SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Mayor Junaid Azim Mattoo has alleged that some corporators were involved in corruption and taking bribes to facilitate illegal constructions in the city.
“Lakhs of rupees in bribes have been found to be deposited electronically into the bank account of an elected representative in SMC over the course of the last two years.
The amount is roughly 1.4 crores with individual transactions running into lakhs,” Mattoo said in a series of tweets late on Tuesday.
He said multiple witnesses have come forward, narrating “horrific tales” of extortion and brazen corruption. Three citizens have recorded statements before the officials in this regard, he added.
“A @JKACB investigation is underway and the @JmuKmrPolice Crime Branch and @SrinagarPolice has also taken cognizance,” Mattoo said
He said the matter has been officially brought to the notice of the administration, seeking removal of the elected representative from a position of authority immediately, pending the final outcome of the investigation.
“Multiple witness statements have been recorded in the presence of Commissioner SMC, Srinagar Police officials and representatives of investigative agencies over the last two weeks. Documents and details sought from SMC have been promptly submitted to @JKACB – as sought,” he said.
The Mayor said a “symbiotic eco-system that has thrived on corruption, forgery and extortion” is trying to distract attention from the investigation.
“That won’t happen. There will be absolutely no compromise on corruption. The law will take its toll!” he said.
Mattoo said he would prefer the dissolution of the corporation and fresh elections than suppress the “scam”.
“And let this be a one-time, LOUD and CLEAR message to those two-bit, lumpen elements trying to pressurize me into suppressing this scam — it is FAR better for me to seek the dissolution of SMC and fresh elections than to compromise with corruption and extortion,” he said. Mattoo, however, did not name any corporator.
The elections to the SMC are due next year. (Agencies)

Srinagar, Oct 5: Srinagar police on Tuesday clarified that former J&K chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was free to travel to Pattan while refuting her allegations that she was put under house arrest.

“It is clarified that no restriction of any kind travel to pattan, travel to pattan was at 1 pm as intimated to us. The picture tweeted by her is of inside of the gate with own lock of residents who stay in the bunglow. There is no lock or any restrictions. She is free to travel,” said the police, in a tweet.

Earlier, Mehbooba had alleged that she was not allowed to travel to Pattan for a worker’s wedding.

“While HM is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy,I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker’s wedding.If an ex CM’s fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one cant even imagine the plight of a commoner,” she wrote on Twitter while tagging the profiles of the Home Minister and LG Manoj Sinha.

SRINAGAR, Oct 5: A civilian was killed on Wednesday when the service weapon of a policeman went off “accidentally” in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Asif Ahmad Padroo, 25, was hit by a bullet fired accidentally from the service rifle of a policeman at Haal in Pulwama at around 10 am, they said.
The officials said Padroo was rushed to a hospital in Srinagar for treatment where he succumbed to injuries. (Agencies)

Srinagar, Oct 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high level crucial security meeting in Srinagar and directed the security top brass to step up anti-militancy operations to make J&K “militancy free” so that people taste the real democracy and reap the benefits of peace.
Shah, who is on a three-day visit to J&K, chaired the crucial security review in Srinagar, where top security officials including J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh, ADGP Vijay Kumar, GoC 15 Corps, DG BSF, IG BSF besides a team of Home Ministry accompanying the Home Minister, were present.
Union Minister Amit Shah, was given a power point presentation over the progress achieved on anti-militancy and anti-infiltration front. “The Home Minister hailed the security agencies for their role post Article 370 in tackling militancy and preventing infiltration,” an official, privy to the meeting said.
He said that Shah expressed gratitude over the “improved figures” of violence related incidents that includes drop in killings of security forces personnel and civilians. The Home Minister also expressed his satisfaction over the intelligence based anti-militancy operations and stated that security agencies must step up the operations wipe out militancy from J&K soil so that people can taste the real democracy and reap the benefits of peace.
J&K LG Manoj Sinha explained the policy adopted by the security forces—“begunah ko chedo mat, gunahgaar ko chodo mat.” The Home Minister stressed that the common man should feel free and live a life without hassles while those fomenting trouble, especially the anti-peace elements including OGWs and supporters should be crushed to the core.
Challenges related to social media including “online propaganda” being launched by handlers sitting across was also discussed in the meeting, to which the Home Minister stressed for “adopting a sustained counter mechanism” that includes blocking the pages trying to radicalise youth through online platforms. Sources said that the Home Minister called for steps to be taken out to reach out to youth and enhancing sports infrastructure at district level to keep youth engaged.
Shah also hailed the army for protecting the borders and plugging the infiltration. Expressing satisfaction over almost zero infiltration stating that GoI is providing all the latest equipment to the army and BSF to keep a watch on the borders and to detect the infiltration along the LoC and International Borders.

Srinagar, Oct 5: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday claimed that she has been placed under house arrest to prevent her from visiting north Kashmir’s Pattan town.
“While HM (Home Minister) is going around Kashmir beating drums of normalcy, I am under house arrest for simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker’s wedding,” she tweeted.
“If an ex CM’s fundamental rights can be suspended so easily, one can’t even imagine the plight of a commoner,” she added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a public rally in Baramulla town later today. (Agencies)

Jammu, Oct 5: Weather was dry in J&K during the last 24 hours as the MeT office said on Wednesday, and that same conditions are likely to continue in the next 24 hours.

“Mainly dry weather is expected to continue in J&K during the next 24 hours”, said an official of the MeT department.

Srinagar had 9.2, Pahalgam 5.1 and Gulmarg 5.5 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature today.

In Ladakh region, Drass town had 0.4 and Leh 2 as the minimum temperature.

Jammu had 19.6, Katra 18.2, Batote 12.1, Banihal 7.8 and Bhaderwah 10.1 as the minimum temperature.

Jammu, October 5: The construction of the 6-km flyover from Kanal Road to Mithi on the Jammu-Akhnoor highway has been completed on which two-way traffic has been flowing for the past few days.
The construction of a four-lane flyover on the 32-km Jammu-Akhnoor road up to Ganesh Vihar has greatly reduced traffic pressure. Traffic jams in Kanal Road, Talab Talu, Nahar, Mithi, Dumana had became a regular occurrence. Now this will reduce the traffic pressure.
The Rs 5,100 crore project was announced under the Prime Minister’s Development Package in November 2015 for the construction of the Rajouri-Poonch highway NH-144-A, of which Rs 917 crore is being spent on the Jammu-Akhnoor road.
The beautiful view of the city of Jammu can be seen while travelling on the flyover. It has been made very beautiful which also has a reasonable arrangement of light. The section where this six-km flyover is constructed, which used to take at least 30 to 45 minutes to pass through, causing severe hardship to employees, students and patients, has now been resolved. Vehicles going to Akhnoor, Poonch, or Rajouri will go directly through the flyover, while local vehicles will run on the road below the flyover.
Earlier, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari sanctioned release of Rs 562.45 crore worth of funds with a view to further boost work on Akhnoor-Poonch National Highway.
The funds were released for upgradation, widening and strengthening of two-lane with paved shoulders.
“The project for upgradation, widening and strengthening of two lanes with paved shoulders (length 35.38 kilometres) under 31 TF on Akhnoor-Poonch road (National Highway 144A) in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been sanctioned at the cost of Rs 562.45 crore,” Gadkari announced in a tweet. (Agencies)

SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Four terrorists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday, police said.
Three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were killed in the Drach area of Shopian, while a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist was killed in the Moolu area of the south Kashmir district, they said.
“Three local #terrorists linked with proscribed #terror outfit JeM killed in #encounter at Drach #Shopian,” Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said on Twitter.
He said a local terrorist of the proscribed outfit LeT was killed in an encounter in Moolu.
In the Drach operation, two of the three killed terrorists were identified as Hanan Bin Yaqoob and Jamshed, Kumar said.
They were involved in the killing of Special Police Officer (SPO) Javed Dar on October 2 at Pinglana in Pulwama and a migrant labourer from West Bengal on September 24 in the district, he said. (Agencies)