Anantnag, December 28
More than 20 houses of employees of the Pahalgam Municipal Committee were gutted in a devastating fire today in Sheikh Colony of Pahalgam. However, no loss of life was reported.

Reports said the fire, apparently triggered by an electric short-circuit, spread within no time through the colony and engulfed more than 20 houses.

Fire tenders came to the rescue but before they could control the fire, the damage had been already done, said an eyewitness.

The one-room hutments are the residences of the class fourth employees of the Pahalgam Municipal Committee.

“More than 26 families have been rendered homeless in the deadly inferno and the major concern for the families right now is the bone chilling cold,” said the eyewitness.

The eyewitness said the fire apparently started from one of the houses due to an electric short-circuit early in the morning.

The fire spread to the adjoining houses within no time and was controlled only after the damage had been done, said a local resident.

This is the second major fire in the Pahalgam area in a month’s time. As many as 46 houses were gutted in a major fire at Frislan village of Pahalgam in November.

“The victims of the Frislan fire are still reeling under the cold without any shelter to cover them and now this fire,” said Reyaz Ahmad, a local resident.

Meanwhile, a fire broke out in the single storied shop of Iqbal Hussain Darzi, a resident of Abu Bakar Colony, Parimpora, Srinagar.

The shop was gutted completely in the incident. However, no loss of life or injury was reported.

The cause of the fire is being ascertained.

Kupwara, December 28
The Power Development Department (PDD) in Handwara today faced the ire of consumers for erratic power supply in the town and its adjoining areas.

Residents of Handwara and its adjoining villages held a protest against the PDD for its failure in supplying power according to the curtailment schedule. Shopkeepers also joined the protest and the market remained closed till 2 pm. The protesters blocked the Handwara-Baramulla road for traffic for hours.

They complained that they villages were reeling under darkness for the past three days and power was playing hide and seek in some other villages, including Bakiakar, Vodhpora, Kulangam and Magam. “We have not seen electricity for the past three days. The power division, Handwara, snaps the supply to consumer if the power tariff is not paid in time making consumers to suffer. If the supply is not restored till evening, we will not pay the tariff for the month of December,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad, a protester.

The protesters also raised slogans against the electrical division, Handwara. They were later pacified following assurances by senior officials of the department that the supply would be restored soon. Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Sarmad Hafeez said he had talked with the Chief Engineer, PDD, and urged him to ensure hassle-free power supply in the district. “I have also asked the officials of the local power station to mobilise its field staff and ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers in the district,” said the DC.

A senior official of the electrical division, Handwara, said due to up-gradation of the system in the division, power supply remained suspended for two days. “By today evening, the supply would be restored to the town and a few adjoining villages. We have almost completed the up-gradation and the division is all set to restore the supply,” he said.

Srinagar, December 28
Jammu and Kashmir Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Raman Bhalla today said the state government was making all out efforts to provide financial assistance to the families affected by natural calamities.

The Minister was addressing a cheque distribution function organised for providing financial assistance to families which had suffered losses due to heavy snowfall and fire this year.

Bhalla distributed Rs 2.87 crore among 4,377 families, whose houses were damaged by strong winds in March, 2012.

Earlier, the minister inspected the land information system section of Revenue Training College at Bemina in the city here and also took stock of the functioning of Computer Lab.

Bhalla was informed that revenue records had been computerised, an official spokesman said.

Srinagar, December 28
Authorities on Friday issued a medium danger avalanche warning for several area of Kashmir valley as fresh snowfall was received in the northern districts of the region.

The medium danger avalanche warning was issued for Chowkibal, Tangdar, Keran, Machil, Gurez and Tuliel areas of north Kashmir’s Kupwara and Bandipora districts. The warning was also issued for Gulmarg resort and Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, an official of the state Disaster Management Cell said.

All these areas are located close to the Line of Control with Pakistan. The avalanche warning has also been issued for Sonamarg resort in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and for Drass town in remote Ladakh region, the official said. The authorities have advised people living in higher reaches of these areas not to venture in avalanche prone areas during the next 24 hours. The residents of these areas have also been advised to keep cleaning the snow from rooftop of their houses to avoid any causality due to roof collapse.

Last week on Sunday, a massive avalanche had hit an army post on the southern edge of Siachen glacier in which six soldiers had been killed and one reported as missing. The remote mountainous parts of the region were hit by several avalanches last winter in which several people including many soldiers had died. The fresh avalanche warning has been issued after parts of Kashmir region received moderate to heavy snowfall with the Gulmarg resort receiving up to eight inches of snow.

Tangmarg township, located close to Gulmarg, received up to three inches of snowfall while Rafiabad area -- on the other edge of the Baramulla district - recorded up to nine inches of snow.

Close to Line of Control in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, Gurez region received two feet snowfall, the official said while the Kupwara and Handwara towns in north Kashmir recorded up to three inches of snow. Sonmarg resort recorded around 15 inches of snow.

The fresh snowfall in parts Kashmir region, which began last night, was effected by the arrival of western disturbances which would continue till Saturday afternoon, according to weather department.

Meanwhile, the Srinagar-Jammu highway, which connects Kashmir region with rest of the county, remained open for one-way traffic from Jammu to Srinagar. The air traffic in and out of the Valley also remained unaffected as 15 flights operated normally with no cancellations.

Kupwara, December 28
Fresh snowfall last night forced the closure of only surface link connecting bordering areas of Karnah with Kupwara and rest of the Kashmir valley.

Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Sarmad Hafeez said 50-90 cm snow had accumulated on the road near the high altitude Sadhna Top and it was snowing heavily since last evening.

He said heavy snowfall had blocked the traffic on the 80-km long hilly road. “Snow cutters have been pressed into service to clear snow from the road near Sadhna Top and a few other sites, including TP. The uninterrupted snowfall since last evening, however, is hampering the clearance of the snow,” said the DC.

Reports said it was snowing heavily in upper reaches of Kupwara since last evening and as many as 3-foot snow had accumulated along the Karnah-Kupwara road.

Nearly 3 inches of snow accumulated on the ground in Kupwara as rain lashed the district this afternoon. In addition to a few snow cutters near Sadhna Top on the Karnah-Kupwara road, a snow cutter has been put into service near Chowkibal- the gateway to Karnah - to clear the road for traffic. Officials of the Beacon’s 109 Regiment were overseeing the snow clearing operations since morning.

Many passengers who had to leave for Karnah remained stranded in Kupwara due to closure of the road. “We are facing problems due to the road blockade. If the surface link remained blocked for a few more days, we may exhaust all resources in hotels,” said Hafizullah Khan, a stranded passenger. The stranded passengers include women and children as well.

The snowfall and rain affected the movement of traffic on all major roads in Kupwara. It also led to slippery conditions and hampered the movement of pedestrians. Streets and by-lanes remained submerged in water as the rain lashed Kupwara this afternoon.

Srinagar, December 28
If there was one decision which evoked a wide response and generated huge debates, it was the Jammu and Kashmir High Court verdict on the “absoluteness” of talaq.

Not only did it set the ball rolling for discussions and deliberations on the women’s issues in the state, but the verdict also caught attention of the media as well the religious scholars.

The state high court while interpreting the Islamic Sharia law had ruled on April 30 that a husband’s power to pronounce “talaq” was “not absolute”.

In the 23-page judgement delivered by Justice Hasnain Massodi, it was held that divorce was the last resort and could be administered only after the husband had exhausted other options.

To discuss and debate the “ramifications” of the Talaq verdict, religious heads and scholars of Kashmir even held several meetings in November and it was decided to seek the review of the verdict from the high court.

Subsequently, the verdict was challenged by the Bar Association and the politico-religious party Jamaat-e-Islami and a retired high court judge, Justice (retired) Bashir Kirmani, before the high court by filing two separate review petitions, which are pending disposal.

Another big decision by the high court this year was dismissal of a petition seeking re-investigation into 1996 Bhaderwah killings case. In this verdict delivered on May 29, the court had exonerated former Director General of Police of all the charges levelled against him, by the victims’ families.

That the people in Kashmir have faith and look towards judiciary was demonstrated once again, when in June a public interest litigation (PIL) came to be filed before the high court in the wake of unprecedented number of infant deaths at the GB Pant Hospital, Kashmir”s lone tertiary care hospital for the children and newborn.

The court, while demonstrating judicial activism, expeditiously admitted the PIL and took upon itself the monitoring of the hospital affairs, thus sending a message that the state’s judiciary cares for the Kashmir’s young.

Almost six months down the line, with court monitoring and judicious funding from the government, the things at the GB Pant Hospital seem to have improved a lot. The hospital administration, as is evident by its status reports before the court, has been able to bring down the infant mortality rate in the hospital. Besides, it has been able to take steps for the capacity building at the Valley’s only referral hospital for the children.

However, there are many other decisions, which evoked resentment. On December 10, whole Kashmir was shut in response to a strike called by JKLF to protest against a TADA court order sentencing two of its senior members to life imprisonment in a case dating back to 1990.

While releasing a report on alleged human rights violations in the restive region on December 7, two Kashmir-based HR groups had a comment on the role played by the judicial and quasi- judicial authorities in the state as far as human rights issues in the region are concerned.

“The general experience in J&K has been that judicial and quasi- judicial authorities such as the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) have allowed themselves to be conscious of the power and the will of the executive,” the groups said in its 554-page report documenting more than 200 cases of HR abuses in J&K during last 222 years.

Apart from this, the staggering and huge backlog of the cases in courts across the state is a matter of concern. As per one estimate, there are near around 80,000 backlog cases alone in the state high court.

Kupwara, December 28
Curbing timber smuggling in north Kashmir has become a daunting task for officials of the forest department. Forest officials have been attacked for the third time by timber smugglers in Kandi forest range of north Kashmir this year.

In the recent incident, two forest officials were injured when four smugglers attacked them this morning in Kandi forest range. Forest guard Mohd Shafi Dar, who received injuries in his head, was referred to Sheri Kashmir Hospital, Soura, Srinagar, for specialised treatment, while forester Ghulam Mohd Hajam, who received minor injuries in the attack, was discharged from the local hospital after treatment. After attacking the officials with sticks and stones, the smugglers fled the spot.

On getting information about the transportation of illicit timber by the smugglers, the forest officials went to the range to nab the smugglers along with the illegal timber. The smugglers attacked them when the officials challenged them and warned them not to flee the spot. “They turned back and attacked us with sticks and axes. My colleague was seriously injured in the brutal assault,” said forester Hajam.

The Police has launched a hunt to nab the smugglers. A case under various sections of the Forest Act has been registered at the Sopore police station. The accused, identified as Zahoor Ahmad Ganie, Touseef Ahmad Ganie, Fayaz Ahmad Ganie, Javid Ahmad Ganie, all residents of Tujar Sharief, are still at large.

Divisional Forest Officer, Kamraj Forest Division, Munshi Iqbal said the unarmed officials were miraculously saved in the assault. “The police has launched a hunt and I am hopeful they would be nabbed soon. Our forest guard received serious head injuries in the attack,” he said adding that the drive against timber smugglers would continue come what may.

Meanwhile, a team of forest officials led by forester Sonuallah recovered 44 cubic feet (cft) of illicit timber from Halmatpora village near Kupwara. The officials also seized the truck bearing registration number JKO9- 0202. During past two weeks, the Kamraj division has recovered more than 300 cft from different forest compartments.

In another raid, a team of forest officials today seized around 170 cft of illicit timber from compartment 14 in north Lolab. In spite of crackdown against the timber smugglers from time to time and Public Safety Act against 34 notorious smugglers in north Kashmir, the timber smuggling has not been curbed in many compartments across north Kashmir.

Srinagar, December 28
A contingent of 16 farmers from Baramulla district of the state, under the Horticulture Technology Mission, went for a 10-day study tour yesterday.

Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Agriculture, Horticulture and Health Javaid Ahmad Dar flagged off the tour.

Farmers shall be visiting Punjab Agricultural University at Ludhiana in Punjab, National Diary Research Institute at Karnal in Haryana, Indo-Israel Vegetable Project at Karnal and National Extension Institute.

On the occasion, the Minister said the state government had prioritised thrust areas to make agriculture and allied sectors profitable with the introduction of a technology in this sector.

The Minister advised farmers to get them acquainted with the modern technology and adopt same after their return, so that production and productivity of different crops and other related sectors would increase.

Chief Agriculture Officer, Baramulla, said the Department of Agriculture was going to organise more educational tours for the farmers of Baramulla within and outside the state as well so that the farmers could upgrade their skills.

The Chief Agriculture Officer asked the interested farmers, who are willing to participate in tours, to contact respective nearest agriculture zones of the district, so that their names could be enlistedfor future tour programmes.

Srinagar, December 28
Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Industries and Commerce, Sudhanshu Pandey has said that artisans, craftsmen and designers of the state deserve not only appreciation and encouragement but also awards of excellence for their talent and contribution towards art and craft.

Pandey was interacting with officers of the Handicrafts Department, J&K State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (SIDCO), and Quality Certification Centre, Nowshera, Srinagar, during an inspection of School of Designs at Kashmir HAAT Exhibition Ground here today.

On the prototypes showcased at the School of Designs, Pandey said, “Many such items have bright market prospects in and outside India.”

“Let us work together to capture a part of it to provide a decent livelihood to our craftsmen,” he said.

He asked the Director, Handicrafts, to brand the items showcased as souvenirs and institute awards for each of them so that the talent was explored and survival and sustenance of art was strengthened.

He directed for selecting five best crafts each year for annual award ceremony.

While studying the design of the proposed auditorium at Kashmir HAAT, Pandey assured that the Union Government would support all genuine and reasonable initiatives of the state government. Emphasising for solid market linkage, the Joint Secretary hoped that the step would boost the morale of craftsmen to earn more and live a dignified life.

He also inspected units of wood carving, metal section, paper machie, turning section, tapestry, kani shawl, carpet and embroidery units and various intrinsic works by unknown artisans showcased at the School of Designs.

Later, Pandey visited Quality Certification Centre, Nowshera. He also inspected various units in Industrial Complex, Rangreth, where Managing Director, SIDCO, M Muazzam through a presentation gave details of assistance to States for Development of Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities.

Pandey directed MD, SIDCO, to take immediate steps for providing uninterrupted power supply to these units and assured that the Centre in collaboration with the state government would find a solution to all other problems confronting industrial units and import-export trade.

Srinagar, December 28
Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani today alleged that the Indian Army had used gang-rape as a ‘war weapon’ in Kashmir.

The hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman said it was impossible for the Kashmiri women to get justice without the interference of the world community.

The hardline separatist’s comments were a reaction to the former IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah’s comment where he criticised former Army Chief VK Singh for taking to streets against the Delhi gang-rape.

“Habibullah’s comment on the gang-rape by the Army is an acceptance which is ‘better late than never’,” the hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman said in a statement.

Geelani said when the authorities of the Indian administration have admitted that the violence was meted out to the women in Jammu and Kashmir, it is time for the international forums to step forward to investigate the incidents of rape from Kunan Poshpora to Shopian.