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Ladakh needs connectivity, education, says Rahul
JKCA scam
Rahul to visit Kashmir University with corporate honchos today
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Army offers to assist witnesses
Pahari delegation calls on Guv
Pak again targets Samba sector
Uproar in Assembly over delay in developmental works
Mehbooba flays blocking of Facebook, YouTube
Lt Gen DS Hooda takes charge
of White Knight Corps
Block council poll on Nov 7
Over 200 temples damaged in Kashmir valley
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Ladakh needs connectivity, education, says Rahul
Leh, October 4 In his address, Rahul Gandhi termed the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) as the best model of an institution in terms of decentralisation of power, which plans and monitors the developmental activities at the district level. While laying the foundation of a tunnel at ‘Z-Morh’ in Sonamarg today, the Congress leader stressed that Ladakh needed connectivity, infrastructural development and education. The 6.5-km-long two-lane tunnel is being built at a cost of Rs 2,717 crore. It will be constructed by the Border Roads Organisation in five years. "This project is a step towards connecting Ladakh with the rest of the regions through an all-weather road," he said. He also assured early approval of the construction of a tunnel at the Zojila by the Central government, adding they were also considering the option of having an all-weather road from Korzok via the Parangla. Rahul also held a meeting with the councilors of the LAHDC, during which the chief executive councilor of the LAHDC, Leh Rigzin Spalbar, apprised him about the developmental schemes being implemented in the district and rehabilitation of the 2010 cloudburst flashflood victims. The Congress general secretary was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh, Pradesh Congress Committee state president Saif-ud-Din Soz and senior congress leader Mohan Prakash. In his welcome address, state Tourism and Culture Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora told Rahul that politics in Ladakh was based on achievement and performance, which was not found anywhere in the country. He said the Nehru family had special concern for the people of
Ladakh.
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JKCA scam
Jammu, October 4 Although Farooq Abdullah, who is also the president of the JKCA, has already announced a probe into the scam which surfaced in March this year, the BJP said the probe was an eyewash to befool the people of the state. “There is a clear involvement of Farooq Abdullah in this scam. We have already brought this matter to the notice of the Union Sports Ministry but no action has been taken so far,” said BJP national secretary Kirit Somaiya, who is also the convener of the BJP’s scam detection committee. Interacting with mediapersons, Somaiya said the Union government had not taken any action in this regard despite many evidences pointing towards the involvement of Farooq Abdullah in the scam. “The Union government is involved in a number of scams itself so we don’t expect much from them,” he said, reiterating the BJP’s demand for an independent probe in the scandal. “Shashi Tharoor had resigned because of allegations of his involvement in the IPL scam. Farooq Abdullah should also resign from the Union Cabinet on the same grounds,” he said, adding that two Union Ministers were trying to protect Farooq Abdullah because of their closeness to him. In the JKCA cricket scam, Rs 24.64 crore, meant for cricket activities in the state, was allegedly siphoned off by creating bogus accounts in the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited. BJP state president Shamsher Singh Manhas along with other party leaders observed a 48-hour ‘satyagraha’, demanding a CBI probe into the scam. Somaiya specially came to participate in the function organised to mark the end of the fast. “As the Central government is not interested in probing this scam, we are forced to adopt the path of satyagraha,” he said, lamenting that corruption had crossed all limits. He said the BJP had decided to rake up the JKCA scam issue at the national-level to expose the UPA government’s encouragement to corruption. “With one after the other scam surfacing at regular intervals, the Congress-led UPA government stands exposed before the people,” he said, adding the government was brazenly misusing investigation agencies such as the CBI for petty political considerations. “How can one expect justice when the premier investigating agency is furthering the interests of the ruling party,” he said. When asked about the allegation by RTI activist Anjali Damania on BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, Somaiya termed the accusation as wild and baseless. “It is the BJP which has exposed the irrigation scam in Maharashtra. Anjali is speaking on the behalf of those who want to undermine the role of the BJP in exposing this scam,” he claimed. Something is fishy: Probe committee chief Chairman of the JKCA scam probe committee Arvinder Singh Micky, who is in Srinagar to attend a JKCA meeting on Friday, said something was fishy as the committee was not getting required cooperation from senior officials to investigate the scam. “The way some senior officials of the JKCA are protecting tainted persons substantiates allegations that there is some sort of an understanding between higher-ups and those who are involved in the bungling of funds from the JKCA,” he told The Tribune |
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Rahul to visit Kashmir University with corporate honchos today
Srinagar, October 4 Around 1,100 selected students from 37 departments of the university and other colleges of the Valley will participate in the discussion. The university authorities are looking forward to Rahul’s visit especially from the point of view of a Rs-30 crore funding from the Ministry of Human Resources Development for the infrastructural development of the Zakura campus. The Congress general secretary is scheduled to inaugurate two university hostels and a new building assigned to the Information Technology (IT) department. This will be Rahul’s second visit to the university since last year when he had held interactions with students, promising them that he would show up again with a business delegation. Interestingly, the student wing of the Congress in Kashmir, National Students Union of India (NSUI), had gained popularity immediately after Rahul’s visit, with hundreds of university students enrolling themselves in the party. The disbanded Kashmir University Students Union (KUSU) and hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had criticised the university authorities for allowing student political parties to emerge on the campus. Sources said the university administration had, therefore, briefed a selected lot of students this time to keep their questions restricted to employment and education and to avoid political dialogue while interacting with Rahul and the delegation. The Congress general secretary is also likely to meet Kashmir’s business fraternity for lunch on Friday followed by his interaction with the Valley panches and
sarpanches. |
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Army offers to assist witnesses
Jammu, October 4 Reacting to media reports of summons being received late by family members of civilians killed in the Pathribal encounter case, an Army spokesman stated that the Army reiterated its commitment to a fair and transparent trial. He also stated that so far the witnesses had not approached the Army for any assistance. The spokesman said fresh summons giving reasonable time to the witnesses to report for recording the summary of evidence would be issued. He advised the witnesses not to be misled and asked them to approach the nearest police station or Army unit for assistance. The spokesman said the Army was willing to provide necessary assistance to the witnesses at Nagrota should they so require. On September 20, the Army started court martial proceedings against the accused Army officers at the Nagrota-based 16 Corps. On September 21, the then GOC of 16 Corps, also called White Knight Corps, Lt Gen AS Nandal, in the capacity of Commanding Officer had heard the charges levelled by the CBI against the accused officers. During the hearing, Lt Gen Nandal heard the evidence led by CBI Inspector Ashok Kalra, who had investigated the case. However, Lt Gen AS Nandal today handed over the command of 16 Corps to Lt Gen DS Hooda. The Army had said that since the GOC, 15 Corps, had contested the case on behalf of the accused officers up to the Supreme Court, it was just and proper as also fair to the victims’ families that the proceedings be conducted by another commander of a different corps. |
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Pahari delegation calls on Guv
Srinagar, October 4 The nine-member delegation was led by the vice-chairman of the Advisory Board for Development of Pahari-speaking People, Syed Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari. The Governor assured that the issue would be discussed with the Minister for Social Welfare for an early outcome.
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Pak again targets Samba sector
Jammu, October 4 Consequently, the BSF, which guards the international border, effectively retaliated to silence the Rangers. “Around 9.45 today, the Pakistan Rangers opened unprovoked small arms fire on our forward posts in the Chachwal area, particularly on the Chilyari post,” said the BSF DIG, Jammu Frontier, JS Oberoi. “Their unwarranted act forced us to give them a calibrated response and the exchange of fire continued for over 10 minutes. There were no casualties,” he added. The DIG stated that the BSF headquarters in Delhi had been informed about the recurrent incidents of unprovoked firing by the Rangers in the Chachwal area. “The BSF is working out a strategy and adequate measures have been initiated,” he said. However, he admitted that the situation was tense in the two-km stretch of the Chachwal area along the border in the wake of frequent firing by the Rangers. On October 1, a couple —Kulwant Singh and his wife Trishla Devi — who were working in their fields in Chachwal, sustained injuries after being hit by bullets from across the border. The BSF had lodged a written protest note with the Rangers over the incident in Chachwal yesterday. Ever since the BSF detected Pakistan’s secret transborder tunnel in Chachwal, the Rangers have been frequently opening unprovoked fire along the border, said a BSF source. The BSF has now decided to take up the matter at the highest level with the Rangers in the next few days, said the source. A villager from Chachwal, Hari Singh, informed this correspondent that this morning the Rangers opened fire on Chilyari and Regal posts along the border triggering panic among villagers living close to the border. In the past two months, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire pact 21 times along the international border and the Line of Control (LoC). On September 20, the Rangers had violated the ceasefire agreement by opening indiscriminate firing on the Indian side in a bid to stall the digging work to uncover the 540-metre-long tunnel in Chachwal that originated from Pakistan. 3 CRPF men hurt in grenade attack Sopore, October 4 The police and CRPF cordoned off the area and started a search operation, said a source. A case has been registered in this regard. — OC |
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Uproar in Assembly over delay in developmental works
Srinagar, October 4 Cutting across party lines, the opposition bench stood up and raised slogans against the bureaucracy after Public Health Engineering Minister Taj Mohiuddin said works for the construction of irrigation schemes were awaiting clearance from the Forest Department. National Panthers Party (NPP) MLA Harsh Dev Singh said the Minister was “defending” the officials as several developmental schemes were awaiting clearance from the Forest Department. The NPP legislators also raised slogans against Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, who was held “responsible” for the delay. Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone, while pacifying the opposition bench, said the Chief Secretary was only heading the committee that had to give clearances and he was not individually responsible for the delay. The Speaker then directed the government to clear the pending forest clearance cases within two months and also “accelerate the tempo of developmental process in the state”. He said the committee constituted for the purpose needed to be “further activated” to remove bottlenecks, if any, in clearing cases. The uproar was triggered by a question asked by ruling National Conference legislator Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan. He spoke about the delay in the construction of Kandi Irrigation Lift Scheme in Kupwara district. After Taj’s reply, the NPP, BJP and PDP legislators too stood up saying they were facing similar problems in their respective constituencies due to the delay in clearance of schemes from the Forest Department. Meanwhile, Taj said Kandi Irrigation Lift Scheme was taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 300 lakh and a cumulative amount of Rs 287.42 lakh had been spent up to March 2012. |
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Mehbooba flays blocking of Facebook, YouTube
Srinagar, October 4 Before the start of the question hour in the Assembly, Mehbooba claimed that Facebook had been blocked in a “sneaky” and “calculated” way by the state government following widespread protests in the Valley last month over an anti-Islam film made in the US. People, especially youth, were “dependant” on Facebook, she said, adding that the youth should be “encouraged” to give vent to their feelings on the social networking site failing which they would “express their anger” on the roads. “Protests against the blasphemous film were held everywhere but nowhere was there a draconian law… and this follows the SMS ban (on prepaid connection),” Mehbooba added. Quoting media reports, she said the telecom companies had been directed by the government to “ban” Facebook and YouTube. CPM state secretary and legislator M Y Tarigami too stood up in her support, saying that the government must take appropriate measures in this regard. After Mehbooba demanded an immediate answer from the government, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone said the government had to respond “on its own”. For the last few days, Facebook and YouTube have reportedly become inaccessible through wireless networks but can be accessed through broadband connections. |
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Lt Gen DS Hooda takes charge
of White Knight Corps
Jammu, October 4 In a ceremony held at the Corps headquarters, Lt Gen AS Nandal handed over the baton to Lieutenant General Hooda. Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen AS Nandal complimented all ranks of the Corps for their unstinted support during his command. The General also thanked the civil administration for excellent synergy with the armed forces. He highlighted the the role played by people in helping the security forces in keeping terrorists at bay. Lt Gen DS Hooda was commissioned in the 4th Gorkha Rifles. He is a highly decorated Infantry Officer, with a vast experience in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations. He has commanded an Infantry Brigade in the high altitude area in the North East region. Lt Gen Hooda has held a number of important command, staff and instructional postings, including that of the Chief Logistics Officer in the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Deputy Director General Military Operations in the Army headquarters. |
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Block council poll on Nov 7
Srinagar, October 4 The state Chief Electoral Officer has appointed 143 Returning Officers, 145 Assistant Returning Officers, 145 Presiding Officers and 290 Polling Officers to conduct the polls. The elections will be conducted through the use of ballot boxes and ballot papers. The photo electoral rolls of all the panches and sarpanches have been made. The poll timing will be from 9 am to 3 pm and the counting of votes will be conducted on the same day. With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct also comes into force. The Chairman of the BDC will be elected by panches and sarpanches of panchayats falling within a block. As per the latest data, there are 29,402 panches and 4,098 sarpanches in the state.
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Over 200 temples damaged in Kashmir valley
Srinagar, October 4 The figures were revealed by J&K Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla in state Assembly in a written reply to a question by legislator Chaman lal Gupta. The highest number of temples were damaged in south Kashmir’s Anatnag district follwed by north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. While over 70 out of 128 temples were damaged in Anatnag, 28 temples have suffered damage in Kupwara. In Baramulla district, 27 temples out of 29 suffered ravages of time. While no temple was damaged in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, one temple was damaged in north Kashmir’s Bandipore district. The figures revealed that 208 temples out of the total 438 were damaged over the years. The government, however, did not inform the Assembly as to how these temples were damaged. The government stated there were no encroachments on any of the temple lands across the Valley. “There are 1,208 kanals of land under various temples and there are no encroachments anywhere,” the government stated. The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti (KPSS), which is seeking a bill to protect temples, rejected the government figures in the Assembly. “The figures provided by the government in the Assembly are not based on the facts. There are many places in the Valley where temple land has been encroached upon,” said KPSS president Sanjay Tickoo. |
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Srinagar, October 4
