State to get Rs 860 crore to cover un-electrified villages

State to get Rs 860 crore to cover un-electrified villages

Yash Khajuria         9/10/2011 8:29:12 PM

JAMMU, Sept 10 : While power crisis has become a major challenge for the Jammu and Kashmir, state has received Rs 860 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana  (RGGVY) to cover the un-electrified villages. 

Official sources said that part of the fund of Rs. 191.14 crore is being incurred in Jammu division to electrify 6100 hamlets and 91 villages which has so far not seen the electricity and continue to remain in darkness even after sixty years of independence. 

State Government has further de-centralized the power reforms project in the state and to effectively monitor the project, now the DDCs of the concerned districts, will be given powers to take on spot decisions. 

“Every Executive Engineers of Power Development Department (PDD) and Power Development Corporation (PDC) has been asked to take monthly meeting to sort out any problem in smooth execution of this programme, so that un-electrified villages are provided with electricity”, said MoS Power Shabir Ahmed Khan. 

Shabir said that a new survey will be conducted such habitations which are totally un-electrified so far under the prescribed guidelines of RGGVY so that the purpose of this massive project could be achieved in totality. 

Referring to the impediments in smooth execution of the project mere for lack of trained manpower in repairing of equipments used in the project in the state, the Minister assured that the Centre will be approached to arrange training programme for the concerned state technicians so that damaged machinery could be repaired locally. 

It is pertinent to mention here that despite receiving nearly Rs 500 crore under the Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme (APDRP), most of the power supply lines in the state particularly in urban centres have remained unchanged. 

Officials said electricity supplied to most of the city areas is passing through worn-out cables laid three decades ago which have become threat for the people particularly living in congested areas of the city. 
Nearly 2160 km of power lines have been changed but most of the urban centers have remained untouched putting lives of thousands of people at stake.

Delhi blast probe

Teenage boy, who sent email detained by NIA

Yash Khajuria  9/9/2011 8:42:24 PM

JAMMU, Sept 9: A joint team of National Investigation Agency (NIA), Jammu and Kashmir Police today detained a teenage boy who is alleged to have sent the Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami (HuJI) email claiming responsibility for bomb blast outside the Delhi high. 
The BA first year student was picked up after a three-hour search at a college in Kishtwar and was whisked away to Global Cyber Cafe for interrogation by a joint team of police, National Investigation Agency and cyber experts. The team was led by Deputy Inspector General (Kishtwar-Doda-Ramban range) Muneesh Sinha. 
Investigators had traced the HuJI email claiming responsibility for the blast to the Global Cyber Cafe in Kishtwar. 
HuJI had on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the blast. We own responsibility of the blast at the High Court, Delhi. Our demand is that Afzal Guru's death sentence should be repealed immediately as we would target major High Courts and the Supreme Court of India," the HuJI email had said. 
The cafe has been sealed and policemen in plain clothes have been deputed outside the shop. A team of NIA and experts from Hyderabad are in Kishtwar to probe the email link with the Delhi blast that killed 13 people. 
Meanwhile investigation is on to find the sources of another mail from IM was purportedly written by "Chotoo" and sent from "chotoominani5@gmail.com". The mail was received by the media houses at 12:37 PM today. Security agencies including National Investigation Agency (NIA) are also looking into the IM e-mail but serious apprehensions were being raised whether this was a genuine mail or a prank being played by somebody. 
Meanwhile Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said investigation into the e-mail claiming responsibility for the Delhi High Court blast, which has been traced to Kishtwar district of the state, is in an "advanced stage". 
"I am not in a position to share any details with you, other than the fact that various leads have been shared with us and we are in advanced stage of investigating those leads," Omar said on the sidelines of a function here. 
The Chief Minister was replying to a question about the email allegedly sent by the Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami ( HuJI), traced to Kishtwar district of Jammu division, in which the militant group claimed responsibility for the Delhi attack in which 11 people were killed yesterday. 
Omar said the nation demanded answers from those responsible for the security as to who was behind the attack.

Delhi Blasts

Five detained in Kishtwar in connection with Delhi blasts

Yash Khajuria         9/8/2011 7:39:44 PM

JAMMU, Sept 8: Police has detained five people in connection with the blast in New Delhi after email which claimed to have taken responsibility for the blast was traced to Kishtwar district. 
Sources said that two college students and three people who were managing the cyber café were detained for the questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). 

Investigators traced the Bangladesh-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) email claiming responsibility to a cybercafe in Kishtwar in J&K and detained its owner Mehmood Khawja and two others for questioning. 

The death toll in the blast that ripped through the reception complex rose to 12 with a 40-year-old man succumbing to his injuries at RML Hospital even as the high court resumed full-fledged proceedings after tight security checks at the entry gates. 

"We are investigating the email link in connection with the Delhi blast and investigation is going on" J&K DGP Kuldeep Khoda said in Jammu. 

They have been identified as Khajwa Mehmood Aziz, his brother Khalid Aziz, Ashwani Kumar, Mohammed Imran of Malipath and Ashiq Hussain. 

The mail from IM was purportedly written by "Chotoo" and sent from "chotoominani5@gmail.com". The mail was received by the media houses at 12:37 PM today. 

Security agencies including National Investigation Agency (NIA) are also looking into the IM e-mail but serious apprehensions were being raised whether this was a genuine mail or a prank being played by somebody. 

Meanwhile Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said investigation into the e-mail claiming responsibility for the Delhi High Court blast, which has been traced to Kishtwar district of the state, is in an "advanced stage". 

"I am not in a position to share any details with you, other than the fact that various leads have been shared with us and we are in advanced stage of investigating those leads," Omar said on the sidelines of a function here. 

The Chief Minister was replying to a question about the email allegedly sent by the Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami ( HuJI), traced to Kishtwar district of Jammu division, in which the militant group claimed responsibility for the Delhi attack in which 11 people were killed yesterday. 

Omar said the nation demanded answers from those responsible for the security as to who was behind the attack.

Patnitop ropeway project to face further delay due to doubts raised by environmental ministry

Yash Khajuria	9/7/2011 8:48:10 PM
JAMMU, Sept 7: The much-touted aerial ropeway project at Patnitop hill resort in Jammu and Kashmir, hanging fire since 2007, could face further delay with Environment Ministry seeking more details from the proponent before giving its nod. Sources said that ministry's panel on infrastructure development has asked the Nagarjuna Construction Company, which has to construct the project to seek permission from the State Chief Wildlife Warden in line with the amended Environment Impact Assessment Act. The 2.6 km-long aerial ropeway with 23 trolleys will pass through Dudu forest range and is almost one-km away from Sudhmahadev Conservation Reserve in the state and is being developed by NCCL on Behalf of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA). The fate of the project, the first of its kind in the state involving construction and operation of a passenger aerial ropeway project and associated facilities at villages Kud-Sangote-Karla, (Patnitop) in Udhampur, has been hanging in balance since 2007. Locals have been pinning hope on the project for acceleration of developmental activities and economic growth in the localities after completion of the ropeway. Suggesting that there would be further delay, the members of the Expert Appraisal Committee has also asked the NCCL to conduct public hearing as per provisions in all the districts separately. Regarding the delay in first of his kind project which coming up at an estimated cost of Rs. 100 crore in Jammu and Kashmir Robin Singh Mehta, Director Tourism Department, Jammu, who also hold an additional charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PDA said that in the previous meeting with the Ministry's panel, they asked the proponent to submit clearance on infrastructure development and diverse projects from the State Chief Wildlife department, State Forest Department and also had suggested some important points to include in the proposal, in line with the amended Environment Impact Assessment Act. Over the current status of project Robin Singh Mehta has said that the proponent have completed the pending formalities and has send its proposal to the Ministry of Forest Department India and if the next gathering remains unconditional the development work on the project will start as soon as possible.