuss governance issues
Srinagar, June 19 An official spokesperson said Akhtar called on the Governor to felicitate him on his appointment for the
second term. The Governor and the Member of the state Legislative Council discussed issues concerning governance and implementation of major welfare and development schemes in the state. They also talked about
the expansion of infrastructure in the state to enhance tourism.
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Srinagar, June 19
