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Assembly sitting today Stormy session expected after Speaker’s election 2/24/2009 11:07:27 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 24: The state legislative assembly is meeting here tomorrow for a brief session which is unique in a way as it will be first of the 11th legislature constituted after November-December 2008 elections. With a large yet divided Opposition it is going to be an interesting session of the assembly on a number of accounts. Peoples Democratic Party— largest opposition party with 21 MLAs— is likely to grill the ruling alliance on issues like curtailed budget session and failure of government to implement recommendations of the Working Groups. The BJP is all set to take on the government with its key issue of delimitation and discrimination against Jammu region. In its first sitting the assembly will elect the new replacing the pro term speaker Chaudhary Mohammad Aslam. Governor NN Vohra will then address a joint sitting of the legislature. Meanwhile, the assembly would elect its Speaker on the first day of the commencement of legislature in the state tomorrow. The election of the Speaker shall be held at 10 AM. National Conference (NC), which is lea...   READ MORE

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Coalition makes intelligent choices as 17 file papers for 11 vacant LC seats 2/24/2009 11:06:56 PM Two former Chief Secretaries in fray, PDP poised to win one seat Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 24: The ruling coalition of the National Conference-Congress combine is all set to sweep 10 seats Legislative Council as 17 candidates today filed nomination papers for 11 vacant seats of the Upper House of the legislature. Peoples Democratic Party is poised to win one seat in the elections to be held on March 11. Of the 11 vacant seats four are to be filled from Jammu region, four from Kashmir Valley and three seats three seats are the casual vacancies caused by the election of Sakina Ittoo of National Conference and Basharat Bukhari of PDP to the legislative assembly and expulsion of Asho...   READ MORE   PDP moves troop cut resolution 2/24/2009 11:06:30 PM Early Times Report Jammu: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has moved a resolution in the state assembly seeking the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the party statement, PDP moved a private member resolution in the Legislative Assembly for the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the state to prevent killings of innocent citizens at the hands of forces. PDP MLA from Darhal, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali has moved this private member resolution under rule 174 of the rules Procedure and Conduct of the Business in the Legislative Assembly. In a letter addressed to the Speaker Legislative Assembly, Ali has said that in...   READ MORE   India says, keen to revive peace with Pak 2/24/2009 11:06:09 PM New Delhi, Feb 24: India has said Pakistan has to do more to dismantle terror infrastructure on its soil if it wants to resume the peace process with New Delhi. "So far the composite dialogue is concerned, it is false and we expect Pakistan to do more in respect of dismantling the terror infrastructure," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here. Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik, who met Mukherjee on February 23, is understood to have explored possibilities of resuming the composite dialogue which was "paused" after the Mumbai terror attacks in November last year. Mukherjee also said Pakistan has to bring the perpetrators of the terror attacks to justice. ...   READ MORE   Fresh stimulus: ED, ST cut by 2% 2/24/2009 11:05:48 PM New Delhi, Feb 24: Giving relief to the industry reeling under the impact of slowdown, the government on Tuesday reduced by two percent rates of excise duty and service tax. While the general excise duty has been reduced from 10 percent to 8 percent, the rate of service tax cut from 12 percent to 10 percent. Four percent excise cut announced earlier in the stimulus package in December will continue beyond March 31, acting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while winding up the debate on the Interim Budget in the Lok Sabha today. Mukherjee further said that duty on bulk cement has been reduced from 10 per cent to 8 per cent. The government is confident of overcoming the impact of...   READ MORE   Bad blood: NC leader challenges election of Congress’ Doda MLA 2/24/2009 11:05:30 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 24: In a reflection of bad blood between the coalition partners, a National Conference leader has challenged the election of a Congress legislator on technical grounds. On an election petition filed by for Doda MLA and NC leader Khalid Najib Suharwardy, who unsuccessfully contested as NC candidate from Doda in 2008, challenging the election of Abdul Majid Wani of Congress as MLA, Justice YP Nargotra of J&K High Court Jammu Wing today issued notice by Dasti and directed Registry to list the election petition after completion of service process. After hearing Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi assisted by Advocate Veenu Gupta, Justice Nargotra dictated the or...   READ MORE   Doda, Kishtwar reconnected 2/24/2009 11:05:17 PM Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 24 : Authorities have repaired and opened the road connecting Kishtwar and Doda districts a portion of which had caved in following heavy rains early this month, cutting off more than half a million people living in two hilly districts from the rest of the state, officials said Tuesday. Traffic movement on the Batote-Doda road was suspended after a 200-meter stretch caved in near Assar, about 150 km north of here after heavy rains Feb 5-6. This had cut off the two hilly districts of Doda and Kishtwar, causing great difficulty to the people living there and leading to a shortage of essential commodities. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maint...   READ MORE

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