Polling begins in 321 wards in First phase of municipal elections in J&K

Agencies
October 8, 2018

Srinagar, Oct 8: Polling commenced in 321 wards in the first of the four phase Municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir amidst unprecedented security arrangements following general strike called by separatists and apprehension of militant attempt to disrupt the process.

The polling began at 0700 hrs on a dull note as hardly any voting was visible during the first hour in Kashmir valley, where polling will be held in 57 Municipal Committee and Municipal Corporation spread over six districts, including in summer capital, Srinagar.

However, the situation in Jammu and Ladakh region was entirely different as voters were seen moving towards polling booths to exercise their democratic right.

Thousands of security forces and state police personnel, wearing bullet proof jackets and headgear, were deployed to provide safe and secure environment to voters to cast their votes.

Interestingly there was absolutely no campaigning by candidates who remained confined to secure zones after the killing of two workers of National Conference (NC) in broad day light in the old city at Karfali Mohalla Habba Kadal. The names of candidates were also kept secret for security reasons.

Polling started in all the 150 polling stations spread over eight districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara, Anantnag, Bandipora and Badgam in Kashmir valley and Leh and Kargil in Ladakh region where the fate of 204 candidates will be decided in 83 wards.

Out of 74 wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), polling in the first phase was being held in three wards of Humhama, Bagh-e-Mehtab and Hamdaniya Colony Bemina, where eight candidates are in the fray. The authorities had set up 35 polling stations for the voters. Not a single candidate had filed nomination in one ward of the SMC. There are 310 candidates contesting from 73 of SMC.

The NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) besides Communist Party of India (M) have stayed away from the polls on the issue of Article 35 A as the political parties wanted centre and state to clear their stand on the issue. Congress initially announced not to contest the polls but later took a U-turn and decided to field candidates. However, Governor Satya Pal Malik questioned NC and PDP boycott and said when both the parties took part in Kargil Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil the issue of Article 35 A was there. These parties are misleading people and trying to take political mileage in Assembly elections.

Polling started on a very dull note in three wards of SMC. However, polling has picked up as the day progressed in Hamdania colony where about 100 votes were polled during the first 90 minutes. People could still be seen arriving at polling station. However, voters were not allowing videographers and photographers to take their photos for security reasons.

But, the situation in Humhama was entirely different as only one vote was polled during the first one hour where a BJP candidate had cast his vote.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), J&K, Shaleen Kabra said that in the first phase of Municipal Polls-2018 voting will take place at 820 polling stations across the State on Monday. The polling time, he said will be from 0700 hrs to 1600 hrs.

He said 150 polling stations have been designated for voting in Kashmir Division and 670 in Jammu Division. “In Kashmir Division 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu Division 52 polling stations have been categorised hypersensitive,” he said and added that for the Phase-I, 78 candidates have already been elected unopposed.

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Mangaluru: The Mangalore International Airport (MIA) will connect to a new domestic destination with the introduction of a non-stop flight to Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu. 

The non-stop service, once-a-week, will operate on Wednesday (from TIA) and Thursday (from MIA), starting April 3. Air India Express will operate the flight.

The flight is expected to help those taking up a pilgrimage to Vailankani shrine.

Sources from the AIE said that the airline carrier decided to fly non-stop between the two southern Indian cities as a flight to Jeddah, which will start from April 3, arrives from Tiruchirappalli International Airport. 

“It is a ferry or positional flight from TIA to MIA. Instead of flying empty, the management has decided to run it as a commercial flight. This will help both passengers and the airline. The airline will deploy Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a 186-seater all-economy configuration on this route. 

The same flight, after landing in MIA, will further fly to Jeddah,” a source said. 

The flight IX 1498 will depart every Thursday at 5am from MIA to TIA. The TIA-MIA flight IX 1499 departs at 12.50pm. It is a one-hour nonstop flight. The same flights will also operate nonstop between Jeddah and MIA. 

The non-stop flight IX 499 will depart MIA at 2.50pm and reach King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah at 6.25pm. The IX498, will depart from Jeddah at 7.25pm and reach MIA early at 3.40am.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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At least seven people have been killed when Israeli warplanes bombed an emergency center in southern Lebanon near the border with the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories with air-to-surface missiles, according to Lebanese security sources.

Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity said early on Wednesday that the strike targeted the Islamic Group’s emergency and relief center in Lebanon’s southern village of Habbariyeh.

Jamaa Islamiya, a Lebanese group closely linked to the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said in a statement that “a number” of people had been killed, and called the strike a “heinous crime.”

An official from the group said “seven rescuers” were killed in the aerial assault.

Another Jamaa Islamiya official, also requesting anonymity, said a dozen medical staff were in the emergency center at the time of the strike, adding that bodies were being pulled from the rubble.

Lebanese lawmaker Hassan Mrad said “the Israeli aggression on Habbariyeh adds to the long list of Israeli crimes.”

Israel has been launching air strikes against Lebanon since the beginning of its onslaught against the Gaza Strip in early October.

An Israeli strike knocked down part of a building in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on February 14, killing seven members of the same family, including a child, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said. A boy initially reported missing was found alive under the rubble.

In a separate Israeli attack, a woman and her two children were killed in the village of as-Sawana in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli regime launched its devastating hostilities in the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the territory’s Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.

Israel's raids have resulted in retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

The movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the Tel Aviv regime continues its onslaught on Gaza.

The Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed at least 32,414 people, most of them women and children. Another 74,787 individuals have also been wounded.

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News Network
March 22,2024

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday produced Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal before the Rouse Avenue court and sought a 10-day custody in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. "Kejriwal was the kingpin of the scam," the ED reportedly told the court after the AAP chief was produced before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja around 2 pm amid tight security. 

ASG S V Raju was appearing for the agency, while Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Kejriwal. 

Raju in his argument said Kejriwal was "directly involved in formulation of the (liquor) policy... he was involved in handling of proceeds of crime as well in the Goa election campaign."

"The expert committee was constituted but it was a sham committee. The policy was made in such a manner that it would enable the taking of bribes and recoupment of people who gave the bribes," the ED counsel said. 

Kejriwal was produced in the trial court shortly after he withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal's counsel said he would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and then come back to the apex court with another petition.

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