Surrendered militant killed in blast
SRINAGAR, Dec 12 — A counter-insurgent was killed and his wife and son seriously injured in a powerful explosion in Kupwara district while four militants and the brother of a detained militant commander were killed and three militant hideouts smashed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since last evening.

Relief work: notice to 13 NGOs
JAMMU, Dec 12 — The Centre has approved various measures to mitigate the impact of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Survey work on gas pipeline over
SRINAGAR, Dec 12 — Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Ram Naik has said survey work to lay the Jalandhar-Udhampur gas pipeline has been completed and the report is expected by January next year.

Surrendered militant killed in blast

SRINAGAR, Dec 12 (PTI) — A counter-insurgent was killed and his wife and son seriously injured in a powerful explosion in Kupwara district while four militants and the brother of a detained militant commander were killed and three militant hideouts smashed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since last evening.

The militants triggered a powerful blast in the house of surrendered militant Abdul Hamid Ganai at Cherkote in Kupwara last night killing him and injuring his wife and son, an official spokesman said here today.

Ganai was actively working with the army after his surrender and was on the hit-list of the militants, he said.

The spokesman said militants barged into the house of one Mohammad Yousuf Dar at Chak-e-Seri in the Pattan area of Baramula district last evening and opened indiscriminate fire injuring Dar. He succumbed to his injuries in a hospital early today.

Official sources said the victim was a Pakistan-trained militant and younger brother of detained Muslim Mujahideen Commander Mohammad Ahsan Dar, the first commander-in-chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, who later left the organisation to form the Muslim Mujahideen before his arrest about five years ago.

Security forces, meanwhile averted a major tragedy when they defused a powerful improvised explosive device at Shopian.

The spokesman said two militants identified as Latif Ahmad and Mohammad Imran were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Anderwan in the Ganderbal area on the outskirts of Srinagar last night.

Two AK assault rifles, an equal number of wireless sets, a telescopic sight and a grenade launcher were recovered.

In other incidents, two militants fell to the bullets of security forces during search operations at Chamani-Kandi in Rajouri and Singhpora-Katra in Doda district of Jammu region last night, the spokesman said.

Security forces also nabbed an ultra with some explosives during search operations at Mahore in Rajouri yesterday.

They also busted four other militant hideouts in different parts of the state and seized arms and ammunition, he said.

Relief work: notice to 13 NGOs
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Dec 12 — The Centre has approved various measures to mitigate the impact of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

This was stated by the Union Minister of State for Home, Mr Vidya Sagar Rao, here today. He was addressing a press conference after visiting various areas in Jammu. The minister stated Rs 274 crore had already been allocated for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.

Referring to the compensation of immovable property damaged due to militancy, he said out of 5870 claims of migrant families as many as 5100 cases had already been settled.

The minister said the Union Government had contributed Rs 6 crore in addition to Rs 1 crore from Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the rehabilitation of widows and orphans in Jammu and Kashmir. This was part of a Rs 8.28 crore 'corpus fund' set up by the Centre.

The Union Minister visited border relief migrant camps at Devipur and Kashmiri migrants' camps at Purkhu.

Answering questions, Mr Rao said efforts were on to encourage NGOs for providing relief to such victims. He however, said action would be taken against those NGOs which were not adhering to the prescribed norms before providing relief to the victims. Show cause notices had already been issued to 13 such NGOs for not adhering to the prescribed norms.

In reply to queries on the Pak backed militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the minister said the situation was under control. This was better than the early nineties. He said the government would come out with a White Paper on the ISI "as early as possible".

Accompanied by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, representing the Udhampur constituency and senior BJP leader and MP from Jammu, Mr Vaid Vishnu Dutt and others, Mr Rao visited the seema suraksha sammelan in the afternoon.

Survey work on gas pipeline over

SRINAGAR, Dec 12 (PTI) — Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Ram Naik has said survey work to lay the Jalandhar-Udhampur gas pipeline has been completed and the report is expected by January next year.

The pipeline will ease to a great extent various problems faced by Jammu and Kashmir on account of the supply of LPG and other petroleum products, the minister said yesterday while dedicating a modern LPG bottling plant to the people of the state.

The plant is capable of bottling 4,500 LPG cylinders in a single shift at Pampore in Pulwama district. It has been constructed by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited at a cost of Rs 10.50 crore.

Mr Naik said the subsidy on kerosene and LPG would go by the year 2002.

He said "the subsidy will be gradually reduced" and finally done away with.

The minister said LPG would be allowed to be used for the running of automobiles in the country after acquiring the relevant certificates from the users.