Year: 2015

Baglihar-II non-functional within one months of commissioning

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• Power project can generate electricity only in summers  • 50 % power from Baglihar-I sold outside The 450 MWs Baglihar-II power project inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on November 7 is non functional while 50 per cent of the electricity generated from the first phase of the project is sold outside despite Valley facing 8-9 hour daily power cuts. According to officials, the second phase of Baglihar project is non functional as it has been designed to generate electricity only in summers. They said both Baglihar-I and Baglihar-II…

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Naseem Bagh a favourite haunt of autumn lovers

Editor

Located on the western banks of the Dal Lake and nestled in hundreds of mighty chinar trees, Naseem Bagh has become a favourite spot for autumn lovers in Kashmir. In the summer of 1635, the Mughal emperor in Kashmir planted 1,200 chinar saplings, all at the same time in a “char chinar pattern” — four chinars trees in four corners of a rectangular piece of land — so that a person at the centre enjoys shade throughout the day. The area was later named as Naseem Bagh, meaning “garden of…

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‘Govt has failed to promote business in Kashmir’

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Kashmir Economic Alliance today slammed PDP-led state government for “failing to initiate measures to promote business in Jammu and Kashmir.” Chairman KEA, Muhammad Yaseen Khan while talking to reporters here said: “The World Bank-prepared assessment report has vindicated our stand that it is extremely difficult for the businesspeople to do business in Kashmir,” Pertinently, the World Bank in a recent assessment report—All India Assessment of Business Reforms— has ranked J&K at 29th place among 32 states assessed in the status of implementation of Reforms agenda. J&K’s position has brought it…

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Once a bustling town, Baramulla faces neglect

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Known as Gateway to Kashmir till 1947, it lost importance over the years Kashmiri historian and scholar Prithvi Nath Kaul Bamzai had, in his writings, described Baramulla as the chief city of Jammu and Kashmir. Situated along the historic Rawalpindi-Srinagar highway, now called the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, traders and visitors, or for that matter even raiders, first landed in Baramulla before 1947, when the road was closed. However, over the years, the once bustling business city and Gateway to Kashmir had faced political as well as economic neglect. “Baramulla as a…

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Kashmir doctor not terminated yet being absent from last 28 years

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Govt dismissing 192 missing doctors soon The government has failed to terminate hundreds of doctors absent from duties for years including a doctor missing for the past 28 years but Minister for Health Monday said he would soon dismiss 192 such doctors. A Right to Information (RTI) query of the Health Analytics India revealed some startling dimensions of chronic absenteeism in Kashmir. The data obtained from Kashmir in response to the RTI query revealed that a government doctor had remained absent for the past 28 years yet he had not…

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Geelani slams Mufti’s ‘Muslim Unity’ remarks, terms it ‘paradoxical’

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Terming the statement of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed that ‘Indian Muslims must unite against evil forces and defeat terrorism’, as “absurd and awkward” the Hurriyat Conference (G) Chairman Syed Ali Geelani on Monday said Mufti is a person “who has spent his life supporting barbarism and atrocities of Indian forces in Kashmir”. “How can a person, who is actively involved in worst kind of state terrorism in Kashmir and suppressing the peaceful and genuine voices of its people, lecture on terrorism,” Geelani said in a statement issued to GNS.…

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No influence of IS ideology in J&K : Rajendra Kumar

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Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday ruled out any influence of Islamic State in Kashmir Valley in the wake of terror attacks claimed by the global terror outfit in Paris. “We do not find any ISIS ideology (being followed) in Jammu and Kashmir,” Director General of Police (DGP) J&K, K Rajendra Kumar told reporters here today. The officer said that the rate of infiltration from Pakistan has decreased remarkably and there was also a decline in militancy related activities in the state. “Infiltration (from across the border) rate has decreased…

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Protests in Bandipora as Army detains 7 youths

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At least five persons, including a woman, were injured during protests against the detention of seven youths by the Army in Chuntimulla village of Bandipora district today. Three of the seriously injured civilians, including the woman, were shifted to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar. They have been identified as Sakeena, Junaid, and Mohammad Hussain. The trouble started when the Army picked up seven youths of Chuntimulla village this morning for questioning, leading to unrest in the village. Villagers, suspecting trouble, held protests and demanded immediate release of…

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Lankan ex-cricketer for resumption of Indo-Pak ties

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Aravinda de Silva flags off drive to promote use of environment-friendly electric cars Former Sri Lankan cricketer Aravinda de Silva, known for his flamboyant batting, today batted for resumption of cricketing ties between India and Pakistan. “I feel that people should forget all other issues. Sports should be given more priority and should win hearts of people,” he said on being asked if India and Pakistan should resume playing cricket against each other. He was here to flag off the country’s first-of-its-kind goodness drive from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to promote…

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Flood-hit traders demand separate rehab package

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Warn of mass movement if Centre fails to ‘redesign’ relief The Valley traders today threatened to launch a mass movement if the Centre did not announce a separate package for the victims of last year’s September floods. “We will launch a mass movement if New Delhi fails to redesign the package in accordance with ground requirements…only Rs 800 crore has been earmarked for the so-called rehabilitation of traders even as floods destroyed Kashmir economy to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore. Over 50,000 shops were destroyed in floods,” Mohammad…

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