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Stalker throws acid on woman in Srinagar
Cong leaders to meet in Delhi today; Cabinet rejig likely
Shortage of High Court judges leads to backlog of cases
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What Darbar Move means to Valley
Displaced Tibetans protest against Chinese atrocities
Guv for expanding infrastructure at Vaishno Devi
Security forces killed 75 militants last year in state: Human rights group
Quakes can cause massive destruction in J&K: Experts
IAF ferries 156 stranded people
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Stalker throws acid on woman in Srinagar
Srinagar, January 2 The accused, identified as Reyaz Ahmad Nath, was in an autorickshaw when he flung the acid on the woman. The woman, who resides in the same area where the incident took place, was walking back home from a nearby market. Her family rushed her to the local Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS), where she has been kept under observation in the burns ward. Doctors at the hospital said the left side of her face and eyes had serious burn injuries and she would have to undergo plastic reconstructive surgery after a few days. “Her condition is stable as of now. She is recuperating. She will be seen by an ophthalmologist, who will analyse the damage caused to her eyes,” Dr Adil Rashid at SMHS Hospital said. The police said the accused, who lives in the nearby Chanapora locaility, was arrested and a case registered against him. The DIG, Central Kashmir Range, Syed Afad-ul-Mujtaba, visited the victim at the hospital and assured her family of speedy investigation. The victim’s family says the accused had been been stalking her for a while. Recently, the state government hinted at reviewing the laws on crimes against women. At a meeting convened earlier this week, State Minister for Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Sagar stated that the change in laws on crimes against women would have to deal with various stages, including investigation, prosecution and trial of such cases. Women activists feel that the changes in law should include all forms of violence against women. In August 2012, a pro-Qaida group had warned women to cover up their faces and stop using mobile phones in public or face acid attacks. Posters carrying these warnings were put up at mosques in Shopian district. Besides militant threats, the other reasons for acid attacks on women in the Valley have been slighting the “honour” of relatives or rejected suitors. “Acid attacks on women are a matter of concern and should be dealt with stern action. Going easy on the accused would be denying justice to the woman, who gets disfigured and lives the rest of her life in a state of shock,” said Professor Isra, a law expert at Kashmir University. |
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Cong leaders to meet in Delhi today; Cabinet rejig likely
Jammu, January 2 Although senior party leaders are tight-lipped over the reports of the Cabinet reshuffle, they admitted that a meeting would be held at Delhi to “review the performance” of Congress ministers in the coalition government. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee
(JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz said he was going to Delhi on Thursday. When asked about the date of the Cabinet reshuffle, Soz feigned ignorance. “I am not aware about the date of the Cabinet reshuffle. The party high command has to take a final decision,” Soz said. Sources in the Congress disclosed that two meetings were held between Soz and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad, in the presence of AICC general secretary Mohan Parkash, to discuss the names of legislators to be inducted in the Cabinet. “A final decision will likely be taken in the meeting which will be held this week at New Delhi,” a source said and disclosed that a couple of Congress ministers in the coalition government would likely be dropped because of their non-performance. Sources said Soz had submitted a list of non-performing ministers to the high command so as to drop these ministers during the reshuffle. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had also deputed a team in October last year to get feedback on the performance and style of functioning of party ministers in the coalition government. The team, which comprised of some confidants of Rahul Gandhi, had held meetings with a number of Congress leaders and sought their opinions on the performance of the party ministers. The sources said after getting the feedback from the party workers, the team has prepared a detailed progress report of all Congress ministers and the party high command would take further action on the basis of the report and the list submitted by Soz on the non-performing ministers. The sources said the Congress high command had asked both Azad and Soz to evolve a consensus on the names of new faces to be inducted in the ministry. Congress leadership is finding it difficult to arrive at a consensus because a number of party legislators are staking their claims on ministerial berths. As there is no minister from the erstwhile Doda district, all five Congress MLAs from this belt have been indulging in hectic lobbying to get ministerial berths. Interestingly, all Congress legislators from this belt are Azad loyalists. |
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Shortage of High Court judges leads to backlog of cases
Srinagar, January 2 The deficiency of judges at the High Court has resulted into a backlog of cases. The High Court has a sanctioned strength of 14 posts of judge. At present, the court has only seven judges, including the Chief Justice, on the roaster, whereas seven posts are lying vacant for over a year now. The state government has forwarded the names for the panel of judges to be appointed against the vacant posts at the High Court. However, no final decision has been taken so for by the Supreme Court Collegium, which has to take a final decision. On June 15, 2012, the Chief Justice of the J&K High Court, Justice MM Kumar, had said the decision on the panel of six judges, nominated by the High Court Collegium, was expected by August. However, nothing has so far been done about the appointment of new judges at the High Court. “The deficiency of judges at the High Court has resulted in a huge backlog. It takes months for the cases in the regular cause list to come up before a bench for hearing due to the backlog and huge workload on the existing judges,” Kashmir High Court Bar Association general secretary advocate M Ashraf Bhat told The Tribune. On a routine basis, 60 to 80 cases are listed daily before a single judge at the High Court, which excludes matters listed in the supplementary cause list. “It is impossible for a single judge to deal with such a huge number of cases on a daily basis. The result is that cases get piled up. The backlog, as per an internal assessment at the High Court, has crossed more than 80,000 cases,” said former Bar secretary advocate GN Shaheen. “The deficiency of judges at the High Court has resulted in a delay in justice, as it takes months for cases to get listed in the regular cause list,” said Shaheen, saying judges for the High Court should be appointed at the earliest to avoid delays and backlog. The High Court Collegium had reportedly recommended the names of five advocates and two judges for the vacant posts of judge at the High Court. The number has, however, gone down to six, after the death of Hakim Ishtiyaq Hussain last year. Hakim was one of the advocates nominated by the Collegium. The final decision on the appointment of judges at the High Court, however, is to be taken by the Supreme Court. |
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What Darbar Move means to Valley
Srinagar, January 2 He made this confession on the occasion of the resumption of Darbar in the summer capital on the first Monday of May this year. It is more than two months now since the Darbar has been shifted back to the winter capital. Going by his appropriate observations, people of the Valley had the first taste of harsh winter vagaries as it witnessed heavy downpour, deep snow in the upper reaches coupled with moderate snow and rains in the Valley during the past five days. The shivering cold conditions ahead of the ‘Chillai Kalan’, the 40-day-long peak winter reminded everyone of the treacheries of the season ahead. The ‘Chillai Kalan’ (main chill) begins on December 22, and is followed by its two siblings, ‘Chillai Khurd’ (young chill), spanning over 20 days and ‘Chillai Bacha’ (the child), spanning over 10 days. With the passage of all the three ‘Chills’, the Kashmir valley tends to come out of the winter with the beginning of March. During the three months of varied shades of winter, people usually remain prepared to fight it back. Even with the advent of modern scientific tools beginning with an LPG for cooking purposes to the rice cookers and milk boilers, Kashmir has not yet disassociated itself with the past legacy. The fire-pot to keep the warmth of the body, commonly known as Kangri, the dried vegetables and the fish for consumption in winters are still in vogue. These are the common man’s reliable tools to keep going even as everything modern, including the supply of essential commodities, and fresh vegetables from outside the Valley gets disrupted. These supplies depend upon the traffic movement along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the Valley’s only lifeline. In case of heavy snow, the highway gets closed for days disrupting the essential supplies in the Valley leaving no other alternative than to rely upon the traditional ways. The essentials, including LPG, kerosene, mutton, fresh vegetables and other merchandise become rare, in addition to the most required electricity supplies, a common feature in winters. And when the Darbar is back in Kashmir, people in Jammu are faced with similar problems in the simmering heat of summers with scarcity of power and water to fight it back. The people cry foul over the scarcity of essential power supply in absence of the government. Even as the state government ensures working of the Winter Secretariat in Srinagar and Summer Secretariat in Jammu with the presence of one minister every week, the people feel neglected on either sides. Unlike the past, the beginning of this winter had bitter experiences for the people in Kashmir for the want of regularising LPG connections in the wake of Central Government’s cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders. Many consumers had the worst experiences to ensure regular LPG supplies for the winter months. Since the rigorous exercise of the KYC has almost come to an end, the common man in Kashmir has his fingers crossed in the hope of the spring next year. |
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Displaced Tibetans protest against Chinese atrocities
Jammu, January 2 Protesters, who assembled under the banner of the “Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile” near Exhibition Ground, raised slogans against the Chinese government and urged the Centre to intervene and take necessary measures to stop atrocities against the people of Tibet. The protesters also distributed pamphlets among people to aware them about the grievances of Tibetans and later took out a procession from Press Club which after passing through various roads of the city culminated at Indira Chowk. Addressing the protesters, Dawa Tsering, chairman representative of Tibetan Parliament in Exile, said during the last 60 years of occupation, the Chinese government had formulated a number of political initiatives in Tibet “in order to annihilate the identity of Tibet as a nation and its religion, culture, language and customs”. “There are strict martial law measures under which Tibetans are subject to severe tortures and random imprisonments,” Tsering alleged and said ever since they had started their movement, 95 Tibetans had committed self-immolation, 80 had become “martyrs” and most of them had been arrested by the Chinese authorities. |
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Guv for expanding infrastructure at Vaishno Devi
Jammu, January 2 A total of 1,04,95,269 pilgrims visited the cave shrine during 2012, thereby registering an increase of 3,79,622 pilgrims over the number in 2011 when 1,01,15,647 pilgrims had paid obeisance at the shrine. The yatra crossed the one-crore mark in 2011 for the first time. Navin K Choudhary, the CEO of the Shrine Board, said on the directions of the Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, high priority was being given to enlarge the infrastructure for the yatra, keeping in view the progressive increase in
the pilgrimage. To secure this objective, works costing over Rs 100 crore are being presently implemented by the Board. These include projects like kalika dham at Jammu, aashirvad complex at Katra, parvati complex and pony shed at Bhawan. Action has also been initiated to create more locker facilities, augment and upgrade toilet complexes along the track and time-bound completion of the 7.4 km dedicated mule track between Katra and Adhkuwari. Another proposal has been approved to prepare a detailed project for stabilisation of the Trikuta mountain slopes with an objective of checking shooting stones and landslides. In the first phase, the most vulnerable sites would be treated against the falling of shooting stones. A multipurpose audio system along the entire track from Banganga to Bhawan would also be installed to enhance the ambience and facilities for the pilgrims moving on the track. As directed by the Governor, focus is being given on improving and conserving the environment, including the greening of Trikuta Hills through continuous plantation. Last year the Shrine Board had planted more than 3.5 lakh saplings of varied species. As part of its preparedness for meeting the increasing number of pilgrims, health facilities are being improved, including establishment of two new dispensaries along the track. Steps are also in the pipeline to bring further improvements in security and disaster management measures. Measures are also being considered for securing faster forward and return movement of pilgrims, in view of the increase in the number
of pilgrims. |
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Security forces killed 75 militants last year in state: Human rights group
Srinagar, January 2 In the year 2012, says the human rights review report released here today, the security forces killed 75 militants during various anti-insurgency operations across the state. “Last year, 148 people lost their lives in violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 148 persons, 35 were civilians, 75 were militants, 36 armed forces personnel, one was an unknown person and one a retired police officer,” the CCS said in its review report. It adds that out of the 35 civilians killed, six were children and nine women. Out of them, four were tourists. “On July 27, four women tourists were killed in a grenade blast at Bijbehara, Anantnag. The government lied to the media that it was a gas cylinder blast…. However, recently on December 28, the J-K Police said the two militants killed in the Pulwama encounter were responsible for the grenade blast that killed tourists in Bijbehara,” the CCS said, demanding that this incident should be “probed by independent investigators.” All four tourists killed in this incident were from Mumbai. Terming the killing of civilian political workers as completely unacceptable, the review report notes that such killings “continue to be an unabated phenomenon.” In 2012, five civilian political workers, including three workers from the ruling National Conference party and two Independent sarpanches, were killed. “In the last several years, no one has been prosecuted for such killings. The killing of civilian political workers at the hands of state or non-state actors is completely unacceptable,” the reports says. Out of the 35 civilians killed, the report alleges, eight persons were killed “extra-judicially” by the armed forces and the police. “In all these cases of extra-judicial killings, the government has failed to either prosecute or conduct an impartial conclusive investigation so for,” the review claims. The report also claims that “at least two persons disappeared” last year. In 2012, the government ordered eight different probes into various human rights abuses, but so far only two inquiries have concluded, the report stated. “However, no prosecution proceedings have been initiated.” “The figures of violent incidents suggest that 2012 as usual has been the year of loss, victimisation, lies, mourning and pain for the people,” the report says. |
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Quakes can cause massive destruction in J&K: Experts
Jammu, January 2 Worried over the state government’s “laid-back approach on latent but imminent danger”, experts say the authorities should do holistic planning instead of getting into a fire-fighting mode during a disaster. GM Bhat, senior professor, Jammu University, and a noted geologist of the state, admitted that the “threat perception” regarding a massive magnitude earthquake was high in the state and there was a need for immediate attention to deal with the situation. “Though we can’t predict an earthquake, there is possibility of greater disaster in the near future. So far, efforts and preparedness to deal with such disasters in the state, which is in seismic zone IV and IV, are not satisfactory. There is need for good scientific and holistic planning to deal with this danger,” Bhat said. The geologist said any earthquake with magnitude above 8.0 would cause “immeasurable disaster” in the state. Referring to the research of CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) fellow Roger Bilham, Bhat said: “It had been predicted that if a 9.0 earthquake were to occur in Kashmir, as he (Bilham) estimates, the rupture would extend from the 2005 earthquake zone near Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, to the Kangra 1905 earthquake zone in Himachal Pradesh --- a distance of about 480 kilometres — and from the Zanskar range to south of the Pir Panjal range (Rajouri) — a distance of about 190 kilometres.” Bhat said it would cause huge destruction in Jammu and Kashmir. Favouring a collective and holistic approach, he said state and district-level disaster management units should have scientists who could suggest some concrete and drastic measures to meet future disasters. In 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale had resulted in deaths of thousands of people in Kashmir, besides considerable loss of property. Aamir Ali, Coordinator, Disaster Management, Kashmir division, said barring Doda district in Jammu and the entire Kashmir valley, which are in seismic zone V, all other parts of the state are in seismic zone IV. “Definitely, vulnerability is quite high in the state and serious efforts are required to deal with such dangers,” he said. He said the administration had been able to get amended the bylaws of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) whereby no new construction, which is not earthquake-resistant, is allowed within municipal limits. “We have made a beginning but a lot more needs to be done,” Ali said, adding, “Except SMC limits, no other town has any plan for earthquake-resistant construction so far. The Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department should take an initiative and issue a fresh order so that no new construction - private, government or semi-government - is allowed if it is not earthquake resistant.” He said a major challenge would also be implementation of the order once it gets passed. “Like National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), there must be an independent body for effective disaster management in the state,” he opined. Recently, Governor NN Vohra had also stressed on the importance of putting in place state and district disaster management plans on an “urgent” basis to reduce earthquake risks in the state. |
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IAF ferries 156 stranded people
Jammu, January 2 “The IAF concluded today’s relief and rescue operation by airlifting 156 stranded civilians, including women and children, between Jammu, Srinagar and Kargil,” said officiating Defence PRO SN Acharya. The IAF used an AN-32 aircraft to ferry the civilians. Twentynine stranded civilians were airlifted from Kargil to Jammu and 46 from Jammu to Kargil, Acharya said. The AN-32 aircraft also ferried civilians who were stranded due to heavy snowfall and closure of the national highway between Srinagar and Kargil, he said. A total of 79 passengers were ferried between Srinagar and Kargil which included 47 civilians from Srinagar to Kargil and 32 from Kargil to Srinagar, said the official. The IAF had yesterday airlifted 203 civilians from Leh to Jammu. — TNS |
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Jammu, January 2
Srinagar, January 2
Hundreds of displaced Tibetans, supported by youth from the Ladakh region, staged a demonstration against atrocities by the Chinese government on people of Tibet and sought immediate intervention of the Government of India in Tibet.
Buoyed by an all time high record of nearly 1.05 crore pilgrims who visited the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in 2012, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, on the directions of Governor NN
Vohra, is according high priority to enlarge the existing infrastructure for the pilgrims.
