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Plan to tap tourism potential of Bungus, Gurez valleys
Bid to resolve factionalism in Kishtwar BJP unit
Kidnapped shopkeeper escapes
CM cancels Bahu Plaza allotments
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Surveillance system along LoC to keep eye on infiltrators
Drive to check cattle snatching by militants
Passengers escape unhurt
EC orders revision of poll rolls
Shrine tourism key to
J-K economy: Study
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Plan to tap tourism potential of Bungus, Gurez valleys
Srinagar, September 23 Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on his visit to Kupwara last week announced that the Bungus valley would be opened for tourists next year adding the place would be publicised. He said officers and local legislators would visit the area in a week to take stock of the infrastructure requirement. During his earlier visit to Doda district, the Chief Minister said tourism had a multiplier effect on economy and called upon people to benefit from schemes launched by the government to promote this sector. Inaugurating three pre-fab tourist huts at Khallani in the remote area of Doda district last week, Azad said the development of tourism infrastructure at various places in the state ensured the arrival of more tourists which would boost economy and generate employment. Under a new scheme to promote tourism in rural areas, people in several tourist villages are provided up to Rs 2 lakh for upgrading a portion of their house to be rented out to tourists as paying guests. Tourism minister Mohammad Dilawar Mir here yesterday said helicopter services up to newer tourist destinations like Gurez, Bungus and Doodpathri were needed to give exposure to virgin tourist places.He said recommendations for this purpose would be sent to the Cabinet shortly. About Rs 5.30 crore would be incurred on development and upgradation of tourism infrastructure, the minister disclosed at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) here. The JKTDC was contemplating constructing tourist plaza at Katra and creating additional 18-double bedrooms at Cheshma Shahi, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, besides construction of a 30-room hotel at Pahalgam. The corporation also intended to install central heating system in huts at tourist spots in phases. The meeting was informed of the construction of four-storeyed hotel block at TRC Srinagar having additional 42 double-bed rooms, besides a modern café and restaurant on the ground floor is nearing completion at a cost of Rs 4 crore. Likewise, Royal Block at TRC was being expended at a cost of Rs 90 lakh. A modern tourist bunglow was being constructed at Tangmarg at a cost of Rs 90 lakh for tourists’ convenience.The club building at Pahalgam would be re-constructed at a cost of Rs 8 crore with facilities of conferences, indoor games, swimming pool, suites for stay of VIPs, the meeting was told. The board also approved the instalation of elevators at the TRC, Srinagar, and Royal Block TRC, Jammu. |
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Bid to resolve factionalism in Kishtwar BJP unit
Udhampur, September 23 Resentment, which was brewing among party leaders following the removal of Anil Parihar from the post of district president, came to the fore when 12 leaders of Kishtwar resigned from the party. Last week the state unit of the BJP removed Anil Parihar from the post of the district president and appointed Aksham Sharma the new district president. This decision of the party evoked resentment from supporters of Parihar. Although Parihar has maintained guarded silence on his removal, his supporters came out against the decision of the party leadership. They warned that this decision of the party would prove disastrous for the party in the newly carved Kishtwar district. In a written statement here today dissenting BJP leaders alleged that the party leadership was not serious in strengthening the party at the grass-root level and lambasted the high command for imposing district president on them. The party high command after appointing the new district president has accommodated leaders of both factions in the new district unit. But the group loyal to Parihar has raised a revolt against decision of the party high command. Serious differences cropped up within the district unit of the party after Parihar was chosen district president. Signatories to the statement are Hans Raj Bhagat, Girdhari Lal Sharma, Bansi Lal Sharma, Desraj Parihar, Ravi Kumar Gupta, Shiv Kumar Gupta, Daulat Ram Parihar, Des Raj Parihar, Chaman Lal Sharma, Nath Ram, Raj Kumar and Rajesh
Bhagat.
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Kidnapped shopkeeper escapes
Rajouri, September 23 Sources said militants kidnapped Vinod Kumar, son of Bhola Ram of Dhangri village, a poultry owner. As the word about Kumar being kidnapped spread in the area and reached his family members, they informed the police, which along with the Army, launched a search operation in the area. The sources said Kumar under militant’s captivity kept walking with them till Tattapani village where heavy firing frightened the militants. Amidst all this, Kumar’s foot slipped and he came down rolling, the sources added. He managed to reach 17 Punjab camp and surrendered before them.
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CM cancels Bahu Plaza allotments
Jammu, September 23 Following the eruption of controversy over the allotment of a hall in the Bahu Plaza complex to his brother, Azad has ordered not only the cancellation of the favour, but also nullified 30 other allotments of shops and space in the commercial complex. The report submitted by Ashok Parmar, vice-chairman of the JDA, reveals the names of those connected with politics, media and other influential persons allotted property in Bahu Plaza. These allotments were made during the past seven years since 2000. The General Administration Department in the secretariat yesterday ordered Parmar to cancel all allotments made in violation of rules. The controversy touched off recently when housing minister Qazi Afzal ordered allotment of hall No. 209 (A-2) consisting of 781 sq feet in Bahu Plaza to Sajjad Ahmad by bending rules. Ahmad, who is a leading forest lessee, sought allotment of the hall by claiming that he was facing financial problem and other hardships because of unemployment and required the hall for his livelihood. In a note, Parmar informed the minister that the allotment of the hall on the basis of the application of Ahmad was “not covered under the policy of the JDA”. However, Parmar put the entire discretion on the minister by recommending on July 14 that “keeping in view the circumstances faced by Sajjad Ahmad, the minister may take a view regarding allotment”. Consequent to the approval of the minister, the JDA issued the allotment letter to Ahmad on August 30. Faced with a controversy on the issue, Azad sought a report on the matter and yesterday ordered the cancellation of all 31 allotments made in violation of rules.
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Surveillance system along LoC to keep eye on infiltrators
Jammu, September 23 Imported from Israel, the system named Surveillance Grid is installed at a few selected points as pilot project, in the areas prone to large-scale infiltration. Surveillance Grid, the first monitoring system of its kind in entire South Asia, makes combined use of high-power cameras, thermal sensing cameras and long range observation system (Loros) to monitor all types of movements at and across the LoC. The cameras incorporated in the grid can see up to 17 km; thermal cameras can see any type of activity at night and Loros is a multi-sensor imaging system for long-range day-night observation. The data collected by all three systems is transferred to different locations where it is monitored by specially trained Army officers. Indigenously prepared software records not only the footage from all three types of cameras, but also passes a special warning when there is any type of suspicious activity at and across the LoC. The Army is planning to install more surveillance grids at other sensitive points at the LoC and talks to acquire more such grids from Israel are going on at the Defence Ministry level. “The success rate of surveillance grid is very high. Now we track a militant from his launching pad in PoK, let him cross the LoC and continue monitoring him till he enters a no-return point in our territory. There we put an ambush and kill him before he could enter any further,” an Army officer told The Tribune. PRO of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army Lt-Col A. K. Mathur said, “Information regarding the use of the surveillance grid being classified in nature, cannot be disclosed to the media, but yes the Army is using various surveillance techniques to monitor the borders and the Army is improving continuously its surveillance gadgetry.” |
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Drive to check cattle snatching by militants
Udhampur, September 23 Although the Doda police has maintained silence over the operation being launched to retrieve the snatched cattle, sources said militants had taken shelter in the Kither forest of Kishtwar and now they were moving towards the Chingham area of Chatroo to smuggle cattle into the Kashmir valley. The police in Doda and Kishtwar districts have constituted special teams to check the smuggling of snatched cattle from Himachal and Doda to the Kashmir valley. The Kishtwar police had already recovered over 100 sheep which were snatched from the Marwah area and later transported into South Kashmir through the Singthantop route. “This is a new trend and we are keeping a strict vigil on the new game plan of the militants to snatch cattle from shepherds of upper reaches and later transporting them to the Kashmir valley'', SP Mumtaz Ahmed told The Tribune. |
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Passengers escape unhurt
Srinagar, September 23 The airliner was about to take off at about 12:10 pm for Delhi via Jammu when the snag was detected before take-off. All passengers and crew who escaped unhurt were later flown to their destinations in other flights, police sources said.
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EC orders revision of poll rolls
Srinagar, September 23 An official spokesman here said the qualifying date for the Poonch Haveli constituency had been fixed for October 1
this year. The Poonch constituency fell vacant with the death of MLA Ghulam Mohammad Jan earlier
this year. All persons who have attained the age of 18 years on or before January 1,2008, were eligible to apply for the inclusion of names in the electoral rolls, the spokesman said. For the Poonch Haveli Assembly constituency draft publication of the rolls has been fixed on October 1 and the period of filing claims and objections up to October 18.
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Shrine tourism key to
J-K economy: Study
Srinagar, September 23 The research by the Department of Management Studies, IIT, said in its report submitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board that the total impact of the shrine income on the economy of Jammu and Kashmir would be almost twice as that on the economy of Katra. Principal investigator Dr Sudhir K. Jain said in his report that Katra would be earning over Rs 1,000 cr and employing 60,000 persons due to pilgrims arrival. And the good news was that it was growing at 11per cent annually. “The study will help us plan various shrine-related tourism projects in the state as these are important to its economy,” shrine board CEO Arun Kumar, who is also the principal secretary to the Governor, told
The Tribune. Kumar, who is also the CEO of the shrine board, said they would also be making a similar study to assess the economic impact of the Amarnath yatra, which attracted fewer pilgrims than Vaishno Devi largely due to the harsh conditions and the fact that it was open only for two months a year. The two-year-long study said the potential of the shrine-related tourism in the state was huge with the number of pilgrims to Katra rising steadily over the years. From a one-horse town to becoming an important economic hub of the state, Katra had come a long way due to the shrine tourism.
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