Year: 2015

Transported to the era of ‘Nund Rishi’- the flag-bearer of Kashmir

Editor

Iqbal Kirmani Urging the academic world to reinterpret the teachings of Kashmir’s patron Sufi saint, Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din (RA), Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar Friday said the saint’s life needs retelling as the era of great secularism in Jammu and Kashmir. “In today’s world where Muslims face internal divisions, the era of Sheikh is an example of great secularism in Jammu and Kashmir. Like we have to rediscover the message of Quran, we have to rediscover Sheikh-ul-Aalam as a great connector between people of different faiths,” Akhtar said. The Minister was…

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PDD resorts to power cuts after breakdown in transmission lines

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The Power Development Department (PDD) Friday resorted to power cuts due to overloading and technical snag in the transmission lines across Kashmir. Due to the overloading on the power infrastructure, the power cuts were increased than the routine schedule of 8-hour outages in the non metered areas and 3-hour in metered areas during the day today. “The transmission lines had broken down at many places in Kashmir after the felling of the trees due to which the supply remained affected,” said a senior PDD official. He said the overloading of…

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Kashmir in Hindi Cinema

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Bollywood should give back the legendary naive characters Nasir Ahmed From sixties to eighties, the The Indian Hindi film industry, popularly known as Bollywood and Kashmir enjoyed a sort of made for each other relation. During this period dozens, rather scores of movies were shot in Kashmir on a plethora of subjects, mainly romance, action and family drama. Kashmir used to be the most favorite outdoor location of Bollywood. A film was treated as incomplete if it did not have song or two shot in the lush green environs, dense…

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Shrine board mulls disposal of solid waste in eco-friendly way

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Following the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board today discussed the action plan for eco-friendly disposal of solid waste being generated en route the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. The shrine board convened a meeting of various stakeholders, including the residents of the Charanpaduka and Banganga areas, at the Spiritual Growth Centre in Katra to work out the action plan with regard to regularisation of equine movement on the track, disposal of mule dung and other solid wastes and cleaning of Banganga. The…

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Toxic food colors, dyes risk public health in Kashmir

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Increased use of unauthorized artificial food colors (AFCs) in Kashmir’s food industry is posing a serious threat to public health, with weak monitoring of the phenomenon adding to the risk, experts have opined. Over the years, the use of artificial colors—chemicals synthesized from petroleum—has gone up in the Valley, resulting in different ailments, medicos told. “Increasing instances of allergic reactions, hyperactivity in children and carcinogenic effects resulting from prolonged use of artificial colors and dyes is a proof of the menace in the market,” said a senior doctor at SHMS…

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Sole Pandit family in Pulwama village never considered migration

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When some sections of Kashmiri Pandits are demanding separate settlements in Kashmir valley, Pyarelal’s family at Inder village in south Kashmir’s militancy hotbed Pulwama district is showing that they can live harmoniously with Muslims at their native village. Pyarelal’s family is the single Pandit family living with 350 Muslim families for the last 20 years. Pyarelal, who is living with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and a grandchild, never considered migration option that most of his community members opted for. “When Pandits in Kashmir were leaving their native villages after the…

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LS adopts resolution to rehabilitate Pandits

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Why can’t non-Kashmiris buy land in J-K, asks BJP MP Hukumdev The Lok Sabha today adopted a resolution asking the government to immediately rehabilitate Pandits and address  the plight of  people who had migrated from West Pakistan  but did not enjoy citizenship rights. The Lok Sabha urged the Centre to take immediate steps for rehabilitation and welfare of displaced persons from Kashmir. Taking part in a resumed discussion on a private member resolution moved by BJP member Nishikant Dubey on March 20 on immediate steps for rehabilitation and welfare of…

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Srinagar police face manpower, accommodation shortage

Editor

Be it containing social crimes, maintaining law and order or regulating traffic on roads in Srinagar, people in the militancy infested region look to the police to solve their problems. But when it comes to their own personal problems, there appears to be no one to address those. In Srinagar’s volatile old city, after a hectic day of law and order almost every Friday, policemen rush to their respective police stations, but to their discomfort, most stations lack basic amenities. Take the example of Srinagar’s oldest police station — MR…

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Circular Road reduced to ‘free parking zone’ in Jammu

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Once an easy escape route from Jammu city to reach the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the single-lane Circular Road from the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office to Panjtirthi, has now been reduced to a free-parking zone. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has no plans to address the issue and make space available to people for parking of their vehicles. In the absence of parking lots and rising number of vehicles the road has been virtually turned into a parking zone. Daily hundreds of vehicles are parked on the road and the traffic…

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Snowfall forces closure of Jammu – Srinagar as well other highways

Editor

All major highways in Kashmir were closed on Friday due to fresh snowfall and landslides at various places, officials said. Due to snowfall in Qazigund sector, no movement of traffic was allowed from Qazigund towards Banihal side and from Banihal towards Jawahar tunnel today, said an official. Because of fresh snowfall in Pir Ki Galli and Shopian area, Mughal road remained closed for movement of traffic today as well. Vehicles were stopped at Heerpora from Shopian side and at Behramgalla and Chandimarh from Poonch side. In view of snowfall in…

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