By: M S Nazki

Jammu: A Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army and an unidentified militant were killed in a fierce gunfight in Rajouri district on Thursday, officials said.

Police and army had launched a search operation in Thanamandi belt following inputs about the presence of militants there, officials said.

“Based on specific input, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Indian Army and JKP in village Danna, Thanamandi,” Defence Ministry Public Relations Officer (PRO), Jammu, Lt Col Devender Anand said in a statement.

“During the search operation, the search party led by Junior Commissioned Officer, Subedar Ram Singh was fired upon by (militant) from a nearby densely forested area,” he said, adding, “The Junior Commissioned Officer immediately retaliated the fire and in the ensuing firefight, one (militant) was neutralised while Subedar Ram Singh suffered a gunshot wound.”

The JCO was provided immediate first aid and evacuated to the nearest Hospital, he said. However he succumbed to his injuries, the spokesman said.

He said Singh (46) belonged to Village-Salana, Post Office- Bajwar, District- Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. “He is survived by his wife, son & daughter. Subedar Ram Singh was a brave and highly motivated soldier.”

The search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire on the forces who retaliated, he said.

Talking to reports SSP Rajouri Sheema Nabi Qasba said the operation was going on.

This is the second gunfight between militants and security personnel in August this year.

On August 6 this year, two LeT militants were killed in an encounter with a joint team of police and army in the Thanamandi belt. (GNS)

Srinagar: A worker affiliated with Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) was killed by suspected militants in South Kashmir district of Kulgam on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, mainstream politicians, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, besides Apni party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari and CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami have condemned the killing of the JKAP leader.

Official sources said that suspected militants fired at Apni Party leader, identified as Ghulam Hassan Lone, near his residence at Devsar in Kulgam. “Lone was critically injured in the attack,” they said, adding the wounded was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

They said the gunmen managed to escape during the chaos created due to the firing. “Security forces have been rushed to the area and a search operation has been launched to locate the gunmen,” they added.

Reacting to the incident, Lieutenant Governor said that the perpetrators of this act will be brought to justice very soon.

“Anguished to hear about the terror attack on political leader Shri Ghulam Hassan Lone at Devsar,Kulgam.I strongly condemn this cowardly attack,” Sinha said in a tweet.

“Perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice very soon. My prayers & thoughts with bereaved family in this time of grief,” he added.

Abdullah, who is the president of National Conference (NC), said that this renewed trend of targeting mainstream politicians by militant outfits is very worrying. “Very sorry to hear about the assassination of Ghulam Hassan Lone in Devsar area of South Kashmir. This renewed trend of targeting mainstream politicians by militant outfits is very worrying & I condemn the same in the strongest possible terms. May Allah grant the departed Jannat,” the former chief minister wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.

Condemning the killing, Mehbooba said that unfortunately there seems to be no end to the spree of political killings in Kashmir. “Unreservedly condemn the killing of Apni party leader Ghulam Hassan Lone. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” Mehbooba, who is the president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), tweeted.

Bukhari termed the incident barbaric and conveyed deep anguish over the innocent killings of political activists, who lay down their lives for the public welfare. “Expressed deep solidarity with the family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul,” he added.

This is the third incident in less than a fortnight when a politician was killed in south Kashmir. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, identified as Javaid Ahmad Dar, was on Tuesday killed by suspected militants at Brazloo in Kulgam. On August 9, a BJP sarpanch and his Panch wife from Redwani Kulgam were shot dead by militants in south Kashmir district of Anantnag. (UNI)

Srinagar: Two policemen and a civilian were injured in a grenade blast at Saraf Kadal here on Thursday evening, officials said.

They said that the unidentified militants hurled the grenade at a joint team of police and CRPF at Saraf Kadal which exploded with a bang. Two policemen identified as Javid Ahmad Bhat  and Abdul Majeed Bhat  besides a civilian Fayaz Ahmad Matoo (40) of Khawaja Bazar were injured.

Officials said that the condition of both cops, who are from Police Post Urdubazar Srinagar as well as the civilian were stable at SHMS hospital where they were shifted soon after sustaining the injuries.

Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital also said that three persons were admitted to the hospital.

A police officer said that a case has been registered. He said that the area was immediately cordoned off to nab the attackers. (GNS)

‘Admin trying to promote language according to NEP recommendations’

Kathua: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Thursday laid the foundation stone of a new building of Chudamani Sanskrit Sansthan, Basohli and unveiled the naming of Basohli Art Gallery- “SAHKI”.

The Lt Governor also laid the e-foundation of Water Sports Centre at Ranjit Sagar Dam, to be completed at a cost of Rs 3 cr by March 2022; e-inaugurated the infrastructure of GDC Bani constructed at Rs 8.76 cr, besides developmental works of PWD, Health and Education sector worth Rs 8.39 cr and launched Divyang Sahayak- “An initiative for specially-abled persons to provide prosthetic aid”.

While speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor observed that like Banaras, J&K has always been a great centre of Sanskrit. It is our collective responsibility to revive its glory. It is important for us to create opportunities for preservation and promotion of our civilization values, he added.

The Lt Governor further said that the inaugurations of various projects in Basohli today show the resolute commitment of the UT administration towards the economic, cultural, and social development of Basohli and adjoining areas.

“We are making efforts to revive the historical glory of Basohli and  promote it as a unique destination for water sports with state-of-the-art facilities on the lines of Water Sports Centre at Srinagar, providing all necessary resources to the sports talent”, said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor said that the foundation stone laying of the new building of Chudamani Sanskrit Sansthan is a historic moment. Pandit Uttam Chand Pathak Shastri had done a great and noble work in promoting Sanskrit language, cultural, and heritage values.

The Lt Governor said that Sanskrit has been the only language of our country which has not only united different regions but also created a close relationship between Guru and disciples. The values of Sanskrit language were also recognized by great personalities like Albert Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Max Muller, he added.

“It should be our endeavor that Sanskrit is taught in schools according to the modern requirements. Today’s generation would like to get acquainted with wisdom in Sanskrit scriptures while dealing with the emerging challenges”, the Lt Governor said.

The Lt Governor observed that along with five official languages, the UT administration is trying to promote Sanskrit language according to the recommendations of the New Education Policy, and to establish the Abhinav Gupta Institute.

Noting that the water Sports in J&K has seen significant development over the past few years, earning national and international reputation, the Lt Governor said that the Sports Centre on Ranjit Sagar Dam would provide ample opportunities to young boys and girls in various sports disciplines, besides generating employment avenues for the local population.

Recalling his address to the students of NIFT, the Lt Governor said that the art and design of Basohli has shown way to the world. Government has initiated the work for GI tagging of Basohli Art, Tweed Fabric in April this year, and it will regain its glory soon.

“We must bring back its pride and rejuvenate the Basohli art”, he added.

Citing a report of the Department of Archeology, the Lt Governor said that it is the uniqueness and vitality of Basohli art that even after centuries, researchers are working on its origin and subsequent development.

Terming community participation as a priority of the UT government, the Lt Governor said that the administration is involving people in the development efforts to make it more effective and people-centric.

The on-ground presence of senior officers from various departments in Basohli also reflects our commitment to all-round development, he added.

The Lt Governor also felicitated people who are making sustained efforts for the promotion of Basohli art and Sanskrit language.

Prof Rajneesh Kumar Shukla, Vice-Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya also spoke on the occasion and stressed on the need for the revival of Basohli’s identity as Vishwasthali which was once a centre of excellence for Sanskrit Learning and Indian Knowledge tradition.

The students of the Chudamani Sanskrit Sansthan presented a scintillating recitation of Sanskrit verses in connection with the upcoming Sanskrit day.

A video presentation titled “Legacy of Basohli” was also shown depicting the journey and historic context of Basohli paintings Art.

Col Mahan Singh, Chairman DDC Basohli; Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu; Dr. Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Rahul Yadav, Deputy Commissioner Kathua; Nuzhat Gul, Secretary Sports Council; Sumesh Sapolia President, Municipal Committee Basohli and PRI representatives were present on the occasion.

Padam Shri Vijay Sharma; Jagdish Raj Bharami; Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma, Former Minister; President, Vishwasthali Santhan; Principal, Chudamani Sanskrit Sansthan besides students of Sanskrit Sansthan and a large number of people were also present on the occasion.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister, Amit Shah Thursday expresses gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring supply of pure drinking water in all schools and Anganwadi Centres of Jammu & Kashmir before the scheduled date.

In a series of tweets, Shah said, “Jammu & Kashmir is becoming synonymous with peace and prosperity under leadership of Shri Modi. I Express my gratitude towards Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for ensuring supply of pure drinking water in all schools and Anganwadi Centres of Jammu & Kashmir before the scheduled date.”

“Previous Governments deprived citizens of Jammu & Kashmir of development for decades and only cared for their own families. Shri Modi has initiated a new era of development which connects poor citizens to the mainstream and as a result Jammu & Kashmir is marching head in all fields,” he said.

Reviews status of progress on projects, fixes timelines for completion of projects

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir will witness the highest ever capacity addition in the transmission sector this year. A total of 1690 MVA capacity at 220 KV level and 1280 MVA at 132 level is targeted to be added this year which will be a record in the history of the UT.

This was revealed at a meeting of officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation held at Civil secretariat Srinagar today.

The meeting, chaired by Principal Secretary Power Development Department (PDD), Rohit Kansal was held to  review the status of progress made on ongoing projects of the Transmission sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Among others, the meeting was attended by MD KPDCL, Director Finance PDD, CE, JKPTCL, Secretary Technical, CE, KPDCL while as MD JPDCL, MD JKPTCL, DG Planning PDD, CE JKPTCL and CE JPDCL attended the meeting through videoconferencing.

The meeting was informed that Rs. 400 crores were being invested in the sector under the UT Capex this year which would result in major additions including replacement of 400 MVA derated transformer bank at Gladni in Jammu, addition of 160 MVA capacity at Bishnah grid station, addition of 160 MVA at 220/132 level at Delina in Kashmir.

In addition, of the 30 projects in the transmission sector which were taken up under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) at a cost of Rs. 834.85 crores, 11 had been completed while 17 were slated to be completed this year. The meeting also discussed and reviewed the progress of other projects under Capex, PIA, PGCIL, PSDF, languishing projects, IRCON and NHAI.

The Principal Secretary noted that Projects lying dormant or languishing from the last several years had been revived in a speedy manner. The 132 KV Hiranagar- Battal Manwal Transmission Line Project which had been held up for nearly a decade was revived and commissioned.

The 132 KV D/C transmission line from Draba to Chandak for improving power reliability in Poonch and Rajouri had been pending for nearly 7 years. That too has been completed and lead to a big relief and improvement in power supply to residents of Poonch. The long pending OPG project too has been revived and accelerated.

During the meeting, Principal Secretary reviewed in detail the status of progress of all key projects including Wagoora- Mirbazar, Wagoora- Budgam- Zainkote, Zainakote- Alesteng section, Alesteng- Mirbazar section, 220 KV Transmission lines projects. The meeting also discussed the status of and bottlenecks in completion of the 132 KV D/C Ramban Khellani and Khellani-Kishtwar lines which had been languishing for a number of years.

The Principal Secretary directed the Chief Engineer and other officers to resolve all pending issues on these lines so that the consumers of the erstwhile Doda district would not face any power related difficulties.

The meeting also reviewed the current physical status of 132 kv Rawalpora- Budgam- Bemina, Badampora- Bandipora Transmission lines being executed under PMRP in JKPTCL. The status of progress of other projects under execution including  LILO of 220 kv D/C Wagoora- Mirbazar line at Lassipora, Alesteng- New Wanpoh line Telbal, 220 kv Delina- Zainakote line, augmentation of various grid stations such as Bishnah, Gladni, Chowadhi, Ramban was also reviewed during the meeting.

While complimenting the department and JKPTCL for its efforts in finishing the largest ever number of projects and ensuring the largest ever capacity addition, both at 220 KV and 132 KV levels, the Principal Secretary exhorted the officials to finish all remaining projects under PMRP, PMDP and PSDF positively in the current year.

He particularly pointed out that RoW, land acquisition or forest clearance matters must not be allowed to impede the progress of projects. He instructed the field officers to prepare a detailed tower wise and district wise report regarding pending issues including, ROW, compensation, land acquisition and other bottlenecks and resolve the same with the concerned authorities.

He directed the field officers to maintain close liaison with the revenue and forest authorities for this purpose. He stressed that all these projects are of prime public importance and their completion and usage shall enhance the power transmission capacity eventually benefiting the public.

New Delhi: President of India, Ram Nath Kovind underwent cataract surgery on Thursday at the Army Hospital in New Delhi.

“Surgery was successful and he has been discharged from the Hospital,” the President House said in a statement.

The surgery took place at Indian Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi.

In March this year, President underwent cardiac bypass surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Kovind was shifted to AIIMS on March 27 where, post investigations, doctors have advised him to undergo a planned bypass procedure.

The 75-year-old was shifted to AIIMS for treatment from Research and Referral Hospital where he was admitted on March 26 after a chest discomfort. (IANS)

Srinagar: On the second day of its four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs today held a meeting with top civil administration to discuss developmental scenario and people’s welfare measures in the Union Territory.

At the outset, Chief Secretary of J&K, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta gave a detailed presentation highlighting the achievements and the functioning of all the departments of the UT.

The Committee comprising 28 Members of Parliament from Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha is headed by senior Congress leader and Member of the Parliament, Anand Sharma.

Detailing about the steps taken in the past few years for democratic decentralization, the meeting was informed about the conduct of elections for District Development Councils and Block Development Councils thus strengthening the grassroot level democracy in the UT.

The meeting was told that the region has now three-tier democratic set up in place and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies have been further empowered. Besides, public outreach programmes Back to Village, Jan Abhiyan, My Town My Pride etc were conducted across J&K.

With respect to the power scenario in J&K, the panel was informed that power generation projects have been fast-paced and 2500 MW would be added by the year 2025.

The Committee was informed about the road connectivity, water supply and was briefed about the status of schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission and achievement of 100 per cent piped water supply to all rural schools and Anganwadi Centres in 18 districts of the UT.

While terming the Tourism and Industries as priority sectors, the meeting also deliberated upon the issues of Industrial Development, Tourism sector, employment of youth and women empowerment, sports activities. The meeting also discussed resettlement of Kashmiri Migrants in Kashmir.

Commenting on the covid-19 management in the UT, the panel appreciated COVID-19 mitigation and relief during the pandemic and recognized UT administration’s efforts and also implementation of e-office and other administrative reforms undertaken by the UT administration.

Earlier, the committee held an interactive session with the beneficiaries of Self Help Groups, representatives of Farmer Producer Organizations, high-density apple growers, saffron producers etc.

On the occasion, the horticulturists and agriculturists representatives put forth their suggestions before the panel who assured that their recommendations would be considered suitably.

Among other things, they also raised the issues of marketing of produce, storage capacity and cluster cold storage.

On the occasion, the beneficiaries of youth-centric schemes and programmes also interacted with the committee members and raised the demand of the establishment of skill-specific institutions in far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The panel also visited CRPF camp of 132 battalion housed at Nedous Hotel Maulana Azad Road Srinagar.

The committee members held an interaction with the officers and cops of the camp.

Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Atal Dulloo;  Principal Secretary Home, Shaleen Kabra; Principal Secretary Housing & Urban Development Department, Dheeraj Gupta; Principal Secretary Industries & Commerce, Ranjan Prakash Thakur; Principal Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Alok Kumar; Commissioner Secretary Labour & Employment, Sarita Chouhan; Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole; Commissioner Secretary Jal Shakti Department, M Raju; Secretary Social Welfare Department, Ms Sheetal Nanda; Secretary DMRR&R, Simrandeep Singh; Secretary Planning, Development & Monitoring, Sushma Chouhan; Secretary Tribal Affairs & CEO Mission Youth J&K, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary; Secretary Tourism & Culture, Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary Law & Parliamentary Affairs, Achal Sethi; Mission Director Rural Livelihood Mission, Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar; Director Information & Public Relations, Rahul Pandey and other concerned were also present during the interactive sessions.