JAMMU: Admitting that unscrupulous elements have been making attempts to encroach upon land in and around major cities of the State, Government today said that about 19 lakh kanal State, Forest and Kahcharai land is under encroachment across the State.

In response to a question of CPM MLA, Mohd Yousaf Tarigami, Minister for Revenue, Raman Bhalla, admitted in the Lower House that unscrupulous elements have been making attempts to encroach upon the State/Kahcharai/ Forest land in and around major cities of the State.

Udhampur: An international symposium on biotechnological advances in cancer biology was held today at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, and was organised jointly by its School of Biotechnology and the National Centre of Applied Human Genetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.

The symposium focusing on DNA damage, mechanisms of mutagenesis and genetic instability and the relationships between genetic instability and human cancer was the satellite symposium of the Ataxia Telangiectasia International Workshop held in New Delhi last week.

The Udhampur-Katra rail section will get operational by the year-end, providing a direct link to the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine to the Katra base camp. While the Katra station is almost ready, work on the Udhampur-Katra line is under way and is expected to be commissioned by December, 2012, said the Adviser to the Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul, while chairing a meeting convened to review the progress of land acquisition cases under various state and centrally-sponsored development schemes here on Saturday.

Estimates revised as delay, complications lead to cost escalation

JAMMU: As delay in completion of the project due to re-alignment and other complications besides problems in two vital tunnels has led to cost escalation, the entire Udhampur-Baramulla Railway Project would now be completed at a cost of ` 19,000 crore and Union Cabinet today approved a proposal to sanction this amount for the project.

Udhampur: The work on construction of a new 10-kilometre Lambi Zai-Jora Road in Bhadarwah area of Doda district which touches Souti Changa, the native village of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad could not be started for want of forest clearance. This is just one of the various roads proposed to provide vital road connectivity to people living in remote and inaccessible areas of Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda districts but their construction is held up due to delay in clearance by the forest department. Some have been hanging fire for more than a year.

Jammu: Nearly 17,000 households have been covered under Remote Electrification Programme (RVE) against the target of 25000 households so far in the State, revealed Minister for Science and Information Technology, Aga Syed Ruhullah, while reviewing physical and financial achievements of the programme at a high level meeting held here today.

SRINAGAR: Underlining the importance of energy efficient and up to the mark power distribution system in ensuring hassle free electricity supply to the consumers, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday laid thrust on time line completion of projects under implementation on the State.

The Government has accorded sanction to release of 15.33 crore under SDRF for clearing the liabilities on account of restoration works done in three regions of the State in wake of flash floods, cloudburst and hailstorm.

80% local manpower, 15 Enggs from Jammu engaged
JAMMU: In a major step aimed at providing safest road link in the landslides prone areas of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A, the work on first section of the country’s longest road tunnel between Chenani and Nashri was started today.

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, connecting the state with the rest of the country, was closed to traffic today due to a landslide, triggered by heavy rain in Ramban district.The highway was closed after the landslide at Digdol and falling of boulders at Panthal in Ramban district in the morning, the police said.

The landslide was triggered by continuous rain, it said, adding the downpour was creating problems in clearing roads.

Over 500 vehicles were stranded at various places in the Udhampur, Nagrota, Ramban, Patnitop, Banihal and Batote areas of the highway.