In Delhi blast case that killed 13 civilians and left more than 70 injured, National Investigating Agency (NIA) has traced an e-mail that staked claim for the act to Kishtwar. Police have already arrested five persons – two brothers Mohamad and Khaliz Aziz who own the Global Cyber Caf?, Askwani Kumar, a caf? worker and two college students, Imran Hussain and Ashiq Hussain. Claiming the responsibility on behalf of Harkat-e-Jehadi-e-Islami, the e-mail had threatened of future attacks on courts if Afzal Guru was hanged. Interestingly, Indian Mujahideen had also staked claim, complicating the investigations for the 220-member NIA. Police have sealed the caf? and seized entire hardware that is being scanned right now.
MUMBAI
J&K Bank, state’s only listed company bagged the ‘Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) – Polaris Software Banking Awards 2011 in the “Rural Reach- Private Sector” category. Surjeet Singh Sehgal, bank’s Mumbai zone head received the award from R Bandyopadhyay, former secretary, union corporate affairs. The event was closely tied to the publication, India’s Top Banks 2011. D&B is world’s leading provider of global business information, knowledge and insight.
JEHLUM
Bollywood biggies Vinod Khanna, Shabana Azmi, Waheeda Rehman, Tina Ambani, Phoonam Dhillon and Asha Parekh flew to Srinagar to pay tributes to Shami Kapoor who died last month. They also attended a Lalit Suri Hospitality Group function before immersing the ashes of Kapoor in the Jehlum. Anil Ambani, socialite Sunanda Pushkar and Shammi’s son Aditya Raj Kapoor and daughter Kanchan were also present. Ambanis’ flew in a private jet and all others took commercial flights.
CHANDERKOTE
Cancelling its 2-year Operations and Maintenance (O&M) agreement with NHPC, the state owned PDC took over the 450-MW Baglihar last week. It will be the first time in the history of the PDC that it will be independently managing and running such a huge project. PDC has already floated tenders for different jobs that it is keen to outsource. Some companies have shown interest. Getting its project managed by NHPC cost PDC over Rs 70 crores.
CHENAINI
Leighton Welspun Contractors Pvt Ltd have started working on the Rs 3720 crore tunnel project that would connect Chenani and Nashri on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The 9 kilometre two-lane tunnel of 13.3 meters diameter with a parallel escape tunnel of five meters diameter will be ready by December 2015. Once ready, this is going to be one of the longest road tunnels in India that will reduce distance from 35 kms to 10 and save an hour long distance. Company MD Russell Waugh told reporters they would be using new Austrian Technology Method of sequential excavation in implementing the ambitious and complex project.
SRINAGAR
As negotiations between the striking employees seeking full implementing of the sixth pay commission award and extending the age for superannuation to 58 years with the state government failed, the situation took the routine confrontation route. Last week, at the end of the employees three days strike, the police had to use a series of its routine tools to neutralize the impact of a protest programme. More than 250 employees were arrested and at many places police used coloured cannons to quell the procession. In the periphery they were stopping buses to identify employees and take them away. The confrontation will continue.
