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Fresh snowfall brings down mercury in Valley
PDP stages walkout over use of pellet guns on protesters
Kejriwal acted in hurry over Lokpal Bill: Omar
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State short of 1,757 health institutions
On the frontline
Cross-LoC traders want meeting with PoK counterparts
Soon, a 18-hole golf course in Jammu, says Chief Minister
NMC appeals to PM to release pending DA
425 housing flats to come up in Gandhi Nagar soon
Trust demands passage of temples’ Bill in Assembly
Sport climbing c’ship souvenir released
Instrumental musical concert enthrals audience
Private schools’ association holds meeting
Setting up of four medical colleges in state welcomed
False promises to people not going to benefit NC: Mufti
Mobile subscriber base in J&K touches 67 lakh mark
MC casual workers’ strike enters Day 9
Work on retaining wall poses threat to villagers
NIFT not to start campuses with temporary infrastructure
KU VC conducts review of Academic Staff College
Address lacunae in laws tackling eve-teasing, say Valley women
11 killed as minibus plunges into gorge
J&K Police band 4th in all-India competition
Traffic jam on highway
Preparatory school for poor children
Police hold musical talent hunt show
Man found dead in Srinagar hotel
Two drug peddlers arrested
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Fresh snowfall brings down mercury in Valley
Srinagar, February 16 "Fresh snowfall was recorded in many areas of Kashmir valley, including in Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pahalgam and Qazigund, today," an official of the MeT Department here said. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, received snowfall and rain equivalent to 4 mm of rainfall, the official said. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 0.3 degrees Celsius last night, compared to minus 0.6 degrees Celsius the previous night, the official said. Mercury in Qazigund - the gateway town to Kashmir valley - settled at minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, as against the previous night's minus 1.4 degrees Celsius. The town received 3.4 cm of snow. Pahalgam resort, which serves as base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, received 12.3 cm of fresh snow and the mercury there settled at minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, down by two degrees from minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, the previous night, the official said. The night temperature in the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg went down by over one degree to record a low of minus 8.8 degrees Celsius as against the previous night's minus 7 degrees Celsius. Kokernag and Kupwara towns registered minimum temperatures of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius and minus 0.7 degrees Celsius, respectively, the official said, adding that Kokernag received 2 mm of rainfall. Leh town, in Ladakh region, registered a decline of almost four degrees in the minimum temperature as the mercury settled at a low of minus 10.7 degrees Celsius as against minus 6.9 degrees Celsius the previous night. The data for Kargil was not available, the official said. The MeT Department has predicted the weather would remain mainly dry over the state. — PTI |
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PDP stages walkout over use of pellet guns on protesters
Jammu, February 16 While the PDP walked out over the use of pellet guns on protesters in Shopian on February 14, BJP and Pathers Party legislators protested the failure of the state government to regularise daily wagers of the Power Development Department (PDD) and other departments. As soon as the House assembled, PDP members led by party president Mehbooba Mufti, stood up and protested against the government over the use of pellet guns on peaceful protesters in the Kashmir valley. Some youth had sustained eye injuries, they alleged. The legislators criticised the government over the use of “harmful weapons on public” and sought a reply. “Two youths Tariq Ahmed and Ghulam Mohidin were injured after pellet guns were used on protesters in the Shopian belt of south Kashmir during protests. They have suffered severe injuries in their eyes and doctors had to refer them to Amritsar for treatment,” Mehbooba said. Accusing the Omar Abdullah government of being anti-youth in the last five and a half years, she said 120 youth had been killed in firings during the 2010 unrest in the Kashmir valley. “Scores of youth have been injured due to the use of pellet guns and chilly grenades during his period,” she said. She demanded a ban on the use of pellet guns and chilly grenades in the Valley saying that they were harmful for the people. She also sought compensation for the injured youth. The protest by PDP legislators continued for over half an hour after which they staged a walkout from the House. In the meantime, BJP and Panthers Party legislators also began raising slogans, demanding regularisation of daily wagers and casual labourers. They also staged a walkout from the House.
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Kejriwal acted in hurry over Lokpal Bill: Omar
Srinagar, February 16 “If he (Kejriwal) wanted to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill, he could have waited for Lieutenant Governor’s assent. He acted in a hurry,” Omar said on the sidelines of the inaugural function of the National Ski and Snowboarding Championship held at Gulmarg. “Probably the aim of Kejriwal was to stage a drama ahead of the parliamentary polls,” he said. The Aam Aadmi Party leader stepped down from his post after the Congress and the BJP blocked the government’s anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly. “The AAP leader could have followed the standard procedure that is usually adopted in other states while passing legislation,” Omar said. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister underscored the need of promoting winter sports, particularly skiing, in Gulmarg by upgrading the ski slopes at Kongdoori and Mary Shoulder areas. “This would help in holding the national and international ski events in Gulmarg,” Omar said. “The highest dividend of peace was the arrival of tourists in great numbers to the Valley,” he said, adding that the peaceful atmosphere would always boost the tourism activities in the state. Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir was also present on the occasion. The National Ski and Snowboarding Championship is being organised by the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir. Around 160 athletes and officials from across the country are participating in three national level events — Senior Alpine Ski, Senior Snowboarding and Junior Snowboarding — at the ski resort. The championship will conclude on February 21.
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State short of 1,757 health institutions
Jammu, February 16 Manpower shortage has delayed the opening up of 676 new sub-centres sanctioned by the Union Ministry for Health under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Sources said against a total requirement of 4,747 health institutions, including district hospitals, community health centres (CHCs), primary health centres (PHCs), health sub-centres (HSCs), the state had only 2,990 health institutions, thus being short of 1,757 institutions at various levels. A House Committee constituted by the Legislative Assembly under the chairmanship of Dr Mustafa Kamal, MLA, had also expressed concern over the shortage of health centres, especially in rural areas of the state, and has recommended special focus to fill the gap. “The deficiency data of institutions is based on population norms which show poor healthcare facilities in the state, but a proposal for upgrading 106 health centres is still pending with the Planning and Development Department for approval,” said a senior health officer. As per the data submitted by the government in the Legislative Assembly under the NRHM, a proposal to establish 676 new sub-centres in the state based on the principle of ‘Time to Care’, has been sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. "However, manpower and other logistics required for these sub-centres have not been sanctioned and the matter has been taken up with the Central government,” the government maintains. “The state has been making efforts to present a rosy picture of its achievements, but on ground, many of the projects are far from completion, while critical areas has been left despite crores of funds being sanctioned by the Centre in the last one decade,” the sources claimed. Poor healthcare
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On the frontline
For decades, youth in Jammu and Kashmir have not got their due. This time, the subject is not about the rising unemployment alone. It is also not about selective individuals such as Shah Faesal, who topped the civil services examination, or Parvez Rasool, who brought laurels by his performance in the cricket field. It is because they are not the only ones who are the faces of J&K. There are many others and may be they are better than Shah and Pervez but their talent has remained unrecognised because of their circumstances and the overall neglect by men and women in power.
There is a lot of talent spread all across the state, from Leh to Lakhanpur. But the tragedy is that they are not getting an equal number of opportunities because of urban and rural disparity and the demographic composition of the state. And whenever any opportunity comes their way, they shine and make their state shine as well. The participants in a debating contest organised by The Tribune in Jammu on Saturday (February 15) surprised one and all. The audience at Brigadier Rajinder Singh Auditorium of Jammu University was awestruck by their eloquence and knowledge of the state, national and international affairs. The way they made their presentations, touching issues, individual and collective events, it was an eye-opening experience for many in the audience who could not believe that they sat for nearly three hours. They were simply mesmerised. The J&K youth’s talent needs to be brought out. Their story should not be read through the prism of their geographical, demographic and religious identities. The students in the state are bright stars, all they need is opportunity. That’s what the youth expects from the leadership of the state. Right to equality is alright, but what they need is the right to equal opportunities. Once that happens, the youth of the state will make Jammu and Kashmir the crown of India in the real sense of the word. As the story unfolds in the state — the narrative is that elite intellectuals have not allowed the youth to have its way. These self-acclaimed experts and intellectuals are essentially the internet intellectuals. They not only steal words but also ideas from world-renowned intellectuals and court politicians, whosoever is in power, for favours. This class of intellectuals has made Kashmir affairs their personal property. It works for them in two ways. First, they don’t allow the youth to show their talent. Their effort is always to suppress the talent of the youth, which has its own consequences. Without taking the consequences into account, they talk in the most derogatory terms about the new generation. Second, they project themselves as custodians of intellectualism. But The Tribune has shown the way — the youth were invited to the debate on a topical subject: “Proactive Media Exposes Maladministration and Contributes to Good Governance”. The participants spoke much better, both in content and delivery, than some sections of law makers. The youth of Jammu, Kashmir valley and Ladakh are the best assets of the state. They have the capacity to demonstrate to the world who they are. For that the barriers between rural and urban facilities need to be removed. The hills and plains of the state should be treated equally. The politicians should play the role of promoting cohesion between different areas. Will they rise to the occasion? That’s the question. Their political plate should not be for one or the other area. It should be much more than that and they should rise above their constituency-oriented mindset.
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Cross-LoC traders want meeting with PoK counterparts
Srinagar, February 16 “We are happy that the standoff has ended amicably. But as traders, we are worried over what happened. We want a meeting of traders from both sides to ensure no one misuses the trade channel, one of the biggest confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan after Partition,” said Hilal Turkey, general secretary of the Salamabad-Chakoti Traders Union. “We also have the responsibility to blacklist the businessman who had concealed contraband drugs in a cross-LoC truck. During this standoff, we lost business over Rs 30 crore,” Turkey said. “It should not be a free for all and those who register for the cross-LoC trade, carried on a barter system, should be investigated,” he said. The driver of the PoK truck carrying the contraband drugs, Mohammad Shafiq Awan, is under judicial remand. Cross-LoC traders have engaged a lawyer for the detained Pakistani driver. Awan’s lawyer has already moved a bail application before the Sessions Court in Baramulla. The Sessions Court has directed the J&K Police to file a report. Awan’s judicial remand ends on February 18 and he is lodged in Central Jail Srinagar. India and Pakistan are yet to decide on dates for resumption of the cross-LoC trade after the exchange of drivers and trucks on February 12. Officials are hopeful trade may start next week. “The date of resumption of trade has not been fixed. But we are hopeful that a meeting would be held between the two sides soon for resumption of the trade,” said custodian of the cross-LoC trade at Salamabad Showkat Ahmad Rather. “By Monday, things will become clear,” Rather said. The trans-LoC trade on the Salamabad-Chakoti axis is conducted four days a week. The trade was stalled on January 17 after 114 kg of brown sugar worth Rs 114 crore was recovered from a truck coming from PoK. After the recovery of drugs, 75 drivers were detained on either side. Trade suspended
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Soon, a 18-hole golf course in Jammu, says Chief Minister
Jammu, February 16 Speaking at the concluding function of the Greater Kashmir Golf Tournament here this evening, the Chief Minister said golf was gaining popularity in the state and Jammu and Kashmir was emerging as a big attraction for golfers from the country and Omar said golf courses at Srinagar, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Jammu and the one coming up at Leh were unique golf locations in the world, providing golfers the opportunity of playing in different climatic and geographical conditions. Omar said his government was paying attention to promote the potential of the state in sports and adventure tourism. He said young talent in the state in various sports were being provided opportunities and avenues to excel and make name in the sports arena at the national and international levels. The Chief Minister praised the Greater Kashmir group of newspapers and its chairman, Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo, for organising a series of golf tournaments in the state to encourage the sport and rope in golfers from the country and outside to participate in these events. He hoped that the newspaper group would continue to contribute to this field in the future and help upgrade and strengthen the efforts being made to make J&K a world-class golfers resort. Minister for Forests Mian Altaf Ahmad and provincial president of the National Conference for Jammu Devender Singh Rana were present. |
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NMC appeals to PM to release pending DA
Jammu February 16 He said the salaried class was facing economic hardships due to inflation and the early release of DA would be a genuine measure to provide them some relief. Addressing a meeting of NMC activists here, Shastri said, “Since there is a provision in the current Budget, there should not be any problem for the Centre to release the due instalment to its employees and pensioners.” The delay in the release of DA will put burden on the Central Government’ exchequer and increase the difficulties of the employees and pensioners, he said. Shastri demanded that the 7th Pay Commission should be declared as the National Pay Commission which should cover both Central and state government employees and pensioners. The NMC chief also demanded the merger of 50% DA of the employees and pensioners with their basic pay/pension at the earliest as it was recommended by the 4th Pay Commission in its report accepted by the Central Government in January 1986. He said the state governments should also implement these decisions before the model code of conduct in view of the General Election. Enhancement of the wages of daily wagers to Rs10,000 per month, regularisation of the services of daily wagers, grant of disturbed area allowance on the pattern of North-East states to state central government employees, implementation of Central labour laws, an increase in medical allowance to Rs 1000, issuance of regularisation orders of 180 daily wagers working in RDD, and declare Jammu and Srinagar cities as B-I cities were other demands highlighted at the meeting. Other Demands
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425 housing flats to come up in Gandhi Nagar soon
Jammu, February 16 He accompanied by Housing and Urban Development secretary Satish Nehru and JDA vice-chairman KL Khajuria today visited the site proposed for a group housing colony and gave his nod to initiate measures for the construction of the flats. “There will be a provision of about 425 modern housing flats for the higher-income group and the economically weaker sections (EWSs) of society,” said Jora. He said, “It will be another milestone in providing modern housing facilities to the people in urban Jammu, where availability of land has become extremely scarce since the 1990s. In the backdrop of turmoil in some parts of the state in 1990s, people from various areas converged towards Jammu city to construct their houses.” The JDA project of constructing group housing flats on a self-financing basis in Jammu and Srinagar aims at providing affordable housing facilities to the people. Yesterday, Jora laid foundation stone for the construction of 524 housing flats at
Muthi. |
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Trust demands passage of temples’ Bill in Assembly
Jammu, February 16 Trust members held a protest against the delay in the passage of the Bill. They alleged that some vested interests were creating hindrances in its way as they had been illegally controlling several temples in the Kashmir valley. “If the government is sincere, they can place the Bill in the upcoming session of the Assembly, but so far we have not received any commitment from the government or from Law Minister Mir Saifullah, who heads the Select Committee,” said Dr Arjun Nath Pandita, chairman, PNBMT, an apex body which is pursuing the issue. The Kashmiri Hindus Shrines and Religious Places Management Bill, when passed, will pave the way for the establishment of a management body on the pattern of the Muslim Auqaf Trust and the Gurudwara Prabandhak Board, which manages the affairs of Muslim and Sikh shrines, respectively, in the state. “The Bill should be given priority so that displaced Hindus can save their shrines from encroachment,” said Dr Pandita. |
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Sport climbing c’ship souvenir released
Jammu, February 16 Members of the state sport climbing team who won the inaugural edition of the championship were also felicitated with medals and gifts.
Bindia Sharma of Udhampur, who bagged two bronze medals in the girls’ category at the North Zone Championship in Delhi, and Mrityunjay Sharma, who bagged a gold medal and a silver medal in the Sub Junior Championship at Jammu, were the star attractions of the function. Other winners, including Shivani
Charak, Shilpa Charak, Aman Dogra and Ajay Deep Singh, were also
honoured. The schools or institutions and clubs which participated in activities organised by the Mountaineering Association of J&K in 2013 were also felicitated. Earlier, the Secretary of the association presented a brief account of the activities organised by the association in 2013. He highlighted achievements of the association and its difficulties in promoting mountaineering and sport climbing. — TNS
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Instrumental musical concert enthrals audience
Jammu, February 16 Saujanya Sharma, Director, Tourism, was the chief guest for the programme which aimed at promoting art, culture and tourism in the state. The programme, sponsored by Dabur India Ltd, Sharda Education Academy, Creamy Bites and Talla Jewellers, got underway with the lightning of a lamp followed by classical music performances on Santoor by Saptak Band. A ‘jugalbandi’ on Santoor and Zitar enthraled the audience. Rohit Sharma performed on Santoor and Sumit Sharma on Zitar, Karan Malhotra on Tabla and Rovin Kumar on percussions in the band. Saujanya Sharma appreciated the performance of the artistes and expressed gratitude to Hotel Sawastik for supporting the programme and organising Dogri food stalls on the occasion. Hotel Sawastik managing director Pawan Shastri said the Swastik Group was promoting Doggier culture, tourism and traditional food. He said the programme was an initiative to provide a platform to the young artistes of the state. Guards Shermy, trustee, Jaime Yoder Bahama; Karna Dasi, general manager, Hotel Swastika; Hitch Badly, president, Nirvana Academy; American Sines from Dauber Group, Shard Chandra Pained, regional head, Shared Educational Academy, and others were also present at the concert. — TNS |
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Private schools’ association holds meeting
Jammu, February 16 The issue of granting affiliation to private schools for running various classes was the top agenda of the meeting which was chaired by Tushar K Sharma, Director School Education, Jammu. It was decided that another meeting will be held soon to discuss issues concerning private schools. —TNS
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Setting up of four medical colleges in state welcomed
Srinagar, February 16 Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had recently sanctioned a proposal to set up four new medical colleges in the state with Central assistance and upgradation of existing district hospitals. “I welcome the decision taken by the Union Cabinet for instituting four medical colleges at Doda, Kathua, Anantnag and Baramulla. I take this opportunity to express my thanks to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad,” said J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Saifuddin Soz in a statement. Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference Sajad Gani Lone said he had earlier written a letter to Azad for setting up medical colleges at Baramulla and Anantnag. Lone thanked him for fulfilling the aspiration of the much needed health care facilities for the far-flung areas as people living in these areas found it difficult to reach Srinagar for treatment. “There was a great need of extending proper and timely health care facilities to the rural population. Many people lose their lives on their way to hospitals in Srinagar. Hospitals in Srinagar were over-burdened by the huge flow of patients from across the Valley,” he said. The Field Doctors Welfare Association Kashmir (FDWAK) too thanked Azad and said, “This landmark decision will surely pave way for enhancement in quality health care in rural areas,” a FDWAK statement said. |
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False promises to people not going to benefit NC: Mufti
Jammu, February 16 Mufti observed that cosmetic steps and false promises were not going to give any political benefit to the ruling National Conference. The PDP patron said during its five and a half year tenure, the present regime had betrayed the people through its deceit tactics. Addressing a public meeting at Choulaha village in the RS Pura Assembly segment, Mufti said the prevailing anarchy and chaos in the state was a result of the mis-governance of the present dispensation headed by the National Conference. “Only an accountable and people-friendly government can help in restoring political stability in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. He said it was all due to the good governance of the PDP that peoples’ faith in democratic institutions was restored and there was political stability in the state during its tenure. “The PDP-led regime had set an example of good governance in the state by providing a corruption-free and transparent system to the people,” he said and added that the PDP-led regime had brought transparency and accountability in the governance and justice was given to all sections of society. He said during the PDP-Congress regime, more than 70,000 Rehbar-e-Talim (ReT) teachers were appointed. Similarly, more than 40,000 anganwari workers were appointed but not even a single case of favouritism and nepotism was highlighted. “We institutionalised the recruitment process to ensure that only deserving and meritorious candidate were recruited,” he said. He reminded the gathering that the PDP, during its tenure, had fulfilled the promises which the party had made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the 2002 Assembly elections. “Although we had only 16 members, we changed the socio-economic scene of the state, besides creating a sense of security among the people,” he said. Mufti said the biggest achievement of the PDP was that it had earned the credibility of the people through its conviction and commitment. “Unlike the National Conference, the PDP leadership has never compromised on its principles for power,” he asserted and reminded the gathering that the PDP had entered into a power-sharing alliance with the Congress in 2002 only after the formulation of the common minimum programme --- an agenda to run the coalition.
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Mobile subscriber base in J&K touches 67 lakh mark
Jammu, February 16 “As on November, 2013, the cell phone subscriber base has reached to 66.79 lakh, registering a growth of 11.47 per cent over the corresponding period last year,” the report said. Jammu and Kashmir has a population of 1.25 crore, which implies that every second person of the state, irrespective of his or her economic condition, uses a cell phone. Interestingly, the total number of people living below the poverty line in the state is 24.21 lakh. There also exists a blanket ban on the Short Message Service (SMS) on pre-paid cell phone connections in Jammu and Kashmir since June 2010. The Economic Survey report of 2013-14 also mentioned that around 3,000 mobile phone users are added to the network every month. It added that the penetration of mobile services had grown from 40,000 subscribers in 2004 to 59.92 lakh in October, 2012. The report further suggested that private operators hold 84 per cent of wireless market in the mobile segment, whereas the public sector undertaking --- the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) --- holds just 16 per cent market share. “The contribution of Bharati Airtel is 38.37 per cent, while the share of other two private operators, the Vodafone and the Idea, is 10.61 per cent and 4.07 per cent respectively,” the survey said. “Analysing the growth in the mobile segment by the individual service providers, Idea recorded the highest growth, amounting to 34.63 per cent in the subscriber base as on November, 2013,” it added. The report said only 1.57 per cent growth was noted in the subscriber base of the BSNL as against 11.47 per cent increase in the overall cell phone segment. It also mentioned that the number of fixed phones --- landline and Wireless Local Loop (WLL) --- has decreased by 5 per cent in 2013 as compared to corresponding period last year. “The total number of landline connections issued by the public sector undertaking, BSNL, in the state by the end of March 2013 was 2, 66,365, including 69,554 WLL connections. The number has registered a fall of 14,021 connections as compared to the previous fiscal,” the report said. Growth story
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MC casual workers’ strike enters Day 9
Doda, February 16 Due to the strike, the town has virtually turned into a garbage dumping site as heaps of garbage emitting foul smell lie all around. The locals said if the situation remained the same for a few more days, there was apprehension of breaking out of epidemics in the town. Due to shortage of waste collecting containers, heaps of garbage is scattered on the roads, leading to cluttered roads and clogged drains. Fulail Singh, tehsildar, Doda, who is also holding the additional charge of the executive officer, municipal corporation, said, "We have 33 casual employees and 15 daily wagers who are now on strike demanding regularisation". He said, “We have instructed our permanent employees to clear garbage from the city”.
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Work on retaining wall poses threat to villagers
Pulwama, February 16 The Flood Control Department has been constructing retaining walls along the banks of the stream for the last one year to prevent encroachments and to lessen the fear that looms large over the residents during the rainy season. The residents alleged that the department had failed to remove earth from the stream, which was lessening its width. "The earth dug up during earlier constructions had narrowed the stream by about 2-3 ft and is posing threat of encroachments as a few people have already started planting trees on the mounds," said Mohammad Ayaz, a resident of Ratnipora. The villagers said these mounds had narrowed down the width of the stream, thus blocking water flow downstream and increasing the pressure upstream. The villagers said they appreciated the department's effort to construct walls along the banks as it was the need of the hour. However, they said they were worried over the earth which had got accumulated into the stream. Dozens of upstream villages, including Tirch, Narwah, Sanziwatru, Koil, Talengam, and others face flood threats. AM Mir, Senior Engineer, Flood Control Department, said they would not release payments to the contractor if he does not remove the earth from the stream before completing constructions. |
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NIFT not to start campuses with temporary infrastructure
Jammu, February 16 It was decided at the recently concluded meeting of the NIFT board. The members decided that, if in any case, it became necessary to open any other campus with a temporary structure, NIFT should only introduce certificate/diploma courses of one or two years of duration which could be shut down at a short notice. The permanent centre for NIFT at Budgam in Kashmir is likely to be completed by 2016, for which the state government has allotted 20 acres. The funds of Rs 2.50 crore have been released by government for initial activities. Based on the request of the state government, NIFT has, in principle, agreed to commence the functioning of a temporary campus in the State Industrial Development Corporation, Rangreth. Sources said the National Institute of Fashion Technology had initiated the process of identifying faculty for the campus. Sources said the Board had asked Director General, NIFT, Prem Kumar Gera to review the progress of construction of permanent infrastructure at the NIFT campus. They said the Board noted that even though it had not been in favour of opening new campuses and expanding at a pace, likely to affect the retention of quality of education, however, it had found difficult to resist to the populist pressure to open new campuses. The Board had made it clear that, in case, the state government was not able to provide permanent structure within a stipulated period and/or, in case, the response for admission to the National Institute of Fashion Technology courses was not encouraging, and it was assessed that the strain was detrimental to quality of education, National Institute of Fashion Technology should discontinue its activities. |
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KU VC conducts review of Academic Staff College
Srinagar, February 16 The meeting discussed various issues concerning the development of the college, financial matters, infrastructure upgrade, purchase of quality resource material and other issues, including service to resource persons and outstation participants of various refresher and orientation courses organised by the college. Talat laid emphasis on making optimum and effective use of information technology in providing state-of-the-art services to the participants and resource persons engaged by the staff college for various general orientation, refresher and short-term courses. Talat appreciated the efforts of both the teaching and the non-teaching staff of Academic Staff College in promoting a culture of motivation, self-appraisal and reflection among the young teaching faculty of various colleges and universities by organising and successfully conducting several general orientation and refresher courses aimed at creating a positive problem-solving and collaborative pool of human resource and academicians that internalises the norms, culture and values of the institution. He said all departments of the university should come forward and extend their logistic support in terms of the laboratory and library facility so that the participants of the various courses organised by the college could be benefited. Earlier, while presenting a brief profile of the various courses and programmes, college Director Farooq Fayaz said, “The college conducted eight general orientation courses, 11 refresher courses and six short-term courses between October 2011 and December 2013.” Fayaz added that during this period, the college had made an attempt to deviate from the conventional methodology and instead of confining the participants of these courses to the four walls of the college, full-day training sessions were conducted at EMMRC, Allama Iqbal Library and SP College, Srinagar. |
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Address lacunae in laws tackling eve-teasing, say Valley women
Srinagar, February 16 During the workshop, the women joined the global campaign - “One Billion Rising” - aimed at ending violence against women. The women from across various cross-sections of society participated in the day-long activity which involved painting and writing or narrating the bad experiences that women had to go through in life. The problem of eve-teasing being faced by young girls, especially girl students, in the Valley was discussed at length by the participants highlighting the need to address the lacunas in law dealing with eve-teasing. “We have not dealt with the usual eve-teasing incidents happening on city streets and outskirts sternly. Laws if at all present are not implemented fully. The police need to hold more awareness drives for tackling one of the most subtle yet heinous crimes of eve-teasing,” said Mantasha Bin Rashid, a Kashmir Administrative Service ( KAS) officer. The paintings which were drawn on the spot depicted the survival stories of women who were victimised/tortured through various forms of violence. One of the participants of the workshop, Shazia shared her survival story of braving domestic violence at the hands of her in-laws and breaking the stereotype of marriage being the last resort for a woman. Chairperson of the J&K Social Welfare Board Khemlata Wakhloo, who attended one of the sessions at the workshop, advised the young women to take on the responsibility of saving themselves and not depending on men for security. “While we should act against all forms of injustice, we also should be mindful that we have to carry male members of our society along. Feminism should not have a negative connotation and should not be entirely anti-men,” Wakhloo added. |
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11 killed as minibus plunges into gorge
Batote/Udhampur, February 16 The vehicle was on its way from Banihal to Ramban when it met with the accident near the Battery Chashma, police said. “The seating capacity of the vehicle was just 24, but more than 40 passengers were travelling in it when the accident took place,” a police official said. He added that six persons died on the spot and five others succumbed to their injuries while being shifted to the District Hospital, Ramban. The district administration requisitioned chopper service to airlift the critically injured to hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar following heavy traffic jam between the Kud and Udhampur stretch of the highway since yesterday. While eight persons were airlifted from Chanderkot to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, 12 others were rushed to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, police said. It added that at least 11 others were undergoing treatment at the District Hospital, Ramban. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the accident. He sanctioned a relief of Rs 1 lakh each for the deceased and Rs 10,000 for the hospitalised injured. NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana also expressed grief over the death of passengers. — TNS |
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J&K Police band 4th in all-India competition
Jammu, February 16 The 36-member Jammu and Kashmir Police Band participated in the five-day competition which concluded yesterday. Assistant Sub-Inspector Mushtaq Ahmed, band master, won a silver medal for being the best conductor. The brass band was placed 4th, pipe band 6th and bugler 8th. On the phone from Guwahati, Mushtaq said: “It is a matter of pride for the state, particularly the state police, that we got fourth position.” “I am disappointed that we didn’t come in the top three positions. But the team gave its best and pledged to win a gold medal next year,” he added. The Jammu and Kashmir Police Band won a gold medal in 2002 and bronze medals in 2003 and 2006. |
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Batote, February 16 The Meteorological Department had predicted light snowfall at some places for Sunday, following which the authorities had allowed the vehicular movement from Jammu to Srinagar today. “Instead of light snowfall at some places, as predicted by the MeT, it unexpectedly snowed heavily. It snowed intermittently for the whole day making the road at Patnitop slippery,” said SSP, Traffic, Haseeb Mughal. “Had there been a forecast of heavy snowfall we would have been more cautious and suspended the traffic today,” he said. Director, Meteorological Department, Srinagar, Sonam Lotus admitted there was an inaccuracy in the weather forecast. “Yes, it (snowfall) was unexpected. We had expected light snowfall on February14 and 15… nothing to this extent,” Sonam Lotus said. — OC |
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Preparatory school for poor children
Srinagar, February 16 Resource persons associated with the project said its main aim was to provide early exposure to underprivileged children in villages. “Our aim is to provide an early, activity-based education to poor children who have no other ways of getting exposure,” said resource person of the project Aijaz Ahmed. “We received much appreciation. We will expand it to other rural villages of north and central Kashmir,” Ahmed added. In the first batch, 45 students between the age group of 3 and 4 years belonging to disadvantaged families have been enrolled. Unlike other creches in the city, the school will offer free play-based education to the children. “The school will offer a five-day week programme,” said other resource person. The resource persons said activities offered would include art, show and tell, free play and painting. — OC |
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Police hold musical talent hunt show
Poonch, February 16 Over 200 contestants competed for the junior and senior titles of solo singing competitions. Viney Mohan Misri (retired principal), Haroon Rathore (lecturer) and Shashi Bala were the judges. Sajjad Ahmed Khan, Poonch Deputy Commissioner (DC), was the chief guest and Col Munish Sharma was the guest of honour. The DC, Poonch, appreciated the J&K Police for organising the program. He said the police had faced a lot of challenges during the last two decades and had been successful in all its endeavours. The Poonch SSP, in his address, thanked all participants and the guests. He said the program and other sports competitions were being sponsored by the police to give a platform to the talented youth of the state. He said this was the fourth consecutive season of the talent hunt programme, which was appreciated by the people. The program saw some scintillating musical performances by budding youth who enthralled the audiences. Four participants were selected for the zonal-level competition at Rajouri. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Headquarters, Deepak Digra, KK Kapoor (academician), Dr Subash Raina, Iftikhar Ahmed Bazmi, Mohammad Riaz, Principal, Higher Secondary School Girls, Poonch, and Inspector Sanjeev Salathia, Station House Officer, Poonch, were present. |
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Man found dead in Srinagar hotel
Srinagar, February 16 The police were informed by the hotel staff that a guest, who was putting up at the hotel, had been found dead in a room, a police spokesman said. “The police rushed to the spot and recovered the body of Abdul Hamid Lone, 45, a resident of Short-Bala in Tangdhar,” the spokesman said. A case under Section 174 of the CrPC has been registered and the police have initiated inquest proceedings to ascertain the cause of the death. “After conducting all medico-legal formalities, the body was handed over to the family for last rites,” the spokesman said. |
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Two drug peddlers arrested
Srinagar, February 16 “Two peddlers Waseem Raja of Natipora and Abdul Wahid of Solina were apprehended at Solina on a tip-off and a huge quantity of Alprix and Proxivon tablets were recovered from their possession,” a police spokesman said. The peddlers used to sell these drugs among the youth in Ram Bagh and adjoining areas, the spokesman added. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic. Substances Act (NDPS Act) has been registered and investigation has been started.
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Jammu, February 16
Jammu, February 16
Doda, February 16
Srinagar, February 16
