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No-let up in weather onslaught, highway closed for second day
J&K may set up planning commission: Sadhotra
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5 Vaishno Devi pilgrims killed in road mishap
Amarnath yatra
NC for dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits: Rana
Governor for time-bound plan to promote Dogri
Truckers left to fend for themselves on highway
Another Kashmir scholar calls music bands un-Islamic
Govt’s attempt to detach SPOs condemned
Legislative Council poll on March 7
Man dies of swine flu
Man falls into gorge, dies
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No-let up in weather onslaught, highway closed for second day
Jammu, February 5 Hundreds of trucks and passenger vehicles were stranded along the highway and at the Jammu bus stand. Bad weather conditions also affected air traffic with most of the flights behind schedule by several hours. “One flight between Jammu and Srinagar was cancelled, while other flights were moving two to three hours behind schedule,” said Ashok Sharma, Superintendent of Police (SP), Anti-Hijacking, Jammu Airport. Rain continued to lash Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley along with fresh snowfall at the ski resort of Gulmarg for the second day running. Rain, snow and high velocity winds also disrupted power supply in various parts of the Jammu region. Many parts of border district of Rajouri were without electricity. A number of electricity poles and transformers were damaged in Chingues, Budhal, Kotranka, Kalakote and Thamandi. Shehnaz Goni, Power Development Department (PDD) Chief Engineer, Jammu, said: “The power supply got affected in Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts due to heavy rains. We have pressed our engineers to restore the electricity. The power infrastructure has also suffered damage due to snowfall.” In Ramban district, dozens of houses developed cracks in the Gool and Banihal areas following landslides. Two mud houses were also damaged due to snowfall in Thana Manadi of Rajouri district. “It’s still raining and snowing heavily. Bad weather coupled with high velocity winds caused damage to residential houses in the Banihal and Gool areas of the district. Nine houses in Gundi village of the Gool area developed cracks following landslides triggered by continuous rains,” said Shabir Ahmad, District Development Commissioner (DDC), Ramban. The DDC said the occupants of these houses along with cattle were shifted to a safer place by the police and the district administration. A senior traffic police officer, who refused to be named, said there was no improvement in the weather since Sunday evening, “forcing us to close the highway for second day”. “Fresh landslides have been reported at several places between Ramban and Banihal on the highway, while there was nearly one to two feet of accumulated snow at Jawahar Tunnel (in Banihal),” the officer said. There were some vehicles stranded at Lower Munda and Jawahar Tunnel. The stranded people were advised to return as the weather report suggested that rain would continue to lash the Valley for the next 24 hours. An official spokesperson, however, said traffic on the highway would be allowed from Jammu to Srinagar on Wednesday subject to the improvement in the weather condition. Sources said several roads in the Budhal, Thanamnadi and Bufliyaz areas in Rajouri district were closed owing to heavy snowfall and landslide at many places. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said Banihal and Batote towns in Ramban district recorded more than 50 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, while the maximum temperature in these two towns was -6°C and -7°C, respectively. “In Jammu, about 10.8 mm rainfall was witnessed since last evening while it was nearly 21 mm in Katra town. The day temperature in Jammu and Katra was also several notches below normal,” a Met official said.
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J&K may set up planning commission: Sadhotra
Jammu, February 5 The proposed State Planning Commission would make an assessment of the resources available with the state and would formulate a plan for the effective and balanced utilisation of resources in all regions of the state. The newly appointed Minister for Planning and Development Ajay Kumar Sadhotra told The Tribune that the coalition government headed by Omar Abdullah was committed to ensuring a balanced development in the state. “During the last four years, the present regime has allocated adequate funds to all regions and sub-regions of the state”, Sadhotra said while claiming that the government had conducted regular meetings of the District Development Boards (DDBs) to distribute adequate funds in all districts. “The proposal to constitute the State Planning Commission with an autonomous status will be another revolutionary step towards ensuring that all regions would get equal opportunities for growth and development.” Sadhotra disclosed that the state would also examine recommendations of the State Finance Commission, which was constituted by the previous government headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad. The State Finance Commission, which was constituted to study regional disparities, had submitted its report to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on November 30, 2010. The Commission was supposed to complete the report within one year but it took three years for the Commission to deliberate upon all issues and for this it was given extension from time to time by the government. Now over two years have passed since the submission of the report, but no action has been taken so far. |
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5 Vaishno Devi pilgrims killed in road mishap
Jammu, February 5 The police said a Tempo Traveller, which was carrying 10 Vaishno Devi pilgrims, all belonging to a family from Patiala, collided with a truck at Gurha Morh leading to serious injuries to all. The police said the pilgrims were returning to Patiala in Punjab after paying obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine. A police team and locals rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation. The injured were shifted to Vijaypur Hospital where doctors declared four persons, including three women, dead. “Four pilgrims died instantly while one pilgrim died on his way to the hospital,” the police said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the road accident and expressed sympathy with the bereaved families. He prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and early recovery of the injured. Minister for Transport Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan has also expressed grief and shock over the accident. The minister instructed the officials concerned to inquire into the reasons behind the accident and initiate action against the driver if found responsible for the accident. He expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls. He wished for early recovery of the injured. Guv expresses grief
Governor NN Vohra has expressed grief over the loss of lives in a road accident near Vijaypur on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway last night. The Governor has conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
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Amarnath yatra
Jammu, February 5 The SASB has made it clear that no pilgrim would be allowed to undertake the arduous pilgrimage without genuine health certificate from authorised doctors and health institutions in various states and Union Territories. The 55-day pilgrimage will begin from June 28. This year, a committee of medical experts drawn from the Union Health Ministry and the state Health Department have designed the format of a compulsory health certificate and the intending pilgrims would have to submit information in the form about his or her current health status, past medical history and various ailments from which he or she may be suffering or may have suffered in the past. The health certificate would be issued only by duly authorised doctors and medical institutes. The certificates issued after February 1 would be considered valid. An advisory for the pilgrims about do’s and don’ts would be given wide publicity via the mass media to educate people planning to embark on the pilgrimage. Do’s for pilgrims
Don’ts
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NC for dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits: Rana
Jammu, February 5 Addressing a deputation of the Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj, which called on him here today at the party headquarters, Rana said the NC had always considered the Pandits as an integral part of Kashmir and worked sincerely for their welfare, rehabilitation and dignified return to the Valley in a conducive and peaceful atmosphere. He said soon after taking over as the Chief Minister of the state, Omar Abdullah had constituted an apex body of the Kashmiri Pandits to come up with a comprehensive policy for the welfare and return of the Pandits to the Valley. “It was after discussing the matter in the Apex Committee, the Chief Minister discussed the employment and economic package for the Kashmiri Pandits with the Prime Minister which was approved by the Centre and is under implementation,” he said, adding that enhancement of cash relief and other concessions to the Kashmiri Pandits, intending to return to the Valley, have been taken up by the Chief Minister with the Centre. Rana said it was the NC which sincerely batted for the welfare of the Kashmiri Pandits and wanted their return. He said the NC would continue its efforts in this direction, adding that a united approach by the Kashmiri Pandit Samaj to resolve difficulties was a key to success in this regard and the NC was making all efforts. “Those who come from outside the state and hold press conferences in favour of the migrants are in fact bereft of any concern for them. They do it just for politics, they do not have any interest in their return or welfare,” he said. All panchayat members of upper panchayat, Battalkote Loran, Mandi block in Poonch, along with their supporters joined the NC today in Rana’s presence. They said they had been deceived by Congress leaders and were joining the NC to strengthen the party. Rana welcomed them in the party fold and asked them to work together for strengthening the party at the grass-roots level in their respective areas.
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Governor for time-bound plan to promote Dogri
Jammu, February 5 The Governor was inaugurating a two-day conference on “Dogri: Challenges and Opportunities”, organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages here today. He said considerable work was being done by various organisations and significant valuable literature was being published every year, which was further enriching Dogri. He called upon the cultural academy, the Dogri Sanstha and all those associated with the promotion of Dogri language and literature to come up with a five to seven year action plan, indicating the areas which required greater focus. He said for implementing the envisaged plan, all possible support would be provided by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. The Governor said a monthly tabloid should be brought out in Dogri for the benefit of Dogri-knowing people, which could be gradually converted into a fortnightly and subsequently brought out as a weekly. He observed that the publication could be utilised as an effective medium by upcoming writers. The magazine could also bring out extracts from the works of known Dogri writers. Such an initiative could go a long way in promoting Dogri. He said if requisite priorities were fixed and agreed strategies put in place, the promotion of Dogri as a popular spoken language could grow on a sustained basis. The Governor lit the ceremonial lamp to mark the commencement of the conference. Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Raman Bhalla said the conference would provide an excellent opportunity to discuss ways and means for the promotion of the Dogri language and literature. He said the roadmap evolved during the conference would help in the growth of Dogri. He said all required measures would be taken for the promotion of the language.
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Truckers left to fend for themselves on highway
Jammu, February 5 Truckers are the state’s lifeline and keep bringing in supplies throughout the year even in hostile weather conditions. Ghulam Nabi has been covering a distance of nearly 2 km for the last three days to fetch drinking water near Sidhra on the Kunjwani-Sidhra highway. Like hundreds of truck drivers, Ghulam Nabi (34) along with his cleaner, Noor Mohammmad, were stranded near Sidhra following the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway due to landslides and heavy snowfall between Ramban and Banihal. “For the last three days, we have been covering a distance of 2 km to fetch drinking water. If somebody wants to buy eatables, they would have to travel a distance of 5 km. We have been stopped at such a place where there is no eating joint or drinking water facility. The administration should look into the problems being faced by truckers during the closure of the highway,” he said. He said, “We understand that the traffic will move only after an improvement in the weather conditions but the authorities should stop truckers at a place where there is at least drinking water facility and people can purchase eatables.” Dharvinder Singh, a truck driver from Faridkote in Punjab, said he had been arranging food and eatables from other truckers for the last three days. “I have no arrangement for cooking food and I have been arranging food from other truck drivers. We are the lifeline of the people replenishing supplies throughout the year but we are ourselves deprived of the basic amenities such as water,” said Singh. Undeterred by all odds, the truckers are waiting for the highway to reopen so that they can reach their destinations. “My tanker is filled with diesel. If the highway remains closed for the next couple of days, it will lead to diesel shortage in Srinagar,” said Shabir Ahmad, a trucker driver.
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Another Kashmir scholar calls music bands un-Islamic
Srinagar, February 5 Mufti Nazir Ahmad, the head of Dar-ul-Uloom Raheemiya, said there was no place for music shows in Islam. Dar-ul-Uloom Raheemiya is among the top religious seminaries in the region. “In this case girls have danced, they have sung. Now the point is what does Islam has to say about it. The answer is, Islam simply does not allow these music shows, these cultural shows. This is not the decision of today but this is the Islamic law for 1,400 years,” Mufti Nazir said in a telephonic interview with The Tribune. The controversy sparked by an online hate buzz against the all-girl rock band is nowhere near an end as it has pitched conservative sections of society and clergy against those supporting the teenage girls. So far, the Grand Mufti has issued a fatwa against the girls and castigated the Chief Minister for extending support to them. Hardline separatist group led by Syed Ali Geelani also spoke unfavourably about the rock band and political Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami criticised it too. ‘Pragaash’ — which is the first all-girl rock band to emerge from Kashmir — has been disbanded after the outcry against it. Mufti Nazir said the path which the girls were treading could be dangerous for them. “On the one hand, society is shouting against the injustices being done to girls and on other we are saying that girls be allowed to sing and dance, and wear jeans and attractive clothes. And then we expect that no one will hurt them. There is a sexual storm going on,” he said. Mufti Nazir lashed out at the “intellectuals with wayward mindset” saying that they wanted to destroy society. “They want girls to go out of the control of their parents… it is unfortunate that people are not waking up while society is getting sucked into a marsh,” he said. |
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Grand Mufti welcomes girl band’s decision to quit
Jammu, February 5 He, however, said he was not against the “development” of the people or even “singing” but was opposed to the nature of the presentation of such shows by girls, which he said was an “act of blasphemy”. The Grand Mufti said the youth should instead take part in seminars, debates and other forums, which would increase their knowledge and personality. Asked whether the fatwa issued by him was an act of human rights abuse, the Grand Mufti, in a bid to evade the question, referred to the recent Delhi gang-rape case and said the death of an innocent girl took place because of blasphemous acts in society. He also referred to the Constitution of India and questioned whether any clause in the Constitution encouraged ‘disrespect’ or ‘blasphemy’. “If the Indian Constitution allows such things, then we need to stay away from it,” the Grand Mufti said.
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Last signatory of J-K’s Constitution dies
Srinagar, February 5 Zargar, a resident of Manzgam in Kulgam district (erstwhile Anantnag district) of south Kashmir died at the age of 82. He is survived by his four sons and three daughters. He remained at the forefront of the Quit Kashmir movement and remained underground during the movement. He was also elected as a member of the state’s Constituent Assembly and was the last living signatory to the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. As a Congress member, Zargar was elected to the Legislative assembly from the Noorabad constituency of south Kashmir in 1967, 1972 and 1987. He was again elected to the Assembly from Noorabad as a PDP member in the 2002 elections. Zargar was the Minister of State for Agriculture and Forests in 1972 and the Director of the Central Wakf Council for six years. Following his election in 2002, he was inducted as the Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives in the PDP-led coalition government. The PDP leaders, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti, have recalled Zargar’s association with the politics of the state and the self-less service which he rendered for the uplift of the people, particularly from his area.
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Govt’s attempt to detach SPOs condemned
Jammu, February 5 Addressing a press conference here today, Singh condemned the recent order of Doda SP, in which he had directed VDC members of Kulhand to deposit their weapons and threatened them of action in case of non-compliance. He expressed anguish over the fact that the state government was planning to provide Z security to separatist leaders. “The state government is risking the lives of people by disbanding the VDCs. It is strange that the status of SPOs is not decided as to whether they are civilians or policemen,” he said. He said, “Their duty is very rigorous as they are deployed in militancy-infested areas, far away from their homes without food and shelter. They are being thrashed and beaten if they raise their grievances. Dozens of them have been disengaged on flimsy grounds.” Singh, who also took up the matter with the Divisional Commissioner and the IGP demanded that the disengagement of SPOs and VDCs on flimsy grounds should be stopped and those who have been ousted should be
re-instated.
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Legislative Council poll on March 7
New Delhi, February 5 The schedule declared by the ECI said February 18 will be the last day for making nominations, which will be scrutinised a day after and February 19 will be the last date for the withdrawal of candidature. The polling will be held on March 7 between 10 am and 2 pm and counting of votes will be taken up the same day. The entire process will be completed by March 10. The term of the eight members, four from Kashmir province — Mohammed Yousuf Taing, Ali Mohammed Bhat, Mohammed Amin Bhat and Nizamuddid Khaatana —and four from Jammu province — Rajinder Singh Chib, Devinder Singh Rana, Murtaza Ahmad Khan and Naresh Kumar Gupta (Doda district) — will expire on March 16. |
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Man dies of swine flu
Srinagar, February 5 The patient suffering from swine flu, who was being treated for the last several days at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences here in the city, died last evening.
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Man falls into gorge, dies
Katra, February 5 In another incident, Vakil Singh (30) was injured in a landslide in Dharmari. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, from where he was airlifted to GMCH, Jammu, police officers said.
— TNS
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To ensure adequate allotment of funds for all regions and sub-regions of Jammu and Kashmir, the state government is considering constituting the State Planning Commission on the pattern of the National Planning Commission.
The proposed State Planning Commission would make an assessment of the resources available with the state and would formulate a plan for the effective and balanced utilisation of resources in all regions of the state.
