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Congress ready to take on NC
17 years on, Jammu still awaits ropeway project
Kashmiri Pashmina gets mark of authenticity
Army steps in, brings relief to people of Doda |
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SMS ban redundant
Kamal big threat to coalition, should be expelled: Cong
Guv, CM, ministers greet people on Shab-e-Qadr
National Conference MLC calls on President
Guv compliments postal dept for earning record
revenue
Meditation course for CRPF concludes
Tokyo university team meets Governor
Governor NN Vohra with Kenji Isezaki and Sameer Yasir at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar on Monday. A Tribune photograph
Rangers open fire, injure BSF guard
Guv, Sopori discuss Amarnath yatra issues
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Congress ready to take on NC
Jammu, August 5 Congress sources said the party leadership had been finding it difficult to control the anger of the cadre as a majority of party workers were of the opinion that the National Conference leadership was deliberately adopting a casual approach to rein in Kamal, who had launched a vicious campaign against the Congress leadership. By launching a campaign in favour of the food security scheme, the Congress leadership would provide opportunities to its leaders to launch a counter-assault on the National Conference as the party high command had already given
directions to the party to expose those who were opposing the scheme. The anger of party workers against the National Conference would be properly utilised during the campaign as the National Conference was opposed to the extension of the scheme to the state, the sources said, adding that the Congress was not ready to dilute its stand on the issue, unlike the extension of the 73rd Amendment of the
Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, Congress leaders and workers had started exerting pressure on the state leadership to issue an ultimatum to the National Conference leadership to take action against Kamal, who had passed some remarks against Soz and other Congress leaders. Party workers conveyed this demand to the leadership and warned that the party would be humiliated if no action was taken against Kamal, who had, according to them, crossed all limits in attacking the Congress leadership and publicly announced that he would not repent his utterances. State Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma admitted that party cadre was fuming due to Kamal's provocative statements. "We are trying to control our agitating workers, but they are running out of patience because no action has been taken against Kamal despite using abusive and indecent
language against the leadership of the party which is a part of the coalition," he said, adding that it was unfortunate that such remarks were passed by the additional general secretary of the National
Conference. Meanwhile, the Mahila Congress today started a village-level campaign to educate the masses about the food security scheme launched by the Centre. Mahila Congress activists asserted that Congress would not compromise on this scheme which had been formulated to ensure the supply of food at low rates to the deserving and the needy. The tone and tenor of Mahila Congress activists were clear during the campaign as they asserted that those opposing the scheme were anti-poor. |
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17 years on, Jammu still awaits ropeway project
Jammu, August 5 Officials said the failure to submit crucial documents on time before the Union Environment Ministry and the Supreme Court-constituted Central Empowered Committee for over a decade was the main reason for the delay in getting approval for the project. For construction in environmentally fragile areas in the country, the Supreme Court had constituted a committee to clear the projects and its approval is necessary for starting the work. “For years, there was a row between the state’s Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the J&K Cable Car Corporation which affected its (project’s) progress. Still there is no surety whether the work will start on the Rs 46-crore project after clearance by the Centre as there is much political interference,” said a senior tourism officer. When Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the state Cabinet had given a go ahead to the project in 1996 to boost the tourism sector in Jammu. It was to connect Mubarak Mandi, Mahamaya Temple, Bagh-e-Bahu, Bawe Wali Mata Temple, Peerkho Temple, allowing people to enjoy the beauty of these places. Officials said the Srinagar ropeway project was likely to be commissioned after August 15. It will become a major attraction for the tourists visiting the Valley. Director, Tourism, Jammu, Sojanya Sharma claimed that the final approval was a few weeks away. “The Supreme Court had taken up the case in July and they are satisfied with the steps taken to safeguard the environment during construction. Approval will come in a few weeks.” In July last year, the Pollution Control Board had conducted a public hearing to get feedback from people regarding the project, after which the report was sent to the Union Environmental Ministry for clearance. Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation Tufail Mattoo said work could only start when the Supreme Court cleared the project. “We are waiting for the approval to start the work.” Hotel association president Inderjeet Khajuria alleged that many tourist-related projects were deliberately being delayed. “Nobody in taking interest in developing the tourism potential of the temple city. Every project is either running behind schedule or being caught in red-tapism. The government needs to speed up the clearance process,” Khajuria said. |
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Kashmiri Pashmina gets mark of authenticity
Srinagar, August 5 “A label would be attached to each hand woven Kashmiri Pashmina shawl after testing the originality of the fabric, fineness of the thread, spinning method and weaving technology,” an official spokesman informed. He added that Kashmir Pashmina Mark would also indicate the details of the manufacturer and the quality of the shawl. “It carries a number about which all the details would be on the website,” he said. Omar while interacting with the weavers, on the occasion, asserted that it was his government’s endeavour to restore the glory of state handicrafts. “My effort is to remove all fake handicrafts being sold in the State in the name of Kashmir. To start with spurious Pashmina shawls would be replaced by the Kashmir patent hand woven original Pashmina shawls. This would make genuineness rule the roost in Pashmina manufacturing in the State and will also ensure respect and substantial remuneration to the weavers,” Omar said. “When machine made and fake handicrafts are differentiated from hand-made once, the purchasers would buy the genuine items thus giving boost to the economy of artisans,” he added. The CM, who also inaugurated the Testing Centre, said, “The establishment of Testing and Quality Certification Centre at Craft Development Institute (CDI), Nowshera was a vanguard step to stop fake and unscrupulous trade in handicrafts sector.” “Government has already obtained Geographical Indication (GI) for six handicrafts and all these would be provided similar testing facilities and GI marks, so that their marketing in the National and International market receives considerable fillip,” he informed. Omar gave two years target to CDI to replace all fake Pashmina shawls from the market and to ensure cent per cent labelling
of hand woven patent Kashmir Pashmina, so that confidence and trust is built in the world market about the genuineness of these articles.
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Army steps in, brings relief to people of Doda
Doda, August 5 Before the Army stepped in and helped the people, the youth of Ghat village, five kilometres from Doda town, were keeping a vigil on miscreants, but were not able to end stone throwing. For the last many days, people of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts were facing stone throwing on their houses during the night, especially while offering 'taraweeh' (special prayers offered at night during Ramadan). This had caused fear in the area. People had informed the police about the matter, but there had not been any concrete response. When the police failed to protect the people and provide a fearless atmosphere, the Army stepped in and brought relief to the people on Sunday night. According to residents of Ghat village, the Army had told the 'imam' (religious head) of Ghat that it would conduct night patrolling outside the village and the youth should take care inside the village. “There was no report of any stone throwing on the night the Army stepped in. People were having sleepless nights, but it was a peaceful Sunday night till a small tremor shook the area around 2 am,” said Imran Jahangir (32) of Ghat village. Local residents praised the efforts of the Army for stepping in to provide relief to the people at a time when the police had failed to perform its duty. The police had been terming as rumours the reports of stone throwing. “This is the handiwork of rumour mongers, but we have increased patrolling,” Arif Rishu, Doda Superintendent of Police had said a few days back. There was no end to the incidents till Sunday night, when the Army stepped in. |
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SMS ban redundant
Srinagar, August 5 As per telecom operators based in Kashmir, the SMS ban is applicable on over 80 per cent of mobile phone users in the Valley who are prepaid service subscribers. There is no huge demand in Kashmir for postpaid phone connections, on which SMS is available. J&K STD PCO Association chairman Bashir Ahmad Dar said people were rarely opting for postpaid phone connections even if SMS was available on those. “A majority of subscribers are prepaid phone users who avail themselves of the facilities of texting, video calling and group chat by buying an Internet pack. Once the pack is activated, any online application can be downloaded and one can easily text others. There are added benefits in downloading the instant messaging applications which are not possible with SMS,” he said. WhatsApp in particular is a favourite among the youth for its multiple features, including free text messaging, sending images, audio sharing, group chat and locations of users. With the cost of smartphones having declined recently, more youth are buying smartphones to avail themselves of instant messaging facilities and stay in touch with family and friends. “Itwas not able to text my family in Kashmir due to the SMS ban. With instant messaging applications like WhatsApp now commonly being used there, staying in touch is easier,” said Jameel Ahmad, telecommunications engineer based in Delhi. Telecommunications service providers are yet to make sense of the SMS ban in the Valley as people are freely texting each other by using applications. “The SMS ban has no relevance now. Breach in security, the reason
for which it was imposed, has lost ground,” said Muhammad Qayoom, Vodafone executive. |
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Kamal big threat to coalition, should be expelled: Cong
Srinagar, August 5 “The Congress demands an apology from the NC and Kamal's expulsion from the NC as he is a big threat to the coalition government,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) vice-president and Member of Legislative Council Gulam Nabi Monga said in a strongly worded statement here today. “Congress ministers will be told to stay away from Cabinet meetings until an apology is offered by Kamal for his utterances,” he added. Kamal had recently accused JKPCC president Saifuddin Soz of backstabbing the NC. Monga asserted that Soz did not need anyone’s certificate and Congress leaders strongly condemned the “indecent and abusive utterances” of Kamal against its senior leaders. “They (Congress leaders) said it has become Kamal’s habit to accuse the Congress leadership for no reason. It seems that he does not want the coalition to run smoothly,” Monga said. He added that party leaders said Kamal should know that they were in power because of the Congress and he should self-introspect instead of accusing its leadership. Other Congress leaders who attended the meeting included Abdul Gani Khan, Anayatullah Rather, Farooq Andrabi, Syed Yaseen Shah, Zahid Hussain Jan, Master Mohammad Maqbool, Gulam Mohammad Shiekh, Khursheed Ahmad Zargar and Nissar Ahmad Khan.
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Guv, CM, ministers greet people on Shab-e-Qadr
Srinagar, August 5 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah underlined the significance of Shab-e-Qadr and said the unique and holy night, which the Almighty Allah chose to reveal the Koran to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for the guidance of the mankind, provided us an opportunity to seek his forgiveness and welfare. In his message on the eve of Shab-e-Qadr being observed on the 26th night of Ramadan, the Chief Minister wished prosperity and peace to the state and prayed for the betterment of the people. He expressed the hope that the holy night would bring Allah’s munificence to all. The Speaker, Mubarak Gul, hoped that Shab-e-Qadr would usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the state. Cabinet ministers and ministers of state have also felicitated the people of the state on the occasion, an official spokesman said. They hoped that the occasion would further strengthen the bonds of communal harmony and brotherhood and usher the state into a period of sustained peace, progress and prosperity. They also prayed for the well-being of the people of the state. The ministers highlighted the significance of Shab-e-Qadr for mankind and said it was an irreplaceable and holy night when the Almighty Allah chose to reveal the Koran to Prophet Muhammad for the guidance of the mankind. They said “the occasion provides an opportunity to us to spend the night in praying and seeking forgiveness and blessings from Allah.”
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National Conference MLC calls on President
Jammu, August 5 Ganai today met President Pranab Mukerjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan and appealed to him to direct the Union Government to take necessary steps in this regard, so that more people to people contacts are initiated between the divided regions of the state. She submitted that the historic Mughal Road should also be upgraded to allow the smooth movement of people towards the Kashmir valley, as it had narrowed the road distance between different regions of the state. In a memorandum submitted to the President, she demanded that the rail link should be extended to Poonch and Rajouri districts for the economic development of the region. “Despite provocation, people of these districts have remained the supporters of nationalistic forces. The educated youth of both districts are facing a challenge of unemployment and there is a need to start a recruitment drive in the paramilitary forces and public sector undertakings,” Ganai has submitted in the memorandum to the President. She said the local youth should be given preference in various activities, aimed at providing logistical support to the armed forces, such as transportation, supply of ration, vegetables, fruits and awarding small civil contracts to them so as to develop the stake of the local population in the deployment of the Army in the region.
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Guv compliments postal dept for earning record
revenue
Srinagar, August 5 Samuel briefed the Governor about the continuing improvements being brought about in the functioning of the Department of Posts in the state and the new initiatives, which are being taken to improve the delivery system to ensure against delays, an official statement said here. Vohra, meanwhile, congratulated Samuel for taking the postal services to the farthest corners of the state and for upgrading the existing facilities. He also complimented Samuel for the Postal Department earning record revenue of Rs 33 crore in 2012-13, which marked a growth of over 50 per cent over the previous fiscal.
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Meditation course for CRPF concludes
Srinagar, August 5 He added that 174 personnel and their families participated in the meditation sessions, which were held at RTC Humhama. Two-member team from the Art of Living led the sessions with the CRPF personnel, the spokesman said. “How to live happy in this type of (tense) environment was the basic motto of the course,” Prasad said. The Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also participated in the concluding session of the five-day course held at Humhama today.
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Tokyo university team meets Governor
Srinagar, August 5 Isezaki briefed the Governor about the ongoing collaboration between the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and the Islamic University of Science and Technology at Awantipore in teaching, research and exchange visits of faculty and students in the area of peace and conflict studies. The Governor suggested to Isezaki to consider the usefulness of collective endeavours for the identification of practical approaches to deal with fast-emerging problems engendered by global warming and climate change, which were as threatening as military conflicts and terrorism. Isezaki was accompanied by Aya Fukhda, project manager, global campus programme, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and Sameer Yasir, assistant professor, Islamic University of Science and Technology.
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Rangers open fire, injure BSF guard
Jammu, August 5 The incident took place near the Narainpur border outpost of the BSF in the Ramgarh sector, he added. “At least two rounds of sniper fire hit the guard on right side of his chest. He was immediately evacuated to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu, where his condition was stated to be stable,” he said. The spokesperson said the BSF exercised restraint and did not retaliate to the unprovoked and unwarranted act of the Rangers.
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Amid the war of words over remarks by National Conference additional general secretary Sheikh Mustafa Kamal against state Congress chief Saifuddin Soz, the Congress today kickstarted its campaign for implementing the food security scheme to settle scores with the alliance partner.
The Congress attack is based on the fact that the National Conference has opposed extending the food security scheme to Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar, August 5
