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Omar approves gas pipeline project
Row over Cong workers joining NC
Decline in foreign tourist arrivals since 1988
Misappropriation of Foodgrains |
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Fresh census of BPL families soon: Sagar
Social Welfare Department to digitise list of beneficiaries
Amarnath Yatra
Mela Khir Bhawani
High Court sets aside preventive detention
Cancel land allotted to trust, demand villagers
Samba Gang-Rape
Interviews for
scholarship conducted
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Omar approves gas pipeline project
Srinagar, June 8 He said connecting the state to the national gas grid through the pipeline and linking individual households with gas stations through a network of pipelines to get uninterrupted supply was the main objective of the project. “It will solve the energy crisis in the state to a great extent and help divert hydroelectric power for other judicious use,” Omar said. He said industrialisation would get the necessary impetus with the starting of the project. He added that the household dependence on power would also shift to the cheapest gas energy to be provided through the project to the consumers. Omar said natural gas would be available to domestic, commercial, transport, industries, agriculture and allied sectors through the project. “Its import through a pipeline to the winter zone of the state will minimise the dependence on transportation of LPG cylinders in winter when highways are usually blocked due to weather vagaries and heavy snowfall,” he added. The Chief Minister also approved the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department as the nodal agency for the project at the state level with Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu overseeing its affairs at the divisional level and the respective Deputy Commissioners at the district level. Omar gave directions for fast-tracking the project so that its benefits could accrue to the people in a time-bound manner. He asked the agencies concerned to work in coordination and be on the same page while finalising the strategies and proposals for the project. The Chief Minister was given a detailed brief about the project, its utility and efficacy for the state of Jammu and Kashmir in a powerpoint presentation by the Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gases Regulatory Board. Meanwhile, the Awami National Conference (ANC) has moved an application under the RTI Act to obtain copies of the state Cabinet’s orders, along with Cabinet memos passed in 1985 when GM Shah was heading the state government, with respect to handing over the state rights of the Salal Hydroelectric Power Project. This was stated by Muzaffar Shah, senior vice-president of the ANC, while addressing mediapersons here today. Shah said he had also moved an RTI application in the Power Development Department to obtain copies of the state Cabinet’s orders passed in 1981, when NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was the Chief Minister. He added that the object of obtaining the information and making it public was to inform the masses of the factual position regarding the decisions taken by the state Cabinets headed by former Chief Ministers GM Shah and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah with regard to the power generation and sharing of water resources between the state and the Central government. Muzaffar Shah, son of former Chief Minister GM Shah, urged the coalition government to redraw the state’s policy regarding the power generation with the
NHPC. What it promises
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Row over Cong workers joining NC
Jammu, June 8 The Congress workers, who joined the NC in the presence of former minister Pandit Govind Ram Sharma at a function at Akhnoor recently, also attacked Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, who represents the Akhnoor Assembly segment. Congress sources said the development had been brought to the notice of the party leadership. “NC leaders have been especially targeting those Assembly segments, which are represented by ministers belonging to the Congress,” a senior Congress leader told The Tribune. He said the Akhnoor incident was not an isolated one and the NC leadership had been concentrating on segments being represented by the ministers belonging to the Congress faction owing allegiance to Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Saifuddin Soz. Govind Ram of the NC and Sham Lal of the Congress are arch rivals in the Akhnoor belt. In the last Assembly elections, Sham Lal had defeated Govind Ram, who contested the elections from Akhnoor on the BJP ticket. After the Assembly elections, Govind Ram left the BJP and joined the NC. As Ram had twice been elected MLA from this segment, the NC had been trying to utilise his services to have a base in the belt. PCC spokesman Ravinder Sharma said it was the duty of both parties to observe the coalition dharma for the smooth functioning of the government. “Instead of luring each other’s workers, the coalition parties should work for strengthening the government,” he said. However, he added that the Akhnoor issue would be taken up at the appropriate level. Despite running a coalition government in the state, both Congress and NC have been trying to strengthen their base in the constituencies represented by the other. The Congress had admitted former minister and PDP leader Manjit Singh into the party to keep a check on the NC in the Vijaypur Assembly segment, which is represented by Commerce and Industry Minister Surjit Singh Slathia. Despite opposition from the NC, the Congress had organised an impressive function to formally admit Manjit into the party in which senior leaders from Delhi participated. |
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Decline in foreign tourist arrivals since 1988
In 1988, the highest number of 76,194 foreign tourists visited the state, while 48,115 came to the state in 2010. Tourism received a severe blow after the eruption of militancy in the state in 1989. The average inflow of foreign tourists between 1990 and 1996 was around 10,000 per year. The infrastructure created over the years,besides gardens and parks, also suffered huge damage. Following an improvement in the security scenario, the state government made all efforts for the revival of tourism by developing the infrastructure for the restoration of the pristine glory of tourist places. Various circuits were also set up, but the efforts failed to yield the desired results. Although the influx has increased, the arrival of foreign tourists is still not up to the expectation of the authorities. As per the official figures, in 2002 only 7,806 foreign tourists visited the state, while this figure went up to 41,000 in 2004 and continued to rise in 2005 and 2006. But the number fell again in 2009 and is still on the decline. Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora said, “We are trying our best and are expecting good results. The total number of tourists, both domestic and foreign, has increased”. |
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Misappropriation of Foodgrains
Jammu, June 8 On the complaints of misappropriation of food grains, the crime branch of the police had been investigating the matter since September 2009. The police obtained a list of 1,000 trucks being used by the department to ferry ration from its main store at Nehru Market here and got it verified from the RTO. During the verification, it found that at least 50 trucks in the list bore fake registration numbers. “We had registered an FIR in September 2009 on the complaint of alleged misappropriation of food grains from the store of the department at Nehru Market,” Salathia said. “The RTO has claimed that the registration numbers of the 50 trucks used by the department have been allotted to buses, matadors and two wheelers,” he said. “We are investigating all the aspects of the case and rechecking the registration numbers of the 50 trucks,” the Additional SP said. Pervez Ahmed, director, CAPD Department, said, “The police today collected origination challans, which are filed when the trucks enter or leave the store. I will not defend or dispute anything. Let the detailed investigation disclose whether there were genuine or deliberate mistakes in the entries of trucks in the official records.” |
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Fresh census of BPL families soon: Sagar
Jammu, June 8 The minister made this announcement while reviewing the physical and financial achievements registered under the Rural Development Department in the Jammu division. Stressing the effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Sagar said the state government had projected a demand for Rs 1,500 crore under the Act for the current year. He said the scheme had a great significance with regard to the generation of employment. He hoped that the scheme would further pick up with the establishment of panchayats in the state. Expressing satisfaction over the smooth conduct of the panchayat elections, Sagar said, “The state is all set to have a full-fledged three-tier panchayati system where public representatives will have all the powers of planning and decision making with regard to developmental needs”.
— PTI |
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Social Welfare Department to digitise list of beneficiaries
Jammu, June 8 As of now, Jammu district officially has 48,292 beneficiaries registered with the department comprising 36,292 widows and elderly persons and 12,000 physically challenged persons. “Anyone with more than 40 per cent disability is entitled to a financial assistance from the department. This also includes those suffering from cerebral palsy,” Gupta said. “This will streamline the functioning of the department and will enable us to reach out to the people, who have not been registered with us,” he added. “Special emphasis on software for the physically and mentally challenged people is being laid. We are categorising them and even trying to reach out to those families, which have such members, but are not keen on taking financial assistance from the department,” Gupta added. He said once the software was ready, the names of beneficiaries and other requisite particulars would be uploaded on the department’s website www.jksocialwelfare.nic.in. In the software, not only the names and addresses of the beneficiaries but
also their disability and its type would be recorded, the Social Welfare
Officer said. Initially, there had been some kind of reluctance among the people, but now they had started coming forward to avail of the assistance, said Gupta. “They now understand that once registered with us, they will not only get cash assistance but will also be entitled to reservation in jobs, concessions in travels and preferential treatment ,” he said. “The department gives Rs 400 per month to physically challenged persons while widows and old persons get Rs 200 per month from the department,”
he said. Gupta admitted that two years ago, there had been irregularities in payments via J&K Bank to the beneficiaries. But since then, things had improved drastically,
he added. “We now pay them on monthly and bimonthly bases via designated J&K Bank branches from 15th to 25th of every month,”
he said. |
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Mixed response to bandh in Ramdev’s support
Jammu, June 8 Many rallies were held by people in support of Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption and police atrocities on Ramdev’s supporters at the Ram Lila grounds in New Delhi. The protesters demanded that ill-gotten money stashed in foreign banks be brought to the country and declared a national asset. They accused the Central government of being soft on corruption and raised slogans against it for adopting extra-constitutional measures to evict the yog guru. Most of the business establishments remained closed across the city and passenger vehicles remained off the roads in and around the city. There was a thin attendance in educational institutions, government offices, hospitals and other public places. A partial bandh was also observed in the adjoining districts of Udhampur, Samba and Kathua. Mainstream political parties like the BJP and the Panthers Party, besides the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Shree Ram Sena, the Bar Association of Jammu and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported the bandh. The activists of the Panthers Party led by MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia burnt an effigy of several union ministers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in the city’s Purani Mandi area. Also, the members of Shri Ram Sena held a day-long fast at the Canal Road park. The members of the Patanjli Yog Samiti gathered at Purani Mandi and demonstrated against the Centre. Later, the demonstrators held a rally, which passed though Vikram Chowk and various areas of Old City. Baba Ramdev’s drive against corruption has received support from local residents, as they have been holding dharnas at various sites. Meanwhile, in support of Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare’s satyagraha against corruption, the National Secular Forum (NSF) staged a protest in the University of Jammu here today. Activists under the leadership of Vikas Sharma, state president of the NSF, raised slogans against the UPA government for inordinate delay in drafting the Lokpal Bill. Sharma said, “Baba was only demanding action against the corrupt. But, it irked the UPA government and it cracked down on him and his followers. This is an example of worst sort of dictatorship, which is totally unacceptable”. Sharma added that Hazare’s demand to draft the Lokpal Bill to make it comprehensive to check corruption was genuine and every citizen should stand up and support the idea. “Even, the University of Jammu is in the grip of corruption, but nobody is taking any steps to check it. Only the Bill can ensure justice under such circumstances. So, we support the two social activists,” he added. Those who were present on the occasion included Surjit Choudhary, Ravi Choudhary, Aijaz Shah, Sukhdev Singh, Parshotam Singh, Manjit Sharma, Narinder Singh, Imran, Mohammad Zamir, Sunil Kumar and Sunny. |
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Amarnath Yatra
Jammu, June 8 Singh alleged that it showed double standards and prejudice on the part of the NC-led government to disturb the peace in the Jammu region and seek twin objectives of appeasing separatists as well
as one-upmanship over other parties, including the PDP and the Hurriyat Conference. He said every year on the eve of the yatra, there was a deliberate attempt on the part of parties like the NC and the Congress to issue such statements. Citing the recommendations of the Nitesh Sen Gupta Commission Report - 1996, Singh said the state administration was duty-bound to provide security to the Amarnath pilgrims. But this did not entitle the state administration to interfere with the conduct or dates of the yatra, which, according to Sen, should be the prerogative of an autonomous, independent shrine board. |
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Mela Khir Bhawani
Srinagar, June 8 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah prayed for the peace and development of the society and well-being of the people. PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and party president Mehbooba Mufti extended warm greetings to the people. The two leaders said the mela was an important symbol of the ancient and distinct past of Kashmir. Meanwhile, Minister for CA&PD and Transport Qamar Ali Akhoon today visited the Khir Bhawani shrine at Tullamulla village and took stock of the arrangements for devotees. Akhoon inspected the department’s counter set up at the shrine and was informed that sufficient stocks of essential commodities were available for the devotees visiting the mela.He was informed that 40 passenger buses were put into service for ferrying the devotees from Jammu. Besides, over 20 private buses had also been granted permission for transporting the pilgrims from various parts of the Valley. |
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High Court sets aside preventive detention
Jammu, June 8 While allowing a habeas corpus petition, Justice JP Singh observed that, “One of the reasons, which appear to have weighed with the District Magistrate, as was conveyed to him in a police dossier, was that there was a possibility of the detainee threatening victims and other witnesses in various cases registered against him or influencing them. This part of satisfaction of the District Magistrate is not supported by any material on record. Even, otherwise, in the absence of any material indicating the detainee’s intention or attempt to threaten the witnesses or victims, such satisfaction could not have been recorded”. The High Court observed that, “The court, therefore, finds force in the submission of the detainee’s counsel that he was deprived of his right to make an effective representation to the government against his detention in the absence of a police dossier on which the District Magistrate had relied upon to record his satisfaction in putting the petitioner in preventive detention. The order of the District Magistrate dated August 19, 2010, is, therefore, found illegal and in violation of Section 13 of the Public Safety Act, 1978, and Article 22 (5) of the Constitution of India”. |
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Cancel land allotted to trust, demand villagers
Jammu, June 8 The members of the deputation led by sarpanch Vijay Kumar told the Deputy Commissioner that the land belonged to their village and must be used for community purpose. However, the Deputy Commissioner asked them to meet the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, and the Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, who also holds the Housing and Urban Development portfolio. The deputation included panch Kamlesh Kumar, retired zonal education officer Khem Raj Sharma, Vikas Sharma and Pritam Sharma. |
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Samba Gang-Rape
Jammu, June 8 “My office has received a letter from the Northern Command chief, Lt-Gen KT Parnaik. Though I am in Srinagar and have not seen the contents of the letter, the Army Commander is learnt to have issued certain positive directions in the case,” Samba district police chief Israr Khan told The Tribune. “Once I reach Samba, further probe will be initiated into the case,” he added. The victim,belonging to Rajasthan, was allegedly gang-raped by Army personnel after soldier Aman Kumar befriended her while posing as a Captain. Though the police had closed the case describing it as a suicide, the victim’s family, which suspected foul play, had demanded a fair probe.The autopsy report had mentioned torture and gang-rape. The Southern Command had written to the Northern Command requesting it to cooperate with the police in the case. After approaching the Northern Command, the police is now seeking the custody of soldier Aman Kumar to question him. “I have opened three other cases because I believe that truth should prevail and the guilty are punished ,” the SSP said. |
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Interviews for
scholarship conducted
Jammu, June 8 During the selection process, merit, parents’ socio-economic status, background of the candidates and achievements were taken into consideration. Dr Anshu Kataria, chairman, Aryans Group said:”The selected students will be financially supported by us for their entire education, which includes not only the tuition fee but also expenses on uniforms and books”. The main objective of the programme was to recognise talent, Kataria added. |
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Jammu, June 8