|
|
|
|
|
Srinagar-Ladakh National Highway to reopen in April
HC notice to state govt, DGP, Centre on pepper gas
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hoteliers seek concessions to compensate losses
Three hurt in road accidents
Students protest, demand return of Afzal’s body
4 booked in attack on health centre
Students return from national integration tour
DDC for better travel facilities in Srinagar
Man dies, police initiates
investigation
Fruit growers trained in pollination management
Hoteliers welcome Shah’s appointment as Srinagar DC
Office timings rescheduled
|
|
Srinagar-Ladakh National Highway to reopen in April
Srinagar, March 19 He said this while interacting with a team of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) at Shaitan Nallah, Zojjila. The highway has remained closed for traffic after heavy snowfall and avalanches at Zojjila for the past five months. As many as eight snow-clearance machines are working currently to clear the road. Col Harish said the clearance work from Drass to Shaitan Nullah had already been completed in record time of 14 days. Acting chief executive councillor of the LAHDC, Kargil, Haji Ghulam Amir Kamran, executive councilor for tourism and Zanskar Affairs engineer Punchok Tashi, Kargil Deputy Commissioner Fida Hussain, Chief Medical Officer Dr Shabir Hussain, Deputy Superintendent of Police Aslam and other district officers were also present on the occasion. Acting chief executive councillor appreciated the role played by the BRTF and the chief engineer, Project Beacon, Brig TPS Rawat, in clearing the snow at Zojjila in a record time. The Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway remains shut during the winter months due to heavy snowfall in the area. The 90-km-long Srinagar-Sonamarg road on the strategic highway to Ladakh was thrown open for traffic on Saturday last. Brig Rawat had said the road to Sonamarg was opened about three weeks before schedule as compared to last year. The Beacon maintains the 100-km-long Srinagar-Zojila stretch of the Srinagar-Leh highway while Himank project maintains the remaining stretch in Ladakh region. On the re-opening of Zojila pass on the highway to Leh, Brig Rawat said snow clearance was in progress and the road across the highest peak of Zojila would be opened by the mid of April. Last year, the highway had reopened on April 25.He said only 5 km stretch of the road was yet to be cleared of snow and on its completion it would meet the other end being maintained by Himank Project at Gumri. Ladakh Lifeline
|
||
|
HC notice to state govt, DGP, Centre on pepper gas
Srinagar, March 19 With resentment growing against the use of pepper gas by the police and security forces to quell protests in Kashmir, a PIL was filed last week in the high court by a senior high court lawyer BA Misri seeking directions for restraining the authorities from using the pepper gas on civilians. The PIL had also prayed for compensating the victims in case of death or other health hazards suffered due to the exposure to pepper gas, which has been termed as ‘life threatening’ by the health experts. “The PIL was listed before a Bench comprising Justice Mansoor A Mir and Justice AM Magrey, which has issued notices to the respondents returnable within two weeks”, counsel and petitioner AM Misri told The Tribune. The respondents, he said, have been directed to file their objections within two weeks, adding the PIL has been listed for further consideration in the first week of April. “The police is rampantly using pepper gas and teargas to disburse mobs. This has far-reaching consequences on non-combatants, bystanders and dwellers”, it has been submitted in the PIL. Citing various media reports as evidence about the hazardous effects of the “noxious” pepper gas, the PIL alleges that its use has already claimed several lives during the past few weeks in the Valley, particularly in Srinagar, where large-scale use of pepper gas on protesters by the police and security forces has been witnessed. The PIL says the exposure to pepper gas infuses multifarious disorders, diseases and uneasiness, especially among children and elderly. “The police unmindful of the direction of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is excessively using pepper gas even on the slightest provocation despite the fact that this gas is of hazardous nature and can induce or aggravate respiratory diseases, pulmonary edema, acute elevation in blood pressure which is associated with risk of stroke and heart attack,” Misri had submitted in the PIL.
‘it’s hazardous’
|
||
|
Hoteliers seek concessions to compensate losses
Srinagar, March 19 JKHC chairman Mushtaq Chaya chaired a meeting of the club where he sought the government’s intervention to “pull the tourism sector out of the financial distress in which it has been caught because of the circumstances beyond its control.” He said the meeting was held to deliberate upon the accumulated loss that the tourism industry had suffered owing to mass cancellations of incoming bookings of the tourists. Chaya urged the government to pay special attention to the “misery” faced by the tourism sector as the stakeholders had taken huge loans to invest in the vital sector of tourism, particularly hotels, from various financial institutions. “It is the government’s responsibility to rescue us out of this situation because the tourism industry survives on the beauty of the Valley and the accommodation that hotels offer. The beauty is there but the beauty watchers are not coming and the result is that there are huge electricity bills. The government should take all these things into consideration and waive off the electricity bills and other liabilities,” Chaya added. He said the hoteliers deserved “special concessions in these times of anguish”.
|
||
|
Three hurt in road accidents
Srinagar, March 19 In another incident, a tipper met with an accident near Lasjan Bridge on the outskirts of the city. The driver of the tipper got injured and he has been admitted to a hospital. A case has been registered. |
||
|
Students protest, demand return of Afzal’s body
Srinagar, March 19 Protest began from the square outside Iqbal library and then the students marched through the campus before returning back to starting point. The protesting students later placed a signpost at the square outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office marking it as “Afzal Square”, according to eye-witnesses
and students. Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani also made a telephonic address to the protesting students. The separatist council, Mutahidda Majlis-e-Mushawarat (MMM), which is spearheading the protests campaign to demand the return of
|
||
|
4 booked in attack on health centre
Kupwara, March 19 “At least four miscreants have been named in the FIR and one of them has been nabbed. The police has launched a hunt to nab the rest of the accused, who are at large,” sources said. The identity of youth named in the FIR could not be ascertained. “All of them belong to Langate and are known trouble-mongers. Two of them have already served detention in a theft case,” they said. Locals in the village, however, accused the police of committing excesses on them on the pretext of creating law and order problem in the village. They said in spite of curfew-like situation during the past days of unrest, clashes erupted in the village on Friday when the police tried to detain three youths as a preventive measure to prevent protests in the village. “Stones were thrown towards the health centre and a window pane of the centre was damaged. How can you say the youth pelted stones at the centre when the CRPF personnel and policemen were also throwing stones in retaliation? Police should refrain from arrests on the basis of suspicion,” said a village elder. Another local said, “The police on Friday ransacked some houses in search of stone-throwers and beat up whosoever came their way. The policemen are not taking cognisance of when they do wrong but take the people to task under the garb of maintaining law and order.” The police has already arrested at least 14 youths on the charges of stone-throwing and eight of them were later released, the sources said.
|
||
|
Students return from national integration tour
Srinagar, March 19 The group of boys accompanied by two teachers and staff of the Army’s 162 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), under the aegis of Headquarters Victor Force, left Pulwama on March 8 and returned here today, the spokesman said. They visited various places in Mumbai and Pune, including the Armed Forces Medical Corps and Singhgarh Fort built by Shivaji at Pune. In Mumbai they visited Gateway of India, Marine Drive, INS Vikrant, Haji Ali Dargh, Elephanta Caves and Prince Wales Museum.The tour was flagged in by the Commanding Officer of 162 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, today. A colourful ceremony on the occasion was also organised here. The students who participated in the tour shared their experiences.The tour not only provided avenues for the children to acquire knowledge and broaden their horizons but also exposed them to progress made in the other parts of the country. Parents of the students expressed satisfaction with the conduct of tour. The students and their parents thanked the Army for organising the tour.
|
||
|
DDC for better travel facilities in Srinagar
Srinagar, March 19 The District Development Commissioner also exhorted upon the officers to ensure regularity and punctuality in their offices so that grievances of the people could be redressed and schemes launched for the welfare of people could be implemented in letter and spirit. This was stated by the District Development Commissioner while convening a meeting of officers here today. The meeting was informed that about 81 per cent expenditure had been registered against the allocation for the current fiscal. He impressed upon the officers to ensure judicious use of funds and attaining targets in full within the stipulated time. He also directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation authorities to ensure cleanliness and proper sanitation in Srinagar.
|
||
|
Man dies, police initiates
investigation
Srinagar, March 19 He was being taken care of at the house of the workshop owner and died today, a police spokesman said. He said inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC had been initiated and the police was investigating the circumstances of Ahmed’s death.
|
||
|
Fruit growers trained in pollination management
Srinagar, March 19 Meanwhile, training on ‘nutrient deficiency symptoms and their management in apple production’ under the Horticulture Technology Mission Project for demonstration of fertiliser management was also organised, in view of the declining apple production, resulting in loss to the apple growing economy of the Valley. The training programmes were conducted to create awareness among the orchardists to enhance the fruit quality and yield, especially regarding the apple production, an official spokesman said. The resource persons also imparted training to fruit growers pertaining to managed pollination in apple orchards. Pertinently, the inadequate pollinators have been responsible for 30 to 40 per cent reduction in yield of apples during last decade in the Valley.
|
||
|
Hoteliers welcome Shah’s appointment as Srinagar DC
Srinagar, March 19 Shah, previously the Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag, was appointed the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar in the recent Cabinet meeting held in Jammu. He has also served as Director Tourism and Chief Executive Officer, Gulmarg Development Authority, earlier.
|
||
|
Office timings rescheduled
Srinagar, March 19 These timings shall remain in force up to October 31, an official spokesman said.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE |
| Punjab |
Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | |
The 434-km-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway, which remains closed during the winter months, will be thrown open for vehicular traffic next month.
Acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking ban on the use of pepper gas on civilian protesters in Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has issued notices to the state government, state Director General of Police and the Union Home Ministry.
Students of University of Kashmir today held a protest and raised slogans to demand the return of the body of 2001 Parliament attack convict Muhammad Afzal Guru.
The students, some of whom held placards and banners in their hands, marched inside the sprawling campus of the region’s oldest university at Hazratbal in the city here.
