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17 yrs on, work on hospital continues
Original report sought into Major’s death
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Shooting star eludes his fans
Woman killed, 11 injured in road accidents across Valley
‘Ensure quality poultry products for consumers’
PDP chief briefs British High Commission on self-rule
Development works reviewed in Baramulla
State Cable Car Corporation earns Rs 15 cr revenue
Political freedom must for economic prosperity: Mir
Poultry farm sealed
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17 yrs on, work on hospital continues
Baramulla, August 29 But 17 years down the line, the hospital is still under construction and people have lost the hope of seeing the hospital fully operational. “It is surprising that it has taken almost two decades to construct a hospital building, which is still far from completion. This shows the efficiency of various governments, which have been boasting of focussing on upgrading the healthcare facilities in the rural areas,” said Mohammad Shafi, a resident of Baramulla town. MK Dwivedi, J&K Health Secretary, however, said the hospital would be made functional in the next four months. “I inspected the building on Tuesday and found that various works were going on. I have asked the agency involved to focus on completing various blocks and construct other allied structures later. We have also released funds for speedy construction. We hope the IPD (in-patient department) will be shifted from the old hospital to the new building in four months,” said Dwivedi. The local residents said when the foundation of the hospital was laid in the mid 90s, the officials had set a deadline of five years for the completion of the hospital. “Several deadlines have passed and the hospital is still incomplete,” said Mehar-ud-Din, a local businessman. “Over the past two decades, officials and politicians have been constantly projecting this hospital as a super-specialty facility, but we doubt it will ever happen,” he added. The sources said 40 per cent work was still unfinished due to the apathy of the successive governments. “But to make people believe that the new hospital has started functioning, the hospital administration had shifted the out-patient departments (OPD) of ENT and dental wings to the under-construction building some years ago. But surgeries of these two departments continued to be conducted at the old hospital complex, 3 km away,” said a doctor. |
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Original report sought into Major’s death
Srinagar, August 29 Maj Avtar Singh, the prime accused in the alleged killing of lawyer and activist Jaleel Andrabi, reportedly shot himself after gunning down his two children and wife at his Selma home on June 9 in the US. The direction by Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, Rajeev Gupta, who is hearing the Jaleel Andrabi custodial murder case, came today following the submission by counsel Hafizullah Mir, who is representing Andrabi’s family. He opposed the authentication, saying that the court could not rely on a report based on e-mails. The prosecution submitted that these e-mail messages had been endorsed by the police authorities concerned, but the court did not accept this. The Chief judicial Magistrate after hearing both sides directed the prosecution to get the original report furnished by the police concerned in the US to the Interpol regarding the Avtar Singh’s death. The Srinagar Chief Judicial Magistrate on June 13 had asked the police to produce a report authenticating Major Singh’s death. Subsequently, the prosecution had produced a letter from the CBI’s Interpol Office at New Delhi confirming Avtar’s death. The letter cited e-mail messages from the Interpol in Washington, confirming that Avtar is dead. Andrabi killing accused
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Shooting star eludes his fans
Turmoil over the past two decades had virtually ended the Bollywood-Kashmir romance, which is gradually seeing a revival now. “There has been an atmosphere of fear and terror in the Valley for many years,” said one of the organisers who managed to bring Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan to the Valley this time. Tight security has been provided to the crew to ensure comfortable shooting in Pahalgam, he added. This will help send a positive signal across Bollywood and draw other producers to the Valley. “It is not that the visiting celebrities do not want to meet with people and the media.We are trying to instill a sense of security and comfort in the Bollywood fraternity by keeping them away from the glare,” he added. For the past three days, the film star and Yash Chopra’s crew have been busy shooting in the upper reaches of the tourist resort of Pahalgam, which also acts as the base camp for the annual Amaranth yatra. To keep the growing number of fans who wish to have a glimpse of the film star at bay, they have been restricted from moving to Aru, about 8 km from Pahalgam. “We are witnessing tremendous cooperation from the people of Pahalgam,” said Nazir A Bakshi, a travel operator. He said the people of Pahalgam, located 100 km south of Srinagar in Anantnag district, were excited to see the resumption of shooting in the area. The tourist resort has witnessed shooting of yesteryear hits like “Kashmir Ki Kali”, “Roti”, “Teesri Manzil”, “Kabhi Kabhi”, “Silsila”, etc. The arrival of Bollywood back in the Valley has raised fresh hopes of seeing a revival in tourism trade, which had suffered on account of militancy for over two decades. shooting haven
Pahalgam has witnessed shooting of yesteryear hits like “Kashmir Ki Kali”, “Roti”, “Teesri Manzil”, “Kabhi Kabhi”, “Silsila”, etc |
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Young stunt bikers on the loose in city
Stunt biking, of late, has emerged as the latest fad among the city youth. After concerns expressed by the public, the Traffic Police has launched a drive. Besides seizing the bikes of the offenders, it plans to counsel the parents who have failed to rein in their reckless wards. “We have received several complaints and started cracking down on these bikers. We have seized around 200 bikes for violating traffic rules since Saturday. Out of these, 15 to 20 were used for stunts. We will return the seized bikes only after counselling the parents of these youths, who will soon be called to the police station,” said Haseeb-ur-Rehman, SP (Traffic), Srinagar. “We will deal strictly with these stunt bikers but parents have to play their role and counsel their children and keep a check on their activities,” he added. Motorcycle riders used to perform dangerous stunts on busy streets earlier. Their activity is now concentrated largely on the road between Parraypora and Parimpora. After the police action, they have shifted base to the foreshore road on the banks of Dal Lake. “We have received reports that they now perform stunts on the foreshore road. Policemen in civvies will be deputed to catch them as they usually escape after seeing men in uniform,” said the SP (Traffic). The local youths have also opened a page on the social networking website – ‘Psychostuntz’ — where they post their pictures and videos performing stunts on motorcycles. |
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Woman killed, 11 injured in road accidents across Valley
Srinagar, August 29 A case has been registered against the rider, Tariq Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Reshipora. In another case, an Army vehicle hit and injured a pedestrian, Kirpal Singh (70), a resident of Gadigarh, Jammu, on the national highway at Pattan, Baramulla. The injured has
been shifted to a hospital for treatment. Also, a Tata Sumo hit a tractor on the national highway at Uranhall, Anantnag, injuring six passengers. The injured were identified as Ulfat Jan, a
resident of Chatragam, Shopian; Razyah, a resident of Sangam; Shoaib Ahmad Reshi, a resident of Wachi; Khalidah, Rukhsana and Jameela, all residents of Rajouri. The injured were shifted to a hospital for treatment. A case has been registered. Further, a bus and a Tata Matador collided on the national highway at Uranhall, Anantnag, leaving three person, including matador driver Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of Wachi, Pulwama; and two passengers — Nusrat, a resident of Halmullah, Sangam; and Ishrat, a resident of Litter — injured. The injured were shifted to a hospital for treatment. A case has been registered. In yet another accident, a motorcyclist, Tariq Ahmad, a resident of Viddy, Srigufwara, was injured in an accident at Darkhan, Darigund, Anantnag, falling under the jurisdiction of the Srigufwara police station. The injured was shifted to a hospital. A case has been registered. |
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New viaduct over Chunth-Kul thrown open to traffic
Srinagar, August 29 The Chief Minister said over a dozen important bridges were currently under construction in Srinagar district at a cost of around Rs 40 crore to streamline the flow of traffic and improve road network. He said various bridges had already been opened to traffic in the district during the past three years. The viaduct at Dalgate on the Hazratbal road has been completed by the JKPCC five months ahead of schedule. Explaining the salient features and technical aspects of the viaduct, Madan Gupta, MD, JKPCC, said the Rs 13.38-crore bridge at Dalgate over Chunth-Kul was founded on piles with trestle-type piers with carriage way of seven metres and a 1.5-metre footpath. He said the viaduct would help manage traffic at the Nehru Park-Dalgate junction besides improving connectivity to the Hazratbal shrine. The Chief Minister earlier inaugurated remodelled Sher-i-Kashmir Sports Stadium at Bandipora. The work on the stadium has been completed at a cost of over Rs 1.50 crore. The Chief Minister said sports inculcated discipline, sportsmanship and team spirit in sportspersons. He said his government was giving due attention to the growth and development of sports at all levels in the state. Various sports facilities, including playgrounds and stadia, were being developed in all districts of the state. Underlining the need for holding sports competitions and tournaments in various categories and encouraging boys and girls to participate in sports from a young age, the Chief Minister said it would help develop sports temperament in the youth and make the state a leader in the field. Mohammad Akbar Lone, Speaker Legislative Assembly; RS Chib, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports; Qamar Ali Akhoon, Minister for CAPD; Nasir Aslam Wani, Minister of State for Home; legislators Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Nazir Ahmad Gurazi were also present. |
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Illegal construction over water bodies rampant
Anantnag, August 29 Taking cognizance of the widespread encroachments and illegal constructions on the rivers banks, streams and flood channels of the town and its adjoining areas three years ago, the Flood control and Irrigation Division, Anantnag, had issued a notice setting a 15-day deadline to the encroachers. “The encroachers were asked to demolish the structures on their own, failing which the authorities were entitled to demolish the illegal structures,” said a source from the department. The notice was issued by the department following the High Court order dated May 26, 2006. But nothing concrete has been done in this regard. Sources said fresh encroachments had been mushrooming despite the government order. The local residents alleged that the encroachers had been able to vandalise the water sources unless as they don’t have patronage from the department. “The encroachments have increased from past few years on the banks of Jhelum in Khanabal, other rivers in Harnag and on the banks of Mehdi Kadal, Donipawa, Aripath Achajipora, Thakbonie and Watal Khan,” said Azimuddin, a local resident. He said that one of the most important irrigation canals of the Anantnag town, Laizbal- Ladi passing through Laizbal, SK Colony, Qazibagh and several other places has totally vanished as illegal structures were raised one after the other. “All this came into being because authorities concerned turned a blind eye towards the malpractice,” said another local resident. The authorities however maintained that they are taking necessary steps towards the water resources preservation. “We only initiated the demolition drives and challans were also produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrates,” said Muzaffar Ahmad Lankar, Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Division. |
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‘Ensure quality poultry products for consumers’
Srinagar, August 29 Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr GN Qasba, Special Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Bari, and other officials also took part in the meeting. Besides creating awareness among the consumers, growers, wholesalers and retailers about the impact of growth substances used in poultry feed, Samoon emphasised the role of veterinaries to ensure quality organic poultry products for the consumers. He asked the officers to maintain quality control so that the consumers did not suffer on account of contaminated poultry feed. Later, a committee comprising senior officials was also constituted. The committee would submit a report in a fortnight about the additives being used in the poultry feed in the
Valley. |
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PDP chief briefs British High Commission on self-rule
A PDP spokesman said, “Mehbooba told the visiting envoy that there had to be a strong element of creativity and positive approach to find a solution to the Kashmir problem that had held hostage all post-independence generations.” Mehbooba said the PDP’s road map which has been presented in the shape of its self-rule document reflects pragmatism and creativity and is anchored in the friendship between India and Pakistan. She said, “The two countries have to address the mutual problem in the interest of the people of South Asia. Jammu & Kashmir being the main victim of their hostility should obviously emerge as the biggest beneficiary of the friendship and PDP’s vision revolves around that reality.” Mehbooba said the contours of a possible solution had emerged a few years back in the dialogue between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Musharraf of Pakistan. The spokesperson while quoting Mehbooba said, “We are confident that for any resolution the self rule provides the right frame work that could liberate the people of entire region from the negative baggage of past and bring in a new era of prosperity and inter dependence on the lines of the post cold war in Europe.” Mehbooba said the internal dimensions of the Jammu & Kashmir problem are also taken care of by the self-rule vision document. She said it aims to realize the true economic potential of Jammu & Kashmir for the benefit of its people and holds a special promise for the youth and coming generations of the state. |
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Development works reviewed in Baramulla
Srinagar, August 29 He said, “The district administration should focus on locating loop holes and the completion of projects. The focus on social sector will change the perception of public regarding developmental scenario in the district.” Referring to the immense potential of the centrally-sponsored schemes in socio-economic uplift of the people, the chief secretary asked the officers to fully apprise themselves with the schemes and continuously brief the deputy commissioner regarding issues connected to their successful implementation. The chief secretary took a detailed review of centrally-sponsored schemes and other flagship programmes in the district. Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Ghulam Ahmad Khawaja earlier gave a resume of sector-wise physical and financial progress registered in the district. The deputy commissioner said that against the released outlay of Rs 86.25 crore, the district has expended Rs 12.22 crore till July end. The expenditure on released outlay under District Plan 2011-12 was 96 per cent. |
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State Cable Car Corporation earns Rs 15 cr revenue
Srinagar, August 29 The corporation had earned revenue of Rs 24 crore during the previous financial year. The committee during a meeting stressed upon the officers of JKSCCCL to immediately start work on the cable car project at Ashmuqam, Pahalgam in south Kashmir. The demarcation of land for the hotels at Gulmarg and violation of permission norms during the construction of few hotels was also discussed. Legislators, Dr Bashir Ahmad Shah (Veeri), Aga Syeed Razvi, Jugal Kishore, Mohammad Irfan Shah, Advocate Abdul Haq, Bharat Bushan, Zulfikar Ali and Charanjit Singh besides Commission/Secretary Tourism Department Attal Dullo, Principal Accountant General J&K Dr SC Pandey, Director General Accounts and Treasuries Wali Mohammad Bhat and Additional Secretary Assembly RC Khoujira were also present on the occasion. |
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Political freedom must for economic prosperity: Mir
Srinagar, August 29 He said teachers, politicians and religious preachers had a “greater role” to play in the development
of society. “Teachers shape our future generations while politicians serve as leaders of the nation and religious preachers play their role in inculcating moral values in the society,” he said. He said nations where teachers, politicians and religious preachers delivered their responsibilities “sincerely” progressed and prospered. He called upon all stakeholders of the state to work together “in right earnest for the betterment of
the society”. “Our society needs good teachers, politicians and religious leaders to work for the growth of the society,” he said. |
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Poultry farm sealed
Srinagar, August 29 The owner was operating it illegally at a residential area which is not permissible. After failing to comply with the directions, a team led by several officials concerned sealed the farm.” The SMC spokesperson said it would intensify crackdown against the illegal farms. The corporation has also sought help from the public urging it to inform the corporation
violations, if any at its helpline number. |
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Karnataka beat Kerala to clinch ‘Srinagar-2012’ title
Srinagar, August 29 Speaking on the occasion, Chib lauded the efforts of the Department of Posts, J&K Circle, for organising the national level football tournament. Rather praised the Department of Posts for reviving football activities in the Valley. Chief Postmaster General J&K circle John Samuel said the department had organised the tournament in an effort to involve youngsters with the
post office. He said the Department of Posts would organise more sports tournaments in
the future. Nine teams representing various postal circles of the country, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Delhi, Orissa and hosts Jammu & Kashmir participated in the tournament, which commenced on August 25. |
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Srinagar, August 29
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