The construction work of the prestigious Delhi-Katra Expressway for the country and the state on various sections in the Jammu division will start next month. In this regard, the concerned Deputy Commissioners have been asked to expeditiously complete the work of distribution of compensation on the land acquired in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts.

Also Read: Half a dozen Idols vandalized in Lakshmi-Naryan temple, Sidra

The distribution of land compensation in the Samba and Kathua districts has reached the final stage. According to official sources, the National Highways Authority of India has allotted construction work to three different companies in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts.

The companies concerned are preparing to start the construction work, and the work of completing the survey and other formalities is going on. The expressway will start near Keediya Gandyal bridge in the Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir.

This expressway, passing through 279 villages in about four-division districts, will be about 44 km in Kathua district, about 25 km in Samba district, about 72 km in Jammu, and 17 km in Reasi.

The construction work of the Delhi-Amritsar Katra Expressway is targeted to be completed by June 2024. After constructing the Expressway from New Delhi to Katra, instead of 12 hours from New Delhi to Katra, people will reach Katra, the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, in only six to seven hours.

Initially, the expressway will have four to six lanes. Later there is also a proposal to increase these to eight lanes. In addition, petrol pumps, hospitals, parking, commercial complexes, food courts, auto workshops, resorts and dormitories will also be prepared at many places in the express.

Amish Mahajan

Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday arrested a former minister, Jatinder Singh, aka Babu Singh, in a case pertaining to Hawala money in the Union Territory.

Also Read: Jammu to Face Several Power Cuts in the Coming Days

According to a news agency, the name of a former minister from Kathua surfaced in this case when police arrested a man from Kashmir along with some Hawala money, however, the former minister has been on the run since then.

“Multiple attempts were made to intercept and arrest the former minister, but he kept on evading arrest,” said a senior officer of Jammu police.

He added that a team of Jammu police, along with Kathua police, managed to arrest him now.

“He has been arrested with the help of Kathua police, and now the further investigation is going on,” he added.

In a major conspiracy to disturb communal harmony in Jammu, some mischievous elements broke into the Laxmi Narayan temple located in the forest area on the banks of the Tawi river in the Sidra area adjoining the city and vandalized the idols of about half a dozen deities. The idols were damaged and thrown outside the temple premises with the help of large stones. Some idols were also vandalized, and attempts were made to break the door of the temple store. There is a lot of anger among the local people due to this incident. In this regard, Jammu SSP Chandan Kohli said that a case has been registered, and very soon, the attackers will be in the custody of the police.

Also Read: J&K: LeT commander killed in Encounter

According to the information, a temple of Lakshmi Narayan has been built in the forest area behind the golf course in the Ranguda area, about four kilometres from Sidra. As usual, when the people of the surrounding area reached the temple in the morning, they were shocked to see the demolition of the idols. Residents Manoj, Vinod etc., said that seeing the vandalism in the temple, it can be guessed that the number of attackers must have been much more.

The idol of Baba Kaliveer was installed at the temple entrance, which has been completely demolished. Efforts have also been made to break the idols of Lord Ganesha and Lord Narasimha. A big stone was also found in the temple itself, from which the idols have been broken because the stone is covered with the vermilion of the idols. Apart from this, the tiles in the temple have also been broken. According to people, an attempt has also been made to break the lock of the temple store. After this, the local people informed the police about the incident. However, there is no CCTV installed in the temple.

Amish Mahajan

The power supply situation across the Jammu region will turn grim in the coming days, as even in April, the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) is facing a shortfall of 200 Mega Watts (MW) because of an unexpected rise in the temperature and non-availability of sufficient electricity from the Northern Grid.

Also Read: CBK Files Charge-Sheet Against Former Bank Employee

From the middle of March to date, the temperature in Jammu has witnessed an unexpected rise. This has led to Air Conditioners (ACs) on a large scale. As such, the consumption of electricity by domestic consumers has increased considerably, much to the disappointment of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited.

On the other side, because of less discharge of water in the rivers and subsequent acute shortfall in the generation of electricity by the hydro-electric projects, the Northern Grid is not in a position to provide electricity as per the contract signed with the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the official figures, there is a requirement of 1100 Mega Watts of electricity per day across the Jammu region. However, as availability from all the sources is just 900 Mega Watts, there is a shortfall of 200 Mega Watts.

Due to the inability of the Northern Grid to provide electricity as per the agreement, the Government has been left with the only option of purchasing power from the market, which is not feasible, keeping in view the hefty rate of Rs 15 per unit. “If the generation from the hydro-electric projects remains static or declines in the coming days, the market rate of the electricity will increase further, and in such a situation, the Government will be left with no other option but to resort to further curtailments”, official sources media.

“Though the J&K Government has signed the contract with the Northern Grid for 2600 Mega Watts, it cannot force the Northern Grid to provide electricity as per the agreement, especially when there is a drastic decline in generation from hydro-electric projects”, sources said, adding “as the consumption of electricity by the domestic consumers will increase considerably in the coming days due to continuous rise in the temperature the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited will have to resort to curtailments in all the areas”.

Disclosing that at present, the JPDCL is meeting the electricity requirement of the domestic consumers by curtailing 150 Mega Watts against a shortfall of 200 Mega Watts from the industrial areas, sources said, “this option will not work any longer as even the bodies representing the industries have submitted representations to the JPDCL expressing serious concern over prolonged curtailments after regular intervals, which according to them have badly impacted their production”.

“Keeping in view the serious concern conveyed by the industrialists, the Government will have to bring down the curtailments in industrial areas, and such a situation burden will come on common consumers”, sources said while disclosing that Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited is in the process of working out a curtailment schedule in such a manner so that neither the industrial areas nor the domestic consumers face power shut-down for hours together.

In response to a question, sources said, “even those areas which have recently been shifted to smart meters will have to face the curtailments notwithstanding the assurance of uninterrupted power supply by the Government to consumers having been provided smart meters”.

It is pertinent to mention here that on March 21, 2022, the Lieutenant Governor announced zero scheduled power curtailment to 6603 households in Jammu, where smart meters have been installed. A similar announcement had also been made with regard to such areas in Srinagar.

“It would be only after the rainfall in hilly areas, increase in water level in rivers and subsequent rise in the generation of electricity by the hydro-electric projects that situation will witness some improvement”, an officer of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited said on the condition of anonymity, adding “whatever decision is being taken about the curtailment is only with the approval of the authorities at the highest level in the Government”.

A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag, while another gunfight broke out in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

According to the police, the LeT commander has been identified as Nisar Dar.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Sirhama area of Anantnag following inputs about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding militants fired upon the security forces, who retaliated.

In the ensuing exchange of firing, the official said one local militant of the LeT outfit was killed.

He said the group affiliation of the slain ultra is being ascertained.

Meanwhile, the official said another encounter broke out at the Chaki Samad area of DH Pora in the neighbouring Kulgam district in south Kashmir.

He said the exchange of fire was going on.

On Friday, the Crime Branch Kashmir (CBK) said that it filed a charge-sheet in before the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir Srinagar against a former bank employee for fraudulently dishonestly raising unauthorized loans and using the amount so withdrawn for personal uses and share trading.

“The Crime Branch Kashmir received a complaint from Branch Head J&K Bank Residency Road Srinagar wherein it was stated that based on Preliminary Enquiry conducted by the Bank, it has been established that one Zahoor Ahmad Khan S/o Ghulam Rasool R/o New Colony, Saida Kadal Srinagar, working as Associate Executive in the said Bank has dishonestly and fraudulently raised eight unauthorized loans against the deposits which do not exist in Bank records,” a statement issued to the news agency.

These loans were raised in the name of staff members, his brothers and sisters by the accused, who used the amount drawn therein for personnel use etc.

“Accordingly, in view of the circumstances, Case FIR No. 06/2009 U/S 409, 420, 468, 471 RPC was registered in P/S CBK on 03.03.2009, and investigation took up. During the investigation, it was established that staff loan accounts were opened fraudulently without completing prescribed formalities by the accused, particularly in the name of his close relatives and colleagues, through the use of their user passwords without their knowledge deceitfully and dishonestly in the capacity of System manager and Advance manager of the said Branch due to flaws of the then newly introduced B2K software System and non-existence of message alert mechanism, which was exploited by accused to commit these fraudulent actions/transactions.”

“Similarly accused got 15 consumption loans sanctioned in the name of different persons without following requisite formalities and credited a part of the sanctioned amount to other different accounts where from accused Zahoor Ahmad Khan withdrew the same fraudulently for his personnel use.”The investigation also established the illegal credit of Rs 5 lac through anywhere parking of J&K Bank Branch Kupwara to a personal account at Srinagar by the accused, which was, however, debited by the concerned bank authorities immediately after detection of Fraud. The investigation also established that accused has fraudulently drawn an amount of Rs 1.88 Lac from an anywhere parking account of the J&K Bank Branch Kupwara and misappropriated the same.”

“The accused has been terminated from the J&K Bank on 28.10.2009 on a full-fledged departmental inquiry report. During the investigation, the relevant record was obtained and seized. Besides, the statements of concerned Bank officers/officials were also recorded, which corroborate the commission of offences by the accused,” the statement added.

Welcoming a central agency probe into allegations of corruption in Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik today said that he had informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about a ₹ 300 crore bribe offered to him to clear two files while he was the Governor of the erstwhile state. “The PM supported me saying there should be no compromise on corruption,” he said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had late last month initiated a probe into the allegations made by Satya Pal Malik after the Jammu and Kashmir administration approached the central probe agency.

Two files had come for my consideration. One of the secretaries told me that if I approve these, I can get ₹ 150 crore for each. I turned down the offer saying that I had brought five kurta pyjamas to Kashmir and will just go back with them,” Mr Malik had said on October 17 last year at a function in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu.

The bribes were offered by people close to PM Modi, he had claimed, adding that one was linked to the BJP’s ideological parent RSS and the other to one of India’s top industrialists.

Today, Mr Malik said that he wasn’t directly offered the bribes but has knowledge of all those who were involved. He added that he is aware of more people who were involved and he will reveal their names during the investigation.

“I had cancelled both the deals. There is no investigation against me,” he said, asserting that there have been false rumours that his involvement will also be investigated.

On speculation that he is also being targeted as he publicly supported the farmers’ protests against the government, he said that he is ready to be investigated by the CBI and would in fact give additional information to help the investigation.

Amid tight security arrangements, officials said that over 1.76 lakh pilgrims had visited the famous cave shrine of Vaishno Devi during the first six days of the ‘Navratri’ festival in Katra town.

Located 42 kilometres from the winter capital, Jammu, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Katra — the base camp for the pilgrims — was decked up to welcome devotees from across the country abroad.

During the past six days, officials said that 1,76,174 pilgrims had visited the shrine atop Trikuta hills after trekking 12 kilometres from the base camp.

The highest 37,381 pilgrims visited the cave shrine on the first day of ‘Navratra’ on April 2, followed by 33,340 on the second Navratra, 29,078 on the 3rd, 27,302 on 4th, 29,078 on the 5th and over 20,000 on the 6th day, they said.

On average, over 27,000 pilgrims visit the cave shrine daily amid strict monitoring by the authorities to avoid the rush.
On Sunday, the nine-day festival will conclude with ‘Purna Ahuti’ on ‘Mahanavami’.

Arrangements were in place to control the flow of thousands of pilgrims to avoid any untoward incident, as the chilling memories of the stampede on the New Year here, which claimed 12 lives, are still afresh.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central security agencies to make a foolproof plan for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, which is set to begin on June 30, sources have said.

The Ministry has directed the deployment of more than 40,000 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and also other troopers from paramilitary forces, the sources further said. The registration for the annual pilgrimage will begin on April 11. During the yatra, all the registered pilgrims will be given an RFID tag, which will ensure the person’s exact location at all times.

J&K Police DG Dilbag Singh had recently said that a tight vigil is being maintained on social media platforms. However, these platforms can be misused to create fake narratives and keep the terror ecosystem alive in the union territory.

The 2022 yatra comes after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Officials in the union territory have said that they expect a large footfall as the pandemic is currently on a decline, due to which lodging camps for the devotees have been increased.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to review the preparation of the Amarnath Yatra during a high-level meeting before the pilgrimage, the MHA officials said. The 43-day pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine will end on August 11.

Officials said three people, who were among those holding a protest demanding the repair of drinking water supply pipes, were killed after a truck accidentally knocked them down in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district.

They said that three others were injured and shifted to the district hospital.

The officials mentioned that the truck driver failed to negotiate a blind curve and rammed into a few people who were staging a protest demanding that the pipes supplying drinking water to their hamlet in the Chenani area be repaired.

The three injured people were receiving specialised treatment, but one of them was in a critical condition, Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Indu Chib said.

The officer said the district administration had ordered an inquiry into the incident.