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Foundation stone of 700-bed medical institute laid
Embezzlement of Rs 15 crore ration detected
Azad stresses on 100 pc literacy
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Indo-Pak talks will bear fruit, hopes Farooq
Woman officer posted against Lt-Col’s post
Three militants killed, 11 civilians hurt
Kashmir highway closed
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Foundation stone of 700-bed medical institute laid
Katra, December 5 The hospital will be constructed at a cost of Rs 250 crore here where more than 60 lakh pilgrims from various parts of the country and abroad visit every year. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has already started a technical university. The governor, who is chairman of the SMVDSB announced the hospital would be gradually upgraded to a medical college. The medical college with graduate and post-graduate disciplines will be affiliated to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. The hospital will cost Rs 250 crore. It will not have funding from the government or any other institution. Donations, however, will be welcome. He set target of 15 months for completing the first phase of the project at a cost of Rs 42 crore. It will have 200 beds and function as cancer institute. In the second phase 500 beds would be added to have multi-disciplinary facilities and a school for nursing and paramedics. The hospital will have comprehensive multi-speciality care with emphasis on preventive oncology and hospice. This facility will be developed into a high-tech institute of medical excellence of 700 beds and 10 lakh square feet area in due course offering all other super-speciality care. Of the total bed strength, 134 beds will be reserved for cancer patients. For infrastructural front landscaping of the campus a Dubai-based consultancy is being requisitioned. A garden of peace and meditation park is also being laid in the proposed site. He said some beds in the institute will be on payment while most of these will be free for needy patients. The institute would cater to the needs of Jammu and Kashmir and adjoining areas and provide services on a par with global standards. Specialities, including trauma centre, gynaecology, internal medicine, ophthalmology and ENT will be added in the second phase. The project has been designed in a way that the track to the holy shrine will be in sight from any point within the complex. To meet post-treatment requirements of patients and of attendants, a 140-room motel will also be constructed. Residential accommodation for doctors will also be constructed. Dr Arun Kumar, Principal Secretary to the governor and Justice (Retd) G.D.Sharma were also present.
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Embezzlement of Rs 15 crore ration detected
Srinagar, December 5 The large scale misappropriation of Rs 9 crore by officials of the CA&PD in league with Revenue officials in the distribution of foodgrains in Marwah and Wadwan blocks of Doda district between 1997 to 2002 has been detected. The accused artificially inflated population of these two blocks from 24,340 to 33,147 in respect of permanent residents of these areas. Thus the accused managed to get excess foodgrains allotted for the area, which were sold in the black market, an official spokesman said. The kingpin of the scam, Rasool Magray, then Chief Inspector of Food and Supplies Department, and 11 other accused were arrested by the Vigilance. Another case related to the arrest of Bashir Ahmed Sheikh, Supervisor, CA&PD, Mirhama tehsil, Kulgam, who was caught red-handed on June 30, while accepting a bribe of Rs 1,000 from a private ration dealer. Mohammad Yasin Dar, Supervisor, CA&PD circle, Kulgam, was caught red-handed on December 30 last year while accepting a bribe of Rs 1250 from a private ration dealer. In another case, officials of CA&PD manipulating the records had drawn about 95,000 quintals of rice, 13,630 quintals of wheat and 35,834 quintals of flour meant for the weaker sections of society against the actual requirement of 40,723 quintals of rice and 48,723 quintals of wheat. An amount of over Rs 6 crore was initially reported to have been misappropriated by the officials concerned. However, investigation showed that the extent of loss to the state exchequer was likely to exceed Rs 6 crore. During search of the premises of K.K Gandotra, former TSO, Jammu, besides other incriminating documents, bearer cheques worth Rs 20 lakh, cash over Rs 6.79 lakh and 948 grams of gold were seized. Cash worth Rs 3.40 lakh were also seized during the house search of Gopal Sharma, former Assistant Director (T&S), CA&PD, Jammu.
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Azad stresses on 100 pc literacy
Srinagar, December 5 He was addressing Best Teacher Awards-2006 investiture ceremony and felicitation of outstanding children at SKICC here yesterday, which had not been held on Teachers Day this year due to flood situation in the valley. The Chief Minister said the competition for new generation was not limited to the state or national levels. It was a global phenomenon. Teaching community should redouble efforts to train students so that they are able to compete at the all levels, he said. |
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Indo-Pak talks will bear fruit, hopes Farooq
Srinagar, December 5 He held that Pakistan favoured solution to the Kashmir problem that was acceptable to both countries and people of the strife-torn state. Farooq Abdullah was addressing a public meeting to mark the birth anniversary of his father and founder of the party Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah at Naseem Bagh cemetery here today. He said people of the state favoured the welfare of peoples of both countries. He expressed concern over the continued killings and difficulties being faced by locals. |
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Woman officer posted against Lt-Col’s post Chandigarh, December 5 Sources in Army Headquarters reveal that Lt K. Jeena has recently been moved from Southern Command as Assistant Judge Advocate-General (AJAG), Counter Insurgency Force (Delta) which is responsible for operations in Doda district. The War Establishment Table issued by the Directorate-General, Rashtriya Rifles (RR), states that lieutenant colonels are to be posted as AJAGs in counter-insurgency (CI) forces. Prior to implementation of the AV Singh Committee reports, some majors were also posted in CI forces. Further, given the nature of duties and environmental conditions, RR policy stipulates that experienced officers are to be posted in units and establishments deployed in CI operations. AJAGs are responsible for rendering legal advice to force commanders on various operational and administrative matters, including human rights issues, disciplinary matters and conduct of military trials. Sources point out that the officer has just about a year-and-a-half of service, which makes her ineligible to conduct courts martial. She is said to be the only JAG officer in Delta Force. In contrast, there are three JAG officers, including two lieutenant colonels, posted in Headquarters 16 Corps Nagrota against the vacancy for two officers while the post of AJAG Victor Force, responsible for the Kashmir Valley is vacant. A large number of such “lop-sided” postings are now the subject matters of several petitions filed by JAG officers, who are alleging mala fide by some officers in the Military Secretary’s (MS) branch dealing with postings. Besides the Army Chief, Deputy MS and Colonel--MS (14) dealing with the postings of JAG, Army Service Corps (ASC) and Record Officers have been named as respondents. In yet another petition filed against postings in the JAG Department, Lt-Col Mukul Dev has contended that he is not being absorbed into the JAG Department despite the President’s sanction being accorded for the same in September. The Army was supposed to file a reply in the case today, but failed to do so.
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Three militants killed, 11 civilians hurt
Srinagar, December 5 The Police here said 11 civilians received minor injuries when a hand grenade exploded in the hands of Muneer Ahmad Bhat at Azad Gunj in Baramula this morning. The youth, who was injured seriously when he tried to throw the grenade but it exploded in his hand and injured 11 civilians. He was shifted later to Srinagar, where he succumbed to his injuries in SKIMS hospital. Two militants were killed in an encounter with the police and security forces in Rafiabad area of Baramula district last evening, the police here said. A Defence spokesman said acting on an information a search was launched in Hiyun village near Dangarpora, Sopore last evening. The house was cordoned off and militants were told to surrender. The hiding militants opened fire on the troops. To minimize collateral damage all civilians in the near vicinity were evacuated to safer places. In the exchange of fire two foreign militants, Abu Umar and Abu Tarab of the Al-Bader outfit were killed. One AK rifle, four magazines, 80 rounds of AK ammunition, one pistol, one pistol magazine, six rounds of pistol ammunition, six hand grenades and one radio set were recovered from the site of encounter.
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Srinagar, December 5 However, all outgoing and incoming flights operated normally. A traffic police official told UNI that the highway, the only road linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was closed early this morning following landslides and shooting of stones between Ramban and Ramsu. He said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) responsible for the maintenance of the highway has pressed into service men and machines to make it traffic worthy. Official sources said hundreds of vehicles are stranded on either side of the Jawahar tunnel, the highest point on the highway. The district authorities in the frontier district of Kupwara have pressed into service seven snow-clearance machines to clear the road between Kupwara-Keran and Karnah. The administration has also engaged labourers to remove the snow on the road so that Hajis of far-flung and remote areas could reach Srinagar for undertaking the journey to Jeddah. The world famous ski resort of Gulmarg has turned into a mini Switzerland as two to three feet of snowfall has accumulated on the slopes running from 2 km to 20 km. A report from Baramula said the town witnessed fresh snowfall today, disrupting normal life. Sources said a heavy snowfall was recorded at the Amarnath cave and its periphery and Mahaguns, Pisso Top, Sheshnag and Panjtherni on the 45-km pilgrimage route from base camp Pahalgam. The tourist spots of Yumarg, Tosamaidan, Deksum, Ahrabal and Sonamarg also received snowfall. The plains, including Srinagar city, had rain throughout the night disrupting normal life. — UNI
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Brazil Army chief visits
16 Corps Jammu, December 5 He interacted with Lt-Gen T.K. Sapru, GOC of the Corps, on various issues.
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