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Amarnath yatra from June 11
Record tourist inflow into valley expected
Admn revs up poll machinery
Militants behead contractor
Only BJP’s Kotwal to contest against Azad
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PDP wish list: invite
Hurriyat, withdraw troops
Jammu air more polluted than that of Delhi, Kolkata: PCB
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Amarnath yatra from June 11
Jammu, April 7 Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd) S K Sinha took the decision to hold the yatra for two months, in his capacity as Chairman SASB, after consulting Chief Minister Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad. This is after three years that the Governor and the Chief Minister were unanimous on the two-month duration of the pilgrimage. There was always a dispute on the duration of the pilgrimage between the Governor and Mufti Sayeed, who was Chief Minister of the state before Mr Azad came to power. The Chief Executive Officer, SASB, Dr Arun Kumar said that Border Roads Organization (BRO) personnel have reached Ranga Morh and they are expected to reach Domel, 13 km ahead of the holy cave from Baltal, on April 10. Steps are underway to widen the track up to 6 feet from Baltal to Sangam and 4 feet from Sangam to Holy Cave. He said the Board has drawn up a detailed and ambitious programme to raise temporary environment friendly infrastructure for lodging pilgrims, whose number is expected to touch half a million mark this year. During the past two consecutive years, four lakh pilgrims from different parts of the country and abroad have had the darshan at the cave shrine. The Chief Executive Officer said that arrangements have also been made to organize Ramkatha by Murari Bapu near the Holy Cave from July 1 to 9. Adequate number of prefabricated shelters for 250 Shrotas are being raised. Dr Kumar said that the Board is working out modalities with various airlines for running economically viable helicopter service between Baltal and helicopter operators and Srinagar-Holy Cave. Last year, 10,000 pilgrims had utilized the helicopter services. For lodging pilgrims, 90 single room cottages and 50 double room cottages besides dormitories would be raised at a cost of Rs 3.58 crore. For registration of pilgrims, the CEO said that the Board contemplates to involve local travel agents also besides having on-the-spot registration counters at various locations in and outside the state. A quota of 5000 yatris each on both routes could be allowed, subject to the maximum of 10,000 per day. Half of the registrations would be made through advance bookings while the remaining half could be on spot. The announcement of registration will be made after evaluation of route condition, he said. While Jammu will be the base camp for the yatra, Baltal and Pahalgam will be the two forward bases, the CEO said. |
Record tourist inflow into valley expected
Srinagar, April 7 "If we get less than 11 or 12 lakh tourists this year, I will be surprised and that will not be a pleasant surprise", said the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, here yesterday. He was talking to mediapersons at the launch of the first Go Air direct flight from Mumbai to Srinagar here along with Mr Jeh Wadia, chairman of Go Air. Go Air became the first airline to operate a direct flight between the commercial capital of the country and the "paradise on earth" that is expected to cater to about 30 per cent of the tourist traffic to the valley. Mr Beigh, who is also the Tourism Minister, said the tourist flow last year was the best in the past 16 years and it was expected that this year would be "even better". The Kashmir valley, synonymous with tourism, recorded the highest number of 7.22 lakh tourists in 1989, while nearly six lakh tourists had visited the state last year. This had been in addition to 3.88 lakh pilgrim tourists to the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir last year. Mr Beigh said with more and more private airlines venturing into Kashmir, it was "fairly connected". He, however, added that there was scope for more connectivity to Ladakh region, and to reach the unexplored potential of Jammu region. Other airlines that have already joined the fleet with the state government keen to boost tourism include the Air Deccan, Spice Jet, Sahara and Jet Airways during the recent years. Mr Jeh Wadia, MD of the Go Air, said it planned to connect Srinagar with Delhi via Jammu by June this year and ensure connectivity to other areas. It would also participate with Raja Rani Travels that had been the torch bearer of tourist flow to the valley even in the most difficult times. The introductory special package provides trip to Kashmir at Rs 10,999, with two flights a week in the beginning. "The state has gone through difficult times… we have reached the end of the tunnel and see a bright light at the end of the tunnel", Mr Beigh commented while welcoming Go Air in Kashmir. He said the government was committed to providing world class infrastructure and expressed the hope that the ongoing Indo-Pak peace process would lead to peace in the region. Two five-star hotels and several other private hotels are expected to come up in the valley during the next two years, Mr Beigh disclosed. Speaking on the occasion, Mr M Saleem Beigh, Director General, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department, said that the direct connectivity between Mumbai and Srinagar was not only to boost tourist flow, but would also help trade and transportation of Kashmir's fresh cherry direct to the commercial capital of the country. |
Admn revs up poll machinery
Srinagar, April 7 A high-level meeting, presided over by the Financial Commissioner, Home, Mr S. B. Mathur, reviewed the arrangements with Returning and Assistant Returning Officers at Baramulla for conducting the fair, free and transparent by-elections in Sangrama, Rafiabad and Pattan Assembly constituencies. The meeting was informed that electoral rolls of migrant voters of these constituencies had been dispatched to the Relief Commissioner, Jammu, and distribution of voter slips in these constituencies was going on. All 264 polling booths in the three constituencies have been verified and a transport plan has been finalised while electronic voting machine (EVM) training schedule has been publicised. Besides, videography of all events is being conducted regularly. At least 47 companies of para-military forces and police personnel had been deployed and every candidate was being provided security, the meeting was told. The SSP, Baramulla, Mr Ushkoor Wani said Zonal Officers of the rank of SP alongwith Zonal Magistrates and Sectoral Officers of the rank of DSP alongwith the Sector Magistrates would be deployed with modern communication facilities. The Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir Range, Mr K. Rajkendra Kumar, said there would be no compromise in ensuring free and fair elections. He said full security cover to every candidate would be provided without any consideration of party affiliations. Mr Mathur asked the district administration to prepare a contingency medical plan and ensure arrangement of fire services. Among those who attended the meeting included the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mr Basharat Ahmad, the DIG, Baramulla, Mr Mohammad Subhan Lone, the District Election Officer Baramulla, Mr Abdul Hamid, and the SSP, Baramulla, Mr Ushkoor Wani. Meanwhile, the District Election Officer, Baramulla, has asked the poll staff, assigned the duty of conducting elections in the constituencies of Sangrama, Pattan and Rafiabad, to attend training programmes for the use of EVM machines. |
Srinagar, April 7 The police recovered the body of Ghulam Nabi Deedad from the Rajpora area in Pulwama district early today. A letterpad of Hizbul Mujahideen had been thrown on the body of Deedad, the sources said, adding the police was searching for the head. JAMMU: Militants killed a couple in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night after branding them as informers of the security forces, official sources said on Friday. Militants entered the house of a couple in the Chingam area of Doda district on Thursday night and killed them as they suspected that the couple were informers of the forces, they said. — PTI |
Only BJP’s Kotwal to contest against Azad
Jammu, April 7 Mr Kotwal was the only candidate who filed his nomination papers against Mr Azad on the last day today. Although Mr Kotwal is considered as a lightweight, but the BJP did not want to let Mr Azad win the seat uncontested. No senior BJP leader of the area was reportedly willing to contest against Mr Azad. The opposition National Conference (NC) had decided not to field its candidate against Mr Azad. Criticising the NC for not putting up their candidate against Mr Azad, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, a senior BJP leader and former Union Minister, accused it of having failed to play the role of the opposition and betraying the people. Mr Gupta alleged that the Congress had never allowed democracy to flourish and its despotic approach was the root cause of many problems in the state. The vice-president of the BJP, Mr Hari Om, said the byelection at Bhaderwah was a fight between those who stand for unity and integrity of the country and the state’s merger with India and the Congress that has appreciated Pakistan’s sinister idea of self-rule. |
PDP wish list: invite
Hurriyat, withdraw troops
Srinagar, April 7 It has also requested the Prime Minister to take steps for facilitating the return of those Kashmiris who had crossed over to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during the past 15 years and were interested in coming back. Addressing a huge public meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir Park here on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, the PDP president, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, said the situation had improved and it was time for peace. Tributes were also paid to those killed during a PDP rally at Uri on April 8 two years ago on the occasion. The day was observed by the PDP as "Karwan-e-Aman day" to mark the first anniversary of the opening of the historic Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road after a gap of 58 years. Ms Mufti demanded the opening of other routes, including Kargil-Askardoo and Poonch Rawlakote, across the borders to reconnect the Jammu and Kashmir divide for the past six decades. Ms Mufti held that there would be "real freedom" when all these road links were thrown open and people from both India and Pakistan equally invested in trade and business in the state. The PDP president stressed the need for an open trade link through Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road on the pattern of Srinagar-Jammu national highway and sought that the state should be made a free trade zone. "This road will lead to peace in Jammu and Kashmir and bridge the Indo-Pak divide," Ms Mufti said. Referring to the criticism over the little response to the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, Ms Mufti pointed out that its beginning had been a great achievement as a first step towards achieving peace. Ms Mufti demanded a gradual withdrawal of the Disturbed Areas Act, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and also the security forces from Jammu and Kashmir. She said that the security forces had played their role and situation had improved with restoration of democracy in the state. The PDP president urged the Centre to assign the job to state police that was capable enough to deal with the situation and added that it would also help in providing employment to over 60,000 youths. |
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Jammu air more polluted than that of Delhi, Kolkata: PCB
Jammu, April 7 The report submitted by the PCB in the high court states that the level of suspended particulate material (SPM) here was 638.8 against 460 of Delhi and Kolkata and 230 of Mumbai. The level of air pollution here was higher than the critical limit defined by the World Health Organisation and ambient air standard prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board. Chief Justice B.A. Khan and Mr Justice J.P. Singh have taken a serious note of the level of air pollution here. With the authorities having failed to implement the pollution control laws in the state, the high court, on the basis of a public interest litigation, issued a series of directions to set things right. However, the government steps in this direction appear to be half-hearted as pollution control perhaps does not appear high on its agenda. The government has succumbed to pressure of different types of mafia, including transporters, builders and mining, operating here to destroy the environment and ecology. The status of the PCB indicates that vehicular pollution was the highest here. Total pollution load added from vehicular emission to the environment was estimated at 2315 kg, which includes 21 kg. of SPM, 66 kg. Sulphur dioxide, 380 kg. Nitrogen-dioxide, 595 kg. Hydrocarbons and 1243 kg. Carbon mono-oxide. This level of pollution was more than dangerous to human life. The report indicates that the level of air pollution here was higher than that of other cities that had larger number of industrial units. Comparative level of SPM in other cities is Chennai (150), Kanpur (350), Nagpur and Jaipur (230), Ahmedabad (200), Bangalore (180) and Hyderabad (150). Following orders of the high court, the authorities recently started implementing the law pertaining to the regular pollution check of vehicles. However, it is very rare that traffic police personnel check pollution control certificate of any vehicle. Trucks, buses and other vehicles spewing out black smoke in city limits is a common sight. |
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