Category: Community

Lack of professional planners leading to haphazard growth across J&K

Editor

Due to absence of professional planners, Jammu and Kashmir is bracing up for a major crisis in the implementation of developmental projects as haphazard constructions are coming up across the state. Officials said the job of planning had been entrusted to engineers, architects and draftsmen, who lacked basic knowledge of drafting plans for growing cities and towns. For a population of 12.55 million, J&K needs over 100 planners to plan development of cities and towns. “But, we have only five on the job, with two of them working in non-planning…

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

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…

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Apex trade bodies stay away from interlocutor meet

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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.…

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Time Syed Ali Shah Geelani showed independent leadership

Editor

The top separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani inspires awe. Such is the impact of his personality cult that some are ever-willing to bare their chests to face bullets for him. Others hate him for his relentless pro-Pakistan campaign and wonder why he is not being stopped from his “anti-national activities” on the country’s soil. But in the recent months some changes have taken place in which he is seen more of a Pakistani than a Kashmiri. A very strong feeling is running among many Kashmiris that this is the…

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Mehbooba steps into power crisis issue, directs PDF to follow curtailment schedules

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Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday pulled up commissioner-secretary Power, Dheeraj Gupta, for continued delay in completion of a vital infrastructural project in Kashmir which would enhance its power transmission capacity. “How long will you take to complete it (Alstang grid construction)? Last time you also sought eight months. What happened then?” Mehbooba told Gupta during a meeting she chaired here to review the power scenario in Kashmir which is reeling under darkness due to unabated electricity outages. The power scenario has worsened across the Valley for the past four…

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Resettle Pandits at their native places: Parveen Togadia

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Staunchly opposing a dialogue with separatist groups, fire-brand VHP leader Parveen Togadia today urged the Centre’s special representative on Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, to set a time frame for the return of displaced Kashmir Hindus to their native places in the Valley. “Unless Kashmiri Hindus are allowed to return to their native places in the Valley, any dialogue on Kashmir would be meaningless and worthless,” he said while interacting with mediapersons after launching a “Hindu helpline” here this afternoon. “Both the state and Central governments are duty-bound to resettle…

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Stop ads if papers print ‘Anti-National’ articles: Centre to State

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The home ministry told the state government that some publications were publishing “highly radicalised content”. The ministry of home affairs has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to stop advertising in local newspapers that allegedly publish “anti-national articles”. Without naming any newspaper, the ministry has told the state government that some publications were publishing “highly radicalised content glamorising terrorists and anti-national elements”. The Centre has written to the Mehbooba Mufti-led government in the state to deal strictly with such newspapers. In a letter dated October 18, 2017 and addressed to…

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Talks only meaningful when held with resistance leadership: Joint Civil Society

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Joint Civil Society (JCS) today said the engagement of the nominated representative of Government of India can only be meaningful if and when unconditional talks are held with Joint Separatist Leadership. “We the members of Kashmir civil society have witnessed with distress hindrances to the process of resolution of Kashmir dispute sought to be facilitated by nominating Dineshwar Sharma as a representative of Government of India. Unfortunately the terms of reference for the proposed dialogue have not been specified,” the Joint Civil Society said in a statement. “Needless to state…

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Govt dead slow on Rambagh-Jehangir Chowk flyover

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Akhtar promises project completion on new deadline, says winter won’t impede work The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government is going glacier slow on the construction of Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover, a major infrastructure project in Srinagar. The construction of the flyover, a major infrastructure project in Srinagar, has run into a quagmire of delays with work being halted on the first phase D (Tulsi Bagh-Barzulla) slated to be completed by December 31. An official confirming the strike by both the non-native labourers and local material suppliers said…

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KCCI expresses concern over opening wine shop at Srinagar Airport

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Urges Govt to take measures to protect JK’s unique culture President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I), Javed Ahmad Tenga Thursday expressed concern over the reported proposal of opening a wine shop at the Srinagar Airport. President KCC&I in his statement condemned the proposal in all forms and urged the State Government to take all measures to preserve and protect the unique culture of the State. Tenga further stated that the abrupt deterioration in the power supply in Kashmir and the unilateral announcement of a harsh power curtailment…

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