Srinagar, February 6
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has granted the government the “last and final opportunity” to file within four weeks its status report on the appointment of new members to the inquiry commission, constituted to probe civilian deaths in 2010.

The directions of the division bench of the High Court came following submissions of a common miscellaneous petition (CMP) application by the government seeking time to comply with the previous court directions.

The court had, on October 8, directed the state government to finalise its orders on appointment of members of the inquiry commission, as the earlier members of the commission have already demitted their office.

In the October orders, the court had also questioned the rationale of the state government behind bringing only 17 cases under the ambit of the probe panel.

The PIL seeking investigation into civilian killings in 2010 was filed by chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Mohammad Yasin Malik in the High Court on January 10, 2011, and was listed today before a double Bench of Justice Verinder Singh and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar.

As the case came up for hearing, the government counsel sought to draw the attention of the court towards the CMP, seeking further time to comply with the October 8 directions. In the CMP, it had been submitted that the matter for finalising the appointment of the members of the inquiry commission has been referred to the Chief Minister and may take time.

However, in his submissions, advocate Sofi Imtiyaz, the petitioner counsel, urged upon the court that the respondents, including state as well as the Central government, should be directed to comply with all the directions contained in the October 8, 2012 orders of the High Court.

Subsequently, after hearing both the sides, the bench, in its orders today, gave the respondents, both state as well as Central government, “last and the final opportunity” to file their status reports with regard to the October 8, 2012 directions. The matter has been posted for further consideration after four weeks.

The government said in October that members of the probe panel, Justice (retd) Bashir-ud-Din and Justice (retd) YP Nargotra, earlier demitted office as members of the inquiry commission and the process for finding their replacement was on.

In the 2010 unrest, more than 117 civilians were allegedly killed by the security forces to quell protests. The Public Interest Litigation has been demanding registration of an FIR and investigation into all the civilian killings that took place during 2010.

Time line Following the killing of many civilians in the 2010 summer unrest, the government had, on June 26, 2010, appointed a one-man commission of inquiry headed by Justice (retd) Bashir-ud-Din to probe the killings Justice (retd) YP Nargotra was appointed another member of the commission of inquiry on July 29, 2010, and the commission was asked to probe the killing of 17 persons in Kashmir on account of action taken by the police and security forces. On January 14, 2011, the High Court stayed the proceedings of the commission, directing it not to submit its final inquiry report to the government without its permission. Now, the government has sought more time for appointing new members to the commission of inquiry, saying the matter is before the Chief Minister.

Srinagar, February 6
Health care sector in Kashmir is apparently starving for adequate infrastructure with respect to its existing population norms.

Kashmir valley with a population of 61.73 lakh (Census 2011) is deficient of 1,065 health care institutions as per the data available with the Department of Health Services and Medical education, Kashmir division. These health care institutions include District/ Sub-district Hospitals (SDH), Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC) and Sub-Centres (SC)/Medical Aid Centre (MAC).

The Health and Medical Education Department (HME) however aims to establish only 308 health institutions in the Valley (where the deficiency is acute) for the financial year 2013- 2014. The department, as per the report which it tabled in the autumn session of the state legislative Assembly says it will upgrade 79 existing health institutions in 12 districts of the Valley.

The 1,065 health institutions which the Valley is deficient of include three sub-district hospitals, 42 CHCs, 122 PHCs and 898 SCs.

The report adds that of the proposed health care institutions to be established, 32 SCs/MACs and 2 PHCs will be set up in Srinagar district, 13 SCs in Ganderbal, 89 SCs, 5 PHCs in Budgam districts of central Kashmir.

Thirty one SCs, 3 PHCs will be opened in Anantnag, 36 SCs, 12 CHCs, one Maternity Hospital , 1 Medical Block in Kulgam, 26 SCs in Pulwama , 13 SCs , 5 PHCs in Shopian districts of south Kashmir as per the report.

The report proposes establishment of seven SCs in Baramulla, three SCs in Bandipora and 38 SCs in Kupwara districts of north Kashmir.

MHE department will also undertake upgradation of health centres (SCs/MACs to PHCs, PHCs to CHCs) as per the requirements of population in various districts of the Valley.

Despite the proposed establishments/upgradation of health institutions, the Valley will still reel under shortage of 757 health institutions, which, experts say, is a huge challenge to meet, especially when the state’s population growth rate stands at 23.5 % (as per Census 2011).

The current norms which are being followed by the HME department for opening/upgradation of health institutions in the state is that for every 12,000 population inhabiting a plain area or 80,000 population inhabiting a hilly area, one Sub-district Hospital (SDH)or a Community Health Centre (CHC) should be present.

Primary Health Centre (PHC) should be available for every 30,000 population in plain areas and 20,000 population in hilly areas.

Sub-centre (SC) or Medical Aid Centre (MAC) should be present for every 5,000 population (plain areas) and 3,000 in hilly areas.

Although the HME department has also sought assistance of the remote sensing department to conduct a survey of health centre-population ratio, in 11 districts based on Geo-Informatics Technology to be conducted in 11 districts of J&K (including Jammu division), the final report of the remote sensing department is still awaited.

The departmental report says the vacant posts in the existing health care institutions of Kashmir have been referred to various recruiting agencies and shall be filled up soon.

Anantnag, January 6
The police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested three people for issuing threats here in Dooru area of this south Kashmir district.

Police reports said the three people have been active since October 2012 and were involved in pasting posters, threatening panchayat members in the area.

The trio has been identified as Suheel Ahmad, son of Muhammad Yousuf, Mohammad Yousuf Khan, son of Mohammad Shafi Khan and Abdul Rasheed Rai, son of Ghulam Muhammad Rai, all of them residents of Raen Chowgund, Verinag in Anantnag district.

Police have seized some unused threatening posters and a couple of stamps belonging to Harkate-Jehadi-Islami (HuJI), from their possession.

“We have been looking for them since October last year after they pasted some threatening posters in the area,” said Murtaza Jaffer, SHO Dooru.

He said they were basically disgruntled after the wife of one of them, Muhammad Yousuf Khan, contested in the panchayat elections and lost. “They were doing this out of frustration after they failed to get favours from elected representatives of the panchayat. Stamps in the names of some sarpanches and panches of the area have also been seized from their possession,” said the police officer. He said the trio was arrested under the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act in October last year after the posters first appeared in the area. “Further investigation is going on under an FIR registered and more arrests are likely to follow. There is another guy who used to operate the computer for them and he is absconding as of now,” said the SHO.

Srinagar, February 6
As many as eighteen persons were injured in various road accidents across the Kashmir valley.

The police said a Tata Sumo, bearing registration number JK03B/3458, driven by Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Khull, turned turtle near Dimipora, Kulgam, yesterday evening, resulting in injuries to the driver of the vehicle and nine passengers travelling in the vehicle.

“All the injured were shifted to a local hospital for treatment,” the police said, adding that a case has been registered in this regard.

In another accident, a truck, bearing registration number JK09/0399, collided with a Tata Sumo, bearing registration number JK05B/4637, at Shadipora crossing, Bandipora, resulting in injuries to three passengers travelling in the Tata Sumo.

The injured were identified as Gulzar Ahmad Guroo, son of Abdul Raheem, Gulzar Ahmad, son of Mohammad Sultan, residents of Maninara Sumbal and Manzoor Ahmad Dar, son of Mohammad Rajab, a resident of check Ganestan Sumbal.

The police said all the injured had been shifted to hospital for treatment.

A Tata Mobile, bearing registration number JK05/6272, hit and injured a pedestrian Bashir Ahmad Khan (46), of Lalad, Sopore near Lalad crossing, Sopore.

The injured was shifted to the sub-district hospital, Sopore, from where he was referred to the SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar for further treatment.

A case has been registered in this regard by the police.

In another accident, a Xylo, bearing registration number JK04B/8479, skidded off the road and fell in a gorge near Ichkote, in the jurisdiction of Budgam police station, resulting in injuries to driver Nina Ahmad Dar, son of Hassan Dar, a resident of Arigam and three passengers travelling in the vehicle.

The injured were shifted to the District Hospital, Budgam for treatment.

A case has been registered in this regard.

Srinagar, February 6
Asking the petitions and the respondents to come up with their solutions, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has put up the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an end to the increasing number of stray dogs in Srinagar for final hearing next month.

The PIL came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Justice JP Singh and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar today. In the PIL filed by advocates Nadeem Qadri, AR Hanjura and a law student Syed Musaib, court intervention has been sought to address the stray dog problem in Srinagar city, whose population, according to the SMC, has touched over 1 lakh. Besides, there are reports of canine attacks on humans from different parts of Srinagar and other areas in the Valley.

“The court today directed for posting the matter for final hearing after four weeks,” said Mian Tufail, one of the counsel connected with the case.

The bench, he said, has meanwhile also asked all the parties concerned, including petitioners and the respondents, to come up with their solutions to the problem.

The High Court Bar Association, which has been included in the PIL as interveners, has been pressing for killing of stray dogs.

In its response filed before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in December 2012, the Bar had also pleaded for rejecting the report of the expert committee, saying the “constitution of the expert panel is defective”.

The expert committee, which was constituted to suggest ways for dealing with the problem in Srinagar city, in its report to the High Court, had suggested that Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) should launch mass awareness and advocacy campaigns to “contain” what it calls “fear and confusion about stray dogs fuelled by rumours and media hype”.

The committee had also said that the suggestion relating to mass killing of stray dogs by poisoning is not legally tenable in view of Section 7 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1990, as according to the committee report, it (the Act) prohibits killing of any animal unnecessarily.

The committee has also disapproved the suggestion about chemical sterilisation of stray dogs, saying this method of animal birth control was yet to be approved by the World Veterinary Council for safety and efficacy.

Srinagar, February 6
Weather conditions eased today after snow and rainfall over the past few days as most parts of Kashmir witnessed a sunny day. However, night temperatures plummeted below the freezing point across the Valley.

Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 10.6 degree Celsius as compared to 8.2 degree C yesterday, an official of the Meteorological Department said.

Other parts of Kashmir too witnessed an increase in day temperatures.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded 9.6 degree Celsius as the maximum temperature during the day while tourist resort Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded 6.2 degree C as the maximum temperature. Border town of Kupwara and Gulmarg ski resort in north Kashmir recorded 8.3 and 0.4 degree C as the maximum temperatures respectively.

On the other hand, night temperatures dipped throughout the Valley. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.3 degree Celsius as compared to 1.6 degree C the night before. Night temperatures in other parts of the Valley too dipped significantly as compared to the previous night.

Pahalgam saw a low of minus 8.4 degree C while Qazigund and Kupwara recorded minimum temperatures of minus 4.0 and minus 3.7 degree C.

Gulmarg remained the coldest place in the Valley, recording minimum temperature of minus 13.0 degree C as compared to minus 5.0 degree C the night before.

The minimum temperatures recorded at Srinagar, Qazigund, Pahalgam and Kupwara the night before were 1.6, 0.8, 0.5 and 0.0 degree C respectively.

Even as the MeT office had earlier forecast inclement weather conditions in the Valley till February 7, the weatherman has now forecast dry weather conditions for the next 24 hours.

Snow and rainfall had lashed most parts of Kashmir for three consecutive days till yesterday evening.

Srinagar, February 6
The all-girl rock band issue, which has generated a huge controversy over women’s rights in the Valley, is all set to figure in the maiden meeting of State Mission Authority (SMA) for empowering women, which is incidentally being headed by the Chief Minister, who first came out in support of the rock band.

The SMA was constituted in October last year by the J&K Government for empowering women socially, economically and educationally. The SMA has 17-member panel headed by Chief Minister to monitor the implementation of women-centric schemes and programmes in the state.

“Though the first meeting of the panel will discuss wider issues about women empowerment in the state, the issue of all-girl rock band will also come up for discussion,” said Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

Sagar is part of the panel along with Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers for Finance; Housing and Urban Development; Health, Horticulture and Floriculture; Industries and Commerce; School Education; Rural Development; Revenue and Relief; Higher Education, Labour and Employment; Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Forest and Environment.

“The issue of rock band is pertaining to women and it is being discussed everywhere so it will be discussed at the highest level in the meeting,” Sagar added.

The girl band comprising three Class X students Farah Deeba, Aneka Khalid, and Noma Nazir, decided to quit in the wake of a 'fatwa' issued by grand Mufti of Kashmir, terming singing as anti-Islamic. The band had earlier received online threats after their first live performance in Srinagar in December last year.

Another member of the panel said that among other things that would be discussed in the proposed meeting apart from the betterment of women includes the elimination of violence against women.

“Why should we shy away from things discussing at the highest level. The all girls band had received online threats and we need to discuss in these meetings,” he said.

Apart from the all band issue, the authority would also take stock of women related schemes and their effective delivery to the target groups. 

Srinagar, February 6
Body of a 25-year-old was found in Bemina locality of Srinagar city on Wednesday.

The body of Aadil Ahmad Makru, son of Ghulam Mohammad, resident of Firdous Colony, Bemina, Srinagar, was recovered last night from an isolated place near BSNL exchange, Bemina, Srinagar. “Police has initiated inquest proceedings under section 174 of CrPC,” a spokesman said. — TNS

Srinagar, February 6
The University of Kashmir will conduct various training programmes for all the postal staff in the Kashmir region.

The Department of Posts (DoP), J&K circle, spokesman said the training, which was scheduled to begin next month, would be imparted to the staff so that the post office functions in a professional manner. “This decision was taken in a joint meeting held between John Samuel, Chief Postmaster General, J&K Circle and Prof Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir,” the DoP spokesman added.

Samuel said the training would cover key areas, including personality development, leadership development, financial management, total quality management, marketing management, customer relationship skills. “The training programmes will be developed by the University of Kashmir and all the staff members of the post office will undergo the training in a phased manner. A workshop on gender sensitisation will be organised by the University of Kashmir for the post office staff,” he added.

Samuel also announced that the staff would be sent to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Mysore for training on various postal products.