REVEALED: The government has revealed that it has not signed any formal MOUs for construction of Salal, Dul Hasti and Uri-I power projects. It is not known that how land was acquired, what was the time frame for which the land will be allotted and when the same will be returned to the State as nothing is in black and white, PHE minister Taj Mohiuddin said. There is no cabinet decision under which the land has been transferred to NHPC.
DROWNED: A 10-year-old boy drowned when stray dogs chased him on the banks of River Jhelum in Zaina Kadal, Srinagar. The boy slipped and fell into the river. Though many local men jumped into the river to rescue they boy, they could not save him. It is the third death in the Valley caused by disproportionately high stray dog population here. Earlier a boy in Uri and thereafter a Pampore youth were killed by rabid dogs.
IDENTIFIED: A cop was arrested in connection with the killing of Tufail Matoo, after an eyewitness identified him, during an identification parade at police station Rainawari held in the presence of magistrate Shahbaz Ahmad Bodha. The parade was reportedly on for the past few weeks during which policemen were paraded before the eyewitnesses of the killing.
VISITED: US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer met J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at Jammu during his two-day visit to the state. Roemer wouldn’t be meeting any other political leader. He will visit Hazratbal shrine and Shankaracharya temple besides meeting children of a school in Kashmir.
REMOVED: The paramilitary CRPF claimed to have removed around a dozen bunkers from Srinagar city – mostly from the old city areas and outside educational institutions. A CRPF official said that the bunkers were removed from Batamaloo (two), Karan Nagar (two), Saraf Kadal, Rainawari, Zainakadal, Aali Kadal, Baba Demb and Nowhatta besides bunkers outside the Islamia College at Hawal and Amar Singh College at Gogjibagh.
DETAINED: A 50-year-old Imam was detained for a day by police at Pakherpora in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district for leading funeral prayers in absentia of two alleged militants killed in an encounter in Srinagar outskirts earlier in the week. Saifudin Lali son of Ghulam Hassan was arrested three hours after he led the funeral prayers of two Jaish-e-Muhammad militants. After keeping him in custody for entire night, the cleric was released next day.
SURGED: The number of names in the `Red Book’ maintained by state’s secret police has increased by one third in the last two years taking to 80000, the number of people residing in the valley, who are actually ‘black listed’ and don’t get travel documents or police verification certificates prerequisite for government employment and other things. In 2009, the Book had only 60,000 names. Last year, according to informed sources around 15000 names were added and this year till date the book has swelled by 5000 names. The establishment calls “Red Book”, the Security Index.
ATTENDING: Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani will be attending the India today conclave he had earlier refused to attend. After first consenting the conclave, Geelani had backtracked citing the presence of prime minister and government functionaries. But a Hurriyat spokesman said after deliberations in the conglomerate Geelani has decided to attend.
DECIDED: Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla has announced to grant Dogra certificate to the Dogri speaking people of Jammu region “irrespective of their caste, religion and colour soon”. The certificate helps in getting appointment in army and other paramilitary forces. He also claimed to have freed thousands of kanals of land from the encroachers during past few months.
RETURNED: Sixteen years after a group of six Western trekkers were abducted by a little known group, Al-Faran, in Pahalgam area five German ski-mountaineers have teamed up with Kashmiri experts to undertake 150 kilometers trek on skis. The team will scale the Kolahoi glacier and ski-down 4,000 meters.
WILLING: At least 4,440 migrant Pandit families have applied under the yet to be completed, comprehensive return and rehabilitation policy of Kashmiri Pandit migrants in Kashmir.
ORDERED: The army has asked the civil administration to reduce the number of trucks crossing the LoC to “manageable limits”. The cross-LoC trade, started on October 21, 2008, between the divided parts of Kashmir, is held every Tuesday and Wednesday.
SHOT: A police officer shot at his wife, wounding her critically in Ganderbal district. Assistant Sub-inspector Mehraj-ud-din Baba shot at his wife Nayeema Akhtar using his service pistol at Kangan housing colony residence. Akhtar was hit in the neck and was shifted to SKIMS hospital Srinagar. The police officer has been arrested.
