Month: August 2015

Authorities sit on encroachment of roads, footpaths; City-centre areas worst affected

Editor

Failure of authorities to remove encroachment from roads and footpaths is taking a heavy toll on vehicular and pedestrian movement. The entire stretch of footpaths and roadsides at city centre areas including Regal Chowk, Ghanta Ghar, Amira Kadal, Hari Singh High Street, LD Crossing and Batamaloo has been encroached upon by street vendors and shopkeepers who place their goods there—hampering pedestrian and vehicular movement. At city centre Lal Chowk, street vendors have encroachment upon footpaths causing immense inconvenience to pedestrians. “Due to encroachment of footpaths near Biscoe School and Ghanta…

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KPs throng Nagbal Shopian to participate in annual Kapal Mochan Shradh

Editor

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir State thronged Nagbal Shopian Wednesday to participate in annual Kapal Mochan Shradh- a festival observed “to seek liberation of souls of deceased, especially for those who die young”. Scores of Pandit families including migrants KPs took part in a Havan at Shiva Temple Nagbal. The village is around one and a half kilometers from Shopian district situated on the banks of nallah Rambiara. A Havan was organized on the eve of the main Puja that is celebrated each…

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Onion brings tears to consumers’ eyes

Editor

Ban on imports from PaK leads to crises in market  The ban on imports of onions from across Line of Control (LoC) the prices of onion in Kashmir have reached to Rs 70 -75 per kg in retail. In wholesale the rates are in between Rs 50 to 60 kg while Kashmir grown onions are being sold at Rs 45 to 50 per kg. It’s getting harder for middle class people to cope with the increasing rates of the onions. “If the situation remains the same, I think the common people…

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‘Increasing number of Kashmiri youth taking to militancy’

Editor

Increasing number of Kashmiri youth joining militancy is a matter of concern, a top army commander said on Wednesday while talking about the strategy of Pakistan-based terror groups to focus on recruiting locals after their “failure” to push in terrorists. Outgoing Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha said “several motives” are being exploited by recruiters, including religious radicalisation, discontent due to personal or academic failures, links with terrorists and over-ground workers and desire for recognition or status. “Any youth joining terrorists’ ranks is a cause of concern,”…

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Police highhandedness in Kulgam, Pulama denounced

Editor

Hurriyet leaders have condemned the highhandedness and reign of terror unleashed by Indian police against people of Khadwani, Kulgam and Pulwama areas of south Kashmir. The leaders including Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Zafar Akbar Butt, Maulana Abdullah Tari, Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo and others in their separate statements asserted that the resistance leadership could not maintain silence over the atrocities being inflicted upon the people. They condemned the highhandedness of police in Khudwani and Pulwama and said that police were unnecessarily harassing and arresting youth. Police have waged an undeclared war…

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Labourers’ strike enters 24th day at Qazigund-Banihal Tunnel Project

Editor

The strike by local labourers working on 8.5-km Qazigund-Banihal tunnel—undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)—against “disparity in wages” entered its 24th day Wednesday, hampering work on the project that has already been marred by delays. The Qazigund-Banihal portion of the highway expansion project is undertaken by the NHAI’s Srinagar-based Project Implementing Unit and has already missed several deadlines. A fresh deadline of the project is May, 2016. On May 27 this year, Minister for Roads & Buildings Syed Altaf Bukhari expressed concern over the slow pace of…

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Div Com visits Gurez

Editor

Reviews sector-wise activities Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon along with a team of officers visited Gurez and took stock of the development works, welfare schemes and work culture in the offices. The Divisional Commissioner convened a meeting of the officers of various functionaries at Dak Bungalow Dawar and reviewed sector wise progress of development works. The Sectors which were reviewed include; Education, R&B, Rural Development, PHE, Health, Power, Agriculture, Horticulture, Sports, Fisheries, Revenue, Forest, PMGSY etc. The Divisional Commissioner reviewed the achievements made under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes…

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PDP seeks ample resources from Centre to deal with post-flood situation

Editor

Describing growing unemployment as a matter of “grave concern”, PDP presidentMehbooba Mufti on Wednesday sought “ample resources” from the Centre for post-flood economic reconstruction and to supplement the peace efforts in Jammu and Kashmir. Her concern over unemployment was raised on a day when a top army commander expressed apprehension over increasing number of Kashmiri youth joining militancy. “To supplement the peace efforts and make it sustainable and catalyse its pace the Government of India should provide ample resources to JK government to proceed with post-flood economic reconstruction. “We are…

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Burhan’s first-ever video mesage for Kashmiri youth emerges as new worry for security apparatus

Editor

During the address, Hizb commander is also seen sermonising the state police in a condescending statement. Strategically leveraging the power of social media yet again, Burhan Wani, after having gradually emerged as the ‘poster boy’ of new age militancy in Kashmir, has for the first time sent out a message for valley’s youth in his latest video. The 21-year-old Hizb commander had recently grabbed headlines when video and photos featuring him went viral on social media platforms including Facebook and Whatsapp. In his latest five and half minute video, which comes after an…

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Militant killed in Uri gunfight, 5 reportedly trapped in another place

Editor

A militant was killed in a gunfight with Indian army and police’s SOG at Uri sector while five others are believed to be trapped at forest area in Rafiabad in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday. A senior defence ministry official told GNS that army’s 46 RR along with the additional reinforcement of 17 JAk Rif, 4 PARA, 35 RR and 32 RR cordoned off the vast area of Murgan Beehak forest area of Bijhama in Uri and other routes connecting to Nowgam sector including Vijay Top following the specific…

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