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Reorganise J&K on regional basis, demands BJP
J&K asks Centre to send 400 companies Militants’ bid to attack security
camp fails
Governor visits Uri sector
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| Doda mishap toll 19
Jammu, March 8 With four critically injured passengers succumbing to their injuries today, the death toll in a road accident in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 19, official sources said.
Three held for smuggling drugs
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Reorganise J&K on regional basis, demands BJP
Jammu, March 8 The state BJP chief, Dr Nirmal Singh, has released a booklet containing figures to show how Jammu was being discriminated against by the present government. The statistics indicate that against over 2.5 lakh government employees from the Kashmir valley, the number was less than one lakh in case of Jammu. The State secretariat had over 85 per cent employees belonging to Kashmir, while their strength was about 15 per cent from Jammu. The booklet indicates that the investment in the irrigation projects in Kashmir was of Rs 38.98 crore against Rs 14.15 crore in Jammu where the geographical area was 26,293 sq km against 15,953 sq km in the Kashmir valley. Dr Nirmal Singh pointed out that Jammu was denied its due share of seats in the Assembly with only 37 seats to the region against 46 of Kashmir. He said the number of voters in Jammu was 28,92,290 as against 25,46,913 in Kashmir. Each Assembly seat in Jammu had about 78,170 electorate against 55,367 in Kashmir. He alleged that Jammu was also discriminated in the number of Lok Sabha seats as it had only two seats against three of the valley. Each Lok Sabha seat of Jammu had an electorate of 14,46,145 against only 8,48,971 of Kashmir. He said only 26 development projects with an investment of Rs 16.29 crore had been undertaken in Jammu against 154 projects with an investment of Rs 104.73 crore in Kashmir. Of the total revenue collection in the state, Jammu as contributing 70 per cent, while the recoveries from Kashmir were less than 30 per cent. A sum of Rs 6.29 crore had been earmarked for the tourism sector in the Kashmir valley against Rs 94 lakh for Jammu. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation had been granted Rs 3 crore, while the allocation for the Jammu Municipal Corporation was Rs 1 crore. The document has also indicated discrimination with the Jammu region in the matter of appointment of technocrats and educated youth. It highlighted various packages announced by the BJP-led NDA government from time to time for the Jammu region. The BJP, among other things, has demanded that the Wazir Commission report be implemented without delay, border migrants should be treated at par with the Kashmiri migrants, refugees from West Pakistan be given citizenship rights and the people of Jammu and Ladakh should be included in the dialogue for settlement of the J&K dispute. |
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J&K asks Centre to send 400 companies for LS poll
Jammu, March 8 The demand was made by state officers during their meeting with the Union Home Secretary, Mr Anil Baijal, when he was in Jammu recently. According to senior state government functionaries, the need for deploying additional companies of security forces on poll duty has emanated from two factors — militants continue to be active and have already issued directions to the people to boycott the elections and at least 500 polling booths have to be established in remote and hilly areas, where the threat of militants looms large. In this connection, the security forces already in the field will have to look after counter-insurgency operations, preventing them from taking care of candidates, voters and polling staff. Though the Union Home Ministry has not yet communicated to the state government about the number of companies of paramilitary forces it would send, the state government sources, said, “we will be fortunate if we get at least 200 companies of security forces for managing the security during the pre-poll compaign and the voting.” Sources said since the elections were to be held throughout the country, it would not be possible for the centre to make available 400 companies of paramilitary forces. The Union Home Ministry has suggested to the state government that it could shift additional forces from the areas where the polling had been completed to the areas where voting was to take place because in Jammu and Kashmir the polling would be completed in four phases as was done in the 2002 Assembly elections. Official sources said since there was at least a five-day gap between one phase and the other, the security forces could be shifted from one area to the other. However, the state authorities have argued with the Centre that adequate security arrangements were needed during the pre-poll campaign throughout the state and till the counting of votes was over on May 13. The authorities, according to official sources, have conveyed to the Union Home Ministry that it was the result of heavy deployment of the security forces that a bloodless Assembly poll was possible in 2002. They want security arrangements for the ensuing Lok Sabha poll on the pattern of previous Assembly elections. |
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Militants’ bid to attack security
camp fails
Srinagar, March 8 The ultras fired a single grenade towards the security camp in the hotel under the jurisdiction of the Khany police station around 2 pm, but the device missed the target and exploded near the boundary wall of the house in Bhishamber Nagar in downtown city, causing panic among people in the locality, they said. The police and the security forces immediately reached the spot and started investigations, the sources said adding that a hunt had been launched to nab the militants. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the incident. JAMMU: Army troops have busted two militant hideouts, recovering 25 kg of RDX and over 40 grenades in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda and Rajouri districts, official sources said. Acting on specific information, the troops launched a search operation in Doda forests and found 25 kg of RDX, 400 pika rounds, 19 grenades, three rocket shells, 10 UBGL grenades, three rocket propelled grenades, seven IEDs, 29 detonators and 65 kg of ration from the hideout, they said. Troops busted another hideout in the Manjakote forests of Rajouri and recovered an AK rifle, three magazines, 12 grenades, four IEDs, a radio set and some documents early this morning, they added.
— PTI |
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Governor visits Uri sector
Uri, March 8 Accompanied by Lt Gen Nirbhay Sharma, GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army, the Governor also attended a function held to felicitate the Hajis of the area, who returned recently after performing the annual pilgrimage. He also addressed troops and lauded them for their duties along the borders. Later talking to reporters, the Governor said that the government was ready to start the bus service after a decision by the two countries. “Whenever there is a decision we will have to think” on the related things that would have to be accomplished on the ground, Governor Sinha said. He added that any improvement of the road from Uri to Uroosa, last populated village near the LoC, would be made if required . Replying to questions, the Governor said that there was lot of improvement in the situation following the announcement of certain confidence building measures between India and Pakistan, particularly announcement of the ceasefire on the borders. He said that infiltration had not stopped, but it had declined considerably due to various reasons including snow-bound mountains in winter, and hoped that things would continue like that in future also. The Governor, accompanied by the Army Officers, Maj General R.S. Mehta and Brig S.A. Hasnain also visited the Heritage Centre established by the Brigade that depicts the “cultural history” of the area. |
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Doda mishap toll 19
Jammu, March 8 Thirtyfive passengers had been admitted to various hospitals in Jammu and Batote following yesterday’s Matador accident and four of them died this morning. The condition of two persons is critical while seven were discharged from the hospital today. The accident occurred on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway when the overloaded Matador rolled into a 450-feet-deep gorge after being hit by a speeding truck. — PTI |
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Three held for smuggling drugs
Jammu, March 8 Twenty kilograms of poppy straw was found by the police under the driver’s seat of a tanker when it was searched at Narwal in Jammu city last night, they said. The driver and the helper have been arrested and a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered, the sources said, adding the consignment was to be delivered in Punjab. In another incident, the police intercepted a Jammu-bound Tata Sumo vehicle on the Jammu-Srinagar road and recovered 700 grams of charas from it. Shabir from Anantnag district of south Kashmir, who was carrying the drugs to Punjab, has been arrested and a case registered in this regard.
PTI |
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