Srinagar, January 4
After various mainstream and separatist political organisations, Kashmir’s commercial nerve centre Lal Chowk’s shopkeepers came out on streets protesting against a recent acid attack on a 30-year-old woman in the “posh” uptown locality of Baghat, Srinagar on Wednesday morning.

The shopkeepers marched from Regal Chowk towards Residency Road, Lal Chowk, holding placards, calling for stringent action against the accused acid-thrower, Reyaz Ahmad Nath, a resident of Chanapora Srinagar, who has been arrested and booked under Section 307 on attempt to murder charges.

The shops in the Regal Chowk, Fairdeal Shopping Complex and Residency Road of the commercial hub, Lal Chowk, remained shut for two hours, in solidarity with the acid attack victim who was flown to AIIMS, New Delhi today by her family for treatment.

The protesters staged a sit-in demonstration at Press Enclave, Residency Road.

A joint rally organised by Regal Chowk Traders Association and Fair Deal Shopping Complex traders urged the state government to mull the strictest laws for the people responsible for the beastly acts of crimes against women.

“She could have been anybody’s daughter. The “cowardly” acid attack proves that for a woman, even walking on the road in the broad daylight is not safe. What message should we convey to the women of our homes? Should we not let them go outside homes?” a protester remarked. Pertinently, All Parties Hurriyat Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, High Court Bar Association, Kashmir, Kashmir Centre for Civil and Developmental Studies have condemned the Srinagar acid attack and called for speedy justice to the victim.

Srinagar, January 4
The state government is contemplating to have fast-track courts for the speedy disposal of cases related to crime against women. State law secretary Ghulam Hassan Tantray told The Tribune that the Law Department has arrived at a consensus on setting up the fast-track courts, which could seek speedy redressal of all forms of crimes against women.

Law Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar said a draft of the Bill, which seeks to amend the existing laws on all forms of crime against women, was being prepared.

“We are not only amending the anti-rape laws, but even making other laws on crime against women such as stalking, eve-teasing, sexual advances and domestic violence more stringent. Women are insecure in the light of the existing laws. The investigation and judiciary norms need to be reviewed to ascertain the loopholes,” the minister told The Tribune.

He added that the Law Department had been holding consultations with all relevant quarters of society, including the heads of educational institutions, civil society, administration, students and the police.

“We are seeking diverse opinions on how to go about bringing the strictest punishment for the crime perpetrators. The draft of the Bill is being prepared and will be submitted before the state Cabinet soon,” Sagar said.

The development comes after twin shocking incidents of alleged rape of a minor girl in Shopian and an acid attack on a Srinagar woman by a stalker in a span of 48 hours in the Kashmir valley.

Tantray said the Department was also compiling the pending cases of crime against women so that they could be disposed of speedily.

“We are not clear about statistics of the total number of such cases. We have asked all the departments to coordinate in this regard and share with us any such complaints.

The decision of the disposal mechanism of such cases will be taken within 2-3 days,” Tantray said.

Srinagar, January 4
The family of acid attack victim has flayed the state government for not giving any financial aid. The victim, whose eyes and face have suffered serious damages, was flown to the All-India Institute of Medical sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi today by her family today. All expenses, including her treatment and air travel expenses, have been borne by the family.

At this point in time, her hopes are dashed because even the person who wanted to marry her, has not come to see her. Her savings for the engagement, which was to be solemnised on January 20, are being spent on her treatment now.

The family has also accused the acid thrower, Reyaz Ahmad Nath, of snatching the victim’s purse, her mobile phone and Rs 10,000 after throwing acid onto her face and body.

“He took her purse, money and a mobile phone before fleeing on his motorcycle,” victim’s cousin told The Tribune.

He said the family was shocked by the insensitive approach of the state government, as no government official has visited the victim and her family at the SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, so far.

“Our family is poor. We have pooled in money for the victim’s air travel. Now, we are at the mercy of God in Delhi,” he said.

Though Valley’s renowned plastic surgeon Dr Sameer Kaul, who is also a PDP leader, has offered free medical assistance for the reconstructive surgery of the victim, the family is not willing to trust anybody outside its own circles.

“We have done everything we could on our own to help her come out of this miserable situation. If human rights champions were so much concerned about her, they would have come forward for help by now. She is a fatherless woman, but is brave enough to pull through amid all odds,” he said.

Srinagar, January 4
The High Court Bar Association has decided not to provide legal aid to an accused who threw acid on a school teacher in Srinagar on Wednesday.

The decision was taken during a meeting of Executive Committee of the High Court Bar Association, Srinagar, along with some prominent lawyers.

“During the meeting, everyone unanimously condemned the acid throwing on an innocent girl,” a statement said.

The Bar Association also appealed to the mohalla committees and Imams of various mosques to be

vigilant and educate the people about the behaviour of youths who were roaming around all the day near the coaching centres across the Valley.

“If a youth succeeded in throwing acid on an innocent girl, tomorrow this incident could happen to anyone in their locality,” the statement said.

“We also decided that the accused will not be provided any legal aid. However, all the legal aid will be provided to the victim so that the real culprits are punished in accordance with law,” the statement added.

Srinagar, January 4
While the accused was arrested for allegedly raping a minor in Shopian on Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir Police claims it has taken up investigation of the case on a fast-track basis.

A police spokesman said Shopian police had arrested Shahid Ahmad Wani, son of Manzoor Ahmad Wani, resident of Aliyar Pora, Shopian, who had allegedly raped a minor on November 25.

While the rape was committed more than a month back, the family of the victim lodged a written complaint with the police a few days back.

After the complaint, a case was registered in police station Shopian under Section 342 (restricting somebody’s movement) and 376 (rape) of the Ranbir Penal Code.

The court sent the accused to police remand.

“Investigation of this case has been taken up on fast-track basis,” police said.

In the complaint, the girl’s family had alleged that the accused had been following her for quite some time and on the fateful day, he intercepted her at Aliyar Pora crossing while she was on her way to her maternal uncle’s house. They forcibly drugged her and later raped the girl.

Anantnag, January 4
With no lights or reflectors in place, the Srinagar-Qazigund stretch of the National Highway 1-A is fast turning into a death-trap for commuters travelling after dark, especially with the ongoing widening process.

Reports said not even a single street-light, or for that matter a reflector, has been erected along the stretch, putting the lives of commuters in jeopardy.

Maintenance of the stretch had been assigned to Hyderabad-based construction firm Ramky Constructions, after they bagged the contract for widening of the National Highway.

Reports suggest the company has been doing very little to keep the existing stretch of the National Highway in good shape.

“It has become a nightmare to ply on the road after it gets dark. There are heaps of soil and other construction material lying on both sides of the road and in absence of any lights or reflecting surfaces, the chances of an accident have increased by leaps and bounds,” said Farooq Ahmad, who shuttles between Srinagar and Anantnag on a daily basis. The most affected in the present scenario are drivers of the passenger vehicles, who have to take the road on a daily basis after it gets dark.

“I had a couple of narrow escapes - once near Sangam and then near the Saffron fields of Lethpora. I have at least eight to 10 people in my vehicle at any given time and their lives are at stake, including mine,” said Gulzar Ahmad, a Sumo driver.

Moreover, the commuters say, the condition of the road is worsening by the day, with potholes as big as a vehicle remaining unattended all along the road.

Senior officials at Ramky however maintain they are doing their bit to keep the road in good condition.

“As far as the reflectors are concerned, we have ordered around 70 reflecting boards to be installed along the stretch. Hopefully, they will be delivered to us within a week’s time,” said Sunil Pahalwan, vice-president of the Ramky group.

Srinagar, January 4
While Kashmir continues to remain in a grip of intense cold wave despite witnessing bright and sunny days, water in pipes at several houses remained frozen in the morning hours due to sub-zero night temperatures.

Locals from several parts of the summer capital stated they were facing problems due to water in pipes getting frozen. “This morning, there was no water flowing out of the taps at many houses in our locality as it had frozen,” said Rauf Ahmad, a resident of Batamaloo area here.

While it is common to witness water in pipes getting frozen, especially during ‘Chillai Kalaan’, Kashmir’s harshest 40-day winter period beginning on December 21, locals usually pour hot water over pipes to resume water supply. Residents also cover open pipes with cloth or other material to prevent the water from freezing.

The periphery of Dal Lake and other water bodies of the Valley too have remained covered with a thin layer of frost during the past few days in the morning hours.

Meanwhile, night temperatures continued to dip further across Kashmir. The ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded the lowest night temperature in the Valley at -10.2 degree Celsius as compared to the previous night low of -9.0 degree Celsius. Similarly, night temperature in Srinagar dipped to -4.3 degree Celsius as compared to -4.0 degree Celsius the previous night. Srinagar and Gulmarg, as per Met officials, recorded the lowest night temperature of the season so far.

Night temperatures in other parts of the Valley too continued to dip further. Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, saw a low of -5.0 degree Celsius while the border district of Kupwara recorded a minimum of -4.0 degree Celsius. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir saw a low of -7.0 degree Celsius.

However, Kashmir continued to witness bright and sunny days. The maximum temperatures recorded at Srinagar, Qazigund, Pahalgam and Kupwara were 9.5, 8.5, 8.6 and 10.4 degree Celsius respectively.

Kargil and Leh in Ladakh region recorded minimum temperatures of -16.2 and -14.9 degree Celsius, the MeT official said. Maximum day temperatures at Kargil and Leh stood at -4.8 and -2.0 degree Celsius. The weatherman has forecast dry weather conditions across the state during the next few days.

Srinagar, January 4
One person was injured in a road accident that occurred in the Achabal area of Anantnag district last evening.

Police said Abdul Qayoom Khan, son of Abdul Gani, resident of Sanglan, was injured when a load carrier (JK03C/9937) turned turtle near Labnun, Pathribal.

The injured was admitted in District Hospital, Anantnag for treatment. Police has registered a case. — TNS

Anantnag, January 4
People in four districts of south Kashmir are aghast over the frequent unscheduled power cuts even in the metered areas.

Reports said Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts of south Kashmir are witnessing frequent power cuts even in the areas that have been metered for years now.

“Only yesterday, people from many areas of Kulgam district took to streets, protesting against unavailability of electricity,” reports from Kulgam district said. Residents say as the winter descends on the Valley, they do expect the power scenario to get bleaker, however, that should happen in a scheduled manner.

“Our area was metered around five years ago but the metering has not put a halt to unscheduled power cuts. I can imagine the plight of the people living in un-metered areas,” said Muhammad Ishaq, a resident of Bijbehara town of Anantnag district.

The scenario remains bleaker in the rural and unmetered areas. “We don’t get power throughout the day and in the evening too we get it for two to three hours,” said Farooq Ahmad Mir, a resident of Damhal Hanjipora area in Kulgam district.

Other locals who talked to The Tribune said they schedule all their power-related work as per the schedule issued by the Power Development Department (PDD). However, frequent cuts even during that schedule is getting on their nerves.

Officials of the Power Development Department, however, maintain that the unscheduled power cuts in most parts of the south Kashmir have been tackled to a great extent.

“Earlier, there have been unscheduled power cuts in the south Kashmir area but with new grids getting functional in the area, we have overcome the problem effectively,” said a senior official of the Power Development Department (PDD). He added that there were some unscheduled power cuts due to overloading or some other technical constraints but the overall power scenario in south Kashmir is far better than what it used to be.

Srinagar, January 4
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) today called for a government job for the acid attack victim who has been shifted to New Delhi for restorative surgery.

The party chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said here that the acid attack had severely jeopardised the life of a young woman who taught in a private school.

“For her rehabilitation, it is necessary that the government came forward with appropriate measures and the minimum it could do is to provide a suitable job to the victim,” Akhtar said.

He said in view of the fact that the young woman might lose vision in one of her eyes, her disability would entitle her for a preferential treatment in getting a government job. But in view of the devastating incident she faced it would be necessary to provide her a job out of the way, he added.

Meanwhile, party president Mehbooba Mufti today visited the two youths at SKIMS who were seriously injured in Pulwama shooting incident recently. She enquired about their health and conveyed her best wishes to them for a speedy recovery. Mehbooba, according to a press release, urged the government to provide adequate compensation to all the injured persons. She said the government had failed to provide security to people and had failed in reaching out to the victims.

Kupwara January 4
Work in Tehsil office Kupwara is getting affected due to lack of infrastructure. Two naib-tehsildars are forced to sit in one small room and share a common table due to shortage of space in the Tehsil office.

The Tehsil office witnesses tremendous rush of people from different parts of the district and is housed in five small rooms.

The employees said in absence of a record room, important documents were gathering dust in a small room and many of the files containing revenue documents have been kept in lockers.

As many as 10 sections, including election cell, state subject, kanoongo (law), shadi clerk, nazareth, revenue and backward section are housed here.

"The shortage of space is badly affecting work at the office. Two naib-tehsildars are forced to share a common table due to lack of space. It is one of the busiest office in Kupwara and hundreds of people from remote areas of the district visit the office on an average day," Tehsildar Kupwara, Wali Mohd Shah, said.

Employees said they were unable to perform their work smoothly due to a huge rush of people in small rooms.

"It has become very difficult to work in a choked atmosphere. Noisy scenes amid huge rush has become a routine matter here. There should be at least four additional rooms to accommodate the rush," said an employee.

"Many a times, we are forced to make long queues to obtain or get the papers signed. Unlike other Tehsil offices in the Valley, there are no separate sections for state subject and backward section. This is one of the busiest offices in Kupwara but the authorities have overlooked its importance and made us to suffer for want of space," said Mohd Ashraf of Gushi Kupwara.

Kupwara Tehsildar said the foundation of new Tehsil building was laid three years ago under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) but the construction work never resumed.

"The construction work was suspended for unknown reasons after plinth of the building was set up," he said.

Handwara, January 4
To provide computer education to girl students, TMG Brigade of the Army organised a basic computer training programme from November 26 to December 22 at the Higher Secondary School, Qalamabad, in Mawar of Handwara Tehsil.

Girl students from XI class of the school were imparted the computer education and training by computer teachers. “On culmination of the course, a ceremony for award of basic learning certificate to students was held yesterday. Commander TMG Brigade GS Mukul felicitated the team of instructors and students,” a press release.

The commander highlighted the importance of computer education and appreciated the enthusiasm exhibited by the students in learning.

The brigade also provided two computer sets to the school to ensure regular computer classes to the learners.

Local residents from remote Mawar village and its adjoining areas appreciated the TMG Brigade's move and hoped that more students would be imparted education.

Srinagar, January 4
Chief Warden, Civil Defence, Baramulla, Dr Anayat Mir today said the youngsters were the most vulnerable to drug abuse.

“Over 70 per cent of addicts are between the ages 17-35," Dr Anayat Mir said while addressing an awareness programme on drug abuse and tobacco control at the Government Higher Secondary School, Pattan, in Baramulla.

Dr Dr Anayat Mir spoke at length on the issue. He also deliberated on varios ills of the menace.

The awareness camp was organised by Police Drug De-addiction Centre, District Police, Baramulla, in collaboration with Civil Defence organisation, Baramulla. The awareness camp was attended by about 100 teachers from different educational institutions of Baramulla.

A police spokesman said an interactive session was also held on the topic where teachers posed queries, which were answered by the experts.

Srinagar, January 4
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) started its ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ today as the chairman of the separatist group Mohammad Yasin Malik along with his supporters courted arrests here in Srinagar.

Malik led a procession from Maisuma to Budshah Chowk to express solidarity with those lodged at various jails in the country against whom life sentences have been announced.

A Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front spokesman said Malik along with his 50 supporters courted arrest at Budshah Chowk.

Talking to reporters before courting arrest, Malik said: “Our aim is to raise a peaceful voice over atrocities committed and life sentences announced against persons lodged in jails.” He also questioned the ‘silence’ of the Indian civil society for remaining ‘mute spectators’ to the "atrocities committed against the people of Kashmir". Malik also urged the civil society to play a role in seeking justice for the persons lodged in prisons and to "create a space for the political struggle" in Kashmir.

The spokesman said they would court arrest in five phases till January 14.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front had organised a seminar titled ‘Prisoners and our responsibilities’ here last month where it had urged all the separatist parties to unite and make more efforts towards seeking justice for the Kashmiris lodged in jails.

Srinagar, January 4
The 126 Infantry Battalion (TA) of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles organised a medical and veterinary camp at New Kendriya Vidyalaya, Shivpora in Srinagar in collaboration with Health Department, district administration, Srinagar.

Chief Medical Officer, Srinagar, Dr Dilbar Mir, was the chief guest on the occasion. The CMO said such medical camps provided medical facilities to people at their doorsteps.

“More than 250 patients, including senior citizens, females and children, participated in the medical camp and availed the medical facility. The patients were given free medicines by the Army and civil authorities,” an official of Press Information Bureau said.

He said critical cases were referred to the Civil Hospital for specialized treatment. Block Veterinary Officer, Srinagar, Dr Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, was the chief guest for the veterinary camp.