Year: 2016

Talks on between PDP-BJP, but behind closed doors

Editor

Saffron party expects impasse to end by March Despite all the tough talk and posturing on both sides, warring allies PDP and BJP continue to be engaged in a dialogue on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, top BJP sources indicated today. Keeping alive the hopes of the first saffron government in the state, a BJP leader in the know of developments in the currently Governor-ruled state said talks with the PDP were “very much on”. “Talks are going on. The government formation may take some more time but we…

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Restrictions imposed in parts of Srinagar

Editor

While forces have been put on alert across the Valley, the state has decided to impose restrictions in parts of Srinagar on Tuesday on the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Separatist groups have called for a shutdown on Tuesday on the third anniversary of Guru’s hanging. They have called for a shutdown on Thursday on the death anniversary of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) founder Maqbool Bhat, who was hanged on February 11, 1984. A senior official said the authorities had decided to impose restrictions for maintaining…

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First govt that represented all regions, earlier ones used to be Kashmir-centric: Nirmal Singh

Editor

Nirmal Singh, who was deputy CM in Mufti Sayeed’s government, spoke On the alliance “Our alliance partner was one with which we had lot of ideological differences on various issues… However, we prepared an agenda of alliance addressing every issue during the next two months. As a result there was no major trouble between the alliance partners during the 10 months.” Once in government… “We learnt a lot during those 10 months and got many things streamlined. Led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who was a visionary leader and supported by…

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Kashmir bat industry dying a slow death

Editor

From Jawbehara in Pulwama to Anantnag along the highway, a number of bat factories grab your eyeballs. As the bill-boards glued on these factories are big, so small the business is happening inside them nowadays. The owners of these factories claim, the business is dying its own death because of the indifference of the government towards them. The government had declared an Industrial cluster for this factory but the same hasn’t seen the light of the day yet. “The disorganized way of selling the product has a negative effect on…

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Deadly reminders: J&K on shaky ground

Editor

• Ominous Signs: From 7 tremors in 2010, the number of earthquakes felt in the State reached 27 in 2015 • 105 minor and major tremors have jolted J&K since 2009 The graph of earthquakes hitting Jammu and Kashmir has reached all time high with 27 tremors felt in the state last year. As per the official data, 105 minor and major tremors have jolted the state since 2009. The threat of earthquake looms large in the state, particularly in the areas coming under Seismic Zone V. As per the…

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‘Kashmir is a tailor-made destination for corporate conferences’

Editor

India’s top-notch event organizer and son-of-the-soil Naveen Kundu Sunday stated that Kashmir is a tailor-made destination for holding corporate conferences and wedding tourism. He pledged to promote meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibition or MICE tourism of Kashmir among corporate across the country. Kundu who runs an event management company namely Leisure Corp said that Kashmir apart from being tourism destination has also facilities available to become hub of MICE tourism. “If we assess the current infrastructure, Kashmir can host conferences having more than 3,000 participants,” Kundu said while talking to us in…

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Concept of education in Islam

Editor

Learning process is neither child centered nor teacher centered, but a collective system based on practical teaching Khursheed Nabi Malla Islam is a complete way of life. Islam provides mankind with a complete guidance for the acquisition of knowledge and transformation of education. Islam lays emphasise more on education. But the philosophy of education as provided by the Islam is quite different from the philosophies of non-Muslim philosophers. The philosophy put forth by Islam must therefore include the concept of accountability of deeds in hereafter and applicability. Man is supposed…

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SMC messes up solid waste management at Achan

Editor

Failure of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to undertake scientific disposal of solid waste of Srinagar at Achan garbage dump has pushed the summer capital on the verge of an environmental disaster. At a time when experts have raised red flag over feasibility of much-hyped waste-to-energy project at Achan, the SMC has failed to put in place mechanism for scientific disposal of the solid waste. On an average 400 metric tons of solid garbage is produced per day in Srinagar. Taking cognizance of unscientific methods to dispose of waste at Achan,…

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Declining snowfall triggers concern

Editor

Global warming coupled with overexploitation of resources is impacting Kashmir’s weather pattern and snowfall timings, an official report has said, blaming “unplanned urbanization, encroachment of wetlands and rapid deforestation” for these alterations. The official report titled ‘State Action Plan on Climate Change’ mentions that Kashmir Valley is recording “unusual shift in snowfall timings” as the summer capital (Srinagar) is witnessing less snowfall in December and January—ideally considered as peak winter months with temperature dipping below freezing point. However for the past couple of years, these months have witnessed less or…

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Defying curbs, thousands join Hizb militant’s funeral

Editor

Thousands of people on Sunday joined the funeral prayers of a militant who died in a gunfight with forces in Gundpora village of this south Kashmir district yesterday. Scores of people, including some cops, were injured in massive protests and clashes over the militant’s killing. Syed Mufeed Bashir, son of Basheer Ahmad, a resident of ZadooraPulwama, died in the brief gun-battle at Gundpora on Saturday evening, leading to massive protests which continued throughout the night and in the morning as well, reports and witnesses said. The slain militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen…

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