JAMMU, NOVEMBER 20
It is now more than clear that the BJP has shelved its decades-old core issue of the abrogation of Article 370 that grants special status to J&K.

What was once a matter of faith for the party to have the full physical and psychological integration of the Himalayan state with the rest of the country has been reduced to advocating discussions on the subject and leaving the fate of the special status on the decision of the people of the state.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, for long a strong voice for the “abrogation of Article 370” and removal of all distinct features of J&K such as a separate constitution and citizenship rights for the natives of the state, has taken a U-turn on the issue.

“We want a discussion on the Article and we will go by what the people of Jammu and Kashmir want,” Rajnath said at an election rally in Bhaderwah in the Doda region on Tuesday.

A vast majority of the 12 million people of the state are against scrapping of the special status of the state.

The mood of the people of the Kashmir valley and the Muslim-dominated parts of the Jammu region cannot be read by what National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said in a statement from London that there would be a “massive unrest” in the state if the Article was tampered with nor by PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s assertion that he would stand against the dilution of the special status of the state. The Congress, of course, cannot make any such remark. All these three parties have contributed to the erosion of the special status of the state from time to time. Kashmiris, who are in a majority in the state, regard Article 370 sacrosanct. It has a great sentimental value for them. The BJP cannot hope to accomplish its Mission 44 +, which is to secure a majority in the Assembly of 87, by trespassing on the emotional turf of Kashmir. Today, it is taking Jammu’s Hindu voters for granted and is going all out to appease Kashmiri voters, and that’s what explains its reverse gear on Article 370.

BJP president Amit Shah in meetings with party leaders has said that “it’s a do-or-die battle for the party. It’s a now or never situation. It’s time to secure a majority of seats in the Assembly elections and form the government”.

“Our focus will be on development of the state. That will be our primary slogan during the elections,” Shah told party workers. This way the party is appealing to the people who have been fed on emotional slogans by the National Conference, PDP and other regional parties so far on resolving the Kashmir issue.

The development of the state has been a big casualty. Infrastructure development, education, health sectors, road connectivity and other important basics of life were ignored as the Kashmir-centric parties always sought to colour their slogans with emotions.

The BJP has not come out with its manifesto to date because right now its goal is to form the government in J&K at any cost --- this is what the party has told all its supporters. And, at the same time, it is a clear message to one and all that if Article 370 is considered a hurdle, it won’t be allowed to come in the way of its Mission of 44 plus.

People of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered a lot during the past six decades and want to give the BJP a chance. Amit Shah, bjp national president

Ramban, November 20
National BJP president today exuded confidence that his party was going to achieve the target of 44 Plus in the Assembly elections. He said there was overwhelming response in favour of the party in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

While launching an election campaign in erstwhile Doda district, where polling will be held on November 25, Amit Shah focused on corruption and dynastic rule to corner the Congress, National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party.

In his public rally at Ramban to mobilise support for party candidate Neelam Langeh, Shah exhorted the people to rid the state of the dynastic rule to ensure peace and progress. “Corruption has crossed all limits because there is no accountability and transparency in the government,” he said.

“People of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered a lot during the past over six decades and want to give the BJP a chance,” he said.

Shah said after Independence, two families had mostly ruled the state and the time had come when the people had decided to teach the families and their parties a lesson.

“It was all due to the corrupt practices being adopted by the successive state governments that Jammu and Kashmir has earned the dubious distinction of being one of the worst corrupt state of the country,” he said.

Shah said the BJP was committed to checking price rise, providing good governance and concentrating on mitigating the sufferings of the weaker sections, farmers, refugees, border people, besides exploring job avenues for unemployed educated youth and ending discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh. He appealed to the people to vote for the BJP and support its candidates and return assured of starting a new chapter in Jammu and Kashmir.

70 per cent of the Muslims feel safe under the BJP rule and they are enthusiastic about supporting us. We are ready to take support from all those organisations which want development in the state. Jitendra Singh, union minister of state

Doda, November 20
Union Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh today said 70 per cent of the Muslims felt safe under the BJP rule.

Jitendra addressed mediapersons on the sidelines of a rally at Khulhand in Doda district today. He said people of the remote areas had been betrayed by all political parties who had ruled Jammu and Kashmir over the years, adding the people are now fed up with the dynastic and corrupt political system.

“They (people) want change and a government which is not dynastic and corrupt. If they (government) would have been concerned about the development of the people of this areas, they would have done something. Why are these places still underdeveloped, why are Central founds not reaching the grassroots and why are benefits only reaching a few families and not the common people?” Jitendra asked.

About the allegations that the BJP was playing communal politics in Jammu and Kashmir for votes, Jitendra said: “They have nothing to speak about development and about the increasing popularity of the BJP in the country.” He said, “70 per cent of the Muslims feel safe under the BJP rule and they are enthusiastic about supporting us.”

“We are ready to take support from all those organisations which want development in the state,” he said.

Jammu, November 20
To prevent impersonation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed that all electors who have been issued electors photo identity card (EPIC) shall produce the card for their identification at respective polling stations before casting their votes.

It said those who were not able to produce their electors’ photo identity card should produce one of the following photo identity documents such as passport, driving licence and service identity cards with photograph issued to employees by Central/state government, PSUs/public limited companies. — TNS

Beerwah (Budgam), November 20
Before embarking on his mission to file nomination papers from the Beerwah constituency from where he is contesting for the first time, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah paid obeisance at the shrine of Sufi saint Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan, who has been the spiritual guru of the Abdullahs since generations.

Before Omar, his father and NC patron Dr Farooq Abdullah, his grandfather and NC founder Sheikh Abdullah and his wife Begum Akbar Jehan used to regularly visit the Sufi saint.

“Before filing his nomination papers, Omar drove to Nihalpora Pattan in north Kashmir to pay obeisance at the Sufi saint’s shrine,” said Tanvir Sadiq, Omar’s political secretary.

Omar also offered a "chaddor" and offered “fateh” along with NC leaders Abdul Raim Rather, Ali Mohammad Sagar and Nasir Sogami.

A senior security officer, who accompanied Omar to the shrine, said whenever Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq or Omar’s uncle Mustafa Kamal would file nomination papers, they used to visit Ghulam Mohiuddin, their family guru, to seek his blessings.

“Earlier, Omar also used to visit the Peer to seek his blessings and now that he is dead, Omar visits his shrine to pay obeisance,” he said.

After returning from Nihalpora, Omar joined his supporters at the Narbal crossing at the Baramulla-Srinagar highway from where he was taken to Beerwah.

All along the way, Omar was greeted by his supporters as his cavalcade drove towards Beerwah, where he submitted his nomination papers.

Srinagar, November 20
Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said a new course for the state could be decided only by the people by using their right to franchise effectively.

“Let me make it clear that the power to change the destiny of the state lies with the people of J&K,” Mufti said while addressing an impressive election rally in Ganderbal to enlist the support for PDP candidate Qazi Mohammad Afzal.

“It was the decisive vote by the emancipated voters of Ganderbal in 2002 that restored the credibility of the election system in Kashmir and paved the way for the formation of the PDP-led coalition government, which transformed the political and developmental landscape of Jammu and Kashmir in its brief stint of three years,” he said. Mufti said after the historic verdict of Ganderbal in 2002, the scenario was changed not only in J&K but in the South Asian region, bringing India and Pakistan closer. — TNS

Srinagar, November 20
By not fielding Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from Ganderbal this time, the National Conference’s decision only added weight to the claims of those who for long had been asserting that the constituency was not ‘safe’ for the Abdullahs anymore.

For 37 years, the Abdullahs had contested from this constituency, considered their family bastion. But when the National Conference announced the name of Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar for Ganderbal after a series of party meetings, the opposition and political observers were quick to state that Omar had ‘run away’ after sensing defeat.

“No development work took place and, therefore, Omar had to run away. Not a single promise made during elections was fulfilled,” said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ganderbal Qazi Mohammad Afzal.

He said he was confident of a PDP victory this time as the NC had ‘nothing to show’ to the people as far as development of Ganderbal was concerned. Afzal had won from Ganderbal in 2002 – the only occasion when a non-NC candidate won from this central Kashmir constituency since 1972. Even as Omar maintained that he had decided not to contest from Ganderbal two years ago, Afzal said it meant the Chief Minister had sensed defeat two years ago only. If voted to power, Afzal said he would work towards resolving day-to-day and development-related issues.

Meanwhile, the common man in Ganderbal too is disenchanted with Omar and some even call him an ‘outsider’. “He is an outsider and never understood the day-to-day issues of the people of Ganderbal. He would also rarely visit Ganderbal and even if he came here, it was only during official functions. He would come as a Chief Minister and not as an MLA,” said Suhail Ahmad, a local.

But NC candidate Ishfaq Jabbar is still confident of putting up a good show as he said Omar had done a ‘lot of good work’ during his tenure. He said setting up administrative units, laying foundation stone of Central University and power house was among the main achievements of the present regime. He said his father Sheikh Jabbar had a ‘long association’ with NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, which too would help him garner votes in Ganderbal.

He said the locals for long had also been demanding that a young local MLA should represent Ganderbal and that would also go in his favour.

If voted to power, he said he would work towards developing tourism in Ganderbal and also work towards developing employment avenues for the youth. Jabbar had resigned from the police service in 2008 and joined active politics. He had then unsuccessfully contested from Ganderbal in 2008 on the Congress ticket.

Jammu, November 20
With bigwigs of various parties putting their best foot forward ahead of the first phase of polling on November 25, the Chenab valley has virtually become a battleground.

Every national and state political party is paying focussed attention to all six constituencies of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, commonly known as Chenab valley.

For the past few days, political activities in these constituencies have increased tremendously with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah addressing a rally in Ramban today and Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressing rallies in Bhaderwah and Padder in Kishtwar yesterday.

Now, it is the turn for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to weave his magic and woo the people of the Valley. He would be addressing a rally in Kishtwar on November 22.

Not lagging behind, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to address a rally in Chanderkote area of Ramban district tomorrow.

Besides, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed extensively toured the area seeking votes for party candidates.

Even J&K Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah addressed a few rallies in Ramban district in support of party candidates a week ago.

The Chenab valley is considered stronghold of Congress stalwart and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The Congress in 2002 polls had slotted two seats and two independent candidates had joined hands with it. In 2008, the Congress had won five seats from this region.

This time around, Azad, who could not go full throttle in the parliamentary elections and lost in his debut from the Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, is vigorously campaigning for the party candidates in Chenab valley.

Home to two major power projects, Dul-Hasti and Baghliar, the Chenab valley is rich in water, forest, minerals and has the potential to become the economic hub of north India, but for successive governments’ lopsided attitude, it has not prospered so far.

Besides, this area is a Muslim majority area with a handful of Hindu population and once again political parties have started exploiting people in the name of religion for their political benefits.

Though the leaders of various political parties have made development their poll plank, attempts to polarise people is also on secretly.

A few leaders, including Azad, have already expressed their apprehensions in this regard. Now, all eyes will be on Modi’s rally as how he treats and tries to woo the people of this area vis-à-vis their local issues.

Political activities gather steam Political activities in these constituencies have increased tremendously with BJP national president Amit Shah addressing a rally in Ramban on Thursday and Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressing rallies in Bhaderwah and Padder in Kishtwar PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed extensively toured the area seeking votes for the party candidates Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah addressed a few rallies in Ramban district in support of the party candidates a week ago

Pulwama, November 20
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Member of Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Beig today challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint any person to discuss Article 370 with him.

Beig said he would convince them that Parliament, J&K Assembly and the state governments cannot abrogate the Article.

Beig said this while talking to mediapersons after local MLA and PDP candidate for Pulwama Mohammad Khalil Bandh submitted his nomination papers here.

“Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Article, the President, may by public notification, declare that this Article should cease to be operative or shall be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as be laid specified....Provided that the recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of the Jammu and Kashmir state referred to in clause 2 shall be necessary before the president issues such a notification,” read Beig from a law book, quoting Section 3 of the Article.

He also said the Constituent Assembly on July 14, 1954, had passed a resolution in which it stated that the Article should continue and it became a decision, taken unanimously.

“The Constituent Assembly was dissolved in 1956. Even the Supreme Court has given six verdicts in which it has said nobody can change the Article,” said Beig while talking about the immunity that Article 370 has got.

He said he was astonished that the National Conference had made Article 370 a political issue and had so far promoted itself as its sole preservers. He even expressed surprise over the statement of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed that the Article could be abrogated by the J&K Assembly.

“I do not know why PDP patron Mufti Sayeed said this but the fact is that the Article cannot be abrogated,” he said.

Doda, November 20
Mufti Shamoon Qasmi, general secretary of the All India Imam Association and founding member of the Team Anna Hazare, today said ballots not bullets would bring change in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mufti Shamoon is campaigning for the BJP in the Chenab region.

Lashing out at the Congress and the National Conference for playing politics on communal lines to get Muslim votes, Mufti Shamoon, in a veiled attack on both parties, said: “In the last 66 years, both political parties have exploited people of Kashmir on the basis of religion, but they have never understood the pain of the common people.”

“Now, a fear has unfortunately been created in the minds of Muslims in Kashmir against the BJP,” he said. “Guns cannot be the solution to any problem,” he said.

Mufti Shamoon today toured several remote areas of Doda to seek votes for the BJP. He was accompanied by Imran Choudhary, convener of the Rashtriya Muslim Morcha, Khurshid Ahmed Rajake, social activist from Haryana, and Ikhlaq Wani, district president, Doda, of the BJP Muslim Morcha.

“I joined the BJP in 2014 only to tell the Muslims that the BJP is not our enemy,” he said, adding, “We came here with a message for the Muslims to take part in the electoral process. It is unfortunate that the Congress and the National Conference have betrayed Kashmiris who are still living under pathetic conditions across several rural areas of the state.”

The Congress has misled people of this country and ruled like the British, he added. Praising the visionary slogan of the BJP ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’, he said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi was defamed time and again on Gujarat riots, but all agencies gave him a clean chit and the guilty were punished,” he said.

Srinagar, November 20
Crippled by a widespread crackdown and uncertain about the response to their election boycott call, the separatists have kept their campaign low key as senior leaders continue to remain under detention.

The anchor groups among the separatists, which have differing ideologies and whose leaders rarely see eye-to-eye with each other, have so far failed to devise any plan of action for the boycott campaign.

The separatists share a love-hate relationship with the electoral process in the state. The separatist leaders had participated in several elections till 1987, which was the last time they took part in the electoral process before shunning it after allegations of rigging. Since then, they have made it as their policy to boycott the elections.

However, the uncertainty about the voter response to the boycott call, which has been unpromising in the past several elections when voters turned out to form lengthy queues outside polling booths, is also impacting the magnitude of the boycott campaign.

In the 2008 Assembly elections, the polling percentage in the state was 61.16 and it was enough to send shivers in the separatist camp which blamed the people of having fleeting commitment to separatism.

The mainstream political parties have already launched an all-out electioneering campaign across the region.

With the first phase of elections close, the separatists are increasingly missing from the scene. The hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Geelani, continues distributing relief material among flood-hit residents of the Valley.

The hardline Hurriyat Conference issues a press release every day, elaborately talking about its relief work.

Geelani, who is an arch-votary of the poll boycott, is playing cautiously this election as much of his amalgam’s manpower has been detained in the ongoing crackdown. The hardline Hurriyat, the most influential separatist group, has been issuing poll boycott statements and has also called for a shutdown call in two districts where residents will vote in five constituencies on November 25.

However, Geelani’s Hurriyat has not held any major event or rally to galvanise public opinion in favour of its poll boycott campaign and it is unlikely that any separatist group will be able to do so as the state administration has made it clear that disturbances in the polling process will not be allowed.

Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar blamed the separatist boycott campaign for violence, saying it will not be permitted. “(During) the last elections and prior to that, wherever separatists went around with poll boycott campaign, there has been violence in those areas. So we cannot permit any sort of violence…the bottom line is anybody trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere or the poll process would be dealt with under the law,” said the DGP.

The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front has also been crippled by the detention of its top leaders and has had little success so far in carrying out a campaign against the upcoming elections.

Jammu, November 20
Congress candidate for the Doda Assembly constituency Abdul Majeed Wani today said the party was going to create history in the Assembly elections and would form the government on its own.

Addressing a public rally at Mangota village in Doda today, Wani said most of the Assembly seats in the first phase of elections were showing winning trends in favour of the Congress candidates.

“People of J&K have realised that the Congress is the only party in the state which always propagates and promotes pro-development and pro-people policies. They have witnessed a revolution within the state with respect to infrastructural development, fine governance and inculcation of work culture,” Wani said.

Earlier, at Goha village, BJYM district president Joginder Singh and two other youth BJP leaders Anjeel Singh and Kuldeep Singh joined the Congress today. — TNS

Srinagar, November 20
A major fire today broke out in the Uri-II power project in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, but no one has been injured in the incident so far.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the power house in July this year.

The 240-MW hydropower generating station, close to the Line of Control in the Uri sector, is likely to remain shut for at least two months as it has suffered massive damages in the fire incident.

Farooq Ahmed Lone, Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, said the fire broke out this morning and was brought under control after hours of fire fighting.

“There is no report of anyone getting hurt in the incident. All the employees of the power house came out safely and the fire has been brought under control,” Lone said.

He said nine fire tenders from Uri, Baramulla and Srinagar were pressed into service to control the blaze in the underground power house.

The hydroelectric power project is located in Kalgai Salamabad village, 125 km from here, and is being operated by the NHPC.

An official of the NHPC said the fire broke out due to some fault in one of the transformers in the station. “Due to some fault in one of the GSU (generator step-up) transformer of Unit 2 of the Uri II power station, a fire broke out there. It has resulted in a thick blanket of smoke inside the power house. The power station has been immediately closed,” an official of the NHPC said.

He said people were not able to go inside the power house due to heavy smoke.

The Army was also called by the civil administration and they later assisted in the fire-fighting operation.

“Along with the Army, civil fire-fighting teams were also pressed into service. Within an hour of hard work, the fire was doused in places easily accessible. However, there were places that could not be immediately reached,” an Army spokesman said.

The Uri II hydroelectric power project is a run-of-the-river project and had come up at the cost of Rs 1,800 crore. The power project is nearly 20 km away from the 480-MW Uri-I power plant, which was commissioned in 1997.

The Uri II is the second project of the NHPC on the Jhelum. The project has been constructed by the Hindustan Construction Company and the state draws 12 per cent power as royalty from the Uri-II project.

Poonch, November 20
Rajat Panchani, Joint Secretary (Home), today visited the Cross-LoC Trade Centre, Poonch, and reviewed the facilities being provided to the traders. He also met traders and discussed the problems being faced by them.

The Cross-LoC traders welcomed his visit and hoped that it would prove to be fruitful for them. Pawan Anand, president, Cross-LOC Traders Association, said, “Though it is not the first time that any bureaucrat visited the Cross-LOC Trade Centre and had a meeting with us, but this time we are hopeful that some concrete steps will be taken to run the trade smoothly.”

“As this was the first visit of any Central bureaucrat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed his office, we are hopeful that hamare liye bhi achhey din aayenge,” he said. He said, “We demand inclusion of more items in the trade on the basis of consumption on both sides of the LoC, telecommunication facility at the LoC and that traders from this part of the divided state should be given special visa as traders from across the border have visited here thrice.” — OC

Jammu, November 20
Chief Vigilance Commissioner of the state Kuldeep Khoda called on Governor N N Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today.

Khoda briefed the Governor about various issues relating to the functioning of the State Vigilance Commission and the number of complaints received, sent for initiating action and the number of cases registered. The Governor asked Khoda to take all possible steps to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of the Commission.

Srinagar, November 20
The female candidates pitched by the BJP for Sonwar and Amira Kadal segments stepped up campaigning by holding a series of public meetings here today.

Candidate for Sonwar Daraksha Andrabi addressed public meetings at Sonwar, Indranagar and Shalimar. Speaking on the occasion, she said after the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had been “registering one victory after another in the Assembly elections and the trend of winning will also continue in Jammu and Kashmir”.

She appealed to the people to vote and support the BJP in the ensuing elections and help in accomplishing its “Mission 44 plus”.

“Our government will work for all three regions without any discrimination. The formation of the BJP government in J&K will mean strengthening the nationalist forces and promoting communal harmony,” she added.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is also contesting from the Sonwar constituency.

Amira Kadal candidate Hina Shafi held meetings at Kursu Rajbagh and Jawaharnagar and also went door to door to seek votes in these areas.

Hina said time had come to bring a revolution in the state and only the BJP was committed to provide progress in all spheres. She claimed that the country under the leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “excelled to new heights globally”.

Srinagar, November 20
Days after Mehboob Beg withdrew as a candidate and decided to campaign for opponent Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the ruling National Conference nominated Iftikhar Hussain Misgar as the party candidate from Anantnag.

The party also suspended Mehboob Beg’s basic membership.

“After due consultations with the party high command, leaders and workers and under the directives of NC working president Omar Abdullah, NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar has said the party will field Iftikhar Hussain Misgar as the party candidate from the Anantnag constituency for the upcoming Assembly elections,” an NC spokesman said.

The National Conference general secretary said Beg had been suspended from the basic membership of the party for “anti-party” activities.

“An official intimation of this decision has been sent to Beg,” the spokesman said.

Srinagar, November 20
With more than thousands of shops damaged in the September floods in Srinagar, hundreds of salesmen working in these business establishments have been rendered jobless for the past two months leaving them helpless.

The floods that had hit Kashmir’s summer capital on September 7 this year have badly affected trade and commerce, leaving hundreds of youth working in the private sector jobless.

According to traders’ body in Kashmir, nearly 10,000 private shops and other business establishments have been directly affected by the deluge affecting the livelihood of more than 4.5 lakh youth in the Valley, who were already struggling with the problem of rising unemployment in Kashmir.

“The problem of unemployment already persisted in Kashmir, but the floods have affected the livelihood of at least 4 lakh youths as the business sector has been worst hit in the floods,” said President of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) Shiekh Ashiq.

Most of the affected business establishments are in areas of Srinagar such as Residency Road, Boulevard, Lal Chowk, Kara Nagar, Balgarden, Jahangir Chowk, Shaheed Gunj, Raj Bagh and Jawahar Nagar.

“I was working at a shop in Lal Chwok, but the shop was badly hit by floods. The owner faced many losses and now he is reconstructing the shop. He told me that he will inform me once he completes the work and opens the shop again. Till then I have no work to do,” said Muneer Ahmad, who worked as a salesman and has to feed the family of three, including his two-year-old daughter.

“My family was dependent on Rs 5,000 that I used to earn, but now we are left with nothing,” he added.

Most of the affected private sectors include tourism and its allied sectors which were located in Raj Bagh and adjacent localities that remained submerged for more than 24 days, damaging huge infrastructure.

In prominent markets such as Koker Bazaar, Maharaja Bazaar, Hari Singh High Street and Goni Khan, most of the shops which were fully or partially damaged are being reconstructed leaving its salesmen jobless.

“We are under stress for the past two months. No one is taking our issue into consideration. We were already facing problems due to less money and lack of proper employment opportunities, but now after the floods we are left totally shattered,” said Illyas Ahmad, who worked at a hotel in Raj Bagh.

The state government has already estimated losses at Rs 1 lakh crore (1 trillion) in housing, labour industry, business and other sectors in the recent floods.

The Kashmir Economic Alliance, a traders’ body in Kashmir, demanded that the Centre should announce an economic package for the youth, who were left unemployed due to the floods.

There was already widespread unemployment in Kashmir and now the recent floods have added to the problem. Psychologists believe that the rise in unemployment will add to the depression among young people. 

Srinagar, November 20
Unruly scenes were witnessed at what was supposed to be a religious conference here after a politician allegedly sought support for the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Several "Ulema" (Islamic scholars) walked out of the local hotel at Lal Chowk to protest against what they called misuse of a religious gathering for political purposes.

They alleged that a politician claiming to be from BJP asked them to sermonise people to vote for his party and boycott their rivals during the elections.

"We were told that a senior scholar would participate in the conference which was organised by the Jamiat-e-Ulmayi Hind, but when we reached the hotel, we found that the conference was actually organised by 'Jamat-e-Ulema Hind', which is a different organisation and perhaps has links with the BJP," a participating preacher, Ashiq Hussain," said.

Hussain said after a "Maulvi" named Suhaib-ur Rehman Dehelvi of Daryaganj finished his sermon, another person spoke and asked the participants to support the BJP.

The Ulemas then held a protest in Lal Chowk against using religion in political affairs.

Meanwhile, the BJP disassociated itself from the event, saying the party had no information about any such conference.

"The BJP has nothing to do with any such programme. We have no information or connection about this conference," BJP spokesman Khalid Jehangir said.

Jehangir said the BJP was a political party which does not believe in mixing religion with politics.

"We are a political party and we do not believe in mixing religion with politics," he said. — PTI

Srinagar, November 20
A few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to be the solo campaigner for the BJP in almost all print advertisements that appeared in Valley-based local dailies.

Modi is usually heard on local radio channels talking about his 3Ps - Paryavaran, Paryatan and Prakash - these days.

“Jammu & Kashmir mai Tarraki, Khushhali (development and happiness in J&K)” is the latest slogan of the state BJP which is voiced by its star campaigner Modi.

Now, the way Prime Minister dresses up is gaining popularity here. Warm, multi-coloured and flashy Modi jackets are the latest trend among men and boys in Srinagar.

Modi often wears Nehruvian waistcoats on formal occasions in shades like grey, blue and maroon. Add to it is special terrycot and wool fabric, which is just making the right style statements for men amid chilly winters.

Almost every men garment store in Srinagar has a collection of these Modi jackets and are even hugely popular.

The price ranges between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 on an average and the demand is only increasing.

“It is true that the trend slowly picked up after Modi’s appearance on television in these jackets during parliamentary elections. Add to it a silk handkerchief and the jacket looks dapper,” said Muhammad Sultan, an owner of men’s garment store at Lal Chowk.

However, many youth are wary of not associating Modi brand with the apparel.

Jammu, November 20
To improve quality of teaching and learning to benefit the students, all Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-affiliated schools in J&K are likely to launch an online facility titled “Saransh”, where schools can instantaneously access the performance of the students of Class X over the last seven years and of the Class XII from the year 2009.

Sources said the comprehensive self-review tool has been created to let schools know the scope of improvement in students, teachers, subjects and schools and take necessary decisions to improve the same. Further, it provides schools a complete snapshot and comprehensive analysis to take decisions.

They added that the schools might have used various analyses to identify what is working well and what might need to be improved in their schools. What is different about “Saransh” is the emphasis it places on using concrete evidence to enlighten the deliberations that teachers have about teaching and learning in school.

Pertinently, “Saransh” aims to enrich the learning and the teaching experiences for the benefit of all stakeholders.

“Once the system is fully introduced in all schools, it will give comprehensive information on achievements in classes IX and X, problem solving abilities (PSA) in classes IX and XI and achievement in board examination in class XII. It shows a complete comprehensive picture of class X since 2007 and of class XII since 2009 till the latest academic session,” sources in the Jammu Sahodaya School Complex (JSSC) claimed.

The Jammu Sahodaya School Complex is an apex body comprising all CBSE-affiliated schools.

“It helps the schools to look at their performance in scholastic and co-scholastic areas at an aggregate level and at the level of each student in the school,” they added.

Further, all the performance matrix is presented through numbers as well as in charts/graphs for easy understanding. “Saransh” helps schools compare their performance vis-à-vis all CBSE schools at various levels, ie all India, regional, state and within their school category (government, private, JNVs and KVs).

Jammu, November 20
District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner AK Sahu along with Deputy CEO RK Sangral, Harcharan Singh, consultant, and Balvinder Singh, head of Jammu and Kashmir Election Watch, flagged off an auto-rickshaw poster rally for voters’ awareness.

Speaking on the occasion, Sahu congratulated the Jammu and Kashmir Election Watch for taking the initiative of conducting such an awareness programme to increase the voting percentage in the elections, which is a healthy sign for a democracy.

Jammu, November 20
The Jammu State Morcha (JSM) today organised a protest demanding abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, terming it discriminatory as it does not allow the Union Government to make laws for the state.

Speaking on the occasion, JSM general secretary Chandra Uday Sharma said Jammu is being neglected by the successive state governments, despite the fact that it has more area than the Kashmir valley.

“All the Central Governments, irrespective of political parties, till date have given priority to people of the Valley and probably thought the people of Jammu as sacrificial goats at the altar of people of the Valley,” Uday Sharma said.

Jammu, November 20
Congress candidate from the Jammu (East) Assembly segment Vikram Malhotra maintained that the youth is the backbone of the society and there is a need to channelise the energy of the youth.

He said said framing of a concrete policy towards providing lucrative jobs and self-employment to the youth tops his list of agenda.

“If voted to power, I will take up the issue in the Assembly and make the lawmakers work on a policy for the youth. I assure you that this will be a concrete step towards encouraging the youth towards self-employment and joining corporate houses for careers, besides government sector jobs,” Vikram said.

Vikram Malhotra was addressing people during an election campaign meeting at Prem Nagar here. On the occasion, Vikram also listened to the grievances of the locals and assured them that he would solve their problems, if voted to power or not.

He informed the gathering about already carried out development works in the Jammu (East) constituency.

Vikram Malhotra said he had been working actively in the constituency for the last four years and spent an amount for the development in all the wards.

He appealed to the electorate of the constituency to vote for him.

Vikram Malhotra said the Congress had always been and would also remain the only party that “does not see Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir through different lenses”.

Jammu, November 20
Changing winds in Indian politics have thrown many surprises, which also swept Panun Kashmir (PK), a representative body of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. They once used to give boycott call during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, but now are openly campaigning for the BJP candidates in the Assembly constituencies in Kashmir.

The activists of PK are touring several areas of the city, particularly the areas inhabited by displaced Hindus who will be voting for their constituencies in Kashmir at special polling stations established in Jammu, to vote for BJP candidates in 44 Assembly segments in the Valley.

They are also interacting with candidates in Jammu to apprise them of their problems. “The Assembly elections in the state are an opportunity to reassess the continued marginalisation of the nationalist Pandit community along with the other minorities of the state,” said Ashwani Chrangoo, president, PK.

He said the displaced community of Kashmir had all along faced political marginalisation and economic squeeze in the Valley. There was an opportunity to change the course of events for which the activists and the leadership of the community would have to bear responsibilities and take bold decisions.

There were 92,000 Pandit voters spread in 44 constituencies of the Valley and the community could play an important role in several segments if the election boycott call by separatists succeeded and turnout remained low.

Jammu, November 20
As many as 291 shuttlers — 145 boys and 146 girls — would vie for top honours in the five-day 60th National School Games U-14 Badminton Championship to be held here from November 21 to 25.

The sporting event is being organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS) under the aegis of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI).

Director General (DG), DYSS, Navin Agarwal, while briefing the media, said various committees had been constituted by the department for the successful conduct of the championship. He added that the host state team (boys and girls) had underwent a 15-day coaching camp for better performance.

The DG, DYSS, exuded confidence that the state team would be able to reach the qualifying stage in the coveted championship.

Meanwhile, the participating teams in the championship include Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Vidya Bharathi, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Manipur, Kerala, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Punjab, Maharashtra, CBSE, Daman and Diu, IPSC, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, JNVS, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Admitting that the performance of the state sportspersons had witnessed a considerable downfall in major disciplines, Navin Agarwal said though the players had been able to bag decent haul of medals in new disciplines, but there was a need to strengthen the major disciplines, which was a matter of concern.

“The DYSS is initiating various measures to improve the performance of sportspersons in major disciplines and we are hopeful that we will be able to achieve that,” the DG DYSS maintained.

He disclosed that a prescribed syllabus, exclusively for physical education, at the primary level (from Class VII onwards) would be introduced from the next academic session in all government schools.

“Right now there is no prescribed syllabus for physical education and that is why the subject has been given much importance which it deserves. But after the introduction of the prescribed syllabus, things are likely to get better”, DG, DYSS, Navin Agarwal said.

Jammu, November 20
As part of the ongoing celebrations of 61st Cooperative Week, a function was organised on the premises of Jammu Central Cooperative Bank (JCCB).

The celebrations commenced with the unfurling of cooperative flag by chief guest Ramesh Kumar Koul, Secretary to Government, Cooperatives Department.

Speaking on the occasion, Koul said the main purpose of celebrating the cooperative week is to highlight achievements of the cooperative sector in various areas, reflect upon the shortcomings and chalk out future strategies of growth, based on dynamics of cooperative development in various sectors.

Koul said the cooperative structure ensures that the cooperatives are not enterprises-run just for short-term profits, but are a business model for long-term sustainability and inclusive growth.

He said the cooperatives philosophy is an excellent example of value-based business model. He stated that weak finances, growing NPAs and poor resource base are some of the factors which have contributed to the decline in performance of cooperatives.

Dwelling on the theme of this year’s Cooperative Week, which is “Cooperative model for inclusive and sustainable growth”, he said the cooperative model is participatory and community-oriented and due to its grassroots approach the impact of its development is equitable and sustainable.

Srinagar, November 20
Senior lawyer Mian Abdul Qayoom was today re-elected president of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association.

Senior lawyer Aijaz Baidar was also elected unopposed as the vice-president of the association.

In the elections held on the Bemina premises of the lower court, Qayoom defeated his rival by a huge margin of 115 votes. Advocate Mohammad Ashraf was elected to the post of general secretary for the third consecutive term. Out of the total 570 votes, he secured 324 votes. — TNS

Srinagar, November 20
The state police has fined 521 people and collected Rs 46,100 as fine from across the 12 districts of the state for violating COTPA violations in October.

The state government has already directed the police to incorporate Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA) violations in the monthly crime review for strengthening the public health measure at the district and sub-district levels.

The State Police Chief has been asked to collate the violations for strengthening institutionalisation of the mechanism and to forward the details on monthly basis to the Superintendents of Police of the districts.

The COTPA, enacted in 2003 and applicable to the entire country, was mainly to discourage the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products by imposing progressive restrictions and to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke.

The state has 12 per cent cigarette smokers, 3.8 per cent “bidi” smokers and 8 per cent smokeless tobacco users. The state’s cigarette use prevalence (12 per cent) is almost double the nationwide prevalence of 5.7per cent. It has come to light that the highest proportion of adults (67.9 per cent) exposed to tobacco smoke in offices are in J&K and the lowest (15.4 per cent) are in Chandigarh.

Srinagar, November 20
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has issued 300 fast-track building permissions and removed 150 encroachments after the recent floods.

This was revealed in a meeting chaired by Secretary to the Housing and Urban Development Department Satish Nehru with the senior SMC officials here today.

Commissioner, SMC, GN Qasba said 300 building permissions had been issued in a fast-track mode to the people whose houses got collapsed in the recent floods.

“The SMC is ensuring speedy grant of building permissions for flood-affected house owners of the city after submission of the proper documents as required from the applicant’s side,” he added.

“Regarding solid waste management, the meeting was informed that from September 11 till date, over 75,484 metric tonnes from Srinagar city involving 15,744 truck trips were lifted and disposed off from different places to the landfill site at Achan,” an SMC official said.

Srinagar, November 20
The Coca-Cola inter-school football tournament organised by the J&K Football Association is in full swing with Budgam edition concluding at Chattergam playfield while as Srinagar edition kicking off at Gindun Ground, Rajbagh, on Wednesday. Four matches were played today in the Gindun Football Playfield, Rajbagh. In the first match, Algazali School defeated J&K Police Public School. In the second match, Green Land School defeated New Convent School by 3-0 goals.

In the third match, Eleen Convent School defeated the Legends School by 4-0 goals and in the fourth match, Kashmir Harward Education Institute defeated Wilson School by means of a walkover as Wilson failed to report. For Friday, the matches have been scheduled between Elleen Convent and Kashmir Harvard School and Moonland Public School and Shining Moon School. — TNS