TOP STORY OF THE DAY |
|
|
| CM chairs meetings amid gunbattle in Pulwama, shutdown in Kulgam | | Jaish ‘Distt Commdr’ among 2 militants killed; 6 ultras die in 3 days | | | AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
SRINAGAR, Feb 18: While Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, continued to preside over the review meeting of District Development Board in Pulwama, Police and security forces killed two of the top wanted militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad, including a “District Commander”, in a fierce gunbattle at Shankarpora village in the same district in south Kashmir today.
Authoritative sources told Early Times that Pulwama District Police and Rashtriya Rifles 55 Bn, 53 Bn and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation last evening immediately after receiving information that two of the dreaded militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad, namely Ehsan Bhai of Pakistan and Altaf Baba, were hiding at the residential house of one Ali Mohammad Ganai at Shankarpora village in Pulwama district. According to the information, Jaish militants were preparing to hold a coordination meeting with representatives of another militant outfit.
As soon as Police and security forces succeeded in evacuating inmates from all houses in the cordoned cluster and zeroed in on Ganai’s house, two militants opened fi... | |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRONT PAGE STORIES |
|
|
| Mystery shrouds Lt Col's death in Rajouri | | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 18:
A Lieutenant Colonel of army was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his official quarter at Thanamandi in Rajouri Wednesday morning. Police sources said Lt Col Pradeep Kotnala was found lying dead in his official quarter at Thanamandi by some jawans in the morning.
When senior army officers were informed of the incident, they soon reached Kotnala's quarter and evacuated him to hospital where doctors pronounced him brought dead.
He was deputy commandant in 13 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, Thanamandi. He hailed from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Army sources said a court of inquiry had been ordered into the
incident. Police had also registered a case in th... | |
| | | | Gun licence issued to dead man | | | |
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 18: Making a mockery of police functioning, a youth managed to get a gun licence issued in the name of his dead father here.
The youth, whom police sources identified as Ravinder Singh of Simble, Satwari, was absconding.
Sources said even as Ravinder's father Darshan Singh died few years back, he managed to get character certification issued in the name of the dead man by Satwari police station.
On the basis of this certificate, he got a gun licence issued in the name of his father after police "verification".
The youth was absconding. Raids were being conducted to nab him, the sources added.
... | |
| | | | Demand for open choice turns violent | | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 18
The college students’ protest demanding 'open choice' for the upcoming examinations turned violent today as hundreds of protesting students after boycotting their classes resorted to heavy stone pelting on police personnel, who prevented them from taking out a protest march here today.
''The students this morning, on being stopped from demonstrating outside their respective colleges, pelted stones on the police personnel injuring four people and damaging a government vehicle,'' a senior police official said.
The protest in the shape of a rally led by Sahil Choudhary (President, GGM Science College) and Abhay Sharma (Vice President, GGM Science Colleg... | |
| | | | JK’s flour mills can produce 400 MWs of electricity | | | | Early Times report
Srinagar, Feb18: The state of Jammu Kashmir has the potential of producing 20,000 MWs of hydro-electricity. The potential if tapped properly can take the state forward by leaps and bounds. The annual per capita income will go up to Rs 864000. Every body knows it. What the people of the state need to know is the use of state’s flour mills for producing electricity.
The experts believe that the state can produce as many as 400 MWs of power by putting the flour mills to proper use. If this happens, there will be no fear of violating any existing treaty. The environment will also remain undisturbed as no mega infrastructure will be needed.
According to HA Gora, an expert ... | |
| | | | Telecom operators in J&K again under scanner | | Pre-paid service: | | |
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 18: The telecom operators in Jammu and Kashmir have once again come under scanner with Government objecting to the arbitrary manner in which the re-verification of pre-paid subscribers had been done in the state.
A senior official of the Union Home Ministry conveyed to the telecom operators the Government's concerns over "lapses" in reverifying the pre-paid mobile subscribers which could have serious security repercussions, official sources said.
The Ministry got into action as Union home minister P Chidambaram was surprised over the speed in which re-verification of nearly 1.6 lakh customers was done in only 24 days which included two gazetted holi... | |
| | | | Landslides put brakes on ‘Carvan-e-Aman’ bus | | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 18: The weekly bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir remained suspended consecutively for the second week today on the request of the Pakistani authorities, official said today.
‘Carvan-e-Aman’ could not ply as per schedule today following Pakistani authorities’ request to not resume the bus service following road blockage near Chakoti in Muzaffarabad due to landslides caused by incessant rains, they said.
The bus service was suspended last week as well after incessant rains and heavy snowfall triggered landslides at several places on the 170-km road, particularly between Red bridge and Kaman post in Uri sector of Bara... | |
| | | | BJP has lost its support-base because it has lost its moorings | | STARK REALITY | | |
RUSTAM
Early Times Story
JAMMU, Feb 18: The J&K unit of the BJP had given the people of Jammu province and all others to understand that it would not allow Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to enter the winter capital on Wednesday. It had taken this stand on the ground that the Home Minister had endangered the national security by agreeing to implement the surrender policy as suggested by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
But what actually happened on the D-day was nothing more than an anti-climax. Only a few disinterested BJP leaders and about half a dozen legislators and their personal followers assembled at the Bikram Chowk and enacted a drama of sorts. The laughing and non-seriou... | |
| | | | Cabinet okays Azad’s plan to train 5,000 more specialist doctors a year | | | | ABID SHAH
NEW DELHI, FEB 18: A day after Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad asserted before a parliamentary consultative committee for his Ministry that about 5,000 more specialist doctors would soon come out every year from State run medical colleges as per his plan, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting held here today has approved a staggering Rs 1,350 crore for upgrading postgraduate medical education by these medical colleges.
Announcing this, a Government spokesman said “the CCEA today approved a proposal from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on strengthening and upgradation of State Government Medical Colleges for starting new Post Gra... | |
| | | | Motorcyclist, pillion rider killed in mishap | | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 18: A motorcyclist and his pillion rider were killed after an unknown vehicle hit them at Thard near Udhampur, about 60 km from here, this evening. Police said one Narayan Singh was driving a motorcycle (JK14A/7220) and Sukhdev Singh was sitting on the pillion seat when an unknown vehicle hit their two-wheeler at Thard, Bali
Nullah.
Both of them died on the spot. They hailed from Sawlakote in Mahore. Their bodies were shifted to the Udhampur district hospital mortuary where post-mortem would conducted on them Friday.
There was no trace of the unknown vehicle and its driver. Police said efforts were being made to trace both the driver and the vehicle. A cas... | |
| | | | Ultras flee after encounter in Poonch | | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 18: After a fierce gunbattle with security forces in the Salva Nud woods of Mendhar in Poonch late Wednesday evening, militants managed to escape unhurt.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of three to four militants in the Salva Nud forests, police and army troops launched a combing operation late Wednesday evening.
Police sources said while the troops were making searches, the militants fired at them. Fire was returned. The intermittent exchange of fire between the two sides
continued for more than an hour after which the militants fled, the sources addded.
There was no casualty on either side.
... | |
| | | | Two held with 330 kg poppy straw | | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 18: An oil tanker driver and his accomplice were today arrested by police at Batote, about 120 km from here on the Jammu-Srinagar road, along with 330 kilograms of opium straw.
The consignment, packed in eight sacks, was hidden in theempty tanks of the vehicle.
Police sources said a tanker (JK02F/6084) was intercepted bycops at Batote during routine checking of vehicles.
During its checking, cops recovered eight sacks containing over 330 kg of opium straw from the empty tanks of the vehicle, the sources added.
The tanker driver Gurmeet Singh and his accomplice Rajvinder Singh, both residents of Simbal Camp, were then arrested and booked under 8/15 Narcotic... | |
| | | | Amnesty well thought out but we are not in haste: Chidambram | | Home Minister says security situation improving in South of Pir Panchal, stable in north | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 17: Underplaying the element of dissent expressed by former state Chief Minister and now Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on ‘surrender policy’ the visiting Home Minister P Chidambram today vouched for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s proposal and assured that every aspect and concern will be factored in before putting the policy in practical shape.
The Home Minister who was in town to review latest obtaining security scenario outlined the broad contours of proposed amnesty for the youth who crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir at different points of time in past two decades. Addressing a press conference along with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Chi... | |
| | | | BJP’s plan to block PC’s visit fizzles out | | | |
ARTEEV SHARMA
JAMMU, Feb 17: Much ado about nothing! And the maxim came true once again on Jammu roads when the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s cavalcade whizzed past without any ruckus leaving 250-300 odd BJP supporters bewildered at Bikram Chowk who had assembled at the venue to disrupt his visit, a plan that was in making since Chidambaram’s statement has come up for amnesty to militants.
The state BJP unit had announced that it would resist the Union Home Minister’s entry into Jammu tooth and nail to express its resentment against his endorsement to Chief Minister Omar Abullah’s proposal of amnesty for Kashmiri militants.
The 11 MLAs who also had put in a solemn pledge to pu... | |
| | |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|