Srinagar, September 5
On the occasion of Teacher’s Day today, state teachers have won laurels by winning four national awards which were given by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi today. The awards are presented by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Four teachers from the state who won the prestigious award were Jamella Showkat from Dewan Bagh High School, Baramulla, north Kashmir; Parvaiz Sajad from Higher Secondary School, Shopian, south Kashmir; Mohammad Yaqub from Government Primary School, Budgam, central Kashmir; and Waheeda Chowdhary from Rajouri district, Jammu region.

The government teachers who were conferred the awards worked in the remote areas of the state. Also present on the occasion were Union Minister for Human Resource Development MM Pallam Raju and Ministers of State for Human Resource Development Jitin Prasada and Shashi Tharoor.

Meanwhile, a function marking Teacher’s Day was celebrated at Tyndale Biscoe Boys School, in which state Health Minister Shabir Ahmad Khan was the chief guest.

The Global Gandhi Family's J&K chapter conferred the State Best Teacher Award to Aftab Shah from the Tyndale Biscoe School, teaching at the senior section of the school.

Receiving the award, he thanked the selection committee for selecting him for the honour and expressed his contentment and happiness. “Teachers work as hard as students. Receiving an award is always an encouragement which means that our work is acknowledged. It definitely increases the confidence of a teacher,” Aftab said.

The Health Minister said Srinagar had produced some of the best teachers and educational institutions of the state and , the city was the educational hub of the state only two decades back. “Srinagar was the place where reforms in the education system of the state were brought. People from remote districts of the state would come here in large numbers to receive quality education,” he said.

Global Gandhian Family J&K chapter president and Padma Shri awardee SP Verma said teachers from Jammu and Kashmir had done a commendable job in the turbulent conditions which was why they were showered with awards.

Srinagar, September 5
A student from Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, Abdul Manan Wani, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a hostel in Uttar Pradesh.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police, in touch with its counterparts in Uttar Pradesh, was told that Manan Wani of Channapora had committed suicide at his hostel.

J&K contacted the Ghaziabad police in connection with the death of a student of SRM College in Ghaziabad Wani, who was putting up at a private hostel, a police spokesman in Srinagar said.

According to the SHO of the Modinagar police station, under whose jurisdiction the hostel was, the police received information that a student of SRM College attempted suicide by hanging himself in this hostel room.

The student was rushed to a hospital, but he died on the way. After taking cognisance of this, the police sent the body for post-mortem examination.

The spokesman added that the Uttar Pradesh Police was looking into the cause of this extreme step by checking with his friends and call details of the mobile phone of the deceased. The Jammu and Kashmir Police was in contact with the Ghaziabad police and friends of the deceased, he said.

A group of teachers in Srinagar demanded a probe into the death of the student. People must be made aware of the reasons behind the mysterious death, said a teacher.

Srinagar, September 5
The Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here yesterday accorded sanction to the promotion of five IPS officers and other senior scale KAS officers.

The IPS officers to be promoted included T Namgiyal and T Punchok to the super time scale (II) IGP. The Cabinet approved the promotion of Vijay Singh Sambyal, JL Sharma and Bashir Ahmad Itoo to the super time scale (I) DIG.

In another decision, the Cabinet accorded sanction to the promotion of the following special scale KAS offices to the super time scale of J&K Administrative Service: Manish Dev Sharma, Salma Hamid, Mubarak Singh, Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, Farooq Ahmad Shah, Manzoor Ahmad Lone, Showkat Ahmad Zargar, Tseering Muroop and Jaipal Singh.

It also approved designation of Dev Lata, Special Secretary in Chief Minister’s Secretariat, already holding the super time scale of KAS as Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and designation of Tseering Muroop as Secretary in the Ladakh Affairs Department consequent upon his promotion to the super time scale of KAS.

The Cabinet also approved the promotion of AMM Jahangir, Director Codes, Finance Department, to the super time scale of the J&K Accounts Service from the date he was assigned the charge of the post of Director General, Accounts and Treasuries.

It also approved the promotion of Krishen Singh, Treasury Officer, Sadar Treasury, Jammu, to the special scale of J&K Accounts Service.

Srinagar, September 5
The state government has prepared a Rs 8 crore plan for Central funding to establish the Mughal road-Poonch tourist circuit via the Kashmir valley to boost economic activity in the area. This was stated by Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir while chairing the Poonch Development Authority (PDA) meeting here today.

The minister said another detailed project report would be formulated to create roadside amenities along the Mughal Road via Jammu and directed the authorities concerned to formulate detailed project reports for early submission to the Centre for approval of funds.

“The creation and upgrade of necessary tourism infrastructure facilities are underway. New scenic spots like Pushana, Doogron, Chadinarh, Sailan, Bhuriekhat, Buffliaz, Mandi Phegla, Mandi Laran and Bhimber Gali will be brought under the jurisdiction of the PDA for development,” he added.

Mir said a lake circuit was being developed in the area as a tourist attraction, adding that the Centre had approved the funding of Rs 4.19 crore and had released Rs 83.82 lakh as the first instalment.

Srinagar, September 5
Lawyers in Kashmir have elected High Court lawyer Mian Abdul Qayoom as their new Bar Association president. He defeated his rival GN Shaheen by a huge margin today.

The polling for electing the new Bar Association executive was held today and the results were declared in the evening after counting of votes.

Qayoom, who had held the post of president on several occasions, got a total of 398 votes while his rival Shaheen got 177 votes.

Ajaz Bedar defeated Bashir A Dar and Mushtaq A Pandit to be elected as the vice-president chairman of the Bar election commission Syed Manzoor told The Tribune.

He added that after the counting which was held today, Anwar-ul-Islam was declared the winner for the post of joint secretary whereas Bilal Ahmad was elected as the Bar treasurer.

A total of 11 candidates were in the fray whose fate was decided today by 782 lawyers who were eligible to vote for the annual Bar elections.

Since the morning, lawyers were seen voting for their favourite candidates and casting the ballot at the Bar office located in Sadar court complex in Srinagar.

A majority of the courts at the lower court complex and High Court in Srinagar did not witness any work as a majority of lawyers today abstained from appearing in court for their cases.

The Bar election commission had requested the member lawyers to abstain from appearing in court on September 5 in view of the Bar elections.

Srinagar, September 5
The Kashmir Super 30 project was launched in Srinagar today with its first intake of 30 engineering aspirants from families belonging to economically weaker sections.

The event was inaugurated by Brigadier RK Singh, Commander Kalapahar Brigade. A number of senior government and officials along with top corporate managers were present in the inauguration ceremony.

The initiate of the Army was aimed at facilitating free coaching to students of underprivileged section of the Valley to enable them to compete in competitive exams at the national level for higher technical education.

“The project will give shape to the vision conceptualised by Baramulla-based Dagger Division of enabling students of Kashmir for higher technical education. Giving shape to the vision will be the Centre for Social Responsibility and Leadership with its Super 30 programme,” said an Army official.

He said the Super 30 project had so far transformed many lives across the country.

“From training poor children in Bihar to crack IIT exams, the programme has reached out to the poor and underprivileged in Assam, Kanpur, Delhi and many other parts of the country,” he said.

“The 10-month programme will target underprivileged students who have the talent and aptitude for clearing entrance tests like the IITJEE and the AIEEE for admission to reputed engineering colleges, but cannot afford the expenses of the preparation and coaching thereof,” he said.

“The project is run under the academic vigilance of Abhayanand, co-founder of Super 30, Patna, to help students crack one of the toughest entrance examinations,” he added.

Kashmir Super 30 was introduced to the Kashmir valley in March with a seminar on enabling higher technical education for underprivileged students for engineering at Baramulla organised by the Dagger Division.

The seminar was followed by an entrance test for all aspirants which was conducted in all 11 districts of the Valley. Successful candidates were selected after personal interview conducted by the panel of Kashmir Super 30.

Srinagar, September 5
Acting on an application moved by the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), a court in Srinagar today directed the police to file a status report about the steps taken for evicting taxi drivers who had encroached upon a portion of prime SDA land in the heart of city last week.

The SDA approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) with an application yesterday, wherein they pleaded for directions to the police for taking action against the encroachers. The CJM had then transferred the application to the court of the Passenger Tax Magistrate, who issued the directions today.

"The SHO of Kothi Bagh police station is directed to submit a status report regarding the steps taken by him in the FIR," the magistrate said in his order today, putting up the matter for further consideration on September 10.

The decision to approach the court for further directions to the police was taken after the police, in its report to the CJM earlier this week, submitted that it had registered an FIR into the incident involving the forcible and illegal encroachment of prime SDA land by some drivers backed by a minister and a legislator of the ruling National Conference.

On August 30, the SDA approached the CJM with the plea that the Srinagar SSP and the Kothibagh SHO be directed to evict the encroachers.

Srinagar, September 5
The Kashmir Small-Scale Entrepreneurs Syndicate today reiterated its appeal to the government for a waiver of bank loans and electricity bills.

In a press note, syndicate publicity secretary Shakeel Ahmad Dar said the syndicate convened a meeting which was attended by entrepreneurs from various parts of the Valley, where they reiterated the demand for the waiver.

It was stated that small-scale entrepreneurs had suffered a lot during more than 20 years of turmoil in the Valley and that was why they were demanding the waiver. The syndicate appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to reinstate Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo.

Srinagar, September 5
A corporate house of the Kashmir Valley, Khyber Group of Industries has bagged the title rights of the upcoming 12th Tour de Kashmir cycling expedition, along with Mirza Sons and New JK Roadways as co-sponsors.

Making a major coup in the sports arena of the state, the Khyber group on Wednesday bagged the title rights of the cycling extravaganza that has been turned into a national level event this year.

A delegation of the J&K Sports Development Association (JKSDA), led by President Bashir Ahmad Malik and senior vice-president Rouf Ahmad Tramboo, held a meeting with director, Khyber Group, Umar Tramboo.

The delegation briefed Umar about the event and the idea behind it. “It is great to see business houses like Khyber Group readily agreeing to sponsor the event, that too as a title sponsor. Umar showed keen interest after getting to know about the event and assured all his help for the national-level event,” Rouf Tramboo said.

“We have been organising the Tour de Kashmir from the last 12 years, under the auspices of the J&K Cycling Association. However, it has been kept to local perspective and a one-day programme all these years. This year, we extended the event to the national level. In that perspective, it was impossible for the JKSDA to organise the event without any title sponsor,” he said.

The JKSDA president, Bashir Ahmad Malik, said Tour de Kashmir had enormous potential and it was a one-of-its-kind cycling event in the country. It would be held for five days this year.

“Khyber Group has already been sponsoring the top cyclists of the Valley since the last two years. Umar Tramboo is a sports enthusiast and knows what it takes to organise an event of this magnitude. Tour de Kashmir is a brand and it has got the potential to become international in the future,” Malik said.

The event is scheduled to be held from September 21 to 25. The event that draws its inspiration from the world-famous Tour de France, is the first event to be held in the country on the same pattern. On September 21, the tour would be flagged off from Verinag, Anantnag and will culminate at Pahalgam. On September 22, riders will vie for honours from Pahalgam to Srinagar and on September 23 from Srinagar to Gulmarg. On September 24, the riders will tussle for glory from Gulmarg to Sonamarg while as on September 25, the event would be held around the Dal Lake and the old city of Srinagar. The concluding function will also be held in Srinagar.

Srinagar, September 5
A two-member delegation of Amnesty International today called on Mir Saifullah, Jammu and Kashmir Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, here.

The team comprising Divya Iyer and Christine Mehta, enquired about the measures put in place by the state government for upholding the human rights in the state and laws covering such issues, said a spokesperson of the minister.

“Saifullah informed the team about the committment of the state government towards upholding and protecting the human rights, while reiterating that the state has zero tolerance policy against any such reported violation,” he said.

Handwara, September 5
Residents of Zachaldara and a few of its adjoining villages in Handwara tehsil protested today against the erratic power supply. They raised slogans against the power department and threatened not to pay the power bill for the month of August if supply was not improved at the earliest.

The protesters, including women and children, blocked the Zachaldara-Handwara road and did not allow traffic movement for about an hour. They said they were forced to pay bill according to the hike in the recent past but power was not supplied according to the curtailment schedule.

“We will not call off protests unless power is restored to the villages. We are forced to pay tariff in time but the power woes continue to haunt us for the past one week,” said a protester.

They said in Bakiakar and Wadipora villages live electric wires, tied on poplar trees, were lying suspended and posing great dangers to human lives, especially the children. “We are facing great dangers due to the suspended lines on poplar trees as well. Power is playing hide and seek in our villages,” said Abdul Ahad, a Bakikar resident.

They demanded early restoration of power to their villages. Residents of the metered areas in Handwara also complained about power cuts which they said had become a routine matter. “Power cut has become order of the day in the metered areas of Handwara as well,” said Shabir Ahmad from Handwara.

The protesters called off their protests following assurances by officials of the PDD that power supply would be improved by Friday.

Students taking the ongoing examination of Kashmir University and State Board of School Education (SBOSE) claimed that they were the worst sufferers. “Barring candles, there is no source of light available to us. We have not seen electricity during night hours for the past one week,” said Mohd Ashraf, a class XII student.

Srinagar, September 5
A day after former Chairman of the State Legislative Council, Abdul Rashid Dar joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the National Conference (NC) lambasted the PDP and its patron calling it a ‘party full of anti-Kashmir people and bunch of opportunistic politicians’.

“It’s proved beyond doubt that the PDP was responsible to subvert the PR bill after Dar’s joining” provincial president, National Conference, Nasir Aslam Wani today said while addressing a workers’ meeting at Damhal Hanji Pora in south Kashmir.

Stating that the NC didn’t waste time in showing such people door the provincial president said after Dar’s contentious adjournment of the House during the passage of the PR bill, they immediately expelled him from the party.

“Omar Sahib had at the very time said that Dar was instrumental in subverting the passage of the Bill at the behest of PDP patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, and with his joining our point has been proved right,” he added.

“It is so amusing that Sayeed calls people who have worked against the interest of the state and Kashmir in particular as right thinking person,” said Nasir, adding that it proves that this party has been floated to divide and weaken the Kashmiri society.

Srinagar, September 5
On the instructions of District Magistrate, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmed Shah, anti-tobacco squad (ATS), headed by Food Safety Officer, Srinagar, Shabir Ahmed Lone today removed advertisements cum signboards of cigarettes displayed at various points of sale and shops in Srinagar city.

The advertisement of cigarettes and other tobacco products has been banned by the Government of India under Section 5 of the Anti Tobacco Act, COTPA.

The squad along with the police and volunteers of J&K Voluntary Health Association removed these advertisement boards from various markets in Srinagar.

Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, had earlier warned the traders and shopkeepers that if the tobacco advertisements were not removed within a week, in compliance with the orders of the court, the same would be removed by the squad and legal action taken against the defaulters.

The squad also imposed a fine of Rs 2,300 on 15 persons who were found smoking at public places. Besides, two shopkeepers located at Forest Lane Sheikh Bagh near the gate of Mallinson Girl’s School and a general grocer located outside Presentation Convent School, Raj Bagh were also imposed fine for selling cigarettes, within 100 yards of the school in violation of Section 6 (a) and (b) of the COTPA.

The squad has recommended to District Magistrate, Srinagar, to cancel the registration of these shops.