CHANDERKOTE
It is cheer time as Baglihar-II’s first of the three units started the trial run. By next three months, all the three turbines will get into commercial generation producing around 2600 million units of energy. While anticipated cost of the project was Rs 3113 crore, it has booked slightly less – Rs 2684 crore indicating that there will be some saving. Seventy percent of investment is debt payable in next 20 years. Excited over the completion, Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed is planning requesting Prime Minister for the inauguration. Policy makers are anticipating consuming the generation locally instead of selling it to a third party. Civil part of the project was done by JP Associates as Voith International and Siemens implemented the electromechanical part. Interestingly, Kashmir Life photo head Bilal Bahadur spent many days in Baglihar 2014 summer to cover the transportation and installation of a massively huge piece of infrastructure, a transformer, into the tunnel. “That was an elaborate exercise,” remembers Bahadur. “It took almost nine hours for the specially designed vehicle to take the transformer to the spot where specially placed cranes helped it install.” Now, once both the phases of the project will generate energy, it will make state owned Power Development Corporation, the top earner of the state, with Rs 2000 crore income.
CHENAINI
Two suspected Faisalabadi militants infiltrated through Kupwara, used militant artery to reach Kulgam. A trucker drove them to Narsu (Samroli) where they mounted an attack on BSF killing two and leaving 13 others injured. In retaliation one was killed as the fleeing other, now called Naveed took a few locals hostage. In Chird hamlet, they fed the hungry militant, overpowered, disarmed him and roped him to the cops. He became the first foreigner whom locals caught. Islamabad, however, has asked evidence from Delhi that Naveed is a Pakistan national. But Naveed is not the only name that dominated the rebel gazette. In Noorpora (Tral) two parties of 42-RR mistook each other as militants and clashed killing two soldiers. In between Tariq Mir, a militant from Mawar (Handwara) presumed to be a top member of Hizb breakaway group was fished out from a Nallah in North Kashmir.
KISHTWAR
Last week, Septuagenarian Shahid Malik approached CJM seeking contempt proceedings against SHO. Reason: the police did not follow the law in taking cognizance of his complaint of harassment against his two sons. They allegedly had rented out their father’s home, unauthorizedly. Incidentally, one of his sons is the ACR for the district.
SRINAGAR
When a Kanpur based Muslim scholar was approached by Kashmir seminaries and clerics to launch digital downloading of the Koran in Kashmir, he refused thinking a Muslim majority place may not require it at all. Eventually when he visited Srinagar and found hotels lacking praying spaces and even absence of Qibla pointers in rooms, he said it does require preaching. He was part of a group that launched a mobile van from which Koran and its translations can be downloaded.
SEDOW
Former Congress minister Taj Mohiuddin spent a day down south watching Forests and Revenue Officials measuring forests in which he is accused of encroaching upon a vast piece. Interestingly, while Forests surveyor upheld encroachment, Revenue men say he owns land but do not know which piece. Taj claims owning 18 kanals proprietary land and 13 kanals of shamilat. Now whose side will law take?
MUMBAI
If it is Kashmir, why should Chota Kashmir remain behind? Bahderwah where Noorie was shot in 1980s has revived its Bollywood dreams. Ex-convict-turned-actor Nigel Akkara has in fact completed his half of the shooting of his Love Jihad in Bhaderwah and certain parts in Kashmir later. Nigel walked out of Kolkatta’s s Presidency Jail in 2009 after nine years. In 2012 he shot Muktodhara and in 2015 he was in Kashmir for Love Jihad.
ALIGARH
Three Kashmiri scholars from AMU Muhammad Iqbal Rather, Showkat Ahmad Dar and Muhammad Dawood Sofi were prevented at the last moment from boarding an Aeroflot flight to Turkey. They were attending a 9-day summer school conference at Konya. With their tickets paid, they are seeking one answer: why and who stopped them?
33 soldiers were killed in Siachen since 2012
1888 kanals is the fresh land that government is transferring to army in Islamabad that already holds 2165 kanals in the district.
