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CM’s adviser to contest next Assembly polls from Nagrota
Kashmir reels under intense cold
New power cuts schedule irks residents in Valley
Daily wagers’ hunger strike enters 13th day
Solar, wind energy to light up remote areas
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Massive traffic jam harasses road users
‘Sunny days’ for tourism in Kashmir
Expelled BJP MLAs open channels with NC, Cong
Prepare for civic polls, BJP tells workers
Implement Rangarajan panel recommendations, says Mufti
Coaching centre sealed
MoS Home reviews security scenario in Samba
CPM for investigative arm in accountability panel
Agriculture Minister calls on Governor
Manhandling of doctors and pharmacist
State govt to modernise Abhinav Theatre
State govt to modernise Abhinav Theatre Minors abandoned at Jammu railway station
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CM’s adviser to contest next Assembly polls from Nagrota
Jammu, December 26 With the demand for rotational Chief Minister getting louder, especially ahead of completion of three years’ tenure of Omar Abdullah on January 5 next, the ruling NC has intensified its political activities, with leaders mobilising the party cadres for the upcoming Assembly elections. It became evident yesterday when the senior NC leader and political adviser to the Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana addressed an impressive public rally in Sidhra, a few kilometres away from old city, and announced he would be contesting the next Assembly elections from Nagrota constituency. The Nagrota constituency has been retained by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma for the past nine years. NC candidate Ajat Shatru Singh, who is the son of Congress MP Dr Karan Singh, had suffered two consecutive defeats during the 2002 and 2008 Assembly polls. “I have been serving people for the past five years and will continue to serve them, irrespective of whether I win or lose the Nagrota Assembly segment election which is scheduled to be held in 2014,” Rana claimed. Amid the politically surcharged environment, the political adviser, who is a Member of Legislative Council (MLC), also made a fervent appeal to the people to give an overwhelming mandate to NC to form a ‘single-party’ government next time. Rana, however, made it clear that the coalition between NC and Congress has strong bonding and it would complete its six-year term. “The slogan of rotational Chief Minister is misleading and deceptive. The NC-Congress coalition government stands united by an ideological bond and is striving for the holistic development of the entire state. It is an inseparable bond between the two parties and we will continue to run smooth government after January 5, the day when Omar government will complete its three-year tenure,” Rana said.
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Kashmir reels under intense cold
Srinagar, December 26 With the temperatures hovering at the sub-zero level, mainly throughout the nights, water pipelines in most of the areas in the Valley remain frozen, making it difficult for residents to get proper drinking water supply in the morning hours. Parts of the periphery along water bodies, mainly Dal Lake here, have also remained frozen over the past several days. Minimum temperature here last night was recorded at minus 4.9°C while the day temperature was recorded at 8.6°C today. The tourist resort of Gulmarg was freezing under minus 8.4°C while Pahalgam resort in south Kashmir was reeling under a minimum of minus 7.4°C. The normal minimum temperature of the season in Srinagar is minus 2°C and normal maximum temperature is 7°C. Leh recorded the lowest temperature of the season at minus 18.2°C last night, which rose up to 3.8°C today. In Kargil district of Ladakh region, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 14.4°C, and the maximum at minus 0.6°C. |
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New power cuts schedule irks residents in Valley
Srinagar, December 26 According to the new curtailment schedule issued yesterday, the non-metered areas of the Valley would have 70 hours of power cuts per week while the metered areas would have 17 hours of weekly power cuts. The power curtailment schedule was announced just a day after the government claimed it was supplying more electricity to Kashmir this winter, as compared to previous years. The government had said it was supplying 950 MW power to the Valley after coming under fire from the PDP and the separatists over the “lack” of basic amenities during the winter months. Miffed with the new power curtailment schedule, Mushtaq Ahmad, a local resident, said, “Seventy hours of weekly power cuts is too harsh. It means the people in the non-metered areas will have no electricity for almost three days and three nights every week.” The PDP also strongly flayed the government over the new power curtailment schedule. “The Valley is already reeling under darkness and the new schedule will add to the miseries of the people,” the PDP leaders said in a joint statement. While the residents of the city have expressed resentment over the new power schedule, the people living in metered areas said they were already being subject to more power cuts. “We will be glad if the PDD follows the new curtailment schedule in our colony. The metered areas are supposed to face only 17 hours of weekly power cuts. Even though meters were installed in our colony last month, we are still having 12 hours of daily power cuts for the last two months,” said Nazir Ahmad, a resident of Government Housing Colony at Ompara in Budgam district. The place is hardly 15 km away from here and it houses more than 425 households, set up by the Government Housing Board about 30 years ago. Another resident of the colony said, “When meters were installed last month, we were told that we would get 24 hours power supply. But a strange power curtailment schedule is followed here. We get electricity for three hours and then we are without electricity for the next three hours. This process continues all day and all night.” Chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too has accused the state government of failing to provide basic amenities to the people of the Kashmir valley during the harsh winter months. |
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Daily wagers’ hunger strike enters 13th day
Jammu, December 26 The All Jammu and Kashmir PDD Daily Wagers Union today continued their strike, and a few members of the union are in a very bad condition. Kulveer Singh, provincial president of the union and Subhash Verma, member of the union, were forcibly taken to the hospital, but they returned midway, taking a vow that they will not leave their agitation midway. The union members have been protesting in favour of their demands for the last 13 days. They had declared a strike on December 14 as they alleged that
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had not fulfilled his promises made with the union leaders two years back. The union said even after two years of the assurance, no steps had been initiated to redress the grievances of the union, that had led the union members to take to the streets. The union is demanded regularisation of the daily wagers employed after 1994 and release of all the pending wages and salaries of the need-based staff of the union. |
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Solar, wind energy to light up remote areas
Jammu, December 26 “The project will provide electricity to remote inaccessible areas, border areas and some remote hospitals, as these are not connected with the National Power Grid,” Minister for Science and Technology Aga Syed Ruhullah said. He said each project would cost Rs 20 lakh and would generate 8.8 kW of power (6.6kW from wind energy and 2.2 kW from solar photovoltaics) to slowly replace the conventional power supply and bring down the cost of providing electricity through diesel generator sets used in some remote areas. An estimated 350 such units would be installed. A majority of these projects would be in areas that remain cut off from the rest of the Valley for the winter months due to snowfall. According to official statistics, 809 villages in the Jammu region, close to the International Border and 349 in the Valley and Ladakh are without electricity. “We are going to cover 285 villages and 28 hamlets under the RVEP,” the minister said. In September 2009, about 30 villages comprising 3,900 households in the remote Gurez area of North Kashmir, close to the Line of Control (LoC) got solar electrification, benefiting 30,000 people living there. — IANS |
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Massive traffic jam harasses road users
Jammu, December 26 Eyewitnesses said the commuters were stuck in
a traffic jam, with vehicles lining up between New Plot and Janipur road stretch. They said the huge volume of traffic resulted in a traffic jam as a large number of people visited the High Court complex, which resumed normal working after a month-long strike of Bar Association Jammu. The lawyers had abstained from court work to protest against the state government’s decision to transfer registration powers from judicial officers to revenue department. “All major intersections, which needed to be manned manually by
the traffic police, witnessed total chaos as the cops were missing from these vital points. Long queues of vehicles lined up both sides of the road, subjecting commuters to great hardship,” they said. The commuters, particularly office-goers and school-going children, complained that they were unable to reach their destination on time. A senior traffic police officer requesting anonymity, however, downplayed the situation, saying the traffic was disrupted for some time and the vehicular movement was normal throughout the day. |
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‘Sunny days’ for tourism in Kashmir
Srinagar, December 26
“We are getting a good response and more tourists are likely to visit during the next few months, breaking all the previous records,” said Farooq Ahmad Shah, Director of the Tourism Department, Kashmir. He said Kashmir being one of the most beautiful tourist destinations, had a lot to present for the tourists this winter. “A number of programmes and activities are scheduled during the winter season at Gulmarg, which has the best snow-skiing slopes in the world,” he added. The ski-resort of Gulmarg also has an ice rink, which attracts not only the national level, but internationally known players. Gulmarg, about 50 km north of here, in Baramulla district, is at present covered by a thick blanket of snow and awaits a heavy snowfall in the coming days. “Various winter sports programmes and activities would begin at the resort on January 10,” said Shah. Gulmarg played host to the second National Winter Games in February 1998 and the fifth National Winter Games in February 2008. The figures are encouraging this year, believes the Director of the Tourism Department. “We have no competitors in the neighbourhood and we have the best to offer,” he said. During the first 16 days of December, the Kashmir valley recorded a total number of 22,174 tourists, including 20,227 domestic and 1,947 foreign. About 19,367 tourists visited the Valley in December last year when Kashmir witnessed a turbulent summer. In December 2009 the total number of tourists visiting the Valley was 44,947 when the situation was comparatively peaceful through the summer months. The increasing trend of tourists this month is expected to cross the mark achieved in 2009.
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Expelled BJP MLAs open channels with NC, Cong
Jammu, December 26 Sources close to these MLAs said the court decision to admit their petition has given big relief to the legislators and they have now decided to take some decision as regards their political future. Although some senior BJP leaders have announced that the decision to expel these legislators would be revoked provided all of them tender a written apology, the expelled MLAs have ruled out any chance of returning to the saffron party. Sources said some of the expelled MLAs have contacted senior Congress leaders and expressed their desire to become associate members of their party. As per the anti-defection law of Jammu and Kashmir, these MLAs cannot join any political party. They stand to lose their membership in case they join any other political party. “Instead of joining the Congress or National Conference, these legislators want to become associate members of any of the ruling parties so as to save their membership too,” sources said, adding that expelled MLAs were waiting for the next hearing of their case in the court on December 31. The state government had responded to the notice issued by the court in connection with the petition filed by six expelled BJP MLAs challenging their disqualification order issued by the BJP state legislature party leader Jugal Kishore Sharma. The expelled MLAs had challenged Sharma’s disqualification order for cross-voting during the Legislative Council elections held on April 13 this year. Sharma had also sent a letter to the Legislative Assembly Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone, and sought disqualification of the six expelled BJP leaders from the state Assembly. Sources further said expelled MLAs were demanding assurance from the Congress leadership that they would be given party mandate in the next Assembly elections. While admitting that the expelled BJP MLAs are in touch with party leaders, sources in the Congress said that the leadership had made it clear to them that they would not give them any assurance regarding the party mandate. Meanwhile, some of the expelled BJP legislators have launched an offensive to expose, what they called, the party’s double standards. MLA Basholi Jagdish Raj Sapolia, addressing a gathering, pointed out that they were singled out but no action had been taken against a senior party leader who had directed them to vote in favour of National Conference in the 2009 Rajya Sabha elections. |
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Prepare for civic polls, BJP tells workers
Jammu, December 26 Addressing a function to welcome a large number of political workers, who joined the BJP in the Talab Tillo area today, Khajuria said the state had been going through a crucial stage because the UPA regime at the Centre and the NC-Congress coalition government in the state were appeasing the anti-national forces. He said BJP workers had to oppose such appeasement policies of both the state and the Central governments. Khajuria said the BJP was a party of disciplined and dedicated workers and in the near future they would get an opportunity to prove their ability to garner public support in the forthcoming civic bodies elections. Jugal Kishore Sharma, MLA, Nagrota, in his address told the party workers not to be misled by the propaganda of the Congress-NC government in the state and the PDP. He said the party had expelled seven MLAs to eradicate corruption from politics. He
said the party’s struggle against corruption would continue. Sat Sharma, general secretary of the party, while welcoming political workers, who joined the BJP on the occasion, assured them full freedom in expressing their view point and field of action in perusing the party’s ideology and programmes. He added that in the BJP, dedication, hard work and commitment to the party’s programmes was the sole criteria for advancing in the hierarchy of the party. He said family relations and cronyism had no place in the party. Rajesh Gupta, district president of the party, Ayodhya Gupta, Sanjay Baru, Yudhvir Sethi, Munish Sharma, Pushpa Wazir, Chander Mohan Gupta, Surinder Choudhary, Munish Khajuria, Ashok Gupta, Bodh Raj Sharma, Manohar Lal Gupta, Gian Sharma, OP Gupta, Gian Samnotra, Radhey Krishan, Mangat Ram, Manohar Singh, Sahil Gupta and others were also present on the occasion. |
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Implement Rangarajan panel recommendations, says Mufti
Ramban, December 26 In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had constituted a working group under former RBI Governor C Rangarajan to suggest measures to improve the economy of the state and generate employment for youth. The Mufti also demanded that two NHPC projects - Dulhasti and Salal - be handed over to Jammu and Kashmir as recommended by the committee. "It is sad that despite having huge water resources, Jammu and Kashmir has to depend on the Central government for water and economic development. The two projects currently operated by NHPC must be handed over to the state," said
Sayeed. Accusing the ruling NC of bartering away the state’s natural resources by signing unfair agreements, the former Chief Minister alleged the state government was moved by the lust for power than making the state economically self-reliant. — PTI |
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Coaching centre sealed
Jammu, December 26 As per the official hand out, the enforcement wing of the JMC sealed the coaching centre, following instructions from JMC Commissioner SC Sawhney. Meanwhile, continuing with its anti-encroachment drive to clear footpaths, pavements and parts of roadsides, the JMC team undertook the drive in Moti Bazaar, Pacca Danga, Chowk Chabotra and Dhounthly Bazaar.
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MoS Home reviews security scenario in Samba
Jammu, December 26 The IGP Jammu zone briefed the minister about various arrangements made by the police to strengthen the law and order and security in the light of fresh attempts by militants to infiltrate from across the LoC and the International Border. The SSPs of Jammu, Kathua and Samba
districts gave their assessment reports based on available inputs on the security and law and order situations. They also gave detailed power-point presentations and also briefed the minister about general security scenario and measures taken in controlling crime and arrest of drug peddlers and anti-social elements. Nasir lauded the efforts of various agencies in the maintenance of law and order and in keeping militancy-related activities under check. He stressed upon effective coordination, adequate briefing to officers and effective supervision of overground deployment to achieve better results. DIG of the Jammu-Kathua range, Farooq Khan; Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma; Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Mubarak Singh and other senior officers from the
state police attended the meeting.
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CPM for investigative arm in accountability panel
Jammu, December 26 “There is an urgent need to revitalise the SAC. It should be given a separate investigative arm to probe corruption cases,” CPM state secretary MY Tarigami said at the party’s 7th regional conference here today. Stressing the need to bring top echelons of the government under the ambit of the revamped commission, Tarigami demanded that the relevant Act should be amended immediately to “free the state from corruption”. The SAC was constituted under the Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission Act, 2002, to inquire into grievances and allegations against public functionaries. Tarigami also slammed the ruling NC-Congress coalition in the state for failing to evolve a comprehensive and effective employment policy. “The people face unemployment, price rise, shortage of essential commodities, power cuts, retardation in industrial growth and lack of facilities in agriculture sector,” he said. — PTI |
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Agriculture Minister calls on Governor
Jammu, December 26 During their hour-long meeting, the Governor and Mir discussed the implementation of various flagship schemes, concerning the agriculture sector and the measures being taken for enabling growers to be timely provided with all the required inputs, besides, the latest technological know-how for enhancing agri-productivity and production. Other important issues relating to the security and speedy socio-economic development of the state also came up for discussion during the meeting. —
TNS
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Manhandling of doctors and pharmacist
Jammu, December 26 Sushil Sudan, president of the JKMEF, said the doctors and pharmacists were being manhandled here and sought an immediate intervention of the authorities. Sudan urged the government to put the culprits behind bars without any delay. |
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State govt to modernise Abhinav Theatre
Jammu, December 26 "Abhinav Theatre will be renovated and modernised with creation of state-of-the-art infrastructure at a cost of Rs 2.97 crore," Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora said here today. He said against approved funds of Rs 2.97 crore, Rs 1.50 crore had already been released and kept at the disposal of the Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings (Jammu), for carrying out necessary work. — PTI
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State govt to modernise Abhinav Theatre Jammu, December 26 "Abhinav Theatre will be renovated and modernised with creation of state-of-the-art infrastructure at a cost of Rs 2.97 crore," Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora said here today. He said against approved funds of Rs 2.97 crore, Rs 1.50 crore had already been released and kept at the disposal of the Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings (Jammu), for carrying out necessary work. — PTI
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Minors abandoned at Jammu railway station Jammu, December 26 Official sources told The Tribune that two children identified as Nitin (3) and Ankur (1) were found in a bogey of the Shalimar Express at the railway station. “Nitin (3) is not old enough to know the place he originally belongs to. He is not able to tell who left them in the train,” sources said. Sources added that the GRP personnel gave them milk and other eatables before handing them over to the ChildLine, an NGO. A member of the ChildLine said they had shifted the children to SOS Home, Gole Gujral, for shelter. On October 17 last year, three sisters aged three, two and one were abandoned at Jammu railway station. A sweeper had found the children at the platform. — TNS
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"To make Jammu and Kashmir an economically viable state, it is necessary to implement the recommendations made by C
Rangarajan," PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed told a public meeting here.