DoB certificates ‘on sale’ in SMC during admission season

New Commissioner denies receiving any such reports It is 4 AM, Tanveer Ahmad (name changed), a government employee, is waiting in a long queue outside the main gate of one of the missionary schools in Srinagar. In order to enroll his daughter in Nursery class, Tanveer has to fulfill all the prerequisites including the stringent age criteria set by the school stating ‘Children born between Jan 2012 to Dec 2012 shall only be eligible’. Like Tanveer scores of other parents ensure they fulfill the criteria by any means even if…

Read More

GoI ‘gives cold shoulder’ to proposals on JK tunnels

The Government of India has given ‘cold shoulder’ to J&K government’s proposals to fund construction of tunnels in the State to provide round-the-year connectivity to far-flung and inaccessible areas. An official document reveals that GoI has “advised” the state government to “explore alternatives to tunnels”, citing their “high cost and time consumption.” “Minister of Road, Transport and Highways mentioned that construction of tunnels are very time consuming and involves a high capital cost, so alternative to tunnels may be explored by state,” minutes of a meeting held between J&K’s Chief…

Read More

DCL T20 to kick off today

The second edition of highly popular T20 league, Downtown Champions League T20 would start from Wednesday. The organizing body of the event had cancelled the inauguration ceremony that was scheduled to be held on August 31 at Sheri Kashmir Cricket Stadium and instead decided to go ahead with the organizing of the league matches. “Due to paucity of time we were not able to make arrangements for the inauguration ceremony up to our satisfaction. We thought of postponing the inauguration. However, seeing the pressure from cricket lovers who want to…

Read More

Authorities sit on violation of official timings by private schools

In violation of norms, many private schools in the summer capital are violating official school timings—subjecting students to inconvenience. The DSEK has notified the official timings in schools within municipal limits of Srinagar from 9 am to 3 pm. While outside the city municipal limits, the schools have been directed to function from 10 am to 4 pm. However, in brazen violation of norms, some private schools in the City open the schools early morning—subjecting students of lower class to inconvenience. DSEK had last month warned of strict action against…

Read More

105 Persons detained under PSA in 18 months

 At least 105 persons have been booked under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) in Kashmir out of which 31 persons are lodged in Kashmir jails since 2014. According to the data maintained by police, the 105 persons include militants, Over Ground Workers (OGWs), stone pelters, All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) members, timber smugglers and drug peddlers. At least 18 civilians have been booked under PSA for stone pelting during the incidents of unrest in the Valley while 14 separatists were also booked under the provisions of the Act from…

Read More

Supreme Court of India asks JK police not to arrest Indian army officer in custodial disappearance case

The Supreme Court of India has directed police not to arrest an Indian army Brigadier in connection with the custodial disappearance of a man, Manzoor Ahmad Dar from Rawalpora here Srinagar, in 2002. However, a division bench of Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy directed the Brigadier Kishore Malhotra to cooperate with the police in its investigation into the disappearance. “Brig. Kishore Malhotra shall not be arrested by the police authorities but he will participate in the enquiry and co-operate with the investigating agency,” the bench, according to…

Read More

India can’t afford to ignore the growing Burhan’s of Kashmir

New Delhi must start a dialogue with moderates like the Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik before more youth turn to armed uprising. 21-year old Burhan Muzaffar Wani — a local militant commander of the largest indigenous guerrilla outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen — is fast emerging as the new face of armed rebellion in the Kashmir Valley. He is the poster boy of new militancy and carries a cash reward of Rs 1 million on his head. Last Friday, a group of young boys were seen holding pictures and posters of Hizb commander, dressed in…

Read More

Rs 56-lakh scam unearthed in ICDS

The Vigilance Organsation today unearthed a scam worth over Rs 56 lakh in the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in Samba district and booked officials for involvement in it. “Following allegations of irregularities in purchase of nutritional and non-nutritional items in the ICDS, a check was conducted by the Vigilance Organisation, Jammu,” said an official. “It revealed that the District Social Welfare Officer, Samba, in the capacity of Nodal Officer, ICDS project, Samba, had floated four tenders for purchase of nutritional items before the creation of a separate Integrated Child…

Read More

‘Background checks essential before hiring school staff’

A body of private schools in Kashmir has decided to carry out background checks before hiring any staff including teachers and drivers. “No school shall henceforth appoint or utilise the services of any staffer — teacher, lecturer, driver, etc — without the proper verification of the antecedents of the person concerned. The employee shall be appointed only after an NOC issued by his or her previous employer,” Joint Committee of Private Schools (JCPS) said in a statement today. The JCPS also decided that the merit and qualification shall be given…

Read More

‘Right to self-determination only way to settle Kashmir’

Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League (JKPFL) has said that granting of right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people is the only solution to the Kashmir dispute. The JKPFL spokesman, Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah, in a statement issued in Srinagar said that all other so-called formulas like self-rule and internal autonomy were unacceptable to the Kashmiris. He said that these so-called formulas had been designed by Indian agencies to divert the attention of Kashmiri people and to dilute the legitimate right to self-determination for which they the Kashmiris had rendered great…

Read More