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Authorities assess losses to sports infrastructure
Power supply restored in Phallain Mandal after a month
State govt has failed to help flood victims: JKNPP
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Pandits for new townships as part of rehab plan
Lecture held on trends in Centre-state relations
170 heart patients screened at camp
Natrang stages ‘Uthal Puthal’
Now, govt orders digitising official records… or whatever is left of them
on the frontline
Garbage dumps in Anantnag district pose epidemic threat
19 bodies in Saddal remain untraced
Students of 2 Anantnag villages get makeshift school as ‘Eidi’
Eid celebrations missing for people displaced by floods in Kashmir valley
CJI calls for speedy restoration of damaged HC infrastructure
Guv extends Eid greetings
Help flood-hit on Eid: Omar
Threat of respiratory infections looms in flood-hit Valley
Poonch to get three Bailey bridges
Rs 2,169 lakh spent under agri scheme in 2013-14
Cong concerned about delay in rehab package
Court restrains Nehru from acting as JKCA general secretary
Teachers’ body donates Rs 1 lakh for flood victims
Amid calls for austerity, Valley to celebrate Eid-ul-Zuha today
Gul promises help to Nawakadal fire victims
Bakery business down by
90 per cent this Eid
‘There is nothing left to sell now’
ASCOMS treats 12,000 patients in Valley
State Cong distributes relief to Boatman Colony residents
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Authorities assess losses to sports infrastructure
Jammu, October 5 While Deputy Commissioners across the state are assessing damage caused to public property, heads of sports departments too are busy calculating losses incurred in their districts. Preliminary reports indicate that most of the playfields/stadiums have suffered little damage in Jammu Division. At the MA Stadium in Jammu, boundary wall near Snooker and Billiards Hall has been damaged. Mandeep Singh, Executive Engineer, J&K State Sports Council, who has been assigned the task to assess the damages, said, “Due to the strong current of water in the Tawi river during heavy rains, a major portion of the wall got damaged.” “The final estimate is yet to be ascertained by the department. Both the indoor sports complex and the main outdoor stadium are ok. There are no reports of any serious damage due to flashloods,” he added. However, he said two playfields at Bandurakh near Kunjwani (10 kms from Jammu city) and Shatru in Kishtwar district have been completely damaged by the flash floods. “Unfortunately, the playfield at Bandurakh was completely damaged during floods. It was under construction when there was incessant rain in the region. As per initial estimate, a loss of around Rs 12 lakh has been reported but we are still ascertaining the exact figure,” Mandeep Singh claimed. “The playfield at Shatri in Kishtwar district is also severely damaged due to flashfloods. We have been told that the department has suffered a loss of Rs 15-18 lakh,” he said. In Rajouri district, where a huge loss of public property has been reported, the playfields and the stadium remained safe from the havoc unleashed by flashfloods. District Youth Services and Sports Officer (DYSSO), Rajouri, Mohammad Ayaz Khan said, “Luckily, the sports stadium and other playfields in the district remain safe. We have asked the officials to assess the damage but nothing serious has come to the fore,” the sports officer claimed. Similarly, Nirdosh Sharma, in charge, Sports Stadium, Poonch, said, “Infrastructure at the sports stadium here is intact. We are really lucky that the flashfloods did not cause any damage.” District Sports Officer, Udhampur, said a detailed report had been sent to the Deputy Commissioner. “The department has submitted a detailed report to the Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur as directed by him. Not much damage was done by flashfloods as was apprehended earlier,” he said.
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Power supply restored in Phallain Mandal after a month
Jammu, October 5 Kumar along with Sumbh sarpanch Bishan Dass, Mandal sarpanch Subash Chander and Sumb Panchayati Adalat chairman Raghubir Singh and Makwal sarpanch Gulzar Singh also thanked officials of Sub Transmission Division, PDD, for restoring the power supply in the areas of Phallain Mandal in the stipulated time. These were without the power supply for the almost a month. He said officials and employees worked round the clock and successfully managed to restore electricity in the area on October 2, thereby providing much-needed succour to more than 60,000 villagers. Several villages in the area had been cut off after the Tawi breached its embankments and destroyed power and water infrastructure. — TNS
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State govt has failed to help flood victims: JKNPP
Jammu, October 5
About 90 per cent of them told me that they had not received any aid or assistance from the government except some rice and dry food.” “Thousands of files/papers were lying scattered in the streets, many of which are still inundated. There was no official available to speak to. Most of the telephones are still not functioning,” he said. Bhim Singh said at Kasuri village on the way from Udhampur to Panchari, there were 51 families and 45 tents had been provided by some NGOs, but nothing from the government. They were 230 persons who fled from Sadal village on September 6. “As many as 27 persons were swept away in the village. Only seven bodies have been recovered so far,” he claimed. “The state administration has not provided any relief to these people. There is no drinking water and people in the camps have been drinking dirty water from a pond. The administration has refused to issue death certificate for missing bodies. People are demanding some agriculture land to build houses. The story of the remaining 159 families from the other corner of the same village, who have been camping in Panjar, is similar,” said Bhim Singh. He said the immediate need was for a shelter for these families at a safe place as the winter season is approaching and snowfall is imminent in these areas. He said the party fully stands by the demands of the Panthers Party president Balwant Singh Mankotia, MLA, seeking fair, equitable and immediate relief, followed by the rehabilitation of all the flood-affected people. |
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Pandits for new townships as part of rehab plan
Jammu, October 5 During a meeting of the Jagti Tenement Committee led by Shadi Lal Pandita, the community members said the government was “silent” over the migrants’ problems and reiterated their demand of permanent rehabilitation in the Valley. Shadi Lal said the Pandit community has also suffered due to the recent floods in Kashmir and sought compensation for the lost incurred by them. The body also emphasised the need to enhance the cash relief from existing Rs 6,600 to Rs 15,000 per month, besides seeking employment for the 10,000 Kashmiri Pandit youths living in exile. It also said those migrant candidates who have studied only till class X be absorbed as class IV employees. The meeting further asked for conducting a police recruitment drive at Jagti. Raising pitch
During a meeting of the Jagti Tenement Committee led by Shadi Lal Pandita, the community members said the government was “silent” over the migrants’ problems and reiterated their demand of permanent rehabilitation in the Valley. |
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Lecture held on trends in Centre-state relations
Jammu, October 5 This was a prelude conference on the theme chosen by the IIPA for Annual Members Conference to be held later this month in New Delhi. In her lecture, Prof Chowdhary gave a brief introduction to the constitutional provisions related to Centre-state relations and discussed the reasons for a centralised federal structure as it was adopted in the Indian Constitution. Besides the constitutional provisions, it was the nature of political processes, particularly the nature of the party system, which further resulted in tilting the balance of power in favour of the Centre, she said. It was in the post-1989 period that there was a shift in the nature of the Centre-state relations, she said. “What significantly contributed to this change was the change in the party system. The ‘one party dominant’ system was replaced by the multi-party system, giving rise to the emergence of coalition politics at the Centre and led to increasing significance of the regional parties and leadership,” she said. The lecture was followed by a question-answer session. Following the discussion, Dr Ashok Bhan delivered his address in which he highlighted the problems related to security and foreign policy issues due to the pressures coming from the state-level leadership. He gave examples of the intervention of the West Bengal Chief Minister on the issue of Teesta water agreement and that of the Tamil Nadu leadership on the issue of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
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170 heart patients screened at camp
Jammu, October 5 The camp was organised under the supervision of Dr Sushil K Sharma, Head, Department of Cardiology, Government Medical College along with a team of doctors, including Dr Mohi Kalsotra, Dr Salma, Dr D Kapoor, Dr Shehbaz, Dr Saqib and paramedics Nadeem Bhat, Kishori Lal and sister Dil Feroz. Dr Sharma stressed the importance of a healthy diet schedule and told patients to stop smoking and consuming excessive alcohol as these aggravated coronary artery diseases. Residents appreciated the gesture of the team and said such camps should be conducted time and again.
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Natrang stages ‘Uthal Puthal’
Jammu, October 5 It revolved around a young girl Malvika, who lives as a paying-guest in the house of an arrogant woman, Maya. One day when she comes back home from college, she finds her landlady rummaging through her belongings in her room. All her stuff is lying were scattered on the floor. She comes to know that a very expensive brooch of Maya was lost. Humiliated, when she is packing to leave, Maya husband begs her to stay and reveals he had stolen the brooch as he was short of money as his wife had captured all his possessions, making him a beggar in his own house.
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Now, govt orders digitising official records… or whatever is left of them
Srinagar, October 5, 2014 “The records damaged and now available after proper clean-up operation should be inventorised/ digitised, in the first instance. The list of destroyed records should be also prepared/ digitised,” said the guidelines issued by the state government’s General Administration Department yesterday. “All the departments will take necessary steps towards digitisation of their records, if not done so far,” the order read The state’s multi-crore e-governance project, which had included digitisation, has failed to meet several deadlines for its completion after it was launched in 2009. The devastating deluge, which swept through the region in the first week of September, has damaged records of several government departments in the civil secretariat and in other government offices. The state government has also ordered constitution of departmental committees for dividing “the records into ‘very old’, ‘old’ and ‘current’ categories” and sought recommendations to weed out “very old” records on case-to-case basis. “The current files damaged should be preserved and a process initiated for reconstruction/rebuilding of such files, based on whatever information is present in the damaged files,” the government has directed. The state government has also ordered the heads of its departments to furnish a list of the damaged and completely destroyed records to the Administrative Secretaries. “The list of the records damaged/destroyed shall also be put in the public domain as far as possible,” the order reads. The government has also asked its employees to provide photocopy of their service books, if available with them, which “may form the basis for preparation” of duplicate service books, which may have been damaged or destroyed in the floods. Reconstruction process
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on the frontline With countless truckloads of relief material reaching the Kashmir valley daily from all over the country and with relief still not reaching all flood-affected people, there has to be something terribly wrong somewhere. The whole nation has stood by the flood-affected people in the Valley – the roads leading to Kashmir are clogged with trucks carrying relief material from rice to blankets, baby food and utensils. The tin sheets are also on way to set up shelters for the victims ahead of the dreaded winter in Kashmir. The nation’s mood reflects a strong feeling of being one with the people who have lost their homes and valued possessions to floods. The Central government, non-governmental organisations and others have joined hands in reaching out to the people in distress in Kashmir. The pain of the flood-hit people in Kashmir was felt from north to south and east to west in the country. More than the media, they were told about the suffering of the masses in Kashmir by tourists trapped in floodwaters in the second week of September. Those were the days when Kashmir turned into a vast lake. There was complete hopelessness and gloom all around. The tourists and migrant labourers were rescued by local youth and the men in uniform. Why is all the relief not reaching the flood-affected people in Kashmir? This is an unanswered question. One would agree with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that there is no example of the perfect relief distribution anywhere in the world. The magnitude of the tragedy is immeasurable. So there are bound to be some discrepancies. That being that. Now, when the flood devastation is entering its second month – if September 7 is taken as the cut-off date, though the floods had started ravaging south Kashmir much earlier – the system should have stabilised by this time. And, there should have been less complaints of the irregular or unfair distribution of relief. Instead, there are more protests and complaints. It is true that the Chief Minister cannot be everywhere all the time. But what he could have done and what was expected of a leader in crisis is that he should have taken to task those who had failed him in the government. The accountability of the system was never a strong point of any government in the state. During the past few years, institutions have collapsed. There has been enormous erosion in the institutions and they have been politicized to the extent that they are fast losing faith of the people. Not listening to sane voices and dismissing all criticism as motivated proves counterproductive. This is what happened during the floods. Even now, the time for all the parties, particularly those in the government, is to stop politicking. Instead of suggesting alternative nature of packages that should come from the Centre, they could have channelled their energies in adopting a collective approach towards providing succour to the people. There are difficulties but this is the time to overcome the hurdles and get everyone on board.
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Garbage dumps in Anantnag district pose epidemic threat
Anantnag, October 5 The municipal body here cleared the garbage from some areas but dumped the garbage in the open. The garbage is posing a danger to the local population, with the fear of an epidemic looming large. Locals in towns and villages across the district have been complaining of garbage being dumped near to the residential areas by the respective municipalities. The Anantnag Municipal Council has dumped most of the garbage at the Anantnag General Bus Stand and its adjoining areas. While the area is a commercial centre, on its peripheries are a good number of residential areas. Shopkeepers, commuters and locals say that the foul smell emanating from the garbage is proving to be a nightmare. “Even the foul smell could somehow be tolerated but the health risks posed by the filth are grave,” said Shahid Majeed, a local shopkeeper. The situation is worse in the peripheries where the garbage is yet to be cleared. In Bijbehara town of Anantnag, the filth has been dumped along the national highway that runs through the southern part of the town. Deputy Commissioner (DC), Anantnag, Bashir Khan, said the district administration does not have a proper dumping site. “We are trying to identify a dumping site without creating a law and order problem,” the DC said, adding that it will be done in a day or two. Health risk
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19 bodies in Saddal remain untraced
Panjar (Udhampur), Oct 5 With the road link to the village snapped by the incessant rain and flash floods, the Army personnel along with the locals engaged in the rescue work had to earlier make manual efforts to dig out the bodies. However, the agencies concerned have finally been able to move JCB machines to the site helping in the recovery of eight bodies in the last four days. “Three machines, including two big chain bulldozers, have been pressed into service. Eight dead bodies have been recovered in Saddal village in the last four days,” Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B) Department, Udhampur, Uttar Kumar Sharma told The Tribune. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Vikas Sharma, however, said it might take some more time to retrieve the remaining bodies as the debris was spread in an area f around two kilometres and there were very little remains of the buried structures. He though expressed hope that “each and every body” would be retrieved. Around 121 families of the village were rendered homeless by the catastrophe. The victims are putting up in camps at Kasuri and Panjar villages and awaiting help from the government for their rehabilitation. “Panjar panchayat has 550 families, of which 121 have been hit hard by the calamity. A month has passed, but villagers are still waiting for temporary (pre-fabricated) shelters,” said Panjar sarpanch Romesh Singh, adding that there was lot of “desperation” among the survivors. The district administration, however, said it has requisitioned the services of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, which was on the job from last four days and it would take two more days for them to complete the survey. Once it completes the survey of the site, the next step would be raising structures and laying roads for the development of a habitat that is safe from the dangers of any landslides in future. Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party leader and local legislator Balwant Singh Mankotia has been on hunger strike from past four days. Mankotia has alleged that the government and district administration failed in distributing relief material among the affected. He has also called for immediate rehabilitation of the affected families.
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Students of 2 Anantnag villages get makeshift school as ‘Eidi’
Srinagar, october 5 This is the first such school, established in Kashmir after the floods wreaked havoc in the Valley, damaging nearly 5,000 school buildings, especially in south Kashmir and Srinagar. The school has been set up in a tent, spread over 1,000 sqft, where the children will study till a permanent school building is constructed. The Mother Helpage foundation, which is being run by Sohail Nasti, a Kashmiri based in London, has resolved to construct permanent school buildings for the flood-affected children of the Valley in due course of time. “After assessing the requirements, we imported a temporary but strong shelter which could withstand the conditions till we construct a permanent school building for the children. The shelters are erected on a temporary basis, as we plan to construct permanent schools for the flood victims in future,” Sohail said. The volunteers at Mother Helpage are also providing free of cost meals to the students in the makeshift school. Under the project “Innovative Educational Support for Flood Affected Schools”, Mother Helpage is also collecting donations to rebuild schools for the students. An estimate by the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir, says a majority of the damaged schools in Kashmir have developed cracks and are not in a condition to be reopened. Although the state government has directed the schools to resume classwork, a majority of the schools in the Valley remain shut and are not in a condition to function again. Gift of education
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Eid celebrations missing for people displaced by floods in Kashmir valley
Srinagar, October 5 Saba’s family says there would be no Eid for them. “How can there be celebration?” she asked. “The temporary tent where I have been living is home to nearly a dozen people and I wonder how we will celebrate Eid here,” she said. Like Saba and her family, many other families in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley won’t be celebrating Eid at their homes as they were rendered homeless by the floods. Of the hundreds of families rendered homeless in Srinagar, nearly 200 are now living in tents in various areas of the city. “We have lost everything in the floods. I always think about the losses and no one talks about Eid, which used to be a festival of happiness and togetherness,” said Saba who wears a mask as the floodwaters have left behind filth, giving rise to foul smell and dust. “Floods have changed everything. I lost the most precious things in my life. My medical books worth Rs 80,000, which were purchased by my poor father who is doing a private job, were washed away by the floods. How will I move ahead now?” she asked. There are no official figures about the number of people rendered homeless in the floods. “We have constituted 24 teams to assess the damages caused by the floods…the exact number of houses damaged or the people rendered homeless in Srinagar is not known,” said Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah. Meanwhile, some of the displaced residents, who have moved in with their relatives, say they will be celebrating eid with them. “I will be celebrating Eid at my in-laws place as my house in Bemina was submerged for nearly two weeks,” said Qaiser, an employee of the Agriculture Department. “There will be no celebrations but I shifted to my in-laws place for my children and to get away from the trauma that we have been going through since the September 7 floods,” Qaiser said. Those displaced by the floods long to restore their homes and return to their normal life, which may be a distant dream for many of them.
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CJI calls for speedy restoration of damaged HC infrastructure
Srinagar, October 5 While inspecting the High Court Complex, the CJI issued instructions to the agencies concerned to speed up the sanitation work and restoration of basic amenities like electricity and water in the court complex so that the functioning could resume from there. Justice Dattu also called for early repair and renovation of all the subordinate courts which have suffered damages due to the recent flood in the state. Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court MM Kumar, other judges of the court, Registrar General Suresh Kumar Sharma and judicial officers of subordinate courts and state government officials also accompanied Justice Dattu.
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Guv extends Eid greetings
Srinagar, October 5 He hoped that the severe hardships undergone by the people consequent to colossal damage caused by the recent floods would soon be over and prayed for peace, progress and prosperity in the state.
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Srinagar, October 5 The Chief Minister sought the wholehearted support of people for the flood survivors. “Let us dedicate this year’s Eid-ul-Zuha to the flood sufferers and extend all help to them for their rehabilitation and welfare,” he said, adding that supporting the needy and sufferers of the calamities is the essence of the holy occasions like Eid. Omar prayed for the well-being of the people and the state. — TNS
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Threat of respiratory infections looms in flood-hit Valley
Srinagar, October 5 Health experts have warned that the streets in Srinagar and other major towns, which were inundated, should be cleared of the dust and slush immediately, besides advising the people to wear masks. Flooding increases the risk of waterborne diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis, hepatitis A and vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, dengue haemorrhagic fever, yellow fever and West Nile fever. Meanwhile, no major outbreak of the diseases has been reported so far from any of the flood-affected areas of Kashmir. However, the threat of airborne diseases and respiratory infections looms large as most of the streets in Srinagar and other flood-affected towns in south Kashmir are full of dirt and dust generated by the mud and slush which was brought in by the floodwaters. The dust generated due to the resumption of normal traffic and vehicular movement in these areas has added to the air pollution. It has become difficult to travel to Lal Chowk, Jehangir Chowk, Residency Road and other commercial centres of Srinagar city as streets are filled with dust and filth. Given the prevailing scenario, doctors and health experts have advised that the people should drink boiled water and take precautions while travelling or walking through dusty streets. “The rising dust in the flooded areas poses a serious health problem as people may get respiratory infections,” said Mohammad Salim Khan, head, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Government Medical College in Srinagar. Khan said: “The threat of respiratory infections and diseases looms as the disease-causing organisms become airborne with rising dust in the flood-affected areas.” “To prevent respiratory infections, one should wear mask while travelling in the dusty and polluted areas and remove and wash the mask once home,” he said while urging the people to avoid dust. Besides, health experts have urged the people that the municipal authorities or other government, engaged in clearing operations, should pay attention to the removal of the dust and gravel from the streets and market areas in the flood-hit regions of Kashmir, particularly Srinagar city. Experts, however, add that the dust and dirt should be removed wet from the streets to prevent further air pollution. “In Kashmir, where the winter is approaching, respiratory infections may become widespread if precautions are not taken and dirt and dust removed from the streets immediately,” said Khan. Deluge brings another worry
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Poonch to get three Bailey bridges
Jammu, October 5 Three major bridges —Sher-i-Kashmir, Dhundak and Pamrote — in Poonch district had suffered damage due to floods and landslides in the first week of September. The Sher-e-Kashmir bridge is in Poonch town while Dhundak and Pamrote bridges are in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district. At least 57 bridges, comprising 21 motorable bridges and 36 foot bridges, in Jammu province have suffered damage during the flooding upheaval. Out of the 2,700 main and link roads damaged due to floods and landslides across the Jammu region, connectivity on 368 roads is yet to be restored. In Poonch district alone, nearly 200 roads have been damaged in the floods, affecting road connectivity. The Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department has said it requires Rs 650 crore for temporary and permanent restoration of road connectivity in the Jammu region. “The Centre and the state governments are concerned about restoration of road connectivity in the region. We took up the matter regarding Bailey bridges with Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami, who personally looked into the matter and three bridges from Kolkata, from where the armed forces generally procure Bailey bridges, have been provided to us,” said Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Chief Engineer, R&B Department, Jammu. He said six trucks carrying parts of the structure of the Bailey bridges had already reached Jammu from Kolkata while eight more were on way to Jammu. The Chief Engineer said nearly 50 per cent of the motorable bridges had been repaired and opened to traffic, while the repair work on the remaining bridges was in progress. “We have also been able to restore traffic on nearly 2,300 damaged roads, both main and link roads, across the region. For temporary restoration, we require about Rs 250 crore, while Rs 400 crore will be needed for permanent restoration of road connectivity and repair of bridges in Jammu,” he added. The approach road connecting the Rs 89-crore newly constructed fourth bridge over the Tawi with the main road in Jammu has been repaired and thrown open to traffic, Sheikh said. However, the repair of the damaged bridge over the Tawi, which is the only road link to 45 villages in the Phallain Mandal area, is yet to be undertaken. According to a report prepared by the state government, more than 550 bridges and culverts were damaged while over 6,000 km road network was damaged by the floodwaters in the state.
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Rs 2,169 lakh spent under agri scheme in 2013-14
Jammu, October 5 This was told by the State Level Sanctioning Committee of the RKVY to the Central authorities at a meeting in New Delhi. The meeting was aimed at reviewing the progress under the scheme and its sub-schemes and discussing plans for 2014-15. For the National Mission on Saffron, Rs 10,000 lakh had been approved by the Government of India for 2013-14 but Rs 5,000 lakh was released against which about Rs 4,255.7 lakh was spent by the state government till March. The unspent balance will be spent in the 2014-15 financial year after concurrence by state Finance Department. Similarly, for the Vegetable Initiative for Urban Clusters, Rs 700 lakh was approved, out of which Rs 448 lakh was released and Rs 436.88 lakh was spent by the state government during 2013-14. Sources said the Agriculture Department, Kashmir, which is making its newly established Static Soil Testing Labs functional, has been asked to explore the possibility of arranging mobile soil testing labs for all districts. The sources added that to protect crops, all Directorates concerned would take effective measures to improve quality of poly houses to ensure durability and to prevent damages by snow and other calamites in consultation with Vice Chancellors of the agricultural universities in the state. It was also decided that the Planning and Development Department will engage a third party to monitor the RKVY since the inception of the scheme in the state. The Director, Horticulture, has been asked to ensure that electronic weighing machines are installed in all fruit/vegetable mandis in the state. Funds for other initiatives
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Cong concerned about delay in rehab package
Srinagar, October 5 Stating that the entire world knows about the devastation caused by the floods, Soz said independent observers have “categorically” suggested that the loss to property and crops in J&K was substantially higher in comparison to the loss that Uttarakhand suffered last year. “The J&K Government was reasonable enough to project before the Centre demand for Rs 5 lakh per family for a fully damaged house,” he said, adding both the NC and Congress leaders recently demanded that J&K should at least receive a package equivalent to what the UPA government had sanctioned for Uttarakhand.
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Court restrains Nehru from acting as JKCA general secretary
Jammu, October 5 The decision was made following a petition by JKCA member Ravinder Singh and others, pleading the court to declare the election of Nehru as null and void, the JKCA said in a statement here. The petitioners also sought restraining Nehru from taking any decision as the JKCA general secretary and stopping him from holding meeting of the office bearers. It was further submitted that the selection committees set up by Nehru were constituted illegally and aimed at usurping the powers of the Jammu wing of the association, the statement said. The petitioners also stated that the players selected under various age groups did not participate in any of the camps held from June 2014 till date and nor were they shortlisted by the Jammu wing, it added. Late last month, the Court of 3rd Civil Sub-Ordinate Magistrate, Jammu had stayed the selection committees constituted by the JKCA general secretary for various age groups. The court directive had come after a petition by the JKCA joint secretary Sudershan Mehta and vice-chairman Rakesh Kumar claiming that “no such committees had been constituted by the working committee” during the election meeting of May 12. “What is the fun of spending huge amount on preparing international standard ground at GGM Science College Hostel when our players have been told to practice at a private academy,” Rakesh Kumar told The Tribune. “Right now I am in Srinagar to hold important meeting with the office bearers here and try to find an amicable solution to the vexed issue,” Kumar said. Another JKCA official said: “It is really unfortunate that instead of conducting camps for cricketers to prepare for the upcoming hectic national schedule, the state cricket body is busy filing cases in courts.”
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Teachers’ body donates Rs 1 lakh for flood victims
Jammu, October 5 The delegation was led by Hari Singh, member of the Central Executive Committee of the STFI. — TNS
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Amid calls for austerity, Valley to celebrate Eid-ul-Zuha today
Srinagar, October 5 “I stand in solidarity with the flood-affected people of our state and make a fervent appeal to everyone to mark this Eid by showing solidarity with those who have lost everything in the floods. I appeal to those with means to spend their Eid with the destitute, the homeless and the displaced people so as to share their pain of loss and grief,” Abdullah said. President of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee Saifuddin Soz too sympathised with the flood sufferers and with those affected who lost their near and dear ones in the recentdevastating floods. Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and party president Mehbooba Mufti in a joint statement said: “Let’s make a pledge on this festival of working together and help our devastated place to rise again.” In his message, Lt Gen Subrata Saha, Chinar Corps Commander said: “I am sanguine that this auspicious occasion would further motivate all of us to put in our best at this time of adversity and endeavour to promote peace, prosperity and happiness in the state. We pray that the Almighty bestows upon us all the strength to overcome the recent disaster and assists us in rehabilitation, reconstruction and in ensuring a conducive environment for peace and prosperity in the Valley”. Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar has greeted people of the state on the occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha. The DGP also extended Eid greetings to all ranks of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on the occasion. Expressing hope that the festival would bring joy and happiness among all the sections of society, the DGP said, “The recent floods devastated a large number of families in the state and the situation reminds us to lend a helping hand to the deserving brethren.” In the greeting message, Rajendra wished that the occasion would usher in new era of prosperity. “The festival reminds us to share our joys and happiness with the destitute on the occasion. We should also help the families of martyrs, who had laid down their lives for our future,” he said. Chairman of hardline Hurriyat Syed Ali Geelani while appealing to the people to celebrate Eid with austerity, said charities and skin of sacrificial animals should be kept for the flood victims. Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq too urged people to celebrate Eid with austerity and said he would be holding special prayers for the flood victims tomorrow at Eidgah where the main congregational prayer is being offered.
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Gul promises help to Nawakadal fire victims
Srinagar, October 5 The Speaker visited the gutted houses and interacted with the affected families. He assured them that the government would provide every possible help for their rehabilitation, besides providing temporary relief for immediate succour. He also distributed 80 blankets and 22 rice bags provided by the Red Cross Society among the affected families. The Speaker directed the officials concerned for adopting pro-active approach for completing the damage assessment so that their early rehabilitation could be ensured.
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Bakery business down by
90 per cent this Eid
Srinagar, October 5 There are no buyers for bakery items this Eid as all bakeries at the City Centre, Lal Chowk, are shut. Most of the shop owners in the commercial hub are still clearing muck from their shops. As bakery and confectionary is the most sought after item in Kashmir on the occasion of Eid, this time the floods had dampened the spirit of the festival. The markets in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley are without any bustle as flood victims are restraining from any celebrations. “In normal times, tonnes of bakery items would have been sold during Eid, but due to the floods that caused a large scale devastation people are left with no resources,” said Shakeel Ahmad, who owns a bakery shop in Srinagar. “Earlier, we used to prepare tonnes of cookies, cakes and pastry every Eid, but this time neither there are buyers nor sellers,” he said. Most of the markets in Srinagar are still deserted with heaps of garbage and rubbles still lying on roads. “We are still cleaning up mud inside the shop. It will take more than a month to restart everything,” said Bilal Ahmad, a bakery owner. Though the residents will observe the rituals of Eid-ul-Zuha, there will not be any grand celebration. “We are yet to come out of the trauma of floods which witnessed huge devastation in terms of loss of life and property. There is no scope for any celebration as it is more like mourning,” said John Muhammad, a resident of Jawahar Nagar. The business in bakery shops were down by 90 per cent as more than 80 per cent of shops were shut in the city post floods, people associated with bakery industry said. |
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‘There is nothing left to sell now’
Srinagar, october 5 “Earlier, sales were very high during the Eid time. We used to open the shop at 7 am and close around midnight. But there is nothing left to sell now. We have lost everything,” Beigh said. As the floodwaters entered his shop in the Koker Bazar area of Lal Chowk on September 7, he could hardly shift stacks of dry fruits packets as 70 per cent of Srinagar was inundated. He estimated his loss around to Rs 2.5 crore. “I have been coming here for almost 50 years. My father was the president of the Lal Chowk Shopkeepers Association,” Beigh said. All dry fruits in his shops are rotten with stench emanating from them and he is left with no other option but to throw them. “This is my blood money from with which I bought all the stuff for my shop only to be thrown as a waste. We are not celebrating Eid-ul-Zuha. It is God’s wrath on us,” he added. A majority of the shopkeepers at the City Centre, Lal Chowk, feel the same way as Beigh and see no reason to celebrate Eid-ul-Zuha.
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ASCOMS treats 12,000 patients in Valley
Srinagar, October 5 The ASCOMS’s efforts to help the people affected by devastating floods began on September 29 when it started a relief camp on the premises of Shree Sanatan Dharam Partap Sabha, Lal Chowk, where more than 12,000 people were treated. A team of consultants extended their services to Tengpora, Bemina, Rainawari, Jawahar Nagar, Indira Nagar and Raj Bagh localities of the city where relief material and free medicines were given to the needy people. “So far more than 2,500 patients have been vaccinated for typhoid,” the hospital said in a statement. The team comprised of doctors - Uzair, Sohail, Zahid Wani and Avinash - from ASCOMS hospital and is supported by former faculty staff and graduate doctors from the institute. The team is working under close supervision of DK Batra, Joint Secretary, ASCOMS. Kamal Dhawan of Shree Sanatan Dharam Partap Sabha is the nodal officer of the camp.
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State Cong distributes relief to Boatman Colony residents
Srinagar, October 5 The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Saifuddin Soz along with other Congress leaders distributed relief to 38 families of the colony that have taken shelter at an under-construction hospital building near the Haj House, Bemina. As per a The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee statement, Soz told these flood-affected families that he had taken up their issues with the state administration. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Saifuddin Soz told the families that he had taken up the matter of their rehabilitation with the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA). “Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Saifuddin Soz assured the families that he would join their struggle for permanent settlement and he ensure awareness among the members of the civil society, so that it is widely realised that these poor families are not left high and dry to face severest hardships for rest of their lives,” the statement added.
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Jammu, October 5
Jammu, October 5
Srinagar, October 5, 2014
Anantnag, October 5
Srinagar, october 5
Srinagar, October 5
Srinagar, October 5
Jammu, October 5
As Eid-ul-Zuha will be celebrated tomorrow, greetings poured in from all over on the festive eve.
While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already stated that he would be celebrating Eid with ‘highest simplicity observing no gaiety and joy for the plight of lakhs of people affected by the devastating flood’, ruling National Conference president Farooq Abdullah too expressed solidarity with the flood victims who have suffered enormous pain and misery in the unprecedented floods that ravaged the state.
Srinagar, October 5
