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Low power generation leads to eight-hour cuts in
Jammu
HC: Follow jail manual
while frisking visitors
Border villagers oppose land acquisition for ‘great wall’
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Govt to re-examine Chenab
project for green concerns
Kishanganga power project to
be ready by January 2016
Anganwadi workers stage protest, want better facilities
Govt blames oil firms for poor supply of LPG refills
Geelani put under detention, Tral rally foiled
CET scam: Peer’s police remand extended, bail plea deferred
Police working on leads in SHO’s case
Security beefed up across
Srinagar
Rahul meets state Cong leaders, discusses panchayat powers
BJP to emerge as strong force in J&K: Khanna
State’s destiny to be decided by its people, says Rana
BJP keeps debate on Article 370 going
Successful trial run on Udhampur-Katra track
Refresher course in IT begins at JU
Shiksha Niketan Sr Sec School celebrates Mother’s Day
‘Julius Caesar’ mesmerises audience
‘Soot Na Kapas’ staged
Route plan rolled out ahead of NC founder’s birth anniversary
NSUI member ‘thrashes’ waiter
CRPF holds camp
‘Allow hotels with less than 30 rooms to function sans STPs’
Guv, CM pay tributes to Sheikh Abdullah
Seminar highlights need to collectively fight drug abuse
Raising Day celebrated at BSF headquarters
MGNREGA
schemes
Quiz contest marks Nangi Tekri Capture Day celebrations
CCTVs for Lakhanpur-Udhampur NH
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Low power generation leads to eight-hour cuts in Jammu
Jammu, December 4 Though the department claims that cuts are being enforced in non-metered areas only, but several metered residential colonies are also facing unscheduled cuts, raising question mark over the claims of the government that no cuts will be enforced in localities paying electricity bills regularly. It has also affected drinking water supply as most of the pumping station remain shut during the curtailment period. The cuts may further increase to 12 hours as the cold wave engulfs the region. Power cuts have been imposed in many residential localities, including Parade, Kachi Chawni, Janipur, Roop Nagar, Paloura, parts of Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Channi and Bari-Brahman, while power situation has worsened in the rural areas. However, Chief Engineer, PDD, Sehnaz Goni said an eight-hour power cut schedule had been announced for non-metered areas only. "May be due to some technical snags, cuts are being enforced in metered areas, but it will be ensured that they get regular supply." Goni said the electricity generation had gone down and hydro-electric projects are functioning below their capacity due to winter and snow on the glaciers feeding the rivers and streams. The power requirement of entire Jammu region is 700-800 MW, while the Kashmir valley requires over 1,000 MW during winters. With states own production falling due to less discharge in the rivers, it is dependent on the Northern Grid to meet the requirement during winter months. "We are facing cuts mainly in morning and evening hours, but there is no schedule for such cuts. Students are facing problems, particularly school-going children," said Rashmi Sharma, a housewife. An official said the electricity supply was being reviewed on daily basis and in order to provide regular power to the residents, efforts were being made to get additional power from the Northern Grid. Power cuts only for non-metered areas
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HC: Follow jail manual
while frisking visitors
Srinagar, December 4 The court said frisking should be done as prescribed in the manual for Superintendents and Management of jails and in accordance with the standing instructions. The directions were issued by a division bench here on Tuesday in the wake of reports of alleged harassment of woman visitors to the jail, followed by an application by J&K High Court Bar Association president Mian Qayoom. Qayoom, in his application moved before a division bench comprising Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, had submitted that visitors to the jail, particularly women, were being subjected to frisking in violation of the rules and disrespect to women. The court is already hearing a PIL by the Bar Association, seeking better facilities in jails across the state. On November 30, a three-member team of lawyers had visited the Central Jail to probe the alleged harassment of woman visitors. They had visited the Jail after a few inmates staged protests alleging that a woman visitor was forced to strip by the CRPF women deployed to frisk women visitors to the Jail. The inmates demanded replacement of the CRPF women by women guards from the J&K police and frisking of women by metal detectors. In separate orders, the court directed the Kishtwar Jail Superintendent to file his response indicating measures taken by him to keep the jail warm in view of cold weather. Based on its recent visit to the Kishtwar jail, the Bar, in its report submitted to the High Court, had alleged that the inmates were not being provided proper heating arrangements to brace for winter vagaries. The High Court also directed the committee - comprising the District and Sessions Judge, District Magistrate, District Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, and Chief Medical Officer concerned - to visit the Kishtwar district jail within two weeks. The court asked the committee to submit its report mentioning whether the inmates were being provided statutory facilities or not and as on date what kind of facilities were being provided to them. Several teams of the Bar Association had recently visited jails in Jammu province, including jails in Kathua, Udhampur, Rajouri and Kishtwar, and produced reports based on the visit. The same reports have also been submitted to the High court for perusal. |
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Border villagers oppose land acquisition for ‘great wall’
Nikowal, December 4 The farmers claim they have a genuine reason to oppose the acquisition of their agricultural lands for raising the second barrier (41-metre-wide and 10-metre-high embankment) behind the already existing border fence that took away their 250 acres in 1996. The villagers have demanded that they should first be compensated for 250 acres of fertile land before the state government embarks upon a fresh land acquisition exercise. “In 1996 when the BSF raised the border fence in our village, we lost 250 acres of fertile land, which is now lying barren between the fence and the Zero Line. Till date not even a penny has been given to the affected farmers,” said Kuldeep Singh, sarpanch of the village. Singh said the tehsildar concerned along with other officials had come to the village last week to demarcate the land required for raising the embankment but the villagers didn’t listen to him. He said around 70 families in the village, which has a population of over 2000 people, would be affected by the new exercise. “Pakistan has raised an embankment on the Zero Line and we are retreating inside our own territory every time, compelling the farmers to lose their fertile land,” he said. A retired headmaster of the village, Dilbagh Rai said: “While no compensation has been given to us, the 250 acres on the other side of the fence has become useless for us because the BSF doesn’t allow us to go to our fields.” “The fence along the border in Nikowal village has three gates and the BSF has not opened them even once in over a year,” said Rai. The RS Pura Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sukhdev Singh Sambyal, admitted that the administration faced resistance in Nikowal. But his officials were trying to resolve it, he added. “The villagers in Nikowal either want rental compensation of their land or a one-time settlement. They also say that the land should be reclaimed by taking the existing fence close to Zero Line. We are looking into it but since the second embankment is a government project, our officials are trying to convince them,” he said. To ward off terrorists and smugglers, New Delhi has decided to raise the embankment behind the border fence from Kathua to Akhnoor, north of Jammu and the state government has started the land acquisition process in 118 villages in three districts of Kathua (17), Samba (29) and Jammu (72). “In Kathua district, the revenue papers of 16 villages stand prepared where the process of land acquisition is at an advanced stage. But in one village - Bobiyan --- villagers have been resisting the move but talks are on with them,” said Kathua Deputy Commissioner Jatinder Kumar Singh. Samba Deputy Commissioner RK Verma said, “In Samba the land acquisition process has reached an advanced stage in 27 villages. Though in two villages we are facing some minor problems in the form of mines, we will overcome them.” Jammu Deputy Commissioner AK Sahu said, “Out of 72 villages in Jammu district, the revenue survey is almost done in all villages except three or four villages.” Putting up resistance
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Govt to re-examine Chenab project for green concerns
Jammu, December 4 Officials said a new project was being formulated which was recently discussed in a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the winter capital. Sources said consultants, who had conducted the geo-technical feasibility study, had raised the issue of environmental impact on aquatic life after which the bank had asked the state government to clarify these issues, leading to re-examination of the project. It was a mega project approved by the state government in 2009-10 and the first phase was to be completed in 2016 for which the ADB had released funds to carry water by gravity from the Chenab and filter it at the central pumping station, Muthi. Confirming the change of plan, Minister for PHE and Irrigation Sham Lal Sharma said a new project was being formulated. “The state will come up with another plan to use the river water. Some points have been raised on the earlier project. There is a need for a detailed study,” he said. However, Sharma did not specify about the money released by the bank for the first phase of the project. The project was designed to cater to the need of water supply for Greater Jammu for next 30 years. Till now, the Tawi is the only source to feed the growing population of Jammu district, which is also under tremendous pressure. However, Capt Anil Gour, president, Association for Self-Help and Awareness, an NGO, said the state government never showed eagerness about the project. “This means earlier project will be discarded. What about time and money invested in carrying out the study. The district is facing a huge drinking water scarcity, but the state has no policy to overcome the shortage,” he said. Prolonged dry spell and pressure of burgeoning population in the Jammu region has created a permanent water crisis in the region, having a population of 15 lakh and
floating population of nearly 3 lakh. |
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Kishanganga power project
to be ready by January 2016
Srinagar, December 4 This was stated by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during an inspection visit to the site on Tuesday. Addressing engineers and other staff on duty, the Chief Minister laid stress on sticking to the bar chart prepared for the implementation of various works on the project. He said construction on the project, being constructed on turnkey basis, had started in January 2009. He inspected the excavation of Head Race Tunnel
(HRT) and was informed that 95.5 per cent tunnel was complete. Abdullah went into the tunnel and inspected its various sections. He was informed that excavation for concrete faced rock-fill dam had been completed with excavation of spillway and the construction of dam was in progress along with the construction of cut-off wall. Abdullah was briefed that at power house coming up near
Bandipora, excavation of surge shaft, transformer hall and power house cavern had been completed, while that of pressure shaft and tail race tunnel was in progress. It was stated that an expenditure of Rs 2,809.64 crore had been incurred on the construction of the project. Talking about the re-settlement and rehabilitation plan for the affected population in
Badwan, Khopri, Wampora and Nyle in Gurez; and Chak and Kralpora in
Bandipora, the Chief Minister emphasised on ensuring fast track and befitting rehabilitation of the affected. The Chief Minister was told that about Rs 65 crore had been released by the Bandipora deputy commissioner for rehabilitation of the local population. Construction of 50-bed hospital had also been started in
Bandipora. |
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Anganwadi workers stage
protest, want better facilities
Srinagar, December 4 The protesters demanded gratuity, formulation of a pension scheme, immediate enhancement of their remuneration, payment of minimum wages and withdrawal of attempts to privatise Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). The protesters raised slogans, demanding regularisation of their services as Class III and Class IV employees with an increase in honorarium to Rs 5,000 and Rs 4,000 a month respectively. They demanded release of training grants in favour of workers and helpers and travel and dearness allowances for attending meetings such as pulse polio and AIDS awareness programmes. AWHU General Secretary Jameela Sabiri and President Naseema Kuchay said workers of the ICDS should be entitled to decent living. "A mechanism should be introduced in the Women and Child Development Ministry to revise rates of anganwadi workers' and helpers' honorarium," Sabiri said. The protesters said they should be covered under the EPF and ESI Act for regularisation of services as government employees and anaganwadi centres should be made nodal centres to impart pre-school education. Meanwhile, Center of Indian Trade Union (CITU) General Secretary Om Prakash Sharma urged the government to concede to the protesters’ demands. |
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Govt blames oil firms for poor supply of LPG refills
Jammu, December 4 The Consumer Affairs Department claims that oil companies have failed to coordinate effectively with distributors, forcing people to wait for days to get their refill. There are three oil companies, namely Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Limited and Indian Oil Corporation, distributing refills in the state. Officials said the administration had asked the Legal Metrology Department to monitor the home delivery system and
submit regular reports to the government. Minister for Consumer Affairs Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan said, "I have directed companies to ensure continuous supply of LPG refills. Stern action, including cancellation of licences, will be taken against those gas agencies that are not providing satisfactory home delivery of LPG to the consumers. The matter is being taken up with the Union Ministry of Petroleum also," he said. Officials said the dismal dealer-consumer ratio had become the biggest bottleneck that had been preventing smooth distribution of cooking gas, which had still not streamlined after the Union
government put cap on the number of subsidised cylinders per family. Though the state government had been asking oil companies to grant permission to more outlets, but they did not seem to be interested in speeding up the process. "For nearly 8 lakh consumers in Jammu region, there are only 64 refill outlets, which are compounding problems for the masses. There is a need for new outlets to meet the demands of the residents," said an official. "Whenever we receive home delivery of cylinder, we are forced to shell out Rs 40 more. I don't know why they are charging us. We are paying to ensure that we get refill on time," said Sujata Sharma,
a housewife. |
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Geelani put under detention, Tral rally foiled
Srinagar, December 4 Geelani was detained this morning when he was leaving for Tral town to address a rally, his party officials said. The separatist leader has been barred for the second time from addressing a rally in Tral town. Earlier,
the authorities had prevented Geelani from attending a rally in north Kashmir’s Palhalan town. Both towns — Tral and Palhalan — are volatile areas with deep separatist sympathies. The Hurriyat Conference chairman has gone a
whirlwind tour of the region since his release in October after 236 days
of detention. The 84-year-old separatist’s speeches have mainly revolved around election boycott. Geelani now has a rally scheduled at north Kashmir’s Bandipora town on December 6 and a rally in Srinagar on December 8. |
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CET scam: Peer’s police remand extended, bail plea deferred
Srinagar, December 4 The same court also adjourned the hearing in the bail plea of former Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) chairman and prime accused Mushtaq Peer till December 9, whose police remand has already been extended by four days by a magistrate here. During the hearing of Peer’s bail plea before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, here, the crime branch of the police rebutted the argument of Peer’s counsel that the probe agency had no jurisdiction or competence to investigate the matter under the Prevention of Corruption Act. “As per the SRO-2012 part-2, the crime branch can investigate the cases which may be referred to by the government or the Director General of Police from time to time,” Chief Prosecuting Officer (CPO) Khalid Muzaffar, representing the crime branch, said in his submission. He is being assisted by CPO Javed Iqbal. In its rebuttal, the prosecution also submitting that the accused was hale and hearty. “He (Mushtaq Peer) is being regularly taken to the doctors for check-up and his ECG is being done regularly. And, if the court wishes, it can also seek the case diaries for perusal in this regard,” said the crime branch officer. “He is not a heart patient as is being made out by citing documents from a private hospital by his counsel. Rather, Mushtaq Peer has made the whole valley a heart patient by his misdeeds and actions,” the prosecution counsel submitted while opposing the bail to Peer, whose police remand was extended by four more days by the court of Second Additional Munsif here on Tuesday. After summoning him for questioning, Peer was formally arrested by the crime branch on November 23 and sent to police remand. As the arguments in Peer’s bail plea could not be completed today, the Anti-Corruption court put the matter for further consideration on Monday, December 9, when it is expected to hear further arguments on the jurisdiction point raised by Peer’s counsel. The same court put the bail application of another accused in the scam Sajjad Ahmad for final orders on November 10 after concluding the arguments. Sajjad is currently in judicial remand. Charges against accused
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Police working on leads in SHO’s case
Srinagar, December 4 Police sources said they were working on various leads and analysing the technical inputs to get a breakthrough into the killing of Station House Officer (SHO), Chadoora, Shabir Ahmed who was shot dead by militants in Chadoora market, 20 km from Srinagar, on
Monday. “The investigation in the case is on and we have questioned many people from the area and adjoining villages,” said a police officer. “We are working on various leads and cannot share the details as it will hamper the investigation,” he said. The officer said no one has been formally arrested in the case so far and they were on the ‘job’. The police sources said the investigation has so far found that Lashkar-e-Toiba militants from neighbouring Pulwama district along with a local militant were involved
in the attack on the police officer. Meanwhile, Chadoora town today observed a shutdown for the second consecutive day against the alleged police harassment of taxi drivers. A police spokesman, however, denied the allegations. |
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Security beefed up across Srinagar
Srinagar, December 4 Police and paramilitary forces conducted surprise crackdowns on the Lal Chowk area and various other localities of the city. Security men conducted frisking of vehicles in the city. “No one was arrested during the one-hour crackdown on the Lal Chowk area. The people were asked to queue up for frisking of vehicles at the Lal Chowk,” said a police official. The security men had also placed nakas on various roads in Srinagar and random checks were
conducted. Another reason to tighten security in the city is that the ruling National Conference (NC) is celebrating the birthday of its founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on
Thursday. The NC plans to hold various functions in Srinagar to celebrate the day. The main function at Hazratbal in Srinagar will be attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and many top leaders of
the party. Kishore Prasad, CRPF spokesman in Srinagar, said, “The security men conducted crackdowns as there were general inputs (about the militant
movement).” Terror threat
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Rahul meets state Cong leaders, discusses panchayat powers
New Delhi, December 4 The two-hour meeting, which was held at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in the capital, debated the salient features of the 73rd Amendment which the J&K Cabinet is scheduled to soon incorporate into the state Panchayati Raj Act. The Congress-National Conference Coordination Committee has discussed the important features of the Amendment threadbare and agreed upon which ones to include in the state law. The meeting, which happens every three months to review the work done by the Pradesh Congress Committees, assumes significance in terms of J&K as it also discussed the future agenda of the Congress in the state. When contacted, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz said the quarterly meeting was an in-house exercise. Asked what the Congress vice-president said about the 73rd Amendment given a sense of insecurity among J&K panches and sarpanches, Soz said, “The Congress vice-president gave us tremendous moral support on the issue. The Congress-NC Coordination Committee has met and agreed on what features of the 73rd Amendment to incorporate into the state Panchayati Raj Act. The state Cabinet will soon meet to do the needful.” On another specific question by The Tribune about the future of UPA’s flagship moves — the land acquisition and food security Bills — in J&K, Soz said both Bills were debated at today’s meeting and their adoption in J&K was “very much on the anvil”. |
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BJP to emerge as strong force in J&K: Khanna
Jammu, December 4 For the past couple of years, the BJP has been working assiduously to reach out to a section of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. “Those who are undermining the BJP as a non-existing force in Jammu and Kashmir would soon realise the strength of the party in the region,” said Avinash Rai Khanna, Rajya Sabha member and in charge of the J&K unit of the BJP. “We will contest the next Assembly elections to form our government in J&K because all sections of society are coming forward to support the BJP,” Khanna claimed and exuded confidence that in the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP would emerge as a strong force in J&K. Sources in the BJP said the issue of the Article 370 was raked up as part of a strategy to reach to the OBC Muslims and the Gujjars who have been bearing the brunt of the special status. “Unlike other parts of the country, the OBCs —who comprise both Hindus and Muslims in J&K — are not getting reservation as per the recommendations of the Mandal Commission report so the party would try to reach out to this large chunk of population,” a source said. The BJP has reasons to reach out to the OBCs by raking up the special status issue because the leaders of the weaker sections are alleging that they have been deprived of their constitutional rights due to the Article 370. “There is a realisation among the weaker sections, including the OBCs, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs), that the Article 370 is the biggest hurdle in extending Central laws to J&K,” said Bali Bhagat, state general secretary of the BJP and the Dalit face of the party. The BJP is also raking up the issue of denial of political reservation to the STs in J&K to attract the Gujjars. The party has successfully conveyed a message that political reservation has been denied to the STs due to the Article 370. Interestingly, the BJP has been trying to reach out to some sections of Muslims without compromising with the core of its ideology so as to keep its traditional vote bank intact. “We are not compromising on the Article 370 but we are trying to convince some sections of Muslims that they are also the victims of the Article,” Bhagat said. As far as the Shias are concerned, Modi raked up the discrimination issue to reach out to them. The BJP had earlier vociferously highlighted the atrocities on “deprived and subjugated” Shias of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan on various platforms at the national level so as to woo the Shias of Kargil who have ethnic, cultural and religious similarities with the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan. All out to woo Muslims
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State’s destiny to be decided by its people, says Rana
Billawar, December 4 “We are the masters of our own destiny,” Rana said while addressing a workers’ meeting here today. Taking dig at the naivety demonstrated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by messing up residency law of Jammu and Kashmir with the Article 370, Rana wished him to have done a little bit of homework before venturing upon to deliberate over the issue. He said the state subject law was enacted by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927 after an agitation in Jammu and Kashmir against the hegemony of non-state subjects in the state. “The Article 370 has been a later development,” he said, adding that this is the least one can expect from a person dreaming to become the Prime Minister. “By raking up this issue (Article 370), Modi has exposed his ignorance about the national affairs,” he said. Rana advised Modi to emulate BJP leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who distanced himself from even commenting over the Article 370 issue, knowing well that any attempt to trample this provision will weaken the relationship of Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian dominion. |
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BJP keeps debate on Article 370 going
Jammu, December 4 The National Conference (NC), on the other hand, has told BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to correct his perception on the
Article 370. Holding the NC and the Congress responsible for the plight of women, the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), refugee from West Pakistan, state president of the BJP Jugal Kishore Sharma today said, “If these sections of society are to lead a dignified life and exercise all rights available to their counterparts in the rest of the country, the Article 370 has to go, lock, stock and barrel. Unless and until the state of J&K is fully integrated constitutionally, politically and economically (with the Indian Union), the lot of the neglected and
discriminated against social groups would remain the same”. The state BJP president reiterated the party’s principle stand on the Article 370 and said the party was not only committed to securing its abrogation but also the abrogation of the Article 35A that empowered the Valley’s ruling elite to deny various sections of society their fundamental right to exercise their citizenship rights in J&K. Chief spokesperson of the state BJP Jitendra Singh also called upon the coalition government to bring in a legislation to reduce the term of the state Assembly to five years. He said in the wake of a countrywide debate on the merits of the Article 370, this was the most opportune time for all political parties of the state to rise above their party lines and reiterate their faith in democratic values by ending the anomaly of six-year term for the Assembly. He said it was a glaring example of the misuse of the Article 370 at the cost of the electoral rights of the people of the state, irrespective of whether they hailed from Jammu, Ladakh or Kashmir. Advising Modi to correct his perception on the Article 370, provincial president of the NC Devender Singh Rana said, “Those talking about weakening or abrogating this constitutional provision are,
in fact, working towards demolishing the constitutional bridge of relationship.”
Rana said this while addressing party workers at Basholi in Kathua district last evening. Rana said by raking up the sensitive issue in a run up to the forthcoming elections, Modi was not only attempting to destabilise the Kashmir situation but also challenging the wisdom of his own cadre who knew that the Article 370 was going to stay forever. |
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Successful trial run on Udhampur-Katra track
Udhampur, December 4 They started off at 9.20 am and reached Katra at 11.05 am. The engine, as per sources, travelled at a steady speed through the T1 and T3 Tunnels. “After the successful trial of the engine through this route, we are all set to get our construction work inspected from the senior authorities, including the General Manager, Northern Railway, and the Commissioner Railway Safety (CSR) any time,” said a senior construction official. “The General Manager (GM), Northern Railway, along with the head of departments will arrive to inspect the track on December 9. Thereafter, the GM will request the CRS to inspect and issue clearance safety certificate,” he said. “As the trial engine successfully crossed the T1 and T3 tunnels, all doubts regarding the construction problems were put to rest and we hope the route will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister at the earliest,” said Choudhary Lal Singh, MP, who is also a member of the Railway Parliamentary Board. |
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Refresher course in IT begins at JU
Jammu, December 4 Prof Manoj K Dhar, Registrar, JU, and Director, The School of Biotechnology, inaugurated the course in the presence of faculty and staff of the varsity. As many as 25 college and university teachers are attending the course. Prof Dhar, in his inaugural address, highlighted the major role that IT is playing in the day to day affairs of the people. He also talked about the latest IT softwares that are being used in teaching and research. Earlier, Prof Vibhakar Mansotra, Head of the Computer Science Department, in his welcome address dwelt on the various aspects of IT and computer science that would be covered during the course. Ranjeet Kalra, Assistant Professor, ASC, Dr Latisen, Dr Vinod Sharma, Dr Shub Nandan Jamwal, Dr Anil K Tickoo and Dr Goja were also present.
— TNS |
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Shiksha Niketan Sr Sec School celebrates Mother’s Day
Jammu, December 4 The function began with the lighting of traditional lamp by dignitaries. Shashi Gupta, Principal, SMGS Hospital, while addressing students told them about the importance of the day. Tiny tots of Shiksha Niketan Senior Secondary School performed dances to mark the occasion. Different games, like asking of questions from parents to know who much they knew about their wards, were also organised. The chief guest, Indira Bhalla, lauded students for performing different cultural items. Rita Mengi was the guest of honour. Principal of the school Rameshwar Mengi was also present. |
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‘Julius Caesar’ mesmerises audience
Jammu, December 4 Vijay Bakaya, MLC, was the chief guest, whereas NK Nayak, Director, Jammu & Kashmir Nehru Yuva Kendra (JKNYK), was the guest of honour. The play, based on famous Roman tragedy, is a story of revenge wherein the sons and faithful soldiers of the King, who was murdered under a conspiracy, get the throne back from the rebellions. All the actors performed their roles well, thereby captivating the audience. Prominent among those who mesmerised the audience included Rohit Verma, Irfan Choudhary, Balwinder, Shama Choudhary, Rajni Bhati and Pradeep Sharma. Others actors on stage included Rohitashiv, Manoj Bhat, Pramodh Choudhary, Ashok, Sheel, Gaurav, Devinder,Tarun, Vijay, Akshay, Shubham, Saughandhi, Mukesh, Vikram, Kuldeep and Harkeerat. |
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‘Soot Na Kapas’ staged
Jammu, December 4 Those who acted in the play were Uplaksh Singh Kotwal as ‘Chaman Singh’, Sakshi Prakash as ‘Shaanti’ and Ashwani Bali as ‘Ramesh’.
— TNS
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Route plan rolled out ahead of NC founder’s birth anniversary
Srinagar, December 4 Officials said vehicles ferrying participants would have to follow a certain route up to Sir Syed Gate Kashmir University. The route would be: Lal Chowk - SRTC Bridge - Ikhwan Crossing - Khayam Chowk- Khanyar- Rainawari - Saidakadal - Ashai Bagh. The vehicles would be parked at the NIT parking. Vehicles ferrying participants from North Kashmir's Baramulla - Kupwara- Handwara- Bandipora would have to follow: Bemina Bye Pass - Tatto Ground - Qamarwari - Cement Bridge - Noorbagh Sekidafar - Hawal - Alamgari Bazar - Lal Bazaar- Sir Syed Gate Kashmir University. These vehicles would be parked in the temporary parking at Kashmir University. Participants from South Kashmir - Anantnag district, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama would adopt: Panthachowk - Sonwar Bazar - Gupkr - Nishat - Foreshore and Habak. These vehicles would be parked at the Naseembagh parking area. The anniversary functions would be held at several places in Habbak and the Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) on December 5. |
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NSUI member ‘thrashes’
waiter
Srinagar, December 4 An eyewitness said members of the NSUI had come to the café to have dinner yesterday and after a scuffle with Riyaz Ahmed, one of them thrashed Ahmed, besides damaging the property. The student who had allegedly thrashed Ahmed is reportedly president of the National Students' Union India (NSUI)-Congress wing Junaid Mir. The cafeteria where the incident had taken place has been closed for now. Officials said they were looking into the matter after the cafeteria manager lodged a complaint. "The café manager has complained that a student had beaten up a waiter yesterday. Once the complaint reaches the desk, we will look into the matter. I don't know whether the student who had a tiff with the waiter is an NSUI member or not," said Kashmir University Proctor Naseer Iqbal. |
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Srinagar, December 4 CRPF doctors conducted free medical check-up and distributed medicines among 1,400 people from Nishat, Shalimar and Harwan localities. "The camp was organised by 54 BN and 144 BN CRPF," a CRPF spokesperson said. Singh said to help local residents, such camps would be held in future also.
— TNS |
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‘Allow hotels with less than 30 rooms to function sans STPs’
Srinagar, December 4 "At many tourist places in India, hotels with 30 or less number of rooms are allowed to operate without STPs, whereas in our state, the limit is just 19. It would be better if the permissible limit in the state is also raised to at least 30 rooms," CCIK president Mohammad Shafi Khan said after a meeting of the executive committee of the chamber here today. Last month, power supply had been snapped to nearly 100 hotels, while they were also told to suspend commercial activities for not having STPs. Khan said: "This move has adversely affected the tourists' arrival and bookings."
— TNS |
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Guv, CM pay tributes to Sheikh Abdullah
Jammu, December 4 The Governor observed that Sheikh Abdullah was a charismatic leader and a social reformer who fought for the rights of the oppressed sections of society, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. The Governor said a befitting tribute to the great leader would be “our continuous endeavour towards strengthening of our democratic institutions and maintenance of communal harmony and brotherhood”. The Chief Minister described the late leader as the symbol of amity, unity and progress of Jammu and Kashmir. — TNS
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Seminar highlights need to collectively fight drug abuse
Doda, December 4 District Development Commissioner (DDC) Mubarak Singh, 10 Rashtriya Rifles Commanding Officer Sunil Mishra, Superintendent of Police (SP) Arif Rishu and Doda Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Ajay Gupta were the chief guests. “Every citizen must come forward to curb the menace of drug abuse from society. Not mere slogans, but
the practical and sincere approach is the need of hour,” said DDC Mubarak Singh. Doda SP Arif Rishu said he was still not satisfied with the progress of awareness programmes launched in the past two years in Doda as the menace was still prevalent in society. He expected much more cooperation from the people. 10 Rashtriya Rifles CO Sunil Mishra said, “The drug abuse is the biggest threat after militancy in the country.” CMO Ajay Gupta gave suggestions to the students who attended function. Mehboob Kraipak, District President Medical Employees Federation, Doda said, “With the menace growing at an increasing rate, we need to remain vigilant so that the younger generation could not indulge themselves in such activities.” |
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Raising Day celebrated at BSF headquarters
Rajouri, December 4 Schoolchildren presented a cultural programme to mark the day. BSF DIG Raj Kumar Kataria, commanders of various battalions, schoolchildren, former BSF men and ‘veer naris’ were present at the programme. Group and solo competitions were held among students of Delhi Public School (DPS), Army Goodwill Public School (AGPS) and Kendriya Vidayalya. BSF DIG Raj Kumar Kataria threw light on the idea of creation of the BSF. “On December 1, 1965, the BSF was raised and today it has two command zones, 17 sector headquarters, 45 regional headquarters, 179 battalions, one NDRF Bn, air wing etc. It is known as the second biggest force in the country,” he said. “BSF men have played a major role in defending the borders along with soldiers during the Kargil conflict. It helped in fighting Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Punjab and J&K, in curbing separatism agitation in Manipur and in helping the victims of Gujarat earthquake etc.” he said. Paying tributes to BSF martyrs, the DIG exhorted his men to be vigilant to foil any mischievous attempt by the anti-national forces and the Pakistani army on the borders.
— OC Winners Cricket:
1. Army Goodwill Public School
2. Kendriya Vidyalya |
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MGNREGA schemes
Jammu, December 4 Sources said on the receipt of the list of blocks, the MoRD would prepare a proposal in consultation with the state government to ensure better connectivity to all blocks of the state. They said the state had been instructed to stop offline data entry claiming that there might be numerous problems due to different versions of softwares capturing or storing data. However, the management information system (MIS) analysis indicated that there was a significant time lag in the MIS data entry. As a result, the ministry had advised the state to take necessary measures to reduce the time lag in the MIS data entry. As per the data available, apart from Jammu and Kashmir, there is a significant time lag (varies from 30-90 days) in the MIS data entry in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Maharashtra, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Bihar, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. The state has been asked to issue a directive to ensure that all demands are registered through possible channels of registration (helpline number, gram panchayat (GP) or programme officer’s (PO) office, kiosks or devices at GP office, handheld devices available at work sites, short message service (SMS) and online through NREGASoft at the earliest for registering the demand for work in a database. “The MIS data analysis indicated that state has been able to spent only 48 per cent of the total available funds in the current financial year. The state will analyse the absorption capacity of implementing agencies and it will have to take a decision regarding the diversion of unutilised funds to better-performing blocks or GPs, a statement from the ministry said. “It is imperative for the state to scale up or roll out the electronic Fund Management System (e-FMS) to eliminate the delays in wage payments. Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha and Rajasthan have fully implemented the e-FMS,” the statement said. The sources said the MoRD would discuss the issue of delay in crediting wage payment with the banks concerned. Plan on cards Sources says on the receipt of the list of blocks, the Ministry of Rural Development will prepare a proposal in consultation with the state government to ensure better connectivity to all blocks of the state |
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Quiz contest marks Nangi Tekri Capture Day celebrations
Poonch, December 4 Brigadier Sanjay Thakran, Commander, Krishna Ghati Brigade, was the chief guest. The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the gallant sage of capture of the Nangi Tekri Post. The post was captured on the intervening night of December 10 and 11during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The battalion will also organise a trekking expedition to the Pir Panchal range, a rock climbing camp and a fashion designing course for girl students. |
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CCTVs for Lakhanpur-Udhampur NH
Udhampur, December 4 |
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With
falling electricity generation due to winter season, the Power Development
Department (PDD) has started eight-hour power cuts in the city.
Nikowal,
December 4
With
the state government deciding to re-examine the project to divert water of the
Chenab due to technical and environmental reasons, Rs 500 crore released by
Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the project will lapse next year.
Members
of the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers' Union (AWHU) staged a protest at press
enclave in Srinagar today. The protesters demanded gratuity, formulation of a pension scheme, immediate enhancement of their remuneration, payment of minimum wages and withdrawal of attempts to privatise Integrated Child Development Scheme
(ICDS).
Two
days after a Station House Officer (SHO) was shot dead in central Kashmir’s
Budgam district, security was today beefed up across Srinagar amid reports of
possible militant movement. Police and paramilitary forces conducted surprise crackdowns on the Lal Chowk area and various other localities of the city. Security men conducted frisking of vehicles in the city.
Congress
vice-president Rahul Gandhi yesterday met party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir
and discussed with them the empowerment of panches and sarpanches in the state.
Chief
Executive Officer, Udhampur-Baramulla rail section, SK Koul today conducted the
trial run of the engine from the Udhampur station and reached Katra, covering
the 25-km track successfully. He was accompanied by a team of officials.
The
Yasir Memorial Charitable Trust, Doda, in collaboration with the District Red
Cross Society and 10 Rashtriya Rifles today organised a seminar on drug abuse. District Development Commissioner
(DDC) Mubarak Singh, 10 Rashtriya Rifles Commanding Officer Sunil Mishra, Superintendent of Police (SP) Arif Rishu and Doda Chief Medical Officer
(CMO) Ajay Gupta were the chief guests.
Nangi
Tekri Battalion (3 Grenadiers) today orgainsed a quiz contest for students at
Jhullas to commemorate Capture Day of the Nangi Tekri post at the Krishna Ghati
sector in Poonch district.
