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Top Stories
Train to Udhampur: another
initiative in troubled territory
What is India News Service,
Thursday, 14 April 2005, 1500 hrs IST
After a long wait of 22 years, the Indian Railways chugged into the heart of Kashmir Valley on Wednesday.
The all-new Udhampur railway station, from where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged off a Sampark Kranti Express to New
Delhi on Wednesday, is the first stop in a phase-wise project to extend the link up to Baramulla in the next two years.
The 54-km track from Jammu, snaking along the Tawi river, gives passengers a bird's eye view of Kashmir's famed landscape. It
goes over 36 major bridges and 22 tunnels, of which the tunnels account for over 10 km. Costing over Rs 515 crore, the
project has been billed by the Railways as the world's only broad-gauge railway line built at such a high altitude.
"The frequent declarations that Kashmir is in the hearts of the people of India will be truer when the rest of the project
gets completed and the Valley gets connected to the rest of the country by train,'' Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said
at the inauguration.
Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had laid the foundation of this project in 1983. But it got held up for years, partly due
to technical difficulties, and partially due to the militancy problem in the Valley.
With the Jammu-Udhampur track now open, work is on in the rest of the line, which from Udhampur to Baramulla is a 287-km
stretch on difficult terrain.
Train brings the Kashmir Valley closer:
An engineering marvel, the project will boost tourism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said.
23 more Kargil cases sent to CBI for probe:
After Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee came under attack from various UPA allies and even from within the Congress for
purported exoneration of former Defence Minister George Fernandes about the purchases made during the Kargil war, the
Ministry of Defence in a fresh affidavit before the Supreme Court said it has decided to refer 23 more cases out of the
Comptroller and Auditor-General report for probe to the CBI, including the purchase of \93coffins\94.
Army Chief not to be present in Delhi for Pervez visit:
The Army chief, General J.J. Singh, will not be in the capital when Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf arrives here on a
three-day visit on April 16. General Singh will be in Karnataka when General Musharraf would be watching the Indo-Pak cricket
match at Ferozeshah Kotla.
Arjun's detox drive hits Urdu schools:
HRD Minister Arjun Singh's "detoxification" drive has hit the very people it was meant to protect from the arguable onslaught
of "saffronisation" - the Muslims. Thousands of students in the country's Urdu medium schools have begun the new academic
year with empty school bags. NCERT has failed to roll out "secular" Urdu textbooks for all subjects.
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RSS-BJP fight to have impact on Cong policy:
The ongoing slugfest between the BJP and the RSS is also providing some food for thought to the Congress. On the face of it,
AICC insiders say the open spat in the Sangh Parivar, fuelled by the RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan\92s controversial interview, is
its internal matter but they privately admit that this battle holds long-term implications for the Congress.
Amber eyes warm Chilla:
Amidst the horror stories of the disappearing tigers from Sariska and Ranthambhore, there is finally some good news. After a
gap of two decades, the tiger is back in the Chilla range of the Rajaji National Park in Uttaranchal. Camera traps set up by
researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India show the presence of two breeding tigresses.
States
"I was given unconstitutional directives": Gujarat's Additional Director General of Police, R.B. Sreekumar, has made serious allegations against Chief Minister Narendra
Modi and senior officers.
Seer case committed to Sessions Court:
The Sankararaman murder case - in which the Kanchi seers, Jayendra Saraswati and Vijayendra Saraswati, are the main accused -
was committed to a sessions court at Chengalpattu.
Temperatures likely to rise in the north:
Weathermen have forecast that temperatures are likely to rise further in north India in the next two days, with the maximum
increase expected in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Bullet proof door for 'The Lord of Seven Hills':
Ever since terrorist threats have become frequent, there's a new-found security consciousness among temple administrative
boards, and the Lord Venkateswara temple is not to be left behind.
Neighbours
Three-nation gas pipeline talks begin:
Pakistani, Turkmen and Afghan ministers met on Tuesday to discuss a multi-billion gas pipeline, the size of Turkmen gas
reserves and security in volatile Afghanistan.
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7 injured in Pakistan train explosion:
At least seven passengers, two of them army personnel, were injured, when a bomb explosed in the Lahore-bound Chiltan Express
on Tuesday.
View from abroad
Pakistan, Italy move for consensus: UN reform process:
Like-minded countries at a meeting attended by some 119 delegates of the United Nations on Monday pledged to carry forward
the UN reform process.
Overall
New train brought hope:
The prime
minister said the Udhampur train would bring Kashmir closer to the Indian
mainstream.
Top cop said Modi wanted unlawful things done: The Gujarat chief
minister, he alleged, gave him "unconstitutional" directives.
Pakistan, Italy met: They are among those who don't want India to get a
UN Security Council seat.
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