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The youth was killed and two others injured in firing by the CRPF today during protests in Budgam district Jammu and Kashmir government ordered a magisterial probe into the killing of a youth in firing by security forces during a protest demonstration in Budgam district today. Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Mir Altaf Ahmad, ordered the magisterial probe into the killing of Suhail Ahmad Sofi at Narbal village on Srinagar-Gulmarg road. “Additional Deputy Commissioner has been asked to probe the incident that led to the death of the boy. He has been asked to submit a report within 15 days,” Mir said. The youth was killed and two others injured in firing by the CRPF today during protests in Budgam district, where a strike has been called by the hardline Hurriyat faction against the killing of two youths in Tral earlier this week.

Continuous rains hamper clearance of debris but traffic would be restored soon after the weather improves: Minister .The Jammu and Kashmir government is making serious efforts for early airlifting of passengers stranded here following closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, State minister Abdul Ghani Kohli said today. He directed the district administration to throw open all four halls of JDA at the General Bus Stand for the passengers and also accommodate rest of them at Jammu Haj House. It was informed that at present there are about 2,000 stranded passengers at GB Jammu and they are being provided free meals by the district administration. The Minister assured the people that the arrangements to airlift them to their destinations would be made immediately after improvement in weather conditions. He said the government is in touch with the Indian Air Force (IAF) authorities but the air sorties could become possible only when the climatic conditions become feasible. The Minist...

Jammu, July 31 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir government has, in view of the deficit monsoon this year, asked farmers in Jammu region to sow alternate crops that need less water. "We have advised farmers to grow alternate crops like pulses and fodder in rain deficit areas," said Ajay Khajuria, director of the department. The Jammu region lies south of the Pir Panjal mountain range. According to the meterological department, the region has so far had 220 millimeters of rainfall, which is 45 percent below normal. "This has adversely affected agriculture, especially the basmati rice, in the plains and maize in the hilly areas," said Khajuria. The delayed and deficit monsoon rains, he said, have "primarily delayed the transplantation of paddy, specifically in Ranbir Singh Pura area, which is known for best quality basmati." Said Sukhdev Singh of Maralia in Ranbir Singh Pura: "We are hit from all sides. There is hardly two to three hours of electricity dai...

Jammu, July 25 ( IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir government will now have its first woman media advisor, an official statement said Wednesday. Bharti Vaid, 52, who is currently the Additional Director General of All India Radio, has been appointed the first woman media advisor of the state. The order issued by the government Wednesday said: "She will coordinate work of media cells of various forces and entities that function under Unified Command." Unified Command was formed in 1993 to synergise working of various security forces like the army, state police, para-military forces and intelligence agencies in the state. The chief minister is the state head of the Command. Commenting on her new post, Vaid said: "I feel proud to get appointed to such a sensitive post, which involves coordinating work of forces and entities of the Unified Command, which is the top security decision making body." I am conscious of the challenge that the work throws on my being a lady," ...

Jammu, July 2 (IANS) Kashmir's Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma has announced opening of mental health clinics in five of the 10 districts in Jammu region. The six million people in the region have only three specialist doctors in the only government psychiatry hospital in Jammu city. The hospital's OPD gets about 250 patients per day. The clinics, sponsored under the National Mental Health programme, will come up in Gandhi Nagar, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Rajouri districts. An itial funding of Rs.25 lakh will be given to these health facilities and each clinic will have one doctor, who will be trained by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Banglore, according to Sharma. Studies show that about five percent population of any region may suffer from acute mental disorders, while 15-20 percent from mild disorders, according to an official at the Jammu psychiatry hospital. The number of mentally ill patients have grown in the state due to over two decades ...

Jammu, June 28 (IANS) The police in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday detected and defused a timebomb in a briefcase near a petrol pump in the Ranbir Singh Pura area, west of Jammu. According to police, some people saw an abandoned brief case lying near a petrol pump in R.S. Pora area, about 25 km west of Jammu. They informed the police immediately. The police cordoned off the area and called the bomb disposal squad, who found a bomb fitted with a timer. An officer said: "The bomb has been diffused and the timely detection has averted a major tragedy as a petrol pump was nearby." Security across the state is in high alert in view of annual Hindu pilgrimage to Amarnath Shrine in Kashmir.

Jammu, June 28 (IANS) The police in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday detected and diffused a timebomb in a briefcase near a petrol pump in the Ranbir Singh Pura area, west of Jammu. According to police, some people saw an abandoned brief case lying near a petrol pump in R.S. Pora area, about 25 km west of Jammu. They informed the police immediately. The police cordoned off the area and called the bomb disposal squad, who found a bomb fitted with a timer. An officer said: "The bomb has been diffused and the timely detection has averted a major tragedy as a petrol pump was nearby." Security across the state is in high alert in view of annual Hindu pilgrimage to Amarnath Shrine in Kashmir.

Jammu, June 15 (IANS) Indian Army chief Gen. Bikram Singh Friday visited the headquarters of the Northern Command at Udhampur, an official said. This is Gen. Singh's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after assuming the charge May 31. Gen. Singh had a detailed discussion on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with the senior army commanders, particularly relating to the efforts aimed at checking the infiltration from across the border. He was given a detailed briefing by Northern Command chief of the Indian Army, Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik, about the situation prevailing on the borders, and the concentration of militants at the launching pads across the Line of Control (LoC). Gen. Parnaik briefed Gen. Singh about the efforts undertaken by the Indian army to curb infiltration by combination of high technology, sensors and night vision devices, and the human resources by effective deployment of the troops to check the intrusions. It was also revealed how Pakistan provided "cov...

By Binoo Joshi Jammu, June 6 (IANS) A severe heat wave coupled with unbridled power cuts has raised tempers in the Jammu region and led to resentment against the Omar Abdullah government's "step-motherly" treatment to the region. Electricity cuts ranging from 10 to 15 hours have added to the woes of people in the Jammu region, which is witnessing a maximum temperature of around 45 degrees Celsius in some places. City residents said the authorities are not paying heed to their hardships. They also accuse the Omar Abdullah government of discriminating against the region. "The government is discriminatory. Jammu always gets step-motherly treatment. I remember the time when the chief minister dragged the entire power department to Kashmir in winters to restore electricity supply, which was damaged due to snowfall. Extreme summer conditions are worse than cold. Why is he (Omar) not taking any action now?" said Atul Sharma, a post-graduate student of Jammu Un...

Jammu, June 5 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to recommend that Gojri - spoken by some 20 lakh tribal Gujjars and Bakkarwals in the state - be recognised as an official language by including it in the eighth schedule of the constitution. "Gojri is an important tribal language, spoken in different parts of South Asia. But Jammu and Kashmir state is considered as its epicentre," said Kashmir Minister for Forests and Environment Mian Altaf and a prominent Gujjar leader. He said that state government headed by Omar Abdullah is committed to develop all the regional languages "including Gojri on priority", adding: "Gojri is one of the richest languages of our State in terms of modern and traditional literature." Javaid Rahi, Secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, a frontal organization of Gujjars, told IANS that there are about 20 lakh Gujjars who speak Gojri in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, nearly four lakh non-Gujjars speak Go...

Jammu, May 23 (IANS) Ahead of his retirement this month, Indian Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh Wednesday lauded the "selfless sacrifices" by troops, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, He said this while paying a farewell visit to the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur in the state. Gen. Singh was accompanied by his wife Bharti Singh, who is president of the Family Welfare Organisation, Northern Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Rajesh Kalia said. Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik, chief of the Northern Command, briefed the army chief about the latest situation along the border with Pakistan and in the hinterland, an army source said. Col Kalia said the two discussed "security-related issues". "In his address, the army chief appreciated the selfless sacrifices made by troops in ensuring the sanctity of our frontiers and in facilitating the return of normalcy in the state," he said. Gen. Singh has been a frequent visitor to the state. He has opposed the lifting of the Ar...

Jammu, May 5 ( IANS) Omar Abdullah could have tweeted live proceedings of the chief ministers' conference meet in New Delhi on the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Saturday but the fear of being asked to leave the venue has prevented him from doing so. In a tweet Saturday morning, the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister posted on Twitter: "NCTC meeting today. Would have live tweeted the proceedings but I'd probably be turfed out from Vigyan Bhavan." Jammu and Kashmir is one of the worst terrorism-hit states. Tens of thousands have died in the state since 1989 in the violence. Abdullah has no objection to the intelligence gathering mechanism the centre has proposed in the NCTC, but he has serious reservations about the direct operations the proposed body could conduct in states.

Jammu, March 31 (IANS) Since the eruption of militancy in the 1990s, over 475 Special Police Officers (SPOs), who are temporary recruits assisting regular police in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir, have lost their lives out of a total of 6,000 security personnel killed, said an official statement. The statement was read out in the Legislative assembly Friday. According to a Jammu and Kashmir government spokesman, the state government is spending Rs.96.80 crore annually on over 23,000 SPOs it has recruited for assisting the police force in anti militancy operations and the Village Defence Committees (VDC). In mid-90s the state police also formed group of volunteers in remote and inaccessible mountainous parts of the state known as Village Defence Committees (VDCs). While the SPOs are given monthly honorarium of Rs.3,000, the VDC members are volunteers who are given uniforms and arms to fight militants. There are nearly 6,000 VDC volunteers in the state. The spo...

Jammu, March 24 (IANS) At least nine people were killed and 29 injured in two separate accidents on mountainous roads in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday. Police officials told IANS that a private bus carrying 35 passengers, all of them Bihari labourers, was going from Jammu to Srinagar. It skidded off the mountainous National Highway near Nashri, about 140 km north of Jammu. "Six people died in the accident while 29 others were injured," said a police official. He said three people died on the spot while three others died on way to Ramban hospital. The second accident happened at Ragie on the Jammu-Kishtwar highway when a private van fell into a gorge. "Three members of a family travelling in the van died on the spot." The police said both accidents were being investigated but preliminary reports pointed to drivers in both cases losing control while negotiating sharp curves. Mountainous roads in the Jammu region are notorious for road accid...

Jammu, March 21 (IANS) Upbeat after a record half a million pilgrims visited the Amarnath cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley last year, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department has begun preparations for a "smooth and safe" pilgrimage this year. Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora has recommended construction of impregnable gates at Chatwari and Domel for effective regulation of pilgrims' movement, proper registration, upgradation of the Rangamore-Baltal-Domel road, improvement and up-gradation of the Baltal track to the holy cave and widening of the Chandarwari route. The cave shrine is situated at the height of 3,888 meters above sea level and has two routes leading to it, one from Pahalgam, about 100 km from here, and another from Baltal, 110 kms from Srinagar. The minister has also ordered establishment of transit camps along National Highway from Lakhanpur (gateway to Jammu and Kashmir) to Sonamarg and Pahalgam (two base camps of the two routes). The department also...

Jammu, March 17 (IANS) Jammu observed a complete shutdown Saturday on a call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and supported by traders and the BJP to protest police action on protesters during the March 7 clashes in Rajouri town. The March 7 Hindu-Muslim clashes, in which many people were injured including some policemen, forced authorities to impose curfew on Rajouri town, about 160 km northwest of Jammu. The shutdown call in Jammu is supported by about a dozen traders' bodies and social organizations and also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). All shops, business establishments were shut and thin attendance was reported in offices and educational institutions. The state BJP chief Shamsher Singh Manhas told reporters: "The bandh is spontaneous and complete. We want peace to return to Rajouri and action taken against those responsible for beating Hindus and ransacking their houses." A group of ministers along with senior civil and police officials are in Rajouri ...

Jammu, March 16 (IANS) Tension prevailed in the Jammu region Friday following clashes between protestors and police a day earlier in the border town of Rajouri, which has seen communal anger in the past week. The Jammu and Kashmir government has deputed two National Conference leaders and one Congress minister to the border town to defuse the situation and bring about reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims. But Jammu's business community and other groups have given a call for a "Jammu bandh" Saturday. On Thursday, police had allegedly severely beaten up residents, mostly Hindus, who were taking out a procession demanding action against rowdy elements who had pelted their religious procession with stones. But police burst tear gas shells and baton-charged people, in some instances barging into their homes, people alleged. This infuriated protestors, who came out in large numbers and pitched battles ensued. More than a dozen people were injured. Unable to control ...

Jammu, March 14 (IANS) Stating that people will happily accept modest hikes in rail fares, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said empathised with Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi who was put on notice by his party Trinamool Congress for raising passenger fares. "All said and done, I'd hate to be in Dinesh Trivedi's shoes today. Today was supposed to be the highlight of his political career. Poor chap," Abdullah said on microblogging site Twitter. The chief minister added: "We take populism to ridiculous levels. I genuinely believe people would happily accept the modest hike if safety and quality of service better." He also took a dig at Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: "The PM has his 'M' and I have mine. The only difference is that I know what to expect from my 'M'." It was a clear reference to Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

By Firdoose ul Islam Uri (Jammu and Kashmir), March 1 (IANS) More than three years after it was launched, trade along the Uri-Muzaffarabad route across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir has been an important facet of India-Pakistan relations. But the trade, estimated around Rs.600 crore (120 million USD) annually, is hampered by a barter exchange of goods and lack of banking and communication facilities, complain traders. The mountainous road link, along the Jhelum river, had remained closed for six decades. It was reopened for trade on Oct 21, 2008, as part of confidence building measures (CBMs) between the two countries. The governments of India and Pakistan agreed to trade on 21 listed items from the divided parts of Kashmir on barter system. Both sides agreed that the items produced by a third nation should not be allowed for export or import in order to promote demand for local goods. Trucks laden with goods from both sides cross the LoC, the ceasefire line that se...

Jammu, Feb 24 (IANS) The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) moved an adjournment motion on corruption and then disrupted proceedings in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly Friday, a day after the budget session began. As the house assembled, the PDP sought all scheduled business to be put on hold so that its adjournment motion could be taken up for discussion. Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone did not agree and wanted question hour to proceed. The PDP members then moved near the speaker's chair and started raising slogans against the "corrupt government". The PDP's adjournment motion centred on charges of corruption and misuse of powers by some ministers. Congress minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed has been divested of his main portfolio of school education and Public Health Engineering Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din from the same party is also facing an inquiry for alleged irregularities. National Conference leader and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather has been sent a ...