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Allies avoid controversies

4/5/2016 12:43:56 AM

Hyder Ali Early Times Report srinagar, Apr 4: Even as Mehbooba Mufti was sworn in as the first woman chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, which marks the beginning of the PDP's second innings with the BJP, the oath-taking was different from the previous one when her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed formed government on March 1, 2015. This time controversies were seemingly avoided by the alliance partners, otherwise considered ideologically poles apart. Amid ongoing row over "Bharat Mata ki jai" in the country, none of the BJP ministers shouted the slogan, though for the past few days former Chief Minister and National Conference President Omar Abdullah had been predicting at the s...

Mehbooba means business

4/5/2016 12:43:49 AM

ET Report Jammu, Apr 4: The deserted chambers and quiet corridors of Civil Secretariat suddenly turned alive today when the new Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and her council of ministers reached there to assume office. Soon after taking oath at Rajbhawan Mehbooba Mufti went straight to Secretariat and stayed there for nearly an hour only to give a loud and clear message to bureaucracy as also the new ministers that she means 'business' in running the government she heads now. Sources said as the Secretariat bustled with activity -movement of vehicles and a huge rush of visitors, the new Chief Minister without wasting time made it not only to her office but also attended a couple of meetin...

Mehbooba Mufti profile

4/5/2016 12:43:42 AM

ET Report Srinagar, Apr 4: The PDP president Mehbooba Mufti created history by becoming the first woman to assume the office of Chief Minister in Jammu and Kashmir. Eldest of four siblings - two sisters and one brother - Mehbooba has two daughters, Illtija Iqbal and Irtiqa Iqbal. She is now the first woman chief minister of the country's only Muslim majority state, heading an alliance of the regional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the centrist, right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mehbooba fought her first elections from the ancestral Bijbehara (Anantnag) assembly constituency in 1996. She resigned her assembly seat and went on to contest the parliamentary elections in 1999 f...

CM Mehbooba allocates portfolios

4/5/2016 12:43:32 AM

Veeri replaces Altaf Bukhari gets public works, Parliamentary Affairs; Bali Bhagat is Health Minister, Lal Singh gets Forest; Sajad Social Welfare; Sham Lal Choudhary replaces Sukhnandan Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on late Monday night allocated the portfolios to the council of ministers, an official spokesman said. The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh, would hold the charge of Power Development and Housing and Urban Development portfolios, Abdul Rehman Veeri has replaced Altaf Bukhari and would hold the charge of Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs, Chander Parkash Industries and Commerce, Ghulam Nabi Lone, Agriculture Production,. Bal...

Opportunity for PDP, BJP to deliver

4/5/2016 12:43:21 AM

Early Times Report jammu, Apr 4: India is a democratic country. Every five year, people elected Governments of their own in the States of Indian Union. This is also true of the Union Government. In J&K, the life of the Legislative Assembly is five years. The Governments so elected are representative in character. The people go through the elections manifestoes/vision documents of all the political parties taking part in the electoral exercise and vote for a party whose election manifesto/vision document appeals to them or reassures them that the said party, if voted to power, will redress their grievances and meet their legitimate aspiration, be it political, be it economic or be it social...

Ignored by CM, Karra, Bukhari engage in verbal fight

4/5/2016 12:43:13 AM

Hyder Ali Early Times Report srinagar, Apr 4: On a day when PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was sworn in as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, it was an open fight between party MP from Srinagar Tariq Hameed Karra and MLA Amira Kadal Altaf Bukhari. It started with Karra spilling the beans over his reservations with the PDP and why he skipped the oath-taking ceremony despite being present in Jammu. Karra said he actually boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of the new Government to protest induction of Haseeb Drabu and Naeem Akhter in the Council of Ministers. "I have boycotted the swearing-in-ceremony. During the discussion on finalisation of Council of Ministers, I had ce...

Delhi businessman saves ministerial berth of BJP minister

4/5/2016 12:43:05 AM

Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: Despite stiff opposition by the party as well as the Sangh Parivar, a BJP MLA managed to secure one berth in the new council of ministers led by the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti. While other Legislators were just speculating about their chances of being included in the cabinet and were seeking feedback from different quarters, this BJP MLA was hobnobbing with the party's national president Amit Shah, Sushma Swaraj and a top RSS functionary in New Delhi. According to the highly placed sources, this lobbying at top level was managed by a businessman friend of Amit Shah, who succeeded to strike a deal in lieu of ministerial berth to the BJP MLA for second t...

BJP stalwart planned Sukhnandan's exit

4/5/2016 12:42:57 AM

Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dropping former Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Choudhary Sukhnandan from the council of ministers has become talk of the town as everyone is wondering what led to his sacking. Sources claimed that Choudhary was aware of the fact that he would be dropped and he tried his best to sneak in but his attempts proved futile. The BJP insider claimed that in January this year a BJP stalwart proposed that party should induct a new face in the cabinet and replace Choudhary Sukhnandan, whom sources claimed is not in the good books of the stalwart. The matter, sources said, was discussed with BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav a...

JU's VC attacks media, reveals his deep frustration

4/5/2016 12:42:48 AM

Early Times Report jammu, Apr 4: What can be termed as sheer frustration, the Vice Chancellor of Jammu University has launched a nasty campaign against the print media on the social network. In his latest post on Facebook, the VC called media reports about wrongdoings of varsity as "false propaganda". Reacting to his statement, an ABVP activist snubbed the university administration for disallowing a blood donation Camp in the campus. The varsity rather desired to do it under the supervision of DSW and without the involvement of outsiders which was ridiculous condition imposed by the varsity as earlier on several occasions such camps and seminars were held by ABVP without any hindrance a...

'Corruption-free admn figures high on CM's priority list'

4/5/2016 12:42:39 AM

Ishtiyaq Ahmad Early Times Report srinagar, Apr 4: While the previous PDP-BJP Government failed to crack whip on the tainted officials in various administrative departments, all eyes are now on Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to play her role in eliminating the muck from the system for a clean administration. Sources said that a corruption-free administration figures high on the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's priority list as she prepares to form a team of trusted officers to run the Government. Sources said that on Monday Mehbooba Mufti asked the Ministers and Administrative Secretaries that Government shall be transparent, without any area based discrimination & corruption free. "We w...

BJP prefers 'separatist' Sajad over nationalist Pawan

4/5/2016 12:42:32 AM

Early Times Report jammu, Apr 4: The BJP has once again proved that it has no place in its scheme of things for those who talk nationalism, oppose Kashmiri Muslim sub-nationalism and speak for and fight for the ignored, neglected and humiliated people of Jammu province. The manner in which the BJP dropped Pawan Gupta from Udhampur, who had won the Assembly elections hands down defeating the BJP candidate despite the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a public rally in Udhampur, and the manner in which it gave from its quota a Cabinet berth to separatist and People's Conference president Sajad Lone - a votary of status of nationhood to Kashmir, has dumbfounded not only the peop...

Of 203 defaulters, 20 owe Rs 28 lakh in Sub Div-III

PDD's skewed revenue collection

4/4/2016 11:39:22 PM

G S Asgotra Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: With state's power deficit increasing alarmingly with each passing year, the tall claims made by former Power ministers, Omar Abdullah in Congress-NC coalition and Dr Nirmal Singh in PDP-BJP coalition, to rationalize the derailed functioning of Power Development Department (PDD) have failed to do anything concrete to realize dues pending with numerous defaulters. As per an RTI response furnished by department recently, in Sub Division-III of Parade of Power Development Department, there are 203 defaulters with long pending arrears running in Crores which have not been paid to department since 2010. 20 defaulters have more than one Lakh ...

Orders removal of 'illegally' promoted Section Officer

Technical Education department awakes from slumber

4/4/2016 11:39:13 PM

Jehangir Rashid Early Times Report SRINAGAR, Apr 4: The department of Technical Education has awakened from slumber after two years and ordered for the removal of an 'illegally' promoted Section Officer who was heading the Establishment section for the past couple of years. Sources told Early Times that Director Technical Education Shabnum Shah Kamli ordered for the sidelining of Abdul Rashid Hafiz from the 'sensitive' post of Section Officer (Establishment). The Director promoted Dilip Kumar as Section Officer (Establishment) since he was the senior most official who could be elevated to a higher position. "The placement of Hafiz as Section Officer (Establishment) was done throu...

JK gets woman ruler after 1000 yrs

4/4/2016 11:38:59 PM

Peerzada Ummer Srinagar, Apr 4: As the 56-year-old Mehbooba Mufti becomes Jammu and Kashmir's new chief minister, it is after more than 1000 years that any woman becomes the ruler of the state. Didda was a ruler of J&K from 958 AD to 1003 AD, first as a Regent for her son and various grandsons, and thereafter as sole ruler in her own right. Most knowledge relating to her is obtained from the Rajatarangini, a work written by Kalhana in the twelfth century. According to Rajatarangini, the oldest historical account of Kashmir written by Kalhana, Dida, the first women ruler of Kashmir, was the daughter of Simharaja, ruler of Lohara (now in J&K's Poonch district) and the grand-daughter o...

Agri deptt provides financial assistance to some, others deprived

4/4/2016 11:38:53 PM

Arun Singh Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: Flouting the guidelines of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the Agriculture Production Department provided financial assistance beyond admissible limit to only few farmers, leaving many others deprived of the benefit. Sources told Early Times that in order to rejuvenate declining agriculture growth in the State as per the operational guidelines of 2010 of the Technology Mission under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) provides 75 per cent of the total cost for construction of Water Harvesting Systems/ Tanks (WHT) of 1200 cubic metre capacity by individuals at a cost of Rs 1.38 lakh. "The assistance is to be provided to the benefic...

Padroo, Ashraf, Javaid dropped for rude behavior towards party cadre

ET revelations proved correct

4/4/2016 11:38:44 PM

Javaid Naikoo Early Times Report Srinagar, Apr 4: Vindicating Early Times reports about fine-tuning of portfolios, three former Ministers asked to rest in the Mehbooba government have been dropped for their rude behavior towards party cadre. On March 31, Early Times carried a story titled "Finance Ministry to go to Karra or Drabu" in which besides other revelations about government formation then ET had said that three PDP legislators who enjoyed Ministerial perks in previous PDP-BJP government will be dropped in Mehbooba Mufti led government. Today revelations proved correct and former Minister for Revenue, Javaid Mustafa Mir, former Minister of state (MOS) for irrigation and Fl...

Bakhsi Nagar Police harassing my son, alleges father

4/4/2016 11:38:34 PM

Nitesh Sangral Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: Family members of a scrap dealer of Bakshi Nagar have accused Police of harassing their son and registering false cases against him. However, the concerned Station House Officer, dined all allegations leveled by family members and lamented that he was involved in some cases. A delegation of family and friends comprising Shashvat Bakshi, Sandeep Sharma, Rattan Lal Sharma, Raja Singh, Rajinder Singh and others visited Early Times office and alleged that the SHO Bakshi Nagar Ashwani Sharma was continuously harassing and mentally torturing scrap dealer-- Parveen Sharma resident of Baskhi Nagar --for last more than 5 months. They also alle...

Restoration work of Mubarak Mandi prolongs

4/4/2016 11:38:27 PM

Akshay Azad Early Times Report Jammu, Apr 4: The complete restoration of Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex (MMHC) is likely to extend to 22nd century, if restoration continued with same sluggish pace and paucity of funds was not addressed. Sources informed Early Times that after the constitution of Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society (MMHS) in 2008, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of nearly 25 restoration works was prepared and Union Government was approached for funding. In 2009, Union government had financed Rs 4.25 Crores, which was fully utilized and Army headquarters block was fully restored. "Since the restoration work of Mubarak Mandi had started, only one project is completed and at...

RTI exposes fraud by Forest officials

Free timber given to undeserving families in Budgam

4/4/2016 11:00:20 PM

Early Times Report Budgam, Apr 4: An RTI has revealed that undeserving people were provided 30 to 40 square feet of timber (Budloo/ Fir) by authorities in lieu of illegal gratification in certain villages of Budgam where several residential houses were torched during sectarian clashes. Some people who never got the timber have also been shown as its beneficiaries in official records and the said timber has been taken away by some influential people. Police have registered a case o in this regard but till date nobody has been arrested nor have authorities taken any action against any Forest official. During sectarian clashes last year almost two dozen houses were burnt down by agitating ...

Arbitrary' transfer of voters puts holding of panchayat elections under scanner in Baramulla

4/4/2016 11:00:08 PM

S Tahir-ul Haq Early Times Report BARAMULLA, Apr 3: Prior to the holding of Panchayat elections, scores of voters have been wrongly entered in different wards of Halqa Jalsheeri in this North Kashmir district allegedly for personal interests. Sources told Early Times that arbitrary transfer of voters from one ward to another ward in Halqa Jalsheeri of Baramulla block has sent a wrong signal to the corridors of power since the same has been done purely for personal interests. "Halqa Jalsheeri comprises of seven wards, having 1074 voters among which hundreds of voters have been allegedly transferred from one ward to another ward for the lust of power and other personal interests," sources...