SRINAGAR, MARCH 21- Advisor to Governor, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai on Thursday said that Kashmir’s cricket bat units were proving to be sustainable entrepreneurial ventures—providing employment opportunities to thousands of youth.

Speaking to the delegation of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Bat Manufacturers Association led by Abdul Rashid Dar from south Kashmir, Ganai said that one of the oldest bat sectors needs government patronage to grow as viable entrepreneurial venture across the State. He said that the bat sector has a potential to grow manifold in coming days provided that the concerted efforts were put to revive the sector.

Interacting with the Advisor during day-long Governor’s Public Grievance camp here at Church Lane, the cricket bat manufacturers apprised him about many issues of their trade. They appealed the Advisor that government must come up with a foolproof strategy to revive and strengthen the bat manufacturing sector.

The delegation further informed the Advisor that the success of Indian Premier League (IPL)—where the franchise owners splash millions of dollars to acquire their favourite players was proving to have a positive effect on the cricket bat manufacturing in Kashmir as well. They said that they were getting orders for many consignments from several corporates from across the country.

Pertinently, the cricket bat sector in Kashmir Valley has more than 400 units, some 30 to 40 in Jammu region; including registered and unregistered, with a collective turnover of over Rs 10 crore annually.
The delegation informed the Advisor that the IPL has been a huge bonanza for this sector as the number of bats sold since the inception of the league has gone up.

The delegation said that they were expecting more orders from the stakeholders from the concerned cities. However they urged the Advisor that hassles in free trade should be cleared. They said some of the truckloads with finished bats and bats with stickers were stranded at Lakhanpur, Jammu for official clearance and efforts should be taken to clear them at the earliest.

They urged the Advisor to document the main constraints that confront the cricket bat industry in order to devise future strategies and research needs that can help to exploit the full economic potential of this indigenous wood-based industry.

The stakeholders urged Advisor Ganai that a common facility centre was highly needed in the area—which would give a flip to the units located along Srinagar- Jammu highway.

They demanded that the government should come out with a definite policy on bat sector of Kashmir—which would save the sector and Kashmir willow.

Advisor Ganai said that government was taking every possible step to make these units as a viable sector for the thousands of youth—thereby providing entrepreneurial venture as a viable livelihood activity. He suggested that the manufacturing of cricket bats was a lucrative venture in Kashmir which could be up-scaled. He urged the manufacturers to plant more and more willows in their areas—which would give them ample raw material.

Srinagar, Mar 21 : On the 10th anniversary on implementations of RTI act, the former IAS officer and working President of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), Dr. Shah Faesal Thursday said that there is a lot more which needs to be done when it comes to strengthening the institutions of transparency in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement issued, Dr. Shah Faesal said, “It is irony that even a decade after the enactment of JK RTI Act 2009, the level of mass awareness regarding this act is still dismal. At the same time there is a lot of resistance in the government offices to implement various clauses of this Act. Section 4(a) which deals with the voluntary disclosure of the information has not been implemented as per the spirit of the Act. Too often government officials are resorting to Section 8 and hiding the information.”

“Applicants are harassed in the name of RTI fee and time lines are not also been followed. Certain information is being denied without proper reasons. The appellate jurisdiction of the State Information Commission under the RTI Act is not being respected by the subordinate offices,” he said.

Dr. Faesal further added, “There is an urgent need to ensure that RTI Act is implemented in its true spirit, so that there is a regime of transparency and accountability in the State.”

JKPM as one of its priority items intends to implement the act in its letter and spirit and strengthen not only State Information Commission but also State Accountability commission and give it sue motto powers to deal with the cases of political corruption and the powers to investigate such cases whenever there is a complaint, Dr. Shah said.

He said JKPM will also work towards making these institutions autonomous and putting in proper procedures in place so that appointment of members of State Information Commission and State Accountability Commission is made free from political interference. 

Srinagar, Mar 21 : Hurriyat Conference (G) said that after miserably and humiliatingly failing to curb and contain the movement for right to self-determination by all the military might, Indian government is frustrated to the extent that they frame and arrest pro-freedom leaders, activists and their relatives on the pre-planned psychological crackdown using the masked tools of NIA and ED, so that they surrender and stop voicing the sentiments of their oppressed and suppressed nation, thereby covering and shielding their atrocities and barbarism against common and unarmed people. But people are much aware of these gimmicks and such childish acts are in no way going to bail them out of their heinous crimes.

According to a statement issued commenting on the quizzing of Altaf Ahmad Shah and Zahoor Watali by ED and grilling of Hurriyat (G) chairman’s son Syed Naseem Geelani by NIA, Hurriyat Conference (G) said that on one hand those involved in Samjota Express Blast in 2007, where in more than 80 people (mostly Pakistanies) are set free by the courts, while as pro-freedom people and their relatives are harrased and threatened by so-called investigating agencies who have shown their brutal face by recent killing of school principal Rizwan Pandith.

Hurriyat (G) said that Altaf Ahmad Shah and Zahoor Watali are already under the custody in Tihar jail for the last 2 years and fresh questioning confirms the mindset of the Delhi rulers, who use their agencies as a tool of arbiratation and oppression.

Hurriyat Conference (G) said that Indian rulers use the Kashmir card to lure the voters and propagate their pseudo bravery to fight the enemy, but these measures can never suppress the freedom sentiment of the pople in general and leaders in particular.

Srinagar, Mar 21 : District Development Commissioner, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, conducted an extensive review and inspection of major developmental projects in city and outlines priorities for key infrastructure requirements for early initiation of projects.

ADC KK Sidha, JD Planning Yaseen Lone, officers from Tourism, Irrigation, Flood Control, Power and Revenue departments accompanied him on the occasion.

The DDC inspected the ongoing work of Rambagh-Jahangir Chowk flyover where double-shift work has been started for early completion of the project.

The executing agency has completed 8 slabs in last 2 weeks and 20 more slabs are to be laid for completion of the double-lane flyover. He assured the local contractors of redress of their pending issues including GST refund, payment of bills and resolution of inter-agency issues.

Dr Shahid appreciated the team of contractors of ensuring double-shift construction and maintaining the fast pace of work assured during previous meetings which resulted in completion of 7 slabs in 2 weeks and efficient planning for completion of remaining 20 slabs in a shortest possible time.

He sought cooperation of local residents and shopkeepers in the smooth execution of work.

He was responding to complaints about forced parking by locals, wrong entry, removal of safety barriers and other incidents, for which police has been asked to take cognizance.

The DDC also inspected works including revetment of Jhelum riverbank, dredging of Peerzoo Channel, construction of parks and joggers path along the riverbank between Amira Kadal and Zero Bridge, illumination of riverbank between Convent School Bridge and Zero Bridge, and parapet walling of embankment at Shivpora.

He directed the departments for beautification and lighting of embankments at an earliest, establishment of kiosks to be run by SHGs of local residents, establishment of library, park and aesthetic infrastructure. Departments were asked for completion of works by April end. Flood protection work on left bank of river east of Zero bridge will also be taken up soon, it was decided.

A detailed discussion was also held for beautification of shikaras and also rehabilitation of owners of damaged / dilapidated shikaras. Consultation with stakeholders was also held during the visit. Meanwhile, the team of officers also visited Nishat area to finalise location for sports field to be developed for local youth.

Srinagar, Mar 21 : Terming the National Conference a party of traitors, the Peoples Conference today said that three generations of the Abdullah family looted the nation to mint personal fortunes worth billions.

In a statement Peoples Conference (PC) spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir said Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah laid the foundation of erosion of special status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir to safeguard the interests of the family adding that the next two generations of Abdullah’s have only contributed to the sinister cause, actually responsible for endless bloodbath in Kashmir.

“The ex prime minister of J&K Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah gleefully took oath as the chief minister of J&K. This single act was the biggest ratification of all erosions and is in essence the mother of all erosions. It was a blatantly notorious trade off where in a person with not even a single MLA was handed over power in lieu for ratification of all erosions”, he added.

The spokesperson further said the tradition of labelling opponents as “agents” was introduced by Sheikh Abdullah “who would accuse every genuine critic of his satanic politics as ‘agent’.”

“It was largely to muzzle the genuine voices that Sheikh Sahib had established the draconian Public Safety Act, something his next two generations used the most, to torture the innocents and to be in power either by hook or crook,” Adnan added.

Noting that loot in garb of politics has been the genetic trait of the Abdullah family where Sheikh started his innings with mere bicycle and now his progeny has fortunes ranging from fleet of imported luxury cars to designer watches to mansions across the world and what not.

“It’s an open secret that the Abdullah’s own mansions across the world. In Delhi alone they own at least two such properties. The mansion in Shanti Niketan is worth around Rs 60 Crores and the one in Nizam Ud Din worth over Rs 20 crores,” he said adding that as the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been under scanner for using secret funds meant for public good for “personal and friendly satisfactions.”

The spokesperson accused Omar of exploiting J&K Bank to please his “business friends” by blessing them and inducting them as directors in banks and sanctioning huge loans, running into hundreds of crores. “Only an audit into the scams can do justice with the people of Jammu and Kashmir”, he added.

Taking a dig at Farooq Abdullah for his involvement in the JKCA scam, Adnan said that “Farooq Abdullah has a sole distinction of being a charge-sheeted candidate, in the JKCA scam, among all candidates in fray for Lok Sabha elections. The Abdullah’s have looted, plundered for three generations and added to the chest of their family silver which runs into thousands of crores.

Adnan further said that National Conference has repeatedly benefitted from poll boycott in Kashmir since the rigged elections of 1987. The abysmal voter turn-out especially in the heart of Srinagar has plunged Kashmir into a state of changelessness.

“National Conference’s political dominance in Kashmir is a myth created to project Abdullah’s as the only representatives of the people of Kashmir. Their four time winning candidates in Khanyar and Eidgah have managed to take just over 21500 votes respectively across four elections while candidates from other parts of Kashmir lost in 2014 even after getting 25000 votes. Dr Abdullah won the Srinagar Parliament was due to mere seven percent turnout. The NC has perhaps been the biggest beneficiary of poll boycott and their cry for early Assembly polls in Kashmir is a desperate attempt to find an easy passage to the Assembly, sensing the lack of interest in public mood to participate in the upcoming elections”, he added.

Commenting on the NC-Cong pre-poll alliance, Adnan said that Omar was following the same footprints of his father Dr Farooq Abdullah, whose accord of 1980s with Congress led to rigging in the Assembly polls –something which pushed Kashmiri youth to pick up guns.

“NC’s alliance with the Congress was actually aimed at strengthening the “Jeeja Saala” family ties between the two parties as 10 Janpath’s close aide Sachin Pilot happens to be a family member of the Abdullah’s. Not only the people of this state but even the young NC leaders must understand the Jeeja-Saala accord,” he added. 

Srinagar, Mar 21 : Senior BJP leader and former speaker JK Assembly Kavinder Gupta today said NC and Congress are afraid of BJP, that forced them to form an alliance.

Gupta said NC and Congress had always fought elections against each other, but this time they know the popularity of BJP among people.

“They are afraid of this popularity of BJP. But we will win by a huge margin. Both these parties do not exist anywhere. It is a cakewalk for BJP given the work we have done,” Gupta added.

He also said that BJP will announce its candidates for the upcoming polls today in the evening.

NC- Congress on Wednesday decided to enter into pre-poll alliance on some seats in the state to keep BJP at bay. (KNS) 

Srinagar, Mar 21, : Local Sikh community Thursday joined the protest march that was carried out by locals including the family members of School Principal Rizwan Asad Pandit against his custodial death in Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

    The protesters sought the time-bound investigation in the case. They said that custodial killing of Rizwan was a naked act of terrorism. The protesters were joined by the members of local Sikh community demanding justice to the family.

The protesters said that Rizwan was murdered in custody while his body bore torture marks. “The injury marks were visible all over his body,” said his brother, Mubashir Asad. “He was brutally tortured,” he said.

Mubashir said Rizwan’s left eye had turned black, and the left side of his face was swollen. “There were severe injury marks on his thigh, cut marks and deep burn marks were visible on his thigh. There were stitches on his head,” he alleged.

   A protest was also organized by traders in South Kashmir’s Anantnag on the call of Joint Resistance Leadership. A large number of traders carrying banners and placards while demanding justice sought the intervention of Governor Satya Pal Malik.

   They said the policemen involved in this brutal murder should be immediately taken to task. “People in Kashmir have lost faith in the system and they know the outcome of the probe. We want swift action against the killers,” the protesting traders told news agency CNS.

Srinagar, Mar 21, : Demanding stern action against the men in uniform responsible for the killing of Awantipora youth Rizwan Asadh Pandit in custody, mainstream political party National Conference Thursday took out a protest rally accusing Bhartiya Janata Party of pursuing anti-Kashmir policies to subdue people of Kashmir.

   A large number of National Conference workers led by party General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar led the protest rally from the party headquarters at Nawa-e-Subh. Senior NC leaders including Nasir Sogami, Mubarak Gul, Shameema Firdous  were also part of the protest rally.

   Carrying placards and banners, the protesters chanted anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slogans and demanded stern punishment for the people responsible for the death of 29-year-old Rizwan Asad Pandith.

   Protesters were stopped by the police at Tourist Reception Centre and prevented from marching ahead.

Pandith died in police custody days after he was picked up from his home in Awantipora.

The government has said that the magisterial inquiry is being conducted by the district authorities in Pulwama.

   Earlier while talking to Reporters, NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said that: “It was a cold blooded murder and the culprits ought to be punished. Any killing is condemnable and responsibility needs to be fixed. Government should not save the skin of those responsible for the killing of young school teacher.”  

“The killers should be dealt as per law and stern punishment should be meted out whosoever is responsible. There has to be a thorough investigation in the killing,” demanded Nasir Sogami. 

Yasmeen Manzoor

Srinagar, March 21: Shabby classrooms without benches, rugs filling in for desks, leaky roofs, stinking toilets, no playgrounds and an overall poor infrastructure is all the government schools of Kashmir valley possess while the government schools outside the valley have made it clear that education remains one of its topmost priority where these schools not only provide well developed infrastructure but also quality education at a nominal fee.

Almost 80% Government Schools of Kashmir valley lack basic facilities of electricity, drinking water and even toilets while many schools are without playgrounds and those having had either playground outside their premises or is not accessible at all.

At the same time, besides Government schools outside the valley like that of Delhi provides students with modern infrastructure and quality education, installation of CCTV cameras, self-defence classes for girl students and spoken English classes are among some of the various initiatives in Government schools there.

While talking to Kashmir News Bureau, Tahir Rasool student of one of the Government school of Kashmir valley said “The schools outside the valley are provided with modern and well developed infrastructure where students enjoy their studies, but here in our schools we don’t have even class rooms, we use to study under sunlight and face lot of problem, we do not have any place for sanitation nor a playground, we want our schools developed like other Government schools outside the valley.”

However, J&K Government inaugurate new academic institutions, colleges here in valley but there are number of such examples of schools that lack basic facilities and students suffer a lot.(KNB)