Srinagar, September 1
Minister for forests and environment Qazi Mohammad Afzal said a Rs 900-crore project had been approved, under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and Asian Development Bank funding, for Dal and Nageen lakes.

The minister was replying to the clubbed question of Sakina Ittoo and Farida Mir in the state Legislative Council here today and deliberated upon the steps taken for conservation of water bodies and wetlands of the state under National Lakes Conservation Programme and Wetland Conservation Programme.

He added that a comprehensive management action plan for Wullar lake at a cost of Rs 386.01 crore had been prepared and the proposal was under submission to the union Ministry of Environment and Forests for Financial Assistance under the Prime Minister’s reconstruction package.

He said the project report at an amount of Rs 298.76 crore had been approved for the Dal-Nageen lakes for which administrative sanction had been accorded by the ministry in September 2005.

He said the activities envisaged in the approved DPR and management of Dal-Nageen lakes under the National Lakes Conservation Programme included sewerage treatment works, solid waste management, hydraulic works, restoration and development works, catchments management works, infrastructure facilities, public awareness, unforeseen miscellaneous works and provision for land acquisition.

He said 7,500 kanals of land had been identified at Rakh Arth for the rehabilitation of Dal dwellers adding that shifting of these people is pre-requisite for reviving the glory of this historic lake.

The minister said the management action plan of Hokersar wetland, with a project cost of Rs 15.31, crore, had also been submitted to the ministry of environment and forests.

The minister said for Surinsar and Mansar wetlands, a project had been prepared at a cost of Rs 6.91 crore and submitted to the ministry for financial assistance under the PM’s reconstruction plan.

Afzal said other proposals had been prepared and submitted to the ministry for inclusion of these wetlands in the Wetland Programme.

Srinagar, September 1
The Army has started a medical education programme in its 92 Base hospital, a leading zonal health centre, keeping in mind the increasing cases of trauma.

The Army said the two-day event, which started today, would be attended by leading speacialists from across the country, who would update the centre with the latest advancements in the field. The conference would also be beneficial to civil hospitals as they had been attending a high number of casualties caused by militant activities.

The theme of the programme is ‘Combating Trauma in Insurgency: Posers and Pronouncements’. Mukesh Gupta, joint director, Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory, Chandigarh, will deliver the keynote address and a series of experts from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, the Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi, Command Hospital, Udhampur, and Government Medical College, Srinagar, would also speak.

The spectrum of topics would range from basic ballistics, modalities of action of missiles on the body and pre-hospital care of the injured to specialised topics like hand injuries, burns management and handling of mass casualty scenarios. Apart from these, there shall be a display of stalls that includes lecture-demonstration of use of basic surgical and monitoring equipment in trauma by medical officers at first contact.

“It is not often that hospitals find knowledgeable and skilled persons available at the right place to handle certain emergencies. It is therefore imperative that the faculty of medical establishment be updated about the latest innovations and provided the infrastructure for management of trauma,” the Army said in a statement.

Jammu, September 1
It was a colourful start to the fortnight-long Ladakh festival that began in Leh today with men and women clad in their traditional attire taking part in the march to the Polo ground.

Chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Tsering Dorje, inaugurated the festival that was attended by more than 2,000 foreign tourists.

A grand cultural show depicting the Cgab-Kyan dance, lion dance, dances of losar celebrations and the Ladakhi mass dance was organised on the occasion.

Dorje said a record number of 42,000 tourists visited Leh till yesterday and the number was expected to touch 70,000 by the end of the year.

Executive councilor (tourism), Tsewang Rigzin, said 27,700 tourists, including 19,285 foreigners, visited Leh between January and August last year and their number during the corresponding period this year had already reached 42,000 which included 21,285 foreigners.

During the festival, camel safaris on a 7-km stretch of the traditional Silk Route between Ladakh and China will be organised. The camel safari through the sand dunes in Nubra will be organised twice on September 11 and 12.