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BSF forms high-level panel to tighten border security
Valley’s coldest period officially over, but more snow expected
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Growth of health sector a priority for govt, says Omar
State yet to appoint ombudsmen for Central schemes
Gurez residents pin hope on newly inducted minister
Government okays Rs 14 cr for training of teachers
Feb 4 deadline for completion of work on Assembly complex
Photo exhibition depicts architecture of Srinagar
Court acquits two in narcotics case
Agri dept to set up cell for monitoring Central schemes
15 leprosy cases detected in Leh last year
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BSF forms high-level panel to tighten border security
Jammu, January 30 “The trans-border tunnel in in the Samba sector (detected on July 27 last year) was a very serious concern. Looking at that concern, a high-level board, headed by the IG, Punjab Frontier, has been constituted by the BSF,” said BSF’s Jammu Frontier IG Rajeev Krishna on the sidelines of a function
here today. Scientists are also involved in the exercise, which is carried out on the entire western border with Pakistan. The process is on and till the time the whole exercise is conducted, we have taken some interim measures in the Jammu region, he added. The IG disclosed that in the wake of trans-border tunnel in Samba sector, the BSF has identified a few vulnerable stretches on the Indo-Pak border on the basis of soil, geographical and topographical location and intelligence inputs. “Accordingly, adequate deployment has been done to keep a check on the infiltration,” he said. The trans-border tunnel detected in Chalyari village of the Samba sector had originated from the Shakkergarh area of
Pakistan. Following the January 8 killings of the two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control in the Balnoi sector of Poonch district, there had been a suspicious movement of anti-national elements on the other side of the 192-km-long international border in Jammu, the IG said. “We are keeping a strict vigil,” he added. Krishna put the number of militants between 30 and 45 and the number of terror camps at four or five. He, however, maintained that after the January 8 attack, there has been “no mobilisation of Pakistan Rangers and the BSF on either side, barring
some relocation and adjustments.” When asked if there was any change in Pakistan’s strategy in the wake of the LoC killings, he said it would be too early to say anything. “A change in strategy requires a deeper and longer period to establish,” he said. He said the BSF had put in place a well-knit strategy in place to effectively guard the borderline.“We have our own system in place and that is why there is no successful infiltration in the past four years,”
he said. |
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Valley’s coldest period officially over, but more snow expected
Srinagar, January 30 The harsh winter period began on December 21. During the 40-day period, the surface of the Dal Lake and other static water bodies that dot Kashmir’s landscape remained
frozen. Chillai Kalaan has for generations haunted the imagination of people for its extreme weather. The mercury mostly remains below the freezing point during the nights and the day temperature also remains below normal, with the sun rarely coming out. This season, heavy snow blanketed the region, snapping surface and aerial connectivity with the outside world. The
Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed to traffic several times during the 40-day period due to slippery conditions caused by snow, causing inconvenience to passengers. The recent snowfall on January 17 and 18 caused extensive damage to power supply lines and disrupted electricity to the Valley. While the power supply was restored to most areas in 24 hours, some areas in the upper reaches still remain without power. The harshest winter period, however, ended on a cold note as the mercury overnight fell several degrees below the zero-degree mark across the region. In
Srinagar, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 1.6°C, which is one degree below the normal at this time of the season. In south Kashmir’s
Pahalgam, the mercury overnight fell to minus 6.7°C while in the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 4.6°C, an official of the state Meteorological Department said. In Leh town of the Ladakh region, the mercury fell overnight to minus 15.8°C while in Kargil district, the mercury fell to minus 12.4°C. The weather department also issued a forecast of light rain and snow at isolated places over the upper reaches of the Kashmir valley in the next 24 hours. Chillai Kalaan
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Mirwaiz invited for OIC meet in Cairo
Srinagar, January 30 In the meeting to be held in February in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the heads of 57 Muslim nations, which are members of the OIC, are scheduled to participate. The invitation for attending the meeting has been sent to the Hurriyat leader by OIC secretary general Kemal Ekmaluddin Ihsanoglu, a Hurriyat spokesman said here. “The 12the conference of the heads of OIC member countries is being held in Cairo on February 6 and 7, in which Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been specially invited by the OIC,” the spokesman said. “The Hurriyat hopes that this time round the heads of Islamic nations will focus their attention on the issues like Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir and Syria,” the Hurriyat spokesman said. Meanwhile, sources in the Hurriyat said Mirwaiz was yet to take a decision whether to attend the meet or not as he was still waiting for his passport. “The term of the passport issued to Mirwaiz has expired. So, he has applied for a fresh one,” a source said. The Hurriyat Conference has a special observer status in the 57-member grouping of Muslim nations and it has been a regular feature with the OIC to invite Kashmiri separatist leaders. Though Mirwaiz has so far participated in several meetings and conferences of the OIC, he had skipped the OIC’s last contact group meet on Kashmir held in Djibouti on November 17, 2012. |
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Growth of health sector a priority for govt, says Omar
Srinagar, January 30 While chairing the meet, Omar said growth of various disciplines of a super-specialty nature to provide modern medical facilities to people of the state should go “side by side” along with development of infrastructure. The Chief Minister said growth and development of the health sector in rural areas was one of the “priority concerns” of his government. “Improvement on this front will relieve the pressure on hospitals in the cities and towns (and) as such the government has underlined this aspect as a thrust area,’” Omar told the meeting. The meeting was attended by state Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohiuddin; Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan; Commissioner, Finance, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey; Principal Secretary, Planning, B R Sharma; Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, M K Dwivedi; Director, SKIMS, Showkat Ahmad Zargar; and other senior officers. Omar said his government had flagged health as “one of the most important sectors” of the state’s development policy. “Attention has been focused on universalising modern healthcare facilities across the state,” the Chief Minister said. In his presentation, the SKIMS Director spoke about the Institute’s functioning and made specific references to the upgradation and improvement of infrastructure and procurement of modern equipment to address the increasing needs. The Chief Minister also received a brief about a catheterisation lab in the SKIMS which is likely to cost over Rs 8 crore. |
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State yet to appoint ombudsmen for Central schemes
Srinagar, January 30 “So far, the state government has failed to set up the independent body for bringing accountability and transparency to the flagship programmes,” said an official of the Rural Development Department. “Though there are internal mechanisms in place for bringing accountability and transparency to the flagship programmes, but the office of ombudsman at each district would have brought more accountability,” he added. Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development, Farooq Ahmad Peer said the government had set in motion the process of appointing ombudsmen in each district, but they were awaiting certain clarifications from the Central government. “The representative from the Central government had raised certain issues about the ombudsmen to be appointed in the state and we are now waiting for a reply from the Centre on the issue,” Peer said. The directions for setting up the office of the ombudsman by the Union Ministry of Rural Development came in September 2009. The Centre had asked the states to implement the orders in three months. While the state government has been claiming that the scheme is being implemented in J&K successfully, but the Union Ministry of Rural Development recently withheld funds under the MGNREGA to Budgam district after alleged irregularities surfaced in implementation of the Centrally sponsored scheme. |
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Gurez residents pin hope on newly inducted minister
Srinagar, January 30 Gurez in Bandipore district remains cut off from the rest of the Valley for six months of winter. The people of the constituency have now pinned their hopes on their representative, who was recently inducted into the Council of Ministers. “Our hopes are high,” said Abdul Wahab, a resident of the Gurez area, as this is for the first time
that the area has got representation in the Council of Ministers. The main demands of the area include regular power supply, a road tunnel for an all-weather connectivity with the Valley and frequent helicopter services between Bandipore and Gurez. The Gurez valley, which has tourism potential, has a population of nearly 30,000 and an electorate of over 15,000. The minister, on his maiden visit to the constituency after being inducted into the Council of Ministers, visited Bagtoor, Kanzalwan, Tarabal and Chorwan villages of Gurez. He spoke to people about their problems and took stock of the essential commodities, availability of fuel and firewood besides the snow clearance works in these areas. Nazir addressed a series of public gatherings at different places and said the government was committed to working for the equitable development of all three regions of the state. He said the development and peace process initiated by the government would continue with the same spirit during the remaining two years of its tenure. New hospital The construction work on the Rs 7-crore mini secretariat (revenue complex) and Rs 11-crore 30-bedded hospital at Dawer, near Gurez, will start soon. The hospital will have the latest healthcare facilities |
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Government okays Rs 14 cr for training of teachers
Srinagar, January 30 Adviser of the state SSA Mohammad Rafi said this while speaking during a training workshop for education officers at the Institute Management of Public Administration (IMPA) in Srinagar today. Rafi underscored the need for creating congenial enabling conditions for lifelong learning, adding that professionalism in teaching fraternity in tune with the market demand was the need of the hour. He said acquainting students with the latest technology through innovative modes of education was the best way to produce talented and market-driven human resource that could compete globally. “The responsibility of the District Institutes of Education and Training is immense as they have to ensure that quality education is provided right from the basic level. Curriculum of worldwide scope needs to be provided to the students in a congenial atmosphere to enable them to excel,” he said.
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Feb 4 deadline for completion of work on Assembly complex
Jammu, January 30 Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Sartaj Madni accompanied the minister. The minister went round the central hall, Legislative Assembly and council halls. He also inspected the damaged portion of the Legislative Assembly and directed the executing agency concerned to complete the renovation and face-lift work by February 4 so that the ensuing budget session could be conducted conveniently. The Law Minister inspected the new Assembly Complex coming up adjacent to the old Legislature Complex and took stock of the pace of work. Law secretary GH Tantray; secretary, Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Ramzan; secretary, Legislative Council, Mohammad Ashraf; Director, Estates, RK Koul; Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings, Tehsin Mustafa; Deputy Director Arun Manhas and senior engineers accompanied the minister. — TNS |
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Photo exhibition depicts architecture of Srinagar
Jammu, January 30 The exhibition titled, “Srinagar - Voices of Hope”, has been jointly organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
(INTACH), J&K Chapter, and the IIC, New Delhi, which will be open for public viewing daily from 11 am to 7 pm till February 5. In all, 56 photographs by 30 young photographers of Srinagar have been displayed at the exhibition. These photographs were taken by amateur photographers above 18 years of age during a photo competition organised by INTACH in July 2012 at the inaugural of the Lal Ded Cultural Centre at
Ganpatyar, Habakadal in Srinagar, with the support of the Tourism Department. They were asked to tell the story of the city through photographs. The prescribed themes of the photo competition were architecture, life and people. The Governor lauded INTACH and the IIC for joining hands for organising an exhibition which reflected on the architecture, life and people of Srinagar city. He said the city had a vast treasure of historical sites and heritage buildings of tourist interest which needed to be conserved and protected in a scientific manner. He lauded the work being done by INTACH for conserving and preserving the heritage treasure. Referring to the photographs displayed at the exhibition, the Governor said the youth of the state were highly talented and given the enabling opportunities they could excel in all spheres of human
endeavour. The Governor and his wife Usha Vohra went around the exhibition and evinced keen interest in the photographs on display. Convener of INTACH Saleem Beg talked about the activities of INTACH in the state, status of formulation and implementation of various projects related to the conservation of heritage buildings and sites and future plan of action. In her welcome address, Dr Kavita A Sharma, Director,
IIC, New Delhi, thanked the Governor for taking a keen interest in the conservation of the heritage of the state. Dr Kapila
Vatsyayan, Life Trustee of IIC and member of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board; senior advocate Ashok
Bhan; eminent theatre director MK Raina; former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir Prof Riyaz Punjabi and prominent scholars and intellectuals were present on the occasion. |
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Court acquits two in narcotics case
Jammu, January 30 The accused were booked under Section 8/15 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. On November 1, 2007, a police party at a naka point near Kud on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway during the checking of a truck found two gunny bags filled with poppy straw. The recovered contraband was seized. Both accused, who were in the truck, were also arrested. The contraband was sent to a Forensic Sciences Laboratory for chemical analysis. On conclusion of the investigations it was found that the contraband was being transported for sale. The Principal Sessions Judge, while acquitting the accused, said, “The statements of police officers have not found corroboration from any civilian witness and are inconsistent. Suspicions, however, grave cannot take the place of proof. The prosecution has failed to bring home the guilt against the accused convincingly.” “The entire exercise conducted by the investigating agency and the prosecution has ended in futility and so the case merits dismissal.”
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Agri dept to set up cell for monitoring Central schemes
Jammu, January 30 Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir said this here today. Mir said the proposed monitoring cell, to be headed by an independent officer, would monitor the implementation of Centrally sponsored schemes and their impact on the ground. He said the effective implementation of these schemes in a time-bound manner was imperative for creating a positive impact. The Agriculture Minister said the decision to constitute the monitoring cell had been taken to ensure the fast-track implementation of the schemes, adding that this would help in avoiding lapses in the execution of schemes such as Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The minister said monitoring at the highest level was the need of the hour as it would help in removing bottlenecks within the departments and associated implementing agencies to ensure time-bound achievement of financial and physical targets. |
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15 leprosy cases detected in Leh last year
Leh, January 30 He said this while addressing the inaugural function of the national anti-leprosy fortnight celebration, which was launched today in Leh. The Block Medical Officer said the number of leprosy cases in the district could be more as the disease was detected from patients who came to SNM Hospital. The detection of the disease was started last year after a dermatologist was posted at the hospital. Executive Councillor for Health, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, Dr Sonam Wangchuk, who was the chief guest, urged upon health workers to create awareness about the diseases to eradicate the social stigma attached with it. He added that due to the social stigma people were not coming for treatment. He also stressed upon the health workers to practice professional secrecy while dealing with leprosy cases. |
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Jammu, January 30
Srinagar, January 30
Srinagar, January 30
