Srinagar, January 14
At least 11 persons, including six security personnel, were wounded in separate grenade attacks while a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant was arrested in Kashmir overnight, an official spokesman said today.

He said militants hurled a hand grenade on security forces near Shah Cinema at Qamarwari here last evening.

The grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside causing injuries to five civilians. The wounded civilians have been hospitalised.

The spokesman said motorcycle-borne militants lobbed a hand grenade on a security picket at the Boulevard Road on the banks of the Dal Lake, causing injuries to three CRPF personnel.

In another incident militants hurled a grenade on a security force post at Aali Mosque near Eidgah here, resulting in injuries to three personnel.

In a joint operation, the spokesman said the police and troops of 30 Rashtriya Rifles arrested a LeT Militant, identified as Zahoor Ahmed Magray, a resident of Duggerpora, from Safalpora Kralgund in the Handwara area of Kupwara district last evening.

The spokesman said the police today intercepted a passenger bus, on way to Pulwama from Pakherpora, in the Muran area and seized two hand grenades from a bag containing coal. Two persons were taken into custody for questioning in this regard, he added.

During a checking of a bus, which was on way to Srinagar from Sopore last evening, the police arrested a suspect at Parimpora on the outskirts of the city and seized one hand grenade from his possession. — UNI

Srinagar, January 14
Union Water Resources Minister Saif-ud-Din Soz said today the Centre had launched a comprehensive plan to promote and explore water resources in the country under the 11th Finance Commission.

Addressing a news conference here, he said in the first phase, 500 villages of the country’s 31 districts would be brought under the Prime Minister’s Special Irrigation Programme.

He said the Centre had a Rs 18 crore plan for restoring the glory of Jhelum river by beautifying its banks.

For this Prof Soz said Rs 12 crore had already been released.

He said the situation in the country was quite satisfactory. The Centre was striving to provide drinking water to every person of the country, he added.

“For achieving self-sufficiency in food production, water occupies key position and as natural water resources as well as rain water need to be preserved,” the Union Minister said.

He also said the final outcome of the Indus Water Treaty was expected to be known by end of February.

Prof Soz said funds for 31 under-construction lift irrigation schemes in Jammu and Kashmir had been released while three new projects — Haritar, Neelnag Lake and Budshah Pond (Tujar Sharief) — would be taken up soon.

Modernisation of Dadi Canal Martand, Mav Nandi and Babul Canal was on and funds for it would be released soon, he added.

The Union Minister said 44 tubewells for irrigation and drinking water purposes were at different stages of development under the Central Ground Water Board. — UNI

Srinagar, January 14
As authorities launched a hunt for a man-eater leopard, a 10-year-old girl became its fourth victim in the Anantnag district sparking off protests by villagers of the area.

The girl, Rayeesa, was attacked by the leopard and dragged into a forest near Halkhah village at Chatergul in the Shangus belt of the district.. A search by the villagers today led to the recovery of the mutilated head and shredded clothes of the girl, who was the fourth victim of the leopard stalking the area, the officials said.

On January 4, Shabina Akhter (10), was killed by the big cat at Beighpora-Utrusoo village, on January 12 the mutilated body of Beauty Jan (9) of Panchalthan in Achabal was found in a nearby forest and a boy was killed last month.

Agitated villagers took to the streets soon after the recovery of the body. They were protesting against failure of the authorities in protecting their lives. Senior police and civil officials rushed to pacify the villagers, the officials said.

News of the latest victim came just as a Wildlife Department spokesman said a hunt was on to catch the man-eater.

Jammu and Kashmir Health and Power Minister Peer Mohammad Hussain has directed the Wildlife Department to provide ex gratia to families of the victims.

The minister convened a meeting of the department and police officials and asked them to catch or kill the animal within two days to prevent further loss of life.

Meanwhile, the government today announced to give a reward of Rs 10,000 to anyone who provides exact information about the location of the leopard or would help in trapping the animal. — PTI

Srinagar, January 14
Another batch of 217 Haj pilgrims, including 101 women, from Jammu and Kashmir arrived here from Jeddah in a special flight today.

Senior civil, police and Haj officials, besides a large number of relatives, received the pilgrims at Srinagar airport. — UNI

Jammu, January 14
With the widening of the gap between the demand and supply, the state is faced with an acute shortage of LPG cylinders.

As a result of it, the waiting period for refilling of LPG cylinders has increased from three days to 15 days.

According to distributors, the demand for LPG cylinders has gone up by 30 per cent during the last one year. Since the state government has not so far made any assessment of the gap between demand and supply the problem of shortage has not been resolved.

Mr Ajay Sadhotra, a former Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, said here today that during the National Conference regime, he would carry out periodic review of the situation with the result consumers did not face any problem.

The distributors said the demand for LPG cylinders were higher than they had over a year ago. They said installation of electronic metres had been one major factor for the increase in the demand for LPG cylinders.

Explaining it they said that after the electronic metres were installed by the Power Development Department people had stopped using electric appliances for cooking and heating.

Another factor for the shortage was that agencies had not regularised the connections by segregating domestic connections from the commercial ones.