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An Army soldier stands guard besides a blast damaged bus in Lawaypora,
Srinagar on Tuesday.(UNI)

Militants target Army convoy in Srinagar outskirts
40 soldiers injured in landmine blast on highway

From Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Dec 30: On the penultimate day of the year 2003, militants of Hizbul Mujahideen organisation today left as many as 40 soldiers injured when they ambushed an army convoy at Lawaypora, on the capital city outskirts, on Srinagar-Baramulla highway. Three civilians have also sustained injuries in the same landmine explosion, which caused extensive damage to the targeted vehicle and disrupted traffic for several hours on the major roads leading to Gulmarg, Uri, Sopore, Kupwara and Handwara. ...............more

Early polls good for NDA: Advani

MUMBAI, Dec 30: In the clearest signal yet of advancing elections, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said early Lok Sabha polls will be good for the NDA in the wake of victories in three states and on the back of a feel-good factor in the economy..........more

Rail traffic disrupted for 6 hours
Track testing trolleys collide; 7 injured

Excelsior Special Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 30: Two track testing trolleys collided with each other on the railway track near Basantar bridge, about one kilometer short of Samba this evening injuring seven officials of the Northern Railways and disrupting railway traffic for more than six hours................more

Sonia in poll gear; speaks to DMK chief, calls on Surjeet

NEW DELHI/CHENNAI, Dec 30: Getting into election gear, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today set in motion a process of political realignment in Tamil Nadu speaking to DMK chief M Karunanidhi and calling on CPI-M leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet for forging an anti-BJP alliance for Lok Sabha elections.............more

Govt to consider holy town status for Katra
*Pressure mounts from several organisations

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Dec 30: Encouraged with the inclusion of Dogri in eighth schedule of the Constitution, the traders and people have decided to step up their demand for declaring Katra, which serves as base camp for Mata Vaishnodevi shrine, as a holy town...........more

Panel recommends AICC’s drastic reshuffle

NEW DELHI, Dec 30: A drastic reshuffle of the AICC secretariat could be undertaken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi if she accepts several key recommendations of the Pranab Mukherjee committee report which went into the party’s recent electoral debacle...........more

Amarinder orders probe against son

CHANDIGARH, Dec 30: Wilting under the combined pressure of Congress dissidents and the opposition, Punjab Government today decided to set up a commission of inquiry to go into allegations of hawala transactions against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s son Raminder Singh and transferred Vigilance Bureau Director in connection with his action against a dissident Minister...................more

IA’s inaugural flight to Pak on Jan 9

NEW DELHI, Dec 30: Resuming its service to Pakistan after two years, Indian Airlines would start flying to the neighbouring country from January nine with a bi-weekly Delhi-Lahore-Delhi flight........more

Totla, Jakhete undergo brain finger printing test

MUMBAI, Dec 30 : Multi-millionaire Antim Totla and his brother in-law Prakash Jakhete, who have been questioned by the Maharashtra SIT in connection with the multi-crore fake stamps scam, today underwent the P-300 brain finger printing test at Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Ahmedabad, SIT sources here said.......more

Proper understanding before bilateral meeting: Shashank.....

Quake toll may cross 50,000.....

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JAMMU (JAMMU & KASHMIR) INDIA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2003