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Worst floods in Jammu & Kashmir in six decades
After floods, danger from thieves
After living in J-K for years, migrant workers leave with heavy heart
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J&K flood victims rue lack of govt help
Unable to trace kin, Kashmiris abroad spend sleepless nights
Jhelum – from Valley’s lifeline to destroyer
Unfamiliar language won’t affect validity of Will: SC
Kerala bars can sell liquor till Sept 30: SC SC for law to slap liability on govt in accident cases
Court rejects chargesheet against Shah
BJP MP booked for defying ban on poll meeting
Rajnath: Open to talks if Pak responds properly
2G case: Former CAG targets Manmohan
RTE Act review on cards, says Irani
Agni-I missile successfully test-fired
Central varsity V-Cs to discuss faculty crunch, education standards
Ex-Gujarat DIG Vanzara gets bail
Rains to stay away from northwest
UK House debates on K-issue resolution
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Worst floods in Jammu & Kashmir in six decades 
Wullar Lake swells above danger mark
Over 2,000 persons shifted to five schools at Safapora in Ganderbal districtRavi Krishnan Khajuria & Amir Karim Tantray Tribune News Service
Badami Bagh Cantonment (Srinagar), September 11 The Jhelum, its tributaries and the Ferozepur Nullah flow via the Wullar Lake in north Kashmir before entering Pakistan. The level of the constantly rising lake was recorded at 53.3 feet at 6 am on Thursday, well above danger mark of 46.2 feet. “Keeping in view the rising water level in the lake and to deal with the potential crisis, we shifted 2,400 persons to five schools in Safapora. They are being provided food and water,” said Lt Gen Subrata Saha, GOC of the Chinar Corps (15 Corps), on Thursday.
Lt Gen Saha said, “The water level in other areas close to the Jhelum is receding since this morning. It was 18.5 feet in Sangam. It has come down between eight and nine feet in Srinagar. It has reduced marginally from 18 feet to 17.8 feet in the Sumbal area of north Kashmir.” He said the Jhelum breached its banks at a number of places, which inundated Srinagar. “The water level in marooned areas is still between 10 and 12 feet,” he said. He said heavy and incessant rain for three consecutive days from September 4 was so intense that the Army could not carry out a single sortie. Villages like Asthil and Gudda in south Kashmir were inundated. Giving an example of the intensity of rain, he said the reservoir of an under-construction micro-hydel project caved in near Bella Salamabad, close to Rampur in Baramulla. “The gushing waters washed away one of our posts at Kakapora in Pulwama. Vehicles were swept away. A rescue boat with nine persons on board capsized. Our men tried their best, but could rescue only seven,” said Lt Gen Saha. He said the 15 Corps brought personnel both from south Kashmir and north Kashmir. He said boats were brought from Jodhpur, Jalandhar and Delhi, among others. He added that the Army, in tandem with the Air Force and state agencies, rescued 44,554 persons in Kashmir till 6 am on Thursday. “Medical aid was provided to 5,685 patients in the military hospital and medical camps set up at Panzgam, Awantipora, Sambur, Arapal, Sangam, Kelung and Butingu till last evening,” he said. He said the Army was gradually shifting from rescue to relief operations in south Kashmir. “We have evacuated a majority of people in south Kashmir. Those not willing to leave their houses unattended are being provided relief material like food, water and medicines,” he said. The Army rescued 26 Pakistani nationals, two women from the USA and New Zealand, around 10 Malaysian trekkers and a teacher and his students from Ladakh, he added. It also rescued 160 sportspersons from Bakshi Stadium, of which 55 were evacuated and the rest being take care of, he said. He said the Army had lost two men in rescue operations. In response to a query, he said people got anxious in a natural calamity of such magnitude. “They have lost everything. It is a manifestation of their anxiety and worries. Every single person matters to us,” he added.
Army gives details
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After floods, danger from thieves
Srinagar, September 11 It could be cash, ornaments or even an LPG cylinder, said septuagenarian Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Shah of the posh Shivpora locality. He is a diabetic and a shattered man these days. “Some persons are taking advantage of the situation. With the police nowhere in sight, abandoned houses have become an easy target,” said Shah, who was on board a rescue boat
on Thursday. “Though my family was evacuated to safety, I decided to stay on with my two sons. Essential stocks have depleted. Being a diabetic, I had to move to an Army relief camp to get medical attention,” he added. Shah was stuck on the second floor of his three-storeyed house. He was helped by his sons and soldiers to board the boat from a window on the second floor of his house. “My sons are staying back to ensure that
no thief enters the house to decamp with valuables,” he added. Shah said Army boats were being used for relief operations. “It will be wrong to expect the Army to guard our houses from thieves. It is the job of the police, but they are missing,” he added. Professor Mashok of Gulshan Nagar in Nowgam said, “What will the police do when their officers are being rescued by the people? We rescued an SSP, a DSP and their families.”
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After living in J-K for years, migrant workers leave with heavy heart
Srinagar, September 11 Hundreds of migrant labourers are putting up both outside and inside the Srinagar international airport, waiting for Air Force sorties or low-priced flights to take them from flood-hit Srinagar. Lakhs are trapped inside their inundated houses in most areas of Srinagar, including Lal Chowk. The tourists, labourers and others been rescued by the Army are reaching the airport to leave the city. A few labourers and tourists were cane-charged by the police outside the airport when the situation went out of control. Most of them were putting up without food and water for days together and were waiting to enter the airport premises. “I received several blows on Tuesday evening. We managed to enter the airport only on Wednesday morning,” said Tanvir Alam, a migrant labourer from Radia district in Bihar. Scores of migrant labourers were waiting for air tickets, but the huge rush outside ticket counters delayed their plans. Thousands of labourers had been working in the Valley and made a name for themselves. They did not want to go, but floods forced them to leave. “It is not easy to leave behind equipment and market, but we are leaving in a rush to save our lives,” said Muhammad Iqbal, a labourer from Bihar.
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J&K flood victims rue lack of govt help New Delhi, September 11 Thousands of flood victims have taken shelter at Gurdwara Shaheedi Bunga in Badgam district, where the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) brought relief material today. The victims said the state government had done little to evacuate or bring relief to those affected. The DSGMC and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) were among a few religious organisations engaged in relief work, they said. Manjit Kaur, a victim, said her husband sustained fracture in the leg while escaping the floodwater. She carried her son on the back and four-year-old daughter in her arms before being rescued from the floodwater by a local man in a boat. She left her valuables inside the house. Now she is at the mercy of the local gurdwara committee. Ravinder Kaur (55) of Shutra Shahi locality said she had not eaten for the past five days. She was rescued and brought to the camp today. “Politicians have not come to the aid of the people. Where is the state government? They come to us just for votes,” she said. Satnam Singh, a resident of Ulichi Bagh, said water entered the locality at 11 am on Sunday and by 4 pm, the ground floor had submerged. He could not escape as he had small children. He was marooned in the floodwater for three days before being rescued by Army personnel. 25 quintal relief material being supplied daily: DSGMC DSGMC president Manjit Singh (GK), general secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa, senior vice-president Ravinder Singh Khurana and senior leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal BS Ramoowalia in a joint statement said 25 quintal of relief material was being supplied to flood victims every day.
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Unable to trace kin, Kashmiris abroad spend sleepless nights
Srinagar, September 11 After losing contact with their families, some are returning to the Valley in despair while others are frantically calling those whose phones have stated working. “My internet and phone started working yesterday and since then I have been receiving a flood of calls and messages from friends and relatives abroad. Unfortunately, our situation is the same. I can neither go to the submerged places where their kin live nor can I call them because phones have not started working here,” said Imran Nabi, a resident of the uptown Sanatnagar area. Many others abroad
are venting out their frustration on social networking websites. With cellular connectivity still unavailable in most parts, Facebook pages such as ‘Kashmir Flood Information Channel’ are flooded with anxious messages from those living abroad with hopes that somebody will respond. While some have been announcing their arrival plans through Facebook, many are posting the pictures of their parents who have gone missing. A Facebook post by Mubashir Hamid, living in Sydney, summed up the frustration and helplessness they are going through. He wrote: “...The following people have been missing from first drop of rain...politicians and bureaucrats... if found please feel free (to) dispose them of and bury them in the floodwaters.” Meanwhile, some people have been able to get some information about their missing ones while others are trying to help through Facebook. Congress leader Salman Anees Soz has been regularly posting rescue updates on Facebook. “The ADGP and the Army has updated 12 lists of people rescued by them. Please follow their Facebook page. It keeps getting updated with information on evacuees. This can bring relief to a lot of families. The other place to look for information on loved ones is Google Person Finder for J&K Floods. Here’s a link https://www.google.org/personfinder/2014-jammu-kashmir-floods,” Soz wrote.
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Jhelum – from Valley’s lifeline to destroyer
Srinagar, September 11 Over the years, its space has shrunk. The silt rose and the land mafia encroached upon its banks, thinking that the river would never avenge its transgression. When it got the chance, it did, dislodging the high and mighty from their posh bungalows, displacing them. And, no one knows how many of the people, rich and poor, are dead. The river that originates from Verinag — a blue water octagon spring — comes out with crystal clear waters and moves straight for few kilometres before it reaches villages, where the garbage is thrown into it. Verinag, about 100 km from Srinagar, is in Anantnag district. From Verinag, the river meanders its way through Anantnag town, 54 km from Srinagar. The town is bowl shaped and water rich because of a number of springs. As its name suggests — Anantnag, the land of countless springs. Bunds or embankments of the river have been encroached upon. People had built concrete structures along the river. In fact, the river moves along the Khanabal-Uri Highway, connecting south Kashmir to the northernmost part of the Valley, close to the Line of Control, before it moves downstream to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. When the Meteorological Department announced the forecast of heavy rains because of the collision of the western disturbances with the warm monsoon winds, the matter was taken non-seriously. The administration did not anticipate the havoc that the heavy rains could cause and how the Jhelum would behave. The warning was issued on September 2 before the downpour started — first it was a rain music and when the buckets of water started coming down, the administration thought that it was manageable. No attempt was made to strengthen the embankments of the river that touches towns of Bijbehara and Sangam. On Sunday morning, the worst happened. The Jhelum breached its embankments in Srinagar city at Sonawar, Rajbagh and Gogji Bagh, turning the localities into lakes. The residences of high and mighty were inundated.
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Ministry announces
Rs 100-cr package
Special train from Katra
All routes to Vaishno Devi shrine opened
State opens J&K Bank account for donations
Navy commandos to join rescue ops
Fuel supply to Valley being replenished
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Unfamiliar language won’t affect validity of Will: SC
New Delhi, September 11 A Bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and RK Agrawal delivered the verdict in a case on the validity of a Will written in English unknown to the testator. “The lack of knowledge of English even if it can be attributed to the testator would not fundamentally alter the situation inasmuch as before registration of the Will the contents thereof can be understood to have been explained to the testator or ascertained from her by the sub-registrar,” the apex court explained. “A will may have certain features and may have been executed in certain circumstances which may appear to be somewhat unnatural. Such unusual features appearing in a Will or the unnatural circumstances surrounding its execution will definitely justify a close scrutiny before the same can be accepted,” the Bench said. “It is the overall assessment of the court on the basis of such scrutiny, the cumulative effect of the unusual features and circumstances which would weigh with the court in the determination to be made by it,” it said. “The judicial verdict, in the last resort, will be on the basis of a consideration of all unusual features and suspicious circumstances put together and not on the impact of any single feature that may be found in a Will or a singular circumstance that may appear from the process leading to its execution or registration,” the SC said. The apex court’s ruling came on a batch of appeals on the issue.
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Kerala bars can sell liquor till Sept 30: SC
New Delhi, September 11 A Bench comprising Justices Anil Dave and UU Lalit passed the status quo order after observing that there was no logic behind the decision to close them down abruptly after letting them to operate for ages and ignoring the fact that the wind-up order was under challenge in the Kerala High Court. The apex court's intervention came on appeals by hotels operating these bars, challenging the HC's refusal to stay the state's order which was to come into force today. The Bench also noted that the hotels were holding bar licenses which were valid till March 31, 2015. The Bench was not convinced by the Kerala Government's contention through senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the license conditions had an explicit provision empowering the authorities to cancel the permits on one-month notice. The court asked the high court to dispose of the petitions by the affected hotels by the end of this month.
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SC for law to slap liability on govt in accident cases New Delhi, September 11 The ruling is likely to have consequences for cases similar to the washing away of 24 engineering students in the Beas in Himachal Pradesh on June 8 following a sudden increase in the release of water from Larji dam. A Bench comprising Justices V Gopala Gowda and AK Goel has asked the Law Commission to come out with a draft law dealing with “tortious (pertaining to wrongful act) liability of the state and its instrumentalities in such cases for certainty on the subject”. The apex court’s ruling came in a case pertaining to award of compensation for the death of 22 people after an overcrowded boat had capsised in Sursagar Lake at Vadodara, Gujarat, on Janmashtami in 1993. The lake was under the control and management of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, which had asked a contractor to ply boats for joy rides. The boat was carrying 38 passengers against its capacity of 22. The victims had approached the state consumer commission and got an order for a total compensation of Rs 30.18 lakh with 10 per cent interest for delayed payment. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission upheld the ruling in November 2006.
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Court rejects chargesheet against Shah
Lucknow, September 11 Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunder Lal refused to take cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the police a good six months after the FIR was lodged at the New Mandi police station in Muzaffarnagar as the police had not followed the provisions of CrPC 173(2) under which the police failed to arrest the accused before filing the chargesheet in the court. The court observed that the police did not seek a warrant or attachment of property proceedings against the accused under the provisions of Section 173(2) of the
CrPC. The court returned the chargesheet to the investigating officer asking him to re-submit if after removing the errors. The Muzaffarnagar police had yesterday filed a chargesheet against Shah in a six-month-old case of his delivering provocative speeches during campaigning in UP in April. — TNS
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BJP MP booked for defying ban on poll meeting
Lucknow, September 11 Besides Adityanath, state BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai, BJP Faizabad MP Lallu Singh, Domariaganj MP Jagdambika Pal, Kanpur MLA Satish Mahana and BJP East Lucknow candidate Gopal Tandon were booked at the Ghazipur police station. Three campaign vehicles of BJP have also been seized. District Magistrate Raj Shekhar said legal action had been taken against the BJP leaders for holding an election meeting defying orders. A CD of the meeting had already been sent to the Election Commission on its request, he said. Bajpai denied attending any election meeting. “I only spoke from an authorized election vehicle, which has since been seized”, he said.
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Rajnath: Open to talks if Pak responds properly
Bhuj (Gujarat), September 11 He said this on
being asked whether there was any possibility of resuming the stalled
dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad. Singh, however, but did not
elaborate. The Home Minister is in Gujarat as part of his two-day tour
to some of the border posts to assess the situation along the
international border with Pakistan. Singh said India wants to improve
its relations with Pakistan. “Neighbour is neighbour. A friend can be
changed but a neighbour cannot. We also want that our relations with our
neighbour improve,” he said. The Home Minister’s statement came a
few days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj indicated there
may be a window for resumption of talks with Pakistan. Pakistan High
Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said today that he “could not agree
more” with Swaraj’s comments, maintaining that the time has come for
making a “new beginning” in bilateral ties. — PTI
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2G case: Former CAG targets Manmohan New Delhi, September 11 In an interview to a news channel ahead of the release of his book “Not Just An Accountant”, Rai said the former Prime Minister was the “primus inter pares (first among equals)” of the council of ministers and all matters of importance go him in a parliamentary democracy. “The buck stops at the PM’s desk in any parliamentary democracy. He is the CEO of the country. He can stop, or he can initiate, both. I have written in the book that he probably chose not to stop,” the former CAG said. — IANS
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RTE Act review on cards, says Irani
New Delhi, September 11 No CABE meeting has been called since Irani took charge. “The CABE will discuss this issue. Many CMs have expressed concern over RTE,” Irani said, responding to a query on the status of the report of a CABE sub-committee that recently recommended an end to the no-annual exam and no detention provision in the law. The sub-committee under the chairpersonship of Haryana Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal has cited decline in students’ performance to underline the need to revert to the traditional annual examination pattern for school assessment. Currently, under RTE, comprehensive and continuous evaluation (CCE) of children throughout the year is the norm. Besides, no child can be detained – something many CMs have objected to saying no detention policy was leading to laxity among students. “The CABE sub-committee report and CMs’ concerns over RTE will be discussed by the CABE. The meeting will be called soon,” Irani said while interacting with the media. In response to another question about the status of bills mooted by the previous UPA regime to curb unfair practices in higher education and establish a National Academic Depository to create an online national database of academic certificates from senior secondary to university level, Irani said the government was working on ways to curb unfair practices by way of existing laws. She hinted that the UGC Act of 1956 could be amended to impose stringent penalties on managements which charge capitation fee. “We will curb unfair practices through the existing higher education regulators,” she said.
Set up Vivekananda Chairs, varsities urged
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Agni-I missile successfully test-fired
Balasore (Odisha), September 11 The surface-to-surface and single-stage missile, powered by solid propellants, was test-fired from a mobile launcher at about 11.11 hrs from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island, about 100 km from here, Defence Research and Development Organisation spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta said. — PTI
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Central varsity V-Cs to discuss faculty crunch, education standards
New Delhi, September 11 HRD Minister Smriti Irani will open the two day (September 12, 13) meeting tomorrow and flag issues for V-Cs’ deliberation. Topmost among items on the agenda are poor progress on the front of mandatory accreditation of higher educational institutions by the National Assessment and Accreditation Centre and the National Board for Accreditation; and shortage of faculty. The UGC had last year issued a notification specifying norms for mandatory accreditation and a period of six months had been given to the existing institutions to comply. Responses are learnt to be poor. Another issue of concern is the whopping 54 pc faculty crunch in higher educational institutions. The Central universities are vulnerable on this front with a government committee set up earlier to figure out faculty shortage pointing out that of the total sanctioned faculty strength of 13,514 in Central universities, over 4,000 were unfilled. The new Central universities set up in 2009 are among the worst on faculty position. Guru Ghasi Das Vidhwavidyalaya, Chhattisgarh, (converted into a Central university in 2009) has a high faculty shortage of over 50 per cent as per the government taskforce on faculty shortage. Hari Singh Gaur University in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar, another university upgraded in 2009, has many vacancies. The University of Allahabad is no better with over 40 per cent sanctioned posts unfilled. Even the University of Delhi is reeling under teacher shortage and unfilled posts are over 50 per cent. Besides faculty crunch, the vice chancellors will also discuss the proposed national rankings framework on which the IITs are working. PM Narendra Modi has mooted a national ranking which will judge institutions on the basis of domestic factors, challenges and performances.
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Ex-Gujarat DIG Vanzara gets bail
Mumbai, September 11 He was granted bail on the grounds that other accused officers in the case have already been released on bail. The court set the bond at Rs 2 lakh and Vanzara has been asked to surrender his passport. Sources said the former head of the Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad will remain in
custody since he is accused in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case also. — TNS
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Rains to stay away from northwest
New Delhi, September 11 Heavy rains can be expected over isolated places in east and west Uttar Pradesh — which also constitutes a part of the northwest region — Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Odisha, Konkan, Goa, Sub¬Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, the India Meteorological Department said.
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UK House debates on K-issue resolution London, September 11 "A final resolution to the Kashmir issue is hugely important to world peace. Until the situation is resolved, the potential still exists for India and Pakistan to go to war," said Liberal Democrat MP David Ward, who had secured the debate on "Political and humanitarian situation in Kashmir" as part of the regular Backbench Business Committee application process in the House of Commons. The Bradford MP opened the debate with a reference to the "devastating floods that have caused despair to thousands", adding: "We simply cannot escape the British legacy. We have an obligation to take an interest in Kashmir...offering help is far from interfering." Britain's former minister in charge of business engagement with India Gregory Barker, MP, countered on behalf of the UK government's view. "Any British insertion will be very unhelpful...India has been the subject of vile terrorist attacks and we stand shoulder to shoulder (with India) on the issue of terrorism," he added. His views were echoed by Labour MP Barry Gardiner, who likened the discussion to the ongoing debate around Scotland's independence from the UK. Around 13 cross-party MPs, including Labour's shadow finance secretary Shabana Mahmood and Indian-origin Labour MP Virendra Sharma, addressed both sides of the debate calling Kashmir dispute a "threat" to regional and global peace and to give the people "right to self-determination". — PTI
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Gradually shifting gear from rescue to relief operations in south Kashmir, the Army and the Air Force have geared up for possible floods in north Kashmir.
New Delhi, September 11
Vitasta or Jhelum, the river that serves as the lifeline of Kashmir, suddenly assumed the role of a destroyer in the Valley last week because no one had paid heed to its pain caused by shrinking space.
Over the years, its space has shrunk. The silt rose and the land mafia encroached upon its banks, thinking that the river would never avenge its transgression. When it got the chance, it did, dislodging the high and mighty from their posh bungalows, displacing them.
Lucknow, September 11
New Delhi, September 11
New Delhi, September 11
Mumbai, September 11
500 NIT students rescued by Leh admn
The Crisis Management Group at the Centre on Thursday asked for additional field hospitals of the Army, suction pumps from the Oil and Natural Gas Commission and laid out a task for the Navy to evacuate people marooned on either side of the
Jhelum.
83 relief camps in Jammu: Div Com