Year: 2020

Gund Jahangir hamlet in Bandipora witnessing the first community transmission of the novel Coronavirus

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing the first community transmission of the novel coronavirus at Gund Jahangir hamlet in Bandipora and in surrounding areas. Sixty-four positive cases have been reported in 10 days. The administration is grappling with poor medical staff and a slow rate of testing. It started with the sudden death of Ghulam Nabi Mir, 54, on April 7. With no travel history or contact with a positive case, Mir, a fruit dealer, died within a day of his admission to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar. “Mir…

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You say you understand the pain of Kashmiri’s now that you are in lock-down. Do you really?

Editor

An open letter to fellow Indians.By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal Dear fellow citizens, Presuming that you are all English speaking, reasonably well-off or better and, like me, safely ensconced in your homes with enough provisions to last as the lockdown has been further extended, let me begin by dispelling all your romantic notions about the great leveler that this pandemic is and about the virtues of humanism and compassion it can kindle within our souls. Amidst this nationwide lockdown as you find yourself trapped in your homes, you may all be trying…

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India’s new Kashmir domicile law mirrors Israel’s settler-colonial blueprint

Editor

As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic amid a global race to stop its spread, India has passed a new law in Kashmir which residents fear will change the demographic status of the Muslim-majority territory.  The new domicile law announced by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs on 1 April grants permanent residency rights, which entails owning and buying property and access to government jobs, for anyone who has resided in Indian-administered Kashmir for a period of 15 years.  The move has sparked anger in the contested region, with civilians from a range of political opinions questioning…

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Study shows no link between COVID19 and Pollen, But govt orders 42000 Poplars axed across Kashmir Valley

Editor

The order, which is already being followed through, will wreak havoc with local livelihoods and green cover in the Valley. With the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in Kashmir and the resulting fear psychosis in the general population, the government of the Union territory is forcing growers of a common poplar tree species known locally as “Russi” to cut them to prevent allergies in the spring season. “A meeting held under the chairmanship of Pandurang K. Pole, IAS, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir on April 2, 2020 to discuss the…

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‘Third world region of a Third world country’: How Kashmir struggles with the Coronavirus

Editor

While a lockdown is nothing new, a healthcare system in shambles and a sluggish internet make Kashmir particularly suited for the virus to spread as India looks away. Soon after the first patient of COVID-19 – a 67-year-old woman who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia — tested positive on March 18, a team of health professionals and volunteers were sent to Khanyar to sanitise the area. They were also tasked with tracing the people the woman may have had contact with.  Meanwhile, police personnel began patrolling in their jeeps. With…

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Post uproaring across J&K, Centre amends domicile rule

Editor

The Union home ministry on Friday evening amended the new domicile rule for Jammu and Kashmir issued this week that had triggered howls of protest in the Kashmir valley. In its final form, only domiciled residents of J&K will be eligible to apply for recruitment in the union territory. In the earlier version notified on Tuesday evening, the home ministry had reserved only subordinate posts for the domiciled residents. For other jobs under the union territory, people from any part of the country could apply. The new order issued a…

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#Coronavirus: As lockdown enters 13th-day, 26 Areas across J&K declared as ‘Red Zones’

Editor

Amid continuing lockdown and restrictions for the 13th consecutive day, the government Tuesday declared 26 areas in Jammu and Kashmir as “red zones” in view of the surge in coronavirus cases in the Union Territory. According to Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Lal Bazar, Eidgah and Shalteng areas in Srinagar district and Chadoora in Budgam district and Waskura in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir have been declared as “Red Zones”. The other “red zone” areas are Parray Mohala, Chandergeer, Batagund in the Hajin area of north…

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National Highway remained closed for 5th consecutive day, Faulty excavation leads to the frequent closure

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For the frequent closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, many blame the ‘faulty’ excavation work being carried on along its Banihal-Ramban stretch. “The excavation work being undertaken by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI),” an official said, “triggers frequent landslides due to which road remains blocked quite often”. He said as the Banihal-Ramban stretch is already a landslide and shooting stone prone area, the standard engineering techniques are not being considered at all. “The executing agency has ignored the safety part and it lacks any plan to tackle the weather…

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Domicile rule for J&K defined by GoI

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The definition expands to include those who have “studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K.” A person residing in Jammu and Kashmir for at least fifteen years will now be eligible to be a domicile of the union territory, according to the new rule issued by the Centre Tuesday. In the latest gazette notification, Section 3A of the J&K Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020, under the J&K civil services (decentralization and recruitment)…

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Imagine the Indian lockdown without the internet and phones, Now think Kashmir

Editor

At 8 pm local time, on March 24, prime minister Narendra Modi gave 1.3 billion Indians a four-hour notice to confine themselves to their homes for the next 21 days. The national health emergency, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, suddenly plunged the country into uncharted waters, with most people having no experience in navigating them. In these dark times, one place that most Indians can look up to for guidance is Kashmir, with its three decades of experience with such crises. In the restive northern region, drawn closures…

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