SRINAGAR | June 26, 2013 | 16, Shaaban 1434 AH Vol: 26 | No. 174 | Regd. No. JK NP-6/SKGPO-2012-2014 | Pages: 18 | Rs. 3.00(Air SurchArge For JAmmu/Leh 50 PAiSA)

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http://www.greaterkashmir.com, greaterkashmir.netPublIShed FRom SRINAGAR & JAmmu

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INSIde ouTby: malik Sajad

Participate in elections to express your desire:

Manmohan to JK people

Strike, restrictions disrupt normal life in Kashmir

PM Announces 150 MWs Additional Energy For The State; Lays Foundation Of 850 MW Rattle Power Project

Undeclared Curfew In Old Srinagar;Separatists Put Under House Arrest

PM, Sonia visit injured

soldiersPress TrusT of IndIa

Srinagar, June 25: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi Tuesday visited the Army base hospital at Bada-mibagh cantonment here to inquire about the condition of soldiers injured in the Hyder-pora attack here yesterday.

General Officer Com-manding of Srinagar-based 15 corps Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh briefed them about the condition of the injured personnel, officials said.

The Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured soldiers.

Eight army personnel were killed and 16 others injured in a deadly attack by militants at Srinagar's Hyder-pora bypass yesterday.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad

Sonia links development with ecological concerns

Prime Minister seeks consensus on regulating religious tourism

‘Uttarakhand Tragedy Has Brought Into Focus Fresh Concerns; Ready To Talk To People In Kashmir Who Shun Violence’

‘Ecology, Biodiversity Need To Be Protected While Carrying Out Development’GK news neTworK

Kishtwar, June 25: Against the backdrop of the Uttarakhand disaster, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi Tuesday stressed that the ecology and biodiversity should be protected while carrying out developmental and other activities in eco-fragile regions.

"I believe that the ecol-ogy and biodiversity should be protected while carrying out developmental and other activities," Gandhi said while speaking at the foun-dation laying ceremony of 850-MW Rattle power project

arIf shafI wanI

Srinagar, June 25: Main-taining that regulating reli-gious tourism including Amarnath Yatra will have to be looked at in the backdrop of the tragic disaster that struck Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Tuesday said it would, however, require a broader national consensus to arrive at such a decision.

"These are long term things which should be looked at how we can regu-late religious tourism, if at all it is possible considering the sentiments of the people. But we should do that," Dr Manmohan Singh told Great-er Kashmir during an inter-action at SKICC here. “But I can’t today say I have the answers. It is a difficult issue given the religious sentiments attached with such issues. We must have a pattern of devel-opment which is sustainable and respects imperatives of ecological consideration. But it (regulating pilgrims to Amarnath) requires a broader national consensus in which all stakeholders must take part,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the priority of the govern-ment at the moment is the relief and rehabilitation work

in the affected State."We have to deal first and

foremost with rehabilitation of victims in Uttarakhand," he added. The PM expressed shock over the death of 19 people including some Air Force personnel in a helicop-ter crash near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand during rescue operations Tuesday.

"This accident in the midst of relief operations has come as a shock to me. I express my heartfelt condo-lences to the bereaved fami-

lies of these young men. The nation stands with these fam-ilies and mourns the loss of our heroes who worked with dedication to save thousands of affected people,” he said.

"Our soldiers are doing a brave job. They are taking a lot of risks also. They have lost their lives.”

The PM said the best homage to these heroes would be to continue the rescue and relief work in Uttarakhand.

The PM said Govern-ment of India was committed

to undertake development of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah briefs me about the State’s problems. We keep on reviewing the developmental projects and making modifi-cations. My current visit is based on development of the State,” the PM said.

On a query about resump-tion of dialogue process with separatists in Kashmir, the PM said, “I have always said we are ready to talk to those who shun violence.”

The PM condemned the attack on Army in Srinagar on the eve of his visit. “The inci-dent was most unfortunate.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh & UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at the foundation laying ceremony of Rattle Power Project in Kishtwar. PIc:GK

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi flanked by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh (left) and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah (right) at SKICC in Srinagar on Tuesday. PIc: habIb naqash/GK

shabIr Ibn Yusuf

Srinagar, June 25: Undeclared curfew, strict restrictions and strike disrupted normal life in Kashmir on Tuesday as Prime Minister arrived here on a two-day visit.

All shops, busi-ness establishments, banks, educational institutions and government offices across Kashmir were closed while roads wore a deserted look as no transport plied. The strike call was given by Hurriyat Conference (G), Hurriyat Conference (M) and JKLF to protest against PM’s visit to J&K.

Thousands of forces per-sonnel were deployed in old Srinagar since morning. All the exit and entrance points were blocked and residents were not allowed to move out for whole day.

“The forces arrived in our locality before dawn and the residents were asked to stay

indoors,” Abdul Rashid, a Nowhatta resident told Great-er Kashmir over telephone. He said that forces vehicles were patrolling the old Srina-gar streets for whole day.

Another old Srinagar resident said that forces erected barricades and roads were sealed with razor wire. “Armored vehicles were put at road junctions,” he said.

Elsewhere in Srinagar, the authorities put in place severe restrictions to stop the move-ment of people. Though curfew was not clamped in civil lines areas of Srinagar, the authori-ties deployed heavy contin-

gents of police and CRPF. The police and CRPF personnel were seen deployed at lanes and by-lanes and no traffic was allowed.

Despite not being under curfew, com-mercial hub Lal Chowk wore a desert-ed look and the forces were seen patrolling the streets. Adjoin-

ing Maisuma also witnessed heavy deployment of forces.

In Hyderpora and Barzulla areas, where shootouts were witnessed Monday, heavy deployment of security forces was reported. In Hyderpora, police and CRPF vehicles were patrolling the area for whole day. Two bullet proof vehicles of CRPF were seen on standby near yesterday’s encounter site in Hyderpora.

The police assisted by the CRPF were seen carrying out thorough checking of private vehicles in almost all parts of Srinagar. At some places

Vested interests sabotaging peace

efforts: OmarChief Minister Advocates

Transfer Of Dulhasti Hydro Power Project To JK

Kishtwar, June 25: A day after a deadly attack in Srinagar left eight Army soldiers dead, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday said there are some elements who don’t want See Vested interests...on Pg-10

arIf MunshI

Kishtwar, June 25: Asking people of Jammu and Kash-mir to “express their desire” by participating in electoral processes, Prime Minister Dr Man-mohan Singh on Tuesday said the efforts of the government in ensuring better future for the state can be accomplished only if economic and political processes are carried out in a democratic manner.

“Elections held at all levels are part of this pro-cess,” Dr Singh said, while addressing a public gather-ing here after laying foun-dation stone of the 850 MW Rattle power project. The project is being constructed on BOOT basis by Hyderabad-based GVK Power Limited.

Dr Singh, who, along-with UPA chairperson Sonia

Gandhi arrived here today on a two day visit to Jammu and Kashmir said the policies of the government aimed at

ensuring better future for the people of the state will be successful only when the eco-nomic and political processes in the state are carried out in

a democratic manner.“Elections express the

aspirations and hopes of the people in true sense. I appeal

the people of J&K to partic-ipate in these processes so that we can together ensure a better future for our younger generations,” he said. Jammu and Kashmir is slated to go for assembly elections next year.

Asserting that peace and tranquility are essen-tial for development, Dr Singh said peace is gaining roots in the state and the year 2012 witnessed lowest incidents of violence during last two decades. However, he said the incidents like one which happened yes-terday in Srinagar need to

be stopped completely.Paying homage to the

army personnel killed in yes-terday’s militant attack in

Hyderpora a t t a c k

PIC:

MU

BASH

IR K

HAN

/GK

PM announces Rs 710 cr special assistance for JKAmount To Be Used For Land Acquisition Under PMGSY

MuddasIr alI/abId bashIr

Srinagar, June 25: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced finan-cial assistance of Rs 710 crore for Jammu and Kashmir to meet the requirements for land compensation under Pradan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) - an issue which had adversely hit the progress of the scheme in the State.

Singh made the announce-ment while chairing a meeting of the State Council of Minis-ters headed by Chief Minis-ter Omar Abdullah at SKICC here. The meeting lasted for around 45 minutes.

Singh told the meeting that a note to provide Rs 710 crore assistance to the State has already been prepared and

the proposal would be receiv-ing Union Cabinet nod soon.

“Yes, the Prime Minister announced to sanction Rs 710 crore to JK to meet the expen-diture under PMGSY,” said Minister for R&B Abdul Majid Wani. Though the PMGSY has no provision for land com-pensation in any State, J&K pleaded the case on the prec-edent of Rs 577 crore which were previously provided as a special case from the PMRP to the State under the scheme.

The State Government had last April taken up the issue with the Union Cabinet Secretary during his visit to State and communicated to him unless the requested assistance was allocated to the JK the government would find it difficult to make head-

ways under the PMGSY.The Union Minister of

Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh, had also written to the Prime Minister that the Centre’s ambitious road scheme had fallen flat in J&K due to the land acquisi-tion problems. Out of 10,200 kilometers of the road length sanctioned by his Ministry under the PMGSY, work on 2,000 kilometers had been adversely affected because of non-acquisition of land.

However in a snub to the National Conference-Con-gress coalition in the State, Singh asked State govern-ment to improve its revenue base to meet bigger challeng-es on development front.

He also expressed his

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at a meeting of the JK’s Council of Minister at SKICC on Tuesday.

See Prime Minister...on Pg-10

See sonia links...on Pg-10

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See PM announces...on Pg-10 See PM, sonia...on Pg-10 See strike, restrictions...on Pg-10

CMYK