Srinagar, December 23
Former minister and senior leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Abdul Rehman Veeri said the “prevailing anarchy and chaos” was a result of the failure of the state government in solving day-to-day problems of the common man.

Veeri said this while addressing a one-day convention of party workers at Mattan Town Hall here.

A PDP spokesman while quoting Veeri said common masses were confronting a number of problems because the ruling party was adopting a casual approach towards solving the basic issues. Veeri said the Valley was suffering the worst ever power crisis and non-availability of essential foodgrains and items in ration depots.

“Situation in the state has been deteriorating with eachpassing day and the government seems helpless,” the PDP leader said.

Srinagar, December 23
With the onset of winter vacations, many families here have started packing their bags off to warmer zones outside Kashmir and even the country.

The airlines have taken it as an opportunity to increase the airfares significantly as Christmas and New Year eves are also round the corner, but people are feeling the pinch.

Road travel is a not a preferred mode of transportation for people due to an unpredictable weather in the Valley during the winters.

Besides, frequent closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway also renders travelling by road practically impossible for a couple of months.

As a result of this, prices of air tickets increase by almost double or triple the usual rates.

Most of the flights which take off from the Srinagar Airport to Delhi cost anywhere between Rs 7,000-Rs 13,000 per seat (economy) at this time of the year. Normally, the air fares range somewhere between Rs 3,000-Rs 5,000.

Last minute booking is even more expensive as its costs around Rs 15,000. Surge in airfares is almost predictable during the winter which also leads to advance booking months before the flying time.

“Usually, families opt for packages months before their scheduled flying time which leads to booked flights. Any last minute purchase of air tickets is obviously costs much more as there are hardly any tickets available,” said Muhammad Sultan, a travel agent.

Families plan for their vacations long before the arrival of winters in Kashmir and therefore prefer to buy tickets at cheaper rates. But for businessmen and other people who need to travel for urgent reasons, rising air fares are burdensome.

“I have to book a return trip ticket from Srinagar to Delhi as I need to be there for work-related purpose. Almost all airlines are charging around Rs 25,000. I cannot postpone the trip,” said Ghulam Muhammad Beigh, a businessman.

There are other reasons as well that compel people to take air route since, for example, the road travel along the national highway becomes more accident prone due to frequent snowfall during this time of the year.

Baramulla, December 23
Four houses were gutted in a major fire in Khanpora village of Baramulla district last night. There was no loss to life in the incident, reports said. The cause of fire could not be ascertained.

Reports said the fire broke out in a house owned by Haroon Wani and Gowhar Wani in Janbaz Gunj Khanpora village of Baramulla district around 2 am. The fire 
soon engulfed the adjoining houses of Zahoor Ahmad Wani, Akash Wani, Iqbal Wani and Asif Wani. The fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was doused but not before it had destroyed the houses completely. The residents said strong winds turned the fire even more destructive and the houses were razed to the ground in 40 minutes.

“The houses, including two wooden structures, were destroyed in fire. Nothing could be saved but thankfully there was no loss of life in the incident,” said Jameel Ahmad, a local resident.

Some villagers alleged that a delay by fire tenders led to extensive damage.

“By the time fire tenders reached the spot, the flames had destroyed most of the houses. The tenders had to cover only 2 km to reach the spot but they took around 25 minutes,” Basharat a trader of Khanpora said.

The victims appealed to the government to compensate them for loss and make alternative arrangements of their rehabilitation during the winter months.

“It is difficult to survive without a shelter in harsh winters. We make a fervent appeal to the government to make alternative arrangements for the ongoing winter season. The authorities should also give us compensation for the loss,” said Haroon Wani whose house was gutted in fire.

The house of one Haji Mohammad Akbar Gujal in Naranag village of Ganderbal was also destroyed in fire last night, police said.

Handwara, December 23
Humans and livestock are increasingly falling prey to attacks by predatory animals in Handwara of Kupwara district of late.

In a recent spate of attacks, bears have attacked and injured five persons including a woman in many villages of Handwara tehsil. Villages reeling under the scare of wild animals are Rajwar, Chogal, Kultoora, Guloora, Hangishot, Pohrupat, Bungam, Kralgund, Ashpora, Shahlal and Ganipora.

Reports said in many villages across north Kashmir,

There has been an intensive movement of wild animals which has become a cause of concern among the residents.

In last few days, among those attacked by bears include Sara Begum of Kultoora, Abdul Ahad Dar of Bungam, Bashir Ahmad Dar of Guloora and Mohd Akbar Wani of Hanjishot.

A bear on Thursday evening attacked Sara Begum near her house. The animal mauled her and she was rescued after the locals raise an alarm. The victim is battling for her life at Sher-i Kashmir Hospital Soura in Srinagar.

“The bear pounced on her and ate her thigh. We rushed to the spot and raised an alarm. The animal fled from the spot leaving her in a pool of blood,” Mohd Ramzan Dar of Kultoora said.

In another incident, a bear attacked Abdul Ahad Dar of Bungam in a nearby paddy field around 5 pm on Wednesday. The animal chopped jaw of the victim before fleeing from the spot after few locals gathered there. The victim was taken to a hospital in Handwara where doctors referred him to a Srinagar hospital for specialised treatment.

“He is battling for life at the SMHS hospital. The animal chopped his lower jaw and also a portion of neck. Doctors have put him on ventilator as his condition continues to deteriorate with each passing day,” said Rayees Ahmad, a relative of the victim. Residents of the affected villages have threatened to lodge protests if the department concerned did not take immediate measures to deal with the menace.

The local residents said 10 to 14 bears were on prowl in Handwara villages. They said dozens of cattle had been devoured by the animals of prey during the past one week.

Shabir Ahmad of Hanjishot said, “We have to accompany children to and fro to their tuition centres. The animals, mostly bears, are on prowl in villages. They are roaming freely and pose great threat to humans and the livestock.”

Ghulam Mohi-u-din, a Wildlife Department official, said due to the recent snowfall in upper reaches, animals have started coming down thus encroaching upon human habitation.

Despite a shortage of manpower, the department is making efforts to deal with the problem, he said.

“When informed about the presence of predatory animal, we used a tranquiliser on a bear in Mangalpora yesterday and later removed the animal to a wildlife park. Despite staff shortage, we make all efforts to reach villages where movement of animals has intensified during the past few days,” the official said. 

Srinagar, December 23
Night temperature plummeted four degrees below the freezing point in Srinagar city. The severity of cold was felt more in the region as Chillai Kalaan, the 40-day harshest spell of winter which began earlier this week, strengthened its hold in Kashmir.

On the third day of Chillai Kalaan- that began Friday last week- the night temperature plunged several notches below the freezing point across the region.

Chillai Kalaan is time when roads gather frost, water supply freezes and residents shiver in cold.

Mercury around the Srinagar city, the main town in the region, plummeted to minus four degrees Celsius, so far the lowest of the season and two degree below the average normal for this time of the year. The city temperature on the previous night had fallen to minus 3.4 degree Celsius.

The maximum day-time temperature in the city was recorded at 9.9 degree Celsius, a Meteorological Department official said.

The state Meteorological Department said the weather is likely to remain dry in the region till Monday evening.

Last week, the arrival of western disturbances had resulted in moderate to heavy snowfall and rains in the region.

The Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir recorded an exceptionally cold night with mercury falling to a low of minus 7.6 degree Celsius and at Pahalgam resort in south Kashmir the night temperature fell to minus 7.4 degree Celsius.

Leh town in the remote Ladakh region also recorded the season's coldest night with mercury dropping to 17.0 degree Celsius while the adjoining Kargil district recorded a low of minus 11.6 degree Celsius, the official said.

The day temperature in Leh district went upto zero degree Celsius, the official said.

The minimum temperature in Ladakh region usually hovers at many degrees below freezing point in winter. The Ladakh region remains cut off from the rest of the state for most of the winter as heavy snow along the Srinagar-Leh road shuts access to the mountainous Ladakh.

Qazigund, the southern gateway town to Kashmir valley, recorded a minimum of minus 4.0 degree Celsius while in the frontier Kupwara town in north Kashmir the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 4.1 degree Celsius. 

Srinagar, December 23
The newly-registered voters in Kashmir will be issued Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) after January 25. This was decided during a meeting of state officials, including the Deputy Commissioners of the Kashmir region, held by Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Asgar Hassan Samoon through video conferencing yesterday.

It was decided that the electoral rolls should be updated and pending claims should be disposed of by January 15.

Samoon is also the observer for the review of electoral rolls in the Kashmir region.

“The Divisional Commissioner directed all District Election Officers to update the electoral rolls and dispose of pending claims by January 15, 2013,” said a spokesman, while giving details of the meeting.

He said Samoon told the concerned officers that the newly-registered voters would be provided Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) after January 25, which is observed as the National Voters Day.

The summary revision of the electoral rolls in the state was started by the authorities in October this year. It is expected that the state voter strength would cross 70 lakh after the revision is done.

The Census 2011 has pegged the population of Jammu and Kashmir over 1.25 lakh, which includes 66 lakh registered voters.

The spokesman said the video conference was attended by the Deputy Commissioners of Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal. 

Srinagar, December 23
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today urged the people of Srinagar to support the party if they wanted an overall development of the city.

“For creating an environment of real change and trust in J&K, especially in Srinagar city, the PDP urges the people of Srinagar to strengthen the hands of the party under the dynamic leadership of Mufti Mohammad Syed in order to ensure overall development of Srinagar,” senior PDP leader and MLA Peerzada Mansoor

Hussain said while addressing youth of the city.

He particularly urged youngsters to get involved in the political process so that the issues related to misgovernance and corruption could be addressed. “For achieving this, the PDP is the only option,” he said.

The MLA talked about how in the past, the PDP-led coalition government had executed mega projects such as the Jehangir Chowk flyover, reconstruction of the Aali Masjid, North South Corridor project development of the Hari Parbat fort and the Dal Lake and the widening of roads in Srinagar.

Hussain criticised the NC-led government of failing to provide basic amenities like power to people of the state, particularly Srinagar city. “We feel like we are living in the dark ages,” he said.

PDP leader Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat gave a detailed lecture on the ‘Self Rule’ document through a power-point presentation.

Among others who spoke on the occasion were Syed Iliyas from Zadibal, Shahid Dar from Rajbagh, Mudassir Ahmad from Pantachowk, Shabir Hussain from Shaheed Gunj, Ayaz Ahmad and Arif Hussain. 

Srinagar, December 23
Member of Legislative Council and senior Congress leader Gulam Nabi Monga said the party was committed about solving the issues of sarpanches and panches on a priority basis.

He said this while addressing a meeting of panchayat members and Congress activists at Town Hall, Anantnag, in south Kashmir today.

Monga, who won one out of the four LC seats in the elections recently, said the Congress party under the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz had emerged as a “formidable force to reckon with”.

He said: “Our aim is to serve people in the best possible way and to address their difficulties so that their solutions could determined at a right time. We will always keep moving in that direction.”

Speaking on the occasion, JKPCC vice-president Abdul Majeed Padder expressed dismay over the role of “some officers in the administration who do not want coalition to work smoothly”.

Padder alleged that these officers were trying their best to create fissures among the coalition partners. He said these people should be identified and action be taken against them.

Srinagar, December 23
Condemning the recent rape of a medical student in New Delhi, the South Kashmir Civil Society (SKCS) urged the state government to take serious note of similar incidents that have taken place in the Kashmir valley.

The SKCS convened a meeting at Anantang in south Kashmir today where the group urged the state authorities to ensure justice for rape victims.

Justice is still pending in cases in which security personnel raped women in Qunan Poshpora, Kupwara, and Chhanpora, Srinagar, a SKCS statement said.

The SKCS also expressed concern over the unsatisfactory performance of students in the annual matriculation results of the government schools of south Kashmir. It urged the government to come up with a state commission for the protection of child rights and demanded immediate amendment in the Juvenile Justice Act.

The SKCS also elected its working committee on the occasion.

Srinagar, December 23
The Department of Posts (DoP), Jammu and Kashmir circle, will modernise three more post offices by the end of next month. The move is a part of the department’s post-office transformation drive.

A DoP official said the post offices at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Lal Chowk and the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir would be modernised.

He said the Lal Chowk post office was being modernised to cater to the heavy rush of people seeking postal services here. The DoP official said the post offices would provide facilities such as registered post, speed post, saving account and insurance facilities.

The DoP’s revenue witnessed a growth of 42 per cent during the first half of the current financial year as compared to 24 per cent during the corresponding period last year. Chief Postmaster General, J&K circle, John Samuel had said it was the highest revenue generated at that time by any circle of the country. — TNS