Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project a BOOM Or a Disaster in Making

Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project a BOOM Or a Disaster in Making The famous Kishanganga project has already casted its shadow over flora & fauna of district Bandipora, which includes the famous Wullar Lake, centuries old pines are being cut and all ironically done at the cost of development. Sane voices are worried that serene environ of Bandipora , Water bodies are being polluted, rare fish species are dying due to poisonous discharges from the project sites. All these activities are going under the noose of district administration, who is terming this disaster as…

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Woman among four ‘tortured’ by army; Massive protests in Bandipora

Massive protests erupted in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Monday over alleged torture of four persons, including a mother-son duo by army. While the mother-son duo was being treated for injuries at District Hospital Bandipora, two more injured are being shifted to the hospital, police said. An official said that Army’s 14 RR launched a search operation in Zabn Gujjar Basti in Chuntimulla area of the district in wee hours today. “During the operation, they allegedly tortured three persons, including a woman,” he said on the condition of anonymity as…

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PM’s package will trifurcate JK, turn Kashmir into ‘concentration camp’: KEA

Calling the Rs 80,000 crore developmental package as a deep-rooted conspiracy against the Muslim majority character of Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) said on Monday that the funding aims at dividing the state on communal lines. The KEA threatened to launch a mass movement if New Delhi failed to redesign the package in accordance with ground requirements for economic upliftment of the trouble-torn state. In a handout, KEA Chairman Yasin Khan said the breakup of package clearly shows that the lion’s share in development has been given…

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7 Probes ordered in 9 months, but results awaited

In the past nine months, the J&K government has ordered at least seven inquiries into civilian killings in Kashmir which, however, haven’t yielded any results. While the government has failed to act in some cases, a few probes have been left midway. FIRST PROBE The first probe was ordered by the government in February this year into the killing of a youth in Palhalan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. The inquiry officer was ordered to submit his report within 15 days.  Farooq Ahmad Bhat, 20, was killed on February…

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Kashmir peppered, gas shocked

Deadly ‘non-lethal’ weapon life risk for civilians, cops Harvey Allen in Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War-I writes, “It was remarked as a joke that if someone yelled ‘Gas’, everyone in France would put on a mask. … Gas shock was as frequent as shell shock.” Not much has changed for the people of Kashmir who are as shell shocked today due to the excessive use of pepper gas by police and paramilitary forces. The rampant use of the “non-lethal” pepper gas is becoming deadly for people in…

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Downtown Cricket League award ceremony witnesses pro-freedom slogans

The final of the Downtown Cricket League concluded amidst pro-freedom slogans here on Sunday at Kashmir university ground. During the award ceremony, spectators raised  pro freedom and pro Pakistani slogans from the top of their lungs. Some of the boys wishing anonymity said that they smell something fishy in organizing such events. They alleged that such events basically are meant to divert the attention of youth from the real cause to something different. “How is this league going to help the boys in future. DCL is no way any platform…

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JK among ‘worst states’ for business: World Bank report

While the ruling Peoples Democratic Party leadership is busy projecting J&K as a ‘safe destination’ for business ventures, a report by the World Bank has listed the State among “worst states to do business in India.” The World Bank-prepared assessment report—All India Assessment of Business Reforms—ranks J&K at 29th place among 32 states assessed, with an overall score of 5.93 percent, thus making it figure among ‘worst states to do business with.’ Gujarat tops the list by scoring 71.14% in the status of implementation of the 98-point Reforms agenda. According…

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PM’s package will boost road connectivity, says Kohli

Minister for Transport Abdul Ghani Kohli today said the Prime Minister’s Rs 80,000 crore reconstruction plan would expand and improve road connectivity in the state, especially in the remote areas like Poonch and Rajouri. Addressing a series of public meetings in Budhal and Khwas areas of Rajouri district, Kohli said out of the Rs 80,000 crore package, Rs 5,000 crore had been earmarked for upgrade of the Jammu-Poonch road, which would boost the economy of the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. He said a tunnel on the Mughal…

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Parking chaos, concertina wires welcome visitors to hospital

Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, one of the biggest maternity hospitals in the state, presents a picture of neglect and total mess. Problems being faced by patients inside the hospital have been highlighted several times, but outside the premises, a man-made mess created by lack of parking space is a major cause of frustration to people. Despite expansion of the hospital building, not much has been done to create a parking lot. Instead of resolving the issue, the hospital management has put up concertina wires near the entrance to…

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Doda-Kishtwar highway turns into death trap

Though there is no rain in the entire Chenab region for the past one week, the 115-km stretch of the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar national highway has been in a pathetic condition. It has turned a death trap for thousands of people who regularly commute through the road. The authorities are not bothered about the loss of lives in road accidents as the region is being neglected by the government. On May 14 this year, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in his maiden visit to Doda announced the release of Rs 12 crore…

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