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Kunan Poshpora mass rape victims allege evidence fudged
Qazigund-Banihal train gets railway board nod
State sleeps over NDMC warning
NC govt failed to carry forward pro-peace agenda, says Mufti
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Fest to promote tourist places of Leh
Only one ReT teacher in Doda district gets five-month salary
Amarnath yatra: Governor inspects arrangements at Baltal, Panjtarni
CET biology paper postponed, chemistry exam cancelled
Govt censured for delaying honorarium to panches
Cong leaders gear up to cash in on PM’s visit
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Kunan Poshpora mass rape victims allege evidence fudged
Srinagar, June 22 The victims said nobody helped them over the past over two decades, during which they had to face ‘social stigma and were even ostracised. Over 30 women were allegedly raped by Army personnel in the remote Kunan Poshpora village The case was reopened by a magisterial court in Kupwara after a gap of 22 years on June 19, with directions to the police to further investigate the matter within three months. Recounting the barbaric incident, the victims recount how the village men were segregated from their womenfolk and scores of women were allegedly raped by the accused. “Our statements have been recorded many times, but nothing has happened. We did not get justice,” says one of the victims. Another victim, who was 22 with a newborn at the time, says, “That February night was the worst day for me.” “Those scars remain. For nine years, I had to take an antibiotic medicine as I had developed severe infection. Besides, the womenfolk of Kunan Poshpora, who suffered at the hands of the Army that day, have been looked down by other villagers. It has been a constant suffering and injustice,” she added. Alleging a “cover-up and denial of justice”, Ghulam Mohammad of the village said, “The statements of the rape victims, which were recorded at that time by the police, have either been changed or altered. Now that the case has been reopened, we demand a fair and impartial probe.” Another villager Mohammad Amin said help
came from no one over past two decades. |
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Qazigund-Banihal train gets railway board nod
Srinagar, June 22 The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Northern Circle, which had conducted the safety inspection of the train as well as the rail track on June 18 and 19 has “We received the green signal on Friday from the Railway Board for running the train between Banihal and Qazigund,” a northern railway official in Ferozepur said. “The clearance from the CRS is essential to ply any train on any new track,” he added. Sources said the railway officials in Kashmir have geared up to give a final shape to the arrangements to launch of the rail services from Banhial in Ramban of Jammu and Qazigund in Kulgam of south Kashmir. The train to be flagged off by Prime Minister has reached Banihal station that has been decorated with flowers. The train will be flagged off from Banihal on June 26 jointly by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Work on the Qazigund Banihal section of rail track-which also passes through 11.17 km Pir Panjal tunnel, which is the country’s longest and Asia’s second longest tunnel, has been executed by IRCON, a PSU under railways and they have already handed it over to the railways. The first trial run of the train between Qazigund and Banihal was conducted on December 25. “On the commissioning of this section, the distance between Banihal and Qazigund will be reduced by almost half and the rail link will make all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and Banihal possible,” said another official of IRCON. The trains from Kashmir would, however, still not be able to reach to other parts of the country as important railway stretch between Udhampur-Banihal is still under construction and is likely to be completed by 2017. The first phase of the train service between Anantnag and Budgam districts was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 11, 2008. The second phase of the train between Budgam and Baramulla was flagged off by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on February 14, 2009, followed by the third phase between Anantnag to Qazigund by the
Prime Minister on October 28, 2009. 114-year-old dream a reality |
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State sleeps over NDMC warning
Srinagar, June 22 None of the 22 districts of the state has prepared its district disaster management plan. This has delayed the formulation of a state-level disaster management plan. Nadeem Qadri, an environment law expert said the district magistrates in all 22 districts were supposed to prepare their respective disaster-management plans but the same has not been done. “There were strict suggestions from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) last year that the district-level disaster management plans should be prepared. It seems, the money allocated for the disaster management in the state has not been spent as no such plan was finalised. The authorities seem are not bothered,” Nadeem said. Experts say the vulnerability of the state to natural disasters is higher than ever especially with the forest cover having reduced from 37 per cent to mere 11 per cent. “Deforestation is definitely a major reason which led to furious Uttarakhand floods and the same could happen in the state as well. The fast-depleting forest cover in state is a big reason for worry,” Nadeem said. Shakil Romshoo, the head of the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir, said Uttarakhand disaster should serve as a wake-up call for the state and the state government should formulate a comprehensive disaster-management policy as well as develop measures to reduce the risk and vulnerability of these disasters. “Scientists have warned that a natural catastrophe is looms large over the state,” he said. |
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NC govt failed to carry forward pro-peace agenda, says Mufti
Poonch, June 22 While addressing a public meeting at Surankote town, Mufti said the process of peace and reconciliation, pioneered by the PDP, had yielded encouraging dividends during the PDP-Congress regime. He, however, regretted that the present regime headed by the National Conference had failed to carry forward the pro-peace agenda initiated by its predecessor. “The present regime has failed to connect with the people. The alienation among the people has been increasing with each passing day due to the widening of the gap between the commoners and the ruling elites,” he said. He said it was during the period of the present government that the trust deficit between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country had reached the highest level. “We don’t believe in self-glorification. But it is a fact that during the PDP-Congress regime, the dignity and the honour of the people of the state was resorted,” he said. Mufti also mentioned about various revolutionary steps taken during the PDP-Congress coalition government, especially the revocation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and disbanding of the special task force. “There was a sense of fear and insecurity among the people when the PDP was formed in 1999,” he said, adding that through its pro-peace agenda, the party had not only created a sense of security among the people, but also restored their dignity. |
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Fest to promote tourist places of Leh
Leh, June 22 Sand dunes, doubled-humped camel and monasteries are the main
tourist attractions in the Nubra valley. The festival is expected to help decentralise the concentration of tourists in Leh town to other parts of the district. It is being organised by a village association, Samstan Otsal Tsogspa, in collaboration with the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF). HCHF secretary Sonam Wangchuk said, “The festival is an initiative to promote the tradition, culture and heritage of Ladakh. It will be highlighted next year by the Tourism Department on the tourist calendar in Nubra valley.” Wangchuk said traditional archery would be one of the main highlights of the festival. Folk songs and dances and exhibition of local handicrafts are the other highlights of the festival. |
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Only one ReT teacher in Doda district gets five-month salary
Doda, June 22 Sources in the Education Department said Doda CEO Muhammad Ashraf Rather had given a go ahead for releasing the five-month salary of Rs 73,000 to ReT teacher Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Zadan in the Bhagwah education block. For the past five months, not a single ReT teacher, elevated to the post of permanent teacher after
completing five years as ReT, has received his or her salary. “The salary has been released only to Riyaz Ahmad while no other ReT teacher has received a single penny for the past five months,” a source said, adding that the CEO has issued an authority letter to the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO), Bhagwah, to release Bhat’s salary. The total requirement of the ZEO, Bhagwah, for disbursing the salaries of ReT teachers is Rs 25 lakh. The office has so far received only Rs 2 lakh, out of which Rs 73,000 has been given to only one teacher. “Yes, the salary has been released in favour of Riyaz Ahmad as he had cited some personal reasons. He had forwarded the case to the Doda CEO and got the approval,” said Shameem Ahmad, in charge, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Bhagwah. ZEO, Bhagwah, Nazir Ahmad Natnoo said he had ordered to get back the amount from the teacher. CEO, Doda, Muhammad Ashraf Rather, who issued the authority letter, said, “I am not aware about the development and will verify things.”
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Amarnath yatra: Governor inspects arrangements at Baltal, Panjtarni
Srinagar, June 22 An official spokesman said the Governor, accompanied by Navin K Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, inspected arrangements and held meetings with the officials at the holy cave, Panjtarni and Domel. He also inspected arrangements at the Baltal base camp and chaired a high-level review meeting there. Navin K Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor; PS Sandhu, BSF IG; Sarmad Hafiz, Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner; Shahid Mehraj, Ganderbal SP; Brig Khanna (retd) from the National Disaster Management Authority and RK Pandita, GM (Works), SASB, were present at the meeting. “Review arrangements for the yatris, the Governor asked all the government departments, service providers and agencies concerned to complete the remaining work on the Baltal axis before June 26, well in time before the yatra starts on June 28,” a spokesman said. The Governor, while reviewing the positioning of the mountain rescue teams on the track and disaster management measures, emphasised the need for ensuring prompt response in case of any emergent situation. He asked all the agencies concerned to ensure coordination. The Governor asked the langar organisations to provide only the prescribed food on the menu to the pilgrims. He impressed upon all the departments, service providers and stakeholders to maintain cleanliness and ensure protection of environment and ecology in the yatra area. He issued instructions to take stringent sanitation measures and keep the area clean. “During his visit to Domel, the Governor reviewed arrangements with regard to access control gate management and shelters put in place for the yatris in case of bad weather,” the spokesman said. |
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CET biology paper postponed, chemistry exam cancelled
Jammu, June 22 As a result the biology paper scheduled for tomorrow as well as the chemistry examination conducted today was cancelled. Around 24,000 aspirants from the state are appearing in the two-day long test from today. The Board had set up 35 examination centres, including 20 in Kashmir Valley and 15 in Jammu for the test. The test is being conducted to select candidates for various medical, veterinary, engineering and other allied professional courses run by the government and private institutes in the state. On the first day of the JKCET-2013, two papers, including physics and chemistry were conducted, while the papers of biology and mathematics were scheduled for tomorrow. A senior Board official said the first session of the examination, in which physics examination was conducted, went smoothly. “In the second half of the test, the examiners at a centre in Srinagar distributed the biology question paper instead of chemistry question paper by mistake. The biology paper was scheduled for tomorrow. Some staff members noticed the mistake and withdrew the biology question paper,” the official said. Higher officials of the Board advised the examiners not to create panic and provide the candidates with the chemistry question paper. “It was purely human error as nobody knew which question paper was wrapped in the sealed envelopes. We cancelled the paper as it was a matter of the Board’s credibility. While the mathematics test will be conducted as per the schedule in the first session tomorrow, we will notify the fresh date for the biology paper later,” he said.
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Govt censured for delaying honorarium to panches
Jammu, June 22 Singh said the Minister for Rural Development, in a written reply to his un-starred question during the budget session of 2013, had stated that the proposal of giving honorarium to the panchayat members had been moved to the Finance Department and some emoluments had been recommended for the sarpanches, naib sarpanches and panches. He said a statement in this regard had been made by the Finance Minister during his budget speech. He regretted that the government had failed to take any action so far despite panchayats having
completed more than two years since their constitution.
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Cong leaders gear up to cash in on PM’s visit
Jammu, June 22 The Prime Minister and the UPA chairperson are scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the 850-MW Ratle Hydro Electric Power Project at Kishtwar. Both leaders would also inaugurate the 11-km-long Banihal-Qazigund railway tunnel at Banihal. They would arrive in the Valley on June 25. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz said the functions to be held at Banihal and Kishtwar were official but people would be present at these functions. “Of course, our party workers would assemble there to listen to their leaders,” Soz said when asked about the presence of Congress workers at the function. Insiders in the Congress said the party had decided to show its strength at the function at Kishtwar because the Kishtwar Assembly segment is considered the stronghold of the National Conference (NC). “The party workers of Kishtwar, Doda and Bhaderwah have been asked to assemble at the Kishtwar function,” a source said and added that party MLAs of the erstwhile Doda district were working overtime to ensure maximum participation at the Kishtwar function. Eyeing the ensuing Assembly elections, Congress leaders have been trying to mobilise the public in the erstwhile Doda district to give a message to the coalition partner and the opposition. The recent spar between Congress minister Abdul Majid Wani and NC minister Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo over the functioning of the Roads and Buildings Department has also instigated Congress workers to show their strength at Kishtwar which is Kichloo’s Assembly segment.
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Even 21 years after the 1991 Kunan Poshpora ‘mass’ rape incident, there is no relief for the victims. They have called for a social boycott of the people behind the alleged ‘cover-up’ in the case.
