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Encroachments reappear along Sindh
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Quake victim living a miserable life
Mufti slams govt for delay in investigating killings
Ambulances to get ‘VIP treatment’ on city roads
Rural women revert to traditional cooking mode
Hotel employee found dead
KU goes strict on punctuality norms
Agriculture Department organises Farm Machinery Mela
11 injured in road accidents
Village youth join hands to curb timber smuggling
Militant held in Handwara
Minister reviews availability of essential items in Valley
Award for singer Kailash Mehra
Carrom championship concludes
MLA Rashid nominates 2 sarpanches
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Encroachments reappear along Sindh
Srinagar, November 15 The high court is hearing a PIL seeking judicial intervention in checking pollution and illegal constructions along the banks of the Sindh in the area. The directions by a double Bench of the court came following ‘verbal’ submissions by the litigant lawyer that there were reports of illegal constructions along the banks of the river. In September, the Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal in his compliance report to the court had submitted that “all illegal encroachments and illegal constructions along the banks of the Sindh” in the Sonamarg and Kangan areas of Ganderbal district had been “demolished.” However, as the PIL came up for hearing before a double Bench this week, advocate Ghulam Ahmad Lone, the counsel representing the litigant in the PIL, submitted that there were reports that illegal construction was still going on in the area. This prompted the Bench to direct Ajaz Ahmad, one of the Registrars of the high court to carry out an on-the-spot investigation and submit his report within two weeks. The Sindh, which is a rivulet, originates from Gumri Glacier ahead of Baltal, Sonamarg, in north-east Kashmir. Before merging with the Jhelum in Ganderbal, several fresh water streams join it downstream, including the Amarnath nullah, Sonamarg nullah and Shutkuri nullah, giving it a shape of a big river. In June 2011, the high court had directed the authorities to remove all illegal encroachments and structures along the Sindh that had come up in violation of the Kashmir Valley Embankment Act, 1992. Subsequently, the court had asked Mir in July this year to file his compliance report explaining the steps and measures taken to remove the illegal constructions. Illegal Constructions
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Quake victim living a miserable life
Kupwara November 15 Farooq, a graduate, went to Pakistan in 1991 to see his two uncles and got a job in an NGO Ansar Barmi Welfare Trust. Later in 1994, he got married to Shafqat Farooq, a resident of Muzaffarabad, and started leading his life but fate had something else in store for him. He was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life in 2005. “My spinal cord was badly damaged in the earthquake as I was almost buried under the walls of my in-laws’ house in Center Plate Muzaffarabad. I received some treatment at Rawalpindi hospital for few days and on the advice of doctors, I was taken to Sheikh Abu Khalifa Medical City Hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where two major surgeries were performed on me in two weeks. But in spite of surgeries, my life got confined to a wheelchair,” said Farooq. He lost his lone 12-year-old daughter Maria in the quake. After his return to his native Tanghdar village in May 2007, life became more hellish for him. He says after verification by different agencies, including the police, he was promised rehabilitation and support by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on two occasions. But rehabilitation apart, official apathy forced him to buy even a wheelchair himself. “After going through my application for scholarship or a job and seeing me confined to a wheelchair, the Chief Minister On June 30, 2009, in Khodpora Tanghdar, re-assured me that he will personally ensure all possible support to me, including the means of sustenance. In 2010, I met the Chief Minister again at Tanghdar helipad to remind him of his promise and requested him for the necessary help but to date nothing has been done,” said Farooq. In the absence of suitable means of sustenance, Farooq Ahmad and his wife are living a miserable life. The only means of income is a paltry Rs 200 per month, which he gets from the Department of Social Welfare. “At times, we are forced to stay hungry for days. I appeal the authorities, especially the Chief Minister, to support me in the rest of my life,” he said. Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo told The Tribune, “I will ask the District Social Welfare Officer concerned to look into the matter and take necessary steps to alleviate his problems, if any.” |
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Mufti slams govt for delay in investigating killings
Srinagar, November 15 He said this while addressing the party workers at Shopian in south Kashmir. He said it had resulted in “cynicism among the people about the kind of democracy practised in the state under any National Conference-led dispensation.” Stating that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s announcement about the withdrawal of FIRs against the youth too ‘proved false’, he said: “Not even children are being spared and some of them have been booked on serious charges of waging a war against the state, have been paraded in handcuffs and jailed with hardened criminals.” “The present government, it seems, has from day one resolved not to do anything that helped the common man or provided justice to the people. The incident of 2009 in which two young women lost their lives in Shopian was a nightmarish inauguration of the NC-Congress coalition, which marked a complete reversal of the efforts to revive the rule of law in the state,” Mufti added. He said it was unfortunate that the government was “using the increased arrivals of tourists as a propaganda tool for normalcy without paying attention to infrastructure building that is required to add value to the tourism sector.” Mufti alleged that the state had been converted into a “begging bowl” through the wrong policies of the NC.
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Ambulances to get ‘VIP treatment’ on city roads
Srinagar, November 15 “The ambulances will get a VIP treatment for the benefit of patients and the dry run will start from Saturday. During this exercise, we will find out the time taken by an ambulance to reach a hospital after getting assistance from our department against the normal course of time,” SP Traffic Haseeb-ur-Rehman told The Tribune. He said directions had been issued to the police officers concerned to facilitate the swift movement of ambulances. “In case of emergencies, the ambulances can even ignore the traffic signals as necessary directions would be passed to the staff on ground,” he added. The modalities to ensure smooth movement of ambulances within Srinagar city and from rural areas had been taken up during a meeting held recently that was chaired by DIG Traffic Showkat Ahmad Watli. It was decided that all information with regard to the movement of ambulances carrying serious and critical patients to and from the hospitals shall be logged by the Traffic Police Control
Room as soon as it receives the information. After receiving the information from an authorised medical officer from the referral hospital regarding the movement of an ambulance carrying critical patient, the control room would immediately convey the departure time and route taken by the said ambulance to the traffic police officials concerned. In case of protests, the traffic officers concerned would divert the said ambulance to alternative route for its smooth passage. The Superintendent of Police said nodal officers of the Health Department besides Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura and Government Medical College (GMC) and its associated hospitals would coordinate with the traffic police during this exercise. |
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Rural women revert to traditional cooking mode
Srinagar, November 15 Women from the rural Valley say cooking on firewood has become easier as well as cheaper than using LPG and hence the most secured way of cooking this winter would be using ‘Daans’. Although young women are not used to these conventional modes of cooking, the time has come for them to learn some skills from their grannies and mothers on the usage of a ‘Daan’. “Daan is a cooking system which requires regular maintenance. You have to ensure that it is well built and of good quality clay, which requires consistent layering with mud,” says Saleema Banoo, a housewife. While the sophisticated modern-day ovens, which consume a lot of electricity, are seemingly turning to be useless during winters with limited power supply, ‘Daans’ can actually become a viable option especially during harsh winters. Rural women have made some preparations before hand by collecting ample amount of firewood logs for using it during winters. “Since the weather is quite dry right now, this is the best time to go in nearby forests and collect raw material for winters. After snowfall, it will be very difficult to search for firewood,” Mehmooda, who lives in Trenz village of Shopian, said. With urban women queuing up outside various LPG dealers and public department depots, rural women might have turned lucky while reviving the traditional way of cooking. “I don’t think this would be possible for city women. Where do we get firewood from? The state government has put strict regulations in place, which ban the cutting down of trees and little firewood/ charcoal available is generally used for heating purposes,” opined Asifa, a resident of Srinagar. |
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Hotel employee found dead
Srinagar, November 15 The deceased has been identified as Suresh Kumar Raina, hailing from Proungus, Marwah, Kishtwar, Jammu region. He was working at Hotel Purnima, Pahalgam. The body was handed over to his relatives for the last rites. The Pahalgam police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC. Meanwhile, Nazir Ahmad, a labourer, died after being buried under a mound of soil while working in Budgam. — TNS |
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KU goes strict on punctuality norms
Srinagar, November 15 The university registrar Prof. Zafar Ahmad Reshi issued these guidelines on Wednesday. The circular directs the teaching and non-teaching staff members in each department to be present in the campus during working hours, and not leave without seeking prior permission from the head of department (HoD) concerned. The circular also mentions that any irregularities in attendance of the teaching and non-teaching staff members would be attributed to the authority concerned to whom the staffers report to. Sources said for the first time, circular has been issued regarding punctuality rules for staffers issued in the varsity. It was alleged that f senior faculty members were not reporting on time. The number of casual off days taken by any staffer has also come under the purview of this circular and nobody in the teaching as well as non-teaching faculty is now allowed to take casual leave without a written assertion by a competent authority. Teachers and non-teaching staffers can also face punitive action under service rules for neglect of punctuality while discharging their duties. Students demand GATE centre in Srinagar
Students of the university are gearing up for two national-level competitive examinations, UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Entrance Test and Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) which are being conducted soon. They have expressed their concern with the non-availability of a local GATE examination centre in the Valley. The absence of an examination centre compels the students to move outside the Valley for taking the examination. Although, all other major national-level competitive examinations like UGC NET, All India Entrance Examinations (AIEEE), Indian Administrative Service Examinations (IAS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) examinations are being held at the local centres in Kashmir, the same is not the case with GATE examinatin. “We are demanding that the University of Kashmir, in collaboration with National Institute of Technology (NIT), should come at a consensus with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the examination conducting authority, to arrange an examination centre in Kashmir,” Mubashir, a GATE aspirant said. Business school’s placement drive in full swing
Jobs are raining from all sides for the students of The Business School, Kashmir University, as five leading corporate companies based in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai visited the campus for recruitments over the past few weeks. Among these corporate companies, Standard Chartered Bank, Godrej Pvt Ltd, Bajaj Allianz and Saint Gobain were the major recruiters. Kashmir University Vice Chancellor Prof.Talat Ahmad was all praises for the varist’ school team of students and teachers for being successful to establish a strong link between the campus and the corporate sector. “Business Schools have to develop a strong corporate interface and placement office is a vital link that connects the Business Schools with the industry and vice versa,” he said. |
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Agriculture Department organises Farm Machinery Mela
Srinagar, November 15 As a part of this initiative, a mela was organised today at Krala Chek Keller in Shopian district, a government spokesman said here. He said a large number of farmers from the area attended the mela, where several authorised dealers displayed different kinds of agriculture machineries. “On this occasion, Director Law Enforcement J&K, MS Kutoo said the farm production should have to be proportionate with the population explosion. He asked field extension agencies to strive hard to bridge the gap between demand and production,” the spokesman said. “Farmers of the sub-division Keller purchased various farm machineries, including two Tractors, 60 irrigation pump sets, 5 tillers, 30 foot sprayers and 16 poly green houses. The Department of Agriculture will provide Rs 10.83 lakh as subsidy component to the farmers on these purchases,” he added.
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11 injured in road accidents
Srinagar, November 15 A Tata LP vehicle with registration number JK013/3530 rammed into a tree at Baygund, Awantipora, in the jurisdiction of the Awantipora police station. As many as eight students of Hajji Ahad Public school, Awantipora, were injured in the accident. All the injured were shifted to Public Health Centre, Dadsara, Tral. Among the injured Afshana Binish, 14, a daughter of Bashir Ahmad resident of Sangrama, was referred to SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar, for the further treatment. The police has registered a case in this regard. In a hit-and-run case at north Kashmir area of Payerpora, Kupwara, a Maruti car bearing registration number HP51/2994 driven by Jaffer Ahmad Ganie, a resident of Payerpora, hit Mohammad Ishfaq Payer, a resident of Payerpora. The injured was shifted to a hospital for the treatment. Meanwhile in another mishap, a motorcyclist Naseer Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Pethpora Asham and his pillion Ashiq Hussain Koul were injured while a truck bearing registration number JK01C/8200 hit their motorcycle. The injured were later shifted to hospital for the treatment.
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Village youth join hands to curb timber smuggling
Kupwara, November 15 “A team of the police and forest officials reached the spot and seized the illicit timber,” said Irfan Khan, a Kanibhack resident. They said they would not allow the timber smugglers to unleash loot in the forests. “Forests are a rich natural resource and it is the moral duty of every person to protect them. For the past many years, timber smugglers have thinned the thick green forests. It is high time that the smugglers should be stopped from indulging in this illegal practice,” said Farooq Khan. The youths said they would visit the forests in groups at regular intervals and anybody found involved in timber smuggling would be handed over to the police. They also intend to spread awareness about the importance of forests to mankind and the affect of deforestation on the environment. “We will visit schools and spread awareness through posters about the significance of forests. We expect full cooperation from the police and forest officials in this regard,” said a local youth. Inspired by this move of the youth, elderly people in the village have decided to extend their full cooperation in this noble work. “Awareness among youth on such an important matter is a good thing. We hope more youth will be motivated to join them in this noble cause,” said Abdul Rashid, a senior citizen. A senior forest official, hailing the efforts of youth, said they would provide full support of the department. "Awareness among youth is a good sign. With their continued support, timber smuggling in the remote villages would be curbed in due course of time," he hoped.
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Militant held in Handwara
Srinagar, November 15 The police arrested a trained HM militant during a naka checking at Chotipora, Handwara. He has been identified as Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Shanoo in Handwara.The police has registered a case in this regard. |
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Minister reviews availability of essential items in Valley
Srinagar, November 15 At the meeting, HPCL senior sales officer said the company had started home delivery of LPG cylinders form Monday. He said HPCL would provide a gas connection to a member of each family and as a matter of the fact, it has been observed that each individual of a family is submitting necessary documents for registration in three different oil companies. The officer appealed the people that they should strictly adhere to the norms by submitting their form to only one firm so that each family can be facilitated. The minister directed the gas companies to monitor the distribution process carried out by the distributors so that it could be conducted smoothly and judiciously. The officers of the Legal Metrology told at the meeting to intensify the market checking so that the profiteers do not sell essential commodities at high rates especially during auspicious days like Muharram-ul-Harram. The minister directed the regional transport officer Kashmir to ensure proper transport facilities on all routes till late in the evening and also put a check on over charging of Sumo drivers from commuters.
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Award for singer Kailash Mehra
Srinagar, November 15 The award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000. The awardees were selected by a panel, including SaMaPa chairman, prominent musician Bhajan Sopori and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. Kailash is being honoured for her contribution to the Kashmir’s music fraternity. She is being awarded with the likes of Governor of Assam, Janaki Ballav Patnaik, being conferred SaMaPa Kala Vardhan Samman for his contribution to culture and art industry. The awards will be presented to them at the two-day 'SaMaPa Sangeet Sammelan' to be held in Kamani Auditorium here from November 24. Vidhushi Shanno Khurana and Pandit Manilal Nag have been chosen for 'SaMaPa Vitasta Award' for their contribution to Hindustani music while S Sahaya Ranjit is being honoured with 'SaMaPa Acharya Abhinavgupt Samman' for his contribution as a music critic. Upcoming vocalists Ritesh and Rajnish Mishra have been selected for 'SaMaPa Yuva Rattan Samman'. The festival will feature a mix of young generation musicians like Sufi diva Ragini Rainu, Santoor maestro and composer Abhay Rustum Sopori, vocalists Ritesh Mishra, Rajnish Mishra, Parthapratim Das, Ram Shankar, Shailendra Goswami and others, including senior and legendary musicians Vidushi Shanno Khurana (vocal), Pt. Manilal Nag (Sitar), Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (sitar), Pt. Brij Narayan (sarod) and Vidushi Geeta Chandran (dance).
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Carrom championship concludes
Srinagar, November 15 A large number of youth, including students, across district Srinagar participated in the competition, a police spokesman said. The competition was organised in the three categories- senior, under-18 and under-14 -in both segments of men and women, the spokesman said. Giving further details, he said in the senior men category, Ajaz Koul was the winner while Waseem Bashir clinched the under-18 title and Ilham bagged a title in the under-14 category. “In the women’s category, Adfar Jaan bagged the winner’s title in the senior group, while Iram bagged the under-18 winner’s title. Harmeet Kour won the competition in under-14 category,” he said. Senior Superintendant of Police Srinagar Aashiq Hussain Bukhari distributed the prizes among the winners. He impressed upon the youth to focus equally on studies and sports for the better future, the spokesman said.
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MLA Rashid nominates 2 sarpanches
Srinagar, November 15 Shabir Ahmad Rather and Nazir Ahmad War, both are sarpanches from north Kashmir, will contest the polls. “The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting convened at Handwara today. About 300 panches and sarpanches from Langate and adjoining areas have attended the meeting,” a spokesman of MLA Rashid said. He said at the meeting, it was unanimously decided to field Shabir Ahmad Rather and Nazir Ahmad War as the candidates to contest the elections. The spokesman stated, “MLA Langate in his address has appealed panches and sarpanches of the Valley to rise to the occasion and vote for his candidates, who will work for empowering the Panchayati Raj Institution in the state and will strive for the resolution of Kashmir issue.” Majority of the speakers at the meeting stated that both ruling coalition and main opposition party have failed to help in resolving political and day-to-day problems of the Kashmiri People, the spokesman added. |
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Srinagar, November 15
Srinagar, November 15
Srinagar, November 15
