November 7, 2017 | Kashmir POST

I repeat what I said in Parliament, demonetisation was organised loot and legalised plunder: Manmohan Singh

November 7, 2017 Editor

Terming November 8 a “black day” for the economy and democracy, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today repeated what he said in Parliament last year: that demonetisation was “organised loot and legalised plunder”. Calling November 8, 2016 a “black day” for our economy as well as democracy, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today repeated his famous statement he made in Parliament last year: that demonetisation was “organised loot and legalised plunder”. Addressing traders in poll-bound Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city on the eve of the first anniversary of demonetisation, the 85-year-old Congress…

World’s tallest railway bridge on Chenab to complete by May 2019

November 7, 2017 Editor

World’s tallest railway bridge, construction of which is on in full swing in Reasi district over Chenab River as part of ambitious Katra-Banihal rail section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Project is going becoming reality by May 2019 as Northern Railway has launched the main arch of the steel bridge. The 1314 meters long bridge will soar to a height of 359 metres over the river bed, which is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The bridge shall be about 5 times higher than Qutub Minar, Delhi. “The…

Modi has wiped out space for dialogue with Kashmir

November 7, 2017 Editor

The Narendra Modi government’s dialogue with Kashmir has died even before it got a chance to be born. The fault does not lie with the leaders of the Hurriyat’s unified command, who last week rejected talks with the Centre’s interlocutor, but with the government in Delhi that speaks in many voices and does not know what it wants. Hours after home minister Rajnath Singh announced his government’s decision to seek peace in Kashmir through a dialogue, Prime Minister Modi ruled out any discussion of restoration of full autonomy for…

All eyes on Govt for easing school bag burden of students

November 7, 2017 Editor

The new academic session in schools is starting from third week of November, however the government is yet to issue guidelines to educational institutions, particularly private schools, for reducing weight of school bags. In the last week of August this year, government had constituted a four-member committee to suggest measures to help reduce weight of schoolbags of children. The committee was headed by chairperson Board of School Education (BOSE) Veena Pandita while other members of the committee were former head of department Sociology, University of Kashmir, A G Madhosh, and…

As mercury dips, power supply woes rise across Kashmir Valley

November 7, 2017 Editor

Despite issuing a schedule of power cuts ahead of winter in Kashmir, residents say unscheduled cuts had increased their difficulties in the cold conditions. Kashmir is facing 20 one-hour power cuts in metered areas in a week and 40 two-hour cuts in non-metered areas, as per the curtailment schedule of the Power Development Department that was implemented last week. Chief Engineer, Power Development Department, Kashmir, Shahnaz Goni said the new power curtailment schedule had been put in place and there were no intentional unscheduled cuts. “Sometimes, there is a fault…

Apex trade bodies stay away from interlocutor meet

November 7, 2017 Editor

Kashmir prominent trade bodies stayed away from holding a dialogue with the government of India’s “special representative” Dineshwar Sharma who arrived in Srinagar on Monday. According to local news agency KNS, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir, Houseboat Owners Association of Kashmir and Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Federation “refused” to meet Sharma despite a formal invitation to them from the divisional administration. The news agency quoted KCCI’s Javed Tenga saying that they got a telephonic call from the divisional administration on meeting Sharma.…

Opposition slams coalition govt’s ‘Failure’ on all fronts

November 7, 2017 Editor

It was a day of protests in the winter capital of the state with different political and social groups taking their fight to the streets against the alleged “discriminatory policies” being pursued by the ruling PDP-BJP government. All major city roads echoed with anti-government slogans while security personnel had a tough time preventing protesters from marching towards the civil secretariat, the seat of the government, which reopened in Jammu after a gap of six months. Opposition leaders courted arrest to highlight the alleged failure of the government, especially the BJP,…

Govt makes fresh overtures to Geelani for dialogue

November 7, 2017 Editor

The government has made fresh overtures to reach out to Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, and engage him in a dialogue. After a government representative visited him Saturday, Geelani received a phone call on Sunday late evening asking him to meet Government of India (GoI) interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma. On Sunday Hurriyat Conference (G) said that a “state representative” came to the residence of Syed Ali Geelani Saturday night to “facilitate his meeting” with Dineshwar Sharma. In a statement issued by the Hurriyat (G) it said that the state representative…

Autonomy only solution to resolve Kashmir Issue: Farooq Abdullah

November 7, 2017 Editor

The former Union minister said it was time for both the countries to accept the realities of the present times and initiate the process which was acceptable to all, including the people of the state. Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah today asserted that autonomy to both sides of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was the “only solution”, saying that India and Pakistan could not keep people of the region hostage to their ego. He urged both the countries to take concrete political steps for resolving…

Dineshwar Sharma arrives on Mission Kashmir, meets nine delegations, all want peace

November 7, 2017 Editor

Begins five-day visit to state; to also meet Governor, CM Dineshwar Sharma, Centre’s representative for sustained dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, arrived in Srinagar today and started the process of talks and reconciliation in the volatile Valley which has been reeling under bloodletting and uncertainty for the past three decades. His search for peace and dialogue started from the Hari Niwas Palace where several delegations came to meet him. According to sources, the delegations said their prime interest was in peace in Kashmir and needed hand-holding. They hoped that the…