NEW
DELHI, July 7: Ruling
out any immediate
withdrawal of CRPF from
Jammu and Kashmir, State
Chief Minister Omar
Abdullah today said
before considering any
such step the State
Police has to be
augmented in numbers,
equipment and levels of
training.
Omar, who had meetings
with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Home
Minister P Chidambaram
here yesterday, said he
had raised the issue of
withdrawal of the
controversial Armed
Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) in a phased
manner.......more
The mangled
body of ill-fated tipper
which fell into gorge
near Chanderkote on
Tuesday.
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU,
July 7: Eight
persons including three
brothers were killed when
an oil tanker, they were
travelling in, plunged
into a deep gorge near
Chanderkote on
Jammu-Srinagar National
Highway this morning.
The ill-fated tanker
bearing registration
number JK02F-8749 loaded
with kerosene oil was on
its way from Jammu to
Kargil when it plunged
into Kunfar Nullah under
the jurisdiction of
Chanderkote Police
Station.
The tanker collided with
several rocks before
landing at the bottom of
100 feet deep gorge
killing all the persons
travelling in it, on the
spot. The accident
reportedly took place due
to the mechanical failure
as the impression of
tyres on the road was
clearly indicating that
the driver tried his
level best to apply
sudden brakes to prevent
vehicle from plunging
into gorge.....more
A heavily
decorated truck from PoK
enters Poonch from
Chakan-Da-Bagh on
Tuesday.
Excelsior/Harbhajan
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU,
July 7:
Dal Moong, which has high
variation of prices in
Pakistan occupied Kashmir
(PoK) and Jammu and
Kashmir (J&K), the
two parts of erstwhile
divided State, remained
favourite of traders on
this part of the State
with all 19 trucks, which
reached Poonch from
Rawlakote today, carried
the Dal.
Official sources said
barring a couple of items
in very small quantity,
all 19 trucks which
crossed over to Poonch
from PoK today during
weekly trade on
Poonch-Rawlakote route,
carried Dal Moong......more
JAMMU,
July 7: Police
have arrested a New Delhi
based trickster and was
hunting two scribes, one
of them working with a
national electronic
channel and another with
a local newspaper, after
the trio were allegedly
trying to settle a deal
worth Rs 30 lakh for
purchasing Iradium, a
precious metal with the
help of a police
constable in Doda town.
The constable, who has
been taken into custody
by Doda police, attempted
to commit suicide inside
the police station by
cutting a part of his
stomach with a sharp
edged razor. He has been
hospitalised...more
JAMMU,
July 7: In
a significant decision to
provide more facilities
to the pilgrims
especially the aged and
infirm, Shri Mata Vaishno
Devi Shrine Board
(SMVDSB) has, in
principle, decided to go
for a ropeway project
from Mata Vaishno Devi
Bhawan to Bhairon Ghati.
At present, very few
yatris could undertake
pilgrimage to Bhairon
Ghati in view of steep
ascending track of two
kms from the Bhawan. Even
though the distance
between Bhawan to Bhairon
Ghati is just two kms, it
was due to treacherous
track that many pilgrims
especially the elders
were unable to visit
Bhairon temple, which has
quite religious
significance in the
pilgrimage of Vaishno
Devi as the legend was
that pilgrimage of only
those yatris, who pay
obeisance to Bhairon Baba
on return, would be
complete......more
JAMMU,
July 7:
The geological tests for
the second stage of
Baglihar Hydro Electric
Project on River Chenab
in Ramban district will
be completed by the end
of current year to pave
the way for gearing up of
other activities required
for beginning of the work
on the project.
Authoritative sources
told EXCELSIOR that ever
since the completion of
450 Mega Watt first stage
of Baglihar Power Project
in the month of October
last year, the Jai
Parkash Industries has
been carrying out basic
work for second stage of
the project which will
also generate 450 MW of
electricity thereby
raising the total
generation from the
entire project to 900 MW.
To check stability of the
rocks, the JP Industries
has been carrying out
investigation at many
places for the past
several months and so far
it has created 131.5
metre long added
(tunnel), 30 metre long
gullet between proposed
transformer and machine
halls and 80 per cent
work on 121 meter long
gullet for machine hall,
the sources said, adding
the work on carving out
100 meter long gullet for
transformer hall will
begin shortly.. .
...more
NEW
DELHI, July 7: Chief
Minister, Omar Abdullah
called on Union Minister
for Agriculture, Sharad
Pawar and Union HRD
Minister, Kapil Sibal
here today.
In his meeting with Mr
Pawar, the Chief Minister
discussed all issues
related to availability
of food-grains in the
State. Mr Pawar assured
Mr Omar of his full
support to make available
required quantity of rice
and wheat in every nook
and corner of the State,
especially for BPL
population. ......more
NEW
DELHI, July 7: Prof
Saif-ud-Din Soz,
president J&K Pradesh
Congress Committee
(JKPCC) called on Chief
Minister, Omar Abdullah
here today.
The duo discussed the
matter related to the
working of the Coalition
Government in Jammu and
Kashmir and initiatives
to strengthen it. The
expansion of Council of
Ministers was also
discussed.....more
SRINAGAR,
July 7: President
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh
Congress Committee
(JKPCC) Saifuddin Soz
today demanded a probe
into "wrong
judgement" of
Katra-Qazigund alignment
of the Kashmir rail
project which led to a
loss of Rs 300 crore.
Soz put forth this demand
before the Railway
Minister Mamata Banerjee
in Delhi today....more
POONCH, July
7: Troops of Rashtriya
Rifles and police have
recovered a consignment
of explosive devices from
a hide-out of the
militants at Mangnar Top
in this district last
night....more
KARGIL,
July 7: They
braved shells to feed and
shelter about 100 scribes
during the Kargil
conflict and now ten
years later they continue
to function with a smile
and open arms waiting for
the area to be thrown
open to tourists.
Hotel Siachen
and De
Zozilla were the
two hotels that catered
to journalists from
various media houses, who
had thronged the
otherwise little known
Kargil for the coverage
of the 1999 conflict....more