|
|
|
|
|
53 down with mystery illness
4-year-old Handwara girl killed in leopard attack
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Class-X student dies after suicide bid on Aug 26
Governor kicks off national football meet
Science olympiad on Valley’s green cover organised
Woman commits suicide, man survives bid to kill self
Bar backs Hurriyat shutdown call
Qadri is new Addl Commissioner
11 govt employees suspended
Boy drowns in Jhelum
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
53 down with mystery illness
Kupwara, September 3 “We have sent blood samples of 11 infected patients and the report is expected to reach us tomorrow. So far, 53 cases of ‘unknown infection’ have been reported in the hamlet,” said Dr Abdul Majid Wani, CMO, Kupwara. Some patients have been hospitalised while others are under observation of doctors in the hamlet. Unconfirmed reports said a person succumbed to infection on Saturday. Local residents said more and more people were taking ill every day. They pick up mild fever and in some cases suffer from diarrhoea. “People in some cases have picked up fever while in other cases have been suffering from loose motions,” said Jamal-u-Din, a local resident. They also attributed the mysterious infection to consumption of contaminated water. “It may well be a water-borne disease as we are forced to consume contaminated water from a nullah due to acute shortage of drinking water,” said Nazir Khuroo, another resident. The CMO said a team of doctors was camping in the hamlet to assess the situation. “There is no need to panic as it is not an outbreak. The doctors are there to monitor the affected persons,” he said. Water samples had also been sent for tests. “We are waiting for the report of the water samples,” he said. The district medical chief said many people had recently returned from outside the state and could have been carrying some infection. “Many locals who have returned from Rajasthan and Punjab may have carried the infection. But the reports of tests will help determine the type of infection,” said Wani. |
||
|
4-year-old Handwara girl killed in leopard attack
The leopard attacked the victim, Sumiya, around 6.30 pm near a field and took her away. “The battered body of the minor girl was recovered from a nearby forest in the morning. Her left leg, head and neck were missing,” said Bashir Ahmad Magray, the victim’s father. Sumiya’s parents had gone to a nearby field with their daughter when the incident took place. “We were busy collecting vegetables when a leopard sneaked up from behind and swooped down on the girl. The animal disappeared from the spot with the girl in a flash,” said Bashir. The Wildlife Department has appealed to the forest territorial staff in north Kashmir to prevent people from encroaching on forest land for construction of structures and agricultural purposes. The residents said they were living in constant fear of attacks by wild animals. They said three leopards and a bear were on the prowl and children were particularly prone to deadly attacks. “The Wildlife Department has failed to curb the increasing movement of animals in human habitations. Our lives are in danger as animals have turned man-eaters,” said Shahid Ahmad Shah of Taratpora village. They said countless livestock had fallen prey to wild animals and the
animals were now turning on humans. Wildlife officials said the department could trap the animals by setting up cages in villages near the forests. But this solely could not protect human lives from such attacks. Mohd Maqbool Baba, Wildlife warden, north Kashmir, said: “Incidents of attacks by wild animals have gone down to a great extent in protected areas. People should be barred from encroaching on forest land to deal with the problem effectively.” |
||
|
Class-X student dies after suicide bid on Aug 26
Srinagar, September 3 While the victim’s family alleged that their son was subjected to undue harassment by the school authorities since he belonged to a minority community, the local police dismissed any such claims. The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee have voiced their support for the victim’s family. They have blamed the school authorities for negligent attitude and demanded stern action against the teacher, Altaf Hussain Teli, who had allegedly been picking on the student for some time. Janak Singh Sodhi, president, Gurdwara Committee, Baramulla, said prior to the suicide attempt, on August 26, the student had been reprimanded by the teacher, forcing him to take the extreme step. The police has, however, refused to pinpoint any particular reason behind the suicide, saying their investigations are on. School official sources said it was not a case of undue harassment and that the student was not allowed to appear in the class-X final examination because he had not qualified the preliminary examination. The principal of Baramulla Public School could not be reached for comments. |
||
|
Community centre thrown open to public at Rawathpora
Srinagar, September 3 The marriage hall has been constructed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation at a cost of
Rs 80 lakh, the spokesperson said. Wani said the aim of constructing the marriage hall was to facilitate the poor people of the city to avail sufficient space for organising functions. A booking fee of Rs 15,000 will be charged per day for community functions and the money will be utilised on maintaining the hall, the minister said. He said the coalition government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was “taking steps to upgrade the basic facilities in the summer capital of the state”. “All roads of the city have been macadamised during the past three and half years,” he said. The minister said a systematic development programme had been launched by the government across the state. |
||
|
Crammed trains test commuters’ patience
Anantnag, September 3 As the national highway gets congested with each passing day, trains have become the only viable and time-saving option to travel, they feel. “The trains make four round-trips between Anantnag and Srinagar, which is insufficient keeping in view the number of commuters travelling in them every day,” said Showket Ahmad, a resident of Anantnag, who travels to his office in Srinagar and back every day. Commuters say a train, which has a capacity of 650 to 750 passengers at any given time, often carries 3,000 passengers and the number swells up to 5,000 on Mondays and Saturdays. “The number of compartments in a train varies from seven to eight, each with a capacity of around 90 passengers. But throwing caution to the wind, the railway authorities allow each compartment to hold 400 passengers,” said Abdul Rashid, a daily commuter. He said of the maximum eight compartments, two remain reserved for women, who were almost negligible in number. “One can only imagine the chaos that prevails in the remaining six or sometimes five compartments,” said Rashid. They add that travel by train remains fraught with danger due to the heavy rush. Further, around 2,000 commuters have been issued railway passes. “I don’t understand the rationale behind allotting 2,000 passes when the trains don’t have the capacity to carry even half that number,” said Tajammul, another commuter. The commuters said the railway authorities should either increase the frequency and capacity of the
trains or stop selling tickets beyond their carrying capacity. “Stopping the sale of tickets is not a good option but it will ease the pressure on the trains to some extent,” said another commuter. Packed beyond capacity
A train with a capacity of 650 to 750 passengers often carries 3,000 passengers and the number swells up to 5,000 on Mondays and Saturdays |
||
|
Dal may host ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfam’ again
Srinagar, September 3 “Talks are under way to shoot 104 episodes for a sequel to ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfam’ and if all goes well, the crew will be back on the Dal soon,” said Bollywood and television actor Parikshit Sahni. Sahni is currently in Kashmir and had come to take part in the centenary celebrations of a local school in which he had received early schooling. The serial, which was telecast in the early 90s, was based on families living in three houseboats of the Dal named Gul, Gulshan and Gulfam. The serial had captivated viewers not only in the Valley but across the country as well. “The serial showcased the beauty and hospitality of Kashmir and prompted many tourists to visit the Valley,” said Sahni. On why similar serials were not being produced these days, he said: “Today’s serials are money-spinners and do not mirror Indian life. And daily soaps have to be shot in a different way and they follow the western format.” Sahni, who is on a visit to Kashmir after 23 years, said he was planning to shoot a movie in Kashmir. “But the film will be a modern story set in Kashmir. I am currently doing a recee for the film,” he added. He said he was planning to write a biography of his father, legendary actor Balraj Sahni. He is also planning a documentary on Balraj Sahni. He said the book and the documentary would be released during the centenary celebrations in memory of his father next year. |
||
|
Governor kicks off national football meet
Srinagar, September 3 Vohra while inaugurating the tournament said there was a tremendous sporting talent among the boys and girls of the state. He hoped that the state youth would excel in all games with the availability of improved facilities and increasing opportunities. “If the talent of youth is nurtured and adequately groomed, there shall be no reason why many of them shall not make it to the national teams in all sports disciplines in the coming years,” said Vohra. The Governor said the national U-17 football tournament would provide an opportunity to the football lovers to witness action in the days ahead. He congratulated the School Games Federation of India, the JK Youth Services and the Sports Department for organising the tournament in Srinagar and hoped that it would further promote the game in the state. Manipur and West Bengal played the opening match of the tournament today. Around 600 players, officials and volunteers from 27 teams representing various states and Union Territories are participating in the tournament. The 65 matches of the tournament, to be held on a league-cum-knockout basis, will be played at five venues, including Islamia College, Polo ground-A and Kashmir University ground A and B. The final match will be played on September 7 at Bakshi Stadium. |
||
|
NC patronising corruption in state, says Mehbooba
Anantnag, September 3 “The NC is busy promoting corruption in the state. Even the government jobs are on sale and people are forced to pay hefty money for the same. The NC is doing nothing about the fact, instead they are patronising the corrupt officials in the state administrative machinery. The only tool of empowerment for the people was the J&K RTI Act that too has been turned into a toothless tiger by amending it” said Mehbooba. She said the government has already rendered institutions like State Accountability Commission (SAC) and State Vigilance Commission (SVC) useless and now the same is being done to the J&K RTI Act. Reacting to an earlier statement by the Additional Secretary of NC, Mustafa Kamal, blaming the PDP for 2010 summer unrest, Mehbooba said, “Kamal is an irrelevant person who is not taken seriously even by his own party members. I don’t mind what he says.” Mehbooba said the PDP will be voted to power in the next assembly elections and will address to the problems of corruption and unemployment. “Our agenda will be to clear unemployment and corruption from the state,” said the PDP president. She said her party will try and utilise the natural resources that have been bestowed to the state by the Almighty and that in turn will address the problem of unemployment. “We will use the horticulture, tourism and other sectors to uplift the state’s economy,” said Mehbooba. |
||
|
Science olympiad on Valley’s green cover organised
Srinagar, September 3 In an science olympiad organised by the District Institute Of Education And Training (DIET), Srinagar, in its complex at Bemina, students with a scientific bent of mind had solutions to many long pending problems the Valley had since long. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar praised the young scientists from valley, especially the ones studying in the government schools for their acumen in the fields of science and technology. “Even though some students do not come from financially sound families and might not even receive the best of education, yet their wonderful scientific projects amaze me. There should be more such science exhibitions in the future which could make the best use of the hidden talents of our young generation,” said Sagar. An interesting display of a wind mill by a 7th grade student, Madiha, was a befitting reply to the queries of the energy conservationists of Valley. “Due to the western disturbances wind blows over the Valley. We could aptly use the wind energy extracted from there and convert it into electrical energy,” said Madiha. Students also brought forth the concepts of hydro-electric projects and aforestation schemes which have relevance in the valley and could go a long way in securing the environmental balance. “Even when the concepts are pretty much clear, yet the government school students aren’t good in expressing their ideas. There is a need of better training facilities for enhancing their communication skiils,” said Harmeet Kour, disaster management expert. |
||
|
NYC volunteers’ protest foiled
Srinagar, September 3 “Around 8,000 volunteers were deployed to various departments like rural development, youth services and sports, tourism, finance, social welfare and others in 2010. But now we are not being allowed to continue our services,” said a protestor. After protesting at the Press Enclave, the volunteers tried to take out a procession towards the Lal Chowk. Several protestors were taken into preventive custody as the police foiled their bid to march towards the city centre. Earlier in May-June, these volunteers had to sit on a nine-day fast at the Press Enclave to highlight their grievances. The fast was called off after the government’s assurance that their demands would be looked into. According to protestors, they were forced to come on the streets as the government failed miserably to solve their grievances. Besides, continuation of services, they are also demanding conversion of monthly honorariums to salaries and also increase in remunerations. |
||
|
Woman commits suicide, man survives bid to kill self
In Kupwara, a 40-year-old man consumed poison but survived. The police spokesperson said Nazir Ahmad of Marham village was taken to a hospital where he is being treated. There has been a sharp increase in the number of suicides in the Kashmir valley over the past few years. In a five-day period last month, the police had reported eight suicides in the Valley, which included one 11-year-old girl, two 15-year-old girls, a 50-year-old woman and two girls who were in their early twenties. Experts have warned of growing stress levels among residents in the Kashmir valley. A large chunk of population in Kashmir is believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. |
||
|
Municipal corporation razes two buildings
Srinagar, September 3 SMC Chief Enforcement Officer Hakeem Aijaz Ali said the drive would continue against those who had raised constructions without obtaining the proper building permission. The enforcement wing also conducted anti-encroachment drive from Safa Kadal to Karan Nagar areas of the city to regulate the vehicular movement and prevent inconvenience faced by pedestrians and commuters.
— TNS |
||
|
Bar backs Hurriyat shutdown call
Srinagar, September 3 Syed Geelani, has demanded that affairs of the pilgrimage should be handed over to local Kashmiri Hindus and also demanded that the duration and number of pilgrims should be restricted.
— TNS
|
||
|
Qadri is new Addl Commissioner
Srinagar, September 3 Qadri took the charge from Abdul Majid Wani, who was relieved from the post of Additional Commissioner, Kashmir, on September 1. Wani has been transferred and posted as Additional Registrar, Cooperatives, Kashmir. |
||
|
11 govt employees suspended
Srinagar, September 3 “During an inspection, four employees from the Canal Darooga office, six employees from the Executive Engineer Irrigation Division office and one from the Irrigation Sub-Division, Anantnag, were found absent,” said an official spokesperson. |
||
|
Boy drowns in Jhelum
Srinagar, September 3 “Owais Ahmad Dar (8) of Wangpora village, Bandipora, drowned in the Jhelum while he was taking a bath,” said a police spokesperson. He said the boy’s body was later fished out from the river and was handed over to his family. “In Kupwara district, a 70-year-old man was found dead in suspicious conditions. The man has been identified as Saif-ud-Din, resident of Zurhamma-Gujjarpati,” said the spokesperson.
— TNS |
||
|
| HOME PAGE |
| Punjab |
Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | |
Handwara, September 3
Srinagar, September 3