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Pak seeks information on artificial lake project
ADM to probe killing of youth in Handwara
Pre-paid cellphone services extended in state till March 31
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Attacks on girls unacceptable, says Mehbooba
Cong dissidents offer support to Omar
Security alert in South Kashmir
Invitation from interlocutors
Accelerate development in Srinagar: CM
Delink education from politics, says Omar
Gujjars demand tribal policy
Skiing course concludes
Four arrested for double murder
Placement Drive
Campaign to create awareness about govt schemes
Srinagar to get two modern abattoirs
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Pak seeks information on artificial lake project
Jammu, February 20 Memon was leading a three-member team that visited the project site today along with the Commissioner, IWT, India, G Ranganathan, and his team. “We have come here for an inspection.Let’s have the information first. If we find something objectionable, we will take it up with our counterparts,” Memon told reporters, and added that Pakistan had not raised any objection yet. “If the project is within the limit of the treaty, it is your right to use the water”,he maintained. While describing the visit of the Pakistan team as routine, Ranganathan said:”The team came here after reading a report in a newspaper claiming that the water was being used beyond the permissible limit”. A team from India would also visit Pakistan in the near future, he added. Briefing the Pakistani team, Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, BR Dogra, said:”The artificial lake with gardens on the banks is to be developed within the municipal limits only to attract tourists.” Meanwhile, the three-member team will visit the Manwar Tawi site tomorrow before visiting the Salal project at Jyotipuram in Reasi on February 22. Under the artificial lake project, a 240-metre-long barrage will be constructed at Nikki Tawi while a similar barrage measuring 130 metres will come up at Waddi Tawi. The estimated height of the barrage will be four metres.
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ADM to probe killing of youth in Handwara
Srinagar, February 20 “The District Magistrate, Kupwara, has appointed the ADM, Itrat Hussain, as
the inquiry officer,” an Army spokesman said. The Army ,too, had ordered an internal inquiry into the killing. However, members of the family of the victim have alleged that Manzoor was kidnapped and tortured
to death by the Army, a charge denied by the Army. |
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Pre-paid cellphone services extended in state till March 31
New Delhi, February 20 The re-verification has to be in accordance with the strict guidelines put forward for telecom operators offering pre-paid connections in Jammu & Kashmir and the north-eastern states. Keeping this in view, the government has extended the validity of its permission for the use of pre-paid SIM cards in these states only till March 31 and nearly 40 lakh subscribers may lose their connections if the decision is not revoked. In January 2010, the government had lifted a ban on the use of pre-paid connections in the North-East and Jammu & Kashmir for one year and had notified strict criteria for re-verification of subscribers, along with other conditions. “It has been decided to extend the said permission for continuance of pre-paid cellphone services in the J&K Service Area till March 31, 2011, with the conditions mentioned therein,” an official notification issued recently said. This also applied to the Assam and North-East service areas, the official notification said. “It may be noted that the validity of pre-paid connections shall be restricted till March 31, 2011, and in no case the pre-paid cellphone connections shall be usable beyond that time, on the basis of this permission,” a Department of Telecom (DoT) notification to all cellphone operators in J&K, Assam and North-East service areas said. In the fresh guidelines, it was stated that though no customer should be given more than one pre-paid or post-paid connection, if an individual desired to avail more connections, he would have to give reasons. The new cellphone connections would be issued only against documents having photographs of customers. Though no reason was given for extending the permission only till March, sources said this was done only as a temporary solution and a final decision was expected soon in the regard. — PTI
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Attacks on girls unacceptable, says Mehbooba
Srinagar, February 20 Mehbooba alleged the government had failed to check such incidents and bring the guilty to book. The phenomenon of “unidentified gunmen” had resurfaced. “While they have activated Ikhwanis (counter-insurgents) and Special Operation Groups in different areas, the government is going after innocent youths on flimsy grounds,” she alleged. The attack on the girls came close on the heels of the killing of two girls at Sopore, thus adding to the atmosphere of fear and terror in the Valley, Mehbooba said.
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Cong dissidents offer support to Omar
Jammu, February 20 Interestingly, these dissidents had earlier demanded rotational chief ministership. However, they have now ruled out the possibility of the Congress leading the coalition government after the completion of the three-year-term of Omar Abdullah.Earlier,the Union Health Minister had also opposed the demand. Sources said the dissidents had taken a u-turn only to take on PCC chief Saifuddin Soz because of his growing differences with the NC. “There is a feeling among the dissidents that they can politically finish the PCC chief only with the help of the NC. Therefore, they have offered unconditional support to the Chief Minister to settle old scores with their detractors,” a Soz loyalist told The Tribune. The PCC had taken a tough stand on some contentious issues, including amendments to the J&K Panchayati Raj Act and the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution. The PCC had demanded the extension of the 73rd Amendment to the state Act and had also opposed a Bill regarding the trans-border university in the Legislative Council. The Congress, which is a partner in the coalition government, had also expressed resentment against unilateral decisions taken by the NC on important issues. During his two visits to the state in 15 days, Azad had also praised the Omar government , which was an indication to the dissidents to come in support of the state government. Even those supporters of Azad,who were earlier critical of the functioning of the state government, have started praising the Chief Minister for launching a war on corruption. |
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Security alert in South Kashmir
Srinagar, February 20 The security forces have been asked to remain on a lookout for a Maruti car, which was snatched by the gunmen from the house of Mushtaq Ahmad Malik, at Pinjoora in Shopian, 55 kms from here, they said. They said the security agencies apprehend that the militants might use the stolen vehicle to stage an attack on the security forces. A case has been registered in this regard, they added. — PTI |
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Invitation from interlocutors
Srinagar, February 20 Speaking to The Tribune, a spokesman of the hardline faction, Ayaz Akbar said: “Geelani has received an invitation from the interlocutors to discuss the Kashmir issue with them to find a solution to the problem.” “The interlocutors have said if Geelani sahib is not willing or unable to come to hold talks,he can convey his views through a letter,” Akbar said, and added the chairman was in Delhi and after he returned,” we will soon have a meeting to take a decision in this regard .” The acting chairman of the moderate faction, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, said: “I am in Delhi and have received the information that we have got an invitation from the interlocutors.We will hold a meeting soon to decide the future course of action.” Another separatist leader, Shabir Shah, also confirmed that he had been invited by the interlocutors for talks. “I will decide whether to take part in the talks or not in the next few days,” Shah said. Sources said other separatist leaders like Yasin Malik, Sajad Gani Lone and Nayeem Khan had also been invited for talks. One of the interlocutors, Radha Kumar, said: “I don’t know whether the list of invitees has been broadened as I had requested Dilip to invite all the concerned.”
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Accelerate development in Srinagar: CM
Srinagar, February 20 Omar said this while presiding over a meeting of the Srinagar District Board here today. The Chief Minister said a comprehensive bypass from Galandar to Narbal covering the entire periphery of Srinagar was being developed and work on the preparation of the project had been started. He added that the completion would take some time. Omar said the government had already subsidised the electricity tariff and was annually bearing a loss of Rs 1,500 crore. The Chief Minister after reviewing the development scenario of Srinagar district announced an additional sum of Rs 10.76 crore for the ongoing work in the district. The meeting was informed that 25,000 students were provided textbooks free of cost while 23,000 students were being given mid-day meals.
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Delink education from politics, says Omar
Srinagar, February 20 The Chief Minister, while appreciating the Education Department and the teachers for preparing students of government schools for securing top positions in various examinations, advised the teachers to work with more zeal, devotion and enthusiasm to shape the future of the new generation. He also advised them not to allow political influence to prevail upon the academic system at the cost of the careers of the students. He advised them to see through the designs of those who sent their children outside the state or even aborad for quality education, but worked actively to sabotage the prospects of innocent Valley students. The Chief Minister made it clear that the government did not want any confrontation with employees and said Jammu and Kashmir was among the few states which had given benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission to lakhs of their employees. A road map had already been prepared for the payment of arrears in a phased manner,he added.
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Gujjars demand tribal policy
Jammu, February 20 In a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation demanded that the state should initiate steps to preserve the immense diversity by retaining the best elements of their tradition, cultural life and ethos for the coming generations. Giving the details, Dr Javaid Rahi, secretary,Tribal Foundation, said that the tribals in the state were facing a number of problems like the dispossession of land, violence, poverty, loss of identity, languages and dialects. According to the letter, the tribal areas in the state were facing lack of infrastructure, non-existence of schemes for nomads, persistent threats of eviction from their habitat, exclusion from the mainstream society, distribution of wealth and opportunities, diminishing control over the natural resources and non-empowerment.
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Skiing course concludes
Srinagar, February 20 Speaking on the occasion, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister for Agriculture, said heavy snow at tourist places like Gulmarg helped people generate income as domestic as well as foreign tourists went there in large numbers. Mir said the government was striving hard to promote tourism as lakhs of people were directly or indirectly connected with the industry. Advising the people to make all efforts to maintain peace in the Valley in summer, Mir said peace was imperative for making Jammu and Kashmir a welfare state. |
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Four arrested for double murder
Jammu, February 20 The other accused were Jagpal’s brother, Balbir, and Hari Das and Om Prakash. However, another accused was absconding. They are all residents of the Chopra Shop area. Bodh Raj and Moti Ram were found murdered. Subsequently, a special investigation team was constutited under ASP, Udhampur, Bhupinder Singh. One of the accused, Hari Das, is said to be historysheeter with 11 cases of attempt to murder and dacoity registered against him. At a joint press conference, DIG, Jagjit Kumar and SSP,Surinder Gupta,said Jagpal knew that there was cash in the office of a junior engineer in the MES office. “Therefore, Jagpal came with his accomplices and after murding the two employees, took away a bag thinking there was cash in it.” "We have recovered a sharp-edged weapon used in the crime whereas the laptop is with the absconding accused," they added. |
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Placement Drive
Jammu, February 20 According to a statement issued here, more than 800 students from various colleges participated in this drive. “The MNCs have also selected 16 students of Mata Vaishno Devi University”, said Anjali Thusoo, placement officer, GCET. Capgemini India was expected to conduct another placement drive for engineering and MCA students of the 2009 and 2010 batches in the first week of April, she said. A function was organised to felicitate the students who were successfully placed. The Minister for Higher Education, A.G. Malik, Tanveer Jehan, commissioner/ secretary, Higher Education, and Prof Varun Sahni, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu, attended the function.
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Campaign to create awareness about govt schemes
Jammu, February 20 This was the 18th awareness camp, organised by the PIB in which about 40 stalls were set up for creating awareness about various centrally sponsored schemes like MNREGA, NRHM, SSA, horticulture development, the employment scheme, agriculture, RDD, sanitation, sheep and goat rearing and healthcare facilities. The Minister for Higher Education, Labour and Employment, Abdul Gani Malik visited the camp today and inspected the stalls put up by various departments. Speaking on the occasion, Malik said that the campaign had become the main source of awareness and asked the people to come forward and avail the benefits under the schemes.
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Srinagar to get two modern abattoirs
Srinagar, February 20 An official spokesman said here today that the work on the new slaughterhouse was likely to start in April and would be completed in 18 months. The spokesman said the abattoir to be set up in the city would have a capacity to slaughter 1,000 animals in a day and would be run mechanically. — PTI |
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Pakistan’s Commissioner on Indus Water Treaty Sheeraz Jameel Memon today asked his Indian counterparts to furnish complete information about the proposed artificial lake project on the Tawi here
Srinagar, February 20
