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Matric results take toll
Valley warms up, just a bit
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Pvt schools double up as coaching centres
J&K Bank gets HR Leadership Award
Seven injured in road accidents
200 stranded as snow blocks Kupwara-Karnah road
818 examined at medical camp
Wild scare grips Kupwara villages
‘Adequate LPG supply on agenda’
Sikh body observes Minority Rights Day as ‘black day’
Training programme on disaster preparedness
IAF’s special flight rescheduled
Winter challenges: Highway preparedness reviewed
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Matric results take toll
Srinagar, December 18 Police said a 17-year-old girl committed suicide after the class X results were declared on Monday afternoon. “The girl, a resident of Kokernag, Anantnag, consumed some poisonous substance at her home. She was admitted in the hospital for treatment, where she breathed her last,” police said. A police officer in South Kashmir said they had registered a case. Another girl, a resident of Palpora old airport road, attempted suicide as she had reportedly secured less marks in the Class X exams. Police said the girl was immediately rushed to SMHS, and her condition is stated to be critical. Psychiatrist Dr Arshad Hussain said this tendency for self-harm was directly related to huge parental and societal expectations of performance in formal education. “Children who don’t somehow fit in the routine formal education set-up face a lot of stress, humiliation and challenge to their self-esteem, sometimes resulting in such extreme behaviour. It’s high time we realised that everyone does not necessarily fit into the scheme of things in the prevailing education system. We have got to accept and love our children, letting them take what are termed as successes and failures as learning experiences,” Hussain said. The Class X results were declared on Monday and as many as 29,587 candidates passed the exam while 15,483 students were not able to clear the examinations. The overall pass percentage was 68.20% this year as compared to 66.13% the previous year. The first three positions went to seven girls. |
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Valley warms up, just a bit
Srinagar, December 18 The break in the freezing weather conditions has partly been affected by the snowfall last week. The minimum temperature in the city overnight was recorded at 2.3 degrees Celsius, a state Meteorological department official said. The temperature is around five degrees above the normal temperature for this time of the year. Previously, night temperature in the city had plunged to as low as minus 3 degrees Celsius. The day temperature in the city here was recorded at 9.5 degrees Celsius, the official said. Mercury overnight across most part of the region was above the freezing point, with Gulmarg and Pahalgam resorts being the exceptions. In Gulmarg resort of North Kashmir, the night temperature fell to minus 7.6 degrees Celsius while at Pahalgam resort in South Kashmir, the mercury overnight fell to minus 0.8 degrees Celsius. Qazigund, the southern gateway town to Kashmir valley, recorded a maximum of 10.1 degrees Celsius during the day while the minimum there fell to minus 0.4 degrees Celsius. At the frontier Kupwara town in North Kashmir, the minimum temperature was recorded at 0.7 degrees Celsius while the maximum was recorded at 7.9 degrees Celsius. The weather department forecast said there was probability of light snow and rain at a few places in the state in the next 24 hours. Kashmir valley is gearing up for a harsh winter, which is set to begin later this week when ‘Chillai Kalaan’ — 40-day-long harshest phase of the season — begins. Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Jammu highway, which is the only surface link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, remained open for one-way traffic from Jammu to Srinagar. The highway was blocked in the evening, when a landslide hit the road near Ramban, an official of the traffic department said. “The traffic has been stopped and efforts are on to clear the road,” the official said. The official further said the highway will be open for Srinagar-Jammu traffic flow on Wednesday. |
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Pvt schools double up as coaching centres
Anantnag, December 18 Sources said most of the private schools in this South Kashmir district continue to function during the winter vacations and the only difference is that unlike other days, the students do not have to wear a uniform. “It is fast becoming a norm with the private institutes. They keep running their schools under the garb of coaching classes and the gullible parents fall prey,” said a college lecturer from the area. He said the authorities had so far failed to take the notice of this illegal practice and the owners of these institutions do whatever they feel will benefit them. The parents of the children say they don’t really have an option in this regard. “One is really helpless when it comes to his children. They want to attend these classes because all their friends do,” said a parent. Moreover, the parents say, their wards are treated indifferently at the schools if they don’t allow them to attend these winter classes. “Some parents try to stop their children from attending these classes; however, the treatment their wards get in the school in such a scenario has kept the parents from stopping their wards,” said another parent. According to sources, not only do the private schools charge the students more than what they usually do, but also, they mint money in the name of heating arrangement and other things. “We have to shell out hefty amounts for the so-called heating arrangements and many other things, but all these things turn out to be money-minting tactics on the part of the school authorities,” rued a parent.
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J&K Bank gets HR Leadership Award
Srinagar, December 18 “HRD Abdul Rauf Bhat, president of the bank, received the award in New Delhi. The award is the recognition for bank’s strategic and iconic position as a role model for professionalism and management excellence in the banking sector,” the spokesman added. The bank had registered a net profit of Rs 515.62 in the first six months of the current financial year and its share price had hit an all-time high of 1,474.25 recently. — TNS |
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Seven injured in road accidents
Srinagar, December 18 Two passenger cabs collided near Gushi in Kupwara town in North Kashmir, resulting in injuries to five passengers, a police spokesman said. All the injured have been admitted in hospital for treatment, the spokesman said. In another accident nearby, a car collided with a load carrier on General Road Bumhama, resulting in injuries to two men. Both the injured have been admitted in hospital for treatment, the spokesman said, adding cases had been registered in both the accidents. — TNS |
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200 stranded as snow blocks Kupwara-Karnah road
Kupwara, December 18 Passengers said they were running short of resources to stay in hotels. Some of them said they were forced to stay in local mosques as they had exhausted all resources to stay in hotels during the past few days. “We are facing tremendous problems due to blockade of road. Over the past few days, we have exhausted almost all the money on hotels,” said a group of stranded passengers. They appealed to the district administration to make alternative arrangements for them to get back to their homes. Some of the passengers complained the hoteliers were taking undue advantage of their helplessness and over-charged them. “The hoteliers are over-charging us as they know we are helpless due to the blockade,” said Rafiq Ahmad of Kandi village in Karnah. At least four feet of snow had accumulated on 80-km-long Karnah-Kupwara Road near high-altitude Sadha Top. At other places along the hilly road, at least three feet of snow has accumulated. A senior official in the district administration said 109 regiment of beacon had been clearing snow from the road for the past few days to restore traffic movement. He said four snow-cutters had been pressed into service on the vital road. “Snowfall at regular intervals is, however, interrupting clearance of snow from the road. The road will be thrown open for traffic in a few days if the weather improves,” he said. Reports said some other major roads including Kupwara-Machil and Magam-Handwara have also remained blocked for traffic since Thursday due to heavy snowfall.
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818 examined at medical camp
Srinagar, December 18 Five doctors were deputed in the camp to attend to the health-related issues of local residents, an Army spokesman said here. The camp was organised on a grand scale to ensure health and medical care for the civil population of Sumbal tehsil, the spokesman said. “The team of five doctors comprised three Army medical officers and two civilian doctors, including a lady doctor,” he said. He further said a total of 818 patients, including 186 men, 348 women and 284 children, benefited from the camp. “The Commanding Officer of the Rashtriya Rifles exhorted local residents to obtain maximum benefits from such medical camps organised by the Army on a regular basis,” he said. “They (residents) expressed their gratitude towards the Army for reaching out to the local populace. This noble deed by the Army further strengthens the bond between Awam and Jawan,” he added.
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Wild scare grips Kupwara villages
Kupwara, December 18 A senior wildlife official said the animals had intensified their movement in human habitations due to intense cold wave prevailing in North Kashmir. He advised people to restrict their own movement, especially in the evenings. “Since cages cannot be set up in every village, people should restrict their own movement, especially in the evenings. Movement of animals is more in villages close to forests,” he said. Residents of Lolab villages, including Charkote, Dardpora, Maidanpora and Warnow, said they were scared when it came to venturing out of their houses in the evening. “Wild animals are on the prowl in villages during night hours. They have devoured many cattle,” said Javid Ahmad of Charkote, Lolab. The hamlets close to forests, including Haphrada, Ophan, Kalaroose and Doolipora, are reeling under scare of wild animals. They said the animals, mainly leopards, were coming down to villages in the evening. “Movement in the evening has become very difficult. We spotted a leopard last evening,” said Hamidullah Gojri of Haphrada. In Handwara villages too, wild scare continues to haunt people, especially those living in the upper reaches. “To scare away wild animals on prowl, we have been lighting late evening fires in the village for the past few days,” said Ghulam Ahmad, a resident of Moori village in Lolab. Locals have appealed to wildlife authorities to take necessary steps to deal with the increasing scare of wild animals. “The animals have devoured dozens of cattle in our village. People are scared about moving freely even during the day. We will be forced to take to streets if the department does not take measures to curb movement of animals,” said Ghulam Nabi, a bank employee. |
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‘Adequate LPG supply on agenda’
Srinagar, December 18 He said there were a total of 53,495 connections of which 41,400 are active connections and the remaining 12,095 were being accordingly updated for further regularisation of the supply to achieve the 100 per cent target. The District Development Commissioner said this while reviewing the supply and stock position of LPG in Budgam district during a meeting convened here today, said an official spokesman. The meeting was also attended by Assistant Director CA&PD and representatives from the six gas agencies concerned, who are at present supplying LPG to consumers in Budgam. “Taking exception to inconveniences faced by consumers at the time of LPG delivery, the District Development Commissioner reiterated that the administration will take action against any such move by gas agencies and dealers,” he said. The DC stressed upon the authorities and representatives of gas agencies to ensure full availability of the supply to consumers. The DDC hailed the efforts of the CA&PD in ensuring a hassle-free distribution of LPG in the district.
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Sikh body observes Minority Rights Day as ‘black day’
Srinagar, December 18 In a statement issued here, Jagmohan Singh Raina, chairman, APSCC, said they observed a “black day” as their main demand of granting minority status to the Sikh community in the state had not been fulfilled. Describing the Minorities Rights Day as “only a slogan”, Raina urged the state and Central governments not to “play with the feelings” of minorities in the state. “We have also been impressing upon the state and the Central governments to implement the National Minorities Act in its original form in Jammu and Kashmir but they have put on hold the legitimate demands of minorities,” he said. Stating that over 5,300 families of the Sikh community had moved out of the state during 1947, Raina said as per government records, 31,600 families had got settled in various camps of Jammu. He said “11,000 families from Budgam and Baramulla districts had suffered heavy losses due to Kabbali raiders and the recent turmoil had also given a big blow to the economy of the Sikh community in Kashmir and outer regions of Jammu and Poonch.” “But so far neither state government nor the Central Government has taken any cognisance. No compensation and any policy have been made for their development,” Raina added.
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Training programme on disaster preparedness
Srinagar, December 18 Precautionary and safety measures to be taken during fire incidents, gas leakage and other natural and man-made disasters were demonstrated through PowerPoint presentations, besides a live demonstration of rescue equipment used in Fire and Emergency Services was also presented on the occasion. Officer on Special Duty to Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Aamir Ali, IMPA course coordinator Jehan Ara Jabeen, Samia Jabeen, Joint Director, Fire and Emergency Services, RT Dobay, IPS Bali, Secretary Red Cross, Senior officer sales (HPCL), Haroon Hameed, besides trainers Sartaj Ahmad, Abdul Gaffar and Shakeel Ahmad were among those present. — TNS
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IAF’s special flight rescheduled
Srinagar, December 18 “In view of continued cancellation of the AN-32 Kargil Courier Service between Kargil and Srinagar due to inclement weather and in order to clear the stranded passengers, the state government has arranged the IL-76 Air force plane between Leh and Srinagar on December 19,” the official said. He said since the IL-76 was a big aircraft, it cannot land at the Kargil airport. Therefore, it could only operate between Leh and Srinagar. Kargil Courier Service are special flights to the snowbound and remote Kargil district, located in the treacherous Ladakh region. The Indian Air Force’s AN-32 planes shuttle thrice a week between Kargil and Srinagar and once a week between Kargil and Jammu to carry stranded passengers. Kargil and Leh district in the Ladakh region remain cut off from rest of the state for most of winter months as heavy snowfall blocks the mountainous Srinagar-Leh highway near Zojilla, a key mountainous pass located around 120 kilometers from here. The Zojilla pass, where the amount of snow can accumulate upto 15 to 20 feet during the winter, reopens every year after the winter ends in May. The stranded passengers of Kargil district desirous of purchasing tickets for IL-76 aircraft are advised to report at Kargil House, Bemina, in the city here on morning of December 18. “The pasengers will also be required to report at 7.00 in the morning on December 19 at the Kargil House, Bemina, to be transported to the Srinagar airport and airlifted to Leh in IL-76,? the official said. The passengers at Kargil, who have already been issued the tickets, are being sent from Kargil to Leh by road on December 18 from where they will board the flight from Leh to Srinagar.
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Winter challenges: Highway preparedness reviewed
Srinagar, December 18 An official spokesperson said the DC took stock of the supply position and other related issues regarding the preparedness on the national highway for the coming wet days. He also inspected the Jawahar Tunnel and the disaster management centres set up at different locations,” he added. The DC was given information that 70 quintals of rice, 70 quintals of sugar, 70 quintals of atta and 4,000 litres of K-Oil were available at disaster management centres at Levdoora, Qazigund, Cheki Wangund, Toll Post, Lower Munda, Verinagr Zig and Jawahar Tunnel. “Officials were directed to arrange 10 quintals of firewood for heating arrangements for stranded passengers during the closure of the highway at TRC Levdoora,” the spokesperson said. The traffic authorities were directed not to allow unusual traffic from Levdoora and to use newly constructed road from Vessu to Levdoora for parking of trucks. A control room was also set up at Qazigund that would work round-the-clock. PHE Department officials were told to set up canteens at Gulab Bagh and Verinag Zig for providing tea and biscuits to passengers at market rate. “Water tanker facility for TRC Levdoora Qazigund will be provided on a daily basis. Mechanical Department officials were told to work in close coordination with the traffic authorities, the R&B Department and the Police Department,” he added.
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The District Development Commissioner (DDC), Budgam, has said 80 per cent of active gas
connection holders were being supplied LPG in the district. He said there were a total of 53,495 connections of which 41,400 are active connections and the remaining 12,095 were being accordingly updated for further regularisation of the
supply to achieve the 100 per cent target.
