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Governor underscores growth with equity
R-Day celebrated across Kashmir
Tricolour fails to unfurl, ASI suspended
Delimitation Panel |
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DD Kashir music festival
Samiti roots for consensus LS candidates
Rain, hail damage fruit, vegetable crops
People frolic on Jammu’s Canal Road following a hailstorm on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma
Protests over garbage dumping
Child’s death triggers protests
Minister’s remarks earn Hurriyat ire
Tarigami seeks regular
power supply
Nurse held for stealing ATM card
2 held for killing BSF jawan
Ultra killed, another encounter on
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Governor underscores growth with equity
Jammu, January 27 Vohra while speaking here yesterday after unfurling the national flag on the occasion of 60th Republic Day celebrations, stressed upon the need for reviewing and suitably modifying the basic framework for ensuring delivery of various important services to the common man. Vohra called for evolving a new paradigm of developmental planning and implementation to ensure that all such schemes, which relate to the basic needs of the common man, are efficiently and timely executed to yield quick and satisfying results. “We must move towards an inclusive approach to achieve socio-economic growth so that the weak, disadvantaged and vulnerable sections of our society become equal stakeholders in the development enterprise and effective partners in the march towards building a strong and a vibrant state which delivers governance founded in equity and justice,” Vohra said, adding that for achieving this objective it would be imperative to empower the people by establishing Panchayati Raj. The Governor said the liberal funding by the Centre to the state had opened up vistas of opportunities for changing the traditional approaches to achieve development goals. Apart from a robust plan allocation of Rs 4,500 crore for the current financial year, and a thousand crore package under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan, he said the state government was receiving sizable financial flows under the centrally sponsored programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna, the National Rural Health Mission, National Urban Renewal Mission, Border Area Development Programme, and the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme. The Governor said, “It is a matter for considerable satisfaction that, after the turmoil last year, the overall law and order situation has been speedily progressing towards complete normalcy.” He said the militancy related incidents and the number of civilian casualties had reduced substantially, to the levels which are the lowest ever in the last two decades of militancy. |
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R-Day celebrated across Kashmir
Srinagar, January 27 Sagar was addressing a gathering at Bakshi Stadium, the main venue of the Republic Day celebrations, in the Kashmir valley here yesterday. He appealed to all political leaders and people to extend full cooperation to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in realising his dream of making the state like other developed states of the country. The minister said the government had already initiated various measures to meet challenges on various fronts, including unemployment, road connectivity, power, irrigation etc. He unfurled the national flag and took the salute at the march past presented by the contingents of the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, IRP, JKAP, District Police, Ladies Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Forest Protection Force, NCC, schoolchildren, brass band of the BSF and Pipe Band of the JKAP. NC president Farooq Abdullah, several legislators, Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Salman Sagar, divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Masuad Samoon, vice-chancellor of Kashmir University, senior civil, police and Army officers were present on the occasion. Regarding measures initiated to tackle unemployment, the minister said instructions for 8,000 posts of teacher were issued recently and three battalions of police having 5,000 posts would be set up. Besides, a comprehensive employment policy would be framed to tide over the unemployment problem in the state. Sagar said impediments in the way of harnessing the state’s hydroelectric potential would be removed to achieve self-sufficiency in power. Republic Day functions were also held at all district and tehsil headquarters across the valley and the Ladakh region. Minister for Education Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed hoisted the Tricolour at Anantnag district headquarters, while PHE Minister Taj Mohiuddin and Forest Minister Mian Altaf unfurled the flag at Baramulla and Ganderbal district headquarters, respectively. Deputy commissioners hoisted the national flag and took the salute at the march past at various districts. In the Ladakh region, chief executive councillor, LAHDC, Kargil, Kachu Ahmad Ali Khan unfurled the national flag and took the salute at the march past at Kargil district headquarters. |
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Tricolour fails to unfurl, ASI suspended
Jammu, January 27 “Despite several attempts by the deputy commissioner, Poonch, who was the chief guest, the Tricolour failed to unfurl, and the pole on which the flag was placed came down during the function,” sources told UNI, adding that the hoisting ceremony got delayed and the flag was unfurled later. Taking a notice of the incident, BJP activists protested against the authorities and demanded action against the officials responsible for causing disrespect to the National Flag. However, ASI Sagra Singh, who was responsible for making arrangements at the venue, has been placed under suspension and an inquiry has been ordered against
him. — UNI |
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Delimitation Panel
Jammu, January 27 The bill will be tabled during the coming budget session of the Assembly. According to party general secretary Harsh Dev Singh, the Panthers Party will also move a resolution for grant of citizenship rights to the refugees from Pakistan settled in Jammu for the past 60 years. Senior BJP leaders indicated that its 11 members would support the bill and the resolution because “we contested the recent Assembly election on the slogan of redrawing of the Assembly constituencies and on grant of citizenship rights to Pak refugees settled in Jammu.”
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Samiti roots for consensus LS candidates
Udhampur, January 27 The samiti is also in touch with the Ladakh Union Terrority Front (LUTF) to bring Jammu and Ladakh on a common platform to fight against, what it alleged, discrimination by Kashmiri rulers. Sources said the samiti had suggested to field BJP leaders as independent candidates to garner support of all pro-Jammu parties. Sources in the BJP said the party had already sent the names of its probable candidates to the high command. The party was thinking of fielding either Chaman Lal Gupta or Dr Nirmal Singh from Udhampur-Doda. Gupta has represented this Lok Sabha seat for three consecutive terms whereas Dr Singh is a native of Basholi which falls under this parliamentary constituency. The sources further said the samiti, on the other hand, had proposed the name of its spokesman, Jatinder Singh, for Doda-Udhampur seat as a consensus candidate. Jatinder Singh came into prominence during the 63-day agitation during which he put forward Jammu's viewpoint. Samiti leaders are also in touch with the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) leadership to get their support for this seat. The JKNPP has good influence in this seat as the party won the Udhampur and Ramnagar assembly segments during the recent elections.
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Rain, hail damage fruit, vegetable crops
Jammu, January 27 Though hailstorm for nearly two hours this morning was confined by and large to Jammu, heavy rain damaged fruit and vegetable crops, said Sham Singh, a progressive farmer at Patli Morh. Being in the initial stages, wheat and mustard crops escaped with minor losses, but crops like guava, litchi, mango, papaya, strawberry, raspberry, cabbage, peas etc., sustained heavy damage in certain areas of Marh, Akhnoor, and RS Pura, he said. “The strawberry crop, which was being into the process of fruit formation, has sustained heavy damages,” he added. Heavy rain in the dry land (Kandi) areas of Akhnoor would certainly prove beneficial for Rabi crops, but in the low lying areas of Khour, where the soil has enough moisture, vegetable crops bore the brunt of the abnormal climatic change, said Ram Dass of Khour. Kot Bhalwal, Dansal, Akhnoor, Pouni Bharakh and certain areas of Udhampur and Reasi fall in the category of dry land areas. Surjeet Singh, another farmer in RS Pura, said due to heavy rain the wheat crop had suffered a moderate loss here in this Basmati belt. However, associate professor in agronomy at Sher-e-Kashmir University for Agricultural Sciences and Technology Jammu, Dr Anil Kumar described the rain as good for rabi crops. Heavy rain, by and large, would be beneficial for rabi crops, but fruit and vegetable crops in the areas lashed by hailstorm had been affected, he added. “Though flower formation takes place in February and March, early starters have been hit hard by this unprecedented hailstorm because it damaged flowering,” said Dr Anil. Meanwhile, the hailstorm brought smile on the faces of people in the region. People assembled in a large number at Morning Walk Park, Canal Road, this morning, where they witnessed about six inches of accumulated hail. Children and even elders were seen playing and enjoying the hail. Arti Sharma, a student said, “I was going to the college when I saw it. I disembarked from the bus and came here to enjoy it. I have seen it for the first time.” |
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Protests over garbage dumping
Srinagar, January 27 Hundreds of residents of Achen, Saidpora held a demonstration at Residency Road, demanding the shifting of the garbage site from the area. Holding banners “Save Anchar lake, our lives from Death”, the residents blamed the police for harassing them in the areas around Achen, which included Saidpora and Eidgah localities. They said the police had been raiding their houses during night and picking up youths. One youth was picked up in connection with the ongoing trouble over the SMC dumping ground in the area last night. The residents have been for long demanding shifting of the garbage dump as it created environmental hazards for the residents. They claim that as per an agreement 27 years ago, the dumping of city garbage was to see an end by October last year. But, the government did not take any steps in this direction, endangering the health of over 50,000 residents and the adjacent Anchar lake. Scores of SMC employees also took out a march in the Lal Chowk area demanding security to staff and drivers involved in transporting garbage to the dumping site at Achen, Saidpora. Two of its employees were injured in an attack by the residents on Friday. The employees had gone for a five-day strike, demanding security cover. Srinagar Municipal Corporation mayor Salman Sagar said it was not possible to shift the dumping site though measures were being taken to end the crisis. With the employees on strike for the past five days, more than 1500 tonnes of garbage is lying littered along the city limits. |
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Child’s death triggers protests
Srinagar, January 27 The child had died last evening due to alleged lack of medicare facilities at G B Pant Children Hospital, which led to protests by attendants. Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar rushed to the hospital yesterday after the incident and assured that necessary measures would be taken to provide better medicare facilities to the patients in the hospitals. A number of people and attendants of the patients present in the hospital apprised the minister about the problems faced by them for want of adequate medical and paramedical staff and diagnostic facilities. The minister directed the DC, Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo to prepare a detailed report about the staff and other diagnostic requirements of the hospital and submit the same to the Chief Minister and the Health Minister. He also asked CMO, Srinagar, to look into the grievances of the people. Later, speaking to doctors and paramedics Sagar asked them to have a positive and humanely approach towards the patients.
— PTI |
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Minister’s remarks earn Hurriyat ire
Srinagar, January 27 The minister during his Republic Day speech at the function here yesterday, had appealed the separatist and pro-freedom leaders to shun the path ‘hartal politics’ as it had badly affected the economy of the valley. He added that even the labourers, artisans, shikarawalla, shopkeepers, houseboat owners and others had sustained huge losses. He said people were fed up with this ‘hartal politics’ and wanted peace and development in the valley. Appealing all political leaders to rise above political considerations, Sagar said we all had to shoulder responsibilities collectively to provide succour to the common people who had suffered tremendously during the past 20 years. He urged for putting an end to the gun and grenade culture, which had only brought destruction to the state. A spokesman of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said the APHC did not believe in negative politics saying that it did not believe in ‘hartali politics’. He said hartal was the only “civilised way to express political aspirations and view-point” under the circumstances where people were “deprived of all democratic, moral and political rights.” The APHC spokesman further blamed the NC government and its leaders for speaking at the behest of New Delhi. He added that advocating the political aspirations, sentiments and sacrifices of the people of valley was not the negative politics. |
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Tarigami seeks regular
power supply
Jammu, January 27 Tarigami said irregular and long-hour power cuts had not only put consumers to great inconveniences but also had badly affected the industrial units, commercial establishments and essential services in the valley. Tarigami suggested the state government to devise a long lasting and purposeful energy policy to cope up the power crisis in the state once for all. For the purpose, he suggested operating of gas turbines and setting up of micro-hydro and thermal power plants in the state. Tarigami demanded immediate replacement of damaged transformers, wherever needed, and maintaining proper load shedding to give some relief to the consumers. |
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Nurse held for stealing ATM card
Jammu, January 27 SSP, Jammu, Manohar Singh said acting upon a complaint by staff nurse Jatinder Kour posted at Gandhi Nagar Hospital here, the police with the help of the CCTV footage established that Sanjana Kumari, another staff nurse, had withdrawn money from Jatinder’s account using her ATM card. He added that the money had been recovered from the possession of Sanjana and she had been arrested. In a separate incident, the police has recovered the body of an unidentified man, aged around 35 years, from the general bus stand here. It is probing the matter. |
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2 held for killing BSF jawan
Poonch, January 27 Mohammad Latief was found murdered and his body cut into several pieces in the Mendhar area. Two days ago, security forces recovered only his torso from a bag near a water tank in the area, the police said today. Ulfat Begum, wife of the deceased, and Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, his son-in-law have been taken into custody. During the interrogation, the duo admitted that they had conspired to kill the constable and sought help of two more persons, the sources said. The victim, who was posted in a training centre in Vakuntpur in West Bengal, had come to his hometown on a leave.
— PTI |
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Ultra killed, another encounter on Srinagar January 27 The DIG, north Kashmir range, said an unidentified militant was killed and a policeman injured in the encounter at Bakihara in the Handwara area of Kupwara district till the last report came this evening. One house was also gutted in the exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces. The number of militants killed in the encounter could be more and that would be clear only after the clearance of debris in the morning, the DIG said. Acting on specific information about the presence of militants, the police and personnel of the 21 RR of the Army cordoned off Bakihara village this afternoon and the encounter ensued when the hiding militants fired upon the search party, the police said. A militant was believed to be holed up in a house at Amargarh near Sopore in Baramulla district, the DIG said. The police and security forces had launched a search operation to flush out the militants in the village this afternoon and they cordoned off Amargarh. The militants holed up in the house of Akbar Lone resorted to heavy firing on the search party, leading to the encounter, the police said. The operation was still in progress.
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Jammu, January 27
Jammu, January 27
