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Inflation burns a hole in common man’s pocket
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One killed, 8 hurt in road accidents
2,736 selected as constables
Govt sells Valley to tourists; holds road shows in US, Canada
Kashmir Autumn Golf Festival to tee off tomorrow
‘E-tendering’ gives contractors a tough time
Can recreate Tahrir in Valley: Hurriyat
No rehabilitated militant or kin arrested: Wani
Car with fake registration recovered in Kulgam
Parents of missing persons seek clarification on CM’s statement
Delegation of former-militants meets Guv, seeks rehabilitation measures
Mirwaiz demands release of detainees on eve of Eid
Five bills moved in LC
Rs 7.11 crore VAT recovered on IT related goods
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Inflation burns a hole in common man’s pocket
This is not all. Experts say inflation is likely to increase further in the winter months. Less rainfall is the reason behind the rise in prices. “The overall food inflation stands at 11 per cent.
For vegetables the inflation stands at 27 per cent,” Prof Shumaila, a Research scholar of Economics at Islamic University of Sciences and Technology said. The prices have also gone up marginally for milk and other dairy products like butter, cream and cheese. Mutton, chicken, eggs and edible oil has also become dearer. People are worried at the fate of food prices in the wake of harsh winters. “One kg of carrots costs between Rs 60 and 70, one kg of spinach costs Rs 50 and a kg of mutton is being sold at Rs 320 in the market. How does one expect an average income family to survive under these conditions,” asks Maroofa, a housewife. With lower food production, the dependence on the import of essential food commodities will increase manifold this year, experts say. “We have had an off season this year in terms of apples, maize and rice production.
The production has plummeted whereas the demand will increase especially in winters,” Prof Shumaila said. Even though the Consumers and Affairs Public Distribution (CAPD) department maintains that enough stock of essential food items will be available in the winters, people in the Valley are worried as they fear shortage in the supply as well as black marketing in the days to come. “We have seen what is happening with the LPG supply here even though the government had assured a smooth supply of the same. The truth is that there is no strict monitoring by the authorities when it comes to strict checking of the market and ensuring fair pricing,” Muzaffar Ahmad, a government employee said. Authorities say though inflation has increased countrywide, inspection of markets will be increased for winters. “We are aware of concerns of people for winters. It is true that many black sheep resort to fleecing and black
marketing in the marketers, but people should report the same to us since we cannot be present everywhere,” an official in the Market Checking division of CAPD wishing anonymity said. on a high
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Government employees resume agitation
Srinagar, October 10 "We submitted a memorandum of demands at the DC office. Similar demonstrations were held across the state where the members submitted memorandums at the respective offices of the deputy commissioners. The protests were held peacefully," JCC press secretary Nisar Ahmad said. He said there would be no let up in protests as the government had "failed" to implement its agreement with the JCC. After a series of protests and strikes by the employees earlier this year, the government had reached an agreement with the JCC wherein the employees were assured that a decision on their demands would be announced by September 30. However, the JCC announced a fresh protest programme earlier this month, alleging that
the government had "betrayed" them. The JCC would hold ‘Srinagar chalo and Secretariat gherao’ on October 15 after which it would decide on the next course of action. |
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One killed, 8 hurt in road accidents
Srinagar, October 10 In another incident at Kulgam district, a car hit a motorcycle injuring two men aged 27 and 29. The injured were admitted to the hospital, the spokesperson said. In the third incident at Kulgam district, a car collided with a truck at Jawahar Tunnel near Titanic Point leaving three persons injured. The victims have been identified as Vimarsh Koul (32) and his wife Monika Koul (28), all residents of Trikota Nagar Jammu and Jawahir Pandit (32), a resident of Mumbai. The injured were admitted to hospital. Two men were injured in road accidents in central Budgam district and north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the spokesperson said. |
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2,736 selected as constables
Srinagar, October 10 He said the special recruitments drives in the police department were conducted in the areas which were relatively less represented. The minister said a well defined procedure and criteria had been fixed for making these recruitments transparent.
— TNS |
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Panel blames GB Pant Hospital doctors for death of infants
Srinagar, October 10 The report which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly today has also recommended punishment for the guilty officers so that a clear message goes to everybody that such dereliction of the duties would never be compromised upon by the administration. “The patients died due to the negligence of the doctors attending on them and the hospital administration collectively and they can not be allowed to take human lives on the petty pretexts,” read the report of the Committee on estimates. After a public outcry the Speaker of the Assembly, Mohammad Akber Lone, had constituted a House panel, headed by MLA Mohammad Ramzan Choudhary to probe into the high number of infant deaths at the GB Pant hospital. Over 500 neonatal and infant deaths were reported in the first five months of this year. The government had also appointed a one-man probe panel headed by Prof Showkat Ali Zargar, director of Shere-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) to investigate the alarming deaths in children's hospital after public outrage in May. The House Committee had blamed the former Medical Superintendent (MS) Javeed Choudhry for failing to fulfill his administrative duty. “The MS has important powers of deploying the faculty and resident staff, the backbone of patient care in a referral hospital. The MS maintains the routine affairs of the hospital and having both these authorities at his disposal, the then MS (Dr Javeed Choudhry) can, in no way, shelve the responsibility in any case,” the Committee observed. The Committee endorsed the view point of the inquiry officer Director SKIMS, Zargar, who had indicted
the former Choudhary for the high number of deaths. It was not only that doctors and the MS has come under fire, but the report also blames the Government Medical College administration for not taking cognizance of the infighting among the faculty members at the GB Pant hospital. “The administration never probed the allegations against the former MS which would have opened many a secret filed. But no body took note of these allegations and allowed the conditions to deteriorate, day in and day out,” the report said. “And the tussle within the faculty resulted in administrative failure in the hospital so much so that postgraduate students did not bother to consult their guides and teachers and admitted the patients,” it added. The report said the resident doctors were prescribing spurious drugs to patients as drug mafia was active in and outside the hospital. The House Committee observed that it was obligatory on part of the state government to fix the responsibility for what had happened in otherwise prestigious hospital. “A doctor has a moral duty to put in every possible effort to save the ailing neonates from the clutches of the death. His personal interests should never be a matter of priority for him. Nor should his personal grievances with the administration should be allowed to malign the image and sanctity of the profession. The matter seems of a criminal nature and stern action needs to be taken against responsible persons,” the report recommends. “ The deterrent action should be of such nature that a clear message goes to everybody in the health and medical education department that such dereliction of the duties would never be compromised upon by the administration.” |
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Govt sells Valley to tourists; holds road shows in US, Canada
Srinagar, October 10 During the question hour of the Assembly, Wani said the Ministry of Tourism had recently organised road shows in the US and Canada to help more foreign tourists to arrive in Kashmir. “The Union Ministry of Tourism considers USA and Canada as important markets to promote various tourist destinations and products of the state. The state government has been asked to take part in these road shows,” he added. The minister was replying to a question raised by Peoples Democratic Party MLA Peerzada Mansoor Hussain in the House. Wani said, “Such events facilitate better understanding of the tourism potential and improved security scenario and thus help remove negative advisories issued by the governments of European countries and America.” He also said the process to remove advisories had already been taken up with Germany. Wani said plan allocation for the tourism sector for the current financial year was Rs 111.31 core. He said 20 Tourism Development Authorities (TDA) were functioning in the state. These agencies are working towards developing the basic infrastructure. |
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Kashmir Autumn Golf Festival to tee off tomorrow
Srinagar, October 10 The event venue is an 18-hole-course surrounded by a panoramic view of snow-covered mountains and lush green valleys. “Around 80 per cent of the golfers taking part in the festival are from outside the state, especially from Chandigarh, Pune, Coimbatore and Delhi. The Greater Kashmir Communications Private Limited has been organising tournaments for the promotion of the sport in the Valley as well as in the entire country,” said Rashid Makhdoomi, president, Greater Kashmir Private Limited. Post Pahalgam, Gulmarg would be the second venue of the festival on October 13, which is often called a “Golfer’s paradise” due to its reputation of being the highest green golf course in the world. It is an altitude of 2,650m. The Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar would be the last venue of the festival on October 14 with the concluding game of golf being played there near Chashm-a-Shahe overlooking the Dal lake. “We will have a final price distribution ceremony after the Srinagar game and we are hopeful to promote Kashmir as a choicest destination of golf in near future,” Makhdoomi said. the tournament
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‘E-tendering’ gives contractors a tough time
Anantnag, October 10 The contractors said the new ‘e-tendering’ system was more cumbersome and time consuming than the earlier one. “First, we have to file the tenders online and then submit the copies of these tenders in the respective offices, failing which the tenders will not be considered,” said a contractor from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. He said the hassle of submitting various documents to the offices remains intact while as they had to move from place to place to get their tenders filled in. They said the worst sufferers in the new system were likely to be the older, uneducated contractors, “A sizable chunk of contractors working in the Valley are uneducated and the hassle of getting their tenders filled online is talking a severe toll on them,” said a contractor. “I am uneducated but I somehow learnt how to file tenders during the thirty years of my career. However, the new system is getting on my nerves. I have to plead people to help
me submitting my tenders,” said another contractor while talking to The Tribune. He said the contractors these days could be seen running from one cyber café to another to get
their tenders filled well within time. Another issue they said was the pathetic internet connectivity in the rural areas, making the situation more vulnerable. “Most of the rural areas are not connected as far as the internet service is concerned and the ones that are, have a very poor service, making the tender submission a nightmare,” said Rauf Ahmad, a
contractor. He said the state government should have taken necessary steps to take pains to make the internet connectivity better, before actually implementing the e-tendering system. |
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Can recreate Tahrir in Valley: Hurriyat
Srinagar, October 10 “If restrictions on the pro-freedom leaders are lifted, then lakh of people will come on streets for freedom and secession and these demonstrations will be bigger than those in Tahrir square in Egypt,” Geelani said. Geelani said it was the Army and the police which had forced the people to go into silence. The Hurriyat leader criticised Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s statement, saying that a small section of people continued to talk about secession and freedom. Geelani said Chidambaram seemed to have forgotten 2008 and 2010 when lakh of people were on the streets demanding freedom. |
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Governor assures traders of taking up demands with Centre
Srinagar, October 10 The eight-member delegation of Salamabad-Chakoti Traders Union met the Governor at Raj Bhavan here today, a spokesman said. The demands presented by the eight-member delegation, he said, include increasing the list of goods traded through LoC, installation of full body truck X-ray scanners at the Trade Facilitation Centre, creation of additional storage and infrastructure for goods and warehousing and cold storage facilities at Srinagar and Jammu for smooth supply of goods for cross LoC trade. The traders also demanded accommodation facilities for the traders at the Trade Facilitation Centre besides the provision of canteen,
medical care and office space, provision of insurance cover for goods, telecommunication and banking facilities and periodical meetings of cross LoC traders. The Governor gave a patient hearing to the members of the delegation and informed them that he shall take up all
these issues with the Union Home Minister. |
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No rehabilitated militant or kin arrested: Wani
Srinagar, October 10 Khan contested the figures and blamed the Minister for misleading the House. He cited the example of one Asima, wife of Mohammad Ashraf of Poonch, who was allegedly arrested and later lodged in police station in central Kashmir. Wani informed that the government has received 1,082 applications from the persons who intend to return under the policy. “Out of these applications, 218 cases have been recommended and the rest are being scrutinized and verified,” Wani said. After the Minister’s reply, the House took up routine matter. The MoS said he wanted to set the record straight. “The woman mentioned by the honourable member was arrested before the rehabilitation policy was introduced,” Wani said. |
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Car with fake registration recovered in Kulgam
Srinagar, October 10 “The registration of the vehicle was fake and hence another case has been registered against the person in possession of the vehicle,” said the police. The police said a Wagon-R car, bearing registration number JK02D/ 4758, was recovered from Bashir Ahmad Mir, resident of Ahmadabad, DH Pora. The registration of the vehicle was confirmed by Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Kulgam. The registration number of the recovered vehicle pertains to a scooter bearing chassis number 68168 and engine number 05207. A fresh case FIR number 103/2012 under Section 379, 411 of the RPC has been registered in the DH Pora police station against Bashir Ahmad Mir. |
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Parents of missing persons seek clarification on CM’s statement
Srinagar, October 10 They have alleged that the state government is obfuscating the figures of the missing and disappeared persons in J&K, the parents of Kashmir’s disappeared have termed the recent statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.” They have also demanded that the government must make the process by which it arrived at the differing figures public and it should also provide the latest figures on the disappeared persons. In a written reply to a question by MLA Kulgam MY Tarigami on October 8, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said 2,305 persons had been declared "missing" in the state. “This statement is another addition in the contradictory statements issued by the successive governments regarding enforced disappearances in the state,” an APDP spokesman said in a
statement. He said the incumbent government appears “irresponsible” as it has “contradicted itself at least thrice over the past four years” without providing any explanation for the contradictions. “Based on the contradictory statements furnished by the state government in the Assembly for last 10 years, it appears that the government has consistently contradicted itself,” the spokesman said. The spokesman has also demanded that the government should come out with complete details of the missing persons in the state. He also claimed that the “contradictory statements” and denials by the government also amount to “obfuscation of truth and cover up”. Contradictions, as pointed out by the APDP On July 18, 2002, the then Home Minister of National Conference government, Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy, acknowledged the disappearance of 3,184 persons since 1989. On June 11, 2003, the PDP-led coalition government admitted the disappearance of 3,744 persons since 1989 and on June 2003 it stated that 3,931 persons were missing. On May 2, 2008, Omar Abdullah, then in the opposition, stated during a press conference that 4,000 persons had disappeared in the state. On August 17, 2009, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah informed the state legislature that 3,429 persons had gone missing in the state, while on March 23, 2010, the government stated that 1,105 persons had disappeared since 1989. |
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Delegation of former-militants meets Guv, seeks rehabilitation measures
Srinagar, October 10 He said the Governor gave a sympathetic hearing to the deputation comprising Mohammad Farooq Khan, chairman, Human Welfare Association, Nazir Ahmad Wani and Mohammad Sidiq Khan, executive members of the Association. “The deputation, which met the Governor today, comprised J&K Human Welfare Association, Centre for Peace, Development of Humanity and Rehabilitation of former-militants, Srinagar,” he said. “The deputation urged for measures to rehabilitate ex-militants in J&K. The Governor agreed to take up the problems with the Chief Minister,” the spokesman said. A deputation of the Kashmir Printers Association, Srinagar, also met Governor NN Vohra and submitted a memorandum of their demands. The demands include measures for growth of the printing industry, ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the printing industrial units and effective implementation of the provision of 15 per cent price preference for these units as per the industrial policy,” the spokesman said. |
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Geelani releases autobiography part-two
Srinagar, October 10 Titled ‘Wular Kinarey’ (on banks of Wular lake), the 688-page book written in classic Urdu is based on the events surrounding Geelani’s life from 1970 to 1995 and is priced Rs 450. The autobiography has been published by Millat publications. The book includes chapters on meetings with the National Conference leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (grandfather of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah), Geelani’s tenure as a legislator in the state Legislative Assembly, the assembly elections of 1987 which are widely believed to have been rigged against the Islamic parties and which is considered to have triggered the militancy. Geelani’s latest volume of the autobiography also includes a chapter on the causes of the militant movement and one chapter on the martyrdom of Pakistan’s General Zia-ul-Haq. The book also has chapters dedicated to political leaders Sofi Mohammad Akbar, Maulana Masoodi, Governor Jagmohan and on the assassination of a south Kashmir-based cleric Mirwaiz Qazi Nasir. The first volume of 'Wular Kinarey' which is about Geelani's early life was released last year and the third edition which talks about events surrounding his life after 1995 is being penned down and is expected to be released next year. |
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Mirwaiz demands release of detainees on eve of Eid
Srinagar, October 10 Mirwaiz appealed while addressing a convention of his party workers in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar, which was orgainsed to observe prisoner’s day. “All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman reiterated his demand for unconditional release of all the Kashmiri prisoners on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha. He said such a step would lead to a solution of Kashmir issue,” said Shahid-ul-Islam, Hurriyat spokesman. Mirwaiz appealed the International Human Rights Organisations, including the Red Cross, Asia Watch, Amnesty International to take strong notice of the condition of Kashmiri prisoners incarcerated in jails. Mirwaiz said the prisoners were being denied medication, as required under the jail manuals. |
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Five bills moved in LC
Srinagar, October 10 The Bill was discussed in the Council and after thorough discussion, the House considered and passed the Bill by voice vote. As many as five other Bills were also moved for introduction in the House. After discussion and assurances by the concerned Ministers, four Bills were withdrawn while as one Bill moved by Murtaza Ahmad Khan for introduction pertaining to amending the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Raj Act, 1989 was introduced in the House. |
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Rs 7.11 crore VAT recovered on IT related goods
Srinagar, October 10 He said as per SRO-122 of 2012 IT related items had been incorporated as non-taxable items. Replying to question by Mohammad Ashraf Mir, the minister said there was set procedure in vogue for verifying the functional status for all the industrial units, including the IT related units with the Industries and Commerce Department. |
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Srinagar, October 10