Month: June 2018

Plea to shift Kathua Case accused to Pathankot jail

Editor

J&K Government’s special public prosecutor Santokh Singh Basra has moved an application with District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh seeking shifting of seven of the eight accused to the Pathankot sub-jail in the Kathua rape-murder case. The eighth accused is a juvenile. After the hearing began in the case here on Thursday, the accused are commuting daily from Kathua, where they are lodged in a jail, in a J&K Police bus. The Judge will pass an order on Basra’s application on June 4. Basra also apologised to the court for…

Read More

Three IT giants innovate to save Kashmir education

Editor

Three IT majors – Microsoft, Tech Avant-Garde and Efee Online – have come together to help Kashmiri students to make up for their academic losses due to frequent shutdowns and curfews in the insurgency-ravaged state. The three firms have partnered with the Private Schools Association of Kashmir (PSAK) in starting an online education system in Jammu and Kashmir. “PSAK is partnering with ‘Tech Avant-Garde, Microsoft and Efee online companies to bring Information Technology (IT) which is going to permit solutions to the education system especially during the frequent closure of…

Read More

Dal Lake gets dull as waste dumping goes on

Editor

“Perhaps in the whole world, there is no corner as pleasant as the Dal Lake,” said Sir Walter Lawrence in his book ‘Valley of Kashmir’. But today, the Dal Lake, which used to be the top attraction for tourists in Kashmir, has turned into a dumping ground for tonnes of waste and sewage. The rising pollution and high-nutrient load continues to flow and gather on the surface of the water, which locals used for drinking decades ago. Boatmen and houseboat owners say the lake is no more soothing to the…

Read More

After inputs of Jaish infiltration Kashmir Valley on High alert

Editor

The Kashmir valley is on a high alert and the security forces are on tenterhooks following inputs that around two dozen battle-hardened Jaish-e-Mohammed militants, believed to have infiltrated recently, have split themselves in smaller groups in south Kashmir. The immediate worry for the security grid is the anniversary of the first battle of Islam — the Battle of Badr — that falls on Saturday. Intelligence inputs indicate that militants may carry out attacks on the day. Last year, the Jaish had carried out six attacks on the anniversary of Badr…

Read More

CRPF vehicle ran over demonestrating crowd, One dead one critical

Editor

Vehicle enters Nowhatta, runs over two youth Driver sensitively took vehicle out of crowd: CRPF Notwithstanding the new deployment plan of J&K Police for Friday congregation prayers at Jamia Masjid, a vehicle of the paramiltiary CRPF entered in Nowhatta area of Srinagar downtown after Friday prayers and ran over two youth, injuring one critically. Soon after Friday prayers, youth started a protest demonstration during which a CRPF vehicle passed by Nowhatta area and ran over two youth, injuring one critically. The critically injured youth was identified as Muhammad Younis of…

Read More

Four injured in twin grenade attacks in Anantnag and Pulwama

Editor

Militants carried out two grenade attacks on Friday in Anantnag and Pulwama districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including at the residence of ruling PDP MLA Mushtaq Shah, leaving four persons injured. Militants lobbed a grenade towards the residence of Tral MLA Mushtaq Shah in Pulwama. It exploded in the lawn and no one was injured, a police official said, adding the legislator was not in the house at the time of the incident. The ultras also attacked CRPF personnel at Khanabal in Anantnag district this afternoon. Four persons, including two…

Read More

Top Kashmiri bureaucrats hold insignificant posts

Editor

One way to marginalise Kashmiri presence in the top bureaucracy is to limit the number of officers in the services. Another is to install the remaining officers in positions where their presence is not impactful. The secretariat at present is witness to both. A senior Kashmiri bureaucrat, requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said most of the administrative secretaries from the Valley hold inconsequential departments, some of which have less than 500 employees. No Kashmiri officer heads important departments like finance, planning, home, roads…

Read More

VHP leader Pravin Togadia’s associate offers Rs 2 lakh reward for thrashing Salman Khan

Editor

The Agra unit chief of former Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s international president Pravin Togadia’s new organisation Hindu Hi Aage, Govind Parashar on Thursday declared a reward of Rs two lakh for anyone who thrashes Bollywood actor Salman Khan in public. He accused Khan of hurting Hindu sentiments by naming a movie made by his production house as Loveratri, which he alleged, was deliberately scheduled for release during the Hindu festival Navratri. Parashar and other activists of the organisation reached Bhagwan Talkies crossing on Thursday and burnt posters of Salman Khan’s movies.…

Read More

Water, Power crisis worsens in Jammu

Editor

Only 25 water tankers for 72 wards one-hour power cut every 2 hours Jammu, the city of Temples, has been hit by the worst-ever water crisis in the recent times with many areas of the city not getting water supply for days together, while others are getting supply for only a few minutes. To make things worse, the PHE Department has only 25 water tanks for managing the water supply to 72 wards of the city. There are 12 water tankers for Gandhi Nagar areas and 13 tankers for city…

Read More