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Country’s longest tunnel to have parallel ‘escape’ route
State yet to submit progress reports on Central schemes
Uplift of remote
areas a priority, says Omar
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PoK to build martyrs’ memorial in 3 months: Geelani
Jammu activist writes to human rights body over panches’ security
Guardless ATMs in Poonch put locals to inconvenience
Verdict based on misinterpreted Quranic verse: Jamaat-e-Islami
Petition in J-K High Court on ‘talaq’ ruling
Shortage of vitamin A doses in hospitals across the Valley
Kashmir’s street folk theatre
to be recognised by UNESCO
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Country’s longest tunnel to have parallel ‘escape’ route
Jammu, November 9 Both the tunnels will be internally connected through 29 ‘cross-passages’ and the escape tunnel will exclusively be used by pedestrians. Sources told The Tribune that work on the 9.2-km-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel, the longest-ever in the country, was going on full swing and the executing agency - ILF&S Transport Network Ltd - had completed 36.69 per cent work till September 30. The work on the project costing Rs 2,500 crore was started on May 23, 2011, and it’s expected date of completion is May 2016. “Apart from the main tunnel, the escape tunnel, which will run parallel to the main tunnel, is being constructed. The escape tunnel will be connected with the main tunnel through 29 cross-passages (each after a gap of 300 metres) to evacuate commuters in case of any untoward incident. The escape tunnel will be used for pedestrians and no vehicle will be allowed to move on it,” the sources said, adding that keeping in view the 9-km distance of the tunnel, the executing agency has been laying thrust on proper ventilation so that the commuters don’t suffer any health hazard. This prestigious project is a part of the ambitious 286-km-long four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which will reduce distance between the two capital cities by approximately 50 km. The reduction in distance will take place mainly due to tunnels. Moreover, travelling time of 9-10 hours between the two cities will come down to just 4.5-5 hours and that too by avoiding treacherous points where shooting stones take heavy toll on human life. The major structures of four-laning project include two long tunnels viz Chenani-Nashri and 8.5-km-long Quazigund-Banihal, 12 short tunnels having total length of 6.2 km, 34 major bridges and 24 viaducts. The sources said the state-of-the-art tunnel will also have “parking spots” after a specific distance to tow away or shift the vehicle if it develops a technical snag. “On both ends of the tunnel, there will be two toll plazas where vehicles will be ‘screened’ before entering the tunnel. Though the amount to be charged from vehicles for using the tunnel has not been decided so far, the vehicles causing more air pollution will be barred from using it to check the level of smoke inside the tunnel,” the sources added. Once completed, the long tunnels will not only end the major problem of traffic jams on the highway but also make it an ‘all-weather’ road besides saving fuel cost. During winters and rainy season, the highway generally remains closed for days together due to landslides, snowfall and slippery conditions. Chenani-Nashri tunnel The 9.2-km-long tunnel will also have a parallel ‘escape’ tunnel for evacuation of commuters in case of any untoward incident Both the tunnels will be internally connected through 29 ‘cross-passages’ The escape tunnel will exclusively be used by pedestrians The executing agency has completed 36.69 per cent work till September 30 The tunnel will reduce distance between the two capital cities by approximately 50 km |
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State yet to submit progress reports on Central schemes
Jammu, November 9 The PEMS is an important mechanism monitored directly by the Prime Minister’s Office. After the warning by the Planning Commission of India (PCI) that the release of future funds would depend on the submission of performance reports, Omar Abdullah-led government has asked the department heads to submit them as soon as possible. A senior administrative officer said last year, only the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), Transport and the Animal Husbandry departments had submitted the documents. Guidelines have been issued directly by the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure that the feedback on the implementation of various schemes, on which crores of rupees are being spent, is regularly sent to the Union Cabinet Secretariat to ensure transparency, timely completion of various schemes and infrastructural projects. Chief Secretary Madhav Lal said orders had been passed to submit the documents. “Performance reports have been sought to access target achievements and they will be forwarded to the Center in detail,” he said. |
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Uplift of remote
areas a priority, says Omar
Jammu, November 9 Addressing a function at Kishtwar, the Chief Minister said a peaceful atmosphere was required for imparting education and keeping schools and colleges functional. He said a comprehensive and equitable development process was being carried out by his government across the state and that the uplift of backward pockets was receiving added attention. He said various mega projects had been started in backward areas to generate economic activities and to give fillip to the holistic development. Omar said the districts of Kishtwar, Doda, Reasi, Ramban and the Chenab valley were being focused upon for the all-round development of the state and mega projects related to power, road communication etc had been launched to address the development requirements of these areas and to create jobs for youths. He said four power projects were being launched in the region to generate about 3,000 MWs of power adding that the Chenab Valley Power Projects Limited had started work on the Pakuldul, Kiru and the Kawar hydro-electric projects and Bursur-II was also being taken up by this agency. The Chief Minister said his government was vigorously pursuing at the Central-level to get approval for tunnels in Kishtwar and other such areas to enhance the link between remote areas and other parts of the state. He said his government had initiated measures to bring transparency and reduce chances of corruption in the administration. He talked about constituting the State Information Commission and State Vigilance Commission and reconstituting the State Accountability Commission. The function was also addressed by Minister of State for Haj and Auqaf Ajaz Ahmad Khan and MLA Sajad Ahmad Kichloo. Minister for State for R&B Javid Ahmad Dar and legislator GM Sarori were also present on the occasion. |
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PoK to build martyrs’ memorial in 3 months: Geelani
Srinagar, November 9 The hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference disclosed this saying its chairman, Syed Ali shah Geelani, had a telephonic conversation with PoK Prime Minister Choudhery Abdul Majeed Khan recently. “Prime Minister Choudhery Abdul Majeed Khan said as suggested by Geelani, they had identified the place for the construction of Minar-e-Shuhada (martyr’s minaret) and added that the project would be completed within three months,” Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar said. With the government not allowing the construction of any such memorial in Kashmir, Geelani had approached the PoK authorities to raise it in Muzaffarabad. Stating that the two leaders also discussed the present scenario in Kashmir, Ayaz said Geelani told Khan that the apologetic approach of Pakistan and PoK was not in the interest of the ongoing peace movement.
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Jammu activist writes to human rights body over panches’ security
Jammu, November 9 In his letter to the NHRC chairperson, Raman Sharma has stated that the recent “open threat” by the terror outfit’s commander has caused a sense of fear and panic among panches, sarpanches and their families. He appreciated the decision of “some brave” panchayat representatives to refuse to succumb to the diktats of the terror organisation and appealed to others not to resign under any pressure. “Their family members are also living under huge pressure. Unfortunately, neither the state government nor the Government of India has assured any sort of protection to any panchayat member. If no immediate action is taken, panchayat members may succumb to the diktats of these terrorists, who want to weaken the institutions of democracy,” Sharma stated. He said under the Constitution, it was the responsibility of the government to ensure protection to each member of society, but both the governments had shirked their duties and had done nothing to provide security cover to panchayat members, who were working to strengthen the principle of democracy at the grassroots level. He requested the commission to seek a detailed report from the state government about the action taken by it on the issue. Meanwhile, the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference has once again blamed the opposition parties for indulging in petty politics on the issue, especially after Salah-ud-Din’s threat. In a press statement, the general secretary of the organisation, Anil Sharma, said not only the ruling coalition partners but even the opposition parties such as the PDP, BJP and the Panthers Party were not sincere about empowering the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the state. “If these opposition parties are really sincere and concerned about the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the state, they should ask the Election Commission of India to postpone the recently declared elections to four MLC seats from the panchayat quota because unless and until the three-tier system of the Panchayti Raj Institutions is not fully established in the state, these elections won’t serve any purpose for the welfare of the panchayat representatives,” the AJKPC leader said. |
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Guardless ATMs in Poonch put locals to inconvenience
Poonch November 9 The town has only two ATMs, an SBI ATM at the bus stand and a J&K bank ATM outside the main branch of the bank in the main market. After having failed to provide 24-hour service to customers, the banks are least bothered about providing fear-free service to their customers. Customers complained that the ATMs remain dysfunctional twice or thrice a week due to technical snags in BSNL lines or shortage of cash. Both the ATMs have no security guard to keep customers in queues. Due to this, altercations among ATM users are a usual sight. Women specially find it inconvenient to draw money from these ATM due to the rush. Salim Ahmed, a local, says, “Whenever we come here to draw money, we find huge rush in the ATM cabin and noone is here to tell the customers to enter one by one. The huge crowd in a 6x6 cabin creates inconvenience to customers and creates insecurity among us.” “Despite repeated requests to authorities regarding appointment of guards outside the ATMs, to keep people in queues and to keep an eye on pickpockets, no action has been taken,” Salim said. “Before Eid-ul-Azha, I went to the ATM to draw money but could not do so due to a technical snag,” Rahim Rather, another local, said. J&K Bank manager Sudheer Gupta said, “We have only one guard and he has to go to the Chakan da bagh branch so we are left with noone to guard the ATM. The matter has been discussed with the higher authorities.” Despite repeated attempts, the Poonch SBI manager remained tight-lipped on the issue. |
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Verdict based on misinterpreted Quranic verse: Jamaat-e-Islami
Srinagar, November 9 Jamaat-e-Islami said the Jammu and Kashmir High Court judgment in the case of Muhammad Naseem Bhat versus Bilqees can have a “far-reaching consequences”. The high court while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ was “not absolute”. The court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after a husband had exhausted other options. Jamaat-e-Islami in its first reaction to the judgment, which has already created a debate among the religious groups, said Justice Husnain Masoodi, who pronounced the verdict “has given a wrong meaning of a portion of the verse 35 of Surah (chapter) An-Nisa (of Quran)”. The group said a portion of the meaning attributed to the verse number 35 in the judgment is from verse number 36 of the same Quranic chapter, but is “not related to the subject”. “In the judgment, appointment of arbitrators has been made mandatory whereas no Islamic jurist from the date of the revelation of this verse has ever said such a thing. So far as triple divorce in one say or sitting is concerned, the Islamic jurists with consensus treat it as a sin but not invalid,” Jamaat-e-Islami spokesman Zahid Ali said. The group said there was “no doubt” that pronouncing ‘talaq’ not in adherence to the procedure laid in Quran is a “great sin but it does not effect the validity of talaq”. The group spokesman said Jamaat-e-Islami welcomes the filing of a review petition by retired Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani. “(We) hope that the hon’ble judge will re-address the issue in the right perspective keeping in view the far-reaching consequences of his judgment,” the spokesman said. The judgment has also been criticised by several influential religious groups, which termed the verdict as an “undue interference in Islam”. |
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Petition in J-K High Court on ‘talaq’ ruling
Srinagar, November 9 The review application has been filed by Justice
(retd) Bashir Ahmad Kirmani before the high court, in which he has submitted that judgment on
'talaq' needs a “thorough second look”. The single Bench of Justice Hasnain Massodi while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ was “not absolute”. The high court had held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options. However, the judgment has raised eyebrows in Kashmir and come under criticism from many quarters, including religious scholars and separatist leaders, who have said “it cannot be tolerated” and termed the verdict as “interference” in religion. “The judgment touches upon some very crucial questions of the family law applicable to a vast majority of the state’s population. It is likely to operate in a wide area, as such, in its given texture requires thorough second look,” Justice
(retd) Bashir Ahmad Kirmani has submitted in the application which seeks review of the April 30 verdict. “Interpretation of some of the provisions of the source of Muslim Law as contained in the judgment doesn’t fully tally with the intent and import thereof, leaving it to open misinterpretation”, he submitted in the review application, which is likely to come up before the court next week. Justice
Kirmani, who was appointed an additional high court judge in June 2005 retired from the high court in June 2008. He is known for his hard-hitting judgment in infamous 2006 J-K sex scandal case. THE COURT VERDICT The high court in its judgment on April 30 had ruled that a husband’s power to pronounce ‘talaq’ (divorce) was “not absolute” The court had held that it was only after the husband had proved that he had exhausted all the options of reconciliation that ‘talaq’ would become valid The judgment was delivered in a divorce case involving Mohammad Naseem Bhat and Bilquees Akhter |
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Shortage of vitamin A doses in hospitals across the Valley
Srinagar, November 9 The vitamin A doses, which are given to children under the age group of five years, are not available in hospitals across the Valley for the past two months. What is causing more concern among the parents is that the supplement was also not available even in the open market. “We are shocked that despite vitamin A dose being a part of the National Immunisation Programme, it is not available in the hospitals,” said Showkat Ahmed, a resident of Anantnag district. “Whenever we go to the hospital for administering the vitamin A dose, we are told by the staff that they don’t have the supply. The non-availability of doses raises questions on the efficiency of the Health Department.” Apart from Anantnag, the Vitamin A doses are also not available in the hospitals of Baramulla and Kupwara district. Vitamin A, the doctors claim, is critical for vision. While residents are worried over the non-availability of the Vitamin A doses in government hospitals, a senior officer of the Health and Family Welfare said they had already taken up the issue with the higher authorities. “We are facing shortage of Vitamin A supplement and we have already informed the government regarding its shortage in various hospitals. But, so far new supplies have not been procured,” said an official of the Health and Family Welfare Department. The secretary, Health, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, however, expressed ignorance about the shortage of vitamin A supplement. “We have not been informed by our field official about any such shortage. But now that the matter has been brought into my notice, I will look into the issue,” Dwivedi said.
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Kashmir’s street folk theatre
to be recognised by UNESCO Srinagar, November 9 Currently, three performing art forms of India, namely the Mudiyettu, a ritual theatre of Kerala; the Chhau dance, a tradition from eastern India; and the Kalbelia, folk songs and dances of Rajasthan, are in the UNESCO list. The Bhand Pather is a unique combination of acting, music and dance captured in a single performance with satire, parody and wit characterising its nature. These performances are usually enacted by the rural farming community of the Kashmir valley with traditional instruments such as the santoor, dhol and the nagaara facilitating the background music. Bhand Pather performances are not restricted to the Valley alone. It shares links with the Bhands of Uttar Pradesh, who were folk entertainers since the reign of Nawabs of Awadh, and the Naqal (mimicry), which is a version of the Bhand in the Punjab. In other parts of North and Central India, the Ustadh-Jhamoora format of the Bhand Pather, in which usually two actors are involved, is mostly enacted in Hindi-speaking regions. Describing its inclusion in the UNESCO list as a momentous leap in the revival process of the traditional street folk theatre, renowned theatre artistes of Kashmir said they hoped this would increase the awareness about the cultural heritage of Kashmir internationally and open channels for financial assistance from international bodies. “A few hundred Bhands (actors) we have in Kashmir will get a morale boost with this development as they are the lone custodians of the art expression and the rich open-air theatre, which has dominated Kashmir’s history-telling tales of the rishi-munis (sages) and has taken up contemporary issues of unemployment, poverty, illiteracy etc,” said Balwant Thakur, regional director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). MK Raina, a renowned theatre and film actor of Kashmiri origin, who has acted in Bollywood films like Taare Zameen Par and Ayesha, said the Band Pather was the only art form which distinguished Kashmiri theatre from the theatre in the rest of the country because of its unique amalgamation of traditional style and contemporary issues.
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Chenani and Nashri for evacuation of commuters in case of any untoward incident. The work on the tunnel is expected to be completed a year before the scheduled deadline of May 2016.
Guardless and chock-a-block ATMs in Poonch have created a sense of insecurity among ATM users in the town even as the concerned banks are oblivious to public grievances. The town has only two ATMs, an SBI ATM at the bus stand and a J&K bank ATM outside the main branch of the bank in the main market.
The Bhand
Pather, a 1,000-year-old street folk theatre of Kashmir, will be the fourth performing art form of India to be
officiaslly recognised by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and included in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
