Srinagar, May 24
Government schoolteachers under the aegis of the Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum (JKTF) staged a protest here today against the inter-district postings.

Members of the JKTF gathered at the Press Enclave and appealed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to address their issues.

“Our concerns have not been addressed till date despite having met the Education Minister and other higher ups. We protested to bring our concerns to the notice of the Chief Minister and to seek his interventions,” said JKTF district president, Budgam, Mohammad Akbar Khan.

Khan claimed that teachers, who had been promoted as masters of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, as per the recently issued order had been posted in far-flung areas like Gurez in Bandipore district. “We will have to travel 100 to 200 kilometres and we demand that masters be posted in their respective districts. It will be very difficult for us, especially the female staff to commute, as we would be required to take rented accommodations,” he added.

Forum’s Bandipore district president Sharif-ud-Din said teachers from other districts had been posted in Budgam. “While masters of Budgam have been posted in Bandipore, on the other hand, teachers from other districts have been posted in Budgam,” he said.

Khan said around 300 teachers from other districts had been posted in Budgam.

He said the JKTF demand was to post teachers in their respective districts so that they were not put to inconvenience.

Kupwara, May 24
A class-IV employee of the Education Department has allegedly forged his date of birth (DoB) record to seek regularisation of his service. Gh Mohi-u-din Mir, working as a sweeper at the middle school, Gund Gushi of Handwara tehsil, is accused of tampering with his date of birth record.

Chief Education Office (CEO), Kupwara, on May 7, issued a tentative seniority list of qualified contingents/local fund paid workers of the district. Mir figured at the number 3 position in the list.

In the tentative selection list, Mir’s DoB has been shown as July 7, 1958, but the school records show his DoB as July 7, 1953. The school leaving/discharge certificate issued by the government high school, Karihama, Kupwara, under admission no. 838 also states that the student passed 8th class through this institution as a private candidate under roll no. 337-P in November 1983.

“He tempered with his DoB to mislead the education office and seek regularisation of his services. The department should investigate his case and punish him for committing the offence so that it acts as a deterrent for others,” said a teacher.

Kupwara CEO Ashok Kumar Sharma said his office had received many complaints and the final list would be released after proper verification of such cases. “It is only a tentative list and we have already asked for objections. The verification committee will complete verification of all the candidates and then the final list will be released,” said the CEO.

Srinagar, May 24
For the past 30 years, a government primary school at Kakapora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has been functioning from under the roof of a house. The school has strength of nearly 90 students.

Classes are held either under the roof of the house or on a nearby road. The students along with their teachers had protested many times in the past, but the district administration could not arrange an adequate building for the school.

In the absence of proper infrastructure, classes are not held during rain and snowfall and the winter vacations are extended to four months.

“We call off classes in November only, although the official winter vacations start from December mid. It is not possible to teach them under extreme cold conditions in the open. Hence, we are compelled to shut the school,” said a teacher of the school at Kakapora.

Last week, village sarpanch Fayyaz Ahmad Dar tried to set himself on fire while demanding buildings for the government middle school and the primary school at Kakapora.

“I have been running after these authorities to grant these children their due right of education. How can we expect students to study properly without school building? Unfortunately, our cries have fallen on deaf ears till now. We have met Deputy Commissioner. He assured us that the land for the two school buildings will be provided soon,” Dar said.

Pulwama DC Manzoor Ahmad Lone said the schoolchildren had been suffering in the absence of infrastructure. He said he would look into the matter of land allotment for the construction of school buildings for the children of the area. “We will provide suitable land for both the schools,” Lone said.

Srinagar, May 24
Along with the rest of the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold its “jail bharo” agitation across the Valley from Monday. With an aim to make its presence felt, as the BJP has so far failed to win even a single Assembly seat in the Valley, the party will hold the agitation in three phases.

Party’s Kashmir unit spokesman Mohammad Altaf Thakur said they would hold the first “jail bharo” agitation here on Monday which would be followed by another protest on May 30 at Anantnag in south Kashmir.

Stating that senior leaders from New Delhi are expected to take part in the protests, Thakur said the final “jail bharo” protest would be held on June 1 at Baramulla in north Kashmir.

Earlier this month, BJP national spokesman Prakash Javedekar, while addressing a press conference here, had announced that the party would simultaneously launch its “jail bharo” agitation in the three regions of the state (Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh) from May 27 to June 2 along with other parts of the country.

He had said the series of protests were being held against the rampant corruption and a series of scams that had surfaced at the Centre in the recent past. Javedekar had also said the state government was “in competition” with the Centre on the corruption front.

Meanwhile, Thakur said they were expecting a large participation of protesters in the scheduled “jail bharo” protest that would also go a long way towards strengthening the party base in the Valley.

Handwara, May 24
Property worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed in a fire that broke out at Sheikhpora village under Handwara tehsil in Kupwara district. About a dozen houses, a primary school building and five cowsheds were gutted.

The fire broke out in a house around 12 noon and soon engulfed the adjoining houses. According to Zonal Education Officer (ZEO), Rajwar, Barkat Ali, all the school records were gutted. The school was functioning from a rented building.

All the affected families belong to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and most of them are carpenters and barbers by profession. “We have lost everything. Our children may face starvation like situation. We are living under the open sky and all we could save are the clothes we are wearing,” said Abdul Rashid Najar, a member of an affected family.

The Fire Department, Handwara, pressed into service five fire tenders from Magam, Mawar, Rajwar, Kalamabad and Kahipora stations and the flames were doused after an arduous work of about more than four hours.

The affected families made a fervent appeal to the authorities to extend them support. “We make fervent appeal to the Chief Minister to support us in these bad times. We are poor and may not be able to survive without proper support,” said Mohd Sultan Hajam, another affected family head. The houses belonging to Javid Ahmad Najar, Ab Ahad Najar, Gh Mohd Najar, Gh Qadir Najar, Mohd Amin Najar, Gh Qadir Hajam and Gh Rasool Hajam were gutted in the incident.

Sources said a pollen heap near a house caught fire due a spark caused by a cigarette and soon engulfed the house and adjoining houses.

Handwara Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Muzzafar Ahmad Pir along with tehsildar and some revenue officials rushed to the spot. They provided the affected families with tents, blankets, ration and a cash amount of Rs 2,000 each. Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Syed Itrat Hussain said Handwara ADC had been directed to prepare a report about the loss caused due to the fire.

Minister of Food and Supplies and MLA Handwara Chowdary Mohammad Ramzan said all necessary assistance would be provided to the affected families.

Kupwara, May 24
Thousands of devotees are expected to throng the shrine of saint Zatishah Wali (RA) at Shahwali Muqam at Drugmulla village in Kupwara district.

On the first day of the three-day annual Urs, devotees from Drugmulla and neighbouring villages visited the shrine on Friday.

“From tomorrow, the rush of devotees is likely to swell. We have made all necessary arrangements like drinking water and health care for the devotees,” said a member of the shrine committee.

The occasion provides business avenues for locals. “I have already set up a makeshift shop of garments and planning to sell ice creams and juices from tomorrow. The three-day annual Urs is expected to generate a good income,” said Mohd Sultan of Drugmulla.

A mulberry tree in the midst of a pond near the shrine is one of the major attractions for the devotees. The pond water is considered sacred and used by the people to cure various diseases including the skin disorders. “People collect the sacred water from the pond and use it for curing skin disorders. The water is also very effective in curing diseases like headache, stomach and other diseases,” said Ali Muhammad from Kupwara.

Srinagar, May 24
Governor N N Vohra today laid the foundation stone of the science and technology block on the Kashmir University’s upcoming Zakura campus.

The Governor called upon the faculty, students and all the stakeholders to work hard to make the university a centre of excellence. He said Kashmir University had a glorious past and the consistent commitment would take the varsity into a brighter future.

The Governor also discussed the Master Plan of the Zakura campus with Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmad and architects.

The Governor said all the buildings on the campus must provide for utilisation of solar energy and the entire campus must provide for rainwater harvesting.

He also laid stress on the most judicious use of the available land, keeping in view the future growth of the varsity, and said fast growing species of trees should be planted along the entire boundary line for adding.

Srinagar, May 24
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah launched the first e-library of the state on Thursday while chairing the second meeting of the Advisory Council for Higher Education at Srinagar.

“As many as 800 books on various subjects and over 1,000 journals have been uploaded on the portal and will be accessible to students soon,” sources said.

The Chief Minister also constituted a high-level committee of administrative secretaries of Higher Education, School Education, Technical Education, Finance Departments headed by the Principal Secretary Planning and Development to examine the recommendations made by various sub-groups of thee Advisory Council. The committee will also review the draft Vision Document 2020 prepared by the Higher Education Department.

“The Administrative Secretaries Committee should do time-bound finalisation of the recommendations so that these are deliberated upon in the next Advisory Committee meeting to concretise the final proposal for implementation,” he said.

Underlining the need for regular updating of the portal with quality information, the Chief Minister underscored the importance of ensuring security of the web portal for uploading information. He said there should be a proper checking for this purpose.

The Chief Minister said the higher education and school education departments should together formulate a charter for students to ensure various services to them across the state.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone gave overlook of the Vision Document 2020 and presented a resume of the initiatives of the Higher Education Department.

Principal Secretary Higher Education KB Agarwal told the meeting that the Higher Education Department would be made paperless within the next six months by shifting all its functional on e-governance mode.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Higher Education Manohar Lal, Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, administrative secretaries, vice chancellors of various universities functioning in the state, senior officers and principals of different degree colleges.

Srinagar, May 24
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik today began a 48-hour hunger strike against ‘human rights violations’ and to press for the demand of return of bodies of Parliament-attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and 1960’s militant commander Muhammad Maqbool Bhat.

Malik, along with his supporters, sat on a hunger strike on at Maisuma neighbourhood, which also houses JKLF main office and Malik’s residence.

Among the demands put forward by the JKLF include the return of bodies of Guru and Bhat, both of whom are buried inside the Tihar jail, New Delhi. Guru was hanged in February this year and Bhat was hanged in February, 1984.

Malik had earlier scheduled to hold this protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, but he was denied permission by the police. Later, he scheduled the strike in the city.

The hunger strike is also a part of a series of protests against life-term sentences pronounced against several separatist activists and other perceived human rights violations.

Family members of separatist activists who have been sentenced life terms in recent months are also participating in the strike. Parveena Ahangar, whose son disappeared more than two decades ago, is also participating in the strike. She now leads the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP).

Srinagar, May 24
A modernised post office, under the Project Arrow of the Department of Posts, J&K circle, was inaugurated at Bandipore in north Kashmir, here today.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Saif-ud-din Soz inaugurated the post office. Chief Postmaster General (J&K circle) John Samuel and Bandipore MLA Nizam-ud-din Bhat were also present on the occasion.

Soz said, “People should take an urge in developing the post offices as they are one of the oldest institutions. Money in post offices is secure and people should invest in post offices.”

The MLA said the post office would play a role in infrastructure development of the area.

Later, another modernised post office was inaugurated at Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Srinagar, May 24
In a bid to promote Kashmir’s dying papier mache art, University of Kashmir has roped in artisans, experts and scholars to draft the syllabus for six months certificate course in the art which would be launched soon.

A two-day national workshop was organised by the Directorate of Life Long Leaning, University of Kashmir, in collaboration with the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), New Delhi.

Speaking at the occasion, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir, Prof Talat Ahmad said it was a small beginning to bring local artisans to the limelight.

“This is just a beginning and I must congratulate the role of DLL in initiating this programme. I am eager to see this course happening in the university,” the VC said.

“This course will help artisans to make their mark in the market. They will be taught and educated about the new trends in the craft all over world,” he said, adding “This will help the artisans to compete at various levels and to be visible to a large section of society.”

Srinagar, May 24
A complete shutdown was observed for the second consecutive day at Palhalan- the native village of Lashker-e-Toiba militant commander Hilal Maulvi who was killed in an encounter on Thursday morning.

The situation at Palhalan, 30- km from here, remained tense throughout the day and a large contingent of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was deployed in the area to ensure that the situation does not go out of hands. The shutdown was also observed in neigbouring Pattan area.

Maulvi was killed in an encounter in old city on Thursday morning and was buried at his native village yesterday evening.

The heavy deployment in the two areas ensured that the traffic on the Srinagar-Baramulla national highway plied normally. However, minor clashes were reported from the area in the afternoon.

“There were restrictions in place in the area and people were not allowed to gather on the highway,” said a resident of Palhalan.

The police had said that Hilal was wanted in 10 FIRs lodged at different police stations for his role in militancy related incidents.

“The LeT commander was involved in the killing of a sarpanch at Palhalan along with another militant Shaka and a civilian Bashir Ahmad of Kunzer. He was also involved in grenade attacks in Pattan,” a police spokesman had said.

Hilal is the second militant of the Palhalan who was killed in the past over a month.

Meanwhile, the Bar Association today alleged that Hilal was killed in a fake encounter.

“The alleged claim of the police that Hilal was killed in an encounter is rejected by the Bar Association and the same is not true, the circumstances indicate that Hilal was arrested and thereafter killed in the fake encounter,” said Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, general secretary of the Bar Association, in a statement. 

Srinagar, May 24
Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey yesterday reviewed the status of Bhatinda, Jammu and Srinagar gas pipeline project involving grant of user rights of the land to a Gujarat-based consortium, by the State Government.

The State Cabinet has approved the project for issuance of Right of Use (RoU) ordinance in this regard, an official spokesman said. Deliberations were held to expedite the process of granting user rights and starting with the process of carrying out other related works in cities and towns by establishing the required infrastructure for further gas distribution to households and other consumers, once the main pipe line is through.

“t was hoped that successful completion of the project would provide and connect the people of the state with a reliable source of energy thereby, fuelling economic growth and investment and develop industries. It would also overcome shortage of LPG and meet power deficit especially during winters besides, positively impacting the sate’ pwer sector, transport sector etc,” the spokesman said.

The Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL)-led consortium, which has been entrusted with the project for laying the gas pipeline, has proposed to lay the pipeline parallel to the existing road and national highway utilising the space available on the road side land.

The gas pipeline will pass through Kathua, Jammu, Samba, Udhampur, Anantnag and Srinagar. Managing Director, GSPL, Tapan Rai, Commissioner Secretary Revenue, Vinod Koul, Commissioner Secretary, CA&PD, Mohammad Abbas and other senior officers were present at the meeting. 

Srinagar, May 24
In an effort to safeguard the identity of Kashmir craft, the Enforcement Wing of the Quality Control Division of Handicrafts Department conducted surprise check in Pahalgam and Boulevard to check sale of fake handicraft items.

Many dealers who were found selling fake items in the name of Kashmir handicrafts and without having a valid registration certificates were penalised.

“A fine of Rs 7,000 was also imposed on Shikara hawkers selling handicraft items without a valid licence,” an official spokesman said.

The inspection was conducted with the assistance of the SP Enforcement Department of Tourism.

The handicraft department has warned the dealers to desist from selling fake machine-made items in the name of Kashmir art. — TNS

Srinagar, May 24
Brushing aside his disappointment of an earlier loss, top cyclist of the state Umer Nabi of the Khyber Group cruised to victory in the Gulmarg (Kashmir Festival) Tourism Cycle Race. The race among 50 cyclists was held today from Tangmarg to Gulmarg.

A week after he had lost the Tourism Cycle Race held in Srinagar, Umer today made no mistakes to get back his title from his opponent Muhammad Akber Khan of Government Physical College, Ganderbal.

The Directorate of Tourism, in collaboration with the J&K Sports Development Association (JKSDA), has organized the event as a part of the Kashmir Festival.

Tangmarg SDPO Muhammad Yousuf Chowdary, Assistant Director (tourism) Syed Faheem and Assistant Tourist Officer GM Dar flagged off the race from Tangmarg.

Umer took a lead from the start and maintained that throughout the course. He finished first with the timing of 38:02:01 minutes and was closely followed by Muhammad Akber Khan with the timing of 39:43:02. Umer Bashir of the Shalimar Cycling Club finished third with the timing of 43:12:11.

In the junior category, Amir Sidiq Gojree and Parvez Ahmad both of the Chinar Cycling Club Magam finished first and second respectively. Raashid of Kashmir Harvard finished third.

It was moral boosting victory for the Umer who had earlier lost the first leg of the same event to Akber. With this win, he equaled the record haul with Akber.

The concluding ceremony was held at the Gulmarg Golf Club where Syed Faheem was the chief guest. The Tourism Department also organised road race and ATV race as a part of the Kashmir Festival.

The road race was flagged off by Chief Executive Officer, GDA Tariq Ganai. And the ATV race was flagged off by SP Abdul Qayoom.