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Highway opens after two days
Timber mafia having a field day in Kashmir Valley
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TUFAIL MATTOO death case
Justice eludes victims in Kunan Poshpora mass rape case
10,40,692 kids immunised in Kashmir, Ladakh
Agriculture minister takes stock of development projects
NMC seeks DA
exemption for Income Tax
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Highway opens after two days
Srinagar, February 24 A Traffic Control Room official confirmed that the highway was opened today for traffic from Jammu to Srinagar. He said it will be opened tomorrow for traffic from Srinagar to Jammu depending on the weather condition. The latest spell of snowfall had closed down the 300-km-long highway for traffic from Friday onwards as snow along the sections of the mountainous road made it dangerous for vehicles to ply. The highway is an important supply route to Kashmir valley for carrying essential commodities, including medicines and food items. Hundreds of passenger vehicles and supply trucks make their way into and out of the Valley through the road link. Kashmir continued to remain in a grip of severe winter chill as fresh rain lashed parts of the region during the day. In Srinagar city, the day temperature was at maximum 7.9 degree Celsius while the mercury overnight fell to 1.7 degree Celsius, a state Meteorological Department official told The Tribune. The Valley received sporadic bouts of snowfall and rain on Friday and Saturday bringing back the cold wave to the region as the day temperature across Kashmir fell to few degrees above the zero point while the overnight temperature dipped to freezing levels. The Meteorological Department said light to moderate rain and snowfall could occur in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday as fresh western disturbances were approaching the region. Qazigund, the southern gateway town to the Valley, received 1.4 mm rainfall since morning as the day temperature there rose to a maximum of 7.5 degree Celsius and the overnight temperature fell to 0.2 degree Celsius. Kokernag in south Kashmir where the night temperature dropped to minus 0.3 degree Celsius received 0.4 mm rainfall. In Pahalgam, minimum temperature dropped to minus 2.4 degree Celsius while overnight temperature fell to minus 6.2 degree Celsius in north Kashmir’s Gulmarg resort. A vital link
The highway is an important supply route to Kashmir for carrying essential commodities, including medicines and food items The latest spell of snowfall closed down the 300-km-long highway for traffic from Friday onwards Snow along the sections of the mountainous road made it dangerous for vehicles to ply Chill comes back
The Valley received sporadic bouts of snowfall and rain on Friday and Saturday bringing back the cold wave to the region The day temperature fell to a few degrees above zero mark while overnight temperature dipped to freezing levels Kashmir was in a grip of winter chill as fresh rain lashed parts of the region on Sunday In
Srinagar, mercury overnight fell to 1.7° Celsius |
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Timber mafia having a field day in Kashmir Valley
Srinagar, February 24 Local residents from Budgam said timber smugglers were having a field day in the Raithan-Sukhnag forest ranges in the past two weeks as they axed hundreds of trees and transported the timber on ponies to various locations. “The timber is smuggled to various areas of Budgam and even Srinagar,” informed a Budgam resident. “The timber smugglers are taking advantage of the law and order situation as the forest officials are not able to act against them in absence of adequate police assistance,” he added. Another resident said the timber mafia was very active in this part of the Valley and they were active changing their strategy according to the situation. “Last year, the timber mafia attacked a team of forest officials, including a divisional forest officer (DFO). The DFO along with other employeeswas injured. This time, they are taking full advantage of the present situation like they did during the 2010 unrest,” he added. Reports from north Kashmir suggest that timber smugglers were active in many forest ranges of Kupwara district. The smugglers had been active and felling trees in villages, including Chowkibal, Marsari, Tumina, Ramhal, Rajwar, Kenial, Gulgam, Wayun, Wayoosa, Didikoot, Magam, Vilgam, Tarathpora, Leelum Langate, Mawar, Nowgam Manigah, Bumhama, Muqam, Drugmulla, Kandi, Kalaroos, Surigam, Maidanpora, Gagal, Indernard, Kuligam, Nard, Changri, Batnard, Doben, Sogam, Gundmanchar and Dorusa. State Forest Minister Mian Altaf said they had not received any major complaint about timber smuggling. “Our department is active in all the situations and we have received no report of any timber smuggling,” Altaf said. Joint Director, Forest Protection Force (Kashmir), Mian Javed said timber to the tune of 686 cubic ft was saved from being stolen or smuggled out in Kashmir province between February 1 and 20.a“Apart from more than 400 cubic ft timber that was saved from February 9-20, two light motor vehicles were also seized,” Javid said. Residentspeak
Last year, the timber mafia attacked a team of forest officials, including a divisional forest officer (DFO). The divisional forest officer along with other employeeswas injured. This time, they are taking full advantage of the present situation like they did during the 2010
unrest Officialspeak
Our department (Department of Forest)is active in all the situations and we have received no report of any timber smuggling. Apart from more than 400 cubic ft timber that was recovered from February 9-20, two light motor vehicles were also
seized |
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Family challenges SIT closure report, files response before High Court
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, February 24 The J&K High Court had earlier asked the SIT to probe the matter. The family has filed its response to the SIT report before the High Court which is already hearing a petition into the matter. The SIT had closed its investigation into the matter saying the culprits remain “untraced”. The SIT said this in its final report to the High Court submitted on December 1 last year. “We have decided to challenge the SIT closure report filed before the High Court and have already submitted our response to the closure report,” said Mufaffar Ahmad, the uncle of Tufail Matoo, adding that the matter is expected to come up before the court this week. On June 11, 2010, Tufail Mattoo, a teenager, was returning home from tuition when the police fired a teargas shell near Gani Memorial College in the old city which allegedly hit him. He was killed on the spot. Mattoo’s death had triggered a cycle of violence in the Valley. More than 120 persons were killed in subsequent incidents of firing by the police and security forces. The SIT in its final report to High Court had submitted that “all the possibilities of collecting evidence in this case were explored to reach some conclusion,” adding that it (SIT) “was not able to find any conclusive evidence”. “Despite the investigation in the case has been closed as culprits being untraced, a secret search still continues. If anything comes to SIT’s knowledge, the probe shall be reopened,” the SIT had submitted in the final report. During an earlier hearing, the counsel representing the victim’s family had submitted that the police had been delaying its investigation into the case. He had also submitted that SIT was employing “delaying tactics to hush up” the case. The case
InJune 2010, Tufail Mattoo was returning home from tuitions when the police fired a teargas shell near Gani Memorial College which allegedly hit him killing him on the spot Mattoo’s death triggered violence leading to unrest across Kashmir Valley The family approached High Court petitioning the court to appoint a special investigation team to probe the matter The SIT in its final report to the HC in December last said the case was closed adding the culprits remain “untraced” |
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Justice eludes victims in Kunan Poshpora mass rape case
Kupwara, February 24 As many as 52 women were allegedly raped by the soldiers of 4 Rajputana Rifles of 68 Infantry Brigade on the night of February 23, 1991. “I cannot forget the ill-fated night during my lifetime. The men in uniform took turns to rape me while my husband was beaten in another room of the house,” said Shamima (name changed), a mother of three. Another victim said, “Honour is something that a woman strives to protect all her life. Can a woman forget such thing ever in her life, especially when the episode was exposed by the media time and again over the years.” The dismayed locals say that a few months after the tragic incident took place, human rights groups and other NGOs visited the village promising help to the victims’ families but only to forget them with the passage of time. They said after the horrible incident, few girls who were married in other areas were divorced. “Even after two decades, marriage proposals of our girls are not accepted. Many girls have already crossed their marriageable age and nobody is coming forward to help us out of the social stigma,” said the father of a victim. Following the recommendations of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to the government in October 2011 to reopen the case, the demand for justice has grown though amid skepticism that the authorities might again cover-up the case under the garb of compensation. The commission had asked the government to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to each victim and prosecute the then Director, Prosecution. “Justice should be given in the form of an exemplary punishment to the accused troopers. We will not accept any compensation,” another victim said. The brother of a victim said, “I had to marry off my younger sister with a 50-year-old man in the village after we failed to find a groom for her for many years. Everybody hesitated to marry her and even looked down at her due to the social stigma.” Locals appealed to the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs to urge the government reopen the case and award stern punishment to the accused. Wrapped in stigma
Villagers say even after two decades, marriage proposals of their girls are not accepted Many girls have already crossed their marriageable age and nobody is coming forward to help them come out of the social stigma The victims’ families say they will not accept any compensation and exemplary punishment be meted out to the accused troopers |
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Train up to Barmulla to ply today
Srinagar, February 24 “Due to last minute changes and security issues, we could not ply the train from Qazigund in south to Baramulla in north Kashmir today but everything has been finalised now. The train will operate on Monday as per the schedule,” said a railway official. The train service in Kashmir was suspended due to security concerns in the wake of the hanging of Afzal Guru on February 9. The partial train service from Qazigund in south to Budgam in central Kashmir resumed on February 18. The security officials were not giving clearance for plying the train up to Baramulla as it passes through many sensitive areas. The officials also feared damage to railway properties due to which the train service was halted.
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10,40,692 kids immunised in Kashmir, Ladakh
Srinagar, Februray 24 A government spokesman said the Health Department had set up 5,716 booths in the valley. “The Health Department had deployed 109 transit teams and 86 mobile teams in the Valley and allotted about 13,01,820 oral polio vaccines to the administration for children in the Valley,” the spokesman said. He said the Health Department, Kashmir, had deputed 22,794 workers and 1,197 supervisors for the “successful” implementation of the second phase of the polio campaign in the Valley. At Srinagar, he said, the Pulse Polio campaign was launched early in the morning at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, Rainawari. The Pulse Polio campaign was also organised in other districts of the Valley, where the respective Deputy Commissioners inaugurated the campaign by administering polio drops to children. “At Baramulla, 14,552 children up to the age of 5 years were administered Pulse Polio drops, for which 734 Pulse Polio centres were set up,” the spokesman said. In Kupwara district, 1,34,414 children were administered Pulse Polio immunisation drops while in Pulwama 64,723 children were administered polio drops for which 400 centres were set up in the district. “In Shopian district, 51,512 children were given polio drops, where as in Bandipora 58,870 children were immunised against polio. As many as 44,932 children in Ganderbal, 1,40,082 in Anantnag and 91,546 children in Kulgam district were given polio drops,” he said. The campaign was also in place in the Ladakh region, where in twin districts of Kargil and Leh, 16,445 and 12,280 children, respectively, were given polio drops, the spokesman said.
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Agriculture minister takes stock of development projects
Srinagar, February 24 Mir was reviewing a meeting of the Agriculture Department here in Srinagar, during which he took stock of various Command Area Development (CAD) projects in Kashmir and assessed the physical and financial achievements of the department, a government spokesman said in a statement. “On the occasion, the minister stressed upon officers to utilise modern techniques besides making the best use of their talent and experience for better irrigation facilities,” the statement read. “Mir said to increase agricultural production, command area development projects play a vital role and urged upon officers to expedite all projects so that farmers could avail the maximum benefit from such schemes,” he said. On the occasion, the minister was informed that work was apace on 13 projects under the CAD in the valley at an estimated cost of Rs 368.59 crore with the total coverage area of 1,17,259 hectares. The minister was informed that so far, an amount of Rs 78.38 crore had been expended on the execution of these projects, covering 37,841 hectares till February this year.
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NMC seeks DA
exemption for Income Tax
Jammu, February 24 He urged the Union Finance Minister to reconsider the imposition of Income Tax on Dearness Allowance and raise the Income Tax exemption from Rs 2 lakh to 5 lakh for both Central, state government employees and pensioners. Shastri said the provision with regard to 20 per cent interim relief to the Central/state government employees and pensioners, merger of 50 per cent of DA into basic pay/pension and enhancement of monthly wages of daily wagers should also be made simultaneously in the upcoming budget. The NMC also demanded 9 per cent DA due from January last, regularisation of services of daily wagers working in various government departments who have completed seven years of service etc.
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Jammu highway— the only vital link connecting Kashmir valley with rest of the country— was opened today after it remained closed for two consecutive days.
During the second phase of the Pulse Polio campaign, which was undertaken in all ten districts of Kashmir province and in Ladakh region, as many as 10,40,692 children under various age groups were administered anti-polio drops today.
