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Panchayat polls in few months: Omar 10/20/2009 11:36:24 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: Jammu and Kashmir is all set to go for Panchayat elections later this year or early next year, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has confirmed. Holding Panchayat elections and democratic decentralization of powers to the grassroots institutions of governance has been a poll promise made individually by both ruling alliance partners, the Congress and the National Conference. However, the government has been dragging feet on the Panchayat elections on one or the other pretext. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said in February this year that Panchayat elections shall be held immediately after the Lok Sabha elections but there was no follow-up after the general elections were over. The state is already losing Rs 550 crore annually after the Centre had stopped the grant in the absence of local bodies. If today’s statement of the Chief Minister is anything to go by, the state may go the Panchayat elections in next few months, breaking an impasse of nine years. During a meeting with the visiting Congress general secretary and former Madhya Pradesh Chief ...   READ MORE

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MAYHEM ON ROAD 2 brothers among 8 dead, 16 injured in isolated mishaps 10/20/2009 11:36:01 PM Early Times Report Jammu Oct 20: On third continuous day of mayhem on the roads, at least eight persons were today killed in isolated cases of road accidents in different parts of Jammu region. Among the killed were two brothers. A tractor trolley skidded off the road and rolled down into a gorge at Nalee village in Akhnoor, 37 kms from here, early today, the Police said, adding two brothers -- Rattan Lal and Kuldeep Raj-- died on the spot. An army jawan Raguvir Singh died on the spot and two others were injured when a car and an army vehicle collided at Udhampur, 65 kms from here, last night, they said. Om Singh and Dheeraj Singh, who were injured in the accident, were admitted t...   READ MORE   Fake currency racket: printer, more currency seized 10/20/2009 11:35:14 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: Bus stand police has seized instruments including computer and printer used for preparing fake currency notes besides rupees 17000 fake notes more today. While executing a raid in Rajouri area. Manhunt to arrest other persons involved, is going on. In the latest development on fake currency racket unearthed, bus stand police on the disclosure of the arrested six persons conducted a raid in the house of one Daultat Shah son of Rasool Shah of Rajouri area and seized a computer and printer from his house while Daulat managed to escape, sources informed. Police has smelt their links with militants and is penetrating deep into the racket. Interrogation of t...   READ MORE   Bankers not friendly in lending 10/20/2009 11:34:50 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: Even as the Bankers are making quite good money in Jammu and Kashmir but they are dithering from their social responsibility, particularly lending credits to the aspiring entrepreneurs under the government sponsored schemes. An admission to this dismal phenomenon has been made by no less than the Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather who presented a disappointing statistics sheet. Rather said that bank-wise and sector-wise analysis of lending to various sectors reveals dismal performance in agriculture and micro-credit. “Only 37% beneficiaries have been covered and a mere Rs 96.58 crore to 14128 beneficiaries against the target of Rs 205.92 crore is refl...   READ MORE   Wajahat headed for J&K 10/20/2009 11:34:31 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: The seasoned hand on Jammu and Kashmir, Wajahat Habibullah is all set to return to his home cadre as Chief Information Commissioner. Until now Chief Information Commissioner of India, the senior bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah has resigned to take up his new assignment as RTI watchdog in Jammu and Kashmir. "Yes, I have submitted my resignation to the President (Pratibha Patil) and I am awaiting its acceptance," Habibullah said. In Jammu where the winter secretariat is set to move early next month, the government has hired a building for the office of Information Commission in Shastri Nagar where Habibullah will take over. "After acceptance, I will dec...   READ MORE   Cellphone towers posing grave risks 10/20/2009 11:33:20 PM SANT KUMAR SHARMA Jammu, Oct 20: Mobile telephony was introduced in Jammu & Kashmir for the first time in the year 2003 during the chief ministership of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Mr Sayeed convinced the Atal Behari Vajpayee government that J&K should not be deprived of the benefits of modern technology. Initially, it was only the government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) which was allowed to operate cell-phone services in the state. Later, private players entered the fray in a big way. Airtel, Aircel, Reliance, Tata Indicom, Vodaphone and now Idea, all these private players are trying to entice customers with seemingly lucrative offers. Despite competition, the cell-phone market ...   READ MORE   Two held for abusing MP 10/20/2009 11:33:02 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: Two youths were arrested for making a phone call to Congress MP Choudhary Lal Singh and allegedly abusing him in Kathua district, police sources here today said. ''Two youth were arrested for abusing Singh on Diwali. The youths made calls to the MP from their mobile phones and allegedly abused him,'' police sources told .On a complaint lodged by the MP, the identity of the callers was established and they were arrested yesterday. ''The arrested youths were identified as Rakesh Kumar, resident of Gadyal and Ram Murty, resident of Rajbagh, while one of the third accomplice was absconding,'' police said, adding that a case has been registered against the...   READ MORE   Security situation has worsened, be prepared for all threats: PM 10/20/2009 11:32:41 PM Agencies New Delhi, Oct 20: Emphasising that the overall situation in India's "immediate neighbourhood has worsened", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday cautioned the armed forces "to be equipped to deal with all threat scenarios", especially non-traditional threats. "The overall situation in our immediate neighbourhood has worsened. The armed forces must be fully equipped to deal with all threat scenarios. Our troops should be trained to fight anywhere, anytime and under any conditions. Their ability to deal with non-traditional threats must receive greater attention," Manmohan Singh said at the combined commanders' conference, a daylong meeting of commanders of the three defence serv...   READ MORE   Shabir Shah free after 14 months 10/20/2009 11:32:18 PM Early Times Report Srinagar, Oct 20: An official spokesman today said that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has ordered release of the detained separatist leader and Democratic Freedom Party leader Shabir Ahmed Shah. Shah was detained in August last year while he was leading a symbolic ‘procession to Muzaffarabad’ during Amarnath land row agitation. The official spokesman said, “in line with government’s policy to release political detnues in view of improving law and order situation, the Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdulla today ordered release of Shabir Shah, who was under detention under Public Safety Act (PSA). The government has accordingly revoked imposition of PSA against him”. T...   READ MORE   400 pilgrims leave for Jeddah 10/20/2009 11:31:51 PM Early Times Report Srinagar, Oct 20:- Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah today flagged off the first batch of 400 Hajj Pilgrims from Srinagar International Airport here this morning. The Minister of State for Hajj and Auqaf, Mr. Aijaz Ahmed Khan, Advisor to Chief Minister, Mr. Mubarak Gul, Director General Police, Mr. Kuldeep Khoda, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mrs. Naseem Lankar, Secretary Revenue Mr. Aijaz Iqbal, Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Mr. Mohammad Rafi, Director Airport Authority Srinagar, Mr. O.S Tyagi besides other senior officers of various departments and State Hajj Committee were present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister expressed satisfactio...   READ MORE   Govt wakes up after 16 days of medico strike, panel of Ministers to hold parleys with doctors 10/20/2009 11:31:23 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: Finally waking up to the challenge after a fortnight of miseries of patients, the government has constituted a high level panel of Ministers and Advisors to the Chief Minister to hold dialogue with the agitating doctors. Nearly 400 doctors have been on strike since October 5 paralysing the healthcare services across Jammu and Kashmir. The indefinite strike called by the Doctors Joint Action Committee (DJAC), is primarily for revision in their pay packages. The strike continued for the 16th day today even as the health-care services in both the Government Medical Colleges and several hospitals remained paralysed. A decision to constitute the six-member...   READ MORE   Suicide bombing in Islamabad University kills 5 10/20/2009 11:30:56 PM Agencies Islamabad, Oct 20: Two suicide bombers blew themselves up simultaneously at a prestigious Islamic university in the Pakistani capital today, killing at least five persons and injuring over 40, the latest in a series of deadly terror attacks that have rocked the country. The blasts occurred at the male and female campuses of the International Islamic University, considered one of the world's leading centres for studies in Islamic law, thought and history. The first suicide bomber blew himself up at the cafeteria in the women's campus, killing a student and an employee of the university, witnesses said. They said they had seen parts of the bomber's body stuck to the ceiling of...   READ MORE   Army cleans Baltal route 10/20/2009 11:30:26 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Oct 20: The Indian Army, in a major environmental drive, cleaned four tonnes of non-biodegradable waste on the 14 km stretch from Baltal to Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior official said Tuesday. The track, located at the height of 12,000 feet above sea level at Baltal to the cave shrine, was littered with plastic bags, empty mineral water bottles and other non-biodegradable material. This exercise was undertaken by the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), Sonamarg, 100 km north of Srinagar, under the plan laid out by its Commandant Brigadier Jagmohan Varma, said Colonel D.K. Kachari, PRO of the Northern Command. A team of 247 Army per...   READ MORE

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