Month: August 2015

Dachigam National Park off limits for tourists

Editor

With the authorities making Dachigam National Park ‘out of bounds’ for visitors, the move has irked the local tour and travel operators who say their tour itineraries have been disturbed. “Many of our clients who go to Dachigam park return disappointed,” the tour operators said. “We are being told the closure has been ordered by the CM office. But we wonder why no prior intimation was given to us,” they said, adding that a prior intimation about the park closure “would have guided us not to include Dachigam visit in…

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Work on Srinagar-Jammu highway our priority: Gadkari

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‘Special team to review work on highway, other JK roads’ Stating that construction works for the Srinagar – Jammu National Highway is Government of India’s priority, the Union Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, Tuesday said the central government is also committed to provide ample funding for the Highways and other roads. “I have directed the authorities to pick up the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on priority. The maintenance of this Highway will be completed within a short period of time with the issue having been taken up by…

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Climate change may decrease JK’s hydropower generation: Report

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The demand of electricity in Jammu and Kashmir will touch 19,500 million units by 2020-21, even as “prevalent climate change scenario” in the state is likely to affect its hydropower generation, an official report has predicted. The J&K government’s report—State Action Plan on Climate Change—states that energy demand in the State has gradually increased during the past five years at an annual rate of 5 to 6 percent. “According to 16th All India Power Survey, the power requirement of the state is expected to reach 19,500 million units during 2020-21,”…

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Mufti for increase in number of items traded along LoC

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Govt exchanges list of 72 items with PaK officials Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has conveyed to the Government of India (GoI) the need for boosting the cross-LoC trade by increasing the number of trade able items. Sources said Mufti conveyed this to the team of top government officials of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) headed by Joint Secretary Kashmir Affairs, Rajit Punhani during a meeting here, last Thursday. They said J&K government has already conveyed to GoI that it intends to increase the list of trade able items…

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Militant attack rumour triggers panic in Jammu

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A hoax call on Tuesday about spotting of militants triggered panic and fear as it kept the Army and Police on their toes due to search operation. “An government employee gave a call to police about the spotting of militants in Janipur belt”, a senior police officer said. As the police got a call, it alert Army and Police and cordoned-off entire Janipur belt in Jammu city and evacuated students from three schools in the area, he said. Several panic-stricken schools in Jammu called parents to collect their children while…

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Chief Secretary Iqbal Khanday resigns citing differences with PDP govt

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He reportedly said that officers were being rotated like ‘shuttlecocks’ Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Iqbal Khanday resigned on Tuesday due to differences with the state government. As per a CNN-IBN report, Khanday is miffed about the arbitrary transfer of  officials. He reportedly said that officers were being rotated like ‘shuttlecocks’. The report citing sources said that he was unhappy that juniors were being promoted ahead of seniors in administration.

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Shah advises Sushma Swaraj to examine Kashmir history

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Terming the arrest of Hurriyat leadership in New Delhi against the spirits of India democracy pro freedom leader Shabir Ahmed Shah Tuesday questioned that if Kashmir is not an issue and Hurriyat leaders are irrelevant then why former Prime Ministers of India talked to pro freedom leadership from Kashmir in past. “The claims made by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj with regard to Kashmir issue and Kashmiri separatist leaders are not only astonishing but baseless as well. “Swaraj forgot that her mentor Atal Bihari Vajpayee exchanged letters with me and…

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Centre evaded talks with Pakistan on Kashmir: Hurriyat

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Moderate Hurriyat Conference on Tuesday accused the Centre of “evading” the NSA-level talks with Pakistan by refusing to discuss Kashmir, an issue it described as the main reason for the “huge trust deficit” between the two countries. “India’s attempt to evade talks on Kashmir issue was extremely unfortunate, imprudent and contrary to the historical, political and ground realities of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Hurriyat said in a statement after its meeting at the residence of Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq here. Terming the Kashmir dispute as the “core issue” between the…

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VHP, RSS eye Kashmir’s political space

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After inroads by the Bharatiya Janata Party into Jammu and Kashmir’s political arena, the right-wing organizations, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Swayam sevak Sangh, are slowly attempting to enter into the Valley and “make their base here.” In a development that took many observers by surprise, a VHP leader Shiv Narayan Singh Tuesday held a meeting with J&K Governor N N Vohra. An official spokesman said Singh—PRO of VHP—called on Governor N N Vohra, here at Raj Bhavan and “informed him about various important matters of high public interest” and…

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Kashmir not a third party, it is integral to dialogue: Sharif

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Pakistan Prime Minister says that any discussion with India, minus the Kashmir issue, would be futile. Asserting that Kashmiri separatist leaders are not a “third party”, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that any dialogue process with India which does not include the Kashmir issue will be futile. “Kashmiri leaders are not a third party, but an important party to this issue. Any decision on their future cannot be made without their opinion and consultation,” he said at a Cabinet meeting on Monday. The Prime Minister told the Cabinet…

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