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Fresh snowfall snaps road link to Valley
Flights to Ladakh cancelled
Yatra on despite biting cold
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Congress leaders hold closed-door meeting
Governor stresses promotion of Gandhian values
Collective efforts needed to check skewed gender ratio: Experts
Proposed Bill evokes protest from panchayats
Indo-Pak border
Police grills two militants
Experts discuss new findings
on cancer research
Vigilance raids tehsil officer’s house
MLA sanctions Rs 24 lakh for power supply
Daily wagers hold march as talks fail
Erring officials to face the music: Minister
Respond by Feb 27, panel tells Omar
Three men booked for fraud
Death mourned
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Fresh snowfall snaps road link to Valley
Srinagar, February 13 The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was shut due to bad weather, while the air traffic was restored in the afternoon. Areas around the Jawahar tunnel, which links the Jammu region to the Valley, received more than one and half feet of snow since last night, while Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, received nine inches of snow, forcing the authorities to suspend vehicular traffic on the highway. The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, said the authorities were engaged in clearing the snow and the highway was expected to be opened to traffic by late evening or early morning tomorrow. Other places of the Valley also received moderate to heavy snowfall. The Charar-i-Sharief and Yusmarg areas in Budgam district received five inches of snow each, while the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir got 18 inches of snow. Also, the border town of Kupwara received five inches of snow, an official said. The south Kashmir areas of Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, DH Pora, Pahalgam and Tral received two, four, two, 10, 18 and three inches of snow, respectively. Srinagar received a light snowfall but the snow cover melted following moderate rainfall throughout the day. The Divisional Disaster Management Authority has issued a medium avalanche warning for the higher reaches of Banihal and Gulmarg besides areas close to the LoC, including Chowkibal, Tangdhar, Keran, Machil and Gurez. People living above the altitude of 8,000 feet in these areas have been advised not to venture into avalanche-prone areas. While the air traffic on the Srinagar airport got affected in the morning, it was restored in the afternoon and all flights operated, barring the morning GoAir flight. Also, the Kargil Courier between Srinagar and Kargil in the Ladakh region was cancelled. The weather is expected to improve from tomorrow. Meanwhile, a passenger bus, on its way from Kargil to Leh, met with an accident at Lamayuru due to slippery road conditions. Four passengers received minor injuries in the incident, an official said here.
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Flights to Ladakh cancelled
Leh, February 13 During the winter season, air link is the only mode of connectivity between Leh and other parts of the country, as the surface link remains closed to traffic from November till May. Hundreds of passengers were stranded in Delhi, Jammu and Leh. Nawang Tsering, a Ladakhi passenger stranded in Delhi, said over the phone that at least 300 passengers were stranded at the Delhi Airport. A source from the Khushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport at Leh said four scheduled flights, including three from Delhi and one from Jammu, had been cancelled on Monday following inclement weather and heavy snowfall. Snowfall started since early morning on Monday and continued intermittently throughout the day due to which normal life of the people was badly affected. Traffic remained almost off the roads.
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Yatra on despite biting cold
Katra February 13 Helicopter services between Sanjichat and Katra remained affected for the second day today because of poor visibility. Officials of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at Katra said: “The Trikuta hills witnessed fresh snowfall overnight and continued till morning but the yatra is proceeding normally.” They said the cave shrine and Bhairon Ghati also received fresh snowfall. |
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Congress leaders hold closed-door meeting
Jammu, February 13 It is the first time since the formation of the National Conference (NC)-Congress coalition government that the Congress ministers have convened a closed-door meeting like this. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Saifuddin Soz had yesterday asked Congress men to shun their differences to strengthen the party. Although all Congress ministers present at the meeting said it was just a routine sitting in the chamber of Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, sources said today’s three-hour interaction was a well-planned strategy to give a message to the coalition partner. Interestingly not only Congress ministers, but Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir who has been allotted a ministerial berth from the Congress quota was also present at the meeting. Mir belongs to the Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist Democratic Party. Sources said during the interaction Congress ministers devised a strategy on how to adopt an aggressive posture against the NC. “There is a feeling among Congress leaders and workers that the NC has been taking benefit of factionalism in the Congress,” the sources said, adding that after the Peerzada episode, Congress leaders in the state have been left with no option but to iron out their differences. Besides Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, his arch rival Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Taj Mohiuddin, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Ghulam Hassan Mir and Shabir Ahmed Khan were present at the meeting. Three Congress ministers, namely R S Chib, Aijaz Ahmed Khan and Manohar Lal, could not attend the meeting because they were out of station. Incidentally, the two warring factions in the Congress have earlier failed to iron out their differences. One faction owes its allegiance to Soz while the other supported Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. |
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Governor stresses promotion of Gandhian values
Jammu, February 13 The Governor was interacting with Rajiv Vora, chairman, Swaraj Peeth Trust, Delhi, and Dr Niru Vora, both noted Gandhians, who had called on him at Raj Bhavan here today. The Governor stressed the need for spreading awareness among the youth about Mahatma’s teachings of peace and harmony. He called for increasing involvement of students and youth at large in promoting the Gandhian values. The chairman of the Swaraj Peeth Trust briefed the Governor about the activities of the trust towards promoting the Gandhian values, with special focus on propagating the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence. — TNS
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Four-day folk fest kicks off
Jammu, February 13 Addressing the audience, the Governor said showcasing the diverse culture of the state would go a long way in promoting a better understanding between the state and the rest of the country. The Governor lauded the role of the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in promoting sub-regional identities of the state, adding that it could play an vital role in promoting national integration. The Governor was accompanied by wife Usha Vohra. Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Nasir Aslam Wani, and former secretary of the academy and Director, Natrang, Balwant Thakur were also present. On the first day of the festival, 10 music and dance groups from all three regions of the state showcased their talent. The groups that performed today included Khem Raj and party, Ravi Sharma and party, Vishwanath Ratta and party, Sanjeev Shastri and party, Dhamali Dance Centre, Allah Rakha Chichi and party, Qazi Kashmir Theatre, CD Magotra and party, Stanzin and party and Dhani Ram and party. Mittali Gupta conducted the proceedings, while additional secretaries Shamima Akhter and Savita Bakshi presented the welcome address and vote of thanks, respectively. |
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Collective efforts needed to check skewed gender ratio: Experts
Srinagar, February 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rural Health Mission Director Yashpal Sharma said the declining child gender ratio was a major concern for the state as it would lead to serious socio-cultural problems, including gender imbalance, in the population. He said it was a serious issue and should be treated as a wake-up call for all, especially the government. He was speaking at a one-day workshop for CMOs and owners of registered ultrasound clinics of the Kashmir division here yesterday. Sharma, who inaugurated the workshop organised by the J&K Rural Health Mission, said society was heading towards a social imbalance and collective efforts were required to tackle the sensitive issue. He maintained that the declining gender ratio should not be seen only as government responsibility, but also that of the civil society, religious heads and preachers of society. Last year’s census has revealed that all districts of the Valley has fewer than 900 girls for every 1,000 boys in the “below six years” category. The overall gender ratio in the state for this age group has dwindled from 941 in 2001 to 859 in 2011. As a result, the government had cracked down on many ultrasound clinics across the state. Sharma also briefed the delegates about the issues pertaining to the online filling of Form-F under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act. “It is mandatory for every ultrasound clinic to fill the said form for every pregnant woman who comes for ultrasonography in the clinic. The form is also available online at www.pcpndtjk.in,” he added. Later, a meeting of District Programme Managers and Block Programme Managers of Kashmir division was also convened and chaired by the Mission Director to sort out the issues regarding the uploading of data on health management information system (HMIS) and mother and child tracking system (MCTS) web portals in order to improve the quality and quantity of data. |
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Proposed Bill evokes protest from panchayats
Jammu, February 13 A private member Bill has been submitted in the Legislative Assembly for discussion to define powers and functions of MLAs. The proposed Bill has evoked a strong reaction from the panchayat members because it has been mentioned in the Bill that an MLA is the real representative of the whole constituency and creation or empowerment of other authorities in his constituency creates a hurdle in their functioning. There is a consensus among MLAs of all political parties on this Bill which, according to Panchayat members, is a direct interference in their functioning. “We will not allow the state government to undermine the Panchayati Raj institution in the state -- which is the base of a democracy,” asserted Shafiq Mir, convener of the JKPC, while interacting with mediapersons here today. He threatened that all elected panchayat members would resign if any attempt was made to dilute their powers which were defined in the Constitution. Mir, who was addressing a joint press conference along with a large number sarpanches from different parts of Jammu region, sought direct intervention of the Central government to protect democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. “Democracy is never allowed to flourish in the state as the ruling elite wants that powers should remain only with them,” he said and regretted that the ruling party in the state had been “brazenly abusing the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 to erode the authority of the democratic institutions”. While advocating that panchayats would be empowered in the real sense only by extending the 73rd Amendment to the Indian Constitution to the state, Zulfikar, another sarpanch from Rajouri, contested the government claim that the 73rd Amendment would violate Article 370. “When their own interest comes, political leaders never care for Article 370 but when question of delegating powers at grass-roots level comes, political parties start talking about the special status,” he said. |
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Indo-Pak border
Jammu, February 13 In a function organised at the Abdullah post in RS Pura on the international border today, Andrabi, in the presence of the members of the party and civil society celebrated it with the theme ‘friendship trees are deep-rooted’. Dr Andrabi planted olive trees representing love and friendship and also released some pigeons and balloons carrying letters with peace messages for Pakistan with it. Dr Andrabi said, “The relation between India and Pakistan could not come back on the track after the Mumbai terror attack, but we can do our bit to create a message of peace, love and understanding between the two countries.” — TNS
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Police grills two militants
Jammu, February 13 The SP, Operations, Pawan Parihar, said the arrested were being interrogated thoroughly to ascertain whether they had come earlier to the state from Pakistan. The two militants and four others, including a Pakistani woman from Karachi, had entered the state via Nepal, he said. The two militants, identified as Salim Bhat and Nazir Ahmed, had crossed the border in 1995 and 1999, respectively, from the Kupwara sector in Kashmir with the help of a guide for undergoing arms training at a camp in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, said Parihar. They were trained in handling weapons and other arms, said the SP. Interrogation of the arrested militants has revealed that after crossing over to the PoK, they had never returned to the state but “we are still questioning them to establish the facts”, he added. The two militants stayed in a terror camp in the PoK before deserting it and shifting to Karachi where Salim Bhat worked as a servant in a shop and married a girl Ashma there, said the SP. Over the years Ashma bore three children to Salim in Karachi, who were also with them at the time of arrest, he added. We are planning to hand over the children to an NGO shortly, said the officer. |
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Experts discuss new findings
on cancer research
Udhampur, February 13 The symposium focusing on DNA damage, mechanisms of mutagenesis and genetic instability and the relationships between genetic instability and human cancer was the satellite symposium of the Ataxia Telangiectasia International Workshop held in New Delhi last week. Fifteen foreign speakers at the symposium, who are at the forefront of their respective fields and come from a variety of disciplines, included Prof Jessica Tyler; Prof Walter N Hittelman; Prof Bin Wang; Prof Junjie Chen; Prof Leslie A Krushel, Managing Director, Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA; Prof Peter M Burgers, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University, St Louis, USA; Prof Tanya Paull, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, University of Texas, USA; Prof Martin Lavin, Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Australia; Prof Peter McKinnon, Prof Sachin Katyal, St Jude’s Children Research Hospital, USA; Prof Thomas Ludwig, Columbia University, USA; Prof Tej Pandita, UT Southwestern Medical Centers, USA; Prof Altaf Wani, Ohio State University, USA; Prof David A Boothman UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA and Prof Nobuo Horikoshi, UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA. A keynote lecture delivered by Vice-Chancellor of SMVDU Prof RNK Bamezai was the highlight of the inaugural session. Prof Bamezai spoke broadly upon the complex nature of cancer, using breast cancer as a model. He talked in detail about the contributions made by his research group, in the niche area in the past 20 years. Over 130 participants from various institutions participated in the event spread over four sessions, dealing with Ataxia Telangiectasia, DNA damage response, ageing and cancer. The thrust area of the symposium was on new findings, concerning the role of the DNA damage response and cell cycle control in cancer and to discuss new insights in the area of cancer biology and the latest trends in cancer research. A cutting edge research on the molecular mechanisms involved in the repair and processing of the DNA lesions, genome instability and cancer etiology was presented and deliberated upon in the symposium. The symposium gave an opportunity to the faculty, post-doctoral and research students to interact with the invited speakers and to learn about their research activities. It also provided an opportunity to young investigators to participate in a forum and interact with leading investigators in biomedical research. |
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Vigilance raids tehsil officer’s house
Jammu, February 13 The official spokesperson said a team of SVO officials raided the residence of the TSO, Sujjan Singh, and attached his properties, including his house at Subash Nagar, three bank accounts. The TSO originally belongs to Atholi village in Kishtwar district. The disproportionate properties were attached in the presence of independent witnesses. |
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MLA sanctions Rs 24 lakh for power supply
Udhampur, February 13, The decision was taken in view of the public demand made during the tour undertaken by the MLA to redress the grievances of people of the Chenani, Ghordi, Sudmahadev, Panchari and Dudu areas of the constituency who were badly affected by the heavy snowfall. Taking the decision to release the relief from the Constituency Development Fund on the spot, Bhagat instructed the officials
of the Power Develop- ment Department to make extra efforts to restore the power supply at the earliest.
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Daily wagers hold march as talks fail
Katra, February 13 The daily wagers protested against the issuance of a permanent order to an employee, Sunita Devi, who had been working as a computer assistant on a consolidated basis in the MC. The employees questioned the rationale behind the permanent appointment of an employee who had joined the office just a year ago. Whereas there were others who had been working
on a consolidated basis for the past 10 years, they contended. The functioning of the municipal committee was adversely affected for The MC authorities as well as the district administration failed to convince the workers to return to work. No alternative arrangements could be made to regulate the affairs and remove garbage or clear choked drains. The general public, especially the pilgrims visiting the holy cave shrine, had to face a lot of inconvenience. Heaps of garbage remained scattered while drains emanated foul smell. The higher authorities of the Local Bodies Department have advised the protesters against holding rallies and demonstrations. FC Bhagat, Director, Local Bodies, Jammu, said the demands of the daily wagers were not genuine but had been forwarded to the state government. |
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Erring officials to face the music: Minister
Jammu, February 13 She was speaking at a daylong conference convened here to get a feedback on various social welfare schemes besides working out strategies for enhancing the benefits to the people. Stressing strict adherence to the guidelines of various state and centrally sponsored schemes, Sakina exhorted the officials to effectively implement the Take Home Ration (THR) scheme in all 28,000 anganwari centres of the state. The conference was attended by officials of the Child Development Programme and the District Social Welfare Department. Sakina directed the officials to further streamline the functioning of their respective departments for effective implementation of the programmes. “Serving the poor and needy should be every official’s primary concern,” she added. Sakina instructed the directors of the department to plan a strategy for holding review meetings on a regular basis for effective implementation of the
programmes. |
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Respond by Feb 27, panel tells Omar Srinagar, February 13 Justice Bedi, who conducted the proceedings of the commission, granted time to the Chief Minister, his political adviser Devender Rana and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nasir Aslam Wani for filing their response before February 27 to the counter-affidavit filed by the deceased’s family. During the proceedings today, IG, Crime Branch, Raja Aijaz Ali and DSP Bashir Ahmad filed counter-affidavits to the statement of Yousuf’s family. Two other police officers and a doctor filed their statements on an affidavit before the commission. The commission will now meet again on February 28. Omar, Wani, Rana and Ali had submitted their affidavits, through their counsel, before the commission of inquiry on the last date of hearing on February 3. The state government on November 18 had appointed the retired Supreme Court judge as the head of the one-man commission to probe the death of 61-year-old Yousuf in the police custody after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court turned down its request for sparing a sitting judge for conducting the probe. Yousuf was handed over to the IG, Crime Branch, by the Chief Minister on September 29 last year after he allegedly admitted to taking money from two National Conference workers for getting them favours from the government. He died a day later and the medical tests revealed that he had died of a cardiac arrest and there were no external injuries on his body. The commission was asked to complete its probe within six weeks, but due to ‘unavoidable circumstances’ the state government granted a three-month extension on January 7. — PTI
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Jammu, February 13 The accused, identified as Sushil Jain, Rajat Aggarwal and Umesh Aggarwal, hail from Panipat in Haryana. The official spokesperson said a complaint forwarded by the Chief Judicial Magistrate was received in the Crime Branch here — TNS |
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Death mourned
Jammu, February 13 In a meeting of the JCCI held here today, the executive committee of the Chamber expressed its heartfelt condolences on the death of Gupta. The Chamber prayed for peace to the departed soul and strength for the family to bear the loss. Gupta had been associated with the Chamber for more than 25 years. — TNS
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Jammu, February 13
Jammu, February 13
