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Cholera toll rises in Tangmarg
TB threat looms large in north Kashmir
Valley’s mega flyover project hangs fire
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‘Minor’ brought handcuffed to court
Dog bites eight women in Kulgam
Harsh winter will welcome Valley residents with LPG cap
Roads in Anantnag villages in a shambles
CRPF inducts 439 recruits
11th batch of Haj pilgrims leaves for Medina
Omar pins hopes on youth
Lone urges media to ensure fair coverage
Folk artists perform play ‘Shikar Gah’ at Aishmuqam
International Seminar on globalisation held at Kashmir University
‘Dhanak Rang’ reaches Manasbal
Water slalom c’hip gets under way
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Cholera toll rises in Tangmarg
Baramulla, September 28 The situation in Pattan, however, has improved as no case of gastroenteritis or cholera was reported in the past two days, said health officials. As many as 234 people have fallen ill to the infection and most of them are suffering from gastroenteritis. Sources said eight patients suffering from acute diarrhoea and vomiting were shifted to the SKIMS hospital in Srinagar. Baramulla Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Mohd Younis told The Tribune that the infection had been largely contained in the Pattan area but it was still widespread in the Tangmarg area. “No case of gastroenteritis has been reported in the Pattan area in past two days. The situation in Tangmarg may improve in few days as doctors are putting their best to contain the infection,” said Dr Mohd Younis. He said the most of the patients were suffering from gastroenteritis due to consumption of contaminated water in the Tangmarg area. Forty two patients have been discharged after treatment since Monday. “Most of the victims are suffering from gastroenteritis while some from Cholera. IV-fluids and other necessary injections are being administered to the affected for speedy recovery,” said a senior doctor. Water samples from many villages including Khepora, Ferozpura and Kazipora were found severely contaminated and unfit for human consumption. Teams of doctors and paramedical staff have been sent to the affected areas for door-to-door medical checkup, especially the children. “Since the infection is water-borne, we have advised people to consume boiled water and refrain from self-medication,” said CMO Baramulla.
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TB threat looms large in north Kashmir
Kupwara, September 28 At least 550 persons were diagnosed with TB by the DTC, Kupwara alone. This includes 339 cases of pulmonary TB and 211 cases of extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB). The situation in Baramulla is no better. As many as 390 cases of TB have been diagnosed by DTC, Baramulla, between April and August this year. Of this, 285 were diagnosed with smear positive TB and 105 with extra-pulmonary TB. Experts in Health Department say an early diagnosis and subsequent treatment is imperative for effective treatment of TB. “Since TB is an air-borne infectious disease, an early diagnosis and treatment is must for effective treatment and to prevent the disease from spreading to others,” said Dr Ghulam Hassan Khatana, medical officer at DTC, Kupwara. Experts suggest that for an early detection of TB, a person having a cough for over two weeks must go for a medical check-up. “Persistent unhygienic conditions, smoke and congestion in habitation could also lead to TB. A non-stop treatment course of about six months is necessary for effective treatment of TB patient,” Dr Khatana added.
Victims who suffer extension of disease to organs or tissues outside the thorax are considered as EPTB patients. “Lymph node and pleural involvement in TB is a direct extension of the disease from lung parenchyma. Patients with partic larly intrathoracic involvement are considered as PTB,” a senior doctor said |
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Valley’s mega flyover project hangs fire
Srinagar, September 28 Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), the nodal agency for the construction of the Jehangir Chowk-Natipora flyover at an estimated cost of Rs 256 crore, is yet to submit its technical bid evaluation report to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which is funding the project. The flyover construction which was supposed to ease traffic snarls in Srinagar city has come under question due to delay in eviction drive, resettlement of shopkeepers and the floating of tenders. At least 285 shops which will face eviction due to flyover construction were to be resettled in the two shopping complexes made by the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC). Out of those, only 97 shopkeepers have been rehabilitated in the newly-constructed shopping complexes whereas the rest of the commercial establishments are yet to be moved. “The rehabilitation process is taking a long time and is proving to be a major hurdle in starting the construction work. The report will be submitted to the ADB next month,” said Khalid Muzaffar, director, ERA (Central). Officials in the ERA revealed that ADB would be hesitant in signing any funding contract till resettlement of all the shopkeepers is done with. However, many shopkeepers are reluctant to shift to alternative sites and hence the project has been hanging fire since. Many private business establishments which have been served notice by the ERA are ready to challenge provisions of the Land Acquisition Act (1894) which they term as highly “discriminatory”. “We are unnecessarily being dragged to courts. Right now, the market value of our shops is much more than what we are being offered. Any alternative the government comes with will not be worth our property. This is a matter of our bread and butter and we certainly will fight in the court,” said Ghulam Mohiuddin, a retail shop owner in Magarmal Bagh. The issue of displacement and rehabilitation of private property owners is becoming contentious by the day and many legal battles may ensue one after another. With this, the likelihood of completion of the flyover project even in the next three years seems bleak. “We are expecting the project work to start by December as soon as the bidding process gets completed for which we have already received good response from construction agencies outside the state,” Khalid added. What ails the project The Chief Minister had announced a three-year time frame for the Jehangir Chowk-Natipora flyover in October 2009 Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), nodal agency for project construction, is yet to submit its technical bid evaluation report Only 97 of the 285 shopkeepers have been rehabilitated in the newly-constructed shopping complexes |
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‘Minor’ brought handcuffed to court
Srinagar, September 28 The boy, escorted by a police constable, was brought in handcuffs
to the lower court here in the city. Last year, the police had brought five minors, aged between 13 and 15, to a court while handcuffed. Various civil rights bodies and lawyers had termed it violation of law. The said boy's lawyer Babar Qadri said his age was 16. The boy is a
resident of Kani Kadal neighbourhood of the old city Srinagar. The lawyer said the boy was arrested earlier this week on charges of throwing stones at the police during a protest and has been booked on charges of rioting. Five other minors, aged between 14 and 16, were arrested on charges of throwing stones at the police during the protests on Friday last week. A police official posted at Shaheed Gunj police station, where the case against the boy is registered, contested his age saying he was 19-year-old. “He has not been bailed out yet and he was produced in the court to be charge-sheeted. He is 19-year-old and that is why he was handcuffed. If someone says he is a minor, let them produce his birth certificate,” the police official said. |
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Dog bites eight women in Kulgam
Kulgam, September 28 The dog had gone mad and bit almost everybody that came his way before he was brought under control, reports said. Local residents said there has already been much hue and cry over a large dog population in Srinagar city. However, the plight of the rural areas goes unrecorded, said Abdul Samad, a local resident. People from south Kashmir feel that there has been no account of the number of dogs mauling the residents here. “I am sure the number of dogs in the rural areas is much more than in Srinagar but nothing is being done by the authorities,” said another resident. Many others who spoke to Kashmir Tribune alleged that dogs were being ferried from
Srinagar to parts of South Kashmir. “I have myself seen a truck full of stray dogs being unloaded along the national highway late in the night. They do such things when they
face canine scare in Srinagar,” said a Bijbehara resident. Hundreds of dog bite cases in the rural areas go unnoticed because there
is no media coverage to these, he added. “Children and women are the worst sufferers of the menace and the number of dogs keeps
multiplying,” another resident said. The authorities acknowledge say that steps are being taken to fight the menace. “It can not be an overnight process. We are taking steps to curb the menace but it will take some time,” said a senior official in the Kulgam district administration. |
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Harsh winter will welcome Valley residents with LPG cap
Srinagar, September 28 Though Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) minister Qamar Ali Akhoon said he would discuss the concern of the people with the Centre for providing special provisions to the state, the problem may not get solved any time soon. Major private LPG dealers in the state hold that they will stick to the Centre’s decision till the state government ensures some revision in the rules. Aijaz Ahmad Kachroo, project manager, HP Corporation, which has a major share in domestic gas markets in J&K, said people might be subjected to a lot of inconvenience during the extremely cold winters in the Valley when the requirements of domestic gas increases and there is continuous shortage of the same. “The NH gets blocked during the winters as a result of which the entire Valley gets cut off from rest of the country for days. The supply is badly hit during this time. People are at loss as a lot of black marketing takes place during winters,” he said. CAPD director Mushtaq Ahmad Mir said since there were no alternative sources of energy for cooking and heating purposes in Kashmir during the winters, an average income household would not be able to buy non-subsidised gas cylinders at the rates which could touch Rs 800-850 per cylinder. “There are long queues of subscribers outside every LPG dealer outlet as there is a growing perception that with the LPG capping rule, there would not be sufficient gas supplies in winters. Hence, each family is trying to purchase as much domestic gas cylinders they could,” said Imaad Shafi, a dealer. The state government needs to address the issue. Otherwise, the winter is going to be extremely difficult to cope with this time,” he added.
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Roads in Anantnag villages in a shambles
Anantnag, September 28 Roads in Anchidora, PrakashPora, Anzwala, Panditpora, Aang, Matipora, Chee, Muniward, Takia Buhram Shah, Batipora, Nandpora, Mirgund, Pushwarda, Seepni, Mir Danter,Hanji Danter, Ganjiwarda, and Donipawa villages are in a bad shape. “Roads here were macadamized long ago. Apathetic condition of roads has made the life of villagers here miserable,” said Anwar Hussain, a resident of Anchidora near Anantnag town. “Our time is lost trying to reach our destinations besides the vehicles are damaged badly due to bad roads,” said another resident of the village. The residents add that due to dilapidated condition of these roads, the public transport operators shy away from providing services to them thus adding to their plights. “It might sound funny but nobody in our villages buys slippers for they cannot venture out of their homes wearing them. The road to our village remains waterlogged throughout the year,” said Sajad Ahmad, a resident of Muniwar village, located near the national highway. Residents of other villages say that besides all these hardships, their health is getting severely affected due to condition of the roads. “Cases of respiratory diseases are on the rise in our villages. We do not let our children play outside for fear of them getting affected by dust particles,” said Arif Saleem, a resident of Seepni village. The villagers say despite appealing to the authorities time and again, nothing has been done to end their problem. |
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CRPF inducts 439 recruits
Srinagar, September 28 Deputy-Inspector General of Police and Principal RTC Bhupinder Singh welcomed the chief guest. “The 439 constables inducted today hail from different states, including 32 from J&K. They will perform multifarious duties ranging from normal law and order duties to serious internal security problems like insurgency in different parts of the country,” said Sudhir Kumar, CRPF spokesman. He said these constables were imparted intensive training to operate in different environmental conditions. “Sufficient emphasis was laid on subjects like law, human rights and police-public relations during the training,” Sudhir said. The best trainee award was bagged by Raman Kumar, Bheem Raj was adjudged the best shooter, Ajay Kumar bagged the best indoor player and Bhagwan best in outdoor, he said. Addressing the recruits, Uppal said the CRPF was not only playing important role in maintaining law and order but was also helping people of the country in natural calamities and welfare related works. The RTC was sanctioned on April 1, 1990 and it was made functional at Awanitpore on May 7, 1992. The RTC was shifted to Humhama (which is its present location) on March 29, 1994. So far 18,000 recruits have been trained at the centre. |
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11th batch of Haj pilgrims leaves for Medina
Srinagar, September 28 The first batch of Haj pilgrims was seen off by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the Srinagar International Airport earlier this month. While Air India is operating direct Haj flights to Saudi Arabia after a gap four years, around 9,170 pilgrims from the state are expected to perform Haj this year. This year’s quota for Jammu and Kashmir had been increased from 8,441 to 8,670. In addition, private Haj operators were facilitating 500 Haj pilgrims. The last Haj flight from Srinagar is scheduled to leave on October 10. |
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Omar pins hopes on youth
Srinagar, September 28 “You can neither afford to rest on your laurels nor be complacent and smug. You have to be the torch bearers of progress”, the Chief Minister sought the young scholars while addressing the 18th convocation at the University of Kashmir yesterday. He said attaining knowledge, and going through grist and mill for it, was a notable endeavour and the ends of knowledge should be action. Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmad presented the university report and gave resume of the academic, research and extra-curricular activities. He said 235 and 405 students completed their PhDs and MPhils at the University during the last three years. The Vice-Chancellor said the University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned support to nine departments of the university under SAP while eight departments have been recognised by the Department of Science and Technology for financial support. He said the University has entered into academic collaboration with a number of premier academic institutions within and outside the country. The President awarded gold medals and certificates to the passing out students at the convocation. Ministers, Members of Parliament, legislators, Vice-Chancellors of various universities, members of the university council, Board of Management and Academic Council, intellectuals, prominent civil society members, senior Civil and Police officers, Deans, Heads of Departments, University faculty and students were present on the occasion.
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Lone urges media to ensure fair coverage
Srinagar, September 28 Lone chaired a Press Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting held to review the arrangements made for the media fraternity in connection with the Assembly session. Threadbare discussion was held on seating arrangements for the media persons and photo journalists besides installation of OB Van, accommodation for Jammu based journalists and issuance of passes for vehicles to the media persons. Lone assured that every required facility would be provided to the media persons during the session. |
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Folk artists perform play ‘Shikar Gah’ at Aishmuqam
Anantnag, September 28 The play ‘Shikar Gah’ was about 850 years old and was modified by the director of the play, MK Raina. “This version of the play gives a message about the protection of the environment and the importance of animals in the world,” said Raina. He said we used masks for the first time in the play and the kids, who were performing, made these masks on their own. “They were taught to make masks of wood, clay, and baskets. This in turn would develop a professional attitude in the kids towards the art form,”
said Raina. Adding that Kashmir has got actors who are immensely talented and can compete at any level in the world, Raina said, “They moved an audience in Delhi to tears while performing ‘King Lear’. The director said to give maximum exposure to the children, the authorities should come forward and do something concrete to safeguard the art form at the grass-root level. “These actors are at par with the actors from the National School of Drama but education is a major concern,” Raina said. He said this is the reason he was encouraging
young students to the art form so that they can go and compete at an international-level. “We are going to Germany next year and I am sure they are going to win accolades there as well,” Raina said. |
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International Seminar on globalisation held at Kashmir University
Srinagar, September 28 A total of 35 research papers will be read by the scholars of repute during the two days. Almost 60 eminent academicians from various reputed institutions of Thailand and India, including Chulalongkorn University, Fellow of the Royal Institute, the Dushdi Mala Medal, National Research Council of Thailand, Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, JNU New Delhi, Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad, ICSSR, New Delhi, are participating in the seminar. Kashmir University registrar was also present on the occasion. Minister for Higher Education Labour and Employment Abdul Gani Malik was the chief guest on the occasion. He said it was imperative to link education with requirements of society by exploiting potential among the students and intellectuals. He said the government had taken several initiatives to expand the educational spectrum, involving stakeholders of various disciplines. He said more steps are underway to boost the morale of students of all the three regions of the state. The minister hoped that the seminar will go a long way in opening a window of knowledge for the new generation about globalisation and said he would be keen to see the recommendations of the seminar. Kashmir University Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmed said globalisation had received considerable attention in many circles, yet the Valley remains elusive to the phenomena. He emphasised on the role of globalisation in making socio- economic impacts. “Disagreements had persisted both on the characterisation of globalisation and its key macro socio-economic implications. Against this background, the seminar is a valuable opportunity to contribute towards sharpening our understanding of the mechanics of globalisation, on the one hand, and its macro-economic consequences,” he said. Organising secretary of the event Dr Aneesa Shafi said the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has continuously been involved in providing a large platform for significant academic deliberations thereby offering solutions to various academic conjectures and social issues. She said the ICSSR has a bilateral programme with the National Research Council of Thailand in the field of social science research wherein joint research activities and joint seminars are undertaken. Prof Ramesh Dadhich, member secretary, ICSSR, New Delhi while tracing the history of globalisation from industrial revolution to colonialism, neo-colonialism to present day said today’s era is moving towards hegemony to autonomy and hoped that world may soon move towards a more equitable order.
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‘Dhanak Rang’ reaches Manasbal
Srinagar, September 28 At Manasbal Park, folk singers Ghulam Mohammad Ahangar, Mohammad Yusuf Chrari
Ghulam Mohammad Kawa and Manasbal Folk theatre performed before an excited audience. From Manasbal, the programme would travel to Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Nigeen Club where folk programmes will be held on September 29, October 1 and October 3, respectively.
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Water slalom c’hip gets under way
Sonamarg, September 28 The championship is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Kayaking and Canoeing Association and sponsored by the Tourism Department and J&K State Sports Council. Kushwaha said the paddlers would battle it out on the Sindh river that flows through Sonamarg in Ganderbal district. The tournament was flagged off by Minister for Forests Mian Altaf Ahmad today. The Minister assured all possible cooperation from the government during the conduct of similar tournaments in the future. Tourism Kashmir director Talat Parvez said the event would see the participation of 140 players and officials from across the country. He said the White Water Slalom Kayaking & Canoeing championship would be made an annual affair from now onwards. Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Showkat Ahmad Mir and Jammu and Kashmir Kayaking and Canoeing Association general secretary Omar Rafiq were also present at the inaugural function of the national championship. |
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construction project from Jehangir Chowk to Natipora, which was announced by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in October 2009 to be completed within a three-year time frame, has missed its deadline with the construction work yet to see light of the day.
A dilapidated condition of roads in the adjoining villages of Anantnag town of south Kashmir has left the residents high and dry.
The residents say despite being located just a few kilometres away from the main town, their villages have been regularly neglected on the developmental front.
An adaptation of an old play ‘Shikar Gah’ was performed today by a group of Bhand-e-Paether (Kashmiri Folk Art) artists in Aishmuqam area of south
Kashmir.
Artistes, including children from various places of the Valley, were delighted to the response of a strong crowd.
The two-day 6th Joint International Seminar of Indian Council of Social Science Research New Delhi and National Council of Research Thailand on ‘Globalisation : Change and Emerging Imperatives-India and Thailand’ organised by the Department of Sociology, University of Kashmir, began here at Ghandi Bhawan hall today.
The four-day long national White Water Slalom Kayaking and Canoeing Championship commenced today.
About 14 state teams of the country are participating in the championship. Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association general secretary Balbir Singh Kushwaha said this was for the first time that a national white water slalom championship was being organised in the Valley.
