Ananatnag, March 30
Despite efforts of the municipal authorities to implement the ban on polythene bags across the Valley, the use of this non-biodegradable material continues unabatedly.

After a series of raids and checks, the civic body had seized huge consignments of polythene over the past few months. This, however, does not seem to deter the violators anymore.

“Almost all the shopkeepers in this district have resumed the use of polythene bags,” said Reyaz Ahmad, an environmentalist from Anantnag district. “All this has been happening right under the nose of the authorities.”

Reports said the use of polythene bags had been reduced to an extent but the practice seemed to have picked up pace due to callousness on part of the authorities.

The Jammu & Kashmir High Court in 2006 had banned the use of polythene bags in and around some of the tourist destinations in the Valley.

In 2008, an SRO was passed by the government to put a blanket ban on the manufacture and use of polythene across an eco-fragile Kashmir valley.

But after five years the order was passed, the authorities have failed to implement the ban on ground.

“If there is a ban on the manufacture and the import of polythene in the Valley, how people manage to get hold of tonnes of these bags,” asks one Reyaz Ahmad.

Civil societies across Kashmir are aghast over the incompetence of the government in tackling the menace.

“We have been hearing mere promises from the authorities but no concrete steps have been taken so far,” said Iqbal Jan, a lawyer from Bijbehara in Anantnag.

“If the authorities had been really serious about the ban, nobody would have been able to smuggle polythene bags into the Valley,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a member of Falaah-o-Behbood Committee in Pampore area of Pulwama. While the use of polythene bags has been banned in most parts of the country, Kashmir has turned into a dustbin and eco-fragile nature of its environment has long been ignored. 

Jammu, March 30
The much-awaited Border Tourism Project — a Centrally-sponsored scheme completed at an estimated cost of Rs 3.50 crore at the Suchegarh Octroi Post along the India-Pakistan international border in RS Pura — will be inaugurated by Tourism Minister GA Mir tomorrow.

Director Tourism, Jammu, Soujanya Sharma, said in order to promote border tourism, the state authorities had demanded Rs 6.39 crore financial grant from the Union Ministry of Tourism of which Rs 5.30 crore was sanctioned. Rs 3.50 crore was spent for completion of the ambitious project, he added. Sharma said the work on the children park and landscaping will be completed soon.

“The department will seek help from the J&K Tourism Development Corporation for its promotion. Not only that, we are also planning to run a regular bus service so that tourists from outside J&K also get an opportunity to visit this place of historical importance,” Sharma said.

“Around 700-800 tourists are visiting the Suchetgarh Octroi Post everyday but with the inauguration of the project we hope the number will grow further,” Sharma said.

A 200-year-old ancient Shiva temple and dargah of Baba Budan Ali Shah are other places of interest near the Suchetgarh Octroi Post. The development of various places of tourist attraction in the Jammu region has also been undertaken, sources said. A three-day Border Tourism Festival was organised at the Suchetgarh Octroi Post recently along the India-Pakistan international border.

The event was jointly organised by the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu, tourism trade organisations and NGO stakeholders. The event witnessed a thick attendance from neighbouring states.

Besides the Suchetgarh Model Village and the Octroi Border Outpost, the authorities concerned are also planning to conduct circuital border trips to prominent sites like shrines and temples close to the zero line.

Kupwara, March 30
Three villages in Lolab valley of Kupwara district are facing acute shortage of drinking water for the past two weeks. Residents of Charkote, Dooniwari and Putshai said in absence of proper water supply, they were forced to consume contaminated water from nullahs.

A fear of the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera and jaundice is looming large, the residents said.

“We are facing acute shortage of potable water for the past two weeks. The taps have dried up as the supply has been snapped for unknown reasons. Many people have fallen sick due to the consumption of contaminated water,” said Bashir Ahmad Dar of Charkote.

The residents threatened to take to the streets in protest if water supply was not restored at the earliest. They said the Public Health Engineering (PHE) division Kupwara did not provide the tanker service to the affected villages.

“Ponds and other sources of water have also dried up. Despite numerous requests, the authorities have not bothered to restore the supply or make some suitable alterative,” said Ghulam Hassan of Dooniwari village.

Saleema Begum, another resident, said, “In absence of water supply, we are forced to walk miles to fetch water from nullahs. The department (PHE) should at least supply water through tankers till the supply gets restored.”

Residents of Putshai also complained of water shortage and demanded that the supply be restored without any delay.

“PHE officials assured us last week that water supply would be restored in a few days but we continue to face severe water shortage. We will be forced to block the roads if the supply is not restored soon,” said Nazir Numani of Putshai village.

A senior official of Kupwara Public Health Engineering (PHE) division said due to cleaning of water reservoir, supply to some villages remained affected.

“Water supply will soon be restored and problems of villagers addressed,” the Kupwara PHE division officials said. 

Srinagar, March 30
The oldest college in the Valley Sri Pratap College which caters to thousands of students is yet to have a full-fledged website of its own even though many colleges which were established decades after it have a reasonable online presence.

The college- which was established in 1905 - is a place where some of the best courses in science and language streams are taught.

Though it earlier had websites www.epinesolutions.com and <http://www.spcsgr.edu.in/> later on, they are completely non-functional now which has been irking the students and the teachers alike.The students say the website ran for a limited period of time and later various sub-links posted on the website were erroneous and could not be clicked.

The students association at SP College has made repeated representations to the college authorities about revamping the websites but nothing concrete has been done so far.

While students at other colleges can easily receive updates on their college website, the students of SP College have to pay a visit every time they seek general information.

“We have to go to the college every time for queries about admission and even examination date sheets which otherwise could have been readily made available on the college website. It is really shocking that one of the best colleges in the Valley does not even have a proper website,” Rouf Bhat, a SP College student said.

The students and faculty maintain that poor upkeep of the college website could be attributed to regular change in the principal’s post which renders many a things unmanageable.

“The new college principal joined only 10 days back. The matter has been communicated to him. The college authoritties are going to take action in this regard shortly,” Mushtaq Ahmad in the administrative section of SP College said.

The new principal joined only 10 days back. The matter has been communicated to him (the principal). The college authorities are going to take action in this regard shortly — Mushtaq Ahmad, college administrative section

Srinagar, March 30
A week-long snowboarding and X-country ski championship concluded today at Gulmarg. Teams from all over the country had participated in the event.

The championship was organised under the aegis of the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI) by the Winter Games Association of Punjab.

All stake holders in Gulmarg, including J&K Tourism, Hoteliers Club, IISM and Cable Car Corporation took active part in the championship.

X-country skiing was conducted inside the Gulmarg bowl whereas snowboarding was conducted at Kongdori. Cable Car Corporation provided free passes to athletes and officials during the event.

In addition to the players from Jammu & Kashmir, other teams which participated in the championship included Punjab, Delhi, Army and Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg.

Girls too participated in the X-country events of the championship.

SS Patwal, president of the WGFI complimented all participants and gave away medals to the winners of various events.

He said Gulmarg was an ideal ski destination in the country. There was a lot of talent in the youth of Kashmir, Himachal

and Uttrakhand and the WGFI was trying to harness that talent to get a medal at the international level, he added.

Patwal said once the Gulmarg slopes were developed and registered with the International Ski Federation (FIS), the WGFI would be able to conduct international championships.

“Once it is done, Kashmir will get lot of international skiers which will give tremendous boost to tourism in the state. For international competitions, skiers have to qualify in FIS ski races and currently, most of the FIS races are held in Europe, which is an expensive destination. Once Gulmarg is opened for FIS races, it will give a tough completion to all other destinations and most skiers will come to Gulmarg,” he added.

JS Dhillon, principal, the IISM provided support to make the event successful.

Srinagar, March 30
Former Union Minister and President of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee Prof Saifuddin Soz today sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for a playground in Dangarpora Narvav in Baramulla and Rs 3 lakh for the completion of Naradari road.

A Congress spokesman said Prof Soz responded to the demands of the area and assured that a Primary Health Centre (PHC) would be established at Dangarpora and a Tourist Resort would be set up in the North of Dangerpora.

The people of the Kandi area demanded that recruitment in the Police Department be done directly by the Director General of Police (DGP) as had been done previously by the police department in various areas of the state.

Prof Soz said he would ask the department to accede to this demand of the area.

The spokesman said senior leaders of the Congress party levelled allegations of corruption against some officers of the Education and the Rural Development Department at the lower level.

“Prof Soz promised that he will ask the District Administration to check the complaints and the culprits would be chargesheeted and punished under law. Prof Soz urged the people not to tolerate corrupt practices of the officers and politicians and fight the battle for a dignified life,” the spokesman said.

Srinagar, March 30
Six students of the Department of Management Studies of the Central University of Kashmir (CUK), have qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET), held in December 2012, including a girl qualifying the Junior Research Fellowships (JRF).

Giving details, Head of the Department, Dr Farooq Ahmad said the students had qualified the prestigious examination, the result of which was declared recently, while still being in their fourth semester. He said among the students, Sana Bala qualified JRF while Umer Ashraf, Iqra Drabu, Uzma Amin Mir, Mehreen Mattoo and Yasir Javed had qualified NET. The students had been toiling hard from day one and their hard work had been the key to their success, he added.

University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdul Wahid Qureshi, Registrar, Dr Abdul Gani and the faculty members of the department congratulated the students for bringing laurels to the CUK. Prof Qureshi asked the students of all departments to avail the benefits and facilities provided by the University for excelling in their respective fields.

Srinagar, March 30
In order to ensure overall development of Srinagar city and to keep a liaison with Civil Society, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shalindra Kumar today convened a meeting with civil society and prominent citizens.

The Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah was also present in the meeting.

An official spokesman said the representatives of Kashmir Traders Federation (KTF), various Hoteliers’ Union, House Boat Owners Union, Kashmir Motor Drivers’ Association, besides various presidents projected their suggestions during the meeting.

The chairman, Kashmir Traders Manufactures Association, while submitting his suggestions said road widening project should be completed within a stipulated time so that people do not face any inconvenience. He said the construction of flyovers should be intensified in and outside city to facilitate people. More traffic police personnel should be deployed to improve the traffic movement in the city, he added.

“The Divisional Commissioner, on the occasion, assured all stakeholders that their suggestions would be looked into and decisions would be made for early solution of the problems,” the spokesman said.

He said such meeting should be held after every three months to review the previous decisions.

Kumar said the traffic system shall be improved in the city on priority basis, besides sanitation and street lights.

He appealed to the civil society members to cooperate with the divisional administration so that their problems are solved and development programmes can be carried forward. 

Srinagar, March 30
A Civil Defence Training Institute is being set up in Kashmir region for the specialised training of students and youth in disaster preparedness.

This was revealed today by the Commandant, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Mehraj Ahmed Shah, during a disaster preparedness training and an intra-school symposium in Ganderbal district, in which more than 150 students participated.

“This programme was organised by Civil Defence, Srinagar, at New Dreamland Educational Institute, Beehama in Ganderbal today. It was inaugurated by Commandant of SDRF, 1st Battalion, Mehraj Ahmed Shah”, a spokesman said.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah announced that an institute would be set up in Kashmir very soon, where students and youth would be imparted specialised disaster preparedness training by the trainers.

“He also assured that the institute would continue to support disaster preparedness training programmes”, the spokesman said, adding that Shah also provided details about the equipments and trained manpower available with SDRF.

In the intra-school symposium, Anisa Hamid, a class eighth student stood first while Shah Zarafshan and Umar Farooq, both students of class ninth, bagged the second and the third position, respectively.

“Four consolation prizes were distributed amongst Gausia Fayaz (class 8th), Mansha Khursheed (9th), Shahrukh Ahad (8th) and Faisal Qadir (8th)” the spokesman said. The students were judged by Aamir Ali and Mauzam Bakshi, Deputy Chief Wardens, Civil Defence and Afshana, the spokesman added. 

Kupwara, March 30
Director, School Education, Kashmir, Mohd Shafi Rather today urged Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and principals of all educational institutions in Kupwara district to make efforts for streamlining the over-all education system in the district.

Rather asked the heads of institutions to ensure completion of academic session in time in the larger interest of the students and their parents. The director was addressing a meeting of ZEOs and principals in the meeting hall of DC office, Kupwara.

“The director urged the heads to spare no efforts in improving the education system in the district. He asked them to ensure that teachers attend to their duties and classes are held in all circumstances,” said ZEO Sogam.

The director expressed concerns over the shortage of staff in schools. He asked them to come up with proposals for rationalisation of teaching staff in schools. “While taking note of the shortage of staff, he asked heads to moot proposals for addressing the deficiency of staff,” said a ZEO who attended the meeting.

The meeting lasted for about three hours and other issues pertaining to the education department in Kupwara district were also discussed. 

Srinagar, March 30
The hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference today criticised the state government for placing its chairman Syed Ali Geelani under continuous house arrest.

The group said Geelani's detention proved that the government was afraid to face him on a political platform. —TNS

Srinagar, March 30
A 19-year-old boy jumped into the Jhelum and drowned in Bandipora district. The body of a 70-year-old man was fished out from the Jhelum in Anantnag district.

Ishfaq Ahmad Wani, 19, a resident of Banger Mohalla of Bandipora district, jumped into the river and was drowned, the police said. Wani was a student of Class XII. The police said efforts were on to fish out the boy’s body. It was not known why the boy jumped into the river. In Anantnag, the police fished out the body of an unidentified person. —TNS

Srinagar, March 30
A 19-year-old girl died while two persons were injured in road accidents across the Valley, the police said.

Saima, 19, a resident of Panzgam village of Pulwama district in south Kashmir, was hit by a tractor near her house. She died on the spot.

In Anantnag district, a passenger cab hit a pedestrian identified as Gulzar Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Hutmurrah village. The police said the injured had been shifted to hospital for treatment.

A motorcyclist was injured when his bike skidded near Gogji Bagh. The injured man, identified as Riyaz Ahmad of Ompora area of Budgam.