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Tara suspends kanungo, 3 others
Farooq hints at taking NC charge from Omar
Omar allocates portfolios, retains Home
RTO’s office raided
Sleuths of the Crime Branch conduct a raid on the Regional Transport Officer’s office in Jammu on Saturday. Photo: Inderjeet Singh |
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Tourist traders pin hopes on Gulmarg sports festival
JSM(P) distances itself from sangharsh samiti
State to have 2 commando training centres
Garbage, stray animals add to traffic chaos
Involve people for solving state’s problems: Mehbooba
Mehbooba set to vacate LS seat
PDP to act as effective Oppn: Mufti
Another woman held for helping terrorists
3 brothers held for youth’s murder
CRPF jawan shoots colleague
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Tara suspends kanungo, 3 others
Jammu, January 10 Tara Chand visited the office of deputy commissioner, Jammu. He went around various sections of the office and ordered the suspension of Sadar kanungo and the transfer of Sadar naib-kanungo. He asked the additional district development commissioner to post new incumbents in their place. He also instructed the revenue authorities to make revenue papers available to people in a hassle-free manner and submit weekly reports of these to the divisional commissioner, Jammu. Tara Chand also paid a surprise visit to the Directorate of Sheep Husbandry and enquired about the stock and supply position of medicines and instruments. He visited several sections of the directorate and instructed the authorities to ensure a smooth distribution and supply of medicines to the districts and submit weekly reports to the divisional commissioner’s office. Here also, he ordered the suspension of a senior assistant, an assistant stock man and an orderly for being absent from office. The minister also reviewed the progress of work on Phase I of the 54-kanal Children’s Park-cum-Walkway coming up near the Tawi river. The project is being constructed at a cost of Rs 5.48 crore, out of which Rs 3.65 crore has so far been expended. He instructed the executing agency to complete the project by March 2009. He also visited various wards of the hospital and interacted with patients and their attendants. The minister also inspected the ongoing work of Rs 40 crore super speciality hospital and Rs 3 crore five-storey attendants’ sarai at Bakhshi Nagar. He was informed that Rs 20 crore had so far been spent on the hospital, which was being constructed by the Central Public Works Department under the PMSSY, while the Police Housing Corporation had spent Rs 2 crore on the construction of the sarai. Tara Chand also inspected the additional 200-bedded paediatric block of the SMGS Hospital, which is nearing completion. |
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Farooq hints at taking NC charge from Omar
Srinagar, January 10 “Omar has the gigantic task of taking Jammu and Kashmir on the road to development and progress. Therefore, it is imperative to relieve him of responsibilities relating to party work,” he told NC workers here. The former Chief Minister exhorted the party workers to strengthen the party at the grass-roots level in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “Wherever our party has failed in the recent Assembly election, we have to know the reasons to prepare ourselves for the next examination (parliamentary elections),” Abdullah said. He said the new government was serious to initiate a dialogue between the Centre and the separatists to strengthen the peace process in the state. “Our party successfully tried to involve the Hurriyat leadership in the dialogue process in the past. Now, we have to take this process to its logical conclusion,” the NC patriach said. Favouring greater autonomy for the state, he said it was the goal of his party and “we will do our best to restore rights of the people guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution”. The senior Abdullah said the NC would take steps to strengthen relations with the Congress in the state. “Every step will be taken to cement coordination between my party and the Congress as the welfare of people lies in good relations between the two parties,” he said.
— PTI |
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Omar allocates portfolios, retains Home
Jammu, January 10 An official note issued by the state Information Department said Congress legislator from Chammb and Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand was given housing, urban development, municipalities, elections, printing and stationery. Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed (Congress) was allotted school education and public enterprises, while Ali Mohammad Sagar (NC) was given rural development and panchayats. Mian Altaf Ahmad (NC) was given forests, environment and ecology, while Taj Mohi-ud-Din (Congress) was allotted public health engineering, irrigation and flood control. Nawang Rigzin Jora (Congress) was allotted tourism and culture, while Surjeet Singh Salathia (NC) was given industries and commerce, labour and employment. Sham Lal Sharma (Congress) was allotted health, horticulture and floriculture. However, other portfolios, including home, shall remain with Omar.
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RTO’s office raided
Jammu, January 10 Official sources said a team of the Crime Branch today swooped on the RTO’s office and checked official records. The police also seized cash and questioned some employees, they added. The sources said the sleuths also closed the main gate of the RTO’s office and didn’t allow anyone to
enter. SSP, Crime Branch, JP Singh said following allegations that public money was being embezzled and was not reaching the state’s coffers, the raid was conducted. “The RTO’s office has a huge record and its scrutiny is going on,” he said, adding that no arrests had been made so far. It may be stated here that the RTO’s office here has allegedly become a den of corruption. Meanwhile, two double-barrel guns were stolen from a gun shop in Gangyal here late last night. Reports said thieves broke open the shutters of Vishwakarma Gun Shop and decamped with the guns. |
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Tourist traders pin hopes on Gulmarg sports festival
Srinagar, January 10 The winter sports festival is expected to boost winter tourism in the valley and it is hoped that foreign tourists would visit Kashmir. Aftereffects of the Mumbai attack are casting their shadow over the foreign tourist inflow to the valley. Following the attack, most of the foreign bookings have been cancelled while the rush of domestic tourists is picking up. “The Mumbai attack has badly affected the winter foreign tourist arrival to the valley and the situation has worsened following the issuance of fresh advisories by the USA and the UK. Immediately after the Mumbai attack, booking cancellations by foreign tourists rose to 40 per cent. It picked up by 3 or 4 per cent later. More foreigners are expected to visit the valley now as the situation is changing,” says Rauf Tramboo, president of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) and executive member of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Alliance. Tramboo says the flow of domestic tourists is picking up. “In winters, the tourism in the valley becomes Gulmarg-centric because of snow skiing. Just 30-40 per cent of the tourists visit Pahalgam, while Sonamarg remains out of bounds for them,” he says, adding that the Gulmarg festival is expected to attract more foreign tourists. |
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JSM(P) distances itself from sangharsh samiti
Jammu, January 10 However, the JSM (P) has decided to contest the Municipal and the Panchayat elections in all districts of Jammu province and would work with other like-minded parties for creating a united platform to strengthen the Jammu Statehood movement so as to take it to its logical conclusion. Addressing media persons here today, JSM (P) president Prof Virender Gupta said sangharsh samiti convener Leela Karan Sharma and other office-bearers covertly and overtly canvassed for the BJP candidates. Though there was a wave against Congress and Kashmiri leaders in most of the constituencies contested by the JSM (P), because of the Amarnath land issue, the voters were swayed by the BJP propaganda, he added. He said the people were enthusiastically receptive to the idea of the reorganisation of the state and creation of separate states of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh within the Union of India, but in the backdrop of land dispute the voters were swayed by the BJP propaganda. Sangharsh Samiti convener and other office-bearers in connivance with the BJP also rejected the demand of the samiti constituents to contest the elections under one platform, he said. They covertly and overtly canvassed for the BJP candidates forgetting that the sangharsh samiti was supposed to be an apolitical organisation, he said adding that all these unethical activities were detrimental to the JSM (P) despite the fact that we were an active constituent of the umbrella organisation. He also alleged that during the elections all major political parties and some Independent candidates flouted the model code of conduct with immunity. “Money and muscle power along with the government machinery was utilised to the hilt to help candidates of major political parties,” he said. He said in the wake of samiti’s dubious role during the elections, we dissociated from it. Even, I too resigned from the core committee of the sangarsh samiti with immediate effect because it had become an instrument of the BJP and its allies. |
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State to have 2 commando training centres
Jammu, January 10 The state government has decided to have two commando companies attached with each armed police battalions that were raised in the state since 2005. This decision was taken during the recent Chief Minister’s conference in Delhi, which was presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This, according to top official sources, will help the government to have at least two battalions of commandos. The Centre is expected to release Rs 3 crore per annum for commando training programme. Earlier, the state administration has to seek assistance either from the Army or from the Centre for dispatching companies of commandos for meeting any emergency or eventuality like terrorist strikes. The state government has also sought technical and financial assistance from the Centre for upgrading the forensic science laboratories in the state. Official sources said: “Though we have adequate number of such laboratories, we do not have highly sophisticated equipments and trained people to run these laboratories.” The government has decided to formulate a scheme for sending people for training in the country’s premier forensic science laboratories on rotational basis. Another scheme on the anvil pertains to the strengthening of the state intelligence grid. Sources said: “So far, we have not been able to attract talented people to the state CID unit as everybody prefers to be either in the Police Department or Traffic Department.” The sources said a plan was being considered for delinking the intelligence setup from the police so that better emoluments and perks could attract talented people to the CID wing. |
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Garbage, stray animals add to traffic chaos
Jammu, January 10 Staff of the Jammu Municipal Corporation dump garbage taken out of drains along roads instead of disposing it of at specified dumping sites. Heaps of garbage at various places on roads, particularly Jewel Chowk, obstruct traffic movement, leading to congestion and jams. Stray dogs and cattle, who feed on garbage, further hamper the movement of vehicles. These animals have also caused injuries to commuters on some occasions. Kamlesh Sharma, a resident of Jeewal, said, “The MC safai karamcharis have cleaned the drain after numerous pleadings, but instead of dumping garbage at the proper place they have left it on the road, creating a nuisance for the area residents.” The pathetic condition of main roads is already giving a tough time to commuters in the city. At many places, roads have developed holes and in the absence of streetlights the possibility of accidents during night increases.
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Involve people for solving state’s problems: Mehbooba
Srinagar, January 10 Mehbooba, who has been elected from the Wachi constituency of Shopian district in south Kashmir, was addressing a post-poll victory rally at Imamsahib at Wachi today. She said the PDP would ensure that people’s participation in the political decision-making process did not remain confined to just elections. The PDP president said not only the diverse shades of political opinion, but also civil society had to be involved actively in finding solution to the state’s political and economic problems. Mehbooba said her party would give reasonable space and time to the new government to deliver on its commitments made during the elections. She hoped that the new government fulfilled its promises of releasing all political detainees, providing jobs to at least two lakh unemployed youth, stipend to the educated unemployed youth, lowering educational qualification for the recruitment of constables in police to Class VIII, according the Scheduled Tribe status to Pahari-speaking people, slashing electricity tariff, subsidising LPG cylinder and ration, implementing the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations, increasing the retirement age of the state government employees to 60 and hiking the monthly pension of widows, orphans and destitute. Expressing gratitude to the people of the state in general and Pulwama and Shopian districts, Mehbooba said the party would strive to uphold the people’s right to security, honour and dignity.
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Mehbooba set to vacate LS seat
Srinagar, January 10 Mehbooba and her father former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have been elected to the state Assembly in the recent elections. “Mehooba has decided to remain in the state and further strengthen the party at the grass-root level,” sources in the party said. She would also be the leader of the PDP legislature party instead of its patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, the sources revealed. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was elected from Ganderbal, is also set to vacate the Lok Sabha seat. With this the two seats of Anantnag and Srinagar would be falling vacant in the Lok Sabha. NC member representing Baramulla constituency AR Shaheen, who also contested the recent Assembly elections, however, lost the Assembly elections from Pattan. Jammu and Kashmir Assembly’s pro-tem Speaker Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam has accepted NC leader Farooq Abdullah’s resignation as MLA from the Hazratbal constituency. Farooq had been elected from two constituencies of Hazratbal and Sonwar in the Assembly polls.
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PDP to act as effective Oppn: Mufti
Jammu, January 10 “Our party is not pursuing the agenda to grab power, but our agenda is to establish sustainable peace in the state by fulfilling the aspirations of people of all sections of society,” Mufti said. He was addressing a function organised to welcome Shoukat Javed Daing, who had contested the Assembly election from Banihal segment and was runner up on this seat. Shoukat today joined the PDP in presence of Mufti Sayeed and other senior leaders of the party. “Although we get less seats than the NC, the PDP secured more votes,” Sayeed said. “We have enough strength to aggressively pursue our agenda of fulfilling wishes and aspirations of the people of the state,” he said. He said: “The government is on test to perform”.
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Another woman held for helping terrorists
Jammu, January 10 The woman identified as Quresha Bi, wife of Mohammad Fareed, was arrested from Mendhar yesterday and has been shifted to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), Jammu, for interrogation, sources said. She has been arrested on the disclosure of Muneeza Bi, who was taken into custody earlier for sheltering the militants and is already being interrogated at the JIC. The encounter, which started on December 31, was called off on the grounds that the militants had slipped out taking advantage of the rugged terrain and prevailing climatic conditions. — UNI
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3 brothers held for youth’s murder
Jammu, January 10 SSP, Jammu, Manohar Singh said the police had arrested main accused Ravinder Kumar, alias Babbu, and his two younger brothers Raj Kumar, alias Raju, and Happy, alias Makhnu, all residents of Sainik colony. Official sources said Rajinder had allegedly been teasing their sister and this led to a scuffle between them on January 7. A case has been registered. |
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CRPF jawan shoots colleague
Srinagar, January 10 The sources said there was an exchange of hot words between two CRPF personnel at the Company Headquarters of the 93 Battalion F-company at Achabal in Anantnag. Constable Kundan Lal shot at and critically wounded constable Parveen Kumar. The injured was rushed to the district hospital, Anantnag, where he died. The cause of their clash was not known.
— UNI
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Following complaints of large-scale bungling, Crime Branch sleuths raided the office of the Regional Transport Officer
(RTO) here today.
Srinagar, January 10
