J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Cong MLAs against sharing Jammu MC seats with PDP
Jammu, January 9
Several Congress legislators, including ministers, are not prepared to leave even one seat out of 71 to the PDP in the ensuing municipal corporation elections in Jammu.

J&K power corporation signs loan agreement
Jammu, January 9
The Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (PDC) has signed an agreement with a consortium for raising a loan of 1770 crore to speed up the execution of the 450 mw Baghiar hydroelectric project that has remained in focus due to the recent breakdown of talks between India and Pakistan.

Hizb commander among 7 killed
Srinagar, January 9
Two militants, including a top commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen and three security personnel, were among seven persons killed in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir where the security forces smashed three militant hideouts and recovered 17 IEDs, a police spokesman said here today.

Srinagar MC poll on Feb 1
Jammu, January 9
The municipal elections in Srinagar will be held on February 1, with the filing of nominations to begin on January 11, Jammu and Kashmir Election Department announced today.

Cong MLAs against sharing Jammu MC seats with PDP
Our Correspondent

Jammu, January 9
Several Congress legislators, including ministers, are not prepared to leave even one seat out of 71 to the PDP in the ensuing municipal corporation elections in Jammu.

“We are ready to give a lion’s share of seats in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation to the PDP, but if we accommodate the PDP in Jammu, it may help the candidates fielded by the opposition, especially the BJP,” a minister said here today.

Wishing to remain unidentified, the minister said, “We are already faced with a major problem after 33 per cent seats were reserved for women and we do not get suitable female candidates to field from different wards.”

He said “If we field Congress candidates on all seats in Jammu and PDP candidates on majority of the seats in Srinagar, it will strengthen the spirit of coalition.”

He and other Congress leaders ruled out any electoral understanding or agreement with the Panthers Party, headed by Prof Bhim Singh. They said Pant

hers Party was a partner in the coalition government, but it had not honoured any commitment in the past. They said in the Lok Sabha poll, the Panthers Party had fielded its candidates in various constituencies against the wishes of two major partners, the PDP and the Congress.

Inside reports said the PDP was keen to field party candidates at least on nine seats in Jammu. The reports said ultimately the matter might be referred to the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, in case there was a conflict between the PDP and the Congress.

On the other hand, the BJP leadership has agreed to contest civic poll in Jammu in alliance with the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal. Dr Nirmal Singh, president of the state unit of the BJP, said the issue of leaving the number of seats for the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal had not been settled. “We are in touch with the leaders of these two parties and the issue will be sorted out shortly,” he said.

He indicated that the BJP might support some respectable citizens so that “we could gain majority.”

As far as the opposition side is concerned the forthcoming civic elections are likely to determine whether the National Conference, which lost power in 2002 Assembly poll, and the BJP, which drew a blank in the last Lok Sabha poll and won only one seat in the 2002 Assembly election, have regained their political vigour or suffered further erosion in their mass base.

No doubt with the installation of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the state unit of the party has begun adopting the role of a big brother vis-a-vis the PDP and the ensuing election to the urban local bodies may equally determine not only the size of the political base of the Congress but also indicate whether cracks in the ruling coalition have widened or not.

J&K power corporation signs loan agreement
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 9
The Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (PDC) has signed an agreement with a consortium for raising a loan of 1770 crore to speed up the execution of the 450 mw Baghiar hydroelectric project that has remained in focus due to the recent breakdown of talks between India and Pakistan.

According to an official spokesman, the agreement has been signed with a consortium comprising of nine financial institutions. This is being considered as a landmark achievement as the project was getting delayed because of shortage of funds.

The consortium consists of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation of India, HUDCO, J&K Bank, the Union Bank of India, UCO Bank, the Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and Canara Bank.

This is the first project to have been financed by such consortium in the state. Initially, negotiations were held with the Punjab National Bank for seeking financial back up for the project.

Hizb commander among 7 killed

Srinagar, January 9
Two militants, including a top commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen and three security personnel, were among seven persons killed in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir where the security forces smashed three militant hideouts and recovered 17 IEDs, a police spokesman said here today.

A self-styled district commander of pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen Khalid Chatroli, alias Abu Usman, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Jabi Toti in Surankote sector of Poonch district last night, he said. The slain militant was from the PoK.

Another militant of the same outfit, Ghulam Ali, was killed in Udhampur district of Jammu last night. His body was recovered from the Lancha forests in the Gool area, the spokesman said, without giving details as to how the militant was killed. He said the bullet-riddled body of Abdul Gani Manhas was recovered by the police from Asthan Marg in Udhampur. The deceased had been kidnapped by militants a day before.

Militants barged into the house of Payara Singh in Doda district last night and shot dead his son-in-law Pancham Singh.

He said two security personnel were killed and another injured in an encounter with militants at Handowa-Zainapora in the Shopian area of Pulwama district. Another security personnel was killed in a gunbattle with militants at Palmar-Kishtwar in Doda district last night, he added. — PTI

Srinagar MC poll on Feb 1

Jammu, January 9
The municipal elections in Srinagar will be held on February 1, with the filing of nominations to begin on January 11, Jammu and Kashmir Election Department announced today.

The last date for filing nominations is January 15 while the scrutiny will be held on January 18, Chief Electoral Officer Rakesh Kumar Gupta said here.

The last date for withdrawal of candidatures will be January 20, he said, adding that the counting will take place the next day of polling and the process completed before February 7. — PTI