JAMMU,
Mar 10:
The Election Commission
of India (ECI) today
announced schedule for
by-election to three
seats in the State
Assembly, which had
fallen vacant with the
resignations of two
former Chief
Ministers—Dr Farooq
Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi
Azad—on April 23 and
May 7. The by-election
will be held along with
the Lok Sabha elections.
By-election in Bhaderwah
Assembly segment will be
held on April 23 while
by-poll in two Assembly
segments of Kashmir
region—Hazratbal and
Sonawar—will be held
on May 7, official
sources said.
Hazratbal and Sonawar
seats fell vacant after
Dr Abdullah resigned
following his election to
the Rajya Sabha, while
by-poll in Bhaderwah was
necessitated by the
resignation of Mr Azad,
also following his
election to the Upper
House of Parliament.
Mr Azad, who became an
MLA from Bhaderwah in
Doda district for a
second straight term in
polls late last year, was
also nominated as AICC
(I) general secretary
later. He was elected in
biennial elections to
Rajya Sabha uncontested
on February 6. He quit
his Assembly seat on
February 19.
Dr Abdullah, who, too,
was elected to Rajya
Sabha during biennial
elections, quit his
Hazratbal seat on January
7 and Sonawar on February
26. He was elected to
both seats in
November-December ...more
WASHINGTON,
Mar 10: Meeting
for the first time, US
Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and
Foreign Secretary
Shivshankar Menon were
agreed on the need to
take all necessary steps
to make sure that there
is no repeat of a
Mumbai-type attack.
During the meeting on
Monday at the State
Department’s
headquarters, the first
high-level contact for
India with the Obama
administration, Clinton
also said the two
countries needed to ramp
up their cooperation in
bilateral and global
issues including climate
change and
counter-terrorism.
The State Department
acting spokesman Robert
Wood during his daily
press briefing told
reporters today that the
Mumbai terror attack
figured during the
bilateral meeting. Six
American nationals were
among the 183 persons
killed in the attack last
November. ....more
Women watch
as priest shows holy
relic at the Hazratbal
shrine
in Srinagar on the
occasion of Eid
Milad-un-Nabi on Tuesday.
(....
see more pictures)
Excelsior
Correspondent
Srinagar,
Mar 10: The
summer capital of the
State wore a festive look
as thousands of devotees
thronged the Hazratbal
shrine on the banks of
Dal Lake to celebrate Eid
Milad-un-Nabi, the
birthday of Prophet
Mohammad.
The faithful spent the
night at the shrine where
the holy relic of the
Prophet, a strand of
hair, is housed and
prayed through the night,
seeking the blessings of
almighty. Special night
prayers were also offered
in almost all the mosques
and shrines of the Valley
to celebrate the birthday
of the Prophet, who
Muslims believe brought
the final message –
the message of peace --
from the Almighty.
The last night’s
prayers marked beginning
of six-day celebrations
during which the devotees
will make a beeline to
the Hazratbal shrine for
having a glimpse of the
holy relic. The relic
will be displayed after
every prayer -- five
times a day – till
Friday.......more
JAMMU,
Mar 10:
Following 12 hours long
Income Tax Department
surveys in his premises,
the owner of Rakesh
Jewellers surrendered Rs
1.50 crore undisclosed
income while the detailed
scrutiny of the impounded
incriminating documents
was going on to detect
more evasion by the
leading jeweller.
Reliable sources told the
EXCELSIOR that surveys in
two premises of Rakesh
Jewellers at Gandhi Nagar
and Jain Bazar which
started at around 3 pm
last evening, continued
till this morning with
sleuths of Income Tax
Department laying hands
on several incriminating
documents indicating huge
evasion of tax by the
jeweller......more
JAMMU,
Mar 10:
Due to its own failures,
Power Development
Department (PDD) has
created interest
liability of Rs 13.70
crore and rendered
investment of Rs 1.36
crore unfruitful.
Making these revelations
in its report for the
year ended March 31,
2008, the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India
(CAG) said that the Rural
Electrification
Cooperative Society was
established in 1978 for
providing electricity to
the rural areas of Samba
district including
Government Departments.
The Society was financed
by loan assistance from
Rural Electrification
Corporation of India
(REC) and the revenue
realised through
consumers. However,
consequent upon the
default by Government
Departments in payment of
dues and stoppage of loan
by the REC, the Society
was dissolved in 1997 and
taken over by Power
Development Department
designating it as
Maintenance and Rural
Electrification Division,
Samba......more
JAMMU,
Mar 10:
The State Government has
decided to set up a
Kashmiri Hindu Shrine
Board to administer,
manage and regulate the
Kashmiri Hindu shrines in
the Valley.
The Board will preserve,
protect and administer
use of properties to be
notified by it after a
proper survey.
The Shrine Board will
comprise two official
members to be nominated
by the Government and 10
other members, who will
be elected, in a manner
to be prescribed by the
Government.
The Board will be a body
corporate and shall have
a perpetual succession.
These provisions were
contained in a bill
Kashmiri Hindu Shrines
and Religious Places
(Management and
Regulation) Bill, 2009
tabled in the Legislative
Assembly yesterday by
Finance, Law &
Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Abdul Rahim
Rather.
As the bill was
introduced on last day of
the session, it
couldn’t be taken up
for consideration and
passing immediately. It
now would be taken up for
consideration in the
Legislature during budget
session likely to be held
in July.
Official sources said the
bill was introduced
hurriedly yesterday
following an announcement
by National Conference
president and former
Chief Minister Dr Farooq
Abdullah in a
‘Shivratri
Milan’ on Sunday.
However, if necessitated,
the Government might
bring an ordinance
constituting the ....more
COLOMBO,
Mar 10: A
lone suspected LTTE
suicide bomber attacked a
gathering of Muslims
celebrating a religious
holiday in southern Sri
Lanka killing at least 15
people and seriously
injuring a senior
Minister.
Postal Services Minister
Mahinda Wijesekera was
wounded in the head and
airlifted to Colombo for
emergency treatment, a
spokeswoman for the
national hospital in the
capital said. ...more
RANCHI,
Mar 10: With
the names of team India
captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni and his family
reportedly missing from
Lok Sabha electoral
rolls, Jharkhand Chief
Electoral Officer
Debashis Gupta today said
it was being looked into.
“Somebody has said
that and I have asked it
to be looked into,”
Gupta told.
.....more
JAMMU,
Mar 10: A
Sarpanch was killed by
some unidentified
militants in Mahore area
of Reasi district last
night.
“A group of some
unidentified militants
barged into the house of
village Sarpanch Noor
Hussain, son of Dulla
Khan of village Lancha in
tehsil Mahore,”
police sources said...more
PESHAWAR (Pakistan), Mar
10: Pakistani
security forces killed at
least 35 militants in a
restive northwestern
region after a two-day
military operation, a
senior security official
said today.
“At least 35
militants were killed and
three soldiers were
injured in a two-day-long
operation in Darra Adam
Khel,” the official
told.
t....more
