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Omar resumes duty as CM
Farm staff suspend stir on CM’s word
Central varsity office opens in Jammu
Treating Muslims as minority community flayed
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Two held with fake currency
Shopian case
Sex Scandal
Cabinet resolves to seek 2 central varsities
Two universities’ proposal ‘eyewash’
NC nominee set to enter Rajya Sabha
Nod to 462 compassionate appointments
Two hideouts unearthed
PDP for speedier trial
Chhari Mubarak begins journey to Amarnath
8 officials suspended
Grabbing of Temples’ Land
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Omar resumes duty as CM
Srinagar, July 31 The CM told mediapersons in the Civil Secretariat this morning that the personal attack on his character by PDP would not stop him to seek the active cooperation from the Opposition in the drive to seek peace and progress in the state. “I am not a person to extract revenge, but I will still reach out to the Opposition for cooperation in the larger interest of people of the state,” he said. Omar asserted that he was back to deliver and work for the betterment of the people adding that he had left the episode of allegation leveled against him behind. Omar said the decision to resign was difficult, but was a must to give respect to the highest office of the Chief Minister and uphold high standards of political behavior. Soon after his arrival at the Civil Secretariat the Chief Minister held meetings with his cabinet colleagues and senior officers, including Chief Secretary SS Kapur and Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda. Later, Omar visited holy shrines of Hazratbal and Hazrat Makhdoom Sahib and paid his obeisance last evening, and prayed for peace. |
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Farm staff suspend stir on CM’s word
Srinagar, July 31 As many 3,300 agriculture degree holders have been asking the government to regularise their current status on the pattern of rehbar-e-taleem, those who were employed as temporary teachers and made permanent later. Abdullah, however, made it clear that the scheme under which rehbar-e-ziraats were employed does not have scope for their regularisation unlike rehbar-e-taleem’s whose rules stipulated that they would be regularised after five years. “You have been engaged without carving out some scheme like that of rehbar-e-taleem”, he said and added that it was very difficult to accommodate such incumbents who have not been engaged under any set scheme or plan. Omar told the deputation that he had already given directions to the General Administration, Agriculture Production, Finance and Planning Departments to look into the matter and suggest solutions. Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir had earlier admitted in the Assembly that many youths had left corporate jobs to work on a lowly monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 in the hope that they would be regularised later. BJP leaders had also strongly pitched for their regularisation, saying that the government should address their concerns. |
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Central varsity office opens in Jammu
Jammu, July 31 The office under the supervision of MC Verma, officer on special duty, finance, would remain functional for six days in a week from 9 am to 4 pm. Talking to The Tribune, Verma said, “The office has been opened on the directions of the Union HRD Ministry and Prof Wahid Qureshi, Vice-Chancellor of the university.” He said the office would work under the supervision of the executive council of the central university appointed by the Central government. The university has invited applications for filling 21 teaching and 20 non- teaching posts through a notification issued on July 14. The university has three posts of professors, six of readers/associate professors, 11 of lecturers/assistant professors and one of assistant librarian. For the non-teaching staff, it has one post each of deputy registrar, assistant registrar, private secretary and technical assistant, junior professional assistant and laboratory attendant. And two posts each are of section officer, personal assistant, assistant, upper division clerk, lower division clerk, driver and library attendant. On the first day, the office witnessed a huge rush of people wanting to get a job in the university. The officers in the branch sold 10 application forms. The application forms would be available till August 17.
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Two held with fake currency
Udhampur, July 31 Though senior police officers refused to divulge the details of the the initial investigation, sources said the arrested smugglers had disclosed the names of some government officials, who had been helping them in their nefarious designs. The militants active in the valley had been taking the help of smugglers to circulate fake currency notes in some parts of the Jammu region. The sources said the fake currency notes seized from the arrested smugglers were handed over to them by a person in the Kukernag area of south Kashmir. Instead of entering Kishtwar through the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, they tried the under construction Kishtwar-Singthantop road to transport the consignment. “This was the first instalment of Rs 2 lakh of fake currency handed over to the arrested smugglers for circulation in the market,” the sources said. They added that that they had already circulated about Rs 1.94 lakh of fake currency notes in the market. The sources did not rule out the involvement of some government officials in circulating the fake currency. They said the police had already questioned some government employees in this regard. The Kishtwar police arrested Inyat Ullah, an auto-rickshaw driver, and Yasir, a local youth, this morning. During routine checking, the fake currency notes and 45 pieces of precious sapphire stones worth Rs 25 lakh in the international market were seized from their
possession.
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Shopian case
Srinagar, July 31 Making a strong case for granting bail to the accused officers, who are under suspension, defence counsel Asim Mehrotra, who wound up his arguments today, said the state government had failed to produce any material evidence against them. All four police officers in the Shopian case had been remanded in 15 days of judicial custody by the court as their police remand ended yesterday. They were first sent to a 10-day police remand after being arrested in connection with the sensational case on July 15. The officers concerned were SP Javed Iqbal Mattoo, DSP Rohit Baskotra, former Shopian SHO Shafeeq Ahmad and Sub-Inspector Gazi Abdul Karim. — PTI
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Sex Scandal
Jammu, July 31 Speaking to mediapersons at the party headquarters today, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, leader of the BJP legislature Party, warned that if the “prolonged drama over sex scandal” continued in the Assembly, it could even boycott the session as a token of protest. “The real issues confronting the common masses were being ignored in the Assembly session. The unprecedented exchange of allegations and counter-allegations between the PDP and the NC has taken politics to the new lower levels,” he said. Prof Gupta said: “The constitutional crisis invoked by the resignation drama enacted by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should serve as an eyeopener for all. It reflects non-seriousness on the part of the present government in dealing with the genuine issues of
the state.” He lamented that three days had already been wasted by the Assembly as no healthy business could be done. “It’s self- explanatory about the intentions of such political parties trying to scuttle the proceedings of the Lower House and
virtually turning the Assembly into a fish market,” he added.
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Treating Muslims as minority community flayed
Jammu, July 31 BJP spokesman Ramesh Arora said: “The recent advertisement published by the state Social Welfare Department inviting applications for scholarship and providing other benefits to the minority community of the state is welcomed. But the state Social Welfare Department has gone mentally bankrupt as it has included Muslims as a minority community in the state.” He said: “The department is doing it on the instruction of the state and nobody can say that Muslims are a minority community in the state.” He alleged the department had “already become a den of corruption and funds were being misused and action against the culprits should be taken. “This type of discrimination on the basis of region and religion is unconstitutional. Hence, should be quashed and the benefit should be provided to the actual minority community,” Arora said.
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Cabinet resolves to seek 2 central varsities
Srinagar, July 31 This was resolved at a meeting of the state Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here today. A meeting of the Chief Minister with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal in this regard was likely to be held on Monday, an official spokesman here said. The central university, that was established by an Act of Parliament early this year, has its temporary office in Srinagar.
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Two universities’ proposal ‘eyewash’
Udhampur, July 31 The agitating students termed the move as an “eyewash” to divert the attention of the people of the Jammu region. The students this afternoon took out a rally that passed through various localities of the city. Addressing the rally, student leaders said they would not accept any thing less than a full-fledged central university in the Jammu region. Smelling a conspiracy behind the proposal, the students said they wanted the central university as sanctioned by the Central government to be set up in Jammu. “We are not against an IIM in the valley, but we would not tolerate if the central university sanctioned for the region was shifted to the valley,” they asserted. The students raised slogans against the state government and warned ministers from the Jammu region that they would be boycotted socially if they did not support their cause.
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NC nominee set to enter Rajya Sabha
Srinagar, July 31 Rattanpuri is the lone candidate for the RS as no other candidate has filed his nomination papers. According to Mohammad Ramzan, secretary, J&K Legislative Assembly, who is the returning officer for these elections, the last date for withdrawal of nomination is August 3 and a formal announcement about Rattanpuri’s election will be made accordingly. |
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Nod to 462 compassionate appointments
Srinagar, July 31 Of these, 136 cases pertain to Kupwara district, 64 to Rajouri, 59 to Baramulla, 53 to Kulgam, 48 to Budgam, 29 to Srinagar, 21 to Poonch, 15 to Ganderbal, 14 to Ramban, 10 to Reasi, four to Bandipora, three to Shopian, two each to Kishtwar and Doda and one each to Pulwama and Anantnag districts. A spokesman said 825 next of kin of those killed in militancy-related incidents, have been given appointment orders. |
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Two hideouts unearthed
Jammu, July 31 Police and 59 Rastriya Rifles troops raided a Lashkar-e-Toiba hideout in the Nari Khour area of Reasi district, but the militants managed to escape, they said. They seized 28 rounds of AK rifle, one communication set, two batteries and items of daily use including one matress, beds, seven blankets, two plastic tarpals, 5 kg tea, 60 kg rice, 2 kg ghee and various edible items, the police said. Troops also unearthed another hideout in Khudba jungle in Reasi district and seized 100 metres of rope, plastic sheets, axe, cutter, two radios, 13 rounds of AK rifle, seven blankets, pressure cooker and various utensils and edible items. — PTI |
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PDP for speedier trial
Srinagar, July 31 In a statement here today she sought to identify and punish the perpetrators of the dastardly act, adding that it was also important to bring to book those suspected of cover-up and destruction of vital evidence. Referring to the number of human rights abuse cases ever since the coalition government assumed office Mehbooba said it would have to put its act together to restore the shaken confidence of the people in the system. She said the guilty in all cases from the Gupkar murder to Khigam, including Bomai, Kupwara, Bandipora, and about 12 murders carried out by ‘unidentified gunmen’ needed to be solved. |
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Chhari Mubarak begins journey to Amarnath
Srinagar, July 31 Chhari Mubarak marks the beginning of the end of a two-month-long yatra and will end on August 5 when Raksha Bandhan falls, which is also observed traditionally as the culminating day of the pilgrimage. The Chhari will reach the holy cave on the same day. Mahant Giri said the sadhus would stop at several temples on the way along with the Chhari. A government spokesman said 3,60,264 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the holy cave and the figure includes 2,462 pilgrims who left Pahalgam today for the puja. About 67,766 yatris used the Pahalgam route, which was rather disrupted this year due to inclement weather, while 2,90,747 yatris preferred the Baltal route to reach the cave. |
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8 officials suspended
Srinagar, July 31 Syed Aga Ruhulla, Minister for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, today paid a surprise visit to the Veterinary Campus, Budgam, and found eight officials absent from duty. The minister ordered the suspension of the officials immediately. —
PTI |
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Grabbing of Temples’ Land
Jammu, July 31 The activists of the APMCC along with the activists of the Kranti Dal, Dharmarth Trust Sudhar Sangarsh Samiti, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference, Roots in Kashmir and the All Migrants Camps Coordination Committee held a protest at Jewel Chowk and burnt the effigy of the state and Central governments for their discriminatory attitude towards Kashmiri Hindus. Addressing the gathering, Vinod Pandit, chairman of the APMCC, said the Kashmir Pandits would not tolerate any attempt to grab the temples’ land. He said they would go to any extent in protecting their cultural and religious heritage. Meanwhile, Asha Zaroo, president of the mahila wing of the APMCC, said her organisation would release a white paper on the issue in August to expose the misdeeds of the successive state and Central governments over the issue. |
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Srinagar, July 31
