Month: November 2015

CAPD team to check quality of ration at FCI takeoff points

Editor

Fair Price Shops to be opened in all uncovered areas: Minister Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution (CAPD) Department Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali today constituted a high-level committee of officers to check the quality of foodgrain at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) takeoff points before the same are dispatched to J&K. Taking cognisance of the complaints regarding dumping of substandard rations in some far-flung areas of the state, the minister made it clear that there would be no compromise on the quality of rations and strict monitoring would be…

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Dense fog disrupts air, rail services in Valley

Editor

Dense fog across the Valley today disrupted air and rail services and lead to an accident on the Srinagar-Baramulla national highway. All flights to and from the Srinagar Airport were cancelled today, causing inconvenience to passengers. “Due to heavy fog and low visibility, all 22 flights to and from the Srinagar Airport were cancelled today,” said a senior security official at the airport. He said the first flight scheduled to arrive at the airport at 9 am could not land due to dense fog and low visibility. The last flight,…

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BJP expels Hari Om who had criticised alliance with PDP

Editor

BJP on Monday expelled senior leader Hari Om from the party’s primary membership for six years after he criticised the party’s actions, including forming the coalition government with PDP. BJP state president and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma expelled Hari Om for “gross indiscipline, anti-party activities and un-repentance for his misconduct” after receiving his reply to a show cause notice issued to him on November 5. “Having received your response to the show cause notice, pertaining to your acts of gross indiscipline and anti-party activities, issued on 05.11.2015 and received by…

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Seven killed after chopper crashes in Katra

Editor

Seven people, including a pilot, were killed after a chopper crashed in Katra area of Jammu region on Monday. Police said that a chopper belonging to Himalayan Heli Services crashed in Katra popular with religious tourists. The helicopter was ferrying pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi temple crashed near Katra, said an official to IANS news agency. More details awaited.

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Parents resent textbook profiteering by private schools

Editor

Failure of authorities to tighten noose around private schools, who in nexus with publishers are fleecing parents by selling textbook and notebooks at exorbitant prices, has resulted in massive public outrage. A ground survey by us reveals that on average the textbooks of Class 6th costs Rs 2000 to Rs 3000, while at the same time the textbooks being prescribed by Board of School Education in government schools are priced only Rs 300 to 400. The huge discrepancy in prices of textbooks in government and private schools reveals the murky business…

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Is E-commerce boom hurting Kashmir’s traditional markets?

Editor

Boom or Bust Go into an upscale neighbourhood of the city and chances are you would run into a motorbike-borne man riding with a big rucksack on his back. Every morning, hundreds of such men ride out from their office spaces in Srinagar in the morning with bags full of goods to deliver them at the homes of the buyers. Welcome to e-commerce in the Kashmir valley. As the growth of the internet spikes, more and more internet users are realizing buying online has many benefits. Apart from having to…

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Resolution, reconciliation, development constitute PDP’s core agenda: Mehbooba

Editor

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and Member Parliament, Ms Mehbooba Mufti today said resolution, reconciliation and development constitute the PDP’s core agenda and the party would continue to pursue the same with unflinching consistency to ensure political stability and economic prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir. “It is with this objective that, despite all odds, PDP entered into an alliance with BJP to revive the process of political reconciliation and economic rejuvenation in Jammu and Kashmir which was initiated by the PDP-led coalition government in 2002,” Ms Mehbooba said while addressing…

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1975 Accord historic betrayal with people: Geelani

Editor

Reacting to the Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s statement that 1975 Indra-Abdullah Accord was an important event which revived the democracy in Jammu Kashmir, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani today rejected it as ‘figment of his (Mufti’s) imagination and far from reality’. “The fact is that 1975 Accord has resulted in the killing of lakhs of innocent Kashmiris. It revived the democratic process in such a way that the entire Kashmir has become a major prison and a mega graveyard,” Geelani said in a statement today, adding that…

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Despite accidents, overloading continues unabated in Samba

Editor

Despite an increase in the number of road accidents caused due to rash driving and overloading becoming a serious cause of concern for the authorities, no strict action has been taken yet. Local residents said public vehicles plying on all routes of Samba district were always overloaded, thereby increasing the chances of accidents. “To earn more, local bus and minibus operators are violating traffic norms and accommodating more passengers than capacity in the vehicles,“” said Rahul Kumar, a local resident. “Recently a bus packed with passengers rammed into a bridge…

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Kashmir’s unsung hero Robert Thorpe remembered on death anniversary

Editor

Members of civil society Sunday paid glowing tributes to Robert Thorpe on his 147th death anniversary. A delegation of civil society members, led by Dr Altaf Hussain, visited Thorpe’s grave situated at Sheikh Bagh near Mallinson School. The delegation members included Zareef Ahmad Zareef, Abdul Majid Zargar, Dr Shujaat Bukhari, Parvez Imroz, Khurram Parvez, Ahsan Untoo and Showkat Ahmad. Speaking on the occasion, the members highlighted the contribution of the “unsung hero”. Dr Altaf stressed on the need to inform people, particularly the young generation, about Thorpe’s contribution. Senior journalist,…

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