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BJP to oppose fresh taxes
PM Gram Sadak Yojna
Amarnath Shrine Board |
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Security beefed up for R-Day
Omar lauds role of IAF
3 booked for fraud
Two Lashkar ultras killed
Peerzada in spot for manhandling officer
Hindustan Co bags Kishanganga hydropower project
Warmer nights in valley, Ladakh shivers
Silent protest by separatists
ABVP hails varsity decision
Powergrid CMD felicitated
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BJP to oppose fresh taxes
Jammu, January 24 Stating this, BJP president Ashok Khajuria said today, “We will not allow
Finance Minister AR Rather to burden the people with fresh taxes in his budget
proposal to be made during the upcoming budget session of the Assembly.” He said Jammu and Kashmir was a “consumer state” and the tax structure had already reached the saturation point. He said there was need to resolve the problem of unemployment and poverty, adding that since the picture in the industrial, agricultural, tourism and transport sectors in the state was dismal there was no scope for the Finance Minister to impose fresh taxes. Referring to the way previous governments had enhanced taxes and excise on CSD items, Khajuria said the result of hike in taxes and excise duty was that prices of various items, including electronic and electric appliances in the CSD in the state were higher than other CSDs in the country. Leader of the Panthers Party in the Assembly, Harsh Dev Singh, said it would be better for the government to improve tax collection. In this connection he referred to the power sector and said during the past 10 years power tariff had been increased twice and as such there was no scope for enhancing the tariff rates. He said instead the government should check distribution and transmission losses that had touched 47 per cent. Singh and Khajuria said the Finance Minister should initiate measures for checking outflows in power tariff realisation and tax and excise collections. They said enhancing tax and excise duties on CSD items was almost a punishment for ex-servicemen and those in service in the Army and the paramilitary forces. However, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party Ghulam Hassan Mir said without additional resource mobilisation it was not possible for the government to tackle the problem of unemployment. |
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PM Gram Sadak Yojna
Jammu, January 24 He has directed the authorities concerned to draw up immediately a comprehensive schematic abstract of such schemes whose execution faces impediments on account of forest clearances or acquisition of proprietary land by the revenue agencies concerned, so that matter is taken up at the highest level for clearance. Reviewing the progress on the implementation of the yojna in the state, Rather during a meeting in Jammu asked the agencies concerned to reactivate men and machinery to dispel the impression that work on this prestigious programme was going slow. He said bottlenecks, if any, in achieving the set targets under the programme could be removed. He added that soon a high level joint meeting of the officers of the yojna, forest, revenue and rural development departments would be convened under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to remove bottlenecks in the way of speedy execution of the programme. The minister directed the chief engineer of the yojna to formulate
new project reports for Phase VII of the programme immediately for seeking the approval of the Centre. |
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Amarnath Shrine Board
Jammu, January 24 Union Minister for Water Resources and state Congress president Saif-ud-Din Soz had recently written a letter to Governor NN Vohra asking him to include a member of Malik family in the board. The Malik family had discovered the shrine in year 1850 and was the joint custodian till the board was constituted in 2000. However, the samiti had warned against any such move, stating that it would have serious repercussions. Samiti convener Lila Karan Sharma said neither there was any provision in the Shrine Board Act for the inclusion of a Muslim in the board nor there was any possibility. “Even if the Governor is a Muslim, he has to nominate a chairman,” he said, dubbing Soz’s demand as an “election stunt aimed at appeasing Kashmiris”. “It is nothing but a move to dilute the Shrine Board Act,” he added. However, he said they had no objection if the Malik family was given compensation. The Governor had reconstituted the shrine board on January 7 by appointing six new members -- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, noted environmentalist Sunita Narain, Justice (retd.) GD Sharma, Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Dr Ved Kumari Ghai -- for three years. |
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Security beefed up for R-Day
Srinagar, January 24 Barricades have been erected around the venue for the main function at Bakshi Stadium and there is heavy deployment of the security forces on the surrounding roads where a full dress rehearsal of Republic Day March Past was held today. Contingents from the police, the Army, the CRPF and other agencies will parade and students of various schools will conduct cultural programmes during the march past, the sources said. DC, Kashmir, Masood Samoon took the salute at the dress rehearsal for Monday’s function, they said. The security forces have been asked to remain vigilant ahead of Republic Day, as there are apprehensions that militants might try to carry out a spectacular attack to get into the limelight, they said. The security forces started random frisking of passers-by and searches of vehicles since yesterday in the areas near Bakshi Stadium, including Lal Chowk, Exhibition Crossing, Budshah Chowk, Wazir Bagh, Haft Chinar, Rambagh and Iqbal Park, the sources said. The police and the paramilitary personnel have been deployed around vital installations to thwart any militant plans but their presence is not as overwhelming as it used to be in previous years ahead of Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations in the valley.
— PTI |
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Dress rehearsal held in Jammu
Jammu, January 24 Hundreds of students from different schools and colleges presented cultural items while the Army displayed equipment besides dare devil skills on the occasion. The Department of School Education had also arranged various programmes in coordination with Directorate of Youth Services and Sports. “Elaborate arrangements for drinking water, electricity, sanitation and health were made for the smooth conduct of function,” an official spokesman said. Meanwhile, there was no restriction on traffic in the city except in and around the venue. Hundreds of troops of the paramilitary forces, the Army and the state police were deployed at various checkpoints and temporary barricades were put in for security checks, he said.
— UNI |
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Omar lauds role of IAF
Jammu, January 24 During his interaction with IAF officers and their families at the Air Force Station here, Omar lauded the role of the IAF, especially during natural calamities, in providing succour to the people by launching rescue and relief operations. Referring to the Assembly elections, Omar said the IAF played an appreciable role during the run-up to the elections by airlifting poll personnel and election material to the far-flung and inaccessible areas. The Station Commander, IAF, Group Capt V Prakash, while welcoming Omar, said the IAF officers were keen to interact with the youngest Chief Minister. Later, Omar also visited the Air Force Museum and signed the visitors’ book. The Chief Minister was also presented a memento on the occasion. |
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3 booked for fraud
Jammu, January 24 “A case was registered against accused Shakeel Ahmad, assistant registrar, Cooperative Society, Surankote, and his associates Baldev Raj and Surinder Singh, the then auditors of the society, who had entered into a criminal conspiracy with Anwar Hussain, secretary, Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Lassana, Surankote,” official spokesman said. The officials, however, abusing their official position, manipulated records and misappropriated Rs 1,03,476 collected as sale proceeds of fertilisers, he added. Meanwhile, case under sections 120-B, 409, 467, 468, 471 of the Ranbir Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the
J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006, was registered against them. “During the course of verification, it was found that the accused under a criminal conspiracy made false entries in the cashbook of the society in the form of double and fictitious entries during 1999 to 2003,” the spokesman said, adding that they thereafter prepared fake audit reports to adjust misappropriated funds.
— UNI |
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Two Lashkar ultras killed
Srinagar, January 24 Today’s encounter has come as another shot in the arm for security forces in north Kashmir, as they had recently killed Tamim, a Pakistani, who was a top operative of the Al-Badr in the valley. Besides, they arrested Ahsan Dar, a founder of Hizbul Mujahideen, from there. The police said it had information regarding the movement of militants in the forests and launched an operation with the 30 Rashtriya Rifles. The militants fired upon the advancing parties, but were killed in the firefight. The gunbattle lasted nearly eight hours and two AK rifles were seized from their possession. In another development, the police arrested last evening a Sikh, Popinder Singh, who worked as a helper for a LeT operative. Popinder was arrested on disclosures by an overground worker of the LeT, Riyaz Khan. An alcoholic, Poopinder allowed Khan to hide arms and ammunition at his place in lieu of money. Official sources said he was a minor player for militants and helped LeT sympathisers for money. He was not actively involved in militancy but readily became a courier of the militants for making a quick buck. |
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Peerzada in spot for manhandling officer
Srinagar, January 24 Sayeed got angry over the absence of water supply to a guest house in his constituency, where he had gone to address a rally. Local sources said the minister was told that there was no water supply in the VIP hut he was staying in due to chilling winter conditions. Sayeed accompanied by his wife got enraged and allegedly used foul language and roughed up the officer, Amin Mir, who was the in charge of the arrangements. Officials present there conformed the development, though Sayeed could not be reached for comments. Sayeed earlier addressed a public rally in his constituency from where he managed to win for the second time against odds as he was dropped from the Azad government on corruption charges. He then went to the guest house where the incident occurred. Officials said Mir termed the incident a public humiliation and would be filing a police complaint. |
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Hindustan Co bags Kishanganga hydropower project
Srinagar, January 24 Work on the project would be completed within a period of seven years, a spokesman of the HCC said, adding that the contract of the project is on turnkey basis and valued at approximately Rs 2,726.49 crore, with the HCC-Halcrow consortium to have a share of 98:2, respectively. The Kishanganga Hydroelectric project is located on Kishanganga river, a tributary of river Jhelum. The project involves the construction of a 37 m high concrete faced rock-fill dam, 23.5 km of head-race tunnel and an underground powerhouse. A maximum gross head of 665 m is proposed to be utilised to generate 1,350 MU of energy, in a 90 per cent dependable year with an installed capacity of 3x110 MW, the spokesman said. This is an EPC contract where HCC would be responsible for engineering, procurement and construction of all items, including civil and associated infrastructure works like supply, installation, testing and commissioning of all electromechanical plant and machinery and hydro-mechanical components. The project would be completed commissioned in an estimated period of 84 months. The spokesman quoting Vinayak Deshpande, president and chief operating officer, HCC said: “This is a prestigious contract win for us. HCC has successfully constructed over 23 per cent of India’s hydel power generation capacity, including several challenging hydel power projects in the Himalayan regions. The HCC has built the state’s largest hydroelectric power project — the Salal Dam and is currently also developing five other infrastructure projects. These include three hydro power projects, Chutak HEPP (in Kargil), Nimoo Bazgo HEPP (in Leh) and URI HEPP and the Pirpanjal Tunnels of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link. The project was stalled for six months in the wake of controversy over Baghliar power project wherein the World Bank had to intervene. Under the Indus Water Treaty, India has rights on the waters of Sutlej, Ravi and Beas while Pakistan on the waters of the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers. |
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Warmer nights in valley, Ladakh shivers
Srinagar, January 24 Leh district was the coldest with the night temperature recorded as minus degrees Celsius, the spokesman said. Comparing to yesterday’s -15.4°C, the night temperature recorded in Kargil district this morning was
-8.6°C, the spokesman said. He said the nights remained warm in rest of the valley, including summer capital Srinagar, where the minimum temperature was 3.2°C — over
5°C above normal. Srinagar also recorded the day temperature of over 12°C yesterday, which is 7°C above normal. The night in Kupwara was a bit warmer than Srinagar with mercury settling at 3.4°C, the spokesman said, adding that the minimum temperature recorded at hill resort of Pahalgam was 1.1°C, where -10°C was the normal temperature for this part of the season. Aamir Ali, officer on special duty with the DC, Kashmir, said a western disturbance had hit the state and under its influence rain or snow was likely at many places today and tomorrow.
— UNI |
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MC workers hold protest
Srinagar, January 24 Two of its employees were attacked by angry residents in the vicinity of the lone garbage-dumping site at Achen Saidpora here yesterday. Over 5,000 employees have launched a five-day strike against the attacks on its employees and demanded security
for them. The residents here have been demanding shifting of the dumping site because it is hazardous to the health of the residents. The corporation has been facing repeated resentment and protests in the area over the past few months, while it has no other alternative for the dumping the garbage from the municipal limits of the Srinagar city. The dumping of entire garbage of the city with a population of about 15 lakh has been going since long and there has been no other alternative site for the purpose, with the area limits of the city expanding. According to protesting employees, the strike would continue for five days and demanded immediate attention of the concerned authorities to solve the problem. |
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Silent protest by separatists
Srinagar, January 24 The “silent protest” was also staged in protest against the alleged harassment of people by way of search operations and security checks ahead of the Republic day celebrations. Tight security arrangements around vital installations and the venues of Republic Day functions had been made. Talking to mediapersons, Bhat said innocent people were being harassed in the name of security ahead of Republic Day. The Salvation Movement is a constituent group of the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Bhat expressed concern over the continuing arrest of senior Hurriyat leaders like Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Masarrat Alam Bhat, Bilal Siddiquee, Nannaji Saleem and others. Most of these leaders arrested during the election process in the state had been arrested again under the PSA. |
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ABVP hails varsity decision
Jammu, January 24 As per a press statement issued here, the ABVP has described the grant of open choice as “marked victory” of the student community. They described the grant as a means of compensation to the students of colleges after loss of academic period during Amarnath land agitation and the Assembly elections held in the state. |
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Powergrid CMD felicitated
Jammu, January 24 |
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