Div Com orders releases of 2 lakh monetary assistance to deceased’s family

Srinagar, June 1 : Advisor to Governor Khurshid Ahmad Ganai on Saturday announced that the tourist guide who saved five tourists including two foreigners will be awarded posthumously.

Hailing the brave act by the tourist guide Rouf Ahmad Dar, Ganai who heads the tourism department, told that he has also announced the deceased’s family will be given monetary help.

Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Basser Ahmad Khan told news agency that he has announced Rs 2 lakh as an immediate relief in favour of the bereaved family. Khan also heaped praises on Dar, saying that his act of bravery will be remembered for times to come.

Dar saved five tourists, two of them foreigners, after their boat capsized in fast flowing river Lidder near Mawoora area of Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Friday evening.

Unfortunately, Dar lost his life in an act of bravery which is being hailed by people and the administration. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Body of Missing Tourist Guide identified Rouf Ahmad Dar who rescued four Tourists during rafting fished out from Nallah Lidder at Pahalgam, today.

Pertinently , A Rafting boat Capsized yesterday evening in South Kashmir’s Yenned area of Anantnag district

Irshad Bhat

Baramulla, May 31 : A 12 days long capacity building tour organised by Rashtriya Rifles Battalion of Himalayan Brigade under the aegis of Dagger Division was flagged off from Baramulla which comprised of 120 students and two teachers from different schools of Baramulla district.

The tour is scheduled to visit Delhi and back from 01-13 Jun 2019 which will provide a unique opportunity for the amalgamation of the cultures of the historical places of the country and will propagate the harmonious co-existence amongst various sections of society in India. It will further help the children from remote areas to see for themselves, the ongoing developmental activities in other states, the higher standards of living and the manner in which peace has helped different regions of India to develop and prosper in addition to educational values.

The tour has a comprehensive aim to foster brotherhood amongst the schooling student as well as the AWAAM, feeling of unity and creating awareness of our nation’s multi-faceted identity. The students will attend the 7th International Convention of SPIC MACAY at JNU which include Yoga, Meditation, Intensives, performances by various talented artists and different craft workshops. This will be a unique experience for the students which will enable an overall development of their personality.

The students and their parents were very enthusiastic for this visit. The local population and elders from the district have requested Dagger Division to organise many such tours, so that a larger cross section of the people from the region are able to get an exposure. Most elders feel that such tours will help in bringing peace in Kashmir, since people will appreciate the relationship between peace, development and prosperity and the way by which functional administration can bring progress to Kashmir Valley.

Srinagar, May 31 : The District Magistrate (DM) Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has issued an order directing for immediate holding of survey in respective Patwar Halqas on illegal conversion of agricultural land for commercial or residential purposes in the district and furnishing of updated asami-wise lists with all relevant details within two weeks.

The step has been taken to implement the directions of the J&K High Court and to ensure prevention of violations on ground of provisions of the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act (Section 13) and the J&K Land Revenue Act (Sections 133-A and 133-B), and stringent action as per law in case of violations thereof.

According to the order, all the Tehsildars have been directed to conduct extensive inspections within their respective jurisdictions and prepare lists of illegal constructions or conversion of agricultural land or earth-filling in water bodies or other illegal encroachments in their respective Tehsils and submitting detailed action plans for removals thereof.

The DM also directed the Forest department to furnish the detailed information regarding the encroachments on the forest land, if any, and in wetlands in the district.

The Lakes & Waterways Development Authority and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation have also been asked to conduct comprehensive surveys of encroachments and illegal constructions in their respective domains and furnishing the details in this regard to the DM Office within two weeks. It has been stressed that the reported encroachments to be removed as a  part of the Tehsil-wise encroachment removal plans.

Violation of instructions shall attract strict disciplinary action against the officials failing to report or indicate the violations of relevant law provisions in concerned revenue records.

The order also instructs concerned SHOs and Traffic authorities to ensure that except those with valid transportation permissions indicating date and time, no movement of trucks carrying construction material be allowed anywhere in the district.

The LAWDA, SMC and Forest Department have been asked to immediately set up night checkpoints at entry points to prevent night time transportation of material for illegal constructions. It directs for immediate seizure of all such vehicles or load-carriers transporting construction material in violation of guidelines in this regard. It also instructs for strict maintenance of registers recording all important details of all such vehicles allowed or seized at these checkpoints.

An amount  of Rs. 2 lakh each has been sanctioned in favour of Tehsildars for assistance in digitization of encroachment and illegal land conversion details, formulation of encroachment removal plans and assistance required to be acquired for operations involving removal of such encroachments.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, K K Sidha will oversee the implementation of the order and obtain daily information on progress report and action taken against instances of illegal constructions or movement of transportation material therefor. 

Srinagar, May 31 : Jumat-ul-vida was observed with religious fervour in Kashmir. The largest gathering was observed at Jama Masjid Srinagar where thousands of faithful offered Juma prayers.

Speaking on the occasion Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that as people of India overwhelmingly voted for Narendra Modi and his party back into power, this mandate gives PM Modi the opportunity and the power to play a decisive role in the resolution of the long pending Kashmir conflict which has consumed generations of Kashmiri’s and is preventing durable peace and development in the entire region.

In a statement issued , Mirwaiz said that he believes that this issue cannot be resolved militarily or through confrontation but by dialogue and deliberations and Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s oft repeated offer of dialogue on all issues between India and Pakistan including on the Kashmir issue should be seriously considered by the new dispensation in New Delhi as the way forward.

Mirwaiz said today all Kashmiri’s irrespective of their organisational affiliations are speaking in one voice about the urgent need for resolution of the conflict. So it is an opportune time to initiate political processes which enables and facilitates conflict resolution.

Mirwaiz said as in the past Hurriyat is willing to support every such initiative which aims at peaceful resolution of the dispute keeping in view the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Kashmir who are the main stakeholders and which puts an end to decades of loss and suffering inflicted on them due to the lingering conflict.

Mirwaiz said during our engagement with Mr Vajpayee and later with Mr Manmohan Singh and after visiting Pakistan Hurriyat had put forward certain substantial measures to both India and Pakistan as a precursor to serious negotiations. Both at that time had agreed to implementing these steps to prepare ground for serious negotiations,- it included revocation of the AFSPA and other black laws, gradual demilitarization, prisoner release and initiation of a process to narrow differences between the parties to the dispute.

Mirwaiz said these measures hold true even today when the situation has only further deteriorated. He said if these steps are initiated by both sides it will bring relief to people of Kashmir and an atmosphere for sincere engagement among all stakeholders will be created for a permanent resolution.

Mirwaiz said each day our youngsters are killed in this unresolved conflict which has consumed lakhs of lives. South Kashmir has been turned into a permanent battleground, an expanding graveyard of our young, as we continue to shoulder the dead daily. We want this long cycle of killings and violence to end. We don’t want to see our youngster, or an Indian or Pakistani soldier die in this ‘forever’ conflict. India and Pakistan have to acknowledge and address the unresolved political problem in Kashmir. Without addressing the question of Kashmir, there will be repeated returns to perilous states of war as we recently witnessed.

Mirwaiz said a resolution to the Kashmir issue can transform both India and Pakistan and usher in a new era of stability and progress in South Asia, free from punishing military budgets and fear of conflict, bringing the much needed relief to the hapless people of Kashmir striving for a resolution.

“For that it is imperative that democratic processes are invoked and restored by New Delhi and the policy of repression and military approach be done away with. One measure for doing so is the release all of all political prisoners languishing in various jails across India including Yasin Malik Shabir shah Asiya Andrabi and others,” Mirwaiz said.

On the occasion Mirwaiz remembered the lakhs of martyrs of Kashmir especially the youth and paid glowing tributes to them and their sacrifices. On the occasion a resolution on behalf of JRL was readout and passed. The resolution is hereby attached.