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Amarnath yatra suspended due to landslides, heavy rush
Poor cellphone connectivity irks pilgrims
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Jammu airport to be expanded
Applications under RTI act
Sex racket busted, 13 arrested
College principals transferred
Two revenue officials booked
Man found murdered in Akhnoor
Lt-Gen Hasnain visits orphanage
Drug Menace
Centre to promote sports: Chib
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Amarnath yatra suspended due to landslides, heavy rush
Srinagar, July 3 A senior official of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said the yatra was suspended from the base camps following landslides triggered by heavy rain last night and also due to heavy inflow of tourists. He said due to the suspension of the yatra, over 60,000 pilgrims were stranded at various base camps, including Baltal, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Nunwan. However, on the Jammu-Srinagar stretch, the yatra was suspended due to heavy rush of vehicles. Over 2,000 vehicles of unregistered pilgrims have been stopped at various places en route the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to clear the rush, while over 30,000 yatris are camping in Jammu base camps. In the past three days,more than 80,000 pilgrims offered prayers and had darshan of Ice Lingam at the cave shrine. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, RK Goyal, appealed to all those who intended to undertake the pilgrimage to complete the necessary registration formalities and obtain a yatra permit before embarking on the journey to avoid inconvenience on arrival in the state. He reiterated that the pilgrims must embark on the yatra strictly as per the dates and the routes specified in their permits, and added that instructions had been issued to ensure against any unregistered yatri being allowed to proceed towards the shrine.The CEO added that so far eight yatris had lost their lives in the yatra area due to cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, reviewing the plan for the movement of yatris tomorrow, the CEO said according to the latest meteorological reports, heavy rain was expected to lash the entire yatra area, along the Baltal and Pahalgam routes and snowfall was likely in the higher mountains along the routes. He said a decision about the further movement of the yatris from Jammu and the base camps would be taken tomorrow morning after assessing weather conditions. The CEO appealed to the yatris, who were stranded at various places, not to insist on moving towards the holy shrine or the base camps in view of the adverse weather conditions.
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Poor cellphone connectivity irks pilgrims
Even as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has set up eight Base Transceiver Station (BTS) towers on the twin tracks and the Amarnath cave shrine area to provide cellphone connectivity to yatris, poor services like abrupt call drop and network problem are giving the yatris a tough time. BSNL had on June 22 announced the launch of cellphone services for the yatra by setting up eight BTS towers on the twin tracks of Pahalgam, Baltal and the shrine area. “Call drops and network problem gave me a tough time in contacting my family. But somehow, I managed to talk to them,” said Suhas Mekaad of Indore. “It took me almost an hour to tell them about my schedule”, Meekad added. Shifali from Pune felt that BSNL should have provided quality service and hassle-free connectivity to the pilgrims. “ Though I was able to contact my brother in Pune,I could not convey to him my plans about returning home because the call had dropped abruptly,” she added. “One has to approach the organisers of community kitchens or CRPF personnel with a request to charge phone batteries, which, at times, is not accepted due to lack of such arrangements,” she said. Tracing out the root cause of the problem to the laying of optic fibre cables, a CRPF officer said originally, the cables were to be laid by the BSNL with the help of the Army. “The BSNL is trying to improve the connectivity and now the CRPF has offered to lay the cables from Baltal to the cave shrine”, said the officer. “We have offered our services to lay the cables, but no decision has been taken yet,” he said.
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Jammu airport to be expanded
Jammu, July 3 Addressing a series of public meetings in the Gandhi Nagar Assembly segment, Bhalla said the development of the airport would enhance its passenger-handling capacity to 700. While laying the foundation stone of the Revenue Complex, Bahu, at Channi Rama, coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 1.72 crore, Bhalla informed that the complex would have a meeting hall, offices of the Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar, the Deputy Commissioner’s Secretariat,a waiting hall, a guest house and a conference hall with toilet blocks. He said with the completion of the complex, revenue-related problems of residents of Channi Rama, Transport Nagar, Narwal and the adjoining areas would be addressed under a single roof. Bhalla said the government was committed to provide people-friendly administration to the people of the state, and added that several initiatives had been taken by the Revenue Department to solve the problems of the people.
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Police appoints public information officers
Law and order situation has improved, says DGP
Srinagar, July 3 “To curtail avoidable delays, the department has appointed PIOs at the zonal, range and district levels, who will be under a statutory obligation to clear all applications under the RTI Act pertaining to their respective jurisdictions,” a police spokesperson said here today. He said earlier, there was only one PIO for the entire department, who was stationed at the police headquarters. Realising that delays could be caused in supplying information to the applicants, DGP Kuldeep Khoda appointed the PIOs so that information could be supplied to the applicants at the earliest, the spokesman said. Referring to the alleged involvement of a few police officers in the Jammu-Samba land scam, the spokesperson said there was no question of deliberate suppression of information. “After the news about the scam appeared on February 10 in a Jammu-based daily, the police headquarters immediately asked the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, to go into the details and inform it about the police action warranted in the case, as it is only the revenue authorities who have records to verify the authenticity of such reports,” the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, expressing satisfaction over the law and order situation in the state, the DGP today said the people should remain vigilant against those spreading rumours. “Some elements do not want peace in the state for their personal gains and want to disrupt the congenial atmosphere by spreading rumours,” Khoda said. He appealed to the people to remain vigilant about the “nefarious designs” of these elements. He said the police-public coordination had been strengthened at all levels, which had resulted in ensuring law and order maintenance in the state. “The people have faith in the department and come to the police to get their grievances redressed. It is the duty of all police personnel to give a patient hearing to the genuine grievances of the public,” Khoda added. “The police is at the service of the people round-the-clock and any person having any problem should contact the police control room,” he said. — PTI
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Mufti seeks release of political prisoners
Srinagar, July 3 Addressing a public meeting at Sumbal Sonawari yesterday, he said the credibility of the resolution process could not be restored as long as the voice of dissent was muzzled. He said the internal dimensions could not wait for the completion of the resolution process with Pakistan. “What should be done first must be done first,” he asserted. “The minimum that the Prime Minister can do to create a congenial atmosphere is to order the release of all political prisoners and the youth, who are in jails without any trial,” he said. The Mufti said, “Democracy loses meaning the moment anybody’s right to expression and dissent is curbed without a reason”. He said democracy was a battle of ideas and dissent was its essence. He maintained that the PDP was the first party that legitimised dissent in Jammu and Kashmir, which, otherwise, was dubbed as anti-national. The Mufti said Qazi Yasir’s imprisonment was like a black spot on the system. He said the young religious leader from Islamabad in Anantnag district, who was orphaned and also lost his uncle, Qazi Amanullah, was not even allowed to meet him. When PDP president Mehbooba Mufti urged the top government officials to release Qazi Yasir to enable him to attend his uncle’s funeral, it was expected that he would be released without conditions, he said. The Mufti regretted that Yasir was arrested again barely an hour after the funeral, leaving the bereaved family in a state of shock. “Can this be called a democratic conduct of the government?” he said. The PDP patron said Jammu and Kashmir had come a long way from the days when a single party monopolised the political space. “The PDP is here as a watchdog of your interests,” he told the people and recalled how he had convinced BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the need to address the Kashmir issue politically, rather than continuing with the strong-arm tactics that had been adopted since 1947, without allowing the democratic voices to be raised. He said the confidence-building measures must include the reduction of the troops from the civilian areas and the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) so that the democratic aspirations of the people could bloom fully as was happening elsewhere in the country.
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Sex racket busted, 13 arrested
Srinagar, July 3 Sources said on specific information, a police team raided a hotel near the local Iqbal Park and arrested 10 persons. In the course of investigations, three other arrests were made,
they added. The police also took into custody the owner of the hotel, Mohammad
Yaqoob, while the kingpin of the racket was still at large. The investigations revealed that girls from poor families were being lured into the trade on the pretext of providing them jobs. “More arrests are likely to be made in the coming days . The modus operandi of the accused was to identify girls from poor families and on the pretext of giving them jobs, push them into the flesh trade,” a senior police officer said. He said the waiter of the hotel used to call the girls and clients to the hotel and charge between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. The money was later shared by the girls, the waiter and the hotel owner, the police officer added.
— TNS |
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College principals transferred
Srinagar, July 3 An official spokesman said here that Mohammad Ashraf Peer of Degree College, Sopore, has been transferred to Government Degree College, Bandipora, while Roshan Ara, principal of Women’s College, Sopore, has been transferred to Ganderbal. Anjali Razdan from Degree College, Pattan, has been transferred and posted at GDC Sumbal against a vacant post. Meanwhile, Satinder Singh, principal of GDC, Thanamandi, has been transferred to GGM Science College, Jammu. Anita Sudan of Commerce College, Jammu, has been transferred to RS Pura. JL Bhagat from RS Pura has been transferred to Commerce College, Jammu. Banwari Lal, principal of GDC, Banihal, has been transferred to GDC, Billawar, Veena Pandita form Bishnah to Reasi, and Kalpana Keysar has been transferred from Ramban college to Bishnah. Consequent upon these transfers, eight Selection Grade Lecturers have been transferred and posted as in-charge principals in different Government Degree Colleges. These lecturers Nasreen Malik from Women’s College, MA Road, Srinagar, who has been posted as in-charge principal of GDC, Sopore; Tasleem Peer from Women College, MA Road, Srinagar, as in-charge principal of Women’s College, Sopore; Kusum Gupta from Government Degree College, Udhampur, to Ramban; Reeta Bhagat form Women’s College, Parade, Jammu, to GDC, Basolhi; Shaheen Altaf Mattoo from Women’s College, Nawakadal, Srinagar, to Government Degree College, Pattan; Mohammad Zaman Choudhary from Women’s College, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, to GDC, Kilhotran.
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Jammu, July 3 The SVO had registered a case against Babu Ram and Mohmmad Shafi Magray for tampering with the revenue records of the government land and allotting it to a few persons in Deli village of Kalakote district, a SVO spokesman said today. On the basis of a verification conducted by the Vigilance Organisation, Ram and Magary in 2002 had connived with a person named Tirath Ram Badri Nath and transferred a piece of the government land in Nath’s name. Similarly, in 2009, the duo had alloted the remaining part of the land to Rattan Lal and Gourav Sharma, the spokesperson added. — PTI
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Man found murdered in Akhnoor
Jammu, July 3 Reports said Kuldeep Singh (65), son of Rangeel Singh of the village, was found lying in a pool of blood by a passerbye . However, by the time the police reached the spot, Kuldeep died due to loss
of blood. The police said the deceased was attacked with sharp-edged weapons. The body was shifted to the sub-district hospital, Akhnoor, for a post mortem.The police has registered a case and is investigating the matter. Meanwhile, the police also recovered the body of a man from the Chenab in Aknoor. The body was located by some villagers of Sangranmpur, who informed the police. |
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Lt-Gen Hasnain visits orphanage
Srinagar, July 3 He was accompanied by Maj-Gen SK Chakravorty, Divisional Commander of Kupwara. The GOC interacted with the management of the orphanage. The inmates presented a cultural programme on the occasion. He was briefed about the initiatives taken by the management of the orphanage, including visits by a lady medical officer from the 168 Military Hospital on alternate Sundays, to advise the inmates on health, hygiene and sanitation aspects. Five girls are being provided free education in Army Goodwill School Wayne and another 15 girls will be admitted in the next academic session. While appreciating the efforts put in by the Vajr Division, the GOC assured full support from the Army to the management.
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Drug Menace
Baramulla, July 3 “Punjab is in the grip of drug addiction and we appeal to the youth of Kashmir, who have stayed away from this menace, to act as a role model for youngsters in Punjab,” Baba Harnam Singh said while addressing a gathering at Gurdwara Chemi Patshahi here. He said Sikh youth from Kashmir should embark on a tour of various villages of Punjab to appeal to the youth there to stay away from drugs. “You people live under conditions where every kind of threat is prevalent, but still you have managed to stay away from the menace of drugs and are following the tenets of the Sikh religion. You must act as a role model for the youth of Punjab, who have distanced themselves from the teachings of the great Gurus,” said Giani Gurbachan Singh. A large number of Sikhs from all parts of the Valley and other parts of the country took part in the concluding day function of the three-day Gurmat Training Camp, organised by the Sikh Students Federation (Metha). Speaking to The Tribune, Paramjeet Singh Khalsa, president of the federation, said, “The main aim of the camp was to bring the youth from various parts of Punjab to the Kashmir valley to show them how Sikh youth here, despite facing so many problems, have stayed away from drugs.” He said 400 youth from Punjab, who participated in the camp, would now urge the youth in their state to stay away from drugs. “We will take 500 Sikh youth from Kashmir to various parts of Punjab so that the people there can see how the religion is flourishing in the Valley,”he added.
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Centre to promote sports: Chib
Srinagar, July 3 Chib said the Central government was keen to promote sports activities in the state by providing assistance for the upgradation of the infrastructure. He said the Centre had agreed to set up archery training centres, four each at Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. He said every block and panchayat would soon get a playfield. The minister said the construction of a stadium at the Kupwara district headquarters, which required Rs 1 crore would be taken up at the district development board meeting.
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Dogri play highlights lust, selfishness
Jammu, July 3 Balwant Thakur, director, Natrang, said the theatre had always tried to showcase the rarest works of the Dogri literature and today’s show was a living example of the theatre’s initiative to promote the Dogri culture. In the play “What is this” Timbo, who is the father of Jambar, exhibits more desperation to get married than his son, who has reached the marriageable age. Whenever a marriage proposal for Jambar comes, his father tries to divert it towards him. However, Shonku proposes to marry his daughter to Jambar, but Timbo tells him that if he does not marry his daughter to him, he will have to pay all debts to him. On hearing this, Shonku gets worried, but his friends make a plan to teach a lesson to Timbo. According to the plan, he agrees to marry his daughter to Timbo. However, on the day of the marriage, Timbo is reprimanded by the villagers for his lust and selfish act. Eventually, he drops the idea of getting remarried. The participants included Mohit Sharma as Timbo, Rohit Verma as Jambar, Dimple Sharma as Shonku and Pawan Verma as sarpanch. Lights were operated by Neeraj Kant, while Sumeet Sharma coordinated the show.
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Srinagar, July 3
Even as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) has set up eight Base Transceiver Station (BTS) towers on the twin tracks and the Amarnath cave shrine area to provide
cellphone connectivity to yatris.
