India

Zubair Qureshi
Srinagar, Sep 17 (IANS) The Kashmir Valley will cross another milestone this Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 when J&K's first electric train will start moving on the 137 km Banihal-Baramulla corridor, according to officials of the Indian Railway Construction Limited.


The J&K government, Indian Railways and Indian Railway Construction Limited have been working together on this project since August 2019.

The inspection of the project will be done on September 26 and the project will be inaugurated on October 2. An official put the project cost at 324 crore, adding that the Budgam-Baramulla section is already complete while the Budgam-Banihal corridor will be inspected and inaugurated on September 26.

The total route length for electrification is 137.73 km with three main sub-stations at Qazigund, Budgam and Baramulla, from where power will be supplied to the overhead equipment of the rail line.

The project is aimed at reducing pollution. It will also save 60 per cent fuel consumption.

Along with this, the work to connect Banihal with Katra is also going on. When the Katra-Banihal link is complete, Kashmir will be better connected to the rest of the country.

A local named Muhammad Ramzan said that this is an important step that will help J&K join the ranks of other developed states where modern facilities are available.

It may be recalled that Kashmir got its first train service in 2013 when it was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

--IANS
zubair/arm

Itanagar/Guwahati, Sep 17 (IANS) After Assam, neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh has been rocked by a reported leak of recruitment exam papers forcing the Chief Minister Pema Khandu to announce to take stern action against the guilty. The Chief Minister on Saturday said that police are seriously investigating the case and five persons have been arrested so far.

Probe is still on.

The state government would not tolerate any kind of corruption and anyone found involved in the latest incident, irrespective of his or her position or status, would not be spared, Khandu said in a statement.

"It is indeed frustrating that despite our sincerest efforts to streamline the recruitment process, incidents like this occur out of the blues. I assure the candidates and the people that action will be taken against the guilty and the point of leakage investigated and rectified so that it is not repeated in future," the chief minister said.

Many organisations, including the Anti-Corruption Foundation, have demanded the suspension of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission's (APPSC) chairperson, secretary and other officials for the reported leak of the question paper ahead of the recent examination for the post of Assistant Engineer (Civil). They have also demanded a "transparent" probe into the leak.

On August 28, a candidate for the examination lodged an FIR at the Itanagar police station, complaining that the question papers for the APPSC exam held on August 26 and 27 were leaked.

Assam was also rocked by alleged scam in the recruitment for 26,000 Grade III and Grade IV posts, the exams for which were held in several phases in August amid mobile Internet shutdown and imposition of the prohibitory orders 144 CrPc. The Assam police recently arrested Victor Das, who owned a coaching centre in Guwahati.

Das through the social media platforms alleged about the question paper leak and the involvement of some officials and former MLAs in selling some posts for Rs 3-8 lakh. The Gauhati High Court on Friday granted interim bail to Das, also a vlogger.

The opposition parties had criticised the BJP-led government for "suppressing the truth". Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah said that Himanta Biswa Sarma government arrests or takes action against the person whoever points a finger at his government's loopholes.

--IANS
sc/uk

By Ravinder Singh Robin
Chandigarh/Amritsar, Sep 17 (IANS) Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to intensify legal fight for release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh political prisoners) besides adopting policy of struggle and political approach.


Talking to the media, after holding a special meeting with retired Sikh judges and senior lawyers at SGPC's sub-office in Chandigarh, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday said that this issue is most important for the community, as Sikh prisoners are yet to be released even after they have completed their sentences.

He said legal experts gave important suggestions in this regard in the meeting on Saturday and the legal fight will be carried forward accordingly.

SGPC President also said that apart from working for release of Sikh prisoners lodged in different jails for long time, efforts will also be made for the release of Sikh youth implicated in several cases in the present time.

Replying to a query, SGPC President said that Aam Aadmi Party and Congress parties are standing as obstruction in the cause of release of Bandi Singhs.

"If Aam Aadmi Party had any sympathy with the Sikh prisoners, then Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar can come out with just one order of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Even I myself went to Shri Arvind Kejriwal with a delegation, but he did not even find it right to meet. On the other side, Congress leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu are also continuously opposing the cause of release of Bandi Singhs," said Dhami.

He said the issue of Bandi Singhs is related to the sentiments that erupted from the circumstances then and the governments should understand this reason.

--IANS
robin/uk

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar will be visiting the US from September 18 to 28, during which he will be participating in the 77th UN General Assembly session.

During his visit to New York from September 18 to 24, he will be leading the Indian delegation for the High Level Week at the UNGA session, with the theme "A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges", the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

In keeping with India's strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, he will also host a Ministerial meeting of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan, Germany) as well as participating at the High Level Meeting of the L.69 Group on "Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council", it said.

The L.69 Group consists of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, focused on reforms of the UN Security Council.

His address in the General Assembly is scheduled in the forenoon of September 24. During the visit, he will also be meeting Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the 77th PGA Csaba Korosi.

Jaishankar is also expected to address special event "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action" on September 24, which would highlight India's development journey and its contributions to South-South Cooperation. The event is also expected to be addressed by the President of the 77th UNGA, along with Foreign Ministers of several member states, and the UNDP Administrator.

During the visit, he would also be participating in plurilateral meetings of the Quad, IBSA, BRICS, India - Presidency Pro Tempore CELAC, India-CARICOM and other trilateral formats, such as India-France-Australia, India-France-UAE and India-Indonesia-Australia. He will also have bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of the G20 and UNSC member states, amongst others.

Upon completion of the 77th UNGA related engagements, Jaishanka will visit Washington DC from September 25-28 for bilateral meetings with US interlocutors. His programme includes inter alia, discussions with his counterpart Antony Blinken, senior members of the US administration, US business leaders, a round-table focused on S&T and interaction with the Indian Diaspora.

--IANS
avr/vd

Guwahati, Sep 17 (IANS) Assam Police on Saturday arrested at least 17 Bangladeshi nationals from Biswanath district for preaching religious activity and violating the visa norms, officials said.

Nabin Singh, Superintendent of Police of Biswanath district, told IANS that the Bangladeshi nationals were camping at the Baghmari area under the Jinjia police station in the district for the last few days.

The police officer informed that the Bangladeshi nationals entered India through the Coach Behar border in West Bengal last month. They then entered Assam and went to some places in the South Shalmara district of the state. The group was headed by a religious teacher Ashraful Alom, who is a resident of Sherpur district in Bangladesh.

According to police, the group started preaching religious activities in some remote villages in that district. But, it came under the radar of police and they were called to Fakirganj Police Station in South Salmara earlier.

Police have warned them to stop preaching religious activities there.

Singh said that the Bangladeshi nationals then agreed to conditions laid down by the police and informed that they were heading towards Ajmer Sharif.

"But after a few days, they again returned to Assam and this time started the religious activities in the riverine areas of Baghmara in the Biswanath district," he added.

The police officer further informed that the Bangladeshi group chose to carry out riverine areas as they fall in the interior part of the district.

Singh said: "Bangladeshi nationals entered India on tourist visa and were carrying out religious preaching which is a clear violation of the visa conditions. We have registered a case against them under the Foreigners Act and also initiated the process to cancel their visa.

Assam police have arrested as many as 40 persons in the last few months for allegedly running terror modules in the state. The police have claimed that the terror outfits Al-Qaida in India Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) were trying to expand their base in Assam and North East India.

--IANS
tdr/uk

Gurugram, Sep 17 (IANS) With the arrest of two persons, the Gurugram police claimed to have solved a blind murder case related to the killing of a cab driver in the Pataudi area.

The accused have been identified as Pankaj Singh (25) and Hitesh (23) alias Honey, both from Rewari.

Pankaj and Hitesh had booked the cab in Behror in Rajasthan on March 24. They allegedly shot the driver dead before fleeing with his vehicle.

According to the police, Rakesh Gujjar, the cab driver who was a resident of Rajasthan's Alwar, was found dead on the roadside in Pataudi.

"The victim was shot in the head. His mobile phone location was traced to Nuh. Based on technical intelligence, teams were formed to probe the matter. A crime branch team nabbed Pankaj in Mumbai. Based on his disclosure, Hitesh was apprehended from Pataudi on Thursday," said Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (Crime).

"During sustained interrogation, the accused revealed that they had hatched a conspiracy to book a cab and later rob the driver. But when Rakesh resisted, he was shot in the head. They threw his body on the roadside and fled with the cab. The accused had planned to rob another cab driver, but failed," Sangwan said.

--IANS
str/arm

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) A 31-year-old man, working as a labourer, was shot dead by his colleague in the national capital over the issue of sharing work, an official said Saturday.

The accused identified as Shantu (28), a resident of Delhi, was later arrested by the police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said that a PCR call regarding a firing incident at Azadpur Mandi was received at Mahendra Park police station on Friday night after which the police staff immediately rushed to the spot near shed number 17, Azadpur Fruit Mandi.

At the spot, the police found one injured person, identified as Raju (31), a resident of Muzaffarpur, Bihar. "He was then immediately shifted to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead due to gunshot injury on chest," the official said.

Accordingly, the police registered a case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested the accused Shantu after probing the matter.

During investigation, it was revealed that both used to work as labourer for unloading fruit and vegetable trucks and the accused had an altercation with the deceased over the issue of sharing work in Azadpur Mandi few days back. "On day of incident, accused was in an intoxicated state and to take revenge, he committed the murder," the official said.

The weapon of offence, that is a country made pistol, along with two live cartridges were recovered from the possession of the accused.

Further investigation in the case is still underway, the official added.

--IANS
uj/shs

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a portal for issuing 'e-rent agreements' in Gautam Buddh Nagar and will soon implement the system for issuing lease deeds online in other districts of the state as well.

The 'e-rent agreements' enable tenants to get into a contract with the owner of the respective house or building online directly in a comparatively more "secure and reliable" manner.

For Gautam Buddha Nagar, www.gbnagar.nic.in portal has been developed through which a copy of the lease deed can be availed after completing the procedure of paying the stamp duty.

With e-rent agreements, the common citizens will be spared the tedious process of getting rent agreements made manually.

In the proposed online process, now the tenant will only have to access the agreement portal approved by the Uttar Pradesh government and enter the lease details by logging in through his respective details like name and mobile number.

Officials said that the system will also become a good source of revenue for the state.

Currently, in Gautam Buddha Nagar, at least 1.5 lakh lease deeds per annum are done. Through stamp duty, this process generates revenue of Rs 1.5 crore per year. At the same time, through the proposed lease deed, Rs 3,600 will be received through 2 per cent stamp duty on every monthly rent exceeding Rs 15,000. Overall, the government will receive revenue of Rs 54 crore from Gautam Budh Nagar itself. Once the system is implemented in the entire state, the government is expected to receive more revenue.

--IANS
kvm/shs

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday approached a special court here challenging the bail granted to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the alleged scam involving the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

Special judge Geetanjali Goel of the Rouse Avenue Court has issued a notice on the CBI's plea seeking Tejashwi Yadav's response in the matter.

The RJD leader and his mother Rabri Devi were granted bail in the case in 2018.

In one of its contentions, the central agency has submitted that Tejashwi Yadav had threatened its officials during a press conference, thereby influencing the case.

The case dates back to 2006 when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister in the UPA-I government. It was alleged that there were multiple irregularities connected to IRCTC hotels' maintenance contracts with a private firm.

Two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were involved in the bribe case.

The probe agency had earlier claimed that there was enough evidence in the IRCTC matter against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav, among others.

On August 24, the CBI had conducted multiple raids on the premises of RJD leaders in Patna, Katihar, Madhubani, Vaishali and Sitamarhi districts. Besides that, it also conducted an investigation into another case of Urban Cubes mall in Gurugram, purportedly on the belief that Tejashwi Yadav had made investment in it.

After the raids, Tejashwi Yadav was reportedly heard saying at a press conference that "CBI officials don't have mother and children? Don't they have a family? Will they always remain CBI officers? Will they not retire? Will only this party remain in power? What message do you want to send? You should honestly discharge the duty of the constitutional organisation".

--IANS
jw/arm

Bhopal, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that he could not visit to his mother to seek her blessings on his birthday, but she will be happy to see that thousands of mothers have gathered to bless him on the day.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing the gathering of over one lakh women associated with self-help groups (SHGs) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.

Prime Minister Modi on his 72th birthday visited to Madhya Pradesh where he released eight African cheetahs into enclosure at Kuno National Park. Following which, he graced a women SHGs conference being organised in Sheopur district.

"I would have gone to my mother to seek her blessings on my birthday, if today's programmes weren't organised here. But, thousands of mothers have come to bless me here and after seeing all this, my mother would be very happy that I am getting blessings of thousands of mothers here," Prime Minister Modi said.

He was welcomed with great enthusiasm by artists who performed tribal dance and other cultural programmes organised by the state government. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister recounted several women beneficiary schemes for women under his government.

On the occasion, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is a prominent political face from Gwalior-Chambal region, said that around 60 per cent area of Sheopur district have dense forest zone. "Sheopur is a very small district, however, it is filled with natural resources. There are several ancient temples of Lord Shiva and that is why this area was named Sheopur."

Notably, Sheopur has two assembly seats - Sheopur and Vijaypur, and the BJP and Congress each has one MLA. However, the fact that, Sheopur, which is the part of Gwalior-Chambal region, is also considered the most remote area in the state and has highest malnutrition cases in the state.

The women SHGs participating in the conference were those who run several initiatives being promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

DAY-NRLM aims at mobilising rural poor households into SHGs in a phased manner and provide them long-term support to diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life.

On the day, the Prime Minister also inaugurated four Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) skilling centres under PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

--IANS
pd/shs