Govind Ram Sharma during a public meeting at Akhnoor.
JAMMU, July 20: Former Minister Pt Govind Ram Sharma today addressed a public meeting in Akhnoor and exhorted the gathering that the momentum and zeal, shown in recently held Lok Sabha elections by supporting Narendra Modi, should be carried forward in the forthcoming Assembly polls for uprooting Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.
“I have been serving people of Akhnoor region for the last 66 years and several works were started by me for the people from time to time,” he reminded while listing the developmental projects started and executed on his initiative.
Alleging that some developmental works, sanctioned by him, were stalled during the Congress regime, Govind Ram Sharma called upon the people to teach a lesson to the Congress in Assembly elections.
Youth leader Suresh Sharma also addressed the gathering and pointed out the failure of sitting MLA. He alleged that several lift irrigation schemes were not practically implemented while no attention was given towards improving condition of roads and providing employment to youth.
Others who spoke on the occasion, included Sarpanch Shiv Kumar, Sarpanch Trilochan Dutt, Sarpanch Milkhi Ram, Sansar Singh, Suraj Mahajan, Gyan Chand, Capt Jamaldin, Parmanand and Bikram Singh.
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: Former Minister and former member, CWC-AICC, Gulchain Singh Charak today urged upon the Government to constitute a special team for the assessment of loss of the farmers and other public due to the Pak firing along IB and accordingly compensate them.
He said the people of this area have suffered enough due to Pak firing and wanted a permanent solution of this problem, which if not found earlier people would be left with no alternative except to protest against the Government.
The former Minister disclosed that he had already taken up the matter with the Chief Minister, all the concerned ministers and officers of the State Government at Srinagar on 18th of this month and was assured that immediate necessary steps would be taken in this regard.
Charak was addressing a meeting of Congress workers at Skinaderpur/Prithipur in Bishnah, where he was invited as a chief guest.
Earlier, while speaking the local leaders highlighted burning problems faced by the people of whole Bishnah Constituency and laid stress for their immediate solution.
The problems highlighted by them include mismanagement in providing water to the farmers for irrigation, de-silting of canals and its distributaries and defective transformers due to which farmers community is suffering severely.
They also expressed resentment over non-availability of accommodation as well as ground in Degree College Bishnah, prevailing surcharged atmosphere due to the heavy and continuous firing from across the border in the fields and habitations including the Arnia Town and chaos at Bishnah Hospital and other primary health centres.
Meanwhile, several youth of the area joined Congress Party in the presence of Charak, who welcomed them in the party fold.
Sunil Sethi posing with Avinash Rai Khanna and Jugal Kishore Sharma while joining BJP at Jammu on Sunday. -Excelsior/ Rakesh
JAMMU, July 20: Senior advocate of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, a prominent social activist and a leading advocate Sunil Sethi along with over hundred advocates joined the BJP in presence of a large number of his colleagues, social and political leaders.
BJP State president, Jugal Kishore Sharma J&K Prabhari Avinash Rai Khanna, along with National Executive members, Ashok Khajuria, Dr Nirmal Singh, Shamsher Singh Manhas, general secretaries Kavinder Gupta, Bali Bhagat and others were present on the occasion.
Senior leaders welcomed the Sunil Sethi into Party fold. Advocate Sunil Sethi, remained president of Jammu Bar Association on two occasions and was youngest president of Bar elected in 2004. A constitutional expert on Jammu and Kashmir, Sethi wrote number of books on law and is chief editor of Kashmir Law Journal and is in Editorial Board of leading law journals of the country.
Addressing the function Member parliament Avinash Rai Khanna said on each passing day the BJP is getting more closer to mission 44 plus and now it seems that party will cross the 50 number of seats in forthcoming Assembly elections and surely would form its own Government after the upcoming assembly elections in J&K. He said with the joining of Sunil Sethi Party will get strengthened in the State.
BJP State president Jugal Kishore Sharma while addressing the function welcomed advocate Sunil Sethi by calling him the “a leading legal luminary of the State’’. He further said the land slide victory of BJP in Parliament elections and the way Modi led Government started functioning, is an indication that country is heading for a bright future.
Sunil Sethi, while speaking said his desire to serve the society in a better way has inspired him to join a political party and in his opinion the BJP is the only best choice.
He further said that the stigma of feelings under the monopoly of dynasty rule in J&K would only be removed if BJP is strengthened and strengthening of BJP in the State would strengthen the common people of the State. The need of the day is to educate the people besides changing the mindset towards BJP. It is platform which is free of one man party or one family domination, he added.
Prominent among those who were present in the function were BJP leader and former IGP Farooq Khan, Brig(retd) Anil Gupta, State vice President Col Uttam Singh, Prof Hari Om, Chander Mohan Gupta, Chander Mohan Sharma, MLA Sukhandan Choudhary, district President, Rajesh Gupta, Balbir Ram Rattan, BJYM State president Ravinder Raina, Senior advocates U K Jalali, K S Johal, Arivind Khahjuria, Ashwani Khajuria, Onkar Seth, R S Sharma, Vimal Balgotra, Ravinder Gupta, Sunil Malhotra and others.
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: A man allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Batote, district Ramban.
As per police sources, 34-year-old Raj Kumar, son of Beli Ram of Ward Number 4, Batote, district Ramban allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence.
Finding him hanging, family members informed the police and the body was shifted to hospital, where after conducting autopsy, the body was handed over to family members for last rites.
A case under relevant Sections has been registered at Batote police station and investigation started to ascertain the reason behind such extreme step.
People taking out religious procession in Jammu on Sunday.
JAMMU, July 20: A religious procession of Sheetla Mata was taken out amid chanting of devotional songs from Raghunath Mandir here to the temple of Mata Sheetla near Dogra Hall, Secretariat Road.
Apart from Jammu and Kashmir, devotees from other states like Punjab, Haryana and South India thronged the religious procession in hundreds. The devotees stunned the spectators by their daring feats like piercing the holy Trishools of Mata Sheetla through their cheeks, and thus showed their firm faith in Sheetla Mata.
About 500- 700 people participated in the procession, which concluded at the temple of Mata Sheetla near Dogra Hall. All the devotees then entered the 21 feet long holy Agni Kund and took the blessings of the deity.
A close aide of the president of the Sheetla Mata Temple Committee told that a religious function of breaking the earthen pot will be held tomorrow at temple premises and on July 31 the holy Kalash will be immersed in either river Tawi in Jammu or Chenab at Akhnoor.
Jammu People’s Peace Forum (JPPF), Sanjeev Gupta was chief guest on the occasion, while Hari Market Association president, Ravi Gupta was also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Gupta said that religious festival is being celebrated in Jammu with full devotion for last 25 years. People have full faith in the Mata Sheetla.
Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, July 20: Prakash Utsav of eighth Guru Bala Pritam Shri Guru Harkrishan Maharaj Jee was celebrated at Gurudwara Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Jee, Moara Morh, Udhampur by 137th Battalion of CRPF, Sher-e-Kashmir Police Academy, Army DGPC and local Sangat.
Shabad Kirtan was recited by various Ragis, including Hazouri Ragi Bhai Navjyot Singh, Ragi Jatha Bhai Manmeet Singh, Bhai Jasvinder Singh and Iqbal Kour Khalsa. S Gurdev Singh highlighted teachings of Guru Harkrishan Singh Ji Maharaj.
Lt Col Sarabjeet Kour, Dr Gurdit Singh, Inspt Gurmeet Singh, Inspt Devinder Singh, Ujagar Singh, Amar Singh, Sohan Lal and others attended the religious function.
Members of Janata Dal (United) joining BJP in a function at Srinagar on Sunday. -Excelsior/Amin War
SRINAGAR, July 20: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) today got a short in arm after top members of state unit of Janta Dal (United) merged into BJP in presence of senior party members including BJP’s National General Secretary, Jai Prakesh Nadda and in-charge JK Affairs, RP Singh, here.
Terming the joining of JDU party members of state into the BJP’s party fold a major success, Nadda said that it was due to the clear and transparent policies on development and peace of BJP led by Narendra Modi towards this trouble-torn state that JDU joined the party.
“JDU might have given a deep thought over the joining of BJP for a long time, but it was BJP’s focus on development and eradication of unemployment that encouraged them to join the party”, he said
The National General Secretary said that the Kashmir have faced tough time from last 25 years due to which major developmental works remain halted and people became victims.
“Now the time has changed and people in Kashmir want development, job avenues and peace,” he said, adding, BJP’s focus would be to develop tourism sector and boast handicraft trade here.
While praising Modi’s clear vision on Kashmir, Nadda said Modi’s dream is to bring the Kashmir on world tourism map that would definitely boast local economy here.
“Corruption and misgovernance of NC and PDP has benefited only some five-hundred families here while as remaining population is suffering for their personal interests,” Nadda said.
Earlier, in-charge JK affairs and MLA Delhi, RP Singh flayed ruling National Conference, and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for exploiting people here.
“NC and PDP have spread false notion here that BJP is a communal party,” Singh said, adding, he also belongs to minority community and party gave him full platform for the development of his community.
While taking to Excelsior, JDU president Ghulam Qadir Wani said that dynasty politics, corruption and mis-governance has given nothing to the poor people of state except miseries and tough survival.
“BJP in the past may not have a Muslim leader that was why it was termed as only Hindu party, but today there are Muslim leaders in it,” Wani said.
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 20: Police have registered case against some Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) employees who had received lakhs of rupees from a dozen of persons promising them an SDA plot at Bemina Colony in Srinagar.
An SDA official said that one Farooq Ahmad recently approached the SDA authorities with an official payment receipt of Rs 5 lakh, against a plot at its Housing Colony in Bemina. Two clerks have taken lakhs of rupees from a dozen of persons promising them SDA plots.
The amount had been shown to be deposited in the name of Vice-Chairman SDA through a Bank Draft prepared at J&K Bank branch Hazratbal. The SDA authorities got suspicious of the genuineness of the receipt as they found some forged entries in its serial number and on internal inquiry it turned out to be fake.
The Vice-Chairman SDA, reported the matter to the police and after preliminary investigations found that around two clerks of the SDA have taken money for allotment of residential plots for Rs 20 lakh to them when the rate per kanal at Bemina is around Rs 80 lakh.
Police is investigating the role of some JK Bank employees of Hazratbal branch in the scandal, who facilitated preparation of fake Bank Drafts.
Participants during Tawi Sandhya Arti at Jammu on Sunday.
JAMMU, July 20: Tawi Andolan organized Tawi Sandhya Arti here today.
On the occasion, State president of Kashyap Rajput Sabha, Murari Lal (Ex-corporator) and State president of Vishavkarma Sabha Ravi Verma along with general secretary Joginder Andotra, prominent Sanskrit Scholar Jagdish Shashtri and office bearers of Andolan participated in Tawi Sandhya Arti.
Chander Mohan Sharma, convener, Tawi Andolan assured the gathering that the Andolan members will leave no stone unturned to achieve the cherished goal of protecting and restoring Tawi of its clean, free-flow and natural water, its ecology, its beds, bunds, adjoining lands, slopes and congruent forests.
Sharma warned the Government not to encourage land grabbing within the peripheral areas of Tawi river and its tributaries.
“Some of the officers of the concerned departments have shown the courage to implement law and Court directions but they are being harassed by some Ministers”, Sharma resented. He called upon the people of Jammu to rise to the occasion to fight out the Government and land mafias’ conspiracy.
Murari Lal said that their community strongly feels concerned about the present day plight of the River Tawi whom they regard ‘Surajputri Devi.’ Many members of their community used to earn their livelihood by doing boatman’s job and also by fishing but now the pious river has been rendered to as a dustbin of the city and towns. He announced unflinching support to the movement.
Ravi Verma said that his community shall actively join the movement which is committed to Save Tawi and revive culture and traditions of the Dogras.
MLA SS Slathia laying foundation stone of CFC at Gurah Slathian on Sunday. -Excelsior/Gautam
JAMMU, July 20: Former Minister & MLA Vijaypur Surjeet Singh Slathia today laid foundation stone for construction of Community Facility Centre (CFC) at Mandi Garh Gurah Slathian which shall be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 40 lakh to be executed by Rural Development Department, out of which Rs 20 lakh shall be released from CDF and rest of Rs 20 lakh shall be released under Model Village Scheme which includes construction of Boundary wall, Bath Rooms etc.
On the completion of this project the people of the area shall celebrate their social functions in the said building free of cost. Slathia assured them that their pending demands like construction of lanes and drains, repair of roads, repair of electric poles and replacement of old electric wires shall be taken up soon. While addressing the public gathering Slathia said that the Omar Abdullah led Government has ensured equitable development of all the regions of the State and the main attention has been paid towards the up-gradation of the basic facilities and infrastructures of various priorities like quality education, water and power supply, better medical health care facilities for the benefit of the people of remote and far flung areas.
Slathia asked the people to fight the divisive forces and urged them to work for cementing the bonds of brotherhood between various communities. Among others district Panchayat Officer, BDO Purmandal, Panchs and Sarpanchs were present on the occasion.
