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Life in city returns to normal
after three days of curfew
Curfew aftermath: 75 truckloads
of garbage lifted from city
PDP condemns killings in Assam
Fire dept on alert for harvesting season
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Durbar to reopen in Srinagar today
As Durbar moves to Srinagar, authorities wake up from slumber
Congress president’s post reserved for Gandhi family, says Gadkari
Modi urges Ladakh electorate to vote for BJP
PDP fighting elections as BJP's proxy: Omar
Beigh ignored Kupwara when he was Dy
CM, says Law Minister
Direct fight between NC, PDP for Baramulla Lok Sabha seat
Cong leader appeals for votes
AAP flays govt for not introducing police reforms Bill
on the frontline
CBSE tells schools to ensure proper sanitation
No takers for Municipal Corporation advisory on domestic workers
NMC for providing interim relief to govt employees, pensioners
Farooq out of fray, JKCA poll gets interesting
Shobha yatra taken out in Reasi
Uniforms distributed among 62 students
Book titled ‘Clean Chit’ released
Natrang stages ‘Teen Tilange’ play
Humanity Public School bag 25 medals in Taekwondo championship
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Life in city returns to normal
after three days of curfew
Srinagar, May 4 The curfew was removed from several areas falling under the jurisdiction of five police stations in the city here. The five police stations included Safa Kadal, Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta and MR Gunj. On Sunday, traffic resumed for the first time in the last four days and markets were also opened in some localities and remained shut in others due to weekly holiday. Dozens of areas located within the jurisdiction of these five police stations had remained sealed for the last three days following the killing of a youth in Nawa Kadal on Wednesday evening, which sparked a wave of anger in the region. Sporadic protests against the killing had continued in some of the localities despite imposition of the curfew. The youth, identified as Bashir Ahmad Bhat, was killed in the old city on Wednesday last week, nearly an hour after polling had ended in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency. The condition of another youth, Moeen Ahmad, who was also hit by bullets, is critical. Local residents said Bhat was shot when security forces fired bullets at Nawa Kadal. Police version stated that the security forces came under “severe attack by some miscreants” who snatched a weapon and the youth was injured in the “ensuing scuffle” and later succumbed to his injuries. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shailendra Kumar has ordered a probe into the youth’s killing. To prevent protests against Bhat’s killing, the authorities had imposed curfew in the volatile old city, which continued for three days and ended today. Earlier on Wednesday, when the Srinagar constituency went to the polls, a shutdown was observed across the region. The shutdown continued on Thursday after separatists groups urged the residents to observe a bandh for a day. However, the residents across the region continued to observe shutdowns on Friday and Saturday also when markets and shops were shut and traffic remained off the roads. |
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Curfew aftermath: 75 truckloads
of garbage lifted from city
Srinagar, May 4 A lot of waste had got collected in the old city that was out of bound due to curfew. SMC Commissioner GN Qasba said around 300 MT of garbage was lifted. Around 300-MT garbage, which crosses the amount of average garbage lifted on a particular Sunday multifold, was lifted from old parts of Srinagar city on Sunday where curfew had remained enforced, he
said. Qasba said the SMC had carried out a special drive in old city areas to ensure cleanliness and sanitation. “Cleanliness of the city remains our priority area,” he said. Stating that around 75 truckloads of garbage were lifted from the old parts of the city, he said the drive was carried out by 600 employees. Workers were deployed since the morning hours only. The shrines and mosques remained priority areas during the exercise. Besides, the Shah Hamdan and Makhdoom Sahib shrines, Jamia Masjid and Pather Masjid areas were cleaned, he
added. Qasba said SMC workers also collected garbage from market hubs like Bohri
Kadal, Safa Kadal, Fateh Kadal and Rajouri Kadal.Chief sanitation officer Manzoor Ahmad Tarray oversaw the sanitation drive. |
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PDP condemns killings in Assam
Kupwara, May 4 “It’s extremely painful to see such barbaric acts of targeted violence being operationalised in the 21st century in a democratic India. Such atrocities against minorities, lack of accountability and stereotyping of Muslims is not only fuelling a sense of insecurity among the community but also breeding perilous alienation,” Mufti said. He was addressing an election rally in the Lolab Assembly segment of the Baramulla parliamentary constituency today. The PDP patron said if elected to Parliament, PDP representatives would work with the community leaders across the country to address minority insecurity and their development rights. He said continued denial of justice and democratic rights had led to a sense of mistrust in Kashmir and there seemed to be no reason for the country’s political leaders to dither on this serious-most problem. “If people want to change their destiny through democratic means, they should join the movement for change through ballot,” he said and added that through its untiring efforts and self-rule agenda, the PDP had been able to create a middle ground for all forces advocating peace and progress. Mufti said the progress achieved through various confidence-building measures during the PDP-led government should now be utilised for a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue by taking all stakeholders on board. “I reiterate the resolve of my party to stand by the people of the state and work for peace, progress and prosperity. Miseries of the people of the state are the outcome of deceitful tactics by National Conference (NC) leaders in their lust for power. In a hurry to grab power, NC did not bargain with the Government of India for any political or economic concession for the state when it was in a position to do so,” he said. |
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Fire dept on alert for harvesting season
Jammu, May 4 Though this year the maximum temperature has remained between 38-40 degrees Celsius, the police control room of the fire department has been receiving dozens of calls from farmers every day. Due to intense heat, incidents of fires considerably increase in farms and
forest areas. This is one of the toughest assignments for the department, which faces shortage
of equipment. “May and June is the worst period for wildfires, mostly due to dry conditions across the northern India. We remain on toes 24x7 as hundreds of calls are received by our control room. If we reach
the affected area a bit late, people attack us,” said a senior officer from
the department. He said at times, hundreds of kanals of crop land is engulfed by fire, leading to losses worth lakhs of rupees. “While controlling the situation, firemen at times face the wrath of people, who blame them for reaching the place late or not doing enough to save their crops.” “The number of calls we receive sometimes exceeds our resources. Mobile stations are established but they also have some limit. We remain overstretched during duty hours, but there is no escape,” said Director General, Fire Services,
GA Bhat. Dr Bhat said 10 mobile fire stations have been activated across the region, particularly in RS Pura, Arnia, Samba, Vijaypur, Hiranagar, Kathua and Akhnoor, where thousands of farmers have harvested their crop. For a population of 52 lakh people in 10 districts of the Jammu region, there are only 64 tenders and 35 fire stations to deal with any major eventuality. Jammu district has 10 fire stations, with 25 fire tenders for the Jammu city with 12 lakh population, while Samba has two fire stations and four fire tenders, Kathua has two stations and three tenders. Udhampur has
three fire stations and five tenders, Reasi has two fire stations and three fire tenders. Keeping in view the needs of the increasing population in the state, the previous government in 2005 had formulated a detailed plan to build new fire stations in all the three regions of the state, but that plan has been shelved, due to lack of funds. |
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Durbar to reopen in Srinagar today
Srinagar, May 4 The offices closed on April 25 in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, as part of the biannual move. The civil secretariat, housing the offices of the chief minister, his ministerial colleagues, administrative secretaries and other staff, constitutes a major chunk of the Durbar Move employees. Other state government offices which biannually move between the two capital cities of the state are the Governor’s secretariat at Raj
Bhawan, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police. As per the 141-year-old practice, the seat of the state government functions from Srinagar between May and October every year, while it functions from Jammu between November and April every year. Nearly 10,000 employees working in Jammu and Kashmir government departments shift between the two capital cities every six months, leading to heavy expenses on the state exchequer. All arrangements have been made for the accommodation of these employees in government houses and hotels. Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday reviewed accommodation, security, transport and other facilities for the Durbar Move employees at a high-level meeting here last week. Truckloads of office records were transported to Srinagar from Jammu. The employees from the Kashmir region
have already arrived in Srinagar. The employees from the Jammu region started arriving in Srinagar since yesterday. |
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As Durbar moves to Srinagar, authorities wake up from slumber
Srinagar, May 4 Though the Traffic Police Department’s alternative route plan is to be implemented from tomorrow, chaos reigned supreme on the city roads due to road repair work being carried out today. The traffic police have outlined alternative routes for plying of public transport from Jehangir Chowk to uptown Srinagar, including Hyderpora, Budgam, Rawalpora, Sanat Nagar, Natipora, Nowgam, Chanapora in the light of movement of additional vehicles of Secretariat officials and ministers. The police have ordered for limited number of public transport vehicles (those who have been allotted route permits) to ply for uptown Srinagar, taking longer routes along Tengpora, Batamaloo bypass. For the movement of Secretariat officials vehicles as well as VIP vehicles, direct and shortest possible routes would be open. The city residents as well as public transporters are aghast with the alleged insensitive attitude of the state government towards their commuting concerns and delayed repair of roads. “When we have been crying over the plight of damaged roads, the administration did not pay heed. Just when the Civil Secretariat is about to open, they are making the roads look better. It is a cosmetic measure to impress the higher ups. When VIPS are not in the city, nobody cares about the roads and transport management,” Irshad Ahmad, a taxi driver, said. |
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Leh, May 4 “There will be no alliance between the BJP and the NC after the elections. Both the coalition partners, Congress and NC, are communal parties in Jammu and Kashmir. As they have failed to convince people in these elections, they are now trying to mislead the electorate through wrong and meaningless statements,” former president of the BJP Nitin Gadkari said on the sidelines of a ‘Bharat Vijay’ rally here. He also took a dig at Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NC patron Farooq Abdullah for being more concerned about the future of their sons, and ignoring the larger interests of the countrymen. “Sonia Gandhi is more worried about her son Rahul Gandhi, while Farooq Abdullah is concerned about the future of his Chief Minister son Omar Abdullah. People have understood their politics, which is based on communal lines. Their recent statement that they would prefer to go to Pakistan was based on communal politics”, the BJP leader said. Asked about the growing danger of Chinese incursions in Ladakh, he said his party had envisaged a vision for the region. If it was voted to power, the party would ensure that all borders with Pakistan and Chinese would be sealed to stop all kinds of infiltration on borders. “We want better relations with our neighbours, including China and Pakistan. We have requested China to fix the boundaries between the two countries so that permanent peace is restored on the borders,” he said, adding that Pakistan would have “to stop the export of militants” from its land into the Indian territory. Earlier, the senior BJP leader unveiled his party’s manifesto for the Ladakh parliamentary segment before the people of the region. In its manifesto, the party has made several promises such as Union Territory (UT) status for Ladakh region, inclusion of Bhoti language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, early completion of the Nimo-Padum-Darcha (Chadar) road, a Central university with medical and engineering colleges in Ladakh, University status to Central Institute of Buddhist Studies and special employment package for unemployed educated and uneducated youth of
Ladakh. |
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Congress president’s post reserved for Gandhi family, says Gadkari
Leh, May 4 Emphasising that leaders like Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India, were never given a chance to hold the Congress chief’s post, former BJP head Nitin Gadkari said: “The (Congress) party’s president post is only reserved for the Gandhi family.” “Recently, I visited the President and told him that he could have easily become the Prime Minister of the country but he was never appointed as the president of the Congress. The post of the Congress president is reserved only for the Gandhi family. It has been the history of the Congress that the post has always remained with this family,” Gadkari said while addressing an impressive ‘Bharat Vijay rally’ at the landlocked Polo Ground here. The lone parliamentary seat of Ladakh is scheduled to go to polls on May 7. The BJP leader said the Congress president’s post was earlier held by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru followed by Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. “…now, it (post) is with Sonia Gandhi and thereafter it will go to Rahul Gandhi and other successors of the Gandhi family,” Gadkari said. “In the Congress party, there is only one ‘maalik (owner)’ and one ‘maalkin’ while all others are ‘naukars (servants)’,” he said. Clad in traditional Ladakhi attire, Gadkari also took on the Congress for launching a “malicious campaign” against BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra
Modi. “The Congress has been trying to create fear psychosis among the Muslims that they would be sent to Pakistan if Modi becomes the Prime Minister of the country,” he said, adding that the congress was trying to project the Gujarat Chief Minister as “Gabbar” — villain of a Bollywood blockbuster. “I want to ask the Congress what they have done for Muslims since independence. Modi has made it clear that he would prefer to accept defeat in elections rather than following the politics on the religious line,” he said. Flaying the political opponents for the slogan “Sonia Gandhi aayi
hai, nayi roshni layi hai (Sonia Gandhi has brought new hope)”, Gadkari said the Congress-led UPA has pushed the country into “darkness”. “The Congress-led UPA has achieved world-record in high inflation and subjecting common man to unpardonable hardships,” he said.
Gadkari claimed that if voted to power, the BJP government would bring down inflation. “I assure all the countrymen that the BJP government would bring down inflation by 25 per cent soon after taking over the government,” he said. Earlier, great enthusiasm was witnessed among scores of BJP workers and supporters. Bodh lamas, attired in traditional Ladakhi dresses, had come from various parts of the district to take part in the rally.
BJP leaders comprising in charge J&K affairs Avinash Rai Khanna, co-in charge RP Singh, J&K parliament election in charge Nirmal Singh and other senior leaders of the state unit were also present on the occasion. |
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Modi urges Ladakh electorate to vote for BJP
Jammu, May 4 “It is my desire that Ladakh should have a BJP representative in Parliament so that issues of this region could be effectively taken up for immediate
redressal,” Modi said in an exclusive message recorded for the 1,59,949 voters of the Ladakh parliamentary segment.
The BJP prime ministerial nominee, who could not address a rally at Leh due to hectic election schedule, expressed regret over his inability to have a face to face interaction with the people of
Ladakh. “Had I got the opportunity of direct interaction with you it would have been a happiest moment for me, but as you know I am traveling every nook and corner of the country to address rallies so unfortunately I could not get the opportunity to meet you,” Modi said. The senior leader recalled the days he had spent in Ladakh during his tenure as the national general secretary of the
BJP, especially during the 1999 Kargil war. Seeking support of the people of
Ladakh, the Gujarat Chief Minister predicted that change was imminent at the Centre as people had made up their mind to throw out the ruling dispensation at the Centre.
Modi, while emphasising hardships being faced by the residents of Ladakh due to its geographical location, promised to fulfill the long-pending demand of construction of the Rohtang tunnel. “During the tenure of Atal Behari Vajpayee there was hope that this tunnel would be constructed but after the formation of the new government all hopes were dashed,” he said. The BJP leader also touched upon the long-pending demand of opening of the route of Kailash Mansarovar yatra from
Ladakh. He also said if voted to power the party would explore the tourism potential of the region to the maximum level. “Ladakh has huge potential of Buddhist tourism so we will explore this possibility to the maximum level,” Modi promised. He also assured the people that the BJP would emphasise on creating infrastructure in this mountainous region to change the quality of life of the people. Meanwhile, the BJP has decided to circulate nearly 5,000 compact discs (CDs) of Modi’s message in the cold desert in the coming days. The message has also been loaded on the social media sites so as to reap maximum benefits. Sources within the BJP said the party has decided to make optimum use of this message in the last three days of campaign. |
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PDP fighting elections as BJP's proxy: Omar
Kupwara, May 4 Omar said the PDP was fighting Lok Sabha elections “as a proxy” for the BJP in Kashmir and furthering the communal policies of the BJP. He was addressing an election rally at Tourist Reception Centre in Kupwara. “The intention of the PDP is to help Narendra Modi, and not Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, become the Prime Minister. The PDP should directly come forward and support the
BJP. Why is the PDP hiding its agenda and misleading people on its alliance with the BJP?” Omar questioned. “The ongoing elections are not for making MLAs or Chief Minister in the state but to form a new government at the Centre. The PDP should not mislead people and should instead openly ask for votes for the BJP. Had the PDP been talking about a change in the run-up to the state Assembly elections, one could have understood. By repeating the slogan of ‘change’ time and again, the PDP wants to replace the UPA government with the NDA in Delhi,” Omar said. He said the PDP had promised jobs to two family members in each household but gave jobs to selected people. “In the name of healing touch, the PDP unleashed massacre in the Valley. Mufti Sayeed brought POTA and Jagmohan to Kashmir, thereby muzzling the voice and rights of Kashmiris. Our main motive is to strengthen and empower people and fight those who support communal parties,” he added. Urging people to make NC candidate Shariefuddin Shariq victorious, Omar cautioned people not to believe in false promises of the PDP as their inkpot and pen were symbols of failure. “On the morning of May 7, please go and vote for NC candidate. Votes from Langate, Baramulla, Handwara, Lolab and Tangdhar will help the party candidate to take a lead and emerge victorious,” he added. |
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Beigh ignored Kupwara when he was Dy
CM, says Law Minister
Kupwara, May 4 The minister said at
the behest of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Beigh had given
step-motherly treatment to Kupwara and ignored the district on the
development front. Saifullah was addressing a rally in Kupwara. “In
the PDP’s regime, the Jammu and Kashmir Government got Rs 26,000 crore
under the Prime Minister’s package. National Conference (NC)
legislators from Kupwara protested in the Assembly and met Muzaffar
Hussain Beigh in his chamber, requesting to give funds for the
construction of bridges, roads and schools but Beigh made lame excuses
and didn’t even give Rs 1 crore,” said Saifullah. “Mufti Sayeed
has always ignored Kupwara. Realising that Kupwara district is a strong
bastion of the NC, he is now begging for votes from the people of this
district,” he said. Saifullah did not even spare PDP’s Kupwara
Assembly candidate Fayaz Ahmad Mir. “He is an illiterate. Go and ask
him if he is Class VIII pass but beware he may show you a bogus academic
certificate. How can he can do justice with this constituency when he
hasn’t gone to school and does not know anything.” Saifullah also
attacked Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone and said the party
first sent Kashmiri youth to Pakistan for arms training and later got
them killed in encounters. “The Peoples Conference promoted militant
outfit Al-Bark and brought death and destruction for people. It is
ridiculous that the same people are now making tall claims of
development,” he said. “Peoples Conference leaders sent their sons
to Dubai for higher education and misled poor Kashmiri youth for their
vested interests,” he said. |
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Direct fight between NC, PDP for Baramulla Lok Sabha seat
Baramulla, May 4 Political parties, including the ruling National Conference and the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are trying their best to woo the voters, particularly in rural areas of the constituency.
The constituency would witness a direct fight between sitting Member of Parliament and NC nominee Shariefuddin Shariq and PDP stalwart and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh. However, both the leaders might suffer losses in Kupwara district of the constituency where Peoples Conference candidate Salam-ud-din Bajad is likely to bag a major share of the votes. In the five Assembly segments of Kupwara district, in 2009 parliamentary polls, NC candidate had bagged 75,542 votes, while the Peoples Conference nominee had fetched 53,508 votes. The PDP stood at a distant third position with 38,855 votes. Apart from the NC, the PDP and the Peoples Conference, Awami Etihad Party chief Abdul Rasheed, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party’s Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah and BJP nominee Ghulam Mohammad Mir are also in the fray from the Baramulla segment. According to official data, as many as 11,90,766 voters in the constituency, including 6,22,632 male and 5,66,460 female voters, would exercise
their right to franchise on May 7. The figure includes 5,83,753 voters of Baramulla, 2,11,967 voters of Bandipora and 3,93,400 voters of Kupwara districts. There are also 18,257 migrant voters in the constituency. Baramulla district has 8,307 migrant voters, while 8,468 migrant voters are registered in Kupwara district and 1,482 in Bandipora district. Vote meter
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Cong leader appeals for votes
Srinagar, May 4 He said it would also strengthen secular and democratic ethos of the country. Taking a dig at media surveys which have shown the BJP leading in the country, Nizami claimed that the UPA would be the largest party after the polls. Criticising the BJP, he alleged that the saffron party doesn't want development and it only uses it as a tool to grab power. He said voters should ensure that the new Prime Minister should be a leader who would carry all sections of society along with him and have a secular and democratic mindset as opposed to an individual, who harbours “communal hatred” and believes in “religious polarisation” of the country.
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AAP flays govt for not introducing police reforms Bill
Srinagar, May 4 AAP leader Raja Muzaffar Bhat said last year the government sought feedback from civil society and the general public, while the new police draft Bill was made public by the state Home Department. “Till date nobody knows what kind of feedback was received by the government and what all changes the government has made in the said draft Bill. The irony is that the said Bill was not introduced in the Budget session of the state legislature and it seems that the government is hardly bothered to reform its police by enacting a new police law,” Bhat said. He said, “Had the Bill been introduced and the new police law enacted, we would have police complaints authorities (PCAs) in operation in all the districts as well as one at state level. "Political interference continues to mar viz a viz posting of police officials from SHOs to top level and the reason is that the state has no Police Establishment Board, which is supposed to look after transfer and posting of police officials,” the AAP leader added. |
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on the frontline
Whenever elections in Kashmir are shaken by the boycott call, it’s only a matter of time before the question comes up: what will be the nature of the things to come? This question assumes significance in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, vitiated by the poisoning of community relations and a generation that believes more in the power of the social media than the ballot.
One type of the “mainstream” leaders is busy targeting BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra
Modi. Few leaders have gone to the extent of blaming Modi for everything that is going wrong in any part of the country. If that is the logic then the hate speeches and threats are responsible for the violence that has taken place during the Lok Sabha election in Kashmir to date. Other leaders are focused on improvement of relations between India and Pakistan for the sake of peace in Kashmir, without looking into the internal dimension of things happening in Kashmir. Kashmiris are feeling betrayed. Separatists have done them no good either. Their calls for boycott and the aftermath (violence) spreads panic among people in the Valley. There is a very thin line dividing the mainstream leaders and the separatists. This is a dangerous thing that is happening in Kashmir. Otherwise, how would one explain that one full generation (from teenagers to the men and women in thirties) is spending most of its time on the social media, chiding all those who have voted till now. They have their own versions of the truth about the incidents of violence that have taken place and how that has contributed to the
radicalisation. They blame it on the officialdom that has done injustice to the innocent people. These versions are
at variance with the official version. Instead, what is happening is that the youth are being arrested to arrest the trouble during polls. That is how officials explain their action against, whom they call, trouble-makers. Some of the arrested youth are indeed stone-throwers, others are suspects. The third category is that of “innocents”. It may be a little known fact that there are modules patronised by influential people, who guide the operations against lower-ranking elected persons, and disturb the peace in and around the places of their choice by resorting to stone-throwing. This stone-throwing and the equal retaliation by the police and CRPF has acquired a new term in Kashmiri vocabulary. This is called “twenty-twenty”, on the lines of the T-20 cricket matches. Why is this term being used in the context of stone-throwing? A simple answer given by a taxi driver to this columnist was that the stone-throwing was like a T-20 cricket match in which the game lasted for three hours and thereafter everything was calm, till the next day. It is like batting, bowling bouncers and wicket to wicket - policemen on the other end are the targets. Youth throw stones, police use teargas shells and stones. Policemen often field the stones with the cane shields. This is a measure of just how bad things have become in Kashmir during the polls. One only hopes that the incidents don’t continue after the Lok Sabha polls. But, then Kashmir is prone to unpredictable events, which one may not have imagined even in the worst of nightmares. That the things will remain smooth in the run-up
to the Assembly elections in November this year, is highly conditional optimism. |
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CBSE tells schools to ensure proper sanitation
Jammu, May 4 Sources said the CBSE found that very few of the schools who had taken the school sanitation rating challenge managed to get a “green” rating for excellent performance. The significance of the rating can be gauged from the fact that the CBSE has asked its schools to mention the rating in all their correspondence with the board. Under the NSSI, it is mandatory for schools to emphasise on personal hygiene, proper sanitation, clean toilet habits, safe drinking water and separate toilets for girls and boys. Proper disposal, including recycling of waste water, waste segregation and composting, food hygiene, creation and conservation of green spaces are also insisted upon. The sources said both the state and the CBSE have set proper standards for schools when they seek affiliation, such as one urinal for 40 boys and one toilet for 20 girls, but these are rarely checked after affiliation is given. “The problem is that the schools have the requisite number of toilets when applying for affiliation but do not add amenities as the student strength increases. In fact, many sanitation and fire safety inspections are done arbitrarily without proper checking,” a source said. The sources claimed that the CBSE authorities had stated that the sanitation level in most of the affiliated schools was grim and needed immediate attention. “Lack of proper maintenance of washrooms, lack of running water supply and proper maintenance of surrounding areas is the major contributory factor in below par sanitation standards,” a source said. There are more than 40 CBSE-affiliated schools in the state and a majority of them are in Jammu Division. The CBSE had launched the initiative in July last year. Till now, participation in the rating survey was voluntary but after getting poor response from schools, the board has indicated it is likely to be made mandatory. Survey findings
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No takers for Municipal Corporation advisory on domestic workers
Srinagar, May 4 With the arrival of these domestic help in thousands in the Valley through some unregistered consultancies, which operate from different places of the city, locals said they were being brought without a check and also the government failed to keep an eye on these consultancies. ? “First and foremost, people who bring them here should be held accountable. They are running these consultancies without any registration and are demanding hefty amounts from people who need a help,” said a resident. In the advisory, corporation’s health officer Dr Shafqat Khan had said they had observed that a large number of male/female non-local help were being hired in the Valley without any medical examination or health background. “There are 100 per cent chances that these domestic help/workers are prone to many communicable diseases like worm infestation, harmful bacteria/viral fungus diseases, which are communicated, especially to children,” the official said. Many of these help are engaged as babysitters. The health official raised the concern that this was a serious health issue. These non-local
labourers, both skilled and unskilled, arrive in the Valley to earn their livelihood. The increasing dependency on non-local domestic help in the Valley has led to the growth of these consultancies that have turned it into a business. They arrange domestic help against hefty engagement fee ranging between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000. Most of these consultancies operate in uptown and civil lines area of the city without any government approval. “I have taken up the issue with the higher officials of the Labour Department and hope that they look into it seriously because this is a serious public health concern. These domestic help bring hundreds of diseases with them. Also the Health Department should take action against it. The labour commission should keep a system of registration for them and also act against the consultancies,” the officer said. The health official said people should go for proper vaccination and medical examination of domestic help before engaging them. Growing menace The increasing dependency on non-local domestic help in the Valley has led to the growth of these consultancies that have turned it into a business. They arrange domestic help against hefty engagement fee ranging between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000. Most of these consultancies operate in uptown and civil lines area of the city without any government approval. |
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NMC for providing interim relief to govt employees, pensioners
Jammu, May 4 NMC chief demanded 20 per cent interim relief in basic pay/pension, merger of 50 per cent DA with the basic pay/pension and enhancement of retirement age to 62 years in case of Central government employees. In a memorandum submitted to Justice (retd) Ashok Mathur, chairman, 7th Pay Commission, Shastri said the commission should concentrate on the given terms of reference seriously so that the interim and final recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission come out in the given time frame. Shastri further appealed to the chairman to make encouraging and practical recommendations in view of the prevailing inflation. He said whenever the recommendations of the commission are to be submitted to the Central government, the commission should forward these recommendations to the state government. The NMC chief urged him to start negotiations with representatives of associations of government employees and pensioners so that the report could be submitted within the stipulated period. Demands raised NMC president Subash Shastri demanded 20 per cent interim relief in basic pay/pension, merger of 50 per cent DA with the basic pay/pension and enhancement of retirement age to 62 years in case of Central government employees.
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Farooq out of fray, JKCA poll gets interesting
Jammu, May 4 On the directions of a local court, JKCA president Dr Farooq Abdullah had issued notification for holding fresh elections at the
Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre. Ever since the multi-crore scam unearthed in 2012, the state cricket body has been under fire to find out culprits and to recover the embezzled money. Further, the incomplete project of a proposed international cricket stadium at
Bajalta, Jammu, had also been a major issue in the crucial elections, sources in the JKCA claimed. They said despite Farooq Abdullah’s concerted efforts, the JKCA was not able to complete the international stadium project at
Bajalta. “If he (Farooq Abdullah) will not contest the upcoming elections, it will be a Herculean task for the new incumbent to make any headway,” they added. While talking to The Tribune, former JKCA joint secretary Sunil Sharma said the performance of the state cricket team in the previous season, wherein it had entered the knock-out stage in the Ranji Trophy, had been a perfect farewell for Dr Abdullah if he was not going to contest the elections. “Though it is too early to say whether the JKCA chief will contest the elections or not, but being at the helm of the affairs for so long, he had done so much for the state cricket. I feel that he should have done even more,” Sharma
said. Virender Sharma, cricket coach of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), said he failed to understand the logic behind the selection procedure of the JKCA and other important issues, which needed to be sorted out on a priority basis. “Every time the JKCA selects probable for national tournaments, its strategy is simple, i.e. if 16 cricketers are selected, then eight are from Jammu and the same number from the Kashmir province. In the recently given interview to a TV channel, I strongly opposed these tactics for selection,” he said. “If the selectors find that a majority of cricketers either from Jammu or Kashmir are performing better, then they should not resort to old traditional practices and should give chance to them,” he added. |
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Shobha yatra taken out in Reasi
Katra, May 4 The yatra started from Chowk Chbutra here this afternoon and passed through various streets and markets before concluding at Nai Basti
Chowk. Heads of religious organisations, executive committee members of
"Parshuram parivar" and members of the community participated in the
yatra. Addressing a gathering, Madan Mohan Sharma, event coordinator, said Parshuram Jayanti was observed traditionally as the birth anniversary of Lord
Parshuram, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He urged the people to follow the preachings of Lord Parshuram in their daily life. He said people from all walks of life offer special prayers, take bath in holy rivers, do charity, offer barley in the sacred fire and worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi on this day. Religious scholars consider the purpose of the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu is to relieve the earth’s burden by eliminating sinful, destructive and irreligious monarchs. — OC |
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Cloudburst at Doda
Doda, May 4 An eyewitness said a major tragedy was averted as just seconds before
the incident, a fully occupied minibus crossed the path. The
administration has sent men and machinery to restore the crucial road
link. The road provides connectivity to over thousands of villagers to
other parts of the state. |
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Uniforms distributed among 62 students
Jammu, May 4 They were accompanied by commissioner, J&K Bharat Scouts & Guides (JKBSG), ID Soni; JKBSG senior vice-president JKBSG and general secretary, Indian Red Cross, Roma Wani; and JKBSG zonal commissioner MM Sharma. The JKBSG had approached the Power Grid Srishti Mahila Samiti for assisting them in providing uniforms to its scouts and guides studying in government Schools of Jammu. Meena Sharma readily agreed to the request and today 62 needy children were provided uniforms. Meena Sharma asked students to be more passionate about scouting activities, besides concentrating on their education. |
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Book titled ‘Clean Chit’ released
Jammu, May 4 The function was organised by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. The book was released by Prof Kiran Bakshi
in the presence Dr Kshama Koul and and Padama Sachdev. Dr PN Trisal presided over the function. Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Dr Sudhir Mahajan, senior drama instructor, threw light on the life and works of the author. Prof Kiran Bakshi congratulated the writer
for being awarded Bhartiya Gian Peeth and wished her luck for future
endeavours. |
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Natrang stages ‘Teen Tilange’ play
Jammu, May 4 The play opens at a market, where three unemployed youth, who are close friends, happen to meet each other at a tea stall after a long time. They are not concerned about finding a livelihood. Instead, they are busy cherishing unrealistic dreams. They live in their dream world as the real world appears to be harsh to them. One of them wanted to become a powerful politician, the other one an actor and the third one has always aspired to become a successful industrialist. However, the reality is different. They have big ideas, long speeches and decorative vocabulary in their repository but do not have a genuine platform to use this. Their talent and energy is not being channelised properly and is being wasted in regret, frustration and mindlessness. The situation makes them so self-centered and vulnerable that even if one of them gets a chance to grow, the others pull him down because of their narrow vision. |
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Humanity Public School bag 25 medals in Taekwondo championship
Jammu, May 4 The students were welcomed in the school by Gaurav Charak, principal; Anku Charak, vice-principal; and coaches Pankaj Mehra and Poonam Sharma besides other staff members. The principal said the school management was committed to promote physical education
among students and to achieve this goal, sports infrastructure had been upgraded. The medal winners are Rahul, Aryan Jamwal, Kuljeet Singh, Neha Jaral, Tamana Dogra, Anshu Kumari, Shefali Attri, Koushal Singh, Vishal Sharma, Shivani Sharma, Ankush, Mansi Lalotra, Deepak Kumar, Arti, Nikhil Jaral, Yashwant, Insha Malik, Meenu Kokhar, Bhanu Pratap, Yogesh, Rambabu, Ramu, Abhimanyu and Manyata Charak. |
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Tong-il-Moo-Do c’ship concludes
Srinagar, May 4 Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah was the chief guest on the occasion. An official said as many as 300 students from J&K, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Punjab participated in the tournament. He said the games were played in three age groups of Under 10, Under 14 and Under 17. The event was organised by the J&K Tong-il-Moo-Do Association and was sponsored by the Green Valley Educational Institution, Soura. Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner said: “Sports activities are part of education, which should be carried apart with learning of general education. All sports activities needs to be encouraged as sound mind always remain in sound body.”? Later, the Deputy Commissioner gave away prizes and mementos among the athletes. |
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Kupwara, May 4
The Fire and Emergency Services Department has been put on alert to deal with fires which engulf fields during the harvesting season in the Jammu
region.
The civil secretariat and other Durbar Move offices will reopen in the summer capital here tomorrow.
The offices closed on April 25 in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, as part of the biannual move.
The state government has woken up late to the arrangements for the biannual ritualistic Durbar Move to the summer capital,
Srinagar. As Civil Secretariat offices will open tomorrow in Srinagar, the administration has suddenly ordered blacktopping of VIP routes in the city without any prior information being given to the residents.
The BJP today termed the National Conference the most communal party of Jammu and Kashmir and ruled out any post-poll alliance with it if it was voted to power.
Leh, May 4
Buoyed by the overwhelming response, BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi today tried to strike a chord with the electorate of the Ladakh region through a 4.26-minute video message in which the leader said he would like to see a BJP candidate represent the cold desert in Parliament.
National Conference president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was striving to ensure that “anti-Muslim leader Narendra Modi” becomes the Prime Minister of India.
