Year: 2015

PWD Casual Labourers continue protest

Editor

The ongoing protest of the PWD (R&B) Department Casual Labourers Union, Jammu province, continued for the seventh day today over the issue of regularisation of service of casual labourers. Satish Kumar Sharma, president of the union, and Bhanu Partap addressed the protesters, who raised slogans in support of their demands. “A number of committees were formed by the state government to resolve our long-pending issues and demands, but every time our files seem to be gathering dust in the secretariat. Such moves by the previous government were merely eyewash,” said…

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Kashmir legislator announces ‘beef party’ to gather support for his bill

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An independent Kashmir legislator is organizing a ‘beef party’ at MLA hostel in Srinagar today evening, apparently to galvanise support for his anti-beef ban bill. The bill, which seeks revocation of sections of an archaic law banning sale and killing of bovines in the state, is expected to come up for discussion tomorrow on the fifth day of autumn session of Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly. MLA Langate Sheikh Abdur Rashid made the announcement after the fourth day of assembly session ended today.

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Police Officer gunned down in Bandipora

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Suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants today gunned down Police Sub-Inspector Altaf Ahmed, who was considered a key operational man and credited with smashing of many militant hideouts and arrest and killing of terrorists on the basis of intelligence generated by him. Ahmed was shot at in Bandipora area, about 35 kms from here in Kashmir, this morning and he succumbed to his injuries later. Preliminary probe indicated that he became a victim of a trap laid by LeT. In the morning, Altaf, nicknamed as ’24-hour duty cop’, reached his office as…

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Politicians, Bureaucrats turn ‘Encroachers’ in City

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Govt in no mood to retrieve 295 kanals encroached land With every passing day, encroachment is engulfing many areas in Srinagar City and its outskirts in a rapid speed and government seems to have employed the policy of ‘forget and forgive’ to these land encroachers. In last year December, when District administration demolished the boundary wall of the house of former Congress Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and retrieved 30 marlas of grazing land (Kah-charie) in Humhama which he had illegally grabbed, it was taken as harbinger of redeeming ‘encroached lands’…

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SKIMS doc demands blanket ban on carcinogenic substances

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Director Regional Cancer Centre, Shere-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences and head Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr Maqbool Lone on Tuesday urged people to avoid using carcinogenic disposables made up of thermacol, Styrofoam and plastics.  “With our experiments we understand such products are not self-biodegradable. To destroy them, users may have to incinerate/burn them which exude toxic fumes and ashes flying out of them are polluting the environment,” Lone said. He said inhalers of such substances are having chances of developing cancer. He recommended blanket ban on such carcinogenic substances to…

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Kashmir Valley to Silicon Valley

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Adil Bhat Ban! Ban! Ban! From beef to internet, India seems to be running in a marathon of bans, or rather, aiming to get its name recorded in the Guinness Book of World Record for the most banned country. Whatever her aspirations, they cannot be fulfilled at the cost of Kashmir.  In another tragedy of errors, as the days to embark on a journey to the United States (US), and more importantly to the Silicon Valley, approached, the Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre in India, and the Bhartiya Janta…

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Govt will protect Art 370, Art 35A at all costs: Bukhari

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Minister for Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs, Syed Basharat Bukhari Tuesday asserted that the PDP-BJP coalition government will protect the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Indian Constitution. “We are here to safeguard and protect the Article 370 and Article 35A,” Bukhari said amid thumping of desks by the treasury benches. He told the opposition members that Question Hour is meant for raising issues of public interest in the House. “Please stop creating disruptions,” the Minister said. Leading the charge on behalf of the coalition government, Bukhari said…

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Chaudhary Lal Singh leaves DGP red faced, blames Police for drug addiction

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Minister for Health and Medical Education, ARI and Trainings, Chaudhary Lal Singh Tuesday left Director General of Police (DGP), K Rajendra Kumar red faced when he blamed police for being complicit in curbing the drug addiction menace. Speaking on the resolution of drug menace moved by PDP legislator, Javaid Beigh in the Legislative Assembly today, the Health Minister said police was responsible for drug addiction in the State and did not try to find out the source of the drugs. “Instead of arresting the youth who fall victims to drug…

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Drug abuse spreading like cancer: Mufti

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Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the Health Department had been directed to frame a comprehensive policy to check drug menace among the youth of the state. Observing that the drug abuse was spreading like “cancer in society”, Mufti said: “We need de-addiction and rehab centres at all district hospitals for our youth who fall prey to drugs. ”The Health Department has been tasked to frame a comprehensive policy on the issue to safeguard future of our youth, Mufti told the Legislative Assembly after the members cutting across party…

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HC gives govt one more week to file report on relocation of liquor shops

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Terming the government report on liquor shops incomplete, the High Court today granted the state one more week to file a comprehensive report on relocation of liquor shops situated near hospitals, religious places, educational institutions and along highways. Hearing public interest litigation which seeks complete prohibition on sale and consumption of liquor in the state, a Division Bench of the High Court, including Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, directed the state government to file a comprehensive report by or before October 14, the next date…

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