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Suspected attack by Pakistan BAT exposes chinks in security on LoC
Blind murder, 3 burglary cases solved
BJP MP from Ladakh Thupstan frontrunner for berth in Modi team
News analysis |
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National Conference core group meets to discuss poll debacle
Minor killed, another hurt in shell
explosion
Telecommunication Day celebrated
Traders from PoK, India to hold meeting on Zero Line today
Ensuring 24x7 surveillance
10th Gufran Memorial T20 Cricket Championship
J&K police launches mobile app to help those in distress
Twitter fails to work for NC in LS polls
Doctors rue police presence in hospitals
Taj pays surprise visit to SMGS Hospital, suspends CHO
‘Typhoid’ outbreak in Lolab village, 200 taken ill
Solina shopkeepers observe shutdown, seek rehabilitation
Miffed over ‘girlfriend’ not taking phone calls, Srinagar boy commits suicide
Drivers suspend services on Lolab-Kupwara road
BJP taking credit for work done by Cong, says Soz
Swami Raj Baghat joins PDP
Vodafone starts 3G roaming service in parts of state
Youth held for raping minor
NC will bounce back in Assembly elections, says party leader
Separatists condemn Sopore youth’s killing
Meritorious students awarded
Women told about loan facilities Girl’s body recovered from forest 26 sheep killed in mishap Jammu varsity Prof calls on Governor Students visit Old-Age Home
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Suspected attack by Pakistan BAT exposes chinks in security on LoC
Jammu, May 19 "The unidentified armed personnel, suspected to be Pakistan's BAT, entered half a km inside the Indian Territory in broad daylight yesterday in a striking contrast to the fact that the Army has all sorts of surveillance equipment," said an official source. "It takes at least five to seven minutes to tread a distance of 500 m, especially in Jogwan, where the terrain and topography is not so hilly as compared to Poonch. How the intruders remained unnoticed in broad daylight remains a matter to be investigated," the source added. Sources further said they (the armed men) came inside the Indian Territory, planted mines, blasted it and then also opened fire on the Indian patrol before escaping back to a Pakistan post. "With last year's BAT attacks, planting of Pakistan mines in the KG sector and upcoming Assembly elections in J&K this year, the security and intelligence network on the borders of J&K certainly needs a serious re-look," he added. "In 2014, we have to remain extra cautious on our borders," the source said. There had been reports that more than 200 militants were planning to infiltrate into J&K this year ahead of the Assembly elections to disturb the poll process. The Army has been maintaining high alert on the LoC and the Border Security Force (BSF) at the International Border (IB) to ensure that the militants don't manage to intrude into this side. After The Tribune had reported Pakistan's involvement in frequent mine blasts in the KG sector along the LoC of Poonch district, none other than the then GOC-in-C Northern Command, Lt General KT Parnaik, had admitted on January 15 last year that the "accidental blasts" in the KG sector were actually mines planted by Pakistan. On January 3, the Northern Command, after having a testing time on the frontiers and in the hinterland, including highways, had issued a global tender for procuring over 980 mine prodders, used for detection of IEDs and other explosive substances buried under ground, for its units in the militancy-plagued state. |
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Blind murder, 3 burglary cases solved
Jammu, May 19 Giving details of the murder case, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Atul Goel, said on May 14 morning the police found a body near Dogra Hall under the jurisdiction of the Pacca Danga police station and immediately cordoned off the area. The dead body was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, for postmortem. The deceased was identified as Narinder Singh, son of Jagbir Singh of Gandhi Nagar. The SSP said during the course of investigation, the police came across CCTV footage of Narinder Singh and another unknown person at Ashoka Bar during the night of May 13. The unknown person was identified as Suresh Kumar, alias Munna, resident of Dhok Paloura. Goel said Suresh Kumar had confessed to killing Narinder Singh by strangling him with an abandoned clutch wire used in two-wheelers. Giving details of the burglary cases, the SSP said on March 22 afternoon, a burglary was reported from the house of Neha Raina of Greater Kailas. During the investigation, the police arrested one suspect Davinder Singh of Kathi, Ramban. Davinder Singh admitted during the interrogation that he along two others, Ram Kumar, resident of Kordi Khatana in Arnas tehsil, and Muhammad Aslam, resident of Bhaghta, Katra, committed the crime. After Davinder Singh's revelation, other two persons were arrested and on their disclosure stolen jewellery was recovered. The stolen property included seven gold rings, eight gold coins, six gold biscuits, pair of silver payals, wrist watch and mobile phone. Around Rs 50,000 were also stolen, but couldn't be recovered. In another case of burglary at Narwal Pain, which was committed in the house of Sheikh Muhammad Kalya, the police arrested his nephew, who confessed to his crime and recovered the stolen jewellery. Meanwhile, the Jammu police arrested Arun Sharma, alias Goldhu, resident of Rajinder Bazaar, who had committed burglary in the house of Zulfiqar Ahmad, resident of Mohalla Baba Jeewan Shah, on November 25, 2013. The police have recovered a gold chain weighing 27 gm, two gold rings and gold tikka from Arun Sharma. |
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BJP MP from Ladakh Thupstan frontrunner for berth in Modi team
Jammu, May 19 The wonal president Nitin Gadkari came all
the way from Delhi to Leh on May 18 to participate in the “thanks
giving rally” is a clear indication that the party is going to give
importance to this border region. The BJP has earlier won elections
from Jammu-Pooncs from Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda segments but the
party has for the first time won the Ladakh parliamentary seat.
Sources in the BJP said the central leadership of the party had
focused on Ladakh so chances of Thupstan getting a ministerial berth
were bright. The other reason could be that since Thupstan is a
Buddhist, the party would like to accommodate him to give representation
to all sections of society in the council of ministers. Although
Thupstan has won the election by a narrow margin of just 36 votes, his
political experience and the location of his constituency has made him
the front runner from J&K for a ministerial berth. The other two
BJP MPs, namely Jugal Kishore Sharma and Jatinder Singh, are
first-timers but Thupstang has won the Lok Sabha elections the second
time. In 2004, Thupstan had won the Lok Sabha elections from Ladakh as
an Independent candidate. “First-timers are unlikely to get
ministerial berths so chances of Thupstan are bright because he has
experience as a parliamentarian,” a source said. Thupstan’s
administrative experience as chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill
Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, from 1995 to 2004, is another
qualification in his favour. The BJP created history in this General
Election by winning three of the total six seats of J&K. State
president of the BJP Jugal Kishore Sharma won the election by a record
margin of more than 2.5 lakh votes. What goes in his favour
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K-issue: Hopes pinned on new govt
Arun Joshi Tribune News Service
Srinagar, May 19 Vajpayee had also extended the “hand of friendship to Pakistan” from the soil of Kashmir, which had improved the atmosphere between the two countries. Modi’s dilemma stems from the fact that the BJP is the cheerleader for “Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India”, and “abrogation of Article 370”. Modi will have to do something to measure himself up to the Vajpayeean thesis and that of the hardliners within his party. This is a contradiction in itself. It is the last chance for the BJP to resolve the K-issue because of the decisive mandate that the voters have given to the party and its allies for the first time in history. A fact that the BJP leadership, particularly the PM-designate, will have to take into account is the alienation of the Kashmiri population in the state. Kashmiris want both peace and resolution of the issue. At the same time, the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions will also have to be addressed. They are for status quo because the reality on the ground is that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir cannot be brought back to the political and geographical map of India without catastrophic consequences. Secondly, the new generation in Kashmir is 100 per cent alienated. These social media “warriors” are converting Kashmir into a ticking bomb. This generation between teenagers and men in their mid-thirties has seen bombs, grenades, bullets and mid-night knocks and crackdowns. The key lies with them. They have been radicalised because their hopes were decimated by the style of governance of the local mainstream leadership and non-fulfilment of promises that Delhi made to them. The reports of three interlocutors are gathering dust in the corridors of power in New Delhi. A high-ranking mainstream leader told The Tribune on condition of anonymity that “Delhi did not do anything substantial in the past 10 years for the people of Kashmir”. Delhi will have to change its approach towards the state, but at the same time, what is “must” is that the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Ladakh must also be addressed. The calls for the resolution of the Kashmir issue have come from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the hardliners and moderates in the separatist camp. Mufti, whose party has won all three parliamentary seats in the Valley, has called for an end to the alienation, resolution of the K-issue and firm friendship with Pakistan. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, leader of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, has sought justice for Kashmir from PM-designate Narendra Modi. His words are frozen in the 20th century — holding plebiscite in Kashmir — something that even former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had rejected as irrelevant. And moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has pleaded for “tripartite talks”, which means that alongside India and Pakistan, the separatists too should have a seat on the table whenever the two countries decide to talk. The common Kashmiri is keenly awaiting what Modi will do for Kashmir.
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National Conference core group meets to discuss poll debacle
Srinagar, May 19 The meeting was held following Omar's assertion that he would take feedback from the party leaders and workers on causes behind the debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Tanveer Sadiq, Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, told The Tribune. Other members of the Core Group, who attended the meeting, include Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Mohammad Ramzan, Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Shafi and other cabinet ministers. Mohammad Aslam Wani, Provincial President of the party for Kashmir, and Devinder Singh Rana, Provincial President for Jammu, also attended
the meeting. Omar had on Friday said he would mull over the causes behind the defeat in the elections. The meeting was scheduled to continue tomorrow as well, in which the district presidents and district secretaries, provincial committee members and senior office-bearers would participate, party sources said. Tomorrow's meeting will be held at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subh. "This is a continuing process and several such meetings will be held in the next few days," the party leaders said. The worrying factor for the NC is that its total vote percentage and share in the 2014 general elections has gone down as compared to the total vote share in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Omar receives over 1,800 emails
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Minor killed, another hurt in shell
explosion
Srinagar, May 19 Locals from the area claimed that the incident happened in this afternoon when two children spotted the littered item on the banks of a fresh water stream at Parraypora village of Drang, Lassipora, which flows down the Tosa Maidan meadows, where the Army’s field firing range is located. While confirming the incident, a police spokesman identified the deceased girl as Simran (12) and the injured boy as her younger brother, Fayaz. “Mistaking the littered explosive shell for a toy, the children brought it home and started playing with it. The explosive went off, blowing the girl to pieces and mutilating her brother, who has been shifted to a hospital in Srinagar in a critical condition,” coordinator of the Tosa Maidan Bachao Front Nazir Ahmad Lone told The Tribune. The Tosa Maidan Bachao Front is an organisation of people of around 16 villages surrounding the Tosa Maidan Field Firing Range, who have been opposing the extension of the firing range lease to the Army, which expired on April 18 this year. Lone added that unexploded shells from the firing range were the biggest problem in the area, which as per government records had claimed 54 lives since a portion of the Tosa Maidan was given on lease to the Army for artillery firing in 1965. Following protests and a separatist-sponsored shutdown over the issue, though the authorities have not extended the lease of the firing range, a government-appointed panel is yet to make any progress in identifying an alternative site for relocating the firing range. NC, Hurriyat demand shifting of firing range Expressing regrets over the killing of a minor girl in the shell explosion, National Conference general secretary Shiekh Mustafa Kamal today said shifting of the firing range and putting an end to the exercises in the area was the need of the hour. “The NC has been demanding shifting of the firing range from the Tosa
Maidan. Such incidents are bound to happen when you have firing ranges in populated areas,” Kamal said while blaming the PDP for the extension of the firing range lease to the Army in 2010 for a short term. Terming the death of the minor girl in the explosion as tragic, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the area was in close vicinity of the Tosa Maidan firing range and such incidents were routine in the area.
He said the Hurriyat had already been demanding the shifting of the range from the area, adding that the government had been doing nothing to shift the range from the
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Telecommunication Day celebrated
Jammu, May 19 The theme of the function was "Broadband for sustainable development". Circle head, (operations), Aircel, Sundeep Talwar was the chief guest. Talwar highlighted the recent trends in the telecom sector and projected Aircel as the leading service provider in the state. He elaborated on the various innovative projects being undertaken by Aircel throughout the country. Lectures on various topics based on the official theme were delivered by students of different departments of the MIET. Earlier, the function started with a welcome address by Jamini Sharma, wherein he set a platform for the session based on the theme. He also highlighted the importance of the Electronics Hobby Club, which is a special initiative of the Department of Electronics. Principal of the MIET Prof SK Sharma provided a detailed overview of the evolution of the telecom technology and highlighted the challenges which still needed to be addressed. Joint director, MIET, Prof Ankur Gupta spoke on the relevance of World Telecommunication Day and hoped that the students at the MIET would acquire the necessary skills to participate in the exponential growth in the telecom sector in the coming years. Pankaj Saini and Shivam Sawhney were adjudged first in the seminar presentation and given a cash prize of Rs 1,500 each, while Sahil Sharma and Sidhant Khajuria were the first runners-up. They were awarded cash prize of Rs 1,000 each. |
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Traders from PoK, India to hold meeting on Zero Line today
Jammu, May 19 Sources said 50 Indian and Pakistani traders, who were at the verge of bankruptcy, would get the much-awaited opportunity to sort out their disputes and bring their businesses back on track. On March 11, The Tribune had exclusively reported in its columns that nearly Rs 2 crore of 15 Indian traders was blocked with PoK traders and in absence of business meets for the past over a year they have almost turned bankrupt. “After we regularly approached the Poonch district administration, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami and The Tribune highlighted our plight, the Government of India took up the matter with the government of Pakistan. Now, the meeting is finally going to take place tomorrow on the Zero Line near Tetrinote at 11am,” said Krishan Singh, general secretary of the chamber of LoC Trade, J&K. “We have been asked to bring a delegation of 25 traders at the meeting and an equal number of traders will come from PoK. These are the traders, who have trade-related disputes running into crores,” added Singh. He further said in the next meeting more traders would be invited. “It’s more than a year now since the last meet was held between the traders from both the sides,” said Singh. The border trade, on barter system, had been going on without the meetings, which form an indispensable part, he added. He explained that the PoK traders were exporting merchandise of lesser value to their Indian counterparts in lieu of Indian imports and this was how the amount kept swelling. “Leave aside trade meetings, embargo on ISD facility to call our counterparts directly from J&K to PoK aggravated our problems. Though the PoK traders can call us on our phones, we could not. So, we were in all sorts of problems,” he said. At least, 165 Indian traders are registered with Chakan-da-Bagh Trade Centre in Poonch. Much-awaited opportunity
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Repair of non-functional CCTV cameras starts
Tribune News Service
Jammu, May 19 Officials said most of them had remained non-functional for major part of their life since their installation about four years back due to lack of maintenance and power fluctuation, but after directions from the the Police Headquarters a few months back, the entire system is being modernised and revamped. At the moment there are more than 60 cameras installed in the city to keep tab on traffic and criminal activities and ensure real-time flow of information to the special Control Room set for the purpose. “The government had spent crores of rupees to install CCTV cameras at crowed place, but they had failed to serve their purpose in the past. Now a step has been taken to keep them functional and a special fund has been earmarked for their routine repair by a private company which had installed them,” said a senior police officer. Close-circuit television cameras (CCTV), spy cameras and beam sensors now are no more the domain of security forces or intelligence agencies only, but many private establishments, including hotels, jewellery stores, electronic shops and even houses of some high-profile personalities, are using them. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Control Room, JS Johar claimed that the maintenance work is a routine. “The majority of our CCTV cameras are working in good condition and wherever we need repair we are doing. I cannot give the exact details about their functioning,” Johar said.
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10th Gufran Memorial T20 Cricket Championship Our Correspondent
Doda, May 19 Jug Mohan scored 48 runs, while Azar Ali made 45 runs for Green Mountain Bhalessa, Rajinder Singh and Karan shared three and one wickets, respectively. In reply, Star Eleven Cricket Club, Doda, could not chase the target and managed only 124 runs in 18 overs with a loss of six wickets. Green Mountain Bhalessa won by 42 runs. Star Eleven Cricket Club Doda’s Praveen Kumar made 57 runs, while Vijay Kumar contributed 28 runs to the total. Azar Ali of Green Mountain Bhalessa was declared “Man of the Match” for his all-rounder performance. In another match, New Star Cricket Club, Doda, defeated Friend Cricket Club, Pranoo, by 84 runs. While batting first, New Star Cricket Club, Doda, set a target of 150 runs by losing six wickets in 20 overs, but in reply Friend Cricket Club, Pranoo, failed to chase the target and made only 66 runs by losing all wickets in 13.4 overs. Mehboob Karipak, manager, Young Star Cricket Club, Doda, was the chief guest on the occasion who distributed prizes to the winners. The officiated umpires of the matches were Amit Bansal and Sanjay Singh, while Rinku Bhadouriya acted as scorer. The tournament was organised by the Young Star Cricket Club (YSCC), Doda, and sponsored by J&K Bank, Bajaj Allianz and Rashtriya Rifles, Rajput unit, Doda.
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J&K police launches mobile app to help those in distress
Srinagar, May 19 The trial version of the app can be downloaded from Google Play store. After downloading the application, a person in distress can tap the panic button, after which
an e-mail will be generated instantly to the police servers. “We can locate a person using geo-coordinates,” a source said, adding
that the person can be traced within a range of five metres. After receiving the distress call, the police will come to help the person and also inform that
person, who has been listed as his primary contact in the application during the download. The mobile application can also be used to call emergency numbers
of the police, police drug de-addiction centre, fire and emergency services, child helpline and valley’s disaster management cell and all associated hospitals. The application also offers a telephone directory listing phone numbers of all police stations and officers in Kashmir besides that of hospitals. The application is currently available for android phone users and the police are planning to widen its coverage. “This is the beginning. We have just launched it,” an official said. The official added: “Now, we will design the application for apple and smart phone users as well. We are also planning to add more features to it.” |
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Twitter fails to work for NC in LS polls
Srinagar, May 19 The state with an electorate of 69, 33,118 has just 20 lakh internet users and all of them are not even eligible to vote. Although social media was abuzz with updates from NC working president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah throughout the election campaign, the party failed to come out with its election manifesto which could have strengthened its on-ground campaign. Omar said the NC fought the polls on national issues and the performance of the state government was not even included in the campaign. “There were some serious lacunas in campaigning and at the moment we feel that our campaign was not inclusive. We failed to connect with people, which is why we need to revisit our entire strategy. But to say that we failed due to over dependence on social media would be premature,” NC spokesperson Junaid Mattu told The Tribune. He insisted that party would make amends and return stronger in the coming Assembly elections. The PDP, which piped the NC in all the three parliamentary constituencies of the Valley, however banked on its door-to-door campaigning over online media connect. There was not a single joint rally held by the party during campaigning and all the three candidates were busy meeting people, party workers in their respective constituencies. Nisar Mandoo, head of the election campaign for the PDP in Srinagar, believes that the accessibility to voters on ground was very crucial and that made his party bounce back in the Lok Sabha polls. “Our candidates, workers met voters from every nook and corner of the Valley and listened to their grievances. It is true that we did not have a wide online presence, but that does not matter in J&K where a huge voter base has no access to the internet,” Mandoo said.
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Doctors rue police presence in hospitals
Srinagar, May 19 In a statement, the association claimed that the police deprived treatment to youth injured in protests by not allowing them to enter hospitals. They said the policemen also entered operation theatres to look for the injured youth, which cause problems to doctors. Those injured prefer to stay away from hospitals because of the fear of getting arrested as police in civil dresses wait for them inside hospitals. Association president Dr Nissar-ul-Hassan said: “Even if some youth manage to enter hospitals, they do not disclose their identity or cause of injury because of fear psychosis of police.” The police enter operation theatres with shoes on looking for injured youth. Doctors are harassed and threatened if they do not inform the police about the injured youth, he alleged, adding that depriving youth from medicare services was worst form of human rights abuse. "This is unacceptable and intolerable to us as it is unethical to deprive anyone from healthcare," he said, adding: "Doctors are in a state of constant fear because of the police presence in hospitals which comes in the way of efficient patient care." |
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Taj pays surprise visit to SMGS Hospital, suspends CHO
Jammu, May 19 During a surprise visit to SMGS Hospital and GMC, Jammu, the minister described proper sanitation in health institutions as of utmost importance for patient care and stressed upon the need to raise the coordination level among all agencies concerned so that this vital requirement could be met. "Our government's prime concern is to ensure that advance diagnostic and treatment facilities are made available to the ailing within the state so that a proper patient care is put in place in J&K," the minister maintained. The minister directed the medical superintendent, SMGS Hospital, Dr Dara Singh, to gear men and machinery up for creating a proper sanitation system in the hospital. He also assessed the manpower availability in the hospital besides taking stock of functioning of CCTV cameras, ventilators, online birth registration and allied services. The minister directed the principal and medical superintendents to conduct regular rounds of the hospital premises and the wards to ensure that proper cleanliness is being maintained. He asked all the medicos, paramedics and the management to work in tandem with each other to fulfil the responsibilities of their pious profession. |
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‘Typhoid’ outbreak in Lolab village, 200 taken ill
Kupwara, May 19 “A team of doctors is regularly monitoring the condition of patients in the village. Patients are showing signs of recovery and there is no need to panic,” said Dr Khawaja. “We have collected samples of water from a well and are waiting for the report. Rainwater has seeped into the well contaminating its water and the villagers have been taken ill due to the consumption of same contaminated water,” he added. The CMO said the villagers had been advised to consume boiled water. “Infection has been largely contained and we have advised villagers to consume boiled water and avoid water from the well,” he added. A senior doctor at the Sub-District Hospital, Kupwara, said residents were visiting the hospital for medical checkup. “Many residents, including women, visited the hospital for medical checkup. In some cases two members of the same family are suffering from the infection,” he added. Meanwhile residents said in the absence of water supply to the village, they are left with no option but to consume the water from the only source - the well. “A nullah is about 2 km from the village and it is almost impossible for women to fetch water from the nullah,” said Abrar Ahmad, a resident. “We appeal to the Public Health Engineering Department to provide us potable water through tankers till the well is cleaned and its water made potable,” he added.
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Solina shopkeepers observe shutdown, seek rehabilitation
Srinagar, May 19 Mohammad Yaseen Khan, president of Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers' Federation (KTMF) led the protest. TASB president Abdul Aziz said despite promises, the government had failed to rehabilitate them properly. Later, senior officials met protesters and assured them that their issues would be redressed. The Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover project was announced with much fanfare by the government in 2009, but the construction work started by the end of last year only. Shopkeepers from other areas, including Magarmal Bagh and Hari Singh High Street, over which the flyover passes, too have been demanding suitable rehabilitation. A few traders have also moved the court in this regard. Abdul Rauf, Traders Federation Exhibition Road Magarmal Crossing (TFERMC) general secretary, said: “We have been repeatedly knocking the doors of the authorities, but our pleas fall on deaf ears. Our only demand is to be rehabilitated
at an open market area, but we have been offered shops at a shopping complex near the Exhibition Ground, which does not suit us." |
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Miffed over ‘girlfriend’ not taking phone calls, Srinagar boy commits suicide
Srinagar, May 19 Khurshid was working as a sales representative at a Telecom Company in Srinagar and liked a girl working in the same place. For some time, the girl kept ignoring Khurshid which did not go down well with him. Khurshid and a few friends had even approached the girl and her family, but they refused to listen to him. Miffed at the treatment being meted out to him, Khurshid hanged himself in his room, while his parents were away. His siblings, who were in the other room, raised an alarm after which Khurshid was later taken to SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, where the doctors declared him brought dead. The deceased’s family said Khurshid was depressed for the past few days, but he never disclosed the reason behind the same to them. “Khurshid had learnt that the girl was about to dump him for some other boy and he could not bear it. His last phone call was also on the same girl’s number,” the deceased’s friend told The Tribune. Meanwhile, Muddasir, SHO, Chanapora Police Station, Srinagar, said the investigations were underway although no arrests have been made. “The case will be solved within a week after questioning everybody,” the SHO said. |
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Drivers suspend services on Lolab-Kupwara road
Kupwara May 19 Nisar Ahmad Bhat, a driver and chairman of the Lolab Valley Sumo Owners’ Association, said: “What is the point in ferrying passengers on
non-motorable roads when we have to repair our vehicles every second day? The road is in pathetic condition and despite repeated pleas, the authorities concerned have turned a blind eye.” The only link road connecting as many as 40 villages of Lolab valley
with Kupwara district witnesses huge traffic flow. The drivers threatened to launch a stir in case the road was
not macadamised in a week. Riyaz Ahmad, a driver from Sogam, said: “By ignoring our pleas, the authorities are playing with our livelihood. We will be forced to stage protests if the road is not made motorable at the earliest. During the past two weeks, I have spent Rs 1,400 on the repair of my vehicle due to extensive damage caused due to the worn-out road.” Employees and students said they were the worst suffers. Majaz Ahmad Malik, a Class XII student from Devar, said: “The vehicles ply at a snail’s pace from Zangli to
Khumriyal, a 7-km stretch that has been rendered almost non-motorable due to official apathy. We often reach schools late due to this reason.” |
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BJP taking credit for work done by Cong, says Soz
Srinagar, May 19 The UPA government had provided funds to the tune of Rs 2,700 crore for the Z-Morh tunnel," Soz said in a statement. Maintaining that the UPA government had also sanctioned Rs 9,600 crore for the construction of the Zojila tunnel, Soz said the same had been done through the 'good offices' of Rahul Gandhi. "The least that is expected from the next government at the Centre is that it should not sell to the people the works that had been sanctioned and implemented by the UPA. It is so unfortunate that an atmosphere has been created in which falsehood can travel faster than the truth. Therefore, people will have to remain alert on facts," he added.
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Swami Raj Baghat joins PDP
Srinagar, May 19 Baghat was working as a principal at a local higher secondary institute in Ramban area in Chenab Valley and had taken a volunteer retirement from job recently, party spokesman said. Mufti said a new era of peace and prosperity had been started in Jammu and Kashmir and the PDP had emerged as a genuine voice and viable alternative before the people in the state. He said by giving a decisive mandate to the party in the parliamentary elections, people have showed an enormous amount of trust and faith in its pro-people policies. It was only because of people’s support that the PDP could write a new chapter in the history of the state which would enable the party to take forward its unfinished agenda of political resolution and good governance, Mufti said. He said a decisive victory in the upcoming Assembly polls could open
new avenues for the state to come out of its political problems.
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Vodafone starts 3G roaming service in parts of state
Jammu, May 19 The announcement follows the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) ruling last week that 3G intra-circle (ICR) roaming service would be available once again. Explaining the move, Asit Shekhar, business head, J&K, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, Vodafone India, said, “We at Vodafone want to accelerate mobile internet adoption through penetration, consumption and value addition. This announcement by the TDSAT is a welcome step. We have now enhanced the data browsing experience of our Vodafone customers in J&K by providing them faster speeds. We are confident that this move will facilitate quicker adoption, better usage and a high-speed internet experience.” |
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Youth educated on drug abuse
Srinagar, May 19 A team of experts from Police Drug De-addiction Centre comprising Haris Abrar Kashmiri (psychiatric social worker), Zahid Jeelani and Fidah
Hussain (counseling psychologists), educated more than 100 students about the harmful effects of drug abuse. Zahid Jeelani spoke about drug addiction, causes and consequences. He also shared the alarming scenario of drug addiction in the valley. Haris Abrar Kashmiri talked about the drug de-addiction services initiated by the J&K police in February 2008. He also talked about the school mental health programme initiated by Police Drug De-addiction Centre to educate youth regarding youth substance abuse and preventive measure to be taken. He further elaborated the social implications of drug abuse. Fidah Hussain talked about stress and its management. He also provided relaxation techniques to students. |
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Youth held for raping minor
Pulwama, May 19 "Finally, we arrested the accused from near Galendar area on a tip-off," said Station Head Officer
(SHO), Pampore, Raja Tasleem. Dar allegedly entered the house of his neighbour and sexual assaulted his minor daughter in their absence. The girl's father said the condition of the victim was still critical. She was admitted to the Lal Ded hospital. Locals alleged that the accused had been involved in such incidents earlier also, but due to the intervention of village elders he always escaped punishment. Meanwhile, police personnel continued to be deployed in the village in order to deal with any untoward incident in the area as the people had tried to set the house of the accused ablaze. |
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NC will bounce back in Assembly elections, says party leader
Samba, May 19 This was stated by Satwant Kour, National Conference (NC) candidate and provincial vice-president of the women wing of the party, while addressing a gathering at Samba in which many political activists joined the NC. Satwant said, “The NC will bounce back in the coming Assembly elections, which will be contested on local issues.” Alleging rampant corruption in development works, she said only 30 per cent of the funds were being utilised on ground and there was no check on pilferage of funds. She promised to undertake the construction of Sumb and Mansar roads, Kupri and Jatah-Neda bridges, expansion of municipal limits, community hall in each panchayats, besides connecting dozens of hilly villages with roads and providing drinking water facility. — OC
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Separatists condemn Sopore youth’s killing
Srinagar, May 19 The police had on Sunday recovered a bullet-ridden body of 23-year-old youth Abid Ahmad Wani from the Tarzoo area of
Sopore, who had gone missing from his home in Krankshowan colony on Saturday. Expressing “sorrow and regrets” over the killing, Geelani said such incidents were never accepted in a civilised society. “Anybody, who is behind this incident cannot offer any proper explanation or reason for this. The term unidentified has caused an irreparable damage to our freedom struggle and such activities have only given a cause to agencies for carrying out civilian killings." |
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Twitter was one of the election campaign strategies, which seems to have gone terribly wrong for the National Conference in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls.
In J&K which has an internet penetration of just 2 per cent as compared to the national average of 4 per cent, social media marketing is still proving to be an ineffective tool to reach out to voters in the region.
Pulwama, May 19
would be making preparations for the conference.
Bhat also informed the Governor about the ongoing researches on seismotectonic which were being carried out by the geology department under his direction.
TNS
Thupstan Chhewang has won the election by a narrow margin of just 36 votes, but his political experience and the location of Ladakh
constituency, which is situated in one corner of the country, has made him the front runner from J&K for a ministerial berth.
After the NC drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's quest to seek feedback from the general public to know the reasons for defeat has got a good response as he has received more than 1,800 emails so far on gupkar@gmail.com. “Over 1,700 emails are still to be read. I've read and acknowledged 100 mails. Bear with me, I'll read and acknowledge all," Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.