Skinder Gulzar

SRINAGAR, Jan 20: The construction of vital Dogripora bridge in Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district has been going on for the last ten years but is yet to get completed.

Locals told that only less than 50 per cent work has been completed in the last ten years.

The bridge is the only means of connectivity to more than ten villages to the national highway connecting Srinagar and Jammu.

Locals speaking to Kashmir Despatch said that in 2008 Ghulam Nabi Azad laid the foundation of the bridge and the work was started soon but with the fall of the then coalition Government, the work on the bridge was stopped.

“There was no major work done on the bridge till 2014 and the work was only started by PDP-BJP Government but with a snails speed,” Ghulam Asad, a resident of Dogripora told Kashmir Despatch.

When Kashmir Despatch contacted the concerned authorities they said that all the funds for the said bridge have been released and the work on the bridge is going on.

The Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama has reportedly asked the contractor to finish work as soon as possible.

Kashmir Despatch was informed by reliable Sources that it will take at least two more years to complete the bridge.

Meanwhile the residents of more than five villages have requested Adviser to Governor of Jammu Kashmir to take cognizance of the delay caused in the completion of the work and look into matter on priority.

Srinagar, Jan 20 : Chairman International Forum for Justice and Human Rights Muhammad Ahsan Untoo while paying glorious tributes to the 53 unarmed civilians were killed on January 21, 1990 stated that the reply filed to his petition before the state human rights commission (SHRC) states that only 22 people were killed on that fateful day was nothing but a mockery.
Untoo said that at least 52 civilians were killed by the BSF on January 21, 1990 and that he won’t rest till the families of every single person killed would get justice in the form of stern punishment to the guilty forces personnel of BSF who resorted to indiscriminate firing by setting the base for the Kashmir’s “first major genocide” planned by the then Governor Jagmohan. 
In a statement issued here, the chairman IFJHR, who has been pursuing the Gaw Kadal massacre case in SHRC since past many years, stated that the reply provided to him in October this year by the police about the incident reads that only 22 people were killed on January 21, 1990 and just 12 got injured is far from the reality. He said that there are scores of eye-witnesses and there is no doubt that 53 unarmed protestors were killed and some 250 got injured.
A peaceful procession that had come from Chotta Bazar and passed through Habba Kadal and other areas reached Gow Kadal Bridge where BSF men were ready to fire at the peaceful protestors leaving 53 dead and over 250 in a pool of blood.
The petitioner said he has been urging the SHRC to impress upoun the deputy commissioner Srinagar to come out with the detailed report on the slain and the number of those injured in the incident. He said that the issue is that it was the biggest irony that the government says that only 22 were killed of which only six were identified and rest remained unidentified.
“This is the mockery of investigation and that its time that the administration come up with the detailed report on the dead and those injured,” he said. He also said that a report must also come to fore that how many people were provided with the ex-gratia so far.

Jammu, Jan 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jammu and Kashmir on February 3 to lay the foundation stone for and inaugurate various projects in all three regions of the state, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said on Sunday.He said Modi will lay the foundation stone for and inaugurate projects worth Rs 35,000 crore and Rs 9,000 crore in Jammu and Kashmir, respectively, during his visit.”The prime minister is visiting the state next month and will visit Leh, Jammu and Srinagar. He will address a mega rally in Jammu in which over two lakh people are expected to turn up,” Madhav told reporters here.He said Modi will lay the foundation stone for AIIMS, IIM, IIT, Jammu-Akhnoor road, Shahpur-Kandi road, Sunderbani college and IIMC in Jammu during his visit.The prime minister will also inaugurate an engineering college in Kathua and the Jammu ropeway project, he added.Responding to a question, the BJP general secretary said, “We tried to take forward many projects being part of the previous government, like AIIMS. It was due to our efforts that we brought one AIIMS for Jammu even when in rest of the country only one AIIMS was given to each state.”Madhav alleged that several projects were delayed due to the Peoples Democratic Party — the BJP’s coalition partner in the erstwhile state government.”We undertook many projects like this. However, the coalition partner used to slow down the process, otherwise it could have been done earlier,” he said.He said the BJP will continue its efforts to ensure all-round development in the three regions of the state.The party was also making efforts to ensure reservation for the Pahari speaking people and divisional status for the region of Ladakh, Madhav said.”We are making a demand to the governor administration to grant reservation to the Pahari people, who are mostly residing in Jammu, and the divisional status to Ladakh before the prime minister’s visit to the state,” he said.He asked party leaders and workers to work hard for to make Modi’s visit successful. (GK)