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Sonia for appraisal of J&K Govt Two Lashkar militants killed
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Power cuts in Kashmir as cold tightens grip Protests against
police action Power tariff: BJP begins signature campaign Jawan kills two colleagues
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Sonia for appraisal of J&K Govt Jammu, December 8 The PCC president, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is shuttling between Jammu and Delhi in the past few days in a bid to defuse the crisis, told this correspondent here today that a reshuffle or induction of new ministers was possible after the review. Mr Azad accompanied by the Chief Minister, Mufti Sayeed , flew to Delhi this morning where they are expected to discuss the political situation in the state with Ms Gandhi. It is learnt that Mr Mangat Ram Sharma was the main target of most of the partymen who accused him of having failed to watch the interests of the Congress in the coalition. They reportedly alleged that Mr Sharma never exerted for the cause or Jammu in the meetings of the Cabinet or otherwise which was eroding the base of the party. They reportedly accused Mr Sharma of functioning like a representative of the PDP instead of the Congress. The annoyed legislators did not spare some of the ministers belonging to their own party who, they alleged, were ineffecive. The annoyed legislators are also learnt to have complained that although the Congress was the largest partner in the PDP-led coalition, the bureaucracy was overlooking them and paying attention only to those of the Mufti’s PDP. Some of them pointed out that certain officers of the departments looked after by Mr Sharma did not obey his orders. Some legislators suggested that Mr Sharma should be replaced and some other leader appointed Deputy Chief Minister. Discontent is brewing among the Congress legislators who were denied a ministerial berth when the Mufti expanded the ministry in January. Two young legislators, Mr Yogesh Sawhney and Mr Raman Bhalla, who represent the old and new city, have been boycotting the official functions of the coalition government . They did not participate in the public meeting which was organised here recently by the Chief Minister to celebrate completion of one year in office. Ms Suman Bhagat, who returned to the Assembly for the third time, publicly protested against denial of a ministerial berth to her at the swearing-in ceremony. A section of the Congress party has been alleging that the Mufti was consolidating the position of his PDP at their cost in the Jammu division where he did not win even a single seat in the Assembly. They also wonder whether the Mufti would honour the agreement of installing a Congress chief minister after three years. Although Mr Azad and the Mufti claim that there was no threat to the coalition government, the former Chief Minister and patron of the National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was taking full advantage of the situation by claiming that he was in a position to topple the Mufti government. His assertions have, however, created an uncertainty in J & K as well as in the administration. |
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Two Lashkar militants killed Srinagar, December 8 A BSF spokesperson said the troops had killed two militants of LeT in an encounter at Mohuat Pora Kulgam village in south Kashmir last night. The encounter ensued after an ambush party was attacked by the militants from the house of one Sabir Ahmad Khandey. Two AK rifles, six magazines, 180 rounds, 18 grenades and two RPG shells were recovered from the slain militant. Two houses and a cowshed were destroyed in the exchange. Security forces busted a hideout at Kupwara and recovered an AK rifle and other arms and ammunition last night. Meanwhile, a senior police official had a narrow escape when the militants detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a Special Operation Group party in Baramula district of north Kashmir this afternon, police sources said. Militants set off the IED near a bridge at Wanigam around 1.30 pm when the SOG personnel headed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Mohan Lal, were returning to their camp at Pattan from Teligam, the sources said. The blast took place soon after the official’s vehicle crossed over the bridge, the sources said adding that Lal escaped unhurt in the explosion but one of his guards sustained minor injuries. The whole area was immediately cordoned off by the security forces and a hunt had been launched to nab the militants involved in the attack, the sources said. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. JAMMU: Militants ambushed an Army patrol party in Thanamandi forests of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir critically wounding three jawans, official sources said here. An Army patrol party was on its way to Azmataba forest belt in the Thanamandi area, when the militants hiding behind some big rocks fired rifle grenades and opened indiscriminate firing on it, the sources said. In the firing by militants, three jawans were injured critically, the sources said adding that the troops fired back resulting in a fierce gunbattle , which was still on. The injured jawans have been hospitilased and additional troops sent to the area to track down the militants in the cordon. In another incident, three Army jawans were injured when a grenade exploded accidentally inside an Army camp in Rajouri district, official sources said. An Army jawan was fiddling with a grenade, when its pin came out in an Kotranka Army camp in Rajouri district last night, the sources said adding that a powerful explosion rocked the entire area. In the blast,three Army jawans were wounded and were later hospitalised, they said and pointed out that some minor damage was caused to the boundary wall of the camp. The injured have been identified as sepoy Amar Dass, havaldar Netar Singh and sepoy Alam Din, the sources said. —
UNI, PTI |
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Power cuts in Kashmir as cold tightens grip Srinagar, December 8 According to officials of the Power Department, the heavy power cuts have been undertaken in view of danger to the grid stations due to the high load of eletricity consumed in the valley after midnight during winter. At least 550 MW was consumed in the valley between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. because of the widespread use of heaters and boilers during the night, they said. Apart from paying a penalty rate of more than Rs 4.50 per unit for the overdrawal of power from the Northern grid, the consumption was also overloading the system threatening grid failure. The Minister of State for Power Javid Mustafa Mir ordered an immediate reshuffle in field staff of the Power Department to curb the scourge of power theft and illegal connections in the state. —
PTI |
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Protests against police action Srinagar, December 8 Several hundred persons blocked the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Bijbehara in South Kashmir this morning, demanding action against the personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police who allegedly beat several shopkeepers in the area last evening, the sources said. The protesters alleged that the SOG personnel visited the Bijbehara main market last evening and directed the shopkeepers to close their establishments before dusk daily. Protesting against the directive, the shopkeepers demanded reason from the SOG personnel which irked the cops who reportedly thrashed several shopkeepers and left the scene. Raising slogans against the Chief Minister and his claims of normalcy returning to the valley, the protesters disrupted vehicular movement along the highway, causing a traffic jam. The police fired warning shots and used teargas shells to disperse the crowd and remove the blockade, the sources said. In response, the protesters also threw stones on the police while fleeing from the scene. However, none was hurt. —
PTI |
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Power tariff: BJP begins signature campaign Jammu, December 8 Addressing party activists, Dr Nirmal Singh, state president of the BJP, asked the people to get ready for an agitation against the “anti-people” policies of the Congress-PDP-Panthers Party coalition government. He accused the Mufti government of discriminating against the Jammu region and demanded the implementation of the report of the Wazir Commission and the creation of three new districts in the Jammu division. |
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Jawan kills two colleagues Jammu, December 8 The jawan, Swaran, had a quarrel with his colleagues while playing cards in Janglote Army camp in Kathua district last night, the sources said . In a fit of rage following the verbal duel, he took out his personal weapon and opened indiscriminate fire killing two of his colleagues and injured another, they said. The Army authorities have ordered Court of Inquiry into the incident and an FIR was registered in this connection. —
PTI |
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