SRINAGAR: Today's Traveller Magazine has conferred the prestigious "Best Adventure Destination" in the country award on Jammu & Kashmir.

JAMMU: Concerned over regional grid failures last week, Union Power Ministry today issued fresh set of directions to eight Northern States including Jammu and Kashmir for carrying out mandatory reforms with thrust on special protection system for the power grids and automatic demand management scheme. It has also fixed time-lines for the implementation of each direction.

The 12-point directions were chalked out during the meeting of Chief Ministers and representatives from various Northern States and Union Territory of Chandigarh convened by the Union Power Minister, Veerappa Moily.

At least 22 people were trapped in flash floods in Jammu, prompting the authorities to sound an alert in the region. “A flash flood alert has been sounded in Jammu.

Several houses, acres of agricultural land inundated

Twenty-four persons trapped in flash floods were rescued on Sunday by the police, the Army and the locals in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts, where dozens of houses and several acres of agricultural land are still inundated. “Twenty-four people and cattle were rescued from Ujhm Basantar and Tawi rivers in Samba, Jammu and Kathua,” officials said.

*Dal dwellers, KPs get their share

JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in his capacity as Planning Minister, has approved four major sectors as priority areas for the year 2012-13 to utilize Rs 700 crore, which the Planning Commission of India had given to the State Government under the Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) during July 13 meeting with Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Seven people including two minor girls were killed in separate incidents due to flash floods and landslides while property worth lakhs of rupees was damaged due to rains in Jammu region.

PCB claims ‘zero’ discharge from factories

SAMBA: Eight buffaloes were killed while four others fell ill after they consumed poisonous water from a nallah coming from SIDCO Industrial complex Samba to Basantar river this afternoon. The members of the Gujjar community whose cattle were grazing near river Basantar came to know about the matter and rushed there. They found six animals dead and about half a dozen others writhing in pain on the ground. They lodged their strong protest and alleged that their cattle died after they drank polluted poisonous water coming from about twenty factories located in SIDCO complex Samba.

City facing 3 MGL water shortage per day

JAMMU: A mega Rs 1008 crore water supply project is being prepared to cater to the need of drinking water by lifting it from river Chenab near Akhnoor for the Greater Jammu while the city is still facing a shortage of nearly 3 MGL (30 lakh gallons) of water per day. Authoritative sources told Excelsior that the State Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already given a nod to the project which will be completed in two phases. The project has been designed to cater to the need of water supply for the Greater Jammu for the next 30 years. The river Tawi has been found inadequate to meet the demand of water supply for over 13 lakh souls or more in next one decade.

JAMMU: At least six persons were killed in land slides, house collapse and flash floods as the heavy rain created havoc in the region since last evening.

The traffic was disrupted on several roads for some time in the region as flash flood in various nallahs and land slides put the normal life out of gear. The traffic on busy Samba-Mansar- Udhampur-Srinagar road came to grind halt after land slides hit the road at Papar Morh near Nud last mid night. The traffic on the road could be restored only around 10.30 am today.

SRINAGAR: The State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) headed by Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, approved the Action Plan 2012-13 for Rs 112.08 crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) in a meeting held here Thursday.

Under the Plan Rs 12 crore has been earmarked for implementation of vegetable initiative for urban clusters of the state, Rs 50 crore for Saffron and Rs 14.91 crore for Development of Diary, Goatry, fisheries, sheep and poultry.

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