Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 16: The State Vigilance Commission has directed for registration of a case against some Revenue officials and others for conferring ownership rights of a prime land under Roshni Act in favour of a dead person.
Vigilance Commission inquiry revealed that one Sita Devi was conferred ownership rights under Roshni Act in respect of prime State land measuring 4 kanals at Rajbagh after clearance by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir on 30.06.2007 on the recommendation of Nazool Department against the payment of Rs 72 lacs.
Interestingly, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar on March 4, 2008 ordered conferment of ownership rights upon Sita Devi for 4 kanals of land under survey number 1317 and 1318 in estate Nursing-grah though she had already expired on January 21, 2008.
Enquiry by Commission further revealed another person namely Shamsher Singh, who represented himself as an attorney holder of Sita Devi, in connivance with concerned Revenue authorities, got the mutation entered in the mutation register in favour of Sita Devi on April 16, 2008 though only part payment of Rs 54 lacs had been made and Sita Devi was already dead, thereby conferring ownership rights on a dead person as the proprietor of the land.
In the Jamabandi register, deceased Sita Devi was entered as owner and the land was shown in her personal possession. Strange enough on the same date Naib Tehsildar, after entering deceased Sita Devi as the owner of the land showing the land in her personal possession, mutated the same land of deceased Sita Devi in the name of Shamsher Singh on the basis of a will deed which is under scrutiny. As per the complaint the land has further been handed over by Shamsher Singh to Mohammad Younus son of Ghulam Ali Dar of Nowshera Srinagar and Hakim Zaffar Ali son of Hakim Shair Ali of Nishat under agreement to sell for a consideration of Rs 15 crores and a Commercial Hotel has also been established on the land in question.
Holding that these facts prima-facie disclose commission of a cognizable offence by the Revenue officials in connivance with said Shamsher Singh and others, the State Vigilance Commission directed the Director, Vigilance Organization to register a case against the concerned officials for thorough investigation. This apart, a reference has also been sent to the Chief Secretary of the State with the recommendation to take administrative action against delinquent officers and restore the disputed land as per law.

LEH/NEW DELHI, July 16:

Chinese troops have reportedly made two incursion attempts in the last three days in Demchok and Chumar areas of Ladakh sector in Jammu and Kashmir but were pushed back into their territory by Indian security personnel.
The incursion bids by the Chinese People’s Liberation (PLA) came even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised on the need to find a solution to the Boundary Question during their meeting in Fortaleza in Brazil yesterday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
The latest incident occured in Charding Nilu Nullah Junction (CNNJ) in Demchok sector yesterday when PLA personnel entered the area on their vehicles in the wee hours claiming it to be Chinese territory, official sources said today.
The PLA soldiers who wanted to have a round of the area were stopped by the Indian Army and personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), a force which guards the India-China border.
After a 30-minute long stand-off followed by a banner drill where armies of both the countries warned each other against moving a step forward, the Chinese PLA returned to their side, the sources said.
The Chinese troops, riding on horses, had earlier entered through Chumar area on July 13 only to be confronted by Indian soldiers and after the usual banner drill between the two sides, the PLA patrol returned to their territory.
The incident took place at Patrol Point number 62, the sources said.
Located 300 km east of Leh, Chumar has been an epicentre of heightened activities of the PLA who had been making increased attempts to enter through this region as India has a dominance in this sector.
Chumar, a remote village on Ladakh-Himachal Pradesh border, has been an issue for Chinese which claim it to be its own territory and have been frequenting it with helicopter incursions almost every year. In 2011, it dropped some of the soldiers of PLA in this region and dismantled the makeshift storage tents of the Army and ITBP.
This area is not accessible from the Chinese side whereas the Indian side have a road almost to the last point on which the Army can carry a load upto nine tonnes.
Chumar had become a flash point during the fortnight long stand-off last year in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) last year as the Chinese side had objected to overhead bunkers erected by the Indian side.
As part of an agreement reached at the flag meeting to end the stand-off from April-May 2013 at DBO, India had to dismantle some overhead bunkers in Chumar.
Again, Chumar witnessed Chinese troops walking away with an Army surveillance camera on June 17 last year which was meant for keeping an eye on the PLA troops patrolling there. The same camera was returned after a few days. (PTI)

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 16: A soldier of Territorial Army (TA) was killed by militants in South Kashmir district of Kulgam today.
Police said Gowhar Ahmad Mattoo, a soldier of TA and a former surrendered militant, was shot at and critically wounded when some gunmen fired upon him at Khudwani.
Mattoo was immediately rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Senior police and Army officers rushed to the spot and searches have been launched to nab the gunmen responsible for the killing.
In the meantime, a senior People’s Democratic Party leader Ghulam Mohiudin Wachi today escaped unhurt in an attack at Batpora in South Kashmir district of Pulwama.
Sources said unidentified person hurled an unknown explosive device at Wachi’s vehicle at Batpora, when they were on way to Pulwama from Srinagar.
The explosive device exploded on the roof of the vehicle, they said, adding due to low intensity of the blast no one was hurt.
Unidentified persons pelted stones and later hurled a petrol bomb at PDP candidate from Noorabad constituency Abdul Majid Padroo’s vehicle at Koimoh, Kulgam, when he was coming back from Srinagar yesterday.
Padoor escaped unhurt. However, one of his security guard was injured in the incident.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 16: The newly-introduced direct train from New Delhi to Katra, the base camp of Vaishno Devi shrine, was stuck in a tunnel for about two and half hours this morning due to suspected wheel slip caused by heavy rains when it was about six to seven kilometers short of Katra railway station.
Official sources said fully air conditioned ‘Shri Shakti Express’, which was only on its second trip from New Delhi to Katra after being introduced as maiden long distance train to the holy town on July 14, was stalled inside 900 meters long Tunnel No. 27, about six to seven kilometers short of Katra railway station at 4.35 am today.
The train got stalled in the tunnel, which had full ventilation and lighting and there were no safety issues, sources said. Moreover, they added, the train was fully air conditioned and there was no scope of the passengers feeling suffocated.
Sources said preliminary reports said the cause seems to be wheel slip as there were reports of very heavy rains in the area.
“A relief banker engine was sent from Udhampur which pushed the train up to Katra, observing all precautions. The train got delayed by about two and a half hours,’’ sources said, adding it was scheduled to reach Katra at 5.10 am but it reached the railway station around 7.30 am.
Earlier, Railway authorities suspected that the train was stuck due to “engine failure”.
The fully air-conditioned super fast train Shri Shakti Express from New Delhi to Katra was on its second run when the incident took place about six to seven kilometers before the station.
The train was launched a day earlier from New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Northern Railway has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
“Since Katra is a new station from where train services were launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4 only, another engine was rushed from Udhampur to take to train safely to Katra,’’ sources said.
“There was no problem in the tunnel or the line. Another engine was pressed into service to carry forward the journey,” sources said.