Srinagar, September 13
Weather conditions improved in the Valley this afternoon after two days of light to moderate rain. After receiving 13.8 mm rain yesterday, that had led to a dip of 8.9 degree Celsius in the day temperature, the summer capital received light rain today.

An official with the Meteorological Department said Srinagar received 2.7 mm rain today while recording a maximum temperature of 20.7 degree Celsius.

The maximum temperature in the summer capital dipped to 20.3 degree Celsius yesterday compared to 29.2 degree Celsius on Wednesday. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 15.7 degree Celsius last night.

The Meteorological Department official said light rain was recorded in other parts of the Valley as well. While the weather was expected to remain dry tomorrow in most parts, the weatherman forecast light rain at isolated parts of the Valley during the next 24 hours.

Light snowfall was recorded in the higher reaches of the Valley during the last 24 hours, that resulted in chilly weather conditions in the morning. The weather conditions improved after the Sun appeared in the afternoon.

Waterlogged streets in several parts of the city dried up after the Sun was out. Several city roads were waterlogged, causing inconvenience to pedestrians.

Roads in the heart of the city, especially those outside the Exhibition Ground, the Magarmal Bagh Chowk and the Residency Road, were waterlogged.

The Valley had witnessed a hot summer this year while the summer capital recorded 35.4 degree Celsius, the hottest day temperature in the last seven years, on July 29.

Handwara, September 13
Students of Navodaya Vidyalaya, which is popularly known as a model school, at Putshai Lolab in Kupwara district have been suffering due to shortage of teaching staff as well as hostel accommodation.

The school, being run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) since 1986, has three permanent teachers and 19 contractual teachers for 250 students enrolled at the school.

“We do not have skilled teachers, as a result of which our studies are affected. There are only three permanent teachers and the management has employed 19 contractual teachers,” said a student of class X on the condition of anonymity.

The problems for students do not end here. Four buildings that are meant for accommodation for students and the teaching staff have been under construction for the last many years.

“We are also suffering for want of accommodation. For the last many years, construction work of buildings is going on at a snail’s pace. As many as four students are adjusted in a single hostel room, which causes great inconvenience,” said another student.

The school management spends around Rs 1.35 lakh per month on receiving water from the Public Health Engineer-ing Department.

“Instead of spending lakhs from school funds on water, the HRD Ministry could have installed a water supply connection for a few thousand rupees. This is misuse of government funds,” said Gh Hassan, a senior citizen.

The school is the only one in the district known for imparting quality education and offers admission on the basis of an entrance examination.

Expressing concern over the messy state of affairs, parents demanded that permanent teaching staff should be recruited at the school and other problems of students should be resolved at the earliest.

“The HRD Ministry should seriously consider the problems being faced by the students and the teaching staff and make efforts to mitigate those at the earliest,” said Gh Nabi, a parent from Lalpora Lolab.

Srinagar, September 13
The Service Selection Board (SSB) has postponed the objective-type written test which was scheduled to be held in the region on Saturday, an official spokesman said here today.

The spokesman said the written test for the posts, having the basic qualification of class XII, would now be conducted on September 17.

The venues and time for the written test already notified would remain the same, the spokesman said. 

Anantnag, September 13
A youth was killed and another injured in a cloudburst which struck Drubgam village of Pulwama district in south Kashmir this afternoon, police reports said.

According to reports, the cloudburst struck the village around 2:45 pm.

The deceased was identified as Hilal Ahmad Dar of Rajpora, who was 20 years of age.

The injured youth, Mohamad Ashraf, was admitted to a hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. There was no report of damage to property in the area.

A team of police personnel and officials of the district administration visited the spot and took stock of the situation in the affected area.

Srinagar, September 13
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) took out a march in Srinagar today to protest against the killing of five persons in Shopian in south Kashmir.

The protest was led by party President Mehbooba Mufti. PDP legislators, senior leaders and workers participated in the rally, that started from the party headquarters.

The protesters raised slogans against the state government for its reported failure to stop the killing of civilians. The protest march, which was on way to the Civil Secretariat, was stopped by a heavy police contingent near the Regal Chowk.

PDP workers argued with the police that they should be allowed to march to the Civil Secretariat as they had to lodge their protest against the recent killings in Shopian. The police did not allow them to march ahead.

Addressing the protesters, Mehbooba said Kashmir had become a killing field where bullets were being fired and innocent persons killed everyday.

“As there is no accountability in the government, nobody is being held responsible and punished for these incidents. Only commissions are being ordered with no result till date. This has been continuously happening during the last five years since the National Conference-Congress government assumed charge,” she said.

The PDP president said ordering inquiries has become the norm of this government. She claimed that people had lost faith in the system.

“To restore the confidence of the people, the state government has to take action against the police and the Centre has to take action against the security force personnel, involved in the killing of the civilians,” she said.

“Troops have to be withdrawn from civilian areas to avoid incidents like Shopian in the future. Both draconian laws like the PSA and the AFSPA have to be revoked. Only then will this bloodshed end and people will enjoy their right to live freely,” she added.

PDP workers kept raising anti-government slogans during Mehbooba’s address to the workers at the Regal Chowk. The protesters later dispersed peacefully.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a time-bound probe into the recent Shopian killings. “Ordering a probe into the Shopian deaths and replacement of the CRPF by the Jammu and Kashmir Police is not enough. The BJP is demanding a time-bound probe and punishment to the culprits who are behind such incidents,” media in charge of the BJP Kashmir unit Altaf Thakur said in a statement issued here.

Expressing concern over ‘the growing sense of insecurity’ among the Valley youth, particularly in south Kashmir, he urged the National Conference-Congress coalition government to take adequate steps to instil confidence among the people.

“The state of Jammu and Kashmir, being the most sensitive state, owes special responsibility. Incidents from the Gool riots in Kishtwar to the death of five innocent youths in Shopian and reports of alleged terrorising of a minority community in Shopian have sent the impression that the state, especially Kashmir, is no longer safe for the common man,” he added.

Meanwhile, the National Conference (NC) said incidents like Shopian would continue until security forces were maintaining their presence in areas close to populated areas and welcomed the decision to replace the CRPF at Gagran camp as a right step at the right time.

Additional general secretary of the party Mustafa Kamal said the inquiry ordered into the killings should be conducted on a war footing and the personnel of the camp involved in the firing incident should not be allowed to leave the region.

Kamal raked up the issue of the AFSPA, which provided immunity to security forces operating in the region, blaming it for the Shopian incident. The party welcomed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s quick response to the Shopian incident.

Party leaders, including provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani and central secretary Mehboob Beg, said the unanimous Cabinet decision to remove the CRPF camp at Gagran was a step in the right direction. 

Srinagar, September 13
As part of the Kargil cultural festival, a group of local artists today presented various programmes highlighting the ethnic tribes of the region.

The artistes clad in traditional costumes performed balti, dardi and purgi, the folk music and dance, to the delight of the audience, who greeted each performance with applause, an official said here today.

Artists from the Dard ethnic tribe presented song and dance items highlighting the race as brave, hardworking and one that never compromises on self esteem. They also showcased the tribe’s migration from Gilgit, Naagar and Hunza, the official added.

The festival, which started in Kargil yesterday, is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.

Alongside the cultural festival, a seven-day-long All India Painting Camp was also inaugurated by Adviser to Chief Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon.

Srinagar, September 13
The election commission of the Bar Association administered the oath of office to newly elected members of the Bar Association here today.

The oath was administered by Syed Manzoor, chairman of the election commission of the Bar Association. Almost all lawyers participated in the oath-taking ceremony.

Immediately after the oath-taking ceremony, an emergency meeting of newly elected executive members was held at the Bar complex under the chairmanship of newly elected president Abdul Qayoom.

A number of important matters concerning the Bar came under discussion and certain decisions relating to the grievances of lawyers were immediately taken up.

The executive committee paid homage to Abdul Rashid Gazi of the People's League, whose body was recovered yesterday under mysterious circumstances.

The members condemned the killing of Mohammad Rafiq, a Sumo driver, at Shopian on September 11, Bar Association general secretary Mohammad Ashraf Bhat said.

He said the Bar members described as an eyewash the appointment of the Shopian Deputy Commissioner as the inquiry officer for conducting an inquiry into the killing of four persons of Shopian.

"We demand that an FIR should be registered with regard to the killing of the four innocent youths and the CRPF personnel responsible for the killings should be arrested, prosecuted and punished," he said. 

Srinagar, September 13
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today assured the Vice-Chairman of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Advisory Board that the government was committed to inclusive and equitable development of all sections of society.

Board Vice-Chairman Kuldeep Raj Verma called on the Chief Minister here and discussed various matters pertaining to the functioning of the OBC board.

"The Vice-Chairman gave a brief on measures being taken by the board for the welfare of members of Other Backward Classes," an official spokesman said.

"The Chief Minister said the state government was committed to inclusive and equitable development of all sections of society," the spokesman said.

"He said genuine demands put forth by the Vice-Chairman of the OBC board would be given due consideration," the spokesman added.

Verma expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for taking keen interest in the development of weaker sections of society, the spokesman further said. 

Srinagar, September 13
The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), New Delhi, organised a workshop on Unani medicine curriculum in collaboration with the Directorate of Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM), Jammu and Kashmir. Subject experts from all over India participated in the workshop, an official said today.

Speaking on the occasion, Director, ISM, J&K, Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, laid emphasis on the new challenges and opportunities of Unani system of medicine. He briefed experts about the importance of Unani education in India based on therapeutic principles. He stressed on the need to have close coordination between modern diagnostic tools and traditional systems of medicine.

Dr Rashidullah Khan, president, CCIM, deliberated upon the present status of academic curriculum at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in India. He hailed the efforts of the ISM, J&K, to conduct and facilitate such national workshops in the state and hoped to have more such workshops in the future.

Executive members of the CCIM, Dr Shuhabuddin and Dr Mohammed Shafiq, also spoke on the occasion. They laid emphasis on the importance of standard of education of ayurvedic, Unani and siddha systems. Among other experts, Prof Mehtab Ali, Dean faculty of Unani medicine, Jamia Hamdard, and Prof Anis Ansari, former Adviser to Government of India, and former Dean, faculty of Unani medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, attended the workshop. 

Srinagar, September 13
In an effort to boost tourism in the Valley, the Lalit group will host a polo tournament in Drass, Ladakh, and a pony race at Gulmarg this week.

Addressing a press conference today, Lalit Grand Palace (Srinagar) general manager Jagdeep Nambiar said with these events, they wanted to involve the local community and bring these areas on the tourist map.

“As part of our vision, Developing Destinations, we will hold the fifth edition of the polo tournament at Drass on September 15. It will be followed by a pony race at Gulmarg on September 16. We want to involve the local community and bring these areas on the tourist map,” Nambiar said.

He said the Lalit group wanted to revive the traditional game of polo in Ladakh by organising the tournament. Several polo teams of Ladakh and Manipur would participate in the tournament that was scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

He said the polo event had become an annual affair. Now, 100 ponywallas would participate in the race at Gulmarg on a 7-km course.

Nambiar said the Lalit group had been organising such events, including Shikarathon on the Dal, Nigeen and Mansbal lakes; ice hockey event and caddies golf tournament.

Srinagar, September 13
Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir today unveiled the logo and website of the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Development Association (JKSDA) at the Civil Secretariat.

The website launched by the association www.tour-dekashmir would provide activities of the JKSDA carried for promotion of tourism and sports in the state, an official said.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shalendar Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Abdul Gani Mir, Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Atul Duloo, Director Tourism, Kashmir, Talat Parvez, President, JKSDA, Bashir Ahmad Malik, and Vice President, JKSDA, Rauf Trumboo, were present on the occasion.

The Tourism Minister reviewed arrangements for five-day national level cycling extravaganza being held in Kashmir valley from September 22.

The 350-km and five-day national level cycling musical is being organised by the JKSDA in collaboration with Tourism Department with an objective to promote sports and adventure tourism in the Valley.

The event would be flagged off on September 22 at Verinag wherein around 70 top riders, including 30 national riders would be participating.

The minister said it was an encouraging step and organisers needed to be applauded for coming up with the idea of turning this annual event national. He said cycling tour events had got great potential in the promotion of the tourism sector. — TNS

Srinagar, September 13
The Pir Panjal Brigade, under the Operation Sadhbhavana, yesterday flagged off the national integration and auto technology awareness tour, Karvan-e-Aman, to Chennai, Pune and Mumbai.

The tour, organised for the 26 selected youth from north Kashmir, was flagged off by the Commander Pir Panjal Brigade at Rampur Uri in a ceremony and it would conclude on September 25.

“The initiative taken by the Army is aimed at giving adequate exposure to the youth of the Kashmir valley and introducing them to the diverse and rich socio-cultural heritage of the nation. The team consists of apprentice drivers,” a defence spokesman said.

“Members during the tour will visit the places of military, historical and auto technological interests at Chennai, Pune and Mumbai. They shall be visiting Tata Motors auto hub, Marina Beach, Golden Beach Resort, Tamil Nadu science and technology centre and Bhima Shankar temple at Chennai, Hyundai Motors Hub, Ashok Leyland auto hub and Tata Motors hub at Pune, Mahindra and Haji Ali, Nehru Planetarium, Gateway of India, Colaba causeway, Jahangir Art gallery, Fashion Street, Film City and Juhu-Chowpaty at Mumbai and other places of tourist interest. During the visit, they will also be visiting the Naval Dockyard at Mumbai and be exposed to a fighter class destroyer. They will also interact with various Civil and Army dignitaries,” he added.

The spokesman said the participants were enthusiastic and thrilled as this was their first opportunity to venture out of the state.