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Curbs on travel to remote areas
HC orders CBI probe into Sailan killings
Walking heater ‘kangri’ back in action
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MC’s anti-polythene drive gets boost
Govt playing fraud with panchayats, says Bhim Singh
Students forced to study under open sky in Kokernag
‘Farm Marketing must get hi-tech’
Geelani flays Shinde’s statement on Kashmir
Mirwaiz condemns Israeli attack on Gaza
2 employees associations join hands
Two books released at literary function in Anantnag
Seminar on Imam Hussain’s role held at KU
Hockey: Hiranagar Club, Guru Nanak Club log wins
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Curbs on travel to remote areas
Srinagar, November 21 “In view of forecast of light to moderate rain and snowfall on Saturday and Sunday in higher reaches of the Valley, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Asgar Hassan Samoon has ordered traffic restrictions on the movement of vehicles,” coordinator, State Disaster Management Cell, Aamir Ali said. He said restrictions have been imposed on the vehicular movement on the Kargil-Zanskar, Srinagar-Zojila-Kargil, Kupwara-Machil, Kupwara-Tangdhar and Bandipora-Gurez roads. He said the restrictions would also apply on the Anantnag-Sinthan-Kishtwar and Shopian-Mughal road as a precautionary measure. “The Deputy Commissioners, Senior Superintendents of Police and SDMs along with traffic police officials concerned have been asked to take appropriate measures to ensure strict implementation of the above instructions to safeguard life and property of the general public,” Ali said. The state weather department has forecast light rain at few places in the state and light snowfall in the higher reaches over the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, minimum temperature in the city here rose by several degrees overnight to settle at 2.8 degrees Celsius. The maximum day temperature in the city was recorded at 13.4 degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological department said. Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir was the coldest place in the Kashmir region where minimum temperature fell to minus 2.9 degrees Celsius. In Leh town of the remote Ladakh region, mercury fell to minus 4 degrees Celsius overnight and the day temperature was recorded at 6 degrees Celsius. In the adjoining Kargil district, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, the official said. The maximum temperature in Kargil was recorded at 6.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Ladakh region usually hovers many degrees below the freezing point in winter months sometimes falling down to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. The region remains cut off from the rest of the state as heavy snow along the Srinagar-Leh road shuts the access to the mountainous Ladakh. The minimum temperature in frontier Kupwara town in north Kashmir was recorded at 1.4 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature in the south Kashmir’s Qazigund town was recorded at a 3 degrees Celsius, the official said. The Kashmir valley is gearing up for a harsh winter which is set to officially begin next month. Residents have already switched to their winter wear to beat the shivering evening cold. Rain expected
Affected routes
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HC orders CBI probe into Sailan killings
Srinagar, November 21 The JKCCS said the State Human Rights Commission had conducted an inquiry into the case and ruled out involvement of militants in the massacre and ‘instead implicated the Army and the police’. The statement said: “In 2011, the families of the victims of the Sailan massacre filed a petition for re-investigation into the case before the high court. A status report of September 19, 2012, by the SHO of Surankote police station said the case was investigated and closed on three occasions. Further, it is uncertain if a closure report was ever produced before a court as the relevant documents could not be retrieved from the court or the police.” “The office of the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Mendhar, where the file last reached, was gutted in a fire in September 2010. It was on this status report that the high court ordered an investigation by the CBI,” the JKCCS added. On the intervening night of August 3 and 4, 1998, 19 persons (six men and 13 women) were killed at the house of Hassan Mohammad Sheikh in Sailan, Surankote, Poonch. The police had registered an FIR number 122/1998 at the Surankote police station on August 4, 1998, and stated the massacre was perpetrated by foreign militants. The JKCCS has demanded that the CBI inquiry should lead to the prosecution of all the accused in this case. It said the government should also investigate other cases of alleged human rights violation. The Case file
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Walking heater ‘kangri’ back in action
Srinagar, November 21 The frequent power cuts happening all over the Valley have further rendered the electric heaters almost useless, as such options for keeping warm in harsh winters have also narrowed down. As the demand for earthen pots of hot charcoals (kangris) is increasing, kangri manufacturers and traders are apparently back in business. The kangri makers, popularly known as kanels, are mostly based in remote villages and towns of the Valley, who throng the city, as winter starts setting in. However, for the past some time, due to kangris being replaced by electronic and LPG heaters, the kangri-making community of Kashmir suffered financial setbacks. With the modern ways proving ineffective and non-affordable, the traditional ways of carrying walking heaters is again
in vogue. Although perceived as a risk to health, which has particularly led to the development of ‘kangri cancer’ in many parts of the Valley, people still prefer carrying these pots under their cloaks (phirans). The kangri dealers estimate an increase in the sale by 50 per cent this season, due to its increased demand. The prices of kangris have also shot up with each kangri being sold at rates varying from Rs 100 to Rs 1,500, depending on the quality of wicker used. “Sales have definitely increased. We are happy that people are switching to the traditional modes of heating and rightly so since there is an acute shortage of LPG and kerosene in the Valley. I am expecting a turnover of at least Rs 3 lakh this season,” said Muhammad Akbar, a kangri dealer based in Shopian. Although the use of kangri is discouraged in offices and other formal set-ups, people said they were pretty much used to carry them wherever they go. |
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MC’s anti-polythene drive gets boost
Srinagar, November 21 Under the supervision of chief sanitation officer Manzoor Ahmad Turray, students and employees of the SMC checked buses, auto- rickshaws and private vehicles to stop the use of polythene. The drive is aimed at educating the general public about the ill-effects of polythene on human beings and environment. The students were successful in seizing around 300 kg of polythene during multiple drives from various municipal wards of the city. School students along with municipal officers sensitised the general public about the side-effects of polythene by distributing pamphlets among shopkeepers, passengers, pedestrians and general public. SMC Commissioner GN Qasba directed the officers to use every mode of communication to bring awareness and formulate a strategy to run the anti-polythene campaign effectively.
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Govt playing fraud with panchayats, says Bhim Singh
Srinagar, November 21 "The government is playing fraud with them and they will continue to remain without powers....confusion is also being played over the upcoming LC polls," Singh said while addressing a press conference here. He also questioned the classification of seats for the polls, saying the same had been done to 'adjust' the members of the National Conference and Congress in the upper House of the legislature. "The classification of seats as K1, K2 and J1, J2 has been done Accusing the NC and the Congress of carrying out a campaign where the parties were 'urging' people to boycott the elections, he flayed the government for postponing the elections for the constitution of Block Development Council (BDCs). The elections of BDCs were deferred after the Congress had upped the ante for incorporating the provisions of the 73rd amendment in the state’s Panchayati Raj Act having reservations for women and Scheduled Castes. He also alleged he was receiving calls from Bani, Kishtwar, Karnah, Tangdhar and other areas where people were 'complaining' that the 'NC-Congress agents' were urging them to boycott the LC polls. Asserting that the NPP would win both seats from Jammu, he said his party would construct panchayat ghars and adult education centres across the state within one year, if elected. The opposition party has nominated Mohammad Iqbal and Syed Maqbool for the Kashmir region besides Anita Thakur and Mohammad Rafiq Chandel in Jammu region as candidates for the LC polls.
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Students forced to study under open sky in Kokernag
Anantnag, November 21 Sources said the health of the children was adversely affected as they were being exposed to harsh weather conditions. “We have only two classrooms available for about 250 students in the school. There is nothing we can do about it; we have to teach the children under the open sky,” said a teacher in the school. The teachers and the parents said they had been knocking every possible door in the education department to get the attention of the authorities, but to no avail. “We now feel reluctant to send our children to the school. They are exposed to undue health risks,” said Muhammad Shabaan, a parent. The teachers said the harsh winter season was not only a cause of concern. “During the summers, many students went unconscious due to the sweltering heat.” They rue the fact that there was not even a single lavatory block within the school premises and the female students were the worst affected. They said that the education department had sanctioned another three room building to the school. However, after years of slow construction work, the building is yet to be completed and handed over to the department. “It’s not that the new building will be a remedy to our woes but it would have eased off the pressure to some extent,” said another parent. Meanwhile, the authorities showed ignorance on the whole issue. “I don’t have any idea about the problem. Now that it has been brought into my notice, I would definitely look into the matter,” said Abdul Ahad, Chief Educational Officer (CEO), Anantnag. |
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‘Farm Marketing must get hi-tech’
Srinagar, November 21 Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir, who was the chief guest on the occasion, called on the stakeholders to become global players and meet the international standards and become hi-tech in the agriculture processing and marketing. “The benefits of liberalised economy can only be reaped when our products are globally competitive. It is important that a due care is taken of the consumer’s interest,” Mir said. He stressed that in the wake of changing demands of the consumers in agro-industries, the opportunities for research and innovation in the sector for young aspirants at the universities had increased. It was important that emphasis should be given on manufacturing and hygienic practices to ensure food safety. There was a need to patronise suitable available control systems like the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, the minister exhorted. He said that food insecurity, indiscipline, negligence and quality impairment were the fundamentals, which rule the root, at least in the under-developed world which need to be recognised in handling food articles right from its place of production to the consumers.
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Geelani flays Shinde’s statement on Kashmir
Srinagar, November 21 “It is a mockery and India and its agencies are deliberately issuing such statements to mislead the media,” Geelani said in a statement issued here. Stating that it was “astonishing that a person holding the post of Union Home Minister is unable to understand what the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir are,” he said: “You (Shinde) deceive none but yourself…. the ground reality cannot be changed in Kashmir by issuing these statements.” “Kashmir is a pending issue and lists on the top in United Nations Organisation. It is a misleading statement and India is trying hard to put the Kashmir on the back burner. More than 18 resolutions in the UNO state that Kashmir is an issue accepted at the international level,” Geelani added. Reiterating that Kashmir was a ‘disputed’ issue, he said the people were ‘yet to decide about their political future’, and claimed that the authorities in New Delhi too had ‘admitted that the state is yet to decide its political future’. Asserting that the conglomerate would continue to impress upon all quarters concerned to resolve the Kashmir issue as per the resolutions passed by the UNO, he said the issue should be resolved through tripartite talks while keeping in view the aspirations of the people of the state. “The manner in which Indian rulers and leaders try to link tourism, trade and even sports with politics and negate the ongoing struggle of Kashmir is highly condemnable,” Geelani added.
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Mirwaiz condemns Israeli attack on Gaza
Srinagar, November 21 “Israel is drunk in power and is massacring innocent Palestinian Muslims. It is the moral responsibility of the international community to control the madness of Israel but it is unfortunate that so far United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Countries have failed to take any step,” Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said. Mirwaiz said the Palestinian sufferings had put a challenge before the Muslims and the world community. While expressing solidarity with Palestinian people, Mirwaiz said Gaza reflects the scenes of Karbala, referring to the seventh century battle which was etched in the psyche of Muslims and had become a synonym for brutality. “Muslims from around the globe should unite and raise their voice against the Israelis and their wanton use of fire power against the unarmed, innocent Palestinians,” Mirwaiz said. Mirwaiz said the two pending disputes of Palestine and Kashmir would continue to be a source of tension and conflict for the entire world. He said until these issues do not get solved according to the wishes and aspirations of people, the innocent people would continue to die.
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2 employees associations join hands
Srinagar, November 21 EJAC-Q press secretary Nisar Ahmad said the JKRCNEA led by its president Sushil Bhat held a meeting with EJAC-Q president Abdul Qayoom Wani at New Delhi where this decision was taken. He said Bhat apprised Wani of the problems faced by them. "They were promised that their issues would be taken up with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah," Nisar added. He said the demands of the JKRCNEA include filling of 50 to 60 posts at the office of the Residents Commission and grant of two and a half days bonus as given to the employees of the hospitality and protocol sector. |
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Two books released at literary function in Anantnag
Anantnag, November 21 The function was attended by IGP Kashmir SM Sahai among the other dignitaries. Two books were released during the function; one book titled ‘Khushboo-e-Kashmir’ by Manoj Sheeri, a police officer by profession and another book, a collection of Urdu poems by Dr Muhammad Shafi Ayaz. The book by Manoj Sheeri was released by SM Sahai, “Efforts like these are to be appreciated. Manoj, being a police officer, has managed to squeeze some time for his literary activities and has done a commendable job,” Sahai said. He said more people should follow the footsteps of Manoj and follow their passion whether for writing or any other constructive activity. Sources said the book by Dr Muhammad Shafi Ayaz was unveiled by Anantnag Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) Farooq Ahmad Shah. Meanwhile, Sahitya Academy award winner Gulam Nabi Aatish, writer Zahid Mukhtar and Imran Yusuf presented their papers on Mehjoor and Kashmiri language. Among the others present on the occasion were Prof Nusrat Javidani, principal, Government Degree College for Women, Anantnag, Dr M Yaseen Shah, principal, Government Degree College for Boys, Anantnag , Vijay Kumar Dy IGP, south Kashmir range and RK Jalla, SSP Anantnag. All the dignitaries present on the occasion delivered lectures on the literary and cultural activities and the importance of poetry and literature. IGP Kashmir also inaugurated a football tournament in Anantnag after attending the literary function.
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Seminar on Imam Hussain’s role held at KU
Srinagar, November 21 Mufti Ghulam Azhari, a Muslim scholar, said the martyrdom of Imam Hussain symbolizes that falsehood had always perished throughout the history. Mufti Azhari traced the trail and tribulations faced by various Prophets during the course of history. He said, "It was Abrahim and Moses who fought and succeeded against the lords of falsehood of their times and with the divine help and steadfastness of these Prophets in adhering to the truth and justice they succeeded." "Quran mentions that Prophets sacrificed a lot in the name of Allah and for propagation of his message and now it is our obligatory duty to carry forward this message and mission of Allah with religious zeal and devotion," he said. Maintaining that the life of Prophet Mohammad and his Ahlul-Bayat is an essence of Islam, he said "The life of Prophet Mohammad and his Ahlul-Bayat is like a boat for Ummah and whosoever embarks this boat will attain salvation." While delving on the significance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain at Karbala and paying rich tributes to his sacrifice, Mufti Azhari said “Imam Hussain made a supreme sacrifice as he stood ground against tyranny and falsehood by shedding his blood."
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Hockey: Hiranagar Club, Guru Nanak Club log wins
Jammu, November 21 In the first match, Hiranagar Club toppled TA Army XI by three goals to two in a keen contest. Parveen Kumar of TA Army XI opened the account in the seventh minute. Surjeet Singh then slammed another goal in the 15th minute to make it two goals to nil for TA Army XI. Despite 0-2 down, Pavinder Singh of Hiranagar Club netted the first goal for his team in the 38th minute. In the second half, Pavinder Singh scored another goal for Hiranagar Club to make the contest evenly poised. In the 57th minute, Vishal scored the all important goal for Hiranagar Club to seal the fate of the match. In another match, Guru Nanak Club overcame Zorawar Club by 3-0 goals. Ranveet Singh scored the opening goal in the 15th minute of the first half. |
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The state government today issued an advisory imposing restrictions on movement of vehicular traffic to remote areas of Kashmir region.
Kashmir’s good old saviour from cold- the walking heater known as kangri- is back in action, as problems of LPG and kerosene shortage are worsening and temperatures plunging below normal.
