Srinagar, May 12
Heavy rain since today morning has led to inundation of vital roads, lanes and bylanes in Srinagar city, causing traffic jams and posing difficulties for pedestrian movement.

Although locals say the existing infrastructure proves insufficient to tackle the problem, the state government has also got into action mode by starting the construction of a sewage treatment plant of 60 MD capacity with 60% of the work having already been completed. The project also includes laying of trunk, lateral and raider sewer lines across major residential and commercial areas of the city and providing house connections, which the authorities hope would be able to solve the drainage problems in the city.

Owing to poor drainage system and road digging work, the problem of waterlogging has worsen with only a brief spell of rainfall enough to flood roads and streets of the summer capital.

Though traffic movement was less than normal today because of being Sunday, locals are peeved with the way authorities have handled the waterlogging problem.

“The roads and residential areas in Srinagar are usually inundated with rainwater even if it rains for a brief time. It becomes difficult to walk in the residential colonies as the roads haven’t been repaired for years. The dilapidated roads get choked due to rains, posing a lot of problems to drivers and pedestrians alike,” said Tanveer Ahmad Beigh, a Nawakadal resident of Srinagar.

Rains submerged many areas, including Safa Kadal, Eidgah, Nowshehra, Soura and Ali Jan Road. The uptown areas of Gulshan Nagar, Mehjoor Nagar, Gogji Bagh, Wazir Bagh, Jawahar Nagar, Rajbagh and Bemina were also flooded with the rainwater.

In the commercial areas of Jehangir Chowk, Hari Singh High Street, Budshah Bridge, Amira Kadal Bridge, shopkeepers had a tough time with the rainwater gushing into the shops.

Srinagar, May 12
Four persons, including an eight-year-old and a 16-year-old boy, drowned in two separate incidents in the Kashmir valley while the body of a Border Security Force constable was fished out from a river near the Line of Control in north Kashmir.

Asif Ahmad Gujjar (8), a student of Class II and a resident of Gutoora Gujjar Basti near Awantipora, slipped into Akbar stream and drowned. The body of Gujjar was fished out and handed over to his family, a police spokesman said.

Three people were feared drowned while fishing on the banks of the Jhelum near Uri town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Hafizullah Badana, 55, his son Nayeem Badhana, 16, and Aftab Badhana, 30, had gone for fishing at Dachi and did not return their homes till late in the day.

Families of the missing trio began a search for them during which it was found that the three men had drowned in the river, the spokesman said adding that the police has begun efforts to fish out the bodies.

Meanwhile, the police recovered the body of a BSF head constable Krishan Anand Tawari from the Kishanganga river near Wanpora bridge in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

Tawari had drowned nine months ago in August last year in a flood at Barroie village Bridge Camp.

Srinagar, May 12
The J&K Hoteliers Club (JKHC) has urged the government to grant industry status to the tourism sector in a ‘real sense’.

“Even though the tourism sector has already been given the status of an industry, it is not being given any industrial benefit. The hotel industry is the biggest employer in the state and generates good revenue and economy for the government. The government should give it the industrial benefits in the real sense so that we can serve tourists more efficiently,” JKHC chairman Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya said after a quarterly general meeting of the club held here last evening.

He also urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to address the issues related to tourism sector during the Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

Stating that entry tax on the import of the goods for hoteliers was a huge burden on them, Chaya said: “These goods are not meant for resale in the state but the entry tax is still charged on them. It is breaking the back of hoteliers.”

Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club Executive Committee member Mohammad Afzal Parray claimed tourist inflow in the state had declined by 50 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year.

He urged the Chief Minister to address the problems being faced by the hospitality sector.

Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club joint secretary-general Tariq Rashid Ghani said the hospitality sector was facing many problems related to infrastructure development and income and commercial taxes, which should be addressed in the advisory meeting.

Srinagar, May 12
To monitor the quality of mutton supplied to the state and to look into the suggestion of setting up livestock checkposts at three entry points of the state, the government has set up a six-member high-level committee, which has been asked to submit its report within a week.

The committee has been set up following directions by the high court, which had directed the state government to constitute a committee to set up livestock checkposts for monitoring the quality of mutton being supplied in the state.

The court wanted the state government to set up the checkposts at the entry points to the state, including at Lakhanpur in Jammu and Lower Munda in Kashmir along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

“Pursuant to the direction, the General Administration Department (GAD) has constituted the committee vide order no. 682-GAD of 2013 dated April 25, 2013” Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, has submitted in his latest compliance report to the high court, which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) for implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act in the state.

“The Committee has been asked to examine the suggestions of Municipal Veterinary Officer, SMC, Srinagar, which have been taken on record by the HC division Bench and to consider setting up of livestock checkposts at Lakhanpur, Lower Munda (Srinagar-Jammu highway) and Hirpora, Shopian (Mughal road)”, the Commissioner Secretary, Health has said in his compliance report to the court, who is also holding the additional charge of Commissioner Food Safety.

The committee comprises Commissioner, Food Safety, who shall act as the convener of the said committee, and five members, including Administrative Secretary, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution department, Special/Additional Secretary to the Government, Finance Department and the Health Officers of Srinagar and Jammu Municipal Corporations.

Observing that there is a deficient mechanism in place to control the activities of butchers and to check the slaughtering of animals and sale of quality mutton, the high court in its orders dated April 4, 2013, had taken on record the suggestions as formulated by the Municipal Veterinary Officer.

The Municipal Veterinary Officer, Srinagar, in his suggestion had proposed the setting up of livestock checkposts and other measures to control the quality of mutton and the activities of butchers.

The high court in its April orders had also asked the divisional authorities in Kashmir, including the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department, to inform the court as to whether the mutton sold in the markets was “categorised” and what price had been fixed for each category of the mutton by the authorities concerned.

“In case price of the mutton is fixed, the same shall be made public through the print media. In addition, checking squads shall be constituted which will conduct surprise visits at the mutton shops to see as to whether quality mutton is available on those shops and is being sold at rates fixed,” the high court had said in its previous orders.

“Call numbers of head of the checking squads shall be published so that the consumers are able to inform the squad for action against the violators,” it had added while asking the authorities concerned to take “police assistance” wherever required to check the violators of these orders.

Srinagar, May 12
After deferring their protest programme for nearly three months, the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various government employees' bodies, has decided to resume its stir. The JCC today announced it will hold district-wide protests across the state on May 23 and would intensify the agitation if its demands are not met by then.

“We are only being meted out promises that are never fulfilled and today we decided to resume protests. We will hold protests at all districts on May 23 for two hours and then submit a memorandum of demands at the offices of the respective Deputy Commissioners,” JCC leader Farooq Trali told The Tribune.

He said the JCC took this decision during a meeting held here by around 60 employee leaders from across the state, including Abdul Qayoom Wani and Khurshid Alam. “In case our pleas remain unheard, we will announce a crucial protest calendar on May 23,” Trali added.

He said the JCC had postponed its earlier strike call from February 19 to 23 due to assurances from the authorities that their demands would be met and also because of the situation in the aftermath of the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The employees’ demands include release of arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, removal of pay anomalies and regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers working in various government departments.

The other JCC demands are inclusion of five years of contractual service of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers in the service book and regularisation of education volunteers after seven years of service.

After a series of protests and strikes by the employees last year, the government had reached an agreement with the JCC wherein the employees were assured that a decision on their demands would be announced by September 30. However, the JCC then resumed protests, saying the government had failed to fulfil the promises made to them. This year too, the government had urged the employee leaders to resolve their issues through talks but the same had been rejected by the JCC.

The demands Release of arrears recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission Hike in retirement age from 58 to 60 years Removal of pay anomalies Regularisation of daily wagers and casual workers working in various govt departments

Srinagar, May 12
In order to combat heavy rush of students wishing to study at the University of Kashmir, the authorities may conduct evening classes on the lines of Delhi University and Jawahar Lal Nehru University.

The university management has forwarded a proposal to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for construction of classroom complexes where afternoon and evening classes could be held so that a larger number of students could be accommodated in the university.

The intake capacity of the KU is only 10 per cent of the number of applications it receives for the admissions, forcing thousands of students to opt for other universities.

The university received more than 36,000 applications against 3,000 seats in 42 postgraduate courses in 2012.

Prof Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, Kashmir University, said evening classes might be started for postgraduate students of Arts field initially and later on, for students of the science stream.

“Since the students of science stream may need access to laboratories, we might not be able to provide them to students of the afternoon and evening batches. For arts students, there is no need for labs so their classes can be conducted,” the Vice-Chancellor said.

He said the problem of the limited intake capacity of the KU would be addressed by the government. He said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had been apprised of the problem and had been urged to develop classroom complexes.

“The CM is keen on solving the problem of the limited capacity at the KU. If we get a nod on that proposal, we may be able to accommodate many more students,” the VC said.

The KU is the most preferred university in the Valley when it comes to pursuing various postgraduate and post doctorate courses and in the last few years, aspirants have been demanding an increase in its intake capacity.

Srinagar, May 12
In seventies, Bollywood stars would dance around the poplar trees on the Srinagar-Baramulla road during the shooting of films, but now these old decaying trees are posing a threat to the people travelling on this highway.

Many dry and decayed poplar trees, which are present on the roadsides not only pose a threat to life but also to property during high-speed winds. In the past, there have been reports of casualties due to the felling of these old decayed trees.

“These plants add to the beauty of the highway, but at the same time the government must keep in mind the safety of general masses who travel on the road,” said Showkat Ahmed, a businessman from Patan area of north Kashmir. “Whenever there are high velocity winds, I don’t travel on the highway as many trees are decayed and pose a serious threat,” he added.

In fact, Ahmed has witnessed a tragic accident few years ago when a Haj pilgrim died while returning home.

“A poplar tree fell on the Haji’s vehicle near Patan and he died on the spot,” Ahmed said. “We have approached the authorities many a times to axe those trees who had decayed but the government is not taking the issue seriously,” he added.

The state government, a few years ago, had also constituted a committee to identify old decayed trees on the highway so that they could be axed.

“The committee submitted its report and after which some trees were removed. But the work was later stopped due to unknown reasons,” said Farooq Ahmed, another resident, of Sopore.

Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Ghulam Ahmad Khwaja said the administration was ordering axing of the decayed trees whenever any such complaint was lodged with the Public Works Department or the administration.

“We don’t delay the axing of these old trees that pose any threat,” Khwaja said.

Srinagar, May 12
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today said youth were emerging as the party’s greatest strength as they see their aspirations and just concerns being adequately accommodated in PDP’s pro-people agenda.

She said with youth on the forefront of the new movement, winds of change have already started blowing from Lakhanpur to Salamabad and it would fructify in 2014.

“The state’s youth have to play a crucial role in shaping up a politically emancipated and economically vibrant future for the state and they see the PDP as the most appropriate platform to realise that dream,” Mehbooba said while addressing a party workers’ convention at Kathair Gund in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

Party leaders Tariq Hameed Karra, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjoora, Dr Samir Kaul, Saifuddin Bhat and Nazir Ahmad Itoo also addressed the convention.

Mehbooba said youth of the state had great expectations from the PDP as the party had represented their just concerns and aspirations in a dignified manner. “The youth are our party's strength,” she said, adding that the PDP would safeguard their interests at all levels.

Srinagar, May 12
Reiterating the government’s commitment for ensuring the holistic development of Srinagar, Minster for Rural Development and Panchayti Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar has said that a comprehensive plan is being made to ensure its beautification.

The minster said this while interacting with deputations of various localities during his visit to the old city.

He was here to oversee the arrangements put in place for Urs of Bahav-ud-Din-Ganj Baksh and the pace of the beautification work on the Hazrat Bulbul Sahab Shrine.

Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Dr GN Qasba and other senior officials of various departments accompanied the minister.

The minster while interacting with people said many steps had been initiated by the government for ensuring the sustained development of the city.

“A comprehensive plan has been taken for developing some areas of the city as a hub of tourism, which will go a long way in boosting trade and economic activities in the area,” Sagar said.