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Jammu residents block road
Panthers’ chief flouts ban
Reasi tense as body found
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I-Day experience for new districts
Srinagar road reopens
Parties express solidarity with migrants Jawan killed by stray bullet Pandits launch party in J&K Panthers warn Azad of
no-trust move
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Jammu residents block road
Jammu, August 16 They staged a dharna near the Rehari chowk and raised slogans against the state government. Most parts of the old city and suburbs have been without drinking water supply for the past three days following a heavy downpour that flooded the Tawi river. The Public Health Engineering Department has failed to supply water to these areas through tankers. The damage caused to the water pumping station at Sitlee, near Nagrota, two years ago has not yet been rectified and a makeshift pump developed a snag due to the recent flood. Electricity supply in Jammu division was also erratic and frequent breakdowns in this scorching summer were making the life of people miserable. The opposition National Conference (NC) has criticised the government for failing to ensure uninterrupted water and power supply to the people here. |
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Panthers’ chief flouts ban
Udhampur, August 16 Before the arrival of Bhim Singh and other Panthers leaders, displaced persons had gathered at Ram Leela ground of the camp. As Panthers Party leaders reached the camp, the strength swelled into hundreds. Amidst shouting of patriotic slogans, Bhim Singh unfurled the national flag. Hoisting the national flag, migrants pledged to make any sacrifice to take the on-going agitation to the logical
conclusion. Migrants’ leaders regretted they had been facing indifferent attitude of the state government despite their being citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. They pointed out majority of the families of displaced people were on the brink of starvation due to denial of relief. ``Our only fault is we are pro-India'', said Balwan Singh, president of the migrant action committee, adding, ``rehabilitation policies were being formulated for the militants but victims of militants have been facing hardship''. Bhim Singh exhorted the migrants to continue their stir to force the government to accept their genuine demands. He assured help to agitating displaced people. The district administration has banned the entry of Panthers Party leaders in the Talwara migrants’ camp. |
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Reasi tense as body found
Udhampur, August 16 Reports reaching here said some locals spotted a headless body floating in Chenab in the Dhangarh area near Salal hydroelectric project, Reasi. The residents informed the police about it. A police party from Reasi took the body in its possession. The body was sent to a hospital for autopsy. Identity of the deceased has not been established. The Reasi police has registered a case. |
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I-Day experience for new districts
Srinagar, August 16 Subsequently, it was probably for the first time that a minister unfurled the Tricolour at Bandipore on the occasion, the district headquarters town, 57 km north of here. Earlier, it was part of Baramula district. But, the town was shell-shocked by a grenade attack in the marketplace killing three persons and injuring 16 two days earlier, half a kilometre from the venue of ID celebrations. In the only encounter in Kashmir on Monday, two militants were killed in the forest area of Arin, while security all across had been tightened ahead of the celebrations. "The grenade explosion had a telling effect on the morale and mood of the people who were shell shocked over the civilian killing", said Nizamuddin Bhat, senior PDP leader and MLC from the area. The local MLA, Usman Majeed, who was also present on the occasion, where the minister of state for health, Peer Mohammad Hussain, unfurled the flag, said about 4,000 people attended the function at the sports stadium. He lamented that the enemies of peace made several attempts to keep away the public on the occasion, saying that three grenade attacks were made during the days before the occasion. The MLA added that the new district, created after a long and persistent demand of the people, was a welcome development. It helps the people to put forth their problems easily and progress and development remain in the focus, he added. Speaking on the occasion, the minister appealed to misguided youth to abjure violence and come on the table for projecting their viewpoint. He added that peaceful and democratic approach was the only way for addressing issues in the context of global campaign against terror. At Ganderbal, carved out of Srinagar district, minister for forests, housing and urban development Qazi Mohammad Afzal unfurled the National Flag and took salute on the march past in which contingents of the police, paramilitary forces and schoolchildren participated. He said the creation of new districts would ensure speedy and equitable development of all regions of the state. Minister of state for roads and buildings Mohammad Khalil Bandh unfurled the National Flag and took salute on the march past at Shopian. Bandh said the great leaders led the nation for the struggle of freedom and it is because of the sacrifices of the sons of soil that we are breathing in a free India. Speaking on the occasion after unfurling the Tricolour at Kulgam, minister of state for rural development Javid Mustafa said the coalition government had launched a massive developmental drive in the state to eradicate poverty. |
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Srinagar road reopens
Udhampur, August 16The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was reopened for
vehicular traffic this morning after clearance of the stones and rocks from the road.
It was closed near Ramban due to landsliding. Amarnath pilgrimage, which was also suspended due to the closure of the highway, resumed this morning as a fresh batch of the pilgrims passed through Udhampur this morning and crossed Banihal town in the afternoon. |
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Parties express solidarity with migrants Udhampur, August 16 While a group, agitating under the banner of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), has refused to accept relief from the authorities, some migrants have received cereals and other items. A majority of the migrants has announced not to take ration unless and until the authorities treat them on a par with the displaced people of the Kashmir valley. “Some odd families are acting as agents of the administration,” said president of the Migrant Action Committee Balwan Singh. He charged the district administration with hatching a conspiracy to divide the agitators. He claimed that majority families were in the favour of intensifying the agitation rather than begging for the meagre relief. Agitating migrants had been anxiously waiting for the outcome of the court hearing fixed for August 20. “We will chalk out our future course of action after the decision of the court,” Balwan Singh said. Meanwhile, a group of migrants, led by Lal Man, has decided to accept relief being given by the authorities. The group blamed parties of taking political mileage of this human issue. Lal Man pointed out that most of the migrants families were at the verge of starvation so it was unwise not to accept relief being provided by the administration. Although the JKNPP had taken up lead in taking the issue of the migrants, other political groups have started visiting the camp to express solidarity with the agitators. Today, a delegation of the National Conference, led by its senior leader Rattan Lal Gupta, visited the migrants and assured them full cooperation in their struggle against the indifferent attitude of the state government. Two days ago, a five-member delegation of the BJP had visited the migrant camp and announced some relief for them.
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Srinagar, August 16 Sepoy Kunal Padan of 14 Bihar Regiment was hit by a stray bullet at Fowlad post in the Gulmarg sector last evening and died on-the-spot, the spokesman said. The incident happened when the troops guarding the forward area noticed suspicious movement and fired, he said. The police has registered a case in this regard, the spokesman added. — PTI
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Pandits launch party in J&K
Jammu, August 16 "We have launched a political party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Democratic Front, to fight for honourable return and rehabilitation of Pandits in the valley and constitution of a development board for them in Jammu," its acting coordinator A. K. Dewani told reporters here. He said the JKNDF aimed at having branches in most states and a membership of 3.5 lakh. Flanked by the All-Party Migrant Coordination Committee chairman Vinod Pandit, Dewani said it had launched a membership drive in Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Ambala in the first phase. He said the party was registrating itself with the Election Commission.
—PTI
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Panthers warn Azad of no-trust move Jammu, August 16 “I warn Ghulam Nabi Azad that if he doesn’t implement the Supreme Court verdict, a no-confidence motion against his government would be moved in the coming Assembly session,” Prof Bhim Singh said at a press conference here. It was unfortunate that no minister in the Azad Cabinet was concerned over the pathetic condition of the migrants. The Supreme Court had given a verdict that the migrants, who left their native villages in Jammu division due to insurgency in their areas and were kept at a camp in Talwara, should be provided relief money on a par with the Kashmir and other migrants who had to flee from their homes in Jammu and Kashmir.
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Jammu, August 16 Karpali Devi was bitten by a snake while she was cutting grass in the Pindi area here. She was taken to a hospital where doctors declared her brought dead, the police said. Darshan Lal died of snake bite in the Chakwana area of Kathua district. — PTI
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