Srinagar, August 24
In a bid to check corruption and irregularities in the tendering process, the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) has for the first time started e-tendering of major works in the summer capital.

The SDA, whose prime objective is to implement the Master Plan proposals so that the city is developed in a planned manner, has offered major and minor works through e-tendering and some works have already been allotted.

“The State Housing Department has made e-tenders mandatory and the SDA has for the first time offered various works through e-tenders,” said Farooq Renzu, Vice-Chairman, SDA.

“In the present hi-tech world, this is the most transparent and fair way of making all tenders public. This way, not only bidders but even the public can access these tenders and know the procedures adopted for various works.”

The SDA officials said the entire procedure of e-tendering — from inviting bids to execution of work — would be made online.

“We have taken all measures to ensure the security of the e-tendering process so that everything is transparent while allotting works,” said another official.

“The biggest benefit of this process will be that the contractors will not be able to take the department for a ride and provide a level playing field to them,” he added.

The J&K Government is planning to make it mandatory for all departments to start the e-tendering process to ensure transparency in the system. Various departments like the State Housing Department, the Power Development Corporation and the J&K Police Department have already started releasing various works through e-tendering.

Anantnag, August 24
Thousands of feet of timber continues to rot in the sale depots of the the Forest Department in south Kashmir even as people await their share of officially sanctioned timber for years at a stretch.

The sale depots of the department remain crammed with timber throughout the year. But the timber is seldom auctioned unless it is declared dead.

Sources in the department say even if the timber is auctioned, the process remains so discreet that the common man doesn’t even come to know about it.

“Furniture makers and people with political clout are the ones who benefit from such auctions. Commoners are left to keep their sanction slips as a token for years,” a source says.

Insiders in the department express helplessness over the issue, saying it’s the discretion of the higher-ups to decide when to auction the timber.

“We don’t understand why so much timber is left to rot when it can be utilised in so many ways. The auctions are done only after an approval from the higher-ups, but they seldom give their nod, which raises a lot of suspicion in our minds. But we are helpless,” says a source.

People of the area allege that the sale depots at Sangam, Bijbehara, Sarnal, Harnag, Kulgam, Mohanpora, Mattan and other places across south Kashmir are brimming with timber. They add that thousands of sanctions lay unfulfilled in south Kashmir yet the authorities fail to take action.

“I got 70 ft of timber sanctioned in 2007 for the construction of my house but after all these years, I am yet to get the timber. The depots have thousands of feet of timber lying on their premises. But they don’t have 70 feet of timber to spare,” says Gul Muhammad Wani, a resident of Muniwar village.

There are countless others in south Kashmir who have been waiting for their turn to get the wood.

They allege that officials only provide timber to those who are close to them.

While officials of the Forest Department pass the buck to the State Forest Corporation, the latter maintains that the department holds auctions on a monthly basis with no irregularities.

Srinagar, August 24
The state government has issued gag orders to six leading hospitals, asking its staff not to talk to the media. The hospital authorities have also been told that the violators will be “dealt with seriously” if they talk to the media.

It is also likely to curtail a free-flow of information about the services and infrastructure at these hospitals. The move comes after reports of high-infant mortality rate at the only child-care hospital in the city got published in the newspapers on a daily basis. The reports not only embarrassed the government but also led to a major uproar.

The gag order will be applicable to the hospitals associated with the Government Medical College, Srinagar. These are: Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, Lal Ded Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chest Disease Hospital, Bone and Joint Hospital, GB Pant Children’s Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital.

The order issued earlier this month also directs the officials and faculty members not to talk to the “press” regarding official matters.

“It has been observed that some faculty members of Government Medical College as well as other staff members talk to the press regarding official matters without obtaining prior permission from the head of the institution, which is in contravention of the JK CSR and warrants action under the rules,” it said.

“... it is enjoined upon all officers, officials, faculty members to desist to talk to the press (electronic and print media) without prior permission of the higher authorities,” the order, signed by the Principal, Government Medical College, and forwarded to all hospital departments, states.

The copies of the order have also been pasted in the hospital corridors.

“Any deviation from the set rules in this regard by any officer, official, faculty member shall be dealt with seriously under the rules,” the directive states.

The gag order has already begun to have its effect on the ground as many doctors are hesitant to share information about the daily affairs of the hospitals.

A senior doctor at one of the hospitals said the order was issued “so no truth will come out”.

“This is an attempt to hide the truth from the people,” the doctor said, on the condition of anonymity.

The decision to gag the hospital staff from talking to the media comes a month after a major controversy hit a child-care hospital in the city.

GB Pant Children’s Hospital associated with Government Medical College was mired in controversy for its high infant mortality, which was highlighted by the media on a daily basis. The media reports forced the Jammu and Kashmir government to order a probe headed by a senior doctor.

The government probe later found that the hospital lacked in capacity on many fronts such as manpower, equipment and overall management of the services rendered by the hospital.

Anantnag, August 24
Residents of Sofipora, Muniwar, Chirhama, Nawathoo and other adjoining villages in the Wanpoh area of Anantnag have been putting their lives on the line on a daily basis as these villages are dotted by makeshift electricity poles in the absence of regular ones.

The villages are located less than a kilometre from the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

The absence of poles, locals say, poses a grave threat to human life in these villages. The locals allege that the authorities have failed to take action despite repeated requests in this regard.

The local residents have been forced to erect makeshift poles in their villages to draw electricity. At most places, power cables have been hooked to trees, jeopardising the lives of the people.

“These handmade poles are just 5 to 6 feet above the ground and pose a threat to the residents. Most of the wires are hooked to trees, endangering the lives of those who climb these frequently,” says Fayaz Ahmad Sofi, a resident of Sofipora village.

The residents claim that the Power Development Department (PDD) is very particular about recovering electricity bills but when it comes to their safety, they tend to shy away from doing their job.

“Our village graveyard needed to be fenced but the work had to be halted because trees had to be cut. We can’t do so as trees remain laden with electricity wires,” says Maulvi Showket, a resident of Muniwar village.

The authorities say it is nothing new in the rural areas of the Valley and that they can do little in this regard.

“We cannot do much in this regard. Local MLAs used to grant some funds for the purpose earlier but even that has stopped now. We have made requests and may receive some funds this year to address the problem,” says a senior official of the PDD in the area.

He, however, expressed helplessness on the issue of threat posed by live wires to the residents of these villages.

Shopian, August 24
Normalcy returned to Shopian town today, a day after it witnessed a shutdown. All commercial establishments, schools, colleges and other establishments remained open for work.

The town and its adjacent areas remained tense after reports of some hawkers molesting a local girl started doing rounds in the town.

All shops, schools and other establishments remained closed throughout the day yesterday. People demanded strict action against the erring people.

“Things returned to normal today. Traffic moved freely on the roads and all commercial as well as other establishments, including schools and colleges, remained open,” an official said.

The police had yesterday termed the alleged molestation a rumour and maintained that nobody had come to them to lodge an FIR into the incident.

Srinagar, August 24
To promote Kashmir as a sports destination, the Jammu and Kashmir Postal Circle is hosting “Srinagar-2010” - an All India Postal Football Tournament here from tomorrow.

The national tournament will conclude on August 29. Governor NN Vohra will inaugurate the championship at Bakshi Stadium.

“The tournament ‘Srinagar 2012’ will showcase Kashmir as a good destination for sports and tourism,” John Samuel, Chief Postmaster General, J&K circle, said while addressing a press conference here today.

The tournament will be played at Bakshi Stadium and Polo Ground. As many as nine teams representing various postal circles of the country, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Delhi, Orissa and Jammu & Kashmir will take part in the tournament.

As many as 200 players, officials and volunteers will help organise the tournament.

Entry is free of cost for the audience.

The tournament will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis.

A total of 20 matches besides the semi-finals and other concluding matches will be played in the tournament.

The Department of Posts (DoP) is also planning to organise three state-level sporting events later this year. These include Speed Post Football Tournament, Postal Life Insurance Cricket Tournament and India Post Badminton Tournament.

Samuel said the DoP was organising sports activities to involve the youth with the post office and it also had plans to organise water sports activities.

He said the department would also recruit seven persons to organise sporting events in the state.

Samuel said the department would recruit clerical staff for the post offices across the Valley to help generate employment. He said a total of 50 out of 173 posts have been filled.

Srinagar, August 24
As many as two persons, including a woman, committed suicide by consuming poison while one more person tried to end his life over the past two days.

Rafiq Ahmad Dhobi, 22, of Freshthar village in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, consumed poison at his home, the police said today. Dhobi was taken to a hospital in Srinagar where he died.

In another incident, an unidentified woman, 22, consumed poison at her home in Anantnag district. She was taken to the district hospital from where she was referred to a hospital in Srinagar. She died on way to the hospital, the police said.

At Zerhama village in Kupwara district, Ghulam Ahmad Mir tried to end his life by consuming poison at his home. He was taken to the sub-district hospital in Kupwara, the police said.

Experts have warned of the growing stress levels among the people of Kashmir for many years. A large number of people in Kashmir are believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Srinagar, August 24
To build better ties with the public, the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) will organise a Police-Public Mela in the city on September 30.

“The melas (in the past) have helped strengthen the police-public bond and the raffle draw has become the most awaited occasion of the event,” an official said.

He said 4,485 raffle draw prizes would be available for the winners in the day-long mela.

The prizes include home appliances and cash awards. A painting competition for the wards of police personnel will also be organised during the mela. The position holders will be rewarded with cash prizes.

Cultural items will be the main draw of the mela, the official said.

Arrangements for the day-long event were discussed during a meeting of police officers at the Police Headquarters yesterday.

The meeting was attended by Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) SP Vaid, and Additional Directors General of Police Dr Ram Lubhaya and Naveen Aggarwal.

While discussing the arrangements for the event, Vaid asked officers to work in close coordination and convene meetings at different levels for successful conduct of the event.

He said all required arrangements should be finalised well in advance and units geared up for the event. Stall holders will have to ensure that quality products are put on sale during the mela at reasonable rates, he added.

Srinagar, August 24
The two-day seminar on ‘Linguistic and literary Traditions of Kashmir’ began at Kashmir University today. The Markaz-i-Noor Centre for Shaikh-ul-Alam Studies University of Kashmir in collaboration with the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute, University of North Texas, is organising the seminar.

The seminar will highlight the observations and research findings of Kashmiri literature which has its roots in Vedic times.

In the inaugural session renowned historian, writer and MLC, MY Taing said, “The process of literary congregations encompasses a history of thousands of years of our Valley. The linguistic era dates back to the reign of Kanishka when the fourth Buddhist conference was held at Kundal Van Vihar in Kashmir for six months.”

Taing said, “Kashmir has produced some of the best literary and linguistic figures in the past in various languages who were the founders of many mystic, spiritual, philosophical thoughts and ideas which later laid the foundations of a pluralistic socio-cultural identity of the Valley.”

Dean Academic Affairs of the University of Kashmir, Prof AM Shah, was the chief guest during the inaugural session. He said the Kashmiri language needs to be promoted globally and emphasised on building more global tie-ups with foreign universities.

In his welcome address, chairman, Markaz-i-Noor Centre for Shaikh-ul-Alam Studies University of Kashmir, Prof Basher Bashir, said, “This is perhaps the first international outreach programme where our centre has collaborated with the University of Texas and the centre will continue to organise such seminar as part of its international linkages to spread the message of Shaikh-ul-alam far across the regions and popularise the Kashmiri language.”

Publications brought out by the centre, including ‘Alamdar’-English edition (journal) Noor (newsletter) and a book ‘Sargoshiyan’ by BN Betab were released. Dr Sadaf Munshi, Assistant Professor, University of North Texas, presented the vote of thanks. 

Srinagar, August 24
A group of 12 students from Bandipore district left for a 10-day tour of Noida today. The tour has been organised under an interactive programme “Dosti” of the Army. The children are likely to meet the President Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow.

An Army spokesperson said the students from Class IV and V of Army Goodwill School, Kharpura in Bandipore, would visit Step by Step School, Noida. Students of Step by Step school had visited Army Goodwill School earlier this year.

“As many as 12 students led by Principal, Army Good Will School, Kharpura, left for a 10-day trip yesterday,” he said.

The spokesperson said the Bandipore students would stay in the homes of the children of the Noida school.

“Parents of the students of SBS, Noida, invited the children to be their guests to experience their academic, social and family environment,” he said.

The tour is being organised under the initiative of 14 Rashtriya Rifles and the guidance of Brigadier Anil Puri, Commander, 81 Mountain Brigade.

Kupwara, August 24
Modern means of transport, especially passenger vehicles, have rendered horse-carts obsolete, affecting the livelihood of many people.

From over 80 horse-carts once active on Kupwara routes to ferry passengers, the number has come down to under 10 over the past few years.

In Handwara town, too, only a handful of horse-carts are now seen on the roads. Commuters now opt for cabs or three-wheelers to reach their destinations to save time.

“After the advent of cabs, we have been deprived of our livelihood. Most of us have been forced to switch over to manual labour for sustenance,” says Ghulam Rasool, a horse-cart owner.

Horse-cart or “tonga” has been one of the oldest means of transport, especially in Kupwara, Handwara and Sopore towns. To keep pace with fleeting times, commuters now prefer faster means of transport like cabs and other passenger vehicles.

“Time is flying by and everybody wants to save time on travel. Commuters prefer to travel by cabs or three-wheelers as ‘tongas’ take longer to cover the same distance,” says Nisar Ahmad, a bank employee.

Over 370 cabs are currently operational on different routes of Kupwara alone. In addition, dozens of auto-rickshaws are plying in the town.

“It has become quite hard to find passengers for horse-carts now. Our business was good till the mid-90s, as passengers loved to travel by ‘tongas’,” recalls Javed Ahmad, a horse-card owner.

In the past, tastefully decorated horse-carts were used in marriages to ferry the bride and groom.

To make matters worse, the existing horse-cart owners have been deprived of their parking space in Kupwara and Handwara towns.

“Until 2000, we had a permanent stand in Iqbal market at Kupwara. But we no longer have any place to station our horse-carts,” says Shabir Ahmad of Gushi, Kupwara.