Ishtyaq Ahmad

Srinagar, May 27 :  Four years after the floods hit the state, now it seems that government has finally woken up as government has decided to conduct safety audit of river embankments of Jhelum and other streams.

In the aftermath of 2014 floods, the government made tall claims to prevent such disasters in the future. However, most of the government announcements have been confined to papers only.

It has been after over four years that government has decided to conduct the audit of rivers embankments in Kashmir.

“Chief Engineers of Irrigation and Flood Control department have been directed to conduct zoning of river Jhelum and other streams and conduct safety audit of river embankments of Jhelum and other streams especially at vulnerable spots and plug it at an earliest besides also conduct physical survey of the encroachments in nallahs and rivers and ensure their immediate removal and store geo bags in advance,” a source told.

The DCs have been directed to collect an information of resources, including men, low lying areas, satellite phones, availability of geo quality of sand bags, JCBs, ambulances, tents, de-watering pumps, evacuation plan, storage of essential commodities, list of nodal officers, water tankers, water supply schemes, NGOs working for disaster management.

Similarly, the government has hired a Spanish firm to conduct a study on the river Jhelum for preventing floods in Kashmir.

“The expert team of the company has started morphology study on Jehlum. It will conduct the study for a year,” an official said.

After 2014 deluge, the government had announced that dredging of river Jhelum would be completed by December 2016 to prevent floods in future.

The drudging of Jhelum was to be carried in two phases to increase its carrying capacity.

After missing several deadlines, the deadline for phase I was extended to March 31, 2018. However, the company failed to meet the final deadline as well and phase II is yet to be started.

Government has also announced that an alternate flood channel would be constructed of Jhelum in Kashmir to prevent Valley from floods.

The Union Ministry of Water Resources in December 2014 asked the state government for framing of the DPR for the 80-km Dogripora channel to be constructed from Awantipora in south Kashmir to Wular lake in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

Under this mega project, a new flood channel was to be created from Dogripora to Wullar to carry the surplus flood discharge of Jehlum, which is expected to cost over Rs 18,000 crore. “But during the last over four years, the detailed project report could not be framed,” the official said.

Another project was reconstruction of river Jehlum embankments that had crumbled at various places by 2014 floods.

“Nothing has been done in these years, except dredging at few spots and refilling of patches of Jehlum’s embankments, which were washed by 2014 floods,” the official said. (KNS)

Shopian May 27 : On the Directions of District Development Commissioner Shopian Dr Owais Ahmad enforcement wing of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) conducted extensive market checking through out the district and recovered a fine of Rs 20000 from erring shopkeepers for violation of rules during the holy month of Ramadan.

During the series of inspections, some shopkeepers were found selling expired food items, underweight packages and violating other laws.

DDC had earlier directed concerned departments to conduct regular intense market checking during the month of Ramadan and take strict action against the offenders so that the black marketing, profiteering and hoarding can be curbed.

Making a fervent appeal to observe a complete shutdown in Shopian district and its peripheral areas on 29th may to commemorate the gruesome incident of rape and murder of Asia and Neelofer on May 2009, at the hands of Indian occupation forces, All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani said that Jammu and Kashmir being a heavily deployed military occupied zone in the world, has become most vulnerable place to protect life, honour and especially the chastity of women folk.

Recalling the painful incident, Hurriyat chairman termed it a heinous crime against humanity and expressed dismay on the dubious and malicious role played by the law enforcement agencies and legal authorities with regard to making vain efforts to trample down the eyewitnesses and other credentials of this case.

While demanding a high level probe by United Nations Human Rights Commission, pro-freedom leader said that the rape and murder of the dou sisters was committed in the broad-daylight, but culprits are still at large, which speaks volumes about the Indian designs to use rape of women as a war strategy.

Expressing his grave concern on the heavy military presence in Jammu and Kashmir, the veteran leader said that human rights violations and military presence, having strong correlation needs a serious notice by the United Nations Human Rights Commission to help resolve Kashmir dispute and bring an end to the present miserable and volatile situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Suhail Khan

Uri, May 27 : A woman and her six children sustained burn injuries in a gas cylinder blast in Uri village of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday.

Reports reaching GNS said that seven family members including mother and her six children were injured when an LPG cylinder exploded inside a residential house of Mohammad Shafi Chalkoo son of Abdul Dullah Chalkoo of Laghama area of Uri sector on Monday.

Reports said all the injured were rushed to sub district hospital Uri for treatment.

A doctor at Uri hospital told GNS that they have received seven injured including mother and her five daughters and a son. All of them are undergoing treatment in the health facility, he said.

The doctor identified all injured as Parveena Akther (35), Saima Bano (18), Sabeena Bano (16), Shaista Bano (14), Nazia Bano (13), Ulfat Bano (10) and Ubaid Chalkoo (5).

A fire service official told GNS after getting information about the incident, a team was rushed to the spot to douse off the flames.

A police officer also confirmed the incident to GNS and said a case in this regard has been registered and further investigation initiated. (GNS)

Srinagar: National Conference (NC) leader and elected Member of Parliament Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi on Monday demanded immediate release of youth arrested in south Kashmir “so that they re-join their educational institutions without further delay.”

“We demand an immediate release of the arrested youth without causing any blemish on their career so that they can immediately re-join their respective education institutions and resume their studies,” Justice Masoodi said while addressing NC workers at Khanabal in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

He said that hundreds of youth from south Kashmir areas like Kokernag, Anantnag, Qazigund, Awantipora, Pampore, Seer Hamdan and other places and a good number of them reportedly juveniles have been arrested on mere suspicion and locked in the police stations after the killing of militant commander Zakir Musa.

He said that hundreds of people wait outside police stations for hours together, to see their children free from police custody.

Masoodi appealed to the administration to immediately let off the youth without registering a case as they have been arrested on “mere suspicion that they may join a religious gathering” and registration of cases in these circumstances would unjustifiably put their career at peril and push them to uncertainty.

Justice Masoodi reminded the administration that atrocities and high handedness would be fraught with grave consequences and in some case push the harassed youth to militancy.

He has asked the administration and police authorities to learn from the “previous mistakes” and avoid confrontationist attitude.

Srinagar, May 26 : National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday termed arrested and subsequent beating of boys by army in Dharmuna Budgam district as “very very sad” and demanded court martial proceedings against the accused personnel.  “Very very sad what we have to put up with. I will take this up with GOC 15 Core and immediate court Marshall must be put into place,” Farooq Abdullah told GNS. He said that National Conference will “protest the matter”.   Meanwhile, Kashmir High Court Bar Association also strongly condemned arrests and beating of seven boys by the army at Dharmuna Budgam.Out of the arrested boys, two namely Fazil Fayaz Malik (14) and Hamidullah Sheikh, were released in a critical condition and both were referred to SMHS Hospital Srinagar for treatment. While Hamidullah Sheikh was shifted to JVC Bemina, Fazil Fayaz, who had a head injury and a contusion in brain, was referred to SKIMS Soura Srinagar, where he was operated upon and is now on ventilator with a double support and is battling for life, lawyers body said in a statement issued here.The Bar Association also condemns the thrashing given by the government forces to 4 women namely Asha Bano, Rafiqa Akhter, Tabassum Bano and Bisma Jan, after entering the house of one Ali Mohammad Rather of Pamposh Colony Pinglish, Tral, due to which all of them sustained grievous injuries and had to be referred to Tral Hospital for specialized treatment, the statement said. The Bar Association termed both the incidents, “barbaric and inhuman” and demanded that the police should register an FIR in the matter immediately, if not already done, and those who have committed the gruesome act of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, house trespass with use of criminal force against women with intent to outrage their modesty, be arrested, prosecuted and punished under law.The Bar Association also condemned the beating of three people including a Muslim couple by self-proclaimed group of cow-vigilantes in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.The Bar Association also condoled the demise of Mohammad Yousuf Buch, “a distinguished diplomat and an intellectual of Kashmiri origin”, who passed away in New York on Friday evening after a protracted illness at the age of 97 years. While appreciating his role by dedicating his entire life to Kashmir cause and besides writing several books on South Asia and Kashmir he also ran a Free Kashmir Centre, New York from 1957 to 1972 and because of his close acquaintance with the United Nations, he was appointed as a Director of a Special Advisory Group in the Cabinet of UN General Secretary from 1978 to 1991. The Bar Association prays to Almighty Allah to rest his soul in peace. (GNS)

Srinagar, May 26 : Railway authorities on Sunday decided to suspend train services in Kashmir on Monday(tomorrow) in wake of the prevailing situation in Kashmir following the killing of militant commander Zakir Musa in a gunfight in south Kashmir on Thursday night.

A railway official told that train services from Baramulla to Banihal and vice versa will remain suspended tomorrow on May 27, official said that decision to suspend train service has been taken as a precautionary measure in wake of apprehension of “law and order.”

Class work to remain suspended in higher secondary schools, colleges in Srinagar

Srinagar, May 26 : The district administrator Pulwama has decided to all the schools and colleges in the district on Monday.

The decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to avoid law and order situations. 

An official told that all higher secondary schools and colleges will remain closed in Kupwara district.

Class work in colleges and higher secondary schools of  Baramulla town, Sopore and Pattan will remain suspended tomorrow as well, an official told.

Class work will also remain suspended in degree colleges and four higher secondary schools-two in Bandipora and one each in Sumbal and Hajin area of Bandipora district.

The classwork will also remain suspended higher secondary schools and degree  colleges of Srinagar district.

The class work will remain suspended in degree colleges and higher secondary schools of Anantnag and Bijbehara town on Monday.

The classwork will remain suspended in all degree colleges and higher secondary school Nehama of Kulgam district.

The classwork will also remain suspended in degree colleges and higher secondary schools of Budgam district.

SRINAGAR, MAY 26 : Indian Red Cross Society, Jammu Region organized a mega event on the occasion of its Raffle Draw- 2019 held at Teachers Bhawan Gandhi Nagar, Jammu today.

Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Sanjeev Verma, who is also the Chairman of IRCS, Region Jammu was the Chief Guest while IGP Jammu, M K Sinha and Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar were the guests of honour on the occasion.

The Divisional Commissioner announced the Red Cross Raffle Draw Result in presence of Jam packed audiences.

There were six winners of the first prize who won Santro Car Era for ticket numbers 027535- A, 070116-B, 001732-C, 080658-D, 090557-E, 057180-F while six winners of second prize with ticket numbers 013667-A, 085359-B, 082659-C, 094284-D, 073382-E and 053594-F got Platina Bike. Besides, there were six winners of third prize with ticket numbers 007585-A, 024149-B, 087350-C, 026822-D, 063194-E and 022270-F who got Activa, fourth prize was won by six persons with ticket numbers 077119-A, 001995-B, 093072-C, 094691-D, 036628-E and 009924-F who were given Laptop while smart phones were given to winners of fifth prize with ticket numbers 019613-A, 038073-B, 060404-C, 020139-D, 029986-E and 034917-F.

Dinesh Gupta, Honourary Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Region Jammu highlighted the objective and activities of the Society. He also informed about the Raffle Draw details saying that the money collected here would be used for providing health care facilities to the needy and poor. He informed that the Red Cross Society will organise school health check-up cum treatment camps in coming days.

Prominent among those who attended the function were Head of various departments, Principals of Schools and Colleges, students, Committee Members of Red Cross Society, Sponsors   and senior functionaries of BSF, CRPF and others.