JAMMU:
PDP-BJP coalition partners in Jammu and Kashmir have formed the Coordination Committee to ensure the agenda for the Alliance to be implemented within the defined time frame and all the policy issues adhered to in the letter and spirit.
The 10 members Coordination Committee comprises of five members from each party and will be chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh.
The other members of the Coordination Committee included party presidents Ms Mehbooba Mufti and Mr Jugal Kishore, Mr Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, Mr Tariq Hamid Karra, Mr Thusptan Chhewang and Mr Shamsher Singh, Members of Parliament and Choudhary Lal Singh, Mr Abdul Rehman Veeri and Mr Naeem Akhter, Cabinet Ministers in the coalition Government.
An official spokesperson here said the Committee will meet at least once a month or on need basis and will ensure smooth functioning of the alliance and the PDP-BJP coalition Government, and may suggest from time to time various initiatives to be taken for the overall well being of the people of the State.
The first meeting of the Coordination Committee is scheduled to be convened in Jammu on March 27. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI:
The swine flu toll was six short of touching the 2,000-mark as 19 more persons succumbed to the disease while the number of affected persons crossed 33,000.
According to the Union Health Ministry’s data, the death toll till yesterday had reached 1,994 while the number of affected persons is now 33,269.
State health officials said that three more persons died of swine flu in Rajasthan, where the toll reached 411, while Gujarat has seen 421 fatalities since the beginning of the year due to the H1N1 virus. One of the worst-affected states, Gujarat has reported 6,459 swine flu cases so far.
The swine flu toll in Maharashtra was 375 with 4,340 people having contracted the H1N1 virus in the State. There have been 294 swine flu deaths in Madhya Pradesh with 2,158 persons being affected.
The death toll in Karnataka has reached 82 with 2,656 persons affected while 75 persons have perished in Telangana. In Haryana the toll has reached 50.
Uttarakhand has registered 12 casualties while in Punjab, the disease has claimed 53 lives.
The toll in West Bengal has risen to 24 while one more death has taken the toll to 37 in Uttar Pradesh.
The death of one more person has taken the toll in Jammu to five while 13 persons have died in Kashmir, taking the overall toll in Jammu and Kashmir to 18. (AGENCIES)

JAMMU:
Five persons were killed and six others injured in the recent rains and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, the State Government said today.
J&K Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari told this to the House while replying to a calling attention of National Conference member Qaiser Jamsheed Lone in the Legislative Council.
He said a total of 1,840 structures were damaged in the February-March rains, of which 236 were fully damaged, 346 severely and 859 partially besides 302 cow sheds and two religious structures.
Inter-departmental committees are verifying the damages, the minister said adding that ex-gratia relief as per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms will be paid to the affected families on the completion of assessment.
During the Feb-March rains and snowfall, Rabi and Kharif crops in some pockets of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Kupwara of Kashmir Division and Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Reasi, Rajouri, Doda, Poonch, Udhampur, Ramban and Kishtwar of Jammu Division were damaged due to accumulation of water.
Meanwhile, Minister for R&B Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari informed the House that National Highway (Batote-Kishtwar -Synthan) had been severely damaged on at least 20 spots and moderately damaged at hundreds of spots because of which the route was closed on March 16 and 17. (AGENCIES)

JAMMU:
Over 1.26 lakh acres of State land has been illegally occupied by various people in Jammu and Kashmir and only 187 acres have been retrieved, the Government said today.
“Over 10.11 lakh Kanals (1,26,375 acres) of State land is still under the occupation of various individuals, whose applications have been rejected under the Roshni scheme in the State,” Minister for Revenue, Javaid Mustafa Mir said while replying to a question by BJP member Charanjit Singh in the Legislative Council.
The minister further said, out of 10.11 lakh Kanals, 1500 Kanals (187 acres) of the State land has been retrieved.
“Instructions have already been issued to all revenue field functionaries to take action against illegal occupants in accordance with law, regarding removal of un-authorised occupation,” Mir said.
The minister further added that no instances of any alleged nexus between the encroachers, revenue and police department personnel have been reported.
“An area of 216897 Kanal (27,112 acres) of State land has been transferred to the occupants under Roshni Scheme, which includes 785 Kanals (98 acres) under commercial category, 6213 Kanals (776 acres) under residential category, 205279 Kanals (25,659 acres) under agricultural category and 4617 Kanals (577 acres) under institutional category,” he said.
Mir said the State land was brought under Roshni scheme, which was formulated during Gulam Nabi Azad Government, allows to allot land to unauthorised and illegal occupants of the State land for decades. (AGENCIES)