Srinagar, August 6
Boys have outshone girls in the CET-2013, which was held on July 27 and 28, as most of the top 20 positions in the merit list have been grabbed by the boys.

The results of the rescheduled CET were declared by the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) today.

The examinations were held for admission to various professional courses such as medicine, engineering, veterinary sciences, dentistry and forestry in various educational institutes of the state.

After many hiccups and controversies, the BOPEE had conducted the rescheduled entrance test on July 27 and 28, in which over 21,000 students had appeared.

“The results of the CET-2013 have been declared and it is also available on the official website,” 
said BOPEE chairman GD Sharma.

He said names of 800 students appeared in the merit list for MBBS, BDS and other allied courses, among which 500 seats are for the MBBS. “In the merit list for engineering courses, names of 1,200 students have been declared,” he said.

In the merit list prepared for medical courses like MBBS/BDS, the top position was grabbed by Haroon Rashid, a resident of Poshpora village in Kupwara district, in the open category. Haroon stood first in the merit list with 207 marks out of 225.

The second position was grabbed by Hafsa Muzaffar Gundroo in the open category with 199.6 marks.

The third position was allotted to Babar Mohmad, who had also secured 199.6 marks. The cut-off in the open merit category was 160 marks.

Besides, in the merit list for medical courses like MBBS, boys outnumbered girls by grabbing 12 slots out of the top 20 positions.

On the conduct of the exams, keeping in view the past controversy, Sharma said, “I think the conduct of this exam is more than satisfactory. Basically, CET is a very sensitive issue as the hopes of thousands of candidates and parents are connected with it. By that standard, conducting CET is one of the most challenging jobs in the state.”

The entrance test was earlier held on June 22 and 23 but was later cancelled after biology paper was given to students instead of chemistry at some exam centres in the city.

The BOPEE authorities faced a lot of flak for the goof-up. There were also allegations of paper leak.

Baramulla, August 6
Wild animals are on a killing spree in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. In a recent spate of attacks, a minor girl was mauled to death by a wolf in Tangwari Bala Kreeri, while a bear attacked and killed a man in Tangmarg yesterday.

Residents of Tangwari Bala and Tangmarg said wild animals, mostly bears and wolves, were on prowl and they were living amid immense fear.

Eight-year-old Khushbo Jan was mauled to death by a wolf near a stream in her village. The victim was rushed to the sub-district hospital, Kreeri, in a critical condition, where she succumbed to her injuries. The wild animal pounced on her from behind and brutally chopped her throat and abdomen.

In another incident, a black bear attacked and killed 60-year-old Abdul Satar Bhat at Botte village of Tangmarg. The victim, a retired wildlife employee, was grazing cattle in a nearby forest when the bear attacked and killed him on the spot. Doctors declared him brought dead in Tangmarg hospital. Earlier on July 12 and 13, wolves attacked and killed 10-year-old Yasir Khan near his house in Harushnar, Kreeri, and 12-year-old Adil Ahmad in Hale hamlet of Kreeri village.

An official of the wildlife department said the department had set up cages in affected areas, including Kreeri, to trap the man-eaters. “So far, we have not met with success but we keep on changing the cages to trap the man-eaters. In addition, a team of hunters is already on the job since the past few weeks but hunting for them has become difficult due to the presence of people in paddy, maize and vegetable fields,” he said.

Locals demanded that more cages should be set up in the village and surveillance stepped up to trap the animals. “The department should set up more cages and engage hunters to trap or hunt down the man-eaters. They are posing threat to the lives of humans and livestock,” said Mohd Shafi, a resident of Kreeri.

In another incident, a bear attacked and injured Ghulam Rasool Sheikh near his house at Sutharan village of Budgam district last evening. He was rushed to the Public Health Center, Khag, from where he was shifted to the JVC Bemina for treatment, where his condition was stated to be critical.

Srinagar, August 6
Lailatul Qadr, also called Shab-e-Qadr, was observed with religious fervour as devotees remained engrossed in nightlong prayers and supplications till dawn today at mosques and shrines across the Valley.

As Shab-e-Qadr is considered to be the holiest night of the fasting month of Ramadan, the largest congregations were held at the historic Jama Masjid in the old city and the Hazratbal shrine on the banks of Dal Lake. The area around the Hazratbal shrine, which houses the holy relic of Prophet Muhammad, wore a festive look. While the mosque and shrine premises were decorated with colourful lights and a large number of stalls selling eatables and other goods had been set up on the occasion, a large attendance of people was witnessed at other shrines as well including that of Makhdoom Sahib.

Sources said Lailatul Qadr was observed with religious fervour at other parts of the Valley as well.

After Isha and Tarawhi prayers last night, religious heads threw light on the significance of the holy night. Shab-e-Qadr, according to Muslim traditions, usually falls on the 27th night of Ramadan. However, scholars say it can also fall on any odd night of the last 10 days of the fasting month. Keeping in view the sanctity of the night, many Muslims engage in nightlong prayers during all the odd nights of Ramadan. However, the night is at large observed on the 27th night of Ramadan.

Preparations for Eid-ul-Fitr pick up full steam after Shab-e-Qadr only. Eid will be celebrated on coming Friday or Saturday subject to the appearance of the crescent. To deal with heavy rush of shoppers ahead of Eid, the traffic plan issued by the government for areas in and around the city centre Lal Chowk was put into effect from today.

Srinagar, August 6
Several hoteliers, traders, travel agents and other associations of the tourism sector hosted a joint Iftaar (fast breaking) party last evening.

Minister of Tourism GA Mir, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Shailendra Kumar, Director Tourism Kashmir Talat Parvaiz, SP Traffic Haseeb-ur-Rehman and other senior officials besides several media persons attended the Iftaar party that was held in the Raj Bagh area of the city.

The Iftaar party was jointly organised by the tourism players of both Kashmir and Jammu regions including Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Federation (KHAROF), Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHARA), House Boat Owners Association (HBOA), Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) and J&K Tourism Alliance (JKTA) among others.

While Iftaar parties are being hosted in Ramadhan, that provide an opportunity to people to interact with representatives of various sections of society. So far, everyone right from the Chief Minister to separatist leaders have hosted iftaar parties . These parties are usually held during the last 10 days of the fasting month.

Srinagar, August 6
Opposing the extension of lease agreement to the Army in the Tosamaidan tourist area in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, a petition has been submitted before the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) here by some activists.

In the petition, which is likely to come up next week, the rights commission has been asked to issue directions to the state government not to extend the lease of the Tosamaidan pasture in favour of the Ministry of Defence.

Already, local residents are up in arms against extending the firing range lease at Tosamaidan meadow in central Kashmir to the Army. The residents of around 16 villages surrounding the Tosamaidan have formed a committee, Tosamaidan Bachao Front, to oppose the lease agreement and to press for the shifting of the firing range to some other place.

Panches and sarpanches of villages around Tosamaidan and civil society activists are the members the front. The lease agreement ends in April next year.

“The state government may be directed not to extend the lease of the area in favour of the Ministry of Defence as the life and property of the local residents is at stake,” it has been said in the petition filed by a delegation of RTI activists led by Raja Muzaffar Bhat.

The petition seeks to protect the “right to live” of the inhabitants of Chell, Brass, Shonglipora, Drang and other villages located beneath and around the Tosamaidan meadow in Khag and Khansahib tehsils of Budgam district, by saying that due to the presence of the firing range, “locals are not able to earn livelihood through tourist trade and exploitation of admissible forest produce (medicinal plants, herbs etc), which could be the important source of their income.”

Due to abject poverty and non-availability of jobs, the petition says, many local people are involved in severe timber smuggling which has led to death and destruction of the forests in Tosamaidan area.

“But since mid 1960’s, this area has been used as a firing range by the Artillery Regiment of the Indian Army,” the petition says.

“The firing drills have lead to deaths and destruction in the area which was never a deliberate attempt but has been always accidental. However, these deaths have indeed been caused by the military presence in the area,” it says, while adding that the local residents are under continuous threat from the mortar/artillery shelling being undertaken by the Army since last many decades at Tosamaidan.

The villagers have also been joined by hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who has warned the state government to "desist" from extending the lease to the Army. Geelani said the government should ask the Army to vacate the land as the lease agreement period had already expired.

Srinagar, August 6
The private cable operators after three months of delay seem to have finally woken-up to the process of digitisation of cable TV network.

The process, which involves installation of set-top boxes, has finally begun, but subscribers are complaining of consistent interruptions, especially in the telecast of religious channels, widely viewed during the holy month of Ramadan.

“After repeated pleas, our cable operator finally installed the set-top box last month. But ever since, there has not been a smooth telecast, particularly that of religious channels. The operators abruptly stop the telecast of these channels without caring about the subscribers,” alleged Muzaffar Ahmad.

Cable operators, though, negated the claims, saying interruptions were not intentional.

“The interruptions are not intentional. Since the digitisation process is still going on, the telecast faces pauses,” Ashraf Ahmad, a cable operator based in uptown Srinagar said.

Earlier, people were irked at the delay in the digitisation process as telecast to majority of the areas in Srinagar was affected.

However, Ashraf said it was a tedious process and required a lot of time.

“We were entrusted with the responsibility of digitising the network and providing set-top boxes too. We are serving thousands of subscribers in city and there are only a handful of cable operators in Srinagar. Hence the task required several months. We were just provided with a month’s extension which was clearly not enough,” Ahmad said.

Srinagar, August 6
Three youths were detained from two villages in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, days after sectarian clashes broke out in the area.

The villages, Naslahpora and Daspora, from where the trio was detained last evening, observed a shutdown today amidst heavy deployment of the police and paramilitary personnel, sources said.

The sources said the villagers were angry about the arrests and were accusing the police of making “selective detentions”.

Sectarian clashes broke out in parts of Budgam last month following which curfew was imposed in many villages of the district and army was called in to march in the area.

A senior police official confirmed the detentions, but refused to make any further comments. The sources said there was likelihood of a crackdown in Galwnpora, Naslahpora and Sholipora villages in coming days.

Anantnag, August 6
Cannabis cultivation spread over a huge chunk of land was destroyed by the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the police in Shopian district of south Kashmir region, the police said.

The Zainapora police after receiving complaints about cannabis being cultivated in Tigibagh area of Koka Mohalla raided the area.

“A raid was conducted in the area and it was found that cannabis was being cultivated over more than 20 kanals of land along the bank of the Jhelum river,” a senior police official.

He said a tractor was used to mow down the cannabis that had been cultivated along the river bank.

“The exercise is a part of the anti-narcotics campaign, the police has been actively pursuing over the last few years,” said the police official. “We have been quite successful in curbing the cultivation to a very large extent,” he added.

He said the police had also been cracking down heavily on the drug peddlers.

Srinagar, August 6
The holy mace of Lord Shiva or Chhari Mubarak of Amarnath led by Mahant Deependra Giri was taken to the historic Shankaracharya temple for prayers on the occasion of ‘haryali amavasya’ as per the age-old customs here today.

A number of saints and pilgrims participated in the prayers that lasted more than an hour. Collective prayers were also offered for the peace and prosperity of state.

The True Trust, founded by Mahant Deependra Giri in 2004, would make all the necessary arrangements for saints and needy persons from the general public coming from across the country to join the Chhari-Mubarak. The Chhari Mubarak would be taken to Sharika Bhawani temple, Hari Parbat, to pay obeisance here tomorrow.

As per tradition, the holy mace led by Deependra Giri would be taken from its abode Dashnami Akhara for the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on August 16 and to reach the cave shrine on the morning of August 21.

The annual Amarnath pilgrimage which began on June 28 would conclude on August 21 which coincides with Rakhsha Bandhan.

Srinagar, August 6
Noted academician and an expert on Iqbal studies, Prof Bashir Ahmad Nehvi, has been appointed as new Dean, Faculty of Arts at University of Kashmir for a period of three years, a statement from the University said here today.

Author and compiler of as many as 30 books in Urdu and English languages on varied themes, Prof Nehvi has conducted dozens of state and national level seminars during his tenure as Director Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy.

He is known for his oration and knowledge on Iqbal’s philosophy across the subcontinent and has guided over 50 scholars for various research programs, the statement added.

Nehvi has about 30 years of experience in electronic media as a script writer and anchor and is also a regular columnist for several known newspapers of Jammu and Kashmir.

He has also been working as resource person in the Academic Staff College of Kashmir University for last ten years, the statement added.

Srinagar, August 6
Alleging that there was a complete anarchy in the state, People’s Democratic Party today said that the people of the state have been "victimised" under ruling National Conference-Congress alliance.

“There is complete chaos all around, with acute scarcity of rations hitting almost every part of the state. Power position is deteriorating day by day, drinking water supply has become scarce, treasuries are running dry, pensioners are being denied their pension, contractors are crying for payments, daily-wagers and consolidated workers are pleading for their wages, people are being made hostage for hours together due to traffic jams…,” PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, said in a statement here.

She added that the present government seems to have no regard, even for, religious occasions, like Eid.

“What government could have ensured at least were basic minimum necessities like rations, drinking water, power, pension and wages for its workers for the upcoming festival,” she said.

Mehbooba said the ruling dispensation’s formal arrival in J&K in 2009 has brought miseries to the people.

“While people have lost hope of any significant developmental initiative being accomplished by this government, the tragedy is that, it is not even able to ask the administration to ensure at least respectable supply of rations, water, power and other such facilities to the people,” she said.

The senior leader asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to wake up from the slumber and do “justice to the chair” that he is holding.

Srinagar, August 6
In an apparent attack on People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s political secretary, Tanvir Sadiq, today alleged that the leadership of the “ink pot party” has always indulged in “politics of trickery” and said that it will not survive beyond 2014 Assembly elections.

“It (PDP) used all dubious machinations to create political turmoil and instability in the state. Judging by the people’s mood, they will not survive beyond 2014,” Sadiq said.

Pointing out at the tenure of PDP patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as the Union Home Minister, Sadiq said, “People have not forgotten how flouting all the rules, their patron through their own appointed man dismissed elected government and imposed governor’s rule by a mere executive order.”

“They are the same people who have all along weakened and diluted the special status the state enjoys under Article 370,” he added.

Sadiq alleged that PDP was responsible for subverting the democratic process in the state.

“Their president (Mehbooba Mufti) and her party have always been responsible for subverting the democratic process and creating political situations,” Sadiq said while addressing the youth here.

He added that PDP has given-up on its ‘Self Rule’ formula as a solution to Kashmir issue and it was “amusing” to hear them talk about some unexplained solution.

“They are so lame to think that people will again be hoodwinked by their dirty machinations,” Sadiq said.

War of words between the two main regional parties has escalated in the run-up to the next year’s Assembly elections since last couple of months.

Srinagar, August 6
Chief Post Master General, Jammu and Kashmir circle, John Samuel, today dedicated a modernised Khanyar Post Office in the old city to the public.

The modernisation of Khanyar Post Office was an initiative towards developing the facility as a sleek, professional and customer friendly place, which would serve people of old city in a better way, a postal department official said. “Khanyar is a big business hub, housing many business establishments and shops. Besides, there are many private and government offices and banks located in the area. The need for a modernised post office was immense,” he said.

“The post office now can serve the area better. It will be a one stop destination for the customers, satisfying all their postal needs, besides packaging and stationery needs,” the official added.

He further said all packaging products and stationery materials, including corrugated boxes, envelopes and post related products will be made available at the Khanyar Post office.

Srinagar, August 6
A State Bank of India ATM was inaugurated at the Chinar complex of Srinagar-based 15 Corp on Monday.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh dedicated the ATM to the troops of BB Cantt in the presence of a large number of senior officers, civilians and official of State Bank of India.

Srinagar, August 6
One person died while another was injured when the slab of an under construction government office collapsed in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district today.

Rouf Ahmad Bhat, 40, died when the slab of an under construction revenue department office collapsed at Safa Pora in Ganderbal, a police spokesman said.

The injured in the incident has been identified as Mohammad Ashraf Bhat.