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Terrorists had plans to hold senior Army officers hostage
Militant hideout busted in Baramulla, arms seized
J&K fast losing forest cover to infra projects
assembly in session
Release pending salaries: Teachers
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Vohra presses for inland water transport system in Kashmir
Kishtwar riots Sushma Swaraj briefed on clashes
Caravan sarais reeling under govt neglect
Cross-LoC traders sceptical about hassle-free business
Indian Science Congress
Lt Gen Chachra briefs Governor on security
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Terrorists had plans to hold senior Army officers hostage
Jammu, October 7 "The investigations and recoveries so far indicate that the terrorists had plans to hold hostage any senior Army officer they could have laid their hands on," said a top police source privy to the investigations. He said there were ample amount of proofs to suggest that the trio wanted to engage the Army over a longer duration of time. "Besides arms and ammunition, we have recovered one metal handcuff, food packets, including two tins of multi-vitamins having 1.6 kilo calories each, almonds, cashews and raisins, from the site of encounter inside the Army camp. This suggests that they had plans to hold at least one senior officer hostage and then prolong the encounter for two or three days, negotiate and at the same time
hog wide media attention," he added. The source also said by 7.15 am on that fateful day the terrorists had stormed the Army camp in Samba, much before the Hiranagar police station could gather its wits and call the police control room in Kathua. "The police control room in Kathua was informed about the incident at 7.15 am, by then the ultras, which had entered 10 km inside the jurisdiction of Samba district, had already stormed the Army camp," he said. "Though, they killed Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh and three other soldiers inside the Army camp they probably didn't get enough time to execute their plan," the source revealed. He, however, said it was "intriguing" that at 5.30 am the ultras had hijacked an auto-rickshaw of Roshan Lal at gun point and travelled 20 km unhindered from Haria Chak to Hiranagar. |
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Militant hideout busted in Baramulla, arms seized
Srinagar, October 7 “On a tip off from Intelligence agencies, a 48-hour-long operation was launched by troops of 46 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of the police in the forests. After a search, a hideout was found and busted,” a defence spokesman said
in Srinagar. The recovery included an AK-56 rifle, its four magazines, two rocket-propelled grenades, a disposable rocket launcher, a pistol and some ammunition. “A map of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a letter pad of the
Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, khaki dresses and some damaged Indian currency were seized from the hideout,” the spokesman said. Sources said the recovery of police uniform hinted that the militants were planning to carry out an attack. “Seemingly, the terrorists would have been using the hideout and the arms and ammunition must have been stored for carrying out anti-national activities in
Baramulla. The seizure of khaki uniform set (which matches with that of the Jammu and Kashmir Police) indicated that an attack by deception might have been planned by the terrorists on security forces by dressing up as local policemen,” the source said. A high alert was sounded in north Kashmir soon after the hideout was busted. |
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J&K fast losing forest cover to infra projects
Srinagar, October 7 As per the forest department data, 875.6647- hectare forest land has been used for road construction under the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY). The state government told the Legislative Council that various remedial measures are being undertaken to boost the green cover. "Afforestation drives have been launched in various areas. In order to protect new plants, effective fencing and other soil conservation measures have been adopted," said an official report. The state Forest Department has further directed the executing agency of PMGSY in the state to construct retaining walls and take necessary steps to prevent soil erosion.
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assembly in session
Srinagar, October 7 When the House began its business today, the members of the two parties raised the issue of creation of new administrative units in the state. Unmoved by repeated warnings by Speaker Mubarak Gul, the agitating members walked into the Well of the House. Unruly scenes were created by the members even as other members continued to impress upon the Speaker to continue the proceedings of the Question Hour. The angry legislators later staged a walkout from the House.
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Release pending salaries: Teachers
Handwara, October 7 "We were posted under Rashtriya Madhamik Shkisha Abhiyan in different schools. We got salaries for initial two months, but now no money has been paid to us since last three months,” said a teacher.
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Vohra presses for inland water transport system in Kashmir
Srinagar, October 7 Vohra said this after Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shailendra Kumar made a presentation on the development of inland water tourism and historical sites in Kashmir during a meeting at Raj Bhawan here. Last month, a delegation led by Sheikh Imran had met the Governor and informed him about the initiatives taken by the government in 1996-97 to develop an inland navigation system. Thereafter, Raj Bhawan had asked the Divisional Commissioner to review all past decisions and brief the Governor about the way forward. After discussions with the officials at the meeting, the Governor asked the Divisional Commissioner to put in place an inland water transport system at identified sectors of the Jhelum which could be of interest to tourists. As such the operational details should be finalised by the Tourism Department and effectively advertised, he said. The Governor asked the Divisional Commissioner to coordinate between the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, Tourism and Irrigation Departments and the police to finalise an action plan for the phased development of a number of circuits to be covered by water navigation systems. The Governor observed that Srinagar city and other areas of the Valley had a large number of heritage and historical sites and if an inland water transport system became operational, an attractive element could be added to the packages to be offered to the tourists. He advised the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner to ensure that whatever was viable should be done without any delay to make a definitive beginning in this direction. The Governor suggested to Farooq Ahmad Shah, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, and Talat Parvez, Director, Tourism, Kashmir, to take all required measures to publicise the motor-boating facility, which was available on the Jhelum and also involve the hotel associations in publicising the facility. Navin K Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor; AG Mir, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone; and Irfan Yasin Shah, vice-chairman of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, attended the meeting. |
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Kishtwar riots
New Delhi, October 7 A Bench comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi made the clarification while refusing to hear senior counsel Bhim Singh on the compensation policy. While the pleas relating to Kishtwar violence were pending in the SC, “you can’t seek further relief” on other aspects such as the compensation policy, the Bench said. “Right or wrong, the state government has taken a Constitutional position” to justify its policy. “The state may have several other problems.”
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Sushma Swaraj briefed on clashes Jammu, October 7 She said the party leadership was keeping a close follow-up of the events before and after the August 9 violence and the partisan role being played by the administration. Swaraj said the party had taken up the issue of compensation to traders with the Union Government and also demanded transfer of police and civil administration officers who did not enjoy the confidence of the minority community. She said the Central leadership of the BJP endorsed the Kishtwar BJP unit’s demand of strengthening the village defence committees and appealed to the J&K Government to make all possible arrangements to avoid the possibility of migration of the minority community
from Kishtwar. As per the handout, Sunil Sharma provided details of the losses suffered and informed Swaraj that around 109 shops and business establishments had been destroyed during the August 9 violence and the losses suffered by traders was more than Rs 16 crore. He thanked Swaraj for her intervention, which had boosted the morale of the minority community in
Kishtwar, and said he would continue to update her on the latest development there.
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Caravan sarais reeling under govt neglect
Srinagar, October 7 Eight sarais are in a dilapidated condition while two are abandoned, the Tourism Ministry said today in a written reply to a query in the Legislative Council. While two sarais have are functioning as schools, two others are occupied by the Army and another by police personnel. A sarai in Rajouri district has been occupied by locals, the government said. The government also admitted that these sarais are being occasionally used by the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities for shelter and grazing purposes. Regarding their conservation, the government said: "The possibility is being explored to take care of these sarais owing to their heritage value and formal opening of the Mughal Road, which will include stopping illegal occupation, if any." The Mughal Road connects Rajouri in Jammu region to south Kashmir. While light vehicles are already plying on it, the government is yet to officially inaugurate it. The government is hopeful that the link will boost trade between the two regions. The government said a majority of sarais located in in Pir Panjal range remain inaccessible due to hostile weather conditions and lack of proper connectivity. |
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Cross-LoC traders sceptical about hassle-free business
Jammu, October 7 “Though the Ministry of Home Affairs, in a meeting with state government officials on September 30, had verbally assured restoration of all 21 items on the trade list, no written order has been issued. As a result, we are apprehensive that all items listed under the SOP may not be allowed,” said
Pawan Anand, president of the Chamber of LoC Trade, J&K. The trade had remained suspended for over three weeks from September 3 via Salamabad in Baramulla district after the Customs Department banned items such as mango and medicinal herbs. Their counterparts in Poonch district had also threatened to go on an indefinite strike following what they had alleged the “autocratic” functioning of the Customs Department. “We are readying ourselves for the trade tomorrow but no minutes of the meeting, including written order, have been issued,” said Hilal Turki, general secretary of the Chamber of LoC Trade, J&K. The trade between Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir began on October 10, 2008, via Chakan da Bagh in Poonch district and Salamabad in Baramulla district. Anand said, “We hope that the Customs Department allows items, which were being traded since the trade began in 2008. It would have been better had a written order been issued to them.” A senior state official associated with the trade, however, hoped that the things would improve following the high-level meeting between the Home Ministry and state government officials. Over 600 Indian traders from Kashmir and 165 traders from Jammu are associated with the trade via Salamabad and Chakan da Bagh, respectively. |
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Indian Science Congress
Jammu, October 7 Williams is scheduled to reach the University of Jammu — India’s first ISO certified institute of postgraduate studies and higher learning — to participate in the Children Science Congress, which is part of the Indian Science Congress, on February 4. The Indian Science Congress, which is to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will be organised from February 3 to 7. General president of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) RC Sobti said this while talking to mediapersons at the University of Jammu today morning. “Sunita Williams will be interacting with students during the event. It will be a proud moment for them to have a face-to-face interaction with the NASA astronaut,” Sobti said. He said former President APJ Abdul Kalam, a Nobel laureate and 40 foreign scientists would participate in the Science Congress. “For the first time in the academic history of Jammu and Kashmir, Kalam has given his consent to inaugurate the Children Congress,” he said. Flanked by Vice Chancellor of the University of Jammu Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, who is also the president of the Science Congress, and local secretaries, including Naresh Padha and Meena Sharma, Sobti said all the departments concerned of the university and various state agencies had been working in tandem to make the event successful. |
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Lt Gen Chachra briefs Governor on security
Srinagar, October 7 General Officer Commanding of 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh was present at the meeting at Raj Bhawan. The Governor and the Northern Army Commander discussed issues relating to internal and external security management, an official spokesman said. “Lt General Chachra particularly briefed the Governor about several incidents of large-scale infiltration from across the LoC in the Keran Sector,” the spokesman said. The meeting happened in the backdrop of one of the longest gun battles in the region since the 1999 Kargil war. The fighting between a large number of militants and the Army is on at multiple points along the LoC in the Keran sector of frontier Kupwara district. The counter-infiltration operation was launched on September 24 after troops received an input that 30 to 35 militants of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Albader and Hizbul Mujahideen had tried to sneak in to various areas of the Keran sector, 130 km from Srinagar. |
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Governor NN Vohra today underscored the need for making operational the inland water transport system in the Kashmir valley in a time-bound manner. The Governor said the facility would be an added attraction for tourists, generate employment avenues and ease traffic congestion.
General Officer Comanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Northern Command Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra today briefed Governor NN Vohra on internal and external security management and on incidents of large-scale infiltration from across the Line of Control
(LoC) in the Keran sector of Kupwara district.
A handout issued by the BJP from Jammu said Swaraj received a detailed report on Kishtwar riots. She has said the Central leadership of the party fully supported its Kishtwar unit and would go to any extent to ensure the safety of the minority community there.