The window for PDP and BJP to sort out their differences and form a government in Jammu & Kashmir is shrinking rapidly as the state assembly, now in suspended animation, must meet by April 9 to avert its dissolution. Though the state came under governor’s rule after PDP patriarch Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away in January, the relevant date for dissolution of the assembly is October 10, 2015 when it last met. In accordance with Article 53 of Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, there cannot be an intervening gap of more…
Read MoreMonth: March 2016
Not only Pandits, Muslims too left Valley
Not only Pandits but hordes of Muslims too left the Valley following the outbreak of violence. Today, they make a living from IT, media and, of course, selling handicrafts. One of the memories Rizwan, now in his 40s, has of his early days in Bengaluru in the 1990s, is standing outside a public telephone booth waiting for the weekly call from his home in Srinagar. “The call would come in the evening at a fixed time, and missing it meant my parents would worry. The phone calls were our only…
Read MoreAdmin caught napping on Achen landfill site, scientific disposal of waste
Leachate treatment plant dysfunctional, no soiling done Even as over 3,000 metric tons of garbage continues to mount on the streets of the summer capital since March 5, when protests erupted against the dumping of waste at Achen, the basic point is that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has failed in the scientific disposal of the solid waste at the sole landfill site here. This correspondent during an on-the-spot visit of the landfill site found that two essential laid down guidelines for scientific disposal of waste –the leachate treatment and soiling…
Read More2 ‘unwanted’ infants land at GB Pant hospital
Two children, abandoned by parents, have landed at GB Pant Hospital, where authorities have ‘admitted them’ in absence of a Children’s Home. On Saturday evening, an infant girl was abandoned by a woman, who appeared to be her mother, at Ward No. 2 of GB Pant Hospital. The baby girl, as per doctors, appears to have a congenital problem, which they feel may have been the reason for her being ‘unwanted’. The girl is the second abandoned child housed in this hospital. Earlier, a baby boy, found by people on…
Read MoreOne killed, 2 injured as car falls into gorge in Doda
One person was killed and two others injured when the car they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district. The driver of the car last night lost control over the vehicle due to slippery conditions and it fell into the gorge on the Thathri-Gandoh road in the district, a police officer said. After getting information, a police team and locals rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to the Community Health Centre Thathri, where doctors declared one…
Read MoreGovernor to present full-fledged annual budget
Drabu says new Govt can change it, Rather says never Governor Narendra Nath Vohra would soon present a full-fledged annual budget indicating a prolonged stalemate on government formation. Sources in the Raj Bhavan said Governor Vohra would present a full-fledged annual budget not a vote-on-account, which a caretaker government usually does for using funds for various items of expenditure like staff salaries. As the state legislature is in a suspended animation following the death of sitting chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on January 7, the Governor, for avoiding a financial…
Read MoreKashmir’s ‘Phiran’ reaches Pakistan fashion gala
Kashmir’s traditional ‘phiran’, an oversized gown, got a makeover at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2016 here. Zara Shahjahan’s luxury collection titled ‘Sartorialist’ was a modern take on the ‘phiran’ (worn by Kashmiri people to guard against cold) and was coupled with a minimalistic and organic look. The designs looked royal and light by selection of earthy shades and soft pastels. In fact, Shahjahan also chose Kashmir’s famous embroidery — Ari work — for her designs. Ari was done on cotton linen with contemporary chic detailing and edgy silhouettes. Her…
Read MoreBJP opposes J&K Estates dept’s ‘pick & choose’ policy
The BJP on Sunday accused the Estates department of Jammu and Kashmir of adopting a “pick and choose” policy in serving eviction notices to former ministers of the BJP-PDP coalition government in the state. “While the step asking the BJP-PDP ministers to vacate their ministerial bungalows is in right direction, the Estates department has adopted a pick and choose policy while serving the eviction notices as several leaders of various political parties continue to occupy the bungalows even after leaving office more than a decade ago,” BJP MLA RS Pathania…
Read MoreTAAK demands cap on bookings by travel portals
Frisking at Cheshmashahi, foreign registration at Sgr airport should go Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) has voiced concern over the direct bookings made by online travel portal affecting local travel agents and tour operators. In a recent meeting with Principal Secretary Tourism Sandip Nayak, a delegation of TAAK discussed various issues confronting tourism sector in the Valley. TAAK delegation was represented by Vice President Malik Hamidullah Bazaz, Secretary General Farooq A Kuthoo, Former President Peerzada Faiyaz, Finance Secretary Habibullah Pandaw, chief organizer Showkat Ahmed, Publicity Secretary Irfan Mir besides EC…
Read MoreDon’t visit ailing Geelani, says Hurriyat
The hardline Hurriyat Conference has asked people to refrain from visiting its ailing chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who has been advised by doctors to avoid gatherings. Doctors at Max Hospital, New Delhi, have advised Geelani to avoid meeting people and stay away from public gatherings, said a Hurriyat spokesperson, Ayaz Akbar in a statement issued here. “Geelani’s health is improving and people are requested not to visit him to enquire about his well-being,” Akbar said. The octogenarian leader was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital on…
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