Month: October 2015

CM stresses need to improve Srinagar’s infrastructure

Editor

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today promised to build a new summer capital by integrating modern elements into the city’s rich heritage. Terming Srinagar as a historic centre of authority and influence, the Chief Minister said: “Srinagar is the heart of the state and we need to appreciate its centrality. We also need to improve its fundamentals by working on core sectors like connectivity, businesses, transport, water and drainage systems.” Mufti Sayeed was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new Mehjoor Bridge at Jawahar Nagar and Kissan…

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Kulgam family claims Qasim was their son

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A family in Kulgam district today claimed that slain Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Abu Qasim was their son and not a Pakistani. Khutan Begum, a resident of Khandipora village in Kulgam, claimed that the slain was her son, Muhammad Yaqoob Hajam. “He had left home some 15 years ago and we knew nothing of his whereabouts,” said Khutan, who had come to Bugam village to claim the body. Khutan said her son had a small extra growth behind his ear, which was visible on the slain as well. Superintendent of Police, Shopian,…

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Kulgam shuts against the killing of Abu Qasim, Thousands participated in funeral

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As the news about the killing of LeT commander Abu Qasim reached Kulgam town of south Kashmir scores of youth took to streets and started anti-India sloganeering. Reports said that protests were going on in Kulgam amid complete shutdown. The most wanted LeT commander, Abu Qasim according to police was killed in an encounter at Khandaypora, village of Kulgma district last night. According to the Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone S.J.M.Gillani cordon and search operation was launched at village Khandaypora, Kulgam in south Kashmir which turned into an encounter…

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Geelani calls for parallel ‘million march’ to counter Modi’s Nov 7 Kashmir rally

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Senior pro-freedom leader and Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani has called for a parallel rally to counter PM Modi’s proposed rally in Srinagar on November 7. Hurriyat (G) spokesman Ayaz Akbar told on Thursday that a million march will be organised at TRC Grounds in Srinagar on the day Modi plans a rally. “It will be held at TRC. Our (parallel) rally will be a message to India to read a writing on wall as it will see whether PM’s rally will have large number of people or the…

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Protests hit Kashmir after India says it killed top rebel

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A top rebel leader in Kashmir was killed in a gunbattle with Indian forces Thursday, triggering street protests in the disputed Himalayan region, police said. Abu Qasim was a Pakistani national and operations chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, which India blames for several attacks across the country, including the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, said police Director-General K. Rajendra Kumar. There was no independent confirmation or comments from militants fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir. But as the news spread, hundreds of people tried to march to…

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Finally, PDC-owned Baglihar-II to light up JK

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J&K is set to get reprieve from power woes with the inauguration of 450 MW stage-II of Baglihar hydropower project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month. The project would not only give a fillip to State’s energy sector but also “cement its position” in the energy market, officials said. The Prime Minister would inaugurate the project on November 7 which would be followed by signing of MoU between J&K’s Power Development Corporation (PDC) and Rural Electrification Corporation’s Central Institute for Rural Electrification for setting up of an institute in…

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Durbar Move offices in Srinagar packing up for Jammu

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Long queues of visitors from across Kashmir outside the Civil Secretariat, hustle and bustle on the premises and dust rising from rooms with employees engaged in packing files marked the day today. This is ahead of the biannual move of the Civil Secretariat and other Durbar Move offices which are scheduled to close this weekend in the summer capital for reopening in the winter capital. “The process of packing old files and record started early this week while those of urgent nature are still being moved,” said officials. With only…

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Traders want Mufti to look into their demands

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The Karan Nagar Traders’ Federation (KNTF) today alleged that the government had neglected them while seeking Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s intervention for the resolution of their demands. “Despite the fact that Karan Nagar is a commercial hub, we have been neglected by the government. Though we have sent several reminders, the government has not addressed our genuine grievances,” said Karan Nagar Traders’ Federation president Aijaz Shahdar. He said most of the streetlights in the area were defunct that was affecting businesses in the evening hours. He said electric wires…

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Constitution allows food of choice, says Mehbooba

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Says miscreants must be given exemplary punishment Advocating exemplary punishment to miscreants responsible for taking the law into their own hands, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has said the Indian Constitution allows a person to eat whatever he wants without hurting the sentiments of others. “Those who create disturbance are in a minority and the majority are in favour of maintaining communal harmony and secular fabric of the country,” Mehbooba said. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a party function, Mehbooba said the Indian Constitution guaranteed people the right to…

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Patients rue poor infection control measures in hospitals

Editor

With most hospitals, mainly government ones, unable to maintain hygienic standards and take proper infection control measures, people, mostly from rural Kashmir, visiting them are susceptible to diseases. The president of the Doctors’ Association, Kashmir, said hospitals lacked proper facilities to prevent infections. “We don’t have infection control measures at public hospitals. There are no soaps in washrooms. Not to talk of patients, even there is no infrastructure for doctors leading to the spread of infections in hospitals. Even in the ICU and emergency wards there are all kinds of…

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